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Posts Tagged 'sex'
on the long hard road to femocracy
Recently, a list of Australia's 200 richest people was published. It's been widely reported that of those 200, only 22 were women; just over 10% – a figure that has apparently held good for some years. But while this is a useful first indication of wealth imbalance along gender lines, it would pay to look more closely at the figures, though this is hard to do, given the secrecy surrounding the wealth of some, and the complexities surrounding and conditioning the wealth of others. Quite a few of these wealthy women appear to be heiresses or 'sleeping partners' (in a business sense, but who knows?) rather than active business types, and even leaving this aside, I'm pretty sure that if I could do the maths on all these fortunes, the figure for women would amount to considerably less than 10% of the whole.
These are the Australian figures. Would anybody dare to suggest that the figures for female wealth in China, say, would be any better? (information on wealth in China, like just about any other information from China, is virtually impossible to obtain). Or in Russia – currently rated (by New World Wealth) as the nation with the most unequal distribution of wealth in the world? Just as a guess, I'd expect, or at least hope, that the US and some European nations might be ahead of Australia in terms of female wealth, but if so it surely wouldn't be by much. Ask a group of students who's the richest man in the world and you'd get a few unsurprising answers, enthusiastically proclaimed. Ask them about the richest woman, and you'd get puzzled looks as they wonder why you asked such a question.
I'm no economist, and wealth per se isn't an interest of mine, and I'm much more concerned to get women into leadership positions in science and politics, but clearly having 95% or more of the world's wealth in the hands of the more fucked-up gender is a big problem, and a huge obstacle to the dethronement of patriarchy.
While I'm not pretending this might happen in the near future, it seems to me that the ultimate solution lies in women's best weapon – collaboration, or ganging up. The pooling of resources – financial, intellectual, practical, even sexual. I'm not talking about war here, but I am talking about a struggle for power, a slow, persevering struggle built of connections and networks, transcendent of nation, culture, class and age. A struggle not against men but against patriarchy. A struggle which, with ultimate success, will leave all of us winners. You may say I'm a dreamer, but why is a world dominated by woman so absurd when a world dominated by men, the fucked-up world we have now, is apparently not?
bonobos and us – lessons to be learnt
Bonobos separated from chimps maybe less than a million years ago, according to some pundits. We haven't yet been able to determine a more precise date for the split. So which species has changed more? Have chimps become more aggressive or have bonobos become more caring? Is there any way of finding out?
It's not just about genes its about their expression. It will take some time to work all that out. Brain studies too will help, as we move towards scanning and exploring brains more effectively and less invasively.
But surely we seek not just to understand the bonobo world but to change our own. Who wouldn't want a world that was less violent, less exclusionary in terms of sex, more caring and sharing, without any loss of the dynamism and questing that has taken us to to the very brink of iphone7?
That last remark will date very quickly… Nah, I'll leave it in.
So we can learn lessons, and of course we're already on that path. Advanced societies, if that's not too presumptuous a term, are less patriarchal than they've ever been, without losing any of their dynamism. On the contrary, it can easily be seen that the most male-supremacist societies in the world are also the most violent, the most repressive and the most backward. Some of those societies, as we know, have their backwardness masked by the fact that they have a commodity, oil, that the world is still addicted to, which has made the society so rich that their citizens don't even have to pay tax. The rest of the world is supporting tyrannical regimes, which won't change as long as they feel well-fed and secure. Not that I'd wish starvation and insecurity on anyone, but as Roland Barthes once said at one of his packed lectures, the people standing at the back who can't hear properly and have sore feet must be wondering why they're here.
Maybe a bit of discomfort, in the form of completely shifting away from fossil fuels for our energy needs haha, might bring certain Middle Eastern countries to a more serious questioning of their patriarchal delusions? Without their currently-valuable resource, they might wake to the fact that they need to become smarter. The women in those countries, so effective on occasion in forming coalitions to defend their inferior place in society, might be encouraged to use their collective power in more diverse ways. That could be how things socially evolve there.
Meanwhile in the west, the lesson of the bonobos would seem to be coalitions and sex. We've certainly arrived at an era where sexual dimorphism is irrelevant, except where women are isolated, for example in domestic situations. The same isolation also poses a threat to children. The bonobo example of coalitions and togetherness and sharing of responsibilities, and sexual favours (something we're a long way from emulating, with our jealousies and petty rivalries) should be the way forward for us. Hopefully the future will see a further erosion of the nuclear family and a greater diversity of child-rearing environments, where single-parent families are far less isolated than they are today, and males want to help and support and teach children because they are children, not because they are their children…
bonobo society, or how to dominate males when you're smaller
Bonobo society has been closely observed both in captivity and, with much greater difficulty, in the wild, and it's worth comparing it to that of their close relatives, chimps. It's clear that, though aggression does exist in bonobo society, it isn't anywhere near as prevalent as in chimps. This is obviously related to the use, mentioned previously, of sex to reduce tension and aggression in situations which would normally lead to competitive activity. It's the 'make love not war' social system that has caught the attention of many beyond ethological researchers.
Now, it's clear that aggression in all primate societies comes predominantly from males. Looking at human societies, the statistics are universal. There is no human society on earth where the homicide and/or assault statistics are dominated by females as perpetrators. Up until very recently it was males who went to war, and today it's overwhelmingly males who joing gangs, go hoon driving or join terrorist cells, just as in earlier times it was men who journeyed off to the adventure of the crusades or joined Boney's army to devastate Europe. As Melvin Konner convincingly argues, this strongly indicates a biological or genetic basis for male aggression. Much of it seems to be about the expression in males of androgens, the male sex hormones. Now with the way we're going today in genetics and biochemistry we may in the future be able to tweak the production of androgens to offer a biological solution to male violence – which is already in decline in developed countries. However, their are other solutions, and Bonobo society represents one.
Bonobo society is very close-knit. Male bonobos develop close lifelong ties with their mothers. There's no relationship with the father, who's unknown, as the females engage in sex with multiple partners more or less indiscriminately. Of course males will compete with other males for sexual partners, but even this aggression is damped down by sexual relations between males. It's as if the button has been found to switch off escalating aggression, and that button is connected to the genitals. It would be intriguing to discover what's going on in the brain, with neurotransmitters and hormones, during this rise and fall of aggressive emotions.
Sex doesn't just reduce aggression though. It virtually creates the bonobo social structure. As with chimps, bonobos have a fission-fusion society, breaking off into smaller 'unit' groups for hunting and foraging in the forest and coming together in larger groups at other times. Individual associations, apart from the mother-offspring dependency, are casual and changeable. However, the larger group, or community, has its limit, and keeps itself separate from other bonobo communities. Another feature of bonobo society is that females emigrate from their birth groups at around 8 years of age, moving to group of virtual strangers, where they have to work to build relationships, particularly with older females. The female-female bond is a central feature of bonobo society and these bonds become much stronger than in chimp society, in spite of the fact that these females, having come from other groups, are less genetically related than the males. This bond is cemented by sex, which creates loosely hierarchical coalitions, with one female dominating, mostly through reproductive success – especially in the production of males. Sisterhood is powerful, and it's not necessarily about genetics. It's a great lesson for our society, if we can get over the idea, so prevalent but hopefully fading, that we're unique in a more unique way than any other species is unique, that we're civilized, and that we have little or nothing to learn from our primate cousins.
And there's so much more to learn, as we'll see.
M Konner, Women after all: sex, evolution and the end of male supremacy
bonobo society, sex and females
Men are bigger than women, slightly. That's how things evolved. It's called sexual dimorphism. It happens with many species, the genders are different in size, shape, coloration, whatever. With humans there's a size difference, and something of a shape difference, in breasts and hips, but really these aren't significant. Compare, say, the deep-water triplewort seadevil, a type of anglerfish, in which the female is around 30 cms long, and the male a little over a centimetre. The difference in mass would be too embarrassing to relate.
Among our primate cousins the greatest sexual dimorphism, in size as well as other features, is found in the mandrills, with the male being two to three times the size of the females. In some gorillas there's a substantial size difference too in favour of the males, and in fact in all of the primate species the male has a size advantage. But size isn't everything, and the bigger doesn't have to always dominate.
Female bonobos are smaller than the males, even more so than in humans, yet they enjoy a higher social status than in any other primate society, probably including humans, though it's hard to compare, since humanity's many societies vary considerably on the roles and status of women. So how have females attained this exalted status within one of the most highly socialised primate species?
Bonobos and chimpanzees are equally our closest living relatives. It isn't clear when exactly they separated from each other, but some experts claim it may have been less than a million years ago. Enough time for them to become quite distinct physically, according to the ethologist Franz De Waal. Bonobos are more gracile with longer limbs and a smaller head, and they have a distinctive hairstyle, with a neat parting down the middle. They're also more easily individuated by their facial features, being in this sense more like humans. And there are also major differences in their social behaviour. Male chimps are dominant in the troupe, often brutally so, whereas bonobo society is less clearly hierarchical, and considerably less violent overall. De Waal, one of the world's foremost experts on both primates, became interested in bonobos primarily through studies on aggression. He noted that sometimes, after a violent clash, two chimps would come together to hug and kiss. Being interested in such apparent reconciliations and their implications, he decided to look at reconciling behaviours in other primates. What he discovered in bonobos (at San Diego Zoo, which in 1983 housed the world's largest captive colony) was rather 'shocking'; their social life was profoundly mediated by sex. Not that he was the first to discover this; other primatologists had written about it, noting also that bonobo sex was far more human-like than chimp sex, but their observations were obscurely worded and not well disseminated. There are other aspects of the physical nature of sexual relations in bonobos that favour females, such as female sexual receptivity, indicated by swelling and a reddening of the genital area, which pertains for a much longer period than in chimps. Female bonobos, like humans and unlike other primates, are sexually receptive more or less all the time.
This isn't to say that bonobos are oversexed, whatever that may mean. Sexual relations are far from constant, they are casual, sporadic and quickly done with. Often they're associated with finding food, and it seems likely that sexual relations are used to reconcile tensions related to food availability and other potential causes of conflict.
So how does this use of sex relate to the status of females in bonobo society. I'll explore this further in the next post.
a statement of intent: blogging on patriarchy
Okay I've recently become a bit depressed that my blog is heading south, comme on dit, being read by nobody, due largely to my personality. A recent SBS program on the celebrated Dunedin longitudinal study of human behaviour and personality told us that there were five essential personality types. Three were considered 'normal', and they were the well-adjusted (40% of the population) the confident (28%), and the reserved (15%). In case you can't add, this makes up some 83% of the population. The other 17% can be divided into two rather more dysfunctional types, the under-controlled (10%) and the inhibited (7%). You're more than welcome to be healthily skeptical of these categories, but I'm prepared to take them as granted.
I'm not sure if I'm fully in the reserved category or the inhibited one, but I'm quite certain that most of the problems or failings of my life have been due to inhibition. For example, I live alone, have very few friends and no family connections and I visit and am visited by nobody. I have no sex life but a strong sex drive – make of that what you will – and I like other people very much and have many heroes and heroines, and I believe strongly that humans have gotten where they are through communication and collaboration. We're the most socially constructed mammals on the planet. I love children and would love to have been a father…
Enough, I hope you get the picture. What's interesting is that, in accord with Dunedin's personality types, my character seems to have been fixed in early childhood, which I spent largely enjoying my own company, but also being fascinated by the world, soliloquising on it at delightful length. And sometimes, as I grew older, falling to despair, weeping at night over a projected future of loveless isolation. Oh dear.
So what does this mean for my blog? Writing a blog that's sent out into the public domain is surely not an inhibited act, and craving attention for it is arguably not what a reserved person does. It's a puzzlement. In any case, I will try harder to expand my readership by writing shorter pieces and narrowing my focus. I've decided, for the time being at least, to confine my attention to a subject I've long been bothered by: patriarchy. I want to critique it, to analyse it, to examine what the sciences say about it, to shine lights on every aspect of this, to my mind, benighted way of thinking and being-in-the-world. I'll take a look at bonobos, the Catholic Church, homophobia, the effects of religion and culture, male and female neurophysiology, history, sex, workplaces, business, politics, whatever I can relate to the main subject, which surely will provide me with a rich, open field. And I'll try, really try to communicate with other bloggers and commentators on the subject. Maybe I'll become just a little less reserved before it's too late. It'll be a cheaper way of getting myself out of a rut than visiting a psychiatrist, of whom I would be healthily if self-servingly skeptical.
Did Freud ever pass his orals?
A young person I know is studying psychology probably for the first time and she informed me of the stages of early childhood psychological development she has been told about – oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. I'd certainly heard of the first two of these, but not too much of the others. A quick squiz at the lists of Dr Google led me to Freudian psychosexual theory, which naturally raised my scepical antennae. And yet, despite my limited parental experience I've noted that babies do like to put things in their mouths a lot (the oral stage is supposed to extend from birth to 1 -2 years), sometimes to their great detriment. So, personality-wise, is the oral stage a real thing, and does it really give way to the anal stage, etc? I'm using the oral stage here to stand for all the stages in the theory/hypothesis.
These stages were posited by Freud as central to his hypothesis of psychosexual development – though how the phallic stage is experienced by girls is an obvious question. His view was that our childhood development was a matter of fixation, at various periods, on 'erogenous zones'. After the oral stage, children supposedly switch to an anal stage, which lasts to 3 years of age – presumably on average. These switches might be delayed, or brought on earlier, in individual cases, and sometimes an individual might get stuck at a particular stage, denoting psychosexual problems.
So how real are these stages? Are some more real than others? What is the experimental evidence for them, do they exist in other primates, and if they exist, then why? What purpose do they serve?
It seems that Freud, and perhaps also his followers, have built up a whole system around these stages and how individuals are more or less influenced by any one or a combination in the development of their adult personalities, and since the degree of influence of these different stages and the way they've combined in each individual is pretty well impossible to recover, the theory looks to be unfalsifiable. There also appears to be the problem that psychologists can usually only track back from the adult's personality to speculate about early childhood influences, which looks like creating a circular argument. For example, if an individual presents as an overly trusting, dependent personality, this may be cited as evidence of fixation at the oral stage of development, because children fixated at this stage are believed to develop these personalites in later life. The only way out of this impasse it seems to me is to define this oral stage (or any other stage) more carefully, so that we can accurately identify children who have experienced a prolonged or fixated oral stage, and then return to them to observe how their personalites have developed.
Of course there are other problems with the theory. There needs to be a clearer explanation, it seems to me, of how these apparently erogenously-related stages are marked into personality traits in later life. The relationship between an obsession with putting things in your mouth, or sucking, licking or otherwise craving and enjoying oral sensations, and a dependent, trusting personality, is by no means obvious. In fact, some might go as far as to say that, prima facie, it makes about as much sense as an astrologically-based account of personality.
Perhaps if we look at the oral stage, or claims about it, more closely, we'll find something of an explanation. In this description, we learn that the libido, or life force, gets fixated in the oral stage in more than one way, leading to an 'oral receptive personality' and an 'oral aggressive personality'. The first type, which is a consequence of a delayed or overly fixated oral stage, is trusting and dependent, the second is dominating and aggressive, due largely to a curtailed oral stage, apparently. Those who experienced a longer oral stage in childhood are supposedly more likely to be smokers and nail-biters as adults, though I'm not sure how this relates to being a dependent or trusting personality.
In any case this hardly takes us further in terms of evidence, and it's worth noting that the site in which this is mooted is described as 'integrated sociopsychology'. Dr Steven Novella, in the most recent episode of the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, warned about the use of such terms as 'integrative', 'functional' and 'holistic' used before 'medicine' as a red flag indicating a probable bogus approach. I suspect the same goes for psychology. Obviously the website's author is a Freudian, and he makes this statement as to evidence:
What is undoubtedly disturbing to the 'Freud-bashers' is how much evidence has accumulated over the years to say that, in broad terms at least, if not always in detail, Freud's observations pretty much stand up so many years later.
However, other psychology sites I've looked at, which don't appear to me to be particularly Freud-bashing, have pointed to the lack of evidence as the principal problem for Freud's stages. Of course the major problem is how to test for the 'personality effect' of these stages. Again I think of astrology – someone dedicated to astrological causation can always account for personality 'deviations' in terms of cusps and conjunctions and ascendants and the like, and this would surely also be the case for the confounding influences of our various cavities and tackle, so to speak.
Some 20 years ago a paper by Fisher & Greenberg (1996) suggested that Freud's stages and other aspects of his early childhood writings should be scientifically examined as separate hypotheses, in a sort of piecemeal fashion. Unfortunately I can find little evidence that evidence has been found for the oral stage as a marker for later personality development – or even looked for. This is probably because most scientists in the field – experimental psychologists – have little interest in these Freudian hypotheses, and little funding would be available for testing them. They would surely have to be longitudinal studies, with a host of potentially confounding factors accounted for, and the end results would hardly be likely to convince other early childhood specialists.
I've said the theory looks to be unfalsifiable, but I'm not quite prepared to say outright that it is. It seems to me that the oral stage, with its obvious association with breast-feeding, and the obvious association between prolonged breast-feeding and dependence, at least in popular culture, is the one most amenable to testing. The later Oedipus/Elektra complexes, associated I think with the phallic stage, seem rather too convoluted and caveat-ridden to be seriously testable. I must admit to a residual fondness for some of Freud's theories of development though, however unscientific they might be. Though I was never interested in the strict form of the Oedipus complex, because my father was by far the weaker of my parents, I felt it offered some insight into relations with the dominant parent – struggle, rivalry, attempts to overthrow. I also agreed with his general view that early childhood is absolutely crucial to our subsequent psychological development, and I found his ego, id and superego hypotheses enlightening and fascinating. Polymorphous perversity, sublimation and the pervasive influence of libido also tickled my fancy a lot.
I think it's fair to say that Freud has had a greater influence on popular culture than on science, but it has been a profound influence, and overall a positive one. The term 'observations', rather than theories, seems better to describe his contributions. In writing about the libido and the pleasure principle, inter alia, he accepted our instinctive animal nature, and gave us ideas about how to both harness it and overcome it. Notions like the id and the superego seemed to give us fresh ways to think about desire, discipline and control. His ideas and concepts tapped into stuff that was very personal to us in our individual struggles, and his universalising tendencies helped us, I think, to look sympathetically at the struggles of others. Libido itself was a banner-word that helped release us from the straight-jacket of earlier sexual thinking – or avoidance thereof.
It's also probably unfair to expect from Freud's pioneering work anything like the scientific riguor we expect and really need from psychology today. Certainly he was far too firm about the rightness of his most speculative work – I read The Interpretation of Dreams as an ideas-hungry teenager and was impressed with its first-half demolition of previous dream theories, but the second-half presentation of his own theory struck me even then as ludicrously weak, though it had the definitely positive effect of putting me off dream-interpreters for life (a dream that can be interpreted is a dream not worth having, and that's their greatest gift to us). It's more what he drew attention to that counts. His concept of the unconscious doesn't really cut it today, but he made us start thinking of unconscious motivations in general, and much else besides. I've never been to an analyst, but I think one benefit of the psychoanalytic movement is to help us realise that there's no normality and that we all carry baggage of guilt, anger, fear and frustration. For all its failings, his was a humanising enterprise.
movie review – shadowless sword
Pour qu'une chose soit interessante, il suffit de la regarder longtemps.
Gustave Flaubert
I've done a couple of movie reviews in the past, and I think I might do them more regularly in the future, just to give some play to my more creative writing side.
The Korean film Shadowless Sword (filmed in China) begins with warfare and a fighting heroine Mae Young-Ok, who unlike La Pucelle in Shakespeare's Henry VI, doesn't need voices from heaven or magical powers to help her. This is a modern (2005) movie, though set in the tenth century (presumably the Christian dating is for we westerners' benefit), and so the heroines are tough, highly skilled sword-fighters with flawless grace, spotless costumes and peerless beauty, which of course I'm all in favour of. Korean women can do anything!
At the outset, we're told that the old Korean land of Balhae fell to the Georan, a northern tribe, in 926. The Georans renamed the area, but the vanquished people regrouped and fought to recover their homeland. Again, not unlike the situation in La Pucelle's France in the fifteenth century… And a quick check of Korean history tells me this isn't MiddleEarth make-beliieve. Balhae, which indeed came to an end in 926, was an empire that covered northern Korea and southern Manchuria for some 300 years. Not that this film's director, Young-jun Kim, intends to be any more historically accurate than Shakespeare. Billed on SBS as a martial arts film (but it isn't really, it's a historical fantasy), Shadowless Sword takes as many liberties with the basic laws of physics, not to mention credibility, as it does with history. Swashbucklers fly through the air with the greatest of ease, disappear in a puff of chemicals, and swat enemy combatants like flies in battle scenes that would leave poor old Richard III scratching his hump in wild surmise. All of which I happily forgive in view of the film's real heroine, the inscrutable Yeon So-Ha….
In the opening scene, Balhae's capital Sanggyeong is raided by the Eastern Georan 'Killer Blade Army' under their leaders Gun Hwa-Pyung and Mae Young-Ok, and the crown prince is killed. The Balhaens, if that's what they call themselves, are in crisis, and need to find a new leader, preferably of royal blood, to carry on the fight. This is a problem, as the Killer Blade Army seem intent on murdering every last member of the royal family, but there's one possibly promising candidate, an exiled prince named Jeong-hyun. Balhae's PM (probably not elected) sends the nation's premier swordswoman, the aforementioned So-Ha, to seek out the prince and offer him the kingdom. So-Ha is of course totally stunning as well as prodigiously disciplined and effortlessly talented – probably better suited to recapture the greatness of the dynasty than any male… but her role is to serve.
She finds the quondam prince in a far-flung backwater, trading in the black market under the name of Sosam. When she makes enquiries about his real name, he tries to bump her off via his gang of thugs, which sets up the next scene of choreographed mayhem, this time played half for laughs. So-Ha then confronts Jeonghyun with the situation, that he must take up the role of king. The somewhat embittered Jeonghyun is unimpressed – considering that his motto now is 'survive no matter what', why would he take up the apparently lost cause of the Balhaeans? With that answer, he disappears in a burst of fire and smoke, as you do. But he's not out of trouble, as his beaten-up gang has discovered his identity, and, at the same time, the Killer Blade Army have arrived in the region to dispose of the last remaining royal. Of course So-Ha arrives in time to rescue the prince, whereupon Mae Young-Ok arrives to kill him off. Appropriately, as the bad guy, she's just slightly less beautiful than So-Ha. They exchange pleasantries – 'great to meet you at last, I've heard so much about you..' Then there are some attempted negotiations – 'hand over the prince and nobody else'll get killed'. The gang leader, a comic character, tries to team up with Mae Young-Ok and the KBA, in the hope of profit, but is slaughtered for his pains, to impress upon us the ruthlessness of the bad guys. In the ensuing violence So-Ha urges Jeonghyun to make a getaway, thus further binding him to her. There follows a lengthy chase over rooftops in the dark with the usual flying and acrobatics and swordplay, but of course they escape, and their relationship, still shaky and suspicious, starts to develop. They retire to a tavern, where the worldly Jeonghyun tempts our squeaky-clean heroine with alcohol and food, to no avail of course, she's has no such material needs. In fact, this is one of the more interesting scenes, which takes it beyond a mere 'martial arts' movie (in fact it is described as belonging to the broad genre of wuxia, which literally means 'martial arts hero', a category that So-Ha fits squarely into, a category that includes popular literature, opera, TV and video games).
A group of uniformly clad individuals enter the tavern – their slightly outlandish outfits broadly represent the Georan style in the movie. Jeonghuyn recognises them as another of the 'gangs', who are are out for trouble because their leader has been killed. So-Ha, not much interested, suggests they move on, as they're in constant danger. Our princeling, feeling trapped by this stranger who's trying to force him into kingship, stands on his dignity, saying that nobody can tell him when to stay or go, and in an access of frustration, he hurls his cup at the gang sitting nearby. They react in the usual low-key but totally ominous fashion of martial-arts types, standing up and asking what might be the matter. Jeonghuyn, apparently improvising, says that his boss, indicating So-Ha, wants to ask if their leader died due to sexual over-indulgence. This of course leads to a confrontation, but before things escalate, a female figure, the former leader's daughter, floats down from the ceiling, demanding to know what's going on (I like how these female figures are given such prominence in what is clearly a patriarchal ancient society, a modern twist designed to appeal to both sexes). One of the gang members tells her what So-Ha is alleged to have said, whereupon she shoots the (male) messenger, a reminder of the arbitrariness of 'justice' in this world. The daughter, or spirit, than asks So-Ha to repeat what she 'said', whereupon the two women retire to the forest, not in the 'let's step outside and settle this man-to-man' fashion of your Rambo type, but to sort things out rationally and truthfully. The spirit-daughter is made aware that it's Jeonghuyn who's causing trouble, but that he's to be forgiven as he's potentially the saviour of the kingdom. Alternatively, So-Ha may have told her a cock-and-bull tale… In any case the scene reverses old values: the male is infantile, the women are wise, and their cool heads must prevail.
Meanwhile, the KBA leader, Gun, is being castigated by the Georan leadership for not having captured Jeonghuyn or dealt with So-Ha. They're also annoyed with Gun for his nasty habit of killing off the royal princes, when they want to bring them onside, to bring peace to the country. Gun, though, is driven by family and tribal revenge, as we see through a flashback of his father being tortured and killed before his eyes, and through his regular remarks about family honour counting for everything – the usual primitivist prescription. 'If you want to achieve something big, you need to control your vengeful spirit,' the royal courtier tells Gun, in one of the film's most resonant lines.
Mae Young-Ok is in hot pursuit of our heroes, who are moving from resting place to resting place, all the while talking and arguing about evil spirits and the role of the sword in everyday life, with Jeonghuyn sometimes lashing out at the demands being made on him. While passing through a market town he makes a break for it, but is caught by one of the KBA leaders, at the same time that Mae Young-Ok catches up with So-Ha. There follows the obligatory martial arts scenes, with swordplay and magic and comedy. So-Ha bests Mae Young-Ok, who lives to fight another day, while Jeonghuyn comprehensively slaughters his adversary – another milestone on the road to kingship. The pair reunite and flee, chased by the KBA. Just before they're caught, they jump in the lake, which leads to underwater swordfighting, which starts to make me wonder if this is all based on real events. At one point Jeonghuyn looks like drowning, but trusty magical So-Han gives him the kiss of life. They eventually escape through the sewers or something, where they have another heart-to-heart about kingship, duty and destiny, rudely interrupted by the magical arrival of Gun. More unbelievable swordplay ensues, with no conclusion – the good guys make their escape, with Jeonghuyn wounded in the back, and Gun is left looking murderous and steadfast.
In the next scene, the two bad guys contemplate their failure, and Mae Young-Ok is given one last chance to kill So-Ha. Meanwhile, So-Ha tends Jeonghuyn's wound, the second serious wound in the back he's suffered. Jeonghuyn makes light of it, but So-Ha reminds him of his youth, before his exile, when he fought bravely for the dynasty. Then we have flashback of the battle in which he received his first wound, and where, as So-Ha reminds him, he received the title of 'General Splendour' and the acclaim of the people. Clearly So-Ha knows more than one might expect, and all the while she's trying to push towards acceptance of his destiny. Her faith in him, of course, comes with a degree of sexual tension.
Once Jeonghuyn has sufficiently recovered they travel on through the countryside disguised as Georans. They witness the suffering of the people and the brutality of the Georan overlords, all intended to sway Jeonghuyn to the side of righteousness. At the next resting-place, he starts practising his swordsmanship; he's falling under the spell of the shadowless sword, apparently. Shortly after this, at a stream where Jeonghuyn catches fish, they're ambushed by Mae Young Ok and her band. In spite of being sitting ducks, Mae Young-Ok's gang misses them with their arrows – incredibly incompetent for a super-warrior. So we have another chase, with magical flights through the trees, and another inconclusive clash of the two woman-warriors. Somehow the good guys fight off the bad guys, but So-Ha has been struck by an envenomed dart, and she begins to weaken. This is the occasion for another piece of moralising, as So-Ha insists that she be left behind, for Jeonghuyn must continue onto his destiny. Jeonghuyn though, argues that if it is a kingly duty to leave his man behind to die, while preserving himself, then he wants nothing to do with kingly duties. So-Ha relents and allows herself to assisted.
They arrive at the home of a man So-Ha calls her uncle, who greets Jeonghuyn as a royal prince. So-Ha collapses, the venom is discovered, and she's given no chance of recovery.
In the next scene we're at Georan HQ, where they're concerned that So-Ha's uncle is raising an army against them. Gun's men, the Killer Blade Army, having failed in their task, are to be replaced by the Golden Bow Army. Gun and Mae Young-Ok are pretty unhappy about this, but the Georan PM is adamant. However, he forces Mae Young-Ok to sleep with him, making vague promises to give her another chance. Gun, seeing this, remembers the promise that he made to his faithful warrior-servant, that once all the royal children were killed, they would create their own dynasty together. He's not a happy chappie.
So now it is Jeonghuyn's turn to watch over So-Ha, who miraculously recovers. Gun kills the Georan PM, while Jeonghuyn recognises So-Ha's uncle as the commander from the battle of his youth, who tended his wound. So-Ha rises from her sick-bed, recognising that Jeonghuyn is in danger, but Gun arrives to confront her. Her uncle, though, intervenes, and begins a fight with Gun which you know he's going to lose. Meanwhile the KBA, or is it the GBA, attacks Jeonghuyn while he's visiting his mother's grave, but S0-Ha rescues him. Returning to camp, they're attacked again, this time by Mae Young-Ok, who assures So-Ha that if she overuses her energy now, her arteries will become twisted and she will die. So much for ancient Chinese medicine. Anyway, after more inconclusive balletic battling, along comes Gun to save the day. It's the moment of truth, at long fucking last. Gun squares off against So-Ha, informing her that he's disposed of her uncle. He promises to do the same with Jeonghuyn, telling her that she can win only with a decisive killing blow. Can your sword kill? he taunts her. She responds with one of the film's tropes – the sword is not for killing but for protecting valuable things. With that they commence their final whirligig battle, which ends when Mae Young-Ok tries to intervene and is run through by So-Ha. So-Ha stops, stunned, and Gun takes the opportunity to run Mae Young-Ok through in the opposite direction, in the process delivering what will be the mortal blow to So-Ha. This of course further emphasises Gun's black nature, and Mae Young-Ok gives a 'ya shouldna oughta done that, boss' look to Gun before dropping dead.
Meanwhile Jeonghuyn comes to the party. He's been on the periphery of things, but rushes up to tend to So-Ha. 'Nothing can stand in my way,' says Gun, 'now watch me slice up this little princeling'. Jeonghuyn notices Gun's sword, which he took from the crown prince when he killed him. Gun conveniently tells him that two identical swords were given to two princes. This brings on a flashback. He remembers when, as a youth, he taught an orphan girl (yes, the young So-Han) to fight with this sword, telling her it wasn't for fighting but for protecting valuable things. So he takes up So-Ha's sword and prepares to fight Gun to the death. Needless to say, he wins, being able to control the 'internal injury' (you'd have to see it, and you still wouldn't believe it).
Returning to So-Ha, who's still on her feet, brave warrior that she is, Jeonghuyn becomes emotional – 'if it weren't for you…', and So-Ha responds 'you have been the meaning of my life for the past 14 years', and suddenly legions of armed men emerge from the bushes, not to fight but to pledge allegiance to their new king. Then suddenly they come under attack – signifying that there will be bloodshed in the kingdom for some time to come. Yet somehow, through the magic of film, our two good guys find themselves alone, which allows for a truly touching death scene, with tears dribbling down. So So-Ha will not become the power behind the throne, except in spirit. Jeonghuyn is now alone. We next see him leading his troops into battle, no longer resembling a Chinese Mick Jagger, and giving a stirring speech à la Elizabeth I or Churchill (sorry about the western references)….
So that's Shadowless Sword, a marginally superior wuxia movie, I suspect, though I'm no expert – with an impossibly virtuous heroine, which does have a romantic appeal even to an old cynic like me. In some ways it takes me back to my own dreamy childhood, when, bedridden with the mumps, I spent my time reading a prose version of Edmund Spenser's Tales from the Faerie Queane, and fell in love with the fair Britomartis, who donned armour to rescue her father from the wicked clutches of some black knight or other, in a world of dungeons, dragons and ugly old witches disguised as fair young maidens. Funny how vivid those childhood memories can be. Though no doubt distorted and inaccurate. What I liked too about the movie was the suppressed, or unexpressed sexuality of it all. So-Ha's competence and unflappability made her sexy, not her dress, her walk, or anything 'feminine' about her. That again, took me back to Britomartis and Shakespeare's Rosalind and other insouciant androgynes. There are certain types, it seems to me, that transcend culture, and I really love that.


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This investigation is based on the GISP2 H-core data collected in 1992 adjacent to the GISP2 Greenland summit drill site. Students examine the seasonal/annual nitrate record and use information from known volcanic eruptions to date the unique... (View More) signature of the Icelandic volcanoes. Data is also provided for known volcanic eruptions from other latitudes which can be used throughout the activity to date major conductivity spikes to further refine the time locations. Educators can use the investigation as an application of absolute and relative dating activity (a skill taught within many science disciplines). It can also be used as an application of the cryosphere and ice cores, atmospheric chemistry, meteorology and world-wide climate patterns, geophysics involving the polar regions and the Van Allen Radiation Belts, or astronomy and the impact of extraterrestrial materials on planet Earth. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
Unit one of the "Carbon Connections: The Carbon Cycle and the Science of Climate" curriculum introduces the role of carbon (as carbon dioxide) as an atmospheric indicator. Students examine the impact of geologic and climatic history on current... (View More) climate by using computer models, measurements and the geologic record of past climate indicators. The unit contains five lessons entitled: Carbon Fizz, Carbon from the Past, Carbon Forcing, Global Connections, and Core Connections. Each of the five lessons includes focus questions, hands-on activities, virtual field trips, and interactive models. (View Less)
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1 per group of students
Unit three of the "Carbon Connections: The Carbon Cycle and the Science of Climate" curriculum examines the role of carbon and the carbon cycle in future climate. Students discover how scientists determine Earth's average temperature and the role of... (View More) climate models in understanding the size of some forcings on temperature. Students are challenged to reduce their electrical energy usage and to critically evaluate claims about carbon and climate. The unit contains five lessons entitled: Your Temperature Connections, Testing Forcings, Future Forcings, It Starts at Home, and Climate Claims. Each of the five lessons includes focus questions, hands-on activities, virtual field trips, and interactive models. (View Less)
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1 per group of students
Students will use NASA's Global Climate Change website to research five of the key indicators (vital signs) of Earth's climate health. These indicators are: global surface temperature, carbon dioxide concentrations, sea level, Arctic sea ice, and... (View More) land ice. They will use this information, shared in their expert groups, to create an informative poster about their assigned key indicator. The poster will be used by other groups to learn about all five of the key indicators and how Earth scientists use these indicators to analyze changes in Earth's climate. The lesson plan uses the 5E instructional sequence. (View Less)
This 12-lesson unit includes inquiry-based lessons about the surface features of the Moon and the Earth and how these two worlds formed and continue to evolve. Students participate in real science as they help lunar scientists map the surface of the... (View More) Moon with MoonMappers, an online citizen science project that lets the public analyze real data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The lessons in this unit follow the 5E instructional model. Includes an overview of citizen science, glossary of lunar feature vocabulary, alignment to NGSS and NSES, and featured links. Each of the lessons addresses different topics and can be used together as a unit, or independently. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
Clouds serve as a theme in a series of linked introductory explorations in math, language arts, and science. After participating in a demonstration of cloud formation, students are directed to create an acrostic poem (a poem that uses the letters in... (View More) a word to start each line of the poem) and peer review and edit each other's work. The class collects atmospheric temperature and cloud cover data over a period of days and then construct graphs to assist in analysis. This lesson is supported by observation protocols, teacher resources, and a glossary of scientific terms. This activity is related to the NASA CERES Students Cloud Observations Online (S'COOL) project. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students
In this data activity, students explore real NASA satellite data to compare the near-surface air temperature and surface temperature in different climate regions, and draw conclusions about the seasonal patterns and the effect of the underlying... (View More) surface on the air temperature. Step-by-step instructions for use of the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server (LAS) guide students through selecting a data set, importing the data into a spreadsheet, creating graphs, and analyzing data plots. The lesson provides detailed procedures, related links and sample graphs, follow-up questions, extensions, and teacher notes. Designed for student use, MY NASA DATA LAS samples micro datasets from large scientific data archives, and provides structured investigations engaging students in exploration of real data to answer real world questions. (View Less)
In this lesson, students investigate the relationship between precipitation, surface temperature and vegetation for four geographic locations. Students will download graphs of each of the three system components (vegetative index, surface... (View More) temperature and precipitation) for a specific latitude and longitude point during the period of January 2002-June 2004. After downloading data for three other locations, students will work with a total of 12 graphs to compare and analyze the data. They will then predict the climate zone and identify the climate type for each location. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links, extensions, an online glossary and a list of related AP Environmental Science topics. (View Less)
Hurricane Katrina serves as the focus for this lesson on the relationship between sea surface temperatures and hurricane intensity. Students assume the roles of Senior Science Advisors for the Louisiana Environmental Agency to research and plot the... (View More) data used to analyze Hurricane Katrina. Students then apply that analysis to possible future tropical storms impacting the U.S. Gulf Coast. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links, extensions, an online glossary, and data analysis tools. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
Learners will investigate how much you can learn about something just by looking at it. In Activity 1, students study aerial photographs to identify geologic features, determine how they differ from one another, and examine the processes involved in... (View More) their formation. In Activity 2, students investigate how remote observations of a planetary surface can be used to create geologic maps. By the end of the lesson, students will understand how data gathered by spacecraft can not only be used to investigate the properties of an object, but also how it was formed, how it has evolved over time, and how it is connected to other objects nearby. Note: The MESSENGER mission to Mercury that is mentioned in this lesson ended operations April 30, 2015. For the latest information about MESSENGER and NASA's solar system missions see the links under Related & Supplemental Resources (right side of this page). (View Less)

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Royal Brittany EPO Twin 500 MG 200 Sftgls by American Health
Product Description
Hexane Free Solvent Free 100% Certified Buy 1 Get 1 Free - Free Bottle Enclosed Helps Promote Women's Health 100% Pure Solvent Free 45 mg GLA (9%) Herbal Supplement Laboratory Tested - Guaranteed Quality For centuries, women of all ages have depended on the reliability of Evening Primrose Oil. EPO contains one of the richest sources of Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA -45 mg per serving), a fatty acid not commonly found in food. Popular with women of all ages, EPO helps provide nutritional support for women with PMS. Royal Brittany EPO is the best product of its kind on the market. The EPO used for Royal Brittany is 100% natural, cold pressed and is void of Hexane and all other solvent residue. Royal Brittany EPO assures quality, reliability, and purity. The consistency of potency is guaranteed by assay. []
- 200 200 Softgel
- Evening Primrose Oil
- Gender : Female/Male
- Age Segment : Adult
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You can return your purchase to us in its original condition within 45 days of the date you received the item, with any seals and shrink-wrap intact, and we will issue a full refund for the price you paid for the item only. Please note that you will be responsible for the costs of returning the items to us unless we delivered the item to you in error, or if the item is damaged or defective. If you are returning an item because of an error on our part or, in accordance with our returns policy, because it is damaged or defective, we will refund the delivery charges incurred.
We can only accept the return of opened items if they are faulty. Otherwise only items in its original condition with any seals and shrink-wrap intact, will be eligible for a refund. We will not refund the cost of gift-wrapping, your costs in returning the item to us and other services provided to you in connection with your purchase unless you return the item to us because of an error on our part or because it is defective.
Please contact us to report the defect or damage of any item you receive within 7 days of receiving the shipment, unless a manufacturer warranty states otherwise. We are unable to exchange items that are not damaged, defective or incorrect. We check all items returned as damaged or defective. In the event we find no fault, we reserve the right to re-charge you for the item/s and to recover our fees and expenses from you.
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Family Law
Ask a Family Law Question, Get an Answer ASAP!
Many thanks that is helpful and it is what I had hoped! I did not believe he could just refuse to pay anything . However I presume any assets "he has" could be the source of argument, if everything is in his wife's name. He has been married to her for over 9 years.
Once the payments stop - apparently he has not formally told the CSA he will not pay anymore - a re-assessment can be requested.


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2) Less costly . been consideration to inhibit a significant aspect of enzyme confined in the liver which needed to cease working glycogen: glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P). This has been proven in the lab[2], instead of yet in a living animal, so how do we be aware of it actually does inhibit G6P when eaten? Well it have not been directly demonstrated, but scientists have shown that chlorogenic acid i
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Study at a Career-focused university
A vibrant, modern institution with innovative course options and a reputation for business engagement, the University of Wolverhampton is a leader in the field of higher education in the West Midlands. We focus on employability by working closely with industry partners and employers to develop courses that are relevant to 21st-century professionals.
Our efforts in these areas are supported by the overwhelmingly positive response our graduates receive from prospective employers. Join the thousands of international students who enrol in our diverse range of courses and research initiatives each year.
Excellent Industry-specific facilities
Cutting-edge facilities are an essential component of the University of Wolverhampton experience. Our suite of laboratories and studios support research across a range of disciplines. This enables students in disciplines such as built environment to take part in practical sessions which explore the role of materials in construction, and students of engineering to master the latest technological expertise. Our new £18 million business school complex is fitted with modern, state-of-the-art facilities.
Increase your employability at Wolverhampton
We are committed to providing students with links to employers and experts in their chosen disciplines. Additionally, our graduates are digitally literate, knowledgeable and enterprising; such traits contribute to the fact that 94% of our most recent graduating year group immediately found work or places to continue their studies upon leaving. Crucially, our students feel safe in the knowledge that our professional support doesn't end on the day they graduate; we offer our alumni work experience programmes, knowledge exchange initiatives and start-up incubation units.


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Michael Arden to Miss October 25 Performances of The Times They Are A-Changin' Due to Flu
The company also features Thom Sesma as Captain Ahrab, Lisa Brescia as Cleo, along with Tony Award nominee John Selya, Lisa Gadja, Neil Haskell, Ron Todorowski, Alexander Brady, John Herrera, Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, Alaine Kashian, Keith Kuhl, Marty Lawson, Jason McDole, Jonathan Nosan, Joseph Putignano, and Cary Tedder. The production features scenic and costume design by Santo Loquasto, lighting design by Donald Holder, and sound design by Peter Hylsenki.
Wooten's previous Broadway credits include The Rocky Horror Show, Jesus Christ Superstar, Footloose, and Dance of the Vampires. He also appeared in the American premiere of We Will Rock You in Las Vegas.


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Looking for great DIY ideas that will improve your days at the beach all Summer long?
When it's time to start hitting the beach on the reg, you have to make sure you have all the supplies ready to go for a long summer. We're not just talking about the right beach wear and beach bod, or a cooler for drinks, but you need the accessories for the fun of a long day, and season, on the beach. Part of the fun of the prepping for your beach time is doing some projects on your own that can help make the beach season the best. You may think you should just go to the store and buy these things, but crafty folks will want to do some of these projects themselves. Here are some ideas.
Paddle Ball. You can buy paddle ball for relatively cheap from stores, but that's boring. Also those paddles will be generic and flimsy. You can have fun by making paddles out of other materials that are more durable or just off the beaten path. You can use a nice wood and then pad the handle with rubber bands, or you can make them out of hard industrial plastic. Then you decorate the paddles with whatever stickers or paint you want to use. The ball itself can be made out of rubber bands, too, or anything else bouncy that will float in the water, should you accidentally hit it into the waves (and you will).
Beach bag. Similarly, a great crafty project is making your own beach bag. At the store, bags are often too flimsy, or they're too small or even too big. You can make your own bag out of burlap and a sewing machine. You can even get metal grommets and the grommet machine at a place like The DIY Outlet and make that bag really professional looking. The grommets will allow you to twine or rope the bag shut, so you can seal it up and keep the seagulls out and the snacks in. A beach bag is important for proper beach enjoyment, and it'll be a blast to make your own beach bag.
Music blaster. Anyone can get a battery powered iPod amplifier, but you can use old fashioned physics and sound manipulation to make an amplification system for your iPod for the beach. It'll not only last forever because it doesn't require batteries, but it'll look really cool on your beach towel. Think of the old phonograph cone amplifiers – all they are doing is expanding and amplifying the sound by taking a small opening and spreading out, via the cone shape, to a larger output. It's amazing that it works, but it does, and you can make up a contraption that your iPod rests in and then you've got your summer tunes blasting all summer long. What a great way to enjoy the beach.
There are always more and more options of fun home crafts you can do to better your life, but with the beach season coming up, it's time to focus on making sure that your time on the beach is of the most comfort and relaxation, and what better way to do that than to make some things yourself.
So, improve beach day with even more great ideas on how to make Summer even more fun, visit www.TheDIYOutlet.com.


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Hard coding expiration dates into LSL code was leading to a big problem with having to update my demonstration products every seven days. I worked at a solution today to host a database of licenses so that anyone can start the trial from the time that they first rez a product in-world. Most of the infrastructure on my web-based marketplace paid off as it was simple to setup an API to call the method and initiate a trial. Along with that, I have a bit of control over the message displayed to end-users to advertise my store, news and slurl to my shop. They only get the message at most, every five minutes if they keep interacting with the object. Otherwise, no message is displayed. I also display the length of time remaining (days/hours, hours/minutes, or minutes/seconds). Eventually, I'll have 3 different versions of all of my products. Copy, Transfer, and Trial. The trial has both copy/transfer permissions and is free for anyone to copy. The trail is based on who owns the object. This will make it easy for me to list my products free on web-based marketplaces, since free objects seem to be the bulk volume of most of my sales. Currently, the trail is for seven days (controlled on the server). I am debating if seven days is too long.
In general, I have a local development environment that I've been creating my marketplace. Deploying to production proved useful as I discovered that the PHP version needed to be upgraded (took only 2 hours after a request), and that some features that I used didn't work in that environment – specifically working with apache headers. Once it was fixed, everything worked like a charm. I'll probably start deploying more web-based features for my products over time.
posted by Dedric Mauriac on Nowhereville using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]


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The Jimmy Fallon team asked us to cover a day of preparation for the popular nightly show. From backstage production, rehearsal, and to the taping of the episode, we captured the staff hard at work, The Roots' practice session, and Jimmy Fallon's own preparation methods, energy, and well-known charm.
We shot the day in 3D Stsreoscopic gifs, later presented on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's Tumblr.


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I road White Ranch for the first time ever today so forgive me if I get any of the trail names wrong. The first quarter mile between the parking lot and the Belcher climb are a muddy mess. I went early so it was still frozen but its very very badly rutted from bike tires and horses. That being said the Belcher trail is 99% bone dry all the way up to the Sawtooth? trail intersection. From there up its still got a lot of snow on the narrow single track but its rideabled with care. I took the Mustang? trail that leads to the South from the end of the Belcher trail and its dry as well at least as far as where it joins Sawtooth again (also mostly dry on the South/East side).
All the trails leading to the North of the mountain looked un-rideable due to blown snow and ice. The only other rideable trail I saw was the Eastern portion of Whippletree? which is 50/50 dry or packed snow. Longhorn looked alright to ride but I was too tired to attempt it at the time.
I also did the Green Mountain loop and its also 99% dry with only a few North facing portions that were muddy. I didn't ride any of the trails on the North side of the mountain but they looked like they would be very muddy (it was now about 10am).
Hope it helps.


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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by Ilovepink, Dec 1, 2004.
I have heard that Bossa is back in biz. I can't find any info. Can someone help?
You might find something useful here: http://www.bossa-usa.com/
Dude, bossa nova has always been around...
WTH is Bossa? Anyway, I have other basses in my sight
I hope so.. Cant see any info on the site that I havent seen already, it all is a bit unclear. I love my bossa ujb, anyway!!
Doesn't seem that unclear to me. After all, the website was advertised in the November 2004 issue of Bass Player (the one with Kim Deal on the cover).
Also, has Bossa ever been away, i e not making basses? They may not have been distributed to other countries than Japan in a while, but that's something completely different.
They're definitely back. I spoke with the USA rep approx. 6 months ago.
bass exchange has a couple


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So, several new items added and the first sets of menus in the Beauty menu have been completed! The site is really coming along and I will definitely launch before the end of the year!
As always use the menu buttons above for all other items until I've completed them and please, let me know what you think with the poll :).
Also, if you have any suggestions on how to improve things please feel free to leave a comment here or send and email. Happy reading! 🙂


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A Pulsar is a spinning shell of star that remains once a star's core collapses and rebounds to shine a supernova. After it's titanic explosion a small spinning star with magnetic fields is created. Here is the best evidence and view of a pulsar in the famous Crab Nebula. The Pulsar is in the middle. Chinese astronomers witnessed the supernova explosion in 1054 AD
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Crab Nebula seen with its mysterious pulsar
Posted by Dr. Eric Flescher (firstname.lastname@example.com) at Saturday, December 27, 2008
Labels: astronomy, astronomy sun stars, deep space, pulsar, supernova
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Share house
Share house
4 Bedrooms
4 Beds
2 Bathrooms
2 Baths
4 Flatmates
4 Flatmates
|Room Type
|Private room
|Shared bathroom
|Length of Stay
|Minimum 6 months
|Weekly rent
|4 weeks rent
|Some included in rent
|Available but not included in rent
|On street parking
If you want to be in the heart of activity in Paddington then you've come to the right place. Just a short walk to five ways and only a few minutes to all the restaurants and bars of Victoria St. We're about ten minutes from King's Cross station so it's an incredibly convenient location!
Aside from that, the house is spacious and has everything that you could need. The Internet works well from the upper floors and I've never had a problem with Internet speed.
Your room is in the top of the house so it's a bit like having your own little sanctuary. It has built in storage so you don't need much additional furniture in the room itself. It comfortably fits a queen bed.
I've loved being part of the house and am only moving to be closer to work. It really does have everything you need to make it a great home.
Your new housemates are all young professionals. Two guys (one kiwi and one aussie) and a girl (another kiwi) aged between 24 - 29. You can be as social as you like to be. Game of Thrones has just ended but you could usually find us on a Monday watching the next episode with a tub of messina.
They're all very respectful of privacy and noise and a really great to have around. This isn't a party house so you don't need to worry about loud music until the early hours.
More share house listings in Sydney or view all rooms in Paddington, Sydney


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Nissan Repair Questions? Ask a Mechanic for Answers ASAP
terrano w reg 2000 loosing power on hills engine running ok but cant maintain any power it stopped last night at bottom of hill where i have left it. just been and got it now running ok came up hill as normal so looks like it happens when hot it did it a few days ago and has run ok since, till yesterday both occasions i had traveled about 5 miles and suddenly lost power on a hill
Hi Shantal
no I have not found cause of problem though car is running ok at the moment so I would like an answer if possible incase it reaccures
Hi Jake
Thanks for your reply obviously it is difficult to diagnose. at the moment it is running fine, if the fault recurs is there any checks i can make to prove valve faulty or is it a case of change it and see
my terrano has started doing it again i suspect you diagnosis is correct i took it to garage the tester said low pressure turbo they changed a pipe from intercooler but still the same it seems to occur if you are late changing down gear on a hill or if i come out of a corner in to high a gear if i turn engine off and restart it runs fine.any new ideas or do you think original diagnosis is likely to be correct
Yes probably so, the pipe they changed might have been from a boost leak that was detected. As long as your still building boost pressure and teh symptoms remain then I think our first guess is likely here.


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Massonia depressa is one of nearly fifty species of the Massonia genus in South Africa, a member of the Hyacinthaceae family. They commonly occur along the west and south coasts, in the Karoo and Eastern Province. This one was photographed at the West Coast National Park in winter.
The flowers being at ground level, capitalise on an unusual opportunity: they find pollinators among small animals like rodents, including gerbil, who visit them at night. These plants have been found to produce little seed when these rodents can't reach the flowers and the task is left to insects. There are also proteas with flowers similar to Massonia that benefit from rodent pollination. The nectar of Massonia depressa is unusually sticky, which makes it less attractive to insects, but good for the rodents. The plants have been found to secrete more nectar at night for the benefit of these benefactors, making the mutual arrangement more attractive (www.amjbot.org)!


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Garlic & Orchid
Hey all, it's been a while since I've posted and I have no excuse other than the trite statement "Sorry, I've been busy".
Although, I did want to fill you in on my latest project titled Garlic & Orchid. It's a simple photo blog that I started through tumblr in order to store and display all my favorite images.
As of late, I've been carrying around my trusty camera (I know, hipster cliche right?) and I love to take shots of anything and everything weather it's on a run in the mountains or riding my bike around the city.
There is certainly something to be said about the ability to capture a candid and palpable slice of one's everyday life.
Follow this link to check out more…Garlic & Orchid
Kellye Wilcox permalinkOctober 1, 2010 7:04 pm
I was thinking…these are great pics…I wonder where Tom got them…and then I realized…hey! I know these people! Funny! You have an amazing eye for art! Good Job!


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The quick frame option comes ready to hang and framed as shown, with acrylic glass and a solid wood black frame, no mats.
Chicago, The Vacation City Fine Art Giclee Print
This is a very high quality fine art giclee print of a vintage advertising art poster for travel to Chicago via the Illinois Central Railway. It reads, ' hicago, The Vacation City; Illinois Central, The Road Of Travel Luxury'. This looks wonderful framed in the home, office, or restaurant! Canvas and/or framing options are also available in the drop down below.


text: I just checked out my daily email from Anthro, and much to my very pleasant surprise - new jewelry!! Their Metal Works collection is frankly fabulous, and I have already added several pieces to my cart, including the "Chifforobe Earrings" in Gold, (second row, middle) and the "Galacia Tower Rings", before they sell out!!! I love the colors and textures in this collection - like miniature pieces of art... well some, not so miniature. These are such great pieces to add to your summer wardrobe, and the easiest way to re-vamp your look for less! Check out the above pieces and a lot more here!


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Friday, 13 August 2010
Phone It In Friday: Who needs sleep?
So. You guys. What keeps you up at night? OR. What do you need in order to fall asleep?
PS: If you guys have any suggestions for topics or anything you'd like to see around here, please let us know.
9 comments:
- Ashley said...
I came home last night from seeing Scott Pilgrim to find that my AC had crapped out. It is 5 AM and I can't sleep because it is currently 88 degrees and climbing in my house. It's supposed to be 107 today. Gonna die.
- 13 August 2010 at 09:18
- mysterygirl! said...
Oh, no. Sorry, Ashley. :( Yes, nice cool sleeping conditions are clutch in falling asleep.
- 13 August 2010 at 09:26
- me said...
I'm way cheesy..but I can't sleep anymore without hearing the now hubbys voice telling me goodnight..
topic..how about the collective now? I'm nosey.
What is HA working on lately?
KAT has a non-marriage..what will that entail?
Jenny is getting married..how is that?
Abigail..you always seem so knowledgeable and busy and traveling..what do you do?!
or you know, tell us something hopeful about what our World is going through these days!
Sarah G
- 13 August 2010 at 09:33
- Ashley said...
P.S. I would like to see you guys write letters to your future selves. Or try to predict the future or something nutty like that.
- 13 August 2010 at 10:48
- Jennie said...
Oh yuck, I cannot sleep if it's too hot.
- 13 August 2010 at 12:45
- eclectic said...
Letters to future selves = YES, PLEASE!
Also, Ashley, your broken A/C makes me very sad. Wanna come here? I'll make you very cold drinks and let you have an A/C vent all to yourself.
- 13 August 2010 at 14:21
- Ashley said...
Shari, you are like the nicest person ever. That sounds amazing. Unfortunately, I'd probably have to spend hundreds of dollars to get there.
- 13 August 2010 at 19:46
- matt said...
letters to future selves = yes.
also, another round of drunk posts? or, middle school stories? or, scar stories?
that might be all the ideas i have.
- 14 August 2010 at 16:42
- mysterygirl! said...
Have you guys done a post on your favorite products before/lately? I mean, I know the Collective is usually more highbrow than posts about their favorite brands of jeans or shampoo or whatever, but I would still be interested.
I also like Matt's ideas of middle school stories and scar stories.
- 15 August 2010 at 18:39


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In his latest book, Shane Harris highlights the good, the bad, and the ugly of the NSA.
The curtain of the NSA has been pulled back in Shane Harris's recent book, @WAR: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex, exposing the far-reaching power of the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. efforts to control cyberspace. The United States has spent billions of dollars to grow its cyber capabilities, both through the use of cyberattacks and surveillance. The agency's power is so great that Harris even compares former director General Keith Alexander to the great and powerful Oz, stating that Alexander used overclassification to push forward the ever-growing agenda of the NSA. Harris brilliantly utilizes the familiar concept of a military-industrial complex to describe the emerging military-internet complex within the United States and show readers how the government has partnered with private sector firms to develop technology and techniques in cyberspace.
Harris highlights the growing role that the government plays in cyberspace, suggesting that the lack of public knowledge about the new arena may be a cause for concern. He discusses at length the history of how the NSA gained control in cyberspace, eventually becoming so powerful that it could conduct surveillance, develop offensive cyber capabilities, and even hold a pivotal role in setting technological standards. A key message throughout the book is ensuring that readers understand just how long the United States has been active in cyberspace and in developing an arsenal of cyberweapons. It started long before the NSA made headline news, and has grown as the U.S. military and intelligence agencies continue to develop new means for surveillance and weapons employment in cyber space.
Of more importance, Harris describes the role that the private sector plays in this cybersecurity complex. Many private companies work with the U.S. government to develop cyber tactics and strengthen their own cyber capabilities. There are some major similarities and duplication of effort between the behavior of private companies and the U.S. government in developing cyber capabilities and hoarding zero-day exploits. However, unlike the government, private companies lack the legal authority to respond to cyberattacks on their networks and conduct surveillance on their aggressors, shortcomings that cause serious tensions in the partnership between the government and private sector.
Despite its merits, @War should be read with caution. Harris does an excellent job telling the story of the NSA and its desire for cyber domination in both offensive and defensive cybersecurity; he masterfully educates readers about important topics of government surveillance. However, this book could definitely be used as a scare tactic, as those less familiar with the NSA, government surveillance programs, or the technology industry itself may take the book too seriously. His narrative, though, is very smooth and clear, allowing people of all expertise levels to read and understand the history and importance of the material.
The biggest disappointment is the final chapter of @War, wherein Harris writes that the "NSA is not the enemy" after spending the previous 200-plus pages describing how Americans need to be aware of what the NSA is doing and painting the NSA as the "bad guy." After telling a great story about how the United States is not just the victim of cyberattacks, but an active participant in offensive cyber operations, Harris heads in the reverse direction, encouraging readers that despite all this the NSA really isn't all bad—though he never really expands on the "good" part of NSA's activities.
Furthermore, Harris should have defined cyberwarfare more explicitly during the prologue. Harris explains that it is an "amorphous term," and defines cybersecurity broadly and unofficially as "the combination of spying and attack." Debates and disagreements surrounding any formal definition of cybersecurity remain a crucial reason why so little has been accomplished in combating different types of cybercrime, espionage, and attacks, despite attempts through foreign policies, international norms, and other important pieces of legislation. Although Harris does make some suggestions, the final chapter lacked hard solutions, and the reader leaves less than convinced that the NSA can be tamed or that the United States will slow down its growing military-internet complex.
Instead, Harris suggests that citizens can expect to pay—greatly, and with our identities—to be part of a very protected cybercommunity. He also spends the last chapter asking a great number of questions, rather than answering any of the questions that surface throughout the book. Harris effectively articulates the problem, but concludes his book by backtracking on his original argument and on a note similar to many other books describing emerging security challenges: the military-internet complex is real and represents a big problem, but skeptics may be acting too late and there is little citizens can do now—so buckle down and hope for the best.
Megan Penn is a Master's candidate at the George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington DC. She is in her final semester of the Security Policy Studies program, concentrating on Transnational Security Issues and Cyber Security Policy. Before moving to DC, Ms. Penn received a bilingual honors B.A. in International Affairs from Glendon College, York University in Toronto, Canada. Ms. Penn has published multiple pieces on cyber security issues, policy, and defense through Freedom Observatory, a Canadian online political journal. Currently, she works for the United Nations Association in Washington D.C.
Photo by Bob Mical is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Image cropped.


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Black and white line art cartoon illustration of a Santa Claus chef with a serving tray (EPS #80551). This royalty-free stock vector clip art image is available for download in a package that includes an EPS vector file and a high-resolution 300-dpi JPEG at 2876x3000 pixels.
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Kamis, 29 Oktober 2009
"Blessed are the poor in spirit"
CATHOLIC LIVING TODAYSolemnity of All Saints (AllSaintsB)November 1, 2009BURNING QUESTION: Why do we pray for the dead?FEATURED BLOG: I'm Catholic because I can't do it alone STORIES OF PRIESTS: 6-10 hour Confessions each SundayPASTORAL HISPANA: Los santos y santas interceden por nosotrosDear Friends,This weekend we celebrate the feasts of All Saints Day and All Soul's Day. In our Sunday Readings
Kamis, 22 Oktober 2009
"Your faith has saved you."
CATHOLIC LIVING TODAYThirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (30B), October 25, 2009BURNING QUESTION: What is Faith?FEATURED BLOG: Recovering Stray CatholicsVOCATION NEWS: Confessions of a Gypsy PriestPASTORAL HISPANA: El Ciego Bartimeo nos da EjemploDear Friends,Last week, Jesus chides the disciples for failing to see that authority is for service, bitterly arguing instead who is the greatest in God's
Diposting oleh hildan di 21.45 Tidak ada komentar:
Label: Baptism, Catholic, Catholic youth, Confession, eucharist, Gospel, Homilies, jesus, Jesus Christ, Mass, Parish website, Pope Benedict, Prayer, Pro-Life, Sacraments, Sunday Readings
Kamis, 15 Oktober 2009
"Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant."
CATHOLIC LIVING TODAYTwenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (29B), October 18, 2009BURNING QUESTION: Is it more noble to volunteer for secular or church work?FEATURED STORY: To be deep in history is to cease to be angrySTORIES OF PRIESTS: Pope: Priests are "Essential and irreplaceablePASTORAL HISPANA: La autoridad se trata de servicio y no de poderDear Friends,In the Gospel this Sunday, brothers
Kamis, 08 Oktober 2009
"Go, sell what you have"
CATHOLIC LIVING TODAYTwenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (28B), October 11, 2009BURNING QUESTION: Does God want you to be rich?FEATURED BLOG: On being Catholic and incarceratedVOCATION NEWS: Confessions of a Basilica ConfessorPASTORAL HISPANA: Las riquezas nos pueden dominarDear Friends,In the Gospel this Sunday a rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. But he is
Diposting oleh hildan di 23.43 Tidak ada komentar:
Label: Baptism, Catholic, Catholic youth, Confession, eucharist, Family, Gospel, Homilies, jesus, Jesus Christ, Mass, Parish website, Pope Benedict, Prayer, Pro-Life, Sacraments, Sunday Readings, Youth
Kamis, 01 Oktober 2009
"And the two shall become one flesh"
CATHOLIC LIVING TODAYTwenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (27B), October 4, 2009BURNING QUESTION: Is Divorce a sin?FEATURED BLOG: Hints for Happy MarriagesPASTORAL HISPANA: El Matrimonio es una AlianzaDear Friends,In the Gospel this Sunday Jesus tells his listeners plainly that there is a truth and permanence in marriage and it was always meant to be that way. Our Discussion Questions this week
Langganan: Postingan (Atom)


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I have ordered (No. 18633960147)crompton LED bulbs from Snapdeal site. After receiving the product I have found that Nova Hair Dryer is deluvered instead of bulb. I am asking to snapdeal for picking up the Hair Dreyer and to provide LED bulb on 9 th September 2016. Today it is 19th September and still now Snapdeak couldnot bothered to pick up the wring product. Not only that the courier company of snadeal i.e JB express is giving repeted false comment to snapdeal that I am not available or my door was closed. I need the correct product or refund of money. The most disgusting online site is Snapdeal.
Sandip Chakraborty
Baguiati, Kolkata 700059, West Bengal
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
126.96.36.199 / 19/09/2016 / 8:26 pm


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Posted on June 28, 2012 at 1:12am 0 Comments 0 Favorites
my 7 year old son, jonathan has duchenne. he is taking far too many vitamin and prednison . i hope soon there will be some drugs that will end duchenne. keep up the the spirit and wonderfull gob ppmd are doing. we should learn from ppmd how to push things in israel, like the awernes of people to duchenne. and raise mony for the reaserch. help us pleas.
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|Reviews for THE QUEST FOR EDWARD'S MAGICAL HAIR CONDITIONER
| Guest chapter 2 . 4/10
This is hilarious oh my god.
| RurouniSakura chapter 1 . 5/16/2012
Every now and then, you run into a crack fic that, instead of being lame and/or stupid, is pure genius. This, my friend, is one of those fics. Great job, and I hope to see more soon!
| whoop whoop chapter 2 . 11/17/2011
when will you continue this? PLEASE HURRY IT's HILARIOUUSS!
| FullMetalCrayon chapter 2 . 8/1/2011
| KPT chapter 2 . 6/29/2011
Hahaha this is just too damn funny! you can't end it here! get on your computer and write the rest! so many things here made me burst out laughing such as "BECAUSE I'M WORTH IT!" and him tying his other end of the rope to the "conveniently placed gargoyle" haha totally OOC, but who the hell cares. it's fucking hilarious. CONTINUE IT PLEEEAASSEEE!
| Gothic-Romantic99 chapter 2 . 5/9/2011
Oh, you can't end it there. What happens next? As with the last chapter there are so many hilarious moments in this one such as "a conveniently placed gargoyle." I don't know why that's so funny, but it is. Also the reasons for why Roy chose to dress like a ninja is good. Roy really didn't quite think this plan through. The ending is great, please update as soon as you can.
| Gothic-Romantic99 chapter 1 . 5/9/2011
You are a genius when it comes to writing humor. Some of the lines are just so perfect such as:
"So…what do you recommend?"
"For your own safety, I would recommend letting me sleep, sir."
The fact that I can hear her saying that is great. I also love the description of him forming his plan. "It was entirely possible and entirely not nonsensical, and not at all the ass-o-clock-in-the-morning haze talking!" Just the wording sent me into hysterical laughter.
Good work with this chapter.
| Laora chapter 2 . 5/9/2011
...Please continue this? D:
...RanFan didn't object to having a rope tied around her on the roof? xD
Ohhh Roy, I feel your pain. Ass-o-clock-in-the-morning is indeed a terrible time to be at. Especially when you were just barely able to snag a computer but now you really have to pee but if you leave your computer it'll be snatched up by some other, equally sleep-deprived college student with a 7:30AM final tomorrow, today, whatever, so...yes. Life sucks Dx
Unfortunately, I may be out of your stories to read D: This makes me quite upset, because it means I actually have to study now. But hey, I don't need the computer to learn public speaking, so...YES! Now, as long as there's a table available...!
IT'S THE ASS-O-CLOCK-IN-THE-MORNING TALKING. I SWEAR. I sincerely apologize D:
...I'm getting dizzy...this isn't good...
ANYWHO. Please, please continue this? D: I can't even...this is pure AMAZINGNESS. There really is no other way to say it xD SO YOU MUST CONTINUE. BECAUSE LAURA AND HER SLEEP DEPRIVED-NESS DEMANDS IT OF YOU.
| AwesomeTorchic chapter 2 . 12/11/2010
Yay for ninja roy!
| Aurora-Borealis Coyote chapter 2 . 12/7/2010
The title alone had me laughing.
This story is a gem.
The "fuck"-laced screaming, Riza's Pantene, loser!Roy...
Continue and stuff. Liek plz. It's hilarious.
| The Curse of Forever chapter 2 . 8/15/2010
I really like this story, even if it is silly. Do you plan on updating soon or has it been abandoned?
| yin-flames chapter 2 . 6/9/2010
This was FUNNY! Whatever you're gonna do, hurry up and do it please? I can't wait for the next chapter.
| taranoire chapter 2 . 2/15/2010
ROFLMAO. XD That's insane. In a good way. Damn. I think this is the first time I've lol'd in days.
| fmadiva chapter 1 . 2/12/2010
This story is hilarious. Loser!Roy is such a good idea, I'm tired of him being cool all of the time. I love this type of comedy it's my favorite! Please continue!
| Black and White Wolf chapter 2 . 2/12/2010
Oh my god.
That was awesome. This is clever and hilarious.


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Fortress Europe will increasingly look like this: a sealed, makeshift transit area beyond the main terminals where the fate of bewildered asylum-seekers and refugees from the Third World is swiftly decided before they are flown back home.
Outside Station C183 yesterday soiled sheets and blankets lay in heaps, waiting to be collected for cleaning. A Sri Lankan Tamil stared aimlessly from an abandoned trolley, his eyes fixed on his own problems. A few yards away stood armoured personnel carriers of the federal border police (BGS).
Inside, BGS officers under the watchful eye of Volker Höhr examined the life stories and journeys of the latest batch of 79 asylum-seekers via interpreters and a strict set of questions stored on their computers.
The refugees, often women with children, looked expressionlessly into their laps as they tried to get to grips with alien regulations and a foreign culture while the BGS officers waited patiently and sympathetically.
A cheerful Iranian in a nearby corridor greeted us: 'Hello, it's very nice here, isn't it?' In one of two dormitories filled with around 40 beds listless Liberians and Ghanaians were finding it hard to explain how they got here and why.
But a young Liberian, his eyes red with exhaustion, gave a graphic account of his involuntary involvement in that country's civil war, his capture, escape into the bush and subsequent rescue by a white priest. Then, somehow, he came to an airport and flew to Germany.
'They asked me where I wanted to go and I said, I did not know, anywhere where I can save my life and the first stop was Frankfurt where they asked me for my papers and I did not have any. I've been here three days and they give me a good service, God bless them.'
Mr Höhr said the vast majority came to find work and had been brought by organised smuggling gangs.
'It's the modern slave trade,' added Chief Inspector Peter Holzem, who reckoned that individuals had to pay a minimum of $5,000 for the trip and sometimes as much as $30,000. More than 90 percent of the 6,719 asylum-seekers who came via Frankfurt last year were handled by gangs with links to organised crime, he said.
Mr Holzem and his colleagues are extremely reluctant to comment on the new procedures which they will have to enact once the constitutional change comes into force on July 1. But they know they are going to have to process many more people and have a greater say in their individual fates.
The new rules, enabling asylum-seekers who come overland via a 'secure third country' to be sent back at once, mean that refugees will be forced to come direct to Germany by sea or air. Frankfurt, the hub international airport, will deal with the bulk of them.
Their cases will be handled in accelerated manner in transit areas like Station C183 and Gudrun Petasch, head of the church-run social services agency for refugees, said the result will be to create a 'psycho-social time-bomb'.
The new rules will especially hit those who come without passports or with false papers. According to Mr Holzem's team, of the 6,719 who arrived last year 4,400 came without papers and 1,829 with false passports provided by the smuggling bands.
Senior BGS officers know that their future duties will be much more onerous, and privately acknowledge that Germany has a special burden to bear towards refugees because of its history.
Ms Petasch is convinced that the new laws simply abolish the right to asylum in Germany. 'Nobody leaves his home without good reasons even if they cannot prove they are politically persecuted... But this new law will most affect those who are the most violently persecuted and, in the end, hardly anybody will come here.'


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Bostons STREET DOGS wollen sich im Februar ins Studio begeben um ihren nächsten Longplayer aufzunehmen. Mike McColgan kommentierte:
"We are set to go into the studio to record our new album in February.The studio we will record at is the Blasting Room in Fort Collins,Colorado.Also we are excited to be working with Rick Barton as he will be co producing our fifth release with Johnny Rioux. We expect to release this next effort some time in late August or early September 2010 on Hellcat records and we will launch a worldwide headlining tour to support the record.Very soon as well we will be finalizing and anouncing upcoming US dates and European tour plans."


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Posts Tagged Special Offer
November 20, 2012 by Julie Eng
Ultimate Okito EncoreDr. Robert Albo's Final Book Dr. Albo had his final book nearly completed before his untimely death. It has now been completed. Published by his wife, Marge Albo as a final tribute to Bob, we are delighted to report that the book is now at the printers. THIS OFFER HAS NOW CONCLUDED. For more information, click here.
July 17, 2012 by Julie Eng
Stealing thoughts … and wallets!
May 25, 2012 by Julie Eng
A "Punchy" Offer"A Timber Idol: Mr. Punch in Scotland" now available Thanks to the generosity of Martin MacGilp, subscribers of Magicol can now purchase his book, "A Timber Idol: Mr. Punch in Scotland" with free shipping until the end of July. The book is available at a price of £25 UK pounds and can be made payable to Martin's […]
December 6, 2010 by Julie Eng


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Friday, February 11th 2017 at The Upper Room
Legendary blues guitarist Ronnie Earl has been hailed by musicians and critics alike as one of the premier blues guitaristsof his genre.
A Brief History Legendary blues guitarist Ronnie Earl; was born Ronald Horvath, in Queens, New York, on March 10, 1953. He didn't pick up his first guitar until twenty years later, beginning a musical journey that took him to the sides of some of the most respected and talented blues musicians in the world. Inspired by Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Freddie King, Otis Rush, Big Walter Horton and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ronnie quickly developed his six-string skills, playing with an intensity that hasn't cooled in more than 35 years of playing.
"…he is one of the most serious blues guitarists you can find today. He makes me proud!"…B.B. King
Doors at 7pm
Show at 8pm


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Discussion in 'Politics' started by bigrebnc1775, Jun 30, 2012.
I suggest Bordergate.
I suggest the Government FUCKED UP trying to garner support for repeal of the Second Amendment...and GOT CAUGHT doing it.
Fast and Furious?
How bout fast and furious?
Beat you.
Yep that's a good one but too long.
Over played we need something gate.
I toyed with a few...but alas nothing smart and snappy...cogent.
Sorry. But at least the premise is correct. Let's work from there, eh?
Fast and Furiousgate.
Problem solved.
Unorigional and LAME.
Separate names with a comma.


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Ok, since I'm the awesome mother that I am, I occasionally
am too lazy to tell my children a bed time story have my kids make up their own stories in order to encourage their imaginations and communicative skills. Tonight my almost 8 year old was in charge of the story. Here is my transcription of it, as best as I can manage from memory, minus all the "Um"s.
Once there was a boy named William, and he lived in a village in Massachusetts. And while he was there he made two friends, Michael and Andrew. They lived in a tent made out of sticks way back during the time of the pilgrims - in 1994. Then in 1995 he got a book and started studying how to write with a feather pen. Then in 1996 he sailed across the sea to Wisconsin and built a new tent out of sticks and twine, but this one was bigger than the last tent. It had 3 bedrooms, and 5 doors - two of them were for exits - and 2 backyards. The end.
I'm not gonna lie, I think I was distracting the kids with how hard I was laughing.