text:
SpReAd the Love
Reminders for Chicago August 9th–Richard Armitage's Fans Gathering & Film Viewing for OpeRAtion Into the Storm 2014, August 8, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #17)
Hi RA Fans joining us in Chicago on August 9th for our gathering together for a fun day–capping it off with seeing our favorite exquisitely talented British actor Richard Armitage's new film, Into the Storm,
We are looking forward to seeing you in Chicago, dashing around town, and enjoying Richard Armitage's new film, Into the Storm!
Please print out our final event itinerary graphic below (click on the image to enlarge it and save it to your phone or computer first). Our itinerary summary will help you find us at any given time on Saturday if you are delayed in joining us–or if we split up for some of us shopping and some of us site seeing in the afternoon.
For links for the venues mentioned in the graphic above, please refer to this earlier post: "Stormy Sunday: Chicago Itinerary Checklist …" (on August 3rd). But note that we are no longer eating lunch at the Walnut room because they are catering a wedding.
By 12noon (CST) today/Friday, I will also email additional information to individuals who have completed this website's Contact Form by 11:00am stating that they will be joining us. If you already completed the Contact Form once to indicate you are joining us, you don't have to do it again. But if you don't receive my email by 1pm, then please comment below, I will try to resend it to you.
The last official count for those joining us in Chicago is eight–down one due to Obscura developing an illness that prevents her from traveling far afield. She is bummed, but Obscura will be with us in spirit. And I'm sure that we all send her our very best get well wishes. Hugs!
And if you decide at the last minute that you can join us, but you haven't had a chance to complete this website's Contact Form to let us know? By all means, please join us! But realize that there will be important information in the email that I send out at 12noon today/Friday. So please try to complete the Contact Form by 11am today/Friday–to give me/Grati time to prep the email.
Please pose any additional questions you have in a comment to this post below–and I/Grati will respond to them in a comment–not via email (which is wonky when I'm on the road). However, I will be on a train heading toward Chicago as of 7:30am Saturday. So please pose your comment questions on the website as soon as possible Friday to insure that I can respond to you and everyone–since others might have a similar question to yours and it makes it easier on me to respond once. But while I'm riding the Amtrak train to Chicago on Saturday–and when I have reception–I will also respond to you.
Finally, however you are getting to Chicago–car, train, bus, plane, or stepping out your door and walking or bicycling–please have a safe journey to us.
The planning of this event was organized by three core individuals–Grati, Sahraobsessed, and Obscura. But all of you had a say in how our event planning evolved through your participation in surveys and your helpful suggestions and other contributions. Thanks!
So one final time–to build your excitement for seeing Richard Armitage in his new film, Into the Storm, its opening weekend–enjoy the video!
"Into the Storm – Official Main Trailer [HD]" by Warner Bros. Pictures
See you Saturday! We are going to have a blast! And remember, what happens in Chicago, stays in Chicago. Ha!
P.S. Don't forget that Marie Astra is coordinating the August 9th New York City RA Fans gathering to view Into the Storm. So please email her if you wish to attend and/or have questions at email@example.com
Stormy Sunday: Chicago Itinerary Checklist for OpeRAtion Into the Storm 2014 RA Fans Film Viewing Gathering, August 03, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #14)
If you are joining us for our planned Chicago or New York City RA Fans seeing the exquisitely talented British actor Richard Armitage's (image of his in character as Gary, right) new film Into the Storm on Saturday August 9th, hopefully you have already started your travel planning. We are seven days away from our RA Fans meet ups in Chicago and in New York City on August 9th.
Please be sure to complete the Contact Form by Thursday Aug. 7th on this web site (see tab on home page above) to let us know that you will be joining us. I/Grati need accurate counts for lunch and dinner reservations (everyone pays their own way).
And with all of the rave reviews coming from people who saw the film in previews, Into the Storm is sure to be an exciting film. In this interview hyperlinked here, Into the Storm Director Steven Quale.talks about the special effects challenges of the film.
But tornadoes are serious business–not for the faint of heart–and lives are devastated each year when they strike. So as a tie-in to the movie Into the Storm, there is a SpReAd the Love plan to make a donation to disaster relief organizations via the SpReAd the Love campaign with each act of kindness given or received. I'm donating a pint of my blood on Monday to our local Red Cross agency. Won't you also consider sharing a kindness given or received–especially within the RA Fandom? Your sharing will put money into disaster relief organizations coffers via an anonymous donor. Thanks to Jazzbaby1 and Obscura for organizing this SpReAd the Love tie-in to the Into the Storm film.
Below is a Detailed Itinerary for our Chicago August 9th OpeRAtion Into the Storm 2014 RA Fans Gathering (everybody pays their own expenses):
11:45am meet at Macy's 111 N. State Street Chicago at their Walnut Room (I'm making us a reservation for 10 people so far) for 12noon lunch (Macy's was formerly known as Marshall Fields); arrive early at 11:30am and go to Macy's lower level Visitor Center to buy a $35 Shopping Package (see right), the gift card may be used toward Macy's purchases, including lunch at the Walnut Room; and you also get a neat Macy's shopping bag and the traditional chocolate Frango mints, etc. Note that for the 10% off visitors pass part of the shopping package, Macy's said that that promotion is only for people who live 200 or more miles away.
1:30 – 4pm site seeing and shopping (we can split up if people's interests vary); here are some choices:
* shopping a bit at Macy's after lunch (note that Macy's shopping package deal mentioned above (and detailed in the graphic below)
* walking from Macys to the Art Institute, we could just take a leisurely window shopping stroll along State Street and Michigan Avenue
* please note that the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) has purse size limit guidelines and handy $1/item bag checking for items not allowed into the museum. And here is the Art Institute's admission fees page (the range seems to be $14 – $23); Current AIC exhibitions (sample below) are eclectically divine for those of us who like the French impressionists (tons of Monet haystack paintings), modern masters, blown glass paperweights, art and artifacts from antiquity, etc. The AIC is a feast of cultures and histories from around the world and also from our own backyard. You will find me making a beeline for the blue hued splendor of the Chagall windows when we arrive. And as a finale to your visit, the AIC has the most fabulous Museum Gift Store!
* Millennium Park–an outdoor garden, playground, cultural venue that has, among other things, the much touted bean (that silvery mirrored thingy, ha!)
* shopping at Navy Pier; someone indicated that there is a free trolley or bus for transportation within Navy Pier's shops and such
* Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower)–the tallest building in the world for a really long time
* etc.
Art Institute of Chicago maps of exhibits:
4:30pm arrive for 5:00pm viewing of Into the Storm at AMC River East 21 Movie Theatre at 322 E. Illinois Street, Chicago; Please be sure to buy your movie tickets online days ahead of time at Fandango to avoid the problem of the movie being sold out; My ticket says auditorium 10, in case they are showing the film in two theatre auditoriums at the same time
7:00pm we head to dinner after the movie to decompress, unwind, and review the film (the restaurant is tba, the AMC River East 21 Movie Theatre has MacGuffin's Bar & Lounge, or other restaurant at nearby Navy Pier that we decide upon) ; then after?
Please note that transportation between venues that are not within easy walking distance of each other will be by hailing a taxi at each individual's expense.
P.S. My room at the hotel reservations I booked for Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago that is centrally located at 160 E. Huron (formerly the Crowne Plaza) in Chicago, near Michigan Avenue. Their phone is (312) 585-9333 should you also wish to book a room–we do not have a block of rooms, but you might still be able to get a reservation. These are nicely sized suites that are the most economical I found–everything else for only a single room was 2 or 3 times this. And the Hilton hotel reservation folks cut me a deal as a government employee (for just under $200). Snap! So if anyone needs a place to stay Saturday night and wants to split this hotel cost with me, please contact me via this blog's contact form. Thanks!


text:
Fender Reggie Hamilton Standard Jazz Bass 3 Colour Sunburst (pre-owned)
This Guitar Has Just Arrived In Stock And Is Awaiting Final Inspection From Our Guitar Technicians. Full Details Will Be Available Online Shortly.
If you would like any further information i.e. pictures, specification etc, please email [email protected] or call us on 01202 597 180.
Many Thanks!
Absolute Music Guitar Team
- Sorry - this product is not available to purchase
Additional Information
Brand Fender Condition Pre-owned

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This sad FACE FRAME! documents the moment Ian found out Dirty PCBs hit Hacker News, Hack a Day, etc. Here's the story behind our joke PCB site…
A few months ago there were some comments in the forum about various PCB services making 'crap' $0.90 boards. Later we posted a picture of our own $0.20 PCB on the blog and the first comment was 'silkscreen sucks'. It became an inside joke around here because a few years ago we were all more than happy to pay Olimex $100 for a tiny PCB with no silk…but now people complain about minor things like a smudged silkscreen on twenty cent PCB.
In the forum we joked about about starting a PCB site intended to be crappy: "Dirty Cheap Dirty Boards". One of our team members, who shall remain nameless, took the joke way too far and made an actual PCB website based on that joke. The site promises cheap and bad PCBs. We used it internally to handle our PCBs, and let a few forum contributors place orders too – easier than doing it all manually.
Here we are, eating hot pot dinner on the street of Shenzhen with the rump end of the hacker camp crew enjoying a Tsing Tao. Phones buzz – order notification. Phones buzz more. And again, and again. Then someone from the HAX group delivers the terrifying news – our little inside joke is on Hacker News. Then it pops up on Hack a Day too.
We hit the comments to say it was a joke and flame the trolls who dissed our flippant attitude (you like it dirty and you're back for more), but the damage was done.
However, Dirty PCBs wasn't entirely a joke. The platform combines all of our ideas for a 'no nonsense' online ordering platform. No stupid logins with yet another password to remember, no login to get order status, obscene amounts of status updates (email, SMS, Twitter), and a single step ordering process with flat predictable pricing.
The Dirty Platform is used in two new projects we're launching. The first is Dirty Circuits – a schematic entry, PCB routing, and footprint building service for open hardware that's open now. It's been available privately to some select projects for a while and has been a great success. Soon, we'll add Dirty Cables, a way to create custom designed cables from quantity 100. That's not the end of the Dirty world either, we've got more new projects launching soon, all with the goal to help make more and better open source hardware.
Well, I'm excited. Truly a new era for DP and glad to see you stick by OSHW as the company evolves. Incidentally what does the OSHW license option mean at dirty circuits? Is it the CERN OHL? Also, what will you say to those wanting to use Dirty Circuits for closed source designs?
Interesting idea, but I have to say I don't get it. Sorry to be negative. You're basically advertising "low quality" but the price isn't much lower (or any lower) than better alternatives. For example, the Dirty PCBs price for 50 5×5 cm boards is identical to Seeed Studio's price. For 10 boards Dirty PCBs is actually more expensive than Seeed. I think if you're going to advertise "quick and dirty prototype PCBs that may have problems", then you need to be more like half the price of the competition.
"the Dirty PCBs price for 50 5×5 cm boards is identical to Seeed Studio's price"
Only if you like green, and seeed ships for free.
Otherwise, example Red 5×5, 50 of:
Seeed: $49.90 + Shipping
Dirty: $39, free shipping
You're comparing free shipping in the us to free shipping globally, here in AU they could be twice as expensive and still cheaper than paying for shipping from Seed Studio.
Well, you should know that there is no such thing as a private joke on the interwebs ;)
Dirty PCBs was bound to go a bit viral.
I love the ordering process and free shipping!
Cant wait for Dirty Cables! Been wishing for a cheap cable service for years
Keep it up, i have 4 orders in the At Board House status….. twitter on fire with my notifications. Love it
I'm glad I helped you name your new service! Btw, what I meant by terrible is that our in-house board house has set a standard for bad, and that silkscreen was worse. The more important things like etching and drill registration are OK, at least on the pcb I received (thanks!), but imho if you're doing something, you might as well do it right. I can't argue with the price, of course.
More on-topic, are you really not planning on addig some form of faster shipping option? The price and the service look compelling, but HK Post and the likes just don't cut it for my pcb needs. An example: my DP free pcb arrived at my EU address 46 days after getting the shipping notification. My ebay items from Shenzen/HK take anywhere from 45-65 days nowdays. And I really don't like stalling a project for two months, just waiting for pcbs to arrive.
P.S. I still think the silkscreen sucks :)
Not quite as fast as the 'mercans, but here in the GWN it's typically 18-22 days for registered airmail from China and regular airmail from HK. I noticed some Asian suppliers are using Swiss post, and that takes about the same amount of time (~3 weeks).
> "The price and the service look compelling, but HK Post and the likes just don't cut it…"
I guess I'm lucky here in the US where 10-15 days is more usual, but I suspect that any much better shipping option would be a lot less compelling price-wise.
The 10cm limit cramps keyboard designs. Has anyone [successfully] copied of the Thinkpad Butterfly?
Check out http://hackaday.io/project/448-Ergo60-Keyboard for a keyboard which uses the 10x10cm limitation to great advantage… now to be fair it is not a standard keyboard, but if you wanted a standard keyboard you would probably just buy one. (Not my design, but rather from a friend of mine).
Well, regardless of the fact that this started as a joke, I am loving it so far! Just placed an order for 10 5×5 boards, and looking forward to getting them in a month or so. I like the simple one-step checkout process + Paypal payment, and being a couple dollars cheaper with color options doesn't hurt things either. I've used Seeed in the past, and will probably use them again in the future, but figured I may as well check out the dirty option this time.
Cheers from Canada.


text:
The Rolling Thunder parade of motorcyclists, now in its 25th year, rolled through Washington, DC on Sunday, led by the parents of missing US serviceman Bowe Bergdahl.
The annual Memorial Day weekend ride is held to raise awareness about prisoners of war and those missing in action, CNN International reported.
26-year-old Bergdahl is an army sergeant from Idaho who was captured in Afghanistan in 2009 after he finished his guard shift at a combat outpost, according to CNN.
"Bowe, your family has not forgotten you, your hometown has not forgotten you. Your state of Idaho has not forgotten you, and thanks to all of you here today, Washington DC has not forgotten you," his father, Robert Bergdahl, said in a speech at the ride, CNN reported. "We love you, we are proud of you. Stay strong, never give up. We pray for the day that we welcome you home."
More from GlobalPost: Obama to spend Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery (VIDEO)
The sergeant was captured by Taliban militants, and four videos of him have been released since, CNN reported. The last video was from February 2011, and it's unclear where Bergdahl is being held now.
"We are still searching for him," said John Wagner, a spokesman for US Central Command, CNN reported. "We are actively looking for leads and information on his whereabouts and his condition."
Bergdahl is part of a proposed prisoner swap, in which the Obama administration would transfer five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay back to Afghanistan in exchange for American soldiers, the Associated Press reported.
Motorcyclists participating in the Rolling Thunder parade wore yellow wristbands with Bergdahl's name and the date he went missing on them, along with the traditional biker gear of leather vests and riding boots, though temperatures in Washington reached into the 90s, the AP reported.
The Rolling Thunder ride goes through the American capital city over the Memorial bridge into the District, and makes its final lap from the Pentagon to the Lincoln Memorial, ABC News Channel 7 reported. CNN estimated that hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists participated in this year's memorial event; the AP estimated nearly one million riders would be in Washington for memorial day.
"It's not just a bunch of people riding their bikes through DC," Peter Langer, who participated in this year's ride, told ABC News. "It symbolizes our freedom."
More from GlobalPost: Memorial Day: 5 deadliest places for US soldiers (PHOTOS)


text:
Look! Elemmaciltur hearts my blog! Even though I hardly ever post! So thanks, that's really nice to hear/read/whatever.
Here are the rules:
1. The winner can put the logo on his or her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you've nominated.
Okay, so 1! Did that. 2! Did that too. 3: seven! I'm only asking because Amy was the first person I was going to tag, but someone else beat me to it, and she only had to list four blogs. Just sayin'. And of course the other person I would have tagged is Elemmaciltur.
So, hm. This reminds me that I really need to update my blogroll. Blogrolls, actually, on both blogs. And put the Big Knit graphic on my sidebar. And answer a bunch of emails. And update the zur Lederhos'n sock photos. Elemm took the photos, btw, many thanks.
Whoo. Suddenly I feel like taking a nap.
Okay, to tag: Since my knitblog was tagged, I figure I should stay in-genre, though actually my favorite blogs are the ones that step out of the genre a lot. The Diva Knits is a case in point: yes there is knitting, but also TV, education, immigration, and zombies! Who doesn't love zombies? In a strictly platonic sense, of course. So That Happened... is another one. Knitting, pop music, food, rants, and travel! Also, probably the only person who truly understands how I feel about Hall & Oates. The Panopticon, of course, totally heart that. Though I think he might be too A-list to do memes. Great pictures on Yarnissima's blog. Also Crazy Aunt Purl, plus she's funny! And finally I'm gonna use Elemm and Amy as my last two because even though they've already been tagged and certainly shouldn't have to do this again, I really and truly do heart their blogs.
rope. tree. fan. spear. snake. wall.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
1 comment:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
KSM and Maj. Hasan, both terrorists of Islam, are currently on trial. This would be a good thing if not for some disturbing facts being ignored by the media.
- Obama's administration refuses to label Hasan's slaughter of military hero's at Ft Hood acts of terror. They are considered acts of work related violence. (seriously?)
- KSM, the master mind behind the 911 attacks, is facing a military tribunal. The military judge allowed him to wear a military vest (American made) in the courtroom.
This absurdity taking place in our military justice system is a direct result of liberalism infecting the military after the Obama administration took charge of the military. Does anyone seriously believe KSM and Hasan would be orchestrating their trials under a Romney administration? Change is coming and conservative common sense will become the main stream over political correctness embraced by liberalism.


text:
Knut Update
Posted by Hydra Headlines × 6:48 PM
Didier from Knut:
"After some touring for Terraformer in Europe, mostly in the UK & in France & the hellfest at the end of June. Knut is entering a composition phase. We are also starting to collect images for a DVD documentary, if anybody has images of Knut playing in the States in 2001, please get in touch.
We have a very busy guitar player, Jeremy who is playing in the superstar grind band Mumakil, will release their first album : Customized Warfare early october. Mumakil will tour this fall in europe, the rest of Knut will keep busy in the rehearsal room."
Tags: Knut


text: I always wanted to check out Oman Air's business class as it seems to be one of the better and underrated ones out there. So when coming back from Umrah I didn't find any decent cash options and I thought it would be a perfect time to test it out.There are four flights from Jeddah to Muscat daily and they operate their new business class seats on two of their flights I believe. Going to Doha … [Read more...]


text:
Coffeehouse Rules
1. Coffeehouse Investors take time to experience the richness of life. They recognize that their portfolios are not measuring sticks for self-worth, but simply a resource that accentuates who they already are in relation to their families, friends, co-workers and communities.
2. Coffeehouse Investors take time to do a little long-term planning each year to determine an appropriate saving and spending level. They know these goals might not be immediately obtainable, but recognize that the first step in achieving emotional and financial wealth is an awareness of these levels in their life.
3. Coffeehouse Investors recognize that an investment in the collective productivity of this country through a portfolio of low cost index funds, has historically provided an excellent rate of return and is a sophisticated way to build and maintain a common stock portfolio.
4. Coffeehouse Investors discover fulfillment and excitement in areas of their lives away from the stock market, and realize that attention to the stock market not only detracts from more meaningful lifetime endeavors, but will likely diminish their long-term portfolio returns.
5. Coffeehouse Investors take time to share this simple and profound investment philosophy with others who are searching for ways to build wealth, ignore Wall Street and get on with their lives.


text:
limited customization programme for your Porsche Cayenne
MANSORY relies on most modern manufacturing methods and solely uses the ultra-light and high-strength material carbon for its extensive auto body modifications.
Whether front- or rear apron, doors, bonnet or the wings which broaden the cars by 80 millimetres - all components are formed out of carbon and hardened under strong pressure and high temperatures in the autoclave.
The advantages of the high-tech method are evident: reducing the car weight does not only improve the acceleration values, but also reduces the braking distance and the fuel consumption of the Chopster.
The roof line is lowered by 60 millimetres and therefore the lower front surface confirms the sportive look and within the overall package, it leads to elaborate aerodynamics and an exciting appearance. Large air inlets provide an optimal air supply for the drive unit. Four extra headlights increase the passive safety and underline the sportive-dynamic look.
The interior is equipped with most precious materials and render comfort. The leather used for the Chopster interior is fabricated by master hand and extremely resilient, but still exceptionally soft.
Only perfect leather skins are integrated into the Chopster interior and embellished with discreet decorative stitching by the MANSORY upholstery experts. Single back seats render an extravagant flair and offer the passengers best-possible hold. Equipped with a fridge, monitor screens in the front head rests, DVD player and laptop with internet access, no customer wish remains unfulfilled.
The newly designed airbag sport steering wheel, the pedals made of aluminum and the real carbon applications perfect the exquisite overall impression in the Chopster. MANSORY managed a perfect symbiosis between dynamic functionality and luxurious ambience.
To meet your claims and individual needs regarding leather and carbon fibre, don't hesitate to contact our experts. The MANSORY Design Team is looking forward to advise you.
An opulently dimensioned sport brake system provides the Chopster with excellent deceleration values. Brake discs sized 420 x 40 mm (at the front) and 375 x 30 mm (at the back) are grabbed by the front eight- and the back four piston system.
There is a matching special wheel/tyre combination which easily offers the larger braking system enough space. The fully forged 11x23 inch mono block rims in turbine design and the Dunlop Sport Maxx GT-tyres sized 315/25/23 perfectly fit under the broadened Chopster wing.
By the MANSORY sport module for air suspension control, the XXL-wheels are additionally enhanced. If desired, the SUV´s centre of gravity can be lowered by 45 millimetres.
Apart from the auto body, also the charged serial power engine of the Porsche receives an impressive makeover. The MANSORY engine department exchanges the serial turbo loader with larger specimen. An adjusted engine management and a significantly improved fresh air supply result in a remarkable increased efficiency.
The modified V8 therefore mobilizes 710 hp / 522 kW and a maximum torque of 900 Nm and achieves a maximum speed of 302 km/h. A sport exhaust system with an optimized off-gas stream perfects the MANSORY engine upgrade. A proprietary development consisting of a racing header and a four-pipe baffler regulates the sound scenery through the integrated valve control and the driver can select a restrained sonorous or a powerful and voluminous sound.


text:
The power of personalization is no secret to marketers today. Today's consumers have come to expect—if not demand—laser-like precision in the messages that brands are delivering to them.
Unfortunately, message personalization is often used to refer to tactics such as putting a customer's name in the subject line of an email or adjusting the send time to the user's location.
Personalization has become a buzzword in marketing, but in most cases what's being used is easily captured demographic and geographic data:
True personalization is about so much more. It's about understanding the behavior of your customers, then tailoring your messaging around that behavior.
Let's take an example. Say your product is a dating website. You know that if someone doesn't upload his photo, he stands a very poor chance of generating romantic inquiries. Crafting an email around getting people to take that one particular step of uploading a photo is a very good idea. Messaging personalization really comes to life when you use such real-time behavioral data.
Targeting your messages to your customer's behavior might be harder than slapping a "Hey $FNAME" to an email before it heads out the door, but get it right... and you'll be well on your way to a one-on-one relationship with each consumer that leads to long-term loyalty.
Here's my best-practice advice to getting behavior-based messaging right.
Take the first step (it's free).
You may also like:
- Move Over, Social Platforms: Niche Online Communities Are the Wave of the Future
- Customer Satisfaction 101: A Guide [Infographic]
- You're Hired... or Not: How Clients Find Small Business Service Providers [Infographic]
- Customer Experience, Innovation, and Technology: Marketing Smarts Podcast, Recorded Live at Adobe Summit
- Four Things Marketers Should Learn From E-Commerce


text:
JBO is a German fun rock/metal band from Erlangen, Franconia. For quite some time a lot if not the majority of their songs made reference to their being from Erlangen (this one is probably the most "Erlangen" song they ever made) and it is still one of the first things people in Germany associate with the town. A good part of their songs are parodies of well-known rock/pop/metal/whatever songs. Or Theme Songs, like The Smurfs' one. Or Nursery Rhymes. However, just like "Weird Al" Yankovic tends to make a polka or at least a more polka-ish rendition out of (almost) everything he touches, JBO have a tendency to amp up the guitars and make the song a bit more "heavy" than the original, especially if their material used to be Schlager, Pop or some similar "soft" style of music. While their style is rather distinctive, there are a lot of songs that are not really similar to their work at all that are falsely attributed to them, even on YouTube. Basically, if it's funny and sung in German, chances are it has been falsely ascribed to JBO. Chances get higher with any mention of alcohol, drunkenness or laziness. This of course has also happened to Alfred Yankovic quite a bit.
The name was supposed to mean "James Blast Orchester", parodying James Last, but is only used in the abbreviated form for legal reasons. One of their albums is called "Parentales Advisorium - Explizite Lyrik" which is just gibberish in German but a reference to the Moral Guardian mandated stickers on American music with "dirty" lyrics.
- Black Comedy Rape: The group's take on "Bolle" heavily implies that Bolle, after dying and going to paradise, proceeds to rape an angel.
- Drink Order: Kitzmann Beer. - At the time of their founding it was the only brewery in Erlangen. It still is the largest.
- "I Am" Song: "JBO", natch.
- In the Style of... Nicole's Ein bisschen Frieden in the style of Rammstein doubles as Lyrical Dissonance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmYxvjR7ZsI
- Lyrical Dissonance: "Gänseblümchen" ("daisies") is another prominent example, being a love song that sounds really aggressive (except for the bridge, which inverts it).
- Ode to Intoxication: "Fränkisches Bier" (Franconian beer) to the tune of "griechischer Wein" by Udo Jürgens - really, at that point they should be getting money from some breweries.
- Nose Nuggets: "Bohrn in der Nase" ("Diggin' in the nose"), parodying "Born in the USA"
- Raging Stiffie: "Walk with an erection" (Walk like an Egyptian). In a public swimming pool, of all places.
- Real Men Wear Pink: They have a liking for the color, you just have to take a look at their CD covers.
- Three Chords and the Truth naturally, in their song Drei Akkorde (three Chords) Up to Eleven in that they claim that even less is necessary in the ensuing verses.
- Toilet Humour: "Symphonie der Verstopfung" (symphony of constipation - parodies Megadeth's Symphony Of Destruction and the vocals of Rammstein's style in general)
- We Didn't Start the Billy Joel Parodies: Naturally, with "wir stadd'n ezd die Feier"


text:
The Parsons Roofing Restoration Squad understands the need for immediate response to emergency situations.
You can depend on
- Over 60 years of experience.
- Our commitment to providing the highest quality results to our
customers in their time of need.
During times of disaster such as hailstorms, windstorms, and hurricanes, Parsons Roofing can help get your business back working efficiently, as soon as possible.
Our team understands the need for immediate response to
emergency situations. The combination of our technology, speed to mobilize and experience provide you with the tools necessary to maximize the speed of recovery while minimizing cost.
We have a fleet of semis, trailers, dumpsters, forklifts…
We have what it takes to get the job done.
We have over 150 employees. This massive team strengthens our efficiency, quality and effective use of resources throughout all our operations. Therefore, Parsons Restoration Squad is the smart choice in these economically hard times.
Check out this client feedback
Parson's Roofing is truly a professional roofing company that possesses integrity and a strong sense of community. When our three church campuses were damaged by Hurricane Ike, we were devastated. The storm compromised the roofing systems at all of our locations and we were in desperate need of a roofing company that could handle our needs. After the storm, we were approached by a number of roofing companies that were suggesting options that were not good for the church. Many offered incentives that were outright insurance fraud. Parson's Roofing presented a different perspective on how to address the damages we had sustained to our roofs. They were honest and thorough in their approach. We were most impressed with their Duro-Last product and their attention to our needs. Our roofs look superb! The quality of their work and their expeditious response time was impressive! They completed both shingle and membrane installations for the church. They were fast, clean, and extremely efficient with a keen eye for details. Not only did they provide us with the most reasonable price but superior service and an outstanding finished product. Stuart Parsons really operates a top notch company! Phil Gustafson and Craig Tindle were responsive to our needs above and beyond. We were also happy to welcome Parson's Roofing as a proud sponsor of our 2008 Epiphany Benefit Concert!
I was very impressed with how Parsons Roofing rolled onto our site two days after Hurricane Ike hit and with the amount of personnel and equipment they had. Ike affected our business in a very negative way. Our business was shut down for seven days. Parsons on the other hand, affected our company in a positive manner. They installed roofs on three of our buildings quicker than I would have ever expected any roofing company to do. Their response time was extremely fast. Parsons Roofing is very professional, friendly, and responded quickly to our needs. I am very satisfied with their pace of work. My architect and insurance adjuster are very pleased with our roofs as well. It has been a very positive experience so far. They turned a negative situation into a positive one. I wouldn't hesitate to call or recommend Parsons Roofing in the future."
"On May 6, 2006, we faced the daunting task of dealing with severe weather damage to our Mars Drive and Jewell Drive locations. After the storm our number one priority was to the facilities back in order as quickly as possible! I am pleased to say that Parson's Roofing, along with the effort of your employees working with us made that happen. This was quite an accomplishment considering the number of people involved and variety of tasks at hand.
We have had a long-standing relationship with many of the Parson's Roofing employees, building loyalty through our almost 30 years in the Waco community. We value these relationships and appreciate being able to call on Parson's Roofing for help trusting that they will do their best for us. The work that you did during the storm recovery was outstanding. Thank you for being the silver lining in our black cloud."


text:
Rip currents pose a dangerous threat to beachgoers. Here's how to identify a rip current and what to do if you get caught in one.
We Love Weather Videos
This is What a Rip Current Rescue Looks Like
Top Stories
Science with Steph: Cloud in a Jar
TWC Family to Family: The Morales Story Part II
5 Steps To Prepare Your Home For Hurricane Season
TWC Family to Family: The Fain Story Part III
WLW x American Red Cross: Missing Types Campaign
Everything You Need to Know About El Niño
Know Your Code: Hurricane Mitigation
Disaster Cottages: Restoring Hope After the Unimaginable Strikes
How to Set Up Mobile Weather Alerts
WATCH: Surviving a Tornado in Your Vehicle
This is What a Rip Current Rescue Looks Like
What to Do in Case of a Flood Threat
Severe Season is Here
What to Do in Case of a Tornado Threat
5 Things to Know About Damaging Winds
Nighttime Tornadoes: Your Worst Nightmare
Why It's Worth Investing in a Tornado Safe Room
Elmo and Mike Bettes Talk Twisters
Drumroll, Please! The Lightning Capital of the US is…
Lightning: A Beauty and a Beast
Twisted Myths: Tornadoes and Open Windows
Twisted Myths: Tornadoes and Green Skies
Twisted Myths: Tornadoes and Big Cities
Twisted Myths: Tornadoes and Overpasses
Best vs. Worst Places in Your Home During a Tornado
Best of Immersive Mixed Reality
WATCH: Surviving a Tornado in Your Vehicle
WATCH: Vanishing Ice
WATCH: Why You Shouldn't Go Out on Frozen Lakes
WATCH: Why Ice Storms Can Be Deadly
See the Power of Wildfires Like Never Before
Mike Bettes Nearly Gets Struck by Lightning
What Is Immersive Mixed Reality?
Weather Wonders
Are You Familiar With These 5 Weather Wives Tales?
What It Takes to De-Ice an Entire Plane
What are Nacreous Clouds?
This Technology Makes Water From Thin Air (and Sunshine!)
These Are The Coldest Temperatures Ever Recorded in America
Escape the Summer Heat by Going to an Ice Bar!
What It's Like Inside a Hurricane Hunter Plane
How Do "Twisters on the Water" Form?
The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle
Looking for Snow? Here are the Snowiest Places in America!
Weird Weather Sights
Could a Sharknado Actually Happen?
Weather 101
Weather 101: Humidity vs. Dew Point
Weather 101: The Journey of a Raindrop
Weather 101: Why is the Sky Blue?
Weather 101: Weather Vs. Climate
Weather 101: What Causes the Wind to Blow?
Weather 101: The Scientific Method
Get to Know TWC Meteorologists!
The Art of Dr. Forbes' Hand Drawn Forecast Maps
Everything You Need to Know About Dr. Rick Knabb
Chalk Talk: Storm Chasing with Chris Warren and Dr. Greg Postel
I Love Weather Because…
#Cantore30: Cantore issues a challenge
Paul Goodloe's weather perspective
Reynolds Wolf: Fly Fishing and Forecasts
Alex Wilson shares her love of weather


text:
My favorite food growing up was a Filipino dish called sinigang. It's a dish that is very close to my heart.
Okay, so what is it? It's a soup that consists of meat, vegetables, light broth and, specifically the one I grew up with, a sour component. In this case it's tamarind.
There is something so tribal and comforting about gathering around together to share a meal. For me this was the one meal that we all gathered around and shared. Except for my dad, it was a bit too exotic for his Midwestern palette.
Whenever I make sinigang it always reminds me of my mother, who brought this dish with her from the Philippines. She taught me how to make it when I was very young, and to this day it remains one of my go-to comfort meals. I hope to one day pass it on to my children.
Obviously so they can involuntarily think of me whenever they have it.
The great thing about sinigang is its versatility. You can make it with any number of vegetables and different types of meat. My favorite is a variety called sinigang na baka, meaning it's made with beef. It's also great because it's a relatively healthy dish, packing plenty of veggies into your meal.
I should warn you, I don't really measure things out, so just add as much as you think will fit in your slow cooker or soup pot or serve the number of people actually willing to try this out.
I like to use beef short ribs, but I've used stew beef as well or even both! But I find ribs give the broth the most flavor. For one regular size crock pot (meaning not tiny, but not one of those huge ones) I got about 1.5 lbs of short ribs.
My favorite part of sinigang. For this batch I used what I had in my fridge, but there are so many possibilities for the vegetables you can use. Here I used one long thin pepper (to give it some kick!), pechay (baby bok choy), one large fresh tomato, 1/2 a large white onion, 3 garlic cloves, and I decided to throw some broccoli in last minute as well.
Also, in traditional Filipino recipes it is customary to include small taro roots, called "gabi" in Tagalog, also called eddo roots in the grocery store. In the interest of keeping this as low carb as possible I omitted the gabi, but if you don't plan on eating it with rice it is delicious and little different.
Soup base and flavorings
Most Filipinos that I know (my mom included) really like to use beef bouillon cubes to flavor the dish. I have to admit it is reallllly good that way, but I'm watching my sodium intake so I used reduced sodium beef stock because I'm already using a packaged soup base. The soup base can be found in the Asian store, my favorite is Knorr brand but Mama Sita brand has a tamarind seasoning mix that's also pretty good. I'll update this when I figure out how to make the tamarind soup base from scratch. It's my next project!
Also, since the pepper I chose wasn't spicy enough for me I added some red pepper flakes. Really spicy and really sour are my favorite ways to serve this dish!
Note: By using more veggies, substituting vegetable broth for the beef broth, and substituting lemon juice for the tamarind base you can also make it vegetarian-friendly. FYI the tamarind base by Knorr contains shrimp powder, so it's not vegetarian. It'll taste a little different but I've tried it myself and it's pretty good!
Dice your half-onion, don't be too worried about making everything pretty, this isn't a pretty dish.
Also dice up your garlic cloves nice and tiny.
Brown your ribs on the stove in a little olive oil. I didn't do it this particular time, but you can throw your onions and garlic in with your ribs while they brown to give the meat a bit more flavor.
Put them in your crock pot, cover with as much of the tamarind base packet as you like. I used 1/3 of the packet at this point because it's easier to add more than try to take it out!
Add your onions, garlic, and long skinny pepper. If you like things really spicy you can go ahead and add your red pepper flakes now since the longer they're in there the more spicy your soup gets. If you decide you want to use the taro root, add it now. It needs to be cooked a long time so it gets soft enough to be edible.
Add 2 cups of the beef broth, then add enough water to cover the meat.
Cover your crock pot and set on low for ~4 hours. I tried doing it for 6 hours once but the meat ended up so tough I had cut the time down. My pot might just run hotter than some of the others.
When you have about 30 minutes left go ahead and cut your tomato into big chunks and add to the pot. At this point make sure to taste your broth and add additional salt, tamarind seasoning, or beef broth if it's a little bland. You could even sneak a little beef bouillon in if you like, I won't tell anyone.
When you have about 20 minutes left add your baby bok choy, string beans, broccoli or other veggies. If you are using spinach I suggest adding it last around the 10 minute mark so it doesn't disintegrate.
Voila! You've made yourself a Filipino dinner. For our Paleo and grain-free friends if you add enough veggies you don't need to eat this with rice. Since being diagnosed with diabetes I limit my rice intake so I frequently enjoy this dish without the rice.
For those of you who want to try this the traditional way serve with -my favorite- Jasmine white rice. You could even try this with brown rice, which happens to be my boyfriend's favorite rice.
What's your favorite dish from your childhood?


text:
While there is still confusion about just how many objects were stolen from the Iraq Museum in Baghdad during the recent war, there is no doubt that one of its major collections is gone. In London last week, at an annual meeting of experts in archaeology, history and ancient languages of Mesopotamia, the museum's director, Dr. Nawala al-Mutawalli, said that 4,795 cylinder seals were missing. Col. Matthew Bogdanos of the Marines, leader of the American team investigating losses of antiquities in Iraq, confirmed the theft.
''It is a major loss,'' said McGuire Gibson, professor of Mesopotamian archaeology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, who worked at Iraqi sites from 1964 to 1990. ''This is, or was, one of the world's really superb collections.''
The seals are small, typically one and a half to four inches tall and usually less than two inches in diameter. Figures and inscriptions are carved or cut, so that when the cylinders are rolled on clay, miniature scenes scroll out: ceremonies at temples, feasts at palaces, battles between gods and beasts. Impressions were made on clay used to seal goods and official documents, even to secure rooms. Seals were worn and passed from one generation to the next.
They are typically made of stone -- lapis lazuli, agate, hematite, white marble, rock crystal -- and date from the fifth millennium B.C. to the second century A.D. Revered by scholars for what they tell about life in Mesopotamia, the seals are also prized by collectors for their beauty and for the special skill required to make them. One seal sold at Christie's in New York in 2001 for $424,000.
An even greater loss, experts say, is cylinder seals and other antiquities being looted from Iraq's archaeological sites. ''Every day thousands of the objects are being stolen,'' said Mr. Gibson, who was in Iraq in May working for Unesco as part of a team of specialists to assess the damage in Baghdad and for National Geographic as part of a team sent to examine damage to sites across Iraq. At five sites he visited, hundreds of people were digging, filling trucks.Continue reading the main story
''Looting has become an industry,'' Mr. Gibson said. ''We'll never know exactly where the seals are from, and because they're not cataloged, forgeries are possible.''
Before the 1991 Persian Gulf war there was little illegal digging in Iraq, Mr. Gibson said; the antiquities department had more than 1,000 employees, including guards, stationed at sites, and Iraqi law banned export of antiquities. Seals rarely appeared on the market. After the United Nations imposed an economic embargo against Iraq in 1990, the nation's economy collapsed, and the museum's employees were drastically cut. Regional museums alone lost a total of 2,000 to 4,000 objects. Concurrently, Mr. Gibson said, interest in cylinder seals jumped with the sale of the Erlenmeyer collection, assembled by a distinguished scholar, from the 1940's until his death in 1967.
John M. Russell, chairman of the critical studies department at Massachusetts College of Art, said thousands of seals have been bought since then, adding that he thought most had fake provenances.
Mr. Russell and Mr. Gibson said they expected the truly remarkable pieces to be withheld from the market until the authorities and the public lost interest. ''It's just too hot now,'' Mr. Russell said. But they have little doubt that eventually many will end up for sale.
Mr. Gibson said: ''They are most desired; many are exquisitely beautiful. They're like jewelry, and they're treated like jewelry.''
Cylinder seals are ranked No. 3 on the International Council of Museums' Emergency Red List of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk, compiled in the spring. ''In terms of real demand, they're most endangered,'' said Mr. Russell, who helped compile the list.
One recent day, during a casual look on eBay, Mr. Russell found one seal that he said was counterfeit, and two others that could easily have been looted from Iraq. Only one dealer responded to a request for provenance, saying that as usual there was none.
''There's a huge black market, and pieces come up everywhere, from the top auction houses to eBay,'' Mr. Russell said. In times like these, he said, the only sure way to know that a cylinder seal has not been looted or stolen is to have the sales history, with a description of the seal and a picture in a catalog dated before 1990. An ethical collector would put that cutoff at 1970, the year a Unesco convention declaring all objects that entered the antiquities market since then to be stolen property.
There is some hope of recovering the museum seals. ''Luckily, many of the seals that were stolen from the Iraq Museum came from excavations, and there are photos and even casts of them,'' Mr. Gibson said. ''We are on the lookout for things, and occasionally something gets spotted, but under current legislation, there is such a long, arduous road to get any of them back that customs and other authorities can do little.''
In June British authorities made it illegal to import, export, sell, own or handle cultural heritage property taken from Iraq since August 1990. Most important, the burden of proof of legal provenance is on the holder of the property.
In the United States, a leading market for antiquities, the government must prove that seals came from Iraq before they can be seized, a huge challenge. Legal experts and the Archaeological Institute of America say the adoption of the Iraq Cultural Heritage Protection Act, pending before the House, would extend indefinitely the temporary import restrictions on undocumented archaeological and cultural materials illegally removed from Iraq since August 1990. (The institute rejects the Senate version, which limits restrictions to a year.)
It is a bittersweet time for scholars at the University of Chicago: while they are helping their Iraqi colleagues, they are also anticipating the reopening on Oct. 18 of the Oriental Institute Museum's Mesopotamia gallery there, closed since 1997.
The institute's collection of more than 1,000 cylinder seals is based primarily on finds from university-sponsored excavations in Iraq. From the 1920's to 1969 about half the seals discovered in the digs went to the university; the rest went to the Iraq Museum, and now they are gone.
A main exhibition in the 5,400-square-foot hall will be 183 cylinder seals. ''It might be the only installation that examines how the seals were used, how they were made and how they were worn,'' said Karen L. Wilson, the museum's director.
One star is the Bilalama seal, made of dark blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and topped with a gold cap. In a monograph, Clemens Reichel, a research associate at the Oriental Institute, notes that according to the cuneiform legend, the seal originally belonged to a ruler of Eshnunna, a powerful city-state in Mesopotamia, circa 2010 B.C. The seal was stolen from an excavation in 1931 but was soon recovered from an antiquities dealer in Baghdad. Its context and proof of authenticity could have been lost forever; luckily, the excavation yielded three clay lumps with impressions of the Bilalama seal.
There are only four examples of both a seal and its original ancient impression. (Most seals are displayed with a new impression, the better to show the scene.) Only the Oriental Institute owns both a seal and its ancient impression.
''We were lucky with the Bilalama seal,'' Mr. Reichel said. ''But think of all the precious stories we're losing every day.''Continue reading the main story


text:
Your browser does not support iframes.
Jeffco might be setting its sights on establishing an outdoor shooting range open to the public.
The county's Parks and Open Space Department is putting together a working group to decide if a county-owned range is feasible. The group is expected to start work in March and report to the county commissioners by July.
The Parks and Open Space Department has been working since last year to see whether a county-owned gun range is a possibility. While the department has found 11 potential sites, each has flaws, said Jeffco Open Space Director Tom Hoby.
Jeffco Public Health is consolidating its Golden and Lakewood offices into a new location at 645 Parfet St. in Lakewood. The facility is on the north side of West Sixth Avenue.
It's the first time in 23 years that Public Health has had the majority of its services under one roof, said spokeswoman Nancy Braden.
"The building will offer a lot better collaboration," she said.
In a break with longtime practice, contract negotiations between the Jeffco school board and the district's teachers union will be open to the public this year.
"We are all about transparency and accountability for all aspects of our district," said Ami Prichard, president of the Jefferson County Education Association, the teachers union. "We think it will be interesting for the public to see."
It's cool to be kind at Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen.
That's why Anna Grose's kindergarten class got a healthy dose of kindness education last week when they listened to assistant teacher Sharon Hughes read a book she authored called "Caterpillar Kindness." It's about the many forms kindness can take: generosity, politeness, forgiveness, thankfulness, concern and encouragement.
The "Corset-Out Fashion Show" that had been scheduled to hit the runway this month in the Timbervale Barn behind the Hiwan Homestead Museum was postponed because of chilly temperatures.
While the exhibit is on display now, the formal — and frilly kickoff has been delayed to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 8 — weather permitting.
For information or tickets to the show, call Hiwan Homestead program coordinator Meghan Vickers at 720-497-7650 or Lee Michels of Monarch Productions at 303-975-1151.
The Hiwan Homestead's Valentine observance has long been at the heart of the holiday in Evergreen, but this year it will also be in the heart of the evening.
Instead of the museum's usual afternoon tea, a Valentine's dinner will be held on Feb. 13, said program coordinator Meghan Vickers, so that patrons can enjoy a quiet dinner and still partake in other Valentine's happenings the following day.
A family new to Evergreen is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support they've received in the wake of a fire that severely damaged their home — including efforts to keep a son's impending wedding on track.
The Bruce family moved to Evergreen last summer and into a home on Armadillo Trail off Highway 73 — the house that caught fire last month when wood framing around the chimney ignited and sent the Bruces fleeing into a chilly evening with only the clothes they were wearing.
Gerry Schulte once lived in a tent. Then he built a water district.
Schulte and his wife landed in Colorado in the mid-1970s with few possessions. And now, when looking back at his 37 years at the helm of the Evergreen Metropolitan District, his fondest memory is of one possession the district acquired: a sludge truck.
Evergreen's one-time congressman, Tom Tancredo, brought his gubernatorial campaign to Marshdale on Jan. 27, and the Republican hammered away at Democratic incumbent John Hickenlooper.
Tancredo — whose lengthy political career has included a run for president and a previous bid for governor as nominee of the American Constitution Party — got a warm reception at the 285 Corridor Tea Party meeting on a snowy late-January evening.
The Jeffco Sheriff's Office said goodbye to one of its own this week, a man whose passion for serving the community didn't end when he clocked out for the day.
More than a thousand people, many of them law officers, came to the 1stBank Center in Broomfield on Monday to remember sheriff's Sgt. David Baldwin, 50. Baldwin was killed while on duty Jan. 27 when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle reportedly was struck on Colorado 93 by a vehicle driving in the oncoming lane.
Copyright © 2019
Canyon Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Evergreen, Colo, and the surrounding area.


text:
EGGS IN AYCLIFFE is a small business that offers fresh farm eggs delivered to your door!
The eggs are sold in boxes of 6. The price for 6 eggs is £1.50 or 12 eggs for £3.00, this price includes delivery.
Please click the Store button to order online.
Or fill out the form in the Request a delivery section to order a delivery and you will pay once your eggs have been delivered.


text:
Los Angeles: Playing Pokemon Go regularly may add an extra 41 days to your life, a new study has claimed, despite concerns that the popular augmented reality game could be a health hazard.
The health benefits of Pokemon Go, which encourages gamers to hunt Pokemon characters in real life by exploring their locale, have been lauded since its launch earlier this year.
Despite the injuries it has led to, such as people walking into dangerous areas, the new study suggests the game could measurably affect life expectancy.
Researchers at Stanford University in the US and Microsoft found that engaged Pokemon Go players walked an extra 1,473 steps a day, roughly 25 per cent more activity, while playing the augmented reality game.
For people aged 15 to 49 an extra 1,000 steps a day could amount to 41.4 additional days of life expectancy, according to the researchers.
After tracking the activity of almost 32,000 Pokemon Go users for three months using an accelerometer and a gyrometer, the researchers found that the game "significantly increased" levels of physical activity, 'The Telegraph' reported.
In particular, it has health benefits for people who are not traditionally that active.
"These increases are not restricted to already active and healthy individuals, but also reach individuals with low prior activity levels, and overweight or obese individuals," researchers said.
They also found that Pokemon Go was more likely to improve the movement of less active people than other health apps. PTI
For more news updates Follow and Like us on Facebook


text:
Artist and Illustrator Hyo Taek Kim's inspiration for his The Colors Of series stem from a childhood spent watching Hayao Miyazaki's films, esteemed for their brilliant color. The artist created palettes for Miyazaki's most popular films displaying each in a simplistic, vertical manner. See more at design-milk.com
Much like we did with ColorSense, our recent trend+color forecast, Hyo Taek Kim offers an interpretation of trends that raise awareness of sensory influences and nurture direct human connections. The eight palettes in revealed in the ColorSense film are are designed to appeal to our senses – even those that are non-traditional.
The ColorSense film can be viewed here and more information is available in the 2014 Design Is Magazine.


text:
Recently I had the privilege of taking part in the inaugural concert of the Sounds Lyrical Project – a collaborative venture between a group of poets and a small team of classically trained composers who have set our poems to music. I've always loved classical recitals, and for the Project, a full-length evening concert of original work was a "yes we can" moment: it was proof that the concept of Sounds Lyrical has something going for it.
But all of us, composers and poets alike, are aware that the Project won't get very far if we stick to this format.
A number of things struck me about the audience. One, there weren't all that many of them. Okay, fair enough – I've performed poetry to smaller crowds. What matters isn't so much the number of people turning up, but the quality of the experience they have when they do.
More striking than the numbers attending, though, was the proportion wearing what I would describe as "smart dress". Jackets and college scarves were the order of the day. Heck, I wore a jacket and college scarf. There was a practical reason for this (we were performing in a freezing cold chapel – why does this seem to be a recurring theme of my poetry gigs?!). But I was acutely aware that this isn't how I normally dress when I'm performing poetry. Jeans and T-shirt are more my style.
I don't think the audience were any posher than the crowd that used to turn out to hear me MC at Speakers' Corner. But there's clearly a feeling that a classical concert is a "special occasion" and requires a slightly higher standard of decorum than the average open mic. The need to dress smartly, to sit perfectly still for two hours in a cold chapel, not to shuffle feet or to cough, was clearly in evidence. Maybe this is the reason that concerts of this type (not to mention poetry readings of this type) tend not to attract large audiences?
The conversation at the pub afterwards explored this issue. One of the reasons the project was set up in the first place was to tackle an image problem within contemporary classical music. The intellectual elitism of Schoenberg and the European avant-garde, according to my composer friends, have done for modern composition what the pretentious poets of my recent blog post have done for contemporary poetry.
But, in composition at least, intellectualism is now on the wane. Composers these days, by and large, want to collaborate – to fuse genres and styles, to pick and mix from a melting pot that includes rock, jazz and world music as well as the European classical tradition. The opportunity to work with artists across a range of media also presents the chance to bring new music to audiences who wouldn't ever do the wear-a-jacket, sit-in-a-cold-chapel thing.
The ideal venue for our concert might well have been the pub we adjourned to afterwards. Not that we'd have wanted to ambush unsuspecting punters with a resonant baritone and the nifty fingerwork of a skilled professional pianist; but there was actually a piano in that pub, and no particular reason why the Project couldn't make use of it at some unspecified future date.
The advantage of "doing art" in an unconventional venue – a pub, cafe, railway station, or wherever – is that it opens up the art to people who wouldn't otherwise take a chance on it. Effort is needed to put on a jacket and sit in a cold chapel; but if you're anything like me, you won't need all that much persuading to come along to your regular pub and stump up the price of an extra pint or two to try out something just a bit different. Especially not if beer, conversation and good company can all still be enjoyed into the bargain.
So where now for Sounds Lyrical? Our lead composers have been adventurous with their material, and in choosing to collaborate with an unruly group of poets. We need to be equally adventurous as to how and where we present that material. There are plenty of possibilities. When we lived in Birmingham, my wife and I sang in a choir who did more gigs in pubs than in concert halls. Their repertoire ranged from Britten and Barber to Abba and Queen (not to mention some extraordinary original compositions from members of the choir themselves). Their concerts were fun, accessible, and very different to any recitals I've ever attended.
This is the sort of model I would like Sounds Lyrical to aim at. I love to see poetry invading the public consciousness by showing up in unexpected places. And I'd love to hear modern classical music do the same.
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Poetry Transvestism, Part 2: are you Sounding Lyrical?
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
'Simpleng buhay'
My column for this week's issue of Vox Bikol.
UPON invitation by DILG Regional Director Blandino Maceda, I made a quick trip to Legazpi last Wednesday to attend a meeting of city and provincial planning officers in the Bicol region in preparation for the rollout and eventual implementation of the JMC.
For those working in the Philippine local government sector, JMC is shorthand for Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 series of 2007 issued last March 8 that rationalizes planning, investment programming, revenue administration and expenditure management among LGUs – your provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays.
This effort is long overdue. One tidbit of info: before this new policy, Philippine local governments are actually required to produce 22 different plans – from the standard land use and local development plans to sectoral plans for coconut zone development, nutrition, culture and arts, food security, shelter and so on.
This is the product of many agencies working independently of one another, trying to push their own mandates and institutional agenda. It is not too different from the so-called 24 independent republics that comprise the Philippine Senate. Or the fondness of congressmen for "unfunded mandates" -- laws that are nice to hear but costly to implement, as Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra complained about. But I digress and just reserve the topic for another entry.
Under the new Philippine planning machinery defined under the JMC, these 22 will be reduced to four basic planning documents. These are:
1. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), the policy guide for the regulation of land uses embracing the LGU's entire territorial jurisdiction. This document, which has a 10 to 15-year timeline, will define local settlements, protected areas, production areas, and infrastructure.
2. The six-year Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), the multi-sectoral plan to promote the general welfare of the LGU. It will define the sectoral goals, objectives, strategies, programs, projects and legislative measures of the locality.
3. The three-year Executive-Legislative Agenda (ELA), the term-based component of the CDP that coincides with the three-year terms of elected local officials, and
4. The three-year Local Development Investment Plan (LDIP) and its annual iteration, the Annual Investment Plan (AIP). Comprising of prioritized programs, projects and activities (PPAs) programmed for financing, these two documents are the principal instruments that will implement the CDP, the ELA and to some extent, certain aspects of the CLUP, under the new planning system.
Of course, the 15 or so sectors for which separate planning documents used to be prepared will be incorporated in either the CLUP and the CDC, make no mistake about it. But clearly, this new planning regime greatly simplifies the process, and our lives as local staff mandated to coordinate it.
And implementing it is the least of our concerns right now. Why? Because the Naga planning staff has a one-year headstart than most, having carefully studied the June 14, 2005 paper produced by the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) that provided the main input in the JMC's crafting. And in our own effort to update local plans, we have adjusted our moves, approaches and strategies accordingly.
The SURP paper (input) and the JMC (output) is a good example of how policy can evolve in the Philippines without Congress getting into the picture. Planning of course is not a sexy (like, say Daya Na aka "Migz" Zubiri's jologs factor), lucrative (like the Commission on Appointments brouhaha) or controversial (like the Human Security Act) topic that will get you in primetime news or in the frontpages of our papers. But just imagine for a second if it did: I would say the outcome would be different, catastrophic even, like the fate suffered by the Cheap Medicines bill.
In the light of the most unproductive Congress in Philippine history, this should easily justify doing away with the legislature altogether. But then there's the urgent need for oversight, especially with an administration whose capacity for wrongdoing is practically boundless -- which is just about the only argument remaining for its continued existence.


text:
Mattia Toni – Before The Summer Ends
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattiaToniUfficiale/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/matti988
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mattiatoniufficiale
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2L10KBt
iTunes: https://apple.co/2N1R4r1
YourDancefloorTV – (Re)Discover your Dance greatest hits – YourDancefloorTV is your channel for all the best Dance music. Find your favorite tracks and artists and experience the best of Dance music. Subscribe for free to stay connected to our channel and easily access our video updates! – YourDancefloorTV: http://www.dailymotion.com/yourdancefloortv


text:
Why A Gluten-Free Diet Can Cause You to Feel Tired, Sick, or WorseCredit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xlordashx/2942697333/
Celiac disease is a multisystem disorder. That makes it particularly difficult to diagnose as well as to treat. Triggered by gluten – one of the proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye – the majority of the damage occurs to the villi in the upper small intestine due to an improper autoimmune response. This damage makes it difficult for nutrients to be absorbed properly, which causes the symptoms and complications of the disease to become more complex and variable as it progresses.
Currently, a gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease and other forms of gluten sensitivity. However, removing all sources of gluten from the diet isn't always easy, and a variety of other issues can prolong the inflammation, uncomfortable symptoms, and even cause damage itself. These additional problems can make you feel like you're not getting better.
If you've recently started a gluten-free diet and feel tired or sick, here are some of the main reasons why a gluten-free diet can make you feel worse before you feel better.
Having False Expectations About the Time Required to Heal
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/Chrishunkeler/7992985419/
While giving up all foods that contain gluten helps to repair the damage, a false expectation about how quickly that happens might leave you confused. It all depends on the amount of damage the small intestine has suffered.
The length of time you went undiagnosed, how sensitive to gluten you are, your age, cross contamination issues at home or work, and other contributing factors all play a role in the time it takes to heal.
While most people begin feeling better within a few short weeks, for older folks it can literally take several years. If you were expecting to see a difference right away but didn't, you might need to give it a little more time. Initially, the immune system continues to overreact and the body continues to struggle with fat malabsorption. It can take awhile your sysmptoms to calm down.
In addition, the small intestine isn't a small tube. It's closer to the size of a football field folded into many hair-like ripples. The amount of damaged area that now needs to heal will differ for each individual.
Hidden Gluten on Labels and Cross Contamination at Manufacturer
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutritioneducation/3803051652/
When shifting to a gluten-free diet, the learning curve is large, so if you've been following your new eating plan for several weeks but still feel sick, the next thing to look at is the possibility of hidden gluten. Quite often, eating unsafe foods is the culprit. Reading food labels can be frustrating and tedious. It can be annoying to reread each food label before you buy something, but it's essential because a manufacturer can change the ingredients at any time.
Soy sauce is a good example. Walmart's store brand used to be marked "gluten free," but suddenly, that gluten-free designation disappeared and wheat was listed in the ingredients. Walmart had changed suppliers without any announcement.
The FDA only requires manufacturers to list the top eight major allergens on the label, but these allergens do not have to be listed in the allergy warning statement:
- wheat
- milk
- peanuts
- soybeans
- fish
- tree nuts
- eggs
- shellfish
Make sure you're checking both the list of ingredients and the allergy warning. Wheat has to be listed in one "or" the other.
Although wheat is one of the top eight major allergens, rye and barley are not. While it's extremely rare to find rye hidden under any generic terms such as natural flavoring, it's essential to know where you can find barley. Malt, malt flavoring, and malt vinegar are almost always made from barley. In the U.S., generic terms such as flavor, flavorings, and natural flavoring are almost always made from corn. However, they can be derived from barley.
In addition, many manufacturers run products made with gluten on the same lines as products made without gluten. While some of these manufacturers do have thorough cleaning practices to cut down on the risk of cross contamination with gluten, the label doesn't have to tell you that. To take the necessary steps to protect yourself:
- Stick to products that have "gluten free" clearly stated on the label.
- Contact the manufacturer listed on the label by phone, email, or letter.
- Check a company's website for their allergy information.
- Email the company for a list of their safe foods.
- Stick to brands who will always declare added gluten on the label.
Gluten-free labeling laws are leaning towards defining gluten free as less than 20 ppm, but you might not be able to handle that, especially if you eat several servings of "less than 20 ppm" per day. Just because a product is marked "gluten free," that doesn't mean it's safe for you. In addition, Canadian labeling laws are different then in the U.S., so make sure you understand your own country's labeling laws, and be on the lookout for any sources of hidden gluten you might be getting.
Try Going Dairy Free or Sugar Free
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aedenhensley/5649531009/
A celiac disease diagnosis requires a biopsy to show at least flattened villi. When villi are damaged, they can no longer produce the enzymes needed to digest lactose and sugar.
A large percentage of celiac patients initially react to casein, one of the proteins found in dairy products. Some react to sugar. For most celiacs, this problem is temporary. When you stop eating gluten, the villi grow back. Until the villi heal, try eating dairy free and avoid as much sugar and high-fructose corn syrup as possible.
Since the tips of the villi produce the necessary enzymes, even a single gluten exposure can cause temporary dairy or sugar sensitivity. However, if you have a true casein allergy, you'll need to follow a casein-free diet even after the villi have healed.
Opioid Addiction Produces Dairy and Wheat Withdrawal Symptoms
Wheat and dairy products both contain peptide chemicals called opioids. These chemicals have an opiate-like effect. They are not opiates, but react in similar ways. What wheat and dairy does is enhance the effect of neurotransmitters in the brain known as endorphins and creates feelings of euphoria. When you no longer eat them, you no longer experience that effect.
Opioids make certain foods addicting. If addicted, eliminating wheat and other offending foods can cause withdrawal symptoms such as exhaustion, headaches, weakness, nausea, and even anger. These withdrawal symptoms can make you feel worse on a gluten free diet, until your body clears out all of those allergens.
A Mixed Household Can Keep You Sick
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebabear/2232190840/
Some celiacs are not as sensitive to gluten as others are, and can easily live in a mixed household where other family members continue to eat foods that contain gluten. They feel fine because it takes a larger amount of gluten to set off an autoimmune reaction than it does in those who are more sensitive. Not everyone can live in a mixed household. Even if you only eat gluten-free food, you still might not be safe.
If others are touching or eating foods with gluten, using personal-care products, hair products, or cleaning products that contain gluten, there is a strong potential for cross contamination. Many celiacs cannot heal in a mixed environment.
Potential for Cross Contamination
Cross contamination is a major problem within a mixed household. Gluten contamination can easily occur with dishes, counters, appliances, cupboards, and drawers. Kitchen rags and sponges are notorious for holding onto gluten. So are clothing, bedding, and towels that have been washed in fabric softener. Steam from an uncovered pot of pasta or the steam that escapes when the lid is taken off a pan can also be a problem. Even when extreme care is taken to keep kitchen utensils separate and your gluten-free foods safe, it's extremely easy to make a mistake.
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennajones/293997835/
Flour dust stays airborne for hours and often days. Breadcrumbs get everywhere, and kitchen utensils often get mixed up or used for both gluten and gluten-free foods. In addition, keeping cross contamination out of other areas of the home isn't simple either. Gluten can contaminate many places other than the kitchen. Any surface that comes in contact with the hands of a gluten-eating individual presents a possible area of concern. Some of these surfaces are:
- kisses from a family member
- steering wheel of your car
- computer keyboard and printer
- remote control or buttons on electronic items
- light switches
- sink faucets and handles
- books and magazines
- telephone and phonebook
- shared pens and pencils
For those who are extra sensitive to gluten, it can be almost impossible to keep contamination out of a mixed household. While many begin their gluten-free journey attempting to share a home with others who continue eating gluten, most people find healing to be impossible within such an environment.
Nutritional Deficiencies Make You Tired
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/colindunn/4397922637/
Chronic fatigue is a major complaint among many celiacs. Most of the time, exhaustion comes from malnutrition or the body's efforts to heal. When the intestinal walls inflame and the villi flatten, the body cannot absorb nutrients properly and malnutrition results. To mount an autoimmune reaction takes extra energy, and the healing process requires extra rest and sleep.
If you're strictly following a gluten-free diet, avoiding hidden gluten, and have addressed all avenues of possible cross contamination – yet still feel tired or sick – the next thing to check out is your vitamin and mineral levels. The villi are responsible for absorbing many nutrients, but inflammation interferes with that role. The vitamins and minerals most likely to be deficient in those with celiac disease are:
- CoQ10
- iron
- folic acid (folate)
- vitamin B-12
- calcium
- magnesium
- vitamin D
Both iron and folate deficiency cause anemia, but without a blood test, you can't know which of these nutrients are low. The same goes for all other vitamins and minerals. The best option is to make an appointment with your physician, so you can be tested for each vitamin and mineral. That way, your physician can set up an accurate supplementation program.
Food Allergies and Sensitivities Cause Chronic Fatigue
In a late September 2006 newsletter, The IBS Treatment Center wrote that "one of the primary causes of fatigue is eating food to which you are allergic." In fact, fatigue is "one of the most common symptoms of a food allergy and may be your only symptom." It's extremely common for those on a gluten-free diet to discover they have additional food allergies and sensitivities that the gluten was masking. Once the gluten is no longer there, additional sensitivities can come forth.
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpaumier/4381659131/
The most common additional food allergy and sensitivities seen in those with celiac disease are:
- lactose intolerance
- dairy sensitivity
- casein allergies
- fructose intolerance
- sugar sensitivity
- soy allergies
- corn intolerance
You can be allergic or sensitive to any food, drink, or chemical. It doesn't have to be on this list. In fact, research is beginning to point to gastrointestinal issues such as leaky gut syndrome as being a strong cause for additional food intolerances other than gluten. Sometimes the problem is temporary and exists only until the villi grow back or the intestine heals, but other times the food sensitivity or allergy is permanent.
While various forms of food allergy tests are available, not all food intolerance is true allergies. For those with food sensitivities rather than a true allergy, an elimination diet is necessary to find the offender.
Health Problems Associated With Celiac Disease
By the time you're diagnosed with celiac disease, many people often have additional health problems that will contribute to how you feel. This is partly because gluten can adversely affect more than just the small intestines, and partly because those with one autoimmune condition generally tend to develop more. Some of the most common conditions associated with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity are:
- leaky gut syndrome
- yeast problems
- bacteria overgrowth
- adrenal fatigue
- fibromyalgia
- neuropathy
- gluten ataxia
- hypoglycemia
- hyperglycemia (high blood sugars)
- hypothyroidism or hashimoto disease
Feeling exhausted or sick can result as the body seeks to rest when recovering from an autoimmune attack or inflammatory response. However, other health issues and autoimmune diseases also need to be considered when wondering why your gluten-free diet might not be working. A gluten-free diet cannot heal vitamin deficiencies, food sensitivities or ongoing gluten contamination issues. Neither can it heal the permanent damage that accompanies neurological problems. But sometimes, all you need is time.Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunham/339962549/
It will take more than a week or two to heal from all of the years of damage. In fact, for those in their 50s or more, it can literally take years for the body to heal – if it ever does. That can make it difficult to cope. However, additional health conditions and good nutritional practices need to be addressed in order to feel well. Leaky gut, high levels of inflammation, bacteria overgrowth, and poor nutrition can persist despite a gluten-free diet. While time and changes in circumstance can certainly correct some of these problems, a gluten-free diet isn't always a single solution.


text:
CCSI International, Inc. Manufacturers of Glass Pool Enclosures
World class manufacturing and distribution of glass pool enclosures and open roof systems for over fifty years.
CCSI International, Inc. of Garden Prairie, IL has been a leader in the pool enclosure and roof system industry for the last fifty years. This family business was built on honest service, a loyalty to our customer base, and top quality products, delivered around our customer's budget and time frame.
A seasoned and award-winning company in the pool and spa industry, CCSI International, Inc.'s portfolio includes projects such as:
- Essex Inn Chicago
- YMCA's
- Schriever Air Force Base
Our long time, satisfied customers know us for our honest business practices and our determination to achieve 100% customer satisfaction.
Contact CCSI International, Inc. today to transform your home or business with a world class outdoor or indoor pool enclosure or roof system.
CCSI International, Inc.
Garden Prairie, IL 61038
Learn about CCSI International, Incs's other great businesses today!


text:
Your Playbook for Better Collaboration in Executive Search
Learn how some of the most forward thinking companies are using collaboration in their talent acquisition strategies to accelerate their time-to-hire and eliminate rework.
Supercharging Your Executive Search Process With Thrive TRM
Harness the power of your search firm's collective intelligence by getting talent data out of spreadsheets and into one unified resource.
Comprehensive Guide to Understanding CRM, ATS, and TRM Software
Discover the software solution that will help your team achieve its maximum hiring potential.
Jump Start Your Portfolio Companies' Talent Acquisition
Download our white paper and learn how to add real value to your portfolio companies by helping them attract the best talent in their sector, industry, and geographic location.
Executive Recruiter 2.0
In this podcast series, join Thrive President and Head of Product Reed Flesher as he interviews Robert Crowder, Founder and Managing Director of Chapman Farrell Group, about the unique challenges facing executive recruiters today.
How to Attract Top Talent Using Inbound Recruiting
Find out how to harness the power of an inbound recruiting strategy in order to attract, hire, and retain top talent.
Using Social Media for Executive Search
Download our eBook and learn how to leverage social media in your executive search process more effectively.
Creating Ideal Candidate Personas
Our free persona template will help you improve your talent acquisition by identifying who your ideal candidates are and how best to reach them.
4 Essential Skills of Any Executive Recruiter
Find out what skills enable the best executive recruiters to build relationships and secure successful placements.


text: At 2:25 PM -0800 1/27/10, Joe Touch wrote: >Paul Hoffman wrote: >> At 1:26 PM -0800 1/27/10, Joe Touch wrote: >>> Please explain what "canonical" means in reference to an RFC if not to >>> the canonical text. >> >> The authoritative information about the RFC. In this case, the RFC Editor is the authority. > >That information is not authoritative at all. The RFC Editor provides >it, but that doesn't make the RFC Editor an "authority". OK, I guess that ends this discussion. Many of us here absolutely assume that the RFC Editor is the authority for RFCs, but if you don't, there cannot be any agreement. As an aside, if the content returned by your view of the canonical URI is controlled by the RFC Editor, what would you call them other than "authoritative" for the content? --Paul Hoffman, Director --VPN Consortium


text:
Peut-on dire, par exemple, « nous allons aller continuer apprendre chanter »?
Kwiziq community member
15 May 2016
2 replies
Peut-on dire, par exemple, « nous allons aller continuer apprendre chanter »?
i.e., stringing as many as four (or more??) infinitives together...
This question relates to:
French lesson "Aller + infinitive = to be going to (Le Futur Proche)"
Kwiziq language super star
Bonjour Rod ! Here you need to be aware that some verbs are always followed by prepositions: so "je vais + infinitive", but "continuer à + infinitive" and "apprendre à + infinitive". Also "nous allons aller" sounds very redundant here. Therefore, the correct sentence would be: "Nous allons continuer à apprendre à chanter." A bientôt !
Kwiziq community member
Bonjour Aurélie, A great reminder about the prepositions being REQUIRED with certain verbs, even in the infinitive. So very clarifying, and therefore so very helpful. Je te remercie!
Your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Think you've got all the answers?
Test your French to the CEFR standardfind your French level »


text:
Noah Baby
The past week has been a tumultuous one. In the state I live in, when a child is removed from their home for negligence or abuse or marked a "dependency" (like an orphan), the DCBS (Department of Community Based Services) worker is required to set up an emergency family meeting within five days of removal to review the case plan for the child. This meeting allows the birth parents, foster parents, and any other family members to get on the same page regarding the goals that need to be met for reunification and what is required to maintain foster or relative placement.
Baby S was born in August. The day after she was born I emailed the caseworker to alert her and ask when that meeting would be scheduled, assuming that she'd be placed in state custody since there was an open uncompleted case plan on the birth parents. I inquired into the scheduling of the five-day meeting and, for weeks, was constantly told that schedules just couldn't align and that the meeting would occur whenever Baby S was released from the hospital. She was released in early October but the meeting still never occurred. I continued to email and follow-up with the caseworker until, finally, she responded back and advised that they were able to get something scheduled for last Tuesday.
I brushed off the fact that the caseworker was 20 minutes late for the meeting and my sister (not birth mom) and I was left in a somewhat awkward situation, sitting in a stark room in the DCBS office with Brother E and Baby S's foster parents. I was such a nervous wreck that morning that I forgot to grab the notebook where I had jotted down a slew of important questions. It was during this meeting that the caseworker, very matter-of-factually, advised that the termination hearing for Brother E would occur in December and, from her view, there was nothing that could be done to stop it unless a family member stepped up to take custody of the children. She even related that DCBS planned to recommend a sped-up termination of parental rights (TPR) on Baby S so any decision for relative placement had to be made very quickly.
My sister spoke up and asked the caseworker to explain what needed to be done to consider relative placement and she expressed her concerns over adoption proceedings, considering that once the children are adopted there is no legal document that can be drafted to ensure that the siblings maintain contact, only the birth parent, and the children. At that moment I truly felt for the foster parents. There they were sitting across from the two people who could potentially remove the child they had so painstakingly developed a deep bond with over the past year and the little baby who had just joined their home who was so obviously a gift to them. But at that moment the gut-wrenching reality that Noah's siblings could become strangers to him also struck me.
After the meeting, I emailed the caseworker to advise that my husband and I were in the very early stages of considering petitioning for custody of Brother E and Baby S but that I had a lot of questions regarding assistance they could receive under our care. The caseworker and I had similar conversations back in January and, ultimately, my husband and I decided not to take Brother E. I lost my job unexpectedly during that discussion and didn't think it fair to cause any more financial strain on my small family.
In my email last week I asked about adoption, kinship care, medical benefits, child care – all the responsible, intelligent factors that impact a person's ability to care for a child. The caseworker confirmed receipt of my email (Tuesday) and advised that she'd get back to me on Wednesday or Thursday with some responses. Come Friday I still had not heard a peep. I emailed a friendly reminder to inquire but got nothing back. This past Monday came and, again, nothing. So there I was again, emailing a politely worded reminder to no avail. Come Wednesday of this week (over a week since I had initially contacted her), I sent a more sternly worded email, advising that the holiday was quickly approaching as was the TPR hearing and that I was trying to collect information so I could make an informed decision.
It's not that my husband and I planned on making a decision right at that moment. It was that for that entire week I felt like someone was sitting on my chest and that I couldn't breathe. I had spent every available moment tossing around possible schemes to make having three children under the age of three work in our home. It was very clear to us that to make it work that one of us would have to quit our job to stay home with the children, as childcare expenses would be too high to reasonably justify working. Can my salary alone support a family of five? It definitely could work but it would require us to readjust our lifestyle a bit. It was a choice my husband I were still exploring – questions like whether it was more important that Noah has access to private education and all the other luxuries that our income provides or that Noah is raised alongside his brother and sister, albeit a little more frugally?
I had hoped that there would be something encouraging from the caseworker in one of her emails, a glimmer reassuring me that it was something completely doable. Instead, I was advised that the children would not qualify for any type of assistance because they are "dependency" cases and not cases of abuse. And, then, there was this one-liner:
"Your home setup would be appropriate to care for the children, however, DCBS would not recommend you for placement, as we were set to place Brother E I in your custody in January and you changed your mind."…


text:
It has been a great one year and 3months. In September 2013, we began searching for girls who would join and benefit from the training program. As compared to the two previous classes, we managed to accommodate 30 girls most of whom were between the age of 19 – 24 yrs. The girls came from Kibera, Kabiria in Kawangware and Deepsea in Westlands.
October 2013, classes began; most of the girls had never used a computer before therefore the first 1-month was quite a rough one. From learning how to boot a machine, to typing and just getting comfortable with computers.
Fast forward to December 5th 2015, these girls are graduates and can now add a title to their names i.e. Graphic Designer, Web Design, Mobile Applications developer or Entrepreneur.
Apart from attaining a Diploma, the 26 graduates excelled, I can proudly say this was one of the most promising class and they did prove me right. In May this year, the students participated in a girl's Hackathon organized by ACM-W in partnership with Akirachix. Participants were from the tech community including university students. We encouraged our girls to participate and their groups emerged winners and runners up.
It did not stop there, in October, a competition dubbed "INCYoubateIT" organized by Making All Voices Count; an Ushahidi led initiative was launched. The girls submitted their group projects based on their business plans and also other projects they were involved in during the year. There were 2 groups of students in the finalists list and On November 6th, the winning group was the girls who participated in the April Hackathon and the 2nd runners up was a class project.
This class has been exemplary and that is due to their hunger to learn, innovate and make it in life. By the time of their graduation, 5 of them had already secured internships in different organizations and one of them has a business running.
We are still working with the remaining girls to find placements for them, therefore if you or know of an organizations looking for interns specifically in graphic design, web design or mobile development, send an email to, firstname.lastname@example.com with the requirements and we will match that up with the graduates.
Lots of thanks to the trainers for their tireless efforts to get these girls to where they are, the iHub for giving the girls the space to network, the tech community at the iHub for readily assisting the girls when they needed help, our motivational speakers, our mentors – you have all been a great asset to us.
Wishing the graduates all the best in the endeavors, the opportunities are endless and we are sure they will utilize them.
We are currently finishing up selection for the next class that starts in January 2015.


text:
Remember when people warned that ObamaCare (see White House Asks That You Ruin Your Family BBQ with ObamaCare) was going to hurt workers by forcing companies to cut full time hours? Hillary Clinton just admitted that that's exactly what the law did…
Well, that's why they are going to part-time. That, and also, the Affordable Care Act. You know, we got to change that because we have built in some unfortunate incentives that discourage full-time employment. A lot of employers believe if you don't work 40-hours a week you don't get benefits and that includes; you don't get health care benefits; that might include you're not eligible for the family medical leave; you're not eligible for paid sick days. So, there is a disincentive in our system that we need to deal with and I really worry about it because there is trend to try and move more and more people into part-time work; and how many of you are part-time workers? And sometimes you want to work part-time, it fits into your family, it fits into your life obligations but sometimes you want to work full-time but you can't get a full-time job. So, I want to look at all the employment rules.
Well isn't that special? All this time when it came to The Affordable Care Act, Conservatives and libertarians have warned about the unintended consequences (See the extensive video, Obamacare Yay or Nay here). We were called racist. Because, naturally. Now we have Hillary Clinton, campaigning on correcting Obamacare's horrendous… unintended consequences.
Instead of admitting a screw up, she pivots to talking about "fixing the system." What system?! What freaking system? Business owners run businesses. They should be able to hire who they want and pay what they want. If people don't like the offer, they work for another company. The only "system" that has screwed anyone here is the one which Democrats have put in place. Turns out most employers can't afford full bennies for every employee. Surprise, jackasses!
So rather than address that reality, and create a more business-friendly environment, SJW Democrats like Hillary Clinton want to think up new ways to punish and force small businesses to pay more than they can afford. In the long run, what do you think that does for both an economy and healthcare?
Allow a few Canadians who've already lived it to explain below.


text:
The middle school girls' rematch against Onaway at home on November 23 saw both teams win their game. Seventh grade team won with a score of 25-15. The eighth grade won 32-10.
The seventh grade girls played an amazing game. They stole the ball twenty-eight times, adding sixteen rebounds. The fast break was working well, leading to the majority of scoring opportunities.
The eighth grade girls worked together with giving good passes and looking for the right time to shoot the ball. When the game started, the girls played fierce defense, leading to a 12-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. They held Onaway scoreless in the second, opening up an 18-2 halftime lead.
As both teams seasons are wrapping up during the week following Thanksgiving Break, they look forward to taking on St. Mary in Gaylord Monday and hosting Bellaire on Wednesday.