AMR's Joint: blog? what blog?

restoring rss icon to firefox 4 location bar

2011-04-14T23:28:00.007-04:00

I recently upgraded to firefox 4, and while I'm loving the increased speed, it has required some customization, most of which I learned about from this lifehacker post. Today I was linked to a friend's blog, and sought to add it to my google reader feeds. lo and behold, when I looked to the location bar for the rss icon, I found it wasn't there. further investigation showed that the blog did indeed have feeds enabled, but it turns out that they've changed the behavior in the switch from FF 3.x to 4.

img credit: technophilia

Apparently, not enough people used it the behavior was removed and the built in solution is disabled by default.

Alexander Limi of the Firefox user experience team writes:

The RSS feed icon wasn't removed, it was moved into the bookmarks menu. Even among our very advanced users, this button has the lowest percentage use of all our buttons, and is not used anywhere near enough to justify being in the main UI.

It's annoying to have to do it, but fortunately there are ways around the matter:

One solution involves using the built in customization tools (right-click on tool bar, choose customize, drag icon to desired location and click done). While this works, it's unsatisfactory because unlike the old icon/behavior, it is always present and taking up space, even on sites without feeds.

A better solution that restores the 3.x functionality involves installing an extension -- RSS Icon. I'm using it myself currently and it works as expected. Note that per the dev,
This addon DOES NOT look for links to rss/atom files in the body of a document.

Good luck and happy browsing!

clean install of xp on dell mini 9 from usb drive

2011-03-29T01:46:00.005-04:00

A few months ago I started experiencing problems with my Dell Mini 9 such that it eventually wouldn't boot at all. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I do have a bag of troubleshooting tricks up my sleeve. I tried a few things but then decided the best course of action would be to do a clean install. The mini is my night time and travel computer...anything of value I do when using it gets saved to the cloud so the only thing I had to lose was time. CDs with the ultraportable version of XP and drivers came shipped with the machine, and I had a usb CD/DVD drive so I figured I was good to go.

The install proceeded as expected until the GUI setup phase. I received an error message: "Please insert Windows XP disc because the file ASMS cant be found." Some research revealed that I was not the first to experience this problem; it seems that after the initial text install phase that the system loses the ability to communicate with the external drive, as the appropriate driver is not yet installed. Unfortunately the easiest suggested fix (changing the path manually) did not work, and there was no other convenient way to transfer the files.

One solution would have been to use a linux live cd to copy the files, but I decided that any fix involving the CD/DVD drive was probably not the best plan of action. Instead I chose to install from a flash drive, based on the instructions found here. In brief, this required that I create a bootable flash drive, copy the Windows XP install files to it and boot from that. There are alternative methods, but WinSetupFromUSB is much more user friendly software, with a convenient GUI.

Once Windows was installed, I needed to install the drivers, but once again my external CD drive let me down. I ended up downloading them on another computer and copying them to the mini via my trusty flash drive. The list of drivers I needed and recommended install order were found in this thread. I did not need all the files for my particular build, just the following, which I installed in this order:

I realize this is the first generation of Dell's line of minis but it seems like a pretty major oversight to require this much effort just to do a clean install. The average customer would have just become frustrated and sent it in for repair, needlessly increasing the workload of Dell Technicians. Hopefully the problem has been resolved in the newer generations of hardware.

offline google calendar for thunderbird users

2010-03-01T13:43:00.003-05:00

like many, i've been sucked into the google bubble and regularly use gmail, google calendar, google reader and blogger. unfortunately i do not have a smart phone so my big issue is what do i do when i have my computer, but no internet access? i do still have a paper calendar, but it's pretty time consuming to put in every single event, so i generally use it to record things when i'm away from a computer, and then add to my google calendar when i get back into the cloud.

to resolve this problem, i looked into ways of accessing my google calendar data while offline. the official fix (using google gears) was unsatisfactory, as it only provides read only access. ideally i would be able to add events while offline, to be sync'd automatically once back online.

a little digging came up with a solution which hopefully has been around long enough for me not to run into any problems. i already use thunderbird to manage my work and offline gmail email, so it did not involve too much extra effort. the details were reported in a comment by Mike on March 26, 2009 on this post at bfish.xaedalus.net. it seems to be working well so far, so we'll see how it goes!

You NO LONGER need to have the Provider addon installed in Thunderbird to have bidirectional Google calendar support. Just the Lightning addon. Google Calendar now supports CalDAV and it’s very easy to enable bidirectional updating of your Google Calendar from within Thunderbird. Follow these instructions, remembering that Sunbird is the actual name of the Thunderbird calender.

http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=99358#sunbird

Remember, you’ll want to make sure you have the Google calendar box checked in left hand column of the calendar view in Thunderbird to have the Google calendar show. Also, very important. When adding an event from Thunderbird, you must specify which calendar you want the event to show up on. By default, this is set to the “home” calender. Click the drop down to select your Google calendar. This must be done or the event will not sync back to Google Calendar. Also, I set my Lightning calendar refresh to 5 minutes, which allows for faster updating of the calendars.

Fix for IE8 corrupt search provider bug

2009-08-01T04:01:00.002-04:00

I experienced this bug from the time I first downloaded the IE8 beta in Nov 2008, but it wasn't a huge problem as I don't use IE for anything except the Windows Update site and the now defunct yahoo launchcast. I waited in vain as the production version failed to fix the bug, as did an uninstall/reinstall. What DID work for my XP Pro SP3 machine is the fix described here:

http://blog.kirb.us/2009/03/20/a-program-on-your-computer-has-corrupted-your-default-search-provider-setting-for-internet-explorer/

1.Make sure IE 8 is closed then navigate to registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

2.Add a new “Expandable String value” inside the above mentioned key with a value name of “AppData” and a value data of “%USERPROFILE%\Application Data”.

3.Reopen IE 8 and see if you still get the error message.

Note that this is also the fix suggested by Michael Agens in post #8 (who as you will see is NOT the MS employee in the thread).

I hope this helps someone!

and you call yourself a football team

2007-09-30T04:43:00.001-04:00

i was reading the paper the other day, after yet another abismal start to the season only to notice that Duke had put an ad in the paper for a kicker. i knew they were bad, but this is a new low. Scrapper Nation has documented this occasion, complete with a pic of the actual ad that was placed.

2007 AL EAST CHAMPS!

2007-09-29T23:09:00.001-04:00

For the first time since 1995, the Boston Red Sox are the division champs. Unfortunately the Yanks had an amazing second half to resurrect their season and have claimed the wild card, so they are still a threat. I guess no one told Papelbon it was okay to wear shorts!

ESPN - Mosley acknowledges using steroids from BALCO - Boxing

2007-09-29T23:05:00.001-04:00

ESPN - Mosley acknowledges using steroids from BALCO - Boxing

It's unconscionable that in this day and age professional athletes think they can get away with claiming that they are not at fault because "[they] didn't know what the hell it was". These guys train hard and pay good money to push the boundaries and get whatever edge they can. There's no way they let anyone give them anything or put anything on them without knowing exactly what it was....

if the brits can do it

2007-05-22T00:15:00.003-04:00

...why can't we?

img credit: Phil Noble/Press Association

Gay Britons Serve in Military With Little Fuss, as Predicted Discord Does Not Occur
By Sarah Lyall, for the New York Times

Since the British military began allowing homosexuals to serve in the armed forces in 2000, none of its fears — about harassment, discord, blackmail, bullying or an erosion of unit cohesion or military effectiveness — have come to pass, according to the Ministry of Defense, current and former members of the services and academics specializing in the military. The biggest news about the policy, they say, is that there is no news. It has for the most part become a nonissue.
full article

i've started perusing the nytimes more frequently to augment the horribly inadequate hourly cnn trawls. to be honest, although i am greatly concerned about our involvement in iraq, i've never really thought about more than the troops in combat. Don't Ask, Don't Tell became public policy when i was but a wee middle schooler (1993), more concerned with winning games and doing well in school than anything else.

With the extended tours of duty it is impossible for us to maintain troop levels for too much longer without putting everyone at (even more) risk. Why is it that in 2007 we're more concerned with what a soldier does in the bedroom on their own time than their ability to fight for our country?

...the guy's only doing it for some doll

2007-05-16T04:11:00.000-04:00

this weekend, we finally had our last run of performances for the spring hoof n' horn show @ duke -- guys & dolls. the graduation weekend shows were really different from the april ones, and not just because the pit was huge and full of new people. the orchestra director was great, but much less laid back than the original one, so it the atmosphere wasn't quite as chill. here are a few clips from our production. can you hear the clarinet? :-p

Bushel and A Peck

Adelaide's Lament - feat. Haley Swindal

Take Back Your Mink

Sue Me - feat. Haley Swindal and Matthew Colabrese

back again (or am i?)

2007-05-14T04:46:00.001-04:00

i don't think anyone bothers coming here anymore (can't say i blame you), but, for what it's worth, i'm back. i couldn't let an entire baseball season go by without some sort of comment, esp given that as of may 13, 2007 the bosox were 8 games up on the not-so-mighty yankees. if the sox are up by 12+ in june when clemens returns i don't see the yanks catching them, barring multiple major injuries.

Don't cry Bobby, you can try for a hit again tomorrow (photo: Ted S. Warren/AP)

p.s. as much as i like the originality of the look, realistically, i'm never gonna invest the time to upgrade it to new blogger standards so i guess i'll be going back to a not so original look if i decide to start posting regularly again. boo.

i demand a recount!

2007-01-21T00:59:00.000-05:00

can someone explain to me why Tony Romo's going to the 2007 Pro Bowl while deserving guys like Tom Brady sits at home? (yes, i do realize they play in different conferences so he's not directly taking brady's spot, but the point is that a player shouldn't be picked based on a few flashy games). and yes, i do realize i'm biased but it's my blog so there :-p

a-hacking we will go

2006-12-20T00:38:00.000-05:00

just switched to the new blogger and finding yourself lost trying to figure out how to apply some advanced features to your blog? check out the blogger beta hack feed. it's awesome, i promise :-). now, if only i could find some free time....

success

2006-12-19T15:48:00.000-05:00

i guess the ease with which i was able to migrate the church blog piqued my interest enough to take the plunge. so much for "waiting things out for awhile :-p". thankfully, it all went through without a hitch. i'm not looking forward to trying to upgrade this template, however. it just might be time for a complete redesign.

i still echo chuck, however, and leave you with a word of caution: take every precaution prior to migration to reduce the chance of disaster!

please excuse the dust

2006-12-14T13:37:00.000-05:00

EDITOR'S NOTE:

this blog has been (and remains) a work in progress. ~~the legibility of the links is the next order of business.~~

12/16 update: success, courtesy of echoecho.com. thanks!
not sure yet what's next. but i'm thinking migration may be in order soon....

beta blogger: not for everyone

2006-12-09T02:08:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia describes a beta as:

A beta version or beta release usually represents the first version of a computer program that implements all features in the initial software requirements specification. It is likely to be useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but unstable and not yet ready for release. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, as a technical preview (TP) or as an early access. As the second major stage in the release lifecycle, following the alpha stage, it is named after the Greek letter beta, the second letter in the Greek alphabet. read more...

it applies well for the pending version of blogger (version 3.0, currently called blogger beta). unfortunately, they don't point users to wikipedia (or anywhere), when offering the choice of an upgrade. given the level of activity in the blogger help forum, and the types of problems being reported, combined with the part where account migration is irreversible, i'm content to wait things out for awhile until the dust settles.

i love google and use many google-branded products (gmail, calendar, reader, etc), but i think they've really slipped up with the way they're handling things in this case.

shame on you google!

so what's a blogger to do? hang tight and plan ahead!

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doing my best, to do my duty

2006-11-20T23:26:00.000-05:00

while i don't think google-bombing should be used haphazardly, in this case i think it's justified. here's my (albeit meager) contribution. Want to know what's going on? Check out Tom Hoffman's blog. I think he explains it very well.

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

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this is what's wrong with today's america

2006-11-09T15:38:00.000-05:00

i know i don't usually post this sort of stuff, but it's ridiculous that this still happens in 2006.

Firehouse [dog] chow served to firefighter costs city $2.7M
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The city of Los Angeles is paying $2.7 million to settle a lawsuit from a black firefighter who claims he suffered racial discrimination after co-workers served him spaghetti laced with dog food.
The Los Angeles City Council approved the award Wednesday, 11 to 1.
In his lawsuit, firefighter Tennie Pierce, 51, said after he took a bite of the meal two years ago, he noticed other firefighters laughing. He demanded to know what was in the food after a second bite but nobody answered.
Pierce said he suffered retaliation for reporting the incident and verbal slurs, insults and derogatory remarks, including taunting by firefighters "barking like dogs [and] asking him how dog food tasted," the lawsuit said.
David Wellman, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz hired by Pierce's attorney, said the association of a black man and dog food "resonates with the deep historical roots of slavery and the corresponding dehumanization."
"It's not just silly stuff. It's racially motivated," he said.
As part of the settlement, the two captains involved were given one month off without pay, and a firefighter was ordered off work for three days without pay.
"I truly hope that my case will make a difference for African-Americans in the Los Angeles Fire Department," Pierce said in a statement. -cnn.com story

one month without pay? how about getting fired? you can be sure that if the situation had been reversed that it wouldn't have taken a lawsuit for Mr. Pierce to be punished (and fired). money can't buy dignity.

pick your pony

2006-11-06T12:21:00.000-05:00

There are many who think otherwise, but it's right about now that I'm thinking that the I-AA Columbia Lions would have more than a simple fighting chance against the I-A Duke Blue Devils. Sure they both suck at football, but it will be a few months until the good hoops games get going so humor me, why don't you...

Blue Devils fall flat after fast start - Duke Chronicle

It may have been a different first verse, but it was the same old song for Duke Saturday.

The Blue Devils (0-9) extended the nation's longest losing streak to 17 with a 38-13 drubbing at the hands of Navy (6-3) in Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke's defense gave up 435 yards on the ground to the second-best rushing offense in the nation. Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada attempted just four passes in his second career start but rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. more

You know you're in trouble when the other team's QUARTERBACK puts up those kinds of numbers on the ground.

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feeling safe?

2006-09-14T05:59:00.000-04:00

Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of the Week

I am all for rules, airline and otherwise, that protect our safety. But last Wednesday, after walking through a security line at LaGuardia, I saw the total fruitlessness of this you-can't-take-gels-or-liquids-on-airplanes rule, designed to protect us from those who would take explosive liquids or gels on planes. A fortyish man, traveling in business togs, put his briefcase, laptop and shoes on the security belt and walked through the X-ray machine. No beep. He collected his stuff, walked a few steps down the line, put his laptop back in his case, and then took a tube of toothpaste out of one pocket and a bottle of contact-lens solution out of another, then put both in his briefcase. That sort of defeats the purpose of the anti-liquid rule and pretty much makes a mockery of it all. --SI.com Monday Morning QB

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it's on cnn so it must be okay

2006-04-25T04:20:00.000-04:00

Judge: Employee Web surfing not unreasonable
NEW YORK (AP) -- Surfing the Web at work is equivalent to reading a newspaper or talking on the phone, an administrative law judge said in recommending the lightest possible punishment for a city worker accused of disregarding warnings to stay off the Internet. full story via cnn.com

i suggest you print this article to whip out the next time your boss catches you surfing on company time...

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mohawk

2006-04-22T23:32:00.000-04:00

Pap (ie 25 yr old Red Sox closer, Jonathan Papelbon) doesn't look too happy, does he. no matter, maybe he'll learn not to make stupid bets.

it's okay...as long as he keeps on "losing" he'll make us all happy campers!

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that's what friends are for

2006-04-19T03:00:00.000-04:00

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Reed Johnson is a good friend to have.

Johnson paid for [old friend sergeant Jim] Diaz and his wife and son to fly to Toronto to take in the two-game series against the Yankees. Johnson put up Diaz and his family in a hotel and persuaded the team to issue Diaz everything from a Blue Jays hat down to a pair of baseball spikes.[more] via mlb.com

Not a bad way to spend your 15 day leave. Reed Johnson, you're all right.

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are some lives worth more than others?

2006-04-15T04:21:00.000-04:00

He Qingzhi's teenage daughter, Yuan, and her two friends lived on the same street near the Yangtze River, attended the same middle school and were crushed to death in the same traffic accident late last year.

After that, the symmetry ended: Under Chinese law, Yuan's life was worth less than the others. more, int'l herald tribune

if the death of your child is not bad enough, could you imagine having to fight for equal compensation in the midst of your grief? forgive me, but i thought this was the 21st century...

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retirement, please

2006-04-14T16:28:00.000-04:00

After an abismal rehab start in AAA-Pawtucket, David Wells finally made his first start of the season this past wednesday [recap]. I feel like deja vu, or something, because this is not much better than how he started out last year. Seems to me he's 42 now, and clearly not improving. This past offseason he asked for a trade to the Padres, to be closer to home...maybe it's time to think about retirement? then he could spend all the time he wants in SD.

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living above the rim

2006-04-14T03:10:00.000-04:00

Redick beats out Young, Bush for Sullivan Award
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Duke star J.J. Redick won the Sullivan Award on Wednesday night, becoming the first men's basketball player since Bill Walton in 1973 to be honored as the nation's top amateur athlete. Redick beat out Texas quarterback Vince Young, who led the Longhorns to a national title with a win in the Rose Bowl over Southern California and its two Sullivan Award finalists -- Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. [espn.com]

How often does a skinny white kid who's not even considered a top 5 draft prospect win out over Heisman trophy winners and olympic gold medalists? Maybe this will help ease the pain of never winning the big one. you go boy.

ed. note: yes, i am aware of the fact that young mr. redick only dunked twice in his entire career, but you've gotta love this pic, with sheldon williams ("the landlord)" looking on in the background).

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r.i.p., maggie

2006-04-11T17:13:00.000-04:00

Maggie Dixon's funeral was today. Who's Maggie Dixon? The 28 yr old first year coach of West Point (Army)'s women's basketball team who, just one month ago, was basking in the excitement of the team having earned it's first march madness tournament berth ever. To make a great story even better, Dixon and her brother, Jamie, coach of Pittsburg's men's basketball team, became the first sister-brother coaching combination to ever have teams make the tournament in the same year.

Autopsy Showed Dixon Had Enlarged Heart
Associated Press
WEST POINT, N.Y. -- A month ago, 28-year-old Army coach Maggie Dixon left the Christl Arena court on the shoulders of jubilant cadets after leading the women's basketball team to its first NCAA Tournament berth.
On Friday, Dixon was mourned in a chapel across from the U.S. Military Academy's campus, a day after she died following an "arrhythmic episode to her heart."
Dixon died Thursday night at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., academy spokesman Lt. Col. Kent Cassella said. [espn.com]

R.I.P., Maggie. You will be missed.

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rush being rush?

2006-04-06T02:23:00.000-04:00

I never liked Rush Limbaugh, but this just adds fuel to the fire. It's a shame that he's worked so hard to become the face of the American political right. I'll admit that the liberals have made their share of bonehead comments (case in point, my fair senators), but that certainly doesn't make it "okay". Just another occasion of "Rush being Rush"?

Media Matters: Limbaugh called alleged Duke rape victim a "ho[ ]"
During the March 31 broadcast of his national syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh referred to the alleged victim of a rape by members of the Duke University lacrosse team as a "ho[]." [media matters]

Take a stand! The media matters site linked above has contact info for Mr. Limbaugh, along with some tips on how to communicate effectively with the media.

via CrayonPeople.com

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fear the turtle

2006-04-05T04:23:00.000-04:00

On the ladies side, the Duke Blue Devils fell short in their latest attempt to capture the ncaa crown, losing 78-75 to Maryland, a team they had lost to just once in the previous 15 tries. The Blue Devils were up 13 at one point, and just as they did in an early season Carolina game, they blew it down the stretch, resulting in the 2nd biggest comeback in women's tournament history. A huge turning point was what could end up being the most clutch 3 pt shot of freshman Kristi Toliver's college career-- the one that tied the game up at the end of regulation (see below). It doesn't take much to tell that i'm a Duke fan, but I have to give Maryland credit for getting the job done. Better luck next year, ladies. (fun fact: Gail Goestenkors is the coach with the 4th best tournament record, [34-12 = 0.739], but each of the three coaches ahead of her have at least 2 titles.)

Fear the Turtle!

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breaking the silence

2006-03-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

As you can probably tell, I'm a sports fan, and as such, it would be wrong of me not to take a moment to draw your attention to the wonderful site maintained by my sister K, in which she catalogs (and provides commentary on) news from around the blogosphere and the world regarding the Duke Lacrosse scandal. Don't know what I'm talking about, or just want more information? Check it out: Justice 4 Two Sisters.

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hold on, change is comin'

2006-03-28T02:20:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to take a minute to give a shoutout to Freshblog for the tips that have led to the most recent changes you see here. I actually stumbled across the tips on how to make categories on blogger some time ago, but was actually waiting for blogger to incorporate the functionality to save me the trouble. Special thanks go to Johan Sundstrom, the author of the greasemonkey script that made all of this possible. Now all I have to do is to find some time to start blogging again!

p.s. Johan has also provided some tips on how to style the tags. css is your friend!

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guilty as charged

2006-03-27T03:41:00.000-05:00

Good thing I don't get paid by the hour. I have to say the "march madness on demand" thing cbs did was a lifesaver, however, as it helped me stay on top of things during my time in lab.

'No work please,' it's basketball time - Yahoo! News

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miss me?

2006-02-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? since we last talked...

the 'horns hooked the trojans in a thrilling end to the most anticipated college football matchup of the year
the steelers won their first superbowl since 1980 in what ended up being a bit of a snoozer by beating the seahawks, 21-10
theo came back, and has resumed gm duties for the sox
both the men's and women's top ranked blue devil squads lost (men women), but have since resumed the number one spot (men women)
the US women's ice hockey team lost to a team (Sweden) other than Canada for the first time ever. they will leave torino with a disappointing bronze medal finish

coming up so get excited!

March Madness
Baseball season

say it ain't so

2005-12-21T01:54:00.000-05:00

this is pretty much the worst way this situation could have played out. it's bad enough for Damon to remain in the division, but to have crossed to the evil empire? was it really so hard to offer him a competitive four or five year deal, especially given the scarcity of the market? turning Bernie Williams into Johnny Damon? genius. Manny and David Wells still want out, Theo's long gone, and now this? 2006 looks to be a loooooong season...

Damon Leaves Sox for Yankees

BOSTON -- The Red Sox knew they could be in the market for a new center fielder to start the 2006 season, but that didn't lessen the shock late Tuesday night when Johnny Damon signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the New York Yankees. [mlb.com] [espn.com] [si.com]

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another ivy league record!

2005-12-15T02:07:00.000-05:00

w00t! another ivy league record, this time for good old Princeton (i guess at least one half of the "killer P's" aren't so deadly this year). Columbia for league champs!

Monmouth beats Princeton in lowest-scoring D-I game since start of 3-point line

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time for an upgrade

2005-12-13T03:59:00.000-05:00

Firefox v1.5 was released some time ago, but I only just got around to upgrading a few days ago. I had read such great things about the new release, I was anxious to try out some of the new features. It was quite a shock when the application proceeded to crash 8+ times in the 2 days it took me to getting around to troubleshoot the problem.

A tip: If you have Adblock installed and plan on upgrading from Firefox 1.0.x, UNINSTALL it before (or soon after, trust me) upgrading to the new version. Adblock Plus is the compatible extension for v1.5. Unlike my other extensions, which were automatically disabled if an update couldn't be found Adblock seemed to be working normally (ie ads were still blocked), but it obviously caused stability issues.

Want to know what Firefox is? Take the five-minute challenge.

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who's laughing now?

2005-12-13T02:43:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it. I was wrong.

...but at least i'm not Jason Strasser.

I was doing my daily scan of NBA boxscores and was shocked to read the following in the recap of last night's Sixers OT victory over the T'wolves:

Then again, wilder things have occurred like the creaky Webber leaving his feet on more than one shot, Korver scoring on a three-point play instead of 3-pointers and reserve Shavlik Randolph adding key baskets -- all in a wild fourth quarter. [yahoo.com]

I never expected to see him on any sort of pro team at all this year (except maybe in Europe), let alone getting written up in an AP article for actually contributing something in a key moment. In 8 minutes of play he managed to score 7 points, going 3-3 with FG and 1-2 from the charity stripe. He also got recorded 4 rebounds, three of which were on the offensive boards. Not bad for a rookie with roughly 45 min of playing time (over 8 games) to his name.

related posts:
a second chance [07.23.05]
more Shav [06.24.05]
i was wrong [06.22.05]
what was he thinking [05.13.05]

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wikipedia

2005-12-12T12:53:00.000-05:00

Use wikipedia as your only source for important information? You might want to reconsider...

The author of a Wikipedia entry that falsely implicated a prominent writer in both Kennedy assassinations and prompted a row about the online encyclopaedia's reliability has apologised to his victim, saying that it was a "joke that went horribly, horribly wrong". read more

CNN's version of the story had another nugget of information:

...Chase said he didn't know the free Internet encyclopedia called Wikipedia was used as a serious reference tool. read more

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dock beats the clock

2005-12-05T00:51:00.000-05:00

Peter Gehbard, The Chronicle

#1 Duke over VT, 77-75. you know, games like this don't really inspire confidence. i guess i should just chalk it up to the toughness of the ACC but really, the #1 ranked team that was a "no brainer" preseason final four pick really shouldn't need an improbable last second play to pull out the W. i said it before, but it just had to be said again.

The 40-foot shot floated toward the net as the Cameron faithful watched, hoping Duke could overcome an overall lackluster effort with one unlikely play. The ball rattled in, giving the Blue Devils the two-point win and sending the fans into hysteria. [via the chronicle]

Mind you that this quote came from the school paper, clearly a biased entity. Now do you see what i'm getting at? A last minute game winning play is the sort of thing I might expect from Saturday's matchup at #2 Texas, but for now, it's safe to say that I'm worried. It sure would be nice if they could bring a busload of crazies to take to ~~Texas~~ Jersey with them...

update: I just realized the game will be held in NJ at the Meadowlands (a neutral site). that's a relief. every little bit helps, right?

Peter Gehbard, The Chronicle

Tags:

that was quick

2005-12-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

sure didn't take long for the trade to payoff!

New-look Bruins blank Heatley, Senators

Tags:

a tad concerned

2005-12-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it. I'm nervous. While the women have been doing their job, blowing out their early season non-conference opponents, the Duke men have struggled at times, only managing to score 64 against Boston University, squeezing by unranked Drexel 78-68, who had a realistic chance of winning until the final minute. The games with then #11 Memphis, and #16 Indiana were both won by by the Blue Devils, making them a perfect 6-0 but they were nailbiters, which is exactly what you don't expect from a team that was predicted to cruise to the national championship, blowing out teams left and right. What happens when conference play starts? The ACC currently has 5 teams ranked in the top 25, but as history as demonstrates, it's possible to lose to just about any other team in the conference on any given day. On the bright side, if things go well, the boys should be well prepared come march and just might run the table.

Tags:

you know you're desperate

2005-12-01T02:10:00.000-05:00

...when you trade your CAPTAIN to try to fix the team.

Joe.Thornton. A Shark. I'm in shock. I remember when Joe Thornton was drafted with the #1 pick back in 1997. He was supposed to revive the franchise, and help Ray Bourque finally win the Stanley Cup in Boston (didn't happen...he had to go to Colorado to win before he retired). I figured things would get shaken up, but this completely blindsided me. Let's hope the Bruins are able to turn the season around because I really hate seeing him go. [via si.com]

missing the point

2005-11-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

KeepManny.com hopes to convince slugger to stay
Espn.com

Red Sox fan Jeffrey M. Guinee, who launched the Web site, explained his motivation in an interview with the Boston Herald.

"Because of the media there's this undertone that Manny's not wanted here," Guinee told the Herald. "But we think that if the masses were heard it wouldn't even be close. It would be like 10-1 to keep Manny."

It doesn't take much to realize that I'm a huge Red Sox fan. Growing up in Cambridge (a quick jaunt across the river from Fenway) you can't help but know what's going on during baseball season. These days, I may be living a little farther away (ahem), but I'm hooked, so I do what it takes to stay up on the news. I know as well as anyone that Manny Ramirez is a very talented (and above average) major league baseball player. He's served us well during his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, and in spite of the occasional headaches, only a fool would wish him out of town right now. He and David Ortiz are the heart of an already potent lineup, providing protection that allow them to see the pitches Bonds can only dream about. But that's not the point. The point is that Manny being Manny, if he is not happy, and does not want to play in Boston

I don't think he doubts that (most) of Red Sox Nation loves his contributions to the team, but he says he wants his privacy. A website petition isn't going to keep him out of the Boston spotlight, isn't going to give him a chance to go out in public without getting hounded, and basically isn't going to address the issues he's raised. It's a nice gesture, but that's all it is, a gesture. Now it's time to sit back, hold our breath and see how all this plays out. With a little luck we'll see him out there "being Manny" come spring training.

happy thanksgiving!

2005-11-24T01:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! As you settle in to enjoy food, family/friends, and football, take a minute to think about how lucky you are to have woken up this morning, to have a place to call home, people in your life who actually care, etc. It's easy to take those things for granted.

image © Mark Parisi

quote of the day, thanksgiving edition:
The worst moment for an atheist comes when he is really thankful and has no one to thank. --unknown

quote of the day

2005-11-15T00:39:00.000-05:00

"I don't want to lay this all on Duke, but Duke has a wonderful situation," Williams said of the Tar Heels' hated, albeit respected, rival. "Duke has four or five upperclassmen who have done it and now have five freshmen who can really play." --Roy Williams, head coach, UNC [link]

what an honor! now if the boys can just live up to the praise...

now do you get it?

2005-11-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

Today's football game features the top-ranked Whiteys against the second-place Darkies, who got tarred and feathered the last time the two teams faced off..."Whitey means all-powerful, superior, masters of the game," one fan said. "It has nothing to do with racism, slavery or bilking American Indians out of Manhattan for $24 worth of beads." [washington post]

did it really have to take this long for offensive mascot names derived from native americans to be banned? i know the ruling came out this summer, but in case you still don't get it, take a gander at at the rest of the article...

thanks melissa

the Dalai Lama @ neuroscience

2005-11-14T22:51:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, amid tight security, the Dalai Lama was to address the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington. For months now, a group of Chinese scientists has protested the Dalai Lama's attendance at the meeting, saying it was inappropriate for a religious leader to attend a scientific meeting.

His weekend agenda was to discuss how scientists can design studies to see whether and how mental exercise can alter the brain in positive ways. His prepared speech also included a discussion of ethics and morality in the pursuit of knowledge. [newsday]

dang, the first time in the last 4 years that I DIDN'T go to sfn (society for neuroscience annual meeting), i miss out on hearing the Dalai Lama speak. that's like missing out on the Pope or something.

Dalai Lama with Pope John Paul in a file photo taken in 1990. Photo courtesy of Tibet Museum, DIIR. [link]

just call her Ms. President

2005-11-12T13:51:00.000-05:00

For the first time in modern African history, an African nation (Liberia) has officially elected a female president. For all the talk about how "backwards" things are over there, why is it that we have not yet seen the same thing in America? Clearly it's a very complicated issue, but I still don't think the American public is willing to vote a woman into the oval office in the near future.

The NY Times

According to the article,

...in recent years, African women have gained power and visibility. In 2004 a Kenyan environmentalist, Wangari Muta Maathai, won the Nobel Peace Prize, while Nigeria's finance minister and feared corruption fighter, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has emerged as one of that country's most respected officials.

Women have also made gains at the ballot box. The prime minister of Mozambique, Luísa Dias Diogo, is widely seen as a likely future president. In Rwanda, there is a greater proportion of women serving in Parliament than in any other nation; they occupy nearly half the seats.

Indeed, Africa leads the developing world in the percentage of women in legislative positions, at about 16 percent, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliamentary bodies worldwide.

While President Johnson-Sirleaf (pictured below, on left) certainly faces a lot of challenges leading the war ravaged country, she has already won one great battle (beating a popular soccer star by a landslide), and has surely earned the right to lead her people.

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

it's great to be a (blue) devil

2005-11-11T00:14:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again, and the Blue Devils have kicked off the season in style. For just the third time in preseason poll history (and the first time for Duke) the same school has topped the charts in both men's and women's basketball. While that's great, it's just a start. Let's hope they can pull a UConn and bring home the elusive double title. The field is tough on both sides, but for the first time in four years they have true depth, and a good mix of experience and youth. Add a dash of luck and you'll really see just how "Crazie" we can get!

(i know it's just a preseason throwaway matchup, but it's not often you see an 87 point margin of victory in a college matchup!)

p.s. i went to look for some good shots of the ladies, and saw shots like the one below (featuring Sr. Mistie Williams) on the individual roster pages. C'mon....this is a BASKETBALL team. I want to see some action shots!

oops! - TAR8: unplugged

2005-11-09T11:08:00.000-05:00

If you didn't already know, CBS's gimmick for version 8 of The Amazing Race was to make it a special family edition, with teams of four family members competing for the million dollar prize. I've only actually watched one episode of the show (and found it too boring to want to waste my time watching), but I have to confess that it piqued my interest enough to make me read the weekly episode recaps. This morning I did the usual and read through the episode recap first.

The Godlewskis won, and the Paolos finally self-destructed (yawn). Eh. I didn't like them much anyway. The next step is always to check out the teams page, since it's hard to keep track of who's who if you don't actually watch the show. I looked at the page for a bit, only to do a double-take. Do you see what I see?

Still don't see it? Here, maybe this will help:

Looks like someone screwed up. If you notice, in episode 8 the Bransen family is still in the race! I guess we don't have to spend a week guessing who will be out next. I wonder how long it will take CBS to pick up on it?

update: looks like CBS fixed the problem. Thanks to jared, the slip-up even made reality blurred! [high five]

quote of the day

2005-11-08T02:49:00.000-05:00

Terrell Owens, Uncensored

"At the end of the day, I don't have to worry about what people think of me, whether they hate me or not. People hated on Jesus. They threw stones at him and tried to kill him, so how can I complain or worry about what people think?"
-- Owens to Miami Herald, July, 2005 [more]

i can't believe he actually went there.

sporting roundup

2005-11-08T00:56:00.000-05:00

i've been super busy lately so i'm sorry if anyone's been feeling neglected. it's been a rough week for the teams i've been pulling for. let's recap:

then #3 va tech is taken to school by acc rival and then #5 miami, losing 7-27. so much for the chance of having an acc team make the rose bowl. barring some sort of miracle usc will face texas in the Rose bowl. Oh well, maybe next year. at least the greatly heralded Vick is only a junior so if he decides to return they could have the elusive undefeated season next year and a chance at a national championship. perhaps ESPN's Pat Forde should have held off on the glowing comparisons he made to his older, more famous, brother.

celtics blow a 4th quarter 12 point lead to lose to the bobcats 105-107 in overtime

bulls put up a valiant effort down the stretch but end up losing to nets 99-100 (yes, i'm a bulls fan. gotta pull for my former dukies and kirk hinrich. he's really grown on me since that day when i learned he has fantasy value)

larry brown and the new york knicks. 'nuff said (you'd think i'd learn my lesson with them!)

in spite of the return of tedy bruschi last week, pats lose 21-40 against peyton manning and the colts. i think this one hurt the most because i guess i had to know it was only a matter of time before Peyton played like, well, Peyton Manning.

In other news, TO has pretty much written his ticket out of Philadelphia. The Eagles have suspended him (without pay) for the 4 game max, and then plan to deactivate him (basically paying him 1 million to stay home for the rest of the season). in this day and age it says a lot if you get management mad enough at you that they'd rather eat that kind of money, than put up with your antics any longer. who will be next to take on this head case?

so yeah, it's been a rough week. don't forget that the red sox got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual world series champions, and that they've already lost gm Theo Epstein due to what has to have been some dumb moves by the upper level management. looking at the bright side, the NE Revolution have advanced to the MLS Cup and will face the LA Galaxy, in a rematch of the 2002 final. Let's hope they can pull out the "V" this time and bring home the first championship in franchise history. It's about time Boston had something else to celebrate.

MLS cup 2005, Sunday November 13, 3:30pm. The game will be shown on ABC so check it out. Go Revs!

p.s. i know how people like pictures, so here are two more for you. please note that i didn't take any of them so don't sue me. i present, the losers of the week: TO and Marcus Vick (which i hate to include, cause i like his game)

yes boys, you screwed up.

in shock

2005-11-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

the 2006 baseball season is gonna feel very long at this rate...if it wasn't bad enough for the Sox to get knocked out in the first round this year, now Theo's gone, Manny reportedly wants out (again), and Damon may be soon to follow. the Epstein announcement was especially shocking, since it had already been reported that a 4 year deal had been made, and the announcement was just a formality. i doubt anyone will be able to live up to the expectations established under Epstein's tenure. Good luck Theo, we'll miss you (although we'll never forgive you if you ever decide to work for the evil empire).

quote of the day

2005-10-25T03:24:00.000-04:00

"Your college career was uglier than Brad Lidge in the 9th inning—at least as of late—but congratulations, you made it to the NBA.
Your shot was useless from both the perimeter and around the basket, and you didn’t have the lateral movement to defend anyone—not even my dad scrimmaging in a bagels-and-basketball Sunday league." --Jason Strasser in regards to the recent signing of Shavlik Randolph by the Philadelphia 76ers

ouch.

quote of the day

2005-10-23T23:44:00.000-04:00

"...sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."
-The Matrix

(n.b. i actually do have a few things i'd like to write about but you'll just have to hang tight a little longer til i find some time!)

quote of the day

2005-10-09T22:32:00.000-04:00

"repeat after me:
I am not an accident
God has a purpose for my life
and I am not a camel"
-said to me, Oct 9 2005

say wha??

2005-10-06T03:52:00.000-04:00

old news, i know, but better late than never, right?

President Bush nominated Harriet Ellan Miers, his White House counsel and former personal attorney, to the Supreme Court yesterday, choosing a woman who broke barriers in the male-dominated Texas legal world but brings no judicial experience or constitutional background to her new assignment. read more

if you had an opportunity to appoint someone to the highest court in the land (it's a lifetime appointment, mind you), would you nominate someone who's never been a judge at any level? I'm sure she's an excellent lawyer, well schooled in the nation's laws and policies, but really, was there no one with a similar resume that had actual experience that could have gotten the call first?

Bush described Miers, who if confirmed would be the third woman to sit on the Supreme Court, as a legal pioneer who repeatedly overcame gender barriers to reach the highest levels of her profession. Before being named White House counsel last year, she served as White House deputy chief of staff as well as staff secretary, a job in which she reviewed virtually every document that went before the president.

Before joining the Bush administration, Miers was Bush's personal attorney in Texas and served as general counsel of his gubernatorial campaign committee. As governor, Bush appointed Miers chairman of the scandal-plagued Texas Lottery Commission, where she earned a reputation as a tough manager after firing two executive directors.

Outside her political work for Bush, Miers was a partner at the Texas law firm of Locke Liddell & Sapp, served two years on the Dallas City Council and was the first woman to be head of the Texas Bar Association. washington post article

seems to me that it's been some time since she's even worked as a lawyer. it will be interesting to see how this plays out...

deja vu all over again

2005-10-06T01:58:00.000-04:00

well, the sox certainly didn't start out so well. let's just hope history repeats itself and papi and the boys pull out another string of clutch performances so we can at least make it back to the alcs.

alds bound

2005-10-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

Cel-e-brate Good Times Come On!

credit: Brita Meng Outzen/MLB.com

Papi for MVP! credit: Brita Meng Outzen/MLB.com

a Nation stands ready for battle credit: Elise Amendola/AP

For the third straight year (and the first time in club history) the Boston Red Sox have qualified for postseason play. Sure it's via the controversial wildcard, but hey, the past 3 World Series Champs have been wildcard winners. As division winners, on Tuesday the Yanks get to face the Angels (in Anaheim, mind you), who finished the season on a 14-2 tear, while the wildcard game features a Chi-town matchup between the Sox -- Red vs. White. While losing the 4 game lead we had with only 21 to play hurt, we'll take this matchup any day. This is a White Sox team that nearly made history by putting together the biggest collapse in mlb history. Yeah, we'll take that.

no child left behind

2005-10-02T21:48:00.000-04:00

After a lovely weekend spent with some college friends, I arrived home to find out that Fantasia Barrino has revealed that she's illiterate. Call me cruel, but I really don't have any sympathy for the American Idol star. Don't get me wrong, no victim should be blamed for their rape, and I understand how that could drive someone to drop out of school, but she was in the ninth grade at the time. That means she successfully made it through the eighth grade. I don't know about you, but in my school, we may not have always understood the deeper meaning behind some of the classic novels, but we were certainly capable of reading and extracting some sort of take home message from the products of authors such as Shakespeare, Dickens, and Richard Adams (Watership Down, anybody?). Granted, I had the opportunity to attend a school with more educational opportunities than the average american student, but a bit of cursory digging seems to support my conclusion. I applaud her for taking care of business now, but it's still ridiculous that she was ever in the position in the first place.

The 21-year-old R&B singer says she's signed record deals and contracts that she didn't read and couldn't understand. But the hardest part, she said, is not being able to read to Zion, her 4-year-old daughter. read more

My guess is that this has been exaggerated for the sake of the story but it's still a travesty.

Gospel of john

2005-09-20T03:00:00.000-04:00

Through September 30, Best Buy has agreed to match dollar for dollar all contributions made to the Red Cross either in stores (at the register), or online if you go through this link.

A Gospel of John Passage Is Proven True

It turns out that a specific passage from the Gospel of John wasn't a religious conceit, that is a kind of poetic license John took to prove a point. It's true. Now there is proof. When the sewer line in the Old City of Jerusalem needed repairs in the fall of 2004, the workmen made a historic discovery: the biblical Pool of Siloam. The Gospel of John cites this as the place where Jesus cured the blind man. Theologians have long thought the setting of the pool was a "religious conceit" used by John to illustrate a point. Turns out, the place is real. And it's exactly where John said it is, reports The Los Angeles Times of a new study published in the Biblical Archaeology Review.

What's more, it is much grander than anyone ever realized with three tiers of stone stairs on three sides that allow easy access to the water. Each group of steps is separated by narrow landings. The pool is about 225 feet long. The Pool of Siloam is not only a holy site for Christians, but also Jews. In ancient times, Jews who made their annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem gathered at this very reservoir. Since Jesus was a Jew it would have been natural for him to have gone here, too. Scholars have long said that the place didn't exist and was just created by John as the setting for Jesus' miracle when he cured the blind man. A gospel that was thought to be "pure theology is now shown to be grounded in history," New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary told the L.A. Times.

Hezekiah built the pool to provide a safe water supply to the people of Jerusalem in case they were attacked by the Assyrians. The workers also built a tunnel measuring 1,750 feet under the City of David that connected to the Gihon Spring in the adjacent and less vulnerable Kidron Valley. This pool was destroyed in 586 BC by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, but rebuilt in the 1st century BC before being destroyed again in 70 AD by Titus, the man who would become the Roman emperor.

Fast forward to the fall of 2004: When the men repairing the sewer line uncovered two steps, the work stopped so the antiquities' experts could have a look. They didn't have to look long before they were "100 percent sure it was the Siloam Pool," Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority told the L.A. Times. How could they be so sure? When the workmen crafted the steps centuries ago, they buried four coins in the plaster, all of which date from 103 to 76 BC. In addition, in the soil in one corner of the pool, the archaeologists found a dozen coins that date from 66 to 70 AD, indicating that the pool was being filled in at that time.

took 'em long enough =)

sporting newsies::

2005-09-10T16:26:00.000-04:00

Through September 30, Best Buy has agreed to match dollar for dollar all contributions made to the Red Cross either in stores (at the register), or online if you go through this link.

...and now back to our regularly scheduled programing.

The Sox suffered an unfortunate loss last night to the evil empire, but all is well again. Schilling and the boys put the 9-2 hurt on the Yanks and Rockies reject Chacon to restore the 4 game AL East lead. If you're keeping track, we're rooting for Cleveland and Oakland (and Anaheim if the A's manage to take the West), the clubs with the best chance of keeping the Yankees out of the playoffs for the first time since 1993 (there was no postseason action in 1994 due to the strike shortened season).

The game definitely had its moments, but the reigning Superbowl Champion NE Patriots began the quest for title #4 in 5 years with a 30-20 win over the Oakland Raiders.

Andre Agassi did it again. After a stunning comeback to make it into the US Open semifinals, Agassi took center stage again today, beating Robby Ginepri (6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3) to become the oldest US Open finalist in 31 years. Thirty-five years young and counting. Dear sir, I salute you.

we're not invincible

2005-09-05T15:02:00.000-04:00

The dead and the desperate of New Orleans now join the farmers of Aceh and the fishermen of Trincomalee, villagers in Iran and the slum dwellers of Haiti in a world being dealt ever more punishing blows by natural disasters.

It's a world where Americans can learn from even the poorest nations, experts say, and where they should learn not to build future settlements like the drowned old metropolis on the Mississippi.

The levees in New Orleans inspired a false sense of security, says Dennis S. Miletti, a leading scholar on disaster prevention. read more

No matter how advanced we get, we'll always be subject to the world around us. While there's no way to guarantee anything, there's no need to set yourself up for the inevitable...

quotes and stuff

2005-09-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." –President Bush, to FEMA director Michael Brown, while touring Hurricane-ravaged Mississippi, Sept. 2, 2005 (Source) (more stupid Hurricane quotes here)

I don't know what Bush was thinking at the time, but at least the administration came to its senses, dismissing Brown from his role in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

In related news, I came across this article, in which si.com's Andrew Lawrence has a few scathing words for Venus Williams. While he clearly exaggerates the situation, the point remains that there are plenty of people who, in the wake of the storm either didn't know just how big it was going to be, or just don't care, now that the damage is done.

please help.
don't turn your back on what could turn out to be the worst natural disaster in american history.

you CAN make a difference

2005-09-01T13:12:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Katrina Victims Need Your Help.

While it's clear that people need food and other basic necessities, the best way to help is to donate money to reputable agencies so that the necessary items can be purchased and distributed more efficiently. If you wish to volunteer your time, contact a volunteer agency to determine the best way to help.

Give money.

Contributions are tax deductible and every dollar counts. Many companies have matching programs so check with your employer to see if your contribution can be matched. Is it so hard to cut back on a few luxuries for the sake of saving lives? Please give whatever you can. No amount is too little.
::edit:: Through September 30, Best Buy has agreed to match dollar for dollar all contributions made to the Red Cross either in stores, or online if you go through this link.

Offer housing.

Hundreds of thousands of hurricane katrina victims have been left homeless. There's no indication of when the water might be cleared from flooded areas, let alone when the cleaning and rebuilding process can begin. If you have any room to spare consider opening your home/land to those in need. Free background checks are being donated to insure the safety of all parties involved so don't let safety concerns stop you from trying to help.

Give blood.
Blood has a limited shelf life. The different components of blood can last from 5 days to a year or more.

Platelets must be used within 5 days of donation.
Red blood cells may be stored under refrigeration for a maximum of 42 days. Frozen red blood cells can last up to 10 years, but because of the high cost involved, only a small portion of the blood supply can be frozen.
Plasma is generally frozen and must be used within one year.

It's great to respond during an emergency, but because blood is perishable, new donations are needed every day. In addition to meeting the needs of victims, valuable stores were destroyed so the need is even greater than usual. You can donate every 56 days so make a habit of it!

Give miles.

While millions of Americans accrue frequent flyer miles through reward programs, the number of people who actually use them is considerably smaller. Through the generosity of several major airlines, the American Red Cross can receive donations of frequent flyer miles. These miles are used to get help to and to rescue refugees in disaster areas. You know as well as I do how difficult it is to accumulate enough miles to do anything useful with. Why not put them to work? Take a few seconds to check if your miles can be donated.

Pray!

If you know the words of prayer, I urge you to pray for the victims and their families. Pray for the rescue workers who are putting their lives on the line to help in the relief effort. Pray for our president and other officials, as work is done to coordinate both a short and long term response plan.

You might feel like the problem is so big that there's nothing you can do that will make any difference. The reality is that there is no one person that can "fix" a situation like this. It's only by working TOGETHER that we can make a difference.

Then and now

2005-09-01T00:06:00.000-04:00

Then: SFN 2003

Now: Hurricane Katrina, the aftermath

Please Help.

jaws

2005-08-21T23:55:00.000-04:00

who comes up with these things? [via doobybrain]

Quote of the Day

2005-08-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

"God has to have a special ringtone in the cellphone of your soul." -Dr. Richard Hayes, minister, Zion Temple United Church of Christ

shafted

2005-08-19T16:18:00.000-04:00

The most important soccer game on U.S. soil in 2005 currently is not scheduled to be televised live on English-language TV.

The U.S. men's national soccer team would clinch a World Cup berth with a win (and possibly a tie) when it meets archrival Mexico at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 3 in Columbus, Ohio. But as of Friday morning, the only English-language broadcast was scheduled to be shown on tape delay at 2:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 4 on ESPN2, according to ESPN's published listings. full story

What a travesty. The US Men's soccer team, which was ranked #6 in the world in the last FIFA rankings, highest ever. While FIFA (the governing body for international soccer) rankings have their share of controversy, this is a sign of changing times. For years the US has been a footnote in the international soccer scene, essentially the minor leagues, or a stepping stone towards the "big leagues" (eg the English Premier League), but we're finally gaining respect. Just to put things in perspective, the US squad finished dead last just 7 years ago, in the 1998 World Cup held in France, failing to win a single game. We've come a long way, but let's hope they can get this figured out. When poker gets more airtime than soccer you know there's a problem...

beating the odds

2005-08-13T23:53:00.000-04:00

Pair of rookies join the Sixers on 1-year deals
Deng Gai and Shavlik Randolph blocked a lot of shots in college but went undrafted.
By Joe Juliano
Inquirer Staff Writer

Looking to build depth in their frontcourt, the 76ers signed shot-blocking forwards Deng Gai and Shavlik Randolph, a pair of undrafted rookie free agents, to one-year contracts yesterday. more

My bad. I shouldn't have doubted...looks like Shav found a job after all.

the Price ain't right

2005-08-12T14:45:00.000-04:00

how dumb can you be? This kid has a free ride to uconn courtesy of his hoops skills, with a possibility of a career in the nba and he throws it was for some petty larceny? What does he need to be stealing computers for?!

i remember the good old days, when kids had common sense...

guess what, your team sucks!

2005-08-11T01:14:00.000-04:00

This article nearly had me on the floor laughing. I don't always find Jay Mohr funny, but he got it right this time. Follow the link to find such gems as the following:

I clicked on the "Roster" link to learn about some of the Rays players. When I hit backup catcher Pete LaForest's name, I found a prominently displayed photo of 'ol Pete clutching his groin as a baseball bounced off his mask. That might be worth five dollars if they guaranteed I could see it live. - Jay Mohr, The Hot Read

He did his homework, that's for sure. Raptors in.....2055?

the new look yankees

2005-08-11T01:00:00.000-04:00

Al Leiter: Mets reject
Alan Embree: Red Sox reject
Hideo Nomo: Devil Rays reject
Shawn Chacon: Rockies reject
Carl Pavano: most likely shut down for the season ($39.95 million contract, nice)
Jaret Wright: has been on the DL since April 24
Randy Johnson & Kevin Brown: they're old. things break. 'nuff said.
Chien-Ming Wang: great start, a credit to the farm system, but wait-- he's hurt too.

Sounds to me like the Yankees have a big offseason ahead of them. better luck next year.

a second chance

2005-07-23T03:07:00.000-04:00

as predicted, Shav went undrafted in the 2005 draft. while that's not exactly earth-shattering news, what IS new is that Shavlik Randolph has been invited to the Philadelphia 76ers training camp. this guarantees nothing, but it sure is a lot farther than i ever thought he would get in this process.

Ewing, Randolph playing for NBA roster spots

Tags:

customize it

2005-07-14T22:17:00.000-04:00

It seems that Google is following in the footsteps of Yahoo, Excite and others...learn how to customize your google homepage.

never thought you'd hear THAT, didja

2005-07-13T14:03:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Day: "I turned to Johnny Damon," said Francona. "I heard Johnny say something like, 'Come on, Mo,' and I looked at him and said, 'I bet I never would have heard you say that.' It was OK. You know what -- for one night, it was pretty cool." -- AL All-Star team manager Terry Francona on Damon and the New York Yankee's Mariano Rivera

will womack ever catch a break?

2005-07-06T03:15:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Day: "Once the Padres get healthy, Towers must decide if the team can use another bat. If so, the X factor is likely to be Xavier Nady, who has picked up playing time at first base and the outfield but will somehow have to stay in the lineup when everyone is healthy. That could mean serious bench time for light-hitting Sean Burroughs, who last homered in April and is the NL version of Tony Womack." --si.com's Tom Verducci

portrait of a preliming gradstud

2005-07-01T02:59:00.000-04:00

Now that I've recovered I thought I'd give the rest of you a glimpse into the life of a preliming gradstud.

home away from home

many hours are spent with one's closest companions

success is predicated on having the necessary supplies on hand (coke, the drink of champions)

and you find yourself seeing the same sights

day

after day

how can I work like this?!

nothing is safe, not even the apartment...

steady

decipher this!

Eventually you start to go mad. You know you're on the right track if nonsense starts coming out....

"I don't mean to be purposefully obfuscatory" *

"And this is like different from the usual idiotcraty" *

*actual quotes from preliming gradstuds

But ultimately it's your fellow gradstuds, like

this one

and this one

and especially this one

that somehow manage to pull you through.

What happens next you ask?

The obligatory after party. I'd say we're looking a bit weary, wouldn't you?

credit: svs

baseball news

2005-06-30T18:19:00.000-04:00

One of the highlights of my week is reading si.com's Power Rankings.

This week's includes such nuggets as:

Rank 20. (LW 17)
Arizona Diamondbacks
Ouch. They've given up 35 home runs in June, and their relief staff sports a major league-worst 6.01 ERA. Things are so bad that one of the pitchers they're reportedly interested in is the Yankees' Tanyon Sturtze, he of the 5.13 lifetime ERA. OK, OK, that is better.

and

Rank 12. (LW 16)
Florida Marlins
Dontrelle Willis is 12-3 with a 2.04 ERA, four complete games and three shutouts. But how about this one? He's hitting .250 (11-for-44), just three points fewer than what opposing batters are doing against him. And don't think that hasn't come up in the clubhouse.

[editor's note: just for comparison's sake, take a look at how Willis compares with the Yankee's Tony Womack...

	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Tony Womack	.240	.274	.264	.538
Dontrelle Willis	.250	.250	.273	.523

yeah, I don't understand either why Torre continues to write Womack's name on the lineup card]

I'll leave you with the bit about my favorite team:

Rank 13. (LW 9)
New York Yankees
So far, they've had winning streaks of five, six and 10 games. They've also had losing streaks of six, four (three times) and three (twice) games. They're 0-26 when scoring fewer than four runs. And they're 4-12 against the Devil Rays, Royals and Brewers. We say it's all Tony Womack's fault.

c'mon, go read. you know you want to. It's always good for a chuckle!

new york yankee newsies::

2005-06-30T16:43:00.000-04:00

Lot's of rumblings in the Bronx these days, so in the style of justjared, i thought it was about time for an update

::bye bye Stanton/Quantrill

The veteran relievers Paul Quantrill and Mike Stanton appear to have pitched their last games for the Yankees. Hoping to make their bullpen younger, the Yankees could release or trade both on Thursday. [nyt][mlb.com update]

:: houston, we have a problem

Sheffield, who was reportedly being dangled by the Yankees in a deal with the Mets that would have landed Mike Cameron in the Bronx, said that if he is traded, his new team better be prepared to extend his contract and give him more money -- and whatever else he can think of to make it pay for taking the pinstripes off his uniform. [mlb.com]

fortunately for him....

But manager Joe Torre said before Wednesday's game that the Yankees had turned down the Mets' offer for Sheffield, adding that he had informed Sheffield of that fact shortly after he had spoken with reporters.

"supersize me" unplugged

2005-06-26T23:45:00.000-04:00

Stop suing restaurants for your own stupidity!

around durham

2005-06-26T01:06:00.000-04:00

notice anything interesting about this establishment? (click for full size)

get real

2005-06-26T00:11:00.000-04:00

"Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else." -Shaquille O'Neal [si.com]

yeah, like he's ever gonna have to do anything remotely resembling work after he retires from the NBA. It's cool that Shaq not only finished up his ugrad degree, but has now earned his MBA, but who does he think he's fooling when he talks as if he's wondering how to support himself AB (after basketball)?

Fun Fact of the Day: The 2005 Yanks are 0-26 when scoring less than 3 runs. Ain't it great what 210 million will buy you?

more Shav

2005-06-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

I was reading the Chronicle this afternoon, to see what the Duke spin was going to be and if I could find an official comment from Coach K. While there was a recent story, the only statement was one from back in May when Shav first declared himself draft eligible:

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski said he supported Randolph, although he would not have made the same decision at this time if he were Randolph. [more]

Ouch. I don't know that Shav has done anything since then to change Coach K's opinion. It seems that not even the Crazies have quite figured him out. Ah well. Live and learn, right?

i was wrong

2005-06-22T07:15:00.000-04:00

I should have held my tongue. Declaring for the draft to "test the waters" was NOT the worst decision Shavlik Randolph could have made. STAYING in the NBA draft pretty much does it. Word is that he worked out for Charlotte, New Jersey, Boston, Washington and Orlando (side note-- please don't let him end up as a Celtic!) and had good enough result to stick it out. Let's hope his confidence isn't shattered when his name isn't called.

Randolph chooses uncertain draft

I decided to learn more about the former McDonald's All American, who was once the pride and joy of NC. Let's take a look back at Nike Camp 2001, where he had an opportunity to match up against a lot of guys who have already made it, or will be heading to the NBA this year:

6-9 208-pound senior Shavlik Randolph (Broughton H.S./Raleigh, N.C.) was rather disappointing. He had trouble making and finishing post moves against smaller, weaker defenders and was in a rebound drought. He also wasn't venturing out to the perimeter, which would have allowed him to showcase his impressive face-up game. And, on the second night of practice games, Randolph didn't dress for a matchup versus Stoudemire. Randolph was reported to be suffering from patella tendonitus. [espn.com]

He couldn't cut it with the big dogs even then. Prior to the 2004 season nbadraft.net had some good things to say, but I don't know if they'd be so positive after yet another disappointing year. I don't care how "good" his team workouts went, there's just no way he's getting drafted in this year's talent pool. At least he can say he played for Duke-- that's more than a lot of guys can say. So long, #42...

sweep

2005-06-03T02:58:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Day: "Who would have thought the $210 million superstar Yankees could be swept by the $37 million unknown Royals?" Dick Kaegel, mlb.com

crash

2005-05-29T23:40:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to see the movie Crash. I heard some friends were going about an hour and a half before showtime, and basically had just enough time to catch up with them before it started. Since I've pretty much been living under a rock for the past few months, I had never heard of it, and didn't have the slightest idea what it was even about so it made quite the impression on me.

I've watched at least 25 movies since The Color Purple, but this was the first since then to evoke any sort of emotional reaction. In some ways I felt like I was being force-fed the point they were trying to make, but as one friend pointed out, "some people just don't get it unless you hit them over the head with something". Definitely worth watching, although perhaps not one to see with your mother...

p.s. Jared...I blame you for me never having heard of this movie. You're supposed to keep me on top of these things!

::edit:: I guess I owe Jared an apology. Sorry! I wasn't kidding when I said I was under a rock!

mb2

2005-05-29T00:44:00.000-04:00

Thursday night I went to see my first (and most likely only) baseball game of the season. The Durham Bulls (AAA affiliate of the TB Devil Rays) vs. the Pawtucket Red Sox. It was Duke Appreciation night and Marybeth was nice enough to hook me up with a ticket (which also included plenty of free food. congrats on 15 years of service!). I also finally got to meet her ever elusive friend Marybeth.

Thursday also happened to be Melissa's birthday. While I didn't sit with her and her crew, I did swing by to say hello. The only thing that would have made for a nicer night if if the Pawsox had pulled out the victory. Oh well, maybe next time. I did get to see Kelly Shoppach and John Olerud before their recent callups to the big leagues.

go jen, it's your birthday

2005-05-29T00:09:00.000-04:00

I'm going to have a lot more random pics so I thought I'd start taking advantage of the blogger-hello connection to make things easy on myself. Anyway, last sunday was Jennifer's birthday, and I took a little study break to meet up with her and some other people. I didn't stay long, but people looked like they were having a good time!

shocking

2005-05-23T02:32:00.000-04:00

More arrested in cult case
Tangipahoa sheriff alleges devil worship in child rape, animal sex case
Investigators arrested four more people on Thursday who are allegedly implicated in the child and animal sex ring, one of them a woman who is married to the already arrested minister of the church.

Thursday's four arrests brought to eight the number of people arrested so far after a six-week investigation into a Hosanna Church splinter group. full story

It pains me to hear about things like this. It's bad enough when people hurt kids, but to do it in the name of "the church" is just disgusting.

Parents: please watch out for your kids. If you don't protect them, who will?

truth

2005-05-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

I like to call this one: true confessions, by Brian Basset

brain teaser

2005-05-13T23:44:00.000-04:00

A fun brainteaser I came across at DiploBlogic. It reminded me of the now defunct analytic section from the GRE (which was, of course, my favorite part) . If you're stumped, you can find the answer over there!

THREE GODS

In a country long ago and far away there was a temple to which the people came to request the favor of the gods. In the temple there were three identical statues, and each statue could speak to worshippers on behalf of the god it represented. Though the three statues were identical in appearance, each represented a different god. One statue spoke for the God of Truth, and it always said the truth. Another spoke for the God of Falsehood, and what it said was always false. The third spoke for the God of Diplomacy; it sometimes spoke the truth, and sometimes did not.

The statues would answer any questions the people asked them, but of course different statues would give different answers to the same questions! Since no one knew which statue represented which god, interpreting the answers which the statues gave was pretty tricky, and there were a good many "religious experts" who claimed to be able to interpret the statues' answers and who charged high fees for their services. It seemed to most people, however, that these experts usually disagreed with each other.

One day a logic student appeared at the temple and announced that she knew how to discover which statue represented which god; it could be done by simply asking each statue one question. The answers would, she said, reveal which one answered truly, which one answered falsely, and which one was diplomatic.

So she entered the temple and stood before the three statues and asked the one on the left, "What god's statue is standing next to you?" The answer was: "The God of Truth." Then to the statue in the middle she said: "Which god do you represent?" The answer was, "The God of Diplomacy." And finally she said to the statue on the right, "What god's statue is standing next to you?" And the reply was, "The God of Falsehood."

"Aha!" said the logic student, "That makes it perfectly clear!" She then went into business as a religious expert and soon made a fortune interpreting the answers which the statues gave to people's questions, because it soon became obvious that her interpretations were always correct.

Which statue represented which god?

what was he thinking?

2005-05-13T18:50:00.000-04:00

this is like the worst decision ever. I could see if he were graduating, but why leave early? Shav couldn't even put up the big numbers on the Duke squad, what makes him think he has a chance against all the best prep and college players in the country?

Duke's Randolph to enter NBA Draft

thanks j4r3d!

2005-05-11T17:18:00.000-04:00

Remember the guest spot I did on JustJared.com awhile back? Now that I have the means, I thought I'd share my gift with the rest of you. Very cute. Take a closer look at the wrapping paper (click to enlarge). Nice. There was even a picture of one of my hometown Celts on the bottom [aside: if only they could have gotten their act together in the playoffs...but I digress]. So thoughtful! Thanks :-). (credit: avy for wrapping)

the sky is falling

2005-05-05T22:44:00.000-04:00

Talk about bad luck....first the Yankees have their worst start in over a decade. Follow that up with getting 47,000 caps stolen. Guess what...they've been found. Want 'em? It's gonna cost you. Torre has tried shaking up the lineup, even going so far as to make goals for the team (is .500 really too much to ask for? apparently) but that doesn't seemed to have helped. In fact, Joe looks like he's about to cry in the pic I dug up.

So what's wrong? Bob Klaspisch has a theory.

Incredibly, the team that won 101 regular-season games last year is feeling threatened by ... the Devil Rays. Having already split the first two games of their battle for the cellar, the Yankees will be relying on two rookies, Sean Henn and Chien-Ming Wang, to rescue them in the next two days.

How did the Yankees go from being the greatest on-paper team of the Joe Torre era to the division's cesspool? It's been a perfect storm of injuries and age, which is precisely how the '65 Yankees ushered in an 11-year dark age in the Bronx. Club officials refuse to believe history is repeating itself, but no one expected Bernie Williams to lose his skills so rapidly, or Jason Giambi to be quite this helpless or Jorge Posada to look this exhausted just a month into the season. [full]

Injuries and age? Well, the Red Sox have had similar problems this month, and while their record is nothing to write home about, they've managed to get the train headed in the right direction. I wouldn't call Jeremi Gonzalez and John Halama long term solutions, and Foulke has definitely been struggling, but they still managed to go 5-2 on the most recent road trip, landing them in second place, while the Yanks managed to continue the free fall. There has definitely been a disturbance in the force, and the world is not right when the Orioles are leading the AL East after a month of baseball. Could it be that the Sox finally making it to the promised land has irrevocably changed the landscape of the game? Time will only tell.

The best part? There's still another 5 months til the postseason. It will be interesting to see how things shape up. A lot can happen in the span of a few months.

i don't think i'll ever get tired of looking at this...

win the bling

2005-05-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

Thought it was overkill when the front office decided that (among others), all 50 players who played at least one inning for the Sox in 2004 would receive a personalized World Series Championship ring? Now's your chance to get in on the action. From now until July 3, fans will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for one of three (3) authentic, personalized rings (identical to what the players received). Act now because a maximum of 200,000 tickets will be made available. All net proceeds will benefit the Red Sox Foundation. [mlb.com]

I'm too lazy to make sure, but I'll bet the Yanks never did anything like this after any of their 26 championships!

poor nomah

2005-05-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

Athletes say they don't look back, ever.

Athletes lie.

Thus, it is safe to theorize the demons doing wind sprints in Nomar Garciaparra's head right now. Starting with, "Man, I'm glad I got married, otherwise the last 18 months would completely suck." [Ray Ratto - full story]

As any good baseball fan knows, former Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra suffered what could end up being a season-ending groin injury on April 20th during the third inning of a Cubs 3-1 victory over the Cardinals. I hate to harp on the guy because I actually liked him until he got that chip on his shoulder when they tried to trade him to get A-Rod. Nomar was supposed to be the face of the franchise, playing out his whole career in Boston, and less than a year after he leaves, the Sox have managed to win the World Series, while he gets to spend a very long 2-3 months at home thinking about the big payday he will likely never get. The Sox tried to keep him, offering him a 4-year deal prior to the 2004 season but he declined, hoping to up the ante during his contract year. He elected for minor surgery and no, he doesn't use steroids. He's just really unlucky, unlike Romber (did you see today's episode?!). But I digress. Oh well. Poor nomah.

(bdd photo)

linkfest

2005-05-02T17:54:00.000-04:00

Apparently, shoplifting is safer than dowloading. So I guess it's time to start hitting up those stores. The best part? no waiting!

I'm a big Firefox fan, but Netscape seems to have an interesting approach in the works for v8.0.

Need a gift for someone? The Google store has all kinds of neat stuff for sale.

Get the latest in Microsoft news (unofficially).

It wouldn't be right for me not to talk about sports at least once today...now that it's seems increasingly certain that Phil Jackson will be returning to the sidelines where do you think he'll end up? I'd like to see him in MSG whipping the Knicks into shape. Your thoughts?

Finally, this story breaks my heart. Is it not bad enough that so many people had to die and/or lose all their possessions in the tsunami? Why are people such jerks?

not impressed

2005-04-29T23:36:00.000-04:00

Quote of the day:

Consider the take of one AL team source: "I'll tell you why the Yankees are in trouble: They are locked into this team. I honestly can tell you there is nobody on that team I would trade for. They aren't going to trade Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada or Gary Sheffield. Obviously, Johnson and Mariano Rivera aren't going anywhere. There's nobody else I'd want, because of contracts or age and ability. So when it comes time for them to make a move, they don't have anything of value.

Don't look now but Si.com's Tom Verducci is not impressed with the 2005 edition of the NYY. Unfortunately, while the Yanks may be struggling, recent injuries might go a long way towards making sure the Sox don't stay too far ahead. We're one month into the season, and the Sox have lost Schilling and Wells, while Miller has yet to come off the DL. What does that leave for the starting rotation? Wakefield, Arroyo (who was recently suspended six games for his role in the recent rumble with the Devil Rays), and Matt Clement. If there was ever a time that they needed to show some grit, now would be a good time to start.

blog it up

2005-04-29T23:04:00.000-04:00

Don't look now, but mlb.com is getting in on the blogging action. For a mere $4.95/month ($49.95/yr) you too can have subdomain on mlb.com. Sign up now for a free 30 day trial.

Now there is an even better reason to be a blogger. Major League Baseball Advanced Media has partnered with Six Apart to introduce MLBlogs, where you can find robust, state-of-the-art blogging tools that let you create a page featuring your favorite Major League team's logo and colors. Your blog will allow you to share text and multimedia, and it will come complete with your own MLBlogs.com subdomain. [link]

Seriously though, with all the free blogging sites out there, why would anyone do this? So you can put an mlb.com official logo on your site? Because mlb.com is cool? I don't get it?

let's get it on

2005-04-29T02:05:00.000-04:00

Childless couple told to try sex

A German couple who went to a fertility clinic after eight years of marriage have found out why they are still childless - they weren't having sex.

The University Clinic of Lubek said they had never heard of a case like it after examining the couple who went to see them last month for fertility tests.

Doctors subjected them to a series of examinations and found they were both apparently fertile, and should have had no trouble conceiving.

A clinic spokesman said: "When we asked them how often they had had sex, they looked blank, and said: "What do you mean?". [full story - via db]

I guess the raging hormones of adolescence had died down by time they actually tied the knot. Funny how you actually need to have sex to have a child. Unless you're this couple.