Kitty met my great grandfather Frank in the late 1940's, they both worked for Schlitz Brewery. My great grandpa was still married to my grandma Minn, but they divorced shortly after. The family was beside themselves. Kitty and grandpa started living together. My grandpa was a big man, six feet tall and about 200lbs, and over the years I was left with the impression he could be quite man when drunk. Kitty didn't reach 4'11″ and 89lbs if that. My grandpa was a heavy beer drinker, and spent many nights out with the boys after work. One night when he cam home late and drunk. Kitty was beside herself as he ate the dinner she had kept warm for him. As she left him at the table to go to bed, she told she wished God would do something to make him quit drinking.

When Kitty woke the next morning and went into the kitchen, there was my grandpa, slumped over the kitchen table. He had had a stroke. The stroke left him unable to talk walk or use his right hand. Some say it was guilt that caused Kitty to spend the rest of her life taking care of my grandpa, but reflecting back an all I saw her do,I know she loved him too.

I was born in 1953 and have no memory of when my great grandfather walked. He was always in a wheelchair after that, and Kitty tended to his every need. Back then they did not have the rehabilitative resources they now have for stroke patients. My grandfather never learned to walk or talk again. His only way to communicate was by making a lo lo lo lo sound that rolled off his tongue, and to shake his head yes or no. In his right hand he always had a rubber ball, to keep his hand partially open so his finger nails did not dig into his palm.

This slight of a woman Kitty, bathed changed, fed and tended to my great grandfathers every need. Every morning by herself she would move his big limp body from the bed to the wheelchair, and back to bed at night. In over 25yrs I never saw a bed sore, and I never heard her complain. If he needed to be in the hospital, Kitty always insisted on the bed next to him, and would leave the nurses with little to do for him. The stroke did not leave him totally helpless though, many a time I saw him use his perfectly good left hand to throw something across the room, if she refused to give him his beloved schlitz beer. He never totally lost his mean streak, but he softened alot.

It was Halloween 1965, when they finally decided to tie the knot. They were both in their seventies. We all gathered in my grandmothers Den. The minister stood in front of a lighted tree as and Kitty and my great grandfather holding hands facing him as they took there vows. My great grandfather nodding his head in the affirmative with the lo lo lo. It left everyone in tears.

It was 1986 when my grandpa took a turn for the worse. For more than 25yrs Kitty had taken care of him. We new his time was short but Kitty insisted he die at home in the tiny apartment they had shared for over 20yrs. I would bring my 4yr old Tina everyday and we would sit with them, taking shifts with other family members. Finally one day not long after I had left, we got the call my great grandpa was gone. Not long after, Kitty went to join him.

It was at the her funeral I realized, how some things never changed. Over 30yrs later, as I overheard my great Uncle commend Kitty for the things she had done for my great grandpa, He still referenced her as ” The Other Woman “. To me she was always great grandma kitty.

It’s hard as a public speaker to gain an audience’s rapt attention and respect.  It’s even more difficult to get them to truly embrace the ideas you are communicating.  Successful public speaking requires skill, planning and great execution.  If all of these components are working, one can deliver a winning speech. 

Unfortunately, it is far more easy to do damage to one’s presentation than it is to create or repair it.  Simple missteps can immediately turn an audience off.  In more egregious situations, an error can actually turn an audience against a speaker.  As such, it is important for anyone considering a public speaking engagement to be aware of some potential pitfalls that can instantly undo a great deal of work.

One way that audiences are alienated quickly is by a speaker who seems to lack humility.  Certainly, there are some boastful speakers that are still enjoyable and entertaining.  However, these speakers are usually among the finest talents and often have an exceptional level of charisma that allow them to overcome their self-importance.  The rest of us need to be aware that audiences generally do not care to listen to someone who seems to be a braggart.  One should attempt not to overemphasize their credentials.  They should also be mindful of the need to develop concepts and main points without frequently returning to personal anecdotes or examples.  Personalizing a presentation is great.  Making a speech into an “all about me” affair, however, is disastrous.

Another way of quickly creating antipathy in an audience is by using stories or jokes that can be considered offensive by audience members.  Even those who are not personally offended by a remark can recognize that the comment is potentially offensive to others and they may react negatively to the speaker as a result.  Although some bemoan so-called “political correctness,” avoiding offending others is simply a very pragmatic strategy when speaking in public.  There is very little potential gain to a borderline joke or comment.  Meanwhile there is a significant chance to experience a loss of audience respect and attention.

Flippancy can also make an audience frustrated with a speaker.  Often, public speaking involves the statement and defense of a viewpoint.  In order to make a case, one must often discuss the position of those with whom he or she disagrees.  In doing so, the wise public speaker will address the alternative perspective in a respectful manner.  When speakers begin to discount the views of others, they begin to look condescending and rude – both of which are attributes that can serve as a surefire way of alienating an audience.  A disrespectful speaker may win some cheap applause when “preaching to the choir,” but if the audience is not completely comprised of those with whom the speaker agrees, there is no reason not to be mindful of one’s manners even in persuasive speaking situations.

Public speakers can also anger an audience by not showing them adequate respect.  This can be as simple as speaking too long, or being disorganized in one’s presentation.  There is an unspoken social contract at play during public speaking events.  The audience agrees to listen to the speaker and the speaker agrees to speak with the audience in mind.  If either side breaks this silent agreement, things can go poorly.  Thus, it is incumbent on the speaker to keep his audience and their needs in mind.  Speeches should be carefully organized to make sure they resonate sensibly.  Time limits should be adhered to if available.  If not, the speaker should make sure he does not stretch the crowd beyond its ability to concentrate.  One must also make an effort to really communicate with the audience. Those speakers who are obviously just “dialing in” their performances are never appreciated.

By recognizing these potential problems, a good public speaker can make sure his or her presentation will not suffer from any of these damning errors.  Writing and delivering a great public speech requires a great deal of preparation and effort and having it undermined by one simple error would be devastating.

First time home buying is stressful and there are a few things buyers have to know in order to stay ahead of the game. Because there could be number of pitfalls that could be lurking around. At the same time digging deeper would reveal a few goodies that could go a long way when tallying what will be paid in the long run, as well, what will be paid on a monthly basis. Most advisers suggest that the best place to start from is to know how much the first-time homebuyer can afford to pay or is willing to pay for a home.

However, using such measuring rod could be deceptive because since the mortgage loan would be taken out for close to 30 years, it is possible that the financial stand of the buyer could also change for the better or worse. Nevertheless, it is possible to approximate how much the median average income a homebuyer could earn in the future and basing most of the decisions on that is recommended. What the industry considers a sound decision is if the annual mortgage payment, taxes, and homeowner's insurance should not exceed 28 percent of the annual income of the buyers.

That is for the long term, however, immediately and for the short term what every homebuyer’s concern is the down payment, which could be 20 percent of the home value or it could be brought down to three or five percent if the first time homebuyer qualifies for what the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) distributes for states and municipalities to be handed out for low and moderate income families that could amount to a $3,000 to $5,000 grant or it could be in a form of a loan. If the homebuyers stay in the home they bought for a certain period, mostly three years, the government will be forgive the loan.

Once first time homebuyers know what they need, before starting saving they are advised to bring their finance in order by starting paying outstanding loans, because any loan that charges a high interest rate will eat into the money they will save. At the same time when approaching lenders for the first home, the lenders do not allow the borrowers monthly debt service to exceed 40 percent of their gross income.

While in the process of paying off outstanding high interest loans and saving for the down payment and other related costs, it is possible to make oneself familiar with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) so that as a first time homebuyer it will be possible to know how to safeguard the investment from the outset, because borrowers have special rights that will have to be observed by the lenders, while at the same time there are predatory lending practices borrowers will have to be aware of.

After surpassing this stage, it is possible to go around and shop for the loan. As long as borrowers are in a position to pay from three percent in some cases up to 20 percent of the value of the house, there are a big number of financial institutions that are willing to lend money, provided that the buyers have steady income and reasonably good credit history. Lenders usually spread the loan over 15 to 30 years and the difference is the 15-year loan will require a higher monthly payment, but it avails a lower interest rate over the long haul.

The best recommendation is for the buyer to borrow approximately 2 to 2.5 times of their annual gross income. Consequently, a gross income of $50,000 could avail a mortgage of $100,000 to $125,000. But there are a few factors that make a difference and that depends directly on the expense, which means two borrowers with similar income but with different kinds of loans to pay might have to settle for different ranges. That is why big-ticket-item loans like car are not recommended to be outstanding while applying for mortgage loans, because they would affect the range. For those who have a steady income and good credit rating it is possible to find loans that will require only three percent down payment, although the downside of such an arrangement had always been the higher monthly payment, as well as the long term interest rate that will be higher.

For those who have a less than perfect credit rating it is advisable to look at what Fannie Mae's “expanded approval” program can offer, because it is possible to qualify for loans that charge competitive rates, in most cases two percentage point less than the available alternative financing that are not part of the fair market value rates lenders. If what Fannie Mae is offering is out of reach, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) offers an insured loan which could require only a three percent down payment and would wrap both the down payment and the closing cost into the mortgage. The process works best for those who are participating with HUD's program that is worth looking up for first-time low-income homebuyers since it has many added incentives and the range covered could go as far as $300,000.

Another kind of loan is the piggybacked loan, mostly referred as 80-10-10s. It is possible to take two loans, one for the 80 percent and the other for the 10 percent, and it is possible to avoid paying mortgage insurance, while at the same time it is possible to lock a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage on the second loan with a much lower rate even if the closing cost tend to be higher, yet it is possible to make some gain by avoiding the insurance cost.

Once the lender is there the next step is to look for a real estate agent and here avoiding a few confusions is important. Things start from a broker or brokerage, an entity that is with a license from the state to buy and sell houses. The agents could sometimes work independently but usually will have to work through a brokerage house. Then there are realtors who are members of the Board of Realtors with a given code of ethics and conduct, whose agents or brokers would have to follow.

As far as finding the right house is concerned, the best method is to drive through a neighborhood of one’s choice to see if there is a house on sale or relate that information to an agent. There are various publications and brochures that are helpful too. Most of the time if buying in cities is preferred finding the dream house with the right price might not be possible, especially for a first home. However, knowing the best seasons when people would like to sell their house might make finding better houses easier, and May and June are said to be the best months. In the rest of the seasons, the market could be flooded with foreclosures that sell at bargain prices if bought from lenders who do not normally ask a high price for them. One thing to be aware of while buying foreclosure homes is liens and back taxes that pass to the buyers.

When the time comes to make the offer, the essential things to look at are price, terms, house inspection, and finally the money that would change hands. When it comes to price, it is important to know what other houses are selling for in the neighborhood and if the agent knows the area well, that information could come handy. In most cases houses would sell six percent less than the asking price, yet depending on why the seller is selling the house if there is some urgency the price might come down more.

The terms depend on how much is paid and it will be difficult to ask less if the price is already much lower than the asking price, but depending on the price it is possible to ask the seller to contribute to the closing cost or to provide a warranty if something goes wrong within a given time frame. It is also possible to add prorating of taxes, club dues, homeowner's association fees and more to the list.

Inspection is key here because anything could go wrong after the deal is closed. If something is spotted in advance it could help in bringing down the price and sellers are required by law to disclose any defect the property might have in advance, in writing, and that could avail a good bargaining power to bring down the price. The money that is the key here is preferred to be on a pre-approved mode, because it is possible to bargain with full confidence with the seller.

The closing cost is an amount that will be paid for the lender for doing a good number of small things to make the contract binding and is required by law to a truth-in-lending estimate in advance about how much the closing cost will be. Once all the contract is signed, the payments had been made, and the ownership is transferred to the new buyer, it is possible to move in, in most cases with in seven days time, even much earlier if the house is vacant.

Need to lose weight? Dreading the thought of another diet program? You don’t have to follow diets to lose weight. There are many people discovering this for themselves and they are finding long term weight loss apposed to short term fixes. The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you eat, what you think, and what activity you do. It is not about following a perfect plan. It is impossible to be perfect every day! Finding the right balance helps you to decrease your calorie intake, increase your metabolism and keeps the self-sabotage at bay. Here are 8 steps to bring more balance into all corners of your life so you too can find weight loss success.

1.  Eat more frequently during the day
Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can have a negative impact on your metabolism and results in overeating later in the day. It’s best to have 3 small meals and 1-2 snacks throughout the day. You will feel more satisfied and eat less. Plan to have a snack or meal every 4-5 hours.

2.  Portion Sizes
Appropriate portion sizes are still quite misunderstood. Most Americans are eating 2-3 times the recommended portion sizes. Limit your grains, cereals, pastas, and rice to ½ – 1 cup serving sizes. Keep meat, poultry and fish to 4-ounce portion sizes. Restaurants are notorious for giving extremely large servings of food. Keep this in mind when eating out. Eat half of the food on your plate or take the rest home for lunch the next day. Studies show that when people are given large portion sizes, they eat up to 56% more calories without realizing it. To add insult to injury, our portion sizes are larger than they have ever been. Start to become more aware of the portions you are served wherever you are.

3.  Eat the right fats
Yes some fat is important. Omega 3 fatty acids are an important strategy for weight loss success and yet most Americans are not eating enough of these healthy fats. Some reports show these fatty acids may be helpful in increasing your metabolism. They are also shown to be a wonderful mood supporter and people report significantly less food cravings and triggers to eat when they incorporate omega 3 fatty acids on a daily basis. This is especially important for any emotional eaters out there. Omega 3’s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, cod; they are also found in canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds.

4.  Increase fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are not only packed with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they are also loaded in fiber and low in calories. Include 5-8 fruits and vegetables every day. This is one of the most important diet changes you can make. When you fill your plate up with fruits and vegetables you eat less of the higher calorie foods. For example, let’s take a sample steak dinner.

Original meal:
8 ounce steak
Whole baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli

Meal Makeover:
4 ounce steak
½ baked potato with fixings
½ cup steamed broccoli
Side salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp light vinaigrette dressing

By changing the balance of this meal to include more vegetables while decreasing the steak and potato we saved approximately 350 calories. Saving 350 calories daily can result in almost a 1 pound weight loss per week. Small changes are the key.

5.  Eat when you’re hungry, Stop when you’re full
Our bodies have an innate weight management mechanism. It performs this task by making you feel full when it is time to stop eating. Every time you eat past full you are taking in more calories than your body needs which will result in weight gain. Start to become more aware of your internal cues for hunger and satiety (fullness). You will be amazed how many times you wait too long to eat and how often you eat past full and enter into stuffed. It’s common for all of us to do this from time to time. However, it’s time to check in with yourself and see how often you are falling into these food patterns. Listen to your body, it will tell you when you are physically ready for food and when you are ready to stop.

6.  Exercise regularly
I know, this isn’t anything you haven’t heard before but it is a crucial part of weight management. It is important to engage in regular aerobic and weight bearing activity. The aerobic exercise helps you to burn the fat and weight bearing activity increases your metabolic rate. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By adding three to five pounds of muscle you could actually burn 100 – 250 additional calories a day. This combination of aerobic and weight bearing activity is what really kicks weight loss into gear.

7.  Limit Sugar
Sugar becomes a major issue for many people wanting to lose weight. Not only does it add calories, it also causes insulin spikes leading you to store more calories as fat, it stimulates your appetite, and is a major food trigger for emotional eaters. However, it doesn’t mean you need to go all or nothing. When people try to omit all sugar from their diet they can become obsessed about sugary foods and end up in a binge. Find the right balance for sugar. Avoid daily use of sugar and instead have some guiltless treats once in awhile. A little cake at a birthday party or some ice-cream with friends is a good way to incorporate sugar once in awhile to avoid the negative outcomes.

8.  Pamper yourself regularly
Who wants to argue with that?! The reality is many people eat for emotional reasons. Food makes us feel good on many levels. The problem occurs when eating becomes the only coping mechanism your subconscious knows of. This is why that pesky urge to emotionally eat is so strong. It is hard to reason your way out of it. For many people food is the only thing they know that makes them feel better. When you start to do other things that make you feel good on a regular basis such as taking a hot bath, going for a walk, having a hot cup of tea; then your subconscious starts to register these activities as coping mechanisms as well. Over time this will decrease the constant urge to use food. You can’t expect to have a bad day, go take a bath and not have an urge to eat. It is something you need to do regularly and something you truly enjoy so your subconscious starts to recognize it as a new choice.

My baby is almost a year old. Soon she will cross the invisible dividing line between “infant” and “toddler.”
I sat nursing her, stroking her still-soft head yesterday and wondered how I could ever have imagined that a baby would be ready to stop breast-feeding by a year. 

When I was pregnant with my first child, I knew I would breast feed. Why not? My mom had breastfed most of her children, so I grew up thinking it was normal. But my mom also believed, along with a great deal of the United States, that “they don’t need to nurse once they can eat” and “if they can ask for it, they need to wean.” So I assumed that is how breast feeding was done.
But when my first child grew closer and closer to a year old, I realized it was hard to tell when she had begun asking to nurse. Was it when at 5 months old she could pluck at my shirt? Or was it at 3 months old, when she cried to let me know that other comfort measures weren’t working and she wanted to nurse? Or did it begin at 9 months old when she could try to lift my shirt to find her beloved nursies? So, I just kept nursing her. 

There is plenty of evidence out there that extended breastfeeding is beneficial to both mother and toddler. The World Health Organization has recommended breastfeeding for “up to two years of age or beyond.” UNICEF states to “continue to breastfeed for two years or more with age appropriate, responsive complementary feeding.” The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends “”that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.”
Some studies have even shown that children breastfed past infancy have fewer incidences of diabetes; have more normal jaw formation, eliminating perhaps a need for braces; are less prone to viral illnesses; and that these breastfed children have a healthy self-image and are socially well-adjusted. Other studies indicate a benefit to moms too, including a lower risk of breast cancer. 

I knew all that. But nursing an infant who cannot eat or even hold her head up is almost demanded. Nursing a toddler who can walk over to her mom holding a book and ask to be read to is another thing all together.  So this article will explore a few emotional benefits and reasons for breastfeeding a toddler. 

The first thing to consider about extended breastfeeding is that you didn’t pick up a walking, talking toddler and begin nursing her. You started out nursing a helpless baby. Day by day your baby grew and you nursed her. She grew some more, and you still nursed her. By now, it was part of your day (and night). By now, it was as natural and sweet to breastfeed her as it was to pick her up and cuddle her even after she could walk and ask to watch Barney. 

For those of you nursing an infant and reading this article, breastfeeding a toddler is not the attention-demanding, exhausting, constant job that nursing a baby is. Parenting a toddler is attention-demanding, exhausting and constant, though, and extended breastfeeding is a powerful tool to help both of you through that time. 

Few things are easier and sweeter than nursing your toddler down for his or her nap. By now, the two of you have an established routine of nursing and the toddler is primed to fall asleep during breastfeeding. That fact alone is enough to recommend extended breastfeeding. 

Tantrums? My baby, the one about to become a toddler, already throws her head back and screams when she can’t reach something or is frustrated. In a few months, she will continue to express her displeasure at the world and my directions. Extended breastfeeding eases the gap between the toddler’s expectation and the reality of his world. Nursing allows him to regroup, feel connected and to recharge his coping batteries. 

The inevitable bumps, bruises and hurt feelings of a toddler learning to explore her world are easily soothed and comforted by nursing. I think in this way, extended breastfeeding allows us to foster empathy and help in our young children. Not to mention, it calms the atmosphere of the home like nothing else. 

I know there are still people out there who are thinking extended breastfeeding is gross, wrong, downright peculiar and unnecessary. And that’s okay. I thought that, too, the first time I saw a toddler walk over to his mom and nurse.
Breastfeeding your toddler does not mean, however, that you must cater to every demand of these little would-be tyrants. It is appropriate for both the child and you to begin setting some limits on lots of things, including extended nursing. Many mothers choose to begin nursing at only nap and bedtimes for instance. Or some mothers may limit breastfeeding session’s length during this second year. Most mothers will ask their child to wait to nurse until after shopping, for instance, or until they have finished a household chore. 

My oldest daughter is four. I know how quickly the time goes now. By the way, she hasn’t nursed at all since she was 2 ½. Gradually, and without any prompting on my part, we began nursing only at nap and nighttime. The nap session was the last to go. Most toddlers, like mine, would prefer not to nap, and breastfeeding her helped us to avoid a power struggle over napping. She doesn’t even remember breastfeeding anymore. But I do, and will always treasure the memories.
My baby is almost one. But that doesn’t mean I quit meeting her needs. And her needs right now include extended breastfeeding. 

I hope many of you out there who are considering extended breastfeeding will also know the joy and comfort to be found for both child and mom in nursing your toddler. 

The role of parables in the Bible

The Parables of Jesus confront us with a difficult problem of how to recover the origin of their meaning or their role in the Bible.

In the early church, Parables were interpreted as allegories. Parables were interpreted by way of searching the hidden meaning behind words. This is known as the “hardening theory” or the intention of the Bible to conceal the truth of God from non-believers.

Thus, the Jerusalem is heaven in the Parable of Good Samaritan. Jericho is the world, robber is Satan, priest is religion, Levite is the church and Samaritan is Christ.

Of course, this has never been the intention of the Bible. The mistake was caused by the miss- interpretation of Mk. 4:11. The correct meaning of this verse should be: The outsiders are not yet follow the meaning of the parables. But once they repent, they too will be able to see, hear and understand the hidden secret of the parables.

Julicher was the first theologian to free parables from early allegorical interpretation. He argued for the scenery approach in interpreting parables. We should not read parables by the words and between the lines. Instead, we should see parable as a whole picture. In other words we should see a bird not the eyes, the wings and the feathers.

The meaning of the Parable of the Sower is teaching of the acceptance of the Gospel, Parable of the Weeds is teaching the coming back time of Christ and so on. We should grasp the theme and core teaching of the Parable not the details.

It was A. T. Cadoux and later C.H. Dodd who laid down the principle that Parables are best interpreted in the setting of the life of Jesus Christ. This brings hermeneutic on the path to historical approach of the Parables.

We must, therefore, understand the language, custom, culture in the time of Jesus Christ to interpret Parables. Jesus did not actually mean “The eye of the needle” in Mathew 19:23 to be the needle hole, but a small gate to enter Jerusalem that named “The eye of the needle”. For the rich man to enter the Kingdom of God is not impossible like a camel to go through the tiny needle hole, but difficult like a camel to enter the small gate.

It was Jeremias, inspired by C. H. Dodd's Parables of the Kingdom London 1938, who actually put the principle of Sitz im Leben of Jesus (situation in the time of Jesus) into practice. He extended Dodd's search beyond the Bible to see the culture, social, and political situation in Jesus to understand His Parables teachings.

While Dodd concentrated his Parables interpretation mostly in the field of “realized eschatology” (end time), Jeremias sees Parables more in the life teaching of Jesus.

Jeramias argues against Dodd that parable such as the Nocturnal Burglar in Mt. 24; Lk. 12; the Ten Virgin in Mt. 24 and the Door Keeper in Mk. 13 are not Parousia of the Great Day of Joy. The sudden arrival of the thief, the bridegroom, and the master are incidences of catastrophe. Hence, they are crisis and disastrous parables rather then joy.

We may conclude that the role of parables in the BibleKingdom of God in past, present and eternal. is the utterance of the actual situation of the life of Jesus to deal with conflict, misdeed and sin. At the same time, it also reviews the

Introduction
This is the fourth part of my series JavaScript String Regular Expressions. You can actually group bits of a regular expression and do something with it. That is what this part of the series is about.

Note: If you cannot see the code or if you think anything is missing, just contact me at forchatrans@yahoo.com. That is, contact me for the slightest problem you have about what has been typed.

Groupings
We can use parenthesis to group characters in a pattern. Consider the following pattern:

/The (guitarist)/

“guitarist” is in parenthesis. The parentheses form a group, which has the text: “guitarist”. Consider the following:

/The (guitarist is good)/

“guitarist is good” is in parenthesis. The parentheses form a group, which has the text: “guitarist is good”.

JavaScript treats a group as an entity. A group on its own is not serving any purpose. It becomes important when used in conjunction with other pattern techniques. There is another use, which we shall see below.

The String match() Method
The string object has a method called, match(). Ordinarily, this method returns a one element array whose element is the sub string found in the subject; however, if no sub string is found, the return value is null (not an array). Let us demonstrate this before we continue.

var arr = “Hello World!”.match(/World/)
alert(arr);

The above script uses the match method. The subject string is “Hello World!”. The regex is /World/. The return value is an array, which is, arr. Matching occurs and “World” from the subject is sent to the array as the only element. The second statement of the script should display all the elements of the array; well there is only one element in the array, so it displays just the one element, which is “World”. Everything being equal, the matching method returns a one-element array.

Let us now look at the case where matching does not occur. Remember that matching is case sensitive. So if we use “world” in the pattern, where “W” is in lower case, matching world not occur. Let us try it.

var arr = “Hello World!”.match(/world/)
alert(arr);

Here, matching does not occur, there is no array and the return value of the match method is null. The second statement (alert) displays, null. You should try the above programs.

Note: either the subject or the regex, for the match method can be a variable.

Sub Strings with common Parts
Imagine that you have a bookshop where there is a bookkeeper and a bookshelf. Here, bookkeeper is the person who looks after the books. Also imagine that you have any of the following subject strings:

var subject = “There is a bookshelf in my shop.”;

var subject = “I have a bookkeeper.”;

var subject = “The bookkeeper takes care of the bookshelf.”;

In your code, you might not know which subject string is present (the string might have been taken from somewhere and assigned to a variable); however, let us say your interest is to know whether there is a bookshelf or bookkeeper in the subject string. The regex for this can be:

/bookshelf|bookkeeper/

Note that in the above regex, we have to type the word, “book” twice. We can avoid this double typing by using the following regex:

/book(shelf|keeper)/

This second regex is more efficient, because we do not have to type the word, “book” twice. In the second case we have the group, (shelf|keeper). JavaScript treats a group as a single unit. Also, in this group, JavaScript has to choose “shelf” or “keeper”. In this way, JavaScript will have to look for bookshelf or bookkeeper in the pattern, resulting from more efficient typing. The following code produces a match (returns an array).

var subject = “There is a bookshelf in my shop.”;
var arr = subject.match(/book(shelf|keeper)/);
alert(arr);

Here, the subject variable can be any of the above strings.

Here, the word “book” is common to both words and is the first part of both words. You can have a sub string that is the second common part of two phrases; the same technique applies, but this time the group is in front; like this:

/(non-common|non-common)common/

The pattern can actually become complex and you would have the same group as above in different places of a bigger pattern.

Sub Strings with Alternation at Beginning of Available String in Group
Let us look at the case of sub strings with common part where matching has to occur at the beginning of the available string.

Consider the following pattern:

/(^x|y)z/

The anchor metacharacter ^ is used to match the regex at the beginning of the subject string. The above pattern matches 'xz' at start of the subject string or 'yz' anywhere in the subject string. The following expressions match:

“xz 5678″.match(/^(x|y)z/)

“34 yz 56 G”.match(/(^x|y)z/)

More on Sub Strings with Common Parts
Imagine that you want to match “book” or “bookkeeper” or “bookkeepers”. The sub string “book” occurs in the three phrases (sub strings). The sub string “bookkeeper” occurs in two of the phrases; and the sub string bookkeepers occurs in only one of the phrases. Our aim in this section is to develop an efficient pattern to match sub strings such as these three.

You can do this:

/book|bookkeeper|bookkeepers/

The problem here (inefficiency) is that you have to type “book” three times and you have to type “keeper” two times.

The following pattern is efficient:

/book(keeper(s|)|)/

First of all, note here that you have a nested group; groups can be nested. There are also two alternation metacharacters, |; one inside an inner nested group; the other inside an outer group.

In the inner nested group, JavaScript has to chose between “s” or nothing. In the outer group, JavaScript still has to choose between “keeper(s|)” or nothing. “book” will always be chosen. In this way, JavaScript will match “book”, “bookkeeper” or “bookkeepers”. The situation here is similar to the first situation above, but is more complex here.

Capturing
The grouping metacharacters, (), that is, parentheses also serve another completely different purpose: they allow the capture of sub strings in the subject that matched. Well, pattern (regex) is not usually an exact word or an exact phrase. After the matching has occurred with the subject, can you know the exact word or phrase that was matched? Yes, you can know this, and it is thanks to grouping (parentheses).

Consider the following subject string:

“This is one and that is two.”

The pattern, /(one).*(two)/) matches the sub string “one and that is two” in the subject. Now, the whole sub string matched, is captured in an array, when you use the string object match() method. The portions of the subject string matched by a group can also be captured in the array. In this case, “one” and “two” that are in the subject string matched can be captured in an array.

The following code illustrates this:

var arr = “This is one and that is two.”.match(/(one).*(two)/);
alert(arr);
alert(arr);
alert(arr);

For the output, the first alert box displays:

one and that is two

The second alert box displays:

one

The third alert box displays:

two

Let us look at the code first before we look at its output. The first statement is:

var arr = “This is one and that is two.”.match(/(one).*(two)/);

First of all note that we have used the match() method. There are two groups in the regex. Now, after execution of the matching process, the sub string in the subject that matches the whole group goes into arr. The sub string in the subject that matches the first group goes into arr. The sub string in the subject that matches the second group goes into arr. Note: The array will acquire these sub strings only if there is matching. If there is no matching, the array will not acquire any sub strings from the subject; it will have only one element with the value, null.

After the first statement in the script, the other three alert statements display the three array values, accordingly. From the explanation given above, there can only be three elements in the array. This explains what you have as the output.

So, to capture the whole regex including any of its groups, you need the string object match() method and an array to hold returned sub strings matched. The whole regex gives rise to the value of the first element of the array. The first group in the regex (from left to right) gives rise to the value of the second element of the array. The second group gives rise to the value of the third element in the array. The rest of the groups, if available, fill the array in that order. The length of the array is the number of sub strings captured. This consists of the sub string in the subject that corresponds to the whole regex and the other sub strings corresponding to the groups in the regex. Remember, if there is no matching, there is no array and the return value of the match() method is, null.

What about Nested Groups
Consider the following code:

var arr = “I like school boys.”.match(/school (boy(s|)|)/);
alert(arr);
alert(arr);
alert(arr);

This is the output of the above code:

school boys
boys
s

The whole pattern would match “school boys”, “school boy” or “school”. We have two groups; one inside the other.

The outer group in the regex is boy(s|) and the inner group is (s|). The outer group corresponds to “boys” in “school boys”. The inner group corresponds to “s” at the end of “school boys”.

Let me do some more explanation on these capturing. “(boy(s|)|)” means “boy(s|)” or nothing, and then “boy(s|)” means “boys” or “boy”; so “boys” next to “school ” is captured. “(s|)” is a group and any group can be captured; it means “s” or nothing. Note that it is not necessarily the group that is matched; it is the pattern that is matched. The match-able sub string that has our “s” is “school boys”. As “school boys” is matched, our “s” is captured.

Capturing and matching are not the same things. After matching occurs, if there is any group in the matched sub string in the subject string, it is captured.

Now, you may ask, “with nesting groups, how do we know which group is considered as the first group, which group is considered as the second group, which is considered as the third and so on.” This is the answer: The left most opened bracket “(” is for the first group; the second opened bracket in the regex from the left, is for the second group; the bracket after this from the left, is for the third group, and so on.

Time to take a break. We continue in the next part of the series.

The green light.
Many husbands know what I'm talking about when it comes to big technology purchases. It's the grudging approval one gets from one's wife when you've finally managed to convince her to spend the income tax refund on something you want, but don't really need. For me, it came in the form of a Sharp Aquos LC-52D62U LCD TV. Here's my story:

Shopping Around
I've been a mystery shopper for years. While this hasn't made me an expert on every model of TV out there, I can safely say that I've shopped for a large-screen television hundreds of times. Imagine the anguish of always taking the purchase right up to the threshold of saying, “Yes! I'll take it!” but being forced to decline the salesman's overtures, time and time again. Well it was on one of these “shops” where I came upon the 52D62U. It was on an end-cap and it seemed to be calling my name. I literally did a double-take.

The clarity was like nothing I'd seen before. It didn't hurt that they had it plugged into a blue-ray high-definition DVD demo but still–I had seen LCD Projections, DLP, Plasma, SXRD, and other LCD flats–but this one really seemed special. I knew from that moment onward what model I was going to want, when the time came.

Where to buy…
If you live in the Northeast, I'd highly recommend purchasing the unit from IBuyDigital.com . Reason: you can drive down to their warehouse in New Jersey and pick it up. Doing some research on MySimon.com, it looked like the best deal I could get on a new one was through these guys but I was a bit leery on getting anything that sensitive shipped to us (not to mention paying $300 for delivery). Even if I did have it shipped though, the price still would have been at least $1,000.00 less than a “big box retailer.”

So we drove down one weekend and picked it up. My excitement was tempered by the traffic over the George Washington Bridge, but we eventually made it home and got it unpacked, and set up.

The World through a 52″ Screen
A unique feeling flows through new high-def TV owners the first few hours they have it up and running. It's like some illicit drug–until you've tried it, you can't really describe it well to others. It would be fairly un-original to say we spent those hours doing what most probably do: flipping through all the high definition channels and saying, “wow that's really a great picture.” But that's exactly how we felt for those first few days and as much as I wanted to rush to writing a review, I knew I couldn't be half as objective as I should be while in that fog.

It's been about a month and the second phase of ownership has now set in (wondering how we ever got by without one before). Those old 27″ tube days are slowly disappearing into obscurity and it's only a matter of time before my subconscious decides to repress the entire span.

But Really… that IS a Great Picture!
The LC-52D62U is not the latest model Sharp has to offer. In fact, it's probably only a matter of time before this one gets phased out. That's not to say it's not worth every penny though while it's still around. Its image quality on high-definition signals are fantastic. I'm not a super-techy and I won't pretend to know what I'm talking about with azimuth, contrast ratio, and all that other jargon. If you're like me, all you want is a nice bright, sharp picture–and that's what you'll get with this unit.

Had I taken the time to read the manual, I probably would know just where to set the particular image levels but the menu interface is simple enough to move your way around without needing instruction. I flipped on two features I thought would be helpful (a high-speed setting and a brightness enhancement), and it as smooth sailing from there.

Burnout? Lines?
If you look deep into other web reviews on this model, you'll find that there are a handful of very angry owners. These are people who had poor experiences with “banding” – a nasty effect that causes horizontal (or sometimes vertical) lines to appear in your image. Unfortunately these usually trace back to an issue with the manufacturing process and there's little that can be done other than replacing the unit completely.

I look at it this way – no matter what technology you get, there's going to be a risk that you get a lemon. Cover your bases and spend the extra couple hundred bucks on the extended warranty. The last thing you want is to get stuck with a bad piece of equipment and have to foot the repair bill yourself. Chances are, if you haven't had a problem by the time the warranty has gone by, you won't have one in the years to come.

But as for the LC-52D62U being particularly bad, I don't buy it. Regardless of the company, service, or even travel destination, you're going to find very vocal people who have been wronged in one way or another. The thing to keep in mind though is that for every 1 negative review, there's probably 100,000 good ones that folks never bothered to write and share. It's human nature–we feel inclined to commiserate when things go badly, but not so much when things go well!

Bottom Line
I highly advise this television to anyone looking for a large flat-panel LCD. In addition to the image quality, the viewing angle is fantastic and even low-definition channels are “watchable” (meaning, they're not so pixellated that they send you running for the high-def spectrum). Sound quality is good, but expect some echoing effect if you combine the audio with that of a receiver (could however just be how I set it up, with speakers being too close to each other). Lastly, at only 90 lbs and a few inches thick, the television can easily be wall-mounted–a nice option we may someday take advantage of.

Whether you've suffered a work related injury, were involved in a motor vehicle accident, sustained a sports injury or simply fell at home, the pain and complications associated with a shoulder injury can be life altering.

As a complex part of our anatomy, our shoulders encompass many intrinsic parts that are easily damaged and can lead to life long complication when not diagnosed and treatment properly. For many shoulder pain sufferers, the choice, initially, is to consider a home remedy, applying ice, heat and even purchasing arm slings at the local drug store.

If you are a person who experiences shoulder pain, it is important to understand the aspect of timing in the diagnosis in treatment of your injury. All too often, patients who experience shoulder pain attempt home remedies resulting in frozen shoulder syndromes and complications.

To properly diagnose and treat your shoulder injury, consultation with a healthcare professional is recommended early and soon after your injury occurs. While, initially, your doctor may encourage rest and the use of heat application with NSAIDs for inflammation, the doctor may, first, want to properly diagnose the complication. By obtaining x-rays of the shoulder, your doctor can rule out other pre-existing complications, such as arthritis, which may only serve to exacerbate your shoulder injury.

In addition to screening for arthritis, your physician will also need to evaluate your shoulders for the presence e of a condition known as adhesive capulitis which can develop, rather quickly, from the immobilization of the shoulder.

Beyond x-rays, your healthcare professional, upon examining and diagnosing a shoulder injury, should also obtain blood work to rule out, or confirm, the presence of complications such as rheumatoid arthritis. Because rheumatoid arthritis is a key player in the long term recovery of a shoulder injury, diagnosing this complication early can lead to more aggressive forms of treatment soon after the shoulder injury occurs.

In addition to x-rays and blood work, your healthcare professional may also need to complete a series of shoulder injections, working as a sort of therapy that, ultimately, will rule out other health complications. While injections can be painful, it is an effective way to provide therapy and diagnosis in one treatment, ruling out other health complications to the shoulder.

As with any injury, whether by employment related events, auto accident or sports, the key to your quick recovery lies in the early diagnosis and treatment. While you may believe your shoulder injury is relatively minor, it is the underlying and pre-existing health conditions that may further complicate your shoulder injury, compounding the time it will take for recovery if initial treatment is delayed. When consulting your doctor about a shoulder injury, be certain x-rays are obtained, blood work is completed and your doctor considers injections as a form of diagnosis and therapy.

Working in a family business may sound great on the outside, but in most cases its another story. When you work in a family business then sometimes everything goes wrong. You may be wondering how can it go wrong? Here are five reasons why you shouldn't work in a family business.

1. They use money as control. Sometimes when you have family members that work in the family business then sometimes the mom and dad use money as control. They will often hold your paycheck for a few days just to make you struggle a little while, but they wouldn't dream of doing that to a regular non related employee. Sometimes you may not get paid as many hours that you actually worked. Be careful when working in a family business.

2. Sometimes you don't get paid very much or nothing at all. It happens in a family business. More often than not a family member doesn't get paid very much money at all or in some cases nothing at all. They make you work for hours and hours for nothing. They often tell you that you should be grateful that you even have the privilege of working in a family business. After all, it beats working a minimum wage job, right? I think not.

3. They can fire you or threaten to fire you on a daily basis. Yes, it has happened before. They will fire a family member in a family business much quicker than they would a regular non related employee. You see it happen every day around you. If you get fired then you are stuck with a bad reference of course. Sometimes in a family company then they use it as control to get you do whatever they want for the most part.

4. They treat you horrible. Often the non related employee's get treated a heck of a lot better than you do. You often have to deal being yelled or emotionally abused just because you are family. Often when you try to stand up to them then they yell at you and call you an grateful person since after all everyone would love to work in family business.

5. They don't forgive you for mistakes. They will often yell at and fire a family member out of a business before they would a regular employee. They will often make a big deal out of nothing. Working in a family business has many disadvantages to it. You often don't get treated normally like you would at a regular job.

Working in a family business may be extremely stressful. It isn't worth it sometimes since you have to deal with getting ripped off as far as money goes and getting yelled at constantly. Half of the time you can't even take a day off or even a vacation without them calling you lazy or saying that you can't take time off and that you HAVE to stay there to help with the family business. They often have unreasonable demands.