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OWC Bluetooth module shielding kit for Apple Mac mini 2012 models. Restores reliable Bluetooth range to 20-25ft vs. potentially diminished range experienced with use of USB 3 external device(s). Insulated shielding and all installation tools included. (OWCDIYIMM12BTS) Same Day $8.49
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Bluetooth module shielding kit

For Apple Mac mini 2012 models
The 2012 Mac mini is a great machine, but we have found one small issue with it. Some units may not have proper shielding applied internally on the Bluetooth module and thus can experience interference from USB 3.0 drives.

This situation appears to be due to the specific placement of shielding which can vary from unit to unit. As a result, some mini users may experience diminished and/or up to total loss of Bluetooth use even at very short range.

The OWC Bluetooth Shielding Kit is a simple, DIY solution that substantially improves Bluetooth range. It comes complete with all tools, instructions, and a special EMI shielding foil with non-conductive adhesive. After installing this kit, you should experience improved functional Bluetooth range up to 20 feet.

For full details about the Mac mini 2012 Bluetooth issues
please read our blog post.

Product Specifications

  • Manufacturer Part Number: OWCDIYIMM12BTS

NOTE: This kit contains consumable and/or one time use components and therefore is not covered by any warranty. If you have any concerns about your ability to perform the upgrade, you can return the unopened kit for a refund. The 5-Piece Toolkit (except for nylon pry tool) included with this kit is covered by a 1 Year Warranty.

OWC Bluetooth module shielding kit Mfr P/N: OWCDIYIMM12BTS OWC SKU: OWCDIYIMM12BTS For Apple Mac mini 2012 models Ships: Same Day only $4.99 Other World Computing OWCDIYIMM12BTS In Stock, Click to Buy Now
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DSBN, Brock Partner to Launch Educational Research and Innovation Hub

News around Campus

DSBN, Brock Partner to Launch Educational Research and Innovation Hub

Published on February 19 2014

The District School Board of Niagara and Brock University’s Faculty of Education are collaborating on a unique initiative to support innovation in Canadian education and technology.

Housed inside 2,100 square feet at the DSBN Academy in St. Catharines, the newly minted Educational Research and Innovation Hub will bring together a wide range of stakeholders to cultivate powerful new learning technologies.

“We see incredible potential in this new project,” says Warren Hoshizaki, DSBN Director of Education. “We know there is a wealth of entrepreneurs out there searching for opportunities to use their talents and skills to support Canadian education. The expertise and resources they access at the Hub will assist them in changing their ideas into tools that improve teacher practice and benefit student learning for years to come.”

When the Hub officially opens its doors in late February, it will be a home to several original start-up companies. The collaborative atmosphere of the Hub will promote discussion, idea sharing and creativity amongst educators, researchers, graduate students, entrepreneurs and education technology companies.

Dr. Fiona Blaikie, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at Brock University, believes that the Hub is an example of how 21st century research should take place.

“Everything unfolds in context and in partnership,” says Blaikie. “As leaders in technology education, Faculty of Education researchers and students are superbly positioned to engage with entrepreneurs and colleagues at DSBN to better serve to society, teaching, learning and scholarship.”

Dr. Camille Rutherford, Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education, acknowledges that there needs to be a direct line from invention to practice.

“Regardless of technologic ingenuity, the effectiveness of any education innovation is dependent on its ability to address the needs of education,” says Rutherford. “Unfortunately, a lack of access to education stakeholders has been noted as one of the greatest challenges to educational entrepreneurs that often come from non-education backgrounds.”

The Hub aims to eliminate the disconnect between educational insight and the innovation process. It will bridge this gap by providing entrepreneurs with the opportunity to observe actual classes and the strategies teachers use to support student learning. Start-ups will also be able to refine their products by observing their use in an actual classroom setting. This will allow companies to make necessary enhancements to ensure they are best meeting the needs of students, teachers and schools.

In addition to the benefits the Hub will bring to the product development process, students will also benefit from their interactions with these start-up companies.

“Students will have safe access to programmers, engineers and entrepreneurs, giving them the ability to ask questions, share ideas and learn more about potential career paths,” says Dino Miele, DSBN Chief Information Officer.

Located within the DSBN Academy at 130 Louth Street in St. Catharines, the Hub is unique in its location.

“There are a number of EdTech incubators and accelerators throughout North America, but there has yet to be a location that is housed within a K-12 educational institution,” says Rutherford.

The grand opening for the Hub is set to take place on February 26 from 2:30 – 4 p.m.

welch hall exterior

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text:
Lions: CB Dee Milliner vaults into No. 5 talk*

The Detroit Lions were surely happy to see the top cornerback in the NFL draft, Alabama's Dee Milliner, run two blazing -- but as of now, unofficial -- times Tuesday morning in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. If he wasn't already in the realistic conversation for the Lions' No. 5 overall pick, he is now.

Milliner ran his 40s in 4.31 and 4.37 seconds, based on hand-timing on the field. Update: His official time was 4.37 seconds.

Speed is only one portion of the evaluation of any player, but at cornerback it is pretty important. Speaking about the position last week at the combine, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said: "We like fast."

Milliner is to have surgery to repair a torn labrum but, barring any complications, he figures to be a prime candidate for the Lions. I'll have a post later Tuesday on the complexities the Lions face at the top of the draft, given their run of injuries and character problems among recent draft choices.


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Broncos land veteran safety Michael Adams

The Broncos’ first foray into free agency wasn’t the big hit they were waiting for, but it does fill a hole in Denver.

The Broncos agreed to a two-year deal with Cleveland safety Mike Adams, who fills Denver’s need for a veteran safety.

Adams has a chance to start for Denver. He played 77 percent of the defensive snaps for the Browns last season. With Brian Dawkins likely not returning -- Denver isn't expected to bring him back if he doesn’t retire -- Adams gives the Broncos much-needed experience at safety.

The team drafted Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter last season. Moore began the season as a starter, but he regressed. By the end of the season, Carter was by far the better player. The team still has hopes for Moore, but Adams offers insurance if either youngster struggles.

In other AFC West safety news:

Steve Gregory, formerly of San Diego, agreed to terms with New England. Gregory was an injury replacement for Bob Sanders last year. Gregory is probably a bit underrated, and his departure will have the Chargers looking for a partner for Eric Weddle early in the upcoming NFL draft.

Alabama’s Mark Barron and Notre Dame’s Harrison Smith are possibilities for the Chargers in the draft.


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Print and Go Back SweetSpot [Print without images]

Friday, May 23, 2014
ICYMI: SweetSpot hits of the week

By Jason Rosenberg

Around MLB this week ... Edwin Encarnacion continues to destroy baseballs, putting up video game numbers nightly. Max Scherzer and Masahiro Tanaka both prove they are, in fact, human. Tony La Russa is back in the game and the 'Zona front office has to be nervous. Welcome back, Stephen Drew. But have no fear, no ears were harmed in the creation of this latest ICYMI Sweetspot hits, Week 8 edition.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Inside the 'Zona
Attention D-backs: An analytics department would be a wise investment: Ryan P. Morrison explains why it would be wise to install an analytics department despite the high burden of persuasion it would have in a Tony La Russa/Kevin Towers front office. Follow on Twitter: @InsidetheZona.

Baltimore Orioles: Camden Depot
A whole new wood: Jon Shepherd takes a quick look at how the Emerald Ash Borer insect and climate change are pushing bat companies for substitute lumber. He also takes a look at a few dozen types of trees that might be suitable replacements. Follow on Twitter: @CamdenDepot.

Boston Red Sox: Fire Brand of the American League
Sox upgrade left side of the infield with Stephen Drew: Despite the nearly endless supply of long-term deals Scott Boras claims he could taken, the Red Sox signed Stephen Drew to a one-year deal. Follow on Twitter: @AlexSkillin.

Prospect showdown: Christian Vazquez or Blake Swihart? The Red Sox farm system is stacked with prospects. Catcher is one of their positions of strength. Follow on Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn.

Chicago White Sox: The Catbird Seat
What's the ideal White Sox lineup? Collin Whitchurch runs the numbers to see what the optimized White Sox batting order would be, and how far away from it Robin Ventura is. Follow on Twitter: @TheCatbird_Seat.

Cleveland Indians: It's Pronounced Lajaway
Carlos Santana and the "Bad Luck" theory: Ryan McCrystal takes a look at Santana's BABIP and why bad luck may not fully explain the disturbingly low number. Follow on Twitter: @TribeFanMcC.

Colorado Rockies: Rockies Zingers
Splitting the difference: The Rockies home and away: Eric Garcia McKinley joins the discussion with other Rockies bloggers who are trying to figure out if the Rockies are really so amazing at home (or so poor on the road) compared to other teams in the NL West. Follow on Twitter: @RockiesZingers.

Minnesota Twins: Twins Daily
Twins draft preview: Aaron Nola: As part of Twins Daily's ongoing draft coverage, Parker Hageman profiles the LSU right-hander and his crazy fastball. Follow on Twitter: @TwinsDaily.

New York Yankees: It's About The Money
About last night: Masahiro Tanaka: The Chicago Cubs were the ones to end Masahiro Tanaka's long regular season winning streak. Stacey Gotsulias explores how it happened. Follow on Twitter: @StaceGots.

Yangervis Solarte and the chamber of secrets: Yangervis Solarte has seemingly come out of nowhere to become one of the best stories for the Yankees in 2014. Domenic Lanza dives headfirst into Solarte's numbers and concludes that this may not be a fluke. Follow on Twitter: @DomenicLanza.

St. Louis Cardinals: Fungoes
Graph: Cardinals pitchers by K-BB% and GB%: Pip visually presents the Cardinals pitching staff using some metrics that matter. Follow on Twitter: @fungoes.

San Francisco Giants, West Coast Bias
Going forward without Casilla and Cain: The Giants depth will continue to be tested with Santiago Casilla and Matt Cain expected to join Brandon Belt on the injury shelf. Connor Grossman discusses possible alternatives in the minor leagues for San Francisco, and whether or not Bruce Bochy was in the wrong for sending Casilla up for an at-bat. Follow on Twitter: @GiantsBaseball.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Process Report
Losing the advantage: Jason Collette reviews how David Price gives away the statistical high-ground in two-strike counts. Follow on Twitter: @jasoncollette.

Jason Rosenberg is the founder of It's About the Money, a proud charter member of the SweetSpot Network. IIATMS can be found on Twitter here and here as well as on Facebook.


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ESSE has been hand-building stoves and cast iron cookers for more than a century and a half. Our stoves have been tried, tested and trusted across the world.

From the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, to hotels and hospitals throughout the British Empire – ESSE cookers and stoves have historically been relied upon in some of the most gruelling environments you would ever expect to find them.

Every stove is hand built in Britain with pride, just as they have been for 160 years.

Not only are these stoves built with attention-to-detail by skilled craftsmen, they are also some of the most energy efficient on the market, helping save on energy bills and running costs.

A wide range of styles and specifications ensures there is a stove to suit you and your home perfectly.

There are models with hot water boilers, double door models and even a stove that cooks to perfection. Every ESSE stove (except the Ironheart) is also available as a smoke-exempt or ‘SE’ version which is suitable for burning wood in smoke control areas thanks to an innovative, clean-burning design. All ESSE stoves also feature Afterburn™ airwash technology for clear door glass and exceptional burn rate control.

All ESSE stoves offer an excellent energy efficiency rating of over 80% for glowing and economical warmth day and night.


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Designing a Secure Linux System

The Threat

Bruce Schneier’s blog post about the Mariposa Botnet has an interesting discussion in the comments about how to make a secure system [1]. Note that the threat is considered to be remote attackers, that means viruses and trojan horses – which includes infected files run from USB devices (IE you aren’t safe just because you aren’t on the Internet). The threat we are considering is not people who can replace hardware in the computer (people who have physical access to it which includes people who have access to where it is located or who are employed to repair it). This is the most common case, the risk involved in stealing a typical PC is far greater than the whatever benefit might be obtained from the data on it – a typical computer user is at risk of theft only for the resale value of a second-hand computer.

So the question is, how do can we most effectively use free software to protect against such threats?

The first restriction is that the hardware in common use is cheap and has little special functionality for security. Systems that have a TPM seem unlikely to provide a useful benefit due to the TPM being designed more for Digital Restrictions Management than for protecting the user – and due to TPM not being widely enough used.

The BIOS and the Bootloader

It seems that the first thing that is needed is a BIOS that is reliable. If an attacker manages to replace the BIOS then it could do exciting things like modifying the code of the kernel at boot time. It seems quite plausible for the real-mode boot loader code to be run in a VM86 session and to then have it’s memory modified before it starts switches to protected mode. Every BIOS update is a potential attack. Coreboot replaces the default PC BIOS, it initialises the basic hardware and then executes an OS kernel or boot loader [2] (the Coreboot Wikipedia page has a good summary). The hardest part of the system startup process is initialising the hardware, Coreboot has that solved for 213 different motherboards.

If engineers were allowed to freely design hardware without interference then probably a significant portion of the computers in the market would have a little switch to disable the write line for the flash BIOS. I heard a rumor that in the days of 286 systems a vendor of a secure OS shipped a scalpel to disable the hardware ability to leave protected mode, cutting a track on the motherboard is probably still an option. Usually once a system is working you don’t want to upgrade the BIOS.

One of the payloads for Coreboot is GRUB. The Grub Feature Requests page has as it’s first entry “Option to check signatures of the bootchain up to the cryptsetup/luksOpen: MBR, grub partition, kernel, initramfs” [3]. Presumably this would allow a GPG signature to be checked so that a kernel and initrd would only be used if they came from a known good source. With this feature we could only boot a known good kernel.

How to run User Space

The next issue is how to run the user-space. There has been no shortage of Linux kernel exploits and I think it’s reasonable to assume that there will continue to be a large number of exploits. Some of the kernel flaws will be known by the bad guys for some time before there are patches, some of them will have patches which don’t get applied as quickly as desired. I think we have to assume that the Linux kernel will be compromised. Therefore the regular user applications can’t be run against a kernel that has direct hardware access.

It seems to me that the best way to go is to have the Linux kernel run in a virtual environment such as Xen or KVM. That means you have a hypervisor (Xen+Linux or Linux+KVM+QEMU) that controls the hardware and creates the environment for the OS image that the user interacts with. The hypervisor could create multiple virtual machines for different levels of data in a similar manner to the NSA NetTop project, not that this is really a required part of solving the general secure Internet terminal problem but as it would be a tiny bit of extra work you might as well do it.

One problem with using a hypervisor is that the video hardware tends to want to use features such as bus-mastering to give best performance. Apparently KVM has IOMMU support so it should be possible to grant a virtual machine enough hardware access to run 3D graphics at full speed without allowing it to break free.

Maintaining the Virtual Machine Image

Google has a good design for the ChromiumOS in terms of security [4]. They are using CGroups [5] to control access to device nodes in jails, RAM, CPU time, and other resources. They also have some intrusion detection which can prompt a user to perform a hardware reset. Some of the features would need to be implemented in a different manner for a full desktop system but most of the Google design features would work well.

For an OS running in a virtual machine when an intrusion is detected it would be best to have the hypervisor receive a message by some defined interface (maybe a line of text printed on the “console”) and then terminate and restart the virtual machine. Dumping the entire address space of the virtual machine would be a good idea too, with typical RAM sizes at around 4G for laptops and desktops and typical storage sizes at around 200G for laptops and 2T for new desktops it should be easy to store a few dumps in case they are needed.

The amount of data received by a typical ADSL link is not that great. Apart from the occasional big thing (like downloading a movie or listening to Internet radio for a long time) most data transfers are from casual web browsing which doesn’t involve that much data. A hypervisor could potentially store the last few gigabytes of data that were received which would then permit forensic analysis if the virtual machine was believed to be compromised. With cheap SATA disks in excess of 1TB it would be conceivable to store the last few years of data transfer (with downloaded movies excluded) – but such long-term storage would probably involve risks that would outweigh the rewards, probably storing no more than 24 hours of data would be best.

Finally in terms of applying updates and installing new software the only way to do this would be via the hypervisor as you don’t want any part of the virtual machine to be able to write to it’s data files or programs. So if the user selects to install a new application then the request “please install application X” would have to be passed to the hypervisor. After the application is installed a reboot of the virtual machine would be needed to apply the change. This is a common experience for mobile phones (where you even have to reboot if the telco changes some of their network settings) and it’s something that MS-Windows users have become used to – but it would get a negative reaction from the more skilled Linux users.

Would this be Accepted?

The question is, if we built this would people want to use it? The NetTop functionality of having two OSs interchangeable on the one desktop would attract some people. But most users don’t desire greater security and would find some reason to avoid this. They would claim that it lowered the performance (even for aspects of performance where benchmarks revealed no difference) and claim that they don’t need it.

At this time it seems that computer security isn’t regarded as a big enough problem for users. It seems that the same people who will avoid catching a train because one mugging made it to the TV news will happily keep using insecure computers in spite of the huge number of cases of fraud that are reported all the time.

10 comments to Designing a Secure Linux System

  • Andrew D.

    “Presumably this would allow a GPG signature to be checked so that a kernel and initrd would only be used if they came from a known good source. With this feature we could only boot a known good kernel.”

    Wouldn’t shipping a system with this signature verification turned on disable the user from building their own kernel from source and installing it? I would think that would run up against some serious GPL issues.

  • Robert

    I think you’re placing too much confidence in virtualization and/or hypervisors.

    What makes you think that once hypervisors become mainstream they will succeed where operating systems have ‘failed’ (i.e. in securely and reliably separating applications / classes of applications) ? Surely it would be better to make the operating system do the job it was originally designed for properly rather than just pushing the problem up the stack.

  • etbe

    Andrew: It wouldn’t necessarily stop the user, it would depend on the user’s settings. Even if it did that wouldn’t break the GPL, any more than just setting up a system with a password that the user doesn’t know.

    Robert: Firstly hypervisors have a simpler interface which means less avenues of attack and they have less code. So if they have the same code quality as the OS kernel then there will be fewer bugs and fewer ways of trying to exploit them. Next you can’t attack the hypervisor without cracking the virtual OS kernel first. So gaining root on a the real hardware of a system that runs on a virtual machine requires getting root on the VM, cracking the hypervisor application, and then if the part of the hypervisor that was cracked was running without root privs the attacker may need to crack root on the hypervisor kernel.

    Next gaining root can be done by exploiting a daemon which performs actions on behalf of the user. The virtual machine in such a design would have lots of applications installed to create a friendly environment. The hypervisor OS would have a minimum set of installed applications to reduce the risk of bugs.

    Finally it’s not inconceivable to run a different kernel for the hypervisor. Port KVM to OpenBSD and run your user-friendly Linux desktop environment in a virtual machine with the OpenBSD kernel being the final line of defense. No-one criticises the OpenBSD kernel code with regard to security issues!

    In summary I don’t think that hypervisors magically solve anything, but they do add another layer which makes the attack more difficult. The extra layer can be significantly stronger than the other layers.

  • From my experience, the organizations wanting high levels of Confidentiality, etc etc are the ones who would want this mousetrap. I have heard of various groups trying to do this, but they are usually hamstrung by being too small and not able to share out something they themselves invented (they can usually help with something in neutral territory versus another agency and such :)).

  • Oh I wonder how many security considerations about the OpenBSD kernel would go away with a virtual technology embedded in it. It will be interesting if they ever crack that nut.

  • etbe

    Stephen: Well NetTop was an attempt to do such things, it wasn’t that good. My design above could be considered to be the next generation of NetTop. As for Theo’s thoughts on this matter, I’ve already responded to them at the above URL.

  • Robert

    “Firstly hypervisors have a simpler interface which means less avenues of attack and they have less code.”

    True. But surely this is only because inter-partition communication is currently typically very ‘narrowband’. As the need for richer communication between applications/partitions grows (to the point that would be needed in a desktop environment), I bet the same problems will appear.

    “The extra layer can be significantly stronger than the other layers.”

    Ah, but the abstraction interface is also 100x more inappropriate. Having hosts pretending to their applications to be a rather backwards overextended PC design from the 1980s and pretending to have PCI devices and so on seems absurd to me. And I’m also not totally convinced with the idea of adding more layers of indirection to make a cracker’s life more difficult. It reminds me slightly of the reasoning behind security through obscurity.

    Anyway – I’m sure you have much more real world experience of these things than me – I just don’t see virtualization as a security feature, and the current trend to view it as such worries me.

  • Ary Kokos

    2 years ago the french National Research Agency launched a similar project, the SEC&SI project
    The idea was to provide a more secure system for end users which run on a standard computer, and does not rely on specific hardware (like TPM) and based on open source technologies.

    SAFE-OS is similar to the solution you presented here

    There are 3 project :
    – OS^4 by EADS/Supelec: based on Debian + vserver and grsecurity

    – SAFE-OS : based on Debian and Xen, 1 VM per environment (1 for email, 1 for web ; 1 for online tax paying system) (sorry, it is in french but some figure are in english)

    – SPACLik : Gentoo + SELinux

    The project Website, in French (

  • etbe

    This article has appeared on Reddit. A Reddit comment make a comparison with “Paranoid Linux”. It seems that the Paranoid Linux project is dead.

    The above URL discusses Paranoid Linux and it doesn’t seem to have much correlation with what I am proposing. My idea could be implemented by a small distribution for the hypervisor (maybe Debian) and another installation of Linux (it could be Debian or it could be something else like CentOS or Ubuntu LTS) for the virtual machine.

    As Kristin Shoemaker points out in the above URL it’s a lot of work to create a new OS and it’s better to add security features to an existing one. To the outside world my proposal might look like two different Linux systems behind a NAT device or it might look like a single Linux system with Squid caching the package updates.

  • Ary Kokos

    It seems that Johanna R made a very interesting proposal for a secure OS :
    A particular effort is put on protecting against some physical attacks and an easier management and conevniant user interface among many other things


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Network Dictionary – Squashed Sausage Effect

Straight from RFC 6670 (section 3.4):

[…] as is usually the case with communications technologies, simplification in one element of the system introduces an increase (possibly a non-linear one) in complexity elsewhere. This creates the “squashed sausage” effect, where reduction in complexity at one place leads to significant increase in complexity at a remote location.

Hat Tip to for pointing this one out.


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Tag Archives: Capital

EOC Patriarch’s new conference hall and Senegal’s Basilica of Our Lady of Peace: two sides of a coin

24 Apr

It can safely be assumed that several thousands of Ethiopians must have heard about the decision by Patriarch Abune Paulos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) to build a modern mega conference hall, which would cost the Church ETB 206 million ($12 million).
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Gambella villagization — tidbit of truths slowly emerging in defiance of coverups & falsehoods

16 Feb

By Keffyalew Gebremedhin

The objections and criticisms to the resettlement programs in Ethiopia, past and present, are not fostered or designed by someone or a sinister group out there to render Ethiopia squishy because of ideological hostility to the country and its leaders, as the prime minister on 8 February 2012 alluded in parliament during the question and answer session. Also it is not based on opposition by the international community to settlements per se, i.e., as if it were a taboo of sorts.
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Ralph Bown

Born: 1891
Died: 29 July 1971

Ralph Bown was born in Fairport, NY in 1891. He received an M.E., M.M.E., and Ph.D., degrees from Cornell University, where he also taught in the physics department. He then served as a captain in the Signal Corps in World War I.  In 1919, he joined the development and research department of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. With that department, he went to the Bell Laboratories in 1934.

Much of Dr. Bown's work was concerned with various aspects of radio broadcasting and ship-to-shore and overseas telephony. His efforts to improve long-distance communication resulted in many communications patents.  As Bell research director in 1948, Dr. Bown led the press conference that announced the invention of the transistor. Bown’s service to the company was recognized by his being made of vice president of Bell Telephone Laboratories before his 1956 retirement.

Bown also used his talents to assist the military. He was a division member and consultant of the National Defense Research Committee, specializing in radar, and in 1941 visited England to study radar operations under combat conditions. He also served as an expert consultant to the Secretary of War.

Dr. Bown was internationally recognized for his pioneering research and development work in the field of communications engineering. He received the IRE Morris Liebmann Memorial Prize in 1926, and served as President of the Institute in 1927. In 1949, he received the IRE Medal of Honor, "for his extensive contributions to the field of radio and for his leadership in Institute affairs."

Dr. Bown was married and he and his wife, Alma, had two sons and nine grandchildren. Bown died on 29 July 1971, at the age of 80.


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European Commission

Brussels, 23 October 2013

EU-Moldova: with I. Leancă about Vilnius Summit and beyond

Strasbourg (23rd October) - Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, met with Prime Minister of Moldova Iurie Leancă in Strasbourg today.

They discussed the preparations for the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius next month. Commissioner Füle reaffirmed EU's commitment to the agreed target: initialling the Association Agreement, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area in Vilnius on 29th November. The initialling of the Association Agreement is an important precondition for signing this treaty next year still within the term of the current Commission. "This agreement represents a qualitative leap forward towards real transformation. Vilnius will be a Summit that delivers not only declarations but also on concrete deeds, bringing the most effective transformative instrument after enlargement to the Eastern Neighbourhood." he said.

The visa liberalisation calendar was discussed and Commissioner Füle welcomed the progress achieved so far. The next Commission report, which will be released in November, will set the scene for the way forward.

On the external pressure on Moldova Commissioner Füle recalled that the pressure was incompatible with EU principles. The EU has demonstrated its solidarity already and will continue to stand by Moldova. Before the end of this year there will be no more quotas on imports of Moldovan wines to the EU and other similar measures are being discussed for making possible the export to the EU of products of animal origin.

Commissioner Füle also stressed that the root causes of political instability in the country remain to be addressed and at the same time Moldova needs to focus on political and institutional reforms. Constitutional reform, deep judicial reform, the fight against corruption and improvement of the business climate are of the essence and cannot wait any longer.

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Viviane Reding

Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship

Strengthening trust in transatlantic relations: the importance of privacy

Atlantic Council

Washington D.C., 9 July 2010

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to be here today and speak at the opening of the workshop "Bridging the Gap: Transatlantic Homeland Security and Privacy."

I feel particularly privileged to address the Atlantic Council – a renowned think tank stimulating dialogue and promoting consensus on major issues facing the Atlantic Alliance and transatlantic relations. Promoting constructive solutions to transatlantic issues has been a constant goal since the early days of my political career as member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. As member of the European Parliament (for ten years) and as European Commissioner since 1999, I have continued to reinforce the transatlantic common market with concrete actions.

Today I am in Washington for the first time as Vice-President of the European Commission and as EU Justice Commissioner to seek ways to set the foundations for a robust transatlantic partnership in the field of justice.

The European Union and the United States enjoy the most successful and integrated partnership in the world. It is robust and successful because it is built upon values such as the rule of law, democracy, freedom, solidarity, economic freedom and stability. And as it is a relationship based on the same values it is destined to be successful and win-win.

Ours is also a multi-layered relationship built upon a solid transatlantic market which, despite the current crisis, remains by far the biggest economic area in the world. It generates close to 4 trillion euros in total commercial sales a year and employs up to 14 million workers on both sides of the Atlantic.

This level of economic integration, along with our convergence of values, constitutes a strong foundation on which to build our partnership further.

A partnership which will be even stronger thanks to the recent constitutional changes in the European Union. The new Lisbon Treaty reinforces the Union’s ability to speak with one voice in a stable institutional setting. We now have a permanent President of the European Council – speaking for 27 Heads of State or Government – a High Representative for external affairs, and following this morning's vote in the European Parliament we will set up a common European diplomatic service in the coming months. We also have a reinforced President of the European Commission representing the common interest of a whole continent. And we have a more assertive European Parliament (with powers comparable to those of the U.S. Congress) that completes the new institutional setting, empowering the European Union authority to conduct business in many different areas from economic governance to building a common area of justice, freedom and security.

The new Treaty has also reinforced values and rights in the European Union by giving concrete meaning to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. This "Bill of Rights" applies to all individuals. This, by the way, also includes US citizens in Europe. In the EU, fundamental rights are guaranteed for every individual, regardless of nationality or place of residence. The new Charter represents the most modern codification of fundamental rights in the world. It is the compass guiding all EU policies and actions.

Tomorrow morning, I will deposit a copy of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the National Archives. This symbolic gesture in the "Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom" will show to the American people that 500 million Europeans share a common history built on common values.

With the EU now equipped with stronger institutions, new authorities and a whole new fundamental rights sphere of law, policy makers across the Atlantic can now take a quantum leap and work towards a stronger transatlantic partnership.

Let me take today’s topic as a concrete example. The current debate on the issues of data protection and privacy is a real opportunity for policy makers in Europe and in the U.S. to reach an overarching agreement on data protection in order to bridge the existing differences on the application of privacy rights. And the two continents will show the world how they can join in the interests of their citizens while reinforcing security and rights.

This morning’s overwhelmingly positive vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the TFTP (Terrorist Financing Tracking Programme) marks a new era of trust between the U.S. and Europe. But the elected representatives of 500 million Europeans also made it clear that the real work has yet to begin. With its vote the European Parliament has given the US an advance in trust, by setting a clear time limit for working on a general agreement on transatlantic data protection. This should be done at the same time as the work on the PNR (Passenger Name Record) agreement continues. The PNR agreement is only applied provisionally; it is still subject to a vote by the European Parliament. These uncertainties need to be resolved; these differences need to be bridged.

It is my determination to end this piecemeal approach. That is why, within my first few months in office in Brussels, I worked on a mandate to start negotiations with the US on an umbrella data protection agreement. The aim is clear: to provide legal certainty to data transfers by ensuring that all these transfers are subject to high standards of data protection on both sides of the Atlantic. EU Member States are currently discussing the fine print of the Commission's proposal before negotiations can officially start. This will be done swiftly and I am confident that the green light will be given in the coming months.

I am therefore here in Washington for exploratory talks with the US Administration (including my counterparts in the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security as well as the White House). I am joined by Ms. Françoise Le Bail who is the Director General of the newly created EU Justice Department and who will be the EU team's chief negotiator. She has my full confidence to lead these negotiations successfully.

Past negotiations on the transfer of passenger data (PNR) or the more recent talks on the transfer of financial transaction data for the purposes of the TFTP have shown how difficult it is to find mutually acceptable standards and practice for the protection of personal data.

For years experts have been discussing the usefulness of having an international agreement between the European Union and the U.S. based on high standards for the protection of personal data to prevent and prosecute crime. There were many talks but little political will. This has to change.

The EU and the U.S. are both committed to the protection of personal data and privacy, even if our systems for doing so are not identical. Removing protection gaps and discrepancies between the two legal systems and thereby improving legal certainty and reaching a high level of protection for any individual are the goals for this new agreement.

It should become the reference agreement for personal data protection standards that apply whenever personal data needs to be transferred across the Atlantic for the purposes of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. In addition to providing legal certainty and a high level of protection, such an agreement would also save time and energy in any future negotiation of data transfer agreements because these talks would be based on the umbrella agreement.

You might ask yourself why we need to replace bilateral cooperation with EU Member States with a European-wide agreement. It is simply because of the joint obligations under the new Lisbon Treaty, the Charter of Fundamental Rights (which contains a specific article – article 8 – the right to personal data protection), and the constitutional rules of EU Member States.

Privacy and personal data protection are not only about the protection of individuals against interference from the state. Beyond the "right to be left alone", well-known in the US, these fundamental rights are intrinsically linked with the core of human dignity and self-determination, notably the right of every individual to decide on the disclosure and use of his or her personal data. The experience of dictatorship and oppression during the 20th century in many European countries may explain why this issue is so important to us.

You may also ask – what's in it for the US? What benefits will the future data protection agreement yield for Americans? My aim is to reach a win-win situation for both the EU and the U.S. I want to negotiate a data protection agreement that contains all the necessary high level data protection standards, with obligations for data controllers and rights for data subjects, as well as mechanisms to ensure the application of those standards. This should become a complete self-contained set of rules. The U.S. would feel the benefits immediately since high data protection standards would guarantee legal certainty and facilitate data transfers to and from the U.S. much more easily than is currently possible.

I know that the negotiations will not be easy; most of all when we touch upon key issues that are at the core of our respective legal systems. We may well have to involve our legislators to get the deal done.

It will be challenging, but necessary if we want to eliminate a thorny obstacle in transatlantic relations.

Pressure from our citizens to ensure the protection of their fundamental rights to privacy and personal data (in particular in the context of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters) is steadily growing and the obligations of the EU Treaty and of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights are there to remind us that the citizens have a point.

With the strong approval of the TFTP in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this morning the elected representatives of the EU citizens gave the U.S. an advance in trust. We have to turn this trust into reality. The US has a strong tradition of fighting for civil liberties. We share the goal of protecting citizens’ right to privacy. Now we have to join the American Bill of Rights with the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. Europe and the U.S. have to seize the opportunity of a solid agreement on data protection to bring new dynamism to the transatlantic partnership and agree on a ‘gold’ standard that would set the tone for the rest of the world. I look forward to begin working along these lines with my American friends and counterparts.

Thank you.

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Friday, June 16, 2006

Round 3

And now, after 20 male textual critics (and a further 10 on Stephen Carlson's blog) I can present you with 10 who are female. All of these deal or dealt with text-critical matters, though one of the images shows what I believe to be someone not generally judged competent in such issues. One of the pictures is of a Classical textual critic.

  1. AnonymousJune 16, 2006

    #4 is Gail Riplinger, exposer of those pesky new age Bible versions.

  2. Well done, anon. I thought that she would be the last one to be recognised—being the only one who would not generally be considered to have expertise in textual criticism.

  3. AnonymousJune 16, 2006

    True, but then again, those who make the most noise sometimes get the most recognition, whether they deserve it or not.

  4. Well done Pete.

    Some general comments. Firstly, the contemporary ladies seem a very happy lot. More smile than the men that is for sure.
    Secondly, three have been photographed against shelves of books - an obvious sign of insecurity - obviously based on trying to make it in a man's world.
    Thirdly, only 3/10 need spectacles. This may be a vanity issue I suppose, but contrasts with the men in the previous collection (6/10 had glasses, 1/10 obviously should have had).
    Fourthly, number two is too alluring to be a biblical text critic.

  5. #5 Kim Haines-Eitzen

    #9 Barbara Aland

    #10 Beate Köster

  6. AnonymousJune 16, 2006

    "one of the images shows what I believe to be someone not generally judged competent in such issues".
    Really? ........... Only one?

  7. In some kind of post-modern feminist trickery is the size of the photo in a quasi-inverse proportion to their standing in the field?

  8. No. 6 is Amy Anderson ( The Textual Tradition of the Gospels: Family 1 in Matthew, Brill, 2004)

    That's one of my favorite TC books.

  9. What is a 'pesky new age Bible version'? ESV? NIVI? NKJV?

  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  11. Stephen,

    yes, I was too fast on the button and forgot to indicate the number. Here is an interesting read about her dissertation and another image of her (and the dissertation):

    Since #1 and #7 look alike I suggest they are Margaret Dunlop Gibson with her twin sister Agnes Lewis Smith, but I don't know which is which.

  12. No. 7 is an imposter. Just dressing up to look the same as the more famous No. 1.

  13. ETCDPC ChairJune 16, 2006

    This blog scores highly on the ETCGII* scale. Unfortunately we cannot say the same about all the comments.

    *Evangelical Textual Criticism Gender Inclusivity Index (as agreed by the ETCGIC* in Jan 2006).

    *Evangelical Textual Criticism Gender Inclusivity Committee (as constituted by the PCRCETC* in Dec 2005).

    *Political Correctness Review Committee of the ETC (formed to enact the recommendations of the ETCDPC* in Nov 2005).

    Evangelical Textual Criticism Doctrinal Purity Committee.

  14. AnonymousJune 16, 2006

    Peter Head said: "What is a pesky new age Bible version?"

    According to Riplinger, it's any modern Bible translation that is either based on the UBS/NA text, or which makes sympathetic footnote references to it. Bottom line: only the version used by the Apostle Paul is acceptable- you know, the KJV.

  15. Isn't #3 Jenny Read-Heimerdinger?

  16. James M. LeonardJune 16, 2006

    Where's Silva New?

    Yes, and again, the Amy Anderson book is a great read.

  17. Riplinger was the only one I could identify. But that was just on a hunch (something about her made me think this one looked more like a home economics profesor than a text-critic--which I had read was true of Gail Riplinger). I had to do a google image search to verify it.

    Karen Jobes and Tessa Rejak are not on the list. But, I suppose, niether of them are known especially for textual criticism proper so much as LXX studies in general.

  18. What is a 'pesky new age Bible version'? ESV? NIVI? NKJV?

    There's really only one safe answer: any Bible that doesn't read "corrupt the word of God" in 2 Corinthians 2:7, does.

    And footnotes that even admit the existence of alternate readings are just as pesky.

    Unless they were inserted before 1770.

  19. AnonymousJune 16, 2006

    Marginal note in 1611 KJV to 2 Corinthians 2:17:
    For wee are not as many which [deale deceitfully with] the word of God

  20. Of course I've had to omit many: Caroline Hammond Bammel, Karen Jobes, Tessa Rajak, Silva New, etc.

    People seem to be having most problem with #8 (the Classicist) and #2, who corresponded about TC with a church father.

  21. #2: corresponded with a Church father about TC.

    Marcella? (corresponded with Jerome about various matters incl tc) [I thought she was a widow]

    Could be other candidates among Jerome's female correspondents.

    Good photo from that long ago.

  22. Ah. Paula:

    But which of Jerome's letters to Paula discuss textual criticism?

  23. #8 may be a classicist, but she has published on biblical manuscripts, on Tischendord, and on Erasmus.

  24. Now, how shall we tell these two sisters apart?
    If the photos were taken at the same time then it would seem to me that #1 is older. Does anyone agree with that?

  25. Well done, Peter. Of course Paula was not a textual critic at the time this image depicts (she weareth not the garb of a textual critic). However, subsequently upon her move to Palestine she founded monasteries, and I therefore presume that she oversaw copying of texts. At least her nuns used to have to learn the Psalms and Paula so mastered Hebrew as to be able to read the Psalms in Hebrew without trace of a Latin accent. Most of the details are in Jerome's Ad Eustochium, i.e. Ep. 108.

  26. OK, I was wrong, these sisters were twins, so let's scrap trying to identify them by age.

    How about:

    #1: Dr. Agnes Smith Lewis (PhD., LL.D., D.D., Litt.D.)

    #7: Dr. Margaret Dunlop Gibson (LL.D., D.D., Litt.D.) the images of the portraits here seem better than the ones posted, and make the dear women seem a bit less severe.

    This page notes that 'Although they lived in Cambridge and contributed energetically to the academic debate, their scholarship did not receive any official recognition by the University of Cambridge.' The same could not, I think, be said of #8.

  27. Notice their link to Rendel Harris!

  28. OK, I'll relieve the suspense. # 8 is Pat Easterling. Formerly Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Cambridge. Taught palaeography of Greek manuscripts (which is where I met her; possibly PJW may have had lectures from her in his classics days). As I said, published on Erasmus' knowledge of palaeography (he didn't know anything); and on Tischendorf's manuscripts (which were purchased and reside in the University Library).

  29. Agnes was the elder of the Smith twins, and Margaret always lived in her shadow. 'How very inconsiderate of Maggie' was Agnes' reaction when her younger sister died first, leaving her alone for the first time in 78 years. They had even shared a bed except during their brief marriages, and each accompanied the other on their honeymoon.


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And, the number one thing to do with AOL CDs is...

Send them to the pros! These semi-sane people plan to collect 1,000,000 (that's 106) AOL CDs and deliver them via <unknown methods> to AOL's headquarters. They're almost 10% of the way there...they may never make it. But it's a noble cause, and we must all support them. If you have a box of 400 AOL CDs you jacked from a bookstore, I highly recommend sending them to:

No More AOL CDs!
1601 Navellier St.
El Cerrito CA, 94530

Note that 204 CDs would put you on the list of top 20 contributors.

The extremely amusing if poorly designed website:

This site has features including creative uses for AOL CDs, anti-AOL haiku, and hilarious pictures of immense, snake-like strings of CDs in storage. They used to have some sound clips of AOL CDs being broken, microwaved, skeet-shot, etc. They were supposed to satisfy your urge to do these things to the CDs so you would send them in instead. I don't know what happened to that page, but I still have all the clips on my hard drive if anybody wants/needs them!

Fantastic quotes from the website:

From the main page:

"Please don't send us jokes about coasters; we've heard them all."
From the rants page (/pisses_me_off.htm):
"All of the parents at my child's daycare bring the CD's into school and they use them for arts & crafts, which includes breaking, scratching, coloring & poking holes in them. When she is out of daycare, I am sending them to you.

A haiku:
"I love AOL
They mail me their great CDs
For me to poop on!

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text:
Immersion syndrome, commonly called trench foot, is an injury caused by exposure of the feet to wet conditions at cold temperatures above freezing, but below about 10ºC. Trench foot got its name during the first world war, because massive numbers of soldiers living in cold, muddy trenches fell casualty to the condition. Cold, wet conditions cause a reduction of circulation to the feet, and tissue damage/death can occur. At first, the feet are merely cold and numb, without pain. As the condition progresses, tingling and burning pain occur, and the feet begin to swell. Skin color changes form pale and mottled at first to dark blue, purple, or gray. Blisters and bleeding may occur at later stages, and if left untreated, gangrene results and the foot may be lost.

To treat trench foot, gently wash and dry the feet and rewarm gradually by exposure to warm, dry air. Do not immerse in warm water or rub the feet as this will lead to further injury. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Trench foot can be prevented by taking measures to keep the feet dry in cold conditions. Change wet shoes and socks as soon as possible. Socks should be changed at least once per day. Antiperspirant can be applied to the feet to prevent wetting from perspiration.

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The Theory

We have long passed making children’s toys and now can concentrate on serious business.

It was once said that videogames by their nature cannot be art. Now that Flower has done away with that prejudice and the Citizen Kane of videogames, Portal, is extant, we can collectively look at the art form critically.

To view videogames critically is a new approach, but only because videogames themselves are so very new. From the beginning the the critical frame work was setup in the form of reviews in many gaming magazines (most now represented by online counterparts) and now they are judged in the same way movies and books are.

The primary benefit of videogames to other forms of art is that they let the player be other people. To finally take the second personyou” and incorporate it into a story. Literature has long struggled with this, there are a few stories written in the second person, but they’re gimmicky and often come across as an insecure first person narration. Videogames, however, have many more second person narratives than first. In videogames, first and third (I and him) are really just you and you alone. All videogames except for RTS and god games are you games (and a strong case can be made for RTS and god-view games being second person as well). This ability to place a person in a foreign personal space is very great. The novel perhaps surpasses the videogame in empathizing with characters, but the level of removal from the subject is unavoidable because the reader is never in direct control of the protagonist. I do not wish to say that videogames are better than novels, or paintings, or any other art form, only that they like all art have their own unique strengths and weaknesses.

Like all art, videogames have both good and bad examples. The below is inspired by two things. One is a particularly bad game that I played recently, itself violating rules 7, 24, and 25. The other is The Elements of Style, a work whose influence is plain in the following.

The following are either rules governing playability, player irritation, or bad form and are in their respective sections.

Basic Rules

    Rules Governing Playability

1. Make game play paramount

Do not sacrifice game play for anything including story or style as those can rarely support a game alone. Indeed there are games without any story that do just fine and style can often be distracting. Both can enhance a game but they should never be more important than the game play.

2. Do not release a buggy game

Bugs, or programming errors, are the typos of the videogame world. They should be actively pursued and destroyed. Much like typos in books, bugs in games can slow down, halt, or if egregious enough force players to quit entirely. Catch bugs before release and do not rely on patches to fix a broken game. Remember, it is not the job of the reader to catch the mistakes of the author, likewise it is not the player’s job to find errors by the programmer.

3. Controls should be intuitive

Do not force the player to fight the joystick, keyboard, or game pad. The conventions for how controls work are well-established. Follow them.

4. Avoid complicated menus

Menus should be clearly labeled and easy to navigate. If the player cannot find how to cast spells or save his game, he will likely abandon it for Tetris.

5. Use a consistent save system

Make sure the player knows how the save system works and that it does not frustrate him. There are many types of save systems ranging from check points to collectible power-ups. Whether saves are collectible or not, rare or not, make sure their frequency is consistent.

6. Place saves both before and after boss fights, puzzles, and difficult areas

Do not force the player to defeat a boss and then have to re-fight it because he was killed by an orc two seconds later.

7. Do not let the game’s seams show

Wherever possible avoid invisible walls, glitches out backgrounds, faulty AI, clipping errors, messed up palettes or anything else that interrupts the fictional reality of the game world.

    Rules to avoid player irritation

8. Do not force a player to backtrack

If a player must return to an area he has already cleared make it interesting to do so.

9. Do not lead the player

Flashing icons leading the way between goals is evidence of game designers underestimating their audience. That said:

10. Level design shouldn’t be confusing

Make it hard for the player to become lost.

11. Eschew escort missions

There are few examples of good escort missions. Half-Life 2: Episode 1 is an entire escort mission that is successful, but in general the player would rather not have to baby-sit his AI buddies.

12. Eschew training levels

Training levels should be kept short or dropped entirely in favor of a natural learning curve. Give new weapons, powers, and abilities non-dangerous obstacles to overcome and slowly ramp up the challenges they are needed for. Do not make training levels mandatory as they are boring to replay.

13. Make cut-scenes skip-able

Do not force players to watch cut-scenes. They are not playing for the game for the story. Some games make their cut-scenes un-skip-able for the first play through only, but this is a weak and deplorable compromise.

14. All dialogue in dialogue trees should be skip-able

Do not bore your players with dialogue they’ve already read.

15. Be wary of quick time events

Unless they are a fundamental aspect of game play, quick time events are best left on the cutting room floor.

16. Be wary of water levels

Any section of a game that dramatically changes the controls including, but not limited to water areas, antigravity locks, and vehicle sections should be used sparingly.

17. Have a sensible difficulty curves

Follow Freitag's Triangle to a crisis moment. Earlier levels should be easier than later levels and the difficulty should increase at a steady pace, not shoot up or down unpredictably.

18. Do not make minigames mandatory

Minigames should never be necessary to open doors or get through areas.

19. Do not overpower the player

To keep dramatic tension, the player character should be equal to the threat presented. If he is too weak, the game will be too hard and frustrating. If he is too strong, the game will cease to be a challenge. Cheat codes are recommend for gamers who wish to breeze through levels.

20. Allow small breathing areas after hard areas

This allows the player to rest after difficult sections and prevents him from being overwhelmed. This can be accomplished with a puzzle area or bonus room. Likewise, slow areas should be broken up with action segments.

21. Make early enemies easy to kill

Do not have a basic enemy take forty hits later in the game. Early enemies should, by the end of the game, be very easy to defeat thus preventing the player from feeling like he is slogging toward the ending.

22. Take control out of the player’s hands as little as possible

Such shifts are often jarring, whether it be a cut-scene to show a door opening or other change in point of view.

23. Do not kill off a point of view character to advance the plot

This makes the player wonder why he can’t load a saved game to get out of one particular death just like the many other deaths he has experienced up to this point.

24. Do not make the player repeat the same puzzle twice

This is tedious. Vary puzzles of similar themes enough to avoid boring the player. Do not use a mirror image of an earlier puzzle to increase game time.

25. Use timed puzzles sparingly

Timed puzzles, especially hard ones, lend themselves to backtracking. Repeated failures become exceedingly frustrating.

26. Use pleasing voice actors

Also known as Avoid Irritating Characters Unless the Player gets to Kill Them.

27. Do not overstock or under-stock power-ups

Too many items, ammo, or weapons scattered in the game world can make the game too easy, likewise too few items can make the game too hard.

    Rules to avoid bad form

28. Do not copy and paste areas

This is the hallmark of laziness.

29. Do not release a rushed game

Take all necessary time to make a game. Do not release an unfinished project.

30. Pay attention to ports

If ported to another system, make sure the game is still playable. A gamer for a console deserves the same experience as a gamer on a computer, especially if they paid equal amounts of money for the game.

I would suggest that knowing why such things are rules is more beneficial than the rules themselves.


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Running, Training, and Motivation

on Feb 1, 13 • by • with 2 Comments

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Home » Evolving Health » Running, Training, and Motivation

I’ve been training for a half-marathon for the past month. It’s been great!

Okay back-up. It has been hard. And challenging. And so much more than I imagined. I’m pumped up and worn out all at the same time. I’m trying to fit all the same things into my day with the addition of training. Scheduling runs worked out great at first, but when your husband is on kid duty during your runs and his work schedule blows up it makes finding time to run difficult. But the point of this isn’t to complain or campaign for sympathy.

I’ve completed all of my training runs and I’m feeling good. Really good. I picked a training program with lots of small steps instead of  one of those 12-week programs that start hot and heavy and don’t stop with the hot and heavy until race day. I wanted a gradual climb to 13.1 miles. After all, before a few weeks ago I really hadn’t run in over a year and a half.

I have some good music loaded on my iPod.

I have a good for me training program.

I have settled on a new more family friendly training schedule, that let’s Luke work the hours he needs to work without my runs getting in the way.

I even have a new pair of shoes and some new socks- that I’m breaking in slowly- to help keep me injury free.

So what am I missing? Rewards. Yes, I know accomplishing training runs and eventually accomplishing the BIG goal are rewards, but in the middle of those long runs- especially on distance building weeks- I need something to look forward to. I need a little pat on the back. A small payment for my effort. Yes, the run is a reward in itself, but…

For a while I couldn’t figure out a suitable answer. Then about a week ago after making it to the gym about a half hour later than my normal scheduled time only to find that I’d apparently arrived just after every other person in the world I decided to walk next door to the Office Depot instead of stand at the back of the row of treadmills and stare at people’s behinds waiting for them to finish for what I was sure would be forever. I like office supplies. While wandering through the aisles of goodies I came across the big Sharpie display with all sorts of colored markers in all sorts of styles. It was like a sign. A bright beautiful sign. I love Sharpies. So then and there I decided after completing each week’s long run, and effectively capping off my week, I get to sashay next door to the land of Sharpies and pick out a new color for my Sharpie collection. I’m so geeky excited it’s silly. Apparently Sharpies are my currency and I plan to pay myself when I’ve earned it. May fifth I’ll have a half-marathon under my belt and more than a dozen new sharpies to make my heart go pitter-patter.

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2 Responses to Running, Training, and Motivation

  1. Jenna says:

    I’m earning my half marathon outfit. Because I’m a weirdo. ;)

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Electrical distributors vexed by the relentless need to continually tweak their websites for viewing with multiple browsers have a new challenge: the 2009 release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 is expected to wreak havoc on some websites.

Apparently, I.E. 8's roll-out, which began in mid-March, “may cause content written for previous versions of Internet Explorer to display differently than intended,” according Nick MacKechnie, a senior technical account manager for Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash.

The impending disruption probably would have been even worse in the heyday of Internet Explorer, when the browser was pretty much the only game in town. But even without complete market dominance, the change-over is expected to have a major impact. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of all PCs still use Internet Explorer as their primary browser as of December, 2008, according to a study by market watcher Net Applications (NA) (www.netapplications.com).

While rival browsers are gaining steadily, they're still far back in the pack. Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft's primary challenger, still only has a 21 percent market share, according to NA's study. And the Apple Safari browser clocks in at just under 8 percent. Meanwhile, Google's much-touted Chrome browser, released last year, barely makes a blip with just a one percent share of the market.

“With Internet Explorer 8, we are delivering a browser that gets people to the information they need, fast and provides protection that no other browser can match,” says Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO.

The anticipated problems with I.E. 8 are the result of a fundamental shift at Microsoft. The company has decided to adhere to international web design standards set by the web design community at large with the latest version of I.E. That's a major break from its previous stance, which was trying to bully designers into accepting I.E. as the de facto global standard.

Over the long term, Microsoft's change of heart is expected to reap real savings for companies and make life much easier for web designers. Coders will be able to spend more time designing, and less time making special tweaks for I.E. idiosyncrasies. Standards-compliant sites are expected to take less revenue to produce, to download quicker and be easier to optimize for the search engines.

Still, getting from here to there may be a tad painful.

“What's going to happen is that a lot of sites coded for I.E. will not work in I.E. 8,” says Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing With Web Standards, second edition, and a globally recognized standards guru. “Not only will layouts look wonky; scripting will also change.”

In plain language, that means all those request-for-quote forms you may use on your site could stop working. Website user forums and feedback forms may also cause some trouble. And much of the rich media you may be using in the design could simply stop working.

Zeldman puts it bluntly: “If you write I.E.-only scripts, your site will break.”

Electrical distributors that regularly use applications requiring access via a web portal could also be in for headaches. The sites providing those web-based applications could also stop working properly, and could take weeks or months to fix if the service providers decide to play catch up rather than being proactive about the I.E. 8 roll-out.

The take-away? Unearthing how bad the carnage will be at your own site will hinge on your webmaster's design philosophy. Sites based primarily on web standards and only tweaked for the previous versions of I.E may only face extremely minor problems, if any at all. But sites specifically designed to work in previous versions of I.E., with no regard to web standards whatsoever, could face major snafus.

Fortunately, Microsoft does have a short-term, quick fix for the afflicted. “We have provided a meta-tag usable on a per-page or per-site level to maintain backwards compatibility with Internet Explorer 7,” MacKechnie says. “Adding this tag instructs Internet Explorer 8 to render content like it did in Internet Explorer 7, without requiring any additional changes.”

If your website forms are primarily used by your own sales force and other in-house users, you can delay the trouble a bit. Firms that would rather not deal with a dead-of-the-night automatic update to I.E. 8 on their PCs can stop that change in its tracks with Microsoft's Internet Explorer Blocker Toolkit (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=21687628-5806-4ba6-9e4e-8e224ec6dd8c&displaylang=en).

Once protected, all PCs using the blocker above will remain on I.E. 7 until the organization decides to upgrade. The best bet may be to install the blocker ASAP. As many of us have learned the hard way, once installed, Microsoft's automatic updates are often tough to reverse, and in some cases, irreversible. This doesn't solve the problem for outside users — such as your customers — who upgrade to I.E. 8, however.

Over the long term, the solution to the release I.E. 8 will be for every electrical distributor to design and maintain their sites based on the standards created by the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C — the globally recognized Web standards body, according to Zeldman.

Many industry sites are already W3C compliant, and most likely will not be among the distorted as I.E. 8 rolls out. For example, the website for Midwest Electrical Trade Show (hwww.metsshow.com) is badged as W3C compliant, as is the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida (http://www.cba.ufl.edu/purc/research/energy.asp), and the North Dakota Public Service Commission (http://www.psc.state.nd.us/jurisdiction/electricity-consinfo.html).

The W3C offers two free online tools that validate web standards compliance, one for the site's hypertext (HTML) (http://validator.w3.org/), and another for its style-sheets (CSS) (http://jigsaw.w3.org/css- validator/).

Zeldman has also released his own Web Standards Advisor validator, designed to work with Dreamweaver, one of the more popular website authoring tools. “The Web Standards Advisor is great for the designer who is climbing aboard the web standards design train,” Zeldman says. “But it's also surprisingly useful for the advanced coder. I found mistakes in my own web site with the tool,” he adds.

Additional help is also being offered by Microsoft, which has released a cornucopia of online tools created to help companies understand, adapt to and monitor I.E. 8's coming roll-out. Those include:

Electrical distributors who get ahead of the curve and modify their sites to be standards-compliant will have the advantage of seeing their sites rendered properly, not only in I.E. 8, but in any standards-compliant web browser their customers may choose to use.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan. Voice: (646) 233-4089. Email: joe@joedysart.com. Web: www.joedysart.com.


text:
Ace The USMLE Step 1 Exam - 6 Tips For Success

in Exam

If you are currently getting ready to prepare for the USMLE Step 1 exam, then you have surely heard plenty of advice from those who have either taken the exam already or who are also in the midst of preparing. The key to success on the Step 1 exam is to follow smart principles of exam preparation, and not to follow any study "fad" that others are recommending.

The other key is to study hard and in a way that has helped you achieve success in the past. If your friend says to study a certain way because they scored a 250, but you don't like to study that way because you don't learn well, then don't do it; just because something works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for others. Stick to some sound basics for exam prep and you will increase your chances of doing the best you possibly can.

Use the following six tips to ensure you are adequately prepared:

1 - Use your class time wisely

Take note of the high-yield information your professors point out, because they have practiced and they know what will show up or not. Take note of these clues and jot them down in a workbook.

2 - Start using question banks early

Qbanks are not just for the couple months before your exam, start using them early so you have more time to absorb and learn the information properly, instead of cramming them in for a few weeks before the exam.

3 - Don't skip your rest

Studying too much and resting too little will severely disturb your ability to move the information into your long-term memory. The more you rest the better you will perform on your class tests and on the USMLE, this is scientifically proven so be sure to make time to rest adequately.

4 - Take your nutrition seriously

What you put into your body will show up on the outside, so be sure to include quality foods into your diet, as the fuel you eat will power your studying and your ability to work hard for long hours.

5 - Get a Step 1 study guide and use it together with your class notes

When you do this, you will start to recognize what is high-yield and what is not. When you learn this early, you will start to recognize patterns and this will help guide your USMLE study preparation better than simply doing it with one source alone.

6 - Base your Step 1 prep based on your class performance

If you are scoring well on your class exams this is a good indication, meaning you may not need as much time to prepare for the big test. If on the other hand you are not doing very well on your class exams, this will indicate the need for more prep time for the Step 1 exam. If this is the case, simply give yourself more time to prepare, as you definitely do not want to rush this exam and hurt your chances for success.

Do you want a Step 1 study guide written by someone who has recently taken and aced the exam?

Grab a copy of The USMLE Step 1 BIBLE by clicking HERE

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Jeffrey Anderson, MD has 1 articles online

Jeff Anderson is a medical doctor and medical educator.

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This article was published on 2010/11/11


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Bellefontaine Examiner

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Full moon fun

Zanesfield Full Moon Festival organizer Heather Clapsaddle, center right, looks around prior to announcing winners of the costume contest at Helen Wonders Blue Park on Saturday evening. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES)

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Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Page 6 of Addresses delivered in honor of John Marshall Day, by members of the Fayette County Bar, February 4, 1901, Lexington, Ky.

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THE INVOCATION. Bishop Lewis W. Burton then offered the following invocation: 0 God, Thou art the Judge of all the earth! 'Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before Thy face.' We thank Thee for the good example of Thy servant, whom we remember before Thee this day. We praise Thee that, as one of the chief of our tathers, he was a man fearing Thee, and that he finally accepted Thy Son as his divine Savior. To Thee did he owe his well-balanced mind, his intuitive insight into the eternal principles of righteousness, his ability to recognize equity, when others were in doubt, and his steadfastness in the pursuit of justice even in the face of opposition. Thou didst raise him up to these, Thy people, that, in erecting the foundation of our republic, he might 'lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet.' And now we pray Thee that his influence may be potent over this whole land in this, our day, in reviving among us the love of justice and the practice of right- eousness. May the law of our God be in our hearts. Incline our hearts to keep Thy law. May we reverence those set to judge us; and, that they may be worthy of our reverence, enlarge their human limitations; lessen their natural infirmities, and keep them free from igno- rance, prejudice, partisanship and corruption. May our people be a people loving truth and order, respect- ing authority, obedient to law, holding sacred their own and others' rights, and treasuring their priceless, blood- bought inheritance of freedom. May they love Thee, the Lord their God, with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind, and their neighbors as themselves. 6


text:
Actors Write: Carte Blanche's NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL

Theatre Company’s Shorts Festival Featuring work written by local actors

Jul. 21, 2011
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A Carte Blanche Studios show always ends up being something of a surprise in some manner. Quite often the surprise is a pleasant one. With its latest offering, there are far more unknowns than knowns as Carte Blanche presents its “First Annual” New Plays Festival. The festival, which had previously been scheduled the same weekend as the Milwaukee Comedy Festival, has been moved to the following weekend, much to the satisfaction of at least one theatre critic who has been known to enjoy spending an unreasonable amount of time at the Coemdyfest each year . . .

A press release sent out just earlier today gives a something of a picture as to what expect from the fest  . . . the contents of that press release are more or less available on the Carte Blanche website.

The fest includes a number of shows written by particularly talented actors who have frequently worked with Carte Blanche. It’ll be interesting to get some idea as to what they’ve come up with.

A few quick reactions . . .

The first short on the fest (which, like the rest of them, gets repeated a couple of times over the course of the fest) is written by Fools For Tragedy co-founder Jordan Gwiazdowski . . .  judging from his scarce writings on facebook and I believe twitter, Gwiazdowski is one of those individuals who goes to help support y theory hat the best actors are also cleverly expressive in writing. The title of his short Kicking a Dead Baby, couldn’t be more darkly humorous. Sounds weird . .  .

Carte Blanche’s recent Blanche Dubois has work in the fest as well. The title of Katrina Greguska’s My Mother Does Not Want Me sounds appropriately dramatic for an actress with such a flair for performing serious drama onstage. Who knows, though—this could turn out to be a comedy. Here she’s directing something she’s written—kind of a strange experience as I recall from having done it myself years ago

White Porcelain (which doesn’t necessarily HAVE to be about a toilet—it could be abouth ANYTHING, right?) is the latest work to be staged by Jackie Benka—a performer/playwright who also penned Alchemist Theatre’s Jack The Ripper drama a while back.

Puppy Love is written by Emily Craig, who has had a number of memorable turns in nearly every show Carte Blanche has done so far. It’s being directed by Samantha Paige—a talented actress and choreographer. Unless Craig turns out to be a composer in addition to acting (and evidently directing one of the shorts,) I’m guessing there won’t be a chorus line of people dressed as puppies, but who can say for certain?

Carte Blanche’s New Play Festival is now scheduled to happen August 11th- 14th. For reservations, visit Carte Blanche Online.

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text:
Snatch > Exercises > Weightlifts > Exercise

Snatch (side view)

Stand over barbell with balls of feet positioned under bar hip width or slightly wider than hip width apart. Squat down and grip bar with very wide overhand grip. Position shoulders over bar with back arched tightly. Arms are straight with elbows pointed along bar.

Pull bar up off floor by extending hips and knees. As bar reaches knees, back stays arched and maintains same angle to floor as in starting position. When barbell passes knees vigorously, raise shoulders while keeping bar as close to legs as possible. When bar passes upper thighs, allow it to contact thighs. Jump upward extending body. Shrug shoulders and pull barbell upward with arms, allowing elbows to pull up to sides, keeping them over bar as long as possible. Aggressively pull body under bar. Catch bar at arm's length while moving into squat position. As soon as barbell caught on locked out arms in squat position, squat up into standing position with barbell over head.

Bend knees slightly and lower barbell to mid-thigh position. Slowly lower bar with taut lower back and trunk close to vertical. The advanced athlete may unload (drop) bar from completed position. This technique may be practiced to reduce stress or fatigue involved in lowering bar as prescribed. Use rubber weightlifting plates on weightlifting platform if this unloading method is used (unless floor demolition is desired). Also known as Squat Snatch.

 Utility: Power
 Mechanics: Compound
 Force: Pull

Force (Articulation)

The snatch is one coordinated, continuous movement executed with speed. The grip should be wide enough to allow for full squat with bar at arms length over head. Hook grip is used by advanced lifters to maintain grip during snatch. Do not jerk weight from floor; arise steadily then accelerate. The lift is complete when bar is under control over head. Also see:

Main Menu | Exercise & Muscle Directory | Olympic Lifts


text:
Enter To Win (1) of (2) Amazing Vemma Prize Packages

Vemma tagline

Lindsay is a Mother, Wife and Entrepreneur.  Her entrepreneurial days started when she was introduced to a company called Vemma.  She has always been health conscious, and as a result her family has been too.  She is a very busy mom with Lacrosse and Hockey throughout the year (while toting around a now 8 week old baby!) and of course, that means early mornings for tournaments and long evenings for practices.  She relies on the healthy foods and liquids she ingests to make sure she has the energy needed for the day. Vemma was created with health in mind.  Every one of their products is Insanely Healthy and they all taste great too!  And when you purchase a box of Next, children’s liquid vitamins, a box is donated to a family in need so their children have a chance at living a healthy life.  Verve is their Healthy Energy Drink, MoJoe is their Healthy Coffee, ParTea is their Healthy IceTea Energy Drink, Vemma is their liquid vitamins for adults (this formula is also in most of the other products) and Renew is for healthier skin, nails and hair; the Bode line was created by Chris Powell and his wife Heidi Powell to have an extremely healthy weight loss product available to people (Chris uses the Bode products for the show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition). Vemma is an affiliate company where you can choose to make money or purchase the products for personal gain.  I love that there are products for both children and adults, and so does her 8 year old son!

Lindsay is one of our amazing sponsors in our 40,000 Facebook Fan Celebration and she has generously donated two additional giveaways for you all! Below you can enter to win one of two amazing prizes;

Prize 1: Bode shake bag and a 1 week supply of Bode Cleanse (approx value is $70 plus shipping and tax) Vemma Giveaway_2

Prize 2: Verve (healthy energy drink), Verve Partea (Iced Tea with healthy energy), Vemma (adult liquid vitamins), Thirst (powder for a sports drink), Next (children’s liquid vitamins), Renew (approx value is $70 plus shipping and tax). Vemma Giveaway_1

1. Open to legal residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority in their respective province

2. You must complete ALL mandatory entries to be eligible, then you can choose to complete any optional entries for additional chances to win

3. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

4. You are providing your information to Extreme Couponing Mom for the purpose of facilitating the giveaway, we will not sell or use your information other than to contact you should you be drawn as the winner

5. By entering you agree to have your name posted and announced as the winner, as well to have your information sent to Lindsay in order for her to ship your prize

  1. Carolle Hall says:

    Would love to win de prize #2

  2. Would love to try this

  3. Carolyn deBlieck says:

    WOuld love to win either prizes….cannot decide if I want it for me or for family ;)

  4. Either one of them would be an awesome win because I could really use some energy right now.

  5. Angela Mitchell says:

    I’d love prize 2 with the Verve energy drinks.

  6. Brandee H says:

    I’d love to win both prizes i think Prize 1 would be great! Although the children’s vitamins from pack 2 would be great as well.

  7. Kim Tanti says:

    I like prize #1 because I have a shake every morning so this would go great with the fruits and veggies.

  8. Kayla Gilbert says:

    I am most excited about prize pack #1. I’ve heard of their products and have been wanting to try them out!

  9. Brianne Hager says:

    I am most excited to win the 2nd one, the energy drink prize pacakge.

  10. Juliee Fitze says:

    Would like to win prize #1 – want to try their shake

  11. Victoria K says:

    I would be more excited to win Bode.

  12. Anne Derkat says:

    The energy drink would excite me.

  13. Marlene V. says:

    Prize #2 I would love to try out a healthy drink to boost my energy!

  14. Stephanie LaPlante says:

    I’d love prize 2 (Verve drinks)

  15. I would be like to win Bode but the energy drink would be good too!

  16. Andrea Mayer says:

    I would love to win price number #2, that looks great

  17. DARLENE W says:

    I would like to win prize #2

  18. Sandy Gibb says:

    I would love to win prize #1 but would be more then excited to win either

  19. Hugo Nielsen says:

    The Chris Powell products !

  20. Nicole Starcevic says:

    Prize 2! or prize 1. lol

  21. Isabel Topps says:

  22. Dawn Rader says:

    would love to try Bode

  23. Robyn Bellefleur says:

    I would love #1 prize pack

Speak Your Mind


text:
Tag:Mark Domink
Posted on: December 4, 2011 11:23 am
Edited on: December 4, 2011 11:34 am

Josh Freeman out for Bucs Sunday, Johnson starts

Posted by Will Brinson

Late Saturday, the Buccaneers decided to promote current third-string quarterback Rudy Carpenter to the active roster, an ominous sign for Tampa Bay fans, since it seemed likely that starter Josh Freeman would miss Sunday's game against Carolina.

That is exactly the case, as the Buccaneers announced on Sunday that Freeman will be inactive against the Panthers in Tampa Bay.

Freeman's absence means Josh Johnson will get the starting nod for the Bucs. Johnson's played in six games for the Bucs this season, though he's only attempted seven passes, completing two of them for 14 yards. He's also attempted five rushes for 17 yards, as most of his usage this year has been out of Wildcat-type formations, or when Freeman's been banged up.

Johnson hasn't started a game since 2009, when he began the season as the Bucs starter, losing the first four games before Tampa Bay decided to insert Freeman as a rookie.

The change at quarterback resulted in an early move in Vegas as well, as the Panthers went from three-point underdogs to one-point favorites with the news that Freeman wouldn't play.

That's a pretty accurate portrayal of the difference between Johnson and Freeman, and if the Bucs lose to the lowly (?) Panthers, don't be surprised to hear more chatter about Raheem Morris on the hot seat.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, Like Us on Facebook, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're add it, add our RSS Feed.
Posted on: November 29, 2011 9:09 pm

Josh Freeman injured thumb at shooting range

Posted by Will Brinson

The Buccaneers continued their slide backwards from 2010's 10-win effort during Sunday's 24-18 loss to Tennessee. Josh Freeman looks like a quarterback regressing from his outstanding performance last year, but now it appears he's got an excuse for his recent poor play: Freeman injured his thumb at a shooting range on Halloween.

That's according to Bucs spokesman Jonathan Grella, who confirmed to the Tampa Tribune that Freeman aggravated a thumb injury he suffered against the Bears in London while at a shooting range on Halloween.

According to the Bucs, Freeman received five "cosmetic" stitches following a "gun mishap" on October 31, an incident that occurred just eight days after Tampa Bay's loss to the Bears.

Freeman's been pretty bad this year, but I'm not sure it's fair to simply attach his lack of success to the thumb injury. His completion percentage has actually gone up in the Bears game and going forward, although he's thrown 10 interceptions since Week 7, and only six before.

Additionally, Freeman's had some pretty putrid games, including a Week 9 matchup against Houston where he completed just 45.5 percent of his passes and threw three picks. But that game's sandwiched against nice efforts against New Orleans and Green Bay, so it's fairly difficult to simply point towards his injury.

But that inconsistency could certainly be a result of an injury -- CBS Sports Rich Gannon opined as much prior to that Houston game.

"I don't think he's healthy right now," Gannon told the Tribune then. "That's my personal opinion. I watched Freeman practice Friday and I don't think he's 100 percent. I don't see Josh Freeman driving the ball. Quarterbacks are very funny about having any tape on their throwing hand. I could tell in practice that it's bothering him."

As you'll recall, Sean Payton turned the Bucs into the league for a misleading injury report after the Bucs quarterback showed up on NFL Network with a splint on his hand.

So maybe he isn't healthy. That would make a lot more sense than Freeman's wild inconsistency this season. Or getting all up in arms about him getting hurt at a shooting range.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, Like Us on Facebook, subscribe to our NFL newsletter, and while you're add it, add our RSS Feed.
Posted on: July 11, 2011 11:47 pm
Edited on: July 12, 2011 12:02 am

Josh Freeman talks Bucs, lockout, FA's, Tiki

Posted by Will Brinson

Josh Freeman had a hell of a season in 2010, nearly leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs as Tampa Bay posted a surprising 10-win season.

We had a chance to catch up with the Bucs quarterback over the weekend at Nike's 7-on-7 tournament, "The Opening," and we asked him about the Bucs' future, how they're building long-term, whether he thinks Tiki Barber would be a good fit with the team, how he'd feel if the Bucs were spenders when it came to free agents and how he manages to keep cranking out fourth-quarter comebacks.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed.

Posted on: June 30, 2011 11:34 am
Edited on: June 30, 2011 12:04 pm

Freeman needs 'like a week' to get Bucs ready

Posted by Will Brinson

There's no common belief about how the lockout is affecting the preparation of NFL players -- some folks think it's going to result in a sloppy season, and others have said it'll end up producing the best football ever.

One thing is certain, though: NFL teams need some time to get ready. Well, everyone but the Buccaneers apparently -- Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman says he needs less than a fortnight to get his offense primed for the year.

“Yeah I mean I just need like a week to get us ready," Freeman said on WDAE in Tampa, via Sports Radio Interviews. It’s just a matter of staying focused cause with this lockout there’s no coach over your shoulder every day at practice coaching you. That’s a big advantage especially for young guys, but I mean you gotta hand it to Mark Dominik the type of guys he brings on this team are good, high character guys.

"They are professionals and their approach and take to the game. It allows us to get through this thing just like any other team and any other veteran team.”

Quick aside: I want some NFL player and/or sports star to start using "fortnight" randomly when doing interviews. (Freeman obviously didn't.) I feel as if that would draw a lot of "viral attention." Or something.

Anyway, so Freeman believes the Bucs can be ready in "like a week" … and I gotta say, I'm not so sure about that.

He's definitely spot-on by giving Mark Dominik praise for building a roster, because the Bucs' GM has done a killer job of flipping this team around in a short amount of time.

But reinventing a roster in a short stretch is vastly different from prepping for an entire NFL season in just a week, and it's hard to fathom that a young team like the Bucs could repeat their success from 2010 without ample preparation.

But then again, not many people saw last year coming in the first place, either.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed.
The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of CBS Sports or CBSSports.com