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blake32287 needed a new print or packaging design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 19 designs submitted by 6 freelance designers.
Hello, we are looking for a design for our company brochure (roughly 3-5 pages). And also a design for technical white papers.
The Future Generation of Mobile Entertainment
Desired Color Scheme:
see website and logo
Desired Style:
clean, corportate, hightech and web2.0 style
Accepted File Formats:
Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
The brochure must have a cover page and a few pages for content (3 pages plus cover)(we will add the text, you can put dummy text and we will replace once we choose the design). We also need a design for our technical info pages ("white papers").
The company is a mobile messaging company, see web site. We want the design to be high tech, corporate, clean , and web 2.0 stlyish.
Here is our company logo: http://www.fugenmobile.com/logowhite.psd
Output should be pdf.
Paper size standard 8.5x11.


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Gatekeeping and the Economic Value of a Law Degree (Part 1)
When I first read the commentary concerning Michael Simkovic and Frank McIntyre's "The Economic Value of a Law Degree," I was most surprised by the attention that the commenters paid to the paper's passing reference to the typewriter. S&M are aware that their work arrives at a time when it is popular to believe that technology has wrought a structural change to lawyers' earnings. For their part, S&M cite Frank Miles Finch's obloquy against typewriters in the first volume of the Columbia Law Review to show that worries of technological ruin are nothing new in our line of work. After listing several other examples (such as word processing and Westlaw), S&M maintain that "lawyers have prospered while adapting to once threatening new technologies and modes of work."
Taken out of context, this last statement might sound as if S&M are engaging in bold fortunetelling based on a scant historical record, but a few paragraphs later, S&M concede that "past performance does not guarantee future returns" and "[t]he return to a law degree in 2020 can only be known for certain in 2020." When read in conjunction with the rest of the paper, the typewriter reference serves as a brief and lighthearted reminder that we, like others before us, can fall victim to nostalgic gloom and doom.
Despite its minor role in the article, commenters have been eager to mention the typewriter observation, with references ranging from the favorable (here), to the neutral (here and here), to the mildly dismissive (here and here), to the critical (here). Having given some thought to the last entry on this list, Deborah Merritt's wonderful blog entry on Law School Cafe, I now realize that I shouldn't have been surprised by the attention paid to the typewriter; it turns out to be an important point for S&M to make.
Merritt argues contra S&M that (1) Finch was not engaging in sky-is-falling melodrama and (2) that the typewriter "may have contributed" to a structural change in lawyers' earnings—specifically, the creation of three-year law schools and formal schooling requirements for bar admission. As to the first point, Merritt explains that Finch mentioned the typewriter to bolster his argument that apprenticeships had ceased to be a viable training environment for lawyers. He was not predicting that the typewriter would lead to the demise of his profession; rather, he was talking about the need for an adequate training substitute. As to the second point, Merritt points out that the New York bar adopted Finch's recommendations, in part, because it was persuaded by his Columbia article. I add that the ABA would eventually adopt similar requirements as well, also referencing Finch's article in the process. Merritt highlights that Finch's main point was that the typewriter limited apprentices' exposure to the study of important legal texts and created a difficult learning environment. As a result, Finch argued, law school was the far better educational option.
Merritt's post is thoughtful, well-researched, and concise. Moreover, she is largely right. Finch was not engaging in nostalgic sky-is-falling reasoning. In S&M's defense, however, the notion of a Typewriter Doomsday was not altogether uncommon in the early Twentieth Century. To take but one example, Arkansas law titan George B. Rose mentioned the following in a 1920 speech to the Tennessee Bar Association:
A great menace to the wellbeing of the bar is the disproportionate increase of its numbers. With the invention of the typewriter, the simplification of pleadings and the improved methods of travel, one lawyer can now do the work of two in the olden time; yet the proportion of lawyers to the remainder of the community has enormously increased.
Rose's remarks were received with great applause and an honorary membership into the Tennessee bar.
More importantly, Merritt stands on solid ground when she argues that technological change contributed to a shift in the business practices of legal professionals and, in turn, the shape of American legal education. There can be little doubt that this shift can be described as "structural."
But I disagree with Merritt insofar as she believes that a structural shift in schooling requirements weakens S&M's paper. To the contrary, it helps the paper by providing a prima facie explanation for relative stability in the law degree's value.
We must be mindful of the distinction between structural shifts in lawyers' earnings and structural shifts in other aspects of the legal profession, such as educational requirements. Clearly, Merritt's focus is the latter, and S&M's focus is the former. And just because S&M have chosen to focus on one kind of structural shift does not mean that they have "dismissed" other structural shifts, as Merritt says. S&M readily acknowledge that the structural shifts can occur with law school enrollment:
These distinctions and widespread publicity may enable critics to influence college graduates' career plans, the judiciary, and perhaps the future of legal education. They may have already contributed to a steep three-year decline in law school applications and enrollments.
The more critical point is that breaking up structural shifts into various types can be a useful analytic tool. Distinguishing between structural shifts in the value of a law degree and structural shifts in access to the practice of law permits us to make an important observation—namely, that it is possible for the latter to prevent the former. Critics of S&M doubt that the past performance of law degree holders is a reliable predictor of future performance. We can hypothesize that, to the extent law degree holders can insulate themselves from exogenous forces that threaten the value of their services, they will increase the stability of the degree's value and, therefore, the reliability of predictions based on their past performance. The underlying reasoning for the hypothesis is as follows. All other things being held constant, those who are within service industries that have the power and willingness to manipulate the supply of available service providers will likely be better at braving exogenous shocks than those who are not. Under those circumstances, when such measures are taken to protect those already possessing the credentials necessary to perform that service, the value of those credentials will tend to be relatively stable. Whether these measures have been or will be effective enough to stabilize the value of the law degree is a question worth considering.
There are several important gatekeepers to the practice of law: law schools, the American Bar Association, state bar associations, state supreme courts, etc. These gatekeepers possess, and sometimes use, tools that have the potential to protect the economic value of the law degree. They can change the qualifications for entry, expand or contract the domain of permissible services, raise or lower rate maximums, or regulate advertising practices, among other things. And while a considerable minority of law degree holders do not practice law (about 40% according to the SIPP data that S&M consider), there are enough practicing lawyers to give protectionist measures a fighting chance to stabilize the overall value of the degree.
Merritt deserves much credit for bringing this observation to the fore in connection with the S&M paper, although she did not expand upon it (an excusable omission in light of the fact that we are talking about a single blog post).
Having the luxury of multiple posts, I will use Part 2 to discuss a few of the protectionist measures that gatekeepers have taken over the last century. I will focus in particular on the measure that Merritt discusses–the advent of a law school prerequisite for admission to the bar.

subset: commoncrawl


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Course Goals and Structure
|Overall Goal | Observe | Explore | Define | Apply | Evaluate
As we built this course, we worked to provide teachers with experiences that would help them learn about and refine their teaching. These experiences are designed to build on the substantial amount of experience and expertise teachers already bring to their profession.
Our overall goal is that at the end of the course, you should be able to begin to implement the process standards in your work, thereby improving your teaching and student learning. We hope that this course expands the range of pedagogical tools and worthwhile educational experiences you can provide for your students. Finally, we hope this course provides a framework by which you can continue to improve as a teacher, long after you have finished this particular course of study. All five of these standards are inexhaustible. Continued study of them will be rewarding throughout a teacher's career.
Now we will outline how each session of the course is structured and how to work through the content.
To start, there are five sessions, one for each standard, as outlined above. Within each session there are five parts, each with a specific goal. These parts are Observe, Explore, Define, Apply, and Evaluate. Here is an explanation of each one.
|Teaching Math Home | Grades 3-5 | Introduction | Site Map | © |
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy


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From the Dream Weaver collection, I bought two eyeshadow palettes. I reviewed Wet n Wild in We're Blasting Off.
Where can you purchase this: drugstores, mass retailers, and online
Price: $2.99 for 0.12 oz/3.5 g
Made in China
Description on the back: Coordinating shades take the guesswork out of creating the perfect eye look.
* Beautifully enhances any eye color
* All-day crease-resistant color
My thoughts: When I first saw this, I knew I would love the eyelid and browbone color. The only thing is the browbone looks similar to one of the colors from the Wet n Wild palette in Night Elf.
Other than the colors, I'm pretty impressed with the palette. The browbone color is the most powdery from the palette, but over all it's not that powdery.
Here's a look I did with the crease and browbone.
* Cheap, $2.99 for the trio palette.
* Both shimmery and matte colors.
* Pigmented.
* Good staying power.
* Sponge eyeshadow and brush is useless.
Would I repurchase: Yes, it's my favorite palette from the collection.
Rating: 4.5/5 Tobey's Paws
From my August Favorite Products, I mentioned Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara. I was very lucky enough to receive this from a reader. She's so sweet to send this and a lot of other products. Thank you!!!
Thank you!!! :)
Being an Aveeno ambassador, they spoil you at times. I'm not too sure if it's their birthday or mine. :/
Thank you Aveeno!!! :)
Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this post are bought with my own money except for the mascara and remover, and cookies. I am not affiliated with any company nor getting paid to advertise any products. This post is written with my honest opinion.


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Take advance payments to confirm bookings, reduce no shows, and save on credit card fees when customers pay by card. Available for hotels, hostels & tourist activity operators around the world.Sign up NOWLearn More
Tab works with hotels, hostels and tourist activity businesses all over Myanmar.
Take direct bookings on your own website – with full or partial payment. Integrate Tab with your existing online booking software to manage payments.
Sell to customers via the Tab network.
Request an advance payment from a customer to secure their booking.
You can also take payments for bookings received through online travel agents, including via virtual cards.
When the customer arrives, use the Tab for Business app to charge the customer's card for any remaining balance – at your reception desk or while you're on the move.
You can also email the final bill to your customers at the end of their stay.
They can review their bill and pay in their own time, using their preferred payment method.
Automatically ask customers for feedback, allowing you to deal with any concerns before they lead to a negative online review. Also supports goodwill refunds and vouchers.


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On Wednesday, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it had purchased 9,200 of its Class A at $131,000 per share ($1.2 billion) from the estate of a long-time shareholder, according to a release.
The next day, CNBC's Gary Kaminsky called it "hypocritical to the maximum level" because Buffett "never believed in buybacks," he said during his "Capital Markets Op-Ed" segment. He also suggested that Buffett may have been motivated to do this before the capital gains tax goes up.
Shortly after, Buffett had the following email sent to CNBC executives about Kaminsky's "major errors."
And here's the correction anchor Melissa Lee later read on "Fast Money":
"We here want to clarify some comments from earlier today. Our Gary Kaminsky was critical of the Berkshire Hathaway purchase of a billion dollars saying Warren Buffett never believed in buybacks and suggested it may have been motivated to take advantage of lower tax rates this year. Mr. Buffett was watching, responding with a letter, taking issue with both of the points. And Mr. Buffett is nothing but meticulous. He said that it's not true that he never supports stock repurchases. He highlighted a 1984 annual report where he states there is a good reason for share repurchases under certain conditions. He's repeated that position, including in this year's annual letter to shareholders. Now, regarding the timing of the sale and possible tax reasons for doing so, Mr. Buffett says estates received a stepped up basis upon death and therefore the estate did not have a gain regardless of when the stock was sold. We thank Mr. Buffett for watching and setting us straight."
Also, here's Kaminsky's earlier on-air op-ed on the buybacks:


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The Good Machine No-Budget Commandments/
Back in the day, before I had This is that, I had a production company called Good Machine. James Schamus and I founded it together, and we later partnered with David Linde. Mary Jane Skalski and Anthony Bregman were also partners, and we had the good fortune to work with a host of other talents including my later partners Anne Carey and Diana Victor, and Ross Katz, Glen Basner, Heta Paarte, Lamia Guelatti, Melinka Thompson-Gody, Jean Castelli, Kelly Miller, Dan Beers, Eric Papa, Jawal Nga, and many other later-legends to be. As good as the films we made, as great as the individuals we got to collaborate with, we also had a genuine fondness for memos and how-to's. If you come to my office these days, it looks like a FEMA site; we are going paperless, and I am sorting through the files, finding many choice nuggets. My madeleines.
One day, way back when, I went into to speak to a NYU grad class and I felt I would feel more substantive if I had something to hand out (btw I believe The Savages director, Tamara Jenkins was in that class). That was the start of the Good Machine No-Budget Commandments. James and I revised them here and there, and I am pretty sure, that Mary Jane and Anthony tossed more than a suggestion or two.
My surprise in reading them today is that no where do they say "The budget is the aesthetic." That had seemed like the mantra at times. We get pretty close with #4, but not as dogmatic.
They hold up today. I still subscribe to the full set of notions. Here they are, for your critique and comment, in their dusty glory.
1. Write to direct. A screenplay, especially a no-budget screenplay is a very loose blueprint for a film – ultimately every choice you make will compromise something else.
2. Write for what you know and for what you can obtain. This goes for actors, locations, animals, and major propping or set dressing. If your friend owns something, anything, write it into the film.
3. Remain flexible. Recognize the essential element in a scene and allow it to take place in a variety of locations or circumstances.
4. Choose an aesthetic that will capitalize on the lack of money (i.e. period anachronisms, monochromatic color schemes, etc.). Invest meaning in everyday commonplace things – make an orange a totemic object John Ford would be proud of.
5. Don't over strive. Don't try to show how much production value you have (you don't have it, so you'll either fail or unbalance your film). A film that people say is "well produced" usually means that the story didn't have much going for it. Keep the story aligned with the budget.
6. Don't limit yourself to too few locations – it's a dead give away of lack of dollars. I like the number eight.
7. Use everything more than once. You've already paid for it, so use it, use it, use it.
8. Write for a very limited audience – your closest friends. Do not try to please anyone – crowd pleasing costs.
9. Write to cut it back later. You can trim to subtlety.
10. Contradict the above commandment and only write what you know you absolutely must shoot.
11. Keep it simple. You can learn how to do the impossible on your next film. No dogs. No babies. "Business" is expensive. Keep it controllable.
12. Keep it intimate. Dialogue and close ups are cheap.
13. Make the most of a day's work. It's easier to get a commitment for one day than it is for a week. Exploit people's willingness to give a day.
14. Ignore everything listed above if it doesn't further the story.


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The first American presidential election I remember getting really outraged about was in 1988.
Vice President George Bush was running against the rather hapless Democrat Michael Dukakis, in a campaign that was sleazy even by modern standards. I was 16 years old, and the underdog Dukakis was my candidate.
Dukakis lost, of course, and I remember quite vividly the next day having the feeling that everything had gone wrong. We were robbed. I took it personally, that the horse I backed lost the race. What were the Bush voters thinking?
I got over it, and over the ensuing years saw some of the people I wanted to be President win and some of them lose. I jumped on the Bill Clinton train and lost a bit of my idealism in the 2000 Bush/Gore contested vote. I was so convinced that John Kerry would beat President George W. Bush in 2004 that I was depressed for days by the result.
Living in another country for the past six years has helped broaden my view of the world considerably. November 7 will mark my second US election while living in New Zealand. There's a strange feeling in watching your homeland's fate be decided from the other side of the world.
Being an American in New Zealand at election time can feel a bit like being in a parallel universe. I've yet to find one person I know here who supports Mitt Romney, who's essentially tied with President Barack Obama in most homeland polls. Yet obviously someone out there is supporting Romney.
I remember one of my first impressions of being a kind of unofficial ambassador for my country overseas. It was in 2003, right around the time President George W. Bush invaded Iraq, and I was visiting New Zealand with my wife.
I was at a party my in-laws had thrown. One of the guests, when he found out where I was from, stuck his finger in my face and began loudly berating me about "My president."
I feebly attempted explaining how I voted for the other guy and didn't much care for Bush either, but it didn't wash. This gentleman wanted to vent. America was the bully of the world and I was its representative.
The whole world takes the American presidency rather personally. Fair enough. The person sitting in the Oval Office has an outsize, perhaps unfair influence on world affairs.
Yet America is often painted by a very big, broad brush by people in New Zealand. Americans aren't all gun-toting overweight fast food eaters, any more than most of the wide stereotypes about New Zealanders are true.
I get a bit outraged over every presidential election ever since seeing Michael Dukakis get trampled in 1988. It's become an insanely expensive, drawn-out and often ugly process, which it's hard to emerge unscathed from. The presidential campaign that ends this week began more than a year ago, and Romney has essentially been running for President since early 2007.
In 2008, I was able to vote in two countries' elections within a few days of each other thanks to an absentee ballot. The New Zealand election seemed considerably more restrained in its passions and blissfully shorter. The idea that an election campaign can't really start until an election is called just shortly before the vote is one that an awful lot of Americans could get behind.
I've cast my vote long-distance and I know which candidate I'm hoping wins Wednesday. But I also know if the other guy takes the election, it won't be the end of the world as we know it.
I'm still prepared to get a little bit outraged, but if there's one thing living in New Zealand has shown me, the American president is part of a much broader picture than many Americans realise.


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CALATHEA Small Cushion | Neon
CALATHEA Small Cushion | Neon
50cm x 30cm x 12cm
Hand-printed, heavy UK woven linen union cushion.
This design is based on the tropical plant Calathea Corona also known as the Corona Prayer Plant due to way it folds its leaves in 'prayer' every night. New shoots emerge as bright rolled cigars and unfurl to reveal large but finely detailed, vivid, green leaves.
Printed on both sides. Piped in matching fabric. Concealed zip along the bottom edge. Well filled feather pad included. Dry clean only. Matching products available.
Add To Cart


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C++ from the Ground Up
Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1994 - C+ - 548 pages
All you need to learn C++ is C++ from the Ground Up, written by master C++ programmer Herb Schildt. With C++ fast becoming the professional programmer's language of choice, you'll want to start programming in C++ as quickly as possible. Schildt understands this and gets right to the point in this fast-paced, no-nonsense guide to learning C++. As you may already know, C++ is built on the foundation of C. For this reason, Schildt teaches you just the C you'll need so you can quickly move on to the meat of C++, including its object-oriented features. Schildt's clear instructions, practical examples, and valuable tips put this book in a class by itself. Written in the clear, uncompromising style that has made Schildt's programming books the choice of millions worldwide, C++ from the Ground Up starts with an overview of C++ and the general form of a C++ program. You'll then progress to the fundamentals of C++ programming, including control statements, operators, variables, expressions, and data types. From this foundation, you'll then delve into functions; pointers and references; classes and objects; function and operator overloading; constructors and destructors; templates; exception handling; inheritance; virtual functions; the C++ I/O system; the preprocessor; the principles behind Object-Oriented Programming (OOP); and much, much more. Unlike other C++ programming books, C++ from the Ground Up adheres to the draft ANSI C++ standard, so you will be learning the most up-to-date specification of C++, the version supported by all major C++ compilers. Therefore, what you learn today will still apply tomorrow. If you're ready to start using the power and versatility of C++ - whether youprogram in DOS, Windows, OS/2, Unix, or any other operating system - Schildt's C++ from the Ground Up is the ideal book for you.
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|Info / Rules
Welcome to Greg Vaughan Online Media Archive, your source for video clips of Greg's roles and tv appearances. All clips have been created exclusively for this site, so please DO NOT re-poiost them anywhere else, or on youtube. You're free to use them as you wish, to watch them or use them in fan creation. No copyright infringement is intended. If you have a questions or concern about any of the clips on this site, please contact us. If you would like something removed please Contact Me. (To access the clips, first download the clip you want, unzip the folder and get the clip. You must have WinZip to get the clips, and any type of video player, ex. Windows Media Player or KMplayer, to view the clips.)
Please credit Greg Vaughan Online if you use the clips.
Do not hotlink the clips.
Do Not re-post on youtube.
Enjoy them.


text: Have you ever heard of latex decay? Apparently, it's a problem that plagues area rugs from Pottery Barn manufactured during a certain period. It happened to Victoria, and a simple call to the company got her a replacement rug costing $100 more than the one she already had. Not only was there no charge to her, but since Victoria doesn't have a car, Pottery Barn paid for UPS pickup of the old rug and delivery of the new one. Lovely. [More]


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Best Of :: People & Places
If you have a sudden urgent need to talk to every egghead film-buff Boho in Dallas, what you do is bring a folding chair and park in front of Premiere Video on a Friday night. In the course of a few hours, they'll all come through. In fact, there are entire multigenerational families of film-buff Bohos who gather here on Friday nights--little skaties with their beatnik grandparents. And why? Try 20,000 foreign and domestic titles, a knowledgeable staff and...the scene. Some people believe they need to be seen here on Fridays whether they rent a movie or not. Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday noon to 10 p.m.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we gather defenses, pool resources and try our damnedest to beat the heat. And, though we may win a few battles along the way, the heat always wins the war. You can't beat it, so why not--as the cliché goes--join it. Revel in it. Bake in it. And the best place to do it is Hurricane Harbor, which opens just as the heat kicks into gear and closes as it begins to peter out into fall. The water park offers respite in the form of dozens of slides for the novice and the cowardly to the experienced and the brave, along with a lazy river for floating, pools and a pirate's ship play area for the kids. Though the lines twist up and up for popular rides such as the Black Hole, most of the waiting area is shaded and, with a 500-foot drop into a pool, the payoff is worth the wait.
The large, renovated ballroom upstairs at Sons of Hermann Hall is the perfect venue for swing-dance nights, which it hosts every Wednesday. There's a refinished hardwood floor, smooth enough for twirling without friction but with enough traction that you can stay on your feet. There are tables and chairs for those who need to take a breather, and a bar for those who need some liquid incentive to strut their stuff. With the air conditioner cranked and music blaring from the sound booth or from the bandstand, it's easy to feel as if you've stepped back in time, since Sons was around decades before swing was popular the first time.
On the weekends you can't stir the bicycles with a stick. Mom and Dad are there with their trail bikes, and the kiddies, some still maneuvering with training wheels, tag right along. There's a maze of off-road cycling for all ages and all levels of expertise. The park's most popular trail is a collection of three single-track routes that wind through woods and a tall grass prairie with a nice, cooling view of Joe Pool Lake. If it has rained recently, you might want to call and check on trail conditions before loading up and heading out.
Little kids who like airplanes, trucks and other big stuff (which means all of them, natch) will truly be thrilled to spend an hour watching the jets come and go from this busy airport. The plaza overlooks main runways and provides a clear view of takeoffs and landings. Voices of air-traffic controllers and pilots can be heard over a speaker on the plaza. There is room to walk around on grass around the plaza, but parking is also plentiful from places where you can see the big beasts soar.
A true hidden paradise for local anglers, this Turtle Creek estuary is home to 1- to 2-pound bass. On a recent summer day, a single fisherman was casting his line (a light-action pole with an open cast reel), relishing the solitude away from the city traffic just a few yards away. Besides the bass, there are also some nice-sized bluegills and carp around here, according to the University Park Wildlife Department. All are edible, say the park officials. Ready to be fried up on one of those $5,000 Viking stoves in the mansions nearby.
Along with its sister club, Escapade 2009, Escapade 2001 is the No. 1 destination for Dallas' swelling Latino population (the people who've made KNOL-FM one of the highest-rated radio stations in the area) every weekend, the place to go for people looking to blow off steam by dancing to ranchera and cumbia music. And there are quite a few of them: Every Friday through Sunday--the only nights Escapade 2001 is open--the parking lot outside rivals that of a Mavericks game, and the bar receipts routinely top the list of drinking establishments in the city. With that many people voting yes, who are we to say no?
When you enter Fossil Rim, it's hard to figure who is really in the zoo: you and the wife and kids, locked up in your SUV, air conditioner running, carbon monoxide emitting, or the 50 species of well-attended animals languishing over 1,500 gently rolling, beautifully wooded acres in the North Texas Hill Country. Located 75 miles southwest of Dallas, no zoo could offer the contact, the closeness, the natural setting that is afforded over 1,000 animals that are free to roam its savannas and juniper-oak woodlands save only the carnivores and rhinos. Humans remain in their vehicles during the two hours that cover the scenic tour. The Fossil Rim mission is one of conservation rather than conquest; its intention is to better establish the balance between man and nature. What better way is there for your screaming 4-year-old to get up close and personal with an ocelot? Just make sure you keep things in balance and take your little creature home.
You might think you're just not old enough to visit Granbury, Texas; that it's a place for bus tours and blue hairs and history buffs. But that's precisely the reason to visit: The trip is a trip, a Victorian town that is remarkably well-preserved and riddled with legend and myth and memory--from Jesse James and John Wilkes Booth to the ghost-haunted Opera House. There is a fully functioning drive-in movie house, boat tours on Lake Granbury, and the town, located 65 miles southwest of Dallas, is damn near close to an antique shopping mecca, with more than 50 stores at your disposal. But if quaint you ain't, then Dinosaur Valley State Park (best-preserved dinosaur tracks in Texas) and Eagle Flight Skydiving (lessons available) are within jumping-off distance.
If you are willing to get wet and spend a little money for the privilege, the best water playground in the Dallas area is in North Richland Hills. NRH20 has something for everyone, priding itself on a safety rating system that identifies which rides are appropriate for which age category. Low speed is for shallow-water attractions and shallow-water kids. High speed is for the more skillful swimmer, someone who can navigate the new Green Extreme, a seven-story-tall water slide with 1,161 feet of twists and turns. The thoroughly modern water park has one holdover from days gone by: an outdoor "dive in" movie on Friday nights throughout the summer, where kid flicks like Shrek and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone can be seen while floating in the wave pool or relaxing in a lounge chair on the beach. Well, a simulated beach anyway.
You've done your Chuck E. Cheese's, your Fun Fest, your rain-soaked birthday party at the neighborhood park. And there's no way you are going to subject your own home to the kind of abuse 30 5-year-olds can cause after the giant Jaws bounce house you promised doesn't arrive on time. What you need is a seamless, low-maintenance, high-energy, modestly priced, kid-tested alternative to the mind-numbing childhood ritual known as the birthday party. You can find it at ASI Gymnastics, with its seven ground-level trampolines, its carpet-bonded tumble floors and its giant foam pit. Curb service for your store-bought cake and decorations, which can be any theme you bring in, from Sesame Street to Harry Potter. The first 60 minutes will be spent jumping and running and swinging and tumbling with coaches who are both cool and safety-conscious. The next 30 are spent in a private room with cake and pizza or whatever you decide to import. The best part is, ASI provides the cleanup. If they could only dispose of the 30 gifts that your child is dying to get his hands on and doesn't really need.
Some pools are just chlorine and water, a liquid playpen that, when combined with the intense summer sun, will cause the most exuberant of children to grow tired enough to take a nap. But then there are other pools that soak you in luxury, acting as therapy for the mind, a spa for the body. One of these is the pool at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Colinas: lagoon-shaped, waterfalls cascading, attractive attendants who not only serve you frozen drinks to relax your spirit, but also frozen face cloths and ice water to brace yourself against the hot Texas summer. Of course, it comes at a price: You have to stay at the hotel, but the Four Seasons offers weekend packages for those who need to get away from home without ever leaving it. Parents of young children understand this need. Parents of young children are willing to pay this price. Parents of young children can be found poolside at the Four Seasons Hotel, without their young children.


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2011 Broncos undrafted class: Chris Harris tied for 13th smallest bonus
SAN DIEGO — Adam Grant was the bonus baby of the Broncos' 2011 undrafted draft class.
The Broncos signed 17 undrafted rookies coming out of the lockout of 2011. Grant, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound offensive tackle from the University of Arizona, received the largest bonus at $12,000.
He never played in an NFL game.
Next on the list of Broncos' undrafted bonuses in 2011 was the $10,000 paid each to quarterback Adam Weber, running back Mario Fannin and receivers Mark Dell and Jamel Hamler. Weber was cut this year by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and Fannin played for the Brooklyn Bolts of the Fall Experimental Football League. But none played a game in the NFL, according to the NFL website.
Read more…


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The Ways to Avoid Feeling Off During Workouts
How to Explain a Slow Day of Exercising? It's in How You Eat, Drink, Sleep and Think
One of the mysteries of being physically active is when the same workout feels great one week and lousy the next. Why does a routine 4-mile run or hourlong yoga class suddenly morph into the last leg of an Ironman triathlon?
Bad workouts happen to everyone, from professional athletes to office workers trying to carve out 30 minutes at the gym.


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The Porn Industry is an unstoppable juggernaut. There is so much porn in existence now that no one person could ever view it all. Porn culture has become a social norm. We have lost the war to end pornography. So, where do we go from here? How should we fight moving forward?
Host: Matt Coker
Segment 1 – Front Row Focus: Matt shares with us exactly how we know we've lost the war on porn, with shocking stats and harsh realities. He describes just what porn does to individuals. And then he shares how we need to fight porn moving forward, as Christians and the Church.
Would you help support our show for just $5 (or more if you wish) a month? http://www.patreon.com/BackRowOnline
If you enjoy this podcast, please rate and review us on iTunes so that more people can discover this podcast. Thank you for all your support!
9/4/2016 09:43:45 am
Just as a FYI, loved this podcast. Loved the authoritative spirit-led voice that presented this. I listened to this during a slow time at work today. It certainly helped.
Leave a Reply.
Season 1
2/29/16 - 1/30/17
A slightly snarky Christian podcast that focuses on Humor and Healing for the Saved but Still Human. We're just regular people who love the Lord and love funny stuff. We don't get super controversial, but instead intend to make you smile for a little while.
Ep. 1: The Clown's Prayer (Podcast Premiere)
Ep. 2: The Dope Life of the Hope Life
Ep. 3: The Gospel According to Superheroes
Ep. 4: Easter - Better Than a Thousand Christmases?
Ep. 5: Finding God in WrestleMania
Ep. 6: Cutting Room Resurrection
Ep. 7: Married... with Issues
Ep. 8: Did You Hear That This One is About Gossip?
Ep. 9: Porn-Again Christian
Ep. 10: The Great Confession
Ep. 11: Yuuuge Mistake?
Ep. 12: If I Ran My Church
Ep. 13: Manipulative Worship
Ep. 14: Marriage at the Breaking Point
Ep. 15: VBS Flashbacks
Ep. 16: Begging for Volunteers
Ep. 17: Youth Group Shenanigans
Ep. 18: Where Do You Draw the Line with TV and Movies?
Ep. 19: Cutting Room Resurrection II
Ep. 20: Celebrate Recovery Summit Special (Part 1)
Ep. 21: Celebrate Recovery Summit Special (Part 2)
Ep. 22: Celebrate Recovery Summit Special (Part 3)
Ep. 23: Church Potluck Rules
Ep. 24: Incest in the Bible
Ep. 25: Bible Apps vs Actual Bibles
Ep. 26: We've Lost the War on Porn - Now What?
Ep. 27: The Dangers of Group Prayer Time
Ep. 28: The Back Row List Show
Ep. 29: National Recovery Month
Ep. 30: Interview with Scott Doran (of The Rev Scott Show)
Ep. 31: Bye-Bye Bible Study! Peace Out Praise Team!
Ep. 32: Back Row Re-Hash with Scott Doran
Ep. 33: Our Best Moments in Celebrate Recovery
Ep. 34: The Lies We Tell in Church
Ep. 35: It's Christmas Time?
Ep. 36: I'm Sorry I'm Co-Dependent
Ep. 37: Havin' Us a Church Wedding
Ep. 38: Please Don't Say Jesusween
Ep. 39: The Back Row Election Special
Ep. 40: The First Annual Back Row Brawl
Ep. 41: Bunch of Turkeys
Ep. 42: The BRBP Black Friday Special
Ep. 43: Cutting Room Resurrection III
Ep. 44: The Truth About Adoption
Ep. 45: Presents! Presents! Presence!
Ep. 46: The War on Christmas (That Never Was)
Ep. 47: 2016 Year-in-Review
Ep. 48: One Day at a Time
Ep. 49: You're In Denial
Ep. 50: Is Drinking a Sin?
Ep. 51: Sin After Salvation
Ep. 52: Recording Church Announcements
Ep. 53: Admitting You're Powerless
Ep. 54: Church Kids
Ep. 55: Sex Before Marriage
Ep. 56: The Final (Season 1 Finale)
February 2017


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Our World Cup Overfloweth
So apparently this World Cup thing is a big deal. I know because it keeps breaking Twitter. And when Twitter's down, I'm forced to come to grips with my Twitter addiction, and let me tell you, henchpersons; that is NOT something you want me gripping at the crack of noon.
Anyway, when Twitter isn't broken, it has a handy little "World Cup" definition up, along with a soccer ball icon.
By studying this definition ("the largest sporting event in the world") and icon, I have come to the conclusion that the World Cup has something to do with soccer. Or football. Or something sports related.
And, gauging by the tweets and Facebook statuses I've seen, the World Cup also features a lot of these:
No, I don't know why they're puking orange jelly.
Or why their hive has an orange jelly door outlined on it.
The source of the buzzing is hundreds and hundreds of of vuvuzela horns:
So anyway, I guess at this point I should probably show you some Soccer wrecks.
Hey, this could be a soccer wreck. I mean, really, do you know what it is? No, you do not. Therefore, I think the real question here is, how do you know it's NOT a soccer wreck? Hmm?
Ok, ok, fine. Here:
Or possibly another soccer cake.
How about a few more traditional black and white "balls?"
Note: At this point, I actually had to google "soccer ball" just to remind myself what they're supposed to look like. In case you're in the same boat, here:
I mean, it could be, right? I haven't watched any of it, so you tell me: has anyone been shot with an arrow yet? Or have any of the female cheerleader's feet fallen off?
Janet, Dan W., Nina T., Ann S., Rachel L., Hillary H., Aimee P., Jen E., Brandy B., & Sarah W., if that kind of stuff is going on, then I'm totally checking out the World Cup after all.


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At //Build 2016, Microsoft announced the ability to run native Bash and GNU/Linux command-line tools directly on the new Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), coming soon to Windows 10 Anniversary Update builds.
We've been amazed by the overwhelming outpouring of interest about this new feature over the last week. One of the most frequent questions we're asked is "When can I get my hands on Bash on Ubuntu on Windows?"
We've held-off giving a date until we were 100% sure it's available … but that date is NOW!
Gabe Aul has just announced the release of the Windows 10 build #14316 to the Windows Insiders Fast-Ring.
This build contains the first public release of Bash on Ubuntu on Windows and the underlying Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Installing Bash on Ubuntu on Windows
Important: To run Bash/WSL, you must be running a 64-bit version of Windows 10 on a 64-bit PC. If you do NOT see "Windows Subsystem for Linux" listed in the optional features, you are likely not running a 64-bit version of Windows 10, or are running a build of Windows 10 prior to #14316.
Once you're upgraded to this new build, you'll need to complete the installation steps summarized below:
- Turn on Developer Mode: Settings | Update & Security | For Developers | Check the Developer Mode radio button:
- From the start menu, open "Turn Windows Features on or off":
- Scroll down and check the "Windows Subsystem for Linux (Beta)" feature:
- Hit okay and reboot (required step)
- Once rebooted, open a PowerShell/command prompt and run "Bash" and follow the simple prompts to accept Canonical's license and kick-off the download of the Ubuntu image:
- After download has completed, you'll be able to start "Bash on Ubuntu on Windows" from the Start menu:
Related Release Notes
- As we've repeatedly stated, this is the first time we've released this feature and we knowthere will be issues - be sure to share your feedback via the channels below
- We do know of an issue that crashes settings if you're running Windows 10 "N" SKU's - we're working on a fix for this problem in future builds
- In this build, Bash will show you running under the 'root' Linux user account
- This does NOT give Bash elevated permissions within Windows, unless you run Bash as Administrator
- This means that, by default, from within Bash, you will only have access to Windows files and folders that your current Windows user account has rights to
- In future builds, you'll be asked to create a user account when installing Bash. You'll then be able to use sudo to elevate your rights within the Linux filesystem/environment
Share Your Feedback
We can't wait to hear your feedback - please be sure to share your thoughts via the channels below:
- Issues: Please post issues to our GitHub issues project. If you're not familiar with using/writing GitHub issues, please read this guide
- Ideas/Asks: Please upvote/add ideas, asks, etc. to our UserVoice forum
- Anything else, feel free to ping @richturn_ms on Twitter


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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola - July 31
"To be with the Church of Jesus Christ with but one mind and one spirit, we must carry our confidence in her, and our distrust of ourselves, so far as to pronounce that true which appears to us false, if she decides that it is so; for we must believe without hesitation that the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ is the spirit of his spouse, and that God who formerly gave the Decalogue is the same God who now inspires and directs His Church."
- St. Ignatius (Pray for us)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Cardinal Stafford on Dissent and Humanae Vitae
Following is excerpted from a reflection by Cardinal Stafford which appeared in L'Osservatore Romano on the 40th Anniversary of the publication of Humanae Vitae. Cardinal Stafford recalls his experiences as a priest in
"Lead us not into temptation" is the sixth petition of the Our Father. Πειρασμός (Peirasmòs), the Greek word used in this passage for 'temptation.', means a trial or test. Disciples petition God to be protected against the supreme test of ungodly powers. The trial is related to Jesus's cup in
It was the year of the bad war, of complex innocence that sanctified the shedding of blood. English historian Paul Johnson dubs 1968 as the year of "
. . . In his memoirs, Cardinal Shehan describes the immediate reaction of some priests in
. . . The personal Πειρασμός, the test, began. In
. . . My expectations of the meeting proved unrealistic. I had hoped that we had been called together to receive copies of the encyclical and to discuss it. I was mistaken. Neither happened.
After welcoming us and introducing the leadership, the inner-city pastor came to the point. He expected each of us to subscribe to the
. . . Their rhetorical skills were having their anticipated effect. They had planned carefully how to exert what amounted to emotional and intellectual coercion. Violence by overt manipulation was new to the
The leader's reaction to my refusal was predictable and awful. The whole process now became a grueling struggle, a terrible test, a Πειρασμος. The priest/leader, drawing upon some scatological language from his Marine Corp past in the II World War responded contemptuously to my decision. . .
. . . The dissent of a few Sulpician seminary professors compounded my disorientation. In their ancient Baltimore Seminary I had first caught on to the connection between freedom, interiority, and obedience. By every ecclesial measure they should have been aware that the process they supported that evening exceeded the "norms of licit dissent." . . .
. . . The violence of the priests' August gathering gave rise to its own ferocious acrimony. Conversations among the clergy, where they existed, became contaminated with fear. Suspicions among priests were chronic. Fears abounded. And they continue. The Archdiocesan priesthood lost something of the fraternal whole which
Something else happened among priests on that violent August night. Friendship in the Church sustained a direct hit. Jesus, by calling those who were with him his 'friends,' had made friendship a privileged analogy of the Church. That analogy became obscured after a large number of priests expressed shame over their leaders and repudiated their teaching. . .
. . . Abusive, coercive dissent has become a reality in the Church and subjects her to violent, debilitating, unproductive, chronic controversies. But I did discover something new. Others also did. When the moment of Christian witness came, no Christian could be coerced who refused to be. Despite the novelty of being treated as an object of shame and ridicule, I did not become "ashamed of the Gospel" that night and found "sweet delight in what is right." It was not a bad lesson. Ecclesial obedience ran the distance.
My discovery that Christ was the first to despise shame was gut-rending in its existential and providential reality. "Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." Paradoxically, in the hot, August night a new sign shown unexpectedly on the path to future life. It read, "Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered."
The violence of the initial disobedience was only a prelude to further and more pervasive violence. Priests wept at meetings over the manipulation of their brothers. Contempt for the truth, whether aggressive or passive, has become common in Church life. Dissenting priests, theologians and laypeople have continued their coercive techniques. From the beginning the press has used them to further its own serpentine agenda.
All of this led to a later discovery. Discernment is an essential part of episcopal ministry. With the grace of "the governing Spirit" the discerning skills of a bishop should mature. Episcopal attention should focus on the break/rupture initiated by Jesus and described by
The rupture of the violent death of Jesus has changed our understanding of the nature of God. His Trinitarian life is essentially self-surrender and love. By Baptism, every disciple of Jesus is imprinted with that Trinitarian water-mark. The Incarnate Word came to do the will of him who sent him. Contemporary obedience of disciples to the Successor of Peter cannot be separated from the poverty of spirit and purity of heart modeled and won by the Word on the Cross.
The whole article is available at Catholic News Agency.
Cardinal James Francis Stafford is Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary in
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
New posts sometime Wednesday
Meanwhile, it's been announced that visitation for Msgr. Dierkes will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, August 1 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph with the wake at 7 p.m.
Monday, July 28, 2008
How Taboo Are You?
National Geographic Channel is advertising a new season of Taboo. The network says, "Taboo takes you on a journey beyond the comfort zones and across cultural borders to explore rituals and customs that are acceptable in some cultures, but forbidden, illegal or, reviled in others. Understand seemingly bizarre and shocking practices from around the world."
The promos seem to indicate it's the kind of entertainment that indulges prurience while assuaging the conscience by claiming to be "educational" (sort of how the original magazine worked for school boys). It also seems geared to persuade westerners that their own (mildly felt) taboos, like those against sex change operations, should be taken even less lightly given the really bizarre things those Third Worlders do.
At the series' website there's a game you can play called "How Taboo Are You?" The test asks a series of "Would you rather" questions dealt from a deck of cards. For instance, "Would you rather be suspended by hooks or eat a scorpion?" Or, "Would you rather get a full body tattoo or join a fight club?"
After answering dozens of questions, it turns out I'm 31 percent more taboo than other Americans playing the game. Given that the questions deal with sex change operations, participation in naked man festivals and being whipped, you might be tempted to alert Bishop Finn about his newspaper editor.
But wait.
Turns out I'm more taboo than most people because I would consent to a great deal more gross-outs and indignities than most responders when the alternative was "Swapping Spouses".
According to National Geographic those practices considered most taboo by players were:
1. Sex Change Surgery
2. Impaling (through the lips with rods)
3. Suspension (by hooks)
4. Croc Skin (by burning)
5. Stomach Scrape
6. Neck Rings (Thai neck stretch)
7. Fire Ant Glove
8. Dog (eating)
9. Whip-Off
10. Full-Body Tattoo
The least taboo practices were:
1. Christian Nudists
2. Fugu (eating blowfish)
3. Naked Man Festival (participating in)
4. Swapping Spouses
5. Snake (eating)
6. Fight Club (joining)
7. Lover's Scar (carving)
8. Scorpion (eating)
9. Branding
10. Spiders (eating)
So most responders think pain, humiliation and eating gross food is far worse than cheating on your spouse and committing adultery with your friend's spouse.
I think and hope these were cynical answers. If the questions were posed more personally – "Mr. Smith, would you rather cheat on your wife with Mrs. Murphy or eat sautéed snake?" – I think more people would go for a bit of culinary adventure. I'm fairly certain most husbands I know would also undergo physical pain and humiliation before cheating on their wives.
If that's not the case, then the whole body of world literature on love would make no sense and we have reason to wonder whether the natives on the tube or the boobs watching it are the greater primitives.
For the record, I'm not claiming any personal moral superiority here. I saw the promos while watching "Night Shift: Repo Men".
Msgr. Dierkes Funeral Arrangements
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Death of Msgr. Richard Dierkes
With sadness we report the death of Msgr. Richard Dierkes this afternoon. Following is a preliminary release from the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph:
Reverend Msgr. Richard Michael Dierkes
Former Rector of Co-Cathedral Parish
February 26, 1955 ~ July 27, 2008
Catholic Diocese of Kansas City ~ St. Joseph
(St. Joseph, MO / July 27, 08) Reverend Msgr. Richard Dierkes, former rector of Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph and pastor of St. Joseph Parish, in Easton, and St. Patrick Parish in St. Joseph died earlier today in Chicago, Illinois.
Msgr. Dierkes was born in Hannibal, MO, on February 26, 1955, the second of nine children of Thomas P. and Dorothy Dierkes. His childhood and young adulthood was spent in Independence, MO. He attended elementary school at St. Mary and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and graduated from Truman High School in 1973. While attending college at Rockhurst University, he discerned a call to the Catholic priesthood. He attended Conception Seminary College, in Conception, MO, and received a Master's in Theology from Kenrick Seminary, in St. Louis, MO.
He was ordained for the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City ~ St. Joseph on April 25, 1981, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in Kansas City, MO. After ordination, he served as associate pastor in Parkville, Blue Springs, and St. Peter Parish, in Kansas City.
On the day of his ordination, Bishop John J. Sullivan described the role of a priest as one that changes with the needs of the people, but which is always one of service. In the sermon, Bishop Sullivan reminded the assembly that although Jesus is truly a king, "Jesus was always a servant of men. . . he had no trappings of being a king. In a society in which it is so important to be powerful. . .Christ the King is a contradiction," he said.
Msgr. Dierkes took the words of Bishop Sullivan to heart and lived out his priesthood as a servant of the people.
Funeral arrangements and complete obituary will follow.
Messages of sympathy are now coming in. If you wish to view the site, create a free account at www.carepages.com and search for "Richard Dierkes".
Friday, July 25, 2008
Sacrilege - Sophomore Style
So someone sent him the Holy Eucharist and he pierced it with a rusty nail (without semblance of irony) and threw it in the trash with a banana peel, some pages of the Koran and a few others of his mentor Richard Dawkins' book, The God Delusion - just to show "nothing is sacred." His fans are upset he doesn't compost his banana peels.
"You would not believe how many people are writing to me, insisting that these horrible little crackers (they look like flattened bits of styrofoam) are literally pieces of their god," Myers wrote on his blog. He demonstrated his clever concern by hoping that "Jesus's tetanus shots are up to date."
Did I mention that Paul Z Myers is 51 years old and is a professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris?
This subject is now one of the hottest topics on the blogosphere and yet has only been reported in one old media outlet - The Minneapolis Star Tribune. That in itself is interesting, but more interesting will be the reaction of the academic establishment throughout the U.S. Will this establishment cry, as they are wont to do, for the head of anyone who fails to diligently attend to the sensitivities of the various religious, cultural or gender-sexual "communities" of the world? Or will they prove that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice?
On the 40th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae
This past July 25th marked the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's controversial and still little heeded encyclical, Humanae Vitae (On the Regulation of Birth). Many both within and without the Church – heady from the many changes initiated by the Second Vatican Council – fully expected that the Church would change her clear and constant teachings on human sexuality and procreation. Proponents of change then argued that the development of the contraceptive pill made such change in teaching not only possible but imperative.
However, Pope Paul VI (advised closely by the then Cardinal Wojtyla) realized that while much in the Church was rightly changeable (for example, liturgical rites and languages had changed often in the Church's two thousand year history) no one – even the Pope – could change the received teachings of the Church in matters of faith and morals.
In Humanae Vitae, giving an ecclesiastical example of a profile in courage, Paul VI reaffirmed the immorality of recourse to artificial means of birth regulation. While Pope Paul VI and the Catholic Church practically stood alone in reaffirmation that the procreative and unitive ends of the conjugal act could not morally be arbitrarily separated, it is important to remember that up until the early 20th century this was also the constant teaching of all other Christian ecclesial bodies – Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant.
Of course, the Church is not against sexual pleasure as some of her opponents allege; but, more importantly, we are for the happiness of the human person. The fostering of that happiness requires understanding the gift of our sexuality as God has intended it. Sex, in God's plan, is more than just a "recreational activity". As Catholic feminist and philosopher, Janet Smith says: "…sex is for babies and bonding. If people are not ready for babies and bonding, they ought not to be engaging in acts of sexual intercourse." And what are nuptials but the public expression of a couple's readiness to do just that?
A careful rereading of Humanae Vitae – especially in the light of the "sexual revolution" unleashed in society over the past 40 years –can help us appreciate how prescient the Pope was in his warnings of the dire consequences that a "contraceptive mentality" would have on society. The numbers of unwanted pregnancies and abortions did not decrease with the widespread acceptance of contraception – they increased. And the "pill" far from freeing women from male domination made them more likely to be victims of sexual exploitation by men. The break up of families and the epidemic of divorce in our culture, the increasingly high incidence of women bearing children out of wedlock, the flight from adult responsibility and the extended "adolescence" of men, all point to – in hindsight –the rightness of Paul VI's and the Church's teaching on human sexuality.
The Church condemns artificial contraception not just because of its bad consequences. She condemns artificial contraception because it is intrinsically evil (and because it is evil it has bad consequences). Contraception is evil because it violates the very purpose and nature of the sexual act – and in doing so violates the dignity of the human person.
Pope John Paul II reaffirmed Humane Vitae throughout his pontificate. His "Theology of the Body" has sought to represent the perennial teachings of Church on human sexuality in an idiom more accessible to our contemporaries. The sexual act, he teaches, implies self-giving, a self giving denied in the very act of contraception. One's "body language" should mean as much as one's words do. Happiness and human flourishing cannot be built on insincere language or lies. Contraception – like pre-marital or extra-marital sex - is a lie because it denies the unconditional "yes" of one to another implied in the very act of love making.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Bluegrass Benefit this Saturday in Liberty
The Chambers family of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Kansas City has been performing Bluegrass and Classical music throughout the metro area for eight years. This year they won top honors at the New Musician Showcase Competition. The prize for that competition was use of the Liberty Performing Arts Theatre.
The Chambers are turning that opportunity into a charity benefit for Alexandra's House, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and Marian Hope Center for Children's Therapy.
And they're counting on area families to join in on the fun Saturday, July 26, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Liberty Theatre, 1600 S. Withers Rd. in Liberty.
Alexandra's House is a remarkable perinatal hospice in Kansas City which Lori Wood Habiger featured in The Catholic Key a few years back.
Fox 4 anchor Phil Witt will emcee the event featuring the Chambers family along with other area groups.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids (under 12), or $35 for a family. Prices are higher at the door. All proceeds benefit the three charities.
For more information, contact Maribeth Chambers, 816-454-3729 or the Liberty Performing Arts Theatre. For reserved seating, contact 816-439-4362.
Click on the video above to see the Chambers family perform.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The kids are Totus Tuus
Totus Tuus was the motto of Pope John Paul II. It was John Paul's reminder to the world of Mary's example of complete commitment to God - "Totally Yours". Regarding his motto, Pope John Paul said:
"Totus Tuus. This phrase is not only an expression of piety, or simply an expression of devotion. It is more. During the Second World War, while I was employed as a factory worker, I came to be attracted to Marian devotion. At first, it had seemed to me that I should distance myself a bit from the Marian devotion of my childhood, in order to focus more on Christ. Thanks to Saint Louis of Montfort, I came to understand that true devotion to the Mother of God is actually Christocentric, indeed, it is very profoundly rooted in the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption".
A catechetical summer program began to be developed by a seminarian of the Diocese of Wichita around 1987 in order to communicate the message of total commitment to God through Mary's example among grammar and high school age Catholics.
It has since spread to several other dioceses and is led in parishes by teams of college students including seminarians from the host diocese. This year, the program has debuted as a diocesan project in KCSJ with participation by nine parishes.
The above is a clip of the morning warm-up for the students participating at St. John LaLande in Blue Springs, MO.
Look for Marty Denzer's full coverage in the next issue of The Catholic Key.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Project Rachel ads
This ad for Project Rachel has been purchased and placed in the ladies rooms near the mirror and in some stalls at Kauffman Stadium. It's been there for the past month and should be through the current homestand.
Adrienne writes, "If you know someone in the KC area who is hurting after abortion, please let them know that there is hope and healing. More info is available at Project Rachel KC. From there, they can get in touch with a counselor who can help them on their healing journey. It's completely free and confidential."
A Feast for East and West
This desire is born of an awareness that East and West express the Christian faith in different ways which would be mutually beneficial, were we not sadly divided.
I had my first taste of the Eastern Churches when I visited Holy Transfiguration Monastery near Ukiah in northern California during college. The monastery is part of a Byzantine rite church in full communion with Rome. There I experienced a beauty and transcendence in liturgy that had me return again and again. It was something totally foreign to me and yet fully part of the one true faith.
One of the striking differences between East and West is in their respective treatment of saints. Like the West, the East has a myriad of saints, but in Eastern liturgy and iconography there is a much greater emphasis on the central characters. It was a great surprise to me to find out that in the East, Mary Magdalene is considered as central as it gets, beyond being the Mother of God or Christ Himself. In my upbringing at least, she was fairly tangential.
But consider what we know of her. She was the first to see the Risen Christ and it was to her that Christ gave the task to inform the apostles of his resurrection. So in the East, she is called "Equal to the Apostles" and "Apostle to the Apostles".
If you think of a saint as someone whose life proclaims Christ risen from the dead, then Mary Magdalene is very important indeed. You and I and every sinner, every saint, every pope, priest and nun, every Eastern and Western Christian, every person who ever confessed, "On the third day He rose again," says so because Christ told Mary Magdalene "Go tell my brothers."
Today is her Feast Day and Kansas Catholic has a post on her with useful links, including an indulgence related to her Feast.
Disputations blog has an interesting post on Jesus' other words to her, "Touch me not".
Orthodoxwiki has an article on her place in the Orthodox Church as well as some links and hymns to her including:
When God, who is transcendent in essence,
Came with flesh into the world, O Myrrhbearer,
He received you as a true disciple, for you turned all your love toward Him;
Henceforth you would yourself work many healings.
Now that you have passed into heaven, never cease to intercede for the world!
Monday, July 21, 2008
When should kids start dating?
The Kansas City Star has an interesting poll today – more interesting for the answer than the question. Participants at the mom2mom website were asked, "At what age should kids first be allowed to 'date'?"
The answer:
A: 6th Grade (2%)
B: 7-8th Grade (8%)
C: 9-10th Grade (85%)
The results seemed to me to answer more "When do kids begin to date?," rather than "When should kids begin to date?" Since those polled were moms, I would have figured there'd be at least a few hold-outs for a later age.
Turns out, options A, B, and C were the only possible answers. Quite a few respondents did prefer a later date in the comments posted to the poll.
Some also asked the more pertinent question, "What does 'date' mean?" One who voted for a younger age did so while defining dating as "Not really dating but they sit together in the lunch room at school and if they go hang out somewhere together at the mall or the movies or church youth group."
At the other end of the spectrum, there have been several articles recently lamenting the death of dating on college campuses where the more appropriate term is "hook up".
I like the definition offered by one of the respondents, but I fear in many places, it is operationally extinct:
"My definition of a 'date' is where he calls the girl, she accepts, he drives himself over to her house (preferably in his own car), picks her up from her house, obtains parental permission and lets her parents know where they are going and when she will be home, and THEN they go out on a 'date' which he pays for with his OWN money."
So from a Catholic point of view, I'm wondering how Catholic Key readers view this question. At what age would you allow your children to date, and what do you mean by date?
This article from an excellent Australian Catholic website called Mercatornet offers some advice for teens and their parents about dating. It is written by a canon lawyer who is well aware of the later results of poor dating practices:
"There is a growing awareness in many families that there is a big difference between courting and dating. In my work, I regularly encounter broken marriages. Along with my own personal experience in life, these unhappy relationships have taught me a thing or two about what constitutes unhealthy teenage dating behaviour, as well as what type of courtship leads to healthy marriages. Allow me to share this advice with teenagers and parents whose teenagers are of courting age."
Read the whole thing and please post your own thoughts below.
Farewell to Sydney
Chris writes:
"We have just completed the whole World Youth Day week . . . I got to see the Pope which was an amazing feeling. My favorite part of the week has probably been just seeing all of the pilgrims, meeting, and trading with them and hanging out with my own group. I feel like I have been absolutely blessed on this pilgrimage. The hospitality of our host families has been unbelievable. Everyone has been so kind and generous to us. This is one of the most beautiful places that I've ever been. This trip has lived up to my expectations and more."
Sunday, July 20, 2008
What did Jesus preach most?
Indulge me here, will you? . . . Imagine that you were intensely interested in Christianity and, therefore, wanted to learn more about Christ than what you have heretofore been able to glean from your Sunday sojourns to church. So, you have made an appointment to speak one day with the grizzled octogenarian, Monsignor Smart, who dwells with his books, and vast reputation, in one of those peculiarly Catholic-looking buildings across town.
You step into Smart's capacious room and gaze into his sagacious face. You are sitting on the edge of your creaking chair, waiting for him to dispense the wisdom of the ages, but he decides to open the conversation with a curious question. He asks you, "Because you are interested in Christ, it seems right that we begin discussing the subject that occupied Jesus more than all others. Do you know what that is?"
You feel strangely confident and say, "Oh, it must be 'sin.'" Monsignor blows the lint off his spectacles and kindly replies, "Well, no, that's not it. Want to guess again?" Somewhat more subdued this time, you say, "Uh, is it love?" And with that answer the old priest figures he has well-enough established the measurements of your ignorance so he just tells you an interesting fact. He says to you, "Jesus Christ, in the gospel narratives, speaks far more about the '
Being an unabashed neophyte at this serious religion business, you cheerily say, "Well, I guess that makes sense; that Jesus would talk more about heaven than anything else. After all, that's where we all want to go." Meanwhile Monsignor Smart has gotten out of his chair. As you speak he moves to the wall so you can't see him roll his eyes. He straightens one of the several yellowing diplomas hanging on his yellowing walls and returns to face you. He says, "If Jesus merely meant 'heaven' when he told the Parables of the Kingdom,' he would never have been crucified. In fact, he would have been considered a most innocuous do-gooder. Instead, '
The willowy old Monsignor Smart sends you back to your well-shaded neighborhood with some homework. He asks you to spend some time with Mt. 13: 24-43 and to contemplate this question in air-conditioned comfort, "Why did so many people hate Jesus of Nazareth?" Though it would be no great trick to find more learned expositors of scriptural interpretation than me; please allow me to help you with your homework.
The Parables of the Kingdom, such as confront us in this gospel, are not easy to understand. Indeed, some times it looks like Jesus told these parables to cloud our understanding, not clarify it. But the Lord had a very tough job to do here. Remember, he is announcing what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. For something to be hidden for so long, it is bound to be difficult to grasp. As we study the Parables of the Kingdom we must simultaneously consider God and consider ourselves.
First, Jesus says, The
Next, Jesus says, The
Finally, Jesus says, The
So, in these Parables of the Kingdom Jesus is speaking the riddle that got him crucified. The Savior says that the most irresistible power is the most tender love; that victory is in the sacrifice, not the seizure; that there is so much more grace in the nails than in the hammer.We hope to have more from our pilgrims in Sydney soon. This blog will continue, after all the festivities in Australia, to be a regular adjunct to The Catholic Key. We hope you'll bookmark this page and check back frequently.
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Saturday, July 19, 2008
Here comes everybody
Look for the cool T-Shirt logo toward the end - "Catholicism is not a spectator sport"
Friday, July 18, 2008
A bundle of pics from Carrie
The diocesan group set off this morning at 5 am with their packs on their backs, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and all the clothes they'll need until tomorrow afternoon. Tonight, there will be a prayerful Vigil with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Following the Vigil, over 200,000 pilgrims will be sleeping out under the stars.
BXVI's txts and Benedict's texts
"The spirit impels us 4ward 2wards others; the fire of his love makes us missionaries of God's charity. See u tomorrow nite -- BXVI."
Beyond fun and fellowship, WYD is an opportunity for the young of the world (and not just those in Australia) to learn what the Vicar of Christ is saying directly to them. The Vatican website has been posting the full text of Pope Benedict's talks and messages throughout WYD.
Pope Benedict's talk to a group of disadvantaged youth at a rehabilitation community today is particularly powerful. Here's and excerpt:
"The cult of material possessions, the cult of possessive love and the cult of power often lead people to attempt to "play God": to try to seize total control, with no regard for the wisdom or the commandments that God has made known to us. This is the path that leads towards death. By contrast, worship of the one true God means recognizing in him the source of all goodness, entrusting ourselves to him, opening ourselves to the healing power of his grace and obeying his commandments: that is the way to choose life."
Read the whole thing.
When brothers dwell in unity
We've been able to meet so many people from many other countries and talk about their faith lives. We met a young man from Pakistan the first day we were here. He actually had dinner with us and told us that only 1% of the population of Pakistan are Christians and 50% of that 1% are Catholic. He was so faith filled and passionate about being a part of a youth group able to join the rest of his fellow teens in this celebration. His hope is to spread the word of God in Pakistan bringing more to the Catholic faith. Our teens were encouraged by his enthusiasm, and actually energized by him. Several made the comment of how fortunate we are in our country to have so many more Catholics to celebrate our faith with.
As a matter of fact we have run into so many fellow Catholic teens and leaders from St. Louis, MO, as well as many teens from all over the U.S. We will celebrate Mass tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. with all the U.S. Pilgrims at the Domain (near Woolloomooloo and adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens) giving our teens a better sense of youth that are willing and able to travel half way around the world to celebrate their faith.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
World Youth Day Goodies
Jon Schaffhausen sends in this picture and list of World Youth Day goodies provided to Pilgrims:
- On Fire Holy Spirit Backpack w/ headphone port, 2 water bottle nets and lots of room for leftover Sara Lee Hedgehog Slices (Mmmm).
Going to see the Pope
Seeing the Pope today was beautiful and amazing! We located our designated spot an hour and a half before the Pope's arrival and waited in anticipation with over 100,000 other pilgrims. The Pope arrived by ferry. When the boat finally docked, the crowd went nuts! The Pope smiled and waved incessantly to the crowds. People chanted "Viva al Papa!" and a myriad of other things.
Walking to our designated area in Barangaroo (Darling Harbor) to see the Pope:
Lucy Pickert, Katrina Mancuso, Julia Pickert, Carrie Kafka
The Pope's boat arrives at Sydney Harbor.
The Pope has arrived
The energy was exhilerating. I haven't heard the numbers yet, all I can say is that it was an overflowing sea of young people who love their faith and their beloved Holy Papa!! I was moved to tears by the joy that filled the air from this generation of young people. I thought they've got something that many people will never see. This generation has found it in their faith.
There was something Pope Benedict addressed we discussed at dinner that touched on this very topic. I'm not sure his exact words, but it was to the affect of how young people approach the future with such enthusiasm, yet the future is daunting to him. (Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia has the full text of the Pope's talk) One of the host families we are staying with made the comment, "isn't it nice to have this young group here not worrying about mortgages, bills, pressures in life or anything". They said their energy and enthusiam is a delight to have around.
I spend a lot of time with youth and young adults in my job, and I too am moved by their passion for life, intrigued by their carefree attitude toward the pressures in life, and their willingness to make sacrifices to attend events such as this. As I stood in the midst of all the love shared today, watching them push forward to get as close as possible to Pope Benedict as he drove by, I thought more adults need to experience this because to describe it doesn't give it justice.
To make a good day even better, we ended it with Matt Maher hosting an XLT with adoration. As Fr. Karl Barmann said, next to the Pope's arrival, XLT was the best event of the week.....powerful!
Two more texts from BXVI
Here are his Wednesday and Thursday texts:
Wed. - "The Holy Spirit gave the Apostles & gives u the power boldly 2 proclaim that Christ is risen! BXVI."
Thurs. - "The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of salvation history: let him write your life history 2! -- BXVI."
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Beach, Beer and the Archbishop
G'Day from Sydney!
Yesterday was a "full-on" day as the Aussies would say. The pilgrims from our diocese were excited to begin the World Youth Day festivities. After Catechesis concluded, we headed into the city to check out all the youth festivities. Seven young adults from the diocese traveled to Bondi Beach for festivities with Father Stan Fortuna and the Franciscan Friars.
Daniel Neff at Bondi Beach
After spending some time on the beach, we headed to Theology on Tap in Paramatta (a suburb of the city). Archbishop Chaput from Denver spoke on the importance of not living a double life as a Christian and there were over 700 young adults present from all over the world for the talk. After speaking for 30 minutes, Archbishop fielded various questions from the audience.
I was inspired to see that God is working through Theology on Tap and pubs and beer to reach Catholics and non-Catholics alike -- even across the hemisphere!
eBenedict sponsored by the Archdiocese of Sydney has full coverage of Archbishop Chaput's talk.
Ain't no party like a Holy Ghost party
"Ain't no party like a Holy Ghost party 'cause a Holy Ghost party don't stop!!"
(That's a take-off on Rappin' Franciscan Fr. Stan Fortuna's - Ain't no party like the Catholic party)
"I say Jesus you say Christ! Jesus! CHRIST! Jesus! CHRIST!"
Add that to something our teaching bishop, Most Reverend Colin David Campbell of New Zealand, said this morning, "If you're not any fun, what kind of gospel are you preaching with your life? Who is going to follow you?" WYD 2008 lesson Number One is the Holy Spirit is JOYFUL!
It is a joyful thing to be able to converse with anyone on the street, a stranger from any country in the world and immediately feel like friends.
Hearing Aborigine Techno music in Darling Harbor was joyful.
It is joyful to hear about a resurgence in Australian Catholic youth learning about the richness of our faith and witness to Christ. Particularly enjoyable were the first-try Vegemite stories from our homestays. A classic favorite here, Vegemite is a dark brown, tarry-looking, salty yeast by-product apparently eaten commonly at breakfast on toast.
So for the next week, joy will certainly continue to permeate the atmosphere as we welcome the Holy Father, pray, sing, chant, dance, make new friends, eat new foods, see new sights and discover a new openness to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I think God is telling us something of what that Presence looks like.
Waiting in line for lunch outside our Catechesis site. Menu: barbecued sausages (big hot dogs) on white bread with ketchup and fried onions, lots of fresh fruit, and TimTams, an excellent chocolate wafer bar.
It is 11:47PM and I'm finally back at my "HomeStay" in Wahroonga, which means "our home". During the 30 minute train ride from downtown Sydney I fell asleep and awoke barely in time for my stop, a simple but significant demonstration of the Holy Spirit watching over me and all the pilgrims here, making sure we are where we need to be at any moment.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
How r u? - BXVI :-)
"Young friend, God & his people expect much from u, because u have within u the Father's supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus - BXVI."
(h/t to Tim Drake at pope2008.com)
Late news on a late arrival
So stay tuned for a lot more from Sydney when our bloggers get in from the airport and settled in.
Early fruits from an early arrival
I arrived in Sydney early Saturday morning, just two days before World Youth Day was scheduled to begin. The day was spent settling in and re-familiarizing myself with a country I called home back in 2003.
Sunday morning before Mass, I walked down to a local coffee shop for breakfast. After I ordered my food, I sipped a cup of coffee and chatted with a man named Francis. He wanted to know what I was doing in Australia. (He could tell by my accent that I was from somewhere else). I told him I'd traveled to Australia for World Youth Day. Francis' reaction to this was something I had not expected.
He proceeded to tell me that "a good mate of his" worked in Customs at the Sydney International Airport. I nodded, not knowing where he was going with the story. Apparently, his friend had had numerous conversations with female pilgrims attending World Youth Day who had checked "yes" to bringing prescription medication in to Australia. When asked to describe what kind of medication they were carrying, many of these women cited the names of various forms of birth control.
Hearing this story was initially shocking and disappointing to me. I could tell it had further solidified Francis' perception of the Catholic Church. He mentioned the word hypocrisy. As we continued to talk about it, I explained to him that though there might be a fair number of Catholics who are either uninformed or choose to ignore the Church's teachings on the use of contraception, there are many Catholics who are sold out for the Church and who get incredibly excited about using Natural Family Planning. Francis seemed surprised by this. I assured him it was true, as I was one of them. Unfortunately, our conversation was cut short, as it was time for me to go to Mass. But, it helped me to better understand one of the many things God is doing through World Youth Day. I had had the privilege of experiencing first-hand one of the most beautiful by-products -- the opportunity to evangelize in the subtlest of ways.
I pray for Francis, that God will provide the opportunity for someone to visit with him again in that coffee shop, and pick up right where we left off.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Indulgence Granted to All Praying for WYD
"The Plenary Indulgence is granted to the faithful who will devotedly participate at some sacred function or pious exercise taking place during the 23rd World Youth Day, including its solemn conclusion, so that, having received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and being truly repentant, they receive Holy Communion and devoutly pray according to the intentions of His Holiness.
"The Partial Indulgence is granted to the faithful, wherever they are during the above-mentioned meeting, if, at least with a contrite spirit, they will raise their prayer to God the Holy Spirit, so that young people are drawn to charity and given the strength to proclaim the Gospel with their life.
"So that all the faithful may more easily obtain these heavenly gifts, priests who have received legitimate approval to hear sacramental confessions, should welcome them with a ready and generous spirit and suggest public prayers to the faithful, for the success of the same World Youth Day".
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Welcome Catholic Key Readers
Meanwhile, you can learn all about WYD2008 at the official website.


text:
Understanding Costs
Here's how to understand the costs of construction and materials.
Frank Lloyd Wright was once asked if he could design a $10,000 house. The question was asked many decades ago, so it wasn't so absurd as it sounds today.
Wright replied that yes, he certainly could. But he added a qualifier: One thing he couldn't do would be to design a $20,000 house for $10,000.
Wright could sound like a wise guy at times, but those remain wise words. In fact, the same principle he espoused underlies a simple formula you might keep in mind as you think about the estimated cost of your project
Budget – Quality of Materials x Size
It's deceivingly simple but it's practically a law of nature. Especially if you are concerned with cutting dollars out of your budget, you will have to shrink the house or compromise on some of the materials. True, there are other extraordinary options that we will discuss later (being your own contractor, for example) but in general this formula is painfully accurate.
If you discover you can't afford to do what you want to do, then think about reducing the size of the job or finding cheaper alternatives.


text:
Morning office hours are held at the Duxbury Senior Center the third Friday of every month from 9am to 10am. Appointments are not required. All residents are welcome to stop by and speak to Rep. Cutler and his staff whether it's to share your views on an issue, discuss a constituent service matter or just to say hello.
Please note, if the Town Hall is closed for any reason we will not have office hours that day. Please check the website prior to the scheduled office hours as we occasionally have to rearrange our schedule when there are overlapping events.
10 Mayflower St
Duxbury, MA 02332
United States
Google map and directions


text:
Products > Investments > Mutual Funds > Fund families
Manulife Fund Families
Manulife Investments provides a complete suite of mutual funds with goals ranging from long-term growth to generating income. Our funds feature a number of award-winning portfolio managers who have distinguished themselves in their categories by providing investors with highly competitive risk-adjusted long-term returns.
Manulife Managed Solutions
Manulife combines its leading funds in pre-determined asset allocation portfolios designed to meet varying investor risk tolerance goals


text:
Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities in Thailand (CCD) has been providing care and support to abandoned children with disabilities, regardless of gender, nationality, creed or religion, since 1986.
CCD's Mission Statement
To demonstrate Jesus' love by helping disabled children achieve their highest potential though a holistic approach and to enable them to have equal rights, opportunities, a good quality of life and full integration into mainstream society.
CCD projects include:
CCD welcomes international and local volunteers (both professional and non-professional) to work alongside CCD staff in providing disabled children and young people with an opportunity to develop their physical, mental and social skills. Please see how to help for more information.
Click here for videos which show CCD's work.
For all the latest news, visit us on Facebook.
There are many different ways that you can help CCD provide love and support to children with special needs in Thailand.
You can opt to:
Christian Care Foundation for Childrenwith Disabilities in Thailand 18/1075 Moo 5 Sukhaprachasan 2 Road(Soi Wat Koo)Bangpood, Pakkred, Nonthaburi 11120click for map
View CCD-Rainbow House in a larger map
Mailing Address:PO Box 47, PakkredNonthaburi 11120
email: email@example.com tel: (+66 2) 584 6966(+66 2) 582 0620-3 fax: (+66 2) 584 6007


text:
The Justice Department promised Thursday to be "flexible" in enforcing new rules ordering public pools to pay for lifts or ramps for the disabled — backing away from what some pool operators had said was an invitation to a flood of lawsuits against small businesses.
The Washington Times reported that it marked the latest retreat for the department, which earlier this year ruled the Americans With Disabilities Act applied to pools open to the public, such as community recreation centers and hotels, which would have to invest in elevators, lifts or ramps in order to accommodate the disabled.
But with the March compliance deadline looming and members of Congress threatening action, the Justice Department issued an initial delay, and earlier this month extended the stay into next year. On Thursday, the department went further, saying the rules apply chiefly to new pools, while existing pools will only need to comply if it's easy and cheap to do so.
"Readily achievable means that it is easily accomplishable without much difficulty or expense," the department said. "This is a flexible, case-by-case analysis, with the goal of ensuring that ADA requirements are not unduly burdensome, including to small businesses."
The reprieve came just before the Memorial Day weekend, which marks the traditional opening day for many outdoor pools.
To read the entire article click here.


text:
PASADENA — A man suffered slashes to his head and arms while fighting off two robbers at Eaton Sunnyslope Park Friday afternoon, police said.
A 20-year-old Sierra Madre man was sitting on a bench at the park along Orange Grove Avenue just east of Sunnyslope Avenue about 4:15 p.m., when the crime took place, Pasadena police Lt. Jason Clawson said.
"(One of the robbers) came up behind him and asked for his property," Clawson said. "At the same time, he put unknown blunt object into victims abdomen."
The victim began fighting with the would-be robber, the lieutenant said.
"During the fight, the victim gets sliced with some type of sharp instrument, several times about the arms and head," he said. "The victim is able to fight his way out of the confrontation, an the suspect fled. They were not able to take any property."
The injured man went home and reported the crime to police a little over an hour later, Clawson said. He sought medical treatment on his own.
Police described the attacker as a Latino man, about 18 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, about 160 pounds, with black hair. He was accompanied by a second Latino man, also about 18 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 155 pounds.
Both were last seen fleeing the area on foot.


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Nikki Sixx Does Not Condone 'Anti-Gene Simmons Bashathon'
KISS' Gene Simmons gave an interview making some insensitive comments on the topic of depression, Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx called him out on it and after plenty of public heat, Simmons publicly apologized for his words. Now Sixx is following up Simmons' apology asking for an end to what he calls "an anti-Gene Simmons bashathon."
Sixx feels that the radio bans of Simmons are taking things too far and in his latest posting he also talks a little bit about his own experiences dealing with addiction and depression issues. He also uses the platform to draw more attention to bringing public awareness to depression, suicide and treatment statistics.
Check out Nikki's full posting on Gene Simmons, depression and suicide stats and more below.
I wanted to take a moment to address the media thats been picked up by everybody from Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, NME, Billboard and many more around Gene Simmons comments telling depressed people to kill themselves. I also want to address and compliment Gene for publicly apologizing. That was 100% the right thing to do. This has turned into a bit of an anti-Gene Simmons bashathon and I don't condone that nor do I support that radio stations across the country who are banning Kiss (the guys in the band didn't do anything). Gene said something that has been addressed and maybe in a moment of bravado he was just being cocksure and pompous?
Out of everything in my life that's has gone array either from my own action's or others I try to learn a lesson. There is good in everything. What I know is this. When people are listening we have an opportunity to pass along some valuable and positive information.
Since I have had my own struggle with addiction and depression I have been exposed to both sides of the process. Its not as simple as we are lowly addicts or morally incapable of pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, doing the right thing or just snapping out of it. The process involves hard work and hopefully some form of a support team (family, friends etc) around you. That could mean therapy, rehab, 12 step programs or sometimes-even medication. It's better than the alternative. Trust me..
So here are some stats I pulled for the uneducated and for anybody needing to know you're not alone.
Thanks for being proactive in bringing awareness..Nikki
Depression stats
--14.8 million American adults (6.7%) are affected by a major depressive disorder each year
--1 in 10 Americans are affected by Depression at one point in their life.
--Women are twice as likely to have depression and symptoms of depression
--People aged 45-64 have the highest percentage rate for depression. (4.6%)
--The most common age to start developing symptoms of depression is 32.
--Depression is the cause of over two-thirds of reported suicides each year (20,000 a year)
--For every 2 homicides in the US, there are 3 suicides.
--Untreated depression is the #1 risk for suicide among youth.
--The death rate from suicide is higher than chronic liver disease, Alzheimer's, murder or hypertension.
--80% of people that have symptoms of clinical depression are not receiving any treatment
--The Number of patients diagnosed with depression increases by about 20% each year.
--60-80% of all depression cases can be effectively treated with therapy and medication.
--Depression causes $70 billion in medical costs and lost productivity each year.
After Simmons initial comments went public, the Triple M network of Australian radio stations banned KISS music, and there have been several radio protests stateside as well. However, each of those actions took place before Simmons issued his public apology and Sixx posted his new message.