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Recession Drives More Americans to Poverty-Wracked NeighborhoodsCatherine Dodge
The number of Americans living in neighborhoods beset by extreme poverty surged in the last decade, erasing the progress of the 1990s, with the poorest areas growing more than twice as fast in suburbs as in cities.
At least 2.2 million more Americans, a 33 percent jump since 2000, live in neighborhoods where the poverty rate is 40 percent or higher, according to a study released today by the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
The report, which analyzed Census Bureau data, shows the extent to which the U.S. lost ground in efforts to fight poverty during a decade marked by recessions, including the deepest slump in seven decades. The Midwest and South were hardest hit, suffering from manufacturing job losses and the housing bust.
"With two downturns and a decade that saw the typical household income fall, the 2000s took an economic toll," said Elizabeth Kneebone, a senior research associate at the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and lead author of the report.
When people are concentrated in very poor neighborhoods, they face a host of additional problems from worse schools and fewer job opportunities to poor health, she said.
The report follows the release of data by the Census Bureau in September that showed the number of people living in poverty was the highest in the 52 years since the agency began gathering the statistic. U.S. household income fell to its lowest level in more than a decade in 2010 and poverty rose to a 17-year high.
Campaign Focus
Economic hardship and joblessness will be the focus of next year's presidential campaign and these statistics will help fuel debates in Congress and in statehouses across the U.S. over budget cuts to programs designed to help families in need.
The Brookings study shows that areas of concentrated poverty soared by more than a third in the past decade after declining by 29 percent during the 1990s. The rise in the number of people living in these neighborhoods compares with a 28 percent drop in the '90s.
While more than two-thirds of extremely poor neighborhoods remain in urban areas such as Chicago and Detroit, the number of Americans in extremely poor suburban neighborhoods rose by 37 percent between 2000 and the second half of the decade, more than two times faster than the 16 percent growth in cities.
"The days of thinking about poverty as being an urban phenomenon are over," said Scott Allard, associate professor at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and the author of the book, "Out of Reach: Place, Poverty and the New American Welfare State."
Midwest, South
Extreme poverty doubled in Midwestern metropolitan areas from 2000 to the period of 2005-2009 and rose by a third in the South, according to the report.
Since the recession ended in June 2009, the U.S. jobless rate has averaged 9.5 percent, almost twice the rate of the decade prior to the start of the downturn. The number of Americans receiving food stamps rose to a record 45.8 million in August, and the housing market continues to drag on the recovery. Total sales of existing homes have continued to fall since reaching a peak of more than 7 million in 2005.
In another reflection of the impact of the slump, those living in extremely poor neighborhoods in the latter half of the decade were increasingly likely to be white with a college or high school education, homeowners, and not receiving public assistance, the Brookings report said.
Recession Fallout
The decennial census no longer asks questions on poverty and income, so the data now come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which pools five years of information. The fallout from the last recession likely exacerbated the situation since 2009, and estimates from 2010 indicate that poverty declines seen in some Sunbelt areas may have evaporated, the study said.
"Given that a strong economic recovery has failed to materialize and threats of a double-dip recession loom, it is unlikely the nation has seen the end of poverty's upward trend," the report concluded.
The biggest increases in the rate of concentrated poverty occurred in the Great Lakes metro regions of Toledo, Youngstown and Dayton, Ohio, as well as in Detroit and in the Northeast metropolitan areas of New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, amid the loss of manufacturing jobs.
Auto Industry
The findings for the Great Lakes metro areas capture the decline of the Detroit-based auto industry, said Ned Hill, dean of the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. A rebound in the industry since 2009, and a revival in steelmaking to supply parts for shale gas exploration, is causing some manufacturing jobs to return, Hill said.
The economic downturn increased the ranks of those who earn less than half the federal poverty level, $22,314 for a family of four in 2010. About one in 16 American workers made less than half the poverty rate in 2010, a 12.6 percent increase from 2007, according to a Bloomberg analysis of census data.
The percentage of very poor increased in 300 of the nation's 360 metro areas, according to census data.
Three of the five metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of very poor people in 2010 were in Texas. The College Station-Bryan metro area, home to Texas A&M University, had the greatest concentration of very poor people in the nation, with 16.4 percent of its residents earning less than half the federal poverty rate.
It was trailed by the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area, where 16.2 percent of people live on less than half the poverty level; Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, with 15.7 percent; and Brownsville-Harlingen, with 15.6 percent.
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Dear John?I notice a lot of girls refer to their military relationship or this life style as a Dear John life. Everytime I see this I can't help but think they don't really truly understand what a Dear John is. It's not something you should refer yourself to, it's not a title to proudly boast. A Dear John is a break up letter. And to be honest that really makes me angry, because the girls who do this put the military girlfriends in a category that many of us struggle to stay out of. So please if you love your soldier and want to spend the rest of your life with him DO NOT REFER TO DEAR JOHN. I must take three seconds to roll my eyes at these girls. I'm sorry if his offends any of you, but honestly think about what you're saying!
I hace to agree with JestersAngel on this one. The meaning behind "Dear John" is to leave your soldier when he needs you most by writing a letter that ine nicest way says im to weak to make it thru with you. So to call your relationship Dear john life its pretty much saying your going to leave him when you need him most. Sorry if I offended anybody but I think its a bad name for a relationship as well when it has such bad meaning behind it..
No.. i get it that the term dear john means a breakup letter. But i think most women can relate to the actual movie for thw most part
I think it is okay to say that the stories are similar (other than the breakup) but I do agree with you that they shouldnt use the term if they dont know what it means.

subset: commoncrawl


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The desktop_4_800.jpg file you have requested: Media / Desktop / 800x600 / AoM: The Titans Wallpaper #4 (800x600) - 743.84kb is not available. Perhaps try browsing all files for the game Age of Mythology: The Titans and upload any files you want to share or are missing. This is the only information we could locate:
An official wallpaper from Age of Mythology: The Titans.
We recommend you return to the download list and browse the links from there. If the problem persists, contact us with the details.


text:
In her Jan. 29 Metro column, "Boy Scouts can, belatedly, set an example of courage," Petula Dvorak argued that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) should allow openly gay members and thereby earn a "courage badge."
I respectfully assert that it takes courage to stand firm when the tide of opinion is against us.
With its policy and many others, the BSA serves the common good, just as Cardinal Donald Wuerl stated that the Catholic Church with its "too dogmatic" creed serves the common good ["Acting on faith," Sunday Opinion, Jan. 27].
The issue is not protecting our children from pedophiles, as Ms. Dvorak suggested; the BSA has a separate youth protection program for that.
The issue is setting an example of the behavior we, the parents of Scouts, want our children to emulate.
That behavior includes being "helpful, friendly, courteous, kind," as enumerated in the Scout Law. It does not include hate or homophobia, but neither does it condone homosexual behavior.
We're human, of course, and we sometimes fail at setting the example that we should, but it is still our right, as Americans, to free association that allows us to choose our own leaders who will set the example we want for our children.
Christopher Durel, Arlington


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With dynamo conductor Gustavo Dudamel at the helm and the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall as a venue, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is a cultural force to be reckoned with. This year, the LA Phil kicks off a three-year project celebrating the operatic collaborations of librettist Lorenzo da Ponte and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with some impressive collaborations of its own. The upcoming production of Don Giovanni will feature sets by Gehry and costumes by Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte.
"This is a project very close to Gustavo Dudamel's heart. He knows the music like the back of his hand, and has a unique vision that I find very exciting," said Gehry in a statement issued by the LA Phil announcing the creative team and cast for Don Giovanni, which premieres on May 18. "Kate and Laura's work reminds me of my early days—it is free and fearless and not precious." This marks the Mulleavys first foray into operatic costume design, following their show-stopping tutus for the film Black Swan. "Opera has always been a part of us; our grandmother was from Rome and studied it as a young girl," said the sisters, now at work on costumes that will create "a timeless context" for Mozart's characters. "Working with Frank Gehry in the concert hall that he designed, alongside Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is a dream."


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Medal Of Honor is the best First person shooting Game in the world. It is based on the World War II, it is not surprising that MOHAA is one of the best shooting game based on Second World War. Medal of Honor Allied second expansion pack released named as Medal of Honor Allied Assault Breakthrough. It takes you to the past unexplored parts of the European theater. Uncharted not necessarily new, however, and all you have breakthrough a little more flesh than the first expansion, spearhead, which ends up being repetitious and stale.
The first Allied attack consists of many missions included many levels. Breakthrough does not change this formula, and consists of a dozen new levels. These include three missions, which will take you to North Africa, Sicily and finally the Italian peninsula. The levels are varied and will take about six hours to complete in total. That destroy the German artillery, prisoners of rescue vehicles and driving, among other things. Individual level do not go together to form a coherent whole – are dumped on the battlefield and objectives given without any explanation as to their ultimate goal.
You Can Also Download More Free PC Games from our Free Downloads Gallery. We recommend you to Visit our Free Downloads Gallery.
Breakthrough contains nine new multiplayer maps and a new multiplayer mode called liberation. Liberation is a team game where players are dead jailed without weapons. Soldiers on your team can come save you from prison. When you exit the area of prison, you get your weapons. Rounds can theoretically last forever if people are always saved, so that teams must also defend their own prison to keep the enemy to save their lives. Like all team modes that require rescue team to find out what they do. Often one person will refuse to save his teammates, and rather go on a quest to kill enemies. But overall it's a fun way to complement other multiplayer modes in Allied Assault.
Minimum System Requirements:
1_ Operating system: Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7
2_ Pentium III 700 MHz processor
3_ 256 MB of RAM
4_ 1.2 GB of disk space
5_ Mouse, Keyboard
6_ DirectX 9.0 Compatible
7_ 16MB DirectX and OpenGL compatible Video card
8_ Sound Card


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Article Side
Online Article Directory!
Fishing Holidays are great fun for the whole family
Are you looking for fishing holidays?
If you like fishing as a pastime then fishing holidays are the ideal getaway for you. Not only can you totally relax in peace and quiet to indulge yourself in your favourite hobby but you can also take advantage of the range of activities that are available in the countryside. Fishing holidays are really therapeutic for the body, mind and soul and you can really spend a lot of time thinking and pondering on issues that you don't normally have time for whilst waiting to catch the fish that are available.
Are fishing holidays suitable for families?
The great thing about fishing holidays is that they are suitable for everyone. What could be better than involving your children and spouse in your fishing holidays. Not only will you all be able to spend some quality time together away from the hustle and bustle of daily life but you will all be able to go fishing together and have fantastic fun competing with each other to land the catch of the day.
What types of fishing holidays are available?
There are various types of fishing holidays available, depending upon your needs but, if you would like to look at fishing holidays with a real difference then you should consider Cobbleacre Lakes and Holidays. Situated in the stunning Norfolk countryside they offer fantastic, relaxing fishing holidays for all the family in a range of self-catering campsites and caravans. They have a fantastic selection of lakes for you to fish in which your whole family will be able to enjoy. This is a place where you can really get away from it all and feel truly relaxed and rejuvenated. If you would like to find out more then why not visit their website at www.cobbleacrelakes.co.uk.
James Blee - About Author:
If you want to embark on the most exciting and fun-filled
fishing holidays then cobbleacrelakes.co.uk is the place to go.
This caravan site Norfolk is spacious, roomy and accommodating as well as very scenic.
Article Source:
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The time spent on any item of the agenda [of a finance committee] will be in inverse proportion to the sum involved. -- C.N. Parkinson


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Hudson On My Mind
Photographs by Scott Baldinger
Scott Baldinger is a writer whose work has appeared in Harper's Bazaar, The New York Times and other publications. He has been living in (and taking pictures of ) Hudson for six years. This piece appeared previously in a slightly altered form on Melissa Stafford's website, Hudson Art Affair.
It's a chilly winter eve, and I am trudging home from the Amtrak train station in Hudson, New York. I take a slippery incline path past the gritty gingerbread townhouses and unoccupied mansions of Allen Street and then on to one or another of the town's alleyways: Rope, Cherry, Prison, named as if to inspire Poe-like thoughts of a last meal before the gallows. It starts to snow—large, glamorous old MGM snowflakes, like the ones that fell towards the end of Ernst Lubitsch's The Shop Around the Corner—and they swirl gorgeously around the horse barns and out buildings that tilt and lean toward each other on each side of the road.
A few things come to mind as I walk past the behinds of churches, meeting halls, and closely knit homes, pushed askew by withered vines and moss, and framed by piles of last fall's leaves. About how Hudson looks as if the buildings from a dozen upstate towns and country roads have been transported and squeezed together into a tight urban configuration, and how this tight squeeze has kept so much of the town standing, despite years of neglect. About how there probably wasn't anything in the world quite like this picturesque disassembly, magically unique and at the same time so vulnerable to "improvement." And about how this transitory tableau of pentimento and makeshift repair was being experienced only by me, solitary pedestrian that I was on that night.
Hudson manages, even just from its weary backside, to transfix at these moments, and there are enough of them to keep a person going—or at least edified—in spite of all of the "in spite ofs": an erratic economy, some really scary poverty, a local population suspicious of all newcomers, the lack of basic services such as groceries or cobblers or dry cleaners, and, until recently, a city government willing to give away the city's birthright for a mess of potash—or cement, as the case might have been. "I don't think Hudson will ever lose its dumpiness, " says David Petrovsky, a local antiques dealer. "Its social and economic fabric was too completely eviscerated during the 70s and 80s and too many vestiges of its impoverished past remain, due to slumlords who continue to profit so much from the city's disadvantaged."
Things are a lot better than they used to be though. In Byrne Fone's ennobling book, Historic Hudson, An Architectural Portrait, phototographer Lynn Davis and her husband Rudy Wurlitzer, a novelist and screenwriter, describe having "an eerie sensation, as if we had slipped through a scrim of time and landed at the tail end of the 19th century" when they first drove onto Warren Street back in 1991. Even though there were "only a few cars and the sidewalks were deserted, except for what looked like a huddle of crack dealers lurking in front of a pizza joint," they decided to rent and then finally buy an 1835 Federal house across the street from the post office. Soon after moving here, Davis photographed every building on Warren Street, most of them nearly unrecognizable in their unrestored state.
For Petrovsky, Davis, Wurlitizer and so many others who have made their home here over the last decade, it is perhaps that very in-betweeness, a paradox of time and economic status, that continues to compel as much as it does bewilder. Ask anyone, veteran or newcomer, who has found him or herself hanging around on a Tuesday or Wednesday, when the entire place seems to have shuttered like a closed museum. On those days, there is a true disconnect—not between the astonishing sophistication of today's Warren Street, parts of which equal SoHo and Madison Avenue as a retail experience, and the Appalachian dreariness of so much around it. Nor is it the disparity between the haves and have nots, disturbing as that is; anyone from any major urban center around the world has gotten used to that kind of polarity. It is a disconnect between the town as you are seeing it—the visual evidence of Hudson's miraculous and continuing preservation—and the gnawing sensation that, despite all the apparent progress, and everyone's best work and intentions, it is, like Generalissimo Franco, still dead.
OK, maybe not dead…but not really moving. And frankly, it is that lack of movement that makes it such a fascinating place for visual artists and other retinal types such as art and antiques dealers, decorators, etc. James Corbett, a New York interior designer and member of Historic Hudson, recalls making the decision to move here from the city right after he got off the train, after seeing Jeremiah Rusconi's 1835 Greek Revival house at Front and Allen Street. "I was amazed at how intact everything was. And in fact ten years ago, when I first started coming up, there was a lot more. All along Warren Street you could see the same doorknobs that had been on doors since the 19th century. You could tell because old glass had a purplish color, after it's been exposed to light for a long time."
Now Let Us Praise Superficial Men (and Women)
"Is this really happening or is it the hash?"
That memorable Lily Tomlin quip came to mind one evening after coming home and turning on the television set to see, in 1950s black and white, the very same buildings and street corners I had just walked past on Warren Street moments before. The images were so eerily familiar and yet so completely different that the connection seemed at first unconscious: a neon lit luncheonette with a view towards a store window displaying streamlined 50s furniture (in its first incarnation); a neoclassical bank building just like the one at whose ATM I had just withdrawn cash, a clapboard church across the street from that, and a grand Victorian mansion hazily capping the vista."There are a lot of American towns that look like this one. It just can't be Hudson," I thought, as I held my held my head in my hands and watched a shoot out involving Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan (they're wearing masks but are still somewhat recognizable, just like the location). The Belafonte and Ryan characters stagger away down an alleyway, moodily counterpointed right behind the bank .
The movie turns out to be Robert Wise's 1959 Odds Against Tomorrow, a downbeat caper about three drifters (played by Ryan, Belafonte, and Ed Begley, Sr.) who decide to journey upstate from New York City in order to execute a meticulously planned bank robbery. And yes, it was shot in Hudson (called Melton in the film), although, having misplaced my TV listings guide, I had to wait until the next day to confirm this fact (with the help of Dan Barton, a longtime resident who recalls the making of the movie and the fact that Belafonte moved to the area afterwards). Wise, in the noir-ish "with it" style he was known for before going on to directing West Side Story and The Sound of Music, presents Hudson as it was at the time—a functioning American town with a normal degree of business going on, small scale yet by no means lost in time or backwards, an everyday place with soda jerks and bank guards and teenage girls wearing cardigan sweaters, shown in stark contrast to the claustrophobic waywardness of its urban protagonists.
Hudson normal? Everyday? Worth planning a bank heist in? Who knew? I recommend a viewing of the movie (decent enough to watch on its own merits) as a strong corrective to anyone who thinks that the town, with its overwhelmingly 19th century architectural profile, somehow stopped in its tracks at some Our Town—not to mention Rip Van Winkle—moment in time. This is documentary evidence, from a Hollywood film of all things, that Hudson was a real town right up until the very last, when the very concept of tight-knit towns was superseded by isolated suburban living and shopping malls, and not so long before that concept was embraced once again by a new generation of intrepid emigres.
There are still some remnants of that period on Warren Street, in storefronts sitting untouched and unused for what seems like decades. The display window of a place once called Ziesnitz Opticians is an incongruous diarama of Buddhas and brightly colored animal miniatures. Up the street, viewed through windows badly in need of Windex, the Samuel Sutty & Son luncheonette is a neutron-bomb moment in time, with assorted candies from the 1960s and a Fruits Daily advertisement collecting dust and fading in the sunlight. An orthopedic supply store, H&W Orthopedic Supports, now empty save for a lone American flag, was until recently a Dadaist display of a toy podiatrist holding arch supports, balanced on each side with artificial flowers and a small American flag.
None of these accidental shadow boxes is noticeable if you drive around Hudson in a car, stopping only to go to one destination or another. "I'm always lecturing people about the need to get out of their cars and walk around," Corbett, an inveterate nondriver, says. Indeed, even the most appreciative of year-round residents do this and, as a result, are often unaware of some of the stranger wonders of the town.
There is nothing quite like veering from these odd places to the town's retailers, who are so talented at window display that their storefronts sometimes look like year round art exhibitions. Considering how bleak everything might be without them, a case could be made for giving urban renewal funds to these antiques dealers, gallery owners, and other masters of retinal pleasure who have located here over the last decade or so. Or at least a tax deduction for lighting their resplendent displays at night time, no matter how many or how few might see them. The fact that their focus is an aesthetic one gives people the impression that they are too elite, specialized, expensive or unapproachable. Which misses the point entirely: like Hudson's architectural master builders, this new generation of entrepreneurs are once again arranging things to make community life a thing of grace and beauty every day and night of the year. —Scott Baldinger
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Dubious mark mars Sox's win
Lavarnway ties major league record with 4 passed balls in 1 inning
Updated 6:43 am, Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Jacoby Ellsbury homered twice and Jonny Gomes added a three-run shot and the Boston Red Sox rallied from a five-run deficit for a 15-10 win over the Houston Astros Tuesday night.
Catcher Ryan Lavarnway tied a major league record with four passed balls in the first as he struggled to handle pitches from knuckleballer Steven Wright, and the Astros took a 3-0 lead.
Houston extended its lead to 5-0 before Ellsbury's two-run shot in a three-run third closed the gap.
The Astros led 7-3 before a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Lavarnway gave Boston a one-run lead.
Boston tacked on five more runs in the sixth, capped by the pinch-hit homer by Gomes.
Robbie Grossman, Brett Wallace and Jake Elmore homered for the Astros, who have lost five of six.
David Ortiz had four hits, two RBIs and scored twice for Boston and Shane Victorino added three hits and scored four times.
Wright lasted just one inning in his first major league start. Brandon Workman (2-1) relieved him and got the win despite yielding nine hits and six runs in 42/3 innings.
Houston's Jordan Lyles (4-6) gave up nine hits for his third straight start and tied a career high with eight runs allowed in 42/3 innings.
Wright won his last two relief appearances and had thrown 92/3 scoreless innings entering Tuesday's game. But he had trouble with command from the start and walked leadoff hitter Robbie Grossman.
Grossman stole second before advancing to third on the first passed ball of the inning. He then plunked Brandon Barnes and he later advanced to second on another passed ball.
A third passed ball allowed Grossman to score and Barnes to take second. The last passed ball of the inning sent Barnes home.


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New phone tower causing concern at Corlette
Telstra could be facing a community backlash in its bid to improve mobile phone reception in a telecommunications blackspot at Port Stephens.
Project consultant Urbis has lodged a development application with Port Stephens Council to build a Telstra tower in Sandy Point Road, just metres away from homes and businesses.
Councillor John Nell who lives a short distance away, says an inspection of the site will be carried out soon, but the location seems inappropriate.
"Council staff and east ward councillors are very well aware of this proposal and hope to inspect the site early in the new year and meet together and see what approaches we take to this proposal," he said.
"I know we all like improved mobile phone reception but there's still a lot of community concern about mobile phone towers and this one as far as I understand would be very close to residential homes.
Councillor John Nell says another site away from homes might be more acceptable to the community.
"It's never been a good area, no mobile phone reception and also television reception, radio reception, it is very dependent on the location," he said.
"It's a difficult area for reception.
"I'm not sure how one balances good mobile phone reception with community concerns and safety, it's something you'd have a look at."
Topics: mobile-phones, local-government, radio-broadcasting, television-broadcasting, corlette-2315
First posted


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Disney's Tangled: Better as a Silent Film?
This post is part of the The Fairy Tale Blogathon hosted by Movies Silently. Check out the other entries!
I was hesitant to give Tangled a chance. I've always been bored by Rapunzel, who had little to recommend her but strong hair. Sure, she had beauty—yawn—and a pretty voice (What heroine doesn't?) But she always seemed so idiotic to me. She had two tasks in her life—let down her hair, and conceal the prince's visits, and she botched one of them, setting her love up for the witch's wrath. And however her looks might have grown in all that tower time, isolation surely didn't do much for the fair one's people skills.
Disney's 2010 version was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. Rapunzel is savvier and spunkier than in the original tale. And Tangled has some amusing theories on what she did all day, and how her upbringing by a witch might have affected her. Some wonderful side characters add to the energy, and the witch is a hoot. But there are some disappointments too.
First, the improvements on the fairy tale:
A Heroine Who Isn't a Snooze
I've always pictured Rapunzel as a less interesting version of Lady Bertram, napping until the prince arrived and slowly making her way to the window, yawning as she helped him climb. Disney's version (voiced by Mandy Moore) is full of projects: reading, painting murals, baking, doing papier-mâché and otherwise trying to fill the hours. She is obsessed with the lights unleashed on her birthday, actually lanterns from the queen and king to call her (their daughter) back from the witch, who stole Rapunzel to retain the Fountain-of-Youth properties of her magical long hair.
The unbelievable strength of Rapunzel's hair in the fairy tale always puzzled me, so I was relieved to find the hair was magical, and Disney made it much more fun by turning it into an all-in-one lever-rope-weapon.
Rapunzel is also pretty handy with a frying pan, which she wields to defend herself against the thief (a prince replacement) who escapes into her tower. She bribes him to help her to the lighting ceremony, after which she plans to return meekly to her mother (aka, the witch). (I was concerned about the amount of head-pan contact though, convinced she'd kill/maim him sooner or later; the pan surely must have been made of weaker stuff than my iron skillet.)
An Equal Partnership
In most ways, the thief (Flynn Rider, voiced by Zachary Levi) is an everyday Disney hero, handsome and arrogant, proud of his "smolder" look. His backstory—an orphan craving riches—explains both his law-breaking ways and duplicitous behavior toward his partners. While he will obviously be reformed by the love of such a sweet, naïve girl, à la Lady and the Tramp, she will pick up his daring and inventiveness, needed qualities for a girl who is dangerously set in her ways thanks to eighteen years in a tower. Of course, she does have one advantage over him, with that magic, glowing hair.
I can't say I was terribly interested, moved by, or invested in their union, but thought his altruism near the end was a nice touch. But no worries—I didn't have to care much about them. Not with the mama witch to keep me interested.
A Worthy Villain
Now, I'm not going to claim this witch is as fearsome or powerful as Cruella de Vil. But it's fascinating to watch Mother Gothel, perfectly voiced by Donna Murphy, manipulate her supposed daughter Rapunzel. This mother has Bette Davis flair as she pronounces the evils outside that Rapunzel must avoid. My favorite of the dangers she lists: men with pointy teeth.
"Skip the drama," she advises in song. "Stay with Mama." Murphy's performance is simultaneously disturbing and hilarious.
Mother Gothel transitions from worldly dangers to a litany of Rapunzel's weaknesses: her clumsiness, her naïveté, etc., which will supposedly make her easily fall prey to others.
Of course, Mother Gothel pretends love, not fear of loss, is what prompts her tower hiding of Rapunzel.
(And, of course, she does love her obsessively—at least, that magical hair.)
In terms of models, Mother Gothel is a twin of the monstrous parents in Like Water for Chocolate and Now, Voyager, mothers who think a daughter should exist solely to serve, and enjoy doing so.
Mother Gothel likes to point out her maternal virtues, such as providing such great paints and soup!
I'd always considered the father of the original tale weak for giving his child to the witch's care (to avoid paying for stealing food for his pregnant wife with his life). But I'd never reflected on just how cruel it was to leave his child in such hands. The ill effects are briefly seen when Rapunzel escapes, as she veers between bursts of joy and energy…
…and periods of debilitating guilt:
While this back-and-forth moodiness is funny to watch due to Disney's deft portrayal, I kept thinking of Davis's twitchy, insecurity-infused performance in Now, Voyager, and just how much therapy it would cost Rapunzel before she attained the exuberance and lightheartedness she displayed in the very next scene. Truly, a witch who just threatens physical harm would be sweet by comparison.
Amazing Allies
I used to like the sidekicks in Disney flicks, but after one too many Sebastian types (of The Little Mermaid fame), I was relieved to find the most prominent sidekicks largely silent, including an Owl-like chameleon, Pascal, whose expressions and gestures provide sage advice (in tribute to his name, of course).
And there's the glorious Maximus, a horse with amazing hunting skills and loyalty, who provides 90 percent of the comic relief of the film. As part of the royal guard, he tracks Flynn with Inspector Javert-like persistence after Flynn steals a crown from the palace.
Maximus falls for Rapunzel and reluctantly aids her beau, a reluctance that's a joy to witness.
In fact, I was so enthralled by these animated allies that I found myself wishing the whole movie were silent, not just because these allies were the primary reward of watching the movie, but for the following additional reasons:
Utterly Forgettable Songs
Murphy (Mother Gothel) gets one good tune, and she's a talented enough actress and singer to almost make the other songs worth hearing—almost. But with bland song after bland song, and the highly generic focus on dreams (seriously?), I was ready to return to the silent antics of Maximus. (If you can't beat Kermit piping the lovely "Rainbow Connection" or the 1001 less compelling dreaming songs since, lay off of 'em.)
Scenery More Interesting than the Plot
A girl spends a lifetime in a tower, much of it reading, and the height of her ambition on escaping is to……see some lights. Umm, what? Couldn't Disney have made her an artist—a writer or a painter (the murals!)? Or maybe an intellectual even? Surely Mother Gothel would have loved to provide the kinds of books that would turn Rapunzel into a scholar, as those might make her content to live a life of the mind, happy with her retreat. Turn the tower ivory, Mother Gothel! Come on! I'm not exactly talking about creativity here; I'm pronouncing the biggest cliché about towers ever. I know I'm supposed to believe Rapunzel has some spiritual connection with the lights, somehow understanding they're for her, but if that's the case, why didn't Mother Gothel change the date of her birthday? The woman seems far too intelligent to have made such a dumb mistake.
The first big moment after Rapunzel's re-entry to the world involves turning a bunch of thugs to her side because she asks if they have dreams, and they proceed to share them.
If I'd been in the theater, I'd have been tempted to throw popcorn at the screen. Even if this is a strange alternate universe where dreams aren't discussed ad nauseam, neither this character, nor her own ambition, is at all inspiring. To see lights is not exactly the kind of dream to get criminals past their reluctance to open up. If the movie had played off her dream as comically stupid, what someone dozing in a tower would come up with, I'd have been all for it. But sigh. They played it as motivating.
In contrast to such clichéd scenes, all the details of the landscape sucked me in, especially the flood. In trying to get boys to watch the film, Disney really succeeded with the action shots.
How interesting it would have been, in contrast to that silly song about grass when the heroine hits the ground and the unnecessary (if occasionally amusing) scene with the tough types, to just witness Rapunzel quietly taking in the wonders around her, jumping at everyday noises, stumbling a bit at the unaccustomed exercise. What humor and pathos would have been possible! Disney gets this for a second, as Rapunzel is paralyzed after her tower retreat, unable to make the 12-inch drop to the ground.
That moment was worth the next hour.
In fact, the only truly moving scene in the film is the silent clip of the king and queen, hesitant to practice this lantern ritual yet again, to allow themselves to still hope.
I wish that Disney hadn't been so cowed by Pixar successes into such a conventional retreat from what's compelling about this movie. They give Rapunzel a Barbie-sized waist. They back off from the interesting mother-daughter dynamic.
They don't realize Maximus is the star. They have this supposedly feminist heroine spend her time on indisputably female-associated crafts instead of developing some kind of true ambition. And at the end of the movie she's—surprise! A bride.
Disney had the potential for some Fantasia creativity, with silence used to beautiful effect, and the glimpses of the story's potential still make this a fun movie. But how great it could have been.
Don't forget to check out the other entries in the blogathon!


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Ralph W. Harris, PGA
Main Address:
Helotes, TX 78023
Ralph Harris is a PGA Professional in Helotes, TX. The PGA of America comprises 27,000 men and women professionals with one singular goal in mind - to make the game of golf more enjoyable for you.
National Awards
- 2009 PGA President's Council on Growing the Game
Home » Golf Courses » Texas » Helotes » Ralph W. Harris, PGA
PGA of America Championships
Bellerive Country Club
St. Louis, Missouri
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Guyancourt, France
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Kildeer, Illionis


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Gaucho makes a steak in the market …
Stepping into Gaucho DIFC is quite an experience, the intense black and white decor with monochrome accessories is just beautiful. The walls are adorned with cow-hide and the whole place has a magical feel to it. We were whisked down from the bar area to the main restaurant in a glass lift, it all felt rather futuristic. There is no denying that Gaucho is every inch a top class restaurant, all this was going around in my head before we had even sat down!
After we were shown to our table and introduced to our waitress we started the mammoth task of deciding what to eat, I of course had already read the on-line version of the menu a few times so I had a good idea of what I was going to try. It nearly killed me not to order the king prawns on the starters menu, today was about Argentinian food and they aren't famous for their prawns are they? no it was their Argentinian beef that I was there to find out about. Our lovely waitress Patricia wasted no time presenting us with the meat board and expertly explained all the different cuts of meat to us. For starters I went for the braised beef cheeks with sweet corn puree and parsley oil. Fabulous dish the cheeks were so tender and the combination of corn puree and parsley oil worked really well.
For my main course I opted for the Bife de Ancho (190g) better known to you and I as a rib-eye steak. My husband chose the Churrasco de Chorizo (300g) spiral cut sirloin steak that has been marinated for the previous 24 hours in a combination of garlic, parsley and olive oil. We chose a selection of side dishes to share, sweet potato chips, twice cooked with lemon honey dressing, served with lemon confit, and honey capers. A portion of amazing grilled asparagus with gremolata sauce. We also ordered a portion of humita saltena, a dish native to Argentina of sweetcorn and roasted pumpkin served in a corn husk. All the food was oustanding, apart from the regular portion of chips. Most of my regular readers know that I am a bit fussy when it comes to chips, particularly those of the frozen variety. Gaucho you are too good to be serving these little chips, even though they were tasty, I am pretty sure they weren't a patch on the old hand-cut fresh ones you used to serve? that aside the food was pretty spectacular.
I was literally too full to eat a dessert but my husband saw the salted duche de leche with macadamia cheese cake and had to try it. I admit I had a taste, fabulous, the salted caramel really does work in a dish like this. For those of who aren't big beef eaters, don't panic there are plenty of other options to choose from too. You may like to know as well that all Gaucho's beef is reared in Argentina and imported into Dubai.
All it takes now is for me to thank Team Gaucho for inviting us down to DIFC today to share the pleasures of your amazing food. Gaucho is located at the Podium Level, Gate Village 05, DIFC, you can call them to make a reservation on 04 422 7898. You can also find them on Facebook. I have also uploaded more photos of our experience to my Facebook page.


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Suspicion in marriage – What did I do wrong?
Suspicion in marriage could be very dangerous. Suspicion can ruin a perfectly good marriage if you can't tell him what it is you think he did wrong.
Are you suspecting that your spouse is having an affair? Are you wondering what to do? What you need is some suggestions to help you deal with your suspicious thoughts, be it true or false. Also alternatives to spying on your partner and prying in private matters.
How to handle suspicion in marriage and avoid unnecessary disaster
• Don't make impulsive decisions or jump to conclusions. Statistics show that 85% of women, and 50% of men in due course discover their suspicions were right and the spouse was unfaithful, BUT you could be wrong and put your marriage in unfounded jeopardy.
• Ask and answer these questions:
- Is your spouse dedicated to your relationship?
- Would your partner share with you any feelings of dissatisfaction or unhappiness in the marriage?
- Do you think your spouse is able to break the marriage vows?
- Are these feelings of jealousy or mistrust extreme?
• Discuss any suspicions with your partner. Whatever you say, don't accuse your partner. Use "I" interpretations, such as "I was worried when you didn't call as you promised, when you went on the trip." or "I was upset when I found these in your pockets, when I did the washing."
• Avoid tip-toeing around your partner. Don't become pitiful, whiny, insecure, weak, or dependent.
• Stipulate what you won't tolerate such as lying, secret meetings or emotional intimacy.
• When you confront your spouse with your suspicions, explain what is making you uncomfortable and express your love for your spouse. Indicate your anticipation that your marriage will continue but that you won't bear sharing your spouse with another person.
• Stop prying for evidence in your partner's email, text messages, credit card statements, etc. When you are convinced of his unfaithfulness, you will see evidence where there isn't any.
If you're convinced about your spouse's betrayal, do you really see any future for the marriage?
If you can't trust or forgive your partner, why are you still married?
Seek marriage counseling.
• Trust your intuition. If you do, confront your partner and be prepared to hear the truth.
Hope for the best but be prepared for anything else
If you can nip infidelity in the bud, your marriage has a fighting chance. However, prepare yourself financially, legally, emotionally, and mentally for the worst.
Become independent. Get your property, vehicles and home insured to prevent any unnecessary losses which you can't afford after a divorce.
Ref.: http://marriage.about.com/


text:
Member shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) have announced their intention to increase Panama Canal charges for the first time in more than two years, reflecting annual increases in Panama Canal transit fees, as well as various premium charges and other related cost increases incurred over time.
Effective June 1, 2007, WTSA lines will individually raise their chargers to a level of US$212 per container, and either $11.50 per metric ton or $4.50 per cubic meter for cargo rated on a weight or measurement basis. The increases will bring charges into line with what is being charged by carriers in other trades shipping container freight via the Canal today.
In 2005 the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) adopted changes to the way Canal transit fees are assessed, shifting to a per container formula from one based on vessel weight, and then announced annual increases to the transit fee under the new formula, for 2005-07. WTSA lines modified the fee to reflect the new formula and initial increase but has not adjusted the charge since then. Westbound carriers shipping cargo from the US to Asia are doubly impacted by Canal transit costs due to the high volume of empty containers being repositioned with no revenue to offset fees collected.
More recently, Panama's Cabinet Council has approved a proposal by the ACP for further transit fee increases of 10% annually over 2007-09, including an increase in the fee formula for empty containers effective May 1, 2007.
WTSA is a voluntary discussion and research forum of 10 major container shipping lines serving the trade from ports and inland points in the US to destinations throughout Asia.
|WTSA members include:
|American President Lines, Ltd.
|Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Ltd.
|COSCO Container Lines, Ltd.
|Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line)
|Evergreen Marine Corp. (Taiwan), Ltd.
|Nippon Yusen Kaisha (N.Y.K. Line)
|Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd.
|Orient Overseas Container Line, Inc.
|Hapag Lloyd Container Lines
|Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.


text:
This year, more than any year past, I've received a plethora of questions related to topic ideas for vacation posts. Each and every suggestion has been great, and I've signed off (well, except for the one that said "can I just write 'ask me anything,' and see what people come up with?" The answer to that one is "no." That's what the mini profiles were for).
Anyway, I am glad to see you aren't hesitating to check-in, test your ideas, even ask for a little help, or a lot.
One thing I've spent a good amount of time on this week is working with people to brainstorm ideas. At this point, I know many of you fairly well. You've been commenting for years and/or we interact on Facebook and Twitter. Even that smidgen of insight helps me formulate topics that could work for you.
Don't believe me?
Just ask (if they come on and share) the 20 or so people who have already reached out and asked for post ideas and suggestions. Each received at least five, but as many as 10, ideas back within the day.
Oftentimes, people express embarrassment or shyness when asking for help with this. I've gotten things like "you make it seem so easy" or "I should be able to come up with something."
No, you shouldn't. I mean, you may very well be able to, but "should" is being tough. I've been doing this a long time and, let's not forget, I used to struggle — really struggle — coming up with ideas. Some days, I still do.
So, please, don't be shy or ashamed. You should know by now I never make anyone feel dumb or stupid or lame for asking anything.


text:
JDaniel and the boys next door have been waiting and waiting for the leaves from the birch trees in our backyard to fall.
When there was finally enough on the ground, they had a wonderful time playing in them and with them. I loved getting to take pictures of the boys enjoying the leaves at the end of last week.
My maternal grandmother loved to quote the poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer when I was little. She would recite it word by word. When tried to decide how to share pictures of their joyous leaf play, I decided to use part of that poem.
The first stanza and last stanza of this poem are Joyce Kilmer's. The rest of the stanza's are my words.
I think that I shall never see
Boys more happy playing beside a tree.
The leaves it shed
won't be left for dead.
They will be raked into a pile
And jumped into preschool style.
The leaves will be thrown into the air
to descend inside clothes and onto hair. They will be loaded in a boy's car
and driven, but not very far. Those leaves will become a brand new heap
They will be jumped into again and again by boys who leap.Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
This post is linked to Mama Kat's Writing Workshop and Mrs. Matlock's Alphabe Thursday.
P.S. JDaniel is wearing his yellow Thankfulness Tree leaf that says "Dad". He said he wanted his dad close to him.
What a lovely post! The poem was perfect and all the extra stanzas in between.
Haven't been here in a while! It's great to see you again. Hope all is well with you! 🙂
Visiting today from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop
Cute kid, cute poem–very good!
Stopping by from Writers Workshop.
What a beautiful post! I love that he is wearing his "dad" leaf. That is just so sweet.
Great post, love the little poem and how you worked it with the pictures:-)
Delightful B post, now I know what's been missing from our leaf pile, boys!
It's almost like our boys were playing in leaves together today, across cyberspace 🙂
I loved this; it takes so little to make children happy. There are enough leaves in our backyard for the kids to dive in. We just have to get the gumption to rake them from their current all over the place state.
that poem is perfect. it's true!
BRILLIANT Boys at play loved the addaptation of the poem as well
The pictures were the perfect compliment to your beautiful words.
Love the poem, love the pictures. Leaves are so very fun aren't they? We have a ton of them, I love to rake a pile at the end of our slide.
The Joyce Kilmer Forest is located in western NC. We visited there once or twice over the years. They have a plaque errected with this famous poem etched for visitors to read. I love the photos. Our kiddos loved doing what your little guy and his playmate were doing. Shoot, I love doing it,too! =D
I posted this SAME thing today! my girls are having a blast with the leaves! 🙂
I love that poem.
They look like they're having fun!
Ah, this is lovely! I posted about fall in my neighbourhood today as well, though not nearly so eloquently. Cute photos!
This is beautiful, both your poem and the photos! Thanks for sharing!
i remember long ago when my son had so much fun with the leaves…
thanx for the memories…
visiting from AlphabeThursday!
One of my favorite posts. Love the thoughts and photos!
What a sweet post!
Such a darling post. Especially for a tree (and little boy) lover like me!
Wonderful fun! We are loving playing in the leaves too! Would love for you to come link this up at tomorrow's Outdoor Play Party!
Superb images!
Thanks too for stopping by!
What a great post for autumn! My girls like nothing better than to rake up a big pile of leaves and jump in! They taught our little 3 year old neighbor the joys of leaf jumping this fall.
Are you kidding me??? We live in the same town. 🙂 How cool is that??? I not only have to join your blog because I love it, I have to join because we are neighbors. 🙂
Great Post! Your little boys are just adorable!!!
Our girls wanted to make piles too, but at their age they just couldn't get them big enough to be very soft during the landing.
Perfect poem for the pictures. Leaves are so different to kids than they are for adults.
I loved the poem and the pictures are so adorable!!! Glad he had such a fun time. 🙂
No way, you're not a fool…..poems are mostly made by people whose heart is ready to explode in utter happiness…and who better to write poems than a Mom, right?!!!!
That is so very, very cute!
Nice adaptation of the poem!
Too cute! Whether or not they remember these snippets from their childhood, it's obvious you will hold them close to your own heart. 🙂 What a great poem! Look forward to your prompt response next week!
Lovely photos and adpatatio of the poem. JDaniel is getting big!
A beautiful poem to go with wonderful photos!
Nice to see this small kid working..
Leaves are wonderful, aren't they? One of fall's biggest joys.
Boys and leaves just go together!
Looks like a lot of fun! We love playing in the leaves, too! Thanks for linking up to the Outdoor Play Party!
I love the pics and the poem that go with them! Looks like it was a really fun day. We don't really get to experience the seasons where I live. Mostly evergreens around here. Wish that I could jump around in piles of leaves too!
It's a good thing I was just with my two little grandsons, or I'd find this post too, too poignant. There's something about little boys and leaves – what a lot of fun they must have had!
very sweet.
I missed the posting deadline for Alphabe-Thursday this week…feel free to stop by, tho, and check out my take on boys with leaves… 🙂
That's a perfect poem for the season! Love all the pics…oh how I love fall!
Oh man! This was the sweetest post. It's neat to see their blossoming friendship! What a fun series of pictures!
That's the best kind of play!! We don't have many leave here, but once in a while I get a pile together.
This is great! I love that you wrote a poem to go with the great pictures of your child at play. Your words and the author's are both awesome!
Thanks so much for linking up to the outdoor play link up. Be sure to let your readers know you linked up so they know where to find you. The more ideas that get shared the better!
Precious poetry and pics! (Love your verses you created and added to Joyce Kilmer's.
Blessings & Aloha!
Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comment! I am a wee bit behind in my visit to thank you!
That is a beautiful poem. I love watching kids play in a pile of leaves.
How Adorable! Love the images and the poem creation!
Love this poem and the pictures!!! Visiting you from the SITSgirl. Ah the never ending raking of leaves.
Loved reading this! Apparently I really liked kicking the autumn leaves about when I was small.


text: Erik E. Fair <email@example.com> writes: >Having precisely the divorce between interval timers and Correct Time of >Day is a good thing, for all the reasons Dennis mentioned, and more. I >think he's had a terrific idea. This is good systems design. <aargh> I'm not disagreeing. I've even offered to help get at least part of this into the NetBSD code-base. I'm just pointing out that as soon as one divorces the "real time" as measured by interval timers, and by the Correct Time of Day, that *some* applications* really need to wait for an interval as measured by Correct Time Of Day . Dennis is punting on apps that want to sleep until a specific *real time*, not for an *interval*. You're right that I'm objecting to that. I'm also querying how far the implicit proposal to use "interval time" for all or most kernel timestamps. For e.g,. network protocol retransmit timers or timeouts, (a case dear to my heart), using "interval time" is indubitably the wrong thing to do. For inode timestamps I think it's equally clearly the wrong thing to do. I'm also disagreeing that Dennis' proposed *impelmentation* of this separation -- fudging boottime to maintain an invariant, to allow comparison of Correct-TOD timestamps and Interval-Time timestamps *** for the current settimeofday() epoch *** is, indeed, neat system design. I'd be glad to have though of it myself. I don't beleive it doesn't work as claimed. Specifically, I don't see how it works when comparing times from *different* settimeofday epochs -- i.e., comparing "interval time" timestamps to Correct Time Of Day timestamps, acrosss more than one settimeofday() call. bootime can be correct for only *one* settimeofday() epoch, and there can (and will) be Current-time-of-Day timestamps from more than one settimeofday() call. Erik's observation that NetBSD systems often steps clocks, due to running on hardware with busted clock hardware or using NTP with overloaded networks, makes that problem worse, not better. The more frequently a clock is stepped, the more Correct-TOD timestamps will be from the previous Correct-TOD epoch, and will therefore be incommensurate with Interval-Time, even *with* Dennis' invariant. For reference, an earlier message of mine has another description of the problem case I was thinking of. I've sketched out of what might be a *complete*, but ludicrously overweight, solution to the problem, which may be the clearest exposition of what I think is missing. If Dennis' proposal does indeed work in such situations, I will both humbly apologize, and be very grateful for an explanation of how that works. I just don't see how it can. , without either versioning all Correct-TOD timestamps, or adjusting all Correct-TOD timestamps from the previous Correct-TOD era -- not just boottime -- each and every time the clock is stepped.


text:
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York officials say that Zurich American Insurance Co. has agreed to refund $4.56 million to policyholders of its statutory disability insurance policies after failing to spend at least 60 percent of total premiums on claims as required under law.
The Department of Financial Services says Monday refunds to about 73,000 policyholders, mostly small businesses, involve policies issued in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Officials say the insurer overestimated the amount it would spend on claims when policies were priced.
The insurance provides temporary benefits to partly replace an eligible employee's wages when disabled by an off-the-job illness or injury and during pregnancy.
A Zurich spokesman says it completed refunds, and while the company is withdrawing from the statutory disability market, it continues to uphold its responsibilities to policyholders.


text:
|Tour Program Name
|: Myanmar 10 days
|Cover Area
|: Pyway (Prome) - Bagan - Mandalay - Hsibaw - Yangon
Day 1 Arrival, transfer to Hotel for dinner and
O/N in Yangon
Day 2 Overland drive to Pyway(Prome) with visit en route
O/N in Pyay.
Day 3 Continue to Bagan by exploring the country site
O/N in Bagan.
Day 4 Visit in and around Bagan and its Temples and Pagodas
O/N in Bagan.
Day 5 Drive to Popa Mountain, and proceed to Mandalay
O/N in Mandalay.
Day 6 Visit in and around Mandalay and Amarapura
O/N in Mandalay
Day 7 Train to Hsibaw by observing along the railroad
O/N in Hsibaw.
Day 8 Trekking to tribal village near Hsibaw
O/N in Hsibaw.
Day 9 Drive to Pyinpoolwin for visit and continue to Mandalay
O/N in Mandalay.
Day 10 Fly back to Yangon and last minutes visit before departure
Traditional Performance
Puppet Show
Overland drives to Pyay, the famous Pyu capital before Bagan. Stop at villages to learn the daily life of the people more closely. Visit to the Local market to watch the populace of the environ, and stop at Innma Village to learn the hand-loom weaving. Drop at Schools and monastery to see the kids and their educational System. Visit Shwesandaw Pagoda, and Saehtutgyi Gygantic Seated Buddha Image, then continue visit to Neikbeinna Nunnery. Overnight in Pyay (Prome).
Shewsandaw Pagoda
Saehtutgyi Buddha Image
Continue driving to Bagan with exploring of Country life, sometimes stop at old Pyu Capital Ruin City (2 to 4 century AD) with full of Artifacts, and sometimes by wandering the Petroleum extracting and schools. Overnight in Bagan.
On the way to BaganBagan View
On the way to BaganBagan View
|Shwezeegone Pagoda
|Bagan Museum
Gawdawpalin Pagoda
Dhamanangyi Temple
Ananda Temple
Tharabar Gate
Drive for Mandalay, stop at Mount Popa the Olympia of Myanmar and known as the home of Nats (spirits). There are Thirty seven Life-size Nat statues fully dressed with their respective Nats (Spirits) costumes. Proceed to Cottage industry where brown sugar is made. Drop at village and Monastery to learn the daily life of the country people and survey the landscape. Overnight in Mandalay.
|Mount Popa
|Nats Statues of Mt. Popa
|Shwenandaw Monastery
|Maharmuni Pagoda
Kuthodaw Pagoda
Stone Carving
U Bein Bridge
Mandalay Palace
Morning train to Hsibaw, the old capital of Shan tribal Highland Chief of Northern Shan State. The train stops at every small town and doing loading and un-loading cargoes and Goods form one place to another. Walk down the platform and watch the activities at the station. The trains pass through over the famous Gonteik Viaduct. Transfer to Guest house and evening walk around the town. Watch the sunset from the top of Tehintaung Hill and Overnight in Hsibaw.
|Goteik Viaduct
|Bawgyo Pagoda
|Palaung Couple
|Hsibaw Haw Palace
Overland Drive to Pyinoolwin (Maymyo), the British hill station with Victoria style houses. Visit Local market and walk around the town to watch the old British style of Houses that can not be seen even in Britain. Drive to Botanical Garden to learn the different species of trees, plants and flowers. Continue driving to Mandalay and enjoy the Puppet Show, and overnight in Mandalay.
|Botanical Garden
|Horse Cart
|Shwedagon Pagoda
|Royal Throne
»Myanmar Tour Programs
»We Specialized
» 3 Days Tours
»5 Days Tours


text:
Green Island Republicans running -- really
Published 12:00 am, Friday, September 23, 2011
Albany County GOP Chairman Don Clarey has taken heat this year for not fielding candidates for any of the countywide offices.
But in what may be the biggest little coup of the season, Clarey has flushed out perhaps the rarest bird in the county political ecosystem: an actual, real-life Green Island Republican.
Three of them actually.
Rick Palumbo, the former electrical superintendent for the Green Island Power Authority, is challenging longtime Mayor Ellen McNulty-Ryan, whose family is who's who of Albany County Democratic icons.
Palumbo, 56, who runs a small electrical system software company, moved to the village in 2005 from the Utica area to work for the Green Island Power Authority.
In doing so, he said, he changed his enrollment from Republican to Democrat to tack with the prevailing political winds of the village, which -- though tiny -- has been a symbolic center for Albany Democrats for years.
More Information
Eventually, Palumbo said, he became disillusioned with how the power authority was run, retired and re-enrolled as a Republican.
He has two Republican running mates for the three board of trustees seats on the ballot this fall: George Clough and Tom Frank.
At this point, it bears examining just how steep a hill Palumbo and his fellow Republicans will have to climb. (OK. Bad analogy, we know. Green Island is flat as all get-out.)
According to the Albany County Board of Elections, Democrats outnumber Republicans 9.7 to 1. But, on the bright side, with only 106 enrolled Republicans in the village, Palumbo needed only six signatures to qualify to be on November's ballot.
"It was real easy to go out and get that," Palumbo said. "It's not so much as, 'Let's get out there and win.' It's a first step. And the McNulty family is going to realize that we're going to be at every meeting."
Incidentally, Palumbo is chairman of the newly constituted Green Island Republican Committee. Palumbo said he'd love to win and get a chance to make what he said are important changes in village government. But he called just breathing life into the Republican Party an important first move -- one that he said has been welcomed so far at people's doorsteps.
"Even if the people are not going to vote for me," he said, "they're happy to have a choice again."
So who's out of line?
Albany Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin has little patience for people who she believes are blatantly disrespecting the council's rules -- most often by breaking the five-minute time limit during public comment or when members of the public interrupt speakers with applause or jeers.
McLaughlin doesn't spare the rod no matter whom she takes to task. No less than Alice Green, one of the city's leading advocates for social justice, and fellow elected official Doug Bullock, have incurred McLaughlin's wrath.
But this week, it was the gallery that accused McLaughlin of being out of line.
The incident unfolded Monday night when more than three dozen city firefighters packed the Common Council chamber to protest proposed changes to whether they will for the first time pay part of their health insurance during retirement.
At several points, despite McLaughlin's admonitions, the standing-room-only crowd of men and women in blue AFD gear cheered speakers sympathetic to their cause, most notably Andrew Hirsch, president of the Albany Permanent Professional Firefighters Association.
McLaughlin's patience thoroughly exhausted, she urged Hirsch to better control his "posse" next time it visits the council chambers.
The president's word choice sparked an angry reaction from the assembled firefighters, including shouts of "That's wrong!"
Hirsch made a point to tell McLaughlin that he was offended by the remark and soon shooed his members from twhe chamber in hopes of preventing the confrontation from escalating.
For the record, Merriam-Webster's first definition of "posse" is "a large group often with a common interest."
Still, Hirsch said he believes McLaughlin owes the firefighters an apology.
"I wanted to stay for the rest of the meeting. But I didn't see any good coming out of it. ... I left because I wanted to keep peace there," Hirsch told Insider. "I don't want to start a war... I actually like her. But, in all honesty, I think an apology would be in order for her. It was out of line."
McLaughlin, who seemed surprised by the angry response, made a point to tell Insider after the meeting that she was sorry if the firefighters were offended by her comment and she had not intended it in a negative way.
"It did not come out of my mouth like that," she said.
Giddy up!
Inside Politics is a companion to the Local Politics blog -- http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics -- and compiled by Jordan Carleo-Evangelist. Reach the Insider via email at email@example.com, on the phone at 454-5445 or on Twitter @JCEvangelist_TU


text:
Matunda Nyanchama
Kenya: A Rough Ride towards a Knowledge Economy
click here for a pdf version of this article.
On January 17th, 2012 Kenyans woke up to news of desecration of a number of government websites. A hacker has taken liberty to expose the weaknesses in the security of government systems, reportedly after a short tutorial. The hacker, coming from Indonesia, later even thanked Kenyan technical news sources for effectively covering the story of the hack!
Banks urged to invest in risk controls
NB: as reported by "The Star", a Nairobi Newspaper
Banks have been urged to invest in converged governance, risk and compliance functions to save them on major losses in the future especially loss and theft of data and fraud. At the ongoing AITEC Banking conference in Nairobi, participants heard that banks do not yet view these functions as well as information security as strategic investments.
Information Security in Kenya – Some Thoughts
A few days ago the Kenyan Defense Force (KDF) twitter handle was compromised and taken over by hackers. The same happened to the twitter handle of KDF spokesman, Major Emmanuel Chirchir.
Information Security – Hacker Motivation
Reports indicate that Deputy President (DP) William Ruto's twitter account has been compromised. This comes hardly two days after twitter accounts of the Kenya Defense Force (KDF) and that of its spokesman, Major Emmanuel Chirchir we compromised.
Outsourcing to Africa: A Relative Ranking 15 Country Readiness
A Relative Ranking of 15 Country Locations
This is a Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) study of 15 countries resulting in a ranking of their relative readiness. Criteria used include infrastructure, people/skills and business environment.
Below is an extract from the report from the report's overview:
"Egypt turns out as the most attractive location in Africa. Egypt will have strong competition from all the others in the infrastructure ready band as all are working hard to improve. Egypt has an edge because ICT is supported and believed in by the leadership and all actions are coordinated. Further with the close coordination between different departments, especially the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the General Authority for Investment and Free zones (GAFI), makes a real single window service for any industry coming in to Egypt. An additional strength is the serious and coordinated efforts that the government and other stakeholders are making to maintain a steady supply of trained human resources on a continuing basis. Egypt is fi rst in the people and skills score in this study. Egypt will however have to look at cyber laws, tax rates, and general living conditions and infrastructure to maintain this position. Again, in January 2009, Egypt has done very well according to a study completed by Gartner. The biggest challenge that Egypt will face is strong competition from South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritius. South Africa will soon overtake all others in banking, finance, and sensitive operations that need a strong security base. Also South Africa will forge closer ties with the United Kingdom and United States of America than any other in the region.
"In the next band Botswana is topping and may jump soon if the promises made in various policies and programmes are kept. The Botswana Innovation Hub and how it actually works and keeps up the announced promises will pave the future as far as Botswana's position is concerned. If Botswana does jump to the 'Ready' band it may well overtake some of the current leaders.
"In the Yet to be ready band Nigeria falls just short of the required infrastructure score. If Nigeria improves to enter the infrastructure upcoming band it will be within the top three in that band; thus there is potential to be taken advantage of here. Nigeria currently is the best out of the fi fteen in export of ICT services."
Read the complete overview report.
For full and country-specific reports see the CBC Website (nb: you may need to register).
Read the Kenyan-Specific Report
Mobile Communications Growth Projected to Power on in Sub-Saharan Africa
Unique mobile subscriber numbers are poised to hit 525 million mark in the year 2020 in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) according to a recent report from GSM Alliance. It is projected that actual connections will be 975 million. It is projected that mobile penetration rate will hit 49% across the region by the year 2020.


text:
Colossal Fruit Gumballs (2"/138 count)
Price: $ 54.95Sale: $ 51.95
Colossal Fruit Gumballs - Kids are really attracted to these brightly colored colossal fruit gumballs. Colossal fruit gum balls are sold in bulk and contain 138 count and will vend from any 2 inch capsule vending machine.
Availability: Usually ships within 1-business day
Call about FREE SHIPPING on gum and candy orders of 500+ pounds.
Freshness Guarantee: Our warehouse receives factory-fresh deliveries of candy each week. Given our high turnover rate, our products are warehoused for a short time before being shipped to you. Thus, you'll enjoy a long shelf-life of 18-24 months. We urge you to try our candies and taste the difference yourself!
Certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union


text:
In June of 2011 a group of 5 people went to Moldova to lead a summer camp for 50 orphans near the town of Visoca. A week before they left, they found out that the Orphanage was used for mentally challenged children and the facilities were sparse and very basic at best. That was all they knew when they set out to serve GOD in a foreign land and bring the love of Jesus to 50 orphan children. What happened was unexpected and encouraging as well as enlightening for each of the team and to a person, no one came home unchanged.
Each team member encountered all the children. Each team member reacted uniquely to the children and each team member has their own recollections and memories. All felt blessed and all of us were full of praise that 15 children accepted Christ as their personal savior in that summer camp. That alone is enough to change eternity.
One of the members of our team has realized that their encounter was directed by God and they feel led to try and bring two of those orphans to America to be part of their family. This post is intended to give you an intimate look at that decision so you can gain an idea of how God is leading in this situation. We will update this post every time there is new information and we will not make up any news or change any part of the story. We will leave names out so we maintain the personal privacy deserved by these individuals and so we don't give the impression that we are trying to unfairly influence anyone's emotions.
So here is the beginning, I hope you'll begin to pray for this family and these two little boys.
"When we were at the orphanage in Moldova one little boy stood out. I will call him Andy! We would play a game, Chubby Bunny, where the children had to put marshmallows in their mouths one at a time and between each marshmallow they would say chubby bunny until they could not fit any more marshmallows in their mouths. Any time Andy would walk up to me he would look up at me with his beautiful eyes and say "Chubby Bunny" in his Moldovan accent. It was so adorable. When I returned home from our trip I could not get him out of my head. I have now begun to try to find out more about him and his brothers, in hopes to one day bring them into our family"!


text:
Welcome! We are pleased that you have found the Troy International Church Of God (TICOG) Web site. We are confident that at TICOG you will find friendly and loving people, solid biblical teaching, and all sorts of activities and events to foster the development of healthy relationships with each other and with Christ.
TICOG is more than a church; it is a family! We love the Lord and we love each other. That is what makes serving Him so much fun! If you are looking for a place where the Bible is taught and the Lord is working in lives, you've found one.
We as a family would like to invite you to our church which looks unto Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith. You will find information about all our services on this site. If you have questions or special needs, feel free to contact us.If you are moving to Detroit or living here and seeking a BIBLE based Pentecostal Church for fellowship and Worship, Please visit Us. Come and be Blessed…!


text:
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