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Looking forward to the show in Cullowhee NC this 4th of July week-end, hope the weather is cooler, it can be hot set-up, thank goodness a/c inside. This show is close enough we can and do drive back and forth, gas will cost as much as a motel room there, at least a nice motel. Our 2nd year at this show, really enjoyed last year except it was hot and humid setting up and tearing down.
Come see us and enjoy the day and take something home that's made in the USA. Hope to see you at an art show.
Kay Murphy's Studio, P.O. Box 340, Talbott, Tennessee 37877-0340 firstname.lastname@example.com
Artist/Illustrator/Author/Greeting Card Designer
Artist/Illustrator/Author/Greeting Card Designer
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Price for Bookmarks
Posted by Kay Murphy-Wallace at 6:41 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Price of Bookmarks
Monday, June 23, 2008
More cats
Two more cat prints. Hope to see some of you at The Cullowhee NC show held in the Western North Carolina Univeristy, a great little mountain town. If you can't join us there come to Gatlinburg TN for the Gatlinburg Craftmens Fair held in the convention center, downtown. I will be there the entire show 10 days. This is my Fat Cat series....Available in Bookmarks too.
Posted by Kay Murphy-Wallace at 4:49 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Cats prints for children's rooms
Work, Work and more work. New cats prints for children's room and of course on my new bookmarks for cat lovers.
Posted by Kay Murphy-Wallace at 4:38 PM No comments: Links to this post
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Gearing up for 2 art shows
Here I am less than a month from a show, getting back in shape is the big thing. I have not done a show since March, boy oh boy. We do a 2 day show in Cullowhee NC our second year there. We will come home from that show and take on the ten day show in Gatlinburg, TN. this is a laid-backed show with local artists and craftspeople. Lots of great one of a kind pieces. Very talented locals and few traveling pros. If you are in Gatlinburg on vacation, be sure to check this a/c fair (Gatlinburg Craftsmen Fair) out and take home something nice for yourself. I am working on NEW Original Art Bookmarks. They are laminated and have really turned out great. New original oils and Giclee' s. I will also have for sale at this show. Still working on Otter Woman, need to finish her and start on something new.
See image of one at the right.
Posted by Kay Murphy-Wallace at 8:36 PM No comments: Links to this post
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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Time Fer "Stand In The Fire" Ta DIAF?
Say yer me RL Avatar, and yer elbows deep in the "Why fer do the comfort index of everybodies on this bus be in the proper -10 ta +10 range, except that one muggerducker in the fourth row what be reportin' -1624? Is it a bug in the C++ server code or the Java client code? Or the FORTRAN internal simulation? Or mebbe one of the data hand-offs be flawed? FML" boss, when suddenlies a circle of blazing infernal fire centered on him appears. Is fair ta expects what about 98.7% of his nervous system will be tellin' him "GETOUTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!!!!!!!!!!", give er take. But Blizz cain't tap inta our nervous systems, so they tries fer ta give some hints like a circle of graphical effect in our area, and mebbe a debuff icon what looks like diseased robot walrus er sumthin' off in the corner, and yer health bar starts droppin' (unless it already were droppin' due ta sumthin' else, or unless it's one of them fires what does nuthin' until it instakills ya). Relatively speakin's, is kinda subtle-like.
Now, that graphical effect seems ta be sumthin' what Blizz picks outta a hat. Sometimes, is a perfect black disk about waist high, like a backyard swimmin' pool of death. Totally fake lookin' but hard fer ta miss. In the early days of Obsidium Sanctum, were a red swirly thing on red ground, damn near invisibles (laters, they changed it ta blue swirlies). Sometimes it look exactlies like the spell other buggers in yer party is castin' - is I in the good fire, the bad fire, or both? Has ya raided in Firelands? We runs a computer with a pretty decent graphics card; has enough power fer ta manage 40-50 frames per second durin' a raid with max settings. But Kinnavieve found what she had a lot easier time spottin' buggers like Aly's druid friends if'n she turned the settings down ta Medium or lower, 'cause otherwise were so many spell effects and fire sceneries and what has yous what the screen overloaded. Course, when she done did that, made it harder fer ta spot bad things what she needed ta get out of, Like Lord Ham On Ryolith's lava flows. So instead she done relied on DBM hollerin' "Run away little girl!" and "Beware!" Which worked fine, but kinda defeats the point of paintin' fire on the screen.
Which is where I gets ta me point, at last. Has we done reached the point where drawin' special effects on a screen alreadies loaded with special effects is no longer a good way fer ta convey a sense of "the flesh is bein' seared off of yer feet"? Is the difference between "idiot raider" and "skilled raider" sometimes nuthin' more than havin' the right add-on? Is it time fer ta junk the whole mechanic fer sumthin' different?
I's all in favor of keepin' buggers on they's toes, of not lettin' them phone they's performance in whiles watchin' the telly. But I's thinkin' that the spell-effect visual cue done been stretched beyond what makes sense. Is time fer ta have different hints, or different systems. But I's just a simple orc, runnin' off me own limited experience. What you buggers think?
9 comments:
- Steve Hall said...
For an orc, you're pretty damn smart. Related to that warrior-turned-shammie dude, by chance?
Anyway...I don't mind the spell effect, but it needs to be consistent: Fire always looks the same, acid always looks the same, black void of you're-about-to-die-muahahahah always looks the same.
I hate to admit to how many times I've moved my Enhancement Shaman away from the boss due to DnD! For that one, especially, just a ring would be sufficient: No need to paint a 10 yard circle with such a deep red that it obscures every other effect going on.
So yeah, I kind of agree: There needs to be some kind of rational order out of all that chaos.
- December 6, 2011 at 9:10 AM
- shoryl said...
I agree that things need to be consistent. I don't know how often I've run away from a boss because of hunter traps I don't recognize immediately, or been momentarily frightened by the glowing ball falling from the sky (is that a mage or 'lock spell, anyway?) because that's scary when you're doing your fireland dailies...
- December 6, 2011 at 9:22 AM
SO MANY PEOPLE run out of my Efflorescence groundfire and then just stand next to it with their health bar in tatters...
- December 6, 2011 at 9:28 AM
- Grimmtooth said...
Early on in Firelands, I kept dying on Shannox because of the fire trap thingy he does. It wasn't an addon or graphic setting that was killing me; I simply had to zoom in in order to see the traps at my feet. Later, well, yeah, I grabbed an addon to help.
In general, though, I don't mind the road-hazard thing so much as long as it isn't gimmicky. Gimmicks really annoy me.
- December 6, 2011 at 9:34 AM
- WWadeII said...
I recall having people run away from my Priest 4-pc bonus at first because they thought it was some fire ball on the ground. While it didn't change the fact it is a smart heal and will shoot little fireballs at a distance, it did cause a tank or melee to occasionally run away or turn the boss until we go used to the spell effect.
- December 6, 2011 at 11:26 AM
The one I notice the most is, of course, the hunter's explosive trap. While I think the recent graphic upgrade is cool, it is now so fiery that it obscures everything below it. And, even though I stand in the back with the robe-wearing types, I could certainly understand how those of you that like to get up close and personal to the baddies could be confused. It would seem to me that if the bad stuff were graphically real fiery or shadowy or natural damagey looking, it would make more sense, but there ya have it.
- December 6, 2011 at 1:19 PM
- Melfina said...
GTFO. Greatest addon ever. Loud sound every time you stand in something that is owie. Makes it much more intuitive once you get used to it.
And I still run from my own fire priest 4 piece. Sheesh
- December 6, 2011 at 8:31 PM
Always thought there were too many graphics flying around, especially in 25s. The minimalist in me wants spell effects that aren't my own or the bad guys' to be a simple ring: blue for damage done by allies (i.e. blizzard, mind sear, etc, so you know to tank things in there) and green for healing done by allies (i.e. efflorescence).
- December 7, 2011 at 1:18 AM
- Faeldray said...
You know how Ricket's Magnetic Fireball called giant meteors down from the sky? My tank was relieved when I finally got rid of it on my hunter because he would always think they were coming from the boss we'd be fighting. He has the same issue with that warlock AoE, the one that makes a black circle on the ground. It makes him twitchy.
On another note, I think they should change every enemy ground effect to the Pokeball shape like the one the trash in Ulduar dropped. Everyone seems to be able to identify them really easily.
- December 8, 2011 at 3:53 PM

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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Fat assed WV hillbillies make the national news again!!
All ya gotta do is cruise a grocery store in any WV town to understand all of this. . . a bunch of grossly overweight ignorant buffoons loading up on hi-carb, low protein crap food. It really is sickening to see sometimes. And no, it's not like that every place, as these statistics show.
"a chronically diseased population." Nice.
Education is the key to all our problems. . . if they could only read the labels.
Have another Little Debbie cake, smoke another pack of cheap cigarettes, stick another chew in yer pie hole and pour another case of rock-gut beer down your throat.
Getting enough sleep? They aren't in West Virginia
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer – 56 mins ago
ATLANTA – Sleepless in Seattle? Hardly. West Virginia is where people are really staying awake, according to the first government study to monitor state-by-state differences in sleeplessness.
West Virginians' lack of sleep was about double the national rate, perhaps a side effect of health problems such as obesity, experts said. . . .
But experts noted several possible explanations: West Virginia ranks at or near the bottom of the nation in several important measurements of health, including obesity, smoking, heart disease and the proportion of adults with disabilities. Studies have increasingly found sleeping problems in people with certain health problems, including obesity.
"You would expect to see poorer sleep within a chronically diseased population," noted Darrel Drobnich of the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy and research organization.
3 comments:
- MacDaddy said...
Sagacious: I may be exaggerating here. But everytime I read ANYTHING about people from Virginia, especially West Virginia, it's negative. It's as if people are walking around looking for something negative. You can go almost any city, ghetto, or barrio in American and find over weight people chomping down on a big Mac, fries and eating potato chips on the way home. Why single out West Virginians? I don't get it.
- October 30, 2009 at 8:47 AM
- Stimpson said...
I think one reason WV gets so much negative media attention is just that the dumb (as opposed to sagacious) hillbilly is such an easily used stereotype. Out of sheer laziness news media report the negative and ignore the positive. And I'm sure there are positives to the place that gave the world Jennifer Garner and Morgan Spurlock.
Switching gear a little, though, we are seeing the bad side to a sort of "fat pride" thing that I've noticed. You know -- I'm talking about the people who say they're fat and proud of it, and the thin should stop being so negative about the plus-sized who are *always* resplendently "big and beautiful". Well, no one should suffer crippling shame, of course, but everyone should acknowledge the negative consequences to being overweight or, especially, obese. Getting everyone to admit that obesity is always a bad thing would be a good start.
- October 30, 2009 at 3:39 PM
- SagaciousHillbilly said...
Consider this: When was the last time someone reported on something positive about New Jersey or Iowa?
WV is the poorest, the fatest, the most exploited, the least educated, highest unemployed, most corrupt gov't. etc., etc. It's naturally going to be a target.
Sadly, the people of WV don't seem to give a damn that they work for slave wages, don't reap the benefits of the vast local resources that are hauled out on rail and hiway and the officials they electturn a blind eye to it all. It's really pitiful how they promise change every two years and then deliver nothing, but keep getting elected. Meanwhile, WVians whine about how badly they're treated in the national press and claim the role of innocent victim.
Maybe if they'd get off their fat asses and demand change and do something to bring it about, things would change and people on the putside would regard us in a different light. But no, they flock to Massey Coal picnics and concerts featuring rednecked racist country acts and slap "Friends of Coal" and Massey stickers all over their cars and swear coal is keeping WV afloat when the only thing it's keeping in WV is their thumb down on the people who live and work in the hills.
Keep em stupid, uneducated and brainwashed and they'll go along with anything.
Welcome to WV.
- October 30, 2009 at 10:35 PM


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A lot of new music is disappointingly derivative, formulaic and unoriginal. In the quest to become tomorrow's blog hype, many musicians forgo individuality, experimentation and expression to pursue the latest musical craze. RocketNumberNine, however, do not. Having collaborated with FourTet, supported Radiohead, and soon to become Neneh Cherry's new backing band, brothers Tom and Benjamin Page have, for the past eight years, been perfecting their own brand of powerful live dance music.
"Rotunda," from their forthcoming debut album, is raw and organic, with tribal rhythms and modern electronics combining for a track that feels both timeless and futuristic. RocketNumberNine's debut album MeYouWeYou will be released May 21, whilst their collaborative 12″ with Four Tet ("Roseland"/"Metropolis") is out on his Text label now.
Listen to the premiere of "Rotunda" below.


text:
There are a lot of writing things I want to do this year. At one point, I started making a list of all I wanted to work on, but I stopped when I hit thirty. Many of those projects are short stories I want to finish or polish up and submit, but here is a list of some of the bigger projects I want to work on this year.
Finish None of Them Knew the Color of the Sky. This is a novel I've been working on for several years now. It's set a few centuries after a nuclear war, and some time ago I came up with this one sentence description of it: "Will a treasure from the past be enough to unite the survivors of a nuclear war; or, are arrogance, mistrust, and hatred too akin to cockroaches?" The book contains four parts, and I had finished the first two a couple of years ago. Last year, I set out to write a chapter a week to finish it. I had to set that aside after eight chapters to work on the two short story anthologies I self-published last year, The All-You-Can-Read Buffet and Political Pies. This year, I have again set out to write a chapter a week with the hope of finally finishing it.
Self-publish The Uncapped Pen. This will be my fourth short story anthology and will contain stories about writing. Basically, all my stories about writers with too many ideas and unhelpful muses will be in it.
Self-publish "Amongst Us and other stories." Late last year I put out a five, scifi story minianthology on Kindle, "Brain for Rent and other stories." This will be the same idea and the stories will all have the theme of aliens on Earth.
Self-publish "The Future is Coming." A couple of years ago, I started writing a blog series about science fiction elements I believe will – in the not too distant future – become science fact. The goal was to write up these blogs because I found them interesting, but also to get people to start thinking about the future. I only wrote one blog, but I had ideas for others. I've revised that one and am working on writing nine more short essays on how these "scifi" things will effect the world. I'm thinking of then putting the book out for free to hopefully get some traffic to my other books.
Self-publish one, or both of my haiku projects. I'm working on two collections of haiku. The first one is Stephen L. Thompson/A collection of haiku/One hundred total. My plan is to put out 100 haiku for $0.99. The other haiku project started with the realization that there was a guy named Nostradamus who wrote bad poetry and people are still talking about him centuries after his death. I figured, I can write bad poetry, and so I'm working a collection tentatively titled Dubiously Prophetic Haiku. I'm thinking of putting that one out for free as well to hopefully get some attention, and for fun.


text:
very hot today. i swore a lot
morning was the pccw interview. 5 people interviewed me, one from training, one from hr, and the others from different departments. i think i suck, no chance to get the offer. everyone are asked with their ability of putonghua but not me. i said too much technical but which should be not good. my introduction in english was poor. replys to hr was also bad.
then went back to school's clinic to get the sick leave proof. but the damned doctor didn't give me saying that my body temperature is not high enough!!! waste $13 on her. shit.
lunch with steve and carmen in an italian restaurant in festival walk. steve said somethings about school including tvb news, future projects, and stuff about professors. thx him for the lunch
after that, another interview at kowloon bay, new world pcs. very fast interview but seems to have a 2nd one because she has asked me any more interview in this period which is a sign of further interviewing / giving an offer
finally got a sick leave proof using $150...


text:
She stood staring at the sky and with one deep breath the arctic air slashed the back of her windpipe.
She had almost to close her eyes to see their forms in the upper field as the sun seared the earth.
The wild geese had been there for days, nestled in the higher ground, feeding from the tilled soil and waiting – just waiting.
Every year they came and every year their presence caused a stirring in her heart. She felt right again. She felt needed.
She painted pictures of them as they fed in the field, she sketched their flight and sometimes she just smiled. She listened to their cries and more than once she was sure they called her name.
The geese swept in formation over her house and bestowed upon her a victory wave as she lay in bed, grasping her bed cover whilst looking from her window.
On the morning that she never woke again, the geese prepared themselves to take to the skies; to head home and to carry another soul to that resting place in the far, far north.
They had got what they had come for.
Happy Birthday Sheila x
bobby stevenson 2012


text:
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Imagine photos showing problems with certain cartridges
Below is an example of how the cartridges SHOULD be and AS THEY ARE REPRESENTED TO BE. The background of the bird is one of the coordinating paper colors from the Imagine More cartridge. It's a lovely and perfect match.
Posted by karen at 9:52 AM 4 comments:
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|15 Oct 2012
This is still not solved....
Win7 64-bit. Outlook 2010 32-bit. Everything fully updated.
Just the other day, suddenly I could not open the outlook 2010 screen anymore.
That is: outlook starts, it can hear it does sync e-mail and it gives me calendar notices, but it just doesnt open the screen to do anything.
Followed all suggestions put forward on different sites, just as TorbjornK did.
I also used OfficeIns to disable all outlook related office add-ins.
Nothing works though.
Only thing that does make it open the screen is: start with: outlook /safe. But that is a limited environment. What is causing this?
Any other suggestions other than reinstall Win7, which I totally dont intend to do?
|My System Specs
|15 Oct 2012
Have you tried the Inbox Repair Tool?
Repair Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost) - Outlook - Office.com
|My System Specs
|17 Oct 2012
Thanks for the suggestion, Irene.
The problem doesnt seem to be that I cannot open a data file.
I removed all but one. And that didnt change a thing.
And when I start outlook with 'outlook /safe', so in safe mode, I can work with all data files and I have with no problem with them or the window at all.
But as said, safe mode is limited in functionality and in safe mode all add-ins will not work, nor will a number setting changes be remembered after exiting outlook. Also some registry settings will not be loaded at the start: e.g. I use the ForcePSTPath setting in the registry; in safe mode outlook doesnt seem to input that parameter from the registry, so I need to do a lot of clicking to add data files from my alternate data folder location. But once done, these data files work fine in safe mode.
Which raises my suspicion that the issue I have may be caused by a registry problem. I did clean the registry with ccleaner to see if that would be a medicine, but no it was not what the docter ordered. I did also try to delete my profile in the registry. But that didnt change a thing, except that I had to rebuild my profile from scratch and reconnect all my data files: a nice wasted hour of my time . (would there be a way to backup a profile from outlook without backing up the whole registry?)
|My System Specs
|17 Oct 2012
Perhaps this will help:
Backup Outlook settings | MSOutlook.info
|My System Specs
|17 Oct 2012
OK, nice tool to backup profile (and lots more). Though not freeware and not willing to put in the $$ for this.
Found a posting around a workable profile backup/restore on sevenforums:
How to backup Outlook profiles
That works great .
So with this its more comfortable to test removing accounts and datafiles. So removed all accounts but one and all data files. Created a new default data file and connected that to my account.
Also experimented deleting Outlook connectors under 'Programs and Features' in Control Panel.
But all to no avail: it didnt make any difference: I just dont get an Outlook window.
Nor is there an error msg or something else to understand what's going on.
Checked the event viewer, but no error/warning events logged by outlook.
Only starting in safe mode works. Very annoying.
|My System Specs
|18 Oct 2012
Here is a free one:
Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 Backup
Also, I wondered if this post by Capt.Jack Sparrow might help the original problem:
Outlook 2010 Won't Open
|My System Specs
|18 Oct 2012
Yes, tried that. Tried all the things suggested in this thread of the forum.
Though to no avail.
|My System Specs
|10 Apr 2015
I have Outlook 2010 32 bit running on a Windows 7 64 bit machine. Outlook 2010 stopped opening the other day. I click on the icon to initiate and it goes through its normal start up process but the window will not display. I get an icon that sits on the tool bar and if I right click I can open and perform all other tasks such as create new email, appt etc. There are no error messages. I am able to start it in safe mode. I have tried the resetnavpane, uninstall and reinstall and regedit to delete the profiles as seen in other posts. Nothing has worked so far. Any suggestions?
I know this is an old thread, but I have exactly the same problem. Did anyone ever find a solution for this?
|My System Specs
|11 Apr 2015
The only comfort I can offer is that at some point in the past (about a half year after my resultless efforts) suddenly I got rid of this issue... without a conscious effort from my side.
So I cannot offer a single clue of what made it go away and how to get that done.
Maybe it was a certain MS update, maybe this update affected the issue because of the things I already did... Probably.
So try every trick offered here and elsewhere. And after that: be patient, it may resolve itself.
Windows 10 may be your solution in the end
|My System Specs
|11 Apr 2015
Thanks for your reply! I did find a trick that worked for me, so luckily I didn't have to wait half a year .
For anybody else who might stumble upon this thread, this resolved the issue for me:
1. Right click on the Shortcut you use to launch Outlook 2010 and choose Properties.
2. On the Shortcut tab next to Run, change it from Normal window, to Maximized.
3. Click OK.
4. Launch Outlook normally using the shortcut you just edited. (If you edited the Start menu shortcut use ONLY it)
In my case Outlook launched fine, but maximized. Clicking the Restore button would send it irretrievably back to the Taskbar forcing me to force close.
5. With Outlook open and Maximized, right click in the Taskbar and choose Cascade Windows. Presto!
Now I could minimize, restore, maximize, restore all day long without trouble.
6. Final step is to right click on the previously edited Shortcut and change Run back to "Normal window".
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text:
The following items were taken from police reports.
Downers Grove
• A 54-year-old Lisle man was arrested for speeding and possession of cannabis June 10.
• Someone set fire to a paper lawn bag in the driveway of a residence at the 800 block of 61st Street on June 10. Someone then vandalized a front door and slashed a tire at two homes on the 6100 block of Washington Street.


text:
Another thing I'm trying to "train" myself to do as new life enters the second month is to allow for an occasional night or *gasp* full day OFF. Imagine that. I honestly can't remember the last time I took a full, complete day off from all things "work" related. Nothing about writing books or corresponding with readers feels like "work" to me, so that's part of the so-called problem. I like my work. Thus, it doesn't feel like work to me. Not a bad problem to have, all things considered!
Back from their honeymoon, Senator Nick Cappuano and D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland are ready for some normalcy after the whirlwind of their wedding, but someone has other plans for them. When Sam discovers wedding cards containing thinly veiled death threats, she's not sure if she or Nick is the target.
Already on edge, Sam and her team start investigating a series of baffling murders. The victims are well-liked with no known enemies, and the murders are carried out in a clean and efficient manner. Unable to find a clear motive for the deaths, she feels like she's chasing her tail.
With no obvious connection between the victims, Sam soon suspects that she may be the ultimate prize in the killer's clever game. When the danger starts to hit a little too close to home, she has two goals: find the elusive murderer and manage to live long enough to enjoy her happily ever after.
If you haven't yet pre-ordered a copy, you can get it here:
Also, if you haven't yet joined the Fatal Series groups, we're having a lot of fun chatting about the earlier books as we prepare for the launch of book 4. Find the groups here:
After you've read the new book, you can join the Fatal Flaw Reader's Group to dish with other readers. Just don't join until AFTER you read so we don't have to worry about spoilers.
Thanks to all of you for reading my books. You'll never know how much I appreciate you!
Have a great day!


text:
Full title: The Festival of Insignificance
Milan Kundera is 86 years old this year. Before publishing The Festival of Insignificance he hadn't published a single book in 13 years. The communist realities he used to write about have turned into memories so distant you can't even scare kids with them anymore.
Author: Milan Kundera, translated by Linda Asher
Between 0 and 1: Zero (i.e. borrowed from local library)
Genre: Novel
Attributes: 115 pages, hardcover
Publisher: Harper (2015)
Attributes: 115 pages, hardcover
Publisher: Harper (2015)
One may or may not ignore these facts. If one doesn't, one is likely to go on reading this novel so as to enjoy it. If one does, though, one will certainly make the mistake of expecting to find in it the Kundera of a few years back, when he was writing book after book with ease, and most importantly, when what he was writing about mattered to the world.
The first and most important impression I had from reading The Festival of Insignificance was that Kundera wrote it being aware that all of the above were problematic things. And he wrote so as to lay some traps. But traps that have gone, with the occasional exception, largely unnoticed.
The novel is about four friends who get together at a party thrown by a fifth man, who doesn't quite sit well in their company but who offers them the right pretext for their meeting. In counterbalance, the novel also follows an episode involving Stalin, Khrushchev, and Kalinin. Present and past, France and the Soviet Union, friendship and comradeship, freedom and tyranny – these are trademark things in Kundera literature.
But it's the question of insignificance that makes the book what it is, from title onward. Stalin lost in the usual (for Kundera) game of memory and forgetting, the queens of France immortalized as statues barely acknowledged in the Luxembourg Gardens; references to Hegel and Kant that lead nowhere; a party that doesn't acquire anything of note. All these episodes and images form a collection of insignificant things. But this is not the insignificance of daily life, where a lot gets lost in a sea of small significances. On the contrary, we're in the territory of historical insignificance, where things, when put in perspective, are likely to mean little. That's why, perhaps, the most important episode of the novel is the party thrown by a man who pretends he's about to die of cancer. His lie is in itself a question of individual significance. His party, a question of social insignificance. That party is placed against another one, in which Stalin tells an anecdote about some partridges he shot when he was young. This one is even closer to the essential questions regarding significance: when the world was a mess, with the Stalinist regime at a peak, what his acolytes find important is the truthfulness of his anecdote; not reality (the history before their eyes) but fiction (a reality from an uncertain, highly insignificant past). Stalin tells his acolytes how one day in his youth, when out hunting, he saw twenty four partridges perched on a tree. He aimed to shoot but realized he had only twelve bullets. So when he shot, only half of the partridges fell to the ground. He rode back home and came back a few hours later with twelve more rounds, and shot the rest of the birds. His attendants listen to the story and, in the spirit of the Stalinist cult, fake admiration. But when they're alone, in the toilets built especially for them in the Kremlin, they express their outrage. They are enraged by the story. They find it ridiculous as well as cruel. But all things considered, nobody sees the joke in Stalin's anecdote. And as Kundera suggests through his novel, one requires historical perspective to be able to see the obvious. It's only years later, in Paris, when the four friends discuss the Stalin episode, that the essence surfaces:
"After a pause, Caliban says: 'The one thing I find unbelievable in that whole story is that nobody understood that Stalin was joking.'
'Of course not,' said Charles, and he laid the book back on the table. 'Because nobody around him any longer knew what a joke is. And in my view, that's the beginning of a whole new period in history.'"
The period Charles is talking about is later described as "the twilight of joking," or better still, "the post-joke age."
One needs to read this time-after-the-joke knowing Kundera, because with this book he makes statements about himself. These statements are hidden. They need to be found if one wants to read the book adequately.
The insistence throughout the novel on the fact that the new generations don't know who Stalin was, that they've never heard of Kant or Hegel – all this is self-referential. Behind these suggestions lies the actual question: have you heard of Milan Kundera? It's like a little piece of bait thrown to the critics. Is it not?
"Time moves on. Because of time, first we're alive – which is to say: indicted and convicted. Then we die, and for a few more years we live on in the people who knew us, but very soon there's another change; the dead become the old dead, no one remembers them any longer and they vanish into the void; only a few of them, very, very rare ones, leave their names behind in people's memories, but, lacking any authentic witness now, any actual recollection, they become marionettes."
I'm not sure that the critics have seen this. When I first read the passage, as though it were about Stalin, I thought: okay, this must be Kundera being nostalgic (at the end of the day he started his career as an enthusiastic supporter of the communist cause). But reading it again I changed my mind. This is not about Stalin. This is about Kundera himself. Read it again through this filter and you'll see.
|Milan Kundera. Source: RTE
Some reviewers have expressed their discontent. They didn't like the style of the novel, they didn't like its lack of newness. But at the same time they didn't see the joke: Kundera putting himself into the book, one character among the others (not only among the French friends in contemporary Paris, but also as a participant at the Soviet meetings, back in the Stalinist era). As the center of a joke, he becomes the center of the very age when the right allusion (the essence of a punch line) is no longer at hand; when the joke itself needs to be dug out of history, dusted, polished, and told again.
There are other clues in the novel that point in the same direction. One of them is the metanarrative element: the intervention of the narrative voice at random points in the story, and also the characters' awareness that they are mere characters, that there is a "master" (they use that word a couple of times!) who handles them as if they were marionettes (see above). All this is about Kundera himself, can't you see it? Arrows pointing back at him, as if in saying I'm here, it's me you're reading about. Precisely because he's used these techniques so many times before it becomes, once more, important to see that The Festival of Insignificance is mostly about something characteristic to his work, something about him.
I don't know why the reviewers avoid discussing these things. The narrative elements, the games played under the surface of the actual story, the references to things that are not there. Is that because they're stuck in the insignificance of Kundera's old age, the insignificance (in 2015) of his past, the insignificance, of course, of his present? Of the fact that this is, perhaps, his last book? And of the other, more significant thing: that maybe he wrote it knowing that this might be his last book? If such is the case then let's read The Festival of Insignificance again. Let's read it as if it were a book of ill laughter and of un-forgetting.


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astrology, horoscope, today's, daily, prediction, forecast, stars, Jacqueline Bigar, birthday, Tuesday, July 4, 2017, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: This year you open up to new ideas, which you probably will apply to at least one area of your life. Others enjoy your uniqueness and your ability to approach new situations with optimism. If you are single, be aware of a potential suitor's issues before you get too involved. Be open to dating until you are sure you want to commit. If you are attached, your relationship benefits from taking short trips away together. These special times cement your bond, so that you can endure more stressful periods in the future. SCORPIO loves to get together.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Just being yourself could be a source of tension today, as you are likely to do the unexpected and provoke others. You also demonstrate more caring and understanding toward a sibling or close friend. If throwing a celebration, invite a neighbour. Tonight: Let the party begin.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
You enjoy seeing your friends, but it appears as if someone else is in control of the plans. Whether you are going to someone's house for a party or just to the movies, you might want to change your agenda. Spend some quality time with a loved one. Tonight: Be docile and caring.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
You might want to keep a low profile. Generally, you prefer to be in the middle of what is happening. You'll likely be the one facilitating what is happening, whether it is flipping the burgers at a barbecue or pointing out that it's time to watch the fireworks. Tonight: All smiles.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
You'll be in the mood to let go of certain restrictions and inhibitions. If you stay centred, you'll have a reason to celebrate. A wish or desire of yours is about to become a reality. Reach out to someone at a distance and wish them a happy Fourth. Tonight: Follow the music.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Entertain from home to maximize this Fourth of July. Your celebration doesn't have to be a big party or barbecue, but it does have to have your caring touch. You know how to have fun and help others celebrate. Be more forthright in your dealings. Tonight: Be with the one you love.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Someone close to you has lots of imagination. You will enjoy meeting up with this person to celebrate this day. If you are fortunate enough to have a tight bond with this person, you could have a close-to-perfect day. Help a loved one relax. Tonight: Watch the fireworks display.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
You might be spending too much, but perhaps you're not ready to rein yourself in just yet. Think "long term," and cut costs where you can today. A tendency to overindulge in some way is likely to mark your Fourth of July celebrations. Tonight: Reach out to a close loved one.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
You will feel very good anywhere you go. Others seem to gravitate toward you. Make the most of the moment and your mood. People are likely to seek you out for some one-on-one conversations. News about someone at a distance might shock you. Tonight: The party goes on.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Sit back and let a loved one take control. You don't need to be at the centre of what is happening. Open up to new possibilities that might be presented. You need to relax more and allow others to run with the show. Tonight: A new friend expresses his or her admiration.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
You might have avoided a discussion with a loved one for quite a while, but that is no longer a possibility. Try to be good-natured and remain open to having this conversation. You could be a little confused by what you hear. Ask questions. Tonight: The only answer is "yes."
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
You might need to be more active or take the lead at a social event. You'll sense some confusion over a money matter. The solution is obvious to others, but not to you. As a result, you are likely to seek out more information and ask more questions. Tonight: A force to behold.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Follow your sixth sense, and you'll land well. A new approach and more happiness become possible. Be willing to take a trip to visit a friend, if not today then in the near future. Good vibes mark your interactions. Tonight: Be clear about what someone wants from you.
BORN TODAY: Former U.S. president Calvin Coolidge (1872), playwright Neil Simon (1927), actress Gloria Stewart (1910)


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Michael Sears' first novel, the best-seller BLACK FRIDAYS, a thriller with a financial twist, took the Shamus award and was short-listed for the Edgar and three other major awards. MORTAL BONDS, the critically-acclaimed second novel in the Jason Stafford series, won the Silver Falchion at Killer Nashville. Continuing the series, LONG WAY DOWN, was described as "one of the best thrillers of 2015." SAVING JASON is the fourth in the series (Putnam, February 2, 2016).
Until 2005, Mr. Sears was a Managing Director for two different Wall Street firms, where he worked in the bond market for twenty years and, earlier, in foreign exchange and derivatives. Prior to returning to Columbia University for his MBA, he was, for eight years, a professional actor appearing at the Shakespeare Theatre of Washington (Folger Theatre), Playwright's Theater of Washington, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, The Comedy Stage Co., and, in the course of a single year, every soap opera shot in New York City.
He is married to the artist, Barbara Segal and is the father of two handsome sons. Born in New York City, he lived for more than twenty years on Manhattan's Upper West Side and still misses it every day.
If you saw that teaser of a title and came looking for magical short-cuts, I am sorry but I will disappoint you. Are you already famous? If not famous, are you at least infamous? Are you a decent writer who just happens to be the heir to the estate of a recently deceased best-selling author? If you answered "YES" to any of those questions, then you have already discovered all the short-cuts that I know about. The only other method is a combination of perseverance, a thick skin, and a strong belief in your own ability. All that, and luck.
How did I get published? Well it seems like magic to me, but, of course, it wasn't and I am too much a hardened skeptic to believe in it anyway. After ten years as a professional actor and twenty years on Wall Street, I had the requisite thick skin and had absorbed the lessons of perseverance. And I believed that I could write.
After leaving Wall Street – for reasons financial, medical, and because I just needed a change – I gave myself the gift of a creative writing course. I did well enough that I took another. And another. I considered continuing and getting an MFA – I am a believer in higher education, though I acknowledge that it is far from necessary for success.
Then I was invited to join a workshop. Workshops have a bad reputation in some literary circles, the product of both prejudice and experience. There are many bad workshops out there and there are writers who are not suited to the format, no matter how good the group. The process worked for me, and it was a very good workshop. The year BLACK FRIDAYS came out, there were two other debuts from Jennifer Belle's workshop (ACCELERATED by Bronwen Hruska and TOO BRIGHT TO HEAR TOO LOUD TO SEE by Juliann Garey). Not bad.
The trials of finding an agent are well-known and I won't recount the horrors here. But I did find an agent – the right agent. That's key. There are a lot of agents out there and the ones who don't want to handle you and your work are not evil or misguided. (They may be, but that's not the point.) They're just not the right fit. Keep looking. I did a ton of research. I used my contacts. What worked? I targeted Nat Sobel, based on reading interviews with him in which he talked about what he looked for in an author. I thought that I fit the profile. Nat and his wife Judith Weber read unsolicited manuscripts and are always actively seeking new talent. And their current pool is awesome. Check out their website and see (sobelweber.com).
I sent off fifty pages and an email. The next day, Nat wrote back. "Send the rest." It was a magical moment for me, but it wasn't the result of magic. Perseverance, research, and good writing had much more to do with it.
Over a first lunch, Nat and Judith recommended some changes to the book. I liked their ideas and over the next month I added some bits, swapped the order of some scenes, and took out a scene that I loved. (I have since tried to fit it into two other books and I have come to realize – it just doesn't work. It's still a great scene, but it is not an absolutely necessary scene.) Finally, it was ready to go out to publishers in an auction for a two-book deal. (This was to encourage bidders who might have feared that this untried – and older – new author only had one book in him.) A deadline was set, the manuscripts went out, and I tried to think about something else – anything else.
A week or so before the deadline, Judith called. An editor was interested but wanted to talk with me before committing. Was I willing? Certainly. Fine, she said. I'll set it up. Then she told me who was going to interview me.
The list of Neil Nyren's mega-selling crime fiction writers reads like a Who's Who in Thrillers (think Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, John Sandford, and so on). And now I am one of Neil's authors. And all it took as perseverance, diligence, and some talent. Oh, yes, and quite a bit of luck. Maybe I do believe in magic.
Michael Sears' website is http://www.michaelsears.com
Saving Jason by Michael Sears. Penguin. 2016. ISBN 9780399166723 (hardcover). 368p.
This week, the publicist is giving away two copies of Sears' new novel, Saving Jason. Disgraced Wall Street trader Jason Stafford is forced to go into the witness protection program with his young autistic son. But, when his son disappears, Stafford has to risk everything to save him. If you would like to try to win a copy, email me at firstname.lastname@example.com. Your subject line should read "Win Saving Jason." Please include your name and mailing address. Entries from the U.S. only, please. The giveaway will end Thursday, March 3 at 6 PM CT.


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The only comment I really dislike is actually meant as a compliment - someone or some group will see me wandering through a park etc. with a FF Canon and biggish lens of some sort, say something like "you must be a good photographer; could you take my/our photo?" and hand me a smartphone or point-and-shoot which I haven't a clue how to use, which makes me feel like an idiot; the resulting photo is probably dreadful, but luckily I don't get to see it....
Quote from: Valvebounce on November 20, 2013, 08:08:19 PMYes but that will get you about as far as "no dear your bum looks big in everything!" "Does my bum look big in this?""yes, you have a big bum!"
Yes but that will get you about as far as "no dear your bum looks big in everything!"
Not a peeve or anything, but along the line "you look like a pro, take our photo"Just recently was on a mountain trip, and at this lookout point was a good place for some group shots with some friends. It was night time and even with the ambient light I naturally had to put the shutter speed down, go F/1.4 and ISO 3200, my 5DII can handle the image ok, but this couple that was also there wanted me to take their photo as well.And with the guys camera, a Rebel T4i with the kit lens, no way it would make a clear and exposed photo, and I knew it would struggle even at 3200 and I wouldn't go past that.But lucky how everyone's Canon around here, I just slapped my 35mm on his camera and got at least the extra 3-stops necessary to get a shot, and I've never met a more pleased couple of people for taking their photo. They kept telling me how I was an amazing pro and what not, felt pretty good Especially as I wasn't very inspired that day and the rest of the photos weren't great.Otherwise, I've gotten used to the "wow nice camera" part and just play along with agreeing that it's nice, and say what I like about it and what it can do, after all I do like my gear for what it can do
"You really got lucky"..... After scouting the location and showing up morning after morning waiting for the right lighting and clouds, I got lucky... All the preparation had nothing to do with it....
If you could take equally as good pictures with a cheaper camera, why wouldn't you use it?Doesn't the "it's the photographer" argument discredit the talented engineers who made the camera? It's certainly easier to use than it was to engineer. I certainly can't take the some photos with my iPhone I can with my 5D and 70-200; if you can, why don't you?
Some of the worst photography I've seen has been shot with the very best gear.


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"Not Voting Is Not An Option"
It is only natural that the party out of power in the White House for the past eight years will have a more natural interest in doing everything possible to win. So it is easy to see why there would be a great deal of enthusiasm for the party hoping to regain the White House. I say that in the abstract as there is no way any reasonable person could say the best interests of those out of power are best served with Donald Trump being the alternative come this November.
And conversely there is a bit of taking things for granted that keeps Democrats–most notably younger Democrats–from feeling a driving need to retake the Oval Office. Much has been written about millennials and their lackadaisical approach to this election. A number of recent polls have shown Clinton is not faring as well among young voters who are necessary to counter the GOP advantage with older voters–especially angry white males who think they are the new oppressed minority in the nation. It is amusing to see some of the young voters who clearly have little experience in politics talk about perhaps voting for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson or Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
Spitting into the wind is also an option.
I am not laughing about this matter–but for older folks the folly of throwing a vote away is clear to see and understand. However, the reason to take these younger voters into account and work them to the election booth is that the alternative candidates, who garnered just 1.5 percent of the vote when their names were on the ballot four years ago, may be pulling from Clinton if the polls at this time are correct.
Lets recall that Obama captured 60% of the under 30 vote in 2012, compared to just 37% for Mitt Romney. There is simply no reason to not expect that young voters in 2016–given the totally repulsive and unacceptable nature of Trump–should not be brought into the Clinton camp. At the end of the election I believe most of them will come around to the fact there is no real alternative.
One great continuing reason to hold out hope for this happening is due to what still is termed the "Stewart effect" where young people often tell pollsters they get their news from late night talk shows. This week Stephen Colbert took the gloves off and smacked Donald Trump harder then ever.
I clearly prefer responsible, traditional journalism but too often young voters turn to talk show personalities using the guise of humor to deliver the news. Most are partisan, but for the youth who don't watch the 6 or 10 o'clock news, don't watch the nightly news programs, AND definitely don't read newspapers this Is their source! With these types of outreach for their vote I am confident that come November college campuses and the youth vote will come home to the party.
At the end of this election cycle it should be clear to all–especially the younger voters–that "Not Voting Is Not An Option". They have too many years ahead of them and too many reasons to vote for experience and proven results to just throw their vote away.
purplepenquin permalinkSeptember 27, 2016 3:06 PM
Voting outside of the TwoMajorParties is NOT the same as "not voting", and shame on you for pushing that false narrative. Not voting at all means that the person has basically given up on the entire system, while someone who casts a vote for a third/fourth party is saying they while they can't accept either of the two major candidates they still have some hope that things can get better down the line. And history has proven that "outside" political parties can have a major influence on policies and laws. Women's suffrage, child labor laws, 40-hour work week, and the passage as well as the repeal of Prohibition are came about in America as a direct result of alternative political parties….would hardly call that "spitting in the wind." Instead of looking down your nose on those folks who are seeking answers elsewhere, you should be thanking them for remaining committed to our democratic process rather than just giving up and staying home.
Would also like to add that the only vote that is "thrown away" is the one that a person has to hold their nose for while casting it…while I know you are proud to be voting for Clinton this election, a lot of progressives simply can't being themselves to waste their vote on a warmongering chickenhawk who used to belong on the board of WalMart and beleives that marijuana is more dangerous than cocaine. Those people are never gonna vote for someone like that (nor for someone like Trump) – so what would you have them do?


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Today it has snowed.
|Snow outside my study window
Now, living in the UK that shouldn't be news, snow is part of our regular weather pattern but it seems to excite us and whips up the media into some sort of frenzy about cold and the destruction of life as we know it. I switched on the television news to see a reporter on the streets of Canterbury.The reporter was pointing out the small scattering of snow that had settled on a grassy verge, you could tell it was grassy because you could see the grass. Then the camera turned to show the road which had many tyre marks in freezing slush. Traffic was flowing normally and safely, people were walking around as normal. The reporter was explaining that this was snow and when it froze it became icy and slippery, which was dangerous.
|Dangerous snow in Canterbury
This is a long lead up to what I was really going to say and perhaps the link is tenuous but my despairing thought about children's education is nothing to do with the quality of teachers, I have been one. It is more about the way that education systems have been played around with by Political Parties whose goal does not appear to be helping any one individual to blossom into a person who loves learning and discovery. Governmental leadership are more concerned with statistics and budgetary cuts. Education is not simply about sending children to school, it is something that children do, they learn because they are children and what they learn is dependent on the experiences around them. Children learn to read when there are books around them.
Now, here is the bit about other countries doing this well, better than the UK. In a city in the Philippines, Baguio City Library has developed an outreach programme with local elementary schools and day centres which lends books to children for up to three days in order to develop "the love of reading for lifelong learning". The city Mayor is supporting this project: the Baguio City Library Mobile Book Service because he is "a firm believer and promoter of the power of reading and education" to improve ones station in life.
Getting children involved and giving them the opportunity to have a say in running a bookshop is another way to stimulate their reading. In Michigan, USA, Warren Public Library has a strong supporters group, the Friends of Warren Public Library which runs a bookshop to raise funds for the library. They allow children to be full members of the group. For $1 a year the child receives 12 free books from the bookshop, 10% discount from books purchased and the right to attend the regular friends meetings and have a voice in the running of the bookshop. It is hoped that the children will remain as members, possibly running the bookshop in the future.
Finally, the City of Jember in East Java has problems with literacy. Indonesia is said to have low "Literate behaviour characteristics" according to the United Nations Development Program. This prompted the government to start Indonesia's Reading Movement in 2015. The government was not alone in trying to inspire literacy and reading because a retired teacher, Imran Suligi, has already set up a foundation called Indonesia Membaca in order to combat illiteracy. Imran set up a library, developed into a "Reading Park" which has been recognised officially by the Indonesian government. There he provides physical activities for children, followed by reading sessions. In the past he distributed books by motorbike. Imran's latest enterprise is to lend out Reading Corner packages; books, a bookshelf and a carpet, all free of charge.
I just wish that the UK government and all local authorities had the same desire to create the environment where children could learn freely. Investment and development at the beginning of a long life would prevent the need for expensive education programmes and suddenly statistics would show that the UK is a nation of readers. And everyone would know about snow and the slipperiness of ice.


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Welcome visiting Pitch Wars mentors to my Writer's Dojo!
Kick off your shoes and feel free to look around.
Inspired by Christopher Keelty & Phil Stamper's creative posts,
I give you my Pitch Wars Mentee bio.
I give you my Pitch Wars Mentee bio.
Due to the fact that there are four mentors, to whom I submitted my entry, here are four reasons you want to pick me as your Pitch Wars mentee:
1. I literally kick butt. I am a black belt and sensei in Isshin-ryu karate. Studying martial arts takes dedication, perseverance, spirit, and patience.
(In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm still working on the patience piece, but I've got dedication, perseverance, and spirit in spades!"
2. Fearless, Focused and Flexible In 2009, I competed in the Isshin-ryu World Championship Tournament. At the last second the judges had me perform with a staff bo that was longer and heavier than my bo. During my kata, a child ran through my ring as I was swinging the six foot long staff. I adjusted my swing, so I wouldn't hit the child, finished the kata, and left the tournament with two first place trophies.
(So we could add "I don't hit kids with sticks" to my pros list.
That's a definite plus!)
3. Time spent studying my target group in their natural habitat. I have several years of experience teaching eighth grade English. Teaching middle school is a full immersion program into the teenage culture. During my time as a teacher, I have observed the interactions of teenagers in the classroom, cafeteria, at their lockers, sporting events, dances, parent-teacher conferences, play practices, assemblies, and in restrooms (Let me clarify, that those observations took place only in the girls' bathrooms and only when the staff bathroom was occupied during my 2-minute break between classes.)
Chocolate letters of recommendations from my students
In addition, thanks to my 13-year-old son, I now have the pleasure of studying a teenager in his home habitat. All of these observations serve as rich, authentic fodder for my YA writing.
4. Team player Instead of describing my strengths in this category, as I have so humbly done in the categories above, I asked Anywar Ricky Richard to describe how I work with others. Ricky inspired the manuscript, FINDING OBENO, which I've entered in Pitch Wars. Here is what Ricky emailed in response to my request:
I have been working directly with Keely close to three years now on my personal life story as a child soldier and how I am using my freedom and personal story to heal others with the same experiences so that they can find their home.
I would personally describe Keely as an extra-ordinary gentle person, for she applies herself with absolute dedication to her writing, she is social and has strong analytical skills and hand on approach to her writing.
Keely has demonstrated high level of maturity and commitment towards her writing while working with me.
She has strong personal motivation, interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with people across all ranks and cultures. She has demonstrated strong writing skills and is very action oriented.
Keely always keeps time with her writing and is very cooperative, hard-working, very patience and kind.
I am enjoying working with her, especially her skills, experience and flexibility, being self-motivated, cooperative, highly sound minded with good proven integrity.
I strongly believe that Keely writing career is strong and she will be writing many books in the nearby future to come.
Anywar Ricky Richard, Founder of Friends of Orphans
As you can see, I work well with others and pour my heart and soul into our collaboration. It is also important to note, that according to Ricky, I am of very sound mind, which is good. You don't want to be working with a crazy mentee.
Okay, sometimes I can be a little nutty.
Thank you for visiting my blog and reading my mentee bio.
If it made you laugh and you are enthusiastic
about my Pitch Wars entry,
I would love to work with you.


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No. 20 MU Gets By Providence, 1-0
Oct. 19, 2013
Box Score (html) | Box Score (pdf)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Marquette University hung on to claim another three points with a 1-0 shutout Saturday at Providence in a classic BIG EAST Conference men's soccer match-up at Ray Treacy Track. MU freshman Louis Bennett II tallied the lone goal midway through the second half as the Golden Eagles won their fourth straight.
Ranked as high as No. 20 in this week's national polls, Marquette improved to 9-3-1 overall and remained at the top of the league table with an unscathed 5-0-0 mark on five one-goal victories.
Providence, which finished with an 18-10 advantage in the shot column, was caught off guard in the 73rd minute on a brilliant strike by Bennett II.
Senior left back Paul Dillon sent a long pass down the left touchline to MU teammate Kelmend Islami. Islami attacked from the left wing, but dumped the ball off to the rookie midfielder who curled a left-footed strike from 23 yards inside the far post.
"We had two better opportunities to score early in the match," said head coach Louis Bennett. "[Bennett II] knew what he was doing long before anyone else knew what he was doing. He saw the shot early, and he struck it as clean as I think he could strike it, and it was a thing of beauty watching it go into the back of the net."
The Friars (8-3-2, 3-2-0 BIG EAST) dropped out of the top-25 earlier this month after losing in similar fashion their last time at home in a 1-0 setback against Georgetown in which Providence out-shot the preseason league favorite Hoyas 14-7.
Providence pressured Marquette for most of the match Saturday, especially in the last 10 minutes of regulation. But the Golden Eagles -- behind the stellar play of goalkeeper Charlie Lyon and center backs Axel Sjoberg and Eric Pothast -- managed to walk away with the clean sheet.
It was Lyon's seventh clean sheet of the season, including fourth in BIG EAST play and second consecutive, after matching a season-high with seven saves.
"The intensity of Providence got more forceful as the game went on, and we had to match that." said Bennett. "The defensive line did a really good job and kept their composure. Charlie made three really good saves that, because he's such a good keeper, they might have looked easy, but they really weren't easy."
A save by Lyon in the 14th minute prevented Providence from getting on the board early on. MU's backline was also able to take away any prime scoring opportunities presented by the Friars in the first half, including three straight corner kicks by the home side in the 23rd minute.
MU also had some chances in the opening stanza, including those referenced by Bennett. Freshman Coco Navarro had a quality strike from 25 yards out that hit off the crossbar in the 26th minute. With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, C. Nortey missed a diving header on the near post on a cross by teammate Adam Lysak and Navarro was unable to get to the ball as it bounced across the box to the far post.
Coach Bennett used 17 players in Saturday's victory, the team's third straight win in the last three years at Providence, including Sebastian Jansson and Jake Taylor, who returned from injury after missing the last two fixtures.
With a five-point lead in the BIG EAST standings, the Golden Eagles head back to the East Coast for another test this Wednesday, Oct. 23, to face St. John's.
Marquette starters: Lyon (GK), Dillon, Holowaty, Sjoberg, Ciesiulka, Islami, Nortey, E. Pothast, Wahl, Bennett II, Navarro; Subs: Lysak, Parianos, Jansson, Hoover, Hermsen, Taylor
Watch the Tactical Highlights on YouTube.


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Rumsfeld accepts almost no blame for the mistakes in Iraq in his 800-page autobiography Known and Unknown, copies of which have been obtained and published in excerpt by the New York Times and the Washington Post. Instead, he fingers the US diplomat in charge of postwar Iraq, Paul Bremer, and criticises the former secretary of state, Colin Powell, and the former national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice.Yeah, it was all those known unknown unknown knowns that were the problem. And all those other guys. And the President and Vice President. And Senators and stuff. But Saddam is gone, so it's all good. Really. I just feel peachy about the whole thing.
800 pages of stuff I can get for free in any cow pasture. I enjoy books on politics- a surprise I wasn't expecting when I was younger- and frequently learn a lot from them. And, yes, that includes a number of books written from a conservative perspective, not just Michael Moore and Al Franken. But I won't be reading this one, I'm afraid.


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My News 13 | Amanda McKenzie
|Pulmonary fibrosis patient Debra Morgan, who loves dancing, danced the 'nae nae' to celebrate her recovery from a Jan. 30 double lung transplant. (Screen grab from Florida Hospital courtesy video)
A double lung transplant patient in Central Florida is getting a second chance at life.
Debra Morgan and her doctors are celebrating each new breath she can take with her new lungs.
Morgan suffered from pulmonary fibrosis and was dependent on an oxygen tank. She underwent a double lung transplant at Florida Hospital on Jan. 30.
On Friday, she was cleared to go home with her family. She said she will be forever grateful to the organ donor.
"I want to thank them so much and to let them know I'm going to do really good with this," Morgan said. "Me and my lungs have a greater calling. We don't know what it is yet. We want to do some good."
One thing she can check off her bucket list: dancing the "Nae Nae."
She said she can now enjoy her grandchildren without fear of running out of breath. She said she wouldn't be here without her medical team and their dance moves. Continue reading


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Part 2 of Thursday, July 28…Crossing South Dakota - Spearfish to Sioux Falls...crossing South Dakota in a single day. Continue reading →
6 years ago
"Allen: Says 'don't ruin our spectacular waterfront with the Ohio River Bridges Project.' He says that 'knowing what we know about the future of transportation,' building the downtown bridge is a terrible idea. 'Changing the plan would put Louisville on the map,' he said."Here's the rest of the THOROUGH coverage by John Lafollette: LINK
"You don't give private company complete control of entire city block..."He was referring, of course, to how the current administration, including the Metro Council, has allowed the Cordish development group to assert private control and a dress code, over Fourth Street Live. (Three of the Mayor-candidates present are also members of that Metro Council.)
"Businessman Tyler Allen, another Democrat, has been a leader of the group 8664, which advocates a surface-level parkway downtown to replace Interstate 64 and building one new Ohio River bridge — in eastern Jefferson County — and not a downtown span.
He told the forum that it's time for 'new perspectives' on problems and issues. He said he doesn't want unelected boards to make decisions on issues — such whether to use tolls to pay for new bridges — that affect everyone."
Dear Supporter,
It seems appropriate after this weekend's CJ story on the state audit of the city to talk to you about openness and transparency in our city government and community decisions. Now is a really important time for all our citizens to pitch in and help solve the problems facing our city. But, if people feel they can't trust how decisions are being made or how their tax money is being spent, then it's hard for them to feel engaged.
After so long with the same people running the show, it's understandable that folks would be disengaged and mistrustful (and yes, still undecided). Citizens want answers. Are city agencies tracking and spending tax dollars wisely? Why was a contract with Cordish approved that doesn't permit us to audit how they spend city money? How did income from the city-owned Slugger Field fund a downtown development agency without Metro Council approval? An unelected committee was allowed to choose an arena site that cost an extra $115 million? People are frustrated, as they should be.
And now we have an unelected tolling authority, lobbied for by our Mayor and rubber stamped by our Metro Council. This Tolling Authority has been given the power to impose what could be one of the largest tax increases in our history to pay for the obscenely expensive $2 billion, 23-lane wide Spaghetti Junction...just so we can finally build an East End Bridge. Enough is enough.
On my watch this won't be the way things work. We won't be lead by unelected committees designed to shield our elected leaders from responsibility. As your Mayor, I will step up and lead. I will put forth a vision and build a consensus to get things done. The buck will stop with me.
If this is the kind of leadership you've been waiting for, then I need your help to win this race. My track record of standing up to powerful interests is what distinguishes me from the field. Please join my team now.
"...In fact, so great is The Courier-Journal's disdain for any thoughtful opposition to this terrible plan that they effectively fucked up their own "interview" with Democratic mayoral primary candidate (and co-founder of 8664) Tyler Allen. Earlier this morning, Allen was subjected to a half-hour's worth of bridges-related questioning despite the fact that Allen could've probably talked about a lot of other things besides transportation, but whatever: The C-J was out for blood...."
"Democrat Tyler Allen said the city has underperformed on job attraction for many years leading up to the recession. He said the key is investing in transportation, housing and education, which all will make Louisville a more attractive city to businesses and create jobs.
'We need a city that is open, inviting and exciting for people with new ideas,' Allen said."
If @courierjournal's editorial board grilled Mayor Abramson, GLI, LMPD, etc. like it just did @tylerformayor this would be a better city. about 2 hours ago via web Retweeted by you and 4 others
On Allen's background: Ur not an outsider — @tylerformayor: I'm someone with great privilege who has been able to see other points of view. about 2 hours ago via web
Do u support student assignment plan? — @tylerformayor: There's a role for the mayor ... but I will let school board deal w/ it first. about 2 hours ago via web
As expected the @tylerformayor interview w/ @courierjournal's editorial board is getting argumentative about bridges project. about 2 hours ago via web Retweeted by you and 1 other
As expected the @tylerformayor interview w/ @courierjournal's editorial board is getting argumentative about bridges project. about 2 hours ago via web Retweeted by you and 1 other
Should bridge funding be put to a vote? — @tylerformayor: I think it's an appropriate thing ... I'm comfortable with that. Yes. about 2 hours ago via web
What power would you yield to bi-state authority? — @tylerformayor: I don't think they should be given charge to levy taxes (tolling). about 2 hours ago via web
On downtown bridge, shouldn't that decision be bi-state authority? — @tylerformayor: No it's not...need 2 have it called by council vote. about 3 hours ago via web
On experience and being first time candidate — @tylerformayor: I've been engaged with this community longer than any candidate in this race. about 3 hours ago via web
To the editorial board — @tylerformayor: I bring generational change ... and challenge powerful interests. about 3 hours ago via web
Who else knew @tylerformayor taught 4th grade in New Orleans in the early 90s? Uh-oh I can already hear it now. "Did he meet Lil Wayne?" smh about 3 hours ago via web
They're all nice, but @tylerformayor interview w/ @courierjournal's editorial board could be Ali v. Frazier — for nerds http://is.gd/5Re9A about 3 hours ago via web
"And that brings us to Tyler Allen.
Tyler is probably the class of this field on the Democratic side. Knowledgeable, forward thinking, and not part of the machine. Though he has been portrayed as a one trick pony by the Courier because of 8664 nothing can be further from the truth.
Check out his live show each week online and get involved with him. He is certainly the best choice in this Democratic field in my opinion."


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Archive for 2006
Pathetic cricket telecast by Sahara One and Doordarshan !
I was home today and was watching the 7th ODI between India and England. But Sahara One spoilt my mood by inserting commercials just about wherever they could. So much so that they even missed the winning shot to be shown live because they had a silly advertisement that they inserted during the telecast. Even Doordarshan who was showing a parallel feed were not far behind with the same number of commercials being shown there. It was so annoying and I felt that other channels like Ten sports and Star Sports are at least considerate in showing commercials. They do not irritate the life out of the the viewers. For the sake of the game of cricket and the cricket enthusiasts, the people responsible for giving rights for television feeds should keep a clause wherein commercials are shown but at an appropriate time and with a reasonable frequency. I have vowed not to buy Reliance products after being bombarded with Reliance mobile commercials every few minutes during the match.
Microsoft Codenames
I have always been fascinated by various Microsoft Product Codenames and what they mean to Microsoft as well as what they mean to the real world. Many codenames came and went and I thought I should compile a list and create it.. just for kicks. While looking up online, I came up with a list already made by someone. For those who are equally interested, here's where you can read up : http://www.dnjonline.com/articles/backend/codenames.asp
Also check a very helpful list which talks about the latest updates from Microsoft and the various upcoming products with their expected launch dates. This is at : http://www.dnjonline.com/articles/backend/listings/default.asp The good thing is that this is a single page where you have everything you need about Microsoft's updates and new versions.
Also check a very helpful list which talks about the latest updates from Microsoft and the various upcoming products with their expected launch dates. This is at : http://www.dnjonline.com/articles/backend/listings/default.asp The good thing is that this is a single page where you have everything you need about Microsoft's updates and new versions.
A meeting with the Shahenshah.
No I am not referring to my favourite filmstar... I am talking about the Steam Engine named Shahenshah which pulled a lot of crowds to the Western Railway stations for a glimpse yesterday. The Indian railways ran a Heritage Special train to mark its 51st Railway Week celebrations and the train was pulled by this very Steam Engine. The majestic Shahenshah was all decked up and it was a great moment for someone like me who got to see a running steam engine in real for the first time. The only other time I had seen steam engines was in a Railway junkyard in Africa where there were about 100 of them... all rusted.
The coal guzzler whistled its way into Borivali Station at 12:20pm and got a red carpet welcome and I bet it touched the hearts of the veteran engine drivers in command who were greeted with bouquets and roses with people stretching out to shake hands and ask for their autographs. I was lucky to get right ahead and click a few pictures of the engine and later waded my way through the crowds for a few pictures of the bogies and the engine drivers.
The Engine Crew were a lot enthusiastic and
waving away to the huge crowd that had gathered to see the train. I bet it must have reminded them of the old times when they used to whistle their way chugging away through the city and beyond. It was a day where they rightly deserved their respect and attention.. just like the Shahenshah and the bogies attached did.
And this is how the Heritage Special logo was painted on all bogies. Gothic Font and all.. Cool Stuff ! All these pictures were taken from my 1 Megapixel mobile cam. Sure they are quite clear and I think I am slowly getting better at clicking pictures. :-) I have many more but these are the best 4 that I thought which must make it to my blog.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Posted by Amol Vaidya
Tag : Uncategorized
Life in the fast lane
Who would have imagined travelling down an expressway at high speed, sitting at the back seat of a car and surfing the net, chatting on msn, writing a blog and doing a Google Earth lookup to see a satellite pic of the area where u currently are in. This would be called nothing short of silly or over ambitious a decade back. Thats what I am doing right now. I am travelling down the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway at 100kmph (good enough speed for this part of the world) and I am online and in touch with the world. Its fun. Actually I hadn't blogged in a while since I was busy preparing on quite a few things. So today I said to myself this would be a nice time to blog. With GPRS on the move its fun. But slow at times. With the RConnect PCMCIA card its even more fun because it's a lot faster. So I can afford to keep a host of internet based applications open at the same time. Whats more exciting is I needed WinZip on one of my VPC Images and guess what ? There I go online, get onto winzip.com and download the winzip application and install it. all at 100kmph.. oops.. at 15kbps :-p Cool aint it ?
Friday, March 24, 2006
Posted by Amol Vaidya
Tag : Microsoft
and time stood still
While we were all waiting for 2005 to rollover to 2006, the year 2005 decided to hang on... for a second longer of course. The Leap Second as it is officially known as delayed 2006 (or should I say held back 2005) by a second. A Leap Second is added to keep uniform timekeeping within 0.9 second of the Earth's rotational time, which can speed up or slow down because of many factors, including ocean tides. The first leap second was added on June 30, 1972, according to NIST, an arm of the U.S. Commerce Department.
There's more you can read up on this at :
There's more you can read up on this at :
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Posted by Amol Vaidya
Tag : Uncategorized