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On Keith Ellison, the First Muslim—and My–Congressman in the US
Reading Jane's post Friday morning about the religious beliefs of candidates made me think of how my own Congressman, Keith Ellison, had to deal with religious controversy in his past and how he has been able to overcome it.
While a law student in 1989 and 1990, Ellison wrote several columns as Keith E.
America's War on Terror in the Time of Technology
The US invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. We're coming up on the 5th anniversary of this invasion, a useless war that distracted from the war on terror, from the US focusing on Al-Qaeda (and the Taliban) in Afghanistan and in Waziristan, the autonomous Pashtun tribal region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden is supposed to be hiding out with Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban.
Kosovo and Its Historical Antecedents
On Thursday night February 21, 2008, angry Serbs broke into the U.S. Embassy and set fire to an office as rioters rampaged through Belgrade's streets, putting an exclamation point of violence to a day of mass protest against Western support for an independent Kosovo. At least 150,000 people rallied in Belgrade, waving Serbian flags and signs proclaiming "Stop USA terror," to denounce the bid by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority to create
FDL Welcomes Charles E. Cobb Jr., Author of On the Road to Freedom: A Guided Tour of the Civil Rights Trail
On the Road to Freedom: A Guided Tour of the Civil Rights Trail establishes and demonstrates first and foremost, in general: how history emerges from places; from ordinary places; from neighborhoods; and from communities (the "place" as the ground (in the two basic senses of the word–(1) as the material floor of history (where people live their everyday lives) and (2) history as grounded in abstraction, the place forming
A Quick Cruise through the (Not Too) Recent and Brief History of Afghanistan–As Affects the US Directly or Indirectly By Metonymy
Here's a recent brief history of Afghanistan either induced by the US and (the now defunct) Soviet Union's direct involvement, or home-grown events that had ramifications for the US (and the Old Soviet Union):
In 1979: The Soviet Union occupies Afghanistan.
In 1980: Soviet troops install a puppet regime in Kabul.
Human Capital in the Digital City: A Few Questions about Class and Netroots
In my post last week, I talked about how capitalism and technology, working for each other, produced a new regime that shattered the old pact between capital and labor, beginning in the mid-1970s. From then on, this new regime of capital began to lay the foundation for the age of the Internet that was to emerge about two decades later in the mid-1990s.
How Capitalism and Technology Created (a) NAFTA
In the late-20th century and especially in the first decade of the 21st century, there have been impassioned and highly controversial debates about the merits and demerits of trade agreements like the World Trade Organization (WTO), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)–which was simply called CAFTA before January 2004 and renamed after.
Global Diaspora and (an) Obama
Much ink has been spilled and much airtime socked in mainstream media (MSM) about Barack Obama's colorful (pun intended) biography in this election cycle. Much too much, in fact, that I won't provide links. It's simply out there and has become part of our quotidian narrative, lexicon, and vocabulary about Obama.
Why Some Feminists Aren't Supporting Hillary
Quite a few feminist activists are not supporting Hillary Clinton in her bid for the presidency. And that may seem odd, given that she's the first viable woman candidate to run for the White House. She remains highly suspect to her cohort: middle- and upper-middle-class educated and professional white women over 40 years old.
The Third Rail of Identity Politics in the US
Identity politics is now back with a vengeance at the center of US politics. In the New Hampshire Democratic primary, belying all the polls and media accounts that had Obama ahead by as much as 13 points, Hillary Clinton's unexpected victory opened up the historical antagonism between race and gender that has always haunted US politics.


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Brooke White Speaks on American Idol EliminationMatt Richenthal at . Comments
Following her American Idol elimination this week, Brooke White spoke to reporters. She was candid, as always, commenting on the confidence issues that plagued her throughout the competition.
"I was very honest and open about that struggle I have and, to be honest again, it escalated at times during Idol and other times I felt like I had a better handle on it," she said. "It was very much a roller-coaster ride.
"Tuesday I think I felt kinda a resurge of confidence that I hadn't felt in a long time, a lot of joy, gratitude for being in that place, and I think that's what gave me that boost. It felt great and even though I went home, it was wonderful to leave on that note.
"I know that Simon Cowell said it was a nightmare or whatever, but personally I think it was a great moment and I've such incredible support from fans, which also helps to kinda reassure you."
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

subset: commoncrawl


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Forbes has released its list of the top college towns to invest in. Phoenix – Mesa- Scottsdale came in at #7. From the article:
The good news is, college doesn't need to be so hard on the wallet–at least when it comes to housing, an area that becomes more absurdly expensive with each passing year.
Total room-and-board expenses at private undergraduate colleges averaged $7,791 during the 2005-2006 school year, up 5% from the previous academic year, according to The College Board's annual report on college pricing trends. But consider the alternative: investing in real estate. If done wisely, this nontraditional approach could not only save you the cost of college housing, it might even help you turn a profit.
Rather than shell out a small fortune for a ratty dorm room or an overpriced apartment, parents can build equity, generate cash flow and eventually benefit from real estate appreciation–assuming they are willing to be landlords and invest some cash up front.
Rhonda Butler, sales manager at Fonville Morisey Realty's Chapel Hill, N.C., office, near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, breaks down a local example.
"Say you have a $200,000 townhouse," she says. "You can take four students and charge them each $700 a month for rent, and suddenly you're going to have a positive cash flow on the transaction."
With 10% down, a 30-year mortgage and a rate of, say, 7%, monthly mortgage payments would total about $1,200, for a net of $1,600 per month.
And though home prices around the country appear to be flattening out after a few years of sharp increase, college housing markets tend to experience less ups and downs.
I ran across a real world example Here


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Published: 2009/10/01
Brazilian Girls Call Off Boston and New York Shows
The members of the Brazilian Girls have canceled their upcoming Northeast appearances. The band was scheduled to perform at New York's Governors Island on October 2 and Boston's House of Blues on October 6. A note from the band reads, "This is really sad for us to announce, but the shows in NY and in Boston, Oct 2nd and 6th had to be canceled, due to immigration issues." Singer Sabina Sciubba has been living abroad since giving birth after the group's last national tour. The band is still scheduled to appear at San Francisco's Treasure Island Music Festival on October 17 and Los Angeles' Avalon on October 19.


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Today's Featured Artist: Michael Godard
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Ta Ti An by Emerald GreenForest - 6.250" x 8.000"
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Ta Ti An wood print by Emerald GreenForest. Bring your artwork to life with the texture and added depth of a wood print. Your image gets printed directly onto a sheet of 3/4" thick maple wood. There are D-clips on the back of the print for mounting it to your wall using mounting hooks and nails (included).
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Bring your artwork to life with the texture and depth of a wood print. Your image gets printed directly onto a sheet of 3/4" thick maple wood.
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Good Evening, It is August 15, 2018 and I have yet to receive this item. I am still very interested in seeing this great picture and wanted to order a picture of Mohawk Ironworkers working in New York City. My address is 403A Forest Avenue, Orillia, Ontario Canada, Postal Code: L3V3Z2. Please track order. Thank You Steven Koptie
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A profusion of Aquamarine light stimulates the release of the pheromones of lovelight which bursts in magenta droplets all round. Embedded with Aquamarine this Vibrational Power Painting = 696,969,696,969,696,969
Emerald Peaceful GreenForest (FKA Amethyst Wyldfyre) is a multidimensional visual and performing artist, jewelry designer, motivational speaker, author and visionary entrepreneur who lives and works in the Merrimack Valley of Southern NH. Working in a variety of media she weaves the mystical and the ordinary together to create in a multitude of arenas. She is the former proprietress of Amethyst Wyldfyre Gallery in Nashua , NH which featured the visionary artworks of over 35 local and regional artists. A founder of City Arts Nashua and the visionary force behind ArtWalk Nashua and FIREfest -- A Celebration of the Visual, Performing, Culinary & Healing Arts in the Heart of Downtown Nashua, Emerald is passionate about art in all its forms and...
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We have been taking our Saturn Vue to Vic for years and am always pleased with his service and honesty about what is needed. It is hard to find someone to trust so I am very happy we found him.
Posted: 5/15/2015 • Link to this review
Took my car in for an oil change, which their website advertises with a free brake & safety inspection for $26.99. But when I picked my car up, they charged me $27 for labor and $26.50 for parts. When I asked about the price on the website, he says 'We haven't updated that in a while. The price of oil's gone up.' If they don't have enough integrity to stand by their advertised price for something as simple as an oil change, I definitely won't trust them for anything more serious in the future.
Posted: 1/24/2014 • Link to this review
Reviews: 1
No other shop around treated me with the same courtesy that Vic and Chris and the others at C.A.R. did. They knew me by name and were very friendly in all my phone and personal interactions. What I look for in a mechanic above all is honesty and a fair price. Not only did they talk me through the repairs in detail, they gave me the best deal around. I appreciate their commitment to the customer. I'm going to trust them with all my future repairs.
Posted: 6/07/2013 • Link to this review
I have been using Certified for over 10 years since I bought a Jeep. After recently selling the Jeep, CAR is still my go to for repairs on our cars. Wouldn't go anywhere else.
Posted: 3/06/2013 • Link to this review
I remember calling Certified Auto for the first time twelve years ago. I asked Victor if his mechanics were specialist or could fix any domestic and foreign car. He responded that his mechanics were experienced and knew how to read a (car) manual. His answer was simple but honest so I took a leap of faith. Ten years later and Certified Auto has worked on every car in my garage, foreign and domestic. I have never had one complaint or ever worried that something was not fixed right. They have earned so much of my trust that I now drop my cars off and simply tell them to just "fix anything they see that isn't right." Thanks Certified Auto for the years of good work!
Posted: 4/10/2012 • Link to this review
Reviews: 10
I have been going to Certified Automotive for years. Victor & his crew do great work at a fair price. They are also very honest about what you do & don't need. You don't often find that these days... From oil changes to major repairs they can handle it all. Take your car there with the utmost confidence.
Posted: 10/07/2011 • Link to this review
Honest, experienced, trustworthy mechanics. Have correctly diagnosed problems other mechanics could not find.
Posted: 5/24/2011 • Link to this review
I've been using these guys for about three years now and have been consistently impressed with the quality of their work and their honesty. I've got an older car that's needed a few repairs over these years and they've on multiple occasions identified a cheap fix to what I thought was a major problem. The most honest mechanics I've ever dealt with and they stand by the work they do. Check them out! You won't be sorry!
Posted: 8/19/2010 • Link to this review
Reviews: 1
I have owned and had service on many cars Until I found a shop (it was not easy) that put to rest the questions of fair, honest,tech sharp,and value I dreaded car maintenance and repair. Certified has given my Wife and I many years of peace of mind and excellent service. These guys are what You and your Car deserve. Thanks, C.A.R. of ATL. Steve M.
Posted: 6/25/2010 • Link to this review
I actually dealt with these guys for several years and thought they were good. Then 2 weeks ago, when I came to pick up my car, Victor told me he had badly scraped my car. He said they'd pay for the repairs with a particular body shop (over 10 miles away) and a rental, and he'd take me to see the scratch as soon as I paid him $33 for the oil change. Thaddeus told me to just get a decent rental $50-$100. When I went to get reimbursed. Victor said I was gouging them. First he implied that I'd kept it too long, but I'd turned it in as soon as my car was ready, at over 24-hours. Then he said the rental was too big; I drive a van, and the only rental available with even near that capacity was a Suburban for which they charged $85/day. (And then, of course, I had the nerve to actually charge him for *some* of my mileage - total reimbursement less than $200.) I said that while I understood that accidents happen, I was the one who had to make time to cope; and that, frankly, after Victor's mistake I thought it took nerve to ask me to pay for the oil change when I'd been a good customer for years. Victor said, "The only thing you ever come in for is regular servicing. That doesn't make you a good customer." There are 2 lessons in this that cannot be overlooked: 1. As far as they are concerned, their time is valuable but their customer's is not. 2. No matter how long you've been coming to them, you'll never be a "good" customer until you've laid down some big bucks.
Posted: 4/02/2010 • Last edited: 9/11/2013 • Link to this review
I had a mysterious problem with my vehicle, but the CAR guys put their heads together and finally figured it out. Victor's original quote for the work was almost $900 but he went to the trouble of finding a cheaper source for the parts, and it ended up being a little over $500. He didn't have to do that; I had already OK'd the job at the higher price. That kind of honesty and integrity is hard to find in the auto repair business. These guys have earned a lifetime customer. And by the way, they did the job right.
Posted: 11/22/2009 • Link to this review
Reviews: 1
The most honest nechanics I've found in the Atlanta area in my 15 years of driving. Fast service, and very reasonable prices.
Posted: 7/02/2009 • Link to this review
Victor was so great and honest. Car broke down and I had it towed there. At first thought it was my fuel pump, repaired and fixed it. Turns out it was my distributor. He charged me LESS b/c the distributor parts were cheaper, and didn't charge me for the fuel pump. These are honest people, and my car runs great! Highly recommended!
Posted: 6/23/2009 • Link to this review
I have taken my vehicle to this place three times. Each time I have been pleased with the service I have received. I made a repair myself with a minor mistake; they fixed the problem without charging me an arm and a leg. I took it in for additional regular maintenance and to fix the engine light and again they fixed everything the first time and I did not walk out with an empty wallet. Last week I took it in for a burned out bulb and it was done quickly and reasonably. After two years of taking my car to an incompetent garage, it is nice to find a place I can take my vehicle to with confidence. I recommend this place highly.
Posted: 11/20/2008 • Link to this review
Reviews: 11
I have an antique Jeep CJ and I moved here from Colorado. I had the Jeep shipped here ahead of me and needed it adjusted for the change in altitude. They adjusted her carb and got it running perfectly for a great price. They are just great folks and very knowledgeable - I would not take a Jeep anywhere else in this city. Drive by, they have a virtual Jeep museum there most of the time. It is hard to find great mechanics in this day and age - you won't be disappointed with these guys.
Posted: 11/04/2008 • Link to this review


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A Gotnews.com independent investigation has identified two female, L.A.-based persons of interest in the Sony hacking scandal.
The woman who we will call "Lena2" is in her mid-to-late thirties and a former Sony pictures employee, who ceased to be employed by Sony in March of this year.
A review of her LinkedIn page shows that she had both the payroll access, the computer savvy, and the accounting background. She had been at the company for eight years.
"Lena2" had both the access and the means to leak the sensitive Sony material. Gotnews.com is not releasing her real name at this time, but we have identified her as a person of interest, based upon: Her role as in administering the payroll system; administrator and her social media accounts fits the profile.. (She deleted her Twitter account.) Despite leaving the company earlier this year, we curiously cannot find a separation letter for her, although hundreds of other separation letters were released by the hackers.
Gotnews.com has already pointed out how the data transfer speeds strongly point to a Sony insider.
I am noticing that a female Senior Systems Administrator in Sony Entertainment Pictures Corporate Payroll was laid-off in 2014.#SonyHack
— Jonathan Langdale ? (@jlangdale) December 24, 2014
Gotnews.com has also identified a possible motive: pay equality on gender lines.
The first email from 'lena' references "equality."
"We Want equality[sic]. Sony doesn't. It's an upward battle," the hackers write in a message published by The Verge.
We've examined the data released by the hackers and found a disproportionate number of women were laid off by Bain & Co., the consulting company brought in by Sony.
Lena wanted "equality." Did Sony lay-off a hugely disproportionate number of females in 2014?#SonyHack pic.twitter.com/sUyVRgZphX
— Jonathan Langdale ? (@jlangdale) December 24, 2014
We suspect that Lena2, a female payroll system administrator, would have been one of the first people to witness the pattern of these firings and layoffs, since she would have administered the paperwork.
In the month that Lena2 left Sony – March 2014 – the payroll cuts were roughly equal to what Seth Rogen was paid for the Interview.
2014 Sony cuts in March were $8m (roughly what @SethRogen was paid for @TheInterview).
How many ppl?#SonyHack pic.twitter.com/6ydJHxKAO4
— Jonathan Langdale ? (@jlangdale) December 24, 2014
Also, based upon the cultural references presented by the hackers in their publicly-reported emails, also strongly point to an American citizen (and not a Japanese national), as we previously speculated.
The suspected leaker is a fan of anime. The hacker referenced "God'sApstls," which comes from the popular Japanese Evangelion anime series.
@condraj2 The Japanese use Christian motifs a lot in anime; the biggie is Evangelion. 使徒, the 13 "Angels" who come to cleanse the Earth.
— Bad Uncle Leo (@z31r4m) December 23, 2014
The hacker name itself–the Guardians of Peace–may be a reference to Star Wars. (Alternatively, because the last GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, had served as CEO of Bain & Co, and was politically criticized for being unfair to women and representative of inequality, and because Bain had architected the Sony layoffs, the "Hacked by #GOP" warning may have been a political reference to and attack upon Bain, its perceived GOP ties, and the hackers' professed fight for "equality.")
The Twitter account carries a photo with Julian Assange.
Our research shows that the Sony leaker most likely worked like Private Bradley Manning or NSA contractor Edward Snowden, by downloading all of the material onto an external hard drive and walking out. The hacking was not primarily internet-based hack.
Jeremy Hammond, Barrett Brown, Gottfrid Svartholm, Fredrik Neij, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden… FREEDOM! NOW! pic.twitter.com/l79wTA50sm
— ChileanHackers (@HackersChilenos) December 22, 2014
Still another cultural reference is the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The hackers email address is firstname.lastname@example.com, a possible reference to actor Jason David Frank, who played The Green Ranger on Power Rangers.
Gotnews.com can also rule out many of the possible ex-employees who could have leaked the material.
A CSB video featuring Kurt Stammberger, a senior vice president with cybersecurity firm Norse, says that they have identified who the Sony insider was. Here's the profile of who they say it is:
Norse believes it's identified this woman as someone who worked at Sony in Los Angeles for ten years until leaving the company this past May.
"This woman was in precisely the right position and had the deep technical background she would need to locate the specific servers that were compromised," Stammberger told me.
If Norse and Stammberger are correct that the leaker left in May, that leaves thirty names. If we assume that it is indeed a woman in the data that was released and not a hacker using a female identity that gives us 14 names.
Gotnews.com can deduce that all of the women who left in May and had their data lacked the technical knowledge necessary to pull off this kind of an operation. It is, however, possible that Lena1 isn't on that list.
We have identified a "Lena" who matches the Norse description and are holding her name back as well. She is in her late 40s and has worked for Sony Pictures and Sony Electrics for 10 years and has the skillset necessary to pull off the attack.
We have made multiple attempts to reach out to Lena2, including contacting her parents who say she's not home. We will update this post if and when we hear from her.
We have also offered our information to law enforcement in the Los Angeles and nationally and will continue to share what we've learned.


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What is your favorite game on Andoird?
This can be a fun and quick way to discover new games!
Name the game, give one reason as to why, and if you play it on a phone, tablet, or both.
If you have more than one, feel free to list them all!
I'll start it off,
NBA JAM, simple yet addicting gameplay and good graphics, playing on GSII.


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Is assuming this world as illusion or unreal enough? Does it not contradict day-2-day experience?
In the process of neti-neti or as taught by bhagavAn in gItA chapter 13 that kshetra (field of observation, which is the world we live in or experience) is different from kshetraGYA (witness, observer known as sAkshI). There are various reasons why we must superimpose the unreality of this world firmly in our mind even though we experience this world and are affected by different situations we face in our life. Of-course, certain level of purity is necessary in order to be a witness. Just like water when mixed with milk becomes inseparable from milk, our consciousness is mixed i.e. strongly embedded, attached) to our mind, which in turn is strongly attached to 5 senses, which in turn rely on physical gross body. We must by any valid means separate this consciousness from mind, body and senses.
One way of doing it is to make our mind understand and agree that this world is unreal. This is not an assumption, but an affirmation. Affirmations are like auto suggestions which are used to marathon runners, psychiatrists, hypnotists and all those who work with subconscious mind. Suppose you have got fracture in hand. By repeatedly reminding or auto-suggesting your mind that 'I am healthy', 'my hand is healed', 'There is no more fracture in my hand', 'My hand is strong and healthy', 'I am completely healthy', etc. By daily repeating these instructions with calm mind, relaxed body, without any thoughts in background and without having any doubt on affirmation whether they will work or not, one recovers very fast. This happens when the prime thought in your mind becomes 'My hand is healed' and there is no contradictory thought of failure to recover. There is no fear at the back of mind while repeating affirmations. Affirmations also must be accompanied with bhAva or emotions. Just before you go to sleep, get into sleepy state. Then with relaxed body and mind repeat affirmation 3-4 times and go to sleep. It so happens that they may continue throughout night in subconscious mind. When there are no stray thoughts, mind is calm, and thoughts are said with strong faith, they enter into subconscious mind. Once they enter subconscious mind, subconscious mind will make sure that whatever has entered inside it gets executed. Subconscious mind does not do rational thinking, yet it has 90 % power as compared to the conscious mind which has just 10 % power. Hence subconscious mind over powers conscious mind and executes what was feeded to it without discriminating.
When any thought is repeated or any action is repeated, it becomes habit. Similarly, Self Enquiry or neti neti or OM chanting becomes habit and goes on spontaneously. In this way, one can stay connected with Brahman even if one is engrossed in work. Chanting goes on in subconscious mind. As soon as one becomes free, mantra re-enters conscious mind and continues by itself without any effort on our part. Similarly, the process of removing wrong belief that 'this world is real' or 'I am body' or I am mind or I am jIva (incarnated soul) can be removed by putting right belief in subconscious mind. Hence though we experience exactly opposite, we keep affirming that this world is unreal, I am not body, mind, intellect, ego or soul, I am Brahman, unchanging, immortal, unborn supreme reality.
Subconscious mind is the key to our spiritual progress. All questions like
Why and how to prayers work?
Why prayers does not work all time?
Why we get opposite to what we pray?
How can one heal oneself very fast in half of expected time?
etc, can be answered to taking subconscious mind into account
There are other practical reason for affirming that this world is unreal. Once you mentally accept that this world is unreal and temporary, you will make every effort to remain conscious, not to get pulled into it. Mind which is supposed to control 5 senses has become their slave. Senses are directed extrovert. One sees anything when light projects on retina, is projected to brain as an inverted image. However, according to shAstra-s mind travels along with senses or via senses to the object, feels it and then infers a meaningful suggestion to it. Remember that mind and brain are different. So we must make efforts to stop mind running behind senses and its hunting for worldly object. Pull it backwards and make it stable. Then make this introvert mind merge into it's source which is Brahman. Mind itself does not have any power. It is jada (gross). Like moon it reflects the power of Atman or Brahman. When mind moves towards it's source, it merges in it. Hence in order to create dispassion we must cultivate in our mind very firmly that this world is unreal. But developing just dispassion is not enough. We need to surrender ourselves to Ishvara or Brahman and pray to take us beyond mAyA. Since one disassociates oneself from sense objects, body, mind, ego and intellect by practising dispassion, surrender to Ishvara and by being witness, this path is called as 'path of negation' by it 'neti-neti' or 'Self Enquiry'. Even by chanting OM, one is technically doing neti-neti, as one is separating or dis-associating 'I' or 'Self' (kshetraGYA) from all that is non-self (kshetra). Mind focusses on OM and later on, it searches for the origin of OM and merge in it. Origin of OM, which is turiyA avasthA or peace is nothing but Brahman.
When one becomes a witness, one gets separated from the objection of observation. When one gets attracted or associates oneself with any object, one becomes fused with it, mixes with it and considers oneself to be non-different from the object. We all unknowingly accept ourselves as 'body'. Accepting unreality and temporary nature of world helps us becomes witness to it and not get attached to it. Staying as witness increases our awareness as a separate entity then object of observation. Finally one separates from mind-body-intellect-ego-soul complex and becomes aware of non-dual Brahman. But to be a witness, mind has to stop longing for sense objects. Hence establishing unreality of this world is necessary.
We understand that there is no assumption of being 'Brahman'. Just assuming does not make one 'Brahman'. One has to realise one's true nature. Hence 'I am Brahman' or 'Brahman satya, jagat mithyA' is not just assumption, but a process of 'neti-neti' or 'the path of negation'.


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Münster. Westfalen AG's Supervisory Board has appointed Dr. Meike Schäffler and Torsten Jagdt to the company's Board of Directors. On 1 July 2016 Dr. Schäffler will take on the newly created board-level position responsible for Human Resources & Central Services, IT and Production, Engineering Technology and Depots (PIT). Torsten Jagdt will succeed Dr. Carsten Wilken as Chief Financial Officer, who will retire from serving Westfalen AG at the end of the year.
Dr. Meike Schäffler (44) has worked in various management positions within IT, Human Resources and production units for the Benteler-Group in Paderborn, which operate in the steel pipe production, automotive engineering and commerce sectors. From 2010 to 2011 the mathematics graduate was the Managing Director of Benteler Deutschland GmbH. In 2012 she was appointed Managing Director of Benteler Steel/Tube with 4,000 employees. In this role she was responsible for the welded tube plants in Germany, Switzerland and China as well as for personnel and IT.
Economics graduate Torsten Jagdt (46) has years of international experience in finance, accounting and controlling. He has worked for companies such as automotive suppliers Continental and MAHLE and he was CFO for Modine Europe GmbH, part of the US group Modine Manufacturing Corporation. Most recently he was commercial manager at TROX GmbH in Neukirchen-Vluyn. This family company with 3,700 employees and 30 subsidiaries across five continents is a global leader in the manufacture of ventilation and air conditioning systems.
After 16 years Westfalen AG's outgoing Chief Financial Officer Dr. Carsten Wilken is resigning, by choice, from his position on the board as part of the gradual generation change. He leaves on amicable terms by the end of 2016. He will work closely with the newly appointed colleague Torsten Jagdt over the coming months to ensure a smooth handover.
The Supervisory Board, the shareholders and the entire Board of Directors would like to thank Dr. Wilken expressly for his great commitment and service to the company. Dr. Wilken plans to pursue activities outside of the Westfalen Group, but will keep close ties with the company.
The Westfalen Group
The Westfalen Group is an energy sector technology company operating with a total of 23 subsidiaries and associates in Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The family business, founded in 1923, has over 20 production sites located across Europe and is headquartered in Münster. Its business sectors are gases, energy supply and service stations. With more than 1,600 employees, the Westfalen Group posted sales of approximately 1.8 billion euros in the 2014 financial year.


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Sasha Grey
|Sasha Grey
|March 14, 1988
|Astrological Sign:
|Birth location:
|Sacramento, CA
|Years Active:
|5'7" (170 cm)
|110 lbs. (49 kg)
|Eye color:
|Hair color:
|Skin color:
|Natural bust:
|Sasha Gray
|No. of films:
|Sasha Grey Videos
|Sasha Grey Free Galleries
Sasha grew up in Sacramento, California where she graduated high school in 2005. In 2005, she decided to become an adult performer. She moved to Los Angeles and started her career in 2006 just after turning 18. Sasha asserts that she enjoys "a lot of dirty talk…the more psychological the better". Sasha also reveals that she enjoys extreme sex in her personal life – including anal, water sports, strap-ons, and occasionally vomiting on her partner. In her films, she has come to specialize in anal sex and humiliating submissive slave roles. Grey has appeared on television as an advocate for the adult film industry. In December 2006, Sasha was interviewed on the syndicated entertainment industry news show The Insider. Grey also appeared on The Tyra Banks Show in February 2007. She later claimed through her own website and on YouTube that the interview aired on television represented her poorly and that the show's staff changed her clothing and hairstyle to make her appear younger, her youthful appearance being a feature that host Tyra Banks repeatedly played on in criticism of her pornographic career choice.
After starring in Steven Soderbergh's film The Girlfriend Experience, Miss Grey presented the keynote address at the 2010 AVN conference describing her efforts to move "seamlessly" between the worlds of porn and mainstream entertainment. Other signs of mainstream acceptance include her successful inroads into the music industry , her selection by Newsweek magazine to write a short article about the Mark Sanford Affair, and PETA selecting her as the model for their new campaign encouraging people to spay or neuter their pets.
Sasha is cast as "an even wilder version of herself" in the HBO show Entourage. In the multi-episode arc, she played Vincent Chase's girlfriend. although she and Vince broke up at the end of the season, she appeared in the season's final scene, leaving many wondering whether her character will reappear next season.
Sasha announced her retirement from pornography on April 7, 2011. Few of her fans were surprised as she had not filmed a pornographic scene for over a year at that point
Strengths & Weaknesses
In addition to her beautiful face, great body, and spectacular bubble butt, Sasha is an intense no-holes-barred performer.
It can be debated that one "weakness" of Ms Grey's, is to think that her transition from pornstar to public figure will be anywhere near as seamless as she wishes. In 2011, when she appeared at a school, it really didnt matter how noble a cause it was for reading or education - the media made sure the public knew her former occupation, and fair or unfair, the bottomline was that she cannot expect today's tech savvy youth to be unable to access her images and clips on the internet, and that making this connection would mean her contact with minors must be severed. Most female ex-pornstars want anonymity. Few sex industry workers could have imagined years ago that these images would live on indefinitely in the digital age. But they do and there are inescapable negative consequences.
Interesting Facts
- She is half of the experimental music/art project known as ATelecine. Grey also aspires to produce independent films; since the inception of her career in the porn industry, she has begun the filming of a documentary that she hopes will illustrate her experience from the age of 18 to 21.
- She was chosen Penthouse Pet of The Month for July 2007.
- She is also featured as part of the art work for The Smashing Pumpkins 2007 album Zeitgeist, and also appears in their 2008 video "Superchrist". She stars in and suggested the title for the movie Broken, directed by Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro.
- She was also featured in the music video for the song "Birthday Girl", by the Roots.
- Has a strong interest in existentialism.
- 2007 AVN Award for Best Three-Way Sex Scene – Fuck Slaves (with Sandra Romain and Manuel Ferrara)
- 2007 AVN Award for Best Group Sex Scene (Video) – Fashionistas Safado: The Challenge
- 2007 XRCO Award for Best New Starlet
- 2007 Adultcon Top 20 Adult Actresses
- 2008 AVN Award - Best Oral Sex Scene, Video – Babysitters
- 2008 AVN Award - Female Performer of the Year
- 2008 XRCO Award for Female Performer of the Year
- 2009 AVN Best Actress nomination, for The Last Rose
- 2009 XRCO Award for Mainstream Adult Favorite
Sasha Grey Filmography
Top Rated Filmography
- Enslaved Girls
- Naughty Bookworms (2/6/07)
- Naughty Flipside - "Sunset Drip" (6/21/07)
Directed By
Online Reviews
"Sasha Grey has been enjoying some crossover success these days with her work in Hollywood films like "The Girlfriend Experience." On her site, Sasha Grey Vids, you won't be able to watch that movie, but you will have access to others that you can watch with your girlfriend and try and convince her that what Sasha does in her movies is something she would also want to experience. (It's worth a shot right?)."() Rabbit's Reviews (76/100)
External Links
- at JudgePorn
- at Pornstarglobal
- at PornstarNetwork
User Reviews
Want your voice to be heard? Submit a review now.
- Porn Stars
- Female Porn Stars
- American Porn Stars
- AVN Female Performer of the Year Award
- 2 Hour Comp
- 4 Hour Comp
- All Girl
- All Sex
- Alt
- Amateur
- Anal
- Ass-to-mouth
- Big Butt
- Big Dick
- Black Dicks/White Chicks
- Blow-Bang
- Blowjob
- Cream Pies
- Cumshot
- Fetish
- Fresh Faces
- Glamour
- Glasses
- Gonzo
- Interracial
- Lesbian
- Masturbation
- Natural Breasts
- New Release
- Pregnant
- Reality Based
- Rough Sex
- Rubber/Latex
- Shemale
- Small Tits
- Squirting
- Strap-On
- Teen
- Threeway
- Transsexual


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Welcome to Sprouting Farms
Sprouting Farms Appalachian Croft and Training Center is a four-season non-profit farm and education and resource center located in Summers County WV. We believe that long-lasting impact is created by training new farmers in quality and sustainable production techniques, and by providing shared resources and educational opportunities to the whole farm community.
Our programs provide farmers with sound business management and production skills, hands-on apprenticeship and mentorship, and the land and resources necessary to launch and refine their farm businesses.
Our programs provide farmers with sound business management and production skills, hands-on apprenticeship and mentorship, and the land and resources necessary to launch and refine their farm businesses.
The farm.
Sprouting Farms is an innovative approach to enhancing local food systems within the rural Appalachian context. The project combines education, resource sharing, land access, and food production models to support new & beginning farmers, launch farm businesses, jump start wholesale market channels, help nurture the farming community, and encourage farm and business sustainability.
All the Tools You Need to Succeed
About us.
"Our goal here is to help people, to facilitate new agricultural
businesses in the state of West Virginia ."
- Alex Ogrinz, Farm Manager
Established in 2017
Sprouting Farms has been in the works since 2014 with a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant to fund the feasibility and business model. Since then, Sprouting Farms was awarded an Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant and also received support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the One Foundation to launch Spring 2017.
Our Goal
Sprouting Farms seeks to develop new and existing farm businesses and increase local food production in the New and Greenbrier River Valleys by laying the groundwork for sustainable farm businesses.
Our Vision
We envision a future where there are new and beginning farmers thriving in the New and Greenbrier River Valley regions. New and existing farms have access to the key business education and training needed to support their farm endeavors, and individuals all have access to the land and growing space solution that helps them build their assets, capital, and farm businesses. We see a future where local food is served not just at home but also in local schools and institutions, in local grocery stores, and throughout our community. We hope to create fair employment opportunities and encourage farm planning for sustainable production. We envision a vibrant farm community, preserving agricultural heritage and supporting farmer-to-farmer relationships and knowledge transfer for the generations to come.
Our Team
Alex Ogrinz
Lucas Hilsbos
Fritz Boettner
Beth Ryan
Hane Regan
Brad Curtis
Shae Chico
Project Support and Development
Shae recently completed a degree in Food Science from the University of Delaware. She has joined the Sprouting Farms team to apply her passion for food, farming, and Appalachian culture towards education development projects.
Ashley Smith
Farm Crew


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Viacom blamed the lack of a "Transformers"-sized hit at Paramount Pictures and a declining ad market for a 37% drop in its third-quarter profits.
Earnings announced Monday for the quarter ended Sept. 30 shrank to $401 million from $641 million in the year-ago period. Total revenue gained 4% to $3.4 billion, though theatrical film revenue plummeted 36% to $312 million.
The results generally conformed with downward revisions announced last month as the ad softness took its biggest officially acknowledged toll yet on the major media congloms. Time Warner, News Corp. and Disney are all slated to report earnings later this week.
Worldwide ad revenue dipped 2% to $1.16 billion, with a 3% fade in the U.S. due to ratings softness at MTV and other channels. The gloomy ad picture helped send operating income down 15% and ate into net profit.
"The economic environment and ongoing uncertainty have posed new challenges for the media industry, and Viacom has not been immune to the impact of these forces," said chief exec Philippe Dauman. "Over the past two years, however, we have been judiciously managing our finances and operations. Thanks to these efforts, we believe that we will be well positioned both in the near term and as the global economy regains its footing over time."
In a conference call with analysts, execs tried gamely to spin the numbers, asserting that showbiz would yet prove recession-resistant and that proper management was in place to steer the conglom through tough times.
Chairman Sumner Redstone has had a rough autumn. For one thing, his personal stake in troubled vidgame maker Midway Games has reportedly shriveled from $1.8 billion to $64 million in just three years. He also has had to scramble to pay margin calls on loans related to National Amusements, technically the parent of Viacom and CBS.
Redstone's financial struggles have prompted speculation about the fate of both CBS and Viacom — "the love of my life," he called the latter Monday. On the Viacom call, he reprised sentiments from the CBS earnings call last Thursday, insisting he would not sell "a single share" in either company. Talks with lenders, whose margin calls triggered the profit warnings and sizable selloffs in CBS and Viacom stock, are progressing well, he said.
Viacom shares fell almost 2% to $21.08 on a refreshingly neutral day for the Dow.
Dauman acknowledged the challenges at MTV, though he noted the cable net retains the top rating for auds in the target 12-24 demo. He said remedies will include more original programming, with production increases in the "high single digits" and a range of interactive inducements for young viewers. Cross-promotional efforts on sister nets for top skeins like "The Hills" also will be boosted.
Dauman said at the outset of the call that the company planned to tread lightly on third-quarter results and instead shift the focus toward plans for the future. Nevertheless, some big-ticket items surfaced from an eventful quarter. Among them:
- The unwinding of Paramount's relationship with DreamWorks will save Viacom some $50 million a year in overhead, Dauman said, mainly because salaries and administrative costs will migrate to the Reliance-backed outfit.
Par retains distrib rights to the "Transformers" franchise, plus a first look at co-financing opportunities on DreamWorks projects, Dauman added.
- The still-unnamed pay TV venture announced in the spring as a teaming of Par, MGM and Lionsgate "appears to be on track for its planned Oct. 1, 2009, launch. Negotiations are at an incredibly advanced stage with certain distributors," he said, with announcements of carriage deals forthcoming.
A wall of skepticism has greeted the venture, which took shape as a response to CBS-run Showtime's aggressive approach to a potential reupping of output deals with several top providers.
- Tom Dooley, Viacom's chief administrative officer and chief financial officer, said Paramount still has "several hundred million dollars left" in various slate finance pacts and would continue to tap them.
Given the impossibility of replicating such off-balance-sheet financial setups in today's economic climate, "We're prepared to finance films on the balance sheet if need be," he said. "We already co-finance a lot of pictures," such as the upcoming "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," a split with Warner Bros.


text:
How can we help you?
How can we help you?
Our site is currently down for maintenance.
Help Center
Whats new in OLX?
A couple of changes
A couple of changes
Why Upgrade to the New App?
On top of theme, whats else has changed on OLX?
How do I see recent ads now?
Why can't I find my previous favorite ads?


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Boston Meetings and Group Travel
Host Business Gatherings and Social Events
Planning Boston meetings and events has never been easier than it is at The Inn at Longwood Medical. With 5,000 square feet of flexible function space that can be tailored to suit any event, friendly professional staff and custom catering, our hotel is Longwood's best event venue.
Our function space can be arranged in a variety of ways to accommodate events of between ten and 400 guests. Each of our meeting spaces is equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi access, wired Internet service and state-of-the-art AV equipment. Our staff will work with you every step of the way to craft a seamless event from start to finish.
Meetings and Event Services at Our Hotel:
- Special reduced Corporate Traveler Rates
- 5,000 square feet of flexible function space
- Intuitive, adjustable room layouts
- High-speed Wi-Fi Internet access
- Wired Internet service
- Modern AV technology
- Custom catering available onsite
- Expert onsite event planning and catering staff
- Group-friendly accommodations and rates
- More than 80 double/double rooms, ideal for student groups or college tours
View more information about our event & meeting spaces
Start planning your next group stay or event in Boston today by submitting an online request for proposal or call us at 617-532-6214 and mention our web site for special offers.


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No Minimum Order
Shipping Worldwide
Material Cotton Pattern Type Solid Closure Type Drawstring Waist Type Low Fit Type Regular Waist(cm) S:76cm M:78cm L:80cm Hip(cm) S:94cm M:96cm L:98cm Length(cm) S:29cm M:30cm L:31cm Size Available S M L Weight: 280g
There are two key factors which will affect the time you receive your items.
Loveywholesale.com accepts PayPal, Wire transfer , Western Union as the payment methods.
When you buy from us, we want to make you completely satisfied. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the goods, you can exchange or ask for refund. Before returning, please take time to read our return policy carefully. You are recommended to contact our after-sale Customer Service before returning an item and they will give your some useful advice.
If we send wrong item to you or you received the damaged stuff, then you can return it to us. You should report the problem in 3 days after receiving the products and return it within 7 days and the item must be in original condition when returning to us.
When the returned package arrives, we will examine the item, check the problem, then we will ship the correct items back to you without extra cost. We will be responsible for the returning shipping fee.
If we discover nothing wrong with the items, we will promptly ship them back to you. In that case, you have to pay the shipping fees in both directions.
We offers partial or full refund on most items within 3 days of receiving your goods. The first step in the refunds process is to contact our Customer Service.
Full Refunds
We offer full refund on any items that are found to be faulty or damaged due to our fault. Damage caused because of the fault of the third party or customer's own fault cannot apply for refund.
Partial Refunds
We also offer partial refund on returned items which have some original parts missing. In such a case, the customer can only get partial refund.
By shirina
Verified Buyer
Jul 9, 2014
great quality, perfect size,beauty colour :)
Thanks for you feedback.We are appreciated you like it.Enjoying your wearing and welcome to our site next time.
Jul 9, 2014
By Kristov
Verified Buyer
Aug 23, 2013
please restock a small! Medium is a tad loose on me. ( 37 in hip, 27.5 in waist) back side is a bit sheer. really cute with knitted sweaters though!
Hello,we are restocking it but we are not sure when it is available,hope you understand.
If you like,please have a look at other items on our site firstly.
Happy shopping!
Aug 23, 2013


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Work with us!
Our studio is growing and we're looking to work with some remarkable people. If you'd like to work in a small, ambitious and inventive team to shape new kinds of play we'd love to hear from you: firstname.lastname@example.com
We're looking for people who are able to work in central/east London, UK. We're not looking for outsourcing or recruitment agencies right now, thanks!
Lead Engineer
Full time, East London area.
Playdiation is looking for a remarkable Lead Engineer to join its unique and ambitious games studio in east London. You will be joining at an influential time in the development of our flagship game and at an early and creative moment in our studio's life.
You will be responsible for solving technical challenges unique to mobile games, including guiding the development from prototypes from early tests to launch; integrating novel technologies from in-house pipeline tools to shader development to animation while maintaining a high level of quality across our technology stack.
Our technology involves lots of novel challenges, from pipeline to editor tools, to optimisation and deployment. We're looking for someone with an extraordinary talent in technical development, with a deep curiosity and appetite for invention. The role involves working closely with a small team (including Nick our technical founder) to develop a workflow and to implement ambitious concepts into an evolving set of tools.
This person should be confident and detail oriented, with strong code discipline. They should know (and care) about asset pipelines, scripting processes and keeping a growing Unity project in good health. Mathematical knowledge would be useful too. All of this without forgetting that we need to make something beautiful and fun!
Useful technical skills would be:
- code discipline
- good knowledge of how to scale a game codebase
- experience with Unity mobile runtime optimisation
- asset and metadata ingest and export
- would know other scripting languages like Python
Senior Game Developer, Unity
Full time, East London area
Playdiation is looking for a talented Senior Game Developer to join its unique and ambitious games studio in east London. You will be joining at an influential time in the development of our flagship game and you'll have an opportunity to help shape our output and direction in significant ways.
This is a Unity focused role with a strong emphasis on inventiveness and gameplay, building on top of our core tools. You'll work with us to develop prototypes that establish input methods, interactions, animations, challenges and storytelling that are most promising and fun. The initial target platform is iOS, so knowledge of Unity's input and event systems, along with an ability to navigate the limitations that a mobile platform provides.
Core areas of strength we're looking for are:
- Touch Screen input methods
- Object interaction and physics engine work
- Character control & input
- Level design concepts
- Core gameplay loops
Capability in the following areas will be useful:
- Object and character modelling
- Mecanim
- Character behaviours and animation
- Unity shader pipeline knowledge
- Good experience with C# and source control
Junior 3D artist
Full time, East London area
Playdiation is looking for a junior 3d artist to join us in creating our new game. While we build our flagship title there is a tremendous opportunity for someone to shape the game and grow within the studio. This person will help with everything from prototyping new ideas to polishing and shipping a finished product.
Work will be varied and on any given day could be: simple character modelling, prop creation, re-topologising, texturing, helping with 3D scanning/photogrammetry, scene layout, ui work, match moving and more. We don't expect applicants to know all of these things but a hunger to learn them and strong self motivation will be you're greatest assets.
Core strengths include
- A keen visual eye
- An appetite for learning new software and processes
- A thorough knowledge of modelling inside Maya, Max, Houdini or Blender
- Experience with Unity or other game package
Nice but not essential
- Coding experience
- Compositing or visual effects experience
If you'd like to work in a small, ambitious and inventive team to shape new kinds of play we'd love to hear from you: email@example.com


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
First post?
Hi, I recommend this new stock site;it is swiss based and it has a good start. I withdraw already $138 in 2-3 months..i think. Good luck!www.lifeographies.com
The "most downloaded" item has 12 downloads.The 6th "most downloaded" item has 0 downloads.That says it all...
Really? You came here, signed up for an account, and posted so strangers knew of your sales on a site no one has heard of? Ok.
I tried to upload some footage but the process seems way over complicated versus the expected potential ROI...
Started by Lifeographies
« 1 2 3 All »
Microstock News
Bad Behavior has blocked 14379 access attempts in the last 7 days.


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Some 64% of respondents check their bank balances online, and 56% monitor their investment portfolios via the Internet. Consumers of all ages, however, are more concerned with online fraud than they were "a few years ago," according to the study. Yet, the convenience of transacting online wins out with seven out of 10 consumers under 40 banking online and six out 10 over 40 doing so.
One reason that the Internet has ascended to the leading banking channel is that it "has given people more of a sense of empowerment over their money," said Richard Kosinski, category development officer for business and finance, Yahoo. But as consumers feel more in control of their money, one-third also feel empowered to change banks online-a process that is much easier to do online than offline. The message for marketers? "You need to make marketing investments so customers have brand loyalty," Mr. Kosinski said.
The study surveyed 2,700 consumers. Online market-research firm Forrester Research polled consumers online, and consultancy Flamingo International provided in-person interviews with a select few.


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Former MSNBC anchor David Shuster has been tapped by Al Jazeera America to bring his special brand of journalism to the Qatar-owned media network.
Michael Calderone is reporting that sources close to the deal confirm will be an anchor for the network that is being re-formed from Shuster's last television home, Al Gore's Current TV:
Shuster will be a familiar face to cable news viewers, whether they've turned in recent years to MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, or Current TV, where he most recently served as an anchor and correspondent.
Previously, Shuster was an MSNBC daytime anchor and served as a guest-host for several of the network's top shows, including "Countdown with Keith Olberman" and "Hardball." Shuster came under fire during the 2008 Democratic primary for suggesting that former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign had "pimped out" daughter Chelsea by working on her mother's behalf. Shuster weathered that storm, but left MSNBC in 2010 after being suspended for taping a pilot at rival CNN.
Andrew Breitbart aficionados will also remember a few other career highlights that Calderone left out:
First let's remember the confrontation they had on MSNBC:
Then there was Andrew's revelation that Shuster ("I have no horse in this race") lied to get him on the air in the first place:
As you see, Shuster is attempting to lure me into this story based upon the false premise of his objective neutrality. Notice he says, "As I said, I don't have a horse in this race." A simple Google search of David Shuster and James O'Keefe immediately finds that Shuster went into a Twitter frenzy to tar and feather James O'Keefe and propagated what are now provably false lies about the Landrieu case.
And let's not forget Shuster getting suspended from Twitter because he confronted James O'Keefe under the guise of journalism:
Of course, O'Keefe never tapped anyone's phones. He was never convicted of a felony. He never went to prison. Shuster on the other hand got fired from MSNBC, went to Current TV and is now on Al Jazeera.


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Build Guide by
Not Updated For Current Season
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page.
Thank You!
Your votes and comments encourage our guide authors to continue
creating helpful guides for the League of Legends community.
Tristana Build
Ability Sequence
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
usual build, hits hard from early game keeps the mid lane clear.
start the game of with a vamp scepter keeps you in the game for quite a while.
if they harass you just hug tower it'll keep you safe till you can manage to get your health back up.
hold out in returning back to base via blue pill until you can at least afford your berserk boots.
if you've held out long enough you may be able to start your malady a little early. this little item allows you to put a little bit more DPS on them early on. the life steals good and all of this is still in the shadow of the + attack speed.
soon after the finish of your malady you should start working on mandreds razor. this little baby makes trist a creep killing machine. adds alot of gold to your pocket quick and makes the other ranged keep there distance from you. another thing this helps with is buffs. golem buff is a good thing to grab about the time you get this if your ganking.
THIS ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR TEAM... but you should be about lvl 7 to 9 maybe even 10.
the rest of the items fall in order you may sub out upgrading to mandreds blodrazor faster if there are high health champs... this will allow you to help the team out by scaring the sh** out of the enemy tank who at this lvl will wonder why he is taking dmg.
all in all this is my set up tell me what you think been playing it for a while and depending on my team I mostly carry the team home...
GL and HF all!


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Not so long ago Facebook turned 10 and in order to commemorate this milestone the company showed off its data mining prowess by making "Look Back" videos for its users. The video was basically an amalgamation of popular photos, stories and posts that gave users a glimpse into the past, particularly the kind of life they lived back then. The social network has announced that it will now create Look Back videos at the request of users who have lost a family member, provided the deceased person used to be on Facebook.
Facebook is also making a slight change to the way it maintains accounts of users who have passed away. Previously once an account was memorialized, its visibility was changed to friends only. This meant that no one else could see the account or associated content if they didn't exist in the friends list prior to the account being memorialized. Now Facebook will maintain visibility as-in, this means that people will be able to view the account as well as the content based on the privacy settings applied by the user before their passing.Facebook says that it decided to take requests for Look Back videos after the one it made for John Berlin, who asked the social network if it could make a video for his son Jesse who passed away in 2012, and that the request "touched the hearts of everyone who heard it, including ours." Requests for similar videos can be made here.
Filed in Facebook.. Read more about


text: An official press release has confirmed that the Japanese version of Dragon Ques IX has been delayed until July 11, 2009. http://release.square-enix.com/news/j/2009/02/i7sdhgt9s.html Using a basic google translation, here is what it said: Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President: Yoichi Wada), 2009 Saturday, March 28 was the latest Dragon Quest series will be released in the "Dragon Quest IX Hoshizora no defense "(Platform: Nintendo DS) now that we have to change following the release. "Dragon Quest IX Hoshizora no defense of the people" [Change] Release date: 2009 Saturday, March 28 [Modified] Release date: 2009 Saturday, July 11 Film, "Dragon Quest" has been developed as a work committed to providing a new world of adventure, this time, we found that there is no significant level of software development. Release date for the launch was announced by now, we have tried to verify the repair of defects, and products for you to play with confidence you will need sufficient time to verify repair especially to the conclusion that, a release date in 2009 up to July 11 you have to change. Hello to everyone involved and those who are waiting for us, and that OKAKEITASU to so much trouble, and we understand our customer?RITAKU, I deeply apologize. Probably to code in some elaborate anti-piracy code.


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(Adam Thurman gave the following remarks at the opening Homeroom of the Financial Adaptation arc at the 2013 TCG National Conference: Learn Do Teach in Dallas.)
Before I got into marketing, I was a lawyer.
In that world, before a trial begins, sometimes the lawyers like to stipulate things to make them part of the official record.
So as we start the Financial Adaptation Arc, allow me to stipulate the following.
1. All of you need more money. Whether you work in marketing, fundraising or the executive side of the world, you chose this Arc because you are interested in generating more money for your organizations . . . and probably yourselves. There is no shame in that, so let's just get that out into the open.
2. There are legitimate barriers between you and the money you seek. You guys know the challenges. They are real, complex and difficult.
3. You are afraid. I know people aren't supposed to admit that so I'll just make it personal. I'm afraid. I've had plenty of success as a marketing of director of a LORT organization but I still have plenty of moments when I'm freaked out by what's happening. I worry that our prices are too high. I'm concerned about the difficulty in reaching audiences.
With that out of the way let's talk about adaptation. Adaptation, financial or otherwise, requires two things. The first is knowledge. You'll get plenty of that over the next few days. The second thing required is much harder. The second thing is the willingness to ask the real questions.
We've only got a few days together so we really don't have time for BS. When you are working with each other, it's important to ask the real question.
Maybe the real question is how to work with a Board that is scared to death to change.
Maybe the real question is how to market work that is poorly executed or poorly received by the public.
Maybe the real issue is something else entirely.
The point is that you've got to be willing to ask for what you need. And you can't be satisfied until you get it. That's how adaptation happens.
The third thing that is required is the willingness to help each other. This room is filled with beautiful, smart, sexy people. Every issue that you have faced, someone else has faced and overcome. Help each other.
That's all it takes. Let's get started.
Adam Thurman is the director of marketing for Court Theatre, one of the largest nonprofit theaters in Chicago. During his tenure, Court has had some of the highest grossing production in its 57 year history. He is also the founder of Mission Paradox, an organization devoted to connecting art and audience. He authors a widely read blog on the arts, marketing, leadership, diversity, and other issues at MissionParadox.com. He has been featured in the LA Times, Time Out New York, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Artist Resources and TedxBroadway. Adam is a former board member of the League of Chicago Theatres and has served on the Illinois Arts Council's Advisory Panel. He has been recognized as an Emerging Leader by Americans for the Arts and the Theatre Communication Group (TCG). He is also a member of the TED mentor program and provides support and counsel to TED Fellows.


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Eliquis aims to amp up its sales push
Cardiologists should be prepared for an amplified push for the BMS/Pfizer blood thinner Eliquis.
Bristol-Myers Squibb noted during its first-quarter earnings call that the partners are committing "more resources to Eliquis this year," and that this effort will capitalize on momentum from last year's efforts to focus on cardiologists, to up their game in medical education around the drug and improve access. BMS noted that these efforts were in addition to last year's direct-to-consumer marketing effort.
The drug pulled in $106 million in the first quarter, up from $22 million for the same period last year. This quarter's split shook out to $61 million in US sales and $45 million abroad, with particular strength in Germany. EVP and CFO Charles Bancroft noted that the company saw "encouraging prescription trends in our new to branch share among cardiologists."
The quarter's totals show the drug is set to top last year's total sales of $146 million.
The companies also have a bit more to work with this year, because the FDA expanded the drug's indication in March to include prevention of deep vein thrombosis among orthopedic surgery patients, in addition to its initial 2012 indication for preventing stroke and embolisms in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The DVT indication means it has more ground on which to compete with Johnson & Johnson's Xarelto, which brought in $864 million in sales last year. But Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa—which had $1.7 billion in 2013 sales—is also a strong competitor.
The companies have been bickering over which drug doctors should use over standby warfarin. A February analysis by healthcare informatics company AdverseEvents said that while BI, BMS and J&J's offerings were not significantly different than warfarin in terms of safety, Eliquis patients were found to have fewer serious adverse events. J&J refuted the results, noting that Eliquis was a young drug, with few prescriptions, and, at the time, a single use, while Xarelto had six indications when the study was made, and those six were part of the patient study.


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**Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.**
Buzz Cut:
• Washington still in shock
• Obama's bad timing
• Fox News Poll: ObamaCare alarm grows
• Lobbyists not sequestered
• Why Ben Franklin wept
FROM THE SCENE -"They sounded like 'pop, pop, pop'… Everybody just panicked at first... It was just people running, running, running." – Patricia Ward, a survivor, describing the scene in the cafeteria at the Washington Navy Yard, from Fox News.
"We saw a man down the hall with a rifle, and he aimed at us… He shot and missed." – survivor, Terrie Dunham from WJLA
HOW IT HAPPENED AND WHY -Washington is still in shock a day after a gunman killed a dozen workers at the Washington Navy Yard, less than a mile from the Capitol. The shooter, a former sailor who went to work for a Navy computer contractor after he was bounced out of the service, was reportedly angered over a benefits dispute. Details on the investigation here. More about the victims here.
Exceptional Americans - Yahoo News photographer Chris Moody shares his picture of Navy Yard workers aiding a blind colleague out of harm's way.
BAD TIMING FOR OBAMA ATTACKS - More than three hours after news broke of the Navy Yard shootings, President Obama opted to proceed with a partisan attack on Republicans over a looming budget impasse. Obama asked if the GOP was really "willing to hurt people" while police were still searching for suspects in the killings. Obama also touted his own re-election win, slamming Republican nominee Mitt Romney's ineffective opposition to Obama's 2010 health law. All the networks, including MSNBC, eventually abandoned coverage of the president's remarks and returned to breaking news from the scene. Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry asked White House Press Secretary Jay Carney why the president went ahead with "what became a series of attacks on Republicans." Carney responded saying the president's comments were "entirely appropriate."
Viewers agree - As measured by Bing Pulse, Republican, independent and Democratic viewers of "Special Report with Bret Baier" agreed with National Public Radio's Mara Liasson that President Obama's speech Monday was poorly timed. Fox News Senior Political Analyst Brit Hume's comments that the remarks were "so small and so petty and so beneath the office of the president" drew 18,500 votes in one minute.
'Stand your ground' hearing cancelled - Sen. Dick Dubrin, D-Ill., cancelled today's scheduled hearing on "stand your ground" laws. Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, was to testify. The hearing has not been rescheduled.
POLL CHECK: AMERICANS CONCERNED ABOUT OBAMACARE - From a Fox News Poll released this morning: Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed were "concerned" about their health care under ObamaCare, with 43 percent saying they are "very concerned." Fifty-four percent of respondents want to take the health care system back to 2009.
Disapproval of Obama on health care hits all-time high – Fifty-eight percent of voters disapproved of how President Obama is handling health care. That includes 33 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of independents, and 83 percent of Republicans.
What's in a name? Not much - Fox polling maven Dana Blanton observes the various names for President Obama's signature health law have little bearing on how the public views it. Fifty-five percent had an unfavorable view of the Affordable Care Act, while 60 percent had a negative opinion of ObamaCare.
[The Census Bureau will announce the findings of their new report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012 at 10 a.m. ET]
Jim Angle with the details - "Several Republicans, including party leaders, are shifting strategy from 'defunding' ObamaCare to 'delaying' ObamaCare for a year, which means delaying the individual mandate along with the rest of the law, just as President Obama has delayed the employer mandate, insurance company caps on deductibles, small business exchanges and many other aspects.
Several GOP strategists say delaying it a year to make it fair to individuals is also more likely to win Democratic votes in the Senate, ruining efforts by the president to blame any delay on Republicans alone. The Republicans hope the narrative would be: Democrats and Republicans ask the president to delay for a year, not that Republicans are trying to close down the government.
They also have engaged unions, since labor groups were denied late Friday night a proposed fix to the law they sought from the president." – Chief National Correspondent Jim Angle.
Journal Ed Board: Keep the pressure on - WSJ: "The best option now is for the GOP to unite behind a budget strategy that can hold 218 votes, keeping the sequester pressure of discretionary spending cuts on Democrats to come to the table on entitlements."
[Watch Fox: Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference discusses ObamaCare in the 10 a.m. ET hour]
Obama takes it to Telemundo - President Obama sits down today with Jose Diaz-Balart of Telemundo.Obama is expected to reiterate for the Spanish-language network his refusal to negotiate with Republicans on raising the federal debt limit.
[Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will take the no-negotiations pitch the Economic Club of Washington this morning.]
NETANYAHU TO WASHINGTON FOR IRAN HUDDLE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Obama on Sept. 30 at the White House to discuss Iran's nuclear program, according to Reuters. The meeting comes after Obama's outreach to Hasan Rouhani, the new president of Iran's Islamist government and ahead of a scheduled visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran.
[WaPo's Richard Cohen: "An Obama forced to act like Bush is ironic, but no fun. They both got into their fixes by adhering to false policies. Bush had a red line for WMDs that didn't exist. Obama, in the end, didn't have one for WMDs that did."]
Obama security team to meet - Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel are set to gather this afternoon at the White House.
ENERGY NOMINEE BATTLE BEGINS - The Hill: "Ronald Binz, the White House nominee to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He's taking heat from pro-coal conservative groups, and can expect tough questions Tuesday from Republicans, and probably Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)."
UN climate report cools enviros' cause - Washington Examiner's Byron York considers how a new U.N. report on climate change may "dial back the alarm" for environmentalists, "...a new report from the world's leading climate scientists could leave environmentalists on the defensive, and the 'deniers' more confident and assertive."
Climate change firsthand? - The Safe Climate Caucus, led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., holds a Democrats-only forum today to hear to "hear from individuals who have experienced first-hand the serious impacts of climate change."
LOBBYISTS NOT SEQUESTERED - Washington Examiner reports that lobbyists have visited the White House 344 times since the administration announced it was ending public tours due to sequestration cuts.
WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE...Conservative economist Thomas Sowell's column considers how minimum wage hikes may hurt the minorities and young people they are intended to help - Minimum-Wage Madness "…when minimum-wage levels are set without regard to their initial productivity, young people are disproportionately unemployed — priced out of jobs."
Got a TIP from the RIGHT or LEFT? Email email@example.com
POLL CHECK - Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 43.9 percent//Disapprove – 50.6 percent
Direction of Country: Right Direction – 27.4 percent//Wrong Track – 61.2 percent
MCAULIFFE LEADS FUNDRACE -Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe raised $6.2 million from July to August for his gubernatorial bid, with $5 million cash on hand to start September. Republican Ken Cuccinelli raised $1.9 million and started the month with $2.2 million on hand, according to campaign finance reports. Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., headlines a Cuccinelli event tonight at the home of former Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich. Cuccinelli is also expecting visits from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas and Gov. Nikki Haley, R-S.C., ahead of the November election, according to a campaign source. Politico reports that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., will also visit.
Levin is in - Radio host and author Mark Levin joins Cuccinelli today for a Constitution Day rally in Sterling, Va.
McAuliffe gets GOP endorsement -Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms, a Republican, will endorse McCauliffe today, according to a McAuliffe campaign press release.
BILL AND HILL PASSED OVER FOR BLACK EYED PEA - Hip-hop star will.i.am will headline a Friday fundraiser for Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes. While former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were both available for the fundraiser, the event's host told Gannett that the former member of the Black Eyed Peas "is something different for the community."
DALEY DROPS OUT, CITES 'ENORMITY' OF TASK - Chicago Tribune: "[Former Obama Chief of Staff Bill Daley, a scion of Chicago's most prominent political family who also served as Commerce secretary to President Bill Clinton] abruptly ended his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor Monday, saying a lifetime in politics had not prepared him for the 'enormity' of his first run for office and the challenge of leading the state through difficult times."
HAPPY CONSTITUTION DAY - Today marks the 226th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. Take the Constitutionfacts.com quiz from Oak Hill Publishers to test your knowledge of the federal government's charter. It's the world's oldest and most-imitated framework for representative government. Congratulations, America.
[Crib sheet - Founding Fathers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were unable to sign because they were overseas on diplomatic missions. Eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin required assistance in signing the document. He did so with tears streaming down his face -- though probably not because Pennsylvania's name is misspelled at the bottom of the document.]
"Don't go around praising the Constitution as an empty bottle. Don't go around saying there is no fixed content or saying it means whatever it is supposed to say. It established a rock, some fixed principles, to which society is affixed to." – Justice Antonin Scalia speaking to students at the Georgetown University Law Center, according to the WSJ.
FROM OUR READERS -RE: Influential Conservatives List - "Dr. Krauthammer 19th? Who compiled this list? Charles Krauthammer always knows whereof he speaks, and speaks not of what he does not know – which is not much. The compilers must have let someone slip a '9' in behind the '1'!" – Jack K. Lawhorn, Hollins, Va., via email@example.com
AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…"The president in that speech was back to hyper-partisan mode…. At one point, he's speaking of the Republicans, he said, 'And some of them are decent,' which is quite a remarkable thing ... To do this within minutes of… brave Americans lying dead, I thought was in extremely bad taste. He could've waited until tomorrow." – Charles Krauthammer on "Special Report with Bret Baier" Watch here.
Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here. To catch Chris live online daily at 11:30 a.m. ET, click here.
Chris Stirewalt joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in July of 2010 and serves as politics editor based in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he authors the daily Fox News Halftime Report political news note and co-hosts the hit podcast, Perino & Stirewalt: I'll Tell You What. He also is the host of Power Play, a feature video series on FoxNews.com. Stirewalt makes frequent appearances on network programs, including America's Newsroom, Special Report with Bret Baier and Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. He also provides expert political analysis for FNC's coverage of state, congressional and presidential elections.


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Sunday, June 29, 2014
Local Produce
The local strawberries have started. They are not quite at their peak sweetness, but this week's hot weather should sweeten them up. We have been enjoying Quebec asparagus. They will soon be over, but with new strains of strawberries, I'll be enjoying them all summer.
This time of year, no visit to Atwater Market is complete without gawking at the multitude of flowers for sale - both cut flowers and for flowers for planting in gardens. Now that I just have a couple of pots on a balcony, I linger longer.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Montreal Baroque Festival
A highlight of my year is the Montreal Baroque Festival. Until last year the artistic director was Susie Napper. Now she shares the job with Matthias Maute. I have finally learned that one can't get to every concert without being sleep deprived. In addition, the concerts start to blur. So this year I was a bit more judicious - not more than about 2 concerts per day over the four days of the festival. Add a few informal events and it was still a bit of sensory overload but great fun and wonderful music.
Outdoor concerts can be a challenge. This one by Passiflore was accompanied by sirens, car horns and a rally for a fundraiser that was happening down the street. I have heard this group in a more intimate setting without the microphones which were necessary here and it was a delightful experience. Despite the cacophony around them, they still managed to share some wonderful music and it was nice to see the passersby stop for a while to enjoy.
One evening a musical scategories game was played in a local cafe. Each round was followed by a musical interlude featuring one of the many early music ensembles from Montreal. Les Voix humaines, seen here, have been on the scene for a long time. Others are just starting out. There is so much talent and such a variety of groups. Montreal is a haven for those, like me, who enjoy early music. Susie Napper and Margaret Little are the core and founders of the group. They were joined by four other viola da gamba players for a concert of music by Lupo as part of the festival.
La Petite Harmonie (you can see the horn player from the photo at the top) consists of wind instruments. I'll be watching for their concerts. They also played in the orchestra for the final concert of the festival - Ensemble Caprice presented an all Beethoven evening with a piano concerto played by Tom Beghin (he also played a solo concert of Beethoven sonatas - I find his playing very moving) as well as Beethoven's Pastorale Symphonie. Beethoven is outside what is normally thought of as early music, but it was interesting to hear on the kind of instruments Beethoven would have composed for. Modern instruments have a different timbre.
I always enjoy hearing Flûte Alors! - all recorder players. Of course - I am a little biased, being a recorder player myself. These young musicians form a wonderful quartet. Their ensemble playing is tight and beautifully in tune.
Concerts of high quality - mingling of audience and musicians, - the audience feels invested in the festival. May it continue for many years!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Fabergé at the Museum
A long hiatus - my daughter moved (lots of packing, boxes and carrying) and then visitors and the Festival Montréal Baroque (more about the in another post) - I am slowly getting back to my blog.
With friends in town for the baroque festival, we all decided to visit the museum to see the Fabulous Fabergé exhibit. I so appreciate that the museum allows photography. The objects in the exhibit were beyond belief - ornate, elaborate, intricate. I did not photograph the tiny eggs which were absolutely exquisite - each one a testimony to incredible craftsmanship. You can see some for sale at Fabergé - but they are not as spectacular as seeing the older ones well lit in the display.
Looking at the opulence of the exhibit and thinking of the lives of most Russians at the time of the Czars, it is not hard to imagine why the revolution happened.
Everything from icons to china to photo frames to decorative pieces were highly decorated and often covered in gold and/or encrusted with jewels.
It was interesting to see, to gawk at the excesses, to marvel at the skill and aesthetic of the jewellers, and to imagine the lives of the people who surrounded themselves with these items.
Here are some links where you can learn more about Fabergé and the eggs
From the museum site: http://faberge.mbam.qc.ca/en/
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Back to Parc-des-Rapides
Today I was prepared - my new telephoto 55-300 mm, a monopod and my new little camera. The red winged blackbirds are all over the park. Their calls seem to predominate. They fly close to people, unperturbed unless you get very close.
They particularly like to be near water.
I have no idea what these flowers are but there were many. The air was scented with a mix of floral blooms.
This egret was standing absolutely still in the shallow water. Someone who had been there before reported that it had already caught a frog. The naturalists in the park told me that the red winged blackbirds sometimes harass the herons and egrets. I don't think I would like to get too near that beak!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
By the Rapids
Ah the frustration! I forgot to charge the battery on my DSLR and my new camera was not behaving. It seems to have turned itself on in my purse and the lens tried to open unsuccessfully and then that drained the battery. Then after I charged the battery, the lens opened with a clack-clack and I could do nothing. I took it in to the store where I bought it, and of course, everything worked fine. I bought a case for it and hope this won't happen again.
So there I was at Parc-des-Rapides - no decent camera, just my phone. We spotted an egret, Canada geese, ducks, many red-winged black birds, a yellow warbler... no decent telephoto on hand.
Each time I go to this park I am awed by the force of the water as it rushes past. I am not sure how someone got these rocks to balance - but I was awed by that too! I'll have to make another trip (all batteries are charged now) to enjoy and share the wildlife.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Vendome Metro Station
I know I have posted a picture before of this - stained glass plus sculpture. Vendome Station is where the metro line and the commuter train line meet - so the sculpture has an appropriate feel of tracks. When you go into the station when the sun is hitting the windows, the effect is magical. I love the way the colours from the glass play on the metal sculpture and the wall of the station.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Photo: May 31, 2014
It is interesting to me that you can take something out of context and have it tell a totally different story. I look at this image and feel a sense of solitude - of peace, of quiet. Out of sight are the baby ducklings, the other visitors to the Botanical Gardens... But sitting and watching this duck did give me a sense of peace and calm. So maybe the picture doesn't lie!
Sunday, June 1, 2014
At the Montreal Botanical Gardens
Photos: May 31, 2014
A friend and I took our cameras to the Botanical Gardens. I just bought myself a monopod and wanted to see what it was like shooting with it and I have a new small camera - wanted to put it through its paces - shooting both automatic and manually. A learning day - but also a day of delight. The Botanical Garden's new slogan is Hurry Up and Slow Down - and slow down we did - stopping to admire the flora and fauna in the outdoor gardens.
Many varieties of irises were blooming. Their intricate shapes and patterns just had to be admired.
The peonies were just coming into their own.
Their bright interiors called to the insects to come and spread their pollen
Turtles were out sunning. Their stillness reminds us to stop and wait for treasures to come along.
New life abounds. Dozens of ducklings paddled around the pond, their little feet pumping at a good clip.
Bird songs serenaded our visit. This redwing blackbird stopped to sing out, puffing himself up to get maximum volume.
One less insect - one well-fed grackle.
Last year David Suzuki started a 30 X 30 challenge - for 30 days spend at least 30 minutes in nature.
From the web site: "Over the last decade, researchers have realized what most of us know intuitively: nature is good for us! It is well documented that being regularly immersed in a natural setting, like a park, field or forest, can lower blood pressure, anxiety and stress levels, and boost immunity. 'Green time' has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and depression, while increasing energy, creativity and even generosity."
I can attest to the benefits - so Hurry up and Slow Down in nature - it does a world of good.
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Two women and one man came to my daughter's primary school two weeks ago. They sat through classes and took notes on a clipboard; and Izzy reported, in a state of high excitement, that one of the women sat opposite her in the lunch hall and asked her if she was happy at St Joseph's. Ours is an outstanding school (we know that anyway – but also because that's what the last Ofsted report said). Still, the school inspectors' arrival sent everyone into a tailspin: parents were alerted with a poster, children told to be on their best behaviour, and teachers looked as if they were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
This was a scheduled inspection – so I'm not surprised that when the new head of Ofsted, the remarkable Sir Michael Wilshaw (a former head himself) announced he would introduce unannounced inspections, head teachers had a fit. Their outrage seems to have prompted Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, into a U-turn.
A pity. Surely a schools inspection is like a restaurant inspection: only the Fawlty Towers-type establishments should fear the exposure of their rat-strewn fridges and wonky wiring. We demand transparency from the Indian eatery down the road, yet we allow the school that our children attend daily to hide its activities behind closed doors. Food poisoning means an unpleasant 24 hours, but poor teaching damages a child for life.
Yes, the prospect of a surprise inspection may keep teachers on their toes. But that's how the rest of us live anyway: alert to our customers and our bosses. It's not only bad pedagogy that Ofsted can expose. A few schools try to nip and tuck the syllabus so that they can mould young minds their way, by teaching that Darwin was bad or infidels should be put to death. An unannounced inspection roots out creationists and jihadists alike. Good schools have nothing to fear when the inspector calls. Bad ones have everything to lose.
• Independent schools don't need to worry about Ofsted inspections. They do worry, though, about being overrun by Russians, Chinese and the scions of Arab dynasties. Some even have quotas to keep the ethnic mix in balance. Private education is one of this country's most successful international businesses – and the stonking above-inflation rises in fees show that the schools are making the most of it. For British middle-class families, the invasion of rich foreigners has been painful: not only is the cost rocketing but the heirs and spares must complete for places with the Vlads, Lins and Ahmeds. But the influx of students from abroad keeps Britain on the map. When was the last time you heard an English family say, "let's try to get little Milo into that lovely boarding school in Vladivostok"?
• I was glad to hear that Jonathan Apps and Tina Hallett of Wrington in northern Somerset have ditched their campaign to silence the village church bells. The couple, who had bought a house next to the church, were kept awake by its chimes. They wanted the bells to sound only during the day. But their proposal aroused neighbours' fury. The couple, beset by threatening letters and telephone calls, have backed down. Few aural pleasures match the sound of church bells. And few are now – sadly – as rare. When I was an undergraduate in Oxford, my days and nights were punctuated by that glorious sound: not just peals on Sunday but chimes round the clock. Nowadays, churches up and down the country have grown silent as neighbours complain of intrusive religious signals or, as with the Wrington couple, simply being kept up at night. John Betjeman wrote of a country being summoned by bells – now, his countrymen want to muffle them. Where is the poetry in that?