text:
Postcards for Neoteny
28 postcards images hand bound. Nakamura is a third-generation Asian-American who wears his black hair long and calls Santa Fe, New Mexico home, Joel Nakamura is frequently stopped on the street by tourists and asked what pueblo he's from. When he answers with a straight face, "The Sukiyaki Pueblo," more often than not they don't get it. Instead, they politely ask him if they can take his picture. While at first blush this anecdote may seem humorously absurd, there could be something more to it than a case of mistaken cultural identity. Joel is an artist whose work draws heavily on the cultural and spiritual expressions of primitive tribes. His style is reminiscent of Aboriginal bark paintings and Maori tattoo designs. Indeed, a good case could be made that Joel Nakamura is the lone member of a Tribe of One. Ne-ot-e-ny: (3.) the retention of juvenile characteristics in the adults of a species.
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'''Sir William [=McCordle=]''' (Creator/MichaelGambon): The rich asshole who gets murdered. We don't blame whoever did it. Husband to Lady Silvia.
'''Constance, Countess of Trentham''' (Creator/MaggieSmith): A snobby, useless old lady who is at least partially financially reliant on Sir William. She attends the hunting weekend because she worries that Sir William is going to cut off her allowance, but he is murdered before that happens.
'''Lady Sylvia [=McCordle=]''' (Kristin Scott Thomas): Sir William's wife. Very haughty and icy, even to her own daughter. Became married to Sir William by "cutting cards" with her sister Louisa for the right to marry him. It becomes very obvious that they weren't meant for each other. Ends up owning Gosford Park.
'''Isobel [=McCordle=]''' (Camilla Rutherford): Daughter of Lady Sylvia and Sir William. Apparently has "done something" with Mr Nesbitt. Gigglesome friends with her maid, Elsie.
'''Lady Lavinia Meredith''' (Natasha Wightman): Wife to Commander Meredith and sister to Louisa and Lady Sylvia.
'''Lieutenant-Commander Anthony Meredith''' (Tom Hollander): Husband to Lady Lavinia. Is in financial ruin, and hopes to save himself through encouraging Sir William's investment in his Army supply business, an arrangement Sir William [[spoiler:wants to back out of]]. Is responsible for [[spoiler:a graze shot at Sir William the day of the hunting trip.]]
'''Louisa, Lady Stockbridge''' (Geraldine Somerville): Wife to Lord Stockbridge and sister to Sylvia and Lavinia. Lost the privilege to marry Sir William to Sylvia, but it's pretty obvious that [[spoiler:they're having an affair]].
'''Raymond, Lord Stockbridge''' (Creator/CharlesDance): Louisa's hard of hearing husband. Sylvia makes a few passes at him, but he's too indifferent to her to accept.
'''The Hon. Freddie Nesbitt''' (James Wilby): Husband to Mabel. Married her for her father's money. It's all gone now, and he clearly despises his wife. More than likely has had some "thing" with Isobel.
'''Mabel Nesbitt''' (Claudie Blakely): Wife to Mr. Nesbitt. Comes from a working class family, so the aristocrats hate her.
'''Lord Rupert Standish''' (Laurence Fox): Has no relation to anyone here. Was apparently invited to court Isobel, but Isobel breaks it off after over-hearing Mr. Blond say to Lord Rupert that [[spoiler:he can do better than Isobel, because it would be too long to get his hands on the [=McCordle=] money, now belonging to Sylvia.]]
'''Jeremy Blond''' (Trent Ford): Friend of Lord Rupert Standish. [[spoiler:Is discovered by Mary having sex with Bertha in the scullery]].
'''Ivor Novello''' (Jeremy Northam): An actor who arrives with Weissman and Denton. He takes it upon himself to entertain the rest of the guests by playing the piano and singing in the drawing room after dinner.
'''Morris Weissman''' (Bob Balaban): A Hollywood producer researching British contry living for his new film, which is also a whodunnit set in a large country house.
'''Jennings''' (Alan Bates): Sir William's butler. Was a UsefulNotes/WW1 deserter and conscientious objector. [[spoiler:Is an alcoholic.]]
'''Robert Parks''' (Creator/CliveOwen): Lord Stockbridge's valet. Raised in an orphanage outside of London. [[spoiler:Is the illegitimate child of Sir William and Mrs Wilson. Takes the opportunity to stab Sir William, but isn't actually the murderer, if you can get your head around that]].
'''Mrs. Elizabeth Croft''' (Eileen Atkins): Gosford Park Head Cook. Bitter rivals with Mrs. Wilson [[spoiler:and is also her sister. She had an affair with Sir William when she was young and working in his factory, along with her sister. She became pregnant but the baby died in infancy. Mrs. Wilson gave Parks up, which is the source of the tension between her and Mrs. Croft.]].
'''Henry Denton''' (Creator/RyanPhillippe): [[spoiler:An actor posing somewhat unconvincingly as]] the manservant to Mr Weissman [[spoiler:in order to research a role. Becomes the servants' ButtMonkey upon revealing his identity]]. Sleeps with Lady Sylvia, though she loses interest when he [[spoiler:reveals himself as an 'upstairs']], and is likely sleeping with Weissman too.
'''Elsie''' (Creator/EmilyWatson): Head housemaid. [[spoiler:Is one of Sir William's lovers, an indiscretion she lets slip while waiting table at dinner one night]]. Friends with Isobel.
'''George''' (Creator/RichardEGrant): A footman. [[DeadpanSnarker Snide and somewhat sleazy.]] Accidentally-on-purpose spills hot coffee on Denton as part of Denton [[spoiler:becoming the ButtMonkey]].
'''Mrs. Wilson''' (Creator/HelenMirren): Gosford Park Housekeeper. [[spoiler:Murders Sir William. She realises that Parks had discovered Sir William was his father, and that he probably wanted to kill him. So she poisons Sir William first, thereby stopping Parks from committing murder - you can't murder a corpse]].
'''Probert''' (Creator/DerekJacobi): Sir William's valet. Is devastated by his master's death.
'''Miss Mary Maceachren''' (Creator/KellyMacdonald): Lady Constance's NaiveNewcomer ladies-maid. Is, arguably, the main character and acts as AudienceSurrogate. [[spoiler:Finds out both Parks and Mrs. Wilson]]. Is also Lady Constance's gossip collector.
'''Dorothy''' (Sophie Thompson): Gosford Park still-room maid. Is clearly in love with Jennings.
'''Lewis''' (Meg Wynn Owen): Lady Sylvia's lady's-maid. So loyal it's annoying.
'''Arthur''' (Jeremy Swift): Another footman. Implied homosexual. Probably for this reason, he really wants to be chosen to dress Mr Novello. Or he might just be a very big fan.
'''Barnes''' (Adrian Scarborough): Commander Meredith's valet. Overhears Commander Meredith saying that he was glad that Sir William died because his investment in now secure. He then proceeds to rat him out.
'''Bertha''' (Teresa Churcher): A kitchen maid.
[[folder:Other People]]
'''Inspector Thompson''' (Creator/StephenFry): The bumbling detective who comes to investigate the murder. [[spoiler:Discounts the possibility that anyone below stairs may be the murderer: he's interested only in those upstairs as they might "have a real connection" with the victim.]]
'''Constable Dexter''' (Ron Webster): Assistant to Thompson. Clearly [[HypercompetentSidekick much more competent.]] It's a wonder why he's not the Inspector.
* Except it isn't, because the Constable is working-class and the Inspector is rather more middle-class.
'''Pip''' (Kiki - Griffon Bruxellois): Sir William's lap dog. Sir William obviously loves the dog above anyone else in his family [[spoiler: except Lady Stockbridge]]. The dog is the unwitting bane of the servants and Lady Sylvia hates it. [[spoiler: Elsie ends up keeping it.]]

subset: commoncrawl


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Little Bites 12
When I told the ChickieNob about the butter situation in Norway, she was absolutely horrified. 4 sticks of butter cost about $26 US (though Colbert reported $740 per box). She immediately wanted to send the good people of Norway our butter, which I explained probably would go rancid on the way over. And beyond that, we would be sending the butter blindly to a random address, and Mr. Pedersen at Ullevålsveien 1 in Oslo may not be appreciative to receive a random package of rancid butter regardless of our intentions.
Then she had the brilliant plan to make the good people of Norway brownies since they will not be able to afford the butter to make the brownies, and brownies ship better than butter. Again, I told her that while this was a great idea in theory, Mrs. Eriksen of Tøyengata 51 may be a little scared to eat brownies sent by a strange American child who was heartbroken over the idea of her butter difficulties.
The ChickieNob is still at the drawing board, trying to solve Norway's butter crisis.
Fugazi is releasing all the old tapes they made at their shows and placing them up for sale on the Dischord website. The problem is that I can't remember which shows I was at (though including the location is helping somewhat — I totally remember being at Sacred Heart) and then there is the other fact that I prefer to have the original recordings (okay, so I moved from vinyl to CDs to now digital copies at some point) vs. the show versions. But still, it was fun to peruse the archives. I couldn't help but notice that they recently uploaded a concert from Oslo, Norway. Not that punk rock has anything to do with butter. Mostly.
A few months ago, I was standing in the kitchen, cooking brunch, when the ChickieNob opened the door to let in her friend. I heard her say sympathetically, "I see that you now have a vision problem" and in my head, I immediately imagined that her friend, L, was sporting an eye-patch like a pirate.
But no, her friend, L, was merely sporting a pair of enormous reading glasses with the lens popped out. Her mother followed her into the kitchen and explained that this was a new look she was trying out, a look that was enormously appealing to the twins. They also wanted us to destroy two pairs of old glasses so they could walk around in enormous spectacles sans lens. So for a few months now, they have been wearing glasses with the lens popped out, sometimes out of the house, but usually while they're playing. The ChickieNob especially enjoys wearing them while she's reading.
Until last week when they wanted to wear them to school for the first time. I was (1) worried that the other kids would make fun of them and (2) worried that the glasses would be disruptive, but I let them walk out the door with them because it wasn't a fight worth having. I totally forgot that I let them wear them to school so when I popped into their classroom later in the afternoon, my first thought was, "what the hell is on my child's face."
The glasses-to-school thing was a one time deal because while the kids did not make fun of them and they were not disruptive, the other kids did decide that it would be a great idea to poke their fingers through the empty lens slot and touch their eyes. So they're back in our spectacles case.
The kids learned how to make a gingerbread house this year. They made it with a nasty milk carton as the central support, covering the waxy cardboard with icing and attaching graham crackers to make the walls. Needless to say, I offered them many things to dispose of said gingerbread house without consuming it. They agreed to do so if I would let them make what Josh has dubbed a "Chanukkah Hut": a house made out of brownies (that are attached together with nutella mortar) and decorated with blue and white candy. Delicious.
The Wolvog lost another tooth. Rather than go through this again, I wrote the word "TOOTH" in all caps on a post-it note, and then placed my ring and thumb drive on top of it so I would not be able to get through the evening without looking at the post-it note again.
I thoroughly enjoy some of my spam comments. I mean, beyond the strange gibberish ones or the Viagra ones. Some of my recent favourites:
- "I'd actually rather pee on the golf club but yeah, I agree with you, George." — left with a link to an engagement ring site.
- "Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else." — left with a link to a loan payoff site.
With some extra googling, I found the first one originally as a comment on a golf site, and the second is a quote by Lyndon B. Johnson. I guess my question is why spammers utilize urine in so many of their fake comments.
What has been your favourite piece of spam lately — blogwise or emailwise?
17 comments
- 1 Magpie { 12.22.11 at 8:03 am }
I promise this is not a spam link: http://murrbrewster.blogspot.com/2011/12/calling-on-butter-fairy.html
- 2 Chickenpig { 12.22.11 at 8:44 am }
No spam here. But I am thinking that if you sent butter in one of those insulated envelopes we get IF meds in with an ice pack it wouldn't go rancid. Butter and cheese are actually ways of preserving milk, and butter can go a while w/o going rancid during cooler months. You can actually keep butter in a butter keeper on your counter for weeks. (a butter keeper is a small ceramic crock that is soaked in water. It keeps butter quite cold). It still doesn't get around the fact that sending butter to random strangers probably isn't the best idea 🙂
- 3 Katie { 12.22.11 at 8:48 am }
Best spam comment this week: "Why are you choosing to buy a baby? You sound awfully entitled to BUY someone else's BABY."
Good to know. 🙂
- 4 HereWeGoAJen { 12.22.11 at 8:49 am }
I used to go to school with someone from Norway. You know, something like 23 years ago. Her name was Tiina. Maybe the ChickieNob can try her, if she gets desperate to mail something made of butter. Or you know, the ChickieNob is welcome to mail baked goods to me and I will be delighted to forward them to Norway for her. I wouldn't eat them all myself at all, I promise.
I had to stop reading all my spam comments, since I started getting too many and it was taking too much time. I have to hit delete all now and it KILLS me because what if there is a real comment in there by mistake? I'm sorry, real comment! GAH. But my favorites were the ones that were insulting about my writing. They'd say something like "this could have been a great article if you had fleshed it out a bit more." I always wondered what they thought they were going to accomplish by insulting me.
- 5 a { 12.22.11 at 8:51 am }
If only I had the Chickienob's contact info…I could introduce her to the concepts of styrofoam, dry ice, and expedited shipping. Then she could start a black market in butter. She could make millions…if only the Europeans didn't consider our butter inferior. But hey! All those hormones and antibiotics ensure a constant milk supply!
I never get any interesting spam, but I am certainly not complaining.
I had a friend in college who would wear glasses with no prescription to make herself "look smarter." I never understood the concept…probably because I've had and hated my glasses since I was 13.
- 6 Gail { 12.22.11 at 9:04 am }
The Chanukkah Hut sounds fantastic! Yum!!
Lately, my spam has been all in Russian or Japanese so I have no idea what it is saying. I even have my filter set to immediately send all non-English messages straight to the spam folder, but somehow my phone never got the same message and they pop up randomly and have to be erased. Grrrr….
- 7 Meghan { 12.22.11 at 9:07 am }
A hut made out of brownies and nutella sounds amazing!!
And the glasses thing reminds me of my husband at that age. Apparently in 1st grade a girl he had a crush on got glasses so he started pretending to not be able to see so he could get them too. My mil actually took him to the eye doctor!
Happy Hanukkah to you and the family!
- 8 Caitlin { 12.22.11 at 10:02 am }
L. is wearing her glasses right now and reading over my shoulder. She's tickled to be reading about herself!
- 9 KnottedFingers { 12.22.11 at 10:09 am }
Chickienob is so sweet to want to send everyone butter <3
As for spam! I won the Irish Lotto!! AGAIN!!! Even though I've never played LOL
- 10 Elizabeth { 12.22.11 at 10:53 am }
I am drooling over the idea of Chanukka huts…. mmmm…
- 11 Jendeis { 12.22.11 at 11:14 am }
Hanukkah Huts! In other news, I've decided we must make a fingerboard dessert. Maybe it could be siding on a Hanukkah Hut? 🙂
- 12 Eggs In A Row { 12.22.11 at 11:24 am }
Dear ChickieNob, Please do not even FAKE needing glasses. I know a girl (totally not me) who faked a bad eye exam in kindergarten so that she could get glasses, and now has the worst vision of all time. If only I…I mean, she…knew what karma was.
Hanukkah huts will now become part of our traditions. Thank you.
My best spam? "Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive!" which is so random because we all know Notorious BIG was.
- 13 Rachel { 12.22.11 at 12:16 pm }
I got a spam email today with this in the subject line:
"You've been invited to hook up for sex."
I didn't even open it. But I did laugh out loud. I also got a spam about the dryer i recently purchased at amazon. Except, I didn't. Weird.
- 14 Queenie { 12.22.11 at 3:55 pm }
I got the "you've been invited to hook up for sex" spam, too! Repeatedly!
Not that anyone asked, but I think European butter sucks. It doesn't taste as good. It's not as buttery. I want butter that tastes like butter!
- 15 Sushigirl { 12.22.11 at 5:53 pm }
If I was a Norwegian I'd be far more worried about the price of beer. A night out over there costs a fortune.
- 16 Emily { 12.22.11 at 11:53 pm }
Awww…Chickienob is such a sweetie. Let her know my family over there would love to get butter from her! They aren't making much of our traditional Christmas desserts this year.
I just got my firs spam this week. Unfortunately it was just for viagra.
Happy Chanukkah!
- 17 Bea { 12.30.11 at 1:42 am }
You get great spam. Urine obviously hits the mark between not being too gross to turn people off but at the same time gross enough to catch their attention. Or something. A psychologist should write a paper.
I hope the Chickienob keeps thinking about that butter problem. Maybe she could raise money and send it to a Norwegian organisation for those with low disposable incomes? And then people can choose, according to their own system of values, whether or not to prioritise butter over other items they may be struggling to afford, like, say, cheese. (Forgive me for getting a touch bleeding-heart libertarian on her, I like to grasp my opportunities.)
Maybe you could also point out the various political and economic policies which have led to the butter crisis and have a short discussion on the various pros and cons of these approaches. Whilst costly butter is a downside, there are some upsides also, it must be admitted. Then you could either finish up with a thorough explanation of the nutritional value and documented health risks associated with butter (at least in excess) and a mini dissertation on the merits and drawbacks of various butter alternatives, or you could turn her attention to actually starving kids in, say, Africa, who not only lack butter, but also most other things, and see what she thinks she can do about that.
Seriously. I would like to hear her thoughts. Give her my email address if need be.
Anyway. The important thing is that she is thinking about various solutions to the problem and I absolutely encourage that, even if she doesn't find a good one in this specific instance.
PB just learnt this week about kids in the world who don't have enough to eat. Food is important to him and it made a big impression, but so far he has been unable to propose any solutions.


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What You'll Need
- Tracing paper
- Black card stock
- Terrifically Tacky Tape: 1 sheet and 1/4-inch-wide strip-style
- Scissors
- Acrylic rhinestones: 4x7mm marquise shape
- Fine glitter: black
- Black chenille stems, cut to 6-inch lengths
- Pencils
continue reading below
How to Make It
- Trace the cat pattern onto tracing paper; cut out. For each topper transfer the pattern twice onto card stock to make a cat front and cat back.
- Remove the protective film from one side of the sheet tape and press the tape onto the blank side of the card stock. Cut out two cats.
- For the cat front, remove the protective film and press rhinestones onto the face as eyes. Pour glitter onto the adhesive, covering the cat with sparkles. Tap off excess glitter. Repeat for the back, eliminating the eyes.
- Cut small pieces of 1/4-inch strip tape and press the adhesive side onto the wrong side of the back at the neck, head, and sides. Remove the film from the tape at the neck and head; press the front and back together, matching the shapes.
- Insert the eraser end of the pencil between the two body halves. Carefully remove the film from the tape and press the two bodies together. Use a short piece of strip tape to hold the chenille-stem tail to the bottom of the cat back, positioning the tail to the bottom of the cat back, positioning the tail so it points up.
- Remove the film from the tape; sprinkle glitter over it. Wrap the end of the tail around the pencil.


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A Novel Quilt Retreat
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From the beginning, Richard Norton Smith has said the dedication events for the Dole Institute of Politics would focus on veterans of the World War II generation.
But there's no doubt a handful of big-name celebrities will be the focus of attention for many who attend the dedication events.
"To me, it's all pieces of a puzzle," Smith said. "It's a celebration that's grounded in gratitude to the 'Greatest Generation.'" Naturally, Smith said, such an event would attract people of national prominence. "I see them complementing one another."
In addition to former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and his wife, current Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., celebrities include former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, NBC's Tom Brokaw and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Others scheduled to attend include former U.S. Sen. and presidential nominee George McGovern; Dole's 1996 vice presidential running mate, Jack Kemp; former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum-Baker; Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser; and the entire Kansas congressional delegation.
"The spectacle and drama of the dedication is really a tribute to Sen. Robert Dole, and in some ways a recognition of Sen. Elizabeth Dole," Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway said. "There are some powerful concepts at work here, a recognition of public service as part of a university learning experience. It doesn't surprise me powerful figures like Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Rudy Giuliani and Tom Brokaw want to participate. Their presence makes a statement about what we can do on a national scale."
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Motorcycle Forum (http://www.motorcycle.com/forum/)
- Motorcycle General Discussion (http://www.motorcycle.com/forum/motorcycle-general-discussion/)
- - Motorcycle Beginner: I Want to Ride (http://www.motorcycle.com/forum/motorcycle-general-discussion/18492-motorcycle-beginner-i-want-ride.html)
Motorcycle Beginner: I Want to Ride
Original Article:
Motorcycle Beginner: I Want to Ride
Please discuss the Motorcycle.com article Motorcycle Beginner: I Want to Ride in our Motorcycle Forums below. Use the reply button to let others know your comments or feedback on the article. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, along with your thoughts and personal opinions on the bikes and products we have tested.
Take the class.
Start small.
All things the users here have advocated for a LONG time.
Do we get any credit in the articles ??? ;-)
This is perfect for where I'm at in my motorcycling journey. I remember just a couple of weeks ago renewing my permit after originally getting one nearly 6 years ago.
I recently took a course similar to the msf and passed. Great feeling although the first day is by far the hardest. I remember halfway through some of the beginner exercises lacking confidence, at times gunning the throttle, overall riding pretty shaky thinking all my obsession over motorcycles would be for nothing if I couldn't ride one.
Now I'm buying all the gear I can afford and shopping insurance rates and scouring the Craigslist ads.
The how i got into riding section was pretty interesting as well, to anyone that learned this way and survived to tell about......my props go to you.
New riders truly do have it good now a days.....
This should be a good read.
My 2 cents -- do some time on a dirt bike in the dirt. Learning how to control the bike, and understanding that a slide isn't fatal (to staying upright), makes riding streets much safer. Knowck on wood, but I've done a fair bit of sliding of the front and rear on the street, and I've never gone down (yet). I think my dirt experience has saved me so far.
Great Read!
Great read. Can't wait for part 2!
Good article & looking 4ward to pt2!
I notice you seem to be studiously avoiding including Suzuki's TU250X in your beginner bike/entry level discussions. Is there a reason for that? Especially since you did such a glowing review of it awhile back in one of your 10 Best articles.
For the folks posting messages here, I think it is just an oversight because I think it is a fine little bike, as was the GZ 250.
If your question was aimed at the owners of the forum......I can't speak for them.
|All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:14 PM.


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Giant sponge-filled syringe for plugging shotgun wounds
Every Friday evening I pass a sign that says "Cat Hospital" and think to myself, "Self, that is a thing that should not need to exist." This invention falls into that same category for me.
It is actually not for shotgun wounds per se as those are a pellet based round with a very small hole.. These are for more large caliber rifles/handguns.. which usually make a small enter and large exit wound..
It is only a matter of time before these darn kids will be using this to shoot smarties dust up their noses.
Seriously though, this looks like a pretty useful invention, if it works as designed.
Can I order one of these to have around, well, you know... Just in case?
Cut out the middle man and load a shotgun cartridge with sterile hemostatic laced sponge pellets in place of the buckshot
I think you could probably roll your own with a Nerf gun and some quantity of OB tampons...
A close range shotgun wound does not make small holes.
My first thought: how long before a kid gets a hold of a bunch of those pill-looking sponges, swallows them, and seals off his or her own airway?
Thank... you! I sense a need for these in Badass Dragons of the Wasteland.
Also, I love the new word you've helped me acquire: "radiopaque."
This was an inappropriately happy-making post for me.
Alternatively, Super Absorbent for those Super Heavy Days
ducks and runs...
Oh, hardy har har.
Now we're gonna giggle at yer ears.
By the size of hole in the photo, it would work with 12 gauge slugs, which cops do use along with buck shot.
The article says "gunshot wounds" not "shotgun wounds." So probably it's just a typo.
At first glance, I automatically figured that this would be a thing that would be confiscated by the TSA.
Of course it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a giant sponge-filled syringe... always use the indefinite article. A giant sponge-filled syringe, never your giant sponge-filled syringe.
I wondered what made it specific to shotgun wounds, so I read the source article.
Jesus jumped-up Christ, Cory, you cannot possibly think that "shotgun" and "gunshot" are the same thing. I have read your fiction and I refuse to believe that you are that clueless. What the hell?
So, no, this is not for "shotgun wounds" in particular. The MedGadget article says it's for gunshot wounds in general; the manufacturer's page doesn't even commit that far, saying it's for "the control of severe bleeding from pelvis or shoulder wounds not amenable to tourniquet application."
If your kid is in the habit of swallowing double handfuls of random pills, I think you've got bigger problems.
Evolution in action.
These are swallowable by a curious kid as well. Better keep them out of households with children.


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Girl's Garments
Garments in girl sizes.
See individual patterns for full details of sizing and yarn requirements.
Some designs are also available as part of an ebook, please click through to the pattern page for full details.
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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Show All Answers
You can download an application form, instructions for filing, or a materials checklist below or you may pick up the materials at in the Community Development Department at City Hall (Room 200). After completing the form and adding your descriptive materials, you may mail or drop off your application. The application fee is $15.00 and it is an additional $15 if you wish to apply for a Paint and Repair Grant.
Applications are due 10 days prior to the meeting date.
These grant awards are matching grants, meaning no grant may exceed 50% of the project costs. Grants are paid only after the work is completed. Once your project is complete, submit receipts and paid invoices to the Community Development Department for reimbursement. Property owners may receive up to two (2) Paint and Repair Grants within a 5 year period. In addition, landmark properties, properties in historic districts, or properties that are on the National Register of Historic Places are eligible for federal and state tax credits. For more information on tax credits, please visit the Wisconsin Historical Society website. Please be aware that the State must review all plans for any project you plan on applying for tax credits for. Wisconsin Historical Society website
The Chair of the Commission will announce your item and City Staff will present your proposal to the Landmarks Commission. After the proposal the Chair will open the floor to the applicant and the public. At this time you are given the opportunity to explain why you believe that the application should be approved. The public may also comment on the proposed work. The applicant and the public may also submit written statements before the hearing.
Usually the Commissioners will make a decision on a COA application based on "presentation" or "design development" drawings of a proposed project. After the Commissioners vote to approve an application, the applicant may be required to submit construction drawings in order for the approval to become final. The actual COA permit is not issued until the staff has reviewed the final construction drawings to make sure that the final plans are consistent with the proposal approved by the Commissioners.


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A Meaningful Farewell
After six years with Riverside National Cemetery, Bennie Mann has served families of Veterans under the most heartbreaking circumstances—at the burials of fallen soldiers.
Bennie, who builds his work duties around the daily needs of the Cemetery, makes every effort to help loved ones get the closure they need.
"Some days they need me to prepare burial sites, other days I may help with cremations family requested or be a witness to ceremonies," Bennie said. "I do whatever needs to be done."
While assisting a burial on a rainy February day, Bennie asked a grieving widow if she would like to lay her husband's urn in the burial site. She nodded, but the muddy conditions made it impossible for her to approach the grave.
Bennie removed his jacket and placed it in the mud in front of the grave site. The widow was able to kneel down and lay her husband to rest. "We've got the wife of a Veteran trying to say goodbye," Bennie said. "It was just an instinct. I don't care about some mud."
His action shows that I CARE, the five Core Values (Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence) that define Veterans Affairs' culture, is a big part of the culture at Riverside National Cemetery.
"At Riverside National Cemetery, we are always going to take the best care of our Veterans. The Core Values inspire my coworkers to treat our Veterans with the respect they deserve. I'm just doing my part."
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Programme Development
Programme Development Advisors are available to assist you in the development of new or existing programmes. In addition to this there is a range of writing services available at OCN Credit4Learning from short courses through to whole programmes.
We can write your existing training material into 'panel ready' design allowing you to be confident that the programmes you present at our Recognition Panels will meet the quality assurance standards necessary for accreditation.
By utilising our Programme Development and/or consultancy advice it is also possible to have initial programme ideas fully designed and written for you.
We also offer a number of programmes which are already fully developed and validated in a variety of sector specialisms.
This is an exciting and dynamic aspect of the organisation and you will find new sample courses are added continuously in line with demand.


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It is not possible to complete animation production successfully without the use of storyboard. It is known as a staple of animation. They have been around for many years since the inception of Disney films. Nowadays, there are important tools in virtually any animation company. They are an indispensable tool that enable creators to make the storyline, choose production details, the sequence of events, save money, and time. Following are some ways in which animatics and storyboards that contribute to the success of animation production.
They allow animators to determine the way they want the scene to be produced. This enables companies to save money by choosing shots that are cost effective. They save producers from production processes that are time-consuming such as tweaking, re-animating, and time-consuming.
When the storyboard is finalized, the production processes become quite simpler. Camera distances and angles, timelines, character movements, are clearly established on the storyboard. This makes production quite quickly as frequent corrections, and changes do not hold you. The improved speed and detailed guidance at which the storyboards lend to the production process is indispensable. You will animate your project with economy and speed.
Storyboards are series of sketches, which outline every scene in animated projects. They provide information that the objects and characters populate the scene. Animatics are storyboards, which have been added pieces of movement, sound, and animation to indicate the looks of the final product.
You should note that storyboards present details of every scene visually. They are very valuable tools that facilitate brainstorming creativity. Animators use snowboards coming to life. You can easily identify ways you can use to improve the development of scenes and storyline. They allow professional animators to test various iterations of animation. This is necessary before producing finished projects. They provide 2D animation studio freedom to change scenes and develop. Therefore, you can try some new ideas. Such freedom results in very high-quality and innovatively crafted animations, which would otherwise seem to be impossible.
Storyboards are known to save money and time. As much as they foster creativity, they can serve a practical purpose for the 2D animation firms. Initial, it can appear that creating storyboards consume a lot of money and time. However, you should ensure that they are created with talent and time, which could be spent in producing final products. However, there are reasons that make storyboards financially viable option.


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Empirical and Theology are unlikely partners. Empirical refers to that which is verifiable through observation. Theology (at least in the more conservative traditions) is rooted in revelation and textual studies. In Practical Theology, Mark Cartledge demonstrates how these two ideas play well together in a Charismatic milieu.
Practical Theology is written in two parts. In the first three chapters, Cartledge explains his methodology along with a variety of research methods that suit. Particularly enlightening is the way he weaves contemporary philosophy and charismatic scholarship together to define truth.
The chapters in the second half of Practical Theology illustrate the methodology of the first half. Cartledge has used both quantitative and qualitative research methods in his career. He uses the data he gathered throughout his research to demonstrate various ways of doing sociological studies. These chapters are interesting on two levels. They illuminate some key ideas in charismatic theology: prophecy, the role of women, and glossolalia to name a few. At the end of each study Cartledge offers a reflection on the methods used to interpret the data.
Practical Theology should be read by anyone interested in doing sociological research from a charismatic perspective.
Cartledge, Mark J. Practical Theology: Charismatic and Empirical Perspectives. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2003.


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balloon, parachute, no people, vertical, outdoors, day, low angle view, sunlight, clear sky, conquering adversity, sport, extreme sports, multi colored, blue, yellow, white, orange, rescue equipment
blue yellow orange and white parachute


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Hi there,
I have an ugly west facing fence that I want to hide. I have 7 pink roses (3 climbers) to plant here and will put some nepeta in front for ground cover.
My question is, what could I grow behind them to get some fence cover over winter?


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Senior NFL analyst Pat Kirwan, of NFL.com is now getting into that long line that extends from Tampa all the way to Bristol, Connecticut by way of New York to praise rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, after two decent performances since making his NFL debut. It would appear that all the talking heads who were initial puzzled by the teams decision to trade up in the first round to select the early entry junior from Kansas State, now has many in the main stream media taking notice of his on field accomplishments.
He was in shotgun, which he feels gives him a "snap shot" of the coverage that he doesn't always get from under center. Freeman explained that after taking the snap, he took a good look at the coverage and realized he might have Stovall in a press man look, but read down from Kellen Winslow to Michael Clayton before turning back to Stovall for the TD strike.
Freeman seems to really understand pass route combinations, coverage beaters, calling plays, and using his "alerts" at the line of scrimmage to change plays. Freeman should have Bucs fans very excited about the future.
Now, one of Kirwan's colleagues, senior writer Steve Wyche, of NFL.com got in on the act as well, when it comes to giving fans an inside look into Freeman's growth since being drafted. Wyche decided to use Buccaneers offensive coordinator Greg Olson as a source of information. Olson seems to gush about Freeman's internal clock, pocket presence, and his field vision.
"It was good that he always knew he had to prepare for that opportunity," Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. "We kind of thought it was going to be Luke and Byron and those two guys would play throughout the season. For him to be the starter, that was not the initial plan going into it.
"He sees the field very well. That's the one thing you're waiting to see because you never really rush him live in practice. He sits in the pocket, and with a young quarterback, you always worry that they'll flee quickly. But he's shown that he'll take shots. He's got a pretty good internal clock and knows when to escape. His pocket presence will be very good, and his field vision has been good for a rookie."


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HP h6315 / h6310 / h6320 / h6325
Info Photos Reviews News Forum 99
Average Ratings
HP Quality Control
I obtained two of these units over the past two days. Unit number one failed to reliably connect to our corporate access point (over which we have complete control) and some functions on the unit would not work. Additionally the I/R (little red plastic piece on the top of the unit) had the appearance of a burst bubble on it - an unacceptable blemish. It appeared to have been an anomaly in the manufacturing of that particular part, but was obviously accepted by HP's subcontracted Taiwanese manufacturer.
After unpacking the second unit, we took the shipping cover off the front of the screen. We immediately noticed 5 or 6 fairly deep scratches across the screen.
In discussions with personnel at T-Mobile, we also discovered that there are Bluetooth problems being reported and that T-Mobile has had discussions with HP that may result in a firmware upgrade.
In our opinion, although the concept is sound and "desirable", the unit is not ready for prime time! This is endemic across HP's entire product line right now, the evidence of which has been reported recently regarding the PC business, wherein Apple was number one and Dell was number two. Simply said, HP's quality, and trying to be all things to all people is a business model that isn't working.
I would wait to buy this unit unless and until they work the bugs out. I would also encourage T-Mobile to have a fireside chat with HP about QC and the extra money it's going to cost T-Mobile to handle the issues and the returns.
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The PDA portion of the unit is excellent (which is why it got a 1.0 instead of a 0.0). Unfortunately, the phone portion of the unit is sorely lacking. Clearly, HP (nor T-Mobile) did not test this unit as intensely and widely as they should have.
I'm a long-time user of Pocket PCs, so I only needed this unit to be a good (heck even *decent*) phone. I tried three HP units from two different serial number ranges--all tested poorly.
At present, I carry around an iPAQ 3870 (with the PCMCIA jacket and a GPRS data card) as well as my Nokia 3650. I'd rather carry ONE device instead of two, but if I can't get one device to do both jobs well, I'd rather have 2 devices that do their specific jobs well.
The HP unit works fantastic as a PDA, but horribly as a phone. If it doesn't work reliably as a phone (due to the headset failure and poor signal reception), then to me it's not worth the money. I will instead get a new PDA (probably the HP hx4705) and phone (probably wait for the Nokia 6630) and continue carrying around two devices.
I truly hope that some day soon SOMEONE gets the combination right (all the features and functionality/expandability of a PDA with a high-quality integrated phone).
o Excellent PDA (Pocket PC 2003 is much more stable than prior versions. Not perfect, but much better)
o Wi-Fi works very well.
o Bluetooth Manager works very well.
o Physical connectivity between unit and PC is phenomenal
o Data connectivity between unit and Outlook is equally phenomenal
o Critical Bluetooth headset failures on incoming calls (tested three different BT headsets, same failure; therefor must be the unit)
o Weak transceiver at best. Works excellent in strong areas, but in moderate or marginal areas the HP transceiver is very poor. I live in an area that has average coverage. My Nokia 3650 gets 50% signal strength (50% bars) in the same spots (in weak areas) where the HP unit has 0% to 20% signal strength (more commonly 0%).
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HP Not as bad as others say
I purchased my T-mobile HP iPAQ 6315 in a NYC store after reading mixed reviwed. After using it for the last 2-3 weeks, I'm here to tell all people considering it out there, keep considering it. I'll break it down:
Voice Quality: While there is a bit of an annoying hissing sound on the speaker end of this phone, the voice quality is really better than decent. I've used Samsung phones in the past on GSM networks, they've all suffered this flaw. All this talk of having absoutely poor sound quality is just a lot of talk.
Bluetooth: I use a Motorola Bluetooth headset with this phone and it works awesome. This happens to be my favorite headset, all the others aren't that great anyways. I also use the Belkin Bluetooth GPS system which is awesome with this unit. All this talk of compatibility issues: I can only say this: If it's a higher end product, it'll work with this unit. I can't speak for a lot of the garbage stuff out there.
Pocket PC side: This unit comes built in with AOL IM, ICQ, and Yahoo. These are ideal for the person out there looking to communicate with friends and family. All Pocket PC programs are compatible with this unit, no issues.
Processor: 200Mhz. I'm not sure about most people out there, but 200Mhz for me is more than enough. When I had a 400Mhz Axim, I'd turn down the processr to 200Mhz to save the battery. The processor is fine, I'm not trying to support the CIA mainframe off my PDA. It's a PDA, not a desktop computer. A new Pocket PC phone for GSM coming out in October, the XDA III, has that 400Mhz processor, and half the battery life. I can't imagine it's worth loosing all that time.
In final, I'd like to address the overall functionality of the phone. Wifi, bluetooth, and cellular, in one device. For me, it's worth it. I don't want to surf the web on my palm thru a bluetooth connection. I want it all on my palm. It's leaps and bounds more advanced than the Treo, even the upcoming Treo.
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I've had the 6315 for about 1 month. OK phone when used w/ headset (BT or wire). Wouldn't want it as my only phone. (I travel full time and go WAY too many places where there is no GSM - I also carry a Verizon Samsung i600 Smartphone)
Pros - I really got it for the Pocket PC w/ WiFi and BT (it's my 5th Pocket PC). It's an OK Pocket PC - The 200mhz processor is not really noticeable. I love the WiFi e-mail and web-browsing cababilities, specially for travelling (MapQuest, etc), but I would probably be less than completely satisfied with this as my only phone. Seamless and complete syncronization w/ Outlook. One of the factors that got me to buy was the $80 package from T-Mobile (unlimited data, unlimited WiFi HotSpot, and 1000 anytime minutes. I canceled my Verizon data and my stand-alone T-Mobile HotSpot services, and reduced my Verizon Voice minutes, and I essentially get my T-Mobile package for free.
Cons: - Buggy - I back it up to the card twice per day because it has locked up on me at least twice per week, with the loss of all data and installed programs. I'm hoping for a patch from either T-Mobile or HP. Ditto on the comments re: weak speaker.
Summary - I suspect I'll be sorry I jumped for the 6315 when the Nokia 9500 comes out (faster EDGE data on AT&T), symbion operating system, etc, but for now, I'm enjoying a truly SMART phone.
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Not worth the hype
The new HP H6315 is all hype. The only advantage it has is the Wifi connection. Unless you're at a hotspot or a wireless network location, its not very useful. For what you pay all you get is a 200mhz processor. Playing video files are choppy at best and plus the camera doesn't even capture videos. I would rather pay a little more and get a XDA2 or a P900.
Wifi and Bluetooth connection
Windows Mobile 2003 os
slow processor
no video capture on camera
very bulky size
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great pda.... crappy phone!
used this for almost a year...
great as a pocket pc pda...
great wi-fi....
But the phone was a nightmare...
poor sound quality, even with bluetooth I still had problems...
froze at least once a day when I was using the phone.
if you carry a phone and a PDA....
The unit is probably a good option for someone who doesn't use the phone a lot and just wants get rid of carrying it all the time.
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not too bad
I got this phone over the summer after having wanted it since september. After I had read so many negative and iffy reveiws...i decided to do the smart thing....get it used off ebay. I am now very happy with it. The guy before me had no problems so i wasnt too concerned. It all works great. The only problem i have is i cant connect to my Wi-Fi at home, but i can elsewhere. Otherwise the only other problem i had was my own stupidity (set it on an angled surface and it cracked the screen....got it fixed tho). So if you get this phone i suggest get it used. i saved $150 and knew i got a working model.
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One of The Greatest Phones On The Market
The HP315 Functionality is how I judge a phone of this type, does it work like it is supposed to if you are willing to learn its operation, and if you have a level of computer and electronics understanding and skills to work it. This phone is not your average phone, just turn it on and operate it. It is a miniature computer workstation, and has the problems of memory a desktop computer would have if short. Once you control settings to store files on the SD card (large size 1 G) then the phone is efficient and fun. I use it for: contact management through outlook, bluetooth desktop sync, usb desktop sync, calendar date setting, email through gprs, read and send Yahoo mail off the screen, notes, sound notes, and everyday phone use, used bluetooth headset until the headset's battery burned out. It plays MSWMA files right off the internet through the gprs. I have never exchanged it, I have owned it for just over a year, since Oct. 2004.
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Please DO NOT get this phone.
hello there,
I've had this phone for almost a year. I would have to advise you NOT to purchase this PDA phone. There is just too much inherent problems that simply won't be resolved by a new patch or anything software. I believe the major problem for this is the slow CPU (100 MHZ) that this devise has. The reason why HP put this CPU in the phone is to conserve battery life, i think. But the type of problems that I'm getting on a everyday basis is not worth it. To describe to you some of the problems that I'm having everyday is 1) it crashes at least once a day. I shouldn't have to soft reboot everyday for a PDA. I don't know any PDA's the crashes almost everyday. 2) I have hard time receiving in-coming calls because it won't respond to my answer button. 3) T-Mobile has taking this phone out the shelves. Meaning they felt that this phone has too much problems to sell it anymore. 4) T-mobile's willingness to resolve this issue to the customers. 5) One time, it automatically hard reset the whole phone and I lost my data and phone numbers. It just did it all by itself. That was freeky... 6) The tech support don't have any solution other than replacing it with refurbished phone.
In conclusion, I am very dissatisfied with this phone and I urge you NOT to get this phone.
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The ipaq from hp was really bad reminded me of the sony ericsson t610 it just freezes for no good reason well not even for a reason it just like to freeze when it feels like it. The phone was defective the touch screen stop working and i get jacked for 700 US dollars. Plus a week after i get the HP ipaq they recalled the product. I told them i no longer wanted it and wanted to get a new phone and i just got the nokia 6620- alot better then ipaq and as a bussiness man i had to search for another pocket pc/pda/organizer/handheld.To sum it up HP is great at making digital cameras and printer and computer but they really need to work on making a pocket pc/ pda cell phone. I was not at all happy with their product.
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Ring Name: Lash LeRoux
Other Ring Name(s) Used: Mark LeRoux
Nickname(s): Ragin' Cajun
Birthday: 11/22/76
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 225 lbs
Chest: 54"
Bicep: 17˝"
Waist: 33"
Thigh: 28"
Original Hometown: Lafayette, LA
Current Hometown: Oxford, AL
Favorite Active Wrestler: "Diamond" Dallas Page
Favorite Retired Wrestler: Ted DiBiase
Toughest Opponent: Perry Saturn
Finisher: WhipLash / Bourbon Street Blues
Ring Debut: 6/98
First Opponent: Perry Saturn
Won or Lost: Lost
Career Win-Loss Record: 12-9
Trained By: Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker / WCW Power Plant
Career Before Wrestling: Freelance Artist
Wrestling Background: Alabama State Junior High Champion two years in a row, and went on to place 5th and 3rd in State, consecutively, in his 10th and 11th grade years.
According to DDT Digest records, LeRoux was 0-5 in WCW matches covered by DDT Digest in 1998 and hasn't fared any better as we've moved into 1999. Despite his unimpressive record, he has managed to impress us at DDT Digest with his ability. As (just barely) a cruiserweight, he has been able to muster very little offense against larger opponents. Yet against opponents closer to his weight class, he has shown some tremendous offense and demonstrated great skill. His breakthrough performance came during the 10/3/98 edition of WCW Saturday Night. Despite losing to Lenny Lane, LeRoux was efficacious connecting on an unorthodox Michinoku Driver, a flying headscissors and a missile dropkick. Since then, LeRoux has picked his spots. Even in matches where he has taken a sound beating, he has shown flashes of brilliance, even surviving almost being snapped in half by the Steiner Recliner. Here is a list of LeRoux's performances as covered by DDT Digest:
Get your drop-kicks at the WCW tryouts, where aspiring wrestlers pin their hopes and dreams.
"LET'S GO, FATBOY! SHOW ME SOMETHING!", booms Power Plant Wrestling instructor Dewayne "Sarge" Bruce, getting right up in the face of one of the 15 pro-wrestling hopefuls he's marshaling through a brutal calesthenic drill.
It's the first day of the three-day tryout that Turner Broadcasting's World Championship Wrestling conducts each month at their training center in Atlanta, and the veins in Sarge's wide, flat forehead and the cords along his neck are already popping. Ten minutes into the drills, and he's got Billy Crawford panting and grimacing. Sarge grabs the poor slob by the neck of his incongruous Hard Rock T-shirt and yanks him through a push-up. "LET'S GO, LET'S GO! YOU'RE SLACKING OFF HERE!"
Sarge is built like a tree stump, with a flattop crewcut and Popeye arms, and he's dressed in a sleeveless gray sweatshirt and gray sweatpants that are tucked into rubber-soled black paramilitary boots. "YOU CAN'T BE TIRED ALREADY! WE GOT ALMOST THREE WHOLE DAYS OF THIS LEFT!"
But Billy Crawford has skipped too many workouts and not enough meals, and he's paying for it now, paying big time, trying to keep up with the murderous pace of squats and push-ups, the flips from stomach to back, back to stomach, up, down, over and over, with no breaks, no time to rest or recover.
"UP!" Sarge bellows. The men jump up to his command. "DOWN!" They fall to the floor. "PUSH-UP! BELLY! BACK! UP! DOWN! BACK! BELLY!" He's got them moving at a killer pace, and his assistant trainers are walking around, berating them: "BUTT UP! LET'S GO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT!"
Each of the 15 hopefuls -- guys in their twenties who are required to be at least 5' 9" and 180 pounds -- has plunked down $250 and paid his own way to Atlanta. They are here because they love pro wrestling, or someone told them they looked like a pro wrestler, or they didn't make it as a pro footballer or pro hoopster and want to stay in athletics, or simply, as one hopeful, Aaron Aguilera, puts it, "...because it seems like a cool thing to do and I know I don't ever want to work a regular nine-to-five job." Aguilera saved up the money to come here by pulling a ricksaw around Orange, California, all summer.
If he or the others can make it through the three days, they might -- MIGHT -- get invited back to a six-month training program at Power Plant for which they'll have to fork over $3,000. It's still a long way from becoming the next Diamond Dallas Page or World Champ Bill Goldberg, but both of those WCW stars trained at Power Plant. So it's a long shot, but it's a shot, and the hopefuls have come from Texas, Massachusetts, Canada, and elsewhere, taking time off from construction jobs, post office jobs, security jobs, scraping together the money for the trip whatever way they could.
Money and time are the least of the personal cost, though. These are tough guys -- or at least guys who think they're tough. They certainly look tough. Pumped-up muscles, elaborate tattoos, earrings, Fu Manchu mustaches, long sideburns, bleached hair, bald heads. The problem is, nobody told them -- or they couldn't imagine -- just how brutal this tryout was going to be, how much abuse they'd have heaped on them. Sure, they'd all seen pro wrestling on TV. But what kind of shape do you have to be in to perform a bunch of choreographed moves and contortions?
The answer is -- the best shape of your life.
The survivors of these tryouts -- if any -- will embark upon a grueling regimen in which they're taught everything from how to get into a ring to the various holds (the hammerlock, the arm bar, the head-and-arm takeover, the Suhito throw) to ring movement and spectacular flying maneuvers to what to do when they get hurt, as well as how to act in front of the camera.
"It may not look that hard when you're watching it on TV," says Power Plant director [Jody] Hamilton, who used to wrestle under the name of The Assassin and now looks like Jackie Gleason, only bigger, "but you have to be in incredible shape to do the things that professional wrestlers do in the ring. Your body is subjected to the kind of punishment that would put a normal man in the hospital."
"The reason we're so tough on these guys," says Sarge, "is because it's a rough business. Once you get out there, nobody wants to hear excuses."
As the mural near the door to the airplane hangar-size facility says, "PAIN IS TEMPORARY, PRIDE IS FOREVER". And for these dreamers attending this tryout those are words to live by, because Sarge and his assistants will subject them to a kind of pain they've never even dreamed of. You wanna be a professional wrestler? Badly? We're gonna put you through three days that will make Marine boot camp look like Club Med.
Billy Crawford, the guy in the Hard Rock T-shirt, doesn't really stand a chance. He's not the only one struggling to keep up. Just the most obvious.
"Stay with me!" Sarge shouts. "I ain't holding nobody's hand! We're serious about this! You keep screwing up, it just means we start over from the beginning! Now, let's go. ONE!"
"ONE!" fifteen voices respond, bodies pushing up.
"TWO" they echo.
"HEY! Knees off the ground. KNEES OFF THE GROUND! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?"
Crawford can't do it, can't support his weight. He raises his chest off the mat, but his lower body stays planted.
"C'MON, PUKE," one of the assistant instructors screams in Crawford's ear. "C'MON, YOU FAT DISGUSTING PIECE OF BLUBBER!"
Crawford tries again, but his body won't cooperate. He's soaked in sweat, his face a scary high pink.
"Okay, roll over on your back!" Sarge commands. "Wave your arms and legs! NOW TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE!"
"I'm a cockroach," Crawford whispers.
"I'm a cockroach, SIR!"
Surprisingly, Crawford isn't the first to quit. Dan Quick, a chiseled 29-year-old electronics contractor who's 6' 5", 270 pounds, with a shaved head and red goatee, suddenly gets up off the floor in the middle of yet another set of push-ups and heads toward the door.
"WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" Sarge yells after him.
Quick waves off the question and keeps walking.
One of the trainers goes after him, but Quick is through. "I got other things to do," he says, striding toward the exit.
Outside the building, he says, "I wanted to check it out, but it's just not important enough to me." He shakes his head. "I guess I should have done more cardio work and more push-ups."
Billy Crawford leaves not long after, head bowed, muttering apologies and vowing to come back another time. A half hour into the first day, two guys have already quit. But Sarge is relentless. He makes the survivors place over-turned buckets behind them; the idea is to hit the bucket with your butt during each squat. Fifty squats. Then dive to the floor for 50 push-ups. Then jump back up. Then dive to the floor again. Roll to the back. Belly. Back. Fifty more push-ups. Fifty more squats. No rest. No water. Just keep going.
Eddie Salim, a 275-pound bar bouncer from Canada, with a shaved head, superhero chest, and Elvis sneer, falls behind on a set of squats, standing, trying to catch his breath.
Salim stands there, hands on hips, too tired to answer.
He doesn't respond.
Salim looks at the trainer sullenly. "I got heart. You think I don't got heart?"
Challenged, Salim hisses, "I'll show you what I got. Let's take it out on the street and I'll show you what I got."
Glowering, Salim starts doing squats again, in time with the rest.
Salim continues to do his squats.
Faintly, Salim begins counting them out, starting at one.
Salim struggles to continue, but he's exhausted. His magnificently muscled body is betraying him, and he can't seem to accept the fact that he's not up to this. He turns his anger on his tormentors, talking back to them when they get on him again, finally walking away from the mats in a huff. Sarge shouts, "GOOD! GET THE HELL OUT!" and one of Sarge's assistants, Lash LeRoux, who's built on the same scale as Sarge, squat and powerful, his sideburns cut into the shape of L's, spelling out his initials on his cheeks, yells after Salim, "You're just not man enough to do this!"
Then Salim mumbles something under his breath that sends Sarge over the edge. Suddenly he's up in Salim's face, jaw to jaw, and Salim backs down almost right away, all 275 pounds of him, and begins apologizing. Sarge won't hear it. He banishes Salim, tells him to get out of his sight. Salim watches Sarge go back to his spot on the mat, realizing his tough-guy act isn't going to cut it here, won't intimidate anyone. He slinks off down the hall. As he passes [Jody] Hamilton's open office door, the director motions him in.
Meanwhile, Sarge drives the remaining guys through neck rolls, an exercise that involves forward and back bridges in which the upper body is supported with the head, not the arms, and the neck is rotated to and fro. When one of the hopefuls collapses to the ground, Sarge barks, "I hope you don't think this is tough. This is a rest position. This is when you're supposed to catch your breath."
The group heads out to the parking lot next, into the 95-degree heat and Southern humidity for forward and backward wind sprints and sideways shuffle-step sprints. They cover the football-field length of the lot a couple of times, then drop for more push-ups and squats on the sizzling asphalt.
Eddie Salim approaches the group in the middle of this. Apparently [Jody] Hamilton has had a talk with him and has agreed to let him continue. Sarge sees things differently. "I don't have time for this shit!" he says. "Guys with an attitude, guys who can't keep up."
One of the other assistants, Mike Hayner, a compact, powerfully muscled man who is half Hawaiian and half Samoan and wrestles in the WCW under the name Prince Iaukea, cousels Salim to jump back in. "Don't pay any attention to Sarge. Just get back in there -- and be a man."
"I know I made a mistake," Salim says. "I just don't like getting hollered at."
"You gotta ignore it," Iaukea says.
But when Salim tries to rejoin the drills, Sarge waves him away. A compromise is arrived at: One of the assistant trainers will work with Salim alone. The assistant keeps Salim outside on the hot asphalt, running him through squats and push-ups until he pukes. By the time Salim is allowed to rejoin the rest of the group, his attitude is a bit different, his anger whipped out of him.
By 12:40, when a lunch break is called, there are 10 survivors, including Salim. Forty minutes of rest and Sarge puts them back to work, mercilessly intent on whittling the number down. A new drill is added, called Running the Gauntlet. It goes like this: You jump into the ring through the second and third strands of rope, then bound across the ring, bounce off the ropes (which are actually made of three-quarter-inch steel cable), take two giant steps back across the ring, then flip headfirst so that your back smacks against the canvas. Then you roll out of the ring and run to the next of three rings to do it all again. After two circuits of that, it's out of the ring for push-ups and squats -- which now seem like a breather.
Sarge and the other trainers are still giving the guys, especially Eddie Salim, a lot of heat when they lag behind or mess up. They've also dubbed a couple of the wannabes with nicknames. 24-year-old Aaron Aguilera has been christened "Scarecrow" for his loose-fitted hip-hop demeanor and stringy thatch of orange-dyed hair; and Kevin Tilton, a swarthy, ponytailed, rock-solid 25-year-old firefighter and paramedic from Atlanta, is now "Zorro."
After a half hour of Running the Gauntlet, Eddie Salim quits for good, humbled, apologizing to the same guys he had previously sworn at. He's soon followed out the door by Shawn Lockett, a street performer from New Orleans who was game but not in good enough condition.
Now, as they move into a 1-on-1 wrestling drill -- not the theatrical pro type but the sweaty, grunting, knee-scraping college kind -- the men are forced to dig even deeper into their well of diminishing energy. It seems especially cruel that they should have to torture each other this way. But this whole day has been spiced with sadism, and the trainers continue to taunt them.
"We don't need no Jell-O wrestlers!"
"I think I saw this in a sex manual!"
"C'mon, Scarecrow, did that damn hair coloring go to your brain?"
To add to this humiliation, Prince Iaukea and Lash LeRoux, who are fresh, get into the ring and basically rub the guy's exhausted faces into the dirty mat.
At 3:30 PM, beaten up, physically exhausted in a way they can't even describe, the 10 survivors are excused for the day, to go back to their motels and try to recover so they can do it all over again in the morning.
Of the 10, only 7 show up for the next day's dose of punishment. Before it begins, Brad Spinks, a 24-year-old from Denton, Texas, who played linebacker for North Texas State, is doing stretches outside the low-slung warehouse building. "I sat in a hot bath for a couple of hours last night," he says in his soft drawl. "But I don't know if it helped. I'm hurtin' something awful."
Brad has the right look for the WCW: tousled light brown hair with just the forelock bleached lighter ("What's the matter, couldn't afford to bleach the rest?" one of the trainers shouted at him the day before), a wispy blond goatee, and tattoos on his calf and biceps that he designed himself (he graduated from North Texas State with a degree in art). He has always been a fan of pro wrestling, which he describes as "soap opera for men." But "if anyone thinks wrestlers aren't athletes," he says, " let 'em come through here. I played five years of college football, and two-a-days don't come close to this."
Does he think he's going to make it?
"I've never quit anything in my entire life," he says. "I'm not about to start now."
Brad's legs are scraped and his arms are bruised, but he's in better shape than some of the others. Juan Velasquez, a stocky 24-year-old postal worker from Far Rockaway, New York, walks up looking his knees are made of wood. "I don't know how I'm gonna do it," he says. "Last night, I just lay there in my motel in pain. All night long I debated with myself. Should I come back? My mind was saying Yes, and my body, No." Yes won -- but for how long?
Kevin Tilton, aka Zorro, took some painkillers when he got home, but that didn't stop him from cramping up. "I was on the floor screaming," he says. "I'd massage one muscle and another would go into spasm. I cried for hours."
One of the trainers, a wrestler named Hardbody [Harrison] who has his name carved in his hair, tells the walking wounded that they'd better stretch out, 'cause they're gonna need their legs. "I don't know if you believe in God or what, but whatever your faith, in a few minutes your ass is going to belong to Sarge."
Two minutes after this prophecy come true, with Sarge, running them through warm-up neck rolls, Steve Richards, a 24-year-old ex-footballer who looked like one of the better bets to persevere, gets up and leaves. Sarge and the other trainers are stunned. "Unreal -- can you believe that? During neck rolls?" But Richards says he just wanted to see how he felt -- and he didn't feel good.
Not long after his exit, Mark Horner, a 29-year-old graphic designer and bartender from Los Angeles, bows out. Sarge is going at the same breakneck pace he set yesterday, and these guys are just too beat up from the day before to take it.
Juan Velasquez is really struggling. Hardbody gets in his face, a shark to blood. "WHAT KIND OF SISSY ARE YOU?"
Juan tries to stay with the group, but he can't, and eventually, shaking his head, done in by his body, he starts walking away. Sarge drags him back. Every time Juan tries to bow out again during the next few drills, Sarge drags him back. Finally, after the sixth or seventh time, he resists Sarge's efforts. He's done.
"I keep dragging them back because I don't want 'em to get home and feel like they didn't give it their best shot," Sarge explains.
It's 11 AM now, and only four of the original 15 are left: Brad Spinks, Zorro, Scarecrow, and Sonny Siaki, a recent football-playing graduate of East Carolina University, who happens to be Prince Iaukea's cousin. As Sarge continues to drive the four of them through drill after drill, driving them beyond the seeming limit of human endurance, one begins to wonder what it is that keeps them going. In the end, it's probably not the dream of wrestling, or the money they might make, or the chance to live an exciting life, it's just plain old-fashioned character. As Lash LeRoux says, "You find out a lot about yourself when you go through something like this."
Near the end of the day, Zorro rolls out of the ring in the middle of Running the Gauntlet, finds the nearest garbage can, and blows his lunch into it. Less than a minute later, he climbs back in the ring and continues anyway. The last test of the day -- a push-up position held for two minutes three separate times -- has a new wrinkle: The four survivors are told that if anyone messes up, he's going to have to watch while everyone else does 50 squats. "This is about not letting down your team," says instructor Mike Wenner.
Both Brad Spinks and Zorro cramp up in the middle, but they scream their way through the two minutes, refusing to hit the ground. Their teammates are spared the additional squats. Weary high-fives are exchanged around; they've all made it through the second day. As the four towel off, Scarecrow looks at the trainers who are scattered around the gym working on wrestling moves and pumping iron. He says, "So do these guys just hang out here all the time?"
"Don't tell me you're getting second thoughts now," says Spinks with a smile.
Scarecrow shows up the next morning -- day three -- and he and the guys are full of gallow humor.
"I puked another couple of times last night," says Zorro, "but at least I didn't cramp up."
"It hurts to breathe," says Scarecrow. "It hurts to talk."
The four of them have bonded the way survivors do. It's obvious by now that none of them is going to quit. During the rope-running drill, Zorro either pulls a rib muscle or tears cartilage. He screams in pain but keeps going. Sarge orders him out of the ring and tells him to walk around all three rings as a substitute drill. Zorro runs.
A few minutes later, only an hour and a half into the third day, Sarge and Mike Wenner and the rest of the trainers congratulate the foursome: The ordeal is finally over. They've made it.
In the private evaluation meetings that follow with each of them, director Hamilton tells them what they can look forward to if they decide to come back for the six-month program. He tells Scarecrow they'll bulk him up, and Sonny that he'll actually need to trim down a little. When Sonny asks if [Jody] thinks he has the looks or the talent to succeed in this business, Hamilton doesn't sugarcoat it: "At this point," he tells Sonny, "I don't see superstar potential, but I do see a place for you in this company."
"This is the first class we've ever had" he adds, "where I invited everyone who survived the three days to come back. But I see something in each of the four of you that makes me think you have what it takes."
Back outside Hamilton's office, the four gather and high-five each other again. They discuss the future -- night-job possibilities in Atlanta and maybe rooming together when they come back. Zorro says that he can probably get them jobs working as bouncers or doing club security in town.
More immediately, they make plans to celebrate. Someplace with women and champagne. Scarecrow clears his throat a bit sheepishly and says he isn't going to be able to make it.
"What do you gotta do?" Sonny asks.
"I'm seeing this girl."
"Girl? When did you have time to get a girl?"
"She was my waitress at breakfast this morning. She asked me out."
"Check him," Sonny says to Brad and Zorro. "We're all taking Advil, can barely get out of bed, and he's busy making dates."
Zorro and Brad shake their heads.
"Just tell me one thing," Sonny says, trying to keep a straight face. "This girl, this waitress, did she have all her teeth?"


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Wills & Estate Planning
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There are many companies now offering online or DIY Wills. They generally require you to fill in the forms yourself, answering a series of questions at the end of which you get a Will. Sounds easy doesn't it? And it is, so what's the problem with these Wills?
Well, a recent study showed that 40% of these Wills would fail meaning the rules of intestacy would be used instead. Of course because these types of Will are relatively new in the marketplace many people will be completely unaware that their Will is invalid. It's a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. These type of Wills are essentially for people who have nothing to leave anyone, and just wish for their funeral wishes to be recorded or to name who looks after their pets. Not only that but in the terms and conditions these companies are not liable for any mistakes or if the Will doesn't meet your wishes. This means your family will have no comebacks when it all goes wrong and of course you can't change it once you have died.
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NPR reports that a new study from University of Rochester researchers may explain not only why we so desperately need sleep, but also the role sleep plays in preventing Alzheimer's disease.
A study of mouse brains that were asleep showed that cerebrospinal fluid flows to the brain quite rapidly while mammals are asleep, and the team speculated that the fluid is cleaning out the brain much like washing dirt off a plate. "It's like a dishwasher," said Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, one of the study's authors and a neurosurgery professor at the University of Rochester.
If the fluid performs the same function in humans that it appears to serve in mice, then human brain cells shrink when we go to sleep, making the fluid easier to circulate. When the mouse woke up, the brain cells enlarged and the fluid's flow slowed to a crawl. "It's almost like opening and closing a faucet. It's that dramatic," Dr. Nedergaard added.
The research team had previously discovered the cerebrospinal fluid was carrying away waste that gets built up in the cracks between brain cells. Those waste products are toxic to our brains, and if one fails to get a good night's sleep, leftover "brain gunk" might explain the morning sluggishness. The researchers also believe the finding explains how lack of sleep can be lethal.
This "brain cleaning process" doesn't happen all the time because, like a dishwasher, it probably requires a lot of energy. "It's probably not possible for the brain to both clean itself and at the same time [be] aware of the surroundings and talk and move and so on," Dr. Nedergaard said about how the process worked.
It should be noted that the process has not yet been directly observed in humans; even still, Nedergaard thinks that the buildup of plaque in our brains being cleaned by our spine is far from coincidence. "Isn't it interesting that Alzheimer's and all other diseases associated with dementia, they are linked to sleep disorders?" she mused.
The BBC noted several experts' comments on the study. Dr. Neil Stanley, an independent sleep expert, said of the study's implications that "There is good data on memory and learning, the psychological reason for sleep. But this is the actual physical and chemical reason for sleep, something is happening which is important."
If you want to check out a YouTube explanation of the findings directly from the study's authors, this particular video should be interesting:[Image via this History Channel documentary about the brain on YouTube]


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Regular price: $2.95
Today on O&A, we start today's show talking about the Zimmerman trial, Harvey Levin's twitter, and Al Sharpton comments on Paula Deen.
We discuss Erock dressing up nicely for a potential role in the filming of the Chris Rock movie. Rich Vos stops by to tell us why he is at SiriusXM.
Marc Maron joins us in studio and we discuss his Podcast, his engagement, how he is scared to be a father, and couples therapy. We come back briefly and we discuss The Flight 800 documentary. [Original Broadcast Date: June 25, 2013]
Explicit Language Warning: You must be 18 years or older to purchase this program.


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Under The Jacaranda
Author: Joy Odera
Publisher: New Generation Publishing (2012)
Number of Pages: 594
How long it took me to read: 2 weeks
Where I bought this book: Uncustomary Book Submission
Like a Moth to a Flame
I have never been to Africa but I am fascinated by that vast, sunny continent. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I was captivated by the colors of the African sky and the imagery in the wonderful tree and carpet of lilac-colored petals underneath. The cover, combined with the blurb about a "sweeping contemporary saga…conflicted past and family secrets" grabbed my interest.
Favorite Five
I propose that the top 5 quotes from this book are:
5. " 'My dear, when you have lived in this country for as long as I have, been treated the way I have, and seen the things that I have, you become either defensive or offensive to protect yourself, but never indifferent. I choose to be obnoxious.' " (p.151)
4. "He had also changed his clothes to the more à la mode blue denim dungarees that displayed his crotch like a sack of potatoes on sale by the roadside." (p.60)
3. " 'Doesn't he know the number of Kenyans who went in pursuit of the American dream but are now disillusioned, cleaning toilets and stuck in old people's homes cleaning the waste of people who despise them, despite their university degrees?' " (p.397)
2. " 'In this whole saga, Jerry, my utmost disappointment was not with the policemen or the prison guards, the poor men are just puppets dancing to the machinations of the puppeteer. The poor fellows are full of fear. They are equally victims. My definitive disillusionment was with the courts and the supposedly independent judicial system, our only hope and protection against injustice.' " (p.367)
…and my pick for the No.1 quote is…
1. " 'Sometimes love can be very trying when there is no food in the pantry!' Mama laughed. 'Oh CeCe, I have money and lots of it too, but it has never given me a single day of happiness!' " (p.129)
Conversation with the Reader
While I read, I write, and as I write, I read. Here's some of what I wrote while I read this book:
"This is a new author for me and I am daunted at first by the sheer size of the book—larger than most paperbacks, and almost 600 pages long. A glance at the fly-leaf quotes from Chinua Achebe and Nelson Mendela, however, and I can't wait to get stuck in. I think I'm going to get more than I bargained for with, hopefully, some insights into the culture and politics of Africa."
"Is it just me, or do all readers try to find common ground that connects them to a story? Having just spent some weeks in another country, away from my family and friends, I straightaway identify with the feelings of Serene, a Kenyan woman who's taking a short break in Johannesburg, away from her home and family:
"She was free from the familiar, from faces that lit up in recognition." (p.24)
"What a blessing to have had such an opportunity. I recommend it to every woman who needs to reconnect with herself. I sometimes find that 'I' as an individual can become lost in my various roles as 'mother,' 'wife,' 'sister,' 'manager,' etc. I feel the need, now and again, to resist the dependency that comes with the luxury of having a constant companion—wonderful and all as it is. Like Serene, my break away allowed me the freedom to be 'far away from conformity, obligations and responsibilities.' (op cit) I only had myself to take care of and I felt 30 years younger!"
"I'm struggling to keep track of location changes between different countries in the story. Despite Odera's method of using italics (for reminiscences) and plain font for current narration, I'm confused about where is 'home' and why the narrator is so troubled. Matters are not helped by the frequent misprints, grammatical, and punctuation errors throughout. This is a book in need of good editing. I'm sticking with it, though, because we've just started to touch on tribal differences, aids orphans, and the impact of apartheid and colonization on the narrator's family and on the region generally. I'm hoping to get an insider's view of the transition from colony to independent statehood."
"I know it has its problems, but South Africa to me is a miracle and Nelson Mandela a wonder. Perhaps because of our own colonial past, we Irish retain a soft spot for the down-trodden, wherever they are. I'm remembering my first ever 'political' act was attending an anti-apartheid rally, sometime in the 1970s. I must have been influenced by the freedom songs of Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, because Ireland then had few immigrants and it was a rare event to see a black person anywhere. Nonetheless, the travesty of apartheid struck a chord amongst many of my contemporaries; a young Irish staff in a large supermarket chain even took a famous stand against handling South-African fruit. Mandela acknowledged this solidarity by making Ireland one of the first overseas countries he visited in 1990, following his release from prison."
"Serene is part of a large, extended and interwoven family—with all the attendant internal politics and rivalries that go with it. She has two sisters, but the enmity between them is palpable and sad. Having sisters, for me, means never being lonely and always having a best friend—someone who will tell you the absolute truth when you ask 'does my bum look big in this?' I recognize a lot of Serene in myself: amongst my siblings I too am known as 'the sensible one,' the one most likely to 'do the right thing'. Over the years, I've often enjoyed defying expectations and now and again kicking over the traces. Sibling rivalry and animosity is normal enough when we're kids or teenagers, but it usually disappears by adulthood. These women Odera describes are now in their forties, so I presume that we will hear about deep-rooted and unresolved issues preventing them from being friends."
"I am learning about the impact of tribal differences on family relationships. This is an issue that we in the West often struggle to understand. I realize, however, that most countries have within them some form of regional, religious, or ethnic differences. Learning to accept diversity is one indicator, I believe, of a developed society. I wonder, however, if it might sometime be politically expedient for ruling elites to maintain divisions within a society? The peaceful transition of South Africa to a so-called 'rainbow' nation, following years of oppression by the white minority, has been a shining example to the world. In my own country, Ireland, we are trying to follow their example of reconciliation in resolving our own legacy of colonialism in the Northern part of this country."
"Odera's very honest portrayal of relationships, how they evolve and sometimes inexplicably end, shows how similar people everywhere are in terms of our human pain and suffering. She does not shy away from asking the hard questions: the ethics of going out with a white guy; why Nigerians are so unpopular; the logistics of having three wives; the dilemma of well-to-do Africans having servants; black on black xenophobia. An account of a sexual assault portrays all the horror, disgust, guilt, and helplessness felt by the person assaulted."
"Juxtaposed with the difficult intra-personal relations in the large family, is the turmoil within the country itself. Just like ex-colonized countries everywhere after Independence, Kenya struggled to unify internal divisions and divided loyalties and to undo the damage created during years of repression. Transition to Independence following colonization is never smooth and indeed often leaves greater problems and divisions than existed previously. Throughout history there are many examples of the oppressed becoming, in turn, the oppressors.
"These divisions are still felt to this day. As I read, we are hearing news (Saturday 20th September, 2013) of a terrible attack on a Shopping Centre in Nairobi—capital of Kenya and the central location of this story. I think about Odera and hope that she and her family are safe. Over sixty people (including small children) are feared dead—some because they were Christian or white, but even their own people have been shot, including the only son of the previous Kenyan ambassador to Ireland, with his fiancée.
"Now what do I mean by 'even their own people'? Are white citizens, descendants of the colonialists, not also to be considered Kenyan? It's very interesting for me reading this book now, just days after finishing a very different story, set also in Kenya, entitled Blood Sisters, by Barbara & Stephanie Keating (Vintage, 2012) written from the perspective of ousted colonials who feel saddened at the loss of what they regard as also their 'homeland.' "
"A discussion about the narrator's experience of racism forces me to review my own feelings on the matter. As mentioned earlier, immigration is a relatively new phenomenon in my country. As a small island nation, the trend in Ireland has traditionally been towards emigration. We have a diaspora spread throughout every country in the world and our predecessors are to be found amongst successive Presidents of the United States (including the incumbent). During the economic boom between 1997 and 2007, however, there was a dramatic increase in net immigration, including numbers of non-Europeans seeking asylum. To my great shame, we have not handled this situation very well and our system for dealing with asylum-seekers, is far from humane. The process takes months and often years, during which applicants are obliged to stay in hostel-like accommodation and are denied work. Here Odera addresses the heartbreak of this scenario:
" 'VISA DECLINED.' Two simple words, yet powerful enough to terrorize, shatter hopes and dreams and drive many into a state of shock and severe depression." (p.403)
"I've observed that, particularly during an economic downturn with an increase in unemployment, migrants who are noticeably different are frequently the easiest targets for discrimination and racial abuse. For those of us working in the area of social inclusion, it's an uphill struggle to convince people to see the hypocrisy of, on the one hand desiring the opportunity for migration for our own citizens, whilst on the other, denying 'outsiders' the opportunity to settle here. We are, I believe, the poorer as a society, if we remain apart and mono-cultural. Diversity is the spice of life and a multicultural society offers a fascinating array of foods, entertainment, and variety in every situation that serves to brighten our lives and make them more interesting.
"Providing access to people seeking a better life, whilst at the same time protecting population levels and safeguarding citizens from outsiders with ill intent is, of course, a world-wide problem. The recent tragedy of boats capsized off the coast of Italy, killing some 300 migrants attempting to flee the onslaught in North Africa will not, I fear, bring about a U.N. or EU resolution on this matter anytime soon."
"This story has me thinking about the importance of place in my life. I'm reminded that from earliest times, my forebears have set out from this small island, often in perilous crafts, to seek adventure and find a better life elsewhere. It is said about us Irish that 'all our wars are merry and all our songs are sad.' Much of the sadness in our songs and poetry relates to loss and longing for home and homeland. Home, of course, is where the heart is, but there is great comfort to be found, I believe, living where you don't have to explain yourself; where an unspoken glance and even a shared silence is understood; where repartee and sense of humor is shared and the familiar is everywhere; where we blend in and belong. I love to travel and learn about other cultures, but I can't imagine having to leave my country long-term and live where I stand out immediately as 'different.' "
"Africa, in the end, is where home is for Serene. There, with the support of a good man and a loving family, she confronts her demons and discovers the unpleasant secret at the heart of her family.
"For me, books serve one of two functions: either a complete escape into a different, exotic world or a mirror or benchmark against which I am able to question how well or otherwise I am living my life. This brave work provided opportunity for both purposes. It's a work of Tolstian ambition, which would have benefited greatly from good editing and perhaps sub-division into a trilogy."
"Since reading Under The Jacaranda, the death has occurred of the incomparable Nelson Mandela. I would like to convey my condolences to the writer of this work, Joy Odera, and to her compatriots. I hope that his memory will continue to inspire us all. I feel privileged to have lived during his time. We shall not see his like again."
You might also like…
9 Comments
Joy, this is wonderful. Congraculations.
l believe the analysis done has pushed you to another level. Many thanks to the reviewer.
I am anxiously waiting for another one.
Congratulations Joy! I find reading more of a transformation from the drudgery of daily life experiences, to losing oneself in a new and exciting life. The familiar settings gave it a personal touch I could relate to while the unfamiliar provided the intrigue of new experiences.
What a wonderful review, and from reading how the reviewer has so much to say from the read, it is definitely on my list. Many congratulations to the author and many thanks to the reviewer.
a thorough and comprehensive review – I liked the way it seemed to weave a pattern through the lives and relationships of the characters and the social and political context. prompted me to get the book and read. vk
Publishing a book is tough business and I have learnt that you need a very capable second pair of eyes (editor) to pick out your errors, which you become blind to with time!
Thank you for such a wonderful review of Under the Jacaranda.This is book number one, and personally knowing the author,your comments and recommendations are going to make her grow. Congratulations Joy odera.
Thank you!


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The Guitar preamp circuit is very simple, using only a single integrated circuit, a type TL071 OP AMP.
The title is an exaggeration, given that the gain of the circuit is intentionally low. When we talk about pre-amp, you can expect amplification often great … that is not the case here. The purpose of this Guitar preamp circuit is mainly to provide impedance matching to allow the use of long cables between a guitar and an amp, while limiting losses to the maximum audio. Although originally this circuit is provided with a gain setting, we will see that it is entirely possible to delete it.
This TL071 integrated circuit can be replaced easilyby an LT1012, a TL061 (which consumes a little less than the TL071), or even by a TL081. With the components shown in this circuit will get 110k ohm input impedance. If this value seems a little low, you can increase the value of the two resistors R1 and R2. Using two resistors 1MOhm, you will get the input impedance of about 500k ohm.
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Tags: acoustic guitar pre amp Guitar pre amplifier Guitar pre amplifier circuit guitar preamp schematic simple guitar pre amp


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Nvidia investors were a little shocked after the spec of the next generation Kindle Fire was announced and their expected Tegra 3 chip was not there.
Instead Amazon has decided to use Texas Instruments' OMAP 4470 which certainly does not have the same profile as the Nvidia chip.
To make matters worse, Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos showed interested hacks lots of graphs showing how the OMAP chip has better bandwidth and computing power than the Tegra 3.
The Tegra 3 is supposed to be better at serving up graphics than the TI chip.
Evercore analyst Patrick Wang told Reuters that people assumed Tegra 3 would be the processor in the new device, as Amazon pushed into the use of its tablets for some of its game content.
However, Amazon have been chums with Texas Instruments for a while and it seems that this relationship was worth a little more to it. The first Kindle Fire used a TI processor and changing was probably more effort than it wanted to spend.
Nvidia will not be too upset. The Tegra 3 has increased its profile lately. It has been shoved under the bonnet of Google's Nexus 7 tablet. Nvidia has also said its processors would be used in upcoming Surface tablets made by Microsoft.