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I have received a number of emails lately about when to fund a living trust. It's a question that seems to confuse a lot of people because there appears to be several right answers. And, there are - depending upon your reasons for establishing a living trust in the first place.
First, funding a living trust simply means transferring your property to your trust. How you transfer property is not the subject of this article. [See How to Fund a Living Trust.] Here, we're only concerned with when you should transfer your property.
The answer to that question really depends upon why you have a living trust in the first place. If, for example, your only objective is to protect your property after your death (i.e., because your intended beneficiaries are either too young to handle it on their own or because they're incapable of handing it), then there is no need to fund your living trust during your lifetime. All you really need to accomplish your objective is a pour-over will to transfer your property upon your death. You don't need to make any transfers to your living trust during your lifetime.
Of course, using a pour-over will to fund your living trust may accomplish your objective, but that means your property will pass through probate before it gets into your trust. Whether going through probate is good or bad is not the issue here. If you're concerned about probate, then that might change when you need to fund your trust. But, now, we're saying that if you're only objective is to protect your property following your death, then you don't need to fund your living trust during your lifetime - your pour-over will will take care of the funding when you die.
Historically, trusts created for this purpose were seldom funded during a trustor's lifetime. In fact, these living trusts were - and still are - referred to as "dry" trusts. And, that begs another quetion; i.e., if a living trust is intended to be "dry" during your lifetime, then why not just create a testamentary trust (i.e., a trust created under your will) instead of a living trust?
It's true that a testamentary trust will protect your property after your death just the same as a living trust. However, there are several reasons why a living trust is often preferred over a testamentary trust. First, a testamentary trust is created under a Last Will and Testament and, if you want to change the terms of your testamentary trust, you have to make a formal change to your Will.
Second, a living trust can include all the provisions needed for avoiding probate or having your assets managed by a third party in the event of incapacity, even though you may not be concerned about those things when you create your trust. In most cases, attorneys do not charge more for a living trust with these provisions than they do for a testamentary trust, so it's generally advisable to create a living trust with these provisions included, just in case they're needed later on. If they are needed later on, then all that needs to be done is to fund your living trust.
Third, living trusts offer the additional benefit of being totally private, whereas testamentary trusts are public because they're created under a will, which is a public document. While privacy may not be a compelling reason to go with a living trust, it is yet another reason that weighs in its favor.
You might be saying, "But, I thought living trusts were only used to avoid probate." Obviously, that's not true at all. In fact, the use of living trusts to avoid probate is only a recent phenomonon. The vast majority of living trusts are intended primarily to protect property after the owner's death and, therefore, do not need to be funded while the owner is alive. Consider, for a moment, all the young married couples out there who have minor children. They don't give a hoot about avoiding probate or having their assets managed by a third party if they become incapacitated. Death and incapacity just don't exist to 20-somethings or 30-somethings. They're only concerned about protecting their minor children in the event both of them die simultaneously in a car accident or some other type of tragedy. If that should happen, they want two things to happen: First, they want their minor children to be raised by the right people and, second, they want their property protected for the benefit of the children. With a pour-over will and a living trust, their problems are solved without any need to transfer property.
It should be clear, then, that the question of "when to fund your living trust" is mostly dictated by your objectives in having one. As discussed in this article, it is clear that a living trust does not have to be funded at all during your lifetime if your only objective is to protect your property after your death, provided you have a pour-over will in place to handle the funding for you. On the other hand, if one of your objectives is to avoid probate or to have your property managed upon incapacity, then you need to fund your living trust before those events occur. That does not mean, however, that you must fund your living trust at the moment your trust is created. There's some flexibility here as well. We'll discuss these issues in part II of this article..


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By Khalid Baig
March 17, 2017
TAUBA (repentance) and Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) are among the most meritorious acts of virtue for the believers. Tauba means feeling remorse for our actions or omissions. Istighfar means expressing that remorse in words and begging Allah for forgiveness. "Truly, Allah loves those who repent, and He loves those who cleanse themselves." [Al-Baqarah 2:222]. "O Allah! Make me among those who, when they commit an act of virtue, feel good, and when they commit a mistake, they seek forgiveness." [Ibn Majah]
The act for which we perform Taubah and Istighfar is not necessarily a sin, or an act of disobedience to Allah; it also includes our shortcomings. As we realise Allah's immense favours to us, all of our thankfulness and devotion clearly appears to be inadequate. As we realise the grandeur of Allah, Most High, our acts of worship and obedience clearly are seen to be insufficient. The higher a person is on the scale of Taqwa, piety and God consciousness, the greater is this sense of inadequacy. Consequently the greater is his practice of Istighfar. That is why all the prophets, Alayhimu Salam, preached and practices Taubah and Istighfar. We do not have to invent any sins—inherited or personal— to explain their repentance. In fact all the prophets were free of sin, as Allah appointed them as role models for humanity and Allah did not send defective role models.
The leader of all the prophets was the Holy Prophet (PBUH), a fact which was also symbolised in his leading of all the Prophets in Salat (prayer) in Jerusalem during Isra. And what did the Prayer Leader of the Prophets use to do after every prayer? He used to say "Astaghfirullah" (I seek Allah's forgiveness) three times! This is the Istighfar that comes out of the highest level of God consciousness! He taught us to perform Istighfar profusely, as he himself practiced. The Companions have reported that he used to do Istighfar hundreds of times during the course of a day. Tauba and Istighfar are the essence of our servitude and submission to Allah. Istighfar is also a means of enhancing that consciousness of Allah and strengthening our relationship with Him. We turn to no one except Allah in repentance. We confess our deepest errors, shortcomings, failures, and sins to Him and Him alone. We seek His forgiveness, knowing that He alone has knowledge about all our deeds and thoughts and He alone can forgive us and save us from the consequences of our actions. Istighfar, thus, is a most intimate conversation with Allah. And during that conversation we are at our humblest. We can see why Taubah and Istighfar are the essence of our servitude and submission to Allah!
We need Istighfar to constantly purify and cleanse our heart. We are not born in sin, but we are born in weakness. We are prone to fall prey to the many temptations that are part of our test in this life. And when we do fall and commit a sin, it produces a dark spot in our heart. A famous Hadith, reported by Abu Huraira (RA), describes this process. When a person shows remorse and repents, that dark spot is removed. Otherwise it will stay there and grow with each additional sin.
A time may come when his heart is full of darkness because of un-repented sins. We can see this gradual darkness of the heart as people advance in their sinful behaviour. In the beginning they have a lot of inhibitions. They commit the wrong hesitatingly and feel bad about it. If they do not turn back, they get used to it, so it just feels normal. Then a stage comes when vice becomes virtue and virtue vice. They defend and advocate evil and shun good.
Source: pakobserver.net/seeking-forgiveness-from-allah/
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-spiritualism/khalid-baig/seeking-forgiveness-from-allah/d/110456

subset: commoncrawl


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Another community in Florida is considering a community broadband network as a solution to its need for faster, more reliable broadband than incumbents offer.
The City formed a commission and created a white paper discussing the problem and potential solutions (referencing the success of Chattanooga and Lafayette). It recognizes broadband as a key infrastructure.
The report lays out a range of options for the city: from doing nothing and letting the market determine Sarasota's broadband future; to partnering with a private entity in building a network that would increase speeds; to tapping a public project already in the works that could create a powerful Internet backbone between Manatee and Sarasota counties.
We recently reported on another community, Dunnellon, that is building a community fiber network. Unfortunately, these communities have to deal with unnecessary barriers created by the Florida Legislature as they invest in the future of their community.
Photo used under Creative Commons License, courtesy of 83d40m


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On April 25, GIFA revealed that their tell-all press release was due to be published this month. However, it appears as though the matter has been taken out of the company's hands as GIFA was obliged to release this statement earlier today:
"Due to unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances, we were obligated to delay our press release that was intended to disclose all our new and exciting ventures. We sincerely apologize to all of those who anxiously awaited the good news, however another press release will be prepared in due course."
The company's recent investments and agreements caught the attention of finance enthusiasts. GIFA's revelation was expected to address many questions and speculations surrounding the company's position on the financial market as well as its landmark deals made with other reputable companies across the globe.


text: A group of Islamic State fighters surrender in Afghanistan. Many of their comrades are still in the fight. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images 28 janvier 2020 Despite defeats, the Islamic State remains unbroken and defiant around the world Brian Glyn Williams, UMass Dartmouth The Islamic State group, often called ISIS, is not just based in Iraq and Syria. A scholar tracks where the group and its affiliates have spread around the globe.


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31 March 2012
PMQG-Michael Miller Block Challenge
After a thoroughly informative and inspiring visit from Kathy Miller, co-founder of Michael Miller Fabrics, during our February Portland Modern Quilt Guild meeting each of the guild members was generously supplied with 8 fat eighths of their new line of Cotton Couture Solids. Now, one could treat this as a lovely gift, no strings attached, but the real gift in it is actually a design challenge. Any member who chooses (and there have already been a few, uploading photos to the PMQG flickr page) is invited to design a 15"x18" pieced block using the cotton couture fabrics with which we were supplied and Kathy Miller will select about 16 blocks to be included in a quilt that Michael Miller will feature in their booth at Spring Quilt Market in May 2012.
I should have prefaced this post by saying that I found out this week that I did not have a quilt chosen to be part of the MQG Showcase at Fall Market in Houston this year. And so it goes. However, this information was a bit disheartening (although not at all surprising!) and at the same time is forcing me to endeavor that much more to make an impact. But I don't know quite how to do that.
So, I've been sketching in the ol' sketchbook, and translated a few of the more promising designs into EQ7 so that I could play with the colors. The ones I keep going back to so far are these:
"dorm room cots" pattern that I've been drafting)
I went ahead and pieced a block, which I think turned out well, but not sure that it's a "challenge winner" (especially after seeing the blocks showing up in the group pool).
Is this what it's all about??
Posted by Linda Beth at 8:16 PM
Labels: challenge, challenge block, cotton couture, michael miller, PMQG
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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — One week it's the problem, the next week it's the solution.
Such is life as Tiger Woods' putter – one week people say it is the reason he isn't dominating like he used to (despite three wins this season), the next it is the reason why he fired a 3-under 69 in the first round of the 94th PGA Championship at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course on Thursday.
A week after posting 30-plus putts in a round twice at WGC-Bridgestone, Woods needed only 22 on a hot-and-steamy day in South Carolina.
He says those dismal rounds at Firestone caused him to look closely at his stroke, hence the difference on Thursday.
"I putted well on the weekend (at Bridgestone), made a few adjustments Friday night last week, and felt like I hit a lot of good putts," said Woods, who hit 10 of 18 greens in regulation and 9 of 14 fairways.
"Started the ball on my start lines again and I think I made six putts over 20 feet out there or something like that on the weekend, which is good. Came here with the same thoughts, same feels, and I made a few today."
He one-putted on 12 of the 18 holes – including all six of his birdies. Three of those birdies came in succession at the turn, moving into the red with a 25-footer at No. 18, and then following it up with a 6-footer at No. 1 and a 10-footer at No. 2.
But his best putt of the day came at No. 17, when he bailed himself out after a suspect tee shot and chip at the par 3, holing a 10-foot uphill par putt to stay at even par and set off the birdie run.
He only missed one putt all day, ruining a beautiful tee ball at the par-3 5th hole to 4 feet by pulling his birdie putt left.
Woods' confidence built throughout the round, and culminated in a very gutsy flop shot from just in front of the green at the par-4 9th hole, landing it under the hole and slope took it to about 18 inches to end his day with a solid par.
"The lie was downgrain ever so slightly on the downslope. And because it was downgrain and it was soft, I could play the shot," said Woods, who fired his lowest PGA first round score since a second-place finish in 2009.
"If not, I was just going to ‑‑ if it was into the grain, I would have pitched it to the right 15 feet and tried to make the putt, but because it was sitting downgrain, I could actually try to play that shot up in the air."
Not everything smelled like roses for Woods, including a one-shot penalty on the par-4 4th hole after a wayward tee shot into a hazard that caused him to give his stand bag a good whack with the shaft of his driver and a few choice words for himself.
"I was trying to hit a low bullet, and I turned it ever so slightly, it wasn't that bad but I turned it, and I figure if I could‑‑ if I turned it, I would get down there to 300, 5‑wood I could hit down there to 300 and unfortunately it rode it, and it was gone," explained Woods.
There were also the back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14, paying the price for playing it safe off the 13th tee and a pulled tee ball into a tough lie in the rough at the par-3 14th.
"I'm going to do a little bit of work on the range, clean a few things up. I know what to do and just need to do it," said Woods, who will tee off with Keegan Bradley and Martin Kaymer at 1:40 p.m. EDT off the No. 1 tee on Friday.


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Four Seasons launches a two pronged invasion of Russia with brand new hotels that'll thaw any after effects of the cold war. Forget all political tension and controversy, this is Russia's warmest invitation to the west yet, and it's done with style and an unmistakable Russian touch.
Russia benefits from Four Season this year with the inclusion of the Lion Palace in St Petersburg and the Hotel Moscow in…..well, we'll let you guess. Both hotels cement Four Seasons' ability to recreate historical buildings into tech filled parlors of comfort and opulence and they both carry the hallmark of quality we've come to enjoy from this chain. So don't worry about which one is best, the choice here is more like deciding whether you like your caviar plain or with cream.
The Four Seasons Hotel St Petersburg is well known for the marble lions guarding the steps at its entrance and Four Seasons have put the majestic beasts on display for the hotel's next generation of visitors. If we really must start discerning between the two Four Season's hotels, we'll start right on those marble steps.
Immortalized in Russian culture by Alexander Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" the Lion Palace is part of Russia's cultural scene. Its neighbors include the Hermitage museum and the Mariinsky theatre. It's a stone's throw away from the busy Nevksy Prospekt where some of Russia's best nightlife and shops are on offer.
Museum lovers need no introduction to the Hermitage. What started as Catherine the Great's personal collection of 255 paintings is now an institution with the largest painting collection in the world, separated into four different buildings with dedicated sections for Egyptian, Italian, Spanish and prehistoric art amongst many others. The Mariinsky theatre's recent $700 million renovation means that it is equipped to continue the tradition of excellence that has entertained the Russian high society for nearly 150 years now. Notable performance's this year will be the 3 act ballet, Spartacus and the performance of Anna Karenin. If you're a guest at the Lion Palace, the curtain call at the Mariinsky is not where the magic of Russia ends.
Four Seasons have gone to great lengths to recreate the authenticity of what made the former glory of the palace. They partnered with Russian heritage and planning authorities to achieve the authenticity of the locale and make it as successful as their Florence, Budapest and Milan projects. From what we've been hearing about the place, Four Seasons may just have pulled off the extraordinary once again.
The Fabergé egg inspired chandeliers, the main staircase leading to the first floor and the ceilings gold and bronze decoration are all authentic. Your terrace's heated flooring panels, however, are not, and it's subtle inclusion of technology such as this that makes the Four Seasons a master of the renovation game.
The Four Seasons Hotel Moscow will offer a slightly different flavor for guests when it opens later this year. Whilst the Lions Palace is located in Russia's cultural scene, the Four Seasons Moscow puts your right in the heart of what makes Russia tick.
The Four Seasons Hotel Moscow places its guests close to the famous Red-square and offers views on the Duma, Kremlin and the multicolored domes of St Patrick's cathedral.
The hotel is faithful to original designer's Alexei Shchusev's work whilst giving guests all the technology that five stars are associated with. The hotel is located in a luxury shopping complex and offers 15,000 square feet of function space and two ballrooms for special events and business functions. The quality of the Four Seasons makes us sure that this will be Moscow's locale of choice for special events when it opens.


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Dr. Krister J. Jones
It's official. Krister's a doctor! After 4 years (not including his Masters in Medical Science), Krister received his M.D. on May 21st.
In a beautiful ceremony at the Kimmel Center, Krister's parents, sister, wife & mother-in-law watched proudly as Krister crossed the stage. Dr. Hanau, Krister's pathology pathway adviser, hooded him. Following the ceremony, the family enjoyed a fabulous lunch at XIX ("Nineteen").
Shortly before the ceremony, Krister was also the recipient of a pathology award. The award recognized his achieving the highest final grade in pathology of all the students in his class. Dr. Hanau also presented Krister with his pathology award.
For those of you looking for the video of Krister's graduation, it turns out we don't have access rights to upload a video. The video is posted on Facebook (or feel free to email Kristin or Krister directly for a copy).


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Landscape Study 84
Allison Baker earned her MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design, a BFA in Sculpture and BA in Gender Studies from Indiana University. Her work investigates hegemonic femininity as a site of transgression and resistance. Allison clawed her way into higher education with a thesaurus and words she cannot pronounce; currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture and Studio Art at Hamline University where she tries to impart some knowledge of finesse, persuasion, and manual labor.
Free shipping within Continental US.


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If you weren't already up around 6am this morning, then I'm SURE you were woken up by the torrential rains that were coming down here in San Francisco. I thought it was raining INSIDE the house, it was so loud.
And while it may not be pouring right now….. it's still C-C-C-C-COLD!!!!!! I can barely feel my fingers as I type this. Why anyone would want to live in a place that has this kind of teeth chattering weather all winter long is beyond me. I'd really like my San Francisco summer fog back, please.
So…. to cope, I'll be on my couch, catching up on realtor chores, drinking copious amounts of hot tea (there may be rum involved later) and wearing my Snuggie. Yes. I have Snuggie. Don't judge.
Hope the rest of you have a plan to keep yourself nice and toasty.
And as for the snow that's been forecasted? Check here for current updates! 😉


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It's Valentine's Day Eve and I actually made plans this year! YEAH! Ahead of time….double yeah!!! Anyway, my wife Laura was talking about our dinner plans and asked the question that crosses many minds before a date. "What am I going to wear?" Even though we live in a country with full closets the statement, "I have nothing to wear," is going to be echoing from the hilltops tonight and tomorrow as women and men get ready to spend time with their loved one in fancier-than-normal conditions. I heard a joke that said when women say this it translates, "I have nothing appropriate or new to wear" but when men say this it means, "I have nothing clean to wear." Whatever the reasons I think this question goes deeper than mere appearance.
We want to be loved, to be found wholly acceptable. We want someone to look at us and say… "I love you completely. I want you completely. I see no fault in you." Nothing captures that better than a wedding. When, after months of waiting, with a desire to commit to each other for life, after an entire morning of primping and preparing, preceded by bride's maids and flower girls, the bride enters into the room and begins to walk down the aisle. The groom sees her…beautiful, radiant, spotless, dressed in white. And we wish we could bottle that and keep it forever. But sadly, so many times it fails. Love, as we perceiveit, is failing all around us.
But it will not always fail. I was reading in the Bible this morning and came across Rev 19:6-8. "'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure' – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." The picture of a wedding is the picture God gives us of what we have waiting for us. Our groom has "granted" to us his own righteousness for our righteousness. He has clothed us with his perfection and, as we live in light of that, we are made beautiful and are in fact beautiful. And I found myself grateful that my God sees me the way my heart longs to be seen. And I found myself with a renewed desire to "love my wife like Christ loved the church" so that no matter what she wears tomorrow she will see, reflected in me, the kind of love she is meant for…a righteousness given not earned, lived out of not worked into. Ah…what a dress!!!


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"Direct drives run smoother and quieter than belts and pulleys while eliminating the maintenance headache of having to regularly adjust them."
This is funny…. this is implying less maintenance.
But belt driven systems last longer in a high usage application. The belt system produces less vibration and heat because the direct systems run at a higher rpm.
Also…. are you really suppose to adjust your belts and pulleys "regularly"…. like within the last 10-20 years of the equipment's life? LOL 🙂 I honestly do not know! 🙂 Plus what does "regularly adjust them" mean? every 20-30 years? Again I do not know? Thanks let me know cwguy! 🙂
One last thought…. doesn't the sound come from the hp pump not the motor? Or is it the belt making all the noise? Plus I would think a motor running at higher rpms would be louder? But I do not know!


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Yes, technically, FX's new drama Legion is a "comic-book show." But it doesn't feel like — or look like — any of the superhero shows currently on TV.
The Legion series premiere (airing Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 10/9c) is an incredibly colorful, highly stylized drama with heavy psychological undertones… and no capes or tights in sight. At the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Thursday, the cast and producers laid out why they wanted their show to stand apart from the current superhero trend.
Creator Noah Hawley (Fargo) is definitely a fan of the Marvel comics the show is based on, but he wanted to make sure it appealed to non-comic fans, too: "If we remove the genre, is there a compelling show that you would want to watch there?" The key to the show, he says, is starting with "this epic love story" between tortured mutant David (Dan Stevens) and fellow mental patient Syd (Rachel Keller) and then "putting the genre back in it."
The Legion comic books are part of the X-Men universe, since David is the son of legendary mutant Professor X. But aside from David, the characters on the FX series are all new inventions, and Hawley wanted to use the source material as a springboard to tell his own story, as he did with Fargo: "I'm a fan of all the comics and all the storylines in them, but I thought there was a story that'd be great to tell using them as a template." Above all, he said, he wanted to "create something unexpected."
It's even hard to pin down exactly what time period Legion takes place in; it's styled like movies from the '60s and '70s, but we also see futuristic technology at times. Hawley says that's deliberate, because the show puts you inside David's mind: "You're experiencing what he's experiencing. His perception of reality is: Some of it feels retro, some of it feels futuristic."
But the Marvel brass seems happy that Legion is toying with genre expectations. Executive producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who works on the X-Men films, sees Legion as "a chance to bring the X-Men to television, to mine some of the characters that we won't be using in the movies." And EP Jeph Loeb, from Marvel TV, says that the show "redefines the genre in a new way," calling it "the kind of show that Marvel's never made before."
One element from the comics we should be seeing soon, though: David/Legion's trademark towering hairdo. A close-cropped Stevens promised, "We're working up to the full Legion hair in the comic books." Hawley added, "Yeah, you've got to start growing that."


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All hail Tiana Walton, the schoolgirl who set the record for most snails on her face at once, coming in at 25 of the little beggars:
Her previous personal best was just nine.
The rules state that competitors have just one minute to put the snails on their face before tipping their head forward for 10 seconds.
Tiana, of Alvanley, Cheshire, said: "I am not squeamish. It is relaxing but it feels a bit cold. They are quite smelly and you can see their big long eyes facing you. I think my friends at school will say 'urgh'."
Schoolgirl smashes the world record as she lets 25 snails slide across her face


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This morning, I drove down town for our bi-weekly chiropractor appointments.
As usual, I tried to find a parking space but found that the only free spaces were taken by taxicabs idling in front of the Public Library instead of in the taxi rank outside the Indigo Hotel where there is ample space.
No, firstly, they aren't paying for the parking spot, which is illegal. Secondly, they are idling which isn't just bad for the environment, here in Ottawa, it is against the law unless it is above a certain temperature or below a certain temperature. Thirdly, when it is suggested that they need to move their vehicles they either ignore you or are downright rude and refuse to move.
Often, as I am up in the Chiro office, I watch the cars parked along that section of Metcalfe Street and can see the same taxis parked for well over 20 minutes. Often, when I come down tot he car after my appointment, the same drivers are in the same spot or have merely moved up one spot when someone who had parked has moved their car. Often, they are out of their cars, chatting while their cars are idling.
There is no Earthly reason why I, who am willing to pay for parking, should be shouldered out by taxi drivers who DON'T pay for parking. Especially, when parking downtown is at a premium.
So… while I drove around the block for yet another time looking for a space (using yet more fuel and causing more pollution) I find myself behind a line of cars waiting for a woman to cross the street who is slowly ambling across yakking on her cellphone.
So I yelled at he "Get off you fucking phone and cross the street". As I made my way down the street, she barreled up to the car and whacked my window. As "luck" would have it, after finally getting a taxi driver to move and park my car, who should wander up the street but the woman I yelled at. She called me "vicious" and said she felt "sorry" for my mother because I was so "rude". She said she had some sort of "injury" which was why she was so slow crossing the street. I opined that if she has an "injury" she seemed to have recovered from it and didn't seem to be having a problem when she ran up the street to whack on my window.
Fact. She was walking and talking on the cellphone and was too preoccupied with that to know just how slowly she was walking and was oblivious to the fact that she was holding up traffic while she carried on a conversation. Not only is it silly and vain to walk on the street carrying on a conversation on your phone, it is dangerous. End of story.
Regarding the taxis idling, I emailed the taxi company and Cc;d the city bylaw enforcement and the mayor, attaching the relevant City bylaws. So there… Pttthhhhttt….
I received this response from Christine Vonk at Blue Line, the main culprit in this…
"I have forwarded your e mail to managers and they will ensure that messages are sent out to all drivers regarding this issue—I am sure this will be dealt with asap—thank you for your concerns!"


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Submitted by bpierce on
VISTA, CA (July 21, 2017) - Delicious Tuning's very own CTO Brian "Spaceship Parts" Pierce is competing in the Specialty Equipment Market Association's (SEMA) new executive/new product incubator "Launch pad" competition.
Right now Brian is amongst the top 15 semifinalists that were selected by the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN) from over 100 other company submissions.
Now through September 4th, we need your support to win the Facebook voting competition to make it to the next round.
So vote Delicious, Pierce and the horsepower-nationalism of corn made ethanol-blend fuels!


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There's no use pretending that OnePlus is the most prompt company as far as Android updates are concerned; they flat-out left the poor OnePlus 2 out in the cold, without the promised update to Android 7.0 Nougat. However, OnePlus have been pushing to fix this image with their Android updates; they recently started pushing out an Android Oreo open beta for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. And now, they're following suit with their first 2017 flagship; the OnePlus 5 will be getting Android Oreo open beta builds by the end of this month.
The announcement, made by OnePlus at their OnePlus 5T launch event, stated that they'd be rolling out these first builds within the month of November, with the official OTA update for all OnePlus 5's expected to launch in "early 2018"; whatever that may mean. They have at least given a sense of timescale for the official launch of Android Oreo for the OnePlus 5. And while they may lack a similar timescale for Oreo on the OnePlus 5T, we're sure that at this rate of success, OnePlus won't leave the owners of its latest flagship killer hanging for too long.
What do you guys think of these developments? Are you expecting OnePlus to start delivering promptly with regards to updates, or go back to their old ways despite all these promises? Let us know what you think in the comments, or be sure to post over in the forums with your thoughts.


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In their initial stages, text encoding projects are like a dream world full of possibility. It is tempting, and often strategically necessary, to produce an initial project plan which is generous in scope and which demonstrates all the potential of the textual material. A plan of this sort can be useful in convincing your administration that the project is worth supporting, or in showing colleagues the long-term value of the work you are imagining. Project analysis is a reality check, in which you confront your specific constraints of time and funding so that you can choose, out of all possible avenues, the one that makes the most practical sense.
While the following set of questions is not comprehensive, it will suggest the kinds of issues that need to be considered, and how they may affect your encoding decisions.
What is the likely duration of your project: does it have a definite completion date, or is it an open-ended project that will continue to grow over time? Projects with a short and determinate life cycle need to plan their encoding carefully so that it can be completed in the time allotted, and so that it produces a coherent (even if limited) representation of the text. This may mean being deliberately cautious in deciding how much information to capture: rather than encoding from the start in a great deal of detail, it may be better to capture all of your texts at a simple level, and then add further information in a second stage.
Longer-term projects may be able to take a more ambitious or exploratory approach. If you know from the start what your goals for the encoded collection are, you may be able to identify with some confidence the textual features you need to capture and represent. Your encoding scheme can be designed to achieve these results.
Projects of longer duration also may have the opportunity to hire encoders (whether students or staff) for longer periods of time, allowing them to develop greater expertise and thus making it possible to do more sophisticated encoding with greater consistency. When planning a project that will last a year or less, the time available for training may be quite limited, which in turn may mandate a simpler set of encoding choices.
What is your project's reason for encoding these textual materials? Are you creating scholarly editions? Digitizing materials from a local archive? Creating a pedagogical resource? The type of project will influence the design of your encoding scheme, partly by suggesting specific encoding that will be necessary (for instance, some representation of textual variants for a scholarly edition; some representation of material document detail for archival materials) and partly by contributing to the rationale for your encoding system as a whole. That rationale might be quite simple: for instance, create a digital transcription to enable difficult handwritten documents to be read by the general public. Or it might be more complex; for instance, create a digital edition that represents the relationships between the multiple printed and manuscript sources for Text X, showing press variants, authorial revisions, and material deleted by censors, while also representing the modern editor's analysis of the text, resulting in a clean reading copy with critical apparatus. A rationale in these terms, by articulating why you are encoding the text in the first place, can help you decide individual encoding issues by considering which approach best supports your overall project goals.
It is also important to examine your own convictions about documents and transcription from the start, so that you can reflect these explicitly in your articulation of project goals. What is your editorial philosophy? Do you regard the original presentation of the document as important or insignificant to its meaning? Do you think that obvious errors in the source should be silently emended, or explicitly recorded? (Do you believe there is such a thing as an obvious error?) Issues like these are instantiated in the details of the markup, so to have a consistent encoding practice you need to be clear on where your project stands.
What audience(s) are you planning to serve? Who are your readers? What is their educational background and level of subject specialization? What disciplines? Is the audience quite uniform, or will different groups expect different kinds of information or need different kinds of support? While there are many textual features that are needed no matter what the audience, there are some that may be very discipline-specific or may depend very much on the audience's level of expertise. For instance:
Who will be doing the encoding: staff, students, faculty, volunteers? how long will you have them, and how much turnover will there be?
The duration of your encoders' time at the project will have an enormous impact on how much training you can provide, and how much expertise and consistency you can expect. This in turn will affect how much provision you need to make for subsequent quality control and review processes. In general, hiring encoders for at least a year (and preferably more) gives you the opportunity to train them well and allows them to be productive and see some progress before they leave.
The type of staff you use (students, faculty, library staff, etc.) will also determine the kinds of information you can easily represent in your encoding. Subject experts may be more easily able to identify specialized document features, particularly in older documents, although you can supply this information with careful training as well. To encode topic keywords or to do authoritative identification of names, events, and other contextual information, you probably need to involve subject experts as well, either to perform the encoding of this information or to work closely with your encoders. Our experience suggests that undergraduate and graduate students can do a good job on this kind of work if they have guidance and training from the start.
What is this collection for? what activities do you want it to support? How do you envision readers using it? Is it chiefly intended as a way of providing access to rare materials—is your goal simply to enable readers to see the text in a legible form? or are you trying to enable readers to perform more advanced kinds of analysis? Do you want to be able to display the text in alternate ways (for instance, with or without modernization), or do you want to present it in a single consistent manner?


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High Priest
Federico Fellini has been called the High Priest of Italian Cinema. Bill Hicks the High Priest of Stand-up Comedy. And Prince, the High Priest of Funk, Soul and Rock n Roll.
It's the idea of being an authority. One who mediates the genre out into the world. They are the go-to person when it comes to their own speciality.
Well in the bible, Aaron is appointed as High Priest of God. What an awesome honour! What human being could possibly fulfil the role??
Surely not Aaron. Not the one who presided over the Golden Calf debacle. But astonishingly, this sinner is dressed up in the special robes and consecrated as God's go-between. How should we understand this?
Well it's all a part of the elaborate, multi-media dramatizations of Old Testament worship. When the Israelites were saved out of Egypt and brought to Mount Sinai, they received all sorts of representations of heavenly truth. First they received the ten commandments – the Good Life intended for God's son. But that's just a part of this model of ultimate reality. Next come instructions about building a tabernacle.
This tent would be a portable model of heaven and earth in which spiritual truths are acted out. Again and again Moses is told that these things are not the spiritual realities themselves – they are copies and patterns of heavenly things. (Exodus 25:9,40; 26:30)
Through the tabernacle the people would see many things dramatized – the nature of God, heaven and earth, the problem of our estrangement from God, the cost of atonement and just how we get back into His presence.
And presiding over this earthly model of heavenly truth would be Aaron – the High Priest. Of course, sinful Aaron was in no position to be God's ultimate go-between. But He was play-acting the role of One who the Israelites already knew. Just as the divine Angel of the LORD – Christ – had brought the people from slavery and darkness to God Most High, so Aaron would perform the role of go-between. And he would point the people to that ultimate work of Christ in the future when He would effect the true mediation.
Let's just think of one way that Aaron did this. Consider his clothing, in particular his breastplate. On his breastplate were precious stones which had engraved upon them the names of the children of Israel. (Exodus 28:9) Aaron was to identify completely with his people. The people are on his heart.
Then, on the day of atonement (which we will shortly consider), Aaron makes the blood sacrifices that point to Christ's ultimate atoning work on the cross. Then he moves through the tabernacle to the inner sanctum, representing heaven. He displays the blood before the throne of God, demonstrating that the price for sin has been paid. He fills this Most Holy Place with incense – a symbol of prayer being made for the people. And, crucially, throughout this mediating work, he bears his people on his heart.
And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. (Exodus 28:29)
So it is with Christ.
Through all of Christ's work from incarnation to cross to resurrection to His ascension into heaven – even on into all eternity – He carries His people on His heart.
Right now we are waiting for that future face to face with Christ. But today we can know that the One who is face to face with the Father has carried us with Him. We have a Friend in a very high place. And He bears us on His heart.
As Charitie Bancroft has written so wonderfully:
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
Comments are closed.


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Specs & The City: Symbols and 'The Matrix'
So you've got basic formatting down. You know how to move from an outline, to a first draft, and on into rewriting. You've even finally wrangled that pesky dialogue monster that haunts so many writers. And after all of this hard work, your script is good. Really good. But it's not great.
So now what?
Congratulations, you're ready to crawl under the skin of your script, planting things just beneath the surface to bring your script to life and draw your audience in. Things like subplots, set-ups and pay-offs, and this week's topic, symbols.
A symbol, for those unsure of the definition, is "a material object representing something, often something immaterial" and when you're looking for examples of a story that utilizes multiple levels of meaning, you could do a lot worse than to start with the Wachowskis.
Let's take a look at…
Symbols and THE MATRIX
One of the defining films of the 90's, The Matrix is built around the concept that things aren't always what they seem on the surface. To me, the Wachowskis illustrate this most effectively during one of the quieter moments of the film, when Neo pays a visit to The Oracle. She's a Buddhist beacon of wisdom that takes up residence in the heart of the Matrix and while he's waiting to see her, this happens:
INT. ROOM OF POTENTIALS (MATRIX) - DAY Neo enters and finally understands the attention given to his age. The Potentials are all little children. The room feels at once like a Buddhist temple and a kindergarten class. The children's heads are either shaved or thick with dreadlocks. Some are playing, others meditating or practicing their gift. Neo watches a little girl levitate wooden alphabet blocks. A skinny BOY holds a SPOON which sways like a blade of grass as he bends it with his mind. Neo crosses to him, sits. The Boy smiles as Neo picks up a spoon and tries to imitate him. Despite his best efforts, Neo cannot make it bend.
Your spoon does not bend because it is just that, a spoon. Mine bends because there is no spoon, just my mind. Neo watches as it curls into a knot.
SPOON BOY Link yourself to the spoon. Become the spoon and bend yourself. Neo nods, again holding up his spoon.
NEO There is no spoon. Right. He concentrates. The spoon begins to bend just as the Priestess touches his shoulder.
PRIESTESS The Oracle will see you now. Spoon Boy smiles.
In this scene, the spoon functions on multiple levels. There's the basic level where Neo has spent most his life until now, where it's simply a spoon. Dig a little deeper, and the spoon represents the matrix itself – a vivid symbol of how it can be molded and manipulated by those with the willpower. But wait, push just a bit further. There's a third level where the spoon functions as a symbol of Neo's awakening. His realization that what "Spoon Boy" says is true. There is no spoon.
When he bends the spoon with his mind, he is transitioned from a place of weakness to one of power within this new world he has been transported to.
It's worth noting that using symbols is not the same thing as using symbolism. Want to know the difference? The spoon is a symbol. Neo falling backwards in a Christ-like pose as he sacrifices his life to save Zion in Matrix: Revolutions is heavy handed symbolism. Leave it out of your script.
Work symbols into your script during your rewriting, and you could have your own moment of realization. There is no spoon, just your script.
Now get writing!
Related Articles:
- Specs & The City: Flashbacks and Reservoir Dogs
- How to Write an Incredible Scene
- Dream, Vision, or Fantasy?
Tools to Help:


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Buy now, pay later Loans will soon appear on credit reports
If you use buy now, pay later loans, account activity may soon show up on your credit report.
Key points
- The three credit bureaus plan to include data on buy-now-pay-later loans in consumer credit reports.
- This change could help consumers who use BNPL's services improve their credit.
- With this news, consumers should consider how their BNPL account activity could positively and negatively impact their credit.
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans are growing in popularity because they provide a convenient way to pay for larger expenses over time. These loans have not previously been reported on consumer credit reports. But that is about to change.
Buy now, pay later loans are attractive. Some of these loans offer a 0% interest rate for a limited period, while others offer low interest rates. Consumers can pay off debt in regular installments and spread the cost of expensive purchases.
Since many BNPL services do not apply for firm credit for approval, this is a great loan option for people with minimal credit history. It may be more difficult for these consumers to obtain approval for other financial products, such as credit cards.
We conducted a survey to examine the popularity of BNPL services. We have found that over half of Americans have used BNPL loans and these services continue to grow in popularity.
Typically, these loans do not show up on credit reports. However, the three credit bureaus recently announced plans to include buy now, pay later, payment and account data, and activity on consumer credit reports. But it won't be an overnight change.
Here's why BNPL loan data wasn't released sooner
BNPL's service activity has generally not been reported in credit reports, as this type of data does not integrate well with the current system, which analyzes revolving credit and long-term loans such as mortgages. and car loans.
Because BNPL services are installment loans, some consumers take out multiple BNPL loans per year. With most current credit models, taking out multiple BNPL loans could be considered risky. For this reason, including such activity in credit reports could penalize consumers.
But industry experts believe that consumers should be able to benefit from BNPL's services and have the opportunity to improve their credit by making responsible choices with these loans. This includes regular and one-time payments and repayment of BNPL loan balances.
Although the credit bureaus will soon be reporting this data, they want to take steps to protect consumers from the immediate potential negative impact on credit of including this data without first adjusting the current system.
It will take time for the industry to adapt and make room for BNPL loans – so consumers should not expect instant changes.
What to expect from the three credit bureaus
Eventually, all three credit bureaus will report some BNPL data, but how they process that data will vary. Here's what we know so far:
Experian plans to launch its own product, The Buy Now Pay Later Bureau™, in the spring of 2022. This product will include essential BNPL account data. Initially, BNPL data will be stored separately from Experian's central credit bureau data and may be requested by lenders.
During the first quarter of 2022, Equifax will formulate a standard process for including BNPL data in traditional consumer credit reports. This includes the implementation of a new commercial industry code used to classify industry. The long-term plan is to include this data in regular consumer credit reports.
Trans Union
TransUnion recently launched its own new BNPL credit reporting service, called Point-of-Sale Suite Solutions. The credit bureau will include BNPL data in its reports. This data will appear on a separate part of credit reports and will be made available to lenders.
What this means for consumers
If you use BNPL's services, you can expect relevant data to appear on your credit file very soon. Although it won't happen right away, it will eventually become a reality.
For consumers who are new to establishing credit, including BNPL on their credit file could offer a way to establish credit and improve their credit score. But to benefit, consumers will need to make responsible choices, such as making payments on time.
Whatever personal finance tools you use, it's important to choose wisely and be careful. Do your best not to ignore your debts, make late payments or miss payments.
BNPL loans can be beneficial, but they can cause you financial stress if you are not careful. Only take BNPL loans if you can afford to make regular payments without ignoring your other financial obligations. Always consider the impact of your actions on your financial well-being.
If you're looking for tips and advice on how to improve your finances, check out our personal finance resources.
The Ascent's Best Personal Loans for 2022
The Ascent team has scoured the market to bring you a shortlist of the best personal loan providers. Whether you're looking to pay off debt faster by lowering your interest rate or need extra money to make a big purchase, these top picks can help you reach your financial goals. Click here for the full rundown of The Ascent's top picks.


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What do Independent Workers Want in a Client Relationship?
The nature and culture of independent work is growing more complex and sophisticated. Today, millions of Americans work outside of traditional employment as independent contractors and consultants, entrepreneurs, and freelancers who provide services to all different industries on a regular basis.
Companies are increasingly relying on a particular sub-sector of the independent workforce—a growing group of highly-skilled independent professionals—as a key element in executing strategies and serving clients. MBO Partners' Client of Choice research explores the key motivations and drivers of these independent professionals.
Read the latest Client of Choice Report
As companies adjust their workforce strategy to include independent professional talent, they must also structure their policies, procedures, and engagement practices in order to be successful in attracting, engaging, and retaining this pool of talent. Independents increasingly have a choice in choosing the clients they work with—over half say they have a lot of choice in picking their clients. These decisions are largely based on the opportunities, processes, environment, and sense of community clients provide.
Below, we take a quick look at five things independent professionals value most in a client relationship and how enterprises can incorporate these values to attract and retain top talent.
1. Being Treated as Part of the Team
The vast majority of independent professionals say being treated as part of the team is a very important or important factor in deciding whom they work with. Just like traditional employees want a meaningful work environment where they are respected, trusted, and engaged by their coworkers, so do independents.
2. Valuing Their Work
Independent professionals are committed, self-motivated workers who have chosen to follow the path of self-employment for the many benefits it provides: better control over their schedule, greater work/life flexibility, and the potential to earn more money. Their work is knowledge-based and they are truly experts in their industry—their skills are often difficult to source through traditional labor markets. As such, independents place a high value the work they complete and seek to work with clients who explicitly value their work and provide honest, respectful feedback.
3. Working in a Positive Environment
Independent professionals seek out a work environment where they will thrive. Three values they hold as very important are: the ability to control their work, the ability to control their schedule, and the ability to work on tasks they enjoy doing. Companies that understand these values and give independents the freedom and flexibility to work how they want will be much more successful in attracting and retaining top talent.
4. Opportunities to Build New Skills
Independent professionals are skilled experts in their field, but in order to stay on top of their game and remain valuable to clients, it's important for them to continually update their abilities and add new skills to their repertoire. In fact, 88% of independents say learning new skills is either very important or important to their careers. It is not uncommon, therefore, for independents to seek out work assignments that will help them grow professionally.
5. Fair and Quick Compensation
Being paid quickly and fairly is an important factor in client choice for independent professionals. Because independents must accept and bargain for the wages they receive, it is critical for them to feel that they are being reasonably compensated (in line with market standards), and paid in a timely manner.
Independent professionals represent unique segment of the workforce, and, as such, they have unique desires and needs when it comes to how they are treated, regarded, and compensated. In order for companies to attract and engage top independent talent, they must first understand both how and why independent professionals choose their clients.
For more insight into becoming a Client of Choice, download our latest research: Client of Choice
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Happy Summer!!
Hello Families!!
Congratulations on completing another school year and HAPPY SUMMER!!! I had such an amazing year with all of your kiddos, and the fun doesn't stop once they leave the classroom! Spokane Public Library has a Summer Reading Program for ALL AGES and IXL has great math review to keep those skills strong!
Have a restful, rejuvenating summer, and I'll see you in the fall!


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Obama's Gun Plan: Crocodile Tears And A 'Crazy List'
A Commentary By Charles Hurt
When all the hectoring is finished, the professorial lecturing is done, all the political posturing is over, all that is left are tears. And crocodile tears at that.
Even for those of us long tired of the false hopes and outright lies from this White House, President Obama's crude gunplay Tuesday was pretty shocking.
It was shocking for its hollowness. Shocking for its low-mindedness. Shocking for the complete disdain the man has for all the families of victims of gun violence that he trots out to carry his political water. And what for? To save a future life? Prevent a past death?
No. He even admitted on live national television that his raft of meaningless proposals will do nothing to prevent a single gun crime and nor would they have ever prevented one in the past.
"Each time this comes up, we are fed the excuse that common-sense reforms, like background checks, might not have stopped the last massacre. Or the one before that. Or the one before that. So why bother? I reject that thinking."
In other words, Mr. Obama is saying: "Let's make up some meaningless new gun laws just 'cuz."
Or, as his former chief of staff might say, "Never let a tragedy go to waste. Not when you can hector, lecture and grandstand over it. Score some political points."
No, all of this executive action is designed entirely to create one giant charade that Mr. Obama understands, cares and is offering capable solutions to a problem he wants to fix.
Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.
"Every single year, more than 30,000 Americans have their lives cut short by guns. Thirty thousand. Suicides, domestic violence, gang shootouts, accidents. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost brothers and sisters or buried their own children," he waxed on, as if he really intended to do something about it.
"Many have had to learn to live with a disability or learn to live without the love of their life. A number of those people are here today. They can tell you some stories," he continued. "In this room right here, there are a lot of stories. There's a lot of heartache. There's a lot of resilience, there's a lot of strength, but there's also a lot of pain. And this is just a small sample."
In the end, he offered nothing. Nothing that isn't already the law. More paperwork. More busy work.
And tears. Empty tears. Meaningless tears. Fake tears.
Now it is possible that these "executive actions" by the president have a deeper, more sinister intent. They are the camel's nose under the tent, designed to wend through the courts and prop up rulings that support the notion that a future president could, indeed, pass tougher gun restrictions by fiat.
Since voters refuse to elect lawmakers who want to strip citizens of their guns, maybe Mr. Obama can get unelected judges to do it.
To be sure, Tuesday's announcement was an open admission that, indeed, the president does intend to use medical records from Obamacare to create a national "crazy list" of people, especially the elderly, who cannot have guns to defend themselves.
And certainly, these cynical antics reveal the president's deep and disturbing disconnect from America. In the past, he has specifically praised the gun bans in Britain and Australia. Yesterday, he held up Communist China as his latest role model.
Suppose we should just be grateful, then, that Mr. Obama doesn't really care to actually do something to stop the gun violence.
• Charles Hurt can be reached at email@example.com and on Twitter via @charleshurt.
See Other Political Commentary by Charles Hurt.
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It's not hard to spot the drug addicts at the public transit center: They all wear the same uniform of dark, dank and disheveled. So I knew, as I headed toward a group of four men and one woman a few weeks ago, that someone would ask me for money. But I walked over anyway, because the other bench was occupied by a 40-something man who, depending on his mood, either makes inappropriately friendly comments or rants on and on about Democrats. On this particular day, I felt I could tolerate the addicts better.
I sat next to the woman and pulled a newspaper out of my backpack. This action, similar to ear buds in your ears and a distant gaze on your face, is a common cultural signal meaning, "I'm otherwise engaged and not interested in conversation." But the woman, dressed in a baggy black tank-top, torn basketball shorts and flip flops in spite of the chilly weather, wasn't reading cultural signs. She needed $1.50 to get back to the East side and asked if I had some change.
I said I didn't because I was mentally wrestling with the command in Matthew 25, Pope Francis' words and actions in favor of the poor, and the reality that money given to any panhandler in my U.S. city has a 99.999 percent chance of being shot into a vein, snorted into a nasal cavity or poured down a throat on a river of alcohol.
When I didn't give her money, the woman walked away. My guilt over both the money in my wallet and lying about it took her place on the bench, condemning me. So, when the woman's friend came over about 10 minutes later with two dollar bills dangling from his hand, I knew I wouldn't lie again. I was already having to figure out a confession schedule for the first instance. (Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I am not Mother Teresa. I am the antithesis of Pope Francis.)
"Hi, ma'am," the man said, "would you have a dollar to make bus fare for me and my girlfriend?"
"Maybe," I said, digging into my backpack. I pulled a dollar out my wallet and asked as casually as if I were chatting to someone at a party, "What do you do for a living?"
When he said he was unemployed (no surprise), I asked if he was using.
"I'm not going to lie ma'am. I am."
"Well," I said, pointing at the bill I'd just handed over, "it will really, really, really piss me off if you use that money to buy drugs."
"This" – he waved the money in the air – "will be for fare, I promise you. But, just telling the truth ma'am, when we get back to the East side, we're probably going to go looking for drugs." He sat down with a thud next to me on the bench and shook his head. "I wish it wasn't so, but it is."
"It doesn't have to be," I persisted. "You can make a different choice. Addicts get clean every day. You could decide right now that when you get back to the East side, instead of going to get drugs, you could go to the Salvation Army for help."
"I could," he said. "I know I could. I just don't think I can. They separate you in rehab and my girlfriend won't make it out on the street without me. We have to do it together, ma'am, and she's not ready."
I appreciated his honesty and admired his concern for another, but was angry at his abdication to the addiction and angry at myself that I'd given him money. It was only going to help him get transportation to his dealer.
Their bus pulled up and he offered his hand. "I'm Eric. What's your name?"
"Renée," I said, shaking his hand. The voice of caution in my head whispered warnings: Be careful. This battled with the voice of my better angel: Be compassionate. I wondered briefly if Pope Francis ever felt this way riding public transportation. Did he question where he sat and to whom he spoke? Did he ever feel like hitting someone upside the head and screaming, "Get it together, man!"
"That's my daughter's middle name," Eric said, releasing my hand and heading toward his bus. "Thanks again for the fare. I won't forget what you said."
I watched them board their bus and a few minutes later I boarded mine, my irritation at the whole situation walking down the aisle with me. I decided, then and there, that I was done giving money away at the bus stop. My city is awash with social services for addicts. If someone chooses to stay in his/her addiction, it isn't my job to give them fare to get closer to it.
Two days later, a different bus, a different route, I saw Eric and his girlfriend again and they looked completely different. They were dressed in simple but clean clothes, their hair combed, their eyes clear. They were smiling and she was filing out some forms. My first thought was that their healthy look came from getting a fix; my second was that my first thought was pretty snotty.
I didn't want any confrontation, so I choose a bench pretty distant from where they were to wait for my bus. But Eric saw me and came over. He thanked me again for the fare and told me that they'd spent that past couple days getting ID cards, which apparently had something to do with getting signed up for subsidized housing and methadone treatments to wean them off the heroin.
"It ain't a cure, ma'am. But it's a start. I just want you to know I remembered all the stuff you said the other day. And maybe we're on our way." His girlfriend walked over and took his hand. Then they walked off together toward whatever awaited them. I haven't seen them since. Last week, when asked again by another suffering soul trapped in the clutches of addiction for money toward fare, I said no. Instead, when I got home, a wrote a check to a recovery center. It may be spitting in the wind, but I hope it is not.


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August 5, 2013 When Puberty Lasts a Lifetime
"I grew up in Indiana," writes Chris Huntington, "and saved a few thousand comic books in white boxes for the son I would have someday. . . . Despite my good intentions, we had to leave the boxes of yellowing comics behind when we moved to China."
I grew up in Pennsylvania and only moved down to Virginia, so I still have one dented box of my childhood comics to share with my son. He pulled it down from the attic last weekend.
"I forgot how much fun these are," he said.
Cameron is twelve and has lived them all in our southern smallville of a town. Chris Huntington's son, Dagim, is younger and born in Ethiopia. Huntington laments in "A Superhero Who Looks Like My Son"(a recent post at the New York Times parenting blog, Motherlode) how Dagin stopped wearing his Superman cape after he noticed how much darker his skin looked next to his adoptive parents'.
Cameron can flip to any page in my bin of comics and admire one of those "big-jawed white guys" Huntington and I grew up on. Dagim can't. That, argues Junot Diaz, is the formula for a supervillain: "If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves." Fortunately, reports Huntington, Marvel swooped to the rescue with a black-Hispanic Spider-Man in 2011, giving Dagim a superhero to dress as two Halloweens running.
Glenn Beck called Ultimate Spider-Man just "a stupid comic book," blaming the facelift on Michelle Obama and her assault on American traditions. But Financial Times saw the new interracial character as the continuing embodiment of America: "Spider-Man is the pure dream: the American heart, in the act of growing up and learning its path." I happily side with Financial Times, though the odd thing about their opinion (aside from the fact that something called Financial Times HAS an opinion about a black-Hispanic Spider-Man) is the "growing up" bit.
Peter Parker was a fifteen-year-old high schooler when that radioactive spider sunk its fangs into his adolescent body. Instant puberty metaphor: "What's happening to me? I feel—different! As though my entire body is charged with some sort of fantastic energy!" I remember the feeling.
It was 1962. Stan Lee's publisher didn't want a teenage superhero. The recently reborn genre was still learning its path. Teenagers could only be sidekicks. The 1940s swarmed with Robin knock-offs, but none of them ever got to grow-up, to become adult heroes, to become adult anythings.
Captain Marvel's little alter ego Billy Baston never aged. None of the Golden Agers did. Their origin stories moved with them through time. Bruce Wayne always witnessed his parents' murder "Some fifteen years ago." He never grew past it. For Billy and Robin, that meant never growing at all. They were marooned in puberty.
Lee and co-creator Steve Ditko tried to change that. Peter Parker graduated high school in 1965, right on time. He starts college the same year. The bookworm scholarship boy was on track for a 1969 B.A.
But things don't always go as planned. Ditko left the series a few issues later (#38, on stands the month I was born). Lee scripted plots with artist John Romita until 1972, when Lee took over his uncle's job as publisher. He was all grown-up.
Peter doesn't make it to his next graduation day till 1978. If I remember correctly (I haven't read Amazing Spider-Man #185 since I bought it from a 7-EIeven comic book rack for "Still Only Thirty-five" cents when I was twelve), he missed a P.E. credit and had to wait for his diploma. Thirteen years as an undergraduate is a purgatorial span of time. (I'm an English professor now, so trust me, I know.)
Except it isn't thirteen years. That's no thirty-two-year-old in the cap and gown on the cover. Bodies age differently inside comic books. Peter's still a young twentysomething. His first twenty-eight issues spanned less than three years, same for us out here in the real world. But during the next 150, things grind out of sync.
It's not just that Peter's clock moves more slowly. His life is marked by the same external events as ours. While he was attending Empire State University, Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter appeared multiple times in the Marvel universe. Their four-year terms came and went, but not Peter's four-year college program. How can "the American heart" learn its path when it's in a state of arrested development?
Slowing time wasn't enough either. Marvel wanted to reverse the aging process. They wanted the original teen superhero to be a teenager again. When their 1998 reboot didn't take hold (John Byrne had better luck turning back the Man of Steel's clock), Marvel invented an entire universe. When Ultimate Spider-Man premiered in 2000, the new Peter Parker is fifteen again. And he was going to stay that way for a good long while. Writer Brian Bendis took seven issues to cover the events Lee and Ditko told in eleven pages.
But even with slo-mo pacing, Peter turned sixteen again in 2011. So after a half century of webslinging, Marvel took a more extreme countermeasure to unwanted aging. They killed him. But only because they had the still younger Spider-Man waiting in the wings. Once an adolescent, always an adolescent.
The newest Spider-Man, Miles Morales, started at thirteen. What my son turns next month. He and Miles will start shaving in a couple of years. If Miles isn't in the habit of rubbing deodorant in his armpits regularly, someone will have to suggest it. I'm sure he has cringed through a number of Sex Ed lessons inflicted by well-meaning but clueless P.E. teachers. My Health classes were always divided, mortified boys in one room, mortified girls across the hall. My kids' schools follow the same regime. Some things don't change.
Miles doesn't live in Marvel's main continuity, so who knows if he'll make it out of adolescence alive. His predecessor died a virgin. Ultimate Peter and Mary Jane had talked about sex, but decided to wait. Sixteen, even five years of sixteen, is awfully young. (Did I mention my daughter turned sixteen last spring?)
Peter didn't die alone though. Mary Jane knew his secret. I grew up with and continue a policy of open bedrooms while opposite sex friends are in the house, but Peter told her while they sat alone on his bed, Aunt May off who knows where. The scene lasted six pages, which is serious superhero stamina. It's mostly close-ups, then Peter springing into the air and sticking to the wall as Mary Jane's eye get real real big. Way better than my first time. It's also quite sweet, the trust and friendship between them. For a superhero, for a pubescent superhero especially, unmasking is better than sex. It's almost enough to make me wish I could reboot my own teen purgatory. Almost.
Meanwhile the Marvel universes continue to lurch in and out of time, every character ageless and aging, part of and not part of their readers' worlds. It's a fate not even Stan Lee could save them from. Cameron and Dagim will continue reading comic books, and then they'll outgrow them, and then, who knows, maybe that box will get handed to a prepubescent grandson or granddaughter.
The now fifty-one-year-old Spider-Man, however, will continue not to grow up. But he will continue to change. "Maybe sooner or later," suggests artist Sara Pichelli, "a black or gay — or both — hero will be considered something absolutely normal." Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield would like his character to be bisexual, a notion Stan Lee rejects ("I figure one sex is enough for anybody"). But anything's possible. That's what Huntington learned from superheroes, the quintessentially American lesson he wants to pass on to his son growing up in Singapore.
May that stupid American heart never stop finding its path.
Tags: Andre Garfield, Brian Bendis, Chris Huntington, John Romita, Sara Pichelli, Stane Lee, Steve Ditko, Ultimate Spider-Man
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Cafe scraps grow ideas (and compost)
Monday, 12 May 2014
Kitchen scraps and coffee grounds - I can't get enough of them. The coffee grounds are fed to my acid-loving blueberry bushes and the scraps go to the chooks and worms, who convert it into delicious eggs and fantastic compost. I've considered asking local cafes and restaurants if I can have their kitchen scraps, so I was interested when I discovered a Hunter Valley business doing exactly that. Feedback Organic Recovery collects waste from cafes and turns it into compost.
David Sivyer collects coffee grounds and food preparation waste from cafes in and around Maitland and takes it to his family farm where it is composted. The compost is used on the farm, in the kitchen gardens of participating cafes, and can also be purchased by the public.
The number of cafes involved in the project is growing. David lists Seraphine Cafe at Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Reader's Cafe at East Maitland library, and the Commercial Hotel in Morpeth as his "champions". "They didn't hesitate and enthusiastically jumped on board straight away," David said.
David tells me his partner cafes typically save about half a cubic metre of food waste a month from going to landfill. "Depending on the type of waste, this can be almost half a tonne," he said.
The benefits don't stop there. David maintains a kitchen garden at each of the cafes and promotes their sustainable waste management efforts through a feedback loyalty card. Each time someone buys a coffee or meal at a participating cafe they get a stamp. Collect 10 stamps and you can collect a "budding hessian planter" from the Feedback market stall at the Newcastle City Farmers Markets. The hessian planters are made from used coffee sacks.
David, who only recently learnt how to sew, also makes cushions and picnic blankets from the reclaimed hessian.
Educating the community about food waste and gardening is another benefit. Ben Dennis, a student from Newcastle East Primary School, enthusiastically visits the Feedback market stall week after week. Ben developed an interest in gardening and yesterday he and David gave a market stall demonstration on how to grow herbs in "hessian herb hangers".
I love that this business is growing so much more than compost. It's also inspired me to finally find the courage to ask some of my local cafes if I can have their scraps.
Originally published in the Newcastle Herald Monday 12th May 2014.


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Adele's '21' Breaks Record for Longest-Charting Album by a Woman on the Billboard 200
Adele's "21" has surpassed Carole King's "Tapestry?" for the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart for an album by a woman.
Adele's 21 surpasses Carole King's Tapestry? for the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart for an album by a woman, as the 2011 album notches its 319th week on the list dated April 15, beating Tapestry's 318 weeks.
21 (which is No. 103 on the latest chart) has been on the tally every week since its No. 1 debut on March 12, 2011. The album spent 24 nonconsecutive weeks at the top.
Tapestry racked up 302 consecutive chart weeks from its debut on April 10, 1971 (at No. 79), through Jan. 15, 1977. It then departed, not returning until June 26, 2010. Since that chart, it has tallied another 16 nonconsecutive weeks. It was most recently on the list dated April 16, 2016. Among Tapestry's weeks on the list were 15 weeks (all consecutive) at No. 1 in 1971. (Note: From May 25, 1991, until Dec. 5, 2009, older albums, often referred to as catalog albums, were generally barred from charting on the Billboard 200. Instead, they would chart on the separate Catalog Albums chart. Starting with the Dec. 5, 2009-dated Billboard 200, catalog albums returned to the chart, making it easier for titles to rack up significantly long runs on the list.)
Among all albums — since the chart began publishing on a regular weekly basis ?in 1956 — Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon holds the record for the most weeks on the chart: 927. It's followed by Johnny Mathis' Johnny's Greatest Hits (490), the My Fair Lady original cast recording (480), Bob Marley & The Wailers' Legend (463), Journey's Greatest Hits (454), Metallica's self-titled album (424), Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits (393), Nirvana's Nevermind (355), Eminem's Curtain Call:?The Hits (334), the original London cast recording of The Phantom of the Opera: Highlights (331), 21 and Tapestry.


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I've worked as a saddle fitter for over 20 years. Since I began, new technology and improvements to saddle design have given horse owners more options than ever before to match their horses with a properly fitted saddle. Of these, none has had more impact on saddle making and saddle fitting than the invention of the interchangeable gullet plate.
What is an Interchangeable Gullet Plate? How do Interchangeable Gullet Systems Work?
Gullet plates primarily affect the width of the pommel, or head of the saddle, around the withers. Specifically, gullet plates are boomerang-shaped metal bars that are attached to the underside of the pommel arch of the tree. These metal arches are set at different widths to accommodate the different widths of a horse's wither. With the removal of a few screws, the gullet plate width can be changed from Narrow to Extra Wide in a matter of minutes.
Now that the original patent has expired, more and more saddlemakers are incorporating a version of the interchangeable gullet system in the design of their saddles. I work with several saddle companies that offer an interchangeable gullet option: Bates and Wintec, Thorowgood, Kent & Master, Fairfax, Pessoa, Ovation, Collegiate, Intrepid, and Bliss of London. In my professional opinion, these saddles are here to stay—with good reason!
They are undeniably economical.
No matter your budget, whether you're scouring Facebook for a second-hand steal or custom ordering full-buffalo with all the bells and whistles, equestrians are increasingly looking to maximize the value of every dollar. Traditional laminated beechwood spring trees can be adjusted by a qualified saddler and/or saddle fitter in a workshop, but this can be expensive, time consuming and can't be done more than once or twice.
Practically speaking, if your horse is growing, in training or recovery, or changing shape with the seasons, you're looking at either purchasing a new saddle, or risking damage to your horse's back with a poorly-fitting saddle. As we all know, the search for even one saddle that fits both horse and rider can be expensive, frustrating, and time-consuming. Add a second saddle (or a third!) and the costs add up quickly.
A saddle with an interchangeable gullet plate system–assuming the shape of the tree fits your horse well to begin with–can accommodate these situations easily, economically, and often. The ability to change the fitting of these saddles is infinite. Features like the flocked panels in Kent & Masters and Fairfax saddles, and the EASY-CHANGE Riser System in Bates and Wintec saddles also allow for balance and stability adjustments.
Have more than one horse with different shapes? No problem – these saddles are affordable enough to have one saddle for each horse! Each horse has its own unique shape and one saddle may not work for multiple horses. The versatility of interchangeable gullet plate saddles make fitting multiple saddles to multiple horses inexpensive and easy.
You don't have to sacrifice quality for adjustability.
Years ago, an interchangeable gullet plate system was associated more with utility than luxury. Now, you can find an adjustable saddle to fit nearly any style of riding and aesthetic. The new Wintec saddles offer thoughtful design, quality materials, and adjustable fitting options at an accessible price point. Bates Saddles, a pioneer of the interchangeable gullet system, has recently stepped up their game with the upgraded Luxe leather option and moveable thigh blocks for optimal leg position. If you like the look and feel of traditional wool-flocked panels, Thorowgood, Kent & Masters, and Fairfax Saddles offer seven changeable gullet width options along with pure British wool flocking and innovative designs to improve the comfort and performance of your horse.
In 2018, Bliss of London entered the ring with the Loxley by Bliss line of saddles. These saddles now include a standard option for an adjustable tree with six changeable gullet plates from Narrow Medium to Extra Extra Wide, along with Bliss' signature array of contrasting leathers, welting, and other design options.
Exchanging gullet plates is easy, convenient, and empowers horse owners to take charge of saddle fit.
Fitting saddles is my passion and life's work. It is so rewarding when I'm able to find the saddle that helps a horse carry a rider pain-free, or make some adjustments that allow horse and rider to unlock that next level of performance. There's a lot of information out there on saddle fitting, but much of it can be confusing, overwhelming, or misleading to the average horse owner who just wants to ride with a healthy, happy, and comfortable partner.
Many saddles with an interchangeable gullet plate system include a hands-on guide, like the Easy-Change Gullet Gauge from Bates and Wintec, that help riders select the best width for their horses and monitor changes in their horses' condition over time. While these tools won't replace the expertise of a qualified saddle fitter, they're an excellent starting point for riders to get some practical experience fitting their own saddles.
Your saddle fitter can help.
As a saddle fitter, rider, and horse owner, I'm so glad to have these options for easily adjustable trees, and eagerly look forward to seeing how new technology and improvements in saddle design continue to benefit horse and rider. However, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that there's no single solution that will work for every horse—and this includes saddles with interchangeable gullet plates. If the gullet channel is not wide enough, or the angle of the rails or shape of the tree does not match the angle of your horse's back, then that saddle will not properly fit your horse no matter which plate is used. Here's where your saddle fitter comes in! A qualified, independent fitter can determine which saddles may be suitable regardless of brand, and help match you with a saddle that will stay with you and your horse for many years.
Looking for an interchangeable gullet plate saddle?
From now through December 31, 2018, Bates and Wintec saddles are giving back with holiday promotions to help you celebrate with your new saddle. With every qualifying new saddle purchase, Bates is offering a free upgrade to Luxe calfskin leather*. Or, purchase a new Wintec saddle and receive your choice of 3 gifts**.
We're so excited for these giveaways, we're adding an extra discount for our clients who decide to take advantage of one of these offers. From now to December 31, when you purchase a new Bates or Wintec saddle through DBS, we'll add 20% off each EASY-CHANGE Gullet System and EASY-CHANGE Riser System when bought together.
*See the full details at www.batessaddles.com.
**See the full details at www.wintec-saddles.com.


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The APACHE II Score is the most-referenced risk score for ICU mortality, with over 15,000 citations in PubMed since its publication 22 years ago, and is still used today both clinically and in research. We talked with Dr. William Knaus, first author on the APACHE paper, about his experience in developing the APACHE II Score, as well as the increasing need for technology in healthcare (and its disappointing uptake and implementation).
When we started [developing APACHE] in the 1970s, DRGs [diagnosis-related groups] were just coming on the scene, and obviously they were oriented towards the business and financing aspects of healthcare. There's little correlation to the clinical. But people were relying on DRGs as a way to classify and identify patients, especially in the ICU. So it was important at that time to not so much reinvent the diagnostic system, but to talk about how patients come in at different levels of severity. And at that time, there was really nothing out there. Continue reading "Insights from Dr. William Knaus, Creator of the APACHE II Score"


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UnNews:Led Zeppelin members to reunite in November, if they live that long
18 September 2007
LONDON, England -- The three surviving members of the legendary rock group Led Zeppelin recently announced their plans to get back together for a one-time show, with John Bonham's former pet gerbil, Jason, filling in on drums.
The three surviving members of the rock band will be playing for the first time in 75 years. The band split shortly after the tragic death of drummer John Bonham, who famously choked to death when he attempted to swallow an empty beer can during a drinking spree. Singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page reunited for a world tour in the 1990's, leaving out bass player John Paul Jones, much to his annoyance. "I'm tired of people constantly forgetting my name," said...uh...whatever his name was when asked about the incident.
The band will play a one-time show at an arena in London, presuming that all three of the remaining band members live long enough. "We've been trying to keep them out of trouble," says Mrs. Tipsy Wagner, manager of Happyville Retirement Center, where all three of the remaining members live, "But you never really know. Robert's back has been acting up again, and Jimmy's been complaining about his lumbago. As for...uh...whatever that bass player's name is...Harry? He's doing okay, aside from a tendency to not want to take his spongebaths."
With a mixture of formaldehyde and cocaine originally concocted by Keith Richards, the managers of the retirement center hope to keep the band members well preserved enough to play the concert in several months. However, they haven't made any guarantees.
"They might not really be well enough to actually play any music", says Wagner, "but I'm sure we can put them in rocking chairs on stage, and play some of their CD's really loud. Maybe, if it's a good day, Robert will even work up the strength to lip sync a little. Just as long as they get to take a lot of bathroom breaks, and maybe a 45 minute nap at some point in the show, things should work out. If not, there's always Prince."
Sources[edit | edit source]
- some generic author "Led Zeppelin to reform for London gig" Yahoo News, September 12, 2007


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|Jon 'maddog' Hall: Free and Open Source: Its uses in Business and Education
|Free and Open Source software has been around for a long time, even longer then shrink-wrapped code.
|Mon Dec 01 2003 19:00:00 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
Free and Open Source software has been around for a long time, even longer then shrink-wrapped code. It has a long and noble history in the annals of education. Even more than ever, due to the drop of hardware prices and the increase of worldwide communications, Free and Open Source can open new avenues of teaching and doing research, not only in computer science, but in other university fields as well.
Learn how Linux as an operating system can run on anything from a PDA to a supercomputer, and how Linux is reducing the cost of computing dramatically as the fastest growing operating system in the world. Learn how other Free and Open Source projects, such as office suites, audio and video editing and playing software, relational databases, etc. are created and are freely available.
Speaker's Biography
Jon "maddog" Hall is the Executive Director of Linux International, a non-profit association of computer vendors who wish to support and promote the Linux Operating System. During his career which spans over thirty years, Mr. Hall has been a programmer, systems designer, systems administrator, product manager, technical marketing manager and educator. He has worked for such companies as Western Electric Corporation, Aetna Life and Casualty, Bell Laboratories, Digital Equipment Corporation, VA Linux Systems, and is currently funded by SGI.
He has taught at Hartford State Technical College, Merrimack College and Daniel Webster College. He still likes talking to students over pizza and beer (the pizza can be optional).
Mr. Hall is the author of numerous magazine and newspaper articles, many presentations and one book, "Linux for Dummies".
Mr. Hall serves on the boards of several companies, and several non-profit organizations, including the USENIX Association.
Mr. Hall has traveled the world speaking on the benefits of Open Source Software, and received his BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University, and his MSCS from RPI in Troy, New York.
In his spare time maddog is working on his retirement project:maddog's monastery for microcomputing and microbrewing