text:
Great films are all about High Concept. If you can't boil it down to one sentence then the throbbing hordes of cinemagoers don't want to know. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford? Way too much going on there, and the audience avoided it in their droves. Snakes on a Plane? You couldn't keep the bastards from beating the door down on opening day. To hell with 'art' and 'craft' the devil is in the detail, so strip all detail out and you are left with the purest gold of heavenly concept.
Now working on such a notion we could conclude that –
Budget ÷ Purity of Concept = Box Office Success
(Purity) is defined by the number of words in the simplest possible description of any feature (Concept). By extension, the lower the word count the proportionally greater the film will be in recouping its costs. The equation of course necessitates that there be a definite concept, for a film without a screenplay (Purity of Concept = Zero) in turn reaps no profit. Such films are generally known as art installations, and broadly speaking operate outside the parameters of conventional filmmaking. The only know demonstrable exception to this rule are the collected works of David Lynch, which defy all applicable theorems.
By considering such an equation Segal's latest direct-to-video release Against the Dark should rate highly in the article of purity, with a concept defined as such:
Seagal, Zombies.
Detractors would argue for alternatives such as 'Seagal vs Zombies', 'Seagal kills Zombies', or even 'Seagal against Zombies', yet the lower value holds true as the cinemagoer need only know that there is the presence of both Seagal and Zombies. How they are related or are involved is irrelevant beyond knowing they are both in the same film. As a result almost total purity of concept is achieved.
The irony that there is next to no Seagal or Zombies in this film has little or no bearing on its potential financial success. Concepts are like film titles, indicative of a features level of exploitation, which is to say the extent by which something is promised but not delivered. That this film should instead be about a gaggle of survivors with a dizzying mix of British and American accents running around an inescapable hospital intercut with sporadic shots of Seagal waddling to and fro, has little to no bearing on the films potential for financial success.
Indeed this film demonstrates in full effect the absolute minimum of Seagal you need in it for it to remain a 'Seagal film'. It would be charitable even to consider this little more than a running cameo. Again and again he just bursts in, throws a few slices of his sword, makes a comment (not even a one-liner!) and then the scene ends. Rinse, repeat. Again and again and again.
The film then fails in having a budget which cannot afford to hire even its own producer for more than a day of shooting, this despite him being the headline star. With box office success (or in this case rental success) being relative to budget, Against the Dark will categorically fail regardless of the purity of concept. It fails almost completely (but unfortunately not wholly) to the point of non-existence. To all intent purposes this is a Non-film.
Pushing almost into the sphere of quantum physics, this film is much like Schroedinger's Cat, existing while simultaneously not existing. In this respect the films of Steven Seagal may be a force unto themselves in this equation, and only further research will clarify this matter.


text:
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Kevin Varieur Diary ( Stolen from Bill Simmons but significantly shorter)
So Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy, does this thing every now and again...he will sit down and watch a game and document everything. So hear I go...
The following happened between the hours of 7:oopm and 1:30am of June 18th, 2008
7:00 - My cpub 4 team just lost to the biggest bunch of losers to ever set foot on a men's softball field but no one really cares because in about 2 hours the Celtics are going to take the next step to becoming NBA Champions. The last time the Celts won the championship I had just lost my virginity...my sippy cup virginity that is. I was two years old and was sure about two things 1) Chocolate milk was the best invention ever 2) Larry Bird is a god.
7:35 - Still haven't showered but I did change my clothes so I will be sporting the Beat L.A. shirt for the next few hours. Heading to Joe's for a few pre game beers and a couple games of H.O.R.S.E. We all suck...
8:45 - Almost game time. KG looks pumped, Ray Allen looks intense, Paul Pierce looks like Beetle Juice, Ronda just peed his pants and Sam Cassel just enter the Bank North Garden in a aircraft that I just can't identify. Who cares? It's game time....wait...calling Papa Gino's... two large pizzas please...Okay! It's game time and the intros...son of a...I need a beer....okay. Game time and the Garden is insane. I jumping around my living room like an idiot.
9:00 - 11:30 I think I just blacked out. What happened. I think I just ruffeed myself.
11:49 - "Anything is possible...ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLLEEEE!!!!!" Kevin Garnette is not normal
1 comment:
- preacherman said...
I want you to know how much I enjoyed reading your blog. It is one of the best posts that I have read today. I was so excited that the Celtics spanked the Lakers. Being Irish blood I was so glad the celtics put PRIDE back into Irish Pride. Garnett was crazy!! Wow. The excitement that he had just flowed out of the TV. Yeah!!! WAY TO GO CELTICS!!!!!
- June 18, 2008 at 5:32 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
COUNDON & Leeholme lifted the Auckland Charity Cup final, thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 final success against Middlestone Moor Masons Arms.
Ben Collinson fired the Alliance leaders in front with a neat strike from just inside the box, but their Crook and District League opponents levelled with a cracking Lee Newby free-kick in the final minute, after keeper Barry Poskett carried the ball outside his box.
Masons put Coundon under pressure in extra time, but Darren Simpson fired home a magnificent volley, after a corner was half-cleared, to win the day for Coundon and hand their opponents a third cup final defeat of the season.
Ian Maddison was they star man.


text:
Book of Jonah
Albert Younas
Basic Hebrew HB1
Ptr. Billy
March 4, 2011
For most people in the former generation the book of Jonah is literary and historical account. They said that Jonah lived during the reign of Jeroboam II. Some scholars obtain that no evidence is been found outside the bible that Nineveh went through such a religious conversion. The book is name after the main character of the book Jonah which means "DOVE" driven from the old Hebrew. Scholars agree on certain things about the book, but they have drawn quite different conclusions in addressing the following questions:
The Date
Setting / Themes
Key verses / literary style
Authorship/Date: Driven from the principal character Jonah son of Armatti; no direct claim of authorship can be connected to Jonah himself but it refers to a third person. Jonah was from Nazareth who lived around 793-758 BC. Some would say book itself do not refer or say anything about the author but tradition has attributed to the prophet himself as the author. Some writer had said that it has many similarities with the narrative of Prophets Elijah and Elisha; however it may come from the same writer. Jonah preached during the reign of King Jeroboam II when many significant events happened in the northern kingdom of Israel (800-750 BC). According to the Cooper Abrams Jonah was a prophet of God during the period divided kingdom. Cooper didn't say much about the authorship of the book but the date he mentioned is 760 BC. After reading all these thoughts of different scholar of their time I am not sure how is can be said that its written by Jonah himself yet lets go with the tradition and assume the authorship of the book to the prophet himself. The setting or interpretation of the book is seen as historical which happened in ancient Israel in 8th or 7th century. The traditional view is that; the book is historical, biographical narratives, some suggestions range from fictional short...
Please join StudyMode to read the full document


text:
Lucy and Michael love each other. Lu loves to go get Michael after naps and he lights up when he sees her. Their "friendship" isn't always peaceful, but what sibling relationship is!?
Here are a few pictures of them swimming together, or "gotether" as Lucy pronounced it this summer.
Together, taking a bath. :)
Awww can't you just see the love? :)


text:
friends ... who are they and what do they mean ? Everyone has their own interpretation of what a friend means and how to define a true close trustable friend compared to just a friend. This year I started questioning the presence of certain people in my life and I know there are a precious few that I'm extremely grateful for and at the same time those that I'm really close with seem to be the ones that are currently the furthest away from me. Somehow the man upstairs made me meetup with some awesome people this year and also to reconnect with some that I have lost contact with. I tried to be friends with everyone thinking that a friend is better then an enemy but this year I realise that not everyone can be a friend and there are some out there who just need your help/presence for a short moment of time and then they move on.
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or! make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.!
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to! accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.


text:
"… a slightly suspect beverage consumed by skid row bums and snobs …" Per Steve Heimoff, this was the world of wine that he came to as a novice back in the day … and I'm thinking, fantastic! What happened… Read More ›
2006 Monte Bello
Robert Parker Scores Ridge!
The February 2010 Issue of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has arrived, and in it is a wealth of commentary on a large portfolio of Ridge wines. And might I say, we fared rather well! Here are the scores: 2003… Read More ›
Lovely Blog Review Of The 2006 Monte Bello, & The 1992 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay!
Jerry Bullfrog's Wine Stash. I love it! What a great name for a blog … And what a great idea for a blog! Here's the tagline from the site: A review of a different wine/beer/spirit everyday for a year, blended… Read More ›
Ten Years After – or – To Grade The Parade Of A Decade – or – Double Barrel Bello: Tasting the 1996 & 2006 Monte Bellos!
I had the great pleasure of tasting a decade-wide two-vintage vertical of Monte Bello today, and might I add,I did so in wonderful company. I hosted Eric Baugher, our VP of Winemaking here at Monte Bello, and Ilir Kacaniku, the… Read More ›


text:
*A start of (no part of)
Sorry but... I can't vote on this poll, none of the choices feels right to me.
Don't care more pony - What Gie said.
No! Bring back 2-part big episodes! / Yes! Two different stories was better than one - I'd like it varied, sometimes two separate episodes and sometimes two parters. That way it would vary more and break the formula, perhaps that could also be part of giving the mane six a more fair amount and division of quality episodes between them.
I agree with Gie and Steved. We don't need 2-parters every time a season premier rolls around. If it fits the story the writers are trying to tell, then yes, a 2-parter is fine. But if telling the story works better with two individual episodes, then that's what should be done. A 2-parter in the middle of a season or a 3/4-parter would be cool too, if it ever came to that. Whatever makes sense for a good flow in storytelling.
For the record, I thought the two 1-parter premier episodes were great and had excellent dialogue.
@Frith: Saying "Don't care more pony" still sounds like people are oblivious. I certainly care about quality, I'd rather have a short show with the best quality than a long bad show. And the direction this show has gone it's losing that quality. All of my favourite character's episodes are hated and I'm not very satisfied with them myself. If you really think most of the episodes are great your favourite is not only getting lots of episodes but is also popular enough for you to belong. But seriously, if you really "don't care more pony" you definitely do not care for quality either. Or you're spoiled and your favourite character gets a lot of spotlight and development and you know the formular will give you the episodes you want. At least that's how you make it sound like.
@Gie: With each season of MLP:FIM having a fixed number of episodes (26, with the exception of season three), the situation is that either we get a season, or we don't. Ergo, "more pony" implies an entire season. Since I enjoy most of the episodes, I was looking forward to this season, and I continue to look forward to seeing the episodes that have yet to air. This is why "don't care more pony" was the right choice for me.
2-parters are my favourite part of the show. Good/Bad 2-parters often set the tone for the season. Season 6 had bad/average 2-parters and i didn't like it, Season 4 had great/great 2-parters and i loved that season.
I wish there was a choice that let me say that i just didn't like either episodes. The first episode is just feels like a waste of time since in the end Starlight doesn't graduate even a little. It was annoying seeing callbacks to old characters like Ember but all of the visions are completly ruined by the fact that it's all based on how Twillight thinks about it so i was bored to tears quickly.
The next episode was better then the first one but not by much, and Pinkie just kind of got on my nerves. Overall the episode wasn't anything we haven't seen before.
@Frith: Not all the writers are as good, some of them tend to ruin characters and make people hate them and their episodes (which is why I often lose interest and it on/off with watching this show). I think this show would be much better if the writers wrote the episodes about the characters they're best at in this case, and if they're missing writer's for a character they can hire someone who is for said character.
The part about my opinon on "don't care more pony" isn't part of what I said about two parters and singular episodes. That's why I used a space to separate the topics, please read more closely.
I also judge episodes after I've watched them, that's why "don't care more pony" doesn't feel right for me considering it can be either good or bad. "Don't care more pony" doesn't do it for me because I believe in quality over quantity.
@Gie: With good writers, it matters not if the season starts with a two part story or two separate stories. Ergo, "don't care, more pony" is an expression of confidence in the craft of the writers. When you state that "People who says "don't care more pony" sounds like they accept anything, which means they must be incapable of knowing the difference of good and bad." you are making the argument that the quality of the writing is not at the same level for single episodes as it is for double episodes.
I judge each episode after I've seen it, not before. So I say, because MLP:FIM is usually excellent, I care more that there continue to be pony episodes than I care what format they take. My vote for "Don't care more pony" reflects that.
Why is 'Yes! Two different stories was better than one' getting the least amount of votes!?
We finally take a break from two-part premieres (which are getting pretty old I might add) and THIS is how we respond to it!?
This is worse than the times we wanted the Simpsons to end and yet somehow voting polls always have "Don't end, more Simpsons" get the top vote!
I think it's nice we are probably going to have a slow season before the big movie event later this year.
People who says "don't care more pony" sounds like they accept anything, which means they must be incapable of knowing the difference of good and bad. I've always felt like people who says this are ignorant, oblivious and doesn't understand writing and I always will.
As for the question I like having a season start off with singular episodes, but with such episodes it'd be fun with two parters anywhere within a season. If they did that we wouldn't expect where in the season it'd be and the surprise would be awesome. I love formula breaking as I love more potential being used, it can keep a show refreshing even when using the main characters most of the time. I love Starlight Glimmer, but despite her being my third favorite I feel she needs less premieres/finales and more appearing in episodes where she ISN'T the star. It'd expand her character and relationship with the remane five, there's so much potential for that.
Applejack in particular has the most potential for solo episodes at the moment, I just wish they'd actually use it because she desperately needs it.
PS: Applejack, Rarity and Starlight Glimmer are my favs.
Personally, I like the big two part episodes. They tend to be my favorites. However, this time it turned out quite well overall—what they did for the first episode wouldn't have done well as a two-parter. I don't see a problem with the way they started it, but I can't help but agree with Frith about it not feeling too much like a big season opener. I definitely do still hope the finale is a two part episode.
Generally speaking, don't mind, more pony. But specifically these two episodes, especially Celestial Advice, did not start the season with a bang. OK, gently spinning off Glimmer's 'B-Team' friendship squad is something, but I don't think it's season premier material. The whole Twilight's fantasy spell, in triplicate, kind of just dragged it out and didn't really sell the idea that Glimmer is suddenly a Master of Friendship. She's spent most of last season proving how rotten she was at seeing interpony interactions as anything more than unpleasant ordeals.
In short, we got two slice of life episodes and not a season opener. If Starlight _had_ been sucked into a magic hole, _that_ would have been a season opener.


text:
I heard it on the radio…
Two rare, antique books stolen from the Swedish royal family have been returned to their rightful owners.
…the books were stolen from the National Library of Sweden in the 1990s and ended up in the unsuspecting hands of a Baltimore book seller.
"There's a chain of ownership that goes with great objects and that chain was broken before it got to me. And it behooved me to recreate that chain and get this great intellectual material back to Sweden where it belonged," said (store owner Stephan) Loewentheil.
One of the works is a 19th century illustrated text of the Mississippi River. The other is 17th century French book on the Louisiana Territory. The two books are estimated to be worth about $200,000, Diamond reported.
"It's a book about America before it was America. But it belongs to Sweden," FBI Assistant Director George Venizelos said at the repatriation ceremony.
About America. Before it was America. And it belongs to Sweden.
That being settled – it's Monday. Feel better now?
by Jim Davis
More details here…if you really must know…


text:
1. Feeling the baby move. Sometimes every other day, but lately 2-3 times a day. One of the most tender parts of being a mama-to-be. To feel life inside you is indescribable, but we still try because it is so special.
2. Bryce totally getting into being a Wolf Cub Scout, skimming his scout book and then reading and doing portions of it. He is so self-motivated!
3. Jeffrey making the best breakfasts--smoothies are his new passion, and they're pretty yummy.
4. Nathan: "Mommy, the water sounds crooked." Random!
Or, one of his prayers: "Thank Thee for our stuff, and for the things we have, and for more stuff."
Or, a conversation of ours:
Me, at the grocery store, getting out of the van: Come on, Nathan, hurry up!
Nathan: I just want to stay in here. You just go quick.
Me: No. You'd melt! (And by the way, for the record, I don't let him stay while I go in, though he does continue to ask, especially at boring stores like Home Depot or Joanns)
Nathan: What?
Me: You'd melt! It's hot! Come ON!
Nathan: How would I melt?
Me: (Now pulling him out of the van) You would get tired and not have enough water in your body, honey. It's hot!
Nathan: (After a thoughtful pause) Oh, is it a figure of speech?
Too smart, that one. : ) He took me literally at first though. I saw those gears turning at the possibility of humans melting like a crayon on hot pavement.
5. My boys. Did I mention my boys? I love them so much, and thoroughly enjoyed playing "It Came to Pass" with them this evening and reading the scriptures with them. We even enjoy calling Rob on the phone at work and putting him on speaker phone for family prayer since he's often at work when it's bedtime (though of course we would rather he were home.
Anyway, I love my boys' quirky personalities.
Bryce with his go-get-'em attitude (even though the downside of his 100%-involved nature is that when he's mad or upset, he fumes or wails like nothing else for a few minutes), Nathan being sharp as a tack and using his inquisitiveness to figure things out all the time, and Jeffrey's laugh when he finds things funny--he loves a good funny bit, whether it be a joke or a youtube video, a pun, or a family goof, like me (or him!) putting the milk in the cupboard because we're not paying attention.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
3 comments:
- Sarah K said...
Umm...did I miss something?
Congratulations! That's really exciting. BTW I was so distracted by #1 that I'll have to read the rest of the post another time.
When are you due?
- July 24, 2009 at 5:51 AM
- Kimbooly said...
Jan 4th! I'll link back to the post where I announced it. : )
- July 24, 2009 at 7:30 AM
- Kimbooly said...
Ok, I linked back to my announcement post--it's #4. : )
- July 24, 2009 at 7:35 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Well, I am now back in Pennsylvania, and will be starting my 2nd year of graduate school very soon. I intend on keeping this blog updated, but when things start getting busy there will probably be less posts.
On the way to my office yesterday I managed to take some cute shots of the wildlife on-campus. Below is the cutest one. This squirrel was licking all the sweet maple sap off the bark!


text:
This post will focus on boots. From flats, over-the-knee, bikers and lace-ups, I have seen many styles to choose from which means no matter what your shape, you can stomp around Aberdeen in some seriously striking boots!
My favourites are from Kurt Keiger, a store which has recently been sent from the fashion heavens to the Bon Accord Centre. Take at look at this fabulous bunch.
Venue (£250)
These over the knee boots are amazing! However, you prefer a slightly sexy boot, then why not try these?
Wand (£260)
These biker boots are also gorgeous. They have an edge over most of the boots I am going to feature..they have been reduced from £420 to £239! Get them now before they go!
These SUKI boots are my favourite in the Kurt Keiger range! These have also been reduced from £320 to £169! They have a 1960's winkle picker influenece which I adore.
Lace ups! With their suede texture and Cuban heel, you will receive envious glances walking through the granite city.
Victoria (£150)
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Blueberry Mint Julep1
Duyen Tran
Latest posts by Duyen Tran (see all)
- Cucumber Mint Gimlet - October 30, 2013
- Apple Cider Smoothie - October 23, 2013
- Mango Lassi Popsicles - October 16, 2013
To be completely honest, I've never been big on having a drink after work. I don't know how I missed that boat, because it's a great boat to be on sometimes.
So this week I tried to make a Blueberry Mint Julep a la How Sweet It Is.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Although mine was delicious, my drink ended up looking more black than blue. If you want to look at how pretty it can be, you should refer to the link above.
Mine? Not so pretty, but it did the trick!
Here's what you need:
- 2 1/2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce mint simple syrup
- 1 ounce mint blueberry puree
- crushed ice
- fresh mint leaves
You can prep the next two steps if you're having people over. Since this makes about one serving, just multiply by how many drinks you anticipate having.
Mint simple syrup
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 bunch of mint leaves
Combine sugar, mint and water together in a small saucepan and heat over high heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook for another minute or so, then set aside to cool completely. Remove mint before using. You can do this ahead of time and store it in the fridge!
Blueberry mint puree
- 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons mint simple syrup
In your Magic Bullet, combine blueberries and mint simple syrup until pureed.
Combine bourbon, mint simple syrup and mint blueberry puree together and shake or stir well. Pour over crushed iced and serve with extra mint leaves.
This is what How Sweet Eats' turned out. Obviously, her recipe rocks.
All credit for the picture below goes to How Sweet It Is.


text:
- Good morning Eric - said detective Clark with a note of desperation. - How are you today?
- Same old Linda. I'm doing my best on this case, having sleepless nights, hoping for something to come out of nothing and help us to find this guy. - Eric Adams was looking almost like a zombie, with big dark circles under his eyes, the color of his skin was mixture between white, light blue and yellow, his eyes were red, his hair was dirty and not combed for days.
- Get yourself up Eric. You don't have to surrender to this guy. We'll find him.
- Linda, what else we could do? You know that we've made everything we could. We've checked every single clue over and over again and still we are standing in front of the same list with suspects and asking ourselves the same question "Who is the killer?".
- Come on Eric, you didn't become a detective to give up on cases like this. We've revealed more convoluted cases. Just remember that the mayor gave us a medal for merit in fighting against the crime in the city. You are still the best detective in our department and this guy will end up in prison, I believe in you.
These words gave a note of confidence to detective Adams and he almost smiled. Linda noticed that and immediately grabbed the momentum: - Eric, come with me. Let's talk again with the delivery man Henry Turner. I think there is something he is not telling us. It was a hard month. Day after day the media was shooting with leading pages and leading titles:
The nerves and the pressure in the police department reached enormous level. It's been a week since the chief was just coming in the department, slamming the door of his office and staying there until the late hours. His phone was ringing almost whole day, every day. All of the detectives were contacted by different media in order to give interviews. Even the work on simple cases became exhaustive. The police telephonist received a call:
- Police department. How can I help you?
- I want to signal for a murder. I found a cashier killed. I think it's a victim of the cashier killer.
- OK, mister. Could you give me the location and we'll send a team.
- The body is in a garage on 25th Maple
. - Could you tell me your name? - said the telephonist while the man on the other side hung up the phone. She opened the door and shouted out. - Listen up. There is a signal for a new murder by the cashier killer, on 25th Mable, in a garage. The call was made from a street phone. I'll give you more details for it in a minute.
Eric Adams and Linda Clark left the office for seconds. It looked like this was the thing that they have waited for. Ten minutes later they arrived on Maple. Linda made a phone call to identify the street phone, while Eric was making a view of the perimeter, which was already secured by the police officers. The detectives entered into the garage and found a familiar look. Lying body of a stabbed woman with a lot of blood all over the place, there were note and coin on the dead body. They have started investigating the crime scene, collecting the clues and making photos.
Later that day the news was already spread on radio and television, when the chief was waiting in the meeting room in the department. His personal phone rang:
- Hello chief.
- Hello, Mr. Mayor. - said the chief.
- You know why I'm calling, right?
- Yes.
- Is there any progress on the case?
- I have a meeting with the detectives, which will start in a minute. I hope we'll have some progress.
- Hopes don't calm the citizens chief and you know it. We need the killer, or at least someone arrested. The situation will go out of control if one more cashier is killed.
- OK, mayor. We'll do our best and you know it. Adams and Clark are working twenty four seven on this. I think with the new victim we'll have more clues.
- Chief, I'll call you tomorrow and then you will have a suspect to arrest.
The chief put his cell phone in his pocket. He was concerned, a few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead. He faced a lot of hard cases since he was appointed for a chief of the police department, but this time he had the feeling that the killer will escape from the hands of the law. The door of the meeting room was opened and the chief heard the voice of Linda Clark:
- Hello chief. We have good news and bad news.
- Take your places detectives - said the chief, trying to hide his concerns. – What are the news?
- OK chief. We have some suspects, three known and one new - stated Adams.
- Linda, could you present me the whole situation?
- First of all let me present you the good news. We found a street camera, situated on the other side of the street. On the tape we saw the murderer, but as you could imagine, he was well prepared. He arrived with a car, we could identify only the model, but we could not see any registration number. He took the body out of the car, opened the garage door, placed the body and then stabbed it. Obviously he drugged the victim and killed her while she was still drugged. The pathologist found drugs in the body of the victim. Finally the killer put the note and the coin on the body and escaped from the place leaving the door opened. So the good news is that we made a physical profile of the killer and using it we eliminated two of the suspects - Bruce White, the husband of the first victim and Harold Edwards, the owner of the brand. I'll continue with the suspects. We have our favorite and it's Carl Baker, the client. It's very suspicious that he was a client in three of the markets in the week before the death of the cashiers, but at the interrogations he had an explanation, which was confirmed by other people. He had an alibi for the first and the third murders, but strangely both times it was confirmed by his mother. There's something more, we have checked why he was in prison and guess what? The documents from the court were missing. The next one is "the flirt guy" Raymond Mitchell. It's completely strange how this guy has a connection whit every victim. Mitchell was working in this store, before being transferred to the store where the first victim was working with for disciplinary offense. Henry Turner, the supplier, was our favorite until the last murder. The psychological profile of the guy was leading us to that. He is very temper and had problems with every store where the victims worked. He had troubles with his employer too and is very close to dismissal. The last one is a young boy, something like a journalist. He is writing in his personal blog. So this guy Fred West is investigating along with us, but the strange thing is that in his articles he admire the cashier killer. He said that he was impressed by his perfectness and the way of beating us in the investigation. Eric mentioned that this could be a murder made by a follower of the cashier killer and this guy West is suspicious enough. We suppose that this could be done by a follower, because this time the victim was murdered when she was drugged, while in the bodies of the first and the second victims there were no signs of drugs. That's it chief. - OK guys. I have to tell you something. I really trust you and I hope this won't come out of this room. I just had a talk with the mayor and he wants someone arrested until tomorrow. So the plan is to have one more meeting tomorrow morning and three of us will decide which of the suspects will be arrested.
On the next morning the pressure grew even more. The city wanted a culprit. The syndicate of the cashiers started a public protest right in front of the police department. There were banners, people gave interviews and the protest was on every local TV channels. Even the national televisions sent reporters. The crowd was shouting: "We don't want to be killed, who has the guilt?". At the same time the chief was standing in his chair thinking of his future acts, while the voice of the mayor was sounding in his ears "you will have suspect to arrest". He ran his fingers through his beard, then he stand up, walk to the door, put his hand on the handle and freeze for a moment. The chief was standing there trying to gain the needed confidence.
- Ok guys. Listen up. - said the chief, while closing the door of his office - I want everyone focused. Me, Linda and Eric will have a meeting and then will give a press conference, because the city wants answers. We are pressed against the wall, so there is no way out, except revealing the killer. We need his identity. Give me something guys, give me someone. From now on, it's us against the killer, justice against crime.
So, could you help the city, could you help the detectives, could you help the chief…
Could you guess who is the cashier killer?
Become serial: new victim of the cashier killer


text:
A great weekend at the Summer Arts Fair. Old and new customers, sunny weather and great to be out of the studio for the weekend. Now back to the studio with the San Juan County Fair ahead mid August.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Summer Arts Fair
Posted by Paula West Pottery at 1:51 PM 2 comments:
Labels: Friday Harbor, Summer Arts Fair
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Drying in the Sun
Pots drying in the sun soon to be glazed.
I am getting ready for the Summer Arts Fair this weekend in downtown Friday Harbor. A glaze firing is almost to temp and another on will follow as soon as this is cool enough to unload. I don't have as many pots as I would like for the show. It has been busy in the studio, which is good, but it leaves me slim for the fair. The good thing is pots have been selling.
Posted by Paula West Pottery at 8:10 AM No comments:
Labels: Friday Harbor, glazed, Summer Arts Fair, sun
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Farmers Market
It was a wonderful day at the San Juan Island Farmers Market last weekend. I had a great backdrop to my table. The market brings out many local folks as well as visitors to the island. A great social event as well as a way to support local farmers and artisans.
Posted by Paula West Pottery at 10:49 PM No comments:
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Studio is Open
The studio is open most days with summer under way and lots of visitors to the island. Come on in and say hello if you are visiting San Juan Island. I have had some wonderful visitors from all over the country as San Juan Island is a vacation destination. I enjoy showing people around the studio and educating them on the process of pottery making.
Off to the San Juan Island Farmers Market today.
Posted by Paula West Pottery at 7:31 AM No comments:
Labels: farmers market, san juan island, studio, visit
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Daring, illuminating, and inspiring. These best describe a journal that took birth not so way back in the pre-emergency days in 1954. It was called Quest – 'a quarterly of inquiry, criticism and ideas'. With a prolific writer, poet and social commentator Nissim Ezekiel at its helm, this magazine commented on the political, social, philosophical, cultural and ideological environment of a newly liberated India. The magazine featured a motley of brilliant writers and poets of the time that included great names such as the zesty Dilip Chitre, sociologists such as Ashis Nandy and Sudhir Kakar, and the feisty Khushwant Singh and the haunting poet Agha Shahid Ali to name a very few of those geniuses.
In its short life of 2 decades, this insightful magazine was forced to down its shutters, but fortunately for our generation today, The Best of Quest, an anthology of the very best essays, critiques, poems and stories from an era bygone provides us with a superb insight into the thinking of the intelligentsia of those times.
The Best of Quest edited by Laeeq Futehally, Achal Prabhala and Arshia Sattar showcases writers from different backgrounds, and conversations on a myriad themes and topics. Divided into seven parts interspersed with old ads and including a worthy introduction and endnotes, this book features in three parts, Essays and Opinion, Poetry and Fiction. Several translated works are thankfully included in this volume that might just have been lost. At the end of the book, I am already wishing, there was a second volume in this series!
In the Essays section, what struck me was that so many of the articles commented on the questions that are still raging more than 50 years down the road. This section, includes writings on the still debatable caste system, the place of women in an evolving society in articles such as Women's Lib in India, The Married Woman and Our Sex Morality, Fair and Free; cultural discussions on the Konark temple; the Islamic connection in a still relevant article Am I a Muslim. On a lighter note, the spirited two articles, On Caged Chaffinches and Polyglot Parrots and a reply to it in Indian Writing in English on the usage of English as a medium of expression were uplifting. Movies have always been ingrained in the fabric of India and these were seen in caustic critique of Satyajit Ray juxtaposed with the hit movie Bobby by the then mysterious 'D' aka Dilip Chite and in the Charm of Rajesh Khanna. I wish I could quote or just list down all the well researched articles that said so much in so few words and truly provided a glimpse into the world which barely seems to have changed since then.
Poetry included works by the editor and great poet himself, Nissim Ezekiel, Kamala Das, A.K. Ramanujan to name a very few.
Some lines that I think will stick on in my head are in
Stance by Nissim Ezekiel
Elusive for ever,
the middle road
is never
in the middle.
From Three Cups of Tea by Arun Kolatkar –
i went to Burma
i was arrested and sent back
to Manipur
no passport
the police commissioner asked
why did you go to burma?
Prickface i said
what's there in India?
I also particularly enjoyed 'City Streets' by Santan Rodrigues which echoes what I think of Indian cities today with the scum and filth in them.
In the fiction section, a fantastic array of haunting, satirical and charming stories has been selected with great care in this book. I loved the twist in The Departure, the simplicity in Aunt Matilda turns ninety and the poignant story The Accompanist. Again, an enthralling anthology of fiction.
The endnotes and the story behind the magazine Quest were illuminating and I felt privileged to read so much more about Nissim Ezekiel, Dilip Chitre and the other scintillating men behind Quest. Kudos to the editors for the incredible collection of the essays, stories and poems in this terrific book.
My verdict is a thumping 4.5 on 5 for this book.
About the Editors -
Laeeq Futehally is a writer and garden designer. She worked as the Literary Editor of Quest for over twenty years.
Achal Prabhala is a writer and researcher in Bangalore
Arshia Sattar works with classical Indian literatures and teachers at various institutions across the country


text:
After a four-hour reviewing of the latest Matthew Nimetz's proposal, the Macedonian top officials and party leaders decided to convene for a new meeting on Sunday.
Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki announced this Thursday night, adding that the participants asked for more time for additional consultations.
Previously, President Branko Crvenkovski said that the latest proposal was the worst ever that Nimetz came forward with.
PM Nikola Gruevski said that Macedonia's wish to join NATO is very strong, but that the name cannot be sacrificed to achieve that goal.
Ahead of today's meeting, the leader of the opposition SDSM, Radmila Sekerinska, accused PM Gruevski of being hypocritical. According to her, he publicly rejected any change of the country's name, but on the other hand, he expressed readiness to accept solutions like Democratic Republic of Macedonia or Independent Republic of Macedonia.
The state leadership shares the position that this decision can only be made at a referendum, which would be set up in case Greece accepts any of these solutions.
In the meantime, the Greek daily Naftemporiki cited in its electronic edition the Greek foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos as saying that Greece had already prepared the response on the Nimetz's latest proposal.
According to Koumoutsakos, the Greek negotiator Adamantios Vassilakis was tasked to get in touch with Nimetz to inform him that after scrutinizing the proposal, the Greek government made a decision as to which elements are unacceptable for them, which ones are negotiable and what changes should be introduced.
Naftemporiki did not specify the proposals that are acceptable for Greece.
MD: And the battle continues...


text:
Loara HS (LHS) Class of 1986 Alumni List
Help us Update the Loara HS 1986 Class List by adding any names missing from the list below:
Registered Alumni
1986 Class List
- Lorena Alvarez
- Stacie Bailey
- Brian Boardman
- Ashley Boshell
- Barbra Buckly
- Renee Burns
- Rachel Carlisle
- Tang Dong
- Sean Eckert
- Reina Estrella
- Kim Favilla
- Debbie Frye Mroczko
- Geraldine Galang
- Miller Gary
- Scott Gillis
- Temple Golanka
- Yliana Gonsalez
- Marty Grois
- Jody Hamlin
- Maureen Hlucky
- Christine Hogarth
- Denise Houghton
- Christopher Jackson
- Wendy Jones
- Whitehead June
- Tony Kanal
- Lisa Klatzker
- Estela Lopez
- Thorie Maginnis
- Groise Martin
- Debbie Martinez
- Amy Medbery
- Denise Medbery
- Thori Meginnes
- Ray Montoya
- Cesar Morales
- Marco Navarro
- Dung Nguyen
- Kelly Oday
- Joey Pactwa
- Alvaro Perez
- Tutti Pham
- John Porcelli
- Paul Pugh
- Kevin Purtell
- Roy Ray
- Pilar Rhemes
- Paula Rohland
- Michael Rudd
- Ken Satoh
- Robert Seebo
- John Spence
- Gwyn Stefani
- Dave Storm
- Brian Taber
- Michelle Teegardin
- Michael Valeriano
- Deborah Van Duykeren
- Karl Venrick
- David Wackerman
Know Loara HS Class of 1986 graduates that are NOT on this List? Help us Update the 1986 Class List by adding missing names.
1986 Loara High School Yearbook
1986 Loara High School Yearbook
Click here to view at Classmates.com®
Top Gun was the top movie in theaters in 1986, with a lifetime gross of over $176,786,701. Among TV shows in 1986, The Cosby Show was the most popular of the year.
Hit Songs From 1986
Hit Movies From 1986
Hit TV Shows From 1986
Reunions and Loara High School News
More 1986 alumni from Loara HS have posted profiles on Classmates.com®. Click here to register for free at Classmates.com® and view other 1986 alumni.
Alumni from the Loara High School class of 1986 that have been added to this alumni directory are shown on this page. All of the people on this page graduated in '86 from Loara HS. You can register for free to add your name to the LHS alumni directory.
You can share memories of those activities that you were involved with at Loara HS and you can view other alumni and read what other former students have posted about the time they spent at Loara.


text:
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Bottom Of The Sea Blues
Anyway... A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling really fed up and sick of my overgrown hair. My last haircut was well over a year ago, while on holiday in Taiwan. So, I decided to just cut a load of my hair off. I really like this new cut, it feels a lot nicer and I think the length is quite flattering. TA-DA!!!
In other news... I've got tickets to see Johnny Flynn on 8th October! At the moment, I'm making do with his new singles. 'Bottom of the Blue Seas' is beautiful. Can't wait for the new album.
Hope you're all well! Sorry for this boring post, but thought I'd give you all a small update. :-)
Chloe. X
2 comments:
How does applying for Uni work over there? Down here we take an Australian-wide test and are given a number from 1-25 (1 is the best) and from there we can apply to certain degrees at certain Uni's. You need a certain number (called an OP - Overall Position) to be able to get into better courses. When I graduated it was things like a 6 for journalism, 11 for Arts, 3 for Science etc. And then you were told which courses you could accept at which Uni's.ReplyDelete
Love your new hair cut!
x Jasmine
Hi Jasmine!ReplyDelete
Wow, I had no idea that the Australian system was so different! In terms of pre-uni requisites, most English students complete GCSEs at age 16. Then, from age 17-18, most students study 3 A-level subjects, though some people can take more. Students complete AS-levels in the first year of A-level and they complete A2-levels in the second year. At the start of the second year, students apply to up to 5 specified courses (either at 5 different universities or even 2/3/4/5 different courses at the same university though the latter option is unlikely). Everyone must submit one personal statement (which goes to each university) demonstrating why they want to study that particular course, so it's easier to write this if you apply for the same course at 5 different unis. When making offers, universities will usually base their decisions on GCSEs, AS-level results, A2 predicted grades, the personal statement and the school teacher's reference. Then, universities will usually make conditional offers, e.g. A*AA/AAA/AAB/ABB, etc. which the students must achieve in order to get into that university! Universities vary their grade requirements depending on demand/prestige of the course & university, etc. I hope that makes sense!
And thanks! :-)
Chloe. X


text:
Megan fox pictures. Extra Pictures:
Can someone help me? (Easy) (10 points)? Hey! Im writing a long story about a brother, sister, age (15 years) who are magicians and the need to overcome a couple of young (20-28 years) are assistants have also recently killed their parents. The twins have Counsul (youth 20-25 years) who helps them. I need help with the image of the character physically. Ok, I have some people who play the characters chosen. Here they are Rose - Sister (DescrptionBlonde, blue eyes, very pretty) (Real Life Person One of my friends) http / / / photofunia.com view / DtkISUhnjkRaq ... http / / photofunia.com/view/yCpZJ8Hjqd4lH ... Evil Wizard (Wife) - no name yet (Description of Character Blue eyes black hair, Hot) (Person In Real Life Megan Fox) http / / / bocaberta.org wp-content / uploads / ... Elle - Counsul (Character Description green eyes, Short, Blonde, beautiful) http / / / backseatcuddler.com wp-content / up ... Ok, so what are all the guys I picked it up, this is were u come in. I need help finding actors for some of the other characters or help to change a character. Ill give a description of the units I need-Shane - Brother (Description Light brown or blond hair, green or blue eyes, looks a bit like Rose)-Evil Wizard (Man) (Description beautiful they must look be evil and Megan Foxs Type) Give me the name of the actor, model, singer, etc. and a link to an image if you can. Remember that you can help me find another option for a person or a person for two people who I have not found someone who can play.
Download her naked video!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Megan fox pictures. Stuff.
Posted by Ethan Varas at 7:17 AM
Labels: megan fox pictures
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
|A couple of Sunday's ago, we decided to go to a abandoned house in the neighborhood a pick the apples off of their awesome half pear half apple tree.
|We were lacking real apple picking supplies so we tried using a step stool and an old measuring stick we found around the house. (oh Mary)
|Caroline was such a pro with the whacking stick that she didn't need the ladder.
|Jeremy made a great pie with the apples, but Gunther got to it while it was cooling on the counter. We couldn't let it go to waste though so we ate around the Gunther infected area. It was delicious!!!


text:
In beginning,when facebook started my good friend Ken told me about lot bad rules and terms at facebook and at first i didn't open my profile there.
But few years ago most of my friends had open facebook profile and that was reason why i opened mine facebook profile.
But i didn't made mistake by adding my pics there coz my friend ken asked me not to do that.
Thank you Ken,you done good job for me!!
I use facebook only to share my blog posts and that's all....and i think if facebook will stay as its today soon most of users will leave it!
Today prime cour warn facebook about its privacy rules and owner Mark Zuckerberg admit about all mistakes facebook stuff made in last 4 years.
Marc Zuckerberg apologize to all of us who have facebook profile but that's nothing when we know that he as owner or Facebook don't need to pay for all what was done with ours pics par example.
From today Facebook will must pay thousands dollars if they brake privacy rules.
That's giving us some hope that from today we will have better privacy at Facebook.


text:
Several Denver television stations filed a motion Monday seeking to put a camera in the courtroom during the Aurora movie theater murder trial of James Holmes.
The motion asks for one video camera in a fixed position inside the courtroom during the trial, currently scheduled to begin with jury selection in December. The TV stations — all of those in the city with a nightly newscast plus the cable channel Court TV — say the camera will not be a disturbance to the trial.
"A television camera which allows a live feed to be sent outside the courtroom actually reduces the number of media representatives in the courtroom," the stations argue in the motion.
Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour said during a hearing Monday that he will likely set another hearing in September to debate the request.
Monday's hearing was mostly devoted to the vetting of fingerprint-identification experts. Three analysts — two from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and one from the Aurora Police Department — testified about how they match fingerprints found at crime scenes to suspects. Samour will rule later whether they can be admitted as expert witnesses at trial.
Meanwhile, an order made public Monday means defense attorneys will not be able to obtain the records of a mystery witness.
John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@ denverpost.com, or twitter.com/ John_Ingold


text:
The Kapil Sharma Show
The Kapil Sharma Show (By Medsuper)
The actress is just killing it…
Katrina Kaif had a rough year at the start when her highly publicised film Fitoor tanked badly at the box office. The big screen adaptation of Charles Dic-kens' The Great Expectations didn't meet any expectation, great or no. Resultant? The film flopped miserably. That made people wonder if Katrina Kaif's days in Bollywood are numbered and then came Kala Chashma from Baar Baar Dekho and everyone fell silent. Her abs, her moves, her attitude…unmatchable! It won't be a stretch to say she is looking her best in the film. Baar Baar Dekho will release soon and the actress and her co-star are on a promotional spree. Recently, they went to Kapil Sharma's show where the actress upped the glamour quotient with Kala Chashma. Now, we are dying to watch this episode.
Katrina in printed dress and black glasses is looking like an epitome of beauty. She is so stunning in these pictures that we can't take our eyes off her. If you thought, it's just her abs that make her desirable, she can give any actress a run for their money by just flaunting a simple dress without showing any skin. It's all in the attitude and Kat carries that off beautifully.
Sidharth too can be seen matching steps with her, naani and Kapil Sharma, who by the way looks kind of lost and we can understand. It's not everyday that such a hottie walks in on the sets for some laughter. We are sure he will try to flirt with her too and that would be interesting to watch.
Katrina and Sidharth promoted the film in various cities. The social media handle of Baar Baar Dekho has been posting stills from the films with messages which are crazy cool. Like for example the one where Sid complains of Katrina being a pain in the a**. Katrina's messy hair and Sidharth's innocence are the highlights of this picture. We liked the way Katrina looks at her reel beau fondly and her just out of bed look makes her look even more se-xy. There are other such equally naughty and cozy stills from the film that are peaking the interest just right. The two look so good together and are often seen hugging and getting close together during photo-ops that you would really want them to become a couple. But then we know it's all done for the film and we hope when the film releases, all this pays off.
Meanwhile you check out the pictures of Katrina and Sidharth on Kapil Sharma Show.
Credit : moumita bhattacharjee


text:
6 night Fiji holiday package deal @ Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. Excellent value.
includes flights to Fiji.
Pack your bags. Time to escape to beautiful Fiji in the summer holidays. Reduced rates plus daily full buffet breakfast – be quick.
Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort is an award winning 5 star resort on Fiji's Coral Coast. With a wonderful kids club, loads of resort activities & a huge lagoon style swimming pool, it's a kids paradise. Boasting 4 unique restaurants and 5 bars, mountaintop Bebe Spa & adults only swimming pool, it's heaven for parents. This fabulous all-round resort has something for everyone. So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags. It's your turn to escape to Fiji. Bula!
Click to read more about Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort OR view this deal's inclusions below
Call us
Travel Validity
Valid for travel 01 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 (block-out dates & high season surcharges apply). Sale to 30 June 2018.
Holiday Pennies
Best for family & friends holiday budgets between $3,500-$6,500
Get your passports, get booked, and get to Fiji. Bula!


text:
Sunday, February 8, 2009
A Crushing Blow
So I got a chance to ask Crush a question and thought I'd see just how flexible this program is. The convo, where I spoke in my most fluent Turtle, went something like this:
C: So, Dudical Derrill, what's your question?
D: Do you have, like, a totally awesome recipe for, like, Turtle Soup?
... (Crush's mouth dropped open in shock for a moment while the crowd tittered. He then fled behind some rocks on the left. Peeking out, he said)
C: Duuuuuude, TELL me that you are just kidding!
D: I mean the soup that turtles eat, dude.
C: ... That would be sea water..... There's a lot of it.... Everywhere... (He's still hiding, though). So what do you eat, and DON'T say Turtle Soup.
D: Pizza.
C: That's cool. (He came back out.) When I eat the sea greens, it turns my skin a righteous green color. Does your skin turn pizza color?
(I thought about the times I've spilled pizza on myself.)
D: Sometimes.
C: (Crush thinks about that for a second). That's good. That means you're eating enough pizza.
At the end of his show, he was making a pun about avoiding an enemy/anemone, and when he had too much difficulty saying anemone correctly, said "avoid Derrill" instead. "He eats turtle soup."
It surprised me that he reacted so strongly to my question. I mean, I thought he was a more seasoned actor than that. Thyme, marjoram, bay leaf, some onion and celery..... I think I set back human/turtle relations several Pixar films.
This attraction comes highly rated. Just don't tell him I sent you.
1 comment:
- Rick P said...
This sounds like great fun! I'd be curious to hear how many Disney 'Imagineers' are pulling strings from behind the scenes, and how much they've actually turned loose to act on its own.
If you think about the last few game systems that have been coming out, one of the major features is these high performance graphics cards (nVidia, ATI Radeon, for example). The companies have been majorly successful and primarily driven by the gaming industry. Seems a logical direction they are moving is to provide as close to real-time rendering of the game experience, such that you truly feel as though you are part of a real time, interactive, high quality movie, rather than a predetermined thing. (And not just a part of it, but the central character!)
Also seems that the latest batch of game consoles offer spectacular potential, but the software engineers aren't keeping pace as well with the capabilities. As such, there's a bit of a lag between the console release and the games which could take full advantage of what is offered. (Maybe I'm in the wrong field?) Then the gaming industry gets disrupted by this wierd Wii thing, which abandons all attempts at pushing processor speed or graphics benchmarks, and finds a very innovative manner in which to enchant their users.
It will be interesting to see whether the gaming industry makes the last few leaps to produce truly immersive games (fully interactive movies), or whether they redirect themselves because the programmers are stumped by how many features they've been offered!
- February 10, 2009 at 8:21 AM


text:
Hints and tips showing how to pass level 904 Candy Crush Soda Saga without boosters by Cookie
You have 30 moves to spread the jam.
Level 904 Soda Saga is classified as a hard level, so you can expect to lose a few lives before you manage to pass it.
The blockers are very thick in the bottom so you will need some heavy duty combos to clear everything and spread the jam.
A Rainbow Kimmy would be the best way to clear this but this isn't always easy to make.
Failing that you will need to make as many other combos as you can. Stripe/wrap combos as well as colour bombs switched with either stripes or wraps. There is no secret to passing level 904 except blasting away with anything you can make!
Video below
Be the first to see new videos
Subscribe to my Youtube channel


text:
The worldwide conspiracy that puts the Pope and Seyyid Hassan Nasrallah in bed together in order to destroy Israel has finally been uncovered:
The Pope and the cardinals of the Vatican help organize tours of Auschwitz for Hezbollah members to teach them how to wipe out Jews, according to a booklet being distributed to Israel Defense Forces soldiers.
Officials encouraging the booklet's distribution include senior officers, such as Lt. Col. Tamir Shalom, the commander of the Nahshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade.
The booklet was published by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, in cooperation with the chief rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu, and has been distributed for the past few months.
The booklet, titled "On Either Side of the Border," purports to be the testimony of "a Hezbollah officer who spied for Israel."
"The book is distributed regularly and everyone reads it and believes it," said one soldier. "It's filled with made-up details but is presented as a true story. A whole company of soldiers, adults, told me: 'Read this and you'll understand who the Arabs are.'"
The copy obtained by Haaretz included a Pesach greeting from Shalom, "in the name of the Nahshon Brigade."
The story is narrated by a man named Avi, who says he changed his name from Ibrahim after he left Hezbollah and converted to Judaism. Avi says he was once close to Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, and describes Hezbollah's purported close relationships with the Vatican and European leaders.


text:
Jerky Love Song
|Song: Jerky Love Song| |Artist: Grammatrain | |Record: Lonely House | |Label: Forefront | |Tabbed by: Steve | |email@example.com | ----------------------- Hi there everybody. Just the other day I picked up a cd called Lonely House. I popped it in and listened. When I heard "Jerky Love Song", I thought it would be totally awesome to tab it. Guess what! I did. Some of you have heard of that ever popular POWER CHORD. This song uses them. Its quite simple really. For those of you who are starring at your screen wondering what a power chord is, let me explain. I power chord is a 5th chord. Example: E5 G5 Below is a diagram of what chords are used and their places on the guitar. Chord: G5 F5 A5 E ---------|---------|--------- B ---------|---------|--------- G ---------|---------|--------- D ----5----|----3----|----7---- A ----5----|----3----|----7---- E ----3----|----1----|----5---- If you have too much trouble playing the D string, you can drop it and it will still sound good. Well, here is the song. Short and sweet. Enjoy: Play with a heavy rock strum. Verse 1: G5 F5 G5 F5 I can never pay my bills. I can never just sit still. G5 F5 G5 F5 Never know what I should say. I hope you love me anyway. Ease up on the strum a little. Chorus (heys): A5 G5 A5 G5 A5 G5 A5 G5 Heeeeey... Heeeeey... Heeeeey... Hey! Now comes a little solo that some funkster will have to figure out for me. On to verse 2. Back to a heavy rock strum. Verse 2: G5 F5 G5 F5 I know I can be obscene. I'm addicted to caffeine. G5 F5 G5 F5 I don't smile all the time. I hope that love is really blind. Repeat Chorus: Hey Hey Hey Hey!


text:
What's On > The Tempest
Luton Library Theatre
Group discount: Buy 10+ and save 10%
|Booking information:
|Box Office: 01582 878100
BILIMANKHWE ARTS present
This powerful, passionate and magical production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest features stunning contemporary African choreography from Shyne Phiri and an original soundtrack which samples traditional Malawian music. With live music and full of humour and movement, the show is fast paced, urban and exciting.
The Tempest is a gripping comedy of magic, love and redemption. The sorcerer Prospero and his teenage daughter Miranda are exiled on a strange magical island. When Prospero raises a storm to destroy his enemies, revenge - and escape from the island - seems to be within his reach at last.
By bringing together artists from Africa and Europe, the company uses the best from both continents to both entertain and move audiences. The Tempest is supported by Africa Express and Arts Council England.
Age guidance: 10+
'One of the most novel - and most captivating - versions of the play that I've seen in a long while [...] the show features some of the most hauntingly played and delicately written music (from Ben Mankhamba and Frederick Rich) that I've ever heard in a version of this play' ★★★★★ Act Drop
The 'excellent live musical contribution from Ben Mankhamba, Frederick Rich becomes even more evocative under Charlie Morgan Jones' extraordinary lighting, which recreates the beauty of the African skies, with their multifaceted sunsets and moonlit nights' ★★★★ Everything Theatre
|Event website:


text:
By Tina Morrison
CBL Corp, which sells credit surety and financial risk insurance, plans to sell shares to raise as much as $132 million and list on the New Zealand and Australian sharemarkets.
Auckland-based CBL intends to sell shares to institutional investors in New Zealand, Australia and other countries, and to retail investors in New Zealand, at an indicative range of $1.45 to $1.85 apiece, it said in a statement.
A bookbuild to determine the price will take place on September 17, with the shares expected to start trading October 13.
CBL, which began as Contractors Bonding Ltd in 1973, derives almost 98 percent of its revenue from its international operations.
The company expects a listing to increase its profile, broaden its investor base, increase its regulatory capital capacity, and help fund growth, including the acquisition of Australian insurer Assetinsure.
"CBL has a track record of successfully growing its business by focusing on profitable, non-traditional insurance lines in specific markets," said chairman John Wells.
"We have identified several opportunities for further growth and development, and the money we raise from this offer will help us take advantage of those opportunities."
The company's net profit for 2014 rose eight percent to $19.4m on gross written premiums of $242m. It expects pro-forma net profit to rise 34 percent in 2015 to $26m on gross written premium of $335m, and 2016 net profit to rise 55 percent to $40.4m on gross written premium of $397m.
CBL's existing major shareholders and senior management intend to sell as much as 15 percent of their shares.


text:
We had a special storytime today, so it was structured a bit differently.
Like always, we started with our opening song. Then we moved on to our story, Dinosaur Dig! by Penny Dale.
Dinosaur Dig! is about a group of ten very noisy dinosaurs who are working very hard to build something. To mimic the noise of their machinery, each of the kids were given a pair of rhythm sticks that they banged together or banged on the floor every time the dinosaurs got noisy.
After our story, the kids were allowed to go to different stations I set up around the room:
Station 1: plastic dinosaurs, foam blocks
Station 2: plastic dinosaurs in fake snow (half shaving cream, half baking soda)
Station 3: plastic dinosaur skeletons buried in flour, paintbrushes for "excavation"
Station 4: dinosaur floor puzzle
Station 5: Magic Nuudles, paper, dinosaur coloring pages, markers
Station 6: dinosaur books
Station 7: snacks
When the kids were done checking out the stations, they helped me clean up and picked out a book to take home with them.
Next week we'll return to our regular preschool class. Join us as we learn more about different kinds of weather!


text:
06 March 2015
5 comments:
ah you made me smile... longing for sweet comfort too, and suffering with irritable gut...ReplyDelete
I VERY much want my husband to find someone else to love and be loved by if I go first. I cannot bear to think of him alone.ReplyDelete
You made me laugh, both with the horribly healthy kitchen and the conversation with you husband, I've had both. Our kitchen is less wholesome these days (and my body less happy for it) but I still annoy my husband with impossible questions.ReplyDelete
Your kitchen and conversation sound very much like ours. Makes me wonder if it sounds anything like conversations our parents had. For some reason, I don't think so.ReplyDelete
This is marriage at a certain stage. I remember my parents having such conversations. And now my husband and I have our version of them too bReplyDelete


text:
Breakfasting on the weekends is one of my favorite things to do.
Mr. Tidy usually makes breakfast for us that consists of grits and eggs.
Thought I'd change it up a bit this weekend and make scones.
This was my first time making them and
all I can say is...delish!
I'm hooked.
I think strawberries are the cutest fruit, don't you?
Happy Weekending, friends!


text:
I've written about the film Dirty Laundry when it was making its rounds through the film festival circuit.
Now, I'm writing again to tell you that you've got to go see Dirty Laundry when it releases in theatres nationally on December 7 (NYC and L.A.) and then December 28 (everywhere else). In L.A., it plays in the theatre at The Beverly Center.
As a fellow creative type, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to support a project like Dirty Laundry during the first weekend and week... in a theatre. Those numbers, whether it's a film or a book, send a message to the powers-that-be that there is a paying audience for our types of projects.
Fun(ny). Poignant. Touching. Looking at how families deal with each other's secrets when they get together.
Stars Loretta Devine. Rockmond Dunbar. Jenifer Lewis. And Maurice Jamal, who also serves as writer and director.
Check out a trailer of the film here. Then take all your family to go see it this holiday season!
DC #897: Performer of the Week
1 hour ago


text:
I am building a bank, and I have some new unused 18650s Panasonics, but bought at different times. Do these need to be matched somehow, or just installed and charged? Never having built a bank, what do I need to know?
Batteries are protected, and bank holds seven batteries in parallel.
Battery bank question
I am building a bank, and I have some new unused 18650s Panasonics, but bought at different times. Do these need to be matched somehow, or just installed and charged? Never having built a bank, what do I need to know?
I have never build a bank before myself. IMHO its always a good idea to measure actual capacity of your cells if you can. It also doesn't hurt to use them a bit and cycle them a couple times just to make sure they hold charges and deliver current. My hobby charger has a .5A discharge test that counts amp-hours, and its a decent way to approximate capacity of individual cells.
If you put all of them in parallel – it doesn't matter too much.
Only in Series they should be all pretty much the same in capacity and internal resistance
Just make sure the cells are in a more or less close state of charge (voltage) before connecting them in parallel to avoid any heavy current inrush. This is unlikely to be really harmful, though.
You may want to remove the protection circuitry in the cells, costs you a slight performance loss and the powerbank circuitry does that automatically. It is possible you may have to do it because the cells don't fit in the box anyway.
Minor point.
But maybe it was implied they should be the same model aka capacity.
If the bank your building as opposed to assembling will have cells in series then your into either a balance charger or balance circuitry in the bank proper.
If not going to go with any balance circuitry then try "bottom balancing" as opposed to full charged. Because it is more important to have them run down to the same voltage as opposed to charge up to the same voltage.
I'm not an expert but I did run in to the concept and it seems to make sense.
("It's good that most people can't remember their previous lives. Otherwise
things would be a lot more complicated than they already are."
Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo)
Thanks for the replies guys… I know I'm getting smarter, cause I'm always learning that there's stuff I don't know.


text:
Neil Armstrong
Since the time I read about the Apollo program in Andrew Chaikin's A man on the moon, every time I looked at the moon I have always wondered what an incredible achievement landing on the moon was. That thought never failed to moist by eyes. Today it was announced that Neil Amstrong passed away. We are not sure when exactly it happened. Twitter is abuzz with people sharing links about him. I thought I can share with you some interesting articles I read. Here they are.
What did the then American president, Richard Nixon, plan to say if the Moon landing failed? Here is the prepared statement.
The statement from his family announcing his death.
A really interesting piece in the garb of advice to journalists on what photos should NOT be used in tomorrow's newspapers.
Statement from Buzz Aldrin, the second person who landed on the moon, on Neil Armstrong's passing away.
An obituary in The Economist.
The actual video of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon …
… and what the conversation at that time was.
Neil Armstrong's last interviewwhich ends rather well. When asked about conspiracy theories of the moon landing being a hoax, he replies:
it was never a concern to me because I know one day, somebody is going to go fly back up there and pick up that camera I left.
To end this on a positive note, here is the New York Times article published the day after the landing.
Just so the enormity of the achievement is not lost on us, here is Neil Armstrong on the moon (from NASA's picture gallery).


text:
The Man
The man is in pain. It's no joke. The pain is all too real. He sits. His seat is a blanket in the middle of a street. Sometimes the seat is in somebody's house. Things are iffy for him now. Things, events, are not to be trusted. He feels that they have done him enough damage. He doesn't feel like getting more on top of every other type of damage. What more can he lose? Hasn't he lost enough already? He sits and he sleeps. Food doesn't exist for him anymore. Nothing exists except whatever eases, or pretends to ease, the pain.
Posts Tagged 'man'
The ManApril 11, 2017
The Man
DollarAugust 17, 2015
The Dollar
"It was a dollar. Can you believe it? They stole a damn dollar from me." He rubbed his eyes hard with his middle fingers to wake himself up. "How did they do it? His friend asked. "I was asleep and somebody put their hand in my pocket."
"I am sorry," someone walking by said." It shouldn't have happened." He waved his hands up in the air. "Do you have a cigarette on you?" "No, I don't smoke." The man on the sidewalk shrugged his shoulders and went back to sleep.
WrappedJanuary 16, 2015
The legs were spread out. Half the body took up the other 2 seats. The body was covered with a thick blanket; the happy colors–red, pink and green in the shape of a palm tree were those of a beach blanket. People got on the subway, looked at the body. At one of the stops, the head came out of hiding and read the name of the subway station. The man with the dark eyes and moustache wrapped himself again.
The Down ManDecember 3, 2014
Midtown Manhattan, late afternoon: Cars were everywhere. The noise was deafening. The man, sitting by a hydrant, didn't hear any of it, not the fire sirens, not the people talking as they walked by him. His head was down and his arms almost reached the sidewalk. Plastic bags were all around him. Some bags were red, others grey, another white. The dark green garbage can near the fire hydrant sheltered him. The man was not moving.
KnowMay 7, 2012
I know it well. The strong, lean body. I know it when it holds me, when it shelters me after a hard day. I know the comfort I get when I see it, when I see him. It is more than priceless. The feeling of always being able to count on him is unmistakably tender and warm.
$21July 14, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008: I woke up with astart. Someone wastalking to me, saying something about a metro card that I could have. Something made me suspect and I looked in my purse. No wallet. I chased the man down Park Avenue, from the Steps of St. Bart's church to Lexington. Police, Police, I yelled at the top of my lungs. The man walked down the flight of stairs to the subway. Then I saw my wallet–brown, imitiation leather, face down. It was open. Most of the money was there,all except $21.


text:
April Fools' Day is an informal holiday celebrated every year on April 1. Popular since medieval times, the day is not a national holiday in any country, but it is widely recognized throughout European cultures and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other, called April fools. Hoax stories are also often found in the press and media on this day.
Precursors of April Fools' Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, held March 25, and the Medieval Feast of Fools, held December 28, still a day on which pranks are played in Spanish-speaking countries.
In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two. Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, Syn March was gon. Thus, the passage originally meant 32 days after April, i.e. 2 May, the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. Readers apparently misunderstood this line to mean "March 32", i.e. April 1. In Chaucer's tale, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox.
In 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson d'avril (April fool, literally "April fish"), a possible reference to the holiday. In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1. In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the holiday as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference. On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed".
In the Middle Ages, up until the late 18th century, New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation) in most European towns. In some areas of France, New Year's was a week-long holiday ending on April 1. Many writers suggest that April Fools originated because those who celebrated on January 1 made fun of those who celebrated on other dates. The use of January 1 as New Year's Day was common in France by the mid-16th century, and this date was adopted officially in 1564 by the Edict of Roussillon.
According to Yahoo News, there is a conversation surrounding whether the apostrophe should be placed between the l and the s (as in "April Fool's Day"), or after the s (as in "April Fools' Day"). It argues that the latter is the common consensus, though adds that there are arguments either way.
Longstanding customs
United Kingdom
In the UK, an April fool joke is revealed by shouting "April fool!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool". A study in the 1950s, by folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, found that in the UK, and in countries whose traditions derived from the UK, excluding Australia, the joking ceased at midday. A person playing a joke after midday is the "April fool" themselves.
In Scotland, April Fools' Day is traditionally called Hunt-the-Gowk Day ("gowk" is Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person; Là na Gocaireachd 'gowking day' or Là Ruith na Cuthaige 'the day of running the cuckoo' in Gaelic), although this name has fallen into disuse. The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message requesting help of some sort. In fact, the message reads "Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile". The recipient, upon reading it, will explain he can only help if he first contacts another person, and sends the victim to this person with an identical message, with the same result.
In Ireland it was traditional to entrust the victim with an "important letter" to be given to a named person. That person would then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when finally opened contained the words "send the fool further".
In Iran, jokes are played on the 13th day of the Persian new year (Nowruz), which falls on April 1 or April 2. This day, celebrated as far back as 536 BC, is called Sizdah Bedar and is the oldest prank-tradition in the world still alive today; this fact has led many to believe that April Fools' Day has its origins in this tradition.
In Poland, prima aprilis ("1 April" in Latin) is a day full of jokes; various hoaxes are prepared by people, media (which sometimes cooperate to make the "information" more credible) and even public institutions. Serious activities are usually avoided. This conviction is so strong that the anti-Turkish alliance with Leopold I signed on April 1, 1683, was backdated to March 31.
Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians celebrate April Fools' Day (aprilsnar in Danish). Most Scandinavian news media outlets will publish exactly one false story on April 1; for newspapers this will typically be a first-page article but not the top headline.
April fish
In Italy, France, Belgium, and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, April 1 tradition is often known as "April fish" (poisson d'avril in French or pesce d'aprile in Italian). This includes attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. Such fish feature prominently on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools' Day postcards.
April Fools' Day pranks
In 1957, the BBC pulled a prank, known as the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest prank, where they broadcast a fake film of Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti. The BBC were later flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a prank on the news the next day.
Other prank days in the world
December 28, the equivalent day in Spain and Ibero-America, is also the Christian day of celebration of the "Day of the Holy Innocents". The Christian celebration is a holiday in its own right, a religious one, but the tradition of pranks is not, though the latter is observed yearly. After somebody plays a joke or a prank on somebody else, the joker usually cries out, in some regions of Ibero-America: Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar ("You innocent little dove that let yourself be fooled"). In Mexico, the phrase is ¡Inocente para siempre! which means "Innocent forever!". In Argentina, the prankster says ¡Que la inocencia te valga!, which roughly translates as a piece of advice on not to be as gullible as the victim of the prank. In Spain, it is common to say just ¡Inocente! (which in Spanish can mean "Innocent!", but also "Gullible!"). Nevertheless, on the Spanish island of Minorca, Dia d'enganyar ("Fooling day") is celebrated on April 1 because Menorca was a British possession during part of the 18th century.
In books and film
Bryce Courtenay wrote a novel called April Fool's Day, first published in 1993. In some editions the title is April Fool's Day: a modern tragedy; in others, it is April Fool's Day: a modern love story.
Films, telemovies and television episodes have used April Fool's Day as their title.
The holiday has received mixed reception from critics. This is epitomised in the great reception to the 1957 BBC prank. According to BBC News, "Newspapers were split over whether this was a great joke or a terrible hoax on the public".
Ashley Macha of Health News and Views argued that April Fools can be good for one's health because it encourages "jokes, hoaxes…pranks, [and] belly laughs", and then explained all the benifits of laughter including stress relief and reducing strain on the heart. It also noted that the themed content makes sense within a larger context: "April 1st also marks the start of National Humor Month, a month-long celebration of laughter and happiness". There are many "best of" April Fools day lists that are compiled in order to showcase the best examples of how the holiday is celebrated. Various April Fools campaigns have been praised for their innovation, creativity, writing, and general effort – especially those from the major corporations such as Google and Apple.
In a Yahoo News article entitled Is April Fools' Day the Worst Holiday?, Jen Doll and Rebecca Greenfield answered: "In a word, yes. April Fools' Day is hell", and went on to describe the holiday as "creepy and manipulative". They argued that on this day we're "sort of rude and 'gotcha!' and even a little bit nasty", and was based around schadenfreude and deceit as opposed to being "kind, loving, [and] generous". When people post genuine news on April Fools day, it can often get misinterpreted as a joke. Similarly, sometimes jokes are taken very seriously. In both cases there are adverse affects – often confusion and misinformation, but in some cases worse. In an article listing the Good, Bad, and Ugly hoaxes of 2008, The Museum of Hoaxes listed a Ugly story in which "An Australian woman called emergency services to tell them her baby had fallen off the bed and stopped breathing. When the ambulances arrived, there was no sick baby. It was her idea of a hilarious April Fool".


text:
On my long and winding road to my present status I have made alot of mistakes, stepped on alot of toes and gotten my toes stepped on quite a couple of occasions as well. Sometimes we use statements like "I can't help it" to make ourselves feel better. These days I learn that there's no I can't help it. Usually its more like "I cannot let go", "I'm a control freak" or the "I'm addicted to it". Sure we can let go of all our worldly belongings and be a happier person. We just can't let go...
These days I've been teaching colleagues and subordinates really useful stuff. Stuffs outside company manuals but useful when the shit hits the fan. It is a small component of my succession plan to teach them all these stuffs. I am really worried because HK people give me the impression that they cannot handle power. Once power (in terms of knowledge, position and anything that sets one apart) is acquired, they seem to spin into a tornado, sweeping everything in their way.
But I guess thats human nature... Tortoises who were seconded from my Kyoto HQ transform into emperors when they are here. I remember particularly for 1 tortoise, he was so incompetent that he was a manager with no staff under him. But after winning a successful posting to HK (Really nothing to do with his capabilities, more because he is downright dumb), he turned into a massive yaya papaya as we call them in Singapore. Arrogant and full of himself. If you are C.Ronaldo and he walk with that face I will probably step aside and let him walk because although he is a diver and a wuss, he has the skills. Arrogance which stemmed from the fact that HQ didn't want to lose any more capable staff to overseas postings... I really cannot understand that!
Anyway, back to me. I can understand that feeling of mightiness. But I don't remember myself feeling that full of myself. And if I do, it certainly is not because someone taught me how to do something, and using that bit of knowledge to boost my ego. But alot of Hongkongers do that. I don't know why... You are greater just because I taught you something? And so you deserve a raise? Then if I just teach myself everything, does that mean that I should get twice my package?
And so 3 years on in HK I have seen a very ugly side of human nature. Office politics... everywhere. But the way war is being fought here? Undertable dirty. Perhaps I have been lucky. Perhaps I'm the real dirty guy who acts like a goody-2-shoes so I stay out of the shit. Whatever it is I shall continue with my assignment of power. I just make sure that I assign them equally, with more than 2 staff in the know for each subject. Maybe then the power balance will be there. Or maybe things will collapse. I don't know, and frankly speaking, I don't have to care.
My sister is sick of her work as well. Good for her to take the plunge. She has finally dropped the "I can't help it" and took a positive step in raising her kids. I am really proud to be her brother. Has always been my role model and no matter what she will always have a very high position in my heart.
I guess with a bit luck (or unluckiness) and destiny, we 3 sibings will be jobless together. That's pretty amazing...


text:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Yes, Zenith Does Make Qurbani Easy
Here is the brochure to prove that Zenith offers hassle free Eid packages for this year.
See the previous post for more information.
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
What do you do with a degree in Linguistics and Middle Eastern Studies? Adventures in the life and times of Heather Carreiro


text:
Dear CSA members,
Happy Summer!
Just a reminder that your first CSA share pickup will be tomorrow, Thursday, June 24 at the farm. Please come between 5-7pm, and bring a reusable bag to tote home your produce. Tomorrow's harvest includes:
Lettuce heads
Bag of mixed greens (lettuce, kale, pea shoots, edible flowers..)
Garlic scapes
Flower bouquet
Herbs: Dill, Sage, Cilantro (limited!), Thyme
Dried hot peppers (from last season)
Can't wait to see you -- check back tomorrow for this week's newsletter/update from the farm.


text:
In the aftermath of the Australian Science Communciators (SA) AGM, I have been elected as Events Manager (well, I made the mistake of coming out from under the table when they called for nominations).
More important than my elevation from my previous role as councillor for skivving off work, was the presenations by the Pultney Grammar School Extension Science Class. This was the finale of a year of investigations, experiments and different methods of presenting their results. They had already produced posters, blogs and podcasts, this was their first presentation to a live audience that wasn't their teachers, schoolmates or parents.
And it was great, although only in year 10 (and using that horribly annoying presentation system where the text slides and jerks around, zooming in and out), they presented clearly and enthusiastically. Despite having to deal with quite complex subjects they were able to communicate them with aplomb and humour. I even learnt things that surprised me.
Like the fact that modern touchscreens use Quantum Tunneling Composites, materials that use the property of atomic scale objects to tunnel through spacetime around solid barriers (as the student said, it's like tossing a basketball at a door, only to have it vanish and appear on the other side).
It's something you can point out to people who dismiss modern physics as being abstruse with no practical application, that the iPhones they are glued to use quantum weirdness to do all that cute swiping actactivations .
That was just one example. Even when the talks were in areas I was very familiar with (like extinction of the dinosaurs), the talks were thoughtfully, well organized and revealed the passion of the students who undertook them.
Not all the students engaged in this project will become scientists, but they are now science literate, and able to comprehend (and explain to others) the importance of science in our day to day world.
Home » science communicators » Student Science Communicators (part 2)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Student Science Communicators (part 2)
Labels: science communicators
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
«DEEP VISION» trials in the
Institute of Geophysics and Problems of Earth has conducted a practical test of innovative geophysical technology of search and prospecting of minerals called "Deep Vision" in the state of Utah, USA from 23rd to 27th February, 2009. The specification statement of routine of trial course is resulted in the document «Procedure». The results of demonstration of technology «Deep Vision» were recorded in the document "FINAL REPORT оn Presentation-Demonstration of «Deep Vision» Model".
The following persons took part in the presentation-demonstration of the «Deep Vision»:
- Kelly Alvey, official opponent, who presented data of inspected objects,
- scientists of the Institute (three experts with a complete set of the field equipment),
- John H. McBride, professor of geology at the Bringham Young University (BYU) university of the Utah State,
- R. William Keach II, professor at «BYU» university of the Utah State,
- Phillip Babcock, representative of Governmental Department of water resources of the UTAH State,
- Vasil Lyubarets, president of the «CARPATHIA» company ,USA,
- Jeffrey Bahr, representative of «MVA» oil producing company,
- Jeffrey Chivers, representative of oil producing company,
- R.E. «Rusty» Butler, president of «UTAH Consular Corp.», doctor of physics,
- E. Goryunova, vice-president of the Commercial and Industrial Chamber, Salt Lake City - an arbiter of the testing,
- Rex W. Hardy, lawyer, and also other specialists and representatives of the press.
5 previously unknown underground objects were consecutively inspected directly on locality by experts of the Institute located under drill holes and oil-producing equipment. Control objects were situated on territory the total area of which had more than 3 thousand sq. km.
An exception was only the information on 2nd horizon of the fifth object where divergence of information made only 1.5 % at occurrence depth more than
Thus, practical demonstration of possibilities of the «Deep Vision» technology on the real objects has shown its extraordinarily high efficiency (within the limits of 98 % - 100%), which exceeds that of 3D-seismography (≈50%) and also high operationability of works.
The works on the given technology were carried out virtually in all places on the globe and also have proved the high efficiency.
Director of IGPE Oleksandr Tarnovskyi


text:
Differing views of Breakout Project
I'd like to express my sincere thanks to Innovate Kingston, which organized and executed The Breakout Project last week, as it was one of the most incredible events I've had the pleasure of participating in. I really don't get out to Fort Henry very often, and I was thrilled to be there last Wednesday night for the opening ceremony. Just as the event was getting underway, the western sky treated us to an amazing sunset, the rising moon appeared in the east and, just as the organizers took to the stage, a flock of about 100 Canada geese cruised over our heads in perfect formation echoing the dramatic angles of the old Fort. I knew then that we would be in for an exciting few days.
Innovate Kingston represents many of Kingston's brightest entrepreneurial minds who are working hard to build an ecosystem of innovation and creativity here in my hometown. The people at Innovate Kingston have recognized the talent that flows through our city via Queen's University, St. Lawrence College and Royal Military College and believe this talent could be harnessed by creating a new culture in Kingston that would see this talent recognize Kingston as the destination of their dreams and ambitions as opposed to just a place to learn and then leave.
It's difficult to describe how taken I was while standing in a place of such historical significance listening to some of Canada's brightest minds sharing their ideas of the future and explaining how quickly things are changing. Here on a hillside at the river's edge on traditional Anishinaabe land that would become the site of one of the 19th century's most formidable examples of military technology. Fort Henry, a sort of Death Star of the 1800s that, along with our Martello towers, would protect the city from anyone sailing into our harbour with ideas different than our own and flying the wrong colour of flag. Such a dramatic contrast this presented in past versus future, and thus such a perfect venue for The Breakout Project.
It's been close to 200 years since the fort was constructed, and in that time, Kingston has become one our nation's best places to live, despite many challenges. Many of our youth and those new to Kingston are unaware of some of the significant hardships Kingston has faced over its history. A devastating fire in our early downtown, the loss of our role as the young nation's capital, and then later the decision to build the St. Lawrence Seaway on the American side of the river are just a few of the tremendous blows that challenged the ambitions of our small city.
But Kingstonians have had their own part to play in holding on to the handbrake of aspiration. During my 52 years as a Kingstonian, I have seen so many developers arrive with incredible plans, concepts and dreams for projects that would promise to make us the envy of other Canadian cities our size. Time after time these developers would be sent packing with their heads down and their tails between their legs. So while roaming around the fort and staring out over Kingston, I just couldn't stop wondering if these artifacts of military defence scattered around our community along with our history of repelling would-be enemies has somehow created a bias that has gotten stuck in our civic soul. Even the name Cataraqui has at least one translation as an Iroquois word for "the place where one hides." Are we destined to remain passive as a city and just watch opportunities flow by as we watch the St. Lawrence flow by our shoreline, or can we overcome this bias of defensiveness and play an active role in realizing our aspirations?
The Breakout Project, its organizers, attendees and volunteers offered a glimpse into a new type of Kingston. This was a Kingston where bright and energetic minds came together to show us what our amazing city is capable of and what kinds of opportunities are within our grasp. I would encourage our local business community and all Kingstonians to take a closer look at what's possible and to provide support for initiatives like these. So here's to Innovate Kingston and The Breakout Project for demonstrating to Canada and the world what Kingston has to offer and to help us build a Kingston that welcomes and nurtures new ideas for creating sustainable new enterprise. Well done!
Jerry Boutilier
Breakout project needs to produce results
I am puzzled at the attention given to The Breakout Project by the Whig-Standard ("Breakout underway at Fort Henry," May 11). Is this a game show or another festival sponsored by the City of Kingston and several local businesses?
I find it amusing that "attendees" will pay $349 for a "full pass" ticket, for a "team building" experience -- including a rock band show and pub crawl -- to find ways to fund "social innovation" projects.
A million teachers? Great idea for one of its projects! How much of the ticket price goes to that? Or are we just showing people how to kick-start another charitable organization that's simply promoting an idea?
I am reminded of over $500 million raised by the American Red Cross for the victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. One of the Red Cross projects was to teach Haitians how to wash their hands with soap and water (neglecting the lack of any soap or clean water to local residents). More than 10,000 Haitians died of cholera after the quake due to poor sanitation and the disease brought by UN peacekeepers. With $170 million budgeted to build permanent housing, the American Red Cross only built six new houses; other charities (with their own funds) built more than 9,000. Project managers for the American Red Cross (non-Haitians) were housed in luxury hotels while many of the earthquake victims have lived in tents for years.
Raising money for a charity is one thing, but seeing that a worthwhile project is accomplished is something else, entirely.
Scott Foster