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Tag Archives: Wichita Wingnuts
Try to Remember a Time in September
September 11, 2018 By The Central Standard Times in Culture, Politics Tags: Colin Kaepernick, football, Lawrence-Dumont, national anthem, National Football League, New Orleans Baby Cakes, Nike, Noami Osaka, Serena Williams, tennis, US Open, Wheatshockers, Wichita Wingnuts	Leave a comment
September is perhaps the most sporting month of the year in America, and usually provides some refuge from all the political and cultural squabbles that dominate the rest of the papers, but not this year.
This year the big story at the United States Open tennis championship was the women's final singles match, which ended with a big brouhaha about sexism and racism. The professional football season started with the same acrimonious debate about free speech rights and proper respect for the national anthem that had already taken so much out of the past two seasons. Most of the baseball races in the big leagues have already been run, and around this double-A city our beloved Wichita Wingnuts have played their last-ever game in the gorgeous and history-laden Lawrence-Dumont Stadium that is scheduled for the bulldozer, which has the home folks arguing.
Not having followed tennis closely since way back when the undersized by scrappy Australian Rod Laver was winning his calendar Grand Slam sweep, we'll not venture any strong opinions about what happened in the finals match between American Serena Williams and Japan's Naomi Osaka. As even such casual fans as ourselves well know Williams has dominated her sport for the past couple of decades, but after the recent birth of a child and at the ripe old age of 36 her dominance is soon coming to and end, so fans were eager to see how she'd fare against an-up-coming who was three months old when Williams won her first Gland Slam title, but everyone hated out it turned out.
Youth proved better than experience in the first set, with Osaka racking up an easy win, but Williams has a long history of impassioned but calm comebacks in the second and third matches, and everyone was expecting another classic effort to tie Margaret Court's record of 25 Grand Slam singles titles. The umpire made a couple of calls that annoyed Williams, one of them claiming she had illegally been getting coaching from the sidelines, which Williams took quite personally, and she wound up screaming loud and long at the referee and breaking her racket on the court and eventually getting penalized by two games, which put the set and match out of reach against such formidable competition.
A hard-earned win by either the aging superstar or the youthful newcomer who was playing against her life-long idol in her first Grand Slam final should have made for one of those corny feel-good stories we always look for on the sports pages, but in this case it ended for the aforementioned brouhaha about racism and sexism.
Some observers opined that tennis umpires routinely endure far worse verbal abuse from male players, and should extend the same courtesy to female players, while others suggested that the fact it was a strong black woman doing the screaming and racket-smashing might have had something to do with it. We don't follow tennis closely enough to judge all the arguments about the calls or how commonly cheating violations are called or that particular umpire's history of enduring verbal abuse from male players, but by now we're all too familiar with the sexual and racial contretemps, so we'll venture an admittedly ambivalent opinion that it's much ado about nothing.
Ever since the days of America's superstar tennis brats Jimmy Conner and Pat McEnroe those poor umpire's in tall white chairs have indeed been putting up with a whole lot of verbal abuse from the male players, but we'd rather they stop doing that and start handing out game penalties rather than begin putting up with such nonsense from the fairer sex. Tennis is perhaps the most international and multiracial played on this increasingly interconnected globe, too, and in a match between a black woman and an Asian in front of an umpire with a Latin-sounding name, with Williams chasing a 25th Grand Slam title, it's hard to imagine racism was much of a factor.
We fondly remember the days when tennis was a game of white shorts and shirts and friendly post-match handshakes and the most genteel standards of sportsmanship and decorum, with such great African-American champions as Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe best exemplifying the best of it, and if tennis wants to return to that better era we wish the sport well.
As for all that fuss about football and the flag, we've pretty much lost interest in the sport and are fed up with both sides of its ensuing controversies. Let the players rack up the debilitating brain injuries along with the hits that will likely hobble them into a premature old age, as that's their choice and they make plenty of money for it, but we'll choose to watch baseball and then wait until basketball season comes along. If we get to go to any more games around we'll stand and hold our ever-present hat over our heart as the national anthem plays, with due respect to the freedoms the flag represents, and the men who fought and died for those freedoms, but we'll not worry how some football player we won't be watching exercises his freedom.
The Nike sneaker company has recently signed a promotional deal with one-time star quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started the whole kneeling-during-the-anthem fuss and is now out of the league, partly because defenses started figuring him out and largely because of his politics, and we note that their sales have since gone up, but that others are burning their Nikes and vowing to never buy another pair from the oh-so-liberal company that makes its products mostly in Asian sweatshops. There's no point in us boycotting Nike even if we were inclined to do so, as we're old and creatures of habit and plan stick with the classic Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star footwear that have adorned our feet since our junior high days on the pickup courts, and as far as we're concerned you can wear whatever you want.
The demise of the Wichita Wingnuts and the destruction of that grand old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium hits closer to home, of course, and serves as a sad reminder that politics will always prevail over sports. The mayor and some local capitalists are promising a far grander stadium somewhere along the same picturesque location on the west bank of the Arkansas River, with the same postcard view of downtown, and the preliminary sketches indicate there will be luxury boxes on a second deck, and they've already signed up a major league-affiliated triple-A team that wasn't drawing well down in New Orleans. What's left of the local media is making a big deal, and the talk is that if you build it they will come in far great numbers than the few thousand who showed up to watch independent and double-A Wingnuts in an aging old park for the very last time.
That "if you build it they will come" stuff is straight from a bad Kevin Costner movie, though, and we have our doubts about all the rest of it. No matter how fancy a park they build you won't be able to tell your kid that Satchel Paige once pitched there, or how 'Shocker and Toronto Blue Jays star Joe Carter once hit a homer clear across the street and into the Arkansas River, or share any of other history that the seventh-oldest professional ballpark in America has racked up over the years. Nor do we expect that whatever the losing "New Orleans Baby Cakes" are re-named will be as entertaining as the desperate outsiders' hustle of the winning Wingnuts, and there probably won't be a smoking section where we can watch with our cigar-chomping friends, and they're even talking about how it's going to screw up the scenic MacLean Boulevard drive along the river.
You can call all these developments social progress, we suppose, and there's no denying that all the players in all the sports these days are bigger and faster and more scientifically conditioned than the heroes of our long-ago youth. Still, the kiddos should know of a happier time long ago when September offered a few more weeks of respite from the most brutal game of politics.
–Bud Norman
March 29, 2018 By The Central Standard Times in Culture Tags: Aransas River, ballpark, baseball, Easter, immortality, New York Yankees, opening day, sacred holiday, secular holiday, unblemished record, Wichita Wingnuts	Leave a comment
There's plenty of serious and seriously depressing news out there, as always, but it's hard to shake a certain sense of hopefulness on baseball's Opening Day. It's one of our favorite secular holidays for a number of reasons.
Much like the upcoming sacred holiday, Opening Day heralds the imminent arrival of warmer weather, for one thing, and after another long Kansas winter that will be most welcome. The first games played in the northeast will be chilly, but by the all-star game break they'll be sweltering, and they'll still be playing when it cools down in October. There's something reassuring about such certainties.
Also much like the upcoming sacred holiday, baseball's Opening Day offers everyone the chance to start life anew with an unblemished record and a shot at immortality. When the day's last out goes into the record books half the teams will have a losing record, the other half will be briefly undefeated, but the next day brings another chance to win or lose, by the end of the season the worst teams will have won some and the best ones will have lost some, and there's also something reassuring about such certainties of life as that.
As with politics and the rest of real life, we all take sides in baseball, and on this opening day we like our guys' chances in baseball a lot better than we do our guys' chances in politics. It's a long story involving our Okie heritage and the late, great Mickey Mantle, but we're lifelong fans of The New York Yankees, who look to be pretty darned good this year. Last year their emerging core of youthful stars, including a Rookie of the Year who smacked 51 homers, came a game short of reaching the World Series, and during the cold winter they signed a free-agent slugger who knocked 56 out of the park.
On a presumably warmer night a few weeks from now the unaffiliated Double-A Wichita Wingnuts will have their home opener down at the aging but venerable local ballpark by the Arkansas River, and that's when baseball becomes serious. We've seen the Wingnuts play some great baseball from our seats in the smoking section with a couple of cigar-chomping friends, and last year they fell just a couple of runs short of a league championship, and we're expecting another great season from our guys.
It looks likely the city will then tear down that aging but venerable local ballpark, which is the seventh-oldest professional ballpark in the world and witness to performances by such legends as Satchel Paige and Ron Guidry and Barry Bonds, and replace it with some shiny new structure and an affiliated Triple-A team with a presumably less goofy name than Wingnuts. Our old-fashioned conservative souls hate it, of course, but in baseball and the rest of the secular worlds things don't always turn out to our liking. We'll be back on the news today, in between watching the scores, but we'll take time out to wish your team the best of luck and to wish you a very happy Easter.
The Days Grow Short When You Reach September
September 5, 2017 By The Central Standard Times in Politics Tags: autumn, baseball, congress, continuing spending resolution, debt ceiling, flooding, football, immigrants, labor day, North Korea, nuclear war, recess, recess appointments, summer, Trump, Wichita Wingnuts	Leave a comment
Labor Day went well around here, with the Wichita Wingnuts heading into the double-A American Association playoffs with a 4-1 regular season finale win over the Salina Stockade that featured several defensive gems, a hospitable old hippie friend of ours charbroiling copious amounts of bratwurst and burgers and other red Kansas meat while handing out Pabsts and blaring old Doors records on the sound system, and the weather was nice and hot. Still, there was no shaking that melancholy feeling the holiday always brings.
Although the autumnal equinox is still a couple of weeks away and the warm weather is likely to linger past that, today nonetheless marks the end of the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. School is back in session, Congress is ending its recess, and by longstanding social agreement everybody else also gets down to serious business. The rigorously timed violence of football has already started to supplant the more leisurely paced and gentlemanly sport of baseball, the white shoes and straw hats are replaced by more somber apparel, school buses are once again slowing traffic, and conferences are being convened all over to assess the various messes the summer has left us in, and what might become of it in the fall.
The reconvened Congress finds itself with plenty of work to do. Summer's end brought a thousand-year-flood that left America's fourth-most-populous city under several feet of water, so they'll have to find some way to pitch in on the calamitous cost of that, which wouldn't be easy in the best of circumstances. In these circumstances they also face hard and fast end-of-the-month deadlines to pass a continuing spending resolution to keep the government fully open and a debt-ceiling increase to pay for it, which is always hard enough even without a thousand-year natural disaster to help pay for, and that's not to mention the nutcase North Korean dictatorship that's been making increasingly plausible threats to start a nuclear war that would make that thousand-year-flood look like a minor inconvenience.
There's also the complicating factor of Trump, and everything he's been up to over the summer. The Republican-controlled Congress was never technically in recess, for fear that Trump would make some crazy recess appointment to inoculate himself from the ongoing congressional probes into "Russia," and nothing that has transpired during their unofficial vacation has likely been reassuring to them. Trump threatened to force a government shutdown unless all the spending resolutions and debt ceiling increases and whatnot included funding for his campaign promise of a border wall, which is a cause few other Republicans and absolutely no Democrats are willing to fight for, but that was before the thousand-year flood happened so there's some hope Trump once again won't make good on his threats. He's also ramping up the anti-immigration rhetoric on other fronts, and although there are plausible arguments for some of them this probably isn't the best month to be making them.
Throw in the nutcase North Korean dictatorship threatening a nuclear war and Trump's intemperate responses, the leaks about "Russia" that are reaching thousand-year-flood levels, and the more open animosity between the Republicans in Congress and the relatively newly-fledged Republican in the White House, along with the ongoing fact that the Democrats are as always a complete disaster, and it looks to be an anxious September. The political consequences of not offering needed help to the flooded fourth-most populous city of the country or allowing the government to shut down its assistance would be dire, though, and the federal default that would shortly follow a failure to pass another damned debt-ceiling increase would be comparable to a nuclear war, so we'll hold out hope that all the self-interested parties involved will reach some mutually beneficial agreement just ahead of the hard-and-fast deadlines.
In the meantime we have own bills our to pay, as we're sure you do, and we'll trust that most of the rest of us will somehow get down to such necessary business. There's still some baseball left to provide solace, and not long after that ends basketball season starts up, with the Wichita State University Wheatshockers looking like a championship contender, and there will always be another summer, perhaps one more lazy yet not quite so hazy or crazy as the past one, and hope springs eternal.
How to Spend a Late Summer's Afternoon
August 24, 2017 By The Central Standard Times in Politics Tags: "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", apolitical, baseball, births, conversations, film noir, weather, Wichita Wingnuts	Leave a comment
The weather around here on Wednesday was unusually perfect, and despite a recent losing streak the local Wichita Wingnuts baseball club has secured a spot in the double-A American Association's playoffs, a most delightful and unusually good-looking young married couple we're friends with have recently given birth to a healthy baby boy, and pretty much everyone we've run into lately has been eager to have a friendly talk about pretty much anything other than the latest politics.
It's been a nice diversion, we must admit, and has led to some interesting discussions about the Film Noir genre and the hidden subtexts of "The Man Who Liberty Valance" and the subtleties of the Book of Acts, and of course how unusually perfect the weather has been lately, along with other more local and personal topics. Still, there's no avoiding all the rest of the more noisome news of more national and international interest, and we're still doing our best too keep up with it.
None of it is at all conducive to the happy mood that has lately prevailed around here, though, regardless of what your political beliefs might be, so despite all we have to say about that we'll skip all that until at least tomorrow. In the meantime some delightful and good-looking couple is having a healthy baby near you, the sun is shining at a perfectly warm temperature somewhere, whatever local sports team you root for probably did its best even if it failed to make the playoffs, and you really should watch those great Film Noir movies and re-watch "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" for all the hidden subtext about how great nations are created.
We've still got lots to say about all the rest of it, none of which any of our Republican or Democratic or many somewhere-in-between friends will want to hear, but we'll take a day off from our usual screeds about all that. Thanks for dropping in, though, and we hope that you have good weather and good news and friendly conversations with all the people you run into. From our reading of the rest of the news, America could use a whole lot more of that.
A Decent Day for the Democrats and a Good Day for the Rest of Us to Deal With Other Pressing Problems
July 27, 2016 By The Central Standard Times in Politics Tags: " "twitter, America Ferrara, Bill Clinton, celebrity, Democratic National Convention, fellatio, Hillary Clinton, humanize, Lena Dunham, Michelle Obama, Roaring '90s, Trump, Wichita Wingnuts	1 Comment
Some annoying automotive and home repair chores and a much-needed dollar-night home game by our Wichita Wingnuts over at the local ballpark kept us preoccupied through most of Tuesday, so we were mostly spared the more irksome task of watching the Democratic National Convention. A quick mid-afternoon look around the internet turned up a Washington Post headline gloating that there was less booing of the soon-to-be nominee than on Monday, although that glum admission seems to have since disappeared from their internet site, and apres ballgame we checked once again to find that the Democrats had gone right on ahead and made Hillary Clinton their nominee, after a slew of mostly un-booed speeches by former president and presumptive First "Gentleman" Bill Clinton and some other tawdry celebrities, and judging by the general gist of the coverage that awful Clinton woman had a far better day than our more deserving selves.
Monday's un-ignorable outbreak of booing came mostly from the supporters of self-described socialist and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had waged a pesky but runner-up insurrection against the party establishment's long preferred candidate, but on Tuesday he took to the stage to confess abject defeat to the party's hated Wall Street establishment and utter terror of the Republican nominee and urge that all rules once again be suspended on behalf of Clinton to allow her a unanimous nomination vote. At last week's desultory Republican National Convention the pesky anti-establishment insurrectionist had congratulated the newly established winner on his victory but declined to offer an explicit endorsement and instead urged party members to "vote your conscience," which gives us hope that there's still some shred of integrity clinging to the Republican Party's soul but will surely be spun by most of the media that the Democrats are by now the more united of the two parties. The usual diverse selection of reviews we perused about the rest of it were mixed, to say the least, but all in all Clinton and the Democrats seem to have at long last held their own through a news cycle.
Even the most Never Trump yet Never Clinton and by now reluctantly None of the Above press organs such are ourselves that are left of what used to be called "conservatism" had to scoff at the sight of an old and gaunt and frail Bill Clinton trying to "humanize" his harridan of a wife with nostalgic recollections of their storybook romance and lasting marriage, as if anyone who around at the time won't recall what a farce the younger and chubbier and more randy President of that long-ago and longed-for era of the Roaring '90s made of it, and even the more polite "mainstream" outlets wound up acknowledging the need to "humanize" a woman who's been in the public eye for what seems the past couple of centuries or so. Our lefty friends on Facebook seemed to love it, though, especially those endearingly innocent younger ones whose first inklings of fellatio and cigar tricks and other late night comic fare slightly predated the Roaring '90s, and even the more seasoned members of the sisterhood who used to talk about inordinate power relationships and other outrages when Republicans did far less were still willing to give him an admittedly less enthusiastic thumbs up. An ideologically consistent feminist Sanders supporters would have decried the obvious hypocrisy of it all, but Sanders himself was calling for the suspension of the rules on her Clinton's behalf, and the elder sisterhood and the third or fourth or five wave of whatever it is of the most up-to-date feminism was on board, and by now the suicidally committed sort of None of the Above ideological integrity seems to reside only with what's left of what used to be called "conservatism."
In our admittedly half-assed perusal of the rest of it, we noticed in a report from former our one-time freelance employer "People Magazine" that one of the acts was the television actress and writer Lena Dunham, best known as that naked chubby chick from HBO's critically-acclaimed and little-watched "Girls" show, and a more comely young Latina with the unlikely name of America Ferrara, who is apparently famous for something or another, riffing on the Republican nominee's sexism and racism. The chubby white chick groused that Trump would consider her a "2," and the comely young Latina said that Trump would probably consider her a rapist because she's of Mexican descent, although she's actually apparently of Honduran descent, the joke being that Trump wouldn't note any difference between a Honduran and a Mexican. We so wish we could object to this quadrennial disparagement of the sexism and racism of the Republican nominee, but Trump actually does have an annoying habit of going on shock jock radio shows and rating women on scales of one to 10 and we can't help recalling someone we know who said he was going to vote for Trump in a primary because his only other options were a couple of Mexicans, and how when we pointed out that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio were actually of Cuban descent he snarled "What's the difference?" In a typical election year we'd gleefully ridicule the Democrats' alliance with such celebrity nitwits as Dunham and Ferrara and that awful Michelle Obama woman who was much more all the rage among our liberal Facebook friends a day earlier, and we'll gladly do so even this year, even if the Republican nominee himself didn't dare take on the current First Lady in his "twitter" tirades, but this year we are compelled to admit the Republican convention did feature Scott "Chachi" Baio.
From our suddenly objective perspective we'd say the Democrats on Tuesday regained any ground lost on Monday, and might yet pick up a crucial couple of fractions of a percentage point if the nominee can somehow come across seemingly human on Thursday's acceptance speech. The Democratic National Convention so far is the kind of thing you'll like if you like that kind of thing, as per the old drama critic joke, and the necessary corollary of that same of joke is that it's kind of thing you'll hate if you hate that kind of thing. So far we hate everything on every channel, even to the point we feel a certain angry gratitude for the irksome distractions of automotive and home repairs.
At least the Wichita Wignuts' four-run second inning was enough for a 4-2 victory over the Lincoln Saltdogs, extending their lead in the American Association's Southern Division, and they even struck out the designated "beer batter" in the sixth to win the crowd a promotional $3.50 price on a sizable and delicious Shiner Bock beer. At this point there's no telling who will prevail in this crazy presidential race, but no matter how it comes out, such small favors will sure come in handy.
The Ballpark and the Rest of the World
June 15, 2016 By The Central Standard Times in Culture, Politics Tags: apologetics, baseball, cigars, Clinton, cultural decline, Laredo Lemurs, presidential race, smoking section, Trump, Wichita Wingnuts	1 Comment
The Wichita Wingnuts looked promising in a 5-1 victory over the Kansas City T-Bones on Tuesday, continuing a recent hot streak and putting them a full game over .500 and into a statistical tie with the Laredo Lemurs in the double-A American Baseball Association's southern division, but even on such a pleasantly hot late spring evening of the national pastime on the Great Plains there was no avoiding all that other dreary news about the state of the world. We always watch the home stand games at the nearby historic old ballpark with a group of cigar-chomping friends in the smoking section along the first base line where the evening sun will burn the retinas right out of yours eyes during the early innings, so it's an eclectic bunch we root with, and the between-innings opinions about everything else going on in the world were predictably diverse.
Our cheapskate tickets are always provided by an old polymath and underemployed friend with a gray pony-tail who keeps coming up with the most ingenious rationalizations of the presumptive Republican nominee's most recent blathers, and he's always accompanied by a similarly seasoned and equally charming and erudite fellow who's on the faculty of the local university and can predictably concoct similarly construed apologetics for whatever the he presumptive Democratic nominee is lately spewing. We were joined by a couple of young and appealing women who were happy to join in on the cigar-chomping but reluctant to talk about that politics stuff, even if they were obviously unimpressed with the presumptive Democratic nominee's ceiling-breaking candidacy and clearly averse to something about that presumptive Republican nominee's proudly sexist public persona. The cigar-chomping good old boy barber and former minor league umpire who will almost surely wind up voting for Trump didn't show up, but we learned from our gray pony-tailed friend that his beloved homosexual son who lives in Orlando and frequents the nightclub where the mass murders occurred over the weekend was safe and sound because he'd decided not to show up on on the club's "Latino Night."
There was also some talk about music, with that fellow from the local university offering some sound opinions, which did not surprise us as he once gave us a well-chosen collection of favorite tracks by Porter Wagoner and his Wagoneers, and we found out that our young and appealing and cigar-chomping young female friends had never heard of Carmen Miranda and her fruit-laden hair-dos, although one of them looked her up on her cel phone and admitted she was stunned by such Latin and fruit-laden beauty, and the end of the world seemed all the more looming. In the end the home team won, though, and we went home with some faint hope.
An Almost Perfect Evening at the Ballpark
July 9, 2014 By The Central Standard Times in Culture Tags: Americana, Barry Bonds, baseball, canaries, city hall, George M. Cohan, Larence-Dumont, Norman Rockwell, Rafael Palmieiro, security, Sioux Falls Canaaries, steroids, swiss army knives, terrorism, Wichita, Wichita Wingnuts, wing nuts	Leave a comment
Tuesday provided us an almost perfect evening of Americana at the elegantly aging old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, just across the swelling Arkansas River from downtown Wichita.
The temperature was appropriately but not excessively high as the Sioux Falls Canaries took a worrisome lead at the top of the first, but as the Wichita Wingnuts kept within striking distance over the subsequent innings a picturesque prairie sunset descended upon the hallowed field and the clean Kansas air achieved an optimum warmth. We enjoyed hearing the familiar corny advertising promos that accompany almost every possible play of minor league baseball as we sat in the sun-blinding smoking section with a couple of stogie-loving pals, chatted amiably with a couple of late-arriving friends about some of the city's more notorious crime stories of the past few decades in between our game commentary, and amused ourselves by annoying the more stridently liberal of the two with our speculation that a black baserunner on the opposing team was a threat to steal second. At the top of the eighth we overhead a young mother consoling her adorably chubby and mitt-wearing daughter that one doesn't get to take home a foul ball every game, and in the bottom of the inning a sharply hit foul bonked off the head of our liberal friend's sister and landed softly in the hands of that very girl. Better yet, the hometown team took its first lead, and the only one it needed, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
The combined talents of Norman Rockwell and George M. Cohan could not have concocted a more satisfyingly old-fashioned American night, and with the free admission coupon we obtained from a local convenience store chain it was a bargain despite the over-priced beer, but it was made infuriatingly imperfect from the moment we had to pass through a wand-weilding security guard to gain admittance. Security at the elegantly aging old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium isn't so intrusive and insulting as what the jet set routinely endures, but it entails a pat on the pants pockets and is annoying enough to spoil the illusion that we're still living in the old America of the brave and free.
There's no telling why such measures are thought necessary by the ballpark's otherwise astute management. Even the most unambitious jihadist is unlikely to bomb an elegantly aging old ballpark where an unaffiliated double-A team called the Wingnuts is battling a team called the Canaries, and even the most culturally savvy of them would be unlikely to realize what a pregnantly symbolic target it would be. If those heavily-armed and rather ferocious-looking guards are concerned that a unmedicated nutcase is going to start abusing his concealed-carry permit they should spend some time in the stands, where the folks are both reassuringly normal by modern standards and yet somehow still well-equipped to take care of things in any contingency even by old-fashioned standards. The Wichita Wingnuts draw their rather modest crowds mostly from the inelegantly aging white working class near-westside neighborhood that abuts the ballpark, an area that was once one of the Wild West's wildest townships, and it's an intriguing mix of family values and biker tattoos that we sit among with complete confidence that they won't attempt mass murder nor put up with any such nonsense.
Perhaps the Wingnuts' management is following the lead of the far more fabled and lucrative Wichita State University Wheatshockers basketball squad, which subjects its more aged and well-heeled and less likely to defend themselves fans to the same inexplicable scrutiny, Anything governmental around here is even nosier, and more behavior-altering. Our country boy Pop once inculcated in us the habit of carrying a Swiss Army knife, but we long ago abandoned that useful trait because of the Osama Bin Laden-like treatment we got from those guards at the city and county halls and federal courtrooms we were required by our profession to cover. Sometimes we find ourselves in need of the scissors or corkscrews that those devices put at our disposal, and we long for a bygone era.
Wingnuts games always draw a lot of cute young all-American kids, usually accompanied by parents who look as if they would otherwise be in one of the nearby dives, and it does our heart good to see them playing catch in between innings by the beer stand as we head off to a post-game beer with our pal at a local dive. Satchel Paige and Ron Guidry and Arky Vaughn and the all-steroid outfield of Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, and Pete Incaviglia once played in that ballpark, and we like to think those urchins are feeling some connection to those happier days. We think it would be good if they could take their own kids to a ballgame some day, and to walk in unmolested by the irrational fears that pervaded their childhoods, sure in the good intentions of their fellow Americans.


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Home » A-Z of Sport & Physical Activity » Rugby League
Rugby league is a full contact game, played by two teams of 13 players.
An Overview of Rugby League
It is one of the two major codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union. Players on field are divided into forwards and backs. Each position has a designated number, 1 to 13. Numbers 14 to 17 are given to players starting on the bench, who will come into the game as substitutes for other players who are injured, in need of a rest, or less suited to the coach's strategy for that particular phase of the game.
Rugby league is played in more than 30 countries, though it is most commonly played in the United Kingdom (predominantly northern England) Australia and New Zealand.
Improves speed, agility, strength improved hand-eye coordination.
There is also a good social scene as a result of it being a team based sport.
Costs will vary across the country from club to club.
Find Rugby League Activities Near You
enquiries@rfl.uk.com
Rugbyfit Norfolk
RugbyFit classes aim to help 16-24 year olds achieve fitness goals via rugby-related circuit training.
The Programme is focused on funding for
facilities and equipment. We want to work with: Any organisation that is developing Rugby League activity in their community.
Rugby League Development Officer
The Rugby League Development Officer will be tasked with supporting the growth of various strands of Rugby League – from participation in schools, Women & Girls, Disability and social Rugby League.
Legal, Compliance and Safeguarding Officer
Red Hall, Leeds
Hours: 35 hours per week
Salary: £32,513 to £35,764 p.a.
An exciting opportunity has arisen at the RFL, the national governing body for Rugby League in the UK. We are seeking to appoint a Legal, Compliance and Safeguarding Officer based at our offices in Leeds.
Extraordinary Rugby
http://www.extraordinaryrugby.com/
Rugby League.com
http://www.rugby-league.com/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Unicorn Season 2 Not Coming to Netflix?
The Unicorn was released on Netflix USA in 2020 on 1 October. And was later on renewed for a second season. The Unicorn season 2 will not, regrettably, get to Netflix, and season 1 is actually about to depart.
First of all, let's give you a review of everything. A sleeper smash on CBS in 2019 is Unicorn. The comedy stars Walton Goggins in the lead who plays a widower who fights a hard fight while trying to bring up his two kids alone. It was favorably scored by critics and spectators, but like most of the new shows, its ratings began modestly.
The show was placed next to most of the CBS in May 2020, with a second season order. In November 2020 it was broadcast on CBS but unfortunately not done enough to sustain its third season and was discontinued earlier this year.
A second release date for CBS is still not fixed, with most of its products identical to those of Netflix, COVID-19.
All about The Series
Bill Martin and Mike Schiff and Grady Cooper for CBS have co-created The Unicorn. A widower father is the main lead around whom the plot and story in the series revolve. He's got two girls to look after and it's not easy.
But he manages to raise his kids no matter what different challenges hit him. Even if certain dates are arranged for his daughters and pals. But things don't seem to work, it seems. The next second season will take place after the first season.
Will season 2 of The Unicorn be on Netflix?
The answer to is question is simple, No. The reason is that in the context of a so-called marketing push by CBS, Netflix obtained the rights to Season 1. Evil was also treated for the same thing during the second season. Unfortunately, we just know that The Unicorn will exit Netflix on October 1st, 2021 with each episode set to expire.


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Storytelling in Mississippi is legend across our nation, from the pages of classic Faulkner to the contemporary writers whose works are chronicled by the Oxford American. I had traveled to Columbus, south of Memphis and east of the Delta, to meet with Carl Butler and his wife, Dixie. I was eager to see their collection and to take Carl up on the promise of an introduction to others who shared the Butlers' enthusiasm for the fine and decorative arts collected in the Mississippi South. The tour was sublime. Beyond their home, we went to the octagon-shaped Waverly Mansion, met there by its owner who opened every door. We also walked through the doors of other houses left unlocked or used hidden keys as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In Carl's world, I think it was.
At the close of that long September day, I was invited to join the small group assembled under the Butlers' side porch on the first floor, picnic tables set on patterned bricks and dinner served family style. I was not sure that the party marked a true occasion, but was warmly welcomed and made to feel that the convivial gathering was one of friends simply come together to enjoy a meal. What was enjoyed most—the near empty glasses of tea being the only remaining evidence of the meal—were the stories. This was Carl's world. The retiring high school history teacher knew his Mississippi and he shared it that evening. And I listened intently, in the full understanding that his people were my people, too. My family moved west—Hicklins and Hortons uprooted when the Carolina soil played out to raise the cotton they knew so well (or, as Bill Dunlap would claim, one step ahead of the law). I shared surnames with no one I met that night, but, my goodness, we had a lot in common.
The most memorable of the tales told was of a neighbor that everyone seemed to know of, though no one could say they knew; he was quiet to the point of being a recluse. Those assembled repeated the name when Carl called it and exchanged knowing glances, nodding in the direction of his home, certain that whatever story it was Carl would tell would be the best of the night and perhaps signal the end of the evening. All convened recounted sightings of that soul who seldom ventured out, always in long sleeves to protect against the sun and wearing a hat to serve as a screen to shift between himself and recognition. The various recollections seemed par for this particular course and did little to shed new light on the subject. It was generally agreed that everyone knew as much about this fellow as he might allow, though I knew him not at all.
As the fire of first-hand knowledge began to cool, Carl proffered something new; it would seem that those with stale stories had set up his presentation perfectly, as all opening acts should. That night, the true power of Mississippi narrative was burned into my memory, accompanied, as always, by a lesson to be learned. Carl's story centered on the cloistered neighbor having some need for a small amount of money—perhaps to pay a repairman, I just don't remember. With no funds in the cookie jar, this lonely soul determined to cash a check, despite the fact that it was after business hours and this neighborhood in Columbus was without much in the way of commercial enterprise anyway. With no automobile to wander far, the man made the walk to a nearby convenience store, blank check in hand. Like most everyone else in town, the cashier had never seen the man and would not honor the check, all fifteen dollars of it, though the printed address was just a few blocks distant.
Now, Paul was a loveable mutt of a dog, familiar to and cared for by all, even the man behind the cash register. As the neighbor unknown made his way back through the door and out to a tail-wagging Paul for the walk back home, the purveyor of milk, ice, and beer crossed the counter and bridged the door. He called after the man who wanted to cash the check with the simple question, "Is Paul your dog?" "Yes," came the reply and with that the merchant said, "I'll cash your check."
I was there that fabled evening by dint of the complex credibility earned through years on the road, my automobile packed with paintings to suit the itinerary. Carl had called a few folks who knew of me either by his reference or were maybe just curious, folks who wanted to know if the scenes of my South pulled from that trunk were also scenes of their South. It turned out that Carl was ill that evening and then was no longer with us on my next visit to Columbus, leaving Dixie and their wonderful collection in that period house, home to so many tales. In the hours spent together that day—our one and only meeting—Carl shared an important life lesson that I am wise to be in mind of regularly.
Credibility is a fragile thing. I don't believe the shopkeeper would have cashed my check.
Thomason, Eugene H. (1895-1972)
Pointer Dog ()
Signature Details: Lower left
Owner: The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina


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Italy's Di Maio says Arcelor, Atlantia are 'blackmailing government'
Francesca Landini
MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's industry minister has accused two big companies - transport group Atlantia and steelmaker ArcelorMittal - of trying to blackmail the government, escalating a war of words which big business says could scare investors.
FILE PHOTO: 5 Star leader and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio presents his EU election program in Rome, Italy, May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
Thousands of jobs could be at risk if the government followed through on threats to punish the two groups in the name of workers.
Atlantia, controlled by Italy's Benetton family, risks losing its domestic motorway concession, which accounts for a third of its core profit, after the deadly collapse of a motorway bridge it operated in Genoa.
ArcelorMittal has warned it could be forced to close the Ilva plant after Rome on Thursday scrapped the legal immunity granted by previous governments to ease a purchase of the ailing southern Italian plant - which has the largest production capacity in Europe - by the steel group.
Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio, leader of ruling 5-Star Movement, was sharply critical of both companies.
"If somebody wants to side with Atlantia or with Arcelor Mittal which are ... blackmailing the state and asking for legal immunity when (in the case of Arcelor) they are threatening to close the (steel) plant I stand with the workers and we will never side with multinationals that blackmail the state," he said in a video posted on his Facebook account.
On Thursday Di Maio said the government was set to revoke Atlantia's concession, adding the group was an undesirable partner for troubled flagship carrier Alitalia.
ArcelorMittal's European head, Geert Van Poelvoorde, reacted with disbelief to the government about face on the immunity, while Atlantia said on Thursday it reserved the right to take legal action to protect its reputation after Di Maio's remarks.
The government is desperate to save Alitalia and there has been intense speculation that Rome could try to mend its relations with Atlantia in exchange for the company's help in rescuing the loss-making airline.
Alitalia employs 11,6000 workers, with more than 8,000 people currently working at the Ilva plant in southern Italy.
Italian industry lobby Confindustria said the handling of both Atlantia and ArcelorMittal cases by the government could damage the credibility of the country.
Silvia Rovere, CEO of Morgan Stanley SGR, the group's asset management unit in Italy, told Reuters the country needed foreign investments and had to provide a safe environment.
"Investors arrive but then the rules change or there is uncertainty in their application ... we can't afford it," said Rovere, who is also the head of Italy's association of real estate companies.
"The country has low growth and very high debt, and we need both domestic and international investors to buy our (public) debt and invest in our projects."
Additional reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome; editing by David Evans


Found a nifty glitch or cheat in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare that you'd like to share with the world via YouTube? Well, you probably won't get away with it for long. Activision has recently been sending out copyright claims against YouTubers with videos that show off or explain any exploits found in AW.
Think this is an issue limited to a small number of users? Think again. It's such a large complaint right now that Machinima, one of the biggest gaming networks on YouTube, had to send out an email to all of its participants to warn them about the potential strikes against channels if they posted videos related to Advanced Warfare glitches.
It seems like Activision should be pushing their development team, Sledgehammer Games, to take note of the issues with the game that are being broadcast on YouTube and fix them rather than target users that simply discovered them. Sure, it's cheating if you're using the exploits, but they wouldn't be there had the game been properly programmed in the first place.
In our opinion the best way to punish people that are making use of these exploits is to PATCH THEM. This ensures that no one will be able to make use of these cheats. Why waste your manpower sifting through random videos on YouTube when you can simply fix the source of the problem and move on? In all honesty, it's a very shady move on Activision's part and it seems very unfair. After all, how can you make a copyright claim against only certain videos when 1000s of other vids use footage of your game, too?
What's your opinion of this matter? Is Activision violating the rights of YouTubers or are they fully justified in their actions against videos showing off exploits? Let us know in the comments below.
platform. IT SHOULD BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDERD!
alone with any other title they produce.


the EU has abolished trade barriers, adopted a common currency, and is striving toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income among member states (from $7,000 to $78,000) and in national attitudes toward issues like inflation, debt, and foreign trade, the EU faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. Eleven established EU member states, under the auspices of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January 1999 (Greece did so two years later), but the UK and Denmark have 'opt-outs' that allow them to keep their national currencies, and Sweden has not taken the steps needed to participate. Between 2004 and 2007, the EU admitted 12 countries that are, in general, less advanced economically than the other 15. Of the 12 most recent member states, only Slovenia (1 January 2007), Cyprus and Malta (1 January 2008), Slovakia (1 January 2009), and Estonia (1 January 2011) have adopted the euro; the remaining states other than the UK and Denmark are legally required to adopt the currency upon meeting EU's fiscal and monetary convergence criteria. The EU has recovered from the global financial crisis faster than expected, with business investment growing by an estimated 2% in 2010, but with public investment and housing development lagging. Strong corporate profits should enable this recovery to continue in 2011. Nevertheless, significant risks to growth remain, including, high official debts and deficits, aging populations, over-regulation of non-financial businesses, and doubts about the sustainability of the EMU. In June 2010, prompted by the Greek financial crisis, the EU and the IMF set up a $1 trillion bailout fund to rescue any EMU member in danger of default, but it has not calmed market jitters that have diminished the value of the euro. Discussions are currently under way to create a permanent European Stabilisation Mechanism (ESM) in 2013, when the existing European Financial Stability Facility expires.
SOURCES: CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011; World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.; CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.; World Tourism Organisation, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; International Monetary Fund, Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, and World Bank and OECD GDP estimates.
"European Union Economy Stats, NationMaster." 1960-2012. <http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/European-Union/Economy>.
"European Union Economy Stats", NationMaster [Internet]. 1960-2012. Avaliable from: <http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/European-Union/Economy>.
"European Union Economy Stats", NationMaster. Avaliable at: nationmaster.com. Assessed 1960-2012.
European Union has had the highest world trade > exports since 1960.
European Union ranked first for GDP globally in 2012.
European Union has had the highest currency > GDP > constant 2000 US$ since 1961.
European Union has had the highest trade > exports > merchandise > exports > current US$ since 1960.
European Union has had the highest government spending since 1972.
European Union has had the highest tourist arrivals since 1995.
European Union has had the highest income > GDP, PPP > current international $ since 1980.
European Union has had the highest income > GNI, PPP > current international $ since 1980.
European Union has had the highest balance of payments > current account > goods > services and income > exports > goods and services > current U since 1975.
European Union has had the highest purchasing power parity > GNI > PPP > current international $ since 1980.
European Union has had the highest trade > exports > license fees and royalties since 1967.


Ever wondered how long you have until some event in the future? Time Until is an app that shows you just that - the time remaining until some event!
- Allows for the creation and storage of events across sessions!
- Quick buttons to send the time until an event as a text message or email!


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#SINTEFblog > #Energy > CCS > Preem initiates CCS pilot study at Lysekil refinery
Preem initiates CCS pilot study at Lysekil refinery
by Sintef
Sweden's largest oil refiner and transportation fuel producer Preem AB wants be to be a leading actor in the transition to a sustainable society. They already have two of Europe's most modern and environmentally friendly refineries, but they will not stop there. Operating two refineries, Preem is one of the largest CO2 emitters in Sweden with around 2 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Now they are looking to embed CCS technology to reduce their environmental footprint.
About Carbon Capture
Preem has begun a pilot study on a CO2 capture demonstration plant, known as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at its Lysekil refinery. CCS entails separating the CO2 from a carbon source, e.g. like a refinery. The CO2 is then compromised to a liquid state and transported to a storage site deep underground, thus reducing the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere.
Lysekil facility
To be conducted during spring 2018, the study will investigate whether a demonstration plant at Preem's refinery in Lysekil can be built to capture CO2 ,thereby reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the plant. The ambition is to eventually build full-scale CCS facility for carbon dioxide capture at the Lysekil refinery, which is then transported by boat to the planned CCS hub on the Norwegian west coast and permanent storage in the Smeaheia region.
"The vision is a full-size CCS plant that reduces the refinery's greenhouse gas emissions radically. We want to lead the transformation towards a more sustainable society and then we must take responsibility for reducing our business's climate impact. Being able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions via CCS technology is an important step in achieving Swedish and global climate goals", said Mattias Backmark, Head of Business Development at Preem.
Financing the study
The preliminary study is funded by Gassnova (A Norwegian state-owned company that works with carbon capture and storage) within its research and development program CLIMIT. It is run by the Norwegian research institute Sintef, with Preem and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg as project members for the Lysekil study.
The technology for CCS is still under development. In order to drive development, the EU has decided to fund demonstration facilities.
SUPEERA publishes analysis of 27 NECPs
Building a Hydrogen Future in Norway
TagsCCS • CO2 capture • CO2 emissions • CO2 management • CO2 storage
0 comments on "Preem initiates CCS pilot study at Lysekil refinery"


What's in a name? For a town, quite a bit. A beautiful-sounding name like Savannah or Palm Beach naturally inspires curiosity. But then again, so does an odd name. We dare you not to be curious about the town of Slickpoo.
Though all you'll find in this tiny village is a big old building called the Music Barn and a few storage buildings, it does have a pretty odd story behind its moniker. Named after a brawl in which two relatives got into a fight, one was hit by a skillet in which it was reported "he licked him with the skillet." There was also another Lickskillet in Alabama at one point (without a colorful backstory), but that one's now known as Oxford.
There are a number of theories about the name of this super-tiny town, which only has about 35 people (mostly workers). One describes a potential investor to the town as remaking that he "wouldn't want to put money into feeding a dead horse." Another says that an early company in the area had an exclusive contract to cart away dead horses from Fairbanks. Either way, the name remains.
A simple handshake between two developers in the "Carefree Development Group" christened the town's name.
This distinctive name came from a nearby train station, which was named after a railroad official in St. Louis.
A mining company that paid homage to the nickname of General and President Zachary Taylor inspired this town's name. Today, it's more of a tourist stop, but around 1,000 people do call Rough and Ready home.
This unincorporated community was named for a nearby sanitarium that helped tuberculosis patients. Here's one of the oldest buildings in the community, the Church of the Brethren, which dates back to 1888.
This town isn't filled with danger, but with charming historical buildings. Hazardville got its name from Colonel Hazard, who owned the Hazard Gunpowder Company.
Local legends attribute this name to either the springtime masses of horseshoe crabs that come to lay their eggs, or simply from a circa-1800s postmaster with the last name.
Property owners attempted to boost sales in this town by burying wooden chests that they pretended held treasure. Today, the theme is still strong in this community, with many pirate-themed businesses (in addition to more tasteful high-rises and vacation homes).
This small town got its distinctive name from a 1920s dance hall called "Hope You Like It."
Nope, not a town filled with people named Kurtis, but a town named for A.G. Curtis, who had a general store that became the town's post office.
Giggle all you want, but this extremely tiny unincorporated town isn't filled with, um, hazards. Instead, it's named after Josiah Slickpoo, who provided a site for a church.
After a night of drinking, a game warden declared he was sober enough of to shoot a walnut off someone's head. After successfully shooting the walnut off a volunteer's head, it was said to be "one damned goofy thing to do" and the name stuck. Today, Goofy Ridge is notable for being close to the beautiful Henry Allan Gleason Nature Preserve, shown here.
Originally called Santa Fe, but due to conflicts with the city in New Mexico the town was renamed by its citizens.
After a dispute on what to name the town (after its previous name was actually in use), a blindfolded mayor pointed at Jamaica on a map to gives this town its name.
It's not a coincidence: This town was founded by the sons of the former Speaker of the Canadian Senate in 1883. Then, lots of Canadians soon followed.There's also an Ottawa, Kansas (shown here, circa 1942), but that's named for the Native American tribe instead of the city in Canada.
If you look on the town from a hill, it apparently looks just like this very specific monkey facial feature.
Thank the Houlton Lumber Company, whose slogan was simply "You Need Us." You might find this town on your way to the Global Wildlife Center, where you can meet interesting animals like this rhea.
There isn't anything strange about Norway, but the story behind it is. The town name is the result of a clerical error after someone misheard the original name, Norage.
After Harry M. Martin bought land from nearby Chevy Chase (shown here), the holdings were named "Martin's Additions to Chevy Chase" and then a 1985 referendum passed to incorporate Martin's Additions as its own separate town.
Locals put up with off-color jokes about provocative pronunciations of its name, which came from the Scottish second Duke of Atholl.
While there isn't a clear idea why this town was named Hell, the town has embraced it with a "Go to Hell" slogan and other pun infused advertisements.
Though the name will make you raise an eyebrow, this extremely small town of under 300 was named after a local tobacco company.
Legend has it that Postmaster Jim Eaton's constant usage of "so-so" in regards to how he was doing or feeling was the catalyst for this name.
This town was indeed (allegedly) named out of spite after an incident in which a store owner ripped off a postman on a transaction. One of the smallest towns on our list, the population of Tightwad was around 64 people at the time of the 2010 Census.
The town founder originally wanted to call it "Copperopolis," but that was surprisingly taken. Instead, he decided on "Anaconda," after his mining company. Fun fact: Lucille Ball spent some of her childhood here!
Settlers were surprised that the land was so much better than they previously expected. One of the biggest draws in the early 20th century was the modestly-sized Surprise Opera House, shown here.
Though it may not immediately jump out as an odd name to you, its rumored translation will make you laugh. Allegedly, back in the 1800s, a railroad speculator of ample proportions visited the now-tiny town and inspired the Paiute to coin this name — which (again, allegedly) means "Ample Posterior."
It's not a commentary on intelligence, but instead a tribute to former Massachusetts governor William Dummer. Visitors still visit the town to see the scenery, especially the gorgeous Pontook Reservoir (formerly Pontook Lake, seen in this 1908 post card).
Named after founder Thomas Lovelady who owned the nearby island that was called "Lovelady's."


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Home Windows 10 PC
Microsoft confirms a new issue in June patch for Windows 10 version 1803
Earlier this week, Microsoft released new June 2018 patches for all supported versions of Windows 10 operating system, including the newly released Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803). At that time, the company acknowledged only one issue in a patch for Windows 10 April 2018 Update, but the company has recently updated the support page to include one more issue.
Microsoft has acknowledged a new issue in June 2018 patch for Windows 10 April 2018 update, which was released on Tuesday. The updated support page has confirmed a new issue that affects Microsoft Edge.
It's worth mentioning it's not a critical bug and it should not be a big deal for most of the users. Microsoft Edge could hit glitches where the browser would stop working "when it initializes the download of a font from a malformed (not RFC compliant) URL".
Microsoft hasn't issued any workaround yet, but the company says that they're
working on a resolution and it would become available later in June. You won't have to wait until the next Patch Tuesday, as Microsoft plans to release another cumulative update later this month.
Microsoft has already confirmed issues with SMBv1 protocol in Windows 10 April 2018 Update, and it can be addressed if you enable SMBv2 or SMBv3 on both the SMB server and the SMB client. The fix will be shipped later this month as well.
"Some users running Windows 10 version 1803 may receive an error an invalid argument was supplied when accessing files or running programs from a shared folder using the SMBv1 protocol," the company explains.
The June 2018 patch for Windows 10 April 2018 Update delivers a smooth user experience, and there are only two known issues.
The cumulative updates that will be shipped later this month will also include fixes to address other bugs.
The patch also fixed several bugs and issues with June patch for Windows 10, and it bumps the OS version to 17134.112. There are security improvements for Windows 10 version 1803 and the pre-installed apps and software. You can always verify the installation of the update, to do so, you can press the Win key + R and then type winver. If the version number matches, then the update is installed correctly.


Corns, Blindfold and Alone - British Military Executions in the Great War.
Corns, Cathryn. Hughes-Wilson, John. Blindfold and Alone – British Military Executions in the Great War. London, Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2005. 16 cm x 24 cm. 543 pages. Original Softcover. Excellent condition with only very minor signs of external wear.
Includes for example the following essays: The Lost World, The History and Development of Military Law, Mental Health in Britain in 1914, The Shock of Battle, Shell Shock and the Great War, Military Law in Action 1914-18, The British Expedition Force and the First Execution, and The Military Murderers. Includes also the following appendix: an Excerpt from Hansard.


I have been making a concerted effort to try and complete some of my UFOs. At the beginning of August, I made a list of all of my projects and saw that I had 24! Gulp!!
This week, I just finished another quilt top which will bring my list down to only 17!
It hasn't been that low for a really long time.
It looks like I first shared these blocks back in September of 2017. I tried to finish at least one block a month. When I had nine blocks done, that is where the project stalled.
So I quickly decided this is the perfect size for the quilt!
I hope to get this one quilted up sometime next week.
Today, I am just delighted that I will soon be crossing another UFO off the list!
Congratulations on getting this UFO to a completed quilt top. It looks great and how awesome to have worked your list down so much in just a few months.
another yet very nice burgoyne surrounded...am always tempted when i see one of these and yours tempts me as well!
24 UFOs, eh? If you finish two a month, which on track to do, you'll get 'em off your plate by next August! Question is, how many new projects will you start in between? What size is this quilt (hard to tell from photos). Keep up the effort - it does feel really nice to get projects completed, doesn't it?
Hooray for progress on UFOs! Every little bit counts, I say! :) I am afraid to count mine - there are a couple of really old ones that I've been ignoring for a very long time!
It's gorgeous!! Best of luck with the quilting.
I always love seeing this pattern. It doesn't matter what colors and what fabrics are used. It's gorgeous every time. Good luck with your finishes.
Well done on a finish, always worth a celebration. And your UFO list - great job! Also a great encouragement to me - mine is about half a dozen.
Good job getting your UFO pile cut down a bit. I host Forward Progress on my Urban Quilter blog (begins in Feb each year) which began to help a group of friends work through their project piles. There will be a call for new lists of projects to work on in the coming year in January and we would be happy to have you join in.
From 24 to 17 is a good decrease. Congrats on all that progress the last couple of months.
Good for you, cruising through your UFOs like a champ! This one will be lovely. What is the pattern called? Is it an Irish chain variation? So pretty; can't wait to see how you quilt it!
it is very perfect sized!! I love that one too! The Block is great!


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blu-ray - News, Features, and Slideshows
News about blu-ray
Sony cranks up optical disc storage to 3.3TB
Optical discs like Blu-ray are losing favor, but Sony and Panasonic don't seem to care. The companies have cranked up the storage capacity on optical media to a stunning 3.3TB.
UltraViolet wins 160,000 digital movie accounts in ANZ
The film industry has declared Australian success for its play to keep DVD and Blu-ray sales alive amid a surge in legal and illegal digital watching.
Blu-ray continues to thrive, in spite of streaming threat
Hard to believe that just five years ago at CES, the Blu-ray Disc specification first announced. And five years on, with one format war under our belt, and another scuffle brewing, Blu-ray is in fact doing very well.
Sony 6X Blu-ray writer USB drive may be too fast for PCs
Sony will launch an external Blu-ray Disc rewritable drive this month that can burn BD-R discs that support 6X speed, but users hoping for fast transfers might encounter a bottleneck in the form of their computer.
Sony rolls out PS3 3D Blu-ray support, grief reporting
Sony's long-promised 3D Blu-ray update for the PS3 rolls out today, sooner than originally expected, and all it'll cost you is the time it takes to apply a firmware update.
Tutorials about blu-ray
How to watch Blu-ray movies on your PC
Reader Anibal is looking to outfit his PC with a Blu-ray drive and wants to know if there's any good, low-cost (or free) software for watching Blu-ray movies.
More How To's »
Features about blu-ray
Blu-ray drives in PCs? Fuggetaboutit
Blu-ray may have a future in the living room, but its prospects in the PC market appear bleak. A new study by market researcher iSuppli shows that only 3.6 percent of PCs this year will ship with Blu-ray high-definition optical drives, a figure will rise to just 16.3 percent by 2013.
Blu-Ray, I hardly know ye
There was a time when it looked like HD-DVD would be winner in the battle to bring high-definition to computers and video players. Then the momentum suddenly swung to a competing standard called Blu-ray. Now, it looks like Blu-Ray is in trouble, but not from HD-DVD.


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SdkName="Objective_C_SDK"
delSrc=true

cd ..
. ./shared_build.sh

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Rekord SI sp. z o.o. – polski producent zintegrowanych systemów informatycznych wspomagających zarządzanie przedsiębiorstwem (Rekord.ERP) oraz zarządzanie urzędem (RATUSZ).

Produkty
Rekord.ERP to oprogramowanie ERP/MRP II (w tym CRM, BI, B2B, B2C, MES) dostosowane do wymagań polskich przedsiębiorstw produkcyjnych. Głównym celem działania pakietu Rekord.ERP jest dostarczenie informacji potrzebnych do podjęcia decyzji oraz oceny ich skuteczności. Funkcjonalnie system dzieli się na następujące obszary: produkcja, logistyka, sprzedaż, zasoby ludzkie, finanse, systemy analityczne. Dzięki otwartym standardom wymiany danych system umożliwia integrację z zewnętrznym oprogramowaniem, takim jak: CAD/CAM, pakiety biurowe, czytniki kodów kreskowych, interfejsy maszyn. Dalszy rozwój systemu skupia się wokół rozwiązań wymiany wiedzy, opartych na technikach internetowych (Lider, eCRM, eDostawca, ePrzedstawiciel, eSprzedaż). Jako serwerowe środowisko pracy stosowany jest Linux oraz baza danych Firebird SQL.

RATUSZ to zintegrowany system informatyczny wspomagający i usprawniający realizację zadań wykonywanych przez jednostki administracji publicznej z 230 wdrożeniami systemu.

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Polskie przedsiębiorstwa informatyczne
Spółki z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


OBJECTIVES There are two study components, 1) to evaluate the treatment response and toxicity of the protocol, and 2) to investigate the role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to monitor and predict the final pathological response.
1.1 To estimate 2-year progression-free survival in patients with breast cancer with tumor more than 1 cm and/or with clinically detected lymph node treated with neoadjuvant weekly Carboplatin and Paclitaxel combined with Trastuzumab + Pertuzumab in HER2-positive disease or with Bevacizumab in HER2-negative disease.
1.2 To measure the microscopic complete pathological response (pCR) rates defined as ypT0 or Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCis) tumors in patients treated with this regimen in the neoadjuvant setting.
1.3 To assess complete clinical response (cCR) rates after treatment by physical exam and imaging tests (ultrasonography, mammography, or magnetic resonance imaging) clinical objective response rate (by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST)) 1.4 To determine the toxicity of this regimen. 1.5 To determine treatment adherence and delivered dose intensity of this regimen.
1.6 To assess the correlation between pCR and cCR. 1.7 To determine the rate of breast conservation following neoadjuvant therapy. 1.8 Determine treatment efficacy according to subgroups defined according to stage and receptor status.
1.9 Develop quantitative analysis methods to obtain pre-treatment tumor characteristics in breast cancer (including morphological and enhancement kinetic parameters) and select an optimal set of features using the logistic regression analysis and the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to predict pathologic complete remission (pCR) in HER2-positive and negative arms.
1.10 Investigate whether the early response patterns in tumor (changes in percent tumor size or other tumor characteristic parameters) can be used to predict pathologic complete remission (pCR) in HER2 positive and negative arms.
1.11 Investigate whether combining the pre-treatment characteristic parameters and the early response patterns can achieve a higher AUC (area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve) in prediction of pCR than those based on pre-treatment MRI characteristics or tumor response patterns alone.
This study will utilize the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 4.0 for toxicity and Adverse Event reporting.
Tumor size is clinically at least 1 cm in greatest diameter (palpable or by imaging) and/or with involved lymph node. In case of inflammatory disease, the extent of inflammation may be the measurable lesion.
Documentation of inflammatory breast cancer Inflammatory breast cancer?
Normal cardiac function must be documented within 90 days prior to registration. Result of ejection fraction must be above the normal limit of the institution.
Urine dipstick for proteinuria <2+. Patients discovered to have ≥2+ proteinuria on dipstick should undergo a 24-hour urine collection and demonstrate ≤ 1g of protein in 24 hours.
Negative pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential within 14 days prior to registration.
All patients must be informed of the investigational nature of this study and must sign and\give written informed consent in accordance with institutional and federal guidelines.
Known or suspected congestive heart failure, angina pectoris requiring antianginal medication, or other clinically significant cardiac condition.
Pregnant or nursing women may not participate due to the possibility of harm to fetus or nursing infants from this treatment regimen. Women of childbearing potential may not participate unless they have agreed to use an adequate contraceptive method throughout study treatment and for one month after completion of treatment.
Pre-existing peripheral neuropathy of severity grade ≥ 2 (limiting instrumental activities of daily living).
Known allergy, hypersensitivity or prior infusion reaction to one or more of the therapies incorporated into this treatment protocol.
Bone marrow depression or hematologic parameters in the range that would increase the risk for severe bleeding.
Implanted prosthetic heart valves, pacemaker, neuro-stimulation devices, surgical clips (hemostatic clips) or other metallic implants.
Engaged in occupations or activities which may cause accidental lodging of ferromagnetic materials, or have imbedded metal fragments from military activities.
Received orthodontic work involving ferromagnetic materials.
Claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces).
Previously had an allergic response to MR contrast agents (gadolinium).
Known history of severe renal insufficiency, asthma, allergic conditions, sickle cell anemia, chronic hemolytic anemia, and gastrointestinal disorders.


When you are thinking about which brushes you will buy to keep in your makeup bag, you may feel a little overwhelmed – as there are lots on the market that you can choose from. One site in particular that has received a lot of attention is Jolie Beauty, as their unicorn makeup brushes are becoming increasingly popular. This isn't all they have – with the more recent addition of mermaid makeup brushes to add to their collection. It is important to understand exactly what makes these brushes so good, and if you don't already know, then this review should help you to understand a little better.
More people are choosing to be vegan than ever before, and this means that a huge number of industries have had to address the way that they produce their products and the materials that they are made from to ensure that they fit with the moral compass of their intended audience. There is no doubt that these brushes fit in with this – as they are all vegan friendly, so you can use them without having to worry about anything related to cruelty to animals.
When you buy makeup brushes, one of the main things that you want to know is whether they are going to last – and these will. There is little point in buying something that won't stand the test of time, so it is worth making sure that you invest in a good quality set of brushes that will stay strong for as long as you need them to.
Whenever you speak to anybody who has used these brushes, one of the things that they will tell you is just how good the makeup looks when it has been applied. This is thanks to the materials used in the brushes, as well as the design of them, and this means that you can look forward to great results every single time you need to apply your makeup.
If you don't wash your makeup brushes, not only do you run the risk of infections, but it may also be the case that the brushes don't last for as long as they should have done, as a failure to clean them can result in long term damage. The good news about these brushes is that they are very easy to clean, and if you simply lay them out to dry afterwards, they will look as good as new without you having to worry about them bending out of shape. This means that they will be ready to be used again whenever you need them.
No matter what kind of makeup you like to apply, there is no denying that these brushes are a great addition to your beauty bag. It means that you will always have exactly what you need to create the look that you're aiming for – and there is no doubt that with these brushes as a part of your collection, you will soon be wowing the crowd.


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Participating States > Portugal
Portugal regularly reports information on hate crimes to ODIHR. Portugal's hate crime laws consist of a combination of substantive offences and specific penalty enhancements. The Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office collect data on hate crime.
Entries on all the police forces' incident reporting forms include the legal basis of recorded incidents, the characteristics of the incident, the victims and the perpetrators, as well as information about the time and place of the incident. Current police forms and databases do not enable the flagging of potential hate crimes, capturing bias motivation or recording bias indicators. There is a Manual for data collection that provides guidance for police officers when registering crimes for statistical purposes (the criminal classification of crimes). All police forces are obliged to fill out crime reports according to the Manual and send these to the Ministry of Justice's statistical department (DSEJI) every month.
The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the centralized collection processes and for producing reliable criminal statistics. Statistics are recorded by police forces, the Public Prosecutors Services and Judicial Courts, and transmitted to the Statistical Information System of Justice. This system is managed by the Directorate General for Justice Policy (SIEJ/DGPJ) through the automatic interface (Citius) for crimes recorded by the Criminal Police and the Police of Public Security, and through parametrized Excel files for crimes recorded by the National Republican Guard.
Portugal is undertaking efforts to improve their methodology with the aim of producing comparable data, particularly on hate crimes. These efforts include implementing standards set out by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and ODIHR, in particular ensuring that an incident is identified as a potential hate crime in the IT systems of the three main police forces. To this end, an internal working group was created, composed of the Ministry of Justice, the Criminal Police, the Police of Public Security, the National Republican Guard, the Prosecutor's General Office, the Superior Council of the Judiciary, the Association for Support and Protection of Victims (APAV), the High Commissioner for Migration (ACM), the Commission for Gender Equality, the Ombudsman's Office and the NGO ILGA Portugal.
2018 23 58 -
2017 48 Not available Not available
2016 - - 0
2015 Not available Not available Not available
2014 21 21 Not available
The possibility to flag a hate crime case has been introduced in the Criminal Police database.
ODIHR observes that the law enforcement agencies of Portugal have not recorded the bias motivations of hate crimes.


East Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria. It is located approximately 2kms from the capital Melbourne covering an area of 1.856 square kilometres. East Melbourne has a recorded population of 4964 residents and is within the Australian Eastern Daylight Time zone Australia/Melbourne.
If you are planning a visit to East Melbourne we've put together some of the things nearby that you can see or do while you are here. These include, places to stay, tours and attractions, some upcoming events and places where you can grab a meal. Go ahead, try one of the buttons above. Every destination has something worth seeing so start exploring… If you know East Melbourne and think we've missed something, let us know and we'll share it here.


Today is Rare Disease Awareness Day. Affecting only 30,000 people in the US and 70,000 around the world, Cystic Fibrosis is a rare disease that we could use a cure for. Help us to spread the word and raise awareness to cure this disease!
We had our 3 Year Anniversary appointment at the CF clinic on Wednesday morning. Drew had his labs drawn a week before the visit so that we could review them with his docs at the visit. He came through with shining colors! Everything looked great - all of his vitamin levels, all of the organ function tests they do, all around an A+. We didn't do any imaging this time because Drew is about to start a 2 year clinical trial using imaging and blood work to identify bronchiectasis as an early age. They will do a CT scan and an MRI (a super brand new kind involving the use of helium that does something to the protons...or something like that) along with bloodwork to determine if there are markers in the blood that correspond to what they see in a scan. It is a 2 year trial and will hopefully be getting kicked off later this year. The results will be available to us and our doc, and we know the doctor running the study (the one and only JP Clancy) so we will just take a look at them to see how he's doing. I hope everything looks as good as it did last year when we had his CT!
This time we were in clinic, we saw an endocrinologist. For anyone unfamiliar with what they do, basically they deal with all things hormones. So for CF, that could involve insulin production or growth horomone, among other things. Drew is between the 25th and 50th percentile for height and his height prediction based on our heights says that he should be near the 70th percentile. I understand that kids with CF can have trouble with growth given all of their vitamin deficiencies and other abnormalities and I certainly don't think that Drew looks too short or scrawny, but we wanted to keep an eye on things to make sure that he doesn't start to drop off that curve. There is nothing concerning going on right now, but we're going to have some labs done and a growth plate imaging study done (I don't think that's the official name) and just keep an eye on things. I am anxious to learn more about how we will work with the endocrinologist going forward and more importantly how she can help us!
I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Drew had an ongoing cough for a couple of weeks and we ended up putting him on an oral antibiotic. His culture showed some staph, which he grows from time to time, but we really just thought that his cough had gone on for long enough to take action. The antibiotic seemed to clear him up pretty good, but once he was off of it it seemed to come back within a few days. It's not a terrible cough - just more than his baseline and a little junky. We also realized that when we are cleaning out his sinuses a couple times a day that we are getting a lot of stuff out. So yesterday I talked to Drew's doctor again and we decided to put him back on the antibiotic for another week, and to be aggressive with our sinus rinsing. We are starting to think that this is a sinus issue and not a lung infection. This seems pretty similar to what happened last year around this time - a congested nose and a lingering cough led us to ENT where they found significant sinus disease and a couple of weeks later we had surgery. We've actually been doing really good with the sinuses since that surgery, but we might have reached that point again where we need to go back in and take surgical action. I hope not, like really really hope not. I'm hoping that with aggressive rinses and an oral antibiotic and a topical antibiotic drop in the nose that we can shrink some of the polyps back down and avoid having them scraped out. I feel like every time we end up in the hospital for a procedure, no matter how big or small, we end up going home with a new bacteria that we don't need. I know the importance of having some of this stuff done, but whatever I can do from home I would definitely rather. I guess we will see how things go!
Last week I had a conversation with Ginger.io and was asked to be a part of their team!! We're going to connect again next week to work out specifics. It will only be a part time gig and will start out working with the IBD clinic at Cincinnati Children's and then expanding from there. The reason we are starting with IBD is because Ginger.io and the C3N are already integrated with them as they were the pilot disease for these projects. The results being seen from IBD folks utilizing the C3N are kind of fascinating and I am so so very excited to get to be a part of it. First step IBD, next step CF...and then we change the world [of chronic conditions]!
Next week I'm working with the QI team at Children's to create a Facebook page where patients and families can connect with clinicians to share tips and advice. Then next Saturday morning we are heading east to get ready for the CF Foundations annual advocacy campaign "March on the Hill" followed by the Volunteer Leadership Conference. I'm really excited about both, and will be tweeting throughout both events (@ekeeleymoore). Once we are back in Cincinnati I will definitely find some time to post about it!
We are always open to straight donations and greatly greatly appreciate any amount you can afford. You can donate to our Great Strides Campaign by clicking HERE.
Just this past winter I was introduced to Usborn Books at a Holiday Bazaar that I attended. Their books are phenomenal. They are so unique, of excellent quality and most importantly my kids love them. Usborn Books is having a fundraiser for us, donating 25% of all sales in the month of Feb. to our Great Strides team. You can check them out by clicking HERE.
The other thing that Usborn Books is doing for us is a Cards for a Cure Fundraiser. They sell boxes of greeting cards - 30 cards for $30. There is a kids box and an all occasion box. Usborn donates $13 for every box sold. Unfortunately you can't purchase these online, but if you're interested in a box (which you should be because they're very cute and a total steal), just email me via the "Contact Me" link on the left side of this page and we can get you what you want.
Finally, I'm having another Tupperware Fundraiser. I started selling Tupperware about a year ago as another way to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Tupperware has an incredible Fundraising program whereby 40% of all sales made through a fundraiser are donated to your organization. I have a fundraiser set up that you can access by clicking HERE. Even if you already have a ton of Tupperware in your house, there are so many new cool things to check out so take a look!
Additionally, if anyone reading this, local or from afar, is interested in hosting a Tupperware party for me, I will donate 100% of my profits to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, either to my team or if you have another team that you are walking with I will donate them to yours. Hosting a Fundraiser earns you 40% of all sales, and hosting a regular party will earn you what I make which is 25% of all sales. If you think you can pass a catalog around the office and collect a few orders to help us out (or help yourself out if you're another team reading this), then drop me a line and we can get something together.
We're hoping to have a big "Girls Night Out' fundraising event in March, and then our walk is in May. I'm always open to new ideas and suggestions for fundraising success so send them my way if you have them!
Tomorrow is Drew's 3 year anniversary visit at the CF Clinic. We had his labs drawn last week and to my untrained eye, everything appears within normal range. We will have to wait to see what the docs say in the morning, but I'm hoping for a clean bill of health. Send some prayers our way if you have them and i'll be back with an update sometime after the appointment!
I arrive for our clinic appointment around 7:45am. The last time we were here was 3 months ago. Usually, we are ushered back to a room within 15 minutes of arrival. A nurse greets us shortly thereafter to review our medicine list and address any issues that we've been having. Just the other day he was coughing up a storm but seems to have gotten over it. Should I talk to the dietician about his diet again? His weight is up and his stool seem "normal" but I'm always anxious about his lack of interest in food. I wonder if an RT is available to talk a little bit about his airway clearance. I don't want to be a bother but I sure do think the airway clearance he had in the hospital this summer was more effective. I wish I knew what they were doing differently!
Next up is the doctor. She asks how things have been going. Today? Great! Last week? I was a little worried, but the cough he had seemed to go away. There was that one day that his stool was a little weird but that got better too, not sure what caused it. And frankly I can't remember back farther than that. She checks him out and wants to review his labs since we are at his anniversary visit. His vitamin D is low, his breathing still sounds a little noisy, and a note that she has from his ENT seems to indicate that he may need another sinus surgery . She feels out whether I'd be open to a bronchoscopy at the same time. Maybe another CT is a better option. When I talked to the ENT last month it sounded like things were going well? I guess I don't mind if they do a bronchoscopy while he's under for something else, but I remember huge discussion with other CF parents on the Facebook about CT scans and all the negative effects of radiation and I don't know that I want to do that? I wish I could find that conversation! I ask questions about a game plan for if he needs IV antibiotics if we grow pseudomonas again, having read online about all different methods used for eradication but not knowing which is best and why. It's hypothetical at the moment because they haven't even swabbed him yet. I just have sort of a busy life and sometimes having a plan provides a sense of comfort for me. She suggests an action plan and I am mostly on board, except for the azithromycin because I saw a presentation somewhere that seemed to show compelling evidence against its use. I wish I could find that presentation to show her! I trust his doctor and want to follow her recommendations, but I have some reservations. I don't think either of us has time to get into this as I've already taken up more than my fair share of appointment time. We agree to wait for the results of the culture to decide a course of action.
Next up is the dietician. Lucky for me, he has a "weird poop" while we are there so she can look at it and provide her thoughts. This isn't what all of his stool looks like. I don't really know how often his stool looks like this - sometimes once a day, sometimes 4 times a day, sometimes once a week. We talk for a bit about enzyme dosing and the calories he's taking in, her offering suggestions for beefing up his intake and me adding them to the "notes" section in my iPhone, hoping I can get them down elsewhere before one of my kids deletes them by accident.
The social worker pops in to address some questions about starting preschool that I had mentioned to the nurse 2 hours ago. I had met with the Psychologist about a year ago to talk about his lack of interest in food, but never followed up, mostly because of both time constraints and cost. If only she could pop in and give me a couple of quick suggestions. But I have to go, we've already been here for almost 4 hours. While waiting for my discharge paperwork, a research assistant shows up to see if I'd be interested in participating in a study about I'm not sure what because my 3yr old is clambering to get out of that office. I agree anyway, get my discharge paperwork and fly out the door.
This summer, we were visiting family in Philadelphia and my son got sick. He was admitted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for a pulmonary exacerbation. Not a single morsel of information about him and his history with Cystic Fibrosis was available to the doctors at CHOP. Many phone calls were made between fellows from my personal cell phone to understand his medical history and doctors asked me the same questions day after day before we trusted and understood each other and hashed out what was going on in the days leading to our admission. I know that it was in Drew's best interest that we discuss everything about him ad nauseum, but it blew my mind that in this age of technology, there was no electronic medical health record that the doctors in Philadelphia could access to understand Drew to provide the best care for him quickly.
When Drew was a baby, we kept a diary of his formula intake and the corresponding output. We set up a nice little Excel chart and shared that with our dietician on a very regular basis. I credit that chart for his gained weight and reaching the 50th percentile by the time he was 6 months old and he has been able to maintain that to today when he is almost 3. I know that all patients aren't equal, but wouldn't it be great if that data, if our "patient reported outcomes" were cataloged somewhere so that we could share what we did and how it worked for us? Sure, I could take to the CF Mom's Facebook page and ask about what high calorie snacks work for their 3 year olds and hope that some of those moms are online and eager to provide some feedback. But once that question is asked and answered, it just simply vanishes into cyberspace. I cannot tell you how many times I've said, "I know I've seen that somewhere". Image the power of cataloging that data, those conversations, those findings. It can be used by patients, by doctors, by researchers and teachers. Just thinking about the power of that is what is driving me to stay involved and insist on nothing less.
I think you're seeing my point, a point that was brought out in almost every session I sat through at the NACFC this year. The information that we currently have on patients in between visits is limited. Filling those gaps would give us a more complete picture of health. It would help doctors to intervene at appropriate times, times when patients might not call because in their mind "its just not that bad yet", but doctors are able to identify a problem or a pattern that lets them know the direction something that's "not that bad" is headed. They would be able to more easily determine if certain therapies were actually making a difference through the combine use of passive behavioral and active patient reported data, looking at a real-time view of what is going on with a patient, not what they remember to tell you when they are in clinic. The registry could be enhanced by identifying day to day trends and commonalities in patients sharing mutations. And all of this data can be used by researchers and scientists to figure out every last detail this disease and find therapies that work for every one of us. From a parent's perspective, the C3N is what we need to make life easier and improve outcomes while we wait for our cure.
Introducing a C3N for Cystic Fibrosis!!
Friday was the culmination of many months of work to present the C3N to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation...and they loved it! The meetings went even better than expected and we're going to work on getting a pilot set up to begin implementing this learning health system into the Cystic Fibrosis community. It's really amazing and I can't wait to share more about it.
I'm in the process of signing the kids up for school for next year. I really can't believe that I'm going to have only 1 baby at home 3 days a week next year. Ella will be in full day kindergarten and the twins are going 3 afternoons a week. The anxiety that I'm already experiencing about sending Drew to preschool and relinquishing control is intense, and school doesn't even start until the week after LABOR DAY!! That's 7 months from now. I don't know how much info I should put on the sheet where they allow you to list everything from medical conditions to social concerns. I feel like I should be keeping it brief and then speaking directly to his teachers and other team members at the school to get ready for his arrival. I did have the opportunity to meet the 3yr old preschool teacher at an Open House and I fell in love. Just a genuine and sweet woman and I think that she will do her best to keep Drew safe in her class. If this is how I feel now, I don't want to imagine how I will feel come September.
Over the next couple of days I'm going to work on getting some of our fundraising information together. We currently have a book fundraiser underway Usborn Books (amazing book company) and I will be able to share a link where 25% of your purchase will go to our Great Strides team. I am hoping to have a Tupperware one organized again soon as well. If anyone out there in cyberspace reading this has and great ideas for fundraisers or is able to help in some capacity, I'm definitely interested in talking to you!
That's all I've got for this very cold Feb. afternoon. More to come as it breaks!