text:
How Many Pieces Are In The Human Jigsaw Puzzle?
Front and Center:
How Many Pieces Are In The Human Jigsaw Puzzle?
November 5, 2008 | 8:12 AM | link | Comments (0) | genre: Front and Center & Snapshot Thoughts
Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This? genre: Polispeak
For some time, I've been seeking the words to demonstrate the magnitude of the current push to redefine "entitlements" downward into the future. This afternoon, as I once again listened to the din of despair offered by those who have access to the proverbial pot of gold, it became obvious.
It's all about messaging...and the message being delivered by our elected (entitled would be more accurate) elites is this:
"The American Dream is no more...and we who have managed America's blood and treasure, and filled our coffers with its riches, no longer believe it can be made available to everyone...nor should it be. You everymen who have done everything that was asked of you - worked hard, raised families, contributed to your communities, fought our wars, paid your taxes, your unemployment insurance, your Social Security and Medicare withholdings, must accept that the American Dream is out of reach for you...even though you paid for it your entire life. Yes, you did so because your government espoused the promise of doing so...but your government has chosen to set a new course.
Unfortunately, we who have lived the dream, now choose to tell you it won't be what was promised...and you can't hold us accountable for breaking that promise. Now that we, and our benefactors, have squeezed all that could be extracted from the pot of gold, we must inform you that the pot is empty, and we won't be refilling it with the excesses we now hold.
It is time for you to accept that the expansive dream is now little more than a shrinking flower...and it is you who must sacrifice, you who must accept that your golden years will be a cliffhanger of calculations. As each year passes, and the holes in your safety net multiply and expand, you will sit at your table and wonder if the costs of survival will eclipse your means to do so. This shall be your sacrifice.
Let us be clear, this is not a moment for shared, temporary sacrifice. This is not akin to the many times in our storied history when momentary need was met by monumental sacrifice. We're not asking you to leave your homes and build bombs to defeat a defined enemy...we have either contracted that job to our corporate overlords or found fledgling fools on foreign soils to toil for less. We will, however, require you to buy our parlayed products at prices you can't afford...because you now realize that our long engagement to enterprise is a binding union of a different stripe.
You wont hear any of us promising to reverse these sacrifices if and when prosperity returns. You see, you wont be a part of prosperity...that window has been sealed off. Were the American Dream a board game, we have chosen to end that game midstream. You will take what you have...or haven't...at this moment in time...and so will we...and a new game with a new set of rules will begin. What you have contributed is irrelevant...there isn't enough left to go around. Your portion must come from a smaller pie. The fact that we baked it is also irrelevant. The fact that we have our own pies is none of your business.
Those of you who insist on noting the historical ebb and flow of prosperity...and positing that lean times will surely give way to bounty...must conquer your optimism. It is no longer an innate American trait. We will define your values and your value. Your task is to resolve yourself to the new order...and be thankful that the new less is not more less.
Don't recount America's interminable will to succeed to your children. Such folly will make future sacrifice less palatable...and we all agree that anarchy is anathema to our adjusted and austere aspirations. America must continue...albeit as a shell of its former self. So long as you do as instructed, it will.
It's a new day; it's a new dawn...awaken to the new America. The nightmare will soon be over, my fellow Americans. We assure you the American Dream will live on. Tomorrow, if you look in the windows, you too will see it."
I can't wait...can you?
Tagged as: American Dream, Economic Inequality, Elitism, Greed, Medicaid, Medicare, Politics, Social Security
Daniel DiRito | July 8, 2011 | 7:50 PM
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Susan Boyle: A Divine Dream In The Midst Of Misery genre: Audio-Philes & Video-Philes
Every now and again, inspiration pushes its way through the mundane and the miserable and into our everyday consciousness. The most recent instance of this all too rare occurrence comes in the unlikely embodiment of a 47 year Scottish charity worker and self-reported virgin...Susan Boyle.
On the latest episode of Britain's Got Talent, Boyle made her way to the stage, endured the cynicism of the audience and the judges, and then proceeded to bring the house to its feet with her spectacular rendition of the acclaimed Les Miserables tune, I Dreamed A Dream.
You can see Boyle's performance in the following YouTube video. As of this moment, the video has been viewed over eight million times...jumping by well over two million views just today. Her story was featured on tonight's national news and you can expect to see her in numerous other interviews and appearances.
I suspect Susan Boyle symbolizes the ray of hope many are seeking in these times of economic uncertainty. Her story also begins the difficult task of restoring our faith that living a decent life will not go unnoticed. While Wall Street weasels wag the dog, the Susan Boyle's of the world serve to remind us that fame need not be flashy...in fact it is far more real when it is authentic. Susan Boyle, thank you for helping us put our feet back where they belong...firmly planted in the solid soil of sincerity.
Having watched this video numerous times, it sent my synapses into overdrive...connecting this event with other inspirational moments long seared in my memory banks. What they all have in common is the simplicity that comes with knowing something is right...even when the darkness seems destined to distort our ability to distinguish it from the demons that surround us.
With that in mind, I've included two videos from a little known 1991 movie, Hear My Song, featuring Ned Beatty as the renowned true life tenor Josef Locke. In the movie, a nightclub owner believes he can save his struggling business by booking Locke, an iconic figure in self-exile from the UK due to pending tax troubles. Locke, in a daring and risky return to the UK, makes his triumphant appearance before an adoring crowd eager for inspiration. Hear My Song is a story of triump reminiscent of Susan Boyle's roof-raising moment. Both are a reminder of the power of the human spirit so often found in song.
Torna a Surriento - Ned Beatty as Josef Locke in Hear My Song
Goodbye - Ned Beatty as Josef Locke in Hear My Song
The final video is from Alejandro Amenabar's 2004 movie, The Sea Inside, chronicling the true story of Ramon Sampedro's efforts to end his life many years after an accident has left him a quadriplegic. In this video, Sampedro (played brilliantly by Javier Bardem) employs the only tactic that has enabled him to endure his dilemma...he imagines himself flying out his bedroom window...across the beautiful terrain on his way to the sea...the singular source of tranquility in his troubling existence. He does so while listening to one of the quintessential tenor arias in opera, Nessun Dorma from Puccini's Turandot.
Nessun Dorma - Javier Bardem as Ramon Sampedro in The Sea Inside
Each of these stories have at their core the unyielding nature of the human spirit...a belief that beauty and bounty can be found in all that encompasses our often exasperating and existential existence. All remind us that this life is precarious at best...but also that a life well-lived and a life well-ended may be the essential elements over which we're able to exert any meaningful influence. When we do either well, all of humanity is enhanced. Susan Boyle may be our most recent protagonist to prove as much.
Tagged as: Alejandro Amenabar, Britain's Got Talent, Hear My Song, I Dreamed A Dream, Josef Locke, Les Miserables, Ned Beatty, Nessun Dorma, Puccini, Simon Cowell, Susan Boyle, The Sea Inside, Torna a Surriento, Turandot
Daniel DiRito | April 15, 2009 | 6:05 PM
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The Absence Of Angels In America: An Argument For Anarchy? genre: Econ-Recon & Nouveau Thoughts & Polispeak & Six Degrees of Speculation
Philosophers have long debated the question, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?". In these moments of economic peril and in light of our advancing animosity, perhaps the question should be, "Are there any angels in America?". Better still, "Could today's anarchists be tomorrow's angels?".
At this unprecedented economic juncture, the inertia that accompanies our adherence to accepted, acrimonious, and antiquated algorithms has, by attrition, abrogated the principles of osmotic parity that have the potential to prevent our collapse...a collapse that would undoubtedly be defined by our dogmatic deification of unchecked political capitalism...a lecherous linking that history would likely depict as the opportunistic and incestuous appetite of the "ruling" class to copulate with corporate concubines in order to share in the symbiotic perks of prostitution that permeate the shameless pursuit of power and profit...absent a sufficient appreciation for the ameliorative aspects of altruistic governance and the shared success it should support.
When government is little more than the means to obtain or hold political power, it has become, by its very existence, the prevailing argument for the initiation of anarchy.
The aforementioned dysfunctional formulation of governmental "order" is antithetical to the symmetry oft associated with the social contract defined by our forefathers. As such, one can reasonably argue that our recent and rampant self-serving configuration of capitalism may well precipitate the initiation of anarchy as the means to destroy an unintended and unabated disease.
In this current conflation of chaos...a top of the pyramid chain letter economy powered by a Ponzi scheme psyche...perhaps anarchy (disorder) can actually be the means to "order"...an antidote that purges political prevarication...a virtual vaccine that seeks to supplant a systemic infection whose signature symptom is a seemingly endless urge to usurp utilitarianism.
The virulent nature of this virus leads many to seek the leverage that accompanies the disparate distribution of power and profit. It transforms those it touches into careless arsonists who peevishly persist in passing it on...thus acting as accelerants for an approaching anarchy.
Those in the media who promote political pettiness in order to insure the flow of dollars to the kingpins of corporate capitalism simply serve up the obnoxious oxygen that insures the ignition of inequity. Instead of enabling erudition, their lamentable locution does little more than circumvent any commitment to cerebral acuity or empathic expression.
In its final iteration, capitalism unchallenged becomes the hemlock of homage to the advancement of ad hominem histrionics that serve as a shortsighted and circuitous sheepskin shell designed to disguise the dogged drive for the lion's share of the spoils...despite the derivable certainty that such shenanigans assure the anarchy that an adherence to such an ideology will undoubtedly advance.
In the 1993 Broadway play, Angels in America, the perilous and poignant promise of Kushner's millennium is exemplified as a society of individual's who, despite their awareness of their ailments and the attendant adversity, come to celebrate diversity despite its innate complexity...embrace redemption and reconciliation regardless of their unequivocal elusiveness...and endure their ongoing agony in the hopes of occasional ecstasy. His notion of the future is predicated upon the simple theory that our destination emerges when our dances of deception are dutifully debunked.
Fate is the fallacy of fools. The maelstrom of the millennium no longer approaches...it has arrived. We must shape tomorrow or it will consume us. What began must end. The future is now...or it will never be. Choice is the wisdom and the wherewithal to adopt anarchy when the continuation of the status quo insures its inevitability.
Tagged as: Anarchy, Angels In America, Capitalism, Economics, Humanity, Politics, Tony Kushner
Daniel DiRito | February 23, 2009 | 9:21 PM
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Capitalism At The Crossroads: Time To Wing It? genre: Econ-Recon & Hip-Gnosis & Nouveau Thoughts & Six Degrees of Speculation
In Beckett's "Waiting For Godot", time is both passed and suspended in anticipation of arrival. Neither the passage of time or the thoughtless suspension of its value is a worthwhile endeavor...yet so much of the human condition is spent accordingly.
Fortunately, the ebb and flow of life frequently compensates for this miscalculation and we are rarely forced to face the futility of our allegiance to being unaware.
At the same time, history, in retrospect, has meticulously recorded such periods of ambiguous angst with the application and affirmation of a seemingly all-encompassing "ism" of merit. Sadly, we humans rarely understand our migration from one "ism" to the next...at the moment it transpires...frequently leaving us in the same suspect and suspended scenario as those waiting for the transformational Godot to arrive.
America, in its quaint yet quixotic commitment to the courtesan we call capital "ism", is being confronted with such a stretch of meaningless moments...waiting anxiously and aimlessly for the arrival of someone or something to remove the paralysis that permeates our propensity to participate in the chain letter economics that powers our Ponzi scheme psyche...even though we "share" in the ironic experience of watching our pyramid collapse under the weight of its own egocentric and ignoble ideations.
Two events provide perspective on our predicament - one a calamity and the other a harbinger of hope. The former, 9/11, brought us together long enough to offer consolation and condolences before scurrying out the door with our credit cards and the cash created by our homage to home equity high jinks...in hopes of perpetuating perceptions rather than recognizing realities.
The latter, the safe landing of an aircraft on the Hudson river and the preservation of every single passenger's life, allowed us to reconnect with the principals and perseverance associated with the mythical America and the essence of the collective spirit that had come to define it...all of which evaporated so quickly following 9/11.
Here's the problem. Today, Captain Sullenberger's landing on the Hudson is no longer just a job well done or an act of American stick-to-itiveness; rather it must be morphed into an extraordinary act of unexpected hero "ism"...a deed beyond the pale...an act of selflessness in a society all about the self. In America, tragedy is synonymous with litigation and triumph with accolades...both of which have material enrichment as their expected outcome. Hence American decency is but a function of fault or fame...not an intrinsic component of character.
As such, in this dark hour of economic uncertainty, the core constructs of capital "ism" still trump our actual ability to embrace the noble identity that gave it life. Like spectators at a Gladiator match, we sit on the sidelines of our "Super Bowl" society admiring the exceptional athlete or the precise pilot...ever focused on the means and methods to our own nascent notoriety...never mindful of the inevitable intersection of motivation and moral maturity.
Let me be clear, when I mention moral maturity, I am not invoking an absolutist ideology or an adherence to religion; rather I'm imploring us to understand the essence of our shared humanity. Moral maturity is not the means to superiority...it is the simple act of enabling and embracing equality in lieu of cachet and celebrity. In fact, doing so not only fosters an appreciation of altruism over the accumulation of assets, it disarms the drive for deification by substituting the satisfaction of service for the seemingly endless search for the satiation of selfishness.
Should there be any doubt as to the dubious nature of our situation, and therefore our ever expanding and suspect sense of entitlement, look no further than the latest Gallup Poll on the merits of the President's stimulus plan. Only 38% of respondents believe the stimulus plan should be passed as proposed by Barack Obama. Another 37% are in favor of a stimulus plan but they believe it must include major changes.
While the majority of Americans favor Congress' passing some type of stimulus plan, there is remarkably little confidence on the part of the public that the plan would have an immediately positive impact on the U.S. economy. Americans are also pessimistic about the plan's potential positive impact on their own families' financial situations.
There's only one way to interpret these numbers. Self-interest is the primary motivation that drives debate in America. Confronted with the worst economy since the Depression, and an uncertain future, most Americans cannot view the stimulus plan absent the bias of the status quo...and most of our elected officials must be included in this group. The shortsightedness is astounding.
A comparison may help explain my concerns as well as my contention that capital "ism", in its current form, is no longer viable. Let's start by assuming that our economic situation is dire. If so, then one should be able to construct a scenario to evidence the gravity of this moment as well as the complacency that has grown out of our commitment to the tenets of capital "ism" as they have existed since the Watergate years.
For this exercise, let's assume that NASA has identified an asteroid heading towards earth in ten years and that its trajectory puts the U.S. at great risk. Now suppose that in response, our government decides to establish safe shelters in all major metropolitan areas. Logically, one should be able to presume that Americans will get behind the effort and pitch in to insure that the country is prepared for the worst. One should also be able to expect that individuals will put self-serving objectives aside in hopes of achieving maximum safety and survival. In other words, while some people might feel slighted by the placement of shelters...or other aspects of any response plan...the gravity of the situation undoubtedly dictates that such concern is set aside in order to work towards a collective solution to an anticipated crisis.
Notwithstanding, I'm of the opinion that our adherence to a "me first" mentality may well preclude our ability to react effectively to this or any other plausible threat. Therein lies the inability to visualize the risks of maintaining our seemingly insolent and intransigent mindsets. You see; the instincts we momentarily demonstrated in the aftermath of 9/11 still exist. Unfortunately, the fact that we so easily slipped back into more of the same doesn't portend well for addressing the current economic crisis...a crisis that is more than a glitch in the U.S. economy...a crisis that won't be solved by imploring Americans to go shopping...a crisis that is the leading edge of a reordering of the world and the manner in which we humans serve as stewards of this earth...and therefore whether we will be purposeful proponents for the ongoing existence of humankind.
The fact that so many of us latched onto the "Miracle on the Hudson" as a tangible measure of the enduring human spirit serves to illustrate the paradox we seem so unwilling to acknowledge. On the one hand, we marvel at the fact that a trained pilot was able to land an airplane on water...yet we forget that absent years of training...a concern by the flight crew for the safety of their fellow man...and finally...the presence of wings...it not only couldn't have successfully landed on the water...it would have been unable to support and sustain the 155 individuals who stood upon those wings while waiting (and believing) that kind and compassionate passers-by would come to their aid.
America is a plane in trouble...but our fate need not be dependent upon the heroic acts of a select few. At the same time, we must be wise enough to listen to those who may have more insight. This plane of ours will never achieve a safe landing if each of its passengers demands their turn in the cockpit...regardless of ability. The role of being a good citizen is also an act of hero "ism"...even if it means sitting quietly in coach while the pilot brings us to safety or helping an elderly passenger make their way onto the wing once the plane has landed.
America can no longer wait for our Godot to arrive. We needn't a savior or a heroin...we needn't aspire to the adulation we believe accompanies a seat atop the pyramid...we needn't support or negate our leaders based upon political ideology...Godot is every man and every woman...Godot is merely a belief in each other predicated upon the notion that we grant the humanity we seek...Godot need not come if he is already here...Godot does not exist if we need him...humanity does not exist if we betray it.
If we humans are too survive, it's time for us to wing it...which is nothing more than believing that the service of humanity floats all boats...as well as the plane in which we are all passengers. Fighting over the stimulus plan while the plane is crashing is absurd. Human "ism" may lack the glitter and glamour of capital "ism"...and it may mean less in a few pockets but more in most...but it may well be the only remaining "ism" of consequence.
Its merits will never be fully known if its value is never fully affirmed...yet it has always been there for us to accept. If it isn't adopted in the here and now, history will fail to recognize and record it. You see, in the absence of humanity, there is no future. If there is no future, there will be no history. In the end, all "isms" lead to the same destination. We can travel willingly or we can jeopardize our very existence. The waiting must end...the wings exist. There's room for everyone.
Tagged as: Beckett, Capitalism, Civilization, Economics, Godot, Hudson, Humanism, Obama, Politics, Sullenberger
Daniel DiRito | February 4, 2009 | 2:02 PM
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Driving For More genre: Do Not Resuscitate & Hip-Gnosis & Rhyme-N-Reason
Driving For More
I drove a Dodge
He drove a bargain
I asked for more,
He left me starvin'
Easy street may never get you there
But the expressed way seems vacant
And the bus driver stares
Life passes us by
On the way to the grave
You can drop in your tokens
But the bill's never paid
If your debts are defined
But the numbers won't sum
Is the soul so sublime,
If we live on the come?
The bargains we make
May make us feel fine
But the living it takes
Negates the divine
I'm driving for more
I hope to arrive
To those keeping score
Fuck death...today I'm alive
Tagged as: Death, Faith, Poetry, Religion
Daniel DiRito | January 22, 2009 | 3:38 PM
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Prism Prison: In Search Of Rainbows? genre: Nouveau Thoughts & Six Degrees of Speculation
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. In stating as much, they omit the fact that the absent heart may be neither fond nor profound. Hence in many cases I suspect it is but momentarily vacant. Such is the explanation for my period of absentia from blogging.
With that stated, my return to writing is an exercise in conflict. Specifically, in the aftermath of the November election, I've been in search of vision...the ability to see beyond my own malaise in order to capture the essence of the existential angst that envelopes my own psyche and leads me to conclude that all is not well in the evolving identity we define as the human condition.
In order to offer insightful observations on this or any other subject, I frequently travel the only path I've found fertile enough to germinate a glimmer of advancing awareness...isolation. You see, I'm convinced that the momentum of our fundamentally mundane and mechanical morass is the very means by which we find ourselves disconnected from that which can keep us traveling towards a more meaningful and noble destination...a more perfect humanity and the sustaining spirit that would invariably accompany it.
The election of Barack Obama, on its surface, incites hope, which is as it should be. On the other hand, the circumstances that led a majority of Americans to effect his election require a more thorough examination...one that respects, retains, and relies upon the missing elements alluded to above...that being both the curiosity and the cynicism necessary to move us forward while simultaneously forcing us to question the prudence of our precarious path...the one we've traveled to get here as well as the one we're still walking.
Let me be clear. In stating my clearly cautionary pessimism, it should not be construed as an indictment of our newly elected president or his aspirations for our advancement, which he so artfully outlined during an inspirational campaign.
Notwithstanding, in light of our unprecedented economic uncertainty, I suspect we are a society and a world in the throes of an inevitable sea change...the kind that history so aptly tells us has the potential to signal the death knell of an antiquated "ism" or to embolden the emergence of one that has not yet been defined. At the same time, history also tells us that the gravity of these tipping point events is rarely identified at the time of arrival.
For the seeker...a moniker to which I aspire (redundant and ironic)...travails and time are intertwined in an effort to envision what exists around the bend while lacking tangible evidence. It's the equivalent of reading a book and predicting the ending without having read the intervening chapters...a feat that defies logical construction yet one that is achieved and that is frequently recorded by historians as the astute observations of a visionary...all of which illuminates the unfortunate predicament of the seeker.
The seeker assumes the role of a prism...demonstrating a willingness to see what went before, endeavoring to receive it as real while hoping to tease essence out of its obviousness in order to emit something that is more than the sum of its observable parts...only to be defined as an instrument of distortion...despite the fact that the vision that the prism (the seeker) emits is wholly constructed from reality...though ordered in ways that defy convention and incite accusations of engaging in acts of incantation or pessimistic prognostications.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite expressions, "Everything's shit...until it isn't". The prism realizes that the reverse is equally profound, "Nothing's shit...until it is". Those who are able to ascertain these moments of transformation are met with ire in the here and now...and then...at some point in the distant future...the still blind byproducts of humanity's persistent progeny proclaim the prescience of the prism...and history's equation remains intact.
Unfortunately, the seeker rarely has the satisfaction of witnessing the affirmation of his or her hypothesis. Death has long since consumed what remained of his or her human form. As such, all that is the tragic nature of the human condition is affirmed in a legacy of legitimacy never lived...though dutifully recorded years hence by virtual stone tablet statisticians in a surreal semiconductor society.
The heart stirs...though the circuitous circumlocution of the human condition remains elusive. A bend approaches...the seeker seeks.
Tagged as: Capitalism, Death, Economics, Humanity, Politics
Daniel DiRito | January 22, 2009 | 3:13 PM
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An Apology For My Recent Absence genre: Indie-Script
I wanted to update readers on my seeming silence. In the aftermath of the election, it was clear that I needed a little time off from blogging. Having no idea when I would find new inspiration, I've been hesitant to offer an apology without knowing when I would be back to daily blogging. Suffice it to say that I'll be back at it this coming week.
In the past week, I've spent a good deal of time on some of the other projects I've been working on in the background of the blog. Those who have been longtime readers know that I enjoy poetry and have occasionally posted some of my own here at Thought Theater. I'm hoping to do more with it in the near future. I'm also interested in photography and film and have incorporated many of my photographs in my postings. I've also been working on a documentary that is nearing completion.
Needless, to say, I'm hoping to compile all of these elements into a plan for the future. It's hard to predict where this might lead, but I'm convinced there's enough content to warrant some further explorations.
With that said, I look forward to posting my thoughts on those issues that have been the heart and soul of Thought Theater. Lastly, my sincere appreciation to those who visit Thought Theater and share in the journey...wherever it may lead us.
Daniel DiRito | November 16, 2008 | 10:02 AM
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Keith Olbermann Special Comment On Proposition 8 genre: Gaylingual & Hip-Gnosis & Polispeak & Video-Philes
The following video is the latest special comment by Keith Olbermann. In it, he offers an impassioned rejection of the passage of Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage. We can only hope that more Americans will stand up to defend the rights of their fellow citizens.
Tagged as: Civil Rights, Equality, Gay Marriage, Keith Olbermann, LGBT, Same-Sex Marriage
Daniel DiRito | November 11, 2008 | 7:36 AM
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The 2008 Wake - Waiting For The Sea To Change genre: Gaylingual & Polispeak & Six Degrees of Speculation
Many elections are bittersweet. 2008 was no exception. While celebrating Obama's historic election, California voters were dashing the dreams of LGBT children throughout the world. Today, they doubt voters will ever grant an LGBT candidate the same defining moment of acceptance.
When we're young, life is immeasurable and expansive. As we leave the coddled confines of our childhood, it is the equivalent of the snail emerging from its protective shell to explore all that exists in the grand garden of life...eager and idealistic...hopeful to a fault in the absence of unforeseen obstacles and disappointments...unaware of the protective nature of the domicile we depart.
My journey began in 1976 as I graduated from The Abbey School. Two years prior to my graduation, I made a decision I recall announcing in our kitchen to my mom, "I won't be the valedictorian of my class...that's not what's important to me...but I'm going to win the Sullivan Award". I can't even say exactly how she reacted though I believe it was part surprise and part puzzlement at such a specific pronouncement. Once she absorbed my statement, she observed that grades weren't everything and, by and large, left it at that.
The Sullivan Award was given at graduation to the high school student who contributed the most to student life during their four years of attendance. While an esoteric achievement, it fully symbolized my sense of community and my unyielding belief in the promise of humanity. On a warm summer day in front of the towering monastery...as a member of the esteemed 50th graduating class...in the centennial year of Colorado's statehood and the bicentennial year of this nations existence...I received the Sullivan Award...and all was well in my idyllic world. My dreams had come true.
In a few short months, while attending college, I cast my first vote for Jimmy Carter and life was my oyster. Much to my dismay, little else would measure up for many years to come. Aware of my homosexuality, but determined to suppress it, I decided to quit college after three years and return home to work with my dad and his brother.
On the surface, the decision had the appearance of a considered choice, but in retrospect, it was motivated by my fear that should I remain in college, the opportunities to pursue my orientation would overwhelm my hesitations and preclude the remainder of my smoldering dreams...not the least of which was the political arena and the fanciful notion that the presidency was within the realm of possibilities.
In hindsight, my actions had little to do with choice and everything to do with being a Catholic raised in a small community where the thought of being gay struck my psyche as nothing more than a perceived and fully unacceptable pathology...the kind that not only precludes one from social acceptability...but most certainly eliminates any fanciful ideas of the presidency.
Yes, the little boy of five (who vividly remembered every detail of the assassination of John Kennedy...including the faces of those he encountered as he entered Safeway with is father after having heard the news on the radio)...and the boy of 10 (who watched every speech and every primary in the candidacy of Robert Kennedy...including anxiously getting up early in the morning to see if he had finally been declared the winner of the California primary...only to realize he was dead)...and the teenage boy (who watched the Watergate hearings with an intensity reserved for a member of the prosecution...up to and including the moment when Richard Nixon...the antithesis of his idealism...finally boarded a helicopter and released the presidency from the egregious grip of corruption)...had by the age of 21 found himself feeling as if fate had stripped him of his dreams.
Four years later, following countless hours of contemplation and with the realization that I had now lived a lie for a quarter of a century...I met a man and fell in love. Soon after, I allowed myself to accept my sexuality, announced it to my family, and on the spur of the moment...on a summer afternoon...with my relationship with my family in ruins and all that remained of my seemingly shattered life hastily tossed in a pickup truck...I moved to Denver.
Ever the idealist, abundantly naïve, and convinced that acceptance...or at least some simulation thereof...would undoubtedly come by affiliating with other homosexuals...I jumped headfirst into being gay. Unfortunately, doing so while attaching oneself to a lover is apt to end up being little more than an act of misguided transference. Should one be unlucky enough to choose, in haste, the wrong partner or the wrong affiliations, the process of separating oneself and completing the task of attaining a sound and self-sufficient identity can appear to be an insurmountable struggle.
In retrospect, it's terribly saddening that gays...during the coming out process...the moment they most need support...are often required to summon a strength they most likely lack in order to accept and understand the rejection they encounter from those they love. Toss in the abject scorn that much of society heaps upon homosexuals and you have a rather rancid recipe unlikely to bake an ebullient and unencumbered identity.
Not to belabor my bad choices or appear to be seeking sympathy, suffice it to say that I spent the next eight plus years attempting to grow into the 25 I had missed. Emboldened by a new job and an expanded support system, I ended my relationship and began the process of becoming myself.
Living in Denver under the newly received protections afforded to those of my orientation, the trajectory of my life seemed to be in sync with my dreams...all be they far more modest than majestic. Sadly, such synchronicity was short-lived. In November of 1992, pleased by the promise of a potential Democratic presidency, the arrow identified as Amendment Two sat waiting in its quiver, poised to puncture my improving peace.
As election night approached, Shangri-La seemed within my grasp. Bill Clinton appeared a certain victor and the polls suggested Amendment Two was headed for a handy defeat. Sitting in front of my television, the trajectory of my evening was torn into two...split apart...one half buoyed by the good returns in the presidential race; the other sinking fast in the realization that the good voters of Colorado had unleashed their coy attack upon my civil rights while cowered in the confines of the ballot box.
Like an unhealed wound, the announcement that Amendment Two was projected to pass tore it open and left me in anguish, alone on the floor...bleeding tears. How could it be that I'd found myself again at that oh so familiar juncture...lulled into a sense of safety and security...clinging to my trust in the decency of the human spirit...only to be clobbered by that brazen beast I'd come to know as bigoted bias.
As I pondered the sudden sense that my good job and the comfort of my support system were seemingly insufficient, the television announced that it was cutting away to the Democratic Party's election watching headquarters where a group of gays had stormed the stage to protest the lack of support that had allowed Amendment Two to succeed. Soon word came that the police had been summoned...then word that prior to entering the venue to escort the intruders out, the police officers had stopped to don latex gloves...inferring their fear that the unruly crowd would most certainly be infected with the hideous HIV virus.
In short order, more and more gays arrived and the uncertainty of the moment escalated and the protest grew. In an instant, I grabbed my coat and ran out the door to join my brothers and sisters. With nothing to lose, I knew there would be comfort in the kinship I would find. By the time I arrived, the crowd had grown even larger. Soon word came that Mayor Webb had been notified and summoned to calm the crowd.
Not long after, the mayor arrived and spoke to the crowd...offering words of consolation and expressing his willingness to explore the options afforded to the city of Denver to fight the Amendment. In order to defuse the moment, he asked the protesters to follow him to the State Capital Building where we could continue to voice our anger. We did...but there was little relief to be found that night.
The battle to defeat Amendment Two ensued...culminating four years later when the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down. In truth, it took us four year to fully reclaim the ground we'd obtained in prior years. The victory was sweet, but the time was gone and the scars would fade, but never disappear.
Life moved forward and the plight of gays improved, though we've remained the object of derision for many...especially those on the religious right. In 2003, as we approached another election and the prospect of Supreme Court appointments that could well preclude the rights of gays for another generation, I grew weary of my career.
The passage of years served to remind me of the pace of progress...or the lack, thereof. Unsatisfied and unfulfilled, I began unwinding a 14-year career without a plan for the future. Instead of accepting the certainty of what was, I chose the uncertainty of what could be...though I had no idea what it was or where to find it. You see, try as one might, the absence of something is always known...no matter how full the cup.
Something told me it was time to look again. I informed my boss that I would be leaving the company once my house sold. Fate would have it that my departure would coincide with the 2004 election. I sold my house and the bulk of my belongings in late September...having decided to embark on a trip around the world. I scheduled my departure for November 5th, three days after the election.
At the time, I was guardedly hopeful that America would turn away from the politics of division and the scapegoating of gays. It turns out I was wrong, but I still felt invigorated by the prospects of the unknown. Absent any long-term plan, I packed my bags and left the shores of the United States. All I knew for certain was that my journey was limited to one year as a stipulation of the round the world ticket I'd purchased.
What I learned in my nearly four month trek was that the image of the United States had become increasingly tarnished and the reelection of George Bush had cast a doubt in the minds of many that his troubling presidency might well be indicative of the disquieting mindset of the average American...a development few of those I met wanted to conclude though they felt it seemed far more plausible given the November second results.
When I returned, the only thought that kept repeating in my head was that I had something to say and I needed to find the means to say it. Against the backdrop of fear for our future under GOP domination, the further faltering of this nation should that happen, and the festering fury being directed towards gays, I decided to launch a blog.
From my little corner of the world, I've disseminated my fair share of missives; ever hopeful I could exert some measure of influence in redirecting this country. All the while, I've had a sense that America was on the precipice of a pendulum swing away from the partisanship of "compassionate conservatism" (code words for the politics of theology) and ready to embrace the kind of real compassion that engenders moderation.
I had no idea that the man who spoke truth to me during the 2004 Democratic Convention would be the one to carry this torch of hope into the 2008 election. At the same time, I had no way of knowing that the 2008 California ballot would include a measure designed to remove the right of gays to marry (Proposition 8).
Last night, like clockwork, my next succinctly timed sixteen-year squall struck with little notice. While celebrating the fact that Barack Obama was elected president, an amendment was being passed in California to deny my gay brethren equality. From 1976 to 1992 to 2008, the vignettes of my life have brought both symmetry and sadness. In 1976, I celebrated my membership in the fiftieth class to graduate from The Abbey. In 2008, I celebrated my fiftieth birthday. At each juncture, my prevailing pursuit has been the unconditional acceptance of my identity as a homosexual. At each juncture, it has been denied.
On November 5, 2008, my dreams have been dashed and my hopes have been passed to another man of color. In 1992, Wellington Webb took my hand and led me towards inclusion on a cold and dark night...carrying a No On Two placard...carrying the weight of sixteen years of exclusion. In 2008, Barack Obama has been handed the torch as well as thirty-two years of my exclusion.
In the passage of this last sixteen years, those carrying my torch have succeeded in transforming the dreams of their fellow African Americans from the possibility of being the mayor of a major city to the reality of being elected to the presidency of the United States. Many times Barack Obama has spoken about the meaning and the message that would be imparted to black children should this nation see fit to elect an African American president.
It's too late for me to dream so big for myself...but it's not too late for those who may be sixteen or thirty-two years behind me. Today, I dream of the day when my gay brothers and sisters can place their hope in a gay candidate...one who carries the torch for them and speaks of the meaning and message that would be imparted to LGBT children should this nation see fit to elect a LGBT president.
As I await the next storm to appear upon the sea of my sixteen year horizon, I'm still waiting...I'm still seeking...I'm still hoping...I'm still dreaming...I'm still dying. On November 5th, 2008, in the wake of another election, I'm still on the outside looking in.
Tagged as: 2008 Election, Bill Clinton, California, Gay Marriage, Homophobia, Jimmy Carter, LGBT, Proposition 8, Racism, Same-Sex Marriage, The Abbey School
Daniel DiRito | November 5, 2008 | 6:00 PM
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2008 Election - Live Blogging genre: Polispeak
Tagged as: 2008 Election
Daniel DiRito | November 4, 2008 | 1:00 PM
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The Onion: Barbara Bush Has Run Aground genre:
Don't ask me why, but jokes about Barbara Bush have always made me laugh. Perhaps it's because I've always been a fan of Phil Hartman and Saturday Night Live and their relentless savaging of the former first lady.
In the following video, I think The Onion one-ups SNL with their "Barbara Bush Has Run Aground" spoof. In my opinion, this is one of the funniest videos from The Onion in quite some time.
Tagged as: Barbara Bush, George Bush, George H.W. Bush, Humor, The Onion
Daniel DiRito | November 3, 2008 | 5:14 PM
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Craig Ferguson: How About That John McCain, Huh...Huh? genre: Polispeak & Tongue-In-Cheek & Video-Philes
When John McCain first commented on Sarah Palin's debate performance, I found his manner of speech rather annoying (you'll see it for yourself in the video). When I saw what Craig Ferguson did with that speech, I was rolling on the floor.
While we wait on pins and needles for Election Day, I thought we could all use a little laughter. Besides, it tickles me to see John McCain lampooned.
Tagged as: Craig Ferguson, Humor, John McCain, Sarah Palin, The Penguin
Daniel DiRito | November 3, 2008 | 4:30 PM
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2008 Election: Jerry Springer Isn't Just Another Village Idiot genre: Polispeak & Six Degrees of Speculation
By now, we've all heard countless talking points on the issues and the significance of the 2008 election. Unfortunately, in a country where political surrogates are kept on script, there is little opportunity to hear alternate explanations of the issues at hand.
In the following video, Jerry Springer, former mayor of Cincinnati, provides another perspective on the role of government and how it relates to the oft heard labels that are indiscriminately attached to parties and their candidates.
I realize that the mere mention of Jerry Springer can invoke thoughts of the village idiot...but I've always found him to be a well-spoken and very insightful individual with a keen understanding of human nature. Frankly, his gift is his ability to understand the village idiot. In a country with 300 million inhabitants and a world with a population approaching 7 billion, an ability to make such discriminations and discern essence from ignorance seems like a valuable asset.
Watch the video and I'm certain you'll have a newfound appreciation for Springer as well as an expanded understanding of the appropriate role of government...with the righteous and rigid rhetoric removed.
Tagged as: 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Jerry Springer, Progressive
Daniel DiRito | November 3, 2008 | 10:47 AM
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An Ode To The Undecided Voter? genre: Polispeak & Tongue-In-Cheek & Video-Philes
Have you ever wondered who in the hell can remain undecided with the election less than 24 hours away? I'm not sure if it speaks to a need for attention or if it might be a sign of diminished capacity. Whatever it is, David Sedaris isn't buying it.
I don't know that it was always this way, but, for as long as I can remember, just as we move into the final weeks of the Presidential campaign the focus shifts to the undecided voters. "Who are they?" the news anchors ask. "And how might they determine the outcome of this election?"
Then you'll see this man or woman-- someone, I always think, who looks very happy to be on TV. "Well, Charlie," they say, "I've gone back and forth on the issues and whatnot, but I just can't seem to make up my mind!" Some insist that there's very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they're with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.
I look at these people and can't quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?
Be sure to follow the above link to read the full article. If you like what you read, the following video is an added bonus since it ads some catchy lyrics to Sedaris' sentiments and some much needed prodding to our undecided friends.
Tagged as: 2008 Election, David Sedaris, Elections, Humor, Voting
Daniel DiRito | November 3, 2008 | 10:21 AM
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Mo Rocca: 2008 Election Recap...2012 Preview? genre: Polispeak & Tongue-In-Cheek & Video-Philes
In the following video, Mo laments our seeming obsession with all things political and he offers some closing thoughts on the 2008...as well as a preview of the 2012 election. After all, it's never too early to think ahead, eh? How does Palin & The Plumber sound to you?
Tagged as: 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Humor, Joe The Plumber, Mo Rocca, Politics, Sarah Palin
Daniel DiRito | November 3, 2008 | 10:08 AM
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In a landmark paper published in the prestigious international journal Current Biology 220 marine experts worldwide, including Professor Mike Guiry of NUI Galway's Ryan Institute, have come together to estimate how many species there are in our oceans. The answer will come as something of a disappointment to those who claim more than a million marine species because the authors show that the true number is less than a quarter of that. About 225,000 species have been described to date, and the final tally is likely to be about 500,000.
Previous estimates of a million marine species were based on unreliable figures passed from textbook to textbook and gaining credence when uttered by some famous individual at international conferences.
Species are notoriously difficult to count. Unlike, say, books in a library, they are not discrete objects that can simply be catalogued and a final figure arrived at. The notion of a species is a human construct, essentially a philosophical notion, and the names we use for them, called binomials, are simply for us to communicate, and have no meaning without us.
The numbers in this paper are the best that can be arrived at as, for once, they come from expert opinion, mainly from database curators and world experts in the various groups.
One of these experts is Professor Mike Guiry of the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway. He is the founder of the database AlgaeBase (www.algaebase.org) funded in 2004-2009 by the Higher Education Authority under the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions, itself generously underwritten by Chuck Feeney, recently publically honoured by all the Irish universities, through Atlantic Philantrophies.
Professor Guiry has to date catalogued 130,000 names of algae, including 34,000 species. Of these, about half are marine, and include some 9,500 seaweeds. This is the only global species database inIreland.
Professor Guiry comments: "We do not yet know how many species there are in the world, estimates vary from 5-50 million, but the most reliable recent estimates are that 1.9 million, with the insects accounting for more than 1 million."
Professor Guiry adds: "The marine environment is relatively species-poor, despite claims to the contrary, with less than 12% of all currently described species occurring in the sea. But what the sea lacks in species numbers it makes up spectacularly in diversity and beauty, and in the active part these organisms play in keeping our planet healthy. More than 75% of all photosynthetic oxygen is produced by marine algae."
The marine Professor's forthcoming book, A Catalogue of Irish Seaweeds, will show that 7.5% of all seaweeds occur in Ireland, which is extraordinary for the size and geographical spread of the island, and contrasts strongly with our native flowering-plants, which amount to no more than 0.25% of the world's 350,000-400,000 species.
The marine experts predict that all marine species will have been described by the end of this century, so that the task will have taken the human race 350 years.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday it is canceling a planned program to create a national license-plate tracking database after privacy advocates raised red flags over the initiative.
Officials claimed the program, which would have gathered license plate tag numbers from passing cars and trucks using electronic scanners installed on major roads and government vehicles, was to be used to catch fugitive illegal immigrants, the Washington Post reports. Just days ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that hoped to deploy the program, solicited proposals from companies to build the program. But privacy advocates pointed to innocent Americans whose activities would be monitored under the plan.
In announcing cancellation of the program, ICE spokesperson Gillian Christensen said the solicitation for proposals went out without the knowledge of ICE leadership.
"While we continue to support a range of technologies to help meet our law enforcement mission, this solicitation will be reviewed to ensure the path forward appropriately meets our operational needs," she said.
Catherine Crump, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, welcomed the program's cancelation but said the privacy concerns it raises go well beyond ICE itself. "There are many other law enforcement agencies around the country that are already accessing these vast private databases of plate data," she said.


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Adam Grant is the youngest tenured and highest rated professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of the excellent book, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success.
I spoke with Adam about how nice guys finish last and first, what really leads to expertise and how empathy can beat objectivity, among other things.
The big idea is that there's three fundamental styles of interaction that exist in most industries and most countries around the world. I call them "Giver," "Taker," and "Matcher." The Takers are basically people who try to get as much as possible from other people and contribute as little as they can in return. The Givers are the people who actually really tend to enjoy helping others. They're quite content to give more than they receive. Then, the Matchers are most of us. The Matchers are basically people who try to maintain an even balance of give and take to have fair exchanges, I help you, you help me. What I find across various industries, and various studies is the Givers are most likely to end up at the bottom. That's primarily because they end up putting other people first in ways that either burn them out, or will allow them to get taken advantage of and exploited by Takers. Then I looked at the other end of the spectrum and said if Givers are at the bottom, who's at the top? Actually, I was really surprised to discover, it's the Givers again. The people who consistently are looking for ways to help others are over-represented not only at the bottom, but also at the top of most success metrics.
I'm really borrowing Benjamin Bloom's groundbreaking research here when he interviewed people who are world-class at an activity that requires deep expertise. Swimmers, tennis players who are ranked in the top of the world, mathematicians and scientists, musicians, very, very best in class. Actually, his team went back and traced their early histories, interviewed their families, and their friends, and their neighbors, and them and found that rarely were they elite at the start. Like the Olympic swimmers actually didn't win their earliest swimming competitions by and large. The musicians who achieved greatness typically did not appear to be prodigies early on. Of course we know that a lot of them did deliberate practice for 10,000 or many more hours. That's where Anders Ericsson left off is where my interest picks up, which is what motivates somebody to do that in the first place? Why would somebody invest deliberate practice in something? It turns out that actually most of these world-class performers had a first coach, or a first teacher, who made the activity fun. If you excel at something, and you experience mastery, it often does make it more fun and enjoyable to do it. We've overlooked the reverse effect, which is that often interest precedes the development of talent. It's having a coach or teacher who really makes something exciting to be involved in that leads you to often put in the practice necessary to become an expert at it.
There is a great study of radiologists by Turner and colleagues showing that when radiologists just saw a photo of the patient whose x-ray they were about to scan, they empathized more with the person, seeing that person as more of a human being as opposed to just an x-ray. As a result, they wrote longer reports, and they had greater diagnostic accuracy, significantly. I think the coolest part of the study was half of the radiologists got the photo first, they did the x-ray evaluation, and then three months later they got to evaluate it again. The photo was gone. They had forgotten it. They actually got worse. The other half of the radiologists had the reverse. They got to start out with no photo. They made their average diagnoses. Three months later they got the same x-ray again to scan. This time there was a photo of the patient. Now their effort and their accuracy go up. I think that one of the great takeaways of that study is we've often overlooked the power of empathy in the workplace. I think a lot of us do jobs that benefit other people, but sort of lose sight of the human impact because it's not front and center of how the work is set up.
One would be "Multipliers" by Liz Wiseman. I think of this as like the tour de force of how leaders operate like Givers. I think this is a fantastic take on how the higher you rise, the more limited your success will be if you are a Taker because you can't multiply yourself. You can only basically get things done through your own efforts. She covers it in a really powerful way, that leaders develop the best in others as opposed to sucking others dry. The second book that I think is really relevant is "To Sell is Human," of course, by Dan Pink. I think Dan looks at some complementary themes around attunement to others and selling as actually an act of serving and benefiting others. I love "Quiet" by Susan Cain. I think as far as the power of communication piece goes, I think she looks at a lot of really important patterns around how introverts and the quieter among us actually are not at the disadvantage that many people seem, or at least sometimes underestimate the strength of seeing the quieter, more humble individual. There are two for those who want to think about building a network. One is "The Hidden Power of Social Networks" by Rob Cross and Andrew Parker which looks at how you map the networks in your organization and try to develop yours more effectively. William Bakers' book "Achieving Success Through Social Capital" is a really nice book about how networking is not a dirty word, at least it needn't be. There's lots of ways that contributing to others can actually enrich the relationships that you develop.
One of my personal favorites is probably Adam Rifkin's idea of the "Five-Minute Favor" (if you can do something for someone that will take less than five minutes, just do it.) A lot of people look at the idea of helping others and say, "Gosh, that's going to be time consuming, or exhausting, or put me at risk of being exploited." I think that Adam's idea sort of enables us to a sense of, "What if I just took a couple minutes every day to try to help someone in a way that it's sort of a small commitment to me, but could be of large benefit to them?"
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Pay a Bill
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NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) now has wireless Internet access available at Evanston Hospital.
Wi-Fi computer network technology allows computers, PDAs and smartphones to connect to the Internet via a wireless network. NorthShore has installed IEEE 802.11 b/g access points throughout the hospitals for patients & guests to use.
NorthShore is providing this service free of charge for its patients and guests, however users must bring their own Wi-Fi enabled equipment and software.
At a Wi-Fi equipped NorthShore location patients and guests will be able to open a web browser & select NorthShore Guest WiFi from a list of available networks. They will then see a NorthShore welcome page. Once the Terms of Service agreement is reviewed & accepted they are connected to the Internet. No passwords. No fees.
As with all other forms of wireless communication, the signal is not secure and can be received by anyone within broadcast range. A wireless Internet session must be encrypted to be made secure.
Although the signal is not secure the NorthShore Wi-Fi network is designed to allow outbound VPN connectivity. This will be very useful for patients and guests, allowing them to connect back to their corporate office over a secure tunnel to retrieve email or access files.
Wireless FAQ brochures will soon be available at the hospitals Concierges desk for anyone who may have questions or need assistance connecting to the wireless network. If users still have trouble connecting they can contact the NorthShore Help Desk at 847.982.5170.


text: Regardless of how careful you are about animals in your home, or how many precautions you take when your child is outdoors playing, animal and insect bites and stings may occur. By remaining calm and knowing some basic first aid techniques, you can help your child overcome both the fear and the trauma of bites and stings. There are many different types of bites or stings that may require clinical care by a physician or other health care professional. Fleas, mites, and chiggers Fleas, mites, and chiggers often bite humans, but are not poisonous. It is sometimes difficult to assess which type of insect caused the bite, or if the rash is caused by poison ivy or other skin conditions. What are the symptoms of a flea, mite or chigger bite? The following are the most common symptoms of a flea, mite, or chigger bite. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include: small, raised skin lesions pain or itching dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) allergic-type reactions in hypersensitive persons with swelling or blistering The symptoms of a flea, mite, or chigger bite may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis. Treatment for bites caused by fleas, mites and chiggers Specific treatment for these insect bites will be determined by your physician. Some general guidelines for treatment may include the following: Clean the area well with soap and water. Use an antihistamine, if needed, for itching. Take acetaminophen, if needed, for discomfort. When should I call my physician? Call your physician if any, or all, of the following symptoms are present: persistent pain or itching signs of infection at the site such as increased redness, warmth, swelling, or drainage fever Call 911 or your local emergency medical service (EMS) if the individual has signs of a severe allergic reaction such as trouble breathing, tightness in the throat or chest, feeling faint, dizziness, hives, and/or nausea and vomiting. Tick bites Ticks are small insects that live in grass, bushes, wooded areas, and seashores. They attach their bodies onto a human or animal host and prefer hairy areas such as the scalp, behind the ear, in the armpit and groin, and also between fingers and toes. Tick bites often occur at night and occur more in the spring and summer months. What to do if you find a tick on your child Do not touch the tick with your bare hand. If you do not have a pair of tweezers, take your child to your nearest healthcare facility where the tick can be removed safely. Use a pair of tweezers to remove the tick. Grab the tick firmly by its mouth or head as close to your child's skin as possible. Pull up slowly and steadily without twisting until it lets go. Do not squeeze the tick, use petroleum jelly, solvents, knives, or a lit match to kill the tick. Save the tick and place it in a plastic container or bag so it can be tested for disease, if necessary. Wash the area of the bite well with soap and water and apply an antiseptic lotion or cream. Call your child's physician to find out about follow-up care and testing of the tick for spirochetes (organisms that may be carried by the tick). Regardless of how careful you are about animals in your home, or how many precautions you take when your child is outdoors playing, animal and insect bites and stings are sometimes unavoidable. By remaining calm and knowing some basic first aid techniques, you can help your child overcome both the fear and the trauma of bites and stings. Facts about insect stings Bees, wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets belong to a class of insects called Hymenoptera. Most insect stings cause only minor discomfort. Stings can occur anywhere on the body and can be painful and frightening for a child. Yellow jackets cause the most allergic reactions in the US. Stings from these insects cause three to four times more deaths than poisonous snake bites, due to severe allergic reaction. Fire ants, usually found in southern states, can sting multiple times, and the sites are more likely to become infected. The two greatest risks from most insect stings are allergic reaction (which can sometimes be fatal if the allergic reaction is severe enough) and infection (more common and less serious). What are the symptoms of an insect sting? The following are the most common symptoms of insect stings. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include: local skin reactions at the site or surrounding the sting, including the following: pain swelling redness itching warmth small amounts of bleeding or drainage hives generalized symptoms that indicate a more serious and possibly life-threatening allergic reaction, including the following: coughing tickling in the throat tightness in the throat or chest breathing problems or wheezing nausea or vomiting dizziness or fainting sweating anxiety itching and rash elsewhere on the body, remote from the site of the sting Treatment for stings Specific treatment for stings will be determined by your child's physician. Large local reactions usually do not lead to generalized reactions. However, they can be life threatening if the sting occurs in the mouth, nose, or throat area. This is due to swelling that can close off the airway. Treatment for local skin reactions only may include: Calm your child and let him/her know that you can help. Remove the stinger by gently scraping across the site with a blunt-edged object, such as a credit card or dull knife. Do not try to pull it out, as this may release more venom. Wash the area well with soap and water. Apply a cold or ice pack wrapped in a cloth to help reduce swelling and pain (10 minutes on and 10 minutes off for 30 to 60 minutes). If the sting occurs on an arm or leg, elevate the limb to help reduce swelling. To help reduce the itching, consider the following: Apply a paste of baking soda and water and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Apply a paste of non-seasoned meat tenderizer and water and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Apply a wet tea bag and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Use an over-the-counter product made to use on insect stings. Apply an antihistamine or corticosteroid cream or calamine lotion. Give acetaminophen for pain. Give an over-the-counter antihistamine, if approved by your child's physician. Be sure to follow dosage instructions carefully for your child. Observe your child closely for the next hour for any signs of allergic reaction that would warrant emergency medical treatment. Call 911 or your local emergency medical service (EMS) and seek emergency care immediately if your child is stung in the mouth, nose, or throat area, or for any signs of a systemic or generalized reaction. Emergency medical treatment may include the following: intravenous (IV) antihistamines epinephrine corticosteroids or other medications lab tests breathing support Prevention of insect stings Some general guidelines to help reduce the possibility of insect stings while outdoors include: Avoid perfumes, hairsprays, and other scented products. Avoid brightly colored clothing. Do not let your child walk or play outside barefoot. Spray your child's clothing with insect repellent made for children. Make sure your child avoids locations of hives and nests. Have the nests removed by professionals. Teach your child that if an insect comes near to stay calm and walk away slowly. Some additional preventive measures for children who have a known or suspected allergy to stings include the following: Carry a bee sting kit (such as Epi-Pen®) at all times and make sure your child knows how to use it. These products are available by prescription. Make sure your child wears long-sleeve shirts and long pants when playing outdoors. See an allergist for allergy testing and treatment.


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Swimming Pool Excavation
Are you a homeowner looking to add some fun to your summer, or a business owner looking for a way to increase business and satisfy your clients? Your decision to pursue pool construction is one that we can get behind. But before you can start enjoying your new pool, you'll have to find the right excavating contractors to get digging! At Ben Dig-N, we've been in the local industry for years, constructing attractive and functional pools for home and business owners alike. To us, pool digging isn't just about digging a hole. It's a big digging properly, safely, and creatively, to get our clients the best results.
Residential Pool Construction
When you're overseeing the construction of your own pool, you're going to be dealing with a lot of moving parts. That's why at Ben Dig-N, we do all we can to make this simple. As a full-service excavation company, we can assist with design, carry out excavation, and clean up after ourselves. We'll never leave you in the lurch with a massive pile of dirt and debris to deal with! In our years of work, we've become acquainted with many other contractors in the industry and can work well with others involved in the project.
Commercial Pool Construction
Time is of the essence when it comes to commercial pool excavation. As experienced swimming pool contractors, we know how to work to a deadline, and can accomplish any size job to the highest standards, within a set amount of time. If you require large-scale design assistance we're up to the task and are armed with industry knowledge to ensure a successful dig.
Detailed Digging
The prime reason to hire professional excavating companies is so that they can effectively deal with problems as they arise. The dirt on your dig site is not going to just be made up of dirt. There is the potential for rocks as well as groundwater during every excavation, and at Ben Dig-N, we have the equipment to both monitor for these problems ahead of time, and deal with them when they appear.
Pool Construction Cost
While the cost of your new pool is very dependent on the size and details, at Ben Dig-N we always do our best to provide accurate quotes with no hidden fees, as well as competitive rates. While some businesses require a pool in their budget such as many gyms and community centers, those that are on the fence as well as homeowners who are uncertain, can be sure that when it comes to excavation rates, ours cannot be beat.
Pool Excavation Professionals
With years of education and experience behind us, the team at Ben Dig-N is your go-to for swimming pool excavation. Offering expertise, as well as time and cost effectiveness, you can't go wrong when you employ our licensed and bonded excavation contractors. Offering free estimates for residential and commercial services, we can visit your home or build site today and let you know what your costs are going to look like, all at no obligation to you! Just give us a call!


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Hear Limbaugh's 'color-blind' rant here.
"First: Color-blindness is an impossibility. Socialization, history and the institutional facts on the ground make being honestly color-blind quixotic. But, second: Were it possible, it would be a disability, just like, well, red-green color-blindness." []
"Simply put: It is impossible to be color-blind in a racist society. And anyone with pretenses to the contrary is not only lying to themselves and everyone else by extension, but is also perpetuating racism."
— Frederic Christie, "Racial Color-Blindness: As Bad as Regular Blindness," Associated Content, Nov. 18, 2008.
Limbaugh's "Color-Blind" History of Racially-Charged Comments
— Media Matters, Oct. 13, 2009.


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The declarative SQL mode is considered to be one of the most valuable advantages of the entity-based view objects. In this mode the VO's SQL is generated at runtime depending on the attributes showed in UI. For example, if some page contains a table with only two columns EmployeeId and FirstName, then the query will be generated as "select Employee_ID, First_Name from Employees". This feature can significantly improve the performance of ADF application. But what about read-only or SQL-based view objects? JDeveloper doesn't allow you to choose the SQL mode for SQL-based VOs. Оnly "Expert" mode can be used with no chance to have the query generated on the fly. But everything is possible.
In this post we have an example of some SQL-based view object VEmployees:
Let's generate View Object Definition class:
We're going to override some methods:
@Override public boolean isRuntimeSQLGeneration() { return true; } @Override public boolean isFullSql() { return false; } @Override //In our case we know exactly the clause FROM public String buildDefaultFrom(AttributeDef[] attrDefs, SQLBuilder builder, BaseViewCriteriaManagerImpl vcManager) { return "Employees"; } @Override //Setting "Selected in Query" property for each attribute except PK protected void createDef() { for (AttributeDef at : getAttributeDefs()) if (!at.isPrimaryKey()) ((AttributeDefImpl) at).setSelected(false); }Actually, that's it! Let's test it.
For the page showing the full set of attributes, we have the result:
And generated query (I use ODL analyzer):
For the page with only two attributes we have the following result:
And the query:
The sample application for this post requires JDeveloper 126.96.36.199.0 and standard HR schema.


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"The service was superior, the food tasted divine, and all of it happened quietly around us so we were able to enjoy the night."
"Plush IS the caterer for "foodies". Once you try their innovative dishes you simply will not chose any other caterer."
Parents of the bride
"Juan is an amazing chef, their menu selections were all fabulous and they were willing to adjust and tailor to suit our tastes."
Bride & Groom
"Plush was absolutely perfect. I can't imagine a better caterer service for my wedding day!"


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Making sure your car or truck is ready for winter is an important aspect of being a responsible driver. But preparing your vehicle isn't just about checking your fluids and filling your tires – Old Man Winter can take a toll on a vehicle's exterior, which means it needs the proper protection too.
Freezing rain, snow, sleet, salt, road chemicals … a winter wonderland doesn't come without its side effects. For cars, these can cause devastating damage to the exterior, aging the vehicle and quickly becoming a headache to the owner. Follow these steps for protecting your car's exterior during cold weather, no matter what region of the country you live in.
Step 1: Wash regularly
Keeping your car squeaky clean isn't just for warm days. If anything, the salt, sand and chemicals on winter roads make washing even more important during cooler times of the year. How often should you wash? According to J.D. Power, vehicles should be washed when the paint starts to look dirty from two car lengths away. In times of inclement weather with extra salt and chemicals on the road, you should consider washing your vehicle sooner by heading to your local car wash or self-serve washing station.
Step 2: Replace wiper blades
Quality wiper blades serve two important purposes during winter – they help clean the glass from chemicals and elements that cause etching and cracking, plus they help keep the windshield clear for safe driving. Even though most people think of the cold temperatures during winter, the sun's ultraviolet rays can be extreme this time of year, especially when reflected off of snow. These rays can quickly damage the rubber on the wiper blade, causing it to crack and function incorrectly. Replace blades immediately if you notice streaks or a scraping noise. You'll keep your vehicle's exterior protected and front window clear on the roadways.
Step 3: Cover truck beds
Trucks are great for navigating through winter weather. But if a truck has an open bed and is parked outdoors, it can quickly fill up with snow, sleet and freezing rain. Who wants to shovel out their truck bed? Protect your bed and extend its use year-round with an Access Tonneau cover. Custom fit to each truck model, the Tonneau's fabric is pliable in temperatures as low as negative 40, yet strong enough to withstand heavy snow and ice that may build up on top of it when parked outdoors. When hauling, the cover protects the contents underneath while ensuring your truck bed remains safe from the elements. A tonneau cover also prevents your cargo from blowing out of the box and earning you a ticket for littering – which can leave you stuck with a sizable fine.
Step 4: Wax well
Most people forget about the importance of wax during the winter months. While wax protects a car's paint during summer's heat, it creates a critical barrier between a vehicle's exterior and the salt and grime of the road during winter. Have your car professionally waxed and it should last for multiple months. If you do it yourself, make sure to apply the wax in a warmer environment, such as a heated garage. If you have alloy wheels, special wheel wax can help provide protection from brake dust and decay from salty deposits.
Vehicles are a big investment, so it's important to keep them looking and functioning well, both inside and out. Follow these tips to prevent winter's wear from taking a toll on your vehicle's exterior.


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Files, Users, and Shell Customization
When a friend of mine got a new Unix computer, the console display didn't look quite right. When we tried to view files, the operating system didn't know how big the screen was. It displayed the entire file instead of a screen at a time.
My Unix was a bit rusty at the time, but I remembered that there was a stty command to change attributes of the display. Looking at the help listing for stty, I noticed a person could set the rows and the line. Thinking that line must be the number of lines on the display, I typed stty line 24. The computer stopped responding, forcing us to reboot it.
We phoned up a Unix professional who had the same operating system. He said, "That should have worked. Let me try it." There was a brief pause. "I locked up my computer, too."
It turned out that stty line 24 set the serial port for the display, changing it to port 24 when there was no device connected to port 24. With the wide variety of options available to Unix-based operating systems like Linux, it can sometimes be difficult to predict what a command actually does. This chapter expands on the last chapter, covering more basic commands and their many, sometimes confusing, options.
Listing Files
The ls (list) command shows the contents of the current directory. Although ls is a familiar command available on all Unix-like operating system, Linux uses the ls command from the GNU fileutils project and has many special switches and features.
$ ls archive check-orders.sh orders.txt
ls has switches that affect how the files are listed, including the level of detail, the sorting order, and the number of columns. Most Linux distributions set up certain defaults for ls command. Red Hat, for example, has the -q and -F switches on by default. From the point of view of script writing, it's not safe to use the ls command in a script without specifying the appropriate switches because you can't be sure which defaults a particular distribution uses.
ls hides files that begin with a period. This is the Linux convention for configuration files, history files, and other files that a user isn't normally interested in. To see these files, use the -A (all) switch. Use -a (absolutely all) to show the implicit . and .. files as well.
$ ls -A .bash_history .bash_logout .bash_profile .bashrc archive check-orders.sh orders.txt
The filenames can be printed in color to show the kind of file they are. The colors are defined in a file /etc/DIR_COLORS. You can customize the colors using a .dir_colors file in your own directory. The format of the file is described in the /etc/DIR_COLORS file.
To display the files without color and with symbols instead, use the --color and --classify (or -F) switches. (On most Linux distributions, this feature is turned on using aliases.)
$ ls --color=never --classify archive/ check-orders.sh* orders.txt
The classify symbols are directories (/), programs (*), symbolic links (@), pipes (|), and Unix domain socket files (=). These symbols are not a part of the name: They are hints as to the type of file. In this example, archive is a directory and check-orders.sh is a program.
Another very important switch is --hide-control-chars (or -q). Linux filenames can contain any character, even control characters. It is possible to create a filename with hidden characters in the name. In these cases, you can't rename or delete the file unless you know what the hidden characters are. Contrary to what the name implies, the --hide-control-chars switch displays any unprintable characters in the filename as question marks, making their locations visible.
$ rm orders.txt rm: orders.txt non-existent $ ls --color=never --classify -hide-control-chars archive/ check-orders.sh* orde?rs.txt
A complete list of switches appears at the end of this chapter.


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If you're preparing to sell, or you've recently purchased a new home, you may find yourself with a list of repairs you need to make. Chances are, some of those repairs will require expert skills that you just don't have. When that happens, it's time to hire a contractor. But how do you find the best one for the job?
Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind while you're searching for a professional who will get the job done right.
Get referrals from friends and family
The best place to start when you need to hire a contractor is with referrals from friends and family. If anyone you know has recently completed renovations on their home, then find out which contractor they hired and how they felt about the process and finished product.
Research the contractor
Once you've made a list of a few potential contractors, it's time to do some research. Find out how long they've been in business and whether or not they are licensed and insured. Check online sites like Houzz and Yelp for reviews from previous customers. Are most of their reviews positive? You can also contact the Better Business Bureau and the local building inspector's office for any complaints that have been lodged against them.
Interview each candidate
Once you've narrowed your choices, you should make calls to each potential contractor and interview them. Good questions to ask contractors include:
- How many projects like this have you completed recently?
- Will I need a permit?
- Can you supply me with a list of references?
- Do you have the proper insurance?
- Do you use subcontractors for any of the work? Who are they?
- How many other projects will you have going on at the same time?
- How long does a project like mine usually take to complete?
As you chat with the contractors, you'll see how well you can communicate and how comfortable you feel with them.
Get estimates
It's now time to get estimates for your project from each contractor. Although they will likely want to just offer a bottom line price, ask for an itemized bid so you can see exactly what they will be charging you for. This will make it easier to compare each bid. It will also help should the details or scope of the project change down the line.
When it comes to choosing the bid, keep in mind that the cheapest one is not necessarily the best. You may end up spending more money later to fix work that was not done properly the first time. Also find out what type of payment schedule they require. Be wary of anyone who asks for the full amount up front, as they may be having financial difficulties or are worried you'll refuse to pay once you see the work they do.
Get everything in writing
Once you've chosen a contractor based on the information above, you should get everything in writing before the work commences. This includes how long the work should take, the total cost, the payment schedule and how additional costs will be handled.
Compliments of Virtual Results


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In order to survive and grow in an increasingly competitive and accountable business environment, organizations are required to report not only on their financial performance, but also their nonfinancial performance.
Ignoring sustainability, environmental, health and safety (EHS) and climate change risks and stakeholder concerns around these issues is no longer an option. While CFOs may not have traditionally led the way, they are increasingly expected to play a more active role.
EY's global Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) teams understand the evolving pressures surrounding these challenges. As a result, they can help companies to respond by understanding and evaluating the broader value impacts and outcomes, identifying the opportunities, and supporting the reporting of nonfinancial performance risks to their stakeholders.
How will understanding climate risk move you from ambition to action?
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Learn how lifelong passions have shaped both our professionals' working lives and the support they offer EY clients.
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At EY, you'll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.
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The page you are looking for has been removed from N&N Vintage Costume Jewelry, because the item was sold.
But with about 3500 items on our website, the chances are very high that there will be something else that appeals that's still for sale. You can search all those items here - |
Or visit our Masterpiece Collection - our rarest and finest pieces |
Or visit the collections by designer or theme, linked from our home page |


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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Simone Biles' run at Olympic history hit a roadblock on Monday when a mistake on balance beam kept the American gymnastics star from a record-tying fourth gold in Rio.
The 19-year-old was in the middle of her routine when she landed awkwardly while completing a front somersault. Her right foot slipped and she reached down with both hands to steady herself. She rolled her eyes as she waited for her score of 14.733 to be posted. While it was still good enough for bronze behind gold medalist Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands and silver medalist Laurie Hernandez of the U.S., it also means Biles' bid to become the first woman to win five golds in a single Olympics is over.
Already a three-time gold medalist (all-around, team and vault) when she walked onto the floor on Monday, Biles was a favorite on beam as the reigning world champion. She topped qualifying last week and had just completed the most difficult part of her routine — a tumbling pass that stretches the length of the 4-inch wide slab of wood — when she missed the landing following her punch front flip.
The mistake opened the door for Wevers, who put together an elegant set to earn a 15.433. Hernandez, who helped the Americans to team gold last week, followed with a 15.333 to give the "Final Five" seven medals overall in Rio.
Biles will get another shot at gold on Tuesday in the floor exercise final. She's attempting to join Larisa Latynina, Vera Caslavska and Ecaterina Szabo as the only women to win four golds during an Olympic meet.
The silver medal was a bit of redemption for Hernandez, who has been battling a minor injury and was held out of the all-around competition.
Earlier Monday Ri Se Gwang of North Korea took gold in men's vault while Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece topped the podium on the still rings.


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The constellation "Smaller Lion" is not one of the classic, ancient constellations. Therefore, there is no mythological background to this constellation. Naming the constellation happened in 1930 and was a memorable error, which has been preserved until today. When assigning Greek letters to the stars, the astronomer Francis Baily failed to notice that no alpha letter was assigned to "Leo Minor". He provided one of the brighter stars accidentally with the letter beta, which to this day remained the case.
Shape and position:
The constellation "Smaller Lion" lies between the constellations "Lion" and "Big Bear" in the northern sky. The constellation "Smaller Lion" have many double stars, such as the 40 Leo Minoris and 11 Leo Minoris. Worth noticing is also "R Leo Minoris" - its brightness varies during the period of 372 days between 6.3 m and 13 m.
Right ascension: 9h 22m to 11h 6m
Declination: +22 ° to +41 °
Brightest star: Praecipua (46 LMi)
Since the "Smaller Lion" was not introduced until 1687 by Johannes Hevelius, this constellation is not of Greek mythology. Hevelius added the constellation "Smaller Lion" to his Sky Atlas in 1690 merely as a small filling pattern. The Gdańsk astronomer named the stars even after Greek letters, and in 1930 it became one of the brightest stars with the Greek letter beta linked to it.
Best season for observation: Spring
Neighbouring constellations: Great Bear, Lion, Crab, Lynx


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I'm a flute teacher, a soloist and a chamber music player.
As a teacher I pass my students both my life-time experience as flute soloist and my passion for the art of playing music. I have guided countless flute students from their first approach to the instrument, all the way to achieve technical perfection and taught them how to bring out the musician they have inside.
As a soloist, I practice every day and extend my repertoire year after year while I expand my career. Chamber music is where I co-operate with other musicians to bring together our musical ideas and convey them to the audience.
It doesn't matter if you are a young beginner or a mature student.
My positive approach is based on listening to you first, on playing together with you and encouraging and in gradually building confidence in your playing. I will help you learn and perfect new techniques through examples, clear explanations and experiments.
I will expand your knowledge of flute literature and, if you wish so, I will help you through graded exams.


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While side tables are characterised by a maximum diameter of 60 cm and can be up to 70 cm high, coffee tables are usually solitary furniture, which are flatter and have a larger diameter.
Whether as a bedside table in the bedroom, as a shelf in the entrance area or anywhere else where you want to store something but do not want to place a heavy piece of furniture, side tables are the right choice. They are handy and allow easy movement and versatile use. Many designer side tables even already have a handle that makes them easier to carry.
That's why you don't have to worry about whether the size is proportional to the size of the sofa and whether there is still enough space before you buy.
"Side tables at the sofa can be an attractive and practical addition to the coffee table. You can place them directly next to the solitaire furniture or as required, e.g. next to the sofa armrests. Many brands therefore offer coffee tables and side tables in the same design. In this way you create a sense of belonging together in the room, even if they are not directly connected." - Viktoria, furnishing expert
In terms of shape, a C-shaped side table (1), which can be slid over the sofa surface and can even replace armrests, is the right choice for projecting L-shaped sofas and sofas without armrests.
A collection of round side tables (2), which you can move depending on the size of the sofa and company, is ideal for sofa solutions with Recamiere.
With spacious sofa landscapes square square tables in various sizes and heights (3) or extendable side table models are recommended.
The perfect complement for long, straight sofas is a combination of longitudinally arranged side tables (4).
If you want to have several coffee tables, choose side tables from the same manufacturer in different sizes or directly a side table set in different heights.
Tip: "The living area appears more lively and modern with an arrangement of side tables, as the combination of different heights increases the spatial effect and there is always something suitable for the respective need - as a place to put the reading, to put down the drink or for the decoration accessory."
Side tables are not only a beautiful decorative element, but also convince with their additional functions: Models with storage space (1) are based on baskets, while straight side tables with castors (2) are also perfect as desserte. In addition, many side tables have useful attributes such as an integrated tray, a magazine rack (3), a handle (4), an integrated light source or even a charging station.
The mix of different side table designs is particularly stylish and unique at the same time. The most important rules to keep it harmonious are the preservation of the basic form and the repetition of design features. The reuse of materials, colours or frame types, e.g. column feet or filigree metal frames, creates a stylish ensemble. However, they are free to choose the height, because it is the combination of different side table heights that makes the arrangement expressive and exciting.
The following applies to unusual models: Eye-catchers should remain eye-catchers and it is advisable to complement them with simple minimalist examples.
No matter whether side table for the garden, kitchen or living room - the materials and the associated moods of this piece of furniture are as varied as its possible uses.
You will be particularly in line with the trend with a woven side table (1), which attracts attention with its unusual feel and brings naturalness to any room.
Whether you are looking for a side table in white, black or gold - models made of plastic (2) have a very wide range of colours and shapes. They are also easy to clean and, due to their low weight, easy to move.
Side tables made of metal (3) also have these practical characteristics. Due to their robust material they can also be used in the garden or on the balcony.
You can choose a modern model with a side table made of stone (4), which gets its special look from structures and grains. However, some of these tables are very heavy, so that the flexible choice of location is impaired.
With a side table made of (5) wood is a particularly robust and durable piece of furniture that can change colour over time and give warmth and comfort to rooms.
Side tables made of glass (6) on the other hand appear airy, but also modern and cool. Particularly in households with children, safety glass should be used to prevent it from breaking into sharp shards.
While you are free to choose indoors, for side tables that you also want to take outside, make sure you choose teak, powder-coated steel or plastic that is specially marked for outdoor use.
You want to buy design side tables online, but need support? Please feel free to contact our customer service at any time. We are at your side with advice and practical support for your purchase, give recommendations and can quickly clarify questions. Let us then conveniently deliver your desired article directly to your home.


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News — Herbs
Best Restaurant Decor Ideas For 2024
2024 Ambience Antique Artificial Grass Artificial Plants Best Budget-friendly Ceiling Ceramic tiles Chinese Classic style Community Creative seating Culture Customer Dictates Diners DIY Drive Element Exclusive Facebook Fiberglass Planters Flooring Flowers Food Food recipes Freshness FRP Pots Greens Herbs Home decor Ideas Indian Ingredients Instagram Italian Large Pots Large Vases Lighting Mediterranean Menu Middle Eastern Mind blowing Mind boggling Mood Moroccan Photo frames Plants Plush Potuguese Restaurant Restaurant decor Rich colors Rustic Self adhesive Successful Themed decor Tranquil Trendy Wall art Wall clocks Wall decor Wall tile stickers Walls
Food is an important part of culture. And for some, the passion for food inspires to open their dream restaurant. But success in the restaurant business isn't just about the food anymore. The look and feel of your restaurant also play a vital role in your customer's experience and that's why it's essential to make your restaurant's interior comfortable, welcoming and appealing.
Most of the time it's the menu which dictates your decor theme. This menu can be Italian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Middle Eastern or Indian. Use this as a starting point to decorate your restaurant.
You can also opt for simple, inexpensive ways to update your restaurant's look and feel like a fresh coat of paint, some new light fixtures and changing out the artwork in your dining room. Some of the best, mind blowing, budget-friendly restaurant decor ideas to enhance the restaurant business that's going to rule 2024 are listed below:


text: Remember how the self defense experts would tell you to place your keys between your fingers and punch? Now there is something much better and more effective. Carry the Heart Attack on your key chain and be ready to protect yourself anytime. The Heart Attack is small (3.5 inches long) and made of tough plastic. Hold it between your fingers and punch! Attackers beware!