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Veneman said the implementation team is working on details regarding other program benefits, including the recently signed Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act, and said information about these other sign up dates will be announced in the near future.
USDA has also launched a Web site, located at www.usda.gov, that provides producers one location for details on these programs, questions and answers, allows for comments and suggestions on program implementation, as well as other information on USDA agriculture assistance.
"USDA is committed to providing these disaster program benefits to producers as quickly as possible and today's announcement is the first step in meeting those expectations," said Veneman. "Our implementation team is examining ways to cut the red tape and expedite the process where possible and the new Web site provides the ability for producers to make suggestions on how we might work more efficiently in meeting that goal."
Both the LCP and the TOPP programs can begin quickly because program systems are in place and the programs are relatively easy to administer.
Livestock signup
LCP signup will begin on April 1 and is scheduled to end in early June. The Act expands LCP by including additional counties that were approved under a secretarial disaster designation or presidential disaster declaration for damages and losses due to any natural disaster.
Previously under LCP, a county must have been named as a primary county under a secretarial disaster designation between Jan. 1, 2001, and Sept. 19, 2002, only for drought. The Act expands LCP to make eligible any counties that were requested as primary disaster areas under a presidential or secretarial declaration by Feb. 20, and that were subsequently approved.
To be eligible for LCP assistance, a producer's livestock operation headquarters must be physically located in a county with a qualifying disaster designation. Eligible livestock are cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo, as well as catfish. Counties named as contiguous counties are not eligible for the program. LCP payments will be based on losses per head or number of eligible livestock and catfish.
To sign up for LCP assistance, eligible producers should visit their local FSA offices on April 1. USDA anticipates more than 700 additional counties will be made eligible for LCP under the Act. LCP was originally administered in 2,149 counties.
Act provisions
The act, signed into law on Feb. 20, authorizes total disaster aid estimated at $3.1 billion for producers suffering from natural disasters and related conditions. USDA will announce signup as quickly as possible for other assistance provided by the Act. The new law reimburses producers for qualifying crop losses in either 2001 or 2002 due to damaging weather or related conditions and provides $250 million for the Livestock Assistance Program to reimburse producers for grazing losses; $60 million for sugarcane producers; $60 million for sugar beet producers; and $50 million for the cottonseed industry.
The secretary said information about these other sign up dates will be announced in the coming weeks. Interested parties will also want to consult the program regulations when issued.
USDA's Farm Service Agency has developed a Web site that provides producers with one convenient location for details on new and existing FSA disaster assistance. The Web site can be accessed at http://www.usda.gov or at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov
"The new Web site gives farmers and ranchers immediate access to information on programs authorized by the Agricultural Assistance Act of 2003," said Jim Little, FSA administrator. "Producers who have suffered from disaster conditions can turn to this site for timely details on these important issues."
Frequent updates
The Web site will be updated frequently and will feature current news on programs contained in the act, plus details on signup, program requirements, as well as a comments and suggestions section. The site also will have links to online program application forms, Federal Register notices, information about regulations, as well as a list the counties eligible for certain disaster assistance.
The Web site also provides pertinent details on existing FSA disaster programs, including emergency low-cost loans for producers in designated disaster areas, the Emergency Conservation Program and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.


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Linked by scorchos on Tue 21st Dec 2010 23:14 UTC
A new version of ScorchOS has been released. ScorchOS (formerly known as ApolloOS) is still in the pre-alpha stage but aims soon to provide a minimal GUI-based operating environment which others can improve, extend and learn from. Don't expect to be using your latest productivity tools on it however for a good long while! This is a hobbyist operating kernel based on bkerndev and inspired by the MikeOS project. At the moment it shows the next step you can take with the kind of tutorials you may find on osdev.org.
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clean code
by evert on Wed 22nd Dec 2010 00:19 UTC

subset: commoncrawl


text: Various ways to recover deleted item from Sitecore Recycle Bin and Setting Posted 09/16/2016 by Ravi Manokaran When we delete an item in Sitecore it is not deleted permanently. Instead it is moved to the recycle bin just like on a Windows PC recycle bin. Items sit in the Recycle bin until someone permanently deletes everything in it, meaning you can recover them if they were accidentally deleted. The recycle bin can be accessed from the Desktop or the Launchpad. From the Desktop, click start and then we'll notice the Recycle Bin link under the All Applications fly out. Simply click an item and then click the Restore button to restore that item. We can also use search to find your items if there are too many to sort through. By default, only administrators can see items they themselves didn't delete. The Delete button will permanently delete the selected item in the recycle bin. The Empty button will permanently delete ALL items in the recycle bin. The Show Versions check box will expand versions of the items in the recycle bin in case we want to restore just one particular version of a deleted item, rather than all versions. It is common for recycle bins to grow forever and become a nuisance for administrators and infrastructure team who is concerned about restorability and recovery times. We may prefer to simply disable the recycle bin rather than run the risk of it growing too large (not a best practice). In this case, a simple web.config change can do this. Disable the recycle bin in web.config by setting the RecycleBinActive setting to false, or for a given database, remove /archives/archive/recyclebin element. When delete one item that has subitems, all is great. The deleted item shows up in the recycle bin. When restore the item, all subitems are restored as well. When the items are deleted one by one, they have to be restored one by one. Fortunately in the sitecore recycle bin can select multiple items on a page to restore. Unfortunately this is limited to 15 items per page. We recently had to restore 300+ items. To restore these by hand would mean scrolling through numerous pages to restore the items, 15 items at the time. Fortunately the sitecore API provides simple access to the recycle bin. This code on stackoverflow saved from going through all the items by hand. We modified it so we could restore all items deleted after a certain date where the path started with a certain prefix. The code to restore items from recycle bin using the sitecore API using (new SecurityDisabler()) { DateTime archiveDate = new DateTime(2016, 7, 8); string pathPrefix = "/sitecore/media library"; // get the recyclebin for the master database Sitecore.Data.Archiving.Archive archive = Sitecore.Data.Database.GetDatabase("master").Archives["recyclebin"]; // get as many deleted items as possible // where the archived date is after a given date // and the item path starts with a given path var itemsRemovedAfterSomeDate = archive.GetEntries(0, int.MaxValue) .Where(entry => entry.ArchiveDate > archiveDate && entry.OriginalLocation.StartsWith(pathPrefix) ).ToList(); foreach (var itemRemoved in itemsRemovedAfterSomeDate) { // restore the item archive.RestoreItem(itemRemoved.ArchivalId); } } Tags: Share: Categories Continuous Integration Good to Know Neat Modules Powershell Sitecore Basics Sitecore Habitat Sitecore Tips and Tricks Supporting Sitecore Websites Troubleshooting Tips Unicorn Web Forms For Marketers All Posts Archive 2018 February (1) Clearing a SOLR Core Initialization Failure Error with a fix in Internet Explorer 2017 January (5) Faceted Autocomplete for a Sitecore Multilingual site using SOLR Suggester API Adding Sitecore References via Nuget Packages Stock Price Widget in Sitecore with Google Finance URL Syncing All Configurations with Sitecore Unicorn Sitecore Speak Components: Part 2 May (1) Lucene MergeException When Using SOLR 2016 February (3) Getting a "No trees contained the global path" when creating an item using Unicorn in Sitecore So, you want to build something using Sitecore Habitat, part 2 So, you want to build something using Sitecore Habitat? April (1) Coveo for Sitecore Pro Cloud: Streamlining Coveo Implementations May (2) Remember The Sitecore DBBrowser A Quick Intro To Sitecore and Languages June (3) Deleting a Language in Sitecore - Be Careful Move Data from MongoDB to Salesforce Custom Language Selector in Sitecore July (10) Disabling XDB Analytics In Sitecore 8 Using Unicorn and a Text Editor to do Bulk Updates in Sitecore Create Item in Sitecore programmatically with workflow assigned Generating Test Data What to do when a content author leaves the company Manage WeBlog module blog comments on CM and CD environments without web services Customization using Sitecore Publishing Pipeline Generating a PDF document from user entered data in a WFFM Custom Save Action in Habitat Publish Viewer Retrieving Interactions Data from MongoDB using Sitecore Analytics API August (6) Setting up MongoDB in production Validating only unique values, can be saved into specific set of fields by Custom Field Validator using Lucene with predicates Configuring Cache Expiration for File System & Sitecore Media based on Production Deployments Customizing Sitecore Analytics Manage HTML encoding in a Sitecore Single-line text field Setting up MongoDB with Sitecore and MongoDB UI September (19) How does Sitecore Update Package Work – Introduction Sitecore Powershell Extension Script For Setting Workflows Sitecore Lucene Search filtering with Predicate Builder Sitecore Symposium 2016 Takeaways Model Class Generator For Sitecore Habitat Create Rendering Parameters in Sitecore MVC Customize RSS Feed A Fix For When The Sitecore Package Installation Never Finishes Various ways to recover deleted item from Sitecore Recycle Bin and Setting Options to move sitecore items from one database to another database Tealium Tag Manager Integration with Sitecore : Part1 Adding Custom Language in Sitecore Using the Rainbow TFS package with the NTT Data Sitecore Accelerator Sitecore API for Adding & Retrieving Query Strings Source Tree Error: - "The remote end hung up unexpectedly" Redirection to different item without changing URL in Sitecore if Requested URL matches Linkfield URL in item Sitecore for All: Responsive, Adaptive or Mobile Site Communicating between Sublayouts How to Remotely Sync Unicorn 3 to Install Serialized Items Into Sitecore October (10) How does Sitecore Update Package Work – Creating Update Package How does Sitecore Update Package Work – Creating File/Folder Commands Another Handy Powershell Script: Enabling Item Level Language Fallback on Standard Values How does Sitecore Update Package Work – Creating Property Commands Language and Version Manager Sitecore Module How does Sitecore Update Package Work – Creating Field Commands Sitecore Context Languages and Date Displays How does Sitecore Update Package Work – Creating Version Commands How does Sitecore Update Package Work – Creating Item Commands Tealium Tag Manager Integration with Sitecore Part-2 November (1) Sitecore Speak Components: Part1 December (7) Custom Workflow Manager Custom Content Indexing In Habitat Based Solutions Using Computed Fields Reading Update Package - Extracting Commands Reading Update Package - Implementing Item Commands Reading Update Package - Implementing Field Commands Reading Update Package - Implementing Version Commands Sitecore Icons in The Media Library (and content profile cards) 2015 January (3) Dependency Injection using Simple Injector for Sitecore 8 WebApi Attribute Routing in APIControllers Dependency Injection using Simple Injector for Sitecore 8 WebApi Attribute Routing in APIControllers Sitecore Hackathon 2015 February (8) Use MongoDB to store Sitecore log entries centrally! Sitecore Powershell not working with Insite Installed Serialization woes with Sitecore and Windows Using Robomongo as the Admin UI for Sitecore MongoDB's Add Telephone Link to the General Link field type in Sitecore Sitecore Data Model Documentation Module Sitecore Hackathon 2015 Winners Sitecore 8 Config File Sequence June (2) Sitecore Hints: RSS Feed Bucketed Item Datasource Sitecore Hints: Recently Viewed Products in xDB 2014 January (7) Responsive images in Sitecore Security Replicator Datasource Workflow Module Los Angeles Sitecore User Group (LASUG) Canonical Urls in Sitecore Return a 404 Not Found for invalid Sitecore item Top Downloads Report February (6) Site-Specific Providers Export Security Settings Swapping Templates Adding Search Views to Sitecore 7 Passing subscription id to a custom subscribe action of WFFM Workflow Comments Pipeline March (2) Sitecore Is Awesome Non-English OS Chrome Issue April (1) Multilist with Search bug in Sitecore 7.1 (rev. 130926) June (2) Sitecore Issue - Update Wizard page waits indefinitely Sitecore Item Export via Excel July (3) Foreign Keys and Computed Fields in Coveo for Sitecore Coveo JS Framework with Sitecore 7 Force Facebook to pull latest page content in the share dialog August (7) Refresh Coveo source from a Sitecore page Adding a Sort field based on a computed field on "Coveo for Sitecore" (Coveo 7) Generic Multilist Computed Field in Coveo for Sitecore Extending the Coveo REST service in Coveo for Sitecore Create a RESTful web service in Sitecore with Web API Add Dynamic Query Suggestions to Your Search Box in Coveo JS Framework WeBlog Deployment to Preview Database issue September (1) Highly testable Sitecore code using MVC, Ninject, Synthesis, Moq, and NUnit November (1) How to extend Sitecore indexing to render datasource items 2013 March (3) Sitecore CDN Connector Optimization Blog Sitecore E-Commerce Specialization July (1) Popout Page Editor Content Editor September (5) Sitecore Dashboard and SignalR Placeholder Settings Rules Minify your HTML on the fly! Multi-Instance Environments on Oracle Standard Values and Oracle NULL October (7) Security Field Fallback Using EnclosingTag in Page Editor Sitecore 7: Workflow with more than a Comment Creating a custom action editor for WFFM Know your Placeholders! Generate a Google sitemap for a Million plus Sitecore items site Simplify layout details in page editor using dynamic datasource and more.. November (5) Using Web API with Sitecore ASP.NET Web Forms Installing and Configuring Custom Workflow Comments Module (CWC) for Sitecore 7 Custom Workflow Comments CWC Module for Sitecore 7 Part 2 Custom Workflow Comments (CWC) Module for Sitecore 7 – Part 1 Building Facet Queries with PredicateBuilder December (2) Chrontab for Sitecore Is Sitecore Azure right for you? Syndication Blog Entries


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12 Apr Fun Ideas For A Recipe Or Kitchen Themed Bridal Shower
Calling all family and friends of the bride-to-be! We know how stressful it can be to put together the logistics of a bridal shower, not to mention the immense pressure you feel to create a beautiful, special and memorable day that you know the bride will love. But never fear – PersonalizationMall.com is here! We've put together some great tips so you have everything you need to help you host the perfect bridal shower!
These unbelievable, almost-too-pretty-to-eat Kitchen Cookies from The Adventures of Sugarbelle blog had us instantly inspired to come up with ideas for a kitchen themed bridal shower (we first saw the picture on Pinterest, but you can find the recipe and decorating tips for creating these beauties here). We think these pretty treats would not only add some fun to each table, they'll also make great favors that each of your guests can take home with them!
But let's not get ahead of ourselves – the first thing you need to do after setting a date and securing a location is work on the bridal shower invitations. But before we talk about creating beautiful bridal shower invitations like this, this or this, we need to go over the focal point of the kitchen themed shower.
The purpose of any bridal shower is to help the bride start off her married life with a kitchen and home full of everything she needs but with our personalized tips and ideas, you'll also be helping her build a kitchen and home that's hers.
The From The Kitchen Of… Personalized Recipe Cards, which come in both 3×5 and 4×6 sizes, or any of our other Personalized Recipe Card Designs will help you achieve both of those goals because while they do make a great gift (a gift that she'll actually use!) all on their own … they will be extra special when you announce that you've had the bride's family and friends fill them out with their favorite recipes!
In order to surprise her with this gift you'll have to personalize enough cards (they're sold in sets of 24) so you can include 1 or 2 of them with each of the bridal shower invitations (we also suggest personalizing an extra set of recipe cards that you can leave blank so when you present them to the bride she can add her own favorite recipes to her collection). When you're creating the invitations, make sure to include a line somewhere on the invite that says "Please fill out the recipe cards and bring them to the shower. Write down 1-2 of your most favorite recipes to help us start the bride's recipe collection!" Send the invites off and you're well on your way to creating a one-of-a-kind gift that will be a bridal shower show stopper!
The final part of the gift is to personalize the From The Kitchen Of… Bamboo or Clear Acrylic Recipe Box for the bride. We suggest trying to match the theme of the recipe box to the theme of the recipe cards, however we also offer different designs for you to choose from in our Personalized Recipe Box Department, including a Personalized Recipe Binder that would also work well for this gift. These recipe boxes are excellent additions to anyone's kitchen – the lids on the bamboo recipe boxes feature a slit that can hold a recipe card upright while you're cooking and the acrylic recipe box lids not only hold the recipe cards upright, they also protect them from food splatter!
We suggest quietly collecting all of the recipe cards from the guests as they arrive so when the bride opens the recipe box you've personalized for her, you can surprise her with all of the recipe cards that her loved ones have filled out. Just think of how special it will be for her to receive secret family recipes, the directions for making her future husband's favorite meal from his mom, or the recipe to her favorite dessert that her aunt makes and brings to every holiday party. You're not only setting her up with a good start to a recipe collection, you're giving her the opportunity to surprise her husband with his favorite dinner from growing up, or to recreate her favorite holiday meals that she's enjoyed since she was a little girl – there won't be a dry eye in the place!
Of course we also have a way for you to lighten the mood again – bridal shower games! Now stop groaning (yeah, we heard you!), these aren't the same ol' games that you've seen done a million times … they're kitchen-themed and interactive! We loved all of the ideas they offered on this Kitchen Bridal Shower Games post, but especially the Spice Quiz. To set up the game you remove the labels from 10 jars of spices and assign each of them a number. Pass the spices around to each of the tables and ask the guests to guess which spice it is that they're seeing, smelling, and (if they're brave) tasting. The person with the most correct guesses wins and the bride can keep all the spices to stock her kitchen!
If you're looking for bridal shower gifts in addition to the recipe cards and boxes, check out our Personalized Entertaining and Home Gifts Store – especially the Kitchen and Grill Department or head over to the Kitchen, Bar and Home Department in our Personalized Wedding and Anniversary Gifts Store where you'll find more great bridal shower gift ideas that every bride will love.
If you have any other tips for throwing a kitchen bridal shower please share with us and all of our fans by posting in the comments below!


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N. Texas holds on for win over E. Carolina
DENTON, Texas (AP) — Jordan Williams blocked a game-winning shot attempt with 6 seconds left as North Texas survived a late surge to slip past East Carolina 53-51 Saturday night.
North Texas was ahead 50-38 midway of the final period, when East Carolina closed off the Eagles, limiting them to just three points in the final 9 minutes. Caleb White, who had 17 points, hit two consecutive 3-pointers and made a layup to close to 50-46 with 7:44 remaining.
Alzee Williams, who averages 11.9 points a game, scored his only points, a dunk, at the 4:36 mark. That was just enough for the win as ECU scored five unanswered points in the final 90 seconds.
Prince Williams tried a jump shot for the win with 6 seconds remaining, but Jordan Williams blocked it.
Vertrail Vaughns led the Eagles (12-13, 3-8) with 13 points.
Williams scored 15 points for East Carolina (13-13, 2-9).


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Greek prosecutor escapes injury from letter bomb
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police say a special anti-terrorism prosecutor has escaped injury after a letter bomb exploded at his home.
The bomb, made of gunpowder, was stuffed inside a large envelope and addressed to appeals court prosecutor Dimitris Mokkas.
Police say the prosecutor was away on vacation and, when he returned Sunday evening, a neighbor gave him his correspondence.
Mokkas thought the envelope, whose return address was the Greek chapter of an international NGO, looked suspicious and he threw it to the ground. The envelope burst into flames, but otherwise did no damage.
In July, a letter bomb was intercepted at the Association of Prosecuting Magistrates in July. In that case, a clerk handed it over to police and it was destroyed by bomb disposal experts.


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Myiornis atricapillus (black-capped pygmy tyrant)
A Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant (Myiornis atricapillus) (the smallest Passerine bird) visits us and calls in the forest at La Selva (Costa Rica), 11/98.
Douglas Von Gausig (recordist; copyright holder), Naturesongs.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The Animal Diversity Web team is excited to announce ADW Pocket Guides!
Help us improve the site by taking our survey.
To cite this page: Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2018. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed at https://animaldiversity.org.
Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. Additional support has come from the Marisla Foundation, UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Museum of Zoology, and Information and Technology Services.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.


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David Hall: The 1936 Cincinnati commemorative half dollars were struck in very limited quanties at all three Mints. A little over 5,000 coins were distributed for the 1936, 1936-D and 1936-S Cincinattis. This commemorative was a totally contrived issue. It was supposed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cincinnati as "a center of music, and its contribution to the art of music for the past 50 years." It featured the obverse bust of Stephen Foster. The only problem was that no one outside of the few promoters of the Cincinnati halves viewed Cincinnati as a music center in the United States and Stephen Foster spent only a very short time in the city and didn't write any of his famous songs there. Nonetheless, the Cincinnatis were struck and offered at $7.75 for the three coin set. But very few sets were sold to the public as most of the original mintage went to a small group of insiders. The value of the Cincinnati set almost immemdiately went to $40 to $50, netting the original conspirators a nice profit. By 1939/1940 they were back down to $15.
Despite the dubious origins, Cincinnati commemoratives are quite popular with collectors today. They should probably be considered semi-common to semi-scarce in grades of MS63 to MS66. Superb MS67 examples are definitely scarce. Interestingly, though the three coins have identical mintages, the 1936-D is far more populous than the 1936 and the 1936-S is rarer still. The 1936 Philadelphia Mint Cincinnati is semi-common in all grades up to MS67, and it's scarce in the top grade of MS67. The 1936 has a semi-frosty, somewhat satiny luster and comes either white or with varying degrees of toning.
© 1999-2018 Collectors Universe NASDAQ: CLCT


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Saturday, August 20, 2011
Cake Slice Bakes Last Cake from Cake Keepers
The Cake Slice Bakers have been baking for a while from Lauren Chattman's Cake Keeper Cakes cookbook, mostly with good to great results. Now we are getting to the end of this cookbook and thinking about the next one.
The August recipe that was chosen by the group is Hungarian Coffee Cake, a type of Monkey Bread. Balls of muffin-like dough are rolled in cinnamon-sugar and put into a Bundt cake pan, interlaced with walnuts, raisins, (and in my case shredded Gravenstein apples). August is Gravenstein apple time, and the apple flavor goes so well with cinnamon and raisins and walnuts that it seemed like a match made in gustatory heaven.
As I often do, I made some changes to the recipe. My raisins were a bit dry so I soaked them in 1/4 cup warm rum for 15 minutes. I saved the rum I drained off the raisins and added it to the butter/brown sugar mixture...why waste good rum? The cake batter seemed bland so I added 2 tablespoons of sugar, about 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and I added a beaten egg to the buttermilk. I also used my food processor to make the cake dough, which worked well since the butter was totally frozen. I had planned to make this cake earlier in the week and had left the butter in the freezer, already cut into small pieces.
The resulting cake was delicious! Everyone wanted seconds. I loved the way the topping shone and it was a sweet counterpoint to the less sweet cake. Because of the added egg, the cake was moist and similar to a muffin instead of being like a scone. I loved the flavor combo of walnuts/apple/rum-raisin/cinnamon, like a hint of autumn in summer.
If I make this again I'll probably bake it in two loaf pans instead of the Bundt pan. That way I can freeze on loaf for later enjoyment.
Do visit the other Cake Slice Bakers to see their versions of this cake that makes your home smell like cinnamon buns. The recipe below includes the changes I made. Come back at this time next month for a surprise!
XO Elle
Hungarian Coffee Cake
(a variation of a recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled (unsalted is called for but I used salted and it was great)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
rum drained from raisins (see below)
Whisk together the melted butter, light brown sugar and rum. Set aside.
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup rum
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup shredded tart apple
Combine raisins and rum in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at full power 15 seconds. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid to add to the topping mixture (see above).
In a zip-lock bag combine the 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.
Cut the 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) into small pieces and put into a bowl, then into the freezer while doing the next steps of the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a nonstick 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.
Place the flour, the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar still left, the baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in the bowl of a large food processor or electric mixer. Use knife blade in food processor or whisk attachment in electric mixer to combine the dry ingredients.
Add the chilled butter pieces to the dry ingredients. In the food processor pulse to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In the electric mixer mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. For both, add the buttermilk and the egg.
In the food processor pulse to blend the liquid and dry ingredients into a dough, stopping when dough comes together. In the electric mixer bowl, stir the liquid into the dry ingredients until a dough forms.
Scoop up small balls of dough (I used my fingers and sort of pinched off pieces the size of a walnut). Place the dough balls into the bag with the cinnamon sugar mixture and shake the bag to coat the balls.
Placed the coated balls into the prepared pan, sprinkling the walnuts, raisins and apple shreds over them as you go. Once all the dough balls, nuts, raisins, apple shreds and any leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture have gone into the pan, pour the melted butter mixture over it all. Rotate the pan briskly to settle the topping.
Bake until the cake is firm and well risen and the caramel is melted, about 35 - 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and serve immediately. Store uneaten cake (if any) in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for 1 day.
12 comments :
Your cake looks wonderful, I tried to make mine gluten free but it didn't really work. I'll have to try it again as yours looks so good! I think your idea of soaking the raisins in rum was genius! I thought the batter itself could have done with an egg too as it seemed a bit dryReplyDelete
;-) NEVER NEVER waste good rum especially when in can go into beautiful cake like this.ReplyDelete
I didn't get round to this one this month, but yours looks lovely.ReplyDelete
Your cake looks delicious - love your additions!ReplyDelete
I agree with Monica - your additions are genius!ReplyDelete
Apples , that sounds soo good!ReplyDelete
And ur cake is soo pretty !
Mine was cakey like too ,and soft and moist ,not at all scony or biscuity!
I love how you can always find a way to make any recipe your own. It looks delicious!ReplyDelete
I bet those rumed raisons were delicious! I'll have to try that next time!ReplyDelete


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Pope Benedict XVI eBooks
Pope Benedict XVI was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on 16 April 1927 and is the 265th Pope. Benedict XVI was elected on 19 April 2005 in a papal conclave, celebrated his Papal Inauguration Mass on 24 April 2005, and took possession of his cathedral, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, on 7 May 2005. A native of Bavaria, Pope Benedict XVI has both German and Vatican citizenship.
After a long career as an academic, serving as a professor of theology at various German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome when he became Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia. From 2002 until his election as Pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals, and as such the primus inter pares among the cardinals.
Like his predecessor, Benedict XVI is theologically conservative and his teaching and writings defend traditional Catholic doctrine and values. During his papacy, Benedict XVI has advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many developed countries. He views relativism's denial of objective truth, and the denial of moral truths in particular, as the central problem of the 21st century. He teaches the importance of both the Catholic Church and an understanding of God's redemptive love.


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The Architecture of Love
My husband and I have a strict embargo on pricey Valentine's gifts that dates from the time we first starting dating nine years ago. Back then we could barely afford our rent so the idea of giving one another something as extravagant as, say, a castle never would have crossed our minds.
Luckily for us, however, some lovers with deeper pockets than ours decided to declare their devotion through real estate — and now we can all enjoy these architectural testaments to love!
1. The most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India was built by the Emporer Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal and completed in 1653.
2. Built on Heart Island in Alexandria Bay, New York, Boldt Castle was built by millionaire George C. Boldt at the turn of the last century. He intended to give the estate to his beloved wife Louise as a Valentine's Day present — sadly, tragedy struck and Louise died before it was finished.
3. The testaments to the love between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are many, but Balmoral Castle, which Albert helped to design for his wife and family in their beloved Scotland, is one of the most enduring. Balmoral is also the site of the platonic romance between the widowed Queen and Mr. Brown, her Scottish servant.
4. Completed in 1892, William K. Vanderbilt gave Marble House in the fashionable summer community of Newport, Rhode Island to his wife Alva as a 39th birthday present. Though they divorced in 1895, there must have been some form of admiration between the two to occasion such a lovely gift!
5. Long before Marie Antoinette flounced around the property in her milkmaid costumes, King Louis XV built the Petit Trianon at Versailles for his longtime love Madame de Pompadour. Sadly, she died before its completion so the mini-palace went to her successor Louis's mistress Madame du Barry.
Have any of you received a gift of real estate from your beloved? Would you like to?
Images: 1. Local Travel Tip, 2. BoldtCastle.com, 3. Balmoral Castle, 4. Branch, 5. Catherine Delors


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WORCESTER — The local Habitat for Humanity chapter is reeling today after learning the truck used to collect donations was stolen Tuesday night and set ablaze on Grove Street.
The 16-foot box truck, covered with the Habitat for Humanity – MetroWest/Greater Worcester logo, was taken Tuesday night while it was parked outside the organization's store at 11 Distributor Road, off Gold Star Boulevard.
Police and fire personnel were called to the area of 454 Grove St. — less than a mile from the store — and discovered the truck engulfed in flames around 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to police reports. Firefighters put out the flames.
Police checked the area and couldn't find anyone responsible or any witnesses. The theft and fire remain under investigation.
The truck is a pivotal part of the organization's ReStore, which accepts donations and sells used furniture, building materials and appliances. The store is an important revenue generator to help pay for the homes built by volunteers and Habitat for Humanity workers.
"We're all just heartbroken over the news. First thing in the morning it is tough to hear that," said Lauren Grimanis, development associate for the organization. "The ReStore provides really crucial funds."
ReStore workers discovered the truck was missing around 9 a.m. Wednesday. They found broken glass where the truck had been parked in the area of the passenger's side window. Police were called.
Ms. Grimanis said that the truck contained roughly $630 worth of appliances for the store. Also lost were several items used to move donated goods. It is the only truck the organization owns. It was used to collect and move items from the 42 communities in the agency's service area.
Habitat for Humanity is asking the public for help to get a new truck. Ms. Grimanis said the organization hopes a new truck can be donated or loaned to Habitat for Humanity.
Anyone interested in helping can email ReStore director Deborah Maruca Hoak at email@example.com.
Contact Scott J. Croteau at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottCroteauTG


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Next Meetup
What we're about
L.A. Foodies is one of the largest Foodies Meetup Group!
While we are no longer the biggest, but I think we are the best!
http://foodie.meetup.com/ (http://foodie.meetup.com)
Meet People Interested in Dining Out, cooking, baking or drinking in L.A.! Enjoy & share culinary talents with our 7,800+ fellow foodies, gourmets, wine lovers, chefs and home cooks. Discover new restaurants, visit Food Festivals, grab some cheap eats, check out the latest foodie trucks, farmers markets, wine tastings & meet new friends.
Let's broaden our horizons and get together for some themed potluck dining parties. Anyone up for a Tapas party? Home made Dim Sum? Chili Cookoff? Potluck Picnic BBQ? Roll your own sushi rolls? Jazz Concert? Cheesemaking workshops? Cookbook Swaps?
It's still FREE to join, BUT you are required to fill out our Members Survey. Click Here.
After you filled out the survey, find the "Join Us" button on this page to request membership.
Our Founder/Organizer Darrell was named one of the Top 200 Meetup Organizers in the World!
Be sure you also join our L.A. Foodies Facebook Group
Home Limoncello making workshop
We have some great Potlucks!
Cocktails anyone? Wine pairings? Home brew beer? Free Concerts Too! Let's not limit our events to dining only & share in some fun, adventurous & truly unique events!
Membership: Basic Membership is Free. Attend our events and if you agree that our Foodie group is one of the best on Meetup, please become a Supporting Member (SM) for only $10 per year to help cover the expenses of running this group. As a SM, you will receive advance notices to small and special dining events that fill up instantly and to dining events for SM members only.
Click here to see more pics of our fabulous Cheesemaking Workshops! (http://www.meetup.com/Foodies/photos/765751/)
Tell your friends to visit us at http://www.LAfoodies.org
And our sister Meetup groups:
LA Asian Foodies @ http://www.AsianFoodies.info
LA Foodies group assumes absolutely no liabilities due to the use of information or participating in activities found on this group or site. By becoming a member or participant, you agree to release all liabilities of the organizers and hosts.


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A Private War
The Favourite
Crazy Rich Asians
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NAMM 2007: Sonic Reality Introduces Ocean Way Drums
Sonic Reality is introducing at NAMM the new Ocean Way Drums sample library. The brainchild of acclaimed engineer/producer and studio owner Allen Sides, OWD utilized the world's most extensive collection of vintage microphones to record drums in Ocean Way's renowned Studio B, designed by recording legend Bill Putnam.
Sides' partners in the project are well known engineer/producer and label executive Steven Miller, and Dave Kerzner, CEO of Sonic Reality, the sound development company that created the first high-end drum kit sample library, "Interactive Drum Kits," in 1997. The new OWD library utilizes Sonic Reality's exclusive I-Map™, the highest standard of drum mapping to date, far exceeding the expressive capabilities of the common GM map. OWD incorporates legendary studio acoustics and expert engineering with the highly expressive MIDI-controlled I-Map programming in sample formats such as Native Instruments Kontakt™ 2, all in one unprecedented collection.
Sides and Miller recorded full drum kits with the finest kick drums, snares, toms, hi hats and cymbals, utilizing a unique multi-microphone recording technique that captures the sound of each instrument with optimum sonic impact and spatial depth. An enormous variety of sounds are instantly available via preset mixes made by these top engineers, giving users not only the raw drum sounds but a range of sounds that are album quality and ready for professional mixes. Additionally, a virtually unlimited sonic palate is available by experimenting with the various stereo sub mixes, control of the pitch, tone and effect processing. High resolution 24-bit 96K audiofile sound with realism and expression in performance establish Ocean Way Drums as a new defacto standard in sampled drums.
The sampling sessions of Ocean Way Drums utilized a one-of-a-kind custom console built by the studio's original designer Bill Putman. This console in Ocean Way's Studio B delivers astonishing clarity with a slew rate exceeding 200 volts per microsecond running on 28 volt rails, and is considered to be the fastest console on the planet. The historic Studio B has hosted sessions with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Green Day, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Radiohead, among countless other ground-breaking artists. It is the home of one of the best sounding live rooms and some of the most sought after vintage gear in the world. Also employed in the sampling session were highly customized classic outboard gear by Neve®, API®, UREI®, and Fairchild® along with rare hand-selected vintage tube microphones and special drum kits that have been recorded by top artists on albums at Ocean Way over the years.
Sonic Reality's I-MAP is a proprietary MIDI note mapping/drum kit layout scheme that facilitates improved live performance of drum kits via MIDI keyboard input. I-MAP places drums in their most flexible and intuitive positions, allowing each of the fingers on both hands independent and coordinated control over the loaded kit. With very little practice, it is possible to lay down complete drum tracks in a single take that have an entirely realistic sound and rhythm.
Additionally, special maps have also been made for control with high-end drum pads such as the Roland® V-Drums. Many of the performance articulations from I-Map were designed to be triggered with maximum dynamics and alternate randomization for incredible realism and expression when played from top of the line drum pad controllers. Finally, access to the individual mic channel samples is also available for direct drum replacement in DAWs such as ProTools®, Nuendo®, Logic® and more. Ocean Way Drums is a complete solution for creating the highest quality drum tracks for all styles of music.
Dolphin Music will be selling Sonic Reality's Ocean Way Drums as soon as it's released in the UK. In the meantine, why don't you check our other Sonic Reality products HERE.


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This week, Dr. Sydney Spiesel discusses whether chocolate is bad for your bones, evidence across racial groups that exercise promotes longevity, and a creepy-crawly (and possibly delusional) condition called Morgellons.
Chocolate and bone density
Question: One of the plusses of chocolate is that it contains materials called flavonoids. These are known to enhance bone health. But does chocolate do more harm than good to the bones?
Research: Jonathan M. Hodgson and his associates looked at whether calcium supplements might prevent the loss of minerals from the bones of older women, which leads to weakness and risk of fractures. As part of their study of about 1,000 randomly selected elderly women, these scientists examined the effects of diet. One of the foods they studied was chocolate, both as a solid and as cocoa. Given chocolate's flavonoids, they expected that it would improve calcium absorption into bone, which they measured using the standard method: X-ray densitometry.
Findings: To the great surprise of the researchers, the women who ate a lot of chocolate—on average, more than one portion a day (a cup of cocoa, say, or a bar of chocolate)—had lower bone density five years after the experiment began than the women who didn't. The chocolate-eaters and -drinkers were also, unexpectedly, more energetic and leaner.
Explanation: The authors speculate that the lower bone density may be due to another natural ingredient in chocolate: oxalic acid. Oxalic acid can bind the calcium in our diet (from leafy green vegetables and dairy products) and block its absorption, so its presence in chocolate might prevent some calcium from ever reaching the bones. But, as always, we need to keep in mind that association doesn't necessarily imply causation. It may be that some other factor, having nothing to do with chocolate, controls the intake and absorption of calcium.
Speculation: Here's another thought, or really speculation: The chocolate-eaters in the study were somewhat lower in weight and body fat than the women who avoided chocolate. Especially in older women, body fat contributes to estrogen level, which, in turn, promotes increased bone calcium. Perhaps the slightly heavier post-menopausal women in the study, who ate less chocolate, had higher levels of calcium in their bones, on average, because of the additional estrogen produced by their body fat.
Conclusion: So, does this study also apply to younger women or to men? It's hard to say, since we don't know the true mechanism which leads to lower bone density in older women who like chocolate. But we do know one thing which helps maintain and increase bone density and strength: exercise. Which certainly seems preferable to giving up chocolate.
Question: Speaking of exercise, a substantial amount of research has shown that physically fit people are likely to live longer than others—but the evidence has only involved middle-class or wealthy whites. Does the relationship hold for other groups?
Research: Peter Kokkinos and colleagues compared the fitness level of almost 16,000 veterans with their mortality risk. The participants walked and ran on a treadmill designed to evaluate heart function until they needed to stop because they were tired, and then were assigned to one of four groups (low, medium, high, and very high fitness) based on performance. In this research population, blacks were little younger than whites but had higher blood pressures, a greater likelihood of smoking, and a higher probability of obesity. They were also more likely to have cardiovascular disease and diabetes or abnormal blood lipids. These differences between the black and white research subjects were taken into account. Most of the participants—white or black—were of the same relatively low socioeconomic level.
Findings: Once all the variables were controlled for, the results were remarkably similar across the racial groups. At a seven-and-a-half year follow-up, it was clear that as fitness level improved, mortality rate dropped. The relationship was pretty much linear and almost the same for blacks and whites
Conclusion: As usual, we have to be careful not to assume that the improved fitness was the cause of the greater life expectancy. (People could test poorly for fitness because of an underlying illness that's the real cause of lower life expectancy, though the researchers made efforts to correct for this effect.) The message: Fitness results, on average, improved life expectancy, and the effect applies whether you're black or white, rich or poor.
History: About 340 years ago, an English physician, philosopher, and collector of odd things, Sir Thomas Browne, described a strange illness he had apparently encountered years earlier in children in Languedoc, a region in the southeast corner of France. The illness began with coughs and convulsions—symptoms which resolved, Browne said, when "harsh" (coarse?) hairs appeared on the backs of the sufferers. The only other thing Browne related about this disease was its name—Morgellons.
Condition: Morgellons, or at least a condition given the same name, has now reappeared, in the form of an illness in which sufferers are tormented by the sensation that bugs are crawling under their skin. This is accompanied by itching, as well as the sense of being stung or bitten. Many sufferers find relief by scratching or picking. What binds this new condition to Browne's description is the appearance of red, blue, or black fibers or granules in the picked skin. Sometimes, when doctors examine under high magnification the sites of sensations, similar fibers are seen embedded below the skin's surface.
Effect: Morgellons disease makes people miserable. They are often intensely anxious and, understandably, strongly focused on finding a cause and effective treatment. They are sometimes reluctant to have contact with other people, including family members, for fear of passing on an infection. For the same reason, they sometimes get rid of furniture or clothing. They are often frustrated and deeply unsatisfied by their encounters with doctors. Many patients also describe being chronically exhausted and having joint or muscle pains.
Explanation: Most dermatologists consider Morgellons disease to be a variant of a well-known condition: delusional parasitosis—the sense of infestation of the skin by bugs—though they are quick to point out that no matter what the cause, patients genuinely and strongly experience the sensations they describe. Patients with this illness often have concomitant psychological problems, which would not be surprising no matter what the cause: A debilitating disease is as likely to be a cause of depression as the result of it.
Parallels: Are there are other conditions that might help clarify whether Morgellons is a collective delusion or a physical condition caused by some kind of parasitic invasion of the skin? Maybe. There are a whole collection of shared delusional illnesses—think "mass hysteria." One of the most famous is "koro" (also called "suo-yang"). It is a high-anxiety delusion, often shared simultaneously by many people, that one's genitals are shrinking inward. It is usually a male delusion, but sometimes women experience a similar sense that their nipples are inverting or that their vagina is closing. Epidemics of koro have been reported in China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Nigeria. Sufferers sometimes believe the shrinking organ was stolen from them, and this has led to the very real beating or lynching of the perceived perpetrator. Similarly, every year, groups (frequently of adolescents) experience collective panic, often with mass fainting and vomiting, when they imagine smelling a strange odor.
Conclusion: These examples make it easy to dismiss patients with Morgellons as victims of delusion. But I am compelled to point out that occasionally an epidemic of teenagers collectively smelling an off-odor and fainting has turned out to be the result of exposure to carbon monoxide from a defective furnace or to insecticide contamination. The CDC has now begun to look at Morgellons in a scientific way, so perhaps soon we will have a better handle on cause and treatment.


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Rugby World Cup 2011
O'Callaghan desperate to make amends
ESPNscrum Staff
September 4, 2011
Ireland lock Donncha O'Callaghan is hoping to exorcise a few demons in New Zealand © Getty Images
Donncha O'Callaghan has admitted that he and his fellow survivors from Ireland's last World Cup campaign are determined to right a few wrongs in New Zealand.
The Irish, under the guidance of Eddie O'Sullivan, travelled to France four years ago regarded by many as a side capable of reaching the last four. However, they suffered an embarrassing exit in the pool stages after defeats by France and Argentina. Even their two victories, over minnows Namibia and Georgia, were painfully laboured.
Consequently, less is expected of Ireland this time around, not least because Declan Kidney's troops go into the tournament on the back of four successive defeats. O'Callaghan, though, insists that many members of the squad will be driven by the pain of 2007 and are determined to make amends for their dismal displays.
"You don't want to get to the biggest competition of your life and fall flat on your face," he said. "The scars of France have stayed with us all. It was a scarring event in our careers.
"It was hugely disappointing because you arrive with such promise and all the dreams of doing well. So to come up short.... there's no worse feeling. It took me a lot of time to get over that and some of us still haven't.
"A lot of us pretend 2007 was a leap year, that nothing actually happened during that year! We might as well have taken a year out given the way we played. We have a good squad with good players but we haven't done ourselves justice.
"This is the big show, there is nothing bigger than a World Cup. This is the one we've been dreaming of since we were kids. There are times in your career when you have to front up. We managed that in the Grand Slam game against Wales in 2009.
"Before people thought Irish teams choke at big events, but beating Wales was the result that over-turned that perception. Big games can be the highlight of your career, or the most scarring event."
O'Callaghan believes that Ireland's players made the mistake of getting ahead of themselves in France and paid the price for their complacency.
"If we start looking beyond the first game, which we did four years ago, we'll fall flat on our face. Hopefully we're in a better place now," he said.
"If you look at our track record we've often been disappointing and then maybe been able to put in a massive performance or a few together. But the big thing is that we know that now. Now we have to do whatever it takes to win.
"It might be ugly and poor to watch but no one back home would care if we advanced playing that type of rugby. We need to gather momentum and get results."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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SPOKANE, Wash. — Police in Washington state say a gunman fatally shot his wife before turning the weapon on himself at a downtown Spokane medical center.
Spokane police said a man went to his wife's workplace in the Deaconess Medical Center complex Tuesday morning and opened fire. He then killed himself.
Police said no one else was injured in the shooting.
Identities and other details were not immediately available.


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Brain Teasers
Cannon Duel
Two identical cannons are aimed at each other, one from the top of a cliff and the other from the ground below. They fire their cannons simultaneously at exactly the same speeds. Assuming they are in range of each other and ignoring wind resistance for a moment, will the cannon balls hit each other or miss?
AnswerThey will hit each other.
The cannon balls start out in a straight line towards each other, but then each ball is pulled off this line by the force of gravity. However, each ball will fall from this line of fire by the same amount as the other, and so a collision is inevitable. Inevitable, as noted, unless we take wind resistance or the cannons are out of range of each other.
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I've read one of this story in Facebook... It creeps me out >_<
This is an urban legend about the infamous HIMURO MANSION
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
The Himuro Mansion (or Himikyru Mansion) is a japanese urban legend about
the dark history of a haunted house and the horrible murders of an entire family
who lived there. They say that the video game Fatal Frame was based on a true
story. Eager to solve the mystery, many people have scoured maps, trying to
find the real location of Himuro Mansion.
According to the legend, the Himuro Mansion is a large, traditional Japanese
house that is located in a rocky area somewhere on the outskirts of Tokyo. The
mansion became famous for being the site of the worst mass murder in the
history of Japan.
The Himuro family were said to have practiced ancient and forgotten Shinto
rituals that had long ago been outlawed in Japan. One of these occult rituals was
called "The Strangling Ritual" and involved the sacrificial murder of a young girl.
The purpose of this gruesome ritual was to protect the Himuro family from bad
karma which they believed would emerge from a portal in the mansion¶s
The Strangling Ritual had to be performed every fifty years to prevent the bad
karma from destroying the family. They would select a baby girl from within the
family and raise her in secret. They called her "The Rope Shrine Maiden". The
girl had to be kept away from the rest of the world, in complete isolation, or
else the ritual would not work.
When the time came for the ritual to be performed, they dragged her out to a
shrine in the courtyard and tied ropes around her neck, her arms and her legs.
Next, a team of oxen would pull the ropes in different directions, tearing the
young girl¶s body apart. The blood-stained ropes were then placed over a
portal in the mansion¶s courtyard, sealing the gateway. If the ritual was a
success, it would keep the bad karma away for another half century until the
ritual had to be repeated.
For generations, this tradition was passed down through the Himuro family.
However, during the preparations for the last recorded ritual, something went
wrong. The Rope Shrine Maiden fell in love with a young boy she saw from the
window of the mansion. This was a disaster because she was supposed to
remain pure and free from worldly influences. Her blood and spirit were tainted
and when she was sacrificed, the ritual failed miserably because she was no
longer pure.
Upon learning of the maiden¶s love, the head of the Himuro family became
distraught. He was responsible for the ensuring that the ritual was a success.
Fearing that disaster would now befall the family, he went on an insane rampage
throughout the mansion. He brutally murdered the entire Himuro family, hacking
them to death with his traditional Japanese sword, the katana.
The head of the family believed that, by killing them, he was saving them from
certain doom. When every person in the mansion lay dead, he fell upon his own
katana, committing suicide.
The local people in the neighboring village kept quiet about the story of Himuro
Mansion for decades. Ever since then, people have reported a variety of weird
happenings or inexplicable phenomenon taking place on the property.
Bloody handprints and large red stains have been found splattered all over the
walls inside. Ghostly apparitions have been seen both at night and in broad
daylight. As legend would have it, these are the ghosts of the murdered family
members. It is said that they will attempt to repeat the failed ritual using whoever
is daring or foolhardy enough to enter the abandoned building.
People who enter the house are occasionally found dead, with rope marks on
their arms and legs indicating that they had been bound and pulled. Others have
been found torn to pieces in the underground network of tunnels that lie beneath
the mansion. Nobody knows who made these tunnels or what purpose they
served but stories suggest that they were involved in the Strangling Ritual.
There¶s also a certain window in the house that has become infamous. They say
that if you take a photo of this window, the ghostly image of a young girl in a
kimono will appear in the developed photograph.
These incidents have provoked fear in the people of Tokyo, and many believe
that those who venture near this area will become cursed. The deaths of seven
people on the property are unexplained to this day.
The urban legend of The Himuro Mansion became popular in the west when the
Japanese video game, Fatal Frame, was released in English. Ghost stories about
the haunted house blew into a worldwide craze. If the legends are true, the
Himuro Mansion is definitely one of the most haunted houses in Japan.
Haven't played the game "Fatal frame".. But as far as I've read everything... It's so scary >_<
Turn off the lights when reading this one, okay?
Happy Halloween..
Waiting for my buds to add me up in my contact.. deleting this one soon
lol I cant believe there is some history like that in a video game >.> that is creepy XD , I guess not everything is made up by the developers : ) thats a pretty interesting urban legend
http://youtu.be/txINV-l0qlI GOD FUCKING SPEED
CarboKill wrote:
When I tell ghost stories, I can't help sounding like an obnoxious shithead. (Although it could be argued that that's normal for me HOHOHOHO)
Anyways, your story shit me up, and it's 10 in the morning. Bloody shivers.
You can say that!
It's 6:00 pm here in my place and its getting dark
Waiting for my buds to add me up in my contact.. deleting this one soon
"So ur wit ur honey and ur makin out wen da phone rings. u anser it and da voice sais 'wat r u doin wit my daughter???' u ask ur girl and she sais 'my dad is ded'. THEN WHO WAS PHONE?"
Nah but enough silliness, I got one for ya -
"A couple of years ago, my upstairs room was being redecorated so I was moved to our downstairs spare. Some nights it was very bright outside, I guess the glare from the moon must have had the perfect angle to project on to my window. I started seeing shadows in the light projected on to my curtains as the full moon approached and the light got brighter. There was one shadow in particular I couldn't make out - a huge hulking figure with a limp. You'd think that something so big limping around would make some sort of noise but I'd never hear anything.
I was laying bed one night watching these images, usually I'd ignore them - there couldn't be anything out there, it was totally irrational. But tonight some weird mindset took over. The figure stared to walk by the window as before, but I started to rise from bed determined to unveil what was probably just a tree. Yet, as soon as I moved, it stopped. The figure stopped and turned toward me. This was no tree this I knew and fear took over.
Those few seconds felt like hours, sat frozen staring at the window while the silence was only broken by the loud ticking of the grandfather clock from the hallway. The unnaturally loud ticking.
Eventually whatever it was left and the ticking quietened, but I lay awake for the rest of the night with one eye on the window.
Next morning I was determined to believe it was only a dream and with my room nearly finished I was determined to sleep out what was probably my last night in the room.
I couldn't sleep that night, I could see the figures but this time I lay still as stone in silence. The clock was tick-tocking again - louder and louder as the figure approached my window, as if to peer in. I held my breath, daring not to even close my eyes. But again the figure faded from sight and the clock returned to normal. Needless to say, I never slept in that room again.
I have no idea what that... thing was nor what it wanted. But the fear it struck makes me think it wasn't kind. All I know is that grandfather clock may just have saved me - screaming warnings at me when I couldn't have known. I still listen for it in the dead of night, and you should too."
Ladies and gentlemen, I have returned from the dead.
This one is one of my friend's horror stories that he told me about his old house.
Being pretty well-off, his parents and he lived in a 2-story house. The floor was black marble. So were the counters and everything. The house's interior was pretty much a shining black. All the rooms were customized and the hallways were lined with ornate mirrors and paintings. The mirrors worked well to reflect the light to illuminate everything, as did the floor.
When it was dark however, the place looked like a gaping void. The black marble made the darkness seem deeper, more menacing, like a dark sea.
One night, my friend was walking down the hallway from his room toward the bathroom. The bathroom light was on and the light in his room was on, but the light in the hallway was off. He told me that he walked by a large mirror in the hallway on the way to the bathroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a reflection of someone in white walk past the mirror just as he did.
It wasn't his reflection. He was wearing a red shirt and some black basketball shorts, and the opposite wall had nothing hung on it. Creepy.
Conjuring up the past is not remembering; it is replacing.
Those are creepy..
Waiting for my buds to add me up in my contact.. deleting this one soon
Speaking of Sleep Paralysis...
There was one time very early in the morning after my ex and all our roommates left for work and I had settled back to sleep that I started to feel something weird on the edge of the bed, like something pushing down on the mattress. I woke up slightly but didn't see anything so I shrugged it off and fell asleep again. Soon after I felt myself start to slip towards the edge of the bed, It was so slight I almost didn't notice it at first. Then I felt it pull me harder, large hands around my ankles. My eyes where open at this point and all I wanted to do was scream, I struggled internally trying to yell. I felt my feet go over the edge of the bed and I was finally was able to break out and I sat scrunched against the wall at the head of the bed for a good 10 minutes or more after that.
Long ago, man entered the world. She's been weeping ever since.
The end.


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Tag Archives: journey
Why I Send My Kids to Camp: It Grows Their Grit
"The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles."
– Garth Stein
Written by Christine Carter, Ph.D.
What quality does the Buddha share with Luke Skywalker and Joan of Arc? What links Harriet Tubman with Harry Potter? What does your camper have in common with Michael Jordan?
It has nothing to do with enlightenment or magic. It has to do with struggle. These heroes share a key quality: GRIT.
What is grit?
I think the best way to describe it is by starting with Joseph Campbell and his classic analysis of the "hero's journey." Campbell explains how the journey always begins when the hero leaves home and all that is familiar and predictable. After that, Campbell writes, "Dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passed—again, again, and again. Meanwhile there will be a multitude of preliminary victories, unretainable ecstasies and momentary glimpses of the wonderful land."
Kinda sounds like summer camp to me.
It is grit that makes our heroes (campers) face down their dragons and persist in the face of difficulty, setbacks, failure, and fear. They fall down and get back up again. They try their hardest, only to fail. But instead of giving up, they try again and again and again.
It isn't just historical or fictional heroes who need to be gritty to rise to the top. Recent psychological research has found that grit is one of the best predictors of elite performance, whether in the classroom or in the workforce. Defined by researchers as "perseverance and passion for long-term goals," grit gives kids the strength to cope with a run-of-the-mill bad day (or week or season) as well as with trauma or crisis.
It turns out that grit predicts performance better than IQ or innate talent. Grit makes our kids productive and successful because it allows them to reach their long-term goals despite life's inevitable setbacks. This ability to overcome challenges makes them stronger and more masterful at their tasks. Moreover, the ability to cope with difficulty—to be resilient—paves the way for their long-term happiness.
Grit is not really a personality trait as much as it is a facet of a person's character that is developed like any other skill. Babies are not born with grit any more than they are born with the ability to speak their mother's native language. We humans develop grit by encountering difficulty and learning to cope with it.
And with that in mind, here's some perverse "good" news: No life is free from challenges or difficulties. In other words, all of our kids will have plenty of opportunities to develop grit. Out of their setbacks and failures grow the roots of success and happiness. Grandmaster chess players, great athletes, scientific geniuses, and celebrated artists learn, in part, by losing, making mistakes, and failing. Consider this quote from Michael Jordan (who, incidentally, was cut from his high school basketball team):
I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
The even better news is that most kids have the capacity to develop grit, and I believe summer camp is the best place for them to do it. Camp exposes kids to what I think of as "safe difficulties"–real physical, social, and emotional challenges for them to overcome. They will sometimes fall off the rock, or struggle to kneeboard. They may have a hard time leaving home, or have a hard time making friends. They will also have a ton of old-fashioned fun, make deep friendships, feel great gratitude for their families, experience the exhilaration of collective joy, learn new skills and develop new talents.
The benefit, to me, is this combination of sheer joy and great difficulty that camp exposes kids to. For most kids, camp is an experience that is at times hard and uncomfortable, but that they remember most for all the times it was easy and joyful.
Despite the discomfort they may feel at times, kids experience camp positively for three reasons:
First, they learn at camp that it isn't so bad to make a mistake, and that a difficult situation is just a difficult situation, a problem to be solved or an opportunity for improvement. At home and at school, kids typically fear making mistakes and so hide their failures, and this prevents them from truly learning anything from them.
Second, at camp kids learn that they have the ability to cope with difficult feelings and situations themselves. At home, we well-meaning parents are usually around to help solve problems and salve emotional pain. At camp, kids gain a more powerful sense of themselves when they develop the skills they need to deal with difficulty without their parents, and these skills transfer to life outside of camp.
Finally, kids learn that no one is entitled to a life free from difficulty. Camp is a great equalizer, providing challenges for all kids. Camp lets them all star in their own hero's journey. Instead of letting them give up and go home when the going gets rough, it gives them the opportunity to experience what it is like to dig in.
Camp gives kids the opportunity to see difficulty not just as an inconvenience or injustice, but as a chance for what Campbell calls a "boon," or dramatic win in the hero's journey. This gives kids new perspective on life's challenges—and new strength to deal with them.
There are drawbacks to the hero's journey, of course. Our kids don't come home from camp the same: Once they've faced down a particularly difficult challenge, they typically have grown so much we might hardly recognize them. But the advantages to developing grit are great, and the "boon" is always worthwhile.
Christine Carter, Ph.D., is a parent coach and the author of RAISING HAPPINESS: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents and The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work. She coaches and teaches online classes in order to help parents bring more joy into their own lives and the lives of their children, and she writes an award-winning blog for parents and couples. She is also a sociologist and happiness expert at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center. Sign up for her short weekly Happiness Tips at www.christinecarter.com.


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Guitar Shop Takamine Day.
Greetings loyal dolphins!
If you've been considering buying a new guitar, Sunday the 24th June is your day..
We are pleased to announce a day of acoustic delight organised by our friends at Takamine. Lou Stonehill will be here in the store to answer any questions you may have and to demonstrate the fabulous range of guitars we have in stock.
Additionally there will be a flat 10% off all Takamine guitars during the entire day, and perhaps a chance to walk away with some Takamine freebies…
Everyone likes freebies…
See you there!


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Betty Carrell Crowell Kennon, 74, of Lindy Road, passed away Wednesday morning, Jan. 30, 2013, at Brian Center of Lexington.
Betty Carrell Crowell Kennon, 74, of Lindy Road, passed away Wednesday morning, Jan. 30, 2013, at Brian Center of Lexington.
A funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Davidson Funeral Home Chapel by the Revs. Herman Powell, Maston Love and Kenneth Norman. Burial will follow in Forest Hill Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home and at other times at the home.
Betty was born in Fayette County, Ala., to Fred Brazilla Carrell and Annie Mae Duck Carrell. She was a retired employee of Lexington Furniture and of the Full Gospel Faith. She was preceded in death by her parents; son Coach Mike Crowell; stepdaughter Jane Muse; and a brother, Jimmy Carrell.
Betty is survived by her husband, Robert Kennon Jr., of the home; daughter Teresa Sears and husband Keith of Plaquemine, La.; son David Crowell and friend Melissa of Denton; three grandchildren, David Allen Crowell, Emilie Janell Crowell and Brenden Tyler Crowell; daughter-in-law Kathie Crowell of Denton; five stepgrandchildren; four stepgreat-grandchildren; and stepson Robert Samuel Kennon of Orland, Fla.
Online condolences may be made at www.davidsonfuneralhome.net.


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|Pin It
Fabric is sold by the 1/2 Yard. For example, if you would like to purchase 1 Yard, you would enter 2 in the Qty. box at Checkout. Yardage is cut in one continuous piece.
1/2 yard = 1
1 yard = 2
1 1/2 yards = 3
2 yards = 4
1/2 Yard Measures 18" x 42/43"
Fiber Content: 95% Organic Cotton/ 5% Spandex
Weight: 225 GSM
Hover over image for a larger, better view.
Care Instructions: To increase the longevity of your fabrics, hand-wash, or wash on a gentle cycle in cold water with like colors using a fragrance free, non-chlorinated detergent. Dry your fabric on a low/ medium cycle or line-dry.
Pre-orders are now available. Orders will be charged up front and they will be delivered as soon as they arrive.
For a pre-order to be valid it may not include any other fabrics from any other collection. Any other fabrics in your order will be removed before processing. Pre-orders may not be modified or combined with any other order for maximum efficiency.


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Mirror, Mirror Gallery
From an artistic point of view, using a mirror in a photo shoot adds an interesting element to the photographs. We always have multiple photos in our model galleries for that reason – it's sexy and interesting to see a beautiful girl from different angles. We always want more. By adding a mirror, you get those angles all in one photograph. The results are cool and sexy, as you can see below from the highlights of some Bullz-Eye photo shoots.
Another trend we're seeing all over the Internet involves "selfies" - aka self-shot mirror girl pics. You're seeing them on dating sites, social media sites and other sites where girls want to show off their sexy bodies, and they can take the pics on their own with just a camera in their bathroom. Very nice! We list some cool sites below.
Want to model for Bullz-Eye? All models must be at least 18 years old. Contact us if you want to be considered!
Follow us on Twitter @bullzeyedotcom and @hot_babes for updates on our new models, and you can follow us on Google+, Facebook and YouTube as well.
Krysten: Girl Next Door
Katie: Girl Next Door
Lauren Stoner: Girl Next Door
Niki: Featued Model
Carrie: Girl Next Door
Britanny: Girl Next Door
Jennifer: Girl Next Door
Kasie: Girl Next Door
Jessica Barton: Featured Model
Kristina: Glamour Girls
Erin Marie Garrett: Featured Model
Michelle: Featured Model
Tiffanie: Girl Next Door
Inna: Girl Next Door
Holly Kishere:
Web Guide - Mirror, Mirror
Sexy Self-Shot MySpace Mirror Girls
Awesome gallery from COED Magazine of hot amateur babes taking revealing photos of themselves using a camera and a mirror.
Classic Fun – Mirror Girl
Great shot of a babe in the mirror holding her boobs.
Please contact us if you're interested in being photographed for Bullz-Eye.com or if you have any suggestions for models that we might want to feature. All models must be at least 18 years old at the time the photographs are taken.
Sexy Girls and Cars
Check out this slideshow of hot babes and cool cars.
Audrina Patridge
The Hills sexy star, Audrina Patridge recently posed for Ralph Magazine!
Jenn Sterger Gallery
Here are some of the best Jenn Sterger pics. We can see why Brett Favre became obsessed with her.
Celebrity Slideshows
Check out all the hot celebrity babe photos in these celebrity slideshows.


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Golden retriever study confronts heartbreak of cancer with unparalleled veterinary research effort
"I need to make an appointment to euthanize my golden," says the hesitant voice on the other end of the phone line. "Lymphoma."
"Why does this have to happen?" pet owners ask, and while I can say, "Genetics, probably," with some degree of confidence, no one knows exactly why certain breeds are more predisposed than others to neoplasia. We know even less about the influence of outside factors such as nutrition and environment. Given that cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs older than 2, our lack of understanding surrounding this disease process represents a large hole in our veterinary medical knowledge base.What's missing from our database?
In 2009, at a meeting of veterinary oncologists, the question was asked: What's missing from our database? The answer, said the oncologists, was just too big to take on. "They said, there's this really big thing but nobody can do it, so Morris asked, why don't you give us a try?" recalls Haworth. After more than three years of intense planning, the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study was born.
While this has never been done in veterinary medicine, there is a precedent that has been set in human medicine: The Framingham Heart Study, which has been running continuously since 1948. "The Framingham study," Haworth says, "is the longest running longitudinal study in human medicine. It's now in its third generation, and there have been 2,400 publications out of it." The goal of the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is similar: to create a comprehensive database of 3,000 purebred golden retrievers during the course of their lifetime.
The depth of detail covered in the study is ambitious. "We know 66 percent of those currently enrolled get their primary water from the municipal water supplies," Haworth says, and most of that obtained from one particular bowl per dog. "The U.S. Geological Survey has data on all heavy water contamination, and we can overlay this. That tells you the level of detail we're looking for."


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BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - The British government will not get any European Union funding under the first round of a subsidy scheme for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects because it has failed to provide the required financing guarantees, EU sources said on Sunday.
CCS technology captures carbon emissions from power plants before they enter the atmosphere and then stores them in long-term storage sites.
The British government has included CCS technology in its plans to meet its emissions reduction targets and says it has earmarked 1 billion pounds to fund a commercial scale pilot CCS programme.
One EU source speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that no British projects had qualified for the so-called NER300 competition "because of lack of funding detail."
Britain's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said it had not yet been informed of the decision or what the arrangements might be for the second round.
"We are not going to comment on speculation or rumours," a DECC spokesperson said.
The European Commission, together with the European Investment Bank and EU member states, jointly operate the NER300 financing competition in which governments can shortlist renewable and CCS projects for European subsidies.
EU member states can apply for NER300 funding to finance half of a renewable or CCS project if the national government guarantees funds to cover the remaining 50 percent of the costs.
A second round of projects will be launched early next year and British projects will be able to participate again, the EU source said.
Chris Davies, a British Liberal Democrat politician who led discussion of the funding in the European Parliament, said the failure was "a devastating blow" to hopes of Britain and Europe becoming a world leader in the development of CCS technology.
"The government has no excuse. The EU funding mechanism was only introduced as a result of British pressure and for us not to take advantage of it is simply woeful," he said.
Although proven to work technologically, CCS is a controversial technology because it has not yet been tested at commercial scale and is considered to be expensive since it adds to the cost of electricity generation without adding a value beyond emissions reductions.
Under the NER300 initiative, 300 million EU emissions allowances - which are rights to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide - on the EU European Emissions Trading Scheme were made available to raise financing for installations of innovative renewable energy technologies and carbon capture and storage, or CCS.
The initiative plans to sell the 300 million allowances in two rounds. The sale of the first tranche of 200 million allowances was completed on 28 September 2012, with a second NER300 tranche of 100 million allowances next year.
The European Investment Bank said that it wants the second round of sales to be completed by the end of 2013.
One allowance is valued around 8.30 euros ($10.55) per tonne, exchange and broker data on Reuters shows.
Details of the Britain's list of CCS projects shortlisted for NER300 funding can be seen under: here
Editing by Elaine Hardcastle


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With the Republican national convention just twenty days out, the excitement over thepotential vice presidential nominees is building.
This means that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will make his announcement over the next two weeks, and maybe as early as this Thursday.
For Romney, and his hopes of becoming president, the pick is crucial and matters to the electorate: 74% of registered voters say the selection of a running mate will matter. More importantly, the choice will likely send a clear message about not only Romney's candidacy, but also about the future direction of the party.
While this is fascinating for political pundits, it also should garner the attention of the markets for the selection will send a clear message on what policy will be under a Romney presidency.
This is no small matter given the Herculean tasks the next president of the United States faces.
From cleaning out the fiscal stables to killing the Hydra-like spending, our champion must fulfill the many tasks to achieve financial and economic redemption.
The choice of the next president of the United States will likely decide whether the country remains mired in slow economic — and fast debt — growth. It is a unique opportunity for the United States to re-set tax policy to encourage investment and create growth that will not only employ more, but also reduce the deficits.
Unlike the myth, a presidential candidate gets to pick someone to share the challenge. Therefore, the choice of a running mate is critical.
Here are my top three choices for both election outcome and the market reaction.
1. Paul Ryan.


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On Thursday, July 31, over 100 faith leaders and human-rights activists, including Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, parish minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead, gathered in front of the White House knowing they would be arrested. The interfaith group called upon President Obama to use his power to stop unfair deportations, help the child refugees and move ahead on comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform.
�I feel called to a higher law, one that recognizes all human beings as worthy of respect, compassion and love,� von Zirpolo said. �History will write about this time and how we behaved. Today, we look back in horror at how we turned away the St. Louis in 1939, and as a result hundreds of Jewish men, women and children died in Nazi concentration camps.�
The St. Louis was carrying 937 refugees fleeing from the Nazis, and the U.S., along with Cuba and Canada, refused it entry. The ship was forced to return to Europe, and it is estimated that at least one-quarter of the passengers died in concentration camps.
The pastor of the UU church is no stranger to civil disobedience arrests or immigration issues. This arrest was her third and marked the end of four months of weekly 48-hour fasts during which she focused her efforts on raising awareness about the issue and writing to President Obama and other representatives.
�It�s the thing I can do,� she said. �We all choose how we will live our values, which issues have captured our hearts and souls, and how we are called in the world. I was brought up to care about all people, and once I learned what was happening along the border, and importantly, in our own communities because of our failed immigration system, I could do no other. I�m clear that this is THE human-rights issue of my generation. I pray it will not be for future generations.�
The interfaith and human-rights leaders were joined by hundreds of supporters who chanted while the protesters made three lines on the sidewalk in front of the White House, holding signs reading, �Don�t Deport the Kids,� �Pray for Relief,� �Stop the Deportations� and �Stop Breaking Up Families,� and bearing pictures of people who were in detention or who had been deported.
"We have come to Washington, D.C., to tell to President Obama and Congress that kicking out suffering immigrant families and unaccompanied children is not the answer," said Bishop Minerva Carca�o, the United Methodist Bishop in Los Angeles. �Immediately stopping the deportations and extending due process to children escaping the violence of drug cartels, gangs and poverty is the just way to respond.�
Carca�o, a longtime activist with connections to Boston University, called upon those gathered to offer the �moral voice� to an issue currently controlled by politics.
As her arrests mount up, von Zirpolo offered that, although she has great love for her country and president, she is compelled to the acts of civil disobedience and suspects this will not be her last.
�I wish I didn�t need to do this,� she said. �Truly, being handcuffed isn�t fun. In Arizona, the process was particularly hideous. But what Latino/a and other people of color are facing every day in this country is far more heinous, and we have to make it stop.�
She continued, �It�s not just on the border; it happens here. People with whom we share the air we breathe are living in fear and in pain. As long as I�m alive, I will be working to make that different. If we listen to the inner voice that knows we are all equal, the voice some call �God,� we know what we have to do.�
Von Zirpolo protested closer to home on Thursday, Aug. 7, in the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Coalition�s �March and Rally to Stand Up for All Children� in Boston�s Copley Square.
"Regardless of individual positions on immigration reform, because it is complex, I hope everyone can get behind supporting these children,� von Zirpolo said. �Imagine a child arriving at your door, crying and bleeding, fleeing from their abuser. Wouldn't you let them in? Our current laws support just that, and yet politics are getting in the way. It's sinful. They're children. And they are ours."
Marblehead minister 'called to a higher law,' arrested in D.C.
On Thursday, July 31, over 100 faith leaders and human-rights activists, including Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, parish minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead, gathered in front of the White House knowing they would be arrested. The interfaith group called upon President Obama to use his power to stop unfair deportations, help the child refugees and move ahead on comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform.


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Message Board
Jo Manning Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Manning has written!
Author Manning's Book Reviews
Cherished Destiny
This is a story about a young and na�ve woman who is awed and infatuated with a suave and handsome rich screenwriter, and eventually her love is returned, but complications arise in the form of his marriage to another woman. Blair is a pretty, educated young Canadian woman who leaves Nova Scotia for Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now capital of Serbia - this book was written in the 80s), when she is accepted for a startling glamorous job. Academy Award-winning sc...
The Sicilian Amulet
Five Star, Mar 2004, 26.95, 300 pp. ISBN: 1594141819 In 1990 Art History major at Vassar, Jane Holland journeys to Italy with her two friends. Before leaving, her mother warns her to stay away from Sicily especially their relatives. However, Jane feels an urge to continue her journey after departing from her friends so she goes to Palermo where her mom's best friend Claudia Donzini and her spouse Baron Aldo take the American into their home. ...


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Colonialism is the expansion of a nation's sovereignty beyond its borders through the establishment of colonies. It is usually seen as a substantial part of imperialism, especially when involving sovereignty over foreign cultures or peoples. The word today is usually tied to the European expansion during and after the Age of Exploration and involved lands that were far away from the nation ruling them.
Colonialism typically involves the spread of a nation or people's culture through the establishment of new settlements (e.g. English settlement of the New England states) or opulation transfers to existing settlements (e.g. Dutch dominance of South Africa.)
Colonialism is most associated with the Roman Empire, British Empire and French ambitions in Africa, and with Japan in Asia.
Misuse of the Term
Anti-American sentiment and liberals in general commonly deride American foreign policy as colonial or imperial, which is deceitful, as the United States has no colonies (having relinquished the Philippines, which had previously been Spanish, not sovereign), made Hawaii a state, smaller lands (Guam, etc...) protectorates, and purchased or legally acquired other territories (Guantanamo, Panama Canal). Similarly, liberals also generally imply with colonialism that it was generally parasitic to the original people and stealing resources, when that is actually rare among colonialization.


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World Languages
Program Description
The 90 credit Associate in Arts transfer degree is designed to meet the general education requirements at Washington State four-year institutions and prepares students for a Bachelor of Arts degree in World Language and Literature. World Languages is also an excellent major for graduate study in International Relations, Public Policy, Political Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, Communications, Education, Linguistics, Business and Law.
World Languages — What is it?
The study of world languages prepares students to live and work in an increasingly
interdependent world. Knowledge and facility of languages makes it possible to understand
the diversity of world cultures and
civilizations. In addition to language courses, students are encouraged to take regional/cultural studies courses and include a program of study abroad.
World Languages Offered at Shoreline:
American Sign Language, Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish.
Career Opportunities — What can I do with a Bachelor's Degree in World Languages?
The study of world languages offers opportunities in multiple career fields in occupations
such as: teachers and
professors, researchers, interpreters and translators, diplomats, counselors, social workers, administrators,
advocates, curators, publicists, legislators, campaign managers, lobbyists, journalists and business leaders.
Potential employers include:
Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities, Local, State and Federal Government Agencies, Foreign/Civil Service, Intelligence and Law Enforcement Agencies, Hospitals and Health Care Facilities, Law Firms, Community and Social Service Organizations, Public Advocacy Groups, Non-Profit Organizations, Museums, Libraries, International Business and Industry, Import/Export Companies, Travel and Tourism Agencies, Hotels and Restaurants, Media and Publishing Companies. For more, please visit Career Counseling.
Transfer Possibilities — Where can I transfer?
An Associate Degree from Shoreline makes it possible for students to transfer to public and private colleges and universities throughout the U.S. with junior standing. Shoreline also has agreements with several universities to make transferring even easier. For transfer within Washington State, we offer a special degree called the AA-DTA. For international students, Shoreline also has conditional admission agreements that allow a student to be simultaneously accepted by Shoreline and a university of the student's choosing.


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Quote:There are far worse things I've known people hiding from their parents, Satanism is not as bad as most think it is (it's not bad at all I think), the only reason why it has such a bad stigma attached to it is due to Hollywood and everyones favorite local newspapers.
Quote:I imagine I could find a copy of the Satanic Bible online, illegally, of course.
Quote:And it's not because you should be ashamed, but because many people will simply not tolerate you.


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Willingham, Twins top Tigers
Minneapolis, MN – Josh Willingham clubbed a two-run homer and Trevor Plouffe added a solo shot, as the Minnesota Twins earned an 8-2 win over the Detroit Tigers at Target Field.
After dropping the season opener, the Twins won the final two games to claim their first series at home against the Tigers since Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2010.
"We know it's a long, long season but it's a good start," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire remarked. "Three good starts in a row is huge for our baseball team."
Clinging to a one-run lead, the Twins busted the game open by posting a five- spot in the eighth against Detroit reliever Brayan Villarreal. All the runs were scored with two outs.
Justin Morneau scored from third base on Chris Parmelee's infield single that deflected off the glove of first baseman Prince Fielder. Pedro Florimon later plated a pair with a bases-loaded double and rookie Aaron Hicks followed with his first major league hit, a two-run single.
Mike Pelfrey (1-0) pitched well in his Twins debut, allowing two unearned runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings. The former Met made his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May.
Willingham and Plouffe both homered off Detroit starter Rick Porcello (0-1), who also tossed 5 1/3 frames.
"That's what good hitters do when you fall behind and you miss with fastballs over the plate," Porcello said of the homers. "That was just a product of two poorly pitched at-bats on my part."
The Tigers benefited from errors in the first and third innings to take a 2-0 lead.
Austin Jackson singled to begin the game, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Joe Mauer's throwing error. He then scored on Torii Hunter's groundout to short.
Pelfrey appeared to be on the verge of a 1-2-3 third when Hunter hit a grounder to short. However, a poor throw by Florimon resulted in a two-base error. Reigning AL MVP and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera plated Hunter with a single to left field.
The Twins evened the game in the home half of the third. Mauer singled to keep the frame alive and Willingham followed with his first home run of the season, a blast to left-center field.
Plouffe crushed a Porcello pitch to left with one out in the next inning to put Minnesota on top.
Detroit threatened in the seventh as Omar Infante opened the inning with a walk and Jackson doubled against Twins reliever Josh Roenicke. After Hunter went down swinging, Roenicke intentionally walked Cabrera to load the bases.
Tyler Robertson came in from the bullpen and fanned Fielder before Casey Fien retired Victor Martinez on an infield popup.
Game Notes
The Tigers signed former closer Jose Valverde to a minor league contract on Thursday ... Minnesota's Ryan Pressly tossed a scoreless ninth in his major league debut ... The Tigers were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.


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Discrimination at Private Clubs in Michigan: Freedom of Association After Public Act 70
In recent years, a cherished American right, freedom of association, has come into conflict with laws designed to prevent discrimination by private organizations. Michigan's Public Act 70 of 1992 is one such law. Examining P.A. 70, as well as Michigan's famed Elliot-Larsen law, University of Detroit Law Professor Stephen J. Safranek finds that the act was unnecessary, misdirected, and economically harmful. Individual consumers of club services are the real losers. P.A. 70 is government intervention without regard to the right of private clubs to engage in freedom of association. 16 pages.