text:
Oregon Basketball and The Season of New: Anatomy of a Rivalry
Posted by Rockne Roll on January 10th, 2013
Welcome to Oregon Basketball and The Season of New, a weekly Pac-12 microsite column from Rockne Roll (@raroll). His column will focus on the various issues facing college basketball through the prism of the Oregon Ducks, a program ostensibly on the rise with top-notch facilities and coaching but still subject to many of the same problems suffered by many of the other high-major programs around the country.
Not all conference games are created equal, particularly in a conference where there's a wide separation between best and worst. And while the Oregon Ducks have been saying that they prepare for every game with the same degree of intensity and focus, one can't help but think that there might have been a little something extra that went into the preparation for Sunday's conference opener against a team the Ducks have played 337 times before this one. Because what better way for Oregon to start conference play than the longest running rivalry in college basketball; the Civil War against the Beavers of Oregon State.
Team leaders E.J. Singler (left) and Roberto Nelson tried to keep the Civil War "civil." (Photo by Rockne Andrew Roll)
The Civil War has all the makings of a classic rivalry: two big schools with big athletic programs in the same conference separated by 40 or so miles of Interstate 5 and a million miles in terms of campus and community culture. Between Corvallis, the small, rural town with its agricultural college turned engineering and forestry nexus, and Eugene, the famed hippie and beatnick mecca with its liberal arts (emphasis on the liberal) focus that is sometimes referred to as UC Eugene, the whole state takes sides based on location, family history, and alumni status.
| microsites, pac 12 | Tagged: beavers, carlos emory, Civil War, damyean dotson, ducks, e.j. singler, eric moreland, kyle singler, oregon, oregon state, roberto nelson
ACC M5: 11.07.12 Edition
Posted by KCarpenter on November 7th, 2012
Tampa Bay Times: It's entirely possible that Michael Snaer was not going to return to Tallahassee and Florida State. After a sensational junior year where Snaer helped to lead his school to one of its best seasons ever, it would be hard to blame the gifted shooting guard for taking his talents to the NBA. Yet Snaer came back, brimming with confidence and a reputation that clearly makes him an all-ACC favorite on both the offensive and defensive ends. Despite losing a great deal of depth to graduation, Snaer's leadership, defense, and clutch shooting will again make Florida State a consistently dangerous team.
Shelby Star: Snaer isn't alone of course. Leonard Hamilton has recruited and developed a roster filled with skilled athletes, including two players from the Charlotte area. Ian Miller and Terry Whisnant will help to fill the voids left by Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys, offering a devastating perimeter attack that should help the Seminoles continue their often back-breaking rain of threes. One of the most underrated aspects of Hamilton's tenure at Florida State has been his ability to effectively recruit players like Miller and Whisnant away from the back yards of the four Tobacco Road schools. Hamilton's ties to the area as a Gastonia native has enabled him to effectively recruit North Carolina players to venture south to Tallahassee. Tobacco Road may regret that even more when Miller and Whisnant begin their barrage of three-pointers.
Ledger-Inquirer: While Florida State is relying on the skill of its improved backcourt players, Georgia Tech is looking to the frontcourt for answers. Kammeon Holsey and Daniel Miller were two bright spots in a disappointing season that saw first year coach Brian Gregory trying to hold together a patchwork and mentally weak team. Holsey and Miller, however, emerged as gifted and fierce rebounders on both ends of the court. With the younger Glen Rice now out of the picture, the junior pair figure to be featured more prominently in Georgia Tech's game plan, a sound idea considering the relatively low usage but high offensive efficiencies of the pair during their sophomore campaigns.
Fox Sports: Reggie Johnson wants to know why you aren't talking about Miami. The big (maybe biggest) man looks at his teammates and sees a host of talented veterans and a proven coach in Jim Larranaga and he is frustrated that the Hurricanes are not afforded the fawning that North Carolina and Duke receive. He has a point. The case for Miami as an ACC contender is strong, and yet there is plenty of reason for skepticism. The Hurricanes have spent a lot of time looking good on paper, but not nearly enough time winning on the court (particularly in the postseason). Injuries, coaching changes, and extenuating circumstances have always offered an excuse for Miami, but this year, there is nothing left to do but prove it. Miami is capable of winning the ACC championship this season, but they have to do it on the court.
Fayetteville Observer: This is the time of year when coaches are always talking up their players. It's as reliable as the turning of the leaves, the shortening of the days, and the sure fall chill that creeps into the air. So maybe it's best not to read too much into what Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has to say about Alex Murphy, but it's getting fairly impossible to ignore: Murphy has the look and build of the second coming of Kyle Singler, offering his coach a similar rangy forward skill set that will let Duke stretch the floor without playing small on the defensive end. Whether or not Murphy matches Singler's undeniable skill, he should at least be able to fit a little more neatly into some of the plays and sets designed for the former NCAA Tournament MOP.
| acc, microsites, morning 5 | Tagged: acc, brian gregory, daniel miller, duke, florida state, georgia tech, Ian Miller, jim larranaga, kammeon holsey, kyle singler, leonard hamilton, lex murphy, miami, michael snaer, mike krzyzewski, reggie johnson, terry whisnant
Pac-12 M5: 10.12.12 Edition
Posted by AMurawa on October 12th, 2012
One of the things we love about college basketball is that every year, there are loads and loads of teams with brand new looks. You've got freshmen coming in and transfers and kids back from injuries. The entire makeup of a team can change from year to year, for better or for worse. This year in the Pac-12 is no different, but in some cases, these changes seem to be a bit more extreme than normal, with several teams across the conference ready to unveil a completely remade roster. Today, as practices kick off around the country, we'll take a look at five of those teams, beginning with Utah, where second-year head coach Larry Krystkowiak welcomes in a roster that returns just two scholarship players from last year's 6-25 team. Given the depths to which the talent level plunged in Salt Lake City last year, the remake was desperately needed, and Krystkowiak is certain that the team is ready to be much more competitive. With 10 new scholarship faces on the roster, the battle for time is tight and ongoing, with the head man mentioning that the Ute starting lineup may be a shifting five over the course of the year.
As bad as the Utes were last year, USC was even worse, limping (quite literally) home to a 1-17 record. Along the way, the Trojans turned into the walking wounded with dozens, if not hundreds, of players (overstatement is of use here) lost for the season to injury. But not only does Kevin O'Neill have many of those players coming back from last year's injuries, but he's got transfers galore and, all told, plenty of talent up and down the bench. Never one for understatement, O'Neill last season called then sophomore center DeWayne Dedmon a future NBA lottery pick, while this year he is going out on a limb and projecting Rice transfer Omar Oraby as a future 12- or 13-year pro, although USC is still waiting on word from the NCAA as to whether he'll receive a waiver to be able to play this year. But O'Neill is most excited about getting back the services of senior point guard Jio Fontan, whom he calls the heart and soul of the team.
Washington State's 2011-12 season was slightly more successful than either of the above teams', but like both USC and Utah, the Cougs will unveil a new-look squad as well. Brock Motum returns after his breakout junior season, as does returning starter DaVonte Lacy and four other players, but things are going to have to be different in Pullman this season. But despite being minus recently-dismissed point guard Reggie Moore, head coach Ken Bone thinks this will be a better team than last year, with the combo of Lacy and Kansas-transfer Royce Woolridge being an upgrade over the would-be senior. And Bone hopes that the Cougs' underdog status will help the squad "pull together." Reading between the lines a bit, it seems I may not be the only one who thinks the loss of Moore could turn out to be addition by subtraction.
Oregon advanced to the NIT last season, but after five graduating seniors and three freshmen transferring out of the program last year, the Ducks were in need of a talent infusion of their own. Enter a five-man freshman class, two junior college transfers, and Rice transfer Arsalan Kazemi (who is appealing to the NCAA for immediate eligibility), and returnee EJ Singler, for one, is excited about the additional size and athleticism added to Dana Altman's roster. The number of new players could jump to nine once the football season ends, assuming freshman Arik Armstead joins the team in January, but the number could have even been 10. However, junior college transfer Devon Branch opted not to enroll at UO for the fall semester, instead opting to go the Division II route, which would give him one more season of eligibility than he would have had in Eugene.
The roster makeover for Washington is not as massive as in any of the above four stops, but the Huskies are without their two highest profile stars from last season's Pac-12 regular season champion. Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten Jr. left eligibility on the table when they split for the NBA, but it was no secret that last year's squad underachieved in part due to chemistry issues that never got fully resolved. Lorenzo Romar commented on Twitter that this team has the chemistry and attitude that the coaching staff appreciates, a remark that seems to draw a direct comparison to last year's squad. Put on your special glasses and it might as well read: "last year's team had no chemistry because there were too many guys worried about getting the credit." There's still plenty of talent up in Seattle, with proven upperclassmen Abdul Gaddy, C.J. Wilcox and Aziz N'Diaye leading the way, so if the intangibles shift a little in the right direction, the 2012-13 edition of the Huskies could be an improvement on last year's more talented squad.
| microsites, morning 5, pac 12 | Tagged: abdul gaddy, arik armstead, arsalan kazemi, Aziz N'Diaye, brock motum, c.j. wilcox, dana altman, davonte lacy, devon branch, dewayne dedmon, ken bone, kevin o'neill, kyle singler, larry krystkowiak, lorenzo romar, morning five, omar oraby, oregon, pac-12, royce woolridge, terrence ross, tony wroten, usc, utah, washington, washington state
Oregon Week: Running Down The Returnees
Posted by Connor Pelton on August 9th, 2012
Oregon returns four players who were part of the extended rotation last year, highlighted by E.J. Singler – a second-team All-Pac-12 player – but also extending down to a center back for his senior season who made tremendous strides towards the end of 2011-12, another senior big man who became a major part of the offense in the second half of conference play, and a junior-to-be point guard who is ready to become the team's main distributor. We'll go through all of those guys below, in order of last year's scoring totals.
E.J. Singler, Shown Here Battling His Brother Kyle Singler For A Rebound, Will Be The Key To Any Duck Success In 2012-13 (credit: Jonathan Ferrey)
E.J. Singler, Senior, Forward (13.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.4 BPG) – With his brother already starring at Duke, Singler entered his freshman year in Eugene with high expectations. But despite being a major part of the rotation, his freshman campaign could have been classified as a disappointment. However, he bounced back to average 11.7 PPG and 5.6 RPG in his sophomore year, and he was arguably the team's top defender as well. In 2011-12, Singler combined with guard Devoe Joseph to make a perfect scoring combination. The two kept opponents guessing on the defensive end, and combined with Garrett Sim, were unstoppable throughout stretches of a game. Now that Joseph and Sim have graduated, it will be interesting to see how the offense runs early on with only one known scorer. Johnathan Loyd can shoot the ball, but he is more of a true one guard. The job of replacing the points left by Joseph and Sim will likely fall to incoming freshman Fred Richardson III, and if he can step out and hit the three consistently, the pressure on Singler's shoulders will be lifted.
| microsites, pac 12 | Tagged: aaron brooks, carlos emory, dana altman, devoe joseph, duke, e.j. singler, fred richardson iii, garrett sim, johnathan loyd, kyle singler, oregon, tajuan porter, tony woods, wake forest
ACC Morning Five: 01.31.12 Edition
Posted by mpatton on January 31st, 2012
Washington Post: Remember how Lefty Driesell complained about Maryland naming its court after Gary Williams? Well, he's still talking. I'll just pick out some choice quotes:
"Everybody's gonna think well Gary Williams's players are the ones that put Maryland on the map. You know, Maryland was on the map before Gary got there.
[On Georgia State's court being named after him] Yeah, it sure is. Well, you know, they never had a successful program before I got there. Never.
I think Mark Turgeon's gonna win a couple of national championships.
[On how Williams should have been honored] Well, I don't know. You know, he got banners up there for winning the national championship. Maybe like the Orioles do, put a statue out back."
The moral of the story is Driesell isn't happy and isn't hiding his opinions.
Beyond the Arc: Mike Miller sat down with Adam Rowe of Duke Hoop Blog to talk about the Blue Devils. One thing I really wish Rowe had mentioned is the lack of a versatile wing on the perimeter defensively. Kyle Singler was a big part of Duke's defense the last four years. Combine his versatility with Nolan Smith's on-ball pressure and you got a top defensive team despite not having ludicrous athleticism (as Arizona exposed in the NCAA Tournament). This year's team doesn't have that versatility and only Tyler Thornton applies great on-ball pressure. One of the more interesting points Rowe made was that Thornton is often credited as a great defensive stopper when he really is just good at playing physical defense and getting into passing lanes (though I think stopping, outside of shot-blockers, is generally a team stat on defense).
ACC Sports Journal: Frank Haith had a reputation in the ACC "as a nice guy who recruited good players and did a middling job molding them into competitive teams." Frankly, that's probably generous. Haith was frequently panned, especially following last season when he brought back an experienced and talented squad but did little with it. But Haith's success at Missouri stands in stark contrast with perceptions at Miami. Is it the perfect storm of the right players? I don't know. What I do know is that Haith put on a miniature coaching clinic last night against Rick Barnes (another ACC coaching alum) when he went zone against Texas, shutting down J'Covan Brown entirely on the final possession of Missouri's one-point win over the Longhorns in Austin.
The State: Bad news coming out of Clemson, as Milton Jennings will be suspended because of "'failure to comply' with the team's academic standards." Failure to comply is an interesting word choice — maybe just a slip of the keys, but that doesn't sound like a grade issue. It sounds like a cheating, class cutting or missed assignment issue. The last of those options seems the most likely as Jeff Borzello tweeted yesterday that Jennings "should be back soon." It hasn't been a great season for Jennings off the court between this and getting into it with Brad Brownell.
Washington Post: I always love it when coaches talk some trash. And Shaka Smart fired some shots across the Commonwealth of Virginia, saying "the reality is if you go by the numbers, if you go by postseason, if you go by even guys going to the NBA, the best programs in the state are in the CAA. It's really not even close." My guess is Tony Bennett has something to say about that. Most years Seth Greenberg would probably be a little more outspoken too.
Fun Fact: Richard Howell is on pace to break NC State's foul record of 110 (set by Ilian Evtimov). He already has 73 in the books and doesn't appear to be slowing down.
| acc, microsites | Tagged: brad brownell, clemson, duke, frank haith, gary williams, kyle singler, lefty driesell, maryland, miami, milton jennings, missouri, nc state, nolan smith, richard howell, shaka smart, tony bennett, tyler thornton, virginia
Night Line: Duke Resembling Its 2010 Championship Team?
Posted by EJacoby on November 25th, 2011
Evan Jacoby is an RTC columnist. You can find him @evanJacoby on Twitter. Night Line will run on weeknights during the season, highlighting a major storyline development from that day's slate of games.
The Maui Invitational finals played to an instant classic last night, with Duke leaving the island as champions yet again. Coach K and the Blue Devils are now a perfect 15-0 in their five trips to Maui. Duke has won the first seven games of this season, and a team that nearly lost its season-opener at home to Belmont is starting to establish an identity. Upon further review, the 2011-'12 Blue Devils might just begin to resemble the 2009-'10 team that cut down the nets as NCAA Tournament champions. Just to be clear — no, this is not to say that Duke is the title favorite this season — teams like Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UConn may be better built for long-term success. But the 2010 Blue Devils were a surprise champion, and this Duke team has a similar make-up.
Duke Doesn't Look Like a National Champ, But It Didn't in 2010 Either (Kemper Lesnik/B. Spurlock)
Duke started five upperclassmen (Smith, Scheyer, Singler, Thomas, Zoubek) in 2010 and turned to their bench for youth and energy. This year's team starts four upperclassmen (Curry, Dawkins, Kelly, Mason Plumlee) and brings sophomore Tyler Thornton and freshman Quinn Cook off the bench, along with senior Miles Plumlee, to provide a spark. The biggest difference here is that freshman Austin Rivers is starting on the wing where the 2010 team had a junior leader, Kyle Singler, filling that role. But Rivers (14.4 PPG) is so far having a similar scoring impact on the game that Singler (17.7 PPG) did, and the rookie will no doubt continue to improve as the season goes along. While this year's backcourt of Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins are not the big-name stars or volume scorers that Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer were, the two have seen tremendous improvements from last season and are playing at a very high level. This year's team makes up for the small backcourt-scoring gap with Mason Plumlee's offensive contributions down low. Plumlee averages 11.4 points per game so far, while no inside player averaged more than 5.6 PPG for the champions.
| night line, Regular Features | Tagged: 2010 national champions, andre dawkins, austin rivers, blue devils, brian zoubek, coach k, duke, jon scheyer, kyle singler, lance thomas, mason plumlee, maui invitational, mike krzyzewski, miles plumlee, nolan smith, quinn cook, ryan kelly, seth curry, tyler thornton
Projecting Harrison Barnes' Sophomore Season
Posted by KCarpenter on November 3rd, 2011
You would think that after naming Harrison Barnes an All-American before he played a single game, and then having him struggle through the early part of North Carolina's season, that folks would be a little bit hesitant to predict how well Barnes is going to play this season. Yet, here we are, without a game in the season played yet, and once again, he's a preseason All-American. I mean, he did have a sensationally strong close to the year, highlighted by a 40-point outburst against Clemson during the ACC Tournament. Still, for a player who so publicly failed to meet the sky high expectations laid out for him last season in the early going, the skeptical few have to at least entertain the possibility that Barnes is once again overrated relative to what he's actually accomplished and is capable of. Yet, despite this cautious approach, some take the other tack; suggesting that Barnes is, despite being a clear leader on a dominant team, somehow underrated. What can we expect from the sophomore wing when the season tips off? Is Barnes over-, under-, or appropriately rated?
Is Barnes Do For A Sophomore Slump Or Will He Just Keep Improving?
Well, to turn to a totally impartial panel, Barnes, Roy Williams, and his teammates all think that he's gotten even better than he was in March. "Exponential" is the word Williams uses for his rate of improvement. Citing improved ball-handling, better physical conditioning, and simply learning the offense, there is a strong case that Barnes totally deserves his preseason plaudits. Still, the skeptics have to wonder? Is improvement for Barnes even a likely outcome? Is the "sophomore slump" a real phenomenon or just a turn of phrase?
| acc, microsites | Tagged: acc, baylor perry jones, clemson, harrison barnes, jared sullinger, jordan hamilton da'sean butler, kyle singler, north carolina, ohio state, thaddeus young, william buford
ACC Team Preview: Duke
Posted by mpatton on November 2nd, 2011
And then there were two.
Duke is a very tough team to project this season. The Blue Devils lost their top three players (Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Kyrie Irving) from last season, but there's still plenty of talent and a Hall of Fame coach on the sideline in Durham. Thoughtful preseason rankings slot Duke anywhere from fourth to ninth nationally, which seem very reasonable for where Duke could finish the season — not necessarily where it should start.
The team's two major questions are, "who will run the offense?" and "will any of the frontcourt players finally live up to his potential?" Duke's relative success depends almost solely on these questions. Of course, one thing we forget is that both questions also faced the Blue Devils when Kyrie Irving went down after the Butler game last year. To that point Nolan Smith had not played much point guard since the first half of the 2009-10 season. During Duke's National Championship year Mike Krzyzewski moved Smith to the off-ball position, ceding the point guard spot to Jon Scheyer. If not for Brian Zoubek's miraculous ascension from unproductive bench-warmer to one of Duke's most important pieces, the guard switch would have garnered much more attention. Smith excelled while working off the ball and Scheyer limited Duke's turnovers to the absolute minimum.
Duke Needs Seth Curry to Take Over as Floor General This Year.
But once Kyrie Irving's foot problem arose last season, Duke was again left without a quarterback. The best choice was to move Smith back to the point, although Krzyzewski experimented with Tyler Thornton and Seth Curry there briefly as well. The result was Smith leading the ACC in scoring and nearly leading the conference in assists. Of course Smith was a special player. His career arc only answers the question that it's possible for Seth Curry to step up and lead Duke. Read the rest of this entry »
| acc, microsites | Tagged: alex murphy, andre dawkins, austin rivers, brian zoubek, duke, jon scheyer, kyle singler, kyrie irving, michael gbinije, mike krzyzewski, miles plumlee, nolan smith, quinn cook, ryan kelly, seth curry, stephen curry, tyler thornton
RTC Mock Draft: Final Edition
Posted by zhayes9 on June 23rd, 2011
1) Cleveland Cavaliers- Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
2) Minnesota Timberwolves- Derrick Williams, PF, Arizona
3) Utah Jazz- Enes Kanter, C, Turkey
4) Cleveland Cavaliers- Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania
5) Toronto Raptors- Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky
6) Washington Wizards- Jan Vesely, PF, Czech Republic
7) Charlotte Bobcats- Bismack Biyombo, PF, Congo
8) Detroit Pistons- Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas
9) Charlotte Bobcats- Chris Singleton, SF, Florida State
10) Sacramento Kings- Jimmer Fredette, PG, BYU
11) Golden State Warriors- Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State
12) Utah Jazz- Kemba Walker, PG, Connecticut
13) Phoenix Suns- Marcus Morris, SF, Kansas
14) Houston Rockets- Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Diego State
15) Indiana Pacers- Markieff Morris, PF, Kansas
16) Philadelphia Sixers- Nikola Vucevic, C, USC
17) New York Knicks- Iman Shumpert, PG, Georgia Tech
18) Washington Wizards- Alec Burks, SG, Colorado
19) Milwaukee Bucks- Marshon Brooks, SG, Providence
20) Minnesota Timberwolves- Jordan Hamilton, SF, Texas
21) Portland Trail Blazers- Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State
22) Denver Nuggets- Tobias Harris, SF, Tennessee
23) Houston Rockets- Donatas Motiejunas, PF, Lithuania
24) Oklahoma City Thunder- Kyle Singler, SF, Duke
25) Boston Celtics- Reggie Jackson, PG, Boston College
26) Dallas Mavericks- Nikola Mirotic, SF, Serbia
27) New Jersey Nets- Justin Harper, PF, Richmond
28) Chicago Bulls- Charles Jenkins, SG, Hofstra
29) San Antonio Spurs- Davis Bertans, SF, Latvia
30) Chicago Bulls- Jeremy Tyler, C, Japan
| 2011 nba draft | Tagged: alec burks, brandon knight, charles jenkins, chris singleton, derrick williams, enes kanter, iman shumpert, jimmer fredette, jordan hamilton, justin harper, kawhi leonard, kemba walker, kenneth faried, klay thompson, kyle singler, kyrie irving, marcus morris, markieff morris, marshon brooks, nikola vucevic, reggie jackson, tobias harris, tristan thompson
RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Kyrie Irving
Posted by nvr1983 on June 22nd, 2011
Over the course of the next month until the NBA Draft on June 23, RTC will be rolling out comprehensive profiles of the 35 collegians we feel have the best chance to hear their names called by David Stern in the first round that night. There won't be any particular order to the list, but you can scroll back through all the finished profiles by clicking here.
Player Name: Kyrie Irving
School: Duke
Height/Weight: 6'3/190 lbs.
NBA Position: Point Guard
Projected Draft Range: #1 Overall
Overview: Irving opened his career at Duke playing about as well as anybody could have expected a freshman point guard to play so early in his career even considering the ideal situation he joined (playing on a defending national champion with two of its top players — Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith — returning). Irving was playing so well that by the time Duke's national championship game rematch against Butler rolled around on December 4 he had established himself as the top player on a loaded team and the runaway choice as national player of the year. Then Irving injured his toe and appeared lost for the season but made a return in the NCAA Tournament where he was solid, but clearly not playing like he had before the injury (excepting one half against Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen). Despite his abbreviated season, Irving showed more than enough to NBA scouts and executives to make him the clear-cut #1 choice to the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year's NBA Draft. Although his lack of world-class athleticism makes many observers question whether he will ever become a true star in the NBA, there is little doubt he will be a solid player based on his already well-developed all-court game as he appears to have no real weakness in terms of his skill set.
Irving is the clear #1 pick in this year's NBA Draft
Will Translate to the NBA: A point guard that everybody on his team will love playing with. One of the most interesting aspects of Irving's single season at Duke was not his impressive early-season performances, but instead it was his ability to take command of a senior-laden team without any evidence of a fracture in team chemistry. The freshman guard will be a good starting point guard in the NBA for years and his ability to hit from outside and penetrate will make him a coach's dream. The big question with Irving from an NBA standpoint is what his ceiling is. Ten years ago this probably would not have been an issue, but with the recent point guard renaissance and the appearance of ridiculously athletic point guards like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook in the NBA, it becomes a significant issue for a #1 overall pick. Kyrie will probably never contend for an MVP award and might not even make many All-Star teams, but he is one of the most complete point guards you will find coming out of college and maybe the most complete freshman point guard in years.
| 2011 profiles, nba draft | Tagged: arizona, butler, chris paul, derrick rose, duke, jameer nelson, jonny flynn, kevin love, kyle singler, kyrie irving, nolan smith, raymond felton, ricky rubio, russell westbrook


text:
Sundays 8:00 PM on BBC Two
Season 22 "The Big Send Off Special" 22x8
Aired 5 years ago - Jun 28, 2015
This episode of Top Gear features two films that were shot for the last series. In the first film, Jeremy, Richard and James immerse themselves in the lifestyle of the traditional classic car enthusiast. Armed with affordable classics including a Fiat 124 Spyder, a Peugeot 304 Cabriolet and an MGB GT, the trio set off on an adventure that includes brown beer, breakdowns and a hair-raising classic car show. In the second film, Clarkson, Hammond and May try to become lifestyle leisure enthusiasts with the help of some incredibly cheap lifestyle leisure vehicles. Restricted to a maximum budget of £250, the trio buy three massive mileage SUVs - a Vauxhall Frontera, a Jeep Cherokee and a Mitsubishi Shogun - and then embark on a series of action-packed challenges that include battling with the Stig's 'Leisure Activity Cousin' and a race with terrifying consequences for the loser.
Cos he's old and he never goes faster than one.
Which way are you going to, oh... Through the gate.
so to get comfortable, your arms have to be the same length
Right. No faster than this, or the wheels will fall off.
The Peugeot is getting better. It's responding to sympathetic treatment.
Ooh!
but not on the top, it's also a shower cap.
Yes, the producers told us, after we'd modified our classic cars,
Stalls selling tea towels with Morris Minors on them.
The engine, though, is an absolute cracker.
unwell.
'to see how much horsepower they'd lost over the years.'
You're applauding lawnmower power.
Er, stickers in the window, flags, and it calls itself a tavern. Go.
~ Being the fastest. ~ Yeah, around the track, you get ten.
'The jammy sod had got himself a ride
Why didn't I pick a Fiat?
And experts are predicting that very soon
in a place like this on a day like today. There's a bit of rust.
Well, no, it's the loudest car in the world, is what it is.
the previous owner has thrown in, for free, these air fresheners,
Rear view mirror is... not there. Head rests have gone.
'At this state-of-the-art facility,
such an enormous...? Look at the size of it.
I mustn't be overtaken or I'm out.
when he had that forestation job done? You have a look.
Holy mother of God, that was close! Oh, no.
~ Yes. ~ He was determined to reach 60.
with every conceivable leisure activity piece of equipment.
"The man whose back ripples like a sack of pythons."
Ow!... of its own!
Holy moley!
No, no!
I'm stuck in a sheep pen.
Gate, that's a gate.
It doesn't go all the way to the hall but it will get me
Ah. Oh, yeah!
Please don't do that!
Oh, this farm track is the most beautiful road I've ever seen.
Report problem with "Top Gear" episode 22x8

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Officials are investigating a sudden spike in drug overdoses in the Philadelphia area over the weekend.
Health officials are investigating a sudden spike in non-fatal drug overdoses in the Philadelphia area over the weekend.
Officials say more than 100 people were hospitalized between Friday and Saturday. Philadelphia Health Commissioner Tom Farley said the cluster was the largest he has seen in two years as head of the city's health department.
Farley says it's unclear whether the substance responsible was heroin, fentanyl or something else. Health officials are still waiting for results of tests of bags found in the hands of arriving patients.
Montgomery County officials say the drug may be "Santa Muerte," meaning "The Holy Death," a batch of heroin adulterated with an anticholinergic agent. Sold on the street with the name "Perfect 10," symptoms of the batch include agitation, combativeness, delirium, dilated pupils, seizures and hot, flushed and red skin.
Officials warned first responders that patients overdosed on Santa Muerte are typically extremely combative and agitated when being treated with the anti-opiate drug Narcan.
At least two female Philadelphia EMS workers who responded to reported overdoses Friday were hurt after being attacked by patients, according to officials.
"This is an important lesson for everyone on how dangerous it is to buy drugs on the street and use them," Dr. Farley said.
Despite the rise in overdoses, officials say the batch didn't cause a spike in drug-related deaths over the weekend. Farely said seven people died of apparent overdoses between Friday night and Sunday morning, which is about the typical overdose death rate.
Police and the health department are currently warning people about the issue as they continue to work to confirm what the drug actually is. They expect to complete their testing this week.


text:
Get Smart Quotes
Get Smart Gallery
Get Smart Cast
Mel Brooks: Steve Carell is Brilliant
by Matt Richenthal at May 22, 2008 11:32 am . Comments
Earlier this week, The Los Angeles Times interviewed Mel Brooks, the co-creator of Get Smart, about the upcoming Steve Carell comedy. The director had nothing but praise for the film's star:
"It's got a good director, Peter Segal. Wonderful director. The writers were great. The producers were young and aggressive and smart. But the brilliance is Steve Carell," Brooks said. "To choose a guy who's right in the Don Adams groove. You couldn't get a better guy than Steve Carell. And yet he doesn't do Don Adams. He does none of his delivery. He just does Steve Carell."
Q: It seems like the premise is strong enough to have multiple interpretations of Maxwell Smart.
A: "It's the earnest stupidity of organizations like the CIA. I would say honest and earnest stupidity. They want to do a good job. But they don't hire enough [multicultural people]. They hire too many WASPs and they get too much white-bread thinking."
Look for Get Smart in theaters on June 20.
Tags: Get Smart, Comedy
You know, you're the only human being I know who snores when he's awake.
Permalink: You know, you're the only human being I know who snores when he'...
Mother of pearl!
Maxwell Smart
Permalink: Mother of pearl!
Get Smart Photos


Rangasthalam hit nearly 214 crores globally with 183.75 crores from India and USD$4.72M (30.71 crores) abroad. The success of the film made Ram Charan the 5th male lead actor in South India to have a film earn over 200 crores worldwide. Rangathalam stands as the 3rd highest grossing Telugu film of all time and the 7th highest grossing South Indian film of all time. With this, Ram Charan is the 2nd South Indian hero (after Prabhas) to have a film earn a domestic distributor share over 100 crores in one single language. The actor is now off to a new beginning thanks to Rangasthalam's grand success.
Rangasthalam grossed a massive 160 crores in Andhra/TS becoming the 3rd film to gross over 150 crores in the two Telugu speaking states.
With Rangasthalam, South India has its first big "Blockbuster" of 2018.
Rangasthalam grossed a total of 86.16 crores from three days at the box office. It accumulated 66.30 crores domestically and USD$3.05M (19.86 Crores) abroad. Ram Charan's film became the 9th biggest weekend opener for a south Indian film globally while being the 9th biggest domestic weekend opener for a south Indian film.
Rangasthalam grossed 54.50 crores in Andhra/TS from just three days at the box office becoming the fastest non-Baahubali film to do so.
Rangasthalam had a great run in the overseas market as well grossing over USD$3M in a three days time span. Over USD$2.37M came from just the USA. Contributing the 2nd most to Rangasthalam's overseas cume total, the Middle East poured in USD$336K. Australia was also strong and had the film gross A$289,768 in its opening weekend. The movie maintained a decent response in other markets too.
Rangasthalam recieved great responses all over earning 40.43 crores on its 1st day including its overseas premiers from Thursday. It grossed 29.34 crores domestically and USD$1.70M (11.09 Crs). Ram Charan and Sukumar's duo recorded the 7th biggest south Indian opener globally and the 10th biggest south Indian opener domestically. When conerning only Telugu films, Rangasthalam was the 5th biggest opener globally and the 8th biggest opener domestically.
Rangasthalam put up a huge 24 crores from Andhra/TS itself becoming the 5th biggest opener in the state.
Rangasthalam managed to become the 7th biggest Telugu opener in the USA grossing USD$707K from premier shows in nearly 164 locations across the country. The Sukumar directional grossed a huge A$166K in its first day in Australia having the 4th biggest south Indian opening in the country behind Baahubali 2, Kabali, and Baahubali. Other locations such as Canada, Europe, and the Middle East held record opening for Ram Charan Teja. The film will have a delayed release in Singapore releasing some time mid next week.
With positive word of mouth to support the film, Rangasthalam is on its way to become a huge blockbuster.


text:
Faces of the Rams House
Rams team photographer Jeff Lewis, a View Park resident, photographs passionate Rams fans in their communities.
South Los Angeles native Sharon Ransom is a Rams super fan who was selected for the Faces of the Rams House photo series. Photo by Jeff Lewis. Check out more photos at https://www.therams.com/news/sharon-ransom-traveling-the-world-for-the-los-angeles-rams
The Los Angeles Rams have very passionate fans, and they're showcasing that passion and the culture of Los Angeles through a photo series: Faces of the Rams House.
Rams team photographer Jeff Lewis, who grew up in Mid City and currently resides in View Park, photographs Rams fans in their neighborhood.
"What we do with every fan is go to a part of the city where they're from, or show a part of the culture from where they're from," he said. "We went to a mission in San Gabriel; we went to the beach in Santa Monica; we've been in downtown L.A. down on Broadway; we've been down to Huntington Beach and Anaheim."
Recently the Rams featured South Los Angeles native Sharon Ransom, so Lewis chose a few recognizable locations near Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue.
"We're showing off how beautiful this neighborhood is," Lewis said.
Lewis showcases the area of Los Angeles where the super fan is from. Photo by Jeff Lewis
This photoshoot took place on the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue. Photo by Jason Lewis
Ransom is an ideal candidate for this photoshoot.
"I'm a die-hard Rams fan, and I joined the Rams fan club when the Rams came back to Los Angeles," she said. "I shared season tickets the first season with a friend of mine, and then after that I got my own tickets. In the new stadium I have three seats and I'm so excited."
Ransom is a football fanatic, and she has her game day rituals like many fans.
"Every Sunday, whether the Rams are playing or not, I'm watching football from the morning to the evening," she said. "Including Monday nights and Thursday nights. But when the Rams play, I get all decked out in my Rams gear and I ride my Rams bike."
There's one simple qualification to be a part of this feature.
"You first have to be a die-hard Rams fan," Lewis said.
For more information, visit the Rams' website at www.therams.com
Photo by Kirby Lee
Read about Jeff Lewis' journey through sports photograhy in the article Sports photographer Jeff Lewis keeps the Rams in focus.


Had some free time on Sunday afternoon, so I decided to get drunk. Oops, I mean I decided to take a stab at blending some of my 2006 red wines!
I've been thinking about this for some time because I'm just not all that happy with the zinfandel that I made from grapes shipped from the Central Valley in California. I bought them from a winemaking store in southeast Michigan that was sourcing grapes for the first time. I don't think they had a very good grape source because the grapes just didn't taste all that good when I picked them up. Hard to explain, but they just weren't very flavorful and had a rather chalky aftertaste. That lack of flavor and chalky taste persisted through the fermentation and aging. I also didn't get a lot of color and tannin extraction, so I ended up with a pretty light colored and bland, chalky wine. I may be overstated things, but the wine is not something I look forward to drinking or giving away, which is not good because I've got 4 cases of the stuff!
I've also been tasting some of the red wines that I made from grapes purchased in the Finger Lakes of New York and have been much more impressed with the flavors, colors, and tannin profiles. After some mulling, I decided to see what I could achieve by blending the CA zinfandel with some NY cabernet franc and noiret wines. Of course, blending requires multiple bench tests of different blend ratios to determine the optimal ratios, so I was in for an afternoon of drinking! I will admit that I had to take a break for a couple of hours to sober up and continue. I have not mastered the art of sipping and spitting!
I started with blending the zinfandel with noiret because the noiret came out with strong cherry and pepper flavors/aromas, heavy tannins, and just black as night, and I thought it would add a lot that the zin was missing. I was very pleased to see that I was correct. Adding the noiret really perked up the zin! I started with a 90/10 zinfanel/noiret ratio and worked my way up to a 50/50 blend. After tasting through the panel several times, both my wife and I agreed that we liked the 50/50 and 60/40 zin/noiret blends the best.
I was pleased with the zin/noiret blend, but wanted to try a tertiary blend by adding some NY cabernet franc as it has a lot of the same cherry & pepper flavors as the noiret, but also some interesting creamy vanilla notes that I thought might help round the aroma and taste. I didn't do a complete investigation because I was getting a little loopy by now and simply couldn't last through a 3-dimensional blending test. I decided to take the 60/40 zin/noiret blend and see what would happen if I added a little cab franc in increments for 60/40/10 to 60/40/50. Interestingly, the vanilla came through even at the 60/40/10 ratio, but was soon overpowered by some emerging tartness. In the end, I felt that a 60/40/25 zin/noiret/cab franc blend was the absolute best of the evening. And guess what--my wife agreed!
My plan for the coming weekend is to pop open some bottles and make 3 gal of this 60/40/25 zinfandel/noiret/cabernet franc blend. Going to have to brush up on my fraction math so I get the right amount of the different varietals into the carboy! It will be interesting to see how the wine chemistry works after blending. I'm anticipating that I might see some additional sedimentation after everything is mixed and the wine pH stabilizes. I may even decided to do some additional oaking on the blend--we'll see.
It took quite a bit of additional wine to make this zinfandel more palatable, since I'm diluting it at almost a 1:1 ratio with the other wines. However, I'm pretty pleased with the result. I'm going to give it about a month or two to meld together before rebottling and reporting on the results. Stay tuned!
p.s. Someone once told me that all blends were crap wine. In some respects, I am trying to pass a substandard wine off as something drinkable. On the other hand, I'm doing what I need to do to produce a wine that I'll drink!
p.s. #2 Just to be clear, I strongly disagree with the notion that only single varietal wines are "good". Look at the Bourdeaux blends! Winemakers have been blending wines for years to make an improved product.


Houston is the worst recycler among the thirty largest cities in the nation. As the fourth largest city, that's bad news—really bad news. The city picks up garbage at nearly 340,000 households yet less than half of these homes even have recycling bins. Those left without recycling bins have the option of driving to one of only nine drop-off centers, yet few choose to do so.
There's nothing our economy needs more than jobs. Recycling is a $236 billion a year industry. Comprising of over 1.1 million workers nationwide, there are over 56,000 recycling centers in the country. If Houston expanded its recycling program, there would be a huge influx of work in our community.
Recycling reduces trash in landfills. When you recycle you cut down on the costs of trash disposal—these savings go directly to you, the taxpayer.
It takes 95 percent less energy to make an aluminum can from recycled aluminum than to produce a brand new one. Processing raw materials to create new products requires large quantities of energy. Noticeable quantities of energy are saved when these processes are reduced or eliminated.
Recycling keeps toxic materials and chemicals like lead and mercury from ending up in landfills. These pollutants can contaminate soil and leach into our drinking water.
1. Just say no to plastic water bottles. Buy a reusable bottle and a Brita filter to save money and valuable natural resources.
2. Start a compost bin in your backyard. Composting kitchen waste provides free, nutritious soil—an invaluable asset.
3. Reuse plastic grocery bags for doggie pooper-scoopers, trashcan liners, or to transport goods.
4. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. When choosing between plastic and paper, always opt for paper.
5. Second-hand is stylish. Buy items from a thrift shop and donate those you no longer use. Goodwill or the Salvation Army are great places to start.
6. Go electronic whenever possible. Whether at work or at home, use the Internet instead of paper.
7. Reuse everything at least once—from zip-lock bags to jelly jars to cardboard boxes.
8. Think before you throw. One man's trash is another man's treasure. You can sell or donate items you don't want instead of throwing them away. Sites like freecycle.com and craigslist.com offer sellers and consumers a place to get rid of unwanted goods for free. Every type of electronics can be recycled. Check out Earth911.com to find out where to start.
9. Take a trip to the recycling center. Look up a local recycling center online, put all of your paper, aluminum, glass, cardboard, electronics, and plastic in separate bins and recycle them each week.
10. Sayonara Styrofoam. Styrofoam takes over 100 years to disintegrate and is a known carcinogen. Avoid purchasing or using Styrofoam whenever possible.
Almost everything we consume is recyclable. The one thing that can't ever be recycled is time wasted being careless. My fellow Houstonians, set an example and be seen going green.


Tim Chambers picked up the Heartbeat of the Club prize, in partnership with Hardys, at the NatWest Outstanding Service to Cricket Awards.
The Hemingford Park chairman was presented with his award by England bowler Stuart Broad and Test Match Special commentator Jonathan Agnew at Lord's.
Chambers is the club chairman and carries out numerous other roles including fixture secretary, umpire, groundsman, junior lead coach, under-nines coach, fundraiser and occasional senior player.
He has been determined to bring sustainable village cricket to the Hemingfords and also represents the club at county board and league meetings.
NatWest's head of sponsorship and events Martyn Wilson said: "Up and down the country, volunteers are the lifeblood of the game. Without their contribution, the sport would be unrecognisable.
"We're incredibly proud to continue to support the OSCAs, which serve as a fantastic opportunity to recognise the vital work of the nominees that so benefits their communities and the game they love."


text:
2MASS J13120707+3937445 ist ein etwa 68,24 Lichtjahre von der Erde entfernter Brauner Zwerg im Sternbild Jagdhunde. Er wurde 2007 von Kelle L. Cruz et al. entdeckt.

Er gehört der Spektralklasse L0 an; seine Oberflächentemperatur beträgt 1300 bis 2000 Kelvin. Wie bei anderen Braunen Zwergen der Spektralklasse L dominieren auch in seinem Spektrum Metallhydride und Alkalimetalle. Seine Position verschiebt sich aufgrund seiner Eigenbewegung jährlich um 0,0975 Bogensekunden.

Weblinks
 Eintrag bei DwarfArchives.org (englisch)
 Cruz, Kelle L.; et al.: Meeting the Cool Neighbors. IX. The Luminosity Function of M7-L8 Ultracool Dwarfs in the Field. In: The Astronomical Journal, 2007, Band 133, Nummer 2, S. 439–467.  (englisch)

Astronomisches Objekt (entdeckt 2007)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Lewis Carroll Meets the Imaginary Number
Maxwell on the Electromagnetic Field
Maxwell's Mathematical Rhetoric
Newton, Maxwell, Marx: Spirit, Freedom, and the Scientific Vision
Figures of Thought
The McMullen-Leavens Company
Introduction to the Articles
The Anglo Revolution
Abode of the Modern Muse: The Science Museum
On Matter and Motion
Lectures at St. John's College
The Dialectical Laboratory: Towards a Re-thinking of the Natural Sciences
Faraday's Mathematics: On Getting Along Without Euclid
Prometheus Unbound: Karl Marx on Human Freedom
GATEWAY TO THE FOURTH DIMENSION
An Intuitive Approach to the Fourth Dimension
Tom's Blog
Thomas K. Simpson
133 Lawrence St., Apt. 81W
Born: Brooklyn, NY January 28, 1924
Graduate, Glens Falls High School, Glens Falls NY
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
Undergraduate, physics (interrupted: called up as U.S. Army reservist, 1943)
ASTP Certificate, electrical engineering (U.S. ARMY) Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia
B.A. in the Liberal Arts, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland
M.A. in Teaching, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut
Ph.D., History of Science and Technology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins Univ., Silver Spring, Maryland. (U.S. Army radio proximity fuse project).
Instructor, physics and mathematics, The American University at Cairo, Cairo, Egypt.
Wesleyan University: recipient of grant to study the History of the Liberal Arts.
Tutor, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland. (Retired as Tutor Emeritus, 1989).
One of the founders, and first Chairman of the Board, of the Key School, Annapolis, Maryland. Subsequently, teacher, curriculum consultant, Development Director, and board member.
Consultant to the Division of Electricity, the Museum of History and Technology, Smithsonian Institution, DC.
American Philosophical Society grantee to study manuscript materials of James Clerk Maxell in England and Scotland; photo study included Maxwell's estate, Glenlair.
Panel member, study sponsored by the National Science Foundation, on "The Role of the Science Museum in Contemporary Society", Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Consultant to the Franklin Institute in preparation of an exhibit on the transformation of ship design from an art to a technology, based on materials from the Cramp Shipyard in Philadelphia.
Consultant and expert witness in Brewer, et al. Vs Southern Union, a successful class-action lawsuit alleging price-fixing in the natural gas industry in New Mexico.
Recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to write a book in the Guided Studies in Science series: "Maxwell on the Electromagnetic Field".
Chair, symposium on the Computer and the Liberal Arts, St. John's College, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Consultant to the Science Museum of Minnesota on the Experiment Bench program, and NSF-sponsored project to develop exhibits to function as experiments performed by museum visitors.
Leader of Humanities Seminars at the annual meetings of the Association of Science/Technology Centers (ASTC).
Consultant at Judson Montessori School, San Antonio, Texas, in the development of "Gateways and Pathways" program.
Panelist on "Digital Media in Museums", American Association of Museums conference, Los Angeles, California.
Seminar leader in programs at the California Science Center, Los Angeles, California: initially "Art and Science" (co-sponsored with the Getty Museum) (2001-2003); subsequently seminar leader for the series, "Science Matters."
Member of the Board, the Sister Creek Center for the Liberal Arts, a center for environmental study based in San Antonio, Texas.
Presenter at the pilot workshop of the Cosmic Serpent project, exploring relations between Native American views of the natural world and those of western science.
Email Tom
Tom's CV


text:
10 Species Driven Toward Extinction by Cats
Domestic cats make wonderful pets, but they're a menace to wildlife when they roam freely outdoors.
Isaac Schultz
Larry, 10 Downing Street's cat, chasing a pigeon.
Photo: Leon Neal (Getty Images)
It has been thousands of years since the first cats were domesticated, but we still don't seem to have much control over them. Many people let their cats come and go as they please, perhaps forgetting—or not caring—that domestic cats kill billions of birds and mammals each year. Over half of pet cats in the U.S. spend time outside, and worldwide the animals have contributed to the extinction of at least 33 species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Feral cats may be the worst offenders, but pets that are allowed to roam outside also harm wildlife. The situation in Australia is so dire that officials have proposed killing some 2 million feral cats to stop their assault on endangered species. In the U.S., there are many programs aimed at reducing feral cat populations by trapping, neutering, and releasing them—but the Fish and Wildlife Service warns that such programs do not actually protect native fauna from the cats.
Sadly, it's already too late for dozens of species, including the Stephens Island wren (a flightless songbird), the crescent nailtail wallaby, and the adorable desert bandicoot. Here, we highlight just a few of the many species currently threatened by outdoor cats.
A previous version of this article was published on November 25, 2021.
List slides
Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox). Duisburger Zoo
Photo: Kürschner/Wikimedia Commons
The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is a unique carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar. Unfortunately, the animal is vulnerable due to a number of factors, including habitat loss and—you guessed it—cats. Feral cats compete with the fossa for food; recently, a team of researchers got camera trap photos of cats successfully hunting lemurs and snakes in the jungles of Madagascar. Invasive cats pose a particularly worrisome problem on islands like Madagascar, where native species have evolved in isolation from many predators.
Orange-Bellied Parrot
A male orange-bellied parrot in Tasmania.
This dazzling bird is a migratory parrot native to Australia. It's been critically endangered since 2007, and a captive breeding program exists to help boost its numbers. But even in captivity, they aren't safe from felines. In 2013, a cat snuck into an aviary holding the birds; according to Australia's ABC News, a veterinarian said the birds died of head trauma, perhaps flying into walls in an attempt to get away.
The endangered wombat.
The numbat is the endearing marsupial anteater of Australia. Looking like a cross between a squirrel and a thylacine (aka the extinct Tasmanian tiger), the numbat is endemic to Western Australia. Fewer than 1,000 individuals are thought to be alive today, and they are under threat from feral cats as well as foxes and habitat loss.
Otago Skink
An Otago skink in Nga Manu Nature Reserve in New Zealand.
The Otago skink is one of many reptiles in New Zealand threatened by feral cats. Island species in particular are vulnerable to invasive cats and rats. (Such was the case of the dodo, found only on the island of Mauritius. When efficient invasive predators like pigs and macaques arrived with sailors, the bird had no chance). The Otago skink can grow up to a foot long, and there may be about 2,000 still alive. Like most animals on this list, the skinks didn't evolve to avoid predation by cats, making them easy targets.
Sea Otter
A sea otter at the Vancouver Aquarium
Photo: Robert Giroux (Getty Images)
Even sea otter populations may hurt by domestic cats. The Toxoplasma gondii parasite the animals carry can leach into seawater when the cats defecate. The parasite is known to sicken and kill sea otters; recent research has indicated the parasite killing the otters is coming from domestic cat populations, though an earlier study found that the parasite sickening otters more likely comes from wild sources.
Kākāpō
A kākāpō named Sirocco, who once famously tried to mate with a human head in a BBC program.
The feathered avocado that is the kākāpō is also endemic to New Zealand. The bird is a flightless, nocturnal parrot that is bad at sex and highly inbred. The species has managed to survive thanks to admirable conservation efforts that have been ongoing for decades. But cats like to eat the girthy birds, which cannot fly away and don't recognize the felines as a threat.
Key Largo Woodrat
Photo: Clay DeGayner/Wikimedia Commons
The Key Largo woodrat is an endangered rodent only found in southern Florida. According to a webpage of the Fish & Wildlife Service, "A captive breeding program with the assistance of Lowery Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom was conducted from 2002 until 2012 with the hope of captive releases into the wild. Unfortunately, all the released woodrats fell victim to predators, primarily feral and free-ranging cats."
A nene in Kauai.
The nene is the official bird of Hawai'i and is endemic to the island chain. A chunky black-and-white goose, the nene was at the brink of extinction in the 1960s, with just 30 birds left in the wild, due to introduced predators including cats and mongooses. Today, the animals have rebounded, but they face another cat-borne threat: the T. gondii parasite, which is spread by cats and is linked to the deaths of nene as well as endangered Hawaiian monk seals.
Chinese Mountain Cat
A Chinese mountain cat at a zoo in Xining, China.
Endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, the Chinese mountain cat looks a lot like a house cat but for its lynx-like ears, bushy tail and surprisingly blue eyes. The feline subspecies—Felis silvestris bieti—is genetically distinct from feral cats (Felis silvestris), but some worry that this wild animal may lose its genetic diversity as feral cats mate with it, eventually watering down the Chinese mountain cat's genetics into oblivion.
Florida Panther
An endangered Florida panther in 2019 at the Palm Beach Zoo.
Photo: Joe Raedle (Getty Images)
I know what you're thinking: There's no way a house cat could take down a panther. But sometimes warfare is biological. In 2008, a team of researchers reported that an outbreak of feline leukemia virus in the endangered Florida panther could be traced back to domestic cats; the outbreak killed five panthers—a significant hit, considering there are barely 200 left in the wild. While feline leukemia alone may not be the death knell for panthers, this is how extinction sometimes happens, with the compounding effects of different threats.


The Tick is getting a full season on Amazon Video.
A little over a month ago, Amazon ran the pilot episode of the new take on The Tick. Today, Deadline is reporting that Amazon has ordered a full season of the superhero spoof.
"In a world where superheroes have been real for decades, an accountant with mental health issues and zero powers comes to realize his city is owned by a global super villain long-thought dead. As he struggles to uncover this conspiracy, he falls in league with a strange blue superhero."
The new season of The Tick will be aired next year.


Combine crumbs, brown sugar, salt and butter. Put half of mixture in bottom of 8-inch baking dish. Top with pear halves, cut side up. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Bake at 350F for 25 or 30 minutes. Top each pear with a cherry. Serve warm topped with ice cream or whipping cream.


There is the street between Kenrokuen( Kenroku Garden) and Kanazawa Castle ruins where you can enjoy incredible view of Sakura, located nearby bus stop of Kenrokuen-shita. You can easily access by walking from this bus stop within 10 seconds. In this place, there are more than 400 Sakura trees which bloom in late April in every year, line both sides of the street like a Sakura tunnel that can make you amaze and impress.
3 minutes walk from Restaurant & Inn KANAZAWA ATSUSHI!!


text:
@GHGGuru: Fake Meat "Not Very Different From Dog Food"
Can you taste the difference? ( Twitter )
Appearing on Friday's AgriTalk, University of California/Davis professor Frank Mitloehner said the ingredients in two of America's leading plant-based alternative proteins are quite similar to those found in dog food.
Explaining to rather stunned AgriTalk host Chip Flory, Mitloehner said, "When you look at Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat, you will find that they have 21 or 22 highly-processed ingredients. In fact, so processed that you are hard pressed in identifying the difference between those items, versus let's say, pet food."
On his Twitter account (@GHGGuru), Mitloehner posted a trivia question asking viewers if they could distinguish the ingredients for the Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat, and a specific brand of dog food. He said the tweet received thousands of responses, most with the wrong answer.
A couple of years ago Mitloehner said he ate dinner at a National Academy of Sciences event with Patrick Brown, the founder of Impossible Foods. At the time, Mitloehner said Brown confessed to eating dog food and called the ingredients wholesome.
"I thought he was joking," Mitloehner said, "until I did a little research and compared his burger versus Beyond Burger versus dog (food). And guess what? I would not be able to tell the difference. Which is just testament to me that they are actually making something that from a nutritional basis might not be very different from dog food. Then adding the flavors and the taste and the smell and, viola, there is your plant-based alternative to the real thing."
Flory noted that recent news articles painted Impossible Foods' CEO Brown as very anti-animal agriculture.
"There's no question his declared mission is to end animal agriculture by 2035," Mitloehner said. He has ways to go because his market share is very small at this point. If I were to have a look into my crystal ball, I would say that most likely the big ones will swallow some of the small ones, so to say, and there will be a lot of cannibalism across the terms of plant based segment. And we will see whether or not he succeeds in ending animal agriculture. I know what my bets on."
Mitloehner says he is not against alternative foods but stands against the way it is being marketed against farmers.
"I'm all for alternatives, okay. I don't want to be misunderstood. People are saying I don't like alternatives. If people want to eat it, eat it. What I have a beef with is he makes his business on the backs of our farmers. And he publicly describes the beef sector as filthy, as inhumane, as unsafe, and that is just intentionally misleading. That's the problem I have."
Hear the complete conversation here:
Everything You Wanted To Know About Fake Meat But Were Afraid To Ask
Meatless Meat
Keep Milk Components Strong
Consider Alfalfa On Prevent Plant Acres


This kind of paper cup is made with high quality material but competitive price with series sizes. Customer can design your printings on cups.
This 16oz paper cup is made with high quality material but competitive price. Customer can print your printings/logo on cups.
Ruian Winting Machinery Co., Ltd.


A list of necessary documentation for beginning construction works.
Permit for construction work No. IU 115132550390 dated September 12, 2013 issued by DABI of Ukraine.
Certificate on the readiness of the object for exploitation.
Series ІУ № 163180890914 dated March 30, 2018 issued by DABI of Ukraine.
General contractor: North-Ukrainian Construction Alliance Ltd., license series No. 25-L dated 13.07.16 issued by DABI of Ukraine.
The developer of all projects - LLC UKRBUD DEVELOPMENT, the license series No 17-L dated May 12, 16, was issued by DABI of Ukraine.


Ética de la Libertad, conferencia en la Universidad Francisco Marroquín.
This entry was posted on 29 junio 2014 at 9:50 and is filed under Uncategorized.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Me alegro de que te haya gustado, Ignacio, muchas gracias.


text:
Dying Civil War Generals' Last Words
During the Civil War, a dying generals' last words sometimes depended more on what listeners wanted to hear, than on what was actually said.
This article appears in: Early Summer 2014
By Roy Morris, Jr.
Although undeniably brave and noble, Union General Robert McCook's parting comments as he lay dying of a gunshot wound in a stranger's bed in south-central Tennessee did not achieve the immortality of other famous last words by Civil War generals. "I am done with life," McCook reportedly told a comrade. "Yes, this ends it all. You and I part now, but the loss of ten thousand such lives as yours and mine would be nothing if their sacrifice would but save such a government as ours."
McCook's last words, suspiciously grandil- oquent and self-abnegating for a man shot in the bowels, could not match the homespun poetry of Confederate general Stonewall Jack- son's legendary farewell. Jackson, himself dying of the effects of a gunshot wound suf- fered at the Battle of Chancellorsville, roused himself to mutter poetically, "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees." Despite being based on a rather humble child- hood memory of coming home one night from a long day of drudgery in a sawmill, Jackson's vaguely biblical words entered the national lexicon as a timeless expression of peace, acceptance, and resignation. Modern writer Ernest Hemingway appropriated the quote as the title for one of his worst novels, Across the River and Into the Trees. One wishes it had been put to better use.
Civil War-era society had a morbid if understandable fascination with death, and it was not uncommon for a dying man's friends and relatives to cluster about his deathbed to record his last earthly statement. Such words, it was believed, were messages from the great beyond. The mystical nature of such messages did not always deter listeners from improving upon or even inventing entirely more suitable parting words. Such was the case of Jackson's old commander, Robert E. Lee.
Ignoring the Testimony of Lee's Relatives
After suffering a debilitating stroke in Sep- tember 1870, Lee lingered near death for nearly two weeks at his family home in Lex- ington, Virginia. Family members attended every groan and sigh from the great general, listening in vain for a last memorable pro- nouncement. Lee's condition did not permit coherent speech. Biographer Emory Thomas notes that Lee spoke an average of one word per day during the last 12 days of his life. Lee, says Thomas, "may have lived an exemplary life, but he was certainly doing a poor job of dying." Finally, on the last day, the general murmured inscrutably, "I will give that sum." No one knew what he was talking about.
Lee idolator Douglas Southall Freeman, ignoring the direct testimony of Lee's relatives, attending physicians and friends, came up with a more suitable leave-taking for the Confederate icon. In Freeman's version, Lee alternated between pious prayers and crisp, com- manding orders such as, "Tell [A.P.] Hill he must come up." According to Freeman, Lee's last words were the simple and majestic "Strike the tent," after which he expired as conveniently and dramatically as the wispy heroine in a Victorian-era melodrama. As the hero in another Hemingway novel says sardonically, "Isn't it pretty to think so?"
Another Civil War general's famous last words were not invented outright, but they were subtly changed for comic purposes. On May 9, 1864, Union Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick was overseeing his troops prior to the Battle of Spotsylvania. Sedgwick became annoyed by what he considered his men's excessive bobbing and weaving in the face of enemy fire. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance," Sedgwick grumbled to his staff. A few minutes later, a bullet crashed into Sedg- wick's face below the left eye, simultaneously contradicting his recent statement and ending his life. Ever since, jokesters have shortened the general's prosaic last words to the more gruesomely comic, "They couldn't hit an ele- phant at this dist—." Such, perhaps, is the price of fame.
One thought on "Dying Civil War Generals' Last Words"
mik tilley says:
I suspect last words could be a glance at common humanity.
Flattening the Bulge
General Percy Hobart: Britain's Genius Tanker
Royal Marine of the 2nd Battalion (1813-1815)
War Came Home to the Streets of Arnhem
General Chiang Kai-shek And Kuomintang Resisted Mao And Japanese
Rain of Terror: The Bombing of the British Isles
Death of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Meat Grinder at Yelnya


To speak to one of our social workers or to book an appointment, please click on the button above or call our office at 416-322-6560.
For more information about the different types of dementia, please click here.
By Phone: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Thursdays: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
At Our Office: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Thursdays: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
After-hours service is available through Tele-health at 1-866-797-0000.
Support groups are a great way to share your experiences and learn from people going through similar experiences. Support groups are offered on an ongoing basis and are led by our registered social workers.
Click on the button above to learn about the free support groups that we offer.
Our programs and workshops address topics that will help you and your family live well with dementia and navigate the changes the disease brings.
Click on the button above to learn about our dementia workshops and to register for one today.


text:
Q: How to block unusual bot, like "bot[\s_ :,\.\;\/\\-]" name? until today I was blocking unwanted bots in .htaccess
SetEnvIfNoCase User-Agent .*mj12bot.* bad_bot
SetEnvIfNoCase User-Agent .*baiduspider.* bad_bot

But I noticed lastly that I have unusual bot making mess on my serwer but don't know how to block it because his name is:
bot[\s_ :,\.\;\/\\-]

I will be grateful for any help

A: You can use the following to deny requests for bot[\s_ :,.\;/\-]
SetEnvIfNoCase user-agent bot\[.+\]|mj12bot|baiduspider bad_bot=1
Order Allow,Deny
Allow from all
Deny from env=bad_bot

To block multiple user-agents, you may use :
SetEnvIfNoCase user-agent bot\[.+\]|.*mj12bot.*|.*baiduspider.* bad_bot=1
Order Allow,Deny
Allow from all
Deny from env=bad_bot

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Whether you're a startup or a large enterprise, Stitch helps you control the flow of your most important business data.
We replicate all available historical data from your database and SaaS tools—for free. No data dump necessary.
Don't replicate what you don't need. Select only the tables and fields that you want in your data warehouse.
Add multiple users from across your organization to manage and authenticate your data sources.
Our extensible platform makes it easy to add any data source you need or push data directly to our API.
Stitch gives your analysts, data scientists, and other team members the freedom to use the analytics tools of their choice.


Life can be stressful, but gift buying doesn't have to be!
Early twenties for anyone will certainly be interesting. From getting your first place to graduating college to beginning your career, there can be so many life changes. So, if you're a guy thinking about what you want for a gift or you're looking for the perfect gift for the guy in your life, take a look at this list of gift ideas for guys in their early twenties!
With patented ceramic nozzle and adjustable temperature design, this 3D pen is extraordinarily friendly and safe while drawing. Also it provides accurate and stable extruding.
The future is here! This would make a really cool gift for anyone, but guys will love it too. The professional and intelligent printing pen has and indicator light so you know when to load the filament. In addition, it also has two power modes. So, he can enjoy outdoor use of this pen as well. Not to mention, it comes with filament refills. All in all, this is such unique and creative gift.
Build with it. Write with it. Cook with it.
Everything awesome about a glue gun but with cheese. Get your guy this funny and fun gift that will make hot cheese for every occasion. He can build with it, write with it and cook with it. In addition, all three parts of this product are machine washable. So, it makes for easy clean up time. Pour some yummy cheese on your nachos. Or, put some on a cracker for a tasty snack. The possibilities are endless with this gift.
Acquire satellites quickly to track how far, how fast and where you ride - even under tree cover.
Got a guy who likes to cycle? This GPS might be the perfect gift for them! There are some cool features that come with this little device. For example, it tracks time, distance, speed and heart rate. You can plan, download, and follow new rides. Additionally, this device is a water resistant and durable one. Not to mention, you won't need data as it uses satellite to track. So, you'll know where to go even with a bunch of trees around. Make this the coolest gift ever for your favorite cycling guy.
Watch the falling sand create mountains, valleys and dunes.
Moving Sand Pictures create a new sand picture with each turn.
Maybe he's just settling into his new office or apartment. This would make a cool and fascinating piece in any room. You can watch the falling sand create mountains, valleys an dunes. This sand picture will do multiple times a day what mother nature takes years to accomplish. He can put this on his desk in his office for a calming experience. Or, he can put it in his new apartment for an extra flair of style and serenity.
Help him listen to his favorite music on the go with this portable color changing LED light speaker. It easily pairs with Bluetooth enabled devices and has a built-in microphone for hands free calling. In addition, the light mode lets you choose which light you want to pair with your music and has seven different color options. He can use it while studying in his room. Or, he can take it to an outdoor party.
This stylish Black Chrome minimalistic Car Mount looks awesome and performs even better.
Make sure he's safe while driving with this magnetic car mount. The mount can be installed in any car and suits any phone. The extra strong magnet will make sure the phone won't fall while driving. So, he can see maps easily from his phone or change the music quickly and with less risk involved. In addition, it is able to rotate for better visibility. Just connect the magnets and go!
Does your guy keep a lot of files on his computer or phone? This memory stick may be just the thing he needs! With this memory stick, he can back up his photo gallery on his phone without taking up all that space. This device is compatible with Apple devices and is easy to physically carry with you. Most people use their phones as their only camera. This device is great for the guy with a ton of photos and no space on his phone.
This simple design eliminates clutter by holding your phone, wallet and keys all in one place.
Does he lose his phone and keys all the time? This wall shelf has a simple and useful design. It can hold your phone and up to three pairs of heavy key-chains by using a powerful magnet without the use of a key-hook. In addition, this mount comes in different wood styles such as black walnut and all-natural wood. This would make for a great for a great birthday or holiday gift.
all you'll need for shaking up everything from riverside Sidecars to fireside Sazerac.
A camping-style cocktail mixer is great for the guy who loves the outdoors. This is a stainless steel campsite ready cocktail set that he can use to impress his friends. The speckled enamel cobbler will shake things up with a weekend in the woods. From riverside to fireside, this would make a cool and unique gift.
Your guy will love this Nintendo Switch system. It can be played at home with two controllers. Or, take it on the go for gaming anywhere. Lift Nintendo Switch from the dock and instantly transition to handheld mode for on-the-go gaming. By sharing Joy-Con, players can go head-to-head while away from home. You can also enjoy the same great games in tabletop mode by using the included stand to prop the system up. You can also flip the stand to share the screen, then share your Joy-Con controller for instant multiplayer fun. With over a thousand games on Nintendo Switch, there's a game for every gathering. All in all, this makes for a great holiday or birthday gift.


text:
Home iPhone Apple iPhone 5S announced with fingerprint sensor, A7 CPU, gold, more LTE...
Apple iPhone 5S announced with fingerprint sensor, A7 CPU, gold, more LTE bands
Apple on Tuesday unveiled its Galaxy S4 rival, the company announced the long-awaited iPhone 5s. The announcement confirmed many rumors and speculations of the iPhone 5s.
The iPhone 5s was announced with a new fingerprint sensor called Touch ID. The Touch ID sensor allows you to unlock your iPhone 5s by using your fingerprint by putting your finger on the home button. Your fingerprint can also be used to download apps from the App Store, iTunes, and iBook. Multiple fingerprint can be set as password. Apple also internally improved the iPhone 5s by adding a 64-bit A7 processor which is twice as fast as the processor in the iPhone 5. Beside the A7 processor, Apple also packed the 5s with a new M7 coprocessor to help the A7 processor with motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass. The camera was not left out in this refreshment. Instead of adding more megapixels to the camera like competitors do just for marketing purposes, Apple kept 8 megapixel camera and increase the sensor's size by 15% percent.
Apple's also offering new colored cases for the iPhone 5s for $49.
The iPhone 5S will be released on September 20 in three different colors including gray, gold, and silver. As with previous iPhone, the 5s will be available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB starting at $199 and additional $99 for more storage.


An ideal space to collaborate, invigorate and inspire.
Nestled amongst the stunning spaces of the top floor, our Beech Suite is the perfect place for meetings – it's tucked away so discretion, sensitivity and privacy are guaranteed.
Located on the top floor alongside the Sea View suite our Beech suite faces West, taking in views of Goonhilly and the Lizard on a clear day – it's a calm, quiet space for a meeting or interview. The room works well with a boardroom or cabaret layout and is regularly used for break out workshops and group sessions for events encompassing the whole top floor.
Contact our conference team today to book the Beech suite.


Greg Liston encourages us to slow down, embrace our limitations and rethink what it means to #liveyourbestlife.
I want to live the best life I can. I want to experience everything I can, do everything I can, achieve everything I can. I think we all want that. Surely our devotion to God requires nothing less than us living extraordinary lives, filled with radical adventure, being as passionate and excited and fervent as we possibly can be. That is what it means to be a Christian, right?
The challenge is that an extraordinary life is extraordinarily hectic. People of all ages proudly declare, "I am just so busy." But, with so much to fit in, the only way to catch up is to speed up. And when you speed up you miss things. Constantly rushing means you miss nearly everything. The psalmist was right in saying "in vain they rush about…" (Psalm 39:6 NIV). Turns out that those of us who burn the candle at both ends aren't nearly as bright as we think we are. A busy life is a barren one.
So what if we didn't "carry the burden of being an extraordinary Christian"?1 What if we accepted our limitations and ordinariness? What if we deliberately slowed down to catch up—with God, with each other, with ourselves? Perhaps we need to redefine what we mean by living our best life?
Sermons and books, particularly those for young people, repeatedly declare that God has created us for something extraordinary. Following Jesus is about living a radical lifestyle, so dream big, attempt great things and make an impact. They are full of words like relentless, fervent, passion and sold out. These days, normal doesn't seem enough for God. Can you imagine a youth camp brochure with "ordinary" emblazoned across the front?
Such lofty aspirations aren't entirely wrong, but they aren't entirely right either. Perhaps all this superlative language has fooled us into thinking, quite mistakenly, that God expects something more from us than our normal, everyday life. But the clear message of the New Testament is that God is incredibly interested in your ordinary life: "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going‑to‑work, and walking‑around life—and place it before God as an offering (Romans 12:1-2 MSG).
Paul also writes "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you" (1 Thessalonians 4:11 NIV). Clearly, there is an 'on the other hand' message that needs to be heard: there is nothing wrong with being extraordinary, but God also thinks being a normal, everyday human is special and unique. That is why he became one.
God may think ordinary is enough, but our culture certainly doesn't. The Oxford Dictionary recently added two words to its mammoth English repository. FOMO (fear of missing out, 2015) and YOLO (you only live once, 2016). Both these additions speak to our underlying cultural angst. We aim to experience as much as we can, wherever and whatever that means. But what if life isn't measured in experiences?
Of course, living at three miles an hour is scary. More than just the culturally stoked fear that slowing down risks missing out, living slowly means knowing others—and them knowing you—more than is entirely comfortable. Having said that, seeing exactly what is wrong, and right, with the people closest to you and choosing to walk beside them anyway, recognising they are doing the same with you, is as close to a working definition of love as I can think of.
FOMO and YOLO ignore the fact that this life is not all there is. Our life extends not just beyond death but beyond us. This cultural anxiety is simply our latest attempt to break free of our creaturely limitations. But it is our limitations that make us human, a part of God's creation. Our human limitations make relationships non‑optional. They are the very reason we can call God our Father.
Our human limitations don't always seem like a blessing. Particularly when we are trying to keep up with all the heavy demands our modern day, schedule-packed, technology‑toting world puts on us. But Jesus understands a demand-filled life. He may not have had an email account or a cellphone plan but he knew what it was like to have everyone wanting a piece of him. Just before the feeding of the 5000, for example, the Bible talks about Jesus and the disciples being so busy that they didn't even have time to eat (Mark 6:30).
What set Jesus apart was not his context but his priorities. "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest," he said in response (Mark 6:31 NIV), and a little later that day he went up into the hills to pray alone (Mark 6:46). For Jesus, life at walking speed was not inevitable; it was a choice.
It is a choice for us as well. Obviously we cannot go back to a time before cars and computers, but we can choose how best to use the gifts we have been given. It is not always easy, though. Choosing to slow down might affect our career options or our salary. It could annoy or disappoint those we work with. But the benefits far outweigh the risks.
There is an important lesson here for those seeking to nurture leaders. The current trend towards seeing leadership development as the quick and efficient acquiring of 'a very particular set of skills' is short-sighted. Leadership is fundamentally about character, and character grows slowly. Leaders need to be nurtured, and you cannot nurture someone quickly. Leadership that is rich in character and integrity cannot be 'picked up' on the side while you are primarily doing something else.
We could imagine a situation where God snapped his fingers and we were all instantaneously transformed into the image of Jesus. But God, in his wisdom, chooses a different approach. Our transformation process happens slowly, little by little. The more we learn to look to Christ, the more the Spirit makes us like him. Perhaps, if the Spirit chooses to work in us slowly, it would be wise for us to choose that speed of life as well. "This is what the LORD says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls'" (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV).
We normally hear words like limited, ordinary or slow as synonyms for substandard. But God doesn't see it like that. God the Father created us as intrinsically and intentionally limited human beings. And with these limitations, and perhaps because of them, he proclaimed us very good. God the Son chose to become an ordinary human being in Jesus. Rather than shunning or surpassing our ordinariness, he embraced and accepted it. And God the Spirit deliberately transforms us slowly. He chooses the slow road, where community and character grow in and among us incrementally as we increasingly look to Christ.
Living an extraordinary life is a burden God has never placed on us. What God asks is that we live our lives—our limited, ordinary and slow lives—in him. After all, the extraordinary event has already happened. God has become human. The limitless has become limited. The extraordinary has become ordinary. Eternity has entered time. We are not called to repeat the incarnation, but to participate in it and to live our lives in the light of it. This is precisely what it means to be a Christian. And that is our best life and our highest calling.
see the website and free video at livegodspeed.org/home.
Julie Canlis, A Theology of the Ordinary (Wenatchee: Godspeed Press, 2017), 50.
Susan Lane, "On the other hand", (Speech, Lynfield College Festival Awards, 2017).
Kosuke Koyama, Three Mile an Hour God (London: SCM Press, 1979), 7.


These cute lemon cupcakes from Rachel Allen are perfect with an afternoon cup of tea!
To make this cupcake recipe, preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Line a 12-hole cake tin with 12 paper cases.
Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and grated lemon zest and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture. Alternatively, whizz all the ingredients together in an electric food mixer.
Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until risen and golden. When cooked, the centre of each cake should be slightly springy to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool before you ice them.
To make the lemon butter icing, cream the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon or hand-held electric beater until very soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat into the butter, along with the lemon zest and enough lemon juice to soften the icing, to a spreadable consistency.
When the cupcakes are cool, spread a generous heaped teaspoon of lemon butter icing over the top of each one. Decorate with the crystallised flowers (if using them).


I still can't access my blog from the hospital, but Brian is still willing to post them for me from his email, so if you're wondering why I haven't posted pictures forever this is why. Maybe when I get out, I will get some pictures up. So, in the meantime it will just be my writing.
Well, I have some news this week. It feels good to actually have some progression to say about this pregnancy instead of the same old thing. It's quite a big change or can be at least. I had another ultrasound on Friday (33 weeks) and the placenta has moved! Yes, it actually moved a little. It's still on the verge of the cervix, which means I'm still marginal placenta previa, but my doctors are really hopeful that it will be moved in two weeks. They've each told me that this hardly ever happens with complete previa, so I'm really lucky, or blessed I should say. So now, I have to stay two more weeks and they will do another ultrasound to see if it has moved all the way. If it has, then I will be able to go home and be off bed rest. I guess there is still a chance I may have to have a c-section because she is breech. But, after talking to my nurses about this, they think it's because I have been on bed rest for so long and when I am off, she will probably turn.
Okay, I know all this should be really good news to me, in most ways it is, but I am having a few mixed feelings about a few things. I was getting really excited to be going home with my baby in three weeks. Now, even though it will be great to not have surgery and get to go home, it may be five to seven more weeks of pregnancy. Phew!! I am so ready to be done. I just can't imagine being pregnant for seven more weeks and trying to run my house after being on bed rest for three months! Ugh. I know that it will be good for our baby though to wait for a few more weeks. And, it will be nice for me to have a little time with my girls again without a new baby. So, I'm willing to do it and the more I think about it, the more I know it will be the right thing. I'll keep you posted in two weeks.
In other news, my family is doing great without me. My girls have adjusted well and my mom is still here, thank goodness! She has been such a blessing to us. My dad is still here too, but he leaves tomorrow and I know we are all going to have an adjustment without him. My girls are loving this attention they are getting from their grandparents and since we only get to see them maybe once a year (sometimes every other year) it's been such a good experience for them to get to know their grandparents. They are getting pretty attached.
Thanks to my cute friends out here, my mom really hasn't been lonely. She's been to quilt night, to game parties, to the library reading times, and even strawberry picking (my dad made me strawberry jam, I'm so impressed!). She and my dad also went to DC overnight to a hotel and then to some Smithsonians the next day. Which they loved! So, I'm so grateful for my friends and ward for taking care of her. It's not easy to be so far away from home and have the huge task of taking care of four children. Even though she had six of her own, it's been a while.
Today I am so grateful for the sacrament. The Nuss boys in our ward have been coming every Sunday to administer it to me here in the hospital. For one of the first times in my life it has seemed so personal. I didn't feel like I took it for granted before, but now I do. I am realizing how much the atonement is meant for each individual person. How much the Savior loves each of us that he wants us all to partake of his life and his sacrifice and renew ourselves every week. That those blessings and promises can and are for me even. That I can become a better person even when I am stuck in a hospital with not much interaction with the outside world. It's easy to forget that, but when I see those young men come every week, totally out of their way, and taking up their time, I realize that the Lord cares for and loves me too. I know that he has a plan for our family and I'm trying to trust him and let him lead me.
How can I not believe the Lord loves me? I have seen his hand in everything that has happened through this whole pregnancy. When my doctors told me right from the beginning that I had a 20% chance of this baby surviving. I received a priesthood blessing from my sweet husband shortly after where I was promised that she would make it to full term. Then when I had so much bleeding and thought maybe that was then end, I remembered that blessing and tried my hardest to trust the Lord. With all the wonderful blessings we have had and our good friends and family who have helped us so much, how can I have any doubt? I can't, and that's why I know everything will be okay. I just need to trust in the Lord and have faith in him and I know he will lead me through this.


Toshiba Qosmio X775-Q7170 Review: Is 'Entry-Level Desktop Replacement' an Oxymoron?
This desktop replacement sports a glossy, 17.3-inch LED-backlit display with a native resolution of 1600 by 900. The screen generally looks good, with bright colors, good contrast, and decent off-axis viewing angles, but it falls short of full HD, and that fact is noticeable on such a large display. You can distinguish individual pixels, which makes content--including images, video, and text--look slightly fuzzy. At the desktop replacement level, this is definitely a bummer.
The Qosmio may look like a gaming rig, but it fails to deliver on performance and has an unimpressive screen.


text:
WATCH: IDF Busts 7 Palestinian Weapons Workshops in West Bank, Seizes Dozens of Guns
Posted By TheTower.org Staff On August 23, 2016 @ 12:42 pm In Featured,Israel,MidEast | Comments Disabled
Israeli security forces raided seven Palestinian-run West Bank weapons workshops early Tuesday morning, confiscating dozens of illegal guns. An IDF official told [1] The Times of Israel that the operation, the largest of its sort this year thus far, was part of an ongoing effort to reduce the number of illegal arms circulating in the West Bank.
The raids targeting workshops in the Hebron and Bethlehem areas yielded about 50 weapons and some 22 pieces of gunsmithing machinery. Though the machinery, including drill presses and metal lathes, is common to most machines shops, the equipment seized appeared to "specifically designed for the manufacturing of weapons," the IDF official said.
The recovered weapons include handguns, shotguns, and Carlo-style submachine guns, which are based on the design of Carl Gustav submachine guns. Security forces also confiscated gun parts — including grips, barrels, and stocks — that could have been used to manufacture more weapons and ammunition.
Two Palestinians that the IDF identified as the leading owners of the factories were arrested in the raids. The official said that they did not appear to have ties to terrorist groups and were likely motivated by money. "It seems to be a combination of market demand and the ability to manufacture," he said.
The raids were carried out overnight by a combination of forces from the IDF, Israel Police, and Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet. They were made possible after months of developing "signal intelligence, human intelligence and visual intelligence," another IDF official said.
There is no reason to believe that any of the weapons manufactured by the arrested gun makers were sold specifically for use in terrorist attacks, the official added. The guns could have been purchased for different reasons, including self-defense, criminal purposes, or terrorism, he added. However, "someone who has one of these weapons at home [for self-defense] might hide it in a closet. And when his son gets carried away by incitement, he goes and takes this weapon to carry out attacks," the officer said.
While the latest wave of Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians has been nicknamed the "knife intifada," it also included more than 100 shootings [2] since it began last September, according to Israeli authorities. In response, the IDF and other security agencies have carried out a number of raids in the West Bank in recent months, arresting 140 people and netting over 300 weapons and 50 pieces of machinery.
[Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit ]
URL to article: http://www.thetower.org/3821-watch-idf-busts-7-palestinian-weapons-workshops-in-west-bank-seizes-dozens-of-guns/
[1] told: http://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-of-illegal-guns-seized-in-west-bank-crackdown/
[2] more than 100 shootings: http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Palestinian/Pages/Wave-of-terror-October-2015.aspx