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I spent this week reading Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin, which also left my head spinning in a wonderful way. I'll have more to say in my review, but this one was simply phenomenal. I loved everything about it - the interconnectedness of the characters' lives, the gorgeous prose, everything. It has become one of my absolute favorite, take-it-to-a-desert-island books. I rarely re-read books, but I think this is one that I could read over and over again and still discover something new. I also rarely select a Book of the Year, but if I wind up doing so for 2011, I can't imagine anything captivating me more than Let the Great World Spin.
If you're interested in this and have an e-reader, this one is only $6.17 right now on Amazon. I don't make any commission or anything off of this plug, but wanted to mention it. I borrowed this from the library but I love this so much that I just bought it for my Kindle in order to have to read again whenever I want. The Husband thinks I'm crazy for buying a book I just finished ... but I don't think I have to explain myself to you guys, do I now? :)
In other news, last year I didn't do as good of a job with my monthly recaps of books read. I want to try and do better this year, so since this is the second-to-last-day of January, here's where 2011 currently stands in regard to all things books (links take you to my reviews):
Books Read:
1. Picnic, Lightning, Poems by Billy Collins
3. Poems of Emily Dickinson, Three Series, Complete (Kindle version)
8. Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
9. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (audiobook)
Books Abandoned:
1. A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan
Reading Challenge Update:
Fearless Poetry Challenge - COMPLETED
2nds Challenge - 2/6
The Unnamed
50 States/Where Are You Reading?
New York
Audiobook Challenge - 1/3
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
E-book Challenge - 1/6
Poems by Emily Dickinson
Memorable Memoir - 1/5
Not My Boy!
New Authors - 2/15
Jerome Charyn
Colum McCann
What's in a Name? 2/5
Life Stage - The Unnamed
Travel or Movement - Let the Great World Spin
I'm pretty pleased with this start to the year. How about you ... how was your reading in January?
copyright 2011, Melissa, The Betty and Boo Chronicles If you are reading this on a blog or website other than The Betty and Boo Chronicles or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.


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What does a Police Officer do?
A police officer's job varies tremendously depending on the type of police officer he or she is. Police officers all have an occupational specialty that dictates how they spend their days. Duties are also dictated based on the branch of the government the officer works for. For instance, some are local law enforcement officers who work for the city or county where they live. Others work for the state, and others work for federal agencies.
The most common type of police officer is a uniformed police officer. These officers may be responsible for enforcing the laws. They will respond to calls asking for police help, such as domestic disturbance or robbery calls. These are also the officers who direct traffic when there is an accident or a traffic light that is not functioning properly. Uniformed police officers are trained in first aid so that they can care for victims of accidents or crimes when they first arrive on the scene. Uniformed police officers can make arrests, but only within the jurisdiction of their agency.
Depending on the size of the city or county that an officer works in, the agency may assign specific duties. For instance, in agencies with large jurisdictions, some officers are assigned to work in the public schools, while others are assigned to work the streets in certain geographic areas of the agency's jurisdiction. Some are given the task of working as investigators when there are crimes or accidents. Smaller agencies are not able to divide up the tasks, and each officer performs several duties.
Not all officers interact directly with the public on a daily basis. For instance, some police officers will be trained on fingerprint and handwriting identification. They work with officers on the street to solve crimes, but rarely venture out into the field. Others, known as correctional officers, will be assigned duties within a jail. Some even work specifically in the courts.
State police officers are the ones who are responsible for enforcing motor vehicle laws. For this reason, they are often called highway patrol officers. State officers can also arrest criminals anywhere in the state. Sometimes they are asked to help the local officers in the jurisdiction where they are working. Like uniformed officers, they know how to give basic first aid, since they are often the first officers on the scene of a crime or car accident.
Some police officers do not wear an official uniform. They are called detectives and work in plainclothes so that they can gather evidence relating to crimes. They can also participate in raids, and sometimes they arrest criminals. Detectives are assigned to a specific case until it is finished or dropped. While they work a case, they will examine the evidence, do interviews with witnesses and suspects, and use the information they collect to determine who is guilty and who is innocent.
A police officer's job, no matter what specialty it involves, is a dangerous one. Dealing with criminals on a daily basis causes stress and requires the officer to always be alert and ready for the unexpected. Police officers often see terrible situations that take a toll on their emotional well being. This job also entails a lot of paperwork. Every arrest made or ticket written is followed by paperwork and forms. While it is a stressful and sometimes tedious job, it is a much needed one that fulfills an important role in modern society.
Schools OfferingPolicing Courses:

subset: commoncrawl


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Did you know that in the neighborhood where the Can-do girls club live many children do not have books to read?
Did you know that many kids live in shelters with empty book shelves?
Well Shanae Hill and the Can-do girls want to change that…their goal is to give every little girl and boy in the neighborhood that they live in and the kids living in shelters a book of there own to read!
Please help the CHARITABLE HOUSEWIVES as we assist them in this goal!
*TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SHANAE HILL AND THE CAN DO GIRLS …go to our website www.charitablehousewives.com check out the Septembers contribution-Shanae Hills "can-do" girls!
For the entire month of October we will collect new or gently used books for kids of all ages! Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested in helping!
We have two drop off locations….
Tina's House:
8246 vagabond ln. n
Maple Grove mn. 55311
Elise's House:
17232 68th Pl.n.
Maple Grove mn. 55311
~Thank you all for your help!!!!!


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Warning: Restaurant Week is less than two weeks away, and if you don't book a table immediately, you risk missing out on the best tables at the most-desired eateries.
San Diego's twice-annual Restaurant Week (September 13-18) is five years old. It can serve as an entrée to places where price might ordinarily dissuade you from dining. About 180 restaurants will offer a three-course meal for $20, $30 or $40 per person.
"Consumers will see more value than ever this year," says Lehn Goetz, president of the San Diego County chapter of the California Restaurant Association. "There are more $20 and $30 price points than ever. And there's a lot of buzz—because this week really becomes an event. We see a lot of bigger groups going out on a Wednesday night, for example, because people are tired of staying home."
You can research prices at SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com. At the site, you can also look for tips on how to "Dine Like A Pro" from Sam "The Cooking Guy" Zien. He urges viewers: "Don't do the same thing you always do. Be adventurous. Go to a restaurant you've never been to before, and eat something you've not had before."
The Cooking Guy has two other tips: Use servers for their knowledge of food, and eat things that are fresh and seasonal. FYI, don't order butternut squash—it's out of season during Restaurant Week.
If you miss the (gravy) boat for reservations during the big week, consider another week at the tres-chic Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe. It does the $40 for three courses every Sunday-Thursday of the year.
Ron Donoho is a regular contributor to NBCSandiego.com, editorial director of "Pacific SD" magazine and a contributing editor to sandiego.com. His Web site (sandiegoDTOWN.com) is dedicated to news, sports, culture, happy hours and all things downtown.


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Welcome To Our League Website
We are excited!Updated Monday October 6, 2014 by West Durham Minor Lacrosse Association.
This is the beginning of something really great. As you can see, we now have a brand new website! Along with displaying all of our Team Schedules, Results and Standings, our website will allow us to add League News, Photo Albums and instantly report on Postponed Games.


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In the middle of the christmas hoopla, I found a surprisingly large amount of time for movies. At 30 films seen, December is probably my most intense month of the year cinematically speaking. Surprising indeed. There was a lot of good stuff, and little that was outright bad, so it's a good slew of movies to close out the year with.
American Reunion (Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg, 2012)
Well, it's better than the last four straight-to-DVD American Pie films. Not that that's saying much. The nostalgia factor is what makes American Reunion work, in two ways. First, by having the audience remember the first parts of the series, and then by having a fondness for the old times be a centerpiece of the plot as well. It's a good thing this is handled effectively, because the actual humor is often derivative, and while there are certainly some laughs to be had here, they don't always hit the mark. If this is the end of the series, it's a respectable way to close the doors, at least. Except there's reportedly another film being planned, so I guess not. God damn it.
The Grey (Joe Carnahan, 2011)
What a terrific survival film. All the visceral elements were extraordinarily well done. I felt the plane crash. I felt the snow. I felt the cold water. And then there's the wolves, who are as menacing as any movie monster I've seen in recent memory (except maybe the shark in Jaws.) Add in the spiritual elements of the story, and you have one great awesome package of a film. I mean, hell, it made me spontaneously applaud in my couch. That never happens.
Silent Night (Steven C. Miller, 2012)
Malcolm McDowell is really funny here in an Alan Rickman Sheriff of Nottingham way, where it seems like he's not even part of the same movie as everyone else. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is weak humdrum slasher stuff. Skip this one.
Harry Brown (Daniel Barber, 2009)
Gran Torino's story in Attack the Block's setting, only with the violence ramped way up and with Michael Caine in the lead. This is certainly to oversimplify things, obviously, but it should give you some idea of what the film's about. While the subject of a retiree turning vigilante is a field ripe for social commentary, there's nothing done along these lines. No, this is a bloody revenge thriller through and through, and as such, it works really well. Caine is great, and it's a treat to see him in a lead role these days.
P2 (Franck Khalfoun, 2007)
Fairly decent horror-thriller set in a parking garage, where a woman (Rachel Nichols in a highly distracting low-cut dress) is hunted by a disturbed security guard (Wes Bentley, who you may know as the filmer of paper bags in American Beauty). One think I liked about this film is that while there are scenes that are really damn violent and gruesome, it's not something that infects the entire film. It retains its effect because it's used sparingly. P2 is not a very atmospheric film, but it has moments of tension for sure, and it's reasonably entertaining on average. I find it amusing that Bentley was arguably creepier in American Beauty, though.
Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols, 2011)
What's not to love here? Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain are terrific, the cinematography is gorgeous, the story is rich and effortlessly deals with a multitude of elements, the score is wonderful, etcetera etcetera etcetera. Just a damn fine movie that really had me reeling towards the end. Surely one of its year's best.
First Snow (Mark Fergus, 2006)
Movies about fate and free will have been done plenty of times. Here is another in a long line of them that tells a story that, while not bad, certainly has that "been there, done that" feeling. The problem is that the journey to the good scenes are slow and boring. This film could have used a greater sense of urgency to it. Only recommended for Guy Pearce completionists.
On the Road (Walter Salles, 2012)
No, I haven't read the book. Yes, I did like the movie. It looks and sounds great, doing an effective job of enveloping you in its world and its era. Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart are good, and the supporting parts are peppered with familiar names and faces, but if you're an actingphiliac, it's Garrett Hedlund you should watch the film for. What potent screen presence he displays here, always attracting one's attention whenever he's in view. Sure, the part of Dean is written to be this way, but it still requires the right actor to pull it off, and Hedlund does just that.
Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986)
I watched this one with a friend late at night with some degree of alcohol in my blood stream. Barring time travelling back in time to the 80s themselves, I'm convinced this might be the optimal way of watching this film. I laughed. I enjoyed myself. Sounds good enough for a passing grade. Don't ask me what the film is about, though.
Blues Brothers 2000 (John Landis, 1998)
I did not have very high hopes for this one. The Blues Brothers has been a favorite movie of mine ever since childhood, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that this sequel is in the same league as the 1980 movie. Well, it isn't. There are good things about it; the song numbers are decent, there's an impressive gathering of blues legends, and John Goodman wisely does things to make his character his own rather than coming off like a John Belushi replacement. Still, the faults of the movie are vastly bigger than the positives. The biggest offense is that the majority of scenes seem to be here just because they did something similar in the original, rather than sticking to the established characters and crafting a new story around them. The humor feels ancient, the action is lackluster, and there's no ending. It's not a good sign when you get the feeling that the soundtrack is likely better than the movie.
Fast Five (Justin Lin, 2011)
It's always a bother to put a score to a film that isn't of consistent quality from beginning to end. Like this one. For the most part, this is a decent action/heist flick: reasonably entertaining, but without ever really popping out in any way to make it truly memorable. Until that jaw-dropping scene with the vault, that is. That was some awesome stuff. Still, on average, this film doesn't do enough to earn a very high score. It's entertaining enough, but the story takes itself too seriously, and Vin Diesel just doesn't do it for me – and putting him next to The Rock is definitely not the way to make him seem cooler.
Indie Game: The Movie (Lisanne Pajot & James Swirsky, 2012)
Captivating documentary about four different indie game developers and their struggles with development, publicity, the law, fame, and more. It offers plenty of smiles and frowns of concern, and the people here are the memorable type. Informative and fun to watch, especially if you have an interest in the subject. I do.
Sleeping Beauty (Julia Leigh, 2011)
Kind of beautiful in a sterile way, but pretty much impenetrable. Now, am I talking about the movie, or about Emily Browning's character? Dun dun dunnnnn!
Kon-Tiki (Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg, 2012)
Norway's submission for the Foreign Language Oscar this year is a thrilling adventure, with production values at the level you might expect from a Hollywood film. Plenty of "ooh" and "aah" moments, while still making room for both heart and humor. Good stuff here. Well done, Norway.
The Trip (Michael Winterbottom, 2010)
I was a big fan of Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, the previous collaboration between Winterbottom, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. This one offers more along the same lines of humor, even if the format is a bit more straight-forward faux-documentary style. I love how the humor keeps building onto and reverting back on itself, like all the impression bits that just pile up as the film moves along. Funny stuff, in an occasionally melancholic British kind of way. Warning: don't watch while hungry.
Take This Waltz (Sarah Polley, 2011)
If there's something positive to take away from my experience with this film, it's that it proves that I don't automatically like a film even when it's supposedly right up my alley. I can be discerning, apparently. I fully expected this one to be to my liking, but this was not the case. I liked some of the bigger ideas it touched upon about marriage and infidelity, and there are certain scenes that are quite beautiful – the anniversary dinner and the amusement park ride, for instance. The primary problem here is that I just don't buy into these characters. I don't believe them, I don't believe in their lives, and I rarely believe in their interactions with one another. I also find it unfair to Seth Rogen to put him in a majorly serious film like this and even give him a big scene to show what he can do as an actor, and then just chop it up with editing and intrusive testicle humor. How bothersome. How disappointing.
Heckler (Michael Addis, 2007)
I thought this was going to be a documentary about heckling during stand-up comedy routines. It was, but only for the first 20 minutes or so. After that, the film shifted gears and became about criticism at large. What effects do critics have on performers and artists? How do performers respond? Does anyone have a right to be a critic? There are interesting points being made here, and a good job is made at keeping the discussion fresh throughout with new interview subjects and angles to the material, but the numerous parts with Jamie Kennedy confronting people who didn't like his movie Son of the Mask accomplish little, and they drag the film down a bit. As long as you know what you're getting into though, Heckler makes for a fun and occasionally thought-provoking watch.
Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant, 1997)
Moving, entertaining, well-acted, and with great dialogue. This one lived up to expectations. Acting-wise, I was particularly impressed with Minnie Driver and Robin Williams, although the cast is uniformly strong.
Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)
I've always had the feeling that there was a Woody Allen film out there that I would really love. Manhattan turned out to be it. Just like he did with later efforts Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris, he here manages to make me want to travel the world to see the places he captures on film. New York, like many cities, looks gorgeous in black and white. And then there's the story, and the characters. It's all very romantic, but in a smart way, where we can see the folly of the people yet understand why they do the things they do. It's because of love. Love love love, whatever that might be, or whatever the characters think it might be. Oh, and it's also pretty damn funny.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (Eli Craig, 2010)
Judged solely on its originality, this movie would be a 5/5. Tucker and Dale vs Evil doesn't so much poke fun at the slasher genre as it flips it on its head and turns it into a comedy of misunderstanding. Pitting college kids and hillbillies against one another with both sides thinking the other is messed up is a great premise. It's pulled off pretty well too, with some nice laughs and performances that find the right note to stick to. Even so, the film does drag a bit in the middle portion, when the basic idea has been established and they're just treading ground while waiting for the final act to kick in. Don't let this stop you from checking out the film, though. Fresh thinking should be rewarded.
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck, 2011)
For a sex comedy, this is surprisingly well written and executed. The jokes rarely feel forced, instead springing naturally from the characters and situations. What really makes the movie work is the chemistry present between the cast members. This is key because it means you can buy them as being friends with one another, and once you do that, the rest of what transpires takes on actual emotional importance. A pleasant surprise.
The Queen of Versailles (Lauren Greenfield, 2012)
Never underestimate "luck" as a component of a great documentary. What started out as a piece on a wealthy Florida businessman's plans to build the largest home in the US turned into something quite different when the recession struck. Now he and his family have to lower their standards of living, and it's compelling stuff all the way through. At first I was kind of dumbstruck at the excess of it all, then it was like a mix between schadenfreude and pity when they started losing money. It's no riches-to-rags story, as the family is still wealthier than most, but even that makes for nice food for thoughts: it's easy to scoff at them for "only" being able to employ three housekeepers, but isn't there always people worse off than oneself too somewhere? Adjustment is always adjustment. Except for maybe Senna, this is the best documentary I've seen all year.
War, Inc. (Joshua Seftel, 2008)
A spiritual sequel to Grosse Pointe Blank that reunites John Cusack, Joan Cusack and Dan Aykroyd in similar characters. This is nowhere near as good as that earlier film was, though. Its satirizing of American warmongering is lazy and ineffective, and there's little wit to the dialogue. Joan Cusack is pretty funny in her small supporting role, and Hilary Duff is occasionally impressive as a Middle Eastern pop starlet, but they're not enough to carry the movie.
The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
For a film made 30 years ago, this one has some really impressive special effects going on. Some scenes will stick with me, I'm pretty sure. Amidst all the blood and body horror, the story is also quite elegantly structured. What I found myself missing here was characterization. This isn't the kind of movie that demands multi-layered characters as such, but I do want at least something to differentiate Bearded Guy A from Bearded Guy B personality-wise. As it is, they all felt interchangeable. In the end, this certainly doesn't keep the film from being both tense and entertaining, but I can't shake the feeling that it could have been stronger.
Bug (William Friedkin, 2006)
There is one part of this psychological paranoia thriller where Ashley Judd puzzles together a conspiracy theory, coaxed along by Michael Shannon. The back-and-forth goes on for quite some time, way longer than what the plot strictly demands. This part is actually key, because this is where I realize just how great the two actors are in this film. The way they maintain their super intense chemistry and convey that these characters truly believe the preposterous things they're saying is awe-inspiring. The rest of the movie is cool too, mixing claustrophobia with physical discomfort to really get under your skin – pun intended. I was surprised at how much I liked this one.
Four Rooms (Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino, 1995)
An anthology film worth seeing for the Rodriguez and Tarantino segments, both of which are quite funny in their own director-specific ways. The parts by the two lesser-known directors are unfortunately weak, lacking in intrigue, entertainment and pay-off. Tim Roth's highly animated performance as the bellhop across the whole thing is certainly… something.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Peter Jackson, 2012)
Not as good as any of the Lord of the Rings films. Let's just get that out of the way right at the start. This is still a decent little adventure flick, with some cool action scenes and nice environments. Andy Serkis as Gollum is the easy highlight character-wise, just as he was in that other trilogy. However, this film is also overcrowded, bloated, and with questionable story decisions. I'm still not sure whether I like the whole 48 fps thing or not. There were times when it really helped spruce up the action, but also scenes where it made the backgrounds feel very much like stage sets. No idea yet whether I'll go see the sequels in theater or wait for DVD releases.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (Constance Marks, 2011)
A pleasant feel-good documentary that doesn't so much falter in any way as it just fails to truly excel. Kevin Clash's story is a nice one, but not particularly enlightening or unique. Maybe the fact that Elmo is a bit of a non-entity here in Sweden makes for less incentive for me to care about this. I have never had any degree of attachment to Elmo. In that sense, I did learn stuff from this film that I didn't know before. I just suspect that I could have gone through life without knowing it and been just as happy. Being Elmo makes for a brief and fun watch, though.
Deadgirl (Marcel Sarmiento & Gadi Harel, 2008)
Some movies are harder to rate than others. This is one such movie. I want to give it a 1/5. It's filthy and ugly. It takes a tactless approach to a disturbing subject matter. The dialogue is poor, and it's shoddily filmed. The acting is bland. There's a lot to dislike about this film. Despite all this, it is somewhat interesting in the questions it puts forth about empathy and human nature, and the premise is certainly a unique one. It is with great reluctance I give this one a score of 2/5. There. I hope I'll never have to talk or think about this movie ever again.
Easy Money (Daniel Espinosa, 2010)
There are things about the proceedings in this Swedish crime thriller that, when I think about them, seem somewhat routine. The movie does a really good job of making me invested in the characters and their fates to keep me from noticing in the moment, though. This is a slick and sensible look at one man's descent into a world of crime, and two other men trying to find a way out of it. The ending is unsatisfyingly ambiguous, unfortunately, but it doesn't diminish what came before it.


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|"Oh, look, copper pipes!"
Dumbass thieves in Peabody have been stealing...wait...for...it...dumpsters! Unlike copper pipes, dumpster jacking is not something a couple of drunk Mass-holes can do on a whim. It's not like they can simply pick up a Dempsey Dumpster and toss it into the back of a Ford pick up truck and drive off. Dumpster thievin' takes some serious lifting power....perhaps a forklift or a truck from Waste Management. Regardless of how it's done, these crooks have balls the size of cantaloupes. Or brains the size of peanuts. Take your pick.
This is straight from the UPI story, " Peabody police, Massachusetts State Police, the office of the Massachusetts attorney general and the Essex district attorney's office said they are investigating after the 22 to 25 Dumpsters, stolen from more than 10 businesses, were found Aug. 3 at a storage park on Pulaski Street in Peabody, The Boston Globe reported Thursday." If you're asking yourself why anyone would even attempt to steal a dumpster, the answer is very simple. The dumpsters are worth about five grand apiece, that's why. Evidently the bad guys were stealing the the trash bins to start up their own business! Renting out dumpsters! I am not making this up! At least they are entrepreneurial dumbases. The cops have contacted several people, none of whom have been charged in connection with the thefts, and the suspects have retained lawyers. No shit?
Here's some advice for you wannabe thieves out there. Do not steal dumpsters! Hiding them is like trying to hide an elephant in your bathtub. I have also learned that dumpsters have serial numbers etched on them, so they are easily identified as to whom they belong. Stick with the copper pipes. No serial numbers, no forklift needed and easily hidden or sold. I'm just sayin'.
Remember, one man's trash is another man's felony.


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Professional LED Drivers For Retail & Commercial Spaces
Browse the collection of professional LED drivers at Ultra LEDs, where you will find high-quality power supplies for use in retail and commercial spaces. Whether you need lighting for a shops or warehouse, you will find the perfect products here.
4 Item(s)
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4 Item(s)
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With the LED drivers in this range, you can expect nothing but quality, thanks to our expertly sourced products from the best brands, including Tagra. Each unit will deliver long term performance in an environment that demands more than standard drivers would be able to handle.
We have high-grade drivers to match your needs in a variety of voltages and functions. You may also be interested in our other LED drivers, including dimmable LED drivers and plug and play products. We also stock LED bulbs and LED strip lights.
What's more, we offer free UK delivery on all purchases over £75 for great value shipping. We also have next day delivery available. Take a look at our commercial LED drivers and order yours now.


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Creative Spotlight: Boey Cheeming
Boey Cheeming is a Malaysian animator and artist based in the United States best known for his artwork on Styrofoam cups. His cool work has been featured in publications like The OC Register and The New York Times. I first picked up a Sharpie…Probably when I was studying in the United States. We didn't have Sharpies during my…Read More →


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The National Credit Amendment Bill has gained significant public attention after it proposed writing off billions of rands worth of debt from every-day South Africans.
The bill permits a person who, at 24 November 2017, earns less than R7,500 per month and who owes less than R50,000 in unsecured debt relating to credit agreements, to make an application to the National Credit Regulator for debt intervention.
However, the bill has also been a major cause of concern, especially in the banking sector, where questions have been raised around what would happen with all this owed money and the potential effects on the economy should this money be written off.
As a result of these concerns, the bill is set to be completely re-worked to address any issues and bring it in line with the Constitution, reports Legalbrief's Pam Saxby.
Bad news for those looking to write-off debt
One of the the key changes expected to be made, is to scrap the sub-clause stating that debt intervention should be prescribed.
This means that South Africans who meet the above criteria of earning less than R7,500 and who owe less than R50,000, will no longer be able to automatically apply for debt intervention.
Instead, it proposes that a regional disaster or exogenous shock causing widespread job losses should be the only circumstances in which the Minister has the power to prescribe measures to alleviate household debt.
Other changes that could be worked into the bill are whether it applies retrospectively (i.e to those South Africans who qualify before the bill comes into law), as well as a number of other Constitutional clarifications.


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Enterprise content management (ECM) workflow
How much do you know about SharePoint and BPM?
SharePoint may not be the first BPM tool that comes to mind, but it has its benefits for streamlining and adding value to processes. Do you know what they are? Take our quiz to find out. Continue Reading
Quiz: Test your knowledge of information governance best practices
This quiz on information governance best practices tests the knowledge of IT and business pros involved in planning or managing information governance programs based on our interactive classroom. Continue Reading


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A judge appointed by Bush ruled part of the health care bill unconstitutional:
In a 42-page opinion issued in Richmond, Va., Judge Hudson wrote that the law's central requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance exceeds the regulatory authority granted to Congress under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. The insurance mandate is central to the law's mission of covering more than 30 million uninsured because insurers argue that only by requiring healthy people to have policies can they afford to treat those with expensive chronic conditions.
The judge wrote that his survey of case law "yielded no reported decisions from any federal appellate courts extending the Commerce Clause or General Welfare Clause to encompass regulation of a person's decision not to purchase a product, not withstanding its effect on interstate commerce or role in a global regulatory scheme."
Judge Hudson is the third district court judge to reach a determination on the merits in one of the two dozen lawsuits filed against the health care law. The others -- in Detroit and Lynchburg, Va. -- have upheld the law. Lawyers on both sides said the appellate process could last another two years before the Supreme Court settles the dispute.
The individual mandate is central to the law - it's hard to force insurers to accept everyone if people can just wait until they're sick to buy insurance. And if insurers aren't forced to cover everyone, then the bill doesn't do anything about eligibility and can't be called universal at all.


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Company is currently expanding the capacity of its factory in Gailpur, Rajasthan. "The new line will become functional by 1st October 2017 and will add 3 million sq metres to our existing tile manufacturing capacity," says Chetan. Currently, the company has the tile manufacturing capacity of 63.90 million sq metres.
Apart from this, it also is developing a plant in South India which will become functional in 2018 and will add 5 million sq metres to the total tile manufacturing capacity of the company.
Overall industry size of tile manufacturing in India is estimated to be Rs 27, 000 crore as of March 2017 of which Kajaria claims to hold 20% share of the organised sector. "Much of this growth can be attributed to the GST, which has levelled the playing field and the share of informal sector has drastically reduced," says Rishi.


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Increasing your ability to address personal and professional issues is a powerful set of skills for people of all ages to learn. Coaching can assist you in developing the capacity to address issues, confront a colleague or boss, resolve a conflict and deal with difficult conversations, difficult situations or difficult people in your personal and professional life.
Dale Zaiser offers professional counselling sessions for individual Holloway Zaiser Group clients. Dale is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who draws on more than 30 years of experience in psychology and working with organizations and their leaders, teams and individuals. Basing his interventions on a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach, Dale provides confidential counselling sessions to clients who see internal issues as a roadblock to their success. Potential clients are encouraged to call Dale to determine if his counselling services will meet their personal needs.
Mediation is a process that serves the interests of parties in conflict by creating opportunities for them to resolve their concerns collaboratively. Mediation encourages participants to assess the impact of their past behaviours and seek solutions that promote mutual benefit.
The Holloway Zaiser Group uses both the "facilitative" and "transformative" approaches to mediation. A facilitative mediation process is focused on resolving the immediate problem rather than fostering a long-term shift in attitude or thinking. A transformative approach encourages participants to adopt new perspectives, and can result in improved relationships and long-term attitudinal shifts.
If you are currently experiencing challenges at work or in your personal life, a coach can help you refocus your priorities and provide support as you work through the blocks that keep you from achieving your goals. Coaching can also help smooth the transition for those entering new positions or taking on new responsibilities. We offer a variety of personal and professional coaching services for individuals.
In addition to our customized courses for organizations, Holloway Zaiser offers workshops open to the general public, on such topics as Interpersonal Conflict Management. Learn about our upcoming offerings on the Workshops page.
We use the EISA (Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment), LDI, Myers Briggs, Kraybill Conflict Style Inventory, and more.


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Lace wigs are really beautiful when you spend the money for quality. They are built on a very sheer lace cap, and the main feature is that at the hairline, and when parted, a lace wig looks incredibly natural, as if the hair is growing right out of your scalp. Full lace wigs, lace front wigs and lace frontals are a great alternative for people who suffer from thinning hair, total hair loss due to stress, hormones, illness or just for people who wish to change their hair style without damaging their own natural hair.
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|Ships 5-8 business days SEMI CUSTOM


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Article VI, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states:
…but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
This is a YouTube video of Diane Feinstein questioning appeals court nominee Amy Barrett during Judge Barrett's confirmation hearing:
This line of questioning is unconstitutional and inappropriate. This is a religious litmus test. This is not anything new. During the 1960's, there was a lot of reporting about the fact that John Kennedy was Catholic when he was running for President. He was elected in spite of that. We need to remember that the roots of our judicial system are Judeo-Christian. The people who founded and supported this nation in the early days of the republic were Christians and Jews. In the early days of America, weekly church services were held in the Capitol building.
The Declaration of Independence states:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights
Questioning a judicial nominee on her religious beliefs is totally inappropriate and not in alignment with the founding documents of America.


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NJPS Fence & Railing Company
NJPS Fence & Railing Company
Residential & Commercial Projects
Residential & Commercial Projects
5% off your best quote!
5% off your best quote!
Sales & Installation Service in Monmouth Mercer Ocean Middlesex Somerset Burlington Essex Morris Union County
NJPS Fence
offers a full selection of quality fence products that are available in a variety of sizes and styles. You can choose the right fence within your budget that will suit your needs and complement the beauty of your home. Enhance your enjoyment of your outdoor space. Find peace and quiet in every part of your property. Your home is your castle.
Maintenance Free
Another big draw of vinyl fence is the fact that it's virtually maintenance free. Because it is one color through and through it will never need to be painted, and scratches and scrapes will never be a problem. In fact, vinyl actually resists paint, making vinyl fence "graffiti resistant" since any unwanted paint jobs are easily scrubbed off. Finally, because it's made of high quality vinyl, the only cleaning your new fence will ever need is a yearly hosing off with soap and water.
Wood Fencing Ideas:
What Species Is Right for You?
The species of tree your fence wood comes from will not only play a role in how your property looks, but will also have a big role in determining how well your fence holds up to the elements. While pine is probably the most common type of fencing wood, options like redwood, cedar, and spruce are also very popular.
Redwood fences can be expensive in higher grades, but it makes an outstanding fence material. If this type of wood is not available in your area, it usually can be special ordered. Untreated spruce picket fences and cross rails are most commonly used in prefabricated 4x8- or 8x6-foot picket and stockade-fence sections that you find at your local hardware store. Cedar wood contains an oil that makes it naturally resistant to rot and insects; this is why it can be found not just in fencing, but in many other outdoor settings, too.
NJPS Fence
uses the best quality products constructed by the most experienced craftsmen to assure your satisfaction. Traditional wood, chain link and iron fence as well as new-age maintenance-free products are available from our large inventory. Select just the right fence for your specific needs.
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Hours of Operation:
8:30a-6p M-F 8:30am-7pm Sat-Sun
The Oakley concept store is a great place to find your favorite Oakley gear. Come for the innovative performance and cutting edge designs Oakley eyewear in known for, but don't forget to check out their lifestyle apparel and technical outerwear. Come in today and speak with our expert staff about Oakley's top of the line eyewear trusted by U.S. military and athletes everywhere.


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2017 Kia Sportage Greensboro NC
Paired to either one of the two 2017 Sportage engines will be a six speed Sportmatic transmission to provide lightning quick, efficient shifts.
Engine Options
There are two engine options for the 2017 Sportage, a 181-hp, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, or a more powerful 241-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged I4.
Everywhere in the 2017 Kia Sportage will have more room than the previous model including additional headroom, legroom and cargo space.
Making its debut on the 2017 Sportage will be the UVO3 infotainment system which combines the UVO eServices, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems.
Driver Assist
Making the driver's life easier will be a variety of available technologies including autonomous emergency braking and a lane departure warning.
An upscale, yet powerful 320-watt Harmon Kardon premium audio system is available and it includes eight speakers and Clari-Fi restoration technology.
2017 Kia Sportage Greensboro NC
Kia is set on making a statement in the car market this year, and with a redesigned SUV like this, it will be hard for people not to take notice. The 2017 Kia Sportage in Greensboro NC has a new look and plenty of new technology, but it will still provide one of the sportiest drives on the road today. Available with either FWD or AWD, and in three different trim levels, the 2017 Sportage has something for everyone!
What most people will first recognize is the exterior redesign of the 2017 Kia Sportage. This vehicle sports an all new tiger nose grille, and revamped headlights and fog lights on the front end. In the rear, a new spoiler will make the 2017 Sportage more aerodynamic, a bolder wheel arches will make the vehicle stand out on any street. In all, the vehicle is longer than the previous model by 1.6 inches and has a wheelbase that is 1.2-inches longer.View Inventory
Refined Interior with Plenty of Space in the 2017 Sportage
What all of those exterior extensions do for the 2017 Kia Sportage in Greensboro NC, is helps create a more relaxing interior for the driver and their passengers. There is more room for everyone, as well as more cargo space in the rear for the 2017 model, as well as plenty of great comfort options. A few that we look forward to seeing include the leather upholstery, the heated seats, and the power-adjustable driver and passenger seats.
As for technology, the 2017 Kia Sportage comes loaded with plenty. All of the latest driver assist technologies that Kia has designed will be available with this vehicle. The new UVO3 infotainment system will be accessible through the redesigned center console, which now has a more driver-centric feel and makes it much easier for the driver to stay connected while operating the vehicle safely.
If you have any questions regarding the 2017 Kia Sportage, please get in touch with one of our Carolina Kia sales professionals today.


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What Makes the Left Tick
The "deep ideology" of the left, rooted in the triple assumption that the ideal of earthly perfection is realizable, that human nature is a social construct which can be remade or transformed, and that radical change is preferable to gradual amelioration in the evolution of human societies, is the bane of the modern era. This verdict has been proven many times over, from the reverberating failure of the malignant Soviet experiment to the faltering economies of socialist and welfare states across the world. Even Communist China has moved toward a capitalist-oriented market system. Yet the infirmity persists, each new generation containing its insurrectionary or "progressive" cohort convinced that the reason for dereliction resides only in the misguided application of fundamental principles. So they try again and meet inexorably with the same miserable consequences.
The program that envisages the flattening out of differences between people, the sharing equally in the total wealth of a nation regardless of individual input to the whole, and state control of the "means of production" ostensibly for the benefit of the masses never seems to work and only creates entrenched systems of mediocrity, stagnation, apathy, and enervation. The question is: what accounts for the dogged and pernicious investment in so obviously defective a formula for human improvement, despite the harsh lessons of that most severe of pedagogues, Reality? Apart from state inculcation and the ruthless exercise of power to impose blanket assent, some factors accounting for the leftist and liberal-left worldview would seem to be the following:
—The formative: upbringing and education. As William Wordsworth wrote, "The Child is father of the Man." We are familiar with the concept of the "red diaper baby" — Naomi Klein is a good example — and with the practice of socialist indoctrination in the humanities departments, including the social sciences syllabi, of our universities.
—The aleatory: chance (generally negative) experiences on the road of life. Some people turn toward communist ideology and the dictatorship of the proletariat as a result of economic suffering and humiliation, and invariably find ways to spackle the holes in their gospel. After his father had endured a crushing bankruptcy and descended into poverty, a colleague of mine in his youth arrived at the conviction that capitalism was an unmitigated evil and that East Germany was a model state whose example should be followed by all thinking people. The wall presented no problem. It was obviously erected to keep out the West Germans who would otherwise have inundated the GDR with asylum seekers and immigrants hungry for the good life.
—The theoretical: a reading of the philosophical and political literature — Hegel, Marx, Engels, Lenin, Fourier, Althusser, Gramsci — sparking interest and assent in minds hospitable to dialectical subtleties. Many of us experience a passion for the beauty of the philosophical instrument, the way people like complicated tools and equipment and children are seduced by the gleam of a new toy. (Full disclosure: I, too, experienced this infatuation when I first read Marx's The German Ideology, Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man and Gramsci's Prison Notebooks.)
—The fiscal: the shrewd manipulation and exploitation of markets, associated with leftist attitudes and preoccupations such as the drive toward renewable energy projects, many of which are, for practical purposes, a generation or more away from standard efficiency levels. Al Gore and the chair of the UN's IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri, come immediately to mind. The rationale is social betterment; the truth is personal enrichment.
—The psychological: the unconscious or semi-conscious attempt to justify one's reprobate or otherwise problematic, ambiguous, or disgraceful behavior, which is really a form of pandering to a pestering conscience with sanctimonious deceptions. This is one reason, no doubt, that so many impenitent plutocrats who draw their wealth from family fortune, lucrative businesses, or currency speculation steer to the port side of the ship of state — one thinks of the Clintons, of Nancy Pelosi, of Ségolène Royal in France, of George Soros, and of innumerable others.
One or another, or several, of these explanatory factors may be necessary to account for the ideological shift toward a leftist worldview, but none of them is sufficient in itself. With the obvious exception of the schemers and defalcators who cash in on the political fads of the day and who are "socialists" in nothing but name, the predisposition to the left derives from a tropism of the mind rooted in what we might call the "utopian temperament" — which is to say, in a condition of prolonged infantilism. The belief that human nature can be either transformed or superseded by social and political legerdemain is a function of arrested development, of the child's conviction that make-believe can somehow alter the structure of the world he or she inhabits. Adults who feel and act the same way would appear to be differentially retarded, despite their ability to spin ideas, practice oratory and compose intricate texts and ringing manifestos. Leftists, writes Bernard Paul Chapin, author of Escape from Gangsta Island, "are addicted to emotion. ... In the old days we used to call such persons … children"
A related element that seems to be at work is the leftist penchant for submission to authority, the callow need for assurance, for the embrace of the family or the presence of the "strongman" acting in loco parentis. The despot represents the power of the father which the child or adolescent secretly craves, surrendering his will to the commanding figure of the leader and becoming part of the intimacy of the sanctuary group. In those cases where he is not pre-trained, as it were, he is coddled in the select and festive community that operates as the family-in-waiting for the feral child who has repudiated the nest — yet cannot do without it. Whether the revered figure is Stalin or Mao or Ho Chi Minh or Castro or Che or Nasrallah or Chavez, the moral pubescent and emotional nursling cannot flourish without the consoling and explanatory self-confidence of the ostensibly enlightened tyrant. The same applies to a nonviolent and lower caliber messiah like Obama in whose personal charisma million of Americans (and Europeans) willingly submerged their identities.
Hollywood actors and directors are especially given to such professional naivety and furnish an exemplary illustration of almost complete mental vacancy and thwarted affective development — Oliver Stone, Sean Penn, James Cameron, Jane Fonda, etc. They are like children who have been absorbed into the world of illusion and can no longer discriminate between play-acting and reality, between celluloid and brass tacks. But Hollywood is only a petri dish signifying a far more pervasive phenomenon. Broadly speaking, the aspiring leftist lapses into a species of idolatry and reifies what is nothing less than a political apparition, namely, the apotheosis of the "suffering masses" with which, for the most part, he or she has nothing in common, and the global community as the "end" — i.e., both the purpose and the consummation — of history.
Fortunately, those of a conservative temperament tend to grow out of the longing for anointment and the hunger for group vetting. But the left is rhizomed in the pathos of abandonment. It is actuated by the fear of independence and by an almost feudal yearning for emotional refuge and moral security in the assembly of the elect or, as all too often happens, in the incendiary kinship. But at bottom, its hypothetically noble vision of human redemption is founded in the child's need for reinforcement and protection, propelling the fledgling spirit into the orbit of the magistral savage or mentoring autocrat and their faux-therapeutic nightmares.


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1) With the exception of two orders requiring clarification, all pending orders have been processed and will be mailed tomorrow.
2) There are still several "honor system" folks to whom I sent flags pending proper tender by return mail who have NOT yet paid their tabs. Names and addresses will be published if no payment is received by November 30th.
3) There are not very many flags left. If you want one, order this week; if you snooze, you will lose. Order information here.


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The only Black Friday shopping I do every year is online from the couch, with Pinetree Garden Seeds. Everything on the site is 15% off from today on 11/27, through Monday 11/30. Use code BLACKFRI15 at checkout (note if you want to use Paypal, click on the regular "Checkout" button, enter the code and then choose Paypal – don't click on the Paypal link on the main order screen).
Every item is eligible for the discount, including seeds, plants (they will ship in the spring), books, gardening supplies, and even craft supplies – soap making supplies, cosmetics making supplies, and even some knitting gear.
I've pretty much already decided what will go in next year's garden, so putting together the seed order was pretty easy. I did swap a couple of varieties, but kept mostly to plan. I still have a ton of seeds from last year's massive Black Friday seed order, so I just replenished a few that I was running low on, plus a couple of impulse buys (of course) –
And then I realized a few hours later that I'd forgotten to order potatoes, so… I went back and did a second order. Also remembered I needed some more plant labels, and I discovered some cosmetics items that have been hard to find at other places – small quantities of charcoal (going to try to make my own natural mascara), beet root (for tinted lip balm) and a single mascara tube (most places only sell big quantities) –
So, the seeds for spring are ordered, and I got a great deal on a few other items too. Supporting a family owned business is my kind of Black Friday shopping!


text: 'Ninja' Breaks Into Store, Steals Just One Thing A katana sword By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Nov 14, 2016 4:11 PM CST 24 comments 'Ninja' Breaks Into Store, Steals Just One Thing Interesting. (KTVA Alaska) (Newser) – A person dressed as a ninja broke into an Anchorage, Alaska, comics and games store Friday night and only took one thing—arguably the one thing a ninja needs most: a katana sword. The only damage left behind was at the point of entry, and when staff members reviewed surveillance footage, they saw no evidence he took anything other than the sword, KTVA reports. Anyone with information on the burglary is being asked to email the store, Bosco's, or call Anchorage police. (Read more weird crimes stories.) View 1 image My Take on This Story Report a story error Show results | 53% Hilarious 8% Intriguing 2% Depressing 6% Brilliant 5% Scary 26% Ridiculous


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Favorites from 2007
8 comments:
- Janet said...
What a beautiful montage ( is that the correct term?). Happy New Year to you, all the best in 2008.
- December 31, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Your blog is lovely. I'm happy to have found it. Could you explain "coffee filter rose" for she who doesn't drink coffee?
Happy New Year and continued blogging! - Lee
- December 31, 2007 at 11:12 AM
- Teresa said...
Lee, I've made a link within the post giving information on the how-to's. The link also links to Martha Stewart's website which has a video of how to make the roses. The original process is from www.mommymakesroses.com
- December 31, 2007 at 11:43 AM
Thank you. I'm excited about trying these. Lee
- December 31, 2007 at 12:12 PM
- Georgia Peachez said...
Hi Teresa, Happy New Year! I am looking forward to your blog in 2008!! xo, suzy
- December 31, 2007 at 6:26 PM
- Vee said...
That is a very nice tribute in images to the blogging world of 2007.
Your new header is simply marvelous. I actually sighed (in a nice way) when I first saw it.
Have a Happy New Year!
- December 31, 2007 at 9:48 PM
- Unknown said...
What a pretty college, I love the pink cottage and must know how to make those coffee filter roses, please?
- January 1, 2008 at 3:39 PM
- Emily Claire said...
You have such great taste! Nice blog :D
- July 4, 2009 at 12:19 AM


text: Come on down tomorrow and help us Celebrate 50 years Friday March 17th!!! From 10:00am-1:00pm we will Have Maggie one of our reps here doing a FREE make-n-take using some new Ranger products! We will be starting Girls Night Out (GNO) a bit earlier this month and it will run from 2:00pm-7:00pm. This event is $5.00 and you must call ahead of time to get your name on the list 503-639-3180! (this event is full, but we are taking names on a waiting list.) There will be lots and lots of door prizes and treats!


text: Dekohem is a Swedish brand within interior and decoration launched in the spring of 2015. We behind the brand, Belinda Wigerfelt and Caroline Melin, have been friends and colleagues for many years when our great common interest in interior decoration and long experience within the industry, both as distributors and providers, led us to develop our own products. Products we found ourselves lacked on the market – both in style and function. First out was a collection placemats and coasters in Art Deco style which now has been extended with a collection cushion covers and lanterns.


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Audi will raise investments on new models, plants and technology in the next few years as part of its bid to surpass rival BMW, people privy with the matter told Automotive News. Audi is planning to spend over EUR20 billion ($27.46 billion) on global operations through 2018 – which equates to over EUR4 billion a year.
The carmaker's allotted budget of December 2011 was EUR2.6 billion. Auto Motor und Sport reported the size of Audi's investments on Dec. 12, 2013, citing chief executive Rupert Stadler. The investments will allow Audi to sustain its foreign expansion as it establishes sites in Mexico and China while seeking to build vehicles in Brazil.
In 2014, Audi is planning to build more cars outside Germany for the first time as it targets to sell at least 2 million cars annually.
Audi is aiming to capture the luxury car sales crown from BMW by the end of the decade. Audi's expansion is part of parent Volkswagen's goal to become the largest carmaker in the world in terms of sales by 2018, surpassing both Toyota and General Motors.
The report of higher spending at Audi comes after VW disclosed in November that it will exclude vehicle-based investment from spending cuts in other areas to respond to slumping auto demand.


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I've picked up four or five days of warehouse work for my former employer (2006-7), City Buddha — unloading boxes and so on. Though I am not used to this much physical labor and am sore all over, I'm happy to have a bit of work outside the press, even though it's thrown me behind on a few other things.
For a glimpse at my other recent physical labor doings, see Alex Gildzen's blog. I actually appear (in one form or another) in three of his entries in a row (23, 25 & 25 April).
And finally, here's hoping to see you at one of my upcoming readings:
5/2 at 9:20 p.m. during a Writing Knights event in conjunction with the Occupy the Heart Festival at the Free Stamp (E. 9th and Lakeside) in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. (But come early in the afternoon and catch a whole lot more poetry and grooviness.)
5/5 at 2 p.m. during Recycled Karma Book Release (for my Water Works and Dianne Borsenik's Cravings) at Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room, 114 South Main St. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


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We donate our profits to educational projects in Siem Reap provinceEach month 30% of our profits are donated to a chosen charity or project and 20% is shared among our Cambodian staff. To date, we have donated over US$ 40,000. We are currently donating profits to PEPY Empowering Youth and SeeBeyondBorders. Read more
We believe education is critical to empower Cambodians and help them make informed decisions and reduce poverty.
Through education, Cambodia and Siem Reap can achieve a better future.
We select projects through a 4-member committee of its staff and founder.
The framework used to evaluate these projects, with scope on Siem Reap province and smaller educational organisation is:
Spent efficiently?
Spent responsibly?
Spent locally?
Governance and policies.
Partnership with other NGOs or government?
Can we volunteer with you?
Do you need books?
Can we sell your products?
Impact on beneficiaries.
Project risk.
Measurable impact?
Environmental AwarenessNew Leaf continually seeks to improve its environmental impact.
10 ideas we've implemented


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Donors recognized for giving to student success at JIBC Foundation event
JIBC students share how bursaries and awards contribute to their professional goals
JIBC President and CEO Dr. Michel Tarko; Bernard Magnan, Board Chair of The JIBC Foundation; JIBC Fire Fighting Technologies Certificate student Taylor McLoughlin; Law Enforcement Studies Diploma graduate Shauntelle Nichols; Qayqayt First Nation Chief Rhonda Larrabee; JIBC donors John and Beverley Carl; and Tim Manning, RBC Regional Vice President, Commercial Financial Services at The JIBC Foundation 2015 Donor Appreciation Event. (Photo by Ken Kajiwara Photography)
A program building first responder capacity in Aboriginal communities; new technologies and equipment being used by JIBC law enforcement and paramedic students; awards and bursaries helping students realize their goals of a career in public safety.
These are just a few examples how donors have contributed to building safer communities and a more just society, which were showcased at this year's donor appreciation event hosted by The Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation (The JIBC Foundation).
Bernie Magnan, Chair of The JIBC Foundation, said at the event, "For me, personally, it is very rewarding to experience the effect of our work and see how it impacts others. Tonight is our opportunity to say thank you to all of you: our donors, supporters, advocates and ambassadors. You have made a significant impact on the lives of our students in so many ways."
Tim Manning, RBC Regional Vice President, Commercial Financial Services (second from the left) presents a $40,000 cheque to The JIBC Foundation. At the presentation was Bernard Magnan (far left), Jodie Marshall (third from left); Kathy Harms, Director, Health Sciences Division (fourth from left); Tracy Campbell, and Dr. Michel Tarko. (Photo by Ken Kajiwara Photography)
Tim Manning, RBC's Regional Vice-President, Commercial Financial Services, was in attendance and presented a $40,000 cheque to The JIBC Foundation to support JIBC's Fundamentals of Emergency Medical Responder (FEMR) program for a third consecutive year. Supported by RBC since the pilot, the FEMR program was designed to provide a cost-effective and efficient way to increase the standard of care and first responder capabilities in rural and remote Aboriginal communities in B.C.
"We are very proud to support this vital project by providing tools and resources for tomorrow's heroes," he said. "These students are truly making a difference in their communities, and actually saving lives. For us, that's why giving matters."
Shauntelle Nichols, a graduate of JIBC's Law Enforcement Studies Diploma program, shared her experience at the Donor Appreciation Event. (Photo by Ken Kajiwara Photography)
Each year, hundreds of students receive financial support from awards and bursaries established by donors. Among the students expressing their appreciation to JIBC's donors was Shauntelle Nichols, a graduate of JIBC's Law Enforcement Studies Diploma, who has benefited from student bursaries, including the Minerva Foundation Award for Aboriginal Women.
"To attend JIBC, I quit my job and I moved my two-year-old daughter and myself away from every support I knew. I sold everything and had little," she said. "But I knew what I wanted; I wanted to work hard and give my all. I had no idea how, financially, I was going to make it through the law enforcement diploma, but I knew I had to follow my dream. The financial help and support from donors allowed me to focus on my studies and perform to the best of my abilities. It would be impossible for me to be where I am today without donors believing in me. Thank you again to donors for the support and opportunity to keep hope alive."
While JIBC donors establish student awards and bursaries for various reasons, very often, the long-term impact of an award for students can be immeasurable. At the event, Beverley Carl, shared her experience meeting with Matt Brown, the first recipient of the Beverley and John Carl Award, which was established as the couple's way to show appreciation to the paramedics that saved her life a few years ago.
"Matt said to me, which made it all worthwhile, 'By receiving your award, you've validated what I want to do.' We set the criteria for the award, and he met the criteria, but now he also feels he's made the right choice. That's the kind of thing we are hoping to reinforce. That means so much to me, to see the value of the award is more than just financial."
(Photo by Ken Kajiwara Photography)
At the event, The JIBC Foundation also launched its holiday Help-A-Hero Campaign. Donations made to the campaign will directly impact the lives of JIBC students through JIBC's student bursary program. Donors who contribute to the campaign will be recognized with an ornament that includes their name, which will be displayed on The JIBC Foundation holiday tree at the New Westminster Campus.
To donate, visit jibc.ca/donate. Thank you for being the one giving to student success.
We gratefully acknowledge and give thanks to the sponsors of the 2015 Donor Appreciation Event: Corporate Classics Caterers, Gordon Food Service, Inn at the Quay, Safeway (Royal Square Mall, New Westminster), Starbucks.
About The Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation
Since 1993, The Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation (The JIBC Foundation) has worked on behalf of JIBC to raise funds for scholarships and bursaries, applied research, equipment and other tools that impact student success. The Foundation is the recipient and steward of charitable donations and builds meaningful relationships with communities to support Canada's leading public safety educator.
Last updated February 25, 2016


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Quincy Stretchable Slip-on
- Description
Walk Comfortable & Pain Free or Your Money Back!
Quincy gray women's slip-on orthopedic shoes offer a stretchable, non-binding fit, extra room for toe movement, and maximum protection against pressure points. The premium orthotic insole and ergonomic sole offer comfortable support and excellent cushioning, making every step you take soothing with comfort.
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Product Details
Sizes: 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12
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Clean with washcloth. Use a small amount of mild soap and water.
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Customer Reviews
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So far so good


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The Best Andrew McCarthy Movies
List Rules Vote for your favorite
List of the best Andrew McCarthy movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Andrew McCarthy's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Andrew McCarthy movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Andrew McCarthy movies will be at the top of the list. Andrew McCarthy has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Andrew McCarthy movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Andrew McCarthy films to end the squabble once and for all.
If you think the best Andrew McCarthy role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Andrew McCarthy performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.
This list features films like New Waterford Girl and Quiet Days in Clichy."This list answers the questions, "What are the best Andrew McCarthy movies?" and "What are the greatest Andrew McCarthy roles of all time?"
Joel Schumacher and Paul W. S. Anderson are among those who have directed Andrew McCarthy at one point or another during their careers in the film industry. Movie fans who love Andrew McCarthy have also been known to enjoy films starring James Spader and Anthony Michael Hall.


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Packet necesitaba un nuevo diseño de impreso o envases y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 26 diseños de 13 diseñadores freelance.
A A6 flyer, which will be printed, is needed for up and coming hip-hop nightclub night, its for a Summer party so it much be bright, good instructions given. Winner will be picked promtly, and there will be repeat work if a relationship is built.
The Biggest Hip-Hop & R'n'B Party of the Summer
Desired Color Scheme:
Desired Style:
see above
Accepted File Formats:
psd, jpg, what ever the printer needs
A very rough template with all information can be viewed at the link below
Logos needed at at links below
HipHop.ie logo
The Vaults logo
FM 104 logo (or google fm104 for better logos)
Mobo Awards logo (just the m is needed) again google for lots of images
Again the flyer is for a Summer party so its important for the background to be bright, maybe use a sexy girl, some cool speakers, some palm trees!
What ever you think fits the biggest hiphop and rnb party of the Summer!!!


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Movie Details
Find Movie Theaters & Showtimesfor
Videos & Photos
Movie Info & Cast
You probably know the Superman story. An alien infant crash-lands on Earth, is raised by kindly parents, and grows up to be a hero the likes of which we have never seen. Things could have been different, however. What if, instead of becoming a hero, the alien child became a terror?
Brightburn turns a classic superhero scenario into a horror story. Elizabeth Banks and David Denman play the couple whose lives become a battle for survival as their adopted son manifests a sinister will along with his powers. Produced by Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn.
- Elizabeth Banks
- David Denman
- Jackson A. Dunn
- Abraham Clinkscales
- Christian Finlayson
- Jennifer Holland
- Emmie Hunter
- Matt Jones
- Meredith Hagner
- Becky Wahlstrom
Did You Know?
- A horror take on the Superman origins/mythos.
- When Brandon sleepwalks to the window the night he tries to break into the barn basement, his bedsheet drags behind him. In the next shot when he gets ready to jump out the window, the bedsheet is gone.
- [first lines]
- Kyle Breyer: Are you okay?
- Tori Breyer: Mm-hmm.
- Kyle Breyer: Oh, I like this. Maybe this time we get lucky and make a baby?
- Tori Breyer: Let's just have some fun.
- Kyle Breyer: Oh, I like fun.
- Tori Breyer: Just shut up and kiss me.
Atom User Reviews
this movie was so mf stupid i wasted my f****** money
this was white privilege at its finest.
It's got more than its share of disturbing sequences, and a string of brutal murders. It's also got surprisingly decent special effects for a movie that was surely made on a fraction of the budget of a DC Comics film. And it has a perfectly cast Jackson A. Dunn as Brandon.
While not exactly original, the premise is certainly effective enough. But Brightburn lacks the visual stylization or wit to elevate it from the realm of the crudely effective B-movie.
While we can perhaps be grateful that the superficiality of Brightburn probably kept it from opting to exploit elements of disturbed-kid narratives that have been all too common in our more tragic news stories, what remains is still never terribly entertaining as either popcorn or a bent take on superhero myths.


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Despite the fact that our energy-intensive "modern" agri biz now does almost all its field work with internal combustion engines; at least one back-to-the-lander figures that it's still kind of nice to hitch up a draft animal and go off following the plow.
SPECIAL NOTE:This is the first half of a two-part article. More about walking plows will appear in the May/June 1974 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS.
My mate, Theo, and I believe the problems of the "rat race," in so far as we ourselves are concerned, can best be solved by our acting less "ratty". We'd like to flee to our favorite place in the beautiful Ozark Mountains but, since this is impractical (except for a few days at a time), we've decided to make our escape by standing still and living the simple life right here on our sandy hill farm in northern Louisiana. This has meant going back to older methods of doing things and educating ourselves on how to live exclusively from the land.
First we bought a wood-burning cook stove, then a hand gristmill to grind our flour and corn meal and a treadle sewing machine to make our clothes. We learned to make soap, to can our food rather than freeze it and to wash our clothes on the rub board. (All these changes took place in piecemeal fashion to temper our spoiled, soft bodies. If you think it's no big switch from an automatic washing machine to hand scrubbing, you should try it sometime.)
Now we're working our garden and patches with a walking plow drawn by a horse. We agree whole heartedly with whoever said "There's no surer way of making a living than between the handles of a plow" and we're giving it a try.
Why a Walking Plow?
In doing research for this article I found little or no material in the library on plowing with an animal, just as if there'd never, never again be a need to till the soil with a horse or mule. The best source I found was an old school textbook we have at home, from which I've taken some of my explanations and on which the drawings with this piece are based.
This lack of interest seems to be general. We discussed with a neighbor the idea of plowing with a horse and teaching our sons the art. He looked at us as though he questioned our sanity and said, " 'Long as I can afford gasoline, I'll use my tractor." (Billie Hardaway wrote this article before the beginning of the current and unpleasant fuel shortage. By this time her neighbor may be thinking that those oddballs with the walking plow aren't so crazy after all. -MOTHER. )
That's a prime example of how most people feel, yet gasoline is, in many respects, the least of the tractor owner's problems. The prices of parts and tires are sky-high, for one thing. And when the machine breaks down, you have the trouble of finding a mechanic to repair it (plus the cost of his unbelievable fee when you do run him to earth). Oh, the aggravations we've suffered would fill volumes: The frustration when we so badly needed the tractors or plows and had to order them from a thousand miles away . . . the desperation that goes with the breakdown of a baler in a field of overripe hay under a solid cloudy sky . . . we've known them all.
As troublesome and expensive as the upkeep of the tractor is, there are still other, perhaps more important, reasons why we're on our way back to the plow horse: The machine's noise is unkind to the ears-ours and those of our animals-and the only part of the body that gets any actual exercise is the arms. The rest of you gets jostled about but the circulation is not improved at all by the bouncing of a tractor seat as the machine pulls a plow.
Actually, this, to us, is what the search for a better life is all about: improved health, less congested minds and a keener awareness of nature. We believe that with today's medical knowledge and yesterday's hard work, good food and contented attitude, there's no reason why we can't all live to be a hundred if we want to.
To repeat an old cliche, "The fittest survive." We want our sons to know the art of plowing with an animal. I should say right here that if I sound like some sort of expert on plowing, taint so. I'm speaking on the authority of a seasoned plowboy, my husband, whom I've asked a myriad of often senseless, sometimes downright stupid questions. He's cast more black looks in my direction since I began this article than in all the years of our marriage combined, and I've suffered silently. But, when I read the finished manuscript back to him, he gave me his slow, steady smile, the one which won my heart many years ago. So it has all been worth the candle.
Choosing a Plow Animal
The Mule: We think the mule is really the best plow animal and we're in the process of buying one (or maybe a pair) right now. Mules are better adapted to hot weather than horses or oxen and they never overeat or over drink, as the other draft animals often tend to do. Mules are also freer from digestive complaints and can be fed cheap, coarse food if necessary. Then too, they're less nervous than horses and will accept hard work and poor handling if that's all that's available.
When the plowing is finished, the mule still has energy left to pull a sled filled with anything that needs hauling, or is ready to go to the woods and snake out a log or two for fuel. You can also ride this slow, dependable animal . . . if you aren't in a hurry, that is, and if you aren't timid about what your neighbor thinks. Remember that the few times Jesus of Nazareth afforded Himself the luxury of riding, He chose the ass or donkey, which is first cousin to the mule.
The breeding of mules dates back to pre-Biblical times, when they were considered more valuable than horses (probably for the aforementioned reasons). The beast is a hybrid, the offspring of a donkey and a horse and hybrid animals, like hybrid seeds, can't reproduce themselves. (One mule in a million may be fertile, but there's no living proof of this.) That's why we want to be sure the critter we buy is young. It'll never be a mama or a papa, and when its working days are over, its replacement will cost money.
In the mid-1960s the United Nations guesstimated that there were some 15 million mules alive in the world. If that was true, there still ought to be one for you and one for us. You can buy these animals at most cattle auctions, or by watching ads in farm magazines and bulletins. Around here, good plow mules are advertised for about $150.
The Horse: If a mule is the ideal choice for field work, the horse is probably the most versatile. He's fast, "showy" so to speak, and can reproduce his kind. In our parts a fairly good plow animal that can also be ridden costs in the neighborhood of $135 at the same sources of supply I've listed for mules.
Beauty, our riding and plowing horse, was born on this place twelve years ago and we consider her almost a member of the family. In fact, she's more spoiled than our three remaining children (the other three having already reached their majority) and, like them, doesn't especially care to work. She's not very good to ride since her gaits are quite rough and you feel like churned butter afterward. And she's not good for plowing, either, because she's nervous and walks too fast.
The trouble is, my husband Theo is the unhurried, deliberate type . . . slow, steady and a Capricorn. He can outwork any man I know, but don't rush him. Beauty rushes him. She's not particularly disobedient, just fast. She simply can't slow down. If horses conformed to human physical types, our mare would be a mesomorph. I suspect that this "unmeeting" of their minds makes Beauty go even faster and Theo try even harder to slow her pace, so that by sundown man and beast are totally exhausted from pulling in opposite directions. Hence our plan to buy a mule.
The Ox: Oxen include domestic cattle, water buffalo, bison, musk oxen, Brahmans, yaks, banteng and all other members of the bovine (cow) family. These creatures have heavy bodies, long tails, divided hoofs and the habit of chewing the cud. When domesticated they give milk, meat and leather and, in some parts of the world, still serve as beasts of burden. Cattle were, in fact, among the first of all animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes. It was probably the invention of the wooden plow, some 3,000 years ago, that first led herdsmen to castrate their bulls so the animals would be docile enough to harness for field work.
In Mexico, as recently as the late 60's, we saw many oxen in use as plow animals, and there are a fair number in southern Texas and Florida. I can't give any prices or sources of supply, but anyone who was seriously interested in getting a yoke of work cattle could probably do so by advertising in the farm bulletins published in those areas of the country where such teams are common. I don't know much about what the critters are like to plow with, except that the ox's convenient hump makes his harness much simpler than that of other draft animals. I also understand that the Brahman has many advantages, such as sweat glands and an immunity to tick fever and other insect-borne diseases. (For the most definitive article on working oxen published anywhere during the past 100 years, see John R. Scarlett's illustrated piece about working oxen. It includes sources of supply, driving tips, etc. -MOTHER.)
Be Kind to Your Animal
Whichever creature you decide to buy, be sure it's broken to the plow. Otherwise your purchase is worthless (unless you have the spirit and inclinations of a cowboy and want to break the beast yourself). You should also determine the animal's age and whether or not it has any bad habits such as kicking, biting or downright stubbornness.
Theo says you must never allow a plow animal to get the upper hand. "An iron fist in a velvet glove" is the right line to take. If you allow the critter disobedience in harness, it will take advantage and will eventually dominate you. Then you're better off farming with a hoe, for such a brute can be a real menace.
I believe Beauty behaves as she does because she knows we love her and will let her get away with it. Our good neighbor, Blondell Ware, can plow that horse without a minute's trouble . . . a real pleasure to watch. But then, Beauty doesn't know that Mr. Ware won't beat the tarnation out of her if she speeds with him. He wouldn't, but she can't be sure.
Once you and your new helper have established a good working relationship, you'll have a real treasure. When all else fails--as it did during the Great Depression-the man with a little plot of ground, a plow animal and a few farm tools may be the richest of all. He can be assured that his family won't go to bed hungry. He may have to barter for seed and fertilizer (or catch the latter from his horse or mule) but the earth, like a mother, will give him much more than she receives. To me, the mule - more than any other draft animal - is a symbol of security, even if in a small measure. He doesn't need gasoline, tires or spare parts . . . just a little coarse feed, a few kind words and shelter from the weather, and he'll perform for you until he drops. He can truly be an instrument of your peace of mind. To the high geared, material-minded individual this statement may pass for humor, but the new breed, who knows how to assess the real values of life, will know what I mean. Of course, you'll want to take good care of such a valuable creature, a job that's made easier because the animal can plow the crop that feeds him and then give the feed right back to you in manure, one of the most valuable fertilizers around. A tractor surely won't do that! Your locale will determine what crop you raise for fodder. Around here it's mostly corn and hay. When we're plowing with Beauty we feed her hay at noon and corn at night, and keep plenty of fresh water available for her. But we have to be careful because, like most of her kind, she has no sense at all about when to stop eating and drinking. We once lost a wonderful horse as a result of colic.
There's no need to put shoes on your animal unless it will be traveling a hard-surfaced road, but you will have to spend a few minutes every two or three months trimming its hoofs. And oh, how it will love to be brushed! This is the plow horse's or mule's one luxury in life.
Every animal on our place - horse, chickens, cows, hogs, dogs, goats (nine of 'em) and especially our cat- enjoys being spoken to and responds to our words in its own way. If your voice is kind and you have compassion for your fellow creatures, you'll have no trouble with your plow animal.
How to Harness a Plow Animal
I asked Theo to tell me exactly what he did when he got Beauty ready to plow. He ginned and said, "What's the first thing you do when you want to cook a rabbit?" When we stopped laughing and got down to business again, I answered, feeling rather foolish, "You catch him." Right! That's what you do first. Sometimes it can take a while (especially when Beauty decides she doesn't feel up to plowing that day and would rather run through the clover and jump bubbling brooks and do all the other things horses like to do when they're free). Eventually, though, the mare is caught and bridled. For the sake of those completely new to this game, the bridle is a set of leather straps which secure a metal contrivance called a bit in the animal's mouth and allow the operator to control the critter by means of the attached plow lines.
The rigging around Beauty's neck in the illustrations with this article is - not surprisingly - the collar, which connects to the harness that drapes over her back. The hames are fastened to this collar and, in turn, the trace chains are attached to the harries (you've heard of someone "kicking over the traces", haven't you?) which pass through loops in the back hand and bellyband and are hitched to a plow's singletree.
Every piece of the aforementioned gear is necessary for a regular saddle horse, which is how Beauty is classified. A mule, which is built quite differently at the shoulders, might not need a bellyband unless a heavy wagon was to be pulled. A horse does need that safety device because otherwise, if the plow or other load hits a rough spot such as a root, the entire harness could slip over the animal's curved shoulders and choke it. You can get the idea from the accompanying illustration of Blondell Ware posed in his potato patch.
Blondell is a natural with horses and loves them all. These days he also thoroughly enjoys plowing, but as a child, when he had to keep at the job from sunup until dark, he hated it. Blondell recalls that one day when he was a boy, his father told him to water the mule. Now, young Mr. Ware was having a playful tussle with his brother Glenn at the time and didn't want to stop. He went, nevertheless, mumbling on his way, "I wish that old mule would die!" Unfortunately, his father heard him and proceeded to do what parents used to do when their children committed an infraction of the rules.
Afterward, the elder Mr. Ware asked his son whether he still wanted their mule to die. With tears streaming down his face and his backside burning, Blondell said, "I hope he lives forever!"
Read the continued walking plow article here.


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TETRAMAX offers financial support for innovative ideas in customized low-energy computing.
The 1st open call for Bilateral Technology Transfer Experiments focuses on short-term application experiments between one academic and one industry partner from two different EU member states or associated countries; in justified cases, both partners can be SMEs.
Technology Transfer Experiments are low-threshold initiatives to match European SMEs with academics. An academic institution offers a new technology that can be applied in an SME environment. In this call the two partners should be from different EU countries. The symbiosis of SMEs and academics result in creating cutting-edge technology in industry, new business models and focused academic research that can significantly improve productivity and increase added value for industries and SMEs in particular.
TETRAMAX project was launched in September 2017 and focuses on the domain of customized low-energy computing within the framework of the European Smart Anything Everywhere (SAE) initiative. It has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 761349.
Call closing deadline: 28 February 2018!
For all details on the open call please visit our website: https://www.tetramax.eu/ttx/calls/ or send a message to firstname.lastname@example.com.