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The True Hope That Does Not Disappoint
The intense quasi-spiritual reaction to the death of Steve Jobs, who was characterized in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed as "The Secular Prophet," and the Obama administration's increasingly bold challenge to the religious freedom of Catholic institutions reflect a powerful current of secularism moving within American culture. In these past weeks, we have witnessed secularism in both beguiling and thuggish forms, reflecting an inner contradiction its supporters would prefer to ignore.
Jobs — baptized Christian and a practicing Buddhist — was no self-professed enemy of religion. But his extraordinary success as an entrepreneur who innovatively wedded function with form in personal technology has been associated with a public persona of visionary individualism.
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become," said Jobs during his famous commencement address at Stanford University in 2005.
Jobs' definition of dogma as "living with the results of other people's thinking" is telling. Like many public secularists, he does not pause to distinguish between the various dogmas available in the modern marketplace of ideas and religions. Nor does he compare the strengths of one religion to that of another. There is no appreciation for the rich reflection on human freedom and responsibility that characterizes Catholic theology, for example.
The repudiation of dogma is especially appealing to those who chafe at the moral requirements imposed by traditional Christianity. They want to believe that the transcendent virtues of faith, hope and love can be extracted from a cumbersome tradition and customized by each individual, according to his or her own guidelines for success. Isn't that what Jobs did?
But the secularist template for a better world must coexist with the unpleasant truth that the reality of evil and of suffering outlasts the five-year plans of the most stubborn utopians, and even the fertile imagination of a Steve Jobs. Sadly, the pristine vision of human rationality offers no compelling explanation — or realistic defense — for the evil that lurks in the hearts of all men.
The moral law of the Jewish and Christian faiths incorporates the paradox that while our hearts know well what good should be chosen, we may still choose self-serving ends. Acceptance of this paradox fosters humility, while a refusal to accommodate it can breed arrogance, and worse.
Jobs' "most singular quality was his ability to articulate a perfectly secular form of hope. Nothing exemplifies that ability more than Apple's early logo, which slapped a rainbow on the very archetype of human fallenness and failure — the bitten fruit — and turned it into a sign of promise and progress," writes Andy Crouch, an editor-at-large at Christianity Today, in a recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. And the unstated hope is that technology will "relieve us of the burden of being merely human, of being finite creatures in a harsh and unyielding world."
The outpouring of adulation and sadness that marked his passing surely reflects the struggle of a depressed and fractured nation seeking to find a rallying point for optimism and unity. In the midst of an economic crisis, Jobs' remarkable legacy resembles a comet passing through a dark night, undimmed by a rising sun. But the promise of technology cannot sustain our unquenchable, God-given thirst for hope during times of great trial. We must turn elsewhere: to the wellspring of true hope.
Jobs represents the more appealing face of secularist ideals. But in the political sphere, an aggressive campaign to divest the public square of all religious trappings is gaining considerable traction — and an able assist from the Obama administration.
The U.S. bishops contend that the religious freedom of Catholic institutions is now threatened by a series of regulations and a key Supreme Court case backed by the Justice Department. "[O]rganized religion is being marginalized," said Bishop William Lori, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' new Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.
Elsewhere in these pages, he states: "We have to struggle. The Church and its institutions are mediating structures between the power of the state and the individual. Religious freedom is vital to our culture."
Secularists contend that the retreat of organized religion will advance human freedom. But when religion is "marginalized," the power of the state increases.
Thus, the aggressive campaign to impose the Health and Human Services' regulations mandating contraceptive services on Catholic institutions has been accompanied by an attendant rejection of individual conscience rights for everyone who may hold a moral objection to contraception.
Taken to its natural conclusion, the modern secularist ideal of creating your own private universe of motivational principles provides no defense against aggressive state power — or the self-justifying immorality of individual men and women.
Secularists have a tendency to demonize religious belief as the source of instability and evil in the world — see Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. But their substitute is a flimsy version of hope with a poor track record: good intentions unsecured by a strong framework made for durability.
Jobs advised the Stanford graduates, "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice." That individualistic ethos will likely provide much-needed confidence to struggling entrepreneurs.
But the fiction of the "self-made man" must be seen for what it is and for what it can never be: the hope that — as St. Paul assures us — "does not disappoint."


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N° 58–2003: ESA's SMART-1 satellite ready for lift-off
23 September 2003
Follow the SMART-1 launch from an ESA or Arianespace establishment.
During the night of Saturday 27/Sunday 28 September, ESA's SMART-1 satellite will be launched by an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's spaceport at Kourou at 20:02 hrs local time (01:02 hrs Central European Summer Time, 23:02 hrs GMT).
SMART-1 is the first of a series of 'Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology' designed to test key technologies for future spacecraft. It is Europe's first mission to the Moon. Among the new technologies to be tested is the solar-electric propulsion which will power the spacecraft to its target. SMART-1 will help solve such questions as how the Moon came into being and whether there is water there.
Media representatives in Europe can follow the launch and initial orbital operations at ESA/Darmstadt (ESOC) in Germany, which will be acting as the main European press centre, ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC) in the Netherlands or ESA/Frascati (ESRIN) in Italy. At each site ESA specialists will be available for interviews.
Media representatives wishing to attend are asked to complete the attached reply form and fax it to the Communication Office at the establishment of their choice.
The ESA TV Service will provide live televised coverage of the launch and initial orbital operations with English commentary, between 00:40 and 02:00 CEST.
Satellite: Astra 2C at 19 degrees East
Transponder 57, horizontal, MPEG-2, MCPC
Reception frequency: 10832 MHz
Polarisation: Horizontal
Symbol rate: 22000 MS/sec
Service name: ESA
Details of the transmission schedule and the various pre-launch Video News Releases can be found on http://television.esa.int.
On the ESA SMART-1 special website at: http://www.esa.int/smart1 you can also find news, press releases, videos, images and more about the mission.
For further information, please contact:
ESA Media Relations Service
Tel: +33(0)184.108.40.20655
Fax: +33(0)22.214.171.12490
Launch on Saturday 27 September 2003
First Name : _________________ Surname : _______________
Media :_________________________________________________
Tel : _________________ Fax : __________________________
Mobile : _______________ e-mail_________________________
I will be attending the SMART-1 launch event at the following site:
[ ]Germany:
Location: ESA/ESOC
Address: Robert-Bosch Strasse 5, Darmstadt, Germany
Opening hours: 20.30-02.00 hrs
Contact: Bernhard von Weyhe
Tel:+49 6151 90 2861 - Fax: +49 6151 90 2961
Info line: +49 - 6151 - 90 26 09
[ ] The Netherlands
Location : Space Expo, visitors' centre at ESA/ESTEC
Address: Keplerlaan 3, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Opening hours: 20.00-02.00 hrs
Contact: Michel van Baal
Tel:+31 71 565 3006 - Tel: +31 71 36 46 446 during launch event (Space Expo) - Fax: +31 71 565 5728
Info line: +31. 71 565 8016
[ ]Italy
Location: ESA/ESRIN
Address: Via G. Galilei, Frascati (Rome), Italy
Opening hours: 23:00 – 02.00hrs
Contact: Franca Morgia,
Tel:+39.06.9418.0951 - Fax:+39.06.9418.0952
[ ] France
Location: Arianespace
Address: Boulevard de l'Europe, 91006 Evry
Opening hours: 00.10 - 02.00 hrs
Tel:+33.(0)126.96.36.199.07 - Fax:+33.(0)1.60.8763.04
Please complete the form and fax it to the site of your choice.
For further information:
ESA Media Relations Service
Tel: +33(0)22.214.171.12455
Fax: +33(0)18.104.22.16890

subset: commoncrawl


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Sun Fin wrote:I proposed and she said yes so I guess you could say the last 24 hours have pretty much been the best ever?
Sun Fin wrote:Thanks guys! I haven't stopped smiling since she said yes! So happy
Sun Fin wrote:Hahaha thanks buddy! I'm sure there will be ups and downs along the way but I'm sure it was the right choice!
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"Our earlier games this season prepared us for tonight," said head coach Lindsey Devine. "Our outside hitters came alive in the last three games, both hitting and blocking. We've struggled with blocking this season, but we stepped it up tonight and it was the deciding factor in this victory."
Senior Sarah Buhr (
The Lady Bucs (19-5, 6-0) rallied from a five-point deficit in game four, and scored seven of the game's final eight points to even the match at two games apiece with the 30-26 win. Palmer paced ETSU through the fourth frame, adding seven kills to her total, followed by four more from Buhr, as well as four from senior Jennifer Sartor (
A balanced attack in game five propelled the Lady Bucs to victory, as Palmer, Sartor and Buhr all contributed two kills, along with two from junior Michelle Mislan (
Sartor ended the night with a match-high 19 kills, leading the team with a .302 hitting percentage.
The Lady Bucs are back in action Saturday, October 21 against Lipscomb at in Brooks Gym. The squad will celebrate senior day as well, honoring its four seniors prior to the match.


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More efficient way to find and merge duplicate contacts
- S'abonner au fil RSS
- Marquer comme nouveau
- Marquer comme lu
- Marquer
- S'abonner
- Envoyer à un ami
- Page imprimable
- Signaler un contenu inapproprié
The Sales CRM functions more as intended for lead capture from a web form where one email would be provided to create the contact record.
You're thinking in terms of the CRM as a Sales and Marketing tool, which it is, but it's also just a CRM: Connected to Gmail it's getting new records daily from people that have multiple email addresses. Moreover, just doing an import of addresses from other databases can result in multiple Contacts being created for the various email addresses someone might have.
Consider myself as an example, I have 12 different email addresses. When I take a new client or job, I'll have another. Those are 13 different records. They are all just me and each of those email addresses should be more easily uncovered as associated with the same person and merged.
What needs to improve
Today we have to go into a Contact records and use the Merge function to find the other emails and merge them. That's a manual process. A pain for large Contact databases.
The Contact list should have a "Find and Dedup" option. The CRM should find likely duplicates not based on the email identifier but other personal identifiers: same name, similar name in same location, etc. Flag those in the list and make it easy to check the duplicate Contacts and "Merge" them.
This really needs to be done as part of the platform as growing companies, teams with many people using Gmail as part of their outreach, etc. will constantly result in new Contact records that can go unnoticed as duplicates of existing records.


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In Wes Craven's 4th Scream installment, years have passed and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing is revisited by the Ghostface Killer.The horror series that reignited the genre and grossed more than $500 million worldwide is back!
From Kevin Williamson, creator of the original Scream trilogy, old stars mingle along with a group of new stars, who can all hopefully stay alive long enough to figure out the new rules to this one-of-a-kind horror franchise! Courtney Cox, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaff, Marley Shelton, Adam Brody, Mary McDonell, Erik Knudsen, Alison Bree and Roger Jackson. all star
Source: Entertainment Weekly


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Up All Night is hosting a Bluth family reunion!
Arrested Development's Tony Hale is heading to the NBC comedy to reunite with his former TV brother Will Arnett, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.
Hale will play Dr. Welborn, Reagan's (Christina Applegate) dentist. Dr. Welborn is always super flirty with Reagan and boosts her ego after she's called "ma'am" by a bunch of twentysomething hipsters.
Up All Night bosses talk Season 2 changes: Unemployment, cast shakeups and wedding bells?
The 42-year-old actor is best-known for playing Buster Bluth opposite Arnett's Gob Bluth. Hale's other credits include Veep and Chuck, along with a guest spot on Applegate's Samantha Who? where he played a doctor who hit on her. Both Hale and Arnett will reprise their Development roles in the new season of the show coming soon to Netflix.
Up All Night airs Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c on NBC. Hale's episode, titled "Ma'am'd," is slated to air Oct. 25.


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ABBOTSFORD - A former undercover RCMP drug cop has been charged with impersonating an officer after he allegedly pretended to be a member of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team to get information about the Bacon brothers' location from a police database, The Vancouver Sun has learned.
Rapinder (Rob) Sidhu, who runs a company called IMAX Investigational Group, is accused of calling the RCMP's Operations Communications Centre in July 2007, posing as a police officer and requesting the Surrey address where the Bacons were then residing.
At the time, rival gangsters had already targeted the notorious brothers for death. Jon Bacon had been shot in front of his family's Abbotsford home in September 2006 and barely survived, after which the clan relocated to a Surrey house.
Jamie was shot in Surrey in April 2007, but was not critically wounded.
After the breach, the RCMP had to disclose to the Bacon brothers that their address had been revealed. Sgt. Tim Shields confirmed that a duty to warn was performed in this case, as well as a review of protocols to make sure enough safety measures are in place.
"It is the protocol itself that resulted in this investigation and these charges," Shields said, adding that as an ex-Mountie, Sidhu "would have had a real familiarity with the protocol."
Once the breach was discovered, it was extremely disturbing to police, given that the centre is routinely called by officers in the field seeking information from computer databases.
"It was troubling to the investigators and to the RCMP and that's why we pursued this case so vigorously," Shields said.
The leak is the reason the Bacon brothers first moved to Port Moody in the summer of 2007, renting a penthouse on the 22nd floor of a highrise at 295 Guildford Ave. — the same building where their parents later purchased a condo.
Port Moody Police Chief Brad Parker told The Sun he found out from a police surveillance detail some time after the move that the Bacons had taken up residence in his community.
"We learned through discussions that there had been a breach of security with their address in Surrey and as a result of that, the Bacons had relocated and ended up in Port Moody," Parker said. "We later learned that it had been a breach of security out of [the operations centre], though we didn't know the circumstances around that breach. And later on we were advised that the RCMP were investigating that issue. We had not heard back regarding that investigation until you told us about the official charges being laid."
According to court papers obtained by The Sun, Sidhu was charged in January 2008 related to the breach on July 31, 2007.
His next scheduled appearance in Surrey Provincial Court is on June 17.
Sidhu, 41, resigned from the RCMP after 11 years on the job in July 2003, the month he pleaded guilty to inflicting fear of injury in a domestic case.
"He resigned during an internal investigation," Shields said. Since Sidhu left the RCMP, Shields said, he "has been known to associate with the criminal element."
Because he had been an undercover operator, there was concern about other undercover officers and methods being compromised, Shields confirmed.
"Of course it was a major concern, given his role of an undercover operator at the time. It was a significant concern and we took steps to address issues that came up as a result of his resignation," Shields said.
Sidhu's lawyer, Matt Nathanson, said Sidhu is presumed innocent and will fight the charge vigorously in court.
"And that's about all I can really say," he said Friday.
Sidhu could not be reached for comment.
Members of the Integrated Gang Task Force have stopped a vehicle registered to IMAX Investigational Group being driven by Matt Schader, a close associate of Rob Shannon, the Fraser Valley man sentenced last month to 20 years in a U.S. jail for heading an international drug smuggling ring.
IMAX Investigational has registered four vehicles since it opened in 2006. The company, which lists Sidhu's Abbotsford residence as its address, got a 2006 BMW in August of that year, according to the personal property registry.
In April 2008, it got a loan for a 2008 Grand Cherokee; on June 4 of last year, IMAX got a 2008 Ford 450 truck; and earlier this year, in January, it took over a loan for a 2008 Range Rover, according to documents, As well, Sidhu co-owns a 2007 Acura with Lianna Maher, the owner of the house where Sidhu resides, and a teenager living at the same address.
The house, on an Abbotsford mountainside, is a five-minute drive from the Bacon family residence. It was purchased in 2004 for $640,000. The 2009 assessment is $790,000.
While IMAX was incorporated on April 25, 2006, it does not have a business licence in Abbotsford, according to a clerk at city hall there. Nor does the company have the required private investigator or security firm licence from the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety.
"The guy has no private investigator's licence. Neither he nor his company are registered at security programs division as having a private investigators' licence," ministry spokesman Brent Lowther said.
The company is not a member of the Private Investigators Association of B.C., president Alan Yuile confirmed this week.
The association has very clear guidelines about misrepresentation in its Code of Ethics.
"Members shall not knowingly misrepresent themselves, their duties, or credentials," it says. "Members shall not engage in any unlawful or unethical practice. … Members in all cases shall counsel against any illegal or unethical course of action."
No phone number for IMAX Investigational Group is listed in directory assistance. Nor is there a website or other online information about the company.
While still an RCMP officer, Sidhu was charged in March 2003 with a domestic assault. Two months later, two counts of uttering death threats were laid. When Sidhu pleaded guilty in July 2003 to a lesser charge of causing "fear of personal injury," he had to abide by several conditions, including staying away from two complainants.
In September 2003, he was charged with a number of fraud counts in Abbotsford after an investigation by RCMP E Division headquarters in Vancouver. The fraud allegations involved six counts of obtaining tens of thousands of dollars in credit under false pretences from the TD Canada Trust and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on several dates from 1999 to 2003.
On August 23, 2005, he pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and received a 12-month conditional sentence concurrent on both counts.
As part of his sentence, Sidhu had to abide by a curfew and was ordered to pay $1,500 a month "until full restitution is paid in the amount of $33,412.37."
The three Bacons remained in the rented Port Moody penthouse until May 31, 2008 when middle brother Jarrod and Jamie, the youngest, were arrested in a dramatic take-down in Burnaby and charged with 24 gun and drug counts that are still before the court. Their next appearance in that case is May 12, also in Surrey Provincial Court.
The Bacons, their friends and associates, have been the subject of four extraordinary public warnings in the last year when police claimed anyone anywhere near Jonathan, 28, Jarrod, 26, or Jamie, 23, could be killed in the crossfire as rivals attempted to kill them.
Earlier this week, three men linked to the United Nations gang were charged with conspiracy to commit murder for plotting to kill all three Bacons. Several others whose identities have not yet been revealed are also expected to be charged.
The conspiracy is alleged to have unfolded in Surrey, Vancouver and Montreal from April 15, 2008 to Feb. 17, 2009. Jamie was being followed everywhere by a marked police vehicle until he was arrested April 4 and charged with first-degree murder in connection with one of six Surrey slayings.
Police in Abbotsford and Port Moody have said they spent tens of thousands on extra security and surveillance because of the threats to the Bacons, who are closely aligned with the Red Scorpion gang.
Parker said the fact the Bacons have spent time living in Port Moody over the last two years has been a drain on police resources. Jon Bacon still lives in a rented highrise there, though Jamie and Jarrod must reside at their parents' Abbotsford home as a bail condition.
Long-time associate Dennis Karbovanec was also eating up resources in Port Moody until his guilty plea in the Surrey Six case earlier this month.
"It has created a whole situation for our community ... as well as a resource issue for us. We never did hear back on the other side of it what the results were in relation to the alleged breach, but it has put a significant drain on the community and the police department," Parker said.
"At the end of the day, materially, it is something that we had to deal with. It is unfortunate that it happened — or is alleged to have happened — in that fashion, right?"
Just this week, Jon Bacon told Port Moody police that if he moved again, he was reluctant to give his new address to them as required by his bail conditions because of what happened with the RCMP breach in Surrey.
Shields said the RCMP is glad to be rid of Sidhu and takes criminal allegations against any member very seriously.
"If there is any allegation that a member of the RCMP is involved in criminal activity, we investigate that allegation as quickly and as vigorously as humanly possible because the last thing we want is one of our own involved in crime," Shields said Friday. "We are very grateful that this man is no longer associated to the RCMP."


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Live in a newly built Triumph Bungalow. Triumph is a uniquely built executive brand of Bungalows crafted in the highly sought after hand selected communities of Edmonton. The developers innovative take on classic style offers both single family and maintenance-free Lifestyle options. Reacquaint with nature in Cavanagh amidst available lots backing the Blackmud Creek Ravine. These award winning bungalows can also be found in Ambleside of Windermere surrounded by park spaces, walking trails and wetlands. This is the walkable way of life as you are accompanied by the Currents of Windermere shops and dinning. Conversely, overlook the Wedgewood Ravine in West Edmonton, Triumph Edgemont, our newest community. This serene location offers a cul de sac of single family bungalows and walk out basements. All of our carefully assembled homes are appointed with a luxury collection of fits and finishes. Laboriously planned and fastidiously designed. If a lifestyle bungalow is in your near future, search no further.


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Tagged: Targaryens
Yankees Will Prevail In 2013's 'Game Of Thrones'
The New York Yankees open defense of their American League East championship on Monday against the Boston Red Sox with pundits and even their own fans criticizing them for their many injuries and their reluctance over the past few years for opening their wallets to get quality young players. I will try to examine how I believe the division race stacks up and predict how it might go. You may be surprised by my conclusion.
If you are a fan of HBO's series "Game of Thrones" you might notice that the American League East is a lot like the many kingdoms in the show.
The Yankees, with their money and dominance, are a lot like the Lannisters. The Boston Red Sox are a lot like the Starks, highly principled and loyal folk who fight the good fight only to suffer myriad indignities and failures. Of course, you also have those teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles who also are swirling around the periphery of Kings Landing believing they have a rightful claim to wear the crown.
The 2013 season will play out a lot like the television series and I can tell you why I believe that.
Since 1995 the Yankees have only missed the American League playoffs once (in 2008) and they have won the division championship in 16 of the past 17 seasons. If that is not dominance than what is? Like the Lannisters, the Steinbrenner family has lavished riches of the kingdom on the best knights to defend the realm and their loyal subjects have been a fairly happy lot for the most part.
But their knights have grown old and their battle wounds have been severe. Some are ready for the fight in 2013 but others are not. Their apparent weakness has given their rivals confidence they take the crown away and you saw that play out this spring.
The Blue Jays had a legendary team in the early 1990s and they won two world championships during that period. But since then they have fallen into a barren abyss of failure. But their general manager Alex Anthropoulos engineered a winter campaign to load his roster with the best players the Miami Marlins and New York Mets could offer him.
They boast a starting lineup with the speedy Jose Reyes and a line-drive hitting machine in Melky Cabrera to add to their long-ball threats Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. They also pried away National League Cy Young Award-winner R.A. Dickey from the Mets to add to right-hander Josh Johnson and left-hander Mark Buerhle from the Marlins to form a strong rotation with their own holdover Brandon Morrow.
The kings of North think they now have a team that storm the wall protecting the kingdoms that lie s to the south such as Kings Landing in 2013.
But there are some warning signs that could give them pause before they are able to proclaim victory.
One is the Blue Jays' bullpen. I was listening to their broadcasters this spring lamenting about how weak this group appears to be.
Closer Casey Janssen is coming off shoulder surgery and they HOPE he will available for Opening Day. Behind him is failed closer Sergio Santos and his awful 7.88 spring ERA and Esmil Rogers and his 6.39 ERA.
Of all the teams in the A.L. East, this bullpen projects to be the worst in the division, especially if Janssen is unable to capture lightning in a bottle and return as the closer he was last season when he saved 22 of 25 games. The Blue Jays may have to cover there bullpen weakness by asking their starters to go longer than they should.
That tends to weaken the starters and it also could be discouraging when the offense builds a 6-1 lead after six innings and they end up losing the game 7-6. That will get mighty old for the Rogers Centre faithful this summer.
The offense has its own issues.
Third baseman Brett Lawrie plays the game all out and he also tends to get hurt a lot. He enters the season banged up and there are questions about how good centerfielder Colby Rasmus, catcher J.P. Arencibia and designated hitter Adam Lind really are. They have yet to establish themselves as quality major-league players.
There also is a major questions about whether Reyes, whose talents in the past have been held back by leg issues, will be able to play a full season on the hard artificial surface of Rogers Centre without issues at age 29.
So instead of automatically installing them as the kings of this division, you may want to look deeper into these drawbacks. Teams do not win championships on paper. Just ask the 2012 Marlins.
The Orioles remind me of the twisted and tortured King Stannis, who attacked Kings Landing in season two of the "Game of Thrones" only to be turned back at the gates by the eldest of the Lannisters and his men just as if seemed they were winning.
Stannis had a magical sorceress behind him convincing him that he could win the battle, but he failed in the end. She later told him he still could prevail even as he was licking his wounds in defeat. Manager Buck Showalter is much like this sorceress. His skill of masking weaknesses and enhancing strengths of a ballclub made the Orioles seem much stronger than they appeared to be in 2012.
They won such a ridiculous amount of one-run and extra-inning games that they qualified for the playoffs as a wild card only to be dispatched in Game 5 of the American League Division Series by the CC of Sabathia. They were at the gates of the kingdom of The Bronx only to be turned away by their elders, Prince Derek Jeter and the eldest of Lannisters, Raul of of the House Ibanez.
Showalter still believes his charges can storm the gates of the castle and take the throne in 2013. But, unlike most teams in this division, he did not add much of anything to this team. He is largely counting on the same black magic of 2012, which rarely happens.
Those one-run victories in 2012 can easily turn into one-run losses in 2013. Those extra-inning miracles can become extra-inning nightmares a year later.
Their rotation of Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Jake Arrieta really scares no one. Nobody is going to get up out of bed at the hotel and say "Oh no, we have no chance of winning because Arrieta is pitching tonight!"
The bullpen with closer Jim Johnson is solid but hardly merits superlatives.
The team largely returns the same cast in 2012 minus Mark Reynolds and with the return of second baseman Brian Roberts, who has not played a full season in the majors since 2009.
Adam Jones and Matt Wieters are marvelous talents and Nick Markakis is healthy after missing the stretch run. But I have to wonder if all the magic Showalter spun in 2012 really will return in 2013. Teams like this usually fall back to the pack and that is what I see for the Birds.
The Tampa Bay Rays remind of the Targaryens, who once sat upon the throne in 2008 when they faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series but have been unable to mount the offensive to get back there.
They have been trapped wandering in a hot climate in Florida and they have been restricted by the lack of soldiers and a lack of money to really win it all.
One year they lose Carl Crawford and Matt Garza. Another year they lose B.J. Upton and James Shields. They try to compensate with their own farm system because they lack money to compete with the Lannisters or the Starks of this division.
They only have the fire of their small but growing dragons who someday might destroy the mightier armies they have to face. For now, it appears the dragons are way too small and too inexperienced to go the entire distance.
The Rays rely on a pitching staff led by the American League Cy Young Award-winner David Price. How ironic that a team that has to pinch its pennies would be beholden to man named Price.
Behind him on promising youngsters like Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb. But there are problems here.
Hellickson spent most of the spring throwing much less than fire at opposing batters. He was rocked often and ended up with a 6.75 ERA. Moore did not fare much better. His velocity was way off and his command was even worse. He finished the spring much better but his once-high promise has faded some.
The Rays have to rely on these pitchers and their bullpen led by reclamation project Fernando Rodney and his 48 saves because the offense leaves a lot to be desired.
Without Upton, the Rays will have to rely on Evan Longoria even more for power. Longoria himself has a problem staying healthy and, if he is missing for any portion of the season, the Rays can kiss their hopes bye-bye.
They have a semblance of an offense with Longoria, Ben Zobrist, Desmond Jennings and new shortstop Yunel Escobar. But they also are starting guys like Matt Joyce and Luke Scott, who have not proven they can establish careers for themselves and help a team win.
They also are still counting on Jose Molina to do a bulk of the catching at age 37.
The Targaryens in the television series did not have enough money to purchase the ships to ford the sea leading back to Kings Landing. That kind of jives with the subjects who live in Tampa, FL, who are unwilling to lay down their riches or mount their horses to ford the bridge that leads to the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
The low attendance puts even more stringent strains on the team's coffers to keep players like Price in the kingdom for their entire careers.
The Rays, with their young dragons, should remain afloat long enough to mount a serious challenge to take the throne. But the rich Lannisters in the Bronx still have the wisdom and wherewithal to stem the tide. Like in the series, men do not blindly follow the bravest warriors but remain loyal to the men with the gold.
The gold remains in the Bronx.
In Season Two of "Game of Thrones" the elder Stark loses his head, the eldest daughter is enslaved to the Lannister king, the youngest daughter is lost in the hinterlands, the two youngest boys have their home burned while the man's widow and the eldest son plot to overthrow and vanquish the Lanisters to avenge the patriarch's death.
That pretty much wraps up the Red Sox of 2012. Winterfell befell Landsdowne.
Their king (Bobby Valentine) had his head lopped off and served to the media, they abandoned their home fans and cast adrift a lot of their high-priced talent in order to restock and rebuild to defeat their arch-enemy in the rich Bronx. It was indeed a completely lost season for the Red Sox and the Starks.
They hold out hope that a new manager (Jon Farrell) and a team built around Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury will help get them back to the promised land they have failed to reach since 2007. In fact, they have failed to make the playoffs in the last three seasons.
They want left-hander Jon Lester and right-hander Clay Buccholz to pitch better while young Felix Doubront develops and they pray retreads Ryan Dempster and John Lackey (all kingdoms must have their lackeys) have something left. The problem is that this was the division's worst pitching staff in 2012 and no swordsmanship will make it much better in 2013.
The bullpen has undergone a two purges since Jonathan Papelbon rode off for the riches of the Phillies. They are now hoping a Pirate can plug the leaks in the hull of the bullpen. Joel Hanrahan has come over from Pittsburgh to be the closer while former closer Andrew Bailey and lost child Daniel Bard try to figure out what happened to their talent.
Bailey is the team's setup man while the Bard (in true Shakespearean fashion) has been cast into the dungeons of the minor leagues. For shame, for shame!
It also appears that the kingdom's version of Hodor, David Ortiz, is finally showing signs that those seasons of carrying excess weight have a price. He has a bad heel and he can't even trot, let alone run. Without Ortiz, most of the power and production will fall upon first baseman Mike Napoli.
There are lots of weaknesses everywhere, including shortstop (Stephen Drew, really?) and catcher, where Jarrod Saltalamacchia hits home runs in small bunches and strikes out in major droves.
Though young outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. promises to give the Fenway faithful something to cheer about when the team is dredging the bottom depths of the division, the ponderous weight of the anchor of this foundering team will keep them from even getting a whiff of the roses near the Iron Throne.
The Evil Empire in the Bronx has paid its knights Alex Rodriguez, Jeter, Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Mark Teixeira handsomely over the years. Along with the reward of titles and championships, the team has also fallen short of its goals of late due to injury and the age of these players.
It actually started last season when spring injuries to Michael Pineda and Joba Chamberlain was just a mere hint of what 2012 would bring. Rodriguez missed time, CC pitched with a sore elbow, Pettitte was lost for a time, Jeter hobbled until he broke in the playoffs,
Speedy outfielder Brett Gardner played in only 18 games.
So why should 2013 be any different?
The rich Lannisters are already missing Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Ibanez, Eric Chavez and Andruw Jones because payroll concerns were such they were ordered to cut back on their excesses.
Injuries to Teixera, Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes and a slow recovery by Jeter this spring heightened the concerns of fans who have loyally followed this team over the years. The town criers, the scribes and pundits all denounced this team and said it was dead. They would not win the title in 2013.
They may even finish last.
But an odd thing happened on Friday. The team that was battered all spring played a Washington Nationals team that many say will win the world championship in 2013 fell to the Yankees. Oh, it was just an exhibition game. I know it did not count.
But what you saw in the Yankees was a semblance of a very good team. Pettitte pitched well and the bullpen proved to be as strong as ever.
The major surprise was the offense with Robinson Cano, Kevin Youkilis, Eduardo Nunez and Vernon Wells seemed to respond and it all seemed to come together in one cohesive package.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said earlier this spring that he fails to believe that the Yankees will be bad in 2013. He said he thinks they will be as difficult to beat as they always have been. I agree.
You see injuries do heal. The Yankees will get Jeter, Hughes, Granderson and Teixeira back at some point this season. They also might get Rodriguez back.
They are a team that has always gotten off to slow starts and got better as the season moved along. I see the same scenario this season.
The pitching with Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Pettitte, Hughes, Ivan Nova and David Phelps is deep. They have Rivera in the bullpen for one last season and David Robertson, Chamberlain and Boone Logan form a strong setup group for the King of Closing.
The offense features the two best singles hitters of their generation in Ichiro Suzuki and Jeter along with the speedy Gardner. Cano, who is due to become a very rich free agent signing after the 2013 season, is poised for breakout season of offense and defense. He could very well win the Most Valuable Player award this season.
Youkilis looks like the Youkilis of 2007, when he led the rival Red Sox to their last championship. You add Granderson and Teixera to that and you have a good offense to go along with strong pitching.
The "new guys" Wells, Brennan Boesch, Ben Francisco and Travis Hafner will have pressure on them to keep the team afloat until the stars come back. They might fail but they can't be any worse than last season's Yankees that failed to hit with runners in scoring position.
It also behooves manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman that the Yankees are looked upon as dead meat awaiting a fork to be thrust into them. Perhaps lower expectations is a good thing for the Yankees after always being the team expected to win.
Girardi has a chance to really manage this season and Cashman has staked his reputation by finding these veteran pieces to fill in while the wounded heal in the tent.
That is why I truly believe that some how, some way the Yankees, the rich Lannisters of the Bronx, will have just enough to win this division again.
They may stumble in the playoffs. That is almost as much expected by their fans. But I do see victory here.
For fans of the show "King of Thrones" I must add a note that Season Three premieres tonight at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO. If you liked this analogy to the A.L. East please pause a moment miladies and milords to send me a raven.


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Steven is a data scientist and a Microsoft Certified Solution Expert on Data Platform, MCSA on SQL server 2008/12 and MCITP on BI Developer, Database Developer and DBA.
He is very passionate about data insights, machine learning and MS SQL server technology and business intelligence and has designed and implemented a number of large scale enterprise BI solutions in a variety of industries.
Steven is an active SQL server community participant. He answers questions at MSDN SQL server forum and speaks at events like TechEd, CodeCamp, SQL User Group etc.
Steven is currently head of data science at QuintilesIMS at Sydney Office.
Tweets by @msbicoe
I was presenting at Auckland SQL User Group for the titled session.
The columnstar indexes, formerly known as project "Apollo", are new future of SQL server 2012. Columnstore indexes deliver the blazing-fast query performance, particularly for the star-joining queries. It is not surprised to notice a query performance increase up to 100 times faster. In this session, Steven will take you through the nitty-gritty and internals of columnstore indexes; he will also talk though the columnstore index do's and don'ts, limitations, tips and tricks, and the possible impact on the future BI solution considerations.
Thanks for all attendants!
I have attached the slides deck and SQL code in this blog.
ColumnstoreIndex_SQLUserGroup.pptx (1.46 mb)
SQL_Scripts.zip (15.09 kb)
Posted in: Columnstore Index | Data warehouse | SQL Server 2012 | Trace Flag
Tags: xVelocity Columnstore Index, sql server 2012 columnstore index, Columnstore index compressions, columnstore index best practises
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Live Concert in Granbury, TX!
If you like an old fashioned "Country Christmas" you wont want to miss Penny Gilley and her special guest, Nashville recording artist, Doug Allen Nash. Whether she is entertaining in Branson, out touring across the country, or appearing on her long running tv show on RFD-TV, this is one of the fun, feel good, family shows you won't want to miss! a great night of music, laughter and entertainment!
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We'll See You Soon!
We miss all of you and we are ready to see you again. We have been in contact with local officials and we are working hard to prepare the theater to re-open in a safe and healthy environment. We have sanitized the theater and the concession area and we have free Granbury Live masks that … Read more
Real Gone Music Releases Janie Fricke IT AIN'T EASY: THE COMPLETE HITS
Two-time CMA and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year Janie Fricke announces the release of 'It Ain't Easy: The Complete Hits' through Real Gone Music on August 9. This 41-track, 2 CD compilation includes many of her 18 number one hits including "What're You Doing Tonight," "It Ain't Easy Being Easy," "He's A Heartache (Looking … Read more
The Roof is Coming off in June!
I love it when I look at the calendar and see a whole month full of exciting and fun shows! I think the month of June offers something for almost every type of music fan! We start out the month with the fabulous Doug Allen Nash performing his amazing Tribute to Neil Diamond! I cannot … Read more
The stars are bright, late at night, deep in the heart of Texas!
Whoever wrote that song sure had it right because we have some great, big time performers coming to The New Granbury Live in the next few months. I am especially excited about our new "Thursday night start your weekend right" shows! Let's face it' by the time a person gets through hump day on Wednesday, … Read more
Summertime is Around the Corner
Can you believe we are right in the middle of spring and good old summertime will be here before you know it! The kids will be out of school and people will be heading to vacations, and a whole bunch of folks will be coming to Granbury to either enjoy our lake or to visit … Read more
So how about The Best Show Ever?
This past weekend we highlighted another edition of "The Best Show Ever"; our very own variety show which is modeled after the great Ed Sullivan show. Some might ask why we would go to all the trouble to produce a show with so many moving parts and with so many different styles and types of … Read more
A Grand Slam!
I have a little confession to make to you all: As General Manager of the New Granbury Live, one of my many duties is to book acts for the theater. From the outside that may appear to be an easy job. During the course of a week I have occasions for people to approach me … Read more
A Blowout Weekend at The New Granbury Live!
I love it when we have a busy weekend at the New Granbury Live: especially when those who attend walk out of the theater have a big smile on their face! This last Friday night we had my friend Max Stalling perform and gosh darn he put on quite a show! I think everyone's favorite … Read more
Can you believe that 2018 is almost over?
Can you believe that 2018 is almost over? My mind tells me I should be looking for Easter or St Patrick's Day, but no, the year is almost over! When I look back at how far Granbury Live has come in such a short period of time, it gives me a great sense of pride … Read more
Christmas Season Kicks off with a Holly Jolly Christmas
Well the Christmas season could not have started off better than it did this past weekend! On Friday night the Historic Granbury Merchants produced their annual Christmas Parade and it was spectacular! Lots of floats and lots of folks there to watch all the Christmas spirt unfold! I would hate to hazard a guess as … Read more


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On the sixth day of Detroit's bankruptcy trial earlier this month, a comment from the city's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, prompted a rare question from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes. Orr was defending comments he made to retirees and city workers one month before the city filed for bankruptcy:
"I wasn't attempting to mislead anyone," Orr reportedly said of the June meeting. "I was trying to say we understood these issues around pensions."
Rhodes challenged: "What would you say to that retiree now?"
"I would say that his rights are in bankruptcy now," Orr said. "I would say that his rights are subject to the Supremacy Clause of the (U.S.) Constitution."
"That's a bit different than 'sacrosanct,' isn't it?" Rhodes said.
To the delight of public retirees and their unions, Rhodes' questioning highlighted a shift they had been complaining about for months: that Orr went from reassuring retirees to saying their pensions were part of the problem. The truth is, there's a lot of blame to spread around in Detroit's bankruptcy – from corrupt politicians to unthinkably bad decisions to the Great Recession--amd no one item got the city to where it is today at roughly $18 billion in debt.
Orr and others say the city's pension system represents $3.5 billion of that debt and the message since the July bankruptcy filing has been that the system is a big part of the problem. But the city's two pensions are actually a combined 91 percent funded (80 percent funded plans are considered financially healthy), according to Morningstar's combined 2011 valuation of the public employee pension and police/fire pension (see chart below). The fund, according to outside reports, is pretty healthy. But how it got there is another story. The pension system is not to blame for Detroit's woes – but it's not blameless either.
For starters, Orr's view of Detroit's system and the view of unions are through completely different lenses. "It's a weird situation, a weird scenario because we're not the problem," said George Orzech chair of the police and fire pension board. "We don't know why they're attacking us."
Orr uses a lower rate of return assumption than the retirement system does and calculates that payments will come due over a shorter period of time. Most notably, Orr's assumptions for the plan's unfunded liability uses a lower, more conservative market rate to value the assets and liabilities. That choice results in the plans having fewer assets and more liabilities when compared with the actuarial valuation given by the pension system, which uses a rate of return in line with what other systems use. Using the market rate is not exactly standard practice, said Morningstar Municipal Credit Analyst Rachel Barkley.
"While using it is the correct method to identify a liability in a point in time … it does magnify fluctuations in the bond market," Barkley said in a conference call last week. "It presents a very drastically different point of view on the fundamental fiscal health of plans based on the actuarial method."
In contrast to Orr's estimated $3.5 billion unfunded liability for both plans, the retirement system's actuaries estimate that value at $644 million.
The differences amount to a plan that is either 91 percent funded (according to the pension system actuaries) or is less than two-thirds funded, according to Orr. "There's been a bit of an overemphasis," said Tamara Lowin, director of research at Belle Haven Investments, referring to the picture that some have painted of the city's unfunded liability. "The answer of what the real unfunded liability probably is somewhere between what the two parties are stating."
But how did the pension fund of a city that (not for the first time) has been skipping out on its payments for a year get so healthy? The answer there really did contribute to Detroit's money woes. In 2005, the city sold Pension Obligation Certificates, taxable bonds that would go directly toward easing the city's unfunded liability. But more than half the bonds were sold as part of a swap deal designed to guarantee a roughly 6 percent interest rate for the city – Detroit sold the certificate bonds at a variable rate to creditors. The city then made a deal with banks on the interest rate for those certificates to help them keep payments stable: they agreed to pay a 6 percent rate to the bank in exchange for the bank paying Detroit the variable rate. The deal protected Detroit against skyrocketing interest rates.
But it didn't provide any protection if rates fell -- and when that happened in combination with the city's credit rating downgrade, the deal eroded and the city's debt payments shot up as a result. Now, the $1.44 billion deal is expected to cost Detroit $2.8 billion over the next 22 years, according to a Detroit Free Press analysis.
At the time, the unions joined then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (who is now serving a 28-year prison sentence on un-related federal racketeering charges) in pushing for the deal. But today, the union points to that decision as a mistake by city leaders: "That's how Detroit got itself into trouble," said Michael Artz, associate general counsel at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "It's these financial deals that put them over a barrel, if you will, because of the loss of state aid and the declines in revenue."
But those bond certificates are why Detroit's plan is so well-funded today – in effect, the deal shifted the liability risk from the retirees to the taxpayers. And that debt is contributing to the city's inability to provide services to its residents. According to the latest annual report from Detroit's General Retirement System the city's payments to that pension system had climbed to one-fifth of its total payroll expenses up until the pension certificates helped cover the unfunded liability in 2005. Then, the payments dropped to one-tenth of payroll – but they have been climbing ever since. By 2011, its pension payments accounted for nearly one-quarter of payroll. Meanwhile, since 2001, the number of active employees contributing to the system has fallen by nearly half while the number of retirees (now about 11,500) has stayed roughly the same.
It's that kind of structure that can burden a city's future employees and taxpayers, pitting them against retirees, said Vijay Kapoor, director of PFM's Workforce Consulting practice. "If you don't deal with that you may find yourself in bankruptcy and asking yourself where the money is that would make the biggest difference the most quickly: it's in the retirees.... It tees up these intergenerational issues in a way that hasn't been teed up before."
Whether the city is so cash-strapped it warrants bankruptcy protection is for Rhodes to decide. Unions and other supporters have also argued that Orr's estimated $18 billion in total debt is exaggerated as it includes shared debt from a water and sewer system that serves 40 percent of Michigan residents. Meanwhile, the city and the unions have had roughly half a dozen meetings about the pension fund's role in the bankruptcy.
But as to whether those meetings will yield anything, Steve Kreisberg, AFSCME's director of collective bargaining, notes employees have already made concessions: a year ago the city made a deal for reduced benefits going forward and a 10 percent paycut, Kreisberg said. "What that demonstrates is how little pensions have to do with this," he added. "You cut them but you still declare bankruptcy a less than a year later."


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I write, I read, I teach writing, and I work as a freelance editor and manuscript critiquer. If I review books, it's from the perspective of a writer. My comments on teaching writing are all my own, garnered from being in the classroom and in workshops.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Hamline MFAC Count
74 writers.
74,692 words (I'm guessing).
20 workshops.
1 bookshop visit (so far).
8 comments:
You got your squirrel shot, Sherryl! Well done.
A most unusual cinquain but it says it all.
- 11:55 am
- Sherryl said...
That's funny, Lorraine - are you sure you counted the syllables? :)
Yes, it was a very obliging squirrel indeed!
- 12:25 pm
- Lucia Nardo said...
I'm exhausted by both the fauna and the word count!
- 1:55 pm
- Snail said...
That'll never make a Christmas carol.
I'm glad that it's all turning out well. (Squirrel photos included.) That's a lot of words, but nowhere near enough bookshops.
Have fun!
- 3:32 pm
- sewa mobil said...
Very nice, thanks for sharing.
- 4:35 pm
- Peter Pearson said...
If I mail you a squirrel, will you send me back a wallaby?
- 1:52 pm
- Sherryl said...
I wish I could say that those were the words I wrote! But I was guestimating everyone's put together.
Snail - managed four bookshops including a B&N, two great children's bookshops (one with a pet tarantula, chinchillas, ferrets and a chicken) and the best secondhand bookshop I've ever been in. I had to really control myself so as not to carry home an extra 20kg of book luggage.
- 2:11 pm
- Sherryl said...
Peter - maybe not a wallaby, but I could rustle up a small wombat perhaps!
- 2:12 pm


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by Deborah
The ombre trend has been going strong for some time now and it never seems to disappear, and right now it's my favourite thing. Dip dying is something that can be easily created at home, so if you have something old lying around, it can easily be transformed with some paint or dye. Next week I will have a little something that I have put together myself to show how changeable and simple the effect can work. For just now I will leave you with some inspiring images that are tasteful and not from a Grateful Dead concert.
1. Folklore Pulp Pendant 2.Ercol wooden love seat 3. Dip dye silk pillow 4. Hay file folder 5.Rucsack 6. Philip Lim Shirt
dip dye
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5 comments:
This looks like it would be a fun project! I love the ombre look!ReplyDelete
never seen a jansport look so good! hah!ReplyDelete
You're killin' me these!ReplyDelete
Nice inspiration, I´m just waiting for your project!ReplyDelete
Like the idea of giving an old thing a new look...
Have a nice weekend
I am not sure whether I love dip dye on furniture, but on clothing I love it!ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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Today, we're introducing the Sonos Studio, an acoustically-designed gallery that celebrates music listening and serves as the best place in Los Angeles to experience Sonos first-hand. The space explores the intersection of music, art and technology by hosting exhibitions, intimate concerts, listening parties, film screenings, lectures, workshops and more.
The 4,000 square foot studio, located in LA's La Brea Art and Design District, is a sonically-tuned venue with custom-built seven-degree canted gallery walls, strategically placed pyramidal sound-dispersing foam tiles, and a purposefully built listening room – all designed to build the best place to listen to music, Sonos-style.
To create a fully-realized L.A. community space, we joined forces with a team of local designers, businesses and artists. The studio architecture was designed by Rania Alomar of RA-DA. The interior designers at The Studio Collective turned the Listening Room into a comfortable lounge space with ideal acoustic properties. Coffee Commissary, the neighborhood coffee shop, created the gourmet coffee bar installation. Venice-based Knibb Design designed beautiful custom-built furniture, and skateboarding legend Natas Kaupas put together a skateboard "lending library" with a hand-picked playlist to match each deck. Other studio partners include 3LCD (digital projection), Gibson Guitars (instruments), Heineken, and Stewart Filmscreen (cinema screens).
The Sonos Studio acts as a true gallery space, which will play host to a series of exhibitions, all free and open to the public during regular hours (Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6PM). The inaugural exhibition, Center of Attention, an interactive sound installation by Los Angeles artist Luke Fischbeck, begins Sunday, May 13th. Throughout each exhibition, we'll celebrate listening with a number of events, including a listening party with reggae legend Jimmy Cliff to celebrate his forthcoming album "REBIRTH." Plus, an Opening Party featuring the music of Bleached and a DJ set from Questlove.


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How Simon Whitfield was (not) rescued paddle boarding
Olympic triathlete was having a hoot in the swells off Victoria when a marine rescue crew arrived
Some Marine Search and Rescue volunteers near Victoria got a bit of a surprise when they responded to a report of a stand up paddle boarder in possible distress in gale force winds blowing on Monday afternoon.
As the crew rushed out, the Trial Island lighthouse keeper called in a second report, saying he spotted the paddle boarder heading in a westerly direction through Enterprise Channel.
But when the crew arrived at the scene, they found nobody in distress at all.
Instead they found recently retired Olympic champion triathlete Simon Whitfield in a dry suit and having a blast riding the swells in the gale.
Whitfield told the crew he was quite comfortable in his insulated suit, but agreed to take their advice to buy himself a marine VHF radio with a built-in GPS.
That would allow him to monitor the emergency broadcast on Channel 16, and let everyone know he was okay if the situation came up again, or alert rescue crews if he got into trouble.
"Although not required, a VHF radio is the most important piece of safety gear. For small craft like paddle boards, we recommend a VHF that floats," the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue crew later posted on their Facebook page.
Soaking selfie posted
The stormy paddle boarding session was not the first for Whitfield, who posted a selfie photo from a similar trip the day before.
In that tweet he said he managed to paddle around a marine navigation light near Cadboro Bay, but did fall off his board at least once in the swell. After the rescue crew showed up on Monday he also tweeted out thanks.
The marine search and rescue team said Whitfield was complying with all the necessary marine regulations.
"As paddle boards are a relatively new type of marine vessel to Canadian waters, they are not specifically named in current safety regulations. However, they are classified as a human-powered pleasure craft and must carry the required safety gear for this type of vessel," said the Facebook post.
"Overall, Simon showed a positive outlook on being as safe as possible while doing the activity he enjoys. Thank you Simon!"
Whitfield, who is actively involved in entrepreneurial and consulting ventures with several companies, won gold in men's triathlon at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games and added an Olympic silver medal in Beijing in 2008. He also won gold at the 2009 Commonwealth Games.


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Biang!, the Restaurant from Xi'an Famous Foods: A Younger, Modern Edge to Flushing
41-10 Main Street Flushing NY 11355 (at 41st; map); 718-888-7713; biang-nyc.com
Service: Polite but variable; occasionally prompt, occasionally distant
Setting: Sharp, modern wood-paneled interior could be in any neighborhood in New York
Must-Haves: Lamb skewers, any wide hand-pulled noodles
Cost: $10/person is plenty, $15/person is a feast
Grade: Given the value, A-
Food trucks, restaurants, outer-borough neighborhoods: New Yorkers often talk about these as if there's a sharp distinction between "immigrant" and "hipster," old-school and new-school. What I love most about Xi'an Famous Foods is how much it blurs those distinctions.
Wait, retract that sentence; what I love most about Xi'an is their hand-pulled noodles. But go with me here.
Xi'an got its start out in Flushing, a small stall in Flushing's Golden Mall basement serving the food of Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi province. And while it might have found its way to mainstream Manhattan recognition on the strength of its hand-pulled noodles and lamb face salads alone—not to mention a few shout-outs from Anthony Bourdain—it was aided immeasurably by the savvy of Jason Wang, general manager and the son of co-owner Lao "Liang Pi" Liang. The father brought the food to the operation ("Xian's menu was pretty much already set when I got into the business," Wang told us); the son brought the ability to position their brand in online, bloggy, modern New York food circles.
Even before they opened their Manhattan Chinatown and East Village branches, Xi'an's unusual accessibility to an English-speaking crowd had made it a cult favorite; as we said in our Xi'an review in 2010, "with pictorial menus, English-translated captions, and an unusually informative website, Xi'an Famous Foods was low-hanging fruit for Internet-savvy Flushing virgins." By the time they made Manhattan inroads, Xi'an Famous had already established a brand that few other Flushing stalls had (or, even since, have).
So what does a young restaurateur do once his casual operation makes it in Manhattan? Head back to Flushing to open a full-service restaurant—but one just as distinct from other Flushing restaurants as Xi'an was from so many food stalls. Let's call it hipster Flushing. (In the best of ways.)
"The goal was to elevate XFF from its location in the Golden Shopping Mall to street level," says Wang, "but along the way we felt that it's a space we can do more with, so we created the new brand Biang!, using the best of Xi'an Famous Foods and adding more value onto it."
Aesthetically, Biang!—yes, the exclamation point is part of the name—could be straight out of Williamsburg. There are exposed lightbulbs, bare brick walls with framed panda cartoons (is that a panda riding a tank?), and a soundtrack my Brooklyn friend unironically called "sweet jams." No one seems surprised when a diner whips out her iPhone to Instagram a bowl of noodles or a lamb burger (hell, even their website looks like an Instagram composite).
They're intending beer and wine as soon as a license comes through, and a backyard garden that'll be finished soon. "There are places [in Flushing] that have spent tons of money on decor," says Wang, "but to me these places are not personal but feel rather cookie-cutter made. I'm pretty sure none of the owners of these places drew plans for their own interior design or selected their own art, which I did. "
Biang!, incidentally, is named for the character that refers to the slapping sound noodle dough makes when it's pulled—a character with 56 or 57 brushstrokes, the most intricate one in the language. It's stunning to look at but so detail-rich that its distinct lines fade away if you're not looking too carefully. Which is a pretty apt metaphor for the restaurant, whose backstory gets more fascinating the more you look into it—but frankly stops mattering when you're there, because when you're confronted with a $5 bowl of noodles this tasty, it all kind of blurs together anyway.
I can't stand under-descriptive menus, but overly verbose ones can be just as bad; you know those menus that practically spell out what you're supposed to taste? Biang! (like Xi'an Famous) has a way of taking what to many is unfamiliar fare and telling you exactly what you need to know—"spicy and sour diced pork belly meat, spiced with star anise, with wide hand-ripped noodles" communicates everything except the massive portion your meager $6.50 will get you.
It is pretty exhilarating to open a menu and see an entire first page listing $3 starters. The best of these was the zī rán yáng ròu chuàn ($3), bits of lamb heavily seasoned with cumin and chilies and grilled over an open flame. (You smell cumin just walking into the restaurant, which is not at all a bad thing.) The lamb nubs get a gorgeous crust on the outside, the fatty bits essentially liquifying as you bite into them—these are the ones not to miss. Xi'an is traditionally good with wheat gluten—spongy little squares of it play a part in some of their noodle dishes; the zī rán kăo miàn jīn ($3), seitan "sausages," get a little tougher than we'd like on the grill, but are well-seasoned and totally satisfying as a vegetarian option. The má là shuàn níu dŭ ($3), beef stomach skewers, were actually tender in comparison, boiled rather than grilled; and in a savory, sesame-tinged sauce with Sichuan bean paste, fermented tofu sauce, and chili oil—another skewer we'd highly recommend.
The easiest mistake (if you can call it that) to make at Biang! is to over-order, at least in our experience; because when I see a $2.50 tofu starter, I'm conditioned to expect a dainty, teacup-sized dish, not a bowl that could easily make a meal for a lighter eater. And the cháng ān dòu huā ($2.50) disappeared quickly in a flurry of spoon-scooping. It's not the silkiest, most custardlike tofu you'll find, but it's supple and clean-tasting and, with pickled Chinese vegetables and a characteristic sauce combo of chili oil, soy sauce, black rice vinegar, and dammit-what-are-those spices, a genuinely exciting bowl of food.
It's similar to a Xi'an tofu dish, but in that it's presented in a bowl rather than a takeout container, superior; other items at Biang! you'd never see at Xi'an Famous, such as the composed plate of xī yù kăo xiáo niăo ($6), quail. It's marinated and roasted, giving it crisp skin and tender flesh, and it's served atop another familiar element—the crunchy cilantro, scallion, green pepper, and celery salad that's one of the better things at Xi'an. (Is there any way to make plated quail look elegant? I've never seen its compact little body look anything other than stiff or awkward or vaguely obscene.)
With similar attention to presentation, the ān chŭn dàn ròu cháng kăo mó piàn ($5) arrive sporting quail eggs atop the pork sausage, each little yolk just set and ready to puncture, so that it soaks into the toasted mantou (steamed bun). You'd see a similar construction at a Manhattan tapas spot for $15/plate.
I love how at Xi'an Famous Foods, there's just a "lamb face salad" on the menu, whereas at Biang! they double down on your curiousity and tell it like it is: the liáng bàn má là yáng liăn ròu ($10) is listed as "Cooked lamb cheeks, tongue, eyeballs, and palate meat served with bean sprouts, cilantro, celery, scallion, cucumber; spiced with Szechuan pepper and proprietary spicy sauces." We'd translate it this way: "a happy tangle of crisp vegetables and chewy, or tender, or soft lamb bits, in an alluring spice mix with plenty of sauce." While the adventurous will have fun telling cheek from tongue, the rest of us can just be happy with various lamb pieces at this happy, humming level of spice.
Other Xi'an classics include liáng pí ($5), the "cold skin" wheat noodles; they're bouncy and tender, served cold and gently resistant to the bite, slicked in the fiery sauces that characterize nearly every dish here. (Chili oil is in 'em, and Chinese tahini and garlic and vinegar, star anise and cinnamon; and perhaps something else we can't identify, but I'm willing to let it go.) Squeaky, spongy squares of wheat gluten soak up those sauces, with cucumber, cilantro, and mung bean sprouts to freshen things up. You can get the same noodles at Xi'an, of course, but in this setting the value seems absurd; I don't know the last time I sat in a comfortable, air-conditioned, table-serviced restaurant and got this kind of portion of fantastic noodles for $5.
Also fantastically textured: the qiáo miàn liáng hé luo ($6), buckwheat noodles (smooth-edged but a little rough, a little bouncy) whose sandpaper edges help them pick up the chili-soy-vinegar-mustard oil, cut again with cooling cucumber and cilantro.
Still, I might prefer their hand-ripped noodles, ragged-edged and downright delicate, served in many incarnations but here, in the qí shān shào zi biáng biang miàn ($6), with bits of pork belly in a sauce both more sour and a bit spicier than others, with whole star anise pieces in there too. Try to snag a noodle with your chopsticks and you'll realize that they're longer and more tangled than really allows you to get one at a time ("Is it maybe just 2 or 3 really, really long noodles?" mused a friend, and that seems plausible.) This may be the first time I've seen noodles disappear with bits of pork left over in the bottom of the bowl. It's a clue to Biang!'s strengths: composed dishes, novel spices, noodles of all sorts, but not necessarily meat on its own. The là zhī niú wĕi ($10), for instance, oxtail rounds stewed on the bone, were pleasant enough to gnaw on but lacked the excitement of many other dishes.
Like the qiáo miàn jiăo tuán ($5), one of the most downright fun dishes I've encountered in awhile. "Warm and thick all-buckwheat pudding" is sort of hard to envision when you read it on a menu, but it's a clingy, slightly elastic, almost bouncy mound of soft dough (am I making this sound appealing yet?) that's a little bit chewy but, thanks to the buckwheat, not totally smooth. It's pretty neutral on its own, but swipe it through the dipping sauce (there's spicy mustard oil in there, a little soy, and definitely more) and it's as alive with flavor as any of the other dishes. "Xi'an has many different types of grain-based foods," Wang told us, "and buckwheat is used in various ways, and this is one example." I like it, in a way, because it strips the middlemen out: a meal here is generally just well-textured things dragged through awesome sauces. And I love it.
A note on the service, which was friendly enough, willing to put up with our multiple orders and many questions; but dishes that arrived quickly weren't cleared until 45 minutes after we'd finished poking at them, extra silverware or napkins generally had to be requested 3 or 4 times, and our table wasn't cleared before the dessert course, leaving a few tremendously unappetizing bowls of congealed pork drippings we asked several times to be cleared. If there's one place Biang! could really step up its game, that's it.
Well, and the desserts, but that's largely a matter of personal preference. These are certainly characteristic of much of what you'll find in some parts of Asia, so if sweet soups and sticky-rice-with-various-sweet-things is your style, you might be quite happy. I found the dàn huā liáng láo zao ($2.50; sweet fermented rice egg-drop soup) on the bland side, and the "throw it all on there!" gùi huā fēng mì liáng zòng zi ($2.50; cooled rice cake) a bit perplexing. Nothing wrong with the zèng gāo ($3; steamed hot rice cake), though, with a barely sweet red bean and red jujube filling. I like this sort of dessert for the texture, and the hot rice cake struck at the right point of chewy.
There's a certain subset of food adventurers that tends to find cleaned-up settings almost offensive, as if table service and printed menus somehow inherently made food less enjoyable. To those purists, there are still plenty of limited-seating, counter-service Xi'an locations, and have at them. But I find no shame in appreciating a little more space, a comfortable table, and a waiter—especially because I generally order so much, my own two hands cannot contain it all.
There's also a tendency to assume that immigrant-populated neighborhoods aren't particularly modern or forward-thinking. But Flushing these days feels like a place of relentless middle-class modernity, and in that, Biang! is very much a product of its environment. At the restaurant, I found myself remembering this conversation between Gilt's Francis Lam and chef Eddie Huang a few weeks back (stop reading this and start reading that, if you haven't), about immigrants cooking the cuisines of their native countries and the question of authenticity. I agree with Huang in that where Xi'an and Biang! succeed is in the branding. They're not playing the orthodoxy game, and there are no claims of ambassadorial status—Wang is simply introducing his family's grasp of food and perspective to as broad an audience as possible. One that, in a way, includes himself. "I live in Flushing and would usually eat by myself," Wang told us; "but my eating options are limited to food courts or take out from 'over-rice' type of places." Biang! may appeal to a younger generation in Flushing because that's very much who one of its owners is.
Wang has managed to start franchising from a stand out of Flushing without compromise, without striking lamb face from the menu, without toning back the heat or upping the prices or changing what the stall has always done. And Biang! is proof that that concept can be taken one step further to a full-fledged restaurant. "Immigrants of our parents' generation have largely given up any hope that Americans will like their food," said Huang in that piece. But if Xian and Biang's food is any indication, a new generation might be more amenable.
In short, Biang! is worth making a trip out to Flushing for. In part for the fascinating place it occupies in the food world right now. But in part, too, just for the noodles and buckwheat and lamb skewers.
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Metropolitan Amfilohije serves in Ostrog
5. February 2013 - 14:00
Source: Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral
His Eminence Amfilohije, Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the monastery of Ostrog on the feast day of Venerable Maxim the Confessor.
Metropolitan Amfilohije blessed and cut the slava cake on the occasion of the name day of Maxim, a monk of the monastic family of Ostrog. Then His Eminence held a sermon on the feast day of St. Maxim the Confessor, who stood firmly in defending the Orthodox faith from the enemiess of the Church.
Source: Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral


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March 11, 2016
Book Review—Room by Emma Donoghue
All his life Jack has lived in Room. He lives with Ma, along with Bathtub, Wardrobe, Bed, and Egg Snake. Jack has no conception of an outside world, with the only links being TV, which he believes is all made up, and Old Nick, the man who kidnapped Ma and has been keeping the two of them. Old Nick comes into Room most nights while Jack sleeps hidden in Wardrobe and rapes Ma as he has for the last seven years. Ma learns that Old Nick has been unemployed for several months and fears that if he loses the house he will kill her and Jack. She makes plans to escape, but getting Jack and herself out is only the beginning of the challenge, as she learns to live again and Jack must completely redefine his sense of reality.
Told entirely from Jack's perspective the voice sets the novel as a work of exploration and discovery rather than a dark study. Although dealing with difficult subjects it uses these as catalysts for celebration, a celebration of life and the world despite the dark elements that often take hold and don't let go. We are transfixed by Jack's wonderment of life even while still in Room, and like Sofie Laguna's The Eye of The Sheep, which also gave a child's fantastical expression to troubling situations, Room utilizes this child's fascination to give these scenarios a rich, human quality that makes the difficulties more poignant without diminishing their impact or slipping into sentimentality.
Despite its dark origins Room is a surprisingly uplifting story of a life most unique and touching.
Posted by Camden Council Library Service at Friday, March 11, 2016
Labels: childhood, Emma Donoghue, kidnap, rape, Room
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4790 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222
(800) 822-4639 (317) 492-6700 Mon-Fri, 9a.m.-5p.m. ET
Jul 5, 2020
July 23, 2012 | By Paul Kelly
An impressive array of live music from nine national and local acts will be available for fans to enjoy during the inaugural Kroger Super Weekend July 26-29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with every show free to ticket holders each day at the track.
One of the most popular acts on the country music scene today, The Band Perry, will be the headline performers before the start of the Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard powered by BigMachineRecords.com on Sunday, July 29 at IMS. The Band Perry is scheduled to play at 11:50 a.m. on the trackside stage.
Additional Big Machine Records country artists performing Race Morning include Justin Moore, The Mavericks, Greg Bates and Sunny Sweeney. Those performances will take place from 8:30-11 a.m. on the infield stage inside Turn 2, near the IMS Hall of Fame Museum. Before the race, Sweeney will sing "America the Beautiful," and Raul Malo, lead singer for The Mavericks, will sing the national anthem. Both performances will take place on the IMS victory podium.
Live music also will be available to everyone during the fourth annual Hauler Parade on Thursday, July 26 on Main Street in Speedway, Ind., where more than 40 colorful NASCAR Sprint Cup Series haulers will be on display. The event will take place from 5-9:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Country music singer-songwriter and native Hoosier Corey Cox will appear on the Hauler Parade stage at 5 p.m. Cox will also perform the national anthem before the Indiana 250, the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race at IMS on Saturday, July 28. Also performing during the Hauler Parade in Speedway will be local soul and R&B band Toy Factory, beginning at 8 p.m.
Held in conjunction with the inaugural GRAND-AM Road Racing Series races at IMS on Friday, July 27, blues-rock guitarist and singer Davy Knowles will perform at 7:15 p.m. on the Coca-Cola Stage in the Pagoda Plaza.
Country artists Cook and Belle will perform on the Coca-Cola Stage at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 28.
General admission tickets are just $30 on Friday, $25 on Saturday and $30 on Sunday for the three days of music at IMS during the Kroger Super Weekend. Children 12 and under will receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2012 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
The musical lineup for the Kroger Super Weekend:
Thursday 5-6pm
Corey Cox
Hauler Parade Stage on Main Street, Speedway, IN
Thursday 8-9pm
Toy Factory
Friday 7:15-8:15pm
Davy Knowles
Coca-Cola Stage, Pagoda Plaza
Saturday 9:30-10:30am & 12:30 - 1:30pm
Cook and Belle
Sunday 8:30-11am
Sunny Sweeney, Greg Bates, The Mavericks, Justin Moore
Main Stage, Infield