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Senator Savino Urges Passage of Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
Albany – Today, Senator Diane J. Savino joined domestic workers and their supporters in calling for the immediate passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights [S2311A]. The bill, introduced by Senator Savino, guarantees protection from discrimination, notice of termination, paid sick days and holidays, and other basic labor protections long denied to nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers employed in private homes.
"The first order of business should be for us to ensure that all workers are treated equally under the law. Unfortunately, domestic workers are not protected under the National Labor Relations Act and do not have the right to organize or band together for mutual aid and protection," said Senator Diane J. Savino (D-Brooklyn/Staten Island). "As a result of that, we have seen through the years, how domestic workers have been abused and exploited, when all they want to do is simply go to work, take care of the children and elderly that they develop a great love for, provide services to families and to do this while being treated with dignity and fairness. This legislation will provide a basic set of rights to workers that have been denied for too long," added the Senator.
Often working alone, in the isolation of their employers' homes, domestic workers are extremely vulnerable to physical and emotional abuse. Patricia Francois, a nanny who left an abusive situation in Manhattan, came to Albany to explain why she and other workers need legal protection. Francois was hit by her employer and taken to the emergency room by a neighbor after working approximately six-and-a-half years taking care of her employer's child. "How could you treat me this way? I am taking care of the most precious thing in your lives – and you treat me like I'm taking care of a piece of garbage," said Francois. After physically abusing her, Francois's employers repeatedly asked her to come back and continue working.
In June 2009, the New York State Assembly passed similar legislation to include domestic workers in existing labor laws, but domestic workers are urging New York State senators to go further. "This industry is like no other. We need Albany to take action and level the playing field for domestic workers who have no way of negotiating with their employers for better conditions," said Joycelyn Gill-Campbell, a former nanny and currently an organizer with Domestic Workers United.
To see video of the conference please click on the following link:


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Deny Festival: Na'Vi vs. M5
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Techlabs Cup Grand Finals, where Na'Vi and M5 meet once again. Both teams are different however: Na'Vi is playing without Artstyle, while M5 is now playing with Vigoss and PGG.
To add even more spice to this game, we'll see a Deny Festival going on: tower deny, hero deny, every kind of deny!
|The Pick/Ban analysis
|First Ban Phase
|First Pick Phase
Na'Vi takes out Invoker's lane dominance and the global presence of Prophet and Ancient Apparition out of the game, while M5 denies pushing by banning Chen, Broodmother and Enchantress.
Na'Vi decided to use the first-pick to cover the late-game, picking Spectre and building the team around her. M5 quickly grabs Shadow Demon and Windrunner. With Shadow Demon, M5 already have the means to counter Spectre, as Soul Catcher makes her very fragile and Purge forces her to sit down for a while. M5's answers to Na'Vi's late-game choice with early and mid game potential. Na'Vi strengthens their turtle and late game even more by picking Enigma, adding Black Holes to their mix. With Lich they have a support hero with AoE damage, and Frost Armor to make Spectre even stronger. M5's answers against Enigma is Vengeful Spirit, one of the best support heroes around which can counter the Black Holes with Swap.
|Second Ban Phase
|Second Pick Phase
By taking out Pugna, Na'Vi is once again banning a lane dominant hero. Beastmaster is bannued due to the combination of vision and a long-rage ultimate that goes through BKB, which threatens Enigma and Spectre. M5 takes out two strong solo-mid options from the pool, Puck and Batrider
Na'Vi picks Venomancer, adding even more AoE damage to their team and granting the ability to use the Plague Wards to protect towers and delay incoming pushes. The combination of Poison Nova and Chain Frost is really strong, and if you add a Black Hole and a haunting Spectre to the mix, you have a very powerful team-fight setup. With Clockwerk Goblin, Na'Vi has someone to protect Enigma, as he can just initiate and isolate the threat. On M5's side, they pick heroes that furthers their early and mid game potential: Mirana and Keeper of the Light. Mirana is very strong at ganking and deals a lot of damage in the early and mid game. Keeper of the Light adds pushing power, mobility and mana to the team.
|Critical Hero
As I see it, Keeper of the Light is the Critical Hero in this match. Being stronger early and mid game, but not late game, M5 needs to convert successful ganks and team-fights into pushes. Keeper of the Light can keep the mana pool high with Chakra Magic, heal his allies with Mekansm and erase the enemy creep waves with Illuminate, allowing the team to stay in the battle instead of returning to the fountain, denying time for Na'Vi to build their Spectre. It's all about Keeper of the Light surviving the clashes and transforming it into mortal pushes.
Na'Vi is clearly going for a late game turtle strategy, with the idea of playing defensively until Spectre gets her Radiance. They will be more than happy to get into big team-fights, as Power Cogs and Black Hole can set up for brutal Frost Novas, not to mention Poison Nova and Haunt. Hero exchanges will work in favor of Na'Vi, because less heroes in the field means more space and safety for Spectre to farm. M5's goal is to dominate the early and mid game. They can't give Na'Vi time, because they don't have the heroes to be stronger in the late game. They need to run sucessful ganks to have hero majority in the field and convert it into pushes. Big team-fights and exchanges won't work in favor of M5, but smaller skirmishes will allow them to come out into situations like 5v4 or 4v3, being able to push and win.
|Sentinel NaVi.AA (Top) XBOCT1113 (Top) Na`Vi-_-Dendi (Mid) NaVi.PIOS (Jungle) NaVi.Lgh7fHvN (Bot)
|Scourge M5.plzgogame (Top) M5.Dread (Top) Moscow5.vigoss (Mid) M5.G (Bot) MoscowFive.NS (Bot)
|The Game
|Laning Analysis
Na'Vi send Spectre and Lich to the top lane. Even if the long lane isn't the safest lane, Spectre would face a world of harass in the bottom lane, which most likely was the plan for M5. Now, instead of fighting Mirana, Vengeful Spirit and Keeper of the Light, they only need to worry about Shadow Demon. Also, Na'Vi has wards in the jungle to prevent creep pulls. In the mid lane, Venomancer and Windrunner will fight it out. The early levels will allow Venomancer to have his Plague Wards really soon. At the bottom lane, M5 have Vengeful Spirit, Mirana and Keeper of the Light fighting against Clockwerk. However, when M5 realizes Spectre is in the top lane, Vengeful Spirit starts roaming.
|Important events
First blood happens around the 1:40 minute mark, where Shadow Demon is joined by Vengeful Spirit at the top lane and kills Lich, not allowing Spectre to free farm. At 3:55, Vengeful Spirit goes mid with Smoke of Deceit to gank Venomancer, which runs into the trees and blocks the path with a Plague Ward in an attempt to survive. Venomancer is finished by a Powershot, and the Deny Festival begins here: while Windrunner is able to run for safety, Vengeful Spirit is almost dead and being chased by Enigma. Without strength to fight back and not wanting Enigma to favour her death, Vengeful Spirit dives into the woods and dies by the hand of an Enraged Wildkin. Venomancer's death enables a gank on the bottom lane. At 5:10, Windrunner goes bottom and joins Mirana and Keeper of the Light at killing Clockwerk Goblin, taking the tower afterwards. M5 gets another kill at 6:40, where Shadow Demon and Mirana kill Lich. The score is 0-4 in favor of M5 and they have tower advantage, but Spectre has not died once and Na'Vi isn't behind on XP. Around 7:00, a disaster hits Na'Vi. Enigma and Spectre try to kill Shadow Demon with Black Hole, but they don't have enough damage to kill him, and no hero comes in time to support them. This allows M5 to move their heroes top and kills Spectre, Lich, Enigma and takes the top tower. M5 is now ahead in levels; with the first bottom tower down, they can ward the jungle and dominate the map, not giving a breath space to Na'Vi. Around 9:00, Venomancer plants several Plague Wards in the mid lane in order to protect the towers. Being immune to magic damage, Keeper of the Light can't do anything to push. However, this doesn't keep M5 from attacking: they dive the tower to kill Venomancer and clear the creep wave. Clockwerk Goblin tries to do something there, but ends up overwhelmed by M5 heroes. Enigma also ends up getting killed by Windrunner, and the mid tower goes down, giving M5 an even bigger tower advantage and tons of map dominance. And the Deny Festival continues: Shadow Demon and Mirana are afflicted with Poison Gale and Poison Nova and are on the verge of dying. Instead of dying by the hands of the enemy, they decide it's better to die by the hand of their allies, and so it happens, with Shadow Demon and Mirana killimg themselves in a shakespearean way.
|Mid game
Right now, M5 is ahead. They need to continue transforming ganks into pushes in order to increase the pressure to have a chance at destroying Na'Vi's barracks. After killing Clockwerk Goblin in bottom lane at 11:37, M5 goes mid in order to push. Vengeful Spirit tries to initiate a clash with Swap, but there's no follow up by her allies. She's chased down by Venomancer and Spectre. Windrunner runs, hoping to save Vengeful Spirit, but it's too late. Knowing that dying by the hands of the enemy will bring dishonor to Vengeful Spirit, Windrunner shoots her arrow and kills Vengeful Spirit, denying Spectre the kill, adding another chapter to our Deny Festival. Thanks to a misshook by Clockwerk Goblin, Windrunner is able to get revenge by killing Enigma. However, despite the show, the tower is still up, which is really bad for M5's pretentions of winning this game.
Around 14:00, M5 organizes a split push at the top and bottom lane. Windrunner and Shadow Demon goes bottom to harass Spectre, but are repelled by Enigma. Na'Vi really gets an opportunity to countergank here, but Clockwerk Goblin misses the hook. Meanwhile, Mirana, Vengeful Spirit and Keeper of the Light are pressuring the tower. Enigma and Clockwerk moves quickly to top lane to help relieve the pressure, and Na'Vi is able to kill Mirana and Vengeful Spirit, not allowing M5 to destroy the towers. By doing this, Na'Vi is putting pressure on M5's shoulders, because Spectre will eventually get her Radiance and become really strong. M5 can't afford to lose time here, but Windrunner and Keeper of the Light also dies, making them lose even more time. Right now, M5 is not playing the Gank-into-Push strategy they must. At the same time, Na'Vi is playing very safely, never advancing too much. M5 gets a chance of pushing at 17:19, where an invisible Mirana finds and arrows Enigma. However, The push is denied by Venomancer's Plague Wards. Na'Vi finds a chance to initiate with Hook and Haunt. The fight ends pretty badly for M5, which loses three heroes in the clash, but we see yet another act of our Deny Festival: Shadow Demon goes David Copperfield and makes an entire Chain Frost disappear in front of everyone. The game is getting very dangerous for M5 as they're getting behind on levels, while Spectre is only getting stronger.
At 20:45, Roshan is killed by M5. Now they have another opportunity to push. They go for a gank on Spectre. She tries to escape from with Haunt, but is caught by Disruption and Soul Catcher. However, M5 doesn't manage to kill Spectre (with Mirana and Windrunner both missing the arrows). A huge Chain Frost makes Shadow Demon lose the Aegis, and Windunner also dies at the hands of Spectre. M5 is in a lot of trouble because they're not being able to break Na'Vi's defenses. Around 23:00, another push from M5 gets denied by Na'Vi, and then a disaster hits the Russians: Keeper of the Light is hooked by Clockwerk Goblin in the middle of a Recall, which results into locking himself and Shadow Demon inside the Power Cogs. This allows Na'Vi to kill both heroes and destroy the mid tower. Around 25:00, Vengeful Spirit and Mirana kills Lich, enabling a split push. The second bottom tower is destroyed At the same time, Spectre got her Sacred Relic, and is very close to her Radiance. At 28:45, M5 finally destroys the last of the second tier towers at mid, and finally has access to Na'Vi's base. However, it might be too late, because Spectre is very close to her Radiance. At the subsequent fight, four M5 heroes perish and Spectre finishes her Radiance. And the game goes downhill for M5, because they don't have the heroes or the advantage to deal with Spectre.
M5 had the early game of their dreams. Looking at the lineups, we could expect them to get some lead at the early game, but the lead they had was gigantic, 1-13 at the early game. However, this lead wasn't converted into a win mostly because M5 couldn't take the second towers quickly. We saw some over-aggression from the Russians, like using Swap to initiate a team-fight but not having the perfect follow-up, resulting in a situation where both teams just exchange heroes, which was favorable for Na'Vi as it gave them time to set Spectre up. Not being able to destroy the towers, they couldn't abuse Keeper of the Light's features, M5's advantage disappeared, and Spectre got too strong for them to handle.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mass Effect 3 SDCC 11: Story Interview Video - PS2
Mass Effect 3 - SDCC 11: Story Interview Video
As one of the leading role-playing titles available, fans have come to expect excellent storylines, plots and characters. So they should be interested in this new Story Interview for Mass Effect 3, where we learn more about the game's protagonist and some of the plot twists we may encounter. BioWare says their latest project could become one of the greatest games ever...
7/27/2011 Ben Dutka
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Talo Halogen Mini Wall Light is available in a die-cast painted aluminum with a painted Silver/Grey, Chrome, or painted White finish. Upper diffuser in clear molded polycarbonate. Lower diffuser in opaline molded polycarbonate. One 150 watt 120 volt R7s halogen bulb is included. 8.25 inch width x 4 inch depth x 1.75 inch height. Direct and indirect light distribution. ADA Compliant. UL listed.
Founded in the 1960s by Ernesto Gismondi, Artemide has become an iconic leader in the lighting industry. At the forefront of innovation and elegance, Artemide works with world famous designers, including Ron Rezek, Sir Norman Foster, Karim Rashid and many more to build fixtures that not only provides beautiful illumination but evokes a sense of comfort. Artemide developed and lives by a philosophy known as The Human Light, which aims to respond to the ever-changing visual desires of man while respecting the world's natural resources. From glass to metal, Artemide prides itself on using both modern and traditional materials to create innovative table lamps, chandeliers and wall lighting that meet a variety of tastes. The legendary brand has been featured in countless museums including, MoMA (New York), Victoria and Albert Musuem in London, the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome and many more. Browse our vast collection of lighting from Artemide and discover the meaning of modern.
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On May 09, 2012 by (Staff Lighting Consultant)
I really like using this sconce in bathrooms or powder rooms just for it's simplicity. The halogen version of the Talo Wall Sconce uses a 150watt lamp so it provides a bright and crisp light source around the vanity area - good for general light and/or applying make-up.
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Photo Gallery
UT Martin coaches and student-athletes recently participated in a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Sports Extravaganza event that brought approximately 130 attendees to the UT Martin campus.
The event was spearheaded by the Martin FCA Board of Directors. Each attendee interacted with UT Martin coaches and student-athletes in addition to receiving lunch, a FCA t-shirt and FCS Bible.
The campers interacted with UT Martin student-athletes from the baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, football, golf, equestrian, rodeo, volleyball and cheerleading programs.
"This event is a great way for our athletes to interact with the area youth in a positive and fun environment," said Nick Glenn, area representative for the Northwest Tennessee Fellowship of Christian Athletes and UT Martin team chaplain. "The message of giving your all in your sport lines up with the message of Christ giving his all for us. This event is one that I look forward to with anticipation every year."
Since 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has challenged athletes and coaches to impact the world for Jesus Christ. FCA is cultivating Christian principles in local communities nationwide by encouraging, equipping and empowering others to serve as examples and to make a difference. Reaching over two million people annually on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels, FCA has grown into the largest interdenominational sports ministry in the world. Through this shared passion for athletics and faith, lives are changed for current and future generations. For more on Fellowship of Christian Athletes, visit its national website: http://www.fca.org/home.


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last friday, I came close to actually thinking it was a good idea to kill myself. yay. check! don't need to go through that a second time. probably will, but I don't really feel any desire to feel that stupid again. after the thought, immediately I began telling myself everything I normally say when someone else—be they real or on tv—wants to kill themself. are you really that desperate? there's always a way out. there's always some reason to keep living. this is the most cowardly thing a person can do.
so then I thought it would be a good idea to jump anyway, wait a few seconds and see what it's like, then swim to safety. the shore wasn't far.
again. what the hell are you trying to prove? that you're the martyr? everyone else should start paying better attention to your real needs? shut up. you don't communicate, how are they supposed to know?


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Dear Margo: My son is intelligent, well educated and reasonably attractive. I raised him as a single mother and always put him first, ahead of a career and my social life. He married four years ago for the first time (in his early 40s). He married an intelligent, well-educated and reasonably attractive woman, not much younger than he, from a wealthy family (which we are not). They had a huge formal wedding with more guests than the Bush twin. They have good careers and settled in the New England city where I live, and they now have two adorable children.
The problem is that his wife is controlling, self-centered and status seeking. My son has always been totally clueless about women and is completely under her thumb. Her mother (who's just like her) started planting little tidbits to create a division between my son and me. My daughter-in-law, in turn, started passing on these tidbits to my son. Result: He began treating me terribly and parroting things I knew were my daughter-in-law's words. We've become more and more estranged.
She controls my son, as well as how and when I can see my grandchildren. I live 20 minutes away, but can only visit them in their lovely home when she has something to do; I can't visit when she is there. He brings one child to visit me in my small apartment on the average of two hours every six to eight weeks. I don't get to have a meal with them or spend a holiday with them.
I wasted my life raising my son to be the best he could be, and this is my reward. I expected that when he was successful and had a family, I would enjoy his success and his family. I guessed wrong. — Brokenhearted
Dear Broke: While your daughter-in-law and her mother sound like status-seeking witches, something is haywire with your son's values that he would permit his mother to be marginalized. You seem aware of his failings, however, when you write that he is clueless about women. That he would go along with excluding you speaks poorly of his values and suggests that he is weak.
I would lay it on the line the next time you are alone, telling him how you feel, how he is being manipulated and how he needs to think for himself, especially about his own mother. If that fails, and I suspect it might, you will have to accept that this is how your only child turned out and begin, even at this late date, to make a life of your own. — Margo, regretfully
The Disappearing Friend
Dear Margo: A woman named "Cynthia" and I have been pals for more than 15 years. Within the past eight months, however, whenever I've tried to make a date to get together, she always has some excuse. Her mother-in-law is visiting, her dog has to go to the vet, her husband's boss's wife asked her to make cupcakes for a get-together, one kid's teacher needs her to be room-mother for two weeks, and excuses I can no longer remember.
I've wracked my brain to see whether I could have said or done something to offend her, and I come up blank. I don't think I'm being paranoid; I think she just doesn't want to get together. Shall I say something? (I don't know what it would be if I did.) — Lenore
Dear Len: It would seem that you and Cynthia are pals no more. While I think always being busy is kind of a shabby and certainly an indirect way to end a relationship, it may, for the faint of heart, be preferable to saying, "You know, Lenore, I seem to have outgrown you." If I were in your position, I would stop asking her out. If you can manage it, you might feel better dropping her a note saying you miss the friendship, and if you've done anything, you'd appreciate knowing what it was. There really is nothing more to do in such a situation. I'm sorry for this bump in the road. — Margo, dejectedly
Dear Margo is written by Margo Howard, Ann Landers' daughter. All letters must be sent via the online form at www.creators.com/dearmargo. Due to a high volume of e-mail, not all letters will be answered.


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Jim Blaiklock, Boat Builder, talks about the first Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival that he attended in 1974.
Licensed Captains John "Sugar" Flanagan & Leslie McNish have owned and operated Alcyone (photo) for twenty years, while daughters Alyce and Darby have lived aboard her their entire lives. Alcyone is a strong and proven vessel, an ideal platform for teaching both traditional and modern seamanship. In 2002, Alcyone and her family returned from a
2-year adventure through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean, up the East Coast & across the Atlantic to Ireland, coming back through the Canal, and revisiting the South Pacific, arriving home just in time for Wooden Boat Festival. – Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Vessel Description


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I went to a friends son's birthday party and I just HAD to have her post about her painted pumpkins. They were SOOOO adorable! This would be SO fun to do to match your party theme, decor of your home, gifts… the possibilities are endless! Read her how-to below so you can do it too :)
"Who doesn't love taking the kids to their favorite pumpkin patch this time of year? Last weekend the weather was perfect, the farms were packed and the apple cider was flowing. Now that we have several pumpkins comes the daunting task of cleaning out the goop and carving them while your kids eagerly watch and give unsolicited advice.
This year, I have a different approach. The whole family will be painting pumpkins! My daughter's birthday was earlier in the month and the theme, "polka dot party", was easily carried out by painting a few pumpkins to display on our mantel. Now I must give credit to pinterest for the brilliant idea, but it was a crafty project I could actually do with very little frustration!
Keep them orange, paint them black or add a current hot trend like chevron stripes (a fancy decorating word for zig zags). I researched the best way to get polka dots onto my pumpkins from this site: Pumpkin Painting Idea Center and then I got creative. Since I had numerous pumpkins to paint to fit our mantel, I decided to run to the local hardware store for spray paint. Two coats later, I was in love with my purple, green and white pumpkins- my party theme colors. Since they always have online and mobile coupons, I headed to Michaels to purchase several small (and cheap) acrylic paints and a package of round sponges. I skipped the finishing spray since they were being kept indoors, however, a clear coat might have been a good idea to keep the paint from peeling off. The spray paint sticks to the pumpkins great without needing a separate primer, but I'm not sure how it would fair in the rain.
I loved my finished product and so did all my party guests. What I loved even more is my three-year old was able to add some polka dots and contribute to making his little sisters party special and memorable.
A few additional suggestions:
- I purchased some glittery acrylic paint but it didn't adhere or show up well. If you want sparkle try glue and glitter, or puffy paint.
- Try displaying your surname or kids names with stencils, or go freehand like I did!
- If you are having a Halloween party, pick up the little pumpkins for kids to paint and take home.
- Search the web for design ideas that mirror your children's Halloween costumes. This year by kids are dressing as Mickey and Minnie and I can't wait to for them to hold their matching pumpkins!
- Paint carved pumpkins! Who says you can't cut out eyes and a mouth and paint them with long eyelashes, big red lips or glasses?
Painting pumpkins can inexpensively add class and sophistication or fun and whimsy to your autumn decorations. And it's a project the whole family can enjoy."


text: For those of you skeptics who don't believe wingsuits can fly up (you know who you are), think again. Wingsuit world record holder Jhonathan Florez gets some lift while flying his wingsuit at the first-ever World Wingsuit Leage race in China. Here's another clip of a wingsuit gaining altitude, only it's a much different scenario.


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Welcome 2013 and welcome, Dear Readers, to my very first blog post for the year!
As it has usually been the case at the start of every new year, people talk about their New Year's Resolutions. Some of the resolutions we're most likely to hear would be "to eat healthier", "to start losing weight", "to get more serious about exercising", "to quit smoking", "to become a better [wife/mother/boss/employee]", the list goes on. Some would even vow to make a drastic lifestyle change such as quitting a job, or moving to another state, or starting a business.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to change certain aspects of your life especially if it's aimed at becoming a better version of yourself. Wanting to become a better mother, wife or employee is an admirable goal. However, as noble as our intentions or desires might be, they are often not grounded on the will of God for us; not to mention that we often fail because we think that we can accomplish our goals by relying on our own abilities and willpower. That's why we lose the battle before it even began.
So, I propose that we make this year significantly different not because of a resolution but a RESTORATION through Christ Jesus.
Based on the definition above, the way I see it, the whole process of Restoration can be simplified and summarized in three steps — Refresh, Realign, Reclaim.
Surely, we each have our share of frustrations, disappointments, heartaches and downfall last year. We've had our moments of weakness and failures of epic proportions. But the first step in Restoration would be to lay down all the pains of the past at Jesus' feet and leave it there… for good. As it is, you don't have any use for it… you wouldn't want it, you sure wouldn't need it. But in God's hands, our pains can be used to bring glory to Him. He can bring good purposes out of our sufferings. As soon as you cast your burdens upon Him, allow His peace to fill your heart and experience a moment of refreshing. Feel the burden disappear as you let His Holy Spirit comfort your heart.
Now, time to ask the Lord to realign your will and plans to His. There's no point in planning out the rest of the year if we're not operating within God's will. You won't succeed, your achievements won't taste as sweet, it will all be in vain. Seek the will of God for you and your family this year. Let Him confirm if He wants you to quit your job. Let His Word be your motivation to living a healthier lifestyle. Let Him teach you how He wants you to love your husband or raise your children. Let Him be your Financial Adviser, your Match-Maker, your Job Finder.
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." ~ Proverbs 19:21
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9
Without faith, it's impossible to please God. So, if you're going to start the new year right, I say you meet it head on, armed with faith that this year will be a triumphant year! Reclaim what is rightfully yours as a Child of God — VICTORY in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why ask God and then doubt that He can give what you ask for? Why even bother if you don't believe? After you let go of yesteryear's pains, and getting your heart in alignment with God's will, reclaim the victory in Christ, through Whom we can do all things!
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." ~ Hebrews 11:6
"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." ~ James 1:6
"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." ~ Philippians 4:13
Restoration, Not Resolution
Committing to a New Year's Resolution is not the key to the lasting life transformation many of us may be looking for. Committing our hearts to Christ by constantly refreshing our souls with verses from the Bible, guarding our hearts and making sure it has no greater desire than the will of God for our lives, and facing the future with boldness, determination and certainty that God will never fail… that is what brings forth a lasting transformation in our lives that will inspire our children and everyone else that may choose to follow in our footsteps.
This year, let's commit not to a Resolution. Instead, let's seek a Restoration — let's return to our Creator and allow the Master Potter to do the much needed repairing, renovating and renewing of our lives.
A New Year's Prayer
Instead of a New Year's Resolution, may I invite you Friends to join me and write a New Year's Prayer instead. Please feel free to share your prayer with me by posting it on the comment box below or by sharing it with me through a private message. I'm also welcoming your prayer requests.
Below is my prayer for us:
Father in Heaven, we thank you so much first and foremost for the gift of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, apart from whom we would be nothing and would accomplish nothing. We are extremely thankful that the God who holds all authority in heaven and on earth is the same God who is in control of our lives; that nothing happens without Your knowing and without Your permission. We thank You that everything You have allowed to happen to us has been a part of Your greater plan for each of us. As we seek to know You more, would You please open the eyes of our hearts so that we may receive what Your Holy Spirit has to speak to us today.
Thank You, Father, for every single person You have led to this page, joining me in prayer right now. You know our every desire and need, every pain and suffering, and You alone can touch even the deepest recesses of our souls and bring healing where it's needed. I pray that you meet each person reading this right where she is.
Lord, we confess that we have made many wrong choices last year and that we have lived our lives in a manner not pleasing or totally surrendered to You. We have entertained thoughts, spoken words, committed actions that didn't honor You. We humbly ask for Your forgiveness. Please forgive us also for the times we questioned Your will or doubted that Your grace is always sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Thank You that You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), blotting out our transgressions and remembering our sins no more (Isaiah 43:25).
Please give us hearts that will seek to know You more, to obey Your commandments and to walk in Your truth. This year, we ask that You guard our hearts and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We surrender our past to You, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. We look forward to a year with You, Lord, and growing in a deeper relationship with Jesus. We are thankful that in Christ, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and should no longer be afraid of all the ghosts from our past. Thank You for reminding us that we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves nor let anybody condemn us for past mistakes because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Thank You also for not letting us be tested beyond our ability to overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Give us the wisdom to make the right choices this year for as You have promised, if any of us lacks wisdom, he should ask You, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and You will give it to him (James 1:5). We will face this year with complete trust in You that although we make many plans, it's still You who are directing our steps (Proverbs 16:9). Thank You that we can count on You to finish the good work You began in us (Philippians 1:6).
Father, we ask You to bless us this year that we may be a blessing to others in return. We come boldly before Your throne, merciful Father, and present every financial, medical, emotional and spiritual request to You (Philippians 4:6). This we pray, in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ~ Hebrews 4:16
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." ~ Hebrews 12:1
Friends, let's continue running the race until we see our Lord's face. Don't be weary or discouraged. Don't give up. Keep pressing on. A Happy and B-E-A-U-tiful 2013 to us all!
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- ruth ojeda
Thank you My for sharing this prayer! its so beautiful!!!!
- Nielma E. Verzosa
As usual, another very meaningful blog.


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Nothing Like The Holidays
Release Date: 23 November 2009 | Certificate: Suitable for 12 years and over
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John Leguizamo (Ice Age, Moulin Rouge!), Freddy Rodriguez ( Six Feet Under , Bobby), Debra Messing ( Will & Grace , The Starter Wife ), and Alfred Molina (Spiderman 2) lead a hilarious ensemble cast in this humourous and heartwarming holiday story. It s Christmastime in Chicago, and the far-flung members of the Rodriguez family are converging at their parent s home to celebrate the season. During the course of this eventful week, traditions will be celebrated, secrets revealed, old resentments forgotten, familial bonds re-affirmed, and the healing power of laughter will work its magic.
Release Date: 23 November 2009
Certificate: 12 - Suitable for Persons Aged 12 or Over
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Sound: Dolby Digital
Running Time: 95 minutes
Production Year: 2008
Main Language: English
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GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and The Giving Tree Mashup
Once there was a tree… and he loved a little raccoon.
I just so happen to have a copy of The Giving Tree within reaching distance of my laptop. I also have the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy saved on my desktop. Those two facts probably clue you in to how much I love this mashup illustration from by Isaac Goodart. The piece is titled "The Giving Groot," and it puts a nice Marvel twist on Shel Silvertstein's classic children's book. (via: Neatorama)
Eli Reyes — Editor/Writer. Movie trivia junkie. RIAA-certified Gold record awarded recording artist. Suggested they drop the "The" from "The GeekTyrant" before being told there was no "The" in GeekTyrant to begin with.
@ElijahReyes | firstname.lastname@example.com
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CAMA Event!
Saturday, February 13, 2010 – 7:30pm
Webster University Community Music School Concert Hall – map
Located behind the Loretto-Hilton at 535 Garden Ave, Webster Groves
Douglas R. Ewart, Flute, Sopranino Saxophone, Didjeridu, Voice and Percussion
Shirley LaFlore, Poet
Rashu Aten, Percussion
Jim Hegarty, Electronics
This concert is an homage to Zimbabwe Nkenya, composer, musician and community activist, who is currently recuperating from a stroke; the late grand poet, philosopher and activist Ajule Sonny Rutlin; and Haiti, the Pearl of the Antilles.
This is an opportune time to open our mind, heart, conduct, and pocket book, and to truly be our Sisters' and Brothers' keepers.
What this Haitian tragedy points out is that we need to assist each other before we have tragedies like we just experienced in Haiti. Haiti has been crying out for substantive support for hundreds of years. Haiti has been punished/isolated for being successful at fending off the slave promoting and maintaining countries of the world: France, England, America, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, etc. Haiti has been suffering ever since its successful slave rebellion 1790s and independence in 1804. Haiti is the only nation on the planet that has had a successful slave rebellion. Thus Haiti's infrastructure was never fully developed after its revolution. Dictatorships, corruption, and reprehensible Haitian governments have been fostered, bolstered, and well-supported by many powerful governments outside of Haiti with selfish agendas.
–Douglas R. Ewart
Douglas R. Ewart is perhaps best known as a composer, improviser, sculptor, and maker of masks and instruments. Douglas R. Ewart is also an educator, lecturer, arts organization consultant, and all-around visionary. In projects done in diverse media throughout an award-winning and widely-acclaimed 40-year career, Mr. Ewart has woven his remarkably broad gifts into a single sensibility that encourages and celebrates–as an antidote to the divisions and compartmentalization afflicting modern life–the wholeness of individuals in culturally active communities.
Ewart became associated with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in 1967, studying with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell. He served as that organization's president from 1986 to 1979.
Ewart has performed or recorded with J. D. Parran, Muhal Richard Abrams, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, Alvin Curran, Anthony Davis, Robert Dick, Von Freeman, Joseph Jarman, Amina Claudine Myers, Roscoe Mitchell, James Newton, Rufus Reid, Wadada Leo Smith, Cecil Taylor, Richard Teitelbaum, Henry Threadgill, Hamid Drake, Don Byron, Malachi Favors Maghostut, and George Lewis.
The outstanding acoustics of the Webster University Community Music School Concert Hall will be the ultimate space to hear the unique and vibrant sounds of Ewart's unique flutes and other instruments.
More information about the artists:
Douglas R. Ewart
Shirley LaFlore
Rashu Aten
Jim Hegarty


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While Amanda Seyfried's great love in Dear John is played by Channing Tatum, the 24-year-old's heart actually belongs to her puppy in real life.
"I'm a new mom to a little Aussie Shepherd named Finn," she says in her exclusive interview with Unscripted. "He's a little guy with a big heart...he's the love of my life."
Well, Finn won't be little for very long -- Amanda says he'll grow up to be a 50-pound dog! Miley Cyrus' new German Shepherd, Mate, will also be a big guy when he's an adult, which makes us wonder: are purse-sized dogs in or out?
We're used to seeing portable pups with their celeb masters, but with stars like Amanda and Miley choosing large breeds, we smell a new trend sparking.
Check out more photos of Amanda and Finn below and watch the interview here.


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|12 Mar 2013 (Tue)
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Eurovision 2017 – Grand Final Live Notes!!
Hello Dear Readers and Welcome to the live notes for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2017!!! Kyiv hosts the 62nd edition after previously hosting the 50th back in 2005. Tonight, 26 songs battle it out to be crowned the victor – but who will win?
Bulgaria, at least, that is my pre-show prediction. I think the rest of the Top Ten will be comprised of: The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Sweden, and Romania. That can (and probably will) change after we see the 26 performances tonight, but those are my thoughts heading into the show.
**Be sure to keep refreshing the page to see my notes as they appear.
Also, if you're new or just want some info about this year's Contest, you can find my ESC Notes and Country Profiles here!
On to the show!!!
Parade of Nations
I still think this is a pointless exercise. But the sparks and the effect of them appearing seemingly out of nowhere is pretty cool.
Opening Act
Boo!! No opening act. Another reason to get rid of the parade of nations.
On to the songs!
01 Israel I Feel Alive
IMRI sounds really off tonight. The dancing is on point, though. Oh, just when I thought he had righted the ship, he misses the big note.
02 Poland Flashlight
I'm guessing Poland didn'tfinish too high on Tuesday to be assigned the cursed #2 spot. This seems less emphatic and enthusiastic than on Tuesday. Still good, though. Especially that last note!
03 Belarus Historyja Majho Žyccia/Story of My Life
So much fun!! They are so into this — definitely taking hold of this moment. Ha – she almost fell! Very good performance; they definitely gave it their all.
04 Austria Running on Air
He sounds WAY better than Thursday night. Still not good enough to make a big impact, but he should definitely be proud with how he did tonight.
05 Armenia Fly with Me
Another fantastic performance from Artsvik – listen to the crowd reaction! Definitely going to the Top Ten.
06 The Netherlands Lights and Shadows
Uh oh, someone seems to be flat. It sounds, like, she is sick, maybe? But they still sound great — their harmonies are just a little less tight than usual.
07 Moldova Hey, Mamma!
Still fun, still exciting, still not going to get into the Top Ten. But I think they'll finish better than they did in 2010 (22nd place).
08 Hungary Origo
He seems markedly less nervous and has better pacing than on Thursday. Wow! You can feel his passion burning in that rap verse. This could do better than I thought; I probably still not Top Ten, though.
09 Italy Occidentali's Karma
Our first major contender of the night, let's see how this goes. Still do not understand the hype. I just don't. Maybe there's something about seeing it in person? But my god, the crowd sounds like they're about to go marching forth.
10 Denmark Where I Am
Stronger than Tuesday, for sure, but still not at the level of her DMGP performance. Definitely good enough for a Top Ten finish, I think, though.
11 Portugal Amar Pelos Dois
Amazing! I just got goosebumps! Even better with Tuesday. He even fixed the part where he backed too far away and wasn't picked up by the mic. Loved it! Oh, it might actually win. It is number two in the betting odds.
Speaking of odds sitting at third is Bulgaria, which is second-last in the running order tonight.
That was an awesome joke "(from Twitter) 'I can't believe in a few hours it will all be over and we'll be wondering what to do with the rest of our lives.' (Host) 'Us, too.'"
12 Azerbaijan Skeletons
Better than Tuesday, but still not good enough to seriously contend for victory. I think Azerbaijan will, however, easily be waltzing back into the Top Ten.
13 Croatia My Friend
I still think this staging comes off as silly. Well, less impressive with the stronger competition ahead of him. He sounded great – it's just a terrible song.
14 Australia Don't Come Easy
Definitely better than Tuesday — WAY better! But still a lot of missed notes. There are too many strong songs tonight for this to do well.
15 Greece This is Love
Yikes! That was a big note to miss. I didn't notice that before, the dancer on the left is also a backing singer. Yikes – she missed another note at the end of a verse. Nope – not going to be Greece's triumphant return to the Top Ten, but not last place either, so, good?
16 Spain Do It for Your Lover
And if you had any doubts about the vocals being live, that cracked note is your proof. I bet Germany is happy because now they may not get last.
17 Norway Grab the Moment
He sounds spot on tonight. Really good – only makes me like this song more. Perhaps it'll finish in the 11-15 range. Good, but not great in a year of strong competitors.
Hahahaha! Måns! I love this host-training montage.
18 United Kingdom Never Give Up on You
A love ballad from the UK to Eurovision, haha. Very well done, I see why this song shot up the betting odds over the course of the week. Wow! The UK just might find itself back in the Top Ten.
19 Cyprus Gravity
Why is he so flat? I still think that this staging is oh so very weak compared to what it could be. Even just one silks dancer would have been amazing. At least his vocals seemed to have leveled out.
20 Romania Yodel It!
Ugh, this song is so bad. At least their performance is still good. I can't believe that this song will probably do well tonight. Hopefully, it will be no where close to the top spot.
21 Germany Perfect Life
This is an average song that is staged quite poorly. Maybe she has done enough to beat out Spain and avoid being the third straight last place finish for Germany.
22 Ukraine Time
This gets two bumps 1) for being from the host country and 2) for being this year's only rock song. It is alright. I think we've heard better ones through the years. But, despite the supercreepy head on stage with them, they did a good job and will probably finish in the 11-15 range.
23 Belgium City Lights
She still looks kind of scared – so, I guess that's just how she looks. Despite the fear in her eyes, I think she still has a commanding presence on stage. She forces you to pay attention. Well done! Belgium back to the Top Ten!
24 Sweden Can't Go On
I keep forgetting that he is purposefully singing gravely and low – I think it's supposed to be sexy. This song is just obnoxious, though. I know Sweden is trying to protect its Top Ten streak (three in a row, including a winner), but this song does not deserve to be in the Top Ten. There are so many more that have greater artistic value (for example: Hungary, Belgium, Portugal) or more genuine performances (for example: Croatia, Romania, the Netherlands) that deserve that spot more.
25 Bulgaria Beautiful Mess
He's behind Italy and Portugal in the betting odds, but not by much. He needs to bring his top performance if he hopes to win — performing so close to the end does not guarantee a strong placing (just ask the UK). Wow! Started a bit shaky, but he definitely finished strong! Is it enough to win? I'm not sure. Portugal, UK, and Belgium all gave pretty amazing performances as well of their strong songs. Not to mention that Italy sounds like he raised an army with his. We'll see, it should be close!
26 France Requiem
I am so confused by France's staging. Why is she alone and without dancers? Is everything spinning? She is stunningly beautiful, though. Hmmm, maybe not enough for the Top Ten, but should finish with a respectable position.
And there you have it! One of these 26 songs will be our new champion. But who will it be?!
Well, I think that it will come down to Bulgaria, Portugal, Italy, and the UK. Which, I guess, isn't too surprising. I think these had the best performances tonight and captured audience interest while also garnering jury support. I think Italy will be super popular among the televoters while Portugal and the UK will be favorites among the jury. Ultimately, I think one song will garner enough support from both to claim victory: Bulgaria. I know, boring that my prediction has not changed, but I still think that this song has what it takes to win. And I think it will be quite close, with Portugal coming second within a reasonable margin.
So, who do I think will be in the Top Ten?
United Kingdom
And, who were my ten favorites from tonight?
United Kingdom
Voting Entertainment/ Interval, I guess
While I think Ruslana, contemporary-traditional Ukrainian fusion music, and Jamala were all super awesome — I don't understand why this is happening during voting. This is why shows keep running over, because they try to do a thousand things. I bet Jamala is going to be the Interval Act – adding yet more time. This should be a tight, three-hour show. Let last year's winning artist (in this case, Jamala) open the show with a reprise and whatever new single they are hoping to promote (and get rid of the parade of nations), keep the voting to a tight 15 minutes, and move the entertainment back to the interval act, which can be shorter thanks to the fact that fan votes can continue to be verified while the jury votes are provided. It just doesn't make sense.
LET THE VOTING BEGIN!! Here are the jury votes!
Sweden – Whoa! Sweden gave its twelve to Portugal. That's highly unexpected (and no points for Norway) Portugal will either run away with these points or fall flat
Azerbaijan – No Russia, now to its twelve goes to…Belarus.
San Marino – more points to Portugal
Latvia – and the points continue for Portugal
OMG IBA from Israel is shutting down! Bombshell announcement live on air! Maybe Morocco and Lebanon will finally return?
Israel – Another 12 to Portugal
Montenegro – 12 to Greece
Albania – 12 points to Italy
Malta – surprise, instead of the UK their 12 goes to Italy
Macedonia – first 12 for Bulgaria
It's going to be interesting to see where points from the former USSR will go without Russia. And from the former Yugoslav with Croatia being the group's only representative.
Denmark – 12 to Sweden. surprise, surprise
Austria – 12 points to the Netherlands. Interesting
Norway – 12 to Bulgaria (and not Denmark or Sweden, surprisingly)
Spain – 12 to…Portugal (no surprise)
Finland – 12 points to Sweden (no surprise)
France – 12 points to Portugal (much to Belgium's chagrin – zero points from their French friends)
Greece – 12 points to Cyprus (no surprise)
Lithuania – 12 points to Portugal (yea, I'm sensing a runaway)
Estonia – 12 points to Bulgaria (keeping them in the realm of closeness)
Moldova – 12 points to (let me guess….) Romania — no surprise.
Armenia – 12 points to Portugal!
Time for a breather – wow so fast, these votes! I think Portugal will handily win the Jury. The question is, how will it do with the televote?
Bulgaria – 12 points to Austria? That was unexpected. Strategic?
Iceland – 12 points to Portugal. Oh yeah, two out of four Nordic countries, definitely going to win the jury vote.
Serbia – 12 points to Portugal
Australia – 12 points to (the UK?) Yep. First time they sent 12 points to the motherland, fyi
Italy – 12 points to Azerbaijan?! Huh. Strategic?
Germany – 12 points to Norway – interesting
Portugal – 12 points to Azerbaijan! Interesting…strategic?
Switzerland – another 12 points to Portugal
The Netherlands – 12 points to (wait! only 2 points to Belgium?!) Portugal
Ireland – 12 points to Belgium! (can't think of the last time Ireland gave 12 points to the UK)
Georgia – 12 points to Portugal!
Cyprus – 12 points to Greece (I love how the spokesperson even knew that everyone already knew that their points were going to Greece)
Belarus – 12 to Bulgaria (benefiting from the lack of Russia, I bet)
Romania – 12 points to (Italy?) the Dutch! wow wow!
Hungary – 12 points to Portugal! Maintain the lead, but its definitely not as thick as it was. But, win or not, Portugal will definitely get its best ever placing tonight.
Slovenia – 12 points to Portugal
Belgium – 12 points to Sweden – that was highly unexpected
Poland – 12 points to Portugal!
United Kingdom – (yes, Katrina, we all know who you are) 12 points to Portugal!
Croatia – 12 points to Hungary – well deserved, I'd say
Czechia – 12 points to Portugal, 94 points ahead of Bulgaria
Ukraine – final 12 points from the juries – 12 points to Belarus! Whoa!
Portugal has won the jury votes by 104 points, leading Bulgaria who is 60 points ahead of Sweden. Australia led Ukraine by 109 at this point last year.
Spain is saved from null point land!
And there goes the UK's shot at the Top Ten
A lot of interesting televote points…And a lot of low point values. All the ones outside the top ten of the televote have fewer than 90 points
France got 90 points
Croatia got 103 points
126 points to Sweden
152 to Hungary – and quite the jump!
Italy – 208 WOW!!! Way underperforming for the bookie and fan favorite going into the Contest
Romania – is next with a sizeable jump
Portugal, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Belgium left to receive points
255 points to Belgium (WOW – how many points did Moldova get?!)
264 points and third in the televote to Moldova
Bulgaria v. Portugal
337 points to Bulgaria
MEANING THAT PORTUGAL HAS WON (with an addition 376 points)
WOW Our first new winner since 2011 (Azerbaijan) and PORTUGAL's first ever victory!!! It took 49 attempts and a lot of shame, but Portugal has finally won. It is no longer the country with the most participations without a victory (Cyprus now takes that helm with 30 participations without a win). Congratulations and next year in Lisbon! Also, great job Ukraine, after a lot of confusion and craziness, you put on a fantastic show!
Awww, he has his sister (who wrote and composed the song) up there with him to sing the winner's reprise as a duet with him. A beautiful moment for a beautiful song. A well-deserved, well-earned victory for Portugal.
Check back tomorrow for our wrap-up podcast with DizzyDJC as well as my wrap-up article about the Grand Final.
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Eurovision 2017 – First Semi-Final Recap and Podcast
Hello Dear Readers!
Yesterday was the First Semi-Final – which, despite all the issues in the organization, went very well! UA:PBC has, thus far, put on a great show with a beautiful stage (oh my goodness, it's beautiful!) and fun hosts. Overall, I feel like the good from yesterday's show outweighs the bad. First, a brief review.
Our qualifiers from last night: (in alphabetical order with their Grand Final half)
Armenia (first half)
Australia (second)
Azerbaijan (first)
Belgium (second)
Cyprus (second)
Greece (second)
Moldova (first)
Poland (first)
Portugal (first)
Sweden (second)
The Big Five also had their drawing: Italy was drawn into the first half, while France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom join Ukraine in the second half of the show. This means there are only three spots left in the second half for qualifiers from tomorrow night's semi-final. That plays to the benefit of Belgium and France whose primary competitors, Italy, Portugal, and Azerbaijan all take place in the first half and remaining favorites, Denmark, Bulgaria, and Romania have slim odds of getting into the later part of the show.
Some historical markers from last night:
Azerbaijan upholds its 100% qualification streak. Sweden extends its to seven (including its two automatic qualifications). Armenia extends its to 5. Belgium and Poland extend their qualification streaks to three.
Portugal's qualification rate is now 50% since first qualification in 2008. Moldova gets its first qualification since 2013.
This is only the second time in history that there has not been at least one female host, the first being 1956 (the first Contest) in which Lohengrin Filipello hosted on his own. Conversely, 24 Contests have had solo women or exclusively women hosts.
My Reactions:
Pleasantly Surprised: Poland – I thought she sounded great last night and that song was well-staged (despite the volume issues); Portugal was amazing! I thought it was a good song before, but was absolutely taken aback by its awesomeness live yesterday
Disappointments: Australia – Isaiah sounded pretty off-key throughout the entire performance yesterday. Actually, many of the artists seemed off-key last night sadly. Cyprus' staging (and subsequent qualification) were greatly disappointing.
Biggest Shock: Finland – a perfect performance of a perfect song with a failure to pass through to the Final.
Happiest Non-Surprise: Belgium – a great song and Blanche's vulnerable performance was a good fit for the lyrics, very happy that this qualified.
So, there you have it my reactions to the First Semi-Final. Heading into tomorrow, I think that the Second Semi-Final is going to be equally as, if not more so, awesome. Hear more about mine (and my friend DIZZYDJC) below in our podcast from today!
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Eurovision 2017 Song Reviews (Finally!) – First Semi-Final, Second Half
Hello Dear Readers!
Ready for part two of semi-final one? Below the table are my predictions for qualifiers out of this semi-final! Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Fly with Me
Armenia was the final one to reveal its song – and it was worth the wait! Dark, complex, and takes us on an auditory journey. Heavily influenced by Armenian folk tunes and style, the song ultimately ends on a hopeful note. Love it!
In recent years past, I would have thought this was a sure candidate for victory. However, in a year that is full of this style of music, it gets lost in the shuffle. I like it a lot and think it has a great beat; not much faith it will do much, still on the fence about its chances to make the Final.
Martina Bárta
My Turn
Another example of a great song that just doesn't stand out from the crowd of entries this year. I think Czechia's (note, the legislature voted last year to make the official English name "Czechia") best hope is to dominate the jury show with a large enough lead to make the Final.
This is Love
This song, to me, is quite generic! It's fun and uplifting, however, so there's that. Aside from the positivity, there's not much to this song, unfortunately. Will it reverse Greece's fortune and return it to the Final? Yes! Will it do much once it gets there? Nope.
I'm not sure what to make of this song. I like it, but it's a bit odd. I'm not sure if it has mass appeal, especially since it's in the same vein as Norway from last year. A song that seemed popular but fell flat. I think it depends on whether the staging is engaging without being overwhelming.
Triana Park
I really like this song, but am not sure why. It's not too different from Iceland, but there's a bit more of an edge here that Paper lacks. Like Iceland, however, I worry that Line doesn't have the mass appeal to attract enough votes from either the juries or the televote to progress to the Final.
SunStroke Project
Hey, Mamma!
SunStroke Project returns (this time without Olia Tira) to produce another viral Saxophone-Guy meme with this catchy, but trashy, song. Actually, the song isn't so much trashy as the video is. Other than that, this song is so danceable!!
Kasia Moś
This song is unassuming, mysterious, and intriguing. I think it could be a true dark horse this year; given that the vocal performance is strong, of course. I think this might be one of my favorite compositions from this year.
Omar Naber
On My Way
I loved Naber's 2005 song, Stop. This year's song…not so much. I don't dislike it as much as I think it's a bit boring. As much as I want Slovenia to do well, it won't be with this song. In fact, I'm afraid it might finish last in the semi-final.
*There are three basic ways for a song to be chosen. Internal Selection which is when the broadcaster within a country chooses both the performing artist and the song completely on their own without help from a professional jury or the public. Televised Selection which is the exact opposite, both the performing artist and the song are selected through a competition (or set of competitions) in which some combination of professional jurists and the public vote on the winners. There are also Mixed Selections, in which either the performing artist or the song is selected internally and the other is selected through a televised process. The examples of that this year are Armenia, Greece and Israel. Greece internally selected Demy and had a televised final to select the song. Israel and Armenia had televised shows to select a singer and then internally selected the song.
So, who do I think will qualify from this semi-final? What are my favorite songs?
Predicted Qualifiers
My Top 10
More importantly, who do I think, from the First Semi-Final, will be competing for the crown?
Well, overall, I think that this is the weaker of the two semi-finals. With that said, I think that two songs have the ability to seriously contend for the victors' trophy.
Belgium – Probably the most popular song on Youtube rankings; it will be interesting to see how this song fares in the OGAE fan poll. This song is super-contemporary and stands out from the crowd. It has a very captivating melody and Blanche has a mesmerizing voice.
Poland – This has real potential to be a dark horse in this year's Contest. It's dark, mysterious, and will get a fantastic boost if staged properly. As long as the performance is competent, it will have a legitimate chance to contend for the win.
In addition to these three songs, I think that Sweden and Armenia will find themselves back in the Top Ten come Saturday night.
Check back tomorrow for Semi-Final Two
Find the other reviews from this year here!
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ESC2016 – Final Pre-Contest Thoughts and Predictions
Hello Dear Readers!
And just like that, another Eurovision week is upon us! I write this from the plane on my way to Stockholm and I can barely contain my excitement. This year, we see an increase in uptempo songs, a decrease in national languages, and ample amounts of awesome. Let's take a dive into some of our final thoughts, opinions, and predictions heading into Contest.
New Hope for Poor Performers
For the first time since 2011 (and I would argue since 2003), France has a legitimate shot at winning the Contest. Even you remember, I've previously picked France as the winner of this year's Contest. It has been steadily rising in the betting odds since March and has been topping fan polls across the Internet, including the famed OGAE fan club poll which has historically picked the winner more often then not (though, everything after the first position tends to range wildly). France brings a song with an enthusiastic performer who respects and enjoys the Contest, lyrics that are fun and catchy, and a composition that's highly contagious. Even if France doesn't win, it's bound to get its best placing since 2009 (its last time in the Top Ten) and possibly even since 1991 (its last time in the top three).
Other countries with poor track records are also poised to achieve new heights. The Czech Republic looks like it will easily qualify for the Final, which, if achieved, would be a first for the country. The Czech Republic is the only competing nation this year to never reach the Final. My love for the song has been quite evident on this blog, and I still contend that it is a real dark horse this year that, cannot only give the CR its best finish to date, but truly challenge for the victory.
Bulgaria also is poised for new heights. Bulgaria has reached the Final only once before, 2007, but when it did, it finished in the Top Ten. This looks like it will be the case once more. If Love was a Crime is immensely popular, as is its performer Poli Genova (who's fresh off hosting duties for JESC), and is the first instance of Bulgaria being in the betting odds' top ten heading into the Contest. Expect another Bulgarian success story.
Finally, Croatia has been steadily collecting fans and support over the past few months. While it has not received the same attention it once did, Lighthouse is poised to bring Croatia back to the Final for the first time since 2009.
Missing Expectations
I don't want to spend too much time here, as I don't wish poor on anyone. However, we'd be remiss if we didn't at least think about some songs currently slated to do well that will fall flat. First, Italy has been a hot topic ever since the selection was announced. Even though Italy has not been a heavy favorite to win, it has been hovering between 8th and 12th in the bookies' odds and featured heavily in fan discussions across the web. However, I just don't think that the song has the immediacy needed to succeed in a Contest mostly determined by folks seeing the song for the first time. One needs to listen and relisten to No Degree of Separation to truly appreciate it, a requirement that most of the viewing audience will not have fulfilled. Cyprus has become a popular pick for those looking outside the heavy favorites for a candidate. It is considered the strongest rock entry this year and features a lead singer who has recently started making a name for himself in Western Europe via France's version of The Voice. However, the song is still poppy enough to not truly distinguish itself from the competition. It will need a strong, memorable performance in order to qualify and I am currently not confident in predicting this.
Malta seems to be losing favor rapidly. When Walk on Water was initially announced, it was immediately considered a serious contender to win. There was serious conversation back in March about the Contest being in Malta so soon after the country hosted the JESC (which it will do again this fall). However, since then, it has steadily fell in the bookies' odds and now, not only sits outside the top ten but is predicted to struggle to qualify, a stark contrast to conversations just weeks ago.
Finally, Sweden has been on the exact opposite ride as France. When If I were Sorry won Melodifesrevalen, it was immediately a serious contender to win. This was the conversations held around the fan community, the news media, and the bookies injected Sweden right behind heavy favorite Russia. However, since then, Sweden has consistently been falling in the odds and losing steam among the fan community. What looked to be an easy Top Ten placing just a few weeks ago now looks like it will be a struggle to receive a respectable placing.
Unpopular Opinion
So, let's face it. Moldova has one of the weakest entries this year. The song is trite and predictable. Lidia Isac, while she is beautiful and appears to be super sweet, is not the right singer for this tune. With that said, Moldova is best poised to capitalize on Romania's unexpected absence. Since Moldovans and Romanians have a shared cultural history, it is fair to think that Moldova would do better than expected on this alone. Now, with Romania being removed at the last second, it stands to gain the near entirety of support from a diaspora that has made Romania one of the few countries to never miss the Final. So, do not be surprised when you see Falling Stars on Saturday night – though, expect it to fall flat in the Final.
So, finally, who do I predict to qualify from each semi-final?
First Semi-Final
Second Semi-Final
Czech Republic
The Netherlands
And more importanlty, who do I think will finish in the Top Ten? (Also alphabetical)
Armenia, Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Spain, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine
Most importantly, who's going to win?!
Well, my heart says Czech Republic, as it is the best full package we are being presented with this year. However, if I were to place a bet, my money would be on France for all the reasons mentioned above. Moreover, it is one of the most memorable songs this year,which is quite a feat. All it needs is a decent place in the running order (which isn't a guarantee with SVT) to all but seal its victory. Next year in Paris?
Stay tuned. I'll be posting my annual ESC notes tomorrow (with a return of the country profiles!) As well as updated predictions after each dress rehearsal and a reaction after each show. It's bound to be an another great year for the Eurovision Song Contest!
Support ESC Obsession and my trip to Eurovision! https://www.gofundme.com/andretoeurovision


text:
The Rogue Voice began with the promptings of a cab driver whose writings always left me feeling baffled, amused and aghast.
Dell Franklin, a guy I knew only from publishing a few of his stories at the local alternative weekly, kept yakking it up.
"You gotta start your own goddamn newspaper!"
At first, I thought he was just trying to cheer me up for getting canned from a thankless managing editor's job, where I'd been introduced to Dell's cab exploits and anthems to the bachelor's life. Then, I realized, he was dead serious.
I liked Dell's spirit, his enthusiasm for the printed word. I laughed at his stories and envisioned others who would also enjoy an independent publication unafraid to voice its thoughts, experiences, and wildness. There was just one problem.
"Dell, you gotta have capital to start a newspaper."
Neither of us had the smarts to come up with the money needed to get a publication going. When Dell's mother, Rose Franklin, died, she left him a portion of her estate, enabling us to realize our dream of publishing The Rogue Voice.
It took a few months before we found our feet, but by our third issue distressed lonely matrons of morality were already tossing our "newspaper" into the trash or burning it at backyard barbecues.
We've persevered, driven by our need to shout, and scream and laugh. Along the way, we've toppled a lot of apple carts and drawn a devoted readership that has thrown money at us, begged us to keep going, urged us to get our asses online, even though we're products of the Old School world of print and live like Luddite dogs in creaky hovels.
So, here it is, finally, an emerging online edition of The Rogue Voice, A Literary Magazine with an Edge, featuring original voices from prison, on the road, at sea…or from right here in our quaint little village by the sea, Cayucos.
We look for stories that are local in nature with universal appeal, stories that get under your skin. We want our readers to come away with an experience they won't soon forget. We will continue to provide our readers with the edgy, independent, unaffected fare they've come to expect over the years. We hope our online presence will inspire more readers to join us at The Rogue Voice.


text:
Small Releases
The development team should always be working on the latest version of the software. Since different team members may have versions saved locally with various changes and improvements, they should try to upload their current version to the code repository every few hours, or when a significant break presents itself.
Continuous integration will avoid delays later on in the project cycle, caused by integration problems.
We would like to suggest you the following list of usefull resources on the topic:
GNU Coding Standards
- home page
Extreme programming practices
- small releases (Wikipedia page)


text: Legacy in the News: Woman loses hand but keeps her positive attitude Wednesday, January 29, Joan Zuber went to check on the battery on her truck, but things took a turn when she struggled to get the hood lowered. As she struggled with the spring, it suddenly released and trapped her right hand. Zuber was alone on her property in Molalla and unable to get herself free. She marched in place in an attempt to stay warm as temperatures dropped overnight. It was 18 hours before neighbors discovered Zuber after hearing her soft cries for help. Emergency crews flew her immediately to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. Surgeons had to amputate Zuber's hand, but she still has her sense of humor and tough spirit. When asked if she was left or right handed, Zuber laughed and responded, "Well, I'm left handed now." Zuber told KGW it will be a transition learning a new way to do things but she doesn't think it will slow her down. She hopes to eventually return to her favorite activities like horseback riding, skiing and hiking. She plans to reach out to the man made famous for cutting off his own arm in the book and movie 27 Hours to see how he handled the adjustment.


text:
Falcon Group turnover breaks $2bn barrier
Leading alternative financier Falcon Group has recorded a turnover of US$2.3 billion – surpassing its target turnover of US$2 billion for the 2013-14 financial year. Profits have also increased to US$52 million, up from US$44 million in FY 2012-13.
Falcon is therefore on-track to achieve its target US$5 billion gross turnover within the next few years.
"Falcon's growth has entered into a new stage," says Will Nagle, CEO of Falcon Group. "Companies of all sizes are now aware of the benefits of alternative financiers, and of the success of Falcon's bespoke solutions. And they are increasingly convinced. Indeed, our strategy is now focused less on convincing companies of the merits of alternative financiers, and more on setting us apart from other alternative financiers – cementing our place at the forefront of the industry's progression. We are also focused on regulation, ratings and expansion. We have grown, and now we are evolving."
In addition to its record results, Falcon Group also celebrated becoming one of the first alternative financiers to receive a public rating from the major ratings agencies – with Moody's awarding Falcon Ba3.
"Clearly, this achievement is not just significant for Falcon Group but also for the alternative financing industry as a whole," explains Falcon chairman Kamel Alzarka. "Ratings agencies are now recognising the important role such alternative financiers play within the financial landscape."
- Hussein Al Sayed
by FXTMScott Rea
by DarkMatter
- Ahsen Ghufran Khan
by Bayut
- Hussein M. Dajani
by Nissan Motor Co


text:
- The upbeat vocal dance/pop music of Oscillator X draws from a variety of progressive electronic styles to create a unique new sound that is listenable as well as danceable.
- The duo, comprised of John Mendenhall and Kyle Ward, have been producing music together since 1999. Oscillator X's energetic sound is often compared to artists as diverse as Eiffel 65, 2Unlimited, O-Zone, and Daft Punk.
- Unlike many of today's dance acts, Oscillator X is a bona fide band with both members writing and performing all of the music, both in the studio and at a dynamic live event.
- Oscillator X has been featured in Abercrombie and Fitch stores worldwide as well as several video games including: In The Groove, Pump It Up, iDANCE2, Snake 360, Snowball Runner, Rhythm Destruction and ReRave.
Listen to the radio interview segments!
Basic Oscillator X Factoids:Favorite Color
- JOHN: Purple, especially if it is in some fashion sparkly...
- KYLE: Royal Blue with a splash of purple
- JOHN: Magenta Alicorn with tap shoes rather than ballet ( I mean, that seems much more awesome, right?)
- KYLE: A Unicus with silver sparkling hoofs and leather split-sole ballet flats.
- JOHN: Smoked Gouda - Is that a gouda 'nuff answer?
- KYLE: Fresh Pepper Jack.


text:
Product Features
*Available for US Shipment Only.
Young riders starting out or already leading the pack.
Key Features of K2 Vandal Snowboard:
- 2000 Extruded Base / Fast and easy to repair
- True Twin / Easy to turn and learn
- Baseline / Freestyle Baseline
All Gear by: K2


text:
A BID to reduce the funds available in Naracoorte Lucindale Council's contentious community chest program from $40,000 per year to $30,000 failed last week.
At a special meeting to approve the release of the council's business plan and budget for 2014-15, several councillors singled out items they wanted to discuss before approving them.
Cr Malcolm McLean raised the community chest, which has been discussed at some length over the past 12 months or more in council meetings.
The chest concept was developed to simplify the process of community groups applying for financial support from the council for specific purposes, but it has increasingly been called into question by some councillors who believe groups are using it as an annual handout.
Cr McLean said he felt the council had "lost our way a bit" with the original intention of the chest and groups seemed to be exploiting the program by "using it as a fundraiser".
He suggested reducing the total funds available from $40,000 to $30,000. (Groups can only receive a maximum of $2000 each in twice-yearly allocations).
Cr McLean said: "I don't disagree with it - I think it's a good idea - but it should be for something specific.
"They're not going to working bees or anything, they're just putting their hand out. Let's make them work a bit harder."
Mayor Erika Vickery warned against general criticism of all groups, as some did do the right thing and legimately only applied for support when it was needed for something specific.
She said: "Conditions are in place that have been approved by you as councillors," and added that one of them was that groups couldn't apply every year.
Cr Trevor Rayner said the community chest was a great concept and helped to keep council's financial support of community groups more structured.
He said when approached by someone for support, a councillor could merely direct them to apply to the community chest, instead of debating it with them, and it also removed the need for long discussion in meetings about which donation requests the council should grant.
"When we didn't have it (the community chest), we used to spend hours talking about (donations as small as) $2."
Cr John Flynn agreed with Cr McLean that too many groups were applying more often than they should, and for non-specific projects.
"The council's not here for handing out money," he said. "There's all sorts of reasons to put it back to clubs."
Despite their arguments, not enough councillors were convinced and the motion to reduce the total funds available was defeated 4-5.


text:
Thursday Nights at 8PM - Bridgeman Hall 201
October 11th, 2008
Milemarkers 346-348 on Highway 71, just north of Blackduck, MN
Shot taken November 8th, 2008 after our first snow
Group shot before we left Bridgeman, October 11th, 2008
Getting the bags together.
Ewww. The soiled underwear.
"Look what we found!"
Levi, Dean, Gina and ... who's that guy?
This group was pretty B.A.
Afterward in Blackduck
2011 Design Guild | Funded by SAFAC | email@example.com


text:
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text:
Some people try to cure cancer…others make radio controlled cars hit wine bottles to play Super Mario Bros. theme song. Oh, and btw, this is more weird Japanese shit…I think we should make a new category just for this stuff.
Archive for the 'Games' Category
Waaaaay Too Much Time on Your Hands
More Weird Japanese Crap
I'm thoroughly convinced that the majority of all the weird shit in the world comes from 3 places…Florida, Germany, and Japan. I'm sure that 89% of the worlds weirdness comes out of them. Seriously, think about all the stories you've seen when you stopped in the middle of it and just thought "What the fuck were they thinking?' Chances are that they took place in one of those three. And Japan takes the cake among those 3, which is amazing. Well, here's a humdinger. New from Japan, neon lamp fights. Yeah this is pretty much one of the most retarded things I've ever seen. It's a bunch of idiot Japanese wrestlers cutting the shit out of themselves with big neon bulbs…and that's it. Nothing about this is entertaining unless you're into watching Darwin's theory being proven right in front of your eyes…luckily neon bulbs are poisonous so we'll see the people actually willing to participate in these idiotfests be wittled down rather quickly…
Squirrel Obstacle Course
Awesome New Game: Close Range
This is an awesome new game where you have to shoot people in the face. It's completely realistic…ok so it's not but it's funny. Even though this is a parody by The Onion it got me thinking, I've played a lot of games lately where the focus wasn't really the story or strategy it was as if the game studio just set out to make the game as violent as they could. I'm not saying I'm against violence in video games…I want them as violent and realistic as the story is appropriate for the story. I'm just saying that violence shouldn't be the prime objective leaving out a story or playability.
Hot New Video Game Consists Solely Of Shooting People Point-Blank In The Face
List of the Best Flash Game Sites
Wouldn't it be nice if you had a list of some of the best flash game sites? Wouldn't it be great if you could waste days of your precious time playing games online and you never had to look for them? Well here you go (not in any particular order).
1. http://www.addictinggames.com/index.html
2. http://www.miniclip.com/games/en/
3. http://www.flashgames247.com/
4. http://www.newgrounds.com/game/
5. http://armorgames.com/
6. http://www.flash-game.net/
7. http://www.shockwave.com/home.jsp
8. http://www.gameprison.com/
9. http://www.gamesvine.com/
10. http://www.gamedfree.com/
11. http://www.funflashgames.com/
12. http://www.onlineflashgames.org/
13. http://www.flash-games.net/
14. http://www.gamebrew.com/
15. http://www.thisarcade.com/
16. http://www.onlinegamesflash.com/
17. http://www.gamesolo.com/
18. http://www.flashgamesinc.com/
19. http://www.flashgord.com/
20. http://www.gamesdub.com/
21. http://www.kongregate.com/
If you know of any that you'd like to add please post a comment, or if you think one in the list sucks, let us know…
Night Zero Left 5 Dead
Nightzero.com, a photographic web comic/novel, has done a great set of Left 4 Dead live action photos to which they've added their own artistic flair. They thought there was something missing from the original game so they added a pirate survivor to round out the cast…they came out with an outstanding and entertaining set for us. Enjoy!
Mila Kunis plays World Of Warcraft
OMFG I'm in love with Mila Kunis. Skip to 3:50 in the video and hear Mila Kunis talk about her obsession with World of Warcraft…I caught the vapors. You can tell she knows what she's talking about. I wish my girlfriend would play videos games with me…that would be nirvana.
Flash Game of the Week: Raiden X
I'm a complete sucker for any flash game…I love this old school shooter Raiden X over at freeworldgroup.com…although it isn't as easy to control as the original because of the keyboard, it's still extremely fun. It looks great too.
Flash Game of the Week: Entangled
In Browser 3d Graphics
Check out the awesome 3D browser graphics at Alternativa Platform Blog…I have seen it before but this is by far the best I've ever seen them. I got the first link to the temple to load but I couldn't get any of the other demos to load…but as I've said before I'm mildly retarded so tell me if you get anything.
Temple Demo Link
Link to Main Blog Page with Demos
Looks like it'll be awesome.
Flash Game of the Week…Bloxorz
Having an extreme case of ADD I get addicted to games very easily…any puzzle or shape game can send me spiralling down a hole of endless play until my girlfriend yells at me hours later. Bloxorz is one such game…the object is to get the square peg in the square hole…sounds a lot easier than it is. And oh so fun.


text:
Bill Diehl, attorney for Jeremy Mayfield, on Sirius NASCAR Radio Today on "Sirius Speedway" on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, host Dave Moody spoke with Bill Diehl, the attorney for suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield. Host, Dave Moody: "Has there been...
Bill Diehl, attorney for Jeremy Mayfield, on Sirius NASCAR Radio
Today on "Sirius Speedway" on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, host Dave Moody spoke with Bill Diehl, the attorney for suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield.
Host, Dave Moody: "Has there been at this point and will there be a lawsuit filed in this matter?"
Bill Diehl: "First question, no lawsuit has been filed. Will there be a lawsuit? That will depend on what happens between Jeremy and NASCAR which ought to be known in the next couple of days."
Moody: "What kind of conversations are being had between Jeremy and yourself and NASCAR and their representatives right now to try and settle this?"
Diehl: "The conversations I'm having with Jeremy I'm not going to tell you about. The conversations I'm having with the NASCAR lawyer with whom I've been dealing I'm not going to talk about. But they're obviously focused on whether or not Jeremy was suspended properly. Is what happened to him legitimate and should he stay suspended? Should he have to go through some type of rehabilitation, if you will, that they've asked for? So those issues are what we're talking about. Should that happen? Or, the alternative is, has he been mistreated and have they improperly deprived him of a way to make a living? There are some side issues. They've said a lot of unpleasant things about him that Jeremy doesn't believe are true. There's a separate remedy for that kind of behavior."
Moody: "Specifically what has been said about him?"
Diehl: "I haven't heard it directly so what I'm telling you is what's been published. I read a report where Mr. France gratuitously announced that the serious recreational drug use by Mr. Mayfield was very difficult, very bad and they weren't going to tolerate it. Accusing somebody that's driving a race car a couple hundred miles an hour of serious recreational drug use, that's probably not too good thing to say about him. Especially if it's not true."
Moody: "Can you tell us what specific substance has NASCAR accused Jeremy of having in his system?"
Diehl: "I could tell you. I'm not. But we do have two reports that they furnished me yesterday and then they just sent me one a couple hours ago that they hadn't furnished. So we've got two reports but I'm not going to talk about them yet. If we get in a situation where we've got to talk about them then we'll talk about them. But I'm not going to talk about them today."
Moody: "Do the two reports come to the same conclusion? Do they name the same chemical substance?"
Diehl: "I'm not going to talk about what the reports say except to tell you I have them. And then you've already been told or I've read lots of stuff that indicate what the NASCAR reps have said and what this guy, [drug test administrator Dr. David] Black, has said. The game about what is in the report is probably just that at this point. It's a game but I'm not going to participate in that game currently beyond saying that they finally furnished us two reports which they probably should have given to Mr. Mayfield long before this week."
Moody: "Jeremy has said from the start of this that this all boils down to a prescription medication that's been prescribed by a doctor for his allergies combined with a couple of Claritin D tablets that he took on the day in question in Richmond. Can you tell me what the prescription medicine that he is taking was?"
Diehl: "No, I won't reveal that yet but again that's something that he's told NASCAR. They know what it was and they've gotten the information from the doctor. They're dealing with everything Jeremy could have furnished them about anything that he'd taken, according to Jeremy. He did take a prescription drug and he does have a medical doctor who prescribed it and they have that data and they had the information about the Claritin D."
Moody: "What would it take at this point to avoid taking this to the court system? What would have to happen here in the next few days to avoid a lawsuit?"
Diehl: "Some type of acknowledgement that what happened was a mistake on the part of somebody in connection with what they did and how they did it. We're exploring that with them. We can't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. They've said it. They've suspended him. We know there are a couple of reports because we now see them. Somebody is going to have to come forward and acknowledge that, well, we thought we did what we were supposed to do, maybe we made a mistake, let's try it again."
Moody: "What's Jeremy's frame of mind and attitude right now?"
Diehl: "I think he's very upset and he's insulted. He's had a 17 year career, had some successes. He's just getting started with his own team, and this sort of takes you out at the knees if you're suddenly accused of being a recreational drug user and you're suspended from doing what you get paid to do. So, he's upset. He's trying to keep a handle on it, I think. Hopefully he's listening to what I tell him to do. He wants everybody to know that he's not guilty of what he's accused of."
Show personality, Suzie Armstrong: "How soon did he contact you after he was notified by NASCAR about this?"
Diehl: "I don't remember the date. When I knew about it I think I was watching the race from Darlington on television and it came on that he'd been suspended. And that occurred, if my memory was right - I'm not looking at a calendar - May the 9th, a Saturday. And then he called me the next week when I got back in town."
Moody: "Is there any unofficial timeline at this point for you to decide whether or not this takes the next step into the legal system?"
Diehl: "Yes, there is but I'm not going to tell you what it is."
"SIRIUS Speedway" airs every weekday (3-7 pm ET) exclusively on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.
-credit: SIRIUS XM Radio