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Blois in the Loire Valley
The city of Blois in the Loire
Valley , we think, is well worth
a visit even if it is a bit further
away from the house. Whether or not
it would be among your top places to
visit will depend on your own
history has been shaped by the
presence of royalty - it was home to
the French court for 100 years
between 1498 and 1598 before they
moved back to Paris. The unique
skyline of Blois, viewed from the
river is testament to their
medieval streets especially in its
'old town' make for interesting
walks through time itself. The city
is home to one of the most famous
brands of French chocolate 'Poulain'
- it was here that Auguste Poulain
opened his first chocolate factory
1848. Not surprisingly it not hard
to find many fine examples within
the shops in Blois.
The chateau at Blois
is a
good example of the evolution of French architecture
as it
is made up of sections that have
survived from medieval times
right up to the 17th century. Its
royal history dates from Louis
XII to Francois I , who added the
most prominent part of the
chateau, the renaissance wing with the unique open circular staircase.
Back to top.
Copyright © 2005-2017 Experience Loire


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Where do I even begin with what has happened over the last few days? I really don't know where to start but here goes... Bare with me.
This weekend I gain a qualification from The Guild of Photographers (www.photoguild.co.uk) at craftsman's level. If you are unsure what this is - here is what is involved.
I decided to pick a theme to which I had a passion for and that would be dance. Many years ago now I used to dance and had the most amazing childhood by dancing and met life long friends through, so to now capture dance through photography is my dream project. For the last 7 months, I have worked with 7 very different dancers to try and create the movement of dance and capture that second in an image. I have to say a massive thank you to everyone involved as without them I wouldn't have been able to complete this. Grace, Sophie, Amy, Garth, Ella, Jas & Kai. They kept going when the shot was not perfectly timed, I made them jump and run over and over again. But when you see that shot in the back of the camera you know straight away, that is the one. A massive thank you for your patience.
Before I even started this I knew what I had in mind and what I wanted to create but first I had to talk to someone who has been behind me with ideas and helped me get this off the ground. That was my dance teacher Christine Anderson. I left the dance school over 15 years ago however she still can't get rid of me now... Thank you for your time on this Christine.
A big shout out goes to a special lady who saw my vision and without her, I don't think I could have created these images. That is to Jenny Blair the amazing lady behind all the dresses that she made for me. We had colours in mind but in regards to the material used and the design that was Jenny's. I now have some amazing dresses that I can use for future dance session moving forwards. Thank you for your support and messages they kept me going.
Now I'm nearly there but there are two people who I want to thank from the bottom of my heart for getting me passed. And that is my husband Paul. Who had to put up with me and hiding images so I couldn't keep changing things at the last me. And lastly, Kevin Pengelly who has been my mentor throughout this process. I've said thank you so many times but I do really mean it. The advice and direction I have received have made me stop and listen and do things a different way to get them right in camera instead of going 100 miles an hour.
So all that is left for me to do now is share my panel of craftsman's image. I hope you like them as much as I did taking them.
January February March (1) April (1) (1) May (1) (1) June (1) (4) July (4) (2) August (2) (2) September (2) (1) October (1) (4) November (4) December
(2) January (2) (1) February (1) (1) March (1) (6) April (6) (1) May (1) June (1) July (1) (1) August (1) (1) September (1) (1) October (1) November (1) December (1)
(4) January (4) (2) February (2) (2) March (2) (2) April (2) (2) May (2) (1) June (1) (1) July (1) August September October November December
(1) January (1) February March April (1) May (1) (1) June (1) July August September October November December
January (1) February (1) March (1) April (1) (3) May (3) June July August September October (1) November (1) December
(3) January (3) February March (2) April (2) May (2) June (2) July August September October November December

subset: commoncrawl


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Life is Good Women's Love Stack Smooth Short-Sleeve Shirt
Product Info Item# 1032134
Life is Good® Women's slim fit tee - The Smooth Tee features fine cotton and high grade yarn for just-right, light-weight wearability and comes in rich, bright colors.
- Cotton, garment washed for softness
- Raw edge detail at neckline, hem, and sleeve
- Printed graphic
- Fitted - fits closer to the body for a clean silhouette
- Imported
Product Features:
|100% cotton
Style Number: 50404
More About Life is Good
The product line has grown from those early t-shirts to an eclectic line of men's, women's, and children's clothing - along with sleepwear, footwear, hats, and other accessories. All inspired by Jake. And all inspirational to the Life is good consumer.
Sound too good to be true? Maybe... but in their world, Life is Good.


text:
I reached a milestone last quarter when my net worth passed a certain threshold amount. I also had a 9.16% increase in net worth from 1st quarter this year, which incidentally is the biggest increase I've ever had since I started tracking my net worth and is also so close to my dream of a double digit net worth increase. Yay!
This big increase in net worth was brought about by my conscious efforts at stashing away money because of the dreaded salary delay in government service when starting in a new position. It doesn't seem very impressive in the chart since the increase from the last quarter is only 1%-2% for savings and investments, but the raw numbers made me do a happy dance.
I've talked about the despicable salary delay at length in this blog so there's really no need to say anything more. But I'm ashamed to admit now that looking through my past net worth reports, I could have increased my net worth so much faster if I just acted as if I was saving up for an upcoming salary delay, instead of splurging and treating myself and my family to what-have-yous. Anyway, bygones. What's done is done.
After my mini-detour in the legislative department, I'm back in the judiciary and it felt quite a bit like coming home to be honest. I have just finished week 1 of the 8 week wait of the salary delay. I had a little under 2 months worth of expenses in my savings account designated for the salary delay period, but the last 2 weeks of my salary from my last position was held for clearance purposes, so I started drawing from the stash earlier than expected. We also had some car and aircon repairs to contend with, as well as car registration expenses, so that came out from the salary delay fund as well. I've already asked my insurance agent to withdraw some cash from my life insurance policy's cash surrender value and that should be enough to take care of our expenses until I get my first salary from my new job or my terminal pay from my last job, whichever comes first.
But before assuming my new position, I hied back home to Biliran and Cebu to touch base with family members. While it rained like crazy here in Metro Manila, it barely drizzled in Biliran and Cebu when we were there, although the wind was pretty gusty at times, so were able to visit a hot spring, waterfall, beach and capped it all off with an overnight stay at the super swanky Plantation Bay in Mactan, Cebu. It was the most relaxing 10 days I've had in the longest time and it left me raring to go back to work, which is what a vacation is supposed to do in the first place. Photodump follows.
Related Posts
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Yoga for Upper Back Pain
Quite a few people in my life have been complaining about upper back pain lately. Worry not: there's yoga for that!
Quite a few students this week have asked me integrate shoulder opening postures into the class to help ease their upper back pain. What might be a little surprising to hear is that stretching out the shoulders won't do much to help you with upper back pain in the long term - it's actually chest openers that will. Bear in mind that the upper back pain I'm referencing here is in the muscles rather than the spine (eg. in the case of scoliosis).
Many of us spend our days at desks or computers with our shoulders hunched forward. This posture over-stretches the muscles in the upper back over time, and to protect themselves from the constant strain they become stiff and consequently spasm-ey/painful. When our shoulders are rolled forward over time our chest muscles have little opportunity to lengthen and thus will continue to pull your shoulders forward unless you stretch them out.
Heart openers like baby cobra/cobra, upward facing dog, and camel (virtually any backbend!) will help you open your chest and release all that tightness. If your chest is really tight, even making a fist with your hands behind your back and rolling your shoulders back can help to stretch your chest muscles out.
If you suffer from upper back pain, perhaps it's just time to open your heart. x
Leave a Reply.
August 2018


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Brian Sullivan of Risk Information, Inc.'s 'Property Insurance Report': An Open Letter to Governor Rick Scott on Florida's Insurance Market Challenges
Date Published: 02-01-2011
After a comprehensive preview of Florida's insurance market at the recent 2011 State of the Florida Insurance Market Summit, Brian Sullivan, Publisher of Risk Information, Inc.'s "Property Insurance Report," captured the essence of the information presented at the event in an "Open Letter to Governor Rick Scott of Florida," which was published in the newsletter's January 31, 2011 issue.
The letter offers the following list of solutions and considerations to help solve Florida's property insurance market challenges:
- Florida's premium prices must reflect risk. Mr. Sullivan recommends allowing Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to charge premiums that are commensurate with actuary-defined levels as the first step toward actuarial soundness throughout the market.
- Risk-based pricing must be applied to insurance premiums. Mr. Sullivan expresses skepticism with state-sponsored models and actuarial studies, however.
- Insurers must stop losing money and subsequently being turned down by the State for rate increases.
- Changes must be made slowly, in order for Florida's weakened economy to better absorb them. Mr. Sullivan suggests negotiating a phase-in period for rate increases.
- Mr. Sullivan intimates that many insurers would actually agree that Florida's property insurance market is in need of close regulation. He states that regulators' responsibilities should be to ensure insurer solvency, as well as adequate claims handling resources, so that customers are treated fairly. Regulators also should ensure that premium pricing is fair and not damaging to customers and the economy.
- Big national insurers should be encouraged to remain in Florida. Partially because of reinsurance pricing volatility, Mr. Sullivan describes Florida's over-reliance on small insurers as "folly."
- Florida should not self-insure for catastrophic storms by relying on assessments and the bond market.
- Florida should not expect to rely on the creation of a federal catastrophe fund.
- Florida must resolve to lead the nation in mitigation efforts and the development of better building codes.
The entirety of Mr. Sullivan's letter as published is attached for review.
About Brian Sullivan
Brian Sullivan, a journalist and analyst who has been covering financial services and the insurance industry for 30 years, is Editor and Publisher of two of the leading newsletters in the property and casualty insurance industry: Auto Insurance Report and Property Insurance Report. He is also chairman of the Auto Insurance Report National Conference and Property Insurance Report National Conference--two annual meetings that convene leading industry executives, investors, brokers, reinsurers and others to discuss the most important strategic issues impacting property and auto insurance.
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate.


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"A Tale of Sand"
I'm not an "art comix" kind of guy. My bar might not be raised high enough and I may be too "mainstream" for certain comic readers, but I can live with that. I like what I like. You like what you like. Thankfully, enough of us have tastes that overlap to make Pipeline a worthwhile venture. Hopefully, people outside the union in that Venn diagram might find something of worth or interest in what I say to drop by once in a while. In the end, it's all comics and I'm happy they're out there for the people who like to read them.
There's nothing to bore me more quickly, though, than a pretentious arthouse crap that masquerades as something that makes only a semblance of sense. If a critic needs to dissect the hidden messages of a film or a book or a comic in order to get enjoyment from it, I'm afraid they're working too hard and I'm too busy to deal with them.
Even the stuff that I read and review outside of the CBR "mainstream" still tends to follow certain commercial tendencies, whether that be The Smurfs, or Asterix, or Largo Winch, or Carl Barks' Duck books. (And what a ridiculous industry we have where Disney characters are considered outside of the "mainstream" and can't sell in the Direct Market.) I like nice art to go along with entertaining stories, and think too much poor art is excused because the story is entertaining enough to get someone to look past it. Bah! I want it all. This is the comics art form that only exists through a combination of words and pictures; we should demand quality in both.
So this week, I read "A Tale of Sand," a comics adaptation of a movie that never got made in the 1960s from a script by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl that's a surreal piece of nonsense. It ought to do nothing for me, and, to be honest, there are moments in the book where I want to shake my head and smack Henson for being so damned cute and/or pretentious, but the other 95% of the time, I'm laughing my head off at the randomness of the book. It's a series of gags mixing Monty Python with Road Runner shorts with some silent movie prat falls thrown in. It mixes "commercial" influences with one man's hippy view of life and an experimental art student's tendencies to create something that should satisfy both camps.
(Wait, isn't that the best way to describe "Fraggle Rock?" Was there any children's programming that made you think you were at Woodstock more than that one?)
"A Tale of Sand" is a superstar-making book, the kind of thing that will open eyes to what the comics artform is capable of. It's a reading experience that entertains and wows the reader with every turn of the page. It's a career-making book for its creator, and a terrific vision of early unseen work for fans of Jim Henson's.
The real star of the book is artist Ramon Perez, who had the unenviable task of taking a screenplay as crazy as this and adapting it to comics. This is a breakthrough performance, all his resume needs to get any job in comics for the foreseeable future. He mixes styles throughout the issue, from watercolored crowd scenes to black and white wash panels to straight up pen and ink. He draws cowboys and horses and football players and jazz musicians and birds and desert vistas and small towns. Often, you'll get all of that in a two page spread. In full color. And black and white. And monochrome. It's an eclectic mix of styles that doesn't feel forced, no doubt in part because of the source material's style.
Perez's storytelling style is often as chaotic as the events in the story. They aren't hard to read, but they're rarely on a grid. Some pages are done with a strong designer's feel to them, while others are done to guide you carefully across a double-page spread, where inset panels lead your eye from one corner to its opposite. The pages are drawn to be seen at this size, too. There's no way Perez would make these same decisions of he knew the book was set to be published digest-sized, for example, because he couldn't fit in the scope of the art that way. In fact, this book is a strong argument in favor of reproducing Franco-Belgian comics at their original size in this country. Allowing the art to breathe at this size is very important.
He also occasionally blends excerpts from the typewritten text of the original script into the book. It calls attention to the book as being a by-product of another artform, but it feels right, somehow. There's no reading this book without being aware of its origins, so the occasional nudge in that direction seems fitting. The text isn't all that readable, but it's not meant to be. It's used as a texture more than a storytelling tool, or an expository aid. Each page of this book is worthy of dissection by more serious artistic eyes than my own, I bet. It's an awesome experiment in storytelling, yet perfectly legible. I'd love to read a roundtable discussion (or hear a podcast) of "A Tale of Sand" from some comic book artists in the field today. I bet they'd have a lot of interesting takes on it.
But the thing that sold the book most to me is its sense of humor. Once you get into the rhythm of the book and get over the initial surrealistic randomness of everything (and the opening sequence is like a musical montage you'd have under the credits, replicated on paper to startlingly good effect), you get swept away in a story in which anything goes, and usually does. You turn each page without a clue as to what might happen next, and are always surprised. A record that plays an explosive sound creates explosions, and a crowd of sword-carrying Middle Eastern men can only be stopped by a deus ex machine in the shape of a football team that tackles them. All the while, the man just wants his cigarette, which he recovered out of a dead man's mouth and can't get to light for all the fire in the world. And, hey, there's a nipple! (Spoiler?)
The plot isn't the point of the book. It's not meant as something to teach us all a valuable life lesson in the third act, though I suppose it could be interpreted that way. This is a story told for the sake of its own story, one meant to entertain in a way completely different from everything else on the shelf that's too concerned about "the real world" and keeping things "realistic."
"A Tale of Sand" isn't a three act well-structured classic Hollywood screenplay come to life. It is a random and meandering series of events that sometimes, but not always, build up to something greater or crazier. Along the way, some random moments create the kind of discord that make you laugh. The lead in the story is sympathetic, starting the story as dazed and confused as the reader, searching for the meaning or the point of what's happening. His end goals are pretty simple: Survive. Smoke a cigarette. And, perhaps, get to the "X" at the end of the map. He's the perfect point of view character, since his being lost is half the point of the story. And since he didn't do anything questionable to wind up in this situation and doesn't do anything evil along the way, he becomes sympathetic and a real rooting interest.
So, yeah, "A Tale of Sand" is a comic based on an arthouse movie that never got made that I like. A lot. I didn't see that one coming at all. Aren't comics wonderful?
I linked to his site at the top of this review, but it deserves another plug. Go to RamonPerez.com and soak it all in. He's done a couple of webcomics in the past that are beautiful to look at. They're completely professional and slick, not something done on the side as an experimental dashed-off project between gigs. He's the real deal.
The book's publisher, Archaia, does a beautiful job with this book, going above and beyond the call of duty to make sure The Jim Henson Company gets a final product worthy of the script's origins. It's an oversized hardcover book clocking in at around 150 pages, including a helpful origin story for the script in the beginning and an Afterword to explain how the book happened at the end. When you open it, you'll immediately recognize the smell: Made In China. Anytime you see a book produced by a publisher in this country in a format other than standard trade size at a reasonable price ($30 in this case), you can bet it came from overseas. And, sure enough, it's there in the indicia. You can't beat the quality of the printing jobs that come out of there, even with the extra hassle it must take for the publisher to get it through and back on the slow boat.
There's a purple bookmark sewed into the book that's elastic, so you can wrap the mark through the book where you left off. I've never seen one like that before in a comic book. The pages are on nice heavy stock paper that's a perfect dull white color. It doesn't shine, it doesn't compete with the art, it doesn't feel flimsy in your hands. About the only trick Archaia missed with this book is in not rounding off the corners of the interior pages to match the rounded corners of the covers. While the pages do go full bleed, I don't think you'd have lost any information by doing that. The covers overhang the page dimensions by maybe an eight of an inch along all sides, which keeps the corners from peaking out, but still. That extra detail would have perfected this book.
Don't wait for the digital version of this book, though I believe one is in the works. This is a book worth experiencing as a real world physical object. Also, the frequent double page spread layouts mean reading this thing on anything less than a 27 inch monitor in double-page reading mode would make it a bear to get through.
"A Tale of Sand" is available in the Direct Market today, though is having a bit of a slow roll-out getting out there completely. It'll be available in the book world mid-January. It's a $29.99 book, and the contents justify the cost. If you need more help, Archaia has a 20 page preview on its website, while CBR has the first few pages over here. CBR also had an interview with Perez about the book back in September. (Please note that the cover has changed since that preview.)
I learned a valuable lesson this Christmas: When creating an Amazon Wish List that doubles as your Christmas Wish List, double check that you put the right "Hulk" movie Blu-ray on your list, or else you might end up getting the Eric Bana movie by mistake. Whoops.
I also picked up the "Thor" and "X-Men First Class" Blu-rays this Christmas, so you might see those reviewed in the new year. Everyone else reviewed those months ago, I know, but I wanted to give you all ample time to see them for yourselves before I potentially spoil them. Yeah, that's my excuse…
In the meantime, here's where I am on the web this week:
eBay Auctions || AugieShoots.com || VariousandSundry.com || Google+ || Twitter || E-mail || Pipeline Message Board
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Catholic Replies
Editor's Note: Continuing our summary of the six appearances of Our Lady of Fatima 100 years ago, here is an account of what happened on September 13, 1917.
On July 13, some four thousand people had gathered for the apparition, but now the word had spread even farther, so that an estimated 25,000 were present for the appearance in September. The children had difficulty getting through the crowd because so many were kneeling before them and begging for our Lady's help. "If these people so humbled themselves before three poor children, just because they were mercifully granted the grace to speak to the Mother of God," Lucia wrote later, "what would they not do if they saw our Lord Himself in person before them?"
When our Lady arrived, she insisted again on praying the rosary for an end to World War I, which concluded a year later. This should be a reminder to us of the power of the rosary to end the wars in our own time. The Virgin foretold some of the appearance in October, saying that our Lord would come at that time, that she herself would appear as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and that St. Joseph would appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world.
After praising the children for their sacrifices, she cautioned them to modify the penance of tying a piece of rope around their waists, saying that God only wanted them "to wear it during the daytime." This practice had caused the children much suffering, either because the rope was too rough or tied too tightly, and God wanted them to have some relief during the night. Imagine little children offering this kind of sacrifice for sinners!
As the Blessed Mother departed, Lucia cried out, "If you want to see our Lady, look there!" She pointed toward the east, and many people, without seeing the Virgin herself (only the children saw her), testified later that they had seen something like a luminous cloud moving toward the east. Many priests were there for the first time and later gave testimony that contributed to the official approval of the Fatima apparitions by the Church in 1930.
Q. A friend sent me an e-mail saying that a Catholic school in California had removed statues of Jesus and Mary so that students wouldn't be offended. Please check this out. If it is true, it is an outrage. — D.L.H., Iowa.
A. Statues have been removed from San Domenico Catholic School in San Anselmo, Calif., including one of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child that had graced the school's center courtyard, in order to make the school "inclusive of all faiths," said Sr. Maureen McInerney, prioress general of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. Of the 660 students enrolled at the school, which was founded in 1850, many are not Catholic and come from various religious traditions, such as Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The annual tuition for an incoming kindergarten student is $29,850.
"Over the last few years," said Head of School Cecily Stock, "we've had fewer Catholic students as part of the community and a larger number of students of various faith traditions. Right now, about 80 percent of our families do not identify as Catholic."
She said that rather than educate students about Catholicism, instruction is given in world religions and philosophy, adding that "it's really about empowering each student and giving them the information so they can discover their own purpose, their own truth [!]. We believe the best way to understand your own faith is to learn about the faiths of others."
All of which has led to removing the word "Catholic" from the school's mission statement and getting rid of statues of Jesus and Mary and many saints. "If you walk on campus and the first thing you confront is three or four statues of St. Dominic or St. Francis," said Amy Skewes-Cox, head of the school's Board of Trustees, "it could be alienating for that other religion, and we didn't want to further that feeling." About 160 statues or icons were removed.
While Sr. McInerney insisted that "San Domenico is a Catholic school" that "welcomes people of all faiths," it doesn't sound much like a Catholic school to us since the students are apparently not given much information about Catholicism, but are rather encouraged to discover "their own truth." We thought the purpose of a Catholic school was to lead the students to the discovery of the truth, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We can't understand why any faithful Catholic parent would pay that astronomical tuition to have their child's faith undermined or lumped in with other "faith traditions."
Q. Can a Roman Catholic meet his Sunday obligation by attending an Eastern Orthodox Mass and receiving Communion there? — D.M.D., Massachusetts.
A. First of all, according to canon 1248 of the Code of Canon Law, every Catholic is bound to assist "at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day [Sunday] or on the evening of the preceding day." Second, since Eastern Orthodox churches have a valid priesthood and valid sacraments, Catholics may attend Mass and receive Communion in those churches under certain conditions that are spelled out in canon 844 §2:
"Whenever necessity requires or genuine spiritual advantage suggests, and provided that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, it is lawful for the faithful for whom is it physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose churches these sacraments are valid."
So attending Mass and receiving Communion in an Eastern Orthodox church are permissible if it is necessary, there is a genuine spiritual advantage, there is no danger of error or indifferentism (i.e., believing that one church is as good as another), and it is impossible to attend Mass in a Catholic church.
We don't know the circumstances that prompted D.M.D.'s question, but they would have to be highly unusual, such as danger of death, or imprisonment, or persecution, to justify having a Catholic attend Mass in an Eastern Orthodox church.
That is the Catholic point of view, but one ought also to consider the Eastern Orthodox point of view, which was presented to us some time ago by an Eastern Orthodox priest. He told us that having a Catholic receive Communion in his church would be "a totally unacceptable practice according to Orthodox canon law and spiritual practice. The Orthodox Church sees Holy Communion as the seal of unity in a common faith already achieved and not an individualistic act in which any priest may give Holy Communion to any person who wishes to receive a 'dose of grace,' as it were."
He said that any Orthodox priest who would give Communion to a non-Orthodox person who had no intention of converting to Orthodoxy would be "introducing 'modernistic,' 'relativistic,' and 'syncretistic' practices into the life of the Church. As I understand from your columns, this is the very thing you condemn the Roman Catholic priests in this country for doing so eagerly. How can you condemn a Roman priest for ignoring the various injunctions of the Church and yet encourage an Orthodox priest to violate the injunctions of the Church?"
Q. I thought that Jesus died at the age of 33, but Bill O'Reilly says in his book Killing Jesus that He was 36 when He died. Who is right? — J.P.D., New York.
A. In his book, O'Reilly has Jesus dying on the cross in the year AD 30, and says that He was born in 5 BC. Don't worry about how He could have been born five years "before Christ." That apparent contradiction was the result of a miscalculation by a sixth-century monk named Dionysius Exiguus, who drew up a calendar that fixed the birth of Jesus in the Roman year 753, but scholars today agree that Dionysius was off by a few years. So it is certain that our Lord was born before year one of the Christian era.
We know that King Herod wanted to kill Jesus and that Herod died around 4 BC, so Jesus would have had to be born before Herod's death. The actual year of His birth, then, would have been around 4 BC, so if he died in AD 30, He would have been around the age of 33 or 34. By using the year 5 BC for Jesus' birth, O'Reilly can set Jesus' death at the age of 36 and, without precise historical evidence about the actual year of our Lord's birth, that is not that far removed from 33 or 34.


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actually a pretty interesting day.
Calm down internet, we'll get to all the naked celebrity talk in one second. First I have to give some back story so the whole conversation doesn't seem tawdry. And this post will be safe for work, don't worry. If you're looking for the nudie pics then you'll just have to work for it like I did.
So, my old drinking buddy Matt is back in town for the Labor Day weekend. And by drinking buddy I mean pizza buddy, because as many of you know I don't drink. Although, I have been known to enjoy a glass of wine every once in a while. Or a glass of win, if you ask my dear Rachel. But that's really not important right now, I'm honestly just trying to pad the article before I start talking about naked women.
Since Matt was in town we decided to get the gang together for one of our classic Sunday events. We used to do it every Sunday, and although the faces changed every once in a while, the activities remained largely the same. We would start the evening off with a little bit of Call of Duty, then get some pizza, and then enjoy some Simpsons/King of the Hill/It's Always Sunny while we ate. Once all food was consumed and we were regretting our decisions, we would go back to Call of Duty and establish our dominance in Black Ops. We choose Black Ops because of it's Pure mode, which is really the only way we could overcome our lack of skill in Call of Duty.
Well, I didn't feel like dragging the Xbox 360 out of my bedroom, so we decided to just get pizza and watch a couple of Simpsons episodes as the marathon comes to an end. It was an enjoyable evening for all.
While we were waiting for young Matthew to make it over to Blogzilla 1985 headquarters AKA my apartment, the rest of us sat on the couch discussing various topics of self interest. One friend had sent me a picture of Jennifer Lawrence in a swimsuit on Facebook for no other reason than it was Jennifer Lawrence in a bathing suit. As we discussed if we found her to be attractive or not, I went to TMZ on my phone and was honestly surprised to see a headline stating that Jennifer Lawrence had been hacked and nudes of her were plastered all over the internet.
How topical!
I think it took us literally 25 seconds to find the entire gallery thanks to the power of the internet and the brave souls who hide behind the internet as they destroy people's lives.
But hey, I looked at them, so who am I to judge?
Among the many celebrities who were apparently hacked and posted were Jennifer Lawrence, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Brie Larson, Kirsten Dunst, and most importantly to me, Kate Upton.
|Can you feel her judgment?
This reminds me a lot of two previous situations.
We all remember the big controversy when a probably underage Vanessa Hudgens found nude pictures of herself at nearly every angle plastered all over every forum and filthy sex site. It didn't really do much to harm or help her career, as she probably would have bounced in between small projects anyway. You can only ride the Disney train for so long before you either gracefully exit like Mandy Moore or go batshit slutty insane like Miley Cyrus.
And then there was the curious case of Christopher Chaney, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012 for a similar incident. He hacked into the email accounts of a slew of celebrities including red hot Scarlet Johansson and released a plethora of nude images for the internet to jerk off to.
And jerk they did. Cyberspace was quickly flooded with the ejaculate of lonely nerds and perverts from every dark basement across the world.
You'd think that such a widely known incident would deter both would be victims and would be perverts from doing this ever again. Unfortunately for everyone involved, human nature will always trump common sense.
I'm not trying to blame the victims here, and let's try to be honest with ourselves. We may send each other these pictures and ogle the hot girls, but they're victims. These were private pictures that were never meant to be seen by the public, and they were stolen and posted to the internet in an attempt to shame and humiliate them. You can make up whatever excuse you want about why you're looking at it, you're still raping these women every time you do.I'll probably catch some flack for comparing looking at leaked nude photos of celebrities with rape, but I'm getting better at being attacked, and what would you rather call it?
This is not one of those times where it's playful or erotic to watch these beautiful women. I've seen the pictures, and while the women are beautiful and the poses are erotic, they weren't meant for me. It's no different than peeping in on a woman while she's unaware. You're robbing them of their privacy and exploiting them sexually, and while it may not be physical it sure as hell feels like rape to me. It's raping their very humanity, if nothing else.
The man who hacked and leaked these pictures should be ashamed of himself, and I'm sure he'll make a decent attempt at apologizing in court when they inevitably catch him and prosecute him. Right now he probably feels like some kind of God, and there are a lot of people on the internet who would crown him as such. Who cares about privacy and people's rights when you can drool on yourself as you stare at Kate Upton's giant tits?
Now, is there another side to this story? Of course there is, and here is the part where it sounds like I'm blaming the victims.
When you take pictures like this, you do so with a certain expectation of privacy. History should show these poor women that photos like these never seem to stay hidden, and they should think twice before snapping a naked selfie with their cell phone.
I guess if I were an attractive woman with a lovely body I might want to look at naked pictures of myself at any given time, but as it is it just doesn't make sense to me.
These women had a right to keep these pictures private, but any time you record a moment in history you have to prepared for the repercussions. It's a sad world we live in when we have to be afraid of losing our privacy, but if the government doesn't have any issue with invading our privacy, what makes you think some worthless pervert in anonymous Cyberland is going to care?
I have no doubt that some of these girls are attention whores, and they'll probably revel at the chance for the spotlight. It did make Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian a star, after all. I also believe that a lot of these girls never intended for this to go public, and they're going to be horribly embarrassed and it will probably ruin a life or two.
And for what? So we can look at some naked women? There are thousands of naked women online who want you to look at their bodies, so why are we so obsessed with the ones who don't want you to see it? It's not that I'm saying you shouldn't look at beautiful women. I love women, and I love to look at women. But something just seems so wrong about this, and that's because it plainly is wrong to enjoy someone else's suffering!
I know there is some deep rooted psychological thing here that explains why we do the things we do, and it will more than likely reaffirm that men are pigs. Because well know if Channing Tatum got hacked, surely women wouldn't rush to those kind of sites they don't even know exist just to sneak a peek at his...talent.
I probably sound pretty hypocritical as I throw stones from my glass house. I looked at the pictures just like everyone else, and I made the same kind of comments I'm condemning with this article. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. I could convince myself it was okay to look at Kate's naked breasts since she kind of makes her living on being ogled. I could even fool myself into thinking it was okay to look at Jennifer Lawrence, because she's some uppity celebrity who thinks she's better than me.
And then I started realizing what an ass I was being. And then I wanted to write an article stating as such.
Is staring at the nude body of a woman we'll never even speak to in real life worth the cost of what's left of our decaying morals? I guess that's up to each person to decide. This one time, despite every impulse my penis is sending my brain, I'm going to do the right thing and not look at those pictures again.
All of those pretty, pretty pictures...


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Nelson & New Zealand Websites
- For general information on the Nelson & Tasman region visit www.nelsonnz.com
- Wine blog from Nelson Mail's wine columnist Neil Hodgson - Nelson wine
Nelson Events
- To see what's on whilst you are here have a look at www.itson.co.nz
Nelson Restaurants
Nelson Wines & Brewers
- Neudorf Vinyards
- Rimu Grove Winery
- Woolaston Vineyards
- Waimea Estates Vineyard
- Nelson Wine Blog by Neil Hodgson, wine columnist
- The Free House - Craft Beer Pub
- McCashin's Brewery
- Pomeroy's Coffee & Tea
Nelson Outdoor Activities
- Find information on tracks and outdoor activities at the Department of Conservation website.
- Cable Bay Kayaks - half and full day eco sea kayak tours in Cable Bay
- Wine, Art, Wilderness Tours - drink & drive!
- Sail Nelson - personalised skippered charters of up to a week in either the Abel Tasman or the wilderness of D'Urville Island and the outer Marlborough Sounds
- Take "The Ferry" to visit the lighthouse and Haulashore Island
Recommended Places To Stay Around New Zealand
- Auckland: The Langham Hotel
- Wellington: ohtel Hotel
- Blenheim: Hotel D'Urville
- Hokitika: Rimu Lodge
- Punakaiki: Punakaiki Resort
- Kaikoura: Hapuka Lodge
- Wanaka: Te Wanaka Lodge
- Queenstown: Browns Hotel
Abel Tasman Transport
- Wilson's Abel Tasman
- Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle
- Aqua Taxi
- Abel Tasman Kayaks - Kayak the Abel Tasman National Park
- Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures - Sailing tours, scenic sailing, daily trips, catamaran charters
New Zealand
- Visit the official New Zealand website to find out more about the country and culture.


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We're off to a nice quiet weekend out West!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Friday's Letters
We're off to a nice quiet weekend out West!
6 comments:
Sounds like a busy week, I hope the wedding plans are coming together and not too stressful.ReplyDelete
Enjoy your relaxing weekend and feel better soon x
I got sick with that cold/flu that is lasting so long and by the time I finally felt better my house was a disaster!! Drove me crazy! Hope you feel 100% soon! Glad I found your blog!!ReplyDelete
Glad to hear you are feeling better! Double digits to the wedding! So exciting! :)ReplyDelete
I can relate with so many of these letters! :)ReplyDelete
Ooooh, yeast free for a week? I might have to try that when I get back from my work trip next week!ReplyDelete
That's right around the corner!!ReplyDelete
Stopping by from "Friday's Letters"!
Ramblings of a Suburban Mom
Thank you so much for stopping by - I love reading everyone's comments & thoughts & meeting new friends!! If you ever have any questions, comments or concerns, e-mail me directly at email@example.com Thanks again for stopping by!


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I've been messing around with an old Blueridge flattop that I made into a slide guitar--but I'm
getting a real bad GAS attack for a tricone.
Trouble is, a 12-fret guitar just isn't right for me--I gotta have either 14 frets or a cutaway.
I know--there are some really cool National's--including the Baritone, (which just makes me harder than
chinese algebra)--but they all cost well in excess of $2000.
I emailed Frank at Republic to ask about a tricone for me--but he said they don't have anything but
12-fretters at this time.
I'm new to bottlenecking--but I've been playing guitar for over 40 years--I use the frets above 12 frequently.
Is there a reasonably priced tricone that is good, and reasonably priced???


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Latest topics
Color Guide
Green = Normal
Red = Rules or Site Information. Iota Races
Blue = Lore, official plots, or history making RP topics. Megalo Races
Mermaids are believed to be the result of a few Dafurai having a little fun. However the actual result of them breeding and becoming their own race is believed to have been an accident. Mermaids are widely accepted as the most beautiful race on Tedranog though interestingly enough among their own race Mermaids judge beauty off of the fish like tail that replaces legs. As such comments on a Mermaids tail are taken far more seriously than most people would have thought. In Tedranog the word angel when used in a phrase such as you look as pretty as an angel is replaced with the word mermaid.
Mermaids quit literally rule the sea. Their lungs allow them to breath water and can stay underwater forever. In fact their body has become heavily dependent upon the water. They also emit an electric field and can see their surroundings based on the disturbances of the field. This is ineffective on land with the exception of places which hold a very high amount of moister in the air. They are the only race that dwells in the water allowing them to monopolize that space and being in the ocean that's a lot of space. However there aren't as many Mermaids in the sea as people think. Just like on land there are different climates in the sea. It can't be too cold and the currents can't be too strong. They also have to stick to where the food is.
Mermaids enjoy life in the water as they were made for it however if they wish they can innately split their tail and form legs to travel on land. There are just a few draw backs. First off they have to stay completely dry. Just a drop of water will cause their legs to revert back into a tail. Second their body dehydrates far quicker. Their skin is use to being in contact with water at all times and has become reliant upon it. To counter act this they can drink lots of water which will not cause their tail to revert. Their skin also holds more water than the other races making their skin smoother and softer. Even their tails are smooth and soft one might even say slippery. Also they are highly resistant to cold due to their cold underwater habitat. On the flip side of things they are very sensitive to heat.
Due to their beauty and rarity Mermaids and Mermen are highly prized on the surface world. While they consider the attention nice the Mer peeps find it annoying after awhile which leads to them wanting to poke their head out on the surface less.
Mermaids home are created out of coral or other hard materials produced naturally in the ocean. Their bed are made of soft plant material. Mer peeps who have been to the surface often describe the beds as the worst part about it. No matter how soft they are it doesn't compare to a soft plant bed in the ocean. The Mer committees or villages are rather small, as ocean life just doesn't allow to many Mer people to live in one area. As such committees tend to be very tight nit and close.
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Hi There!!! Its been an amazing two months and we moving on up to a domain of our own so no more micernest.wordpress.com but www.micernest.com. Come rock with me at http://www.micernest.com.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Do You Love Me?
Not to sound judgemental but in what seems to be the most bizarre and messed up way to test one's love a Russian guy tested how much his girlfriend loves him. He hired a whole film crew to stage a deadly car crash and see if the woman he wanted to marry really loved him to death.
Most people already know, or at least think they know the person they want to marry truly loves them, before they pop the big question, but 30-year-old Alexey Bykov, from Omsk, Russia, wanted to make absolutely sure. Instead of taking the easy route, like making his girlfriend Irina take a lie detector test, he decided to fake his own gruesome death to see what her reaction would be. So the young Russian hired a movie director, stuntmen, make-up artists, and even a script writer to stage a car crash in which he lost his life. They made sure everything looked as realistic as possible, by using crashed cars, smoke, ambulances and carnage, so the poor girl didn't for a minute think she was the victim of a very creepy prank.
Once all the details of his plan were discussed with the film crew, Alexey arranged to meet Irina in a certain place, only when she arrived she found mangled cars and her beloved's body lying on the road all covered in blood. A paramedic told her he was dead and she immediately broke into tears. Once the "romantic" prankster got the reaction he was waiting for, he got up from the pavement and proposed. You can imagine Irina's reaction, can't you? Well, although she admits at first she "almost killed him again, but for real this time", in the end she accepted to be this crazy man's wife for the rest of her life.
Well I say this guy has a whole lot of time and resources, plus the fact that if one saw someone they know but don't even remotely love in a fatal car crash I am sure their reaction would be the same. This is no test of true love but congratulations to the couple.
Hello People, so it has been amazing these two months since i started blogging, i really cant believe the number of hits i get on the blog daily and i want to say thank you for checking in and reading, for not allowing me to be up here talking, ranting and rumbling to myself 🙂 i really do appreciate you all.
So barely two months after starting out here, I am glad to tell you all that i now have the opportunity to become part of something new and bigger; a ministry/Site called THE UNDERGROUND SITE. It is an online christian magazine which brings to people Christian stories and news from around the world, devotionals, art and culture, life changing messages etc. I am an Editor, Contributing Writer and Columnist for this ministry. My column is called STORIES OF GRACE AND LIGHT so always look out for it. God had a plan when i started this blog and i can see he was just prepping me for this. Some may see it as something small but i see it as an opportunity for me to be part of something bigger, a bigger platform to help share the message of God and help bless people and as well as bring glory to God. So i am very pleased and grateful for this opportunity.
This blog WILL still exist as a matter of fact but don't fail to join me at TUS, i want you all to be frequent visitors to the site, because it is a Christian Magazine like no other.
Michael Ernest.
I am no Architect but ever since I was a child I have always been fascinated by cathedrals and up to this day cathedrals still gives me that feeling. I really can't explain the way I feel when I see or enter a massive and beautiful cathedral, the one that you look up the ceiling and feel like you are already in heaven, the kind that you step it and believe it or not automatically feel God's presence rush through you. Now those are a few feelings I get when it comes to cathedrals so today I will be sharing with you images of the most beautiful cathedrals from around the globe (mostly across Europe i mean). I hope I am not the only one out there who adores cathedral buildings.
Notre Dame Cathedral is arguably the most stunning gothic cathedral in the world– and is undoubtedly the most famous. Conceived in the 12th century and completed in the 14th, Notre Dame Cathedral was the very heartbeat of medieval Paris. After a period of neglect, it recaptured the popular imagination when 19th-century writer Victor Hugo immortalized it in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
Dramatically crowning the heights of the Montmartre quarter, the Sacre Coeur Basilica is a relative newcomer to Paris. Built on the site of a Benedictine Abbey destroyed during the French Revolution of 1789, Sacre Coeur was completed in 1919, shortly after the close of the first world war. In contrast with the gothic style of Notre Dame or Sainte-Chapelle, the Sacre Coeur was built in a gawdy Romano-Byzantine style, and its interior is awash with gold leaf and other flamboyant decorative elements. Come here for breathtaking views of the city and for a glimpse of a very particular architectural model.
Built between 1532 and 1642, the Saint-Eustache church sits in the heart of the city, between Les Halles and the Rue Montorgueil district. On first glance, the church's facade closely resembles Notre Dame Cathedral as it shares its large transept. The eclectic design features both Renaissance-era decorative elements and a classic gothic design. Its unfinished appearance is oddly charming.
The church's immense organ counts at least 8000 pipes and was used by musical luminaries including Franz Listz and Berlioz to compose many of their key works. Concerts continue to be held regularly at the church to this day.
Las Lajas Sanctuary is a basilica church located in the southern Colombian Department of Nariño, municipality of Ipiales and built inside the canyon of the Guaitara River.
The cathedral is of gothic revival architecture and was built from January 1, 1916 to August 20, 1949, with donations from local churchgoers, replacing an old nineteenth-century chapel. The name Laja comes from the name of a type of flat sedimentary rock similar to floor tiles found in the Andes Mountains. There was a claim that in one such stone, an apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen.
One of the most beautiful cathedrals I have seen lies in the heart of Milan….The Duomo. Its vast, eerie-aired open spaces create a very mysterious and ominous atmosphere.
Woman Literally Tries To Sell Her Soul Online
Well well isn't this the funniest story I have seen all week? We always hear about people selling their souls in exchange for fame and wealth and we have never seen anyone actually put it up online and in the "open market".
I guess it's true what they say, you can find anything on eBay, even a slightly used human soul. And while some of us wouldn't sell our soul for all the money in the world, a woman from Albuquerque tried to give hers away for just $2,000.
It might sound like a stupid joke, or an-attention grabbing scheme, but the woman selling her soul, identified as Lori N., said her eBay ad is a cry for help. "I guess you could say that. I'm at the point now, I'm tired. I don't feel good. I'm near the end of my rope. I really am," she told WOAI. Up until five years ago, Lori was living a normal life and made a living as a freelance writer, but a serious car accident completely changed her life. She was a passenger in a car hit by a drunk driver, and the repercussions were dire. The poor woman was in a coma for three weeks, and woke up suffering from a stroke, a broken hip, broken pelvis, leg, collarbone, sternum, ribs, a collapsed lung. And if that wasn't bad enough, she lost one of her breasts.
Anybody who knows me personally knows that I LOVE music but recently I have found myself rather intrigued and interested in arts, paintings and sculpture. Yesterday I saw this amazing video of graffiti paintings to the lyrics of a song at different locations.
So I decided to make my second post about this new-found love of mine.
What really intrigues me when it comes to art is the randomness of some pieces… yes there are some art form I find rather regular, boring and normal. It is however the "weird" stuff or the extraordinary stuff that really gets my attention.
Without further words feed you eyes with these mind-blowing artwork, optical illusions at it's best from South Korea.
The Day Pigs Flew
Well i will be damned….
I never thought i would see this day the day that i would actually set up a blog and start blogging, people kept telling me "Michael how come you do not have a blog?". My answer was always i don't jump on bandwagons, i don't do something or like something just because every one is doing it or loves it and i guess that is what makes me different and weird in a good way. I rebelled for three good years and i am pretty much on almost all the social media platforms from Twitter, Facebook and tumblr (nope i still don't consider tumblr a blog) but a blog? No. I was pretty much against myself starting a blog just to get attention or just for the sake that everyone else was doing it. Another reason I never really had a blog was the fear of commitment, you know that kind of fear two people who are living together have towards marriage? Just the thought of marriage itself scares them and they are just comfortable living together…. Well maybe not for the Woman but in most cases for the Man. That strong fear of commitment.
Somewhere along the line i have either convinced myself that i am not conforming to popular culture, decided to deal with my commitment issues or i have finally found a genuine enough reason to start a blog. I really do believe it is the latter but either way today someone somewhere saw a pig fly.


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Replicating Cuba's Model System
"When can we get one?!"
The question ellicited chuckles from the conference room, but was entirely in earnest. It came from a representative from one of the Jamaica's parishes in response to a presentation by Cuban expert Sonia Onua showcasing her country's disaster risk reduction system. The first day of the Cuban Mission to Jamaica was an all-round success. Cuban delegates Sonia Onua and Ida Pedroso met with members of ODPEM, the UNDP, representatives from Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), the St. Catherine Parish Council and JIICA on Monday to introduce the Cuban model for RRMC's as a key mechanism for disaster risk management, and to explore its adaptation in Jamaica.
Cuba's system is efficient, with entire cities being evacuated in minutes in the face of impending disaster. Finding out how the Cubans accomplished this was simultaneously inspiring and intimidating. Their presentation demonstrated how much work is behind an effective risk management programme and how much of an impact proper disaster management can have.
The Cubans explained how they achieve the evacuation not only of people, but also of large appliances such as fridges and stoves and important resources like cattle, as well as having designated housing for families during and after disasters. The RRMCs that are located across the island in vulnerable communities work throughout the year to collect useful and detailed data. In determining the demography of a community, for example, they take into consideration not only the sum total of people, but how many children, how many senior citizens and how many pregnant women reside in the community to better adapt recovery response to the exact needs of each.
The Cuban model depends largely on the strong and central government system that is already in place, and reflected in the role and coordination of the Cuban Civil Defence. Jamaican leaders were concerned that, with such different government structures, Jamaica would have difficulty instituting the RRMCs with the same success. Pedroso commented that their real organization andtheir real strength were in the community, emphasizing that Cuba places a lot of their resources and effort into educating the community as to the dangers and resources. The mission members showed pictures of primary school children dressed up as firemen, running customary drills so they would immediately know what to do in case of an emergency. They referred to a channel in Cuba dedicated to educational programs twenty-four hours a day. "We're really our civil defence," Pedroso said, "Our children, our senior citizens, our adults are the ones who respond so well to disaster."
Members of the St. Catherine Parish Council commented on how impressed they were by Cuba's system and members from Kingston were eager to know when they could start instituting such system in their own communities.
Onua and Pedroso were realistic, offering words of caution as well as encouragement. They spoke of Cuba's own problems, being sure to make clear that Cuba's system is impressive now, but that it is the result of fifty years of consistent work.
During the week, the two delegates spoke to members of the St. Catherine Parish Council where the first RRMC in Jamaica is being established, met Jamaicans living in at risk communities and worked with ODPEM and the UNDP to better facilitate the replication of the Cuban Model in Jamaica.


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The following figures represent the Department of Health's assessment as to the average cost of nursing home care in each region. These figures are used to calculate Medicaid penalty periods for gifts and asset transfers.
Long Island (Nassau/Suffolk) $13,053 New York City (5 Boroughs) $12,319 Central (Syracuse, Broome, Cayuga, Oswego, etc.) $9,722 Northeastern (Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, etc) $10,719 Northern Metropolitan (Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, etc.) $12,428 Rochester (Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, etc.) $11,692 Western (Buffalo, Erie, Niagra, Genesee, etc.) $10,239


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|[jira] Commented: (GERONIMO-3457) Drools BRMS issue using geronimo 2.0.1-jetty6
|Tue, 11 Sep 2007 02:22:29 GMT
[ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/GERONIMO-3457?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel#action_12526331 ] Kevan Miller commented on GERONIMO-3457: ---------------------------------------- Whoa... Nice Donald... Bhagwath, definitely worth noting in the Environment section of a Jira, next time... I did see some Jetty startup errors on a Mac OS X 1.6 JRE (https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/GERONIMO-3454). This is looking like some xalan/xerces library mismatch... Are you on the latest service release of 1.6? > Drools BRMS issue using geronimo 2.0.1-jetty6 > --------------------------------------------- > > Key: GERONIMO-3457 > URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/GERONIMO-3457 > Project: Geronimo > Issue Type: Bug > Security Level: public(Regular issues) > Components: Jetty > Affects Versions: 2.0.1 > Environment: geronimo 2.0.1-jetty6 > windows > drools-jbrms 4.0.1 > Reporter: Bhagwath Vadyala > Attachments: drools-error-screenshot.doc, geronimo-jetty-server-log.txt > > > We are having an issuing testing drools BRMS 4.0.1 on geronimo 2.0.1 jetty 6 version. > It deploys fine but when we open the url http://localhost:8080/drools-jbrms, its not redirecting to correct page. > We use the same drools-jbrms war file and deploy on jboss-tomcat it works fine and redirects to the correct page. > We posted the issue to JBOSS and here is the response from them. > Michael Neale commented on JBRULES-1150: > ---------------------------------------- > ok the URL in the browser it wrong. > Ideally you will put in: > http://localhost:8080/drools-jbrms > and it *should* redirect to : > http://localhost:8080/drools-jbrms/org.drools.brms.JBRMS/JBRMS.html > if it doesn't - then it is a bug with how geronimo is redirecting. > The index.jsp, which is default, has: > <% > String redirectURL = "org.drools.brms.JBRMS/JBRMS.html"; > response.sendRedirect(redirectURL); > %> > which should work as it does on every other app server tried so far. > unfortunately we don't have resources to support every purmutation of app servers/web containers so this will require some experimentation. please let me know how you go. > .................................................................................. > Please let me know how to fix this issue. -- This message is automatically generated by JIRA. - You can reply to this email to add a comment to the issue online.
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Here is a delicious tangy and a mustardy flavoured parwal (pointed gourd) curry that is bursting with flavours. It is a simple dish without any tempering. Just mix everything and slow cook to perfection. I have added some chopped raw mangoes for the tanginess and also added kasundi (store bought mustard paste). But you can always use homemade mustard paste. So check for a step by step pictorial guide to prepare it.
- 8-10 parwal (Pointed gourd), scraped & sliced lengthwise
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp. red chili powder
- 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
- 1 tsp. nigella seeds
- 2-3 tbsp. coriander roots, chopped
- 2-3 green chilies, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 small raw mango, chopped
- 2 tbsp. kasundi / mustard paste
- handful of coriander leaves, chopped
In a bowl, mix together all the above mentioned ingredients (except coriander leaves). Cover and keep aside for 25-30 minutes.
Heat a pan and transfer the parwal mix to it. Cover and cook on a very low flame till done and till the parwals turns soft.
Keep stirring at intervals and sprinkle water as and when needed to keep it moist. When done, add the coriander leaves and give it a stir. Serve this chorchori with plain steamed rice or chapattis.
Srape the parwals alternately and cut them lengthwise.
Mix it with all the above mentioned ingredients (except coriander leaves).
Heat oil & cook in a very low flame till done, by stirring and sprinkling water
at intervals.
When done, add coriannder leaves and mix well.
Serve with plain steamed rice or chapatis.


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Child Language
Acquisition and Development
Writing in a conversational, playful voice Matthew Saxton offers a particularly engaging and accessible introduction to a wealth of knowledge about language. He models how language allows us both to share personal interests and enthusiasms and to build more public understanding by publishing and arguing about research findings.
Engaging and well-organized, this textbook highlights nature-nurture debate, mismatches between comprehension and production, individual variation, and methodological issues. The second edition adds web-based support for teachers and students, including test questions and instructional slides. Updated references, some re-ordered material, and a new state-of-the-art ending further enhance this excellent textbook.
This book is an extremely clear and accessible introduction to a complex and fascinating subject, essential reading not only for its target audience of psychology students but also for Early Years teachers and students. Welcome touches of humor enliven balanced and detailed explanations of theory, debates, and research evidence.
This book offers a comprehensive overview of the subject of child language acquisition, and provides a balanced, unbiased discussion of the various issues and debates surrounding the topic. Saxton makes complex, and at times controversial, topics accessible and relevant, and the text will be invaluable for students of language, linguistics and psychology alike.
Mathew Saxton's Child Language is an excellent book on a difficult to understand (and explain) field. The book covers the what we know about child language development in a readily accessible, readable and at times amusing format, which is perfect for UGs who have no previous knowledge in the field. This book is the best general book on child language development that I've seen and I welcome the updated second edition.
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While there are so many adornments, the watch still remains one of the most used among men. Though the women watches have also gained a lot of notoriety, the source of the watches, in terms of where they are made has been what matters.
Most of the watches which dominate the market are made in Italy and Switzerland. The Swiss technology therefore has been the most common point of reference when Invicta watches are mentioned.
The Invicta watches in Toto, comes in different shades of color, designs and shapes. These are usually referred to as the elegant watches, the contemporary designs and the hi-tech watch designs. That is what Invicta has always aimed at, giving its users a touch of class while remaining relevant in fashion.
The process of choosing the best Invicta watches can be a long protracted one. Some of the areas which are worth giving an ear is the;
- Brands models-there are several brands which come within the Invicta watch collections. The chronograph watch section of Invicta deals with watches which sets them automatically by using the three chronograph models.
These watches are considered to be some of the best and may be worth your time. The chronograph watches are also considered to be quite reliable because they do not lose time anyhow. In this respect, they are known to last longer than the others.
The Invicta automatic watches on the other hand will definitely excite you at the mere fact that there is no need for powering. They are however accused to be losing time at random and so may not be quite reliable in their usage.
- Price- the price of the Invicta watches are usually set at standard which seems to be down to earth and makes the user more comfortable. In fact, the user needs to consider the budget he may be having and the watch on offer to be able to ascertain whether the watch can be viable in economic terms.
- Quality– though most of the Invicta watches are good looking and may appeal to the taste of the user, it is imperative to make sure that the coating does not peel off in addition, it may be worth looking at the nature of the wrist band which may just be the real mark of its quality.
- Luxury levels– take note that most of these watches, especially for men are quire heavy and may just be an extra baggage to the users wrist. The watches with fabric wrist bands are known not to harm the user's wrist while wearing.
- The fashion taste– the differences in taste by different watch buyers is enough to make that ultimate difference in choice. For instance, the trending fashion at one level was on the use of the automatic watches. In fact, the Italian taste of fashion where watches are concerned has always remained. Selecting an appropriate watch may just be what the watch user needs.
- Get some background information– while it may be trendy wearing watches, most of us never took time to know how the watch we wear came to be. In some cases, getting the information on the manufacturer can save the user from the eminent stress.
While some of the makers are certified, the Invicta watches use several technologies which is worth taking time to know. This will help in case you need to have the watch repaired or just to claim some warranty benefit.
- Getting the correct Invicta watch seller– buying a good Invicta watch involves a lot including the visit to the several sellers whose reputation may be varied. Getting the right seller helps in ensuring that the watch is delivered in good time, if it is bought online, or that the warranty is honored as stipulated.
With all these in mind, the only appropriate place to get them is through the reading of the customer reviews which are found scattered all over the market. The valuable insight you are bound to get may just prove to be priceless, as I discovered once in my life.


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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — David Nelson arrived at the Jets' complex at 6:30 a.m., same as any other Wednesday. He attended the special-teams meeting, as usual, then gathered with his teammates for Coach Rex Ryan's morning address. No one moped around, Nelson said, but "it didn't feel the same this week as it did last week."
The Jets reconvened for the first time since being eliminated from the playoffs Monday night, when a late 61-yard field goal by Justin Tucker secured a Baltimore victory in Detroit. The Jets' postseason prospects have been slimmer than kite string these last two games, but now there are no more possibilities or permutations. A sense of finality has set in. The charade is over. A finite number of games remain, with no chance for more.
"I felt like I got kicked in the head," Ryan told his players.
Many of his players watched the game Monday night — Nelson tuned in for the final drive and, when Tucker's kick slipped inside the right upright, he said he felt sick. But Ryan reminded them of the game's playoff implications anyway. Which was probably a good thing, because Santonio Holmes was unaware.
"It didn't bother me," Holmes said, adding, "They did what they had to do, and we didn't."
The Jets found themselves in this position last season — eliminated by a result in the Monday night Week 15 game, staring at two meaningless games ahead — and crumbled. How the Jets fare Sunday against Cleveland and Dec. 28 at Miami may not influence whether the owner, Woody Johnson, and general manager, John Idzik, elect to retain Ryan, but another three-game losing streak would not reflect well on him.Continue reading the main story
"If we do what we have to do the next couple of games, I don't think we have to worry about that," said Nelson, a wide receiver, when asked about Ryan's job security. "I think we're in good position to save him and propel ourselves into a good position for next year."
Nelson said no coach he had played for was better at "flipping the switch from Monday's heartbreak to Wednesday's opportunity," and he said Ryan imparted that message of positivity to the Jets on Wednesday. Not once, Nelson added, has Ryan revealed a hint of tension or anxiety about his uncertain status.
"I've been on teams where you can feel it with coaches," Nelson said. "But with him, absolutely nothing."
There is no disputing what Ryan, aside from resounding victories, would like to see over these next two weeks: continued progress from Geno Smith, the rookie quarterback, and a return to prominence by a defense that has allowed an average of 409.3 yards (135.3 rushing) the past three games. But Ryan finds it counterproductive to discuss a future beyond Sunday, so he has deflected all questions that even remotely pertain to it.
Some players, like Antonio Cromartie and Holmes, said it would be encouraging if the Jets won their last two games — they have not won consecutive games all season — to finish at 8-8.
"We're playing for something bigger than just the playoffs," Holmes said, "and that's our jobs and executing and understanding that with these next two wins, we can have a great start for next season and we have something to build off of."
The Jets, regardless of how they finish, are likely to build without Holmes, whose injuries, minimal production (38 receptions) over the last two seasons and high cap number ($10.75 million) make him a strong candidate to be released as Idzik continues to reshape the roster. But Holmes, who took a $3.5 million pay cut after last season, said he would be willing to restructure his contract again if it allowed him to remain with the Jets.
"Anything for the team," said Holmes, whose release would save the Jets $8.25 million against the salary cap.
Holmes, who has missed 17 games over the last two seasons because of foot and hamstring ailments, has not performed at a level commensurate with the five-year, $45 million contract he signed before the 2011 season. He said he wanted another chance — with Ryan.
"He brought me here, gave me an opportunity to play for him," Holmes said. "I would love to play for him for the next couple years and even retire here, he and I both."Continue reading the main story