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Epic Bubble
The Wellcome gallery on Euston road, London has wonderfully curated exhibition of Mexican Votive paintings. At the end of the show, the curators invite viewers to contribute an experience they would like to see commemorated in a votive painting. I wrote a brief description (see below) and was touched and moved when I was contacted by illustrator Melanie Winning explaining she had used my story for a votive image. She also described how moved some of the viewers are and how touching it is. I am very touched to see Melanie's interpretation of the energy of that experience. It feels very resonant and "true" as an authentic response to a heart being broken open into fullness. Thank you Melanie.
I would like to give thanks for the beauty and poignancy of my lover who died in my arms while we made love. He was young and fit and healthy. It was a rather new love so remains in a perfect trouble free bubble. He died of a massive heart attack, so I did not know he had died so much as…well..I thought he was just blissed out and happy and resting….having a tantric moment. The gratitude is not for his dying. That has taken me years to get over. The gratitude is for the grace with which he passed and the beauty of this experience for me. There was a huge blessing in being chosen to midwife this powerful passing… and for it to be without any constriction or pain. I will never be afraid of death and this experience, in many very real ways, gave me my life back in a much more vibrant and whole and real way.
Katheryn Trenshaw, Devon, 3 am Good Friday 2004. For Nigel and my son for his great patience for me at this time.


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Contemporary Mediterranean Interior Design
In the traditionally Mediterranean house, the surfaces tend to be designed out of Mosaic floor tiles. Whilst these kinds of floor tiles tend to be stunning to look at, they may be cool, specifically if you are now living in a cold environment. One method to still capture a conventional Mediterranean feel rather than obtain chilly toes has been the generous utilization of carpets. The sort of carpet that's best suited for this specific kind of interior decorating is known as the particular Flokati area rug.
Moderation is definitely an essential factor of contemporary mediterranean interior design and the use of light is as vital as choosing the best furniture. With no light, the design can be a little bit mind-boggling rather than stunningly beautiful. One of the best approaches to make a room appear larger is to place plenty of decorative mirrors within the room. Also, consider using light weight, light coloured curtains on the windows.

subset: commoncrawl


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Child Rearing Hero and Children of the Demon King – Chapter 33
Now then, I have made my report to the King. Whether he believed or not aside, I have carried out my duty.
What I have to think about now is what we will do from now on.
First of all, I wrote a letter to my hometown.
The Demon King has died. From some kind of illness.
The peace has come, I think. Probably.
I have picked twin war orphans, so I am going to raise them.
I don't have a wife. They are not my children, so please do not misunderstand.
Eh~ well, I am doing fine. Jiichan, Baachan, Tousan, Kaasan, Niisan, Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law, stay well.
I have written a letter with such contents.
With this, He got a wife!? Grandchildren, great-grandchildren!! They won't misunderstand, probably.
Now then, where to next?
I lifted my head.
The twins on both of my sides looked up.
Writing a letter seems to be unusual for them.
「Come to think of it, can you write letters, Iric, Ilya?」
「Hmm, I have practiced, but I'm not very good at it」
「I can. But, difficult letters are still difficult」
These four-year-olds seem to be able to write a little. I'm not that proficient at writing, so I turned to Aura.
She, who was reading a book on a chair behind me is Sage's egg. She's supposed to be a lump of knowledge.
She should be writing down records while researching, so she should be an expert.
「Aura, won't you become a teacher of the children?」
The displeased voices of the children overlapped. Aura stiffened for a moment, then let out a large sigh as if making a big resolve.
「…… I don't mind, but please make sure to tag along, okay?」
「Eh? Me? My handwriting is terrible, you know?」
「I am aware. I didn't mean to help me teach, but for my own safety……」
「?? I don't quite understand, but sure」
「Let's have fun studying, alright? Obediently, happily, gently, peacefully」
「Yuuysan, did you hear that!? These children just smacked their lips, did they not!?」
「Now there. I will be studying with you guys, so let's do our best to learn, alright? How about we send a letter to my family later?」
「Nii~chan's family? …… Yea, fine. I will do my best!」
「Onii~san's family…… yes. I understand. I will work hard!」
「Yup, let's work hard」
I smiled at the children who had a complete change of mind.
「Was it only me who felt a tinge of scheming just now…..?」
「Ha ha ha, there's no way that Sage's egg that's treated like a parasite would be able to read Prince and Princess' hearts」
「Same to you, Pochi. Rather, your treatment is much worse than mine, no?」
「………… That was uncalled for, woman」


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Originally posted on ecofarmingdaily.com
Written by Joel Salatin
The idea, perpetuated by Thoreau, that farming order and wildness were mutually exclusive and therefore required segregated and designated areas allows landscape managers to be lazy about wildness. Perhaps lazy is too strong a word. But I find it disconcerting that too many farmers, arguably the largest landscape managers, retreat to this segregated mentality just like the radical natural park folks. I'd like to see more creativity, more visceral expressions of commercial farming order not only co-existing with wild systems, but actually enhancing them.


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erin at breather | washington, dc portraits
this lady needs no introduction around here, but i'll give one anyway: this is erin, we met through instagram, it feels like i've known her my whole life, the majority of my laughs come from her every day, and she always just floors me with her ability to rock a camera. (see below for what i mean.)
she's incredibly skilled at finding white walls (or do they find her?) so obviously this Breather space in Dupont Circle was heaven. this is part two of our hour shooting in gorgeous room with Julien -- try to remember to close your jaw at the end, because sometimes exposure to this much beauty leaves it hanging ;)


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Bushwick Bookclub
Previous member of the Bushwick Bookclub. Founded by Susan Hwang. The Bushwick Bookclub is a monthly bookclub composed of a fixed group of dedicated and talented songwriters who write songs about the assigned book each month. The songs never cease to amaze, move, and inspire a love of literature in all its forms. Susan Hwang rules.


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I know I am bias but I LOVED this workout. I feel like it goes straight to the heart of all the work I *need* but never want to do (aka lunges, push-ups and intense core work). Do not give up. It's hard to get through, but you will feel SO strong (and sore) after. I felt this in my body for days afterwards, which is a sure sign these are areas we as yogis need to be targeting.
This class will get you so sore in all the right places and it's just 20 minutes!!! Our guest teacher is Brett Hoebel from Bravo / Dr. Oz / The Biggest Loser :) https://bretthoebel.com/ Enjoy!!! <3
So many of you got a yoga wheel for Christmas! In this brand new class, I walk you through some of my favorite fascial stretches using the yoga wheel. We take a primarily myofascial release/yin approach, but there's a little lunge and core section to heat you up at the very end. Enjoy!
Don't o...
This class open with an awesome abs and hip opening routine (10 min) and then continues into a short workshop for those of you who are trying to get the foot through from downdog to your standing warrior poses. Let me know if this helps with this! xoxo
More of an ab series than a traditional yoga class, this choreography of crunches helps you find your obliques and get them burning. Sigh it out with relaxing counter poses like Bridge and Sphinx.


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Eclectic Rant: Charleston: A Hodgepodge of Impressions, Trivia, and History
Earlier this month, we spent an enjoyable, informative week-long visit to Charleston, South Carolina. We had no idea that Charleston was observing the Civil War Sesquicentennial (150) until after our arrival. As a result, we were able to brush up on our Civil War history. That is, mostly from a southern point of view. What follows is a hodgepodge of trip impressions, trivia, and Civil War history.
We spent most of our time in the historical or downtown section of Charleston. Charleston lies between the Cooper and Ashley Rivers, which meet at the Charleston harbor. The Battery is a park area with grand homes facing the harbor. Meeting Street splits the historical section and is called Charleston's Museum Mile, which includes the Charleston Museum (the oldest museum in the U.S.), other museums, galleries, and historical houses. It is a beautiful city drawing tourists mainly from other parts of South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Maryland and occasionally from San Francisco.
Except for a secession gala held in December 2010, reportedly the 150 observance went smoothly. The Centennial observance In 1961, on the other hand, went quite differently. The official National Civil War Centennial Commission divided in Charleston over the segregation of local facilities. A group seceded and formed their own S.C Confederate Centennial Commission, which bashed the Kennedy administration and the civil rights movement. The centennial was all about secession, nothing about slavery.
The Sesquicentennial did go out of its way to point out that Charleston's economic and political power were attained on the backs of thousands and thousands of slaves. As of 1860 the percentage of Southern families that owned slaves has been estimated to be 43 percent in the lower South, including South Carolina. Half the owners had one to four slaves. A total of 8000 planters owned 50 or more slaves in 1850. According to the 1860 U.S. census, 393,975 individuals, representing 8 percent of all U.S. families, owned 3,950,528 slaves.
As you remember, before Abraham Lincoln took office, the South Carolinas State Convention assembled in Columbia, SC, in December 1860 to decide whether the state should remain in the Union. The delegates unanimously agreed that South Carolina should secede. Due to the presence of smallpox in Columbia, the Convention adjourned to Charleston. There, on December 20, the Convention formally declared "that the union now subsisting between South Carolina and other States, under the name of 'The United States of America' is hereby dissolved." An Ordinance of Secession was then signed by all delegates.
South Carolina's "Declaration of the Causes of Secession" frames the issue as a state's rights or property rights issue.. That is, under a compact theory of the Union, the U.S. was a voluntary association of sovereign states which had created a compact under the Constitution and formed a federal government to secure their common benefit. And should a state's interests be threatened, a state might withdraw and resume independence. South Carolina believed that this good-faith compact had been deliberately broken and disregarded by the non-slaveholding states. In addition, Abraham Lincoln, hostile to slavery, had been elected president. Therefore, the federal government had become an enemy of state's rights, domestic sovereignty, and self-government. South Carolina seceded from the Union and "resumed her position among the nations of the world."
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850. This Act declared that slaves who escaped to free states must be forcibly returned to their masters. This Act was regularly disregarded by the abolitionists. When U.S. Senator Jefferson Davis left Congress to become the president of the Confederate States of America, he specifically denounced nullification of the Act in his farewell address. I recommend "Soul Catcher" by Michael C. Wright, about a slave or soul catcher hired to bring back an escaped slave.
Abraham Lincoln's position on slavery was somewhat ambivalent. In 1862, he wrote: "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not to either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that." Southerners love this quote.
We took a 30-minute ferry ride to Fort Sumter located at the entrance to Charleston harbor. When South Carolina seceded, it demanded that all Union fortifications be turned over to the state, but the Union refused to surrender Fort Sumter. U.S. Major Robert Anderson commanded the fort. He was undermanned and undersupplied. Lincoln sent a ship with reinforcements and supplies, but before it reached the fort, Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard, who commanded the Confederate forces, fired on Fort Sumter from nearby Fort Johnson. This was the first shots fired in the Civil War. As a side note, Major Anderson was one of General Beauregard's instructors at West Point. Ultimately, Major Saunders surrendered and the Union troops were allowed to evacuate. No one was killed during the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Some have speculated that Lincoln induced the Confederate's to fire the first shots on Fort Sumter so as to be able to declare a rebellion by the Confederate states. The Civil War had begun.
We visited the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens about ten miles from Charleston. It once was a rice growing plantation, but since the end of slavery, the plantation and its beautiful gardens fell into disrepair. Now the plantation and gardens have been restored and is a favorite spot for tourists. Pre-Civil War, South Carolina was the leading rice growing area in the U.S. South Carolina planters discovered that rice imported from Asia grew well in South Carolina's low country, but the planters had little luck growing crops. They soon recognized the advantage of importing slaves from the traditional rice-growing region of West Africa, They generally showed far greater interest in the geographical origins of African slaves than did planters in other North American colonies. The South Carolina rice planters were willing to pay higher prices for slaves from the "Rice Coast," the "Windward Coast," the "Gambia," and "Sierra-Leon"; and slave traders in Africa soon learned that South Carolina was an especially profitable market for slaves from those areas. The South Carolina and Georgia colonists ultimately adopted a system of rice cultivation that drew heavily on the labor patterns and technical knowledge of their African slaves.
Clearing and draining swampland and building and maintaining the system of sluices, banks, and ditches, and planting and sowing crops was a dawn-to-dusk, backbreaking work. Once slavery ended, without cheap slave labor, the plantations slowly reverted back to its natural state.
Many of the large plantation owners used the plantation only during planting and harvesting season. Most had mansions in Charleston where they spent the "social" season. We visited the Heyward-Washington House built in 1772; the Joseph Manigault House built in 1803; the Aiken-Rhett House built in 1820; and the Nathaniel Russell House built in 1808. Each household had from 10 to 15 slaves to run the household. The slaves usually lived in shabby quarters behind the mansion or over the stables. The kitchens were in separate buildings because of fear of fire. There was no running water or indoor toilets. Nanthaniel Heyward, by the way, owned 1,843 slaves on three plantations. While William Aiken, governor of South Carolina (1844-1846), owned 904 slaves on his plantation.
Charleston was a major port. Pirates such as Blackbeard, Stede Bonney, and Charles Vane preyed on ships entering or leaving Charleston. Stede Bonney was finally caught and hung in Charleston.
George Gershwin read DuBose Heyward's novel "Porgy" in 1924 and thought it could be adapted as an opera. He composed "Porgy and Bess" in 1934 in collaboration with Heyward at Folly Beach just outside of Charleston.
Charleston is the home of the Charleston RiverDogs, a Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Imagine a South Carolina team affiliated with an organization called the "Yankees." Actor Bill Murray is listed as the team's "Director of Fun."
Our visit to The Old Slave Mart Museum reminded us of the "why" of the Civil War. It wasn't really about state's rights or property rights. (Slaves, of course, were the property in question.) No matter how you spin it, the Civil War was about the abomination called slavery. In 1808, the U.S. banned the international slave trade, but despite government efforts about 250,000 slaves were smuggled into the U.S. from 1808 until the Civil War. And the U.S. ban did not cover slaves born in the U.S.
Charleston was a center for the buying and selling of slaves with about 40 slave marts or auction places. By treating a race or an ethnic group as less than human, enslaving them became easier. That's basically what happened in slaveholding states. For example, the South Carolina Slave Code of 1740 prohibited teaching a slave to read or write, a slave could not testify in court, and a slave could be executed for plotting to run away. Slaveowners came to view Blacks as lazy, mentally inferior, and naturally promiscuous. Selling away a family member was viewed as only a temporary hardship for the slaves involved. Even religious leaders preached that slaves were born to be slaves, must work hard for their masters, and never disobey , lie or steal.
Slaves were brought to the slaves marts and housed in dungeon-like rooms. Shackles and chains were removed to let wounds heal. They were then examined by physicians to make sure they were healthy; rations were increased to fatten them up; they were made to dance or exercise to tone up their muscles; their skin was greased to give them a healthy glow; grey hair was plucked or dyed; and women's hair was oiled. Then the slaves were put up for auction. Prices ranged from $600 to $1,900. A slave with special skills, such as carpentry, iron work, etc., fetched a higher price.
Why do we teach history? Maya Angelou put it nicely: "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."


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Everyone has vices. They entice us, thrill us, and make life just a little more complicated than it has to be. For me, my two (non-chemical) vices are interrelated: bad guys and underdogs.
On the surface, this may seem like a contradiction, but with the army of reboots, rehashes, gritty retellings, and high-gloss, high-budget fanfic that gets released every other week, I now have a nearly inexhaustible source for both of my driving passions. With every warmed-over hero iteration, there's always the accompanying bad guy--and with the avalanche of reused material, said baddie is probably going to have to fill the roomy leather thigh-highs of some infamous predecessor.
Below are five rebooted bad guys from the critical or commercial B-Team: the less loved, often mocked, or unfairly compared. Join me, gentle reader, and maybe together we can find a little sympathy for these particular devils.
5. Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal
Okay, okay... I admit it. I'm starting out with a softball on this one. Just Google Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal and you will find the fan love out there. Everything from poetic slash fic to lovingly rendered fan art to Tumblrs to Pinterest boards--all that adulation for our favorite Danish serial cannibal. But I felt compelled to include him because cinema purists will always adore Anthony Hopkin's turn as the much more animalistic Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Sure, Hopkins gives his Hannibal real menace combined with enough unwholesome sexuality to make you squirm, and yes, he simply radiates a kind of mad genius intelligence that makes a paunchy 60 year old seem formidable in a room full of armed guards. I'll give you all this. In contrast, Mikkelsen's detractors have accused him of underacting, sleepwalking through scenes, or worst of all, making a scheming cannibal ubermensch boring (a charge you could never level against Hopkins, even in the ludicrous film Hannibal).
Mikkelsen never threatens to eat anyone's anything will fava beans, and he never hisses or spits, or whatever it is Hopkins does at the end of that scene (you know what I'm talking about. You're probably trying to imitate it right now, aren't you?) But that's not because he doesn't care about the character or can't be bothered to show his metaphorical fangs. Mikkelsen plays a Hannibal that is still years away from incarceration, a man who must hide his monstrosity from the outside world if he wants to keep eating people steak whenever the fancy strikes him. In contrast, Hopkins plays a Hannibal who has been imprisoned for decades with no hope of escape. Even the sharpest minds dull a bit with solitude and confinement, and having no outlet, criminal, artistic, or otherwise, for his craziness, he's warped into the teeth-sucking, leering, creepy uncle we all love today. The younger Hannibal Mikkelsen portrays has to be guarded, less theatrical, more normal in every way. Rather than being the "boring" Hannibal, Mikkelsen's interpretation of the character is all the more terrifying for his ability to fit into society. Which of course makes it more chilling, and more tragic, when Hannibal confronts the faithless object of his affection, Will Graham, with the line, "I let you know me. See me." Man, that gets me every time.
If you need to step away to compose some passionate slash fic, that's okay. CineDump understands.
4. Steven Webber's Jack Torrance
Let me just start by saying that Jack Nicholson's performance as Jack Torrance in Kubrick's The Shining is a masterclass of creepiness. From beginning to end, Nicholson just drips cruelty and a certain unhinged je ne sais quoi, that is very effective in setting the tone for this uncanny movie. It's a performance that's been lovingly parodied, studied, and fetishisized in every way.
And then there's the guy from Wings.
It's no secret that Stephen King pretty much loathed Kubrick's vision of his novel, and the miniseries starring Steven Webber and 90s CGI hedge animals was his attempt to set the cinematic record straight. It was a fool's errand to begin with, and the miniseries boasts every flaw Kubrick mercilessly cut from the novel (slow pacing, too much backstory, drawn out set pieces), but damn it if Webber doesn't try to carry that whole thing on his gangly shoulders.
Webber is no Nicholson, but he's not trying to be. The Jack he portrays is much closer to the novel's and not simply a clone of Jack "Here's Johnny" Nicholson. While Nicholson's Jack seems ready to start bashing heads in before he even has the job, Webber's Jack is a basically good guy with a few flaws. Slowly, we watch these weaknesses overwhelm the scraps of virtue Jack has managed to hold onto, making his last minute face-turn at the end of the miniseries more believable even if it does border on the sappy.
Is Stephen Webber as scary as Jack Nicholson. Hell no. (See, Jack Nicholson, I'm on your side--really I am). But Webber's portrayal is ultimately more human, more complex, and more tragic. If you're the insufferable type who always claims the book is better, then maybe Webber is the traumatized, screwed-up Jack Torrance just for you.
3. Jared Leto's Joker
There's a special place in Movie Hell for people who defend Jared Leto as the Joker. The floors are sticky, the AC keeps cutting out, there's a couple in front of you who won't stop laughing at everything that happens, and the only movie they play is The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Knowing all this, I'm still willing to gamble my cinephile soul on this underdog.
First off, there was no way Leto's performance would have been well received. We're all still talking about Heath Ledger's generation defining portrayal of the world's deadliest, most flamboyant hobo. When it was made in 2008, just a few short years after 9/11, interpreting the Joker as a wild-eyed extremist who loves chaos for its own sake tapped into something in the American psyche. Now, in 2017, even though there are still fears about ideologues with bombs, think about what dominates our lives. If you answered the Internet, you win all the points.
Basing his look and persona on the materialistic, ends-justify-the-means, wannabe badasses of Instagram, Leto's Joker is diametrically opposed to the haunted lone wolf Ledger portrayed. Much closer to the Joker of the 1990s animated show, Leto gives the world a bad guy that's showy, selfish, silly and destructive. If Leto's Joker were real, he wouldn't be telling you for the 20th time how he got his scars, he would be posting another video of his latest crime to YouTube and sitting back while the views roll in. He'd have millions of followers on Twitter. He'd be offered his own reality show. He would replace Tony Montana as the weekend gangster's patron saint as his face adorned oversized tee shirts and overpriced caps. Like it or not, this Joker is this decade's monster, and Leto does a good job of making him as smarmy, histrionic, and self-centered as the majority of the people you can encounter on the Internet.
Sure, this decades' baddie is less... well... badass than others, but who can we blame but ourselves? Maybe if we pull together, rise above our differences, and overcome our collective shallowness, we can have nihilistic, brutal killers as our bad guys again. And isn't that a dream worth reaching for?
2. Hellraiser Revelations
Do you remember Hellraiser Revelations? No, it isn't the one in space. No, it isn't the one where it was all a computer game. No, it isn't the one where that guy gets whipped to death in the back of an ice cream truck. No, it isn't--
Okay, I'll just tell you.
Released in 2011, this little seen and much maligned film replaces fan favorite Doug Bradley as the iconic sex monster Pinhead with a much poutier Stephan Smith Collins. I'll be honest--Stephan Smith Collins is not that great as Pinhead. Not even my soft, rotting heart can defend this underdog (and you know, I really thought I could when I courageously started this article). I just don't like this Pinhead, so let me count the ways: He has none of Bradley's sometimes comical gravity. He rushes through his lines. He shakes his head too much (a weird criticism, I know, but this character is not one that lends itself to a lot of wasted movement).
Instead, I'm going to cheat here and plug the movie instead. Yes, this Pinhead is nothing to write to the Order of the Gash about, but the story in this film is kinky, crazy, and something worthy of Barker at the top of his game. It features incest, soul-crushing grief, ritual murder--everything that made the original something you couldn't talk about at book club. Tightly constructed as a short story from an early Book of Blood, it takes place on one night as two families of vanished teens meet to commemorate their lost loved ones. As tensions rise and accusations mount, the families watch a videotape that puts them right into Pinhead's leather-gloved clutches.
More emotionally complex and sexually perverse than Barker's so bland I-can't-believe-it's-not-white-bread The Scarlet Gospel, this is an often defamed film that needs a second viewing. If you don't get too hamstrung by Stephan Smith Collin's Pinhead, it has some pretty wicked sights to show you.
1. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor
Oh, do I ever hate myself for this. Jesse Eisenberg is completely wrong in every way for Superman's arch industrialist villain. He's weird, diffident and just ever-so creepy. He's at his best when he plays cringing hangdog types, like his starring role in the marvellously underappreciated film Double. I was entirely ready to hate him until I was stranded in a hotel room in rural Oklahoma with nothing to do but watch Batman vs. Superman.
I've always had a soft spot for Lex Luthor as a character. Superman was always too much of a boyscout and anyone who could shake his apple tree, even just a little, earned my misguided childhood respect. In the cartoons, he's imperious and built like a Patrick Stewart themed tank. In Smallville, he's a brooding, Byronic sexpot with all this tortured longing and a little devilish streak as fine as a crack in a China plate and dangerous as an active fault line.
And then's there's Eisenberg. With a mop of unkempt hair, ill-fitting, too-trendy clothes, and a penchant for stuttering or just rambling near nonsense, this Lex Luthor was unlike anything I've seen before. But somehow, in this dark, heavily moving film, he was just that right splash of lime juice to cut through all that depressing hero fat.
The two titular heroes of the film are already sad-sacking around enough for two franchises, filling the dark skies of Gotham with the fumes of their existential rage. To add another serious-as-Strindberg alpha male to this cluster would be like tossing tear-based gasoline on the world's saddest fire. Instead of a capitalist's wet dream, we get a awkward, fumbling kid who seems too socially inept to make a simple speech (usually virtuosic monologuing is the centerpiece of a bad guy's repertoire of skills), much less manage a multi-billion dollar empire. Despite these strange affectations (or maybe because of them), this Luthor disarms people with his boyish smile and clumsy over-eagerness, making him able to move around all levels of society, equally out of place in a ramshackle apartment as his own ultra-modern soirees. He flies below the radar because despite his wealth and power, no one suspects this silly, earnest lunatic of anything until it's too late.
Like Leto's Joker, Eisenberg's Luthor is a sign of the times. Like so many of us today, he struggles to interact personally with those around him, fixates obsessively on increasingly narrow fields of interest, and is ruthlessly dedicated to his point of view, even when evidence to the contrary is presented to him. Maybe the movie going public in general will always hate this cinematic adaptation of Lex Luthor, and that's okay, but we have to recognize that much of what we find distasteful in him is what we also hate about ourselves. In so many ways, his flaws and ticks and short-sighted crazy ambitions are our own, for better or worse, like it or not. In a small way, he's a distorted funhouse mirror of a very bad, very weird part of modern day America.
And isn't that what we need villains for anyway?
Pennie Sublime


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Leaves in the Gutter/
The continuing conversation opportunity presented by blogs is threatened by the sheer amount of maintenance work it takes to keep the channels clear. I am, of course, talking about blog spam and what bloggers need to do in order to keep it at bay. First there's the notion of updating your blog CMS. Then there's the installation of plugins. Then there's cleaning up all the comment and trackback spam that the plugins and CMS don't catch. At times, especially if your blog is small, it almost seems like it's not worth the effort.
Remember that blogging owes a good deal of its success to the explosion of easy-to-use CMSes. If these are made tougher to use (constant updates that need to be installed on web servers), people will start to get pissed and they'll abandon blogging.
I'm not sure if we're yet ready for this discussion, but at some point folks are going to have to look at Google and Yahoo at not only the folks who created the problem, but the folks who continue to reinforce the status quo. (This is more the case for Google than for Yahoo, for a number of reasons.)
Google's reliance on inbound links as a major factor in their relevance algorithm created the problem. I don't think too many comment spammers would keep doing what they're doing if there wasn't a significant Google Juice reward in it for them. Further, the economic incentive to build search engine relevance is driven solely by profit motive, which Google's AdSense program provides. In addition, Google provides a safe haven for many sploggers on Blogger.
I'm not saying we should immediately blame Google instead of blaming the comment spammers. But it would be nice to get an acknowledgement from Google that its system is indeed being exploited by spammers and that it needs to be fixed. It would also be nice to see them take some serious action against splogs (especially on Blogger) and comment spam by applying some of that wonderful thinking they're famous for and fixing the problem.
A good deal of Google's future business depends on the unbundling and fragmentation of media. If we move more toward mass media, the big content developers will succeed. If, however, we continue toward media fragmentation, Google is in a much better place, with the ability to roll up the relevant audiences via AdSense. It also stands to capture more market share with Blogger and through the platform of tools it's already building.
That said, if I were Google, I'd be doing what I could to make sure bloggers continue to enjoy blogging, podcasters still enjoy podcasting and that the communities that form around this content can continue to be healthy. Easy content creation and easy community maintenance are the keys to that. If I were Google, I would be attacking this blog spam problem with significantly greater resource commitment and I'd be thinking about how to tweak relevance and ranking algorithms in order to remove the incentive for spammers.
Even if you didn't want to touch algorithms, there are a number of other things Google could be doing. Easier reporting of splogs would be one thing. How about a "report this site" function within Google site results? How about a distributed network of part-time employees who can earn beer money for helping Google identify and eliminate spam? There are a ton of ideas. Sadly, they don't seem to be coming from the company best known for innovation and ideas.


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Audi A4 2.0 TDI ultra 190PS S tronic.
I think I've found it. That is to say, I've finally driven a car that I prefer to a 3 Series BMW. The latest Audi A4 has left me happy in the knowledge that my quest after all these years is over. In all previous incarnations, the BMW was better, but after a week in the A4, which was a lovely place to be, the latest Audi A4 & particularly it's cabin & technology really won me over.
The current A4 uses the VW Group's MLB Evo platform, which features engines that are mounted lengthways under the bonnet, rather than across the engine bay. This makes the A4 much lighter than the old car. With the engine mounted further back, the cars weight distribution is improved & the A4's handling is better & it's now almost as good as the 3 Series or Jaguar XE.
We got to drive the 2.0litre TDI Ultra 190PS S tronic & mighty fine it was too. It sits at the top end of the range, but there are other models on offer.
There are three petrol engines; 1.4, with 148bhp, 2.0 offering either 187bhp or 249bhp & the 3.0 a whopping 349bhp on the S4 model. At the very top of the range, the RS4 Avant has a 2.9 TFSI 450PS twin-turbo V6 that packs 444bhp.Diesel comes in the form of a 2.0 TDI & a 3.0 TDI. The 2.0-litre version comes in 150PS and 190PS guises with 148bhp and 187bhp respectively, the latter fitted to our test car. The 3.0 TDI is badged either 218PS or 272PS with 215bhp and 268bhp.
A six-speed manual is standard on the 1.4 TFSI & the two lower powered 2.0 TDIs, while the seven-speed S tronic is available as an option. S tronic autos are standard for the most powerful 2.0 TFSI & lower powered 3.0 TDI, while the more powerful 3.0 TDI & S4 come with an eight-speed Tiptronic auto.
Quattro four-wheel drive is found on selected models across the A4 range. It's optional with the 2.0 TDI 190PS S tronic & is standard with the most powerful 2.0 TFSI, both 3.0 TDIs, the S4 & RS4.
The A4's exterior has been cleverly updated to aid fuel economy & reduce cabin noise. For example, the side mirrors have been mounted directly on the door panel rather than at its junction with the quarter light, which means more air can glide down the side of the car. Clever. The latest A4 is a bit longer than the previous model as well with new LED headlights & tail lights improving the look as well.
Interior space in the Audi is excellent for the class, with plenty of room in both front & rear for four six footers. The boot offers a wide opening, coupled with a low floor, making access easy to the 480 litres on offer. If you fold down the rear seats the capacity increases to 995 litres, but of course, compared to a hatchback, the practicality is somewhat limited by the depth of the through space.
Our test car came fitted with the S tronic auto box & we really enjoyed it. There's a bit of a gruff edge to the auto box & it does tend to leap off from a standing start, especially in the wet, but once you get your right foot used to the accelerator pedal, it's a blast. It's both refined when required, around town for instance, with all the fun-of-the-fair arriving when you accelerate to join the motorway or overtake.
We managed to put 300 miles on the millimetre in our week in the A4, with the usual combination of urban & motorway driving. Urban driving saw our fuel economy dip to unified 50mpg, whilst on the motorway we averaged 61.3 mpg, so quite a difference. Both are below Audis claimed figures for our teat model which were 57.6 mpg & 68.9 mpg. Pleasingly, even our 2.0 litre engine comes with low emissions of 107g/km.
Inside, the A4's pared down cabin in quality black & chrome is wonderful. Simple & aesthetically pleasing to the eye, I can see where Peugeot engineers spent most of their time when designing the cockpit of the latest 508. The interior is " Truly Scrumptious, " the nicest by far over it's rivals. Everything fits together perfectly & its all made of top notch materials. Even the door pockets have been considered, with the plastic surround much thicker than any I've encountered before.
The front passenger seats are comfortable, with an array of adjustment & right in front of the driver is the excellent 12.3″ Virtual Cockpit TFT display. This puts the cars infotainment & vehicle functions, including SatNav right in front of the driver. All of these can be accessed from the sports steering wheel in what I discovered to be the most straightforward way, compared to the systems found in a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz or a Volvo. t.
Getting into Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, the DAB radio or even checking on your cars fuel economy & performance, can all be done through the steering wheel. There's also a simple to use rotary wheel on the transmission tunnel, which also covers all of the bases too. Together, they make the A4's connectivity one of the best in class.
Our test car featured the Tech Pack, an additional £1400. This included a larger 8.3" dashboard mounted tablet screen & as we discovered, a really fast wireless charger, located under the centre armrest. I left my phone on this for 30 minutes from 5% & it jumped up to 78%, which is usefully quick.
I've praised the A4, but are there any negatives ? The angular drivers wing mirror does emit some wind noise, you won't get an adult to sit comfortably in the centre rear seat & our test car would set you back £36,695. Whilst we loved this particular model, for SME's the range starts at £27,815 for the 6-speed manual 1.4 TSI 150PS petrol SE, whilst the 6-speed manual 150PS diesel SE, costs £31,045. Contract hire rates for this manual SE diesel start from £375 per month, 6 + 35 on a 10,000 miles per annum 3 year, non maintained contract.
Four years has been a long time to wait to drive an A4. This latest A4 was a real surprise & proved to be much better than I had anticipated. I fell in love with the interior & the technology & also had high praise for the better ride & handling. The exterior is perhaps a little bland, but then so too is the outside of the BMW & Mercedes competition. And I have to say I like a wolf in a sheep clothing.
Not many cars arrive at Company Car, then leave having left a smile on my face, but the A4 did just that. Definitely my new favourite premium saloon.
A happy to report 4.25/5.


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Industrial Technology Department
The Industrial Technology Department at Lincoln Lutheran growing! John Roeber , the Industrial Tech Teacher, usually has his hands full with a shop full of student's projects. There is a wide variety of classes that are in the industrial field. Students can take machine woods (required before any other higher level shop class), advanced woods, drafting, trades and industry, and electrical wiring for middle school students. Lincoln Lutheran has a large area for students to spread out and get dusty!
Department News
Mr. Roeber meets his HeroThu, 05/17/2012 - 2:20pm — Brian Klintworth
Anyone who knows Mr. Roeber knows that he has two heroes, Norm Abram and Red Green. He had the chance to meet one of those heroes at the Lied Center here in Lincoln on Tuesday May 15th. One of the parents of a Lincoln Lutheran student works at the Lied Center and was able to get Mr. Roeber backstage before Red Green performed in Lincoln as part of his "Wit and Wisdom Tour".


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Our Success Stories
Our Success Stories
START UP has helped hundreds of students and recent graduates to become freelancers or launch new businesses. Here are some of the success stories we've helped to create. #StartedatNCL.
Follow us on Medium to read interviews with our START UP Founders.
Chris Dawson
One Utility Bill
''We raised a seed round investment of £150k which allowed us to grow the team to 8 and establish ourselves as a leading platform in the lettings market.''
Read the full interview with Chris Dawson
Natalie Diver
Oh My Glow
''In the 7 months we've been launched, things have gone from strength to strength, we've shipped to around 45 countries already.''
Read the full interview with Natalie Diver.
Vincent Efferoth and Lukas Passia
Tea Venture
The aim of our business is to create high quality tea experiences. It is our vision to create a new product category, which is 'alcoholic tea', that aims to disrupt the alcoholic beverage industry. Another objective of the company is to promote NOVELTEA internationally. We want to go beyond the North East, beyond the UK and go worldwide at some point. Hopefully sooner than later.
Read the full interview with Vincent Efferoth and Lukas Passia.
Dan Ellis
Jam Jar Cinema
''After securing finance for a full digital cinema compliant system the business has really taken off. We are now looking for a bigger and better venue and exploring opportunities of opening other venues in different towns, or a franchise model.''
Read the full interview with Dan Ellis.
Olubusola Eshiet
Optimalpath Consulting Ltd
"We have reached over 10,000 teachers with the synthetic phonics method and have recently achieved full adoption of this method in three states in Nigeria. We are just about to set up a pilot in 6 schools in Ghana."
Read the full interview with Olubusola Eshiet
Georgios Gerardos
Great North Research and Innovation
Initially, the project started so we could create a test to help diagnose sepsis and make treatment easier. This project was in a purely academic form, which requires research; but if you want to drive it forward you need to have some form of funding which will come from commercial entities and enterprises who are interested enough in your project to invest.
Read the full interview with Georgios Gerardos.
Craig Hawkes and Vikas Kapil
DocYOUmentary Films Ltd
Through the use of effective story telling techniques, DocYOUmentary helps its clients to engage a target audience with a more humane and personal approach.
Read the full interview with Craig Hawkes and Vikas Kapil.
Claire He
My company provides high quality Chinese-English translation. We differentiate ourselves from other competitors through our software. Our software allows customers to track and trace their project and the customer can also view the profile of everyone working on their project; such as project managers and linguists. I am a sole trader and owner of this business.
Read the full interview with Claire He.
Reece Hugill
Donzoko Brewing Company
I'm brewing a German Helles lager, which compared to the average lager in the UK, is way more malty and smooth. The hops I use come from New Zealand and are a bit more fruity than the traditional German varieties.
Read the full interview with Reece Hugill.
Joshy Jin
La Yuan
Is a Chinese restaurant based on a Sichuan cuisine in Newcastle city centre.
We're hoping to be a very stable restaurant and be well known in Newcastle, which is not difficult to achieve because it's such a small city. I also think we will be ready to move on to the next venture in about a years' time.
Read the full interview with Joshy Jin.
Shantelle Million
Million Care Solutions
I've created an electronic care plan system which is to be used in residential care settings. The idea came from my experience in residential care and also my English Language degree, so I've combined my experience with my degree and created something that will ease communication in care.
It helps care staff to record information and the information is then used to create statistics that can be used to improve care standards.
Read the full interview with Shantelle Million.
Harriet Skinner and Melissa Whipp
Creatures of XIX
We design Activewear and Swimwear, usually with a risqué edge. Our niche market is pole dancing, and most of our apparel is geared towards the fierce and bold women that engage in both dance, pole dance & pole fitness.
Read the full interview with Harriet Skinner and Melissa Whipp.