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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told lawmakers on Tuesday that he was wasting time outlining military strategies while Congress fails to provide the funding to carry them out.
"It is not lost on me that as I testify before you this morning, we are again on the verge of a government shutdown or, at best, another damaging continuing resolution," Mattis said in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee.
"I regret that without sustained, predictable appropriations, my presence here today wastes your time, because no strategy can survive without the funding necessary to resource it. We all know America can afford survival," he said.
The secretary was referring to the stopgap funding known as a continuing resolution, or CR, which Congress passed in lieu of a full-year budget and which keeps most defense spending at 2017 levels. The current resolution will expire at midnight Thursday, and the House and Senate are expected to resort to fifth resolution. There is disagreement between the chambers over whether to fully fund the Defense Department at 2018 levels while leaving domestic agencies at 2017 levels.
The hearing was called to have Mattis and Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testify on the Nuclear Posture Review and the new National Defense Strategy presented by Mattis last month.
Selva has noted that the Defense Department will be in the predicament on Friday of beginning to outline spending proposals for fiscal 2019, while operating without a budget for fiscal 2018 and spending at levels authorized for 2017.
Mattis bluntly told the lawmakers that they were shirking their responsibilities by failing to provide the military with the nearly $700 billion in funding called for in the National Defense Authorization Act passed last year.
The result was a loss of morale in the ranks and severe impacts on the readiness to respond to a crisis, Mattis said.
"To advance the security of our nation, these troops are putting themselves in harm's way, in effect signing a blank check payable to the American people with their lives," Mattis said. "They do so despite Congress' abrogation of its Constitutional responsibility to provide stable funding."
Add to existing story after last graf ending ... provide stable funding."
Mattis' testimony came just before the House was to vote on a bill to enact yet another continuing resolution that would also separate defense funding from domestic spending and lift budget caps under sequestration mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
The bill to avoid another government shutdown at midnight Thursday faced uncertain prospects in the Senate but could set the stage for agreement on a modified resolution that might finally yield a budget agreement for fiscal 2018, according to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia.
In a conference call with reporters on other issues, Kaine said, "We need to get out of CR mania," adding that he saw the possibility for agreement on a brief resolution that would pave the way for a deal "pretty quickly on both the defense and non-defense portions of the budget."
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, last week made a similar argument for a brief continuing resolution at a Republican retreat at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, where Mattis and President Donald Trump made appearances.
Kaine said, "That's a good thing and it looks like we're getting close and I'm not expecting to see any shutdown of government because both sides are talking."
At the hearing, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, the panel's chairman, called Mattis' challenge to Congress "the bluntest statement I have ever heard" on the need to drop the political maneuvering and pass a budget.
Thornberry, who has argued previously for splitting defense spending from non-defense spending, made the case again in his opening remarks.
"It is morally wrong to send brave men and women out on missions under any strategy for which they are not fully trained, equipped and supported with the best that this country can provide," he said. "That support should not be conditioned on any other issue" such as spending on domestic programs.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, the committee's ranking member, argued against the divide between defense and non-domestic spending and said they must be linked.
If defense spending gets total priority, "you gut everything else," Smith said, adding that Thornberry's proposal would shortchange other agencies important to national security, such as the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department.
"To sit here and say, 'We're going to stand up and spend all this money on defense because it would just be wrong to prioritize other things' is patently absurd and insulting," Smith said. "Defense is incredibly important. It's not the only thing important in keeping the peace."
Although Congress appeared to be moving towards another stopgap continuing resolution of uncertain duration, Mattis said the Defense Department was once again going through preparations for a possible shutdown at midnight Thursday.
In a shutdown, uniformed and civilian Pentagon personnel would not get paid unless Congress passes an emergency measure to exempt them, according to Pentagon Comptroller Dennis Norquist.
In his testimony, Mattis said one of his main concerns was that Congress would give up on reaching a budget deal and fall back on a full-year continuing resolution.
"To those who might suggest that we should accept a year-long continuing resolution, it would mean a return to the disastrous sequestration level of funding for the military," the defense secretary said.
"Let me be clear -- as hard as the last 16 years of war have been, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of the U.S. military than the combined impact of the Budget Control Act's defense spending caps, worsened by operating in 10 of the last 11 years under continuing resolutions of varied and unpredictable duration," Mattis said.
-- Amy Bushatz contributed to this report.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at email@example.com.


text: Hello everybody! This is my first time blogging here; let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Maddy and I'm currently a junior at Davis Senior High School. I found out about this internship opportunity through my environmental science class and I am very excited for it to begin! My primary interest in the MMMILC Project is probably the experience that I can gain from it, I think having experience with internships is very important. I also am interested in the MMMILC Project because I enjoy nature and I think it will great to spend some time out in nature with a purpose. Today, during my first visit to "The Ditch" with my friend Kirstin, who is also involved in MMILC, we were surprised by a very cute lizard! Unfortunately, it skittered away before we could get a good look. Maybe I will see more next time I visit!

subset: commoncrawl


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Think carefully before using a car seat booster cushion that does not have rear or side support for your child, or giving one to another family.
While booster cushions are legal to use, they're not the safest option. Booster seats with a back and side wings offer more protection. Correctly fitted and used child restraints and booster seats can reduce the likelihood of death and serious injury by up to 70 per cent in a road crash.
In Australia, all child car restraints must comply with mandatory safety standards. However, each state and territory has specific requirements for their use.
In Victoria, children younger than seven must use a child restraint or booster seat when travelling in a car. You must, for children aged:
- up to six months, use rearward facing child restraints
- from six months until four years, use a rearward or forward-facing child restraint with in-built harness
- from four to seven years, use a forward-facing child restraint with in-built harness, or a booster seat.
For children older than four years, you might consider a combined child car seat and booster seat, which can be used as a car seat until a child weighs 18 kilograms. After this milestone, you can tuck the harness straps inside the seat, which becomes a booster seat with a lap and sash belt; or use an approved booster seat.
Do not move to the next level of restraint until your child outgrows the restraint they are using.
Carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing a child restraint or booster seat in your vehicle. If possible, get a professional to fit it for you. Restraint fitting stations are listed on the VicRoads, RACV, Hire for Baby, or ACRI websites.
In Victoria, approved child restraints, booster seats and child safety harnesses are those that comply with the 1995, 2000, 2004 or 2010 versions of the Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754. This standard (AS/NZS 1754) is one of the most stringent child restraint standards in the world.


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The newest Master Planned Community is situated in the new, growing Southwest corridor, just minutes from I-215 and the "Strip." More than 20 builders are developing single family homes on 3,000-acres land. More than 12,000 residences are planned for Mountain's Edge, and when buildout is complete in 2010, as many as 32,500 people could live in the community.
Semi-custom homes will also be offered by Twenty-one featured builders such as: Amstar, Astoria, Avante, Beazer, Chartered, Concordia, Desert Wind, D.R. Horton, Juliet, KB Home, Kimball Hill, Lennar, Meritage/ Perma-Bilt, Pardee, R/S Development, Storybook, Toll Brothers, Trophy, US Home, Warmington Homes Nevada and Woodside Homes. With this wide selection of builders, buyers are able to select from an array of sizes and designs. Some homes are currently under construction and many are now available to purchase.
The community features walking trails, mountain views, community amenities, parks and beautiful views of the surrounding Red Rock Canyon and the Las Vegas valley. The natural desert is the backdrop for this beautiful new community. The main entrance to Mountain's Edge is marked by Exploration Peak, which has been repopulated with nearly 10,000 native plants. At the mountain's base, Exploration Park will offer residents a unique western-themed park. Eventually, Exploration Park will feature Native American play structures, an Old West town, an archeological dig area and other attractions. Other parks will offer dozens of recreational activities, including ball fields, tennis courts and play areas.
Mountain's Edge will be a mixed-use community featuring parks, schools, recreational facilities, restaurants and shops.
Related Links:
• Mountain's Edge, Las Vegas Home Page
• The View News
• Las Vegas Crime Statistics


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This is a sponsored post in behalf of Post Honey Bunches of Oats. I received product compensation for this post. However, all opinions are mine.
When D was growing up, his mom never bought marshmallow sugar cereals. As a result, he now refuses to eat "healthy" cereal.
What's funny is that my kids ended up having a lot of sugar cereal, and now really do not like it at all! They prefer healthy cereals like Post's Honey Bunches of Oats. The strawberry variety is their hands down favorite. My favorite is the Greek Yogurt with Berries, especially because it so full of whole grains... more than 2/3 of the recommended daily amount. That's a big deal for me, since I'm trying to do the whole eat healthier to lose weight thing.
The folks at Honey Bunches of Oats have teamed up with Domino Saints (they're an up-and-coming music duo) to create a really fun song and dance to get your morning shaking. I love the song! It's one of those that you can't help but move to. I'm totally dancing in my chair with the song playing in my head.
And while you're moving and shaking your Honey Bunches of Oats in to your bowl for breakfast (or in the case of my teens, a midnight snack), you can record yourself for a chance to win $500!
Entering is so easy!
Visit BunchOfBeats.com
Watch the Domino Saints "Smile While You Shake It" video
Upload your own 15 seconds of smiling, shaking, and dancing
Danger Girl was more than willing to help out with this and show off her pogo sticking skills! Check her out!
And let me know which variety of Honey Bunches of Oats you love...and share your "Smile While You Shake It!" video!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Smile While You Shake It with Honey Bunches of Oats
Posted by Unknown at Tuesday, January 21, 2014
2 comments:
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text:
Our Group met on Thursday, March 20th at Town Hall at 6 p.m.
Those present were Christine Welborn ( The Book Rack), Diane Strouse ( Consignment Unlimited), Tami Langdon ( formerly Davie School of Dance), and Leon Carter ( CDC and Historic Davie).
We keep trying to get you folks to come to these meetings OR at least email, call, see your neighbor retailer…let US hear your THOUGHTS AND SUGGESTIONS. Is there a better time for you folks to meet?????????? TELL US.
We have interest in the Yadkin Valley Living Magazine due out in May; cut off date is April 4th. Right Now Ms. Judy's Dolls, Counter Point Music, and perhaps Diane and Christine. I need a TOTAL OF 5 Merchants for this ad.
Christine mentioned other retailers NOT in the Downtown to be offered this advertisement opportunity; she is going to contact these retailers. Diane and she suggested we go by Historic Mocksville Association so we can attract more folks to our membership and meetings so we are now HISTORIC MOCKSVILLE ASSOCIATION.
Spring is here; I am going to email membership invoices and deliver hard copy as well. Please, join this Association; we are VITAL to this community and your voice is IMPORTANT so we can change, grow, move ahead with Mocksville and our businesses.
Also with Spring here…we need to keep our front door steps tidy and inviting to the public. If someone needs support with the outside façade of your building or to set up your front window displays…email us or call me at 336-909-2263.
Don't forget Daniel Boone Family Festival on Sat., May 3rd….craft vendors draw business to your door steps….I think Michelle at Twins Upholstery has had a wonderful outdoor display with the last few Festivals.
Also, the Bike Criterium is Tuesday, July 29th.
We hope to have a Concert on the Square…maybe 2; IF YOU KNOW OF A BUSINESS OR 2 that would like to sponsor these concerts…AGAIN, CALL ME.
Don't forget folks, Mary Lou at Happy House Miniatures has closed; they have sold some of their inventory. Perce and Mary Lou still have a few dollhouses and inventory. Make sure you go by to say good-bye to these folks….26 YEARS AS A DOWNTOWN MERCHANT….THANKS, MS. MARY LOU.


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Bukit 828 Freehold exclusive on Bukit TImah 5-mins walk to MRT https://www.condolaunchsg.com/ properties/bukit-828/
Online Shops / Webs
Bukit828 Bukit 828
Bukit 828 is a botique development which is a rare freehold on Upper Bukit Timah Road. Bukit 828 will be home to 34 residents on a 6 storey high development. Bukit 828 condo is developed by well known Roxy-Pacific who is known for their prestigious projects which often received numerous awards. The location is the perfect place with its close proximity, a 5-minutes walk to the Bukit Panjang MRT and interchange, 2 major shopping malls, The Hillion Mall and Bukit Panjang Plaza and yet is in close proximity to nature; Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Diary Farm Quarry. Bukit 828 showflat location is slightly off the actual site, on Petir Road. It is on the open field next to the Foresque Residences. Potential purchasers will be amazed by the quality furnishes provided by this developer. Contact the new condo launch 2018 developer sales team at 6100 3447 or visit us at https://www.condolaunchsg.com/properties/bukit-828/
Condolaunchsg 61003447
828 Upper Bukit Timah Road


text:
The rel attribute inside anchor tags (<a>) describes the relation to the document where the link points to. It's optional, but a few values can come in very handy. It can take one of these 14 values:
- alternate: Points to an alternate version of the document.
- author: Points to the author of the document.
- bookmark: Points to an URL for bookmarking.
- enclosure: Points to a downloadable asset.
- external: Points to an URL on a different domain.
- help: Points to an help document.
- license: Points to legal, license or copyright information.
- next: Points to the next document in a series.
- nofollow: Indicates to search engines that the document in not endorsed. This is the most commonly used value and should be used for paid links and ads.
- noreferrer: Indicates to the browser not to send an HTTP referrer header.
- noopener: Prevent an opener browsing context. It should be used when using target="_blank" on a link. Mathias Bynens discussed the security benefits of this and Jake Archibald discussed the performance benefits.
- prev: Points to the previous document in a series.
- search: Points to a search function for the document.
- tag: Points to a document that's covers a keyword/tag of the current document.
↓ Here's a great React course we recommend. Plus, this affiliate banner helps support the site 🙏


text:
Day 1
That he might become a holy man of prayer, mature in the Lord, growing in his knowledge of the Lord.
1 Thes 5:23 – May he be holy and keep his whole spirit, soul, and body blameless until Jesus comes.
Col 4:12 – May he be strong and perfect, fully confident of the whole will of God.
Eph 1:18-19 – Enlighten his heart to be able to understand the wonderful future God has promised. May he realize what a rich and glorious inheritance God has given him. May he understand the great power (resurrection power) You have given to him.
Eph 3:16-19 – Give him inner strength through the Holy Spirit from Your unlimited resources. I pray that You will be more and more at home in his heart as he trusts in You. May his roots go deep down into the soil of Your marvelous love. May he experience Your love so he can be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from You alone.
Eph 6:18 – Make him a man of prayer, praying at all times in the power of the Spirit. Keep him alert and persistent in prayer for all Christians everywhere.
Day 2
That he might grow into a man of integrity, who works righteousness, speaks truth in his heart, and walks, sits, and stands only in the path of the godly.
Psalm 1 – I pray that he would not follow the advice of the wicked or stand with sinners or join in with scoffers. May he delight in doing Your will. Let him meditate on Your word day and night. I pray that he would be like trees planted by water, vibrant, growing and bearing fruit each season without fail. May his leaves never wither and may he prosper in all he does. Please watch over his path, Lord.
Day 3
That he might be a man of contentment.
Prov 15:16 – May he have a fear for the Lord above all riches or treasure.
Phil 4:11 – Help him, Lord to be happy with little or much.
1 Tim 6:6-8 – May he know that contentment is great wealth. May we both be content with the food and clothes You provide. Keep us both from desiring to be rich, for many rich fall into evil desires which lead to ruin.
Heb 13:5 – May he find satisfaction in knowing that You will never leave him or forsake him. Keep him from the love of money and let him be satisfied.
Day 4
That he might learn to take every thought captive, to not be conformed to the world's thinking, and to think scripturally.
Rom 12:3 – Help him to be honest in his estimate of himself, measuring his value by how much faith You have given him.
2 Cor 10:5 – May he make every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and let him break down every proud argument that keeps him from knowing You. Help him to obey You.
Day 5
That he might daily seek You with all his heart, walking in the Spirit moment by moment, growing in his dependence on You.
Psalm 119:1-2 – Make him a man of integrity who follows all Your laws. Help him to search for You with all his heart.
Prov 3:5-6 – May he trust in You with all his heart and not lean on his own understanding. Help him to seek Your will in all he does. And direct his path.
Day 6
That he would be ever captivated by my love.
Prov 5:18-19 – May I always be pleasing to him physically and emotionally. Let him always be delighted by my love.
Song of Sol 4:1-11 – May I be beautiful in his eyes, perfect in every part. May he desire me as his precious treasure. Help him to value my love more than the things of this world.
Day 7
That he would be a man of courage.
Deut 31:6 – May he be strong, courageous and firm. Help him not to be afraid but instead put his trust firmly in You, that You will not fail or forsake him.
2 Chron 19:11 – May he be strong and do Your will! Let him deal courageously in all things knowing You are with him.
Day 8
That You would give him wisdom to lead his family physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Titus 2:1-2, 6-8 – May the way he lives identify him as a true Christian. Help him to be temperate, serious, sensible, self-controlled, sound in faith, the love, and the steadfastness and patience of Christ. May he behave prudently and in all his ways show himself to be a pattern and a model of good deeds and works. Let him teach what is true and pure with dignity and seriousness. May his instruction be sound, fit, wise, wholesome, life-giving, irrefutable, and above censure so that he will not be discredited.
Titus 1:7-9 – Make him blameless, not self-willed or arrogant or presumptuous. Help him not to be Quick tempered or violent. May he never be grasping or greedy or a heavy drinker. Help him to be hospitable, loving and friendly to all. May he always love goodness and be sober-minded, upright, fair-minded, devout, righteous and self-controlled. Help him to hold fast to the Word that he may be able to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound doctrine. May he be able to lovingly refute and convict those who contradict the Word, lovingly showing them the error of their way.
Day 9
May he always look at the plank in his own eye before seeing the speck in another's eye.
Matt. 7:3 – Help him not to judge others, instead may he be merciful and forgiving.
James 4:11-12 – Help him not to speak evil against another or criticize or condemn. May he obey Your laws and allow You to do the judging.
Day 10
That he might become a called man, not driven, with well-thought through and prayed through goals in his life.
1 Cor 9:24-27 – Help him to run the race so he may win. May he practice strict self-control for the eternal prize. Show him how to run straight for the goal with purpose in every step, never missing a step. May he discipline his body, training it to do as it should so he will not be disqualified.
Day 11
That he may be a man of prayer, guarding his heart and mind, putting into practice the biblical things he has heard, seen, and learned.
Phil 4:8-9 – Help him to fix his thoughts on what is true, honorable, and right. Keep his thoughts pure, lovely, and admirable. Focus his thinking on excellent things and praiseworthy things. Help him to put into practice all he has learned. Please give Him Your peace.
Day 12
That he might stand firm against the schemes of the devil and resist Satan in all circumstances.
Eph 6:10-18 – Help him to be strong in Your mighty power. Let him put on the armor that he might stand strong against all Satan's strategies and tricks. Help him to remember to depend on You to do warfare against all the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against the powers of darkness who rule this world and the wicked spirits in the heavenly realm. Keep him standing firm to resist evil in and after battle. With the belt of truth let him stand firm. Clothe him in Your righteousness. Let him walk in peace and be fully prepared for wherever You lead him. May he use the faith You have given him to shield himself from the enemy's attacks. Guard his thinking with the blood of Jesus and let him find protection and defense in the Word. Keep him always in prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep him alert and persistent in prayer for all Christians everywhere.
James 4:7 – Let him humble himself before You and let him resist the devil so he will flee from him.
Day 13
That he might grow in spiritual maturity by putting away childish things, cultivating understanding, striving after the Christ ideal, partaking of the deeper truths of the gospel, and overcoming temptation.
I Cor 13:11 – May he put away childish things.
I Cor 14:20 – May he not be childish in his understanding but wise and mature.
Eph 4:13-14 – Bring him to a place of unity in his faith and knowledge of Your Son, so that he will be mature and full grown in You, measuring to Christ's stature.
Heb 5:14 – May he recognize the difference between right and wrong and do what is right in all situations.
I John 2:14 – May he know in maturity, You- Father, Christ and Holy Spirit. May Your Word live in his heart and give him victory over the enemy in his life.
Day 14
That he might make me holy, cleaning me by the washing with water through the Word.
Eph 5:26 – May he love me with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave himself up for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the Word.
I Tim 4:11-13 – May he teach Your Word in truth, insisting that everyone focus on reading the scriptures and learn them. Let him be an example in his love, faith, and purity, always encouraging.
Day 15
That he would learn not to depend on his circumstances for happiness but on You alone.
Phil 4:13 – Teach him to be content with little or much.
I Tim 6:8 – May he be content with the food and clothing that You have provided us.
Luke 3:14 – May we be content with our wages.
Day 16
That he would be a man who enters into spiritual warfare.
II Cor 10:3-5 – May he not wage war by human methods, but help him to knock down the devil's strongholds with Your mighty weapons. May he use Your weapons to break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing You. Help him to use these weapons to conquer their rebellious ideas and teach them to obey Christ.
I Thes 5:8 – Let him think clearly and live in the light. Protect him by the body armor of faith and love. Let him wear as his helmet the confidence of his salvation.
Day 17
That he might have a new strength in the midst of his busy schedule, and that You might infuse him with Your strength.
Isaiah 40:31 – That he might wait on You and find new strength. Let him rise above the strength of this world and be able to run the race without getting tired of it. Make his daily walk with You consistent without wavering.
Eph 3:16-19 – Give him inner strength through Your Spirit from Your unlimited resources. I ask that You will be more and more at home in his heart as he trusts in You. May his roots go down deep in the soil of Your marvelous love. Give him the power to understand how wide, high, and deep Your love really is. Let him experience Your love so he may be filled with life and power that comes from You alone.
Day 18
That he might have a burden to see lost people come to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Matt 28:16-20 – Help him never to doubt You. As a follower of Yours, help him accept the authority You've given him and make disciples everywhere he goes. May he teach others to obey You. Assure him that You are always with him.
Matt 5:13-16 – Help him to be salt and light so everyone who sees You in him will give You praise.
Day 19
That he would be kept from fools, and that his friends would be men and women who walk with You.
Prov 13:20 – Keep him on the path of wisdom so that he will not suffer harm.
Prov 2:20-22 – May he follow good and righteous examples.
Col 2:8-10 – Guard him from being led astray with empty philosophy and worldly thinking.
Day 20
That his self-image might be a reflection of Your thoughts toward him.
Eph 1:17-19 – Give him spiritual wisdom and understanding that he might grow in his knowledge of You.
Rom 12:3 – Help him to be honest in his evaluation or estimate of himself.
Psalm 139 – Give him the peace and trust to know that You know everything about him, when he sits, stands, his thoughts, the path ahead of him, where to stop and rest, what he will say before he says it. Bless him with Your hand of blessing, and help him to remember that You both precede and follow him. Let him experience moment by moment, Your guiding hand strengthening and supporting him. Let him enjoy who he is and how You have created all of him marvelously. Let him rest in the fact that You have ordained his life from the beginning of time and that You never stop thinking about him. Destroy the things in his life that would destroy him or hurt him. Put out anything that would get in the way of a deeper walk with You. Give him discernment to know what is evil and what is not. Point out to him anything in his life that offends You and lead him along the path of everlasting life.
Day 21
That he might be a man who is responsible for his family's spiritual growth.
Prov 4:1-14 – Help him to pay attention to You and Your teaching. May he learn to be wise and develop good judgment. Help him not to forget Your words or turn his back on Your wisdom. Let him grow in wisdom so it may guard him. As he prizes and embraces wisdom, may he be honored by You. Lead him in Your paths and grant him a good long life. Don't allow him to stumble but help him to carry out Your instructions and not forsake them. Help him not to do as the world leads but to follow You always.
Day 22
That he might not be deceived into unbelief, sin, or bitterness.
2 Cor 11:3 – Keep him from being led away from his pure and simple devotion to You.
Luke 21:8 – Guard him from being misled and give him discernment.
John 17:15-17 – Keep him safe from the evil one. Purify him by teaching him Your words of truth.
Heb 3:12-14 – Guard his heart from evil and unbelief. Keep him from being deceived by sin and hardened against You. May he be faithful to the end, trusting in You so that he may share in all that belongs to Christ.
Day 23
That he might learn to love as You have commanded.
1 Cor 13:4-7 – May he learn to love as You do. May he be patient and kind, not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Help him not do demand his way. Help him not to be irritable and not to keep account of when he has been wronged. May he always rejoice when truth wins out and never be glad when there is injustice. May he never give up on loving anyone. May he always keep the faith and hope and endure through all circumstances.
Rom 12:8-10 – May he be an encouragement to others and share generously of his resources. May he take his leadership responsibilities seriously. Help him to cultivate the gift of kindness to all men. May he really love others and not just pretend. May he stand for what is good and hate evil. May he love with genuine affection and delight in honoring others. Give him an enthusiasm for serving You and never be lazy in his work.
Eph 5:25 – May he love me as You do. You gave Your life to make Your church holy and clean.
Day 24
That the fruit of the Spirit might be exhibited more and more in his life, visible to his family, friends, co-workers, and those who do not know You.
Gal 5:22-23 – May his life be controlled by the Holy Spirit. May love overflow for all. May he have inner joy and peace. Make him a patient man, slow to get angry and frustrated. May he perceive what kindness is in every situation. Let him be good and faithful in all his dealings. Teach him how to be gentle and to have self-control in all areas of his life.
John 15:8 Make him a true disciple who bears much fruit and gives glory to You.
Day 25
That he might grow in humility and in being a shepherd.
I Peter 5:2-8 – May he care for the flock You have given him to shepherd (children, family, church groups, etc.). May he do it willingly not grudgingly. Put within him a desire to serve You for Your glory. May he lead by good example, and please reward him for it when he comes into Your kingdom. Help him to accept the authority of the elders and may he serve with all humility.
Day 26
That he might grow daily in character.
II Peter 1:5-8 – Help him to apply the benefits of Your power and promises to his life. May his faith produce a life of moral excellence, which leads to knowing You better. As he knows You better, may he be more and more self-controlled and patiently endure all which leads to godliness. Godliness leads to more love for other Christians and all people. Please make him godly and loving so he may be productive and useful in his knowledge of You.
Day 27
That he might keep a clear conscience.
I Peter 3:16-18 – Make him gentle and respectful in his sharing with others. Keep his conscience clear and help him to live above reproach so his witness will be a testimony of Your presence in him.
I Tim 1:5 – Fill him with Your love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.
Day 28
That You will protect him, guarding his course.
Prov 2:8 – Guard his path, protect him as he follows You. Lead him so he may find the right course of action in every situation.
Ps 25:4-5 – Point out the path for him to follow, lead him by Your truth, and teach him Your ways, for You are the God who saves. May he always put his hope in You.
Ps 66:9 – Keep his life in Your hands and keep his feet from stumbling.
Day 29
That he might learn to manage his time well.
Eph 5:15-17 – Help him to be careful how he lives his life. May he be wise in his choices. Help him to make the most of every opportunity for doing good. Help him not to act thoughtlessly but to understand what You want him to do.
Day 30
That You would put a song in his heart.
Ps 33:3 – Put a new song in his heart- a song of praise to You.
Ps 40:3 – May this new song of praise to You be so visible that it will be a testimony to others so they will come to know You.
Job 35:10 – Give him songs in the night that his sleep may be peaceful.
Day 31
That he may have a holy fear of You, O Lord.
Ps 34:11 – Give him ears to hear You and teach him the fear of the Lord.
Ps 111:10 – Make him wise to know reverence for You and obedience to You.
Prov 9:10 – Help him to fear You that he may be wise. May he know You so he may have understanding.


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Rockbox mail archiveSubject: Re: button?
From: Minuk Choi (Choi.Minuk_at_verizon.net)
Date: 2004-01-13
... you know, that's not a bad idea!
I took apart a cell phone once... but the keypad was connected to the board via this massive set of pins... it would be... somewhat difficult, I'd say... unless you know of a model with a "simple" keypad implementation...
Such "standardization" (not sure of the spelling..) should be a way to use simple, home-made, remote controls !
Of course, this is just an idea, not a project...
-----Message d'origine-----
I don't think much skill(I have none myself) is needed for an immediate "remedy", but I figure, since the only feasible option seems to be, to solder wires and relocate the buttons, might as well see if an interface of some sort can be standardized... for future expansion.
The layout of the buttons... is similar, but not exactly beneath each button of the layout. The F1, F2, and F3 keys, for example, are not on the same line(F1 is a little higher, I believe). There is always the solution of just cutting out the layout part of the top lid... and then you can directly press the buttons themselves... although that leaves the Archos vulnerable.
Page was last modified "Jan 10 2012" The Rockbox Crew


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Microsoft recently issued several messages to Windows Live Messenger (MSN) users that could have easily been mistaken for a phishing attack. I know, because I received one. The messages asked users to change their credentials, and to confirm other information, in order to keep using the service. If you didn't, then your E-mail would be discontinued by a certain date.
Microsoft said on its blog that the messages were sent out in error and to continue using your e-mail account. It apologized and would review their processes to make sure that they avoided mistakes like this in the future.
Remember, a phishing attack is a social engineering attack. Social engineering attacks are targeted at people, and people are the weakest link in the security chain.
I have several small clients that use Windows Live Messenger and were affected by this as well. I received E-mails asking what they should do? I instructed them not to do anything because I could not believe that Microsoft would do this on such a large scale for no apparent reason. However, if it was a real phishing attack, I wonder how many people would have fallen for it just because it came (or appeared to come) from Microsoft?
As security professionals, we are constantly being tested. I am lucky that I have users that are very distrustful. That in itself is a challenge, but in this case a good one. Maybe that's the answer. Do we need to "turn into a distrustful society?


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The month of June brought video-sharing apps, email managers, an assistant for step-by-step repairs, note-taking apps, tools to plan your day's activities, and a daily deal guide.
Here is a list of June's new mobile productivity apps for Android, Apple iOS, and Windows Phone. There are both paid and free apps.
Windows Phone
Tapatalk. Tapatalk aggregates message-board content of your choice from over 60,000 Internet communities. Share and follow thoughts and opinions to all your communities within a single app. Price: $2.99.
iFixit. iFixit is a free repair manual. It provides thousands of step-by-step guides, helpful images, and engaging videos that make it easy to repair your stuff. Price: Free.
Living Social. Living Social is now available for Windows Phone 8. Get daily deals of cool things to do in your town. Click the view the deal button and buy directly on your phone. Price: Free.
Network Speed Test. Network Speed Test can provide detailed information about the upload and download speeds of your Internet connections. The App also maintains a history of tests for easy comparisons. Price: Free.
Keek. Keek is a fast and easy way to watch, record and share video updates. Features verified accounts and a top 100 leaderboard. Subscribe to your favorites. Price: Free.
Apple iOS
Dispatch. Dispatch makes it easy to act on mails, even when you're on the move. Delete, defer, delegate and generate actions with ease. Integrates with a variety of apps to prioritize reminders and to-dos. Price: $4.99.
Foresee. Foresee is a weather app that allows you to sync your activities with ranges of ideal weather conditions. Use activity forecasts in thousands of cities around the world. Share activity forecasts on Facebook and Twitter. Price: $0.99.
Morning. Morning is designed to make your daily activities easier by giving you the information you need at the start of the day. It features a variety of info panels, such as weather, reminders, commute, calendar, stocks, and news. Price: $2.99.
Office Mobile. Microsoft Office Mobile is the official Office companion optimized for your iPhone. Work on Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint documents on the go. Requires an Office 365 subscription. Price: Free.
Vesper. Vesper is a simple and elegant tool for collecting notes, ideas, things to do — anything you want to remember. Use tags to group items into playlist-like collections. Organize and curate your notes whatever way comes naturally to you. Price: $4.99.
Quick Drafts for iPad. Capture and share your ideas with Quick Drafts for iPad. Create notes as to-do lists, send them via email, iMessage, Facebook, or Twitter. Post them to your calendar, save them to Dropbox and Evernote or forward them to your favorite text editor. Price: Free.
Instagram. Instagram just got a big upgrade. Similar to Twitter's Vine, Facebook's Instagram now allows users to create short videos. Record clips to create a montage, and apply a variety of filters. Also available on iOS. Price: Free.
Facebook Photo Save. Facebook Photo Save is an application that helps users save Facebook photos to a mobile device. Price: Free.
Boomerang. Boomerang is an email client for Gmail and Google Apps accounts. It features snoozing emails, scheduling email for later, response tracking, and more. Price: Free.
Beautiful Timer. Beautiful Timer is a simple timer with nice features. The timer is resistant to cell phone restarts, provides notifications with restart and interrupt, and responds to gestures. Price: Free.
CallRec Lite. CallRec Lite allows you to record your phone calls, both incoming and outgoing calls. Free Lite version limits recording to 1 minute. Price: Free.


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Congressman King's petition is great beginning to ObamaCare's repeal
Months after the worst piece of legislation in American history -- and the most costly piece of legislation estimated to cost upwards of $2.5 trillion -- was passed, the massive effort to repeal Obamacare is growing. Polls show that this highly unpopular piece of socialism is still opposed by the American people as much as it was during the year-long debate and votes in the Democrat-controlled Congress.
A solid majority of Americans want Obamacare repealed. Even the selfish corporations, which gave the final impetus to passing Obamacare by supporting it, are now realizing what a terrible pact with the devil they made to cut out special exemptions for themselves. They are dropping health care plans, increasing health care costs to their employees, and writing off huge expenses due to the imposition of Obamacare on their companies, etc.
Now one of the most activist and courageous members of the United States Congress, Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King, has stepped forward to begin the arduous task of repealing Obamacare.
What Congressman Steve King has done is to introduce a discharge petition, which is a very public way of knowing which member of the House of Representatives who talks about repeal of Obamacare -- and there are a lot of moderate Democrats who say they want to repeal Obamacare to the voters in their congressional districts -- will actually vote for repeal of Obamacare. This will get them on record before the November election.
Indeed, with the new rules regarding the discharge petition procedure which a previous Republican-controlled Congress installed, American citizens can check this link to the Clerk of the House's website each and every day to see if their Congressman has signed the discharge petition: http://clerk.house.gov/111/lrc/pd/petitions/Dis11.htm
Once 218 members of the House of Representatives sign the discharge petition, Speaker Nancy Pelosi must bring the legislation to repeal Obamacare up for a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Already, all the members of the House Republican leadership -- including next year's probable new Speaker of the House, Congressman John Boehner, the House Republican Leader -- have signed on to Congressman King's discharge petition. Undoubtedly, most, if not all, of the 177 Republicans will be signing the discharge petition. Their constituents, of course, may check each day by clicking on the link to see if their Republican congressman has signed the discharge petition.
If all House Republicans sign Congressman King's discharge petition beginning the process of abolishing the abominable Obamacare legislation, 41 Democrats in the House will also need to sign the discharge petition. Americans need to put pressure on Democrat Congressmen, especially in districts which President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain won (and there are over 60 of those congressional districts which Democrats now control) to sign Congressman King's discharge petition.
Americans need to follow-up each day by going to the House Clerk's link and see if their member of the House of Representatives has signed on to the discharge petition. If they have not signed it, voters should contact their relatives, friends and neighbors to ensure that these Democrats who say they are for repeal actually sign the discharge petition.
Congressman Steve King has a special message to all Americans willing to help in this major effort to repeal Obamacare: "My friends, Congress will be out for 11 days starting from tomorrow, in that period of time I encourage all interested citizens and outside groups to republish the link that shows the list of those who have signed on to the discharge petitions. If you happen to see a member your group is familiar with or happen to see your own congressman, that has not signed onto the discharge petition, please call them immediately and urge them to sign right away. The final outcome of this discharge petition hinges on our grassroots, our conservative coalition groups and all concerned Americans. I thank you all for the support and look forward to seeing you at a future meeting soon."
This discharge petition on the part of Congressman Steve King is a very noble effort which should encourage all Americans who are disgusted at the sharp leftward turn the Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress have taken America. Just this week, the Democrats in the House of Representatives "deemed" a budget to be passed (i.e. pretended they passed a budget) because even they were embarassed by the trillion dollar deficits year and year and year in their budgets.
Recently, Congressman Steve King and his partner in this effort to get 218 signatures on the discharge petition, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Republican from Minnesota, wrote this to their fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives:
"...Since Obamacare was signed into law, the American people have become more and more opposed to it. With every new day, Americans learn more about the detrimental provisions that were tucked into the bill's 3,000 pages. They've seen the cost estimates skyrocket, and they've come to realize that they will not, in fact, get to keep the insurance that they currently have. Americans want this law repealed completely. Now it's time to turn up the heat. Now it's time to demand a vote. Unfortunately, in Congress the Speaker has almost total control over which bills are allowed a vote on the floor. In the case of the repeal of Obamacare, a discharge petition is the only way that the American people will get a vote in the House - so long as Nancy Pelosi holds the Speaker's gavel.
The American public is growing increasingly distrustful of politicians. The effort to move a discharge petition will allow the American people to separate the pretenders from those who are truly committed to repealing Obamacare. While individual Members can make this or that argument against signing on as a cosponsor of repeal legislation, a discharge petition puts the question in a different and simpler way: Do you want to repeal Obamacare or not?
The American people want action, and through the discharge petition, we can give them a very clear means by which to measure the effort of Congress to repeal Obamacare...."
All Americans who do not want to pass along these trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see to their children and grandchildren, need to step up and help Congressman Steve King get the 218 signatures on the discharge petition to repeal Obamacare."


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Another excellent conversation, this time with Jay Barnson. You can find Jay's stories The Priests of Shalaz, in Cirsova #4 and The Queen of Shadows in #5, plus his other published work on his Amazon page. Jay created RPG called Frayed Knights: The Skull of S'makh-Daon( FrayedKnights.com) and Void War. Other games can be found on out his gameography.
Follow Jay on Twitter @RampantCoyote and explore his blog, Tales of the Rampant Coyote. I was going to ask him questions concerning game development but most of them are answered in this interesting series of posts titled A Game Dev's Story. Also, check out his posts on programming. Explore therein and experience much goodness. Jay's blog is hosted on the Rampantgames website. I haven't played Jay's games before but look forward to reviewing a couple on a future Wargame Wednesday post.
I'll admit when I started reading The Queen of Shadows I was wasn't sure if I would like it but was quickly hooked by the fast paced storyline. Additionally, I decided not to purchase Terra Mechanica: A Steampunk Anthology for his DOTS, DASHES, AND DECEIT short story (even though it sells for only $2.99) but once we started our conversation I quickly changed my mind. I enjoy how in this story the telegraph system and Morse code is on the cusp of becoming of an internet/TCP IP equivalent (albeit without dynamic routing). As Jay points out in the conversation below, not much has really changed. We send signals made up of binary code (dots and dashes versus ones and zeroes) down a line.
Here's another interesting link I found on the Rampant Coyote blog which concerns basic software code built to run a dungeon crawl over a teletype printer.
This conversation is a cracker but that's what you can expect for any conversation with the Cirsova crew. We discuss Morse code, the game development industry, Jay's time in Bangladesh, his work in virtual reality simulation and where to find scans of old pulp magazines online.
Scott Cole: Going by your author page on Amazon your first publish work was in 2014 with the Terra Mechanica Anthology. How long were you writing before first getting published?
Jay Barnson: I caught the bug an embarrassingly long time ago, in fourth grade, with creative writing projects. I wrote ten-page short stories while my classmates struggled to write three paragraphs. I found myself disqualified for one contest later in the year once I learned that there was a maximum length. My totally awesome novel (a portal SF/fantasy story that probably resembled A Princess of Mars, even though I'd never heard of that book back then) was not even halfway done and was already well over twice the maximum page count. D'oh! Lesson learned: Always double-check the submission guidelines!
I kept it up through school and college, but then I got a job in the video game industry, and that pretty much dominated my creative energies for many years. I have a stack of stillborn novels from that era, rarely exceeding three chapters. After I escaped the games biz (at least temporarily), I wrote several nonfiction articles which were published on various sites and even a textbook. That doesn't include years of regular blog-posts.
As an indie game developer, I had a lot of fun generating stories and dialog for my games, but there came a point where I realized my writing chops just weren't up to snuff. My writing might be better than your average video game fare, but I really wanted to improve my fiction-writing. Short stories seemed like a great way to really get some practice, competing in the marketplace and contests to really force me to improve. I started doing that in earnest several months before getting published in Terra Mechanica.
I thought that would be the end of it. You know, with the whole validation thing. "Why, yes, I can write. I'm a published writer now, given the stamp of approval by an experienced editor. Back to video games." Silly me. I had forgotten how addictive it is. So now I have two part-time vocations: game development and writing. I kind of miss sleeping. But at least I'm never bored.
SC: Please offer the readers a teaser about Dots, Dashes, and Deceit. I love the premise: "A telegraph operator finds herself displaced by advancing technology but discovers a genius inventor and a young savant with secrets too dangerous to ignore.
JB: This story came about from research I did on the development of telegraphy. I had this stupid idea for a steampunk-style Internet, but the more I learned about the real-world telegraph system, the more I realized what we had back then was actually much cooler than what I'd come up with. Did you know we had fax machines in the 1860s? Or transatlantic telegraph communications in the 1850s (at least briefly)? And that all the crap we think is new to the Internet age… identity theft, wire fraud, people more comfortable texting (or keying / writing) than face-to-face communication, etc. … was happening in the 1800s over the telegraph cables? I just needed to fiddle around with the technology a tiny bit for the story.
I also loved the idea of having the "town fool" actually be an autistic savant who is able to figure out the codes embedded in a series of telegraph message. He's non-verbal, so everyone in town thinks he's got this nervous habit of tapping his hands all the time, but he's really trying to communicate in Morse Code the whole time.
Of course, as a steampunk story, I've got Morse Code – controlled robots and an airship, and an alternate history where the East India Company had not been nationalized after the Indian Rebellion, plus a couple other minor gadgets. Steampunk is awesome.
As a side-note… what thrilled me about writing steampunk is the same thing that I enjoy about the pulp aesthetic. When science fiction feels hidebound in some areas, steampunk feels like a great escape to enjoy science-fiction-like stories with no expectations that the science has to be "right." Or even close. Have fun with long-discredited theories while you are at it!
SC: Besides telegraphy did you go full on Peter Grant and study other aspects of life in the 1800's along with more modern technology such as airships?
JB: Not so much as the telegraphy… I really overdid the research on that one for a short story. I hope to be able to use it in future stories. One of the best resources of all for me was a novel written in 1879 by Ella Cheever Thayer called "Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes." Thayer was a telegraph operator herself, so the novel was full of period information about the life of a telegraph operator. It's sort of a romantic comedy, 1870s style. When the protagonist finally meets the man she had enjoyed something of an online romance with (much to the irritation of some other operators on the telegraph line), they find they are hopeless talking to each other face-to-face. They are a lot more comfortable "texting" each other in Morse code, even setting up a line between their apartments.
And all this research came down to… gah… a few lines in the story? But hey, I knew my background!
Actually, one of the amusing parts came up with my editor who was concerned about the punctuation in my telegraph messages. As it is represented in old movies, sentences always ended with the word "STOP." That didn't come about until I believe World War I, based on how they used punctuation to note the start and end of an order. After the war, there were a whole lot of telegraph operators trained in the military, and that just became the standard from then out, I guess. But prior to World War I, yes, there was punctuation. You paid as much for a punctuation mark as for a full word, though. Anyway, her response was, "Well, okay, you know that and now I know that, but will readers assume you are doing it wrong?"
In the end, I compromised by getting rid of all the punctuation.
SC: Was the punctuation mark a single period vice the word STOP spelled out in dots and dashes? .
JB: Yep, as I understand it the order had to start and end with a period. That was how they knew they had a complete order. In a case where the literal word "stop" was intended, they'd use "halt" or "cease" instead.
SC: How about a teaser concerning the independent East India Company? Another interesting premise.
I wasn't going to buy the anthology but will have to now.
JB: Again, that ended up being more research and world-building than was really justified by a short story. But hey, this is fascinating stuff!
The story behind the story is a bit more interesting. I wrote much of this story when I was on business in Bangladesh. There were violent protests going on at the time, so I found myself in lockdown in the hotel a couple of days. That was a perfect opportunity to write! Since I was in Bangladesh, I was naturally curious about the history, and it had been controlled by the East India Company for many years. I needed an antagonist from the other side of the world, and chose them.
They'd been nationalized and then dissolved by the time my story takes place, but hey, my alternate history world, my rules. The big international incident leading to their dissolution was the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The company maintained its own armies at that time with local soldiers. The rumors that went around to help incite the rebellion had to do with the grease used in the tallow to seal the paper cartridges for the Enfield rifle violating religious and caste taboos.
So … in my story I have an East India Company that is very interested in mechanical soldiers that cannot be incited into rebellion, have any sort of religious issues, and will obey orders explicitly. Even if they can't, say, tell the difference between friend or foe.
But again, we're talking about a short story that clocks in around 8500 words, so I think all that resulted in about one or two sentences.
SC: What brought you to Bangladesh and what were the protests about?
JB: We make crane simulators, used for training operators all over the world. The training facilities are naturally pretty close to ports. I'm a software engineer, but I'm frequently called out to help with the installation and to train instructors.
The people I met and worked with in Bangladesh were really great folks–the kind that would literally give you the shirts off their own backs in a heartbeat. However, the installation happened to take place near the end of one political party's power in the country, and the protests were over the transition, plus some real (justified) anger over the recent Rana Plaza building disaster.
I understand that when a faction declared a "strike" in one city, it meant that literally no cars except emergency vehicles were allowed on the road. Violators would be attacked with bricks and Molotov cocktails. There were other demonstrations as well, and foreign visitors were advised to stay in lockdown. The city was pretty much shut down during that time, which made very little sense to me. Who was being hurt the most? Anyway, they'd get the word around about when these protests were going to take place, and how long they would last, so we generally had several hours to a day's notice. I think everyone from the top down wanted to make sure that we were kept safe and protected.
The folks we worked with did their best to take care of us. I think like most other places, the people themselves just want to live their lives and run their businesses. They really wanted us to like their city, and were embarrassed that we had come in such a time of turmoil. It seemed that for them, while it was unusual, it wasn't unheard of, and they just learned to adapt. I guess it was like really bad weather, from their perspective. I don't pretend to understand all the issues going on at the time. The experience wasn't a happy one for me, but I really liked the people I got to work with out there. And hey, it makes for an interesting story to tell people!
SC: Tell me about The Van Tassel Legacy in Mechanized Masterpieces 2. Is that something to do with The Legend of Sleep Hollow?
JB: The Mechanized Masterpieces anthologies were steampunked retellings / sequels / offshoots of classic literature. The second volume was all American literature. "The Van Tassel Legacy" is a steampunk sequel to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, taking place almost fifty years after the original story. As far as I know, this is the only derived work that actually assumes no supernatural being at work. The original story strongly suggests that it was Brom Bones in costume who ran off his romantic rival, Ichabod Crane. It suggests Crane went off to become a lawyer and later a judge, perhaps changing his name. I took that and ran with it.
Instead, the story involves German alchemical battle-armor, hibernation chambers, nefarious cousins, and Brom and Katrina as an elderly couple with a whole lot of secrets. I had a lot of fun with it, and again probably did too much research into Washington Irving and the area. And now I'm forever tainted: For me, Brom will always be the flawed hero of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
SC: I'm halfway done with The Queen of Shadows (Cirsova #5). What influenced this story and want drew you to this Eldritch project of Misha's?
JB: Lovecraft. Burroughs. Howard. Mix them together in a world complete with dinosaurs? HOLY CRAP HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT TO DO THIS!?!?!? I jumped at the chance.
I wanted to do something with Lovecraftian ghouls. In Lovecraft's stories, being a ghoul was more of a hereditary condition. I considered the possibility that they got their start as a group of humans that ate the flesh of one of the Great Ones in an effort to absorb its powers. I chatted a little bit with Misha about possibilities, and he suggested that Deodanth was secretly ruled by a "shadow government" — why not the ghouls?
Everything evolved from this premise.The idea of thrusting a hero cut from the Burroughs or Howard cloth down into an underworld full of things that Man Was Not Meant to Know was incredibly fun.
I also wanted to play a little bit with the city of Deodanth. My vision of it was influenced by Howard's Conan stories… a veneer of civilization papering over an often rotten or at least barbaric core. Jorgan is a child of Deodanth, and knows what's up… but he's spent years in exile in the wilderness and is able to come back with fresh eyes and little to lose.
SC: Do you plan to submit anything for Misha's 21st Century Adventure project?
JB: If I get the chance! I don't have anything written up yet, but I love the direction he's going with it.
If you watch prime-time TV and see that most dramas aren't straying too far from the pulp formula with modern-world stories, so maybe I don't view this as being quite as experimental as he suggests. Still, I am intrigued by the idea of going full-blown, unapologetic pulp in the here & now as a setting.
SC: How did you come across Cirsova?
JB: Short(er) version: Shortly after finishing one of the Barsoom books on audiobook and really getting into Leigh Brackett's stories, I was wishing that there was still a market for those kinds of stories. On a whim, I started looking for markets that specifically mentioned "pulp." And there was Cirsova – just barely open for submissions! I think I started working on "The Priests of Shalaz" that night.
Longer version: After yet another rejection that caused me to question whether I had any talent or business writing in the first place, I decided to try going full-on pulp. I dug up the old Lester Dent Master Plot Formula, read some modern commentary on it, re-read some old pulp era favorites and compared them to his framework, and really tried to study it. My theory was that these guys had to learn what makes a successful story that people will buy in a hardcore, high-speed era of literary Darwinism that probably isn't too different from the modern era. While tastes and trends change, what makes a good story hasn't.
Once I embraced the pulp, not only did my success rate jump, but I was having a lot more fun writing. I wasn't submitting to any pulp-specific market–I didn't know of any that were actively taking submissions. I was writing modern stories, but with sort of a pulp methodology and aesthetic. I was wondering if certain story subgenres from the pulp era could find a home today. And thus my search that led me to Cirsova.
SC: When did you first hear of Castalia House?
JB: I was a Hugo voter in 2015, and that was my first time reading anything published by Castalia House. In particular, John C. Wright's story, "The Plural of Helen of Troy" was just a mind-bending twist on the whole time traveler / time lord concept that was a lot of fun. I need to read the rest of his anthology.
SC: What authors have influenced your writing?
JB: That could be a pretty long list. As far as the ones I've actually thought, "Man, how can I learn to write like that?" and tried (and failed) to emulate, from earlier years I'd list Robert E. Howard (of course), Robert A. Heinlein, William Gibson, Stephen King, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Jim Butcher. More recently, I've become a fan of Richard Matheson, Leigh Brackett, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Yeah, better late than never. I was familiar with their works in film and TV, but I'd never gone back to read their original stories until recently, and they are awesome.
SC: When reading up on your work before this interview I came across a description of you as someone that "escaped the game development industry". Have you moved on or just taking a break? Any insights on the perils of a career in game development?
JB: It's changed a lot over the years. If you talk to most people working for big game studios, they'll tell you the same thing: They love making games, but they hate the games industry. It tends to chew up young developers and spit them out, with relatively poor pay, long hours, and often crappy management. In many mid-sized independent studios, the reward for a job well-done might be getting laid off with a promise to consider re-hiring you when the next project is ready.
People love working on games, and the industry tends to grab them when they are young and naive, and willing to put up with poor conditions, missed paychecks, etc. There are tons of young kids who love video games and think nothing (at first) of making sacrifices to work in the video games business, and so anyone at a major studio can be considered disposable. I think this aspect might have gotten worse lately, because AAA games have gotten so huge now that anyone's role on a project is really tiny. You don't get to make your own games, you don't get much of a feeling of ownership on a big project, you feel like a cog in a wheel, and the working conditions are often pretty miserable. Add to this the fact that the AAA game industry is extremely hit driven and volatile, and you've got a pretty rough industry to work in.
I was at one studio where one of the teams had been on 60-hour minimum weeks for I think it was over six months. No overtime, just base salary (and for software engineers, this was already well below industry standard). At one point, another team was concerned that their project was going to get canceled and that they were going to get laid off. When a management team from company headquarters showed up, rumors flew. Local management brought the team together that afternoon and told them all that everything was cool, their deadline for the next milestone had been extended two months to really get it polished up. The next morning, they grabbed team members individually as they walked in the building to give them their pink slip.
Again, a lot has changed over the years, and my experiences are out-of-date, and not every studio or publisher is the same. Some of the worst offenders, like the one I just mentioned, are long gone.
I believe the rise of indie game development has been a big part of that change. In a way, indie is going back to how things started in the industry, with small teams making their own games. It's very liberating, and a lot of fun. The problem is that just like indie books, it's very crowded and difficult to make a living at it.
SC: For the gamer that would like to support good companies that treat their employees right do you know of any companies that have a good reputation?
JB: Your best bet is to go indie, but then you aren't going to get the incredible $50-million AAA games. But there are a lot of really cool, quality indie games out there that are made by tiny teams of people often contributing their own time and money to the project. That's a lot closer to how the industry started, and I like supporting those guys. I have a lot of friends running small studios as well, and I would like to assume they treat their employees well. But again, those aren't the games you'll find pushed by big marketing campaigns. You have to search for them.
SC: When you have time, what are your favorite games to play?
JB: Role-playing games and strategy games. Turn-based strategy games are my kryptonite. I'm really bad about taking "just one more turn" and having a game last all night long. I'm also a big fan of combat flight sims (and space combat "sims").
Right now I'm still trying to finish Divinity: Original Sin (since the sequel is now in early release) and Pillars of Eternity. I have been distracted by The Witcher III, though.
Din's Curse (with the Demon War expansion) is an old favorite I keep going back to. If you want to play a game in the style of Diablo where the dungeon's inhabitants seem to be fighting back and will pursue their own plots based on your actions (or lack thereof), that game (or any of the ones from Soldak Entertainment) is the one to check out. There are times in that one where I've had to donate my "spare" equipment to the townspeople to help get them equipped for an invasion–sometimes because I've just not been able to stop an uprising down in the underworld and it's led to some boss enemy emerging and trying to destroy the town.
SC: You mentioned that you are working with virtual reality technology. Please tell us a little about it.
JB: I've been waiting for the VR revolution since college. I actually got to play with some of the tech back in the 90s, but it wasn't anywhere near ready for prime time. Now the tech is here and getting into the consumer price range. If you haven't tried it out, try some higher-quality VR stuff first, like the Oculus Rift or the Vive… or, if you have the chance, one of the VOID centers that are opening up in a few locations (headquartered here in Utah!).
It's mind-blowing. You might think of it as a really big 360-degree computer screen, but it's more than that. It really does screw with your sense of reality. People talk about being "in" VR instead of being "on" VR or "using" VR… and that's really the sense that you get. Even though you know what you are seeing is an illusion, parts of your brain are still sending you signals responding to it all as if it's real. If you are standing by a ledge, you have to fight your lizard-brain to step over it. Even when you are experienced with VR, after you've been in it for several minutes, when you take off the headset, it feels a little bit like you are waking up from a dream. Your brain has to make that context switch.
My day job for several years has been creating simulators–primarily for cranes and other load-lifting equipment. Our simulators are all over the world (including Bangladesh, after that visit I talked about). Some of them are huge, with giant domes and projected screens. We go all the way down to (relatively) small desktop systems.
Recently, we've added virtual reality as one of our platforms. This has been a lot of fun to work with. It's not the best solution for all types of training, but it works incredibly well for some. It allows the operator a full view of everything around them, including the ability to move their head to look around an obstruction.
But like I said, VR screws with your sense of reality. Conflicts between what you are seeing and signals from your other senses–like your inner ear–can cause unpleasant side effects. Some people get "VR sickness" more easily than others. Unfortunately, I'm one of those people. So when I screw something up, encounter a bug, or an experiment goes wrong, I get sick pretty easily.
So sometimes my day job involves me making myself sick. At least I'm not bored.
SC: Let's say I'm in high school and think your work with VR simulators sounds like the career for me. What should I be studying and learning?
JB: If your goal is to become a programmer, take math and if they offer it, computer classes. All those joke memes on the Internet about never using algebra or trig in everyday life? I use it every day.
As an indie game developer, though, what I'd encourage you to do is to grab a copy of the Unreal Engine or the Unity Engine, and learn how to use it. Those are free to learn on, and either free or highly affordable even to ship commercial products on. They've got VR support built-in, and while there's a ton to learn, those really smooth the way. Get your hands dirty and just build stuff!
For VR, it starts with just making 3D projects… and both of those engines are designed to handle 3D games (but can handle 2D as well). There are some additional interface and comfort requirements for VR, but the basics are the same.
SC: Your library at home must be a great mix of science fiction and tech books. Browsing your library what would be the predominant genres and topics?
JB: I think you'd have a tough time picking out a predominant genre. You'd find a ton of role-playing game rulebooks, though. Much to my wife's chagrin, I hate throwing out any of those, even if I haven't played it in thirty years and it's been superseded by three later editions. It's not terribly unusual to find me digging through one of the old rulebooks to see how they approached a problem or explained something.
Beyond that… for nonfiction, you'd find a lot of books on computer programming and game development (most of them outdated… most of what I read is online now), religion, military history, and music. Fiction is a an even bigger chunk of our library that occupies half of the wall space in our basement. It's almost all speculative fiction, but neither my wife nor I have settled down on a favorite genre.
Thanks to digital distribution, we don't have to find room for four more bookcases. My Kindle library is growing at a far faster rate than I have time to read it. It probably holds a similar ratio of everything I mentioned.
Unsurprisingly, I haven't settled on a favorite genre to write, either.
SC: Your Amazon page mentions you love reading scans of 70 year old pulp magazines. Alex is always putting up killer reviews of old pulp stories but they are frustratingly rare to find. Are there websites you can recommend for those wanting to read the old mags?
JB: The pulp magazine archive is my go-to place for scans of the original magazines. I've also picked up several from the Pulp Magazine Project, and Pulp Covers sometimes has links to digital versions of the original books.
I finally have some originals in my collection, but I don't dare remove them from their protective sleeves for long. I read the scans instead.
Aside from that, I've picked up some collections and reprints on Amazon and from Paizo.com.
SC: Please let us know what you are working on now.
JB: I have a short story called "Dead Last" appearing in the premier issue of StoryHack, a new pulp-style magazine which will be launching very soon. "Crawlers," a story of giant arthropods that devour a major suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah recently came out in Electric Spec and is free to read online. I've been working on novel-writing again, which has been a bit of a transition after spending several years focused on short-form fiction. I don't have anything ready to announce on that front yet.
SC: Jay, thank you for your time and the great stories I got to read in preparations for this interview.
JB: Thank you, Scott! This has been a lot of fun!
Great interview.
I have not yet had time to write a proper review of it, but Jay's game Frayed Knights was a ton of fun. Great homage to the Keep on the Borderlands with some fun and quirky writing.
Frayed Knights does not get the attention it deserves.
I know he's working on a sequel, but that pesky thing called real life keeps getting in the way. I still want it though.
My only qualms with it are the long load times and the "episode 1" nature of it. The game world is just big enough that after you're impressed by how much bigger it is than you expected it to be, you're left asking "That's it?!" when it ends. The locked adventurers' rooms hint at future story lines and I'd love to see it expanded on (new hub towns, areas, quests, etc.), though Jay's said that the next one will be a wholly new system.
That was fascinating. I never thought it, but of course you would want to train people as well as you could to operate those ginormous cranes. So neat.
Usually I check out immediately whenever I hear the word Steampunk but Jay has done really interesting research on the technology.
Playing Gwent on Witcher 3 literally stole 3 months of my life.
With this Cirsova series not only is my to read list growing but now I have some games to look into.
I've bought books based on this blog series, so… it's what? Mutually assured bankruptcy?


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The government's £200 million organic farming scheme is grappling with high IT costs, according to Whitehall auditors.
The Organic Entry Level Stewardship scheme is aimed at encouraging farmers into organic practices, in order to help the environment, and provides European Union subsidies to those certified.
In a report today, the National Audit Office said that £535 was spent on IT costs for each claim. This represented 84 per cent of total administration costs, and was an amount the NAO called "high in comparison to the relatively small number of agreements". Nearly 2,300 farmers are part of the scheme.
Nevertheless, the costs were significantly less than the £1,743 administration expense on each claim under the troubled separate Single Payment subsidy scheme. Additionally, the introduction of an online application system was cutting the time needed for processing each form.
The organic scheme costs reduced in the last year, the NAO noted. The total IT costs for the organic scheme were £1.2 million in 2008 to 2009, compared with a peak of £1.5 million a year earlier.
Natural England, an agency running the scheme alongside the Rural Payments Agency, has to pay a charge on the Genesis IT system in use, but has "little control over the cost" of the system, the NAO noted. The system is an asset of the Department of Food and Rural Affairs, which oversees Natural England and the RPA.
The government had also been too optimistic about the rate of take up of the organic scheme, the NAO found. Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee which will hold hearings on the NAO findings, said that unless take-up improved, "there is every risk that EU funds might not be used and hence have to be returned".


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Bridal portrait
For me, every bride is beautiful and I, as a photographer, want to capture her beauty and her wedding day glow.
It is hard to believe that very often there is no time in the wedding day schedule dedicated to a bridal portrait. I know, many of you think that it is all about the bride. From my experience, today's bride is more concerned about everybody else than herself.
I tell my brides; be a little selfish it is your wedding day, it is your big day and your family and friends are here to celebrate with you. They are happy for you, they want to see you as a beautiful and happy bride.
Please, slow down, relax and take the time for yourself. We want to see your radiant you, your beauty and your happiness.
So much planning and time goes into choosing the perfect wedding dress, choosing the hair, the make up, the whole look. It is once in a lifetime opportunity to wear a stunning white dress, to look like a princess if you want to.
The wedding day arrives and it moves just too fast. If we do not take the time to capture all the beauty, we miss out. We might have a tons of fun photos of jumping wedding party, or fake mustaches, or funny faces, but we miss out on the beauty.
Do not take me wrong, I like fun photos, I like to capture the moment and the emotions, but I like the beauty and art as well and I appreciate a beautiful portrait.


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Wang books Wimbledon spot
Taiwan's Jimmy Wang made the main draw for next week's Wimbledon Championships by defeating world No. 172 Malek Jaziri in qualifying at the Bank of England Sports Centre in Roehampton on Wednesday. Wang beat the Tunisian 7-5, 7-5, 6-2 to secure his fifth appearance in the men's singles tournament on the grass courts at the All England Club. The 28-year-old's best performances came in 2006 and 2007 when he reached the second round.
Anzhi must find new venue
Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala were asked by UEFA on Wednesday to find an alternative stadium for their Europa League home fixtures due to concerns over security in Dagestan and the North Caucasus. The European soccer governing body's Emergency Panel decided that due to the "security situation" in the area that "no UEFA competition match is allowed to be played in this region during the 2013/14 season." Anzhi, who achieved their best finish with third place in last season's championship, have consequently been given until June 30 to propose another venue for their home matches. Also factored into the panel's decision were "warnings issued by various governments," with the ruling to remain in place for subsequent seasons until further notice.
Larsson and son triumph
The name "Larsson" was once again on a scoresheet in a Swedish match as former international striker Henrik Larsson made a comeback, but this time it was his 15-year-old son Jordan who netted the goal. "We didn't combine a whole lot, but obviously I'm proud," Henrik Larsson told newspaper Expressen after seeing his son score in Hogaborg's 4-2 win over Tenhult in Sweden's Division Two (fourth tier). "It is of course a rare luxury to get to play with your son," added Henrik, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006 and the European Golden Shoe award in 2001, and was part of the Sweden side who came third at the 1994 World Cup. Jordan has already been linked to several major European clubs, as well as Helsingborg, the Allsvenskan club where his father made his name after leaving Hogaborg. "It was great fun — maybe next time I can make an assist for him," Jordan told Expressen.
Serena sorry for comments
Serena Williams has apologized for comments she made in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in which she appeared to assign blame to the 16-year-old victim in a Steubenville, Ohio, rape case for being drunk. "What happened in Steubenville was a real shock for me. I was deeply saddened," the women's world No. 1 said in a statement on her Web site. "For someone to be raped, and at only 16, is such a horrible tragedy! For both families involved — that of the rape victim and of the accused. I am currently reaching out to the girl's family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article. What was written — what I supposedly said — is insensitive and hurtful. I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame. I have fought all of my career for women's equality, women's equal rights, respect in their fields — anything I could do to support women I have done. My prayers and support always goes out to the rape victim. In this case, most especially, to an innocent 16-year-old child." The victim accused two Ohio high-school football players of raping her while she was drunk at a party.


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Master of Science in Management Information Systems
The Online Learning option of the MS in MIS is a 33-credit-hour program that enables graduates to understand business processes and concepts, as well as the design and maintenance of information systems.
Offering a unique blend of theoretical coursework and hands-on application with real-world projects, the program gives graduates an advantage in the competitive job market. In a business environment heavily reliant on professionals who are both business managers and technicians, graduates will have the business, technical and leadership skills to face the challenges where business disciplines meet technology.
The program prepares graduates not only to understand the concepts behind the information systems with which they work but also to develop, modify, use and protect these rapidly changing computing systems through their technical expertise.
Courses emphasize teamwork and may address digital business systems, knowledge management systems and information assurance and security. Students may focus on software design and implementation, information retrieval and analysis, or management of network and information system security to protect information systems against unauthorized intrusion.
Applicants must have a minimum GMAT score of 550 or GRE score of 305; at least a 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA; and at least a 3.25 undergraduate GPA in their major area. Though not required for admission, some background work in computer programming and understanding of business concepts is beneficial.


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Printed Tui bedside lamp : Using the panoramic Tui Song artwork we print these wonderful lampshades. This listing is for the smaller bedside table lamp. The overall height of the lamp stands at 50cm high with the shade measuring 25cm diameter and 25cm high with a black powder coated base diameter 16cm. Brushed chrome & chrome bases are also an option.
Order timing : Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing. Shipping adds 2-3 working days. Sorry no pickup is available with these as they get shipped direct to you from the manufacturer. Please note that all orders are produced once a customer has purchased however we do hold a small and large lamp shade in stock if you wish to view.
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- May 27, 1921 - March 28, 2015
- South Boston, Virginia
of Hilda's Passing
Share This Obituary
Make a Memorial Donation
Tributes.com partners with over 100 national charities. It's easy and secure.Donate
Hilda was born on May 27, 1921 and passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2015.
Hilda was a resident of South Boston, Virginia at the time of passing.
Hilda was married to Newton.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 3:00 P.M. at the Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Doug Gibson officiating. Burial will follow in the Oak Ridge Cemetery.
The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at Powell Funeral Home and other times at the home of her daughter, 1073 Ash Ave., South Boston, VA 24592.
In lieu of flowers, please consider the Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Ave., South Boston, VA 24592.


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Those uppity NFL players
September 25, 2017 Leave a comment
Lots of good stuff being written. My favorite so far is Jelani Cobb. Really, really good:
Yet the belief endures, from Armstrong's time and before, that visible, affluent African-Americans entertainers are obliged to adopt a pose of ceaseless gratitude—appreciation for the waiver that spared them the low status of so many others of their kind. Stevie Wonder began a performance in Central Park last night by taking a knee, prompting Congressman Joe Walsh to tweet that Wonder was "another ungrateful black multi-millionaire." Ungrateful is the new uppity. Trump's supporters, by a twenty-four-point margin, agree with the idea that most Americans have not got as much as they deserve—though they overwhelmingly withhold the right to that sentiment from African-Americans. Thus, the wonder is not the unhinged behavior of this weekend but rather that it took Trump so long to exploit a target as rich in potential racial resentment as wealthy black athletes who have the temerity to believe in the First Amendment.
It's impossible not to be struck by Trump's selective patriotism. It drives him to curse at black football players but leaves him struggling to create false equivalence between Nazis and anti-Fascists in Charlottesville. It inspires a barely containable contempt for Muslims and immigrants but leaves him mute in the face of Russian election intervention. He cannot tolerate the dissent against literal flag-waving but screams indignation at the thought of removing monuments to the Confederacy, which attempted to revoke the authority symbolized by that same flag. He is the vector of the racial id of the class of Americans who sent death threats to Louis Armstrong, the people who necessitated the presence of a newly federalized National Guard to defend black students seeking to integrate a public school. He contains multitudes—all of them dangerously ignorant.
Damn that's good. Read all of it.
Also, a few of my favorite tweets on the misappropriation of the national anthem, etc. It does not represent our "military and first responders." It represents the American people. And the American people are failing on issues of racial justice (exhibit A: we elected Donald Trump).


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Created by Oscar de la Renta's design studio after Peter Copping's departure from the fashion house, the newest Oscar de la Renta fall 2017 bridal collection is elegance at its purest, with silhouettes perfect for anyone who is looking for a traditionally modern wedding dress. This all-white bridal collection was, in fact, extremely polished and refined in lines, as well as seductively classic in cuts, with touches of modernity filtered through the many 3D floral embellishments, guipure lace panels and taffeta bows.
Although featuring only 15 looks, the collection turned out to be extremely versatile, with silhouettes that varied from traditional A-lines to more structured two-pieces. As a whole, the collection could be regarded as a more polished, revisited version of the Oscar de la Renta fall 2016 bridal lineup, which featured a similar organza extravaganza and was extremely traditional in styles too. As usual, those at the Oscar de la Renta studios designed mini wedding dresses as well, sported onstage by utterly cute petite models.
The Oscar de la Renta bridal fall 2017 collection showcased almost any kind of silhouette one can think of while searching for the perfect wedding dress, from trumpet to modified A-line to mermaid to sheath and even tea-length ones. Oscar de la Renta proved, once again, to perfectly know its target audience, and by judging from the care its design studio took to refine and make every single staple one-of-a-kind, we can also fairly state they know how to spoil a bride-to-be rotten, too.
While the princess-like, A-line, modified A-line and ball-gown dresses got revamped with tactical draping and cascades of white and silver pearls, the sinuous sheaths, mini dresses and mermaid dresses got modernized through floral tulle embroideries and opal chokers, which also helped balance the figures even more.
What makes the Oscar de la Renta bridal fall 2017 collection even more unique is the abounding amount of standout accessories and little details those at the fashion house's studio complemented most of the looks with, making them minimalist and fairytale-like at the same time. With either chokers or delicate dangling earrings highlighting the faces, the collection's intricate detailing mainly focused on shoulders, enhanced with either draped off-the-shoulder tulle sleeves, or sequin embroideries.
Silver rings were also often spotted throughout the lineup, as they flawlessly encapsulated this collection's sophisticated spirit and confident heart.
If you are looking for a pair of traditionally classic wedding shoes, we specifically recommend having a look at this Oscar de la Renta bridal collection, as both the ivory moiré faille jewel pumps and sandals the studio designed will look amazing at any kind of wedding ceremony, whether it is an indoor or outdoor celebration.
Photos courtesy of WWD