text:
Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study
Kenji Morimoto, Junji Uchino, Takashi Yokoi, Takashi Kijima, Yasuhiro Goto, Akira Nakao, Makoto Hibino, Takayuki Takeda, Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Chieko Takumi, Masafumi Takeshita, Yusuke Chihara, Takahiro Yamada, Osamu Hiranuma, Yoshie Morimoto, Masahiro Iwasaku, Yoshiko Kaneko, Tadaaki Yamada, Koichi Takayama
呼吸器内科学
Purpose: We aimed to investigate whether induction chemotherapy with less than four courses is as effective as induction chemotherapy with more than four courses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 249 patients with NSCLC who received chemoimmunotherapy at 12 centers in Japan between January and December 2019. The patient group that completed less than four courses owing to adverse events (AEs), and received subsequent maintenance therapy was compared to the group that received at least four courses of induction chemotherapy followed by maintenance therapy. Results: On univariate and multivariate analyses, the patient group that transitioned to maintenance therapy after completing less than four courses of induction chemotherapy had significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) than those who completed at least four courses (hazard ratio [HR] 2.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.38–3.37, p < 0.001 and HR 2.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.40–3.84, p = 0.001, respectively). There was no obvious difference in PFS between the group in which induction chemotherapy ended in two or three courses leading to partial or complete response, and the group that continued at least four courses of induction chemotherapy (log-rank test p = 0.53). Conclusion: Treatment efficacy may be maintained if induction chemotherapy is completed in less than four courses owing to development of AEs, and is administered for more than two courses with partial or complete response; efficacy is maintained even on transitioning to maintenance therapy.
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
腫瘍学
「Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study」の研究トピックを掘り下げます。これらがまとまってユニークなフィンガープリントを構成します。
Induction Chemotherapy Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Medicine & Life Sciences 74%
Retrospective Studies Medicine & Life Sciences 56%
Progression-Free Survival Medicine & Life Sciences 21%
Therapeutics Medicine & Life Sciences 13%
Japan Medicine & Life Sciences 9%
Multivariate Analysis Medicine & Life Sciences 8%
Morimoto, K., Uchino, J., Yokoi, T., Kijima, T., Goto, Y., Nakao, A., Hibino, M., Takeda, T., Yamaguchi, H., Takumi, C., Takeshita, M., Chihara, Y., Yamada, T., Hiranuma, O., Morimoto, Y., Iwasaku, M., Kaneko, Y., Yamada, T., & Takayama, K. (2022). Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study. Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, 148(9), 2437-2446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-021-03782-5
Morimoto, Kenji ; Uchino, Junji ; Yokoi, Takashi その他. / Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer : a retrospective study. In: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. 2022 ; Vol. 148, No. 9. pp. 2437-2446.
@article{ffd20eb631604b0f904882f07f657f76,
title = "Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study",
abstract = "Purpose: We aimed to investigate whether induction chemotherapy with less than four courses is as effective as induction chemotherapy with more than four courses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 249 patients with NSCLC who received chemoimmunotherapy at 12 centers in Japan between January and December 2019. The patient group that completed less than four courses owing to adverse events (AEs), and received subsequent maintenance therapy was compared to the group that received at least four courses of induction chemotherapy followed by maintenance therapy. Results: On univariate and multivariate analyses, the patient group that transitioned to maintenance therapy after completing less than four courses of induction chemotherapy had significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) than those who completed at least four courses (hazard ratio [HR] 2.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.38–3.37, p < 0.001 and HR 2.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.40–3.84, p = 0.001, respectively). There was no obvious difference in PFS between the group in which induction chemotherapy ended in two or three courses leading to partial or complete response, and the group that continued at least four courses of induction chemotherapy (log-rank test p = 0.53). Conclusion: Treatment efficacy may be maintained if induction chemotherapy is completed in less than four courses owing to development of AEs, and is administered for more than two courses with partial or complete response; efficacy is maintained even on transitioning to maintenance therapy.",
author = "Kenji Morimoto and Junji Uchino and Takashi Yokoi and Takashi Kijima and Yasuhiro Goto and Akira Nakao and Makoto Hibino and Takayuki Takeda and Hiroyuki Yamaguchi and Chieko Takumi and Masafumi Takeshita and Yusuke Chihara and Takahiro Yamada and Osamu Hiranuma and Yoshie Morimoto and Masahiro Iwasaku and Yoshiko Kaneko and Tadaaki Yamada and Koichi Takayama",
note = "Funding Information: We would like to sincerely thank the patients, their families, and all investigators involved in this study. Additionally, we would like to thank Editage (www.editage.jp ) for assistance with English-language editing. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.",
journal = "Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology",
Morimoto, K, Uchino, J, Yokoi, T, Kijima, T, Goto, Y, Nakao, A, Hibino, M, Takeda, T, Yamaguchi, H, Takumi, C, Takeshita, M, Chihara, Y, Yamada, T, Hiranuma, O, Morimoto, Y, Iwasaku, M, Kaneko, Y, Yamada, T & Takayama, K 2022, 'Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study', Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, vol. 148, no. 9, pp. 2437-2446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-021-03782-5
Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer : a retrospective study. / Morimoto, Kenji; Uchino, Junji; Yokoi, Takashi その他.
In: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Vol. 148, No. 9, 09.2022, p. 2437-2446.
T1 - Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
T2 - a retrospective study
AU - Morimoto, Kenji
AU - Uchino, Junji
AU - Yokoi, Takashi
AU - Kijima, Takashi
AU - Goto, Yasuhiro
AU - Nakao, Akira
AU - Hibino, Makoto
AU - Takeda, Takayuki
AU - Yamaguchi, Hiroyuki
AU - Takumi, Chieko
AU - Takeshita, Masafumi
AU - Chihara, Yusuke
AU - Yamada, Takahiro
AU - Hiranuma, Osamu
AU - Morimoto, Yoshie
AU - Iwasaku, Masahiro
AU - Kaneko, Yoshiko
AU - Yamada, Tadaaki
AU - Takayama, Koichi
N1 - Funding Information: We would like to sincerely thank the patients, their families, and all investigators involved in this study. Additionally, we would like to thank Editage (www.editage.jp ) for assistance with English-language editing. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
N2 - Purpose: We aimed to investigate whether induction chemotherapy with less than four courses is as effective as induction chemotherapy with more than four courses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 249 patients with NSCLC who received chemoimmunotherapy at 12 centers in Japan between January and December 2019. The patient group that completed less than four courses owing to adverse events (AEs), and received subsequent maintenance therapy was compared to the group that received at least four courses of induction chemotherapy followed by maintenance therapy. Results: On univariate and multivariate analyses, the patient group that transitioned to maintenance therapy after completing less than four courses of induction chemotherapy had significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) than those who completed at least four courses (hazard ratio [HR] 2.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.38–3.37, p < 0.001 and HR 2.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.40–3.84, p = 0.001, respectively). There was no obvious difference in PFS between the group in which induction chemotherapy ended in two or three courses leading to partial or complete response, and the group that continued at least four courses of induction chemotherapy (log-rank test p = 0.53). Conclusion: Treatment efficacy may be maintained if induction chemotherapy is completed in less than four courses owing to development of AEs, and is administered for more than two courses with partial or complete response; efficacy is maintained even on transitioning to maintenance therapy.
AB - Purpose: We aimed to investigate whether induction chemotherapy with less than four courses is as effective as induction chemotherapy with more than four courses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 249 patients with NSCLC who received chemoimmunotherapy at 12 centers in Japan between January and December 2019. The patient group that completed less than four courses owing to adverse events (AEs), and received subsequent maintenance therapy was compared to the group that received at least four courses of induction chemotherapy followed by maintenance therapy. Results: On univariate and multivariate analyses, the patient group that transitioned to maintenance therapy after completing less than four courses of induction chemotherapy had significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) than those who completed at least four courses (hazard ratio [HR] 2.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.38–3.37, p < 0.001 and HR 2.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.40–3.84, p = 0.001, respectively). There was no obvious difference in PFS between the group in which induction chemotherapy ended in two or three courses leading to partial or complete response, and the group that continued at least four courses of induction chemotherapy (log-rank test p = 0.53). Conclusion: Treatment efficacy may be maintained if induction chemotherapy is completed in less than four courses owing to development of AEs, and is administered for more than two courses with partial or complete response; efficacy is maintained even on transitioning to maintenance therapy.
JO - Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
JF - Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
Morimoto K, Uchino J, Yokoi T, Kijima T, Goto Y, Nakao A その他. Early discontinuation of induction therapy in chemoimmunotherapy as an effective alternative to the standard regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study. Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. 2022 9月;148(9):2437-2446. doi: 10.1007/s00432-021-03782-5


text:
The USA's First 'Belle Époque' (1841-1856)
America's First Great Moderation
By Joseph Davis (NBER) and Marc Weidenmier (Claremont – McKenna University, marc.weidenmier@cmc.edu)
We identify America's First Great Moderation, a recession-free 16-year period from 1841 until 1856, that represents the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. Occurring in the wake of the debt-deleveraging cycle of the late 1830s, this "take-off" period's high rates of economic growth and relatively-low volatility enabled the U.S. economy to escape downturns despite the absence of a central bank. Using new high frequency data on industrial production, we show that America's First Great Moderation was primarily driven by a boom in transportation-goods investment, attributable to both the wider adoption of steam railroads and river boats and the high expected returns for massive wooden clipper ships following the discovery of gold in California. We do not find evidence that agriculture (i.e., cotton), domestic textile production, or British economic conditions played any significant role in this moderation. The First Great Moderation ended with a sharp decline in transportation investment and bank credit during the downturn of 1857-8 and the coming American Civil War. Our empirical analyses indicate that the low-volatility states derived for both annual industrial production and monthly stock prices during the First Great Moderation are similar to those estimated for the Second Great Moderation (1984-2007).
URL: https://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/21856.html
Distributed by NEP-HIS on 2016-03-23
Review by Natacha Postel-Vinay (University of Warwick)
Those who like to study the causes of business fluctuations are often primarily interested in severe downturns, or sometimes wild upswings. They may be tempted to gloss over periods of relative calm where not much seems to be happening. Yet there is a good case for studying such phenomena: surely a long period of low volatility in output, prices and unemployment combined with relatively high sustained growth would make many policy makers happy. As such they deserve our attention.
The Great Moderation is usually thought of as one such period when, from the 1980s up to 2007, US economic growth became both more sustained and much less volatile. The causes of the Great Moderation are still being debated, and range from better monetary policy to major structural changes such as the development of information technologies to sheer luck (for example, an absence of oil shocks). Less well-known is the fact that the US economy experienced a similar phenomenon more than a century earlier, from the 1840s to the mid-1850s. In their paper, Davis and Weidenmier draw our attention to this period as it was, in their view, America's First Great Moderation. While much of the paper is spent demonstrating just that, they also look for its causes, and argue that important structural changes in the transportation industry were probably at the origin of this happy experience.
Despite being sometimes pointed out as America's "take-off" period (Rostow, 1971), the idea that this was the US's First Great Moderation is far from straightforward. This is partly because the period has been commonly known for its relative financial instability, with for instance financial panics in the late 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In addition, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)'s official business cycle data do not go further back than 1854, which itself results from the fact that most of the extant data on pre-1854 output is qualitative. Thorp's Business Annals (1926), for example, are primarily based on anecdotal newspaper reports. Thorp identifies a recession in almost every other year, which Davis and Weidenmier think is a gross overestimation.
Instead, the authors use Davis's (2004) index of industrial production (IP) and defend their choice by pointing out a number of things. First, this is a newer, high-frequency series which despite its industrial focus is much more precise than, for example, Gallman's trend GDP data. It is based on 43 annual components in the manufacturing and mining industries which were consistently derived from 1790 to World War I. The series does not contain any explicit information on the agricultural sector, which produced more than half of US output in the antebellum era. However, Davis and Weidenmier argue that any large business fluctuations apparent in this sector would also be reflected in the IP index as the demand for industrial goods was very much tied to farm output. Conversely, the demand for say, lumber, could be intimately related to business conditions in the construction and railroad industries.
Simply looking at standard deviations makes clear that the 1841-1856 period was indeed one of especially low volatility and sustained growth in industrial production, with no absolute normal declines in output. From this data it is thus apparent that even the well-known 1837 financial panic was not followed by any protracted recession, thereby confirming Temin's (1969) earlier suspicion. Testing more rigorously for breaks in the series, their Markov regime-switching model suggests that the probability of a low-volatility state indeed rises the most during this period as compared to the early and late 19th-century periods. Applying the same model up to the recent era, it even appears that the two Great Moderations were similar in magnitude – a remarkable result.
But what could explain this apparently unique phenomenon? To answer this question, Davis and Weidenmier first decompose industrial production into several sectors such as metal products, transportation machinery, lumber, food, textiles, printing, chemicals and leather. They then find that the probability of faster growth and lower volatility during the First Great Moderation is significantly higher for the transportation-goods industry. This corresponds to the general idea that the "transportation revolution" (especially in railroads and ships) was an important aspect of America's take-off. However, increased production in transportation goods could be a result of increased demand in the economy as a whole. The authors then refute this possibility by showing that transportation production preceded all other industrial sector increases in this period, which would tend to confirm the importance of transportation investment spillover effects into other sectors.
Davis and Weidenmier therefore make a convincing case that the Great Moderation should in fact be called the Second Great Moderation, since a first one is clearly apparent from the 1840s to the mid-1850s. Interestingly, they emphasize that in both cases deep structural changes in the economy seem to have been at work, especially in the realm of general purpose technologies, with significant spillovers (transportation in one case, IT in the other).
An important question left to answer is the extent to which an era of the "Great Moderation" type is to be desired, and on what grounds. Although aiming at a quiet yet prosperous era seems legitimate, it is important to remind ourselves that the 1850s ended with a severe financial and economic crisis which some argue had its roots in financial speculation and overindebtedness in preceding years. Likewise, we all know how the 2000s sadly ended. The "Second" Great Moderation also saw significant increases in inequality. Davis and Weidenmier acknowledge not being able to account for financial and banking developments during this era; perhaps this needs to be investigated further (or at least pondered upon). One may ask, indeed, whether such periods of prosperity may not bear in themselves the seeds of their own demise.
Davis, Joseph. (2004). "An Annual Index of US Industrial Production, 1790-1915." The Quarterly Journal of Economics 119:4, pp. 1177-1215.
Gallman, Robert. (1966). "Gross National Product in the United States, 1834-1909" in Dorothy S. Brady (ed.) Output, Employment, and Productivity in the United States after 1800. New York, Columbia University Press.
Rostow, W. (1990). The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto. 3rd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Temin, Peter. (1969). The Jacksonian Economy. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Thorp, William. (1926). Business Annals. NBER.
This entry was posted in Economic growth, Economic History, United States and tagged economic history, USA on 2016-04-26 by harrymclary.
Don't Panic!! War, Money and Stability, 1914-45
Confidence, Fear and a Propensity to Gamble: The Puzzle of War and Economics in an Age of Catastrophe 1914-45
by Roger L. Ransom (roger.ransom@ucr.edu) (University of California at Riverside)
This paper uses the notion of animal spirits introduced by John Maynard Keynes in the General Theory and more recently employed by George Akerloff and Robert Shiller in their book Animal Spirits, to explain the speculative bubbles and decisions for war from 1914 to 1945. Animal spirits are "a spontaneous urge to action rather than inaction" that produces decisions which are not bounded by "rational" calculations. My analysis shows how confidence, fear, and a propensity to gamble can encourage aggressive behavior that leads to speculative "bubbles" in financial markets and military or political crises. Elements of prospect theory are added to demonstrate how the presence of risk in crises tend to produce a very strong bias towards taking gambles to avoid economic or military loses. A basic premise of the paper is that war and economics were inexorably joined together by 1914 to a point where economic strength was as important as military might in determining the outcome of a war. The final section of the paper deals with the problem of measuring military and economic strength by using the composite index of national capability [CINC] created by the Correlates of War Project to evaluate the riskiness of the Schlieffen Plan in 1914 and the changes in military capability of major powers between 1914-1919
URL http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/ucrwpaper/201603.htm
Distributed by NEP-HIS on: 2016-03-17
Reviewed by Mark J Crowley
This paper surveys the impact of war on economic stability, and the role that confidence and fear plays in the nature of the economy and economic development. It provides an interesting addition to the historiography, especially since numerous similar studies have concentrated on the social ramifications of war, most notably the correlation between armed conflict and social change first identified by Arthur Marwick in the 1970s.
John Maynard Keynes is still regarded by many as the architect of modern economics in war and peace
Using the framework of 'animal spirits', first advanced by John Maynard Keynes in his classical General Theory study of 1936, Ransom shows how emotion and rationality have governed many of the economic cycles that ensued as a result of war and peace. He shows that decisions based on instinct were often the driver of many deep-rooted changes that would impact on long-term economic stability. With the perception among policymakers that interwar years (i.e. the period after the First World War) would lead to a period of significant economic instability, he shows how major world leaders often took gambles – some of which paid off, but some of which had deep consequences that not only changed the course of war, but also affected long-term economic performance.
In identifying the limitations of economic history analyses in this area, Ransom argues that the uncertainties caused by war and the transition to a peacetime economy leads to several difficulties. For economists, no real models exist for the predictions of uncertainty or volatility, whereas outcomes can, to a certain degree of accuracy, be predicted. Furthermore, he claims that in countries where the economy was growing and the war effort was achieving positive aims, leaders were thus operating in a 'confidence bubble.' Yet while this progress could be regarded as positive for the nation, the implications for the economy were not always fruitful, especially since the impact of emotion on leaders' psyche meant that despite these developments, leaders and planners did not always act rationally. In explaining this phenomenon, Ransom draws on Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tverskey's 1979 'Prospect theory' in which they argue that many leaders have focused on the results they think are really possible while also seeking to avoid large losses. This, in turn, has served to cloud judgement with regard to the possibilities open to make significant gains.
Hoovervilles in the USA became a common sight of the Great Depression of the 1920s
In the final part of the paper, Ransom shows how historians have used the Composite Index of National Capability in order to assess a nation's capability to wage a war. The test, comprising six areas includes: military personnel; military expenditure; total population; urban population; primary energy consumption; and iron and steel consumption. This approach looks at these aspects and divides each nation by the overall global variable. While not totally reliable, it can offer possibilities to explain why leaders, in preparation for, and in prosecution of, war have changed strategies according to national needs. Using the Battle of the Marne during the First World War as an example, Ransom shows how this acted as a 'tipping point' in the German prosecution of the war effort – the failure of which saw confidence turn into fear and the widely-regarded failure of General Schlieffen to discharge Germany's military capability in the most effective way. Thus the idea that economics formed the foundation a nation's military capability after the First World War has now received greater attention.
General Schlieffen's economic decisions during the First World War have now been seen as a possible reason for German's failures.
This paper is fascinating for the way that it shows the impact of emotion and human rationality on economics. In terms of economic policymaking, little attention has been dedicated to the role of emotion and human behaviour on the economic decisions taken that, in turn, had a fundamental impact on the trajectory of war.
The interesting aspect of this paper lies in the way that Ransom uses case studies to show how wars, and the pressures placed on leaders, could have influenced their state of mind concerning their economic decisions. The approach is geo-political. This is particularly useful, since the importance of international relations would have impacted severely on a nation's economic capability. However, what could also be of interest is a consideration of the response on the home front to the challenges brought about by war and peace, and how the opinions of ordinary citizens may or may not have influenced those in positions of power. For example, in the British case, the Ministry of Information during the Second World War commissioned surveys of the home front to ascertain people's opinions on a wide range of topics, of which the condition of the economy featured heavily. The social research organisation, Mass Observation, also conducted similar surveys so as to inform the government of the home front's condition, and how it could be maintained to ensure solidarity for the war effort. At the core of many citizens' grievances was the nature of the economy, especially rising food prices. While ascertaining this information in a transnational study such as this may not be easy, perhaps a little more focus on citizens' opinions of economy and the prosecution of the war effort would provide a wider framework in which to understand the influences on world leaders when making decisions controlling the trajectory of their nation's economies in war and peace.
Jefferys, Kevin (ed.), War and Reform: British Politics during the Second World War (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1994).
Marwick, Arthur, War and social change in the twentieth century: a comparative study of Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States (London: Macmillan, 1974).
Milward, Alan S., War, Economy and Society, 1939-45 (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1987).
Minns, Raynes, Bombers and Mash: The Domestic Front, 1939-45 (London: Virago, 1980).
This entry was posted in Economic growth, Economic History, war and tagged cycles, economic history, emotions, Keynes, rational, war, Warfare on 2016-04-06 by crowleymarkj.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Part of the 14-point gap the Raiders created to claim the top record in the league, Eastern Conference, and East Division in the regular season was cultivated through a 6-2-0-0 record in the season series against the Blades. The Raiders opened the season series with a 4-1 win on September 30, 2018 in a then meeting of undefeated teams. The two teams closed out the 2018-19 WHL Regular Season against each other, each taking their respective home games from a home-and-home series.
The Raiders will undoubtedly turn to Ian Scott (Toronto Maple Leafs) between the pipes in what should be an excellent goaltending battle. Scott went 4-2-0-0 with a 1.68 goals-against-average, and a .938 save percentage against the Blades. Nolan Maier collected both wins for the Blades in the season series, posting a 2-2-0-0 record, 3.45 GAA, and a .891 SV%, and one shutout. Maier's 32-save shutout of the Raiders in December 2018 stood up as one of his top performances of the season while his 16 wins are the most among all WHL goaltenders since February 1, 2019.


There is no hospital where I'd rather work than Riley. I've worked in the Riley Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 20 years, and last year I began a supervisory position in NICU respiratory care. Riley is the kind of place you put a lot into, and you get a lot out of.
My work took on new meaning six years ago when I became not only a Riley employee, but also a Riley parent. It was November 7, 2011 when it became crystal clear to myself and to my husband Joe (a respiratory therapist who also worked at Riley for 18 years) that something was wrong with our son Josh.
Leading up to that day Josh had been thirsty a lot, going to the bathroom a lot, and eating a lot. Overnight, he came downstairs thirsty and looking for more water. He got up to use the restroom about every 30 minutes that night.
I prayed all night. The next day, my husband Joe took Josh to the doctor while I went to work in the Riley NICU. It was a busy day, and I was with a very sick patient. Joe called me at work and told me that Josh's blood sugar measured over 400, and that they were coming to Riley.
A nurse practitioner was next to me. I told her, "I think my son has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes." A respiratory therapist was standing next to her who happens to be a type 1 diabetic, and she burst into tears.
I finally broke away and met my husband and son in the Riley emergency department. To this day, Josh (who is now 13) thinks of it as one of the most fun times of his life because he was treated so well. The care at Riley is really personal. The nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers, diabetes educators, and physicians were so kind to Josh and my family. The fact that Josh's endocrinologist, Dr. Emily Walvoord, is a colleague and a teammate as well as my son's doctor makes her feel like family. She has been so great with Josh.
I feel so blessed to have a job that is that rewarding. It feels selfish to not give back. Our family has chosen to direct our gifts in support of Riley diabetes research. I feel so confident that they will find a cure.
It means the world when I see my Riley colleagues participating in Employee Giving during The Gift of Hope Happens Here holiday season campaign. If you passionately believe in the mission of Riley Hospital, it seems natural to want to support that.


text:
As part of a continuous drive to offer the best support to colleagues at Harris Irwin, three members of our team recently completed a mental health first aid course.
Company Director Juliette Irwin, Administrator Catherine Holme and Associate John Gresham all undertook the intensive two-day course, which is aimed to improve the knowledge and understanding of mental health and to learn skills to support positive wellbeing in the workplace.
https://mhfaengland.org/
Juliette said: "I don't feel that more people are suffering from mental health issues than ever before, I just think that now it is more openly talked about. This can only be a good thing as in the past, it has been a subject that had a lot of negative connotations attached which made people less likely to admit to having mental health issues in case it impacted on their job, relationships and parts of their life.
"We pride ourselves at Harris Irwin for being a caring practice and for always striving to look out for one another and to be as supportive as we possibly can. I feel that being able to have open and honest conversations about mental health and to encourage colleagues to talk about any issues and ask for support is great. The more we talk about it, the less stigma attached to it. I am hoping that the key skills I have learned will help me to be a more empathetic and compassionate person able to assist anyone dealing with a mental health issue, whether they work at Harris Irwin or not. "
Catherine said "I found the course very interesting and helpful to recognise signs of individuals struggling with mental health and learning the best tools to support them. It is great to see how the awareness and conversation of mental health is continuing to improve, this can only bring a positive impact to the workplace and general society."
And John said: "Having suffered my own stress related mental health episode, I am a keen advocate of supporting mental health awareness and support in the practice. As such, I felt I needed more than just my own experience to draw on, as everyone's situation is different. The course I believe gave me that guidance. Not only what I can do to support, but crucially to know when to hand over to professionals. I'm very pleased to be supporting mental health awareness in the Practice."


Native Americans have the highest rates of intermarrying in the United States. It must be true, then, that love can flow between Natives and non-Natives. This essay is directed toward those of us who are non-Native who have Native families.
We know through history that just because someone says they love you, it doesn't mean they will seek out what's just for you. If it were true that personal love always equals justice, women, many of whom are married to men, would have had justice eons ago.
But we non-Natives who have Native families can show the world what true love looks like. And what it looks like is seeking what's good for the other. It means justice.
Let us come together, then, with one another and with our families to seek justice for Native Americans. We can do this by forming more or less organized organizations, through petitioning, through calling Congress, through learning from our Native families about how to fight. This is transforming love into what's just and good for our families. This is possibly the highest form of love.
I believe that when non-Natives who have Native families come on board with decolonization, amazing things can happen. Through our love, we can break colonial chains. We can show the world what true love looks like. We can realize our colonizer space in life and give it up. We can begin the process of decolonization through our love and deeds.
True love looks like justice.


If you're about to start fighting a Michigan custody battle, you need to learn as much as possible about what you can expect to face and how you should approach the challenge. Of course, you want to make sure that you win the custody arrangement that you believe this is what's best for your child, and it's only natural to feel passionately about that. Passion alone doesn't win custody battles though; it takes more than that.
To help you ensure you take the right approach when entering your custody battle, we're going to look at the 9 little things that can make a big difference to the outcome of your custody battle. These are not particularly difficult to adopt or understand, but they're ignored by many parents entering custody battles. Rather than making that mistake, read on now and learn about each of these 9 things.
When it comes to a legal battle like this, having the right legal help and representation is not optional. If you want to have any chance of succeeding and achieving the outcome you desire, you need to consult with legal experts who have experience in this field. They have the experience and knowledge that could carry your case.
Talk to them about your situation and be honest about everything. That gives them the best chance of helping you to gain the custody arrangement that you're seeking. Don't assume that you can go it alone and represent yourself in the process because it's never as easy as it sounds or looks.
We all know that tensions can run pretty high in court cases and custody battles, but it still never pays off to make things more dramatic than they really need to be. By keeping drama to a minimum, you will be able to look at things more objectively and work based on the facts rather than the emotions of the situation.
When the decision comes through via the court, it's the facts that will matter. And if you spend your time getting entangled in drama, you'll only waste time that could have been spent on fighting and building a winning case. So even if your ex partner is dragging you into drama, resist any urge to get involved with it.
It's important to know what you're actually fighting for in your legal battle. Are you just fighting for the sake of it or because you want to spite your ex partner? If that's the case, you're fighting for all the wrong reasons and should probably just give up. Instead, you should fight something real and worthwhile.
This is all about your children and their future, and that's what should be at the forefront of your mind during this whole process. If that's not the motivating factor for you, you should revisit your reasons for doing this and think again about why you're fighting. Having a clear and worthy reason for fighting this battle will make life easier for you.
Sticking to the truth might not sound like much to ask when you're fighting for custody, but so many people become tempted to make up accusations to throw at their partner. Doing this almost always backfires and it's certainly not ethical regardless. That's why you should stick to what's real and truthful.
Be honest and open with your lawyer because they need the truth if they're going to have any chance of fighting a winning battle. Even if your ex partner is telling lies about you, it doesn't pay off to tell lies about them in retaliation. Take the moral high ground and fight the case on facts and reality; it'll pay off for you in the end.
When there's lots going on in your custody battle and lots that's being said, some of it can be get lost in the upheaval. If you want to be able to keep the case organized and ensure you know how to present evidence later on, you should ensure everything is documented along the way.
Keep records and hard copies of any important documents throughout the custody battle. This will make things much easier for yourself and your lawyer in the later stages of the custody battle. You should do it from the very start, even if you don't feel like it's necessary right now.
Maintaining a respectable demeanor throughout the custody battle will reflect well on you when the judge comes to make their decision. If you look like the adult in the room, you'll be more likely to achieve the custody outcome that you're fighting for. On the other hand, if you look like the opposite, the court's decision will reflect that also.
So even when things are upsetting and stressful for you, try to keep your cool and maintain your calm. This will show the world that you're a serious and respectable parent trying to do the right thing by your kids. Of course, all this is not always easy during an emotional custody battle, but it can be done if you try.
To ensure your case is being presented in the right way, you need to understand the mindset of the judge. They're the one who's going to eventually decide what the eventual custody arrangement will be, so you should spend some time looking at things from their perspective. It should make you realize what you need to be doing differently.
This is something that your attorney should be working alongside you on. They have a better understanding of how a judge thinks and acts when assessing a custody case, so they should be able to help you tailor your case accordingly. It's this kind of forward planning that can really pay off in the end.
In order to win a custody battle, you need to show the court that under your care, your kids would be fed, clothed, loved, protected and taken care of fully and completely. That's the minimum a judge will expect from a parent who wants custody of their kids.
Show them that you have the home, the skills and the resources at your disposal to look after your kids in the correct and proper way. If you can't do this, your chances of securing custody of your children will be a lot lower than they should be.
Rather than raging about the disagreements you have with your ex partner, you should try to analyze the situation and dig deeper into why those disagreements are happening in the first place. This might actually help you both mediate your problems and find some common ground.
You don't necessarily have to understand every part of your ex partner's perspective but you should try to find ways in which you can compromise. In the end, that's the kind of approach that tends to work out best for everyone, especially your children.
When it comes to winning your custody battle, you'll want to do everything possible to make sure you achieve the outcome that's right for you. It's very easy to make mistakes or to adopt the wrong approach, but it doesn't have to be that way. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you want to make use of our legal expertise on the matter.


text:
Статья — о церковном праздновании. О славянской обрядности см. статью Головосек

Усекнове́ние главы́ Иоа́нна Предте́чи () — великий праздник в Православной церкви, совершаемый  и посвященный памяти мученической смерти Иоанна Крестителя, которому по приказу тетрарха Галилеи Ирода отрубили голову.

История праздника
История праздника связана с Евангельским повествованием. Три из четырех Евангелий сообщают о данном событии: Евангелие от Матфея в 14 главе, Евангелие от Марка в 6 главе, Евангелие от Луки в 9 главе; однако Лука не сообщает подробностей, как это делают Матфей и Марк, а только упоминает о самом факте: "И сказал Ирод: Иоанна я обезглавил" (Лк. 9, 9). После Крещения Иисуса Иоанн продолжает своё пророческое служение, обличая пороки и грехи, призывая народ к покаянию и указывая путь ко спасению через веру в истинного мессию — Христа-Спасителя. Под грозное обличение Иоанна попадает царь Ирод, который при живом брате Филиппе, отобрал у последнего жену — Иродиаду и взял её в супружество. Согласно закону Моисея это нарушение седьмой заповеди: не прелюбодействуй. Об этом и говорит открыто Иоанн царю Ироду. Ирод не терпит обличения и сажает Иоанна в темницу (тюрьму), оставляя на время Иоанна в живых, поскольку простой иудеиский народ почитал Иоанна и считал его величайшим пророком. Во время дня рождения Ирода дочь Иродиады исполняет пляску, которая очень понравилась пирующему Ироду. В награду за танец Ирод даёт клятву: дать своей падчерице всё, что она пожелает (даже до полцарства). Падчерица Ирода обращается с советом к своей родной матери Иродиаде. Иродиада научает дочь в награду за пляску попросить отрубленную голову Иоанна Предтечи на блюде. Узнав о просимом, Ирод опечалился; но ради клятвы, которую он дал перед своими вельможами, с которыми он пировал, Ирод выполняет пожелание. В тюрьму отправляется палач, отрубает голову Иоанну, а затем отрубленную голову на блюде приносят на пир и вручают дочери Иродиады. Ученики Иоанна погребают тело Предтечи. Данное событие и послужило причиной для установления этого христианского праздника.

В дальнейшем отцы Церкви в проповедях, а также в богослужебных текстах, посвященных смерти Иоанна, достаточно часто используют приём антитезы. С одной стороны у Иоанна Предтечи целая палитра добродетелей: смирение, любовь к Богу и людям, молитва, пост, нищета, строгий образ жизни, чистота помыслов, твердое стояние в истине, дар пророчества, девство; а с другой стороны у семьи Ирода набор греховных поступков и порочный образ жизни: гордость, злоба, любовь к временной жизни, пьянство, танцы, невоздержание, безумные клятвы, роскошь и богатство, ложь, блуд. Величайший пророк Иоанн умирает ради истины, а беззаконник Ирод убивает ради лжи праведника.

Богослужебное почитание

Православная церковь
В Русской православной церкви Усекновение главы Иоанна Предтечи относится к числу Великих праздников (не будучи двунадесятым праздником) и празднуется . В какой бы день недели этот праздник ни попадал, включая воскресенье, этот день всегда в Православной церкви в память о великом постнике Иоанне (который питался в пустыне только акридами и диким мёдом и вёл суровый образ жизни) является днём строгого поста, запрещено есть не только мясную и молочную пищу, но даже рыбу.

Полное название праздника в богослужебных книгах Православной церкви: Усекнове́ние честны́я главы́, честна́го сла́внаго Проро́ка, Предте́чи и Крести́теля Иоа́нна ().

Накануне праздника вечером служится Всенощное бдение. Стихиры праздника были написаны гимнографами: Иоанном монахом, Германом. На Великой вечерне читаются три паремии (, , ), в которых, по мнению Церкви, содержатся пророчества о Иоанне Крестителе. На утрене служится полиелей и читается праздничное 57-е зачало Евангелия от Матфея (). В VIII веке Иоанн Дамаскин написал канон этого праздника, второй канон написан Андреем Критским. На литургии читается апостольское и евангельское чтение, посвящённые Усекновению главы Иоанна Предтечи: 33-е зачало Деяний святых апостолов () и 24-е зачало Евангелия от Марка ().

День усекновения главы Иоанна Крестителя в Русской православной церкви — это день поминовения чад-воинов, которые подвизались за истину и добро и жизнь свою положили за своё Отечество. Поминовение было установлено в 1769 году во время войны с Турцией и войны в Польше.

Иконография
В центре икон «Усекновение главы Иоанна Предтечи» является фигура Иоанна. Обычно он изображён смиренно согнувшимся, со связанными руками. Рядом воин с занесённым над Иоанном обнажённым мечом. Возле ног Иоанна — чаша, в которой находится его голова, обрамлённая нимбом. Иоанн может быть представлен при этом как с головой, так и уже без головы. Поза воина, при буквальном прочтении иконы, больше соответствует положению перед отсечением головы, а не после: что меч ещё только занесён над головой, а не сечёт вниз.

На заднем плане бывают изображены здания и горы. Здания можно понимать и буквально, и иносказательно, указывая на горний Иерусалим как на духовное наследие праведников. В то же время горы можно читать и как часть пейзажа, и как символ духовного восхождения. Иногда отсечённая голова изображается на фоне чёрной пещеры, которая выделяется в нижней части горы. В этом можно видеть указание на ад, куда после смерти сошла душа Иоанна. Композиция бывает усложнена включением в неё изображений других исторических лиц.

Примечания

Литература

 Иероним Стридонский. Толкование на Евангелие по Матфею, гл. 14
 Лука (Войно-Ясенецкий). Слово в день Усекновения главы святого Иоанна Предтечи.
 Новый Завет. Евангелие от Матфея. Гл. 14 // Толковая Библия / под ред. Лопухина.
 Пролог 1643 год. 29 августа. Усекновение честныя главы святаго славнаго Пророка и Предотечи Крестителя Господня Иоанна.
 Феофан Затворник. Слово на Усекновение главы Иоанна Предтечи.
 Феофилакт Болгарский. Толкование на Евангелие от Матфея, гл. 14
 Феофилакт Болгарский. Толкование на Евангелие от Марка, гл. 6

Ссылки
 Усекновение главы Иоанна Предтечи
 Усекновение главы Иоанна Предтечи: иконы, картины, молитвы, проповеди. Православие и Мір
 Усекновение главы Иоанна Предтечи
 Переводы богослужебных книг Праздничная минея / Усекновение главы Иоанна Предтечи• Малая вечерня • Великая вечерня • Утреня • Литургия
 Творения, приписываемые св. Иоанну Златоусту и отнесенные в издании Миня к разряду Spuria «На усекновение главы Предтечи и Крестителя Иоанна и об Иродиаде»: «Опять Иродиада беснуется, опять неистовствует, опять пляшет, опять требует у Ирода главы Иоанна Крестителя!…»
 Τῌ ΚΘ' ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΜΗΝΟΣ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ Μνήμη τῆς ἀποτομῆς τῆς τιμιας Κεφαλῆς τοῦ ἁγίου, ἐνδόξου Προφήτου, Προδρόμου καὶ Βαπτιστοῦ, Ἰωάννου.

Христианские праздники
Непереходящие праздники
Православные посты
Великие праздники

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The postdoctoral fellow (postdoc) will have a terminal degree PhD, MD, DVM, etc. and will, under the direction/guidance of a mentor (principal investigator), assume responsibility for a specific, on-going research project. The postdoc experience will serve to extend, refine and enhance skills necessary for professional and career development, and will enable the individual to broaden his/her scientific background by acquiring new research capabilities. It is expected that this individual will conduct independent scholarly research, and will contribute directly to the overall research goals of the project and the research group. Postdocs will be expected to participate in project planning, recording and interpretation/evaluation of data, and communication of results. Postdocs will also be expected to acquire technical, lab management, and manuscript/grant writing skills; and participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions and presentations at national meetings. Postdoctoral fellows also may be required to supervise junior lab members, develop new methods and protocols for research, and assist with the development of other research projects in the lab.
The position is open to work on gene therapy projects aimed to cure hemoglobinopathies and other disorders. Work will require tissue culture, viral preparation, mouse handling, flow cytometry and protein analysis.


I didn't get a preview card.
That's fine. I'm a small time blog and none of the other small time blogs received a preview card as well. So, no biggie. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Gatecrash Prerelease. I received a phone call from Borborygmos, which is odd because not only does he not like technology, he's a fictional character. Anyway, he didn't receive a preview article. I was shocked. Here was one of the guild leaders and he wasn't previewed like all of the other leagendary leaders.
This was a match made in heaven; a blog without a preview card and a preview card without an article.
I interviewed Borborygmos for a few minutes. I really don't want him to crush me.
MTG Color Pie: So, Mr. Borborygmos.
BORBORYGMOS: No need for formal. Call me Ishmael.
ISHMAEL: No. Only joke. Better than saying call me maybe.
BORBORYGMOS: See. Gruul more than smash things. Are smart. Know popcorn culture.
MTGCP: Alright. Now, I know that you're a little upset about not receiving a preview article. You want to talk about that?
BORBORYGMOS: Unfair since Gruul no have technology. You see guild letter? Hand paint each one. No Steve Guttenberg machine. Have to network social to make popular and be seen. Don't know how. Both Facebook and Twitter taken by not me. Wish I smash their face.
MTGCP: That's very understandable. I guess that's why you're enraged.
MTGCP: (Laughs nervously) Wait, how are you talking to me now if you don't use technology?
BORBORYGMOS: Larger iPhone 5 better for fingers. Not that barbaric. Plus, you kill bit.
MTGCP: Some feel that you didn't get an article because you were leaked early.
BORBORYGMOS: Always take leak in forest. Don't see big deal.
MTGCP: No, that your card was spoiled way before it was suppose to.
BORBORYGMOS: Not Gruul fault. Yet Magic men punish us. We know we no loved. Gruul experience emotion too. Red is core color of Gruul.
MTGCP: Well, how do you feel about your new card versus your old one?
BORBORYGMOS: Both best cards ever. I make Gruul larger, then throw earth at not-Gruul. How can lose? New art makes tiny man scared faster.
MTGCP: And how do you feel about your Charm. It seems a little weak compared to the other ones.
BORBORYGMOS: Gruul no weak. Other guilds showoffs.
MTGCP: You have any final thoughts?
MTGCP: Yes, yes they do. Thanks so much for your time.
You need to send this to the wizard guys. This is awesome.
Think a Borborygmos/Lost in the Woods deck would work? Keep fogging your opponent when they attack, then when you cast BorBor you draw most of you deck (probably 40 lands in this?) and discard the lands to victory. Fun?


actual persons and places in Scandinavia is purely coincidental.
feet were added in 1875 by King Frederick to thrill avid mountaineers.
her pretty, little head to a handsome Swede, but she soon came to her senses, and now everything is back to normal in the kingdom.
Niels Juel, Denmark's great naval hero, borrowed the king's royal cabbage shredder and made cole slaw of the attacking Swedish fleet at K�ge in 1677.
In Ringsted, the Church cannonized Kn�d Lavard, who was the last Danish saint to apply for the honor while still living.
Svenborg, thanks to its diving board, is the jumping-off point to the many smaller isles in the south of Denmark.
Danish troops are trained experts in the latest techniques of modern warfare in case their carnivals are ever attacked.
pressed into the 2000 lb. pat preferred by modern Danish housewives then shipped round the country's many islands.
Denmark and Germany for several generations. In their grassy pastures the cows produced a lot of milk and butter and cheese. Now you know why they are so sensitive in that area. Who should have Schweswig and Holstein was a big deal, enough to start very messy conflicts, which were called "The Cow Wars. Why? Nobody knows for sure, and the local cows couldn't make any sense of it. To their thinking, anything but grass was a petty concern.
Egeskov Castle in Odense was built on big oak piles in the 16th century. Yes, oak piles! Why? Cement foundations were unknown back then and logs were plentiful. The only drawback, the logs moved about and the castle tended to rock 'n' roll during stormy weather and high winds.
The Little Belt Bridge links Funen and Jutland Islands, and whenever a big cruiseship needs to pass beneath the belt is tightened a notch or two to raise it higher.
commemorates a legend no sensible Dane believes, but it draws busloads of German and Japanese tourists wearing thick-soled Nikes and carrying thick guidebooks and camcorders. Once a century, but at no set date, the fabled goose is supposed to lay a solid golden egg. Some tourists camp out for weeks in tents hoping to see it happen and be first to run for it.
Christian IV, King of Denmark, created seven new chairs of higher learning, "Advanced Fireworks," "Pastries & Cream Tortes," "Cross Country Skiing,", et cet., at the University of Copenhagen, which he designed himself in the palace workshop with his royal skill saw (a present from the Queen for his birthday).
Of the Scandinavians, the Continental Danes are easily the most laid back in lifestyle. Cigars and SURFIN' USA sweatshirts MADE IN CHINA are "de rigeur" in much of Copenhagen's sophisticated cafe society.


text:
THE ACTIVISTS AND COMMUNITIES TELLING A NEW STORY ABOUT OUTDOOR ACCESS
Right to Roam is our new campaign, in collaboration with fellow B Corp Finisterre, aimed at enabling a more accessible and welcoming outdoors. This blog spotlights two communities telling a new story about who the outdoors is for.
In 2020, as the pandemic took hold, Marlon Patrice received the devastating news that his son had been killed in a knife attack.
Two years later, Marlon says nature has helped him process the trauma. "It gives you a chance for that thought process," he reflects. "What can I do next? How can I move forward? It just gives you that space to think."
Marlon's outdoor experiences have been so powerful that he felt compelled to help others in his Birmingham community heal by reconnecting with nature. Before he knew it, casual outings with friends turned into We Go Outside Too (WGOT), a thriving CIC helping hundreds of people of colour find joy and healing, individually and collectively.
"There are two sides to this healing," Marlon says. "Spending time in these green spaces is one side, but it's also about passing it on to the community. When you see people's eyes and their reactions when they go out and experience it for themselves, it's amazing. You can see that it's healing." This healing spreads, he says. "It leaves you feeling happier, and then you bring it back to the city and it trickles down. People are wondering why you're so happy! And then you share with them why, and you pass it on."
Seren Jones also knows this healing. "Running through the marshes with my earphones is just the best feeling," she says. "It's peaceful. It's quiet. It allows me to come back to my roots." Swimming gives her a similar calm. "When I leave the water, it's almost like a reset, because I feel at peace with all my uncertainties."
This is partly why Seren co-founded the Black Swimming Association (BSA), a charity working to ensure that people from African, Caribbean and Asian backgrounds have safe, quality experiences in and around water. The BSA works with partners across the aquatic sector to increase awareness of water safety and the health benefits of swimming.
95% of black adults and 80% of black children in England do not swim. Relatedly, the WHO reports that the risk of drowning is higher among minority ethnic communities. "The structures aren't in place to encourage people who look like us to feel like they belong in that space," Seren says. "So we started the BSA to change that."
WGOT and the BSA are both founded on twin beliefs. First, that time in nature improves our health and wellbeing. Second, that Marlon and Seren's communities face unacceptable barriers to access, which must be dismantled.
Physical access is one barrier. Minority ethnic communities are more likely to live in urban environments, far from National Parks and often with little green space nearby. "The inner city can become so heavy at times, so it's about having that place to switch off," says Marlon. Although small green spaces are important - Marlon describes a local green patch "plonked in the middle of a dual carriageway" as his "little solace" - open countryside and wild terrain offer the most powerful medicine.
Discrimination also deters people. "We  also get stared at while out on the walks," says Marlon, even though "once a conversation starts we find that we share the same things in common … the same  joys and health benefits that the outdoors brings." But working through that feeling of standing out, of not being welcome, takes energy.
Feeling geographically distant or socially unwelcome creates further barriers. Many inner-city folk, Marlon says, aren't sure what kit they need when outdoors. More worryingly, many people of colour feel they simply don't belong in outdoor spaces - even local ones. The BSA meets at a swimming pool in Hackney, a London borough with a 40% BAME population. Yet, Seren says, before their first visit, "a few of [the swimmers] admitted that they didn't think that space was for them."
People feeling unwelcome in outdoor space is unacceptable, let alone spaces in their own communities. Seren is passionate about changing this. "Not only are we encouraging people to get in the water, pick up a hobby, get healthier and reap the many benefits that swimming has to offer … I feel like we're opening up this world to people who never thought it was an option for them."
Outsiders opening up the outdoors to everybody deserve our support. This is why we launched Right to Roam, and why we're proud to be a founding member of a soon-to-be-announced platform supporting amazing outdoor activists working to make nature accessible to all. Stay tuned! And, in the meantime, get involved with Right to Roam and follow the incredible work WGOT and the BSA are doing.
T. 1 855 719 2092 (Toll Free within the US)


Firefighters are on scene at a fire on the fourth floor of a building on Nicholson Street in East Melbourne.
Inital crews were called at 7:11pm and arrived on scene in just three minutes after being alerted via an automatic alarm, and following Triple Zero calls citing smoke.
All occupants have safely evacuated the building and there are no reports of injury.
On arrival crews were confronted with a slow burning fire that was produding a lot of smoke and hampering firefighting efforts.
More than 30 firefighters on scene conducted an internal attack of the blaze. Their efforts ensured the blaze was brought under control at 10:17pm.
At the peak of the blaze there were seven fire appliances including three aerial firefighting appliances attending.
There is no impact on State Control Centre Operations, and a redundancy site is currently in operation.
Community members are asked to avoid the area if possible and ensure roads remain clear for emergency services.
At this stage the cause of the blaze has not been determined. MFB's specialist fire investigators will arrive on scene when it is safe to conduct further analysis.
Ambulance Victoria paramedics and Victoria Police are supporting MFB at the scene.
MFB's specialist fire investigation teams have determined that the blaze began in an electrical switchboard cupboard at the site.
Smoke damage and water damage from the automatic sprinkler system and fire fighting efforts has occurred on the fourth floor, with additional water damage on lower floors.


text:
McGinn would not fund viaduct tunnel
by Goldy — Wednesday, 4/22/09 , 3:55 pm
When I wrote this morning about a House amendment that sticks Seattle taxpayers with potential cost overruns from the risky Big Bore tunnel, I suggested that "now is the time for Mayor Nickels and other local political leaders to send a clear message to Olympia" that if they change the deal, the deal is off.
Well, I didn't hear what I wanted from Mayor Nickels, but we did get a quick response from challenger Mike McGinn, who in a press release today promised exactly that:
Michael McGinn today announced his opposition to the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement plan emerging in the Legislature.
"This deal keeps getting worse", said McGinn. "As Mayor, I will not authorize the use of city tax dollars for the tunnel or associated cost overruns."
In highlighting the riskiness of this project, McGinn points out that a bored tunnel of this size, 54 feet in diameter, has never been built anywhere in the world. And that's a financial risk that Seattle's taxpayers, who voted overwhelmingly against a tunnel, should not be expected to bear on their own.
Wednesday, 4/22/09 at 4:21 pm
Goldy spewed:
that sticks Seattle taxpayers with potential cost overruns from the risky Big Bore tunnel,
That wouldn't be fair.
What would be fair is to get federal tax dollars so some 90 year old retiree living in florida can sleep peacefully knowing that thanks to the federal government, she was forced to pay income tax on her social security checks so people in seattle wouldn't actually have to pay for their own roads/streets.
After all, old folks on social security have been paying taxes on the big dig for decades.
The democrats pulled it off once with the big dig, can they do it again.
Friends of Seattle spews:
Here's his YouTube statement on the tunnel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....annel_page
Middle_of_the_Road spews:
Soft-ground tunneling is risky. I'll leave it at that.
tpn spews:
Let's review those election results (roughly):
45% wanted a rebuild.
25% wanted a tunnel.
20% voted "no" on both options.
Re: the third item; this has the least amount of support, but is being peddled as a popular position, on the basis that the 55% that didn't vote on a tunnel was split almost evenly on two different options. This has been the basis for "Surface" advocates to claim that the majority actually support their position. Not only is it wrong, it is intellectually dishonest, not to mention bad math. "No/No" has been creatively interpreted when in fact it does not represent an affirmative position on anything.
Almost equally, the Nickels camp is also supporting a position that is also a minority. But, at least it is a position that is precise: a tunnel. And at least it is a more honest assessment then the aforementioned.
But in all reality, the largest support went to a new viaduct. That's the inescapable fact.
That election was designed to be a failure, to ensure that the people didn't assert the "wrong" choice, and to keep the matter from being finally settled, while interest groups on all sides vie for their vision of the project.
paulish spews:
The Mayor's lack of leadership on this issue is stunning. The tunnel was a bad deal to begin with and it keeps getting worse. For Seattle to assume responsibility for all cost overruns sets a bad legal prescient and is terrible public policy.
Seattlites shouldn't be expected to buy the Mayor a legacy by funding cost overruns on this illconceived project. We'll be paying this off for years.
I'm voting for McGinn
uptown spews:
Thank god for the internet.
15.43 meter is 50.6 feet, just under your "never been done" 54 feet, and they did two tunnels in soft soils – under a river.
n May and September 2008, the world's largest tunnel boring machines – two 15.43 meter diameter Herrenknecht Mixshields – successfully completed tunnelling under the Yangtze River in Shanghai. After 20 months, the construction of the two 7.5 kilometer long prelined combined road and metro tunnels was finished. A year earlier than scheduled, the giant machines reached their target on the river island of Changxing.
And did you know…
Mt Baker Ridge – world's largest diameter soil tunnel
This 25.2 m outside diameter, 19.4 m inside diameter, 406 m-long tunnel was constructed in 1986 to carry five lanes of traffic and a bicycle/pedestrian lane through an 80 m high ridge along the east side of Seattle, WA, USA. The tunnel was constructed by Guy F. Atkinson Construction Company, using an innovative stacked drift method developed by HNTB and Shannon & Wilson, Inc.
The 24 horseshoe-shaped drifts forming the final structural lining of the tunnel were designed as a semi-flexible, unreinforced compression ring with a minimum thickness of 1.5 m. The 3 m-diameter drifts were excavated with a horseshoe-shaped digger shield through hard glacial clay. Total settlement after removal of the soil core was generally less than 5 cm. Three decks were constructed within the structural lining for carrying traffic.
Under a river bed and under a residential neighbor hood is different than under a downtown. There is news to come.
mark spews:
We should get two tunnels for having to put up with narrowing I-5 to two lanes all these years (downtown Seattle). Developed by democrats of course. That has to be the most retarded section of highway in the world. Tunnel, tunnel, tunnel.
proud leftist spews:
Seattle is one of the most geographically blessed large cities in the world, yet our waterfront stinks. Bremerton's mayor gets it, but Seattle's mayor doesn't. The tunnel is a nobrainer. Every damned dime we pour into that tunnel will be repaid many times over. Frankly, right now, cost be damned. Start it and the money will come. It will get finished, and there has been enough process to last a lifetime about this issue. I really don't get opposition from Seattleites, other than the few who go to teabagger parties, to the tunnel. Does Seattle want to be a world class city or not?
Thor spews:
Wednesday, 4/22/09 at 10:13 pm
This statement and followup video has the look and feel of a political hack stunt that comes too little and too late.
It is meaningless. Won't serve any purpose but maybe get a little attention for a candidate who isn't getting much traction. It looks like he's on the side of more impass and no action.
Do we really need more debate about this topic. Sure, the amendment might look a little lousy. But the fact is that there's next to no risk for any taxpayer in Seattle.
Richard Pope spews:
Mark @ 8
How do you know that I-5 through downtown Seattle was designed by DEMOCRATS? I am not sure when it was built, but most of the time back then (prior to me moving to this state in 1987), there was either a Republican state governor or Republican president, or both. Maybe Seattle had Democratic mayors, but the state and federal governments (or at least one of them), who are responsible for interstate construction, were in Republican hands.
Frankly, while the I-5 design through downtown Seattle was shortsighted as hell, I don't see how it is fair to blame EITHER of the political parties for the its rather assinine design.
Thursday, 4/23/09 at 12:11 am
Mike McGinn certainly has a very sensible position on the viaduct replacement. This should serve McGinn very well with the environmentalist base support that he enjoys. It should also appeal reasonably well with the old-fashioned conservatives in Seattle, and promote McGinn as a fiscally sensible alternative to Greg Nickels. Republicans may only be 20% or less of the vote in Seattle, but they still vote. And McGinn would do well to take a few principled positions that will attract support from these folks. Maybe Stefan will end up recommending a vote for McGinn, at least in the November run-off election?
World-class Cynic spews:
Thursday, 4/23/09 at 1:41 am
@7:
Whoops! Looks like you got smacked upside the head by facts! Time to trot out some other bullshit factor!
Why is it important for Seattle to be a world-class city? If you're that insecure about where you live, either go into therapy or move to someplace you consider world-class. Both would be excellent low-cost alternatives to a tunnel.
That having been said, I'm actually in favor of the house bill. If the world-class crowd wants to get rid of the viaduct, let 'em pay the difference.
Of course, that would threaten their world-class cred if they can't stick other people with the bill while they walk away with the profits. Life so truly does suck for them, no?
ArtFart spews:
11 I-5 through Seattle was designed in the 1950's. One of the principal engineers had a son who I knew from grammar school through high school. They lived on Magnolia, at a time when there weren't many Democrats there.
There was a rumor that this particular fellow got in pretty hot water when it was built and everyone saw what a disaster the Mercer Street interchange was with its center-lane entrance and exit ramps.
Any community that self-consciously "wants" to be a "world-class city" probably isn't ready to be one.
ROTCODDAM spews:
How about a citizen's initiative requiring Seattle voter approval for any city expenditures on cost overruns for state highway projects.
Keep it simple. And word it more or less just like that. It's populist, so the Times could never object to it.
Puddybud, Have You Said Thank You Today... spews:
MS ROTCODDAM, why not suggest a Seattle income tax to cover those cost overruns? That's populist too!!!!
ewp spews:
Mike McGinn can ride his bike all over the city and whine about whatever pops into his mind, but at the end of the day, like it or not he'll get steamrolled by Nickels. Two simple facts that will keep Mike McGinn from getting elected. He's demonstrated no capacity to raise money, so come election day most voters won't know who the hell he is. And lastly, no one gets elected being negative about everything. People want to feel good about the future, and Mike McGinn makes them feel bad.
Richard Pope, you can visit the WADOT web site and see pictures of I-5 being developed in the 1960s.
We must remember June 5 as the date people marched to place a park lid over I-5.
On January 31, 1967, the Everett to Tacoma section of Interstate 5 was completed. It was the last piece of the I-5 lane structure.
Richard, Gordon S. Clinton and James d'Orma Braman were mayors during this time! What party did they belong to? Puddy doesn't know but you can look them up!!!!
Smile.
@6: The tunnels have not yet been opened to traffic in Shanghai, there are apparently some leaks and they cost 250 million just to dig….
and the Mt. Baker tunnel is way above ground, in different soil and not in a tideflat where the proposed tunnel would be built.
so what is your point?
I think the point still stands that this could be a engineering and fiscal fiasco using unproven technology and that Seattle would have to foot the bill – even though Seattle voters voted against the tunnel.
@13.
World-class Cynic,
There is news coming down the pike about soft-ground tunneling. Stay tuned.
Uh huh.
K-Y Flavored spews:
Seattle tax payers are going to get a "World Class A$$ Pounding" Before – During – and After we get a tunnel. Thanks Mayor McFattass ! You will never get my vote. Ever.
Chopp was very smart putting in the Cost over-run to Seattle taxpayers proviso.
If Seattle wants more than just a road, they ought to pay for it…especially a risky tunnel venture like this.
Can't wait to see this debacle unfold.
Does Seattle want to be a world class city or not?
A world-class city…meaning massive tax increases and a flailing economy run by a bunch of incompetent LEFTIST PINHEADED KLOWNS?
pl…you need to fire all the assholes running the insane asylum first.
Then get some hardcore fiscal conservatives (true conservatives) to right the ship.
PINHEADED Neo-Progressives will lead Seattle into the pit of Hell.
unproven technology
especially a risky tunnel venture like this.
Are you saying that no one has ever tunneled before? Is this the best you can come up with?
I give you links…you give me a pain.
Thursday, 4/23/09 at 2:48 pm
"On January 31, 1967, the Everett to Tacoma section of Interstate 5 was completed."
Ahhh, yes. The final elimination of the much-detested "Everett bottleneck". That just about cut the drive time to Anacortes and the ferry to the San Juans in half, and paved the way (literally!) for such 21st-century delights as the Tulalip casino/resort/outlet mall and people commuting to work in Seattle from their little pieces of heaven on Camano Island.
Winkydink, hey, it's April spews:
It is amazing that the views of a crackpot rightwing organization are given more credence in WA than the actual voters.
I'll never go in that tunnel. I don't trust the judgement of the people who endorsed it. If they find a petrified Jesus cradling a baby dinosaur, they'll have to stop boring until the Indians can have a gander at the remains.
That's the law!!
re 25: "Then get some hardcore fiscal conservatives (true conservatives) to right the ship."
You guys had 30 years to elect some, "…fiscal conservatives (true conservatives)…." But it never happened.
The only thing I can conclude is that there are none, or you guys are too stupid to recognize them.
Bob In SeaTac spews:
What a decision stupid!
Replace 3 lanes each way with 2 lanes each way.
That'll really help the traffic flow!!!
jon spews:
The project, as proposed, could create a real mess down the road. Voters would have to agree to a property tax increase that exceeded 1 percent annually. If the shortfall required such a vote, but voters refused to go along, where does that leave things.
And if this is a real risk, viz., that Seattle citizens would have to agree to fund shortfalls beyond a certain amount, how solid is this proposal, legally and fiscally?
I wonder how well this has actually been thought through.
Jon, remember Nickels Parks and Recreation recommended banning beach fires in 2004?
Nickels implemented a 20 cent green tax on paper and plastic shopping bags as well as a ban on foam containers January 1, 2009.
Nickels is loading Seattle with so much bureaucracy with his "green initiatives".
Nickels has swallowed the ICLEI vision.
Remember Nickels plan to have builders fund city parks?
How about Nickels property tax levy proposal (roughly $200 on a $450,000 home)?
How about his 10% commercial parking tax throughout the city?
Jon, did you know Forbes Magazine ranked Seattle the "Most Overpriced City" in 2004 and 2005.
Jon, Forbes called Seattle "America's Most Increasingly Unaffordable City" for 2008. Forbes mentioned the Seattle inflation rate at 5.8%, the highest in the U.S.
Yep, he's a "winner".
But many HA weasel leaders love their mayor.
And this was BEFORE we voted to increase our property taxes (ka-ching!) and our sales tax zoomed from 9% to 9.5% for RTA. (ka-ching!, ka-ching!) Now, depending on the size of any overrun and legal hurdles, the city's good but increasingly destitute citizens could be looking at a big tax hike down the road for a tunnel (a) most will never benefit from, (b) they said they never wanted, (c) in a vote they paid for. It doesn't get any better than this!
That's gonna' be one sweet tunnel! (ka-ching!, ka-ching! ka-ching!)
white Republicans on Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!


Germany's public authorities need to embrace the digital age definitively. In a European comparison, Germany only ranks 14th on the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) compiled by the European Commission. The Digital Public Services dimension is partly to blame for this. Although many German public authorities put this topic high on their agenda, change processes are slow. Rapid success requires that not only the technical tools must be ready for digital transformation, but also the structural infrastructure. Drees & Sommer advises cities and local authorities on these issues and shows how they can position themselves and their real estate for a viable future.
Citizens want to communicate easily, quickly and securely. This also has an impact on public authorities: organizational structures, processes and buildings must be adapted to the digital working environment. The changes in society's expectations in relation to administration demonstrate that the future of work is not only an important issue for companies. Public administration will also have to change in the coming years. In order to meet the increasing demands of the future and offer modern services, the employees themselves must have adequate working conditions.
Enhanced quality of services, data exchange or ways of dealing with public authorities online: the path to innovative administration is promoted by the German federal government's implementation strategy for shaping the digital transformation. The aim is to initiate specific measures to ensure that public administration provides greater support to citizens and businesses. Communication and applying for services are to be simplified, for example through electronic accessibility. This requires modern, safe, resource-efficient and energy-efficient buildings with the appropriate facilities. The crucial factor is that an overall strategy is in place, which includes not only the IT infrastructure but also the structural infrastructure.
The public authorities of Berlin's Steglitz-Zehlendorf district, for example, have positioned themselves in good time for the future.
The district office commissioned Drees & Sommer to carry out a feasibility study with the aim of developing the most future-proofed solution for the offices of its staff. 'We intend to expand significantly the service we provide to citizens and position ourselves for the future. Our buildings must also support this objective, ideally also in 30 years' time,' said district mayor Cerstin Richter-Kotowski. To achieve this, the experts examined variants such as renovation, conversion, new construction or combinations of these approaches. The specifications were to safeguard the present energy efficiency standard, optimize workplaces and make more efficient use of space.
The analysis included both the current occupancy and the workplace requirements calculated for 2022. The experts also assessed the current structural and energy-efficiency condition of the buildings. 'In our analysis, we examined three variants and evaluated criteria such as investment, relocation and rental costs, as well as energy costs for a period of 30 years. District office staff members also took part in workshops and interviews on the space allocation and function plans,' explained Oliver Beck, Associate Partner at Drees & Sommer. What does Zehlendorf town hall need in 2022 to meet the challenges of the future? What role do the topics of digital transformation, e-filing and citizen dialog play, and how does this affect the space allocation and function plans for future space requirements? Asking these and similar questions revealed employees' identification with the new town hall and their attitude to it, as well as initial visions of the new office structure, the future design and ways of working. Taking all factors into consideration, new construction turned out to be the most future-proofed option. This solution meets all the specifications, such as flexible and modern office environments, maximum number of workstations, making more efficient use of space, retaining the number of parking spaces, additional usage options, functionality and the lowest overall costs.


University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHPNT) is fast becoming a leading centre for medical research, enabling patients to have access to the latest technologies, treatments and care by world opinion leaders in their respective fields. The Trust has a research portfolio on average in excess of 550 studies attracting world renowned consultants and inspiring specialist registrars through training, education and participation to be the researchers of the future.
Research is a vital component of healthcare development, offering patients the opportunity to access tomorrow's treatments today. Thousands of people each year agree to take part in research studies, contributing to the development of potential new treatments and diagnostic aids before they are adopted across the National Health Service. The number of new studies delivered in the NHS continues to increase, and the number of patients engaged in research activity has hit an all-time high. We are proud to be one of the top 50 performing Acute Trusts committed to delivering clinical research to time and target.
To find out more about research opportunities at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust either as a researcher or participant, ask your health care professional or contact the RD&I team today.


The Hatz B series scores high marks in mobile and stationary operation with compact installation dimensions and in all applications with a power requirement up to 8 kW due to its low weight. Also in regard to robustness and lifetime, the series sets standards in the market. Whether on vibration plates or in the inhospitable environment of the Antarctic, the B-series has been tried and tested a hundred thousand times in harsh surroundings.


text:
require 'sinatra/base'
require 'rack/flash'
require 'haml'

module Sin
  class App < Sinatra::Base
    set :views, 'views'
    set :root, File.dirname(__FILE__)

    require_relative 'routes/base'

    use Routes::Base
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Why is `@messages` not used? The following is from The Rspec Book. I am wondering why messages << message in def puts is not @messages << message. I understand that ||= [] is memoization, and also I understand that @messages is an instance variable. So then, should it be used in the same class? Or is it a typo?
class Output
  def messages
    @messages ||= []
  end

  def puts(message)
    messages << message
  end
end

def output
  @output ||= Output.new
end

Given /^I am not yet playing$/ do
end

When /^I start a new game$/ do
  game = Codebreaker::Game.new(output)
  game.start
end

Then /^I should see "([^"]*)"$/ do |message|
  output.messages.should include(message)
end

A: Because
def puts(message)
  messages << message
end

then calls
def messages
  @messages ||= []
end

the ||= [] assigns an empty array to @messages if it doesn't already exist.  That's why puts(message) doesn't use @messages directly.
Edit:
If you do @messages << message directly, @messages might not yet exist at that point.  That's why you go through messages instead.

A: I think your confusion is between @messages variable and messages method
class Output
  def messages
    @messages ||= []
  end

  def puts(message)
    messages << message #=> here `messages` refer to the method above
  end
end

Here is a simple example
class Output
  def m
    @messages ||= []
  end

  def puts(message)
    m << message #=> method `m`
  end
end

v = Output.new
v.puts "blah"
v.m #=> ["blah"]

Example 2 (for even more clarity)
class Output
  def m
    @messages ||= []
  end

  def puts(message)
    m << message #=> here `m` refer to the method above
  end

  def show_at_messages_variable
    @messages
  end
end

v = Output.new
v.puts "blah"
v.show_at_messages_variable #=> ["blah"]

A: The author opted for lazy object creation,
messages are not created in the constructor but in the getter method instead.
As long as you do not access @messages directly you can not get a nil exception.
class Output
  def messages
    @messages ||= []
  end

  def puts(message)
    # If i was to use the variable @messages at this point,
    # i would get a nil exception, the array was never allocated.
    # Using the getter ensures that the array is allocated.
    messages << message
  end
end

If you have a distinct need not to be lazy creating your objects, you could write the same class in the following manner.
class Output
  attr_reader :messages

  def initialize(message)
    @messages = []
  end

  def puts(message)
    # messages was created when this object was initialized,
    # thus it is perfectly safe to use here.
    @messages << message
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Modern Mode collection by local designer Shab M was inspired by vibrant and fresh black and white design with the option to add a little gold foil. its both bold and elegant at the same time suited for any wedding atmosphere with leaves or just a plain black and white style. we recommend premium cotton or linen stock for a more luxe look and would look fantastic for those planning a black & white ceremony. These simple elegant wedding invitations from the Modern Mode set looks great when printed using Digital Printing technique and when it comes to stocks, we think it looks best on Paperlust Cotton.


Baseball's invisible men have been on my mind lately. In a small way I've identified with the figure of the umpire as I've written this column. I've been hiding in plain sight—my byline on previous columns a sort of mask, telling you I'm here, that you can see (or hear) me, but you can't see too much. My mask has kept me (or so I thought) from attracting attention to the specifics of the storyteller, to the identity of the mom in the stands—even as I spent a year telling highly specific stories from a highly specific place on the map of competitive kid baseball. But the umpire analogy only goes so far. The mask is also an illusion, and it certainly doesn't confer much authority or impartiality or, in the end, much anonymity. My actual name may have been missing, but so much of my life, the lives of the three people I live with have made it into these observations that I'm not very invisible, not much of an umpire, truth be told.
Ball games are stories, but so too are whole seasons of baseball, if you want to see them that way. This year had its stock characters (a nine year old protagonist, various antagonists, a chorus of chanting ballplayers, an anxious, out-of-breath messenger mom, a patient husband who pulls the curtains shut when the messenger goes on too long). It also had conflict. And, as with most stories, the experiences left us changed. With this team I called the Spark Plugs, we marched up the left side of Gustav Freytag's plot pyramid ("rising action"), hit a crisis or two ("moment of choice"), toppled back down the other side ("falling action"), and finished out the year. Near the bottom of the ride we found that, yes, our story had a denouement. Actually it had several.
Henry got the happy ending. His denouement came with the invitation to join a new team, the resolution to weeks of uncertainty about whether he'd continue to play baseball at all. My denouement looked very different. My ending was like a lot of endings in baseball, you know, the one where the coach takes issue with an umpire's call. A few weeks ago, after a year of hiding in plain sight, I somehow got noticed. And, no surprise, the coach didn't like my calls.
For about a week after he left a voicemail message on my phone telling me so, I carried around this nagging guilt. I tried to imagine the bewildering strangeness of reading another person's version of me, of things I said or wore or lived through. Someone else's truth. I redacted details he objected to and pulled down one of the columns completely. I appealed to the (admittedly biased) umpires in my own life ("Was that an attack?" "Was that unfair?"). When you need absolution, call your mom. When you need someone to tell you to be bold, call your dad. When you need someone who'll always have your back, marry the cute guy who sat behind you in philosophy class. My denouement wasn't exactly catastrophe or tragedy; it might even have been comedy—if it had happened to someone else.
From the beginning, my feelings about the coach—like my feelings about travel baseball generally—were a mess of contradictions. As a character, coach was fantastic. I never needed to embellish or exaggerate his coaching style. There were times when the writer in me thought, Wow, what good luck my kid ended up on this particular team. I could just sit back and report (okay, with a little snobbishness, I suppose) on the whole mock-serious business of travel baseball.
But of course I wasn't merely a disinterested reporter. As a mom, I saw good things and bad. I approved and disapproved, felt a mix of loyalty and anxiety. Wow, my kid ended up on this particular team. The whole culture of travel baseball in the South sent me scurrying to the library to check out books on kids and sports and psychology. When Henry would get upset about something that happened in a game or afterward, I'd turn to the experts to talk me down. I started a few of those parental "teaching conversations" with prompts that could have come straight from the pages of the most banal Parents magazine ever.
While I was still fretting or sweating, Henry was already changing into his baseball pants or stirring powdered Powerade into a cooler of water or moving his arms through the motion of pitching. He didn't inherit my tendency to brood or over-think, and I'm not the least bit responsible for his fastball. Someday, he, too, will probably be quite surprised to discover these versions of familiar stories—his stories—and it's likely that he'll remember them differently.
In his book on umpires Bruce Weber writes that they are "the only ones in the park for whom the narrative powers of a ball game are supposed to be irrelevant." Supposed to be. Even umpires (the real ones, that is) occasionally bend to a story's power. As one Major League umpire sheepishly put it in a conversation with Weber, "umpires are people too…we have emotions…[w]e're human." When I think back on the umpires who called the games this last year, most were invisible men (and one woman) who showed up, did the job, and let all the rest of us follow the ball or the runner or the unfolding play, forever looking past the guy in blue positioning himself to make the call, to end each brief chapter.
During the season's last tournament, though, a young umpire, maybe eighteen years old, attracted the attention of the Spark Plug parents. We were somewhere in Cherokee County. It was 95 degrees. He was behind the plate in full gear. His strike zone was straight out of umpire training school. And not a kid there could find it. In one inning, the Spark Plugs put in four different pitchers, including my own #44. Each one walked at least two batters before shuffling back to the dugout discouraged. When the inning began, and the first pitcher walked the first batter, a dad in the stands said to his wife, with more than a trace of annoyance, "he's got to expand the strike zone." When the second pitcher walked a batter, the dad got louder, addressing anyone who'd listen, "these kids are nine, he's gotta give them some of these pitches." We all nodded. The batters, who knew an umpire's gift when they saw one, rarely made a motion to swing. By the time the fourth pitcher of the inning failed to throw even a single strike, the dad was up out of his seat yelling right at the umpire. "You're gonna ruin these kids' arms! It's ridiculous!" The umpire walked to the fence and said, truthfully I suppose, that his zone was consistent. I figured he was going to kick this dad out, but he seemed unready for that particular subplot. So, he put on his mask, got behind the plate, and went back to work. The pool games on this hot June Saturday didn't end until after midnight. The next day, a mom told me that by ten at night, the umpire's strike zone was noticeably bigger. By then, he probably figured that he could move the story along a bit.
A couple of years ago, between tournament games, I asked a seasoned home plate umpire whether eight and nine year olds could even throw strikes consistently. How do umpires call pitches at younger ages and still get something that resembles a ballgame? He said umpires have what they call "the river," several fluid inches of space on either side of the plate that they'll give to a young pitcher. Games wouldn't be playable or watchable if the strike zone didn't occasionally ripple outward.
Sometimes as I watch my kid pitch through a tough inning—his body expanding and collapsing with the tremendous effort of getting a three-inch ball forty-six feet away—I think about how all of baseball comes down to that invisible rectangle. Pitcher, batter, and umpire all look at it, but none of them sees the exact same rectangle. And I think about the river, how it changes, how it's both generous and self-serving at the same time. A lot like the truth. Or a story.