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Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Lions and Tigers and Syllabi, Oh My!
Yesterday, I finalized two of the four, sent them to be copied and everything, and just now I think I've got the survey syllabus sorted. One thing I've noticed - even though I've got four preps this semester - is how much easier this whole getting the syllabi together thing is. See, I've taught 2 of the four classes over and over again and one class I've only taught once before but it is, basically, The Class of the Book, so there isn't much that needs to be tweaked with it. Can I just note that once one has courses "in the can" as it were, that this whole part of things is so much more quickly accomplished? Also, once one has more experience with translating courses to different blocks of time (one course I'm doing as a one-day-a-week-er for the first time in a while) even that isn't so hard to manage?
I suppose a lot of my feeling that this is easy comes from the fact that I'm a lot more experienced now with how to do this crap. Also, I'm a lot more secure in knowing what students will reasonably achieve in the course of a semester, and so it's not so hard to figure out how to shift stuff from 2 or 3 days a week into one day a week. I know that the one-day-a-week class will pose some challenges for them (they will NOT like the amount of reading per week in some weeks, as they glance at the syllabus) but you know, sometimes we have to do things that we don't like. And I know that they can do it, and that I'm not being unreasonable. This is what they get for taking a class that meets once a week only.
At any rate, this means that the big task I've got to accomplish between now and the start of school is the totally not ready new prep, but with these other classes out of the way, I'm feeling ok about that.
I know this is a boring post, but I needed a break to process what I'm doing and what I still need to do. In other news, the Tiger (aka Mr. Stripey) tired of sitting on my lap and relocated to a much more comfortable syllabus. Here he is! (And yes, he really has gotten much bigger!)
Oh, and here's a picture from when the Interloper was still in the house, which also demonstrates Mr. Stripey's increase in size. You can't really tell, but he was trying to comfort the Man-Kitty by giving him a bath.
4 comments:
- The Adjunct Professor said...
You mean you really find preparing syllabi boring? I thought this was one of the most enjoyable tasks. Actually, unlike some of my colleagues, I have found that a detailed syllabus actually serves me well.
I agree that it takes me less time now than in the past but I do feel that the time I put in to this task proves to be rewarding come the end of the semester.
- Dr. Crazy said...
Course design = fun and interesting
The actual writing of syllabi = well, not boring, but not terribly enjoyable or interesting, at least not for me.
I think it's that I get annoyed by things like the changing the dates, or making a set of readings that fits in one semester fit into another semester where in theory there are the same # of weeks but the number of class meetings differs, etc.
Time put in on designing a course is definitely exciting, interesting, and rewarding - what I describe above just doesn't fit into that category for me, though. There's just nothing terribly interesting about checking to make sure the link to the honor code is still up to date, or in writing up the bibliographic information for the required texts. (Clearly I am so not a detail person :) )
- Dr. Crazy said...
Oh, and however interesting putting syllabi together can be, posting about it in the way that I did... wicked boring :)
- Sisyphus said...
Stripes! Cute! Yay!
Syllabi work, also good, but not overwhelming with cuteness.


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Czech female climber feared missing on the Broad Peak marking second fatal accident on the mountain in a week
It is about time that the 12th highest mountain in the world, Broad Peak would start making headlines as another climber has now gone missing on the 8,047m peak.
Reported on Friday by the Alpine Club of Pakistan, a Czech climber has now been missing since Friday, August 3rd and is feared dead after slipping on a dangerous ledge.
The climber, reportedly a lady, Ms. Zuzana Hofmnova, slipped while stepping down from the high camp. She is one of the first female climbers from Czech Republic to summit Broad Peak but lost her life during the decent.
This is the second incident in a week's time that a mountaineer has lost his life on the Broad Peak, often considered as an otherwise easier 8000er in the Karakorum. Muhammad Baqir, one of the local
mountaineer who was scaling the peak with an English Expedition, lost his life during the descent.
Baqir, 35, was a few hundred meters from the Base Camp III at 26, 000 feet when he slipped and fell while crossing a water channel.
Baqir was one of the well known climbers in the region and had already scaled five prominent peaks in the Karakorum including K2, Nanga Parbat, and Broad Peak.
In 2003, Mohammad Baqir's brother, Ghulam Raza, was also killed while attempting to climb Lady Finger in Hunza Valley.
This is the second Czech tragedy on the Broad Peak after the loss of Vlado Plulik in the year 2009. His whereabouts were never traced after his disappearance during the descent.
10/8/2013 10:17:00 pm
I stumbled on this from Google and wanted to say thanks for posting
10/12/2013 08:54:17 pm
Google linked me to this page, nice reading
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October 2018

subset: commoncrawl


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70 Kings Point Drive, Kings Point
Property Details
Size: 822m²
Property Overview
|Property ID:
|Property Type:
|Land Size:
|822m² approx.
Lyall and Scott Property
Head Office | Master Builders Assn Bldg, 1/171 Princes Highway,
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Phone: 02 44 13 21 21
Web: www.lyallscott.com.au
Email Office
Laurence - Micky Scott
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Filtered views to Burrill lake and beyond
Views to Pigeon house
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At Kings Point the lake is at its deepest, quietest and most serene. However in holiday periods and on weekends, it thrives with action and activity. The local water skiing club have a clubhouse and picnic area on the bank of the lake and a launching ramp gives ample access for everybody to enjoy all that the lake has to offer.
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Saturday, October 31, 2015
Review: Latecomers
In Latecomers, Anita Brookner strays away from her more typical solitary protagonist and gives us an ensemble cast. There are life-long friends and business partners Hartmann and Fibich, their wives Yvette and Christine (respectively), and their children Marianne and Toto (respectively). The emotional center of the book, and what there is of a plot, definitely revolve around Hartmann and Fibich. The chronology starts with them. Thrown together as youths when refugee Fibich comes to live with Hartmann and his aunt, the two become like brothers, go into business together, and end up living in the same apartment building for all their adult lives. In the meantime both acquire wives and one child each.
Despite this symmetry, it's clear Hartmann is the one in charge. It's his aunt who raises them. He is the first to get married. The one to find and buy a flat and then eventually grab one in the same building for Fibich and his wife. And the one who is, or at least appears to be, the steadier of the two. More certain of himself, more confident in business, love, and family, and less troubled by his past. Their wives reinforce the power dynamic. Hartmann's wife Yvette is one of those people who demands attention. Pretty, elegantly put together, coquettish, and seemingly bent on becoming the boss' wife. Paying only enough attention to her duties at Hartmann and Fibich's office to keep her job long enough to hook and marry Hartmann. I don't think she necessarily set out to seduce him but her flirtatious nature and desire to be set up in a life, far from the world of her mother's reduced circumstances, made it a bit inevitable.
Christine on the other hand is the hired help in Hartmann's aunt's house--although her implied intellect and class status, if not her actual duties, make her feel more like a ladies' companion than a maid. When she helps Fibich nurse the aunt through her final illness, the two become close and eventually marry and move into the flat Hartmann has found for them in his building.
And then the children happen. Marianne seems a bit quieter, less sure of herself, and less glamorous than Hartmann and Yvette. And Toto is confident to the point of arrogance which makes him feel decidedly different than Fibich and Christine.
In some ways I expected Latecomers to have a little more to say about the lives of the two children and the contrast with their respective parents. Instead the novel has much more to do with Fibich trying to make sense of his past. He becomes increasingly discomfited by all that he can't remember of his short childhood in Germany and the parents who were lost to him at the hands of the Nazis. Hartmann's family was similarly impacted but with much less effect on Hartmann's life.
The fascinating thing about the way Brookner writes about the impacts of Nazism on Hartmann and Fibich is that she never mentions the Nazis or what they did. I think the only explicit mention is the blurb written by her publisher on the jacket flap. In the novel itself it is only hinted at in the most oblique ways. Not only are details or proper names never mentioned, but even the generic word atrocity would seem out of place. Brookner tends to do that--she will write in great detail about emotions, or small details, but the outside world, the one where news and history happen, never really comes up. To me, this is never a problem. Brookner has created a world that is less of an ahistorical bubble than it is a delivery system for deep personal feeling.
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The proposed merger between T-Mobile and MetroPCS is facing challenges from shareholders who are unhappy with the deal between the two companies.
The shareholders are pursuing two derivative complaints, which means that they are basing their injury on the injury that the merger is causing to the two companies. Shareholder derivative suits are brought by the shareholder on behalf of the company itself in situation in which the shareholder believes a principle in the company is acting against the company's best interest.
In this case, the litigation is over whether T-Mobile and MetroPCS shares have been undervalued for purposes of the merger, causing harm to the corporations and their shareholders. Part of the problem is that the merger will result in a reverse stock split for MetroPCS shareholders, meaning that two shares will become one, and the company will pay shareholders a certain amount of money for the transition. That amount is currently a little over four dollars, which shareholders say is intentionally undervalued. Another issue is that MetroPCS shareholders believe that the deal was crafted so that it would not be appealing to any other buyer except for T-Mobile, even though it was allegedly an open bidding process.
The shareholders are seeking an injunction, which means that they want to put the merger on hold or stop it completely.
This type of litigation is unfortunately not uncommon for mergers or acquisitions involving large, publicly held companies. It can be difficult for shareholders, executives, and the directors of a company to agree on the right direction for the company.
Source: Courthouse News Service, " Shareholders Fight Metro PCS T-Mobile Merger," David Lee, Oct. 12, 2012.


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Now, let's see what happened next in Arthur's Bane (Part 2):
- Blimey, it's a long time since an episode of Merlin began with Morgana having one of her dream sequences. Her floaty nighties of yesteryear are no more, so she's forced to catch a few Zs in her full corseted regalia, and ends up having a nasty flashback to a time when she and Aithusa the dragon spent a long time down a deep well. At least, I think that's what happened. Maybe they just watched a DVD of The Silence of the Lambs and ate too much cheese before bedtime. ("It puts the lotion on its skin, or else its lines get cut again...")
- Merlin and Arthur's bromantic road trip has taken a rather chilly turn. Not only are they now trudging miserably through the snow, being oppressed by bandit overlords, but Arthur's not getting any attention, mainly due to the All-Albion Intense Staring Competition that has broken out between Merlin and Mordred. It's a ruthless battle, interrupted only when Mordred promises that Merlin's secret is safe with him, thus helpfully reminding me that Mordred does know about Merlin's magic (I couldn't remember whether he did or not, oops).
- In Camelot's only prison cell, Sefa the traitorous maid is still suffering from the hard-line policymaking of Unexpectedly Right-Wing Gwen. When Gaius turns up with some free booze to make her forthcoming hanging go with a swing, she identifies him as a well-known tree-hugging hippie liberal and begs for help. It's the wig, Gaius. No one's going to take you seriously as a loyal pawn of the state with THAT hairdo.
- Ah-ha! Gwen reveals that she's NOT Unexpectedly Right-Wing Gwen but actually Unexpectedly Cunning Gwen - her plan is to catch Sefa's dad when he turns up to rescue her. Which she knows he will, because she's read the script for this week. She's not just Cunning, she's Meta-Cunning, see?
- Working with little more than a stolen dagger and Bradley James's fabulous face-pulling skills, Arthur and Merlin manage a daring escape, complete with flying leaps over unexpected canyons. If Sigmund Freud were writing this review, he might make a comment about the symbolism of massive cracks and how keen these boys are to avoid those cracks and all their consequences. But he isn't. What a relief, eh?
- Meanwhile in a cave, Gwaine's glowy new friend is taking care of him by staring at his nipples. The nude and androgynous Diamair (who speaks with the voice of Dayna from Blake's 7 and seems to have a wobbly motion-capture version of her face, too) doesn't appear to have any nipples of its own, so maybe that's why Gwaine's are such a source of fascination. "Go back to sleep, fair knight," it croons. "I'm the last of my kind and I've had a tough life, so I deserve to stare at your nipples some more until your friends arrive!" Gwaine, bless him, obligingly lies back and thinks of Camelot.
- Sefa's dad Ruadan gets back to Camelot ridiculously quickly, given how long it's taking Arthur and Merlin to go the other way. Does he know a secret Druid shortcut? He's certainly quite efficient at slow-motion prowling and ninja kicks, but unfortunately he's tragically vulnerable to long pointy things, especially when stabbed in his general direction.
- Let's all pause for a moment and have a big hand for Sir Leon's only line this week: "Almost certainly." Will he have more to do next week? Almost certainly.
- Alas, Ruadan dies but not before sending a quick Ravenmail to Morgana: "Dear Morgana, Arthur is coming over to your place but I fully support you in your evil but inept plans. Please remind the scriptwriters that my daughter is still alive because she could probably do with a bit more work later in the series if there's any going. She is good at looking tearful and can supply her own anachronistic vegetables if necessary."
- And now, over to Merlin and Arthur's daring expedition to Castle Phallus for an unsubtle Freudian symbolism update:
- And what happens when you crawl up a tight Freudian tunnel? Yes, you reach the land of half-naked men! By the way, I reckon that the Ismere man-on-man underground resort deserves more publicity so I've decided to name it Club Serve-Morgana and have written the following sing-along theme tune:
Club Serve-Morgana, shirts are banned
Rocks and dirt-pits, there's a tool for everyone
All the boys will lend a hand
So if you want help, you'll soon get some...
- "The place is crawling with Saxons." / "Better make sure we blend in." Ladies and gentlemen, let's have a big groan for the Most Deliberately Disappointing Line of the Week. Because of COURSE we're all going to hope for a shirt-off scene and of COURSE they're going to disguise themselves as guards instead. Ha-not-very-ha, writers.
- Morgana is so excited at being reunited with grown-up Mordred that she turns into a dotty auntie, feeding him chicken legs and promising to cleanse all the nasty men from the earth so they can be magic together. Mordred's not very impressed, however, probably because demented supervillain ranting is OMG like totally uncool these days, and hanging around in the background biding your time quietly is what all the hip young druids are doing now, yeah?
- Probably not for the first time, Gwaine wakes up and thinks "What the hell was I drinking last night?"
"This is not what it looks like, guys. "
Arthur and Merlin are both a little startled by this turn of events, although Merlin's reaction is more "I bet this is relevant to the plot, maybe I'd better come back later for some destiny-related magic chat", while Arthur's is pure "WTF Gwaine, this is worse than the incident with the Camelot Topless Tiddlywinks Squad and the family-sized tub of banana yogurt."
- Hurrah, it's half-naked Percival, who takes Arthur's order "Do what you can to free the others" and runs with it, basically building his own boyband of sword-wield shirtless hotties, who pack their few seconds of screentime with an impressed quantity of taut musculature. Now, that's value television!
- Suddenly, a wild Aithusa appears! Hilariously, Merlin announces he's going to go running after it for no reason, mainly because he wants to use his Dragonlord skills but can't wait for Arthur to be conveniently knocked unconscious first. When Merlin does catch up with Aithusa, however, it's all rather sad because Aithusa can't speak and is generally in a Bad Way (TM). Something nasty and traumatic has clearly been going on. But before we can find out what it is, I think Merlin needs to do a Dragonlord therapy course, or at least learn to say calm and understanding things in Dragonish, rather than just doing Scary Yelling.
- Morgana's having a terrible hair day, isn't she? But she doesn't let it stop her from catching Arthur in a corridor and having a Supervillain Gloating Session. She then elects to stab him slightly ineptly using the power of her mind, while Arthur bravely challenges her dodgy character development arc (that's right, Arthur, hit her where it hurts!). Worse still, Merlin's attempt to rescue him is swiftly foiled by Morgana's favourite spell, Makus Peepul Fallova. But what's this? Up steps Mordred, who chooses this moment to stab Morgana in the back, quite literally, before dragging Arthur back to the warm circle of his half-naked chums. Well, homing instincts like those should serve you well at Camelot, young Mordred. Always head for the shirtless men, it's a no-fail rule.
- Meanwhile, Merlin's been left behind for a mystical catch-up with the Diamair. Given the chance to ask the Key to All Knowledge any question he wants, Merlin doesn't ask for next week's lottery numbers or the winner of the current series of X-Factor, and instead chooses to request an explanation for the title of this episode. If Mordred isn't Arthur's bane, who is? Answer: Himself. So is this a doom-laden hint that Arthur's cockiness will bring about his own destruction, or does it simply mean that Arthur's going to trip over accidentally and impale himself on Excalibur? I'm guessing the former, because the latter would be an embarrassingly unlegendary way to go...
- Blimey, here's a shock. Arise, Sir Mordred! I wasn't expecting this development, but I'm quite excited now it's happened. For the first time since the sad demise of Lancelot, Merlin has someone in Camelot who knows his secret but isn't Gaius. Even more interestingly, there's now LOTS of opportunity for Merlin/Mordred gay/magic unsubtle symbolism: after all, he's not the only sorceror in the Camelot closet any more! I was also really struck by how alike Merlin and Mordred looked in this scene: they could almost be brothers. Here's hoping that Mordred starts to display more characteristics other than moody staring, because there could be some really interesting stuff here.
- Meanwhile, any whimpering noises you can hear are Morgana stomping into the distance with a cheesed-off dragon mooching along behind her. I hope she's hunting for a good therapist. Or failing that, a pub.
- In conclusion: A rather more interesting conclusion to the tale than I was expecting. While it's no surprise that Morgana has survived to pout dismally again another day, the introduction of Mordred into the Camelot clan promises to throw a fascinating spanner into the status quo. Is he nice or is he nasty? Will they maintain the mystery? Whatever happens, all the major players were bringing their A-game (and their A-dorableness) this week, so let's hope there's more good stuff where this came from.
- Next week: Arthur gets an unexpected call from his dad. FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE. Wooooo.


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Today, I want to talk to you about an awesome summer tv-show called Suits.
Suits is an amazing legal show with talented actors and with a smart and funny script.
The television drama series premiered on June 23, 2011 on USA Network. The first season has 12 episodes and season 2 will star this summer.
While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory. Mike and Harvey are a winning team. Even though Mike is a genius, he still has a lot to learn about law. And while Harvey may seem like an emotionless, cold-blooded shark, Mike's sympathy and concern for their cases and clients will help remind Harvey why he went into law in the first place. Mike's other allies in the office include the firm's best paralegal Rachel (Meghan Markle) and Harvey's no-nonsense assistant Donna (Sarah Rafferty) to help him serve justice. Proving to be an irrepressible duo and invaluable to the practice, Mike and Harvey must keep their secret from everyone including managing partner Jessica (Gina Torres) and Harvey's arch nemesis Louis (Rick Hoffman), who seems intent on making Mike's life as difficult as possible.
Gabriel Macht (Love and other drugs, Because I said so), Patrick J. Adams (Luck), Meghan Markle (Fringe,Remember Me), Sarah Rafferty(East Broadway), Gina Torres (Alias), Rick Hoffman (Samantha Who?).
Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter
Patrick J. Adams as Mike Ross
Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane
Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen
Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson
Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt
Sources: Google.com, Wikipedia.org, Usanetwork.com,Youtube.com


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Ask me that after the next time you have to fill out a governmental form. I'd link you to some of the US forms online, but I don't know if they can be accessed outside of the country.
Oh yeah, I'm not saying bureaucracies can't be bad, I'm just asking why they are automatically seen to be. Ours (government forms) are pretty good by and large. We have something called the "Plain English Campaign" that certifies them as, well, plain English.
Probably because the good/efficient parts of a bureaucracy tend to get their work done behind the scenes, or so quickly by the common wo/man's perspective that it's hardly there at all. It's the slow, clumsy, inefficient, or obnoxious parts that draw enough of our attention to stick in our memory and perception.
Shutdown topic. Veks split the topic to keep derails from happening.I called the folks that hired (or were going to hire me.. I have an INTERIM letter of intent)Turns out that thanks to the Government shutdown, the DoD (who along with the State Department) are the point of contact/originators of my contract, my contract will most likely NOT be funded till sometime after the New Year. Merry F-ing Xmas to me. I called my local Congresstool's office and his staff were like 'It was all the President's fault to push us to this point sir, we had nothing to do about it.' The only reason I didn't get hung up on was I played my 'big card, disabled veteran' issue. The person on the phone didn't like me throwing out that the Congressman was part of the laziest congress in sixty years or that I wasn't buying into the 'it's always been the party of lower taxes'. I guess I'm looking for a new party because I'm sure I won't get anymore emails/letters from THAT congressman anymore. Didn't answer my question how holding the public hostage rather than exercising some statemanship was better.
*hugs you tight* I'm a contractor too... currently for the DoD. There's a hiring freeze right now, and if our funding on our contract runs out before a budget is passed... guess who loses their job? The same thing happened to me last year... almost a year to the day (I was laid off Sept 30, 2012, didn't get another job till August 19, 2013). I'm right there with you hun. The stress is killing people. :(
Is there any news of a break through btw?
It irks me.. the staffer was like 'oh you've not been hired since 2009' (with the air of 'you useless fuck' in her voice) and it was only when I mentioned I was a disabled vet (one of their hot words I'm sure) that the smug 'you're a waste of my time' attitude ended. I'm a voter in this jerks district, which never ceases to surprise me since I live in a predominantly lower middle class (or lower) district that a GOP rep gets elected again and again. Must be the massive numbers of service members that live near the Naval station that skew the numbers. I worked hard in the service, I worked hard when I got out, I tried to find out why I was blacklisted by Lockheed and have sent out something like 20 resumees in the community only to get crap fringe job offers like 14 dollar/hour jobs that offer STRICTLY 32 hours a week in places like Downtown Philly. My congressman shouldn't be impeding my ability to reenter the workforce. I need this job. 2 Years in Taiwan is a great way to leverage my way back into the community. It's also the first honest job offer I got that wasn't a BS gimp job or a scam to squeeze out a product without paying the right fees.
No shutdown breakthrough. The 'summit meeting' of the top four members of Congress and the President yesterday seems to have had little impact. The latest House Republican tactic is to pass targeted funding bills focused on high-profile victims of the shutdown, such as the DC government, the National Institute of Health, national parks, etc. Basically anything that's getting attention in the press. The idea is for them to pass these limited bills in the House and send them to the Senate. If the Senate passes them, then some of the public furor over the shutdown diminishes, and it makes it look like things are getting done. If the Senate rejects them, then the House Republicans can point to the Senate and say "Well, they voted against funding the national parks (or whatever). They're the real problem."It's more disingenuous bullshit, of course. The Senate will reject each of these measures because right now the public polling seems to point outrage toward the House Republicans, as I've argued it ought to be. The Democratic Senate loses nothing by maintaining the party line calling for a full clean funding bill or nothing. Essentially the Senate Democrats aren't going to let the House Republicans hide the ugliest parts of what they're doing.Attention is now turning toward the debt limit deadline, which is in approximately two weeks. (It's impossible to forecast exactly when the Treasury department will run out of money, since income and bills due fluctuate on a daily basis. But it's around October 17th.) If we blow that deadline, there's a real economic crisis, and very likely the beginning of another recession.
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Essence Fest is filled with great music and without question the nightly performances at the Super dome are a highlight for most attendees. However, the icing on the festival cake for me is the networking and brand experiences that take place beyond the music. I had a chance to visit Magnolia Makeup– a brand I was familiar with but had never experienced thanks to the Glamx event hosted by the ladies of Digital Sorority.
The afternoon was filled with make-overs and of course some good old fashion kee kee.
I fell in love with the highly pigmented shadows which offer full coverage eliminating the need to use a shadow as a base.
Check out the lovely ladies of Digital Sorority and visit Magnolia Makeup in order to shop their full range of products.
photo credit: Brian Hall, Luxe Glam Media


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SARA Investment Real Estate offers a distinctive, alternative approach within an investment portfolio that allows our investors to pursue multiple avenues to investing in real estate. Our Investor Relations team strives to position our investors in opportunities that match their real estate investment goals by finding purchase opportunities, and structuring them to reflect our clients' return expectations and risk tolerance.
SARA has built its reputation on the integrity and quality of our properties, tenants, investors and most importantly, our employees. Our team members are committed to building long-term partnerships with our investors. We are dedicated to providing high-quality management services to every property to ensure it meets or exceeds performance goals. By only managing the properties we own, we thoroughly understand each project, providing individualized management strategies from acquisition to disposition.


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The finance industry is one of the booming sectors all through these years and so you can very well shine in that. Do not have any second thoughts about your success in this industry as your success has been designed for sure. It just depends of how soon you learn the skills and how well you operate according to the needs of the industry. Many firms are interested in offering personalized finance programs for their clients. But they don't possess such skills and also they don't have any specific terms and acts for that and also the required capital. It is because of this, a finance firm usually fails.
But today many companies are good at targeting their customers and see to it that they are satisfied with the ongoing business deal. They cross check frequently at every stage to rate their service in satisfying their potential customers, who are their main source for business. One such firm is Alpha Customer Financing whose name itself implies they are customer oriented. If you check online about their service, you would definitely love to have a business deal with them and get your finance needs satisfied at a one step solution.
The need for finance back up varies from one person to another. A good finance firm that operates according to the customer's need and to satisfy them would experience increased sales. The customers objections would be rejected, customers will work according to their budget and get approved and finally the most important factor is 100% higher cash flow. These are the strategies for any finance to attain its success. It is important that they should be strong in terms of technical issues, financial back up and with the credit systems.
The customer may approach other third party firms for the following reasons
Lack of in house credit, leasing
Fail in documentation expertise
Lack of funds for huge projects/ program
No desire to take credit risk with long term financing


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A first meeting to plan strategy for an Oakland bid was convened by Barron Hilton in San Francisco. Among the attendees were Oakland Tribune assistant publisher William Knowland, chairman of the Oakland sports stadium committee George Jacopetti, Oakland city councilmen Robert Osborne and Dan Marovich, Oakland city manager Wayne Thompson, Berkeley city assemblyman Don Mulford, Oakland Chamber of Commerce president William Sparling, Robert Lurie, Hal Schoener, a former San Francisco 49er player representing local magnate Ted Harrer, and AFL leader Lamar Hunt. Hunt pointed out again that time was of the essence and that a local bid had to be put together as quickly as possible. For most of the meeting the focus was on getting a stadium. Of primary concern was the possibility that East Bay fans would not support a team playing in San Francisco, even under the Oakland name. A faint hope was held out that the team could convince the University of California to allow the team to play in 80,000 seat Memorial Stadium until an Oakland stadium could be built, but a long-standing university rule against allowing professional sports to use school facilities stood in the way. There was also a rumor that the city of Hayward, just south of Oakland, was considering building a stadium and trying to land the team.
Some negotiating among the potential owners leaked from the meeting as well. Osborne indicated he would be willing to invest up to $200,000 as part of an East Bay ownership group. Jacopetti also identified himself as a possible investor. Schoener said Harrer would be in, but wanted 51 percent ownership of the team as a condition of his investment.
Frank Leahy, the Chargers general manager, was also at the meeting to assist Hilton, and explained that a draft pool would be created from players let go by the other seven teams and that, in the interest of league competitive balance, efforts would be made to ensure that the pool did not consist solely of scrubs. Leahy thought each team would take about 60 players to training camp in the summer, with roster limits to be set at 33 by the first week of the regular season. Initially, the league was planning to start play the weekend of September 18.
Oakland Tribune


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Prevalence of facial pain in migraine: a population-based study.
Unilateral head pain focused on frontal, orbital or parietal regions is a leading symptom of migraine attacks. Rarely, head pain in migraine can extend involving the maxillary or mandibular region of the face, sometimes isolated facial pain is the only and atypical presentation of migraine. The prevalence of these unusual symptoms in migraine is unknown. We aimed to estimate the true prevalence of facial pain in migraine in a population-based sample of 517 migraine patients in Germany. In 46 (8.9%) cases migraine pain involved the head and the lower half of the face. Patients with facial pain suffer more trigemino-autonomic symptoms than migraine patients (47.8% vs. 7.9%; alpha(2) = 66.23, P < 0.001). In one case isolated facial pain without headache was the leading symptom of migraine. Our results demonstrate that facial pain is not unusual in migraine, whereas isolated facial migraine is extremely rare.
headacheandmigrainenews. Migraine: Does your face hurt? discusses this study:
"Now this is, of course, another of those chicken-and-egg questions, because some of those patients likely have jaw issues that are triggering migraine attacks. But others simply have migraine attacks that cause the facial pain."
"In fact, in rare cases, there is something rare called isolated facial migraine, where the pain in the face is the main feature of the migraine. Sometimes treatment for the jaw is needed, such as an NTI-tss device. In other cases, when the pain is coming from the migraine attack, simply treating migraine as a whole will solve the facial pain issue as well."
Makes you wonder. I know I have TMJ and I know it is getting worse. I have no idea how this affects the migraines. I do know I have pain from my temples all the way down my jaw all the time with migraines… and it is freaking nasty. And I know when I have a migraine this also makes my teeth throb with the pain.
And I know I have eye socket, cheekbone and nasal cavity and forehead pain and behind the ear pain and this is all clearly from the migraines themselves.
And I know I have nerve pain on the scalp which is allodynia pain which is caused by the central sensitization of chronic migraines and I count that because frankly when you add in the facial pain and that my whole bloody head hurts.
So it is a bit of chicken come meet egg for me. I think many of us can relate to that, eh?


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SHAH PORIR DWIP, Bangladesh — Nabi Hussain owes his life to a yellow plastic oil drum.
The 13-year-old Rohingya boy couldn't swim, and had never even seen the sea before fleeing his village in Myanmar. But he clung to the empty drum and struggled across the water with it for about 2.5 miles, all the way to Bangladesh.
Rohingya Muslims escaping the violence in their homeland of Myanmar are now so desperate that some are trying to swim to safety in neighboring Bangladesh. In just a week, more than three dozen boys and young men used cooking oil drums like life rafts to swim across the mouth of the Naf River and wash up ashore in Shah Porir Dwip, a fishing town and cattle trade spot.
"I was so scared of dying," said Nabi, a lanky boy in a striped polo shirt and checkered dhoti. "I thought it was going to be my last day."
Although Rohingya Muslims have lived in Myanmar for decades, the country's Buddhist majority still sees them as invaders from Bangladesh. The government denies them basic rights, and the United Nations has called them the most persecuted minority in the world. Just since August, after their homes were torched by Buddhist mobs and soldiers, more than 600,000 Rohingya have risked the trip to Bangladesh.
"We had a lot of suffering, so we thought drowning in the water was a better option," said Kamal Hussain, 18, who also swam to Bangladesh with an oil drum.
Nabi knows almost no one in this new country, and his parents back in Myanmar don't know that he is alive. He doesn't smile and rarely maintains eye contact.
Nabi grew up in the mountains of Myanmar, the fourth of nine children of a farmer who grows paan, the betel leaf used as chewing tobacco. He never went to school.
The trouble started two months ago when Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar security forces. The Myanmar military responded with a brutal crackdown, killing men, raping women and burning homes and property. The last Nabi saw of his village, all the homes were on fire.
Nabi's family fled, heading toward the coast, passing dead bodies. But when they arrived at the coast with a flood of other Rohingya refugees, they had no money for a boat and a smuggler.
Every day, there was less food. So after four days, Nabi told his parents he wanted to swim the delta to reach the thin line of land he could see in the distance — Shah Porir Dwip.
His parents didn't want him to go. One of his older brothers had left for Bangladesh two months ago, and they had no idea what had happened to him. They knew the strong currents could carry Nabi into the ocean.
Eventually, though, they agreed, on the condition that he not go alone. So on the afternoon of Nov. 3, Nabi joined a group of 23 other young men, and his family came to see him off.
"Please keep me in your prayers," he told his mother, while everyone around him wept.
Nabi and the others strapped the cooking oil drums to their chests as floats, and stepped into the water just as the current started to shift toward Bangladesh. The men stayed in groups of three, tied together with ropes. Nabi was in the middle, because he was young and didn't know how to swim.
Nabi remembers swallowing water, in part because of the waves and in part to quench his thirst. The water was salty. His legs ached. But he never looked behind him.
Just after sundown, the group reached Shah Porir Dwip, exhausted, hungry and dehydrated.
Nabi is now alone, one of an estimated 40,000 unaccompanied Rohingya Muslim children living in Bangladesh. He looks down as he speaks, just a few feet from the water, and murmurs his biggest wish:
"I want my parents and peace."
Late afternoon on the next day, authorities spotted a few dots in the middle of the water. It was another group of Rohingya swimming to Bangladesh with yellow drums. They arrived at the same time as a pack of cattle — except that the cows came by boat.
Related Stories:
- Myanmar military's rape of Rohingya sweeping, methodical
- One bloody Sunday in Myanmar: AP reconstructs army massacre
- Rohingya refugees have only memories, saved on cellphones
- Rohingya Muslim refugee return to Myanmar delayed
- Refugees more than once, Rohingya fear return to Myanmar
- UN official says not safe yet for Rohingya return to Myanmar
- AP Exclusive: Dozens buried in mass graves confirmed by AP
- AP Exclusive: AP finds food used as weapon against Rohingya
- 'I feel trapped': Violence fuels fear among Myanmar Muslims
- Nowhere to run: Rohingya hunker down as monsoon arrives
- UN team: Myanmar military chiefs should face 'genocide' case
- Suu Kyi visits Myanmar region torn by Rohingya conflict
- Help Me! Boy cries as Rohingya boat fleeing Myanmar capsizes
- APNewsBreak: Review to confirm Rohingya 'ethnic cleansing'
- For Rohingya Muslim child refugees, too many losses to count
- Satellite images show sprawling Rohingya refugee camps
- Under fire over Rohingya, Suu Kyi defends Myanmar actions
- Fleeing Rohingya Muslims watch as homes burn in Myanmar
- As Rohingya flee violence, Myanmar's Suu Kyi skips UN meet
- Bangladesh leader visits Rohingya refugees, assures help
- Bangladesh hospital struggles to cope with Rohingya wounds
- UN: "Alarming number" of 270,000 Rohingya in Myanmar exodus
- Free of Myanmar, Rohingya man returns for relatives' bodies
- UNHCR: 123,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar
- Former loyalists lose faith in Myanmar's democracy icon
- In Myanmar, one girl's plight epitomizes Rohingya struggle
- Trump's planned reduction in refugees may hit Myanmar worst
- Banned from boats in Myanmar, Rohingya fish on rafts of junk
- New democratic era dawns in Myanmar


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Austrian Olympic History
Historical results of Austrian athletes competing at Summer and Winter Olympics. Includes medal count tables of all countries. An unofficial site.
The complete program and results of the olympics in English and French illustrated with pictures from a philatelic collection.
Cultural Olympiad
The International Foundation for the Cultural Olympiad plans many events in the 2000-2004 years. The site presents the basic idea, examples, themes, plan.
Comprehensive medal history of every summer and winter olympics since 1896. Site is indexed by sport category, country, athletes and venues.
Dictionary of the Olympic Games offers a reference to Olympic games news and history from Olympia to Sydney 2000.
A comprehensive review of the Olympic bid business. Contains news, information, glossary and an active forum.
Hickock Sports - Index to the Olympics
Offers a detailed history of the games organized by year along with medal winners for each event.
History House: Stories: Olympic Follies
Amateur glory of Olympics in the early twentieth century upheld in wacky marathon, racial exercises.
History of Our Olympic Games
Some information and a brief history of modern and ancient games.
Infoplease Olympics
Historic results and statistics plus summaries of every Olympic Winter and Summer Games.
International Centre for Olympic Studies
Established at The University of Western Ontario in 1989. It has as its primary mission the generation of academic scholarship focused specifically upon the socio-cultural study of the Modern Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement.
International Olympic Numismatic Federation
Official site featuring the collection and study of coins, bank notes, medals and tokens. Contains event information, collector resources and a photo gallery.
International Society of Olympic Historians
The purpose of the ISOH is to promote and study the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games. Includes membership, constitution, links, and the Journal of Olympic History.
A Journey Through: The Olympics
An interactive site about Olympics, the IOC, how the competitions are held, the ancient games and World Olympic Records, Paralympics. Includes also message boards to voice out opinions on olympic issues, interactive puzzles and quizzes.
Comprehensive database of all Olympic program guides for summer and winter games. Includes images of each program and navigation to each day's events.
The Monument Of the Immortals
Non-profit organization dedicated to establishing a monument in Olympia, Greece to honor the history and sportsmanship of Olympic competitors. Includes information on sponsorship.
Olympic Almanac
Information on all things Olympic, including logos, mascots, venues,and bid candidates.
Olympic Games Links
This site has links to news and information about the Olympic Games.
Olympic Games Medallists
Complete list of medallists in all sports at both Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
Olympic Games Museum
A virtual museum of statistics and items such as medals, diplomas, tickets, and posters.
Olympic History from Buffalo and Western New York
Highlights of olympic history with stories about Olympic medal winners and their accomplishments.
Olympic Museum
A virtual visit of the permanent exhibits, a virtual gallery with Nagano ceremonies, a philatelic and numismatic exhibition, concerts and conferences, a research centre.
Olympic Studies International Directory
Directory compiling information on the institutions and researchers carrying out research, activities or with a documentary collection on the Olympic Games.
Olympic Television Archive Bureau
OTAB is a sporting film and television library, offering films and videos that chronicles the Olympic Games history. The new acquisitions, the archive, olympic programming, information about services, and FAQs.
Olympic Truce
Describes the history of the concept of world peace through sports, description of the foundation and news items.
Olympics Through Time
Historical profile from prehistory through revival. Contains glossary, links and a comprehensive bibliography.
Science and the Olympics
Science and technology played a small role in the original Olympics, which prompted a brief truce in any wars the Greeks happened to be fighting. These days, science and technology play a dominant role in the quadrennial Games.
SurfJones: Olympics
A guide to the best, worst, and strangest Olympics stuff on the Web.
US Anti-Doping Agency
USADA, the independent agency, is responsible for managing the testing for U.S. Olympic, Pan Am, and Paralympic athletes, and for preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
Wikipedia: Olympic Games
Encyclopedia article with history and current events.
World Anti-Doping Agency
Promotes, coordinates, and monitors at the international level the fight against doping in sports in all its forms.
Campaigning for the formal recognition of those who revived the Olympic Games in modern times. Offers a timeline of events and commentary on publications concerning the revival of the Olympics.
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I love quick breads. The tender crumb and sweet flavor leave me thinking "just one more piece." I usually make zucchini bread and pumpkin bread throughout the late summer and winter. This year we haven't been getting much zucchini; instead, we are getting boat loads of patty pan squash. I found this summer squash bread recipe on pinterest and knew it would be the perfect trial run for patty pan squash bread.
I never used to make dishes with lemon – sweet dishes were always cinnamon-spiced or chocolate. A few years ago my naive palate found a delicious poppy seed lemon cake and I was hooked instantly. Few things are as delicious as freshly baked lemon quick bread. I hope you enjoy this wonderful treat!
Lemon Summer Squash Olive Oil Bread
Bread Recipe From Dula Notes
Note: I did not make the lemon crunch glaze but you can visit the link above if you'd like to add it.
- 1 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 C. whole wheat flour
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1 t. kosher salt
- 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1 t. ground ginger
- 1/4 t. freshly ground nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1 C. granulated sugar
- 1 C. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 t. pure lemon extract
- 2 1/2 C. grated summer squash (about 2 small or 1 medium summer squash)
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Grate summer squash and place between 2 towels to remove excess moisture
- In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and olive oil. Beat well on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add lemon extract and mix until incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients while beating on low. Once combined, increase to medium speed and mix for 30 seconds. Mix in grated squash until combined.
- Divide between the 2 prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top begins to crack and the sides pull away.
- Remove from baking pan after 5 minutes of cooling and move to a cooling rack.
The loaf is very moist with patty pan squash, so I stored it in the refrigerator after a day. Since it makes 2 loaves, I recommend wrapping one in plastic cling wrap and putting it into a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to a few months.


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The Comprehensive Plan is the document that sets the context for future growth and development in the City of Stuart. Required by state statutes that specify its overall content and structure, the Comprehensive Plan consists of a series of interrelated chapters or elements analyzing the community's future land use, transportation, parks and recreation and other infrastructure and environmental issues, needs, challenges and opportunities.
The Comprehensive Plan is important because it sets the overall policy context for development within Stuart. The Comprehensive Plan will address growth pressures in the City, future public facilities and service needs, preservation of the community character and natural resources, urban design and architectural standards, the fiscal impacts and responsibilities of new development and other important issues that affect the quality of life and character of the City. Specifically, the Comprehensive Plan will include goals, objectives and policies to:
- Guide future growth and development within the City (such as general location, allowable densities and intensities of land uses
- Discourage the proliferation of urban sprawl
- Protect the vital natural resources, such as environmentally sensitive lands
- Enhance community character through architectural and design standards
- Identify needed public services and revenues based on projected population and employment growth
- Meet community expectations regarding other important issues, such as sidewalks, streetlights, housing types and other issues


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Cloud Storage
Store, protect, access, share, and manage your data on Google Cloud infrastructure, taking advantage of the scale and efficiency of Google, and paying only for what you use with no upfront costs.
Google Cloud Storage redefines what the industry can expect from online storage by providing a unified offering with different levels of availability. This ranges from live data tapped by today's most demanding applications, to cloud archival solutions Nearline and Coldline. With a consistent API, latency, and speed across storage classes, Google's infrastructure is the best online cloud storage for your most critical data, from live data serving to data analytics/ML to data archiving.


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There are two parts to solving this problem we've been facing with mass public shootings. One part is the easy access to powerful, automatic guns, and the second part is the human factor or motive aspect. Many have chosen to primarily focus on the gun laws, which I agree are extremely important, for we do need better, more sensible, gun laws, while others prefer to focus more on the human side of the equation. I will try to do both.
I've always hated the expression "Guns don't kill people, people kill people," because it's actually both. No one has ever denied that people are a very crucial part of the equation. That part goes without saying. But guns are also a very crucial part of the equation. Yes, people kill people, in a huge variety of ways, but guns sure make it a hell of a lot easier for really dumb people to kill a lot of really good people—a thousand times easier! Assault rifles allow one angry person to mow down an entire crowd in very little time. Certain weapons are simply too powerful and too deadly to be wielded by a single individual.
When those of the human race start gunning each other down, at times on a weekly basis, to express their frustrations, it means there is something seriously wrong with our way of life. It should communicate to everyone that it's a sign of a deeper problem that goes beyond the gun laws. Although, the very loose gun laws don't help at all. It's proof that we need to do a better job of raising humankind. Too many of us are simply over worked, over stressed, underpaid, and don't have enough time to spend with our loved ones to teach and guide them properly. So most are caught up in the day-to-day struggles of life and too many children are not "connected" to the things that truly matter. Unfortunately, as a result, too many are allowed to stray way too far from an honorable, virtuous path. This sets up a chain reaction that affects us all. One spoiled apple can spoil the bunch. Even sadder are all those with mental conditions who go unnoticed, unreported, untreated or incorrectly treated and over medicated. So we as a society need to do a better job of caring for one another and to catch the warning signs of those who might want to lash out. As many have painfully learned, what affects one ultimately affects all others like the spreading ripples in a pond from a tiny, tossed pebble. Whether we like it or not we are all a part of the same human family.
People are often quick to reference the second amendment of the American Constitution, which constitutionally protects our right to bear arms, in order to defend their position that we Americans should always be free to purchase any and all guns under any circumstances. However, The Founding Fathers, as wise as they were, could not and did not foresee the creation of automatic assault rifles, high capacity magazines and gun clips, laser-guided machine guns, grenade launchers, biochemical and nuclear weapons, or perhaps one day, lightsabers and photon torpedoes. Many erroneously believe that the Founding Fathers were flawless, as though they were demigods incapable of making a mistake. But I assure you, they were all humans who did make mistakes. They knew this, which was the very reason they created an amendment provision in the Constitution, so that it could be repaired or "amended," when necessary. I hate to say it, but the Founding Fathers were naïve to promote and provide the level of freedom they did during the birth of this nation. Many of them even admitted this within their own lifetimes and within their own writings, such as Thomas Jefferson. They understandably wanted to error on the side of too much freedom, given that they had recently been so oppressed by their mother country and British king, so they greatly overcompensated. Thankfully, over the course of history, we have been moving towards a healthier balance between rules and freedom. For example, we've slowly learned that we cannot have complete freedom of speech like yelling, "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater as a joke or complete freedom of the press like allowing publishers to print and distribute magazines with child pornography. We can't have complete freedom of religion, either, like allowing devil worshiping that involves human virgin sacrifices or the torture of children and animals. I mean what if it was someone's religion not to follow the civil laws of man. What if it was against someone's religion to wear clothes in public. We humans have to give ourselves limits. We can't have absolute freedom, because complete freedom leads to chaos and anarchy. And know that all freedoms come with a price. The more the freedom the higher the cost. Ironically, we have to have some fences in order to have true freedom.
Speaking of religious freedoms, I've recently been trying to do a little research on Muslims and their Islamic faith, which is based on the Quran, and there are things about it that greatly concern me like how the Quran teaches that if you ever try to leave the Islamic religion you should be put to death and how you should kill those who commit adultery or slander the name of the prophet Muhammad and that women should be treated with far less respect than men, and so on. So to me, there are some very disturbing and extremely harmful views within that religion. Now I don't want to just criticize the Muslim faith, because many religions include very unusual and, at times, disturbing beliefs. For instance, the Abrahamic and Judeo-Christian belief system also teaches that women are second to men and speak of talking snakes and miracles like the parting of the sea and turning water into wine. In Exodus, Moses and his followers, the Israelites, went from town to town killing men, women, and children and even their animals all in the name of their god. They even killed each other in great massive numbers. In fact, the second half of Exodus sort of reads like a Jim Jones tragedy. They also believed in animal sacrifices and in stoning their own members for stealing and for committing adultery and they supported the idea of slavery. In the Bible you can read instructions on how to keep and treat and trade slaves. But most modern-day Christians don't follow the teachings of their Bible so specifically or so literally. There's a lot of strange observances and rituals and laws that would conflict with modern laws within the U.S. In modern times, we don't see Christians stoning each other or sacrificing their livestock as a burnt offering. So most religious doctrines are filled with confusing, disturbing, archaic beliefs and practices that most followers no longer abide by or adhere to. But putting that aside, we do need to carefully evaluate all religions and try to collectively determine if all their principles, practices, and modes of worship are tolerable in modern society. In other words, we can't allow for absolute complete freedom of any religion or at least the practice or expression of any religious belief.
Republicans, hunters, gun collectors, and those who want to own a gun to protect themselves often fear that Democrats want to take away all their guns and 2nd Amendment rights. But that's a major exaggeration spread by those on the far right of the political spectrum. It would be extremely difficult to find a Democrat in office who thinks we should ban all guns or all weapons, altogether, or take away all gun rights from every upstanding law-abiding citizen. Sensible politicians within both parties only wish to remove certain gun rights from certain citizens who have proven to be unfit in the eyes of the people and to reduce easy access to ridiculously powerful weapons, along with the production of such highly lethal arms. These type of weapons serve no valuable purpose in society other than perhaps military use during wartime. I mean do we really need powerful assault weapons to defend ourselves from burglaries or home invasions. I would think a simple handgun would be quicker to grab and easier to handle. However, I admit they might come in handy if any type of zombie apocalypse broke out, but I'm fairly certain that's not going to happen. And we certainly don't need assault rifles to hunt with, you know, give a deer a sporting chance—damn! To get back to my main point, there are simply those who should not have certain gun rights. For example, teenagers shouldn't have the right to take loaded guns to school, mental patients shouldn't be allowed to walk around with vials of deadly viruses that could kill huge populations of people if broken, and those on the terrorist watch list shouldn't be allowed to order assault rifles on the Internet. To most of us, these are common sense restrictions. These type of individuals should not have the right to bear such deadly arms. Statistics currently show that over 80% of Americans (both Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives) agree that we need more sensible, tougher gun control laws that expand background checks to ensure that guns don't fall into the wrong hands. However, we all know if those bent on killing get angry enough or become determined enough, they will use whatever they can find; a knife, a rock, a stick, even one's own bare hands to take the life of another. In other words, one almost always has a motive to kill before they do kill. So again, we should never erroneously place all the blame on the objects we call guns, nor can we exonerate their role entirely, either. These objects are not to be completely exempt from any and all blame. Even though guns by themselves don't kill people, they make it way too easy for bad people to kill good people. For the same reason, we can't allow young children to walk around with bombs in their back-packs or to carry jars of life-threatening acid in their pockets. In short, we should always try to preserve our freedom to bear what we the people judge to be reasonable arms with common sense regulations to defend ourselves (hopefully non-lethal in most cases) and protect our freedom to own tools to hunt for food, but at the same time, we shouldn't have complete freedom to own absolutely any weapon regardless of how deadly or destructive or accessible.
To get back to the human equation in all this, we need to examine what allows some to have the mindset to go on a shooting rampage, and others not to? One way to trace down the root causal factors is to look to other nations that do not experience mass shootings. But be careful when doing so, because there are a lot of confounding variables that can cause confusion. For instance, Canada is often used as a good example of a gun carrying nation that does not have these horrible mass shootings. Why is that? Well, statistics do show that colder regions, though they tend to cause more depression, experience fewer crimes. The prevailing theory of why is because it's often too damn cold to even leave the house. People tend to be less active in colder regions. Warmer climates like those in the U.S., especially in the South, are said to cause citizens to lose their temper far more easily. Also Canada has a much lower population than the U.S. (roughly 1/10th I think) and, therefore, will be less likely to have a mass shooting take place. Perhaps a key ingredient is that Canadians are raised better. Perhaps their children get better attention and are less spoiled. Who knows? Overall though, statistics show that the more guns a nation has and the easier the access to those guns the higher the death count from gun wounds. It has also been shown that most gun related deaths sadly turn out to be of friends and family of the gun owners, not criminals or intruders, and how most of them are either accidents or due to reflexive reactions in the heat of the moment of an argument.
I believe this problem can and will be solved. The lives of all those who were senselessly slain will not have died in vain. Their tragic deaths will be the motivators for needed change. However, I don't think the solution is to arm all teachers, staff, airline crew members, store merchants and mall vendors, as some have suggested, which would only exacerbate the problem and which would basically send us back to the days of the Wild West where someone could get shot just for snoring too loud, and where drunk people would be shooting one another in every bar each and every night, but I do think it would probably be a good idea to have at least one hidden armed guard in every public building–ideally two and preferably armed with non-lethal weapons. I would also recommend that more people start carrying their own non-lethal arms like pepper spray, stun-guns, and possibly Tasers. I'm sure bulletproof vest will soon come into fashion and will become rather common to wear when going out into public beyond our gated communities, along with helmets and dark tinted face-shields to avoid Big Brother and the paparazzi.
I'm confident that if we can re-strengthen our economy so that the poor and the middle class are greatly lifted, and the elite few no longer reap most of the rewards at the expense of those in need, and if we could just put into place the proper regulations, we will see a major decrease in mass shootings, along with all other criminal acts. We also need to teach our children to have a higher reverence for life, especially human life! We need to encourage a stronger sense of family, become less materialistic and a little more spiritual. This is not to say everyone must follow the Abrahamic, Judeo-Christian religion, but that each of us must at least come to realize that we are all a part of a larger, meaningful whole. People must learn to value and respect life more than they currently do. We need to make meaningful adjustments to our culture. I'm not too worried, though, because I have already seen evidence that many are catching on that we can no longer tolerate nor support the cheap, fast paced, over worked, disposable, American way of life. So I'm fairly certain we, as a collective, will soon find our way.
There will never be a perfect system where everybody walks the streets in perfect harmony–in fact, that would be a little creepy–and to some degree, there will always be those among us who have mental and emotional problems and those with radical religious ideas, who are angry and bent on destruction and revenge, but we must all continue to strive towards betterment as much as possible. Believe it or not, statistically, things are getting better. Gun related crimes and deaths are going down in America, employment is on the rise, and the economy is, in fact, healing. Though we will likely have many more rainy days ahead, here and there, I do believe better days are just over the horizon, where life is much better for everyone on a regular basis, so hang tight and try to stay the good course. Your positive outlook will spread far and wide and will help ensure those days do come.
By Guyus Seralius — Dec. 18, 2012


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PEM and a bit of Salem
You probably remember that the Peabody-Essex Museum is one of my favorite local museums. They are currently hosting an Ansel Adams exhibit, and so we decided to head down late Sunday afternoon and take a look. It left us almost no time to visit the rest of the museum (though I did take Yen to see the incorrectly taxidermied penguin), but it was sure better than nothing.
Here I am. I'm at the museum.
Here's the China house. We didn't go in, of course – not nearly enough time.
You don't get to see any of the exhibit – that's closed to photography. You must settle for me in front of the banner.
I always have to stop and admire this piece when I visit.
After we were kicked out at 5pm on the dot, we roamed around Salem just a bit.
And naturally ended up in a burial ground.
Here's the China house again, but from the back.
And… a creepy house next to the burial ground. Naturally.


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A couple of weeks ago, I sent a note to my congregation that I would be leaving at the end of the year. First Presbyterian of Elizabethton is a cool congregation and it is difficult to leave. But there comes a time when it is time. I had to announce we would be moving before it was a done deal so we could sell the house. A contract has been signed on that (fingers crossed).
Over the weekend I preached and passed the audition. The congregation voted 144 to one (there is always one) to extend a call and I accepted said call to be the pastor of Southminster Presbyterian Church in Beaverton, Oregon. I begin January 1, 2015.
I will do my best to Keep Portland Weird.
I have been asked a number of times whether or not Religion For Life will stay on the air. Wayne Winkler at WETS wants that to happen and will continue to air the show if I can get it done. The folks at Southminster want me to do it as well and so I will be checking out possibilities in Portland. Perhaps a community station will work with me on this.
Now, moving.
Many books need new owners. I am having a super colossal book sale November 15th and 16th at the church. Half the proceeds will go to the First Presbyterian of Elizabethton Youth.
This is a great opportunity for a seminary student or minister to add to their library.
Barth's complete Church Dogmatics, for sale.
Calvin's commentaries, for sale,
The whole Nicene, pre-Nicene, ante-Nicene Fathers collection, for sale.
That is the tip of the iceberg.
Plus hundreds of books $1 paperback, $2 hardback, or less. Other paperbacks for a couple of bucks a bag. Lots of literature--my Kurt Vonnegut, John Updike, Tom Robbins collections, ready for your shelf. Plus children's books, dvds, vinyl records (need some classic rock on vinyl?) Make an offer. This stuff is not leaving Tennessee. Unsold books will be donated to various libraries.
Here are the details:
Book Sale: FPC Elizabethton
Saturday, November 15, 8-5.
Sunday, November 16, noon to three.
The following weekend we are having a moving sale at our house.
Moving Sale: 3 Fairway Court, Johnson City.
Saturday, November 22, 8-5.
Furniture, tools, lawn care stuff, a bowflex (!) (My chiseled physique is all the inspiration you need to get there early in the morning to grab that!)
With that image etched uncomfortably in your mind, I bid you well.
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Portland Just Got Weirder
Posted by John Shuck at 11/05/2014 10:35:00 AM
6 comments:
Congrats! They like the Jesus Seminar in Beaverton, and you aren't far from their current home.ReplyDelete
Congrats! Beautiful part of the world.ReplyDelete
Congratulations Beaverton!You got a good one!ReplyDelete
As an Oregonian (at least a nice part of my life), let me say welcome (though I offer the welcome from Michigan).ReplyDelete
All I can say is "Go Ducks!"
Welcome to Oregon from an old, grizzled curmudgeon, McCormick '63ReplyDelete
still trying to puncture pontifical pantaloons.
B.J. Roberts
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A friend of the family asked me if I could make her brother a birthday card - and of course I wanted to! The gift was going to be money for an upcoming trip (the paper rolls in the last picture was going to be replaced by real money) and the birthday boy works with air traffic, so I thought this patterned paper was spot on!! :D
I used a calligrapy pen to write the names inside the card, so it was ready to "go" when I delivered it.
Take care!


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A Different Kind of Design
Friend and prolific pedal builder, Scott of Mezei Tone, once warned me about the overwhelming addiction that comes with building your first guitar pedal. What started as a simple DIY Tube Screamer project has exploded into 22 hand built guitar pedals of all shapes, colors, textiles and functions with plenty more on the way. I can't say I wasn't warned.
I can't say I wasn't warned.
The creative process and tangible outcomes are what keep me hunched over my workbench. Fine tuning the signal path of a guitar to create beautiful, sometimes raunchy, sometimes reckless, sounds is an exciting experience. Different finishing techniques for the enclosures complete the personality of each build.
Read More →


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The motorcycle is a 1978 Yamaha SR500. I've had it for two years. In 1978, Yamaha was competing with the British bikes like the BSA, Norton and Triumph's and they came out with this 500cc road bike in the British style. I've always liked the classic Brit bikes and the Yamaha is a close cousin supposedly without the electrical problems. Ha! It's been an epic to get it running right; and the problems turned out to be mostly electrical. I gave up trying to do the work myself and hired Barry Messenger from Ft Collins as my mechanic. Barry specializes in restoring older BMW's but owned an SR500 himself back in the day. I had the stator rewound from an outfit in Quebec. First time it came back it had a pinched wire; sent it back and they redid it again. In the mean time winter came and I went off to Scotland on sabbatical for the Spring. When I came back, Barry was moving his shop and could not take the bike for six months or so. The bike still had problems and after some extensive carburetor tuning we decided it must be the CDI (electronic ignition) Parts for this bike are hard to find and I ended up ordering a new unit from New Zealand where they are very popular. Installed that and, among other problems, the bike would not turn off. Sent that unit back across the Pacific, and in the meantime the guy who owns the company went in the hospital and was out of commission for six weeks. He recovered and an new unit was sent. This one worked! There still is a minor hesitation problem on a long pull in top gear, but we think we can fix that by rejetting the carburetor.
Took it out for a real ride yesterday. From Woods Landing where I live down Fox Creek Rd. (dirt) to Hwy 11 and then 130 to Centennial WY. From Centennial I headed up and over the Snowy Range and down the west slope into the Platte River Valley. South on WY 230 to Encampment/Riverside and then dipping down into Colorado to come back north to Woods Landing from the three-way.
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