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Law Society of England and Wales considers money laundering compliance checks "an assault."
The Law Society of England and Wales has, since the early 1990s, fought a rear-guard action against the engagement of solicitors in counter-money laundering efforts. The Regulator, which was first a division of the Law Society and then spun off to become a ludicrously politically charged enforcer of any passing social fad had, at that time the correct view that solicitors were within the scope of the original Money Laundering Regulations. At last, the regulator, now known as the Solicitors (sic) Regulatory Authority (it's so trendy it doesn't use an apostrophe where its name demands one) has decided that money laundering is something it needs to pay attention to. The Law Society is on a war footing, declaring the SRA's action "an assault."
In an article in yesterday's Law Society (sic) Gazette, the newspaper of record for the solicitors' profession in England and Wales, an article written by Paul Philip, the chief executive ofthe SRA said "we will be writing to a large number of firms in the coming weeks asking to see evidence of compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations. Those who fall short should expect to enter our enforcement process. We will judge each case on its facts, but where we find serious issues or a lack of willingness to resolve issues promptly, we will take strong action."
Read the article here: https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/5...
The Law Society's response, in an article at https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/n... is headlined "SRA targets hundreds of firms in new anti-money laundering assault"
So, let's look at the reality: first, when Nigel Morris-Cotterill, then a solicitor in practice, reviewed the then new Money Laundering Regulations in 1994, he discovered that, possibly by accident of drafting, all solicitors who were conducting business for which they were regulated under the Financial Services Act 1986 were within the scope of the Regulations. The Law Society, then split into the "trade union" section and a "regulatory section" formed a split opinion. The trade union part, which continues as The law Society, argued that this interpretation was not correct. The regulatory section, which over time mutated into the SRA, agreed with Morris-Cotterill's interpretation. "Warning cards" were issued which "borrowed" from notes he presented. Law enforcement agencies agreed with Morris-Cotterill's view but expressed the view that compliance with the Regulations was not an arrestable offence and so while if there were demonstrable failures, they were unable to inspect a firm's records although if, for example, during a Value Added Tax inspection, matters came to light, inter-agency co-operation would mean that the police could act on "information received." Once the door was open, they could prosecute for failure to comply.
In this way, solicitors in the whole of the UK were under a higher duty under the Money Laundering Directives than lawyers in the rest of Europe. During the negotiations for the Third Money Laundering Directive, lawyers banded together and, alongside other professional bodies, the Law Society fought for a narrow interpretation of who was required to put measures in place and, because the Financial Services Act was repealed, the automatic inclusion fell with it. As a result, British solicitors became subject to a less stringent regime than before.
The SRA, since then, has been pre-occupied with social engineering within the profession. It has abrogated much of its responsibility in relation to failing law firms by creating mechanisms to avoid interventions and it has focussed on time consuming and, in many cases, offensive demands for reporting to meet its political agenda. What it has failed to do, in large measure, is to regulate the fundamentals.
In the mid-1990s, Rowan Bosworth-Davies, a former police officer, said that in every large scale laundering scheme, a lawyer is involved. Prosecutors were able to obtain a small number of convictions against solicitors although some prosecutions were hopelessly ill-advised and charges were brought by officers who did not understand the niceties of the law or evidence and that brought the process into some disrepute. Even so, lawyers have persisted in the view that while money laundering is an offence, money laundering risk management and compliance is not really their concern.
Poor levels of reporting by all professional firms, not only lawyers, has long been a point of contention with the authorities although some of that is a self-inflicted injury after the FIU announced that it wanted only "quality" reports to be filed which, in effect, reduced the filing of reports from an obligation to a discretionary activity. But the lack of reporting of even serious matters has become interesting to the media, both "serious" and tabloid, especially in relation to foreigners buying property for large sums. That has kicked off considerable interest in all those involved in the property market, of which solicitors are part. That same media, which would not want to offend the large proportion of its readership that has an interest in soccer has for decades paid no interest to those same, or similar, people buying all or large stakes in football clubs.
The SRA, never one to miss a passing bandwagon, is jumping on that one - years too late. And it's doing it in the way that it has dealt with all its social engineering - by requiring firms to self-report on their own systems. This, to be fair, is not a new approach: in the 1990s, the then financial regulators adopted it. It was actually amusing because the Insurance regulator had produced "the green book" which defined systems which were, to say the least, lowest common denominator. In the questionnaire that followed, there was a question "does your company comply with the green book," to which at least one insurance company replied "no, we do it properly" or words to that effect.
The SRA says that "We have produced a package of support for solicitors to highlight good practice and understand what is needed." It is to be hoped that this is better than the green book was.
At least the SRA has one important point right: "a risk assessment is required in legislation and should be the backbone of a firm's anti-money laundering approach. Firms which do not have one or are not implementing it properly, may be committing a criminal offence and are leaving the door open for criminals to launder money." That's exactly what Morris-Cotterill said all those years ago. His book "How not to be a money launderer" was in the Law Society's Library. It's good to know that, albeit a quarter of a century later, his message is being distributed, even if the SRA doesn't know where it came from. It's bad to know that the Law Society is continuing to consider that any attempt to enforce compliance is an act that is hostile to the profession.
Further Reading: https://www.antimoneylaunderin...


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For summer and fall 2015, The Diplomat presents "Southeast Asia: Refugees in Crisis," a series of exclusive articles from scholars and practitioners tackling Southeast Asia's ongoing refugee crisis. Launched with the help of former ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan and designed with the assistance of students from Harvard University and Oxford University, the series aims to give the readers a sense of the various dimensions of this complex issue.
In our first piece, former ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan and The Diplomat's associate editor Prashanth Parameswaran launch the series with a framing article on the issue.
In May 2015, thousands of Rohingya refugees from the Rakhine State of Myanmar and economic migrants from Bangladesh were found stranded in the Strait of Malacca off the coast of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. This was the start of the latest round of Southeast Asia's refugee crisis. The image of the overcrowded, shabby boats full of people – haunted and hungry, faced with dwindling supplies of food and water – seized the world's attention.
To encourage debate on this important but often overlooked issue, The Diplomat, in collaboration with concerned stakeholders around the world, is launching a new series today entitled "Southeast Asia: Refugees in Crisis."
Designed with the help of students from Harvard University and Oxford University, the series hopes to not only highlight the ongoing humanitarian tragedy, but also offer potential solutions to this mounting human security threat. Both of us are writing this article to lend support to this important project and kick-start the series, which will last several months and feature a variety of perspectives from engaged individuals from within the region and without.
According to UNHCR's 2015 figures, Southeast Asia is home to more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. While the international attention is currently focused on the plight of the Rohingya, the problems extend beyond that group. The crisis engulfs the Kachin, the Shan and the Chin in Myanmar and also includes other groups including the Karen of Northern Thailand. Asylum seekers in Southeast Asia also come from beyond the region itself, with refugees arriving in cities across the region from distant lands such as Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, North Korea, Syria, Somalia and the Balkans. The recent deportation of 109 Uyghurs – part of a Muslim minority group in China seeking refuge in Thailand – indicates the serious and systemic nature of the refugee crisis in the region.
Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), refugees are categorized under the political euphemism "irregular migration," a designation which includes both economic and political migrants. The recognition that these two categories are intertwined is helpful to the extent that it shows that a political solution to the refugee question cannot be understood when divorced from the larger issue of migration flows – including many economic migrants whose experiences are marked by severe exploitation and personal risk. However in practice, the combination of the political and economic has become a way for countries in the region to ignore the urgent humanitarian needs of refugees fleeing conflict and persecution as opposed to those who have migrated to seek economic opportunity.
The governments of Southeast Asia have failed to demonstrate any serious collective and sustained effort to deal with the decades-old refugee crisis in their region. Instead, a state of denial has crippled both national and regional political instruments. The result has been only ad hoc and temporary solutions, thereby allowing regional governments to avoid collective responsibility.
Furthermore, in Southeast Asia, the refugee crisis is a complex set of economic, political and moral-ethical, and humanitarian problems made all the more grave by the lack of media discussion or public awareness. Unlike Europe, where the refugee crisis is at times a highly-visible and fiercely-debated issue, there is a dearth of information and public awareness in Southeast Asia. The 8000 Rohingya precariously drifting in the Andaman Sea, without a larger context, becomes another media issue that floats to the surface and sinks with time. But we know that this crisis will surface yet again – perhaps with more severity – and that these subsequent waves will gnaw at our conscience over and over again.
As Southeast Asia's refugee flows increase, the protracted and debilitating consequences of the current refugee crisis will only exacerbate. This could affect the fragile ethno-religious balance in many regional states – and perhaps even the much-touted ASEAN Community. There are many fault lines that exist within and between ASEAN Member States. And the fact that roughly half of ASEAN's population is Muslim also raises the prospect that unmanaged flows of refugees or migrants will affect the region's demographics.
The fate of these refugees in crisis – faceless and nameless; suffering at the margins of states – is often invisible and largely incomprehensible to the majority who live with the security of citizenship and other basic needs. This is despite the clear insecurity the crisis creates and the various global commitments already made to preserve human security – including bolder ones like the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) adopted a decade ago.
As individuals concerned with the potential consequences of the uneasy silence in the region's refugee crisis, we have initiated this series of articles to provide a forum where a range of perspectives and valuable insights can be offered and made easily accessible. It is our hope that this series of articles will at least begin to redress the lack of debate on one of the most important issues plaguing Southeast Asia.
The articles will address different aspects of the refugee crisis from a range of perspectives. Some will cover the historical roots and the cultural milieu which gave rise to incidents like the Rohingya crisis, stressing the regional responsibility for resolving them and outlining how this might be done. Others will consider more specific dimensions – be it the rights of small and stateless ethnic groups, migrant health, religious conflict, and even climate change and its effects on the future shape of the region's refugee crisis. In some cases, the contributors to the series call for a new approach to the treatment of refugees in Southeast Asia altogether – one that does not view them and their impact as merely an auxiliary problem or a temporary nuisance, but as a serious part of everyday life for contemporary regional and global communities.
Southeast Asia's refugee crisis is a complex and controversial subject, and we do not expect a consensus to emerge among readers as The Diplomat runs this series of articles over the next several months. Our goal is simply to spark further discussion among different stakeholders so that this issue gets the hearing it deserves. In sum, we wish to bring the plight of Southeast Asia's refugees, displaced persons and irregular migrants to the attention of the region and the world. And in so doing, we hope to create the human responsibility we need to eventually bring this human suffering to an end.
Surin Pitsuwan is former Secretary General of ASEAN (2008-2012) and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand (1997-2001). Prashanth Parameswaran is associate editor at The Diplomat magazine and PhD candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson
Dark and often hilarious, Johnson's final work unearths madness and desperation.
Don't Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin
In this beautifully written and tender gut punch, we meet Horace, an aspiring boxer who never has a chance, but we root for him anyway.
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
A story about power, food, and fucking featuring Dorothy, whose carnal appetite includes eating her lovers.
The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin
Dreams don't come true in Lynette's world. In fact, she often lives in a nightmare. But her grit and determination make you believe that one day, she'll beat the odds. I certainly hope so.


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A good bike dealer should be your first step to getting a perfect fit. This bike is too small for the rider.
Your bike must be big enough to prevent your knees from hitting the handlebars but not too big. You do not want to have to stretch too far.
This picture shows the rider in a far better position. Your leg should not be straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke but slightly bent. With the heel of your foot on the pedal your leg should be straight. When you pedal using the ball of your foot your leg will be slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
You must be able to touch the ground.
Your saddle can adjust in three ways. Most have a simple allen key under the seat and a clamp or a quick release on the frame. The seat should be set-up level. If you find yourself slipping forward often then tip it backwards a small amount.
Adjust the height so that with the balls of your feet on the pedal, your leg is slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. This is how you should be riding, with a slight bend in your knee.
To check the position is correct. With the pedal in the same position, place the heel of your foot on the pedal this should result in a straight leg.


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Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures Present a 3D Motion Capture Film "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn" directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish. Starring Jamie Bell ("Billy Elliot," "Defiance") as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig ("Quantum of Solace," "Defiance") as the nefarious Red Rackham. (Source)
Download: 480p, 720p, 1080p
MP4 Encode: 720p
Find more trailers and clips on our homepage.


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Though some make a case for Winston Churchill and Elizabeth the First as the greatest ever Briton, for me nobody gets near William Shakespeare. He is one of the reasons English has become the pre-eminent language of the world; one of the enduring foundations of our cultural strength and its contribution to our soft power too. There is no situation, personal or political, no emotion, no human interaction that he has not somewhere touched upon in a body of work that stands alongside and above that of anyone who has ever lived. His reputation is strong and secure for the rest of time. He is immortal.
In idle moments, I sometimes just Google 'Shakespeare on …' and add in a random word or concept. He had something significant to say about everything. I also enjoy reading up on words and phrases he invented. Barely an hour goes by that we don't use a word or phrase which first saw the light of day in one of his poems or plays. It underlines that language is a living thing, that it changes and adapts all the time.
But if Shakespeare can invent words, so can we all, even if less enduringly than he did. As MPs return from their constituencies or holidays, as the government and Labour continue to seek to resolve the Brexit impasse, in the piece below I think I have found the right word for these times … Unleadership.
I suppose Shakespeare's most famous quote on leadership was this, from Hamlet, 'This above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.' But as you read my observations on our current Tory and Labour leaders, this too is worth bearing in mind: 'See first that the design is wise and just; that ascertained, pursue it resolutely.'
The piece has just been published by the New Statesman, and I shall be developing the theme in my column for The New European later this week. All the best.
Back in the good old days, when we had strong and stable government, a Prime Minister who could lead, a Cabinet with strength in depth, and dare I say it a director of communications and strategy who knew how to direct both, I never much bought the idea that democracy needs a strong opposition.
Indeed, part of the New Labour thinking was that we had to keep the opposition weak. Even when Iain Duncan-Smith was leader, when everyone including Mrs IDS knew he was never going to be Prime Minister, we had regular meetings with one item on the agenda … "if they knew about us what we know, what would they do with it?" It was a way of addressing our own problems before the other side had worked them out.
We were blessed by their continuing divisions on Europe, their inability to decide whether Tony Blair was Stalin or Bambi, and a succession of leaders incapable of uniting the Tories around a vision that might challenge the appeal of New Labour.
So, despite crises, setbacks and occasional scandals, we dominated for over a decade and won three elections with big majorities. The third one, after the Iraq War, secured a majority that today's main party leaders can only dream of; right now, neither of them has a hope in hell of getting one like it.
Would we have done better as a government had there been a stronger opposition? Maybe. Would Tony Blair have been sharper had he worried more about the succession of Tory leaders that he faced and saw off? Perhaps. But he did see them all off, and was beginning to get the measure of David Cameron when the time finally came to make way for Gordon Brown.
The point about IDS is that when the opposition was weak, the government had a responsibility to analyse itself from their perspective too, assuming they knew what they were doing.
So maybe deep down, I did think that a strong opposition was important. Perhaps it was less obvious because we had a strong government. But I certainly think it now. I cannot recall any period in my lifetime when we had both a weak government and a weak opposition. It is one of the many things that is making millions of people acutely aware of just how important political leadership is, but also making them anxious and fearful for the future.
We do not need to waste too much time on the weakness of the government. The prime minister looks perfectly at home stewarding a fun run in her Maidenhead constituency, but palpably out of her depth at an EU Summit. She and her government had one overriding challenge – to deliver Brexit – but they have failed to do so, because nobody can deliver the undeliverable – a pain-free Brexit.
Then there is the cabinet. Divided on Brexit, instead of helping May on Brexit or doing the job set out in their ministerial titles, they are engaged in an unseemly leadership contest in the middle of a national crisis. May seems unable or unwilling to confront their divisions, her weakness exacerbated by her pre-announced departure,
So Jeremy Hunt flies to Japan to lie to students about what the EU wants – "Europe as one country, whereas we want to be independent," (such is the Trumpian hold on our politics, nobody bats an eyelid), while Sajid Javid is so busy weaving a poverty backstory and making speeches "as a father" that he has taken his eye off issues the public want addressed, like crime.
Matt Hancock, Liz Truss, Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt, Amber Rudd – they are so busy making speeches loosely entitled "whither Conservatism if you make me leader" that their departments are as rudderless and badly led as Number 10.
I was having lunch in a Westminster cafe shortly before Easter. A civil servant who used to work for me in Number 10 spotted and joined me. He was now at the Department of Transport. "I know you think it's bad", he said. "But you have no idea just how bad. The place is dysfunctional." He recalled one of the worst crises we had had to deal with – the fuel protests just after the turn of the century. "Every day feels like that now."
But then he made another vital point … "what does it say about the Opposition that my boss [Chris Grayling] is still there? We don't feel the heat from Number 10 and we don't feel the heat from Labour. He thinks he is unsackable and he probably is." And with that he went back to calculating how much compensation the taxpayer would have to fork out for no deal planning and contracts that would never be implemented,
So whether you need a strong opposition to counter a strong government or not, you certainly need one to hold a weak government to account. Mr Grayling's survival is living proof that we don't have one. Imagine what a Gordon Brown or a Robin Cook or a John Reid or a Margaret Beckett would have done to Mr Grayling. Or to Mr Hunt and Mr Javid, with their born again Brexiteering and the vacation of their day jobs.
Or to Mr Hancock with his endless wittering about social media as the NHS falls ever deeper into a crisis which harms patients but pleases the right of his party, gagging for a trade deal with the US and an Americanised health system. Or to Duncan-Smith, not in government, but in and out of Downing Street as some kind of Brexit policy expert – the man whose universal credit policy alone, properly taken apart by the opposition, would leave him scared to get out of bed, never mind go into the Today programme studio for his weekly 0810 love-in with John Humphrys on David Davis' day off.
Labour should be destroying these people. Day in, day out. No rest. No respite. Instead we have an opposition that is lethargic and divided – the divisions not as visceral as the Conservative party perhaps, but their impact just as corrosive. A new word must be invented for these times. Unleadership. We see it on both sides of the Despatch Box.
These are politicians. Politics is supposed to be in their blood. Yet both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are currently driven by a desperation to avoid taking an electoral pulse on the will of the people. They don't want a referendum because it would mean holding European elections. And they don't want European elections because they're worried they won't do very well. Is this what our politics is now reduced to?
In the era of unleadership, we have uncampaigns. I can hear the timid voices around May and Corbyn looking at the so-called Farage surge and telling each other this justifies their timidity. "You see, if we have the elections, he will take votes from us, Prime Minister …" so she replies: "Yes, this shows we must do everything possible to avoid them" … "what if he takes votes from us, Jeremy?" "Yes," says Corbyn, "this shows we are right to keep facing both ways, not upset Leavers by saying Brexit must happen, keep Remainers on board by talking about keeping 'the option of a popular vote' on the table but going no further."
It might have worked in the 2017 election (though remember, Labour lost to the worst Tory campaign of all time) but it won't work now, when we know so much more about Brexit and these are – clue in the title – the European elections. Remember too that just over four million who voted Labour in the last European elections are outnumbered by the six million plus who have signed a petition not just for a People's Vote but to revoke the whole damn Brexit process. I doubt that they, or the hundreds of thousands who have marched for a People's Vote, are going to trudge to the polling station for more unleadership, and the unconstructive ambiguity of a policy that takes a lot longer to explain than "the Brexit Party."
It is hardly surprising that Nigel Farage is doing well. He has managed to distance himself, with the barmpots' help, from the barmpots of his former party, UKIP. He is a good campaigner, and his campaign is made easy when the two main parties appear frightened of their shadows and are allowing his narrative to go unchallenged, helped by a media that is either ideologically pro-Brexit or excited that a Farage win would be the 'best story' in these turbulent times.
Labour need clarity too, a manifesto which begins as follows. "Brexit is the defining issue of these elections and of our time. As the Brexit process has gone so badly, as the Brexit negotiated by the Tories has been rejected by Parliament and public alike, we go into these elections committed to a final say referendum on whatever the outcome of the negotiations may be."
I would like them to go further, and to say that in the event of such a referendum Labour would want Remain on the ballot paper and would campaign for that outcome. Given their unleadership, that may be expecting too much. But if they don't do at least the first half, whatever votes they fear losing in their mythologised and – see the recent article by Northern MPs debunking the stereotype – misrepresentative view of the North as a homogenous Brexitland, such loss will be dwarfed by the number of votes – and members – they will lose all over the country by ignoring what I say. Not because it is me that is saying it; but because it is blindingly obvious to anyone with a strategic bone in their body.
Don't just dismiss Farage. Take a lesson. Take a position. And lead on it. Only then can Labour take him apart for the lies and the myths and the fantasties either that Brexit can be easily done, or that the problems in peoples' lives will be solved by Brexit. These elections are a huge opportunity for Labour, for the political question they pose is this: who gains from the Tory implosion and the Brexit impasse? The answer ought to be Labour. They, more than Farage, are in danger of making it the Brexit Party.
The time for unleadership is over. And if it is not reversed soon, Labour's time may be over too.


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I am well aware that you might be self-conscious with the idea of going to a counselor and seeking therapy. It takes a lot of courage to reach out for help especially when you are hurting and feeling vulnerable. I believe that it is part of life to experience hurt, pain and disappointment sometimes.
Therefore, it is important to me that you feel comfortable. One of the ways that I feel safe is if I know a little about the person that I am talking with. Sometimes people like to know a little about their therapist.
I have been married for over 25 years. I have two young adult children so I know personally both the joys and challenges that married life can bring. I have been a yoga teacher for 9 years. This practice is very meaningful to me because it is a moving mindfulness practice which helps me stay grounded, and fully in the present moment. I also have a daily meditation practice. This helps me to be the best therapist I can be by being open, empathic and compassionate.
I am a runner and have run 2 marathons and several half marathons, I love biking, swimming and lifting weights as well. When I am not working, being outside and in the sun is really important to me, no matter what the season. I am a big fan of coffee and dark chocolate. I love to read and you will see many books in my office. I also enjoy movies and I may recommend a book or a movie for you but it won't ever be a requirement to your therapy work.
Doing couples and marriage counseling is a favorite of mine, I enjoy repairing the bonds between couples. My couples tell me that afterwards they feel more connected to their partners and more at ease with themselves.
I view counseling as a way to help you with your life, not a way of life. My goal is to help you get on with your life and what matters most to you.
I have a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Business. I worked as an accountant and then as a securities broker, but I was more truly interested in people's problems than numbers. I was often found asking people about their family backgrounds instead of sitting at my desk crunching the numbers. So I went back to school and got my master's degree in clinical counseling in marriage and family therapy at the Adler Graduate School. Now I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
I am certified in Emotion Focused Couples Therapy, one of only two methods of couples therapy that is proven to work, even in extremely distressed couples. It is an experiential type of therapy that is based on attachment theory and is effective in 90% of cases by reducing couples distress. To learn more about this type of therapy here is a video.
I am fully trained in an extensively researched and effective method of trauma treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. I am also trained in Prepare-Enrich, a widely used premarital couples instrument.
I also have specialized training in working with childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape and other sexual problems.
Professional memberships
Mental Health Issues & Intimate Relationships: Understanding the complexities. (2015) 15th Annual Conference on Mental Health Sponsored by the Twin Cities Jewish community
Private Practice Boot Camp (2014), St Mary's University
How to succeed in Private Practice. (2013) Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Fall Conference
Women in Erotic Literature (2012) Hadassah, Minneapolis Chapter
A Trainee's Guide to Exploring Self-of-Therapist in Clinical Supervision (2012), MN Psychology Association
A Primer on Couples Counseling (2011). Minnesota Counseling Association
Adlerian Countertransference: Oxymoron or Mission-Critical Data? (2011). North American Society for Adlerian Psychology, Victoria, BC, Canada
Is it Sexual Deviance or Sexual Addiction? The Ambiguity of Sexual Behaviors on the Internet. (2011) Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Fall conference
Courage to Thrive in MFT Supervision: Dealing with Countertransference (2010). Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Fall Conference.
Parent Talk/Partner Talk: Is Your Communication Pattern Affecting Your Teen? (2010). Not Our Kids Conference of Jewish Family and Children's Service, Minneapolis, MN.


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|Installed Sound
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|The Electro-Voice XLCi127DVX line array system is helping to breathe a new lease of life into a Los Angeles landmark. Once the largest indoor venue in the US, the Grand Olympic Auditorium has a varied history that reflects the ever-changing face of Los Angeles. Built in 1924 as the boxing, weightlifting and wrestling venue for the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, generations of Grand Olympic audiences witnessed some of the greatest fights and wrestling events of all time. Extending this sporting heritage to the silver screen, some of the most memorable fight scenes ever committed to celluloid were filmed at the venue, adding gritty authenticity to Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" movies and Clint Eastwood's Oscar winner "Million Dollar Baby." LA rockers Rage Against the Machine played their final show in the space in 2000, as captured on the CD and DVD "Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium."
Now, what was once hallowed ground in the hearts of Angelino sports and music fans is now a holy place in a more literal sense: in the summer of 2005, the Glory Church of Jesus Christ, a thriving Korean-American church, purchased the property for development as their parish headquarters, probably saving the aging building from the demolition ball.
Delicate Electronic Sales (Camarillo, CA) were drafted to design and install a new house PA to help reinvent the Grand Olympic Auditorium as a 21st Century house of worship with all modern conveniences. The audio system of choice was one of the first large-format installations of EV's XLCi127DVX line array systems in the US, supported by a complete, input-to-output spec of EV, Midas and Klark Teknik sound reinforcement equipment.
"This is a serious house of worship system executed with some serious attention to detail," says Bill Sage of Delicate. "Delicate project manager and lead designer, Curtis Kelly carried out LAPS (EV Line Array Prediction Software) measurements, and even drafted plans by hand using the old venue seating charts, ensuring we thoroughly addressed all the options. For the main PA, we flew two arrays of eight XLCi127DVX with two XLC215 subs per side. Additional low-end is via two Xsubs per side on the deck. It's a compact powerhouse of a PA that delivers plenty of punch, in keeping with venue's history. That said, when our installation crew (Tony Caraffa and Paul Bange) were running the cables they found all sorts of boxing memorabilia from the auditorium's golden age, such as fight programs from the 1930s. They even found some ticket stubs from the original Wrigley Field Los Angeles!"
Consistent with Kelly's preliminary LAPS readings, the tri-amped XLC boxes comfortably cover the main and side seating areas and the deep and steep balcony area. For additional side coverage, Delicate installed two Xi1152A/64 boxes per side. Six QRx112 boxes serve as stage monitors. The under-balcony, stage fill and cry room areas are completely covered by 25 Xi-1082 low profile speakers. Power is provided by a combination of EV Precision, CPS and CP series amplifiers.
Another Delicate detail that sets Glory Church apart as a state-of-the-art house of worship installation is an 8-in, 32-out EV NetMax configuration. Every component in an audio signal chain can be reliably monitored and controlled from a single remote point with NetMax N8000 hardware/IRIS-Net software, making it far easier to fine-tune rooms of this size. To further ensure seamless audio between the numerous zones and under balcony delays, additional processing and routing is provided via Klark Teknik DN9848E and EV Dx38 units. Klark Teknik DN370 and Square One Dynamics units are on hand for tweaking. A Midas Verona 560 ensures the mix sounds superb.
"EV and our factory reps Quantum Sales were very forthcoming and flexible in ensuring product was delivered on time," says Sage. "This was a team effort, and when we turned the system over to the church they were ecstatic—they couldn't believe we'd made the room sound so good. Simply put, the church breathed new life into a grimy inner-city building used for rock shows. Now four to six thousand people attend the services there every Sunday, the space looks great, and sounds fantastic. This was a great project to work on."
Equipment List (Selected):
16x EV XLCi127DVX (main line array cabinets, tri-amped), 4x EV XLC215 (sub cabinets), 4x EV Xi-1152A/64 (15-inch side fills), 4x EV Xsub, 6x EV QRx112/75 (stage monitors), 18x EV Xi-1082 (balcony speakers), 5x EV Xi-1082 (stage fill speakers), 2x EV Xi-1082 (cry room speakers), 9x EV P2000 amplifiers (mains), 7x EV P3000 amplifiers (mains), 2x EV CP4000S amplifiers, (Xsubs), 8x EV CPS2.6 amplifiers (balcony speakers / stage fills), 3x EV CPS2.4 amplifiers (stage monitors), 1x EV NetMax N8000 digital audio matrix controller, 3x EV Dx38 loudspeaker processors, 1x Klark Teknik DN9848E loudspeaker processor, 2x Klark Teknik DN370 equalizers, 1x Klark Teknik Square One Dynamics, Midas Verona 560 (56-input mixing console).
|Index Installed Sound
|Main Index English
|Forums & Search Site


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Botanical Name: Acer Palmatum 'Emperor 1'
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Sapindaceae
Size: 5m high x3m wide (16ft high x 10 ft wide)
Zone: Hardy to Zone 5
Bloom Description: Reddish-purple
Light: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Colorful, Good Fall
Tolerate: Rabbit, Black Walnut
Soil: Well-drained
Japanese maples are generally grown for their attractive foliage and shape. Emperor 1 is an exciting new variety with vigorous growth and good hardiness. It has an upright habit. Large dark red leaves do not fade in colour in the hot summer. Specimen/accent or group around the home or yard or periphery of the border. Good sun-dappled understory tree. Woodland garden margins. Screen. Bonsai.
Best sited in a sheltered location.
Key to Success: Prefers protection from Northwest Winter winds and the hot afternoon sun. Use triple mix and liquid transplanter fertilizer for planting success.


text:
The Best French Crossword
Daily terms from English to French
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece Sec 1-3
English Review
Grammar and Term Review for 9th Grade
Literary Terms Crossword
How well do you know your literary terms?
Delegation Crossword
This crossword will act as a study tool to assist you in remembering the "5 Rights of Delegation."
Medical Terminology: Academic Vocabulary
This game reviews vocabulary associated with discussing medical texts.
Poetry Vocabulary Game: Repetition and Sound Devices
Repetition and sound devices crossword puzzle
Types of Characters Crossword
Types of literary characters. 17 word Puzzle.
Vocabulary : Types of stories
This crossword puzzle is about vocabulary words that deal with types of stories.
Crosswizzord: Figures of Speech in Literature
A crossword puzzle to help educate us on terms and figures of speech used in writing


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My food poisoning at DCDC (don't eat rare meat in DC!) abated just long enough for me to attend an excellent BoF towards the end of Friday at Drupalcon DC 2009. The goal was workable configuration management in Drupal, and in no particular order, attending were:
- Adrian Roussouw, author of Forms API
- Bala Bosch, Chrys Bryant and Sarva Bryant, authors of Patterns
- Greg Dunlap, author of the deployment framework
- Young Hahn and Jeff Miccolis, who gave us the context and spaces projects
- Bevan Rudge, who wrote config to code </ul> In terms of configuration management, having these folks in a room is a bit like the G7, but with Voltron attending. In addition, one or two more interested parties showed up, including myself (I've tried to limit rattling off names to people who contributed to the projects listed; if I missed one, sorry). Openband is trying to stand up our stack with more than 200 modules, and configuration management is probably our biggest challenge right now. We'll be applying some resources to the problem and want to make sure that whatever solution happens is one that provides us a workable upgrade path for the future. Probably the biggest trick about all of this is separating what's needed from the use cases. It's difficult to separate what really needs to happen from the end result, and the community is so quick to jump on any potential solution to this widespread problem that it's hard to work on something that enables solutions without talking about solutions. The short version of what needs to happen is that 'each module needs to do its own part', but there's no straightforward answer. Going over my notes, the discussion had two main themes: requirements and implementation.
- An import-export API for discussion
- A best-practices document to describe how to write exportable modules


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Keith Eppich
Keith Eppich is an associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at Collin College. He is a contributor to Archaeology for the People.
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Hyper-immune response in test animals for previous attempts at coronavirus vaccines, like SARS and MERS, has been a persistent problem. All is well for awhile, until the animals are exposed to the wild mutated virus. Dr. Tenpenny and other scientists have forecast that millions may die, and it will be blamed on a new strain of COVID, making an argument for even more deadly vaccines. See: "The Coming Genocide of Adverse COVID Vax Reactions, and Who to Blame for It" https://coronanews123.wordpress.com/2021/01/25/the-coming-genocide-of-adverse-covid-vax-reactions-and-who-to-blame-for-it/
Related Links:


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Job description
A well-known fashion company is looking for seasonal assistance at their Torrance location! They're ideally looking for candidates who have experience working in retail, hospitality or customer service.
Main responsibilities (not limited to):
Receiving shipment
Replenishing and upkeep of the sales floor
Hanging and folding product
Customer service (greeting)
Some requirements:
Retail or customer service experience
Open availability
Reliable and hard-working
Start: ASAP, seasonal ongoing duration
Rate: $18/H
Please send over an updated resume for immediate consideration.
Expired job


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Atletico Madrid, Basel and Salzburg - this is the toughest group that Leicester could find themselves in on Thursday.
As Premier League champions Leicester City will be in Pot 1 for the group stage draw.
The toughest team that they could draw from Pot 2 are last year's finalists Atletico Madrid who have a coefficient of 144.142.
Also in that group are Borussia Dortmund (110.035), Arsenal (105.256), Sevilla (95.642), Porto (92.616), Napoli (90.087), Bayer Leverkusen (89.035) and most likely Manchester City (99.256), assuming they make it through tonight.
UEFA rules mean that teams from the same country can't be drawn with one another. That means Leicester will miss out on Arsenal and Manchester City from Pot 2.
Manchester City qualifying would leave Basel as the highest ranked team in Pot 3 with a coefficient of 87.755.
That puts them above Tottenham (74.256), who Leicester couldn't draw anyway, Dynamo Kiev (65.976), Lyon (63.049), PSV (57.112), Sporting Lisbon (51.616) and Club Brugge (43.000).
Tonight's other qualifiers will have an impact on the lowest and highest ranked teams that the Foxes can draw from Pots 3 and 4 though.
For instance, an Ajax victory would mean that the lowest ranked team Leicester could drawn from Pot 3 would be Club Brugge. However, should Ajax lose to Rostov then the lowest ranked team in Pot 3 would be one of either RB Salzburg (42.520), Borussia Mönchengladbach (42.035) or Celtic (40.460) depending on how the other qualifiers go. Similarly an Ajax win would mean that the toughest team from Pot 4 would be one of RB Salzburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach or Celtic, again depending on each of those team's qualifiers.
The team with the lowest coefficient that the Foxes could draw from Pot 4 could be Russian side Rostov (11.716) if they beat Ajax tonight. Ludogorets Razgrad have the lowest coefficient of any side guaranteed to be in Pot 4 with 25.625.
Toughest draw
- Leicester (15.256)
- Atletico Madrid (144.142)
- Basel (87.755)
- RB Salzburg (42.520)
Easiest draw
- Leicester (15.256)
- Bayer Leverkusen (99.256)
- Celtic (40.460)
- Rostov (11.716)


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Wicked Cherry Fizz offers a blood thirsty sip and non-alcoholic option to your spirited celebrations. Wicked Cherry Fizz is an easy two ingredient drink. Providing cocktails and non-alcoholic options for party guests is the equivalent to offering a variety of food options. Most hosts would never think to only offer guests one chip and nothing else. Why offer guests cocktails only. Widen the drink offering.
Wicked Cherry Fizz Mocktail Recipe
Wicked Cherry Fizz
1/2 cup Concentrated Cherry Juice
1/2 cup Ginger Ale
Fresh Cherries Garnish
Place ice in high ball glass. Add cherry concentrate. Top with ginger ale. Stir slowly. Garnish with skewered cherries. Alternative: Place liquids in blender with ice for slushy type drink. Blend until all ice is completely crushed.
Wicked Cherry Fizz could be renamed to just Cherry Fizz to be included in later holiday celebrations. The color makes it an ideal option for Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings.
All content ©2012 Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist. All Rights Reserved. Chat with Cheri @Intoxicologist on Twitter and facebook.com/Intoxicologist or firstname.lastname@example.com


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It's Play-offs time! Before you know it, two teams will be facing off at the 52nd Big Football Game taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the U.S. Bank Stadium. It's the ultimate showdown so no matter which teams end up playing, we all look forward to this day every year.
If you don't plan on tailgating this year, you should host a football party at your house! There are so many ways to make your Big Game party easy and stress-free. In today's post, we're sharing tips and the hottest game day recipes to make your celebration extra-special this year. Are you ready?
How To Host a Football Party Like a Champ
- Let's face it, beverages and football just go together. In order to get your crowd in the right spirit of the game, serve these Big Game Drink Recipes. You can thank us later!
- What about food? We got you covered! We gathered some of the best crowd pleaser recipes, so you don't have to worry about what to make. Get the taste of Philly with this scrumptious Cheesesteak Pizza. Try this easy BBQ rib recipe by Beth that has 520 positive reviews. It's not football without some buffalo chicken, these slow cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches make for an awesome twist that is easy and a bit less messy. Finally, Sweet Vidalia Onion Dip served with a toasty french baguette is easy to make and bursting with flavor.
- Lastly, let's talk decorations! You can get really creative here so check out Pinterest for some ideas or download these free bowl party printable that will help you decorate your party last minute!
Don't forget to stop by Tri-State Liquors for our ice-cold kegs and cases of beers, plus all the ingredients you need to make your beverage selection bowl worthy! Tri-State Liquors has a full line of ice cold Kegs in stock. We got all your beverage needs covered and we are conveniently located in beautiful TAX-FREE Delaware with easy access from I-95.


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Thomas Jefferson said, "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."
Being an inspiring coach is as much about who you are as it is about what you do. Your character is rooted in your values, those things that are vital to you and reflect your uniqueness and priorities. Your values, not your circumstances or fleeting feelings, should dictate your decisions and behavior. Your values about people and performance should guide your approach to coaching your team.
Personal values— like excellence, honesty, and openness—in and of themselves are just concepts and may be hard to put your finger on. However, once you convert those values into behaviors you can observe, then you can measure, manage, and live them.
Although choosing your values is certainly a personal matter, there are a few values inspiring coaches share: integrity, humility and caring.
Without a doubt, your personal integrity is your most prized possession. Each day, that integrity is constantly tested, and you have an opportunity to prove it or lose it with every decision you make. If you compromise your integrity, your team will stop following you out of commitment and will follow you only out of compliance with your position. If people stop following you, you aren't really leading anymore, regardless of your title.
Leading with integrity is not always the easiest thing to do, but it is always the right thing to do. Choosing to do the right thing—even when it's painful—ensures you will maintain your integrity throughout your personal and professional journey.
We will address the values Humility and Caring next week.
Check out our latest release that will help you buiild a positive mindset.
"Lee and Julie deliver powerful lessons with simple, concise language. As inspirational as it is practical. A vital tool for leaders at any career stage. An extraordinary book!"
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith,
The Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker in the World


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Availability: Made to Order
Production Time: 7-10 business days + shipping (Standard 2-6 Business Days)
Made to Order (MTO) items are NOT eligible for Expedited shipping, Returns, or Exchanges.
This unisex tee is lighweight with soft Cotton fabric feel. - Short Sleeves -Crew Neck.
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"Housing assistance to help them recover if their home was damaged or destroyed in the fire, SBA low-interest loans to help them rebuild. So there's a host of services that are available to them, but in order to access those they have to register for assistance."
More than $13.4 million in grants has been approved for home repairs and replacement, rental assistance and other needs. Another $19.5 million in SBA loans has been approved so far.
"4,000 people in Texas have already registered for assistance, but we wanted to make sure that if there's somebody out there that has been holding back or got caught up in the holidays and had been meaning to do it, that they know that it's — the time to do it is now."
Applications can be made online at DisasterAssistance.gov.


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By David Downs | Published in East Bay Express
According to a release from Harborside Health Center this morning, the biggest pot club on the planet got a judge to quash its potential eviction by landlord Anna Chretien.
Harborside has operated with a permit in Oakland for several years and told its landlord, Chretien, what it was doing. Chretien sued to evict the club after U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag initiated forfeiture actions against Chretien's building for violating federal drug law.
"The federal campaign to close Harborside Health Center and other state legal medical cannabis dispensaries was dealt a significant setback in Alameda County Superior Court on Friday, November 30th when Judge Evilio Grillo quashed an eviction proceeding initiated by the landlord of Harborside's landmark Oakland location. The Judge dismissed the action, which was undertaken in response to pressure placed on the landlord by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, on the grounds that California courts cannot evict state legal medical cannabis dispensaries simply because they are breaking federal cannabis laws."
California landlords cannot force a California court to 'indirectly' enforce federal drug laws, Judge Grillo decided, writing:
"This court sees no reason why a private actor should be able to do what a city cannot—i.e., rely on the idea that state law incorporates federal criminal law to compel a state court to enforce that federal law indirectly when it cannot do so directly."
"Harborside was not the first CA dispensary targeted for property seizure by US Attorneys, but it may well be the last," Harborside operator Stephen DeAngelo said in a written statement.
"Judge Grillo's thoughtful opinion will provide strong protection for all medical cannabis leaseholders in California, and may put a spike in the US Attorneys month long campaign of using civil forfeiture to close state legal medical cannabis dispensaries. The decision makes it clear that organizations that comply with state law deserve the protection of that law, and makes it far more difficult for US Attorneys to force the eviction of medical cannabis dispensaries."
Oakland counter-sued the feds' forfeiture attempt and the case is ongoing, with the next court date set for Dec. 20.


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Tre Henry is a photographer based out of Philadelphia who teamed up with amazing designer Jazmine Miller whose work echoes our generation perfectly – the shoot entails little editing, straightforward aesthetic with a conceptual idea that challenges the norm. This may not be the first time we've seen someone use blue jean material in weird ways for fashion, but it's definitely one of the most unique, the simplistic approach with Henry's shots brings your focus to the designs and the model who perfectly mesh with one another, we love it!
See more of Tre Henry's work here: WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM / TUMBLR
Stylist/Designer: Jazmine Miller
MUA/: Annamarie
Model: Marina Cohen


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Imam Nasser Mohammad Al-Yemeni
24 – Rabi Akhir – 1442 AH
09:01 am
(According to the official time of [Mecca] mother of towns)
..Coronavirus and announcing the miracle of healing without vaccine nor medicine
.In the name of Allah the All Merciful, the Most Merciful
From Allah's servant and His khalifa Nasser Mohammad to the people altogether: O people, I am the Imam Mahdi Nasser Mohammad, I am not only khalifa of Allah over Yemen; in fact, Allah's khalifa over the whole world. Indeed, by Allah there is no difference to me between a Yemeni and Chinese.
O community of human leaders and decision makers among their people, and to all who reached their maturity among the humans; the Arabs and non Arabs, Muslim and disbeliever, listen and rationalize what we will give you a fatwa with Truth by the decisive word and it is not a joke: I swear by Allah the One, the Subduer, I do not know of a vaccine and healing to you for what is in the chests from Allah's chastisement until you beseech with this supplication without arrogance against Allah's khalifa Al-Mahdi Nasser Mohammad, and the words of chastisement removal of what in the chests are; is that you humble yourselves to Allah and implore to Allah by the following:
"Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, if You do not forgive us and (not) have mercy on us we certainly would be of the losers". And after repenting they should say: "Oh Allah, I am Your servant, I ask you by the fact there is no God except You, and by the fact of Your mercy that You ordained upon YourSelf, and by the fact of greatness of the Bliss of YourSelf's good-pleasure that is greater than the bliss of Your heavenly-garden that you heal me from the chastisement of corona or remove it away from me surely I believe in the true caller from You. Oh Allah, remove Your chastisement away from us and from every entrance so we would follow the path of Truth from You, and to make us steadfast on fulfilling what we promised You — O Who comes between man and his heart, surely we do not have except Your mercy that You ordained upon YourSelf. Indeed, if You do not forgive us and (not) have mercy on us we would surely be of the losers. Oh our Allah, You have said in Your decisive Book: {And your Lord says: Pray to Me, I will answer you.}Truthful Allah the Great [Ghãfer] 40:60. Supplication-prayer and turning (close to Allah) is from me while responding is from You. Indeed, You never violate Your promise. Our Lord, glory be to You, surely Your promise is ever True and You are the Most Merciful than all who have mercy. O our Allah, make us steadfast upon fulfilling what we promised You to follow Allah's global caller khalifa of Allah in the land; the Imam Mahdi Nasser Mohammad Al-Yemeni. O our Allah, make sending him as favor upon us and not affliction against us because of our turn away from the true call of the Imam Mahdi Nasser Mohammad Al-Yemeni".
{ وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ } صدق الله العظيم [غافر: من الآية ٦٠]
The Imam Mahdi Nasser Mohammad Al-Yemeni


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2 hours ago
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Trouble So Hard
Ironically, the ancient stories and songs of black folk might agree, after a fashion.
Black folk are found throughout the continent, but are most common in the South, where they were once enslaved by the giantish Ancients, and the City and the Steel League, where they have migrated in more recent times to find work. The City neighborhood of Solace in particular is the cultural capital of the Black New World. They remain something of a people apart, and tend to settle in their own enclaves, in no small part because it provides them some degree of protection from wider society. There, in secret, they can tell stories of the ancient days, before the calamity that befell them.
Long ago when the black folk spoke one tongue--and not the tongue of the Ealderdish invaders--they called themselves "The True People." They first enterered Ealderdish history when merhcant-explorers came to their continent and named it "Ebon-Land," not for its peoples' skin tones, but for the strong, dark wood they found there. The folk were primitive, though there were scattered, enigmatic ruins of a more advanced culture--one the Ealderdish were certain couldn't have arisen natively.
They met them again on islands off the New World, and in the South, where the black folk had been brought by the Ancients to toil in the construction of their tomb-mounds, and underground cities. The ancients were gone, and the black folk, like the Natives, were seen as squatters in the ruins of a greater race. The Ealderdish tolerated them (mostly), but didn't trust these people who kept to themselves, and knew powerful magics.
The Ealderdish may have not remembered the black folk, but the black folk remembered them. Their old campfire tales and songs recalled what they see as the true history of the world, a history the infant cultures of Ealderde have never known.
Once Ebon-Land held the greatest civilization in the world, their tales say, but that civilization was at war with the rapacious people of now sunken Meropis. Though Ebon-Land was more advanced in art and philosophy, Meropis surpassed them in the arts of war. Their wizards worked mighty magics not just to destroy Ebon-Land, but to wipe it from history. Even with Ebon-Land's strong defenses, the ritual was horrifically effective. Only a few now-anomalous ruins were left of a once mighty culture. And only the strongest willed of the black folk even remembered the past that had been taken from them.
So those who remembered told their people's stories, and saw to it that they were passed down over the generations. The stories also warned of the results of the depraved experiments of Meropis--where its sorcerer-scientists had sought to create a race of soldiers by crossbreeding humans with the subhuman stock of the northern forests. With Meropis gone, the savage, half-human tribes spread out over the land they would come to call the Old World, Ealderde, never guessing how young it truly was.
Labels: campaign settings, rpg, strange new world, The City
2 comments:
- ze bulette said...
Perhaps its strange, but I never thought to have human racism in my D&D games. Maybe I unconsciously figured there was enough ill-will between the various demi-humans and sentient humanoids to fill any need.
- July 4, 2010 at 9:18 PM
- Trey said...
I think that's one of the advantages of demihumans. I've often been more influenced by S&S which don't tend to use demihumans and do tend to have racism--though admittedly, its never been a big point.
For this setting, the same issues applied and it felt a little like--uh--whitewashing--to leave the issue out.
- July 4, 2010 at 9:32 PM
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Tip for locals & visitors alike: Food Truck Friday's are set up from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the corner of Pierce Street & Central Ave in Downtown Phoenix.
Check it out!
I love food that comes from trucks and I know someone who would love these hotdogs... but the time isn't very convenient.
You should check out their website, I'm sure they have other pop-up locations you could visit!ReplyDelete
Another AWESOME idea. I love hot dogs and I love real dogs. How can you go wrong here? I think this weekend I will make my own gourmet hot dog and do a blog post on it. Thanks for the inspiration :) Happy FridayReplyDelete
P.S. Your photos are great, that last 2 shots of the hot dog are really good. Could be in a magazine.ReplyDelete
Thanks Michelle! This place has totally inspired me to make more interesting hot dog combos...especially with summer coming up. Perfect for grilling weather!
Happy Friday:)


text: This five-week course will focus on the technical as well as aesthetic aspects of cinematography for non-fiction films. Students are expected to have advanced knowledge of video shooting either from craft 2 – Video or Video Storytelling for the Web. The class will build on the skills obtained in those classes. We will examine through screenings and readings different styles of cinematography in the documentary and web video world, from free-form handheld intimate to locked down traditional. We will example of great cinematographers use light, color and focal length to contribute to the visual language of a story. We will explore these techniques in several exercises. On the technical side, use Canon c100 cameras, but students will be exposed to soon-to-be industry standard 4K cameras. We will also use a variety of tools: including the Movi, the Osmo, Sliders and tilt shift lenses.


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Farnborough, UK. 13 April 2020. BAE Systems is donating more than 120,000 face shields to help protect NHS staff on the frontline. As well as supporting the national ventilator effort, employees across their business have rallied to donate vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the NHS to help protect medical staff around the UK in the fight against Coronavirus.
Employees in the Air sector, who normally produce parts for combat aircraft including Eurofighter Typhoon, and our Submarines business are 3D printing parts for newly designed face shields. Meanwhile, it is sourcing tens of thousands of additional face shields through our supply chain to distribute to the NHS on our behalf, which means we will deliver more than 120,000 face shields to the NHS this month.
Dave Short, Technology Director, explains, "We've all been moved by the personal bravery of those working in the NHS who face the virus close up every day, so we wanted to help in any way we could. Our employees heard about the need for face shields, so we looked for the quickest way to get effective products to users. At the same time as talking to suppliers, colleagues from our Technology team and our Air sector joined forces to design and manufacture our first 3D printed face shield in less than 24 hours. We kept in constant dialogue with our NHS contacts to ensure this met their requirements and had the first shields with them in less than two days."
"We've already delivered the first batch of 3D printed face shields, but to really make a difference, our supply chain is manufacturing a further 120,000 face shields to their own designs. More than 20,000 face shields are already on their way to locations around the country, with the remaining face shields set to be delivered to the NHS this month. Subject to Government approval, in line with industry regulations issued on 4 April, we plan to scale up production of our 3D printed face shield to deliver around 10,000 single-use visors with a smaller number of re-usable head straps over the coming weeks. We are also continuing to work with our supply chain to source further face shields, which we'll donate to the NHS. A number of other projects are underway as employees across the business continue to look at ways to help the country at this difficult time," he added.


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Sealed With a Curse (Weird Girls #1)
Cecy Robson
Published: Dec. 31, 2012 (Signet Eclipse)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Amanda
Rating (out of 5): 3 stars
Celia Wird and her sisters are cursed. Celia's got the ability to change into a tiger, Taran blows stuff up, Shayna can turn pretty much anything into a pointy-ended weapon, and sweet little Emme can not only heal people, but she's telekinetic. Having spent their entire lives hiding what they can do, they're outed as they stand trial in vampire court, accused of blowing up a vampire. When the trial ends with the revelation that something much more dangerous is preying on the vampires of Tahoe, Celia and her sisters get drawn into the hunt, much to the chagrin of Aric, the Leader of the local wolf pack.
Bloodlust is infecting the vamps of master Misha Aleksandr's keep at an alarming rate, and soon spread beyond those he calls family. Celia's spent most of her life protecting her sisters, and this makes her feel like she ought to help Misha solve this little problem.
Celia comes off as a bit martyr-ish at times, but the girl's got a sense of humor and she's not about to let the bone-deep loneliness keep her from getting on with the business of living. Sure, she might not date (she's convinced men don't find her attractive), but she has her sisters. A job she enjoys. She's used to men overlooking her. So if the sizzling attraction between her and Aric confuses her and scares her and has her running in the other direction on occasion, you can't really blame her.
I loved Aric's wolf Warriors, particularly Koda. The big Native American brute is unafraid of battle and would gladly give his life for his leader, but when it comes to Shayna, he's confused and a little vulnerable. He even lets her call him "puppy." Yeah. Puppy. I had to giggle at that.
For a book that's as long as it is, the pace was fairly tight. About a third of the way through the story there's a major fight scene, and things take a detour into the ridiculous, which could have derailed the story. A few times Celia's own inability to articulate what she's thinking when it comes to Aric leads to quite a bit of angst, and the story slows down as a result. While Robson takes time to expand on the relationships between some of the Warriors and Celia's sisters, one kind of falls by the wayside and isn't fully explained, which drove me nuts.
Sealed with a Curse is a solid start to a new series, one that makes me curious enough to want to what other kinds of trouble Celia and her sisters can get into.


text:
Summer 2000, Vol. 3, No. 2
Quick Links
to other articles
in this issue:
From the Editor: Disestablishing
Two Cheers for the Pilgrimage
What Really Happened in Uganda?
Go Down, Elian
A Religious Right Arrives in Canada
Feeble Opinions On the House Chaplaincy
A Cardinal in Full
Mormon Women in the Real World
Peanuts for Christ
Hexham is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary and
editor of various books on African religion, including the multi-volume sacred scriptures
of Isaiah Shembes amaNazarites
Michael McGough, editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette, has written about religion for Slate.com, the New Republic, and the New York Times.
Jan Shipps is Professor Emeritus of History and Religious
Studies and Senior Research Associate at the Polis Center, Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis. She is the author of the forthcoming Sojourner in the Promised
Land: Forty Years Among the Mormons.


text:
An Army of Modified Mosquitoes Is Set to Fight Zika
Parts of South America will soon be home to millions of insects carrying a special Zika-stifling bug of their own.
Parts of Brazil and Colombia will soon become home base for a veritable army of millions of mosquitoes that have been modified to fight the Zika virus as well as other diseases such as dengue fever and cikungunya.
According to BBC News, the insects will be purposely infected, via injection, with Wolbachia, a bacteria common in insects that hampers the mosquitoes' ability to transmit Zika to humans.
The mosquito most closely associated with Zika, Aedes aegypti, does not usually become infected with Wolbachia. However, once modified to carry it, scientists say, the bacteria will be passed on to uninfected mosquitoes at breeding time.
RELATED: Zika Virus May Harm Adult Brain
Researchers from the non-profit Eliminate Dengue are working on the release, which should begin in early 2017. In May, the group reported success in small trials of the strategy, finding that the injected Wolbachia bacteria indeed reduced the presence of Zika in mosquitoes. (Similar results were found for chikungunya and dengue fever.)
Humans can get the Zika virus from mosquito bites; via fetal transfer to newborns; from sex; and possibly from blood transfusions (according to the CDC, that infection method is "very likely but not confirmed"). When pregnant women who are infected pass the virus to their babies, the newborns could emerge with a number of severe birth defects, among them a condition called microcephaly, in which an unborn baby's brain shrinks.
To date, there is no vaccine for Zika, and, as the infections keep coming, science continues to race against time for a solution. Other schemes, such as genetically modifying the mosquitoes to kill their offspring, are also in development.
WATCH VIDEO: The Devastating Zika Virus Explained


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The component world is facilitating reuse and increased efficiency through container technology. The evolution of container packaging of components has been a huge boon to the productivity of software development. As an example, a prominent cloud management company, RightScale, recently moved some of its technology to containers and found a more than 50% improvement in efficiency of its services.
Containers and Microservice architecture are based on the idea that breaking things into smaller pieces enables more granular optimization of resources including scaling of processing capability much faster and with fewer resources. Netflix has argued that a microservices architecture using granular smaller services instead of larger services makes their service much more scalable and cheaper to operate.
One of the principal advantages of containers vs virtual machines is that containers take milliseconds to spin up vs minutes for virtual machines. Resources such as memory consumption of virtual machines is much greater and the isolation provided by virtual machines results in performance penalties. The result is that containers are significantly more efficient than VMs.
Another important difference between container and VM-based cloud deployment is that a container can be modified and all services that use it can be upgraded. Modifying a VM based service is much harder requiring rebuilding the entire VM or multiple VMs and deploying them all over. This results in a massive increase in agility. It has been estimated container based cloud deployments are 13 times as agile as VM based solutions meaning companies can upgrade them 13 times as often resulting in much higher agility and customer satisfaction and meeting customer needs faster and cheaper.
Given all these advantages it's clear why the whole world seems to be moving to container based development in the cloud.
FaaS ( Function as a Service ), Serverless Computing, Lambda
If this weren't enough compelling reason to consider containers a the new paradigm for software development called FaaS (Function as a Service.) or Serverless Computing has emerged.
Serverless Computing is based on Event Driven Computing. The idea is when an event occurs a function is invoked in a container which provides the context and execution framework for the work. If the container is not available it is spun up and the function invoked. After the function finishes the container is stopped.
As a performance improvement, the container is usually kept around for some amount of time in case there are more calls to the function invoked. If the function or workload is called infrequently the container may be running only a small fraction of the time.
Lambda, which is AWS's implementation of FaaS, bills you only for the time the function takes. As a result, the cost of running FaaS Lambda functions can be 95% less than running a server for the entire month with the container on it.
I'm not joking. I have seen some services that were renting servers in AWS costing thousands of dollars reduced to less than $10. The savings can be incredible. The basic advantage of this technology is that you only pay for the time your function executes and the resources it needs to execute. For some services, this is just awesome.
What do you need to do to migrate to containers?
I have a previous article on what a full stack for Enterprises consists of in terms of containers and components here. To a large extent moving to containers and microservices full stack approach is less disruptive than going to FaaS.
There are some problems with the maturity of the FaaS technologies at this point.
1) The FaaS implementations of different clouds is totally different with the languages or tools you use to implement your function different and everything you need to do to create the context and security around the function different. Therefore, portability is a big issue.
2) There is no organizational framework for FaaS. This means that your company may write hundreds or even thousands of these functions and after a while nobody may know what functionality was included in what function and what functions are still used or if code is replicated.
3) It is not clear how to fit FaaS into the current DevOps frameworks.
These 3 problems will grow with time if we and the industry don't come up with a good scheme to fix them. Stay tuned. My new company may have some help.
Want to read more of John Mathon? Read also his blog Containers are becoming the Lingua Franca of the cloud or How to scale APIs in the cloud with Security, Reliability and QoS.


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Tourists walk along a trail near Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 25, 2014. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post) SALT LAKE CITY — Most national parks are open as a refuge for Americans tired of being stuck at home during a pandemic, but despite now being free to visit, people may find it more difficult to enjoy them as parks close visitor centers, shuttles, lodges and restaurants to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Parks are trying to keep up with ever-changing rules and recommendations from government officials who are urging people to avoid gathering in large groups but allowing them to get outside for fresh air and exercise as long as they keep their distance from others.
The National Park Service says it's adhering to the latest guidelines from the White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vowing to keep outdoor spaces open while giving park superintendents the power to close or modify operations. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt this week temporarily waived entrance fees at national parks, monuments and wildlife refuges to make it easier for people to get outdoors and "implement some social distancing." "Getting out into the wilderness is perfect for what we call the 'shack nasties' — being cooped up inside your home," said Trish Jacob, an employee of a backcountry guiding company near Rocky Mountain National Park.
But not everyone is on board with the idea of people descending on parks and their gateway towns to escape the virus. Making parks free will lead to overcrowding and put staffers and visitors at greater risk of being exposed to the virus, according to a group representing park service employees. "It is irresponsible to urge people to visit national park sites when gathering at other public spaces is no longer considered safe," said Phil Francis, chairman of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. Executives at a hospital in Moab, Utah, also have implored state officials to slow the flow of people coming to see the red rocks and unique formations at Arches and Canyonlands national parks over fears the city's hospital couldn't handle an outbreak.
In response, officials this week limited hotel stays to people in town for work and banned dining in restaurants. This Feb. 28, 1997, file photo shows Delicate Arch in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. (Christopher Tomlinson, Daily Sentinel via AP Photo File) Nationally, park superintendents are devising ways to stay open while keeping people at safe distances from one another and trying to ensure park employees stay healthy.
Many parks closed visitor centers, museums, and entrance booths while rangers are stationed outside to field visitors' questions. Though rangers are working, some parks warned people to be extra cautious and prepared, especially in places with wintry weather, because resources are strained amid the pandemic and rescues may be more difficult. Zion National Park in southern Utah halted shuttles used by most people visiting its red rock vistas nestled in a narrow canyon.
Tourists now must wait for limited parking to free up before driving in. Grand Canyon National Park stopped its shuttles and closed its restaurants. In Northern California, visitor centers at several destinations managed by the park service, such as Muir Woods National Monument, Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge, are closed. Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state followed suit. Most facilities and roads in Yellowstone — which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho — and Rainier normally are closed this time of year because of deep snow.
The Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island in New York are closed entirely. Workers at Grand Canyon have shifted away from duties that put them close to tourists. "We're just coming up with different ways for them to do their jobs that's mindful of the CDC guidelines," park spokeswoman Lily Daniels said. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. But for the elderly and people with existing conditions, it can cause more severe illness. The vast majority of those who are infected recover.
The Utah hospital's concerns aren't related to being in the wilderness but rather the social interactions before and afterward at hotels, bars, restaurants, and often crowded trailheads or entrance gates. Expecting thousands of tourists this weekend, Moab Regional Hospital executives urged the governor to ban visitors. A subsequent prohibition on tourists staying at area hotels complicated matters. "We're just encouraging people to stay home and stay in their residences and to wait out these two weeks and hopefully things will return to some kind of normal," said Elaine Gizler, executive director of the Moab Area Travel Council. Like the interior secretary, U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah has encouraged people to enjoy the parks and open spaces where they can keep a distance from others. David Ramirez, left, and Monica Palacios, right, look at the scenery around Bear Lake on Nov. 3 in Rocky Mountain National Park. Bear Lake is an easy hike from the parking lot with a multitude of longer hikes in the area. The couple were visiting from Maryland. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post) That's just what Katarina Takahashi of Longmont did in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Takahashi trudged through fresh snow during a three-hour hike to Emerald Lake last week, passing other alpine lakes surrounded by towering peaks. The 3-mile trek was a much-needed escape. "It's a very refreshing time to be outdoors, to get the health benefits of exercising, be in the sunshine, and get away as well from the anxiety I've felt, that we're all feeling, about the virus," said Takahashi, a 32-year-old freelance Japanese language translator who blogs about the outdoors.
Businesses in Estes Park, a gateway town for Rocky Mountain National Park, are watching virus developments warily. The town of 6,000 relies heavily on the park, which drew a record 4.6 million visitors in 2018. "We are open for business until the city tells us otherwise," said Jacob, who works for Kirk Mountain Adventures, which offers snowshoeing, fly fishing, hiking, backpacking and other excursions into the park. Kirk employees were leading snowshoeing and fly fishing trips this week — each limited to three people, not because of the virus but because many visitors want a more intimate experience in nature.
But spring break business is slightly down, Jacob said. Like its Moab counterpart, the Estes Park Chamber of Commerce is focusing more on helping its members deal with the virus than promoting tourism. The town's already been hit by a statewide ban on dining at restaurants and bars. "We're not encouraging visitation to Estes Park right now," chamber executive director Keith Pearson said. If there's any silver lining, Pearson said, it may be better than the first shock waves from the coronavirus are hitting now, rather than during the peak summer season. He noted that Estes Park has bounced back before: It was isolated by devastating flooding in 2013. "By Memorial Day, if the worst can be in the rear-view mirror, that would be fantastic," Pearson said. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.


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'Stacey' are you ready? Your grandmother prayed exactly at 600 hours (6am) for our journey today.'
I think I could just about see my grandpa with what seemed to be a phone he was waving around. Most likely trying to emphasise what the time was.
Date 21/09/2017 Time: 06:45 Feelings-Amazed. Action: Walking Temperature: 17 degrees celsius
It was my cousin, grandpa and I making our way towards the combi rank. What was so picturesque about this walk, was the grey mist combined with a golden yellow haze presented by the sun rise. It wasn't cold but still that cool fresh blanket in the atmosphere allowed my bones to wake up.
I previously mentioned how early people usually wake up here. Having time to clean the house, bath, and have breakfast before making their way to work, school or town. Never late, and I could tell this, as soon as I jumped into the combie. Despite the stares I got, I still felt super thrilled to be in one of these modes of transport again. For those from the Philippines, its so similar to your jeepney.
I love how compact yet snug these combis are with the added bonus of those old time favourites Tongai Moyo and Oliver Mtukudzi in the background. So, in terms of the fast moving combis, the constant dodging of the pot holes, and even beeping of horns, it was not a surprise as this was rush hour in Zimbabwe. The closer we got to town the more cars and combis there were. Taking that as a good thing, the engine of the combie, happened to go bust on us. Did I feel scared? No not at all. Everyone just got off, jumped into the next combie in the middle of the road and commenced with their journey as if nothing happened. Optimistic hey !
If I happened to convince you getting in one, I'm proud. Usually you pay 50 cents and you can give it as soon as you have sat down comfortably. No need for an oyster card! When you need to get off just knock on the window or say the name of the area, or say 'bus stop'.
Okay, so here's where it gets even more exciting. Walking into town was no different to getting into the combi, if you know what I mean, but I was solely distracted by the buildings. They still had that old country look to them.
Jacaranda trees were in bloom, and some of the flowers had already coated the ground. Thanks to that cool air, the strong aromatic scent of the jacaranda flowers were carried along through the streets. It was then when I saw my gaze move to a familiar scene.
I had planned to meet one of my best friends here today. A little situation, occurred but with just a few prayers, she managed to come. Yes, I cried when I saw her and the fact we were reliving a moment we both had, made me feel like pausing time. My grandpa, found a place to sit and left us right to it.
It's been 12 years since I last remember walking through these gates. There I was, dressed with these buckle up leather shoes in the colour brown from Edgars. They were paired with white socks, a plain blue dress but just to add something to it sat a green badge engrave with my name and let's not forget the 'MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES' hat. Let me tell you, even when I ended up getting mustard on my hat, being the short girl I was and trying to get first hands on the apricots sweets by our tuck shop, I still made sure my hat was on. What an embarrassment, but I'd like to think that was a memory not to be forgotten.
Passing the school hall, I replayed the time where we all sat down, singing the National anthem both in Shona and English. I don't know but It did seem a little smaller to me, I think because I was way smaller then, so it would make sense for everything to appear on a bigger scale.
Walking past the high school into the primary schools quarters, we saw the tennis court. Now that did look big to me but in-between the wires gaps I could see the class rooms which I was eager to see. Grade 1 with Sister Perina. Thank goodness I've always cherished this school year book because who knew it came in handy today.
With a knock on the door, and a 'come in' we entered the classroom. Thank you Mrs Bobo. Dayna and I were specially greeted by the class and they had such sweet voices. I guess, I could only say I was getting used to the stares, ahaha, especially when we introduced ourselves to them and what we are doing now. It gave me a realisation of how much my class mates and I had grown up from trying to keep our colours in the lines to now working at a law firm or studying at university. You all know who you are.
Did I miss something, these stairs, the bathroom, seemed more on lower than usual. My grade two and three class were both upstairs. My grade 3 teacher was still there, Mrs Chigwada. I know most of the teachers had left or retired but at least seeing familiar faces made it worth while.
The play ground, it felt as if it was ours since all the children were in class. The swings still sat in the same place as they were overlooking the art room just across the lawn.
Thank you Dominican Convent Girls School for allowing me to revisit memory lane. For giving me the first steps into education and for making me do the best that I can. To all my grade teachers, I still remember you even my piano teacher, I wish I continued playing the piano.
All my class mates, keep doing what you're doing, become successful and please remember memory lane.
Do you remember your first memory from primary school ?
Dominican Convent School ~Harare
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Have a wonderful blessed day everyone. I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little and seeing Zimbabwe from my perspective so far. There are more Zimzygirl Diaries Posts and pictures to come during this week so be sure to visit my blog everyday.
Lots of kisses and hugs


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Ruin Falkenstein
Knights stronghold the "eagles nest"
It is the highest ruin in Germany. It was first erected between 1047 and 1063 but then destroyed in 1434. In 1497 it was restored and once again destroyed during to 30 year war in 1646. It is open all year round but only reachable when there is no snow on the ground.
The ruin is in Pfronten which is approx..35 mins.drive from Lechbruck.
Opening hours
|Monday and Tuesday
|Viewing by request.


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Companions for meetings – but no clowns
We deal with all sorts of quirky goings on in the wonderful world of work and HR – but bringing a clown to a formal meeting is a new one on us!
You may have read that a man in New Zealand chose to bring an "emotional support" clown with him to a meeting with HR to discuss redundancy. The full article is here.
The best bit is: "Joe accompanied Josh for the redundancy meeting, where the clown made balloon animals, although he had to be told to stop a few times as it was difficult to hear above the screeching of plastic."
It's amusing and it got us thinking:
Employees – are you aware of your rights to be accompanied to meetings here in the UK?
Employers – it's a legal requirement for some meetings, but do you know which ones? You could be fined if you don't offer it.
Why bring a companion?
- It adds credibility to the process.
- Gives staff confidence that issues are being handled fairly or taken seriously.
- Provides moral support.
- Can help manage the process more effectively – for explain to explain what's happening if English isn't the employee's first language.
What does the companion do?
- Helps the individual understand the process and what's happening.
- Can address the meeting.
- Confers with the employee during the meeting.
- BUT she or he is not allowed to answer on the employee's behalf.
- No making balloon animals either – way to screechy and distracting.
Who can I bring?
- You are entitled to bring a work colleague or trade union representative.
- Employers can consider allowing a friend or relative if it's reasonable or helpful in the circumstances, but the decision is down to the employer.
- Not a clown. No clowns allowed, sorry (not sorry).
What sort of meetings?
- The statutory right (the legal minimum) to be accompanied applies to disciplinary and grievance meetings only.
- Employers must include the right to be accompanied in your invite to the meetings.
- That's the meetings themselves, including appeals not the investigations.
- There are other circumstances where it's useful but not a statutory requirement to have a companion, particularly when discussing issues of a sensitive nature.
- These could be redundancy consultations, flexible working requests, performance reviews or sickness related meetings.
By Melissa


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USMA made a strong showing but we still came in 2nd place behind USMMA. Maybe next year.
We in USMA 1977 made a strong showing, with:
376 donors (4th place; not bad for one of the smaller classes)
$160,487.52 donated (2nd place; wow)
58.20% participation (4th place, after firstname.lastname@example.com%, email@example.com%, and email@example.com%)
We have not yet received a breakdown by company/regiment.
The official WPAOG report is here: https://www.westpointaog.org/academychallenge.


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- Members: VegettoEX, MeriC
- Title: Sex, Lies, & Roses
- Premiered: 2004-09-25
- Categories:
- Midtown Is it Me? Is it True?
- Anime:
- Participation:
Anime Weekend Atlanta 10 (2004); Pro Contest
WINNER: "Best Angst"
NOMINATED: "Best Drama"
NOMINATED: "Best Character Profile"
Back in the spring of 2004, Meri was driving home from Mike's dorm (while he was still in school) listening to the new Midtown CD, Forget What You Know. Upon hearing the track "Is it Me? Is it True?" (which we had actually had for quite some time, by itself; the band put out the MP3 months earlier), Meri decided that the song very much fit the character of Akio from Shoujo Kakumei Utena. Having just recently rewatched the show with Mike, Meri put the idea past him (for some reason expecting a response of disinterest based on the proposed source footage). Much to the world's delight, Mike agreed.
And thus began the video.
This video was originally supposed to focus on Akio's use and abuse of most characters (mostly Utena and Anthy), but there was just the right amount of footage with just the two characters (Utena and Akio) that it began shifting more in that direction, so that's where we took it. You'll note that we do showcase some of the other "abused" characters, but it's mostly in the interest of showing the full "scheme" of things at Utena discovers, so to speak.
This video is somewhat different from our typical videos in that there isn't one single set storyline with a beginning, middle, and end. In addition to the story told about Utena's encounter with Akio, we mostly go for a general "mood" and "feeling" about Akio, showcasing him in all kinds of situations (mostly as a hero to himself!).
In the beginning we show Akio as the "fallen prince" along with the appropriate lyrics, and him noticing Utena as a "princess" he can exploit. Akio makes his "moves" on Utena and eventually she succums to him. Each instance of Utena hitting some kind of "breaking point" is represented by the candle blowing out, with three in total. You've pretty much got any background information you need to examine the rest of the imagery used, so have fun enjoying our story!
First off, this footage is heavily filtered. How convenient that AbsoluteDestiny's beta version of "the guide" just happens to use Utena as an example! Woohoo! Man, Utena DVDs are sooo bad looking... and can be sooo pretty...
Interestingly, the first part of the video edited was the very ending. The flow of the changed music just humorously fit Akio riding off in/on his car in a very dark and disturbing way so perfectly. The beginning "puzzle" (somewhat) intro consists of 67 images. The Utena-style French text in the middle of the video was created from scratch; all of the words are either taken from the song's lyrics or general theme and translated to French. It is a cycle of 17 images/phrases that loops one and a half times.
This was a nice kind of somewhat different video for us to work on, and we were delighted (as seen by the nominations) that other editors found interesting points to the video. It's much more "dark" and possibly even provocative than we typically edit for a video, and that's pretty neat! Hope you enjoy it.
Opinions (14)
- Orig
- Visual
- Sound
- Synch
- Lip
- Effects
- Effort
- Re-View
- Overall
- 9.08
- 9.00
- 9.58
- 9.67
- 9.17
- 9.50
- 8.75
- 9.33
- Link Format Bitrate Codec Duration Filesize Link Check Information Comments
48.4 MiB
Mpeg 1 System File [Video/Audio]
Muxrate : 2.02 Mbps
Estimated Duration: 03:18.10s
Size [352 x 240] 23.98 fps 104.86 Mbps
Audio : Mpeg 1 layer 2
192 kbps 44100 Hz
Stereo, No emphasis


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Week Thirty Eight Of Pregnancy
Week 38 Of Your Baby's Development!
Your baby is the length of a leek
By week 38 of the pregnancy, your baby will be quite plump, weighing approximately 6.8 pounds. The length of the baby may be close to 19 ½ inches, similar to a bunch of leeks. The organs of the baby have matured and he is swallowing amniotic fluid. Where is all that fluid going? Well, it gets accumulated in his intestines along with other waste products, to be excreted after he's born.
Baby's lungs are now producing a greater amount of surfactant, which is the substance that prevents the sticking together of the air sacs in the baby's lungs once he begins to breathe. So if he was to be born now, he'd likely do just fine when it comes to breathing.
Week 38 Of Your Health, Mind & Body Changes
Yes, your body is still changing in week 38. You will notice an increase in mucus discharge as your cervix softens and prepares for labor. Several women report increased back pain and pelvic pressure because the baby starts moving closer to the birth canal. This discomfort could be alleviated with maternity belts and pregnancy massages.
When you're in the last few weeks of pregnancy, a bit of swelling in the ankles and feet is normal. However, you must call your midwife or doctor immediately in case there is sudden or excessive swelling in these areas. Any swelling in the face, sudden weight gain or puffiness around the eye area must also be reported, in case it's a sign of pre-eclampsia.
Week 38 Of Your Next Steps!
- Besides resting, reading and spending time with your partner or kids, you could also use this time and get the baby's nursery ready. While resting, you could spend some time pondering over your pregnancy journey and write down the highlights in a journal. After all, the nine-month wait is finally over.
- It's handy to get some books, read some online resources or watch videos on breastfeeding and how to prepare for it. You won't get time to do this once the baby has arrived. However, you can always seek some assistance from your midwife during postnatal checks.
- You can identify false labor if you know certain signs of actual labor.Actual signs of early labor include:
– rupture of membranes (your waters breaking. Definitely call your caregiver once this has happened)
– 'the show' or 'bloody show' (mucous blob with vaginal discharge)
– a period type pain that does not go away and intensifies to actual contractions
– Contractions that are regular and continue to intensify ( good indication to go to the hospital is when contractions are 5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute long, but of course always call your caregiver or head up to the hospital if unsure about anything)


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Vielen Dank! Jan. 26, 2015
The Saarland debut of Pi and More at HTW Saar in Saabrücken was a big success. Over 100 visitors attended the free program with workshops and talks.
We will provide slides and additional material within the next days here. You can already find a gallery with impressions from the event.
See you at Pi and More 7 on June 20 in Trier!


text: What a darling card! I've enjoyed seeing all your back-to-school projects, but this one really spoke to me. I love the colors and images you've used, and the crow is a wonderful addition. I've always wanted an Airedale or fox terrier, too, and probably for the same reason. Love those Thin Man films!