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Peace and quiet in the middle of a field.
I have made a commitment to quiet.
A year not of silence, but of quiet.
Let's call it "The Year Of Living Quietly".
I'm only speaking when necessary.
Read on.
The interesting thing is that I seem to have said more in the last 20 days since I made this commitment than in many years.
People are responding to me in amazing ways when they learn I have made a commitment to quiet.
"I have to admit I'm a bit envious."
"Good for you. I would love to be able to do that."
"I do my best to be silent around my home during the day for introspection."
I'm taking it day by day, of course.
Because of what I do as a teacher it is pretty impossible to be completely silent. BUT I am tinkering with it in class.
What I have observed so far is that the students DO get quieter when I fill them in on my commitment. Quieter, more present, more focused.
I have quiet days (minimal talking) and then I will have silent days when I can (no talking at all).
How did this come about?
I have been thinking about it for some time.
I was (am) the proverbial Chatty Cathy. I was talkative in grade school - and that was duly noted in report card after report card.
Then I went into the entertainment field - the business of talking.
When I began to study then teach meditation I realized how lovely it was to have those moments of silence.
That being said, the lion's share of my classes are guided so…more talking.
Each class has a section of silent meditation.
Many, many students tell me how they struggle in the silence.
They often remark that the class goes more quickly, and they are much more focused and present, when they can listen to a voice or music.
That is because thoughts are distracting in the silence. When a thought crosses our minds instead of letting it come and go we start actively thinking and then our minds are off to the races.
Acknowledge that you have a thought instead of worrying that meditation's purpose is to achieve an empty mind and have no thoughts.
We have to accept that we are thinking beings and understand that the thought will be there when we are done with our meditation.
Or not, so don't worry about that either.
Years ago I read a book and taught a class on that particular book. The book is called The Ragged Edge of Silence. The author, John Francis, walked North America for 22 years after witnessing two tankers collide and creating an oil spill in San Francisco. He walked in protest and refused to use motorized vehicles from the day he witnessed the spill onward. (He has a talk on TED Talks and I highly recommend watching it.)
He, like me, was an avid talker.
However, with his newfound activism, he was getting into a lot of arguments and confrontations.
To mitigate those arguments he thought "what if I am silent for one day? What will happen?"
That one day turned into 17 years. In that time he got his Bachelor's degree, Master's degree and Ph.D. He didn't say a word.
He didn't want to contribute to the problem of too much talking and not enough doing, listening and hearing.
After a lot of reflection, here are some of the reasons I am embarking on this for the year :
-to listen better
-to learn more
-to read more
-to write more
-to train my mind to think less (Yes, think less! Once you get over the impetus of "I CAN'T TALK!!" you relax and actually think LESS.)
-to think about and measure my words, responses, input, dialogue, and expression.
-to learn a new musical instrument.
Our country is in a crisis of words. There is not enough dialogue but there is plenty of arguing, yelling, insulting, profanity, and violence.
Is this a new thing? No, but I refuse to contribute to it.
Maybe this is also MY protest.
In a very small way, and especially since I teach in communities where violence, discrimination and injustice is part of daily life, I want to make a difference.
Some may say I am crazy or looking for attention (the crazy part may be true but I don't need ANY attention).
Others may be supportive or just scratch their heads and go about their merry way. I'm ok with ALL of that!
Already on day 20, I feel freer. I hear more. I am calmer. I relax more. I see more. I am more aware.
I thought I was pretty aware already!
If I HAVE to say something it is concise and to the point. No wasted words, and long explanations.
In those situations where I do talk more I find myself yearning NOT to talk. Chitter chatter doesn't fit in at this point.
Talking is attached to thinking...and wouldn't it be lovely not to think so much?
That is certainly a challenge for deep, analytical and introspective thinkers.
Psychologically, excessive talking can be a sign of anxiety or insecurity.
I recently saw the film The Shape of Water. The main character is mute.
If the film did anything for me it showed me that words can be cheap...and actions are important.
Conversation IS important and so is communication.
There are so many ways to communicate.
The worldwide challenge is for people to talk TO each other not AT each other.
Get quiet, really listen.
Make your spoken words gems, not stones.
You may find you smile more, think less, relax more and observe A LOT more.
You'll find some challenges with quiet or not talking at all. Family, friends, and the cashier at the grocery store may not get it or may push back.
That's ok. Take it one moment at a time.
You'll learn all sorts of ways to communicate.
Smile, nod, give a thumbs up or thumbs down, wave, it all works very well.
You may be surprised at the responses you get and the effort others make to work with you and to pay closer attention, too.
I look forward to posting more on quiet, moving meditation, and this thing called life.
Maybe you, too, will find that quiet in your world.
As always, thanks for reading.
See you next week.
Leave a Reply.
KaZ has been in many facets of entertainment, plus the co-owner of two restaurants, a fitness center, a television production company and the owner of a cinema. She did a stint in politics (she won't be doing that again anytime soon), and in veterinary medicine, She now focuses on writing.
In addition to the above, KaZ is an award-winning vocalist, a former dancer, stunt actor, circus artist, & professional water skier. She has worked as a theater artistic director & writer.
KaZ has been a published writer in magazines & books since the age of 15. She has written plays that have been produced in New York, Florida & New Orleans. She has a featured chapter in the book How To Survive A Move. (Up-to-date she has moved 45 times!) KaZ wrote an article for Organic Wine Journal, and also an article featured at the Ground Zero Memorial.
KaZ co-wrote 2 television informational series & 3 television pilots.
One of the pilots, a sit-com, was produced as a reality pilot. KaZ has revisited it and it's now a one season cable series.
"(And ) Then This Happened." is based on life, love, and everything in between in the mid-life years. Loosely based on her life and the life of two of her best girlfriends.
KaZ's many high pressure pursuits led her to meditation.
She began studying meditation in '91. Her initial training focused on Kundalini Yoga with Yogi Bhajan and his teachers. She is a certified Master Meditation and Qigong Instructor.
Most recently KaZ taught in a juvenile justice facility, and lectured on mental health in juvenile justice.
With writing being her first love, look for KaZ's upcoming children's books
from the mind of two grandmothers.
Plus, a play based on letters from her two great uncles during WWII.
November 2018


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Arsenic and human waste found in fake make-up
Do you like putting human urine on your face? How about rat poo? Do you want to daub yourself with a mixture of the aforementioned, especially when it is mixed together with arsenic? If you're into that, you should totally buy a load of fake make-up.
If not, then the police are saying that you should avoid fake beauty products, which are being sold all over Britain.
A campaign has been launched called 'Wake Up - Don't Fake Up', which aims to warn consumers about the fake beauty product industry, which is reportedly worth £90m a year. This isn't some dodgy person flogging counterfeit perfume out of a suitcase on a street corner - thanks to the internet, these products are everywhere.
Sadly, consumers are being conned as, online, you can't hold the product to see inspect it and stock images are being used with these knock-off goods, so they look like the real deal.
The police's lab tests have shown all manner of horrible stuff in them. Fake perfumes have been tested and, in them, they've found cyanide and urine.
Many counterfeit cosmetics are made in unsanitary factories, which means whatever vermin is creeping around there is taking a dump in the products, which you then wipe all over your face. Not cool.
Something is being done about this, though - in the last 18 months, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has suspended more than 5,500 websites which were flogging fake-up, and they seized more than £3.5m worth of products.
Detective Superintendent Maria Woodall said: "Many people don't know about the real dangers counterfeit beauty products pose to their health. That is why this week we are urging the public to Wake up - don't fake up! Criminals are exploiting every opportunity to fool customers into buying counterfeits in order for them to make some quick cash - putting people's health, homes and lives at risk."
"Beauty products are meant to enhance your features, however the fakes can in fact do quite the opposite. Our general rule is: if it seems too good to be true then it probably is."

subset: commoncrawl


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Book Store
Find the early and current works of the writers and authors contributing to Society is an Illusion.
Ad Novus Roma: To the New Rome
They defied imagination, pushed humanity to its greatest heights, and stand alone in the pages of history. One is the cementer of the West, the other, its greatest champion. Now their world's combine, in the most perennial work of a new generation of historian.
Travel back in time to a world facing a language crisis, unchecked immigration, an insurgency in Iraq, an ever more powerful head of state with ever more inept leaders to head it, a populace gone apathetic, an economy gone awry, a loss of traditional values, and an inability to bring about change.
This IS America.
This WAS Rome.
See OUR world through THEIR eyes as modern ideology is tested against ancient reality when the State of the Union meets the Fate of the Empire.
The book that would ultimately lead to Society is an Illusion, is now available to you on Kindle.
The Hour We Least Expected
What Do You Expect?
According to Christians, 2,000 years ago the Jewish people and their
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For the past 2,000 years Christians and their leaders have been expecting this Messiah to return in grand style and with a great battle in which He will conquer His enemies with all of His power and might. They expect a day of judgment, and the end of the world as we know it. They expect that the time is coming soon when the Son of God will be glorified, achieving total victory over sin and death, and fulfilling all of the prophesies of the Bible.
Jesus explained to His disciples, in Matthew 24, that this end would come like a thief in the night, at a time when they least expected it. To this day, Christians look to the future for this great hour to arrive. Just as the Jews had preconceived ideas about how and when the Messiah would come, Christians have many ideas about how and when the Messiah will come back to obtain His final victory.
Are the Jews wrong about Jesus?
Are the Christians right about the details and timing of His coming?
This book is a re-examination of the story of Jesus, and demonstrates how the acknowledgment of once seemingly insignificant details of specific
Bible passages can change the outcome and bring clarity and recognition to the most important hour in human history...
The Hour We Least Expected.


text:
We spoke to our expert panel at this year's Junior Design Awards to find out what floats their design boat and what they love the most about being a judge...
Posted: 07 November 2014
by Catherine Hudson
Zoe India Goldsmith
Children in the family:
The baby in our family is our house rabbit Ru-Ru. We also have a niece and nephew and a new nephew due later this year.
Day job:
Design Director at Hucklebones
Baking, Running, Cycling & Yoga. Shopping vintage markets for antique furniture and objects.
Favourite room in the house and why:
Our kitchen is east facing so flooded with light in the mornings and is my favourite place to start the day with a cup of tea. This room leads out onto our balcony so I can keep an eye on our plants, which give me a great sense of the seasons.
Why is good design important to you?
I am definitely drawn to the aesthetics initially and do find the way something looks very important. However function cannot be ignored and good design should embody both of these factors. Good design should not feel like a compromise it should be able to serve its purpose as well as be visually pleasing. I believe having an understanding of these principles allow us to appreciate good design in all aspects of life.
What qualities do you look for when buying well-designed products for your home?
When buying for our home I look for well-made products that can last the test of time. I would always rather buy once and buy well than have to replace things because they weren't up to their job. Uncomplicated and simple design is always appealing to me, a well designed product doesn't need bells and whistles to make it appealing. I love when a product looks great as well as performing it's task – I don't think there is any need to compromise one for the other.
What or who is your favourite family homeware design label/designer and why?
This is a tough one but I do love Ferm Living – their colours and simple designs are so appealing to me.
What or who is your favourite fashion design label/designer for kids and why?
For me Hucklebones has many of the aspects I look for in a brand. High quality fabrics, good design and a carefully tailored cut and fit. This was the inspiration behind the brand that the values we looked for when purchasing our own clothing should be equally as important in children's clothing. The timeless designs that are still very 'now' that can appeal to all generations and offer excellent value for money.
Do you have any treasured family heirlooms?
Lots – probably too many. I have all sorts of treasures I have been given by my parents and grandparents that mean so much to me. I am quite sentimental so find it very hard to part with things even though to anyone else the items probably have no value at all.
What piece of great design do you wish you had invented?
Something that has always appealed to me and has certainly stood the test of time is the Fiat 500. A super cute car designed as an affordable family vehicle, which still looks as stylish and fun as it did in the '60s and '70s. I love the detailing and consideration that has gone into its design making it as desirable today as it was when it was first introduced.
What were you most looking forward to about being a Junior Design Awards judge for the day?
I was really looking forward to judging the Junior Design Awards - there is so much fantastic design out there, it was certainly be a challenge but I'm a true believer that great design should be recognised, so was honoured to be invited to judge the award this year.
Read more...
Posted: 14/03/2017 at 17:41
Posted: 22/04/2018 at 09:27
© Immediate Media Company Ltd. 2018 This website is owned and published by Immediate Media Company Limited. www.immediate.co.uk
Version 2016.9.3.0


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|Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1907-1975)
Unconscious Exclusion
When I first started to collect musical recordings as a boy, Shostakovich was far from the top of my list. However, over the years the collection began to fill out and I began to purchase the works of composers I was less familiar with. I would start with symphonic, move to chamber and then operatic.
The collection of orchestral and chamber would normally begin with Germanic, while operatic seemed to naturally develop from Italian. Aside from the usual Tchaikovsky classics, I seemed to have some mental block towards Russian repertory.
Hidden Treasures
Finally having completed most of my Italian operas, I turned to German opera. There were not a lot of surprised, as I had heard most of the German works on the radio, through friends or at concerts. The next move was to French operas. I was pleased to discover these unfamiliar and largely unperformed works to be a far richer and robust repertory than I had imagined.
My friends associated with music as well as music store sales people provided a host of explanations as to why Italian and German works saw the stage more often. However, over time it became clear these operas were ignored simply because they were French. After experiencing Massenet, Bizet, Gounod and others, I could not help but feel precious gems had been sweep beneath some type of cultural rug.
|Collection Guides
As time went on, I found myself being lured towards the unfamiliar. It seemed everything that wasn't popular was as good and sometimes better than the popular. Uncovering different works became exciting as well as fulfilling. My French operas expanded to include Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Charpentier, Debussy and more. What a treat! When I would discuss my new additions with friends that had similar musical interests they were often times unfamiliar with my discoveries.
Turning to collection guides and reference books, writers would usually poo-poo them for being obscure, difficult to sing, clunky or too expensive too perform. I found myself questioning these notions, as the same could be said for many Italian and German works dominating the stage. It almost seemed to be a conspiracy.
|Rimsky-Korsakov: Ivan the Terrible
Turning Point
However, it wasn't until I ventured into Russian opera that my ears were truly opened. For centuries the West had either ignored or criticized Russian opera. Based upon existing prejudices of music writers and record salesmen, the repertory had numerous issues. Russian appeared a difficult language, librettos were often times referred to as boring, they had long run times, etc.
Again, I found the same criticisms could be applied to many operas popular in the West. However, the criticism that seemed most unfair, even cruel, was that Russian operas were ultimately based upon folk tunes and that those folk references somehow made them inferior.
I was some 25 or 30 years into collection at this point, and this was to be the greatest lesson in music appreciation I would experience. Aside from Tchaikovsky, whose training and influences had western influences, the roots of most other Russian composers like Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Mussorgsky were indeed folkish. However, folkish doesn't necessarily dictate performance by an organ grinder with a trained monkey. These composers had, as with Dvorak's New World Symphony, taken folk sources to an entirely new level.
I began to fall in love with this incredibly rich repertory, but regularly defending the works by criticizing western notions of their inferiority. Why had American and British musicologists, lecturers and musical directors ignored or shown distain for these works? Aside from deliberate neglect during the Cold War, I could not qualify a single reason. However, the trend would continue against other eastern works.
|Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Beautiful Inconsistencies
I was a huge fan of Richard Strauss in my teens and early twenties. Few music lovers complain about Strauss for being inconsistent as he jumped from the deliciously modern and dissonant Elektra to a nostalgically romantic and gorgeous Rosenkavalier, composing both operas within two years. Instead, Strauss is quite correctly referred to as diverse.
Many years later I would overcome prejudice and stumble upon Shostakovich. By this time in my collecting there is almost no composer I would not embrace, even if some initial patience was required. However, there can be no doubt I had put Shostakovich off because of prejudicial influences. Of all composers whose work I have learned to love over the years, I can say without reservations that Shostakovich has been the most maligned by critics. Unlike Richard Strauss's diversity, Shostakovich is inveritably referred to as either inconsistent or a knockoff. Pierre Boulez's remark that Shostakovich was a "...second or even third pressing of Mahler" would seem to dismiss evolving influences, even though the same could be said of Schubert, Brahms and countless earlier composers for having modeled their works after Beethoven. However, this remark by Boulez, a great musician in his own right, simply demonstrate's the 20th century's obsession with market-driven uniqueness, even at the cost of substance.
|Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
The Inevitable Comparison
Shostakovich's work is often times compared to his world renowned contemporary, Stravinsky. Even when seemingly positive similarities are drawn, the outcome is always unfair to Shostakovich and inevitably slants favorably towards Stravinsky's unique genius for innovation. Both composers lived and composed in different worlds. For clarification sake, they could have even been from different planets. Dimitri Shostakovich lost income, position and prestige as well as being publicly humiliated by simple-minded government criticism for not composing for the masses or, more accurately, the proletariat ear.
Conversely, this same criticism would then be redirected by western critics to describe Shostakovich's musical works as socialistic formulations and therefore less than great. Would the West have had a higher opinion if he had cut off his ear or shot himself and thereby shortened his career? What bullshit! By comparison, the Paris and New York based Igor Stravinsky dealt with none of these pressures.
|The Moderato from Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5
Large Body of Work
Shostakovich works include soundtracks which he composed as a source of income. He was also required to produce conservative compositions written for general audiences. He was continually in a position to compose these concert pieces to reinstate himself within a musical establishment controlled by the Soviet Party. Lastly, there was a third and separate volume of unpublished work he simply relegated to his desk drawer. This latter volume of work would not begin to emerge until after Stalin and his purges left the stage.
|Joseph Stalin (1878-1953)
Like Beethoven, Shostakovich proved his diversity by composing what became largely successful volumes of chamber, symphonic and operatic work, along with soundtracks as incidental music. Personally, I don't have a problem with the diversity and continually enjoy listening to it all of his works. Also, since a large portion of his work was not performed, he was forced to composed in a vacuum without the luxury of non-politically motivated reviews or audience feedback. It must have been like writing in some cave on a desert island.
By the late 40's, after almost a decade and a half of public denunciations, Shostakovich was known to chain smoke outside his apartment, so as to not wake his sleeping family, should the secret police arrive at his home to arrest him (Shostakovich lost Sofiya Varzarm, his mother-in-law and an astronomer, during the Great Purge). How many of history's great composers could have maintained Shostakovich's level of creativity and output in such an environment? Would the critics that panned Shostakovich have continued writing columns under similar conditions?
|WWII Shostakovich in the Leningrad Fire Brigade
There can be little doubt that Shostakovich's music would have been different if, like Stravinsky, he had cut all ties and left the Soviet Union at an early age and again, like Stravinsky, emerged himself within the avant-garde to be idolized as a rebellious star. He certainly proved himself to be capable early on. His work came to the attention of the world famous German conductor Bruno Walter when he was only 19 years of age.
However, no one has yet convinced me his music would have been better if he had left for the West. His output may have even been less. We will simply never know. Today, after years of familiarizing myself with most of his reparatory, I would be willing to go toe to toe with any persisting critic and argue his work to be no less than genius, even as it remains uniquely Russian.
|"Horses" by Vasily Golubev (1962)
Tearing Down Walls
The works of 20th century Russian painters can easily be compared to Shostakovich and his art. They may not have been avant-garde or different for the sake of difference, yet this mountain of recently embraced Russian paintings are today considered great works of neoimpressionism. Many of these paintings done during the Stalin years bring in some of the highest and most sustained auction prices ever experienced in the West.
We each have to decide on what prejudicial walls to tear down. Audiences are made up of unique individuals with their own separate tastes and not paid critics who wish to prove a point, promote a philosophy or sell a book. By contrast, these critics are merely signposts, and road markers can oftentimes be ignored when one is in discovery mode. Time remains the ultimate judge for all art, and I have no doubt Shostakovich's works will be enjoyed for many generations to come.
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Santuario de Guadalupe, the oil painting by Tom Mallon. This 42" x 22" canvas is the latest addition to the Santa Fe Portrait Series. The Santuario is the oldest shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the US.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Tom Mallon's website "MallonArt". This website will provide you with links to all his paintings, drawings and other artwork portfolios, including the ongoing series entitled the Santa Fe Portrait.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Got Feedback?
Comments? Questions? Corrections? Any feedback at all? Just click on the comments box at the bottom of this page and enter your thoughts. All comments are welcome.
Santuario de Guadalupe, the oil painting by Tom Mallon. This 42" x 22" canvas is the latest addition to the Santa Fe Portrait Series. The Santuario is the oldest shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the US.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Tom Mallon's website "MallonArt". This website will provide you with links to all his paintings, drawings and other artwork portfolios, including the ongoing series entitled the Santa Fe Portrait.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Copyright ©2013 Tom Mallon. All rights reserved.


text:
The live music scene in downtown Riverside has a new player — Romano's.
In January, restaurateur Gary Romano opened his fourth Inland Empire pizzeria/Italian restaurant in a historic 13,000-square-foot space on University Avenue that originally served as a carriage repair shop in the 1890s. Most recently, it was a sports bar and eatery, D-Dogs, which closed in December 2015.
Now completely remodeled with a street-level restaurant boasting big-screen TVs and framed photos of Chicago sports stars, Romano's also has a nearly 500-seat concert lounge upstairs with a full bar and an outdoor patio that allows nighttime views of the city lights. It has a separate entrance from the restaurant, accessible by stairs or elevator.
When the opportunity arose to expand his business and open a larger concert venue than the one at his Canyon Crest location, Romano says he definitely wanted to explore it.
"So much has changed downtown in the last five years," he added. "There's a lot of really positive things going on with the Fox [Performing Arts Center], the Municipal [Auditorium] and other places opening up."
Downtown Riverside: A music destination
Of course, the area has plenty of other entertainment options. For example, a short walk up the street from Romano's are a pair of live music stalwarts, Lake Alice Trading Co. and Mission Tobacco Lounge, which have long been known for showcasing local and regional talent.
For Romano, the new locale provides a chance to do live music better and "on another level" than what he could stage at Canyon Crest.
Having a showroom "that's autonomous to itself means we're not transforming the restaurant into a [concert] venue like we did for so many years. I'm proud of what we did there, but it was a lot of work. We definitely outgrew it."
Having dedicated areas for each of its missions — meals and music — is already paying dividends, Romano says, because the shows can now start 90 minutes to two hours earlier than they did at the Canyon Crest location, which remains open and is now just a pizzeria-restaurant.
"I didn't want to chase diners out too early," Romano said. "I built my business on diners and didn't want to disenfranchise them. Now, people can sit downstairs, eat dinner and have no idea the show's going on upstairs."
On a recent Saturday night, a soldout performance by The English Beat attracted fans who patiently stood in a long line that snaked past Back to the Grind. After the doors opened, eager concertgoers headed upstairs and, once inside, they encountered a spacious floor area (more than double the size of the one at Canyon Crest) framed by red curtains, a bar and tables lined up against two red brick walls. Guests may reserve the tables in advance.
A great place to play
Inland Empire-based rock/soul group Insecure Alex was the warm-up act. The stage elevation allowed decent sightlines from everywhere on the floor, and the sound reverberated well, just as it did when the place filled up later that night for The English Beat.
Over the years, Romano's Canyon Crest hosted other Eighties alternative/pop hitmakers such as the Tom Tom Club, ABC, Wang Chung, David J, The Fixx's Cy Curnin and Berlin — acts that generally don't appear elsewhere in Riverside.
Musicians who play the new Romano's have much improved amenities compared with what was previously available.
"No more pulling up a trailer for the green room," Romano said. "They have an entertainers' suite with a bathroom right behind the stage. The facilities are better; the stage is bigger; we expanded the production, as far as lights and sound. The room is more conducive to what they're doing."
English Beat leader Dave Wakeling, who made regular appearances at Canyon Crest, was impressed.
"It has been set up with the audience and the musicians in mind," he said. "It sounds great onstage and in the crowd. The interesting spaces and kind staff are all set to give you the best night out possible. Well done — a perfect club and sold out first visit for us. We will be back often."
So, how is the new competition working out for other nearby venues?
"Overall, I think it's a very good thing," said Baron Bowman, the general manager at Lake Alice, who also noted that Romano's generally books different types of acts than other places in town.
"A lot of times when they have events, we'll get foot traffic after the fact," he said. "There's a big pub crawl mentality with downtown Riverside — similar to Redlands — where people go from bar to bar and experience what each place has to offer. I feel there's a lot of diversity and something here in downtown for everyone."
When it comes to creating a concert calendar, Romano says he strives to "have a positive impact downtown. That means being sensitive to what others are booking. It's healthier for everybody if we all fall into our own grooves … everyone has their own little identity."
To date, the turnout for shows at Romano's have exceeded the expectations of both the owner and the bands. Additionally, Romano says that he's discovered many people like to "go early, have a good dinner in a nice atmosphere," then head upstairs for the show.
"I think we're definitely having a positive impact downtown," he said. "Our shows get done, people spill out into the streets and probably go bar-hopping. We also have a DJ and [concertgoers] can stay in the bar afterwards. I think it's working well for everybody."
Editor's note: A version of this story appeared in the spring 2017 issue of Riverside Magazine.
Romano's Downtown Chicago Pizzeria & Concert Lounge
Where: 3557 University Ave., Riverside
Upcoming shows: Somewhere Thru Time (Iron Maiden tribute), March 31; Southbound & Company (Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute), April 15; Assorted Jelly Beans with The Maxies, April 21; Ultimate Stones Tribute, April 22; Ecno, April 28; Manntis, May 20.
Information: 951-780-6000, www.theconcertlounge.com, www.romanosrestaurants.com


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About Ericson Environmental Services
At Ericson Environmental Services, we are focused on providing septic & environmental services with the highest levels of customer satisfaction. We will do everything we can to meet your expectations. With a variety of offerings to choose from, we are sure you'll be happy working with us. We have a large service area surrounding Central Ohio. We serve: Columbus, Canal Winchester, Reynoldsburg, New Albany, Westerville, Powell, Dublin, Hilliard, Gahanna, Grove City, Orient, Lockbourne, Groveport, and others. Give us a call, we likely service your area.
Rick Bauman is the owner/lead environmental technician. He specializes in septic tank cleaning, troubleshooting, and repair. His motto for his company is "Keep your septic system healthy". Which means you can trust him to do right by you and the environment. Calling Ericson Environmental Services does not mean throwing your money away or wasting your time. We are always going to be honest about your issue and fair on the cost. Rick will fix your issue the first time. Also, though, if it isn't broken, he won't tell you it is just to beef up costs. He will do whatever he can to keep your existing septic system healthy. Only need a pump out or good bacteria to manage sludge...that is all you will get. As a consumer, it is important to be able to trust your service provider. When it comes to your septic system, Rick Bauman is the man you can trust. Please contact us at (614) 874-7585


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111 Church Street, Theresa, NY
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$ Click for current price
3 BEDROOMS | 2 (2 full ) BATHROOMS | 1737 SQUARE FEET
25k Price reduction! This Theresa village home is located on a quiet dead end street and has 2-3bedrooms and 2 full baths. Home features a great, homey front porch w/ built in bench seating and a country kitchen w/an island bar and marble flooring. Kitchen has plenty of room for a dining room table and plenty of storage! Middle room has two sky lights allowing for lots of natural light and could be used for a dining room or the living room and is piped for a pellet stove. Downstairs full laundry room and full bath. AMAZING entry way/foyer! 2 more bedrooms upstairs including a master suite. Huge detached barn w/plenty of parking and storage with a large upstairs that has amazing potential. Seller has built a rustic bar and had plans of making it into a game room. The possibilities are endless!


text:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was unaware of any plans to oust him when he spoke to Senator Bob Corker on Thursday, Corker said.
"He's conducting business, as is the norm, and is unaware of anything changing," Corker, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters.
Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Mohammad Zargham


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A parent from the Westfields housing development south of Hagerstown petitioned the county school board Tuesday to move the community's students from the feeder system for E. Russell Hicks Middle School to Boonsboro Middle School.
Corwin M. Parker presented copies of the petition letter to school board members during the citizen-participation portion of a Tuesday night meeting of the Washington County Board of Education. Parker gave the list of 87 signatures to Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox.
The request is driven by concerns that Hicks Middle, in Hagerstown's South End, is on the verge of being over capacity, while South Hagerstown High School is already over capacity, based on state rates, according to Parker and the petition letter.
Included in the requested redistricting was the expectation that students switched to Boonsboro Middle would then attend Boonsboro High, although current South Hagerstown High students could opt to stay there, according to the petition.


text:
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☸ Keep Your Toilet and Sink Free From Clogs! ☸《Plumber's Hero》Toilet Clog Remover *1 for ₱899.00✔ Base on LBC IATA rules, the product is only delivered to Luzon. ✔- Cash on Delivery (COD) with FREE shipping -
☸ Keep Your Toilet and Sink Free From Clogs! ☸《Plumber's Hero》Toilet Clog Remover *1 for ₱899.00
✔ Base on LBC IATA rules, the product is only delivered to Luzon. ✔
- Cash on Delivery (COD) with FREE shipping -
☸ Instant drain opener.☸ Includes custom attachments for showers, toilets, tubs and sinks! ☸ Easy to use, you can clear drain yourself and save money!☸ 100% septic safe and environment friendly.☸ Set consists of clog remover, extension, small sucker and big sucker.notice : 1. The degree of the effect differ from different conditions.2. Base on LBC IATA rules, the product is only delivered to Calabarzon, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative, Ilocos, National Capital, and Bicol.
Removes extreme clog with a single push, Keep your tub and sink pipes free flowing!
Can be used on clogged toilets as well.
So simple and easy to use, no other tools needed.
WARNING: Contents under pressure.
1. Do not use if acid, caustic or harmful chemicals have been used and are still present in the drain or plumbing fixture. 2. Do not expose to heat, sparks, open flame or oxidizers. 3. Store in a cool and dry area. 4. Do not puncture or incinerate container. 5. Do not inhale and take internally. 6. Keep out of the reach of children.
First Aid:
- If in eyes: Flush with large amount of cool running water for at least 15 minutes while holding upper and lower lids open. If irritation persists, seek medical attention immediately.- If on skin: Wash with soap and water, apply topical antiseptic agent. If irritation persists get medical attention.- If swallowed: immediately seek medical attention.- If inhaled: Remove to fresh air. Seek medical attention right away. If breathing stops, give artificial respiration.
Direction of Use:
1. Match the correct adapter to the type of drain opening you want to clear. Due to differences in the manufacturing design of plumbing fixtures, it may be necessary to try both adapters. 2. Press the bottom of the high pressure bottle and wait about 10 seconds (or until the pipe is clean or free from any clogs).
Product detail:
《Plumber's Hero》Toilet Clog Remover Material: ABS rubber, Polyvinyl ChlorideProduct Size: Sucker (big) radius: 15cm Sucker (small) radius: 7.5cm High pressure bottle height: 13.5cm Extension length: 28cmOuter box: 30cmx8cmx16cmNet Weight: 500gStorage Life: 5 years from manufacturing date.Manufacturing Date:Refer to the packagePlace of Production:China
Delivery and Payment Options:
- Cash on Delivery (COD)- Free shipping (via LBC) - For Metro Manila orders, delivery is within 2 to 3 business days - Outside Metro Manila orders, delivery is within 4 to 7 business days
*Based on LBC IATA rules, delivery coverage for Luzon are:- Ilocos Region - Cordillera Administrative Region- Cagayan Valley - National Capital Region- Central Luzon - Bicol Region


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Monday, Dec. 3
All Day: Symposium on money laundering, sponsored by the American Banker, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.
8:30 a.m.: Personal income and spending for October, at the Commerce Department.
10 a.m.: Construction spending for October, at the Commerce Department.
Noon: The Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee holds briefing on predatory lending, deposit insurance reform, and other issues, at the American Enterprise Institute.
12:30 p.m.: Ivan Seidenberg, president and co-CEO, Verizon Communications VZ, +1.00% speaks on "Security Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Telecom Network," at the National Press Club.
1:30 p.m.: 3- and 6-month bills auctioned, at the Treasury Department.
5:30 p.m.: Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan speaks on "The Challenges of Globalization," at George Washington University.
Tuesday, Dec. 4
All Day: The Business Software Alliance, Fortune Magazine and Business 2.0 host a Global Tech Summit. Highlights include Rep. W.J. Tauzin, R-La., chairman of House Energy Committee; F. William Conner of Entrust Inc.; Per-Kristian Halvorsen, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, USA; Gene Hoffman, president, Emusic EMUS and others; at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
All Day: The National Conference of State Legislatures annual Joint Assembly, this year focusing on terrorism and budgets, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.
9 a.m.: The president of the Republic of Bolivia, Jorge Quiroga Ramirez, holds briefing, at the National Press Club.
9 a.m.: Roundtable on U.S., Canada business relations after September 11, sponsored by the Global Business Dialogue and the National Association of Manufacturers, at Hotel Washington.
10 a.m.: Oversight hearing of the Department of Justice and actions it has taken since September 11 terrorist attacks, at the Senate Judiciary Committee.
10 a.m.: Hearing on housing and community development needs in America, at the Senate Banking Committee.
Noon: Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, addresses conference on tax simplification, on Capitol Hill.
1:30 p.m.: 2-year notes auctioned, at the Treasury Department.
2 p.m.: Hearing on the competition between cable operators, home satellite dish providers, and other providers of multi-channel video programming, at the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
3 p.m.: Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik talks on "The Long-Term Fight Against Terrorism: A Norwegian Perspective," at the National Press Club.
Wednesday, Dec. 5
All Day: Conclusion of the Global Tech Summit, highlights include Robert Zoellick, U.S. Trade Representative, Steve Ballmer of Microsoft MSFT, +0.93% Bruce Chizen of Adobe, USA, ADBE, +0.51% James Jarrett of Intel, USA INTC, +0.36% and others, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
All Day: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants annual conference on current SEC development, through December 7, at the Mariott Wardman Park Hotel.
8 a.m.: Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner James Ziglat talks on changes in the U.S. immigration system to enhance national security and global economic competitiveness, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
9 a.m.: Examination of the technology sector in times of crisis, at the Senate Commerce Committee.
9:30 a.m.: Hearing on implementation of new airport baggage screening systems, at the House Transportation Committee.
10 a.m.: Hearing on restructuring the government for homeland security, at the House Budget Committee.
10 a.m.: Review of security issues at nuclear power plants, at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
7:30 p.m.: Fed Gov. Laurence Meyer on the "Future of Money," at Swarthmore University, Swarthmore, Pa.
Thursday, Dec. 6
House votes on bill to expand trade negotiating authority for the president.
8:30 a.m.: Weekly jobless claims, at the Labor Department.
8:30 a.m.: Final third quarter productivity and cost report, at the Labor Department.
10 a.m.: Hearing to examine the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, at the Senate Commerce Committee.
10:30 a.m.: Hearing on the political future of Afghanistan, at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
12:15 p.m.: Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge addresses the National Conference of State Legislatures annual Joint Assembly on terrorism and state budgets, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.
1 p.m.: Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura address hearing on the antitrust and national sports, at the House Judiciary Committee.
Friday, Dec. 7
8:30 a.m.: Employment report for November, at the Labor Department.
3 p.m.: Consumer credit for October, at the Federal Reserve Board.


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Lessened measures
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text: London: German tennis player Angelique Kerber rolled over Japan's Misaki Doi 6-3, 6-1 in a women's singles fourth round contest at Wimbledon here on Monday. The Australian Open champion and fourth seed Kerber needed just 65 minutes to book a spot in the quarter-finals at the All England Club, reports Efe. The 28-year-old German committed just nine unforced errors in the match and was never broken by World No.49 Doi, who failed to convert on two break opportunities. Doi, a 25-year-old left-hander, committed 25 unforced errors and was broken four times. Kerber, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2012, pushed her career head-to-head record against Doi to 5-0. The two played in January in Melbourne, with Kerber having to save a match point in her 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 victory over the Japanese player. The German went on to win her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over American World No.1 Serena Williams in the Australian Open final. Kerber will play the winner of the match between Romanian fifth seed Simona Halep and American ninth seed Madison Keys.


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CHRISTCHURCH, Oct 21 - A Labour party election promise gave Canterbury hope for more support on a "really big issue" for Christchurch schools, since the earthquakes seven years ago.
During the election campaign, Prime Minister-elect Jacinda Ardern said Labour would fund an extra 80 mental health professionals for the next three years, who will work in all public primary and intermediate schools.
With Labour forming government, Canterbury Primary Principal's Association President Margaret Trotter, is waiting to see the positive changes for primary school kids, who are facing mental health battles.
"(Mental health in schools) is a really big issue, all schools are seeing a big increase with anxiety and mental health, there's a lot that's happened with the earthquake and it's growing across the country," Ms Trotter said.
"The earthquake has escalated the issues with children and their families."
It's not only children who are having a tough time after the devastating effects of the earthquakes, with teachers learning how to cope as well.
"We can't forget that all our teachers have been through their own dilemmas with housing and families as well, our teachers have done a fantastic job with the schools," Ms Trotter said.
"They're facing classrooms on a day to day basis, and it will be great to have extra resources for this.
"It's very early days, and we're just waiting to see who our minister of education will be, we look forward to working with the ministry and Jacinda, regarding the mental health issues, it's an exciting time."
Mental health a top priority in Canterbury
A high amount of Canterbury children are suffering from mental health issues, and extra help might not be far off.
CHRISTCHURCH, Oct 21 - A Labour party election promise gave Canterbury hope for more support on a "really big issue" for Christchurch schools, since the earthquakes seven years ago.


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Simulation of potential geological storage sites of carbon dioxide using Eclipse 300
Ciccarelli, John
Engineering Honours Degree 2009
University of Adelaide
Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is considered as one of the options for reducing
atmospheric emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from human activities. CO2 is emitted
principally from the burning of fossil fuels, both in the large combustion units such as those
used for electric power generation and in smaller, distributed sources such as automatic
engines. The increase in CO2 in the atmosphere acts to trap outgoing infrared and thermal
radiation, thereby increasing near-surface temperatures (Sengul, 2006). The short to
medium-term solution to mitigating these effects is by capturing and storing produced CO2 in
underground sites. These sites may include depleted oil reservoirs, depleted gas reservoirs,
and saline aquifers.
By using the latest ECLIPSE software developed by leading oilfield services company
Schlumberger, an investigation into the most effective CO2 storage site and modeling option
was completed. The best CO2 storage site was in Deep Ocean and saline aquifer
environments at 500 to 3000 metres water depth. At these depths CO2 can be injected in its
supercritical state which is a requirement of the storage process.
Saline aquifer CO2 storage was accurately represented by simulations run in ECLIPSE
software using the CO2STORE keyword option. Conversely, the GASWAT option (for
depleted gas reservoirs) inaccurately modeled the density and viscosity of water when
compared to expected results. The results given by the CO2STORE and GASWAT
keywords were not consistent, as the GASWAT keyword consistently underestimated the
density and viscosity of the saline water.
Under appropriate pressure, temperature and chemical conditions in the CO2-water system,
solid hydrates will form. Neither of the CO2 storage keywords GASWAT or CO2STORE was
able to model the solid phase of CO2. Further development of the ECLIPSE simulator in
terms of consistent output options between the keywords is needed so that significant
comparisons can be made.


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By Boy Villasanta
Young star Saab Magalona is upset.
It started when entertainment writer Rey Pumaloy saw photos in social media of Saab wearing bikini in her "infanticipating" stage. It was done in a beach for the bachelorette party of sister Maxene Magalona who's engaged to fashion model Robbie Mananquil.
Rey in his candid comments wrote that Saab's form was "katakam-takam" (delicious) and "malaman" (fleshy). The Filipino language adjectives seemingly offended Magalona's sensibility as she retorted to the writer's column as "sexualizing" the scene.
Pumaloy bantered in and said in his Facebook page that the young actress shouldn't have posted those pictures so that the public wouldn't say anything about them.
Most of Saab's supporters were reacting negatively on the write-up harping on the tabloidal contents and style of the story and they wouldn't take it sitting down. Some of them even said they had to take a bath to cleanse themselves of the dirt, a euphemism used to connote tabloid reporting of sex, blood and gore.
But friends of Rey readily came to his rescue. "E, gano'n talaga ang tabloid reporting. Kailangang may dating (That's what tabloid reporting is all about. There should be some kind of an 'it') to attract attention especially to the masses," defended movie writer Dave Rojo.
"Ano namang masama ro'n, e, nagko-comment lang naman ni Rey (What's wrong with it when Rey was just commenting on the photos)," asserted Art Tapalla.
According to Rojo, if Pumaloy's comments were written in blogs and other social media, Magalona would not even lift her finger because the computer is the language of the millennial and tabloids are more traditional and cater to the mature ones mostly.


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My Prius battery finally gave up its ghost at 149,750 miles (or there abouts). If the car was under 10 years old, it would've been covered under warranty (10 year / 150,000 miles). Alas, car is 2003 model (13 years old). Dealer wanted almost $3600 with 1 year warranty on the battery. 1 year for new battery?!?! $3600 (actually, $2500 with tax) for 2.5kWh battery?!?! You gotta be kidding me. I looked around for other options. Several battery re-builders were offering up to 3 year warranty at same cost as the dealer. 13 year old cars with 150K miles typically sell for about $3600. That means dead battery on Prius makes it pretty much worthless.
Then I read about special lease for the Chevy Spark EV. For $139/mo with no out of pocket cost, you too can be a proud driver of Chevy Spark EV lease. I always thought lease is waste of money; you don't really own it. I also dislike (hate?) GM for the bankruptcy and bailout that prevented potential creative destruction. Who knows? Tesla could've taken GM's place. But I can't continue to drive Chevy Astro, the best practical minivan in existence, that gets 15 MPG or the F350 truck that gets 7 MPG on lucky day. Knowing that dead battery on out of warranty Prius make it pretty much worthless, I investigated dead battery scenario on Spark EV.
LEASE vs BUY
Spark EV has 19 kWh battery, slightly less than Nissan Leaf. Leaf battery is about $5500, so I suspect Spark EV battery will cost about that much also. It comes with 8 year / 100,000 mile warranty. Assuming I stick to the miles / year, how much does 8 year old used sub-compact car cost? Why it costs less than $5500! So if I were to buy it, it would be worthless after 8 years when (if?) battery dies. Total purchase price if paid in full is roughly
+$3000 (tax, docs, etc)
-$7500 (federal tax credit, which I may not qualify)
-$2500 (CA rebate for EV)
-$1000 (rebate from GM for buying Spark EV in Apr. 2015)
= $18000
Amortized over 8 years (96 months), that works out to $188/mo. But the battery may last a bit more. Let's say 10 years. That's $150/mo.
Lease is only $139, but you still pay taxes and DMV fees. I estimated to be $150/mo and $200 for DMV fees. I wasn't far off. It came to $149/mo and about $300 for CA DMV. Total due at drive off was about $450 (thank you, credit card!). It's comparable to purchase, assuming 10 year battery life. And the lease is 39 months (3.25 years).
In 3.25 years, I'm hoping there will be better cars, such as Chevy Bolt, Tesla 3, and who knows how much better Nissan Leaf and other EVs may become. There's also talk of hydrogen and fuel cell cars. Prius is talking about going to 60+ MPG. Although I would be more comfortable with 5 year wait for the new tech cars to work out the kinks, 3.25 years may be barely enough. Lease is a better option.
LEASE vs FIX/USED CAR
Then there's the cost comparison to used car or even fixing the Prius. Let's assume either will cost $3600. One can certainly find 12 year old used car that gets 30MPG for around $3600 if searched deep enough. Miles driven will be 30000 miles, same as lease miles. Let's also assume there's zero repair, but one needs maintenance on gas engine, such as oil change, at roughly dealer cost. One also needs gas.
+$3600 (Prius repair or buy a used car that gets 30 MPG)
+$50 / 5000 miles * 30000 miles = $300 (every 5000 miles)
+$150 / 15000 miles * 30000 miles - $50 = $250 (every 15000 miles-5000 miles maintenance)
+$300 / 30000 miles * 30000 miles - $150 = $150 (every 30000 mile-15000 miles maintenance)
+$3.5/gallon / 45 MPG * 30000 miles = $2333
= $6633
Remember that this assumes zero repairs for 3 years, which is not likely for 12 year old car (or 15 year old car). Still, I'm not likely to pay dealer prices for maintenance and repair on such old car, so it could work out if I'm lucky. This also assumes Prius mileage of 45 MPG. Using 30 MPG of Corolla, I get $3500 for gas for a total of $7800.
Let's see how the lease works out. Being an electric car, there's really no maintenance to speak of other than tire rotation; even if there were, 2 years is included for free. I pay $0.17/kWh for electricity at home. It used to be $0.14/kWh in 2014, so it went up 21% in a year! If I'm a heavy user, I'll pay a whole lot more, but since this is my blog, let's use $0.17/kWh. But I may not always charge at home. Sometimes, I may need to charge at public charging stations at exorbitant prices ($0.49/kWh). Let's assume $0.20/kWh for electricity on average. Who knows? I might get solar and get it for free (not really, but it's nice to dream about free lunch). Let's also assume 3.75 miles / kWh is used; I will cover this in later blog; I actually get 4 miles/kWh with new battery.
+$150/mo * 39 mo = $5850 (lease payments)
+0 (maintenance, which is only tire rotation, is included in the lease)
+$0.20/kWh * 30000 miles / 3.75 miles/kWh = $1600 (electricity is not free, even for EV)
-$2500 (CA rebate)
= $5250
Compared to fixing the Prius, I'm saving almost $1400! Compared to buying a trouble free used car, I'm saving $2550! Wow, that is great! I'll take it!!!!!!
But not so fast. Because Spark EV is new compared to old Prius and used car, insurance is higher. In my case, it's almost $400 per year more than the old Prius. In 3 years, that wipes out the savings to just $1400 - $400 * 3.25 = $100. As approximations go, and if you consider higher cost of registering a new car, I may lose some money, but probably not much. Any savings may be modest. Oh well, it'll pay for some happy meals.
LEASE vs ASTRO
First, let me say that I love my Astro van. Imagine Toby Keith's song, "I love this bar", but sing it as "I love this van". It's yet another reason to hate GM for killing this very practical vehicle.
Now let's compare to continuing to drive the Chevy Astro at 15 MPG. Forget the F350; I might as well burn $100 bills in BBQ pit. Car is paid for, so costs are gas and maintenance. As before, let's assume repair free, although it may need some repairs soon.
+$50 / 5000 miles * 30000 miles = $300 (every 5000 miles)
+$150 / 15000 miles * 30000 miles - $50 = $250 (every 15000 miles-5000 miles maintenance)
+$300 / 30000 miles * 30000 miles - $150 = $150 (every 30000 mile-15000 miles maintenance)
+$3.5/gallon / 15 MPG * 30000 miles = $7000
= $7700
But insurance is much cheaper. Since I'll only get liability for such old car, it's about $1000 less than Spark EV lease. So the total savings by leasing Spark EV is
+$7700 (Astro total cost)
-$1000 * 3.25 (Astro insurance savings)
-$5250 (SparkEV total cost)
= -$800 (Total savings -- IT'S A LOSS!)
CRAP! I'm going to be out $800 by taking the lease. But it gets worse, because I still have to pay Astro insurance even with the lease and higher registration cost. I can't live without my Astro (woof, woof!) Well that sucks. But then driving the Astro daily will increase wear and tear and potentially high cost repair (dog house is a bitch to work on). So the choices are
A) drive the Astro with no AC (broken), risk of it breaking down and losing it, but very comfortable and has lots of room and save more than $800
B) take the plunge into EV, with AC, new car smell, save my beloved Astro for special occasions.
Another issue is that CA rebate can only be used twice. That's fine, because there's no guarantee that it will still be around after 3.25 years. Use it or lose it, I might as well use it at least once.
I love my Astro too much to waste it on trivial trips. I pulled the trigger on leasing the Chevy Spark EV. I'm very glad I did (so far).
|My two foster dogs in front of the car


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I wish I'd written earlier, because now I've stored up way too much to write for one blog post. So, I think I'll try to write a short summary now and also post a longer, more detailed post for those who want more details. I suspect there will be a third post in the next day or two that is more reflective.
|My travelling companions at the airport in Korea.
The start of the Far East wrestling tournament. "Far East" is a US military term. This is a regional competition for their base schools, though historically our school and a couple of others have been invited to also participate. 15 schools from Japan and Korea competed this year.
|Dinner on Thursday night. Yum!
Our son had only two wrestles this day, one fairly easy, the second more difficult but not heart wrenching. What was difficult to watch were others who didn't wrestle as well as they could have, or were simply outmatched. Of our nine wresters, three were knocked out of the individual competition this day.
We went to dinner with the team each night of the competition. It was a fabulous part of the trip, two of the team were Korean, so organised the restaurants. Really fun hanging out with the team and coach socially too! These guys can eat!
Each night my fellow wrestling-mum roommate and I talked via FaceTime with her husband and our three boys that had remained in Tokyo. They seemed to weather the week okay.
This was the hardest day of wrestling for me. Late morning our son had his semifinal. He levelled the score in the last 10 seconds to tie 6-6. But he won the match, because the other guy had "fled" the mat during the bout (with our son hanging on to one of his legs), which is against the rules.
This match left me shaking.
|This is the bout that left me in need of oxygen.
The guy who lost to him is the same one who he's wrestled more than a dozen times in the last two years. Most times they've been hard fought matches, though he's only bested our son twice and that was last year, he's pushed our son hard.
That match left me a mess until the final four hours later. In the meantime we had lunch (or I tried to eat lunch) and the loser of the semi had to wrestle one more time to decide who would face our son in the final.
The final was somewhat of a let-down. It was the same guy he'd wrestled in the semi, but the wind seemed to have been taken out of his sails. Our son won 10-0.
I didn't cry. But I did feel a profound sense of relief. It was like a dream.
The second part of the tournament began, it was a team competition (though there was a team element to the individual competition too). This was team vs team. Our school seeded first, so got a bye in the first round and didn't have to wrestle on Friday afternoon.
|Osan is the name of the US airforce base. South of Seoul. This building
is where we spent our days. US bases aren't very pretty, though. All their
buildings are pretty drab.
The area outside the base was also very drab plus dirty.
The dual meet continued and our team met, and easily defeated two teams on our way to the final. The final, however, was a different story. The team we met was not as good as ours, but had a full line-up (wrestlers in all 13 weight categories) compared to our team, which was four wresters short of a full complement due to illness, injury, and a lack of team members (almost no students at CAJ are as heavy as 215lb [97.5kg] or heavier, so our teams often lack the top two weight categories).
It was a hard fought dual where they only beat us twice in bouts where we had wrestlers to face up to them, but we tied in points at the end. The tie-breaker was the fact that we had had to forfeit four matches and they walked away with the title. There are many what-ifs here and many of the guys were beating themselves up. It really is something to see a team of tough wrestlers in tears.
The awards were many, and it was great to see all our wrestlers with at least two medals around their necks. The team won first place in the individual tournament in our smaller schools division and got silver for the dual meet. We had two Far East Champions (our son was one), one third and three fourths too.
Thankfully we were also able to go out as a group again later and have some fun. But it was very cold to wander the streets, we didn't stay out all that long.
|The cup of coffee that saved me on Sunday afternoon.
But I was so tired. If I was prone to falling asleep vertically I could easily have done so during lunch. Not only had my sleep been messed up with all the emotion, my digestion too. I've not been able to eat much during the last week and I simply could hardly make an impression on this large dish that we were given. It was embarrassing, but there was nothing I could do about it.
We flew out close to 6pm, and didn't get home until after 11pm. Everyone was in bed/asleep when I got home. Thankfully David and the team had arrived a couple of hours earlier and he was able to get our younger two boys home and into bed.
If you'd like to know more of the details, check out this post.


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Lord Tennyson describes a the approach of death on his life. He starts off the poem saying that death is "one clear call for me" (2). The speaker is ready for death to come and retrieve he or she. The speaker also wants their to be "no moaning of the bar" (3). The speaker is not going to put up any fights to say his or her life. The speaker is ready for this passage of life to come. In the next stanza, Tennyson personifies the tide to show how death can be relaxing when the speaker is ready for it. He says that "But such a tide as moving seems asleep" (5), the tide is so peaceful that it seems as sleep. The tide is a metaphor for life because it brings life and then turns back: "When that which drew from out the boundless deep/ Turns again home" (7-8). The tide brings in life from the "boundless deep" and then "turns again home". Tennyson describes the passage of life as serene if it is looked at from afar.
The speaker is ready to approach his or her death and wants "there [to] be no sadness of farewell" (11). The speaker has come to terms with death. He or she does not believe that life should be lived the longest. The speaker wants to approach death with open arms. The speaker then describes life as "our bourne of Time and Place"(13). A bourne is a small flowing stream. Life can be related to this because it is a small flowing part of the huge world. Also, life is a part of Time and Place. Tennyson capitalizes Time and Place here to personify them. By personifying time and place it emphasizes life being part of the whole vibrant, alive world. The speaker wants "the flood [to] ear me far" (16). The flood signifies the whole world of people which can bring a bourne places. The speaker explains that the whole world can bring a person through a wonderful life. Tennyson uses water and personification to explain this. The speaker finishes the poem with "I hope to see my Pilot face to face/ When I have crossed the bar" (15-16). The speaker is ready for death and to see who controls life. The speaker cares about the big picture of life and the whole flood rather than just one life which is the stream.


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If it will have better camera specs, i am definitely gonna buy one.i am expecting 35 k india pricing.
Why OnePlus WHY???? Even till today I refused to believe the "rumour", but now it is quite apparent that 3T is real :(
One phone a year was so great!
You tried an experiment last year and it failed, please DO NOT make any stupid experiment next year please.
One flagship a year is the best way to go!
I think the specs in this oneplus phone is sane as the oneplus 3 except the processor and android 7.0
AnonD-607331, 08 Nov 2016Also rumours going about OP3T having LCD screen.But CEO of OnePlus, Carl, said that they will only go for optic AMOLED no matter what, in OnePlus forum. so, lets just wait till 14th Nov I guess?
Please please please support band 28 this time.
If they do, it will be between OP3T and htc 10 for my next phone.


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Well, thats what a lot of people assume a personal trainer can do for them. Inspire them, and that is absolutely something a PT could help with. But I like to try to think I can teach my clients to inspire themselves. As we look to others for help, advice and sometimes inspiration- we ultimately need to find the inspiration within ourselves at some point.
Let me tell you a story of one of my clients…Lets call her Lisa, even tough we know thats not her name 🙂 Lisa came to me and wanted to finally get her life sorted. This was it! She had 3 kids, she felt they had taken her body, her mood and her fun. This was finally the time for Lisa to think about herself for a change. This was when she was putting her foot down and changing it all. Changing the pattern. Thats what we call a client like Lisa: Change of pattern-client. I had heard it many times before.
I let Lisa talk. a lot. She had a lot to say. She needed to get it out. She told me she had no time for herself, all she ever did was for the family and it was time for her to think about herself. Lisa was sick and tired of taking care of everyone else than herself. Her husband didn't really appreciate her- at least not as much as he should. The kids were just taking over and her parents had gotten sick the last couple of years, leaving Lisa to take care of them as well. She was just exhausted. But she was going to train! She was going to change it all around and train for at least 4 times a week now. See how I couldnt make this make sense?…
I decided to ask Lisa how she all of a sudden had managed to get some more hours to the day? She didn't understand what I meant.
– Well, since your problem is no time to yourself…I assume you haven't found someone else to take care of everything you have been doing, so how come we are adding more to do to your already packed schedule? and how is that going to be good for you?
Lisa just looked beaten down.
– Well, because I just have to. Its just gonna have to work. I just have to find time for myself, she said.
and I told her what I tell everyone in this situation.
– Well, we are not going to find time and we are not gonna make time. Cause these two thing we know are impossible. No one can make or find time. If this is how its been for a really long time, then this is how it probably will stay moving on. And yes, that is a really messed up situation for you and I understand you are mad about it. But whatever you do, dont go into this thinking we will achieve some extra time or things around you will change, cause they won't, only you will change.
At this point Lisa looked mad. way more than earlier.
I decided to put her in the boxing room and I handed her a 20 pound soft ball and told her to toss it to the ground. She did. Without seeing the point. I told her to toss it again. and she did. again and again. I told her to imagine the ball and what it represents…for her this could be the time…and the anger…the kids she felt took it all, the husband who doesn't appreciate, the parents who are slipping away…the anger. And she did. Lisa put all these feelings in the ball and tossed it again to the floor. this time harder. and harder. and harder. After 15 minutes of tossing the ball and a whole lot of crying Lisa was done. She was done with being mad at her situation and ready to train….. So we did.
I am not telling you this story because I think the solution for us all is to toss a ball to the ground. Its more because I think we all are different but with a lot of the same examples. Its all in how we solve it. And this is how I think we can and have to inspire each other.
While a lot of my clients come to me to be inspired they end up inspiring me more than they know. Their change and their journey is way more inspiring than someones goal.
This is why Charlotte and I really want to hear and see your stories. Please send us your transformation pictures or just write us your story and include a picture of you. We would love to share your story here on www.girlsinshape.com so that someone else can be inspired by it.
Send your transformation to: email@example.com
Lots of love from Johanna


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Before she founded Falls Flowers, owner, Peicha Chang was a designer and manager at Bow Street Flowers, a floral design shop in Boston. Clients included world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Harvard University and other high-end clients from the prestigious Beacon Hill area. At Bow Street, Peicha honed her design sensibilities and discovered her love of garden style design. Peicha is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and lives and works in East Falls where she shares her lifelong love of plants and flowers with her community.
Our shop "lives" sustainably and is a certified B corporation. Falls Flowers integrates sustainable practices into everything from recycled ribbons and waxed paper to cardboard wrapping. We recycle and/or compost all but one kitchen sized bag of trash per week and nearly half of our flowers are either locally sourced or organically certified. Our shop floor is made of recycled, pressed wood chips and the counter is made from reclaimed wood from a barn in West Chester, PA.


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Intermediate Algebra
Edition 9
Publication Date 29 Oct 2010
Publisher Cengage Australia
Author(s) Charles McKeague
OverviewGive your students the text that makes algebra accessible and engaging'McKeague's INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA. Pat McKeague's passion for teaching mathematics is apparent on every page, and this Ninth Edition continues to provide students with a thorough grounding in the concepts central to their success in mathematics. Attention to detail, an exceptionally clear writing style, and continuous review and reinforcement are McKeague hallmarks that constitute the solid foundation of the text, while new pedagogy help students 'bridge the concepts.' These 'bridges' guide students and help them make successful connections from concept to concept'and from this course to the next. INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA is one of the most current and reliable texts you will find for the course, and is ideally structured and organized for a lecture-format. Each section can be discussed in a 45- to 50-minute class session, allowing you to easily construct your course to fit your needs.
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These are books highly recommended by Jim as personal growth and enrichment favorites. We share these resources to support people in the different stages of healing and look to help them find their way through the chaos and often-challenging times of growth and change as they move through this demanding territory.
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The Gift of Change:
Spiritual Guidance for Living Your Best Life
Bestselling author of Return to Love and Law of Divine Compensation, Marianne Williamson shows people how to live without fear or worry in The Gift of Change. The time in which we now live is more difficult and stressful than people are willing to admit. We live with an abiding sense of collective anxiety.
Williamson shows how we are paralyzed in our current state of fear and anger because we are not facing and dealing with the true causes of our anxieties and fears. Williamson reveals that fear and worry do not need to be the only tools in our tool box for dealing with problems in the world.
As we learn to trust God and the love that surrounds us and guides us, we will see that what causes us pain is an opportunity for growth, healing, and miracles that can transform us and our world. Williamson delivers hope and healing as she illuminates ten basic changes that each of us can make as we learn to view the world through the eyes of love instead of fear.
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T.L. Davis, author of The Constitutionalist and a Proud Descendant of Kentucky Pioneers.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Severing The Manly Parts
I don't know when it started, somewhere between believing the United States of America was the greatest nation on earth and believing it was full of self-centered, egomaniacal, narcissistic couch potatoes, a change took place. The American people began to buy into the European definition of Americans. My personal belief is that the elite in the U.S., who travel and get Euro-bigotry directed at them, abandoned the pride of being American for the comfort of wagging a finger at their fellow citizens from the French Riviera. They chose the other side in the face of Euro-arrogance and did not respond with patriotism.
What bothers the elite so much about the Tea Party is that it is full of people who believe in the greatness of the nation and, from outside eyes, appear to be unapologetically nationalistic, a sin they had long since denounced. They are embarrassed of their kin. They view American nationalism as a sort of mental retardation, because the Euro-bigots have convinced them of it. Had they the backbone and clarity to argue the merits of Americanism, they would not have severed their manly parts in an effort to fit in.
Where these Americans view themselves as more enlightened than the middle-class working Joe, they invite into the void of estranged nationalism a sort of self-annihilation, a desire to squash Americanism into quasi-European world membership. They view patriotism as a disease and worldliness as a badge. They, who have been across the oceans and mixed with the peoples of other nations, return to America with a desire to remake themselves by remaking the nation. What's worse, they generally have the money and power to make the attempt.
This act of self-annihilation comes with an invitation to others to join the game. It is an invitation to reconquistas, socialists, communists, greenie eco-maniacs and a whole host of other anti-American drum beaters. While the American elite seek inclusion into the world elite (a desire seen best in the frustrations of the nouveau riche as they attempt to break into "old" money institutions), the others seek the destruction of America as we know it.
The others see the advancement of the self-annihilation movement as a chance to bring down the great beast. Reconquistas see a chance to take back the lower half of the United States for Mexico; the socialists see an opportunity to expand socialism; the jihadists see a chance to drive a stake through the heart of the Great Satan; the communists see an opportunity to tag onto all of this snapping at the heels of America to accomplish through proxy what they could not do directly.
It is the lack of patriotism that has put the blood in the water for the rest. This is why you see the likes of La Raza, the International Socialist Organization, the Communist Party USA, even Ex-Offenders Association of Pennsylvania at the upcoming rally in D.C. it is a veritable list of organizations, especially public sector unions, who would like to see capitalism destroyed and the money and power delivered into their hands.
The only thing standing in the way of all of this "progress" is the middle-class working American who still believes in the rule of law, the Constitution, and America as the greatest nation on earth. This is why the Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" rally and the 9-12 and 4-15 rallies just tick these people off, because it shows them the lack of progress they have made against the wide center of the nation. It demonstrates in vibrant and alarming images that they are small and insignificant.
The One Nation rally (ironic in its title because it is meant to demonstrate vividly that there are two nations, theirs and ours), is meant to mark the lines in the coming civil war. There are those who intend to fundamentally change America into a Third World power where every dog gets a bite of the dirty hot dog and those who recognize that capitalism, especially where combined with American republicanism, makes every dog a king in his own yard.
The crucial difference between these groups, a thing missed completely by the Tea Party crowd, is that while the Glenn Beck rally and others are meant to demonstrate to the government the power of the people, this One Nation rally is meant to demonstrate to the Tea Party crowd the power these groups have amassed AGAINST them. That is a startling difference and all with the complicity, perhaps encouragement, of Barack Obama, President of the United States.
If you don't think you are in a fight, wait 'til you get smacked in the mouth.
Graciously linked and quoted at The Camp of the Saints.
9 comments:
I had lunch a few days ago with a black African sail boat skipper in Mindelo, Cape Verde. Conversation turned toward politics and economy, and he asked my opinion of Obama. He was not fluent in English, so I could not expect him to have much tolerance for my giving him a lecture on American revolutionary thought, or even a short primer on Austrian economics. There was to be no compare and contrast regarding our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and the stolid response of "The One" to our grievances. I could see though, that he had high hopes for a glowing exchange of favorable comments regarding Obama. I spoke: "The Obama government is monetizing our national debt". He looked at me a little harder, as if to ask me to put it differently. "We have much national debt, so we are printing a lot of money to pay for it, we're printing lot's of money". That's all I really had to say, and indeed I had no further opportunity to expound, as the uneasy look on his face showed clearly his realization. He had as I had guessed, seen this before, and there was no further mention of Obama.ReplyDelete
Quite interesting. Some things are universal.ReplyDelete
I've been all over the world, met all kinds of people, and worked with them for the various employers I've had in my career.ReplyDelete
I've ALWAYS been grateful to get back home to the United States.
I fully understand about the people that want to "Europeanize" America. All I can do is pass it off as the indoctrination they had during their supposed education at places of "higher learning".
It saddens me greatly that most of the "Americans" know so little of their country, and the people who made it, other than through the slanted view of "Professors".
Thanks for the link drjim. We have problems in America, but I have seen Europeans who seemed like they had the strive for life sucked out of them somewhere.ReplyDelete
Picking up on drhim's comment: when I returned from a two week visit to England in 1983, I felt like kissing the ground at the airport. Here I was returning from a country that was [emphasis on 'was'] back then, perhaps, the closest to us in politics and culture, yet I still was so glad to be back on American soil.ReplyDelete
Quoted from and Linked to at:
Bonus Exilium
I felt like that coming back from Denmark.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 22, 2010 at 4:50 PM
Nationalism is far from dead in Europe. It has been suppressed for many years, but it is rising again. If Europe follows it's historic tendencies, it will be ugly.ReplyDelete
Any bets on where it starts? Ireland? Maybe Germany, though Germans have been subjected to decades of intense multicultural indoctrination designed to squash any thought of German national pride as "Nazism."
The EU is crumbling. Every bailout shoved down the throats of the people to rescue international bankers will engender more resentment among nations. Each people will [rightly] conclude that they are being forced to pay for the irresponsibility and greed of the very wealthy, while being forced to do with less and less themselves. Since the incestuous relationship between these banks means the people of Ireland are bailing out London, Paris, and Berlin, I would think the Irish may react badly at some point. They don't exactly like the Brits in particular.
Our entire world is destabilizing. And Neville Chamberlain is in the Oval Office.
"Neville Chamberlain"?ReplyDelete
You're FAR too kind!
- AnonymousNovember 23, 2010 at 7:01 PM
Chamberlain is the closest European historic figure I could think of compare to Obama. Plus, he fit the pending-World War meme :-) Appeasement of madmen, weakening his own country, making deals with the dishonorable, etc. Obama is FAR worse, to be sure. The results of his policies will likely be worse, too.
History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.
Cheers! Happy Thanksgiving, all.