text:
|"A Parasite Primer"
|Article Index
Your support of our advertisers helps support GoatWorld!
By: "Robin L. Walters
|About the authors: The information on this page is a result of the GoatWorld Message Forum. Multiple authors are responsible for the contribution of information and material contained within the text of this page. Opinions and information expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinion of GoatWorld. Please also note that the original messages have been modified and corrected for spelling and pertinence to the subject.
Email: Contact INFO
Telephone: Contact INFO
Designed & Hosted by: JOLLY GERMAN
©1999-2020 GoatWorld.Com
All written, audio, video and graphic material contained within this site, except where otherwise noted, is Copyrighted ©1999-2020. Some content may also be the property of contributors to the site, in which case their material is also protected by applicable copyright laws and this copyright policy. No material may be linked directly to or reproduced in any form without written permission. If you would like to reprint something from our site, simply send us an email to request permission to do so. Please refer to our REPRINT criteria.
This site is run and operated by a Disabled Veteran


text:
I ran into a temporal anomaly while driving. My first warning sign was the police cruiser with one headlight flashing its sirens behind me. Wrong place at the wrong time? Well, I was getting pulled over in Sebastopol on the way to Richmond from SF, but when the cop told me I was doing 78 in a 55, it suggested one thing —speeding.
And speeding isn't spatial — location is irrelevant — you are precisely where you should be, just too fucking soon. The cop seemed hopeful that he could help me, but as he took my papers and ran back to his car I knew he had abandoned me to the crush of an impending temporal singularity, as time began to move in slow motion.
Slow motion. Some refer to it as time dilation. The sensation that a certain duration lasts longer than it should. The Flaming Lips have a song about it, called, obviously, "Slow Motion." It goes like this:
Hey, come on over.
You know the day is going slower.
It takes a year, to make a day.
And I'm feeling like a float in the Macy's Day parade.
Or like a boat, out on the ocean. I'm drifting round in slow motion.
LSD and other narcotics aside, time generally doesn't work that way. Compared to your life so far, each additional day is a smaller proportion. Time telescopes, you speed up, it goes faster. Slowing down is the opposite, unnatural. Sitting in a car waiting for the cop to come back (Is he going to search me?) or laying on a couch with friends trying not to cry — whenever time slows down — it's unnerving.
You only know this much about "Slow Motion" — an alternate track from The Soft Bulletin not released in the US — because you saw the Flaming Lips play it once. But which time? Not at that fair in Santa Rosa. That one had a rave after. Not at the Fox Theater. That was the one where you slow danced with your girlfriend (at the time) until the staff asked you to leave. At Sasquatch, there in the Gorge? They did play The Soft Bulletin then, but it was rushed. That guy stood behind you — when Wayne Coyne was recounting Steven Drozd almost losing his hand and Michael Ivins being in a car crash — screaming "Play-a-song!" No, there just hadn't been time.
And time, for the Flaming Lips, is important. Because as a band — one that has been through all sorts of well documented shit — the Flaming Lips know the value of time (particularly borrowed) and have made it their work to not just create music but get into the complete manufacture of moments. Which is a tricky business, because moments are bastards. Take all the pictures you want of the blinding lights, the beautiful costumed kids, the confetti cannons or all the other individual weapons that the Flaming Lips use to wage musical psychedelic war on time, and the moment still might not fit in a shutter, no matter how you slice a second.
It was at Bimbo's. Not the time they played Noise Pop a few years back, but more recently. They were playing The Soft Bulletin, and taking their time. Hitting every single track from every single version of the album. Not quite slow motion, but close. When was that?
It was the night after the couch. When you were watching Blade Runner on TV, just the end part. Where the maniac with white hair is running around, trying to knock some sense into the other idiot character, who hardly even realizes he's alive most of the time. And it starts getting heavy. Meaningless inevitability; the crushing force of time. Fucking tears in the rain. Before you know it, you're happy it's basic cable, because sometimes a commercial interruption is all that's keeping you from crying. It was the night after that. The Lips were going slower for sure, but still way too fast. The moments going by before you're ready. Before you know it, they are on to other songs, and "Slow Motion" is somewhere in the past, back there with your best friends on the couch, never to return.
The band is getting ready to play something else, Steven readying both miraculous hands on another instrument while Michael stands ready, as ever, on the bass. You want to reach into your bag to take the camera out again, but you resist the urge. It won't capture the cold press of the air canisters at your back anyway. Or, for that matter, the hookah scented air from the smoke machines. And anyway, if you're taking pictures during "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate," you're probably irretrievably lost.
And suddenly, everything has changed. The cop comes back to the car. Tells me my record is clear, that he just marked 65 on the ticket, because I was didn't know where I was. He gives me some directions, regarding the roads. I don't really listen (but do thank him and let him know about his broken headlight.) I drive forward, knowing exactly where I am. I was at a Flaming Lips show, and now I'm driving home.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed what look like fossilized water conduits. This provides evidence for the subterranean water originally suggested by catastrophic Martian geology. This catastrophic model of Martian geology suggested that the Meridiani Planum region of Mars where the rover
These water conduits were probably formed by cracks resulting from and impact that then filled with muddy water from furthered below the surface. The conclusion that these are underground water conduits could gain further support as Curiosity is expected to have have an opportunity to examine mineralized fractures at Gale Crater.
This is yet another in a long list of increasing evidence in support of the catastrophic model of Martian geology. It is truly a model that keeps on explaining and being supported by everything found on Mars.
------ Charles Creager Jr.
|Reply via web post
|Reply to sender
|Reply to group
|Start a New Topic
|Messages in this topic (1)


text:
Hi people,
I am developing a frame and I want to remove the OS title panel and borders. So I call the function setUndecorated(true) to disable the native decorators. If nothing is missing me, I think I can set all the window events again (like closing, maximize, etc. to the new buttons on the new top panel) but I am aware about the resize mechanism. How can I setup it again?
By the way, I am using Synth to implement a simple but custom LAF.
I need some orientation on this. Thanks.


text:
Kevin Hart Freestyles As Chocolate Drop At Shampoo Night Club! (Dj Diamond Kuts Birthday Bash)
In Philly for DJ Diamond Kuts (@DJDiamondKuts) Birthday Bash w/ DJ RL (@TheRealDJRL) and DJ Bran (@DJBran). Filmed by @KillaVision .. Skip to 4 min mark
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Youth Hockey Skates
Online best prices from Bauer, & CCM Choosing the right hockey skates can have a dramatic impact on your game. If you're skating the length of the ice back and forth for most of the game, you might start to notice fatigue setting in. Even when you have energy, your feet may simply be too tired to keep moving at the same speed that they did earlier in the game. Skates normally fit 1 to 1-1/2 sizes smaller than your street shoes. While wearing the sock that will be worn when skating, slip your foot into the skate, pressing the ends of the toes against the front of the skate.Why bake your skates? Most hockey pro shops have a skate oven that is recommended for the process. Baking your hockey skates in your home oven is not recommended because the skates can be damaged if they are improperly baked. Baking your skates at home will also void the manufacturer's warranty


text:
CNS News
April 29, 2013
Speaking at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Barack Obama joked that he is no longer a young Muslim socialist.
Early in the speech, Obama jocularly said that his advisers "suggested that I should start with some jokes at my own expense, just take myself down a peg. I was like, guys, after four and a half years, how many pegs are there left?"
A few moments later, the president joked: "Now, look, I get it. These days, I look in the mirror and I have to admit, I'm not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be. Time passes. You get a little gray."
This article was posted: Monday, April 29, 2013 at 4:48 am


text:
Welcome to Paragon at Old Town
Hello, and welcome to Paragon at Old Town Apartment Homes near Downtown. We're thrilled that you found us and hope you choose to make our community your home. It's all about the details here. We offer wonderful amenities and floor plans, along with out-of-this-world perks. Our team members are approachable and accommodating. We treat your pets as family. We don't do "Band-Aid" repairs. See, it's our mission to elevate the ordinary. The first time you visit us here at Paragon, you'll see that mission in action. In fact, you'll probably feel right at home.
So kick back, enjoy a caffeinated beverage, and peruse our site. If you like what you see, give us a shout – we'd love to brag about ourselves a little more.
Have an elevated day!
Paragon at Old Town
700 S Myrtle Ave Monrovia, CA 91016 US


text:
Despite Apple's Aperture Fumble, the Photos for OS X End Goal Could Win It All
Jul 3, 2014 7:14 AM PT
There's a lot riding on Apple's new Photos for Mac OS X app. At WWDC, Apple briefly showed off an early version of its upcoming Photos app, which will integrate with iCloud and the iOS 8-based Photos app with the iCloud Photo Library service.
Naturally, this plan raised some questions about Apple's iPhoto and Aperture products.
Late last week, Apple revealed that it has stopped developing new features for Aperture and iPhoto. Instead, the company is focusing on Photos for OS X. The move away from iPhoto makes sense -- why have multiple consumer storage and editing apps? -- but the death of Aperture was an outright blow to professional photographers who took the plunge and invested in it.
By investment, I don't mean the US$80 the app costs: Professionals and prosumers have put thousands of hours into learning the app, and they have amassed untold numbers of photos and gigabytes of data using it.
They're not happy.
Meanwhile, What About iPhoto?
Consumers, on the other hand, are less likely to be in love with iPhoto. I believe most Mac customers use it because it's Apple's built-in solution and it works as a storage locker and editing app reasonably well, with reasonable cohesion with iPhones. Again, reasonably well. My iPhoto library is 111 GB with more than 21,000 photos. It was clunky and slow until I upgraded my MacBook Pro's hard drive from the standard disk drive to a solid state drive. Now it's just clunky.
Why? Here's one example. Getting into and out of the edit mode requires you to constantly pay attention. First, you have to find the Edit button, which is in the bottom right corner. Next, you have a clunky editing sidebar with three tabs that goes back and forth between quick fixes like crop or straighten, a few sad little effects to choose from, and the ability to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, etc.
None of them are awful, but they lack a cohesive feel. Plus, the right side column takes up way too much valuable screen real estate. What's worse is that every time you try to go back to your Events to get a new photo, you leave the Editing feature behind. It's not persistent unless you remain within a particular event. That's maddening.
How about iPhoto -- the iOS app -- for your iPhone or iPad? Does anyone actually use that thing? I briefly tried it out but could not come up with any reason I should bother with it when the Camera Roll contained my photos, and all sorts of nifty third-party apps let me edit and enhance them quickly and easily enough.
So Apple has a fractured photo-management problem. By coming up with a Photos app for iOS 8 -- with iCloud Photo Library storage and syncing capabilities -- alongside a new, similarly functioning Photos for OS X app, Apple has the potential to fix its problem with photo cohesion for its consumers.
Will Apple Turn a Cold Shoulder to the Pros?
It already has. When Apple announced the cessation of development of Aperture, it was through a bland statement to The Loop, which naturally caused a ruckus with Aperture fans, which led to a vague statement to Ars Technica assuring the community that Photos for OS X would include professional-grade features like image search, editing, effects, and support for third-party extensions.
Vague, no?
Meanwhile, customers will have to wait until early 2015 to get the new Photos for OS X app. With so little real information, Apple has effectively turned its back on professional photographers. This is either intentional -- in order to foster a sense of anger and frustration that could lead to a wealth of information posted online about what professional photographers (or prosumers) really care about -- or Apple just dropped the ball in favor of supporting the masses.
Either way, Apple pulled a textbook move on how to come off as cold and uncaring. Apparently, fabulous customer experiences are now focused on the least common denominator of its customer base.
I'm sure it all makes perfect business sense -- and therein lies the opportunity.
Apple Can't Compete with Adobe Lightroom Anyway
Adobe Lightroom has been gaining a following of appreciative customers. They might not like buying it as part of a subscription service with Adobe's Creative Cloud or as a licensing deal that requires an annual commitment, but customer satisfaction seems very good. Maybe Aperture sales have been lackluster, and maybe Apple just can't truly break into the prosumer market with Aperture or with enough professionals to make Aperture successful.
If Apple can't create a separate professional-grade product that it can convince people to buy, why have it? Why not double-down on rethinking and rebuilding photo editing, management and sharing?
That's the good that can come out of all this. Hundreds of millions of Apple customers are taking photos like never before. They're editing them, saving them and sharing them. Making it easy to find, edit and share photos is a very big deal. Potentially, it's far more important than satisfying the Aperture-grade pros.
Photos speak to humans in personal and inspiring ways. If Apple gives the right photo-management solution to hundreds of millions of customers, they'll become even more embedded with Apple products. If Apple creates photo management that gets out of the way, the customer satisfaction gains will be enormous.
Better Yet, Apple Is Opening Up
The key to Apple's massive photo retooling, though, is in how Apple has opened up its own apps to third-party app developers. With iOS 8 -- and Photos for OS X next year -- app developers can create awesome extensions. These extensions will essentially give you custom controls, offering special filters and effects -- or even professional-grade tools.
Sharing and integration with other apps will feel more seamless. This is actually a big step forward for Apple. The company is relinquishing a good bit of user experience control in favor of customization and third-party extension of capabilities.
It has the potential to unleash a new wave of creativity from developers -- and consumers.
Will Photos for OS X be enough to placate the professionals? Will developers create extensions that will serve their needs? Maybe -- maybe not. However, the big win for Apple will be with most everyone else -- prosumers on down to foodies who just want to pin a pretty plate of lobster for their friends to drool over.
Two Sad Things Remain
What's really sad through all this "opportunity" is two-fold: First, for a company that's having a hard time figuring out what to do with $150 billion in cash, why couldn't Apple give its Aperture customers a bit more love by enhancing the application? Why not win them over to the new Photos for OS X app with awesome extensions when the app was released? I'm just surprised at the fumble -- it's like Apple picked its head up to look at the goal and forgot about the ball.
The second bit of sadness? We've got to wait until 2015 before the new Photos for OS X comes out.


text:
India paid the price for some poor shot selection by their top order batsmen as England rode on Ian Bell's unbeaten century to salvage some pride by winning the fifth and final one-dayer by seven wickets and reduce the margin of defeat to 3—2 here today.
The visitors first dismissed the hosts for a modest 226 and then relied on Bell's third ODI ton – 113 not out – to overhaul the target with 16 balls to spare at the picturesque HPCA stadium which hosted its first international match.
The Indians, who had already clinched the series in Mohali by taking an unassailable 3—1 lead, were done in by some poor shots by their top oder batsmen and could never really recover from the early jolts despite Suresh Raina's brilliant effort of 83 under pressure.
Tim Bresnan caused the bulk of the damage with 4/45 while Steve Finn and James Tredwell chipped in with two wickets apiece as the English bowlers exploited the bowler-friendly conditions after winning the toss and putting the home side into bat.
The Indians slumped to a precarious 79 for five as Gautam Gambhir (24), Rohit Sharma (4), Virat Kohli (0), Yuvraj Singh (0) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (15) perished in quick succession with some of them playing atrocious shots.
Raina's brilliant counter-attacking 83 off 98 balls and some useful contributions from Ravindra Jadeja (39) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (31) took India to 226.
In their bid to chase down the target of 227, England openers Alastair Cook and Ian Bell started confidently putting in 53 runs before Ishant Sharma, who bowled an incisive first spell, broke the partnership.


text:
A roadside sign in Indianapolis shows the 1930 lynching of two black men. The Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church is using the sign to encourage nearby residents to vote.
A pastor in Indiana has put up a sign that uses a historical image of the 1930 lynching of two black teenagers in an effort to recharge the black vote.
Rev. Joy Thornton, the senior pastor of Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis, said he's concerned that African-Americans have grown complacent about voting, and he wants to urge people to exercise the right he says was hard won, the Associated Press reported.
The sign, which has stood for nearly a week along the street in front of the church, shows, on one side, a white mob gathered around the teens to watch the lynching in Marion, Ind. Atop the photo is the word "VOTE!!!" Beneath it is the question: "Is this a reason to vote?" The other side of the sign shows an image of slaves in chains, with wording beneath it that reads, "Lest we forget."
"[The sign] is to let people know there's been a price paid for the privilege of voting," Thornton, a black pastor of what he describes as a multiracial congregation, told Indianapolis' WISH TV. "Oftentimes people get complacent and don't realize that people made a sacrifice, matter of fact, the ultimate sacrifice for such a privilege."
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
But not all like to be reminded of one of the most painful chapters in the state's history.
Ronnie Judd, who was delivering medical supplies in the neighborhood when he saw the sign last week, said he found the sign embarrassing. Judd is white, and said he interpreted the photo to mean that if blacks don't vote for President Obama in November, the days of lynching will return.
"We have come too far to go back to those ways," Judd told the AP.
Mary Bishop, who works across the street from the church, said she doesn't agree with the sign.
"It's not a good example for him to have it like that," Bishop told WISH TV. "He meant well, but he went about it in the wrong way."
Thornton said the sign isn't meant to sway voters to vote for any particular party, but rather to urge participation in November's presidential election. He said he believes some black voters have grown complacent because of President Obama's stance on same-sex marriage.
"Regardless of who you vote for, you need to exercise your privilege, which is voting," Thornton said.
Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com
Joyce Hise, who also works across the street from the church, said she didn't have a problem with the sign.
"It was just kind of a little shocker," Hise told WISH TV. "It made me stop to think. So many people don't know, and they don't realize this was part of our history, and it is a reason to vote."
Joe Slash, president of the Indianapolis Urban League, told WISH TV that he agrees with the need to urge people to vote, but he doesn't agree with the photos used for the sign.
Thornton, however, defended the shock value of the sign.
"I don't think it is as harsh as the fact that when we talk about African-Americans being murdered and killed at an alarming rate," Thornton said. "It's not as harsh as the fact we make up about 12 percent of the population and about 90 percent of the incarceration. It is not as harsh as the drugs that we are being exploited within our communities."
Thornton, who said he's received two complaints about the sign since it was put up, has no plans to take it down "until the Lord says so."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Clandestine dentist arrested in Miami after filing teen girl's teeth
- Cop drags woman, 77, from car after ID refusal
- Video: Was cash-from-car chase 'Robin Hood' situation?
- 73-year-old birdwatcher: I was raped in New York's Central Park
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook


text:
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Still got beat by Chelsea reserves though
Fabregas, Pedro and William are pretty decent reserves.
Fabregas, Pedro and William are pretty decent reserves.
Batshuiyi, cahill, christenson all played pl gamesZapucossta big money signingRudiger too
Drinkwater too
Love the guy. I really do. However, we can't hire him. If we are trying to build a CL team we need a big name that can recruit. We aren't plucky old Everton anymore. If he wants to be our manager he needs to go win big somewhere else. Let us hire him from a lesser club.It pains me to say it. It does. He is a great servant to the club. But if we want to spend big and recruit with the best we need a name to go with it. One that not only can draw English talent but also German, Italian, French, etc. I don't want to see us win by grit or negative football. I want to see us play proactively and not just knick games against the big clubs. I want ambition and prestige to come back to us and feel that if we hire him it will be like LCFC hiring Shakespeare. We cannot be drawn into emotion but need to remain objective with what we want and who can get us there.I realize I may receive flack from this post (mainly from those that don't consider me a true blue by being American and not have season tickets). However, I think what I say does have reason. I'm happy to debate and discuss though.
Page created in 0.028 seconds with 26 queries.


text:
Some Republican activists want an explanation from U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais as he approaches a week of silence on court records showing he supported his ex-wife's two abortions before declaring himself "a consistent supporter of pro-life values."
"He lied. That's about all you can say," said Liz Holiway, a Tennessee Republican Party state executive committeewoman who represents portions of DesJarlais' 4th District. "Not saying that a lot of other politicians haven't. But I think something should be done."
On Thursday, the Chattanooga Times Free Press published court records that included the abortion revelations and DesJarlais' own admission that he had sexual relationships with two patients, three coworkers and a pharmaceutical saleswoman while serving as chief of staff at Grandview Medical Center.
"Obviously we're disappointed and disturbed that this has all come to light," said longtime GOP activist Oscar Brock. "It's not good stuff. He needs to explain."
Most of Tennessee's top Republican officeholders have stayed quiet on DesJarlais despite their own anti-abortion rhetoric and appeals to "family values." But on Monday, Gov. Bill Haslam joined numerous rank-and-file activists in questioning how effective DesJarlais can be as a congressman since the news broke.
"I think the congressman's decision is, can I effectively represent the people who elected me," Haslam told The Tennessean after a public appearance in Nashville. "It's not my call. It's his decision."
Among other looming questions, DesJarlais hasn't addressed how the two abortions affected his current belief system or voting record. Ten years before the National Right to Life awarded him a 100 percent voting score, the congressman testified one of his ex-wife's abortions occurred because "things weren't going well between us, and it was a mutual decision."
"That's wrong," said Connie Griffitts, a GOP executive committeewoman from Marion County who believes abortion should be outlawed except in cases of rape or incest.
Former GOP state senator and Family Action Council of Tennessee President David Fowler said DesJarlais needs to address his own "personal failures and ethical violations."
"When an elected official experiences moral failures or past moral failures become public," he wrote in a statement to the Times Free Press, "the issue is whether there is evidence of a broken and contrite heart and a corresponding demonstrated change in behavior."
For the fifth straight day, DesJarlais spokesman Robert Jameson declined to respond to requests for comment. Many in the party said that's the wrong approach, adding the congressman is missing an opportunity to portray himself as a changed man.
"There are so many things that are out there that people need to hear from him about what happened," said Emily Beaty, a state executive committeewoman from Bradley County who works in marketing. "He should probably just be truthful. That would be helpful to him as a person, not just as a politician."
Other Republicans on the state executive committee, all of whom said they consider themselves anti-abortion, said issues from 12 years ago -- even the congressman's sworn testimony -- aren't relevant now.
Tim Rudd, a Realtor who resides in Murfreesboro, said the media should "get off DesJarlais" and investigate President Barack Obama's background, education and "what makes him tick."
"We're talking about a personal issue in his former marriage," Rudd said of DesJarlais. "That did not form the man he is today."
Contact staff writer Chris Carroll at email@example.com or 423-757-6610.
Judge says Tim Gobble 'overstepped boundaries' in discipline of East Ridge clerks
Previous Article


text:
I made a coin toss program and it shows me the number of heads and tails that are generated by the program. My question is how do I get the program to show me just the percentage of heads and tails that are generated?
import javax.swing.JOptionPane; public class Flip { public static void main(String args[]) { int heads= 0; int tails= 0; for(int i=0;i<26;i++){ double outcome =Math.random(); if(outcome >= 0.5) heads++; else if (outcome < 0.5) tails++; } JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Heads"+" "+heads); JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Tails"+" "+tails); } }


text:
Pat Sajak Admits to Hosting 'Wheel of Fortune' While Drunk [VIDEO]
Wheel! Of! Tequila? It doesn't quite have the same ring, but it could be said of 'Wheel of Fortune' after longtime host Pat Sajak admitted in a recent interview that he and Vanna taped more than one show after having had a few margaritas.


text:
I know I am a complete wierdo, but I totally crave things that are chock full of vegetables. This stew practically jumped out at me from the pages of EveryDay Food a few weeks ago. It was a cold day, so the thought of a hearty vegetable stew really made me happy. Carrots, eggplant, butternut squash, potatoes, tomatoes and chickpeas- what a healthy, delicious combination.
I am always a little bit skeptical when cinnamon is called for in a savory recipe, but with the cumin, coriander and cayenne, the cinnamon really played a nice part in the flavor here. It worked well with everything else that was going on in this dish.
Now, this stew is not beautiful to look at, but it is wonderfully spiced and delicious. I warned my family not to make any comments about how this looked, but to give it a chance and try it first, and they were all pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was.
This makes a lot of stew, so I have a large ziploc bag of it in the freezer, along with the leftover Israeli couscous mix, just waiting for a busy night a couple weeks from now, when I can just put the frozen stew on the stove and have an instant dinner. I love it when there is enough of something leftover that it can be dinner again in a couple of weeks!
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, diced large
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
3 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 small eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
In an 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add spices, and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes, and squash and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and broth- vegetables should be completely covered by liquid; add water to cover if necessary.
Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Add eggplant, stir to combine, and simmer until eggplant is tender, 20 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until chickpeas are warmed through.
*I served this over the Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe's- a combination of Israeli couscous, orzo, and red quinoa.


text:
Monthly Archives: July 2016
16814 County Rd 40 Goshen In 46526
Posted on July 5, 2016 by Evelyn Johnston in Home for Sale, Mardith Acres
South Goshen updated Home for Sale at 16814 County Rd 40 Goshen In 46526! Ready to move into, three bedrooms, 1 and a half baths, huge eat in kitchen and a full finished basement can be your next home! Asking price is only $129,900 and we have a new roof, heat pump furnace, whole house […]


text: Star light, star bright, that is what Chloe sees tonight! It's time to go out and about on this great city. But Chloe can't be seen in normal clothes like everyone. She needs to shine like how the star sparkles. She must be seen with a sparkle even outside of the planet or even across universes. That's what a star is all about! Good thing she owns the best clothes. She loves shopping and makeup too! She's a great collector of the most fashionable stores and is always the first one to know when new dresses come out! Let's dress her up for this big night!


text:
American Folk Armageddon proves to be an apt title for Brett Newski's second full-length release, as the singer-songwriter embraces and subverts the folk genre over the course of 10 acoustic-based tracks. Newski composed these songs while touring Viet Nam, South Africa, and America, and his sharply drawn lyrics reflect a need to find one's place in life. The hard-edged folk approach on American Folk Armageddon also incorporates a variety of vocal inflections and consistently melodic arrangements.
The careening "Dirt" evokes Jack White as Newski spits out lines like, "I'm aware my head thinks things that it don't mean" and "I got some flaws buried in my code." On the slower "Sooner Than Now," he advises, "Take things as they come my dear/The rules change but every year." "No Anchor" has a vintage folk feel along with a shot of alienation that recalls Bob Dylan, and Newski's cover of Jon Shaban's "The Maths," a song that questions the value of faith, has an effective, coffeehouse arrangement. On the high-speed "I Want My Best Friend Back," Newski explores the frustration of losing a buddy to a new girlfriend, and comes up with a song that's both traumatic and funny.
Brett Newski will be performing with a full band at Quenchers Saloon in Chicago on May 23rd.


text:
Negima! Magister Negi Magi(Pachinko) by Sansei R&D
Today, we will be introducing a pachinko machine of "Negima! Magister of Negi Magi", originally a manga that has sold over 20 million copies!!
It original work is written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu, known for his best selling title "Love Hina".
"Negima!" is a highly popular content that has been adapted into anime and live-action TV drama.
Being the first pachinko machine of "Negima!", this machine is loaded with many renditions of "moe" and magic battles!!
Also, player should pay special attention to a newly introduced system called "Provisional Agreement System", unique only to this machine.
Chance of winning a jackpot increases as Negima kisses his students as a "Provisional Agreement"!!
It is expected to make its debut in September!!
Don't miss it!!


text:
!! History Commons Alert, Exciting News
Russell Dean Landers, a member of the anti-government Montana Freemen serving an 11-year prison sentence for conspiracy, bank fraud, and threatening a federal judge (see November 8, 1998), is sentenced to an additional 15 years after being convicted of trying to extort his release from federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma. Landers and two other inmates, Clayton Heath Albers and Barry Dean Bischof, filed legal documents demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars from prison officials for using the inmates' names, which they claim had been "copyrighted." The three also fraudulently obtained a credit report on the prison warden, and used the information in it to try to file false liens against the warden's personal property. In 2004, the three hired a man to seize the warden's vehicles, freeze his bank accounts, and change the locks on his doors, based on the liens; Landers and his accomplices did not know that they had hired an undercover FBI agent. Believing that the warden's property had been seized, the three demanded to be released from prison before negotiating the return of the warden's property. Two other inmates, Carl Ervin Batts and William Michael Roberson, have already pled guilty for their parts in the scheme. Albers and Bischof also receive lengthy jail terms. [US Department of Justice, 4/7/2008; Southern Poverty Law Center, 8/2008]
Entity Tags: Clayton Heath Albers, Barry Dean Bischof, Carl Ervin Batts, Russell Dean Landers, William Michael Roberson, Montana Freemen
Timeline Tags: US Domestic Terrorism
Receive weekly email updates summarizing what contributors have added to the History Commons database
Developing and maintaining this site is very labor intensive. If you find it useful, please give us a hand and donate what you can.Donate Now
If you would like to help us with this effort, please contact us. We need help with programming (Java, JDO, mysql, and xml), design, networking, and publicity. If you want to contribute information to this site, click the register link at the top of the page, and start contributing.Contact Us
Except where otherwise noted,
the textual content of each timeline is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike


text:
PandaHall coupon code - Gorgcous Jewelry Collection
- Expires: Accessories
Comments Off on Gorgcous Jewelry Collection
Click to open site
We Have More offers & Coupons For You, Visit PandaHall
success 100%
PandaHall Coupon & Discount code
Gorgcous Jewelry CollectionWhen Ever You like to save on PandaHall , Redeem PandaHall coupon Code at couponappa For Free, You can redeem deals & discount codes. The Blue Button Shown above is a coupon code or discount you can just copy the code by clicking on it, So that you can use it at checkout by using the code at PandaHall online Store to save more on your order.
Tags:acrylic beads, acrylic buttons, Austrian beads, beads wholesale, Bone Beads, bracelets, cheap beads, cheap jewelry, Chinese buttons, Cinnabar Beads, coupon, crystal beads, earring, European beads, free shipping, gemstone beads, glass beads, Indonesia Beads, jewelry beads, jewelry findings, jewelry wholesale, metal beads, necklace, pandahall, pandahall beads, pandahall coupon, pins, Polymer Clay, Porcelain Beads, resin beads, rings, Watch
No views yet


text:
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
365 More Words into the Void
Tired of words and the knowledge that words only forge lies out of truth.
Reading more Jed McKenna. Though I resist some of what I read at the time, I come away thinking that anyone who is serious about getting to the truth needs to read McKenna, and then decide if they are really serious or not.
I am no longer so sure about myself – except for the fact that I don't feel serious about anything else. Even so, I am a slave to my habits. Habits provide continuity which provides security. So what I am trying to get free of is the same as what I will not let go of. Habit. Beneath everything I do is one thing. Fear.
Everything I do is dictated by a preference for comfort over discomfort. It is absurdly meaningless. The ego's program is so pathetically base – what makes it pathetic is not the baseness but how it covers up that baseness with lofty ideals and blatant lies that anything we ever do is motivated by anything else besides a preference for comfort over discomfort. It is sickening in the extreme. The hypocrisy of it.
Perhaps this is why we think of children as more "pure" – because their egotism is nakedly revealed in everything they do.
Nihilism and spirituality are not opposed but complementary. True spirituality must include nihilism, because the ego's interpretation of reality demands that everything be recognized as utterly meaningless. That is the first step to truth.
That is why spirituality is the trap, ruse and snare that it is, the 2nd matrix. Because the news is all bad before it starts getting good.
Why the hell am I even saying all this?
Apparently the only way to get free of the ego is to face full-on the total unreality and therefore devoid-of-meaning that is our current existence. Everything we do is a way to avoid facing that truth. So what do we do when we have reached a place in which we can no longer avoid it, but cannot go back to the old ways of avoidance?
Nihilistic despair has become the bass line of my existence. I feel oddly optimistic about it.
33 comments:
- Bruno said...
Of course there is really no meaning behind our actions. Whatever we do, say, write, believe to be true, is always an excuse to keep our game going (beliefs included). And we want to keep the game going because we don't want to die.
There are two meanings here to what I mean by dying:
physical death, that's the easiest and obvious one. But we also fear, perhaps even more, the acceptance of the utter Emptiness that underlies everything, and the surrender to it. To live as if we were already dead. That is dying to the Ego nature I believe.
The few moments I've experienced a taste of that surrender were frighteningly terrifyingly joyful and peaceful, to the point I couldn't and didn't want to keep it. And in that state there are no words, concepts, I felt I needed to attach to make sense of reality, everything was as it was supposed to be, the mind was quiet, thoughts did not bothered me, there was really nothing to hold on to, and that is what I think is the ultimate freedom. But it is not a freedom in the sense that "you can be and do anything" bla bla. It's the freedom of not depending on anything emotionally, intellectually, physically etc, it's total detachment. So I feel I agree with the nihilistic approach. But I feel there's a paradox here. Because by "dying" subjectively to the Ego, desires, attachments, habits, beliefs etc, you actually end up embracing that "living quality" of the present moment. Then the only thing we need to do is to carry that acceptance to the end of our lives and just die. What is wrong with that? That's what I see has true spirituality. The good news is we don't really have to DO anything to achieve that, rather we just have to "let go", give up, quit, and forget the Ego that wants to engage, manipulate, act, grasp, react, procreate, survive.
This might or not, seem interesting, but of course in our lives it's not that easy, we need money, we need to do some work, engage with society (attachment), naturally we also have sexual and other urges (biological conditioning).
The solution to this might be engaging with spiritual communities that really understand this "nihilistic" approach. Or going homeless and not giving a fuck anymore about anything (becoming total insane and indifferent). Or if we really see even this nihilist practical approach as absurd, then the only way out, if we really get to a point where we just can't take more of this shit, would be suicide.
It's just that I see that as the "easy way out" of this. Either that or I'm a fucking liar and I'm saying this because I'm terrified of death and really want to do and say everything I can to avoid it. So you might want to ignore this comment.
Or another possibility would be: stop complaining (change your habits) and just live you fucking life.
- 7:34 am, April 11, 2012
- Moe Drama said...
Where's the like button? :)
- 11:10 am, April 11, 2012
- Lycaeus said...
It seems like everyone has a personally emotional agenda underlying ur great ideas and ambitions. We are compulsively/unconsciously driven by fear and sex for the most part, I think...
I'm starting to see myself as a set of conditioned habits and preferences that came from outside of myself. Just a character on this stage of pleasure and pain. As I become more mature I seem to be lacking in the conviction I once had but at the same time taking things more seriously, it's weird. I remember writing about suicide, somewhat soberly, and decided I was going to literally do it-meaning my intent being to kill off all the lies I was living, and decrease my pain. Then I start thinking about the truth of my destiny (cuz I feel like I'm supposed to become something) and what I should do comes from within. And I started praying to the universe "Your will be done God, not mine, in me and through. Show me what I must do and let me be a channel of your blessings for all."... So in other words, "God, tell me what I have to do so I don't have to take responsibility for myself". But 'God" or God's mind/dream, w e it is, created us and everything, including stupid pedophiles, so everything is God's will...
Then I started thinking, okay so I want the divine will to merge with me. I want to surrender to this unknown force that whispers in my soul. So I guess I just want to be a slave to something and not think for myself and act on the simple knowledge and experience I have. Gotta find a balance between intuition, emotions, the intellect and bodily sensations.
Life can be confusing, especially when you ask too many questions. What's the purpose? Maybe our destiny is simply to run around and generate emotional/spiritual energy for some higher beings, who knows. Maybe some souls are here to help relieve suffering. I know pain and suffering are necessary for life and growth, but fucking come on, look at this mess! This society is fucking insane, there's no way this world could have been created without some outside manipulative force that is veiling something from us. Some of us sense it more than others.
I often think that this life is just a big video game we're playing, and then when we beat the level we move onto something better. Maybe we're growing our souls here.
I wonder if there really is a place called DONE like Mckenna identifies with. Sounds like he's figured everything out that he needs to, and he's damn convincing. The main benefit I get from his books is that he seems more evolved than my young self, and I feel I'm becoming a better person by reading his books. I think there actually might be a real enlightened state of being. Jed Mckenna emphasizes that there is a real thing called enlightenment. Don Juan says that you either are a Nagual, or you are not, it's black and white, you either are that evolved energy or you're not. The Children of The Law of One in The Lost Teachings of Atlantis by Jon Peniel talk about 'True Teacher's, Adepts, Enlightened people', and they emphasize that enlightenment happens suddenly like an on/off switch. Hermeticism even talks about there being true masters that are what I think is referred to as enlightenment. So I think there very well might be a place we can reach while incarnate where our selfish seperate ego self dies and all that we need to know is known to us and we would feel it inside. Who knows? I always question myself as to how deep I am in delusion.
- 12:36 pm, April 11, 2012
- Lycaeus said...
Kephas, I think I remember you saying Jed's book was 'mostly impressive'. Could you please elaborate on what impressed you and what didn't? I devoured his books. I sensed truth in them. And I respect your writing and what you have presented of yourself online.
I guess the meaning of everything is in the thing itself and we deserve everything we have the power to create while bound within universal laws of nature. Our power comes from our level of consciousness and understanding of cause and effect.
And about enlightenment, does waking up involve seeing people as zombies? Apocolypse movies feature the walking dead, so when you start seeing people as spiritless zombies, I think you're getting somewhere.
My brain's a bit scattered. I read too much, and don't write enough, but those are some thoughts hanging around in me that I don't really feel comfortable sharing anywhere else other than weird blogs like this, or my personal ramblings. I guess all we can do is see what is.
- 12:37 pm, April 11, 2012
A few perspectives I thought might be helpful, broken up over several post because of the character limit.
"Tired of words and the knowledge that words only forge lies out of truth."
This is a veiled instance of the liar's paradox: if "this sentence is a lie" is true, then it is false – but if the sentence is false, then it is true.
Simultaneously, you commit the performative contradiction, where the content of a statement contradicts the presuppositions implicit in its assertion. If it were impossible to convey truth in words, then one could never construct a proposition which communicates that impossibility.
If thought were the source of suffering then the most efficient route to enlightenment would be to bludgeon yourself in the head. The problem is incorrect thought, distorted perception, a misconception of the nature of people and things.
If we are going to achieve the goal of the path, we need to perfect our thoughts, not eliminate them. We need to make them more accurate, to put them in accord with how things really are.
- 5:59 pm, April 11, 2012
"Everything I do is dictated by a preference for comfort over discomfort. It is absurdly meaningless. The ego's program is so pathetically base – what makes it pathetic is not the baseness but how it covers up that baseness with lofty ideals and blatant lies that anything we ever do is motivated by anything else besides a preference for comfort over discomfort."
For the sake of argument, I'm going to assume that the desire to be comfortable is more or less equivalent to the desire to be happy.
One of the central tenets of Buddhist philosophy is that all beings want happiness and do not want suffering. In itself, this desire to be happy is not a problem. Our difficulty arises from the fact that we confuse the causes of suffering for the causes of happiness. As Shantideva puts it in this classic Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life "Those seeking to escape from suffering hasten right toward their own misery. And with the very desire for happiness, out of delusion they destroy their own well-being as if it were their enemy."
This perspective is valuable to a spiritual practitioner because it means we don't have to overcome our most basic motivation. Instead, we need to realize what is actually conducive to our happiness and pursue it.
So what is conducive to happiness? The Buddhist answer is altruism. If you think about it, depression is characterized by a kind of self-obsession. A depressed person focuses on their miserable lot in life, their failures, how others have judged them and so on. In contrast, moments of genuine happiness always involve giving to something to another – whether its insight, entertainment, pleasure, or sustenance.
I think you see compassion and altruism as "blatant lies" because you are still reifying the dualism between self and other. In our culture we tend to think of compassion as an emotion evoked by and directed toward other beings.
Compassion is simply the intention to end suffering – whether in oneself or in another. When you look at it that way, all of our thoughts, emotions, and actions are based in compassion. The difficulty is that our compassion often extends only as far as the perimeter of our own skin. We are constantly busy with the thought of how to end our own suffering, and only occasionally concerned with that of others.
Again, this is an empowering perspective because it means altruism doesn't entail generating something we don't already have. It means amplifying and extending the force that already animates our every thought and action.
It's commonplace to hear spiritual teachers deconstruct the opposition between self and others. If we take this one step further, along the lines that I've been arguing, the distinction between altruism and self-interest is equally fatuous. As the Dalai Lama put it "Working at achieving the welfare of others accomplices your own along the way. What needs to be stopped is not concern for your own development, but self-cherishing, in which almost the entire focus of attention is on yourself."
- 6:00 pm, April 11, 2012
"Nihilism and spirituality are not opposed but complementary. True spirituality must include nihilism…"
The main thrust of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy is concerned with navigating a middle path between two equally problematic alternatives: nihilism and substantialism. Nihilism, as you know, is the belief that nothing really matters; in an Indo-Tibetan philosophical context, it can also refer to the metaphysical assertion that nothingness is the real nature of reality. Substantialism is the belief that people and things have some sort of enduring, unitary, and independent essence.
On the basis of our implicit belief in substantialism, we regard ourselves as separate from the rest of reality. Because we then see a gulf between ourselves and all other beings we are inclined to deal with them in afflictive ways. If other beings are truly separate, then they exist either to be controlled or destroyed.
The trouble is that when one endeavors to see through the illusion of an inherently existent self, one can incline toward nihilism as so become lost in apathy and amorality.
The Buddhist Scholar Robert Thurman offers a nice reductio ad absurdum for Nihilism.
"Say you are an ardent materialist who thinks that at death you will not exist; you will be undifferentiated, nonindividuated oblivion. If you come to a moment of great agony in the present, if the now suddenly is filled with immense agony—because you have a cancer, or because you have broken something or have been disgraced, or because you're on fire—then it would be rational for you to take a bullet and blow your brains out. And as the bullet goes through the brain, you would be thinking that the essence of the present moment will be revealed as nothing. You think that the essence of this present is a black hole, it is a nothing, it is a radical singularity of a black hole. For you, caught in that view, the 'now' is nothing but being a nothing."
- 6:01 pm, April 11, 2012
What is this preoccupation with thinking that you have to get free of your ego?
- 10:02 pm, April 11, 2012
- Piney Al said...
"Everything I do is dictated by a preference for comfort over discomfort. It is absurdly meaningless. The ego's program is so pathetically base – what makes it pathetic is not the baseness but how it covers up that baseness with lofty ideals and blatant lies that anything we ever do is motivated by anything else besides a preference for comfort over discomfort. It is sickening in the extreme. The hypocrisy of it."
I think you have confused the ego with the collective unconscious. They are intrinsically connected (and that connection needs to be made conscious if there is to be an escape route) but they are very different. If you are going to get rid of the ego then you are going to have to get rid of the collective unconscious. Good luck with that! I don't think that the hungriest of ghosts could get rid of the collective unconscious.
- 11:14 pm, April 11, 2012
"I think you have confused the ego with the collective unconscious."
No such thing as an "ego" or the "collective unconscious" just more imaginary maps and menus that don't actually exist... sure tastes good though eh.
- 11:25 am, April 12, 2012
- Lycaeus said...
I think there definitely is some sort of subtle energy field that connects all human minds. A little evidence I support this theory with is the strange deja vu feelings I get when I hear music. As a kid, discovering different classical composers and rock songs always struck a chord in me like I've heard those songs before, when I hadn't. I would question myself if maybe I've heard them on commercials or movies, but a lot of the songs that would bring on a nostalgic feeling weren't popular radio songs or famous classical pieces... So if there's some truth to this theory, what it points out to me, is that we can easily be unconsciously influenced by the immense weight of mass-thought. A lot of my own thoughts aren't even my own.
When it comes to the motivation for overcoming ego, I think that it's a necessary obstacle because in my experience, my ego is what has held me back. I've constructed a defensive mask from pieces outside of myself out of fear to be open with others. The ego/seperate selfish self is what causes suffering. It's our selfishness that is the root of all evil. It will trick us into "escaping responsibility with responsibility" and cause a lot of pain as we threaten it's hold on us. This is what spiritual rebirth is about: the killing of the false self, but I don't think it will ever die completely, it just has to know it's place
- 11:46 am, April 12, 2012
- Twang said...
"Nihilistic despair has become the bass line of my existence. I feel oddly optimistic about it."
Ha! Well, I enjoy the sound of your bass line, there's always humour in there somewhere and in my own slap bass despair.
Everything is everything... and oh so ridiculous to me.
- 12:56 pm, April 12, 2012
see what happens...
when leading her on
be good leave whore
upset the applecart
no forced laughter,
smile or handshake,
judge me miserable,
my look shall pass.
middle way enforced
authentic as can be
genuine disposition
edo Jesus H. Christ
what's this feeling
fondness compassion
alien assimilation.
Thou does not micro
-manage this sim...
- 11:27 pm, April 12, 2012
I had an a moment while listening to Alan Watts, something about how 'you are the whole universe expressing itself as you' and I thought why would the whole universe seek to experience something as goofy as me. But seeing myself from a distance I seemed perfectly as I inevitably had to be, unavoidable, unimaginable, and to think I could make myself anything different seemed absurd. I sometimes think that if I did not think I had freewill I would be 100% more relaxed. I suppose without the goofiness the world would be no where near so complex
- 2:37 am, April 13, 2012
- Jasun said...
Lyc: I just posted some thoughts about McKenna over here
K of C: I don't necessarily consider compassion another strand of the delusion (tho JM does), and I don't necessarily agree that most people only have compassion for themselves. On contrary, I think few of us do have compassion for ourselves, which is perhaps what makes compassion for others such a relief - but also, maybe, slightly bogus.
Recognizing that compassion is seemingly as useless as anything else we can "do" but still having it and expressing it for others, and eventually for ourselves, frees up some part of ourselves from NEEDING that, so we can move beyond compassion, as we move beyond the idea of a self that needs it.
In Spanish, compassion and pity are more or less interchangeable as words.
- 10:25 am, April 13, 2012
Even Mckenna fudged his date by a couple of weeks or something. so it is said anyway.
I don't want to live in a world where opinion overrides comfort or even indulgence. Comfort is basic. We learn from the Buddha that ostairity ends up being pointless if you have enough years to throw at it and the balls to turn away from years of being invested in some "mad" pursuit. Scared of death, sure this is basic too. Shapes all corporate beings, sure that too. These are not facts by rite but by experience. Being stuck between heaven and earth appears to be our lot as humans. It's all just talking about it until the next stage we gain access. The next stage where surely and inevitably the mysteries of the last stage are bible stories to the youth of the next. And a new set of maybes and talking about it emerge. Just seems a waste if no one is enjoying themselves at any stage, given that they strive for the unknowable. Tartain.
- 3:34 pm, April 13, 2012
correction. I thought the other Mckenna was being referred to.
- 3:43 pm, April 13, 2012
- Theofilia said...
Nihhilistic despair makes you feel "oddly optimistic".
That's a good sign, Jasun!
coast that . . .
You are exactly where you need to be right now.
Your nervous / chakra system needs some down time. Nourish you body, rest your mind.
- 4:08 pm, April 13, 2012
I wonder how much of your dialogue a la JM is an attempt to be 'serious about getting to the truth' and how much of it is a ruse to accumulate data for some forthcomong book/essay about gurus etc. Maybe because JM seems like something of a trickster himself he seems like fair game to you. Not that I think there's anything wrong with either motivation, but maybe you're kidding yourself about being 'serious about truth' because if you really were, you might have figured it out already for yourself by now. JM seems quite attached to useless chit/chat imo. But then I guess so am I, and this is life, which has to be filled with something..
- 5:38 am, April 14, 2012
- Jasun said...
I suppose we are all fair game, but fictional characters like JM doubly so. I didn't say I was serious about truth, but that I wasn't serious about anything else these days. Not the same claim, though even this one I make without certainty.
Rest assured, no book is forthcoming, though I did post a review of JM's books at Amazon.
Your accusatory-toned comment first suggests you have "figured it out" yourself - why else challenge someone for taking too long? - but then admits that you are just engaging in useless chit chat. In fact, it simmers with nihilistic despair!
- 7:24 am, April 14, 2012
I probably had a dig at your seriousness because it's something I question about myself and my own motivations.
I've followed plenty of non-dual teachers in the past, I do wonder about the notion that enlightenment is something that happens instantly, overnight, although all the non-dual teachers seem to teach that it does, I'm wondering more if it's something that happens incrementally and never finishes, I'd say I aspire more torward mystical experiences rather than 'enlightenment', although I'm not sure about the definition of either.
I was curious about what you said in your post 'So most of the time I see Dave as just Dave, but some of the time I experience him as something else,and at those times it occurs to me that this is the real Dave I am seeing' - is it like it seems there's no one there within him or something?
- 11:45 am, April 14, 2012
- Jasun said...
"is it like it seems there's no one there within him or something?"
Not at all - like there is another presence, of far greater depth and intensity, ferocity, and daunting authenticity. But it is more, or less than that - it's an experience of myself also - of being elsewhere - how to describe that? Uncharted depths, becoming known through increasing ripples on the surface of "me."
If the false self is the dreamed, what is its experience as awakening approaches - and the dreamer begins to emerge into that space even as the dreamed like a reflection on the surface of the water, shimmers and breaks apart.
That's why I said that mostly Dave is "just Dave," because I am seeing the image of Dave that is being projected into my dream state. Seeing the real Dave happens, can only happen, in tandem with awakening to/in my real self...
- 1:31 pm, April 14, 2012
- Hero Unmasked said...
"I'd say I aspire more torward mystical experiences rather than 'enlightenment', although I'm not sure about the definition of either."
If you don't know what it is, then how will you know when you've reached/attained it? Or if it's even something that's desirable to aspire to? People make up their own definitions, so how are we to gauge it? I think anyone who claims to be enlightened has bought their own BS.
- 2:21 pm, April 14, 2012
- Theofilia said...
This is the Voice of the Sacred Feminine, please pardon me for bargin' in again.
when you directly experience in every firber of your being "I am Rapture's delightful abyss", you will know what "enlightenment" means.
Non-dual teachers don't know about this kind of 'enlightenment'.
- 4:49 pm, April 14, 2012
- Jasun said...
I've yet to hear the logic for why an enlightened person wouldn't say they were enlightened - unless it's that there is no such thing as enlightened, which isn't really logic, as logically, one can only know if something does exist, not that it doesn't... (Try proving unicorns don't exist.)
This kneejerk response seems similar to the scientism's dismissal of spiritism as quackery, based on a) inherent prejudice, and b) the evidence of a preponderance of actual quacks. It's 2 + 2 = 5 sort of logic: improbable claim plus lots of fake contenders leads to the (comfortable) conclusion that all claims must be fake, or "BS."
- 1:04 am, April 15, 2012
As far as I can make out the story told by the non-dual teachers is that something will happen in a person's life that turns them into a spiritual seeker, from then on his 'head is in the tiger's mouth', the person pursuits all kinds of spiritual practises, follows various gurus, tries everything to 'find God' or 'achieve enlightenment', they are the 'miserable seeker', they start pulling out their hair,giving up in exacerbation, and then the 'penny drops', they suddenly understand....and from then on they are never the same and are officially 'enlightened' and can teach and pontificate. The thing is, the 'penny dropping' event they describe often seems so subtle as if it were only a minor epiphany.
- 4:46 am, April 15, 2012
Well, I think Theofilia & Kephas are the ones having the kneejerk response here, but feel free to project. And yes, there is no such thing as "enlightenment" only the concept of it, which no one seems to be able to agree upon anyway, but keep defending your Belief Systems by all means if it makes you feel special.
- 11:31 am, April 15, 2012
- Theofilia said...
Human Race, obviously you don't know me, didn't read my testimonials about what the Dissolution Process is/looks like, and yet claim I have a "Belief System" which makes me feel "special". Good one!
If you think the Buddha in you is already enlightend, and there is nothing further to know, or experience, than rest on those laurels. There, you are already God, right?
- 4:50 pm, April 15, 2012
I RECKON (2+2) I could become enlightened (on the path, unless one doesn't realize what's happening, there's really no need to get off) again (and draw the apocalypse closer by doing nothing of the sort), IF I didn't trouble my head about correcting people (defending my stance) and offending people with "the passion". (full stop ..... refusals)
OHEY, a new paragraph, eventually it'll come to the-hell-with-this, leaving my subtle complex no other pathway than to enter in the house (to escape Sodom and Gomorrah of the abused mind) of the lord, to follow (real science now) an acute state of mind hosted by (a) spirit, bathed by tempting spirits [I've got pics. Mental clarity, and pick of the litter.] what do the window shopping for you, reel weird science, OHEY, what-do-you-know, bright new clothes! (exclamation mark steam train)
(How Much Is) That Doggie in the window?
- 8:48 pm, April 15, 2012
Oh and this is how it feels to chew 5 gum.
- 8:54 pm, April 15, 2012
Have you read The Psychopath's Bible by Christopher Hyatt?
I am reading it again and again.
- 4:15 pm, April 17, 2012
'anyone who is serious about getting to the truth needs to read McKenna, and then decide if they are really serious or not.'
How to gauge one's seriousness? For as long as there are desires which over-ride 'seriousness', then presumably one will fail in 'getting to the truth', but how to get rid of these inferior desires? - logically it would seem to be to seek to fulfill them as soon as possible and with full enthusiasm, so that one can then move on, as a shortcut to truth, which seems contrary to the mood of nihilism.
- 10:54 am, April 18, 2012
Dark night of the soul
- 7:10 pm, April 18, 2012


text:
TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Extended Closings
Real estate closings in the Huntsville, Alabama area as with the rest of the country are expected to take longer after October, 3 2015. If time is an issue for you then consider making that offer on a new home and going under contract before the October, 3 deadline.
This year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) begins requiring banks to provide consumers with a longer window in which to review loan documentation. The new rule, potentially in effect October3, 2015 can push closings by as many as six days-to more than a week - longer than usual. Most lenders and closing attorneys I talk to suggest a 45 day closing time frame to be safe. Buyers needing to close quickly may need to begin negotiations sooner in order to meet a move-in deadline.
On the other hand, the changes could give an advantage to all-cash buyers over those needing conventional financing, since sellers looking to close quickly may choose a faster close over a higher net. In a hot seller's market, cash may be king for the buyer...it usually is.
The Ruling Explained:
Originally slated to roll out August 1, 2015 in October, the federal government will require that loan disclosure documents contain a combination of both the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and the Federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA) in a document known as the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID). The ruling, known a "Know Before You Owe" must accompany the Loan Estimate and include all charges, fees and line items at least three (business) days before closing. In the past, this information was often given to consumers on the day of closing on the HUD-1 form (which no longer will be necessary).
The purpose of the changes is to mitigate the potential for surprises at the closing table and offers an advantage to buyers since any increase of more than one-eighth of a percent during the three-day window--or other changes such as pre-payment penalties, additional fees or other items that increase the consumer's financial responsibility--requires entirely new documentation and another three-day window (delay). Note that a decrease in interest of fees will not cause such a delay.
According to the CFPB the new forms are easier to understand and use. During testing, participants returned more correct answers about their sample mortgage using the new forms as compared to the traditional forms. The new form lists the total loan amount, interest rate, monthly principal and interest and projected payments on the first page of the form. Closing costs and cash required to close appear at the bottom of the easy to read page.
Specifically, the first section on the front of the document clearly indicates if the amount of the loan, interest rate and monthly principal and interest can increase after the closing, and prepayment penalties and balloon payments are plainly indicated.
In the second section, projected payments for the life of the loan, including the years in which increases may occur, gives the buyer the needed information to plan for the future.
The primary advantage for home-buyers is that the three-day window allows them to walk away from a deal without penalty in certain circumstances and allows them to more quickly understand the terms of their mortgage.
A disadvantage for those needing to close quickly is that bankers, mortgage lenders, escrow officers and other real estate professionals will need to learn the new documentation and set up computer software and other systems to prepare it. I think all involved should expect delays or a few glitches in the beginning, but once we get used to these changes - and we will - things should once again run smoothly...until the next change!
If you have questions about the new forms and how to understand them, I would be glad to talk with you about them. You may call me or visit my real estate website anytime: MadisonAlabamaHomes.com
Photo courtesy of Fantasista/Freedigitalphotos.net
Content adapted from original post published at….http://nicktpappas.com/?p=3825
Visit Your Huntsville Real Estate Resource
Serving: Anslee Farms, Bell Tower, Bishop Farms, Bradford Farms, Bridgefield, Canebrake, Chase Shadow, Cherokee Ridge, Clifts Cove, Edgewater, Emerald Forest Condo, Foxfield, Greystone Estates, Hampton Cove, Harvest, Highland Lakes, Jones Valley Estates, Kelly Plantation, Knox Creek, Lake Forest, Ledges of Huntsville Mountain, Mandolin, Maxwell Place, MidTowne on the Park, Newby Plantation, Olde Cobblestone, Overland Trace, Pebble Brook, Rainbow Landing, Rock Creek, Shadow Brook, Spencer Green, Stavemill Estates, The Bridges on the River, The Villas at Madison, Towne Lakes, Villas at Jones Valley, Walden Preserve, West Highlands, Whitehall, Village of Providence and more.


text:
Modified Mustangs & FordsHow To Engine
Y-Block Engine Build
Ted Eaton takes his 375-inch Ford "Y" to the Engine Masters Challenge and changes perception of this Cold War classic
Ford Division's first overhead valve V-8, the Y-Block, remains one of the sexiest V-8 engines ever with its perfect symmetry, finned and studded Thunderbird Special valve covers, dual-plane "stacked port" manifold, and 45-degree-cocked ignition in the backyard. Because it has 16 solid tappets thrashing out a sweet beat, it yields the aura of traditional American V-8 power. When you marry one of these engines to the chassis of a vintage Thunderbird or shoebox Ford, it takes on the life of an era one-half century gone.
Ford introduced the 239ci Y-block in 1954 in Fords, and a 256ci version in Mercurys to replace its flathead V-8 introduced in 1932. The Y-Block swiftly grew to 272, 292, and finally 312 ci by 1956. Though the Y-block was revolutionary when it was introduced, it was cursed with limitations right from the start, mostly in the area of displacement and cylinder head design. You couldn't fit a lot of displacement in it and cylinder head design has never been a strong suit for Ford. There's only so much you can do with this engine if you have limited budget and resources. If you have the talent, resources, and capital, however, you can make real power with this engine.
Professional engine builders like Ted Eaton and John Mummert are passionate about the Y-block and have been working with this engine for decades, determined to make previously unheard of amounts of power. However, it has never been easy. John Mummert of San Diego, California, is well known and respected for his Y-block efforts, which include producing cool aluminum cylinder heads and induction systems for these venerable Ford V-8s. Ted Eaton, more than a thousand miles away in Lorena, Texas, is every bit Mummert's equal in that he knows the Y-block like few others. This is where West Coast and American heartland get together to rock the firmament.
Y-Block vs America's Best
Ted Eaton of Eaton Balancing boldly decided to enter Ford's Y-block in the Engine Masters Challenge at the University of Northwestern Ohio. "For the '07-'08 Engine Masters competitions, I built a 312 with 0.022-inch overbore and a stock stroke to get 316 ci. For 2009, there were major rule changes. Significant was increasing the rpm range in these dyno pulls with compression as high as 11.5:1," Eaton comments. "Although the 316 looked to be very good, especially at 2,500-6,500 rpm, the rules would place this Y-block much lower in the field simply due to the allowance of a roller camshaft thrown into the fray, and increasing rpm to 3,000-7,000 rpm in the rest range." He went on to say, "I was already at a disadvantage by having to use stock iron heads given these guidelines."
Eaton concluded his 316 was not suitable for competition in 2009, which is when he decided to go for displacement and a fresh approach.
"My original plan for this engine was a 4.000-inch bore and stroke to get 403ci. This combination probably would not have given the best overall score, but would have given us impressive peak power numbers," Eaton explained. The 4.000-x4.000-inch bore and stroke combination created water problems when he went wide open throttle at low rpm under load on the dyno. Investigative efforts showed he could not get there with this bore and stroke combo without coolant issues. He had to compromise.
Eaton opted for a 3.859-inch bore coupled with a 4.000-inch stroke to achieve 375ci along with more cylinder wall thickness from a B9AE-F 292 non-steam hole block. Eaton told us that while the 3.700- and 3.800-inch strokes had been tried successfully with Y-blocks, he wanted to know how 4.000-inches of stroke would work in a Y-block. Would it fit and would it make power without breaking?
Eaton began with a 292 crankshaft offset ground for mock-up purposes to get a 4.000-inch stroke coupled with a 1.889-inch Honda connecting rod journal with 3⁄8-inch rod bolts. He cut a single rod journal down to Honda size and went to work on the mock-up. The main concern was getting 3⁄8-inch rod bolts to clear the camshaft while still getting the lift he needed.
"A smaller base circle cam was not going to help in that I was already planning a camshaft with 0.376-inch lobe lift to get the 0.600-inch-plus valve lift I was looking for. The cam's base circle could be no smaller than 1.150-inch without having the lifters fall out of their bores," Eaton noted. He added that the 1.150-inch base circle camshaft would clear rod bolts only with a 0.337-inch maximum lift lobe.
Once he knew he could get the 4.000-inch stroke inside a 292 block, Eaton could confidently order what he needed to build this engine. He ordered a 4.000-inch stroke Moldex 4340 billet steel crank with 2.4980-2.4988-inch Y-Block main journals and 1.889-inch Honda sized rod journals. Instead of a Y-block crank flange, he opted for an FE/385-series big-block crank flange to make it easier to find an SFI–approved steel PRW flywheel mandated for the Engine Masters Challenge.
[7] The assembled short-block shows ceramic-coated piston domes and finish work on the block to eliminate stress risers. The ceramic coating protects pistons from extreme temperatures should there be detonation issues.
[8] Ted ordered a custom cam grind from Isky Racing Cams with 109-degree lobe centers advanced 1½ degrees to 107½ degrees intake lobe centerline, with duration at 0.050-inch at 254/258 intake/exhaust and lobe lift at 0.370/0.376-inch intake/exhaust with 1.6:1 rocker ratio. "If it spins, it probably needs balancing," which explains why Eaton dynamic balanced this cam and sprocket. This gets rid of any potential vibration issues.
[9] For those of you unfamiliar with the Y-Block, it takes some getting used to, like these solid tappets that install through the cam tunnel instead of the valley. These guys ride offset on the cam lobes and whirl around for even wear and smooth function. To the best of our knowledge, there isn't a roller cam available for these engines.
[13] Eaton has reworked the Mummert plenum as shown, including dimples that help keep fuel droplets in suspension. Much of this is trial and error to see what can be realized in power gains.
[14] Eaton opted for 1959 vintage 292 iron heads (5752-113), taking valve sizes to 2.02/1.56-inch intake/exhaust, along with some aggressive port work. "There's no flow numbers on these heads because I didn't have a flow bench to work with all the time," Eaton tells us, "This pair of heads has already been milled with chambers at 65 cc's."
Eaton ordered 6.750-inch-long, parabolic-beam Oliver connecting rods with Honda-sized large ends to get a 1.68:1 rod ratio, as well as the dwell time he was seeking at each end of the bore. He added that this made the engine less susceptible to detonation. To achieve 375 ci, Ted went with Diamond ceramic-coated pistons with special low-friction skirt coatings to reduce friction. Compression height was 1.000-inch exactly, which put the wristpin in the ring lands, calling for an oil ring support rail to prevent ring distortion. An 0.866-inch wristpin and 9cc reverse dome cover the remainder of piston dynamics, yielding a 10.1:1 compression ratio.
Working compression ratio (also known as dynamic compression) was 8.0:1 with the cam advanced 1½-degrees and valve lash at 0.025-inch hot. With Ford iron heads, this was how Ted had to do it burning 91-octane fuel. Had there been aluminum heads available at the time of his 2009 Engine Masters experience, he could have pushed compression higher. Aluminum heads conduct heat better than iron, which enables you to run more compression.
Eaton opted for a 3.859-inch bore coupled with a 4.000-inch stroke to achieve 375 ci along with more cylinder wall thickness from a B9AE-F 292 non-steam hole block
|2009 Dyno Testing—Iron 292 Heads
|Eaton Balancing Dyno
|460.2 @ 6,100 rpm
|448.5 @ 4,800 rpm
|Engine Masters Challenge Dyno
|432.7 @ 6,200 rpm (Corrected)
|414.0 @ 4,900 rpm (Corrected)
"When the 375 was assembled, it was placed on the dyno for serious testing," Eaton tells Modified Mustang & Fords, "Seven different intake manifolds were tested, along with a variety of carburetors and spacers. Also tested was a pair of headers—one set from a '23 T-bucket and another being stepped headers provided by Jerry Christenson and Royce Brechler. The final chosen engine combination was the new Mummert intake manifold and a Holley 950hp (834-cfm), and the stepped headers (1.75- and 1.875-inch tubes feeding into modified 3½-inch collectors and mufflers). We got 462-464 horsepower and 446-449 lb-ft of torque through the mufflers, which isn't too shabby for 10.1:1 compression on pump gas." They tried a 1,050-cfm Holley Dominator just to see what happened, and torque increased dramatically.
When Eaton and his crew arrived at the 2009 Engine Masters Challenge in Ohio, they had fuel line troubles and had to go with a spare. "Once the fuel line problem was resolved, the engine fired and ran cleanly at 900 rpm," Eaton tells us, "We had jetted the carb at 77/89, whereas it had been jetted at 75/87 in Texas." A stuck secondary float created its share of problems for Team Eaton, which had to be solved in a short period of time per EMC rules. "A quick look at the data showed our jet change was a good call with the engine peaking at 433 hp and 416 lb-ft of torque," Eaton said confidently, "All of the competitors were getting lower numbers at the competition than seen on their own dynos. Some were down as much as 100 hp. Our Y-Block wound up being just 30 hp down from what we saw in my shop." Eaton chalked up the lower numbers to climate difference and rain during the competition.
The 2010 EMC With Aluminum Heads
"With the new Mummert aluminum heads out there proving themselves, I felt it was time to see how a fully ported set of these heads would do over fully ported iron castings at the 2010 EMC," Eaton noted. "John Mummert performed his porting magic on a set of these castings and, after some fine tuning, they were worth another 72-plus horsepower over ported iron."
What amazed Eaton was the 375's apparent good health after repeatedly being revved to 7,500 rpm at the 2009 Engine Masters Challenge. He filled the pan with 7 quarts of Valvoline 20W-50 and started working on baseline numbers on the dyno. In those first series of pulls, the engine produced 519 horsepower with the Mummert aluminum heads and induction. Aside from the heads, basically everything else was the same. He adjusted ignition timing to 32 degrees total, established a baseline without detonation, and was able to push total timing to 38 degrees BTDC. Another improvement Eaton made was a modified and ported intake from John and Geoff Mummert that had a carb spacer already incorporated into its design. The engine lost some power on the high end, but gained torque and average horsepower in the 2,500-6,500 rpm range.
22. The new Mummert aluminum heads for Y-Blocks break horsepower and torque barriers. For Ted Eaton, these heads have meant an 80-horse gain over iron castings.
23. High-swirl 60cc chambers and 1.94/1.54-inch intake/exhaust valves coupled with improved port design and the heat transfer benefits of aluminum make the Mummert head a great investment for $2,199 plus shipping and any taxes.
With more than 150 pulls to its credit, the 375 was hauled to Ohio for the 2010 Engine Masters Challenge. With total timing still at 38 degrees BTDC, concerns over detonation began to trouble Eaton based on what he was hearing from other competitors. The decision was made to chance it and leave ignition timing where it was. "The rules for 2010 allowed for up to 11.5:1 compression, but our engine had a static compression ratio of 10.8:1. It appeared many of our competitors were using camshafts that were on the short side for intake duration at 0.050-inch, which was driving dynamic compression ratios on the high side," Eaton said, "Our entry was the Isky cam with 254 degrees intake duration, which figured in at 8.5:1. Although the fuel was 91 octane, motor octane level was 86."
Eaton's strategy was to let the oil get hotter, while allowing fresh coolant in during warm-up. This approach got them 523, 521, and 524 horsepower for a total score of 2,205.7 points at the EMC. Eaton's Y-block came in 13th in overall horsepower against the likes of big Chevys, Chrysler Hemis, and a host of other legendary Detroit powerplants.
|2010 Dyno Testing—Mummert Heads
|Eaton Balancing Dyno
|540.1 @ 6,200 rpm
|492.8 @ 5,000 rpm
|Engine Masters Challenge Dyno
|524.0 @ 6,500 rpm (Corrected)
|474.1 @ 5,000 rpm (Corrected)
Ted Eaton sees the value in education and the wisdom picked up from those who've gone before him, "One of the many highlights of this visit to the Engine Masters Challenge was chatting with Ed Iskenderian and Nick Arias. Ed was a thrill to listen to and was more than willing to talk about early Y-Block days when he did cams for Ford's engineering group." Eaton expresses gratitude to the faculty and students at the University of Northwestern Ohio for being gracious hosts of this competition. He also tips his hat to John and Geoff Mummert, whose invaluable help and expertise made it possible for them to score well in Ohio. Lastly, Eaton gratefully acknowledges Lonnie Putnum, who does all of his machine work.


text:
A message from Amazon Watch. Please read this and let your conscience act now!
I received this today in the mail.
Dear Mark,
In honor of Earth Day, please watch this short video and take action to defend the Xingu River basin. The Brazilian government is pushing for Belo Monte Dam construction to begin in the next few weeks.
Watch & Share this new Amazon Watch video:
"A Call for Renewable Energy in Brazil",
featuring Amazon Watch's Christian Poirier, James Cameron,
Arnold Schwarzenegger, and former president Bill Clinton
As you may know, last month I journeyed back to the Brazilian Amazon with James Cameron and this time, he brought Arnold Schwarzenegger. We returned to the Arara village on the threatened Big Bend of the Xingu River and were met by hundreds of villagers, the legendary Kayapo Chief Raoni, world-renowned climate scientists and local movement leaders. Their resounding message was the same: "We urge the Brazilian government stop the Belo Monte Dam and pursue truly renewable energy alternatives!"
Following the visit to the Xingu, we traveled to Manaus to the Global Sustainability Forum where world leaders, including Clinton, reminded Brazil that it is responsible for "the stewardship of the greatest rainforest of the world", and called on Brazil to lead the world on a green energy pathway.
"You need more electricity. You need it to be clean. You want to preserve native cultures and you need to preserve the rainforest. If you reach a critical juncture, you'll change it forever and it can't be recovered and the rest of the world is depending on you because about 20% of non ocean oxygen comes from you…The whole world needs you to resolve this."
Unfortunately, the Brazilian government doesn't appear to be listening. After dismissing demands from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States to suspend the dam's licensing process until serious human rights violations have been remedied, the government is fast-tracking the dam's full installation license and seeking to initiate construction as early as next month.
It is urgent that the Brazilian government hear the call from Brazilians and the international community to defend the Amazon, indigenous rights and reconsider its plans for the Belo Monte Dam and 60 other large dams planned for the Amazon. Energy efficiency and clean renewable energy, such as solar and wind, are viable and essential solutions to more dirty dams. The entire world depends on it.
Watch and share this video. Take action today by signing and sharing a petition to the Brazilian government.
For the Amazon and Mother Earth,
Atossa Soltani
Executive Director


text:
Last week, Gary Oldman ended his three-decade reign as Oscar's most perennially snubbed talent, scoring a nomination for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
His Harry Potter co-star Alan Rickman wasn't so lucky: his well-reviewed performance in the final Potter film gave the British star his best shot at a nod in years, but the movie's lack of awards momentum killed his chances.
Is Rickman the greatest living British film actor to never be nominated? Here are five Rickman roles that warranted recognition from the Academy:
Die Hard (1988)
Hans Gruber is where the legend of Rickman began, a role that remains iconic a quarter-century after the thriller packed theaters. Before you declare Die Hard "not an Oscar film," note that the Academy has nominated worthy supporting actors in so-called "cheesy" blockbusters before (Fred Astaire in Towering Inferno, Alec Guinness in Best Picture nominee Star Wars, and Pat Morita in The Karate Kid, anyone?)
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
Evidence of the Rickman range: his earthy, whimsical performance as Juliet Stevenson's ghostly lover was 180 degrees away from Hans Gruber. (Of course, this was many years before just showing up in an Anthony Minghella film meant an Oscar nomination.)
Sense & Sensibility (1995)
The Academy nominated Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet for their roles in Ang Lee's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, but Rickman's BAFTA-nominated work as the upstanding Colonel Brandon was criminally overlooked by Oscar.
Michael Collins (1996)
Rickman played a real-life figure (Irish revolutionary leader Éamon de Valera) with a measured sense of dignity that at times outshone star Liam Neeson. Once again, BAFTA nominated him, the Motion Picture Academy did not.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011)
When Deathly Hallows, Part 2 premiered last summer, it was clear that Rickman's acting in this final film was something special. The New York Times's Manohla Dargis singled out Rickman's work as the movie's "expressive high point," adding that Snape "has become such a brilliant screen character… due to Mr. Rickman, who helped elevate a child's tale of good and evil into a story of human struggle." Daniel Radcliffe added, "I do think it's the performance of his career. I think he should get nominations for best supporting actor because it's so touching and beautiful what he does."
But fans hoping for a belated, Return of the King-like acknowledgment of the Harry Potter film franchise were disappointed: the film was a non-factor on year-end lists and reaped only three technical Oscar nods. And Rickman once again was ignored.
What roles did we miss? What will it take to finally get Rickman an Oscar nomination? Let us know below:Read More


text:
I'm exploring the web to find sites I like
Choc Bay, Castries, St. Lucia
"Tropical Beauty"
Posted by: Debbie from CAN on Feb 19, 2010
see all reviews
Sandals Halcyon–St. Lucia's ultimate beach resort. With its classic Caribbean architecture and magical tropical gardens, it's an open invitation to a true garden party.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
"Tropical Beauty"
Posted by: Debbie from CAN
on Feb 19, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Feb, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
937 people found this review helpful
Sandals Halcyon Beach located in St. Lucia provided us with one of the best vacations ever. From the efficiency of airport pick up & delivery, to the arrival of our luggage in our room, nothing was overlooked. Dining & drinks were superb, beach & pool areas were wonderful, staff was very friendly and obliging. We would struggle to find a complaint about the Sandals Halcyone Beach. We would definitely recommend this resort and plan to return in the near future.
Your Arrival:
Upon arrival we were greeted with champagne, and delivered to our room with a short tour of the grounds.
Rooms were more than adequate. Although not large, they were comfortable and inviting. We did not go to the resort to spend time in our room, but had no complaints about our accommodations.
Restaurants and Bars:
Fantastic -- dining experiences were beyond words. Menu selection is very good.
Well maintained, beautiful landscaping, quiet atmosphere. A small, quiet resort made our vacation relaxing and very enjoyable.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Tours are available from the lobby area. The staff goes out of their way to get guests involved in games. Pool tables, Spa, and Fitness area, plus lots of water sports are available to anyone who wishes to participate.
Other Comments:
Loved St. Lucia and Sandals Halcyon. Will be back.


text:
Running Flash content on your iDevice isn't new. We've seen it in the form of Frash, though you'll need a jailbroken iPhone and it's far from perfect. But what about a simple (and legit) solution for watching Flash videos on your iPhone? Well according to CNNMoney, this soon will become a reality as Apple has finally approved the Mobile Browser app SkyFire, which will make its grand appearance on the App Store this Thursday at 9AM EST for the price of $2.99.
Already a popular app on the Android platform, SkyFire is able detect and convert Flash videos into HTML 5 on SkyFire's servers. As this process is happening on the fly, users will then be able to watch these videos that were previously unavailable to the iPhone/iPod Touch. Unfortunately, SkyFire won't let you play with Flash games, or non-video Flash content, but it's still a great start for users who've been starving for Flash on the platform. Check out the demo video of the app in action after the gap.
Update: SkyFire arrived a bit earlier than expected and is now live on the App Store!
Skyfire Labs, Skyfire Web Browser, 2.5MB – $2.99