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The British Psychological Society (BPS) has joined forces with other psychological bodies to call on the UK Government to suspend its cruel and degrading benefit sanctions regime.
BPS says the benefit sanctions regime, where vulnerable people can have payments docked for weeks or months at a time for failing to adhere to often unreasonable requirements, does not help people back to work and damages their mental health.
The call comes in response to the Government's 'Improving Lives' consultation and following a recent report from the National Audit Office, which found there is little evidence to prove sanctions encourage people to look for work or offer value for money to taxpayers.
Benefit sanctions can also result in destitution, hardship, widespread anxiety and feelings of disempowerment, the psychologists say.
In a joint response the BPS, the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, the British Psychoanalytic Council, the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies and the UK Council for Psychotherapy, the bodies argue "the Government needs to change focus from trying to make unemployment less attractive, to trying to make employment more attractive".
The bodies have also urged the UK Government to review and reform the controversial work capability assessment, otherwise know as 'fit for work' tests, which they say "lacks clear evidence of reliability or effectiveness".
They have called on Jobcentres to "care about the quality of work they provide", drawing on evidence that suggests "bad jobs can be more damaging to mental health than unemployment". There should be "statutory support for creating psychologically healthy workplaces and increased mental health awareness training for jobcentre staff".
BPS President Professor Peter Kinderman said: "We call for the benefits sanctions regime to be suspended until the completion of an independent review of their impact on people's mental health and wellbeing"
"While there is evidence that the sanctions process is undermining mental health and wellbeing, there is no clear evidence that it leads to increased employment.
"Vulnerable people with specific multiple and complex needs are being disproportionately affected by the increased use of sanctions."
Last updated at 07:15 (GMT) on 21 February 2017.


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Starlin Castro can finally take a day off.
The shortstop wrapped up his Arizona Fall League duty on Thursday, finishing with a .376 average in 26 games with the Mesa Solar Sox. Not bad for a 19-year-old.
The Cubs' highly touted prospect had quite a year. He began the season in April with Class A Daytona, moved up to Double-A Tennessee in August, batted .303 in the Southern League playoffs, and was the youngest player in the AFL with Mesa in October.
This year, he's had 570 at-bats in 153 games, swiped 37 bases, totaled 178 hits, including 28 doubles, seven triples, four homers, and batted .312. Nothing has fazed him.
"He's very talented and really on some kind of fast track," Cubs player development director Oneri Fleita said of Castro. "Quite frankly, we haven't had a player go through the organization like this in a long time. I think the last one was Mark Prior, and pitchers are a little different."
Could Castro be in the big leagues as soon as 2010?
"Me, personally, I'd like to let the kid be a kid and let him go to Spring Training," Fleita said when asked to project where the shortstop will play next year. "When he's ready to go, he'll tell us. We'll know what we've got."
The Cubs do have shortstop Darwin Barney in line to start at Triple-A Iowa, and Castro could open at Double-A Tennessee. However, Fleita would like Castro to at least take part in the Cubs' big league camp in February so Lou Piniella and the coaching staff can get to know him.
"At this point, to say he'll be in Double-A or Triple-A at the start of the season, I think that's premature," Fleita said. "We'll take our time. We know we have a diamond in the rough and we need to take our time, be patient. At the same time, we don't need to hold the reins on him. When the time comes, turn him loose and let him fly."
Ryan Theriot is not about to hand Castro the job. Theriot is coming off a season in which he batted .284 and made 147 starts, most by a Cubs player at that position since Shawon Dunston started 150 games in 1988. Castro did play second base in the AFL, but that's not because the team wants him to switch. Fleita said they'd agreed to moving Castro to accomodate Boston Red Sox prospect Jose Iglesias, who was also on the Solar Sox roster.
"It's expected from all infielders to play all infield positions so they understand the bunt coverage and what their teammates expect on the other side," Fleita said. "We don't see that as a problem if he played second. I just wanted to get his at-bats and get him experience at that caliber of play."
Which Castro did. The teenager did lead the AFL in batting for a large part of the season.
This year, he ranked third in the Florida State League with a .302 average, and recovered from a slow start, hitting .324 from May 1 to the end of the season. He was named to the FSL All-Star team, and won MVP honors, going 4-for-4 with an inside the park home run. In 31 regular season games at Tennessee, Castro batted .288.
This was just his third season of pro ball. He doesn't turn 20 until March 24. Baseball America ranked Castro as the Cubs' No. 1 prospect, noting he could be the team's first All-Star shortstop since Dunston in 1990.
He's a slender 190 pounds, and his defensive play reminds some of other Dominican shortstops such as Tony Fernandez and Miguel Tejada.
"I think the thing I'm most proud of is he's been able to maintain his weight," Fleita said. "You go to the Florida State League and it's blistering hot and humid, and to be able to play daily like he did, sometimes a young kid can wither away. Then to go to the Fall League, you'd expect there would be a little bit of a lull but he's been able to maintain his strength and his level of play.
"I'm really proud of him," Fleita said. "It's been a real joy to watch his progress throughout the year."
As for the Cubs' other entries in the Arizona Fall League, pitcher James Russell posted impressive numbers. A 14th-round pick in 2007, Russell gave up two earned runs on 12 hits and two walks over 14 1/3 innings for a 1.26 ERA. He struck out 14.
Lefty John Gaub, acquired from Cleveland in the Mark DeRosa deal, posted a 9.31 ERA in 10 games for Mesa. He did strike out 15 over 9 2/3 innings. Blake Parker, a 16th-round selection in the 2006 Draft, struck out 11 and walked six in 12 innings over 11 games, giving up six runs for a 4.50 ERA.
Their futures are just as undetermined as Castro's. What about next year? Cubs fans will have to wait and see where the shortstop ends up.
"Things will take care of themselves," Fleita said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Forex Trading For Beginners – A Guide
FOREX TRADING FOR BEGINNERS – Where to Start?
As good a place as any for a FOREX beginner is to start with is gaining a good understanding of the lay of the Currency Trading land. As tempting as it is to jump into this massive money trading market, your wallet – and you – will be happier by tempering your enthusiasm and easing your way into this massive trading arena.
Not to say you won't set the Currency Trading world on fire and impress your friends and family with your first million made overnight…but….let's concentrate on learning a little first…then on making your first few PIPs.
Three areas that are valuable and helpful to learn about when starting out in FOREX trading are:
- FOREX History
- Major Foreign Exchange Market Participants
- Currency Pairs and Currency Codes
Learning about FOREX History and how it has shaped the trading industry we know and trade in today provides a good historical baseline and perspective.
There are several events that occurred of note in FOREX history, starting with the early Gold Standard days.
The conclusion of WWII brought the then-new Bretton Woods Agreement and System to the forefront, where it remained until the early part of the 1970′s, when the gold standard finally ended.
That end ushered in floating foreign exchange rates which were adopted by the global financial currency trading community, and which form the base of today's foreign exchange trading markets and their respective exchange rates.
As a member of the FOREX trading for beginners "club" it's also a good idea to learn more about the major players in FOREX… called foreign exchange market participants, of which you are now, or will likely become one soon, once you start trading the FOREX.
The major players include our, and other Foreign Country Governments and the Central Banks, the Interbank market, companies that use the Foreign Exchange markets for commercial/financial hedging purposes, and speculators – which include both large hedge funds, and the individual FOREX speculator like you.
CURRENCY PAIR and CURRENCY CODES
Speaking of trading foreign exchange currencies, how do you know what you are trading with all those weird looking 3-letter FOREX currency code abbreviations you see?
Well, every foreign currency has its own unique code, and because you are in the forex for beginners club, we will introduce you to Forex Currency Pairs and their associated codes.
There are several main currency pairs that are more heavily traded than the rest, and they are called major pairs. These include the U.S. Dollar and the Euro among other main global currencies.
There's more information on this topic that you can access via the link in the below resource box. Take the opportunity to do so, enhance your FOREX knowledge and with it, your trading success odds.


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Lost in the shuffle of big headlines at the end the Supreme Court Term was the decision to take on New Jersey's challenge to PASPA, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, otherwise known as the "why you can only bet on sports in Nevada law." But as guest Steve Silver of The Legal Blitz explains, this is a potentially huge state's rights case directly linked to the Shelby County voting rights opinion.
With Harvard following Arizona's lead and accepting GRE scores in the admissions process, more schools are starting to warm to the exam. But is the GRE really as good as the LSAT? Are schools just doing this as a cash grab at the expense of the profession? Elie thinks the GRE is basically filled out in crayon. Joe thinks it's a perfectly acceptable alternative test. Jeff Thomas of Kaplan Test Prep joins the show to say they're both a little right.


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We thought you might want to know that Social Norms app is 50% off. You can purchase this app for only $4.99.
The Social Norms for Autism app was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for children with autism spectrum disorder. This app helps children learn social rules and behaviors through stories. The Social Norms app is ideal for parents, educators, and speech language pathologists as it allows full customization. The users have the ability to add their own photos, text, and audio recordings to create individualized stories that teach specific skills that the child with autism spectrum disorder may have difficulty learning or understanding.


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Saint Florian/Fireman in 1 Troy Ounce of .999 Pure Silver 24kt Gold Enhanced
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Saint Florian/Fireman in 1 Troy Ounce of .999 Pure Silver
This commemorative coin is minted in one Troy ounce of .999 pure silver with a proof strike, then selectively enhanced with 24K gold.
Give the gift that any firefighter would cherish, the classic Saint Florian. This fireman's coin commemorates firefighters on the reverse with the time-honored firefighter symbol: the Maltese Cross. The obverse features a rendition of another firefighting symbol: the classic Saint Florian, patron saint of fire fighters.
This coin comes packaged in a clear lucite capsule and enclosed with a museum-quality leatherette presentation box. All Firefighters are commemorated with this superbly crafted coin.
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Part 6: Wheels, Tires, And Learning Things The Hard Way
Wow, this last month of the build has been full of ups, downs, and more than a few long days, to say the least, so let's dive right in! It was great to tie up a few of the important loose ends, like the beautiful American Racing AR 500 wheels that were literally still warm when I picked them up. If you didn't figure it out yet, the AR 500s are based on the original Magnum 500 wheels from the '60s, which American will offer in affordable 15-, 17-, and 18-inch cast versions. For the rubber, I chose Toyo Tires' Proxes ST tires-a good all-around, all-season performance radial designed for trucks, SUVs, and crossovers that's great in wet or dry conditions, has a decent tread life, and is rated to 149 mph. To make things even better, when I was talking to artist Jimmy Smith, who did my truck's rendering, I said I wished someone made bigger-diameter redline tires, because that would look perfect with the late-'60s theme. Much to my surprise, he told me Diamond Back Classics in South Carolina did just that. After discussing the project with the folks at Diamond Back, I shipped my new Toyo tires to them, and they actually put the redlines on them, but mainly they just sell redlines, whitewalls, whitelines, goldlines, bluelines, and many more variations in most tire sizes straight to each customer.
Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was somewhat squelched after I found out that being a novice when it comes to larger-diameter tires meant I needed to buy a taller tire in the back than what I had to help fill up the wheelwell-d'oh! Originally, I thought with the truck sitting low with 18s on it, the same would look cool, but switching to a 255/55R18 in the back made all the difference, so not only did I have to buy two more tires, but I needed to send them back to Diamond Back for the redlines once I was sure they were the right size. When it comes to learning things the hard way, sometimes it's hardest on the wallet.
The other setback I ran into was one that could have been avoided if I had all the parts I needed like I knew I should have. When I set up the Fatman Mustang II, I didn't have the ECI brakes, wheels, or tires that would have all been easy to mock up and "eyeball" how the front wheels would sit in the wheelwells, which is important, but I was under a deadline and had to get it done against my better judgment. Yes, haste makes waste, and amongst all the excitement of getting the wheels and tires, as soon as I put them on the truck and let it down for the first time, my parade was rained on by the sight of the wheels being too far back in the wheelwell for me to live with. This area is subject to taste and opinion and may not matter that much to some, but it didn't take long for me to know I was gonna have to move the front axle centerline forward or else I'd cringe whenever I looked at it. After all, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right! At the same time I was correcting that issue, I decided to kick up the front of the frame 2 inches to lower it that much more-another thing I wanted to do the first time around, but didn't have time to do.
So the moral of the story here is to take the time, do your homework, and do it right the first time! This isn't a guarantee that everything will go smoothly, since Murphy's Law goes hand in hand with working on/building just about anything, but it should help avoid a few sleepless nights. See you next month!


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Michael Levy is a partner in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on white collar defense, investigations, and representation of corporations and individuals in connection with government enforcement initiatives. He has conducted internal investigations for Fortune 100 and other companies as well as their audit committees and has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies, high-ranking public officials, civic leaders, and prominent corporate executives throughout the United States in major criminal cases and congressional, SEC, and other governmental investigations involving alleged violations of fraud, securities, tax, antitrust, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), environmental, healthcare, False Claims Act, obstruction of justice, and other criminal statutes.
Mr. Levy has represented corporate and individual clients in many of the most prominent white collar matters of the past two decades, including representation of central players in the complex and overlapping investigations of Enron, the financial and accounting scandals of Fannie Mae, the downfall of MF Global, alleged tax abuses on Wall Street and around the world, the NFL's "Spygate" scandal, the unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles, the murders of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, the use by the former Secretary of State of a non-governmental private email server, and many others. He excels at high-profile, complex investigations being conducted simultaneously by multiple prosecutors, regulatory enforcement agencies, and congressional committees.
Chambers USA notes that the "fantastic" and "very talented" Mr. Levy offers "great judgment" and is a "smart, client-focused and energetic individual" who is "experienced and resourceful," "incredibly responsive," "a master at representing individuals and groups in complex white-collar cases," and "an insightful attorney who inspires clients' confidence." The New York Times has profiled Michael's diverse career and work in connection with the "Spygate" investigations by the National Football League and Sen. Arlen Specter ("A Legal Journey From Enron to the N.F.L."). He has been quoted as an authority on white collar defense and government investigations in numerous U.S. newspapers and magazines, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and Reuters, and has appeared on "ABC World News," CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg Television, "Good Morning America," National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the Morning," and Court TV.
Mr. Levy is a frequent author and speaker on white collar issues, addressing audiences at programs with the ABA National Institute on Securities Fraud, Institutional Investor, Corporate Board Member, and District of Columbia Bar on topics ranging from corporate governance and internal investigations to risk management and the role of communications in high-profile litigation.
Paul Hastings Practices and Lawyers Score Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2019
May 01, 2019
Paul Hastings Practices and Lawyers Score Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2018
May 11, 2018
Paul Hastings Practices and Lawyers Score Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2017
June 05, 2017
Paul Hastings Practices and Lawyers Score Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2016
June 08, 2016
SEC Discontinues its Case Against Thomas A. Lund
September 21, 2015
Paul Hastings Practices and Lawyers Score Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2015
May 20, 2015
Paul Hastings Continues White Collar Expansion with Addition of High-Profile Washington, D.C. Partner Group
February 23, 2015
Paul Hastings Investigations and White Collar Defense Practice Recognized as a Law360 Practice Group of the Year
February 17, 2015
Respected White Collar Team Joins Paul Hastings in Washington, DC
June 02, 2014
The SEC's Unlawful and Dangerous Expansion of the Exchange Act
December 01, 2017
Neither A Whitewash Nor A Witch-Hunt Be: Reclaiming The Independence Of Internal Investigations
October 02, 2006
Recognized in the Global Investigations Review's GIR 100 for 2019
Paul Hastings was again ranked in Global Investigations Review's GIR 100, a ranking of "100 firms from around the world able to handle sophisticated cross-border government-led and internal investigations." Building off rankings in consecutive years, the firm moved up to break GIR's Top 20 list of law firms working in complex global investigations. The following attorneys were noted in the editorial profiling the firm: Ken Breen, Robert Luskin, John (Jay) Darden, Kwame Manley, Tim Dickinson, Tara Giunta, Thomas Zaccaro, Gary Giampetruzzi, Michael Levy,, Corinne Lammers, Morgan Miller, Nat Edmonds, Tom Best, Matt Herrington, Jonathan Drimmer, and Simon Airey.
October 24, 2019
Recognized by Chambers USA 2019
Chambers USA 2019: America's Leading Lawyers for Business listed the firm in 44 practice areas and named 107 firm lawyers to its rankings of leading lawyers and law firms in the United States.
April 26, 2019
Recognized by Chambers USA 2018
Chambers USA 2018: America's Leading Lawyers for Business listed the firm in 45 research areas and named 112 firm lawyers to its rankings of leading lawyers and law firms in the United States.
May 15, 2018
Recognized by Chambers USA 2017
Chambers USA 2017: America's Leading Lawyers for Business named 46 of the firm's practice areas and 112 individuals to its ranking of leading lawyers and law firms in the United States.
June 05, 2017
Ranked by Global Investigations Review's coverage of Washington DC's FCPA Bar
Paul Hastings was ranked "Elite"—the highest category—in "Washington DC's FCPA Bar," "a ranked guide to the best firms for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters in the US capital" published by Global Investigations Review publication Just Anti-Corruption. The accompanying profile of the firm noted that Paul Hastings "wields an all-star cast of attorneys on the DC FCPA scene," mentioning Amy Carpenter-Holmes, Jay Darden, Timothy Dickinson, Nathaniel Edmonds, Tara Giunta, Corinne Lammers, Michael Levy, Bob Luskin, Kwame Manley, and Morgan Miller.
August 22, 2016
Recognized by Chambers USA 2016
Chambers USA 2016: America's Leading Lawyers for Business named 47 of the firm's practice areas and 112 individuals to its ranking of leading lawyers and law firms in the United States.
June 08, 2016


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If you've stopped by the
Section 101 site lately, you may have noticed that we were gearing up to be one
of the sponsors of this summer's New Music Seminar in New York City. Taking
place July 19-21, at the famed Webster Hall, we not only got to meet many of
the attendees who came by the S101 Booth to say 'Hello,' but I also got to
participate in the event. I was asked to do an '18 Minute Intensive' talk, TED
style; in other words, I was to pick a topic I had expertise in, and felt
passionate about, and talk. Ask any one who knows me, speaking about something
that excites me has never been a problem!
"Branding" was the topic I chose to discuss. Many people in the music industry make false assumptions about what the word brand means. It is not the products you sell, it is who you ARE, making it one of the most important things for any artist to focus on. I spent my entire 18 minute talk - The Game Has Changed And There Are No Rules. Creating real value by getting your fans to buy into your brand - providing real tools to authentically accomplish that task (emphasis on authentic please).
I got some terrific feedback from my "intensive" and felt very pleased that I made an impact on the people who chose to attend my speech. To that point, a few things left an impression on me as well, including the fantastic Margaret Cho moderating a panel called The Breaks: Artists discuss mentors and miracles. How they first broke through. Life changing moments. The panel featured Nile Rodgers, Swizz Beatz , Vinnie Brown from Naughty By Nature and Alex Suarez from Cobra Starship. I appreciated how the audience members were texting questions to the panelists, and every one really held their own, bringing intelligent anecdotes to the panel. Another event that left me buzzing was the closing night party at Santos featuring the band HANK & CUPCAKES. A husband and wife duo from Israel, they perform using just drum, bass and her sexy, sultry vocals. I found them to be unique, distinctive and true performers. They definitely struck a chord with me (pun intended). Check them out here:
I hope to do more of these types of speaking engagements. Our goal at S101 is to push technology forward in a way that helps promote an artist -and their brand - to the fullest capacity.


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Remembering Nestor A Cintron III
So I've joined in on a blog tribute to all 2996 people who lost their lives at the WTC on 9.11.01. I think that this is such a small thing for me to do. I don't personally know Mr. Cintron but I want to remember him none the less.
Nestor Cintron III was only 26 years old, the same age as me. He was a broker at Cantor Fitzgerald in the WTC. I pray that his family has more peace today than 5 years ago. I have looked on every site that I can to try to learn more about Nestor but they all have the same info that I posted below. If by chance someone reads this and you know Nestor please email me, tell me more about him so that I can honor him better. Below is a profile I found on the NY Times.
"I just want books, Ma," Nestor A. Cintron III would say.
Growing up in the Alfred E. Smith Houses in a tough part of the Lower East Side, Mr. Cintron was the resident intellectual. "My son didn't take any drugs; he had no bad habits; his thing was reading," his mother, Alicia Leguillow, recalled."For Christmas, I would get him $200 gift certificates to Borders and he would buy books."Mr. Cintron, 26, a broker at Cantor Fitzgerald, read anything, but preferred books that were other-worldly: Carl Sagan, Michael Crichton and Robert Jordan were his favorite writers. He was a huge "Star Wars" buff. He got his two younger brothers hooked, too, to the point where they would all sit at the dinner table reading. "They were never raised by a father, so they had each other," Mr. Cintron's mother said. Ms. Leguillow knew her son was gifted from childhood, when a teacher at Public School 1 insisted on skipping him from the fourth to the sixth grade, because he was so far ahead in math. But he was still one of the guys. "He had so much intelligence, he didn't need to show it," said his brother Fred Gonzalez Jr. Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on October 20, 2001.
Leave a link to your 9/11 tribute post so that others can stop by.


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text: hello ppl, I am interested to be part of your effort and contribute to the codebase eventually, is their a todo list. I did go thru some features requests in sourceforge but they are spread all over the place. Do you have any suggestions to get started ? or looking for help in any particular area. thank you. -madan


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Awake, awake,
put on your strength, O Zion!
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city;
for the uncircumcised and the unclean
shall enter you no more.
Shake yourself from the dust, rise up,
O captive Jerusalem;
loose the bonds from your neck,
O captive daughter Zion!
For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.
See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Awake, Awake, Zion— This is a going to be a hard one. I'm going to name some hard truths, and do so with love. Church, let's talk about grief. Institutional grief.
Why are are we grieving, Church? Because this isn't the church we thought it would be 20, 30, 40 years ago, and it won't be that which we expected.
Because space to grieve that reality is so important before we consider how we are going to be the church in the coming months, years, and decades.
I keep an eye on articles and statistics and pew reports and realities of the church at large in America right now, and we're at a collective time of transition and grief. The pew report came out, again, and the numbers keep getting more and more stark. (http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ ) Every major Christian voice has something to say about the "declining membership" and "how to attract young families" and pointing to how what the collective church *is* doing, *isn't* working.
We point to money: Less people choose to give to church.
We point to time: More people choose something else for Sunday morning. No one volunteers for committees that feel like part-time jobs.
We point to priority and attention: Church is no longer the center of community that it was even just 20 years ago, but in conversation and sometimes competition with several other community centers for the time, attention, and money of the same people.
One researcher writes, "At one end of the spectrum, 50% of American Christians attend mega-churches. At the other end 50% of Christian churches have no more than 75 people in attendance each Sunday. Many of the members of these congregations are now over age 50. Many live in rural areas. Many find it difficult to maintain their church facility and keep a professionally trained pastor on staff." He goes on to say that some estimate 50% of churches will close their doors in the next 5 to 10 years. (Louis F. Kavar,Contemporary Churches: Spiritual Transformation of Congregations, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.) Churches around our town, state, country and world are feeling the strain. Church is collectively engaging— or choosing not to engage— with our changing role in the American landscape.
There is an undeniable reality of a change coming within the church! The United Church of Christ just called the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer as our next General Minister and President— the face of our denomination— and he describes was is before us as "nothing short of a second Reformation," and calls us to be attentive to what is already nailed to the framework of our door in the near future. (John Dorhauer, Beyond Resistance. Chicago: Exploration Press, 2015.)
Churches around the country are looking at this reality of what is before us and interacting with it in different ways. Another article I just read, and then tweeted about, is entitled, "Why the Church Needs Millennials, but Millennials Don't Need Church." In the article, Millennial minister Stephanie Vos writes, "From what I've seen, Boomers, by and large, are going to go to church. It would be nice if they found one they liked. And it would be even nicer if they found one that would cater to their needs.
…On the other hand, Millennials don't care if they go to church or not – they are craving meaningful experiences, and that can happen at yoga or the meditation center, camping with friends or volunteering, protesting downtown or working in the community garden." (http://thesaltcollective.org/why-the-church-needs-millennials-but-millennials-dont-need-church/#sthash.sehMRPoP.GgR2Uuzp.dpuf ) …As a millennial, I found truth all throughout that article, and reflected in my closest friends, and what they are up to right now.
And however we see—or choose not to see—this reality— here at Wapping Community Church …. will reflect the long term future of our church.
And Church? That means we need to be ready to make some decisions together.
Church? That means we need to have the courage to be in conversation. Especially when it's hard. Opting out of the hard conversations is opting out of our future together.
Because Church? The alternative to this grief and conversation is finding or maintaining a church that will be a great one for a funeral.
Yet, Church, before we start those conversations and thoughts and wonderings… Before those who are brave enough look to the possibilities within Faith Formation and Open and Affirming and bravely enacting our statement of Welcome for All…. we have to grieve.
This isn't what exactly what we hoped for, and what we thought, when we vision our community church. We visioned more children. A community center. A priority. So we grieve.
Church, though, I know one who will walk with us… a man of sorrow and well acquainted with grief. I know that we, as a people, have survived reformation after reformation… using words and sacred texts of old to point to the hope of the future, beyond and out of their original context, into a new context.
I can't hear the scripture we read without thinking of Jesus Christ, and Handel's musical interpretation, and sacrificial atonement. We know this scripture was written long before Jesus, and to a people that were seeking awareness in the midst of exile and despair. We know that the image of suffering servant was portrayed as the embodiment of the then people's hurt and grief. And we know that vision grew in our Christian tradition through the generations to reflect One who Will came to heal… to take away the hurt… to help create something new in a different way.
We see how these IN words, FROM the context of which they were born, people read comfort and make meaning of their Babylonian exile. As Christians, when we read this, we think of how this particular text has been used to speak to balm the wound and the grief, and bring hope and healing, in the form of a Suffering Servant that we know as our Christ. Generations later, we still
read hope in the incarnation of a Suffering Servant— acquainted with grief. We read the text on Good Friday, because even still we see in these words evidence for our theological sense-making of the violence and perversion of justice as a man, acquainted with grief, hung discarded.
The text speaks to us even still today as we conceptualize the role of Church in this day and age, and grieve what we thought we would be. And as anyone who has interacted with grief knows, it's a messy process that loops and surprises. To deny and suppress the work of it lets it sneak up in ways that are not healthy or helpful for church. It makes us act up and act out: lashing out at people who aren't directly responsible, knowingly creating problems that would be easier to react to then the grief itself, speaking rumors in the parking lot instead of working together, putting bandaids on hurts that need much more extensive care.
When we think of grief, Kubler-Ross' stages are accepted as norm: Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.
Lou Kavar gives examples as follows for church:
Denial: Our church isn't shrinking. It's just a trend. We'll always be here.
Anger: If it wasn't for the poor leadership's decisions, this wouldn't be happening! It's their fault! Or it's the scandals, the TV scams, the media!
Bargaining: If we start another service at a different time with better music, we'll have everyone flocking to the church!
Depression: We've tried everything and nothing works. Our kids don't even want to come. Acceptance: "Perhaps, just perhaps, the important thing is the teaching of Jesus and not the organization. Perhaps there are different ways for Christians to gather and to live the message of Jesus that we haven't explored. Perhaps there is a new form of Christianity emerging." (Kavar).
Perhaps, even, you can recognize where YOU are in those stages of grief when you think of your relationship to church, and then to God.
Church, I'm so sorry. Have you heard that, yet? I'm sorry for this change. It's going to hurt some. As we discern together, we will have growing pains. I'm sorry. We can grieve those pains— that it doesn't meet what we thought it would, that people will leave without explanation, or effort, that we'll have to let go of some of what we *thought* was *most* important in order to live the Gospel. I'm sorry. It will hurt.
Know that even as we grieve, there is one acquainted, intimately, with all of our institutional stages. One who finds self, and the ability to show up, even, and especially when our grief means that we behave badly in community—and then calls us to remember to love each other and then act like it.
Church, you who have grieved personal losses know, though, that no matter how you handle it, it doesn't change the reality of what has happened, or will happen. We do know that it's a process. Some push away their biggest supporters, and some come together as a community to grieve and receive support.
It is my hope that by naming this reality, we can intentionally look to our future together. We can sing the hymns of old that give us hope, and look to how we can vision for the millennial church. Because no more baby boomers are being born. And millennial culture is taking more and more of the American landscape. Church, we have to go there, too.
Church, you who are Israel feeling your grief, carrying the weight of emotion, you can relate to this passage, feeling beat up and interacting with grief of exile.
Church, we look to One who is the central message of our faith, who's Gospel will live beyond this building and these boards and committees… to carry us through, and we relate to the suffering before we look to the hope.
Church, we have work to do, in naming this reality, we can grieve it in all the stages that will pop up and surprise us…
The importance of the message that we carry demands that we move forward in faith, even though we have not moved on.
Because, Church? we can come together and vision how to BE the Church for those who have yet to know the intimate and transformative love of Jesus Christ, himself well-acquainted with grief.


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Green Building Store operates a quality control check on any approved installers and has been able to check their installation quality, by commissioning the Green Building Store MVHR systems for a minimum of two installations.


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Washington, DC 20002
This week, work's been a bit of a bear so I haven't gotten to eat anything that was a) good for more and b) just good. I have managed to funnel some good money into delivery pizza and fast food so I'm glad I'm doing my part in keeping the economy going. The weekend, though, allowed me a few windows of time where I could venture out and get a few quality bites. I was feeling a bit brunchy hence I went to brunch (yes I just wrote that sweet piece of logical deduction). On Saturday, I decided to head out to Bar Pilar for a quick bite (a more detailed post will happen when I go back for dinner) and then Boundary Road on Sunday for a more involved brunch.
The brunch menu isn't as extensive as the dinner menu and most of the items seemed aimed at greasy spoon cravings after a hard night out. I ordered this thing (best description I could think of) called a Pancake Sandwich which was Two large pancakes with on top of each other with a healthy serving of scrambled eggs stuffed in between them. And by healthy, I mean about 3 eggs worth of scrambled eggs. Oh, it also came with a side of bacon. Yes, of course it did and I probably don't need to mention the sides of maple syrup and butter. I ordered an Abita Light Lager with my meal since the place was giving off that Sunday Funday vibe on a Saturday.
Here's a few things I learned from my experience at Bar Pilar. One, that you should never order beer with what I consider breakfast foods. I've always enjoyed Abita products when I ordered them and this one was quite good by itself. But when you eat some bacon, some bits of the pancake sandwich then it becomes a bit unappetizing. My head was screaming coffee but my heart was all about the beer. Sometimes the heart isn't always right. The pancake sandwich was as decadent and heart-stopping as you would think. I'm told that this is what a McGriddle is from McDonald's but I can't imagine that being this good. After you put butter on the pancakes and some maple syrup, the combination was surprisingly coherent. The fluffy eggs and the slightly fluffy pancakes all worked together. Sweet and savory with the salty coming from the bacon. I just wish the bacon was a bit more crispy but it was bacon so it can be forgiven.
On Sunday, I headed back over to my H Street exploration to try out Boundary Road. Like Bar Pilar, the dinner menu looks great so I'll have to go back to try both of them. Rubber arm. Twist it. Boundary road is located on the near end of H Street to Washington DC proper. I hope that last sentence translates to that Boundary Road is on the western part of H street closer to downtown DC. I could have just written the second sentence but why not at least pretend to be somewhat literate? Regardless, Boundary Road is part of the new wave of restaurants popping up along H Street that seems to be part of the what-seems-like-a food renaissance currently going on in DC.
The best way for me to describe the Gentlemen Will Take a Chance is that it's a deconstructed omelet except you make the egg sunny side up instead of beating them. So, it's a sunny side up egg over a sauteed mix of pork confit, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, parsley, and okra. For some reason, I've eaten tons of southern/soul food lately that includes okra. Growing up, I remember my mom using it in some dishes and I was never a big fan. Now, though, I've really grown attached to its flavor, crunch and texture. More okra please. The mixture, while it looks rich, was surprisingly clean with sharp, simple flavors. The egg and confit provided ample richness but didn't overpower the vegetables which I found that I gravitated more towards than the proteins. I did have to add some salt and hot sauce for my own preference but overall the dish was pretty balanced without more seasoning.
I decided to do brunch in DC in two pretty hip neighborhoods this weekend. Bar Pilar and Boundary Road are both located in two hot spot areas where really good eating places are popping up. Yes, the technical term for quality restaurants is "really good eating places". Also, no one mention that since I wanted brunch, I went to places who's names started with B. I don't want to think of the psychological deficiencies related to that kind of thinking. Bar Pilar gave me a great atmosphere and a heavy albeit great tasting meal. More importantly, if there was ever any place screaming Sunday Funday, it's this place. Boundary Road was a place that I found to be a bit more refined but not douche-y. This was reflected in the nice, simple, clean qualities of the food. Overall, if these two places are an indication of how the food scene is moving in DC, then I, for one, am glad I'm living in the DMV these days.


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Apr 28, 2012
INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson men's tennis team lost to Buena Vista 8-1 in the season finale on Saturday.
Simpson closed the season 5-14 and 0-8 in the Iowa Conference.
"We made some strides this season," first-year head coach TJ Cox said. "I'm proud of the hard work we put in this season and am excited about the future with our returning players and incoming recruits."
The team of Alex Hook and Jeff Armstrong gave Simpson it's lone point of the day, notching an 8-1 win over Mike Sporer and Kyle Shade at No. 2 doubles.
Hook had a near-miss at No. 2 singles, winning the second set against Sporer before falling in the super tiebreaker (6-4, 1-6, 10-3).


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You will find below information about La Romana airport. Use the links below to read detailed information about La Romana airport: location, route maps, live departures and arrivals etc.
Skyscanner allows you to find the cheapest flights to La Romana airport without having to enter specific dates or even destinations, making it the best place to find cheap flights for your trip to La Romana airport. Use the links at the side of the page to browse for flight information or use the flight search controls above to start a new search.
Airports near La Romana:
- Punta Cana airport (56km)
- Santo Domingo Las Americas airport (80km)
- La Isabela International airport (113km)
- Samana airport (126km)
- Aguadilla airport (187km)
- See all airports in Dominican Republic.


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Part II of our MMTREP series is dedicated to Tien! :D Tien was the selected MMTREP for EXO's Vancouver show, however she alerted us that she would be late as she was flying in to see the show. Because of this, we asked another one of our runner up's Ella to also document her experience during the day so Vancouver has two reps (double the fun yay)! Tien is just as tiny and cute and sweet as she looks in her pictures and submission video. :D See below to find out about Tien and see her video for EXOPLANET #2 – The EXO'luXion – in Vancouver! :) :) Name: Tien Nguyen
Age: 19
How you came to know EXO: I followed EXO since their debut when it was first announced on allkpop. I wasn't a huge fan of Mama, but I really loved History and that's what got me into EXO.
Favorite Member: Lay, aka Zhang Yixing
Other groups you like: SNSD, I.O.I, Red Velvet, 4 Minute & the Wonder Girls
How did you come to know MMT?: I think I saw MMT through an advertisement or recommendation on Facebook -- something about "making" an EXO concert happen in North America. The post seemed legitimate, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity of possibly seeing EXO live, so I went and checked out their website.
Short blurb about your MMTREP experience: Asides from getting lost prior to the concert, my overall experience was simply amazing. All the fans that I spoke with were super friendly and energetic and their energy made me forget all about the cold weather. The concert itself was really fun and I really enjoyed being able to jump and sing to my hearts' content.
If you want to follow Tien, find her here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iarTien
Tumblr: http://iartien.tumblr.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iarTien/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/iarTien
Snapchat: @iarTien
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxPuHiRjFn0


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Using a 'world-in-miniature' approach this book opens our eyes to a wider view of our planet and its human inhabitants, telling us who we are, where we live, how fast we are growing, which languages we speak, which religions we practise and more.
In this village: 21 people speak a Chinese dialect, 10 earn less than two dollars a day, 14 cannot read or write, 45 have a television in their homes, 47 do not always have enough to eat.
If the World Were a Village tells us who we are, where we live, how fast we are growing, what languages we speak, what religions we practice and more. This new edition updates and expands the statistics and provides new information on food security, energy consumption and health.
There are several new activities that will stimulate discussion and show children and families how they can become more world-minded.
Over 400 000 copies of this book have already been sold in 17 languages.


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Politics & Government
Sotomayor hearings offer lessons for future nominees
WASHINGTON — Republicans spent four days this week repeating a stern message to President Barack Obama: Your future Supreme Court nominees will be grilled about their personal views and examined thoroughly for any hint of liberal bias.
Sonia Sotomayor, the federal appellate judge seeking to become the high court's first Hispanic justice, however, was sending her own message to presidents and future nominees alike: Keep answers general, stay likable and avoid offering personal views on anything — even including your favorite baseball team.
The jurisprudential reticence can frustrate senators and court watchers alike. That doesn't mean the hearing is useless.
"It's very hard to get specific information about what a nominee thinks; it's scripted," acknowledged Olatunde Johnson, an associate professor at Columbia Law School, "but even with the hearing's shortcomings, it's still worthwhile to see how a nominee comports herself."
Watching a nominee under the lights, answering hundreds of questions, can help viewers glean an understanding of their mental discipline and physical stamina, Johnson said.
When it comes to detailed how-will-you-vote questions, though, reticence has one proven virtue: it apparently works. Sotomayor is considered a shoo-in for confirmation.
"We'll see what your future holds, but I think it's going to be pretty bright," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Sotomayor.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Sotomayor's nomination by the end of July. A full Senate vote is likely during the week of Aug. 3.
On Friday, Republicans began crossing party lines to announce their support for the 55-year-old Yale Law School graduate, with Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana, Mel Martinez of Florida and Olympia Snowe of Maine announcing their intentions to vote for Sotomayor. Politically, the only question now is how many GOP votes she will gain. Longer term, the political question becomes what lessons will endure from the Sotomayor nomination.
Some elements are unique to her nomination. As the first Latina nominee, she put in a bind those Republicans who want to oppose Obama but who don't want to alienate Hispanic voters. Part of the message Republicans had to send was respect for the nominee, even as they pressed her hard.
"There are messages being sent," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a senior committee member. "That's part of what these hearings do; they sent messages to the president."
Republican senators say their chief message to Obama was to be careful about sending up nominees who ooze "empathy" — a quality Obama once said he wanted in judges. The much-mocked word has since seemingly dropped from the president's judicial vocabulary.
Beyond the White House, Republican senators were sending messages to their base supporters. The message: We feel your pain. The GOP senators' insistent focus on three issues — abortion, gun rights and affirmative action — to the exclusion of almost all others showed their singular priorities.
For future nominees, the hearings that included Sotomayor's two-and-a-half days on the witness stand offered myriad lessons. These include:
_ Make personal connections. In the weeks before the hearings, Sotomayor visited 89 senators for private meetings of about half an hour each — yet only 19 senators serve on the judiciary panel. She wowed the Democrats and soothed the Republicans.
"I like you," Graham said.
At one point, Sotomayor told Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who spent two days asking tough questions about abortion and other issues, "I love that you're doing your job, and I love that I'm doing my job as a judge. I like mine better."
Coburn laughed. "I think I would like yours better as well."
_ Have a compelling life story. Sotomayor's rise from the Bronx, her overcoming obstacles such as juvenile diabetes and her professional accomplishments led Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse to enthuse that he had "goose bumps" just thinking about her.
_ No matter how liberal or conservative in general, be able to show you're tough on crime. Sotomayor's five years as a New York prosecutor proved immensely helpful in softening Republican fears. She was able to recount for senators how she prosecuted child pornography dealers and an infamous killer, thereby undermining a traditional conservative attack line.
"She took on every kind of criminal case that comes into an urban courthouse, from turnstile-jumping to homicide," said famed New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, her former boss.
_ Don't predict how you might rule. Republicans tried over and over to pin her down and she refused to budge. On guns rights, business law, voting rights and other crucial issues, as well as on lesser issues such as televising court proceedings, Sotomayor avoided making commitments.
"I don't like making statements about what I think the court can do until I've experienced the process," Sotomayor said at one point.
The lesson for future nominees is clear, said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
"The message is if you don't say very much, and agree with the questioners, and can wiggle off the main question — and you have the votes," he said, "you'll get confirmed."
Senate Judiciary Committee Sotomayor witness list
Excerpt from Eisgruber book on confirmation process
Supreme Court Ricci v. DeStefano ruling
Firefighter Ricci, GOP can't halt Sotomayor confirmation drive
Despite tough questioning, Sotomayor remains unruffled
Judge Sotomayor avoids detailing her views on abortion
Sotomayor explains her 'wise Latina' comment
Sotomayor pledges to apply — not make — the law
Sotomayor, tough-minded yet true to her roots, defies simple labeling
For more McClatchy politics coverage visit Planet Washington
For more McClatchy Supreme Court coverage visit Suits & Sentences


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Here's how to get over that hump of getting back into physical activity after having a baby! Read on to learn how I've been showing my body love through movement since little Sammi came along.
Start Small
When I first starting getting active again, right around the six weeks postpartum mark, I started with very low intensity, quick exercises to re-engage my core and pelvic floor. I looked up videos on Diastasis Recti and Pelvic Floor recovery to get ideas, and just did them while lying next to Sammi while she had tummy time on the floor.
Over time, I built up to taking long walks and going to intense vinyasa flow yoga classes. But that didn't happen right away! You have to give your body time to get used to movement again, and achieve some small, short term goals to build your confidence back up.
I have loved the Sweat app postpartum fitness track as part of my postpartum fitness journey because it starts you off small and builds you back in very gradually, almost too gradually. This was the way that I eventually found myself tackling bigger fitness challenges again.
Be Consistent
It's hard to be consistent at anything when you have a newborn. But if you really set the intention to carve out time for movement a few times a week, you CAN do it! Sometimes I would just hand my husband the baby when he walked in the door and get it done. Or do it after the baby had gone to bed, or during nap time.
Sometimes I fell short of my goals or fell out of consistency. But I always drew myself back into the routine once I'd fallen off. The key is to keep setting goals, keep doing your best to achieve them, and--even when you fail!--keep trying to do better next time!
Practice Makes Progress
Perfection? Nope, not ever. Progress? All the damn time!
Instead of trying to do the perfect workout in the perfect way at the perfect time in the perfect outfit to get perfect results, just do the best you can. Some days, I get to the gym and the only thing I can bring myself to do is watch HGTV on the elliptical. That's not as good as a strength workout and some interval training, but it's better than nothing.
The single most important skill you are learning as a mom is how to deal with imperfection. Just because one feeding, or diaper change, or bath time, or sleep training session goes poorly, do you abandon your baby and never attempt to care for her again? Of course not!
So why is this our tendency when it comes to our bodies? Give yourself some of the love, and grace, and nurturing that you're giving your baby. Just like your baby, you're learning lots of new things, having new experiences, and leaving the comfort of what it meant to be a woman before your baby came along. You're doing the best you can, and that's the most anyone can (or should!) ask for!
In my own postpartum fitness journey, I've loved having boxes styled and sent to me from Dia & Co's new active collection. Getting cute, comfy, functional, and stylish new fitness gear THAT FITS MY POSTPARTUM BODY WELL has been essential in helping me establish healthy habits for myself as a new mom.
Click here to check it out and sign up for yourself!


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Every month we take a look at a movie on the Internet Movie Database's List of the TOP 250 FILMS OF ALL-TIME. These are movies that transcend a simple "My Favorite Scene" column. These are movies that are hard to just pry five gems from, but we do and examine the film overall. We're on our twelfth installment in this series. Click on the links for The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Dark Knight, Pulp Fiction , Schindler's List, 12 Angry Men, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, The Return of the King, Fight Club, and The Fellowship of the Ring to check out previous installments.
At #12, we come to the first of the (soon-to-be) eight films in the Star Wars franchise on the IMDB Top 250: the undisputed fan and critical favorite – Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Appropriate timing, since we are now less than a month away from the return of Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and The Empire Strikes Back is undoubtedly the ultimate Vader film.
The Empire Strikes Back is a perfect film. Flawless. 1977's A New Hope opened the door into the Star Wars Universe, but it's Empire that turned it into an international phenomenon that continues to enrapture audiences today. It defied all the conventions of its time. It was a sequel back when sequels were rare and frowned upon. The bad guys won. It ended on a cliffhanger promising a next installment. In the franchise-heavy cinema of today, none of that is shocking, but in 1980 it was unreal. From a craft standpoint, the film pushed the F/X of its day so hard that they still hold up. Irving Kerschner took over directing for George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote Episode VII and has written the Han Solo spin-off scheduled for 2018) penned the screenplay. This allowed Lucas to serve as producer, which I think is where he's most talented on a movie set. His strength is his imagination, and it has always worked best in consultation with other talented people who can keep said imagination from running off the reservation. Regardless of Kasdan and Kerschner, this is Lucas' film. This was his vision and he took a very simple hero's journey in A New Hope and blew it up into a vast universe of endless possibilities in Empire.
Just think of everything in the Star Wars Saga that came from The Empire Strikes Back. Boba Fett, Yoda, Lando Calrissian, Emperor Palpatine, and the massive war machines of the Empire (AT-ATs and AT-STs) all first appeared in this installment. This really was a film where the bad guys were allowed to win. The Empire mercilessly kicks the heroes introduced in A New Hope across the galaxy. They're frozen, shot, blown apart and put back together backward, kidnapped, dismembered, and traumatized by an extremely displeased Vader (not at all happy that team of welders didn't fix that exhaust port on the Death Star; just not happy at all). Literally the entire film could be a "best scene" in any other film, and I may have pushed the boundary of "scene" a wee bit, but here are my Top 5 scenes from The Empire Strikes Back.
1. The Cloud City Duel/I AM YOUR FATHER
This is not only the best scene in the Saga, but probably the scene most associated in the public consciousness with Star Wars overall. Empire is the only film that shows Vader at the height of his powers (though we're certainly hoping to see more of that in Rogue One). His duel with Luke, though not the athletic feat some of prequel duels were, is miles better than A New Hope's, and shows' Vader's command not only of the saber put of his Force Powers. But, with all that, you can see he's holding back. He's not even trying and he's nearly killing Luke. The "why" to all of that comes in one of the biggest plot twists in film history. I cannot imagine what it was like to sit in a theater in 1980 and have "I am your father" dropped on my head. With all the spoilers and speculation these days, it's almost impossible to achieve that level of turning something on its head. I also can't imagine having to sit on the uncertainty of that for three years until Return of the Jedi came out. It's one of cinema's most iconic moments, and no matter how many times you watch it; it never grows old.
2. The Battle of Hoth
Ok, yes, I am pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a scene by counting the entire Battle of Hoth, but they're my rules so I can make them bendy when it suits me. Having just come off such a triumph at the end of A New Hope, the Battle of Hoth made it clear how far the Rebellion was from even denting the Empire. The AT-ATs and AT-STs are still among the coolest vehicles the Saga has seen, we get our first of what will come to be dozens of variations on a normal stormtrooper with the snowtroopers, and it's not only a great character showcase for the entire cast, but an amazing F/X adventure sequence.
3. Meeting Yoda
Frank Oz is a miracle worker. Even with the CGI Yoda that was used in the prequels, I still don't think they ever managed to wring the kind of emotion and performance detail out of Yoda that Oz was able to with his puppeteering skills and voice work in Empire. It's such a misdirect that this tiny demifrog turns out to be the mightiest of the Jedi. Up to that point, the only Force users we'd seen were Luke, Obi-Wan, and Vader, all of whom fit the warrior mentality, but when Luke travels to Dagobah to find Obi-Wan's master, his and the audience's expectations are thwarted by the appearance of this stick-wielding gremlin. I love how goofy and weird Yoda is when he's messing with Luke (and I wonder how much of that is genuinely him gone a bit mad from sitting in that swamp for 20 years), and how quickly through the nuances in his voice and the change in his bearing, Oz can sweep so much dignitas and authority into the character.
4. Carbonite Freezing Chamber
Empire is filled with classic sequences, most of which would steal any other movie, and Han's carbon freezing is a great example. It's a wonderful way to force Han and Leia's love story forward, introduces us to Boba Fett, shows again how callous Vader is, and the concept of someone just being flash frozen is so cool you again have to credit the boundless imagination of Lucas. There's something I've wondered since Episode I came out. During this sequence, Chewie, with the jumbled bits of Threepio strapped to his back, loses it and Fett goes to take a shot at him. Vader deflects the blast. Why? What does he care about a wookie? Is it that the bit of him that's still Anakin remembers Threepio and building him and THAT is why he alters the shot? Just another theory in a series that inspires more fan theory and speculation than any other.
5. Never Tell Me The Odds
This is classic Han Solo. Most of the characters have their best moments in Empire, but that's definitely the case with Solo. Not only does he get great parts in Hoth and Bespin, but he gets my favorite Han/Chewie/Falcon moment of piloting the always-underrated freighter through an asteroid field to escape pursuit by a fleet of TIE Fighters and a Star Destroyer. Set to John Williams best score of his career (which is saying A LOT), this is the cagey smuggler at his best. RIP Han. We'll never tell you the odds.


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Viv + Playmat
or 4 payments of $35.00 with Afterpay
Keep your hands free with this stylish and practical baby bag when you are out and about with the baby.
Keep your kids in front of you all the time with this large, portable and convertible play mat.
- Description
- Reviews (0)
Nappy Bag:-
- PU leather smart back pack styled with silver hardware.
- Front zipper pocket for quick access to dummy, phone, soother etc.
- Side pockets on either side for phone, toy, drink can etc.
- Bi Directional zip opening to internal compartment.
- Internal compartment with 2 x elasticated pockets and 2 x sliding pockets for toys, bibs, nappies etc.
- Insulated bottle holder pocket to maintain the temperature of the drink bottle.
- full size zipper pocket for mum's essential items.
- Zipper pocket at the back.
- Large space inside to pack items clothes, blankets, shoes, nappies etc.
- Separate Wet Pouch for dirty bibs, wet wipes or clothes.
- Padded comfortable change mat.
- Metal buttons at the base for protection of bag.
- H 36 x W x 26 x D 12 cm
- Large Playmat in cotton in various prints to choose from.
- Anti skid silica gel backing for baby safety.
- Light weight and Portable.
- Mat can be easily converted into a storage bag with draw string.
- 1 cm thick padding gives extra comfort to the kids and babies.
- 150 cm in size.
There are no reviews yet.


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Prominent attorney and local leader Ralph Peck helped put together the individual plots of land that eventually became Deer Grove Forest Preserve. He was convicted in 1933 of embezzlement of funds from First National Bank of Palatine and sentenced to 18 months in Leavenworth prison. Courtesy of Paddock Publications.
Ralph Peck
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Windy days are not always the most productive for photographing birds. The majority of smaller birds stay hidden in the trees or brush, waiting for the wind to die down before coming out. But you can usually rely on some of the larger birds to show themselves, offering at least some photographic opportunities. So I try to get out to the parks with camera in hand whatever the weather.
This particular day, in early September, a cooperative Great Blue Heron flew in and landed close by on a bit of vegetation in the open water area of the wetlands. Great Blue Heron can be very elegant, beautiful birds, with flowing plumage. But when the wind gets strong they can also look unhappy and awkward, with plumage and feathers blown around in all directions.
If you stick around long enough when watching birds, or any animals really, you're bound to witness various behaviors. Birds will shake back and forth, puffing out their feathers, and then begin to preen themselves. This Great Blue Heron did the same, and appeared to scratch an itch just after puffing its feathers. Notice the talons on the end of its toes.
One feature of Great Blue Herons I had seen before are the barbs on their tongue, very helpful when they swallow down whole fish. I did not see this heron fishing, but it did give me the best view I've yet had of their forked tongue. Look at the zoomed in cropped photograph.
Great Blue Heron are amazing beautiful birds, even when blown around by the wind, and I never tire of photographing them. Days like this are a reminder to me that photographic opportunities are always to be found. Even when the weather appears bad there are experiences to be had in nature.


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This black zip has nylon teeth and a silver metal slider and is available in 4 lengths: 35 - 40 - 45 and 50 cm. The flexible, top quality zip is a RIRI registered design.
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ALVIN® CraftMaster II™ Glass Top Deluxe Art & Drawing Table
The CraftMaster II Glass Top Deluxe workstation is a striking addition to the Alvin CraftMaster series. Whether using for art, drafting, or hobby, the NEW CraftMaster II Glass Top Deluxe is a work of art. This table comes equipped with all the bells and whistles, providing its user easy access to all the tools of his/her trade. Features two full-sized and compartmentalized side storage trays with removable covers and two 4-drawer storage units (one of each on both sides). The sleek 28" x 40" work surface is constructed of black tempered glass and reinforced from beneath with a ¾" x ¾" steal frame running the entire perimeter of the top.
The CraftMaster II Glass Top Deluxe is angle adjustable utilizing dual, quick-release tilt mechanisms, that lock into position with one hand. This table is also height adjustable and firmly locks into distinct horizontal positions on four large diameter uprights. The hefty cross member between its vertical support legs, combined with the rubber-treaded footrest,provide added stability. Each table is equipped with four casters (2 locking), as well as floor glides, depending on one's need for mobility.


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A picture may say a thousand words but a video such as this leaves people speechless. We did work in this beautiful home and this video showcases our scope. We did multiple frame-less Regency enclosures as well as large 1/4" mirrors. As shown in the main photo gallery on our website, we install our products in many large homes such as this; however, the quality pictured here echoes throughout all of our work, no matter the job size. Below are the stills of the video which depict our work!
Thank you to Eames Construction for the opportunity to work on such a beautiful home!
If you like what you see here, please call, email, or stop by our shop and request a free estimate!


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I ran two Emerging Threats Unit builds back in October, one the Friday night of Big Bad Con and one that Saturday night. I built a character sheet prototype that had a good deal of the rules on it, mainly so that I had the rules written down somewhere for myself and for the playtesters.
Warning: this post is about failing forward, and the trying to tackle problems that came up in playtesting. ETU is less done now that it was before Big Bad Con, but my understanding of it has increased.
The Alpha Mission: Friday's Playtest
The Friday playtest session (which I called the alpha mission) used the action/cover rules I wrote up earlier this year. Those rules vaguely functioned in my 2012 playtest at Big Bad Con, and completely failed here. It lead to confusion about how to handle the dice even with the physical space on the character sheet. Worse, playtesters felt like they were making bullshit choices about dice rather than meaningful choices about fiction. One playtester, June, asked why I didn't just making the system a single roll, and I had a "precious artist" moment at the suggestion, saying that if I was going to do that, I might as well just make it an Apocalypse World hack.
Cover in particular confused people when there wasn't obvious danger. And when I say "confused people," it also confounded me. I felt like I needed to respect the die roll, especially in a playtest, so I shoehorned in cover failures when they came up. And that contributed to a bizarre problem: the nature of the threat seems to scale out of control in direct proportion to the operatives' action. Every little action was an opportunity for the threat to become unmanageable, even when they were otherwise being totally competent.
Then I hit onto the really weird, quasi-existential question: Is the premise too adorable? People really like it, but it has some traction issues in play. There are two general narratives for supernatural investigation: with law enforcement authority and with no authority at all. Using the framework of the CDC takes a different stance, because there's a sense of authority that we all feel when people in hazmat suits tell us we're in danger, but it's not the same as the casual authority that law enforcement can throw around.
An FBI badge opens more doors than a CDC one. I've been watching Supernatural lately partly as research for monster-hunting procedurals, and it's clear why the Winchesters rarely use CDC cover stories, and the rare situations in which they do. The CDC doesn't have teeth; they would rely on law enforcement as, well, a force. So what does a clandestine CDC operation look like? That's not something played with in fiction, so I don't have a great model.
Of course, I need to go back to researching the CDC's history and organization. It's been long enough that i need a refresher.
The Beta Mission: Saturday's Playtest
I took the afternoon slot to rework the rules and character sheet, rather than play a game. Still married to the idea of one-roll-multiple-outcomes, I decided to go back to one of ETU's mechanical inspirations: Otherkind dice. I also recognized that I didn't have an explicit discovery mechanic, but was doing that ad hoc in the alpha mission, so I made a separate mechanic for that. (Not unlike how GUMSHOE splits investigative and other actions, though with much more of a mechanical division than I was going for.)
What I came up with in a couple hours' time was this.
You rolled three dice for whichever sort of action you were doing, and assign the dice to each outcome after you see the results. If a category was particularly hard, you'd have to put two dice there and take the lower result, but you rolled more dice accordingly. There were some other elements on the character sheet that you could exhaust to bump a die.
I also revised the idea of "cover" to "exposure," after talking with ETU playtester and champion David Gallo. We talked about when the idea of cover did and didn't work, how in many cases I was thinking about it as mitigating exposure to danger, so he suggested renaming "cover" to "exposure."
This gave me something that I thought I wanted with investigation beats: a chance that danger could happen. In practice, all investigation lead to was a constant escalation of the threat, making it oddly safer to not investigate something. That's an instance where creating a mechanic that you think will give you one outcome ends up creating the exact opposite effect. Fascinating, but also unfortunate.
The action system was okay. It was a little better than the alpha playtest, but that isn't saying much. After trying two different ways of handling one-roll-multiple-outcomes, they fiddliness combined with rewarding antithetical behaviors leads me to think that I'm just being precious about this idea.[1] (This sort of mechanic does work, but the choices always have to have meaning. To use Robin Laws' terminology, this is a system for a dramatic game, not a procedural one. ETU is definitely a procedural.)
In both missions, the game was slow. Some of that can be pinned on playtesting and learning, but the system actively encouraged and facilitated wheelspinning.
What Playtesters Liked
I'll only dive into what playtesters liked, as a way of archiving that data so I know what I shouldn't accidentally remove as I remove and change other stuff. Emphasis on "accidentally;" I might find I need to purposely remove one of these elements.
- The premise was grabby, even if collectively we didn't understand what it meant.
- The damage system was very engaging, even though there wasn't really any combat in our sessions. It covered other dangers.
- The promise of terror in the magic system, and that nearly everyone had some form of magic, was awesome. People had this frightening thing they didn't want to use, and that put them in a different headspace than a pure "normal" person trying to fight off outsiders. (I randomly determined who would get each spell, with one possible result of "You're sane.")
- The weirder parts of the setting that the PCs could touch, like being able to ingest a pill that gave them expertise in a field they didn't have but at the expense of possibly getting that expert's memories (and thus effectively some "sanity damage") make ETU feel really different from a grounded FBI-type of supernatural procedural.
Examine the Corpse For Yourself
Download the alpha and beta mission ETU Character Sheets from Big Bad Con here and the character briefs and unnatural abilities here. There's a "DOES NOT FUNCTION" watermark on it, as a reminder to me to not accidentally print them out and use them if I'm searching my hard drive for an ETU sheet. And, I suppose, for others to also not accidentally do that should a functional build of ETU happen in our lifetimes. :D
What's Next for ETU
Remember how I said "I might as well make it an Apocalypse World hack?" That's actually my next step—or, at least making it a single, simple roll engine is. I want to see what the game looks like in that mode. It might work, it might not. Even if it works, I might not be satisfied with the system. But in any case, it'll give me data to work from.
– Ryan
[1] You were right, June.


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Stories tagged "website"
The Site
Woke up this morning and decided to check the site. The site is down.
Phenomenon of 2010: Intro
This is the record I've compiled for the internet phenomenon of 2010. Intro: The internet domain RefreshThisDaily.com was launched on Jan 1, 2010. Also on this day, the top search site was hacked. Millions of users were redirected to the new site...
Phenomenon of 2010: Jan 1 through Jan 5
Jan 1 Link to Audio: Joe Biden is heard with his stock broker making changes to his investment portfolio based on insider information. Commentary: Political officials and pundits sought impeachment. The site was discussed throughout the world. Jan 2 A ...
Phenomenon of 2010: Jan 6 through Jan 9
Jan 6 A photo of a $100 dollar bill is shown with "Finders Keepers" as its caption. Below is "47.771008, -102.41175" which hyperlinks to the latitude and longitude on Google Maps. Commentary: Treasure hunters stormed North Dakot...
Nothing Deviant At All
"This is glorious!" Brian exclaimed, staring at his laptop. "Stop looking at porn, dude!" I faked a parental tone, hoping the accusation would embarrass my roommate with his sister in the room. She'd swung to see what he w...
The Brain
"Uh-oh." "What?" "Someone got it." "Got what?" "The meaning of the universe. They actually got it." Silence drags on for hours as the world has been turned upside down. Then a small voice is h...
Another Surfer's Blues
Tagging an empty website is like kissing your sister. It seems like a good idea until your parents find out. What? Wow, that's horrible. Maybe I should be ashamed. Wait. I was getting to something. The website. Right. I was surfing the web when I...
All in Fun and Games
"So you're telling me that the popular social networking site, farout.com, has been taking personal information from its users and stalking girls by the pictures they post?" The man with a slightly serious nose nodded towards the tall...
Introducing a Man Named Ryan Taylor
Meet twenty-nine year old Ryan Taylor. Ryan is a well-respected police officer. He secretly grieves every morning, on his toilet, of the coming day when his children start calling him "old man". Although his crooked good-looks and easily te...
The Breaking Point
It was Wednesday night and I was being pestered by girls, each one a part of a long line of digital vixens ready to blow my mind for a measly sixty-nine dollars a month. They didn't care that my apartment looked like it belonged on Hoarders. Or t...


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The first mass-produced electric vehicles ever sold in the United States will begin to hit auto show rooms by the end of this year. The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt already have tens of thousands of pre-orders. Until now, electric cars had been the domain of small groups of tech hobbyists and hard core environmentalists. But how feasible are they for everyday drivers? Take a drive with Andrea Kissack and find out.
Greening Your Drive 23 September,2011