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Tell Me About It
Hosted by Carolyn
Washington Post Staff Writer
HOLIDAY SPECIAL: Monday, Dec. 10, 2001; 2 p.m. EST
Carolyn will take your questions and comments about her current advice column and any other questions you might have about the strange train we call life. Her answers may appear online or in an upcoming column.
Appearing every Friday and Sunday in The Washington Post Style section, Tell Me About It ® offers readers advice based on the experiences of someone who's been there -- really recently. Carolyn Hax is a 30-something repatriated New Englander with a liberal arts degree and a lot of opinions and that's about it, really, when you get right down to it. Oh, and the shoes. A lot of shoes.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Carolyn Hax: Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the howse
No creatures were stirring
Not even the cows.
The stockings were hung
By the chimney with care
Secured by some hairpins
From Aunt Martha's hair.
The children were nestled
All snug and secure
I think there were seven
But who can be sure.
A Night Before Christmas this bad can only mean one thing ... stupid holiday special! Send me your poorly conceived, your absurd, your huddled madness.
The opener is the beginning of Pops's –2001- rendering of TNBC, which was strictly embargoed until he said, "Here, use this year's."
As I don't think anyone has ever said in my house, at Christmastime or otherwise, bring it on ...
Hopeless Grinch: Carolyn --
Married life is making me increasingly resentful of the Christmas season. The problem in my life is my wife's ridiculous overindulgencs in Christmas gift giving. The important aspect of this season, for her, is making sure that enough money is spent on Christmas gifts. This gift giving is not confined to our two children and our nieces and nephews. She also feels that we should exchange gifts with her brother, sister and their spouses. Personally I think that Christmas gift giving is good for the kids but the tradition of giving silly gifts to other adults is not necessary. Every year we argue about this nonsense and I was just wondering how you saw this issue.
Carolyn Hax: That you're arguing over "necessary" when of course it isn't. Does it make her happy? Yes/no. Back off. Lose one. Be happy to lose one. Ho ho ho.
New York, N.Y.: Here's a fluffernutter of a question:
What is the ideal company party shoe for the holidays?
Carolyn Hax: Depends on your company. Sorry.
Auld Lang YIKES!: I'm sticking out a relationship through the New Year simply so I can have a New Year's date. But this guy thinks it's long term. I know I'm a terrible person for doing this, but what can I do in the meantime to start severing the ties?
Carolyn Hax: You can tell me this is a JOKE, please, or you can break up with him tonight.
Can people be hospitalized for insecurity? If so, there's that option, too.
Whoville: Carolyn,
Had to tell you of our newest holiday tradition. Not only does my huge family do a great gift exchange -- names are drawn from a hat and everyone has to fill out a detailed form about what they want and don't want and what they like and don't -- but the "Mystery Santa" every year descends on my family and gives away the best present of all. It's a lamp made out of four taxidermied deer hooves and a lovely piece of crystal along with a tasteful deer shade. It's the most awful thing ever. And since people keep handing it around, you have to put it out whenever the family comes to visit. A hoot.
Carolyn Hax: I just can't believe the winner ever parts with it.
Glen Ellyn, Ill.:
Hi Carolyn and Lisa,
I was wondering if you had a link to the Post Magazine article about the holidays to which you referred in your last chat. It sounds like good reading as I gear up for the annual jaunt to Connecticut for Christmas. Thanks and Happy Holidays!
As a matter of fact, here's the discussion accompanying it: (Dec. 4) -- where it all began -- the death chair, the reindeer poop, etc. Ah, the mem'ries. -- Lisa.
Also, for those who were asking for it, I found the origin of the bacon pants: the Oct. 23 show. The feller from Texas.
Carolyn Hax: Lisa Chair! Lisa Chair!
"Chair" was really my only option here, wasn't it.
The Great Midwest: So this isn't entirely a fluff question, although I must say that the woman I ran into last night in the grocery store in open-toed shoes (when it's 40 degrees outside) certainly needed your help.
As a Jew in a city that is VERY Catholic, how do I respond to the inevitable "Merry Christmas!" without seeming rude. I tend to go with the kind "Happy Holidays to you too" response, but it does frustrate me that people inherently assume things.
Perhaps I am bitter.
Carolyn Hax: Perhaps. You do have the right response, I just hope you can come to mean it. Some people are thoughtless, presumptuous boors. Oh well! Happy holidays to them, too! yayyy.
BTW, I wouldn't have gone after the toe person. They're her toes, she can air them in whatever degree air she can stand.
Santa Fe, N.M.: Carolyn --
Picture etiquette question: Do you think it is acceptable to send a small, color xerox of a photo of one's children tucked inside a handwritten Christmas card? The paper is flimsy but the picture is good quality. I feel a bit guilty -- it's much cheaper and easier than getting lots of copies of the photo -- but I figure most friends look at the photo, say, "Cute kids," and then toss it out after the holidays anyway. Or am I just rationalizing?
I'm asking this question because nobody else wants to read about the morass of my family Christmas get-together and the five-hour marathon of opening gifts, fraying tempers, etc. I'd rather concentrate on the things within my control (paper vs. photo) than the family stresses of Christmas! Thanks.
Carolyn Hax: As with all questions of this ilk (or elk, if that sounds more festive), my answer is that if someone has a problem with your card, I have a bigger problem with someone. Do what you do. Do something good with the time.
Lisa Pants! Lisa Pants!: That works, too. Lots of options!
washingtonpost.com: Mother of God. -- Lisa.
Carolyn Hax: I rest my case.
Happy Clapper: I was just wondering if anyone else's family claps after each gift is opened. My family has always done that, and yet when I do it with friends, they all look at me like I'm a freak.
(Great show, clap clap clap)
Carolyn Hax: Great post, clap clap clap.
And, no. NO ONE else's family does that. JUST YOURS.
Seattle, Wash.: A family gift-giver possibility: What my wife's family does (which makes me a participant-in-law, I guess) is that everybody contributes to a Family Vacation Fund, and every couple years, when it's built up enough steam, the whole bunch (Dad, seven kids, assorted spouses, grandkids) ships off for a big vacation.
Lots of fun, though you have to actually get along with everybody.
Carolyn Hax: And you can't have any embezzlers in the family, or you'll all be gathered 'round the postcard from Uncle Name Changed.
Anchorage, Alaska: My boyfriend and I have been together for over a year. I'll be meeting my boyfriend's family for the first time over Christmas. We will actually be staying with them for about two weeks. According to my boyfriend, his mother and sister fight worse than cats and dogs, he can't stand his deadbeat brother who is back living with the mother, and his mother can be an incredible b**** -- apparently, everything and anything can set her off at any time. Any words of advice on how to remain sane amid the chaos and deal with my honey's family?
washingtonpost.com: Red wine. -- Lisa.
Carolyn Hax: Yes, why have a plain ol' fight when you can have a bloody one.
What what WHAT is he doing dragging you into this cobra pit for two -weeks-? I would be seriously questioning this guy for setting me up like this, and himself, too. It's got to be awful for him.
Rule no. 1, there isn't enough red wine on the earth to make a bleeped-up family okay for more than 48 hours. Rule No. 2, there's no happy ending with a guy who doesn't know the 48-hour bleeped-up family rule.
Poorly conceived: Our holiday tradition has become trimming the tree with miniature liquor bottles. Liqueurs are best with white lights -- the reflect and refract the lights in myriad ways.
Here are some tips: you can get thin green wire from your florist to fashion hooks for tops of the bottles. Keep in mind they are much heavier than regular ornaments -- have a sturdy tree (may need to be artificial) and hang them on thick branches, deeper into the tree. And if you want to nip while you trim, don't drink the ornaments -- get a real bottle, it's cheaper that way.
Carolyn Hax: I am speechless.
Somewhere, USA: Are all families completely insane, or just mine?
Carolyn Hax: Just yours.
NW Washington:, D.C. Dear Carolyn,
I'm torn over what to do. This is my first Christmas out of college so I've been working and will only have Christmas Eve and Christmas off, unlike my still-in-school brother who also lives in the area. The problem is that our father wants us to stay with him in Rhode Island this Christmas, but I haven't been able to tell him that it's not possible, at least for me, this year due to low funds and no extra time off. How can I help him understand that I work just like him and sometimes can't be as flexible as my "month off" college self?
I would appreciate any insight you might have!
Carolyn Hax: Here's your first first-Christmas-out-of-college gift (she said pompously): You can't help anyone understand anything, make anyone understand anything, count on anyone understanding anything. Not your job. "Sorry, Dad, I don't have enough money or time off to come home." Guilt is a two-way transaction -- you have to let it take root.
Hmmm...: Wow, this forum makes me feel normal!
washingtonpost.com: That's why we're here. -- Lisa
Carolyn Hax: If we go by numbers, then the freaks are the ones who feel normal.
Just an observation.
Clapper, too: I clapped last night at a large dinner party when the dessert was brought out and no one joined in -- couldn't believe it! It was even a fairly boisterous dinner party!
(But my family does not clap after each present -- just yours.)
Carolyn Hax: Ooh. Good one.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap
Clap clap clap on the 48-hour rule!: My shrink and I just came to the same conclusion: no more than 48 hours allowed with the bleeped-up family. 'Course, mom's p.o.'ed, since seeing them involves a five-hour flight, but hey -- you gotta do what you gotta do. Sanity is priceless.
Carolyn Hax: Agreed! especially to your shrink.
No ho ho ho: In the midst of all your holiday cheer, please try to include some of your "family-less" friends in your activities. Also, be respectful of the reason(s) people might not have plans with their family. Simply put, I'm gay and am not welcome at my parents' when my less-than-supportive siblings and their kids show up. I had a co-worker absolutely grill me once about why I wasn't spending the holiday with relatives. There are many reasons people will be alone -- don't be intrusive. Thanks for letting me share.
Carolyn Hax: You're welcome, and I'm sorry your parents don't lay down better law. That all just seems wrong.
Alexandria, Va.: Is it OK to dis your own family in favor of a better (i.e. functioning!) one? My family can't get along for four minutes, whereas my wife's is actually fun to be with. What do I owe my own clan?
Carolyn Hax: Ooh, that's your call. Anything from "nothing" to alternate years, depending on a lot of things -- their behavior toward you and yours, emotional toll on you, health of fam members, distance and/or effort to get there, etc.
And I'd also rephrase the issue into what you owe your kids if any, then wife, then yourself and then your family, in that order. Priorities count, too.
Minneapolis, Minn.: Here is a family tradition that is unusual -- not too bizarre, but most people get a kick out of it. My grandmother sends us "kids" (aged 18-30) a check in mid-December, and when we come to her house on Christmas, we bring along the -wrapped- gifts we bought with her money. It's fun, and everyone but the recipient is surprised by the gift. Mostly, it makes Grandma happy just to see us happy about the gifts. She doesn't have time (or health) to shop for us, and we get the things we need, so it's a good time all around. (It's a bit strange to buy stuff for yourself and wrap it up, only to unwrap it later, but it's our own brand of fun.)
Carolyn Hax: I don't know, I think it's pretty cool. Thanks.
Gift exchange: This works well with co-workers who are close, but don't want to spend a lot (anything?) on gifts.
Have a white elephant gift exchange. Everyone brings in something truly dreadful and opening the gifts is a complete blast. My mother, with her infinite sense of sick humor, one year gave some of her hair that had fallen out from chemo. It's never been topped (no pun).
Carolyn Hax: I'm speechless again.
No wait, I'm not, but I'm going to wish I were ...
Carolyn Hax: Chemo Hair! Chemo Hair!
Washington, D.C.: Hi Carolyn, Love the chats! Here is an interfaith question for you. I am Christian and my boyfriend is Jewish. My family has done nothing but try to make him feel "okay" during Christmas celebrations and they always give him gifts in Hanukkah paper but he gets very angry if I ask him to come to a tree trimming party or any other Christmas activities. Is there a way to make him feel comfortable or is this impossible?
Carolyn Hax: If you're going to keep asking him to tree-trimming parties and if he's going to keep getting very angry at that, then, no.
Klumbus, Ahia: Howdy --
A gift-giving suggestion: A cousin of mine and her oldest friend have this tradition: Every year they give each other an "Ugly" -- some atrocious knick-knack from hell. The rules are that it has to be displayed until the next year and it can't be explained.
And a question: Anyone out there have any ideas for Christmas cheer for us laid-off types who can't go shopping or concert-ing or the like? (At least I can't turn to drink -- I'm a single malt snob and that stuff's expensive!) Haven't come up with much except cruising around looking at the lights, and my family is mostly elsewhere, so the giant festival o' relatives isn't a possibility.
Carolyn Hax: The white elephant gets a Machiavellian makeover, I LIKE it.
Sorry about your red Christmas. Can you bake? Hit concerts of the church- and/or free variety?
Peanuts must have thoughts on this ...
Downtown New York no more!: Dear C and L,
I am usually OK generous with gifts. Don't go overboard, but give them to the few people I am close to. But this year, no thanks to Sept. 11, money is really really tight. I lost my job, and while have a new one, am making much much less. I also lost my apartment, thus I seem to be starting all over again.
My question: Is it just OK to send cards and a nice note? Nothing too long about me -- just best wishes and good thoughts. Besides money being an issue, I really don't feel like shopping and splurging.
Am I being a scrooge? By the way, not everybody knows the extend of losing job, losing apartment. Many of them lost family members -- my loss meant so much less.
Many thanks -- and happy holidays, Christmas to both of you. I have enjoyed chats much much!
Carolyn Hax: Of course it's okay. I'm sorry about your downers, too.
If any broke people wanted to give me anything, obviously a card would be more than enough, but I'd also be happy as a clam with a great recipe, or an old picture of us (Xerox okay), or a schedule of upcoming events with one circled and a let's-do-this Post-It. An invitation a home-cooked dinner. Stuff is just so overrated.
Grandma Oops: A few years ago, instead of spending a lot of time buying gifts and mailing those out, Grandma sent checks out in cards that said "Buy your own gift."
She was a little miffed not to have received any thank yous, until she was cleaning out her desk a few months letter and came across the entire stack of checks she had forgotten to enclose.
We still kid her about that.
Carolyn Hax: That's about my fourth laugh out loud. Zuzu has turned her back to me, sighing in disgust.
Washington, D.C.: In my family, Christmas is more like a theme party. Every year we get a "challenge." This year it's reenactment/create a TV commercial. We all have to film it and then we play them on Christmas afternoon after dinner. My brother and I are reenacting one of those horrible lawyer commercials -- you know where they say "If you've been injured on the job or in your car..." I think my parents are doing a Taster's Choice commercial. Should be a hoot.
Carolyn Hax: Next year, you should distribute your energy to needy families. Oy.
Downside of including others: Made a special effort to be home for New Year's last year instead of doing a just-us couple thing because the friend who has recently moved to D.C. and was renting a room from us had complained so much about how she wasn't spending the Eve with her old friends in Chicago as usual and said she'd be lonely. Had a dinner party next door with neighbors/friends and it was low-key but festive -- great food, much good wine, cool decorations, etc. Felt slapped in the face a few days later when I discovered that the friend we were trying to cheer had complained that the party was "rather dull." Really want to entertain again but feel like the time and expense was for nothing. Cheer me up?
Carolyn Hax: Eh, have your party. You had fun. And as a rule, save your kind gestures for the ones who --aren't -- complaining about the state of their lives.
Washington, D.C.: Happy Holidays!
My husband and I are planning on having a holiday party. Now here's the hard part, I work in a small office and I only want to invite a hand full of people. Is there any tactful way of inviting them and asking them not to say anything? And what if the "not invited" people find out?
Carolyn Hax: I have no idea, since for all I know they won't care or won't want to do anyway. If it's known that you're close to this handful, people might already assume you socialize with them separately.
Always worth asking, though -- how awful would it be to be inclusive? tis the season and all. Secrets/shuttings out--if that's what's going on here -- are often so much more work than a few hours with the people you're shutting out.
Wreath: When I was growing up, we had a prickly plastic holly wreath that was designed to go over a doorknob (very '70s). It drove my dad up the wall -- he couldn't understand why you would put something on a doorknob that made it difficult to open. Soon, the wreath started appearing in odd places -- under pillows, in the shower, in the car, over the milk. Over the years, it has traveled overseas to spread prickly, annoying holiday cheer to my sister and me living abroad. One year I got a scanned copy of it, another year, just a leaf. I'm going home on Friday for the weekend and you can be sure I'll pull the covers all the way off the bed before I get in. My husband thinks we're all nuts.
(I was thinking of telling the Moldy Baby Jesus story but I don't want to offend anyone. There's a song that goes with it.)
Carolyn Hax: There you go, three words I wish I had never seen in tandem.
Carolyn Hax: Of course now you HAVE to tell the story.
Richmond, Va.: New boyfriend and I have only been together a couple weeks. I just found out he's got nowhere to go for Christmas and was planning on spending the day all by his lonesome in his apartment.
My automatic response was to offer my family's house -- we're a big, welcoming family and they policy's always been, More People = Better. His reaction was pretty hesitant -- while of course I don't object if he'd rather stick it out down here, I wonder if I came off as trying to force the family on him? Honestly all I was thinking was it'd be a fun time to hang out, and there's a ton to do at home -- but in hindsight I see where it could have been interpreted as, "Come home and meet my family, and we'll go shopping for silverware patterns while we're there."
Is this something that needs fixing, or just leave it alone?
Carolyn Hax: Leave it alone. It was a nice gesture, and if he can't chill enough to see it as that, pooh on him.
Other side: It was a nice gesture, and if she can't chill enough to see that it was nevertheless a little awkward for him to figure out on the spot whether he'd be imposing, then pooh on her.
Surmountable all around, methinks, especially if the context is all well and good.
Washington, D.C.: For Kulmbus Ahia --
I work for a umbrella of charities. They are always having events during the holidays -- walks, runs, galas. They sometimes need volunteers. Helping out at one of those events can be really fun and also keep you mind off your own woes. Or consider getting a group of friends and being the entertainment somewhere -- a soup kitchen, nursing home. Or even caroling in your neighborhood. I did that one year and we got invited into neighbor homes, made friends. I find that doing stuff like that makes me feel really Christmassy.
Carolyn Hax: Good stuff, thanks.
New York, N.Y.: What do you think of people who throw new year's parties with the intention of making a profit off of friends? I have friends that are hoping to take in twice as much as they need to cover costs. Am I weird for being bothered by this? We're talking many multiple thousands of dollars profit.
Carolyn Hax: You know exactly what I'm going to think of this.
Has the Reindeer Poop been awarded yet this year?
Christmas Crazies: (1) The father of a former girlfriend who lived outside Worcester, Mass., would go outside at midnight Christmas Eve and fire his shotgun into the air. Hail (of lead) to the Prince of Peace.
(2) The father of another former girlfriend didn't like me because I wasn't (and still am not) Asian. He gave me a china (!) lamp with no shade and no bulb and said "For studying."
(3) My wife's father (who is actually a great guy) had the family doing yard work on Christmas Day after opening presents.
Carolyn Hax: (3) Better than lying around getting cranky.
(2) Hey at least he got your something.
(1) I am cancelling my traditional hatless midnight run through Worcester.
All Wet: Preparations for this past Saturday's holiday party (thrown by self and boyfriend) were going extremely well. I have one of those nifty centerpiece bowls that floats candles and with which you can stuff decorative things like holly. So I get the holly into the bowl and fill the bowl with water. Too much water. I can't move the bowl cause I'll spill the water and lose the holly out the bottom. I also can't put the candles in the bowl without losing the displaced water. So I did what any self-respecting hostess would do who hadn't yet showered and changed for her party: I leaned over and drank the (filtered!) water from the bowl until the volume was low enough to handle the candles. I am -serious.- The boyfriend was clearly okay with this, as he proposed marriage shortly thereafter (I accepted!). Happy holidays, all!
Carolyn Hax: The hostess with the mostest, hands down.
The mostest what, I have no idea.
Washington, D.C.: We don't clap -- we do the "wave"
Carolyn Hax: I just did one. Did you see?
Carolyn Hax: The Boo thought I was getting up to walk her. Oops.
Going back to the interfaith question: Sorry...your response sounds pretty negative. Do you mean to say that I shouldn't expect him to come to any Christmas activities even though we are couple?
Carolyn Hax: That's because it was negative!
Two people coming from different places need to figure out where they are, where the other person is, and meet at some mutual, warmhearted middle. You guys don't even sound close.
Not a judgment or a criticism, merely an observation.
Gaithersburg, Md.: My mother-in-law wants everyone to open all their presents at her house. We are the only one with kids. Everyone else wants to sleep in and start opening presents around 10 or 11 a.m. I suggested we have the kids have breakfast and open the presents from my family when they wake up and then we will have Christmas with them. This has created a controversy. Any suggestions?
Carolyn Hax: No, I'm too disgusted with people who get worked up over this sh**.
Do what you feel is right and ask the others please to do you the very large favor of accepting it, since in the end it's just not worth NOT accepting.
Oh S*** the cat ate baby Jesus!: Here's the story. My uncle was U.S. deputy ambassador to the UN. Lived in a government apartment on 5th Avenue in New York City. He and my aunt had (at the time) a cherubic 5-year-old daughter. One night they hosted a holiday party for diplomats, royalty, etc. My darling niece was there in a ruffly cute dress. Everyone thought she was an angel. A small paper mache creche was out on a table. Noel (irony), the cat, came into the room, and ate the baby Jesus out of the creche in the middle of the party. My cousin, the angel she was, saw it happen and exclaimed loudly "OH S***! THE CAT ATE BABY JESUS!" The cat them proceeded to vomit the Jesus onto the coffee table. The diplomats were horrified. My aunt and uncle thought it was hilarious. Fun was had by all.
Carolyn Hax: I don't even know where to start chanting on this one. And I wonder if there's a record of it somewhere ... anyway,
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap
Arlington, Va.: Carolyn, I am thinking of proposing to my sweetie soon. Is it bad form to do so on Christmas? What about New Year's? Am I stalling?
Carolyn Hax: Yes?
50-50 shot, I thought I'd try. Propose 1. when you want to marry her (and when you have that feeling uninterrupted for at least 30 days, perhaps, to be safe) 2. in a way you think she would like.
washingtonpost.com: For the folks who wanted the Dec. 3, 2000 Post Magazine article (and there are many), try the archives. Unless they're part of a special package, most stories on the site are free for 14 days. -- Lisa.
New York City, N.Y.: (To the tune of Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer. . .)
Chemo hair! Chemo Hair!
Falling out all day!
Oh what fun it is to trade,
With a co-worker or maid!
Sorry, in bad taste, but this is a FUN chat today, Carolyn!
washingtonpost.com: Actually, that'd be to the tune of "Jingle Bells." -- Lisa.
Carolyn Hax: And is, in fact, the worst poetry I've ever read.
Crazy in Pentagon City, Va.: You know, this really is rather fun. Sick as it is, all of this talk of crazy families and weird traditions is putting me back in the Christmas mood. I was really stressed out but the laughing and the communal commiserating in this chat has made me remember how to see the funny side of it all. Thanks everybody!
On the weird tradition side, when I was a kid, my father would don antlers and drag the Christmas gifts in on all fours while pulling a red wagon. We would all take turns whipping him as he would circle the tree and neigh. Kind of a masochistic Santa Claus, I suppose.
Carolyn Hax: I am deeply unsettled by this.
Somewhere, USA: My senile but very religious 93-year-old grandmother sits in her power corner and looks on judgmentally every year while the rest of us sneak alcohol and pretend that we aren't swearing and telling dirty jokes. We're all afraid of her. About two years ago, we thought she was just being cranky because of all the people around. My mother said, "If she's going to act that way, she can just go to bed." Turns out she was in congestive heart failure. We are all going to hell.
Carolyn Hax: Okay now I feel better.
Hell, indeed. yes.
Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: Our special little Christmas day tradition:
Cocktail "hour" begins promptly at 4 in front of the fire (whether it's 70 degrees or 7) with a LOAD of appetizers. And we cocktail until we run out of things to chat about.
Yes, we've actually missed dinner some years. No one really minded at all the time my mom didn't discover until 9:30 p.m. that she'd put the turkey in the oven without turning it on.
Carolyn Hax: Thank you, I was needing a drink.
Santy-sauruses!: I have this great uncle who sends us strange gifts each year, once a gorilla suit and one year he sent us Christmas lights encased in little plastic dinosaurs that had little Santa Claus coats hand painted on them. The Santy-sauruses are always a tradition on our tree!
Carolyn Hax: Is there anything more versatile than a gorilla suit? Question of the day.
For Interfaith: Hi Carolyn and Lisa:
Something for Interfaith to think about -- has she shown ANY interest in learning about or participating in HIS holiday celebrations and traditions?
I am Jewish, and I'm frankly sick of hearing my fellow-Chosen get their knickers in a wad over people saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." For heaven's sake, the people mean well -- get over it.
Still, when I read Interfaith's posting, I immediately noticed that she didn't say anything about going with BF to his family's house to light the menorah, etc. Maybe his family isn't close by and that's not an option, but that doesn't mean she can't show some sort of interest in it, instead of merely trying to make him "comfortable" with her family and their traditions.
-- Just One Jew's Opinion
Carolyn Hax: I like it all, thanks.
Washington, D.C.: Hey, Carolyn! I'm Jewish and my family always gets together on Christmas eve at my cousin's house (his partner isn't Jewish) and we all gather 'round and decorate the tree. It's so much fun because for us, it's not something we grew up doing. About three years ago, we decided the tree needed something extra, so we shellacked (sp?) a bagel, which now tops the tree every year!
Carolyn Hax: United we shellac (also sp "shellack")!
Austin, Tex.: Then there's my office-mate's special Christmas when she got a BB gun, and her mom shot four ornaments off the tree!
Carolyn Hax: Well, slap me and call it Christmas!
I think I'm getting tired.
College Park, Md.:
I think my boyfriend will ask me to marry him this Christmas. If he will, and I am not ready, what should I say?
Carolyn Hax: Oooh, whatever it is, make sure it's a no. It has to come from you though. Bummer.
The Amazing Cookie Dough Caper: My grandmother has "issues" with people eating dough before it is made into cookies. I am an avid dough-monger. So once my mother (also a DM) walked past me and whispered in my ear "Meet me on the porch with a spoon in two minutes -- ask no questions!" She was out on the porch with pilfered dough from the fridge. Pretty soon the entire family sans grandma was eating dough on the front steps. We put the tiny morsel wrapped in wax paper back. It probably couldn't have made one cookie, we figured she'd never notice.
Carolyn Hax: Mom sounds pretty cool, lucky you.
ONE more ...
North Pole: My family draws names for gifts, then you have a $5 spending limit. My aunt always gets red hair dye (which I think she may use), my mother gets empty boxes because she has forgotten (more than once) to put in the present before wrapping. But the topper was my grandmother, who had forgotten she drew my name. I ended up with a half-box of chiclets and a travel pack of Kleenex, with the used ones tucked inside. All gaily wrapped in a piece of tin foil she had been carrying in her purse.
Carolyn Hax: A perfect end to this Year of the Grandma ... and what a dark year it was.
Thanks, everybody, for the grins and the images (most of them, anyway) and for the merry sendoff. I'll type to you in the new year after some furious vacationing. Merry Everything,
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the


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Wraycroft Cottages is a Dales family business in the Yorkshire village of Reeth established in 1965. Living on a beautiful two acre site in 1980 we decided to build three traditional stone terraced properties adjacent to our own home. They are known as Ashcroft, Beechcroft and Cedarcroft and are just a 5 minute stroll from Reeth village centre.
These unique cottages are the perfect peaceful retreat with gardens, ponds and access to the River Swale brimming with wildlife. Accommodation is rated 4* by Visit England, and each year is awarded 100% for cleanliness. Visitors who return year after year say they have never been anywhere so peaceful.
"Beautiful location, lovely cottage, welcoming owners. Everything that you could wish for a relaxing holiday. Will definitely be returning." - Lynn J,.
"Outstanding accommodation in a stunning location - Our second visit here. Beautiful cottage fronting Swale River. All conveniences provided. Very accommodating hosts. Short stroll to village of Reeth with its great pubs and amenities." - John D, 19 January 2015.
Although full weeks are preferred, short breaks are offered throughout the year starting on Friday or Mondays - please visit our website for prices and availability. We offer a small reduction for returning visitors, parties of less than 3 people and for stays of two weeks or more.
The village of Reeth is often thought of as the 'capital' of Swaledale, and is a quaint, traditional English village at the junction of the River Swale and the Arkle Beck.
The area is particularly popular with outdoor enthusiasts and offers designated walking routes, mountain biking and watersports activities. Reeth village contains a number of grocery shops, a Post Office and other independent shops ideal for picking up essentials.
The village green hosts a small market every Friday and there is also a museum, ice cream parlour and several cafes close by.
Travelling from Richmond (B6270), on entering Reeth, the road branches just before it goes up the hill. The branch road is a Y junction and opposite the bottom shop. It is called the Back Lane and is steep.
We are on the left hand side at the top of the hill. An easier approach is to remain on the main road which goes through the village on its way to Gunnerside.
Just after the fire station which is still in the village, turn left down Langhorne Drive. This road ends in a T Junction. Turn left down Back Lane and Wraycroft Cottages, well marked, are a few hundred metres on your right.

subset: commoncrawl


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A fashion designer's life is full of fabric, color, clothing trends and excitement. It's also full of talented competition. That's why it's important for a designer to have a knock-out portfolio to show off to prospective employers. A portfolio is a designer's collection of clothing sketches. It's essential to have, even mandatory during job applications with some fashion houses, and putting her very best on display can only help an aspiring designer.
Getting Professional
Your portfolio needs to display your talent and skill, but you should be able to balance your own unique take on clothes with your understanding of what style is currently trending. During school, budding designers keep their sketches in a portfolio with an eye to landing an internship, and you may be asked to present these during a job interview as well. However, your professional portfolio must be much more polished and refined. Going to an interview with a student-grade portfolio might get you attention, but not the kind you want.
Getting the Bones
Your portfolio case is almost as important as its contents. Buy a sturdy, attractive case that has a clear, page-sized sleeve for your designer's identification label, which has your name and contact information, as well as copies of your resume. The inner sleeves should be of archival-grade plastic made of polypropylene or acetate, recommends Fairchild Books. These keep your pages from yellowing or deteriorating with age, which non-archival grade plastic won't do. Inserts that divide sketches from one another should be black and should also be archival-grade.
Creating a Story
Fashion designs are usually grouped together to create a visual "story." Stories are a designer's way of showing through her clothing designs what inspires her. The story begins with one or two mood pages, which can be collages of photos, drawings, fabrics -- anything that inspired the collection of clothing designs. The mood pages might be followed by swatches of the fabrics you envision being used in your designs. Next come the designs themselves, illustrated in both flat drawings and two-dimensional drawings.
Get Digital
Fashion isn't just about proving you can draw. Today's fashion industry also relies on computer technology to generate clothing designs, and your portfolio needs to demonstrate your skills in this as well. Bring a flash drive that you can leave with your potential employer that contains digital images of your work. Depending on with whom you are applying, you may need to supply photographs of clothes you've sewn together to showcase your grasp of clothing construction.
Photo Credits
- Image Source/Digital Vision/Getty Images


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Lloyd Williams, one of Australia's most powerful and successful owners, and a group of decorated horse trainers collectively have condemned the watering policy on racetracks this spring, brought into focus by last Saturday's Caulfield Guineas meeting that they say was staged on a "brick road".
Williams said that Victorian racing officials must now legislate against hard tracks and understand that the influx of international horses – either purchased or visiting – should not be exposed to rigid surfaces.
"I think my 50 years' of horse owning makes me well qualified to comment. We must change these policies that leave tracks so desperately hard," Williams said. "On Saturday I had Faulkner in the Caulfield Stakes and in an effort that was totally out of character he finished out of a place. When we got him home we found he too was a victim of a hard track.
"We'll patch him up again and get him right for the Cox Plate but we should have heeded the message by now that European stayers just can't cope with the heat in our tracks.
"Racing Victoria send a man around the world each year in a bid to attract the best stayers, but yet those same horses come here and they're exposed to a hard track they have never seen before so they can't come here and have to adapt to these conditions."
On Saturday, the track at Caulfield was a "good 3" category and did not move into the "firm 2" range at any stage. The standing policy in Victoria is that the majority of a race meeting should be held on a "good 3" surface.
But because the Melbourne Racing Club insists on running the final race at 6.25pm, the sudden rise of a north wind made the track seem like it was "baking".
The MRC defend their decision for to stage the late finish by claiming it allows markets such as Hong Kong to be on the meeting.
"I do not for one minute blame the three course curators at Moonee Valley, Caulfield and Flemington, as they are working under a policy that needs to be altered," Williams said.
Trainer David Hayes, who made an emphatic return to the winner's podium on Saturday, agreed with Williams.
"I get up in the morning and I go down to the stables and sometimes put my hands over my eyes in fear that I might see that some of my horses from the day before are shuffling in their box.
"I don't mind if the track reading is, let's say a dead reading, as it means there will be give in the surface and, after all, that seems very fair," he said.
Chris Waller, who was as successful as Hayes on Saturday, said the problem was deeply concerning.
"I've had runners at a race meeting and have listened to the radio in the morning to find it will be a fair track and yet I get to the races and by race three my jockeys are jumping off and saying the track's too hard and they're not letting go.
"We shouldn't be faced with that problem. We should, at the end of the day, go behind closed doors and thrash it out. We want a fair track surface and desperately hard ones aren't fair," Waller said.
John O'Shea, the principal of another huge training operation, was philosophical on Saturday when he was asked about the condition of Caulfield's track.
"Look, I'm not coming out to be critical. If the track is hard you don't start the horse. If the track continues to be hard you spell the horse. It is tricky but, for instance, next Saturday I will take Complacent to Caulfield for one of his major targets the Caulfield Cup," he said.
"I've spent two years getting the horse back to his best so I will walk the track before the race. If it's hard he will come out.
"The next Saturday will be the Cox Plate and I will have Contributor in the race. On Saturday he was going extremely well until he got the home turn and the firmness of the ground started to tell and he didn't know which leg to put down.
"The same will apply with him. I will walk the track and then make a decision on whether he starts in the race."
Two weeks ago, Williams said that he took another of his international team, United States, to the Moonee Valley meeting and was surprised when the track condition was changed from a "good 3 "to a "good 2" at 10pm.
"He pulled up sore after the track was so firm and I thought at 10pm you'd have a dew on the grass not a hard surface," he said.


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Weekly Notes: legal news from ICLR – 11 December 2015
Posted on 13th Dec 2015 in Weekly Notes
This week's roundup includes Hacked Off being hacked off after hacking trial backed off, the future of press regulation, whether Janner is fit to plead and whether Trump is fit to lead. Plus votes for women and a trout in the soup.
Criminal law (1)
Phonehacking trials called off
The Crown Prosecution Service announced on 11 December that it would discontinue prosecutions involving corporate liability charges against News Group Newspapers Ltd and criminal charges against 10 individuals at Mirror Group. These were the result of Operation Weeting and Operation Golding investigations.
Reaction to the news was threefold. News Group newspapers clambered onto their high horses to denounce the whole investigation as a waste of public money, very selectively identifying a small number of successful prosecutions amidst what they painted as a picture of general failure. Piers Morgan, former editor the Daily Mirror, was reported as having tweeted that he proposed to go out and get "spectacularly drunk". And the victims of the alleged phonehacking and their campaign group, Hacked Off, expressed disappointment that the police had not been able to gather sufficient evidence to justify a prosecution in the public interest.
For a list of the convictions obtained and some rather predictable quotes, the BBC report is quite good: Phone hacking: CPS calls end to prosecutions
See also Inforrm's Blog: CPS announces no further phone hacking prosecutions against News Group or Mirror Group
Whatever happened to Leveson?
The conclusion of these criminal proceedings means that the Leveson Inquiry can, theoretically, now proceed to its next stage, what is dubbed "Leveson 2". This was supposed to be a full inquiry into the criminal activities which, to avoid prejudicing or interfering with the criminal proceedings, was postponed until their conclusion. Hacked Off is urging the Prime Minister, who ordered the Leveson Inquiry in the first place, to ensure that it now continues to its logical conclusion. But there seems to be some doubt as to whether that will happen, given the sums already spent on the trials, and the collapse of the latest round. Added to which, the original Leveson Inquiry website – with its massive report, its numerous recommendations and all its volumes of tirelessly collected evidence – appeared last month to have vanished into thin air.
What happened was this. Less than three years after the Leveson report was published (on 29 November 2012), a well known legal commentator went to look at it on its usual URL at www.levesoninquiry.org.uk, only to find it, like the French horn in theFlanders and Swann song, "gorn". Disappeared. Abducted from the information superhighway, and left to rot on some high and dry-way. (See the Jack of Kent blog, Whatever happened to the Leveson Inquiry website?)
After a brief and well publicised Twitterpanic, it turned up again. It transpired that it had simply been re-filed, or mothballed, in a virtual dank basement, bound and gagged in digital bubblewrap, an exhibit for the benefit of posterity and the document-hunters who haunt the stacks of the National Archives. And it's actually quite easy to find it because the old URL www.levesoninquiry.org.uk now links through to its forwarding address, with a somewhat less snappy URL: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140122145147/http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/
IPSO de facto, Impress de jure
Meanwhile, the recommendations of the Leveson Report appear to have resulted in some rearrangement of the existing regulatory mechanism, but without necessarily effecting any improvement. So the old bulldog with rubber teeth known as the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has been replaced by IPSO, the so-called Independent Press Standards Organisation, which is so independent it has a two-thirds majority of industry insiders (ten newspaper editors) on a panel of 15, the minority consisting of three lay members, a retired judge and a chief executive.
IPSO publishes an Editors' Code which was recently revised. However, Evan Harris of Hacked Off is unimpressed, according to his review on Inforrm's blog: Newspaper Industry releases revised "Editors' Code", more comfort for tabloids, nothing for the public "Inforrm" is short for the International Forum for Responsible Media and its blog is a useful repository of articles about recent cases on defamation and media law.
IPSO's performance, criticised as lack-lustre, or even lackey-like, by some, was robustly defended by its "pugnacious" chairman, former Lord Justice of Appeal Sir Alan Moses in a lecture on the future of press regulation given earlier this year. He seems to be under the impression that IPSO is a work in progress and that progress is being made – but evidently not enough for the likes of Evan Harris.
However, IPSO is not the only press regulator. There is also IMPRESS, whose chairman, Jonathan Heawood, also writing on Inforrm's blog,declares it to be the only fully Leveson-compliant regulator and the only one intending to seek recognition from the Press Recognition Panel – a body set up by Royal Charter after the Leveson Inquiry to give life to a new system of press regulation. It would appear to be a "regulator's regulator" or "uber-regulator" after the style of the Legal Standards Board (LSB) which causes so much delight to the legal profession (see Weekly Notes passim). The charter bit is what the press don't like, just as they don't like anything that might be "statutory" because it smacks of bending the knee to Parliament, and that's something only ordinary mortals obeying the law of the land should have to do.
Of course, no industry or profession can be regulated without the consent of a majority of its members, but most professions (the law being a prime example) now have to put up with much more objective and independent, not to say intrusive, regulatory bodies than seems to have been the case with the press. They seem to be able to rely on a form of benefit of clergy, according to which misdemeanours must be overlooked for the greater good of an accountable democracy.
Criminal law (2)
Janner in the works (again)
The allegations against Lord (Greville) Janner have been discussed here before: Weekly Notes – 24 April and 3 July 2015.) This week Mr Justice Openshaw, in considering whether Janner was fit to plead to an indictment charging him with historic sexual offences committed between 1963 and 1988, cited as the foundational authority for the relevant test a case dating from 1836: Rex v Pritchard, 7 C & P 303. This appears in Carrington and Payne's Nisi Prius reports, which are one of the Nominate Series republished in the English Reports.
Many legal principles have their ancestry in the common law, some of it much more ancient than the reign of William IV. Much as we like to feel we are at the cutting edge of the lawmaking process, reporting freshly minted precedents adapted to the modern age, and while never confusing antiquity with authority, we still recognise the value of a coherent and comprehensive record of older case law. ICLR began in 1865 but the common law, haphazardly as it may have been reported in days of yore, is much older and some of it very venerable. Like Magna Carta, it is woven into the tapestry of English law, along with golden threads of presumed innocence and the like. (Grows misty eyed.)
Openshaw J said "I have attempted to modify the test as laid down in R v Pritchard… in accordance with modern conditions."
That is how the common law develops and adapts, in a manner some might call Darwinian, and others Whiggish. Incidentally, the judgment or ruling as distributed on the Judiciary website contains neither Neutral Citation nor paragraph numbering. If it is to be reported, these will need to be included; but, since it adds nothing to the existing law which it applies, it is unlikely there will be any call to report it, despite the news interest. The ruling was issued in the Central Criminal Court, whither the case had been sent for trial, on the order, presumably, of the Divisional Court of the Queen's Bench Division, whose judgment dated 13 August 2015 R (Janner) v Westminster Magistrates Court [2015] EWHC 2578 (Admin) is available on BAILII. That was a challenge by judicial review of a decision of the Chief Magistrate that Janner was fit to attend the magistrates' court for a brief hearing so as to be sent for trial to the Crown court. The Divisional Court held that the magistrate's decision was not wrong. Again, the decision raised little in the way of new law and has so far only been reported in the Justice of the Peace reports: (2015) 179 JP 465.
Blog of the week
Sir Henry Brooke: Musings, Memories and Miscellanea
It would be inappropriate to suggest that Sir Henry Brooke, retired Lord Justice of Appeal and former chairman of the trustees of BAILII, had done anything so attention-seeking as to "burst" onto any "scene", but his discreet arrival in the blogosphere has, in a few weeks, taken a great many readers by (deeply gratified) surprise.
Of course, Sir H has been tweeting for a while, somewhat confounding the customary prejudice that retired Lords Justices are too stuffy or remote to descend into the arena of not always pretty public debate that is Twitter (an online Open Mic session that anyone can join in and jump into, often to the annoyance of people who think they are just having a quiet chat in the corner of the tea room). Sir H is IT-savvy, having been a leading proponent and disappointed champion of IT in the law courts since a time when typewriters and dial phones were still being used. Now, instead of writing his memoirs in some port-infused seclusion, he is publishing them week by week, sometimes day by day, on his new blog. It's been going about six weeks. And it's fantastic.
Among the recent pieces is an account of the Chambers at 2 Crown Office Row he joined more than fifty years ago as a pupil in 1963, when lunch in hall cost five shillings and a lamplighter came round the Temple each evening to light the gas lamps. There's also a personal memoir of Lord Denning, who mentored Brooke as a student of the law, and whom Brooke helped with a scheme of informal residential weekends at Cumberland Lodge to provide help and encouragement to overseas bar students, at a time when the Inns had a less inclusive and pastoral approach to them.
There are several pieces about IT in the courts, the disasters of the past, the hopes dashed, the dreams spurned, and more recently about the hopes rekindled in the Chancellor's recent announcement of a £700m investment in court modernisation. There's also a very interesting reprint of an article in which Sir Henry answered a number of frequently asked questions about BAILII (the British and Irish Legal Information Institute) of which he was formerly chair of the trustees.
Speech of the week
New Bar Council chair inaugural speech
At her inauguration on 7 December, the Bar's new chair, Chantal-Aimee Doerries QC, set out her priorities for the coming year. She began by emphasising that the Bar is essentially a profession, not a business:
The more one encourages the professions to see themselves as purely businesses, or simply leave everything to market forces, the more we attenuate the idea of being a professional. The Bar is a profession. It is not simply a job. In many areas of publicly funded work there is no certainty of economic security and for many the rewards are relatively modest.
The difference is manifest in its ethics, which are not those of a business:
As well as owing a duty to the Court, and complying with our professional Code of Conduct, we are required to act in our clients' best interests. In doing so, we may well act against our own best financial interests.
(Incidentally, a similar point was made by the pseudonymous Russell Winnock in his Confessions of a Barrister which is reviewed here ) Likewise, the Cab Rank Rule,
which reflects the profession's belief that every client, however unpopular, deserves representation and that it is the client who chooses the lawyer, and not the lawyer who chooses his or her clients.
Doerries went on to discuss the Bar Council's representative role, the value of the Bar Standards Board as an independent regulator, and the role of the Bar in society. You can read the speech (pdf) here.
Dates and deadlines
Vanity Fair
A theatrical production of Thackeray's epic novel, adapted by Declan Donnellan, will be performed in Middle Temple Hall, 8-10 January 2016, with tickets at £45, £35 and £25.
All proceeds will go towards the Middle Temple Scholarship Fund.
Bookings via www.vanityfairplay.co.uk.
Old trout in the jug
This week's slightly bizarre story
You know you're probably on a hiding to nothing when your own counsel, by way of mitigation, calls you a 'disagreeable old trout'. And so it was for Margaret Wooliscroft, according to the report of her case in The Stoke Sentinel. She was sentenced to 28 months in jail for five counts of breaching an anti-social behaviour order (or injunction) and one of racially aggravated alarm, harassment and distress. Most of the offending seemed to consist of obstructing lawful use of the lane she lived in, Bull Lane, Brindley Ford, which she treated as a private fiefdom, according to the judge. She would lay traffic cones across the road, shout at road users, call them names, accuse them of being paedophiles and drug dealers, and on one occasion allowed her geese to hold up the traffic.
Of course, you don't have to have read Cold Comfort Farm to know that there are some thoroughly eccentric old people living in the countryside, and they're not all lovable Larkins like the Darling Buds of May. But when counsel speaking up in your own defence says you were 'persistent, outrageous and unpleasant' and 'about as popular as a diesel Volkswagen' then you must know things are not so perfick and there's probably something nasty in the woodshed.
The report implies that he tried to suggest she might not be quite as bad the her evidently toxic reputation, which preceded her, or that she spoke without fully considering what she was saying. All to no avail, unless perhaps an even worse sentence was, by this candid deprecation, averted.
However, I find his description of his client unfair to the trout as a species and have chosen a rather more engaging one (to my ear, at any rate) by way of illustration.
Law (and injustice) from around the world
The Gambia
Laws against journalists challenged
On 7 December 2015, the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and three exiled Gambian reporters filed a legal claim against The Gambia to challenge the pervasive culture of persecution, violence, and injustice towards journalists in The Gambia, according to Inforrm's Blog. The case has been brought before the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) seated in Abuja, Nigeria, with the support of the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI).
The applicants argue that laws, which have their roots in colonial times when they were used to suppress dissent, are now specifically used to target journalists and human rights defenders. The applicants have asked the Court to make a declaration that their very existence violates the right to freedom of expression.
Saudi Arabia
Women can vote and run in elections
In what may be considered a positive bit of news from the Kingdom, Saudi women will vote and run in municipal elections for the first time on 12 December 2015. However, in reporting this development, Human Rights Watch points out that women faced a number of barriers in registering to vote and in promoting themselves as candidates.
Election officials set up single-sex voter registration centres, but only one-third were for women. Further difficulties include obtaining the necessary identity papers and proof of residency, and dependence on the goodwill of male family members to cooperate.
Despite these and other difficulties, the final list of 6,917 candidates, released on 29 November, included 979 women standing in the municipal elections. Campaigning for office involves further difficulties such as strict sex-segregation rules on both men and women being addressed at the same time and the fact the vast majority of voters are still men.
See also Foreign Policy: On the Campaign Trail with Saudi Arabia's first Women Candidates
UPDATE: The Independent reports Sunday evening that Women win 17 seats in Saudi Arabia's first elections with female candidates.
United States of America
Trump still ahead in Republican race
Despite a series of racially divisive proposals, apparently put forward in all seriousness, the Republican candidate Donald Trump remains a front runner to be either the Republican candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections in 2016 or, if not selected, a dangerous "rogue elephant" Independent. His stock in trade seems to be the most extreme imaginable solution to any problem, such as building a vast wall to stop anyone crossing the border from Mexico, or banning any Muslims from entering the United States to prevent terrorist attacks on American soil, while studiously avoiding any more reasonable, necessary or proportionate proposals, such as better gun control. (For example, Time magazine reported that a recent Study Says White Extremists Have Killed More Americans in the U.S. Than Jihadists Since 9/11.)
Quite apart from any question of common sense, the legal implications of Trump's proposals are fraught with difficulty. But the response from Republican-minded supporters has been positive to an extent that seems to be in inverse proportion to the reasonableness and feasibility of the proposals, which may indicate that they are purely rhetorical or "aspirational" and not intended to be acted upon.
There remains a risk that the momentum of public support, however ignorant, could prompt Trump, if elected, to put his proposals into action, and then what begins with a wall to keep people out, becomes a series of other walls (or internment centres) to keep people in – with "race" laws to identify exactly who is to be kept "in" or "out". First the Mexicans, then the Muslims, then who? The Canadians? The Catholics? People with bouffant blonde hair?
In the UK, a petition to Parliament in favour of banning Donald Trump from entering the country has, at the time of writing, received over half a million signatures.
Even so, comparisons between Trump's ideas and those of Adolf Hitler have been cold-watered. The Telegraph quotes a commentator called Rob Crilly on something called The Malcontent saying this:
Trump certainly lacks the authoritarian, collectivist spine that runs through fascist movements from history. He remains an individualist and capitalist at heart. And Trump's confused grab bag of policies is a long way short of the ideological framework that would make him part of a fully fledged fascist movement.
That's it for now. My thanks to all who led me to stories, mostly my followees on Twitter.
This post was written by Paul Magrath, Head of Product Development and Online Content at ICLR, who also tweets as @maggotlaw. It does not necessarily represent the opinions of ICLR as an organisation. Comments welcome on Twitter @TheICLR.


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Madrid Subway
By Presselite
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Special Launch Sale ! For a limited time get Madrid Subway for only 0.79€. Original price 4.99€.
Madrid Subway is a comprehensive guide to traveling through Madrid.
- Official map of Madrid subway. Landscape and portrait modes are available.
- Detailed map of all lines in Madrid.
- Precise location of each station on the map (with a red circle), and also on Google Map.
- A bookmark manager allows you to save your stations and routes.
- The trip planner tool allows you to find automatically the best route to get to your destination in Madrid subway. Travel time is also estimated.
- Interactive map to choose your stations for the route.
- The route planner included in this application does not require a network connection to operate, it works perfectly while in the subway.
- The application locates the nearest subway stations from your position in Madrid. It is possible to increase or decrease the distance of localization in the settings.
- You can provide an address in Madrid, the application indicates the stations closest to that address.
- The application is available in English, French, Spanish, and Deutsch.
- Updates already in work for this application.
This application is authorized by CTM (El Consorcio Regional de Transportes ofrece información del transporte público en la comunidad de Madrid).
Skyhook Wireless, provider of the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) on both iPhone and iPod touch, has chosen this application engine as a case study of interesting location based applications.
Thank you for taking the time to report any bugs or to request an enhancement to Madrid Subway Application. Feedback is very important to us. We will do our best to answer queries. Email us at email@example.com
Keywords : subway, metro, métro, underground, train, rapid transit system, map.
What's New in Version 1.2
Bugs fixed.
You can support us right now by adding a short review of Madrid Subway on iTunes, this really gives us the energy to improve the application every week. Much appreciated.
iPhone Screenshots
Customer Reviews
Worth every penny!
This app was indispensable during our visit to Madrid. So much better than staring at a subway map like a lost tourist!
Don't waste $0.99 on this app.
This would have been a crappy app even if it was free. The Madrid Subway website is easier to use. This app does not add even a nickel's worth of value.
Falta una estación
El final de la línea 9 es MIRASIERRA no HERRERA ORIA.
Gracias si lo corrigen ya que pagamos por esto
- $0.99
- Category: Travel
- Updated: Mar 13, 2009
- Version: 1.2
- Size: 1.9 MB
- Languages: English, French, German, Spanish
- Seller: Presselite
- © Presselite
Compatibility: Requires iOS 2.2 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.


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I am happy to announce the second U.S. Youth Futsal International Coaching course. We have partnered with 'Futsal - X' a company specializing in Futsal coaching courses and Futsal programs in Europe.
Space is very limited and the deadline for registration in December 20th, 2016.
The program is seven days and starts on March 10th of 2017 ending on March 16th. The Program includes Futsal Coaching classes, attending Professional Futsal Club ( Movistar) Training sessions along with watching the Copa de Espana Futsal ( Semi Final and Final ) games in Madrid along with Hotel accommodation, meals and sight seeings. Schedule is attached
The price for the program is $1845 - does not include round trip airfare USA to Spain.
The Schedule and the Details of the trip is here.
The link for registration is: http://www.cvent.com/d/dvqrjs.
Please note this is a first come first serve type registration and space is limited. The Link will close on December 20th.
Futsal in USA
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
International Coaching Course Spain- Mar 10-16, 2017
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams Successful in Colombia
OVERLAND PARK, KAN. (Aug. 30, 2016) - U.S. Youth Futsal's National Teams recorded an aggregate 13-4-1 record during three days of competition against top Colombian teams, scoring 98 goals and allowing just 48.
The United States sent its U14, U16 and U18 boys teams and U13, U14 and U16 girls teams to Medellín last month, with each team playing three friendly matches. The boys side faced the strongest opposition of any international trip to date and finished 4-4-1, while the girls earned a 9-0 record in South America, improving their overall record to 26-5-0.
"The tenacity of the Colombian players was a characteristic that many of our players never get to experience at home," said U.S. Youth Futsal Director of Coaching Ty Stauffer. "Many Colombian youth are playing to make professional teams or escape circumstances. That kind of competition is invaluable to development."
Players were selected after a year-long identification process that included regional and national I.D. camps. The best of the best were selected to travel to Medellín, and from the selected players, captains were chosen by the coaching staff: Nicholas Barzacchini (U14 boys), Joseph Raasch (U16 boys), Paulie Whitener (U18 boys), Brooke Collins (U13 girls), Zhanna Dunagan (U14 girls) and three-time captain Felicia Knox (U16 girls) donned the nation's armbands.
Barzacchini, on his third trip with the U.S. Youth Futsal National Team program, was thrilled to spend time with friends old and new, but especially to make new memories.
"While in Colombia, it seemed like there was always something to be doing," explained Barzacchini. "You could be bonding with your teammates, taking in the culture, playing Futsal, meeting new people, chanting and watching the other USA teams, enjoying the great views of Medellín, having fun on the metro, and much, much more."
On Wednesday, after a team-building trip to Guatapé, U.S. players witnessed incredible celebrations throughout the city after Atlético Nacional won the Copa Libertadores. On Friday, the group watched a Liga Argos men's professional futsal match. On Saturday, the teams played salon, a variation of futsal popular in South America. In addition, the U16 girls team was granted special access to the Medellín stadium where FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 matches will take place in September.
"Culturally, it was a remarkable experience," noted Girls Director Jason Miller. " Medellín is a wonderful city that provided an ideal life and Futsal experience for our players and their families. The people, the food, the culture, the setting and the weather were all truly fantastic."
In addition to Miller (U16 girls) and Stauffer (U13 girls), the U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams were coached in Colombia by Soorena Farboodmanesh (U14 boys), Jeffrey Lamy (U14 girls), Otto Orf (U18 boys) and Jose Fabian Rodriguez (U16 boys).
Added Barzacchini: "It is hard to even explain how much I loved this trip. It made a great and big impact on my life. I'll never forget it!"
U.S. Youth Futsal - www.usyouthfutsal.com
For more information, please contact:
Soorena Farboodmanesh, 617.515.5998, firstname.lastname@example.com
@USYouthFutsal on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
United States Youth Futsal is the largest U.S. Soccer affiliated futsal organization in the country. Launched in 2004, U.S. Youth Futsal oversees more than 90 local leagues across the country, sanctions 8 Regional Championships and a National Championship. USYF is the leader in Futsal player development and Futsal coaching education by offering the Futsal I.D. program, the U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams along with Coaching and Referee training clinics.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams Selected
U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams Selected
Overland Park, Kan. (July 21, 2016) - U.S. Youth Futsal has announced the rosters for its youth national teams that will travel to Colombia this month for a series of international friendlies.
After a year-long identification process that concluded with a National I.D. Event earlier this month, player pools were announced in the following birth years: 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000-01 and 1998-99. The older teams will travel to Colombia while the younger teams will travel to another event later in the year.
"We have some truly outstanding young players in this year's player pool," noted U.S. Youth Futsal Director of Coaching Ty Stauffer. "I look forward to seeing them compete against international competition."
Colombian opponents include Bello Florida, Bello Fontidueno, Pinas Club, Real Antioquia, Seleccion Intercolegiados, Seleccion Itagui and Tecnologico Antioquia.
The teams will stay in Medellin, one of three cities that will host the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, and train and play at the Estadio Tulio Ospina in Bello, just north of the city and home to Real Antioquia of the Liga Argos men's professional Futsal league.
The visit will include one day of training and one day of team-building adventure prior to the three match days, plus a gap day for rest and local sightseeing.
The coaching staff heading to Colombia is helmed by Ty Stauffer and Director of Goalkeeping Otto Orf as well as Program Director Soorena Farboodmanesh. It includes Jeffrey Lamy, Jason Miller and Jose Fabian Rodriguez.
The U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams that will travel to Colombia:
U.S. Youth Futsal U18 Boys
GOALKEEPERS (2): Hamza Ababneh (Midlothian, Vir.), Austin Iddon (Jeannette, Pa.),
OUTFIELD PLAYERS (10): Alec Bakkeby (San Diego), Pablo Blanco (Holland, Mich.), Aidan Dorton (Kansas City, Mo.), Josue Galvez (San Francisco), Elias Humel (Henderson, Ky.), Jerman Juarez (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Ryan Palmbaum (Roseville, Calif.), Sagan Patarroyo-White (Lexington, Mass.), Matthew Sherman (Pinckney, Mich.), Paul Whitener (Kansas City, Mo.)
COACH: Otto Orf (Kent, Ohio)
U.S. Youth Futsal U16 Boys
GOALKEEPERS (2): Raul Aguilar Lizarraga (San Diego), Owen Finnerty (Walled Lake, Mich.)
OUTFIELD PLAYERS (10): Joel Bustamante (Chula Vista, Calif.), Johan Gomez (Keller, Texas), Conner Hollett (Hudson, Ohio), Jonah Moore (Stafford, Va.), Elias Ordonez (Cincinnati), Esai Palacios (San Diego), Byron Peng (Coppell, Texas), Joseph Raasch (Germantown, Wisc.), Alexander Vivar (San Diego), Szabolcs Wiksell (Richfield, Ohio)
COACH: Jose Fabian Rodriguez (Wyoming, Mich.)
U.S. Youth Futsal U16 Girls
GOALKEEPERS (2): Braeleigh McCoy (Ada, Mich.), Grace Powell (Daniel Island, S.C.)
OUTFIELD PLAYERS (8): Tiffany Bernot (Old Westbury, N.Y.), Taylor Carter (West Friendship, Md.), Sunniva Dunagan (Saint Paul, Minn.), Tabitha Galliani (Manassas, Va.), Felicia Knox (Shawnee, Kan.), Emily Sanders (Coram, N.Y.), Rachel Schleicher (Charlotte, N.C.), Caitlin Violet (Oak Hill, Va.)
COACH: Jason Miller (Sudbury, Mass.)
U.S. Youth Futsal U14 Boys
GOALKEEPERS (2): Derek Liguori (McMurray, Pa.), Carter Watson (TOWN)
OUTFIELD PLAYERS (10): Nicholas Barzacchini (Avon, Ohio), Will Bencic (West Chester, Ohio), Micah Gundale (Minneapolis), Luke High (Lenexa, Kan.), Tucker Lepley (Charlotte, N.C.), Christian Nydegger (Highland, Utah), Arquimides Ordonez (Cincinnati), Daniel Vrablic (Avon, Ohio), Nathan Vrablic (Avon, Ohio), Aidan Wolf (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
COACH: Soorena Farboodmanesh (Wellesley, Mass.)
U.S. Youth Futsal U14 Girls
GOALKEEPERS (2): Samantha Casey (TOWN), Lorelei Logan (Albuequerque, N.M.),
OUTFIELD PLAYERS (6): Zhanna Dunagan (Saint Paul, Minn.), Alyssa Huynh (San Diego), Riana Kitchen (San Marcos, Calif.), Allie Mairn (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Emma Pope (Concord, N.H.), Jessica Velasco Guzman (Cottage Grove, Minn.)
COACH: Jeffrey Lamy (Lowell, Mass.)
U.S. Youth Futsal U13 Girls
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brooke Collins (Leavenworth, Kan.), Alex Pike (Weare, N.H.)
OUTFIELD PLAYERS (6): Kiley Fitzgerald (Glen Allen, Va.), Mollie Franklin (Framingham, Mass.), Brooke Haarala (Framingham, Mass.), Ava Hellner (Waxhaw, N.C.), Abigale Lynch (Glen Allen, Va.), Taylor Rank (Lowell, Mich.)
COACH: Ty Stauffer (Owensboro, Ky.)
The player pools selected at the National I.D. Camp:
2005 boys: Andres Andrade, Jaiden Degenhardt, Roman Edmond, Kyle Evans, Cole Frazier, Tyler Glassberg, Jacob Gretz, Cameron Hernandez, Gregory Jervier, Marc Kim, Trey McKee, Chris Ofori, Brooklyn Raines, Rocket RitaRita, Leonardo Serodio, Diego Thompson, Drew Vantre, Joshua Veychek.
2005 girls: Brooklyn Acevedo, Josephine Bencic, Mia Bhuta, Jeanette Fieldsend, McKenna Gross, Jane Hansen, Megan Ho, Addy Lang, Rowan LaPiano, Samantha Lockett, Jessica Luo, Aniyah Mack, Hannah McFarlane, Morgan Roy, Grace Thao, Amalia Villarreal.
2004 boys: Tomas Alberola, Wesley Atoyebi, Kaile Auvray, Brendan Baird, Nathan Bessinger, Austin Brummett, Brevyn Cole, Caua De Freitas, Charlie Dennis, Jeffrey Dewsnup, Mathew Drinkhouse, Benjamin Feinstein, Jackson Moore, Jack Moxom, Filiberto Saavedra, Maclovio Swett, Jayvin Van Deventer, Austin Walter.
2004 girls: Emily Brewer, Gabrielle Britt, Sheridan Brummett, Riann Divine, Jill Flammia, Olivia Hall, Sophie Harlan, Sydney Heller, Ava Hellner, Faith Henderson, Lily Hendrickson, Jewel Holmes, Allison Luo, Haley Miller, Trinity Moncada, Miriam Stolle, Reiss Wood.
2003 boys: William Bencic, Elijah Chavez, Evan Crayton, Ian Drake, Jonathan Gomez, Leonardo Gutierrez, Evan Kowalski, Patrick Leal, Christian Nydegger, Jaden Ohlsen, Arquimides Ordonez, Luciano Pechota, Blake Pope, Noah Robinson, Zachary Sardi-Santos, Mateo Vestesen, Kai Walsh, Aidan Wolf, David Zavala.
2003 girls: Talley Applewhite, Korbin Albert, Brooke Collins, Summer Denigan, Kiley Fitzgerald, Mollie Franklin, Tatum Gretz, Brooke Haarala, Abby Hansen, Jaylie Hicklin, Rachel Kim, Riana Kitchen, Anna Lack, Ashton Lang, Allie Mairn, Ali McKee, Alex Pike, Taylor Rank, Avery Redmon, Kendra Rust, Natalie Thurston, Abigail Veychek.
2002 boys: Nicholas Barzacchini, Michael Fey, Micah Gundale, Samuel Latona, Tucker Lepley, Derek Liguori, Sidney Marquardt, Aidan Melville, Daniel Vrablic, Nathan Vrablic, Carter Watson.
2002 girls: Emma Bessenbacher, Adrienne Brummett, Samantha Casey, Cayla Coleman, Lauren Deckert, Jaelyn Dodson, Zhanna Dunagan, Alyssa Huynh, Lydia Jervier, Kourtney Koc, Lorelei Logan, Emily Lowe, Emma Pope, Olivia Sloffer, Jessica Velasco.
2000-01 boys: Raul Aguilar Lizarraga, Alec Bakkeby, Brandon Barrera, Joel Bustamante, Owen Finnerty, Johan Gomez, Conner Hollett, T.J. Manning, Jonah Moore, Elias Ordonez, Esai Palacios, Ryan Palmbaum, Byron Peng, Joseph Raasch, Jacob Statires, Ishmael Uno, Alexander Vivar, Szabolcs Wiksell.
2000-01 girls: Tiffany Bernot, Meredith Campbell, Taylor Carter, Tabitha Galliani, Felicia Knox, Amber McCorkle, Braeleigh McCoy, Maggie Ohmer, Anna Parry, Grace Powell, Noanne Rosse, Emily Sanders, Rachel Schleicher, Taylor Shell, Abby Smith, Annie Stauffer, Brooke Thomas, Caitlin Violet.
1998-99 boys: Hamza Ababneh, Ian Abel, Moses Bawibbiklian, Pablo Blanco, Carlos Bravo, Aidan Dorton, Johnny Duldner, Josue Galvez, Elias Humel, Austin Iddon, Jerman Juarez, Roman Knox, Alberto Martinez, Sagan Patarroyo-White, Matthew Sherman, Coleman Smith, Paul Whitener.
1998-99 girls: Sunniva Dunagan, Raleigh Loughman, Devan Mauger.
Visit www.usyouthfutsalid.com for more information.
U.S. Youth Futsal - www.usyouthfutsal.com
For more information, please contact:
Soorena Farboodmanesh, 617.515.5998, email@example.com
@USYouthFutsal on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
#usyouthfutsal #futsalid
United States Youth Futsal is the largest U.S. Soccer affiliated futsal organization in the country. Launched in 2004, U.S. Youth Futsal oversees more than 90 local leagues across the country, sanctions 8 Regional Championships and a National Championship. USYF is the leader in Futsal player development and Futsal coaching education by offering the Futsal I.D. program, the U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams along with Coaching and Referee training clinics.
U.S. Youth Futsal National I.D. Coaches in Overland Park, KS Developing - Evaluating - Motivating
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
U.S. Youth Futsal Announces the Expansion of Futsal I.D. Elite Player Identification Program
USYF Brings the successful Futsal I.D Trials to the local level
OVERLAND PARK, KS. (June 14, 2016) - United States Youth Futsal has hired 17 experienced leaders in the U.S. Youth Futsal community to serve as State Directors for the Futsal I.D. program.
State Directors will be responsible for delivering Futsal I.D. Trials at the local level. The Trials mark an expansion in the successful Futsal I.D. Program, increasing opportunities for player identification and coach education across the country.
The U.S. Youth Futsal I.D. program is designed to identify and develop elite players in the most challenging and competitive environment possible. Top players from each State Trial are invited to participate in the U.S. Youth Futsal National I.D. Camp for three days of training and matches. The best of the best are selected for U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams.
"The State Trial program will have an immediate and lasting impact on the development of youth futsal players across the country," said Ty Stauffer, U.S. Youth Futsal Director of Coaching. "In addition to improving the player and coach experience locally, it will bring more -- and better -- players into the national pool and onto U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams."
Since its inception in 2013, more than 800 players have participated in Futsal I.D. events and 114 players have represented their country internationally in Canada and Costa Rica. The U14, U16 and U18 national teams will travel to Colombia in July 2016.
Most U.S. Youth Futsal I.D. State Directors have completed U.S. Youth Futsal coaching courses and also work as local league directors. Additionally, many serve on the U.S. Youth Futsal regional and/or national coaching staff.
"Our newly hired State Directors are among the most knowledgeable futsal trainers and administrators in the United States," said Futsal I.D. Director Soorena Farboodmanesh. "Each has an extensive futsal coaching background, advanced coaching certification and has demonstrated a commitment to player development."
The 2016 National I.D. Camp will take place in Kansas City from July 7-9, 2016.
Visit www.usyouthfutsalid.com for more information.
For more information, visit www.futsalid.com.
U.S. Youth Futsal - www.usyouthfutsal.com
For more information, please contact: Soorena Farboodmanesh, 617-515-5998, email@example.com
@USYouthFutsal on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
# usyouthfutsal #futsalid
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Pura Vida Futsal - John Leisman in Costa Rica
By John Leisman, Captain of the U.S. Youth Futsal Boys U18 team
I was captain of the U.S. Youth Futsal U18 Boys this past week in Costa Rica. What a week and what an experience it has been! Both individually, as a team, and as a whole group, we have grown so much in such a short period of time.
Upon arrival, we were immediately thrown into a nation and culture that was completely foreign to many of us. With the help of local liaisons, our group was able to adapt to this change and immerse ourselves in the wonderful things that Costa Rica had to offer, including zip-lining and whitewater rafting in the heart of the rainforest. Such experiences were crucial in fostering relationships and helping our respective teams become a single unit.
Action on the court picked up where it had left off in the previous trip to Canada. With only one day of training, the coaches were able to mold a group of talented individuals into a functioning team. All teams opened the first day with convincing wins and that success carried on throughout the rest of the week. At various times on this trip, each individual was forced to adapt and learn on the fly. It was this ability to accept a new role or face a new challenge with total commitment that allowed our teams to have so much success.
As for what the future holds, it isn't hard for me to speculate. A brand, an identity, a culture for futsal is starting to develop within our country. I had the chance to discuss the impact it is bound to have with many people during the trip and I came to the same conclusion every time. What the average American yearns to see in soccer is brought to life in futsal. The game combines the sharp ball movement and explosive power that is found in basketball, the dynamic runs and tactical edge that is used in American football, as well as the frequent transitions of hockey that happen in the blink of an eye, all with the ball at one's foot.
I have seen the quantity of hours that so many members of the U.S. Youth Futsal organization have put in. I believe their passion and dedication to the game of futsal has ignited a spark that will only grow within our country. With that in mind, I look forward to seeing what will happen over the next five years and more.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Pura Vida Futsal - Felicia Knox in Costa Rica
By Felicia Knox, Captain of the U.S. Youth Futsal Girls U14 team
Pura Vida! One week ago while packing my bags I was wondering how my upcoming trip would compare to the Toronto, Canada trip last year? With it being such an amazing trip, I questioned how could the Costa Rica trip get any better?
When we arrived at the hotel after the long day of traveling we had a meeting letting us know what was going to happen this week. Coach Tozer was going through the schedule and showed all the teams a motivational video. I think it got the players excited to play! After he went through all the rules and expectations he let us know who was going to be the captains for each team and age group. As coach Tozer was calling the names I didn't know what to expect. As he came to the u14 girls I heard my name called I couldn't have been more excited to have the privilege to be the captain once again for the u14 girls team. Tuesday July 28th was excursion day. The day was filled with great activities. We were able to go to a fruit stand and taste all of the bizarre fruits that were being sold; and after that we went zip-lining and whitewater rafting! Not only was it a good way to start off the trip but it was fantastic for team bonding. At the end of the trip I really thought this is what tied the team together and really got us to be able to play as a team and get to know each other as much as we could.On Thursday July 30th was the first game day. I didn't know what to expect. I remembered from last year that competition was really good. I had no idea what was coming, all I told myself was I guess I will just have to wait and see. Before our game we had the opportunity to visit a daycare right near the gym we played in. There we got to play soccer with the little kids for a bit before heading to the market where we got souvenirs for ourselves, friends and family back home. After buying a t-shirt we arrived back at the hotel and got ready for the game. I could tell everyone was a little nervous but also ready to play. After warming up and listening to the two national anthems the whistle was blown to start the game. We had a special play to start the game it was called "mango" we ran it just like Coach Ty asked and we scored in the first 5 seconds on the game. it was the best feeling ever! On Thursday the 30th - Saturday the Aug 1st, most of the players spent their days at the futsal court. While playing it was always fun to hear "USA! USA! USA!" chanted in the background along with all the students for the school there watching you play. It felt great to play in a full gym! After every game we would always get a pictures with the other team and socialize as best we could. They were all so welcoming and friendly. It was also really fun to interact with all of the students as we walked around their campus going to and from the buses. Costa Rica was a trip that I will always remember and I loved how we got to experience their culture hands-on, which was so amazing! I am not only honored to have been selected to represent USA for this trip but I was also able to do it along side my brother Roman who played on the U16 boys team. Not many siblings are this fortunate to share an experience like this together. A huge thank you goes out the amazing people that made this trip happen. GO USA!!!
|Knox (left) with Annie Stauffer and Tiffany Bernot
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text:
Neighbors suspicious of factory, blame ailments on it
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY
VENICE, Ill. – Questions about the big metal factory that looms over this town of 2,400 began at neighborhood gatherings.
"We'd talk: This person has cancer; this person has died," says Dianne Ratliff, 65, who lives near the plant. "It got to be a continuous strand running through our conversations."
They began to wonder if the plant was to blame. When she was growing up in this mostly black town, Ratliff says, a fog from the plant sometimes wafted through the neighborhood. People often kept their windows closed, but they ate vegetables grown in their yards.
People here knew the plant built tanks when it opened in 1940 and used radioactive materials under later owners. In the late 1950s, Dow Chemical processed uranium at the plant under a federal contract.
AROUND SCHOOLS: Health risks stack up for students near industrial plants
People also knew that some who worked at the plant from 1957 to 1960 and had certain cancers linked to radiation exposure were awarded federal funds. The Labor Department says 110 workers or their survivors have gotten $17.8 million in cash and compensation for medical care. More cases are pending.
Those who worked at the plant later and residents want to know if their own illnesses are linked to radioactive residue still at the plant after uranium extruding ended or to exposure to radioactive materials used by subsequent owners.
They don't blame Magnesium Elektron North America, the largest of three current factory occupants. Its president, Chris Barnes, says the company uses no radioactive substances. Cleanups, he says "have clearly made the facility very safe."
Dow spokesman Bob Plishka says the company is not part of any complaint related to health concerns in Venice and cannot comment. The company cooperated with a National Institute for Occupational Safety inquiry several years ago, he says.
Materials removed
In 2000, the Army Corps of Engineers removed uranium and thorium contamination from surfaces inside a plant building, says Tim Runyon, a manager in the nuclear safety division of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. In 2006 and 2007, thorium waste was removed.
Runyon says concerns "bear looking into," but there's no evidence residents were exposed to radioactive materials and the likelihood that workers were exposed to significant radiation doses in recent years is low.
Dianne Ratliff's brother, Calvin Ratliff, 59, went door to door and found at least 250 people who didn't qualify for federal aid but were ill or had died from cancers or respiratory ailments. He grew up near the plant and worked there on and off for eight years. He has sarcoidosis, a lung inflammation, and wants to know if the plant is responsible.
While Ratliff was canvassing the neighborhood, former plant worker Larry Burgan, 51, was doing his own research. He wanted to know if he was exposed to radioactive residue during his 13 years working there and whether that caused his arthritis, rashes and heart problems. He didn't qualify for federal aid.
When Burgan and Ratliff found out about each other's efforts, they joined forces and in January 2009 formed the Committee of Concerned Citizens. Members meet weekly at City Hall.
A call for testing
Using public reports and documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act, they have tracked several cleanups at the plant that documented the removal of radioactive materials.
In June 2009, the committee petitioned the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, to investigate. Spokeswoman Vivi Abrams says there "isn't enough data at this point to adequately evaluate exposure to residents." The agency is discussing options with the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies, she says.
Gail Renshaw, a lawyer working with the group, is "convinced there's a cancer cluster" in Venice that was caused by the plant: "Proving it is another story, so we need the testing."
If a link is established, those affected might be able to sue for damages, says Patti Goldman, vice president for litigation at Earthjustice, a non-profit environmental law firm.
People here just want answers. A 2009 EPA study that measured 2002 data ranked Madison County, where Venice is located, second in the nation behind Los Angeles County for air pollutants that put residents at a greater risk of cancer.
"We can't afford to move," says Charles Rockett, 79, who lives near the plant and worked there from 1953 to 1993. He has asthma and other health issues. "They know what they did to us," he says. "People just cast us aside."
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Ciara - I Proceed MP3
Ciara--I Proceed Preview MP3
Ciara - I proceed Music Video by KINGmoney MP3
me dancing to I proceed by Ciara MP3
Ciara - Like A Boy, I Proceed, & Can't Leave 'Em Alone (feat. 50 Cent) MP3
Ciara - Promise Instrumental MP3
Ciara - Promise Instrumental.
Ciara - I Proceed MP3
Music from R&B artist Ciara's 2006 album The Evolution. Produced By The Neptunes.
Ciara - I Proceed MP3
From the album Ciara: The Evolution.
Ciara-I proceed MP3
Ciara - Can't Leave 'Em Alone ft. 50 Cent MP3
Ciara's official music video for 'Can't Leave 'Em Alone' ft. 50 Cent. Click to listen to Ciara on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/CiaraSpot?IQid=CiaraCLTA As featured on ...
Can't Leave 'Em Alone
Ciara50 Cent Yes one dose of me will have you addicted To know me is to love me I handle my business Any City any town, touch down I do my thing I'm a hustler baby I provide by any means I'm a great conversationalist, you should know what I'm about When you look at me baby you should see a way out Out the hood, out the drama, out the Bentley that's on Out the headache an stress you done been through before Ciara Its only been three months and I already got it bad So hooked that I keep on comin' back My gi[...]
My Love - Ciara featuring Bow Wow, 50 Cent cameo MP3
Ciara Follow Me: @Luigi504 http://www.twitter.com/Luigi504 http://usershare.net/luigi504/3f5r95p0tvld Click the link above to download the audio-only (MP3) ...
ciara i found myself MP3
this is pic of ciara and more.
Ciara - I'm Just me MP3
Ciara I Found Myself MP3
Me singing Ciara's song I found myself. It's a little rough but I hope you enjoy.
Ciara - I don't remember MP3
Ciara- I'm Just Me Live On The Evolution Tour in NYC MP3
Ciara- I'm Just Me Live On The Evolution Tour in NYC.
ciara - i proceed MP3
Classic Bridges From The Neptunes MP3
A collection of some of my favourite bridges Produced By The Neptunes. Tracklist: 1. Toni Braxton - Hit The Freeway 2. 702 - I Still Love You 3. Rick Ross - Get ...


text: Project Description EverFi's corporate headquarters in Georgetown's historic Papermill building is 22,000 square feet of mixed used space for work, collaboration, education, and events. Wingate Hughes Architects maintains the integrity of the base building in the design by highlighting the exposed brick, ceilings, and original details of the space. The EverFi culture and brand connect the design to the space, with their signature orange flowing throughout the office. Each team's area also has a defining graphic wall covering, pendant lighting, and their own lounge and collaboration area. The office's pantry and event space is the hub for EverFi and includes a laid-back lounge to encourage staff interaction.


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Elena Undone: View Trailer
As their relationship takes on a life of its own, what ensues is one of the most passionate and intimate female-on-female scenes ever filmed. Equal parts charming, funny and poignant as well as smoldering and sensual, this beautifully shot film is based on director Nicole Conn's own life.
Click Here to View Video
A Perfect Ending: View Trailer
In 2011, Soul Kiss Films embarked on its second major project, the new film "A Perfect Ending" by Nicole Conn.
SHE4ME Marriage Equality PSA
SHE4ME was directed by Nicole Conn, who was officially crowned the #1 LGBT Feature film Writer/Director of all time by Wolfe Video in January 2014. Conn is best known for her groundbreaking multiple award winning lesbian films, Claire Of The Moon (1992); little man (2005); Elena Undone (2010); and A Perfect Ending (2012); has once again delivered in this poignant yet epic music video that celebrates Marriage Equality.
Why Steve Tyler is in all of Nicole Conn's Movies!
"Steve Tyler is my lucky charm — I put him in ALL my movies and he plays the father of the bride in SHE4ME — And he IS a ROCK STAR!!" – xoxo Nicole
Here he is larger than life around L.A.!
Marriage Equality PSA to Premiere Valentine's Day on YouTube
PRESS RELEASE: West Hollywood, California– Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) is set to premiere the long anticipated SHE4ME viral video PSA on YouTube this coming Valentine's Day. The project, SHE4MarriageEquality (SHE4ME), is a five+ minute video directed by award winning Writer/Director Nicole Conn, starring Nicole Pacent, Mike C. Manning, Gabrielle Christian, and Barbara Niven.
Call to my fellow "Love Warriors" – Nicole Conn on SHE4ME
Help us spread the SHE4ME video coming out February 14th, Valentine's Day —the international day of love! As a proud Romantic, I was honored to conceptualize and direct a "mini-movie" celebrating the ultra-talented Jen Foster's love ballad "She" to serve as a message for Marriage Equality.
Writer/Director Nicole Conn Riding to End AIDS
I'm riding as a Virtual Cyclist in this year's AIDS/LifeCycle. It's a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Help me support AIDS/LifeCycle by giving what you can. We'll keep riding until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past!


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Irish Driver Shines In UK Championship 2001 Formula Renault Championship Round 8, Croft, 12 August 2001 Keith Dempsey, the Rising Star of Irish motor sport, was in action again at the demanding Croft circuit in North Yorkshire last...
Irish Driver Shines In UK Championship
2001 Formula Renault Championship
Round 8, Croft, 12 August 2001
Keith Dempsey, the Rising Star of Irish motor sport, was in action again at the demanding Croft circuit in North Yorkshire last weekend. This time he had no help from the weather, but he still showed that he is the most improved driver in the highly competitive Formula Renault Championship.
The seventeen-year-old racing driver from Ashbourne, Co Meath, was on a roll following his sensational win in round seven of the championship at Snetterton, Norfolk the previous weekend. However, whereas on that occasion he was helped by an inspired tyre choice in changeable weather, this time he had to do it the hard way.
Qualifying was held on a dry track on Saturday afternoon. The twenty young drivers in their identical, two litre single-seater racing cars had just thirty minutes to post one quick lap time which would earn them a place on the grid. Although dry, rain was threatening, so Keith decided to go for a quick time early in the session. He was soon on the pace, running comfortably in the top ten. His 1 minute 19 second lap time had him in eighth place with a few minutes to go, but a rare off-course excursion required him to stop at his pit so his Cliff Dempsey Racing team could check the car. While he was stationary, Chris Buncombe posted a quicker lap, dropping Keith to ninth.
Sunday afternoon, and the clouds were threatening. Team boss Cliff Dempsey delayed taking the car to the assembly area before the race in case he had to make a last-minute tyre change, but the rain held off and all the cars started on slick, untreaded racing tyres. Keith made a lightening start from ninth place, diving through the usual first-corner confusion and emerging on the other side in fifth place. By the end of the lap he was even further up, fourth.
The Safety Car came out on lap four as Alex Buncombe's number 10 car was recovered from the side of the track, and the field closed right up. After five laps, the cars were released to race again and pole position driver Carl Breeze led them away. Keith's chase of third-placed Tom Sisley was hampered as he had to defend his fourth place from the determined Finn Heikki Kovalainen, but he held his ground and the top positions remained unaltered for the rest of the race.
Afterwards, Keith didn't seem completely happy with his fourth place. "I should have taken Tom Sisley for third place at the restart, but I had to keep an eye on Heikki (Kovalainen) in my mirrors and missed my opportunity", he rued.
However, team boss Cliff Dempsey was very satisfied. "While our win at Snetterton was excellent, everyone has put it down to the 'Luck Of The Irish' in difficult weather conditions," he explained. "This time Keith took them on in a straight fight, and beat all but three of them. And those three are all much more experienced drivers than Keith. He did a great job!"
Keith's next outing in the Championship will be at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on 26 August.
Result of round 8:
Carl Breeze - GB (Motaworld Racing)
Danny Watts - GB (Falcon Motorsport)
Tom Sisley - GB (Motaworld Racing)
Heikki Kovalainen - FIN (Fortec Motorsport)
Chris Buncombe - GB (Manor Motorsport)
Keith Dempsey's season in Formula Renault is supported by:
- Irish Ferries
- KTK Sand & Gravel
- Richmond Recruitment
- Snap-On Tools
- Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey