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|David Jencks <david_jen...@yahoo.com>
|JPA instructions
|Thu, 09 Nov 2006 08:20:16 GMT
The latest weekly build of geronimo-jetty-j2ee includes support for jpa. Here are some brief instructions. Note that this does not include all the nifty jee 5 features such as resource injection and deployment locating your persitence.xml file for you. However both container managed and application managed persistence is supported: there is support for extended persistence contexts but this has not been tested at all yet. To deploy a persistence unit, you need a persistence.xml file that includes all the usual stuff and more specifically the datasources you wish to use. To specify the datasource include an AbstractNameQuery sufficient to locate the ManagedConnectionFactoryWrapper gbean supplying the datasource. Do not include any interfaces. For instance, if you deployed your datasource with name jdbc/ TradeDataSource and made sure this was in the ancestors of your app you would specify <jta-data-source>?name=jdbc/TradeDataSource</jta-data-source> Note that if you use openjpa and want a sequence to assign generated ids you need to also include a non-jta-data-source. Include the persistence.xml contents directly in your geronimo plan at the end where gbean definitions go. For instance, for an ejb jar, you'd put it at the end of openejb-jar.xml like: ... ... </relationships> <persistence xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/ persistence" version="1.0"> <persistence-unit transaction-type="JTA" name="daytrader"> <provider>org.apache.openjpa.persistence.PersistenceProviderImpl</ provider> <jta-data-source>?name=jdbc/TradeDataSource</jta- data-source> <non-jta-data-source>?name=jdbc/ NoTxTradeDataSource</non-jta-data-source> <class>org.apache.geronimo.samples.daytrader.AccountDataBean</class> <class>org.apache.geronimo.samples.daytrader.AccountProfileDataBean</ class> <class>org.apache.geronimo.samples.daytrader.HoldingDataBean</class> <class>org.apache.geronimo.samples.daytrader.OrderDataBean</class> <class>org.apache.geronimo.samples.daytrader.QuoteDataBean</class> <exclude-unlisted-classes/> <properties> <property name="openjpa.jdbc.DBDictionary" value="org.apache.openjpa.jdbc.sql.DerbyDictionary"/> <property name="openjpa.jdbc.SynchronizeMappings" value="buildSchema (ForeignKeys=true)"/> <property name="openjpa.Sequence" value="table(Table=OPENJPASEQ, Increment=100)"/> </properties> </persistence-unit> </persistence> </openejb-jar> In the environment/dependencies element you need to include your jpa provider as a dependency. We've packaged up the openjpa jar and its dependencies into a configuration so you can just add: <dependency> <groupId>org.apache.geronimo.configs</groupId> <artifactId>openjpa</artifactId> <type>car</type> </dependency> and you won't have to track down the right serp version etc. So now if you deploy your app the persistence unit will get deployed and started for you.... but you might want to use it in your application. We aren't processing jee 5 deployment descriptors or the equivalent annotations so you have to use geronimo specific xml in your plan. Here's an example for a container managed persistence context accessed from a session bean: <session> <ejb-name>TradeJPA</ejb-name> <persistence-context-ref> <persistence-context-ref-name>jpa/daytrader</ persistence-context-ref-name> <persistence-unit-name>daytrader</ persistence-unit-name> <persistence-context-type>transaction- scoped</persistence-context-type> </persistence-context-ref> </session> from an openejb-jar.xml. Now your session bean can get the transaction-scoped container managed EntityManager like this: public void setSessionContext(SessionContext sc) { context = sc; if (sc != null) { try { entityManager = (EntityManager) new InitialContext ().lookup("java:comp/env/jpa/daytrader"); } catch (NamingException e) { throw new EJBException("could not get Naming Context", e); } } else { entityManager = null; } } If for some reason you want to use application managed persistence contexts you'd include something like this in your plan: <session> <ejb-name>TestSession</ejb-name> <entity-manager-factory-ref> <entity-manager-factory-ref-name>jpa/testEMF</entity- manager-factory-ref-name> <persistence-unit-name>test-unit</persistence-unit- name> </entity-manager-factory-ref> </session> Looking up the EntityManagerFactory looks like this: EntityManagerFactory entityManagerFactory = (EntityManagerFactory) new InitialContext().lookup("java:comp/env/jpa/ testEMF"); Given some public outcry we could make the xml tag names more similar by changing persistence-context to entity-manager in the first style of xml. ------------------------------- enhancement I recommend you pre-enhance your classes as you build your app. If you use maven 2 there are some examples of how to do it in the samples mentioned below. If you wish to live dangerously and use runtime enhancement, that works too, sometimes. The current limitation is that no gbean datas can include classes or objects of classes that need to be enhanced, since the gbean datas are deserialized before the bytecode transformer is installed. One way you can get into trouble with this is if a web service endpoint uses jpa persistence-capable data beans as method arguments. In order to get runtime enhancement you need to start the server with our jpa agent with a command line like this: java -javaagent:bin/jpa.jar -jar bin/server.jar This works with the simple test app but not with daytrader due to the web service problem just mentioned. --------------------------------- So far there are the following examples: -- a very simple test app that requires you to build the sandbox/ javaee5 stuff and run the geronimo-jetty6-jee5 server. It's located in sandbox/javaee5/itests/jpa. -- daytrader trunk. This is converted so jpa is an option. Deploy with the plan daytrader-jpa-plan.xml in daytrader/trunk/plans. After you deploy daytrader you need to first visit the configuration page and set the persistence method to JPA. Then populate the database and start trading. I don't know if the old direct and ejb persistence methods still work: in particular I'm pretty sure the id generation methods are incompatible so if you want to try changing persistence method, clear the data and repopulate. Try it out and please report problems thanks david jencks
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la jolla bridal session / cassidy + dylan/
this weekend i had the pleasure of taking cassidy+dylan's bridals in la jolla. cassidy and dylan have been together since their junior year of high school. dylan left on a 2 year mission for his church, and they are getting married two months after he got home. they told me 'when you know, you know, so there's no use waiting' which i just love! they were so comfortable with each other i could tell that they are SO ready to be married.
we started the session early in the morning at scripps pier beach and had the most beautiful morning light.
i noticed one of cassidy's top buttons came undone so i stopped to help fix it, and after multiple failed tries dylan swept in to help and it was the sweetest. i love the way that all of my grooms treat their brides<3
after shooting on the beach we headed up to a eucalyptus grove just up the road.
i teasingly asked if dylan had picked out the ring by himself (because if anyone else is like me they basically pick out their own rings) and he actually had! it is a gorgeous solitaire round diamond in rose gold. i LOVED it.
i can't wait for their wedding!

subset: commoncrawl


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Backstage at NYFW for Spring 2012, one of the most striking things I saw (that I really liked) was rose gold strategically placed in the models hair at Peter Som. The highlights were drastic for the runway so the overall look hinted at a punky edge in the girls otherwise flowing waves. Of course leave it to a celeb to step out with the look on the first day of Spring, Mad Men Actress, Miss January Jones. "We've been doing the same color for about 8 years so I thought it would be fun to try," commented her colorist Jennifer J., a Wella Professional Celebrity Colorist and Co-Founder of Juan Juan Salons. "I brought a bunch of different colors to her house and the color was custom blended there. When it looked perfect, we went for it and the outcome was amazing on her already pastel blonde hair."
I like them. I liked them on the runway and I like the way they look on January Jones (although I think hers are more pinkish). Of course they'll look different on brunettes (it's harder to lift color and may be Fall already by the time you actually get to rose gold), but you can always fake them like they did backstage. The answer: extensions! I think I want them! Yay or nay?


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The £147m London Cycle Network Plus of radial and orbital routes covering the whole of the city, could be seven years behind schedule, it suggested.
The London Assembly report suggests a lack of political will is to blame.
But Transport for London (TfL) said the project was on target to be finished by 2009/10 and within the set budget.
The London Assembly wants a serious commitment from Transport for London and the boroughs, and more funding for cycle lanes.
The London Cycle Network (LCN) project is being managed by TfL, in partnership with the London Borough of Camden.
But the report found some boroughs were not taking part and suggested a lack of political will was "a critical obstacle to completion".
It said some completed schemes had not met TfL's standards and there was a tendency to focus on finishing easy sections first, which was creating a piecemeal network.
And there are fears it will not be completed until 2016 - seven years late - and will not meet cyclists' needs.
While recognising the project was making a good contribution to improving cycling conditions, it urged those behind the project to "think bigger".
Its conclusion reads: "The project is in danger of drifting well beyond its delivery date and of not making the dramatic changes that will really excite and encourage cyclists."
TfL said the LCN was well on target to be completed on time and said the network was well-designed and was already increasing cycling in London.
A TfL spokesman said £43m has so far been spent on the first half of the £140m LCN project since work began in 2002.
"There is a great deal of political will to support cycling in London," he said.
"However, we do need more London boroughs to come on board and to support the mayor's vision to make London a world class cycling city."


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Exercise offers an ideal way to get yourself fit and can benefit you in a number of ways. Not only can it improve your health and fitness levels, but it can also help you to feel better about yourself and enhance your mood.
If you don't know where to begin with a new exercise regime, here are some tips to get you started.
Easy beginner's exercise
If you've never exercised before or you're a bit out of practice, you should start with something easy and not too strenuous. It's important that you enjoy what you're doing as well; otherwise you won't stick to it.
Swimming is an easy exercise to begin with, as it needs very little investment and it's gentle on your muscles. If you like to run, then this is another type of exercise that is quick to get started with.
For those who need a bit of motivation to keep going, group exercise could be beneficial for you. You can do a search in your local area to find a range of different classes, including zumba, boot camps, running clubs, kettle bells and yoga.
Build it up
It's vital that you don't go all out in the very beginning and become too eager to reach your targets. By doing this, you run the risk of injuring yourself. You should start slowly and only do a little bit at a time until your body gets used to it. Then you can gradually increase the time, intensity and frequency as your body adapts.
Don't be over ambitious with your targets, as this will just put you off when you don't reach them. Look at what you can do now and focus on improving one step at a time.
If you're new to exercise or have any pre-existing medical conditions, then it's a good idea to talk to your doctor before you start. They can check out your current fitness levels and suggest the most appropriate types of exercise. They'll also be able to keep an eye on any current injuries and show you ways of exercising that won't strain them any further.
While you're building up your fitness levels or after an injury, wearing a type of compression sleeve such as a knee support could be beneficial. These help to reduce joint and muscle pain and improve blood circulation.
Sticking to the routine
It's all too easy to get bored with an exercise routine, especially if you're always doing the same thing. Try and mix your regime up a bit and do a variety of different exercises. Choose a time that works for you so that exercising becomes a habit that you look forward to.
Build in rewards to keep you going. These could include buying a new outfit if you complete a whole month or having a special day out if you reach a certain target.
Exercise should become a habit and a way of life that improves your general fitness and well-being. By starting off in the right vein, you're more likely to be successful and stick with what you're doing.


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How to Get the Best Results When Lifting Dumbbells
You can create three dumbbell workouts that achieve different results by changing the number of reps you perform, the amount of weight you use and the intensity you use while performing each routine. Based on how you use your dumbbells, you can create muscle-building, calorie burning and endurance training workouts. To get the best results from each type of workout, you need to use the right loads, volumes and intensities for each.
Cardio Workouts
Using light dumbbells and performing more and high-intensity repetitions of each exercise, you can create cardio workouts or add resistance to your current aerobic routines. One key to creating cardio workouts with dumbbells is to use a weight that won't fatigue or cramp your muscles after five or 10 minutes. To keep your intensity high and to reduce the chance you'll fatigue, alternate between upper-body and lower-body exercises. Perform your reps quickly and let gravity and momentum do some of the work to take the effort off your muscles. If you are new to using weights, take no more than one minute to recover between exercises, aiming for a goal of performing your exercises one after another without a break, recommends fitness expert Mike Mahler.
Muscle-Building Workouts
To build muscle, use dumbbells the opposite way you use them for a cardio workout. Use heavy dumbbells, perform fewer repetitions of each exercise, take frequent breaks and perform your reps slowly. An effective way to build muscle with dumbbells is to create a 3 X 5 workout, which consists of five reps of an exercise followed by a short break, then two more sets of the same exercise. Perform your reps slowly, using muscular effort to raise and lower the weights -- don't let them drop down after an uplift. After three sets of an exercise, take a two- or three-minute break and start a new exercise, working a new muscle group. Use close to your maximum weight to perform the exercises and try to increase the weight you use by 5 pounds each week. Give yourself at least 24 hours between workouts to let your muscles recover and grow larger.
Endurance Workouts
Endurance routines take place at an intensity level in between those used for cardio and bodybuilding workouts. Endurance training helps you use your muscles longer, improving your sports performance. To create an endurance workout, use dumbbells that weigh about 50 percent of the maximum weight you can lift. Perform 10 to 12 reps of an exercise, or perform reps for 30 seconds, then take a short, 15-second break before moving to a new exercise. Keep this pattern going for the duration of your workout. This type of exercise, known as circuit training, is also an effective way to burn calories. Alternate between upper- and lower-body exercises. You can repeat three or four exercises during a circuit-training routine, or use different exercises for the entire circuit. If you repeat exercises, don't perform all sets of that exercise in a row.
Common upper-body dumbbell exercises include biceps curls, rows, kickbacks, triceps extensions, arm raises, chest presses, flyes and iron crosses. To work your lower body, use deadlifts, standing, box and reactive squats, lunges and heel raises.
Always warm up with dynamic stretches such as arm swings, jumping jacks and butt kicks before you exercise. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout. Cool down after you finish exercise by walking around, raising your knees high and raising and lowering your arms as your heart rate and breathing slow. Finish with a static stretch, holding your stretches for 30 seconds.
Photo Credits
- Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images


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I am a huge fan of real-life women who exude the power of a strong female protagonist. Best of all, I respect those who prevail through adversity, fight for their dreams relentlessly, and not only survive, but thrive. This is why I find it so important to share the voice of Monica Phromsavanh, a Laotian woman who grew up in Argentina as a refugee, lived through extraordinary odds, and moved to New York City to leave her mark as a powerhouse entrepreneur as CEO of Modabox. Modabox is a shopping service that delivers personally styled outfits right to your doorstep, catered to YOUR personal taste and handpicked by an expert stylist. It's such an innovative new company that Monica is up to be a Tory Burch Fellow at this moment! Read her story and find out why you should vote her in to be Tory Burch's newest business fellow right now.
Monica Phromsavanh
City: New York , NY
Birthplace: Argentina
Occupation: CEO aka #ModaBos
How do you redefine glamour?
Glamour is a term so frequently thrown around nowadays and is a little overrated. Glamour, in my mind, should be about being confident and comfortable in your own skin. For me, this is dressing in something that makes you not only look great, but feel powerful in. I personally have never been particularly sexy or "hot", but am seen as an intelligent and timeless woman, which is what I like to think being glamorous is---being a chic, confident woman.
What is your WHY? (Why do you do what you do?)
I started my career as most people in fashion do---with two hundred dollars in my pocket and a passion. After struggling and growing up in a refugee camp in Argentina, I realized at an early age what hard work really is and have applied that everyday since, to make my dreams a reality. Through my determination, I was able to work in the fashion industry and pave my way until I came to my current position--- a cofounder of Modabox, a company of industry professionals, tastemakers, and style connoisseurs. As I progress and excel, it is very important to me to give back in some way. It is not only fulfilling to share what I've learned with others, but imperative to me to emphasize female empowerment in everything I do.
What are your current projects?
Some of my current projects include being on conference panels or being a speaker to talk about my expertise and share what I've learn in my industry or how I can inspire other female entrepreneurs. Recently, ModaBox has been taking up 110% of my time. Having time for other projects is hard to fit on my plate at the moment, but I'm looking forward to some great collaborations coming up.
What is a message you'd like to share with young women?
Being the best you can be and confident in everything you do is the most important thing. I urge all women to dress to impress and take on each day as if she owns it. Cherish your intelligence, and be proud of who you are and whatever you stand for. No matter what challenge you meet, you are a beautiful and powerful woman, and can succeed at anything you put your mind to. Always dream big, never give up, and ALWAYS be passionate about what you do. So passionate that you'll work without having to be paid and still love it. Have fun while you are doing it! Because at the end it'll all pay off.
Learn more about Monica here:
Company FB : https://www.facebook.com/MyModabox
Company IG : @ModaBox
Personal IG: @MSmodabox
Site : http://moda-box.com/


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Understanding The Middle East Book Club - 'Pity the Nation'
Understanding The Middle East group meets on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. It has the purpose of exploring the rich culture of the Middle East through literature (poetry, fiction, memoirs). They do include readings of non-fiction as they try to gain an understanding of history and current events. Although they read writers from the west, the goal is to discover the many talented authors from middle eastern countries who may not be well known in the U.S. Even though discussions of politics cannot always be avoided, this is not the focus.
For more information, contact Tina Martin at firstname.lastname@example.com. New members are always welcome.
June 18 – Pity the Nation by Robert Fisk (May & June)
With the Israeli-Palestinian crisis reaching wartime levels, where is the latest confrontation between these two old foes leading? Robert Fisk's explosive Pity the Nation recounts Sharon and Arafat's first deadly encounter in Lebanon in the early 1980s and explains why the IsraelPalestine relationship seems so intractable.


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Materials you will need are ::
[Small Pouch / Finished Size 12cmW x 8cmD x 13cmH]
1 Square Fabric / 46cm(18") x 46cm(18"), 2 Cords / 34cm(13.5"), 2 Beads which have holes large enough to string the cords you have.
[Medium Pouch / Finished Size 13cmW x 9cmD x 15cmH]
1 Square Fabric / 50cm(20") x 50cm(20"), 2 Cords / 36cm(14"), 2 Beads which have holes large enough to string the cords you have.
[Large Pouch / Finished Size 16cmW x 10cmD x 19cmH]
1 Square Fabric / 60cm(24") x 60cm(24"), 2 Cords / 42cm(16.5"), 2 Beads which have holes large enough to string the cords you have.
These measurements are just FYI to get an rough idea what you will have finally. You can use your fabric square in any sizes actually. That means this project would be so great to use up fabrics in your stash. Or you can use fabric napkins or silk scarves you won't use anymore. (A good thing about using those items is you don't need to hem your square.) I made the small pouch with a piece of fat quarter fabric. So if you've been saving prettiest fat quarters in your stash, it is the time to use them!
You can find the tutorial with lots of photos here. Soon you will find out how easy and simple it is. I hope you'll enjoy making your own beautiful pouches. Feel free to ask in your comment if you have any questions. Happy new sewing year!!!
By the way, I cooked "Japanese new year's day brunch dishes" spending two last days of 2013. I usually go to Chicago to get some ready made food from Japanese super market. But this time we were too busy to go shopping in the big city so I needed to cook everything using ingredients I can get here in South Bend. It was tough and I couldn't make all I wanted. And also they didn't taste perfect as I expected. But I think it was good enough and I will be better next time.


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I am trying to get adb to see my Samsung Fascinate phone so that I can install my Android apps via usb to the phone. I am using osx 10.6.7.
When I run "adb devices" it does not list my device and "adb usb" says "device not found".
USB debugging is enabled and I have tried connecting in storage mode as well as media mode. When I am in storage mode I can see the phone's drive in Finder so I know that the usb connection works, however adb still can't find it.
I read that for Mac there are no usb drivers, that it's just supposed to work, but this doesn't seem to be the case.
Any suggestions?


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Column No. 23 By Steven Jonas, MD, MPH - JULY 29, 2004
Note to the reader (again): We are now at the apex of the Democratic National Convention, and in a series of columns written before I left on summer vacation, I continue to devote myself to what are primarily campaign matters. To remind you, this set of columns has been prepared in advance. It is possible that some of what I will have to say here will be overtaken by events (and in the first item below I comment on one comment of mine from the first column in this series that has been). But hopefully, whether or not that happens, you will find these thoughts to be of use as our attention turns to the principal challenge facing the pro-democracy forces, not in Iraq, but here at home: how to defeat George Bush and assure the election of John Kerry.
On the Choice for Vice-President
In the first one of this "written before I went away" series, I wrote a bit on my number one choice for the position of Vice-President on the ticket, a really wild, far-out one, Al Gore. Well, it is obviously not he. I must say that until the moment on the morning of July 6 that I heard that Sen. Kerry's choice was Sen. John Edwards; he was about my last choice among those being "mentioned." But as soon as I heard that indeed it was he, and thinking about the other finalists, Rep. Gephardt, Gov. Vilsack, and Sen. Graham, I have to say that I saw the logic and the advisability in the selection.
Yes, Sen. Edwards was the first candidate for the nomination who was put forth by the right-wing Democratic Leadership Council (who followed him in their "entry" [to borrow a term from the world of standard bred racing] with Sen. Lieberman and Gen. Clark). (Since he has moved to the left since the time when he was a DLC founder, I didn't count Rep. Gephardt as one of theirs.) But just as Sen. Kerry, not one of their choices has (unfortunately) picked up some of their policies and people, so has Sen. Edwards moved somewhat away from them, especially in his attacks on "globalization" (otherwise know as the uncontrolled, unregulated, actually encouraged by right-wing policy, export of capital).
So what does Sen. Edwards bring to the ticket? Most importantly to my mind, the ability to focus on two large groups of potential voters who ordinarily don't vote, because they see, often quite correctly, not too many differences between the two parties: the workers and the young. Yes, he is now wealthy and does not have a wealth of government experience, but he comes from a poor background and in the primary campaign did focus on issues of major concern to working-class people. Beyond his stand on the issues, his youth (and I do have to say it, good looks) will be a big advantage for our side in appealing to those young people who we will need to get to the polls in large numbers. He is a fine orator, much better than Kerry (although the latter does not set a very high standard in that regard!) And finally, his experience as a plaintiff's attorney against corporations and insurance companies A) will give him resonance among many potential voters who have been hard done by, by one or both, and B) has the potential for bringing in lots of money from his trial lawyers compatriots, still very much in the sights of the Georgites.
On Michael Moore and Fahrenheit 9/11
Although I (and Michael Moore as well, I'm sure) hope that it is not the case, by the time you read this the movie may be running only in "selected" theatres and may be attracting little if any additional attention from its critics, both right and left. Nevertheless, I would like to make a couple of comments on it and the reaction to it that carry important lessons for the Campaign.
First, what the Right was able to achieve what exactly what their goal always is when the record of the Bush Administration is on the table: get the focus off it, at all costs. They did this, most unfortunately, with the help of a host of nit-picking liberal/left nay-sayers who in their rush to be "balanced" and show just how erudite they were as movie critics forgot their politics and the desperate need this country has to defeat the Georgites in November. And so, the attention was spun (literally and figuratively) away from what the movie has to tell us about the Bush family, the Georgites, and their combined records, both in and out of the White House, and onto Michael Moore and the movie as a movie.
Moore, who stated that he had documentary proof for every factual claim made in the movie (and likely has a book with that proof in the works, or should have), had his credibility become a central issue, when the real issue, which the movie illustrates so well, is and should be Bush's credibility. Moore had his ability as a film-maker questioned, by critics who said that "Roger and Me" or "Bowling for Columbine" were better, or worse, as films, when the real issue was the ongoing propaganda film of the war on Iraq that the Georgites were able to create with the freely offered help of a very compliant (may we say round-heeled) media.
Yes, it was a job well-done by the Republicans and their allies on the Right, like "Move America Forward" (they mean backward, of course, but honesty is not a long suit on the Right) and "Citizens United" (they mean "Rich Citizens," of course), with a good deal of help from a wide range of liberals. They followed the Lee Atwater script, "Always Attack; Never Defend." It needs to be both used and countered by our side. It is actually not hard to do; let's hope that the Campaign learns quickly on this one.
Second, I did not see any comments (although there may well have been one or more) on the allusion contained in the title of the movie. For readers who might know of it, there was a marvelous book by the great science fiction writer of two generations ago, Ray Bradbury, entitled Fahrenheit 451. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper burns. The story, the details of which I will not go into here, is about a time in the future when our country is governed by a regime that has banned reading. Fireproofing of all natural and man-made material has been perfected, but there are ubiquitous fire companies. Their task is to locate all hidden printed matter and then burn it. The owners of such matter are then imprisoned. It is an upside-down world, something like one in which "freedom and democracy" means that political opposition to the Regime equals treason, torture is OK if approved by the "right" people, and the major media willingly become the propaganda arm of the Regime in power. It is hard for me to believe that Michael Moore did not have the book in mind when he chose the title for his movie.
On the Choice Issue
Finally for this week, I should like to say that for some years now I have felt that two essential elements have been missing from the armamentarium of those of us who fight to protect freedom of choice (with certain limited limits) in the outcome of pregnancy. First, and most important, I am convinced that over the long term, against a very determined enemy, to effectively defend choice politically, and win with it politically, we must broaden the issue from one of concern only to women of child-bearing age to being the concern of all of us. And so it is. What the Republican Religious Right and their allies in the Catholic Church (who, it happens are at odds with them on many other issues of social justice like the death penalty and policy towards the poor) wants to do is, through the use of the criminal law; force each and every person in the US, regardless of sex or age, to adopt a single belief on the religious question of when life begins.
They want to force upon all of us a particular religious dogma on this matter. However, once having done that, what would there be to prevent them from using the criminal law to govern personal belief on any related matter, such as, for example, is there a God; if so, which or who is it; is homosexuality a matter of biology or choice; and so on and so forth? In my view, it is time to take the choice issue beyond its feminist roots (very important at the beginning of the struggle, to be sure) so that every voter can come to understand that it is a much larger issue that affects every one of us, as indeed it does.
Second, also going beyond the position of certain feminists on this one, I think that it is essential for its protection that the pro-choice forces make primary the policy that what we want is for abortion to be treated as a public health issue, with the objective of making it not only legal, but also safe and rare. Planned Parenthood does offer this argument from time-to-time, but in a rather muted way. Although I may have missed something, I don't recall ever hearing it from NARAL. The point is that the number of abortions that have occurred per year since the adoption of Roe v. Wade has remained just about the same as it was before that time.
Since they have no program to deal with abortion as the health concern that it is, the anti-choicers are not in fact against abortion; they are just against legal abortion. They are not against abortion; they just want to use the criminal law to punish doctors who provide them and women who have them. Of course, the problem for the anti-choicers is that they are also dead set against using those methods which in those European countries which use them have proven to be so effective not only in reducing the abortion rate, but also in advancing the age at which teen-agers start experimenting with sex: early, comprehensive sex education in the schools and the widespread, low-cost availability of contraceptives on demand.
To adopt this approach to the issue would be a major change in strategy for the pro-choice forces. Who better to undertake it than a Roman Catholic pro-choicer, who could then run on the slogan: "Abortion: Keep it safe; keep it legal; and make it rare."


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The sequence is unnerving in part simply for the intrusion of elements of the Labyrinth environment into the mundane setting of Sarah's room, and perhaps that alone is enough to explain my consistent feeling of discomfort during the scene. Special shoutout in particular to the moment where she opens the door, expecting to see the hallway, and instead comes face to face with the blasted wasteland and the bustling figure of the junk woman.
But beyond that simple disorienting intrusion of the labyrinth into a recognizable home environment, there's also, I think, the recognition that at no other point does Sarah come closer to failing in her quest, and the implications of that are fascinating to me.
To understand that, predictably, we need to talk about the overarching theme of the I think many read this film as being about growing up and setting aside fantasies. Which, ok. In a sense I suppose we might say that it is. But in that reading the ending, when Sarah calls back all her fantasy friends to her, is Henson trying to have his cake and eat it, too*, and that it fundamentally undermines the character progress Sarah makes over the course of the film.
*My deep loathing of this phrase continues unabated. Someday I'm going to need to write an article on how much I hate this phrase, particularly as a polyamorous queer.
This reading only makes sense if you assume that the endpoint of maturity means moving beyond fantasy. This reading doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you consider that the film is made by a bunch of people who made puppets for a living. It seems, at best, more than a little disingenuous, if that's the intended message.
There's quite a bit in the film that argues against this reading, however. I mean, leaving aside the fact that it's... honestly kind of a cliche reading. If we're going to make grand New Critical statements about the deep meaning of the film, let's at least come up with something a little more interesting, eh?
Rather than setting aside the things of childhood, there's another way of reading the major moments of the film: we could see it as setting aside self-invented distractions that stop the protagonist from moving forward with her life as not just an adult but an adult with creative agency. Which is probably clear as the waters of the bog of eternal stench, but roll with me here for a bit, yeah?
One way of getting at this idea is to analyze Sarah's lowest point in the film and the doubling of her great final hurdle: her capture by way of Jareth's poisoned peach. The two challenges here, first the masked ball and then the dummy house in the junkyard, are, from what I've seen through an admittedly brief search, often analyzed separately, but there's a lot about the scenes that suggests they should be read as symbolic twins. Most obviously, Sarah must break through both obstacles before she can reach the goblin city and regain her memory. In that sense, they are a pair.
There are also a series of visual cues and repeated actions that tie them together.
Consider the presence of a mirrored surface:
Which Sarah then shatters:
Or the music box that becomes Sarah in her ballgown, which is later used to shatter the false bedroom:
All of this suggests that the scenes should be read together. And they are generally understood to represent not just magical but psychological and symbolic hurdles which Sarah must overcome.
So what are those hurdles, exactly, and why are they presented as a pair?
Well, if one of the challenges for Sarah is to abandon the fantasies she's constructed for herself (and there's certainly much in the film pointing to that idea--note the constant refrain about "taking things for granted" early on) the two represent alternate fantasies of existence. One is a scary, sexualized, romantic adulthood that is incomprehensible to Sarah to the point where she is swept off her feet by Jareth's charms.
The other is a more insidious fantasy because it is simply so normal. It's the fantasy of a comfortable, materialistic, suburban existence. (Hold on tight here, folks, my Marx is gonna be about as obvious here as David Bowie's magnificent codpiece.) I really think the scene in the room represents the act of hiding from tough aspects of life in a nest of material excess. Sarah is being literally covered in junk here, with the implication, perhaps, that given time she will transform into the same kind of subtly malevolent creature as the junk woman. She's being distracted from her quest by a whole series of material things. I don't think it's that much of a stretch to suggest that an old hippie puppeteer (and I just caught for the first time, incidentally, the fact that the goblin guards attacking Ludo mockingly call him a hippie as they torment him!) slipped some messages into the film about the danger of finding comfort in commerce.
And what's more, they're assuredly not simply "childish" things that she must set aside! One of the key items here is a tube of lipstick, remember, which she dazedly applies to herself while staring into the mirror that doubles the reflecting wall of the masked ball in the crystal ball. She's just as much captivated by this symbol of oncoming adulthood as she is by any of the toys--arguably more so. What's more, the doubling of this challenge and its pairing with the erotic fantasy of the ballroom suggests that what she is really running from here is a fantasy of a particular life or lifestyle that will allow her to forget her problems.
So, what we see here is not a setting aside of childish things but a setting aside of constructed illusions and distractions from the conclusion of the quest. Those illusions include an illusion of childhood safety (weirdly intruded upon by the uncanny presence of the creature and landscape of the labyrinth), but they also include a glamorous adult sexuality, and a comfortable material suburban existence where Sarah clings to objects and, ultimately, is swamped and absorbed by them.
But what's the other part, that bit about creative agency? Where does that come in?
Well, recall that the mirror is not just symbolic in these scenes but literal. Sarah is twice confronted with her own distorted reflection, which she must shatter to break free.
Now, given what we know from the rest of the film about the nature of the labyrinth and the fact that Jareth has, at least by his own claim, been manipulating his word specifically in order to give Sarah the experience she wants and expects, it seems reasonable to read this double mirroring as symbolic of Sarah's own power over these fantasies. While they are given to her by Jareth and Hoggle, ultimately it is Sarah who sustains them and has the power to accept or reject them. The illusion can only hold so long as she allows it to.
This is what I mean by Sarah's creative agency. In contrast to a person who simply consumes objects or rehearses existing material, Sarah grows over the course of the film into someone who challenges her own illusions and ultimately comes to understand her own power over the narrative she seems caught within. Her realization at the end of the film that Jareth has no power over her represents, too, the realization that she is not merely playing a part and reciting set lines. Rather, she has the ability to actualize them and expose the way in which they are meaningful to her. She is not just a cosplayer, acting out scenes from the Labyrinth book, she actively embodies the character and transforms her through the manipulation of the text.
Sarah is a fanfiction writer, a manipulator of fairy tales, a creator of transformative works.
And it seems quite likely that she always was, she just wasn't aware of her own creative agency. It's hard to say much about the Labyrinth book because we only get occasional glimpses at it, but if you look closely you can see that the text within is not as neat as one might expect.
To my eyes, it almost seems handwritten.
And certainly there are visible marks on the margins that suggests someone has been taking notes on the text.
Sarah may be quite literally acting out a fairy tale of her own invention. Her growth represents not the emergence of a creative consciousness but the wresting of creative control and a willingness to transform old cliches into new sources of meaning and invention.
From this perspective, the conclusion of the film is not a contradiction or failing but a beautiful reassertion of the power and value of fantasy. Fantasy is, after all, not childish, and it is hard to imagine Jim Henson creating a movie with that message. Fantasy is inherent to the human mind. When Sarah brings the inhabitants of the Labyrinth into her reality at the end of the film, she is acting on an urge that I honestly consider innate and fundamental to human existence.
But unlike at the beginning of the film, she does it with the knowledge of her power--the knowledge that the things distracting her from her goals are at least in part the manifestation of her own fears, the knowledge that she can be an active participant in the narrative she creates, and the knowledge that ultimately the story is under her control.
And so is David Bowie.
And that is a fantasy I think we all share.


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Ratso Rizzo: I'm walking here! I'm walking here!
Gretel McAlbertson: Why are you stealing food?
Ratso Rizzo: I was just, uh, noticing that you're out of salami. I think you oughtta have somebody go over to the delicatessen, you know, bring some more back.
Gretel McAlbertson: Gee, well, you know, it's free. You don't have to steal it.
Ratso Rizzo: Well, if it's free, then I ain't stealin'.
Ratso Rizzo: You know, in my own place, my name ain't Ratso. I mean, it just so happens that in my own place my name is Enrico Salvatore Rizzo.
Joe Buck: Well, I can't say all that.
Ratso Rizzo: Rico, then.
Joe Buck: I only get carsick on boats.
Joe Buck: I like the way I look. Makes me feel good, it does. And women like me, goddammit. Hell, the only one thing I ever been good for is lovin'. Women go crazy for me, that's a really true fact! Ratso, hell! Crazy Annie they had to send her away!
Ratso Rizzo: Then, how come you ain't scored once the whole time you been in New York?
Cass: You were gonna ask me for money? Who the hell do you think you're dealing with, some old slut on 42nd Street? In case you didn't happen to notice it, ya big Texas longhorn bull, I'm one helluva gorgeous chick!
Joe Buck: Uh, well, sir, I ain't a f'real cowboy. But I am one helluva stud!
Ratso Rizzo: Here I am, goin' to Florida, my leg hurts, my butt hurts, my chest hurts, my face hurts, and like that ain't enough, I gotta pee all over myself.
[Joe Buck laughs]
Ratso Rizzo: That's funny? I'm fallin' apart here!
Joe Buck: It's just - Know what happened? You just took a little rest stop that wasn't on the schedule!
Ratso Rizzo: I gotta get outta here, gotta get outta here. Miami Beach, that's where you could score. Anybody can score there, even you. In New York, no rich lady with any class at all buys that cowboy crap anymore. They're laughin' at you on the street.
Joe Buck: Ain't nobody laughin' at me on the street.
Ratso Rizzo: Behind your back, I've seen 'em laughin' at you, fella.
Joe Buck: Aw, what the hell you know about women anyway? When's the last time you scored, boy?
Ratso Rizzo: That's a matter I only talk about at confession. We're not talkin' about me now.
Joe Buck: And when's the last time you've been to confession?
Ratso Rizzo: It's between me and my confessor. And I'll tell ya another thing. Frankly, you're beginning to smell. And for a stud in New York, that's a handicap.
Joe Buck: Well, don't talk to me about clean. I ain't never seen you change your underwear once the whole time I've been here in New York. And that's pretty peculiar behavior.
Ratso Rizzo: I don't have to do that kind of thing in public. I ain't got no need to expose myself.
Joe Buck: [cruelly] No, I bet you don't. I bet you ain't never even been laid! How about that? And you're gonna tell me what appeals to women!
Ratso Rizzo: I know enough to know that that great big, dumb cowboy crap of yours don't appeal to nobody except every jockey on 42nd Street. That's faggot stuff! You wanna call it by its name? That's strictly for fags!
Joe Buck: John Wayne! You wanna tell me he's a fag?
[after a long pause]
Joe Buck: I like the way I look. It makes me feel good. It does. And women like me, god-dammit. Hell, only one thing I've ever been good for is lovin'. Women go crazy for me. That's a really true fact. Ratso, hell: Crazy Annie, they had to send her away.
Ratso Rizzo: Then how come you ain't scored once, the whole time you've been in New York?
Joe Buck: 'Cause, 'cause I need management, god-dammit. 'Cause you stole twenty dollars offa me. That's why you're gonna stop crappin' around about Florida. And, and get your skinny butt movin.' And earn twenty dollars worth of management which you owe me.
Joe Buck: John Wayne! Are you tryin' to tell me he's a fag?
[first lines]
Joe Buck: Whoopee-tee-yi-yo. Get along little dogies. It's your misfortune and none of my own.
Cass: [Cass is on the phone while Joe Buck is foreplaying with her] Oh God... Nothing, I'm talking to Baby. I'm talking to the dog, Maury... please, you're annoying me! Here, why don't you say hello to Baby?
[She puts the phone near her toy poodle's ear]
Maury (voice on phone): Hello, Baby. Hello, Baby! Hello, ya goddamn dog! Bow wow wow! Bow wow wow!
Joe Buck: Well, I hope you know what you're in for. I'm a truly dangerous person, I am. And some- someone does me bad, like you... I swear, if I'd have caught up with you that night there would've been one dead Ratso along by now, you understand me? You hear?
Ratso Rizzo: [deadpan] I'm impressed. You're a killer.
Joe Buck: [Rizzo polishes Joe's boots] Hey, you pretty damn good at that. I'll bet you could make a living at it if you tried.
Ratso Rizzo: And end up a hunchback like my old man? You think I'm crippled, you should have caught him at the end of the day. My old man spent 14 hours a day down in that subway. He come home at night - 2,3 dollars worth of change stained with shoe polish. Stupid bastard coughed his lungs out from breathing in that wax all day. Even a faggot undertaker couldn't get his nails clean. They had to bury him with gloves on.
[At the gravesite of his father]
Ratso Rizzo: He was even dumber than you. He couldn't even write his own name. "X," that's what it ought to say on that goddamn headstone, one big lousy "X". Just like our dump. Condemned by order of City Hall.
Sally Buck: You look real nice, lover boy, real nice. Make your old grandma proud. You're gonna be the best-looking cowboy in the whole parade.
Ratso Rizzo: Woman starts crying, I'd cut my heart out for her.
Jackie - New York: [passing by] That's a great idea. In fact, you just sit tight and I'll cut it out with my fingernail file, Ratso.
Ratso Rizzo: The name's Rizzo.
Jackie - New York: That's what I said: Ratso.
Ratso Rizzo: The two basic items necessary to sustain life, are sunshine and coconut milk... didya know that?
Annie - Texas: You're the only one, Joe. You're the only one...
Ratso Rizzo: You want the word on that brother-and-sister act, Hansel's a fag and Gretel's got the hots for herself, so who cares, right? Load up on the salami.
Shirley: You fell. Hey fella, you fell.
Ratso Rizzo: Frankly, you're beginning to smell and for a stud in New York, that's a handicap.
Towny: Oh, Joe it's... it's so difficult, I - You're a nice person, Joe, I- I- I should never have asked you up here, you're... You're a lovely person, really. Oh, God, I loathe life, I loathe it! Please go, please.
Ratso Rizzo: Excuse my vulgarity.
Jackie - New York: I just want to ask you one thing, cowboy. If you're sitting here, and he's sitting all the way over there, then how's he gonna get his hand into your pocket? Oh, but I guess he has that all figured out. 'Night, toots.
[walks away]
Ratso Rizzo: Faggot!
Jackie - New York: [offscreen] Provolone!
Ratso Rizzo: Faggot!
Ratso Rizzo: Come on man, don't hit me. Come on, man. Come on, I'm a cripple!
Joe Buck: I ain't gonna hit you!
Ratso Rizzo: Come on...
Joe Buck: I'm gonna STRANGLE you to death!
Ratso Rizzo: I know what they do to people who can't walk.
Ratso Rizzo: You didn't kill him, did you?
Joe Buck: I don't want to talk about it.
Joe Buck: It just ain't right cheatin' from a pregnant lady.


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This highly anticipated game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe is now available on Mac and PC via Steam. The digital game is based on the popular two-player board game of the same name from Games Workshop, originally published in 1989.
The current digital iteration will feature a single player campaign of 15 missions, each set on the giant derelict spaceship (the "hulk" of the title), "Sin of Damnation." There will also be multiplayer head-to-head action, oh yes.
We're not the only ones excited about the game; Full Control CEO Thomas Lund is a fan of the original game as well, making his company the ideal one to develop the game for digital platforms.
"As a studio that specializes in turn based combat, securing and remaking the Space Hulk franchise has been a dream come true, but one that has come with many responsibilities," he said in an email. "[Space Hulk is] completely faithful to the classic claustrophobic board game experience and players will need to use their minds as well as their muscle to defeat the Genestealers and progress through the dark labyrinth of the Space Hulk."
This here is the first video game based on the board game franchise in 17 years, following up EA's releases–Space Hulk and Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels) in 1993 and 1995, respectively.
Space Hulk is a turn-based tactical strategy game, which fits in well with the original board game style of play. You'll use the mighty Blood Angel Terminators to fight the AI-controlled Genestealers throughout the labyrinthine corridors of the dark, scary derelict spaceship.
The 15 missions include three new prequel missions, as well as the original 12 missions from the classic board game. Local pass and play multiplayer will work like the board game did, with two players fighting it out throughout the ship. You'll also be able to play asynchronously across the internet across platforms, letting you and your friends play together, regardless of what platform you're playing on.
Space Hulk is available today for Mac via the Steam digital distribution service, and should be coming to iPad sometime later this year.
Source: Steam


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Movie News & Reviews
Tough to know what to make of 'Knowing'
It appears that "Knowing" is another one of those films that has me at a loss for words — and, as always, not in a good way.
It has me at that all-too-familiar point where not only can I not find the right words to properly summarize this confounding, schizoid flick, but I can't muster enough of an opinion to properly do so. But, of course, isn't that what you expect from a Nicolas Cage movie these days?
The once-electric thespian slums his hairpiece-covered head off (not to sound mean, but man, it's really obvious in this flick) as John Koestler, an MIT astrophysics professor who has taken care of his hearing-impaired son (Chandler Canterbury, precocious to a T) since his wife died in a hotel fire. A man who has lost his faith (oh, yes, he's the son of a preacher man!) as well as the belief that all things in life are predetermined, he swigs back whiskey glass after whiskey glass, hoping to numb the pain. (Since his Oscar-winning turn in "Leaving Las Vegas," has there been an actor who imbibes with more cynical gusto than Cage?)
However, a paper full of numbers that his son receives from a time capsule at his elementary school wakes him from his drunken stupor. It seems that, 50 years ago, some disturbed girl wrote it. As Koestler investigates further, he learns that the numbers are the dates of natural disasters that have taken place over the past half century, along with location coordinates and the exact total of people who perished. And, as Koestler learns, there are a few more coming — including one that may be Judgment Day.
With the usually morose director Alex Proyas ("The Crow," "Dark City") on the case, "Knowing" is a film that proudly flaunts its haunting, complex themes (faith, the randomness vs. determinism debate, the timeless conundrum of whether one could/should alter time if that person knew what was going to happen). But, as with most ambitious studio films like this, its overeager desire to be challenging outshines its essential desire to be entertaining.
The unevenness of "Knowing" grows more overbearing with each scene. The first half of the movie is blazingly dull, as the expository scenes are meshed with scenes of monotonous theorizing that'll probably make audiences feel like they're back in high school science class.
When the catastrophes start coming in the second half (I gotta admit, Proyas can direct disaster scenes with noisy, chaotic, you-are-there intensity) and the threat of Armageddon looms larger, it begins to get interesting. The movie also throws in "whisper people," mysterious dudes with dusters and blond dye jobs (they look like they all want to be Spike from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") who tip Koestler's son of impending doom through his hearing aid. But the movie's unwieldy, defiantly dysfunctional attitude (it attempts to leave audiences with a sad, bleak happy ending) may have people wondering what the heck they just witnessed.
More misshapen than complex, "Knowing" has its sights set on jolting the minds of moviegoers. Much like Cage's character, you may feel like wanting to take a swig of something hard afterward. You know, to dull the pain.


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This package includes our 3 favourite locations in Victoria;
- The Great Ocean Road: One of the world's most scenic drives
- Grampians National Park: Victoria's best hiking destination
- Phillip Island: Home to the adorable penguin parade
You will have 1 day enjoying the highlights of Phillip Island followed by 2 days travelling along the Great Ocean Road and through the magnificent mountain ranges of the Grampians National park. You can do this tour: Melbourne to Adelaide, Adelaide to Melbourne or a Melbourne round trip.
Phillip Island 1 day tour
Enroute to Phillip Island you will stop at an Australian Wildlife park to get up close and personal with animals including koalas, emus, wombats and Tasmanian devils. You will even get the chance to hand feed the kangaroos! Once you have arrived on the island you will explore the spectacular coastline from the boardwalks and lookout points set amongst natural sea bird gardens at the Nobbies. As the sun sets, watch hundreds of little penguins make their way across the beach at the famous Penguin Parade.
Great Ocean Road & Grampians 2 day tour
Day 1 - Enjoy the views as you wind your way along the Great Ocean Road. You will explore an ancient rainforest, spot wild koalas and travel through rolling hills as you make your way to the breathtaking 12 Apostles. At the end of the Great Ocean Road you will head inland to Halls Gap. Overnight in the Grampians
Day 2 - Start the morning with a hike to get your blood pumping, spotting the wildlife as you go. Visit the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre then spend the afternoon in the great outdoors, exploring lookouts and magnificent waterfalls in Grampians National Park. As the day comes to an end, to you will take the inland route back to Melbourne OR transfer onto Adelaide.
What you need to bring: Sunscreen, water bottle, hat, appropriate clothing for warm and cold conditions, a small blanket/scarf and beanie can be a good idea for the Penguin Parade in winter as it gets cold on the beach.
Adelaide to Melbourne itinerary is in reverse and starts the day travelling along the Murray river.
A medium fitness level is recommended for this tour due to being a nature based walking tour.
Photography is not permitted at the penguin parade.
Parts of the itinerary may be altered or omitted due to seasonal changes
Accommodation included at Grampians only, you will need a night in Melbourne between the Phillip Island tour and Great Ocean Road/Grampian tour
When booking please advise of your pick up location in comments section
|Departure time
|Phillip Island 1 day Tour
|9-10am Winter 12-1pm Summer
|9pm Winter Midnight Summer
|Great Ocean Road & Grampians 2 day tour: Melbourne Return OR Melbourne to Adelaide
|Mon/Thurs/Saturday *Plus Tuesday in peak season
|Melbourne 8pm OR Adelaide 7:30pm
|Great Ocean Road & Grampians 2 day tour: Adelaide to Melbourne
|Wednesday *Plus Saturday in peak season
|Price (AUD)
|Melbourne to Melbourne
|Melbourne to Adelaide
|Adelaide to Melbourne
Please enquire if you would like to receive more information prior to booking this tour.Make an Enquiry
Please note tours may not operate on public holidays recognized in the state of Victoria. For further information on tour departures please send an enquiry prior to booking your tour to avoid disappointment.
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Each amendment (not cancellation) after confirmation will incur a fee of A$25 per person per amendment, in addition to any fees imposed by the tour operator.
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Hi Friends! I'm a painter turned animator, living and working in the city of my dreams, the Big Apple! I start animating in my last semester at the School of Visual Arts as a way of documenting a flip-book. I completely fell into it unawares and the next thing I knew I had made my first movie, the Roly Poly Pudding.
I'm one of nine kids, (with a twin sister) and grew up in the sticks of Connecticut. I'm now married to a most excellent fashion photographer, Kah Leong poon. We love to bounce ideas off each other and work on each other's stuff. All my best gags came from Kah Leong!
Career highlights include working with:
The Paris Shorts Film Festival, On Art in Poland, Mormon Artist Group, The Museum of Modern Art, The National Gallery, Writ and Vision, MIT, The Museum of Art and Design, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, PBS, CBS, The New Museum, Nickelodeon, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The LDS Film Festival, The Brooklyn Museum, The Utah Biennial, Brigham Young University, Bonneville Communications, The Madison Square Park Conservancy, Cornell University, and Pfizer.
My animations are in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, The BYU MOA, The Springville Museum of Art, The Harold B Lee Archives, the LDS church history museum, The Chris and Janae Baird Collection, and The Glen and Marcia Nelson Collection.
Annie Poon is a multimedia artist from New Canaan, Connecticut. She is the middle child of a large Mormon family of eleven and has a twin sister. Annie's biggest artistic influence was her mother Barbara who would take her out of elementary school to explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Annie graduated from Highland Park High School and went on to earn a BFA in drawing and painting from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She has created over 30 short animations in addition to painting, prints, sculpture and music. Poon's work often addresses her childhood passtimes and mental illness- in particular her diagnosis of Schizzoaffective disorder. Most recently, she has illustrated the entire New Testament chapter by chapter.
Artist Statement
My work picks up on childhood games and passions where I left them before my formal art education began. I construct animated paper narratives and re-visualize those elementary impressions. Some of my works draw on my experience with Schizoaffective disorder and communicate distress. Working with black-and-white provides an apt metaphor for the polarities of rapture and terror I experience. The avatar of the artist in a white nightgown occupies many of these works. She is on a quest through the levels between heaven and hell, innocence and knowing. Her recurrence indicates childlike inquiry and vulnerability.


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Post Subject: A Fable by Oliver de la Paz
The University of Akron Press, 2014; 107 pp
Reviewed by Wesley Rothman
"The whole of creation will be consumed, and appear infinite and holy, whereas it now appears finite and corrupt.
This will come to pass by an improvement of sensual enjoyment[…]
If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to [humans] as it is, infinite."
—William Blake, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
Who is an Empire; what is the Empire? Not emperor, but empire, though most emperors or empresses have little hesitance to claim s/he is the empire. Oliver de la Paz's Post Subject: A Fable dares us to pin down who and what the Empire is, at the same time allowing this sovereignty to escape our forced manacles—every poem, prosed, addresses this elusive entity: "Dear Empire,
Meanwhile, from inside the hulls of the boats, the ocean sounds like a child's stomach. So many hungers fill the open seas.
—from "These are your docks"
As each of the five section titles ("Address," "Atlas," "Ledger," "Zoo," & "Zygote"), and the series of poems within each section, make their way through the alphabet—each poem holds up a noun of the Empire's for examination—we experience the seeming infinitude of this Empire, its cyclic compulsion, its reign over all things. It's often easy to believe the Empire is a god, but these poems certainly don't address a singular deity, otherwise these poems would call out, "Dear Emperor/Empress"—instead the Empire seems to be a smoke-like entity, a conglomeration of entities that "own" and "govern" themselves—an elusive (?) unity of humanity, all that is natural, the physical and nonphysical. The formal and alphabetical choices for the poems' and book's construction, and the universality of its content, push a reader to wonder: How does the poetic mode, the act of the poem interrupt or harmonize with the Empire? Perhaps the Empire is the realm of the poem, of language and perception?
This is your aftermath. You were alive after the aftershocks. The long coastal land uncoiled as a rope does when pulled too taut[…]
Listen, the masses are disconsolate. Comets have foretold your doom. They blaze through evenings like fireflies. We've found you and lost you again, coin of our dwellings—jars of no wheat. Rise…rise and shift. Shift and blossom.
—from "This is your aftermath"
Roaming and likened to Whitman's grandeur (by Rick Barot), Post Subject: A Fable consumes the whole of creation, or at least a representative smattering, gobbles the world—its ashes, boardwalks, capitals, holy places, its inquests, purview, radio towers, sanitarium, its beasts, hagiographers, percussionists, and scholars—cleansing the doors of perception to an extent, making the Empire appear infinite and holy, as it is. These poems pause these places, people, perceptions, dig around in them, hold them up to the light, and keep us guessing. The world of Post Subject: A Fable is terribly familiar yet intensely foreign—as poems, perhaps, should be.


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If you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, please send it back to us with the original packaging and we'll be happy to refund or replace it.
You must return an item within 14 days of your delivery in perfect condition complete with original packaging. We will be happy to refund the original price of the item or send you an exchange. This does not affect your statutory rights.
We strongly advise that a proof of postage certificate should be obtained when returning your order. You are responsible for the item until we receive it at our warehouse.
We regret that postage, packing and insurance are direct costs and cannot be refunded.
Should goods be damaged or faulty please contact us on 01779 471871 or via our online contact form.
Please include your order details and send returns to:
Red Island Limited
109 Queen Street


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An Innovative Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment
Every state-of-the-art diagnostic testing procedure for early detection is available at the EEB Center, so patients don't have to go to other locations for their tests. Not only is this convenient, but it provides a measure of extra assurance because each patient's care is completely planned and monitored by a team who knows her and her medical history.
Tests are conducted in a comfortable, attractive environment, separate from the treatment and research areas of the facility to put patients at ease. Results are explained thoroughly while the patient is still in the Clinic. If treatment is needed, a patient will usually know her options before leaving the Clinic on the day of her tests. Therefore the anxiety caused by waiting for the mammography report and recalls for repeat mammography do not occur at the EEB Center.
Diagnostic procedures used by the EEB Center include:
The Center offers mammography with digital mammography equipment. A baseline mammogram is recommended at age 35 for all women, earlier if the patient has a family history of breast cancer.
An imaging test that shows the heat pattern of the breasts. When this pattern is abnormal the patient is at increased risk of developing breast cancer. Patients presenting with breast cancer who have an abnormal breast infrared image have poorer prognosis and therefore often require more intense adjuvant therapy. Infrared imaging is also used to follow a patient's response to treatment.
Useful in determining the nature of a mass, whether it is a cyst or tumor and can assist with the biopsy of abnormal lesions.
SenoBright is the first tool to use contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) technology. CESM is designed to help your doctor spot breast cancer quickly and confidently, using images that can be easily compared to the initial mammogram.
How does it work? The exam is very much like a standard mammogram. The main difference is that the exam begins with the injection of an iodine-based contrast agent, which makes any areas of increased blood supply more visible in the x-ray. Because cancer cells stimulate the development of new blood vessels, these areas may indicate that cancer is present.
CESM then generates images of the breast using two different x-ray energy levels, and digitally combines the images. The resulting image hides dense breast tissue – the white areas – from view, and highlights any areas with increased blood supply.
The SenoBright exam takes less than 10 minutes, and the resulting image is designed to give your doctor the information needed to make a more confident diagnosis and decide whether or not you'll need a biopsy.
Tumor Markers
Women who have been treated for breast cancer need careful follow-up to monitor for recurrence, as it is important to detect it early if it does occur. We have found several tumor markers useful for early detection of breast cancer recurrence and we utilize the most advanced laboratory tests to measure these tumor markers. These markers are proteins that will be present in the blood when a metastatic tumor begins to grow after local control of the disease. When tumor markers demonstrate recurrence, we may recommend chemotherapy, anti-hormone therapy or immunotherapy.
By testing your blood for CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen), we can often pick up a very early primary or recurrent breast cancer. Depending on your risk of breast cancer, this test may become part of your routine screening beginning at age 35.
The tumor marker CA 15-3 is a more specific blood test for the early detection of breast cancer recurrence. We may test for elevated CA 15-3 every three months, every six months or once a year.
Although elevated CA 125 tumor antigen is most often related to ovarian cancer, we have found that the CA 125 tumor marker can also be elevated in recurrent breast cancer.
Immunology Testing
In support of our vaccine program, we monitor the immune status of our patients. Patients with poor immunity to their tumors or to antigens expressed by their tumors do not do as well as patients with good immunity. Lymphocyte Blastogenesis Assays are done to determine if patients have depressed immunity to their breast cancer cells and breast cancer antigens. At our Center breast cancer patients with depressed immunity are vaccinated against their own tumor cells, a breast cancer tumor cell line and breast cancer antigens. These antigens are combined with biological adjuvants (IL-2 and GM-CSF) to produce our patented vaccine. We hope to turn on both the cellular and humoral immune systems in our patients to destroy occult and known metastatic disease.
The serum protein IL-6 is also measured in the breast cancer patients. High levels of IL-6 suggest that the patient may not respond to anti-hormone therapy, but may be a good candidate for treatment with our patented breast cancer vaccine.


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Andrew Oliver is the founder and director of Do For One NYC. He is a social service professional with 10 + years of experience assisting adults with developmental disabilities as they make their own journey to acquire work, volunteer work, live at home more independently, or find a sense of belonging in their community. Through his work, Andrew was inspired by Citizen Advocacy where one to one relationships are made on a voluntary basis between people with and without disabilities.
His ideas have been shaped by his training at the Training Institute for Human Services of Syracuse University, the Citizen Advocacy network, and Joni and Friends network. His work has also been informed by a range of experiences at his former employer Job Path, namely, by helping people with disabilities discover what they're good at and finding employment and social networks that best match their contributions.


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Question: When was the last time a freestanding building providing corporate accommodation available for lease in the village?
780m2 over three levels of contemporary space. Alternatively on a floor by floor basis in areas from 225m2.
Estimated occupancy date July 2018.
Progress your interest by calling.
We have obtained all information in this document from sources we believe to be reliable; however, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. Prospective purchasers/lessees are advised to carry out their own investigations.


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The information contained in this article is meant to provide awareness of available benefits for survivors of service members. This article is not meant to be comprehensive and is not intended to replace the consultation of a tax professional.
If you expect tax season to put cash in your pocket, you may be planning to file as soon as possible. But if you're a survivor of a service member who has died on active duty, you may have the option of taking extra time to file your tax return. The April 15 tax-filing deadline may not apply to you.
The deadline for filing tax returns, paying taxes, filing claims for refund and taking other actions with the Internal Revenue Service may be extended for 180 days after the later of:
800-342-9647 to speak with a MilTax consultant for answers to your tax questions.
In addition to the 180 days, the filing deadline is extended by the number of days that remained for filing the federal income tax return when the service member qualified for the extension. For example, you generally have from Jan. 1 to April 15 each year to file your federal income tax return. Any days of this period that were left when the service member entered the combat zone — or the entire period if the qualifying service began before Jan. 1 — are added to the 180 days when determining the last day allowed for filing. When the date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the due date is delayed until the next business day.
Read More>>
Spouses of individuals who served in a combat zone or contingency operation are entitled to the same deadline extensions with two exceptions. The extension does not apply to a spouse for any tax year beginning more than two years after the date that the area ceased to be a combat zone or the operation ceased to be a contingency operation. The extension also does not apply to a spouse for any period the qualifying individual is hospitalized in the United States for injuries incurred in a combat zone or contingency operation.
MilTax, Military OneSource tax services, offers free tax consultations to answer your questions and provide guidance on navigating your taxes. MilTax also provides free, secure tax software tailored to the special circumstances of military life.
Contact your installation legal assistance office if the Internal Revenue Service fails to recognize an extension for which you're qualified.
The actions to which the deadline extension provision applies include:
If the Internal Revenue Service takes any actions covered by these provisions or send you a notice of examination before learning that you are entitled to an extension of the deadline, contact your legal assistance office. No penalties or interest will be imposed for failure to file a return or pay taxes during the extension period.
When a service member dies on active duty, the Internal Revenue Service may forgive the amount of federal tax the service member would have paid, as well as refund the tax paid for a period of time prior to the death. For information on what is offered through the Internal Revenue Service and whether you qualify, go to Military OneSource and read "Military Survivor Benefits: Tax Forgiveness."
The death of a loved one may result in unique questions related to filing your taxes. Contact a MilTax consultant for survivor benefits assistance. Military OneSource financial counselors and MilTax consultants have expertise in military-specific situations and are here to help you find answers. To schedule your free appointment, call 800-342-9647 or visit Military OneSource.
Round up your W-2 forms and other paperwork and get ready to take your taxes off your to-do list. Read more about filing your tax return in the Internal Revenue Service Armed Forces' Tax Guide.
Find programs and services at your local installation.
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Thursday 17 December 2015
BUSINESSPEOPLE hit by catastrophic floods in a Devon high street have been talking about their experiences to experts from the University of Salford's School of the Built Environment.
BUSINESSPEOPLE hit by catastrophic floods in a Devon high street have been talking about their experiences to experts from the University of Salford's School of the Built Environment.
Entrepreneurs from Braunton found their shops under several feet of water just days before Christmas when the river Caen broke its banks in 2012.
In a study to test a government-sponsored business resilience toolkit, researchers from the School's Centre for Disaster Resilience, surveyed microbusinesses in Caen Street at the heart of the flooding about their preparedness and early warning, the impact on trade and how they have adapted and organised since the flooding.
Arguably the biggest concerns were selling the business: "We had the business on the market slightly before the flood. It definitely had a bearing because it's been on the market for three years now" and another said: "When I retire and I have to come to sell a building that floods. That's the worst bit of it, it's my retirement plan."
And insuring the business: "Yes, eventually we got [the insurance payment]…but as I said, you never get what you were hoping for, if you know what I mean."
But respondents to the surveys, which included the latest cognitive mapping techniques, admit the nightmare experience wasn't entirely negative.
"God forbid, you wouldn't really want it to happen but when it does you do get a chance to look at your business and could we do anything better. So there was a mild silver lining," said one owner.
And another admitted: "There was a bit of a buzz because we were on the national papers and on the news and being interviewed by BBC1 live. You shouldn't be thinking 'Oh this is great' because it wasn't great at all [but] I think it did help to be honest."
Many also gained courage and pride in adversity: "All the paper girls and boys came in the following morning. In fact, two or three rounds went out on the morning of the flood, so those customers never actually lost anything, so that was quite good."
One SME took the opportunity to get the business up and running again within a day of the flood to demonstrate to customers the value of the business to them. Certain interviewees admitted to ignoring Environment Agency flood warnings, preferring to trust their own methods: "We now move stock if there is eight hours of continuous rain, low air pressure and high tide!"
The research findings were presented to Braunton's Parish Council and recommendations made in a bid to assist other flood threatened towns and business centres respond in the event of disaster.
In the past three years, two thirds of small-to-medium enterprises in the UK have been impacted by severe weather, costing an average £7,000 per business.
Dr Bingu Ingirige, Director of the Centre for Disaster Resilience at the University of Salford, said: "Less than a quarter of microbusinesses have a resilience plan of any description
If we are to adequately cope with to future flooding, it is important to recognise that SMEs have very specific needs, and one size does not fit all.
"Businesses are very adaptable: - many were innovative using technology, sharing lessons with other businesses and striving to keep flooding high on local agendas. However, they cannot be effective on their own as resilience to theses disasters relies on everyone pulling together and that means cooperation from the authorities and the insurance industry, support from the local community and continuous monitoring of plans and contingencies."
Paul Cobbing, CEO of the National Flood Forum said: "This is a great report that helps to highlight what really happens to businesses and the communities around them when they flood."
'Investigating SME resilience to flooding – the Braunton report' by Bingunath Ingirige and Rachel Russell was supported by the Adaptation and Resilience in the Context of Change network (ARCC) funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Gareth Hollyman
0161 295 6895


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Here's a vid
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Pretty good lookin'
I may not know much but I'm pretty good at making worm gears now and their associated spur gear partner by hand. Probably because I've made so many mistakes on previous attempts.
They're still a pain in the arse though.
I've been working on another model for a friend's birthday. I'll update with pics after the event.
UPDATE: I've just tried to make another worm and spur gear which was a complete disaster. It looks like my smugness got the better of me. Time to learn some humility.
They're still a pain in the arse though.
I've been working on another model for a friend's birthday. I'll update with pics after the event.
UPDATE: I've just tried to make another worm and spur gear which was a complete disaster. It looks like my smugness got the better of me. Time to learn some humility.
Friday, 14 September 2012
Almost..but not quite
Here is my worm gear setup.
It moves great with no jamming but the only problem is that it's still too fast!
I have printed out some new gear templates which are slightly larger and have more teeth. I might also have to think about a smaller diameter worm. This is my weekend project now.
It's nice to see that it's progressing though.
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Slower than the turle itself
So this is just a general update with a few pics.
My second attempt at a worm gear.
Here is my attempt to make a drum sander thing. The elastic bands were holding the sandpaper in place. It didn't last long.
Here I have started to lay out the spacing for some of the parts and where to attach the main support for the gear wheel and the snail cam
An interior of the mechanics for the turtle. I have no idea how I'm going to link in the hand mechanism. I'll cross that bridge later.
My second attempt at a worm gear. It's definitely better than the last one. The problem I had was how to attach the drive shafts to either end of it. The wood was quite soft and I could never drill dead centre on either end of the gear in which to insert the drive shafts. This left it with a wobbly rotation. I thought that I could all the 2 discs on either end which already had pre-drilled holes but it didn't really work.
Just some more supplies I bought from a design & technology company in bulk. Go to Hindleys.com for more information
I made some weights as I couldn't find any that seemed heavy/light enough. I used 2 pence pieces wrapped in cloth. I wasn't sure if I needed 6 but I made them all the same.
Close up!
My latest worm gear! I used slow setting epoxy for the drive shafts and basically kept rotating along a straight edge to make sure that it stayed in place. This is probably the best one I have done so far. I think I'll be making another gear though as it doesn't mesh quite right with the worm (plus it looks a bit messy).
To do list:
- Make a new gear
- Make a temporary handle
- Attach the weights (makes some pulley wheels)
- Attach the guitar strings to the levers
- Test
- Work on the hand mechanism
- Time everything correctly
- Paint/varnish
- Job done
I've also started thinking about another model for Christmas. Lots to do.
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Meet Mochi, the cappuccino French Bulldog with the biggest personality ever.
I met Mochi one year ago during the Holidays Photo Sessions at Healthy Spot Santa Monica. This year, her mom Kristi got a 2h dog photography session Gift Certificate for her birthday. And what a better way to celebrate it than with your unconditional friend?
During the consultation, Kristi told me that they love to go for walks on the beach and stroll down Santa Monica Pier. This is a meaningful location to them and they wanted to have their session there.
We went early in the morning to avoid people. The best thing about the Pier are the colors and the textures. It gave me lots to play with to create stunning dog portraits of Mochi the Frenchi.
Here are the best photos from the session.


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Questions for Further Discussion
First, thank you. In this world of worthy books and other entertaining distractions (The Bachelor, bocce, and Bananagrams), I so appreciate every reader. Second, I hope your book club has as much fun discussing Good Karma as I had writing it. I've been told it makes for engaging meetings. Who doesn't want to discuss the mysteries of aging, the surprises of retirement, and the wonder of love, whether days old or decades long?
I'd be honored to share in the conversation and maybe even do a little unofficial research for my next book. If you'd like me to drop in to your book club via phone, Skype, or in person, please contact me.
- What are your first impressions of Catherine and Ralph, and what do their reactions to each other reveal about their marriage? What do you think each of them wants or fears? Did your impressions prove to be correct?
- Security is paramount to Catherine: in her sense of self, in her marriage, and in her home. Do you think she's overly focused on it? Is she more secure or less so by the novel's end?
- What do you think of gated communities like Seven Oaks? Is Christina Kelly's depiction of such a community accurate or is it satirical? When you retire, would you consider moving to such a place? If you have a partner, have you discussed your expectations of retirement?
- Throughout the novel, Fred hears the voice of his late wife in his head. Do you read Lissa's voice as literal or something Fred imagines? Have you ever felt that you could hear the voice of a deceased loved one? If not, would you want to?
- How does Fred and Danielle's relationship change after Lissa's death? What are the sources of Danielle's anger or impatience? Are they justified?
- Like Amity, do we all have an impulse to "lead other people's lives"? If so, have you ever acted on this feeling? Does Amity's rationale for creeping and taking advantage of others' lapses in security reveal something about her character?
- Why does Ida Blue pretend to be a pet psychic? Is what she does wrong? Does it matter if her heart is in the right place?
- The point of view alternates between several characters throughout the novel. Did you relate to one point of view or voice more than the others?
- The author juxtaposes humor and pathos. Did you find them balanced? Are some individuals more prone to see one or the other in the same situation?
- Several characters in the novel are "stuck" (as Fred tells his therapist), both needing to take action but being unable to. What events compel each character to act? Are most people you know contented in their marriages, careers, and lives? For those who aren't, what holds them back from taking steps toward change?
- Dogs play a big role in Good Karma. How do Sequoia and Karma act as vehicles for character development? How do Karma, Sequoia, Leona, and Lulu mirror their owners' personalities? If other characters were to get dogs, what breeds would they choose?
- What is your definition of "karma"? In what ways do the characters experience good karma? When have you encountered good karma in your own life?


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I used my student loan and new found eBay site about twenty years ago to buy the full ep1 figure set for £250. I had a vague knowledge of vintage as I bought 100 loose figs for about 100 quid at the same time.
I put together close to a full episode 1 collection which stayed in my loft until a couple of years ago. I sold the lot in two batches and got my money back minus 20 years inflation haha.
I think when I got the figs my justification was that they would grow in value but I quickly realised this wasnt going to be the case. I kept collecting the ep1 run just because I had a bunch and wanted the full set.
Ironically around the time I was looking at moc r5 figs (my fave sw fig) for 30-50 quid and thought it was just too expensive. I've never been too savvy with investing...


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The Game Creators are dedicated 100% to delivering you the best range of affordable and cutting-edge game development tools. The products we've been building for over 15 years, and the companies we partnered with, all have one specific aim - to enable you to create whatever game you want on your PC. More importantly, the process of creating your games should be fun, easy and not too heavy on the wallet. The products you need should not break the bank and there will be no more slaving all night over a hot keyboard just to get a simple 3D object onto the screen. With our products, you can achieve impressive end results within a fraction of the development time and cost of other solutions.
There are no registered leaders of this group. This can be granted to the right person on request. Also why don't you join the community, we welcome creators and consumers alike and look forward to your comments.


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The EPIC fight against cancer
Rocky Mountain Brew runs
If you didn't know it already, Rocky Mountain Brew Runs has partnered up with Colorado based non-profit Epic Experience for our 2015 Brew run series.
This amazing organization takes adults fighting cancer on memorable and thrilling outdoor adventures like white water kayaking, rock climbing and horseback riding. These experiences can literally be life-changing for these brave individuals as you will read below in a guest blog post from one of their campers who is also an amazing runner. Sure, we love our craft beer but it is always about something more. Make sure next time you take that first drink, cheers organizations like Epic Experience and all the athletes out there fighting for their lives.
"Cancer became a household term for me March 5, 2014 when I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.
efore that, I was working fulltime, going out with my friends, running 4-5 days a week….basically, living the dream. Now, I continue to do all those things, making adjustments as needed, but with a different goal - to keep doing until I can't.
After I was diagnosed, all I thought about was cancer, why me, I've never smoked so why lung cancer, my life sucks, and more cancer. That was pretty much my focus until a social worker at the University of Colorado Cancer Center told me about Epic Experience. Epic Experience is a non-profit organization, which offers week-long outdoor experiences for cancer thrivers.
I went to camp in June 2014 and it changed my life. Epic pushed me beyond my self-imposed emotional and physical barriers, and allowed me to find that inner strength I needed to tackle my fears head on.
They also helped me deal with my apprehension around whitewater, which was well established years prior to my recent diagnosis! I was able to talk about my cancer with total strangers for the first time and I was able to get the support of fellow cancer thrivers to feel energized instead of sad. I was able to take back my life and not let cancer define me.
The one thing that stayed solid throughout this journey has been my running. I have been a runner for most of my life. I have run 24 hour relays, dozens of half marathons, 6 marathons and a handful of other races. After each race, I felt a sense of accomplishment no matter how heinous the run was. I have been able to push myself through some pretty tough race conditions, mental and emotional blocks and, each time, I knew that I was the one who got myself to the finish line and no one else did that for me. I liken my cancer to a marathon. If I think of running a marathon, it becomes too daunting, but if I can break it up into pieces, it becomes more manageable; 5K, 10K, half marathon, 15 miles, 20 miles and full marathon. Just like a marathon, if I think about my cancer, its treatments, the tests, etc., it becomes too daunting and unfathomable. But, if I break it down and just concentrate on doing my daily runs, finishing different treatments like they were races and making each day a "winning" day, I can manage anything and I will get to that finish line, hands in the air, knowing I just finished the race of my life!
"There will be a day when I can no longer run…..Today is not that day!"
- Hazelnut
Cancer is stupid, cancer sucks. Let's make something EPIC out of this fight and rage, rage against the dying of the light.
To learn more about Epic Experience please visit: Epicexperience.org


text: Christopher J. Williams has been involved in comprehensive transportation engineering and planning since 1991 with an emphasis on smart transportation concepts as related to sustainable/ multi-modal transportation projects. During this time he has conducted numerous traffic engineering assignments and traffic planning studies, ranging from land development traffic impact studies, parking studies, municipal and regional traffic planning studies, Act 209 traffic impact fee studies, preparation of roadway concept improvement plans, traffic signal operations analysis, land development traffic reviews, PennDOT highway occupancy permit access design reviews, and various other traffic studies. Mr. Williams also assists a number of Pennsylvania municipalities providing traffic engineering review and support services, and he has given presentations to numerous Pennsylvania municipalities and provided expert witness testimony regarding traffic engineering. Prior to joining McMahon, he participated in PennDOT project needs analysis studies, FHWA environmental impact statement analyses, DelDOT safety studies and corridor studies.


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Welcome to Schields Tire Service
Schields Tire Service, a family-owned and operated business, is your online resource for all your tire needs. In the tri-state area including Port Jervis, NY and Milford and Matamoras, PA we are known as the "Old Reliables," a nickname earned after almost 90 years of dependable service. Here, at Schields Tire Service, we believe in providing our customers with the highest level of customer service. Our loyal customers have always been our greatest asset; therefore, we work extra hard to make sure that they are satisfied with our services.
We offer a variety of services to meet our customers' needs. We offer tire brands like: Goodyear, Dunlop, Mastercraft, Firestone, Bridgestone, Pirelli and Toyo. We offer tires for: passenger, light truck, farm, wheel barrow, industrial, RV, medium truck, commercial and OTR vehicles. Our friendly and well-trained staff is always on hand to answer any questions you may have. We believe in being completely honest with our customers, so if you are looking for a reliable and truthful tire service provider look no further. Be sure to come see us, at Schields Tire Service, for all your tire needs!