text:
Thursday, 6 October 2011
stardust love planet
it is dusk and we leave our planets to step out into the stardust.
we find secret chambers along the way, and hearts lined with love;
and love so deep and wide the world itself is minute in the shadow of it.
i hold my own hands and evaporate.. ready to swing on a swing
that will carry me over the ocean and take me to the other shore.
america. america. america. america. america. i am coming home ♥
27 comments:
We will be glad to have you home! <3
- 6 October 2011 at 11:50
- Samantha Rose said...
Beekeepers quilt! Or is it a similar looking one? Your house is so pretty.
- 6 October 2011 at 12:05
- Valerianna said...
WowEEE! Maybe you will find yourself wandering a mossy path near THIS magical place... Safe and magical journeys to you!
Forest blessings from me, Pasha and our owls.
- 6 October 2011 at 12:15
- Pamela Terry and Edward said...
- 6 October 2011 at 13:02
- E said...
you are such a magical being ♥
- 6 October 2011 at 14:48
- Katie said...
I have to admit, I hope you're not going there for good! I just moved to London a week ago, and every time I wear my Woodland Hoodlet I hope you will somehow randomly see me in the street and feel the joy of seeing a stranger walking around in your creation. :)
If you ARE leaving for good, can I have your flat? :P
- 6 October 2011 at 16:27
- Pauline said...
OMG I want to live in that first photo!
Going home is always good sweety
Blessings and owlie love to you my dear
- 6 October 2011 at 19:26
- elizabeth said...
Your rings are so beautiful! <3
- 6 October 2011 at 20:40
- Pixiewear said...
sending you love and the lightness of owl wings to fly you safely home. xoxoxo
- 7 October 2011 at 08:56
- Coby said...
Safe travels and much fun and exploration. I wish you beautiful days and magical nights.
- 7 October 2011 at 09:01
- faerie finder said...
thank you lovely lovely hearts!
ahhh i must say the pictures are from we ♥ it..
so they arent me.. but i like em :)
hugs all around and thanks for all of the well wishes.
i am moving permanently! :D
ill come back to visit london of course
as it is very dear to me by now :)
- 7 October 2011 at 09:06
- CrochetBlogger said...
Beautiful poetic post! Happy travels!
- 7 October 2011 at 13:09
- Jackie said...
Oh Autumn is such a good time to go home! I hope the trees are all ablaze to greet you.
- 7 October 2011 at 22:36
- Purpletreebird said...
Good to see you're happy at going home, I love those unusual rings!
Jess xx
- 8 October 2011 at 12:57
Wishing you safe and magical travels and that life in your new nest is sparkling. xx
- 13 October 2011 at 19:39
- Thalia said...
Really, America? I'm looking forward to seeing more of your lovely posts a bit closer to home (to me)! Although this is in fact a big country. :)
- 13 October 2011 at 21:21
- Kathryn Dyche Dechairo said...
Good luck with the move, love your kitties, they look a lot like one of my cats.
- 20 October 2011 at 16:22
- Plumrose Lane said...
Your imagery and tales are always so enchanting and magickal ~ thanks!
- 22 October 2011 at 08:17
So great to have you back in the states, perhaps knitting your way across the US? And any music in the future -- solo or Snowbird?
- 27 October 2011 at 22:18
- Anthropomorphica said...
Bright blessings for the path ahead dear wanderling. Beautiful are your words and images.
- 29 October 2011 at 15:35
- Such a Wondrous Place this Faery Space said...
I thought I heard a transitional moment. I want you to know that you will step with softness on the moss again and all is well. I send you thoughts of love and joy. Blessings, friend.
- 31 October 2011 at 06:16
- joanne May said...
All the very best with your move back to America. I know how stressful it can be moving back overseas. I hope your kitties are going with you!
Take good care.
- 2 November 2011 at 15:59
- Fleur said...
those rings!!!!!!!
oh, you inspire me so much, my dear!
- 29 November 2011 at 12:44
- Natanya said...
I miss you <3
- 1 December 2011 at 03:23
- Debbie Schramer said...
i hadn't visited your blog in a long time and found it again today! what a wonderful weloming visit it was for me.....your blog is absolutely beautiful....like stumbling upon a dream world. so glad i found it again!
- 20 December 2011 at 12:58
where did you get those rings? I love them!!
- 12 February 2012 at 05:56
- Such a Wondrous Place this Faery Space said...
Hi dear, healing thoughts to you. I would love to know if you start-up a new blog or site. I think of you and wonder if you are listening to the drops of sunlight that wait for us to notice. I think that they will send you a song. I send joy and a lilt in your step to you, friend. Blessings, Amy Sperry Faldet
- 18 February 2012 at 08:18


text:
Having a safe and lengthy retirement requires more that just being financially prepared. It also requires that retirees and pre-retirees consider the four keys to a safe retirement, which includes, not only financial preparedness but also health and wellness, mental attitude and the need to stay involved.
Most retirement books today deal primarily with the aspects of having enough money to retire. Certainly the foundation for retirement requires a focus on being financially prepared and having a game plan providing financial security and retirement income. It's the topic that brings the most questions from those retiring or in retirement and it's the first key for a safe retirement.
The reality of considering healthcare costs in retirement is now leading more people to evaluate not only their own healthcare plan but their own health as well. To me, it's common sense that a safe and long retirement not only depends on how much money I have but also on how healthy I am. Remember that old uncle who always said, "If you don't have your health, you have nothing"? Well, he was right.
So the second key covers the vital topic of ensuring that we keep our health and wellness in check. Although everyone's situation is different and the scientific landscape keeps changing and evolving, the reality is that we now know enough about what we need to do to monitor and improve our health. If you're still smoking and not exercising in your retirement, you obviously don't care about these matters but if you'd like to fully enjoy your retirement years, the reality is that eating right and exercising are just the basics that you need to be doing.
The Third Key focuses on your mental attitude. As we retire, we face a new period in our lives that can be what we've worked for and dreamed about.
It can also be a time when we lose friends and family. It becomes vital for us to keep our attitude in check. No one else can tell you how to think or how to feel but do you really want to be that grumpy old man or woman who acts like they've been beaten by life and they live their retirement full of regrets, anger, and loneliness. This is not a "safe retirement," and before long not only will this impact the enjoyment of your retirement, but it will significantly impact the length of it as well.
Retirement should be your opportunity to explore who you are and how you want to live the rest of your life. For many this may be the first time that you've been able to do this and explore, really explore, who you are and what makes you happy.
So the fourth key is all about enjoying retirement. The way to do this is to get and stay involved. Retirement is a time to celebrate, a time to live and enjoy. The way to do that is to get involved with old friends and new friends. The opportunities are limitless and range from mission trips to Asia to simply playing bingo or bridge with friends.
I believe that only through the use of all of these four keys can you unlock the safe retirement that you've worked hard to enjoy!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Stumbling upon Steganography (Inspiration behind this post):
Have you heard about the site called 300 Mechanics?
Well, I guess, many have heard about it. It's on the first page of Google search for terms like "game mechanics" and it's quite a class of its own. I have hunted this website often for game ideas and though I am not a great admirer of turn-based and card mechanics (which is a considerable portion of the mechanics posted there), there is a lot of food for your thoughts.
And there was this one post, about saving game save files as images.
I liked the idea, though I wanted to generalize the idea like this : Saving any file as image (not just changing the extension, actually making a picture out of it) and restoring the original file from that image alone.
Now, you are going to shoot me, I know: This is almost what Steganography is, though the original file is hidden in another innocent picture.
But unfortunately, until one of my friend (to whom I described the idea) told me about this "Steganography" thing, I believed it was one of my new ideas and I was super-excited about it.
So, here it is: It is not really an original idea, so I decided to make a "How-to" tutorial on it using Gamemaker ...
Concept Briefing: Saving the file as image
Once you get started, you can easily see how easy the concept is:
Let's say there is a file "xx.xxx". At first, somehow we need to draw it to the screen and save the screenshot. This screenshot will be our stand-alone image (instead of the file) and we can restore our original file from this image (using the algorithm I will describe later).
|The process we will use
So, lets come to the most important term here: "somehow".
How exactly are we going to draw a file to the screen?
Here is my approach:
At first, read the file byte by byte (so, it doesn't matter what type of file it is as every format is similar in binary) and return in decimal format (for e.g. "A" should be read as 65, its ASCII value and not as the binary equivalent of 65 ).
[Now. Let's talk about RGB colours a bit. Every colour in RGB format (HSV format is also possible) consists of a value of Red, green and Blue (in the range 0-255) because red, green and blue are three primary colours and every colour can be made using a variation of these.]
Our primary task, now, is to convert this number returned in ASCII format to a unique colour, which is to be drawn on the screen. One of the facts, which might appear astonishing at first, is that extended ASCII table has 256 values (0-255) and range of value of red, green and blue each in RGB format is also 0-255. [This is probably due to the fact each of them is allotted one byte (8 bits) of memory space. So, there are (2^8)=256 possible values.] So, now we have to choose any one-to-one function which has equal range of domain and co-domain to convert ASCII value to RGB value. For sake of simplicity, we are choosing a easy relation between the two: Blue value of RGB=ASCII value of the character, Green value=0 and Red value=0. What it simply means is that we use the ASCII value as the blue value in RGB colour format and we use the value 255 for both red and green in the RGB colour.
Now for each byte of data, we have one specific colour. Next, we decide to draw these colours on the screen. It is quite simple: Just as in notepad, we start from the top-left corner of the screen by drawing a pixel with the colour corresponding to the ASCII value of the first byte and then we move towards right (1 pixel at once) by considering the next byte of data and so on. There is just one thing- Similar to text wrapping, we have to use a wrapping function so that this drawing function moves to the next line when it is about to go out of view.
So, here we have our file drawn to the screen. The final task is to take a snapshot of this drawn screen and save it as the stand-alone picture instead of the file. Our next section deals with how to restore the original file from it.
Concept Briefing: Restoring the original file from the screenshot
|The actual process of Steganography
We are almost finished with our steganography tutorial. This part is easier than the earlier and shorter too.
So, we already have our screenshot. Let's get the original file back from it…
Here, we need to have a function which will help us pick any colour from the screen and tell its red, green and blue values. Fortunately, Gamemaker has the draw_getpixel() and colour_get_blue() functions to help us with this situation.
Initially, we need to clear the screen and load the screenshot as the background.
Then, we will need to start from the top-left corner of the screen [(0,0) in Gamemaker], pick the colour at that point, get its blue value, convert it to its ASCII equivalent (which is actually equal to the blue value here),write the character equivalent of this ASCII value to a "new" file, move towards the right one pixel at a time and continue this process until there is only the background left. [Also, we will need to use the aforementioned wrapping function to make sure that we move to the next line of the screen when the colour-picking function is about to go out of view.] To identify the background, I used black colour as the background. As the R, G and B values of black are 255,255,255 respectively, we can easily identify the black colour by getting just the red or green value (as we are using red=0 and green=0 for our drawn points).
So, when this whole process completes, we will have the content of our original file back in the "new" file. Just make sure to give it the same extension as your original file to access it properly.
Problems and suggested improvements:
Two most important drawbacks of this tutorial is that it will support only small files (about 350KB) and the process is very slow in Gamemaker.
To increase the file size limit, there is an easy solution: use surface (applicable with Gamemaker only) to draw instead of the screen, because the maximum possible dimension of any surface is much more than the screen size. There will still be a limit in the file size because surfaces do have dimensional constraint (due to memory constraint), but still it is a lot higher. Also, you may use multiple surfaces wisely to get rid of this drawback. Theoretically, this problem can be solved.
The sloppy performance you'll experience is only due to the slow performance of the draw_getpixel() function. Unless you can re-create a faster version of this function with an external DLL or extension written in a faster programming language, you'll have to live with it.
Few Facts:
What we just did isn't real steganography, it's just a part. Steganography involves the removal of a particular sequence of pixels of an image with other pixels which contain the hidden data. We created this pixels which contain the hidden data, but we didn't do the removal part. The removal part isn't that hard, and you can easily try that. Also most of the times, a password is used to vary the sequence of removed pixels.


text:
Your browser does not support iframes.
A wildfire that started yesterday, burning 225 acres near Ellzey has been about 60 percent contained, according to Florida Forest Service Fire Mitigation Specialist Ludie Bond.
Bond said nobody was hurt in the blaze that started at about 3 p.m. on the west side of C.R. 336, about halfway between S.R. 24 and C.R. 330. No homes were threatened by the fire, now named the Cannon Road Fire, she said, though a farmer's tractor was destroyed.
State Rep. Leonard Bembry (D-Madison) announced today that CS/HB 7039, a bill designating roads in Levy County for Marine Lance Cpl. Brian R. Buesing, Army Sgt. Karl A. Campbell and Army Spc. James A. Page has passed both houses of the Florida Legislature.
By RORY BRENNAN
A fire that has consumed 20 acres along County Road 336 between State Road 24 and County Road 330, is being battled by the Florida Forest Service and firefighters from Chiefland, Cedar Key and other departments.
Ludie Bond, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for the Florida Forest Service, said the call came in at 3:30 p.m. to the Levy County Sheriff's Office and the state agency dispatched two brush trucks, two tractors and other equipment.
On Monday March 12, from 5-7:30 p.m. The public is invited to a Jambalaya dinner and cake walk at the Cedar Key Eagles Aerie home on the corner of 3rd and B Streets.
By MacKenzie Kirkbride
Jeff Klinkenberg, who writes about Florida culture and people, will visit the Cedar Key Public Library on at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 10, to give a program about his unique perspective on his home state. Klinkenberg's talk, part of the library's current "Our Stories" series, will be an entertaining, informative look at some of the state's more colorful people, places and events.
The Levy County recycling program at the county landfill could resume as early as March 12 if everything goes as planned.
Copyright © 2019
The Cedar Key Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Cedar Key Florida, and the surrounding area.


text:
You don't have to look any further for Caroline Orr in Dallas, TX when you subscribe to USAPeopleSearch.com. Whether you're looking for a phone number or email address for Caroline Orr, you will find it on our website. In case you're not 100% sure about the first name, it's perfectly fine. We'll supply you all the information we have about those with the last name Orr residing in Dallas, and you can limit it from there going forward.
We provide details under different sections - name/aliases, age, location, and possible relatives to make it easy for you to unearth Caroline in TX. Users will also find easy access to various results for the last name Orr. You can go through all the lists and pick out the precise match. Make sure to examine the View Details link for additional information about Caroline Orr.
While seeking Caroline in Dallas, you may not come across the right results. You can opt to try our Search Box which will provide more precise data. Any additional details like the person's age, full name, or city can be entered to narrow down the list. Improved search results ensure that you will locate the correct Caroline Orr in Dallas, TX immediately.
Home |
About Us |
All Products |
People Directory |
Help |
Privacy |
Terms & Conditions |
Contact Us |
Link To Us |
Bookmark Us


text:
The Basics of Ethics
Many Christians think that there is no law in the new covenant. Yet lawlessness is precisely that which characterizes condemned people (Matt. 7:23). In Christ we have been enabled to obey God and to fulfill His law (Rom. 8 ...Read More
The Basis of Ethics
The way in which the Mosaic law applies to believers today is a contentious matter, and there are many different opinions on the subject even within the Reformed tradition. All agree, however, that the coming of Christ did not suddenly ...Read More


text:
President Obama, Tiger Woods tee it up in Florida
Talk about a dynamic duo.
President Obama, the nation's first golfer, teed it up Sunday with Tiger Woods, their first golf outing together.
Tim Rosaforte of Golf Digest and Golf Channel called it a historic moment, watching Obama and Woods ride off in a golf cart, headed for perhaps 27 holes.
The duo were playing at The Floridan Golf Club in Palm City, Fla.
This comes a day after Obama spent some time getting tips from Woods' former swing coach, Butch Harmon, and his son Claude.
Here are a couple of tweets from Rosaforte:
"Not going to turn this into Tiger Tracker, but from pro shop at Floridian we received word TW holed out greenside bunker No. 1 for birdie."
"The President is arriving at The Floridian range. Awaiting is Tiger Woods and club owner Jim Crane. Historic day in golf. Their first round."
Rosaforte also said, in an interview on Golf Channel, Woods was putting on a show, even driving the green on a 378-yard par-4.
"We had a big day today," Crane, who owns the Houston Astros, told MLB.com.
"Well, when you get to play with the president and Tiger Woods in the same round, that's one that doesn't happen every day and it might not happen again," Crane said. "It was a lot of fun. The President was very cordial, and Tiger had a lot of fun and hit some great shots. We had a lot of fun."
About Obama's golf game, Crane said: "He played well today. He made some good shots and had some pars, and I think he shot in the 80s. The weather was nice and we had fun. I think he really enjoyed his visit and we really enjoyed having him in the Floridian, and hopefully we'll have him back some day."
Woods, who is 1-for-1 in PGA Tour events this season, returns to action at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship on Wednesday in Marana, Ariz.
PHOTOS: 14 biggest things to happen to Tiger since last major win


text:
Text to tap the back-up 'tank'
Leccy Tech Indian car maker Reva will reveal two new all-electric vehicles at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.
First up will be the NXR, which the firm has billed as a four-seater, three-door hatchback for families. The NXR will go into production during 2010, Reva promised.
Reva's keeping the NXR's technical details close to its chest for now. But assuming the car uses a chassis and drive-train similar to that found in the firm's existing G-Wiz L-ion, buyers could be in for a plastic-bodied quadbike with a maximum speed of 50mph and a 75-mile range.
Reva's NXR: will feature an "invisible" reserve fuel tank
The NXG is scheduled to arrive in 2011. It's a two-seater sports car with removable top.
As with the NXR, Reva's keeping mum on the NXG's technical specifications. But we don't think the folk over at Tesla will suffer too many sleepless nights for fear of the competition.
Reva said it has also set about tackling anxieties about e-car range. it will launch REVive, described as an "invisible reserve fuel tank".
Based on "telematics technology", the system will apparently allow customers to phone or text Reva for an instant remote recharge.
Assuming the firm hasn't devised a way of sending a suitable electrical charge over a cellular network, REVive probably means that the vehicle's battery pack retains a reserve charge that can only be unlocked remotely by Reva HQ.
We have to say, we think it would be better simply to give the driver direct access to the reserve, tapped by tapping a button the dash, say.
Both the NXR and NXG models will feature the REVive system, Reva said.
Exact details about the REVive system, along with with prices and technical specifications for Reva's two upcoming leccy models, will be made public at the car show next week. ®


text:
School Nurse
(before 2003)
Read the story. Click the "LISTEN" button at the bottom of the page to hear the story. When you are done, click the "NEXT" button.
People wanted to have a nurse at their school. A company was able to put a nurse there. Now some of the teachers do not want that company to put nurses in schools.
The company wanted to place nurses at schools because there were so few nurses available. Many schools have to do without a nurse. Children at the school needed someone to take care of them when they get sick or hurt. Also classes could have the nurse talk about health care to the students.
Teachers feel that the nurse should not come from an outside company. They think the nurse should be hired by the school. They say the company nurse does not have the skills to do the job right.
They want the nurse to stop working at the school until someone is hired to do it. The nurse will stay there until a decision is made.
(This was adapted from an original story provided by News10 KXTV Sacramento.)


text:
LocationThurmont, MD
11109 Angleberger Rd.
Thurmont, MD 21788
New 2018 Homesteader Trailers Intrepid 610IS
This Intrepid 610IS single axle v-nose enclosed trailer by Homesteader Trailer features a heavy duty all steel boxed frame body for added strength and durability.
On the outside you will find an aluminum exterior with baked enamel finish, and a high tech sealant which allows you to rest assured that your roof with last for years to come. The 32" side door gives easy access inside the trailer, while the aerodynamic styling allows this trailer to be pulled better while traveling.
Inside you will find 3/4" exterior grade plywood flooring, a 3/8" plywood interior wall liner, and an interior light, plus so much more!
Dear Mr. Shanholtzer,
We recently purchased a 2013 Montana High Country from your dealership. As in any new purchase, there are things that need to be tweaked. We are very happy with our camper, but wanted to have all the issues resolved before we do any distance camping.
We contacted Keith Wilhide, Service Manager, to schedule repairs. Keith was accommodating in making sure we were satisfied ... More » - Rex from Cambridge, MD
Stock# 38418
|14 ft 4 in
|Ext Width
|7 ft 6 in
|Ext Height
|8 ft
|Int Height
|6 ft
|Gross Weight
|2990 lbs
|Dry Weight
|1220 lbs
|Cargo Weight
|1770 lbs
|Tire Size
Homesteader is a manufacturer of quality enclosed trailers to travel all of America's beautiful roadways! Founded in 1985, Homesteader has grown into one of the nations leading manufacturer of enclosed cargo trailers, hydraulic dump trailers, motorcycle trailers, enclosed car hauler auto trailers and horse trailers. Name brand components, quality craftsmanship, professional Homesteader trailer dealers and personal service, separate Homesteader from other trailer companies.
Beckleys RVs is not responsible for any misprints, typos, or errors found in our website pages. Any price listed excludes sales tax, registration tags, and delivery fees. All prices may not include Beckley's Camping Center's 145 point pre-delivery inspection. Manufacturer-provided pictures, specifications and features may be used as needed. Inventory shown may be only a partial listing of the entire inventory. Please contact us at 800-424-2267 for availability as our inventory changes rapidly. All calculated payments are an estimate only and do not constitute a commitment that financing or a specific interest rate or term is available.


text:
...March Dye Along
This months dye along in Ravelry group What a Kool Way to Dye is called Luck of the Draw. The description says, "The idea is to toss all the colors you own into a bag and then randomly choose three colors for the dyeing. You can use those three colors in any way you choose, so long as you use all three and only those three." Sounds like fun!
The three colors I wound up with is Kool Aid Grape, Kool Aid Lemon Lime and Kool Aid Orange. And this is what I did.
I soaked my skeined yarn in warm water for about 30 minutes. With Kool Aid you don't need to add any vinegar since the citric acid in it allows the color to set.
I placed my yarn in a large pot and added enough hot water that it just barely covered the yarn. You don't want any extra water for this look. If you were to add more water, the color distribution wouldn't be as spotty- they would have blended more. I turned my stove burner on low heat and waited until the water and yarn were hot.
I opened up the orange Kool Aid packet and sprinkled the entire amount all over the yarn. I tried to get as much of the surface as possible. Then I used a spoon and very gently pushed the color down onto the yarn. I left it alone for a few minutes then used a spoon to carefully lift up the yarn. Good, the color was all set.
I pulled the yarn out of the pot and carefully flipped it over and laid it back in the pot. So now I see mostly undyed yarn- the orange part being on the bottom. I took the lemon lime Kool Aid and did the same thing- sprinkled it all over, pushed the yarn down and let it sit for a few minutes.
When the green color had set I pulled the yarn out again and arranged the yarn back in the pot so that any parts of undyed yarn were at the top. I had to use the spoon and my gloved hands to pull apart and situate the yarn. I then only used half the packet of grape Kool Aid and sprinkled it on top. Once that set, I pulled the yarn out again and rearranged it once more trying to get all the undyed parts on the top. I sprinkled the rest of the purple dye and let it set.
I pulled the yarn out, set it on a plate and let it cool. Once it was room temperature, I gently squeeze out the water (it's clear- all the color and dye are in the yarn not the water) and hung it to dry.
At first I wasn't too thrilled about the colors and look. But as it I kept looking at it while it was drying, it sort of grew on me. And then when I reskeined it and wound it into the cake, I fell in love! The yarn reminds me of the African batik fabric I used to see. I haven't come up with a name for it, any suggestions?
Name: Luck of the Draw
Yarn: Art Yarns Ultramerino 4
Yardage: 382 yards


text:
Watch previews, scenes and cast interviews from some of your favorite FRONTLINE programs. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please try our video player.
FRONTLINE Programs
FRONTLINE | Divided States of America
Last Updated by
Watch Tuesday and Wednesday, January 17-18, 2017 at 9pm on WMHT-TV | Review the partisanship that gridlocked Washington and charged the 2016 presidential campaign.Read More
FRONTLINE | President Trump
Posted by
Watch Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 10pm on WMHT-TV | Examine the key moments that shaped President-elect Donald Trump.Read More
FRONTLINE | Exodus
Last Updated by
Watch Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at 9pm on WMHT-TV | Hear first-person stories of refugees and migrants fleeing war and persecution for Europe.Read More
FRONTLINE | From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians
Last Updated by
Watch Tuesday, December 20, 2016 at 8pm on WMHT-TV | Chart the epic story of the rise of Christianity, from the life of Jesus to the period that followed his death.Read More
FRONTLINE | Growing Up Trans
Posted by
Watch Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 10pm on WMHT-TV | Explore the struggles and choices facing transgender kids and their parents.Read More
FRONTLINE | The Choice
Posted by
View profiles of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, two polarizing presidential candidates.Read More
FRONTLINE | Terror in Europe
Last Updated by
Watch Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 10pm on WMHT-TV | Charlie Hebdo. Paris. Brussels. Since January of 2015, a wave of attacks by terrorists linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS has overwhelmed Europe, killing nearly 200 people and injuring hundreds more.Read More
FRONTLINE | A Subprime Education
Last Updated by
Watch Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 9pm on WMHT-TV | Examine reports of predatory behavior and fraud in the troubled for-profit college industry.Read More
FRONTLINE | The Man Who Knew
Last Updated by
Watch Tuesday, September 6, 2016 at 9pm on WMHT-TV | John O'Neill, the FBI's expert on Al Qaeda, warned of its threat. But his maverick style doomed his career.Read More
FRONTLINE | Policing the Police
Last Updated by
Watch Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 10pm on WMHT-TV | Step inside the Newark Police Department — one of many troubled forces ordered to reform.Read More
|older posts


text:
On a sunny sunday in april, 2009, I wandered down Belfast's Ormeau Road to St. George's Market, where I witnessed the impossible. Politicians from opposite extremes mingled merrily with people from diverse communities, and with each other. All were clearly having lots of fun. How did that happen? A new UN peace initiative? No, this one was arranged by Northern Ireland's Hindus.
This remarkable event was a Vaisakhi celebration organized by the Indian Community Centre on April 19. The day has multiple significance: it's the beginning of the New Year in various regions of India, the beginning of planting season and the Sikh New Year, to mention a few. But how were the locals going to get their tongues around Vaisakhi, or alternative names such as Maha Vishuba Sankranti or Naba Barsha? "They might have thought it was too Indian, and stayed away," explained Ashok Sharma, ICC Chair. So, "Festival of India" it was, and nearly five thousand people took part.
The renowned London Sitar Ensemble set the mood, and VIP guests from London's Indian High Commission graced the occasion, as Belfast's formerly warring tribes explored an enticing, multicultural array of arts and crafts, clothing, jewelry, statues, books, therapies and foods. Men, women and children tried on Indian clothing, keen to be photographed in their dazzling outfits. Visitors lingered over their choices: coffees and teas in dozens of varieties, Nepalese shawls in soft woven wool, Spanish paella, French, Italian and Irish cheeses, handmade bead necklaces. An Ayurvedic stall offered herbal remedies, beauty treatments and massage. Even tours to India were on offer. Tempted by the delicious aromas, and thankful to find a seat in the crowded market, I enjoyed a delicious masala dosa and a cup of lassi. ICC's happy Hindus were chatting merrily with everyone--and this encouraged even the most taciturn locals to talk to one another. Most of the time we all had to yell above the music--but that just made things more relaxed.
Cultural performances filled the afternoon. Beginning and ending with Indian dance, it was quite a mix: Irish and African folk, Indian classical music, hip-hop, Bollywood melodies, Punjabi Bhangra and even a cheerleading team. The wealth of sights and sounds paused only for the politicians to perform. Artistry was evident here, too. Jeffrey Donaldson, of the Democratic Unionist Party, shared a platform with Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly. "Diversity is enriching our lives," declared Donaldson. "We want an intercultural society," agreed Kelly. In the middle of a Hindu party, the two junior ministers of the Northern Ireland Assembly together announced funding of us$1.5 million to support the integration of minority ethnic communities, with $66,000 going to the event's organizers, the Indian Community Centre.
Lord Mayor, Tom Hartley, spoke warmly of the Indian Community Centre. "We are much richer as a city for what they contribute, both in a social and a cultural sense. They help us to be an open and tolerant city." Politicians from all the main parties wandered freely among the people. Taking care of everyone was Inspector Jeremy Adams, Hate Crime head for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Northern Irish people, in his view, had become "a lot more culturally aware, and a large majority respect diversity." But, he said, "small numbers don't respect diversity." Many people present, including Alasdair McDonnell, MP, expressed horror at a recent racist attack on four Hungarian women.
"Ani-mates" stallholder Paula Wynburne, of European parentage, said she was no longer conscious of looking different. In the past, she said, "Ireland was very insular, and it was quite racist." Paula welcomed the presence of Hinduism and other religions, "because it is not good for Northern Ireland to have just Catholics and Protestants." Fran and Tony had a Spanish food stall, La Terreta. "Indian people are good guys. I like them," said Fran. What does he think about Hinduism? "I am not a religious man. No politics, no religion."
"Hinduism is not only a religion, it is something fundamental about human beings," offered Hardev Sirpal, importer for Legendary Overseas. "Indian culture is so vast and diverse. Hindus will meet with and work with everybody. We have many Gods because there are so many nice people."
It was a colorful affair. Not just the performers, but all members of the Indian Community Centre had dressed in their New Year's best. Ashok Sharma wore a deep grey-blue and silver kurta, with a red scarf. Vinod Tandon blended East and West by wearing an Indian collarless shirt with a crisp lounge suit. Anil Gautam, chairman of ICC's senior citizens' club, was particularly stylish in long kurta, churidar and dupatta, all in embroidered cream damask. Ladies on the events committee were resplendent in matching red and cream sarees, matching bindi dots, sparkly bangles and an array of pearls and pendants sufficient to outdo Mayor Hartley's gold chain of office. The politicians, along with Lord Diljit Rana who welcomed them, were conservative in their suits and ties, until ICC's ladies garlanded them with smart red Indian scarves. But the dancers put the rest in the shade.
Bhangra is traditionally a men's dance; in the Punjab, it is always performed on Vaisakhi. The male troupe Virsa Punjab, resplendent in royal blue, gold and violet, performed a stunning shika folk dance. Another vigorous display was given by the Belfast Hip Hop Academy. Cheerleading group Sandy Row Falcons displayed the gymnastic talents of Belfast's sporty girls. In contrast, the Indian classical ladies were exquisitely delicate. Amy Patel, in a rich golden yellow pleated blouse with a deep blue satin skirt, performed classical Kathak dances. Danisha Kazi, her pink, green and gold pleats draped prettily throughout her intricate movements, performed Bharata Natyam dance, including a special, beautiful and sacred dance dedicated to Lord Krishna.
Indian Community Centre
ICC, the organization behind the event, is based in North Belfast. North Indian settlers established the Centre in 1979 "to glorify the hallowed name of our Lord and celebrate our Hindu identity." Although grants are available for integration (i.e., for a minority to establish an identity within the larger community), the Centre runs on donations, taking no government funding. Resident priest Krishnan Gopi Sharma is highly qualified in Vedic studies and Sanskrit. The North Indian style worship in the Centre's temple begins with Gayatri Mantra and ends with Shanti Mantra. Ashok Sharma explained: "Shanti Mantra is a prayer for everyone and everything. It is chanted every day at the end of every prayer, both here in the temple and in people's homes."
Diversity is reflected in the temple's range of Deities, which include Vishnu, Lakshmi, Krishna, Radha, Durga, Siva, Parvati, Ganesha, Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman. Cultural activities--arts, history, socializing--enliven the rooms surrounding the temple. Original features, including stained-glass windows, reflect the building's Methodist origins. Visitors are surprised to meet a religious community that is inclusive but not proselytizing. Catholics, Protestants and others are encouraged to share in the goodness of Indian culture, without being asked to adopt it as their own. It is a useful example in a region with a painful history of religious and political division.
On March 25, 2009, the ICC hosted the Wednesday Club from Castlerock, near Coleraine, County Antrim, a senior citizens' group, which includes both Protestants and Catholics. Ashok Sharma has had plenty of practice introducing Indian culture and religion to Northern Irish people. Addressing a common puzzlement about Hinduism's many Deities raised by a guest, he joked: "If one God doesn't listen to me, I'll worship another one." More seriously, he said the Bhagavad Gita's message is a universal one: stand up for your rights and protect the weaker members of society. Durga's many arms, he explained, portray Her many powers. Office manager Bidit Dey added that Durga is the Mother, which led into the topic of women's place in Hinduism. In reply to a question about arranged marriages, Sharma explained this is not the same as forced marriage. "We call it the unity of two families."
After the talk, the Wednesday Club heartily enjoyed a vegetarian lunch, despite Northern Ireland's entrenched carnivorous habits. Then Bidit Dey invited all the visitors into the temple. The women accepted. The men were less enthusiastic, but appreciated that nobody here was trying to persuade them to change their religion. "Indians have mixed in well," said Owen Moody. "They don't try to put their views down your throat." Owen Caulfield and Harold Woodend were impressed with how long Indian culture has been going on, and believed it had contributed greatly to Northern Ireland. Caulfield approved of ICC's preservation of Indian culture. "All cultures should be preserved," he concluded.
Historical Parallels
How have incoming Indians managed to engage with Northern Ireland so meaningfully? Like India, Ireland struggled against a colonial power, and suffered a painful partition. The Republic of Ireland gained independence without the North, which remained part of the UK. The 1921 partition was on a smaller scale than that of India and Pakistan, but with similar results. However, while Gandhi's struggle for freedom was a pacifist one, the Provisional IRA, and its political wing Sinn Fein, embraced peaceful means only recently.
The Indian Community Centre and Temple is located in Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly's North Belfast constituency. After the formal speeches at Festival of India, Kelly strolled among the crowd, wearing a tilak, and confessed he knows nothing about Hinduism. "But I know nothing about Catholicism either," he grinned. Though many people associate the Irish republicanism of Sinn Fein with Catholics, it is a secular political party.
Kelly does know about Gandhi's leadership in the Indian struggle against British rule. Relating this to the Irish conflict, he noted that Gandhi's methods were not the only means to independence. Nevertheless, peaceful methods prevailed in Northern Ireland in 1998, with significant political reward to the extreme political parties. Perhaps Kelly had inadvertently been influenced by his Hindu constituents. Ramesh Chada, who has lived in Northern Ireland for fifty years, explained: "We live by a set of morals that include peaceful means, and we hope this example will spread to all the Northern Irish communities."
Hindus did not escape violent attack during "The Troubles," as the long-running conflict was called. Ashok Sharma's own restaurant, Archana, on Belfast's Dublin Road, was bombed nine times. Rajni Sharma was a schoolgirl when her father's retail store, Shukla's, was targeted. Rajni was in the shop with her cousin Ashok when a man placed a bag near the checkout, shouting, "There's a bomb in it." Rajni escaped through a back exit, while young Ashok bravely picked up the bag and moved it outside the front door.
Hindu values are seeping gradually into the Northern Irish consciousness. The ancient term sampav is close in meaning to religious tolerance, Punjabi women at ICC explained, and its literal meaning is "same attitude." A similar concept, "parity of esteem," emerged in the nineties and was instrumental in Northern Ireland's peace process.
Over the years, the Indian community has grown more diverse, and ICC is no longer the only game in town. Ramesh Chada explained, "Until ten years ago, 95% of Indians here were from the Punjab." Then South Indian students and professionals started to arrive, followed by Indians from a variety of regions and backgrounds. ArtsEkta, a multicultural group which celebrates diversity, began when young modernizers, Nisha Tandon, Mukesh Sharma and others, split from ICC around five years ago. The group emphasizes the arts rather than traditional religious activities. "So," I asked Nisha, "are you religious or not?" She replied that she does not feel the need to worship in temples or to fast, but she prays daily. Her favorite prayers? The Gayatri Mantra and and Satyameva Jayate, Indian's national motto, which means "Truth alone Triumphs."
ArtsEkta will hold its third annual Belfast Mela this summer. This year saw their first Holi celebration on March 15. Thousands of adults and children, a variety of ethnic minorities as well as the white majority, all came together to cavort with colored powders. The event included many stalls displaying foods and crafts from a wide range of cultures. Multicultural music and dance performances provided energizing entertainment. Hundreds joined in the colored powder frenzy, and almost everyone joined in the dancing. Only two days later, this capable and energetic arts group led the St. Patrick's Day parade through Belfast's city center, dressed in Indian costume and showing off a fine-looking cycle-rickshaw.
The Hindu Impact on Ireland
Diversity, for many people, means little more than asserting their own rights. Hinduism's entry into the public domain and its intercultural work has transformed Northern Ireland's inward focus on two communities, the Protestants and the Catholics. Local Hindus, by engaging meaningfully with cultural difference, have demonstrated a better way of life to their Christian neighbors during thirty years of conflict and beyond.
Brian Lambkin, founding director of the Centre for Migration Studies in Omagh, praised the Festival of India as "a substantial expression of the rest of the world in the center of Belfast" which "broadens people's perspective and alters how the local community sees newcomers." The Indian community's role has been as "a means of integration and peace outside the political process," declared Duncan Morrow, director of Northern Ireland's Community Relations Council. "A non-white, non-Christian minority with a generosity of spirit created different conversations around difference, which fed back into conversations around sectarianism." Referring to the Indian community's outreach work, he added, "They engaged people on a totally different basis. They provided relief from a deadlocked sectarian strife." And the result? "Celebrating diversity became possible." PIpi
Mary Taylor (religionisart _@_ yahoo.co.uk) is a freelance writer with a interest in ecumenical and inter-faith issues. she studied at the universities of london, ulster and singapore, participated in hindu ceremonies in several countries and has visited india several times.
The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.


text:
Featured Listings from Our Directory
Camp Travis
Camp Dates: May 29 - August 17th
Camp bring back many memories and images to campers both young and old … It is a powerful experience that can strengthen the values that…
Tippi Toes
Once upon a time in a land not so far away land, Tippi Toes held a magnificent Princess Camp. Young Princesses from near and far came dressed in ballerina outfits, for they were about…Learn More
Hermann Sons
The Hermann Sons Schools of Dance teach the art of dance to junior members, both girls and boys, in a wholesome atmosphere of fun, work, physical exercise and fellowship. For a very…Learn More
Shweiki Media Inc.
Specializing in short to medium run, niche publication printing, Shweiki Media a full-service printing company able to meet your publication printing needs. Our central location, in…Learn More
First Baptis School- Summer Camps
Summer Program Dates: June 1- July 29, 2011
June 1-17: Splash into The Big Apple Adventure- Grab a cab and get ready for fun! As we explore New York City, we'll learn how…
Schlitterbahn Waterparks
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, summer home to the world's best waterpark, transforms the original Schlitterbahn into a dazzling evening spectacular blanketed with more than 1.5 million…Learn More
The Picture Lady
Hi I'm Lynn-The Picture Lady. I got my name a couple of years ago when dropping off picture orders to a day care center. I was greeted by the kids, all excited, calling out, "the…Learn More
Glamour Shots
At Glamour Shots®, our goal is to bring out your best in portraits. Our portrait studios specialize in makeover photography for women, families, children and high school seniors. Our…Learn More
Peter Piper Pizza
Peter Piper has the hottest selection of interactive skill games, video games, awesome redemption prizes and much more. At Peter Piper Pizza, there is something for the entire family…Learn More
Max Life Super Nutrition
Our goal at Max Life Super Nutrition is to provide a large variety of high quality products and personal attention for your natural health care needs. Max Life Super Nutrition is a…Learn More
USA Chess Camp
USA Chess is the largest and premier chess camp organizer for children in the United States. Their staff is comprised of the finest children's chess instructors in North America.…Learn More
Ingraham Orthodontics
As an orthodontist, Dr. Ingraham understands the importance of his responsibility to every patient, whether adult, teen or child. Our philosophy is based in the knowledge that, as a…Learn More
Texas State Aquarium
The mission of the Texas State Aquarium is to connect people with nature and inspire conservation of the Gulf of Mexico.
To be a nationally recognized…
Corpus Christi Hooks
Celebrate your birthday the Sammy Seagull Way by joining Sammy's Birthday Club. Membership benefits include:
Birthday card with two reserved tickets from Sammy Seagull
Learn More
Latest Blog Headlines
- Corpus Christi Kids' Directory is changing it's Name!
May 23rd, 2012
- Glamour Shots Portrait Pack
February 9th, 2012
- Kidz Ultimate Party Zone
January 9th, 2012


text:
OK, I admit it. Your picture looks a little nicer than the 55 degree F, mud brown colored Pamilco Sound in Hatteras end of MarchFlysurf77 wrote:keegster17,
Hatteras is great, an amazing place to learn and for advanced too.
But I am not a cold water person and right now, http://www.windguru.cz/es/index.php?sc= ... sty=m_menu, the water is freezing cold! This is why NC is my home spot, but only for June July.
Right now, the best option for you would be Playa del Carmen, we have great wind, it is warm, there are plenty of other activities around in case of no wind day.
Check http://www.pdckiteboarding.com/ for more info, or contact Mickey at email@example.com
Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Exal, foilholio, Google [Bot], PrfctChaos and 4 guests


text:
NBC has resurrected the "Jesus Rifles" story of 2010, reporting that some three years after the Pentagon began removing a "Bible code" stamped on rifle sights manufactured by Michigan company Trijicon, the job of erasing the Scripture references remains unfinished. The article entitled "No fix for 'Jesus rifles' deploying to Afghanistan" is not what one would call balanced. It is written with a high degree of moral dudgeon and a breathless enthusiasm not merited by the underlying story. And, it is really rather shoddy reporting.
Here is how NBC starts off the story:
When the so-called "Jesus rifle" came to light in Jan. 2010, it sparked constitutional and security concerns, and a maelstrom of media coverage. The Pentagon ordered the removal of the secret code referring to Bible passages that the manufacturer had inscribed on the scopes of the standard issue rifles carried by U.S. soldiers into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nearly three years later — despite the military's assertion that is making "good progress" — the code remains on many rifles deploying to Afghanistan, which some soldiers argue is endangering their lives by reinforcing suspicions that the United States is waging a crusade against Muslims.
"I honestly believe that this is a dangerous situation. It literally could be a matter of life and death for a soldier if he fell into the wrong hands," said an Army officer who spoke to NBC News from Fort Hood, Texas. "The fact that combatant commanders are not following (rules set by Department of Defense) commanders is very disturbing to me."
The story is framed along these lines. Trijicon bad, Army slow, anonymous sources good. The unnamed Army officer at Fort Hood (who by his words appears to be from one of the non-combatant branches) offers his opinion, followed by comments from the omnipresent Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
When the story first came out in 2010, Weinstein told ABC News the sights would be a provocation to militant Islamists:
It allows the Mujahedeen, the Taliban, al Qaeda and the insurrectionists and jihadists to claim they're being shot by Jesus rifles … Coded biblical inscriptions play into the hands of "those who are calling this a Crusade" … We're emboldening an enemy.
The passage of time has not softened Weinstein's views. He told NBC last week:
"It's constitutionally noxious," said foundation president Mikey Weinstein. "It's an embarrassment and makes us look exactly like the tenth incarnation of the crusades which launches 8 million new jihadist recruiting videos."
The story is rounded out with the information the Army is working on erasing the Bible codes. Trijicon has no comment to make, while the anonymous Fort Hood officer gets one more chance to speak.
The article uses the phrase "Bible codes" to describe the markings. What is a Bible code? What message has been encoded? If these are Bible codes, it would have been helpful if NBC could provide a key to their meaning. Instead the network states the markings are "codes that point to passages in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Corinthians and Revelation." It does not give examples of these codes.
A Military Times article from 2010 gives some examples of these codes:
In one example, an inscription included "JN8:12," a reference to John 8:12, a Christian gospel passage: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
The inscription on another optic includes "2COR4:6," which refers to Second Corinthians 4:6 of the New Testament: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
A Wikipedia article lists other passages of Scripture reportedly used by Trijicom, while the photo accompanying the article in the Military Times shows a gun sight with the inscription: PSA27:1.
Psalm 27:1 in the Book of Common Prayer reads: "The Lord is my light and my salvation/whom then shall I fear?/The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?"
NBC seems remarkably incurious about these Bible codes. What was Trijicom's purpose in embossing references to passages from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament? And, why these particular passages from Scripture? Why is John 3:16 not present, while John 8:12 is present? NBC does not tell us, and appears not to have asked Trijicom this question.
I have no inside knowledge as to why Trijicom chose these passages, but I would note that each passage has the theme of "light". "I am the light of the world"; "... commanded the light to shine out of darkness"; "the Lord is my light ...". A quick read of the Wikipedia page shows the theme of light in each of the Jesus Rifle codes. Not to get all Dan Brownish or anything, but perhaps an optics company owned by devout Christians whose products use light enhanced technologies was engaged in an inside joke -- a Sunday School pun?
In addition to failing to ask questions about the Bible codes, the NBC article treats the assertions of Mikey Weinstein uncritically. Almost three years after the news of the Jesus Rifles were splashed across the internet, what evidence is there that al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other assorted Islamist radicals are outraged by Trijicom's actions? Where are these millions of jihadists called to arms against America because of this gun sight? Surely after three years there would be some evidence, somewhere that this is a problem -- and by evidence I do not mean the politically correct cringing of armchair officers or stateside non combatant Army officers.
The article starts off with references to "constitutional and security concerns" yet offers no evidence that these concerns appear anywhere other than in the minds of those disposed to think badly of religion. The bottom line is NBC appears to have made up its mind about what sort of story it wanted to write and then slotted in the facts to support its argument. This is called an editorial.There is a story to be written about the Jesus Rifle. This silly, silly story however is not it.


text:
Monday, September 06, 2010
0 Comments:
About Me
- Name: -J.
- Location: Boogie Down Bronx, NY, United States
Status Line...
More about me!
If you're lucky, I might also be selling something on eBay. Click the link and go buy stuff.
Support the site!!
Contact Me
Please send in any and all funny submissions - let me know if you'd like me to credit you by name and if there's a site you'd like me to mention!
Muttwatch Haiku
Adopt Me!
Previous Posts
- Dante Goes On Vacation
- A new product for your nuptials...
- Dual Burglar Fail
- Big Ball
- More on rendering...
- More on rendering, or Soylent Green
- Still Ick
- Just a Dog
- Why?
Who Links Here
Email your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com. Steal any content you like - just credit this site!


text:
The Crucifixion of Jesus
In his commentary on Romans, Dr. R.C. Sproul writes, "If God were to give us what we earn, what we deserve, we would perish from His wrath, but thanks be to God that He gives to us what was ...Read More
The Need for Atonement
In other religions, such as Islam and Judaism, God simply waves sin away, not requiring payment for transgressions in order to forgive. This idea betrays a view of a Creator who is not really all that holy, who ultimately is ...Read More
Imprisoned for Christ
We do not often stop to consider just how offensive the message of the cross is to unconverted hearts. Which sinner could possibly imagine that the omnipotent Creator would save His people through the weakness and ignoble death of the ...Read More
Where to Set Our Minds
As we recall the great inheritance of the age to come, we will seek more and more to enjoy a greater foretaste of the blessings that will come in that day when sin will be no more. Knowing that sin ...Read More
Canceling Our Debt
That God no longer regards us as guilty, because of our union with Christ, does not mean that He has overlooked our sin, for He has judged it in the flesh of His Son, whose perfect righteousness is credited to ...Read More
What Really Counts
Martin Luther writes, "They are the Israel of God who with faithful Abraham believe the promises of God offered already in Christ, whether they are Jews or Gentiles." God's people Israel are not defined by ethnicity but by faith ...Read More
Our Unity in Christ Jesus
How do we define ourselves? When other people ask us to tell them a little bit about ourselves, what do we say? If one of our friends or coworkers is asked to describe us, what do they say? If the ...Read More
Jesus Is Arrested
Christians know that we need to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us, but sometimes we have "defended" Christ improperly. Sometimes, like Peter in today's passage, we have pursued aggressive violence. Other times ...Read More
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
In the second volume of his commentary on Matthew, James Boice says that today's passage is encouraging because it affirms that Christianity is for weak people (p. 563). Zechariah 13 says that though believers may sinfully abandon their master ...Read More
Willing to Die
We still wait for the visible, bodily presence of Christ, but that does not mean the kingdom is not present at all right now. Though its fullness has not yet been realized, the kingdom has come, and, indeed, it continues ...Read More


text:
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co does not plan more employee dismissals relating to the company's handling of a defective ignition switch linked to at least 13 deaths, Chief Executive Mary Barra said on Tuesday.
"We feel we've taken the appropriate actions as it relates to the ignition switch recall," Barra told reporters ahead of an annual shareholders meeting, when asked whether GM would dismiss or discipline any more staff for the company's poor handling of the faulty part.
Since early this year, the Detroit automaker has been enveloped in a scandal over why it took more than a decade to begin recalling low-cost Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars with ignition-switch problems that were causing them to stall during operation.
When those engines stalled, air bags failed to deploy during crashes - some of them fatal - and drivers struggled to control their vehicles as power steering and brake systems malfunctioned.
GM fired 15 employees last week and another five were disciplined due to their handling of the switch recall. The company announced the departures along with the results of an internal probe.
Speaking to just 29 shareholders at the company's headquarters on Tuesday, Barra reiterated that GM would announce "a few more recalls" in the near term.
Chairman Tim Solso said the board of directors had complete confidence in Barra and her team to lead the company.
No shareholder brought up the recall during the question and answer portion of the meeting, which lasted about 20 minutes. The company has said all recalls so far this year would cost it $1.7 billion. GM previously said an immaterial amount of additional costs would be accounted for in the second quarter.
Barra said the report on the internal investigation would be a fulcrum for change.
"It's not about putting behind us, it's about using the learnings and the failing that we had, to make sure that we improve the whole development process and the culture, which we're continuing to work on," she said.
The company has said it will set up a fund to compensate victims and the families of victims of crashes that were linked to the faulty switches. Fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg will determine the number of deaths linked to the switches and the amount of compensation.
Barra said on Tuesday the GM will have a better feel for the financial impact of the fund once Feinberg has set the parameters and the company could have an estimate at the end of the month.
Barra said last week that of the 15 dismissed, "some were removed because of what we consider misconduct or incompetence. Others have been relieved because they simply didn't do enough. "GM still faces probes by the U.S. Congress, Department of Justice and other federal and state agencies into why it did not announce vehicle recalls to fix the problem until this past February.
Editing by Bernadette Baum and Marguerita Choy


text:
Fast start gives Ducks a 5-2 victory over Red WingsNHL.com @NHLdotcom
DETROIT - Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and the Anaheim Ducks used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
Nick Bonino, Jakob Silfverberg, Corey Perry and Saku Koivu also scored for Anaheim. Andrew Cogliano had three assists and Jonas Hiller made 16 saves.
Tomas Jurco got his first career goal and Daniel Cleary scored for Detroit, which has lost its past six (0-4-2).
Jonas Gustavsson stopped eight of 11 shots before being replaced by Petr Mrazek late in the first period. Mrazek made 17 saves.
Jurco, playing in his second NHL game, opened the scoring with a breakaway goal 3:15 into the game.
But it only took Anaheim 25 seconds to take over.
Silfverberg, who returned after missing 24 games with a broken right hand, tied the game at 3:40 by putting in the carom off the end boards for his fifth goal.
Bonino gave the Ducks the lead at 5:29 when he put in a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle. It was Bonino's 10th goal.
Perry scored with 1:43 left in the period to chase Gustavsson in favour of Mrazek for Perry's 22nd goal and Vatanen made it 4-1 with a second left in the first for his fourth goal.
Koivu scored at 12:26 of the second.
Cleary scored his third of the season with 1:58 remaining.
NOTE: Detroit was without RW Johan Franzen and LW Justin Abdelkader due to possible concussions. ... Anaheim D Mark Fistric missed his third game with an upper-body injury. ... Red Wings RW Gustav Nyquist didn't play because of a sore groin. ... Anaheim captain and centre Ryan Getzlaf went to the dressing room with 5:40 left in the first period after being shoved into the boards from behind by Detroit defenceman Kyle Quincey. Getzlaf's mouth was cut and Quincey got a five-minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct. Getzlaf returned in the second period but his 16-game scoring streak was snapped. ... Anaheim D Cam Fowler was born in Windsor, Ontario ??? across the Detroit River from Detroit ??? and grew up in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills. ... Ducks C Andrew Cogliano played at the University of Michigan.


text:
My local government has gone open source
When most folks were out enjoying the fine weekend weather last Saturday morning in Arlington, the County Board met and approved letting government developers publish software as open source. Whether software the county shares with the open source community proves to be useful to other developers is a secondary issue. The exciting news here is that the county board's unanimous vote is a good idea both for the open source community and the Arlington County government itself.
Before I get into the details of why open-sourcing is a good idea for the county, let me explain what the county actually did and intends to do. The county is in the midst of redesigning and converting its main website from Active Server Pages, a commercial technology from Microsoft, to WordPress, a free and open source website management tool. During the conversion, county technology staff will or has already made modifications to parts of WordPress or perhaps some of the publicly available WordPress plugins that add features to the basic content management features that come with vanilla WordPress. Since WordPress is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2, the county cannot distribute its changes without making those changes open source under the GPLv2 license. What the county board did on Saturday was to approve releasing county-developed source code under the GPLv2 license. Since county developers are using WordPress plugins licensed under version 3 of the GPL license, the board also approved releasing source code under GPLv3.
So why is releasing county-developed website code as open source a good idea?
First, it will cost the county close to nothing. There are free code-sharing repositories available, like GitHub, the county can use to host its open source code. The time developers will spend uploading code to a public repository is insignificant.
Second, changes to WordPress or its plugins that county developers make might actually catch on in the open source community. If the county has a need for an enhancement in the code, it seems likely someone else will, too. If other developers pick up some of the county's changes and run with them, those developers might make their own open source improvements (and bug fixes) that can feed back into the county's website.
Third, if county developers find and fix bugs in WordPress or its plugins, they previously could not contribute those fixes back to the original developers. When county developers create software, the county owns it. Developers were not at liberty to give their code away to others, even to fix bugs. With the county board's action, they can now release their bug fixes and improvements back to the open-source community. These contributions not only should be good for the open source community, the county won't have to deal with the software upgrade dilemma: if you upgrade to the next version, but you have made changes to that version, your changes (and bug fixes) will be lost, which pressures you to stagnate with old but working software. If the county can contribute its changes back to the original source, then new upgrades will include the county's changes, making the upgrade path much easier.
Fourth, the county loses nothing. The changes the county makes to GPL software cannot be shared with others (like other local governments) without also licensing their changes under the GPL license. (This is the viral nature of the GPL license that some businesses bemoan and the open source community cheers.) Since the county is using GPL software, the changes it makes to the software can't be leveraged somehow into an income-producing revenue stream to benefit taxpayers. As the county's staff report to the board put it, "Since County code is partially derived from open-source code, it cannot be released under any other license other than an open-source license. The County's choices are to release the code under an open-source license, or to not release the code at all." So why not go ahead and release it.
Fifth, the county should actually save money. Assuming Arlington's new website has nice features, other local governments around the country might take notice. They then might email the Arlington County technology division asking for copies of their WordPress customizations. Each of these requests would need to be dealt with by some staffer, and the source code zipped up and emailed to the requesting government agency. Now, with the open source policy, Arlington can just refer interested government agencies to its public source code repository. Easy.
Sixth, and this is the political upside, the taxpayers have already paid for the source code. By having the county release the code to the public, the county is saying, "Here is software we created for the purpose of serving you. If you can further reuse it for your own personal benefit, go for it." Since WordPress is one of the most popular web content management systems out there, it isn't unreasonable to assume that a few Arlington County taxpayers (including businesses) might actually derive benefit from the county's source code.
That last point complements a trend among governments to release information that was gathered at taxpayer expense. In February, the White House announced that federally funded scientific research would be made available free to the public — although waiting one year to allow subscriber-funded academic journals to make money from the research as well. The trend is a good sign that more people, and more people in government, are believing that what the government creates in the name of the public interest should be owned by the people.
So, this month my local government has gone open source — or at least is starting in that direction. Has yours?


text:
Moorhill House Hotel3
Moorhill Burley, New Forest, Hampshire, BH24 4AH
Price FromView Rooms
- Very Good
- 113 guest reviews
"Were given poor room on arrival although there were two better rooms available. First room well below standard as well as constant noise fro..."
"Excellent value...."
"Staff were very halpful and good with kids, highly recomend..."
"We only stayed one night. Had the four poster room, was very comfortable. Slept very well in the lovely comfy bed. All in all very nice and..."
"Lovely setting and some good proper service which at the price was refreshing. Dining room good with attentive service, dinner didn't need t..."
About the hotel
Hidden in the enchanting village of Burley amidst the New Forest, this beguiling 17th Century Hotel offers peaceful, homely surroundings, award-winning dining, indoor leisure facilities, free Wi-Fi, and parking. The Hotel offers 31 en-suite rooms, each immaculately maintained and above all, seductively comfortable. Every room comes fully-equipped with free Wi-Fi access and flat-screen TV with Freeview channels.
Many rooms also offer spectacular views of the surrounding grounds and woodland. The Burley Restaurant at Moorhill House Hotel opens directly onto a raised patio area with great views over the landscaped gardens to the surrounding woods. The Hotel's strong links with the New Forest are emphasized by its use of local, seasonal ingredients, which is why this AA Rosette restaurant is a popular choice for locals and hotel guests alike. On the lawns, guests can challenge family and friends to a game of croquet, or badminton. Whilst those looking for a bit of peace and relaxation will enjoy the tranquil indoor swimming pool and Nordic sauna. The Hotel is situated in the village of Burley in the New Forest National Park. It offers plenty of free on-site parking and despite its secluded location, is only a twenty-two minutes' drive from the M27 and just over half an hour from Southampton. Please note that the hotel hosts weddings and private functions with music throughout the year. Disruption is kept to a minimum.
Read MoreLess
Facilities Show/hide
- Main
- Hotel Non-Smoking Throughout, Disabled Facilities, Cots available, Wedding Licence, Tea/Coffee making facilities in each room, Hairdryer in each room, Iron And Board In Each Room, Telephone In Each Room, Limited Hours Room Service, Wake Up Call Available, Pets Allowed, Ground floor bedrooms
- Parking
- Car parking available onsite
- Business
- Wi-Fi Available, Meeting Facilities, Wi-Fi Available In Public Areas, Wi-Fi Available In Rooms, Private dining services
- Dining
- Restaurant, Lounge Menu, Bar
- Leisure
- Indoor Pool, Mountain Bike Hire, Croquet, Bowls, Clay Pigeon Shooting
- In Room Entertainment
- TV, Satellite TV, Radio
- Accessibility
- Disabled Access Public Areas, Disabled Access Bedrooms, Disabled toilets on ground floor, Wheelchair Access, Wheelchair Access To Reception, Wheelchair Access To Restaurant, Wheelchair Access To Bar, Wheelchair Access To Conference Rooms, Wheelchair Access To Leisure Facilities, Wheelchair Access To Disabled Car Parking Spaces
Useful Info Show/hide
- 14:00 21:00
- 11:00
- Up to 12 years old
- The price shown is based on the occupancy and dates you have searched for. Prices and availability are subject to change based on the arrival date, number of nights and occupancy searched for. All prices are inclusive of all local taxes.
- Pets are allowed
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
Very Good
81% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
A bad start
Were given poor room on arrival although there were two better rooms available.
First room well below standard as well as constant noise fro...
Read More Less
Disappointing business stay
Good very disappointing and lack of genuine customer care


text:
Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
I guess Troyzan says that.[/quoteHope that he gets voted off, so we can have our first all female final three!!!!
Quote from: SuperTux on April 13, 2012, 10:51:59 AMI guess Troyzan says that.Hope that he gets voted off, so we can have our first all female final three!!!!
I guess Troyzan says that.
Erm.. Parvati, Amanda & Cirie.. I know Amanda is confusing but she is a girl.
Survivor Auction <333333333333333333333333333Seriously. They need it every season. That, and the coconut chop challenge from Marquesas (the..answer the survey and chop someone's rope)
Troy buys an advantage in the next IC at the auction, then Troy wins ICRC is an auction, chocolate, peanut butter, letters from home. Tears.
Page created in 0.073 seconds with 33 queries.


text:
|Current Bid:
|50 USD (reserve not met)
|Bid increment:
|Minimum bid:
Bid Now
|United States
|# of bids:
|- Bid & Purchase History
|High Bidder:
Magellan brings you the all new RoadMate 5235T-LM. This 5" GPS navigator not only comes with features such as Free Lifetime Map Updates and Free Lifetime Traffic Alerts, but adds exciting new high end features.
The new features make navigation easier and your trip more enjoyable. With the all new Landmark Guidance your routing instructions use landmarks instead of street names, making it a more intuitive way to navigate. You'll hear instructions like "Turn left at the Gas Station". The upgraded Junction View generates realistic images of freeway signs and arrows guiding you to the correct lane to make driving easier, safer and less stressful.
Traffic Camera Alerts by PhantomALERT are included at no additional charge for one year! These audio warnings alert you to fixed red light and speed cameras. This is verified crowd source data that you refresh on your unit by the free Content Manager from Magellan. You can even become one of the many reporters on the street by submitting your own discoveries or rating the reliability of the alerts you are shown. Premium content is available for an extra cost which includes blackspots (high accident areas), school zones and dangerous intersections.
Best Parking is a great feature that makes parking in the city a much easier affair. Also updated by Content Manager, Best Parking provides parking garage locations with both their hours ofoperation and directions to the entrance. Choose the garage that is open and close to your destination. Once you have selected a garage you are guided directly to the entrance. No more searching for the entry!
The RoadMate navigation experience is both intuitive and robust. The OneTouch Favorites Menu allows you quick access to your favorite places or even your favorite searches. As you type the first few letters of your target address QuickSpell instantly narrows the search based on your destination. SayWhere technology speaks the street names throughout the preloaded maps of the 50 United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
• Dimensions (English)5.6" x 3.4" x .59"
• Weight (English)6.1 oz
• Battery Type: Li-ion (integrated)
• Battery Life2 Hours
• Speaker: Yes
• Temperature Range (F)14F to 158F
• Display Resolution, WxH: WQVGA
• Screen Size: 5.0"
• Display Type: Color, Transmissive
• Touch Screen: Yes
• GPS Accuracy: 3-5 Meters
• High-Sensitivity GPS: Yes
• Antenna Type: Multidirectional Patch
• Preloaded Maps: US, Canada, Puerto Rico
• Points of Interest: 7M
• Turn-by-Turn Routing: Yes
• Lifetime Traffic Alerts: Yes
• Map Updates: Lifetime
• Multi-Destination Routing: Yes
• OneTouch Favorites Menu: Yes
• Speed Limits: Yes
• Spoken Street Names:Yes
• Branded POIs: Yes
• POIs along Route: Yes
• Smart City Search: Yes
• Smart Detour: Yes
• QWERTY/ABCD Keyboard: Yes
• Find Your Car: Yes
• Landmark Guidance: Yes
• Junction view: Yes
• Best Parking: Yes
• Traffic Camera Alerts by PhantomALERT: Yes
• USB Port: USB 2.0
• PC Compatible: Yes
• MAC Compatible: Yes
Package Includes:
• Magellan RoadMate 5235T-LM 5" Portable GPS Navigator
• Car Charger
• Windshield Mount
• USB Cable
• Carry Case
• Manufacturer Documentation
Will Ship To:
United States
|Package weight: First item: - lb Additional item: - lb
Package Size:
(Width: - X Height: - X Length: -) centimeter
Package Type:
Ship Time:
Ships upon Receipt of Payment
|Shipping Payment: Buyer Pays Actual Shipping Cost
Seller's shipping instructions:
|Shipping Insurance: Not Offered
|Return Period:
|Refund Method:
Seller's return instructions:


text:
Seal it up
Looking for leaks and sealing them pays off in energy cost savingsBy Brian Sloboda
Staying comfortable in your home often means turning up the heat or the air conditioning, but that is costly and wasteful if your home is not properly sealed from the elements. Because roughly half of the energy a home uses goes to heating and cooling, detecting and sealing leaks can save you money.
Finding and fixing leaks
Cold and hot air seeps into homes through small openings. To find those spots, take an incense stick or a lighted match and move it around edges of windows and doors. Watch for flame or smoke movement. Here are several remedies for leaks.
- Add weather stripping to the edges of windows and doors. Stripping typically uses sticky tape to adhere to the side of the window and fill the gaps.
- If your home uses single-pane windows, consider adding storm windows to the exterior as an added barrier between you and the elements.
- Remove old cracked caulking and replace with new caulking designed for the application. Caulking can be designated for exterior, interior, and bathroom applications, and you don't want to use bathroom caulk on the outside of your home. Also, make sure the caulk can be painted if you want it to blend in with colors used in your home.
- Use insulated curtains to prevent further loss of heated or cooled air.
- Remove window air conditioning units when summer is over.
A walk around the outside of your home will reveal other prime candidates for quick and easy repairs. Any time a hole is drilled into a home, it creates an opportunity for energy loss. Start by checking pipe and wire penetrations. They should be sealed on the exterior and interior walls. This not only helps prevent energy loss but it will also help keep critters out.
Check ductwork
The ductwork of a forced air furnace, central air conditioning unit or heat pump can be another source of energy loss. According to Energy Star, sealing and insulating those ducts can improve the efficiency of your system by as much as 20 percent. They recommend first focusing on ducts that run through unconditioned areas such as crawl spaces, garages and attics. You should first seal the ducts using a special duct sealant or metal tape that can be found at most home improvement stores. Regular duct tape on your air ducts just won't work or last like sealant or metal tape.
Once the ducts are sealed, check the connections at bends and the registers, making sure connections are tight. Next, wrap the ducts in insulation. This is often a dirty and time-consuming job. Many homeowners will turn to a HVAC company or professional to perform this work.


text:
Press Release
Oklahomans Encouraged to eRecycle Used Electronics
Donations received will benefit American soldiers and adults and children with disabilities
OKLAHOMA CITY – April 16, 2009 – Oklahoma residents and businesses are invited to celebrate Earth Day by eRecycling electronics at the Oklahoma State Capitol south entrance on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 from 9am – 4pm. The upcoming event is sponsored by GoGreen.OK.gov (http://www.gogreen.ok.gov) and will benefit two charities: Cell Phones for Soldiers and AMBUCS Share4Life Komputers Project.
"By hosting this event, we aim to increase awareness about eRecycling and further efforts in reducing the amount of electronic material that ends up in landfills," said Governor Brad Henry. "This is a great way to help the environment and promote a wonderful cause."
The first 250 donors will receive a tree seedling to plant and give back to our environment. Additionally all donors will receive a tax receipt. The following electronics are accepted for donation. State or stolen property will NOT be accepted.
Donors can deliver their used electronic equipment at the south entrance of the State Capitol. An area will be available to assist donors in unloading equipment. To learn more about the eRecycle event, visit http://www.ok.gov/gogreen/eRecycle_event/.
About Cell Phones for Soldiers
About AMBUCS Share4Life Komputers Project
About GoGreen.OK.gov
About OK.gov
About NIC


text:
County Extension
Karen Wobig, Extension Educator
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Mailing and physical address:
County Extension
444 Cherrycreek Road Suite A
Lincoln, Nebraska 68528-1507
UNL Extension in Lancaster County
Your "front door" to the University of Nebraska Site
University of Nebraska County Extension in Lancaster County is your source for current, reliable, research-based information on topics affecting residents of Lancaster County and the surrounding area. Educational resources and programs support family issues, parenting, gardening, health, nutrition, food safety, agriculture and acreages, pests and wildlife, youth, environment and much more. For instant access, visit the office web site.


text:
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Where we Attended LDS Church in Powell WY
5 comments:
- Elizabeth said...
I remember the Boy Scout log cabin - If my memory is correct, when classes came, a curtain of some sort divided the adults from the children. There weren't very many members in those days. (And to think that today there are two LDS Church buildings and the Institute. Our first building that was all our own - the barracks that became a Church, was later augmented by purchasing a house to the east of these buildings, which became the Junior Sunday School. This building is the one that I remember so vividly - the newer brick church on 7th was built after I left home.
- February 9, 2010 at 10:20 AM
- Louise Blood said...
I wish we had a picture of the Byron chapel. I remember it had a lot of steps going up into the front door, and there was a basement where I went to S.S. class. The main thing I remember about class was playing Drop the Handkerchief.I remember sitting in the chapel seeing Grandma sitting behind a rope that ran across the front,she led the music. Grandma and Grandpa took us kids to church in Byron quite a bit of the time. When we moved to Ralston we went to the boy Scout building in Powell, which was a branch, with Ivin Lynn as branch president. It was one room that was divided for classes by pulling curtains across, which didn't do anything about sound. And of course there are a lot of memories of the "I-Oof" hall. We were then made a ward and Ivin Lynn was bishop. Even though it wasn't a typical L.D.S. chapel the barracks building was all ours and was the building I went to the year I taught in Powell. And Ivin Lynn was still bishop. I echo your sentiments of what the memories have meant in my own life as well.
- February 9, 2010 at 10:37 AM
- Judy said...
This is such a good reminder for us and for the generations to come. I think the humble efforts of church members at that time were lovingly received.
- February 9, 2010 at 10:14 PM
- Judy said...
P.S. I can remember dropping Dwight at the Boy Scout log house, and thinking he was lucky to be in a house like Abrham Lincoln's. Does anyone know the origin of that building?
- February 11, 2010 at 8:50 AM
- Ann said...
I have a funny vague memory of the log building. I have a little stronger memory of the "I-Oof" hall. I have a very strong memory of the excitement when we moved into the white church/barracks. That was a neat time. And then when the newer brick church was built, Dad put in hours and hours helping to build it. Didn't he also make the sign that was above the doors of the white church?
- February 15, 2010 at 7:19 PM


text:
Pop star Pink has lashed out at fans and critics alike who took to Twitter earlier this week to criticize her husband's parenting skills after he posted video of his first dad-and-daughter motorcycling session on Instagram.
Proud papa Carey Hart, a professional biker, shared images of his day out with 2-year-old daughter Willow riding around with him wearing pink earmuffs but no helmet alongside the caption, "Been waiting for this day for a very long time. Willz went for her 1st ride on my motorcycle around the pits today."
He added, "She was pumped the whole time. When we stopped, she gave me a big hug and said it was fun, thank you Papa. That's my girl."
But fans and followers were far from impressed and took aim at Hart for not considering his daughter's safety – and the online remarks and tweets appears to have riled his wife.
She took to Twitter on Tuesday to fight back, writing, "If any of u have more experience on a bike than my husband, then I will listen to your opinions on how he should take my daughter for a ride.
"I can't promise I will care, but I will listen none the less."
But her tweets simply opened up a fan forum about biking safety with one fan firing back, "Wait until she's 16 and let her decide for herself. Bikes are no joke!," which prompted an angry Pink to respond,
"Yeah ok. I've never met you but that's great."
Another fan wrote, "I wouldn't like the idea of a child so young being on a bike," which led Pink to shoot back, "Then I don't recommend it for your child."
"@MFemur: @Pink Honestly.. I wouldn't like the idea of a child so young being on a bike." Then I don't recommend it for your child
— P!nk (@Pink) October 29, 2013


text:
Andalusia, a 'film set' for legendary scenes
Plaza de España square in Seville
If you are thinking of travelling to Andalusia and you love cinema, you have another great reason to come: to discover the locations for great films such as "Alatriste", "007 Die Another Day", "Talk to Her", "Star Wars", and many others. Become James Bond or Indiana Jones for a day and discover spectacular landscapes in the south of Spain. Ready? Action!
To help you discover this new way of doing tourism, we are going to give you examples of films shot in Andalusia, according to the place you are visiting. Try and recognise places you have already been to: In Almería "Lawrence of Arabia". It was the first major film shot in Almería - 1,000 extras, 750 horses and 159 camels were used. Some of its scenes were filmed in the dunes in Cabo de Gata (the scene in which a train is blown up), or on the Algarrobico beach (the Jordanian city of Aqaba during the First World War was reproduced there). "007 Never Say Never Again". Sean Connery, playing James Bond, shot scenes underwater at the beaches of Los Escullos and El Palmer. Why not try this experience? "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". The city of Almería, the Tabernas desert, Mojácar and Mónsul beach were some of the locations Steven Spielberg chose for his film. Pure action. In Cadiz "007 Die Another Day". Cadiz is Havana in this film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry. During their stay in this part of Andalusia, both the Hollywood stars loved the typical food of the area. Do you want to follow in the characters' footsteps? Visit Santa Catalina Castle (where they sip on mojitos in the film) or La Caleta beach (where the famous scene of Halle Berry emerging from the water was shot).
In Cordoba "Talk to Her". Although most of the film was shot indoors, famous director Pedro Almodóvar wanted Cordoba's Jewish Quarter and the town of Lucena to appear in this film, which was awarded an Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We can assure you that monuments such as the Mosque-Cathedral are absolutely magnificent. In Granada "Doctor Zhivago". The film starts with the funeral of Yuri Zhivago's mother, which was filmed in the spectacular landscapes of the Marquesado de Zenete region, recreating the Urals. An anecdote? In this sequence, Omar Sharif's son plays young Zhivago - that is why both characters look so alike. In Malaga "Summer Rain". Renowned actor Antonio Banderas chose his birthplace to direct this film in which the locations have a 1970s look. If you want to see what they currently look like and try to spot the difference, go for a walk in Plaza de la Merced, Pablo Ruiz Picasso promenade, La Malagueta beach… "The Bridge of San Luis Rey". Thousands of people gathered in the city of Malaga to be extras in this film starring Robert De Niro and Geraldine Chaplin, amongst others. Now it's your turn to discover the locations for this film by visiting Malaga, Antequera bullring and the nature area of El Chorro. In Seville "Knight and Day". Cadiz and Seville were chosen to recreate the "Sanfermines" bull-running festival, in this film starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, who filmed action-packed scenes on a motorbike. In Seville, go for a walk round emblematic locations such as the Casa de Pilatos House, the Cathedral, the Giralda tower and the Reales Alcázares palace to spot places in the film. "Black Swan". Did you know that Japanese dancer Yumiko Takeshima owns a dress-making workshop in the town of Cazalla de la Sierra, in the province of Seville? The spectacular maillots that Natalie Portman wears in this film were designed there. "Alatriste". The adventures of Captain Alatriste, played by Viggo Mortensen, take place in Jaén (in towns such as Úbeda and Baeza, with monumental sites that have been awarded the World Heritage designation by the UNESCO), Cadiz and Seville. In the latter you can't miss the Royal Mint, which was used for the scene in which the famous actress María de Castro performs in the premiere of one of Quevedo's works. "Star Wars". In this film, Plaza de España square in Seville turns into the city of Theed, where Anakin Skywalker can be seen walking. The crew stayed at a luxurious hotel in this city using fake names. For example, Natalie Portman used the name Sophie. These are just some examples of films shot in Andalusia. But there are many more: "Cleopatra", "Carmen", "The Pride and the Passion", "The Heart of the Earth", "Callas Forever", etc. One of the most interesting is "Andarushia: Megami no houfuku" ("Andalusia: Revenge of the Goddess"), a Japanese film that was a box office hit and was mainly filmed in this part of Spain. Become a real film expert. You'll find all the information on these routes on the official web page of http://www.andalucia.org/en/andalucia-destino-de-cine
Have you found this information useful?


text:
I would like to find someone who I can consult about the best skincare for me, taking lots of different brands & products in to consideration. Is there such a person/company?
I have accumulated various products over the years which work for me but I'm still having problems with my skin. I don't want to go to a local beautician or salon for them to recommend the products they use/sell. Rather someone who is familiar with a variety of brands & products and is willing to do a private consultation. Think Sali Hughes (who I have emailed but not received a reply) or equivalent.
Any recommendations would be gratefully recieved.


text:
Football League: Take a second look at our Spotlight features, with all 72 clubs covered
Take a second look at our Football League spotlights, with all 72 clubs covered over the course of the season.
Last Updated: 07/06/14 8:23pm
Nine months of madness saw us catch up with a representative from all 72 clubs, across all three divisions - with countless phone calls, numerous emails and many hours of stress producing a fitting end result.
We got the ball rolling among the early pacesetters, with Queens Park Rangers' Matt Phillips and Chesterfield's Ritchie Humphreys looking ahead to seasons that would deliver promotion joy and Scott Cuthbert reflecting on a perfect start for Leyton Orient.
From that point on there was no stopping us, with big names and big stories covered at every turn.
Among those to offer their thoughts on life in the Championship was Leicester City's Andy King, as Nigel Pearson's men bounced back spectacularly from play-off woe in 2012/13 to secure a return to the top flight as second tier champions.
Sean Dyche talked us through a remarkable effort at Turf Moor that has Burnley back in the big time, while Uwe Rosler lifted the lid on handling a heavy workload at Wigan Athletic and helping them to turn the corner.
Chris Martin discussed the art of goal-scoring at Derby County, Robert Earnshaw the thinking behind his return to British football at Blackpool, Jason Pearce another testing campaign for Leeds United and Ben Osborn a breakthrough year for him at Nottingham Forest.
In League One, we caught up with the man rebuilding Wolverhampton Wanderers, Kenny Jackett, as the men from Molineux swept their way to title glory and an immediate step back up the League ladder.
We were back in the dugout when speaking to Gillingham manager Peter Taylor, while cult hero Sergio Torres looked at the past, present and future while on the books at Crawley Town.
Top marksmen then took centre stage, with Peterborough United's Britt Assombalonga, Coventry City's Callum Wilson and Rotherham United's Alex Revell all enjoying standout campaigns, before we brought the curtain down on our third tier efforts by catching up with relieved Crewe Alexandra defender Mark Ellis.
Dropping into League Two and our early offerings included a chat with Wycombe Wanderers' Matt Bloomfield in his testimonial year and a fundraising event with a difference at Rochdale with Ian Henderson.
Gary Rowett discussed the need to keep moving Burton Albion in the right direction - as he once again took them close to promotion - Johnny Ertl emphasised the need for stability at Portsmouth and Ryan Clarke aired frustrations on behalf of Oxford United after a late wobble left them outside the play-off places.
A couple of loanees also offered an intriguing take on the benefits of time spent in new surroundings, with Wigan's Rob Kiernan and Middlesbrough's Christian Burgess getting important minutes under their belt at Southend United and Hartlepool United respectively.
If you missed your side's entry, or just want to catch up on those articles you did not get the chance to read first time around, follow the links below to gain a greater insight into the clubs and characters who grace the Football League and help to make for such enthralling viewing.
To find individual clubs it may be necessary to search through the entries in 'More Related Stories', but they are all there...we promise!


text:
I had the privilege this week of attending the R.A. Brown Ranch's complete and total dispersal. Without a doubt, it was one of the best dispersal sales I've attended. I'm not talking about the cattle or the sale averages, though they were outstanding. Nor will I spend a lot of time talking about the historic implications and the numerous awards and accolades the ranch has earned over time.
In fact, that is why I say this was one of the best dispersals I have ever attended. Everyone in the cattle business loves dispersal sales, as there's a little more excitement associated with a grand finale, and knowing that none of the genetics are being held back.
But most dispersals that I've attended had somewhat of a sad theme to them. Almost every reason for a dispersal is kind of sad, either the person is retiring and doesn't have a younger generation to past it on to, or drought, tough economics, or even a death in the family are to blame. Whatever the reason, the entity you had come to know was going to cease to exist in any substantive way.
The R.A. Brown Ranch dispersal was radically different than the normal dispersal in that it was not the end of a book, but rather an opening to a new and probably even more exciting chapter. The dispersal was part of a planned succession plan that would position the ranch for yet another generation.
Subscribe now to Cow-Calf Weekly to get the latest industry research and information in your inbox every Friday!
Rob and Peggy Brown are icons in our industry. It's rare to find an operation that's played a significant role in three cattle breeds and in the Quarter Horse industry as well. Even rarer is that it lasted and thrived for four generations of the family. This sale was done to prepare the way for the fifth and sixth generations to add to the legacy. It was a celebration.
I know that a lot of people would write about Rob and Peggy's legacy in terms of the cattle, the land, and their contributions to the industry. Admittedly, that is in itself an amazing legacy, but the real legacy is what the brand stands for, and for the Brown family – the past generations, the generation now taking over the helm, and the two generations preparing to carry it forward from here.
It was a validation that the values and vision that have always been part of the R.A. Brown Ranch will continue. It was also a strong reminder that our industry, as a whole, is a special business with a bright future as well.
You might also like:
Rancher Details "Gut-Wrenching" Pain From Cattle Lost In SD Blizzard
Cattle Death Toll Rises As 'Atlas' Blizzard Recovery Continues
5 Resources For South Dakota Ranchers Hit By October Blizzard
How To Determine Your Best Strategy For Marketing 2013 Calves