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It's Time to End the DC Extended Universe
Two years ago, after enduring the craptastically awful Suicide Squad (#RIP Slipknot, the man who can climb anything) I wrote an article called "7 Ways to Save the DC Extended Universe." The DCEU had barely begun in the summer of 2016, but after the back-to-back agonies of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, it already looked like it was in serious trouble. My advice to Warner Bros. included focusing on introducing one or two great characters before trying to dump 30 in our laps all at once, and to stop leaning on interconnectedness between movies in lieu of telling satisfying, self-contained stories.
Last year's Wonder Woman was a rare bright spot; by coincidence, it took both of those suggestions to heart. But then came Justice League, with its incoherent story, jarring editing, and oddly mustache-less Henry Cavill. If the DCEU hasn't gotten worse since I wrote that list, it certainly hasn't gotten demonstrably better, either.
Now Cavill is reportedly done as Superman, as Warner Bros. instead pivots to starting a Supergirl franchise. And though there's no official announcement, and some of the parties have offered conflicting statements about it, it seems like Ben Affleck has played the DC Extended Universe's Batman for the final time as well. There are still several DCEU projects coming to theaters; this Christmas' big blockbuster release is Aquaman, with Jason Momoa playing the underwater hero first introduced in Batman v Superman. Next spring Warners will release Shazam, a body-swapping action comedy featuring another long-running DC Comics hero. And a year from November, the DCEU's biggest hit gets a sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, co-starring Kristen Wiig as the supervillain Cheetah.
Some of these movies could be good. (I find it hard to believe they will all be good, but I guess stranger things have happened, like the time Warner Bros. turned a joke from Entourage into a $200 million movie.) But even if all three work, the DC Extended Universe is probably not worth saving. It's time for a change.
That doesn't mean Warner Bros. should stop making movies based on DC Comics. They can keep cranking out just as many as always, or even more if they so desire. What they should do — immediately, if not sooner — is stop trying to make them all connect, and, more specifically, stop trying to make them all connect to this entity known as the "DCEU." That's the thing that needs to go.
In hindsight, the "Extended Universe" was the perfect name for this creation. Warners and DC's desire to compete with Marvel forced them to put an overarching narrative ahead of the individual movies, and they overextended themselves far too quickly. Marvel produced five solo movies before The Avengers; DC made just four before Justice League — and one of the four was the basically unrelated Suicide Squad and another split two and a half hours between Batman and Superman (with a bunch of time devoted to introducing Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman as well).
The benefit of a shared universe like Marvel's is the pleasure of building the characters and then watching what happens when they collide with one another in unexpected and interesting ways. DC and Warners tried to skip the first step and go directly to the second. They barely had Cavill's Superman figured out when they introduced Batman and pitted them against one another in an irrational fight. They had just resolved their differences (where my Marthas at, y'all?) when Superman straight-up died. Then came Justice League, and half a film later, Superman was alive again. Collectively, it was like watching a DVD with the fast-forward button on your remote held down.
It's not just Affleck and Cavill who seem to be on their way out, either. All of the DCEU films to date were directed, written, or produced by Zack Snyder. But Snyder left Justice League midway through production to spend more time with his family, leaving the film to be completed by Joss Whedon. So now we have this product of a singular creative vision whose creator is no longer involved. Love or hate Zack Snyder, his movies have a distinctive flavor and feel. Anything with the DCEU's Superman and Batman made by someone else will almost certainly feel like half-hearted imitation.
With Snyder, Affleck, and Cavill all gone, what is even the point of continuing the DC Extended Universe further? All this shared DC universe has to offer now is lingering memories of past missteps.
Instead, Warner Bros. should seize this opportunity to make a bold break from what they've been doing and freshen their superhero movies up. They should stop trying to copy Marvel's business model and create a new one of their own. No one needs a second, watered-down, mish-mosh of the Marvel Cinematic Universe starring a moody Superman and a growly Batman. But there is plenty of room for a true alternative to Marvel and its movies. And no one is better positioned to be that alternative than DC.
That's why the most exciting DC Comics movie in a while is this Joker project from Todd Philips starring Joaquin Phoenix as the title character. It has nothing to do with Justice League or Suicide Squad, or the version of the Joker that film featured(ish). From what we know about it, it barely seems to have much to do with the classic comic-book version of Joker; it sounds more like a new interpretation of the concept. And because it doesn't have to worry about servicing the broader DCEU, or even being faithful to the Joker most moviegoers are familiar with, it has more freedom than just about any DC or Marvel movie in a long time.
The concept of telling a Joker story that has nothing to do with continuity, or even the current Joker showing up in other movies, reminds me of a series DC Comics had back in the 1990s called "Elseworlds." It was a label they applied to some books, mostly one-shots and annuals, where creators could reinterpret classic characters or tell stories that would be impossible within the confines of the primary DC Universe. The results were often risky and imaginative, and some of my favorite comics as a kid. There was one Elseworlds story where Batman became the Green Lantern of Earth; in another a Batman of Victorian Gotham City hunts Jack the Ripper. One of the best and most famous of these Elseworlds imagines a planet reshaped by Superman's rocket from Krypton landing in Soviet Russia instead of Kansas.
I'm not suggesting DC actually adapt any of those specific stories to the screen. And by all means; keep Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins making Wonder Woman movies for as long as they want — minus the references to other DCEU franchises. But instead of trying to bend over backwards to awkwardly shoehorn all their upcoming superhero movies together into one continuity, they should embrace the spirit of the Elseworlds concept, and let each be its own unique thing. Marvel has done a terrific job of creating a gigantic mega-franchise, but having every single movie connect, and having all of their events build from one to the next, comes with built-in restrictions.
DC probably can't beat Marvel by copying their model, right down to its inherent limitations. They beat them by doing what their competition can't. The DCEU isn't worth saving anymore. But something better can take its place.
Gallery - The History of Batman in Movies:


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Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of an economic and social collapse. Job loss has forced them to live in their car, leaving them vulnerable to roving gangs. They desperately need to turn their situation around—and fast. The Positron Project in the town of Consilience seems to be the answer to their prayers. No one is unemployed and everyone gets a comfortable, clean house to live in . . . for six months out of the year. On alternating months, residents of Consilience must leave their homes and function as inmates in the Positron prison system. Once their month of service in the prison is completed, they can return to their "civilian" homes.
At first, this doesn't seem like too much of a sacrifice to make in order to have a roof over one's head and food to eat. But when Charmaine becomes romantically involved with the man who lives in their house during the months when she and Stan are in the prison, a series of troubling events unfolds, putting Stan's life in danger. With each passing day, Positron looks less like a prayer answered and more like a chilling prophecy fulfilled.
Doubleday 2015
307 pages
Fr. 33.40

subset: commoncrawl


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Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre announces its 2012 Season, the Twelfth Annual Performance Season from Thursday –Saturday, June 21-23, 2012 at 7:30pm at New York Live Arts, 219 W. 19th Street, NYC. The season will feature the World Premiere of Detour. Tickets are 4 in advance and 0 at the door (2 in advance and 7 at the door for Live Arts members, students, and seniors) and are available at www.newyorklivearts.org or by phone at (212) 924-0077.
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre will also present a preview of Detour as part of a split bill on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street (btw Rivington & Delancey), www.dixonplace.org.
Detour, an evening-length dance theatre work, shifts perspective and perception. The choreography challenges the ways in which the mind acts to narrow our scope – creating unnecessary pain and false judgment. A moment on stage that looks one way will transform, thereby challenging the way we originally experienced that image or moment. By veering off course and getting out of our own way, we are able to experience the present more fully. Through physical dynamics, luscious movement, and theatrical elements, Detour will continually shift the experience of perception. The piece will subvert expectations; just as momentum builds onstage, the energy will shrink. Likewise, just as something appears small, it will grow to feel massive, vast, and timeless. Turning movement inside out, Detour will play with timing and musicality, stillness and repetition, spatial design and direction. It is in these moments of detour, when the possibilities for change reveal themselves.
"Amanda Selwyn is a master of illustrating the symbiosis of sounds and movement, the romance of motion and emotion – she had me laughing, crying, cringing and gasping ..." – Inside New York
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre productions engage audiences in original and dynamic dance theatre that raises questions, challenges social norms and values, and magnifies humanity through dance. Productions pivot around core themes and through interplay between athletic and pedestrian motion, activate emotional expression, character, and narrative in a rich and abstract collage. Amanda Selwyn's collaborative choreographic process nurtures our own network of artists while actively engaging the community at large.
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre's Twelfth Annual Performance Season is funded by The Harkness Foundation for Dance and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund.
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre's presentation of Detour at New York Live Arts is made possible through the Theater Access Program. The Theater Access Program is a subsidized rental program benefiting a diverse group of dance and theater companies and producing organizations interested in self-producing their work at New York Live Arts.
For more information, visit www.amandaselwyndance.org.


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The United States men's soccer team took on powerhouse England at the World Cup today. The Americans looked nervous in the opening minutes, but quickly became more confident, matching their opponents stride for stride. And the final score reflected just that. It was a 0-0 draw, the first in World Cup history for the U.S. men. NPR's Tom Goldman is in Doha, Qatar. He was at the stadium. And, Tom, both teams had their chances to score. Tell us what stood out to you today.
TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Well, it was a hard fought, clean and very quick match - only a total of five minutes of extra time in a tournament that's seen huge chunks of extra time tacked on for injuries or fouls or penalties or celebrations. There were no celebrations because there were no scores, as you said, but plenty of chances, lots of shots by both teams. But everything missed or was repelled by good defense. You know, Ari, I think for the U.S., there's some positive feelings here for playing a really good match for the entire match. The first match against Wales, they had a great first half but then kind of faded in the second. And the U.S. should also feel good about holding what looked like a very potent English offense scoreless. Remember, England beat Iran 6-2 with five different scorers in the first match of their World Cup campaign. So that's quite an accomplishment.
SHAPIRO: Looking on the bright side of what was ultimately not a win. What's the reaction been so far as you've heard today?
GOLDMAN: Well, you know, it was funny. When the final whistle blew, a good part of the 68,000-plus here booed. They wanted a more concrete result, but it wasn't to be. And, Ari, an American fan, scoreless ties can be exciting. And it was an exciting match. The U.S. forward Christian Pulisic said the U.S. should have a lot of confidence. They battled toe to toe with a very solid team. He said, we should be proud of their performance and should give us confidence into the next match next Tuesday versus Iran. And midfielder Weston Mckennie said, we were all-in. Our goal was to try and play our best and I think that's what we did.
SHAPIRO: Well, speaking of Iran, in another match today, in the same group that the U.S. and England are in, Iran beat Wales 2-0. Both goals came in the final minutes. Tell us about that.
GOLDMAN: Yeah. It was a thrilling match. The sad thing about that match, though, was the stark contrast between the Iranian players' euphoria on the field and some ugly moments off the pitch between fans supporting the protest movement going on now in Iran and those supporting the current Iranian government. Qatar's security people sided with the pro-government fans. Security reportedly seized flags and T-shirts supporting the protest movement. And pro-government Iranians ripped pre-revolution Persian flags out of protesters' hands and harassed protesters wearing shirts with the slogan of the Iranian protest movement - women, life, freedom. Both Iran games now have had notable protests. So the U.S. plays Iran next week and we're expecting maybe more. It's kind of an unfortunate side of this.
SHAPIRO: And just in a couple sentences, what do the results of today's two games mean for the U.S. chances to advance to the next round?
GOLDMAN: It means that this group, Group B, England has 4 points, Iran 3 points, U.S. 2 points, and Wales 1. They are jam packed together. Essentially, what it means for the U.S., which plays Iran next Tuesday - win and you're in. You finish in the top two in the group, you will move on to the knockout stage. And who knows what glory will await then?
SHAPIRO: OK. That's NPR's Tom Goldman in Doha, Qatar. Thanks a lot.
GOLDMAN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Taxpayer Money and Professional Sports
My column is up this week at Forbes, and discusses the role of taxpayer money in professional sports.
A critical battle is underway challenging the very heart of the professional sports economics model — and it is not the NFL labor negotiations. The unlikely fight is between a struggling league (the NHL), a suburb with delusions of grandeur (Glendale, Arizona), and a small, regional think tank (the Goldwater Institute). At stake is an important source of value for nearly every professional sports team: taxpayer subsidies....
Consider the Arizona Cardinals new football stadium in Glendale, for example. In part due to the promise of a Superbowl bid, the local taxpayers paid $346 million of the total $455 million cost of the facility — a building that will be used just three hours a day on ten days a year for its primary purpose. By contrast, in 2010 Forbes valued the Arizona Cardinals at $919 million, meaning well over a third of the franchise's value accrues from the public subsidy of its retractable roof palace. It can be argued that much of the increase in player salaries and team owner wealth in the NFL over the last twenty years has come at the expense of taxpayers.
If anything, this example from the NFL understates the importance of public funding of stadiums. Why? Because of all the major sports leagues, the NFL gets the lowest percentage of its total revenues from its stadiums. Leagues like the NBA, and in particular the NHL, are far more dependent on stadium revenue for their well-being.
Let's return to precocious Glendale. In 2003, the city agreed to publicly fund $180 million of the $220 million cost of building a new arena for the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team. Whereas Glendale's subsidy of the Cardinals represented about a third of that franchise's value, their $180 million subsidy of the Coyotes represents over 130% of the current $134 million value of the team. Stuck in Arizona and losing as much as $40 million a year, the team is literally worthless without ongoing public subsidies.
The column goes on to discuss yet another bond issue proposed by Glendale to subsidize these teams.


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Corner Summerhouses Bedale Yorkshire
Here at TimClad York Timber, we work to provide you with your dream timber building, whether that be a summerhouse, garden shed, timber workshop and so much more. Call us today! Corner Summerhouses Bedale Yorkshire
Summerhouses made from garden houses are the perfect little getaway. These tiny homes are perfect for spending a summer in the sun and having all of your own personal space to relax, enjoy nature and spend time with friends and family as well as pets. Getting away but still being close by to tend to pets and take care of the responsibilities that are important. Corner Summerhouses Bedale Yorkshire can be set up in a manner that meets and exceeds your expectations. Each of our summerhouses is built custom to our client's specifications. Perhaps you need to have a small desk in the summer home for working purposes or maybe better lighting for your internet chats. Our summerhouses come set up in a manner that will allow you to enjoy the space and make use of your time.
Corner Summerhouses Bedale Yorkshire
These are the perfect escape for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. They give you a chance to get lost in nature and enjoy everything that summer has to offer. We offer Corner Summerhouses Bedale Yorkshire that are built to last and are top quality. We believe that your summer home should be something special that you can enjoy for years to come. Our structures come equipped with lighting and outlets for you to enjoy. Corner summer homes are perfect for entertaining guests or retreating away to get some relaxation.
There are many featured offered for our summer homes such as porches, double-hung doors, and bars. You can make the summer home into just about anything you would like. We work with our clients to come up with the perfect custom design that will meet and exceed their expectations. All of our summer homes are made with care using only the very best materials. A corner summer home can be an amazing conversation piece as well.
Wooden Garden Shed
Wooden Garden Shed can be quaint yet perfect for that summer home you have always wanted. The wooden garden shed is the perfect addition to any home. Traditionally wooden sheds were used for storing plants, tools, and small items. With the popularity of these sheds, they have evolved into much more than storage containers. They can now be used as a place to relax in the fresh air or give your home that feels of country living without actually having to live on a farm. It is a place that you can create to entertain guests or simply enjoy a little relaxation.
A wooden garden shed has come leaps and bounds from the garden sheds of the past. They were once used to store gardening tools but now are a great way to enjoy a space away from the house. Many Corner Summerhouses Bedale Yorkshire people are moving to work from home, and a wooden garden shed allows just that. You can create a separate office space that is away from the main home. This allows for uninterrupted internet meetings and calls. You can create a branded background and space that will meet your expectations. Call today and let us create the space of your dreams.


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When friends and visitors walk in, the first thing they notice is the sofa, which is where you'll assemble to watch TV or snuggle up with a nice book. Upholstery items like sofas are frequently ignored; at best, it is cleaned off with a dry cloth. However, this will not suffice for significant spills or grime that accumulates over time. The best way to keep a healthy couch is to prevent stains and dust buildup using sofa stain protection Macquarie Plains. Bright Couch Cleaning Hobart uses a proprietary furniture protector product that chemically adheres to the fabric, providing long-term protection against spills, stains, soiling, and fading.
Our crew inspects the couch for stains and conducts sofa stain removal Macquarie Plains to remove any existing stains as well as guarantee thorough cleaning so that the fabric protector penetrates the fabric effectively. To avoid fabric breakdown, all treatments are carried out using natural cleaners. Before using any type of chemical, it's also a good idea to consult the manufacturer's cleaning instructions. Our professionals will spray fabric protectors all over the sofa once it has been cleaned and dried. This Teflon-based, odorless, and colorless solution covers every fiber of the cloth with a protective composition that repels stains. For a long-lasting impact, this solution is allowed to dry naturally. After the solution has dried, our team performs a test with various substances to determine whether or not the treatment is effective. Experts advise reapplying the fabric protector to achieve total stain and damage prevention.
Skilled & qualified team- Our team is well trained and highly skilled when it comes to upholstery cleaning and maintenance. We educate & update them on regular basis to add to their knowledge of upholstery cleaning. In addition, we are accredited by IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification)
Pocket-friendly rates- We provide you with quality services at the most affordable rates. No hidden charges and free quotes are available.
Mechanized tools- Our team uses high range and updated tools and equipment only. We aim to provide you with the most feasible yet efficient upholstery cleaning services.
Safe formula– We use only non-toxic, mild, hypoallergenic, and eco-friendly fabric protectors in the process. They are pet & child safe and don't leave an adverse impact on the environment.
Exceptional results- With our skilled clean squad at the helm, we exclusively deliver professional and exceptional upholstery cleaning services. We attempt to exceed your expectations when it comes to couch stain protection.
Our staff is well-known for providing consistent and prompt emergency services. We can protect your fabric the same day you book, and we are available to help you in any emergency. Even on weekends and holidays, we can help you within an hour with the help of our local cleaners. Contact our customer service representatives immediately to arrange our emergency or same-day services.
We understand the importance of upholstery care for successful business negotiations and a healthy workplace, thus we deal with a wide range of customers, including both residential and commercial properties. Our clients include hospitals, schools, libraries, recreation centers, theatres, and other organizations. You can maintain your couch in beautiful shape for years and secure your investment with our exceptional scotch preserving method.
Besides upholstery protection Macquarie Plains our team is skilled to provide a versatile range of treatments to all our clients. We offer:
1. Will it damage my other belongings?
No, our specialists will use drop cloths to protect neighboring furniture, but it is not damaging to wood, glass, stone, or tile.
2. How long can I use my furniture or walk on my carpet after treatment?
The drying period is around 5 to 6 hours.
3. Will the color or feel of my textiles be affected by the upholstery fabric protector?
Upholstery fabric protection is a transparent polymer that will not modify the feel or color of the finest textiles, unlike other fabric treatments that contain silicone that can yellow them.
4. Is it possible to treat silk?
All fine fabrics, exotic carpets, sisal, and other natural fiber rugs, as well as aniline leather, suede, and Nubuck, can be treated with upholstery fabric protection.
Because of the frequent usage, upholstery items such as the sofa require greater care and attention; nevertheless, regular cleaning may be a difficult process. However, by obtaining sofa stain protection Macquarie Plains, you can simply keep your valuable couch in good condition for many years. Do not hesitate to enlist the help of Bright Couch Cleaning Hobart for couch upkeep; call us to learn why we are regarded as the best couch cleaners and restorers in the city.


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Venue | TV | TIME |
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY | MSG | 7:30 PM EST |
Possible starters:
Injury Report
New York Knicks | Washington Wizards |
Andrea Bargnani - Torn Ligament, Left Elbow (OUT) | NENE - SPRAINED MCL LEFT KNEE (OUT) |
Kenyon Martin - Post-surgery, right foot (OUT) |
Today in Knicks history
April 4, 1993 | Down by six points with less than three minutes to go in regulation, the Knicks rally for a 108-103 overtime triumph at San Antonio. Doc Rivers leads the way with a season high 24 points. |
Recent meetings
December 16, 2014 | The Washington Wizards outlasted the New York Knicks in a nail biter as Carmelo Anthony?s buzzer beater rimmed out which clinched the 102-101 victory for the Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Carmelo Anthony paced the New York Knicks with 32 points, five rebounds and three assists over 42 minutes. Carmelo Anthony has led the team in points in every game this season. This is the first time a players has led his team in points in 24 straight games since Nate ?Tiny? Archibald in the 1972-73 season. J.R. Smith posted 18 points on 5-11 shooting from down town over 37 minutes. This was the most Smith has scored since Nov. 20 versus Indiana (21 points). Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded 14 points on 5-6 shooting over 22 minutes. Washington was led by Martell Webster?s 30 points on 9-13 shooting (6-8 3PT) and five rebounds over 36 minutes. Bradley Beal posted 21 minutes, including the final Wizards eight points, on 9-16 shooting over 30 minutes. John Wall added 20 points and eight assists over 33 minutes. Bradley Beal rallied the Wizards from four down with two minutes to go scoring the teams final eight points including the game-winning layup with :06.9 left in the game. Carmelo Anthony?s last ditched effort fell short as time expired giving Washington the 102-101 victory over New York at the Garden |
November 13, 2013 | After taking a 52-49 lead into the break, the turning point of the game came when the Knicks were outscored in the third quarter 27-17 and were never able to recover as they were defeated 98-89 by the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 23 points and 12 rebounds over 41 with for a double-double. J.R. Smith posted 15 points and three rebounds over 30 minutes. Washington was paced by John Wall?s 31 points and seven assists over 40 minutes. Martell Webster added 19 points on 5-10 from down town. |


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By Leo Babauta
I absolutely adore the Internet, but there's no doubt it has made us more distracted than ever.
I can see this in myself, and in watching everyone else around me: constant use of laptops, switching between browser tabs, checking things on iPhones, typing in a message here and there … we all do it.
But it's not a good formula for getting things done.
We may feel productive when we're constantly switching between things, constantly doing something, but in all honesty, we're not.
We're just distracted.
A friend recently told me she thinks she has a problem: it's hard to get work done, or focus on anything at all, with all of the distractions. In truth, we all have this problem.
We're all suffering from Distraction Syndrome.
This causes people not to be able to study for class, to get important or difficult work done, to create, to be mindful throughout their day.
So what's the cure for Distraction Syndrome?
Here's what works for me:
- Become aware. See when you're switching tasks, being pulled by social media and other distractions. See your mind rushing from one thing to the next. If you're not aware of the habit, you'll never change it. This awareness can be increased over days and weeks, if you just start paying attention, and notice when you've gone a few hours without noticing.
- See your main distractions. What are the things your mind runs to? What about these things appeal to you? What fears are you running from?
- Find one thing to focus on. You might have a long list of things to do, but you can't do them all right now. Just pick one: something to study, a novel to read, something to write, a harder task that you've been putting off. You know you should do this task, but you've been too distracted and have been putting it off. (Note: I'm testing out One Task on the Mac — excellent single-tasking todo app. But don't let finding the "perfect" todo app become your distraction.)
- Clear everything. Close all programs you don't need. Close your computer if you don't need it. Otherwise, close your browser, or at least all browser tabs you don't absolutely need for this task. Turn off your phone or put it on silent and hide it. Just have this task in front of you.
- Set a timer for 20 minutes. Or 10 minutes, or 15, if 20 seems too long. During this time, you're going to do nothing but focus on the one task you choose. No switching to other things. At all. If you finish the task before the 20 minutes is up, you can pick another task to focus on for the remainder of the time (and then do it again if you finish early), but no going to your distractions.
- Watch your mind try to run. This will inevitably happen. It's a part of the Distraction Syndrome. It's just you and your task, and you'll want to run away. You're afraid of the focus, afraid of the difficulty, afraid of the discomfort, afraid of the confusion/uncertainty. That's OK. You can stay with the task even with the fear. The fear is what causes you to be distracted, but you don't have to give in to it. It's just something that arises in your mind. Sit with the urge to go to a distraction, without acting on the urge. Watch it, let it rise, then let it fall. Stay with the task.
- Take a break. After your 20 minutes is over, set the timer for 10 minutes, and take a well-deserved break. Allow yourself to go to the distractions. But when the break is over, go to the next task on your list (or back to the one you weren't finished with). This break will give your mind some relief, which it needs. It just doesn't need the relief all the livelong day.
This process, incidentally, is a form of meditation. Pretty productive meditation, actually.
But it takes practice. Try this today, see where you falter, forgive yourself and try tomorrow. With practice, you can develop a less-distracted mental habit.
Practice the Meditation Habit
If you're interested in forming the meditation habit, we're working on that in April in the Sea Change Program.
Sign up in the next few days to join the Meditation Habit module: get a plan and some articles on the habit and a live webinar with me and an accountability forum. Join us here.


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As hybrid agent investors, the best of both worlds have joined forces offering home sellers solutions, making the process quick and easy. We've pioneered a new approach to working with sellers, enabling you to make an educated decision based on your given circumstances without any pressure or obligation. This approach allows you to go into the process of selling your home with your eyes wide open from the beginning, avoiding wasted time, money, and a great deal of disappointment for all parties involved. In addition, a hybrid agent investor will provide you with the details on the expenses and profit from listing your home on the traditional market should they act as an agent vs. the amount you'd earn with them working as a professional investor.
The ultimate goal of the hybrid agent investor is to help you understand your options clearly so that you'll earn the highest possible profit on the sale of your home, no matter the financial or personal situations you may be facing. To achieve this end, we understand how important it is that we take the time to stop and listen, so we can knock down any hurdles that you may feel are standing in your way. So read on as we explore the best way for you to sell your house in the Norfolk market.
For homeowners with no concerns about time, or the costs involved in waiting out the traditional home sales process with a listing on the MLS, the best way to sell your house in the Norfolk market is with your hybrid agent investor working as a licensed real estate agent. Now, if time is of the essence, perhaps a job has forced relocation, or a loved one is ill and needs your care, your hybrid agent investor, working as a professional investor, has the power of cash backing them. They'll make you an offer with a guaranteed closing, which can be in a matter of days. But, don't stress, you'll find we mean it when we say no pressure. If you aren't quite ready, and you won't have to arrange a complicated leaseback, just let us know the closing date that works best for you.
Buyers looking on the market prefer properties in move-in-ready condition. As a part of the traditional home selling process, a professional inspector creates a report that details the current state of the property and any problems located. Suppose your home is new or in like-new condition. In that case, a listing with a hybrid agent investor is likely to garner you the highest possible profit on the sale, especially given the current seller's market. You should be aware your buyers may back out if there are serious issues, or they may negotiate the price down to equal the costs of the repairs and a bit extra for their troubles. Typically, as buyers search listings on the internet, negative first impressions can cause them to continue scrolling. However, with the financial means and time to rehabilitate the property, some buyers may toss out a meager and rather insulting offer, with nothing to lose if a home in less than ready-to-move-in condition comes across their path. Suppose the thought of passing the inspection has been giving you restless nights. In that case, the best way to sell your house in the Norfolk market is with your hybrid agent investor working as a professional investor. As a professional investor, they will make an offer that you'll agree is fair to buy your home as-is, and you won't need to worry about cleaning or spend money out of pocket prepping and repairing everything before the sale.
If your property is primed and ready to earn top dollar on the market, the best way to sell your house in the Norfolk market is to work with a hybrid agent investor working as a professional real estate agent. These sellers understand the value of an agent, creating a marketing plan designed to find the right buyer in the most timely manner, navigate extraordinarily complex negotiations, meet critical deadlines, and ensure the proper completion of significant financial and legal contracts. These sellers also realize that in working with a hybrid agent investor, they're tapping into someone who has mastered two aspects of the real estate world, with a vast network of other investors and buyers seeking Norfolk property like yours.
With a one-stop solution for everyone, it's clear to see that working with a hybrid agent investor from Uhlman Buys Homes is the best solution to sell your house in the Norfolk market. Why not find out how we can help you and compare all of your options before making a decision that can influence the outcome of one of the largest financial decisions of your lifetime. Contact Uhlman Buys Homes today at (757) 918-9189.


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Why is it that whenever you go to a holiday party, you can always find someone who doesn't look how you would expect? Is it because you think they overdid their fashion or make-up, or is it a touch of envy?
Beauty queen or fashion disaster, it's up to you. If you want to shine for the holidays, take note of these do's and don'ts to spruce up your look and receive raves from your friends and family.
Beauty Do's
Do Experiment.
Check out the latest in make-up and fashion trends and give them a try. This will update your look and chances are, you'll find something that enhances your skin tone and flatters your figure.
Do accentuate your finer features.
Play up your best features while drawing attention away from your problem areas. For example, do you have sleek shoulders but think your hips are too wide? Wear a sexy off-the-shoulder dress to show off your finer assets.
Do consult professionals.
If you're the do-it-yourself kind of gal, you can benefit from professional opinions now & then. Why not get a makeover for the holidays? Keep in mind, salons are booked tightly for the holiday season, so call well in advance for your appointment and use your time in the waiting room looking through magazines for updated hairstyles and fashion that best suit you.
Do simplify your beauty routine.
Unless you're headed out to a holiday party, forgo unnecessary extras that take up valuable time. Keep your hairstyle simple and make-up to natural colors that will look good with anything you wear.
Beauty Don'ts
Don't be afraid of change.
Dazzle your friends with a new look. Whether it's a new hairstyle, hair color, or just a dress, you'll get attention! Think of it this way, models look different for every shoot and are very versatile. Don't they always look great?
Don't wear too much make-up.
There's a fine line between a little extra holiday pizzazz or downright heavy makeup. Choose colors that compliment your face and blend it in well. Double check your face in bright lights before heading out the door.
Don't forget accessories.
Add the finishing touch to your overall appearance. The holidays are festive, so glam it up with accessories and jewelry. Splurge on that handbag you've been wanting and don't feel the least big guilty.
Don't let stress get the better of you.
It's no secret that the holidays can be most stressful time of the year. Use your time wisely and learn to say "no." Your face can easily reveal stress and lack of sleep, so designate some of your duties to family members and be sure to get your beauty rest.
Lorene Radenz is a freelance writer and the founder of http://www.beautytipsonline.com - Your All-In-One Beauty Guide.
>> Hyaluronic Acid - Beauty Wave of the Future?>> Hyaluronic Acid - Newest Celebrity Beauty Secret?>> Interior Decorating For Cat Owners - Finding the Beauty of C>> Lord Byron's Poem, She Walks in Beauty>> Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty"


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Homer B. Whiting
June 14, 1895 – May 23, 1937
The Hampton Union and Rockingham County Gazette,
Thursday, May 27, 1937
Former Chief Homer B. Whiting passed away Sunday morning at the Hale hospital in Haverhill, of pneumonia following an operation for appendicitis, at the age of 42. For the past 12 years Mr. Whiting has been chief of the Hampton Beach Fire Department which he has built from a mere shell to one of the best in the State.
The former chief submitted to the operation a week ago. Saturday having been removed from his home to the Haverhill hospital.
About three hours before his death, when his condition became so grave that no hope was entertained for his recovery, his 72-year old mother, Mrs. Ina E. Whiting, wife of George N. Whiting, retired deputy chief of the Haverhill fire department, residing at 49 Buttonwoods avenue, Haverhill, was removed on a hospital cot from the Hale Hospital, where she has been confined with illness, to the bedside of her son.
His mother underwent a serious operation about two weeks ago at the Hale Hospital and when she learned of the serious condition of her son following his operation, requested that she be given an opportunity to see him. Her request was granted when attending physicians were satisfied that there was no chance for the former chief to rally.
Homer B. Whiting was born in Haverhill on June 14, 1895, the son of George N. and Ina E. Whiting, attended the Haverhill schools and also a trade school in Lawrence. For several years previous to his appointment to the Haverhill department, he was employed by the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co., and also took care of the fire alarm telegraph and automatic systems in Haverhill. He was proprietor of Whiting's Express Co., an enterprise which he personally directed for a time.
Mr. Whiting was made a permanent member of the Haverhill department when the two-platoon system went into effect in 1920, having been chosen on Feb. 2 of that year. Throughout this connection with the department he was located at the Central fire house. Upon the death of Lloyd Walker, chief's driver, who was killed in an accident in May, 1923, Mr. Whiting served as chief's driver for about two months. When the new Seagrave aerial ladder was added to the apparatus of the Haverhill department, he was assigned as one of the drivers of the ladder.
While he held the latter position Mr. Whiting was granted a leave of absence from the Haverhill department and it was during that time that he visited Hampton and accepted a position as chief of the Hampton Beach fire department. September 30, 1924, he resigned as a member of the Haverhill department.
He was a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs as well as the New England Massachusetts and New Hampshire association. He was a Mason and a member of the Jr. O. U. A. M. Besides his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George N. Whiting of Haverhill, he leaves a wife residing in California. His father is a retired deputy chief of the Haverhill department.
Hampton's Loss
An Editorial
Through the passing to the great beyond of Homer B. Whiting, Hampton loses a conscientious and earnest worker in the field in which he was so intensely interested.
Though removed recently from the position as chief of a fire department second to none, and which he had built himself to its present high rating, his knowledge of the inner workings of the department and experience of many years could still have been sought out and would have been given cheerfully, as a citizen, if not as a fire fighter.
Through long and careful study of fire department requirements, Homer B. Whiting had attained a knowledge of how to do things, of which few people take time to acquaint themselves. He aimed to have the best for his department and to have each piece of machinery and apparatus in perfect condition.
Though many times restrained by those who did not understand the principles of his hoped-for improvements, he cheerfully set about the task to show what benefits might be derived from what many termed "radical changes". His heart was in his work and the condition of Hampton's Fire Department will show how well he had succeeded.
Homer B. Whiting had hosts of friends in every walk of life who mourn his loss and who will miss his cheerful greeting they have enjoyed through his twelve years as a citizen of Hampton. From outward appearances he did not seem to care about his own welfare, but the criticisms of his work cut deep into his courageous nature. However, his efforts were not all in vain, for the Hampton Fire Department stands as a monument of his work and as a foundation on which to build for years to come.
Hampton and Hampton Beach will realize as time goes on how great is the loss of an able and efficient Fire Chief and how hard it will be to fill the vacancy.


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Do you believe in luck? What about being at the right place at the right time? Do you think that luck was for everyone else or do you think that you can create your luck? I've been thinking about luck lately and almost as if by magic – I received a review copy of Get Lucky: How to Put Planned Serendipity to Work for You and Your Business by Thor Muller (@Tempo) and Lane Becker (@Monstro).
In Get Lucky, Thor Muller and Lane Becker explore the possibility that organizations can actually generate their own good luck. They break their deconstruction of luck into eight primary skills:
- Motion – Luck happens when people interact with unrelated people and environments.
- Preparation – Prepare your mind by filling it with facts, being curious and observant – then being open to anything.
- Divergence – Have the ability and the open mind to use existing resource to create something new.
- Commitment – Use your skill of divergence and combine it with a commitment to something bigger – a passion, a vision or an overall mission. The balance lies in being committed to something big enough for options and specific enough for focus.
- Activation – You can call these intuitive triggers. As it turns out our unconscious brain makes decisions faster than our conscious brain. The key to driving serendipitous events is to know and understand what the triggers are and stock your environment with them.
- Connection – In this chapter, the authors explore how the power of our personal networks and connections can enhance serendipity and solve mysteries.
- Permeability – This is the skill to seamlessly and effortlessly connect with your customers. This is a valuable skill and a double edged sword in that it can catapult a company to fame or failure.
- Attraction – This is really a creation skill. This chapter outlines companies and organizations who focus on creation first and the details later.
Each of these skills builds on the other. As you read through each chapter and the stories that the authors share to illustrate the skill, you can't help but see how each of their examples has layered elements of each skill built right in.
Get Lucky Draws You In And Holds Your Attention
My intention was to breeze through this book and write a review in about a day. It's now been well over a week. The reason for this is simple – I keep getting drawn into the stories, the examples and the interesting scientific research that Muller and Becker have pulled together.
If you enjoyed books like Freakonomics and Outliers, then you will eat Get Lucky up with a spoon. It reads like a novel from the perspective of being drawn into a story or a topic. The writing is outstanding, well researched, insightful and easy to understand.
My favorite section in the book has to be the very last section; it's a sort of appendix of serendipitous events called "Serendipiography." This is the coolest, most interesting appendix I've run across in a long time. It contains a series of quotes from the book and resources that will guide you into deeper more detailed information on what led to the quote or event – many of them were serendipitous – of course.
Who Will Enjoy Get Lucky The Most?
Business book junkies like me will absolutely love this book. It's fun to read, it's educational and it will inspire you to create an environment inside your business where luck will bloom.
Business owners and start ups can use the principles in this book to actually make serendipity a more reliable outcome inside their businesses.
Regardless of who you are, you're going to enjoy Get Lucky. For more information, check out the Get Lucky web site and read their blog. It's an enjoyable read with excellent examples and insights that will bring more luck into your business and your life.


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One of the conspiracies that involve Freemasonry is that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by us for exposing us in a speech he gave in 1961. Often conspiracy theorists cherry-pick a few quotes from this speech to demean and defame Freemasonry. They also state that his speech concerned Freemasonry and all fraternal orders within the United States. Then they say that because President Kennedy gave this speech the Freemasons retaliated by having him assassinated. When reading the entire speech one can easily see the absurdity of this argument. In this article, I will provide a transcript of the entire speech (from the JFK Library) before addressing and analyzing it.
Here is the transcript of the speech "President and the Press" given by President Kennedy on April 27, 1961, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City before the American Newspaper Publishers Association:
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen:
I appreciate very much your generous invitation to be here tonight.
You bear heavy responsibilities these days and an article I read some time ago reminded me of how particularly heavily the burdens of present day events bear upon your profession.
You may remember that in 1851 the New York Herald Tribune, under the sponsorship and publishing of Horace Greeley, employed as its London correspondent an obscure journalist by the name of Karl Marx.
We are told that foreign correspondent Marx, stone broke, and with a family ill and undernourished, constantly appealed to Greeley and Managing Editor Charles Dana for an increase in his munificent salary of $5 per installment, a salary which he and Engels ungratefully labeled as the "lousiest petty bourgeois cheating."
But when all his financial appeals were refused, Marx looked around for other means of livelihood and fame, eventually terminating his relationship with the Tribune and devoting his talents full time to the cause that would bequeath to the world the seeds of Leninism, Stalinism, revolution and the Cold War.
If only this capitalistic New York newspaper had treated him more kindly; if only Marx had remained a foreign correspondent, history might have been different. And I hope all publishers will bear this lesson in mind the next time they receive a poverty-stricken appeal for a small increase in the expense account from an obscure newspaper.
I have selected as the title of my remarks tonight "The President and the Press." Some may suggest that this would be more naturally worded "The President Versus the Press." But those are not my sentiments tonight.
It is true, however, that when a well-known diplomat from another country demanded recently that our State Department repudiate certain newspaper attacks on his colleague it was unnecessary for us to reply that this Administration was not responsible for the press, for the press had already made it clear that it was not responsible for this Administration.
Nevertheless, my purpose here tonight is not to deliver the usual assault on the so-called one-party press. On the contrary, in recent months I have rarely heard any complaints about political bias in the press except from a few Republicans. Nor is it my purpose tonight to discuss or defend the televising of Presidential press conferences. I think it is highly beneficial to have some 20,000,000 Americans regularly sit in on these conferences to observe, if I may say so, the incisive, the intelligent and the courteous qualities displayed by your Washington correspondents.
Nor, finally, are these remarks intended to examine the proper degree of privacy which the press should allow to any President and his family.
If in the last few months your White House reporters and photographers have been attending church services with regularity, that has surely done them no harm.
On the other hand, I realize that your staff and wire service photographers may be complaining that they do not enjoy the same green privileges at the local golf courses which they once did.
It is true that my predecessor did not object as I do to pictures of one's golfing skill in action. But neither on the other hand did he ever bean a Secret Service man. My topic tonight is a more sober one of concern to publishers as well as editors.
I want to talk about our common responsibilities in the face of a common danger. The events of recent weeks may have helped to illuminate that challenge for some; but the dimensions of its threat have loomed large on the horizon for many years. Whatever our hopes may be for the future—for reducing this threat or living with it—there is no escaping either the gravity or the totality of its challenge to our survival and to our security—a challenge that confronts us in unaccustomed ways in every sphere of human activity.
This deadly challenge imposes upon our society two requirements of direct concern both to the press and to the President—two requirements that may seem almost contradictory in tone, but which must be reconciled and fulfilled if we are to meet this national peril. I refer, first, to the need for far greater public information; and, second, to the need for far greater official secrecy.
The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.
But I do ask every publisher, every editor, and every newsman in the nation to reexamine his own standards, and to recognize the nature of our country's peril. In time of war, the government and the press have customarily joined in an effort, based largely on self-discipline, to prevent unauthorized disclosures to the enemy. In time of "clear and present danger," the courts have held that even the privileged rights of the First Amendment must yield to the public's need for national security.
Today no war has been declared—and however fierce the struggle may be—it may never be declared in the traditional fashion. Our way of life is under attack. Those who make themselves our enemy are advancing around the globe. The survival of our friends is in danger. And yet no war has been declared, no borders have been crossed by marching troops, no missiles have been fired.
If the press is awaiting a declaration of war before it imposes the self-discipline of combat conditions, then I can only say that no war ever posed a greater threat to our security. If you are awaiting a finding of "clear and present danger," then I can only say that the danger has never been more clear and its presence has never been more imminent.
It requires a change in outlook, a change in tactics, a change in missions—by the government, by the people, by every businessman or labor leader, and by every newspaper. For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence—on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.
Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match.
Nevertheless, every democracy recognizes the necessary restraints of national security—and the question remains whether those restraints need to be more strictly observed if we are to oppose this kind of attack as well as outright invasion.
For the facts of the matter are that this nation's foes have openly boasted of acquiring through our newspapers information they would otherwise hire agents to acquire through theft, bribery or espionage; that details of this nation's covert preparations to counter the enemy's covert operations have been available to every newspaper reader, friend and foe alike; that the size, the strength, the location and the nature of our forces and weapons, and our plans and strategy for their use, have all been pinpointed in the press and other news media to a degree sufficient to satisfy any foreign power; and that, in at least one case, the publication of details concerning a secret mechanism whereby satellites were followed required its alteration at the expense of considerable time and money.
The newspapers which printed these stories were loyal, patriotic, responsible and well-meaning. Had we been engaged in open warfare, they undoubtedly would not have published such items. But in the absence of open warfare, they recognized only the tests of journalism and not the tests of national security. And my question tonight is whether additional tests should not now be adopted.
That question is for you alone to answer. No public official should answer it for you. No governmental plan should impose its restraints against your will. But I would be failing in my duty to the Nation, in considering all of the responsibilities that we now bear and all of the means at hand to meet those responsibilities, if I did not commend this problem to your attention, and urge its thoughtful consideration.
On many earlier occasions, I have said—and your newspapers have constantly said—that these are times that appeal to every citizen's sense of sacrifice and self-discipline. They call out to every citizen to weigh his rights and comforts against his obligations to the common good. I cannot now believe that those citizens who serve in the newspaper business consider themselves exempt from that appeal.
I have no intention of establishing a new Office of War Information to govern the flow of news. I am not suggesting any new forms of censorship or new types of security classifications. I have no easy answer to the dilemma that I have posed, and would not seek to impose it if I had one. But I am asking the members of the newspaper profession and the industry in this country to reexamine their own responsibilities, to consider the degree and the nature of the present danger, and to heed the duty of self-restraint which that danger imposes upon us all.
Every newspaper now asks itself, with respect to every story: "Is it news?" All I suggest is that you add the question: "Is it in the interest of the national security?" And I hope that every group in America—unions and businessmen and public officials at every level—will ask the same question of their endeavors, and subject their actions to this same exacting test.
And should the press of America consider and recommend the voluntary assumption of specific new steps or machinery, I can assure you that we will cooperate whole-heartedly with those recommendations.
Perhaps there will be no recommendations. Perhaps there is no answer to the dilemma faced by a free and open society in a cold and secret war. In times of peace, any discussion of this subject, and any action that results, are both painful and without precedent. But this is a time of peace and peril which knows no precedent in history.
It is the unprecedented nature of this challenge that also gives rise to your second obligation—an obligation which I share. And that is our obligation to inform and alert the American people—to make certain that they possess all the facts that they need, and understand them as well—the perils, the prospects, the purposes of our program and the choices that we face.
No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition. And both are necessary. I am not asking your newspapers to support the Administration, but I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. For I have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens whenever they are fully informed.
I not only could not stifle controversy among your readers—I welcome it. This Administration intends to be candid about its errors; for, as a wise man once said: "An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it." We intend to accept full responsibility for our errors; and we expect you to point them out when we miss them.
Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed—and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian law-maker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment—the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution—not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants"—but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion.
This means greater coverage and analysis of international news—for it is no longer far away and foreign but close at hand and local. It means greater attention to improved understanding of the news as well as improved transmission. And it means, finally, that government at all levels, must meet its obligation to provide you with the fullest possible information outside the narrowest limits of national security—and we intend to do it.
It was early in the Seventeenth Century that Francis Bacon remarked on three recent inventions already transforming the world: the compass, gunpowder and the printing press. Now the links between the nations first forged by the compass have made us all citizens of the world, the hopes and threats of one becoming the hopes and threats of us all. In that one world's efforts to live together, the evolution of gunpowder to its ultimate limit has warned mankind of the terrible consequences of failure.
And so it is to the printing press—to the recorder of man's deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news—that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent.
When reading this entire speech and taking into account the audience to which he was speaking, the venue he was speaking at, and the events that occurred prior to the speech one can clearly see that JFK was trying to justify the recent Bay of Pigs invasion and also request that the American press exercise some self-restraint with information that is sensitive to the nation's defense and military operations. This is the opinion I take and which is taken by academic scholars. To anti-Masons and conspiracy theorists the speech has nothing to do with the press, but has become known as the "Secret Society Speech."
Anti-Masons cherry-pick certain phrases and sentences to say that JFK was denouncing such groups as the Freemasons. If you look on the Internet, anti-Masons will have uploaded a video, which ignores most of the first half of the speech, and starts off with the following:
The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings.
Anti-Masons attempt to use this sentence as a means to justify their attack on fraternal groups that meet in private. Disregarding the fact that just prior to this sentence, Kennedy called for the "need for far greater official secrecy", Kennedy also states throughout the entire speech that it is centered on the roles between the President and the press. It's clear that Kennedy is speaking on the public's perception of secrecy and the public administration of the federal government. He is talking about the government being secretive and refusing to release information to the public. He was also being critical of the CIA and their failed attempts to supplant the Castro regime in Cuba.
The Bay of Pigs incident occurred 10-days prior to this speech. This was a huge disaster and an embarrassment to the Kennedy administration, which had only been in power for 3-months. Five days prior to this speech, Kennedy appeared before the Society of Newspaper Editors where he spoke about the same topics, and the "President and the Press" speech was a continuation, the incident still fresh in everyone's minds.
To anti-Masons though, JFK mentioning "secret societies," "secret oaths," and "secret proceedings" is enough to convince them that the President was condemning groups like Freemasonry. As I mentioned in Secrecy: What's the Big Deal?, one of the biggest criticisms I see held against Freemasonry is that we are a "secret society" and that devious and sinister plots are conspired in our meetings. I would argue that a true secret society is one that doesn't disclose membership, allow members to wear insignia, hold public ceremonies, or, particularly in America, display their meeting places so prominently. The misuse of Kennedy's speech is just a continuation of the agenda by anti-Masons and conspiracy theorists to make secrecy taboo, ignoring the fact that secrecy is a part of human nature and enjoyed by everyone. Everyone keeps secrets and practices secrecy at some level, and those who would deny their own personal secrecy couldn't withstand much questioning concerning intimate aspects of their lives without, as David Flaherty says, "capitulating to the intrusiveness of certain subject matters."
Anti-Masons claim that because Kennedy gave this speech that Freemasons, at least the "high level" Masons, had him killed. Many will make it sound like Kennedy's assassination happened shortly after giving the speech, but in reality, Kennedy was assassinated over two and a half years after giving the "President and the Press" speech. Ironically, if we use the same standards of what constitutes a "secret society" according to conspiracy theorists, JFK belonged to one. JFK was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Most anti-Masons that I've talked to ignore that fact about JFK or excuse it as being acceptable since it's attached to the Catholic Church.
The truth of the matter is that JFK didn't think Freemasonry was some sinister cabal scheming against the United States. Anti-Masons commonly take quotes out of context in the hopes that the unknowing and unwary will be swayed by the strange-sounding titles and the intermingling of casually related phrases. Contrary to what anti-Masons and conspiracy theorists will say, JFK was not discussing private fraternal groups (or "secret societies"), but was merely addressing a current issue.
1. Anti-Masonic Tactics. (n.d.). Retrieved from Masonic Info: http://www.masonicinfo.com/tactics.htm
2. Kennedy, J. F. (1961, April 27). President and the Press. Retrieved from Miller Center: http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/speech-3677


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Preseason Oscar Game Results
The results are in! and in a thrilling, nailbiting finish, Kadusey ties me for the win in an unprecedented but long-desired break in my (previously) seemingly endless winning streak! We tied at eleven, but had she paid attention to the rules better, she might have won outright. She did submit a disqualified second guess that put her up by two points.
I didn't see a big leader in the nominations, but now that there plainly is, I'm more irritated than ever at myself for not seeing Benjamin Button yet.
In other news, by not including Dark Knight in the best-picture noms, the Oscars have taken one more step to irrelevancy and bad tv ratings. Good job, Academy!
Click on the minichart below to see the full results.
(Curses. Shrunk. I'll come up with something else later.....)
17 comments:
That's too bad. I've had years where the big film was disinteresting as well: Titanic, American Beauty . . . .
But good effort, Celia. Part of what happened to you that some likely contenders that you chose were delayed to next year. Resulting good news: you can choose them for next year.
Incidentally, I've never thought of what to do in the event of a tie. I think I'll still send Kadusey a prize, so get me your address, 'kay, K?Curse you, Academy! You forgot the most tragic result of neglecting to nominate Dark Knight for Best Picture: they totally screwed my chance of winning this game. I figured I'd at least get 1 point.
Also: American Beauty is worth seeing, if you still haven't.
Also: It's not not just Kadusey's computer.
WV: barro, which means mud in Spanish.I really should be more participative in this game: for having only made 5 off-handed guesses, I feel pretty good about the 4 points I earned.
As for Benjamin Button, Ebert said he couldn't get in to it because, as he watched Mr. Button age backwards, he "became consumed by a conviction that this was simply wrong." I had the opposite reaction: Benjamin's reverse aging played such an insignificant role in the overall film that I felt like I was watching a prototypical coming-of-age romance.
But that's just me.... This isn't even my blog....I agree with the tv ratings comment but not the irrelevancy. Dark Knight was a box office hit which was a decent movie but really not Best Picture Material. Heath Ledger was the only thing really relevant about the movie as low talking need a lozenge Batman and the use of jump cuts to advance every story angle was annoying and jarring, especially for those who watch movies for a living. "Hey I will make a movie with no blood by not actually showing any violence, just jumping away at the last second." The Dark Knight was on most movie critics top 10s at 7 or 8. Batman was like Donnie Darko in which it's the gateway drug for good movies. Getting a whole generation into movies and claiming still the first movie they saw was the best movie ever.
What i think is an irrelevancy is that Wall-E was not nominated for best picture..
I've been thinking about the irrelevancy argument, 3M, and I think I'm right and you're wrong. (Who would've guessed I would reach that conclusion!) For a few reasons, in ascending importance:
# How do you think those poor movie stars feel, all on tv at the same time and nobody watching?
# The Oscars were begun as a marketing tool and that is still, at core, their purpose. By picking films that minimize public interest, they become irrelevant.
# Public opinion has merit. Sometimes, of course, public opinion is dead wrong. But when a genuinely good movie breaks $500million, not at least giving it a wildcard slot for best picture rejects the industry's raison d'etre, viz getting money from ticketbuyers. Not good to draw a line on the floor and tell them to keep on the other side. (The nominated films have, combined, gossed $10.5million so far. Granted, they're early in their runs (save Slumdog), but still: that's what --- 2% of Batman? I'm not suggesting we turn the Oscars into the People's Choice Awards, but at least show some respect for the public.Yes, but the marketing folks aren't the ones who choose the nominees. With the exception of Best Picture, all of the other nominees are selected by their peers in that particular profession.
Shouldn't we say it's a good thing when there are too many *good* movies to nominate for the number of slots available?
* (beauty is in the eye of the beholder)Relevance. When an industry decides to get together and pat themselves on their collective back, the desires or hopes of those who pay their bills seem to take a back seat.
I was trying to remember the last time I can remember the Academy Awards as having any true relevance to me. Interestingly, it was 1985. The same year Amadeus beat out The Killing Fields for best picture and the feature length documentary about Harvey Milk won. The Killing Fields should have taken the Best Picture spot.
I have to wonder if the Documentary about Harvey Milk will have any sway on the outcome of the best picture results....
Eh, that was over 20 years ago. I doubt it. Although Academy members are notoriously old, so they may well remember it as if it were yesterday. Who can say.
I agree that having too many films to fit in the slots is a good thing
Here's a question I don't know the answer to: when one fills out a nomination ballot, do you just put one movie per slot or can you mention a couple? I believe it's the latter, but that means apple pie will never get nominated for an Oscar.
Let me explain.
Few people call Apple Pie their favorite pie, but it's still the most popular and widely sold pie in America (note: my stats are quite old). Why? Because the people who like peach best and the people who live razzberry best and the people who like pumpkin best and the poeple who like lemon merigne best and the people who like coconut cream best all like apple too. It's everyone's second favorite. But if you can only nominate one pie, apple won't get a nomination.Different rules apply for each award category, but for Best Picture and all the acting awards each nominator is instructed to select no more than five entries from the eligible list. The selection isn't weighted. Then the top five vote-getters in each category are included in the final list of nominees, which is then open to voting by any Academy member.
Sources are good, so here's one.
If it's relevance you're looking for, there's always the People's Choice Awards or the MTV Movie/Music Awards. I'm sure they and many other awards shows are all lined up ready to bestow upon "The Dark Knight" and "WALL-E" the honors they feel they deserve.
Personally, I find the Oscars an interesting gauge of how much Hollywood agrees with me regarding the value of a person's contribution to a film. I don't need the Academy's validation to tell me whether or not a film's any good. I can tell them myself with my pocketbook.Th. said, "That was over 20 years ago."
Um, thanks for reminding me. Ouch. I remember that almost as if it were yesterday.
Our presidential nominations suffer from the same Apple Pie theory, I believe. Not every time but regularly.
I agree that the Oscars should not be a people's choice award but it is quite interesting how divergent they can be. I guess I look at these nominations and recognize how different my values are from the industry's..
Thanks, Bryan --- I'm glad to hear they can vote more than in some categories at least. I think that will result in better, more correct results.
For me, one of the most dispiriting things to learn was how poorly the members of the Academy reflect the actual film workforce. Their average age is much higher, they're heavily weighted towards actors, etc. I think if the voting members of the Academy better reflected the industry, I would be less skeptical of their choices.
All that said, I'm still a sucker for the Oscars.
And I couldn't care less about People's Choice or MTV.


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Ash Cave
The approach to Ash Cave is through a narrow gorge lined with stately hemlocks, massive beech trees and various other hardwoods. The valley floor offers brilliant displays of wildflowers in the all seasons including large flowered trillium, Dutchman's breeches, trout lily, Jack-in-the Pulpit and jewelweed. The narrow gorge is approximately one-fourth mile in length and with astonishing suddenness gives way to the tremendous overhanging ledge and cave shelter.
The horseshoe-shaped cave is massive; measuring 700 feet from end to end, 100 feet deep from the rear cave wall to its front edge with the rim rising 90 feet high. A small tributary of the East Fork of Queer Creek cascades over the rim into a small plunge pool below. The cave was formed like the others in this region; the middle layer of the Blackhand has been weathered or eroded while the more resistant upper and lower zones have remained intact.
Ash Cave is named after the huge pile of ashes found under the shelter by early settlers. The largest pile was recorded as being 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The source of the ashes is unknown but is believed to be from Indian campfires built up over hundreds of years. One other belief is that the Indians were smelting silver or lead from the rocks. Still another theory claims that saltpeter was made in the cave. No matter the source, several thousand bushels of ashes were found. A test excavation of the ashes in 1877 revealed sticks, arrows, stalks of coarse grasses, animal bones in great variety, bits of pottery, flints and corn cobs.
It is obvious the cave was used for shelter by early inhabitants. The recess shelter also served as a workshop for Indians where maidens ground corn and prepared meals, and where braves fashioned arrow and spear points and skinned and dressed game. The cave provided a resting place for travelers along the main Indian trail which followed the valleys of Queer and Salt creeks. This trail connected the Shawnee villages and the Kanawha River region of West Virginia with their villages along the Scioto River at Chillicothe. The trail was used after the start of the frontier wars to march prisoners captured along the Ohio River to the Indian towns on the upper Scioto River. The old Indian trail is now State Route 56.
More recent uses of Ash Cave were for camp and township meetings. Pulpit Rock, the largest slump block at the cave's entrance served as the pulpit for Sunday worship service until a local church could be built. The cave lends itself well for large gatherings due to its enormous size and incredible acoustic qualities. In fact, two spots under the recess have the qualities of a "whispering gallery."
Picnic facilities are offered adjacent to the parking lot. The restrooms and trail leading to Ash Cave are wheelchair accessible.
Halloween Night Hike At Ash Cave Fri Oct 25 Join us at Ash Cave for a spooky lantern lit hike to Ash Cave. 7PM - 9PM Cost: Interest Tags: Outdoor Activity, Family Oriented, Special Interest, Wildlife, |


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Hello! Thank you for showing interest in the Gay/Lesbian Relationship Newsletter. This is a free weekly newsletter that updates you on new articles and content on the Gay/Lesbian Relationship site.
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There are a lot of misconceptions about the relationships of gay and lesbian women. This article includes some of the more common myths such as, being gay is a choice, its not natural, gay people cannot be monogamous, and much more.
Developing Your First Gay/Lesbian Relationship -
Discusses the difficult process of labeling or defining your own sexuality and then becoming involved in a gay relationship. Communicates the importance of self acceptance, being open and honest, and giving your relationship time to develop.
Coming Out -
One of the most difficult issues in a gay/lesbian persons life is admitting that they are gay to themselves and people around them. Navigating your way through the process can be overwhelming at times, and quite honestly doesn't turn out the way you might hope or expect it to. Everyone is different, and coming to terms with being gay may take someone as little as hours or days to accept, or as long as years and years to accept.
Starting a Family -
Gay/Lesbian options on starting a family have grown considerably over the years. There are many different choices to consider, not only of when and how to have a child, but also if it is the right decision for you and your partner, along with legal rights of gay parents.
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text:
Massive free time saver for changing or swapping fonts in a Revit project!
Unfortunately, its not quite 'everywhere' – Generic Annotations need to be manually fixed. You can copy a text type to a Generic Annotation by first placing an instance of that text type on a Sheet in the Project.
Download at:
Sofistik Bimtools 2015
Sofistik Bimtools 2016
Sofistik Bimtools 2017
But what about SecretInternal Types?
This tool created another annoying problem for me… it exposed a whole bunch of 'secret internal types' in Revit.
How do we solve the SecretInternalTypes?
Here is what it they look like, along with how to fix them by deleting selectively with Dynamo.
Fixing / removing SecretInternal arrowheads with Dynamo:
Fixing / removing SecretInternal Dimensions with Dynamo:
Removing the arrowheads resulted in a broken Elevation mark:
To fix this, I deleted the broken types and families (the Elevation Circle and Pointer) using the Project Browser, and then Transfer Project Standards – Elevation Types from a known good project.
So, now my fonts are changed and my SecretInternalTypes are fixed 🙂


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LaborNet was founded in 1991 to build a democratic communication network for the labour movement. LaborNet's directors believe that the new communication technology must be put to use to revitalise and rebuild the labour movement.
To that end it has established the first regular labour news web page in the United States of America. LaborNet has continued to work at building up its network, not only in the USA but internationally through the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and with other independent labour communicators on the internet.
Areas of expertise


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This is so cute Nina! I agree, these are a cute way to use up our scraps.
Studio Monday with Nina-Marie: Kindness Day Handmade Paper Ornament Gift Idea
Hello everyone! Did you know that today is World Kindness Day? This fun holiday is all about showing kindness to others; as crafters, we can use our love of creating to spread some HANDMADE kindness to those around us.
I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to share an ornament idea with you using an adorable Plush Die from Simon Says Stamp. Today I've used the Plush Deer set, but there are many other stitching dies that you could use for today's project as well if you do not have this one.
Check out all of the fun stitching and plush dies we carry at Simon Says Stamp by clicking HERE. All of these dies could be turned into ornaments in the same way I did on these festive reindeer.
While these plush dies are most often featured with felt, you can also use them with paper and cardstock! These are also great projects to use up scraps with (I know we all have lots of scraps laying around!).
For some pattern and interest, I also enjoy throwing in a bit of patterned paper here and there too. You'll notice that the scarves on each of my reindeer are created with scraps of paper from one of my favorite Christmas pattern paper collection, Deck the Halls by Echo Park.
To stitch these ornaments together, I used Iris embroidery floss and a needle. When selecting floss, I picked colors that were slightly darker than the color of paper it would be sewn onto. I like having the contrast of the floss on the paper when using slightly darker shades.
Little details also make a big difference on your projects; on the face of the deer, I added Nuvo Drops on the deer's nose, as well as his eyes. His cheeks have some rosiness that I used a Copic marker to color.
These ornaments are perfect for giving to friends and family over the holidays! I plan on making a couple more of these reindeer and giving them to all the girls that work at my favorite coffee shop in town! If you make some ornaments like this, who would you give them to?
Be sure to watch the video below to see how I made the ornaments; I hope you will be trying this gift-idea out!
Don't forget to do something special for someone you know in celebration of World Kindness Day… make a card, bake a treat or do something unexpected! Random acts of kindness help make the world a better place!
Blog Candy Alert!! Follow our blog via email and comment on this post for a chance to win grab bags and blog candy! Remember to tag your awesome projects with #simonsaysstamp on social media so we can see what you are creating!
I don't know if I'd have the patience for this, but it's absolutely adorable!
Wow! This is just brilliant!
Such cute ornaments and so cleverly done. tfs
Adorable reindeer
ornaments! Would
be fun to give.
Carla from Utah -
wow these ornaments are so adorable – my children will love to make these lol!!!
Those deer ornaments are so cute. Thanks for sharing.
I love this stitched reindeer!
people are too selfish for wkd in my city, only today I got run off the road twice by selfish youth that feel like giving way is not meant for them! love your ornaments
Cute ornaments!
Great idea! Wish I could make them!
Soooo cute!! I make ornaments for my nieces & nephews every day. This is a cute idea.
Really like the deer…but I'm saving my pennies to buy a penguin die! Thanks for showing us the paper…was afraid I'd have to use felt!
These are really cute and would be a great addition to parcels you have to post away that fluffy bows wouldn't be feasible on. Great idea Nina.
Cute ornament! Love how you created the scarf on him!
These look fun to put together!
This is a really sweet idea! Thanks for the inspiration!!
Just adorable !
I would love to make this paper reindeer ornament and put them on packages as decorations.
These could be put on the front of a card with a dot of repositionable adhesive then used to decorate the recipients Christmas tree :) -
In love! U can give out TONS of these
Super adorable reindeer. Love it.
Such an adorable deer!!
Everyday is really share kindness day, but today is really a reminder to those that sometimes forget to be nice. Your December kit is wonderful with all of its fun candy colors on the paper and embellishments. Thank you for sharing!
The deer ornament is just darling! What a great idea.
Such a cute project! These would be great to put on my nieces and nephews Christmas gifts!
What a great idea, to make ornaments using the dies! So cute!
Very cute!!
Adorable reindeer ornaments. I could make these for the twins' Head Start teachers. That would be so cute!
Sweet baby deer xx
I happened upon this on YouTube yesterday. The reindeer are so cute. I know the coffee ladies will enjoy getting them. Good idea, Nina!
So SUPER cute!!
Love these ornaments
Such a cute clever idea
I got interupted and don't know it I got a chance to tell you I think these are over-the-top cute! Would be great on packages!
Very adorable tags these dies make it so easy to create a great ornament
Very adorable ornaments! I have some plush dies I'm hoping to do for Christmas this year! Thanks for sharing!!
super cute
Now that is way cute!
very cute project, love it!
Oh my ! Nobody could resist such adorable ornaments !!
So, So, cute and great video. Thanks for sharing.
Linda D.


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My first Alberta projections, ever. I was fortunate enough not to make a call in 2012. I say fortunate because we all remember how wrong the polls were. And this is very much the elephant in the room this year with the crazy polls showing the PC third and the NDP (the NDP!) first: will the polls be wrong again?
Throughout the 2012 campaign, the Wildrose was ahead by a good margin and was heading to a majority government. But on election day, the PC somehow managed to not only win, but did so comfortably. To this day, the 2012 Alberta election remains one of the most blatant example of polls getting it completely wrong. And we still don't really know what happened. The consensus (cop out, depending on your point of view) is a late swing from the Wildrose to the PC. And by late, I mean really late, like 5-minutes-before-voting kind of late. All these conjectures are mostly based on two things: 1) polling firms can be really stubborn and will refuse to acknowledge any wrong doing (some like Ekos will openly admit they were wrong but they are the exception). So they weren't "wrong", people changed their mind. 2) A late poll by Forum that had a late momentum for the PC and a decline of the Wildrose. Except that Forum, while a good firm in general, does tend to have a lot of variations between its polls and I'm not convinced the last poll was really picking up a trend.
Anyway, the 2015 has been even crazier than the 2012 one. Polls show a NDP surge with the incumbent PC in free fall (the type of swings you only see in Quebec). The Wildrose is right there (despite having lost its leaders and many Mps as recently as December) while the Liberals are, for all intents and purposes, non-existant. Except that obviously I wouldn't blame you if you don't believe these numbers. Beyond the fact that polls have been quite wrong at times (Alberta, BC and Qc 2012), we haven't had that many polls in Alberta. And most are from firms that aren't very well known. You have Mainstreet Technologies that uses the cheap IVR technology and has been polling quite a lot. But they have more than 20% of undecided. We only got one Forum poll in the last 2 weeks and there is this "firm", called 1abvote, that uses Google Survey to measure voting intentions. If that sounds BS to you, they at least provide at lot of details and information. And such a methodology has done quite well in the US presidential election in 2012. Still, it'd be nice to have polls conducted by Angus-Reid, Léger, Ipsos or Ekos. I guess it'll happen towards the very end of this election.
For my projections, I modify the polls slightly. In particular, I don't allocate the undecided proportionally. I think this method tends to overestimate smaller parties. And in the case of Alberta, past elections show that polls have a tendency to underestimate the PC (and not only in 2012). So I decided to allocate more of these undecided to the PC (you can also see that as an incumbency effect). The result is a relatively close race in terms of votes with the NDP ahead by about 6 points. Now, such a lead is significant and in normal times, there shouldn't be much uncertainty. Except that I've learned to be a lot more careful with these numbers. In terms of seats, the NDP is also ahead while the Wildrose is second. It seems vote efficiency isn't the strong suit of the PC, at least not when this party is so low. Notice however that in the Mainstreet polls, the Wildrose has been first, not the NDP. But this one had a really big lead in the one Forum poll. Again, more polls from more firms would be welcome.
Voting intentions; Seat projections with 95% confidence intervals; Chances of winning the most seats |
The riding by riding projections are here, along with probabilities of winning in every riding. Remember that the probabilities are estimated through the use of 5000 simulations that account for the uncertainty of the polls as well as of the distribution of the vote/electoral system. Given the high level of uncertainty for this election, I'd recommend looking at the confidence intervals and/or probabilities more than the actual numbers.
The NDP will clean the house in Edmonton but most polls show that the Wildrose is ahead in the rest of Alberta. A majority is also currently unlikely (62% chances of a minority). While the PC is still in the race, its chances are low and a majority seems out of reach.
I don't follow Alberta politics as closely as the federal or Quebec ones, so I have to openly admit that it's hard for me to judge whether these numbers will hold or not (as opposed to 2011 for instance where I was fairly confident that the NDP surge in Quebec was real). I also spent less time building the model than usual. So please remember that when reading these projections or using the simulator.
I'll post final projections before the election. In the mean time, just use the simulator if you see new polls or numbers.


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Mike and Rob finally have the discussion they've been waiting over a year to have, about spoilers in media. Our duo take a little time to talk about how they each feel about spoilers, their pros and cons, and finally their thoughts on the 2016 film Arrival.
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