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Thank you to the Albany Business Review for featuring me in their Spotlight section! This is the third time that I have appeared in this section of the paper (earlier articles can be found here and here). Special thanks to Brian Bushner!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Banana Protein Muffins
We always end up with extra fruit at our house– especially bananas. Between the two of us, we probably eat about ten a week (crazy, right?!) so I always buy more than we need. Typically, I use leftovers in protein pancakes on Sundays, but I found myself with a few leftovers from the previous week… and they were getting preeeeeetty brown. Instead of doing banana bread, I decided to do something a little different!
These banana protein muffins make a great snack on-the-go (and what prego doesn't need a few snacks in the car!) or a nice pick-me-up for before/after workouts.
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How swimming is saving my sanity
Check out my newest blog… #Bumplife!
I cannot even imagine what my life would be like without my father-in-law's pool.
I am very fortunate to have access to this beautiful in ground pool all summer long. Between the summer heat, constant hot flashes and feeling approximately the same size as a baby hippo, the water is just what I need for a day of relaxation. With both kids grown and out of the house– and grandkids only over on weekends– I've had the great fortune of having this beautiful space all to myself for most of the summer (so far, at least).
As you can imagine, finding a great swimming workout was a must.
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Dr. Maya Angelou has died
I have a certain way of being in this world, and I shall not, I shall not be moved.
— Maya Angelou (@DrMayaAngelou) April 29, 2014
Donny and I celebrated our second anniversary yesterday (more on that later). During our wedding ceremony on May 27, 2012, a friend read this poem by Dr. Angelou. It has always been one of my favorites.
The sun has come.
The mists have gone.
We see in the distance…
our long way home.
I was always yours to have;
You were always mine.
We have loved each other in and out of time.
When the first stone looked up at the blazing sun
and the first tree struggled up from the forest floor
I had always loved you more.
You freed your braids…
gave your hair to the breeze.
It hummed like a hive of honey bees.
I reached in the mass for the sweet honey comb there….
Mmmm…God, how I loved your hair.
You saw me bludgeoned by circumstance.
Lost, injured, hurt by chance.
I screamed to the heavens…
loudly screamed…
Trying to change our nightmares into dreams…
The sun has come.
The mists have gone.
We see in the distance our long way home.
I was always yours to have
and you were always mine.
We've loved each other
in and out
in and out
in and out of time.
No fat chicks.
This was originally posted to the Capital Region Newsroom blog.
In an interview earlier this week, Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries caused a firestorm in the over-size-10 community by allegedly saying that his clothing brand does not cater to fat people. And it wasn't just a subtle "Our brand caters to those who live the lifestyle that is in-tune with our brand".
In the article, Jeffries said that he only wants thin and beautiful people to wear Abercrombie clothing, and that he doesn't want core customers seeing people who are "not as hot as them" wearing the brand. Channeling our high school nightmares about well-off, preppy kids, he went on to say, "People who wear (Abercrombie & Fitch) should feel like they're one of the 'cool kids'".
While stores like H&M, American Eagle and others carry sizes from 00 to 18 for women, the largest pant size at A&F are a size 10.
In a nation where the media is credited with becoming more sensitive to our ever-growing overweight and obese population– and where "fat shaming" a la Kim Kardashian and Jessica Simpson is frowned upon (but done with gusto)– is Jeffries justified in his stance? Should we stop being so politically correct to the larger among us, or is Jeffries just a jerk?
Or should we be concerned that half-naked youngsters (called "models") are hanging outside of the overly-perfumed stores, making anyone over the age of 22 feel uncomfortable while walking by the store? I mean, really. Put a shirt on.
Is age just a number?
Note: This article was first published on Albany 2 Cents.
I taught my first college course at the age of 23. I remember the first day of class. Check that; I remember the first day before class. I stood in front of my closet for what seemed like hours, staring at my clothing. Will this pink sweater make me look too young? Do people wear stockings in the spring? Should I wear a suit?
Will they take me seriously because of my age?
The question of age has risen recently in the Capital Region with the case of Christina Abele. A 22-year-old graduate of Siena College, Abele was offered the supervisor position at the Saratoga County Animal Shelter. The young woman reportedly volunteered at the shelter for a few years before applying for the position—which she won over 62 other applicants. In addition to a large budget, the person appointed to the supervisor position would oversee a team of staff and volunteers. When it was announced that Abele was the final candidate chosen for the position, a public outcry ensued over — you guessed it — Abele's age.
Armory cancels more events
Note: This article was originally posted to Albany 2 Cents.
It's the second event in less than a week to be cancelled at the Washington Avenue Armory, and ticketholders have taken to the venue's Facebook page to vent.
Excision—a dubstep DJ and music producer from Canada—was booked and set to perform on Thursday, March 12. Reports say that performance was shut down after disputes about security. Another electronic music event called "Electric Safari" was shut down by the city of Albany just hours before doors were supposed to open on Friday, March 8.
After speaking with a promoter involved with the Electric Safari event, I was told that all necessary permits were secured from the city. Regardless, that promoter stated that the event was cancelled because of the fact that it involved DJs rather than bands. In both cases, each event was cancelled on the day of the performance, and after tour busses arrived, electrical equipment was set up, and—most importantly to patrons—tickets were sold.
Look both ways
Note: This article was originally published to Albany 2 Cents.
Maybe it's because I grew up outside of rural Altamont and suburban Colonie. Maybe it's because it's because I truly fear death, or at least, broken bones. Maybe it's because my kindergarten teacher really drilled the concept of "left, right, left" into my adolescent head.
Whatever the reason, I still fail to understand why people refuse to safely cross Central Avenue.
It's ten o'clock on a Wednesday night, and I'm finally getting out of work. As I leave the studio, I am tired, and simply cannot wait to climb into my Hyundai Accent, make the fifteen-minute drive home, plop on my couch and watch the latest episode of The Walking Dead. When I get into my car, I fasten my seatbelt. I lock my doors ("just in case," Mom always said). I check my mirrors. I do not text. I safely pull into traffic and begin driving down Central Avenue in Albany.
Central Avenue is not the most interesting street in the area. Firstly, it's very straight. It doesn't curve much. When I lived in Altamont, I remember Route 146 being rather curvy, especially when met by roads leading to a drive to Thatcher Park. When I visit my parents in Delmar, I am subjected to a ridiculous series of three roundabouts which—after I clear each one—I almost expect to be greeted by Mark Summers to award me a trip to Space Camp and new pair of British Knight sneakers, or to have green slime dumped on my head. When I lived in Bethlehem, I remembered drives through Voorheesville, where I needed to be ever-vigilant for Bambi and his mom, who could be stealthily hiding in the shadows, waiting to dart in front of my car and ruin my evening (or, at the very least, my front bumper).


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It gives a lovely soft light shown here against Old White wall. I for one am lamenting the demise of the 60 watt bulb, hate the awful greenish tinge given by energy saving bulbs.
This lovely old anglepoise recently restored to full working order..thanks Chubby...is a perfect match for the Pigeon walls. I have a very similar one for sale at present..in Hardwick White I think.


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Where Does Creativity Come From?
Just about anywhere.
For me I used to think it fell from the sky, and in a way it does. But I have to be ready to catch it. I meditate, and learn to quite my mind, so I can hear when she, creativity, softly knocks at the door to my imagination. I look for it in people who make me smile and laugh. I keep my studio a "negative energy free" zone. I cultivate things that are positive. I am a gardener, ever tilling the soil, pulling weeds, planting seeds, trimming back, and harvesting. Creativity can come at unexpected times. In the darkest times, or the best of times. It can speak through anyone. It can come when your looking for it and when your not.
Keep them close, like your favorite brushes, and paints.
I am not one who has a large group of friends, just the opposite. In honesty, I can be a bit closed off, in my head so to speak. But those close to me are fantastic humans. They inspire me. Enter my friend, Jim West (you can follow him on FB). His personality spoke to me through his photography and the fact that he used to live in Ireland for a bit. His FaceBook feed is always upbeat and positive. His adventures are endless (so is his energy). Evidently he saw my images and they also struck a cord in him, just like his photography did in me. My art made him happy, and he acted on that, and reached out to me. His joy and happiness over my images started a much need fire in my creative soul. (Ohhhh Jim you will never know). But let me give a shout out to Jim right now, and some of the things that he does.
This man is truly inspired, and he lets that passion infect others. Thank you Jim for infecting me. What does he do you ask? Inspires and Travels. He takes people to fantastic destinations all over the world and introduces them to accomplished artisans. He pulls back the curtain, and lets creativity in. Here is an excerpt from his page in regards to his most recent endeavor "Destination Craft with Jim West" a fantastic travel show that they just finished shooting: "The show will not be your typical craft show that you have seen on television before. We are actually traveling to different countries around the world and learning crafts firsthand from master artists. We are traveling to Bali to learn batiking from master batik artists, woodcarving, painting, and weaving. We will learn pasta making from an Italian chef in Tuscany and take a lesson in mosaics from a seventy five year old master artist in his workshop in Florence. Our journey will bring us to Guatemala where we will learn about back-strap weaving from master weavers and embroidery from master embroidery artisans. We will paint flowers on a canvas in Monet's Garden in France as we learn from a master French artist and enjoy a French cooking class in addition to quilting and emboidery. We'll even travel on a cruise where in each stop we will feature a special craft from that country or area of the world. The first season we will visit 13 countries and share up to 52 different crafts!"
Right?? So how could you not be inspired by all that?
How about a chance to win a free trip?
Check out Destination Craft on FB for details and Destination Craft web page. By the way the show will be a show airing on PBS some time next year in October so be sure to watch. Truly this is cool.
Now would you like to be able to get a wonderful e-magazine, FREE. By the way there is in article about yours truly…….ME! So check this out!!! Lots of other artist also and more photo's about trips and things on the horizon from Jim West and Destination Craft.
When I told this to Super Pig, well that pig wanted to go and meet this mad genius. So Super pig set off on an adventure of their own. Bags packed and friends in tow, this little pig is off for an adventure.
Until next time, have a creative day.
Special Thank you To Jim West
- Information on Jim's Travel Tours can be found


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The Specialist Buyers Guide for Professionals in The Landscape Industry
Inturf, since 1985, have developed a reputation for quality and service, we are founder members of the Turfgrass Growers Association which exists to drive up standards in our industry.
Inturf's farms located near York and Grantham are unquestionably the finest regions for growing top quality turf. Its stone-free, rich sandy soils and available irrigation are perfect for maintaining the grass in the best possible condition. Our state of the art drilling and harvesting equipment ensures quality and efficiency at every stage.
Inturf products adorn world class Golf venues, are used by respected landscape practitioners and are stocked by 500 outlets nationwide.
In 1990 we developed the revolutionary Big Roll turf harvesting system and this format is available for larger areas where speed is of the essence. Significantly less joints ensure rapid establishment and less waste.
Inturf pride ourselves on reliability, being safety conscious and high level of integrity.
Rolawn is Europe's largest producer of cultivated turf and is also recognised as Britain's leading supplier of high quality topsoil. The brand is the benchmark for quality and service, a status which has been achieved through a commitment to advanced production processes, innovation and attention to detail in all areas for more than 40 years.
Rolawn's Medallion® turf is Britain's biggest selling and most frequently specified turf and is the first choice for landscapers, groundsmen, landscape architects and home owners who demand the best. Our turf and topsoil products have been incorporated into numerous medal winning gardens at leading flower shows and are regularly featured on television and in the media.
In conjunction with our sister company Hallstone Developments Limited, Rolawn provides responsibly sourced, recycled, sustainable topsoils and mulches which are safe, fertile certified, of consistent high quality and analysed to BS3882:2015.
Rolawn also provides premium quality bark, soil improver, compost and decorative aggregates in addition to lawn seed, fertiliser and topdressing; distributed throughout the UK.
MCM is a reputable and reliable supplier to the construction and landscape industries, MCM has become renowned for sourcing the best products and waste solutions for many different projects. From muck away, primary and recycled aggregates to certified topsoil, our customers are and have always been our number one priority.
While our competitors attempt to mirror our approach, our topsoil is regarded as the best by many of our customers. The quality and consistency of our products has brought us a number of high-profile project wins, including the Olympic project, Hyde Park, Warner Brothers park, the Cambridge University Triangle development and the Brighton Hospital development.
In addition to aggregates and topsoils, MCM provide a range of site and waste management services in conjunction with trusted partners across the UK. Our services include muck away, bioremediation services, Japanese Knotweed removal, and more.


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Tonight's question, greetings, and banter here. (More)
Today the Senate rejected the House bill to delay Obamacare and again voted to send a clean continuing budget resolution back to the House. Before the vote, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) rebuked House Republicans, as did Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), who said Tea Party Republicans are "giddy" about the impending shutdown. And a new CNN/ORC poll found that 69% of Americans think Republicans in Congress are "acting like spoiled children" in the shutdown battle. Are we in what Majority Leader Reid called "the banana Republican mindset?"


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Adrian Mutu and William Gallas
|Mon, 9 Jun 2008
|Preview Image #0000021761
|Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008
|Photographer: Jastrzebowski Tomasz
Caption: Romania's forward Adrian Mutu, left, heads the ball while France's defender William Gallas looks on during the Euro 2008 Group C soccer match between Romania and France at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday June 9, 2008.
Event: Uefa Euro 2008 - Romania vs. France
Location: Zurich / Zurich / Switzerland
Topics: Soccer / Sport / Uefa Euro 2008 Austria-Switzerland
File Size: 892.6 KB (3034pixel X 2022pixel)
Copyright © 2019 DIPAG di Guarriello Mirko
All rights reserved. Republication and redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited.
Programming by Mirko Guarriello Sports Photography


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Season 42
Band of Horses / Parker Millsap
Enjoy modern roots rock with Band of Horses and Parker Millsap.
Band of Horses / Parker Millsap
Enjoy the ACL debut of pop legend Cyndi Lauper performing classics and country covers.
Cyndi Lauper
Natalia Lafourcade / Grupo Fantasma
Enjoy the contemporary Latin sounds of Natalia Lafourcade and Grupo Fantasma.
Natalia Lafourcade / Grupo Fantasma
A thrilling hour with rock & roll legend Iggy Pop in his first-ever ACL appearance.
Iggy Pop
Enjoy performances by acclaimed singer/songwriters James Bay and Rhiannon Giddens.
James Bay / Rhiannon Giddens
Savor a career-spanning set from legendary singer/songwriter Paul Simon.


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Imagine a wedding in paradise –your dreams can come true at Island Inn. We have hosted hundreds of Sanibel Island weddings and understand how special your wedding day is for you, your family and friends. At the Island Inn we make your wedding a romantic, relaxed and unforgettable event.
We cater to everything from large to more intimate weddings and provide accommodations for you and your guests – a range of beachfront rooms, suites and cottages. We also provide food and beverage options, a Gulf view reception room with dance floor, a private beach and a staff that will go the extra mile to meet your needs. Each wedding at Island Inn is tailored to your desires. We have a team of specialists who can help you plan every detail – the ceremony, photography, flowers, arch, permits, licenses, etc. and collaborating this with your food and beverage options at your reception.
Our award-winning restaurant, bar and lounge, Traditions On The Beach, is one of the only beachfront venues that can host your reception. Traditions on the Beach, Sanibel's best beachfront restaurant, serves fresh Italian & Mediterranean cuisine prepared by owners Andrea and Sheila Mucciga and their team. They have a range of wedding packages to meet your needs and can tailor a wedding package to suit you.
Andrea & Shelia Mucciga
Owner, Traditions on the Beach
(239) 472.4559
Wedding Planner
We work with Glory Williams, an experienced local wedding planner who has the resources to answer all of your questions and the knowledge to enhance your experience.
Glory Williams
Wedding Coordinator
A Perfect Beginning
(239) 540-0538
Request more information about Island Inn weddings
Take a moment to fill out the following questionnaire and an Island Inn representative will respond with additional information to help get the ball rolling!


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Salt crystal can come from all over the world, but it is primarily found in the Himalayan foothills of central Asia. The Charlotte-based company Ionic Salts uses this material to produce a line of merchandise said to offer many health and aesthetic benefits, including help to improve one's "chi." At present, Ionic Salts carries salt lamps, Himalayan bath salt, peloid mud mask (also containing salt crystals), salt bars, salt bowls and plates, and salt tiles.
The most popular, it seems, are salt lamps. When illuminated, they create a warm environment for your living space, in colors ranging from red and orange to peach and apricot.
"Salt lamps can not only improve ambience and mood by being aesthetically pleasing, but the natural properties of warmed Himalayan salt can improve indoor air quality," says Darren Wright, co-owner and Web developer of Ionic Salts. "Our salt lamps are also known to reduce asthma, airborne allergy triggers, and eliminate snoring."
While Ionic Salts does not yet have a brick-and-mortar location in the Queen City, the company, which has been around for seven years, distributes its products both online and in wholesale markets. $4 to $150. www.ionicsalts.com.


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WILMINGTON — Faster, market competitive, and safer airplane repairs. Those are the goals of a project by the University of Akron and Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services (AMES) in obtaining Federal Aviation Administration approval for "cold spray" repair of corroded and worn parts on commercial aircraft.
A demonstration was held Monday at the Wilmington Air Park of what the Supersonic Particle Deposition (SPD) can do. Scott Fawaz, Principal Engineer and President of Safe Engineering, spoke about what SPD is.
"It's a state-of-the-art technology where you essentially can take a part that's been damaged by corrosion, fretting, or chafing — these normal things that happen in just having an aircraft service — and then you can apply cold-spray on top of that damage after you remove it and essentially restore the part to its original blueprint dimension," said Fawaz.
The technique involves a high-pressure spraying process in which metal particles contained in a supersonic jet of an expanded gas impact a solid surface with sufficient energy to cause bonding with the surface. This additive manufacturing process builds up and repairs the surface of the metal part without creating a heat-affected zone that would occur during welding or high-temperature thermal spray.
Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives Cliff Rosenberger and President Pro-Tem of the Ohio Senate Bob Peterson spoke about what they think this means for Ohio.
"As much as possible we'll always continue to find ways to continue to advance what's going on at the air park," said Rosenberger. "I'm just amazed to watch this process. Anytime we can continue to invest in technology that allows a place of business in our state to advance and be more efficient and create jobs is a win-win."
Rosenberger said that it's amazing what kind of things can be done today and what opportunities that locals will have.
"They'll be able to continue to refine it, make it better in partnership with the University of Akron and hopefully prove to the Federal Aviation Administration that this is technology worthy of using in the future."
Brady Templeton, President of AMES, said they were contacted by the University of Akron to consider partnering with a study they were conducting on aerospace corrosion. He said that this technology would help reduce costs and the service time needed for a plane.
Templeton said that jobs creation is not a part of this first phase.
"Phase one is to prove and get this process certified.," he said. "Once it's certified it's limitless in terms of the type of equipment, the amount of equipment, the locations we have it, the number of parts we have certified."
Reach John Hamilton at 937-382-2574


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We have 5 rooms at Sea Tea Improv Studios where we hold our classes and rehearsals that are also available to rent: 500/Main (the original room), 501 (right across from the elevator), the Vlad Room, the Red Room, and our 3rd Floor Room.
These calendar widgets can let you explore them all to check their availability. Please contact email@example.com to book a room.
Note: unless your Google account has special access to these calendars, most booked time will simply be marked as "busy".


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A quality Cutlery Roll, ideal for keeping any type of cutlery in good condition. Each roll can hold up to 12 pieces of cutlery. The cutlery storage roll is made of soft 100% cotton cloth impregnated with a special anti-tarnish ingredient to give your silver a long lasting protection. The colour of the roll is now burgandy.
You can quickly search by price of the products using the controls below.
Price From:
Price To:
Prices Subject to VAT in the UK & EC


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Abigroup secures Wiggins Island Rail Project Balloon Loop contract
22 June 2012
Abigroup has been awarded a $76 million contract from QR National to undertake the civil works for a 13km balloon rail loop for the new Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal at the Port of Gladstone in Queensland.
The Wiggins Island Balloon Loop (Segment 1) project involves carrying out the earthworks and drainage for the rail balloon loop and includes two million m3 of fill, a creek diversion and environmental management.
Abigroup already has a major presence on Wiggins Island being currently involved in a joint venture to build part of the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal.
Abigroup's Queensland General Manager Mick O'Dwyer said, "This major new project for QR National builds on the increasing amount of resources based infrastructure work we are carrying out in the Gladstone area.
"We are already currently building part of the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal and recently we constructed 8kms of seawall bunds as part of the Port of Gladstone Western Basin expansion."
Work is due to start shortly on the new rail balloon loop project which will form a key part of a new coal export supply chain for existing and future Queensland coal producers in the Surat and Bowen basins


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Monday, June 06, 2016
Monday Night Jams
Six more weeks, though. Then he is off to Columbus. Will happen before we know it. Far before we're actually ready for it. So we're enjoying every performance, while they last.
Posted by Jon McDougal at 11:28 PM
Labels: Family
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Pomona isn't hibernating this winter. Over the next few months, an A-list actor, a comedian, activists and even a Martian (OK, sort of) will make appearances on campus. Here are eight great events to look forward to in chronological order:
1. Haiti on View
The Pomona College Museum of Art's new exhibitions are "Restoring the Spirit: Celebrating Haitian Art," a landmark survey of Haiti's complex visual traditions from 1940 to the present, and " The Shake of a Man in Fever: Haiti's February Revolution Through the Lens of Danny Lyon," a series of photographs from the Museum's permanent collection. On view from Jan. 19-May 15, the Museum is open Tuesdays-Sundays, from noon-5 p.m., and Thursdays from 5 p.m.-11 p.m. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m.
2. Honoring a King
Pomona College will host The Claremont Colleges Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration in Seaver Theatre (300 E. Bonita Ave., Claremont), where Jamilah Lemieux, activist, columnist and editor at Ebony magazine, will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. A day of service with volunteer opportunities available will be held in honor of King on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 9 a.m.-noon.
3. Comic Relief
Emmy Award-winning and Grammy-nominated comedian David Cross, named by Comedy Central as one of the "Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time," will present "Making America Great Again!" at Bridges Auditorium on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. Cross is known for creating memorable TV characters, including the much-beloved role of Dr. Tobias Fünke on "Arrested Development" and writing and starring in "Mr. Show." Tickets for David Cross are $10 for 7C students and $20 general admission.
4. The Voice(s)
All ages are welcome to watch and listen to college a cappella groups from across California vie for the top spot at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Southwest Quarterfinal on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in Big Bridges. The top two placing groups will advance to the ICCA Southwest Semifinal. Tickets for the a cappella groups are $15 for students and children; $20 general admission.
5. Back to the Future.
Actor, activist and author Michael J. Fox will speak at Pomona in a free, ticketed event on Friday, Feb. 12 at 4:30 p.m. in Bridges Auditorium. Fox played the role of the lovable conservative Alex P. Keaton on NBC's "Family Ties" (1982-89), earning three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, and making him one of the country's most prominent actors. Among his extensive film and television work, Fox is also well known for the "Back to the Future" trilogy and his part on "Spin City." The recipient of several lifetime achievement acting awards, most recently he has had a recurring role on CBS's "The Good Wife."
After his public disclosure that he had early-onset Parkinson's disease, Fox became an ardent advocate for increased research to find a cure, and started The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research —the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's drug development in the world.
Tickets will be available to the general public via the Bridges website beginning Feb. 1.
6. Alumni Music-Makers
Alumnipalooza is a music festival featuring—you guessed it—alumni. A special Bridges Hall of Music Centennial Celebration performance, it will be held on Friday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. The music of Debussy, Dietterich, Dutilleux, Fauré, Kohn, Purcell, Randall-Myers, Rossini and Stravinsky will be played from the stage by: Lucy Shelton '65 and Hayden Eberhart '07, sopranos; Katharine Rawdon '82, flute; Lucas Harris '96, plucked strings; Kathy Supové '73 and Raj Bhimani '82, pianos; Brendon Randall-Myers '09, composer/guitar; and Noah Dietterich '09, singer/songwriter.
7. A Film That's Out of This World
The blockbuster Golden Globe-winning film "The Martian," starring Matt Damon and much buzzed about as an Oscar nomination fave, will be screened for free for the campus community and alumni on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. in Bridges Auditorium. Special bonus feature: "Martian" Producer Aditya Sood '97 will be in attendance for a Q&A session moderated by Pomona College Politics Professor David Menefee-Libey.
8. Criminal Justice Conference
A three-day symposium examining criminal justice in the U.S. will be held March 28-30, with daily panel discussions on related topics and a keynote address delivered on March 29 by lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson who is the author of Just Mercy, the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, and a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." Stevenson will speak on "American Injustice: Mercy, Humanity and Making a Difference." The symposium will conclude with a community organization networking event that will provide opportunities for the College community to engage with local/regional organizations working in the area of criminal justice. This ticketed talk is free, open to the public and will be held in Bridges Auditorium.


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The conversion of wind energy into electric energy is just one among the planet's fastest businesses.At the united states alone, wind power capacity has increased by a large average of 29 percent annually for past five years; end power now leads just a little more than 1 percent of their overall US energy demand.
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Peut être avez-vous lu les 2 livres dont il est question dans le texte que je vous partage aujourd'hui et que j'ai trouvé ici... perso je ne possède que 1984... va falloir donc que je cours me prendre un exemplaire du livre de Huxley! ! Desolé pour les non anglophones... mais vous pouvez passer directement à l'illustration de fin, très compréhensible!
Édit : le gouvernement passe à la vitesse supérieure en cohésion avec les idées d'Huxley voir ici.
Édit : le gouvernement passe à la vitesse supérieure en cohésion avec les idées d'Huxley voir ici.
This is perhaps one of the most striking passages I have read for a while. It describes the modern world with startling accuracy. In our fear of an increasingly authoritarian rule, we have allowed a far more dangerous vision to come true:heedlessness
Below is the foreward of Neil Postman's book "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business", accompanied by a comic illustration of the two ideas. It gives a concise comparison of the two authors views and what they foresaw society will become. But perhaps the remarkable part of this whole story passage lies beyond its lines with us:
Most of us will read this and continue living our life exactly the same way as before
…wake up
We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another – slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions". In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right[Neil Postman - Amusing ourselves to death]
[The comic is Stuart McMillen's interpretation of media theorist Niel Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), subtitled "Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business"]


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Browse Items (4 total)
Tusraayugaat - The Inupiaq Word for "News"
A 4-page newspaper in both Inupiaq and English languages.
Conition - used, excellent
Conition - used, excellent
Color photograph of Kotzebue radar towers with autographs.
8x10 tinted or color photo of the Kotzebue towers with friends' autographs
Welcome to the 748th AC&W Sq Kotzebue Alaska
Base guide & information for the newcomer or visitor. 8 pages plus two attachments.
Condition - used, very good.
Condition - used, very good.
Lighted Hydrogen Thyratron tube
Hydrogen thyratron tube from the AN/FPS-20A at Kotzebue AFS, AK converted to a display lamp. Lighted with violet LEDs to simulate the glow of the working tube.
Tags: FPS-27, Kotzebue AFS, Thyratron


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Jean Lafitte, Louisiana
|Town of Jean Lafitte
A portion of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Bayou Barataria
|United States
|3 ft (0.9 m) [1]
|Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.
|6.3 sq mi (16.3 km2)
|- land
|6.0 sq mi (16 km2)
|- water
|0.3 sq mi (1 km2), 4.76%
|1,903 (2010)
|324.7 / sq mi (125.4 / km2)
|Timothy P. Kerner (D)[2][3]
|- summer (DST)
|Area code
|Website: http://www.townnofjeanlafitte.com
Jean Lafitte is a town on Bayou Barataria in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is named after the privateer Jean Lafitte. The population was 1,903 at the 2010 census.[4] It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Jean Lafitte is located at Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. (29.735587, -90.122053).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2), of which, 6.0 square miles (16 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (4.47%) is water.
In 2012, a historical marker for the community of Manila Village was placed in Jean Lafitte.[5] Since mid-2013, Manila Plaza, designed attractively and located in front of Jean Lafitte Town Hall, has held several historical markers and commemorative plaques acknowledging important individuals in the area's Filipino American history.[citation needed] The Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society participated in the dedication ceremony.[citation needed]
While there were several settlements of Filipinos (sometimes called Manilamen or Tagalas) along the Louisiana coast in the late 19th century, Manila Village was the largest. The residents there implemented a system of platforms on which they dried shrimp, as forerunners of Louisiana's 21st-century dried shrimp industry. This community-on-stilts thrived for nearly a century, until it was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965.[6]
|Historical population
|Est. 2014
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 2,137 people, 721 households, and 575 families residing in the town. The population density was 357.5 people per square mile (138.0/km²). There were 767 housing units at an average density of 128.3 per square mile (49.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.03% White, 0.61% African American, 2.76% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.
There were 721 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,833, and the median income for a family was $40,163. Males had a median income of $32,025 versus $22,697 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,209. About 14.2% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 24.7% of those age 65 or over.
Lafitte residents are zoned to Jefferson Parish Public Schools.
Residents from K-6 are zoned to Leo E. Kerner Elementary School (formerly Lafitte Elementary School). 7-12 are zoned to Fisher Middle-High School.
The Leo. E. Kerner Jr. City Park Multi-Purpose Complex is located in Jean Lafitte. Jefferson Parish Library operates the Lafitte Library inside the complex. The over 4,500 square feet (420 m2) facility, which is almost three times larger than the previous library facility, opened on March 4, 2010. The previous library facility sustained damage during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, and the library contents were destroyed. The American Library Association donated $200,000 to the State of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Library Association's Disaster Relief Program awarded $20,000 of that to Jefferson Parish Library; the funds were used to rebuild the Lafitte Library. The previous library building became the Sheriff Harry Lee Police Station.[10]
See also
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve - Barataria Preserve
- ↑ "Jean Lafitte, Louisiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 8, 1995. Retrieved 2007-12-12.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Mayor Timothy Kerner is listed among the state and local officials who have endorsed the reelection in 2014 of Democrat U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu.
- ↑ "Landrieu's GOP Endorsements Pale In Comparison To 2008 Election". thehayride.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Pia Lee-Brago (1 July 2012). "Pinoy fishermen honored at marker unveiling in Louisiana". Philippine Star. Retrieved 16 February 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Shirley Laska; Kristina Paterson; Michelle E. Alcina; Jonathan West; Ashley Volion (2010). "Enhancing Gulf of Mexico Coastal Communities'Resiliency Through Participatory Community Engagement". CHART Publications. University of New Orleans. Retrieved 20 August 2012.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
"Historical Marker for Manila Village in Louisiana Unveiled". Department of Foreign Affairs. Republic of the Philippines. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Filipino Contributions Remembered with Historical Markers, Lara Arceneaux's blog article of July 12, 2013, at The Times-Picayune; accessed 22 March 2015.
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Lafitte Library." Jefferson Parish Library. Retrieved on September 28, 2010.
External links
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Category:{{#property:P373}}|Jean Lafitte, Louisiana]].


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Watch The Maze Runner: The Death Cure
"Every maze has an end"
In this final installment of the dystopian franchise, a group of insurgent kids fights to break free from an oppressive regime. Only by violently expressing their freewill can they save their friends and, ultimately, their society.
| 2018 | 2 hr 22 min | 10 /
- Cast
- Studio
- Director
- Wes Ball
- Language
- English
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Prelude: 36 Hours
My first foreign experience was back in the late fifties as a teenager living in Los Angeles. I spent an afternoon, or maybe was it a couple of afternoons, hard to tell at this distance, with a friend in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego. The main tourist drag was lined with taverns, or maybe they were girlie bars. Sidewalk recruiters tried to draw us in, but in any case I was way too green to enter. The streets were choked with fumey bunged up old beater cars sold across the border for little more than scrap. And all approaches to the town made it seem like backyard type custom auto upholsterers were the city's #1 industry. Thirty dollars for seat covers, ninety for a complete interior and three hundred for tuck and roll everything, headliner, steering wheel, floors, you name it.
In 1965 I needed to get divorced from a wife who had inconveniently disappeared. Living in New York at the time made this a very difficult proposition. The majority of the electorate, being Catholics, didn't believe in divorce and left we citizens with only one avenue for untying the knot - adultery. You literally had to get someone on the stand to swear they made it with your old lady. Quickie Mexican divorces on the other hand were painless and relatively cheap.
My time was limited but my financial resources were even more so, so I rode the Greyhound to Juarez, just across the Rio Grande from San Antonio, and back. Rolled into town after two full days and nights on the bus about midnight, was divorced at nine AM, was back on the road at ten and needless to say I didn't get to see much of Juarez. After five days on the bus with only ten hours respite, I swore I'd walk before I'd voluntarily subject myself to that degree of torture again.
Then again vows are made to be broken. Jesus said don't make a vow, you are a mere mortal whereas making things happen is strictly God's prerogative. Making vows is akin in its consequences to being angry at others for things in ourselves which we dislike and can't admit, and both in turn insist we do 180 degree about-faces. Our personal spiritual growth is held ransom to our willingness to turn completely around and do what we swore we'd never do. Or to become, to replicate, even if only in small measure, what bothers us about others. Fortunately for my spiritual growth and not surprisingly, Ive been on the bus a few times since then, but the future - a year of traveling on third-world Asian buses, there are often no budget alternatives - will make Greyhound seem like a magic carpet.
My third and last prior foreign experience was part of a cross country hitchhike from Portland to Washington, DC and New York, and back, that I did with a girlfriend and my teenage daughter back in bicentennial summer. We rolled into DC about 3 AM on the Fourth and found a grassy spot to relax and regroup with helicopters buzzing by and hovering overhead. Soon we were rousted up by police who suggested we make our way to the back of the Capitol Building where lots of people were camping.
We gathered ourselves together and headed out but never made it. On the way we stuck out our thumbs and got picked up by a niteowl named Ford, but no relation to the then president, who had a cooler full of soft drinks and was happy to have us accompany him on his midnight rounds. He proceeded to give us a three hour guided tour of Monumental Washington. He then took us to his house for a snooze and shower and later that afternoon dropped us off at the Mall. We hung out there till evening and awed to a bicentennial scale, million dollar fireworks show with a million other Americans, and then hitched out of town at 11 PM.
After a few more days amongst the holiday festivities in New York, amounting to another extreme dose of Americana, I couldn't resist that ever-present itch for foreign travel, so after we left the big city on our way back to Oregon I thought we should try to finesse our way into Canada. We had just a few dollars between us but successfully assured the border guards that we only intended to spend the afternoon in Montreal. But we fooled them and hitched through the night from Montreal through Toronto and on to Windsor across the river from Detroit.
I remember Montreal for it's French style wrought iron balconies and unique rubber tired subway. About 4 AM our ride detoured off the highway to give us a glimpse of downtown Toronto. He assured us that Toronto was a fine city and from what I could glean in passing through in the middle of the night I'm sure he must be right. Windsor seemed a perfect little Eden. Detroit, just across the river, a vision of hell.
All tolled Ive accumulated about 36 hours of foreign experience in my 50 years. Not being inclined to do things in little ways I'm about to compensate for my deficiency and satisfy a lifetime of longing by spending the next year roaming the low-end Asia travelers trail. I expect to range about 12,000 miles in Asia itself - boats, trains, planes, and of course buses. My itinerary is well thought out but changeable at the whim of the moment. I can't be pinned down cause Im on the nowhere special express. No children (finally grown up), no job (thirteen years is enough at one job), no commitments and no schedule. Still you can be reasonably certain I'll be gravitating towards tropical isles, national parks and hip traveler magnets. I'll start in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year and try to be in Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India, for Christmas near the end of the trip.
This was originally hand written and minimally distributed as I went and I will try to maintain its sequence of discovery. Refining ...seriously upgrading in many cases, but changing little except to correct factual errors. January 1992
Hong Kong: In The Space of a Hiccup
How long is the flight Stan? (Good thing I'm not embarrassed by my own naiveté). Well let's see, leave at nine AM, arrive in Hong Kong at eleven PM, fourteen hours, right? Except Thursday nine AM turns into Friday eleven PM... but it can't take 38 hours. No matter how many times the concept of the International Date Line has entered my consciousness, it's still somewhat incomprehensible how you can go from one PM Monday to two PM Tuesday in the space of a hiccup. And besides there are eight time zones to cross.
From the initial feelings of awe - wow, this is really happening - as the flight began, 22 hours and three planes later I arrived at almost midnight enveloped in a cabin fever fog. The colony's airport is slated to be replaced in a $22 billion project that involves leveling a big chunk of a nearby island and connecting it with a freeway and light rail. Meanwhile one of the world's busiest airports is built on fill in the bay adjacent to a densely populated area and with the size and power that exemplifies Hong Kong, offers a very dramatic approach and first impression. Like skimming skyscraper tops.
Im intercepted on the way to catch a bus or taxi to the main budget tourist area, "Looking for a cheap place?" It's a lot more than I want to spend ($20 /night) but hard to think of searching for a place at midnight in a strange, and for me at my level of experience, exotic city. I wound up in a decent but home made room, (probably illegally) added on to the roof of his apartment building, sort of connected to his apartment. Access required going up a short flight of stairs and through a doorway that measured 20 inches by 3 1/2 feet - probably to hide its true function.
It also had what surprised me then, but was later to discover is the rule in Asia, a toilet and shower that are part of the same apparatus. The Asian bathroom concept almost always involves using the whole bathroom as the shower stall, that is, there is a drain in the bathroom floor and its so designed that everything can get wet.
The room also came with a radio and out comes afro-pop from Zimbabwe and then, announced in moderately thick British, "Loud guitar music by (a band whose name I didn't get) and recorded in Bellingham Washington, USA". It turned out to be British armed forces radio. The typical Hong Kong station will alternate English and Chinese songs and throw in an occasional old favorite translated into Chinese.
Second night, wound up at "Chungking Mansions". It's the city's budget traveler magnet but still expensive - dormitory beds start at about $6. Singles, especially if you want a window, upwards of $15. Each floor has several of what would ordinarily be, and maybe even once were, strictly private apartments. The building is about 200' by 200', 17 stories and divided into five "blocks" with several units on each block. Many are still private apartments, the remainder could be almost anything including guest houses, sweatshops and restaurants. Next door to my guest house is a restaurant. "Ragu Mess - For Members Only - Bangladeshi"- where I was nonetheless invited to eat. There are many South Asians in the building - Indians, Nepalese, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, the rest are mostly African, Anglo, Filipino and of course Chinese.
The room itself is clean. I only smashed two roaches in five days which is surprising considering the condition of some of the public areas, not to mention that the garbage cans are large uncovered wicker baskets. The "Lonely Planet Guide" - the budget traveler's bible, describes the mansions well, "Take a look down the light wells off the "D" block stairs for a vision of hell, Chungking Mansions at its worst. Dark, dirty, festooned with pipes and wires and covered with what looks like the debris of half a century. When a toilet paper roll falls off the bathroom window sill on the sixteenth floor it falls only halfway down before lodging on a ledge or drainpipe. Soon it's joined by plastic bags, clothes fallen off lines, an apple rolled of the sill; all manner of garbage drapes or hangs down from above."
Meanwhile we are flanked by a Holiday Inn and a Sheraton and across the street from a Hyatt. Hong Kong is a free for all hodgepodge where not much could be out of place. If you want to erect a large neon sign that reaches all the way across the street within inches of the other side and covers up everyone else's signs in the process, no problem. If you want to crowd the entrance to a multi-unit building with a mini retail store so it's barely wide enough for one person to walk through, no problem.
Before leaving the airport, I handed the $35 in my pocket to a money changer. He said, "Is that all? Tomorrow Saturday, banks are closed", so I dug deeper. But as it turns out not only were the banks open but there are about ten money changers in Chungking Mansions' first floor arcade, amongst more than a hundred shops and restaurants altogether, and they pay a much better rate - equivalent to five cents more on the dollar. Laissez faire free enterprise has always been the Hong Kong way. Britain fought a mercenary little war with China back in the 1850's to secure Hong Kong as a protected base for it's very lucrative opium trade. Today it's duty free, highest quality to lowest. It is probably underestimating to guess that there are a thousand radio or camera stores within half mile of Chunking Mansions, though some are barely more than cubbyholes. Altogether it's a true riot of sight.
The food can be tasty and cheap as long as you keep a distance from places with names like "American Cafe". Irrespective of it's status as a British colony for the last 140 years, and the fact that it is one of the world's great business centers, the typical noodle shop only has menus in Chinese so I often merely point at the first thing I see. I love soup so I could often just say "wonton". But bring your own napkins, or buy a small packet at the cash register. And I really hate to say this but the difficulty of finding a morning cup of coffee drove me to eat at Mac's more times in a week than I had in many years.
A few blocks away at the waterfront is the Hong Kong cultural center which includes three theaters, a space museum and an art museum. In the historical pictures gallery of the art museum is a large reproduction of a painting of Hong Kong harbor from the 1880's, and prominent in the painting is an American flagged ship named Willamette! Oregon only became a state in 1859. I had gone halfway around the world in my first release from home fetters only to be impressed at how small the world was even more than a century ago.
We are also a short walk from the Star Ferry terminal where boats leave every seven minutes for the ten minute ride to Hong Kong Central. Hong Kong Island is the business center of the colony, though most of the island is mountainous terrain. Just a few blocks from the water the land begins to rise steeply to a 2500' ridge which is enjoyably reached by a cable car ride. Once up there is a trail that circles the ridge that was thick with New Year's holiday strollers at my visit. It provides some spectacular views of both downtown and Kowloon on the mainland where Chungking Mansions is located.
From up on the mountain or across the bay the tallest and most striking building in downtown Hong Kong is the 70 story Bank of China tower. In a relatively short time - July 1997 - control of the colony reverts back to China. Considering the city's current construction pace the approaching changeover has seemingly not affected the life, health or future prospects of the city. There is apprehension, especially I imagine amongst the colony's non-Chinese residents, but on balance China needs Hong Kong as it is currently constituted to help fuel it's industrial growth. China is growing so quickly towards Hong Kong in an economic sense that the colony may well not experience drastic changes. If anything, Hong Kong could easily become a thorn in the side of a China that tried to rein in its exuberance.
The Chinese characters for tangerine also mean coming prosperity, and as a result the city is full of miniature tangerine trees given as gifts to mark the new year. This language is fascinating and baffling in equal measure. Actually there are many mutually unintelligible spoken languages that use the same written characters. Mandarin, the language of the north, has become by decree China's common language, though it is still a second tongue to most.
In Hong Kong, not subject to China's decrees, the language is Cantonese. It has a much softer, rounder sound with less of the strange to our ears, 's', 'z' and 'sh' sounds typical of Mandarin. Happy New Year loosely transliterated into Cantonese - "Gung Hai Fat Choy", into Mandarin - "Gung Shi Fa Tsai". All movies made in Hong Kong, one of the world's most prolific producers, as well as those made in China, include Chinese subtitles. Most baffling is how anybody can read all those Chinese characters as they flash across the screen faster than I can read a short English sentence.
Aside from the tangerine trees, a spectacular fireworks show and wall to wall people in all the recreation spots the city shuts down for the holiday so people can be with their families.
Far Out and Away contents
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As I took my position I thought about all that had transpired leading up to this.
It started so innocently.
An asshole flamed Ms Norma Jean on her Yahoo Group. Well being the Southern Gentlemen that I am, I could not stand by and allow that to go unanswered! My reply was in true Southern form, and then I apologized to the Mistress for his total lack of Manors..and accused him of being a Damn Yankee.
It was this last part that started it all.
You see Norma Jean is from New York…I did not know this or I would have never made the sentence. I only assumed such a genteel and lovely lady could ONLY be from the Deep South.
Well after several more emails apologizing to her for MY poor manors…She mentioned her desire to extract her pride on my back side. I read and re-read her email and concluded that she was, in reality challenging me to a Southern Duel. Her honor was at stake, and as a Southern Gentleman I should realize her wrath and give back to her, Her Pride.
Well, little more needed to be said! However, I am a man, and she a Genteel Lady. How possibly could she retake her pride? Then it struck me, to pit her "inferior" female boxing talents against my true manly genitals! She jumped at the chance, confident that she could easily restore her Pride at the expense of my testicles. I felt it important for her, a Yankee, to truly understand the differences between the South and North. That the war fought so long ago has never truly ended in victory or defeat. That so long as I have breadth in my lungs I will uphold all the good things the South stood for, and that there was no way she could get me to admit defeat.
It was this last part I think I will suffer for the most. You see I made those sentences before I saw this extremely fit, rather muscular woman! She stands before me wearing an all white cotton antique corset, her large breasts and aroused nipples clearly visible through the fabric, on her lower half she wore white cotton bloomers. It was if she had just removed her hoop skirt ball gown!
She is clearly far more muscular than I anticipated, her bicep's, though small, where clearly defined almost chiseled, as were all the other muscles I could see. It was obvious this woman spends lots of time at the gym!
So here I am. Standing before her, my legs spread, my testicles properly bound for a proper beating. My arms tied securely behind my back to prevent me attempting to block any of her hits. My cock rock hard and tied, erect, to my stomach which thrusts my dangling large testicles forward for her. I realized I completely underestimated Norma Jean…a mistake I would pay for dearly.
"You ready, boy?" She asked in an extremely New York accent.
"Madam, " I began in my best Southern Drawl. I did not get the next word out before she hammered my testicles with her right fist. "Aaahhhhhhhhh! Good hit!" I gasped.
"Plenty more where that came from, Johnny reb!!" She responded. "I'm just getting warmed up!" She shrugged each shoulder in turn stretching the muscles and cocked her head accordingly. I distinctly heard her neck bones crack as she stretched. It was then that I truly felt fear. "Your just not at the right height!" She said, realizing that to really deliver the hits she wanted to She would have to kneel before me. "I know!" She then brought two kitchen chairs into the room and ordered me to stand on them. This put my testicles at the perfect height! "But Mistress? I'll fall." I pointed out. Realizing how unstable this situation was.
She then retrieved a rope from the dungeon and tied it off to my rib cage around my arm pits, then secured it to several large hooks in the ceiling.
"That should hold you! Let's get this started!" She said with a sadistic gleam in her eye.
She reached out and pulled my balls down in the sack massaging the sack skin to stretch it out. "The more the testicles can bounce around the more painful it will be." she informed me.
"Yes Ma'am, thank you, you are truly a Southern Belle!"
"Here's how I'm going to run this. You'll get 20 hits in a row, each one more painful than its predecessor, then you will get a 2 to 3 minute break, followed by another round. The only way I will stop will be through you conceding the South Truly LOST the war!" "That, I assure you my darlin, will NEVER happen!" I responded in my best Southern Drawl.
"We shall see!"
"Oh and by the way, I have the next 3 hours of my schedule free. I think you will be singing a new tune soon enough!"
With that she began the hits. The initial set was more of her getting her targeting, and foot positions, rather than a brutal assault. That would change soon enough. She began the second set with a rather soft set of punches. Her goal on this set was deciding the strength and directions of hits. She ended the 20 hits by 4 doubling strength hits..each one doubling the power of the previous hit….By the time the last hit landed the pains were spiking up into my rib cage, my breadth shaky at best. Sweat was beginning to appear on my chest and brow. "How you doing, Johnny? Hanging in there I hope! This is Just getting fun!"
"I'm do'in fine Billy Yank! It's just starting to get interesting!" I replied defiantly.
"Tell me when you are ready!"
When the pains subsided….I nodded my head to her.
Her assault was brutal….from the first punch to the last it was where the previous set ended. I don't think I breathed a single breadth the entire set…the pain sky rocketed through my body. She spiked way way beyond my pain limits…I was babbling by the time the last hit landed. My feet were off the chairs, had I not been tied to the ceiling I would have been curled up on the floor. In truth I was ready to conceded her victory!
"How you hanging, Johnny?" She asked stroking my head with her soft hand. The same hand the just brutally batter my testicles. She reached down and felt of my balls, they were already swelling filling the scrotal sack.
"Do'in fine still Billy." I eventually replied, "How's your knuckles fairing? Any bruising yet?"
"Naw! The're doing fine. Must say your testicles are getting a little red and swollen, thou"
"Really? Already? I barely felt that set."
"You pain Slut! You'll regret those words before this is all over."
"Yes, Yes I will." I replied.
"Here have a sip." She gave me a sip of her wine.
"Thanks, Billy."
She then set the glass down and repositioned herself in front of me.
The fourth set was less brutal, this was to be an endurance test. The punches came slower than the previous set. each one equal in strength. Each one pistoning my testicles backward, and the next hit landing as the testicles swung back forward. It had the appearance of my testicles throwing themselves upon her knuckles. The pains were very interesting, as with all testicle beating they begin in the testicles themselves, then radiate upward to the kidneys, then to the lower stomach, then upper stomach, and then finally ribs. This is where I loose my ability to stand and take it….this is where she engineered the punches to be at punch 17….where I had to receive 3 more as I flailed about suspended on the ropes.
Then the break.
I would slowly come back down from the pains…back to reality. The pains retreating back downward to my swollen testicles. The pain never left them. They had reached a constant pain level.
"How you do'in Johnny?"
"You ready to surrender yet Billy?" I responded.
"I gotta give it to you, you sure don't know when to stop! Have another sip."
"Thanks, down right hospitable of you Billy, thanks."
The fifth, sixth, and seventh sets were repeats of the fourth, with the notable exception that instead of punch 17 maxing out my pain level, it fell to punches 16, 15 and 14 respectfully.
"How you do'in, Johnny?" She asked once again.
"I've been better." I gasped out.
"Thing are looking pretty swollen down there." She reached out and felt of my swollen testicles, I cringed as she squeezed sending a spike of pain throughout my body. "How much more can these babies take?"
"I don't know Billy. You wanting to surrender? Those knuckles of yours seem to be really taking a beating!"
She laughed. "No, but your balls sure are!" She then gripped my balls with a furious grip sending a spike of pain through the roof, and then she held it there. "Surrender, Johnny reb!"
"No…." I coughed out.
"Surrender, and I'll let these go! Otherwise I'm going to increase my grip!"
"No…" I coughed again…as promised she virtually doubled her grip on my testicles.
"Okay! Okay! you win!!! Please!! Please let them go!!!'
She relaxed her grip slightly….then pressed her nose to mine…."SAY IT!"
I hesitated, to which she clamped down with all her might.
"YES!! Yes ma'am.. The SOUTH LOST THE WAR!!!"
She laughed and released my balls…"I knew you'd see things my way."
As the pain subsided, and I was fed another sip of wine.
"Madam, you realize that I am duty bound to demand a rematch….."
"I was counting on it!" She laughed, "After all we still have another 2 hours to play!!!"


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S. Fan et al. (1) suggest that 1.4 ± 0.4 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year−1) is taken up by the forests in North America, in contrast to 0.1 Pg C year−1 taken up in Eurasia. Fan et al. invoke reforestation and regrowth, fertilization by anthropogenic N deposition, global warming, and CO2 fertilization to substantiate their inverse-model calculation. However, mechanistic models and measurements in terrestrial ecosystems do not agree with either the magnitude or spatial distribution of the CO2 sink proposed by Fan et al.
Direct estimates of forest C uptake—which reflect the interacting effects of rising CO2, N fertilization, climatic changes, as well as reforestation and regrowth—indicate that forests in 28 eastern U.S. states during the late 1980s to early 1990s had an estimated net C uptake of only 0.17 Pg year−1 aboveground (2). This estimate includes the southeastern forests, which are among the most productive forest in the United States. European and Russian forest inventories (3) suggest comparable C uptake, which contradicts the North American distribution of the sink proposed in the report (1).
Anthropogenic N deposition stimulates C uptake in North America by 0.29 to 0.35 Pg C year−1 with significantly more uptake in Eurasia (0.67 to 0.86 Pg C year−1) according to model calculations (4). Moreover, recent field experiments by Nadelhoffer et al. (5) suggest that even this estimate of fertilized CO2 uptake may be too high. Modeled CO2 and climate effects generate a Northern Hemisphere sink with no significant east-west bias and a magnitude of ∼0.58 Pg C year−1 (6).
A robust understanding of the global carbon budget requires reconciliation of ecological mechanisms with inverse estimates of the spatial distribution of the so-called missing sink. Fan et al. concede that their analysis approaches the limits of uncertainty, but the lack of corroboration from independent observations suggest that they may have overextended these limits.
The report by S. Fan et al. (1) has generated an important debate about their inference of an annual C sink as large as 1.7 ± 0.5 Pg in terrestrial ecosystems of North America. A terrestrial sink flux of this magnitude could completely offset a continental emission source from fossil fuel of 1.6 Pg C year−1. Fan et al. applied atmospheric constraints in their inverse model approach and used monthly C fluxes from the "equilibrium" version (without year-to-year variability) of the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) biosphere model mainly to estimate the magnitude of the seasonal "rectifier effect" in the atmosphere. We took a fundamentally different approach to study these questions (2). We used newly derived terrestrial C fluxes, predicted directly from forward-modeling CASA simulations in a nonequilibrium mode (using observed interannual variability for surface climate and satellite imagery). Our results (2) imply a much different conclusion from that of the report (1) with respect to the North America land sink during the late 1980s.
In accordance with the findings by Fan et al. at the global scale, we calculate that the worldwide C sink from net ecosystem production (NEP) can vary between 0.4 and 2.6 Pg C year−1in the terrestrial biosphere. However, by making NEP estimates at 1° resolution directly from the CASA biosphere model, we found that C sink fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems of the United States and Canada totaled only 0.12 and 0.10 Pg C in 1987, respectively, and 0.05 and 0.17 Pg C in 1988. The land area covered by states of the former Soviet Union shows a larger NEP sink of 0.4 to 0.6 Pg C year-1during 1987 to 1988. These years may in fact represent two of most favorable of the 1980s for North American sink fluxes, owing to temperature warming trends.
We also included in the CASA model routines to determine aboveground biomass with the use of typical residence times in pools of wood and leaves to estimate changes in forest regrowth and deforestation C fluxes. This analysis, which relies on country-by-country changes in global forest cover for the years 1990 to 1995 as compiled by the United Nations (3), suggests that net forest regrowth can add about 0.09 Pg C annually to the North America C sink. Thus, it appears from forward CASA ecosystem modeling that total annual accumulation of atmospheric C in terrestrial ecosystems of North America could offset only about 20% of continental C source from fossil fuel burning in the late 1980s.
While analysis of CASA's satellite-driven net primary production (NPP) and soil heterotrophic CO2 fluxes suggests that regional warming in Northern Hemisphere forests can enhance ecosystem production notably, our prediction of the regional distribution for this NEP sink over North America and Eurasia is not in agreement with the geographic patterns reported by Fan et al. for the late 1980s. It seems unlikely that the intercontinental balance of a large terrestrial C sink could shift so rapidly over just a few years, as suggested by results in the report. In any case, the potential for high interannual variability implies merely a transient sink pattern in North America. We infer that (in relation to results from the CASA model) climate variability, recent forest regrowth, and increased greenness as recorded in the satellite data capture the major processes of a terrestrial ecosystem sink.
Response: Our report (1) confirmed previous estimates of the size of a terrestrial C sink in the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere and suggested that most of the sink occurred in North America from 1988 to 1992. Partitioning of the terrestrial sink among the continents is controversial because the CO2 observations are sparse and the models are imperfect. In our report we mentioned possible causes of the sink, but we did not identify it with any specific mechanism because our method does not allow us to do so. Potter et al. and Holland and Brown [in these comments and elsewhere (2) with colleagues] estimated terrestrial C uptake by invoking specific causes. The difference between these estimates and ours is the subject of intense research and may be resolved by a growing network of atmospheric and ecological observations.
Current research on the sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2 consists of four major activities: (i) long-term continuous measurement of C fluxes between the atmosphere and the biosphere by eddy correlation, (ii) repeated measurements over time of C inventories in terrestrial ecosystems and in the ocean, (iii) long-term monitoring of atmospheric CO2 in a global air sampling network, and (iv) development of mechanistical ecosystem models that predict past, present, and future C cycles on land and in the sea. These activities have been conducted separately in different laboratories and have produced independent estimates of the global carbon budget.
The estimates of oceanic uptake of CO2 by different approaches appear to converge. For instance, a global uptake of about 2 Pg C year−1 is estimated for the 1980s separately by ocean circulation and biogeochemistry models (from changes in dissolved inorganic C over time) and by measurements of the air-sea difference of CO2 partial pressure. The estimated air-sea exchange fluxes show similar spatial distributions. More recent measurements of O2/N2 and δ13CO2 in the atmosphere are consistent with the ocean sink estimates.
However, estimates of terrestrial C sequestration by different methods are disparate in both their magnitudes and spatial distributions. Terrestrial ecosystem models (such as the CASA model discussed by Potter) relate the NEP to environmental parameters (light; air; soil temperature, moisture, and N; and the ambient CO2 mixing ratio) and to ecological properties (land use history, stand age, species of vegetation, and leaf area index), and predict C fluxes resulting from succession after disturbance, interannual changes in climate pattern, increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, and input of N from atmospheric deposition. Some of these models predict large global NEP or C uptake rates as a result of CO2fertilization. Most of this uptake is predicted to occur in the tropical forests, with a small contribution from the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere (for example, 3, 4). But the response of plant photosynthesis to ambient CO2concentration is uncertain in the natural environment. The treatment of land-use changes and natural disturbances is difficult in a time-dependent terrestrial ecosystem model because of a lack of historical data in most of the world. As a result, we cannot assess the reliability of NEP estimates from any of the global ecosystem models including that of Potter and Klooster (4).
A fertilization of the ecosystems by atmospheric N deposition may also cause a terrestrial C sink. Nitrogen deposition is heaviest in Europe and eastern North America. Earlier estimates of this sink are as large as 1.5 Pg C year−1 on a global scale, if one assumes a 100% utilization of the N for plant CO2 assimilation (5). However, recent studies indicate that only one-third of the deposited N may be used by plants, while the rest may be tied up in soil organic matter (6). Plant tissues have a much higher ratio of C:N than does soil organic matter.
Measurements of forest C inventory can provide a direct estimate of forest C uptake. The estimate of Brown and Schroeder (as cited in the comment by Holland and Brown) is similar to previous analyses of forest inventory data: the forest ecosystems in North America sequester carbon at a rate < 0.2 Pg C year−1. The global C sequestration is estimated to be 0.8 Pg C year−1 by forest ecosystems, more than half of the estimated sink is located in Europe and Russia.
In contrast, atmospheric observations of CO2 and the ratios of O2/N2 and13CO2/12CO2, combined with numerical models of atmospheric transport, have consistently implied the presence of a terrestrial C sink in the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere of 1 to 3 Pg C year−1 (Table 1). Our report supports the many previous estimates of this sink (1.4 ± 0.2 Pg C year−1 by SKYHI and 2.2 ± 0.2 Pg C year−1 by GCTM). Table 1 compares various estimates of the terrestrial C uptake in the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere. The uptake rate implied by atmospheric and oceanic CO2 data and models tends to be much larger than estimates based on forest inventory data and mechanistic terrestrial ecosystem models.
We stated in our report that the spatial distribution of the mid-latitude terrestrial C sink is not as well constrained by the atmospheric CO2 data. As shown in figure 2 in our report, we cannot reject the presence of a substantial Eurasian sink. One-half of the estimated Northern Hemisphere terrestrial sink is attributable to Eurasia at the limit of 1 standard deviation (SD), and two-thirds at the limit of 2 SD. However, we estimate a very low probability for the North American sink to be as small as 0.2 Pg C year−1 for 1988 to 1992, as suggested by Potter and Klooster (4) and by Brown and Schroeder (2).
The intercomparison between our inverse estimates (based on atmospheric and oceanic data and models) and estimates based on mechanistic models and ground data must take into consideration the large temporal variability of the terrestrial C cycling (7). The growth of atmospheric CO2 decreased from 4.9 to 1.4 Pg C year−1 from 1988 to 1992, while the global fossil CO2 emission remained nearly constant (5.9 Pg C year−1 in 1988 to 6.1 Pg C year−1 in 1992). This implies an increase of the global ocean and terrestrial C sink from 1.0 Pg C year−1 in 1988 to 4.7 Pg C year−1 in 1992. According to model calculations, the oceanic uptake could not have changed by more than 1 Pg C year−1. The large interannual CO2 variability must have been caused mainly by terrestrial ecosystem productivity and respiration.
The estimate of Potter and Klooster covers a different period (1987 and 1988). Given the large interannual variability of terrestrial NEP, their estimate should not agree with ours even if both are correct. Also, it is possible that our estimate, if correct, might apply to the restricted years studied and might disagree with correct long-term estimates from inventory data.
Last, but not least, direct CO2 flux measurements by eddy correlation have shown evidence of significant C uptake in a deciduous forest in New England that had its last major disturbance by a hurricane some 60 years ago (8). A network of the tower-based measurements has been implemented in North America (AmeriFlux) and Europe (EuroFlux), and is being extended to South America (and remains to be extended to Africa and Aia). Long-term C flux and ecological data collected from these tower sites will provide critical information on the size and causes of the terrestrial C sink from landscape to global scales. This is an exciting development in C cycle research that we hope will soon resolve the discrepancies between the various estimates of terrestrial C sequestration.


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When you need some advice don't ask twice… Ask Dr. Karen!
Dear Dr. Karen:
I just started dating a woman that I have worked with for a year. We have been going out now as a couple for three weeks. The other day she hit me with some news that I was not ready for. She wanted to be upfront and honest with me about her situation at home. She divorced six months ago. Her now ex-husband has moved back in with her along with their two kids. He lost his job recently due to down sizing and has been unable to find work. He is having financial difficulties and asked if he could stay there temporarily. She said he has some leads on several jobs and once he starts working and gets back on his feet, he will leave. She swears that there is nothing going on between them and they are not sleeping together.
I really care about this woman. We have established a solid friendship during the months we have worked together. I want to be with her and take this relationship to the next level. How should I handle this?
Dear Waiting:
Please go look in the nearest mirror. You will see the word FOOL stamped on your forehead. Wake up! The woman of your dreams is living with her ex-husband and two children. She is clearly functioning as a family unit. Are you willing to accept this type of relationship? Where do you fit in? Have you considered that it could be three months, six months even a year before this woman would be free of her houseguest? Have you even thought about the possibility that a spark could re-ignite their relationship and they could get back together?
In this case you are on the outside looking in. At best, you are only a spectator standing on the sidelines waiting to get in the game. As long as she is living with her ex-husband you will never get any serious playing time. Your only hope is for sloppy seconds. This is not the game for you. You deserve better.
Until next week remember: "Never give advice unless you are asked for it"
***Disclaimer "The advice offered in this column is not intended to replace or substitute for any professional, financial, medical, legal, or other professional advice. Dr. Karen January, the newspaper and publisher are not responsible for the outcome or results of following any advice in any given situation. You, and only you, are completely responsible for your actions." Due to the large number of letters received, there is no guarantee that your question will be published.
Dr. Karen R. January is an expert in youth development as well as male-female relationships. Her new book, ¨Lessons Mama Never Taught Me,¨ profiles 10 women and the mistakes they made in parenting, love and life. It can be purchased at Amazon.com. Please send your questions to Dr. Karen at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Visit her website: www.drkaykay.com FB: drkayj Twitter: @drkjanuary


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I just realized I have genital warts (HPV) I was sexually assaulted 6 months ago. I was in denial for a long time.
Is there any topical ointment or cream to make the warts go away? They look like cauliflower.
I am so depressed. Will the warts ever go away?


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My husband and I took advantage of our time together yesterday and spent part of our Labor Day holiday enjoying a relaxing drive with the top down in the convertible to DeSmet SD. Our intent for the day was to see and read about the Laura Ingalls Wilder history. Laura was born 100 years before me and her memory and her heart are still in motion.
Love and respect for her parents and her family fills her heritage. We don't see this type of family respect and honoring of mothers and fathers like this today. The hard and dedicated work it took 150 years ago to get established and the difficult obstacles our ancestors had to work against to build this country is slightly different than we experience today. Laziness would get society nowhere and hungry 150 years ago. There wasn't unemployment when the winters were too bad for work. There wasn't a welfare system that would provide even the basics of flour to get the family a few meals. Today, most people wouldn't know what to do with a bag of flour if it was the only item they had to form a meal from to feed their families. Families and family members worked together for the same purpose; their families, their households and their communities.
Togetherness took place at the center of the home. Televisions, computers and social media have now taken the place of face to face time with family members. These items usually take the place of parent's today and children end up being raised by society's values through these tools. Instead of children working alongside the parents to keep the household in production, developing knowledge, skills, work ethic and relationships.
Thoughts to ponder: How would our children handle their adult lives if we could take today's luxuries and conveniences and balance them with the country's family and work values of 150 years ago? Whose responsibility is it to teach our children respect and hard work?
Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when is old he will not depart from it.