text:
JOHN COMENIUS: The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart.
Louthan, Howard & Sterk, Andrea. (trs.)
Price: $27.50
click image to zoom
New York: Paulist Press, 1998. A FINE HARDCOVER COPY with pictorial panels. Classics of Western Spirituality. Preface by J.M. Lochman. 250 pages, indexed, plus Paulist catalogue appended. Tall 8vo. (Item ID: A3-16010)


text:
Dave, this was a great service that was provided to us. We had to take a small loss on our home when we sold it but with this service it helped. We were able to avoid a short sale that would damage our credit by looking forward to this return. Again, thanks for everything. Anyone looking into this service should definately use it! It is an awesome benefit, especially during times like this! Lisa and Travis V U.S. Coast Guard
Union Home Services really does put cash back in your pocket!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This chair came from my mother's apartment when she moved to a senior living center. Its joints were loose when she had it, and kept coming apart when I lifted it injudiciously. Although I build new rather than repair repair old furniture, yesterday I decided to investigate. It is comfortable at my computer desk and I hope to continue using it for several years,
After carefully labelling everything. I began to disassemble loose joints. All but seven of the twenty-two joints came apart. The above picture shows the drilled holes, called mortises, in the top of the chair seat and the light colored tenons at the bottoms of the chair back spindles.
Examining these and the disassembled joints below the chair seat, it became obvious that the joints were "glued" by squirting glue into the bottoms of the mortises and then inserting the tenons. The rationale may have been that glue would be forced up around the sides of the mortises and tenons, but that happened only a few of the fifteen disassembled joints, and even there only on a portion of the surface area of those joints.
Regardless of the glue used, for the strongest possible joint the adhesive must be worked onto all joint surfaces. Spreading glue simply by bringing together the parts of a mortise and tenon joint does not work the glue onto the entire area of matching surfaces, so the joint has diminished strength. (In an article a year or two ago Popular Woodworking magazine clearly demonstrated this using a rectangular motise and tenon joint, where one side of the mortise was clear plastic.)
It is widely recognized that glue does not bond well to end grain. For the majority of the disassembled joints in this chair, the only glue contact with the tenons was on their ends, which of course is end grain.
Finally, the excess space at the bottom of a mortise is designed to provide space for any glue forced to the bottom when the tenon is inserted, and should not be filled with glue. In the procedure used on this chair (and others I have seen) all of the glue is first squirted into the bottom of the mortise. When the tenon is inserted this filled well creates hydraulic pressure resisting full insertion of the tenon, and perhaps permanently holding the tenon slightly proud.
Although the parts of mother's chair were machined well and attractively finished, failure of the joinery was guaranteed due to the poor glue application. Gently used, and with finish contributing some additional slight joint strength, such chairs might last a year or two, but the joints will fail.
Effective chair repair requires proper adhesive, tools and experience. Simply squeezing some more glue around an exposed joint and pushing it home won't make a lasting repair, and will make effective repair more difficult and expensive.
If you have a wobbly chair you want repaired, perform diligent research by soliciting referrals from friends, interviewing repair businesses, and getting estimates. Expect to pay at least $100 for re-gluing the most basic chairs, more for chairs such as this one with extra joints. If the chair has upholstery attached to the chair itself (rather than a seat insert) the upholstery will have to be replaced after re-gluing.
Factory-made chairs can be unbelievable bargains in the store, but re-gluing or replacement should be part of the purchase calculation. For any set of new chairs, one might want to plan for replacement or re-gluing of at least one chair every year. If subjected to stronger use, the time period should be six months. Effectively re-glued and not abused, the chair should provide many years of service.
Please let me know of other topics you would like to see covered in future posts.


text:
From $78.00
Model: CL10
Brand: Cascadia Design Studio
With a minimalistic look using an alternative metal, you'll want to make this smooth titanium band your new signature piece. This affordable ring speaks for itself. Classic and refined, this flat titanium style attracts attention. It's a lightweight uncluttered design ideal as a commitment ring, wedding band or as an everyday fashion accessory.
Available in high polish or satin finish and in widths ranging from 3–9mm. All my rings are easy to wear due to a true comfort fit interior and rounded edges.
At Cascadia Design Studio I make each ring unique to every order, thus allowing me to offer a unique set of options for each style. Give your look some lift!
Click the green Info Button next to each selection box above for details about that option. The displayed total price will update as you select options.
Spread the Word!
Ring Gallery
Wedding Bands
Color Inlay Rings
Stone Set Rings
Wave Rings
Celtic Rings
Kanji Rings
Engraved Rings
Custom Rings
6717 58th Drive NE, Marysville, Washington 98270


text:
Steady income quarter after quarter can add up to big bucks over the long run. That's why dividend stocks make up an important component of many investors' portfolios. But which dividend stocks are good candidates? To answer this question, we asked a couple of our contributors to pick two great dividend stocks you can buy right now. Here are their thoughts.
Matthew Frankel: Some of the best dividend stocks you can buy now are REITs that specialize in commercial properties like National Retail Properties (NYSE:NNN).
Commercial real estate has several advantages over, say, residential properties. For starters, most tenants sign longer-term leases of 10 years or more (National Retail's average remaining lease term is more than 12 years); meaning that the turnover rate is much lower and rental income is steadier. And, tenants are on "triple-net" leases, which means tenants are responsible for property taxes, building insurance, and maintenance. Basically, all National Retail Properties has to do is collect the rent.
National Retail Properties currently pays a 4.4% annual dividend, and has raised the payout for 24 consecutive years. The company owns 1,927 properties in 47 states and has an outstanding 98.5% occupancy rate. This type of diversity means the company's success isn't tied to any one tenant or geographical area, and it also shows that the company's properties are desirable enough that it doesn't have a tough time filling them with retailers.
Not only do shareholders reap the benefits of rental income, but as the company's properties increase in value, so does the value of the shares. This is a great play on both the recovering U.S. real estate market as well as the trend toward higher rental prices.
Plus, commercial real estate works well in all markets, good and bad. Thanks to the long-term leases I mentioned earlier, automatic annual rent increases are already agreed upon. So, while an apartment complex might have to keep rent steady or even lower it during bad economic times, commercial properties don't really have the same problem.
The proof is in the performance. Over the past 20 years, National Retail Properties has averaged a total return of 13.4% per year, handily beating the S&P's 9.8%.
Over the long run, the favorable business model of owning a diverse basket of commercial properties can produce consistent, strong returns that will still let you sleep at night.
Keith Speights: Matthew's right -- investors looking for solid dividend stocks should consider REITs specializing in commercial properties. One stock worth a serious look is Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW).
As you might expect from its name, the company focuses on healthcare-related properties, especially general acute care and long-term acute care hospitals. Medical Properties Trust's current dividend yield of 6.2% rates among the best in the market.
One great thing about this REIT's properties is that there isn't a huge risk of near-term churn in tenants. At the end of 2013, over 85% of Medical Properties Trust's lease portfolio had leases expiring no sooner than 2020. Well over half of these leases extend beyond 2023.
Medical Properties Trust is still in growth mode. The company continues to build and acquire new properties in the U.S. and in Germany. Recent activity includes picking up 38 rehabilitation and two acute care hospitals in Germany, plus completing construction on eight emergency room facilities in the U.S. With aging populations in both countries that should increasingly need healthcare services, this growth strategy seems smart.
The company also makes money from financing real estate transactions for healthcare providers. In the first half of 2014, around one-fifth of Medical Properties Trust's total revenue stemmed from interest and fee income.
What about the stock performance? Shares are up around 12% year to date and jumped nearly 70% over the last five years. That performance, combined with a consistently high dividend yield and a relatively dependable revenue stream, makes Medical Properties Trust one of the best dividend stocks around, in my view.


text:
January 22, 2010
Welcome to the Journal. Only about 100,000 votes separated the winner from the loser, and the outcome was to increase the minority party in the senate by just one vote from 40 to 41. Nonetheless, this week's election in Massachusetts has been declared a repudiation of Barack Obama and a resurrection for Republicans. But I checked just before this broadcast, and Democrats still controlled the White House, still had a 78 vote majority in the house, and 59 of the 100 members of the Senate. But from all the spin this week, you could imagine there had been a coup in our nations Capitol a tea party to beat all tea parties. No doubt about it, the pundits said people have spoken 100,000 of them, at least and America is red again. Listen to the right's partisan boom box:
Republicans are starting to go where no Republicans have gone before. Places, strange places, for Republicans. Like New Jersey, and possibly now Massachusetts.
Tonight, everything, yes everything is turned upside down. The political impossible has happened.
This was a center-right country, even in Massachusetts, repudiating a left agenda. This is not rocket science.
But let's get another take on the news from two avowed progressives known for their candor and clarity. Melissa Harris-Lacewell is an Associate Professor of Politics and African American studies at Princeton University, her commentary and analysis have appeared in publications across the country. She's at work on a new book titled, "Sister Citizen: A Text For Colored Girls Who've Considered Politics When Being Strong Wasn't Enough."
Eric Alterman is distinguished Professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College, and a Professor of Journalism at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and his most recent book is this one, "Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post Bush America." Welcome to you both.
This couldn't have been what Barack Obama wanted on the first year anniversary of his inauguration. A resounding-- what's been seen as, interpreted as a resounding slap in the face in Massachusetts, where he wasn't even on the ballot. Was this election on Tuesday a repudiation of Barack Obama?
Who knows? I mean, you know, you got to give people a reason to vote for somebody in a special election, and as far as I can tell, there was no reason to vote for this woman. She didn't even know who Curt Schilling much less run a competent campaign. They did no polling. I mean, it was a "how not to" campaign. Whereas on the Republican side, they ran a brilliant campaign, under the radar, to the point where the Democrats didn't know what hit them. The problem is that, as you say, 100,000 votes in a very liberal state, no question about it, is being interpreted as a repudiation of absolutely everything this President has ever said and done by the entire country. That's nonsense. But the media have constructed this narrative that makes it true. And I must say, the President and the Democrats have allowed them to do it. And that's where they're really at fault here.
Yeah, I mean, I agree. I think a lot of our emotions about this particular seat has to do with Senator Kennedy. The sense that Senator Kennedy was one of the first and strongest voices on health care, and that somehow replacing Kennedy with a Republican who is voting against health care or is likely to vote against health care is a very painful sort of shift. But I also know that someone who's been in office as long as Kennedy was in office was not just about sort of all of these liberals and progressive liking his liberal progressivism -- they liked having Senator Kennedy be their senator. So, the changes that may have been happening in the electorate, the shifts may be these secular shifts that have occurred for some time. They're not just about the moment of this one, sort of, question about this President.
Now look, we got to give them this. It's a liberal state. They went for McGovern. They have gay marriage. They elected a conservative to replace Ted Kennedy, who by the way replaced John Kennedy. I mean, it is shocking. Now, the question is what's at the source of the shock? If you ask me, it's the fact that this President, this and particularly this candidate has not given people an inspiration to turn out, the way these same people had an inspiration to turn out a year ago. Barack Obama carried Massachusetts by 28 points -- that is a liberal state. And so, it should be a shock to the system. But it's not a repudiation of everything that Barack Obama believes. And it's clearly not a repudiation of him for being too liberal, much less socialist. It's equally plausible and to my mind more plausible that it's a repudiation of his being unwilling to fight for the agenda that people thought they were electing him for.
Do you find it laughable that Obama is considered too liberal?
Yes. I mean, certainly. Barack Obama, it seems to me, more than anything, is a kind of careful pondering leader. He takes a great deal of time when considering both domestic and international policy moves. And he also brings in a multiplicity of voices and viewpoints. Probably not as many viewpoints from the left as many of us would like to see. But he certainly spends time thinking about alternate ways of imagining what outcomes are. That's really stunningly different than what happened over the course of the past eight years. I think the other thing is he keeps trying to govern in public. One argument about what's gone wrong with the health care reform plan is that it simply should have passed sooner.
And that a large part of the reason that it didn't pass more quickly was a sense that we wanted to include all of these different ideas and perspectives in it. And it seems to particularly irritate the left who says, "Come on, we've got a majority. Let's go. Full steam ahead. Use this extended you know, executive power. Let's get what we want." And he's definitely reigning it in. It's not socialism.
My own impression is that he governs the way I play poker, which is that I wish for a royal flush every time that I'm dealt cards, but I play the hand I'm dealt. Now, the hand he's been dealt is incredibly problematic from the perspective of any progressive President. The legacy of the Bush Administration is one crisis after another. In addition to which, he's governing in a dysfunctional system, in the Senate, where-- because the Republicans are so unreasonable in terms of offering any cooperation whatsoever, that he can only be as progressive as the 60th Senator on any issue. He's getting no Republican cooperation on anything. Very different than the way the Democrats behave. So, no matter what he believes in and what he knows to be the best, or what he would like to see for the country, he has to cut the deals. He has to play the cards he's been dealt. And those cards are being determined by the insurance industries, by the pharma industry, by the big banks, and the power that money exercises in our system is much more significant in decision making process of senators than is their own views.
I think this is part of why we have to think about what this Massachusetts loss means. I mean, we keep talking about the loss of the 60. But did we not notice the Blue Dogs and Joe Lieberman? I mean, this hasn't been some solid 60 in lockstep behind a progressive President overreaching towards a more progressive era in social policy. That's just an empirical fallacy to imagine that that's what's been going on. And that does speak, I think, to a failure on the part of the Democratic Party writ large to tell a better story and a more-- and I mean, seriously, just a more accurate story about what's going on.
I was going to bring that up too. The narrative that's come out of this presidency is really at fault in significant ways. They haven't done a good job of telling the story they want people to understand. They did a great job in the election; he hasn't done it as President. Now, if you if you remember, there was a big kerfuffle during the election when Barack Obama said that he admired the way Ronald Reagan changed the conversation. What he was saying was that the ideas that the Republican Party brought forth, however wrong they were, were bold and had the effect of sort of changing the playing field. I don't understand-- this is my most significant criticism of the President. I don't understand why he didn't come in, in the same way. He understood the need for it. But instead he came in on issue after issue where he thought the deal was to be done. Ronald Reagan would come in with these crazy plans and then when the time came to cut the deal, he cut the deal, and he got a much better deal than he would have if he came in where he thought the deal was to be made. But you have them coming in with a stimulus plan which is what they thought they could pass. They should have come in with an incredibly ambitious and idealistic stimulus plan. And then gotten the best deal they could. Same with health care. Instead, they were so pragmatic about trying to get legislation passed right away, that they lost control of the story. And the Republicans were able to step into that void, helped by Fox News, helped by "The Wall Street Journal" editorial page, helped by this entire movement that they have that's colonized much of the media. And they-- it's their story, not the President's.
I want to disagree just a little bit about where the locus of that blame might sit. So, I agree with you that one of the amazing things about the Obama candidacy was this sort of sense of what the story was. And of Obama's narrative. But what I disagree with is the notion that that was a tightly controlled narrative, emerging from the campaign. Quite the opposite. I think that the brilliance of the Obama campaign had to do with creating a sort of outline figure of who Obama was. A figure of change, of hope, a representation of what America most wanted itself to be. But what was amazing was how at the level of very ordinary people, there was an opportunity to project onto Barack Obama all of your greatest hopes. It's how I ended up finding myself in a coalition with people who I typically disagreed with. I mean, there was a moment when I realized that, you know, I was in a coalition with, you know, Colin Powell. So, in many ways, I think that this governing reflects something similar. And that the missing piece is that those same people who had such enthusiasm to tell a story during the campaign, have failed to tell those stories during governing. We got right on the defensive immediately and started feeling very anxious. And I'm not sure that that was all coming from the White House.
But Melissa, I think you're putting your finger on an unavoidable problem of going from a campaign to governing. If you and Colin Powell are disagreeing on fundamental things, but you both agree on the need for hope and for change, well, then as President it's up to Obama to define what that means. And he's going to lose one of you along the way. And it seems to me--
Or he might convince one of us along the way.
He might. Yeah. I so, good luck with that--
Both of you were very hopeful in 2008.
Almost embarrassingly so, yes.
Exactly. But can either of you name one gift he has given to the liberal wing of his party since he became President.
I can give you a few.
All right, what are they?
Net neutrality. Government--
That's really big in Massachusetts.
Government trans-- well, they're not the kinds of things that excite people. But he--
Lily Ledbetter Equal--
Releasing the torture memos.
But not closing Guantanamo.
Canceling the F-22. I mean, these are all things that President McCain would never have done. Sonia Sotomayor.
These are things that demonstrate that there's a significant difference between the two parties. It true-- he's taken a few minor hits. He hasn't taken a big hit. And I think this is a mistake, because I think that the American people admire a President who fights for what he believes in, regardless of whether or not they believe it themselves. And he hasn't given that impression.
But it does seem to me that he prefers the argument to the battle. And that preparation and the arrangement of the case becomes his obsession. But to go out and fight and to go out and struggle and to take on the enemy and be defined by his haters, he doesn't seem to have the-- and I'm not-- this may be his nature, not his choice. It just may be the way he is.
I mean, I don't know. I hear you. And he certainly does seem more the argument, case-presenting, law professor, intellectual. And the fact is, that just actually whoops me up. I love that sort of thing.
Of course you do.
You know, right, of course, because that's where I am. But--
This much of the electorate.
Right. I under-- right. So I get that. I get that. He's not going to lose the college professors any time soon. But what I will say is, I think that we are underestimating how much of a battle it is to simply stand still being Barack Obama at this particular moment. I mean, I've spent a lot of time watching both the left and the right be exceptionally critical of every piece of legislation, of every choice, of not talking about the Equal Pay Act. Of not talking about the fact that he's trying to move towards a closure of Guantanamo. Of appreciating that at least he took a moment on Afghanistan. As much as I wish the decision had been different, I appreciate that he deliberated before making the decision. So that in each of those cases, he takes the battle from both, and simply because he doesn't fight back does not make him not a warrior. I mean, we wouldn't have claimed that, you know, Dr. King was not a warrior because he wasn't fighting back. Part of the fighting back is standing still as others attack you.
Is it the problem that we lay too much on any President? It's only been a year this week that he was inaugurated. And yet, one year after he took the oath of office, he's being repudiated. Repudiated for what?
Well, it the narrative of the media go from one form of hysteria to another. And what you need if you want to be an effective President is a theory of change. How do you move the system? I thought Barack Obama had a brilliant theory of change as a candidate. He said we're all friends here. We're all Americans. We're all basically interested in the same thing. Let's stop fighting with each other the way the Bush Administration wants us to do. And this nasty Dick Cheney fellow is always trying to get us riled up. Let's find what we agree on and move forward.
And then I thought that once he became President he could say, okay, I tried. I tried it the nice way with these people. But they just won't cooperate. Now it's time to slap them around a little and get something done. He hasn't taken that step. He's giving the impression that he can be pushed around. And I think he needs to push some people around, even at a short term political cost, just to show that there's something to fear with this President.
I don't know. I mean, I hear you. But I keep having to remind myself that I'm committed to the particular social contract that is democracy with a little "d" in the U.S. And so, what that means is the messy hard work of recognizing that winning an election is not the same thing as staging a coup. And that even if the other side does it ugly and bad and mean and dishonestly, that the rules of the game are at least as important as the overall outcomes. And so, the plodding, difficult, bureaucratic, listening to people who you disagree with and who you think have ill will, is part of the democratic process. But it is that difficulty of governing together in a country where we don't agree with each other that is the work of democracy.
But in this case, he's playing tennis and there's nobody hitting the ball back. The Republicans are not playing. They're saying-- they're waiting on the sidelines, criticizing his performance and he keeps pretending that he's in a tennis game with two sides. And the question is what can you accomplish under those circumstances? Well, you can accomplish a health care bill that is okay with Joe Lieberman and Senator Nelson. That's all you can accomplish. But it turns out you can't even do that. Because of this vagary that took place in Massachusetts. So, what's the plan now? In other words, the Democrats are so committed to being reasonable, to doing all the things that you just described, as if there were another party that were behaving responsibly. But the Republicans are not interested in behaving responsibly.
What has he gotten for his bipartisanship? I mean, he heavily weighted the stimulus toward tax cuts, against the advice of many Democratic economists, hoping to win some Republican votes, and got none. He ruled out a single payer system ahead of time and then refused to be strong for a public option, hoping to get Olympia Snowe and one Republican vote. Didn't get a single one. He got labeled instead for all of this as a socialist or worse. Does he really know who his opponents are?
The question is why is it that the American public doesn't notice this? So, I just want to be careful that we don't play the game the way that our opponents play it, simply because that's how are opponents are playing it. You don't cheat because you're playing with cheaters. What you hope--
Yeah, but you call them cheaters.
No, possibly, but-
You say, "You're cheating."
But I think part of what you hope is that by demonstrating reasonableness in the face of unreasonableness that a democratic system of observers goes, "Wait a minute. They've turned the water hoses and dogs on people who are fighting back with nothing. That's not acceptable. That's not American. And therefore, we're going to get on the side of the people who are playing fair."
How is that working out?
Well, but I think that we have to be really careful about this incredibly short term vision that says, "What we do is fight as nasty as possible to win the policy we want, because at least then we will win the policy we want at the cost of who we are together in a democracy."
But listen
This is a long term game.
No, but really what are we talking about? Barack Obama has the largest majority of both houses that any President has had in 30 years, and yet he's governing as if he's- it's 50-50 or even he's in the minority. Now, he should be willing to take some hits for what he strongly believes in, and the American People will respect him for that, even I think, if they disagree with what that's the way it was with Reagan, and that's the way it was for a long time with Bush. Instead, he's managing the fight between the two sides. He's not leading the fight. And it's a strategy. It might have worked. But it hasn't worked. It's clearly not working now. And it needs to be rethought.
It is working for the Republicans. I mean, they refuse to go along with his hand out. They slap it away. They don't give him a single vote on anything. The Republican strategy has set that up. Obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. Then go to the country and say, "The country can't get anything done. Let's send a Republican to Congress."
This is the failure of the ability of the President and his party to tell their story. It's a Republican story being told. What is the Republican health care alternative? There is none. What is the Republican alternative to the country almost going bankrupt before the stimulus plan? There is none. They have no serious governance strategy right now. They have slogans and they have anger. And the media are allowing the part where "Okay, what's behind the curtain?" to go untold.
Do you know who the most frequently booked guest on "Meet The Press" was this year? Ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Do you know how often Nancy Pelosi, the actual Speaker of the House was on "Meet The Press" this year? Zero. Do you know how many times all the other living ex-Speakers of the House were on "Meet The Press" this year? A grand total of zero. Newt Gingrich has no position, and yet the mainstream media has embraced him as a responsible spokesman for a position where he says the President- This is not Rush Limbaugh. This is not Bill O'Reilly. He says the President of the United States cares more about the rights of terrorists than he does protecting the American People. Now, does any sensible person believe that? No. But that is driving the narrative in the mainstream media. Not on Fox.
Give me your explanation of why you think NBC, GE, and David Gregory constantly ask Newt Gingrich on and not Nancy Pelosi?
I think because the right wing media, Fox, the "Wall Street Journal", "The Weekly Standard", et cetera, et cetera, the Heritage Foundation, they have been so successful at defining the terms of the debate that the mainstream media accept their definitions of the issues and the parameters of discussion without even knowing they're doing it. And this infection has been going on for decades. And when the White House tried to take it on, in the form of taking on Fox, the media reacted, "Oh my God, you're attacking a sister network." That was the phrase of one of the ABC correspondents. They should recognize that there are some people doing honest journalism and some people doing propaganda. And those people doing propaganda should be shamed.
What would you like to see your candidate and your President do that he's not doing? I mean, are you offended by the fact that the man you helped elect is making compromises with conservative elements in the Democratic Party to-- at the risk of a woman's reproductive rights?
I am very angry with a couple of things. The question of women's reproductive rights would be near the top of that. The failure on the part of the entire party to stand very strong on issues of marriage equality and a much broader extension of things like, for example, the Fair Housing Act and employment discrimination protection for LGBT individuals. The banking crisis. So, there are all sorts of things about which I disagree both with this President as well as my local Democratic and national Democratic leadership. But I'm not offended. I think offended is the wrong word, because I don't feel that it's being done in the sense of sort of an unwillingness to even imagine a different kind of possibility, which is very much how I felt during the course of the eight years when George W. Bush was President. I felt that there was no possibility that we were even beginning to think about a more inclusive American story. In this Presidency, I think there's been some failures to take the really toughest stances. I think there's been a lot of hoping that you're playing tennis with someone, that you're dealing with reasonable people. But I also appreciate that my President is working really hard to follow the rules of the game that he set out at the beginning. That he told us I'm a centrist Democrat. I'm interested in working across party lines. I am concerned with these questions, but I'm a free market guy.
He also kept his campaign promise on Afghanistan. I don't like it, but he did it.
Yeah, he did.
No, I don't think offense is the right term. There are a lot of things about politics that offend me. It offends me, as I'm sure it offends most Americans that the amount of money that we gave to Goldman Sachs that went to A.I.G., $13 billion is exactly equivalent to the amount of bonuses that the Goldman Sachs executives are getting this year. That really offends me. That's not Barack Obama's fault. There are- I trust Barack Obama. I think he's the best possible President we could have. That said, there are a lot of things I don't understand why he's doing. I don't understand why he's basically caved on all of the issues related to the war on terror and civil liberties. I don't get that. I can't explain it. I take some comfort in the fact that he's a very intelligent man. I think he's got good values. And he knows a lot of things I don't. He's smarter than I am. And he has information I don't. And maybe he's right. I sure hope he's right.
But suppose he knows something you don't want to believe. Suppose he knows that Americans really do fear a proactive, social democratic agenda. Maybe he knows that this is not as progressive a country
That's not true.
-as either of you would like it to be.
I know that's false. I know that's false. It's one thing to say that this is not a progressive country as we would define it, but we know what people feel on the issues. The problem is that there's no direct connection between what people feel on the issues and pressure that politicians feel.
What do you mean?
There is a direct connection between the money that's contributed to a politician's campaign and the votes that he makes in Congress, but the fact that 80 percent of the country might agree with, let's say, re-importation of prescription drugs. That's very popular. And yet, there's no lobby for it. Yet, there is a very powerful lobby to prevent it. And that lobby's money and influence speaks much more powerfully than the vast majorities of Americans who support it. So, what the President has done, and what any President has to do, and this President has actually done less of it than most, is the President has to pick his battle. He has to say, "I'm going to let these S.O.B.'s have their prevention of re-imported of drugs, because it's more important that I can get $40 billion into the hands of people who have no health coverage." And he's done that over and over. And he's bet on being effective. But damn it, that's not working either. So, he needs to rethink that, given Massachusetts, given the way the narrative's gone, he needs to rethink it. But I'm not saying that- I mean, it turns out to have been wrong, but it wasn't dishonorable and it wasn't offensive. It's that he was elected to get things done, and this is the best way he could figure out to do it.
Let me just suggest that there was one great potential lesson behind the Obama Presidency that I feel progressives in the broader sense missed. And that is that for all of our sort of we really like to be outsiders, we really like to talk about how difficult the system is. And that's certainly true. But one of the things that we might have done is we might have looked at an Obama candidacy and said, "This now is the moment to field a team of new and interesting and lefty people willing to run for office from dog catcher to the U.S. Senate." That his candidacy was so unlikely to have happened and yet managed to happen, despite the structural constraints that we might have said, "Hey, I'll run for office. Me for the school board. Me for dog catcher. Me for mayor. Me for-" and instead we said, "Oh, thank gosh, we've got Barack Obama. Now we can go back to tweeting and blogging."
You know, you're so right. You're so right.
And so, I, you know, I we are voters, but we are also, each and every one of us, potential office holders. Why don't we run? I will tell you that on the GOP side, folks will run for office and that makes an enormous difference in the farm team that's available.
I think that's a very good point.
The farm team? The farm team?
I mean, personally, I spent eight years blogging every day about George Bush. And every day I'd wake up and there'd be some new nightmare that I had to deal with that I didn't even know about the day before. When Barack Obama was elected, something I never would have thought was possible two or three years earlier, I felt like I could relax a little. That the country was in the hands of reasonable people at worst. And yet the other side didn't go away. The other side found did exactly what you described. The same thing that the Christian Coalition and others on the right have been doing now for 20 or 30 years, and in some ways, this very- the way that you describe, they are better Democrats than our side, because they stay there for the meetings, they stay there- they run for these local offices, and they took over their party. And we whine about our party, and they took over their party.
And it's a big difference.
So, this goes to my point about what we did in the campaign. See, we woke up in the campaign. And we decided we could be part-- I mean, people who had never been campaign contributors before found $100, $500, $50 and we got in the game.
What I'd hoped, what I'd imagined in my wildest wasn't so much that Barack Obama would save us but we might have done something different. And I what I've been most surprised by is that in places like Massachusetts, in local elections, in New Jersey, we fielded the same sort of candidates.
But Melissa, you know what? I mean, you're absolutely right. But they didn't do it either. They had the Organize for America. They had 13 million emails. And they don't want a Democratic Tea Party. They don't want an outside-
Who doesn't?
The White House.
Does not want an activist revolution on its left?
All they do is send out an occasional email saying "Don't feel bad. Give us another $50."
Yeah, that might be the Rahm Emanuel of it all.
They don't want the difficulty of having a movement they can't control. That's why to got rid of Howard Dean. So, to some degree I mean, you're right. We should have done it without them. But they could have been an enormous help. They made a conscious choice not to build that organization into an independent organization that could pressure Democrats. That's what they were afraid of. It wasn't going to cost Barack Obama himself people still love Obama. But it's Democrats like, you know, they don't want you going after Charlie Rangel. I mean, if anybody should be gone after it should be Charlie Rangel. My congressman.
Because? Because?
You're he's your congressman?
He's my congressman. How could you be more corrupt than to be the guy who writes the tax laws without paying your taxes, because you own a resort in the Dominican Republic to say nothing of the four rent-controlled apartments he has. I got an email during the campaign from Barack Obama saying, "Vote for Charlie Rangel for change." That was the moment I knew that things weren't going to be as wonderful as I had hoped. That was when I knew that this guy will play politics when he has to. But it's not so much that they decided to give Rangel a pass. But there- what they're saying is give everyone a pass. And don't cause any trouble.
So, last question: was this election on Tuesday, 100,000 votes separating the winner and the loser, was this in any way a repudiation of Barack Obama?
I'm sure for some voters it was. Look Martin Luther King gave his speech at the Washington Monument in 1963. Okay? He had a dream.We've made enormous progress on that dream. I don't think you could have told Martin Luther King that day that not only are you going to have a Black President in 47 years, but he's going to have the same- a name that sounds a lot like an Islamic terrorist who the country is at war with. It was unthinkable two or three years before it happened. And we have a lot more progress to make. But to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak, after one election, based on 100,000 votes with a terrible candidate, who never heard of Curt Shilling, is just silly. And believe me, if you have us back two years, a year from now, we're both free I think we'll be having an entirely different conversation. Because history is unpredictable. And things are going to happen that we can't know. And there's no clear trajectory from here to there. What is clear is that they need a new governing strategy.
Eric, Melissa, thank you both very much for being with me on the Journal.
Thank you.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas that have for far too long strangled our politics.
One of the most difficult and important issues facing the country and the President seems completely off the agenda right now. Its energy, and where we get it. As you know, nothing came of that big global summit on climate change in Copenhagen last month. It simply fizzled, and once again the President tried to put the best face on another disappointment. As my friend, the environmental activist and author Bill Mckibben wrote this week, "The world came together and looked climate change fairly straight in the eye, and then its most powerful nations blinked."
So what happens now? And what can you and I do about an energy crisis with issues so complex and confusing. Here's one thing to do read this book: "Who Turned Out the Lights?" your "Guided tour to the energy crisis" by Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson of the non-profit research group PublicAgenda.org.
The book cuts through the jargon, gets down to the basics and presents options from across the political spectrum. You can consider it a breath of fresh air free of carbon emissions, filled with good ideas and a sense of humor. Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, welcome to the Journal.
Welcome to both of you. So question which country is guiltiest when it comes to releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, United States or China?
It's a neck-and-neck race. You know, and I think it is helpful to think about the distinction there. You know, if you're talking about the accumulated greenhouse gases, which is what really leads to global warming, it's the United States and Europe. You know, we got a head start in all this industrialization. We've been using coal and natural gas for many years now. So, you know, we're the biggest contributors there. Per-person basis, you know, Americans really are using the energy. We're using-- 80 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuel. But in terms of the total emissions, because China is so huge, because they are building coal plants, because they are getting cars, because they are industrializing, they are now the biggest emitter of global warming emissions in the world. So, you know, depending on how you look at it, there's plenty of guilt there.
You say in here that there are six reasons we have to act soon. What are the six reasons?
Number one is that the United States needs more energy. The projections are that we're going to need about 25 percent more energy in the next couple of decades. If you look around, it's perfectly clear. We have more electronic gadgets than ever before. We're going to have more people in the United States. And all of us use energy every day.
Number two is the world needs more energy, and it needs it even more than we do. World energy demand is projected to go up 40 percent over the next 20 years, largely because of what's happening in places like China and India as they grow and develop and become middle-class consumer societies. This is going to cause more competition for energy across the board
There's just one image that I like- that I think helps visualize it. And it's that in China, until recently, not that many people had a private car. If the Chinese will begin to have own cars the way we do, it would put a billion cars on the planet. So if you're worried about global warming, you have to think about that. And even if you're not, you have to think about a billion Chinese drivers competing with Americans, competing with the Europeans, competing with the Indians for the oil that we can manage to get out of the ground and transmit it around the world. It is not going to be good for the price or the reliability of energy here.
Number three?
We are heavily dependent, about 80 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuels, oil, coal, and natural gas. For oil and natural gas in particular more and more people around the world want them. There's only so much of it. It's expensive to get, and it's not going to be here forever. And we need to get started on the alternatives.
Number four, climate change, which is the one most people hear about. The idea that, as most scientists accept, that the carbon dioxide we're putting out from use of fossil fuels is fundamentally changing the world's climate, and that is going to have an enormous impact on the world. And we're going to have to cope with it, and we're going to have to try and stabilize it.
Number five is that our system for getting energy is much more precarious than most people realize. You know, I think most people know about the dangers of importing oil. And if there's a revolution someplace or a terrorist attack on a pipeline, this sends prices skyrocketing. The part of it that a lot of people don't realize is how precarious our electricity grid is. It's aging and creaking and, you know, we're at risk with the natural gas transport lines. So we really need to invest so it's not as precarious as it really is now.
Finally, too much of our energy comes from countries that essentially don't like us or at least we have challenges with. If you look at world oil reserves, 60 percent of them are in the Middle East. Only two or three percent are in the United States. If we're going to keep using oil, we're going to have to keep getting it from the Middle East. And that's going to affect our politics and our national policies.
The other night I read a story about how we are running out of energy. We are, at some point, going to run out of fossil fuels. And then the next morning I pick up the Financial Times and there's a story about the discovery of a huge new field off the coast of Africa. And I say, "Wait a minute. I'm getting contradictory messages from the universe here."
JEAN JOHNSON: Well, we do discover more, and there's more out there to be discovered. I think the problem is scale. You know, for example, the United States runs through more than seven billion barrels of oil a year in a good year, in 2007. So there may be a lot of oil out there, but it's- given how quickly Americans go through it and given how quickly people around the world are beginning to go through it, we do need to have a more diverse supply.
Also, we found possibly most of the cheap oil. We're going to have to go to places like the Arctic. We're going to have to go to deep water wells under the ocean now to get the reserves that remain. The stuff that's easy to find we've found. The stuff we're finding is harder to get.
I'm reminded when I read the book of the energy crisis we experienced in '73 when OPEC raised the prices. Oil prices soared. 1978, during the Iranian Revolution prices jumped again. Prices jumped after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Or the long gas lines after Hurricane Katrina. And when I think about those experiences and see us repeating the same sense of denial or consternation or frustration or incapacity, inaction, you invoke Bill Murray in that movie "Groundhog Day".
Well, we're just like Bill Murray who was, in that movie, doomed to live the same day over and over again until he got it right.
We're living the same day over and over again on energy. We keep making the same mistakes. When prices go up, all of the sudden we panic. We're willing to change. We make these dramatic, you know, short-term changes. And then when prices go down again, we forget all about it. And one of the problems is that all the things you talked about were short-term events, you know, very specific driven events that raised prices. Now we're looking at some very serious long-term trends in both demand and in the environmental front. These are not going to go away. If thing- they are long-term changes in how the world can get energy and how it should get energy. We can't assume they're going to go away 'cause they're not.
This is also an issue where Americans are and I include myself in this before we started work on this we're pitifully informed. You know, about four out of ten Americans cannot even name a fossil fuel. So you really wonder how they're following this whole debate about fossil fuels and global warming. I actually think it would improve the debate if we sort of stopped pointing with alarm about all the things that could go wrong and really started getting people talking about how we're going to generate electricity. What are we going to do about our cars? What are we going to do about our houses? Look at our choices here. They all have pros and cons.
And I think that's one of the ways in which the debate that we're currently having is so unhelpful to most people in that everyone is talking about percentages and numbers. Should we cut greenhouse gases 20 percent or 17 percent? And it makes a huge difference between the two. Should it be based on 1990 or 2005? Should it be 350 parts per million of carbon? No, maybe it's 450 parts per million.
And I'm lost already.
And what it comes down to, though, are a few concrete choices, as Jean was saying. What kind of power plants do we want to build? And everything branches out from that. What do we put in our cars? Do we want to stay with a liquid fuel in our cars like gasoline or Biofuels or liquefied natural gas? In which case our-- the way we drive doesn't change that much. Or do we move to electricity? In which chase we need to build an infrastructure for that. We can do these things as soon as we make the choice for what we want to do. But, first, you have to lay options out for people and have- so they can understand the pros and cons.
You know, it's interesting. In this country we are so used to taking energy for granted. We flip on a switch and it's there. We have had the advantage in our economy of cheap energy for a long, long time. But things are changing. And the climate debate, you know, really absorbs a lot of the political attention. But we really want to shine a light on some of the other reasons that Americans need to pay attention to this.
You talk about viewing with alarm. When I got to the end of your book to a section you call "The Last Picture Show," I was smiling because it's been a long time since I remembered that old 1973 sci-fi movie "Soylent Green" starring Charlton Heston. And my favorite all-time great character actor Edward G. Robinson.
EDWARD ROBINSON as SOL ROTH:
Why. In my day. You could buy meat anywhere. Eggs. They had. Real butter. Fresh lettuce in the stores.
CHARLETON HESTON as ROBERT THORN:
I know. Sol. You told me before.
EDWARD ROBINSON as SOL ROTH:
How can anything survive in a climate like this? A heat wave all year long.
You used that to make a point.
The point is that there-- Hollywood has provided us with several visions of a horrible environmental future. "Soylent Green" is one of the most compelling. What would happen basically if we do nothing? Heston and Edward G. Robinson are living in a New York City that is broiling hot, that is crowded, that is poor, that people resort to eating soylent green, which I don't want to spoil the movie, but let's just say the rules on nutritional labels have been dramatically relaxed. And it raises the possibility that human decency itself doesn't survive this kind of catastrophic climate change.
The other the opposite is- we bring up the "Mad Max."
That's the trilogy with--
Mel Gibson.
--Mel Gibson.
Where human beings have just- in living in this degraded civilization because they're so desperate for oil. So, you know, how people- again, human decency is sort of at stake because there's this, you know, need for energy.
The thing about "Mad Max", the beauty of "Mad Max," is it poses that question that's- lots of people have in the back of their minds, which is, When we run out of energy, do we run out of civilization as well? And the answer is we don't have to run out of energy. There are lots of alternatives. They don't have to be the ones we use now. The ones we use now aren't going to go away soon. But they are finite. But we have lots of options here. What we have to do is be smart about it now, and the worst-case scenario never comes.
So is Ed Harris in "Apollo 13" a good model for us as we go forward?
I think he's an excellent model for us because he's focused on the practicalities.
TOM HANKS as JIM LOVELL:
Houston? We are venting something out into space. I can see it outside of window one right now.
It's a movie about problem solving. And there's this anthem that Ed Harris keeps repeating through the movie. "Let's work the problem, people."
ED HARRIS as GENE KRANZ:
Let's work the problem, people. Let's not make things worse by guessing.
I think the issue there is you had have a terrible emergency with these astronauts loose in space with no way to come home. And yet through enterprise, through ingenuity, through cooperation, putting the arguing aside for a bit, they tried and tried and tried and were able to come up with some solutions and bring the astronauts home.
There's another wonderful scene in that movie where they have to make basically put a square peg in a round hole to keep the oxygen going for the astronauts. And they dump a bunch of stuff on the table, said, "This is what's in the spaceship. You know, this is what we have to work with." And they start taking it apart and working with it. That's really more the kind of debate we need because, fundamentally, these are practical considerations. These are decisions about technology. They're decisions about economics. We're having a discussion about politics. And we're having a discussion about belief systems and that sort of thing. And eventually you have to cut through that and get to how do we actually do this? How do you build this new energy world with the materials we have at hand?
It's an issue that's going to challenge us to be practical, to weigh pros and cons, not to be gullible and, you know, pretend that some easy answer's going whether, you know, where it's the left or the right, the environmentalists or the "drill, baby, drill" group. You know, this- these perfect little answers, you need to be very dubious about those. But this is what makes it I think this is an issue where Americans' practicality, our sense of innovation, our sense of fairness, our sense of let's see what we can do right now, let's be pragmatic about this. If we can pull those to the fore, we can address this issue.
The book is "Who Turned Out the Lights?: Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis." And the guides are Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson. Thank you both for being with me on the Journal.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Even some of the most hardened reporters I know, old hands at covering famine, disaster, and war, are shaken by the carnage in Haiti. Over my own long life in journalism I've had my share of the sounds and smells that linger in your head long after you have left the scene. But I've found it especially hard this past week to absorb the pictures coming from Haiti.
Perhaps it's that as we get older, we become more melancholy watching history repeat itself, seeing people suffer all over again, when you've already seen them suffer so much. As if you know now some things will never change.
You have to ask, why does this country suffer so? The reverend Pat Robertson gave us his answer, recycling his theology of a vindictive god.
Something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people may not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the Third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, "We will serve you if you get us free with the French." True story. And so the Devil said, "Okay, it's a deal."
This is the same Pat Robertson, of course, who agreed with his soul mate, the late Jerry Falwell, that God had allowed the terrorist attacks on 9/11 because America needed a come-uppance for tolerating gays, women's rights and the separation of church and state.
But this time Robertson's callous idiocy toward the suffering in Haiti created such a backlash that his press agent came out to explain that the good Reverend does indeed have compassion for Haitians and is actually sending relief and recovery teams to help them.
Another controversy was triggered when the conservative David Brooks offered a less superstitious explanation for Haiti's suffering than Pat Robertson's. Brooks opined that it's because Haiti is "progress-resistant" a society held back by voodoo religion, high levels of social mistrust, poor child-rearing traditions, and a lack of any internalized sense of responsibility. Critics fired back that brooks should read a little history.
The journalist Mark Danner has done just that. He's also lived some of Haiti's history, almost losing his life a few years ago while covering unrest there. Writing in the New York Times this week, Danner said "There is nothing mystical in Haiti's suffering, no inescapable curse that haunts the land." It was brought on, he said, by human beings, not demons.
Start with the French. They ran Haiti as a slave colony, driving hundreds of thousands of slaves to early deaths in order to supply white Europeans with coffee, sugar and tobacco. In 1804, the slaves rebelled and after savage fighting defeated three foreign armies to win their independence. They looked to America for support, but America's slave-holding states feared a slave revolt of their own, and America's slave-holding president, Thomas Jefferson, the author of our Declaration of Independence, refused to recognize the new government.
Their former white masters made matters worse by demanding reparations, and by exploiting and exhausting the country's natural resources. Fighting over what little was left, Haitians turned on each other.
Coup followed coup, faction fought faction, and in 1915, our American president Woodrow Wilson sent in the Marines. By the time they left almost 20 years later, American companies had secured favored status in Haiti. In 1957, the country was taken over by the brutal and despotic rule of Papa Doc Duvalier, whose son, Baby Doc, proved just as cruel as his old man. Don't let the familial nicknames fool you. The Duvaliers were murderous thugs and thieves who enjoyed the complicity of American interests until the dynasty played out in 1986.
Five years later in 1991, when the popular former priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide won the presidency as a champion of the poor, he spooked Washington. Said one U.S. senator, Aristide "wasn't going to be beholden to the United States, and so he was going to be trouble. We had interests and ties with some of the very strong financial interests in the country and he was threatening them."
The Bush/Cheney administration, in cahoots with Haiti's privileged, helped destabilize his government.
Every president from Ronald Reagan forward has embraced the corporate search for cheap labor. That has meant rewards for Haiti's upper class while ordinary people were pushed further and further into squalor. Haitian contractors producing Mickey Mouse and Pocahontas pajamas for American companies under license with the Walt Disney Company paid their sweat shop workers as little as one dollar a day, while women sewing dresses for K-Mart earned eleven cents an hour. A report by the National Labor Committee found Haitian women who had worked 50 days straight, up to 70 hours a week, without a day off. If that doesn't impact the tradition of child rearing and lead to social distrust, I don't know what will.
So, once again, beware the terrible simplifiers and remember that through all its suffering Haiti is a country born of revolution, like our own, whose people sing of their forefathers breaking their shackles, proclaiming their right to equality, and shouting "Progress or Death." Yes, there's still more death than progress. It's the bitter fruit of exploitation centuries old. But even if the Devil were at work, there are Haitians determined that he will not have the last word. The last word is the poet's calling. Listen to what was written by Danielle Legros Georges, born in Haiti and now teaching at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She sent us a poem and we asked our colleague Kamaly Pierre, who also has family and roots in Haiti, to read it. Its title: "Poem for the Poorest Country In the Western Hemisphere."
Oh poorest country, this is not your name.
You should be called beacon, and flame,
almond and bougainvillea, garden
and green mountain, villa and hut,
little girl with red ribbons in her hair,
books-under-arm, charmed by the light
of morning,
charcoal seller in black skirt, encircled by dead trees.
You, country, are the businessman
and the eager young man, the grandfather
at the gate, at the crossroads
with the flashlight, with the light,
with the light.
That's all for now. I'm Bill Moyers.
© 2008 Public Affairs Television. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Print Edition - 2017-11-22 | News
Maoist chair seeks trustworthy member in his secretariat
-, Kathmandu
Since the whole party organisation is engaged in election campaign, the Maoist Centre is yet to start discussions on candidates to fill the vacancy
Nov 22, 2017-In the untimely death of his son Prakash on Sunday, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has lost the most trustworthy member of his secretariat.
Dahal will now need a candidate suited to lead the secretariat, where Jokh Bahadur Mahara is the de-facto coordinator. Since the whole party organisation is engaged in election campaign, the Maoist Centre is yet to start discussions on candidates to fill the vacancy. Chairman Dahal is said to be talking about filling the void."The chairman asked me whether I could join his team but I have yet to take any decision," said Shamir Dahal, who led the former PM's secretariat for long. Shamir is the son of Chairman Dahal's brother Narayan Dahal. Shamir expressed his concern that he may not be able to accomplish all the tasks Prakash did at the secretariat.
Prakash was not only the son of the Maoist chairman but a manager of all his activities. "He was actually the focal person of the secretariat as he had to deal with all the issues related to the party and the chairman," said Chudamani Khadka, former personal secretary to Dahal.
When Dahal became the prime minister in 2008, Prakash was his driver. He soon started managing the secretariat along with Mahara. His team included Manahari Timilsina as the press coordinator and Santu Darai. Prakash handled all the appointments for his father.
Since Sunday, Shamir has been helping out in the tasks at the secretariat besides looking after issues related to the Maoist chair's campaigns in Chitwan.
Published: 22-11-2017 07:40
Next Story
User's Feedback
Comment via Facebook
Don't have facebook account? Use this form to comment


text:
Selection of Headshot Photographers
Tips for Finding the Best Headshot Photographer
Photography Biz
What to Consider When Looking for A Headshot Photographer?
In case you are an actor, model or a professional, it is essential that you have the appropriate photographs to avail yourself to prospective clients. Finding the right head-shot professional can make a significant difference between losing a job to someone else and landing the job. That is the reason why you need to ensure that you get yourself an experienced head-shot photographer for your pictures. However, it is not a simple task finding the right photographer because there are many of them in the market. There are some guidelines that can assist you to find an outstanding photographer. See the best information about photographers
One of the tips that you have to consider is getting a professional photographer who has the balance of people and technical skills. You have to note that photography is not all about science but art. A photographer must, therefore, have the necessary technical skills so that they take good shots. The photographer must also have the skills to make you feel comfortable and capture your best features. The photographer should make it easy interacting with him or her, and you also need to confirm their work samples so that you make sure that they have the skills you want. Do you want know about photographers
click here for more
You need to choose a photographer whose style you admire and this you can confirm when you go through some of their previous work. A majority of head-shot photographers have established themselves online, and that is also another way of finding the best person to work with. Those shots that they have posted on their websites are likely to be their best, and you need to see if they will please you before you contract them. In case you admire the works of the photographer and think that they stand out, then it is a good sign that they capture those head-shots that you are looking for.
You should not make the mistake of hiring a photographer based on the price that they are providing for their services. That means that you should not hire a cheap head-shot photographer because you might later regret that decision. Moreover, unexceptional head-shots could damage your career. There are some photographers in the market who are doing the photography job as a hobby. You need to hire a photographer who has taken that job as a full-time job. Ask the head-shot photographer for how long they have been in the industry because the experience is important when looking for one. Seek more info about photographers


text:
The Holbrook Club, based in Horsham provides a fantastically unique venue for children's parties. The club offers you a private function room to dress with banners and balloons and a party food table. The large sports hall in the club can be used for games and activities, or even a bouncy castle. There is a park on site and a large secure playing field for games or sports. For party enquiries call 01403 751150
The Holbrook Club - Childrens Parties,


text:
Performers of Pacheco School
Welcome and thank you for taking an interest in POPS (Performers Of Pacheco/Prairie School). We are entering our 9th year of POPS productions in our district and we wish to continue our successful run of musicals and plays.
POPS Mission:
To nurture the creative artist within each of our students. We pledge to instill a commitment to and recognition of the performing arts as an integral part of a well-rounded education. We celebrate the value, beauty and necessity of the performing arts in our world.
POPS Goal:
To develop and deliver the highest standard of performing arts education, which will provide our students with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in future endeavors.
Underlying this performing arts instruction is a commitment to instill life-skills: confidence, creativity, communication skills, collaboration skills, citizenship and character.
In the course of serving our students, POPS realizes a second goal of providing high quality entertainment. Thousands of people have enjoyed performances by POPS since its inception.
In order to accomplish this goal, POPS:
- Provides intense, quality learning and performing opportunities in the production and performing arts.
- Provides an atmosphere where young people are encouraged to set goals, take risks and view mistakes as an avenue for learning.
- Surrounds students with a staff of professional coaches who serve as mentors and teachers, encouraging our students to commit to a high level of self-expectation.
- Creates an awareness that the arts are a constructive vehicle of personal expression.
- Demonstrates to the public the high level of performing and production arts skills that the students are capable of achieving when given proper training.


text:
Saturday, 18 Oct 2014 7:45 AM
I love to do autumn walks in the woods; colorful trees and rustle of the leaves under your shoes. It is not only a pleasure, but also healthy… and a lot of fun for kids. The little treasure hunters can look for & collect jewels of the autumn.
We will join the weekly walk organized by Bezoekerscentrum De Kennemerduinen in beautiful National Park Zuid Kennemerland. The walk will be lead by a professional guide and will leave exactly at 10:00, therefore don't be late.
Tired after the walk we will enjoy a chat over hot tea and a piece of cake at Duincafé de Kennemerduinen.
This event is free, you only pay your own consumption.
Please note that due to uncertain autumn weather, we may change or cancel the event at the very last moment.


text:
Black And White
There's nothing wrong with keeping it simple and besides white and black is always going to be a little rock 'n' roll!
In These Outfits 1-4 (L-R):
1. Skull Scarf- Alexander McQueen, Biker Jacket-Mango, Skirt-Monki, Trainers-Converse, Watch-Swatch
2. Dress- Ann Demeulemesster, Patent Bag- Fendi, Watch- American Apparel, Boots-Modaoperandi
3. Blazer-SheInside, Jeans-H&M, Print Top-Pamela Scott, Boots- Doc Marten, Clutch- Monki
4. Bowler Hat-E4Hats, Blazer-Topshop, Skater Skirt-River Island, Pumps-Jimmy Choo, Bag-Hermes, Sunglasses-Karen Walker
Prints Galore
This season's collections have once again seen the 2012 Spring/Summer runways taken over with print and have reminded us that life is far from being simply black and white. From Prada's fun comic-inspired car printed shirt dress and Helmut Lang's ultra cool digitally printed tops, to their as ever expected high street copies, we are awash with choice.
But how to work the print?
Anyone for tea?
Prim and proper, the classic tea dress gets a modern twist here with a bold print. This would be perfect for a wedding or any special occasion. Keeping it all about the dress only accessorised with simple matching shoes and clutch bag. A flattering cut for those of you with curves, with a higher waist line and a slightly longer length, this is a ladies dress! Dress it up with heels for the evening, or paired with ballerina flats and a cardigan for a daytime stroll in the sunshine.
L-R: Joules-Calantha dress, Diane Von Furstenburg- clutch, Yves Saint Laurent-suede pumps
Easy like Sunday Morning
The printed trouser is pretty rock and roll. Variations were seen all over London Fashion week, sported by the cool trendsetters of the capital. But don't over complicated it, it's best keeping the rest of the outfit simple, seen here with a slouchy tee and black flats, its an easy to wear outfit that you know is going to look good every time. Pair up with some shades for added laid back cool.
L-R: Day Marlene Birger-cotton t-shirt, DKNY-printed silk tousers, Celine-boston bag, COS-round toe flats.
OverLoad !
To work the printed suit, you have to have the confidence to pull it off! It screams look at me! But if you are going to do it, go all the way- loud and proud and enjoy it, fashion should be fun after all. It is a lot of busy fabric that needs to be balanced and carried well, so to do it right, keep hair slick and think of maintaining a natural make up palette. It is also a trend that will be carried forward into Autumn Winter 2012, as seen in collections such as Camilla and Marc, so you will have plenty of chances to don THE suit.
L-R Topshop-tropical leaf bomber jacket and cigarette trouse, Asos-goggley eye clutch, Mark Fast-aldo rise pumps.


text:
More than 600 students have objected to plans for new student acccomodation in Lancaster.
Proposals by Lancaster developer CityBlock to convert the former Gillow building in North Road into a major student development have been recommended for approval by the city council.
But Lancaster University Students' Union (LUSU) said that although it "did not want to stand in the way of the development", it was concerned that noise assessments had not been thorough enough.
LUSU owns the Sugarhouse nightclub, situated behind the Gillow building, which is itself a former nightclub.
The concerns focus on the effect of noise from the venue on future tenants, which in turn could jeopardise the future of the Sugarhouse.
Sophie Tarif, LUSU vice-president, said: "We're committed to the prosperity of Lancaster city centre and eager to see the Gillow building put to good use – but we want to be sure that student flats built there are properly soundproofed for the sake of tenants and the Sugarhouse.
"Gillow's seems perfect for student accommodation, but what we've learned about building acoustics means we're not convinced current plans go far enough to protect tenants and allow peaceful co-existence with The Sugarhouse."
Trevor Bargh, owner of City Block, said: "The planning process regarding the re-development of Gillow's, a largely redundant and significant listed building, has been extremely thorough and on-going for over 18 months...and we are pleased that our application is now recommended for approval.
"It is unfortunate and disappointing that LUSU have not accepted the significant assessments and conclusions of the many independent experts, including those appointed by Lancaster City Council, that have reviewed and commented on our acoustic solutions.
"To say that the noise assessments have 'not been thorough enough' is simply untrue." The plans, which include a range of "cluster flats", 32 residential studios, a gym and extensions to the rear of the building, are due to go before the planning committee on Monday, December 12.


text:
Many use the services of this organization. From the TV screen and the news feed we get to learn that there improve. But often the reality is not like promised. This organization has a head, hands and feet – as a man who does his job with full awareness of the case. But the logic there is trouble! The brain comes up with something, and body works, but somehow unconsciously.
Take social networks: Facebook and contact. Groups are there and they function, but the responses to complaints are half-hearted or in a series of "Not caught – not a thief" or "I am the king, what I want, please." Recently had a chance to appeal on the website of Sberbank. The complaint was considered and given a response. What type thanks for the letter… very important to us… we have your complaint sent to the office and they will review the situation…find out the result in the branch office. Just fine! I asked a question and I was promised an official response, which assumes the form with the name of the artist, signed and stamped, and the result was a standard otpion!
Two years ago my girlfriend opened an account in Sberbank. So instead of her usual books were given the contract. Say, now, the only way issued. After some time after these events she opened the contribution in the same branch of Sberbank. After interviews and paperwork gave me a contract. But I somehow familiar to passbook. Asked why I didn't give her up. The answer was the same as my friend, namely: "Now the new form – contracts". This information seemed plausible, and I decided to find out.
First came the VC. After a clearly specified question was abstract answer. Say, is there life on Mars – the science is not yet known! Then "went" on Facebook. There during the day and not wait for a response. Call the Federal number. Here is the movie started! I was responsible for 6 operators! One complements the other! The conversation sounded something like this:
– Tell, whether there corresponds to reality information on the replacement passbook dogovorom on the design of the contribution?
– Wait, I will clarify.
Waiting, sir.
– Thank you for waiting. Yes the information is correct.
– Replacement of checkbooks for a contract convenient not for everyone. What about grandparents who don't know how to use a computer and gadgets?
– Wait, I will clarify.
Yeah. picking up a different person.
– Thank you for waiting. At the moment only provides a form of service.
– And on the basis of the document cancelled form – passbook?
– Wait, I will clarify.
Yeah. Meets a different voice.
– Thank you for waiting. This form is cancelled on the basis of internal instructions.
– Internal manual is a document binding on the employee and he may not cancel an official form of the document.
– Wait, I will clarify.
Wait-with Answers again another employee. Sounded more experienced than the previous counterparts.
– Thank you for waiting. The fact that now temporarily suspended the issuing of savings books vsyazi with what approved their new form, and printing does not have time to print new forms. But they will be!
– When?
– In the near future.
"Next time" is your time frame?
– I'll call your Department and will specify the date they received the forms and will call you back.
Naturally, I called back and was invited to receive the document. I imagine on the place of retirees. Yes, not enough of them on my part. They don't know about social networks and the Federal room. Their stupid football. Holy shit, but not so with older people! Where is the disrespect? Why employees do not have full information? Or don't want to know? Or pretend to be a hose?
When speaking with any potential client, is it not possible to warn that he will be issued a contract rather than the usual "book"? Why the person put already a fait accompli? After all, if a customer is not satisfied with the form of contract and he will be asked to return all back, he would answer that the documents and money designed and too late. The client cannot misinform. Well, drew up a contract, and then ask when will be the forms and the customer will come and replace it, if necessary.
In short, not all is quiet in the Danish Kingdom.


text:
Noah Enterprises, Inc. is seeking bid participation from all certified DBE, MBE, WBE, SBE & SWaM subcontractors and suppliers. Please fill out the Subcontractor Prequalification Form below and fax/email your company information to 757-962-6911 or email@example.com.
Noah Enterprises, Inc. is an EOE Employer maintaining a drug-free workplace. Call 757-437-2300 to speak with one of our estimators today.


text:
Car Wallpapers
Volkswagen Golf R Car Wallpapers reflect your style in rich fashion
Volkswagen Golf R Car Wallpapers : You can leave a strong impression of class, finesse and elegance with the Volkswagen Golf R Cars HD Wallpapers. This uniquely designed work is perfect for your computers, desktops, laptops, iphones, etc. The background of your system can ignite powerful emotions when you make this wallpaper part of your world. It is perfect for those who want to stay trendy as it reflects the iconic image of one of the world's finest automobiles.
There are certain values that make you unique and it takes the right wallpaper to communicate your essence and style. This is why you must step up the plate and explore the beauty of this amazing design. It is a dynamic tool that can be used to light up your home or office computer systems.
As a person of style, you must be able to stir up the right emotions and keep the rich conversations in your world at an all-time high. There is nothing that makes it happen like a quintessential display of poise through these enchanting wallpapers.
Just think about this for a moment – How would you love to express a rich legacy about your style without spending a fortune? The alluring appeal of this wallpaper can make it happen for you without sweat. Time and again, you must decide about connecting with the things that truly matter. This Volkwagen Golf R HD wallpaper is pure gold in every sense of the word!
When you want to step things up into a brand new league, you can use the Volkswagen Golf R Cars HD Wallpapers to make a custom statement. You can put a spin in the way your computers, laptops, desktops and other devices look by making the smart move of using this wallpaper today. It is time to reflect your style in a very rich fashion…the enthralling design of this wallpaper can make it happen for you.
Download and Share Volkswagen Golf R Cars HD Wallpapers and Desktop Backgrounds.


text:
This year we are hosting our 2nd Annual
Snowmachine Rally. Its 200 Miles, and promises to be
another great turnout with last years winners Tyson
and Tyler who have registered again. Come on out and
show us what you've got!
2015 Skwentna Roadhouse Fly inSTOL COMP.
Stock Bush Winner Dennis Serie N1127A 1st Place
Heavy Touring Winner Joe Pendergrass N3311DFLOUR
BOMBING CHAMPIONClinton Cotrell N9710PSPOT
LANDINGDennis Serie N1127A
click to view more images!
Congratulations to Eric Quam &
Scotty Faeo - 2015 Iron Dog ChampionsAlso A big
Shout out to Scott Davis a true legend & Aaron
Bartel 2 Place
Mark McKenna & Allen Hill a respectable 3rd
We weren't out on the trail but for all we heard and
saw - if you finished you won! Way to go to all
you Iron Men and Lady's.. Here's a big Thank you to
all the racers for all their Support
Skwentna Roadhouse100 Happiness LaneSkwentna, Alaska 99667
United StatesMain: 907.203.0531Cell: 907.841.5958
Skwentna Roadhouse. All rights reserved. Site proudly designed and hosted by
Big Sky Internet Design Inc.


text:
I have always been very vocal about my stance on fairy tales. I am a firm believer because I am living proof that a dream is a wish your heart makes, and that when you truly believe, those wishes and dreams can come true. How long did I wait in my ivory tower, trapped by my evil stepmother? When I escaped, I fell into a Wonderland of new freedoms, which led me down some very dark paths. I waited for a knight in shining armor to come to my rescue, and that he did, only to fly away like the Wizard in his balloon, leaving without poor Dorothy. Then my prince charming came back, slayed the dragon that held me captive, and we strolled off into the sunset together, happily ever after.
Happily ever after. That's how they end, and for good reason. We leave the rest of their lives out, the pleasant bliss that comes from the culmination of so many sleepless nights, bitter tears and unsent letters. Their love has endured this long, and they deserve to live the rest of their days together in a peace that can only come from a soul that has rested upon the shoulder of its mate. It is the reward that Karma gives to those who have endured the prison sentence of living a life halved.
The women in my family bear crosses and carry torches. It is no wonder that I have grown to idolize the idea of living a fairy tale. For twenty years, I have watched a love affair bloom in the shadows. It has been a secret story told to me, shown in snapshots throughout my life: knowing smiles, the way her face lit up as his name floated by in conversation, and the wistful way in which he looked back at her every time he rode off into the sunset without her.
She never waved, because she always knew. He always told her and she always believed him. He would always come back for her. All he needed was a word, any word, it didn't matter. Whatever utterance fell from her lips he would scoop into his hands like precious gems and mold them into whatever he needed to hear. They lived through the present by feeding their future. They were waiting for each other in Someday, and Someday hadn't come yet.
But he said it would, and she believed him. Because he was the only person who was honest enough to tell her he didn't love her enough yet to love her enough. Just as those words, those pitiful "I can'ts" echoed through history, whispered into our ears by the men we loved most, in both moments in time, she and I, we declared all or nothing on this War of Love. I dug in my heels and though I flailed through the next five years, my heart stayed firmly tied to the roots to which I had left it, growing like a lecherous weed near a parking lot that was very familiar with a little maroon truck. When I'd had enough of the flailing, I came home and I dug up my roots. I got messy and the hole I dug around myself was pretty big, and some wondered if I would be able to get out of it. But I went back for love and I found it. It was fragile, but why wouldn't it be after five years of being abandoned in the elements? After three more, though, it has thrived into what has been a pretty damn successful happy ending so far.
Her roots, they sprawled. She planted herself firmly, soaking in the sunshine and sometimes choking in the rain. She bloomed and she wilted with the seasons, and as he drifted in and out of her life. She knew her wait would be a long one, and hid quite well, the fact that it was this patience that counted more than any other patience. That's why she didn't have any other patience to spare.
Every year, it came in the form of a phone call. The check in, the synchronization of timelines. The question, the word. Yet?
It never was. Not yet. But Someday.
I feel many things at the loss of a recent friend, but I feel, more than anything, a feeling of devastation, like a child that has discovered the dirty secret behind Santa Claus. I feel the wrenching horror of Scarlett O'Hara's broken heart, watching Rhett walk away from her forever. There is no other word but sad. I am so sad that I am watching this love story end in a pile of loose, empty pages. A book savagely torn apart by whatever unnamed entity that has caused this twist of Fate.
I look at her now, and I wonder, "how will she end?" I thought I knew, and so did she. We looked forward to her happy ending like children waiting for the ice cream man. I had seen my own story play out exactly as dreamed, and why should she, who taught me to dream, not be afforded the same blessing? When I saw her face that afternoon, when his name crawled from her lips, like they couldn't bear to be heard lest they come true, I didn't recognize her. I didn't see her; I heard her. Instead, I saw him. I saw the way his eyes crinkled when he stared at her, smiling. I saw the way she pressed her cheek against his chest when he held her, a little too long for anyone else's comfort, not that they gave a damn. I saw myself in my own five years without my love, and I felt in that moment, all the sadness of those five years. In her face, I saw those five years, multiplied for as long as Forever keeps her from him now.
Nearly twenty years, she waited. Patience wasn't a problem. Someday hadn't come yet, so it was still coming.
But how do you wait, when your Someday dies?
I haven't written in a few weeks. I've been holding tightly onto whatever I have of Today, and living as much as I can of each Tomorrow that I'm given, and giving my Yesterdays a lot of consideration. Life is short, but love is forever. The difference in how long each truly lasts is a matter of perspective. When you're without one or the other, it seems a terrible injustice.


text:
As another "FIRST CLASS" service, I offer my clients the opportunity to buy and sell real estate related items to a captive audience, at no charge. Please contact me to add any items you want to buy. Please understand that any item offered for sale on this site is not endorsed, warranted or verified in any way by The First Class Agent. It is merely a service provided for your convenience.
Sewing machine donations needed for the Woodland School Quilt Club, please contact Don Gendron at 345-9566. Thank you.


text:
Titles and Roles
- Adult Nurse Practitioner
- Emory University Hospital Midtown
Ms. Steely is a Board Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner. She is an member of the medical oncology team at Winship at Emory University Hospital Midtown.
Ms. Steely has a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.


text:
Pep-Up-Mint 4ml Refresher Spray
Aromatherapy Infusion: Peppermint
Base Oil: Golden Organic Jojoba
Note: Mixing oils with a non-matching set is not recommended as it interrupts the aroma infusions and could damage the quality of your T Spheres.
Peppermint's Beneficial Qualities: Natural decongestant, improves concentration, pain reliever.
Jojoba's Beneficial Qualities: Ideal for healthily hydrating skin and hair as it mimics the natural oils our bodies produce. Can be used on the entire body to hydrate and is non-comedogenic so it won't clog pores.
All T Spheres oils are hand blended in New York and are Special Order - shipped separately from our T Spheres retail sets. All orders shipped USPS or UPS ground.
For more information on the different uses, how to care for, and the benefits of massage with your T Spheres use the link below:


text:
Baby, it's cold outside and Greenville, Pennsylvania is about to really experience the brunt of the season's best weather (lol), and it's just begun. Your Jeep needs love and attention before the brutal winter season takes charge. Fuel up, clean up, and the use my easy to do winter Jeep care tips to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape for every season.
Your Jeep has to get you from place to place, you do not want things to go wrong and you definitely depend on your brakes. The things that can go most wrong will fail you when you don't have time, so let's do what we can towards preventative maintenance.
So what are the easy to do winter Jeep care tips to help you move steadily along this season? Let us find out.
Easy To Do Winter Jeep Care Tips
Today's post is sponsored by Jeep Dodge Chrysler Dealership.
In many cases, a vehicle is more than a mode of transportation, it's an investment. That's why it's so important to take proper care of it. Consider the following easy-to-do car care tips, which help to ensure top vehicle performance. It goes without saying there is nothing like heading on over to your local Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler dealership if you are in Greenville, Pennsylvania that is easy to do! The experts there can give your car a once-over saving you time.
If you are more of a hands-on kind of person, here are my tips for Easy To Do Winter Jeep Care Tips.
Run the Air Conditioner Year-Round
If you live in a cold weather climate, you're probably wondering why it's advisable to periodically run your air conditioner in the winter. There are actually two reasons for this. It keeps the compressor from seizing up and the seals soft by circulating the refrigerant.
Replace Brake Fluid
Replacing the brake fluid in your car is both easy and affordable. It's recommended that you change it at least once a year. Failure to do so means running the risk of corroded car parts and eventual vehicle failure. Why? Brake fluid actually collects moisture. The excess moisture is what causes corrosion.
Clean the Battery Posts
Reduce the possibility of a car that won't start simply by cleaning the battery posts, once in a while. It's probably not as difficult as you imagine.
Remove the cables from the battery. ALWAYS remove the negative cables first. A solution of baking soda and water, along with a wire brush, typically removes any visible corrosion with minimal effort. Next, rinse posts with water and dry with a clean cloth. When the task is complete re-attach the cables…. positive, first.
Keep Extra Fuses on Hand
There's almost nothing as frustrating as driving down the road, in the middle of the night, only to have one of your headlights go out. Extra fuses to the rescue! The majority of fuse boxes come complete with a diagram. So, it's just a matter of locating the box (under the dashboard), looking at the diagram and replacing the burned-out fuse.
These are just four (of many) easy car care tips you can probably accomplish yourself. Not only will you save money, you'll play a big role in keeping your vehicle in great shape. And, there's certainly nothing wrong with that!


text:
A Nigerian man, Mayowa Ogunbayo has been found dead in a London flat after being stabbed in the chest.
The 29 year old entertainer and friend of footballer, Mario Balotelli was discovered by paramedics inside his flat in Park Royal, West London and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Sun Uk, a post-mortem exam found that he died from a stab wound to the heart.
It was gathered that a 21-year-woman, who was at the scene when officers arrived, has been arrested on suspicion of murder
She was taken to a north London police station.
Mayowa is said to have lived a luxury lifestyle after setting up his own entertainment.
A Nigerian killed in UK Reviewed by Nene Sochi-Okereke on Friday, 27 October 2017 Rating: