see…addictions…here are my top 5:
Gym classes (current faves are BodyPump and spin)
in events (triathlon, running)
Internet (esp. blogs)
Reading
Finding and enjoying healthy, flavorful foods

sorry you feel that way. I think and personal trainers would do best working together, but all of the personal trainers come into contact with seem to resent physical therapists… One person said that being a PT is really like being an over-priced personal trainer, that he “rehabs people all the time” and another personal trainer would not hire my friend who has her personal trainer because in PT school and is “not going to make a career out of personal training”.

and personal trainers both have valuable knowledge about the body and can offer something different to each client or patient. really a shame because there could be potential there, if more personal trainers were open to it.

I agree, the manequinns are quite creepy, especially the small ones. I have to do that every 2 years for my personal trainer Our instructor kept telling me, “You would need to hit harder if that were a real child.” I was pregnant at the time…it was quite a day.

whats wrong with wearing a swimsuit? it is a pool after all! wear a nice swimsuit, some flat sandals, and a gauzy sarong.

:0

So the answer really is how far are you willing to go to carry out the experiment :0)

Edit: While true that wavelength is inversely to momentum (so that "big" things have really, really wavelengths), remember, by making them move SLOWLY enough, they can have wavelengths comparable to ordinary light.

Buckyballs are a type of fullerene. Fullerenes are compounds made only of carbon and take on cylindrical or spherical shapes. They play an role in antibiotics and nanotechnologies.

check out the wiki for more on fullerenes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullerene

http://www.udel.edu/biology/Wags/wagart/modelspage/buckyball.gif

I would like some

Bucky balls consist of 60 points on the surface of a spherical shape where the distance from any point to its nearest neighboring three points on the sphere is identical for all points.

In the geodesic dome, each pentagon and hexagon is divided into identically shaped triangles, bringing the shape closer yet to a sphere.

The coordinates of the 60 of a Bucky ball centered on the origin of a 3D axis are all based on phi!

These coordintates are the same as the corners of the following three rectangles shown on the Geometry page:

(0,+-1,+-3f), (+-1,+-3f,0), (+-3f,0,+-1)

They also can be defined by the following six 3D bricks:

(+-2,+-(1+2f),+-f)

(+-(1+2f),+-f,+-2)

(+-f,+-2,+-(1+2f))

(+-1,+-(2+f),+-2f)

(+-(2+f),+-2f,+-1)

(+-2f,+-1,+-(2+f))

Here is a complete list of all the coordinates:

(0,1,3f)

(0,1,-3f)

(0,-1,3f)

(0,-1,-3f)

(1,3f,0)

(1,-3f,0)

(-1,3f,0)

(-1,-3f,0)

(3f,0,1)

(3f,0,-1)

(-3f,0,1)

(-3f,0,-1)

(2,(1+2f),f)

(2,(1+2f),-f)

(2,-(1+2f),f)

(2,-(1+2f),-f)

(-2,(1+2f),f)

(-2,(1+2f),-f)

(-2,-(1+2f),f)

(-2,-(1+2f),-f)

((1+2f),f,2)

((1+2f),f,-2)

((1+2f),-f,2)

((1+2f),-f,-2)

(-(1+2f),f,2)

(-(1+2f),f,-2)

(-(1+2f),-f,2)

(-(1+2f),-f,-2)

(f,2,(1+2f))

(f,2,-(1+2f))

(f,-2,(1+2f))

(f,-2,-(1+2f))

(-f,2,(1+2f))

(-f,2,-(1+2f))

(-f,-2,(1+2f))

(-f,-2,-(1+2f))

(1,(2+f),2f)

(1,(2+f),-2f)

(1,-(2+f),2f)

(1,-(2+f),-2f)

(-1,(2+f),2f)

(-1,(2+f),-2f)

(-1,-(2+f),2f)

(-1,-(2+f),-2f)

((2+f),2f,1)

((2+f),2f,-1)

((2+f),-2f,1)

((2+f),-2f,-1)

(-(2+f),2f,1)

(-(2+f),2f,-1)

(-(2+f),-2f,1)

(-(2+f),-2f,-1)

(2f,1,(2+f))

(2f,1,-(2+f))

(2f,-1,(2+f))

(2f,-1,-(2+f))

(-2f,1,(2+f))

(-2f,1,-(2+f))

(-2f,-1,(2+f))

(-2f,-1,-(2+f))

These enigmatic clusters of carbon atoms have been puzzling scientists since 1985 when they were discovered in a research laboratory among the by-products of laser-vaporized graphite. Their hollow spherical structure, reminiscent of the geodesic domes of eccentric architect Buckminster Fuller, earned them the names "buckyballs" and "fullerenes."

Qualities, such as their unique structure, heat resistance, and electrical conductivity, have fueled speculation about their possible applications in high-temperature lubricants, microfilters, more efficient semiconductors, and manufacturing processes.

To learn more about buckyballs and how they are formed, researchers began to look for naturally occurring fullerenes, on the The first evidence that fullerenes occur naturally on the came to light when Arizona State University researchers Semeon Tsipursky and Peter Buseck examined a sample of shiny black rock, known as shungite, from Russia. Shungite is a rare, carbon-rich variety of rock believed to have been formed between 600 million and 4 billion years ago, although how it was formed is debatable. Electron microscopy of the shungite samples revealed a pattern of white circles with black centers–similar to micrographs Tsipursky had seen of laboratory-produced fullerenes.

To confirm their suspicions, Buseck and Tsipursky sent a trace of powdered rock between two glass slides to Bob Hettich of Chemical and Analytical Services Division for examination by mass spectroscopy, a technique that molecules by weight and electric charge. Hettich had previously worked with Buseck to analyze samples from both meteorites and terrestrial rocks for evidence of fullerenes, but they had found none. The shungite sample was different, however; analysis confirmed the presence of fullerenes in the rock.

"We wanted to make sure we were looking at only what was in the sample and not it in any way," says Hettich. So, he conducted two separate analyses of the sample. In the initial analysis, he used a pulsed laser to vaporize and ionize the sample, preparing it for analysis by mass spectroscopy. Hettich also analyzed carbon samples known not to contain fullerenes to ensure that none were being created by the laser vaporization process itself. The initial analysis confirmed the presence of both C60 and C70, two common fullerenes, in the shungite sample.

To dispel any lingering doubt, Hettich repeated the analysis without a laser, this time using a 400°C stainless steel probe to vaporize the sample and introduce it into the mass spectrometer for ionization. This technique, known as thermal desorption, cannot create fullerenes in fullerene-free graphite material, yet it yielded identical results, confirming the presence of the two types of buckyballs in the sample.

When Buseck and Tsipursky told Hettich that the rock had come from Russia and not a meteorite, he was somewhat surprised. "In the laboratory," says Hettich, "fullerenes are created in an atmosphere of gases, like helium, because common diatomic gases, like nitrogen and oxygen inhibit fullerene growth. This is why fullerenes are not found in ordinary soot, like that in household fireplaces. It seemed more likely to find naturally occurring fullerenes in meteorites, where interaction with these gases would be less of a problem."

The discovery of fullerenes in the shungite sample has provided some hard information for buckyball hunters who have been working mostly on educated guesses and speculation. been working with Peter Buseck for quite a while analyzing various samples, but until now we found any fullerenes," Hettich notes, "This discovery helps us redefine where to look." More recently, C60 and C70 have also been found in a sample of glassy rock from the mountains of Colorado. Known as a fulgurite, this type of rock structure is formed when lightning strikes the ground. Busek, Tsipursky, and Hettich speculated in a 1992 paper that lightning strikes could provide conditions that are favorable for the formation of buckyballs.

The shungite fullerenes are notable not only for their origin, but also because they may have been formed as solids–most laboratory-created fullerenes are grown in the gas phase. "This is the first example of solid-phase fullerene growth," says Hettich, "It has raised a lot of questions about how the rock was formed, how old it is, and how its composition may have changed over time. Because the shungite sample may be volcanic in origin, you can imagine conditions, like those in a volcano, that would be hot enough to form fullerenes and, at the same time, have little or no oxygen or nitrogen present. But right now, no one is sure exactly how these fullerenes were produced."

"This kind of discovery raises more questions than it answers," says Hettich, "but not necessarily a bad thing."–Jim Pearce

——————————————————————————–

Sizing Up Fullerenes–"SANS Doute"
"Sans doute!" a confident Frenchman might say–"without a doubt!" But in the brand new world of fullerenes, this of is sometimes in supply. Much of the surrounding these newly discovered carbon clusters stems from their size–you could line up 25 million C60 molecules on a ruler before passing the inch mark.

So, although tools like mass spectrometers can be used to distinguish heavier fullerenes from lighter ones–separating C120 from C180, for instance–researchers still have trouble answering some of the most basic questions about them. How big are they? Are they shaped like spheres, dumbbells, or what? How and where do other atoms bond to their inner and outer surfaces?

Using a time-tested analysis technique of small-angle neutron scattering, appropriately labeled SANS, a team of researchers from Biology, Chemical Technology, Health Sciences Research, and Solid State divisions is working to dispel some of the mystery surrounding fullerenes, including how they interact and bond with other elements and with each other.

The preferred method of studying the structure of most materials is crystallography. This technique enables researchers to pinpoint the location of every atom in a sample. "Even though C60 has been crystallized, this is not always possible with other materials," says Stephen Henderson of Biology Division. "Other techniques, like SANS, are more accessible, though they give less structural information." SANS requires only that the material be dissolved, rather than crystallized; then scattered neutrons are counted for several hours and the data are analyzed.

The SANS research facility, located at High Flux Isotope Reactor, is operated by George Wignall of the Solid State Division. There, dissolved fullerene samples are placed in the path of a neutron beam. As the beam passes through the sample, neutrons are deflected, or scattered, by carbon molecules in the solvent. This scattering is recorded by a detector, providing a two-dimensional pattern, or "signature," for the material, which can then be analyzed to determine the size and shape of the dissolved molecules.

"The greatest significance of using SANS to analyze fullerenes is its ability to discern shapes," says Bob Haufler, a postdoctoral fellow in the Health Sciences Research Division (HSRD). "This is clearly ground for ne

Just to clarify, its 60 Carbon atoms linked together to form a sphere.

But if you are laying odds to Place, that is a losing proposition over time. Just from my own statistical analysis on U.S. tracks I can tell you that odds-on Favourites come in at least third 90% of the time. In most larger fields (as would be typical in the UK rather than in some U.S. tracks) it is the horses with the lowest odds at race-time plus those that are the heaviest underlays (or are bet the most) that generally outperform. Of course keeping an even bet is the only way to go, as by risking a larger bet at the wrong time could destroy the profits from several past successful bets.

My analysis is predicated on the horse being odds-on at Post time and not by the line before race-time; that is because if the odds go up the horse is much less likely to win, unlike longshots when a lot of unexpected things can happen and consequently a lot of longshots can win after they have been neglected by the public – especially sweet to your system when they just edge out that odds-on Favourite!

Full Tilt.

Those two have enough traffic for 9 player sit n to fill up in seconds.

There are obvious (and previously stated) reasons for spaying and neutering.

Tail docking is a preemptive to avoid injury to the tail of breeds that are prone to such. It is *not* just for "fighting dogs". Many of the docked breeds are hunting dogs that would flay their tails open on the rough brush they work in.

"Why Are Tails Docked?

1. To avoid tail damage

A number of working gundog breeds have to hunt game through heavy vegetation and thick brambles, where their fast tail action can easily lead to torn and bleeding tails which are painful and extremely difficult to treat. Docking the end of the tail eliminates the risk of injury.

Working terriers are docked for the same reason. In addition, terriers which are bred to hunt below ground for purposes such as fox control, have their tails docked to a length which is more practical when working in a confined space.

Other non-working breeds which have an enthusiastic tail action, are also liable to damage their tails, even in the home.

Since docking was banned in Sweden in 1989, there has been a massive increase in tail injuries amongst previously docked breeds. Within the 50 undocked Pointer litters registered in that year with the Swedish Kennel Club, 38% of dogs suffered tail injury before they were 18 months old and in 1991, the number of individuals with tail injures had increased to 51% of the group.

2. For reasons of hygiene

Long haired, thick coated breeds like the Yorkshire Terrier and Old English Sheepdog are docked to avoid the hair around the base of the tail becoming fouled by faeces. Even with constant grooming and washing, such fouling is unpleasant. If allowed to get out of hand, it can lead to severe problems of hygiene, or even flystrike and subsequent infestation by maggots.

Hygiene problems can be greatly reduced or eliminated altogether by docking. "

The most widely used method of docking, banding, is the same method used to castrate young livestock. And much less painful than having the tail amputated under anesthesia later in the life due to injury or infection.

Obviously tail injuries are much more common in working dogs than purely-household dogs, but there is evidence of tail injuries in household pets as well.

That said, while I actively oppose ear cropping, I it, either. I seem to find any medical reason for it. Dogs with cropped and natural ears can get ear infections without regular cleaning. Is does make sense that drop-eared dogs will be more prone to ear infections (I have an older Golden who gets them all the time if not careful), but I personally believe that cropping is a good alternative to cleaning the ears regularly.

As a side note, I sincerely doubt that the "veterianry tech for 34 years" really is one, if they be bothered to spell their profession correctly. If I am wrong, I apologize, but you really should make sure you spell things correctly.

Many dogs tails are routinely docked have long, fragile, whippy tails naturally. When left natural, these dogs often end up injuring their tails, simply smacking them on a doorframe can be enough to break the tail or get a case of "happy tail" and require amputation, later in life, which would be much more painful than for a 3 day old puppy with an undeveloped nerve system and bones of jell-o to get the tail docked.

With some of the tail injuries I have seen in Great Danes and AmStaffs, I sometimes wish it was in their standard to routinely dock as well.

As far as ear cropping goes, if you look at the wolf, or the fox, or any of the other wild canines (from which dogs are descended) you will not, in a single instance, find naturally floppy ears. Floppy ears are an abnormality, bred into dogs. Floppy ears are much more prone to infection and damage.

Also, cropped ears look wicked awsome cropped breeds, and I reserve my rights as an American citizen to do as I wish with my animals (my If I want to dock their tails, I will dock their tails. If I want to crop their ears I will crop their ears. TD me, I WELCOME it.

P.S. How do you feel about the removal of dewclaws? I especially promote it, as my yorkie snagged his and the (close trimmed claw) all but ripped off, and suffered weeks of pain over it. Too bad his breeder take his dewclaws. Oh, my yorkie has a natural tail, and I stand it. Yorkies keep their tails between their legs or down most of the time unless they are actively doing something (like yapping or trying to dominate a dog 8 times bigger then themselves). So his tail becomes a nasty tangled mess if I even look at it the wrong way, and causes him pain to have it groomed out. also gotten pinched on things and stepped on before… sure he would be much happier without it.

Antiterrorism is good.

See the difference?

There are tons of websites promoting the dogma of no downside to spay/neuter, with most shelters and rescue groups making this statement if they address spay and neuter at all (most do) and I understand why they do it, though I agree with it. I do think accurate information is in the best interests of all involved.

not sure I agree that most people would be responsible, and there are enough people who have trouble with basic things like housebreaking or when to take their dog to the vet, to make me wonder if they could handle an intact male getting distracted by a female in heat, or dealing with marking. For the vast majority of pets, I think spaying or neutering makes sense, though I do think it should happen later than the currently recommended 6 months or pediatric surgeries. The link above work, and its been a while since I read that (and others) but one thing that got neglected in at least one (not sure if its the one you referenced) is pyometra, which can affect a high number of unspayed females and become an emergent situation very quickly.

What I do not agree with is the use of pain in negative reinforcement to make dogs do things they want to do, usually because they simply possess the genetic drives to do so. mainly into gun dog breeds and the use of the force fetch method disgusts me. If you want a dog that has the drive to retrieve every time and will reliable do so every time, then first breed for it then shape that natural ability for your advantage. All of my dogs are excellent retrievers, without fail, and were never trained with the force fetch method. Never had to since they were retrieving to hand practically from the day they could walk. All drives are genetic and not wasting any of my time on a dog that simply does not possess the drives necessary to make a good retriever.