Matilda's candy-corn hat!

Halloween Matilda

disconcerting ad

for PS3's "Resistance: Fall of Man" game:

Rick Beckham rudimental clip #24

Rick Beckham, my drumline's instructor way back when at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Rick Beckham snare solo 2007 DCA

Not my favorite of Rick's solos, but still phenomenal!

"Star Wars" trumpeter Stacy Hedger

Lame in so many ways...almost more the dancing than the playing!

Am I American?

I'm AN American, for sure.

You Are 56% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

4-wheeling Hardin men

my brother Fred, nephew Cameron, and father Jim, all in East Tennessee:

Tampico, Mexico

Solo La Gente de Tampico Conoce Esto…

• Vivimos la infancia con Tolin y Number Nine.
• Nadie olvidaría el programa Sonrisas con Sabor Escuis, y sus vivaces conductores COPETÍN, CASCARÍN y CUADRITOS.
• Sin olvidar al MÁXIMO ILUSIONISTA, el MAGO LUCAS.
• Saben que el Coloso de la Unidad Nacional es el estadio Tamaulipas.
• Tenemos a la Jaiba Brava y a los Celestes Jaibos.
• Saben que los Regios y/o Regias vienen a Tampico a Ligarse a alguien de Tampico.
• Saben lo que significa ‘te va a cargar el payaso’.
• Hemos comido Tortas de la Barda Yoya y Chenchos.
• Ir de Shopping al ‘macalito’ ‘las tablitas’ y las expo ventas de moroleon.
• Ha ido a comer nieve en al menos una sucursal de la Minerva.
• Conocen lo que es una ‘Negrilla’ .
• Saben lo que es el ‘Playazo’.
• Sabemos que los huracanes no pegan aqui por que tenemos marcianitos que nos protegen y en cambio pegan en monterrey . (jejeje).
• Han Comido Pizzas en Madonna´s, y en Hipopotamus Rose.
• Tenemos Pipolo´s, Tio Cono, Los Tacos de la Subestación, las gorditas de la Rebsamen, de la corona.
• Han ido a comer después de una peda a los tacos de Pancho y su caldo de araña (y saben lo que es el caldo de araña).
• Han Ido a conciertos al centro de convenciones, Byblos, La Fe y los terrenos de la Feria.
• Han ido a Ligar, dar el rol y pasear con la novia a la laguna del carpintero después de pajuelear en el macalito.
• Sabemos que la única diferencia entre el casino tampiqueño y el casino Moctezuma es en el nombre (jajajaja).
• Todo mundo sabe dónde está el MAEVA, pero nadie lo ha visto por dentro.
• Sabemos orientarnos cuando nos dicen ‘por carnitas Orta’ .
• Sabemos lo que es carnitas Orta.
• Sabemos que es ‘la Borreguera’.
• Hemos comido en la Rivera, el Chachalaco, la Palma, La Tripa y Morón..
• Sabemos que para mariscos en ‘la puntilla’
• ¿Mencioné que los Regios vienen a comer mariscos a Tampico?
• Tenemos a la ‘Terrorizer’
• No tragamos agua que no sea peñapura.
• Practicamos el deporte extremo de subirte a un camión y que este juegue carreras con otro en la avenida hidalgo.
• Han tomado por lo menos una vez en su vida, un tour por EL CIRCUITO NORTE.
• Sabemos quién es ‘Juancho’ .
• Nada se compara a una jaiba rellena
• Saben que cuando referimos al Ceviche 103, hablamos de una preparatoria.
• Llegaron a ir alguna vez a los circos en el terreno FRENTE A LA COCA COLA.
• O han ido al NATURISTA a ver a LA PLANCHADA.
• Saben quien es ‘ Mayin y Chilindrin’ o ‘ Sony, Copetín y sus Bionicos ‘
• Han probado las suculentas Chamoyadas
• Han comido los suculentos tamalitos de¨Mi Ranchito¨ en Cd. Madero
• Es clásico de los papás hablar de cuando viajaban en EL TRANVÍA y EL CHALÁN.
• Odiamos a los Correcaminos, mejor conocidos como GAYinas.
• Ir a Del Centro y utilizar el elevador para el estacionamiento de al lado.
• sabes ke “el metro” no es un medio de transporte
• ir a “fresear” es ir a comer un pastel en blueberry de 3 Arcos.
• Han comprado un agua de las Michoacanas.
• al menos una vez han ido a “hacer deporte” a la deportiva o peor aún, nadado en la alberca olímpica.
• si pateas una piedra, aparece un oxxo.

Agradecimiento:todos los saque de:
http://www.tampicomadero.com.mx/?p=244

3D Mailbox: LAX

3D Mailbox: Miami

3

Are these real?

universities/colleges I've visited

• Columbia State Community College
• University of Tennessee
• Austin Peay
• University of Southern Mississippi
• Mississippi State University
• University of Mississippi
• University of Mississippi Medical Center
• University of Alabama
• University of Alabama, Birmingham
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Sheffield
• Queen's University, Belfast
• Cambridge University
• Oxford University
• Smith College
• Wellesley College
• Babson College
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
• Delta State University
• Jones County Junior College
• Michigan State University
• Moravian College
• University of Chicago
• University of Illinois, Chicago
• University of Illinois
• Northwestern University
• Tulane University
• Loyola University
• Loyola University, Chicago
• Boston College
• Boston University
• Northeastern University
• Harvard University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Lasell College
• University of Massachusetts, Boston
• East Tennessee State University
• University of Limerick
• Auburn University
• Southeastern Louisiana University
• Alma College
• Oberlin College
• Hollins College
• Radcliffe College
• Mississippi University for Women
• Georgetown University
  

MPB medley competition

Medley
Originally uploaded by YoannLeGoff

at the 2007 Celtic Classic

MPB on the field

Manchester on the field
Originally uploaded by YoannLeGoff

at the 2007 Celtic Classic

MPB drum corps

Last warm up ...
Originally uploaded by YoannLeGoff

headed to the field at the 2007 Celtic Classic: medley time on Sunday

MPB drum corps

PICT5776-01
Originally uploaded by YoannLeGoff

at the 2007 Celtic Classic:

Am I standing in a hole or something?! I'm as tall as Dennis to my left is, yet I look like an air-drumming munchkin!

remaining anonymous on the Web

It's amazing how much information you can inadvertently reveal through everyday activities like browsing the Web and sending e-mail. While we've described numerous methods for securing your customers' data, what about your own personal privacy? Here are some tools and best practices for maintaining a modicum of privacy on the Internet.

ANONYMOUS E-MAIL

These days, more Web sites require that you sign up and provide your e-mail address before you can get to any information on the site. Once you sign up, they send a password or download a link to that address.

This lets you finally access the information you need.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this model. There are times, though, when you don't want to give out your real e-mail address.

You can always create a Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail account for receiving a single e-mail and stop using it afterwards. However, this is extremely time-consuming and you'll have to remember yet another password. Services like Mailinator http://www.mailinator.com or PookMail http://www.pookmail.com let you create an e-mail address simply by entering it into a Web form. For example, without having to set up anything beforehand, I could provide the address securityadvisor@pookmail.com in a Web form and check for mail sent to this address simply by going to PookMail's Web site. There's no password, so anyone could read e-mail sent to a PookMail or Mailinator address, but these services are great when you're not expecting any confidential information and convenience is of the utmost importance.

Other services like Spamgourmet http://www.spamgourmet.com give you a disposable e-mail address, but also forward anything arriving there to your real e-mail address. This approach works better when you want to anonymously conduct an e-mail exchange that includes more than one or two messages. You do have to set up the disposable address in advance, though.

ANONYMOUS BROWSING

It may surprise you to learn what Web site operators can find out about you. After you've visited a Web site, the logs will contain a list of pages you've viewed and your computer's IP address. Your browser has also happily told the Web server about itself and your computer's operating system.

A Web site operator can find out whether you're using Internet Explorer or Firefox, which version, which OS you're running, which Windows Service Pack is installed, and which version of the .NET Framework you have. Your browser also shares your preferred language and which link you clicked to get to the Web site you've just visited.

The privacy impact of any cookies your browser may send to a Web server is much more worrisome. In reality, cookies are neither inherently good nor bad. Contrary to popular belief, they are not automatically dangerous.

Cookies can, however, gather information about you that you may not want to share. Session cookies, which are limited to a single browser session, are generally harmless. Persistent cookies may keep track of Web site visitors across multiple sessions. These can actually provide a better browsing experience, for example, when the Web server can provide personalized content.

On the other hand, cookies undermine your privacy if you don't want the Web site to track your activities. Third-party cookies, which may share your information with multiple Web sites, are especially problematic. These types of cookies are most often used by advertisers who want to track the ads you've seen, even when those ads are displayed on multiple Web sites. Companies that use third-party cookies may also track which Web sites you're visiting to tailor their advertising.

There are a number of techniques you can use to surf the Web anonymously. These can fully or partially prevent any information about you from being disclosed. Among the most efficient methods of anonymously surfing is to use a service that receives your Web page requests, and then sends out a separate request through one of their servers. Not only does this hide your IP address from the destination Web site, it also obscures all your browser's characteristics.

Anonymizer http://www.anonymizer.com , one of the oldest services in this category, recently moved to a paid subscription model and locally installed software. There are other free Web-based services, though, like The Cloak http://www.the-cloak.com . These let you type a Web address onto a form, and it retrieves the Web page for you. There may also be options to block cookies or advertising banners. A free Web-based service can be a better alternative than a paid subscription- based solution if you only occasionally need to surf anonymously.

Open proxies, which are easy to find on the Internet, technically work much like the anonymous forwarding services. There's an important difference, though. These open proxies are actually computers running software that accepts Web requests from anyone and forwards them on your behalf.

Be careful with these. Many of these computers run software that was installed by an attacker for their own nefarious reasons. Other open proxies are operated for the very purpose of capturing other people's Web requests, either to intercept credit card numbers, perform research or for a number of other shady purposes. Whenever you redirect your browsing through a third party, make sure that this third party is trustworthy. Open proxies are inherently suspicious.

Virtual technologies can also help you protect your privacy.

Microsoft's Virtual PC and VMware Workstation let you create a virtual machine that reverts to its original state once you shut it down. This means any local traces of your earlier surfing -- including cookies, spyware and viruses -- evaporate once you close the virtual machine.

Your real computer remains safe, no matter what nasty things your virtual browser picks up on the Internet. Obviously, this doesn't hide your IP address or any information sent by your browser, but it does prevent Web sites from tracking you with cookies.

If your main concern is cookies, then you can configure your browser to either not process them or be selective about which ones to store. For example, the Privacy page of Internet Explorer's Options dialog box provides good descriptions of what each cookie blocking option does and why. Choose the cookie-management level that balances your need for privacy with your desire for browsing convenience and regularly clear the cookies from your computer. If you do that, you probably won't have to worry about cookies affecting your privacy and security.

LOW-TECH SOLUTIONS

Despite widespread concerns about Internet privacy, most people willingly disclose personal information. Many people are happy to share information about themselves -- whether it's their e-mail address, their shoe size or any communicable diseases -- in return for a small incentive.

If a Web site you visit or service you use asks you to divulge something about yourself that you don't want to share, simply don't provide that information.

Other low-tech strategies include thoroughly reviewing the privacy policy of your ISP and every company whose Internet-based service you use. This can be a lot of work, but it may reveal some interesting and enlightening information. For example, did you know that Google's privacy policy for its Gmail service lets them do extensive data mining on their subscribers' e-mail messages? Fortunately, that policy doesn't include viewing individual messages.

Do you have any other low-tech (or high-tech) solutions for Internet privacy you want to share? If so, let me know -- preferably anonymously.

Comment: http://redmondmag.com/columns/article.asp?editorialsid=2156#post

Joern Wettern, Ph.D., MCSE, MCT, Security+, is the owner of Wettern Network Solutions, a consulting and training firm. He has written books and developed training courses on a number of networking and security topics. In addition to helping companies implement network security solutions, he regularly teaches seminars and speaks at conferences worldwide. jwettern@redmondmag.com

David Guest

should not be wearing this outfit...

motorcycles I've ridden

That I can think of so far:

• Honda Z50
• Honda SL70
• Honda TL125
• Yamaha 250 motocross
• Yamaha XT500
• Honda XL125
• Honda XL185
• Kawasaki KX250
• Honda CR125
• Honda Nighthawk
• Honda CB750 Custom
• Yamaha YX600 Radian
• Yamaha VMX12 Vmax
• Honda Interceptor 500
• Ducati Monster
• Kawasaki ZRX1100
• BMW K1200S
• BMW R1200S
• BMW R1200R
• BMW R1200GS
• BMW R1150R Rockster
  
• Yamaha YX250
• Suzuki Hayabusa 1300
• Yamaha FZ1
• Victory Hammer

5 ways pets can improve your health

“A pet is certainly a great friend. After a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love. In fact, for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates.

1) Allergy Fighters:

“The old thinking was that if your family had a pet, the children were more likely to become allergic to the pet. And if you came from an allergy-prone family, pets should be avoided,” says researcher James E. Gern, M.D., a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

However, a growing number of studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with “furred animals” — whether it’s a pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals — will have less risk of allergies and asthma, he tells WebMD.

In his recent study, Gern analyzed the blood of babies immediately after birth and one year later. He was looking for evidence of an allergic reaction, immunity changes, and for reactions to bacteria in the environment.

If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies — 19% vs. 33%. They also were less likely to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of some immune system chemicals — a sign of stronger immune system activation.

“Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger immune system,” Gern says.

2) Date Magnets:

Dogs are great for making love connections. Forget Internet matchmaking — a dog is a natural conversation starter.

This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness, Nadine Kaslow, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, tells WebMD.

“People ask about breed, they watch the dog’s tricks,” Kaslow says. “Sometimes the conversation stays at the ‘dog level,’ sometimes it becomes a real social interchange.”

3) Dogs for the Aged:

“Studies have shown that Alzheimer’s patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home,” says Lynette Hart, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

“Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog,” says Hart.

Walking a dog or just caring for a pet — for elderly people who are able — can provide exercise and companionship. One insurance company, Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of their medical screening — which often helps tip the scales in their favor.

4) Good for Mind and Soul:

Pet owners with AIDS are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. “The benefit is especially pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets,” says researcher Judith Siegel, Ph.D.

In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.

People in stress mode get into a “state of disease,” in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health. Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, says Justice.

Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine — nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties, he tells WebMD.

“People take drugs like heroin and cocaine to raise serotonin and dopamine, but the healthy way to do it is to pet your dog, or hug your spouse, watch sunsets, or get around something beautiful in nature,” says Justice, who recently hiked the Colorado Rockies with his wife and two dogs.

5) Good for the Heart:

Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have less sign of heart disease — lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels — than nonowners, researchers say."

Source

lobster bulldog!

eerie book ending

I'm still creeped out by this, from James Rollins' Ice Hunt:

6:55 A.M.
UNDER THE ICE...

The tank rested on the ocean floor, full of water, crushed and cracked. The lone occupant was a frozen lump of bone and hardened tissue. There was no light. No sound.

None could hear the screaming inside the man's head.

The cryoprotectant had worked, preserving and protecting him. But there was a side effect he had not anticipated. A horrible, monstrous side effect. The figure now understood the years the Russian scientists had spent researching sedatives and soporifics. Sleep drugs. The research was not ancillary, but critical to the suspended animation.

For the state created by the elixir was not sleep.

Consciousness remained--frozen, too, but intact.

Sleep was denied him.

He screamed and screamed, but even he heard nothing.

Deaf, dumb, blind.

Yet his body remained, preserved for all time. Deep in the black depths of the Arctic Ocean, one thought persisted as madness ate at what was left of him.

How long? How long is eternity?

bass drums

Bass drums
Originally uploaded by YoannLeGoff

for "Amazing Grace." I'm kneeling on the ground, trying to rest up.

from Yoann LeGoff

Manchester Pipe Band

Manchester Pipe Band
Originally uploaded by YoannLeGoff

group picture at 2007 Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, PA

from Yoann LeGoff

gross!