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Mar 21
Dance troupe proud of national honor
The St. Augustine Record, by Kati Bexley, Saturday, March 21, 2009
For Cori Ottenstein, 17, being part of Bartram Trail High School's dance team on March 8, the day the team won the National Dance Alliance National Championships in Orlando, was one of the best days of her life.
Bartram Trail beat out 400 other schools across the country to win its second consecutive title. The school's coach, Patty Adams, has spent several years building up the school's unstoppable reputation across the state. And it's paying off. Several girls are going on to dance for colleges, and some are auditioning for the Jacksonville Jaguars "The Roar" dancers. (…)
Like Ottenstein, dance team members say the sport has taught them life lessons. Team Captain Brittiany Fonda, 19, and team officer, Kayla Harris, 18, say it's shown them the hard work and determination it takes to obtain a goal.
Both of the girls are trying out for the Jaguars "The Roar" and are in the final round of auditions. "I will just work really hard this year to improve and try out again next year," Fonda said. "You can never give up."
Svedlund said Adams taught them the dance team "isn't really about dance." She's trying out for the dance team at Georgia Tech, where she will attend next year. She said Adams pushes them to bring in an A or B average, and Svedlund is ranked 29th in her class. "She taught us it doesn't matter at the end of the day whether you win or lose," she said. "As long as you've given your best, you can never let excuses get in your way."
Adams said even if her team hadn't taken the national championship, they won her over after their performance."They came off the stage and said, 'We can go home right now because we know we did our best. We did everything we could,'" she said. "The lessons of hard work they learned was the real prize for me."
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State Auditor Releases Scott County Audit
FRANKFORT, Ky. - A financial audit of Scott County Fiscal Court released Monday shows minor violations in the areas of purchasing, segregation of duties, and payroll.
The report released by State Auditor Adam Edelen's office shows that Scott County failed to bid the purchase of 29 rifles, totaling over $20,000, for the sheriff's office.
Also, the audit noted that duties in the jail system were not properly segregated, leaving one person handling processing, recording, and reporting of receipts, which increases the risk of fraud. Auditors also discovered a handful of errors in the payroll system.
Otherwise, the report says the county's financial statements accurately reflect the county's assets and liabilities. State law requires annual audits of county fiscal courts.

subset: commoncrawl


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The date: September 17, 1985. The place: Tepoztlan, Mexico. Louis Farrakhan, controversial leader of the Nation Of Islam--NOI, better known as "the Black Muslims"--is abducted into a UFO. Or is he? The issue may be one of nomenclature. For Farrakhan the experience wasn't an abduction but a … [Read more...]
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Curated by Graham Bignell of New North Press and graphic designer Richard Ardagh, Reverting To Type opens at the Standpoint gallery opens in December and January.
Reverting to Type is an exhibition of contemporary letterpress practitioners, showcasing how a centuries-old craft is being reinvented for modern day usage.
The exhibition features prints and publications by progressive practitioners from around the world. To coincide with the exhibition, New North Press has published the first in a series of collaborative prints by contemporary artists, designers and wordsmiths.
The organisers add the majority of the show's unique exhibits will be for sale and the gallery will also host a working Adana press to hand-print your own personalised Christmas cards.
Those taking part include Black Stone, Brad Vetter, Carl Middleton, Dafi Kühne, Flowers&Fluerons, Hand & Eye, Hatch Show Print, Hi-Artz, IMPO$T, Jens Jørgen Hansen, Markus Müller, Mark Pavey, Mr Smith, Occasional Print Club, Prensa La Libertad, Rosa De Carlo, Team Nerd, Typoretum and Yee Haw! Industries.
Collaborators include Catherine Dixon, David Peason, Fraser Muggeridge, Studio / OPX design, Peter Aston Jones, Phil Baines, Stevey Scullion and Vikram Seth.
The Standpoint is at 45 Coronet Street, Hoxton, London N1 6HD. Tube: Old Street, Exit 2 (Northern Line – Bank Branch). Buses:55, 67, 149, 242, 243. Reverting To Type runs between 10–24 December 2010 and 4–22 January 2011. Opening hours are 10am-6pm daily.


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People in Colville Lake say the N.W.T. government has blindsided the community with new and unwelcome rules for hunting caribou from the Bluenose-West herd.
On March 8, the N.W.T. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) wrote groups in both Colville Lake and Fort Good Hope about the changes, which include:
- a requirement to have tags, which were mailed out to each community
- a limit of 350 animals that can be hunted from the herd, per year, with 200 tags going to Colville Lake.
The territorial government has not responded to calls for an interview.
The government's letter says the harvest restrictions came at the recommendation of the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board, and that Colville Lake has requested tags.
But Wilbert Kochon, a former president of the Colville Lake Land Corporation and current advisor to the band, says otherwise.
"We never wanted a tag system," he said.
Instead, the community wants to keep regulating its own hunters.
"When you enforce it, that's when the fighting starts," said Kochon.
'Never consulted'
Leaders from across the Sahtu region met in Colville Lake for three days last week, partly to discuss the new hunting restrictions.
Kochon says the Sahtu Secretariat plans to write Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger in opposition to the changes.
Asked if hunters in Colville Lake are using the tags, Kochon said, "Why would they use it when they were never consulted?"
Ryan Kochon, Colville Lake's acting chief, says the band plans to mail back the tags to the government.
The Bluenose-West restrictions are latest in a series of new rules for hunting barren-ground caribou recently introduced by the territorial government.
In December, the government stopped issuing tags for Bathurst caribou, except for a very limited number reserved for aboriginal groups who must request the tags from the government and demonstrate that the caribou will be harvested for "ceremonial" purposes. The Tlicho Government has expressed concerns about the latter rule.
The government also limited the annual harvest of Bluenose-East caribou to 1,800 animals. Previously, aboriginal groups had agreed to a voluntary limit of 2,800 animals.
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By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
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By Miguel Rivera
Former flyweight world champion Daiki Kameda of Japana will return to the ring on June 25th against Mexican puncher Jovanny Soto (34-13-1, 29 KOs) at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Kameda (23-3-0, 15 KOs) takes part in his second fight of the year. He came back in April and knocked out Pompetch Sor Sompong in two rounds. Kameda is trying to get his second win a row after losing a twelve round unanimous decision to WBA super flyweight champion Tepparith Kokietgym last December in Osaka.
Tags: Daiki Kameda


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Logitech K760 Keyboard
I've been using the Logitech K760 keyboard for two weeks and I am very happy with it. This is not a full review of the keyboard because Dan Frakes at Macworld already did that admirably. This post is to highlight a couple unique features and talk about keyboard layouts.
Until the Apple Bluetooth keyboard, I actually despised all wireless keyboards. The major shortcoming with most wireless keyboards is that they take time to wake up and reconnect and often have a barely perceptible lag when typing. The wake-up lag made login take longer and often resulted in a failed first attempt. For whatever reason, the Apple BT keyboard never had that issue.1 I was hesitant to try another BT keyboard but the Macworld review sold me on it. After all, they also sold me on the K750 keyboard that replaced my Das Keyboard.
Key Buffer
The first thing I noticed about the keyboard was the great key memory buffer. After returning to my sleeping Mac, I sat down and started typing my password. For the first second the login box remained empty. As I felt that sinking feeling of wasting $80 on another piece of hardware, the keyboard connection notification appeared on the screen and the characters magically streamed across the login window. The K760 cached every keystroke and waited for the connection to be established before emptying the buffer. There's a slight delay after the computer wakes up, but the important aspect is that I didn't need to adapt.
Multi Device Connections
I was skeptical of the multiple device connections. It sounded too good to be true. It's not. After configuring my Mac and iPad, I was able to easily switch with only a second delay.
The multi-device Bluetooth connections can not be over stated. This is fantastic. It only takes a second to switch the keyboard between my Mac and iPad. It's a genius option and I want it on all of my keyboards now.
No Batteries Required
I'm already very familiar with the Logitech solar keyboards. The self-charging K750 has never run below 90% charge. It charges perfectly under phosphorescent office lighting. I'd guess that even candlelight could give it a trickle charge if necessary. In contrast, my Apple Bluetooth keyboard required me to replace the rechargeable batteries every week. It wasn't a big deal, but it was a necessary annoyance, but that annoyance is over now that I've swapped for the K760.
Mini Keyboards
This may be controversial and I will probably lose the respect of many professional coders but I actually prefer this style of keyboard layout. I almost never need a number pad on a full size keyboard. I do, however, often use the arrow keys. Having the arrow keys immediately under the right shift key just makes more sense to me. My finger-travel is reduced considerably and I have more precise movement than on a full size keyboard. A secondary benefit of the compact layout is that my hand has a shorter distance to travel to reach the mouse. I'm not sure if any of this makes more efficient, but I am sure it makes me happier while I work.
The Feel
The K760 Mac keyboard is nice. It's not as solid feeling as the K750 though. The keys feel more solid on the K750. The K750 also has extendable feet to increase the incline of the keyboard. The K760 Mac keyboard does not. You'll have one position and you better like it.
Both keyboards feel heavy. I type rather vigorously. Light keyboards begin to slide around. The K760 does not. The combination of rubber feet and heavy design make it feel solid. Overall I like the keyboard. A portable keyboard will never feel as good as a Das Keyboard, but then again it doesn't sound like someone is chiseling marble with a castanet when I type.
Logitech K760 keyboard | $80 | Mac
It's also likely the reason the keyboard sucked up batteries like they were going out of style. ↩


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Jacket: ABS by Allen Schwartz Jeans: Old Navy Shirt: Joe Fresh Heels: DSW
Baseball Cap: San Francisco Giants Franchise Cap by '47 Brand
I'm not a big enthusiast when it comes to baseball but I do enjoy watching a game or two.
Opening day typically falls in the first week of April. Since, I live in a new city whose team
won the world series last year, opening day is a big deal. I've always told myself the only bay
area team I would rep would be the San Francisco Giants. The baseball cap fashion trend
exploded last spring but fashionitas are still rocking it this season. I grew up wearing caps
so I had no problem embracing the trend. Can't wait to experience my first Giants game.
Thanks for stopping by.


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The Lucid L bag by German-based brand Tsatsas is stunningly elegant from top to bottom. From design to materials to craftsmanship, the expertise and attention to detail that goes into each Tsatsas bag makes carrying it a tactile, truly luxurious experience. Handcrafted in Germany in strictly limited numbers, each piece is individualized by serial number. The Lucid features over- the-shoulder straps, while the interior is lined with the label's signature 'Pacific Blue' lamb leather. All Tsatsas leathers come from animals reared for meat production, with only smooth, open-pore hides utilized: the unique grain of each carefully-chosen piece determines its surface texture. Tanneries used fulfill the highest ecological and technical standards, producing leathers free of AZO dyestuffs, PCP and chrome VI. Weight: 2 lb 2 oz
• 100% calf leather body
• 100% South Indian lamb nappa leather lining in Tsatsas' 'Pacific Blue'
• Two small internal pockets
• Zip-fastening pocket and gold hardware
• Over the shoulder leather straps - height 8 inches
• Zip-top closure
• Comes with dust bag
• Exclusive to Roztayger in the US
15.75" H x 14.5'L x 4"D
This product is no longer available.


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Best Clickbank Products
The range of innovative and technologically advanced tools to gain greater exposure for business activities is increasing by the day. The smart mobile apps serve as a fine example of such tools that new-age business owners often use, to directly reach out to a large number of prospective clients. Of course, your first concern should always be about web design & development features – but once that stage is satisfactorily completed, you need to turn your attention towards the development of effective, engaging mobile applications. Here are a few reasons why you should be using mobile apps to further your business:
a0 Get your buyers involved – Direct promotion of your business operations through the mobile apps is not always necessary. If a vast majority of your targeted customers are likely to love playing mobile games, you can easily develop a few exciting gaming apps for them. That way, the people would remain engaged, and your brand name would never go out of their sight.
b0 Ensure higher user-satisfaction – Mobile apps would help you to respond to customer queries on a 24*7 basis. What's more, information gap would never be an issue – since you can inform people about all product launch plans, discount offers and business policy updates through these apps. More satisfied customers automatically lead to higher profitability!
c0 Build a stronger brand presence – When you create a mobile app, you get the opportunity to include your business logo, and other visual branding elements in it. With repeated encounters of the users with these elements, the brand recognition and recall value of your products/services are also likely to receive a favourable thrust.
d0 Make your marketing campaigns smarter and cost-effective – Smart mobile applications are also instrumental in lending an extra edge to your marketing campaigns, and making them more cost-efficient. Promoting your products/services individually to the targeted buyers, by maintaining a dedicated marketing/sales force, can be an expensive affair. Sharing the same information on a real-time basis through mobile apps is far more economically viable.
e0 Create a mobile app community – Having a smart, user-friendly website design, and being present on the various social media channels are two factors that you are already aware about. Why not build a loyal base of customers, by creating mobile app communities on the social media pages for your business? Actively seek feedback from your users, regarding the operability of the app(s) that you have already released. Regular interactions automatically build greater credibility for your business operations.
f0 Scope to keep your targeted buyers engaged – Using mobile apps is not a one-shot strategy for creating a buzz amongst your prospective clients. You can, over time, come up with newer and more interesting versions and updates, which would bring in even more users to the fold. Problems related to downloading, or any other technical glitches, can also be ironed out easily.
g0 Greater flexibility – If you do not use mobile apps, framing mobile-friendly website development strategies can prove to be just a bit too problematic and time-consuming. Do away with such problems, by developing such apps which have enhanced cross-platform compatibility (on Blackberry devices, Windows phones, handsets powered by the Android technology, etc.). You need to test the mobile apps regarding this factor, before launching it for the public.
Apart from the above, there are many other readymade mobile apps as well (Dropbox, Skype, Mobile Office Suite, Expensify, etc.), that can make your business activities more systematic and streamlined. You can also use include the creation of dedicated website apps, in your website design services. The technological aspects of business are evolving fast – can you really afford to lag behind?
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Monte Carlo Nights was founded in 2000 and has successfully provided over 1,000 casino parties all over BC.
The founder of Monte Carlo Nights worked in the casino industry for over 15 years. Collectively, the Monte Carlo Nights staff has hundreds of years of professional casino experience. Many of our staff are casino management who work the parties for fun on the weekends!
All employees are hand picked for their expertise and friendly personalities. With most of our dealers having professional casino training, the only thing left for us to do is to teach them to relax – there's are no cameras and no real money!
We have top rate equipment, accessories and tuxedos to assure your event will be spectacular for all your guests. Gamblers and non-gamblers alike will experience a real Vegas style casino atmosphere with friendly, knowledgeable and skilled dealers.


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Finding killer talent to fill open jobs is a problem many companies are facing these days. In fact, 49 percent of employers report difficulties finding qualified candidates for their jobs.
So what are some things you can do to attract the best talent out there? Let's look at a few simple actions companies are overlooking in the search for the best and brightest:
Pay Attention to Company Culture
It's no surprise people are attracted to a healthy company culture. They like to wake up each day and go to work with a sense of purpose, an excitement to see coworkers, and to make a contribution to the company mission. In fact, experts suggest a 20-30 percent increase in corporate productivity when compared with competitors who pay less attention to cultivating a healthy culture.
If you are already proud of the culture you've spent so much time planning and building, you need to share the fact. Post employee testimonials on your website, plug it as a benefit in your job postings, share company photos on social media, submit guest blogs about the best cultural practices to online news outlets with high readership. Think of creative ways to highlight your culture and increase the visibility of such to new talent.
Offer Creative Compensation
Job seekers aren't just looking for money anymore. While competitive salary structures are a must if you want to attract the best talent, there are other ways to creatively sweeten the pot.
Take vacation time, for example. While in most companies it's a 'given', not every company offers opportunities beyond the standard two-week allowance. While not breaking the bank you can provide options like a few Volunteer Days Off (VDOs) in which employees can take a day to volunteer for their favorite charitable organization. In this way, you help employees give back to the community, which can significantly improve morale!
Take Part in Career Fairs
Much of the job search process is conducted online these days. While the Internet offers countless opportunities to find excellent talent, the old fashioned career fair should never be overlooked.
According to a recent survey, 44 percent of recent college grads apply to between one and five jobs at a time. Attending job fairs not only helps you get your brand in front of job seekers, but also gives you a better chance of ensuring one of the opportunities they pursue is yours. Job fairs also allow to you to get an in-person sense of these prospective candidates. You can gain valuable information about a person in a brief conversation; a chance usually only afforded by the interview process!
Engage Prospective Talent on Social Media
While you are taking steps to meet prospective talent in person, head to social media platforms to engage talent online. Recent statistics report 73 percent of employers successfully hired candidates who were engaged via social media.
The process to finding the best talent needs to start before you have a position that needs filled. Avoid simply posting your jobs on social media platforms and instead look to engage with prospective candidates. Engagement means interaction. Post relevant information about finding the best jobs, ask for followers' input and opinions, and respond when someone has something insightful to say. When you increase the amount of communication you have with your followers, they will be more likely to pay attention when you do share available positions.
Finding the best talent for your jobs can be a challenge, so if you are having a difficult time navigating the obstacles associated with finding great prospective employees, consider adopting a few new strategies. By advertising your company's best qualities in creative ways and engaging with talent more directly, you will be sure to attract killer candidates in no time.
What do you think? What tactics to you employ to find great new talent?
About the Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.


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ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Mar. 25)
A survey of more than 3,000 Air Force officers, enlisted men, and chaplains shows they expressed a deep sympathy and understanding of Israel's military position in the Middle East. At the same time, they expressed a moral dilemma, like the rest of the nation, regarding the Vietnam War. These were the findings of Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin of Temple Israel after a nine-day tour of five Air Force bases in Alaska as part of an interfaith research team for the Air Force Chief of Chaplains. Rabbi Rubin, who serves on the National Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy of the Jewish Welfare Board, said that in his conversations, he found both Christian and Jewish military personnel admiring the "guts" of Israel in standing up for its rights in the Middle East. He said that many an Air Force member told him that, "We know Israel is the only country that we can count on." At a special service with a congregational group in Anchorage, Alaska, Rabbi Rubin said that Jewish military personnel and their families expressed the same concerns as the rest of the Jewish community. He said that Israel gave them a new sense of pride, "particularly since it opened up a dialogue and rapport with their Christian colleagues." These Jewish families, Rabbi Rubin said, were proud of the Jewish campaign to help Soviet Jews. They were also concerned about the future of Jewish education, he said. "They felt the need for Jewish education due to their extreme isolation. I was the first rabbi they encountered for months," Rabbi Rubin, a veteran of the chaplaincy program, said that a drastic change has taken place in the approach towards this work. "It is no longer only a counselling program, but an aggressive teacher and searcher of the moral confrontations facing society as seen through the teachings of religion." Referring to the Vietnam War, he reported that "like most Americans, the military on these bases were engaged in a series of discussions and study programs on various moral dilemmas confronting our nation…The war gnaws at their conscience."


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Owner Financing Homes in 55335, MN
|1 Listings Found
230 Cedar Street Nicollet, MN 56074 Located in the heart of Nicollet! Home Images Photo Tour Brochure Documents Links More Info...
Gri Contact 230 Cedar St, Nicollet, MN, 56074Details »
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If the initial results in 55335 Gibbon, Minnesota did not provide any listings of interest, or you just want more selections, click any of the blue tabs just above the search results for more.
Thanks for visiting and good luck!


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Post Highlights
MSBTE Result Winter 2015-2016 (W15) Check Diploma Polytechnic Exam results for 1st, 3rd and 5th Semester soon available at official website www.msbte.com.
MSBTE Result Winter 2015-2016
MSBTE Result 2016: Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education is about to release winter session exam result of diploma in polytechnic of 01st Year, 02nd year and 03rd year. Result link will soon enable at www.msbte.com. The exam was held in the month of October, November, December and January month.
Here we bring good news for the candidate who belongs to Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education. Result for diploma level courses in Engineering and Technology (Mechanical, Computer Science Fundamental, Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunication, IT, CSE) will available here.
Update 15 Jan 2016: As we get further updates regarding result we will update soon here. In case any query submits it in below comment box. Department is about to release result of the MSBTE Result Winter 2015-2016 which direct link will available here.
msbte result winter 2015
The Huge number of the applicant had happily taken part in this exam. Lots of aspirants apply for admission into Engineering, Management, Computer Application, Polytechnic, Diploma level. This exam was conducted in various sessions at affiliated schools and colleges.
Here we are providing the direct link to check MSBTE Winter Exam Result. The high command of the board had conducted written exam for Diploma in a polytechnic exam. All members who are excited to know score card soon eligible to collect the mark sheet. The original copy of mark sheet will available in the respective college offices.
MSBTE Result Winter 2015-2016 Expected Date
Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education was founded in 1963. It brings 52 years of glorious history in the education department. The headquarter of the MSBTE is situated at 9, Kherwadi, Bandra East, Mumbai. The board is responsible for design syllabus, release admit card, prepare answer key, release result and prepare mark sheet. Various courses offered by the institutes like College of Engineering, Pune, Cusrow Wadia Institute of Technology, Pune and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai.
msbte result winter 2015 diploma
As we get any updates regarding this exam result we will soon upload direct links.
Steps to Download MSBTE Diploma Polytechnic Result Winter 2016
- First of all visit the official website of the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education at Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education.
- Navigate to result from the section.
- Find MSBTE 01st 03rd 05th Result 2016 for winter session link.
- Supply required details such as registration number or roll number and DOB.
- To avoid heavy rush you can check MSBTE Winter Exam 2016 Result.
- Check score card and save PDF on the computer.
msbte result winter 2015 polytechnic
Note: If any dispensaries please leave your comment in below comment box. We will reply as soon as possible. Make sure your email id and name is valid because we will contact to your email id soon. For more details please visit the official site.
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text: Hotel Club Saraceno Situated in Arbatax, the Hotel Club Saraceno provides luxurious 4x000D star rated accommodation. The hotel offers on site car parking. Dining is available at the hotel, which has it's own restaurant. Room Features Hotel Club Saraceno. All rooms have a hairdryer. Smoking is permitted in both the bedrooms and the public areas of the hotel. Please specify when booking. All rooms feature a stocked minibar. Leisure Info. The Hotel Club Saraceno offers a range of leisure facilities. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool. Adventurous guests can choose from activities including mountain biking with our mountain bike hire, tennis and sailing. Other Info. The hotel offers an airport shuttle service. Pets are welcome at the hotel. Hotel guests can make use of the concierge service that is provided. The hotel has disabled facilities with wheelchair access to the hotel, reception and bar areas of the hotel.


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long-awaited Soweto Theatre opens on Friday – built on remarkable legacies of music, theatre and dance.
The complex had its sod-turning ceremony in Jabulani on February 10, 2009, and is built on a legacy created in the South Western Township from the 1960s, in halls, classrooms, churches, courtyards, Gibson Kente's famous garage drama school in Dube, Funda Centre in Diepkloof and even the Orlando swimming pool.
In its building and programming will the Soweto Theatre reflect, for instance, the courageous creativity and ingenious cultural activism of artists and educators of the calibre of Professor Khabi Mngoma, who established the Ionian Music Society in 1960 (along with Soweto's first orchestra) at the Donaldson Orlando Community Centre (DOCC).
His two children, cellist Lindumuzi and his sister, violinist Sibongile (the now celebrated Sibongile Khumalo), were members of the Youth Orchestra founded in 1969.
Kente and Mngoma (who was honoured with an inaugural memorial lecture and exhibition at Wits University's recent WALE festival) would have celebrated their 80th and 90th birthdays respectively this year.
These are excellent reasons for the Soweto Theatre to have exhibitions, lectures and performances remembering and honouring these and legions of other Sowetans (such as tap maestro Nathaniel Blangwe), who poured their lifeblood into empowering young people and adults with the ability to use their voices, bodies and imaginations as expressive weapons of survival.
Also contained in the foundations, bricks and mortar are the dreams and achievements, against terrifying socio-political odds, of dramatist, visual artist, intellectual and arts visionary Matsemela Manaka who, with the Soyikwa Institute of African Theatre team at Funda Centre put Soweto theatre on the national and international map.
And let's not forget Peter Ngwenya whose Soweto Youth Drama Society spearheaded drama education and playmaking in White City.
The theatre list goes on and on, with inextricable ties with Dorkay House and later The Market Theatre, Pact Drama and Windybrow.
Soweto's magnificent multi-faceted theatre dance history has a very high international profile. This is mainly due to a handful of dancer-teacher-choreographers who, in the 1980s, began accessing and experimenting with breakdance, American modern dance and forms of indigenous and west African modern dance.
Carly Dibakwane and the late Jackie Mbuyiselwa Semela who co-founded the Soweto Dance Theatre (at the DOCC and Bapedi Hall, in Meadowlands) and Soyikwa's Nomsa Kupi Manaka (and her Pan African Dance Project) take pride of place in the pioneering stakes. Soyikwa alumnus Tebby Ramasike is based with his TeBogO Dance in Amsterdam.
As is the case with Soweto theatre, dance has strong links to "town". That's where Boyzie Ntsikelelo Cekwana, Nelisiwe Xaba, Vincent Mantsoe, Gregory Maqoma and Melody Putu went to the Johannesburg Dance Foundation, Moving into Dance or Johannesburg Youth Ballet to gain skills.
These dance makers are now feted internationally as performers and choreographers.
Talents like David Matamela and the late Themba Twala took another route. They went to the Orlando swimming pool where they were drilled in jazz, ballet and African dance by ex-Sun City Extravaganza dancer Isabelle Doll and Peter Ngcobo for Street Beat Dance Company, which relocated to Atlanta in the US.
Soweto-raised Andile Ndlovu, 23, trained at Ballet Theatre Afrikan (BTA) and is dancing principal roles with the Washington Ballet.
Another BTA prodigy, virtuoso homeboy Thoriso Magongwa, is dancing in European ballet galas and another BTA star, Kitty Phetla, who lived in Soweto until she was five, continues to be a versatile role model in a tutu with Mzansi Productions. She recently returned from dancing in 25 Russian cities.
Apart from current outstanding Soweto-bred dancer-choreographers Dada Masilo and Sonia Radebe, SA's contemporary dance lineage is populated with trailblazers the calibre of Ellington Mazibuko, Lucky Diale, Arco Griffiths Matlala, Sello Pesa, Moeketsi Koena, Andrew Makhaya (Thabisong Youth Club) and George Khumalo.
On the continent, SA has staked its claim by winning first prize at the African dance choreographic dance platforms, now the Danse l'Afrique Danse Biennale. The competition laureates – Vincent Mantsoe (Angola, 1996), Boyzie Cekwana (Madagascar, 1999), Sello Pesa/Moeketsi Koena (2001), Thabiso Pule/Thami Manekehla (2008) – are all Sowetans.
Robyn Orlin, third prize winner in 1999, has old Soweto ties particularly with the Fuba (Federated Union of Black Artists) Dance Company founded in 1983 with Diale and Dibakwane among the dancers. The short-lived ensemble performed upstairs at The Market Theatre and Mofolo's Eyethu Cinema.
This dance chapter comes full circle from September 28 when the Danse L'Afrique Danse comes to the Soweto Theatre and Joburg venues. A special homecoming.


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MOUNT VERNON — A six-month phase-in period for a new law requiring drivers to use their headlights any time they have their windshield wipers on, ends today.
Joshua Morrison: 740-397-5333 or email@example.com and on Twitter, @
MOUNT VERNON — A six-month phase-in period for a new law requiring drivers to use their headlights any time they have their windshield wipers on, ends today.
Joshua Morrison: 740-397-5333 or email@example.com and on Twitter, @
I'm wondering when the people of the U.S. are going to wake up and see what is going on in our nation. We are no longer a free nation governed by the people, we are prisoners held by the government. They don't make these laws for your safety such as the seatbelt law and the headlight and wiper law. They dream these things up to generate more reveneu. They could give a rats butt about your safety. Law makers say that seatbelts save lives, and in some instances that might be true, but as a traveler I have seen many times when wearing a seatbelt have killed people because they could not get out of a burning automobil. That statement is an oxcymoron. As for me, I am sick and tired of the government trying to run our lives when they can't even take care of themselves without messing everything up, and the American public being afraid of them or just plain naive. Thomas Jefferson once said; "When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. Come on people, how long are we going to stand for this? Are we going to allow the government to controll us like puppets on a string, or are we going to tell the government to back off and allow the people to run the nation like it was designed for? "WE THE PEOPLE"!!! Accually I think the people have a big YELLOW STRIPE up there back where the backbone used to be.
Uh, that's whay I'm saying Frank Furter a.k.a. "hot dog"….It's time for a revolution against our government and to make them STOP the many ways they're taking away the FREEDOMS that our soldiers fought for in wars past. Including my son who's in Afganistan fighting to bring freedom to that country. Did u not read what I wrote?? Please re-read what I wrote. I dont recall praising Mao or Hitler. U forgot Stalin, and Imperor Hirohito they murdered their fair share. I didnt know Tao was on the National Tree…I didnt go see it, Did u??? Happy New Year!!! to all.
Another brainless government regulation that will accomplish nothing.
Did anyone notice the part in the article that says: "Hartz and McCruter both said the new violation is a secondary offense, meaning drivers cannot be pulled over for not having their headlights on when their wipers are on, but they can be cited for the offense when they are pulled over for another offense."?
So it applies only to the miniscule number of people who drive with their wipers on while violating some other non-secondary offense. The lawmakers should spend their time and our money doing something more productive.
mike wazauski, on our NATIONAL CHRISTMAS tree at the whitehouse is a portrait of Chinese communist leader Mao.Thousands of Americans died fighting him & he's on our CHRISTMAS TREE! He murdered more than HITLER.And he's on our christmas tree.Where's the "revolution"? This headlight law is just a symptom. We have lost America.
It's honestly a good idea to use your headlights, but to make it crime punishable by a fine is ludacrice!!!! As usual we r loosing our freedoms as other countries are gaining theirs…viva la revolution. When will it ever end? When we loose all freedoms??? The freedoms we have, fought by our soldiers for the citizens of the U.S.A. is slowly being lost, that's a waste of American Lives!!! This is getting rediculous….
so when i turn on my window washer driving down the road and don't have my lights on, by law they can ticket me?
Something's very wrong with our methods of choosing elected "leaders". They meddle with & tax citizens, bend over backwards for illegals & non-citizens.Pass laws Americans don't want. Not our country anymore. That's for sure. Can we recall state reps?
Sounds just one more way to collect "tax" revenue, under the guise of 'big brother' watching out for us.
Common sense should prevail, but lawmakers want to give law enforcement another task to perform that the justice system won't enforce.
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Three lovely housecats are in the middle of dinner, when a raccoon makes a surprise appearance… and an even more surprising exit.
You might have noticed the raccoon putting the cat food in the water bowl before eating it. Washing food is a very common behavior for raccoons, and is even so-named for the activity.
The word "raccoon" was adopted into English from the native Powhatan term, as used in the Virginia Colony. It was recorded on Captain John Smith's list of Powhatan words as aroughcun, and on that of William Strachey as arathkone. It has been identified as a Proto-Algonquian root ahrah-koon-em, meaning "the one who rubs and scrubs with its hands".
In many languages, the raccoon is named for its characteristic dousing behavior in conjunction with that language's term for bear, for example Waschbär in German, orsetto lavatore in Italian, mosómedve in Hungarian and araiguma (アライグマ) in Japanese. In French and Portuguese, the washing behavior is combined with these languages' term for rat, yielding, respectively, raton laveur and ratão-lavadeiro.
I'm sure those three cats won't soon forget their encounter with the weird food-washer….
Happy Caturday =^_^=


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(Click photo to enlarge for easier reading.)
This .jpg was sent to me by my hiking partner. We will be hiking in grizzly territory mid July!
Thanks for the reminder to buy some pepper spray Commander!
A friend of mine sent me an email with this message below: (Note…..I normally do not like and do not want forwarded emails AND never open them. Thank goodness I opened, read, and followed the YouTube link on this one.)
Life's for sharing by T-Mobile. Last Friday Jan 16, 2009, T-Mobile launched their new commercial. It was shot at Liverpool station in London .. They used 400 dancers and 10 hidden cameras. No one but the station employees and dancers knew what was going on… it was aired on YouTube and TV and you can see the number of passers by that shot what they could with their mobile phones. It has to be the best commercial yet…. enjoy!!!!!
Our group shot of Ray's family and my family.
Ray's family.
Linda's family.
Last night Ray and I hosted a 12 Step Talk given by my sponsor, Debbie, at the Just the Black Print meeting room in Sherman Oaks. Before the meeting, I asked to have my photo taken with my sponsor and grandsponsor, Milly. They are both my verbal, visual and emotional examples of how I want to be when I grow up.
Hopefully this coming trip to LA for 3 days will be the last in a back to back travel phase.
Quincy's children,Sienna and Nicholas at the mall 3 weeks ago in the San Fernando Valley. And no, I did not have ice cream.
Me and my sponse, Debbie two weeks ago in Concord, near Oakland.
Tina seated next to me, in my attempt to capture a motion photo to submit for the last assignment in the online photo class. We are on the plane, headed home from a weekend in Oakland at PRAASA.
It was my sponsor's 33rd Birthday! Debbie's blue nails matched her blue outfit.
I'd told Ray what a hard day I'd had and an hour later he came home from errands with this thoughtful, mood altering "Love" bouquet. See the black vertical letters spelling out LOVE? That's my husband. I love you Baby.
CRITIQUE: Linda Jeffers
Photo assignment: GARAGE ART
1. Aaaaaaaa!
Ha! Why do we think this is funny? Because
we're so stupid that we need a warning label
that we might fall off a ladder?
I'm quite impressed with your photo. For
starters, our eye immediately goes to the bright
white label on the left. We then follow the
guy's ladder up to the word "DANGER" and
then (and this is so cool) our eye notices the
three bolts in the upper right. The movement in
your photo goes from the warning label, up to
the bolts, then down, across the aluminum step,
back to the label again. Our "ride" is a big
triangle. Ta da!
The other thing I'm impressed with is your
choice of depth of field. You selected an
aperture that would put the top part of the label
in focus, yet still enable us to read the bottom
of the label. Your depth of field is relatively
shallow, but it is such that the top part of the
label is sharp. The rest of the photo is blurred,
but that's okay because we know what we're
looking at.
Most importantly, you created a solid, very obvious focal point — the label.
By throwing everything else out of focus except the top part of the label,
you concentrate all of our attention on the sharp part, just what you wanted.
How have you gotten so clever with photography in such a short time?
You have gone from snapshots to photographs in what, less than a year or
so? Amazing. You're scary.
Oh, baby! This is so very cool.
We could almost be looking at a
waterfall here. Once again you've
used selective focus/shallow
depth of field to focus our
attention right where you want it
— where the bristles leave the
The only part of your photo that's
sharp (at first glance) is that little
triangular bit of space in the
upper left. So naturally, that's
where our eye goes. Once there,
we follow the gently bending repeating patterns of the bristles. They
take us diagonally through your picture, and then we have a triangular
bit of red bristles in the lower right. And those bristles look relatively
sharp! They therefore echo the triangle you created upper left. Wow.
Okay, so here's my question. If you're working with a relatively wideopen
aperture for very little depth of field, very little in focus from front
to back, how did you keep the red bristles sharp? We would expect the
top left part to be sharp. Everything goes soft as we leave that part of the
shot. Until we hit the red triangle lower right. That, too, should be out of
focus. But nope, it's sharp.
I'm thinking that we could do this by taking two exposures — one where
the top left is sharp, another where the bottom right is sharp. Then we combine them in
Photoshop and blend them so that just the sharp red bristles down below come through.
Enquiring minds want to know, so give it up, Linda! Let us know how you did this!
Carol Leigh http://www.photoexplorations.com/
March 4, 2009
My response to Carol on my critique:
Thank you for my critique Carol, your compliment about moving from taking snapshots to photographs in a year means the world to me. Yeahhhhhh! Ah oh, pressure is on.
The Aaaaaaah photo.
I actually spent lots of time and took about a hundred different shots of each of the two photos I submitted. Nothing looked right, nothing felt right. I didn't like the ladder and the background. I used late afternoon light, before the sun went down behind the San Jacinto mountains. I was in my front patio. I put on a 100mm macro lens and found I could eliminate the ugly background. I just kept trying to frame the ladder this way and that hoping I could find a way to make the ladder look like some form of art. I knew I wanted only 3 of the 5 bolts in the upper right hand corner and I knew I wanted the white ladder "danger" sign as the main focal point. I selected this photo as it was the best of the many, not knowing whether you would like it or not. What I did know was that I had learned a lot from spending that much time taking and viewing so many photos.
The Bending bristles photo.
Again, I used the 100 mm macro lens. The propped up broom in the front patio looked stupid. So I kept shooting… trying this and that angle and settled on a wide open shutter on a small portion of the broom where the bristles exited. I liked the tight waterfall look and I liked the triangles when I reviewed the photos on the LCD. But trying to get the focus looking ok because the focus was so shallow generated many more clicks of the shutter. You asked if I did anything tricky in Photoshop. Nope. I don't even know how to take 2 photos and put them together? I still don't know how to take a good moon shot, cut it and paste it in another photo to replace a blown out moon. I believe the focal plane was the same distance away on the top left and bottom right red bristles and that's why they are both in focus.


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They Don't Get ItPeople these days talk about dying like it's a joke.
"Kill me!"
"haha, I'm going to kill myself"
"go kill yourself"
I feel like I'm going to go crazy when I hear these kinds of things, even if it's jokingly that they say it.
Death is not funny.
Death is not a joke.
Death is TERRIFYING.
I attempted suicide, and now, I'm lucky to be alive.
I regret my actions, and thank God and any other possible entity I can everyday for letting me live, for giving me a second chance.
I know how it feels to slip away, and I know how it feels to lose someone to suicide.
It's not a joke, and I don't understand why they treat it that way.
MockingMay 18-21, F 5 Jan 8, 2013


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It is a single image from an EnviroSat showing contrails of aircraft traveling across the SE UK and Northern Europe.
With this much travel -- happening everywhere -- global communications are essential, critical and for various reasons, vulnerable.
Just for fun, about 10 years ago, I made a "back of the envelope" calculation of how many people were in the air traveling 24 hours a day (not the same people of course).
There are about 200 countries. At least half have 50 airports each. The other half have say, 4.
Each major airport supports take-offs every 5-10 minutes for a minimum of 10 hours per day.
Number of major airports = 200 x 50 = 10,000. Forget the others.
Number of airplane take-offs - 6 per hour (conservative) for 10 hours = 60 take-offs per major airport.
An average airplane holds 200 people (given the recession, although in the past 10 years, I've never had an empty seat next to me!)..
60 take-offs x 200 people = 12,000 people.
12,000 people x 10,000 airports = 120,000,000 million people are in the air simultaneously.
Even if it was 1/10th of that, a city the size of London or New York or Tokyo, are people living in the air 24 hours a day.
Speed Test requires at least version 8 of Flash. Please update your client.


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City Guides >
Rome has become the first European city to volunteer to host one of the 10 races of the 2014 Formula E racing series. For those who haven't heard, Formula E will be a world racing series with vehicles powered only by electricity, fusing excitement and environmentalism... Hopefully.
The Italian city will host a race in 2014
On December 1st, at Campidoglio, the Mayor of Rome – Mr Gianni Alemanno, President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – Mr Jean Todt, Formula E Holdings CEO – Mr Alejandro Agag and Chairman of the Italian Automobile Club (ACI) Mr Angelo Sticchi Damiani, announced that Rome would be the first European city to host the FIA Formula E Championship in 2014.
Formula E Holdings has signed an agreement with the FIA to promote the new Formula E Championship, featuring Formula E cars powered exclusively by electric energy.
Read More on engadget.com
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LILY One Cuff Midi Dress with Flounce Hem (Taupe)
Meet LILY, too pretty. This is a midi dress with one cuff off shoulder and an asymmetric flounce hem skirt. Top has inner boning and lining. Zipper back. Fully Stretchable.
Material: Neoprene
Length: 40 inches
Available in Sizes:
-Extra Small
-Large (For MTO)
Also available for made-to-order (MTO) in other colors. MTO lead time is 6-8 business days. Please send us an inquiry.


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When asked about her must-have beauty products for her road trip, Nina told Style Caster, "I brought a big WEN bottle. WEN is like your shampoo and your conditioner. When you're doing a road trip, you really want to keep things down to a minimum because you want to be mobile and easy and be able to run around and go quickly if you need to. To consolidate the shampoo and conditioner was great with the WEN products."
Nina also used IT Cosmetics' CC 50 SPF foundation and moisturizer to consolidate her SPF, foundation, and moisturizer into one bottle. "I really keep it down to a minimum when I'm on the road," she continued. "I don't like to wear or do too much. Being fresh, especially after coming off of a TV show where I have makeup every day, all day for 15 hours a day, 9 months a year. It's been so freeing to kind of wear no makeup and let my skin breathe for the first time and have my hair unruly and crazy curly. I walk out of the shower and go and don't care. It's very liberating."
Now that her 2-week road trip is over, there is one beauty risk she'd like to take if she ever gets the nerve: treating herself to a Vampire facial, which she's ironically afraid to try. "I don't even know how it works, and blood scares me," she said. "It's ironic. I was on a vampire show, but I'm deathly terrified of blood and there is this thing called a Vampire Facial that I want to try. But I don't know. It seems so weird and scary that I feel like I need to try and see what it is."
Kim Kardashian is just one of the celebs who tried it, showing herself getting the procedure on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. During the facial, a tool called a Dermapen that contains acupuncture-sized needles filled with your blood gets injected into your face and causes you to bleed, according to Elle. Supposedly, the facial makes your skin smoother and clearer.
Whether she ends up trying that or not, Nina is looking forward to having a "minimal" beauty regimen this summer. As for as what her summer beauty look will look like, the actress told the site, "No makeup. Fresh air. A smile as my accessory. Having a good time and enjoying life!"
Sounds amazing to us.
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Gallery | Nina Dobrev's Fab Life After 'Vampire Diaries'


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I Love the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
I think I was about ten when I first heard of the lion the witch and the wardrobe. I had to read it for a class assignment. It was such a magical book filled to the brim with excitement. I fell into the story, and felt the emotions of the characters so deeply, just like when I read Harry Potter.
A couple years ago, I was sent to a behavior modification center, and you have so much time on your hands there, that I found all the time in the world to read. I fell into the chronicles of Narnia, instead of just that book, and somehow lost my troubles in a world full of magical creatures and mystical adventures.
I love the chronicals of narnia!
3 of the books deal specific with gospel stories, magician nephew, is Genisis, Lion Witch Wardrobe of course is The atonement, Last battle, last judgement. Voyage of dawn treader is about life. The silver chair and The Boy and his Horse I haven't figured out yet.


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By: Traci Armbrust
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth at National Stationery and to those who became a customer for the very first time. We love to see that "Oh My" moment on peoples' faces for the first time when they realize what the GrandeMARK and our dies can do for their business.
I also wanted to thank Charity Wings for having AccuCut on their Live Stream from National Stationery on Monday the 19th. It was fun to demo the machine and walk Elena and everyone watching around the booth via live stream on the computer. Click on the link above to learn more about Charity Wings. What a great organization!
I pulled some photos from StationeryTrends of some really beautiful and unique displays at National Stationery you just have to see to believe.
Starry Starry Night Amazing!
I've seen this done before but it still is so simple and beautiful and could be done with our dies. Butterfly #10, Butterfly #9, Butterfly #8. Beautifully done in monochromatic.
I also noticed a few clever folks were alowing you to choose a card from their booth and they would mail it for you to whom ever you like in the US. Pretty cool!
One last thing that I saw that I really appreciated was a booth that had beautiful cards with quilling on them. An art that I had not seen a lot of in a while, yet here was a booth with hundreds of cards with shapes I didn't even know could be created by quilling. It was really quite breathtaking.
Thanks again if you were in New York and taking the time to stop by and meet us.


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|New York, I Love You (2009)
|Blu-ray Romantic Drama
|Written by Noah Fleming
|Monday, 08 February 2010
"New York, I Love You" is compiled of segments shot by several different directors. Leaving out the fact that this is a sequel, many audiences will find the film pointless. Not knowing about the premise, one would expect the storylines to intersect in the end, much like "Love Actually." Alas, they do not. Each segment is so bland that you just want to skip to the next one and then the next one and the next one, out wait we've reached the end of the film in 30 seconds.
There are occasional interesting moments, but they are completely overshadowed by all the dull moments. In fact, I could even name you one off the top of my. But they are buried in there somewhere.
The film follows a dozen or so relationships in New York. Some are unique and some are mundane. The cast is riddled with household names, each having a couple minutes of screen time. While I understand the concept of the film, it just doesn't translate well to onscreen entertainment. You know what you are in for when every scene is centered around smoking.
The film is comprised of comedy, drama and mystery. However, none of them are strongly developed.
"New York, I Love You" comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC encode with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This video transfer is deceptive. Many viewers will be horrified at the picture quality. However, the image is exactly as the filmmakers intended it. It is a stylistic choice. The technical transfer is actually very good. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that this is a pleasant image to watch. On the contrary, it is fairly ugly. Chalk that up to the shadows cast by the New York landscape. The image is very dirty looking. Digital cameras were used to record all the segments, so it is a little jarring to see natural lighting on the big screen. Contrast is constantly lacking balance. It becomes distracting when shot after shot consists of both dark spots and overblown spots. There is nothing proper to focus on. Again, this is stylistic and not the transfer. Colors are fairly strong, but can also be drained when called for. Details are horrendous for the most part. The segments are made up of panning and handheld camerawork, never a good combination. If you watch this film on a large screen you will feel like you need glasses. Backgrounds and foregrounds alike are blurred. However, when static shots are used the details are strong. Textures are lacking overall. For most this is not going to be an easy film to look at. But, technically this is an efficient transfer.
The audio is presented in DTS-HD 5.1. The audio track is as bland as can be. One would expect sequences that take place in bustling New York City to be enveloping. Sadly, this is a front-heavy mix. The surround ambience is hardly present and thus not very immersive. There are a few of discreet effects in the surrounds, but they are placed very well in the soundfield. Music can either by in the forefront or hardly present. Either way the music track is forgetful. Dynamics are flat and the frequency remains in the midrange. The LFE channel is absent for the most part. Dialogue is clear and well-prioritized. While this film is supposed to be centered on the characters, sound still makes up at least 50 percent of the movie experience. So, the lack of an effect sound design hinders the film.
There are a few bonus materials on this disc. The main special feature is two deleted segments from the film. One is directed by Scarlett Johansson and the other stars Carla Gugino. They total about 30 minutes, so I am for one thankful they were deleted. There are five interviews with various directors from the film. Lastly, there is a trailer of the film.
"New York, I Love You" is a not for everyone. Mainly this is an artsy film that requires a certain patience to get through. I might give it a rent if you think you might be interested in this genre.


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- Freedom Line Blog - http://cfif.org/v/freedom_line_blog -
Rand Paul's Really Ignorant Paragraph
Posted By Quin Hillyer On February 7, 2013 @ 12:21 pm In posts | Comments Disabled
There is much to commend, and there are some things to question, about Rand Paul's big foreign policy speech [1] yesterday at Heritage Foundation. The overall idea of using George Kennan-like "containment" for Iran or for jihadist Islam in general is, well, problematic [2] , although there are plenty of elements of his speech that are at least somewhat sensible. It is a good thing to have discussion of such issues, and there is much value in having people make a thoughtful case against over-eagerness for military intervention. Those of us who tend a little more towards interventionism ("tend" being the key word, rather than "strongly favor") do need to be challenged about the dangers of using military force.
Nonetheless, a fuller discussion of Paul's speech would require more space and time than is available for me this morning. One paragraph, however, was so tendentious, so … well, civility requires that I withhold the most accurate words… anyway, so wrong as to demand response.
Here's the passage at issue:
In the 1980s, the war caucus in Congress armed bin Laden and the mujaheddin in their fight with the Soviet Union. In fact, it was the official position of the State Department to support radical jihad against the Soviets. We all know how well that worked out.
Let's leave aside for now the insulting, utterly asinine, sickening, inexcusable use of the phrase "war caucus" to describe those (including Reagan!) who supported the mujaheddin against the Soviets. That word choice alone is almost entirely disqualifying for its purveyor to ever be president.
Instead, let's just look at a little history here — because the ignorance evident in this paragraph is truly astonishing. One would be hard pressed to find even a single historian, whether right, left, or center, who would argue anything other than that the Soviet failure in Afghanistan was not just a huge factor, but probably an essential one, in the Soviets' ultimate loss of the Cold War. The mujaheddin did much to help bleed the Soviets dry, at a comparatively negligible cost to the United States (for smuggled military hardware and some intelligence). "We all know how well that worked out," said Sen. Paul, dismissively, of the work of our "war caucus" to support the mujaheddin. Yes, we do: It played a key role in helping us win the Cold War. Anybody who doesn't understand that is either foolish or invincibly ignorant.
Second, it is a myth that the United States "armed bin Laden." False [3], false, false [4]. It is also a falsehood to say that bin Laden was a major player within the mujeheddin or in the anti-Soviet war effort at all. Finally, it is false even to say that the Afghani effort against the Soviets was primarily, or even largely, about "jihad." It was a defensive effort against armed invaders, not an offensive effort by "radicals" in the name of Allah. Sure, there were religious aspects to the motivations of the mujaheddin, who of course considered the Soviets to be "infidels," but to say that the primary goal was to expand the reach of the Prophet is so absurd as to be laughable. The Afghani defense against the Soviets was, in truth, as close to being a nationalist, patriotic war as the diverse tribes of Afghanistan are ever likely to be involved in.
So every element of Sen. Paul's paragraph was wrong: 1) Reagan was not the head of a "war caucus." 2) The U.S. did not arm bin Laden. 3) The U.S. support had nothing to do with "radical jihad." 4) The Afghani/mujaheddin effort as a whole was only tangentially jihadist. And 5) The war in Afghanistan that kicked out the Soviets worked out not badly, but very, very well for the United States, for the Western world, and for the hundreds of millions of people freed from behind the Iron Curtain and for millions elsewhere whose "non-aligned states" were freed from fear of the Soviets and thus could move more towards free markets and towards Western prosperity.
Finally, as a post-script, most knowledgeable people would argue that it was only after the Soviets left that the radical jihadists like the Taliban and bin Laden really gained ascendance within Afghanistan — and it was not because the United States helped arm the mujaheddin, but because we left so soon afterwards without providing reconstruction aid. While nobody would suggest that the U.S. should have done anything approaching "nation building," it is certainly arguable — and the movie Charlie Wilson's War, as well as congressmen I know personally, indeed did and do argue this — that humanitarian aid, of not-terribly-expensive sorts, might have gone a long way towards bolstering the society in Afghanistan, and towards bolstering more responsible elements therein, in such a way that the Taliban might not have been able to find anywhere near as much opportunity to operate.
The lesson then would be not that Paul-like isolation is the best idea, but rather that just a little involvement might have then, and often does, helped ward off future disaster.
Rand Paul makes a lot of sense on many domestic issues. But by virtue of this one paragraph alone, his big "coming out" exam on foreign policy earned an unambiguous grade of 'F.'
Article printed from Freedom Line Blog: http://cfif.org/v/freedom_line_blog
URL to article: http://cfif.org/v/freedom_line_blog/17142/rand-pauls-really-ignorant-paragraph/
URLs in this post:
[1] foreign policy speech: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/02/07/return_to_a_true_conservative_foreign_policy_116938.html
[2] problematic: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/02/06/rand-pauls-confused-foreign-policy-speech/
[3] False: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA-Osama_bin_Laden_controversy
[4] false: http://dailycaller.com/2013/02/06/rand-paul-advances-folk-myth-the-cia-funded-bin-laden/
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Welcome! Please check out my new blog site!
Greetings and welcome to my homebuilt analog synthesizer site. I have had a longtime interest in electronics as a hobby that started in 1971 at the age of 7 when I dismantled a flashlight and wired a battery and the bulb together with a scrap of wire and made my first working circuit! The thrill of this led to more contraptions of batteries and bulbs, and eventually into electronics by way of educational kits. I loved my Science Fair 100-in-1 bought in 1976 at a local Radio Shack! My main interest was primarily audio electronics. Building things like radios and audio amplifiers. It was some years later, around 1982 or so, that the analog synth 'bug' bit me and my electronics focus shifted to building synthesizers. I picked up a wonderful book at a local Heathkit electronics store called 'Electronic Music Circuits' by Barry Klein. It was this book that inspired my first synth that I built in 1983.
Fast forward to now. These are my current synths in progress: One I've worked on for a while and a new synth project. Pictured below is what's currently going on in my lab.
This is an audio output interface module for connecting the synth to standard audio equipment. It features a three input mixer, active bass/treble tone controls and boosted line drive output.
Last updated: September 5, 2016 email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Mock revolutions
It is a common human trait when some people get exhausted by disgust, they respond to the dilemma and refresh themselves up by satirising or parodying not only the stuff that is disgusting them but at times their own state of mind as well.
This notion of protest usually gets the most effective results when witty and satirical commentary is set to a bouncy tune and then put on video with the help of imagery heavy on parody.
In the western music scene such ventures have sometimes been called, 'parody pop.'
Parody pop, or at least the modern political version of it, has its roots in Bob Dylan's famous 1965 video for 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' - a song that poked fun at the political and economic establishments of the United States and actually foresaw the emergence of a powerful counter-cultural movement in that country.
Though so-called parody pop never went on to become a huge commercial venture, it did remain to be a favourite tool of the people behind some of the liveliest TV shows of which political and social humour were important ingredients.
BBC's anarchic 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' series (1969-74), and especially the films that the Python team went on to make, punctuated the action with irreverent songs that encapsulated the show's biting takes on politics, the bureaucracy, organised religion and the British middle-classes.
The song 'Always look on the bright side of life' from Monty Python's 1979 film 'Life of Brian' satirised organised religion.
The long-running American skit show, 'Saturday Night Live' has often made good use of short, sharp political parody songs and so did the in-your-face British political comedy series of the 1980s, 'Spitting Image,' which week after week tore into idiosyncrasies of political leaders.
One of its most famous moments arrived when Spitting Image writers and puppeteers directed a video for the famous British band Genesis' 1986 song 'Land of Confusion.'
Genesis & Spitting Image's 'Land of Confusion' that parodied conservative US president Ronald Regan along with authoritarian leaders of the time, including Khomeini and Qadhafi.
Then, of course, there was the outrageous 1977 song and video released by British Punk Rock band the Sex Pistols that angrily ridiculed and satirised the jubilee of the British Queen. The song shot to No. 1 in the British charts in spite of the fact that it was banned on radio and TV.
Sex Pistols' 1977 song, 'God Save The Queen.'
Till the late 1970s, songs parodying or satirising political personalities or social issues were not all that common in Pakistan.
But a song from film actor and director Rangeela's 1973 satire of the human condition, 'Insaan aur Ghada' (Man & Donkey), encapsulated the said plot in a ditty (from the film) called 'Aye Khuda Mujhey Insaan Banadey' (God, please turn me into a human).
The video grab (see bellow) sees a donkey being chased away by a man and then by all sorts of people until he breaks down and ends up outside a mosque asking God to turn him into a human so he too could understand what makes man so cruel and selfish.
Song from 1973's Pakistani film 'Insaan aur Ghada' satirising the foolishness of man as seen through the eyes of a distraught donkey.
However, it wasn't until the arrival of the long-running comedy skit show 'Fifty-Fifty' (in 1978) on Pakistan Television (PTV) that songs parodying social idiosyncrasies and issues mushroomed in Pakistan.
Taking inspiration from the minimalistic social satire shows like 'Such Gup' (1973-75), 'Fifty-Fifty' was launched during the first year of the stern and reactionary military dictatorship of General Ziaul Haq.
Barred by the censors from critiquing the regime's politics, 'Fifty-Fifty' instead took to task issues like the collapse of the local film industry, violent Punjabi films, lazy bureaucrats, corruption among civil servants, cricket and TV commercials.
The practice of punctuating its skits with satirical songs truly began during one of the show's most famous skits: 'Bashira in Trouble.'
Telecasted in late 1979, 'Bashira in Trouble' was a parody of violent Punjabi films of the era and the equally violent 'spaghetti westerns.' The skit parody's a typical violent Punjabi film by making it in English!
'Bashira in Trouble', Fifty-Fifty (1979).
Another favourite subject of the 'Fifty-Fifty' folks was the trend of Pakistanis going to Dubai for work. It was the Bhutto regime in the 1970s that opened the floodgates for Pakistanis to go to Arab countries, and by the early 1980s, the trend had hit a peak.
With the peak also came the proliferation of fake travel agents who had a field day duping simple working-class people by giving them fake visas for Dubai for a hefty price.
'Fifty-Fifty' parodied the issue in a famous song called 'Dubai Janey Walley' (1982).
'Dubai Janey Walley', Fifty-Fifty (1982).
Though even the top satirists struggled to comment on politics and the regime during the Zia dictatorship (without either being 'blacklisted' from state media or jailed), writer Anwar Maqsood found unique ways to satirise and criticise the Zia government.
One way he used was to comment on the materialism and with it fake displays of piety that had begun to infiltrate deep inside the Pakistani society during the Zia regime.
It was a dictatorship propped up by millions of US dollars and Saudi dirhams dished out to conduct the 'anti-Soviet Afghan Jihad'.
Some of this money began to trickle down, and along with the rise of a 'black economy' (due to the ascend of drug mafias), saw a number of Pakistanis suddenly become very rich, very fast (the nouveau-riche).
The tendency also graced the cricket scene, especially in Sharjah where rich Arab sheikhs began pouring in huge amounts of money into India-Pakistan games.
In 1986 during an India-Pakistan final in Sharjah when Pakistani batsman, Javed Miandad, hit a last-ball six to win the game, he was showered by millions of rupees and gifts by the sheikhs and the Pakistani government.
Anwar Maqsood penned a song satirising the event in which he said that though Miandad got millions of dirham, his partner, Tauseef Ahmed, standing on the other end of the pitch, just got 8 dirhams!
This was Maqsood's tongue-in-cheek take of the lopsided economic prosperity witnessed during the Zia regime.
'Javed Koh Soh Lakh' (1986).
The more immediate ancestor of the Pakistani parody-protest pop song and video is 1996's 'Mr. Fraudiye,' by the seminal Pakistani boy-band Awaz.
The 1990s were a time when democratic governments replaced the Zia dictatorship.
But as governments rotated between Benazir Bhutto's PPP and Nawaz Sharif's IJI/PML-N, remnants of the Zia regime still exercised great influence and power within the country's military, security agencies and the bureaucracy.
The culture of patronage and corruption and that of violence that had begun to develop during the Zia dictatorship mushroomed across the society and within Pakistan's political scene in the 1990s.
It reached a peak on the eve of the dismissal of the second Benazir regime in 1996 (on corruption charges by her own President), and the controversial, 'establishment-backed' election of the second Nawaz government.
The nouveau-riche phenomenon was often populated by shady seths, politicians and businessmen, who had made quick money through drug and banking scams, fraudulent business deals and through their connections in political parties and military ventures.
Awaz successfully parodied all this with a jazzy song and video.
'Mr. Fraudiye' – Awaz (1996).
In content, parody pop in the West had mostly been left/liberal in leaning and this was also the case in Pakistan.
But when the children who had belonged to educated urban middle-classes under the reactionary Zia regime reached their teens in the mid-1990s, their ideological orientation began to naturally tilt towards the rightist sides of the conventional ideological divide.
This generation became a magnet for a number of modern Islamic evangelical groups and organisations. This orientation also began informing the generation's politics and perception of what Pakistan was going through.
An existentialist tussle took shape within this generation when it tried to intermingle religious rituals/beliefs, modern materialism and a rather chauvinistic concept of patriotism into a condensed (if not entirely convoluted) bourgeois ideology.
The immediate results were: • an anti-theistic rejection of the left-liberalism of previous generations; • the embracement of materialism and careerism but expressed with vague theoretical convolutions like 'Islamic banking', and 'halal practices'; • a repulsion against 'corrupt' civilian politicians elected by 'illiterate people'; • the imagining of a hackneyed concept of poverty derived from old revolutionary imagery of the left; • and a romantic portrayal of the armed forces.
One of the first songs and videos that encapsulated (and celeberated) such thinking came from famous rock band Junoon. The song was 'Ehtesaab' (Accountability).
A punchy satire on the corruption of civilian politicians, this 1996 rocker affectively ridicules politicians and the 'illiterate masses' (who let themselves be duped).
There is, of course, not a word or image questioning what was (and still is) one of the most powerful, controversial and richest institutions in the country: the armed forces.
The lack of recognising irony too was/is a peculiarity of the above-mentioned ideology.
That's why even though this video had images of rich, fat politicians (and their horses) enjoying expensive food at a lavish, expensive restaurant, the song was actually launched by the band at a ceremony held at an equally lush and expensive 5-star hotel!
'Eehtesaab' – Junoon (1996). Politicians bad, people stupid, military good?
When General Pervaz Musharraf toppled the Nawaz regime and imposed Pakistan's fourth Martial Law, his ideological antics actually fitted well with the convolutions of the post-'96 generation of middle-class Pakistanis.
Musharraf was modern, authoritative, hated the politicians, harboured a contempt for the 'illiterate masses,' talked about 'enlightened moderation' – and yet insisted on nurturing sectarian and Islamist militant organisations whom his military believed would be 'strategic assets' against India (in Kashmir), and against an anti-Pakistan Afghanistan.
He also suspected that most rape victims were lying about their ordeals so they could get western nationalities! And he got a rally of defiant women marathon runners baton-charged and tear-gassed in Lahore.
During the early years of his rule many pop musicians happily dished out saccharine-laced and overtly romanticised odes to the armed forces – until Musharraf fired the Chief Justice of Pakistan in 2006 on corruption charges.
The uprising ('Lawyers Movement') against the firing of a supposedly 'clean' Chief Justice by Musrarraf was like an exemplary chapter from the neo-Marxian 'Critical Theory'.
One aspect of this theory suggests that the urban middle-classes usually ally themselves with authoritarian regimes.
But after such an alliance brings relative economic benefits to these classes, they then experience a political awakening of sorts in which they want to prosper politically as well.
Usually a demand for democracy becomes their cry.
If one is to understand the 'Lawyers Movement' in Pakistan through this theory, then one can suggest that the economic growth experienced by Pakistan's urban middle-classes under the Musharraf dictatorship, eventually turned against the authoritarian regime that had triggered it.
But democracy was not quite so cohesive a call by those who now wanted more political participation in the running of the country.
The Lawyers Movement in fact brought to surface the long-winded post-'96 bourgeois ideology that had continued to thrive within the middle-classes in Pakistan.
The movement was a hotchpotch of democrats, lawyers, non-militant Islamists, leftist fringe groups and emerging non-combatant right-wing outfits.
One can say that the overall make-up of the movement was rightist in orientation and not exactly democratic, as such.
Amidst all the turmoil and confusion, emerged a fantastic song and video.
Written and performed by famous pop singer Shahzad Roy, it was called 'Laga Rey' (Keep at it).
In an era of widespread electronic media and YouTube, it became an instant hit.
The sharp satirical ditty takes to task the agitating lawyers who are shown involved more in protests and politics than in what they are actually paid to do.
However, taking in its stride the contradictory nature of the movement, the song then goes on to mock the lazy fatalistic nature of the Pakistani masses as well.
Maybe Roy was satirising the extremes that the Pakistani society and polity were displaying: of overt political agitation counterbalanced by numb political inactivity?
Social disgust and political cynicism expressed through wit and satirical imagery remained to be at the centre of the song and the video. Not bemoaned by Roy, but rather used as a weapon to mock the two above-mentioned extremes.
However, though the agitating lawyers, politicians, their supporters and the numb, fatalistic sections of the masses were all taken to the cleaners, nowhere to be found in the song and the video was that fat institution: the military.
Yet again it was conveniently left out by a rolling urban middle-class pop protester, given a benevolent benefit of the doubt whereas civilians and their representatives were cynically ridiculed.
Whatever the case, the song turned Roy from being a popular pop tart into becoming a sardonic protest pop icon.
'Laga Rey' – Shahzad Roy (2007).
Though Roy had added a much-needed dose of satirical cynicism to what was being transformed into some kind of a Utopian uprising by the belligerent private electronic media, he was, however, making observations using Pakistani bourgeois perceptions about politics and society.
That's why his next satirical shot eventually moved towards the right from the cynical centre from where he had delivered 'Laga rey.'
2009's 'Kismat Apney Haat Mein' (Destiny in your own hands) was a sequel of sorts of 'Laga Rey' in which his cynical character arrested by foreign agents becomes a believer but is eliminated by a US drone missile!
It was Pakistan's foreign enemies that were behind all the turmoil in the country, you fools. Anybody trying to rectify the situation through patriotic action was eliminated.
Again, young middle-class political and ideological naivety and Utopian expectations from media-moulded messianic figures coupled with populist hysterics had shone through.
Thus, the 'Kismat' song and video actually became more of an unintentional self-parody!
'Kismat Apney Haath Mein' – Shahzad Roy (2009)
Talking about unintentional self-parodies in this context, nothing comes close to the funky 'Tanha Hai Kyun' (Why are you alone?) by former Junoon vocalist, Ali Azmat.
Azmat is a good example of a talented lad coming from a petty-bourgeois background who eventually made it upwards to the trendier spheres of the urban bourgeois realms of Pakistan.
Always more talented as a vocalist and songwriter than a thinker, Azmat, after quitting Junoon in 2005, decided to … think.
Bad move. It was like Axl Rose, after watching a dozen straight-to-YouTube 'documentaries' based on the most hackneyed conspiracy theories, becoming an overnight political commentator and then a disciple of Deepak Chopra!
In Azmat's case, Chopra was the verbose and bombastic conspiracy theorist and hate-monger, Zaid Hamid.
Azmat found Hamid's tales of imaginary victories of the Pakistan military (or prophetic visions of conquests), and his anti-West/anti-Semite and anti-India tirades quite in tune with his (Azmat's) anxious concerns about multinational corporations and the CIA conspiring with powerful Zionist bankers (Elders of the Zion?) to destroy Islam and Pakistan.
Such grave concerns were enthusiastically revealed in Azmat's video for 'Tanha Hey Kyun.' The video is not really parody pop, but rather, self-parody pop! Entirely unintentional, of course.
'Tanha hai kyoon' – Ali Azmat (2009).
Along with the urban middle-classes that they came from, a majority of pop musicians too had been moving way towards the rightist sides of the divide.
This was again proved by the trite and now clichéd condemnation of 'corrupt' civilian regimes by famous pop band 'The Strings' anti-politician song, 'Mei Toh Daikhoon Gay' (I shall see).
Amazing how none of these guys ever remember the corruption during the 30-plus years of military rule. And how it's so easy to bite politicians but stay clear of those who bite back (such as extremists). Traits also blatantly present in the parody songs featuring on the now worn-out political skit show, 'Hum Sab Umeed Sey Hein.'
'Mein Toh Deikoon Ga' – Strings (2012).
But two songs/videos suddenly appeared on YouTube laying down the gauntlet to directly challenge the right-wing swing of the urban middle-classes and the media.
Both became massive hits, suggesting that within the said class there were still large sections of young Pakistanis who were exhausted by the intransigent narratives being fed to them.
First song was by the band Bayghairat Brigade (Dishonourable Brigade).
The song and video came down hard on the sacred cows fattened by the self-claimed Ghairatmands (the honourable patriots). The satirised cows included military dictators, the ISI and jihadists; as well as middle-class hypocrisies and right-wing parties like Imran Khan's PTI, PML-N and Jamat-i-Islami.
With biting satirical irreverence and joyous cynicism, the song, 'Aloo Anday' (Potatoes and Eggs), sang the unspoken.
But whereas the band experienced overnight success, it also faced the expected criticism: That they were from the heretical Ahmadi sect; that they were on the payroll of foreign agencies; that they were anti-Islam, et al.
'Aalu Anday' – Bayghairat Brigade (2011).
The other song/video ready to challenge the 'ghairat' narrative appeared only recently.
Though, equally effective in its satirical content as 'Aloo Anday' was, Ali Gul Pir's 'Waderey Ka Beta' (Son of a feudal lord), is simpler in essence but still manages to work on multiple levels.
On the obvious level it pokes fun at the slacker antics of a spoiled brat of a rich Sindhi feudal lord.
But it did two other things as well: First, Pir's mocking of feudalism is done in a way that it also satirises a kind of paranoid repulsion that the urban middle-classes feel towards those from semi-rural or rural backgrounds and cultures.
In the scene where he is bouncing on a sofa between two young 'Burger' girls is like him actually celebrating the outlandish behaviour of the feudal's son at the expense of the city girls' xenophobic horror.
Secondly, by coming up with a song satirising the social aspects of feudalism and bourgeois urbanites, Pir consciously turns his back to the burning/breaking news 'issues' with which the media is obsessed.
Pir seems to be more interested on commenting on everyday people than in sensational political abstractions and imaginary demons.
'Waderey ka Beta' – Ali Gul Pir (2012).
Nadeem F. Paracha is a cultural critic and senior columnist for Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.com
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.


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Gokul Rajaram
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