An unexpected danger of driving in a flooded area

 The city of Duluth had rainfall of nine inches  in one storm, the water cascaded down hillsides and roads, running beneath the pavement to undermine the support for the asphalt.

Ken Robinson - The Element Speech - the point at which natural talent meets personal passion.

Ken Robinson - The Element - YouTube




 ploaded by     theRSAorg  on Mar  8, 2010              

Sir Ken Robinson returns to the RSA to  share new thinking on 'The Element' - the point at which natural talent  meets personal passion.

Category:    

Education

Tags:      

• rsa
• the rsa
• royal society of arts
• creativity
• education
• enterprise
• organisation

License:

Standard YouTube License  

Ken Robinson - The Element

Education and Human Possibility:

 “If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.”
― Ken Robinson, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

 

“The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed -- it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.”
― Ken Robinson, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

 

“Creativity is as important as literacy”
― Ken Robinson

“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement."

"And it's the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.”
― Ken Robinson

“Our task is to educate their (our students) whole being so they can face the future. We may not see the future, but they will and our job is to help them make something of it.”
― Ken Robinson, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

 

“I believe our only hope for the future is to adopt a new conception of human ecology, one in which we start to reconstitute our concept of the richness in human capacity.”
― Ken Robinson

“Human resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they're not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.”
― Ken Robinson

“We have sold ourselves into a fast food model of education, and it's impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.”
― Ken Robinson

“We have to go from what is essentially an industrial model of education, a manufacturing model, which is based on linearity and conformity and batching people. We have to move to a model that is based more on principles of agriculture. We have to recognize that human flourishing is not a mechanical process; it's an organic process. And you cannot predict the outcome of human development. All you can do, like a farmer, is create the conditions under which they will begin to flourish.”
― Ken Robinson

 

“When my son, James, was doing homework for school, he would have five or six windows open on his computer, Instant Messenger was flashing continuously, his cell phone was constantly ringing, and he was downloading music and watching the TV over his shoulder. I don’t know if he was doing any homework, but he was running an empire as far as I could see, so I didn’t really care.”

― Ken Robinson, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything 

 Source:Ken Robinson Quotes (Author of The Element)
 http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/43940.Ken_Robinson

 

Thomas Paine on Common Sense

"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right."

Common Sense, 1776, Introduction

"Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil."

Common Sense, 1776, "Of the origin and design of government in general, with concise remarks on the English Constitution."

"The strength of one man is so unequal to his wants, and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged to seek assistance and relief of another"

Common Sense, 1776, "Of the origin and design of government in general, with concise remarks on the English Constitution."

"Nothing but heaven is impregnable to vice."

Common Sense, 1776, "Of the origin and design of government in general, with concise remarks on the English Constitution."

"Oppression is often the consequence, but seldom or never the means of riches; and though avarice will preserve a man from being necessitously poor, it generally makes him too timorous to be wealthy."

Common Sense, 1776, "Of monarchy and hereditary succession."

"For all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have a right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others for ever"

Common Sense, 1776, "Of monarchy and hereditary succession."

"Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that every lived."

Common Sense, 1776, "Of monarchy and hereditary succession."

"Youth is the seed time of good habits, as well in nations as in individuals."

Common Sense, 1776, "Of the present ability of America, with some miscellaneous reflexions."

"As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of all government, to protect all conscientious professors thereof, and I know of no other business which government hath to do therewith."

Common Sense, 1776, "Of the present ability of America, with some miscellaneous reflexions."

"Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society."

Common Sense, 1776, "Of the present ability of America, with some miscellaneous reflexions."

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of men and women."

The Crisis, 1776, Introduction

Featured Books

• Rights of Man and Common Sense Hardcover - Two of the most influential pamphlets written by Thomas Paine. They are available online through other avenues, but I'm fully convinced that every library should have a copy of these.
• Thomas Paine : Collected Writings Hardcover - Or if you prefer, this selection contains almost all of his work. It includes Common Sense, The Crisis, Rights of Man, The Age of Reason, and other pamphlets, articles, and letters. 906 pages of philosophy from the American and French Revolutions.
• Thomas Paine Videocassette VHS Tape by Carl Shapiro - Originally aired on Cable TV, this 40 minute video discusses Thomas Paine's works and life.

For more information about Thomas Paine, try these links:

• Biography of Thomas Paine - A concise biography of his life by Benni Leemhuis. Although it tends to idolize him a bit, all the facts are listed.
• Common Sense - The full text divided into its four chapters and introduction are available for your reading pleasure. Provided by Bartleby Archive.
• The Age of Paine - A glowing discussion of Thomas Paine and how his spirit lives on in the Internet presented by Jon Katz and Wired Magazine. 

Articles - The Quotations Page

Television

 You can substitute "The Internet" for "Television" and be surprised how many of them still ring true...

"Television is democracy at its ugliest."

Paddy Chayefsky

"Television is the first truly democratic culture -- the first culture available to everybody and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want."

Clive Barnes

"I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens."

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969)

"Television - a medium. So called because it is neither rare nor well-done."

Ernie Kovacs

"It is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome."

T. S. Eliot

"Television enables you to be entertained in your home by people you wouldn't have in your home."

David Frost

"Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other."

Ann Landers

"All television is children's television."

Richard P. Adler

"Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it."

Alfred Hitchcock

"Television has raised writing to a new low."

Samuel Goldwyn

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

More about television:

• See old TV's - and old TV programs - at the MZTV Television Museum.
• For more television-related links than you know what to do with, refer to Yahoo's Television category.

Articles - The Quotations Page

Let's Get Motivated

"Please write again soon. Though my own life is filled with activity, letters encourage momentary escape into others' lives and I come back to my own with greater contentment."

Elizabeth Hailey, "A Woman of Independent Means"

"One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness."

Josh Billings

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own."

Benjamin Disraeli

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

Mark Twain

"I always remember an epitaph which is in the cemetery at Tombstone, Arizona. It says: 'Here lies Jack Williams. He done his damnedest.' I think that is the greatest epitaph a man can have - When he gives everything that is in him to do the job he has before him. That is all you can ask of him and that is what I have tried to do."

Harry S. Truman

"Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them."

William Shakespeare, "Twelfth Night"

"Live well. It is the greatest revenge."

The Talmud

Featured Books 

• Life 101 Hardcover by Peter McWilliams - Reading one of his books is tantamount to reading them all, but this is the one I recommend. A wonderfully positive book with lots of quotations, many of which found their way into the Motivational Quotes of the Day collection.
• Good AdviceHardcover by William Safire, Leonard Safir (Compiler) - Many quotes from the Motivational Quote of the Day page are from this book. There is no better place to find good advice about life, business dealings and fear than from people who have gone through it before. This small little book is organized by subject. I really like this book and have read the entire thing a few times, but there are two things that go against it: the attributes are simple, and there are many Unknowns or Proverbs. I don't really like to use quotes by Unknown because I suspect that someone said them, but they aren't getting credit for it. Aside from those minor problems, this book is a lot of fun with cute pictures and great organization.
• Do It! Let's Get Off Our Butts Hardcover by Peter McWilliams - Although it shares much of its information with Life 101, there is nothing more motivational than this book. It combines wisdom with methods of motivating yourself. All of that with wonderful quotations to boot.
• 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself Hardcover by Steve Chandler - More quick tips for getting the life you have always desired. Get rid of those negative thoughts and that pessimistic attitude. Recipient of the King Features Syndicate 1997 AudioBook of the Year Award.

For more information about Motivation, try these links:

• Motivating Moments - A quotation collection also containing motivational, inspirational and positive quotes. Organized into three groups: Customer Service and Sales, Motivational & Positive Quotes, and Inspirational Quotes.
• Good Thinking Quotes - Another quote collection devoted to motivational quotations from the good people at Patrick Comb's www.goodthink.com (reminds me of the doublespeak in George Orwell's 1984, but that's another story).
• Daily Motivator - Motivating thoughts brought to you every day by Ralph S. Marston, Jr.
• The Maximum Potential Project - This site is described as a mental health program aimed at conquering the problems of underachievers and restoring motivation, self-esteem, and happiness. It uses therapy to help people who feel that they are underachievers. Read the Motivational Quotes of the Day page every day and you might avoid costly therapist bills. 

Articles - The Quotations Page

Scots Joke

A bloke walks into a Glasgow library and says to the prim librarian,

'Excuse me Miss, dey ye hiv ony books on suicide?'

To which she stops doing her tasks, looks at him over the top of her glasses and says,

'Fook off, ye'll no bring it back!'

MYNA MOTHER

The week's best photojournalism - The Week

       

 

Feed us!

An Indian Myna, with a praying mantis gripped in its beak, prepares to feed its chicks in a nest built inside the wall of an underpass in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi.

PHOTO: REUTERS/Parivartan Sharma

Camel and Man

Man of western Xinjiang

Young Xinjiang schoolboy

Tajik woman of Xinjiang

These two have European looks but are Chinese.   They appear in a blog that speculates about why the blue eyes appear in countries of the far East.

 Source:

 http://pastmists.wordpress.com/

Amazon Woman: Leryn Franco

XVI Pan American Games - Day 13

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO - OCTOBER 27: Leryn Franco of Paraguay competes in the women's javelin throw final during Day 13 of the XVI Pan American Games at Telmex Athletics Stadium on October 27, 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

Source:
Leryn Franco Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com

 

Share

By Vurdlak on June 16, 2012, with 0 Comments

I had some major connectivity issues lately, (in fact I’m tethering via my iPhone right now) so this why there were no updates yesterday and on the day before. I just hope these three birds would make up for it! There weren’t many perspective optical illusions for such a long time, I figured they would come in refreshing. So which one did you like the most? Hope all of the illusions below are self-explanatory…or aren’t they?

Giant asteroid zips past Earth in 'scary' shave - Technology & Science - CBC News

Giant asteroid zips past Earth in 'scary' shave - Technology & Science - CBC News


A  gigantic asteroid classified as "potentially hazardous" hurtled safely past Earth on Thursday night, zipping by well outside of the moon's orbit but nonetheless thrilling amateur stargazers

Near-Earth asteroids are not an uncommon occurrence. Astronomers have recorded roughly 9,000 of them to date, according to the astronomy news website Space.com.


Astronomy Magazine analyst Bob Berman added during the webcast that 
 the event was "scary" and a bit of a wake-up call for astronomers, who only discovered the asteroid LZ1 this week.






  
This NASA radar image showing asteroid 2005 YU55 was obtained in 2011. The asteroid, said to be about the size of an aircraft carrier, came within 325,000 kilometres of Earth. (NASA)

File:Chinesischer Maler des 12. Jahrhunderts (I) 001.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

File:Chinesischer Maler des 12. Jahrhunderts (I) 001.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

English: This album leaf painting of ink and color on silk is attributed to the early 12th century Chinese artist Zhao Chang. It is now located in the Shanghai Museum in China.

Yogas

The path of yoga is faith, energy, mindfulness, meditation and wisdom. 

- Yoga Sutra 1.20 

Quotes Rumi

Who am I in the midst of all this thought traffic? - Rumi


You are the Soul of the Soul of the Universe and your name is Love. -Rumi
  

Every tree, every growing thing as it grows, says this truth, you harvest what you sow.
- Rumi


And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?   - Rumi


Be certain in the religion of love there are no believers or unbelievers. Love embraces all.
- Rumi


Love is the religion in me. - Rumi


With life as short as a half taken breath, Don't plant anything but Love. - Rumi


Prayer clears the mist and brings back peace to the Soul. - Rumi


What a relief to be empty! Then God can live your life.  - Rumi



When you seek love with all you heart ~ you shall find its echo’s in the universe. - Rumi
    

If you wish to be a mine of jewels, open the deep ocean within your heart. - Rumi


You are searching the world for treasure, but the real treasure is yourself. - Rumi


I long to escape the prison of my ego and lose myself in you. - Rumi 


Come, seek, for search is the foundation of fortune: every success depends upon focusing the heart.


Once you conquer your selfish self, all your darkness will change to Light.   - Rumi


Nowhere to go but the heart.   - Rumi



Now be silent. Let the One who creates the words speak. He made the door. He made the lock. He also made the key.  - Rumi

 
Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart. - Rumi



Love is always thirsty and looking for a thirsty lover. Love and lover follow each other like day and night.  - Rumi

 Exhale only love. - Rumi


The soul has been given its own ears to hear things mind does not understand.  - Rumi


Don't be fooled by my beauty - the light of my face comes from the candle of my spirit.
- Rumi 



Love is always thirsty and looking for a thirsty lover. Love and lover follow each other like day and night. - Rumi


The soul has been given its own ears to hear things mind does not understand. - Rumi


What matters is how quickly you do what your soul wants. - Rumi


In this moment your love comes to rest in me, many beings in one being. In one wheat-grain a thousand sheaf stacks.   - Rumi


Now be silent. Let the One who creates the words speak. He made the door. He made the lock. He also made the key.   -  Rumi


In this moment your love comes to rest in me, many beings in one being. In one wheat-grain a thousand sheaf stacks. - Rumi



Listen with ears of tolerance! See through the eyes of compassion! Speak with the language of love!

Love is compass of The God's secrets.

Always walk on the sunny side....

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.
It is what sunflowers do" -Helen Keller

• Sure, the world is full of trouble. But, as long as we have people undoing trouble, we have a pretty good world.

• The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

• Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
  

- Helen Keller

Sunflowers to the Rescue!

by Sherie Blumenthal | Monday, June 11th, 2012 | From: Home and Garden

 

Helen Keller knew enough about the wisdom of this bright and beautiful plant to share it with others. While she understood and celebrated the sunflower’s ability to follow the movement of the sun, she could not have known of its power to cleanse the earth. Thanks to the wonders of science, we do now, and it is a beautiful and useful wisdom!

 This bright, cheerful flower has given us a delicious and hardy seed, a versatile cooking oil, leaves for cattle feed, a stem strong enough to make paper, and of course, much beauty. It has also, as of late, brought us something even more special: the ability to remove harmful toxins from our soil, helping us to more safely handle the earth around us and grow food for ourselves and our communities.

The sunflower is one of many plants that are now known to aid in “phytoremediation,” a process that employs various types of plants to remove, transfer, stabilize, and/or destroy contaminants in the our soil, water and air. 

Compared to other cleanup methods, such as soil excavation or pumping polluted groundwater, phytoremediation has become a clean, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way to reclaim and reuse land that has been tainted by poisonous chemicals and heavy metals.

 

Sunflowers are not only able to absorb lead, but other dangerous heavy metals such as arsenic, zinc, chromium, copper, and manganese. 

Probably the most astounding example of phytoremediation was the use of a type of sunflower to clean up contaminated soil in the Ukraine following the Chernobyl disaster, one of the worst nuclear power plant accidents in history. 

Other communities from far and wide have learned about and employed the magic healing of sunflowers. “Project Sprout,” based out of Tulane City Center in New Orleans, focuses on planting bio-energy gardens that include plants like sunflowers as a way to remediate soil, yield a crop for bio-fuel production, provide green-collar job training and to support urban revitalization in neighborhoods of New Orleans that suffered devastating damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Sunflowers have an amazing capacity to not only transform the health of a space in your community, but also add beauty.

 

 Source:

 http://www.farmersalmanac.com/home-garden/2012/06/11/sunflowers-to-the-rescue/

 

......................................................................................................

Having just purchased a couple of these flowers at the local plant vendor, it seemed wise to go to an expert to learn how to care for this plant.

.......................................................................................................

More Helen Keller:

 Courage
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

Confidence
Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face.

No higher resolution available.

Helianthus_whorl.jpg‎ (640 × 480 pixels, file size: 320 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Ideas

  Thoreau's transcendental beliefs. IMAGE CREDIT: www.quotablecards.com

Create the life you want for yourself

 Purpose: What do you want to provide meaning and engagement in your life.  What meaning do you want to give to your life? The meaning of life is the meaning you give to it.

 First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
- Epictetus

Whatever you do, do with all your might. ~ Cicero


 The energy of the mind is the essence of life. ~ Aristotle


Be clear about what you want and make the appropriate decisions and choices...



There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision. ~ William James

Persevere and Persist...

When something of an affliction happens to you, you either let it defeat you, or you defeat it.
~ Rousseau





The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. ~ Seneca



“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice.
You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone.
Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure.”
– Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics





Learn from your mistakes...

Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners.
- Robert T. Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad)





Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterwards to solve other problems. ~ Descartes 

   
When you’re ready to quit, you are closer than you think.
– Bob Parsons (Founder Of Go Daddy)



As is our confidence, so is our capacity.
- William Hazlitt

  
"One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity."
~Albert Schweitzer



Being true to our own set of values and always remembering to live our life and to give it the meaning we want by the actions we take and the choices we make will provide us the greatest satisfaction in the long run.

We are really competing against ourselves, we have no control over how other people perform.
– Pete Cashmore (Founder Of Mashable)






“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”    -- Steve Jobs



"And in the end it's not the years in your
life that count. It's the life in your years."
- Abraham Lincoln






Be Here Now...

Projecting our thoughts far ahead of us, instead of adapting ourselves to the present, is cause of fear. Foresight, the greatest blessing humanity has been given, is also a curse.
~ Seneca, Roman philosopher and politician, Letters to Lucilius



Creating something from nothing is the meaning of being an entrepreneur...
 
Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration - Thomas Edison, inventor and scientist


 
Timing, perseverance and 10 years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.
– Biz Stone (Twitter)



“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It doesn’t matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because all that matters in business is that you get it right once.  Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are.” 
 - Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, co-founder of Broadcast.com, founder of HDNet


 

   The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. 
      A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. 
      Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.

- Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese’s

Quotes

 


Whatever you do, do with all your might. ~ Cicero



When something an affliction happens to you, you either let it defeat you, or you defeat it.
~ Rousseau
 

I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. 
~ John Locke 
  



All things deteriorate in time. ~ Virgil





Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterwards to solve other problems. ~ Descartes 



Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil. ~ Marcus Aurelius 


    



You forget that the fruits belong to all and that the land belongs to no one. ~ Rousseau


No one is laughable who laughs at himself. ~ Seneca


The energy of the mind is the essence of life. ~ Aristotle


It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law. ~ Thomas Hobbes



If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. ~ Marcus Aurelius


 Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotisms. ~ Aristotle




You forget that the fruits belong to all and that the land belongs to no one. ~ Rousseau




The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. ~ Seneca



He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it. ~ Seneca

 By a lie, a man... annihilates his dignity as a man. ~ Kant




A man of courage is also full of faith. ~ Cicero 




We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. 
~ Epictetus 




The countenance is the portrait of the soul, and the eyes mark its intentions. ~ Cicero 






There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision. ~ William James





You must become an old man in good time if you wish to be an old man long. ~ Marcus Aurelius 

Quotes

“The conditions under which we are born would be favourable if only we did not abandon them. Nature's intention was that we should need no great equipment for living in happiness: every one of us is capable of making himself happy.”

 –Seneca, *Dialogues and Essays*  

 

 

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you; 

you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."
- James Allen

 

 

 

 A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men.

~ Bertrand Russell

BOXING One disputed scorecard earned three New Jersey boxing judges indefinite suspensions and no clear route back to ringside - NYPOST.com

 Maybe we need to see more suspensions for hotly disputed decisions...

One disputed scorecard earned three New Jersey boxing judges indefinite suspensions and no clear route back to ringside - NYPOST.com


Al Bennett hasn’t been ringside since July 9, 2011.

That’s when he was one of three judges suspended indefinitely after working the junior middleweight fight between Paul Williams and Erislandy Lara at a ballroom in Boardwalk Hall at Atlantic City.

Four days after Williams was awarded a controversial majority decision that drew boos from most in the crowd, all three judges — Bennett, Donald Givens of Linden, N.J., and Hilton Whitaker III of New Jersey — were put on indefinite suspension by Aaron Davis, the commissioner of the New Jersey State Control Board.

 

In announcing the suspensions, Davis said in a statement, “we feel that we did not provide our best officiating on July 9.” Davis did add there was no evidence of any corruption on the part of the judges.

Nearly 11 months later, the three judges remain suspended, unable to work in any jurisdiction. Bennett, a judge for 25 years, and Whitaker, a 69-year-old who has been in boxing since age 15, say they feel like scapegoats. In interviews with The Post, they charge Davis with initially lying to them and ruining their reputations and careers.
 

Williams-Lara was televised on HBO, and the broadcast team, including former judge Harold Lederman, favored Lara after the 12-round fight. But Whitaker scored the fight for Williams (115-114), as did Givens (116-114). Bennett saw it a draw (114-114), giving Williams a majority decision. It was the 20th title fight for Bennett, the eighth for Whitaker and the first for Givens.

There was outrage over the decision. HBO broadcaster Bob Papa told his audience, “This is a joke.” Four days later, Davis announced the unprecedented decision to put the judges on indefinite suspension.

Nearly a year later, Whitaker is frustrated after following Davis’ recommendation to attend judging seminars held by the Association of Boxing Commissions in Washington and Raleigh, N.C., where he passed both tests and was recertified on Jan. 21, 2012.

Bennett attended the seminar in Washington, but failed the test. Bennett said he didn’t properly prepare for the test because he was angry over his suspension. He plans to retake the test at an upcoming seminar.

Davis admitted the suspensions have been “long,” but offered no hint of ending the suspensions.

“Those tests are not that hard to pass,” he said. “I’d like for all our guys to pass the test with no problem. I’d like them to have some more ongoing training before I fully reinstate them. Then, after training, I’d probably like them to shadow a judge and come back with those scores.”

Suspending judges is nearly unheard of in boxing, but Davis defended his actions.

Davis said all the judges are “good guys,” but hopes the suspensions send a message to other judges in New Jersey and regulatory commissions around the country.

“We can’t be satisfied with subpar performances,” he said. “We don’t accept that from fighters. We shouldn’t accept it from our officials either. If people know they’re going to be accountable for their actions, hopefully they’ll take better actions.”

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/boxing/sit_in_judgment_tr29jCEHqRjtVpZxSuJiKN#ixzz1xLALXULB

I'll Have Another Scratched from Belmont Stakes Horse Race | Keeping Score | TIME.com

I'll Have Another Scratched from Belmont Stakes Horse Race | Keeping Score | TIME.com


It’s a Triple Crown bust before the gates even open. I’ll Have Another, the thoroughbred gunning for a win at Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in hopes of clinching the first Triple Crown win since 1978, will not run in the race.  
 

The injury is thought to be the onset of tendinitis that will likely end the career of I’ll Have Another.

  ... dashing the hopes of the more than 100,000 fans expected to pack the Elmont, N.Y., track this weekend. It’s an announcement also sure to dent the wallets of millions of bettors worldwide, as I’ll Have Another was the 4-5 favorite to win the Belmont Stakes.

I’ll Have Another was consistently underrated throughout its racing career.

The horse was sold last year for a mere $35,000.

 After winning two small-stakes races in California, it took to the track in Louisville as a 15-1 long shot to win the Kentucky Derby.
 

At a Friday-afternoon press conference, I’ll Have Another was officially cast into retirement. 

Affirmed clinched the most recent horse-racing Triple Crown in 1978. In the 34 years since, 11 horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but fell short at Belmont. Looks like there’s now “Another.”

Read more: http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/06/08/ill-have-another-scratches-from-belmont-triple-crown-watch-called-off/?xid=newsletter-newsfeed#ixzz1xL5MQZMm

Leopard Injures 13 in India During Daylong Rampage

Wild leopard mauls 13 people on day-long rampage in Indian oil compound

By Suzannah Hills
A wild leopard was shot dead after injuring 13 people during a day-long rampage in an oil company compound near an Indian village.

The fully grown male leopard managed to get inside the Oil India Limited field headquarters campus at Duliajan in the Dibrugarh district where he attacked several staff members.

The shocking photos show the animal attacking a security guard after he tried to rescue his colleague.

 Forest guards were called to the scene and eventually managed to shoot the animal with a tranquillizer but were forced to kill it when the drug didn't take effect.

P Shiv Kumar, divisional forest officer of Digboi forest division, said: 'We were informed about a leopard straying into a bungalow of an Oil executive on Sunday morning.

'I accompanied a team of veterinary doctors from the Centre for Rehabilitation and Conservation of the Wildlife Trust of India to the spot.
'By the time we got there, the leopard had attacked five people. We tried to tranquillize the leopard, but it got agitated - which is normal before sedatives takes effect - and pounced on the large crowd gathered at the spot. 

'The security personnel were left with no option but to shoot it.'
A forest official said leopards were often spotted on the Oil campus because of its proximity to the Joypore reserve forest.
Another leopard, a female, was caged by the forest department in neighbouring Sivasagar district early this morning.
Sivasagar divisional forest officer Ranjan Das said: 'At least four leopards have been sighted in the area in the past few days. The leopard family had killed several cattle in the area, as such we have placed a cage using a goat as a bait.'
He said the female leopard was later released at Abhayapur reserve forest and officers were trying to track down the remaining leopards.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2154296/Wild-leopard-mauls-13-people-day-long-rampage-Indian-oil-compound.html#ixzz1xGsYFagO

 



Leopard Injures 13 in India During Daylong Rampage | Outdoor Life


 http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2012/06/leopard-injures-13-india-during-day-long-rampage

June 05, 2012

Leopard Injures 13 in India During Daylong Rampage -

by Gayne C. Young

An adult male leopard injured 13 people in a bizarre daylong attack in India on Sunday. The incident occurred at the Oil India Limited field headquarters campus at Duliajan in the Dibrugarh district near the Joypore reserve forest. It is believed that the leopard initially came from the reserve.

Divisional forest officer P Shiv Kumar told the Mail Online, “We were informed about a leopard straying into a bungalow of an Oil executive on Sunday morning. By the time we got there, the leopard had attacked five people.

We tried to tranquillize the leopard, but it got agitated--which is normal before sedatives takes effect--and pounced on the large crowd gathered at the spot. The security personnel were left with no option but to shoot it.”

In this photo you can see an official trying to net the leopard while it mauls one of the bystanders.

This leopard was the fifth big cat to be spotted (no pun intended) in the area in the past several days. Leopards are protected in India where hunting has been outlawed since the late seventies.

While serial leopard attacks are not common, they're not unheard of either. In fact a handful of leopard attacks have made headlines in just the last few years. See the links below.



More leopard attack stories

- Leopard Attack! A True Story of Survival in the African Bush

- Leopard Attacks Indian Village, Injures 11 People

- Graphic Image Warning: Leopard Scalps Man in Brutal Attack 

 

Over the weekend a man-eating leopard crept into Gauhati, a city in eastern India, and tore through the streets pouncing on unsuspecting pedestrians. It killed one person and mauled four others, including this man who had his scalp torn off in the horrific attack.
Photos taken by a local newspaper photographer show the man bracing just as the leopard pounces, it's left paw making a sweeping hook toward the man's head. The next photo shows the man after the swipe, his scalp sliced to the bone.
Fortunately the man survived and the leopard was eventually captured. Wildlife officials told the Associated Press that it would be released at a wildlife park 120 miles west of the city.
Leopard's are one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. And some experts even consider them more dangerous than other big cats like lions and tigers because of the leopard's speed, power, stealth and ferocity toward humans. These photos illustrate the incredible quickness of a leopard. Its swipe of the paw was so fast, it happened between frames.
In India, it's not uncommon for leopards to wander into cities or villages.  Last July a leopard stalked into the Indian neighborhood of Prakash Nagar and mauled seven people before it was captured. That leopard was also captured and released into a wildlife area.


Find the details of that story and information on how to avoid a leopard attack here.

Quotes

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
---Friedreich Nietzsche


"The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind."
-- William Blake, A MemorableFancy


I love to doubt as well as know."
--Dante Alighieri



To see a World in a Grain of Sand 
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, 
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand 
And Eternity in an hour.
-- William Blake, Auguries of Innocence



"We are here on earth to do good for others. What the others are here for, I don't know."
-- W. H. Auden



"Without contraries is no progression.  Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence."
-- Wiliam Blake, The Argument



"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed."
-- Herman Melville, US novelist & sailor (1819 - 1891)



"It’s better to believe in what you know than to know what you believe in."
-- HL Gaskins




“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”
 – Epicurus circa 300 BC