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Difference between revisions of "4.13 After School Special"
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[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1225406/ Colin Ford], who plays Sam aged
[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1225406/ Colin Ford], who plays Sam aged , also played Sam (aged 8) in [[3.08 A Very Supernatural Christmas]].
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Revision as of 05:29, 26 May 2014
|After School Special
|Episode #
|Season 4, Episode 13
|First aired
|January 29, 2009
|Directed by
|Adam Kane
|Written by
| Daniel Loflin
Andrew Dabb
|On IMDB
|After School Special
|Sam and Dean return to one of their many high schools, unraveling both a case and their own memories of their youths.
|Vengeful Spirit
| November 1997
December 10th, 2008 (speculation)
| Fairfax, Indiana
|[[{{{prevep}}}|« Previous Episode]] | [[{{{nextep}}}|Next Episode »]]
High school cruelty is viral: it gets passed from miserable teen to miserable teen. But when a girl at Truman High School kills another for calling her fat and ugly, Sam and Dean catch wind when she claims she was possessed at the time. She neither saw the black smoke nor smelled the sulfur that is typical of demonic possession, so Dean is skeptical that there's a job in Fairfax, Indiana. As it happens, the Winchesters were enrolled at Truman High, "Home of the Bombers," for a month in 1997, and Dean is not in a hurry to go back.
In a series of flashbacks, we see young Sam and Dean coming to yet another new high school. Truman is the third school they've attended that academic year, and it's only November. Dean isn't worried about fitting in or impressing teachers, since their father has promised they'll only be there two weeks tops, but Sam is tired of always being the new kid. On his first day of English class, Sam defends Barry Cook from the bullying of Dirk McGregor, while the teacher, Mr. Wyatt, assigns the class an essay on "their most memorable family experience." Dean, meanwhile, only has eyes for hot blonde Amanda Heckerling.
In the present, Sam poses as a janitor, while Dean, in an outfit of gym shorts, tall socks and red headband, lords over a gym class that has never been allowed to play dodgeball before. Sam can't find any sulfur on the school grounds, leading them to wonder if there really is a case here. Not long after, a student in a home economics class jams the hand of a homework-copying jock into a running food processor, and also claims not to have been able to control himself. Sam hurries to the scene, and arrives in time to see ectoplasm leaking from the ear of the attacker. Sam realizes they're dealing with ghost possession, which is rare but not unheard of. The only violent death on the school grounds was a 1998 suicide -- that of Barry Cook. Dean postulates that the ghost is possessing nerds and going after bullies. Sam remembers what a hard time the other students gave Barry. In a flashback, Dirk stops them in the middle of a crowded hallway, where he tries to start a fight with Sam, who won't throw punches.
Dutifully, Sam and Dean go to salt and burn Barry's bones. Sam feels guilty that they had to leave Truman before he had a chance to keep Barry from killing himself; Dean tries to point out that there was nothing he could have done. Sam remembers wanting to be normal, as well as a conversation with Mr. Wyatt, the English teacher. Mr. Wyatt questions the "horror story" at the center of Sam's essay about family, but praises his writing abilities and asks him if he really wants to go into "the family business." It's the first time anyone's asked him that question -- and the answer is "more than anything," no.
When Sam returns to the school to speak with Mr. Wyatt in the present, a student attacks him and calls him by his name. When he fills the student's mouth with salt, the ghost is forced from her body. Dean realizes that all the possessed students ride the same school bus, which is driven by Dirk McGregor's father. As it turns out, by his freshman year Dirk had just watched his mother die of cancer; he later turned to drugs and alcohol and was dead himself before he graduated. Dirk's father laments that he had a rough time from other kids, and that people called him "Dirk the Jerk" -- a nickname Sam came up with after beating him in a fistfight outside the school. Dirk's remains were cremated, all save for a lock of hair his father keeps in a Bible he has on his bus. That night, Sam and Dean chase down the bus, which is transporting a sports team to an away game. Dirk possesses two different people and attacks the Winchesters; the lock of hair is burned and the ghost destroyed before he can do any serious harm.
After, the boys return to the high school so Sam can finally have his goodbye with Mr. Wyatt. Their first farewell was a mixed experience: the whole school is congratulating Sam for taking down Dirk and his bullying, while Amanda Heckerling tells Dean how sorry she feels for him, that he thinks he has to posture so much and pretend to be so tough. Dean is humiliated, and delighted when the Impala pulls up in front of the school. In the present, Mr. Wyatt remembers Sam fondly, and asks about what he's done with himself. His last question is whether Sam is happy. Sam is unable to answer.
- "Long, Long Way from Home" by Foreigner
- (plays as the Impala pulls up in front of the school, when the present switches to the flashback)
Dean: The whistle makes me their god.
Sam: No.
Sam: Yeah, he thinks so.
Sam: Because I don't want to be the freak for once, Dean. I want to be normal.
Sam: Yes, Mr. Wyatt.
Sam: Yeah
Sam: No one's ever asked me that before.
Mr. Wyatt: Well?
Dean: You feel sorry me, huh? Don't feel sorry for me. You don't know anything about me. I save lives - I'm a hero. A hero!
Trivia & References
- "S.E. Hinton, the author of The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, was hanging out with the boys as well. She is a huge Supernatural fan and asked Eric Kripke one day if she could pay a visit to the set, so he invited her out to Vancouver for a couple of days. She told me that she got into the show because she has an interest in paranormal stories, but then just fell in love with it because of the excellent stories and the mix of humor, drama and thrills and chills."
I Spit on Your Grave was a 1978 film in which a woman is raped and takes revenge on her rapers.
- This is a reference to the final scene of the Peter Weir movie Dead Poets Society, when the beloved teacher played by Robin Williams is sacked, and as a show of support the students stand on their desk reciting "Oh Captain! my Captain!" from the Walt Whitman poem of the same name.
- Martha Dumptruck is a quote from the movie Heathers, Revenge of the Nerds was a 1984 comedy and Hello Kitty is a Japanese cartoon character which features on a huge range of merchandise worldwide.
Jock on Bus: Aren't you the P.E. teacher?
Dean: Not really. I'm like 21 Jump Street. The bus driver sells pot. Yeah.
- 21 Jump Street was a early '90s TV series starring Johnny Depp and others as young police officers going undercover as students at high schools. Kim Manners directed many of the episodes, among them the pilot. Jump Street alumni appearing on Supernatural include Peter DeLuise in 3.12 Jus in Bello and Stephen Williams as Rufus Turner in 3.15 Time Is on My Side.
Sides, Scripts & Transcripts
- Episode Promo: 4.13 After School Special
- Casting spoiler
- Preview of 4.11, 4.12 and 4.13 by the Supernatural Editing team.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kal Yafai knows he must impress in his fifth WBA World Super-Flyweight defense against Norbelto Jimenez at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday night, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK as he targets massive names and unification fights next.
The unbeaten Birmingham ace (25-0 15 KOs) defends his title on American soil for the second time having stopped David Carmona last May in California – and the 30 year old says this weekend's defense against mandatory challenger Jimenez (29-8-4 16 KOs) is the perfect showcase for him to land the unification bouts and major showdowns that he's been chasing. "My eyes are solely on Norbelto Jimenez and I need to do a good job on him, but then I need a massive fight," said Yafai. "Eddie and I are on the same page and he delivers for his fighters. I haven't had that big name yet but that will come. "I was going to fight at the end of April but I had a hand injury so I've had to wait a little bit longer but it's not been too frustrating as I've been fighting twice a year and I'll be on track to do that this year too. "He boxed for the World title four years ago against Kono in Japan and he drew that fight, he looks tricky and awkward, game and tough as they all are from that part of the world. His record is deceptive with the eight losses because he hasn't lost since 2011 so he's going to be an interesting challenger for me. "I think he'll try and box on the backfoot early on but then he'll try and have a go as well once he realizes that isn't working, so I think the styles will gel and it will be a good fight. I just think that I'll be too much for him." Yafai's eagerness to dazzle at the Dunk has extra urgency following his admission that he was lackluster in his last performance. Yafai met Israel Gonzalez in Monte Carlo in November and gritted his teeth to see off the Mexican, digging in to hang onto his title on points. "I was flat last time out and not too impressive," said Yafai. "I wasn't as good as I wanted to be but that's all down to me, it was my fault. I thought I 100 per cent won the fight but it wasn't a good performance, I don't know why I was flat. It was a weird atmosphere and venue, but I don't like to look for excuses as I got in the ring, I can't say I was injured or had a niggle as I got in the ring, and when you get in the ring it's down to you to perform and I didn't. "Even on a bad night I managed to win, I try to take the positives from it but it's never a good thing to look bad. It was just one of those odd nights that I didn't feel myself, I could see the shots there that I wanted to land I just didn't get going. Maybe I was a bit complacent but after the performance and the feedback I've had on the fight, it's made me hungrier and I feel like I am the challenger for the World title now as I want to prove to everyone how good I am." Yafai's clash with Jimenez is part of a huge night of World title action in Providence as hometown hero Demetrius Andrade defends his WBO Middleweight strap against Maciej Sulecki. Former Heavyweight World ruler Joseph Parker takes on Australian former World title challenger Alex Leapai, Boston's Mark DeLuca faces Canadian Brandon Brewer over ten rounds at Super-Welterweight, young talents Alexis Espino and Raymond Ford taste their third action in the paid ranks, as does Otha Jones III fresh from his first round KO win in London. Local favorite Anthony Marsella faces Jose Aubel, another unbeaten Providence fighter Anthony Concepcion takes on Yasmani Pedroso, former World title challenger and Providence native Shelley Vincent meets Simone Da Silva.
#kalyafai #matchroomboxing #eddiehearn #skysports #DAZN #skysportsboxing


text:
By Caroline Lindstrom
On Sunday, February 2, Katherine Berg placed second in The Sun Circuit Shootout in Scottsdale, Ariz.
"I made a rookie mistake that ultimately cost me the win," Berg said, "I was miserable and disappointed that I let my team down but more so because I didn't even put up a fight."
The competition was three rounds of head-to-head matches, where the riders performed a pattern. Each round a new pattern was given and the judges drew a new horse. The patterns were scored from a base score of 70. Above a score of 70, the rider did well and below 70, there were penalties.
"Katherine took resounding wins in her first two rounds but took six costly missteps in her last pattern," said Baylor head coach Ellen White.
White described, getting off pattern is like scoring a goal for the opposing team in soccer or basketball. Although Berg had a good lead on her horse, a rider's score zeros out because of a missed pattern. Berg sprinted into the arena with a sliding stop but instead of starting a spin, she took steps back, which was the beginning of the previous pattern.
Gillian Chant, another member of the equestrian team, said Berg was one of the best riders at the competition. Chant said she showed good intuition and adaptability with the quality of her ride, even on a random horse.
This was the first competition of The Sun Circuit Shootout and the team believes there are some kinks to work out. The riders went back to back between rounds and had little time to warm-up on the new horse. There were miscommunications on the final round of the pattern and the order of the riders.
"I had competed second in the first two rounds but they switched me to the first rider for the last round. As I was lining up to run out they informed me the pattern was different than what we all thought it was," Berg said.
White said Berg isn't using the miscommunication as an excuse for losing but as motivation for the rest of the season.
Even though Baylor came out as the runner-up, the team is excited for this spring. Berg competed against a Delaware State and Fresno State rider, which gave her an inside look for the team's later matches against these schools.
"We are a strong team to contend with but we are also competing against other highly ranked teams," White said.
Berg said the horses at the shootout gave her hope for the rest of the season because they were tough to ride. With lots of meets on the road, the team will have to adapt to riding horses they are not accustomed to.
"We have a goal, which is the championships," Chant said, "Reaching that goal starts with practice and workouts and staying focused."
White hopes to spend Easter weekend with the team at the National Championship. She said the team will have to be sharp but their challenging schedule should set them up to win.


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Out with a bang
>> Wednesday, August 31, 2011 – about us, august break
Oh, the last day of August Break! I did it!
I took this for a mini project I'm working on and I like how it came out. I so rarely use a small enough aperture to make starbursts with my flare, and I think it fits just right. :O)
P.S. Everyone hates the tree behind Bella, but it's my favorite.
© Blogger template Shush by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009
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text:
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text:
I'm so happy to have this block finished! I'm going to work on block four now and unfortunately it's another huge house with a lot of stitching, but after I finish it then I'll go on to block one. The last block and it doesn't have as much stitching. I can see the end now - it's not too far away!! Write soon. :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Ten Down, Two to Go!
I'm so happy to have this block finished! I'm going to work on block four now and unfortunately it's another huge house with a lot of stitching, but after I finish it then I'll go on to block one. The last block and it doesn't have as much stitching. I can see the end now - it's not too far away!! Write soon. :)
50 comments:
WOW! Now that one might be my fav! Keep going, you're on a roll!! Can't wait to see it all finished!! :-)ReplyDelete
BTW - I have seen Nicole's sampler in person, and as GORGEOUS as it is in pics, it's even better in person!!! :-)ReplyDelete
That one is really looking great. Can't wait to see a finish.ReplyDelete
Nicole...WOW, it's looking just gorgeous!!! Seeing yours really makes me want to start mine-It's my favorite so far-but I am thinking that when the Autumn one is released it just may be a MUST start for me and will also be my favorite :)ReplyDelete
Keep stitching-I am loving seeing your beautiful piece come to life!!
Beautiful work!~ Great job of sticking to it and getting it knocked out....Love the colors in this one. pjReplyDelete
I think I missed your last post with your stitching - I don't know how that happened, but your stitching was wonderful! And I can't believe that you're finished with another block. How can you do that with all the stitching that you've been doing for others? Wow, is all I can say. Two more blocks and then your'e done!!! I'm cheering you on!!ReplyDelete
Looking beautiful so far , I'm waitig on Autumn coming out.ReplyDelete
go go go go go! {that's me being your cheerleader} You can do it!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousThu Feb 11, 03:43:00 PM EST
Go, Nicole! It looks fantastic, you're so close to a finish now!ReplyDelete
Looks great!!!ReplyDelete
Love it! Just two more to go!ReplyDelete
You are so close to finishing!! How exciting! It's so beautiful!ReplyDelete
It is absolutely gorgeous. You are almost at the finish line.ReplyDelete
This is so very beautiful. What a wonderful piece. I have been seeing your progress all along and you are so quick! what an inspiration!ReplyDelete
Anohter beautiful block as always.ReplyDelete
Ooh; you are on a roll!! I can forsee a finish before Autumn @HRH releases! ;)ReplyDelete
Looks great!!!! You are almost there!!! :) :) :)ReplyDelete
I am so impressed! It's lovely.ReplyDelete
You are simply AMAZING! I can't believe how quickly you've gotten this done. It looks beautiful, Nicole and we are cheering you on to the grand finish!ReplyDelete
OMG!! I am so envious and have so been enjoying your progress on this piece!ReplyDelete
You go girl!! LOL The end is close!!
Take care
- AnonymousThu Feb 11, 07:03:00 PM EST
WoW! This looks incredible. You are stitching it so quickly.ReplyDelete
You and those needles of yours Nicole!! Wonderful. I have this piece to stitch (along with a gazillion others). Way too much fun and the new Autumn one looks fun as well. Took a road trip to The Golden Needle last week with friends. It was my first trip and it won't be my last. It's darn chilly here in Florida. I've got the cats on my feet to keep me warm while I stitch!! Hugs and happy stitching.ReplyDelete
OMGosh I can't believe how quickly you're stitching this Nicole. It looks fabulous.ReplyDelete
Great job.....guess I check back Monday for a finished pic?!?!?!?ReplyDelete
It is beautiful....as is all of your stitching.
Woo hoo! You have such burning needles! It looks absolutely beautiful! Can I send you Shores to finish for me? LOLReplyDelete
Wow, this is such a beauty! Happy stitching, not much to go anymore!ReplyDelete
It is just gorgeous, and you are so fast!!ReplyDelete
Oh Nicole, you must be the first person to finish this one in the whole wide world! (apart from the model stitcher, of course). I'm cheering you on!!!ReplyDelete
It's absolutely beautiful, I can't believe how quick your zipping through this.ReplyDelete
Your sampler is looking awesome. I have not tackled one of these yet but think it is a must do now. Can't wait to see it finished!!ReplyDelete
The end is near!! Your stitching is beautiful!ReplyDelete
Not long now Nicole - it looks gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Wonderful stitching. I think you're right, not long to go now.ReplyDelete
I can't believe how fast you are going on this piece Nicole - I finally saw it in person at my LNS and it's even better than the photos. But I am resisting temptation for awhile. Can't wait to see your new tote bag - love that Moda Glace collection!ReplyDelete
Wow! It looks amazing! You are so close to done. The colors are really beautiful in this. Congrats on another block done!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFri Feb 12, 07:34:00 PM EST
Nicole, I swear you must be the fastest stitcher I've ever seen! CAHRH looks fantastic!ReplyDelete
Oh my my my... absolutely stunning, Nicole!!ReplyDelete
This is beautiful. I actually wasn't sure I wanted this one when it was first released, but after seeing your progress I think I do want it! I need to pull out the first one which quickly became a UFO I'm sorry to say. (Danielle--The Peacock's Feather).ReplyDelete
Nicole, it is AMAZING!! YOU are amazing!!! Go go go, you'll be done by the time Autumn is released and in your hot little hands. ;)ReplyDelete
Nicole, you have outdone yourself. This piece is so gorgeous and you've done such a wonderful job. Have you picked out a frame for it yet?ReplyDelete
Looks great! The entire piece is gorgeous, but this block is especially attractive.ReplyDelete
It is gorgeous!!! You are truly amazing.ReplyDelete
that is stunning!ReplyDelete
This is really pretty Nicole and I love the colors! You must be almost done with it! Gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Oh Nicole, it's just stunning! I can't wait to see it completed.ReplyDelete
Ms. Nicole, I'm so sorry to comment off-topic, but could you point me in a direction, please? I'd like to use alternative lettering for SB's "My Land", but I can't seem to find any info for Cynthia C? It seems that the webshots album is no longer available.ReplyDelete
Thanks for your help!
Now...on topic...CAHRH is GORGEOUS GEORGEOUS! I can hardly wait to see it compelted!
Nicole, what a beautiful job and how fast you stitch! I just love seeing this come to life..ReplyDelete
Nicole, your CaHRH is so beautiful! And you're almost done. I can' wait to see it finished.ReplyDelete
I missed your last post. Lisa's new designs are so cute and your work was perfect. I know you both must be very proud!
Such a beauty!ReplyDelete


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Japan Airlines Launches Nonstop Service between Kona and Tokyo
Airline to use fully-revamped Boeing 767-300ER featuring JAL SKY SUITE II in business class
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – September 15, 2017 – Japan Airlines (JAL) has increased its Hawaii =Japan network with the launch of daily nonstop service between Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA) and Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) starting today.
JAL celebrated the opening of its 10th U.S. gateway by holding gate ceremonies at both NRT and KOA airports.
"Japan Airlines is pleased to offer more flight options to and from Hawaii with the launch of this daily nonstop between Kona and Narita" said Toshihiro Shoji, Japan Airlines Regional Vice President – Hawaii. "Our newest service offers JAL's latest cabin interiors for a comfortable travel experience."
JAL will operate the Kona route with its JAL SKY SUITE 767 (Boeing 767-300ER) aircraft, which are fitted with the airline's latest cabin interiors and arranged in a two-class cabin configuration featuring 24 lie-flat JAL SKY SUITE II seats in business class and 175 JAL SKY WIDER seats in economy class.
The new JAL KOA=NRT service is in addition to the airline's six daily Honolulu=Narita, Honolulu=Osaka and Honolulu=Nagoya operations.
Flight schedule of the HNL– KOA service, commencing September 15, 2017
|Flight No.
|Dep. Time
|Arr. Time
|Days of Operation
- -The above flights, fleet, schedule and configuration are subject to change.
- -All timings shown are local.
For seat details and images of the JAL SKY SUITE 767 (767-300ER): visit
http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201209/003482.html (note: economy class seat number may vary)
About Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines (JAL) was founded in 1951 and became the first international airline in Japan. A member of the oneworld® alliance, the airline now reaches more than 344 airports in 56 countries and regions together with its codeshare partners with a modern fleet of more than 227 aircraft. JAL Mileage Bank (JMB), the airline's loyalty program, has reached over 31 million members worldwide. Awarded one of the most punctual major international airlines, JAL is committed to providing customers with the highest levels of flight safety and supreme quality in every aspect of its service, and aims to become the most preferred airline in the world.
For more information, please visit www.jal.com/en/outline/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JapanAirlinesWorldwide/
Follow JAL on Instagram at @japanairlines_jal
Media contact: email@example.com Website: http://www.jal.com


text:
I was born on Mother's Day in 1955. This May, I've thought often and hard about my mother who has struggled the past few years with Alzheimer's disease. I thought about Mom on my birthday. And I thought about her again on Mother's Day…and I've thought about her pretty much every day since I left her bedside last month.
I want to thank those of you who brightened my days with your love, your wishes, your prayers and your cards. It has been another year filled with blessings as numerous as challenges. I am grateful for all of it. I am grateful for you.


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text:
Vidas: Let's start Episode 121 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. And this question was sent by Robert. He writes that "I'm not taking enough time every day to practice." So Ausra, do you think that he doesn't have time enough, or he cannot force himself to practice?
Ausra: Well, from his statement, it sounds like he might be probably too lazy to practice, like we all are sometimes. At least, I had such an impression, after reading his statement: "I am not taking enough time every day to practice."
Vidas: "Lazy" might be a cause for this, but I think this inner drive should come first, right? If you're so motivated, and passionate about that, and if you want it so badly, then you don't have to really force yourself. It comes naturally, right?
Ausra: Well, then you will understand that practice is a privilege; and yes, you will practice every day.
Vidas: I've heard an explanation about this issue: that you have to feel like a gun is pointing at your head, and then you will feel motivated to do whatever it takes!
Ausra: Well, what I personally think is, I think your practice needs to become your habit. It's like having lunch or dinner. You eat every day--I believe so, yes? So that's what you have to do with practice: it just has to become a part of your routine, of your schedule, of all the necessary things that you do.
Vidas: But Ausra, what if you stopped eating or drinking? For a week? For a month?
Ausra: Well, you will die.
Vidas: You will die, yes? So that's why we keep eating and drinking. What would happen if Robert (or anyone else in his shoes) would stop playing?
Ausra: Nothing.
Vidas: Nothing. That's why he is not taking enough time every day to practice.
Ausra: But, because he already sent us this question, that shows that he actually worries about it. And actually, without practicing, he doesn't feel well enough.
Vidas: Mhm, mhm.
Ausra: That he has that--I don't know what to call it, inner guilt?
Vidas: Yeah, it's like this dog that we have to feed, and he's saying, "Feed me, feed me, feed me!" and we forget every day, right, and he dies after three weeks.
Ausra: Yeah.
Vidas: I have this dream once in awhile. Or, you had this dream right?
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: About a hamster?
Ausra: Yes, yes.
Vidas: I had another dream that I would skip classes--I would teach music classes in some school, and I would forget those classes for six months. So that would be...uhh, not a nice feeling in the morning. It's kind of like that with Robert, too. He feels this guilt, I think, too; because he wants to succeed, but it takes willpower to do this. Ausra, is there any shortcut, silver bullet, or magical pill?
Ausra: I don't think so. It would be too easy--too simple!
Vidas: Anybody could succeed, right?
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: And anybody would succeed, actually.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: So, the best I can advise Robert is of course, imagine what bad would happen if he stopped practicing for himself--what life would look like if he didn't practice for six months, for him. He has to visualize it, right? Or the other way around--imagine how his life would be if he practiced every day for six months, and what he could achieve in that time, right?
Ausra: Yes. And of course, from his question, I could also understand that maybe he practices every day, but not enough.
Vidas: Hmm. Could be.
Ausra: So, that could be another issue: that you know, in that case, if he practices every day, but not enough, then he will never play well enough.
Vidas: What is enough?
Ausra: Well, it depends on how good you are already, and what your goals are. It's different for each person.
Vidas: Is 15 minutes enough?
Ausra: I don't think so.
Vidas: Minimum of 15 minutes a day. If you are, you know, so busy, so tired, so exhausted, that you kind of feel like skipping today, we say: do just 15 minutes, and you will thank yourself the next day that you didn't break the chain. Right? But if you're serious about it, it should be more.
Ausra: Yes, of course!
Vidas: At least what?
Ausra: Well, at least an hour.
Vidas: At least an hour, probably.
Ausra: At the very minimum.
Vidas: Mhm. If you want to learn a few more advanced pieces and go further along into the perfection of organ art. It's not easy to force yourself, right? Because life is so full of complications, and we have so many distractions every day, right? TV, computers, phones everywhere, and everything is shiny and wonderful… And they call to us: "Pick me, pick me, pick me! Do this, do this, do this! Forget organ practice! Just once!" So Ausra, what motivates you to practice?
Ausra: Upcoming recitals. Due dates.
Vidas: External motivation.
Ausra: Yes, yes.
Vidas: Hmm. I probably would practice less than now if I didn't have my concert schedule lined up. So yes, guys, if you suffer from this trouble of not making enough effort and practicing every day, then schedule some public performances.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: That will be helpful, right?
Ausra: That will force you to practice enough!
Vidas: Does it have to be a full recital, Ausra?
Ausra: Not necessarily.
Vidas: What do you mean?
Ausra: Well, you could do just one piece, I don't know; it depends on your situation in life.
Vidas: Could you find an organ friend in a church--like, an organist--and get to know him or her, and ask for permission to perform a postlude or prelude or communion piece…
Ausra: Of course you can do that. Yes, you can do that.
Vidas: In a month, let's say, right?
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: And then, there you go. You have a deadline.
Ausra: That's right.
Vidas: Or two pieces, if you are more confident. Or, for people who want to advance even further, they could do half an hour of some sort of celebratory recital after some festivity in the church, like Easter.
Ausra: Yes, because I believe that there is no better motivation to practice than fear of public performances coming up.
Vidas: Everybody's afraid, right? You think that you will mess up your playing, and everybody will make fun of you, and your career will be over, and your life will be over, and you will go to prison, and you'll die eventually.
Ausra: I don't think you will go prison if you didn't play a recital well. I hope not!
Vidas: To organ prison!
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: Where all the bad organists are staying! Or you will go to purgatory! Would you like to go to purgatory?
Ausra: No. No.
Vidas: Where all the bad organists are staying? Who play only white keys on weekdays and black keys on Sundays and festivities?
Ausra: Yes, that's funny.
Vidas: So guys, look seriously and decide what you want to achieve within the next six months, right? It could be very small: learn and master 2, 3, 4 pieces, maybe. Just like that. And then, schedule some external accountability, like public performance. And then you will thank yourself later, because you will have to force yourself. Right, Ausra?
Ausra: That's right, yes.
Vidas: Thank you, guys, for listening. Thank you for sending us your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice…
Ausra: Miracles happen.
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene
Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing.
Our Hauptwerk Setup:
December 2023


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Q & A with Robert Cassidy
Friends of the Chicago River is celebrating its 40th anniversary, sparked by a piece written in Chicago magazine in 1979 "Our Friendless River" by journalist Robert Cassidy. In it, he detailed the degraded condition of the waterway, hinted at its potential, and developed a blueprint to make it happen. Cassidy recently sat down with Friends to recall those early days of the organization.
Q. How did the magazine piece come about?
A. I was freelancing at the time and I met with the editor there. He expressed some interest in doing something about the Chicago River and I said, great. I had just finished a book called Liveable Cities about neighborhood planning. My secret mission was to see if anything I wrote in the book would work with a civic organization that I might be involved in.
Q. The editor asked you to include a canoe trip down the river.
A. I wasn't really that enthusiastic about doing it. I'm not really much of an outdoorsman. I'm a zero outdoorsman. He said you've got to do that and I said, "OK but you've got to let me have some space in the article for a discussion about what can be done about the river." I didn't want to do another article about how bad the river was.
Q. You went with the legendary Chicago River canoe guide Ralph Frese. What do you remember about that trip?
A. The smell. The conditions were terrible that day. I think we actually passed a sewage overflow that was going on. There were branches clogging up everything. We had to get out of the canoe and do fording over things. It was pretty bad. Ralph did most of the paddling, thank God. I wasn't expecting how much was going to be involved.
Q. Was his intent to show you the natural aspects or the terrible aspects of the river?
A. Both. We passed some turtles. There was a heron that took off in front of us. Now we have, what, more than 70 species of fish and sorts of other wildlife that have come back? It was not like that at the time. It was raw with sewage and had an unkempt look. It had become a dump for a lot of uses. There were some nice sections where homeowners had done their own landscaping and terra scaping. There were houseboats. But it was pretty rough.
Then, as we got downtown, things were opening up a little more but it was still unorganized and not very esthetic.
Q. What was your thought process as you were writing the Chicago magazine piece?
A. It was clear we had to get a civic group organized that was just focused on the river. Without that, we had no voice to advocate. Without a dedicated group, it wasn't going to go anyplace. The successful organizations in the city, like Friends of the Parks, they had positive impacts on things like the lakefront.
There were a lot of negative things going on: people were putting up chain link fences along the river and parking lots and all sorts of stuff which were just clearly violations of zoning rules and other things. And we needed some long range planning. I wouldn't call the story I wrote a roadmap for what to do. It certainly wasn't a Google map. It was a rough sketch.
Q. The story was in the August, 1979 edition of Chicago magazine. What was the reaction?
A. It was fast. The magazine came out at the end of July or early August and I was getting these phone calls within days of its appearance. After about the 3rd or 4th phone call from people like Joanne Alter and Judith Stockdale, Bill Fredrickson and others, it was like, 'OK. What do you want to do?' We met at an old coffee shop, and I think there was seven or eight of us sitting around the table talking and they said, "You know we really need to do this Rob." I said good. And they said, "And you need to do it because we all have jobs. We all have responsibilities. And we all have conflicts."
Joanne Alter clued me on a lot of stuff that was going on there, backgrounding. Judith Stockdale was really an incredible resource. She was the executive director of Openlands for many years. Bill Frederickson was at North Park College David Jones was a city planner. He was very dedicated. We had that first meeting and said "Let's see if we got anything here. Let's test it."
Q. How did the meetng happen?
A. Judith set up this meeting at the IBM building in October of '79. It was 12 noon to 1 o'clock meeting. I don't even know how we got the word out. There was no social media. We had about 130 people there at noon with no offer of food. I gave a little introduction. I said, "Do we have something here? Do we want to pursue this?" And it was like 'Oh, yea. That's what we're here for.'
So it was pretty amazing. There were definitely people there who had an environmental background or a civic background of some sort but there were also just people who said, "I'm looking for a group and this sounds kind of interesting. I'd like to be in on the beginning of something."
Q. It launches and operates under the wing of Openlands.
A. Definitely. We needed that for tax purposes.
Q. Were those early years difficult years?
A. Oh yes. Right after I wrote the article and we had those meetings I took a very difficult job at a medical magazine. I needed to feed my family. The first couple years we barely held the organization together. The first year budget was like $37,000.
But on the other hand one year after operating we had this event, a Saturday at the IBM building, and we brought in people in, river and environmental experts from around the country, from different cities, and we had an all-day program. And Mayor Jane Byrne, newly elected, strolled in with her entourage and basically gave us a blessing: "I like what you're doing. Keep going." And that opened the door to the planning department.
And that's where David Jones and I got particularly involved because we were both city planners. So we would meet with the two designated staff members periodically to start working on some sort of document. Those things started to come together in a year and a half. It was a technical planning document that gave guidelines on planned unit developments along the river and so forth. It was definitely a legitimate thing. It became embodied in the municipal code and required, among other things, a 30-foot setback for all developments. It was something.
There had been abuse. The owners of the Merchandise Mart, in order to get the Apparel Center built, had promised to landscape what is called Wolf Point. And they never did it. People were getting zoning relief and benefits, promising to do things along the river, and not doing what they promised. Of course, years later that turned around and the Mart people became very strong supporters of what we were doing.
Q. What was the mission those first few years?
A. Basically, can we hold this thing together and keep going and start building up some programs? So the early recreation programs started coming, canoeing, rowing and sculling on the river. We started doing cleanups. We started talking with Lathrop Homes. We knew there needed to be an education component in the schools. We did not start that during my time. But we knew we needed that. Today, the stuff that Friends has done in education is just over the top. It's incredible.
We started to set up an agenda, much bigger than what I had set up in my article. And geographically we knew it had to be bigger too. It had to include both the north into the suburbs and this huge part into the south to the Cal-Sag.
Q. What do you think the impact of Friends has been?
A. People started to see some improvement in the river and people with deep pockets came in and started building on it. Now you hear places advertised as "…With a magnificent view of the river." Everybody wants a piece of the river in real estate, now.
It would have happened eventually. But what we did, I think, is we got it started a little bit faster just by bringing attention to the river and showing the possibilities and getting people excited about it.
The Architecture Foundation deserves credit for this, too. Those architecture tours really had a big impact on people. But I think we had some impact on moving things along more quickly.
Q. What do you think the next challenges for the Chicago River system are?
A. We have to aim high so we don't fall back. We're going to see a lot more development. We have to fight really strong to fight for a park component for Sterling Bay. One that's really viable. The next frontier will probably be south. There's so much valuable developable land. Not just high rises and commercial. It offers the opportunity for recreational development, open space development. There are huge swaths of land that are available that can be developed in a positive way, creating nice community environments.
The larger picture for Friends is there's another 40 years to keep going on. Keep being the watchdog.
Q. You sound amazed at what's happened to the organization.
A. [Current Friends' executive director] Margaret Frisbie is always so generous, introducing me as "Here's Rob, our founder." It's embarrassing to me because we didn't get a whole lot done in the first three years except to just get it started. So much of the work happened under the second executive director, Laurene Von Klan, and, of course, Margaret. The board is much more organized and powerful and energetic than anything we had. So I give all the credit to my wife who finally said, "It's me or the river." A lot of great people followed after I stepped away.
I've been making money at writing for 53 years, since I was 19 years old and a reporter at a newspaper on Long Island. I've written somewhere around three and four million words, maybe five million. There's very few times you get any kind of feedback that anything you've done has had an impact. You write stuff and you go on to the next thing. You don't expect to get the phone call saying, we like this idea. What are we going to do about it?


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In consultation with Rape Crisis England and Wales ahead of International Women's Day, we have released guidance to help those who have found recent reporting around sexual violence in the media re-traumatising, 'Self-care techniques for women impacted by exposure to sexual violence media coverage'.
This follows the recent surge in reporting of scandals featuring sexual violence – including scandals in the entertainment and charity sector and during the US Presidential election - that have the potential to set off traumatic feelings in people who have experienced sexual violence.
Research indicates experiences of sexual violence among women are widespread. 61% of women reported having experienced sexual violence during adulthood, and 10 percent reported having experienced sexual violence in the past year. 1.
The Mental Health Foundation focuses on prevention of mental health problems. The advice is designed to help people at risk of being re-traumatised by giving them techniques to gain some control and headspace after they have seen an upsetting report.
Dr Amy Pollard from the Mental Health Foundation said:
"The recent scandals and the growing #MeToo movement have been an important moment for women to raise their voices against sexual violence and harassment.
"But it can bring up a range of conflicting feelings for those who have experienced sexual violence themselves. Being surrounded by constant reports of sexual violence can be re-traumatising for survivors, especially if they feel the coverage is something they can't escape from.
"It's very hard to know how many survivors are affected this way – but we do know that there are many people who are potentially at risk. Many may have never disclosed their experiences.
"But there are positive things people can do to protect their mental health from repeated trauma. Simple techniques like taking a breath when you are feeling anxious about a report you have seen or writing down your thoughts can make a real difference.
"That is why we have published these guidelines today following consultation with experts on managing trauma from sexual violence."
Recent media reports have been linked to an upsurge of women seeking advice and help. Rape Crisis saw a 28% increase in calls in the two weeks after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke.
Katie Russell, a spokesperson for Rape Crisis said:
"We routinely see marked spikes in contact from victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, rape and all forms of sexual violence when these topics are high profile in the news or featured in the storylines of popular dramas.
"Survivors frequently tell us about the triggering impact this kind of content can have, and we regularly ask media to be mindful of the very many survivors who will always inevitably be among any given audience, because of the huge prevalence of sexual violence."
While the advice has been released for International Women's Day, the Mental Health Foundation and Rape Crisis England & Wales fully acknowledge that men and boys also experience rape and sexual violence and that the impacts on their lives can be similarly devastating and long lasting. These techniques can be applied by anyone, irrelevant of gender.


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- Home
- Government
- Departments
- City Manager
- Daly City's Green Vision
- Citywide Composting Program
Citywide Composting Program
About Composting
All residents and businesses now have the option for curbside collection of organic waste, including food scraps and yard waste, as part of their regular garbage service. This organic waste will be diverted from the landfill and composted at a commercial facility in the East Bay, helping our community achieve both its greenhouse gas reduction and waste diversion goals. Compost is a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can be used in farms across the State to increase productivity and even reduce water use. Gardeners often call it "black gold".
Food Scraps & Food-Soiled Paper Products
Food scraps and food-soiled paper products are not waste; they are resources. This is a big shift in the way we all think about the things we throw in the garbage. Now, we need to see food scraps as resources. Through composting, we are able to return the nutrients in those items to the very soil that produced them in the first place. The more you think about it, the more common sense it becomes!
When we throw away food, like a spoiled apple, for example, we are also throwing away all of the energy that went into growing it, shipping it to the grocery store, buying it and transporting it home, storing it in your refrigerator, and then even after throwing it in the trash energy is wasted in transporting it to a transfer station and then to the landfill. We are never throwing away just a single item. We are throwing away all the resources that were used in its lifecycle. You can see how the wastefulness really starts to add up.
How to Get Started
Use your kitchen pail to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper products in your home and then transfer the contents to your green compost cart. Place the cart on the curb for pickup by Republic Services. This is the same cart that many residents already use for yard trimmings. Need a green cart? Email Republic or call 650-756-1130.
Infographic Sources
- Buzby, Jean C., Hodan F. Wells, and Jeffrey Hyman. The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States, EIB-121, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, February 2014.
- California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. (2015). 2014 Disposal-Facility-Based Characterization of Solid Waste in California, DRRR-2015-01546.
- DoSomething.org. 11 Facts About Recycling.
- Environmental Protection Agency. (2011, December 11). Overview of Greenhouse Gases: Methane Emissions.
- Gunders, Dana. (2012). Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill (PDF), IP: 12-06-B, Natural Resources Defense Council.


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Chen Liangyu was also sacked from all his government positions, according to state television.
He was fired last year after a probe into the alleged misuse of the city's pension fund. Many other senior figures were also accused of involvement.
Analysts say the latest move against Mr Chen could take him one step closer to standing trial on corruption charges.
The party has vowed to crack down on officials found guilty of corruption, which has become rampant since market reforms opened the economy in the 1980s.
'Illegal loans'
State media said Mr Chen, the former party secretary in Shanghai, had been handed over to judicial authorities and that his case had made a "very negative impact" on the image of the Communist Party.
Mr Chen 60, was fired last September after a government investigation into the alleged misuse of at least one third of Shanghai's 10bn yuan ($1.2bn) pension fund.
The money was said to have been used to make illegal loans and investments in real estate and other infrastructure deals.
Mr Chen was accused of seeking benefits for companies and relatives, and for protecting corrupt officials.
The case also led to the removal and detention of several other officials, including the city's social security and labour chief.
Mr Chen was the first member of the Politburo, the party's top leadership council, to be dismissed for corruption since 1995.
Following his dismissal last September, he did not turn up at Beijing in March for the annual session of parliament.
Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now.";


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Photo Courtesy: https://www.narcity.com
It was Junior, on his usual phone call to us from across the Atlantic, who told us about the tragedy. He began straight off with: "Maa, why is Uncle and Ahmad all over the news?"
Princess and I had spent last Sunday the 9th of March attempting gluten free bread for the nth time. Each time we do, we always give ourselves hope that the end product will come out, at the very least, edible let alone tasting like real bread. JD had decided it was the History Channel for him so we missed the breaking news.
You see, we happen to be closely related to one of the two fortunate people who missed their flight to Nairobi from Addis Ababa that day and escaped death. Our local news channels and print media-as well as international- were all over the story. Not to take away from the gravity of the situation and the grief of those who lost loved ones but who knew that something as inconvenient, frustrating and ordinary as flight delay and missing your flight could turn out to be literally a matter of life and death?
To say that Ahmad's parents and family (myself included) were filled with an enormous sense of gratitude, thanksgiving and humbleness before Allah is one huge understatement. You marvel at modern day 'miracles' such as these.
Yet, what if?
What if I or you had been one of those 157 people who perished on Sunday?
It is not too improbable. After all, I am quite certain that, as they packed their bags, checked their phones, hugged goodbye their near and dear, held their boarding passes glad for the window seat, I am quite certain that none of them realised that they would soon be a part of aviation statistics; that soon memorials and tributes would be made in their names and that they would never get to their intended destinations.
Who is to say?
Immortality is promised to none of us as much as we desire and strive for longevity.
So then, what unfinished business do you have?
Have you left important things unsaid?
Do you have debts to pay; projects you have been putting off because you are too scared to fail or cared too much what others think?
How about amends? Who have you hurt who you need to apologise to? Who has hurt you that you need to forgive for your own liberation and peace of mind?
Still angry at your parents , fighting with your wife, not there for your kids- not there for yourself?
What about your legacy? What do you want to be remembered for? Someone who genuinely cared for others, concerned about the environment, helped those less fortunate?
What about your most important relationship? The relationship with the One who created you? Have you been faithful to Him in the truest sense of the word?
Who knows what tomorrow, -or indeed the next moment- will bring?
If I or you had had a seat on Flight 302, would our affairs have been in order?


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Our Helping Gardens
Paul was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a childhood cancer of the soft tissue. Paul's cancer is located in the bile of his liver.
Paul is the 3 year old son of Barrington Police Officer Garrett Oberkircher.
If you wish to donate directly to the Oberkircher Family,
Please send checks payable to: Garrett Oberkircher
Barrington Police Department
c/o Patches for Paul
400 N Northwest Hwy
Barrington, IL 60010
Together in 2013 we built a garden for a Piper Novak in Deer Park, IL who wished for a vegetable garden.
Cals Angels Granting Wishes!
It's been a long journey for Piper and her family. Piper, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June 2010 at the age of 2 ½. Piper began chemotherapy. Shortly thereafter, Piper lost all of her curly baby hair, did not eat solid food for four months and lost her voice as a result of the chemotherapy's intensity.
"Yesterday was a very special and fun day for our family... The awesome folks at Cal's Angels (a local organization that grants wishes to kids fighting cancer in memory of Cal Sutter), with the generous help of Michael E. Hogg, supreme gardener, and his volunteer crew, made Piper's wish for her very own vegetable garden come true! It took us a long time to think of something that Piper would enjoy for many years to come and we think she made the perfect wish! Thank you Michael, Cal's Angels and Stacey Skjoldager Sutter for giving the gift of healthy eating to Piper! She had a wonderful time getting dirty and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her veggies!" J. Novak
Thank you for your support.
Hop on for the ride of your LIFE!!!!!
Plant Type Hardiness When to Plant
Based on Average Day of Last Frost (April 15th.)
Beans, bush & pole frost-sensitive On ADLF
Beets moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Berries moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Broccoli hardy 4 weeks before
Cabbage hardy 4 weeks before
Carrots moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Cauliflower hardy 4 weeks before
Celery moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Chard moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Corn frost-sensitive On ADLF
Cucumbers frost-intolerant 2–3 weeks after
Kohlrabi hardy 4 weeks before
Lettuce, leaf & head hardy 4 weeks before
Melons frost-intolerant 2–3 weeks after
Onions, green & bulb hardy 4 weeks before
Parsley moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Parsnips moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Peas, bush & pole hardy 4 weeks before
Peppers frost-intolerant 2–3 weeks after
Potatoes moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
Radishes hardy 4 weeks before
Spinach hardy 4 weeks before
Squash frost-intolerant 2–3 weeks after
Tomatoes frost-sensitive On ADLF
Turnips moderately-hardy 2–3 weeks before
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REBOOT: Online Advocacy 2.0
Michael Riksen, NPR Vice President, Policy and Representation
June 14, 2013
During the spring of 2013, NPR and APTS worked together to strengthen the 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting advocacy campaign. The sole objective was to make this resource a more capable and vital asset in the effort to preserve federal funding for public broadcasting stations.
Three steps were taken to achieve this goal. First, they commissioned focused research into the characteristics and opinions of supporters of public broadcasting on federal funding. Next, they engaged a digital partner, The Beekeeper Group, with deep expertise in online advocacy strategy and website development, to assist us in building a more robust and effective online advocacy platform. Lastly, they identified and agreed upon a core bucket of key advocacy and social media strategies to recruit more public broadcasting supporters to our campaign, especially in regions where they were needed most and where public advocates could do the most good.
All of this work led to a more unified, coherent and purposeful plan to better serve stations' local advocacy efforts. With the insight of the research and the expertise of a digital partner, NPR and APTS re-launched the national grassroots efforts under a new name and a new website: Protect My Public Media.
Their efforts to protect federal funding have been rooted in enabling supporters to take action in their communities to speak out on behalf of local stations and the programs they love. And the new website has made this task easier and more straightforward.
The new website launched in July. Its layout and design is more streamlined and advocacy-focused, making it easier for supporters to take action to support the local stations and programs they love. There is a renewed focus on social media strategy to bolster advocacy efforts in key regions, including a blog co-written by NPR and APTS staff. And, they enabled all of these new features with mobile capability so that supporters can engage with the campaign, whether they are sitting at their computers, using a tablet, or on their phone.
Among the exciting new features within Protect My Public Media is an interactive grid of testimonials from public broadcasting supporters sharing why local stations are important to them. Stations' roles in communities are as important as ever and your help is needed in constructing a compelling portrait of local support across America in this interactive grid.
Click here to learn about the NEW Protect My Public Media online campaign.


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10 Facts about Bruce Springsteen
Find out the interesting information about the notable American singer, musician, and songwriter in Facts about Bruce Springsteen. He was born on 23 September 1949. People recognize him as The Boss due to his Americana style, poetry lyrics, political sentiment and working class style. He had energetic performance on stage and wonderful voice. Let's find out more interesting facts about Springsteen below:
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 1: the recording
If you have never heard the voice of Springsteen, you need to listen to his recordings. You can listen to his somber folk albums or rock albums.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 2: the famous studio albums
Born in the U.S.A. and Born to Run are the two famous albums by Springsteen. The albums show you the struggle in the American life.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 3: the sales
Springsteen was very popular. There is no need to wonder that there were 120 million records that he had sold in the world. In United States, he sold 64 million albums.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 4: the date and place of birth
Springsteen was born at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey on 23 September 1949.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 5: awards
There are many awards that Springsteen earned during his life as a singer and musician. He was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Golden Globes and 20 Grammy Awards. His name is spotted at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 6: the early life
Springsteen was raised in Freehold Borough. He went to Freehold Borough High School and lived with his family on South Street.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 7: parents
His father was a bus driver. He had an Irish and Dutch ancestry. His name was Douglas Frederick Springsteen. The main breadwinner in the family was his mother for his father was mostly unemployed. Her name was Adele Ann who worked as a legal secretary. Find out facts about Betty White here.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 8: music
When he was 7 years old, he was interested with music after he saw the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 which featured Elvis Presley.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 9: the first guitar
He had the first guitar after his mother bought him one. The price was $18. Get facts about Bruce Lee here.
Facts about Bruce Springsteen 10: "The Wrestler"
"The Wrestler" was the song which made Bruce earned Golden Globe Award on 11 January 2009.
Do you have any opinion on facts about Bruce Springsteen?


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Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. In any given year, it affects 6.7 percent of the population, and 1 person in 6 will experience depression at some point in their life, according to the American Psychiatric Association External Site. Based on a recent Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® Health of America Report® External Site, major depression is one of the top 10 conditions affecting the millennial generation, increasing in prevalence by 31 percent from 2014–2017.
But, even though depression is so common, there are many misconceptions about what it is and how it affects people. Because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, many people with depression are not diagnosed or do not seek proper treatment.
Let's break down some of the biggest myths about depression.
Myth #1: Depression and sadness are the same.
Fact: Feeling sad after a difficult situation, like ending a relationship, losing your job, or saying goodbye to a beloved pet is perfectly normal, but isn't the same as being depressed. Though depression can cause feelings of sadness, it also leads to a loss of interest in activities and can decrease your ability to function every day. In order for sadness to become depression, you have to experience it for a prolonged period — at least two weeks for an initial diagnosis, but depression can last months or even years if it goes untreated.
Myth #2: You can't be depressed if you have a great life.
Fact: Depression can affect anyone at any time, even those who appear to have it all: a nice house, a stable job, a loving family. There are several different factors that can play a role in depression, including brain chemistry, genetics, personality and environmental factors. Depression can also run in families, and people who have low self-esteem or become easily stressed can be more at-risk for becoming depressed.
Myth #3: The only way to treat depression is with medication — for the rest of your life.
Fact: There are several ways to treat depression, including different types of therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Antidepressants typically address issues with brain chemistry, and talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy can help those with depression sort through problems and recognize distorted thinking. Once symptoms have improved, some people can taper off medication or space out therapy appointments until they're no longer needed.
Taking care of your mental health
You typically see your doctor for an annual checkup and when you get sick. But, taking care of your mental health is just as important as addressing your physical health. Mental illness can affect anyone, and it's important to treat it just like you would a physical ailment.
If you can recognize a few of the key symptoms of depression — prolonged sadness, loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, or difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions — talk to your primary care provider. They will help you better understand what could be causing your symptoms and discuss potential treatment options.
The good news: Depression is treatable, and most people start feeling better in a few weeks with the right treatment plan. If you don't have a primary care provider, log in or register for myWellmark® to find one Secure Site. Or, if you want to pursue therapy as a treatment option, you can also use myWellmark to check your benefits before making an appointment.


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Boyce Celebrates 10 Years in Wagga Wagga
5 April 2013
Boyce is celebrating not one, but two milestone anniversaries this year. It is 40 years since the firm was first established in 1973 by the legendary Michael Boyce and ten years since it 'set up shop' in Wagga Wagga.
The firm's proud history of rural practice began in the Monaro region of New South Wales with the establishment of an office in Cooma in July 1973. Today Boyce has five offices located in major regional centres across NSW and a staff of more than 140 – making it the largest independent accounting practice in regional Australia.
The Wagga Wagga branch of the firm was opened on 31 March 2003 under the leadership of director Simon Sellars.
Government Announces Proposed Changes to Super
5 April 2013
Those with more than around $2 million in superannuation will lose some tax concessions under changes to the superannuation system announced today by Treasurer Wayne Swan.
Included in a raft of measures detailed by the Treasurer, a tax exemption on superannuation earnings supporting pensions and annuities will be capped at $100,000, and anything above that level taxed at a rate of 15 per cent.


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Our Candle Range is designed with fragrance in mind. We use our timeless amber glass jars topped with a bamboo lid. Using a premium wood wick, this candle has an amazing fragrance throw and will last.
Fragrance: Oaked Aged Whiskey - This scent reminds me of a really rich dark fruit cake soaked in whiskey on Christmas day. Has a really strong bourbon and rose wood scent with just enough sweetness to lift it and pull at your memory.
Size: 250g
Ingredients: Soy Wax, Fragrance.
Directions: When using your Soy Candle for the first time, do not extinguish the candle until the wax melts across the entire surface to the sides of glassware (this will help prevent tunneling and creates an even burn for the duration of the candle's 'life') Depending on your environment, this may take anywhere from 2-4 hours.
Trim the wick to 5 mm before each burn. This will promote an even burn, steady flame and will help limit sooting/mushrooming of wick.
If soot forms on the inside of your glassware, simply extinguish your candle and wait for it to cool. Then wipe with a clean damp cloth or paper towel. Trim the wick and relight.
CAUTION: Do not add any water or any other liquids to your wax. To Prevent Fire or Injury: Always burn candle within eyesight. Keep away from draughts and vibrations. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Never near anything that can catch fire.
If you're local, you can return your jar for a cheaper refill. Otherwise, clean out the jar and re-use.


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ACTÍVA's Activ•Clay is an air drying clay, which is fine grained to enable the finest detail for all art and craft projects. This strong, self-hardening clay is perfect for all levels of sculptors, as it allows for many clay sculpting techniques from hand building to throwing, and accepts a wide variety of finishes. ActivClay can be carved, nailed and sanded. This lightweight clay generally dries within 24 hours, and can be kept for weeks when placed in an air tight container.
See how we use it:
To purchase, visit Activa's website


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I was recently asked by a bride "What do you wear to the wedding ceremony?" This was my answer.
When I am planning my clothes to wear to your ceremony I will try to choose colours that compliment or match the bridal party. I would never wear anything that is going to clash with your theme colour. It looks so much better in your photos if I blend in. The couple are the stars of the show and all of the focus will be on you both – front and center. As much as I try to avoid appearing in your photographs, there are some parts of your ceremony when I am required to be close by to you. This is usually when you are stating your vows and exchanging rings. There's nothing worse than a celebrant that is poorly or inappropriately dressed appearing in the couple's photographs. I would hate for that to have happened at my wedding so I would never do that to one of my couples.
Often another factor that can influence what I wear is the weather and the location of the ceremony.
The fashion police are out and about at most weddings. Even if you are attending as a guest, please consider your couple and dress for the occasion. You don't want to end up as the next internet star or meme!
Any potential couples reading this post, I can put you at ease. The clothes I wear to your ceremony will always be conservative – presentable, clean and appropriate for your occasion. There will be no outrageous outfits – unless it's a costume at your request,


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Wet weather is here and heavy odours are a lingering reminder even after we're back inside – yuck!
I think we can call agree as Canadians we LIVE for the outdoors. We MUST get outside for fresh air, exercise and a bit of socializing as part of our healthy pet family lives.
We've got rain coats, boots + umbrellas for ourselves and even our pets now too! They are the cutest little outfits that bring back the fun in splashing through puddles and running through warm rain…
But despite all these nice accessories sometimes the moisture in the air traps odour in our pets' coats that follows them back inside regardless of our efforts to keep dry.
And who has time for another rinse, wash and dry? A quick towel rub is always a fun excuse for some rewarding play time together but then…
…this is where dry shampoo can save you precious time + energy.
Sprinkle the deodorizing powder through your dog or cat's coat after towel drying to soak up those left over odours that would normally end up on their bed or even your couch – eww!
Our Dry Shampoo for dogs + cats gently deodorizes fur coats and leaves a fresh lemongrass scent for hours. The natural essential oils are therapeutic and safe for your pet too. Even if they decide to groom or lick themselves afterwards you can rest easy and get on with your day while they freshen up.


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24×12 200GSM Pack of 25
· Suitable for all kind of plants
· Durable & have long service life
· 100% UV treated 200-220 GSM
· Ideal for indoor & outdoor gardening
· Extremely Strong
· Reuse to grow variety of plants
... people are viewing this right now
- Made by premium quality plastic grow bag for Terrace Gardening.
- Prevents circling roots and air-prunes the plant's root structure.
- All size of grow bags available.
- Gardening products from BIO BLOOMS AGRO INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED.
- 100% UV treated HDPE plastic grow bags.
There are no reviews yet.


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At the recent 7th Annual Small Business Summit, sponsored by Dell, we had most of our presentations on Microsoft Power Point which just about every business professional has used and seen, many times. Most of us, use the default templates of common bullet points and some color. A few people get really nice Power Points designed by professionals, those look like something Guy Kawasaki or Seth Godin (but he uses Apple' s Keynote).
There's a "new" company, however, that's been stealing the VISUAL (or proverbial) LIME LIGHT and it's Prezi.
At the Summit, Austin Craig of Orabrush gave his presentation with Prezi. His delivery was outstanding but we all were also pretty impressed with his "digital presentation" or his "Prezi Power Point".
"With Prezi, people inspire change – in their schools, at the podium, and in the boardroom." says Prezi CEO, Peter Arvai. "There is a prezi created every second and the new PowerPoint import feature makes this evolution of collaborative, interactive storytelling accessible to all. It's time to think outside the slide."
In a recent interview, Peter explained to me that we've (presentation makers) been trained to develop our presentations in a linear, outline fashion. However, our natural minds don't work in a "line" we work in multiple dimensions – Prezi helps you do this.
I watched a 6 minute demonstration of Prezi – Prezi 101 and was amazed at how simple and frankly FUN it was to use.
I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to let go of years of training in using Power Point – but I'm close.
Here's a photo of Peter, his media colleague and me on a Skype call interview
Read more posts on Ramon Ray & the Smallbiztechnology.com Team »


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Monday, March 30, 2009
March 30
"The [New and Revised Copywriter's Manual's] 7 Words You Can't Say in Advertising are: Luxurious, Decadent, Sugary, Sexy, Exquisite, Bitchin', I.
The 7 Approved Replacement Words: Solid, Nourishing, Brown, Well-molded, Sustainable, Post-consumer, We."
-- Steve Simpson, Adweek; image from
Obama Heads Back to Europe, Challenges in Tow – John Harwood, New York Times: "Some foreign leaders, along with ordinary Americans, blame today's [economic] predicament largely on Wall Street excesses. … Yet Mr. Obama's status as the first black president may deflect some of that criticism. It will also place him at the center of the international spotlight. 'What Obama has that Clinton did not is the delicious elements of biography that make him a walking public diplomacy program for America, Mr. McCurry [Mike McCurry, former State Department spokesman and later Mr. Clinton's White House press secretary] said. 'The other leaders will have to contend with the enormous interest in this new, young, popular president.'" Image from
America the Tarnished - Paul Krugman, New York Times: "These days foreign leaders are in no mood to be lectured by American officials, even when -- as in this case -- the Americans are right. The financial crisis has had many costs. And one of those costs is the damage to America's reputation, an asset we've lost just when we, and the world, need it most."
Economy causes a double hit to PD – Aly Jiwani, Perspectives on Public Diplomacy: "The downfall of the US market has ripple effects everywhere and it has become a global economic downturn. Given the strong and leading role that America's financial and banking sectors had in leading the world down this path and the global perceptions about what has happened in the economy, how the US cleans up the financial and banking mess will matter a lot in re-shaping America's public image. … The stereotypical views about Americans being greedy and materialistic are accentuated. This again demonstrates how apart from the actions of the American government, the American private sector and corporations just like American tourists and businessmen speak volumes in shaping America's image."
Mapping a New Strategy: Democracy in Former Soviet Areas Needs a Friend - Ludmila Alexeeva and Gregory Shvedov, Washington Post: "What can the Obama administration do now … [includes to] recognize the importance of the media and make sure that your commitment to the free flow of ideas never falters. Continue to support international broadcasting via Radio Liberty and Voice of America and step in to help independent media, especially Internet outlets. … [Also,] consider forming a single agency to direct democracy and human rights activities, and find new, effective leaders to run it. Now, too many cooks are spoiling the soup; we could accomplish more with less if there were one reliable forum for us to work together." Image from
Washington Diarist: In Which We Engage - Leon Wieseltier, New Republic: "Democratization, since it proposes to replace one political culture with another, is a policy of destabilization, and so it is an evolutionary enterprise, and takes time, and can be achieved only indigenously, by the people themselves. But often they need help, which, in the real world so beloved of Democrats, means American help. This help can take many forms."
A Mexican Standoff with Reality - zenpundit.com: "Thursday, in a statement that was issued in part for public diplomacy purposes, DNI Adm. Dennis Blair, dismissed any strategic implications regarding the strength of Mexico's drug cartels that the Mexican government is struggling to suppress: 'Mexico is in no danger of becoming a failed state.'"
Conspiracy and Propaganda Centers: Illegal US Consulates in Venezuela By Eva Golinger: Translated for Axis of Logic by Iris Buehler and revised by Les Blough, members of Tlaxcala - posted by Macu, Milfuegos: "Officially, the American Corners are partnership programs between the Embassy of the United States and certain local institutions that create small spaces, or 'corners', with access to information about the United States through the Internet, and books and documentaries produced by the Department of the State (DOS). Its goal is to create a kind of 'virtual consulate' that would not be sponsored formally by the government of the United States but by a local organization, association, school, library or institution. Actually, the American Corners constitute another propaganda instrument of Washington which works not only as launching pad for psychological warfare, but also subverts and violates the diplomatic regulations by establishing places for 'consular' access in a nation without the authorization of the host country's government." Image from
Mideast: US Overtures to Iran Must Wait - Analysts - Meena Janardhan, IPS: "Referring to U.S. President Barack Obama's video message on the occasion of the Iranian New Year last week, Christian Koch of the Gulf Research Centre (GRC) said Washington's opening to Iran is a step in the right direction, but Tehran is likely to once again miss the opportunity. 'Obama's gesture introduced the critical element of public diplomacy by addressing the people and leaders of Iran jointly, finally acknowledging that trying to drive a wedge between Iran's leaders and people is unproductive,' Koch, director of international studies at the Dubai-based think tank, told IPS. 'Unfortunately,' he added, 'given the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's dismissal of the message means the likely result is the further isolation of Iran to the detriment of regional security.'''
Israel and Peace in the Middle East: Shlomo Ben Ami - Aldo Civico, Huffington Post: "In past peace processes,
the parties were able to reduce the ocean to a river, but they remained incapable of crossing the river. The leadership of the United States, together with a broad international coalition, should propose to the parties bridging and binding proposals. If Obama inaugurates an era of new public diplomacy, we have a chance to make peace in the Middle East." Image from
Annual Report on Human Rights 2008 – Pakistan: Publisher United Kingdom: Foreign and Commonwealth Office - posted at UNHCR Refworld: "U.K. action … . Our High Commission in Islamabad is funding and implementing 26 human rights-related projects in addition to funding support through donor organisations. Through the Public Diplomacy Fund, we are supporting projects on women's rights, training and creation of a lawyers' network of human rights advocates and on improving investigative journalism in Pakistan to encourage impartial reporting on political, electoral and human rights issues."
Blogging the OAH: Day Three - Christopher Capozzola, Legal History Blog: "The third and final day of the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians featured a bonanza of sessions and events for legal historians. Among the day's offerings: … At a session on 'Sex, Race, and Empire across the West and the Pacific' chaired by Paul Kramer (Iowa), the audience heard a fascinating set of papers. Mary Lui (Yale) used the story of the 1950s goodwill tour of Korean-American Olympic diver Sammy Lee to explore gender, race, and nation in the reception of Cold War public diplomacy." Image from
Propaganda.com - Evgeny Morozov, New York Times: This year's report on "enemies of the Internet" prepared by Reporters Without Borders, the international press advocacy group, paints a very gloomy picture for the freedom of expression on the Web. But identifying "Internet enemies" only on the basis of censorship and intimidation, as Reporters Without Borders has done, obfuscates the fact that these are only two components of a more comprehensive and multi-pronged approach that authoritarian governments have developed to diffuse the subversive potential of online communications.
Air Force Takes Aim at Higher Recruiting Goal With Web Series: 'The Circuit' Targets Tech-Savvy Audience, Combats Idea That Service Is 'Just About Pilots' - Claude Brodesser-Akner, Advertising Age. Image from
Holbrooke Calls for "Complete Rethink" of Drugs in Afghanistan - David Corn, Mother Jones
Success and security in Afghanistan - Scott Payne and Peter O'Brien, Boston Globe:
Succeeding in Afghanistan will be hard, but that does not mean success cannot be achieved. With Obama's new strategy, we can secure America's interests in Afghanistan. Image from
Hedging on Afghanistan - Editors, National Review: To defeat this enemy, Obama argued, we need the "comprehensive" approach of a full-scale counter-insurgency -- encompassing security, governance, and economics -- rather the narrow counter-terrorism strategy some of his advisers favored. That minimalist strategy would have risked making all of Afghanistan into the equivalent of the tribal areas of Pakistan, where al-Qaeda operatives go unmolested except by the occasional Predator strike.
Obama's 'stronger, smarter' war: The President now owns Afghanistan – Editorial, Washington Times: The Afghan war is now Obama's to lose. Governments in the region, as well as our NATO allies, will be watching closely for signs that the president lacks the fortitude to press the matter to a successful conclusion. In this respect Mr. Obama may fancy himself a smarter president than Mr. Bush, but it remains to be seen if he is stronger.
What to do about Afghanistan – Martin Peretz, New Republic:
The real question is whether Democrats have the gumption to support a battle that will not be easy, will be laden with inevitable error and cause many civilians casualties (like Israel in Gaza, and much more because we will be flying unmanned drones) and will put the country, with blood and gore, at odds with many many millions of Muslims not only in the two target states but elsewhere... and let's not say where. Image from
Obama's strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan: The President's plan for the increasingly troubled region is ambitious, although his goals are more limited than Bush's - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor
Obama's Afghan plan: Leave Al Qaeda to others: Despite the surge, he wants others to take over and to ease the US out - Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor
The Real Afghan Issue Is Pakistan: The president has his priorities reversed - Graham Allison and John Deutch, Wall Street Journal: For Afghanistan to become a unitary state ruled from Kabul, and to develop into a modern, prosperous, poppy-free and democratic country would be a worthy and desirable outcome. But it is not vital for American interests. The problem in Pakistan is more pressing and direct.
Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President - Ray McGovern, Common Dreams: It is wooden-headedness, in my view, that permeates the "comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan" that the president announced yesterday.
Obama's domino theory: The president sounds like he's channeling Cheney or McCain -- or a Cold War hawk afraid of international communism -- when he talks about the war in Afghanistan - Juan Cole, Salon: The Kabul government is not on the verge of falling to the Taliban.
The Great Afghan Bailout: It's Time to Change Names, Switch Analogies - Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch: Unfortunately, the end result is likely to be that, as with A.I.G., we, the American people, could end up "owning" 80% of the Af-Pak project without ever "nationalizing" it -- without ever, that is, being in actual control. In fact, if things go as badly as they could in the Af-Pak War, A.I.G. might end up looking like a good deal by comparison.
Af-Pak Fever: The Obamaites go to war – Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com: What Obama is proposing for Afghanistatn is more than a mere "surge" – it is a rising tsunami of unimaginable proportions, one that will make the Iraq war seem like a minor swell. Image from
US general: American forces may not leave key Iraqi cities: The top commander of ground forces in Iraq says that US troops may stay longer than the June deadline in Baquba and Mosul - Jane Arraf, Christian Science Monitor
U.S. Out How?: 50 experts on the moral dilemma of leaving Iraq – Mother Jones. SEE ALL
"Ready to be Traitors": The Israeli Resistance - Hannah Safran, CounterPunch: "On January 8, 2009, 13 days into the war on Gaza, 45 people, Jews and Arabs, came together in Haifa to discuss how to proceed with our anti-war activities. Each one of those present in the room had already participated in more than one action against this war in Gaza. We belong to a growing public that does not buy into the Israeli propaganda of 'there is nobody to talk with' – the idea that we, Israelis, are eager to make peace but they, the Palestinians, are not interested. We have come of age during the past eight years of activism against all odds."
Inversion of Reality: Where the victims are labeled [aggressors] + the Great Lie Theory – Sagazone: Inversion of Reality is the basic principle of anti-Israeli propaganda. This propaganda method is a product of Nazi Germany.
Mexico's war must be our war: Helping Mexico take on the drug cartels helps us, but the effort will require unprecedented cooperation between our two countries - John Kerry, Los Angeles Times
Biden: No plans to scrap Cuba embargo – LJWorld.com: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday that the United States is not planning to lift its trade embargo on Cuba. Biden, who was in the Chilean resort city of Vina del Mar for a summit of center-left leaders from Latin America and Europe, replied "no" when asked by reporters if Washington plans to scrap the decades-old embargo.
Momentum Grows for Relaxing Cuba Policy: Senate Measure Would Eliminate Travel Ban - Shailagh Murray and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post
Russia's Reset: Mr. Obama isn't contemplating change solely on the part of the United States – Editorial, Washington Post:
The administration believes that it can develop constructive relations with Russia without sacrificing the interests of Russia's neighbors. Whether such a reset will be acceptable to Mr. Medvedev or to Russia's de facto top ruler, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, remains to be seen. Image from
Lost in translation: Listening to what Moscow says is instructive - John M. McHugh, Washington Times: To be sure, engaging Russia should be a priority of any administration; it is, after all, a once-great and now-re-emerging power. It should not be the first priority beyond all others, however. What the United States should do - and what we must do as a moral authority for human freedom around the world - is reaffirm our support for emerging democratic states seeking to exercise sovereignty and represent their peoples' interests.
Kremlin Should Seize This Obama Moment - Vladimir Frolov, Moscow Times: In Moscow, the desire to work with Obama's team is growing even as fears of being "duped" fuel suspicion. Moscow's priority seems to be to hold out for substantive changes in the U.S. position as proof of a genuine U.S. desire to take Russia's concerns into account. This stance could squander a strategic opportunity.
Kim's Latest Hostages: North Korea is trying to do to Obama what it did to Bush - Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Having succeeded in extracting concessions from President Bush in exchange for promises to give up its nuclear program, Pyongyang is looking to get the new Administration to repay for the same phony terms.
"The film opens with Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) returning to Thailand (where the second film took place)
to once again enlist the help of Vietnam veteran John J. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone). After witnessing Rambo's victory in a stick-fighting match, Trautman visits the construction site of the temple Rambo is helping to build and asks Rambo to join him on a mission to Afghanistan. The mission is meant to supply weapons, including FIM-92 Stinger missiles, to Afghan freedom fighters, the Mujahideen, who are fighting the Soviets in the Soviet-Afghan War."
--Wikipedia, on Rambo III
Posted by John Brown at 7:32 AM
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Who says meatballs all have to be made with meat? Here's a great veggie alternative that's made with eggplant. They're lighter in texture but full of flavor!
These eggplant balls have a little chunk of mozzarella stashed into the center so they totally take on the eggplant parmesan taste through and through.
It's simple to make with just a few steps like cubing the eggplant then sautéing it with a bit of olive oil and water. You want to make sure that the consistency is nice and soft.
Then you're going to mash all that eggplant up just to make sure it gets nice and smooth, that's going to make it really easy to mix with all the other ingredients.
When I make traditional Italian meatballs I always add egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, pecorino and a bit of red pepper flakes, it's the same with these eggplant parmesan veggie balls, it takes on those Italian flavors perfectly but without the meat!
Make sure you poke a hole into the center when forming your balls and place a cube of mozzarella inside, this will ensure that the cheese will ooze out just perfectly when you take a bite.
So delicious covered in a pool of warm marinara sauce, the smells and taste of eggplant parmesan is in every bite.
Eggplant parmesan that's all rolled up into a meatball, what's better than that? You can eat them with pasta or alone with just a salad and a hunk of bread, or you can make yourself a meatless "meatball" sandwich, it's all good!
Follow me on Instagram to see what else I'm cooking up during the week.
- Eggplant, 2 or 3, depending on how large they are. Slice the tops and bottoms off, remove the skin peeling it off in a striped manner, keeping some on and some off, then cut the eggplant into small cubes
- 1 cup or more of toasted breadcrumbs
- 1 beaten egg
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ cup or so grated pecorino romano
- a small handful, chopped parsley
- a few tablespoons, chopped basil
- ¼ cup water
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- small cubes of fresh mozzarella to stuff inside
- marinara sauce, 1 quart or less
- Heat oven to 375, spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
- Drizzle the bottom of a heated skillet with olive oil and place the cubes of eggplant inside.
- Season with salt and pepper on the eggplant then pour in the ¼ cup of water tossing until the eggplant is cooked and very soft and tender.
- Mash the eggplant mix with a potato masher until you get a nice smooth consistency, then let it cool down.
- Grab a large bowl and add the cooled down eggplant, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, pecorino, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes, mix well.
- If mixture seems too wet and more breadcrumbs.
- Roll into balls then poke a whole in the center and add your cubed mozzarella making sure it's well inside and gets covered with eggplant mixture.
- When all is rolled out place on oiled baking sheet then into the oven for around 20-25 minutes.
- Plop the eggplant balls into warmed up marinara when done baking.
- They're ready to serve!


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Any orthodontist will preach for safeguarding your Invisalign trays when they are not in the mouth. You get a special box to keep them while eating and you spend too little time without them on your teeth, it's almost impossible to misplace them. ALMOST.
Three weeks ago I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom, after taking a shower. Even if I am pretty careful with the Invisalign aligners, this time I let them on the sink. And then one fell. My sink is very close to the wallk, creating a very narrow space, enough to have the tray go all the way down to the ground and still enough to not leave me any possibility to retrieve it.
Now what?
The first thing you should do is call your orthodontist to tell him about the problem. Sure, right that moment there's nothing he can do since it will take some weeks for the Invisalign trays to be sent again from Align Technologies to you. It's still a good idea to discuss this and have your doctor know about this.
Until you get your aligner(s) that are missing, you'll keep on wearing the latest ones. NEVER THROW the latest aligners. Otherwise you're indeed in deep doo-doo. If you'll have the missing set sent to you, wear the aligners you aready wore for 2 weeks to keep the teeth in that position. In this case your trays will be a sort of a retainer, till it's all back to normal.
This will slow down your treatment a bit, but it's still all under control. Such things do happen, so it's not quite the end of the world.
What have I done?
Sure, I didn't practice what I preach entirely. I took a chance and it looks like it was still OK. I wore the latest aligner (I lost the lower arch tray) for the time I should have worn the new one. The upper teeth were having the prescribed aligner, the lower ones the last one, which I wore for 2 weeks already.
The chance I took was related to the possibility of the new aligner to fit properly, since I had one missing in the "list". I misplaced no.6. So, for the upper jaw I had the no.6 aligner and in the lower one the no.5
The time came for the 7th set to be used and I tried to place the new aligners. The top arch was smooth, the lower one worked pretty well. I didn't notice a huge difference in the teeth placement, so I was able to fit no.7 after no.5 with no issues at all.
This doesn't mean it's OK to misplace aligners or solve issues on your own. I was lucky. After over 3 months in the treatment my teeth are very mobile. They move easily and were able to adjust to the "steep" difference between the aligners. When I thought about "jumping" from no.5 to no.7 I also took into account the fact I have to wear 37 aligners on the lower jaw and most of the work is done (we have to rotate a bit some teeth and bring two molars in front to close some gaps). The biggest gap is closed with a power chain tied to a mini-mold and mini-implant so the "work" is done by this too, not just Invisalign. As you can guess I didn't expect too much difference between the aligner sets and I wasn't wrong in this.
The conclusion I'd like to present is that misplacing an aligner is NOT the end of the world. Sure, it's important to try and pass the treatment time without such incidents, but if they happen keep your cool. Discuss with your orthodontist and you'll be able to get to a common decision. NEVER throw the latest aligners, you'd be in trouble if you didn't have any aligners to wear at all. And do wear that Invisalign as much as possible (over 20 hours if possible) because your treatment depends on you.