text:
BBC News
- Coronavirus: Rishi Sunak to unveil 'kickstart jobs scheme' for young people
- 'I was terrified to put on weight' - the 'culture of fear' in British gymnastics
- Coronavirus: No 10 refuses to apologise for PM's 'crass' care home remark
- Mesh, Primidos and valproate failings highlighted by review
- Johnny Depp: Claims in the Sun he beat ex-wife 'complete lies', court told
- TikTok algorithm promoted 'sickening' anti-Semitic meme
- Boohoo dropped by Next, Asos and Zalando over exploitation claims
- 'Home-schooling has been hell'
- New government unit to take over Covid response
- Robust plan for PPE 'must be in place for winter'
- Cerne Abbas Giant: Snails show chalk hill figure 'not prehistoric'
- Wymondham: Six-year-old litter-picker 'trying to save the world'
- Coronavirus: Welsh care homes 'badly let down'
- Coronavirus: Three England pubs close after positive tests
- Half of leisure centres could close, warns trade body
- Coronavirus: What guidance did care homes get from the government?
- How would a stamp duty holiday work?
- Coronavirus: Wear masks in crowded public spaces, says science body
- Bike sales surge helps Halfords through lockdown
- Coronavirus lockdown: Eight ways the lockdown has changed the UK
- Workers not eligible for furlough: 'It's been very stressful'
- Arts industry welcomes £1.57bn govt support package
- Wales tourism hopes as five-mile travel limit ends
- The North Korean refugees supplying PPE to care homes
- Coronavirus lockdowns: Where is next after Leicester?
- Coronavirus doctor's diary: Bradford worries about the whack-a-mole mallet
- Coronavirus: How will London's economy look after lockdown?
- Coronavirus: Contact tracing 'a steep learning curve'
- Coronavirus: Widnes couple say 'I do' after clock strikes midnight
- The spying game: China's global network
- 'Rishi Sunak: We need help with rent, money and jobs'
- Shooting celebrities: Thirty years behind the lens
- Cumberlege review: The patients who fought for answers
- Purfleet-on-Thames: The town that changed its name to attract visitors
- Duchess of Cornwall 'can't wait to hug' her grandchildren
- Racism and statues: How the toxic legacy of empire still affects us
- Rishi Sunak's summer statement: Five things he may do
- Coronavirus: Thousands say debilitating symptoms last 'for weeks'
- Working from home: 'I'm a bit brainier than he thought I was'
- Coronavirus: Two Metres of Separation
- Coronavirus: 'Super Saturday' tales as bars reopen
- Friends embrace 'Super Saturday' as pubs and bars reopen
- Coronavirus: Before and after portraits of haircuts as hairdressers reopen
- The Vulcan: memories and mysteries uncovered as Cardiff pub is rebuilt
- Camilla and Dame Judi on TikTok and learning new lockdown skills
- Coronavirus: Care workers reunited with families after 12 weeks
- Pub manager on coronavirus news: 'We contacted every one of our customers'
- 'They paused my chemo because of Covid'
- Racism and statues: How the toxic legacy of empire still affects us
- Nigel Slater's Toast returns in digital production
- Newspaper headlines: Sunak's £2bn jobs fund and 'shock' Depp claims
- Bianca Williams: Met refers British sprinter stop-and-search
- Coronavirus: Scottish finance secretary makes fresh call for new powers
- Bobby Storey funeral: Stormont politicians back apology motion
- Black Lives Matter: 'Racism in slaver monument town left me in tears'
- DHL to cut 2,200 jobs at Jaguar Land Rover plants
Below we are listing a number of UK job websites that have full-time and part-time job opportunities available in the NORTHCOTES area.
Fish4 Jobs
JobSeekers (Direct.Gov.uk)
http://api.indeed.com/ads/apisearch?publisher=4773927896266615&q=&l=DN36 5UX&sort=&radius=5&st=&jt=&start=&limit=10&fromage=&filter=&latlong=1&co=gb&chnl=AVUK&userip=220.127.116.11&useragent=CCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)&v=2
Jobs at IndeedWarning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in D:\Webvirtual\ANYWeb\www\Wordpress\wp-content\plugins\shortcode-exec-php\shortcode-exec-php-class.php(895) : eval()'d code on line 9
Looking for more jobs...
jobs by


text:
Filed under: Capitalism, Economy, Election 2012, Statism, Taxes | Tags: big government, Inefficiency of Government, Overspending
A report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently revealed that the United States now spends more on means-tested welfare than any other item in the federal budget — including Social Security, Medicare or national defense. Including state contributions to the roughly 80 federal poverty programs, the total amount spent in 2011 was approximately $1 trillion. Federal spending on such programs was up 32 percent since 2008.
If you believe that giving a good chunk of your income to the government because they will use it to do good and help the poor is a good thing, you might need to rethink that.
Last year the government spent over $60,000 to support welfare programs for each household that is in poverty. The calculations come from the Census, the Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Research Service. That dollar figure is almost three times the amount the average household in poverty lives on each year.
So, if I am doing the math correctly, and $60,000 divided by 3 is $20,000, then it costs the government $40,000 to distribute $20,000 to the poor to keep them poor. So they could just mail a check for $50,000, which is approximately the median national household income, to each poor family, and thus eliminate poverty completely.
Then they would still have $10,000 per household left over to pay for stamps, envelopes and the checks, which would leave a fair amount left over to return to the taxpayers, or have a big blowout convention in Las Vegas.
That's a fair demonstration of why Republicans oppose big government.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Statement from House Democratic Leader Richard E. Hammel (D-Mt. Morris Township) On Governor Snyder's State of the State Address
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
"Democrats are encouraged that the Governor sounds prepared to get moving on initiatives we have long supported to create jobs now, such as breaking ground on a second international bridge and giving more tools to small businesses. We stand ready to work with him on developing more specifics about these and other ideas, but his commitment to taking on special interests and helping middle class families is a good start."


text:
The advent of the information age and how people get their news has contributed to a cultural shift that has made effective dialogue on both the left and the right more problematic than ever, said Erick-Woods Erickson, editor-in-chief of RedState.com and a frequent Fox News contributor during his presentation at Benedictine University on Tuesday.
"We have the ability to form our separate cultural idioms and our separate ways of talking to each other in a way we used to not be able to," Erickson said. "This makes it much more difficult in this country for someone to come to a position of power because there are so many more conversations and culturally idiomatic expressions and languages within languages that people have to learn."
The University brought Erickson to campus as part of the nonpartisan Center for Civic Leadership (CCL) speaker series at Benedictine. Established in 2005 under the direction of former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, a 1969 Benedictine graduate and Distinguished Fellow, the CCL seeks to shape a new generation of public leaders and responsible citizens. The University invites prominent public figures to speak on campus to expose students and the community to multiple viewpoints on current topics.
Erickson focused mostly on power struggles and changing political philosophies within the Republican Party during his lecture, discussing the impact of the 2010 elections, changes in political party designations, the Affordable Care Act, the recent government shutdown and other events. He also discussed the role of the media in shaping public opinion, his experiences working on political campaigns and as a city council member in Macon, Ga.
He credited Bill Clinton with inadvertently creating the first wave of the tea party movement in 1994, when more conservative Democrats opted to switch parties, shifting political ideologies within the Republican Party.
"Conservative policy positions became Republican policy positions because all of the conservatives had moved into the Republican Party," he said. "Many of the Democrats of 1990 are Republicans today. This presents a problem for the conservative movement and where we are with the tea party movement."
After U.S. Sen. John McCain lost to Obama in 2008, Republicans and tea party conservatives fought back and pushed more leaders into state and federal offices, but their success ended in the nomination of a lackluster conservative for president in 2012, Erickson said.
"The Republicans thought they were on to something, and then they nominated a man who focused-grouped whether or not he should wear jeans in public," Erickson said. "Whether you liked Barack Obama or not as a conservative, most people liked him better than Mitt Romney. Even I liked him more than Mitt Romney."
Erickson forecasted that the 2014 primary season will be one of the "bloodiest" ever for any political party in light of the recent Citizens United U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which opens the door for outside groups to raise money against longtime Republican donors.
The challenge will be for Republicans to nominate a candidate who can bring the party and nation together, he said.
"Unless we can find a politician who can pull us back together and find common ground for all of us, we're going to be in much more of a world of hurt than we are now," Erickson said. "Politics in the United States is cyclical. Ask Karl Rove how his permanent Republican majority is doing for him. Politics ebbs and flows. One party is dominate and than the other party is dominate. For anyone who thinks Democrats will dominate this country for the next decade I have to tell you that events change things."
Meghan Nolan, a senior Political Science major at Benedictine, who describes herself as more left- leaning, said it was refreshing to hear Erickson, a conservative, call out Republican leaders for their failings.
Latest Naperville Sun
"It was interesting to me that even someone from the right-wing conservative blogosphere is sitting here saying that their candidate, which the majority of their party affiliation had chosen to run, was horrible and he knew he wasn't going to win to begin with," Nolan said.
Alex Adkins, a junior Political Science major, said he was optimistic Republicans will regain control in Washington, but that they will need to do a better job of communicating and explaining their side.
"Right now I think the Democrats are doing a much better job of saying what they mean and are able to communicate with people better," Adkins said. "I think Republicans need to change this as well if they want to take control."
To learn about more upcoming speakers sponsored by CCL, visit www.ben.edu/ccl.


text:
What's Up in Pizza: Pizzaioli Mafia, Grimaldi Wars, and More!
In a fascinating read, the New York Post adapted a segment from the soon-to-be-published Mob Boss: The Life of Little Al D'Arco, the Man Who Brought Down the Mafia, by Jerry Capeci and Tom Robbins. The excerpt dealt exclusively with the chef and owner of Ray's Pizza, Ralph "Raffie" Cuomo. Despite being a popular success, turning out delicious pies was mostly a front. Together with the DiPalermo brothers (leading members of the Luchese crime family) Ralph would spend most of the rest of his life dealing heroin, until his death in 2008.
Next we have Detroit Lions wide receiver, Nate Burleson. Rant Sports reports that he was driving in Farmington Hills, MI at around 2:25 AM, two boxes of pizza on the seat beside him. When he noticed the top box beginning to slip, he desperately leaned over to fix it—and immediately crashed into the median, breaking his arm in the accident. It's terrible timing for the Lions, who take on the undefeated Chicago Bears next Sunday.
Over at Gothamist HQ, a debate has been raging—Grimaldi's or Juliana's? Grimaldi's was their pizza place of choice every Friday for the last few years, but in the 9 months since Juliana's opened in the old Grimaldi's space, a shift has been occurring. A side-by-side comparison ensued to determine the new favorite. Their winner? Juliana's—which also happened to be the conclusion here at Slice, too. Anyone up for picking this particular bone is welcome to chime in below!
Lastly, Huffington Post caught on to some of the hottest pizza news of all. Our very own Ramen Pizza (part of Ramen Week 2013)! It blew their minds (duh), reminding them of "an Italian version of Hong Kong-style crispy noodles." Obviously Kenji's mad scientist genius is a given, so in case you missed it check out the original post for his recipe and musings!
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
Actress/activist to address issues of diversity
Sheryl Lee Ralph, an award-winning actress, activist, and author, will deliver a keynote address during An Evening of Diversity & Empowerment, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 28, at the University of Rochester's Alumni and Advancement Center (300 East River Road).
The program, which is the brainchild of Rochester alumna Melanie Silas, builds on the momentum of the University of Rochester's fifth annual diversity conference, taking place earlier that day. The event aims to encourage guests to engage in ways to advance issues of diversity and empowerment at the University and in the community.
Using her own life story to illustrate her vision, Ralph will share her perspective on feminism, LGBTQ concerns, multiculturalism, and other issues of diversity. Ralph, who is perhaps best known for her performance as Deena Jones in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, has had a successful career as a film and television actress and singer. Most recently, she appeared on NBC's Smash, playing the mother of Jennifer Hudson's character, and on Nick at Nite's sitcom, Instant Mom.
The evening also includes a question and answer session with Ralph, a proclamation from Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, and artistic performances by MJS Productions and FuturPointDance. Five community organizations, the In-Control Program, the STAR Program, the Good Fellas Program, the Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, will receive Empowerment Awards for their work uplifting and empowering Rochester youth. Additionally, Trillium Health will be recognized with the Community Empowerment Award.
Tickets, which are $10 for University of Rochester students, $25 for University faculty and staff, and $35 for the general public, can be purchased at the Common Market in Wilson Commons or at Rochester area Wegmans. For more information, call 585.210.2422585.210.2422 or visit www.mjsproductions.org.
Several University departments, including the Alumni and Advancement Center, the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership, the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity, and the Intercultural Center serve as sponsors for the evening. Additional sponsors and partners include Trillium Health, Me Time Massage & Wellness Center, DM Williams Funeral Home, Breakthru Magazine, Advantage Federal Credit Union, Minute Man Press, Afficial, Francis Clement of Northwestern Mutual Financial, Beauty By LaCassa, ETIL, Exclusively Maisha, Our Voice Magazine, Caring and Sharing Child Care Center, Caring and Sharing Junior Academy, Todd Elliot Media, the Office of Human Resources-Organizational Development and Staff Diversity at Monroe Community College, the City of Rochester, and WDKX.
Category: University News


text:
It's no hidden secret that black men are known for being well-hung. When it comes to live cam sites, they're some of the most fun to watch, especially if you love seeing dudes with huge dicks! This is precisely why you're going to love the hot, studly black men on Rabbits Cams. These guys are the best on the Net and have the big cocks you're dying to see!
Is this your first time entering a live chat site? Perhaps it's the opposite and you've been to many cam sites before. Either way, you will find these hot black men to be completely friendly, welcoming and open-minded. These are men that are professionals and know exactly what to say and do to provide you with a warm, comforting environment where all your biggest fantasies can come to life!
In order to get the most of the experience these men are giving you, you're going to want to see and hear all the action as clearly as possible. You should also have the abiliSty the customize your experience. Here's what you'll find
Some of you may prefer spontaneously clicking on any model's webcam and getting to know them by chatting. This is certainly fine, but if you want to know more about a performer before you start investing some time, make sure to take a look at their profile! They'll give you plenty of stats about their appearance and physical attributes, as well as detailing the things that turn them on and what you can expect from their live shows.
First, we want to make one thing abundantly clear and that's the fact that these cams are 100% free to view. Some sites place time limits, but we let you watch as many live cams as you want for free with no time restraints. However, there are many benefits to creating an account.
These hot black studs are waiting for you! Enter now and start browsing our selection of several sexy black men. Whether you're looking for a guy with six-pack abs or someone that has a tall, slender frame, you'll find your dream dude in no time. Best of all, you can either come back and continuously interact with the same models that have satisfied you in the past, or enjoy meeting new and fresh faces. Either way, endless possibilities await you on Rabbits Cams!
All models appearing on this website are 18 years or older.
© 2003 – 2020 rabbitscams.sex. All rights reserved.
rabbitscams.sex LIVE SEX CAM is the best quality live webcam available. Chat for free live 1-on-1 with these hotties, watch a show you'll never forget or join in on the action and let them see and hear you with our cam2cam feature! rabbitscams.sex is the most popular live cam community featuring sexy amateurs and pornstars from all over the world.


text:
The Diamond CRM is a very versatile antenna mounting bracket. It can be used in a variety of mobile or fixed applications such as motor home ladders, luggage racks and balcony railings. The U-bolt capacity is 1 1/16". The hole is 5/8" for normal UHF type mount.
Copyright 2012 Universal Radio, Inc.


text:
Access control is all about who are you and what you are allowed to do. As it turns out, one of those questions is easy to reliably answer, and the other basically impossible. Malcolm Gladwell wrote on the difference between puzzles and mysteries:
"The national-security expert Gregory Treverton has famously made a distinction between puzzles and mysteries. Osama bin Laden's whereabouts are a puzzle. We can't find him because we don't have enough information. The key to the puzzle will probably come from someone close to bin Laden, and until we can find that source bin Laden will remain at large.
The problem of what would happen in Iraq after the toppling of Saddam Hussein was, by contrast, a mystery. It wasn't a question that had a simple, factual answer. Mysteries require judgments and the assessment of uncertainty, and the hard part is not that we have too little information but that we have too much. The C.I.A. had a position on what a post-invasion Iraq would look like, and so did the Pentagon and the State Department and Colin Powell and Dick Cheney and any number of political scientists and journalists and think-tank fellows. For that matter, so did every cabdriver in Baghdad."
In access control, we try to solve the "who are you" question with authentication and the "what are you allowed to do" question with authorization. However, the authentication process is really just an attempt to solve a mystery: We try to stitch together some details and guess whether the person on the other end of the http connection matches the record in the user directory. This cannot be done reliably or cost-effectively. Consider this list of 25 different authentication contexts supported by SAML (PDF) alone:
That's a lot of guesswork! The Infosec community, which has been underfunded since its inception, has come up with dozens of ways to guess at who a user is. It's an important problem, no doubt, but one seemingly without an answer.
Meanwhile, investment in authorization (solving puzzles) has languished. Sure, we have advanced from access-control lists to role-based access control, and some leading-edge companies are looking at attribute-based access control and standards like XACML. Still, the resources devoted to attempts at illuminating authentication mysteries dwarf solving authorization puzzles.
The basic function of an authorization decision maps the subject user requesting access to a policy governing what type, if any, access they have to the resource and under what conditions. It's fair to point out that the authorization decision can never be stronger than the initial authentication step -- if your authentication is spoofed, all bets are off -- but even though authorization can't be stronger than authentication, it can be weaker!
This matters because while both authentication failures and authorization failures lead to vulnerabilities, authentication vulnerabilities can only be reduced (by more accurate guessing), authorization vulnerabilities can be removed, zeroed out. Yet authorization vulnerabilities persist, and so whole classes of bugs, like Cross Site Request Forgery, live on and will until more resources are devoted to solving puzzles.
Improving authentication is about improving the quality of guesses. Authentication isn't perfect, but does SAML need a 26th or 27th different type of authentication context? In contrast, wouldn't it make more sense to work with what we have and ensure the scope, granularity, and coverage of our authorization are properly fitted to the resources we need to protect?
Gunnar Peterson is a Managing Principal at Arctec Group
Gunnar Peterson (@oneraindrop) works on AppSec - Cloud, Mobile and Identity. He maintains a blog at http://1raindrop.typepad.com. View Full Bio
Recommended Reading:


text:
BlackBerry® Protect is a free application designed to keep your information secure if your BlackBerry® smartphone goes missing.
If youre on an applicable consumer data plan (enterprise plans are not supported at this time), you can download BlackBerry Protect and then log into the website where you can lock, locate or wipe your smartphone from wherever you are.
You can also choose to have your crucial data backed up wirelessly and automatically, as often as you choose (daily, weekly, or monthly).
Manage multiple users with BlackBerry Management Center: BlackBerry Management Center
What's new with BlackBerry Protect version 18.104.22.168;
Release Notes:
- Support for backing up additional databases such as Password Keeper and Wi-Fi network profiles.
- Improvements to the backup and restore feature.
- Enhancements to applications deletion protection.
- Ability to stop and resume BlackBerry Protect Service
- Ability to automatically return your device to silent mode after making it play a sound.
- BlackBerry ID enhancements and setup fixes.
- Expansion of supported wireless service providers and BlackBerry device models.
- Support for additional display languages.
Download: BlackBerry Protect via BlackBerry App World
Please Note:
If you're not able to see this update in your BlackBerry device, press Alt+R+S+T (at the same time) to clear BlackBerry App World cache from your device.


text:
Containment Grows On Las Conchas Fire
Los Alamos Residents Returned Home Sunday
The Las Conchas Fire near Los Alamos is now estimated to be more than 137,000 acres, the largest wildfire in the history of New Mexico.
Officials said it is also the highest-priority wildfire in the entire country. The blaze is now 40 percent contained.
Click Like For New Mexico News Updates:
The wildfire was very active on Monday night. Fire officials said flames burning in the Oso Canyon were visible from Los Alamos, but the fire is well within containment lines.
Los Alamos Fire Chief Doug Tucker said residents shouldnt be alarmed.
This thing has not laid down, and so what people have to realize is take a look right now, see where the smoke is, so tonight when they see the glows and everything, they know its in the same place, Tucker said.
Mondays winds pushed flames back within containment lines. Because theres so much fuel, crews estimate that the fire will be burning for a while.
Now theres always a risk because this is a large, active fire and winds can charge and mother nature can throw anything at us, but right now, as we stand in Los Alamos there is no threat, firefighter Brad Pitassi said.
Fire crews spent their Fourth of July on hillsides watching for erratic fire behavior. With the possibility of thunderstorms, crews are preparing for winds that may increase fire intensity, change fire direction and increase spotting.
In addition, intense rainfall can quickly create dangerous road conditions. Precipitation in the fire area has been spotty. Overall, the fuels remain dry.
In the Los Alamos area, crews expect the fire to back slowly down slope against the wind. As thunderstorms generate winds, spot fires may develop.
Evacuations were lifted Sunday morning for Los Alamos residents. Los Alamos County officials said all normal access points to the Los Alamos Town site are now open with the following exceptions: State Route 4 remains closed west of Monterey Drive South and all access points to the Jemez Mountains remain closed.
Because the fire is not completely contained, wildfire and burnout operations will continue to produce heavy smoke.
Residents with respiratory problems in the path of smoke may want to consider relocating temporarily until smoke dissipates. Motorists should exercise caution due to reduced visibility.
Gov. Susana Martinez said the state has already spent about $2.8 million to fight the fire and the numbers will only go up.
Crews said the fire is still burning north through Santa Clara Pueblo and beyond. It has also pushed east through Santa Clara Canyon.
The fire has destroyed about 6,000 acres of land in Santa Clara Pueblo and also took the pueblo's vital watershed into flames. It has destroyed 63 homes and threatened about 450 others. It has also destroyed five commercial properties and threatened dozens more.
Firefighters said the flames are still active and that about 1,632 people are currently working to put the fire out from the ground and the air.
Officials said the Las Conchas Fire is now in areas where the Oso fire burned in 1998, the Cerro Grande fire in 2000 and where the South Fork fire burned last year.
But officials said they expect the containment percentage to grow for the next few weeks. They said crews are getting ahead of the fire as it begins to move north.
Los Alamos Laboratory Director Charles McMillian said the lab took air quality samples that revealed the air was no different than the air around any wildfire. The Environmental Protection Agency is also taking air samples.
Weve seen no detectable materials from the laboratory in (the data), and our laboratorys nuclear facilities continue to be safe secure and protected, McMillian said.


text:
A Colorado man whose use of a "Knee Defender" gadget on a plane helped spark a national debate over the right to recline seats on planes said he regrets how he handled himself. But he said he would consider using the controversial device again.
"Who's right is it? Is it my four inches or is that her four inches," James Beach asked in a "Today" show interview Thursday.
Beach, 48, was on a United Airlines flight to Denver from Newark, New Jersey, on Aug. 24., when he deployed the "Knee Defender," a device that attaches to a person's tray table, to stop the woman in front of him from reclining her seat.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
He removed the gadget from the seat at the request of a flight attendant. That's when the other passenger leaned back so fast, she nearly cracked his laptop, he said.
"She just took all the space, and I can't work now," Beach said.
Beach pushed the seat up "pretty hard" to put the "Knee Defender" back in and the woman threw a drink on him and his computer, he said.
Both Beach and the woman were escorted off the plane after it was diverted to a nearby airport.
"I felt terrible when I landed. I'm the first to admit I'm not proud of it," Beach said. Neither flyer was arrested or fined.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the "Knee Defender" is not illegal, but many airlines prohibit its use. Beach said he consider writing a letter to United and was surprised to see the incident trigger a wider debate.
"I did a Google search and saw it was everywhere, and that to me was shocking," he told "Today."
Two more flights were diverted that same week over reclined seats. An American Airlines flight from Miami to Paris landed in Boston after a man angry about a reclined seat allegedly grabbed a flight attendant.
Then on a Delta Air Lines flight from LaGuardia Airport to West Palm Beach, a woman who was knitting tried to recline her seat, angering a woman resting her head on a tray table.
Even though cramped airline seats and too little leg room are among flyers' top complaints, experts say airlines are not likely to provide more space. Some offer more leg room at extra charge.
"I'd rather have plastic stop your seat than my knee cap stop your seat," said the "Knee Defender's" inventor, Ira Goldman. "That's why I came up with it."
Beach said he might try to use the "Knee Defender" again but that he will try to set a better example for his children.
"I said to them, learn from what I just did and don't do the same thing," he said.


text:
|If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
|View Profile: Mary Sauer[_3_]
|Forum Info
OfficeFrustration records commence from: September 9th, 2008


text:
Do you find it difficult to write dissertation on the topic you have chosen? You have collected enough material but don't know how to go about it? Your writing skills are not up to the mark for writing dissertation yourself? Don't fret anymore. EssayBrunch Dissertation Writing will provide you with complete custom dissertation help. All you need to do is provide us with the topic. From research to writing and proofreading, we will take care of each area. Not a single error can go unnoticed from the vigilant eye of our brilliant writing and editing team.
EssayBrunch Dissertation writing is perhaps the only place where you can buy dissertation at the price that is suitable to your pocket. Other premium writing services charge quite high for their writing services which is not affordable to most of the students.
Though, we are the most EssayBrunch dissertation services on web but we never compromise on the quality of your project. At EssayBrunch Dissertation Writing you can be sure of originality and quality of your dissertation. Being students once, we can well relate with your problems. Therefore, we have brought everything together that you look for in a writing service – affordability, quick turnaround and unsurpassable quality.
We have the most diversified price plan. From regular and urgent to emergency, we are catering to all type of orders. Even if you realize at the eleventh hour that your dissertation is not impressive enough, you can place your order at EssayBrunch Dissertation Writing. We will make sure that you get a custom written and non plagiarized dissertation in your given timeline.
For cheap dissertation help in your given deadline, place your order at EssayBrunch Dissertation Writing today.
We are blessed to have one of finest writing teams in the business. It is not just an empty claim. Students who have utilized our writing services believe that. Our writers have extensive academic writing experience which allows them to write on any topic with complete ease. They have written numerous higher level academic papers such as thesis and dissertations which makes them most suitable for this job. Along with writing, we also have an editing team which consists of academicians who have examined numerous dissertations and thesis during their teaching term at the university. Together our writing and editing teams work towards providing you with a flawless and custom written dissertation. At EssayBrunch Dissertation Writing you get premium quality dissertation on your required deadline even if it is the short span of 24 hours. Unlike other writing services which cater to different academic writing requirements, we concentrate only on dissertation writing. Other writing services though provide students with affordable thesis and other academic paper writing services but their quality is not at par with excellence.
None of our writer or editor holds lesser than PhD degree in their respective field of study. This qualification alone is adequate enough to support the fact that we have matchless writing and editing teams in the entire business.


text:
Lying to the Doctor
| November 10, 2014
One of the cardinal rules for patients is, "Thou shalt not lie to the doctor."
But people do it anyway, and deception seems to be more prevalent than most of us might think. Software Advice, a practice management systems consultancy, recently surveyed 3,075 patients and learned that half of them have deliberately withheld information from a doctor or other health care professional at least some of the time.
The percentage is probably even higher if we include unintentional withholding of information – the details that patients omit because they think it's unrelated or not worth mentioning.
The survey respondents were most likely to be untruthful about drug, alcohol and tobacco use. Other areas prone to deception included eating habits, sexual activity, current medications and use of complementary and alternative therapies.
That wasn't all, though. Almost 40 percent of those who took the survey admitted to minimizing their symptoms, their current or past medical history, or their health-related behavior. About one-fourth deceived by exaggerating, and another one in four said there were times when they didn't disclose the information at all.
Why are patients sometimes less than forthcoming? The top reason, according to the survey, was fear of being lectured or feeling embarrassed. Patients also feared a loss of privacy if they disclosed something sensitive. And some of the time they simply wanted to avoid the cost or inconvenience of treatment.
The survey participants said they were more likely to be prodded into honesty if they had assurance that the information they disclose would be kept confidential. Knowing that the doctor or nurse wouldn't judge them also was important.
It also seemed to help when patients had more information about the consequences of dishonesty – for example, the possibility of a misdiagnosis or harmful drug interaction. In addition, patients wanted assurance that they would be helped, and a small minority felt they would be more truthful if the doctor gently confronted them over a perceived lie.
There's plenty of research to confirm that patients aren't always forthcoming. For instance, a poll conducted a couple of years ago by Legacy, a national public health organization, found that one in 10 people didn't disclose their tobacco use – and that the more stigmatized they felt, the less likely they were to tell the doctor or nurse that they smoked. Another study found that patients often don't self-report symptoms of depression.
Most doctors are familiar with patients' tendency to sometimes sand off the truth. A popular rule of thumb that many doctors learn during their training is to automatically double the amount of alcohol that patients say they consume; someone who reports having two drinks a day is really having four drinks a day.
Not all patients lie, however, and a handful of studies suggest that doctors may overestimate how often this happens. For that matter, doctors aren't always truthful with patients either – but that's a topic for another day.
Dishonesty in the doctor-patient relationship, even if the patient thinks it's just a little white lie, rarely serves the patient's best interests. At best, a health problem that's minimized or not reported at all won't get better. In the worst-case scenario, patients can end up being harmed because of inaccurate or incomplete information.
The easy answer would be to tell patients to get over their fears and embarrassment and just tell the truth. But count on it, for many people this isn't enough. The survey by Software Advice concluded that if doctors want their patients to be honest, they need to make an effort of their own to create a trusting, non-threatening environment that encourages patients to open up: "Asking informed follow-up questions, maintaining eye contact, avoiding lecturing and clearly explaining confidentiality laws can go a long way towards improving communication and trust with patients."
This post originally appeared on Anne Polta's HealthBeat blog on October 6, 2014.


text:
Out in the small Italian town of Gemona, as in many places around the world, the arrest of Oscar Pistorius on murder charges was hard to believe.
It was on a new track in the northeastern corner of Italy that the double-amputee from South Africa trained last year for his Olympic debut, running lap after lap on his Cheetah Flex-Foot blades in preparation for his trip to the world's biggest sporting event.
On Thursday, shortly after Pistorius was charged in South Africa with the shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, the mayor of Gemona said it was tough to take.
"The news shocked not only me personally but also the whole of Gemona and the region. It's come as a huge shock to everyone who knew him," Mayor Paolo Urbani told The Associated Press. "I have to say Oscar was an exceptional testimonial for our project, helping the city take forward its sporting plans. He's a delightful person, not only as a sportsman but also how he is as a human being. The news is still very fragmentary and we're waiting to hear more, to find out exactly what happened."
Pistorius fought for years to be able to compete against able-bodied athletes after many said his carbon-fiber blades gave him an unfair advantage. He finally won his case in 2008, but failed to run the qualifying time for the Beijing Olympics.
He did, however, make South Africa's team for last year's London Olympics, reaching the semifinals in the 400 meters and then running for South Africa's 4x400 relay team in the final.
Nick Symmonds, an American athlete who finished fifth in the 800 meters in London, is friendly with Pistorius. He learned the news when he woke up at 6 a.m. and turned on the TV.
"I was just shocked like everybody else," he said. "We're going to have to let the courts down in South Africa sort out the facts."
Ato Boldon, a four-time Olympic medalist and an analyst on NBC television in the United States, said Pistorius' name would have been the last to come to mind if someone told him a track athlete was charged with murder.
"He exudes class. He's gracious. He's humble," said Boldon, who felt he knew Pistorius well.
The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee each had little to say about the case.
"This is not the moment for the IOC to be commenting on this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with the families affected and we send them our deepest sympathies," the IOC said in a statement.
The IPC said it was "police matter."
"Therefore it would be inappropriate for the IPC to comment on this incident until the official police process has concluded," the IPC said in a statement on its website. "The IPC would like to offer its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case."
The South African Olympic committee released a statement saying it had been "inundated" with requests for comment but were not in a position to give out any details of the shooting.
"SASCOC, like the rest of the public, knows no more than what is in the public domain," the group said. "The organization is in no position to comment on the incident other than to say our deepest sympathy and condolences have been expressed to the families of all concerned."
Pistorius' father, Henke, declined to comment when contacted by the AP, saying only "we all pray for guidance and strength for Oscar and the lady's parents."
Agent Peet van Zyl and coach Ampie Louw couldn't be reached, while Pistorius' cellphone went straight to voicemail.
Former 100-meter world record-holder Asafa Powell tweeted about Steenkamp's death.
"Sad news about (at)oscarpistorius & fatal shooting of his girlfriend he's a true inspiration & amazing athlete. A real tragedy for all," Powell wrote.
Pistorius became an inspiration to many by overcoming his disability to compete at the highest level. Born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect, he had his legs ampuated at 11 months. But he still played sports, including rugby.
"It's incredible for anyone involved with Oscar, especially his family," Former Italian pole vaulter Andrea Giannini, who coached Pistorius from 2009-11, told the AP. "I knew Oscar well. I'm hoping it was just a tragic accident. He's a marvelous person, a really sweet and calm guy. It seemed like this was a calm time for him. He seemed really happy and well-balanced."


text:
Beginning April 30 thru May 7......For EVERY Pattern or E-pattern that you buy, you will be entered in the giveaway!!!!!
The prizes are.........................
1st prize........PATTERN CD with EVERY SINGLE PATTERN I HAVE ON ONE CD....Valued @ over $1600.00 if you purchased individually!!
2nd Prize............1 year in my pattern club & 6 months FREE advertising on my spotlight ad!!.....Valued @ $55.00!!!
3rd Prize........Your choice of 4 free e-patterns!!...... Valued @ approx. $33.00
REMEMBER....You will be entered one time for EACH pattern you buy!!! So grab some coffee and look through my e-patterns OR patterns and get your order in for a chance to WIN WIN WIN :)
You can find all of my patterns by CLICKING HERE!!!!!! :)
Thanks a bunch!!!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Posted by Becky at 8:33 AM 0 comments
Sunday, April 25, 2010
New E-pattern!!!!!
here is a new pattern......:)
hope you have fun with it!!!
TRP Primitive Grungy Bumble Bee Wreath Door Hanger Epattern
This is a new 2010© pattern! SUPER fun to make.....Easy, too! You will receive detailed ...
Price: US$8.25
Posted by Becky at 7:47 PM 2 comments
Saturday, April 17, 2010
5 for $10 e-pattern sale!!!!!!!!
5 e-patterns for $10.......Get them while you can!
Just sent me a list of the 5 e-patterns you want, then i will send you an invoice through Paypal for the $10....email me the pattern list to email@example.com :)
you can find the full pattern list for the special on my website at http://www.tennesseeridgeprimitives.com
Posted by Becky at 4:07 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Spring Cat doll listed on eBay!!
Here is my spring cat doll with her daisy :).....You can click the picture and go to the auction page :)
Should I do a pattern for her?
Posted by Becky at 10:44 PM 3 comments


text:
Merry Christmas, y'all!
Here's some holiday cheer directed by Jimmy Viola and co-directed by Jon Lalu, starring JoJo Tartaglia, Frank Tartaglia and Joe Bell.
A little advice: Maybe watch this one later if you're still with family.
Mr. Viola and Mr. Lalu will be hosting the next 'Accidents Will Happen' showcase on January 2nd at Adobe Cafe (1919 E. Passyunk Avenue).


text:
GeoVision >
GeoVision IP Cameras >
Geovision IP Camera Licenses > GeoVision 2 Channel IP Camera License
Note: This GeoVision License dongle adds support for third party IP cameras in the GeoVision DVR or NVR software. GeoVision brand cameras do not require additional licensing.
For a complete list of supported IP cameras, click here:
The GV‐NVR (Network Video Recorder) records video and audio data over TCP/IP networks. With up to 32 channels of pure IP surveillance, the GV‐NVR offers the same functions as GV‐Series Surveillance System. From monitoring features to video analytics as well as integration with LPR, POS/ATM and Access Control systems, it stands as one of the most comprehensive IP surveillance software in the security market.
Combined with GeoVision IP camera, the GV‐NVR takes advantage of a better image quality thanks to the progressive scan technology and allows advanced video features such as Picture‐In‐Picture. Compatibility with a wide range of third party IP cameras makes the GV‐NVR the ultimate solution for pure IP surveillance environments.
Bulk CCTV Store
41W195 Railroad Street, Unit A
Pingree Grove, IL 60140


text:
1 x 140g salmon fillets (I used smoked salmon fillet)
Salt flakes and black pepper
100g spaghetti, preferably fresh (I used fresh pasta)
handful of frozen peas
handful of basil, chopped
Finely grated zest of ⅓ unwaxed lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
Preheat the oven to 190oC/375oF/gas mark 5.
Place the salmon fillet in an ovenproof dish and season. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat and add the peas with the pasta and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain, return to the pan.
Meanwhile, flake the salmon into a bowl and toss in the basil and lemon zest. Add to the pasta and gently mix through with the lemon juice and crème fraîche, taking care to keep the fish in large flakes. Season well and serve immediately.


text:
The town also offers an Impressionism museum that sounds fascinating, and having lunch in a cafe outside the city of Paris may be the perfect way to relax after a week and half of constant travel.
Ok --- well, there was a bit of adjusting going on here.
After the experience with Tony - my "pick up" guy - I have been a little leery to travel too far out of my comfort zone --- and getting on a train to Giverny at Gare St. Lazare was definitely out of my comfort zone. So over the weekend I decided to splurge and take my chances on another tour. I had found this tour some time ago. The negative side of the tour was the cost (169 euros) and the fact that it received mixed reviews on Trip Advisor. However, over the weekend I decided to thoroughly read the reviews and it seemed for every negative review, there was a response from the company asking to be contacted so they could make it right. This seemed like a step in the right direction. In addition, this tour not only provided transportation to Giverny (if i took the train I would have to catch a bus or taxi from the station in Vernon to Monet's house) -- but it also included a second tour to Auvers - where VanGogh spent his last days. I threw caution to the wind - once again - and booked it.
The tour was scheduled for Wednesday - so my original plan to do the Eiffel Tower and Marmottan museum beforehand has been switched to tomorrow (so stay tuned....)
Unlike the wine tour yesterday - this tour picked me up right outside my apartment. Again, they were only about 5 minutes later than anticipated, so that was perfect timing in my book. The tour guide was not as polished as Jean-Bernard --- and he was also training another guide, so most of his time was spent speaking french with her. There were only two others in the van, so we were a small group. Sylvain (the guide) was very good about pointing out areas of Paris that we might be interested in as we were leaving the city, and he provided good commentary about Monet on our way to Giverny. The others in the van were very quiet, so I assumed that this would be a very independent (and quiet) day. Which is not a bad thing in my book.
We were then able to visit the Impressionism museum which was currently exhibiting a collection of Impressionism paintings from the Clark collection. They were magnificent - several Renoirs, plus Degas, Manet, Monet, etc. The ideal part of this tour, I think, is that we were allowed a full two hours to see and do whatever we wanted. If we wanted to stay in the garden two hours and forego the house tour and museum, we could. While the guides did not actually lead us through the exhibits - to be honest - there was no need for them to do so. It was the absolutely the perfect amount of time to spend - and I spent it exactly the way I wished.
The next stop was Auvers - and Chelsea was a great admirer of VanGogh so she was able to share lots of information on the one hour drive. When we arrived we first visited his room where he spent his last days. Because others were superstitious of staying in a room of a man who committed suicide -- all the furniture had been removed and the room left exactly as it was in July, 1890. The holes where he apparently hung his paintings to dry were evident - and a portion of the 7 square meter room has been partitioned with the hope of putting the original painting of "his room" for us to view. It was a sober experience.
We then traveled back to Paris - only about 40 minutes away - and I arrived home a bit after 5:00PM. I am half tempted to go out and do something - and half tempted to stay home and relax, plan my last three days in Paris, and just relish the joy of these two tours.


text:
There are no items in your cart at this time.
Equip your favorite pair of shoes with biologically engineered midsoles to keep aches at bay. For men, women and children, Footwear etc.'s insoles are meant to fit all types of shoes and help remedy a variety of serious foot conditions like plantar fasciitis and hammer toes. With inserts from Ecco, Superfeet, Spenco, Lynco, Vionic and Alegria, available benefits include shock absorption, antibacterial properties, prominent arch support and more. Treat your feet to true bliss with replacement insoles today.
Sign up to receive new arrival, sale & special event info from us.
Note: we do not share your personal information with anyone. Period.
"The customer service team was great - when I called to ask about the color of some MBT Sandals, the gentleman got a pair out of the box and told me what color it was... I mean, I was impressed ! How often does someone go out of their way to find the shoe and give me the information as I am on the phone... wow... and the customer service hours are great - thank you for not shutting down at 5:00 EST so that I can actually place orders or get information at home in the evening.. bravo... "
©2020 Footwear etc.. All Rights Reserved. For any questions or assistance call 1-800-720-0572.


text:
Quick links:
11v11.com is the official site of the Association of Football Statisticians.
This site is driven by a unique database of international football and the English Football League including the FIFA World Cup and FA Premier League since their inception.
11v11 is also a community hub for those interested in football history and statistics.
World Player Ranking
Where's your footballing hero? Did he even make the top 100?
On this day in football history
No Events


text:
The AAG has long advocated interacting with and providing support to geographers and other colleagues from developing regions of the world. In this spirit we have established the Developing Regions Membership Program, through which eligible professionals may join the AAG for the deeply discounted rate of $20 per year.
To learn more about participation in the program, please use the menu to the right. To explore resources and interact with geographers from around the world, please click on the name of a world region below or explore the web map.


text:
Heading into the Michigan primary, late night's comics mocked Rick Santorum for his disdain of higher education — but they got in some knocks at Mitt Romney and President Obama, too.
Jay Leno opened Monday with an acknowledgement of the hefty role that rising gas prices have taken on in politics — and the grandstanding they can allow.
"Due to the rise in the price of oil and gas, the Obama administration announced today they are considering dipping into our national strategic reelection reserves — I mean, I'm sorry, did I—? I'm sorry, I mean, strategic oil reserves! Did I say 'reelection?' I'm sorry. What a foolish mistake!"
As usual, both Leno and Stephen Colbert lampooned Rick Santorum for his arch-conservatism and Mitt Romney for his out-of-touch rich guy gaffes.
"I don't want to say Romney's a rich guy, but he kept asking the guys, 'Hey, during the race, do you drive yourselves or do you have a chauffeur?'"
He also feigned outrage at Rick Santorum's own outrage. Santorum had decried President Obama for his encouragement for higher education for all American kids — whether that mean a four-year college degree or a year of vocational training.
"Hey, this is America, where people who have no education and know no basic facts can still grow up to be governor of Alaska!" Leno remarked, by way of a snipe at one-time GOP hopeful Sarah Palin. He continued: "Reading — it's not for everybody!"
Stephen Colbert got in on the swipes at Santorum, too.
"Some of us weren't handed a ticket to Harvard by being the biracial son of a single mother on food stamps. Must be nice. Rick Santorum understands the real American dream: That if you work hard enough, your children can have fewer opportunities than you did," Colbert said.
He also invoked Santorum's claim that higher education indoctrinates students and destroys their religious faith.
"I mean, look at Rick Santorum. He has a bachelor's degree, an MBA and a law degree. He's almost completely lost his faith. When he enrolled as a freshman at Penn State, he was a 14th century monk."
Check out the videos below.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive


text:
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Cleanthony Early scored 39 points to help No. 23 Wichita State beat Southern Illinois 82-76 on Wednesday night, two days after the Shockers jumped back into the poll.
Early's 39 points were the most for a Wichita State player since Xavier McDaniel had 44 in 1985.
Wichita State (15-1, 4-0 Missouri Valley) needed everything Early could do as Southern Illinois rode a hot-shooting first half to keep it close into the final minute.
Desmar Jackson scored 28 points and Anthony Beane added 14 for the Salukis (7-8, 0-4).
Ehime Orupke had 10 points and nine rebounds for Wichita State, which has won 16 straight games at home.
The Salukis have lost nine straight Missouri Valley games, dating back to last season, but had a nine-point lead starting the second half.
It seemed to evaporate in the blink of an eye, and coach Barry Hinson was concerned enough to call two time-outs in the second half's first 76 seconds.
That didn't stop Wichita State from scoring the first 10 points after halftime, capped by Early's three-point play that gave the Shockers a 44-43 lead and preceded Hinson's second time-out.
The Salukis stemmed the tide for a bit, leading 50-49 with 16 minutes to play. But Wichita State then scored eight straight, including an Orupke slam.
After Hinson called his final time-out of the game, with 14:03 remaining, Southern Illinois scored five straight before the Shockers answered with two Tekele Cotton hustle baskets and Early's jumper for a 63-55 lead with 9:45 remaining.
Wichita State pushed the lead to 10 soon after, but Southern Illinois stayed in it. Jalen Pendleton's basket with 3:15 remaining cut Wichita State's lead to 73-69.
It was still a four-point game in the final minutes when two Wichita State turnovers gave the Salukis a chance. Beane drew a foul and made two free throws with 29.7 seconds on the clock to cut the Southern Illinois deficit to 78-76.
But free throws from Wichita State's Malcolm Armstead and an SIU turnover sealed the victory for the Shockers.


text:
Twitter : niche or mainstream ?
Hitwise has published a post on their blog about the US internet visits to twitter.com. The good news is that traffic is increasing. Year on year, Internet visits to Twitter.com are up 8 fold. In the past three months, visits have more than doubled and traffic continues to climb, up 60% in the past month. These figures look impressive, but still according to Hitwise, Twitter is ranked #439 among Social Networks and Forums last week and #4309 among All Categories of websites.
Twitter is especially very successful because of the openness of the APIs. Rumours are that there is more traffic to the APIs than traffic to the twitter.com website. This kind of traffic is probably never measured by companies such as Hitwise, Alexa, Compete or Quantcast (see this previous post for several traffic graphs for Twitter).
Heather Hopkins from Hitwise finishes her post with Whilst Twitter continues to be a niche website, it also continues to enjoy strong growth. At the same time Richard MacManus of ReadWriteWeb writes in a post titled Early Stats Show Twitter Taking Off in Japan : The signs are that Japanese Twitter usage is set to explode in popularity. .... Could Japan be the first country where Twitter usage becomes mainstream, rather than just being popular among geeks - as it is in the US and english speaking countries? Judging by these early stats, that's a good bet!
Is Twitter still a niche or is it becoming mainstream ? We'll have to wait a little bit to figure this out.


text:
There seems to be an unwieldy number of technological approaches to getting at big data, but one of the big struggles today is getting that data into the hands of business users. ClearStory Data attempts to solve that problem by analyzing internal and external data in a scalable way, while also providing a simple, usable window into that data without lots of querying complexity.
As ClearStory CEO and founder Sharmila Mulligan pointed out on a recent episode of InformationWeek's Valley View (a live, monthly Web TV program), there are 7,000 open data APIs, from sources like Netflix and Facebook, and other premium data sets. ClearStory, she said, is driving toward a converged analysis.
It's difficult to get a complex idea across in two minutes, but that's what we asked Mulligan to do as part of her elevator pitch. You can watch that, as well as get the reaction of our judges, in the video above.


text:
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Anniversay Dinner
Yesterday, Moe and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary.
Since it was a work day for me, dinner had to be something easy to put together.
We started with something new and finished with an old favourite.
The Roasted Tomato Caprese salad as shared by
Mari on Once Upon a Plate
was a big hit.
I don't know if I will ever make a traditional Caprese salad again.
The tomato is wrapped in procuitto, drizzled with olive oil and roasted.
The combination of the proscuitto and warm sweet tomato is exquisite and the fresh mozzarella just takes this salad to a another level.
And the tomatoes were from our own garden.
Our main course was beef tenderloin fillets in a green peppercorn cream sauce served with Parisienne potatoes and fresh steamed and buttered green beans.
10 comments:
Happy Anniversary! Your food here always looks so good!!ReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary! Lovely dinner :)ReplyDelete
Happy Happy Anniversary:) I saw that too at Mary's..it's on my list:)ReplyDelete
It looks beautiful Ann~
Happy Anniversary! Dinner looks delicious.ReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary! Dinner looks so nice-wonderful celebration.ReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary ~ Your dinner looks wonderful.ReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary. Many more to come. Thank you for sharing your recipe.ReplyDelete
Have a wonderful and peaceful week.
Happy Aniversary Ann and Moe! Your dinner is beautiful as usual.ReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary to you! Your celebratory meal looks wonderful. I will have to try the tomato like that.ReplyDelete
Happy Anniversary, Ann. Your celebration dinner is beautiful.ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
As a game journalist, I'm used to playing early builds of games with a PR representative or even the developer himself hovering just over my shoulder, ready to answer questions as I play or give advice when I get stuck. So I was a bit surprised when Braid creator Jonathan Blow started a demonstration of his upcoming PC puzzle-exploration game The Witness by suggesting that he leave the room and just let me explore on my own.
For the next 20 minutes or so I wandered a bit aimlessly through a beautiful, light-infused island that evoked the feeling of a silent Zen garden. The few sparsely decorated buildings that dotted the landscape featured shining blue monitors each with a maze-like etching for me to guess-and-check a path through. The game gave an intense feeling of loneliness and disorientation that was a stark change from the in-your-face instruction and narrative of a game like Braid.
Fixing adventure gaming's flaws
When Blow came back in the room, he said he created The Witness with an eye for fixing what he saw as "the flaws of classical puzzle adventure games." The biggest of these, Blow said, is overly subtle puzzle design that makes it unclear if certain situations even are puzzles in the first place. "Sometimes you're stuck somewhere and you're like, 'I can't get through this door but I don't know if I'm supposed to get through this door or if it's locked and I'm supposed to go somewhere else," Blow said. "You don't know if you're supposed to be there yet, or if you don't have the inventory items."
That won't happen in The Witness, which doesn't even have a physical inventory system. Instead, Blow said, the player's knowledge of how to solve different types of puzzles acts as a sort of mentally stored key to unlocking new portions of the island. "If I get to an area, I should probably be able to solve it," Blow said. "If you can't, you probably just haven't seen the concept."
Blow said he was inspired by the general mood and setting of games like Myst, but that he was purposely trying to avoid that game's frustrating sense of "I'm pulling this lever and I have no idea what it does! ... In this game, I try to be very clear." Taking me on a quick tour of the rest of the game's lush island setting, Blow showed me how the simple guess-and-check mazes from the beginning of the game evolve and change as the game progresses, introducing subtly different goals and solutions as you go.
One maze might introduce sets of colored hexagons to collect or avoid as you make your way to the goal. Others replicate the path you draw with symmetrical walls that block your path, or require you to notice that you can't cross shadows cast by the environment or your own avatar. In creating these puzzles, Blow said the overriding idea was that careful observation and logical thinking will always be the only tools the player needs to get through.
"You know if you wander somewhere in the game and you see a puzzle with weird symbols on it, you might just be, 'I don't know what those mean, but I know I have to go figure out what those mean.'," he said. "I don't want the hard part to be finding what the hell this thing does. Plenty of games do that, it's not interesting. The hard part is more like I see some new idea and I don't quite understand it yet, but I'm wrangling with the idea. The idea is to keep this stream of non-verbal ideas coming."
Telling a personal story
If Blow's Braid was criticized for practically forcing its complicated meta-narrative on the player, The Witness might have the opposite problem, letting you wander its open environments without much guidance. The first hint that there's more going on than meets the eye comes through a pre-recorded voice squawking through a lonely speaker box, with an unseen narrator giving an extremely self-aware speech about his role in the game.
"I'll keep the first thing I have to say simple," the unseen voice says. "My purpose here is to help you. We're conditioned by movies and video games to regard a statement like that as third act betrayal fuel, so if you have to be suspicious for a little while, OK... You have time. you're not in any danger. No more than I am anyway. Even if you don't want to trust me, know that my faith in you is unbreakable."
In delivering the story through pre-recorded messages, Blow said he wanted to take lessons from games like System Shock and BioShock, but skew the concept so it worked with The Witness' aura of mellow introspection. "In some sense, as someone who's played a lot of games, I'm conditioned by all the audio logs in all these other games that are always about the alien invasion, or the virus mutated everybody, or 'Oh I'm barely surviving, aghhh!'" he said.
For The Witness, though, Blow said that he's trying to create a story that's about "serious things. Not totally an entertainment story, but not pretentiously so or anything." He compared it to a novel that's "about something that the author cared about," unlike the majority of games he sees on the market.
"Most games are not trying to be about anything serious, they're just entertainment games," he said. "I'm not trying to bash that in any way, that's just not what I'm doing. If a game tries to be like a movie, it tries to be like an action movie, not Fried Green Tomatoes, but both of those are movies."
But Blow says creating a story that was so personal was tougher than he expected, leading to a few initial attempts that "came out kind of patronizing, as you can imagine," he said. The key to making the writing process work, Blow said, was just opening up in a way that was "very personal and honest and straightforward." He compared the process to going on a first date, where you can come off as artificial if you try too hard to present what you think your partner wants.
"The writing of this character actually was an exercise in being as honest with the player as possible, which is not something I feel like a lot of games have done," he said. "When you try to do that kind of thing, it's easy to try to do it in a very guarded way. 'Here's what I think is important to make a game about, but I'm not going to let you too close to my actual thought process. I'm just going to display the better parts of my thought processes. We have a professional thing to show you.' Maybe as we get older we just learn more how to be ourselves and still be engaging and good. I don't know if I would have been able to do it [when I was younger]."


text:
Many of my fellow bloggers seem to be either discontent with their guilds (not an uncommon thing) or have already left. Instead of writing a post about "What to look for in a guild" since everyone's taste is different, I am going to write about what I like about the guild I am in, Mythos. A lot of these might be duplicates just worded differently.. eh, deal with it.
- Easy, relaxed attitude
- No forced raiding
- No forced PvP
- No forced nuttin' other than be a good person (you gotta play a little, I think)
- People who obviously care about others in the guild and are very friendly
- Generous attitude toward ALTs (who knows which is which anyway sometimes)
- People who want to raid can (usually) and those who don't want to, don't have to.
- No DKP, we roll on what we want and there are no hard feelings.
- Everyone is more than willing to help you out if they have time (crafting, etc)
- Drama is kept to a minimum and tends to burn out pretty quickly if it comes up
- Generally great people
- Good raid time for me (6 server, 9 eastern US time)
This all doesn't mean that you can't login and talk in guild chat and nobody responds. But nobody is getting all bent out of shape if it does. If someone tries to get an instance run together and it just doesn't work, they don't scream and rant, they just assume people don't want to go and move on.
Also doesn't mean there aren't things I wish could be done differently. Other felt that way enough to leave and go to other guilds. But, I think that if those changes (progression speed, more organization in general) changed the general feel of the guild, I would be very sad.
There is much more that I like about the guild, but really it all comes down to the people. We all want to have fun and we also want everyone else to have fun too. We don't go into a tizzy if one of the healers forgot to repair before he showed up for Kara (ahem.. sorry) and if you run out of pots you can usually ask around and someone will give you one (or more). "Anyone have any more stamina food" is something heard a lot when we have been going through a wipe-fest. And many chime up with, "I do, Trade me!".
We only ask that everyone join the vent channel, but you don't have to talk. Nobody is screaming on vent and our GL does a great job in making sure we have a really good service. (THANKS!)
Do I wish we were further on in progression? Sure. Do I wish that we had more general chatter on the forums? Sure. Do I look at some of the other guilds and wonder what it would be like to have things like "class leads"? Well, maybe. But again, I wouldn't change what we are just to shoehorn those things in. I like playing WoW because of the people I play with.. And the people I play WoW with the most are the ones in the guild called Mythos.


text:
FACETIME- First page grabber: Award winner writes press releases, too
Usually Delegate Rob Bell makes the speeches. But at the Library of Congress in 2007, it was his press secretary, Jennifer Elvgren, who made the speech when she received the prestigious Americas Award for children and young adult literature for her first book, Josias, Hold the Book.
"Her writing is well in excess of what a lowly politician needs," says Bell.
Elvgren started out in journalism– she has a master's from Regent University and worked at the Daily Progress, the Charlottesville Business Journal, the Business Ear, and Albemarle magazine.
"I always loved children's books," says Elvgren, When she left home– she grew up in Pittsburgh– she took favorites with her like The Story of Babar, Misty of Chincoteague, and Frances the Badger books. A class on writing for children during grad school sealed the deal.
Getting her own book published was another matter. "I didn't know anybody in publishing," she says. Elvgren joined a national society of writers and illustrators, attended a conference and broke into children's publishing with Highlights, the kid's magazine that's home to the classic "Goofus and Gallant."
"Once you have that children's writing credit in your cover letter, you're taken more seriously," says Elvgren, who now regularly writes for "the bugs"– like Ladybug– and has a story coming out in the March issue of Spider.
Writing children's books looks easier than it is. "It's a little misleading when you look at a picture book because it has so few words," says Elvgren. "Someone asked me once, 'How many books do you write a day?'" Josias, the story of a Haitian boy trying to get his beans to grow, went through 10 or 11 rewritings, she says.
Her part-time duties as Bell's press secretary segue nicely with being a stay-at-home mother of three and a children's author. That job has two very busy seasons– when the General Assembly is in session and elections. "In a way, working with Delegate Bell keeps my hand in journalism, which I love, by helping reporters get what they need," explains Elvgren, who is more sensitive to deadlines as a result of her own days as a reporter.
"Journalism, writing articles or writing children's books– it's all story telling," she says.
Elvgren is sharing her storytelling skills at the Virginia Festival of the Book. Her writing group, the Moseley Writers, with members Deborah Prum, Andy Straka and Fran Slayton, will critique stories that wannabe writers send in to email@example.com.
"It has to be an original, unpublished story," she says. "We'll pick a handful and talk about what's working, what could be improved."
"Great Beginnings: How to Hook an Editor on the First Page" is at 10am Saturday, March 21, in the Preston Room at the Omni Hotel.


text:
Browse all deals at A Pea in the Pod
See more in Maternity Intimate Apparel
* This offer may contain time-sensitive information and offers. Please check with A Pea in the Pod to confirm actual price & availability.
- Be the first to comment!
A Pea in the Pod
5065 Main St
Trumbull, CT 06611
A Pea in the Pod
501 Evergreen Way Unit 505
South Windsor, CT 06074


text:
This website uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Click here to learn how we use cookies for a better browsing experience.
When Lynda isn't creating new designs for Sizzix as a Senior Product Designer, she can be found creating in her studio. With a degree in Graphic Design, she's also a life-long artist/maker who has experimented with everything from watercolor and wood carving to quilting and silk screen printing. Throughout her career, she's designed innovative packaging, book/magazine designs and advertising, but her passion has always been making art. You can follow Lynda's creative adventures at LyndaCreates.com.


text:
Offering clients the experience and diversity of a larger firm while retaining the approachability, efficiency and personal attention of a smaller practice.
New Cases of Interest - April 13, 2010
Pellegrino v. Robert Half International, Inc. (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 87. Defendant is a temporary staffing firm which was sued by employees for alleged wage and hour violations and unfair competition. A provision in the employment agreements which the plaintiffs had with defendant specified that the statute of limitations for employee claims would be limited to six months. Both the trial court and the Court of Appeal found that these provisions were unenforceable. Providing for limitations of statutory claims is precluded by Labor Code section 219 and cannot be shortened pursuant to a contractual provision specifying a time which is less than that set forth by statute.
Lobo v. Tamco (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 297. In this case wrongful death actions were brought by the survivors of a deputy sheriff killed in a vehicular collision alleging negligent operation of a motor vehicle by an employee while acting in the course and scope of employment, and naming both the employee and the employer. The court found that the evidence supported a finding in favor of the plaintiffs against the employer, with the evidence indicating that the employer required the employee to make his car available whenever it was necessary for him to visit customer sites, and that the employer derived a benefit from the availability of the employer's car. This evidence was sufficient to avoid summary judgment in favor of the employer, and the matter was returned to the trial court for trial.
Diaz v. Carcamo (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 339. This is another case involving potential employer vicarious liability in an automobile collision in which the plaintiff claimed that a truck driver's employer was liable for its negligence in the hiring and retention of the truck driver who had caused an accident. The court here found that evidence as to the truck driver's prior employment and driving accident history was properly admissible even when the employer admitted that it was vicariously liable. The negligent hiring of an employee gave rise to a theory of direct liability independent of the vicarious liability theory allowing the admission of such evidence.
Clearlake Riviera Community Association v. Cramer (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 459. Homeowners had constructed a home within a common interest development that exceeded the height limit for homes in the development and an action was brought by the community association to abate the violation. The Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court finding that it was proper to infer that the Community Association had properly adopted a guideline on height limitations based on circumstantial evidence of long enforcement of that guideline, even though no evidence was provided that the use restrictions were initially properly adopted. There was also no abuse of discretion in the trial court's decision to require compliance with these guidelines rather than to award monetary damages and substantial evidence supported the court's finding that the height violation was an intentional act by the homeowner.


text:
Search Fr. Z's Blog
SHOPPING ONLINE? Please, come here first!
Your use of my Amazon link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.
Try AmazonFresh Free Trial
Shop Amazon Gold Box - New Deals. Everyday
Shop Amazon Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
Try Prime Discounted Monthly Offering
And you do need a Kindle! - HERE
Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans
About this blog…
"This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque 'salon' with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West "saloon" with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven." – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
Do you want to show some appreciation?
Do you have a faithful Catholic website that needs competent and reliable tech support?
- beelady: Safe travels, Father! Thanks for taking us along – I am flying oit of DTW in a few weeks and was curious if things were back to normal. Apparently not.
- Suburbanbanshee: Happy St. KateriR 17;s Day, everyone! St. Kateri Tekakwitha , pray for us! Bl. Edward Langhorne, lawyer falsely accused, pray for us!
- Andreas: May the CDR' s PCS from Gitmo to Norfolk go smoothly and his new tour be rewarding.
- JustaSinner: Praying for the airworthin ess of the C130!!!
- Semper Gumby: JesusFreak 84: Good point. Leftist revolution s turn on their own eventually , some of that turning appears to have begun.
- Semper Gumby: Will do.
- Semper Gumby: monstrance : Thank you. God bless you and your father.
- SanSan: Love travelling with you Father. :) Have a blessed time with all your buds.
- grateful: @WVC Here is another innocent priest: http://the sestonewal ls.com/
- acardnal: "Ble ss You" hand sanitizer. Why didn' ;t I think of that!!
- grateful: Pictures and the descriptio ns were particular ly marvelous, really enjoyable.
- monstrance: Semper Gumby, Thank you for the correction . I can assure you that in no way were my comments related to the fire on the present day Bonny Dick. My Father served on the carrier USS Bon...
- SKAY: Like everyone else Father, I really enjoy traveling with you. :-D Thank you.
- KateD: 97 Million! Incontheiv able! Congratula tions, Father!
- Diana: Have a wonderful time, Father! I always love traveling with you.
- Semper Gumby: Sandy: Thank you. acardnal: Thank you. I'm told that helicopter s assisted with firefighti ng and two guided-mis sile destroyers shifted berths away from the Bonhomme Richard.
- acardnal: *not sure where that "No& #8221; came from. Difficult typing on a phone.
- acardnal: As of this hour, 57 injured. Semper, as always, your comments were on target. No
- Ellen: I enjoy reading accounts of your travels, Father. I am almost 70 and have only flown once in my life. I didn' ;t enjoy it very much. Have a good time at the conference and I'...
- JustaSinner: The Amex Centurian club in DTW is outstandin g. Shower with plush towels and free flip flops. The food is always great and the staff superbR 30;conside ring it's Detoil...
- Sandy: Safe trip, Father, and stay healthy!
- Sandy: God bless them all and keep our military safe, as I pray every day. Now I add to my prayer, all law enforcemen t. I visited aboard the previous Bonny Dick (her nickname) at North Island (San...
- Kansan: Thanks for taking us along with you to the airport! I've been wondering what air travel looks like these days. God bless you, always and everywhere !
- hwriggles4: Fr. Z: Have a safe flight – maybe you will get to take a nap on the way too. Enjoy your retreat 230;spend some time outside too. Like you I have not flown since February 2020,...
- Semper Gumby: Have a blessed conference Fr. Z.
Fr. Z's VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
020 8133 4535
Books which you must have.
Don't rely on popes, bishops and priests.
"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops."
- Fulton Sheen
Therefore, ACTIVATE YOUR CONFIRMATION and get to work!
Send Snail Mail to Fr. Z
Fr John Zuhlsdorf
Tridentine Mass Society of Madison
733 Struck St.
Madison, WI 53744-4603
For email HERE
"The modern habit of doing ceremonial things unceremoniously is no proof of humility; rather it proves the offender's inability to forget himself in the rite, and his readiness to spoil for every one else the proper pleasure of ritual."
- C.S. Lewis
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
For a one time donation...
I set up a
account, which functions rather like PayPal. Some of you use it. Here is a QCode you can use with your smart phones. Try it!
Also, to receive a link to donate via Continue To Give using your smart phone SEND MESSAGE:
Some donations also come through CHASE. That works well. I don't think they take any percentage as fees.
I was at this conference last year. IT IS ON FOR THIS YEAR!
As for Latin…
"But if, in any layman who is indeed imbued with literature, ignorance of the Latin language, which we can truly call the 'catholic' language, indicates a certain sluggishness in his love toward the Church, how much more fitting it is that each and every cleric should be adequately practiced and skilled in that language!" - Pius XI
"Let us realize that this remark of Cicero (Brutus 37, 140) can be in a certain way referred to [young lay people]: 'It is not so much a matter of distinction to know Latin as it is disgraceful not to know it.'" - St. John Paul II
Recent Posts
- URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Our friend Fr. Johnson (USN) moves to a new stage
- My View For Awhile: WV lo
- USS Bonhomme Richard – FIRE! And her forerunners on this blog.
- Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 6th after Pentecost (NO: 15th Ordinary) 2020
- 12 July – Traditional Latin Mass – 6th Sunday after Pentecost – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- It's someone else… until it's your turn: churches attacked, burned in these USA!
- 11 July – Traditional Latin Mass – Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- Another milestone…
- 10 July – Traditional Latin Mass – Seven Maccabees, et al. – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- A man you readers helped has been ordained to the priesthood!
- 9 July – Traditional Latin Mass – Sts. Thomas More & John Fisher – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- Big Business Abortion NOT happy with "Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania"
- THE REMNANT posted: Rosary Crusade, Prayer by Archbishop Viganò for Reelection of Donald Trump
- PRIESTS: Are you available to take a "Gregorian Mass" intention? UPDATE
- 8 July – Traditional Latin Mass – For: Benedict XVI – Votive: Defense of the Church – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- ASK FATHER: "I am struggling with my faith due to intense anxiety about death. What makes you believe in God?"
- Fr. Z rants about the problems in the streets, offers suggestions. ACTION ITEM!
- LatinMass.live alive again
- The Coming Storm: St. Louis
- 07/07/07 – 13th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum – Fr. Z rants.
- 7 July – Traditional Latin Mass – For: Benedict XVI – Votive: Defense of the Church – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- A priest makes changes: Ritus Covidensis!
- Thanks for the music! Charlie Daniels and Ennio Morricone
- 6 July: Pius XII during the Canonization of St. Maria Goretti – AUDIO
- 6 July – Traditional Latin Mass – St. Maria Goretti, Virgin & Martyr – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 5th after Pentecost (NO: 14th Ordinary) 2020
- URGENT: Archbp. Broglio of @MilArchUSA on Navy Prohibiting Participation in Off-Base Religious Services
- UPDATE on FEEDBACK: How has the COVID-1984 lockdown changed you LITURGICALLY? Priests and laity.
Let us pray…
Grant unto thy Church, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, that She, being gathered together by the Holy Ghost, may be in no wise troubled by attack from her foes. O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication unto Thee,and turn away the scourges of Thine anger which we deserve for our sins. Almighty and Everlasting God, in whose Hand are the power and the government of every realm: look down upon and help the Christian people that the heathen nations who trust in the fierceness of their own might may be crushed by the power of thine Arm. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…
Because it matters what children read…
Be a "Zed-Head"!
I carry one of these super-strong rosaries in my spare mag pouch! The Swiss Guards have them too!
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc. and you can make a donation.
PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?Loading ...
This is really useful when travelling… and also when you aren't and you need backup internet NOW! I use this for my DMR "Zednet" hotspot when I'm mobile. It's a ham radio thing.
If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
Please use my links when shopping! I depend on your help.
WDTPRS POLLLoading ...
"Rigid"? Pfffft. "Faithful!" No priest's desk or kitchen is complete without one, for young, old, and priests in general.
Fr. Z's stuff is everywhere
Help support Fr. Z's Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
GREAT causes to support
Daily Archives: 15 September 2007
Official statement of the D. of Peoria on Summorum Pontificum
An official letter, or instruction, I am not sure what to call it, has been issued by the Office of Divine Worship of the Diocese of Peoria, headed I am guessing by Fr. Stanely Deptula, whose name appears at the … Continue reading
Posted in SESSIUNCULA Comments Off on Official statement of the D. of Peoria on Summorum Pontificum
Celebration of Extraordinary Mass in Raleigh, NC
You might recall that the Bishop of Raleigh, NC, His Excellency Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge had issued one of the best statements about Summorum Pontificum I have seen by any bishop anywhere. Bishop Burbidge steps up to the plate … Continue reading
Posted in SESSIUNCULA 17 Comments
" … now in force…"
Folks, remember that with 14 September not only the provisions of Summorum Pontificum are in force. The Rules are now in force too. Fr. Z's 5 Rules of Engagement now that the Motu Proprio is in force: 1) Rejoice because … Continue reading
Posted in SESSIUNCULA 15 Comments
New status for the Pont. Comm. "Ecclesia Dei"?
The French paper Le Croix has an article speculating that the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" will undergo a change of status. What are the main points of the article? Keep in mind that this is the article, and not … Continue reading
Posted in SESSIUNCULA 55 Comments
A Brief Fr. Z roundup
My flight from the USA to the UK went without a hitch, until I put my feet on terra firma at Gatwick. The line for passport control took 1.5 hours, which was both unusual and pretty annoying. I am presently … Continue reading
Posted in SESSIUNCULA 12 Comments
The Austrian Vestment Debacle
You know about the horrid vestments the Holy Father wore at Mariazell in Austria. I have a bit of news. Apparently, the Austrians wanted the Holy Father to wear Baroque vestments. They were overidden by His Excellency the current Master … Continue reading
Posted in SESSIUNCULA Comments Off on The Austrian Vestment Debacle


text:
If Will Smith isn't smart enough to jump on the Quentin Tarantino gravy train, well, it's probably for the best.
As had been rumored for a week or two now, Jamie Foxx will play the lead role in Tarantino's slave revenge epic "Django Unchained," reported Variety.
Foxx will play Django, an ex-slave who teams up with a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) who teaches him the tricks of the trade, after which he goes on a quest to free the love of his life, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington, Foxx's "Ray" co-star, is said to be in the mix)., and seek vengeance on slavemaster Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Samuel L. Jackson is on deck to play Stephen, Cotton's right-hand man.
U.S. & World
There's a totally weird and unsubstantiated rumor floating around the Internets that Smith turned down the role because it's being produced by Harvey Weinstein, who's also backing Paul Thomas Anderson's Scientology-inspired film, "The Master."


text:
Give it up for this month's dark horse contender. This monitor has slipped onto the market with little to no fanfare as a replacement for the VP231Wb, and in many ways it's a dead ringer for its progenitor. The chassis is similar to all 'VP' series monitors - a quality item with almost infinite adjustability.
Likewise, the 23-inch diagonal, 1,920x1,200 native and super-fine pixel pitch are extremely welcome repeats of the VP231Wb.
But the big change is the move from IPS to MVA panel technology. That means a major upgrade in contrast performance, improved viewing angles, boosted brightness and a healthy dollop of colour saturation. HDCP support is new, too, although somewhat undermined by an artificial limitation to 720p content.
Add in an extremely smooth anti-glare coating and you have a recipe for rather pleasing static image quality. On the move, however, the wheels begin to fall off. Pixel response is ordinary and significant input lag makes gaming a chore. Jeremy Laird


text:
by Betsy Torg
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was in Philadelphia to address a sold-out crowd at the National Constitution Center this fall and, at his own request, paid a second visit to Springside School and Chestnut Hill Academy to speak with students.
The Justice first visited the school in January 2006 during a book tour for Active Liberty. This visit centered on his new book, "Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View," which considers questions that are fundamental to our constitutional system and the future of the Supreme Court.
Breyer spoke at an assembly of upper school students from Springside and CHA, while younger students at both schools watched by live video stream in auditoriums and classrooms across the joint campus. Following an introduction by NBC 10 News anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah, herself a former lawyer, Justice Breyer spoke to students eloquently and with humor about the job of Supreme Court Justice, the role of the constitution in setting boundaries, the difficult decisions made by the court over the course of our country's history, and the importance of our participation in the democratic system.
Justice Breyer conveyed in a practical, easy-to-grasp way what it is that he actually does each day. With humor he described that he spends most of his time doing what students do: reading (the briefs written by lawyers about the cases before him) and writing (his opinions on cases).
He drove his point home with humor: "So I told my son, 'If you do your homework really well, you can get a job where you do homework for the rest of your life!'"
Breyer went on to talk about the Constitution – pulling from his suit jacket a pocket-sized version of the document that he carries around with him daily as illustration – explaining that the Constitution creates institutions that allow us to govern democratically. He explained that it is a special kind of democracy that strives to do four things: protect human rights, promote equality, create a division of power, and insist on a rule of law.
He was again very pragmatic, explaining to students that the role of the Constitution is to set boundaries and that the role of the court is to apply those boundaries.
"This is not telling people how to do things, but this is setting boundaries, and we [the Supreme Court] are the boundary patrol, he said." He went on to conjure up a radio character from the 1950s, Sky King, a Mountie in Canada who patrolled the Canadian Border.
"I have thought to myself this is what I do, I patrol the boundaries," he added.
He then went on to discuss some of the landmark, controversial decisions by the Court in the history of the United States, ranging from the 1832 Supreme Court case Worcester v. Georgia to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka to the more recent 2000 Bush v. Gore decision.
The overriding message conveyed in his discussion of these cases was that oftentimes the Court has to make a ruling that is unpopular or controversial, and that it is the faith and respect of the American public for the system that keeps democracy in place and helps make it work.
Justice Breyer's lasting message to students underscored the importance of their own participation in government in the future, be it on the school board, in local government, at the state level, or beyond.
"This document sets up a system for you to participate in the decisions of government," Breyer said. He went on to say that while everyone intends to participate, oftentimes life gets in the way and Americans get busy with family, jobs, simply putting meals on the table.
"Life is a lot to do and so remembering to stay involved in the community is much harder to remember," he said.
His message was not lost on the students.
"The opportunity that CHA and Springside gave us to see a Supreme Court Justice, not once but twice, is something that not many high school students can say that they have been exposed to," said Springside's student government head, senior Amanda Culp.
"I think that the message he emphasized about getting involved in our government especially struck me and the other seniors who are 18, since this upcoming election will be our first opportunity to vote," she said.
"Being able to speak with Justice Breyer in an intimate setting allowed me to realize how easy it is for us to influence the decisions made by politicians through our political participation," echoed Springside senior Sofia Norten.
"I want you to see that this document won't work unless you and others participate in the government it creates," Breyer told students as he concluded the assembly.
"To do that, it's helpful to know a little bit about the history and about the nature of institutions, including the courts, that we've created over time, to make up that government, he said." I hope you will participate and learn about the government of the Unites States, including the courts."
Betsy Torg works part-time at Springside School as Media Relations Coordinator.