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On the early morning of May 10, 2015 two friends, Faizan Malik and Mohammad Haseeb Bhat, had left home to attend lessons in the old city of summer capital Srinagar in Indian Administered Kashmir (IAK).
After finishing the classes at 8am, the eleventh class students decided to play cricket in the courtyard of Pathar Masjid (mosque), build by Nur Jahan, wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir on the banks of the river Jhelum. The ball, hit by one of them, flew into the river. To take the ball out of it, one friend advanced towards the river, while the other held him tight by his hand to prevent him to slip. Unaware of what was going to happen next, the feet of a friend who had taken front slipped and fell into the river dragging the other friend along. Two minutes later, the surface of river became smooth as if nothing had happened. The river had gulped the duo.
For about two hours, eyewitnesses told me, no attempt was made by the IAK government's rescue team comprising of river police and State Disaster Relief Management (SDRF) to retrieve the drowned bodies. At 10 am, the rescue team arrived at the drowning site, whose failed search led them to sought help from Marine Commandos of Indian Navy. However the commandos also failed to prove helpful in retrieving the drowned.
A few days after the drowning, as the IAK government had continuously failed to retrieve the bodies, family members of the drowned pair hit the streets to press the authorities to speed up their search. Twelve days later after drowning, Haseeb's body was retrieved successfully. On the same day, Faizan's parents in anticipation that their son's body would also be found in a short while because both the friends had drowned together, prepared a grave for their son. It was an act which rarely a parent does. However, the grave wouldn't become the resting place for Faizan for following 11 days till his body was found on June 3.
The days of waiting for dead bodies, causes a delay in funerals, keeps a family in desperation, and takes time to resume their normal life. The unexpected death creates a void in the family triggering many mental disorders.
All these days in waiting were like doomsday for me.
"All these days in waiting were like doomsday for me. I used to leave home every morning and to see whether they found my son or not. I may have imagined every worse thing to happen in my life, but not to keep grave of my son waiting for his burial," said Fayaz Ahmad, father of Faizan.
Well, these are not the isolated cases in which a drowned body remained under the water unretrieved for weeks together in IAK. According to official figures from January 2011 to April 2014, about 51 persons died due to drowning in the 10 districts of IAK. In these cases the rescue operation was started hours after the incident took place, said rescue officials.
What causes this delay in IAK? Official wishing not to be named said, the search operations, which is jointly conducted by the river and SDRF department, do not have the sufficient man force and equipment (that includes different variant of motor boats, extra life jackets, different sizes of hooking rods etc) to meet the requirement of three lakes-among them is Wular, the largest lake in India- the two big rivers, Jhelum and Indus and scores of other small water bodies.
At present, there are just seven motorboats and eight hired Shikaras (Kashmiri traditional boats) available with the rescue team. Due to this paucity, there are no boats available neither, in South Kashmir where from river Jhelum originates later fed by six streams -Brangi, Arapath, Sundram, Vishaw and Lidder -before the river settles in Wular lake and flows to Pakistan Administrated Kashmir nor in Central Kashmir where also a number of water bodies flow. Whenever there is a case of drowning, the rescue team along with the boat has to be dispatched from Srinagar, the headquarters of rescue team to carry out the operations. The team take almost a day to reach a spot.
The three out of seven motor boats have been kept in Nigeen Lake, in Jehlum, and one in Baramulla. The rest of the boats, as per officials, have been kept at Srinagar, to augment the requirement of equipments from areas which has does not have. This system, according to Syed Nisar Ahmad, in charge of the River police Force, cause more delay in fishing out the body because a drowning is first communicated to the local police station who forwarded the message to police control room and they to river police headquarters which then send team to a spot.
For instance, in July 2013, a drowned body was recovered almost a month after it had drowned in south Kashmir. The body was later recovered from Wular Lake in north Kashmir travelling a distance of about 200 sq km. Before the team reached at the spot, the same hierarchy of communication and dispatch of rescue team was followed. The body was recovered only after other departments intervened in the rescue operation.
In the above drowning case of the two friends, the rescue team was stationed about 7 sq km away from the spot. Locals first informed the local police station who forwarded the message to police control room and they to river police headquarters. Two hours later, rescue team reached the spot. Well, by this process, it seems the phone call might have taken few minutes which were true, but then what has caused the delay? Official said the absence of boats within a stretch of seven km caused the delay and out of the Srinagar district there are no boats even after travelling 40 sq km.
Due to this problem we are unable to fish out the body at the earliest.
"Due to this problem we are unable to fish out the body at the earliest. Had the boats with rescue team being placed at these place, the drowned bodies could have been found easily without any delay," said a senior official in the river police, who wished to remain anonymous.
When asked In charge of the river police, Syed Nisar said that he has taken over the department only two months ago besides he is not an expert to comment on the issue.
"But what I know is whenever we get any information, we do send boats immediately," said Nisar .
Last year, the then in charge of river police, Dr Vinod Kaul had felt the need of equipments and had written to higher ups asking for more equipment, which the current in charge accepted however he feigned ignorance what has happened to that proposal.
The presence of one boat of the rescue team in North Kashmir is not enough as well? According to river police officials, the rescue boat stationed there is insufficient to cover the entire belt. The boat placed there is a 75 horsepower boat, which cannot be moved easily if, for example, a drowning incident occurs in Handawara or Kupwara district or in Bandipora where Wular is located. In these cases, a boat of 25 horse power with rescue team is transported from Srinagar. This process almost takes a day. And in case they fail to recover the body, help is sought from the other departments like the Indian Navy, Lakes and Water Development Authority, tourism and fire and emergency department depending upon their availability and severity of the situation.
Officials said if the rescue team is present at a distance less than 2 sq km, it could not avoid the delay but probably save life as well. In May 2011, the presence of rescue team at a distance nearer to the drowning spot saved about 15 persons in world famous Dal Lake. The drowning was caused by the heavy wind storm.
"It was possible because we were present at the time of incident. Had we not been here, we would have later recovered their dead bodies from the Lake," recalled an official who was part of the rescue team.
The concerned rescue officials said the government should station a rescue boat at different places to avoid delay. The presence of the rescue boats after every 3 sq km in Kashmir water bodies will turn to be handy, one in case of drowning, two to rescue people at times of flood alerts. In the devastating floods of September 2014 in which about 300 people died and destruction worth Rs One crore Indian Rupees (about one lakh British Pounds) was witnessed, the absence of rescue boats left people under 15 feet water unattended. Well a disaster is an opportunity to learn how to avoid them in future. But in case of IAK it remains to be seen how it gears up to retrieve the drowned bodies early which cause a delay in their funerals.


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Consolation of Our Hearts
February 5th is the anniversary of the passing of my three-year-old son, David Cary, into eternal life.
From the death of that beloved youth due to his separation from you the utmost sorrow and grief has been occasioned, for he flew away in the flower of his age and the bloom of his youth, to the heavenly nest.
But as he has been freed from this sorrow-stricken shelter and has turned his face toward the everlasting nest of the Kingdom and has been delivered from a dark and narrow world and has hastened to the sanctified realm of Light, therein lies the consolation of our hearts.
The inscrutable divine wisdom underlies such heartrending occurrences. It is as if a kind gardener transfers a fresh and tender shrub from a narrow place to a vast region. This transference is not the cause of the withering, the waning or the destruction of that shrub, nay rather it makes it grow and thrive, acquire freshness and delicacy and attain verdure and fruition. This hidden secret is well-known to the gardener, while those souls who are unaware of this bounty suppose that the gardener in his anger and wrath has uprooted the shrub. But to those who are aware this concealed fact is manifest and this predestined decree considered a favor. Do not feel grieved and disconsolate therefore at the ascension of that bird of faithfulness, nay under all circumstances pray and beg for that youth forgiveness and elevation of station.
I hope that you will attain to the utmost patience, composure and resignation, and I supplicate and entreat at the Threshold of Oneness and beg pardon and forgiveness. My hope from the infinite bounties of God is that He may cause this dove of the garden of faith to abide on the branch of the Supreme Concourse that it may sing in the best of tunes the praises and the excellencies of the Lord of names and attributes.
— 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 199
Excerpts from a recent email.
. . . I have thought of your words and your David all day long. I have to admit that I had been on your site several times to look at some pictures of David that I had found.When I first saw the pictures of sadness I wept openly. I have tucked away David's images into my heart.
I responded: There are also pictures of David on the page that are innocent, joyous, and even transcendent. The page is programmed to display the images in each group in random order. Each group represents a year of his life.
The last picture of David taken before his final five-week hospital stay shows him bathed in light and waving goodbye. It's not a special-effect or camera trick. That's the way he actually looked – bathed in light.
During David's final hospital stay he was in and out of a coma but was always conscious and aware when I was at his bedside. One of the images shows him grasping a picture with his hand leaning against a large stuffed lion. The picture was an image of 'Abdul-Bahá. For the entire five weeks he never let go of it. David died grasping it tightly and that picture is now in my wallet and has been for all these years.
Though one of the poems about him says "I never recovered from grief" I actually did recover soon but in a metaphysical way. I never stopped missing him would be more accurate. The poem also recounts a vision that I saw at the moment of his passing. That's what literally occurred and what I saw. The poems were written more than ten years ago and recounted much older memories and not the way I had grown to feel.
The pictures "After the Vision" and "After the Passing" were taken a few hours before David moved on. Note the quotations that go along with them. They are also a comfort.
The backgrounds on David's biography pages are black not to represent grief but because they make the image colors appear richer by contrast.
God recompensed me with two beautiful healthy sons and one grandson (to date). Here's a recent snapshot of my grandson, Alex, and his dad, Nick.
A beautiful book about the passing of a child: A Child of Tender Years by Joyce M. Jackson is a story of a child's journey from birth until age 14. "But it is also a journey for his mother as she watches him grow, learns with him…and from him. It is a story about sacrifice and letting go, of being completely reliant on God and radiantly acquiescing to all that He asks of us. It is a story about faith." In this book you'll also find the story of the Divine Gardener.

subset: commoncrawl


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In the excerpts below Rev. Gail Irwin shares from her own experiences about how singing binds and heals wounds. To read more of this post, and to learn more about Rev. Irwin's work with congregations facing death and resurrection, you can follow her blog here.
But my view of the traditional church coir has changed over the years. One time, I watched a song leader, without any written words, notes or accompaniment, teach a room full of people to sing a simple hymn in parts. The effect was electrifying. I have sung improvisational jazz in groups, never sure exactly what note might come out next, or who it will come from. I have even been in a "tunnel hum", standing shoulder to shoulder with wanna-be druids and aging hippies, humming placidly until we all found a common, harmonic drone. I've learned there are a lot of different ways to make sound together, but what really makes it groove is when everyone is engaged in the making of it!
One of the changes we're seeing in churches today is the decline of the church choir. This article documents how church choirs, including some of those large, contemporary ones, are on the wane. Choral directors, pipe organs and sheet music are costly in a church that may not even have enough money to pay the pastor.
Since many people like me learned how to read music by singing hymns, we may be losing a vital place for music education, as well as the potential for those unique spiritual friendships built in the choir loft.
Some churches are holding fast to their choral traditions, and I am hopeful that, if they are flexible and resilient, people who love music will return to find the joy in group singing. Other churches are expanding their idea of sacred singing to include choral flash mobs like this one, Taize worship, "threshold choirs" that sing to the terminally ill, or simply a renewed emphasis on robust congregational singing.
Without music, worship will lose its vitality and without that one place in society where people gather to sing, our communities will lose some of the glue that binds them together . . .


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As a result of his decision to plunk Bryce Harper in the back and then speak extremely honestly about doing so on purpose, Phillies ace Cole Hamels received a five-game suspension from Major League Baseball.
Is five games enough for Hamels self-described "old-school" message to Harper? Well, Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who's so old-school that it's unlikely he had electricity at the school, certainly doesn't think so, and said on Tuesday that Hamels suspension was "too light."
"I think five games is way too light," Leyland said, via the Detroit News. "Personally, if I was making that vote, it would be a 15-game suspension -- at least."
Perhaps part of Leyland's logic on his preference for a longer suspension involves the fact that Hamels won't really miss any time as a result of the suspension. Five games for a position player is a pretty big notice from the commissioner's office. Five games for a pitcher? That's just bumping back his start.
Either way, it's certainly not something personal with Leyland.
"I don't know Cole Hamels, so I certainly don't have any qualms with Cole Hamels. I don't know the man. I know he's a very good pitcher, a very talented guy," Leyland said. "If my pitcher went out and, almost in a braggadocious way, talked about hitting a guy and that 'I did it on purpose.' [A five-game suspension] is not enough. There's no way."
First of all, big ups to Leyland for slinging "braggadocious" around. That old school he went to must have been nice.
But 15 games? Come on dude. A five-game suspension for a position player is 3.09 percent of that player's season, provided said player is going to get 162 games. 15 games for a pitcher though? That's basically the equivalent of three starts. Hamels has averaged exactly 30 starts per year in his career, which means that MLB would be hacking off 10 percent of his season by giving him a 15-game suspension.
"You know, we're always talking about our game being cleaned up and doing the right things for our game in all areas," Leyland said. "And I'm 100 percent for that. But this is a perfect time to show that we mean business."
"It becomes a joke. Let's tell it like it is."
Strong words from Leyland. But they're surprising -- he won a World Series title before Hamels even got his learner's permit, so it's not like this is the first time he's seen a batter plunked. And additionally, does he really think that Hamels deserves more than double the suspension of Tigers players Delmon Young and Miguel Cabrera -- suspended a total of seven games for arrests stemming from a hate crime and a DUI, respectively -- combined?
On the bright side, at least we can cross the Tigers (along with the Nats!) off the list of teams that Hamels might want to play for if he becomes a free agent this summer.


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BANGALORE: The latest Residex, the residential property price index released by the National Housing Bank (NHB) shows that while home prices are in general witnessing an upward movement, the prices in several Tier-II and III cities during the October-December quarter have seen an increase of the same levels as metropolitan markets or even greater.
Nagpur has seen the maximum price rise of 8 per cent as compared to the preceding quarter, followed by Guwahati at 7.4 per cent, Pune at 7.3 per cent, Surat at 6.2 per cent and Ahmedabad at 3.1 per cent. Other notables include state capitals Patna at 6 per cent, Bhubaneswar at 4.7 per cent, Bhopal at 1.4 per cent, with Raipur and Dehradun hovering around the same levels. Contrast with the 3.2 per cent in Delhi, or the stagnant levels in Mumbai.
One factor driving the growth in these cities is the increased levels of economic activity. Industries are battling increased real estate costs in metro cities and wherever comparable quality was available at lower costs, they moved. This is particularly true for Pune that hosts the IT industry.
"Saturation of Tier I cities has necessitated the growth of Tier II and III cities which is supported by talent pool, sizeable and cheaper land and real estate options, relatively lower operating costs and conducive business environments. Prominent Tier II and III cities such as Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Surat, Chandigarh, Vadodara, Indore, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Bhopal, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Kochi to name a few are witnessing increased interest by investors, particularly in the residential real estate market," says Shveta Jain, Executive Director, Residential Services, Cushman & Wakefield India.
Jain lists crucial factors such as increased cosmopolitan population, increasing employment opportunities and improvement in infrastructure that have attracted investor interest. "Also, since Tier II and III cities offer investment options that are relatively cheaper than Tier I cities, individuals with limited risk appetite and investment size may opt for diversifying their investment portfolio." In fact, Chandigarh, which is a Tier-III city is home to several IT companies, and has also led to the emergence of two satellite cities — Mohali in Punjab, and Panchkula in Haryana — that are now the new centres of investment.
Proximity to growth centres has generally seen a spurt in real estate activity. "A few Tier II and III cities have shown a spurt in both new launches and absorption in the last two years eg Bhiwadi and Vadodara. This growth has been fuelled by new employment generation. Investor interest in these cities is due to their proximity to well established cities of Gurgaon and Ahmedabad respectively, where the property prices have reached a high," says Samir Jasuja,


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The Worship Team meets quarterly to gather congregational input on worship for the upcoming season. If you would like to share your thoughts on worship, please join us for an engaging Saturday morning session. Dates and times of each meeting will be posted here.
The Worship Team council representatives are Donna Torgerson and Jack Gerhardt.
Upcoming Meeting: January 6th at 9am in the Laurel Lounge


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I am very pleased with the service that I received in refinancing my mortgage. You were a great team in making the process go smoothly. I have been shopping around for several months and you were able to deliver the most competitive rate and closing costs. You were upfront and honest with the information you provided. Had I known your company earlier, I would have closed months sooner. I would definitely recommend your team to anyone I know who is looking for a new mortgage or refinancing.
J Barlan
My experience in refinancing with Gateway capital was smooth and easy in a very turbulent and difficult credit environment. I would recommend them to anyone interested in obtaining a new mortgage or refinancing. I wish Nevene and Mike Tadros all the best in the future.
"Working with Gateway Capital was a pleasure. They made the tedious process of refinancing my home mortgage simple and even fun. The Re-fi was definitely worth the effort. Before I chose Gateway, I shopped every bank and mortgage broker in Tampa, online, and throughout the country. Gateway had (by far) the best rates. They were professional and courteous (even to my husband!) and were not put off by my unusual demands. I recommend Gateway to all my friends and will use them again in the near future.
I just want to tell you how great it was to work with you on our first transaction involving Mr. McRae. I appreciated the fact that you had begun working with Mr. McRae even before he made the offer on his new condo – I think he felt more comfortable being qualified and having your support throughout the whole process.. On my end,it was very helpful that you kept me informed every step of the way; I felt confident from the beginning that you were working on Mr. McRae's behalf. I have to say we were both very fortunate to work with someone as outstanding – what a great guy! I would highly recommend you personally, Shannon, as well as Gateway Capital Mortgage to any future clients and have added you to my Preferred Lender List. Again, thank you for all your efforts!
L. Lowe
In the past, I have always worked face to face with a mortgage broker so I was a bit concerned when Gateway Capital, a company I had never done business with before (and located 300 miles from me) became the front runner for our loan. Yet, your friendly persistence and knowledge of the bond and mortgage business won me over. I am confident I received the best rate at a very reasonable closing cost. I would recommend you guys to anyone.
Tom A.
Shannon O'Brien was recommended to me when I wanted to refinance my home. I was very pleased with his service and the whole refinance went smoothly. Shannon was very thorough in explaining the process to me, returned my phone calls promptly and followed through to complete the small details of my closing. I appreciated the way he was respectful of my time and would recommend him to anyone.
As first time homebuyers we had no idea what was involved in buying a house. You both made the whole process a simple one for us, and we appreciate you walking us through everything and holding our hands through the process. It was nice dealing with someone that was completely honest with us about everything as well as dealing with someone that was willing to go an extra mile to help us out when we needed it the most. Although we were stubborn about certain things, you stuck with us, and we really appreciate how things turned out. We love our new home, and once again, we're very thankful for you making the entire learning process a little bit easier for us!
It was a pleasure working with Gateway on the refinancing of my home in River Forest. You were relentless in procuring the lowest rate for me. You were great in the follow up through the closing date. I thank you both very much and will recommend your team to any one I run across that is interested in a refinance or new mortgage.
Thanks so much for helping me get my home refinanced, you did a great job at getting me a good rate with low closing costs. You were very honest and diligent at getting everything done quickly and professionally and you were never pushy like some of the other companys that I had spoken to. Thanks for being so patient with me at getting all of the paperwork together. I am not the most organized person. You were great and I will refer Gateway Capital to anyone I hear talking about refinancing or getting a new mortgage loan.
As of Wed., April 30, 2008, Jerome and I are now owners of a beautiful 4bd, 2ba, Ranch home in Dolton, IL, thanks to both of you and your diligence, dedication, and professionalism in helping us obtain our mortgage. We truly appreciate your diligence in staying on us to get the necessary documents to Gateway Mortgage in order to get this deal done. Even through some delayed time schedules (the title company issue), no fault of our own or Gateway's, you managed to get us closed before the actual closing date, which should have been May 8, 2008. We are asking God to bless the future success of Gateway Mortgage. May you be prosperous with Gateway because of your demonstration of integrity. The two of you rock! You make a dynamite team at Gateway Mortgage, and through our real estate investment company, SaveAll Investors, Inc., we hope to obtain more mortgages through Gateway in the future.
Everything went smoothly. We are due to get the check next Tuesday. The title company was prepared and our agent was knowledgable, personable, and helpful. Thank you very much to you and Michael. I will refer you to anyone that I hear of needing a mortgage.
Best regards,
J. Jurs
My husband and I were the proverbial "babes in the woods" when we went looking for financing to purchase my late father's home from his estate. Between your straight -forward and honest openness about our credit scores, assets and financial status and your dogged determination to see the deal through despite unforeseeable and sometimes heart wrenching delays beyond our control, our dreams were realized on April 7th. Now the home my parents spent their last loving years in will remain in our family and be passed through the generations along with their memories. We cannot begin to thank you enough for all your diligence and patience through this often nerve-wracking time. As I told my friends, getting married was much easier, less paper work and a huge party at the end! But, it has been well worth it, after all. You were there to keep us up dated on progress of each tiny step forward, and to answer our silly questions, too. We don't plan on moving again soon, but if we should need to, we will call you first thing! Take care,
P. Hendrickson
THANK YOU Gateway Capital-
I could not ask for better people to be on my side! The WHOLE team went above and beyond getting our loan done. First they got us a GREAT rate on a house and right before we were supposed to close, the deal fell through on the seller's end- needless to say we were stunned and frustrated and had to start ALL over again finding a new home- We could not have done it without Gateway taking care of us yet again from start to finish- not only did they lend support while we kept on the hunt but they did everything possible to make the transition to a new loan and home stress-free. We STILL got a great rate and the second house was even better than the first and with all of the little things that can drive you nuts about buying a home, Gateway was one of the only things I KNEW I could count on that would be done right! PLUS, once we found our home, we wanted to close in 18 days, no one thought it could be done, but you gave us the "no problem" and here we are! I cannot thank Gateway enough for keeping me sane through it all. I will definitely tell ALL of my friends and family who to use next time they want to buy a home or refinance, and I know we'll be talking with you guys again in years to come anytime we plan our own refinance! THANK YOU GATEWAY CAPITAL!!!
K. Sindowski
The closing went without a hitch and when we left there I had to hussle to work. I just got to my desk and wanted to send this email. The closer was very nice and it was completed in 35 minutes. No surprises. I personally want to thank Gateway for all that you did for this to happen. Things were hectic and there were some surprises that I had but you guys hung with us and it went well. If there is ever anything that I can do for you please just let me know. It was refreshing to work with the both of you.
T. Yehl
It was a pleasure doing business with everyone at Gateway Capital Mortgage last month. I needed to refinance my house to get rid of some debts and everyone at Gateway was patient and helpful. The rates were very competitive, but closing costs were the lowest I could find. I appreciate the help from Gateway and will highly recommend you to anyone I know looking to refinance or get a new mortgage.
R. Nauman
"I recently refinanced thru Gateway Capital. I found the Gateway team to be entirely professional. They got me the best rate available and delivered what they promised. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to refinance".
P. Wright
This is my second time doing business with Gateway Capital. After applying online I was promptly contacted by one of the mortgage professionals. From there we discussed my purchase along with my long and short term financial goals to find the mortgage that would best suite my needs. There correspondence with myself and attorneys was second to none. I really appreciated the follow up phone call to see that everything went well at the closing. Thanks again Gateway Capital for making everything go smooth.
D. Pettigrew
Third time the charmer, Not really, the first 3 house closings that I have had in purchasing homes all had one or more problems that threatened the closing. Two were caused by the lender giving wrong numbers to the title co, the third had to be canceled twice and finally closed on the third go around due to the other lawyer. The fourth closing turned out to be the charmer. The first time I called I informed them that I was looking for a mortgage but I needed to close in 22 days. Gateway Capital Mortgage were terrific. Not only did I receive telephone calls up dating me on what was happening, I had numerous e-mails notifying me what was going on and what information they needed from me. They were in contact not only with my lawyer but also with the seller's lawyer, and everyone connected to the closing, and they made sure that everyone was up to speed. The closing took about 45 mins and everyone walked away happy. Needless to say if I ever do another closing the first people I would think of would be Gateway Capital Mortgage. I almost forgot, the interest rate I received was one of the lowest advertised by any mortgage company online.
J. Foley
I received the final closing check today, and wanted to thank you both for helping us through the refi process. My net costs turned out to be actually less than your estimates, which was great. I'm always apprehensive and wary doing business over the internet, but you both made this refinance as painless as possible. I'll try to track you down next time I buy a house or refi.
All closed, yeah. Thanks Chris for all your help. You helped us get an outstanding rate, and you and you team did a great job with getting our close done. Especially when we shorten the close date by a week.
We will certainly pass your name along to anyone we know looking to buy or re-finance.
James S.
Thank you Chris and Julie –
As it was in the past and as expected, we truly appreciate all you do and did for us through this refinance and the original financing. You both make the process so simple and easy for us!
One quick note on Freedom Mortgage. I received a phone call late afternoon on Friday from the Vice President of Sales at Freedom Mortgage urging me to quickly call him back regarding our loan. Of course I knew the reason why, but I did not get a chance until early evening to go home, thus when all snakes retreat to their dens. I clearly explained that if the call is to try to salvage the mortgage they lost, tht there is no reason to call me back as we are gladly moving onto a more caring and trustworthy company with our refinance.
Just wanted you to know that they are still trying to stab you in the back, but it won't work on us.
Have a great day and we look forward to contacting you with all of our future mortgage needs.
Rob and Diana
Good morning Jill, Nevene and Michael,
Jeff and I would to take a moment to thank you for all of your help, in making our home buying process so simple. Generally speaking the mortgage part of the process is the most difficult, however this was truly not the case for us, thanks to everyone's knowledge and thoroughness. Your patience, professionalism and helpfulness were much appreciated. Time and time again you all exceeded all of our expectations and there will be no hesitation recommending GWC to our friends and family.
Thanks again,
Jeff and Tammi
Michael and his team were a pleasure to work with. They beat the best rates I found through search engines and services. They beat my realtor's expectations on closing despite the very recent new rules that caused closing problems with other lenders. When there were issues and questions, Michael made himself available despite the holidays, by mobile, from vacation. Even with last minute changes on closing dates and power of attorney, his team and his lender made it all happen on time and under budget.
Jeff A, Ocoee, FL
It has been really busy for me after closing, moving, work, holidays and mother was so sick at home. I would like to thank you again I've been telling everybody family and friend co workers about the awsome job you did. you PROMISED and you DELIVERED.
I am still in the process of moving, will definitely stay in touch.
I would definitely recommend you to everyone, I am confident that you will take care of them.
Thank you
Nervine N.
We recently closed on a home mortgage refinance with the help from Chris Rezk. We worked with Chris in the past so this was a no-brainer to return for his help. If there were any questions or concerns from us, Chris would always respond in a professional and timely manner. With his assistance the process from start-to-finish took just under five weeks ! If we ever have a need for mortgage guidance in the future, without hesitation, we'll contact Chris.
Chris, thanks again from two very satisfied clients.
Lary & Denise M.


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Rochelle Behrens, an ex-lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie, did mind the gap.
As a professional woman and now a fashion designer, Behrens wanted to address the "gape," which is her term for that special gap that appears at the summit of the bosom area on a button-down shirt. The "gape gap" shows off a woman's, um, décolletage and can be very revealing indeed.
Behrens thought and thought and obsessed over the button-down gape-gap and finally created a flash-free shirt, which she appropriately enough dubbed: The Shirt.
It is also seriously expensive. If you buy it in stores, The Shirt can set you back anywhere from $132 to $198.
But take heart, gape-gap sufferers on a budget. Behrens has taken to Kickstarter to raise money to make a more affordable gape-gap-free shirt ($60 to $75 each). And just like a public-radio pledge drive, Behrens and Co. will be giving out "thank you" gifts at the various giving levels.


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Read more >
Waste Treatment Center
(won the 'excellence in building' 2008 Israel)
Ben Gurion International Airport
The building began operating early on 2009 as part of the airport's new environmental approach towards the recycling and treatment of solid & liquid waste. The waste treatment center is designed as a literal translation of it's program – a bridge leads the waste truck to the upper floor where the plan dimensions allow it to turn around and pour the it's contents, via a hole in the floor, into containers that crush the waste on the lower floor.
After the waste is reduced to minimal dimensions it is ready for removal to dump sites.
Photographs by Amit Geron.


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I have decided to resume doing this blog stuff again, but at a different site. This specific blog will always exist, but this is the last post here for sure.
Don't you hate when it's been so long since logging on that the new interface confuses you?7 05 2010
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : General
Steak good….19 01 2010
Most people that know me (and I mean really know me, not just say "Hey, I know that guy!") are aware of my love/hate relationship with food. While I do enjoy eating tasty food products, I also hate having to take time out of my day to eat.
Perhaps that's not the best way to describe it; I like to eat food, but I hate having to spend time (and money) trying to decide what to eat. Along with that, there is the whole idea of "what is good for me?"
Back in the day, this wasn't an issue. People were glad just to have food and not starve to death. This is still the case in some parts of the world.
Since I don't live in those parts of the world, I have choices to make. These choices really irk me the wrong way (The spell check didn't think "irk" was NOT a word, so I'm going with it).
For example, I recently read this article, about how vegetarians are ignorant that their own dietary lifestyle is killing them. I'm sure I could do a little more research and find an article (or 4,239 articles) about how eating meat is bad.
How am I supposed to make an informed decision if nobody knows what's up? Right now I am believing that eating more meat is good for you, as humans evolved eating bison and mastodons (or so those silly paleontologists want you to think). It makes sense to me that most vegetables are not meant to be eaten and digested by anything other then strict herbivores like cows, sheep, and the like.
I think fruits are still okay to eat, as they would have been part of the foraging diet our hairy ancestors (more hairy then me) would have nom'ed on from time to time.
What does this all mean? Am I going on some kind of Caveman/Paleo-Diet? Probably not. I still have way to many tubs of hummus, clam shells of cucumbers, jars of Greek peppers, and bags of pitas to eat right now.
What do YOU, the reader think of this nutritional nonsense? Is meat bad for you? Are soybeans going to give us cancer?
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Food, Relevant Issues
Of all the dumb crap to happen…9 10 2009
It seems that I was unable to edit or post anything on this site because I had a link to some gold buying websites. I wasn't trying to make money, just link to the sites I was writing about. Now that I broke those hyperlinks, I can resume blogging.
Also, it was not those violations of WordPress user agreements that has kept me from writing anything, it's the long dreary summer I was going through.
Remember how I was going through the teacher credentialing program? Last March I had to abandon that idea due to circumstances beyond my control. Maybe they were not totally beyond my control, but either way the idea of me being any sort of legitimate school teacher is out of the question for now.
I spent nearly five months looking for work. Any work. Janitor, errand boy, pizza guy, etc. Nobody was hiring. I had a few promising interviews, but with so many people looking for jobs there was always somebody more qualified. I'm not talking about interviews for janitor or pizza guy, but serious grown-up jobs that I am somehow capable of doing.
On top of the unemployment, I was dealing with some issues that only one of them expensive therapists could handle. Issues mostly relating to my inability to perform as a teacher, something which I had spent the last 5 years of my life preparing for. I was under the impression that I was a useless human being, a failure at life, etc.
Anyway, now that the worst is behind me, I feel much better about life again. I have been substitute teaching in Coalinga (yes, that little town 70 miles from Fresno), and Corinne and I are preparing to move into a new apartment. This apartment is bigger then our house, and the rent is $600 cheaper then our mortgage payment.
Take that faulty real estate market!
I'm not sure if there will be regular posts, weekly posts, or anything at all for that matter. Maybe life isn't as fun as it used to be. Nobody want's to hear about how I came home from work, had dinner, and went to bed at 8pm so I can get by 5am. I know I wouldn't want to hear about that sort of dreary existence.
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : Relevant Issues, School, Work
Me v. Man v. Food16 04 2009
I was watching Man v. Food last night, specifically the episode where he eats and drinks his way through San Jose.
One challenge was at SmokeEaters Hot Wings. Details inside.
I'm pretty sure I can handle that challenge. In fact, I plan to.
The way I see it, he screwed himself when he got the sauce all over his face and hands. Watch the episode, you'll see what I mean.
This isn't something I can just walk up to though. It will require a few weeks of training.
To prepare, I went and got some "hot" salsa. It claims to have three kinds of peppers in it. Whatever.
I added Dat'l Do-it Habanero Heat Wave, Dave's Insanity Sauce, El Yucoteco, Mad Anthony's, and another secret ingredient.
Love. I added Love.
I was considering grinding up some habanero peppers into a paste and adding it to the salsa, but that will be phase two. Phase three involves me gargling with said raw habanero paste and holding it for five minutes.
Yes, I ate some of the salsa already. No, I don't feel well at all.
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : Food, Hot Sauce, Travel
Fresno TEA bagging15 04 2009
There was a TEA party in Fresno today, at the SaveMart parking lot. I drove past it as I was leaving campus.
I was on campus to get a TB skin test, which I need to work for any school district, by the way.
I don't get why people are so against paying taxes. If the government wants to take a few more dollars out of every paycheck to make things better, that's great.
I don't feel as though I'm taxed so heavily right now that a few more dollars is going to make a difference. In fact, from what I've noticed, I generally get a hefty tax refund back every year. I look forward to it.
The only tax that actually bothers me is the recent hike in cigarette prices. Over $6 for a pack? That's crazy.
Paying an extra few bucks every now and then for the good of the nation? That sounds like a good idea.
It seems as though the TEA parties were organized by conservatives to protest rising taxes. The Right is SO American that they are rebelling against taxation, just like the Founding Fathers did back in the day.
Next thing you know they will be slaughtering Native Americans and buying African slaves just because they can.
I mean, fuck, man. It's just a few dollars.
It's not like there is any sort of law that requires us to pay taxes.
Oh crap…never mind.
Comments : 4 Comments »
Categories : Fresno, Relevant Issues
Reverend Minias26 03 2009
For at least 20 minutes, Reverend Minias was stationed behind his pulpit. He was ranting and raving about eternal Hellfire, the condemnation of sinners, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the roads that were paved with gold in Heaven. This was nothing unusual for this particular preacher, and he had given many similar sermons on many similar Sundays.
His congregation was the usual bunch; those that came every Sunday, those that came every now and then, and those that only showed up on holidays. Today was a holiday, Easter Sunday to be exact. Among those in the pews were children, adults, elderly individuals, and everything in between.
Towards the back of the Church a young couple was having a private conversation via electronic wireless methods Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Home Planet, Tales of Stories!
The Pitsword Trunk19 03 2009
What was nice about being an Interior Communications Electrician is the amount of time I got to spend in clean, comfortable, air conditioned spaces throughout the ship.
Except for those times when I found myself in spaces that were dirty and hazardous to one's health…which was most of the places we worked in, now that I think about it.
One place in particular I came to loath was the Electromagnetic Underwater Log Rodmeter Compartment, more commonly known (by us, at least) as the Pitsword Trunk.
It was an unusual space, about 4 feet by 4 feet by 15 feet. At the top was a hatch, which weighed about as much as a small humanoid (think Verne Troyer), which needed be kept closed at all times (except when somebody was in there working). You would climb a ladder down about 6 feet, and step onto a narrow, slimy shelf. From there, there was another ladder which went down to the bottom, which was generally covered by about a foot of seawater.
What was the purpose of this room? Glad you asked. Check this out.
Sounds high tech, doesn't it? Don't get the wrong impression. Until VERY recently, most military equipment Read the rest of this entry »
Comments : 11 Comments »
Categories : Military, Tales of Stories!, Work


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When it comes to picture and sound, the movie theatre offers an amazing experience we just don't get at home. That's usually the reason people pay to go to the movies, even though renting a movie is cheaper. There are a few main components that make watching TV and going to the movies very different.
One of the biggest differences is the sound experience. When you go to see a movie in a quality movie theatre, you'll hear the music, sound effects and dialogue not just from the screen, but all around you. A standard movie theatre has three speakers behind the screen -- one to the right, one to the left and one in the centre, and several other speakers spread out in the rest of the theatre. In this surround sound system, you hear different parts of the soundtrack coming from different places. When somebody on the left side of the screen says something, you hear it more from the left speaker. And in a movie like "Star Wars," you hear a rumbling swoosh travel from the front of the theatre to the rear as a spaceship flies toward the camera and off the screen. You are more involved in the experience of watching a film because the world of the movie is all around you.
The second chief component of the theatre experience is the large size of the movie screen. In a theatre, the screen takes up most of your field of view, which makes it very easy to lose yourself in the movie. After all, you're sitting in the dark with only one thing to look at, and everything you're looking at seems much bigger than life.
We also enjoy going to the movies because we can see everything so well. Film projectors present very large, clear pictures. The detail is much sharper than what we see on an ordinary 21-inch television, and the movement is much more fluid. We may not consciously recognize this, but it does make a significant difference in how we enjoy a movie. When we can see more detail, we are more engrossed in the world of the movie.
Film projectors
The basic idea of a home theatre is to recreate these elements with home equipment.


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To Report a Dangerous Situation of any kind: Dial 9-1-1.
Floating debris or other hazard: Marine Police: (256) 329-2268 or 1-800-432-7389
Invasive Aquatic Plants (Hydrilla, etc.): (205) 257-2393 or on-line at https://apcshorelines.com/aquatic/
Underwater Hazards: Marine Police: (256) 329-2268 or 1-800-432-7389
Gas or Oil Spills: ADEM Montgomery Branch Field office (334) 260-2700 during normal business hours or 1-800-843-0699 (Alabama State Warning Point)
Abandoned or Sunken Boat: Marine Police: (256) 329-2268 or 1-800-432-7389
Fish kills: ADEM Montgomery Branch Field office (334) 260-2700 during normal business hours or 1-800-843-0699 (Alabama State Warning Point)
Damaged storm drains or other hazards resulting in runoff into streams: Tallapoosa County Engineering/Highway Department: (256) 825-6264
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management maintains a list of all field offices with phone numbers and links for reporting oil and hazardous material and fish kills. http://adem.state.al.us/MoreInfo/emergencyResponse.cnt
Direct Link to Submit a Complaint directly to ADEM related to pollution (can by done anonymously and you can submit images): http://app.adem.alabama.gov/complaints/submission.aspx
Alabama Power Company maintains a website with information on permits for construction, modifying or improving structures or facilities on land around the lake and for best management practices to minimize erosion. http://apcshorelines.com/pdfs/Shoreline_bmp.pdf
The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee provides on-line handbooks and other information on erosion and sediment control. http://swcc.alabama.gov/pages/erosion_control.aspx?sm=b_b


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SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team will conclude its eight-game homestand with a three-game series against Utah Valley this weekend at John Smith Field.
The Hornets (4-4) will meet the Wolverines (4-5) at 2 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Sacramento State will start RHP Ty Nichols (0-1, 6.75) in the first game while RHP Brennan Leitao (1-0, 3.00) will go in the second game. RHP Zach Morgan (0-1, 12.00) will close out the series on Sunday. Utah Valley will counter with RHP Adam Gunn (1-1, 4.00) on Friday, RHP Blake Krahenbuhl (0-1, 8.53) on Saturday and RHP Devin Nelson (0-0, 1.93) on Sunday.
* A full set of PDF game notes are available via the link above the photo.
Links for live stats and an online radio broadcast of each game can be found on the baseball schedule at www.hornetsports.com.
Team BA: .253 Team ERA: 3.73 Errors: 6
All-Time Series: The Hornets are 11-8 against Utah Valley since joining Div. I (1990+).
Recently: Sacramento State has won three of its last four games, including a, 4-1, Tuesday victory over Nevada that saw four Hornet pitchers allow just one unearned run on five hits.
Team BA: .245 Team ERA: 4.85 Errors: 13
Friday SP: RHP Adam Gunn (1-1, 4.00)
Saturday SP: RHP Blake Krahenbuhl (0-1, 8.53)
Sunday SP: RHP Devin Nelson (0-0, 1.93)
Recently: The Wolverines took 2-of-3 from Portland last weekend and split with No. 10 Arizona in two midweek games.
Sacramento State split a four-game series with UC Riverside at home last weekend before defeating Nevada, 4-1, on Tuesday. In those five games, redshirt freshman C Dane Fujinaka hit .375 with a double and two RBIs while OF David Del Grande hit .333 with a team-best six runs scored. SS Scotty Burcham posted a team-high four RBIs in that stretch. Reliever Brandon Creel made three appearances over the last five games and allowed just one unearned run on four hits in five innings with two strikeouts.
Sacramento State dropped a three-game series at Utah Valley last season, 2-1. The Hornets crushed the Wolverines, 13-3, in the opening game but lost 10-6 in the second game and 13-8 in the third game. Rhys Hoskins mashed in the series, hitting .533 (8-for-15) with two home runs, two doubles, eight runs and a team-best eight RBIs. Brennan Leitao allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 12 hits in 5.1 innings in his start while Ty Nichols surrendered six runs on five hits in 3.1 innings in his start. Both took a loss.
After going hitless in his first collegiate series at Texas, redshirt freshman C Dane Fujinaka hit a team-best .385 in the four-game UC Riverside series last weekend and went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a double against Nevada on Tuesday. The Aiea, Hawaii native has a five game hitting streak going into the Utah Valley series, the longest active streak on the team.
After being removed during the first game of the UC Riverside series last weekend, Andrew Ayers will be back in the mix at second base for the Hornets this weekend against Utah Valley. Ayers missed four games while serving a NCAA mandated suspension when a player is ejected for fighting. 2B Scott Loper hit .286 in four games with two RBIs in Ayers' place.
Sacramento State is out-scoring opponents 10-2 in the eighth and ninth innings, combined, this year. The Hornets posted five runs in the eighth inning at Texas in the season opener but came one run short of the comeback, falling 6-5. In the first game of last Saturday's doubleheader against UC Riverside, Scotty Burcham dropped down a walk-off squeeze bunt in the ninth for a 4-3 win. The Hornets nearly walked off again, but scored only two runs in 7-6 loss to to the Highlanders in the second game of the doubleheader.
The Hornets have made six errors through their first eight games, a little off by their lofty standards. Sacramento State set a new school record and ranked No. 5 in the nation with a .979 fielding percentage last year. The Hornets had the No. 1 mark in the NCAA for four straight weeks earlier in the season. The Hornets made just 47 errors in 59 games. Head coach Reggie Christiansen led Sacramento State to its third-best fielding percentage in program history in 2011 at .969.
The Hornets continued to hit extra base hits at a high level to start the 2013 season, with seven doubles through their first eight games. 1B Rhys Hoskins has a team-high three doubles. Sacramento State had 122 doubles in 59 games last season, good for No. 21 in the NCAA. The Hornets tallied at least one double in all but seven games and hit 3-or-more on 16 occassions. Sacramento State had a season-high seven doubles (out of 10 total hits) in a game at UC Riverside last season. The Hornets hit at least one double in 23 of the last 24 games and tallied 10 doubles in four games at the WAC Tournament.
The Hornets are hitting just .253 through the first eight games of the season but, based on last year's numbers, that is probably not going to be the trend. Last year, the Hornets had eight regular starters hit .270 or better, with five players hitting over .300. The Hornets batted .298 as a team and finished strong, with 10+ hits in 20 of their last 24 games. In four games at the WAC Tournament, Sacramento State scored 32 runs on a whopping 60 hits. In 2011, Sacramento State had just one regular starter who hit over .270 and none break .300.
July 30, 2013 TEN SPOTS OPENED FOR BASEBALL PROSPECT CAMP
July 25, 2013 THREE BASEBALL PLAYERS EARN SUMMER LEAGUE ALL-STAR NODS
June 27, 2013 BASEBALL WELL REPRESENTED IN SUMMER COLLEGIATE LEAGUES
June 26, 2013 FOURTEEN HORNETS NAMED TO WAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
June 10, 2013 McLOUGHLIN, LEWIS ADD TO POSTSEASON AWARDS
June 8, 2013 AYERS DRAFTED BY KANSAS CITY ROYALS
June 8, 2013 HIGLEY, MENDONCA SELECTED ON THIRD DAY OF MLB DRAFT
June 5, 2013 McLOUGHLIN, LEWIS NAMED FRESHMEN ALL-AMERICANS
May 20, 2013 BASEBALL HEADS TO GRAND PRAIRIE FOR WAC TOURNAMENT
April 30, 2013 QUICK START LIFTS BASEBALL TO 7-6 WIN AT NEVADA
April 29, 2013 SOTO, McLOUGHLIN NAMED WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
April 28, 2013 BASEBALL CAPTURES SERIES WITH 4-1 WIN OVER LOUISIANA TECH
April 27, 2013 ONE RUN ENOUGH FOR BASEBALL IN 1-0 WIN OVER LA TECH
April 26, 2013 BASEBALL STUMBLES IN 5-4 LOSS TO LOUISIANA TECH
April 25, 2013 BASEBALL RETURNS HOME TO FACE LOUISIANA TECH
April 24, 2013 BASEBALL CONTINUES MIDWEEK SUCCESS WITH 7-2 WIN AT USF
April 23, 2013 McLOUGHLIN NAMED TO NCBWA WATCH LIST
April 23, 2013 BASEBALL COMPLETES SEASON SERIES SWEEP OF SAINT MARY'S
April 20, 2013 BASEBALL EVENS SERIES WITH 12-1 VICTORY AT UTSA
April 19, 2013 UTSA PULLS AWAY LATE TO WIN FIRST GAME OF SERIES
April 18, 2013 BASEBALL RETURNS TO TEXAS TO PLAY UTSA IN WAC SERIES
April 13, 2013 BASEBALL CRUSHES NEW MEXICO STATE, 16-4, IN RUN RULE GAME
April 12, 2013 DEFENSE FALTERS IN BASEBALL'S 5-4 LOSS AT NEW MEXICO STATE
April 11, 2013 BASEBALL TAKES FOUR GAME WIN STREAK TO NEW MEXICO STATE
April 5, 2013 BASEBALL BOUNCES BACK BY BEATING BOBCATS, 3-2
April 4, 2013 BASEBALL HOSTS TEXAS STATE FOR WAC SERIES
April 3, 2013 BASEBALL DROPS 8-4 DECISION TO SAN FRANCISCO
April 2, 2013 BASEBALL EARNS SECOND WIN OVER UC DAVIS THIS SEASON
March 30, 2013 OFFENSE ERUPTS IN 11-7 BASEBALL VICTORY OVER DALLAS BAPTIST
March 29, 2013 DALLAS BAPTIST PULLS AWAY LATE FOR 6-3 WIN OVER BASEBALL
March 28, 2013 BASEBALL DROPS FIRST GAME OF SERIES AT DALLAS BAPTIST
March 25, 2013 BASEBALL MEETS FRESNO STATE AT RALEY FIELD
March 22, 2013 BASEBALL DROPS FIRST GAME OF SERIES TO CSU BAKERSFIELD, 4-2
March 19, 2013 BASEBALL RALLIES FOR 9-7 WIN AT SAINT MARY'S
March 17, 2013 BASEBALL BLASTS UCSB IN 13-7 VICTORY
March 16, 2013 BASEBALL CLIPPED LATE AT UC SANTA BARBARA
March 15, 2013 BASEBALL BLANKED IN UCSB SERIES OPENER
March 14, 2013 BASEBALL VISITS UC SANTA BARBARA THIS WEEKEND
March 11, 2013 BASEBALL FIVE-GAME TICKET PLAN AVAILABLE
March 9, 2013 CSUN'S BIG INNING DOOMS BASEBALL IN 5-3 LOSS
March 5, 2013 BASEBALL CRUSHES RIVAL UC DAVIS, 14-0
February 28, 2013 BASEBALL HOSTS UTAH VALLEY THIS WEEKEND
February 26, 2013 PITCHING LEADS BASEBALL TO 4-1 WIN VS. NEVADA
February 25, 2013 BASEBALL HOSTS NEVADA ON TUESDAY
February 24, 2013 BASEBALL SPLITS SERIES WITH 7-4 WIN OVER UC RIVERSIDE IN FINALE
February 23, 2013 BASEBALL SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER WITH HIGHLANDERS
February 22, 2013 BASEBALL DROPS HOME OPENER, 2-1, TO UC RIVERSIDE
February 17, 2013 BASEBALL BLASTS TWO HOME RUNS BUT DROPS RUBBER MATCH AT TEXAS
February 16, 2013 LEITAO'S GEM LEADS BASEBALL TO WIN AT TEXAS
February 15, 2013 BASEBALL'S FURIOUS RALLY COMES UP JUST SHORT IN SEASON OPENER AT TEXAS
February 11, 2013 BASEBALL OPENS 2013 SEASON AT TEXAS
February 4, 2013 Last Chance for Baseball Season Tickets
December 14, 2012 Baseball Adds Four in Early Signing Peroid
December 8, 2012 Baseball Announces Details for Third Annual Diamond Dinner
August 13, 2012 Nichols Earns Summer League Honor


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This week we look at…
News and Links
Internet Trends 2014
Mary Meeker's annual insight into digital trends.
What Mary Meeker's Internet Trends Report Means For The Future Of Content
A look at what the above report says about content and publishing.
BeeLine Reader
An interesting little plugin that claims to help you read faster by adding gradients to text
A Once-in-a-Century Opportunity to Re-invent Publishing, and Books
A look at Amazon vs Hachette
Lily Mihalik on building the Los Angeles Times' 101 Best Restaurants interactive
A great insight into what it takes to make an outstanding interactive
Vertically Centered Text in iBooks
How to mathematically centre text vertically in iBooks (rather than by cheating)
Samsung and Barnes & Noble are making a Nook together
The Galaxy Tab 4 Nook will be a 7 inch tablet focused on reading.


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Common Questions About Android Casinos
Android Casinos
Gaming on the go has become all the rage in recent years and that means Android casino games are now available in all shapes and sizes. From real money casino Android app games to free play sites, you can get your betting fix anytime, anywhere via your mobile or tablet. However, before you rush off in search of the latest and greatest software, join us now as we take you through the nuances of the industry!
Discover Mobile Casinos for Android
What does the term "casino Android" really mean? Well, as you'd expect, it refers to any casino operator or game that can be played via your Android mobile or tablet. Much like iOS casinos, Android casinos will offer you free play and real money betting experience anytime you have an internet connection.
Now, the way you'll ante-up will depend on the operator and the software they've decided to make use of. In some instances, you'll be able to use dedicated Android casino apps. In other instances, you'll be able to use an optimised website. Whichever portal you use to enter the game, mobile casinos for Android allow you to experience all the fun of desktop gaming in a portable environment.
How do I find the best casino games for Android? Well, there are two ways. Firstly you can use our secure links and access the action via the sites directly. Secondly, you can download an app via Google Play. Indeed, thanks to a recent change of policy, you can now visit Google Play and get instant access to all the best casino games for Android.
Choosing an Android Casino
OK, so you can visit our partner sites directly for an Android gambling experience or you can use Google Play, but what should you be looking for before you ante-up? Well, in addition to personal preference, you should choose an Android online casino or app based on the following:
- Range of Games | Thanks to omni-channel software, you should be able to enjoy the same experience via your Android as you would you on your desktop. Although some mobile platforms will contain fewer games, the best Android casino apps and sites will be virtually identical to their desktop counterparts.
- Free Play Action | As well as offering a slick range of real money games, you should be able to access a variety of demo/practice games. When you download free casino apps for Android or visit a mobile site, you shouldn't have to pay to learn the basics of a game.
- Added Value | All the best real money casinos for Android should give you equal access to the latest bonuses. If you can claim a welcome bonus via your desktop, you should also be able to access it via your mobile. If this isn't the case, don't sign-up.
Additionally, the leading online casino for Android will also have mobile-specific bonuses. These should be offered in tandem with any desktop bonuses and, more importantly, you should be able to pick them up irrespective of the deals you've banked via your desktop.
Android Casinos Apps
As we've said, Google Play now offers gambling-based products and that means you'll find the best Android casino apps are available via two sources. However, in our opinion, the most effective way to find an Android casino app is to use our platform. Because we review each product and outline what makes it tick, you can get a better insight into the action than you would if you were simply using Google Play.
While it's true that all the best Android casino apps will offer a direct route to an online betting experience, not all of them are created equal. Fortunately, our site helps you decipher what's what and, therefore, get a better handle on the products that are best for you.
Best Casino Games for Android
Although you can enjoy a variety of ways to play via your mobile, there are some games that stand out as more entertaining, efficient and ergonomic than the rest. In our opinion, the best casino games for Android are:
- Slots | When it comes to harnessing the full potential of Android devices, slots are the best games in town. Instead of clicking a mouse to make bets, Android slots take advantage of swipe and shake technology so you can set the reels in motion in a much more engaging way.
- Roulette | Roulette is a game that uses Android technology in the same ways slots do. When you want to place a bet you can touch the screen and when you want to spin you can swipe the wheel or shake your device.
- Live Dealer Games | When it comes to innovation and impressive technology, live dealer casino games are hard to beat. Taking the concept of live streaming via mobiles and using it to do away with animations and random number generators, live Android casino games give you an authentic betting experience anytime, anywhere.
Tips for Android Gambling
Before you rush off and check out our top-rated Android casinos, we want to leave you with a few tips. Although this advice for playing Android online casino games won't make you an instant winner, they should help to make your experience more enjoyable and, potentially, more profitable.
- Don't bet more than you can afford. | Bankroll management is just as important in the mobile world as the desktop arena. As a general rule, never take more than 5% of your overall bankroll into a single game.
- Don't lose focus. | When you're betting on the move, it can be very easy to get distracted by everything else around you. So, if you are betting via your Android, make sure it's at a time and place you can concentrate.
- Don't leave yourself exposed. | Because you may be outside when you play via your Android, there is the risk someone could see what you're doing. Although this shouldn't be something you're afraid of, it's important to remember security basics such as locking your app with a password and using secure internet connections. As long as you follow the basics, you won't have anything to worry about.
Indeed, if you're in the market for a more mobile betting experience, we suggest you take heed of the advice in this article and make sure you follow our secure links to the best Android betting sites around!


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Mothers day took off in the UK when a vicar's daughter Constance Smith, from Coddington, Northamptonshire was inspired by a 1913 newspaper report of Jarvis' campaign and began a push for the day to be officially marked in England. In the UK it is known as Mothering Sunday. She wrote a booklet The Revival of Mothering Sunday in 1920. Neither Jarvis or Smith became mothers. By 1938 Mothering Sunday had become a popular celebration with Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and various parishes across the UK marking the day and communities adopting imported traditions from American and Canada. By the 1950s it was being celebrated throughout the UK and businesses realised the commercial opportunities. In the UK Mothers Day is in March, but May in the US. France have theirs on the last Sunday of May but in Spain it is the 8th December but they also recognise the Virgin Mary.
I often hear this when someone or a group within society do not agree with what some one or a group does.
How long is a period to be before it becomes traditional. In this modern era of individuality, and its associated rights, expectations, even demands, often it is as soon as more than one does it or has done it for a few weeks or months even. To some, as soon as they want to do it. Once the label traditional is attached, to many it is as if it has been since time immemorial, even re-writing history if need be.
Society is very good at using blinkered vision when it wants to apply tradition in debates as well as amongst other aspects of life. Tradition is often manipulated to suit those who use it to justify a particular aspect. For example many young women openly say it is tradition for women to wear male style clothing including trousers. This may be so in their young eyes as since the late 1980's such items have become an accepted item in all aspects of female life. Some of the older generation will say it is not traditional for men to wear skirts but they do not apply such "tradition" for the transformation of the female gender but this is extensively covered on the main aspect of this site.
Most traditions in the UK stem from around 1830's, the time mens attire was started to be set in stone under the modern label and stereotype. The UK monarchy may go back well over 1000 plus years but it is not the same as it was then, even at the end of the 1800's the basis on which the modern monarchy is built upon. Even the time line has been broken so it actually does not stem through a traditional bloodline. New bloodlines have been started several times. Lets look at a few other 'Traditions'
Pink is for Girls, Blue is for Boys. The Breeching of Boys
Christmas Trees, Cards and Carol Singing
Traditional English Tudor Houses
Adoption of Male Surnames After Marriage
Lineage to the UK Throne - Male or Female
Some Political & Religious Traditions
For centuries it was a day when others went "a-mothering". For centuries it was a custom for others to return home to their mother church on the Laetare Sunday, the middle of Lent. It was a religious expectation. The day often turned into a family reunion when children who worked away, mostly domestic servants, could return home. A tradition of collecting flowers on the way to leave at their mother church took place.
It was an American activist, anna Jarvis (1864-1948) that lobbed her Government to have a day to honour mothers of the US. She became increasingly concerned with the commercialisation of the day as the years past, and stated "I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit." She also didn't like the selling of flowers and the use of greetings cards which she described as "a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write".
Simnel cakes are associated with Mother's Day. During Lent, people did not eat sweet foods, rich foods or meat. However, the fast was lifted slightly on Mothering Sunday and many people prepared a Simnel cake to eat with their family on this day. A Simnel cake is a light fruit cake covered with a layer of marzipan and with a layer of marzipan baked into the middle of the cake. Traditionally, Simnel cakes are decorated with 11 or 12 balls of marzipan, representing the 11 disciples and, sometimes, Jesus Christ. One legend says that the cake was named after Lambert Simnel who worked in the kitchens of Henry VII of England sometime around the year 1500.
Fathers Day originated in the USA and has been officially celebrated there on the third Sunday in June since 1966. The exact origins of what we now know as Father's Day are disputed, though we do know the movement for a day which celebrated fatherhood began roughly 100 years ago. Many believe that Sonora Dodd, from Washington, came up with the idea after hearing a Mother's Day sermon in 1910 and wondering, not unreasonably, why fathers did not have their own day too. Dodd and her siblings had been raised by their father as a single parent after their mother died in childbirth. With the local YMCA and the Ministerial Association of Spokane, a city near where she was born, Dodd began a campaign to have the day officially recognised. The first such Fathers Day was held in Spokane in 1910, with a number of towns and cities across America later following suit.
Others say it is Grace Golden Clayton, from Fairmont, West Virginia, who should be credited with the concept of Father's Day, after she suggested a day celebrating fatherhood in 1908. She put forward the idea following a mine explosion in a nearby town which killed more than 360 men – arguing that children in the town needed a time to remember their fathers. Mrs Clayton may have been inspired by Anna Jarvis' work to establish Mother's Day only two months prior.
American Presidents unofficially supported the day and it was not until 1966 that it was put on the country's official calendar by President Lyndon Johnson. In 1972 it was made a permanent national holiday by President Richard Nixon, though in the UK it does not enjoy this status. The move came after a campaign by a number of public figures, including Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who in 1957 wrote to congress: "Either we honour both our parents, mother and father, or let us desist from honouring either one. To single out just one of our two parents and omit the other is the most grievous insult imaginable."
While in the UK fathers can expect, at best, a breakfast in bed and handmade card and, at worst, the day to be completely ignored, elsewhere the festival is done a little differently. In Germany it is called Vatertag (Father's Day) but is also sometimes known as Männertag (or men's day). In certain regions it is traditional for groups of men to go into the woods with a wagon of beer, wines and meats. Heavy drinking is common and, according to official statistics, traffic-related accidents spike on this day.
In China, Father's Day used to be celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is "ba", while a colloquial word for father is "ba-ba" – so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to "daddy". The day has since been moved to the third Sunday of June, in line with the UK and US.
Now, the day exists simply to remind everyone that dads are great.
The drinking of Tea became quite popular with the English in the early 1800's especially with the aristocracy of the time. At the time only two meals a day were had. Breakfast and evening meal, the latter at 8pm at night. Anna Maria Russell (1783-1857), the 7th Duchess of Bedford of Woburn Abbey started to comment about feeling hungry in the afternoons and decided to add a small plate of food with her afternoon tea. Later she started to invite friends round to join her, and like everything else to become tradition it started to gain popularity with others and became known as Afternoon tea. This ultimately became High Tea and yes why most of us now have three main meals a day and not just two as once was.
This event does stem back to 5th November 1605 so it is well placed as a tradition. but is it?
On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes lead a group of Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament at the time the King and Members of Parliament were in session. It was the culmination of around 70 years of civil unrest in Great Britain between the Catholics and Protestants. Great Britain use to be Catholic until Henry VIII created the Church of England - Protestants. Successive Kings/Queens and those that could manipulated power fluctuated between suppressing either Protestant or Catholic. Protestants often held the majority and power and have so ever since 1605.
Guy Fawkes and those of his group that survived (around half were shot) are by some these days labelled as terrorists. That word didn't exist back in 1605 but to those who follow the Protestant faith certainly viewed them as traitors but then many Catholics of the time would have looked upon them as saviours or the modern term freedom fighter. We digress, but Guy Fawkes and the remainder of his men were found guilty of treason and were executed by being burnt at the stake in January 1606.
Later that month Parliament passed the Thanksgiving Act making the 5th November a date to be noted by prayers and sermons, a celebration. There were no bonfires, no fireworks in that era. It was purely a religious ceremony. This ceremony waned over the passage of time and some then started to mark the 5th November with bell ringing then subsequently bonfires. It was an era of anarchy within many pockets of society so these events were still not the style and tradition of bonfire night that we this day see it as. To these people it was another symbol of rebellion, latching on to a date that the 'establishment' had set to mark.
As with virtually all traditions of our era, bonfire night as we know it didn't start until well into the Victorian era, and beyond. In the Victorian era society started to tell much more, with the by then firm establishment of industry after the Industrial Revolution. Such anarchy behaviour was frowned upon and dealt with. It was the Victorians who created Guy Fawkes Night on the 5th November. They re-established the original Act of Thanksgiving.
It was around the 1870's that communal activities became organised and controlled. I understand that it was in Lewes that the first official annual events of a formal bonfire event and celebrations took place and spread from there around the country. It was not until 1910 that fire works came onto the scene. By then firework manufacturers had the knowledge to create and manipulate such a device and they saw the advantage of creating more cash for themselves so they advertised fireworks for the 5th November celebrations. As society took this up, the 'penny for the guy' was created. to help raise local money for local firework displays, children were encouraged to design and make a 'guy' walk around with it shouting out 'penny for the guy'.
There we have the modern day tradition of bonfire night, which actually only stems as far back as 1910. Just how traditional is it? Some within society do still mark their bonfire night celebrations as mild forms of protest. Authorities do clamp down these days as to the early Victorians, so they are low key, pushing their statement but not over the law of the land. Since 2000 these 'mild' protests have increased in number more so since 2008 with modern day figures of authority as 'guys' with the economic and financial crash and the era of austerity that has resulted since, some 7 years on. Here we have yet another tradition but at the time of this article 17 years and 11 years respectively.
Christmas Trees, Cards and Carol Singing
The modern Christmas with the decorated tree, cards and carols is a Victoria invention. Cards came into being around 1840's when a businessman short of time to greet friends and family produced a greetings card for them to save time. Just like the English Afternoon Tea, it grew in popularity and became a tradition. The decorated Christams tree stems from Germany and came to the UK with the connections of Prince Albert. Carols. All modern carols and the quantity we have stem from the 1880's. In early 1800's there were only two carols and around 1770's only one carol. One of the two carols in the early 1800's was O Come All Ye Faithful, in a similar formatt that we have today. Previous versions in Latin bear no resemblance and stems from the 1300's. All carols introduced in the Victorian era were modified subsequently. Previously christmas based singing was all in Latin but the carols that we are all familiar with, format, tunes, verses etc are all 1880's onwards.
For years in the run up to the Olympics you always here about the Olympics being a traditional event of some 2000 years going back to the ancient Olympians of Athens. The torch for each event is always lit by the Sun at the original Olympian Theatre in Greece.
There is a large gap in the Olympic time line of some 1400 years! The Olympics recently referred to as the modern Olympics did not start until the late 1800's and the modern Olympics are a completely different animal to that of the original. Also the Olympic flame in the stadium did not start until the early 1900's and with regards the Olympic torch relay, the 70 day journey from Greece to the stadium hosting the events did not start until 1936 and that was by Adolf Hitler! Anything attached to this person, and quite rightly so, is frowned upon by many in modern society, but not on this occasion. Hitler organised the complete human relay from Greece to Berlin, Germany in 1936 and it was a complete human chain. It has continued every four years since. These days it is not a complete human chain, utilising cars, buses and other forms to transport it around. Crossing seas and oceans has obviously got to be an exception, but once again tradition is being modified.
Society gets obsessed with these Olympic traditions and when discussed always leads you to believe it has gone on for thousands of years. It hasn't, its recent, less than 100 years including many of the hundreds of Olympic events held these days.
Traditional English Tudor Houses
Dating back to the Tudor period, not the modern day mock ones. To society the exisiting and surving properties which are some 400/500 years old are traditional. Actually they are not. The timber with wattel-and-daub infill are but the white colouring of the wattel-and-daub is not. The nice white paint that is always referrred to as traditional Tudor is actually a Victorian addition. Previous to the Victorian era the colour was natural, dull, dirty and a shabby appearance.
Adoption of Male Surnames After Marriage
The adoption of the male surname after marriage since the mid 1990's has wained from 94% then to around 54% in some surveys by 2014. Why, because under feminism it is seen as being inferior to men, and the woman loosing her own identity, individuality. To me it's freedom of choice on the couple if they take his surname, her maiden name, joining the two together or even her surname for the both of them. It doesn't change the person and it obviously isn't going to stop them having a life together. It's another example of yet another tradition that is being changed because it suits.
Lineage to the UK Throne - Male or Female
Within the royal family of the UK change took place in 2013 to end the tradition of the eldest male becoming heir to the throne ahead of his eldest sister. I go with that change in tradition which relects the modern era we are in with regards gender equality but this left another tradition unaltered that affects males. If the successor to the UK throne is a male, he becomes King and his partner Queen. Now if the heir to the UK throne is female she becomes Queen yet her partner has to be called Prince Consort, not King. Even to be called Prince Consort and not Prince still needs permission. This even applies to a Queen when a male heir has the throune but this is never inacted - a tradition abandoned because it suits. Why was this not amended if we are pursuing gender equality.
Many other traditions within the Royal Family of the UK stem only from the victorian period. In the UK, the Victorian period (1819 - 1901) is considered as the foundation of modern UK life a period from which virtually all traditions of the UK stem from and since that period when many traditions when it suits are changed.
Middle aged men in Lycra phrase seems to have died down now since it was frequently banded around after Bradly Wiggins won the 2012 Tour de France and the Olympics in the UK came and went. Society obviously has some thing else to get obsessed with.
The acronym MAMIL (middle aged men in Lycra), really annoyed me because I see just as many MAWIL's around! MIDDLE AGED WOMEN IN LYCRA.
As usual with Western Society, someone or an event is successful and hey presto, its all the rage, fashion etc, even a tradition, be it replicating hair styles, the activity or whatever. As at 2017, over the latter years the UK has done well within cycling on the sports circuit and sure enough as with everything else, the 'Lemmings' all start cycling. To be fair many have always cycled, and perhaps with the increase in population, inevitably the numbers who cycle because its basically within their genes will increase, but many do it because it is the flavour of the month now. Look at Andy Murray, when he finally won his first grand slam tournament in tennis and all of the sudden the media and commentators are pushing for tennis within Society.
As with all activities, technology develops. For cycling the reduction of wind resistance is of paramount therefore tight fitting clothing like Lycra is relevant but why does Society have to constantly single out men. I see just as many women cyclists as men. Just as many women joggers as men, and you know what, just as many in each gender wear Lycra especially in sport.
So why is it all we here about is MAMIL's? What about the MAWIL's. Perhaps because in modern society it is now traditional to single out men for comment or ridicule. It was in the past towards women by society but tradition has changed because it was finally accepted by the majority, unlike the previous minority, that it was wrong. I have to assume within human tradition, to wrongs make a right. Now that is an encouraging tradition.
The expectation of Women before men in disasters was not an expectation, let alone tradition before 1852! This tradition regularly raises its head under discussions of Feminism and gender equality in this modern era. Favouring one gender over the other is not acceptable, discrimination, under the arguments of Feminism/equality but only when it suits. Women before Men in disasters was mentioned frequently with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Costa Concordia sinking in January 2012.
I am not going to comment on the Titanic. In 1912 society had completely different approaches, attitudes and beliefs. Women and men had specific roles, duties and expectations of each other. Even in dress codes. Whether you agree with that or not is irrelevant. That's how it was then and I do not believe in changing history to suit modern day interpretations and expectations.
These days, 2012, with the attitude of Society, feminism, individuals rights, individuals human rights etc I do not accept women and children first. We live in a world of equality, and equality comes with a price, and that is equal. In the days of Titanic we had real Ladies and Gentlemen and no blurring of genders to suit ones preferences only. The only exception to me are disabled and the infirm, to be fair to them not being 100% able bodied does put them at a disadvantage.
I do firmly believe that the Captains and staff of the plane or ship, should be the last to leave. They do have a responsibility to ensure that all passengers have been attended too. This applies to drivers of coaches and trains, Managers of cinemas, theatres, hotels and shops, Headteachers of schools etc. This applies equally to both male and female holders of position of responsibility.
Any one who disagrees with this should stop and ask are they from the era of Titanic or expect all the trappings of the equal world. There is no equal world if you retain set areas of favouritism but then not in other areas. A man or a woman are no superior over the other.
The expectation of women and children first only, came into being in 1852. HMS Birkenhead sank off Cape Town, South Africa, when the soldiers on the ship decided that all 20 women and children should go in the one and only life boat. Three quarters of the 623 men on board lost their lives. In 1912 three quarters of females and half of the children were saved, when only 1 in 5 of the men survived. I note that one or two men got into life boats dressed as women or even tried to bribe their way onto a life boat and these few were labelled as cowards. Is that really fair to think that in 2012? It is a natural human reaction to try and survive. Look at the 'cowards' of World War One who deserted from shell shock, a non-recognised illness at that time, but in our current era all World War One soldiers shot for cowardice have been pardoned - a bit late for them considering their lives were taken wrongly in the first place.
A lot of 'cherry picking' with equality is done these days and expected. I am all for equality but I do it fairly. What's good for the goose is good for the gander as they say. You want equality, that's fine but you take the responsibilities and the short comings as well. I'll hold the door open for any one, man, woman or child near by at the same time as me. In a queue those before me go first, man, woman or child. The only person that I will ever put before myself and that is my wife. Having said that we would probably both loose our places in the queue as my wife has the same belief towards me.
On 15th April 2011, BBC Breakfast did a short article about how for the first time in the Scout history female new entrants has outnumbered male entrants. Now that got me thinking. Tradition has changed again because it suits.
In 1976 the Scout Movement had to allow Girls to join. A traditional organisation dating back only to the early 1920's had to be changed to suit modern day requirements. Fine, as with all changes there is usually a good reason in the name of progress, inclusion etc. Yet the traditional Girl Guide movement, also dating back to the early 1900's did not have to change. Why, because some girls still need a girl only group, organisation etc. Boys that would still like that option was not allowed, period. Nothing unusual in this world with male activities and then the rules have to be changed to accommodate the revised life style within. Why is it then there are so many female only organisations allowed. I can understand why many men would not want to join these female only organisations by the activities that some do, the Womens Institute to name but one but is there a choice in the first place. Our local WI actually does a lot of things that would interest many men but again is there a choice in the first place.
Some traditions even changes to these traditions are not always healthy, let alone comply to this modern era of gender equality and inclusion.
I would like to see what would happen when any male entrants to these still female only organisations with the current traditional expected life style within those organisations.
The two guests on the BBC Breakfast sofa were female and full of their views for the Scouts. To answer one viewers observation about are we making too many 'tom boys in trousers' their reply was "why not. Go for it girls, wear those trousers and demand what you want". I could digress hear but will simply direct to my thoughts on the main topic of this site, Men in Skirts.
In the name of tradition and the need for traditions to be changed, even deleted and renewed, if females are to be allowed into the Scout Movement then why do we still need the Girl Guide Movement. Why are they not merged to form one movement called the Guide/Scout Organisation and start a new modern tradition as society does so often. If the Girl Guides are still needed to cater for those females who do not want to participate in what basically is a traditional male organisation or be amongst men then why is there no equivalent option for boys? From what I know the Girl Guides does similar things to the Scouts in any event these days.
I have no objection to a new tradition forming in certain places in society called unisex. I am and always have been a man who respects others, male or female provided I am respected back and not taken advantage of. I was not from the era of male dominance or part of the small group of 'dinosaur' men who still hold onto that past.
I came across this article on 4th May 2018 about the Scouts in America and I know there are others. I have met many men who feel the same way with soicities negativity towards men yet exemptions for women.
Now you couldn't expect me not to touch clothing as a tradition!
Clothing expectations has often raised it's head in the 80's and 90's by women even though Wimbledon since the conception of tennis as a tournament there has had a tradition of expecting clothing for both men and women. In 2013, Roger Federer had been told his orange soled Nike trainers do not conform to the predominantly all white dress code of Wimbledon.Click here for the Daily Telegraph article 26th June 2013. Here for the Huffington Post of the same date and there were many more similar links.
Now I'm all for rules to ensure standards, image, etc but a tradition is a tradition, be it directed at men or women. Wimbledon dress code is all white, allowing for odd colouring for sponsorship logos. Orange soles on Federer's Nike trainers were not allowed and one or two other players also fell foul of this but what about those bright red or blue or orange shorts that some women were wearing under their tennis skirts/dresses which were clearly on show and not just on the initial serves. These bright shorts are no different to bright soles of trainers.
It also happened in the sport of badminton. Female players had objected to being told to wear skirts when it has been a tradition to do so. The tradition was changed for them, and they now wear items similar to the men. There is a link on my site on this point. Traditions can be changed, even abandoned, at the end of the day it is just another label, expectation adopted by humans but it is questionable when it is selective.
Mens clothing generally is still based upon the early victorian style introduced by Beau Brammell around 1830, the only relaxation being in very casual private occassion wear. Womens wardrobe over the same period?
Some Political & Religious Traditions
I'll touch this area briefly. Many get quite 'hot' in this area just like traditions they want to claim.
The Catholic church is always talked about as being the Vatican City, as if it has always been its own state, as if the Catholic Church has always been as it is now. It isn't. Its bare religious beliefs may be original since the death of Christ but even those have been manipulated to suit its views with the progression of Society. St Peters Basilica dates from 1626 indicating an acceptable change, the Vatican City has only existed since 1929, before then it was simply a religion within one of the many regions making Italy. Yet Society talks as if this change never happened and give the perception that the Vatican City is a tradition spanning many centuries in to the millennia.
Here in the UK it is always the Church of England, and talked about as if it has always been. It hasn't, mid 1500's, previously the UK religion was only Catholic under the Catholic Church of Rome or the Vatican to satisfy those traditionalists. The UK traditional religion of Catholic, which by the way had only been for several hundred years only was changed due to and by authority to create a new with the view of that becoming a tradition, which it has.
Northern Ireland. That has only existed since the Unionists Convention of 1912 and the bill passed through Westminster in 1914. When you listen to the arguments about Northern Ireland you are led to believe that Northern Ireland has always been. It wasn't, it was one country, under the control of British politics but then that is another separate area of contention and not part of this article on traditions except that it is another example of past British manipulation of others because at the time it was considered the norm, traditional to do so.
The point is, we intelligent humans latch onto what others believe is theirs, correct etc and claim the phrase 'but it has always been like this' to justify it. It's like in September 2012 and the maths teacher Jeremy Forrest disappearing to France with a 15 year old pupil, Megan Stammers. A 15 year age gap, one year before the UK age of consent. In France they deem 15 as being correct not 16 - tradition and norm for them. I'm not going to debate the rights or wrongs of this matter but what interests me is that these days it is now considered traditional to give teenagers as soon as they go the Secondary School (although it is creeping into Primary) the status of independence, dressing and looking like mature young adults talking to Doctors without parental knowledge, expressing thoughts, opinions and emotions etc and generally putting teenagers on a pedestal as being young independent adults. As soon as that now traditional way of life goes to far for those who say teenagers should have this right they get upset. A 15 year old is not capable of making such voluntary decisions I have heard from both men and women when this current topic is discussed. Fine, but they can in the other examples above.
During and pre the 1980's a child was a child until 18 and treated as a child. Everything done with parental knowledge or direction. Under the description of norm, traditional nothing is said about late teenagers and early twenties women latching on to 'sugar daddies' or if they do critise the 'sugar daddy', like in the case of of this maths teacher and the pupil it is norm and traditional to blame the man and state child kidnapping yet not show any understanding that the girl/woman went voluntary because they both scummed to emotional feelings, feelings that many a teenage girl is considered normal to show in day to day life as an independent person. These norms and traditions of teenage independence is only since the 1990's, not really a time span to be called traditional. But many want it, many more say it is a right so once again it becomes traditional.
The above are only a handful of hundreds of traditions from around the world that have changed.
Do many in society still behave traditionally as was expected when the past customs of behaviour became normal and traditional - no they don't because it suits them. Many of the expected customs haven't always been but developed as society progressed. A lot of these customs came into being as a civilised and democratic society had specific roles, functions and expectations of the two differing genders at that time from dress codes, working expectations, and leisure. At that time all in high society, the part of society that could call themselves Ladies and Gentlemen lived and worked by these then customs that they considered traditional. Yet again society's expectations changed and yet again these changes were backed up with the word traditionalism but it wasn't traditional, simply yet another change to reflect society of the time.
It is normal and traditional for a society to evolve, change and expect. Even equality, an equal voice and freedom of individual rights to behave and express themselves away from the societies norms. Society has evolved in all aspects over the 60 years since the start of the 1960's. It is totally different from the 1900's and keep looking back throughout human history, society completely changes, traditions come and go and why. It is called progress, development, enrichment of logic, knowledge and understanding. Traditions are simply another label that society hangs on to because society needs labels to function. But labels too evolve and change, they have throughout human history.
Tradition and normal is just like the old age saying with regards beauty. It is in the 'eyes of the be holder'.
You see, humans are highly intelligent species. We are the masters of nature, the world apparently (separate subject for discussion) yet we get obsessed over silly traditions that really are not traditions in the long term sense or even need to become obsessed with.
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