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Latvala Releases Text Messages from AccuserNovember 30th, 2017 by Mike Vasilinda
A 35 year old State Senate employee has identified herself as the person who filed a complaint against Clearwater Senator Jack Latvala. A written copy of the complain six instances she say the Senator touched her, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, Latvala has released dozens of text messages that paint a complicated picture.
35-year-old Rachel Perrin Rogers has come forward saying she is the woman who filed a sexual harassment complaint against State Senator Jack Latvala. In a statement provided by her lawyer she says:
"The confidentiality that I was promised under Florida law has been violated. I am fearful of the effect that this unethical action will have on other victims."
The Clearwater Senator countered by providing more than 130 text messages between the two, some work related, others political, some friendly.
"She obviously communicates with me unsolicited on a very frequent basis and has for four or five years. Has invited me and asked me to meet with her alone" Latvala told us.
In one message, Rogers tells Latvala there's BBQ for lunch in her office. He says save me some, she responds with a plate and smiley face, and in another she says she donated to Latvala's reelection effort. Perrin Rogers husband, Brian Hughes, is a political consultant.
"I believe it's all political" says Latvala. "I don't think there's an accident that out of 200 female employees in the Senate the one who has purportedly filed a complaint against me, is the wife of a political consultant. I don't think it's an accident."
Citing the confidentiality of the investigation, the Senate President's Office says it has no comment about these text messages.
In a response to the text messages Perrin Rodgers' attorney tells us:
"At no time did my client invite or encourage Jack Latvala to touch private parts of her body. At no time did my client ask to be subjected to verbal or physical harassment."
Latvala spent three hours with the special master investigating the case on Wednesday. Perrin Rogers has a Friday appointment. Meanwhile, the Senate President was meeting today with outside lawyers hired by the Senate.
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All prospective pupils and parents are welcome to visit the school, if you wish to book an appointment and be shown around the school by a guide please call 01484 426466.To download the admissions form please click here.
All Saints Catholic College is an 11-16 voluntary aided school. We are also a specialist Humanities college, which strengthens our inclusive Catholic ethos. We strive to offer the very best educational and life opportunities to our students. This was recognised by Ofsted in February 2013 stating that "This is a good school". We are proud of our achievements.
"Teaching is good. Teachers plan a variety of interesting activities which engage students and help them make good progress." Ofsted 2013
"Gospel values are promoted by the school's distinctive Catholic ethos. As a result, students are tolerant, respectful and caring in the way they behave and interact with each other. Students feel safe in school." Ofsted 2013
At All Saints, we believe in providing the highest possible level of teaching, learning, care and support. All Saints Catholic College exists to meet the needs of those who seek a distinctive Catholic education. We pride ourselves on offering an education based on the teachings and values of Jesus Christ. We aim to be a truly Christian community, where our relationships are built on respect, forgiveness and reconciliation. We encourage leadership through service in all our young people. It is of great importance to us that we educate our students to value education not just for what it brings to them, but for how it can help them contribute more fully to the communities in which they live, enabling them to take their place as responsible, confident young adults in the 21st century; we aim to live out our mission 'To love and serve'.
The most exciting development for us here at All Saints is the plan to build a new school here on our site which is due to open in the Autumn Term 2016. The school will be built for education in the 21st century. There will be a four court sports hall, drama studio and other specialist rooms. For those of you planning to come to All Saints, the fantastic thing is that the new build will be developed whilst the rest of the school continues to function in our current buildings. There will be no portakabins. We will move into the new build when it is ready, before the 'old' school is demolished. Here is an image from the Education for Funding Agency website showing a typical block design for a new school such as ours:
I will update you all as our own school designs become available.
At All Saints everyone works hard to develop the unique potential in all our students. This is achieved through high expectations and a supportive learning environment. Strong partnerships are important to us, and we enjoy working closely with students, parents, parishes and the wider community.
You are warmly invited to visit our school or contact us for further information.

subset: commoncrawl


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Home Page || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Epilogue
Early Encounters With Germans
Near my school, a widow had set up a small pension in her house where she served lunch to middle-class men who worked in nearby offices. Mother arranged for me to join this crowd and I quickly learned to behave like them: I would say 'good day', take a newspaper from the wooden frames hanging by the entrance and seat myself at my regular table. (Reading the paper while eating is one bad habit that has stayed with me for life!)
Two years later, when German officers replaced the regular customers, the daily paper selection was expanded to include the Volkische Beobachter and Der Sturmeranti-semitic nazi papers which allowed me to practice my German and provided me with a new perspective on Jews and Judaism.
Seeing me reading their newspapers, the German officers would pat me on the head, inquire about school and praise my good German. I quickly became their little pet. Who knows? They may have even missed me when I abruptly stopped eating there a little while laternever suspecting, of course, that it was a little Jew they were pampering.
Shortly afterwards, I was told by the woman of the house that it would be better if I didn't come back, that she didn't need Jews' money; she had enough German customers. That was when it finally hit home that I was one of those Jews, that I'd better beware of those German officers because I was on the wrong side of the fence.


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Katie Herzig may not be a household name, but you've definitely heard her music.
Songs from her four albums have been featured in many commercials and soundtracked the drama on television shows like Grey's Anatomy and Bones, and most recently, in the the trailer for Saving Mr. Banks. She's even been nominated for a Grammy Award. Yet universal recognition continues to elude her — but her new album, Walk Through Walls, may finally put her over the top.
The album, which is due out April 8th, shows Herzig continuing to break with her folksy roots, swapping acoustic guitars for the poppy electronica and synthesizers that worked so well on her last album. TIME is excited to premiere the album's title track, "Walk Through Walls," a pretty and ethereal number that showcases Herzig's deft vocals and poignant lyrics.
"This song was written in a time when I had to come to terms with the fact that life does not always reflect the picture we grow up having in our mind. And when it starts to look like something outside of that, we are stuck between hanging on to that picture with all our might, or letting it go and embracing the picture that is," Herzig says. "This song lives in the space between those two worlds."
As for the making of the video, Herzig explains: "My director, Shih-Ting Hung, came across Edward James' Las Pozas in Xitlitla Mexico when we were looking for locations and we both fell in love. With a spirit of adventure and some crazy planning and coordination we flew into Mexico City, met up with a wonderful Mexican crew, drove 9 hours to Las Pozas and shot the video in one day… in the middle of a place that I can only describe as heaven on earth."
"This shows only a tiny bit of its breathtaking structures," she adds. That description is an apt analogy for the song itself, which hints at the power and beauty in Herzig's voice and songwriting capabilities.
You can pre-order her album here and catch her on tour through the end of May.
MORE: VIDEO: Timber Timbre Premieres "Beat the Drum Slowly"
MORE: Beyoncé's "Grown Woman" Gets An Alternate Video: Watch


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Hi all, I'm wondering if the creation of tracks and addition of tracks to the HTMLMediaElement tracks lists as indicated here https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/media-source/media-source.html#sourcebuffer-init-segment-received should fire addtrack events on the HTMLMediaElement track lists or not ? I think it should and maybe it's covered already by some reference to the HTML5 spec, but I couldn't find it. Regards, Cyril -- Cyril Concolato Maître de Conférences/Associate Professor Groupe Multimedia/Multimedia Group Telecom ParisTech 46 rue Barrault 75 013 Paris, France http://concolato.wp.mines-telecom.fr/Received on Tuesday, 22 January 2013 16:58:03 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 20:32:58 UTC


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Before they collect dust,
delightful appreciation for the mentions.
Random Facts
1. I love my doggies, even the fat needy one.
2. Tried to dye my hair darker the other week, came out lighter...
3. Worried about withdrawal symptoms with the last major music festival of the season behind us.
4. I really love my car, abhorrent safety rating and all.
Best Moment Award:
Serious thanks are in order for Miss Sania, and to all the committed readers who appreciate my attempts at capturing some epic story telling. That warm fuzzy feeling when you slog it out to get that idea into words and people cry wonder (or even just a "...I like the picture?") is pretty damn inspiring. Thanks for the support, because stories shouldn't go unnoticed, and we should keep discovering new ones ;)
What's your worst fear? Dying, ever since I was little.
If you had one wish, what would it be? To have the motivation to accomplish what I want.
Think fast. Forest or waterfall? Forrest, climbing and jumping through giant woods and dirt, that was my Sunday evening :P
Can you explain the concept of concepts? A concept is something so incompletely attached to your stream of consciousness that your heart trembles at the mere thought of making such a connection, and your mind is static with the possibilities... or something.
How good are you at keeping a secret? This is my secret...
Do you believe in déjà vu? Yes, because I have experienced so many multi layered déjà vu's it is more complex than Inception.
Handshake - Two Door Cinema Club
Heavy Feet - Local Natives
Seconds - Ghost Loft
Your Life Your Call - Junip
Human Spring - Buchanan
Evil Friends - Portugal. The Man
Luck Now - Big Scary
Wave - Crystal Fighters
Follow Baby - Peace
Battleships - Bernard Fanning
happy tuesday,
from sjp.


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March 1974
(Daytime Serial Newsletter)
Sally told Pierre she agreed they should sell the restaurant and move to Paris. She added Snapper did not know about the child. However, Sally and Pierre were robbed and Pierre struggled with him when he tried to take Sally hostage. Pierre was injured and at hospital, did not respond to the neurological tests Brad gave him. He suddenly died. Marianne Meulot, Pierre's sister arrived from France and vowed over Pierre's body that Sally would pay. She told Sally she had no right to the restaurant and tried to throw her out. Stuart was upset to see Snapper comforing Sally and told Jen he did not trust Snapper. Marianne was furious when Pierre's will indicated Sally was the sole heir of the restaurant and made an appointment to see Stuart.
Jill was ecstatic over her new job but realized Kay had a drinking problem. When Kay's husband, Phillip Chancellor begged Kay to stop drinking, she refused. Jill was discouraged at Kay's lack of response to their efforts.
Gwen Sherman, Greg's mystery client, told him all she wanted from her aunt's estate was money. She turned down Greg's date invitations because he did not know dating men was her profession.
Lorie was using her book manuscript to take Brad away from Leslie. When Leslie triumphaly returned from her piano debut, Lorie had prearranged a date with Brad which hurt Leslie to the core. Lorie told Brad that Leslie felt a muscian could not divide herself between a husband and a career. When Leslie confronter her sister, she said Brad was helping her with her writing. At Brad's suggestion, Leslie got him a ticket for her Detroit concert but Lorie managed to detour the ticket. Against his wished, Brad began thinking of the things Barbara never told him that drove him out of Chicago and of the operating room.
April 1974
(Daytime Serial Newsletter)
Before leaving for Paris, Marianna told Stuart that Snapper is the father of the child Sally was carrying. Stuart confronted Snapper who refused to either deny or admit. When Sally learned what Marianne did, she went to Stuart and Jennifer explaining she got pregnant to trap Snapper but realizing how much he loved Chris, she married Pierre. She added she would be leaving Genoa City. However, Snapper learned of Sally's suicide attempt by gas in her early months of pregnancy and he insisted she remained in town until the baby was born. Chris was angry at her father's attitude about Snapper's protectiveness of Sally but Stuart was furious to learn that Sally was staying in town.
Greg continued to press Gwen for a date and she explained she distrusted men as after her mother died her father informed her he was never married and took off. She tried to discourage Greg to get closer. He was confused when a man arrived at Gwen's apartment ignoring she was a call girl.
Katherine told Jill about her strorybook first marriage to Gary Reynolds and her marriage after Gary's death to Phillip Chancellor. Jill was impressed by Phillip ans he was protective of her realizing she was innocent about men. Jill managed to keep Katherine from driking all day and when Phillip arrived home he was encouraged. But when he was preparing to make love ti his wife, she took one dring and another and she passed out when Phillip returned from the shower.
Lorie hid the love letter and concert ticket Leslie sent to Brad and implied Leslie forgot. When Leslie called just before the concert to find out why Brad wasn't in Detroit, Lorie answered and made it celar Brad was interested in her, Lorie. Leslie was in shock and so odvercome that she had to be led off the stage. She went to New York and wantered Central Park in confusion. Her handbag was stolen and she spent the night in the rain calling for help. A policeman found her but she was incoherent and taken to Manhattan's Psychatric Hospital where she was diagnosed as a possible mani-depressive and put in an observation ward as Jane Doe as she had no ID. She was confused when a young orderly tried to make love to her. Meanwhile, Lorie was taking advantage of Leslie's absence to get closer to Brad. She admitted she has finished her book and would probably be more successful than Leslie and she said she thought she was pregnant.
July 1974
(Daytime Serial Newsletter)
Lorie ignored Chris' hopes that she would use an assumed name on her soon to be published novel and put Stuart off when he asked to see the draft. She was shoked to hear Leslie had a nervous breakdown and tried to avoid Brad. Leslie blamed Lorie for her breakdown. Brad tried to talk to Leslie but she refused. Lorie's publisher, Dave Larson, set up a centerfold magazine spread as promotion for her novel and she had to go to New York. She asked Brad to elope but he fit the pieces together and realized Leslie was waiting for him in Detroit. Lorie asked Leslie not to tell Brad the truth and leslie replied she would let Lorie do it. Jen ended up guessing Lorie mut have taken Leslie's call but refused to believe it. Brad asked Lorie if she took Leslie's call.
Kay, very depressed, slept with Jeff, the stable boy over Jill's objection. She told Jill she had become like a daughter to her since her son Brock had not contacted her in years. Phillip spent more time with Jill and gave her a string of pearls and surprised her with a kiss. When she asked Phillip what he expected, he assured his intentions were honorable. After a dance, he told her he loved her. Jill re-doubled her effort to keep Kay sober but could not help wondering what could Phillip's pledge of love could mean.
Snapper's schedule as a full fledged doctor left him very little time off and Chris planned a special dinner for his first evening home. The mood was shattered when he learned she withdrew money from her parents to buy things she felts they needed. Sally went into labor, worried that her suicide attempt would affect the child. Snapper visited her to reassure her. Stuart and Jennifer felt Sally's remaining after the baby's birth was a threat to Chris' happinesse particularly since she was herself pregnant. But Snapper refused to mention it to Sally until they knew the baby was all right. Liz stayed with Sally during her labor but felt guilty that she loved Sally as much as Chris. The baby boy was born but there were no news on its condition.
August 1974
When Jen and Stuart Brooks learn that their daughter Laurie took the phone call that caused her sister Leslie's breakdown, they are shocked, Stuart goes so far as to say he wonders sometimes if Laurie could be their child, causing Jen to recall a time when she left Stuart and spent some time with her former boyfriend, Bruce, but she returned to Stuart when she realized the importance of her marriage to him. When each of them confronts Laurie with what she did to Les, she shows little remorse, saying from her point of view, they've never had time or love enough for her, which each denies, saying they always were there for her, but Leslie's shyness demanded more direct attention. Laurie accuses them of trying to take Brad's love away from her too and goes to New York to pose for the centerfold, successfully, with her former boyfriend Jed along for moral support. In her absence Brad gets the whole story from Les, and upon Laurie's return, he breaks their engagement saying all they had was a tremendous physical attraction and are two fundamentally different people. The Maestro visits Les, saying he and the orchestra expect her to join them for the St. Louis concert in September. Brad tries to help Les regain her confidence, but she resists his efforts because of a fear of failure, and when he accuses her of running away, she counters with saying he did the same thing by giving up his other life, probably, she guesses, as a psychiatrist, but he denies he was running away, saying he was running to a new life. Les goes into the music room and finally begins to play, but stops when she hits one wrong note.
Sally Rouland presents Dr. Snapper Foster with a perfect baby boy, she finally names Charles Pierre after her dead husband, although she wanted to name him Bill, after Snapper the baby's real father. Snapper refuses to see Chuckie until Liz persuades him that doing so would help his attitude about his wife Chris' expected baby. Chris' sister Peggy Brooks comes across Snapper and Sally while working on her hospital column and is persuaded by Snapper to keep quiet to protect Chris and assuring her he loves Chris greatly. Peg, however, is disillusioned and disappointed. Sally prepared to leave town with Chuckie, sad at leaving her only friends, but excited about starting a new life. At home with Chris, Snapper can't get his final visit to Chuckie with Sally off his mind, but finally tells Chris the idea of a baby is growing on him, making her ecstatic. Chuckie develops pneumonia, causing Sally to call Snapper, and cancel her plans to leave for Chicago.
Prodded by his sister Jill's report that Gwen has gone back to prostitution, Greg Foster visits her and is devastated by her appearance, induced by liquor and pills. She insists he leave because she's a no good tramp. He returns, cleans her up, and dumps out her pills and alcohol. He bigns to "clean up her mind," but she is unco-operative because she's afraid he'll leave and she'll be back where she started, but does send a customer away while he's there. He continues his campaign, telling her she can have what they had again if she's willing to work for it. He kisses her and leaves her with some hope.
Having told Jill he loves her, Philip Chancellor asks Jill to spend the night, causing her to wonder why she's so curious about what will happen. Phillip tells her he expects nothing but her company. Kay asks Jill what she would do if she had the Chancellor wealth and is upset when she says she would help her family. Jill becomes overwhelmed with the contrast between her mother and her circumstances and Kay, telling Liz that she deserves much more. When Kay asks her husband Phillip if he'd remarry if she dies, he says he never thought of it, he concedes she believes him, saying he never appears to have the same needs as other men, finally begging him to make love, but aftr agreeing, he can't follow through. Kay, having frequent pain, refuses to see a doctor afraid of what he may find. After a nightmare about Kay's pretending to be dead to trap Phillip and her into confessing their feelings for each other, Jill calls her brother Snapper, who examines Kay over her objections and finds she has an enlarged liver. He recommends she go to the hospital for tests. Kay refuses. Snapper tries to persuade Jill to leave Kay's negative influence, but Phillips asks Jill to stay, saying he never wants her to leave. He and Jill try to persuade Kay to take a trip, which she finally begins to consider, telling Phillip his love and concern are all that keep her alive.


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More tales from The MMQB's readers of the joy and anguish of rooting for their team
This summer, seeking contributors for The MMQB's new weekly fan-oriented column for the 2015 season, we asked readers to send in a short essay on why they love the teams they do. The responses flooded in from all over the country and the world, from men and women of all ages, representing all 32 NFL teams. To kick off this season's Voice of the Fan column, we're running selections from these submissions, capturing the joy—and all too often, the abject misery—of football fandom. These are the 16 teams of the NFC.
Click here for the AFC entries.
Arizona Cardinals
Despite being one of two charter members of the NFL still in existence, the Cardinals' last championship was in 1947. They are the fastest team to reach 700 losses. In their first 20 seasons in the desert, they had 17 losing seasons. But stats only tell part of the story, as any longtime Cardinals fan can tell you. Who can forget walking up to the ticket window at Sun Devil Stadium a few minutes before kickoff and still being able to get good seats? Those seats, of course, being aluminum benches—in 105-degree heat … in September … in the middle of a sea of opposing fans. Who can forget free agents bypassing Arizona, except the ones looking for a warm place to retire? I sure don't. But that was then. Now is the University of Phoenix Stadium, which has sold out every game since it opened in 2006. Now is Bruce Arians, Steve Keim and a nucleus of young stars. Now is about inducting Adrian Wilson into the Ring of Honor, one of the draft picks that made all of this possible. How can you not love this team?
—Kevin McNeill
* * *
My young son and I were part of the 25,000 or so season-ticket holders who went to Sun Devil Stadium—it is not even a nice college stadium—and lived through the Joe Bugel era, the Buddy Ryan "you've got a winner in town" era, the Vince Tobin era, the Dave McGinnis era, the Dennis Green "they are what we thought they were" era, on to the Ken Whisenhunt and, finally, the Bruce Arians era. Hell, at 64, I've lived through more eras than any sports fan should have to endure. Now I live in Maryland, but a Cardinals victory still makes or breaks my football Sundays.
* * *
Atlanta Falcons
The Patriots are perennially great, inspiringly so. Other teams are predictably lousy (ask the guy wearing the paper bag). The Atlanta Falcons are periodically good—often mediocre, occasionally great, but throughout the years, they periodically contend for the postseason or even a home-field playoff game. In my experience (I'm a chaplain at an aerospace university), human beings are also periodically good—often struggling to get by, sometimes demonstrating the extraordinary, but for the most part working hard to do what good we can. This is why I love the Falcons—being a loyal, hometown fan of Steve Bartkowski (childhood lesson in hope: watching him duel Roger Staubach through the first half of a playoff game and daring to dream we could indeed beat the Cowboys); Michael Vick (defeating the Packers in January, at Lambeau! incarceration in disgrace, working hard at redemption); and Eugene Robinson (a Super Bowl lesson in stupidity and shame) helps me understand what it means to be a human being, warts, taped ankles and all. We cheer, or we cover our eyes, and deep down, discovering who we are, we are comforted, transformed and encouraged by the drama of being periodically good.
—David Keck
* * *
I declined pain meds just 10 hours after having all four wisdom teeth removed solely so that I could experience the Falcons' excruciating 2010 loss to the Packers in the divisional playoffs with a clear head. This is a memory I wish was hazy. I just graduated college and I'm looking for marketing opportunities, with the hope that I can convince my dad that buying season tickets for the new Falcons stadium is not a poor 30-year investment.
* * *
Carolina Panthers
At 10 years old I had a big decision to make. I had grown up liking Dan Marino, but the Dolphins were my dad's team. I didn't want to be a bandwagon fan; I wanted a new team all to my own. So when my mom held up a Jacksonville Jaguars shirt and a Carolina Panthers shirt in the mall that day in 1995 and told me to pick one, the Panthers' colors and logo drew me in. It was something as simple and borderline silly as that. But ever since I've been a diehard Panthers fan. Sure, we had Rae Carruth and Greg Hardy, but we've also had Sam Mills, Muhsin Muhammad, Jordan Gross, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen and now the NFL Man of the Year Thomas Davis. That's why I love my team.
We've been 12-4, 1-15, and definitely everything in between. But we've always had players worth cheering for. People idolize Tom Brady and Joe Montana; I idolize Jake Delhomme for that amazing 2003 Super Bowl run. I've convinced myself that Chris Weinke and Jimmy Clausen were the answer, and also proudly celebrated a 7-8-1 division title. Keep Pounding isn't just a phrase on the inside of our collar—it's a way of life for the team and for myself.
* * *
Chicago Bears
I love the Bears because my father taught me to love them. He taught me that defense wins, Doug Flutie was a gamer, and that Walter Payton was the best who ever lived. Mostly, though, my dad taught me that loving a team so much is hard, and that they will break your heart if you let them. He taught me to embrace the heartbreak because nothing good comes easy, and gratification delayed is often the best kind.
I love the Bears because Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown. In my mind it was 1986 and I was eight years old, sitting on the couch next to my dad as the Bears won Super Bowl XX. God, I loved that team. They were more than men … more than players. They were a young boy's heroes, perfect in every way. Most importantly, they were the motivation for a father and son to spend three hours together every Sunday watching something they both loved, with no place else either would rather be.
My dad is gone now and I miss him every day, though rarely more so than on game days. This season, like every season, I will be cheering for my team… our team. I hope that my young son chooses to join me, and I hope that he finds players worthy of his admiration. I also hope he learns, more quickly than I, that the true hero is often the guy on the other end of the couch.
Bears games are not about football. Bears games are about family.
* * *
Dallas Cowboys
I've been a Cowboys fan since I was five because my dad was. From Bartlett, Texas, he was a soldier, and we traveled all over the world. He took the family to Germany, Italy, Turkey and Thailand, and he left us home at Fort Hood for a couple tours in Vietnam. In some of those places we missed out on hearing or seeing games. As a teenager I listened to the Armed Forces Network broadcast on a transistor radio in Germany. Maybe I would hear a Cowboys game, or I'd hear whatever games were being broadcast, listening for a Cowboys score update. When I became a soldier, too, AFN allowed us to see and hear more football, sometimes Cowboys games. I've lived the glory years and 1-15. Landry to Garrett, Meredith to Romo, Howley and White, Ware and Lee, and all the "88s."
My wife and kids became fans too, even though we live in Kansas now. My dad and wife have passed recently, but mom and the rest of us know we'll see another Cowboys Super Bowl.
—Bernd L. Ingram
* * *
One of the earliest pictures of me is from when I'm three months old, leaning against my father's chest as he lies on his side. We have the same wide grin on our faces as I hold a tiny Dallas Cowboys football next to my head. When I was older, he liked to show me that photo to point out that, even at such a young age, I knew how to properly hold the pigskin—I even gripped the laces. It was coincidence, of course, but the love of the game, the team, and my father were anything but. When I was 5, my family and I were seated next to Tom Landry's table at El Fenix, a Dallas institution. After a whispered conversation, my parents sent me to interrupt his meal and ask for an autograph. The napkin, made out to me, sits framed in my mother's apartment today, some 33 years later.
A year later, my dad took me to my first game—the Dec. 26, 1983, divisional playoff against the Los Angeles Rams. The temperature never made it out of the 20s that day, and the Cowboys never got to the 20s at all, falling to the underdog Rams, 24-17. My only memories of the game, though, are my dad calling out to Drew Pearson during warmups and seeing him wave at us, and us later huddling under a blanket as we watched from our end-zone seats.
My father died on August 9, 2007. The hospital moved him into my childhood home for hospice care earlier that day. That evening I sat by his bed and watched the Cowboys play their first preseason game of the year against the Colts. Dad was seemingly unconscious by then, but the doctors said it was important to talk to him, to let him know we were there. I held his hand and did play-by-play of the game so he could hear my voice. Shortly after the game, he passed on.
Today, I'm not as ravenous a fan as I once was—that energy is the luxury of youth. But I still think of my father every time I watch the Cowboys, and I rarely miss a game. Whether they win or lose, I always come out ahead.
—Roger Brooks
* * *
Detroit Lions
"Did he just run out of the back of the end zone?" Come join me in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2008. It is 123 degrees outside, and about 150 in the porta-john I am sitting in. Exiting this plastic sauna will be one of the highlights of my day, the drastic temperature change allowing for a brief respite from the heat. I have a small portable DVD player sitting in my lap, and I am watching the winless Lions play the Vikings in a meaningless game. I had my dad record all the games and mail them to me, so I was like the guy who yelled at you in the coffee shop yesterday because they heard you discussing the ending of "Breaking Bad."
I watched every game that season during bathroom breaks, or before I went to bed, or in the morning while I worked up the courage to leave the slightly-less-hellishly-hot sleeping area and walk to the shower. I didn't do it because I love the Lions. I hate them. They manage to ruin nearly every major holiday in the cold months every year. I do it because the Lions are a part of me. A part of where I live. I watch them for the same reason a person passing you on the street in Detroit with a "Need Help" sign would tell you they were on the up and up. "Ahh, that refreshing Midwestern hope!" You say. That isn't it. It's because people from Detroit are insane.
* * *
Green Bay Packers
The week each of my four boys was born I mailed in their request for Green Bay Packers season tickets. As their mom, this was almost as important as applying for their birth certificate. The Packers are in our blood. They are more than a team to our state, and our family. What comes to mind when I think about the Packers? The chills you get when you first step into Lambeau. The strangers seated around you who become friends by the end of the first quarter. Going to church dressed in head-to-toe green and gold. The empty grocery stores on Packer Sundays. A loud house packed with screaming, high-fiving family and friends during the games. My two-year-old twins who can recite half the roster. The pride of cheering for a legendary, fan-owned, down-to-earth team. Our Green Bay Packers.
—Cristina Ramirez
* * *
I'm a Packers fan exiled in Chicago. Born and raised in the Wisco-Disco rooting for the Green and Gold, Sundays were a ritual of breakfast with the family, church, followed by racing home to make the noon kickoff. During big games, my dad substituted foam cheeseheads to collect the church offering as a reminder to the pastor that the sermon should be short and sweet.
—Andy Bilhorn
• 'WHY I LOVE THE . . . ': Broncos, Pats, Bills, Steelers, Jets, Colts, Browns, Chargers . . .
* * *
Minnesota Vikings
I don't remember how I became a Vikings fan over 30 years ago. There was no definitive moment of clarity. I live 26 hours away, in a completely different country. Back then, there was no Internet or social media available to keep me informed, and the Ottawa newspapers rarely focused any attention on the Vikings. But as fate would have it, I hung an Anthony Carter Nike poster over the bed in my childhood room, and I would stare at it for hours. It was a picture of AC stretched out in a Superman pose, making a circus-like catch. And I was hooked.
Loving the Vikings is hard. We have famously lost four Super Bowls, made arguably the worst trade in NFL history, and blew the 1998 NFC title game to the Falcons. But I do love the Vikings for the amazing fans I've met, who have made me laugh and taught me much. We have celebrated wins together, complained about Tice and Childress and groaned over the Love Boat saga. I recently lost one of these long-distance friends and I cried when I got the news.
I am a better person simply because I hung that poster. Who knew?
—Chris Medaglia
* * *
Anyone claiming to be a Vikings fan is clearly a glutton for punishment, and yet I am still here calling my self a Vikings fan. Maybe it's the tease that I love so much. The magic of the regular season and the tragic results in the playoffs. Yet here I am, still cheering for the Vikings, still engaged in a team that I have championship hopes for. I drink the purple Kool-Aid yet I'm still able to see my team for what it is.
—Brent Grebinoski
* * *
Where would love, or a Vikings fan, be without optimism? There have been no championships here. The dearth of titles extends well beyond the confines of the recently (and mercifully) imploded Metrodome and its horned tenants, whose heartbreaking exploits and near misses are too excruciating to tally. But we are optimistic! We will blow the Gjallarhorn and fill our luminous new stadium with a clamor so magnificent that our gridiron heroes can't help but ascend to the pinnacle of greatness! We will love. Skol Vikings.
* * *
New Orleans Saints
Everyone knows by now how much residents of New Orleans relied on the Saints for hope after the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. But that was simply an event that strengthened the bond of the city and its fans, not christened it. The love this city has had for our boys was strong long before they gave us hope after the storm or Drew Brees was racking up record after record while leading the team to its first Super Bowl victory ever. Even when they were lovable losers, we related to them, we hoped with them, we identified with them.
—Jonathan Barnes
* * *
My love for the New Orleans Saints is embedded in the organization's rise from the Bourbon Street gutter to football's Mecca. Simply put, I love our story. I love where we came from and where we currently reside, which is the greatest era of Saints football in the history of the organization. If given the opportunity to alter our cursed past, I'd leave every losing season as is, because the view from the mountaintop at the end of the 2009 season was that much more enjoyable for the long climb it took to get there.
It wasn't easy growing up a Saints fan. While the losses hurt, the real torture was being on the wrong side of every highlight reel or new NFL record. You would've been hard-pressed to find any optimism amongst fans in the past, but this era isn't our dad's or grandfather's Saints.
I was in love well before the return from Katrina, but Steve Gleason's blocked punt against the hated Falcons sealed it. That moment was the greatest of my sports life and the start of something entirely new for Saints fans.
—David Dussouy
* * *
The Saints are home.
Gumbo. Bud's Broiler. Crawfish boils on Easter Sunday. Green Christmases. No Mora Excuses. The heartbreak of a great defense and a Carl Smith offense. Pierre Thomas beating out a fourth-round pick. Hope. A relief from a bad economy. A reason to hate Goodell's knee-jerk marketing-focused "protect the shield" BS. The last seven years of Drew Brees and offensive excellence.
And though I live 1300 miles away, they're still a connection to my dad and my annual kiss-of-death (his opinion) text regarding the team we both love: Saints Superbowl.
* * *
New York Giants
I learned my first 13-letter word when Kerry Collins threw an interception against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11 of the 2001 season, destroying both the Giants' chance to return to the playoffs and my mother's resolve to keep my 6-year-old mind a cuss-free sanctuary. They say it takes a village, but I say it took the Meadowlands. As a child, I was taught to look both ways before crossing the street and to always kneel the ball to kill the clock or else Joe Pisarcik will throw an interception. At my Bar Mitzvah, on a live microphone in front of everybody I knew, I corrected the DJ that the best day of my life had actually been six weeks earlier when the Giants won Super Bowl XLII. (The cake was a Lombardi Trophy.)
The Giants taught me that sports can make a difference, with players going above and beyond for 9/11 firefighters, cancer research and the families of Sandy Hook victims, to name a few. The Giants taught me patience, exemplified discipline and proved that the David Tyrees of the world can hope to become entrenched in history. The Giants helped raise me.
—Danny Heifetz
* * *
When my grandfather passed away in April of 2010, we went to clean out his house and we found his wallet. In his wallet he had a picture of my grandma, a picture of his five grandkids, a couple 20s and the New York Giants roster taken from Newsday. While the reason he had the roster in his wallet was a failing memory, its place among the other most important things in his life was no mistake. My grandfather loved the Giants. And until his very last day, the Giants were always something we had together and always something he wanted to talk about. Some of my best memories growing up were being in my grandfather's basement and looking at the game-day magazines he had collected from his consecutive-games attendance streak that started at the Polo Grounds and took him through the last game at the old Giants Stadium. Others included being in the Giants Stadium parking lot and having my grandpa throw us passes and make sure we caught the ball with our hands like Homer Jones, a guy we had never heard of.
He was the most passionate fan I have ever been around. Sometimes you couldn't tell if he loved or hated the team (he even credits himself with possibly starting the Goodbye Allie chants of 1966), but he was always passionate. The Giants were his main source of frustration but also his biggest source of happiness, and always something he wanted to talk about with his grandkids. I love the New York Giants because my grandfather loved the New York Giants.
* * *
Philadelphia Eagles
I'm a New York kid, born and bred. I love the Yankees, the Knicks, and the… wait, I love the Eagles? I've been asked approximately a million times some derivative of the question, "How does a New Yorker become a Philadelphia Eagles fan?" Normally the words slip through their lips with equal parts curiosity and disdain, almost as if I'm a traitor. I rarely tell people why I bleed green; it's personal. The truth is, it started when I was 6. My interest in sports was beginning to grow, and I knew I was supposed to take after my father and be a Jets fan. But that year my dad got a call. His brother, my uncle Freddie, was in the hospital. Freddie spent most of his adult life in Philly, and the only thing he loved more than his Iggles was his family. My family and I decided to visit Freddie. He wasn't doing great. During my two days there I bonded with Freddie like I hadn't before. On our drive home to New York, Freddie passed away in his sleep. That was when I decided to keep his spirit alive and be an Eagles fan. For Freddie.
—Jake Shubert
* * *
November 6, 1966, against the hated Cowboys. Franklin Field with my dad, who at 85 is still a practicing physician—but was also a photographer who provided the game films for the Eagles. The Cowboys had pasted the Eagles 56-7 a few weeks earlier. But that glorious day Timmy Brown ran back two kickoffs for touchdowns and the Eagles won, 24-23. As a child nothing felt better than beating the Cowboys, and nothing tasted more bitter than losing to them, which was all too frequent. To this day I couldn't care less about losing the 1980 Super Bowl because we beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game that year. I can close my eyes and still see Wilbert Montgomery running free to the end zone.
Years later I had the pleasure of representing the Staubach Company and met Roger. He was my client, but I could not help telling him how much I hated him as a child. He took out an 8 x 10 photo of himself in his Cowboys uniform and wrote on it: " Robb, sorry I ruined so many Sundays for you." Despite his wit and class, I still bleed Eagles' green and hate the Star.
* * *
St. Louis Rams
Sunday, October 19, 2014, the Seahawks are in St. Louis.
Let me start by saying I'm probably the only University of Wisconsin alum who CANNOT STAND Russell Wilson. I know he did a lot for the Badgers, and he's basically the most likeable guy ever, but now he plays for the Seahawks and has some pretty ridiculous good luck. So no, Mom, I don't think he's "just so adorable." I think he's the worst.
Anyway, it's midway through the second quarter, and Seattle has just punted. From my seat in the Dome, it looks like business as usual, Tavon Austin is waving fair catch from the right corner of the field. Before this moment, did you ever realize that no one actually looks at the ball while it's in the air? Because all of a sudden we see Stedman Bailey racing up the opposite sideline with only the punter in his path to the end zone. He gets a huge block and is basically home free to score.
So then it's fourth quarter and Seattle has been marching down the field, and it seems like they've taken over. We're punting from way deep, and our lead is looking precarious. But Johnny Hekker fakes the punt and throws a BEAUTIFUL pass to Benny Cunningham for an 18-yard gain and a first down that would go on to seal the win. Yay. Are there any other teams with fans who love them because of their special teams play?
—Chelsea Osterby
* * *
The Rams are in my blood. They have been since 1978. They have been since I was 8 and wrote Vince Ferragamo a letter of condolence after Super Bowl XIV and he wrote back with an autographed photo. I was crushed when he went to the CFL—and elated when he returned a year later. The Rams are Sundays in front of the TV in the 1980s with my Dad. They're games high in the stands at Anaheim in the early '90s during college. I've gone to see them play in L.A., Arizona, Foxboro (New Englanders love seeing a token Rams fan; it's like I'm a unicorn), St. Louis, and more. I loved them in L.A. and in St. Louis and can honestly say I don't care where they end up in in 2016. I can recite Rams statistics from memory, like Dickerson's 6,968 yards in his first four seasons. I'm entering season 38 following and loving this team.
—Will Milano
* * *
I'm 54 years old and I still have trouble sleeping the night before a game. I know, I should probably seek professional help. Just ask my wife.
* * *
San Francisco 49ers
I loved watching heroes like Montana, Rice, Craig, Young, Watters, Owens, Garcia, Gore, Willis, Smith and Bowman. The players fade but the torch is passed on to new men who give their all for the team colors. And I love those colors too; they bring back the little kid in me when I first saw them play—the metallic gold with red and white. I loved the look of Candlestick in the afternoon West Coast light. I loved the theater; a cross of nostalgic new age gladiatorial sportsmen. I still love turning on the TV (or internet now) and seeing that first shot of the arena. I loved Coach Harbaugh: truculent; demanding; a man who put his players and team first. I love Coach Tomsula and hope he can overcome the stigma of being a man with little pedigree. His enthusiasm is just as enthralling as Harbaugh's yet expressed so differently. I love the desire to win—nothing else is good enough.
—Josh Slocum
* * *
I remember visiting my grandparents, sitting in their smoke-filled house watching a football game with my grandma. She was sitting to my right, a kitchen timer in one hand and pointing to the screen with the other, saying, "Look at how he [Joe Montana] looks at all of his receivers before he throws the ball." And moments later, Montana zipped a pass over the middle after surveying the field. "Now, look at how he throws the ball before the receiver even turns around." Again, Montana and his receiver obliged. I was only 8 years old and barely understood the game, but I could tell my grandma knew what she was talking about, and I knew the 49ers were a great team. I was hooked on football, and although I didn't know it at the time, I had forever aligned myself with the 49ers. My grandma passed away a few years later, but her observations on the game of football left a lasting impression on me. I don't remember a time when I wasn't cheering on the 49ers, and my fandom and their success has always been a part of my life. My sons are 3 and 1 right now, but their football education has already started, thanks in large part to my grandma and the resurgence of the 49ers.
—Brad Sturdivant
* * *
Should I write Joe Montana over and over? Or split the words between him and Steve Young? But that means Jerry Rice should get some love. John Taylor won them a Super Bowl. But Bill Walsh probably won them four? He needs at least a quarter of the words. Lest we forget Ronnie Lott and Keena Turner or Roger Craig and Tom Rathman. But are we going to live in the past or can we talk about Frank Gore and Patrick Willis? But I guess that's the past now too. What does the future hold? Only management and its hand-picked coach know. The fans have faith, but the doubting Thomases are just as loud. The team needs a leader, always has. At this point our leader is mostly unproven, and our players are mostly untested. But that's an amateur's view. The coach has coached before and the players have played. I love this team because I believed in Joe's arm but now I love them because I know it's so much more than just Kap's. I'm ready for the ride come hell or high water. I'm ready for the season that will reveal all.
—Jose Cabrera
* * *
During 49er telecasts, my friends—and, sadly, my wife and adult sons—pretty much know to avoid me and my frightening mood swings. Only Briley, my nearly 14-year-old golden retriever, sticks by me. And that's largely because he's lost his hearing.
* * *
Seattle Seahawks
Back in '99 I was at a Sonics game. I didn't own any Sonics garb, so I wore a Shawn Springs jersey. I had to use the bathroom before tipoff, and as I got to the urinal I hear someone loudly announce, "Shawn Springs? He's pretty good!" The man decided to occupy the urinal next to mine, and I instinctively took a glance at him. My first thought was, Why is he next to me? There are 10 urinals. Isn't there some kind of unspoken rule about this? After my initial thought, my brain recognized that this man with the horrible bathroom etiquette was none other than Shawn Springs.
So there I was, 14 years old and peeing next to my favorite Seahawk. What do I do? What do I say? So I turned my head toward him—making sure to look up at his face, again my bathroom etiquette was world class—and I proudly told him how many interceptions I got using him in Madden. He let out a hearty chuckle and gave me a friendly pat on my head. He never washed his hands. But here I am, 16 years later and still a fan. That's devotion.
—Steve Nam
* * *
Three Reasons Why I love the Seahawks:
1. Shared Origins. The Hawks and I were born in the same year, 1976, in the Northwest. In our home, there wasn't money for many extras, but every couple of years my dad would get us out to a game at the Kingdome. One of my first pictures is wearing a Jim Zorn jersey; my little brother had the replica Curt Warner uniform—the real Curt Warner, not the Super Bowl-winning Kurt Warner. On the playground, I inevitably was Steve Largent, making up in route-running precision what I lacked in speed, quickness and, for that matter, skill.
2. Staffing for Steve Largent. When I ended up in D.C. as a staffer on Capitol Hill, Steve Largent did as well. Ultimately I served as a legislative assistant for him and found that my childhood idol was even cooler than I could have expected. In his congressional office he kept just one commemorative football. Another staffer and I "kidnapped" it and had friends around the world write letters to Steve as though they were his football. "Steve—Enjoying Paris. Here I am in front of the Eiffel Tower. Best, Your Football." He loved it.
3. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder. I moved away from the Northwest more than 20 years ago, serving as a speechwriter on Capitol Hill, a business consultant, a nonprofit head and now an advisor to philanthropists around the world. Throughout my travels, and through some very lean years, I've become a more adamant fan of the Seahawks. We may be the only family in D.C. that flies the 12th Man flag on game day. I try to get back to Seattle for a game a year and am now raising my four kids to love the Hawks.
—Cameron Doolittle
* * *
My basement walls are covered in Seahawks signs, posters and memorabilia. My license plates read XLVIII (unfortunately I couldn't switch them to XLIX, but that's another story I'm still not fully prepared to talk about). I haven't painted the house blue and green yet because I value my marriage, but there's time. The past two Super Bowls have brought the local paper and the local NBC news affiliate to my house to see just how crazy I am about the Hawks. Go ahead, Google KTIV and Jamey LaFleur, I'll wait…Yeah, pretty good piece they did on me, right?!
* * *
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The strongest woman I've ever known, my mother, divorced my dad when I was very young, packed everything we could carry into one car and moved my sister and me from New England to a town I'd never heard of named Tampa. Because my dad had not been a positive influence in my life, my mother was always looking for male role models who could help mentor me. As a teacher, my mom befriended some wonderful men (and women of course). One of these men invited me to my first football game, at the old Sombrero in Tampa, an event that changed my life forever.
The year was 1977, I was 9 years old, and we were playing the St. Louis Cardinals. I still vividly recall the fan frenzy as the Bucs won their first home game in franchise history, and I became a fan for life. Two years later I sat in a torrential rainstorm, never even thinking of leaving my seat, and marveled as the Bucs clinched their first playoff berth with a 3-0 win over the Chiefs. I cried with joy that night as we left the stadium to the "Hey Hey Tampa Bay…" song—still one of my all-time favorites.
My mom, a three-time cancer survivor, is the reason I love the Buccaneers. A season-ticket holder from the time I could afford it in 1993, I raise a glass for her every football game I attend, thanking her for having the courage to leave everything behind and to start over and build a new, wonderful life for her family. For me, that life will always include the Buccaneers.
* * *
Washington Redskins
… I've watched people change the channel from the Redskins game to the ending of "Marley & Me" to keep themselves from crying.
—Zack Wiblemo
* * *
To be a fan of the Washington Redskins Football Club is to live backward while stumbling forward. I cheer for an outdated, offensive logo that I have grown uncomfortable to claim. I tepidly defend a reviled owner. I start to use the phrase "wait till next year" in mid-September.
But, oh, how I love my team. Loving the Burgundy and Gold is an exercise in being optimistically embarrassed. We are not a bandwagon fandom. Our stadium is not hosting Super Bowls, our players aren't featured in national commercials, our last Lombardi trophy came with the first Gulf War. A Washington fan is a devoted masochist in a traded player's jersey. But hey, it's better than being an Eagles fan.
Every year, every game, every draft, every score:
I follow.
I cheer.
I hope.
—Sarah S. Spooner
• Do you have fan story? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Torso Awaregness
From TheKolWiki
Torso AwaregnessType: Passive
MP Cost: N/A
This skill allows you to understand how to use the middle part of your body to wear things known as "shirts."
Lets you equip Shirts
View metadata
Skill number: 0012
View in-game: view
|Fragnk, the Regnaissance Gnome, give Melvign the Professor What garment or That's My Favorite Kind of Contraption (Bad Moon only)
|5,000 Meat
|Ability to wear shirts, buy shirt kits from the Meatsmith, and craft various shirts. Until this skill has been learned, monsters will generally not drop shirts. Also, non-combat adventures giving shirts usually will not occur.
- Trying to equip a shirt for which you don't have the required stats results in the following popup:
- You're not sexy enough for this shirt.
- You need <stat> base <stat name> points to equip your <item name>.
- Trying to equip a shirt without the skill results in the following popup:
- You can't figure out how to put on this shirt.
- The Avatar of Sneaky Pete cannot learn this skill, but starts with a direct replacement.
- The popup message references the song, "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred, specifically the line, "I'm too sexy for my shirt".


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Who We Are
Orbis Mediologicus – Perpetrators:
Jonathan Beller – Professor, Media Studies, Critical and Visual Studies, Organizing Committee for the Media Studies M.A. Program, Pratt Institute (Ph.D., Duke, Literature, 1990). Interests: Media Theory, Marxism, Critical Race Theory, Cinema, Media Archeology, Decolonization, Aesthetics and Politics, Feminism, Third Cinema, Philippine Culture and Politics. Books and Edited Volumes: The Tortured Signifier: Signs of the State of Exception (in progress); The Cinematic Mode of Production: Towards A Political Economy of the Society of the Spectacle (Dartmouth College/University Press of New England, 2006); Acquiring Eyes: Philippine Visuality, Nationalist Struggle and The World Media-System (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2006); Kristology and Radical Communion: Works of Emmanuel Garibay (Sipat Publications, 1999); Polygraph 8/9 Special Issue: New Metropolitan Forms (Durham:1996), issue editor (with Neferti Xina M. Tadiar and Mark Simpson).
Tracie Morris – Associate Professor, Media Studies, Pratt Institute (Ph.D., NYU, Performance Studies, 2006; M.F.A., Poetry, Hunter College, CUNY). Some Interests: Poetry and Performance, Poetics and Theory, Critical Theory, contemporary African-American Poetry, African Diaspora Culture, speech act theory, language and society, performance studies, cultural studies, experimental poetry, popular culture. Poet, performer, actor, sound artist. Creative and academic writer. Somewhat Google-able. Her website is located here, and her blog is located here. For some examples of her work, see here and here.
Mendi Obadike – Assistant Professor, Humanities and Media Studies, Pratt Institute (Ph.D., Duke, Literature, 2006). Mendi Lewis Obadike is the author of Armor and Flesh(2004), which won the Naomi Long Madgett Prize from Lotus Press. With her husband Keith Obadike, she composed The Sour Thunder, an Internet Opera and curated Crosstalk: American Speech Music (both from Bridge Records, 2004 & 2008). Their conceptual media artworks have been exhibited at the Whitney Museum, the New Museum, and Electronic Arts Intermix and the New York African Film Festival, among other institutions. Their opera-masquerade Four Electric Ghosts debuted at The Kitchen in May 2009. Mendi earned a BA in English from Spelman College and a PhD in literature from Duke University and has taught at a variety of schools, including the School of Visual Arts, Wesleyan University, and Princeton. Before coming to Pratt, she was a Cotsen Postdoctoral fellow in the Society of Fellows at Princeton University. At Pratt, Mendi is an Assistant Professor in Humanities and Media Studies. See Keith and Mendi's website here.
Ethan Spigland – Associate Professor, Media Studies, Critical and Visual Studies, Organizing Committee for the Media Studies M.A. Program, Pratt Insitute (M.F.A., Film, NYU; Maîtrise, Philosophy, University of Paris VIII). Ethan Spigland received an M.F.A. from the Graduate Film Program at New York University, and a maîtrise from the University of Paris VIII under the supervision of Jean-François Lyotard and Gilles Deleuze. He has made numerous films and media works including: Luminosity/ Porosity, based on the work of architect Steven Holl; Elevator Moods, featured in the Sundance Film Festival; and The Strange Case of Balthazar Hyppolite, which won the Gold Medal in the Student Academy Awards. Recent courses include: Japanese Cinema; French New Wave Cinema; Film and New Media; The Baroque (co-taught with Suzanne Verderber); and Deleuze's Cinema Books.
Suzanne Verderber – Associate Professor, Media Studies, Critical and Visual Studies, Pratt Institute (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, B.A. Darmouth College). Suzanne Verderder's teaching and research focus on the relationship between subjectivity and power, and on the relation between pre-modern periods (medieval, Renaissance, Baroque) and contemporary concerns. Specific fields of study include politics, literature, art, critical theory, philosophy, religion, and psychoanalysis. She has published on the twelfth-century woman writer, Marie de France, the essayist Michel de Montaigne, and is currently working on a book linking the so-called emergence of the individual in the medieval and Renaissance West to the reorganization of power. She has also translated two books: Charles Enderlin's The Lost Years, and Jean-Michel Rabate's The Ethics of the Lie, and her dissertation, Subjective Vision and Fragmentation in Late Medieval France, Burgundy, and Flanders, is currently in revision for publication. Recent courses taught include: The Rhetoric of Endless War, The Baroque (with co-taught Ethan Spigland), Modernism and Postmodernism.
Christopher Vitale – Assistant Professor, Media Studies, Critical and Visual Studies, Organizing Committee for the Media Studies M.A. Program, Pratt Institute (Ph.D., NYU, Comparative Literature, 2007). Website: Networkologies. Christopher Vitale joined Pratt Institute in 2006, after having taught at UC Berkeley, NYU, and Hunter College. He specializes in Complexity Studies, Theories of Networks, Poststructuralism, Continental Philosophy, Queer Studies, Theories of Race and Culture, Cognitive Studies, Semiotics, Film and Visual Studies, and Comparative Modernist Literatures and Visual Cultures. Chris has recently completed a manuscript entitled The Networked Mind: A New Image of Thought for a Hyperconnected Age, and is currently working on a handbook for students entitled Media/Semiotics: An Introduction to the World of Signs. Courses taught include: Space, Time, and Bodies; Activism: History, Theory, Practice; Thought, Mind, and Brain; Cinema and Time; Bodies on Boundaries – Marginal Selves and Hybrid Lives; The Documentary Image and its Limits in Photography and Film; Theories of Networks; The Virtual Window – Foundations of Visual Studies; Modernist Visual Cultures; A Brief History of Sexuality – From Sexology to the Digital Age; Horror in Literature and Film; Representations: Semiotics in 2-3D; Representations: Semiotics in 4D; The Erotics of the Gaze in Film and Visual Culture; Political Theory from Plato to Malcolm X; Modernism/Postmodernism; Monsters, Mayhem, and Madness in Literature and Film; Queer Cultures in Literature, Film, and Theory; Introduction to Cultural and Literary Theory; Queer Modernisms: 1880-1940.
Orbis Mediologicus – Accomplices:


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"Like the swan song of a dying civilisation" is the way that jewellers Fabergé describe their quite unique place in history. There are few brands or products which can truthfully claim such a role in the books of human endeavour yet whenever anyone looks up Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II, the name Peter Carl Fabergé won't be far away. The man who brought the Fabergé egg to the world created, unwittingly perhaps, what has become a universal symbol of wealth, uncompromising craftsmanship and luxury- a Fabergé egg takes a year to make, and an original (of which there are only thought to be 50 odd surviving) can now expect to fetch £10 million at auction. Nearly 100 years after The House of Fabergé was shut down by the Bolsheviks in the midst of the Russian Revolution, the brand is well and truly back in the game. Creative control, which was lost in a 1951 licensing deal, is back with the family. Katharina Flohr, formerly at Russian Vogue, is at the helm. The course of history has also turned back in Fabergé's favour, with the Russian super-rich ready to spend in a comparable way to the ostentatious purchases which funded the rise of the original Fabergé boom. In fact, the house is one of the very few to have an authentic sense of Russian heritage.
|A newly finished Fabergé egg. It takes one year to craft one of these as each
layer of enamel colour must be separately applied and fired, all in a precisely correct order
otherwise it can crack and be ruined.
|The Mauve Room at Alexander Palace (image via alexanderpalace.org)
|Trying a Treillage ring for size
Treillage Treats...


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Custom Hair Extensions
Your wedding allows you to be "Princess for the day," and most brides want everything perfect! When brides want longer, fuller hair for their wedding day, many brides use hair extensions to get the hair look they want. And, there is no shame in adding to your locks. Model Bride offers hair extensions made from 100% human hair and custom dyed to match your hair - just like the professionals use. Here are a few samples of what you can do to get "the look" for your wedding day!
Custom "Mini Fall" Hair Extension
Available for $135.00 each. More Info
Custom "Medium Fall" Hair Extension
Available for $165.00 each. More Info
Custom 18" Hair Extension Set
Available for $600.00 per set of eight. More Info
Custom 14" Hair Extension Set
Available for $500.00 per set of eight. More Info


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Welcome to our Blog!
Monday, August 10, 2009
People Get Ready!
We know there are some activities we can count on – including helping with the Mercer County annual homeless count, walking in the Institute Woods, our lovely Christmas Eve Family Meeting, and others. The Religious Education Committee has not yet established our regular meeting schedule for the 2009-10 year, but once we do, we'll be sure to let parents and Meeting members know of our plans. In the meantime, if you have suggestions or concerns you'd like to share with us, the members of the 2009-10 Religious Education committee are as follows:
Ken Tyson
Robert Green
Julie Capozzoli
Melissa Edwards
Doug Fleming
Shelley Krause
Chrissie Knight
Kate Nicholson
The Meeting has also established a Ning group; if you'd like to join us there for online fellowship and sharing, you can find that site at http://princetonquakermeeting.ning.com. And of course general information about the Meeting continues to be available via the Princeton Monthly Meeting page on the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting site at http://www.pym.org/burlington-qm/princeton.htm.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Final FDS Class of the Year May 17th
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mercer County Homeless Count
This year Princeton Friends School and the First Day School classes of PMM will once again be partnering to support the Mercer County Homeless Count, a point-in-time count of the homeless people in Mercer County, including those living on the streets, in emergency shelters, and in transitional housing programs.
The purpose of the survey is to gather data that will be forwarded to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to determine funding for federally supported services for the homeless. On the same day, the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness will be sponsoring an event in Trenton called Project Homeless Connect, the purpose of which is to provide housing referrals, support services, and hospitality to the homeless in Mercer County.
Anyone who would like to help in this effort please contribute by donating small containers of applesauce and other fruits, pudding, raisins, packaged crackers, cookies, granola bars, and boxed juices. Contributions of this sort will be accepted throughout the weeks leading up to the event in the First Day School building.
Another way to contribute is to donate packages of men's white tube socks. These will be handed out to the clients. Please bring them to the First Day School building.
During First Day School on January 25th, children will fill lunch bags with collected items in preparation for the sandwich-making event on January 27th.
On January 27th, we will hold our annual sandwich-making extravaganza and lead PMM and PFS adults and children in the making of brown bag meals to be distributed on January 28th. This is happening from 4:00 – 6:00 pm in the large room of the Meeting's First Day School Building, just outside the door of the Beginning School room.
All are welcome to join this effort.


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Our new Sound Design Toolkit is almost here and we even made a big banner! This is by far the biggest sound FX collection we've ever made and we went to a whole new level with every sound.
Watch the Announcement Trailer to get an idea of what to expect and stay tuned for a few more surprises as well! Continue reading


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Moving with your children: The new home!
A few weeks ago, I talked about tips to help parents when relocating with children. Today, I want to give you some ideas of how to make the transition to a new home easier.
As we talked before, moving can be stressful for the children (and the adults). But there are few things you can do to make this transition easier for them (and maybe for you too!)
So, what can you do once you are settled in your new home?
- Maintain their (and yours) daily routine as much as possible – This helps them (and you) feel more settled. It minimizes the impact of the change.
- For younger children, keep the new room as similar as possible to the old room. – This gives them a sense of continuity and they won't feel scared to be in a new place.
- With older children, they can be part of the decoration of the new room – They will feel part of the decision-making. Plus, who doesn't want to buy a few new things for their bedroom? (I do!)
4. Walk around the neighborhood together – Go to the park and participate in community activities as a family.
5. Help them meet new friends – Maybe join a club or a sport team.
6. Take some classes – Another oportunity to meet new friends. This is also helpful for the adults.
7. If possible, visit their new school before the first day of class – This alleviates worries and anxiety.
Although moving to a new home can be a stressful situation, it can also be fun! It is also an opportunity to grow closer as a family. Expect your children to be more comfortable after a few weeks, maybe few months.
Have you ever moved into a new home with your children? What would you have done differently?
photo: iStock


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St. Norbert Reaches NCHA O'Brien Cup Playoffs in Inaugural Season
From Sports Information Director, February 12, 2011 | Women's Hockey
by Dan Lukes, firstname.lastname@example.com, (920) 403-4077
GREEN BAY - St. Norbert College, despite fielding a team entirely of freshmen in its first season, qualified for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association O'Brien Cup Playoffs by defeating the College of St. Scholastica 2-1 at Resch Olympic Pavilion.
The Green Knights won their fourth-straight game to improve to 11-9-3 overall and 8-7-3 in the NCHA. St. Norbert currently has 19 points in the NCHA to sit in seventh place, and mathematically still could finish as high as fourth. St. Scholastica fell to 7-15-1, 5-12-1.
St. Norbert scored the key first goal of the game at the 11 minute 44 second mark of the first period. Kelley Ritchie scored her second goal of the year with assists from Karissa Anderson and Andrea Senne. The Green Knights are now 10-2-1 on the year when scoring first.
St. Scholastica tied the score early in the second period when Kiana Leisz scored unassisted at 3:37. The Green Knights needed just over two minutes to counter, when Lauren Straus buried a power-play goal off an assist from Henriette Ostergaard at 5:47. The goal is Straus' fourth game-winning goal of the year.
St. Norbert's defense held up the rest of the way, as the Green Knights have now allowed just two goals in their last five games. Kaley Gibson made 22 saves for the Green Knights. Rachel Borchardt made 29 stops for the Saints.
St. Norbert was 1-for-7 on the power play, while St. Scholastica was 0-for-7.


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2014 Volunteer Trip to Haiti filling up quickly!26-Mar-2014
We are delighted to report that the volunteer trips to Haiti for 2014 are quickly filling. We currently have 1 spot left for the May trip (5/21-28) and a few places left for the other trips:One-week trips
June 18 - 25
July 9-16
Aug 13-20
Two-Week TripsJuly 9 - 23
July 16 - 31
November ~ TBD
As volunteers Lauren Rubenstein, Jessica Callaway & Karen Bralove continue their inspirational and rewarding trip in Haiti, Lauren, who is a 6 time volunteer, quoted " I've said it before and I'll say it again: these trips change lives. We give yoga, but we receive so much more...."
Please go to the "Volunteer" page for more information and consider what you can do, not only to help the children who so desperately need our support, but to discover what lies within yourself.


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persimmon-pear bread
Abundance is a great source of inspiration in the kitchen – a profusion of ripe Hachiya persimmons and pears led to the creation of this persimmon-pear bread. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger infuse the loaf with spiciness, and a diced pear adds texture to the batter. Sprinkling a thinly sliced pear with turbinado sugar makes a lovely decorative topping – serve slices warm to draw out the snappy flavor. Persimmon tips, previously: spiced persimmon muffins.
Persimmon-Pear Bread
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ripe mashed Hachiya persimmon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium pear, peeled, cored & diced
1 small pear, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
1 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture.
Combine buttermilk, egg, persimmon, sugar, maple syrup, vegetable oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Gently fold in diced pear and pour batter into loaf pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. Arrange pear slices across top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 45 minutes; rotate pan and cover loaf loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning, then continue baking another 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and cool completely. Wrap leftovers well and store at room temperature up to 2 days.
Yield – 16 slices (serving size: 1 slice)
Calories – 140
Carbs – 27


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Imagine being able to prepare a 3-course meal that would normally take a few hours to put together in almost half the time. Amazing, right? Well, that will be the new reality in your kitchen when you invest in the best halogen oven. We've scoured the web to make your life easy, check out all of our information and our Halogen Oven Reviews.
Halogen ovens are small and portable clear glass bowls that can cook in about 1/3 of the time a conventional oven will take to do the same job. These mini-ovens also have lids that feature halogen bulbs and high-powered fans. When turned on, the halogen bulbs release infrared waves to produce intense heat, while the fans help to circulate heat evenly across the glass bowl – hence the oven's ability to cook in shorter amounts of time.
But with all the high tech cookers on the market these days, why even buy a halogen oven? In order to answer that question, let's take a closer look at all the benefits you stand to gain from owning such an appliance and hopefully we can direct you toward the Best Halogen Oven for you.
Check out the table below for some of the best halogen oven's on the market today, and don't forget to browse the rest of the website for all the halogen oven reviews you need!
Top 5 Halogen Ovens
|Andrew James 12 LTR Premium Black Halogen Oven
|chinkybooNew 12 Litre Halogen Oven
|Russell Hobbs 18537 Halogen Oven
|VonShef 12 LTR Black Premium Halogen Oven
|Andrew James 12 LTR Premium White Halogen Oven Cooker
Benefits of Halogen Ovens
As mentioned above, one of the key benefits of this particular kitchen appliance is cooking speed. Thanks to the halogen bulbs feature, these ovens can cook up to 40% faster than any regular oven. And that's not all. These halogen ovens also preheat faster. A conventional oven takes about 15 minutes to preheat but a halogen oven can heat up in just 3 minutes.
Other halogen oven benefits include:
- Ease of Use
Halogen ovens are extremely easy to use and require no baking trays, pots, or pans. All you have to do to whip up a meal quickly is simply plug in the machine, insert whatever food you want to cook, and press a few buttons or turn a dial to achieve the cooking results you desire.
- Versatility
Whether you want to toast, roast, steam, bake, grill, or defrost food, a halogen oven does it all. Generally, a halogen oven can cook anything a standard oven can – but at a much faster rate.
- Health
Another benefit that makes halogen ovens a good buy is the healthy results produced by this kitchen appliance. The ovens are designed to drain away fat during cooking and therefore produce foods that don't come loaded with a ton of unhealthy compounds. In addition, the fast cooking speed of halogen ovens helps to minimize loss of nutrients when preparing meals.
- Low Energy Consumption
When using a halogen oven, you'll be able to make significant savings on your electricity bill. Generally, a halogen oven will only use about 25% of the energy a conventional oven will use to make the same meal.
- Saves Money
Despite being faster and similar in functionality to conventional ovens, halogen ovens are far less expensive. For this reason alone, they make a worthwhile purchase.
How to Choose the Best Halogen Oven
The above mentioned benefits of a halogen oven, coupled with its space-saving size, portability, and visible cooking features, makes this appliance a great addition to any kitchen – especially if you're someone who has no time to slave away in the kitchen for hours on end.
However, selecting a halogen oven is not as easy as ordering a pizza. Several factors need to be taken into consideration to ensure you end up with the best possible appliance for your needs. As such, when looking to purchase a halogen oven, be sure to take into account the appliance's size, price, available features, and accompanying accessories too.
All of these features factor into the price of a halogen oven. Therefore, to find a halogen oven that's ideal for your cooking endeavors and friendly on the pocket, be sure to do some research first before making a purchase.


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200 2nd St. Suite 1 (2nd @ Jackson)
Oakland, CA 94607
tel: 510.545.4356
We're located in Oakland's Jack London District, across from the AMTRAK station.
How to Get Here:
Two Stations service the Jack London Area (12th St and Lake Merritt)
From the Lake Merritt Station walk south on Oak St towards 3rd St.
Turn left (West) at 3rd St.
Walk two blocks to Jackson St and one block south to 2nd st.
From the 12th St. Station walk south on Broadway towards 2nd St.
Turn left on 2nd St and walk five blocks to Jackson St.
Alternatively take the Free B shuttle towards Jack London, exit at Webster St.
Walk one block North to 2nd St.
Turn right and walk 3 blocks to Jackson St. We are on the left.
Walk North to Embarcadero.
Turn right (East) on Embarcadero and walk to Webster St (about 6 blocks).
Turn left at Webster St (cross Embarcadero), for one block to 2nd St.
Turn right on 2nd St. and walk 2 blocks to Jackson St. We are on the left.
AUTOMOBILES (and partial bicycle directions)
From San Francisco, Berkeley, and 80 westbound:
Merge onto 880 South, exit at the Alameda/Broadway ramp.
Turn right at the bottom of the ramp and continue on 5th Street to Broadway.
At Broadway turn right and continue three blocks.
Turn left onto 2nd Street; we're on the left at the corner of Jackson St, almost 5 blocks from Broadway.
From 880 northbound:
Exit at Oak St.
Turn left at the end of the exit ramp on Oak St.
Turn left at 2nd St, we are two blocks down on the right.
Alternatively continue at the end of the ramp, stay to the left to turn left at Jackson St. (yes it looks like you'll get right back on 880)
From 24 westbound:
Merge from Highway 24 on to Highway 980 toward Oakland.
Exit on Jackson St just before the merge with 880.
At the end of the ramp turn right on Jackson St., we are on the right at the corner of 2nd street (about 3 blocks).
From Alameda:
Take Webster St, through the tube. Exit the tube on the second lane from the right.
Turn right on 7th St. Stay in the second lane from the right to the light at Jackson St.
Turn Right on Jackson St. We are on the right at 2nd St (six blocks).


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The Washington Post announced today that it is entering the free daily business. It's entry is titled "Express" and it will appear later this summer (date to be announced) at train stations, college campuses and downtown locations with heavy traffic. The goal is two fold -- stop other free dailies from entering the market and capture the time and attention of younger readers who don't pick up the paid broadsheet post. Here's a press release.
Christopher Ma, a Post Company vice president and former executive editor of washingtonpost.com, will be the new paper's publisher; the general manager will be Arnold Applebaum, formerly director of recruitment advertising at The Post. Express will be edited by Daniel Caccavaro, formerly editor-in-chief of Boston Metro, a free commuter newspaper launched in Boston in 2001.
Friday, July 11, 2003
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text: The Hotel Puerta America Madrid is the idea of freedom become a reality, a meeting place where different cultures come together and understand the forms of architecture and design. It is a work that awakens the senses of the host, breaking patterns through the use of different colors, materials and shapes. It 'an indispensable reference the current design, theideas seem inexhaustible and all his creations and become commercial successes. As a professor at the Royal Collage of Art in London, he taught and inspired many of the best designers of the moment. For the Hotel Puerta America has designed a space sinuous, with a myriad of details. The round shapes and curvy is already present in the lobby, which is a circular settee made of reflective glass fiber, foam and gray Alcantara anthracite. On the walls there are large LCD screens. The floor of the two environments is elastic resin and the ceiling is curved down, it almost seems to fall on the host, but actually manages to create a more welcoming and modern-looking space. The concept of room you require forms round ball and their style of Ron Arad, a curved wall and ongoing in some rooms of white and deep red in others, is the central division and separates the different environments. Arad creates a circuit where we are discovering each of the spaces: the first corridor, then the bed after a bath, wash basin, toilet. Everything little by little. The bed, round, is the publisher Italian Capellini and is located in the bottom of the chamber. It is very charming and comfortable. There are no limits, it's like a dream. The TV is actually a big screen that unfolds from the ceiling. There is no doubt that for many, the luxury to have a giant screen in front of the bed will be the best that the project offers in Arad. The back, of course, is formed by the part of LG Hi-Macs that was soldered directly to the wall and allows you to create the feeling of space continuous circuit through which passes without interruption. In the bathroom, each room is independent from the next. Despite the continuity , without missing the logic of independence. The ceiling of the shower and toilet are made of stainless steel. Arad perfectly combines the two materials, resulting in a very modern space, with a touch of technology. In front, a giant crystal in the case of water not only gives a distorted reflection of the host but virtually enlarges the space. The chairs of the desk are the Fantastic Plastic Elastic, Arad for Kartell signature, sinuous and fascinating too. Their lightness invitation to sit down, to immerse yourself in a different concept of design. The surprise visitor through the space, as if trying to find new forms around every corner.


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Well, friends! After almost two weeks of being THE most indecisive person on the face of the planet, I have finally made a decision! I was incredibly blessed to have been extended two job offers with different Big 4 accounting firms in two locations: Atlanta and Denver. I interviewed in Atlanta first and was stunned by how connected I felt after only spending 26 hours in the city. It has been a dream of mine to live in Colorado for the past two years, following an internship in Colorado Springs, so Atlanta definitely through a loop into the decision making process! For the first time in my life, I felt like my heart and my head were disagreeing… I would love to reflect on some of the lessons I have begun to learn during this process…but just in case you don't want to read any farther…I am officially moving to:
Life lessons sparked by indecision:
1. No matter how difficult the decision may feel, be thankful you have any options at all. I said it several times as I was fighting back and forth with myself that if I had only received one offer, this would be such an easy decision! That mindset truly robbed me of the awareness of how much of a gift it was to be offered a job at all, let alone two. Especially in this time of economic recovery, my ramblings about how hard it was to make a decision between jobs were unnecessary. I blinded myself from the pain and disappointment of the thousands of beautiful, qualified people and recent grads who are still trying to find jobs, and I apologize for that.
2. On a similar note, this was not a life-or-death decision, it was a good-or-good decision. Both firms and offices had a great list of positives, pro's, and advantages. With either choice, I would be entering a challenging, well-supported, and established place of learning and growth. As much as I told myself "THIS IS THE HARDEST DECISION OF MY LIFE," it really was a great dilemma to have.
3. Sometimes my head and my heart disagree. This has been a huge learning curve. I'm one person– shouldn't I be aligned and centered and have fluid communication within myself? Not necessary. My head screamed Atlanta– it's close, it's an easier move, it's a huge office so I can slide right in. My heart screamed Denver– it's what I've dreamed about, it's absolutely new and challenging, it's a place where I feel so close to the Lord and connected to the earth. But that also leads me to…
4. Ultimately, city doesn't matter. I mean, it does. But it also doesn't. When I realized that I will be working for 80+ hours/week during busy season (January-April), I realized that this decision hung not so much on which city I loved more, but on which firm I loved more, which office I connected with better, which people I could work with on a team and thrive together. Where would I wake up every morning ecstatic to go to work? Go there.
5. People make a huge difference. Atlanta was the front runner for a long time. And the people there were fabulous! But the Denver office truly went above and beyond, contacting me regularly to answer questions, check on me, put me in contact with more staff members and managers. One of the sealing points was when one of the most respected leaders in the market I will be working in called me, just to chat, answer my questions, and share her experience with the firm. I am no one special– a bottom-of-the-barrel associate. And yet, they already made me feel like a part of the family.
6. No one could make this decision for me. But there were plenty of times I thought I wanted someone to choose for me! The truth is, this is one of the first BIG decisions I have ever made. You know, the life-altering-world-changing kind. I knew I wanted to go to Florida State since I could do the Tomahawk chop and say "Go Noles!" so the college decision was a no-brainer. But this…this required true self-examination, quiet introspection, and a decision to stop asking people for their opinions. After all, no one else will be living with the result of this decision as directly as I will. This had to be mine, and I'm glad it was.
7. I couldn't make this decision to avoid disappointing someone. Because, honestly, either way I chose I felt I would be disappointing someone! Either the recruiters and interviewers at the firm, the staff I met and connected with, the friends that live in the city…choosing Atlanta or Denver meant NOT choosing Denver or Atlanta. Why couldn't I accept both so that no one had to be disappointed in my decision?! I had to remind myself time and time again that these recruiters and interviewers meet thousands of students each year, many who accept and many who join other firms. I am not someone special who would especially break their hearts– that would be giving myself way too much credit. This decision is affecting the next trajectory of my life! Choosing based on the people I want to disappoint the least does not seem like a sound decision-making strategy.
8. Pray. A lot. A few days ago, I finally came to the realization that I was trying to talk to anybody and everybody about this decision. I wanted their opinions, their thoughts, their words to sway me and show me the way. I wanted someone to say something so enlightening that I just magically knew where I needed to go. But it didn't come. And I am so thankful. There was only one person I needed to talk to about this, and that is the Lord. Praying for clarity, or at least for the wrong choice to just fall off my mind, was the turning point I needed. From that point on, my heart and my head began to agree!
And they both screamed Denver. And I have a peace that no person could have offered me. And I am ecstatic!
So, who wants to come visit???


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|By Admin1 (admin) on Tuesday, July 03, 2001 - 4:43 pm: Edit Post
Ex-Peace Corps Members Hopeful on Ethiopia-Eritrea Deal
Ex-Peace Corps Members Hopeful on Ethiopia-Eritrea Deal
Ex-Peace Corps Members Hopeful on Ethiopia-Eritrea Deal
Progress in an African War? Ex-Peace Corps Members Hopeful on Ethiopia-Eritrea Deal
By Steven Mufson Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, March 11, 2000; Page A16
Five former Peace Corps volunteers said yesterday they have made a breakthrough in peace negotiations that could settle a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea that has cost each of the East African countries thousands of lives in fighting over the past two years.
Charles Dambach, one of the former Peace Corps volunteers who have been trying to help mediate the dispute, said that by changing the sequence of implementation measures in the settlement proposed by the Organization for African Unity, the group had resolved a major stumbling block in the talks.
But State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said that while the volunteers were "well-intentioned," their "efforts do not reflect the extent of the problem nor do the private efforts reflect the views and concerns of the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea."
Dambach said the hurdle has been that Ethiopia did not want to agree to a cease-fire until Eritrea withdrew to pre-May 1998 borders. Although Eritrea agreed to withdraw to that point, the two sides could not agree on where those borders were.
According to Dambach, Eritrean President Issaias Afwerki said yesterday he would accept a delay in a formal cease-fire until a commission appointed by the OAU demarcates the border in effect before fighting broke out in May 1998. The former Peace Corps volunteers said that Ethiopian officials yesterday said they would guarantee the commission's safety, accept the commission's demarcations and implement a cease-fire after Eritrea withdrew.
Two other important issues remain in the talks: the composition of an observer or peacekeeping force that would monitor the border and whether there would be any limitations on Ethiopian government powers in the disputed area.
But Dambach said that settling the technical issue of how to reestablish the border was critical and would bring an end to fighting between the countries, which split after a long civil war.
Dambach said the breakthrough meant that U.S. and OAU mediators should be able to "get [a deal] to closure."
Last year, a senior State Department official called the volunteers "naive," and yesterday an administration official said the volunteers were "focused on a small subset of the issues" and that theirs was "not a serious effort."
Anthony Lake, former national security adviser and President Clinton's special envoy, returned from a two-week mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea last weekend. On Wednesday, the State Department said that during Lake's trip "consensus was reached on some of the provisions" of technical arrangements, "while others require additional mediation."
In a letter written Thursday, however, Issaias expressed frustration about the lack of progress in talks, lamenting that "the efforts of the past seven months have thus been wasted without any fruit." He complained that "the entire peace package is at a crucial crossroads and literally on the brink of collapse."
The former Peace Corps volunteers--four of whom served in Ethiopia when Eritrea was still part of Ethiopia--said they had discussions later on Thursday and yesterday that overcame the technical issues related to a cease-fire.
"I'm very optimistic," said Ghebre S. Mehreteab, a Washington businessman from Ethiopia who spoke to Issaias yesterday. The former Peace Corps volunteers, he said, "have the trust of the two sides, which is rare." He added that the former volunteers had "uncomplicated the process."
The former Peace Corps volunteers include Dambach, a past president of the National Peace Corps Association; Mike McCaskey, chairman of the Chicago Bears football franchise; John Garamendi, former California state official and former deputy interior secretary; William Canby, U.S. appellate court judge in Phoenix; and Melvin Foote, executive director of the Constituency for Africa.
The two countries went to war in 1998 over a relatively small, mostly barren and sparsely populated area. The war and the maintenance of large armed forces have contributed to the possibility of widespread hunger in the region in the coming months.


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The formal elegance of our traditional Derby makes it ideally suited to office-attire or smart-casual dress codes. A versatile shoe that benefits from an exclusive-look leather upper, slick laces, a slim welt, modern stitch detailing, and a subtly emphasised top line, this design finds the perfect balance between form and function.
Uppers are made from full-grain ECCO nubuck leather with a coated surface that's brushed off for an attractive two-tone finish. ECCO leathers are meticulously crafted in our very own tanneries, where artisanal craftsmanship and relentless innovation are an integral part of the process. Born from a blank canvas of premium raw hides, ECCO leathers are designed, finished, and finessed into beautiful shoes and accessories that stand the test of time.
FLUIDFORM™ Injection Technology uses specialised, durable materials and anatomical engineering to create lightweight and flexible soles that cushion and absorb shock with every step. The upper is bonded seamlessly to the sole, without the need for glue or stitching. Keeping feet fresh throughout the day, our design incorporates innovative ECCO Comfort Fibre™ technology for enhanced breathability and cushioning in the leather-covered, removable inlay sole.
Our Scandinavian roots inspire our philosophy: unique, minimalistic design, intuitive functionality, and the softest leathers that enhance the experience both now, and over time. We fuse innovative technology with old-world craftsmanship to create the exceptional quality, utility, and outstanding durability that are fundamental to ECCO.
Full grain leather
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At ECCO we are committed to make your online shopping experience as easy as possible. The best way to make sure that you order the right size is to measure your feet and then compare it with the size chart below to find the appropriate size. Please follow these 4 simple steps to accurately measure your feet:
All your need to measure your feet from heel to toe is a piece of paper, a pencil and a ruler.
Place the paper on the floor up against a wall. Place the heel against the wall.
Mark the longest part of your foot on the paper. Repeat procedure with the other foot.
Measure the length of each mark and match it with the size chart.
Let the longest foot decide the shoe size.
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