opurt

Stick by the harbor and all is fine. Baltimore cops are tough and keep that area pretty well locked down. Every few years there's an incident at the Harbor, but the local government knows, as well as the cops, that the Inner Harbor area brings lots of revenue via tourists and conventions. So they are appropriately vigilant in that area. My primary point - don't go exploring in the surrounding areas.

It looks like a "Brown Fishing Spider". Body length about an inch. Legs about 3 inches, for the female. Pretty creepy, I've captured them and released them ouside. An url describing the beast, from Penn State Capturing them can be interesting. A large-mouth bottle, a piece of paper, and total focus. Slowly approach them with the bottle, you've got one chance, closer, closer, then *wham* put the bottle over them. Then put the piece of paper under the opening, and turn the whole thing over. Then take them outside and let them go. Gotta be kinda careful with them cause they can create quite a splatter if you smash them.

Just don't get lost. Stick near the harbor and convention center and it's fine. Don't walk in unlit areas. Here's a map of all the murders in Baltimore City from the largest local newspaper. Just select "All of 2007" from the first drop-down box. Unfortunately, it's on track to be number one in the nation in homicides this year. It's a nice city, some fabulous architecture, but it has "issues". Hate to be a party pooper, but FYI. Baltimore has come nice pockets without question. A city with history and with potential.

1) You want to use an int if you are comparing numbers. Decimal numbers are not stored precisely in the computer (IEEE 754). Integers are. If you ever do an if (a == b), you must use ONLY INTEGERS. Floating point numbers are subject to rounding errors. Integers are not. 2) Order of operations. Don't be too clever. Use parentheses to explicitly show how you expect the operation to proceed.

After the dog's teeth are cleaned, his breath is odorless and his teeth are brilliant white. Now the question is, how to maintain that level of cleanliness? A most excellent solution is Petrodex Dental Chews (just Google "Petrodex Dental Chews" if the link doesn't work). These are sweetened strips of rawhide which clean the dog's teeth as he/she is chewing on the strip. My last dog had terrible teeth, and got an under-anaesthesia teeth cleaning. Afterwards, the Petrodex worked very well in keeping his teeth clean for a long time. Be advised - there is a choking hazard with any rawhide product, especially with dogs which are unused to them. So watch them when they are chewing. They wind up consuming the chew in 15-30 minutes or so. Dogs who like chewing on rawhide and related are going to have better teeth. I know Science Diet has a prescription dog food which is designed to clean dogs' teeth. I used that too. Can't hurt to mix it in with the dog's regular food. Perhaps even you might want to try this approach before the teeth cleaning. But if his teeth are really bad, the dog is young and strong, and the chances of injury/death are quite minimal. So, it's a cost/benefit equation. If the teeth are bad, I'd recommend doing the anaesthetic teeth cleaning, and then instituting a rigorous oral hygiene program like the one I mentioned.

I've got 9 screws and a plate from a trimalleolar fracture. It took me 11 weeks post incident to be cleared to put weight on the ankle. I could stand with no problem, but couldn't take a step without crutches. I was in a Bledsoe brace. There was no change during the week I was cleared to loadbear. But after a week, in week 12, I could take a few steps without the crutches (still in the boot). At 13 weeks, I could balance for a couple of seconds on my right foot only. While in the brace. At the end of 13 weeks, I am able to drive. I got enough motion in my foot to work the gas and brake. I'd take my brace off and put my shoe on to work the pedals. Day 100 - about 14 weeks - brought the first pain-free walking day (in the Bledsoe boot) without crutches. Day 103 I'm cleared out of the Bledsoe boot and into a much smaller brace that fits in my shoe and over the ankle. Walking without the Bledsoe boot is again slow and painful. With the big brace, walking is no problem. Incident plus 132 days - 4 months, 10 days / approx 19 weeks - Haven't used crutches or a brace for about a week. Walking with a slight limp in dress shoes. Can walk virtually normally in running shoes. Gait is not normal yet. I'd say ankle functionality is about 70%. So the answer to "When will I consistently be able to walk without crutches or braces" is "about 19 weeks". Incident plus 208 days - 6 months, 24 days - approx 30 weeks - I'm discharged from physical therapy. Another milestone. The ankle is doing well. Still kinda stiff. Still can't run on it. But gradual improvement continues. It's gotten a lot of flexibility back. I'd say it's around 80-85%. I can go down stairs better. The achilles tendon is becoming more visible. The swelling around it is dropping. There isn't much swelling nowadays. If I drink alcohol, the ankle does swell up. I guess from the vasodilation effect, which prevents the foot from pumping out as effectively. Otherwise, minimal swelling at the end of the day. Incident plus 225 days - 7 months 13 days - approx 32 weeks - I walk 3.5 miles, which takes about an hour and 4 minutes. That's an 18 minute mile. I do this on the track. The walk was uneventful. The next day however, my ankle is really complaining. It feels like it felt shortly after I got out of the small ankle brace. It takes 10 days to return to normal. I need to slightly overload it. Obviously, 3.5 miles is a bit much yet. Incident plus 266 days - 8 months 23 days - 38 weeks - I start doing calf raises with both legs together, instead of doing each leg separately. The right calf has strengthened up enough to keep up with the left leg. Today, about 51 weeks after the incident, I ran for the first time for an extended period of time - 3/4 of a mile. I stopped due to an abundance of caution. The ankle is only complaining slightly. It's still not 100%, but it's pretty good. I'd say about 90-93%. I've kept a log of my progress, which is why I can recite dates with such accuracy :) Stay serious about the physical therapy. Stress the ankle, but let it rest too. Let pain be your guide. There's a difference between good pain and bad pain. A good physical therapist will put in you in pain which helps you heal. Mine would make me sweat with pain but ultimately it worked out nicely. YMMV.

What might the amp accomplish aside from boosting power? Everything you wanted to know about audio but were afraid to ask - the rec.audio.* FAQ from faqs.org: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/AudioFAQ/part1/. Specifically, the part on amplifiers: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/AudioFAQ/part4/ And, I was wrong about one factor - the power of the amp. The FAQ says an amp that is too weak is more of a danger than an amp that is too strong: "11.6 Is this amplifier too big for that set of speakers? There is no such thing as an amplifier that is too big. Smallamplifiers are more likely to damage speakers than large ones, because small amplifiers are more likely to clip than larger ones, at the same listening level. I have never heard of speakers being damaged by an overly large amplifier. I have heard of 100 watt speakers being damaged by a 20 watt amplifier, however, in really abusive hands. This will happen because when an amplifier clips, it will generate much more energy at high frequencies than normal music would contain. This high energy at high frequencies may be less than the continuous power rating of the speaker, but higher than the actual energy rating of the tweeter. Tweeters tend to be very fragile components." An audiophile and a DJ to whom I spoke prior to my purchase said the goal was to "match" the power of the amp and the speaker. I still think that an amp that is too strong for a set of speakers will stress them badly and ultimately destroy them, if the volume gets turned up too much. I still think the key is getting an amp and speakers that are well-matched.

In my experience, the amp is more important than the speakers. Here are the facts of my situation: 1) 2001 mid-sized coupe with mid level stereo. Six speakers which are "paper speakers". 2) I noticed something interesting when I got the car. The radio would not create rich sound. It was rather tinny. Low bass, washed out sound. Very, very lame. Despite the six speaker system. 3) However, when I played a CD, the sound was as I expected it to be. Deep base, resonant, good treble. I wondered why this would be. 4) The answer was the amp. The amp for the CD system in the stereo head unit was more powerful than the radio amp. It produced the energy to let the speakers create the rich and powerful sound. 5) I purchased a lower end Alpine amp. It was one above the lower end actually. It had a subwoofer output, which I never made use of. The lowest model had no subwoofer support. Result: the stereo sounded fabulous after that. I was thinking I needed new speakers. That was incorrect. I needed an amp. Warnings: 1) Don't get an amp that's too powerful or you will promply blow out your speakers. 2) Dig through the chicanery regarding amp ratings and their use in advertisements. There are plenty of good sites out there dealing with this. Summary: YMMV (your mileage may vary). Doing something like this involves experimentation. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee my solution will improve your audio situation. But I am confident in suggesting that a low end Alpine or other reputable brand amp will improve your car audio sound.

You're being sarcastic right? Driving IS more dangerous than skydiving. I am glad I don't have as many friends dead from driving as I do from skydiving. I guess it depends on how you look at the statistics... It's sort of comparing apples to oranges in many cases. [...] One has to convert the risk to a common unit in order to compare them. A common unit is the "fatalities per million hours of activity". Driving, if I recall correctly (IIRC), is like 1 fatality per million hours; skydiving is like 50 fatalities per million hours. Skydiving is much more dangerous than driving.

I hope this is the beginning of a real downslope in the violence. However, there is a lull every March. CNN's Casualty Breakdown has a graphical breakdown of casualties. It's the first link in the first paragraph: "Graphical Breakdown Of Casualties". Click on the 2006, 2005, 2004 casualty numbers. I'm not sure what causes the pattern.

Just... wow. An epic journey. Bob, I bid you peace. Shannon, you are a remarkable presence in that you have touched so many people. I feel privileged to read these letters.

Screening should not be about respecting or insulting people. It should be about trying to identify potential attackers. Just now, in Iraq, over 100 people were kidnapped by gunmen dressed as police. The last two airliners destroyed by terrorists were suicide - bombed by white women. Soldiers aren't being hassled because they're soldiers. They're being hassled because someone could dress like a soldier, do the whole "What kind of scumbag would hassle a soldier returning from theater?" scene, and smuggle a bomb on the airliner. A few years ago, an Egypt Air jet full of Egyptian political and military officials was crashed. By the copilot. Terrorists aren't smart enough to do all this? I'll admit it is farfetched. But getting 19 guys on 4 different airliners, hijacking them and flying them into American landmarks is ridiculously farfetched too. Terrorists aren't effective because they behave like we expect them to. Planting a bomb in the wheelchair of a 90 year old white haired woman couldn't happen? If you're serious about saving lives, you have to think outside the box.

For perspective: About 120 people died yesterday on the nations highway. 120 more will die today on the highways. 120 grieving families a day. 120 times a day, day in, day out, police show up at a family's house with the ghastly news. (FYI, the yearly traffic death stat is on page 7 of that PDF file. Divide that by 365 and you get the daily death rate.) Of course, being in Iraq is many times more dangerous than driving on the nations highways. My point is that the question we should ask is, "Is the mission worth it?" Dead and injured soldiers have a lot of political force. That force should be used for the good of the country, not just for petty local politics, IMHO.

Here is an animated map of the Middle East. It shows the different empires and the territories they controlled fading in and fading out. Gives one a bit of perspective regarding the establishment and partition of modern Iraq. (NOTE: the map seems generally accurate, but I haven't seen a discussion on snopes or similar as to it's accuracy.)

Only thing I can think of is to find a top doctor and get his/her opinion. My orthopedic surgeon was excellent and told me about Dr. Mark Myerson at the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. You mentioned you were in Colorado. Dunno about the logistics. Dr. Myerson is apparently one of the best in the country. In fact, my surgeon suggested it might be overkill to go to Dr. Myerson for post-op care. Dr. Myerson is president of the American Orthopedic Foot And Ankle Society (AOFAS). I'd do some Google research on your condition as well.

Outstanding post. I am going to look for the 'Certified Humane' label from here on out. I found the store locator to be very helpful. I am quite the omnivore. A filet mignon, a whole roast chicken or turkey, and I am excited on seemingly a brainstem level of response. On the other hand, I am quite aware that the meat came from a sentient creature. One that felt pain, pleasure, fear, and a host of other emotions. I've not seen evidence that animals are capable of very much abstract thought however. The evidence I've seen indicates they do have rich emotional lives. But their ability to ponder their fate - to ponder death - is very limited. That seems to be mostly the arena of humans. Raising these animals in a safe and comfortable environment, then killing them peacefully and painlessly is my goal for meat animals. Certified Humane is a step in that direction. The next step is to make controlled atmosphere slaughter a standard for all animals. Controlled atmosphere putting the animals in a near 100% carbon dioxide chamber. The animals die quickly and painlessly. I first saw a natural controlled atmosphere kill on a PBS show. A volcano near an African village had belched a giant cloud of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air so it settles into low lying areas. An invisible cloud settled over the village. This entire village was killed almost instantly. People sitting around dinner tables, slumped in their seats. People killed in place doing all the mundane activities of life. Without trauma. That could be a great way to slaughter meat animals. If there were a certification for field raised and controlled atmosphere slaughtered, I think it would really take off.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Theodor Geisel. The best you can do for a companion animal is to give them the best life you can. And the best death you can. Raging against death is like raging against the rising and setting of the sun. I honor my passed friends by thinking of the 99% of the time that was good. Not the 1/2 of one percent that was difficult. I'd guess they'd wanna be missed, but wouldn't want me to be miserable. I'd think they'd want me to think of them and smile. Enough time has passed so that now, that's exactly what I do. I make annual charitable contributions to local animal welfare organizations in their names too. There's a dropzone.com user - WFFC - who posted the best essay on having a companion animal. A web link is located here. "“Godspeed, good friend,” we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again."

Thanks! My incoherence in thinking and speaking probably balances out any facility I may have with writing! Occasionally though, an amazing experience like a first skydive manages to bring it all together.

Thanks! One of the more annoying elements of this convalescence is not drinking beer. Since I can't load the ankle, and beer can cause balance issues, I've decided to forgo beer for the duration. Plus it might not mix well with the Percocets. Three dry weeks so far. Four to five more to go. I have a fridge full of Anchor Steam, Victory Golden Monkey, Sam Adams Boston Ale and others, waiting patiently for me

Thanks - Regardless of where I go from here, it was one amazing experience

Thanks! How long did it take you to start walking again?

I've heard some unpleasant stories about ankle relocations. I'd broken and dislocated a finger before, and the relocation for that was no fun. I expected the ankle to be much worse. For this, the doctor first took a small needle and injected a spot at the front of my ankle with lidocaine. Several minutes later, he came back with a big needle, like 2 inches long. He pushed that deep into the joint area and emptied the big syringe full of lidocaine. It didn't particularly sting as the area had already been partially anesthetized. He left to do paper work. This allowed the lidocaine to fully permeate and numb the joint. Several minutes later, he came back and relocated the joint. A sense of pressure, some pain, and I felt it pop back in. It took maybe ten seconds, from grasping the foot, to rotating it in the joint to verify it was completely in. It felt a bit better after the joint was relocated. It was not particularly painful. Much less unpleasant than I'd anticipated. Everyone from the paramedics to the doctors to the nurses were interested in pain management. They asked me several times, "On a scale of 0 to 10, 0 being no pain, 10 being the worst pain of your life, what are you feeling now?" The pain from the injury stabilized around 5-6. During the relocation, it went up to a seven for a moment. Surgery was no problem for me. Happy drugs plus an epidural and I absolutely did not feel a thing below my waist. The worst pain was when the epidural wore off, and they had not hooked up the morphine pump yet. It got up to a 7-8 at that point. I let a nurse know I was uncomfortable. They quickly hooked up the pump. Then I started pressing the morphine delivery button and got back to my happy place

Wow, no kidding! That's amazing. Small world. I really appreciate what you did out there. You made the first phase of this incident as tolerable as it could be. Many thanks. I owe you (several of) the beverage of your choice. I'm down in Columbia. Once I get mobile (about 5-6 weeks), we should get together. Either out here, or at some event at Delmarva. Wow, it really is a small world

Hey Tink, I see Delmarva is your home DZ. Were you there that morning? The ambulance took me to Nanticoke Memorial. I was very impressed with the hospital. The paramedics were great. Everyone down the line made the situation as good as it could have been. The hospital staff was fantastic. I've gotta get my hands on thank you notes and send them soon. My orthopedic surgeon at Nanticoke was most skillful. My orthopod on this side of the bridge commented that he had done excellent work. I had the joint relocated and the surgery done at Nanticoke. Unfortunately though, the Nanticoke surgeon is leaving that hospital this month. On this side of the bridge, I'm being treated by a practice that's located across from North Arundel Hospital, Chesapeake Orthopedic. It's post-op care - staple removal (done), getting a hard cast (done), getting a removeable cast, and physical therapy. Regarding getting back to Delmarva, as soon as I'm mobile, I wouldn't mind stopping back out to enjoy some (adult) beverages. I still owe the folks who helped me out on the field, the beverages of their choice. As far as jumping again... I dunno. Basically, it'll be a combination of factors - how strong the ankle feels when it's healed, how compelled I feel to jump again, and how I could avoid such an incident in the future. The jump was excellent. I guess time will tell whether I pursue this further.

godfrog, bgill, thanks for the good word! A skydiver on the field also remarked that I'd "gotten my first skydiving injury out of the way" Currently the main thing on my mind is to help the ankle heal up as quickly and cleanly as possible (taking vitamin and mineral supplements, not loading it). Regardless of whether or not I do continue with this, it was a most remarkable experience, all of it.