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Defending Byzantium
"Decline of the Habs Empire" isn't a title so much as a genre designation. It would be like calling an article about the Leafs "Forty Years of Frustration", or publishing a Canucks essay entitled "Successful but Still Not Likeable." Excepting that of the Romans themselves, few tales of decline have been retold as often as that of the Habs. Mordechai Richler wrote on the theme; so did Ken Dryden. Half of Red Fisher's columns for the past ten years have used it as either the introduction or the finale. It is Montreal's greatest trope, it's most enduring cliché. If the team had any sense of humor about its media coverage (it doesn't, sadly) they could have put out an anthology of literary writing on the subject in honor of the Centennial.
So although Gare Joyce is not being original in the theme of his recent article for Sportsnet Magazine, he is at least in good company. And, of course, a narrative that appeals to so many obviously intelligent writers cannot be entirely devoid of truth. The Montreal Canadiens once had dynasties; now they don't: this is a truth, and a sad one indeed, and one can hardly fault anyone for speaking it aloud. Moreover, many of the specific criticisms Joyce levels at the franchise are valid. The hyberbolically excessive hostility of the local media towards certain players and management even in good years is a problem. The inability to attract Francophone players of the quantity and quality the fanbase desires is a problem. This season's poorly planned and even more poorly executed coach firings and hirings are a problem. Montreal is not a great team and has not been one for many years. Nothing wrong with pointing that out.
But Joyce's piece is not content to point out the team's mediocrity. Honestly, who has ever been content to point out the Habs' mediocrity? Mediocrity makes for terrible copy- where's the thrill in a decline from great to so-so? Who's going to rend their clothes and weep over meh? So, rather than contending with the thornier challenges presented by bare adequacy, Joyce uses a bag rhetorical tricks make it seem as though the Canadiens recent history has been nothing but a long slide into misery, unbroken by any hints of success or reward. The first and most egregious of these is what appears to be the piece's thesis statement: "It was March 11, 1996, the last game at the Forum, the last act of a masterpiece and the last time the Canadiens mattered."
The Habs don't matter. Joyce tells us this, in more or less those exact terms, no less than three times in the piece. Or, he switches to synonyms for 'mattering', like 'relevant.' "They'd rank last among Canadian teams in the league -- if not in the standings then in relevance." To whom the Canadiens are not mattering, or on what scale they are least relevant- these things are never specified. Because you couldn't specify them, could you? You couldn't come up with any way of measuring relevance that would put the Canadiens at the bottom of the NHL pile. The Habs still, even now, sell out every home game, they are still the third most lucrative franchise in the League, they still the leading topic of virtually all Quebecois sports media. Clearly, they still matter very much to a remarkable number of people. And, in fact, having lived in both Montreal and Toronto, I would make the case that the Canadiens 'matter' a great deal more to an average Montreal fan then the Leafs 'matter' to an average Toronto fan. That is, of course, a subjective argument, but that is more than Joyce makes in support of his contention that they don't matter.
His contention about relevance is no better supported. Of course, he throws out the standings immediately, because if you judged relevance by performance than the Canadiens are well ahead of most of their Canadian brethren. Since the lockout, they've made the playoffs five seasons out of six, more than any Canadian team save the Canucks. Their prospect pool, which Joyce characterizes as full of players with 'low ceilings', is ranked by Hockey's Future as 24th in the League, but still ahead of Calgary (26th), Winnipeg (28th), and Vancouver (29th). ESPN thought more highly of the Habs and put their organizational depth at 11th, ahead of all the aforementioned teams and the Leafs as well. Their draft performance, far from being the failure Joyce describes, has been ranked by people who do such things as anywhere from 1st to 3rd in terms of the League over all. Far from being "bereft of young talent", the team has several young players in the line-up- Subban and Price, most prominently, but also Eller and Weber, on whom we have hardly given up, and guys like Palushaj and Leblanc just starting to get their first cracks. Far from having "no young prospects in development," the Habs had five prospects at this year's WJHC, more than any other franchise. That they have nothing on the scale of an Ovechkin or a Nugent-Hopkins has nothing to do with organizational failings and everything to do with the fact that they make the playoffs a lot. Joyce, paradoxically, wants to characterize the Canadiens as abject failures, but also wants to condemn them for lacking exactly the sort of players that they would have if they had actually failed abjectly. Apparently it would be preferable were they Oilers-terrible. That would be 'relevant'.
Not content with misinterpreting the current incarnation of the team, Joyce also throws in a bunch of historical errors and misreadings. He regurgitates the notion that the Canadiens owed their dynasties to territorial rights, a myth which has been debunked several times over and yet refuses to die. He insists that the Montreal captaincy "didn't matter" after Turgeon, ignoring Saku Koivu's long, emotional, and controversial tenure- say what you will about Koivu, his captaincy was anything but meaningless. He suggests that the only reason Bob Gainey "escaped roasting" was the death of his daughter Laura, although the Gainey teams from 2007-8 to 2009-10 were actually rather successful by GMing standards, finishing first in the East in 2007-8 and going deep in the playoffs in 2009-10.
And then, of course, there's the portentous, pointless hand-wringing about how there are no legends the like of Richard or Beliveau on the roster (of course not, that's why they're legends), about how the Habs have no face-of-the-franchise player (what, every team needs to have one of those at all times?), and how five teams have won more of the past 31 Stanley Cups than Montreal (a better championship record than 23 other franchises is apparently still not enough to secure relevance, which is of course why the Habs to this day are less relevant than the Islanders). These are the kind of accusations that could easily be leveled at nearly two dozen teams in the current NHL; the fact that Joyce can sell a magazine article just to throw them at the Canadiens is a very good sign of how much the Habs still matter comparative to their brothers in mediocrity.
But honestly, the thing that is so intensely irritating about articles like this is that they reflect the exact opposite of their ostensible theme: rather than being about memory, they are symptomatic of hockey journalism's chronic lack of memory. The Canadiens have been bad this season, or more accurately, this half-season. They've made some weird moves. Suddenly, we have writers and journalists who hardly say two words about the Canadiens in an average month coming out of the woodwork to tweet tweets and print columns and rant of TV about their incompetence and irrelevance. Two years ago, when the Habs were knocking off Penguins and Capitals to get to the Eastern Conference final and the media were falling over themselves to write stories about their discipline and work ethic and strategic brilliance, this piece would never have been published. Four years ago, when the Canadiens dominated the East for a season and the Gainey plan looked like a roaring success, this article would never have been published. Joyce wants to draw a straight downward slope starting in 1970 and culminating in this year's miseries, but the truth is a more complex thing, full of ups and downs, maybes and maybe-nots, plenty of disappointments but also some hopes fulfilled, and some wholly surprising thrills.
I rather doubt anyone who has invested many thousands of words in the 'decline of an empire' narrative is even remotely interested in advanced stats, but just for the record, the Canadiens misfortunes this season are largely attributable to two things: terrible power play luck and injuries. Through December, the Canadiens had lost 196 man-games to injury, amounting to the highest cap hit for injured players in the NHL thus far. Despite this, their even-strength possession numbers were generally positive, and under Martin their Fenwick percentages were quite good. The collective PP save percentage of opposing goalies was about .937- unsustainably high. There were plenty of indications that the team could and would improve, and there still are, although the panicky general management decisions are probably hurting the chances of that.
The season's results have been disappointing and management's handling of them has been depressing and discouraging, and an article saying that much would get no argument from me or any other fan. But if one disastrous half-season is enough to prove that a team does not matter, if this is all it takes consign a franchise to irrelevance, then Joyce is gonna have to come for every team in their turn. No one is good forever. There will come a season when the Red Wings aren't going to make the playoffs. Time will come that the Pens will be in the basement again, and Boston has not seen the last of the draft lottery. No team, no matter how great, no matter how glorious, wins all the time. Every single thing wrong with the contemporary Habs has been wrong with some other team at some point, and all of those things can be made right again in time. There is nothing in this year's struggle that is any more exemplary of an existential failure than there was something representative of durable dominance in the 2010 playoff run. These are swings of the pendulum, not shit rolling downhill.
This is the real value of history, to contextualize the present and soften the swings. We know greatness is not guaranteed and glory doesn't last, nobody in Montreal or anywhere else needs Gare Joyce to explain this. The point of having had a dynasty, having had legends, is not to always have them. It's to have had them, to have- even for a little while, hell, even once- achieved a first or a last, or something unrepeatable and unsurpassable. The making of a legend is the transformation of the transient into the transcendent. Something that happened once only for a fleeting moment becomes, through memory and veneration, something durable, something you can hold onto in the hard times. You can lose players and you can lose championships, but you never lose the legends. Howie Morenz died in 1937, but the Howie Morenz of 1928, first player to score 50 points in a season, is still part of the Canadiens. Maurice Richard may have coached the Nordiques, but the Maurice Richard of 1955, so beloved the fans would riot in his name, is just as much a Hab today as he was then. The Roy who led the team to a Cup in his rookie season is still a Canadien, just like the Gretzky who got 50 goals in 39 games is still an Oiler and the Orr who scored that flying goal will always be a Bruin. These monuments don't mock the present, they enrich it. The Canadiens empire may indeed be crumbling, but better a crumbling empire than none at all, for the age of empires in the NHL is over and done. Happy are those teams who got their glory while the getting was good, because mark my words, there will never be a Pax Vancouvica.
Georges Vezina: Joyce tells us you might hear him spinning in his grave, if only you make the pilgrimage to Chicoutimi, so great is his shame at the fate of the Habs. But I'm not so sure. When Vezina died in 1926, the Montreal Canadiens were a seventeen year-old team that had won two Cups. In his tenure with the team, he saw their home rink burned to the ground and the Spanish flu kill off one of his teammates and his general manager. He saw the League he started playing in, the NHA, collapse and get restructured into the NHL. Many of the teams he played against- the Renfrew Creamery Kings, the Montreal Wanderers, the Quebec Bulldogs, the Toronto Ontarios, the Quebec Athletics, the Hamilton Tigers- were born sickly and died within the span of his career. Several others- the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Montreal Maroons, the New York Americans- didn't outlive him by much.
If Vezina understood anything about hockey, he understood that it was hard thing. It's a hard game and a hard business and it's left a lot of casualties behind it in the past hundred years- not just players but franchises and fortunes too. Could old Georges, in his wildest dreams, have imagined how long the Canadiens would survive and all the glory they would garner? I doubt it. It would have seemed as impossible and unlikely looking forward from 1926 as it does looking back from 2012. But I know this: if his spirit has been tagging along for the past 100 years, he is fucking thrilled. He is thrilled and amazed and dazzled, he is positively joyous, because it has been a helluva ride, and a far better ride than any other NHL team has ever given its tubercular ghosts.


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OMG! Sisanie spent the weekend at the press junket for upcoming rom-com Isn't It Romantic and revealed to Ryan Seacrest and Tanya Rad on-air on Monday, February 11, that she accidentally got locked out of her hotel room — topless 😂
Sisanie explained that she ordered some room service with a friend and after eating a majority of their order, she rolled the cart outside their room to be picked up.
After a bit of time, Sis realized there was a basket of crackers left on the cart and she wanted to grab them.
Only thing was, she had changed out of her clothes and halfway into her pajamas, revealing she was topless wearing just yoga pants.
Sis opened the door thinking she could creep out and easily grab the basket — but the room service cart was further away than she thought and the door closed behind her!
Listen back to the LOL audio above to find out what happened — and how Sis managed to get back into her room!

subset: commoncrawl


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This award winning boutique style wildlife experience, Kuranda Koala Gardens, is in Kuranda Village right at the Heritage Markets. This is the only place in Kuranda village where you can enjoy the 'Cuddle a Koala' opportunity. A fee applies and this includes a digital souvenir photo.
Also visit Kuranda's only walk in Noctarium, called 'Nocturnal Wonders' and some rare species including bettongs, bibles and gliders. Meet tame wallabies, see wombats, freshwater crocodiles, lizards and more. Visit the 'Pioneer Shed' that depicts some of the early history of European settlement in the Kuranda region.
A free shuttle bus operates from Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Scenic Train Stations.
It's a great attraction for those with limited time in the region, (if you have plenty of time, they also recommend visits to Hartley's Crocodile Adventures). Kuranda Koala Gardens is also part of the 'Kuranda Wildlife Experience'. This combines Kuranda Koala Gardens, Birdworld and the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary.
These are ideal for independent travellers and small groups.
|Cost AUD
|Valid From
|$9.50 - $9.50
|Child age is between 4 and 15 years.
|Indicative Prices
|$19.00 - $19.00
|Adult price. Group Entry costs also available upon application.
|Opening Hours
|All year
|25 dicembre 2020
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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RIPPS LED luminaire
The elegant linear luminaire RIPPS LED with its beautiful U-shaped aluminum profile creates a high-quality impression when presenting your products.
infinitely variable: 200 mm – 2500 mm
- excellent light distribution
- true to nature color rendering
- high-quality linear LED lighting systems
aluminum profile with flexible LED strip warm white (3000 K),
natural white (4000 K) or cold white (6000 K)
Connecting cables available in different variants and lengths from 50 – 5000 mm
The linear LED luminaire RIPPS is both – an economical but also effective lighting solution for the presentation of your products.
No, we do not only master standards – we can do much more!
Customized solutions at an attractive price-performance ratio, such as individual color temperatures, intensity of light, unique aluminum surface finishing and specific cable and connector versions – anything is possible.
We are happy to help!
We would be happy to send you our catalogue with the whole product range.


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|Preceding Day
|Wednesday 02 October 2019
|Following Day
|Preceding Day
|Wednesday 02 October 2019
|Following Day
RT @ByronClub: Looking forward to being able to join in with you all :)
RT @GlennHunter15: Soooooooon @MaceMuseum @NottsMasons @GrandChapter https://t.co/53olrzpjHF
RT @Masonic_Charity: 🍴Throughout #lockdown feeding vulnerable people has been a priority for #Freemasons. Thanks to @PGLSomerset who alloca…
RT @ByronLodge4014: #ByronFactFriday. The primus WM G. Bonser wrote to the PGL @NottsMasons on the issue. ""I know some objection is made t…
https://t.co/CFtfgH302M A joint statement from: The Grand Secretary, United Grand Lodge of England The Grand S… https://t.co/IMyXuThvgb


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Student Employment & Payroll
This information will assist you with employment and payroll related questions as a Student Assistant or Federal College Work Study at Binghamton University. We hope that your employment on campus will be a enjoyable experience.
Student Employment Criteria
Work Criteria
International students can work a maximum of 20 hours per week while classes are in session as a condition of their visa. When classes are not in session, student employees can work up to a total of 29 hours per week (all student employment combined on campus, including private employers) per SUNY policy. It is the responsibility of the student and the department to ensure hourly limits are adhered to. Please note, the 29 hour per week limit does not apply to Federal College Work Study employees.
Federal College Work Study
Federal College Work Study employees must receive an allocation from Financial Aid. This is accomplished by completing the FAFSA and having demonstrated financial need according to the Department of Education guidelines. To earn Federal Work Study money, you must obtain an FWS job on campus. Another option is Community Service FWS jobs -- for this program, you must be Federal Work Study eligible, and be matched with an agency which has a contract with Financial Aid plus federal government split funds. Please note, students can only work in one department at a time as a federal college work study.
- All Federal College Work Study employees may begin working for the new academic year on 08/22/2019.
- Federal College Work Study employees with full academic year grants must stop work effective 05/15/2020.
Student Assistant
Student Assistant employees can work through the summer as long as they are registered for the upcoming semester. It is REQUIRED that the student employee bring a copy of their registration or class schedule to Human Resources. This entitles you to be tax exempt during the summer.
Graduating seniors on the Student Assistant payroll may not work past 5/15/2020 unless they are going to be attending a SUNY college or university for advanced degrees in the fall.
28021-Student Assistant Timesheet & Instructions
Pay Rates
Student Assistant & Federal College Work Study students can be paid a minimum of $11.80 per hour and a maximum of $24.37 per hour as of December 26, 2019.
Direct Deposit Reactivation Form
If you have been off the Student Payroll for the summer and would like to continue direct deposit you will need to complete a Direct Deposit Reactivation Form. Providing your bank and bank account remain the same you will be to able to fill out this form.
Retirement System
As employees of New York State, Student Assistants and Federal Work Study students are eligible for membership in the New York State and Local Retirement System. You must complete an election form to accept or decline. Membership requires a 3% contribution from your wages.
Student employees are also eligible for a membership at the State Employees Federal Credit Union - SEFCU.
Student Payroll Service Center
The Student Payroll Service Center, located in the Couper Administration Building - Room 225, distributes payroll checks for University Employees.
The Student Payroll Service Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:30AM - 4:30 PM throughout the academic year.
Summer hours are 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Student Payroll Forms
1. Employment Eligibility Verification, I-9 Form
(appropriate documentation required)
3. New York State Tax Form, IT-2104
5. Direct Deposit (highly recommended)
6. Direct Deposit Reactivation Form
7. ERS Retirement System Info, Accept/Decline
Binghamton University is a tobacco-free campus.
Manager of Student Employment
(607) 777-3624
Personnel Assistant
(607) 777-4850


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Pink Quartz Minerals: Awesome coverage and color selection
Guest post by Mila
I am a five-year vegan and a lifetime makeup lover! Since becoming vegan I have looked for other ways to discard harmful products from my life. Finding affordable mineral makeup with good colors has been challenging, but I found an awesome company called Pink Quartz Minerals. When you go to the website and see the color palettes, you may be overwhelmed – there are so many (170 eyeshadow colors, and plenty of foundation and blush colors), but there are cool eyeshadow kits you can choose based on your eye color if you need help. The owner is really nice and the sample sizes are very generous.
I have tried several brands of mineral makeup through samples online, but I like the coverage of this foundation the best. The eyeshadows and blushes go on nicely, too. The eyeshadows are perfect for layering and you can control the darkness. I currently use the foundation, mineral veil, eyeshadow and blush. I am dying to try her lip products, but I have not had the chance yet (I have too many already)! Pink Quartz Minerals offer something I have been searching for: flavored and tinted lip balms, you choose the color and flavor! They also offer Halloween make-up, make-up remover and brushes. So go support an independent vegan seller and check out the awesome colors at www.pinkquartzminerals.net
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.
Filed in: vegan makeup
Comments (4)
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I've been meaning to try mineral makeup for a while, so your post pushed me over the edge. The owner is extremely friendly AND they offer great pictures of what the foundation colors look like so that you can choose wisely. Also, you can "buy" a foundation sampler that let's you try 3 shades & only pay for shipping (cheap!) so that you can make sure that you wind up with the color that's best for you. I am super impressed by this company and I haven't even tried their products yet.
I've been eyeing this brand for a while, think I will give it a go.
This company looks good. I'll be ordering from them soon.
They look and sound lovely- I'll have to check them out! 🙂


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rkhunter (Rootkit Hunter) is a wonderful tool to assist in securing your system, but it becomes much less helpful if it constantly reports false positives. After updating your rkhunter.conf file appropriately, you may still be left with the following error: Warning: Hidden file found: /dev/.initramfs: symbolic link to `/run/initramfs' This file can't be whitelisted because […]
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Spartans stifle sputtering Gophers
Minnesota manages just 96 yards of total offense
MINNEAPOLIS — Michigan State 26, Minnesota 10:Le'Veon Bell rushed for a career-best 266 yards and a touchdown as the Spartans became bowl-eligible with a road victory over the Golden Gophers, who finished the game without their coach, Jerry Kill.
Kill didn't return to the field for the second half after suffering a seizure at halftime. Kill, who has a history of seizures, including suffering one after an Oct. 13 loss to Northwestern, was home resting Saturday night.
Michigan State (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) extended its school-record streak of bowl appearances to six. The Spartans' defense held Minnesota to only four yards rushing and 96 yards of total offense, and picked off Gophers quarterbacks four times.
Bell rushed 35 times, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Andrew Maxwell was 13-of-29 passing for 143 yards and a 41-yard touchdown to Bennie Fowler that put Michigan State ahead for good with 1:28 to play in the first half.
Minnesota (6-6, 2-6) got its only touchdown when Aaron Hill picked off Maxwell and returned it 33 yards for a score in the first quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bell became the seventh player in Michigan State history to go over 3,000 yards rushing in a career. … Minnesota managed only seven first downs in the game, the first time the Gophers have failed to record 10 or more first downs since a Nov. 12, 2011 loss to Wisconsin. … Michigan State leads the series 28-17.


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Yes, Jeremy Corbyn is a disaster. That's not a reason to bomb Syria
Like many Labour members, I despair of the direction in which Jeremy Corbyn is taking the party. Back when he was elected, I wondered whether he had a plan for reaching out to the public and taking them with us. In the wake of John McDonnell's decision to produce a copy of Mao's Little Red Book at the Despatch Box, I think we have the answer to that question.
Worse, Labour risks building this disaster in for a generation. The kind of hard left organising happening at CLP level looks like a re-run of Militant circa 1981. You have to wonder whether the people who voted for Corbyn over the summer knew what they were letting themselves in for – or even if they really care that Labour is becoming an unelectable NGO, if this week's Economist is anything to go by:
"A YouGov poll in The Times on November 24th found that 66% of current party members thought that Mr Corbyn was doing a good job – even more than voted for him in September. And this result came although half of party members also believed he was unlikely ever to become Prime Minister."
Understandable, then, that centrist Labour MPs are spoiling for a fight, and why they might decide that Syrian airstrikes are the ground on which to have it. Public unease about ISIS is spiking after Paris, and Corbyn has seemed badly out of sync. Labour MPs also sense a chance to set the record straight after Ed Miliband's disastrous mishandling of a previous vote on the issue in the last Parliament.
Yet for all of Jeremy Corbyn's incompetence in other areas, the plain fact is that on air strikes he is right and the Labour MPs thinking about voting for them are wrong (including my former boss Hilary Benn – who, for the record, is a man whom I think has more integrity than anyone else I've met in politics).
First, because air strikes don't work unless they're undertaken in conjunction with effective allied forces on the ground, and these don't exist in Syria. As counter-insurgency writer William Lind puts it,
"The enemy quickly finds ways to conceal and protect himself from air attack. It's harder in desert country, but by no means impossible. Irregular light cavalry forces such as ISIS are difficult to distinguish from civilians from the air, and they will quickly intermingle their columns with traveling civilians so the air strikes kill women and kids."
Second, because air strikes will bestow a priceless gift to ISIS. Lind again:
"By attacking ISIS, a force with few air defenses, from the air, we will fall once again into the doomed role of Goliath endlessly stomping David. That will strengthen ISIS's moral appeal and serve as a highly effective recruiting tool for them … As air attack has its usual effect of pushing those under bombardment closer together while giving them a burning desire for revenge against enemies they cannot reach, ISIS's power at the moral level of war will grow by leaps and bounds."
And third, because surely we've learned by now that "something must be done" is no substitute for a proper war strategy with clear aims. Look how often that impulse has got us into trouble, for heaven's sake – Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, the disastrous US mission to Somalia that resulted in the Black Hawk down debacle.
To be clear, I'm a passionate believer in the Responsibility to Protect, and the principle of humanitarian intervention. I supported Labour MP Jo Cox in her joint call with former development secretary Andrew Mitchell for a new approach to Syria, and slated shadow development secretary Dianne Abbott for her kneejerk rejection of it.
But we should only undertake humanitarian intervention when it will actually work. This won't. And my worry is that many Labour MPs are now so enraged with Corbyn that they'll vote for it anyway.


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A week in Haiti: On sports, treasure hunting, and life
copyright the Chronicle December 22, 2015
This article is Part III in a series about Nathalie Gagnon-Joseph's recent trip to Haiti where she visited family and worked as a translator at an international conference aimed at building up the nursing profession in Haiti. She interpreted the presentations in French and Creole to English for the Anglophones, and the English presentations to French for the Francophones.
by Nathalie Gagnon-Joseph
When the conference in Port-au-Prince is over, I stay with my godfather near Croix-des-Bouquets, a village that seems to melt into Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.
That area is located on a plain, so it's much hotter than where the conference hotel was located. I got there after dark and my godfather and his wife welcomed me with fresh watermelon juice and dinner.
I spent the next day relaxing, and in the evening, I switched on the television to intermittently watch the soccer game while I read my book.
Soccer is a very popular sport in Haiti. I chose not to watch the game too closely, knowing that I would get invested quickly if I did.
I felt a twinge of regret knowing… To read the rest of this article, and all the Chronicle's stories, subscribe:
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Seeing so much writing about street shooting I thought I should give a try. Honestly most of my shots just look like simple snapshots that anybody could take, as I had the impression that many of the street shots that I saw look like. My entire try was in New York, so plenty of people on the streets. I got a glimpse of what I needed to do but I'm not sure I can get to look how I wanted.Anyway, here are few shots that might be called street shots
Yup! I prefer "knees and trees" in BW, too.


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Doug Beal Blog on Women's National Team
Greetings from Japan (Nagoya actually), where the U.S. Women just began playing in the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup today against the world's #1 ranked Brazi. The result was a 3-0 loss that showed both the promise of this young team and their youth and inexperience - more on the match a bit later.
- U.S. Women's Event Page
- FIVB Event Page
- Like USAV on Facebook
- Follow USAV on Twitter
- Contact: Bill Kauffman
It is always a terrific pleasure and honor to travel with our National Teams and watch how these young people represent the country, USAV and themselves. It makes you feel terrific about their generation and proud of the quality people who put on the USA uniforms, both indoors and out!!!! I get quite energized being around these wonderful ambassadors for our sport and their generation - seeming to always have or make time for the many tasks asked of them beyond training and watching video and playing the matches. They graciously sign and speak to autograph seekers, make appearances and promote our sponsors and partners, give many interviews, and do almost anything asked of them with a smile and friendly approach.
Most of you know that Karch Kiraly is finishing up his first full year as our Women's Team head coach, and a very successful year it has been. Karch leads a staff that includes assistant Reed Sunahara, technical assistant Joe Trinsey and physio Jill Wosmek. The staff (which also includes assistant Tom Black when he's not in season at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles) has done a special job of molding a group of very new players into a very strong team that qualified for the World Grand Prix Final Round, won the NORCECA Zone championship to qualify for this event and remains #2 ranked in the world - all while playing most of the season with only one or two players who were in the London Olympics winning the silver medal; no other team in the world's top 10 had this kind of young/new group and it will surely prove significant as we move through the quad and head toward the RIO 2016 Olympic Games!!!!!
Rounding out the staff here are Ken Sullivan, the Team Leader from London, and Mike Hebert (one of the most successful and experienced coaches in our country), who……as he reminded me today at a short serve/pass practice, has been coaching USA teams on and off since 1981 - all the while amassing one of the most outstanding coaching resumes in our country at University of Minnesota, Illinois, Pittsburgh and maybe other stops that I should remember, and being retired now is a wonderful consultant to Karch and the USA women. Anyway, the point of all this is that we have a great staff, a great group of young ladies, a great environment and a team that looks like it will continue to get better and better as the quad moves along and one that is very exciting to watch.
This tournament brings together host Japan; the Confederation champions from Europe (Russia), from South America (BRAZIL), from Asia (Thailand) and from NORCECA (USA), and a wild card team (Dominican Republic). Its round robin and results are based on record with no playoffs or finals. The USA plays Japan tomorrow, has a day off to travel to Tokyo, then plays Russia, Thailand and Dominican Republic in that order.
The other results today had Dominican Republic over Thailand 3-0 and Japan over Russia 3-1. We have our work cut out for us, but this event is really providing great experience to our players and allowing the staff to get some great matches, learn more about some of our top competition and test some new ideas and tactics.
Our team gathered directly from their professional clubs here in Japan about a week ago and trained together with the Japanese squad at the national training center in Tokyo. The facility was excellent and the hosting by the Japanese Volleyball Federation was top notch, as usual. We value our relationship with the Japanese Federation and can't say enough about their willingness to host us and offer the opportunity to train in such a great environment.
We have 14 players here and they came from all over the world - even the USA; from Turkey, Russia, Germany, Brazil, Azerbaijan, and from Japan to Japan!!! It was quite a feat to coordinate the travel to have everyone meet up in Tokyo within a few hours of each other.
I have to say a word or two about the team captain, Kristin Hildebrand; or Kristin (Richards) Hildebrand. It makes me feel a touch old, but also very happy to know that Kristin is the daughter of Dave Richards who played for the USA just a few years ago (1977-1979) when the men's team was training year round in Dayton, Ohio. Dave was one of the most wonderful, up beat, enthusiastic and nicest people to ever play for the USA; and he's passed all those admirable genes along to his equally wonderful, up beat and enthusiastic daughter - and maybe even some additional volleyball talent genes as well.
OK, a bit about the match. The USA started with Glass setting, Murphy opposite, Larson-Burbach and Hildebrand hitting outside, Gibbemeyer and Paolini in the middle; the libero was Banwarth. The scores were 26-24, 26-24 and 25-20 for Brazil---close with a chance to take one or possibly both of the first two sets (USA led both at the 2nd technical time out, 16-15, and 16-14). It seemed to me that we never got very comfortable serving and passing. BRA gave up 0 aces, while USA made 11 serving errors, kills were close 43-41 for the USA, but Brazil out blocked us 10-6.
The game today is often decided by just a few plays each set; Brazil was a little better from the service line, made us set a few more balls from deep off the net and killed a few more in transition. Karch has some very definite ideas about how he wants this team to play, and his sights are clearly set on being their best in qualifying and playing in RIO. Almost everyone got in this match, especially to try to put some pressure on Brazil from the service line - it just didn't happen enough today and Brazil got the win.
Tomorrow will be very challenging as well going against the home town Japanese team, especially after their nice performance to beat Russia. More after tomorrow's match.
NOTE: Doug Beal is the chief executive officer of USA Volleyball


text:
today noticed the existence of 4.8, got it, installed over 4.5, all fine.
Test: set Options/encoding to UTF-8, make new message, type äöü as subject and as body, send.
receiving it on another account, i get a subject äöü, but garbage as body. looking into the header it reads "encoding iso-8859-1" instead of the UTF-8 my options entry has.
After waiting almost 2 years for an update, i'm really dissapointed.
FTR, German XP Pro Sp3, latest patches, PM set to "only text", restricted user account, PM app in C:\programme, messages on seperate partition, both NTFS
Anyone a useful idea?


text:
Who's Got Next? Jarnell Stokes Thinking College, Andrew White To Kansas & More…Posted by Josh Paunil on December 8th, 2011
Who's Got Next? is a weekly column by Josh Paunil, the RTC recruiting guru. We encourage you to check out his website dedicated solely to college basketball recruiting, National Recruiting Spotlight, for more detailed recruiting information. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what's going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to who the hot prospects are at the lower levels of the sport. If you have any suggestions as to areas we're missing or different things you'd like to see, please let us know at email@example.com.
Lead Story: Jarnell Stokes Going To College In January 'Definitely An Option'
Stokes Exploring His Options. Class of 2012 power forward Jarnell Stokes saw his chances of playing high school basketball for Southwind High School (TN) disappear last week, and this week he's strongly considering graduating high school early and enrolling in college in January. Remember, Stokes has yet to commit and has a top six of Kentucky, Memphis, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida and Connecticut so he'd have to commit very soon. The 6'8″, 250-pounder says he's been preparing to attend college next semester and that he has other options available to him that he doesn't want to reveal just yet. Four of the schools Stokes is considering — Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida and Tennessee — have athletic scholarships available for Stokes if he were to enroll in January and he could also qualify for an academic scholarship at Memphis, leaving Kentucky as the only school that he'd have to pay for. Stokes says he has no timetable right now and doesn't know when he's going to commit, but he's going to have to make a decision in the next few weeks regardless of what he wants to do.
What They're Saying
- Senior Andrew White on committing to Kansas: "I think it was a huge opportunity there to play. I have a great relationship with the staff. They've been good to me."


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how do I bake with a ring mold?
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Joined: 19 Apr 2009
Posts: 4
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:22 am
Post subject: how do I bake with a ring mold?
My local gourmet shop had a sale and I got 2 ring molds for $5.... however I don't know how to use them! I've seen the lovely little cakes they can make but since they have no base I don't know what to put under them... also, what kind of cakes are they good for? can they work with a cheesecake or is a miniature springform better for that purpose?
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Site Admin
Joined: 24 Sep 2004
Posts: 443
Location: Paris, France
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:33 pm
Post subject:
Hello Beechekin!
Could you locate and point us to an online picture of the ring molds you refer to, or describe them in further detail? They come in many different shapes and sizes, so picturing them would help us help you.
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Joined: 19 Apr 2009
Posts: 4
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:30 pm
Post subject:
In the link below, they look like the one on the right:
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Site Admin
Joined: 24 Sep 2004
Posts: 443
Location: Paris, France
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:22 am
Post subject:
I may be wrong (and perhaps others will chime in) but I believe this type of ring is not meant for use in the oven, but rather to "build" multi-layered pâtisserie-style desserts.
You would for instance bake a thin sponge cake layer that you would cut to the size of the ring and place inside the ring, then pour some sort of a mousse (say, a raspberry mousse with a bit of gelatin so it will set), then pour a layer of ganache, then more mousse, then a final layer of sponge cake, let the whole thing set, then remove the ring carefully to reveal the entremets (that's the French name for this type of dessert) that you might sprinkle with icing sugar or cocoa or both.
raspberry dacquoise
is built along the same idea, but with a rectangular mold, not a ring.
Hope that helps!
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Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Posts: 861
Location: Paris
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:57 pm
Post subject:
You can actually bake with them.... but you need a "stiff" batter rather than a thin and runny one.
Put it on a very flat and even surface and check if there are any gaps or whether it is perfectly flat and even around the rim first. If there are slight differences in height at the base it will not work as all your batter will ooze out.
I have ones (a square/rectangle and a circular one) that expand from small to large, and I put mine on a silicone mat on a tray to bake and it works well. Bought in a kitchen wares shop in Paris, but cannot remember which one. The person who sold it to me recommended the silicone mat trick.
You will soon learn which batters do and do not work in it and can adapt recipes or use another pan for the thinner ones.
It does make a great cheesecake. You just run a knife blade around the rim to get it off.
I like it because it means I can adapt the size of the pan to the size cake I want.
If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.
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Joined: 19 Apr 2009
Posts: 4
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:16 pm
Post subject:
thanks a lot! I may give the silicone trick a try
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Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 236
Location: Madison, WI
Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
Post subject:
I have seen these used to build "constructed" meals of things like vegetable purees (I hate to mention the word puree after reading what happened to Debbie while I was offline) and small, chopped foods that will form a layer. For example, I once had a restaurant meal that was made of different colored layers of mashed potato, spinach, cooked, sliced mushrooms pureed, or mushed up carrot, etc. IT was quite impressive and tasty if a bit precious and 90s in its esthetic. OF course the molds I have seen used for this are quite small. I didn't get an impression of how large yours was.
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Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Posts: 861
Location: Paris
Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:59 am
Post subject:
Yes Dory, the word puree makes me shudder too now.......
My square/rectangle one makes a cake which is almost the size of my oven. Having said that, I haven't actually expanded it that big and made a huge monster cake yet with it. Cannot imagine how many people it would feed. A bit scarey actually.
If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.
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Wander into any electronics store and you'll soon come face-to-face with a wall of "Made for iPhone" accessories, especially earphones. Now, look around the store and find the "Made for Android" accessories area. No, go ahead. I'll wait.
Hmmm, hmmmm, hmmm, la de da, tada ta da — Gee, wasn't Irving Berlin a great songwriter? — Do dodo do...
Back? Find it? I didn't think so.
U.S. & World
Which is bizarre, isn't it? According to the latest figures, Android phones comprised 36.4 percent of the smartphone universe, iOS "just" 26 percent, RIM/BlackBerry a shrinking 25.7 percent. Yet there are about as many universal Android-specific accessories as there are happy Miami Heat fans.
Here's why — and it's less obvious than you think.
I'm sure you think you know why there's a robust "Made for iPhone" accessory market and not one for Android — Apple has essentially one model phone and Apple can control its whole hardware/software/distribution ecosystem, while Android phones are made by a variety of hardware companies using a variety of Android operating system versions.
That's true, but not the whole story, especially where earphones are concerned.
First, you can buy accessory headphones for an Android phone — from the manufacturer of the Android phone. But HTC, Motorola, Samsung, et al, aren't exactly known for their audiophile acumen.
There are two Android-specific earphones available from bona fide earphone folks: the Shure SE115M ($150) and the Etymotic mc2 ($100), the latter also compatible with BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and HP webOS products when they get here. Shure also has an Android-specific accessory cable with an inline mic (CBL-M Music Phone Accessory Cable, $60) that can be used with the company's SE215, SE315, SE425, or SE535 earphones, which all have removable cables.
Other than that, the Android earphone pickings are slim.
Pin Placement
Yet, even though they're Android-specific, they aren't exactly feature-packed. For example, neither of the Shure nor Etymotic Android-specific earphones include volume up/down or track forward/back controls. Chris Lyons, a Shure exec, explained why in an email exchange:
An "Android phone" is like saying you have "a Windows computer" — it's a software standard, but the hardware can vary. So we also had to verify the implementation of the up/down volume control, and found out that different brands of Android phones require different switch schemes.
In other words, an up/down button that works with an HTC might not work with a Samsung, or the Samsung might not even support remote volume control. It wasn't practical to offer a distinct model for each phone model, so we ultimately chose not to include the volume up/down control, since we couldn't guarantee that the feature would work on all Android phones.
More specifically, according the Mark Karnes, managing director of Etymotic's consumer products division, it's a headphone jack problem.
You may have noticed, the male-end headphone jack has three rings, which divides the jack into four segments. The segment closest to the cable is the ground. The next two segments pass left and right audio, the tip passes voice.
Except that some receiving jacks on phones don't use that sequence. According to Karnes, Samsung often reverses the sequence for models in Asia. And, as he told us, "Nokia is notorious for reversing the pins, which is why no one builds earphones for Nokias except Nokia, which is why they don't sell any smartphones." Ouch. Meow!
Apparently, it was the carriers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile — who demanded 3.5mm headphone jack consistency. All smartphones, at least in the U.S., now support the same segment sequence.
No Central Authority
But getting the controls on the inline mic to work is about mapping those controls to both the operating system and the apps that use the earphone and its controls.
As we well know, Apple maintains a fanatical (some would say fascist) centralized control over hardware, OS and apps.
Google — not so much. Google pays little heed to headphone control parameters in its varying Android OS versions.
And since there is no oversight over apps, developers pay little or no attention to how volume up/down or track forward/back functions are mapped in their apps.
With no centralized control over any aspect of the Android un-ecosystem, no earphone control consistency is possible. So, no third-party earphone maker made Android earphones.
You Can Listen to Music on Your Phone?
But even if all Android phone makers and all Android developers configured their OS, their hardware and their apps to hew to single inline earphone control protocols, mainstream headphone companies still may not have produced "Made for Android" (or Made for BlackBerry) earphones.
Why? According to Etymotic, Android phone users don't use their smartphones to listen to music.
Now, don't shoot the messenger, because I was as stunned to learn this as you. But Etymotic polls its users monthly and, according to Karnes, 98.6 percent of its headphone buyers who own a non-iPhone smartphone still own an iPod, which they use for their primary music listening.
Karnes admits Etymotic buyers are primarily music lovers so this ridiculous percentage of two-device-carrying nincompoops likely doesn't carry over to the mainstream.
But that's still a stunningly high percentage that indicated a trend — that Android and BlackBerry phone owners didn't use their phones as their primary portable music listening device. And if you think about, you've probably seen folks listening to an iPod while checking texts or the Web on a separate phone.
But carriers tired of not raking in the profits other electronic stores earn on iPhone accessories and may soon demand a degree of Android earphone consistency, which may mean a wider choice of makes and models of Android-specific earphones.
I'll let you know.
About The Writer: Stewart Wolpin has been bloviating about consumer electronics for more than 25 years for the likes of DVICE, Tech Goes Strong, the American Heritage of Invention & Technology magazine, and elsewhere on the Web. Stewart is also an elector for the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame, and has written two books: Bums No More: The Championship Season of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, and The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle.


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MSD 8.5mm 1985-95 Chevy 305-350 Spark Plug Wire
Part #: 31419
List Price: $219.90
Our Price: $109.95
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Chevy truck 305-350, 1985-1995 The MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor Wire is "The" Performance Wire. Engineered from the inside out, the 8.5 offers everything you have ever wanted in a wire; incredibly low resistance without electronic interference! In a single 12 inch length of Super Conductor Wire there is only 40 - 50 ohms of resistance! That is the lowest resistance of any helically wound wire.
To accomplish this,MSD use's a copper alloy conductor due to its great voltage carrying capabilities. The low resistance results in less loss in spark energy so more reaches the spark plug. The conductor is wound extremely tight around a special center core. So tight in fact, that there is over 40 feet of conductor wrapped into a single foot of plug wire. This winding procedure, combined with a ferro-magnetic impregnated center core, produces an extremely effective Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) "choke".
Heli-Core Wires also prevent a phenomenon known as Inductive crossfire. When two wires are routed close to each other and happen to follow the firing order of the engine, the spark from one wire could be induced into the other wire. This would cause the other cylinder to ignite far advanced and will cause detonation. For example, the firing order of a small block Chevrolet is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2. Notice that cylinders 5 and 7 are next to each in both the firing order and the in their position in the block. If the spark from the number 5 plug wire is induced into the number 7 wire, a spark will occur in the cylinder causing detonation. Sooner or later engine damage will occur.
MSD Spark Plug Wires prevent inductive crossfire withMSD's special winding procedure and center core material. The EMI and voltage is held within the wire and is transferred only to the plug!
Other customers who purchased this product also purchased:


text:
I went to a special ceremony at the Montandon American Legion Tuesday night honoring five area veterans in need and gifting them with $1,000 just in time for the holidays.
It was very touching and a very positive experience.
As these additional photographs will show, you can tell they were military vets due to their incredible posture and at-attention stance, even in a casual atmosphere.
Here's some extra photos:
The presentation came after a beautiful ceremonycalled "Post Eternal," which is held during the December monthly meeting each year, according to Dale Yount, the Judge Advocate for the Motandon Legion (and pictured in the first photo in the Legion hat).
The ceremony honors those members of the Legion that have passed away in the last year.


text:
The problem
The Expression Problem, coined by Phil Wadler, describes a situation where you have a sum type and some operations on it; the problem is to be able to both add new cases to the sum type as well as add new operations. Some approaches, e.g. OOP, make it easy to add new disjuncts (just make a new subclass, and implement all the appropriate methods) but annoying to add new operations (you have to go back through and add a new method implementation for every existing class); others, e.g. algebraic data types, make it easy to add new operations (just write a new function) but annoying to add new disjuncts (you can add a new constructor to your data type but then you have to go through and add a new case to the implementation of every existing function).
This problem shows up, in a disguised form, in diagrams. Our "sum type" is the set of primitives that can be used to build diagrams; our "operations" are different backends. We have adopted a somewhat more dynamic solution: primitives can be any type, and backends declare which primitives they can handle by implementing an instance of
Renderable. This means that new primitives can be easily added (just make a new type; it does not require changing existing backends, which will simply not be able to render it) but also new backends.
This is sort of like having an algebraic data type for primitives, but allowing the backends (thought of as functions) to have "incomplete pattern matching", i.e. to simply not handle some primitives. Literally implementing it that way would be undesirable, however, because then handing a diagram to a backend which contained primitives it did not handle would cause the program to crash with a runtime pattern match failure.
Note, if we did away with the ability of different backends to support different primitive types, these problems would all go away. We could just have a single algebraic data type specifying the static list of primitives that all backends must support, and that would be that. (This is the approach taken by many simpler drawing libraries, e.g. gloss.) However, (it seems to me at least) that the added flexibility of backends which can't support certain primitives, or support extra special backend-specific primitives, is a really nice feature that would be very painful to give up.
The solution, and a Choice
Instead, the "algebraic data type" of primitives is left implicit, with each primitive simply represented by its own type. At this point, however, there are two choices, corresponding, essentially, to static vs. dynamic typing.
Static typing
This is the approach currently taken. Each backend has a "token type" and must implement instances of the form
Renderable Prim Backend. Prims get wrapped up in an existential wrapper along with an appropriate
Renderable instance. When a backend goes to render some primitives, it just unwraps them and uses the enclosed
Renderable instance; it doesn't even need to know what type they are.
This does mean, however, that the backend type must show up as a parameter to the
Diagram type---otherwise the existentially quanitifed
Renderable instances would be useless, as there would be no way to know which backend they are for! However, this also makes sense, in a way. If a diagram has type
Diagram Foo R2, then we know statically that it can only contain primitives which can be rendered by backend Foo---because any primitive of type
P must be wrapped up with a
Renderable P Foo instance, and the only way to obtain such an instance is if it is provided by the backend.
More generally, diagrams can be given polymorphic types like
(Backend b R2, Renderable (Path R2) b, Renderable Image b) => Diagram b R2
with one constraint for each different type of primitive contained in the diagram.
- Rendering will never fail at runtime. We know statically that if it typechecks to give a certain diagram to a certain backend, the backend knows what to do with all the primitives it contains.
- The backend type parameter ends up "infecting" quite a lot of types, including XXX list
Dynamic typing
TODO describe alternative approach with pros and cons


text:
Now awaiting a frolic through your senses is one of nature's most delightful candies, a reward so discreet that you probably pass it by during walks on life's long, green path. When you are next high on some mountain trail, in dense coniferous woods, or near a spruce bog, find an elegant vine with tiny, waxy leaves. Drop to your knees because here is your low-hanging fruit: a sweet wintergreen explosion known as Creeping Snowberry.
No wild food is more enchanting. Creeping Snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula), a northern and boreal member of the heath family (Ericaceae), dispenses its little white gifts in August and September. Although I'm reluctant to mention them in the same sentence, Creeping Snowberry fruits resemble Tic Tac® candies. But beyond their size and shape, there is no comparison. Not even close. Willy Wonka couldn't have designed a more intoxicating experience. Continue reading


text:
Around Valentine's Day, people get extra-interested in each other's dating status. If I don't have a girlfriend/boyfriend, my single-hood is usually easy to explain:
1. I don't want a relationship right now
2. I've got this good thing going with my ex? He still tells me I'm pretty, we have sleepovers, and he helps me move, but he's agreed not to talk about his "feelings" or "where this is going"?
3. I've got this good thing going with someone else's boyfriend/girlfriend? But I promised not to talk about it.
4. I've made zero effort to obtain one. (Maybe a .5 effort, if myspace browsing counts) I mean, I don't even like, "go out." Like, ever.
This year, we are looking at Number 4. Haviland thought it would be "fun" if I did a Top Ten Reasons why you should be my girlfriend. But I thought that might be too obvious and I don't want to dissuade potential Valentines. It's sneakier to just get them in your ring and then pounce like a tiger. Then Karen suggested REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY.
So: I went to a private school for "gifted" students for grades 6-8. The Most Bad-Ass Thing the boys ever did was secretly play Magic the Gathering under the table and the Most Bad-Ass Thing the girls ever did was when we stole Ho-Hos from the vending machine. Our health teacher, who I'll call "Barb," wore 50's-style cat-eye glasses, frumpy polyester skirts and scuffed velcro sneakers with athletic knee socks. Barb's most noted fashion trademark, however, was the one inevitably un-buttoned button of her antique blouse, revealing her brasserie. Barb gave us condoms and bananas and showed us Mystery Science Theater 2000 versions of Sex Ed videos and raved about how much fun it was to have sex with her husband. That vision haunted us. We didn't want to have sex anymore.
So I'm thinking if reverse psychology squelched any sexual activity happening in middle school (or else we were all just kinda ugly then, and had a lot of metal in our mouths), then it should probably also work on girlfriends.
Also, I have no time, and since I never write about my dating life or anything, and since I've got a list of "things that are wrong with me" pretty much at the forefront of my paleolithic skull, this should be easy to whip out. Fast. (Side note: I ramble when I go quickly. If you haven't noticed already)
10. I Have a Thing With Penetration. Of Your Ear. With My Wet Finger.
I've had this problem (a compulsive desire to submit my companions to wet willies) for about 6-7 years now. After her 25th subjection to this childlike attack, Haviland suggested: "I think you have a thing with like, penetration." (true) But it's really hard for me to lie in bed next to someone (read: really, ANYONE) in a non-sexual situation (read; not actively HAVING sex, though if we've JUST had sex, it's totally fair game) and not try to stick my finger in their ear. I don't know why. When I dated [redacted], he woke me up with a high-quality sneak-attack wet willie on the first night he slept over and I was like "Holy shit, you've been sent here by G-d to reek vengeance on me for all my sins of the past." That turned out to be true in many ways.
9. I Don't Do: Relationships, Sleepovers, Brunch, "Talking on the Phone," Feelings.
Unless um, I like you a lot. Then I'll do all of those things except brunch. Unless you're cooking it. Or I am.
8. I've Got Some Tight Girl-Friends (Just Friends!) Who I Often Prioritize. And I Might Call Them While You Are in the Bathroom.
Let me quote my spice girls, who once said: "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends." By "get," they mean "enjoy the company of." If you actually "got" with my friends, like in the biblical sense, I'd probably hack into your myspace account and post comments on the pages of your Top 8 encouraging them to try this great new diet drug that helped you lose a few pounds. Also, because this is the community on which "the chart" was based, I'd be surprised if you haven't already "got"ten with my friends. And I mean that biblically.
7. I'm Bisexual
I'm bisexual. That's pretty much irrelevant. But according to the Big Bi Survey I am currently conducting, only 16.4% of bisexual women (I have almost 400 responses so far) DISAGREE with the statement "Lesbians don't want to date bisexual girls," and 63% agree with that statement. I mean, sure, I'm slutty, flighty, confused, deranged, homicidal, insane, likely to leave you for a man, likely to initiate a threesome, likely to be in transition to gay or straight, totally likely to really want to date a man and a woman both at the same time, because otherwise how on earth could my perverted appetites be satisfied, but like, so what? Rita Mae Brown used a handgun to blow out the rear window of Martina Mavratilova's BMW. So you homos have your own issues, k?
6. Sometimes Dating Me is Sort of Like Becoming a Fictional Character
You will immediately become a part of The Automatic Win World. That means you will be photographed, quoted, described, and flattered, 2-3 times a week, right here on this blog. You will be expected to comment. On the up-side, if we stop seeing each other, I won't bitch about you or mention a breakup. I will continue to speak of you only when appropriate, e.g. a yearly quotes round-up, appropriate photograph, when describing your assault on my ears with your finger (see "[redacted]" in "10").
5. I Like the Stairmaster More than I Like You.
There are not many things that can come between me and my date with The Gym. The best way to avoid this conflict is to book 24-48 hours ahead of time, because then we're good to go. But as soon as I've decided to go to the gym on a particular day, I'm going. A "Day-Of" surprise will not be accepted, unless it involves: 1. Famous People, 2. Copious Amounts of Free Things And/Or Money, 3. Fame, 4. Tickets to an Amazing Event.
This shouldn't be complicated, really. But most people want someone to talk them out of going to the gym (e.g. "Skip the gym, baby, let's go have brunch insteadddd...."), so my partners are often surprised by my resolute and firm insistence (and my firm BOD). The thing is, it's got nothing to do with my body. It just pumps up my endorphins and helps my fibromyalgia, which you probably haven't even heard of, so there.
4. I Really Believe That Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder.
I actually go slightly insane when I get manicures because I can't read at the same time because I can't use my fingers, which means I am doing NOTHING at all besides just having my fingers painted (podcasts have fixed this problem). This is just to say that I like to pack each moment with as much activity as possible.
Because I'm a little obsessed about: 1. Time Management and 2. My Alone-Time. I like being Alone. I always have work to do.
This is kind of irritating to others, and I'm working on it.
Also, if I'm like, "in love," then this rule can be adjusted slightly. Somewhere between "slightly" and "completely."
Bonus: long-distance relationships are totally fine with me.
3. I Can Be a Little Annoying about Restaurants, Though Most of My Friends Are Equally Insane, Though in Different Ways, So I Have No Conception of This Being Strange.
-I will not consume Aspertine, aka "Equal" or "Nutrasweet" in any context.
-I don't like spicy food. I consider excessive amounts of pepper to be a spice.
-I won't eat meat except for: heavily marinated grilled chicken and cheeseburgers.
-I will eat meat that is not grilled chicken or cheeseburgers if it is prepared by a chef at an expensive restaurant or by Ingrid Greenfield.
-I have been known also to eat hot dogs and fat-free bologna.
-I won't eat any kind of meat from Empire Corner or any other restaurant that costs below $10/entree and delivers faster than I could make toast.
-I won't eat anything that is heavy on onions or chives or garlic.
-I won't eat pasta or ice cream before sunset.
-I won't go inside a Chinese restaurant or a fast food restaurant or any place that has a scent I think might linger on my clothing after I leave.
-If you put sugar in my coffee or bring me Diet Coke instead of regular, I will kill you with a 6-liter bottle of Whoop-Ass.
-I won't drink beer. Or gin. Or anything lemon-lime flavored.
-I will not watch you eat wings or ribs.
-I can eat whatever I want and not get fat, which is annoying to some girls. On the up-side of this, if you pick up my eating habits, I will totally support you and your added weight, because I agree with Tyra Banks that she is not fat, and I agree with 89% of OK! Magazine readers that curvy girls are way sexier than skinny girls.
2. I'm Always Late
On the up-side, I'm probably late because I'm making you a card. Or getting you a present. Or trying to pick the outfit that would most please you. Or because I have no concept of how time works, and I often cling to the knowledge that if every train arrives exactly when I need it to, it is POSSIBLE that I will be on time.
Also. I'm working on this. (actually the funny thing is, I am running late AS I WRITE THIS!)
1. I Don't Want a Girlfriend.
Or do I?
Feel free to apply for this position. Or say mean things to me from personal experience. Or nice things! Just click "add comment."


text:
So I'm probably going to get a lot of heat for this so it may not be up for long, but what can I say, I'm a die hard reporter at heart. Besides, I don't have much to take away lol.
Above are some pics of Rihanna, her brother Rorrey, Chris Brown and Rihanna's sometimes best friend Blacklandra Leandra,. You judge the pics for yourself but to me it seems like a nice friendly trip to the island, despite making my blog and subsequently newspaper headlines, Slow news week that's all I can say about that. I hope they continue to enjoy their trip and pump some change into the Barbadian economy. Commerce is as commerce does people.


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Mr. Hood wrote:
Saturday - 07/16/1994
Summer Stage at Sugarbush
North Fayston, VT
Set I: Golgi Apparatus, Down with Disease, NO2, Stash, The Lizards, Cavern, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Maze > Sparkle, Sample in a Jar
Set II: Run Like an Antelope -> Catapult -> Run Like an Antelope, Harpua -> Also Sprach Zarathustra -> Harpua, AC/DC Bag, Scent of a Mule, Harry Hood, Contact, Chalk Dust Torture
Encore: Suzy Greenberg
Notes: Golgi was preceded by an a cappella line of Back in My Hometown. Harpua included a narration about the comet that crashed into Jupiter. Poster got hit by a comet. Antelope included a Simpsons signal and Trey running around the stage with a megaphone. Catapult saw Fishman take a verbal jab at Trey and his upcoming wedding before quickly recanting. Chalk Dust included a Barracuda tease. This show was officially released as Live Phish 02.
willbreathes wrote:That was last 2.0 show.. but not my favorite.
gamecat wrote:willbreathes wrote:That was last 2.0 show.. but not my favorite.
What was your fave 2.0 show? Just curious.
Return to General Phish Discussion
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Blake Lively might be at the top of her game now – but when the "Gossip Girl" star was 3 years old, her teacher thought she was struggling with a learning disability – but only because her mom lied about her age.
"When I was only 3 years old, my mom enrolled me in the first grade. My older brother was supposed to start school, but he didn't want to go alone, so my mom told them I was 6 since I was so tall," Blake said in an interview with Marie Claire in it's December issue. "But after a few weeks, they said they would have to put me in mentally disabled classes because I wasn't up to pace with the rest of the kids."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: XOXO! Hot Shots From 'Gossip Girl'
The actress said her toddler instinct to for naptime wasn't welcomed in her first grade class.
"They thought that I was slow because all I wanted to do was sleep while the other kids were doing their projects," she said with a laugh. "So my mom took me out of school."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'Gossip Girl's' Queen B — Leighton Meester
Blake's mom might have caused concern when she lied about her daughter's age, but she made up for it with frequent childhood trips to Disneyland.
"I kind of feel like I grew up at Disneyland," Blake explained. "My mom would take me there twice a week. I did well in school, so I guess my mom just wanted to have some extra time to bond with me. Sometimes, when I was older, she'd keep me out till one in the morning. We only stayed out late on weekends. We'd get a hotel room and then go to Denny's, drink coffee, and talk for hours."
Blake says her late night adventures with her mom have helped her to become a better actress.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Blake Lively: From Hollywood To The Upper East Side!
"I've always been a night owl. Even at home, we'd stay up all night talking. My mom tells the most amazing stories," she told the mag. "In a way, she was kind of raising me to be a great actress without even realizing it."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Star Style: 2009 Emmy Fashion Report
PLAY IT NOW: 'Gossip Girls' On The Town!
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Blake Lively - Gossip Girl - Celebrities - Style - TV


text:
So, you know when you spend forever writing a post and then think you have set that post live and then one day think 'I don't remember how well that post did' and then you check and see that you didn't actually set it live and instead it is still sitting in your drafts and that's the reason why nobody has viewed liked or commented on it and that you're terrible at being a blogger but it's ok because it's ok to be whatever you are in that moment as long as you're not harming anyone else and that nobody will mind if you set it live now even though it's close to a month of being out of date?
Welcome one, welcome all to my 2018 mid year reading review! It's the end of June
(lies!) and I see that people like to do a mid year review, so I thought I would join in. So, without further ado, and without hesitating, or dragging this out any longer than necessary, or delaying for no rea… (you've already done this joke once, Stark. Get some new material!)
Tough crowd. Hey ho, let's go!
Books Read
1. Damaged Goods by Richard McAuliffe, Mark Chilcott
2. The Long Year by Claire Connelly
3. Rat Tail Curves by James Ostby
4. Primal Awareness by Rob Wildwood
5. The Girl from the Other Side Vol 03 by Nagabe
6. TEOTFW by Charles Forsman (My Show vs Comic post)
7. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (My review)
8. Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (My review)
9. Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (My review)
10. Assassination Classroom Vol 01 by Yūsei Matsui, Tetsuichiro Miyaki (Translator)
11. Lady Mechanika Vol 01 by Joe Benitez, Peter Steigerwald
12. The Summer of Crud by Jonathon LaPoma (My review)
13. anemogram. by Rebecca Gransden (My review)
14. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
15. Long Lost #1 by Matthew Erman, Lisa Sterle
16. Wayward Vol 01 by Jim Zub, Steve Cummings, John Rauch
17. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
18. Drift Stumble Fall by M. Jonathon Lee (My review)
19. Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt by John Cooper Clarke
20. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (My Review)
21. Giant Days Vol 02 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, Max Sarin
22. Cauldron's Bubble by Amber Elby (My review)
23. The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor
24. Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi
25. The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace
26. Pulse by Danielle Koste (My review)
27. Creases by Jack CJ Stark (Is this cheating? It might be cheating. I am a cheat. I am also Jack CJ Stark)
28. Rusticles by Rebecca Gransden (My review)
29. That Old Black Magic by Cathi Unsworth (My review)
30. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (My review)
31. Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks (My review)
Books and Pages Read Challenge
Last year I read 137 books and ~19,000 pages. I read a lot of short stories and single issue comics which bumped up the books read total and kept the pages read total low. For 2018, I wanted to read more collected volumes of comics to balance out the numbers. I also wanted to spend more time on writing, meaning I was not going to have as much time to read, so I lowered my goal considerably. I set my goal to 61 total books, and 12,200 pages. So far:
31 out of 61 books read. I am on track! I haven't specifically tried to be on track, it's just worked out that way. Which is cool.
5580 out of 12,200 pages read. So, I'm below target by about 600 pages. That's a lot. I need to up this.
Other Random Stats
I keep a bunch of other stats in my spreadsheet.
NEERRRRRRRRD! So let's have a look through some of them.
2 books by multiple, 15 male, 14 female. I'm happy that the male to female ratio is balanced, but I haven't read a single book by a genderqueer author yet this year. That is shameful. I will look to change this over the next 6 months.
160 pages by multiple, 2339 male, 3081 female. This means I am reading longer books by female than male. This is probably because most comics I read are written by men. We desperately need more non-male created comics to be published! If anyone has any recommendations for some, hit me up!
6 books with an ensemble, 10 with a male protag, 15 with a female protag. I often find this stat interesting to read. It doesn't tell me much about my own reading choices as I never decide to read a book based on the gender of the protag, but it does show that males write more female protag stories than females write male protag stories. I'm not about to start speculating as to why this is (I simply haven't done enough credible research into why), but I would be interested in learning why this is. And when I say, 'learning why this is' I mean, with a credible impartial study, not just subjective opinions. 🙂
There isn't really much to say about this is there. I would like to focus more on novels over the next 6 months.
There are no surprises for me here. I know I prefer Adult/Young Adult, and I'm not a fan of Middle Grade per se. Last year I read many more children's books with my niece, but she doesn't visit me as often these days so that's why this has dropped so much.
I want to do some work on recategorizing my genre charts and options. I have a sub-genre section as well, but it still doesn't tell me much. I will no doubt change this considerably some time soon.
I'm actually surprised the physical is this high. I am aiming to live a minimalist life, and have spent the last 6 months drastically reducing my physical possessions. I will most likely get to the point where I only read digital books, and I am 100% happy and content with that.
Yep, again, no surprises for me here. I have often mentioned how I struggle with larger books because of my short term memory issues. I can manage larger books, but about 400 pages is my limit, and I don't do well with large casts. I think though, in order to reach my pages read target, I will have to read more novels longer than 200 pages!
Yeah, I had a tough April. But I picked it back up in June. Hopefully I can maintain June's numbers through the rest of the year.
I don't reread a lot. I have some stories that I read each year (Skellig, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and others). I reread the Wayward Children books in prep for the release of book 3. Depending on if I can get an ARC of Winter of the Witch before the end of the year, I will reread book 1 and 2 of the Winternight trilogy.
I feel I have been a little generous with my ratings at the beginning of this year. I've always struggled to rate books on a 5 star scale. I have no idea how people manage with half stars, never mind those quarter stars! That's just madness! So earlier in the year, I changed to a different rating system. It's very easy and simple!
I now rate a book in the following areas; Writing, Setting, Plot, and Characters. Graphic novels and comics have an extra score for artwork/graphics. I use a 1, 3 or 5 for each area. 1 = it's poor, or problematic. 3 = Good, not great. 5 = Great. Then I total them up and average the score. I then round that up or down to the nearest full star, except 4 stars are always rounded down to 4. The only way to get a full 5 star rating is to score 5 in all areas. This means 4 stars is the easiest score to get (as it includes anything from 3.5-4.9). That average star rating is then used to fit into one of the following categories:
1 or 2 stars = Not recommended.
3 or 4 stars = Recommended.
5 stars = Golden pip.
Super duper easy and simple, right?! Look, I know that it might not seem that simple, and may appear to be unnecessarily complicated to most, but it really does help me feel better about my ratings. I write reviews as I go along for most reads, so I can often score these areas by about 75% of the way through, and then I just change them at the end if necessary. I'm also considering adding many more areas to score.
Short story collections or anthologies are scored per individual story and then the collection is given an average at the end.
So far this year, most of my reads have been enjoyable and scored between 3-4 stars. You see that 3.2% golden pip slice up there – that is one book, but you have to wait to see which one. Ooooooh tension building. Although, you may already know which it is if you read the review and have a memory like a normal person!
So which books have I particularly enjoyed so far this year? Well, I'm glad you have asked me that. These books were particularly enjoyable.
Beneath the Sugar Sky – My Review
anemogram. – My Review
Giant Days, Vol 2 (Did not review)
Cauldron's Bubble – My Review
Pulse – My Review
The Chalk Man (Did not review – I should probably review this)
And you know that one Golden Pip you are waiting with such anticipation to know! Well, of course it is this:
Rusticles – My Review
I want to reread anemogram some time soon because the first time I read it I loved it, and with my new rating system, it's Recommended status is likely to change. I have done enough gushing about how much I love Rebecca Gransden's writing, and it's embarrassing if I keep on about it, particularly given that I have had the occasional chat with Rebecca on the twitter machine. I have to play it cool right?! So people don't think I'm weird… *shifty eyes* But seriously, if you haven't read any of Rebecca's writing, do yourself a favour and pick up either Rusticles or anemogram. I can't guarantee you'll love them as much as I do, but I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy them at the least.
(Edit addition: Also, read the short stories BABY WITH A FLAMETHROWER, CHEWING GUM ON A MOUNTAIN because it's hilarious, and A Pulser Sunsetting because it's very typical of Gransden's enchanting dreamlike and unsettling style.)
Future Releases I'm Looking Forward to
I've just surprised myself by looking and noticing that I have very few books on my TBR that have not been released yet. Like, WTF? Here are the few I am looking forward to.
Double Double Toil by Amber Elby (Goodreads)
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden (Goodreads)
What the Flower Says of Death by Danielle Koste (EDIT: I've seen the final cover for this and IT IS STUNNING! [I will update this post with the actual cover after the cover reveal]) (Goodreads)
In Bloom by C.J. Skuse (Goodreads)
That's it for 2018! There are some I am looking forward to for early 2019 that I might be able to get an ARC for in 2018.
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (Goodreads)
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (Goodreads)
And that's my mid year review for 2018. So far, I am very happy with how my reading is going this year. Less so with how my writing is going! But that's a different matter. I need to read more longer books, and I MUST find at least a couple written by genderqueer authors.
In my original post that got stuck in the drafts…, I asked how your year is going, but most of you have already posted a mid year review by now, so instead I shall ask something else… *thinks*… *thinks a bit longer*… *it hurts*… erm…
Mashed or roasted potatoes?
If you want to collect your own stats, but don't know where to start, you can use my template by going here! Anyway, I'm off to add an additional 536 categories to score each book on in order to make my overall ratings easier. Until next time, Peace and Love!


text:
Sometimes, the best way to say "Thanks" is with a tip.
Once, I went for a manicure with my sister and forgot to take out the tip ahead of time. My manicurist had to go into my bag to find my wallet, and take out some money. I almost felt like I had to tip her for getting her own tip. Due to that experience, I usually have my tip ready before I go in for service. I now keep a stack of little envelopes in my car, just in case.
A while back, I posted about making my own gift card holder because Michael's doesn't give you one when you buy a gift card. Again I must comment on how ironic that is considering they sell all sorts of paper crafts and supplies. The process to make a tip envelope is similar to the gift card holder, but with a twist: 1) the envelopes are smaller 2) I run them through the printer.
I like to recycle the kraft envelopes that the kids get from school because they are big enough to feed through my printer. You can use paper too but in the spirit of recycling, I urge you to consider using the other side of previously used envelopes.
There are two ways to make your tip envelope:
1) Print out the template found here but shrink it until it's the size you want it to be. Then trace it right onto the brown paper. Stencil the word "Thanks"and cut out your envelope.
2) If you have photoshop skills, you could "copy" the template onto a new 8" x 11" canvas and repeat the envelope design on your page. Then insert the word "thanks" in the middle of the envelope, print, and then cut out your envelope.
No matter which way you choose, you end up with a cute little envelope. Mine are sized perfectly to fit a bill.
But this size also works great with coins.
Just pop in your tip and seal with tape or glue.
Until next time,


text:
Southern Belly: Hansen's Sno Bliz in New Orleans
Editor's note: Occasionally what looks at first glance to be a conventional guidebook transcends the genre in surprising ways. John T. Edge's Southern Belly is just such a read, which is why I'm pleased that he has allowed us to excerpt selected items from it on Serious Eats, where they appear every other week. —Ed Levine
By John T. Edge | According to the Roman calendar, summer begins in June. Try to tell that to a native of subtropical New Orleans. When it comes to marking the seasons down here, calendars don't count for much. Instead, locals with a sweet tooth will tell you that summer arrives on the Saturday after Easter, when Hansen's Sno Bliz throws open its screen door and serves the first customer on a five-month annual run.
New Orleans is a chockablock with snowball stands, jerry-rigged roadside hus that dispense cones of shaved ice drenched in a saccharine torrent of syrup. But Hansen's–set in a cinder-block rectangle on Tchoupitoulas Street in the city's Uptown neighborhood–is different. The late Ernest and Mary Hansen were the couple who defined that difference, the husband and wife team responsible for making good on the placard behind the counter, the one that reads, "Air-Condition Your Tummy With a Hansen's Snow Bliz."
In 1934 Ernest decided to build a better snowball. At the time, untold vendors worked the streets of the city, rasping ice from oversized Eskimo blocks with the same sort of wood plane your dad might have used to shave down the kitchen door when it stuck. "That never seemed clean to me," he told me. "They always seemed like they got a little dirt in there. I thought I could do it better. Figured I could build a machine to shave the ice." He succeeded. And he earned U.S. Patent 2525923.
Mary developed her own syrups and sold snowballs from a rickety stand in her mother's front yard. She set her price at two cents, when the going rate was a penny. "But we always gave good value," she said. "We always give three squirts of syrup, one for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Ghost."
Over the years, Hansen's acquired a mystique, an ethic worthy of its status as beloved neighborhood institution. Time and flights of fancy begat a lexicon of confections. What will it be? A baby duper, a duper, or a super-duper size? And then there are the variants on the snowball theme—like the hot dog, a spumoni-like snowball and fruit combo, and the oversized tubs of shaved ice sold to the local frat houses, just ready to be doused with a jolt of Golden Grain.
For the most part, though, the Hansens have kept it simple. Miss Mary and Mr. Ernest have since passed, but their granddaughter, the beatific Ashley Hansen, still peddles shaved, syrup-stoked ice by the cup and bucket to any and all for five precious months.
Address: 4801 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans LA 70115 (map)
Phone: 504-89-9788
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