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English with Kirsty – episode 153
Knowing your bad habits and writing weaknesses can help you to spot your mistakes
You can listen to episode 153 here:
We all have things that we often get mixed up, that make us stop and think, or that we often overlook in our own writing. If we know what those things are, it's easier to keep an eye out for them when checking our work. I talk about some of the things that I look out for, as well as ten other examples. Do you have anything to add to the list?
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'I See the Proof in the Pudding': Why This Legal Tech Exec Is a 'Believer' in Law Firms' Ability to Learn From Other Industries
Colin Li, chief financial officer and chief revenue officer at legal tech company Paradigm, has seen firsthand how some law firms struggle to adopt and implement technology. But he's also witnessed success stories—firms adopting best practices from other industries and overcoming traditionalist tendencies to become more efficient and effective.
CEO of Speaker Media and Marketing, is the "Secret Weapon of Personal Injury Lawyers and Trial Attorneys" throughout the United States. Specializing as a marketing consultant to lawyers, with a primary focus on content marketing, social media, online video and mobile marketing strategies.

subset: commoncrawl


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NPR News reports that the FBI is investigating the possible bribery of federal officials overseeing mining industry regulation by Massey Energy, the owner of the Upper Big Branch mine that exploded three weeks ago, killing 29 miners.
"The Mine Safety and Health Administration is the target of a federal criminal investigation," NPR notes, and "FBI agents are also exploring potential criminal negligence on the part of Massey Energy."
The nation's top mine safety official told lawmakers earlier this week that the government will start going directly to federal court to shut down mines that make a habit of ignoring safety.
Joe Main, director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said his agency has had the power to seek federal injunctions for years, but has never tried to use it.
"I can't speak for past administrations," Main said during the Senate's first hearing on the accident that killed 29 men. "We're going to use it."
Main also called for a slew of other legal and regulatory reforms to beef up safety enforcement in the wake of this month's deadly explosion at a mine in West Virginia.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee convened the hearing to look at weaknesses in current laws that encourage mine operators and companies in other industries to challenge safety violations to delay stiffer penalties.


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Abandon Expectations:
Terry Riley Live at 85
December 20 – December 21, 2020
New York City
Terry Riley has got some chops. That's worth noting because at 84 no one's body works the way it used to. He mounts and leaves the stage at Pioneer Works with care, but when he sits at his keyboards, his hands have an unlimited capacity to realize his ideas.
After more than 8 decades, the ideas seem endless, full of freshness and vitality. Riley's musical range is so broad that it challenges assumptions about what musicians can do. Yo-Yo Ma appears as a genius, able to play Bach and world music with equal technical and aesthetic artistry. Yet here is Riley, who is essential to the minimalist revolution in post-WWII classical composition, who expanded Western musical thinking with trance concepts from ancient and non-Western music, and who is up there during the course of these two concerts playing and singing standards from the American songbook.
That's disarming, charming, and mind-expanding—echt Riley—but also leaves much of the standing room crowd puzzled, their expectations adrift from reality. Riley is most well known for the avant-grade masterpiece In C, and also the hypnotic thrills of albums like A Rainbow in Curved Air and Persian Surgery Dervishes. Those pieces reach back some 50 years and barely hint at Riley's pedigree as a pianist digging Mary Lou Williams, nor what he's accomplished in the intervening years up to these concerts.
But the series starts in familiar territory Friday night with John Zorn joining Riley for a set of improvisations. Riley lays down churning bass lines and riffs, using a fat, pleasantly grinding timbre from his synthesizer—it's a reminder that not only can he play the keyboard but that he's one of the great synthesizer players, building patches that are exciting and expressive, pushing the unique musical qualities of the synth to the utmost. On top of this Zorn uses his alto sax to unspool fiery, circular runs on pentatonic scales. The two share an appreciation for the thrilling possibilities of repetition.
Heads are bobbing and shoulders weaving, and the set turns out to be one of the high points of both concerts. Though Riley and Zorn play with piercing energy, the music hints at drone and trance. Then Riley returns for a set titled "Interpretations on Standards," his energy mellow but still graceful and substantial, and the bulk of the standing-room crowd wonders, what was going on?
Riley starts singing, and the audience catches its breath in surprise. He was never a strong vocalist, and while age hasn't touched his hands, it has limited his singing—his range is narrow, and though he can still work his way around the notes, he can't open up or sustain any lines. And not only does he sing, but it's other people's music—even more it's Rodgers and Hart, Hoagy Carmichael, and "Caravan" by Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington, and Irving Mills.
For the listener without expectations this is fascinating, as much for Riley's taste as his playing. "This Can't Be Love" is from The Boys from Syracuse, it's been floating around at the edges of the standards books since 1938, but doesn't have much staying power. There is beautiful, multilayered irony in Riley singing Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair," a song about an old man singing about being old, and "Caravan" allows the performer who calls herself Everything, and who has been a non-participating distraction, to add some percussion and vocal accompaniment. But the best parts of this set come when Riley modulates the standard changes into slippery, modal harmonies. This is deeply impressive in terms of form, and brings him back to the fore.
That is it for Riley's playing Friday. The night finishes with two compositions, Mandala Miniatures for the saxophone quartet of Dan Blake (soprano), Caroline Davis (alto), Travis Laplante (tenor), Scott Robinson (baritone), and Tread on the Trail, played by a mixed ensemble led by Riley's son, guitarist Gyan Riley.
These are a mixed experience. Mandala Miniatures is a series of repetitive aphorisms, some which work better than others. Riley's forms are organic, but his style sets up some kind of point of resolution, be it a downbeat or a tonic note, and not all the miniatures resolve. The quartet has excellent intonation and blend, and the audience tries to urge their own way into a transformative state by interrupting the flow with applause and whistles, but this is not the Riley they had come expecting.
Tread on the Trail is more successful by popular acclaim, but the weakest moment in the series. This is a piece of additive minimalism, a set of phrases that bring the musicians together before hitting a mark and moving on to the next. The group, which includes Davis and Laplante, and has Nathan Koci playing accordion, Greg Chudzik on bass, and drummer Dave Cossin, plays with a jam-band vibe that the crowd digs but leaves the music in a jejune netherworld between physical pulse and actual jamming.
Saturday brings the two nights together into palindromic bookends. There are two sets, the first with Riley improvising with son Gyan, the second A Rainbow on Curved Air played by a group of mixed strings, keys, and percussion.
The two Rileys are sympathetic partners, as one would expect, but there's also too much generational deference. The younger Riley is a capable musician, but just doesn't have the imaginative depths of his father, nor the driving energy. The best moments have the two working in lovely synchronicity, but when they try more abstract things—abandoning tonal or rhythmic organization—the music dissipates. Throughout the set, it feels like the elder Riley is holding something back.
That is unfortunately his last appearance on stage, but the concluding performance is fabulous, reaching the summit Riley and Zorn had scaled the night before. The musicians surround themselves with the shimmer of Riley's music. Unlike the night before, they not only play the notes but are immersed in his aesthetic state, they are bringing his message to life. With Angel Deradoorian prominent, and Okkyung Lee slicing through with her cello, the music is a vehicle for reaching a state of being separate from the reality outside Pioneer Works. That is Riley's point, and it's what makes him special.


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Twilight Tutoring
We are pleased to announce that a Twilight Tutoring Program will be made available to all RLAS-116 students starting Tuesday, January 12. Twilight Tutoring provides students with virtual access to certified teaching staff after the regular school hours have ended on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 5:30pm-7:30pm.
Teachers will assist with assignments as well as provide targeted academic support to students in math, science, ELA, and social studies.
Students may access the Help icon in a Canvas course to access the tutoring zoom link.
Please contact your child's teacher or school administration if you have questions about the Twilight Tutoring Program.


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Cameron Graves | "Planetary Prince: The Eternal Survival EP" | Available Digitally May 18 via Mack Avenue Records
Cameron Graves – A.K.A. The Planetary Prince –
Advances Truth of Creativity with New Release,
Planetary Prince: The Eternal Survival EP,
feat. Stanley Clarke, Kamasi Washington, & Ronald Bruner, Jr.
Available May 18 on Mack Avenue Records
Digital-Only EP Includes:
Three Live Performances from The Troubadour &
Two Previously Unreleased Tracks from Critically
Acclaimed Debut Album Planetary Prince
Who is the Planetary Prince? According to keyboardist and composer Cameron Graves, it's him. The title and concept go back long before the 35-year-old pianist struck his first piano key but in the past few years, Graves has surveyed a fair amount of the Earth as a member of the West Coast Get Down, a Los Angeles-based collective that also includes saxophonist Kamasi Washington, keyboardist Brandon Coleman and drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr.
Following on the heels of his 2017 critically-acclaimed debut album Planetary Prince, the fleet-fingered pianist is ready to continue the message with an EP entitled Planetary Prince: The Eternal Survival EP. This new collection of music features dynamic no-holds-barred live performances from Washington, Bruner, trombonist Ryan Porter, bassist Carlito del Puerto, guitarist Matt Haze, and special guest Stanley Clarke, as well as two previously unreleased studio sessions.
Three of the five tracks were recorded in 2017 at Graves' record release party held at the world-famous Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood, CA – a room that has boasted more than 600 live albums from renowned artists, including Carole King, Elton John, The Eagles, Tim Buckley, Donny Hathaway and Merle Haggard. "The Troubadour was one of the first places that Return to Forever played," says Graves. "Stanley was going to be performing with me. I had one of the guys there! It was just a legendary situation."
Planetary Prince: The Eternal Survival EP Track Listing:
- "Planetary Prince" (Live)
- "Black Narcissus" (Live)
- "The End of Corporatism" (Live)
- "Titan"
- "Kahuna"
The opening track features a rambunctious band engaging a rambunctious crowd for maximum energy. With a grand piano squeezed onto the tiny honky-tonk stage, Graves pounces on a riff that is more OzzFest than Monterey. Washington with his saxophone and trumpeter Philip Dizack pull the tune closer to a bullring, chomping with a matador's confidence. Bruner keeps the procession tight from his drum kit going through stellar solos from Graves and Washington. "Ronald and I are telepathic," says Graves. "I know where he's going to go. He knows how I sound. I have a quirky sound. Ronald has a very precise sound. He compliments what I do."
Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus" features Stanley Clarke on upright bass for a straight-ahead display of chops and melody. Clarke has been a mentor to many of the West Coast Get Down members, employing and collaborating with many of them including taking Graves on the road for the past four years. "The West Coast Get Down used to play a club in Hollywood called Piano Bar. That's how we all got our sound. Everybody would come through the Piano Bar including Stanley Clarke's son, Chris. It came up that Stanley was looking for someone to do keyboard stuff, and next thing I knew I was on tour."
Clarke is responsible for Graves' understanding of the tune, often calling it from the bandstand as an ode to the giants of jazz. "Cameron is an unusual kind of musician," says Clarke. "It's hard to put a label on him. You can't say he's a jazz musician, rock musician, classical musician. He's well versed on all those genres of music. Very few piano players have a technique like he has."
"I have a little bit of hip-hop in there and a little bit of Indian music, too, though," clarifies Graves. "I played tablas for six years. I immersed myself into Indian music. Because I draw from all those styles, there is a certain quirkiness to my playing. It has this off-beat, on-beat, off-beat constant playing around with the rhythms. I'm in and out of every type of scale. I feel like everything works with everything in music. The dissonance and the consonance comes together to create that magic."
That magic is on full display with "The End of Corporatism." "It's like a fast 7. I love to write in 7; 7 is just my favorite number. I love the feel of 7. It has a very advanced feel to it." The advanced meter giddiness is propelled by a soulful band sound. The horns work in tandem while guitarist Matt Haze adds his own muscle. Washington offers a breathless solo imbued with melody and defiance.
"I'm very much into the title of that song," Graves says with a smile. "We're ready."
"Titan" is the first of two unreleased studio recordings featured on the EP. "I used to play that at Piano Bar all the time. It has a dark theme to it. I pulled that melody idea from the movie The Fifth Element. 'Titan' goes into the dark but it's a journey into the light. It's a wormhole." The instrumental workout rumbles with angst, bassist Hadrien Feraud hums with electricity as Graves unravels an anxiety-inducing display of unparalleled technique. It is an authoritative display matched only by trombonist Ryan Porter's carefully constructed retort.
"Kahuna is a Hawaiian belief. It's almost like a Hawaiian religion," says Graves. "It's a spiritual practice. I put it together with The Urantia Book. You have to put it together to get a great spiritual grounding. When I was studying spirituality, I was getting way into the kahuna belief system and I got so inspired." It is also the final track on this EP. Not quite imbued with an island vibe, the band still finds a deep pocket. Graves amazes with a mature pace but unwavering technical prowess. A solo by trumpeter Philip Dizack further highlights the inclusiveness.
The origin of the Planetary Prince comes from The Urantia Book, a 20th century philosophical manifesto. "It's a spiritual book. It talks about the different Planetary Princes that rule each planet in this solar system and other solar systems. There is a consciousness of the planet." The book has proven to have a considerable influence on Graves' outlook on life and his music. "It compliments the music that I write. I like to write advanced music. I can write pop music but I'm very much into metal music — death metal music. That's a big influence on my writing. That dark element in there it's just a cool compliment."
A little over a year after releasing his recorded debut, Graves is here to show that he is not only surviving but thriving, blessing the solar system with the unmistakable sound of the Planetary Prince, bound for the stars.


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Commercial & Private Event Furniture Hire, Chair Hire, Catering Equipment Hire, Cutlery, Glassware & Event Crockery Hire UK
Black Napoleon chairs look fantastic at special events so whether you are looking to hire just a few Napoleon chairs or hire black Napoleon chairs in their hundreds, you are in the right place! You also have a variety of different seat pad colour options to complete your event theme. Simply make your selection and contact us today! These black banqueting chairs from Event Hire UK arrive with you in excellent condition and our expert delivery team will provide you with a superb, reliable and accurate service, leaving you to concentrate on making your event a massive success. Ideal for gala dinners, parties, award ceremonies, post-conference dinners and almost any event you can think of, our black Napoleon hire chairs are the ultimate in top quality furniture hire . You can either place your secure order online with us today or call our expert sales team, a member of which will be delighted to discuss your requirements in more detail and process your order over the phone.
September 26, 2022
If you're an event planner, you can be forgiven for not putting tables and chairs at the top of your priority list when it comes to sorting everything you need.
May 10, 2022
Event equipment hire in the UK has never been more accessible, straightforward and affordable. As it does in any other walk of life, the internet provides us with a wealth
May 9, 2022
Let's face it, most temporary events need chair hire. Whether it's a gala dinner needing Chiavari chairs, a conference needing ISO chairs or an outside hospitality terrace at a large
September 29, 2021
OK, so we're only in Autumn, but is it too early to mention the 'C word yet? After all, the shops traditionally start to fill up their shelves with Christmas
September 20, 2021
We regularly get asked how much is it to hire tables and chairs? And yes, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this would be a relatively easy question to answer
June 3, 2020
We're currently seeing the UK Government slowly lifting lockdown measures from the COVID-19 pandemic. This no doubt comes as a huge relief to many people and businesses, yes from a
May 13, 2020
In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's difficult to imagine ever getting back to a world of lavish awards ceremonies - the world of red carpets, celebrities, paparazzi -
March 24, 2020
It's fair to say that the vast majority of events involve some sort of catering and dining. Gala dinners, awards ceremonies, fashion shows, conferences and society balls, for instance, are
December 23, 2019
December is always a busy time of year for large event rental companies and this year has been a record one for Event Hire UK. December, of course, means
March 12, 2019
Event Hire UK is proud to be one of the key suppliers for the world-renowned Cheltenham Festival taking place this week. This annual event which takes place at Cheltenham racecourse in
February 26, 2018
When it comes to event chair hire, our range of Napoleon chairs are an excellent option. Also known as Cheltenham chairs, these chairs provide comfortable seating for events such
January 15, 2018
We couldn't NOT use chair hire for the letter C being as chair hire is one of our specialities here at Event Hire UK. Few companies in the country are able
November 17, 2017
The team certainly have been busy in London this week, yesterday supplying over 1,000 chairs to Old Billingsgate along with a huge array of other event hire equipment such as
November 7, 2017
Whether you are a venue that is hosting some Christmas party nights or indeed if you are just wanting to hire chairs for your family Christmas at home, then we
September 20, 2017
Here at Event Hire, we offer perhaps THE largest range and quantity of chairs for hire anywhere in the country from across our 4 sales and distribution centres. As
November 25, 2016
If you need a chairs rental rate for an upcoming event or special occasion, then you are in the right place with Event Hire UK. Hiring banqueting chairs is a
October 11, 2016
One of the most frequent hirers of our chair hire products here at Event Hire are companies, especially in Central London, who regularly hold events for their employees, shareholders or
July 20, 2016
For those people looking for chair hire for events across the UK, then Event Hire UK online is sure to be able to meet your requirements. Is there a
July 12, 2016
A quick walk round the Midlands distribution centre gives you a sense of the scale both in terms of the quantity and range of chair hire on offer here at
July 11, 2016
When it comes to chair hire in the UK, few companies are able to compete with the range on offer here at Event Hire UK, and it is a range
July 6, 2016
When it comes to chair hire, few companies in the UK are able to compete with both the range of hire chairs and the quantity of chairs for hire of
March 17, 2016
From previous blog posts, you'll have noticed that we often provide hospitality event furniture hire to large stadia for events such as rugby internationals at Twickenham, for example. The picture
February 24, 2016
The Brit Awards 2016 take place tonight at the O2 Arena in London. This is the annual glitz and glamour event for the music industry, celebrating the top and
January 6, 2016
When it comes to chair hire for dining and banqueting events, few styles can compete with the versatility and range of Napoleon chairs that are on offer from Event Hire
November 19, 2015
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With the awful atrocities that occurred in Paris last Friday, it's difficult to look ahead to Christmas in many ways, although by the same token, life goes on as people
November 15, 2015
Aside from the major event venues in Leeds city centre such as the First Direct Arena and the Royal Armouries Museum, for example, there is also an abundance of smaller
November 4, 2015
With this year's MOBO Awards being held in Leeds, the Event Hire team are, as always, perfectly positioned to be able to service the furniture and equipment hire for this
October 30, 2015
Chair hire in Birmingham is always a popular choice for event organisers due to the fact that England's second city always has plenty going on for which chairs for hire
August 4, 2015
Last weekend saw the Event Hire team partner with event organisers in Leeds for what proved to be a highly memorable occasion for an evening with award winning tenor and
July 21, 2015
Most events need chair hire - Fact. The challenge for you is to find a company that is able to provide you with the style of chairs you want, in
July 14, 2015
When you are in the throws of organising an event for which you need to hire furniture, then it makes a lot of sense to choose a furniture hire company
July 8, 2015
Whatever your event, it is almost certain that chair hire in some form or another will be required. Think of a wedding reception and you need to hire chairs for
July 7, 2015
It stands to reason that because different types of events require different types of chairs, then it would make sense to deal with a chair hire company that can offer
June 30, 2015
When it comes to chair hire London, Event Hire UK is perfectly positioned from our West London depot to be able to service the needs of all our clients in
June 29, 2015
Today sees the start of the world-famous Wimbledon fortnight, one of the 4 'grand-slam' tournaments in the men's and women's professional tennis calendar. All the stars of the tennis world
June 26, 2015
This week has seen the Event Hire London team busy at The Boodles 2015 event at Stoke Park Country Club near London. Whilst Stoke Park is a stunning venue with
June 15, 2015
Today saw an official ceremony take place in Runnymede, Surrey to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. This prestigious, high profile event was featured is
June 3, 2015
As we move into the wedding season, the demand to hire wedding chairs from Event Hire UK is increasing all the time. We have a range of wedding chairs in
June 1, 2015
When it comes chair hire across the UK, few companies are able to match the range of chairs and the quality of the chairs of Event Hire UK. With
Oliver Breakwell, Swindon
" I was pleasantly surprised by the brilliant quality of the black napoleon chairs from Event Hire UK :) The chairs are kept in top condition despite transport and being hired out all around the country! "
Q: What sort of event would these black banqueting chairs be suitable for?
A: These black Napoleon chairs are suitable for most types of events including professional B2B events, trade shows, corporate banquets and other events. It's unlikely that you would use black Napoleon chairs for weddings, but anything and everything is possible!
Q: I know I can choose my seat pad colour, but which seat pads look best with these hire chairs?
A: Only you know the best answer to this, although from experience, black seat pads look great on black Napoleon banqueting chairs as they provide a stylish and professional look for your event. By providing you with the option on seat pad colour, we are providing you with the opportunity to be as creative and exciting with your chair hire and furniture hire as you wish!
Q: Are these black chairs for hire in good condition as I assume they can get heavily worn at certain events?
A: Yes, chair hire products often get scratched or chipped during events. The key thing is, therefore, to ensure that the chairs - in between hires - are given some TLC so that the next time they go out on hire they are in excellent condition. We achieve this here at Event Hire UK by having our own in-house respray and refurbishment facility so that our chairs are always top quality on location.
This is the minimum period for which you are able to hire our equipment. This 72 hour period is designed to provide you with a delivery day, the day of your event and collection the following day. Weekends (including Bank Holiday weekends) are still charged at the "3 Day" rate.
This rate is available for events of longer duration where the event equipment is required over several days rather than a single day. For hires between 4 and 7 days, this week rate will apply.
Longer Term Hire - We can offer long term hire rates for requirements that exceed our month rate. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and obtain a bespoke quotation.
For items that are required for more than a week, up to a month, the month rate will apply. This is calculated at a preferential longer term hire rate.
Our slight damage waiver fee per item covers minor damage which may occur during the normal use of goods (ie fair wear & tear) such as small scratches & stains etc. This does NOT override the replacement cost owed if you break the item.
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From:Ben Heffer Sent: Tue 26/07/2011 23:54 To: Martin Barua
Dear Martin,
I am trying to find other references to kalala-rupa in the writings. I've only found one reference in Abidhamma in Daily Life by Ashin Janakabhivamsa.
Would kalala-rupa be the way wisdom is passed on from one being to another? And is the wisdom of one person passed on in the form of kammic energy?
Here are the full set of questions and quote that I am asking about. The Thai monk I was asking is Ajahn Chalee Phumiphak. I would appreciate any answers your monk friends can give you.
Here are the questions I had wanted to develop an understanding of various Dhamma questions regarding the nature of kamma, rebirth process and what is passed onto the next form of life. I understand
that some or many of these questions may be unanswerable.
This is what I understand: Kamma is an action and the results of that kamma only inherited by the doer. However, the energy that is created by the kamma can flow from one being to another and can
explain the differences between people and various beings. The Abidhamma specifies that some forms of kamma can last for many beings as the energy is eventually discharged. And then there is the
positive kamma which flows from being to being as in the Jataka tales.
1. The Abidhamma talks about jati-panna, inherited wisdom. How does this flow into the next being? Is it a form of energy too that flows as does kamma?
2. Is this form of energy for jati-panna combined with kamma energy at conception?
3. Kalala fluid is described as the way kamma is passed from the unborn child. Has Ajahn ever heard of such a thing before?
Here is a quote from Abidhamma in Daily Life by Ashin Janakabhivamsa:
With the occurrence of patisandhi citta and corresponding cetasikas, there comes into being a minute matter called kalala-rupa in the form of a clear fluid. This matter takes the form of a droplet the size
of a drop of oil clinging to the trip of a hair of a damsel from the Northern Continent. This kalala droplet (the very first stage of formulation of foetus) is formed by the kammic forces of past deeds. It is
neither semen nor ovule of his parents, they are supporting agents of this kalala.
A kalala droplet is produced by a child's past kamma but parents' semen and ovule are essential supports for pregnancy to take place. The kalala droplet is like the seed; semen and ovule are
like the moist sail or swamp; past kamma is like the farmer. Therefore a clean ovary and healthy semen and ovule are essential. Otherwise the foetus cannot develop into a healthy baby.
Reptiles, especially iguanas living in red-soil burrows are red and those in block-soil burrows are black. In like manner, a baby inherits the genetic features of parents transmitted through the semen and
ovule on which the foetus relies for full development; hence the resemblance between off spring and parent. Even mentalities and character including intelligence can be handed over to the child.
These similarities or resemblance are due to genetic transfer during the foetal stage. And another reason is that the child, being brought up in the same family environment, emulates the behaviour,
mentality and style of the parents. So good, civilised children are born of worthy and virtuous families while villainous children come from vile and depraved families. Therefore both parents to be of
virtuous blood for the child to be worthy one. The kalala droplet which is cultured in pure healthy semen and ovule will produce the best off-spring.
4. One author on the Internet tells me that the Buddha was the one who taught about kalala fluid. Is this also Ajahn's understanding? And is this how wisdom as well as other traits is passed to the new
born?Response to be continued...
From: Rayno Praditya Sent: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 01:07pm To: Martin Barua
It's said in abhidhamma only a tihetuka puggala can attain jhana. (man with 3 good roots, alobha, adosa and amoha)
the dvihetuka puggala only has alobha and adosa...(he doesn't have panna or amoha)
how can I identify someone who is a tihetuka puggala?
Can Lesbian and fetishist attain jhanas?
let me know if someone has answered it.
thank you Mr Martin
How can I identify someone who is a tihetuka puggala?
Only oneself can know exactly whether he or she is tihetuka or dvihetuka puggala. Others can only guess. Tihetuka puggalas are intelligent, diligent,
thoughtful and knowledgeable. When someone wants to find out exactly whether the person is tihetuka or dvihetuka puggala, he may do so by practicing samatha or
vipassanā mediation. If the person can see rupa such as pathavi (earth, hardness or softness), tejo (characteristics of hotness and coldness),
Apo (the characteristics of cohesiveness and fluidity), Vayo (element of motion or kinetic energy) and nama such as the nature of impermanent as he
concentrates different objects (within or external of the body) during meditation, he knows that he is a tihetuka puggala. He can attain Nibbana at
least Sotapanna (stream-enterer) in this very life.
-Ashin Indaka
Three categories of beings, according to the nature of rebirth consciousness.
1. Ahetu-patisandhika
Reborn without root-conditions (alobha, adosa and amoha). Such beings are found in four State of Deprivation (Apaya)
2. Dvihetu-patisandhika
Reborn with only two noble root-conditions (alobha and adosa)
3. Tihetu-patisandhika
Man with three good roots (Alobha (non-attachment), Adosa (Goodwill) and Amoha (wisdom)) are tihetuka puggala. Someone who donate or give away or provide free service
with clean heart, without any attachment behind, with understanding of the effect of kamma, has the quality of alobha. Someone who observe at least pañcasīla
(five virtues) - not killing, not stealing, abstaining from sexual misconduct, not making false speech and not taking excessive toxic drinks, is not only purifying his
own actions but also practicing goodwill toward others and has the quality of adosa.
Someone who has the wisdom of understanding (panna) four noble truth, eight noble path, ti-lakkhana (anicca, dukkha and anatta), kamma and samsara
has the quality of amoha (wisdom). Generally speaking, when we observe someone has these qualities, we can assume that this person is a tihetuka puggala.
Dvihetuka puggala do not understand or accept four noble truth, eight noble path, ti-lakkhana (anicca, dukkha and anatta), kamma and samsara,
even if he or she has heard of it. They usually have strong wrong views (micha- ditthi). This is not saying that someone is superior or inferior. This is how their kamma has
given effect on them.
-Martin Barua
Can Lesbian and fetishist attain jhanas?
Lesbian and fetishist are also human like any other human, having abnormal sexual behaviour. Buddhist know the cause of being born as lesbian, fetishist, gays and some women (not all
women have same cause that they were born as women), which we are not going to discuss here, to avoid offending those who do not believe in kamma and samsara (endless
cycle of existences).
Logically thinking, human, who are puthujjana (not ariya-puggala, ordinary person), including lesbian, fetishist, gays and women, when observe virtues (sila),
can gain mindfulness (sati), leading to concentration (samadhi).
When samadhi is gained and maintained continuously for long period of time, absorption on the object on which the person is aiming at can be achieved. That is jhana.
Therefore, we can draw conclusion that lesbian and fetishist can also attain jhanas, as long as they refrain from abnormal sexual behaviour or sexual misconduct.
-Martin Barua
From: Rayno Praditya Sent: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 9:42 AM To: Martin Barua
Thank you Mr Martin
Your answers and Ashin Indaka are very helpful.
I have another questions again:
If someone when practicing samatha, he can attain parikamma-nimitta in the beginning of his meditation (using breath as object), then Is he a tihetuka puggala?
If someone can understand the dhamma book easily then is he a tihetuka puggala?
If someone destroy the Buddha statues and dhamma books (with hatred), is it a heavy bad kamma? how to fix it? by doing the sangha dana as many as possible? will he go to hell after his death?
But Angulimala wanted to kill Buddha before but he was able to attain arahantship in the story.
thank you Mr Martin
thank you Mr MartinResponse to be continued...


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Imhathai Suwatthanasilp has a long and intimate relationship with hair. It began when her photographer father asked her to cut his hair in 2003 after he was diagnosed with liver cancer.
"Our father divided the hair into four pigtails, each 47cm long, for each of the four sisters. The hair, as part of his body, represents love, blood and flesh, and it was for us to keep when he could no longer be with us," recalled the Thai artist.
Suwatthanasilp's father died in 2008, but hair still shapes her work. After cutting her father's mane, the then arts student at Bangkok's Silpakorn University began collecting her own hair and making art with it, creating a deeply personal brand of artistic language with the delicate weaving and crocheting of hair in her works, which often reflect complicated feelings towards life, familial connections, and femininity.
For Good Girls Go to Heaven, Bad Girls Go Everywhere, an installation that is on show at the inaugural Bangkok Art Biennale, which opened Oct. 19 and runs until Feb. 3, Suwatthanasilp turned to other people's hair for inspiration, weaving hair from sex workers in Thailand onto the 174 parts of a vintage sewing machine. She said the hair crochets resemble the shapes of flowers, leaves and grass, as if new life was born out of cold machine parts. Through the work, Suwatthanasilip said she wanted to address the prevalence of prostitution in Thailand, and critique how sex workers are judged by society.
"By changing the shape of the lifeless sewing machine parts into new and lifelike objects… I want to tell people that life is able to grow out of something cold, just like how sex workers survive the judgement of the society and social structure," she told Quartz.
Many families in Thailand depend on the earnings of family members in the sex trade, and it is estimated that the country of 70 million now has anywhere from 800,000 to 2 million sex workers, according to the Nation. While the numbers and visibility of sex workers suggest relative acceptance in comparison with other countries in the region, the law treats them as blameworthy. It's illegal to offer sex or work in an establishment that sells sex under a 1996 Thai law—the former is punishable with a fine and the latter with a fine and/or a month in prison—but not for customers to buy it.
Recently, the country has seen discussions on whether to abolish the ban on prostitution and regulate the business. That would shift the law to being protective, rather than punitive, of these workers, a stance that Suwatthanasilp is in favor of.
"The more we try to cover it up, the worse it gets," said Suwatthanasilp. "Sex workers want their work to become legal, and to be given worker's ID so that they can be identified and their rights can be protected."
As part of her research for the piece, Suwatthanasilp reached out to the Empower Foundation in Chiang Mai, an organization aimed to support women in the sex business by equipping them with additional skills while also advocating for decriminalizing and offering them work protections.
"For example, people thought these women can begin a new life by learning to sew with a sewing machine," she said, referring to the donation of sewing machines made to the foundation. "While people were trying to help, they were also looking down on the women. Prostitution was seen as a 'bad' career and people tried to force them to take a new, so-called 'good' career."
But Suwatthanasilp found out that these sewing machines were never used as expected. She also says that many sex workers she interviewed chose this way to support their families because they came from very poor families and lacked education.
"One of the women I knew worked in the business her whole life just to send her children to university," she said. "But these sewing machines simply represent society's judgement on the value of human beings and criticisms against sex workers."
Suwatthanasilp hopes her artwork will inspire people to rethink their judgments of these women.
"They are just normal people who want to help their families," said Suwatthanasilp. "[How] are they 'bad girls'? They should be respected."


text:
Hip Bag - Cambodia
Sleek hip bag with inside and outside pockets. Clasp closure. Made of recycled fishing and industrial netting through a project to empower Cambodian women. Adjustable strap can be worn cross body or around waist. Measures 7.75"L x 9.5"H. Proceeds support daycare and preschool for the artisans' children. Made in Cambodia. Color: Persimmon with subtle stitching design on front.


text:
Struggling to beautify your home? Regina Doman offers that you might need to consider your parameters, say no to what doesn't matter and focus on what does.Read More »
The Secret to Getting Organized In the School Room
The secret to getting organized is to carve out an hour every week and treat it as sacrosanct to keep up with grading, planning, and tidying the shelves.Read More »
Tips on Student Test Prep and Choosing Elementary Subjects
Dr. Mary Kay Clark offers practical tips on test preparation, what subjects to study every day and advice on teaching multiple students at the same time.Read More »
Is It Okay for Me to Look at the Tests Before My Son Takes Them?
Seton Home Study School's Dr. Mary Kay Clark has advice on test prep, the most important subjects, and the best ways to develop thinking and writing skills.Read More »
When You Feel Like Quitting – Remember Why You Homeschool
John Clark says when we hit rough spots and consider quitting, remember that we homeschool to give our children a gift so great that it can never be repaid.Read More »
Children & Chores: Part 2 – 10 Tips on Getting Organized
Cheryl Hernandez, a homeschool mom of 9, shows in this 2-part series why giving our children chores is so important and covers tips on how to get started.Read More »
7 Divine New Year's Resolutions for Homeschooling Parents
Drawing on saints and Scripture, Amanda Evinger, homeschooling Mom and author, has seven suggestions for New Year's Resolutions for homeschooling parents.Read More »
How to Keep Your House Clean – and Live There Too!
Busy homeschooling moms do not have time to clean all day. Patricia Purcell gives tips for getting the kids to help keep the house clean and organized too.Read More »
4 Keys to Making Homeschool Mornings Run More Smoothly
Is morning madness ruining your school days? Homeschooling mom Patricia Purcell has a plan to get you back on track so that your mornings run smoothly.Read More »
The Manly Essentials–Organize Your Pockets, Organize Your Day
You carry around too much stuff, or not enough? Charles Foyle explains the six essential items he carries in his pockets. Customizable for the individual.Read More »
3 Simple Ideas to Make This Year Your Most Organized Ever
Summer is a great time to set goals be organized for the school year ahead. Seton alumna, Anna Eileen, shares the keys to make this academic year a success!Read More »
My 5 Simple Tips for Starting School
by Mary Ellen Barrett | How do I get organized for the upcoming school year within the next few weeks? Here are a few tips:Read More »
Homeschool Organization for the Disorganized
Some think that a chaotic home means you can't homeschool. John Clark disagrees, and encourages you to focus on establishing something more important first.Read More »


text:
|The Green Papers: 2022 General Election
117th Congress
House Seats by State
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
|Delaware 2-year term. Election Cycle 2022, 2024. No Term Limit.
|Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic
|117th Congress
|Non-Partisan Delaware
|David L. Rogers
|Political Parties Parties appear in parenthesis and italics when a candidate receives the endorsement of a given Party and/or official sources indicate a candidate's association with a particular Party but only where the Party in question does not appear on the actual ballot as such.
|Major Parties
| Democratic
| Democratic-Farmer Labor
| Republican
|Major Third Parties
| American Constitution
| Constitution
| Green
| Libertarian
| Pacific Green
| U.S. Taxpayers
|Other Third Parties
| Alliance Party
| American Independent
| Cannon Fire
| Colorado Center Party
| Conservative
| For The People
| God Save America
| Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis
| Independent American
| Independent Party of Connecticut
| Independent Party of Oregon
| Itkis Campaign
| Jobs and Justice
| Labour Party
| Legal Marijuana Now
| Liberation
| Liberty Caucus
| Medical Freedom
| Moderate
| Move Everyone Forward
| New Jersey First
| Non-Partisan Delaware
| Not For Sale
| Parent
| Progress with Pam
| Progressive
| Progressive Party of Oregon
| Socialist Workers Party
| The Going Away Party
| The Mahali Party
| Together We Stand
| Truth and Merit
| United Utah
| Unity
| We The People
| Working Families
| American Values
| Decline to State
| Independent
| No Party Affiliation
| No Slogan Filed
| None
| Nonpartisan
| Other
| Unaffiliated
| Undeclared
| Unenrolled
| Working Class
|Write-in/Scattered/otherwise not readily classifiable
| Scattering
| Write-in
Candidates for office appear on this page in italics where 'The Green Papers' does not yet have independent confirmation from a legal election authority that the person has been officially certified to appear on the ballot.
"FEC" indicates the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Campaign Finance Summary.
When available, we post each candidate's FEC identification number, the date of their most recently filed Report of Receipts and Disbursements, their "Tot" [Total Receipts (contributions received or what came in: FEC Form 3, Line 16, Column B)] and their "Dsb" [Total Disbursements (expenditures or what was spent: FEC Form 3, Line 23, Column B)]. A link is provided to the Federal Election Commission's Summary Report for those who might wish to explore the details.
If a candidate raises or spends $5,000 or less, he or she is not subject to FEC reporting requirements.
2022 General Election Home


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text: Published February 16, 2017 at 1365 × 1364 in Avsnitt 132, om Marathon des Sables med Sarah Grey! ‹ Return to post Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


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To prepare for the specific requirements of human rights monitoring in Ukraine, Marine Constant and her colleague, Aleksander Sekulić, underwent FBA's Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) in June 2022..
FBA in Liberia
The civil wars in 1989–2003 disrupted Liberia and still have a negative impact on society. Liberia has taken several important steps towards sustainable peace and democracy since the end of the wars, and is now considered a relatively stable state, but many challenges remain.
State institutions in Liberia are weak and the state is absent in large parts of the country. The political and economic power remains unequally distributed and infrastructure is lacking.
There has been no national reconciliation process addressing the root causes of the conflicts, even though several peacebuilding efforts are underway.
In the beginning of 2018, George Weah was installed as the new president. It was the first democratic and peaceful transfer of power in Liberia for over 70 years. Shortly thereafter, the UN peace operation in Liberia was closed. UNMIL was present in the country for 15 years and had 16,000 employees – both military, police and civilian staff – at its peak.
Within the framework of the strategy for Sweden's development cooperation with Liberia, FBA is focused on three areas:
Dialogue and peace mediation
Almost 70 percent of Liberia's population is under 30 years of age. Despite of this, young people are often excluded from politics, and they tend to be viewed as potential sources of violence. Platforms to support youth engagement in efforts for peace and security are lacking, especially platforms including youth outside of Monrovia. FBA has established a leadership programme for young peacebuilders from all Liberian counties. The programme was launched in 2018, with participants representing various civil society organizations. New rounds of the programme, with new participants, is arranged in 2019 and 2020. The aim of the programme is to enhance the capacity of the participants to take part in peacebuilding in Liberia, through training on leadership and tools for conflict prevention and conflict solution. The participants are also invited to take part in dialogue forums with national decision-makers.
Security sector reform
The Liberian security sector, including for example the police, is facing many challenges. It has no presence in large parts of the country and the rural population is often depending upon informal actors for security. In an effort to improve state presence and oversight, local security councils have been established in every county in Liberia. They provide the National Security Council with information about the situation in each area. FBA is running two capacity-strengthening programmes for key individuals in the local security councils as well as the national council. The aim is to contribute to improved efficiency, and to strengthen transparency, accountability and democratic oversight of the security sector in Liberia.
Rule of law, human rights and election support
Weak institutions and widespread corruption have led to public mistrust in state authorities. Not the least among the rural population. A decentralization process is underway in order to ensure better public service for all citizens. FBA offers training on rule of law, professional ethics, transparency and accountability for Liberian civil servants.
Click here to read the entire strategy for Sweden's development cooperation with Liberia 2021–2025.
Read more
Liberia post-Ebola – FBA an important contributor to Sweden's development cooperation strategy
"I had the opportunity to look at my work from a different perspective"
Reconciliation, diversity and tolerance on the agenda at youth conference in Liberia
FBA launches leadership programme for young peacebuilders in Liberia
Voices from FBA's leadership programme in Liberia
Integrity and accountability important for a society free from corruption
Factsheet about FBA's work in Liberia (English and Swedish)
Photo: UN Photo/Albert González Farran


text:
Jeff Dorman, a CoinDesk columnist, is chief investment officer at Arca where he leads the investment committee and is responsible for portfolio sizing and risk management. He has more than 17 years of trading and asset management experience at firms including Merrill Lynch and Citadel Securities.
Investing in digital assets is a sham! Participants in this industry are simply trying to anticipate price movements, rather than use fundamental analysis to determine why a token or coin might go higher or lower. There is no intrinsic value. It's pure speculation based on technical analysis. It's outright gambling.
It's also exactly how stock and bond markets traded for the first 300 years.
In 1602, the Dutch East India Company issued the first paper shares. This exchangeable medium allowed shareholders to conveniently buy, sell and trade their stock with other shareholders and investors. For hundreds of years thereafter, investors and traders did their best to anticipate price moves, without any of the tools available today for valuing these securities. Back then, a stock trading at $100 was viewed more expensive than a stock trading at $10, independent of number of shares outstanding, underlying revenues, or business prospects.
It wasn't until the 1920s, following the stock market crash and the Great Depression, that two Columbia Professors (Benjamin Graham and David Dodd) came up with a methodology for identifying and buying securities priced well below their true value. Their book, "Security Analysis," was published in 1934, and Graham and Dodd's principles provided a rational basis for investment decisions that are still applied today by the world's top value investors.
Warren Buffett chose to attend Columbia specifically to learn from Professor Graham (and received an A+ in his class). Almost 50 years later, Professor Frank Fabozzi introduced similar valuation techniques and concepts for investing in fixed income securities. And shortly thereafter, even newer valuation techniques (like Metcalfe's Law) were introduced to help value computing networks, and these methods were utilized decades later to value pre-revenue internet giants like Facebook, Tencent and Netflix.
According to Gisli Eyland, who has written about the value investing philosophy, Graham and Dodd "described a fundamentally different approach to stock picking and investing in corporate securities by proposing that the investor should refrain from trying to anticipate price movements entirely. Instead, the investor should try to estimate the true Intrinsic Value of the underlying asset. Given time, the Intrinsic Value and market value would converge." Today, investors and financial media throw around financial ratios like P/E, P/B, EV/EBITDA, P/S, Dividend Yield and many others as if they've been around forever, while smugly chastising digital assets for having no intrinsic value. This may be a good time to remind readers that digital assets are less than 10 years old.
Fundamental models emerging in crypto
When will the Graham and Dodd of crypto emerge? They're likely already here, working tirelessly behind the scenes on valuation techniques that will be utilized by the Warren Buffets of crypto 50 years from now. Digital assets are still in their infancy, but new fundamental valuation techniques are being built, tested, and discovered every day, from the original MV = PQ analysis, to discounted sum of utility models, to everything else in between. Many of the models in existence are unproven, with only a few years' worth of data to support their methodologies, while other models have likely yet to be conceived.
Each of these methods has advantages as well as shortcomings. Digital assets are unique, similar to corporate bonds, making different valuation techniques appropriate for specific token types. Just like a bond has different coupons, different maturities, different covenants and different features (callable, putable, convertible, warrants, etc.), most digital assets have unique features as well, making each analysis different than the last (there is a reason Fabozzi's fixed income bible is over 1,800 pages long).
In our view, the DCF analysis is best used for tokens issued by cash-producing companies such as exchange tokens like Binance Coin (BNB) or Unus Sed Leo (LEO). The NVT Ratio may be better when comparing across smart contract platforms such as Ethereum (ETH), EOS (EOS) and NEO (NEO). A variation of Metcalfe's law or total addressable market analysis can be used for tokens that are in the early pre-launch stage or are servicing a sector that is difficult to currently measure.
The smartest crypto analysts (including our own internal team at Arca) are developing new methodologies to value digital assets. Once these metrics become widely accepted, price floors and ceilings in crypto will be set based on agreed upon, well-tested fundamental valuation – just like in the debt and equity markets.
I started my career on Wall Street in 2001. I was told to read Frank Fabozzi and Graham and Dodd before showing up for work on day one. I never questioned the legitimacy of these valuation techniques; I simply adopted them because everyone else did too. Had I started in 1901, prior to "Security Analysis," I likely would have been asked to learn how to read ticker tapes instead.
Equity markets turned out just fine, despite a rocky start in determining valuation that, in retrospect, seems silly. So did the fixed income markets. And so too will digital assets. Investors might want to adopt a more open-minded, long-view approach to investing in this new asset class.
Disclosure Read More
The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.


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Maybe it's the fact that I grew up on a steady diet of Laverne & Shirley and Joanie Loves Chachi. Or maybe it's that I'm nostalgic for the Portland tech days of yesteryear, when the tech community was littered with successful spin outs born from tech giants like Tektronix and Intel.
Or maybe I'm just happy that in a world of every company trying to get bigger and bigger—regardless of the strategic value of doing so—that a Portland grown startup had the sense to spin out a company. That's why I was happy to hear about RADAR emerging from ID Experts.
"It became pretty clear early on that once we got early adopters and traction, for RADAR to achieve and reach its ultimate potential and shareholder potential, was for RADAR to operate as much like a startup as it could," Sher-Jan said.
The business was mostly autonomous from its parent: It even had a completely separate office and infrastructure.
"It always made sense for me and the board saw the value of having it independent," he said. "It can attract a different kind of startup talent and (offers) flexibility in go-to-market and different sales models."
As an added bonus, this puts startup types Dylan Anderson—a serial early stage CFO—and Travis Cannon—Portland Startup Weekend and Portland Startup Digest—in yet another early stage pursuit.
For more information, visit RADAR.


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We have added Volunteers as a simple list in EMail Marketing. This makes it simple to include Volunteers on emails, or to use the EMail marketing system to communicate directly with them.
They appear in both the Send Email quick pick list, as well as when building custom lists. Since it shows each Task, you can target specific tasks or Categories.


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Motion design and production collective Lightborne recently created a visually compelling music video for Notch, an up-and-coming reggaeton artist. "Dale Pa' Tra (Back It Up)" features the singer performing his upbeat Latin-inspired track with the right infusion of gorgeous women, brilliant colors and eye-popping visual effects.
The video marked the first collaboration between Director Jimmi Dava of Superfly Films and Lightborne, which was executed on a tight deadline. "I was really impressed by Lightborne from the facility itself, which is a beautiful piece of architecture, to their enthusiasm and love of their craft. I would absolutely love to work with them again. In fact, we're in discussions on another project."
Dava and Producer Kesshann Cortez of KMC Productions, who has an existing relationship with Lightborne, approached the studio in a crunch: they needed a company that could step in at the last minute and execute the 3D freeze effects they envisioned. Dave Irion of Lightborne provided on-set supervision during the one-day shoot in New York City. Dava then flew to Cincinnati-based Lightborne where he supervised the edit, graphics, VFX and color correction over the course of four days.
"Jeremiah [Shuff] is the pimp of editors," says Dava. "I think I'm going to adopt him. [Producer] Rochelle DuBrowa was fantastically supportive on the operations front, and [VFX Supervisor] David Lombardi and the 3D artists are all talented and incredible to work with."
Cortez adds, "Lightborne is one of my first choices when I have projects that include any kind of effects. I've had a relationship with [Executive Producer] Scott Durban for some time, and I knew that he and Lightborne would do a great job. We were going for a specific effect, and Lightborne was able to create and execute it perfectly. Many music videos are light on the effects especially if they have a lower budget. We wanted to really focus our efforts on the effects and create something more original and buzz-worthy for Notch, who has a multi-cultural following."
The video was shot mainly against white and black cyc. Dave Irion used a digital camera to capture details and textures that would later be used for the 3D push-ins. Back at Lightborne, Shuff and Dava then selected six key moments in the edit where the freeze effects would happen, which were transferred onto HD footage to better allow David Lombardi and Eric Lawshe to work on the 3D.
With less than three days, the artists separated the shots into layers – some of which had five to six planes of information. A few frames before and after the freeze moments were grabbed to use as textured source material that was then modeled onto a rough geometry for immediate feedback as to how the angle and move looked.
"We could get textures that were hidden in the freeze frame when the camera panned around," explains Lombardi. "The tricky part was filling in the textures –some of which I had to hand-paint. Usually we try to use a unified package in terms of technology, but since this was a fast turnaround, we opted for each of us to use the applications we were most comfortable with. With this pipeline, we had the shots completely under our own eyes the entire time."
Lombardi used Photoshop for the hand-painting, Lightwave for animation and Fusion for compositing while Lawshe utilized Cinema 4D and After Effects.
After Effects was used for the color correction, finishing and halo color effect on certain shots by Irion. Lightborne also added animated flames around the women's silhouettes, and created the animation at the end of the video, which sees a microphone cable curling up the mic stand and transforming into Notch.
"This was a super abbreviated schedule, but we were able to give them what they wanted," concludes Irion. "The label was pleased with it, too. It turned out very well."
Project: "Dale Pa' Tra (Back It Up)" by Notch
Label: Machete Music & Cinco Por Cinco Records
Management: Michael Michele & Simone Burton
Production Company: KMC Productions/Los Angeles & Miami
Director: Jimmi Dava
DP: Zuess Moran
Executive Producer: Michelle Lazzarino Cortez
Producer: Kesshann Cortez
Art Director: Tyndall Arrasmith
Where Shot: Broadway Stages/Brooklyn, NY
Editorial, VFX & Postproduction Company: Lightborne/Cincinnati
Editor: Jeremiah Shuff
Assistant Editor: Trevor Schulte
On-set Supervisor/Lead Animator: Dave Irion
Designer/Animator: Kyle Shoup
VFX Supervisor: David Lombardi
3D Artist: Eric Lawshe
Executive Producer: Scott Durban
Producer: Rochelle DuBrowa


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I was between asleep and awake when I heard the rain. It was dripping from the roof to the overhang below my window. I stayed in bed just a bit to listen. When I got downstairs and let Henry out, I was surprised to see the rain was mere drops, one by one. I hardly got wet running for the papers.
The sky is still cloudy, but the rain has since stopped.
This morning it is Barracuda, a film made in 1978. The director, the writer and the star are all the same person, Wayne Crawford. I guessed the decade of the movie before I looked. The houses are all low slung, a Brady Bunch sort of look. The men's bathing suits are those striped gym sort of shorts. Women are in bikinis but not so skinny as now. When the barracudas strike, the water is roiled and all you can see is blood, not so special effects. My favorite scene so far is of the mouth of the barracuda with a leg sticking out.
When I was a kid, a rainy Saturday was the worst. I'd beg my mother to let me ride my bike anyway. I usually lost that argument. All four of us stuck inside drove my mother crazy. If I had a book, I'd find a quiet spot and read the afternoon away, but no book meant boredom. TV was the only other diversion but even that got boring. I'd keep checking out the windows hoping the rain had stopped. If it had stopped, I was out the door with bike in hand. Riding after a rainstorm was great fun. I'd ride through every puddle I could, and I'd watch the fan of water spread out from each side of my front tire. I'd raise my legs off the pedals so I wouldn't get wet.
One of my friends gave me a fold up umbrella as a going away present before I left for Ghana. It was the rainy season there. During the first week of training, I used the umbrella on my walk to language class. When the class was finished, I sat out of the rain to watch it for a while. When I left to go back to my room, I forgot my umbrella. Once I realized, I hurried back. The umbrella was gone. I was upset, but in the long run, it didn't matter. I never saw anyone carry a rain umbrellas. People either got wet or found a place out of the rain. I sat in a kiosk once, invited by the owner. I was an object of curiosity. Every person walking by looked and I suppose wondered why the white woman was in the kiosk. I always said, "Barka da yamma," good afternoon in Hausa to each of them. I always got smiles.


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Your Journey to Better Vision Starts Here!
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PhotoRefractive Keratectomy (PRK)
PRK was first approved by the FDA in 1995 and was the most popular refractive procedure until the approval of LASIK. PRK is used today to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism and is still the preferred option for patients with thin corneas, recurrent corneal erosion, or corneal scars. Computer driven for accuracy Advanced CustomVue™ can be applied to PRK just as it is for LASIK. Either way, PRK is performed by removing the surface layer of the cornea and applying the laser directly to the layers beneath. This is similar to LASIK but a flap is not created. The end result is similar, however, the patient usually experiences more discomfort and has a longer recovery time before achieving their best vision with PRK.
The benefits of PRK Eye Surgery may include:
- Freedom from glasses or contact lenses, even after years of required use
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On the day of your procedure, you will be given a mild sedative to help you relax and a lid speculum is used to hold your eyelid opened. Anesthetic drops will be applied to numb your eye and prevent pain during the procedure. Your surgeon will then gently remove the surface corneal cells and proceed with the laser. The excimer laser uses a precise, cold beam of ultraviolet light to reshape the cornea by removing microscopic amounts of tissue, less than the thickness of a human hair in most cases. The procedure typically takes about 30 minutes from start to finish for both eyes and is described as "painless" by a majority of our patients.
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Immediately after the procedure, a bandage contact lens is applied to your eye. This contact lens is worn for the first few days, as the cornea begins to heal itself. Pain medication is given for 1-2 days postoperatively. This is due to the fact that most of the pain fibers in the cornea are located in the surface portion that PRK affects. Your vision is usually at its worst on the third day after surgery as the cornea heals together at the center of your pupil. Generally your vision will be good enough to drive a car within a week but your best vision may not be obtained for several months in which during this time eye medications will be used to promote healing and prevent infection.
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Outdoor Research offers up reindeer stew, homemade vodka
Outdoor Research Launches Fall 2012 Ad Campaign With Outlandish Incentives: From Russia With Suds to Chile for Churrasco, OR Urges, "Go Where Others Don't"
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
SEATTLE, Wash (Sept. 28, 2012) – With a fan base unafraid to strike out and explore the world's most rugged, remote places, performance apparel and gear manufacturer Outdoor Research knows its customers wouldn't be put off by a little reindeer stew or a homemade vodka shot. In fact, they might even seek one of those things out. Or both.
That's why OR is offering up a series of unique experiences, in the kinds of far-flung, wild places for which its gear is built, via redeemable 'coupons,' as part of its new Fall 2012 advertising campaign. Using the tagline "Go Where Others Don't," the campaign combines form and function to humorous effect.
The print and digital campaign created by agency TDA_Boulder is a wry presentation that highlights Outdoor Research's style, functional product features and brand personality. Ads mash up beautifully shot, high-tech apparel with the lowbrow aesthetic of a coupon come-on as catchy copy explains why one needs to wear OR's performance products to redeem wild global dares. For instance, the coupon in the ad showcasing OR's sleek, black Axiom Jacket is "Good for 1 Yogurt Brew from the Shack Between the Military Barracks and the Goat Farm" in Terskol, Russia.
"Some say 'when in Rome,' but we prefer 'when in Terskol,'" the ad's fine print explains, "where a fermented brew is the perfect way to toast a night in the barrels and a climb up Elbrus." It then details Axiom's superiority as a storm shell for fast and light alpine climbs: The jacket (winner of Outside's Gear of the Year) is built with waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX® Active technology.
Other ad executions feature equally exotic destinations and rare rewards: The Vanguard Jacket (a garment helpful for frolicking about glaciers) coupon can be clipped for a bowl of reindeer stew from the Magic Mountain Lodge in Lyngseidet, Norway. The voucher accompanying the Incandescent Hoody, a glistening-green down-filled jacket that the brand bills as its "ultra-warm insurance policy against the elements," is "good for 1 shot of homemade vodka at the Vernadsky Research Base," which apparently doubles as the world's southernmost bar in Antarctica.
"The campaign is a tongue-in-cheek reminder that OR talks the talk, walks the walk and, simply put, makes the best gear on the planet," says Executive Creative Director & TDA partner Jonathan Schoenberg, who shared creative director duties on the work with TDA partner Thomas Dooley. "No one is going to trek to Karimabad, Pakistan, just to try the Walnut Cake, but having tested its products there, OR knows it's worth trying if you do. This campaign offers laughable incentives to get people to visit some of the most amazing, intriguing and obscure climbing and skiing locations in the world."
While the copy is cheeky, Outdoor Research will actually honor any of the seven coupons from rugged, remote locations should thrill-seekers be inspired to redeem one: To cash in an ad coupon, an adventurer simply needs to post a photo of himself/herself enjoying the exotic reward on Outdoor Research's Facebook page and the brand will make good on the offer. The print campaign will run through next spring and the media plan includes titles such as Powder, Backpacker, Alpinist, Backcountry, AMC Outdoors, Climbing, Rock & Ice, and Gripped.
About Outdoor Research
Outdoor Research® is Designed by Adventure®. We provide Innovation and Inspiration for the Relentless Adventurer. We develop innovative, functional, bomb-proof products that are beautiful in their simplicity. We are inclusive, inviting anyone who shares our passion to join our community. We're independent, letting us strive to provide the best value to our customers, not shareholders. We are committed to our core sports: Alpinism, Ice Climbing, Hiking, Paddling, Trail Running, and Backcountry and Sidecountry skiing. We're a member of the outdoor community, and we listen to, value and empower each other and our fellow adventurers. We're growing, both as a company and as individuals. And we're having fun along the way.


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and we're clear
Subtitle this one: TV Time Loop Day Part Drei: This Time It's Less Interesting.
Seriously though, after two previous times doing this (here and here), the structure is rather obvious. You got your central plot with the protagonist and then various side bits put there just so they can solve other stuff (like Phil's good deeds but less… important). For example… actually I'm not sure any of these episode involved solving other stuff, but there were things obviously there to prove the loop was happening; in Smallville, for example, Clark knows to whom the flowers are being delivered and tells Chloe to prove it—it's a girl who works so hard Chloe says she can't have had a date in years, so Clark isn't just guessing.
It is interesting in these episodes that characters have to deal with the deaths of people close to them, sometimes the deaths of several people, depending on what resumption they're on. Phil deals with his own death, of course, and O'Reilly's death, but some of these episodes involve the death of series regulars—SPOILERS AHEAD—and in the case of Smallville a death that survived beyond the episode.
Anyway, on with the shows. Once again, seven episodes, each from a different series. Today's shows were:
- The Outer Limits - "Déjà Vu"
- The Dead Zone - "Déjà Voodoo"
- Haven - "Audrey Parker's Day Off"
- Xena: Warrior Princess - "Been There, Done That"
- Seven Days - "Déjà Vu All Over Again"
- Farscape - "Back and Back and Back to the Future"
- Smallville - "Reckoning"
"Déjà Vu" (the The Outer Limits episode) involves an experiment in teleportation that goes wrong, creating a time loop. The main guy—able to recognize the loop because of some pseudoscience explanation involving an electrical arc hitting him just at the teleportation experiment explodes—even calls it a "time loop." The loop only lasts a few iterations, each one shorter than the one before, as the loop collapses and the implicit destruction of all reality approaches. Like the Lois & Clark episode I watched on the second TV Time Loop Day, Mark (played by Kevin Nealon) is able to bring another character with him on one of the loops—well, that isn't quite how it happened in Lois & Clark but close enough—and so they are able to work together to figure out why the experiment is going wrong. Long story short, it turns out to not be sabotage per se but a deliberate attempt to weaponize teleportation.
Like all episodes of The Outer Limits, this one opens and closes with some "meaningful" narration:
We exist in time. Moving forever forward through moments in our lives. Moments that which, once experienced, can never be relived, or can they?
Of note: this had a time loop caused by science, like 12:01 P.M. and 12:01, or Stargate SG-1's "Window of Opportunity" or either of the Fringe episodes I've watched for Time Loop Days.
I'd probably seen that episode of The Outer Limits when it was on originally because I used to watch that show, but I didn't remember it. I did remember the time loop episode of The Dead Zone, though. At least vaguely. "Déjà Voodoo" doesn't set up any crime at its start, unlike how I remember a lot of The Dead Zone's episode going; instead, Johnny's vision if of he and a stranger he's bumped into at a bar kissing later that night. Ultimately, he follows her, and gets her to the location in his vision, and they kiss, and only then does something bad come into play. An apparent mugging ends in her death. And, then, jump back to the bar because the whole thing was an extended vision for Johnny. Next time through, he tries to save her but she still ends up dead, and so does he (actually, he might have been getting shot as the first iteration transitioned into the next also). Things get complicated as Johnny tries to figure out who wants this woman dead while still trying to save her.
Because this episode is not setting up a long-term love interest for Johnny, this episode has a bit of a downbeat ending; while Johnny manages to save the woman's life and figure out who is trying to kill her, in the final iteration he barely even interacts with her.
Of note: technically, there is no "time loop" here. Rather, Johnny has a series of visions nested within one longer vision. And, there is really no explanation why this particular vision would work any differently than usual, except we get to see Johnny hook up with another woman (other than his ex who is now married to the local Sheriff, that is) and have nothing really come of it.
Haven's "Audrey Parker's Day Off" reminds me of what I liked and disliked about Haven. Individual episodes work well enough, but the premise of the show limits itself so that it's a bit like Cabot Cove where you have got to wonder why people even live there anymore with all the death and mayhem going on. Hell, both towns are in Maine; maybe Haven is just Cabot Cove plus the supernatural. Still, there's some nice stuff going on in the time loop here in that Audrey has to deal with first the death of a child, then when she keeps that from happening, the death of Duke (series regular Eric Balfour) instead. Then, when she keeps that from happening, Nathan (series regular Lucas Bryant) dies instead. Then, she keeps that from happening and her boyfriend (Jason Priestly) dies instead. Ultimately, she finds out who is responsible—if you've never seen the show, there are these things called "The Troubles" that makes paranormal things happen to various townspeople—a guy with OCD whose guilt over a) not being there for his daughter and b) being indirectly responsible for his daughter dying on that first day of the loop caused time to repeat around him. Audrey, as usual, is immune to "The Troubles" so she can recognize the loop and work to stop it.
Of note: Nathan, upon hearing about the time loop, tells Audrey that she's living in his "second favorite Bill Murray movie." Since the show is filmed in Canada and the actor here is Canadian, I can only assume his favorite Bill Murray movie is Meatballs. Also, like in Eureka's "I Do Over" Audrey is able to be injured in one iteration of the loop and still have the injury in the next.
I never watched Xena: Warrior Princess regularly, maybe only ever even saw a couple whole episodes, but you don't need to know much about the series to get into "Been There, Done That." I didn't quite know who Joxer was, but could tell it was a big deal when he died early in the episode. I did know there was a lot of "shipping" Xena and Gabrielle and those shippers must have loved when Gabrielle fell asleep on Xena's chest grieving over Joxer's death. Anyway, day repeats, and there are some amusing iterations, like when Joxer suggests maybe the cause is the rooster that wakes Xena each morning so the next morning she kills the rooster.
Ultimately, it's a… whatever the opposite of a curse is, from Cupid, helping out some star-crossed lovers, the female of which has taken poison and will die by tomorrow—the "curse" means tomorrow will never come until a warrior arrives to fix everything. Problem is, girl takes poison just after sunrise, and across town from the barn where Xena et al have spent the night. This leads to an amusing, albeit unbelievable, bit involving Xena's signature weapon, her Chakram, being thrown across town, caroming off walls, knocking a guy's hat off so he doesn't walk in front of a wagon—I guess one of these shows did involve a side event being solved—and eventually breaking the bottle of poison so the girl cannot drink it.
Seven Days has a frantic way about it. "Déjà Vu All Over Again" suffers a little because of this. To raise the stakes, Parker's Backstep puts him, as far as he knows it, within an hour of Talmadge's (series regular Alan Scarfe) death. They've got a seven day window to figure out what happened to him and end up with no useful leads. It's a cheap conceit to add tension, but it works somewhat. More problematic for me, since I watched this series regularly when it was on, was that I don't think Parker's "Time Burps" existed outside of this episode. Basically, all of his time travel has led to moments of déjà vu (and a hankering for fried chicken), and he sort of manipulates one of these time burps into repeating the Backstep (I once wrote an essay about how the basic time travel of this show didn't make sense, so that lack of understandable explanation here is par for the course).
Of note: as the loop repeats, Parker actually has less use for explaining what's going on to the other regulars and mostly just goes it alone. It's the opposite structure of many time loop episodes in that, narrowing its focus rather than widening it.
Also, Parker has an interesting conversation about experiencing seven day loops on a regular basis and how it can be annoying to know what people are going to say before they say it sometimes.
Farscape's "Back and Back and Back to the Future" finds its time loop in a fragment of a black hole, but I'm not sure there's any particular reason that Crichton is the only one to experience the looping. Of course it isn't quite looping going on at first so much as Crichton getting premonitory flashes. It becomes whole loops later. This is a fairly standard Farscape episode. There are many better ones.
An amusing exchange:
Zhaan: He says he is experiencing the future.
Aeryn: The future? He can barely function in the present.
While watching this episode again, I didn't see it as all that important an episode (hence just calling it "fairly standard"). Executive Producer Brian Henson apparently thought differently. He's quoted on the Farscape wikia, saying:
Farscape started exploring darker themes. Even the love scenes here are a little creepy. We were feeling our way into a visceral and twisted tone that would become signature territory for the series, making this episode one of the most important of season 1.
Of course, he's talking about the sexual bits in this episode and maybe some of the violence. And, I was looking at it today for the time loop. The viewpoint certainly affects the interpretation.
This TV Time Loop Day ended with Smallville's "Reckoning." The episode isn't really about a time "loop" exactly but merely a single repetition of one day, because apparently Kryptonians have the technology for that, but you can only use it once—the premise is actually kinda lame if you put any thought to it. The setup: Clark finally tells Lana his secret and proposes marriage. That night, as Clark's adoptive father wins the election for senate, Lana goes to see Lex Luthor (who just lost to Jonathan Kent; I'm guessing the campaigning lasted a while in the lead up to this episode) and he knows she knows Clark's secret (which is a weird intuitive jump), then Lex drives after Lana as she leaves and inadvertently causes her death by car accident. Within the episode, Clark inexplicably goes to the Fortress of Solitude and questions the voice there—I know it's his father's voice, but this episode gives no explanation as to why Clark is directing his ire here—as to why he took Lana from him. The Wikipedia entry for the episode explains, Clark was resurrected by Jor-El in a previous episode and promised there would be a price. So, Clark makes a new deal to save Lana and is told there will be a price, some line about the universe balancing things out. And, Clark is sent back to the previous morning, proceeds to not tell Lana his secret, she breaks up with him, ends up with Lex that night anyway and nearly gets killed again if Clark weren't there to stop the bus that hit her before.
That balance comes when Jonathan Kent meanwhile gets into a fight (another thing not readily explained within the episode) with Lionel Luther. The fight gets fairly physical and I guess it was too much for Jonathan's heart (I really hope the show had set up his having a bad heart or there really is not "balance" here but just Jor-El being a dick) as he ends up getting outside just as Martha and Clark arrive home, and he collapses and dies. Long before the series got to this 100th episode, I'd stopped watching, but I would guess that for regular viewers, Jonathan's death would have been more dramatic, but he actually isn't in much of the episode as it is.
Of note: when Clark tells Chloe about the time loop, she asks him if he flew around the Earth and spun it backward on its axis, one of the possible explanations for what Superman did in Superman II.
So ends TV Time Loop Day: Part Drei. There are no more batches of shows to watch, though I may watch Day Break or Tru Calling for something different in the future.
Today's reason to repeat a day forever: to edit these time loop episode together into one 24-hour long mega-episode… except then I'd never get to watch it. So, gotta do the editing beforehand, then just watch the mega-episode all day every day as the time loop repeats. Because real life is boring.


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Sunday, 23 October 2011
Totally Tilda DT - Autumn leaves
13 comments:
Love this Jacqui ... gorgeous autumn colours :)ReplyDelete
Lynne xx
fabulous card, great for our autumn challenge at CRAFT this week, x carolReplyDelete
Jacqui this is a fabulous card and a gorgeous image. Joey xReplyDelete
oh what a sweet little image . Gorgeous colours and papers.. really AutumnalReplyDelete
Thanks for joining us at Oldie but a Goodie this fortnight
Lisa x
so stunning jacqui.i love your autumnal colours and the image and design are gorgeous ;DReplyDelete
xx coops xx
Oh hunny this is gorgeous, I really love that lace, where did you get it from if you don't mind me asking,ReplyDelete
loving using my candy from you too, you have lovely taste, might let you pick my next supplies too he he, hugs Liz xx
A cute and Pretty creation. Thanks for joining Oldie But A Goodie challenge, good luckReplyDelete
Happy crafting
Tracy x
what a wonderful card and thanks for joining CRAFT this week. xxxReplyDelete
Fabulous colours and an adorable Tilda! What a pretty card!ReplyDelete
luv, Mags x
Hi Jacqui awww how cute is this Tilda playing in the leaves?? gorgeous Autumnal colour combo fab take on the chall theme.ReplyDelete
smiles mummy x
Wonderful card Jacqui! I really LOVE the image colouring and the gorgeous papers.ReplyDelete
Thanks for joining us at the Deep Ocean this forthnight
Great creation,ReplyDelete
Thanks for joining us at OLDIE BUT A GOODIE Challenge and good luck!
Lovely Bright card Jacqui, beautiful detail and stunning colouring tooReplyDelete