MURC http://forums.murc.ws This is a discussion forum powered by vBulletin. To find out about vBulletin, go to http://www.vbulletin.com/ . en Sat, 19 May 2012 08:41:33 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.forums.murc.ws/images/misc/rss.jpg MURC http://forums.murc.ws Another famous singer dead http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71912&goto=newpost Sat, 19 May 2012 06:12:47 GMT
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, a fantastic baritone, famous for his Wagnerian roles and, above all, for German-language lieder (Schubert, Wolf etc.). He was the leading authority for Schubert's lieder, from the frivolous to the most serious.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18118722
]]> The Lounge Brian Ellis http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71912 Child, or xenomorph? http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71911&goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 19:08:33 GMT
Looks like a refugee from the Nostromo

http://io9.com/5910844/the-mouth-of-...hing-to-behold

Quote:
Inside the mouth of every child is a terrifying double row of teeth. Not that you'd ever know it — muscle, skin and bone prevent most of us from ever catching a glimpse of this extra dentition. Here's your chance to get a close-up look at what lies beyond the gum line.
>
]]> The Lounge Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71911 Air Force Foam Party :) http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71910&goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 14:20:05 GMT




http://theaviationist.com/2012/05/14/foam-party/
]]> The Lounge Rakido http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71910 RIP: Donna Summer @63 http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71909&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 18:42:11 GMT


CNN....

Quote:
Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco" whose hits included "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "Love to Love You Baby" and "She Works Hard for the Money," has died, a representative said Thursday. She was 63.

Her publicist, Brian Edwards, said Summer was suffering from cancer.

"Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith," a family statement said. "While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."

Summer first rose to fame the mid-'70s, thanks to "Love to Love You Baby." The song, with Summer's whispered vocals and orgasmic groans helped define the mid-'70s disco trend and hit No. 2 in 1976. Summer followed the song with such hits as "I Feel Love," "Last Dance" and a disco-fied version of the Richard Harris hit "MacArthur Park," which outdid Harris' version by hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. It was Summer's first of four chart-toppers.
>
]]> The Lounge Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71909 Lenovo kills 7-row keyboard and goes chiclet http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71908&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 01:21:38 GMT
The Ivy Bridge Thinkpads will now have chiclet keyboards with 6-rows. They also killed the thinklight. I bought Thinkpads mainly for the keyboard.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/15/L...#disqus_thread

It's the end of an era, the Thinkpad forums have classified these as non-Thinkpad hardware and 55% think this is bad (for 45% it's a deal breaker) and only 8% think it's a good think.

This makes me as sad as no followup (for 3 years) to G400 and then Matrox not making any cool cards after Parhelia.
]]> General Hardware/Software UtwigMU http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71908 Radiation re-think http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71907&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 00:46:19 GMT This has implications from reactor safety zones to the workplace and how we handle radiation exposure in space. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/prolonged-radiation-exposure-0515.html ---Quote--- *A new look at prolonged radiation exposure A new study from MIT scientists suggests that the...
This has implications from reactor safety zones to the workplace and how we handle radiation exposure in space.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/p...sure-0515.html

Quote:
A new look at prolonged radiation exposure

A new study from MIT scientists suggests that the guidelines governments use to determine when to evacuate people following a nuclear accident may be too conservative.*

The study, led by Bevin Engelward and Jacquelyn Yanch and published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that when mice were exposed to radiation doses about 400 times greater than background levels for five weeks, no DNA damage could be detected.

Current U.S. regulations require that residents of any area that reaches radiation levels eight times higher than background should be evacuated. However, the financial and emotional cost of such relocation may not be worthwhile, the researchers say.

“There are no data that say that’s a dangerous level,” says Yanch, a senior lecturer in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. “This paper shows that you could go 400 times higher than average background levels and you’re still not detecting genetic damage. It could potentially have a big impact on tens if not hundreds of thousands of people in the vicinity of a nuclear powerplant accident or a nuclear bomb detonation, if we figure out just when we should evacuate and when it’s OK to stay where we are.”

Until now, very few studies have measured the effects of low doses of radiation delivered over a long period of time. This study is the first to measure the genetic damage seen at a level as low as 400 times background (0.0002 centigray per minute, or 105 cGy in a year).

“Almost all radiation studies are done with one quick hit of radiation. That would cause a totally different biological outcome compared to long-term conditions,” says Engelward, an associate professor of biological engineering at MIT.

How much is too much?

Background radiation comes from cosmic radiation and natural radioactive isotopes in the environment. These sources add up to about 0.3 cGy per year per person, on average.

“Exposure to low-dose-rate radiation is natural, and some people may even say essential for life. The question is, how high does the rate need to get before we need to worry about ill effects on our health?” Yanch says.

Previous studies have shown that a radiation level of 10.5 cGy, the total dose used in this study, does produce DNA damage if given all at once. However, for this study, the researchers spread the dose out over five weeks, using radioactive iodine as a source. The radiation emitted by the radioactive iodine is similar to that emitted by the damaged Fukushima reactor in Japan.

At the end of five weeks, the researchers tested for several types of DNA damage, using the most sensitive techniques available. Those types of damage fall into two major classes: base lesions, in which the structure of the DNA base (nucleotide) is altered, and breaks in the DNA strand. They found no significant increases in either type.*

DNA damage occurs spontaneously even at background radiation levels, conservatively at a rate of about 10,000 changes per cell per day. Most of that damage is fixed by DNA repair systems within each cell. The researchers estimate that the amount of radiation used in this study produces an additional dozen lesions per cell per day, all of which appear to have been repaired.

Though the study ended after five weeks, Engelward believes the results would be the same for longer exposures. “My take on this is that this amount of radiation is not creating very many lesions to begin with, and you already have good DNA repair systems. My guess is that you could probably leave the mice there indefinitely and the damage wouldn’t be significant,” she says.*

Doug Boreham, a professor of medical physics and applied radiation sciences at McMaster University, says the study adds to growing evidence that low doses of radiation are not as harmful as people often fear.

“Now, it’s believed that all radiation is bad for you, and any time you get a little bit of radiation, it adds up and your risk of cancer goes up,” says Boreham, who was not involved in this study. “There’s now evidence building that that is not the case.”

Conservative estimates

Most of the radiation studies on which evacuation guidelines have been based were originally done to establish safe levels for radiation in the workplace, Yanch says — meaning they are very conservative. In workplace cases, this makes sense because the employer can pay for shielding for all of their employees at once, which lowers the cost, she says.

However, “when you’ve got a contaminated environment, then the source is no longer controlled, and every citizen has to pay for their own dose avoidance,” Yanch says. “They have to leave their home or their community, maybe even forever. They often lose their jobs, like you saw in Fukushima. And there you really want to call into question how conservative in your analysis of the radiation effect you want to be. Instead of being conservative, it makes more sense to look at a best estimate of how hazardous radiation really is.”

Those conservative estimates are based on acute radiation exposures, and then extrapolating what might happen at lower doses and lower dose-rates, Engelward says. “Basically you’re using a data set collected based on an acute high dose exposure to make predictions about what’s happening at very low doses over a long period of time, and you don’t really have any direct data. It’s guesswork,” she says. “People argue constantly about how to predict what is happening at lower doses and lower dose-rates.”

However, the researchers say that more studies are needed before evacuation guidelines can be revised.*

“Clearly these studies had to be done in animals rather than people, but many studies show that mice and humans share similar responses to radiation. This work therefore provides a framework for additional research and careful evaluation of our current guidelines,” Engelward says.

“It is interesting that, despite the evacuation of roughly 100,000 residents, the Japanese government was criticized for not imposing evacuations for even more people. From our studies, we would predict that the population that was left behind would not show excess DNA damage — this is something we can test using technologies recently developed in our laboratory,” she adds.
]]> Science and Military Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71907 Martin autopsy / Zimmerman medical report http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71906&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 12:48:36 GMT http://abcnews.go.co...32#.T7OgNlK8hmw (http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-medical-report-sheds-light-injuries-trayvon/story?id=16353532#.T7OgNlK8hmw) ---Quote--- A medical report compiled by the family physician of accused Trayvon Martin murderer George Zimmerman and obtained exclusively...
http://abcnews.go.co...32#.T7OgNlK8hmw

Quote:
A medical report compiled by the family physician of accused Trayvon Martin murderer George Zimmerman and obtained exclusively by ABC News found that Zimmerman was diagnosed with a "closed fracture" of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Martin during an alleged altercation.
>
http://www.wftv.com/...juries-h/nN6gs/

Quote:
WFTV has confirmed that autopsy results show 17-year-old Trayvon Martin had injuries to his knuckles when he died.

The information could support George Zimmerman's claim that Martin beat him up before Zimmerman shot and killed him.

The autopsy results come as Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O’Mara continues to go over other evidence in the case.

O’Mara wouldn't comment on the autopsy evidence, but WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said it's better for the defense than it is for the prosecution.

WFTV has learned that the medical examiner found two injuries on Martin’s body: The fatal gunshot wound and broken skin on his knuckles.

When you compare Trayvon’s non-fatal injury with Zimmerman's bloody head wounds, the autopsy evidence is better for the defense, Sheaffer said.
>
]]> The Lounge Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71906 Oklahoma goes Open Carry (pistols) http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71905&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 11:56:33 GMT Welcome to the club guys :) http://newsok.com/ok...article/3675750 (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-gov.-mary-fallin-signs-open-carry-gun-bill-into-law/article/3675750) ---Quote--- *Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signs open-carry gun bill into law* *Oklahoma will become the 25th state to allow the open...
Welcome to the club guys :)

http://newsok.com/ok...article/3675750

Quote:
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signs open-carry gun bill into law

Oklahoma will become the 25th state to allow the open carrying of handguns.

Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law Tuesday a measure that allows Oklahomans to openly carry handguns.

The measure, Senate Bill 1733, allows those who are licensed to carry a firearm under the Oklahoma Self Defense Act a choice: to openly carry a weapon or conceal it.

It also allows a property owner to openly carry a handgun on his or her land. No concealed carry permit would be required.

To receive a license under the Oklahoma Self Defense Act, applicants must take a firearms safety and training course and submit to a background check by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Those convicted of felonies and certain misdemeanors may not receive a handgun license.

The measure takes effect Nov. 1.

Oklahoma is the 25th state with either “permissive open carry” laws, which means no permit required, or “licensed open carry,” which requires a permit. Oklahoma now joins Utah, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Hawaii and Massachusetts as a “licensed open carry” state.

“As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and a gun owner myself, I'm happy to sign this bill into law and grant law-abiding citizens the ability to openly carry firearms,” Fallin said.

“Senate Bill 1733 sends a strong message that Oklahoma values the rights of its citizens to defend themselves, their family and their property. It does so in a responsible way, by requiring those citizens who choose to ‘open carry' to undergo both firearms training and a background check.”

Under the measure, businesses may continue to prohibit firearms to be carried on their premises. SB 1733 prohibits carrying firearms on properties owned or leased by the city, state or federal government, at corrections facilities, in schools or college campuses, liquor stores and at sports arenas during sporting events.

The measure won strong support from the Legislature. The House of Representatives passed it 85-3 and it passed the Senate 33-10.

Rep. Emily Virgin, one of three House Democrats to vote against SB 1733, said the state's concealed-carry system works well. Virgin, D-Norman, said local law enforcement officers have told her they are concerned about public safety.

“They've expressed concerns about approaching a crime scene where multiple people are carrying guns openly and they're not sure who is the shooter or who is the quote-unquote bad guy,” she said.

Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore, author of SB 1733, said the measure contains safeguards.

“I'm happy to say that Oklahomans will be able to display their firearms openly if they so choose,” he said.
]]> The Lounge Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71905 wuff ... Dogs vs Neanderthal 1:0 http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71904&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 07:16:33 GMT ---Quote--- Over 20,000 years ago, humans won the evolutionary battle against Neanderthals. They may have had some assistance in that from their best friends. ... The Cambridge researchers Paul Mellars and Jennifer French have another theory, though. In a paper in the journal Science, they...
Quote:
Over 20,000 years ago, humans won the evolutionary battle against Neanderthals. They may have had some assistance in that from their best friends.

...

The Cambridge researchers Paul Mellars and Jennifer French have another theory, though. In a paper in the journal Science, they concluded that "numerical supremacy alone may have been a critical factor" in human dominance -- with humans simply crowding out the Neanderthals. Now, with an analysis in American Scientist, the anthropologist Pat Shipman is building on their work. After analyzing the Mellars and French paper and comparing it with the extant literature, Shipman has come to an intriguing conclusion: that humans' comparative evolutionary fitness owes itself to the domestication of dogs.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technolog...rthals/257145/

Yay, King of Evolution, Baby :ninja:

]]> The Lounge Rakido http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71904 <![CDATA[MI school reform: cyber-charter & dual enrollment]]> http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71903&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 03:26:14 GMT Interesting experimental reforms signed into law by Gov. Snyder, probably to expand if they go well. Two programs: cyber charter schools (charters are publicly funded, but work like a private school), and simplified/expanded dual-enrollment in both high school and college (currently mostly gifted...
Interesting experimental reforms signed into law by Gov. Snyder, probably to expand if they go well. Two programs:

cyber charter schools (charters are publicly funded, but work like a private school), and

simplified/expanded dual-enrollment in both high school and college (currently mostly gifted kids)

Gotta give him and his (bipartisan) team credit - he said a top-down reform of the state & education system and they're doing just that. OTOH the teaches unions are freaked.

Detroit Free Press....

Quote:
Snyder signs bill to expand cyber charter schools in Michigan

Gov. Rick Snyder today signed into law controversial legislation that will greatly expand online charter schools in Michigan.

He also signed bills that will make it easier for students to dual-enroll, allowing them to take both high school and college courses at the same time; and bills that allow for private school and home-schooled students to take advantage of public school programs.

&ldquo;Michigan students can now achieve a quality education without boundaries,&rdquo; Snyder said in a press release this afternoon. "Empowering more parents and students with the option to enroll in cyber charter schools and attend college level courses increases not only their educational opportunities, but also their potential for success."

All of the bills are part of a package of bills that originated in the Senate last year - dubbed the Parent Empowerment Education Reform package - that were designed give parents more options for their children's education.

The cyber charter expansion was among the more controversial of the bills. It was opposed by many in the traditional K-12 community, who said there weren't enough safeguards to ensure quality for the new cyber charters.

Up until now, Michigan law allowed only two cyber charters to exist and capped enrollment in the first year to 400, with a maximum of 1,000 students. The schools also were required to enroll a significant number of students who have dropped out of school.

The new law will now allow up to five cyber charter schools to open by Dec. 31, 2013. The cap would increase to 10 by Dec. 31, 2014, and to 15 after that date.

Enrollment would be restricted in each cyber charter to 2,500 in the first year, to no more than 5,000 in the second year, and to no more than 10,000 in the third and subsequent years.

No more than 2% of the state's student population would be allowed to enroll in cyber charters, a limitation Snyder and State Superintendent Mike Flanagan recently said would be strongly enforced.

Cyber charters are public schools in which students take all of their coursework online.

Supporters of the legislation hailed Snyder's endorsement.

"We know that we can't put all students in a one-size-fits-all box. Students and parents need a robust assortment of quality educational choices, and that includes online learning opportunities"; said Dan Quisenberry, president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, a charter school advocacy group.
]]> The Lounge Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71903 EU NavFor gunships hit pirates http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71902&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 01:26:59 GMT Way to go NavFor :) http://news.yahoo.com/eu-helicopters-strike-somali-pirate-land-164724058.html ---Quote--- *EU helicopters strike Somali pirate base on land* NAIROBI (Reuters) - European helicopter gunships attacked a pirate base on the Somali coast on Tuesday, destroying five speedboats, in...
Way to go NavFor :)

http://news.yahoo.com/eu-helicopters...164724058.html

Quote:
EU helicopters strike Somali pirate base on land

NAIROBI (Reuters) - European helicopter gunships attacked a pirate base on the Somali coast on Tuesday, destroying five speedboats, in the first such airborne strike on land by the anti-piracy force.

The Somali-based pirates responded by threatening to kill crew being held on more than a dozen hijacked vessels if they were attacked again.

The EU Naval Force (EU Navfor) said it had carried out the overnight raid on pirate targets using helicopters and surveillance aircraft with the agreement of the beleaguered, Western-backed Somali government.

It was the first time EU Navfor had taken its fight against the pirates to Somali soil since its mandate was expanded earlier this year to allow strikes on land as well as sea.

But at risk are over 300 hostages of various nationalities held by the pirates, who have so far generally refrained from killing crew as they seek multi-million dollar ransoms.

A Somali pirate who identified himself as Abdi told Reuters that a helicopter attacked the central Somali coastline near Hardhere, a known pirate haven.

"An unidentified helicopter destroyed five of our speedboats early in the morning. There were no casualties. We were setting off from the shore when the helicopter attacked us. We ran away without counter-attacking," he said.
>
]]> The Lounge Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71902 Tedtalks http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71901&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 22:26:36 GMT
Found Tedtalks channel on youtube. Some of the talks there are awesome:

The 8 billion iPod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZadCj8O1-0&feature=plcp

According to RIA/MPAA maths an iPod can hold 8 billion worth of stolen music

Optimism bias
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8rmi95pYL0&feature=plcp

We are biased to be optimist (think we're better drivers, less likely to divorce, ... than statistics would suggest). Is that a good or a bad thing, how to live with it.

Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y&feature=plcp

It has been shown that for knowledge work financial incentives actually decrease results but they work very well for mechanical tasks not involving cognitive work. So how to motivate workers in 21st century where majority of the problems they face are complex and solutions to them are not obvious?
]]> The Lounge UtwigMU http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71901 F6: fractionated satellites http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71900&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 18:05:06 GMT Quite interesting. Each mini-satellite would be relatively cheap, but a cloud-like cluster of them could act like a much large and expensive satellite. Additionally, the cluster could disperse itself in order to defend the cluster from attack or orbital debris. Aviation Week.......
Quite interesting. Each mini-satellite would be relatively cheap, but a cloud-like cluster of them could act like a much large and expensive satellite. Additionally, the cluster could disperse itself in order to defend the cluster from attack or orbital debris.

Aviation Week....

Quote:
DARPA Seeks Mini-Sats For Fractionated-Satellite Demo

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is seeking bids to provide four small satellites to demonstrate its fractionated spacecraft architecture in orbit.

The System F6 program is developing technology to enable the functions of a large, expensive monolithic satellite to be distributed across a cluster of smaller, less costly satellites wirelessly sharing resources such as computing and communications.

Darpa plans a six-month on-orbit demonstration in the second half of 2015, launching four small satellites into low Earth orbit as secondary payloads on Atlas V or Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles.

Each satellite will host an F6 Technical Package that will enable the wireless links between the spacecraft and allow semi-autonomous cluster-flight operations.

The cluster will demonstrate the ability to scatter, each spacecraft leaving a 20-km threat box within 5 min. of the command, and subsequently regathering.

Each of the four spacecraft will host a unique shared-resource payload . One will carry a SwiftBroadband transceiver that will communicate with an Inmarsat I-4 satellite in geostationary orbit to provide broadband connectivity from the cluster to the ground.

Other spacecraft in the cluster will carry a government-furnished sensor, high-performance computing element and a high-speed space-to-ground downlink transmitter.
]]> Science and Military Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71900 Exponential Economist Meets Finite Physicist http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71899&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 10:19:53 GMT http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2012/04/economist-meets-physicist/ Very interesting read. 2 excerpts: Right, if you plot the U.S. energy consumption in all forms from 1650 until now, you see a phenomenally faithful exponential at about 3% per year over that whole span. The situation for the...
http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/...ets-physicist/

Very interesting read.

2 excerpts:

Right, if you plot the U.S. energy consumption in all forms from 1650 until now, you see a phenomenally faithful exponential at about 3% per year over that whole span. The situation for the whole world is similar. So how long do you think we might be able to continue this trend?

Before we tackle that, we’re too close to an astounding point for me to leave it unspoken. At that 2.3% growth rate, we would be using energy at a rate corresponding to the total solar input striking Earth in a little over 400 years. We would consume something comparable to the entire sun in 1400 years from now. By 2500 years, we would use energy at the rate of the entire Milky Way galaxy—100 billion stars! I think you can see the absurdity of continued energy growth. 2500 years is not that long, from a historical perspective. We know what we were doing 2500 years ago. I think I know what we’re not going to be doing 2500 years hence.
]]> The Lounge UtwigMU http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71899 Little hero surprises his Marine daddy http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71898&goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 13:21:48 GMT My tear ducts malfunctioned watching this. Must have been my allergies.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bl5Wx7u5y0 http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/11/11657260-son-defies-odds-to-walk-into-returning-soldiers-arms?chromedomain=moms ---Quote---
My tear ducts malfunctioned watching this.

Must have been my allergies....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bl5Wx7u5y0

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...omedomain=moms

Quote:
Son defies odds to walk into returning soldier's arms

When Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooney, 31, returned home from Afghanistan to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina last December, he was taken aside and escorted into a gymnasium where his wife and five children waited.

There across the basketball court was his 6-year-old son, Michael, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Doctors told Jeremy and his wife, Melissa, 30, that Michael would never walk.

While Jeremy was deployed, though, Michael discovered how to stand up unassisted. His teachers, Melissa says, then began trying to teach him how to walk with a cane. Michael did them one better: he took several steps on his own.

Having seen the many military homecoming videos of returning parents surprising their children, Melissa decided that instead Michael would surprise Jeremy. She asked family members and friends not to post photos of Michael walking on Facebook or share the news of his progress with Jeremy.
]]> The Lounge Dr Mordrid http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=71898