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Karnack is a rural unincorporated community in northeastern Harrison County near Caddo Lake in the eastern region of the U.S. state of Texas.
The town is named after Karnak, Egypt (near modern-day Luxor). It was thought that the community's alignment with the city of Port Caddo was relative to that of Karnack and Thebes.
Former First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson was born in and reared in Karnack. Karnack is the hometown of Selena Gomez
The Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, formerly the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, is located in Karnack.
Former Caddo Parish Sheriff Harold Terry was a welder in Karnack even before he fought in the Battle of Okinawa as a United States Marine inWorld War II.
Karnack is served by the Karnack Independent School District. Karnack Elementary School and Karnack Junior/Senior High School serve the community.
Karnack has many small family-owned businesses such as the 4J Ranch, Circle S Grocery, Mystique Tours and The Run In. Big Pines Lodge burned down in a construction fire in 2009; reconstruction of the lodge and its restaurant began late in 2010, and it has since reopened.


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Grandview's own Ryan Pulock has been named the AHL's Player of the Week.
The New York Islanders defensive prospect recorded three goals and three assists and was a plus 6 in four contests with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
He had two goals, including the overtime winner against Roblin's Jayce Hawryluk and the Springfield Thunderbirds. He also had the lone goal in a 1-0 win over the Providence Bruins.
Pulock has 22 points (10 G, 12 A) through 27 games with Bridgeport this season.

subset: commoncrawl


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DJ&P Newland Rennie News
South Gloucestershire Show – 5th & 6th August 2017
July 27, 2017
We would like to meet you and talk to you about the services we offer namely Rural, Residential, Commercial and Design so look for our …
Standing Straw Auction – Wednesday 12th July 2017
July 27, 2017
Following the Annual Sale of Standing Straw at Old Sodbury Village Hall on Wednesday 12th July 2017, David James & Partners are pleased to provide …
DJ&P at the Berkeley Show – Sunday 25th June 2017
July 3, 2017
AMC 2017 Summer Newletter
June 22, 2017
As agents to the AMC, we are pleased to issue the 2017 Summer Newsletter (please click on the link below). For any related funding enquiries, …
May 18, 2017
David James & Partners are delighted to announce that John Williams (MRICS) has been appointed an Associate at the Company of Chartered Surveyors and Residential …
10th year anniversary!
May 18, 2017
Keren Poyser from DJ&P Wrington office celebrated her long service with the Company with a party in the Orchard, hosted by Richard Nancekivell. The lunch …
North Somerset Show
May 18, 2017
Another event that attracted a good deal of attention was the North Somerset Show on 1st May, visitors were attracted to the DJ&P stand …
"Variety is the Spice of Life"
May 18, 2017
David James & Partners' Second Collective Land & Property Auction of 2017 attracted a wide range of rural property investors, from boat clubs to potential …


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The insurance industry has taken great strides toward identifying human capital through various profiles and tests. We have also done a good job focusing on developing talent, providing leadership training, and creating workplaces that offer more flexibility and employee focused benefits. All of this is important; but an often overlooked aspect that affects retention, engagement, and performance is social capital.
Employees who are connected to their colleagues are more likely to work toward common goals, less likely to act in an opportunistic manner, have a greater degree of trust, and often produce better results. Some of the soft skills that make an employee socially successful are difficult to identify with traditional tests and profiles. The ability to relate on a level that encourages collaboration and fosters trust is one of the more important skills in the workplace. This is how great ideas are shared and developed, and it is a skill set that insurance millennials embrace. They want to be connected to their colleagues and they want to feel part of an organization that has a common goal. Investing in HR activities focused on building relationships among your employees may be more important now than ever before.
We have had insurance employees express dissatisfaction with pay and other variables in the workplace, but ultimately decide to stay with their employer because they consider their coworkers their friends and extended family. Opportunities for your insurance employees to build and maintain social relationships are of prime importance for the next generation. Specific examples include team outings to sporting events, movie nights, and meals out together. Just food for thought!
In 2016 we fielded a lot of questions from employers regarding PTO, flex scheduling, and work hours in general. As the talent pool shrinks, more employers are rethinking their traditional HR practices in order to attract the employees that they would like to hire. It is clear that things are changing somewhat, with more employers offering different flex options with earlier or later start times. A couple of agencies have offered a flex schedule option of a 4 day work week with extended hours. We are seeing these options more often in order to accommodate daycare or school scheduling, as well as traffic patterns for those employees with a longer commute. Sometimes an accommodation in this area can be effective with recruiting new employees.
We do see options of working from home on a limited basis. As a side note, we have seen employers in outlying areas set up for completely remote employees with varying levels of success depending upon the investment in IT , and identifying the employees that are self-disciplined and able to work autonomously.
With regard to PTO and work hours, we analyzed data on 31 independent agencies in south east Michigan. The large majority of Michigan independent insurance agencies are using PTO time instead of separate vacation and sick days. The average starting PTO for a new employee was approximately 15 days for the first full year. After that time, the increases were seen primarily at 5-9 years with days increasing to an average of 19. There were also increases at 10 years +, with varying schedules and "maximum" days. Experienced employees who have built up to higher PTO are reluctant to lose that time when switching employers, so we do see some flexibility from employers in order to make a job offer that is accepted.
The average work day was approximately 8.5 hours, with 1 hour for a lunch period – so most of agencies have a 37.5 hour work week if the lunch period is deducted. We have noted that there are a few agencies that have decided to reduce their hours by shortening the lunch period. This seems to be something that most employees favor.
Recognizing early on the looming staffing crisis for independent insurance agencies, The Michigan Association of Insurance Agent's established the MI Future Foundation. For the past 15+ years, MI Future has been working to bring prospective employees and independent insurance agencies together, through a focus on public relations and education.
MI Future is doing a great job of attracting young talent to our industry. We recently attended the Insuring MI Future Summit, and were impressed with the progress that has been made by this group.
Through no small effort, they have managed to coordinate a program where students in area high schools can earn credit toward graduation for insurance related courses. These courses also qualify for college credit within the state of Michigan. Currently, there are active high school programs in Genesee and Ingham Counties that provide excellent models for duplication. The curriculum for this program has been approved by the state, allowing it to be offered in any county in the state.
Even this small amount of insurance knowledge makes these young people desirable as new hires for independent insurance agencies. Please spread the word if you have any connections within the educational community. We have many young people graduating college with general degrees, big debt, and no suitable employment. A high school providing this program will give students a leg up on a real job upon graduation, even before completing their degree. The insurance industry continues to provide a stable, lucrative, and diverse array of career opportunities.
Please spread the word if you have any connections within the educational community. This is a great opportunity for young people in every area of the state.
More information can be found at www.insuringmifuture.org
Governor Rick Snyder has declared February "Careers In Insurance Month"
In an effort to support the initiatives of the Insuring Michigan Future Coalition, the Governor has issued a proclamation giving Michigan insurance careers it's very own month. The state recognizes that the insurance industry currently employs 50,000 people and that number is projected to grow. In addition, 25% of the current insurance workforce will retire in the next ten years. This means that there is tremendous opportunity for young insurance professionals within the state of Michigan.
We need to help spread the word to young college graduates that there are many opportunities for stable and well-paying insurance jobs. The average wage for Michigan's insurance industry is $64,000. This is well above the average salary for other industry groups within the state. The variety of insurance positions is extensive, and the scope is beyond what most people consider when thinking of the field. Positions in underwriting, claims, loss control, accounting, customer service, marketing, sales, auditing, compliance, etc. create opportunities that are a good match for many different skill sets and interests.
Internships are available with many Michigan insurance organizations. If you know of any talented young graduates who aren't sure of their career path, having them visit www.insuringmifuture.org could open up many opportunities for them. With some internship experience, we are able to assist candidates with landing a great insurance job. Even without experience or a college degree, we are finding that some organizations are open to bringing in entry level talent in administrative roles and then training them in different areas of insurance.
Hiring Trends
Our independent agency clients have entered a new era of staffing. We are seeing a significant increase in hiring of candidates with little to no insurance experience. In 2014, 12.5% of our placements with independent agencies were with candidates who possessed little to no insurance experience. The first quarter of 2015 saw that percentage increase to over 20%. The most common entry points have been production, employee benefit analysts, and reception/administrative roles with an eye toward training them in either personal or commercial lines. We have also seen an increase in career transitions with the appropriate educational background. For example, financial analysts in other industries who can apply their skill set within the employee benefits area.
Salaries are climbing in commercial lines and employee benefits in particular. Below are the averages we are seeing with new hires. When the positions involve very large/complex accounts, self-funding experience, or marketing/client facing skills, we are seeing up to $90k in the commercial lines and employee benefit account manager positions.
|Compensation by position – Average
|Commercial AM
|Commercial CSR/Tech
|Personal AM
|Emp. Benefits AM
|Emp. Benefits CSR
The average headcount has remained relatively stable, with a slight increase over 2013. However, agencies have reported an anticipated retirement rate of 27% of their current staff within the next 10 years. Several agencies have started to train new people so that they have a "bench" in place. Every industry is going to be in an eventual race for talent as we face a high retirement rate and a shortage of qualified employees.
Flex Time / Remote Office
We have not seen an increase in flex time or working remotely. This is an area that Millennials are going to impact. This generation expects more flexibility in their work schedule. When the shortage is great enough, accommodating that is going to be important to attracting and retaining talent.
Michigan independent agencies are financially healthy. There has been steady growth, with most agencies reporting an increase in overall revenue of at least 5%. Staffing levels have remained steady, but hiring to replace retiring employees has increased. This is a trend we see continuing well into the next decade. The new workforce is more educated and has a thirst for technology and team based work philosophies. They are blurring the lines between professional and personal life much more than prior generations, both with scheduling and with overall work relationships. An investment now in updating HR practices and tuning into the Millennials will be time well spent as we move toward 2020 when it is estimated that almost half of the workforce will be comprised of Millennials. That's only 5 years away!
Should I accept a counter offer?
Every year has a theme with insurance employment. Last year was the year of the counter offer. As insurance recruiters, we can typically smell a pending counteroffer a mile away. The insurance job candidate will give send us many indications based on their level of enthusiasm, the questions asked or not asked, the frequency or infrequency of communication, etc. In short, we know that something is awry.
Please recognize that this is not an unusual situation and your insurance recruiter isn't going to be angry with you – but we need to know what is transpiring. We have an obligation to counsel both parties, and an employer may have a second choice waiting in the wings for a position they need to fill. As an insurance recruiter, we will counsel you not to accept a counter offer. An insurance candidate may understandably view this as biased, but truly it is not. This is why we encourage you to do your own independent research on the subject. You can find several credible sources on the internet that will provide you with the potential pitfalls and statistics relating to accepting a counter offer. Below are some of the key points you will find, but there are many others as well. The bottom line is that you should be extremely cautious about accepting a counter offer.
Some relationships are meant to end. Perhaps the employee has outgrown the position, perhaps the culture of the company has changed and it is no longer a good fit for either party. Fear of change can hold both parties back from moving forward when they really should. We see this play out time and again, with the vast majority of people accepting counter offers being either let go or resigning again within a 12 month period.
If you were directed to this article by your insurance recruiter and ultimately decide to accept a counter offer, we will tell you what we always tell insurance professionals – don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call us when it doesn't work out the way you thought it would.
Yes, this is true even in a conservative industry such as insurance. For a successful experience, the details and subtleties are important. Please give some thought to the following with regard to insurance staffing.
Your organization has a reputation to uphold. Even if you do not wish to extend an offer to the insurance job candidate, you want that candidate to have a good experience. If your job candidate is ever asked about your company, you want their answer to be that they interviewed there and thought it was a great company but it just didn't work out. This is just what you would want a person you dated to tell someone that inquired about you. What you don't want is for the insurance job candidate to tell all about their awful interview experience where they felt rejected and disrespected. Your insurance recruiting agency can help you to create positive candidate experiences.
How do you create a good insurance job candidate experience? It is just like dating.
The results that follow were compiled from independent agencies located in Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Livingston & Washtenaw counties. If there was a discernable difference between counties we have noted it. We have also included data that we have gathered informally from active candidates and client companies in order to make sure that each segment was equally represented in the summary.
Agency Revenue
The reported differences between 2012 and 2013 were fairly consistent between agencies. All responding agencies reported an increase in revenue between 5 and 10%. We have seen demonstrated financial health among our client agencies, with many again looking to invest in producer hires and book purchases.
On average, agencies are at a flat headcount, or up by 1-2 employees. Most agencies do not anticipate adding to staff in 2014. The average revenue per employee was $124,927, although this was a large range (from approximately $88,000-$180,000).
Employee Benefits
100% of the agencies reporting offer group medical benefits of some type. All agencies reported an increase in their group health insurance premiums, with most ranging between 9 and 12%. One agency reported more than a 50% increase. Coverage offerings seem to have remained consistent, with some reductions in HSA contributions or small increases in employee contribution amount. None of the responding agencies planned on eliminating their group health plan.
Flex time / Remote Office
30% of reporting agencies do allow flex time for their workers. The vast majority of these agencies have set work shifts that employees may utilize. Only two agencies specifically mentioned working from home under certain circumstances and only for certain categories of employees. 80% of reporting agencies have part-time employees in several categories, notably clerical and receptionist positions.
The below compensation levels reflect a combination of long term employees and recent hires. It is important to note that if we had restricted the compensation numbers to people hired in the calendar year 2013, the averages would have increased. This is an employee market, and salaries are rising in order to entice people to make a move.
*Macomb and Livingston counties had slightly lower salaries for each category.
Compensation by position – Average
|Commercial AM
|Commercial CSR
|Personal AM
|Emp. Benefits AM
|Emp. Benefits CSR/
Producer Compensation
There are as many variations here as there are producers in the workforce.
Training & Development
The majority of responding agencies require that their service staff is licensed. If it is not "required" it is encouraged. Most agencies preferred online continuing education courses or carrier sponsored classes.
30% of responding agencies had hired someone without insurance experience in the past year. Training was mostly one-on-one with experienced staff members. Sometimes this was supplemented by carrier sponsored classes and/or online tutorials. Overall the outcomes have been very good, although time consuming. The positions which were hired/trained for included personal and commercial lines assistants and producers.
Miscellaneous Questions
The use of service centers and the likelihood of considering outsourcing for policy checking remained relatively unchanged from our 2009 survey:
|Utilize Service Centers
|Consider outsourcing
|(policy checking)
Many of the employers we talk with have shared that although they are seeing profitability rise again, business is more challenging than ever. There is general financial health with our agency clients and a cautious optimism for continued growth.
Hiring was very strong in 2013, much of it due to pent up demand and a willingness to invest in additions to staff.
We hope that this information is useful to you. We appreciate your participation and value your business. Please let us know your thoughts and feedback!
Where are all the insurance job candidates?
Many agencies and carriers struggled to find qualified insurance professionals for their open positions in 2012, and we are seeing that trend continue with insurance staffing in 2013.
There are some unique environmental trends at play that will affect insurance job staffing in 2013. This year will be shaped by a challenging insurance employment market. The market is shifting away from a buyer's market. As a result there are two key issues that need to be explored as hiring managers and companies think about their insurance staffing needs for 2013.
Despite continued high unemployment, many companies in 2012 struggled to find qualified insurance professional applicants for their openings. While this is a result in some part of real shifts in required job skills, it is also a reflection of the more detailed and demanding selection criteria that has developed in the current "buyer's" employment market. Businesses will need to confront this environment as the new normal and respond accordingly.
During the recession it was possible to demand exactly the experience and background you were seeking as an employer, and to be able to find a qualified candidate with reasonable salary expectations. Currently, most companies will need to relax their stringent selection criteria and focus on bright people with great attitudes that can learn the skills that they do not already possess.
As businesses contend with the continued lack of qualified insurance candidates (perceived or real), it will trigger more intense competition for select insurance professionals. As a result, companies will focus more on wooing talent, in part by delivering a distinctive and appealing candidate experience during the recruiting process.
A great candidate experience requires timely communication, feedback, and a display of courtesy with regard to scheduling and interview techniques. This is very important for employers to realize, especially in a tight market. Even if the employer does not ultimately extend an insurance job offer to the candidate – a particularly bad candidate experience will be shared with other potential candidates that are known to that individual. It is a small industry – it is important to take some small measures to maintain a positive employment reputation.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
BlueCross BlueShield of WNY provides 5 simple tips to help your resolution stick
Editorial by BlueCross BlueShield of WNY
It's that time of the year again. As individuals tear down decorations and finish the last remains of the holiday ham, many will shift their focus to New Year's resolutions. BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York is providing five simple tips to help this year's resolutions stick.
"Making a commitment to a New Year's resolution is a step in the right direction toward a healthier lifestyle," said Kelly Hahl, health and wellness programs manager, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. "We encourage individuals to take that first step and commitment, because we know 'healthy changes everything.' "
However, it is important to remember the New Year doesn't have to serve as an impetus for a complete overhaul. Many times, individuals set themselves up for failure just by simply setting the bar too high.
"New Year's resolutions don't have to be revolutions," Hahl said. "By making your resolutions realistic, there is a greater chance for success. Small simple changes can make a very big difference."
Here are five tips to help keep your New Year's resolution stick:
•Keep it simple. Make resolutions you know you can keep. Remember: Rome wasn't built in a day, so select realistic goals. Trying to lose 50 pounds by Valentine's Day is probably not very realistic. Instead, break your resolution into smaller tasks such as losing one to two pounds a week.
•Make it public. Declaring your New Year's resolutions increases your odds for success. Something as simple as a Facebook post can really put a stake in the ground. The more people who know about your resolution, the more support you have. Having friends and family to share your experience with allows you to stay focused and not make any rash, spur-of-the-moment decisions.
•Take it one step at a time. Chances are, you will be taking on a deep-rooted issue. Change is a long-term process: Success will not, and should not, happen overnight.
•Stay positive. There is always going to be a few bumps in the road on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. Making positive health changes takes a lot of effort, but that effort will always be worth it in the end. If you make a mistake, it is important to revisit your goal and get back on track.
•Reward yourself. Having a light at the end of the tunnel helps you get through moments of tribulation. Small gifts that don't jeopardize the progress you've made will make the journey more enjoyable. By gifting yourself, you'll stay motivated by breaking your resolution down into smaller stepping-stones.


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Street View is the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the building. In some locations, Street View may not give a view of the actual building, or may not be available at all. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.
Latitude: 51.3509 / 51°21'3"N
Longitude: -0.4279 / 0°25'40"W
OS Eastings: 509572
OS Northings: 162490
OS Grid: TQ095624
Mapcode National: GBR 36.QSP
Mapcode Global: VHFV4.J9MQ
Entry Name: 13 and 15, East Avenue
Listing Date: 16 November 1984
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1030214
English Heritage Legacy ID: 286712
Location: Elmbridge, Surrey, KT12
County: Surrey
District: Elmbridge
Town: Elmbridge
Electoral Ward/Division: Weybridge St George's Hill
Built-Up Area: Weybridge
Traditional County: Surrey
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Surrey
Church of England Parish: Hersham
Church of England Diocese: Guildford
Whiteley Village
10/135 Nos. 13 and 15
Almshouse pair. Circa 1912 by Ernest Newton. Red brick with moulded wooden eaves
cornice to hipped plain tiled roof. Central ridge stack. 1 storey. 2 casements
in centre with flat headed entrances in outer bays.
Whiteley Village was provided by William Whiteley of Whiteley's stores for thrifty
old folk and was laid out on an octagonal plan by Frank Atkinson, employing leading
architects of the day.
PEVSNER: BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND , SURREY (1971) pp520-1.
Listing NGR: TQ0957262490
This text is from the original listing, and may not necessarily reflect the current setting of the building.
Other nearby listed buildings


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Sunday, November 27, 2016
6 comments:
Thanks for sharing details about your lifeReplyDelete
Im curious, fewer and fewer women seem to be vowing to "love and obey " their husbands during weddings.And while ive never seen a female supremacist type of wedding, I personaly know many couples where the bride made clear to her husband to be, who the boss was going to be. By forbidding him to have a bachelor party.While she herself, had a bachelorette party, which involved male revues and/or male strippers. I even overheard a couple of different women, brag to their girlfirends, that they had made their husbands to be, do the housework and laundry, while she and her girlfriends, were out on her bachelorette party, looking at male strippers
Have any of the female members of your family, incorporated feminist or gynarchist principles in thier weddings ? Or had weddings that differed from the old fashioned patriarchal weddings? Or used their weddings, bachelorette parties, or honeymoon, to assert their authority as a woman and wife?Replies
Mom and dad's wedding was traditional because they didn't fully embrace matriarchy until later. My sisters had weddings where they wrote their own vows, not traditional, but nothing you would call overtly matriarchal. However, one of my mom's close friends wanted her place in her marriage made clear in her wedding ceremony, and she reversed the vows so that her husband promised to love, honor, and obey her. This was decades ago, and I think she felt, having grown up in a patriarchal household, that to reverse the vows was a good start on showing that she was in charge. She was also involved in Goddess worship and witchcraft, and added those elements, borrowing freely from different traditions so to speak. Her groom had to perform the five-fold kiss on her with the accompanying blessings (e.g. "Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways" etc.) There were readings from various texts but with a matriarchal twist. It was all largely constructed by her, but very beautiful. Only those who were of like mind were invited.Delete
While my wife and I were engaged, I told her about the whole wedding one night, as much of it as I could remember. She thought it was hilarious but she also loved it, especially the gynarchic elements, being a believer herself. After they met, my wife asked my mom about this and found out more. My wife and I ended up having a ceremony similar to this with my family and a few other like-minded people present. It did have its humorous elements, but it was really meaningful and exciting for us. We also had a quick courthouse wedding just to make sure things were legal in our state, but it was just a formality. As for a bachelorette party, yes, my wife most definitely had one, and our honeymoon was reverse-traditional in that I lost my virginity to her but she was quite experienced.
The following comment came to me a week ago from "Unknown." My first impulse was not to publish it, as I don't wish to have my guest bloggers disrespected or verbally assaulted, nor do I wish to foster pointless debates on the matter of Female Supremacy. But "Debra's Son" has prevailed on me to publish the comment verbatim, giving him the opportunity to reply, though certainly not in kind. Here is what "Unknown" wrote:ReplyDelete
"I usually take any stories on Femdom blogs with a grain of salt, I tend to assume that they're just some guy's fantasy. But if this is true, it's pretty depressing, and it actually contradicts any notion of Female Superiority.
"Our 'Superior' female heroine gets knocked up by some random guy, drops out of college, and needs to be rescued by her 'inferior' older brother. Now, as the author states, very strong people may occasionally need help. However, if Jill really was a strong, empowered, 'superior' woman, she would have thanked her brother and moved on with her life. However, that doesn't happen. She forces him into being a slave with no friends, no dating, no life, no love, no respect, no dignity. She basically steals two decades of his life. That'll teach him for trying to be helpful!
"How is Jill superior to David in any way? She's not more educated, she's not more successful in her career, she's certainly not a nice person. 'BUT WOMEN ARE BETTER AT MULTITASKING!!!' Okay, well that's questionable in this scenario, given that David had to have full time job, be a nanny and do all the housework. She's not even really that good at dominating men. The only guy she was able to dominate was her brother who had already been brainwashed since birth to be submissive. She can't even find another man to be her slave husband, she had to use her brother instead.
"I'm a submissive guy, that's how I found my way here. But I would never want to submit to a heartless, selfish, and sadistic woman. male submission should be a gift to all the wonderful, kind, smart, brave, virtuous, and strong Women out there who deserve that kind of adoration. What good is a Matriarchy if the women turn out to be a bunch of cruel sociopaths worse than the men were?"
I had to split my response in two parts because the character number exceeded the limit for one post. So here's part one.ReplyDelete
That females are superior is a concept that depends most of all on what is meant by "superior." A lot of discussion between those of us who are basically on board with the idea can occur without completely agreeing on the definition, let alone minor points which follow. Rightly or wrongly, I think most of us who peruse blogs like this intuitively define Female Supremacy in the same manner Potter Stewart defined pornography: "I know it when I see it." For me, it's about the preference for matriarchy and gynarchy in general, rather than a statement that every single female is "superior" to every single male, whatever that would mean. My bottom line is that I'd rather have rulers, both politically and personally, with more estrogen than testosterone in their bodies. On the personal front, we can still do our best to create such an environment for ourselves and our families. On the political front, it might or might not be possible. It's hard to deny that even one testosterone laden ruler could overrun any number of burgeoning matriarchies. That's no argument for patriarchy, however. Virulent cancer cells kill healthy ones until the entire body is dead. That doesn't make cancer cells superior. And here in the U.S., we're only a few weeks away from getting a belly full of testosterone driven rule. We'll see how many of the pro-female (and in terms of climate change and nuclear war, pro-human) gains are stripped away.
In regard to my personal history, you seem to have read my post selectively. No one forced me to be a slave or stole even one day of my life. I gave my time and effort freely to my sister and her family from day one until I left. As I implied, I'm a big boy. I knew what I was doing. And Jill didn't "need" my help and service for the length of time I stayed. I could have left many years earlier and she would have been fine. She's fine now, and has a successful career in photography. As for her being cruel, that impression is my fault. There is only so much space, and I never wrote about the times she cried in my arms and thanked me for everything I did and was doing for her. What you call sadistic comes from her knowledge of submissive men (her present husband could enlighten you about that). Like her fiance, I was submissive, and she knew that and treated me accordingly. She was far from unfair or heartless with others, and I figured most readers of this blog would sense that.
Part twoReplyDelete
You imply that the gift of submission should be reserved for all the "wonderful, kind, smart, brave, virtuous and strong Women out there..." I agree, girl scouts deserve worship and service. But not all women are girl scouts, and if you really want to test your submissiveness, serve a woman who isn't overflowing with such qualities. And always keep in mind that what a woman is today is not necessarily what she will become tomorrow.
I was brainwashed from birth? I suppose that's true. But a lot of us are brainwashed into thinking all kinds of things are normal. Millions think it's normal to spend an hour and a half in traffic to and from a job that's slowly draining them of every atom of humanity. Millions think it's normal to see their house not as a home where they put down roots, but as equity they can turn over later for a nice profit, and raise their status with those their trying to impress. And more to the point of a blog like this, millions of couples put paternity and monogamy on such a pedestal that when one of them breaks a vow, just once, everything they've spent years building lies in the form of a few documents on a divorce lawyer's desk. My point is, we are all going to be brainwashed into some form of life or other. Most of us are brainwashed in elementary and high school to think that immersing ourselves in U.S. or Western culture will lead to a happy life. For some it does, but not for all. I can truly say that serving my sister and her children was more satisfying to my visceral instincts than anything "normal" society offered. I'm now married to a woman not so different from my mother and I don't regret a single day, past or present.
Debra's Son ~ Beautifully stated!ReplyDelete


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Reach Your Ultimate Dream – How to Become A Famous Singer
It is a dream of many teenagers or any individuals when they listen to or watch a performance of a famous singer. Many famous singers like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and Rihanna have accumulated massive wealth, engaged in luxurious lifestyles, and performed in many countries among all the possibilities of fame, fortune, and glory. We […]Read & Discuss »»


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An Easy Choice To Make Dress, Aqua
Item #: 55796
This dress is every bit classy as it is gorgeous! The bright bold color is perfect for summer and the fact that is doesn't need a lining means you get to stay a little bit cooler! The wrapped top and tied waist give the illusion that this is a wrap dress but it actually isn't. You get all the flattering benefits of the style without worrying about it coming untied!
Material has generous amount of stretch.
Caroline J. is wearing the 1XL.
Material has generous amount of stretch.
Caroline J. is wearing the 1XL.
AttributesAdjustable: No
Lining: None
Main Color: Aqua
Length: 40"
Sleeve Length: 18"
Model Specs
Caroline J
- Height: 5'5"
- Bust Size: 34C
- Waist Size: 31
- Hip Size: 41
- Shoe Size:
- Model typically wears: 10
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text:
St. Paul, MN 1999
The 33rd ANNUAL MEETING
of the VICTORIAN SOCIETY IN AMERICA
An Annual Meeting Diary
Monday, June 7
The 8:15 AM Northwest flight to Minneapolis/St.Paul and Boise, Idaho departed Philadelphia carrying your diarist and VSA Business Manager Stacy Hampton. Also on board were German and British lady bicyclists who had competed the day before in Philadelphia's famous bike race. Among them was the crew-cut German winner of the ladies race. This writer, living across the street from the race's starting point had seen them start, but saw the finish on TV. All of them were slim, trim and attractive and on their way to Boise, Idaho.
After an uneventful flight, including a breakfast of Wheaties, a banana, a bagel with cream cheese and skimmed milk, we were met at the airport by North Star Chapter Annual Meeting Chair Mary Kay Nutzmann who whisked us off to the Saint Paul Hotel for a check-in. And eureka, rooms were ready. Then it was on to the W.A. Frost & Company Restaurant located in the ever-so-victorian (1889) Dacotah Building. The balmy weather made outdoor dining a must. Stacy, still recuperating from a stomach virus settled for Thai soup, potatoes and bread. Mary Kay and the writer were able to dine a bit more lavishly. After lunch we went around the corner for a visit to John's Antiques. Saw some marvelous chandeliers. A late afternoon nap was followed by a quick trip to nearby and almost-ghost town Dayton Department store to purchase thread and as a bonus a sack of chocolate chip cookies. Dinner was in the hotel's Grill where Stacy and I were joined by early arrival Bob Furhoff. Afterwards, while I sat in the lobby and enjoyed a post-dinner cigar, Stacy busied herself on a hotel computer churning out copies of material for the meeting. Greeted Pat Pixley arriving from Omaha and finally about 12:15 cigar butt in the ashtray it was off to bed. Stacy was still wrapped up with the computer. Shortly after two, about to bed down, I suddenly realized that I had left my folder with key papers in the restaurant. Down to the lobby to find that the Grill was locked up for the night. However, a security guard with flashlight unlocked the door and I felt my way to the table we had occupied, no folder. But, a happy ending, it had been found and placed under the hostess stand.
Tuesday, June 8
Late breakfast and loafed around in the morning, greeting arriving board members then off to the Minnesota History Center for the Board meeting. Lunch at the Cafe Minnesota on the first level sent a well-fed group into the meeting on the second level. Although on the way up the short flight of steps the twin museum shops by the cafe were very tempting.
A vigorous meeting re-whetted appetites and W.A. Frost was the selection to take care of that problem. North Star Chapter Proxy Sheryl Martinson, a psychologist by profession, enlivened the salmon dinner with a display of her delightful, non-fishy, sense of humor.
Back at the St. Paul, it was greeting time in the lobby as Vics started to assemble for the pre, regular and post meetings. Among them were fellow-Philadelphians Chapter VP Jim McPartlin and wife Elise, Chapter secretary Marilyn Popp attending their first National, Bob Skaler and Katie Giomi, veteran attendees.
Wednesday, June 9
It was raining at 8:45 AM and no bus for the Pre-Conference Tour of Stillwater, Minnesota. But, it soon arrived to take on its passengers. A short half hour ride along the high St.Croix River, which separates
Minnesota from Wisconsin, and we were in charming Stillwater. Our guide was Sally Erickson, assisted by Martha Oviatt. Sally made certain that we understood that she was a transplanted Easterner and therefore had to be credible.
The two highlights in the morning as we cruised the town were the newly restored Washington County Courthouse (1870, Augustus F. Knight, Architect) and Debbie Johnson's House, built in 1862 and added on to in 1888. Lunch was at the bizarre Lowell Inn, known as "The Mount Vernon of the Midwest. It was constructed in 1927 on the site of the 19th century Sawyer House, torn down in 1924. The Lowell Inn was lavishly decorated, most impressive was the men's room emblazoned with a theatrical decor. Dudley Brown was particularly taken with the Inn's draperies.
Built in 1853, the Warden's House next to the now departed old Minnesota Territorial prison has been turned into a museum. Until 1941, it housed an assortment of wardens, many lacking any concept of the job. This included one warden who got tired of taking care of his prisoners and let them all go free.
And then it was the piece de resistance of the day, namely, unleashing the Vics on Main Street and its plethora of antique and specialty shops. It was hot, but undeterred there were invasions of Merry Point Antiques, The Mill Antiques, More Antiques, American Gothic Antiques, Mid-Town Antique Mall, Stillwater Antiques, Architectural Antiques, Mulberry Antiques, Gabrielle Antiques, Chelsea Rose Antiques, etc., etc., not to forget ice cream at Barbara's Candy Shop, also on Main Street. Sally Kinsey's purchase of an Indian necklace may well have been the ice breaker.
Back to the hotel to rest and primp for the opening reception, with a bus pick-up time of 6:30PM for the trip to the James J. Hill House, a Richardsonian Romanesque mansion built between 1888 and 1891. It was designed by the firm of Peabody, Stearns and Furber. Hill was the founder of the Great Northern Railroad. He oversaw the planning, construction and furnishing of the house as if it were a new branch of the railroad. He rejected stained-glass window designs by Tiffany and Company, saying they were "anything but what I want," and even replaced the architects when they ignore his orders to the stonecutters. He engaged another Boston firm, Irving and Casson to finish the interiors.
The evening presented quite an agenda, remarks, food, music, tours, costumes, art. Chapter president Sheryl Martinson, Marcia Anderson of the Minnesota Historical Society and Christopher Monkhouse, Curator of Decorative Arts, Minneapolis Institute of Arts were the speakers. Monkhouse, a former VSA board member, spoke about James Hill and his house and as an art collector. Besides the Vics, there were other guests representing the Living History Society, the Costume Guild, the Hairwork Society (in town for their 2nd annual "Hairball"). Members of the Costume Guild in 19th century Minnesota dress circulated among the guests. Music consisted of mini-organ concerts by Nils Halker in the art gallery. Guided tours of the home started from the music room every half hour. The exhibition in the art gallery was titled "Minnesota Territory, Recorded and Remembered: An Exhibition of 19th Century Art." Among the Vics present, it was nice to note the continued return of a number of Annual Meeting veterans. New York City's Mary Cope; Washington, DC's Richard Evans; Baltimore's John Larsen, Plymouth MA's Enzo Monti; also Atlanta's sprightly Richard Maxwell and Earl Webster were back after a year's hiatus. None of them looked a day older. Barbara Lokke, star lecturer at the 1998 Annual Meeting, was on hand with her sister Marilyn Lage from Austin, MN. Also, Patricia Murphy, whose historic Council Bluff, IA's home was a part of last year's Annual Meeting, decided to view the historic house scene in another locale.
Back in the hotel I decided to enjoy a post-evening cigar and was steered to the bar only to discover that cigars were priced like gold. I wound up with a $9 Rothschild. Thus day #1 became smoky history.
Thursday, June 10
A 15 minute earlier start and it was to be Minneapolis Day. First stop, Minnesota's earliest tourist attraction "Minnehaha Falls" where the water from the Minnehaha Creek which forms from Lake Minnetonka drops over 50 spectacular feet into the Mississippi. From there it was a tour of the Minneapolis Lake District. Driving down the Minnehaha Parkway, as expected, Marvin Cristil was first to use the bus restroom, and, as expected, had difficulty getting the door open so he could exit. This was the third consecutive Annual Meeting "win" for Marvin, first Richmond in 1997, then Omaha in 1998. However, he did not match his Richmond time of one half hour to get the door open.
Our guide was Vern Greenlee, a firm believer in the maxim that every lake has its own personality. He saw Minneapolis as a city of glass and steel, and St. Paul as one of stone and brick. On the other bus, the guide was Suzy Vogt. We passed the Shubert theater which had cost $34,000,000 to move a block and a half, and they are looking for another $26,000,000 to restore it properly. Then it was Saint Anthony Falls where the true story of Minneapolis begins. It is the only true waterfall on the 2,350 mile length of the Mississippi. Originally, the Falls were located in the Saint Paul area but natural erosion has caused the line of the Falls to move steadily upriver about four feet a year and they are now in Minneapolis.
The Walker Art Center, the Tyrone Guthrie Theater, the Sculpture Garden, with the shortest suspension bridge in the world running from the Garden over the Freeway to Loring Park. Then it was on to the Minneapolis museum of Art for a guided tour and, naturally, a session in the gift shop as Betty Perlish and the Flora Dora girls got warmed up. The museum as an entity was established in 1883. The present building was designed by the firm of McKim, Mead & White and opened its doors in 1915.
We lunched in the second floor art gallery of the Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church, preparatory to the proceedings of the Annual VSA Business Meeting. President John Simonelli reviewed the 1998-1999 period and then called for reports from the various committee chairs. The awarding of the Annual Preservation and Book (Hitchcock and Emery) awards, as well as the President's Award, are covered elsewhere in this issue.
The meeting adjourned and Bus #1 and Bus #2 split their destinations. #1 sped off to Charles Nelson's Victorian home in North Minneapolis while #2 found its way to the 1913 Purcell-Cutts House. The latter, owned now by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a Chicago School Prairie-style house designed by William Gray Purcell (1880-1965) and George Grant Elmslie (1869-1952). It was built for Purcell's family and incorporates his talents for domestic planning with Elmslie's ingenious and exacting decorative detail. The architects believed that the hearth was the center of any home and disregarded many traditional ideas about room divisions. Purcell and his family lived in the house for only a few years before moving to Philadelphia and then Portland, Oregon. In 1919 the house was sold to Anson B. Cutts, who in turn bequeathed it to the museum.
It was shoes off at the Charles Nelson home, a Queen Ann 1890's style house. On the National Register, the house is decorated in an eclectic Victorian style. Nelson, an architect at the State Historic Preservation Office, is an avid collector of Victoriana. Your editor was chastised by guide Martha Oviatt for coming up the wrong set of stairs, but was not sent to sit in a corner.
About 4:15 it was "Valkommen" at the American-Swedish Institute. Founded in 1929 it represents an elegant tribute to over 150 years of Swedish experience in America. It was founded by Swan J, Turnblad, a newspaper publisher and self-made millionaire. The 33 room Queen Ann-style mansion, built shortly after the fin de siecle, was his home. It is filled with intricately carved oak, walnut and imported African mahogany panels and carvings. There was plaster sculpturing on the ceilings. Among the rooms is a library, music room and ballroom and two-story grand entrance hall. For the shoppers there was also an extremely well-stocked gift shop, and they took advantage of it.
Following the return to the hotel, everyone scattered in different directions. Some to dinner, others to the Summer School Alumni Reception, and a small contingent departed by hotel van for the Mall of America. Among the latter group was Katie Giomi who agreed to try to find cigars for this writer that were priced like silver instead of gold. At some point during the evening just about everyone visited the Silent Auction room to start the bidding. P.S. Katie did nobly with her cigar purchase.
Friday, June 11
It was a rainy start at 8:45 for St. Paul day with the Greenlee, Vogt duo as guides again. First, we traversed the redeveloped Lowertown area. This is an 18-square block in the very heart of downtown, the birthplace of St. Paul. It is named for the nearby "lower" landing on the Mississippi in the 1800's. It contains more than 40 historic buildings, many of them National Trust landmarks.
From there it was on to Dayton's Bluff for a view of St.Paul and the Mississippi. The rain had stopped, but it was a cloudy view albeit still spectacular. On the river we could see barges making their way in both directions. Back on the buses, the route went by a garage sale. "Let's stop" said Flora Dora Roseanne Vernon, getting in a sprinters position. But, alas, it was not to be, for we were bound for the State Capitol. Completed in 1905, it was the third capitol building and was designed by Cass Gilbert. It also was the first Minnesota building with inside plumbing. It has been called the second most beautiful capitol building next to Utah.
Our guided tour focused on the art and architecture, we viewed the restored House (largest in USA) and Senate chambers, the Supreme Court with its John LaFarge paintings and the Governor's reception room. Several members of our group even got to pump hands with the state's matinee idol governor, ex-wrestler, Jesse Ventura. Sally Kinsey was primed to arm wrestle him, but no luck. Not only did Gilbert design the structure but he also supervised its construction and its decoration. He was the designer of the state capitols of Arkansas and West Virginia. His design for the Woolworth Building in New York popularized the skyscraper. In Washington, DC, he designed the Supreme Court Building.
The Como Park Conservatory was built in 1914 and is modeled after the one in Kew Gardens, London. In addition to being able to traipse among the ferns, herbs, bonsai, shrubs, and plants, there is also a small zoo hovering in the background. No untoward incidents, no one was lost in the underbrush, no one sized up by a lion.
Arriving at the Minnesota History Center for lunch in the Cafe Minnesota, time did not permit any respectable invasion of the two shops. There was some confusion when it became time to re-board the buses. It seems that Bus #1 unloaded on the lst floor level, and bus #2 on the 2nd floor level, and evidently assumed that people would re-load the same way. Not our crowd!
As was to be expected there were a lot of fleur de lys in the design of the Catholic Church of St. Louis ("The French Church"). It was designed by Emmanuel Masqueray for the French-speaking Catholics of St. Paul. A brand new pipe organ ($1,000,000) has been installed. It was designed and built in Quebec, Canada. Father Morrisey, the pastor gave us an informative historical rundown spiced with wit on the history of the church.
From the solemnity of the church to the fancy of the governor's Summit Avenue residence was the next parlay. We were split up into groups of 25 for the tour. Our group was accompanied by Franklin, the Governor's bulldog. He was well behaved. No family members were on the scene.
The last stop was the fabled St. Paul Cathedral, the third largest church in the USA. Also designed by Emmanuel Masqueray, its dome rises higher than the state capitol. Masqueray, because of the limited size of the site, designed the cathedral, built of Rockville granite and Kasota dolostone on the outside and Minnesota limestone and Italian marble inside. It is built in the form of a compact Greek Cross crowned by a 175 foot drum and dome. Started in 1906, it was not completed until the 1940's, although the first mass was said in 1915. Seating 3,000. the cathedral has two organs and perfect acoustics. We were able to ascertain the latter because while we were there we heard the choir rehearse, their voices and the organ soaring with grandeur.
On the way back to the hotel, by popular request, a stop was made at the Hill House on Summit Avenue so outside pictures could be taken. Summit Avenue offers one of the best preserved avenues of 19th century architecture in the U.S. Out of 444 homes built there since 1855, 373 homes are still standing. Then it was back to visit the Silent Auction, attend the sherry party for Chapters, before primping and resting up for the Grand Ball.
Dance programs in hand, Vics, many in costume, poured into the Landmark Center for the grand Ball promptly at 7PM. We did not note who was first at the cash bar, but we do know that the cold buffet featuring warm chicken was excellent. However, before settling down to dinner many of the attendees took a tour through the historic Landmark Building. North Star Chapter member Edna Reasoner, our delightful guide, had an incredible fund of information about the building which originally was a courthouse. We saw a number of courtrooms which were kept busy in the thirties when St.Paul had its gangster era. As we toured we were quickly made aware of the fact that the Society of Minnesota Quilters was having a convention, There were sewing machines, more than I had ever seen in my long life, in every room that did not have steam irons.
Promptly at 8:30 the Camp Town Ladies tuned up, and the Silver Moon Dance Ensemble, who had been warming up, summoned everyone up for the Grand March and we were off to the dances. Led by President John Simonelli and Treasurer Sallie Wadsworth and Chapter president, splendidly costumed, Sheryl Martinson and husband the March wended its way through the room in ever-so-staely fashion. Seen among the ranks frock-coated, wing-collared, top-hatted Hank Dunlop, and this writer costumed for the first time ever (fez, scarf and grandfather's smoking jacket), accompanied by Stacy Hampton wearing her 1860's Civil War hoop skirted gown, Edith and Bill Bradbury, Pat Pixley and the kilted Tom Nickel. Not to forget Billie Britz, May Stone, Don Bergmann, Ann Ashmead, Bill Wilson, the Fosters in civilian mufti.
It was certainly a better terpsichorean effort than the incredible sight of Vics trying to do an Indian dance in Omaha. Speaking of Omaha, we noted that Wayne Anderson, responsible, along with Pat Pixley, for the success of last year's Annual Meeting was a relaxed, gleeful participant. Until the dessert break at 9:45 the Camp Towners played waltzes, a Virginia Reel, a Schottische, a two step. We, fortunately, had the guidance of the Silver Moon group on the unfamiliar dances.
It is almost one of the seven wonders of the world to observe the Vics attack a table groaning with desserts. It was a stomach heavy group that returned to the dance floor to try the Rustic Reel, the Liberty Bell, the Spanish waltz the Cotillion, and Pop Goes the Weasel. By midnight the dance floor had become somewhat deserted as the Camp Towners struck the chords of the last waltz. Verdict: well done, it was lots of fun.
Saturday, June 12
Bliss, the bus leaving time was 9:15, what luxury! time for a leisurely breakfast. The writer, together with Billie Britz, May Stone and Sallie Wadsworth, having heard great things about Mickey's Dining Car opted to breakfast there. Great pancakes and eggs. But we heard that Mickey was originally from the East Coast which explains the quality.
Saturday was optional tour day with Vics having to choose from three possibilities. They were Fort Snelling (the last U.S. outpost in the "northern wilderness") or the Henry Sibley House or a "Behind the Scenes"-tour of the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society. Our choice was to go behind the scenes and it was well worth it. After a wait for the museum to open it was in to the catacombs. What an incredible treasure trove of items that are not on display. Everything is carefully inventoried and stored in temperature-controlled areas. We saw Indian statues, trunks, school desks, dolls in mourning clothes, hair jewelry, roller and ice skates, dentist chairs, drums and a copy of Cleopatra's couch.
Then it was off to the Irvine Park area where we were to spend the afternoon - Forepaugh's for lunch, then across the street to the fabled Alexander Ramsey House, and a tour of houses in the immediate park area. Forepaugh's is the former residence of dry goods merchant joseph L. Forepaugh. It was built in 1870 for a cost of $10,000. In 1975 the home became a restaurant with nine distinctly decorated dining rooms. For the writer, the hit of the lunch was a true English trifle for dessert.
Following lunch, it was over to the Alexander Ramsey House, where half were to tour the house while the other group visited the block of restored houses in the Irvine Park area. The Ramsey House, headquarters for the North Star Chapter, is, in this writer's opinion, one of the finest restored Victorian homes he has ever seen. Under the guidance of its charming director, Janet Budack, who, unfortunately, had the handicap of a broken ankle, the house and grounds were festive. Costumed ladies, croquet, a booth selling hair jewelry (which found its biggest customer in Stacy Hampton), a phrenologist from the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, lemonade, cookies, cake and the piece de resistance the "pit spitting" contest. This was won by Willie Meadows, pride of St.Louis, with a record cherry pit spit of 22 feet. The writer was a far distant second with a spit of only 15111". A steady parade of Vics braved phrenologist Bob McCoy's head machine to have their bumps read. Bob Skaler, Patrice Beam, Bill Murtagh, John Martine, Claire Gallagher, Sheryl Martinson among others had their bump analysis printout read out amidst hoots and whoops and cackles.
At four, Mary Kay Nutzmann led a group over to John's Antiques and Grandma's Attic and the buses started to ferry a well-satisfied bunch back to the hotel.
Dinner was at The Castle, the 1890 former stock exchange building, now restored into a 30 room Victorian hotel. The entree was Minnesota's state fish- Walleye and for dessert - chocolate squares were deadly, but who cared.
Climaxing the evening was a trip back to the Hill Mansion to enjoy the final program of the Annual Meeting. Titled "Picture the Songs: Magic Lantern Slides and the Music of the Ragtime Era." This was a multi-media presentation mixing history and music with beautiful hand-colored photographic lantern slides presented by the Bergh sisters, Nancy and Margaret. It was rollicking to hear such numbers as "My Moving Picture Babel' 1908, "You Can't Expect Kisses from Me" 1911, "I'm On My Way to Reno" 1910, "When Broadway Was a Pasture" 1911 and "Oh You Spearmint Kiddo With the Wrigley Eyes" 1910.
The evening was not yet over when we arrived back at the hotel. The silent auction finale was yet to come. A packed house jockeyed around striving to get the last bid down for the object of their desires. The spectacular hit of the evening was the appearance of the Flora Dora quartet each sporting a jazzy FLORA DORA T-shirt. Love those ladies! There were about 180 items up for bid.
Sunday, June 13
The clocks registered 7AM and the 28 of us going on the post trip were expected to have our bags outside our rooms. Promptly at 8:30 the bus sped down the Great River road with its magnificent views of "Old Man River." About IOAM we stopped in Red Wing at the 1875 St.James Hotel restored to all of its past Victorian splendor for a coffee/tea/coke/Danish break. The dining room was named "Port of Red Wing." Unfortunately, it was Sunday and nothing was open to the dismay of the veteran shop explorers Betty Perlish, the Fosters, Hank Dunlop, Dudley Brown and David Nicolai, a rookie. This led to a lot of aimless milling about, noting Taco John's, a 1913 Prairie School building across the street, an 1868 Italianate building, an octagon house, a store named "A Little Jewel Box",and a small girl on a pogo stick.
It was on through such towns as Wabasha, Lake City, Minnesota City, Winona, to LaCrosse. At this point, the diary keeper, a Yale varsity lacrosse player in his long sped past youth waxed a bit nostalgic, as we headed for our first stop, the Marriott Residence Inn for lunch.
After lunch it was on to the Hixon House. Gideon Hixon had the house built in 1860. Additions were made in the 1880's and around the turn of the century. Electricity and indoor plumbing were added by 1885. What is most significant is that so much of the house has survived intact. The woodwork is outstanding and features a variety of woods. The bulk of the furnishings are Victorian era, but, reflecting the interest in the Orient, there are a number of Far and Middle Eastern pieces collected during the Hixon travels. In particular, the small corner attached to the sitting room was known to the family as the "Turkish Nook." It was added about 1901, and demonstrates the fascination which Americans had with things Oriental. The sitting room also still has original William Morris wallpaper. Brenda Jordan, Curator of the Hixon House and Director of the LaCrosse Preservation Society was on hand to take us through.
Back on the bus Maryanne Ondovscik launched into a fascinating discourse on food. This so stirred up the group's taste buds, that when a sign announcing Culver's Frozen Custard appeared in Prairie du Chein, a stop was called for, and the bus emptied out. From the number of cars parked around the shop it was obvious that Culver's was a well known hangout. They had a product called a "Turtle" composed of chocolate surrounding butterscotch and pecans that was an immediate smash hit. While the munching was going on, a loaded horse van pulled in with a dashing cowboy hatted driver and two blonde ladies both of whom promptly went into the shop, probably for "Turtles." Several of our ladies drifted over to the van ostensibly to pat the horses, but the driver seemed to be getting a bit of the attention.
As we passed through Dickeyville we spotted a sign announcing "The Grotto, and there in front of our eyes was an edifice constructed of stone, broken glass, seashells, fossils, broken china dishes etc. A stop was immediately called for and cameras at the ready the Vics leaped off. A sign told us that the grotto was built between 1918 and 1931 without a blueprint and was a part of the Church of the Holy Ghost. About 5:30, we pulled up in front of Galena, Illinois' DeSoto House Hotel in the county of Jo Daviess. Galena means lead. Indians were the first miners of the rich deposits of lead ore, followed in the late 1600's by the French. In 1829, twenty years before the California Gold Rush, people from around the world flocked to Galena seeking their fortune. The DeSoto House opened its doors in 1855 and became known as "the best hotel west of New York City for its sumptuous accommodations and meticulous service." Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel underwent major renovations in the 1980's. Incidentally, Galena provided nine Civil War generals, including U.S. Grant.
One distinctive feature of the DeSoto House made itself apparent as we unloaded from the bus. The bell hops were diminutive ladies and they had no trouble with the bags. We gathered for dinner in the Schuyler Colefax Room. Barely through our dessert, the door opened and in walked a frock-coated General Ulysses S. Grant, cigar smoke trailing behind him. He proceeded to entertain us with both historic and apocryphal tales in a most captivating fashion. This writer inhaling the cigar aroma, longed to be able to light up and join the General. Following the meal, most of the group congregated in front of the hotel and gazed right and left down the almost deserted Main Street dreaming of the next day's buying spree to come.
Monday, June 14
Monday was our day in Galena and at 9AM we boarded our motor coach for a tour of Galena. Barbara Finney set up her toll booth in front of the rest room. It was hot! First stop was General Grant,s home. Our guide was Daryl Watson, Executive Director of the Galena/Jo Daviess County Historical Society & Museum. The home was presented to Grant upon his return to Galena following the Civil War. It has been restored as it appeared during the post-civil War period and the Grant Presidency. His children gave the house to Galena in 1904. From there we went on to the private Spur House, circa 1860, which housed three generations over a 102 year period. The present owners, the Benders took great pride in showing memorabilia. From this point we were on our own until 5:15PM.
Attaching myself to a group of ladies, including Ina Campbell and all of the Flora Dora girls, we crossed the Galena River and visited the Belvedere House, 22 rooms, built in 1857. It has been completely restored and remains Galena's largest mansion. As we arrived at the house we noted a car parked in front that told us the Sheriff of Jo Daviess County was on the premises. We hoped that the sheriff had not been called to the scene to collar lawbreaking Vics. He had not been. The mansion was built for J. Russell Jones, steamboat magnate and Ambassador to Belgium. Inside it turned out to be a hodge podge of period as well as such things as items from the Liberace estate and the infamous green drapes from "Gone With the Wind. A ticket purchased for the Belvedere also entitled you to visit Galena's oldest the Dowling House on Diagonal Street. However, we opted to see the Dowling House later, and break for lunch.
For lunch there was a split with Diane Wellons, Janet Cleary, Lois Howlin opting for a veggie restaurant, while the writer joined Roseanne Vernon, Ina Campbell and Sallie Wadsworth for more hearty fare. Then it was buying time at shops labeled Fig Leaf Intimates, American Eagle Galleries, The Bee Hive, Body Basics of Galena, Galena Teddy Bear Company, Ink and Stamp With Sue, Petals & Primitives, Images of Nature, Twigges of Galena, Ltd., Karen's Neat Stuff, Hawk Hollow, Honest John's Emporium etc. etc. The writer found a great winter jacket at the London Fog outlet, but realized he could not possibly find room to take it home. He also found Churchill & Burns, Ltd. and was able to restock his cigar cache. Eventually the buying frenzy ran out of steam and it was possible for the Vics to rest up before the bus-off to Dubuque and the paddlewheel down "Old Man River" on The City of Dubuque. The ship boarding cotillion was led by Clark Marlor anxious to reclaim his position of first in line. We had a bit of difficulty in leaving the dock until the astute captain hollered out to the girl manning the dock-tying cable "Suzanne, take the brake off" and we were away.
Mimi Grimes was the first to invade the pilot house, camera in hand, as we wended our way. A guitarist/singer kept us entertained and it was refreshing to sit outside in the bow and watch the scenery. Up on a bluff overlooking the river we could see the Julien Dubuque monument. Constructed in 1897 to honor the founder of the city, the monument was erected over his grave. Basically, it was a subdued group, no horseplay while dining, no one in danger of being thrown overboard. However, Betty Perlish was a little piqued that there was no shop on the paddlewheel.
Back at the DeSoto, we looked for a piano so that we could end the evening with some Dudley Brown ivory tickling. There were two pianos, an out of tune grand and a spinet. The spinet it was and the music poured out until yawns overpowered the delightful music.
Tuesday, June 15
Tuesday was back to Dubuque day, and the bus got underway at 8AM. First stop was Eagle Point Park with its view of four states. It also provides a view of the the Zebulon Pike lock on the Mississippi, number 11 of the 29 locks. Traffic on the river was heavy going up, light going down. The lock drop is from 151 to 91. Buildings in the park are essentially prairie style.
St.Luke's United Methodist Church is the oldest in Iowa, established in 1833. The present church was built in 1895. Its tower is 87 feet high and the church has the largest number of Tiffany windows in the world, most installed in 1897. There were four Tiffany lamps hanging over the pews, however, a redecorating project exiled the lamps some time ago into storage. There has been thought given to taking them out of exile. The frieze in beautiful bas-relief extending across the entire chancel and choir loft is a replica of the famous "Singing Children" designed for the Cathedral of Florence by Luca della Robbia (1400-1482AD). On the whole, a very rewarding experience.
After listening to an orientation film narrated by Garrison Keillor, we were on our own to tour the Mississippi River Museum. Toured through the dredge "William M. Black," a sidewheeler built in 1934 which spends its time dredging the river bottom. Lunch was served at a big restaurant outside the entrance to the Diamond Jo Casino. This writer noting the size of the line into the restaurant decided to spend some time on board the Diamond Jo. The writers first visit to a casino since Reno in 1970. Needless to say no jackpot fell out my way. Following lunch in the enjoyable company of Barbara Finney, we were free to explore the town. Unfortunately, the Dubuque Art Museum was in the process of moving from its Egyptian Revival building to a building several blocks away. However, we were able to visit the County Courthouse (1891) with its gold-leafed-covered dome topped by a 14 foot statue of Justice. Composed of Indiana limestone, brick, and molded terra cotta, an example of Beaux Arts Classicism. We spotted the Saint Raphael Catholic Church which looked impressive. However, it seemed to be all closed up, but a ha, our intrepid president John Simonelli managed to find an unlocked side door and we were able to pay a visit. Unfortunately, it was too dark inside to form any judgments. We passed the Five Flags Theater built in 1910 and modeled after Paris' Moulin Rouge, and the Grand Opera House (1889). It was still hot, and the writer about this time started to feel sleepy, so the sight of the bus looked tempting. After a quick run through a dull antique mall, it was on to the bus to join Clark Marlor and Philip Rubin in a heavy doze. While we were napping, most of the others went on the Fenelon Incline Elevator. This is the world's shortest, steepest scenic railway. Erected in 1882, it elevates passengers 189 feet, and provides a view of Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.
Dinner was progressive encompassing four stops. For appetizers, it was the Mathias Ham House, an 1856 Italianate villa which reflects antebellum life along the river. We indulged in a Chicken Puff appetizer, with lemonade to drink, had a tour of the Victorian-furnished house and joy there was a gift shop. On to the Redstone Inn (1894), a fifteen room Victorian hotel, for the soup course, garden vegetable. Next was the entrée at the Ryan House (1873) where in addition to the main course we had a slice of Victorian life served up vignette style. This featured William "Hog" Ryan and his genteel second wife, Catherine, and a little bit went a long way. By the way, the main course was-Chicken Cordon Bleu. As our bus pulled up at the Mandolin Inn for dessert, hazelnut praline, there was no plinking of mandolins to greet us. Built in 1908 as the home of Dubuque's leading financier, the building has had an incredible career. It was a convent for 22 years; then a half-way house; a law firm office on the first floor and college students living on the second and third; a college residence; a bed and breakfast with three consecutive owners. Needless to say, it was a tired group who returned to Galena and the DeSoto and into the elevators and on to bed, particularly since bags had to be out at 6:30AM.
Wednesday, June 16
We all managed to get our bags out so that the stripling girl bell hops could wrestle them onto the bus. A quick buffet breakfast and we were off to Prairie du Chien and the Villa Louis. There was a round of applause as we passed the Dickeyville Grotto. Unfortunately, we could not make the requested stop at Culver's Frozen Custard. As we pulled onto the grounds of the Villa Louis Historic Site we were greeted by an array of tents, teepees and Port-o-Potties. We found out later that this was a reunion of North American Fur Trader enthusiasts. Fur trading flourished from the late 1600's until the mid-1800's. The Dousman family wealth came primarily from fur trading.
Our guides were to be Michael Douglas, Site Director and Vickie Lock, Curator. The entrance of our group into the mansion was temporarily halted when we were dive bombed by a red-wing blackbird, claws and beak at the ready. The original house known as the "Brick House on the Mound" was built in 1844, In 1870, it was dismantled and the Villa Louis, an Italianate house of Milwaukee cream brick rose in its place. The architect was E. Townsend Mix and the house was extensively remodeled and redecorated in 1885. It became obvious a few years ago that Villa Louis needed extensive renovation. It was decided by the Wisconsin State Historical Society to select the period of 1893-1898 for the renovation to emulate. This selection was predicated on the fact that valuable documentation was available. Over a thousand photos, drawings and archival documents guided restoration specialists in their work. Chief among those specialists is national member Gale Winkler. Assisting her is present board member Bob Furhoff. There is much work remaining to be done. Still, it is presently one of the finest American examples of the British Arts and Crafts Movement. It was mind boggling to follow Michael Douglas through the mansion. One disappointment, Michael promised to tell us some Bob Furhoff stories, but we only had time for one.
We were able to go through a number of the other buildings on the site such as the ice house, the carriage house currently containing museum-type artifacts and a shop, the fur trade museum. An early lunch was served to us on the cool veranda, probably should have called it brunch, since we were served so early. We had to be conscious of time because Clark Marlor's flight left at 4:30PM.
Clark made his flight in plenty of time. This diarist, as usual played it safe and scheduled a 7 o'clock departure and may well have been the last to leave. However, he had a chance to chat with Barbara Finney and later Sallie Wadsworth before they went off in the great blue beyond.
Another Annual Meeting is history- In 2000 it will be Philadelphia and the writer, on home turf, will not be the last to leave for a change. We would like to express our deepest thanks and appreciation to Mary Kay Nutzmann, to her assistant, Jeanie Richgels, to Martha Oviatt, to Chapter president Sheryl Martinson, to Cathy Taylor, Marcia Anderson and Gayle Whitney and on the home front that tireless perpetual motion machine Stacy Hampton.


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Freelance life is infamous for the feast or famine that many creatives experience when first starting out. That's why many of us often worry about how many projects we have open at and how many leads are in the pipeline. In this podcast episode, I talk about how many freelance clients you should have and how to balance them if you freelance full-time.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, iTunes, and Google Play Store.


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Current scenario of the flood and our role in present and future
Natural disasters never give time to plan the relief activities, it comes, destroys and it leaves leaving the victims bewildered. What is left after the calamity is the homeless millions of people who are starving for just a piece of bread, thousands of infants seriously affected by the infectious diseases in light of poor old people who otherwise need support for their lives become total liability.
Systematically, if we look into the scenario from a broader aspect, the basic necessity that gets a top priority is food. Secondly, medicines and thirdly, a safe shelter. Then comes the stage of restoration and rehabilitation.
Here in NWFP, the natural calamity was the flood. The result is approx 20 million homeless, dislocated persons including women, children, and older people.
Flood has taken away 10% of the affected areas house in totality, 40% partially and 50% slightly damaged.
The flood water that rose approx 1o-12 ft high at peak flood hours, has now starting submerging and hopefully in the next 1 month or so the area will be flood free and that will be the time when these poor affected people, who because of multiple reasons have taken shelters on the road sides, different schools, community setups, tent villages with their relatives, will be moving back and that will be the start of rehabilitation and restoration stage.
1. This is the holy month of Ramazan and relief activity can be carried out like normal months of the year, yet our dedicated team members are all out, to assist their brothers, sisters and mothers.
Irrespective of the fast, thirst and hunger, their objective is clearly seen in their eyes, to assist, accommodate, feed and medically support their poor fellows.
2. Our daily schedule activities carry out under the supervision of Alhuda Hayatabad are as follows:
I. Bulked food is cooked in our campus by our staff/students, and then is hygienically packed for Iftar and Sehri as well.
It is then handed over to our teams, who take these packets in different vehicles to their respective identified areas.
Flood affectee's are waiting for the food to come, and is distributed in a very organized and systematic manner. This package system is extremely liked by the affectee's as there is no hassle and every person gets the desired share.
II. We also add basic medicines in our package like disprin, cough syrup, and dysentery medicines.
Normally our per head package comprises of:
2 nans, saalan/qeema, prepared chilled Jam-e- sheeri in disposable 1.5 liter bottles/fruit.
III. Our Sehri package comprises of bread, cream, milk, dates.
During our today's routine food distribution a very strange miracle happened, that one of our team was carrying food for 300 people in a vehicle, when we started the distribution we noticed that even after completing 300 people, ample were still left. So the team went to more nearby affected villages and this way the food which was only for 300 people became adequate for 700-800 people, Mashallah. This incident reminded us of ''Ghazwa-e-khanduq'' where the same miracle took place.
IV. We provide gallons of chilled juice daily, for 2000-3000 people along with dates.
V. Dry ration for the identified camps and families along with gas cylinders.
We plan to keep continuing and yet expanding our relief base activity to more and more flood victims during the month of Ramazan. We need your financial assistance as we daily ends up with zero balance but with the grace of Allah Almighty, we manage to keep this activity moving. Yet, your financial assistance will make us execute this relief activity in a more planned manner.
As expected after the month of Ramazan, the flood water will be totally submerging and that will be time for colossal return moment if flood affectee's back to their homes for the rehabilitation and restoration for their totally partially, slightly damaged houses.
This will be the time when our relief teams accompanied by our professional evaluators will physically visit the actual flood affected areas and will thus, evaluate the cost of rehabilitation/restoration for the true needy and poor people of the areas, who can't survive the rehabilitation phase completely.
Without financial assistance as expected by the initial survey of the area, per house/family restoration/rehabilitation may vary from 5000-50,000.
You can well imagine there are almost 3 Lac to 4 Lac dislocated and affected families only in NWFP.
We need a lot, we can do a lot, and we will do a lot. I am sure Allah will help us, and make best waseela of donation for the assistance of the poor, grief struck people.
May Allah always be with us.
Written By:
Qurat-ul-Ain Khan
Al Huda International, Peshawar Region.
Al Huda Institute, Canada


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The Solar eclipse was an exciting event to see! We all gathered to see this event, but due to the fog we only had a brief glimpse of the eclipse.
Sunday, 27 August 2017 17:52
Solar Eclipse
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Henager Museum in cooperation with the National Veterans Memorial is traveling together to different events to:
can help by sponsoring these activities starting at ($100) for Full-Sponsorship ($50) for Mini-Sponsorship if you have further questions contact us by e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
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support is needed and appreciated,make checks out to: National Veterans Memorial 8837 S. State Rd. 57 Elberfeld, IN 47613
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2017 YALLFest poster artist
Timothy Banks is a decorated illustrator from Charleston. His work spans several mediums from children's books for Lerner, Egmont UK and Faber & Faber to avant-garde magazine covers for Paste, and animation for award-winning apps like Achoo Gaboo. He has developed character designs for Nike and Nickelodeon, and his work was featured in shows at Gallery Nucleus in LA and Hire An Illustrator's Showcase 100 in London.
Timothy's illustrations have been recognized by 3×3, The American Marketing Association, Society of Illustrators LA and Spectrum, and were selected to appear in Lürzer's Archive's 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide.
Locally in Charleston, his work has graced Piccolo Spoleto's 2014 poster, and can also be found in the pages of Charleston City Paper and College of Charleston Magazine, respectively. Timothy recently wrote and illustrated a monster book opus for his hometown of Charleston entitled Monsters In Charleston.
He created the artwork for this year's YALLFest poster.
2017 YALLFest poster artist
Runebinder, Echoes Of Memory
Children of Blood and Bone
Taken trilogy, Vengeance Road
The Silver Mask, The Cruel Prince
Tiny Pretty Things, Shiny Broken Pieces
Dividing Eden, Need
In the Shadows
Drink Slay Love, Chasing Power
The Edge of Everything
Wintersong, Shadowsong
The Lost Girls, the Seven Wonders series
The Unwanteds series, Going Wild series
The False Prince, A Night Divided
Kids Like Us, Lessons in French
The Winner's Kiss, The Winner's Crime
Strange the Dreamer, Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy
Love & Gelato
The Art of Being Normal, All About Mia
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo
The Star-Touched Queen, A Crown of Wishes
Lord of Shadows
Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars
Release, A Monster Calls
Shadows of Sherwood, How It Went Down, X
The Gauntlet
Dear Martin
The Girl with the Red Balloon
Dork Diaries series, The Misadventures of Max Crumbly
Famous In Love, Truly Madly Famously
The Losing It series, The Rusk University series
Labyrinth Lost, The Vicious Deep trilogy
Honor Girl, Strange Truth series
Renegades, Heartless
Empress of a Thousand Skies
Tattoo Atlas, Willful Machines
The Takedown
This Monstrous Thing, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Want, Sacrifice, Serpentine
The Hate U Give
The Serpent King, Goodbye Days
Otherworld, Nightmares!
All In Pieces, The Program
Everything, Everything; The Sun Is Also a Star
Flamecaster, Heir chronicles
Afterworlds, Leviathan series, Zeroes series
The Darkest Corners
A Torch Against the Night, An Ember in the Ashes
All The Rage, This Is Not A Test series
The Walls Around Us
Lockwood & Co. series
Black Widow: Forever Red; Beautiful Creatures series
All the Crooked Saints, The Raven Cycle
The Only Girl in School, Switched at Birthday
Windfall; Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
The Heiresses, Pretty Little Liars
History Is All You Left Me, More Happy Than Not
Salt to the Sea, Between Shades of Grey
This Savage Song, Shades of Magic series
Written in the Stars
The Map to Everywhere, Daughter of Deep Silence
Denton's Little Death Date
Carve the Mark, Divergent series
Last Seen Leaving
Ghost, All American Boys
Nemesis, Virals series
Glitter, Life after Theft
Stealing Snow series, Dorothy Must Die series
Ringer, Replica, Delirium trilogy
Bone Street Rhumba series, Shadowshaper
The Book of Phoenix
Dumplin', Side Effects May Vary
7 Souls, The Girl with the Wrong Name
The Thousandth Floor
Devoted, The Truth About Alice
A Fierce and Subtle Poison, All the Wind in the World
When We Collided, Open Road Summer
Proxy, The Wild Ones
You Know Me Well, Hold Me Closer
My Sister Rosa, Liar
Charm & Strange, Delicate Monsters
Nevernight chronicles, The Illuminae Files
The Diabolic, Insignia series
The Last True Love Story, The Gospel of Winter, All American Boys
The Illuminae Files, Starbound trilogy
My Best Friend's Exorcism
P.S. I Still Love You, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Burn for Burn
Invictus, Wolf by Wolf, The Walled City
A Tale Dark and Grimm, So You Want to Be a Jedi?
The Lovely Reckless, Beautiful Creatures series
The Graces, Fearsome Dreamer
That's Life, Samara Brooks; Dirty Laundry
illustrator of The Only Girl in School
Saint Anything, The Moon & More
Windwitch, Witchland series
Alex and Eliza, Rise of the Isle of Lost, Something in Between
Summerlost, Matched trilogy
Artemis Fowl series
Shrimp, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily series
The Belles, Tiny Pretty Things, Shiny Broken Pieces
The School for Good and Evil series
The Siren, The Crown
Rook, The Dark Unwinding
The Cemetery Boys, Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, The Slayer Chronicles
Lair of Dreams, The Diviners, Beauty Queens
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding, Passenger, Darkest Minds series
Bad Magic, Bad Luck, the Secret series
Girl in the Shadows, Girl on a Wire, Lois Lane series
Three Dark Crowns, Anna series, Goddess War series
Serafina and the Black Cloak
Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Six of Crows series, Grisha trilogy
Red Queen series
What Light, Thirteen Reasons Why
The Problem with Forever, Wait for You series,
The Haters, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
The Upside of Unrequited, Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens
North of Happy, Never Always Sometimes, Let's Get Lost
Flame in the Mist, The Wrath and the Dawn, The Rose and the Dagger


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Could you take time out of your career for long-term travel? We talk with James Rainbow about what his career break has been like so far, and with Sherry Ott about how to take an excellent career break.
To listen, hit play below or find episode 246 in iTunes or Soundcloud:
The ultimate career break
James Rainbow was lucky enough to approach his boss about a career break when there was space for him to do so. He's travelled through Europe, was on the Trans-Mongolian railway when we caught up with him, and he's now in Vietnam! He's blogging here.
During our interview he gave some good advice for getting that career break approved, using the informal network of travellers to make your life easier, and how to travel the Trans-Mongolian railway — including recommending the gem of a book, The Trans-Siberian Handbook by Bryn Thomas.
James was lucky that his company had a career-break policy in place, and the current situation made it a win-win. But if you're not so lucky…
How can travel make your CV look better
We spoke with Sherry Ott — a long-time friend of Indie Travel Podcast — about how a career break can help you professionally.
There are a lot of 'soft' skills which travel brings out, and a lot of stories to tell that showcase your decision-making skills and reactions under stress. You can sculpt those into a powerful argument for use in successful interviews.
Sherry and the team is currently planning events across North America, called Meet, Plan, Go! which will be held on October 16th this year. If you're near Toronto or one of the other (all USA-based) cities, it'll be well worth attending. To be the first to learn when tickets go on sale in September – sign up for the Career Break Newsletter here.
So what about you? Is a career break an option? And if not, why not?! Or have you already managed to get out there and do it, like James and Sherry? Share your story with us in the comments.


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Sunday, October 28, 2007
¿Qué carajo está pasando hoy acá?
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4 comments:
- Discovery said...
You might want to be a little careful using carajo. While a relatively light swear word (at least in Argentina it seems to be), it's still a little bit bad.
Andate al carajo is like "f off."
Vamanos, carajo! - "Let's go, dammit."
For trivia's sake, the carajo is the crow's nest on a ship. So I'd guess that the expression has sailing roots. And we all know how eloquently sailors speak ;).
- Ignacio said...
I thoroughly agree with Discovery: care should be taken with words like carajo.
I think it's important to understand the meaning of these words, but bear in mind that in some situations, they can be (highly) offensive.
Unless you know what you're doing, you'll be better off asking instead things like:
- "¿Qué está pasando hoy acá?"
- "¿Qué es lo que está pasando hoy acá?"
- "¿Alguien puede decirme qué está pasando hoy acá?"
Buenos Aires, Argentina
It's true. You do have to be careful when using even mild expletives. I always find it surprising - and sometimes a little funny - when, for instance, a sweet, well-behaved young woman speaking English as a second language uses an almost skin-peeling obscenity in an attempt to speak idiomatic English. Best to avoid it altogether (and maybe mutter the obscenities to yourself if the situation warrants it) - which is what I do anyway.
I found a couple of other uses of the word "carajo" which are kind of interesting.
el carajo or la caraja - an unknown person, but not in a nice way.
But, you can also use "carajito" as an affectionate term.
del carajo - super, fantastic, great.
This goes from mildly to extremely vulgar, depending on what's being described.
And on and on.
I guess the exclamations "caray" and "caramba" may be a way of expressing the same thing a bit more politely.
Languages! Full of pitfalls and shades of meaning. Wonderful stuff.
- Dana Law said...
I read your comment to my wife during here "morning briefing" and we loved it.
I appreciate your deep knowledge of the language.
The good news is will spend the rest of our lives learning languages and that is the bad news too. I wouldn't have it any other way. A lifetime of learning.
Thanks for your comment.
Dana Law
Spanish Phrase of the Day


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Plaintiff Motions have been filed and DePuy has agreed to a Multi-District Litigation (MDL) for the purposes of pretrial discovery in the Federal Pinnacle Hip Replacement Device lawsuits.
To date, the FDA has received more than 1300 negative reports on the Pinnacle. Like the DePuy ASR hip replacement, some Pinnacle hip replacements may cause metal fragments to flake off and embed in the surrounding tissue of the recipient causing metal poisoning.
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