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Title: The Boundless
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Genre: Fantasy, Alternative History
A Quick Introduction: The Boundless is the greatest train in the world- hundreds of two-story cars bound for Victoria, British Columbia, from Halifax. When Will, first-class passenger and son of a railroad executive, gains possession of a key to a car containing priceless treasures, he finds himself target of a ruthless man from his past. To stay alive, Will joins a traveling circus, and attempts, with the help of the ringmaster and escape artist, to reach his father and warn him before it is too late. But, as they hurtle through the unknown, Will finds that even those helping him have ulterior motives, and that not only those on the train pose a threat.
Out of Ten: 6/10
Review at a Glance: An alright read, but it's characters, plot and world didn't meet my expectations.
Review: This book was alright, it just wasn't quite at the standard that I expected. It was fine, but it didn't capture me as some of Kenneth Oppel's other works did. I've read both The Silverwing trilogy, which I enjoyed and The Matt Cruse trilogy (Airborn, Skybreaker and Starclimber), which is one of my favourites, and this book just didn't work as well for me as either of them.
The world building was something of a weakness in this book, it was just somewhat unclear what exactly did and didn't happen in the world. The lack of structure made it somewhat difficult to fully invest in the story. The Sasquatches worked for me but everything else didn't seem to fit with the world up until then.
Another thing that made it challenging to cultivate any interest in the story was the characters. They just didn't make me feel anything- not even a vague sense of interest. There just wasn't anything about them that I liked about them. Nothing about them felt very real to me, not their interests, or, really, any of their choices.
This book is told from third person, in present tense, which is a perspective that I don't read much of (I'm not a huge fan of present tense narration). The perspective is generally limited to Will, the main character, and Brogan, his main adversary. They style of the storytelling distanced me from the characters.
All this said, I loved the idea of the Boundless itself. A giant train? Yes please. This is the tale of the Boundless's maiden voyage, so it was interesting to see the cracks that were already showing in the social structure on the train, and how the train was designed. It also acknowledged the darker sides of the building of the railroad- the treatment of the rail layers, especially immigrant workers, as well as the treatment of Native peoples in Canada's history. Seriously, anyone who thinks Canada has this super-nice history where people didn't get hurt should have a look at a residential school for starters. This country definitely has some dark blots in our history... but I digress.
Overall, I felt parts of the story had potential, but it didn't really bear fruit for me. In the end, it wasn't really for me, I don't think- it just didn't hit enough notes for me, personally, as a reader.


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5 Star Business Management has evolved into a company that focuses on helping coaches to be better managers of their business. We believe that the coaching industry is imperative to the growth of entrepreneurs. Coaches need the support in their business to help them give the highest level of service to their clients.
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subset: commoncrawl


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I'm drawn to the East for so many reasons. The soft and harsh beauty of the place, all of it heartbreaking. The gentleness and refinement of our guesthouse. The complexity of human geography out here. The stress on geography shouldn't be "geo." It should be "human." And the human equation means language. So there's no excuse. I just have to dig in and learn a bit of Tamil.
What a great language it is. Spoken on the street it sounds like bullets flying. The quick staccato of each sentence, a heated cadence of discourse and command from the mouths of smart, gentle people. I got the inspiration to ask my guesthouse staff to say a few words into my iPhone. I can practice that way.
A cool thing about the recordings is that I can press "edit" and see the patterns of sound. I captured a couple of things that I find interesting in the language, revealed by these patterns. First, the staccato sharpness. Can you see the first and third words, uhrtr (eight) and pahtr (ten) on either side of the soft ombudehr (nine)? Now if only I can remember them.
Another sound to the language is the very frequent, barely pronounced "r" sound at the end and elsewhere in so many words. It's a sort of swallowed "r," somewhere between a gurgle and a growl. You seem to have to swallow your tongue to achieve it. Here are the numbers "one, two, three." They sound to me like "ondr, undr, mondr." Notice how each one tapers off at the end of the word. I just think it's cool to capture images of these words. You can almost "read" them.
Here at our guesthouse it's almost always quiet. The ground crew go about their business day in and day out mostly making noise with their machinery. The well-oiled kitchen operation is the same. You hear pots and pans and sounds like grinding coconut but you barely hear a word. The front office staff, who are pretty much under constant assault working tirelessly for guests' comfort, operates far out of their own comfort zone in a world of demands, questions, and hurried negotiations. I think but I can't tell for sure that they appreciate our quieter, less rushed approach. And we've been here long enough that they can pretty well anticipate our modest requests.
But yesterday and today the Thavarajahs are in Colombo and the eruption of voices is marvelous. There's no fighting going on but you wouldn't know it. There is a pretty steady raising of voices, good natured but surprising in its occasional loudness, that's lasted most of the day. I bet it will clamp down the moment the owners drive up the front gate.
When the serving boys here learned I was trying to pick up Tamil they were shy at first, but then took great pleasure in recording their voices for me. We have to do much more. Then came the flood of phrases. I guess they think I can speak and I'm just fooling them by playing dumb. Or maybe it's just them trying to teach me. It's incredibly prodding and encouraging but almost completely useless. It's like they're talking to a baby brother, an intelligent looking toddler who might understand if only they spoke directly enough and loudly enough right in his face. I can only stare blankly because there's no explaining or even miming what they're trying to get across.
Finally there was the slightly older Ravi, whose voice is featured in many of my counting recordings. His diction is excellent and straightforward and his English is also slightly better than the boys'. He came to me the other day, apologetically. "Please don't upset you, sir," he started, after I had asked him to teach me how to say, "I have a question." "But I have a question. Hope you won't be angry." "Of course not," I stared at him with the widest most reassuring smile I could muster." "Why you want study Tamil, sir?"
Because I'm here.


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Parts: Head (Star Wars Bultar Swann - Legacy of the Jedi 3-pack), Body (RoC Scarlett), Shoulder Holster (RoC Hawk), Sword (RoC Scarlett), Backpack (RoC Gung-Ho).
Supplies: Super Sculpey, Paintbrushes, Testors paints and Testors Dull-Cote.
Reference: Screenshots from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Yep, another ridiculously simple custom. And still, I am very pleased with how this one turned out. I spotted the head sitting atop the shoulders of a female Jedi on one of my display shelves and immediately realized she'd make a perfect Jinx. No, I've never been a huge fan of Jinx, but the inspiration was there, so who am I to argue. The head needed a bit of Super Sculpey dropped inside to allow it to fit the figure's neck post a bit better. The skin tone also needed to be re-painted to match the figure. The shoulder holster was cut, trimmed and then glued back together to fit her shoulders better. Last but not least, she got a light application of Testors Dull-Cote.


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Nowadays we live such busy and crazy lives that we keep forgetting to take some time and take care of ourselves. There are so many things we have to do each and every day, there's school, there's work, there's taking care of our family and especially there are so many things to do regarding householding that it's really easy to understand why we seem to have less and less time to think about ourselves as well. But at the same time this is the main objective of this article: to remind you that if you neglect yourself it will not only affect you, but also the people that surround you and in the end your everyday activities. So, let's take a break from all the fuss and all the things you need to do and think about yourself. And what is the greatest way to relax and to let others or other things take care of you if not by having a nice and relaxing beauty session? Everybody knows and uses beauty care products and of the most famous are the beauty encounter products, of course.
The beauty encounter products are used by thousands of people all around the world and that can only be because of their quality. And we are not talking here only about women, of course. Men around the world uses beauty encounter products as well, and the truth is that they couldn't be more satisfied with their quality. The people that frequently use beauty encounter products are the people who are aware of the fact that a beautiful and healthy body is an indicator of a beautiful and healthy mind, and that's how you should feel, too. But these people are also another thing: they are the first ones who get to benefit from the amazing advantages offered by a beauty encounter coupon.
What is a beauty encounter coupon?, you are probably asking yourself while reading this article. Well, the beauty encounter coupon is this amazing thing the internet and online shopping brought us that offers you, the potential customer, an oportunity to buy beautorium products at a much lower price. In other words, the beauty encounter coupon is a discount coupon. You can find such thing on the internet, on websites offering a wide variety of discount coupons and even duty free services. And using a beauty encounter coupon when you are looking for this type of products is definitely something you shouldn't forget to do. The discounts offered are really amazing, and they can be for certain products or for all of them. Besides advantages such as free shipping gift, imagine that by means of a beauty encounter coupon you can get discounts up to 70 % off! How great is that?
Another great thing about beauty encounter is that you don't have to worry about not finding the right products for you because there are thousands of brands and products available out there, so you really have from where to choose. Further more, the beauty encouter products are being permanently updated and their number keeps growing and growing, making it easier for us to get satisfied and to find what we need in a very short amount of time. Given the above mentioned, there is absolutely no reason in this world why you shouldn't look for a beauty encounter coupon on the internet right now. Online shopping will be so much fun and you will easily realize that you can now afford more products than you could even imagine with the beauty encounter coupon.


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View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of GDC Next sessions by pass type, track, format and day. With GDC Next Session Scheduler, you can build your schedule in advance and access it during the show via export or with the GDC Next Mobile App. Sessions do fill up, so please arrive early to sessions that you would like to attend.
Register now for GDC Next 2014!
Please note: Registration accounts are separate from Session Scheduler. Even if you've registered, please create a Session Scheduler account below.
Can the game industry transcend its perception as a hit-driven business? Very few titles can reach the blockbuster status of Clash of Clans or Candy Crush. Even blockbusters like those struggle to remain profitable after their initial burst of popularity. The challenge is even greater for smaller hits that can't consistently earn enough through IAP. This talk will analyze the problem and propose long-term solutions for game developers who want more value from the great games they've worked so hard to create.
Attendees will learn the hard reality behind megahits and the difficulties in maintaining their revenue. They'll learn how to identify older games that maintain a passionate fan base, and concrete strategies for fostering and monetizing them. They'll further learn how these principles have been applied in the recent re-launch of Zombie Lane.
Welcome! You can use the Session Scheduler tool to browse sessions and build a custom event schedule.
Step 1. Create an account. Use the "Create Account" button at the top of the right-hand corner.
Step 2. Choose a view. Select either the "List" or the "Grid" icon. (It's the same data, just a different view of the sessions.)
Step 3. Choose your sessions. Click the "Add" or "Remove" button next to each session to add it to, or remove it from, your personalized schedule.
Step 4. Review your schedule. Push the "My Schedule" button in the left column to view your selected sessions.
Have further questions or need help? Contact us: firstname.lastname@example.com


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We mustered up our usual team for Brixhams popular BrixFest Dragon Boat Race with a few newcomers this year to add to the mix. Special thanks goes to Dickie for sponsoring the T-shirts, followed by Falfish for the caps, St Austell Brewery for our Beer and Caterfood for our Crisps. Read more
Pirate Festival 2018
Ahoy there me hearties!! Well what a fantastic weekend we have all had!! The weather as you all know was fabulous and we must have had a record turnout for the pirates, as they were everywhere. You could hear the frivolity all day long once the cannons had stopped firing Read more
Summer Sun
Well it's been a fabulous start to the season wouldn't you agree with fabulous weather….buying desktop fans has been very tricky as you can imagine but we are all there now!! Vicky gets a bit irritable if we nick hers from reception, not a good move if she hasn't yet Read more
New Signage
All the scaffolding has come down, the painting has finished, and most of our new signs advertising both the Quayside Hotel and Restaurant…..and The Ernie Lister Bar are now up. They're brighter and more visible and we love them!! See pictures below.
Fireworks this Saturday evening ……in Brixham
Come and Read more
And the show goes on…..!
Well the painting is all coming along fine…..old rotten woodwork has all gone and now we have lovely new wooden surrounds around our Quayside Restaurant windows. Remember also that we have a new menu now along with some favourites from the Brixham Fishmarket.
It's lovely and sunny in Brixham harbour Read more
Out with the old….in with the new…..!!
It's the world famous Brixham Pirate Festival this weekend in Brixham so we are ahead of the game. We've put up scaffolding and extra poles to act as gallows for all those naughty pirates….. ohhh arrr me earties!!
What am I thinking…….it is the start of our repainting of the Read more
Quayside Hotel Brixham Spring News 2017
Exciting times at the Quayside Hotel in Brixham this year!!!
After last year's refurbishment in the lounge and new chairs in the Hotel Restaurant along with several bedrooms, this year we have just changed our balconies to glass ones which look fabulous (picture enclosed) so you can see more Read more
Brixham Pirate weekend
Enjoy some of the pictures taken over the Brixham Pirate weekend. A good time was had by all!
We won! Best Dining, Pub & Restaurant in South Devon
What a year! Brixham has been buzzing and the weather wonderful. All the Festivals were a great success, the Pirates and BrixFest in May and Fish Stock in September were better than ever. Andy, our Head Chef, led the cooking demonstrations with admiring crowds. To finish we won Read more
The White Billed Diver
Saturday 11 January 2014. The White Billed Diver.
An unexpected visitor graced our shores on this sunny day – The White Billed Diver. This incredible creature breeds in the Arctic and normally spends the winter out at sea in the northern Pacific Ocean. The recent windy weather blew it off course Read more


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April 03, 2017 12:20 ET
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 3, 2017) - Benton Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:BEX) ("Benton" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that exploration work at the Bedivere gold project is progressing well as the company prepares for diamond drilling anticipated to start early this field season. Work to date includes baseline establishment, soil sampling, trail creation and limited mechanical trenching has been completed. The trenching has been limited to the Traxxin gold zone and another gold showing located a further 800m southwest along the strike of the mineralized structure. Surface grab samples from the Traxxin zone graded from trace up to 1281gpt gold (41 ounces), some of which contain impressive visible gold (see Company website for photos). Washing and channel sampling of the mineralized system exposed by the trenching will be initiated as weather permits. The exposed Traxxin zone is a mineralized pyrite-rich zone of quartz veining and stockwork with intense chlorite and iron carbonate alteration. Where exposed, the mineralized zone ranges from 15m to 40m wide and is at minimum 250m long before being lost under cover to the southwest in swampy conditions and into the lake to the northeast.
The Company has also completed a second airborne geophysical survey to cover the entire Bedivere project. The survey was flown by CGG Canada Services Ltd. and included magnetic and time domain electromagnetic ("EM"). The Company is pleased to announce that preliminary data shows multiple high priority targets of weak to strong conductive responses. The Company has identified copper and zinc mineralization in multiple locations associated with felsic to intermediate volcanic rocks and ultramafic intrusive rock units and believes that the project has potential for significant base metal mineralization in addition to the Traxxin gold zone. The EM responses are located in areas where very little previous work has ever been recorded making them intriguing exploration targets for follow-up.
The Company will be attending the Ontario Prospectors Exploration Showcase on April 4th to 6th at the Valhalla Inn, Thunder Bay. The Company will be showcasing maps, rocks from the Traxxin zone and the newly discovered base metal showings.
About Benton Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:BEX)
Benton Resources Inc is a well-funded Canadian-based junior with a diversified property portfolio in Gold-Silver, Nickel, Copper, and Platinum group elements.
Clinton Barr (P.Geo.), V.P. Exploration for Benton Resources Inc., is the qualified person responsible for this release has prepared, supervised the preparation or approved the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benton Resources Inc.,
Stephen Stares, President
The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."
Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.
Stephen Stares684 Squier StreetThunder Bay, ON P7B 4A8Phone (807) 475-7474Fax (807) 475-7200www.bentonresources.ca
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When I was last in L.A. four years ago there was one particular disturbing sight that's always stayed with me since – a depressed sixteen week old Weimaraner puppy for sale: all alone, squeezed into a glass tank on a shelf, surrounded by yet more glass tanks containing even more pups, and all within one cramped pet-shop in a giant shopping centre, or 'mall' as they're called over there.
As well as fashionable larger breeds like Weimaraners, another very popular breed back then was the teacup Chihuahua – a direct result of Paris Hilton being papped out-and-about cuddling her beloved Tinkerbell – and leading to a dog-breeding situation so chaotic that Chihuahua pups commercially mass-produced purely for profit were not only being bred in the "Puppy farm capital of the States" of the Mid-west such as Missouri.
They were also being bred in their native country of Mexico and driven up across the U.S Border by the boot-load to satisfy this new insatiable demand – the few surviving ones then having to deal with the countless medical and behavioural problems associated with being both undersized and overbred.
This time I'm back in the City of Angels as a guest of Petplan USA, and excited about attending my first Humane Society of United States's Genesis Awards – a unique star-studded Hollywood red carpet extravaganza that rewards animal welfare issues positively portrayed in the global entertainment industry.
In a city so heavily influenced by celebrity and media alike, I was determined to find out if all this raising awareness had actually caused any positive change for L.A.'s canine companions, so my first stop was of course that upsetting pet shop from four years ago…
But it was gone.
I checked on every floor of the mall but there was definitely no sign of any puppies in glass tanks?
So I embarked on a personal walking tour of West Hollywood to find out if in fact Tinseltown, usually accustomed to human dreams coming true, has allowed a few doggy dreams to be granted as well, resulting in the unthinkable – pet shops not selling puppies anymore.
My first stop was the extremely camp-looking doggy stylist and bakery D.O.G Pet Boutique, boasting 'Where fashion takes the lead' to their passers-by.
Prepared to be confronted by a wall of cute handbag-sized fluffy puppies for sale, I took a deep breath and went inside only to be pleasantly surprised to find nothing of the sort.
Sure, here you can buy pet perfume, squeaky 'mobile bone' toys, artificial grass pet toilets and all kinds of coconut-flavoured doggy treats, but I was glad to see that 'fashion' here doesn't extend to selling any pups.
In fact what really made me smile was a pile of leaflets on the counter produced by the Humane Society of United States stating 'WE LIKE PUPPIES SO WE DON'T SELL THEM' alongside a list of the benefits of adoption and guide to healthy puppy buying.
But this was just one shop in a city of four million inhabitants; surely they couldn't all have changed their attitudes to buying a dog that quickly?
Wandering the empty pavements of West Hollywood (no-one walks there) I popped into every doggy daycare and groomers, each time to be pleasantly informed that West Hollywood's pet stores very rarely sell puppies anymore.
It seems enough awareness has been raised in the last few years to sufficiently change attitudes and help stop the demand for unhealthy pups mass-produced on puppy farms (called 'puppy mills' in the US), with a rescue dog adoption culture easing snugly into its place.
Unsurprisingly a few pet shops have gone out of business but those remaining 'humane' stores now thrive after learning to adapt like any business under pressure – now offering a range of exciting and different services to their canine clients – and all whilst promoting rescue pets at the same time.
For example, as well as the traditional dog training and grooming services available in most dog-friendly cities around the world, The Urban Pet and impressive Chateau Marmutt both offer non-anaesthetic teeth cleaning and brushing, and the fantastically named Barkingham Palace runs a daycare exclusively for small dogs under 4kg (9lb) called 'Tiny Town' offering specialist treatments including aromatherapy and massage.
Dogs of all shapes and sizes are big business in L.A. with owners now commonly referring to their four-legged friends as their 'sons' or 'daughters' (it used to be just 'baby'), so making sure that they're all happy and healthy has never been more of a necessity.
Like at the Zoom Room – an incredible state-of-the-art indoor agility centre and 'canine social club' where I would happily challenge any dog to ever get bored.
Amongst their extensive list of doggy activities are popular scent discrimination classes where birchwood is used to help train dogs find their owners' car keys, mobile phones and T.V. remotes!
As well as fully embracing positive reinforcement dog training techniques and understanding the importance of socialization, Zoom Room also invites your dog to celebrate its birthday in style (pictured) with a special 'Doggy Disco Night' – complete with glitterball and laser light shows on the floor for your dog and his/her guests to chase.
Zoom Room also proudly run their incredible Ruff Reading therapy dog program which aims to teach your dog to help your children learn to read; and if all that's not enough for you and your pooch then why not take your pick from the organic treats, recycled toys and eco-friendly collars and leads available in store too.
With so much open space in and around L.A. most places offer or recommend professional dog walking and pet sitting services: called 'Park Socials' and 'Playgroups' here, and with optional pick-up and drop off services to make life even easier.
I also popped into the Hollywood Dog & Cat Hospital, who, in a city where cosmetic surgery can sometimes be the norm, refuse to crop dog's ears (a common painful surgical procedure where the ears of certain breeds are repositioned such as the Dobermann, Great Dane and Boxer) or declaw cats.
It all seems pretty good for the pets of L.A.
And so finally to the pièce de résistance. What trip to L.A. would be complete without a taste of the extreme high-end of doggy daycare?
I'm talking about the D Pet Hotel Hollywood which really must be seen to be believed. As well as its spotless daycare playrooms, chauffeur service and luxury doggy spa; for only £70 per night your dog can stay in a human-sized über-suite (pictured), complete with flatscreen TV, double bed, and beautiful bespoke décor, to really give your precious pooch that A-list experience.
All these money-making alternatives to selling pups in pet shops seem to be working well out here, and coupled with regular pet adoption events and high profile celebrities like Pink helping to raise awareness of puppy mills, attitudes are definitely changing for the better, and animal welfare standards are rapidly improving as a result.
So it seems it can be done.
By all working together for dogs, just like in L.A. we can also make buying puppies from shops (and online) socially frowned-upon so demand for cruelly farmed pups stops.
We can also try harder to promote a similar rescue culture that results in happy rehoming rather than endless suffering and insist that any pup that is bought is responsibly bred and must be seen interacting with its mother.
The bottom line is that dogs are living creatures that, like us, feel pain and enjoy love. They deserve to experience playtime, grass, outdoors and fresh air.
Remember puppy farms are legal so by continuing to educate the public about rescue pet adoption and responsible breeding wherever you are in the world – once demand stops the supply will have no choice but to stop too.
Please join me in continuing to raise awareness about puppy farms at PUP AID fun celebrity-judged dog show and music festival in Brighton on 18th September 2011; for more details visit www.pupaid.org


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Minnesota Twins Players of the Week 4/23-4/29April 30, 2012
Minnesota Twins Players of the Week 4/23-4/29
The Minnesota Twins returned to Target Field this week after spending last week on the east coast and proceeded to take it on the chin.
The Boston Red Sox broke out of their collective slumps by sweeping the Twins and the Kansas City Royals continued the Twins losing streak before Gardy's crew won the last game of a rain-shortened series.
Minnesota's favorite ballclub finished the week 1-4, but certainly had their chances to win three of the four games they ultimately ended up losing.
It certainly was an eventful week. Fans saw the brief return of Ben Revere while Josh Willingham was away for the birth of a child, Glen Perkins fell down some stairs and Chris Parmelee took a ball off the helmet and has yet to return.
It may have been a rough week for winning games, but the bats were not to blame. Starting pitching continued to be the weakest link for the Twins and any hopes of turning the early season woes around starts with them.
Let's now look back at some of the best and worst performances of the entire week.
Hitter of the Week: Joe Mauer
Last week I told you that Joe Mauer was the Twins most consistent hitter and this week was no exception.
Mauer collected at least one hit in all five games this week and played in all five games this week at catcher, first base and designated hitter.
Joe finished the week 8-for-19 (.421 batting average). He scored four runs, drove in four runs, had a double and a triple (both in Friday's loss to the Royals) and walked three times.
Twins fans definitely would like to see more power production from Mauer, and Joe should want to see it himself, but constantly being on base for Willingham and Morneau will pay off in the long run.
Honorable Mention: Danny Valencia
Valencia was the earned dishonorable mention honors as last week's Least Valuable Player for his lack of plate discipline and suspect defense.
This week, Danny showed Twins Territory that he has the tools to be the team's every day third baseman for the foreseeable future.
Valencia appeared in all five games this week going 5-for-16 (.313 BA). He scored three runs, had four RBI, had one home run (he was robbed of another), one double, one triple and reduced his number of strikeouts from nine last week to two this week.
Maybe Valencia just needed some home cooking to get his game going this year, but the Twins certainly need him to continue to produce and score enough runs to keep them in games.
Pitcher of the Week: Jared Burton
If you think it is easy to write this every week, you try to pick a pitcher of the week out of the mess the Twins have been trotting out to the mound game after game.
Jason Marquis could have been selected for picking up the Twins only win this week Sunday against the Royals, but he also gave up five earned runs and 11 hits in his first start of the week: a loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Maybe Anthony Swarzak could get the nod for keeping the Twins in what seemed to be a blowout loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday, allowing the Twins a chance to steal a win.
Instead, Jared Burton is the pitcher of the week for his continued domination of the 7th innings of games.
Burton appeared in three games this week, pitching one inning in each and only allowing one baserunner on a walk in Sunday's win versus the Royals.
While what he is doing may not seem very impressive, the lack of quality starting pitching the Twins have had this season is making the bullpen even more important than usual.
Knowing that Burton will come in and keep runs off the board in the 6th, 7th or 8th innings of a game will allow Ron Gardenhire to pull starters out of games sooner and still be confident in keeping a lead.
It may not be much, but at this point it's about all the Twins have going for them in the pitching department.
Honorable Mention: Jason Marquis
Jason Marquis may not have done enough to be pitcher of the week, but he certainly did enough to be honorable mention after picking up the win on Sunday.
I won't go over it again, but Twins fans should get used to Marquis' steady-but-suspect performances on the mound.
If you think of Marquis as Carl Pavano 'Light,' it might help. Like Pavano, he will get you through six innings, but will rarely shut down the opposing offense.
Dominant? No. Steady? Yes. That's about all the Twins can ask for at this point and time considering the other options.
Least Valuable Player: Francisco Liriano
If you are saying, "But Liriano didn't even pitch this week. They took a step back with him and skipped his start," you are right.
It still doesn't mean that Francisco Liriano was not the least valuable player on the Twins roster this week.
Liriano needs to be starting every time his spot in the rotation comes up, and the fact he is so bad the Twins are unwilling to let him take the mound makes him undoubtedly the least valuable player.
Frankie is the guy, along with Carl Pavano, that should be giving the Twins a chance to win even when they aren't scoring seven runs a game.
So, while Liriano has not been valuable while pitching for the Twins this season, he becomes even less valuable when the Twins don't have enough confidence in him to let him do his job.
Hopefully the week off has done Liriano some good and he has figured out some things mechanically that will allow him to be a reliable starter for the rest of the season.
I am just not counting on it.
Dishonorable Mention: Jamey Carroll
There is nothing inherently wrong with Jamey Carroll or the way he plays the game.
He is an above-average fielder at his advanced age and does a good enough job handling the bat and getting on base that he should be a part of the Twins everyday lineup.
The problem is, he is currently hitting second in the Twins lineup, and when he is not moving runners over and taking walks, he is essentially useless to the offense.
Carroll went 3-for-19 this week (.158 BA). He scored four runs, drew four walks and that is it.
The Twins ability to win games at this point is based solely on the ability to outscore their opponents. Having Jamey Carroll hitting second almost guarantees that, even if Denard Span gets on base, Joe Mauer will be hitting with a runner on first base with one out.
Moving Carroll down in the order, even if it is temporary, will only benefit the Twins and give them more chances to score runs early in games.
My suggestion would be to move Trevor Plouffe into the second spot in the order, since the Twins have seemingly given him an everyday spot in the lineup.
While Plouffe was equally as bad at the plate this week, 2-for-16 (.125 AVG), he does a good job taking walks (five this week) and has the power to find a gap and not leave Mauer staring at a potential double play when he walks to the plate.
The Week Ahead
The Twins are back on the road this week, this time heading to the west coast to take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Seattle Mariners.
The week starts with Nick Blackburn facing off against C.J. Wilson, Albert Pujols and the rest of the struggling Angels on Monday night.
The Angels are 7-15 and are probably hoping to jump-start their winning ways, much the same way the Red Sox did against the Twins.
The Mariners are 11-12, but have had troubles scoring runs in most of their losses. Hopefully the Twins will take advantage of this and end the road trip on a positive note.
One final note: the Twins currently are last in Major League Baseball with a 5.69 team earned run average.
However, the Twins have a more respectable ERA of 4.34 from the seventh inning on, while, from innings one-through-six the ERA sits at 6.29.
Those numbers should tell the story of the Twins season so far. If the team is to turn things around, it is going to have to start with starting pitching.


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Today I wanted to share the cards I have done during the last weeks classes. It has been a very busy week with my monthly class on Sunday morning, two classes on Monday and one on Friday afternoon. I also had a Stall at the When you Wish Upon Star Charity Event Fashion Show, which generated some further interest. Both cards were made during the usual 2 hour sessions and utilised numerous techniques from colouring/stamping through to embossing/punching and die cutting.
With Paul still being away in Saudi Arabia, the first card featured a lovely sunset, water and a boat, in a simple easel design. The background was created using an ink/sponge and masking technique and the colouring of the boat and tree using the aqua painter (water brush) and baked brown sugar ink pad.
The stamp is from the 'moon lake' collection featured in the Spring/Summer mini catalogue at only £16.95 for clear and £23.95 for wood mount
The second card was more traditional. The 3D contrast on pure white card is always a favourite and when contrasted with a ribbon and coloured insert, it really helps the features stand out.
The embossing was created using the spring flowers embossing folder, offset to give further contrast.
I was given some 'Tattered Lace' dies for my birthday and was eager to play with them, so I have used one of them on this card, which is the delicate blossoming flourish which I have placed through the oval die cut hole.
The butterflies were die cut using the butterfly embosslit folder which have now sadly just retired from the catalogue. They have been so popular they have already sold out! Lots of other designs are available in the catalogue, so please check out the brochure or my shop to add different detailing to create your own design.
This weeks weekly deals are listed below and will be only available until Tuesday 28th April before a new collection of deals is announced.
As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can place your order online or by using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online Here' or with me in person.
Stampin᾿ Up! Supplies


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Providence Day again dominated the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A track and field championships, running away with its second consecutive sweep of the boys and girls state titles Saturday at Ravenscroft School.
But Cary Academy had a good day as well, finishing fourth in both the boys and girls competitions.
The Providence Day girls finished with 142.5 points, ahead of Ravenscroft (97), Durham Academy (95) and Cary Academy (87.5).
The Providence Day boys finished with 133 points, ahead of Ravenscroft (103), Charlotte Latin (96.5) andCary Academy (68).
Cary Academy's Jonathan Avery won the 100- and 200-meter dash at 11.08 and 22.40, respectively.
Cary Academy won the girls 4x200-meter relay (Rachel Rohde, Ivana Premasinghe, Moriah Smith and Shannon Stohlman) in 1:47.46, and girls 4x100-meter relay (Hannah Chow, Stohlman, Katherine Carlton and Smith) in 51.44.
1A/2A track: Cary Christian senior Julie Thompson (32-8) was second in the girls shot put at the NCISAA 1A/2A track and field championships, hosted by the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro.
The Knights were 12th in the girls competition on Saturday out of 25 teams while the boys were 18th out of 27.
St. David's girls and Charlotte Victory Christian's boys won team titles.


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Theresa May's policy, if you'll pardon the phrase is a no-brainier. At least it ought to be. Capitalizing on the demands of the electorate and seizing the center ground of politics, it's no wonder Theresa May comes as the most popular political leader of my life time. She plans to disavow of David Cameron's ill advised ban on grammar schools and open up a new wave of schools based on selective education.
We already have schools tailored for existing talents in music or sport. So why not schools for children with intellectual gifts? After all Labour's "champion" of social justice Jeremy Corbyn benefited from grammar school education. So why after absorbing all the benefits does Labour seek to pull the ladder up behind them? The policy does not disadvantage the poor or working class. It suggests that quotas will be in place to ensure places for low income families and new grammar schools will be obligated to sponsor primary feeder schools in deprived areas or they will create free schools to go along with grammars.
Further remarks have been suggested by the Conservative's front bench to support new faith schools, quotas on independent schools to accept disadvantaged students, lecturers from private schools being moved to public schools, new requirements on a private school's obtaining charitable status and universities seeking to raise tuition fees must sponsor an institution which is currently performing below the national average.
Grammars schools in Barnet haven't derailed the performance of state schools by "removing all the cleaver kids" as is too often an unchallenged claim by opponents. As state schools in Barnet continue to be ranked highly by school inspectors like Ofsted. Instead what we've seen in areas where grammar schools have been removed is a decline in standards. Once upon a time, some fifty or so years ago Britain hard the largest population of working class university attendees in Europe. Not so anymore. Today in northern areas we see little prospect of that legacy reviving itself with out new grammars.
Surely though the most obvious argument for new grammar schools is that it extends the liberal-pluralist position of choice, freedom, competition and liberty. From a young age children foster talents and interests and parents should retain the right not to be blockaded by other people's feelings in the pursuit of their children's aspiration. As though there's something wrong with wanting something for yourself? Theresa May's policy on education and her pledge to respect the vote on the European Union, means she has never stood higher in my eyes. If she's successful, she'll have been one of the truly great prime ministers.


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Complicated Grief by Stephanie Muldberg – Midlife at the Oasis
Stephanie Muldberg shares her story of losing her son and suffering from Complicated Grief, a little-known but treatable form of grief.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: midlifeattheoasis.com
A sad and courageous article of a parent dealing with complicated grief that is sometimes associated with tragic loss, such as losing a child. This article looks at her undying love for her child
If you would like to learn more then please review the program and see if you would like to become a certified grief counselor
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César Chávez would be ashamed of the demonstrations that are spread across the United States today because these protest are the antithesis of what his life work was all about.
Today's rallies are meant to support illegal aliens who crossed into this country breaking the laws of this country and now are demanding that American laws be disregarded or changed to make their lives more comfortable. Yet many Americans are opposed to illegal entry into the United States.
However according to Steve Sailor, Chávez, for many years, was a ferocious opponent of illegal immigration.
In 1979, Chávez bitterly testified to Congress:
… when the farm workers strike and their strike is successful, the employers go to Mexico and have unlimited, unrestricted use of illegal alien strikebreakers to break the strike. And, for over 30 years, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has looked the other way and assisted in the strikebreaking. I do not remember one single instance in 30 years where the Immigration service has removed strikebreakers [illegal aliens]. … The employers use professional smugglers to recruit and transport human contraband across the Mexican border for the specific act of strikebreaking…
One wonders when the schools lovingly teach about César Chávez do they include that César fought against illegally entering the United States of America?
Steve Sailor further reports that, in 1969, Chávez led a march to the Mexican border to protest illegal immigration. Joining him were Sen. Walter Mondale and Martin Luther King's successor as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Ralph Abernathy.
Or again one wonders if the tales are ever told of Chávez's organization The United Farm Workers that picketed INS offices to demand closure of the border. Chávez also [reported] on illegal alien scabs to la migra.
Columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. reported in the Arizona Republic, "César Chávez, a labor leader intent on protecting union membership, was as effective a surrogate for the INS as ever existed. Indeed, Chávez and the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) he headed routinely reported, to the INS, for deportation, suspected illegal immigrants who served as strikebreakers or refused to unionize."
According to Sailor, like today's Minutemen, UFW staffers under the command of Chávez's brother Manuel patrolled the Arizona-Mexico border to keep out illegal aliens. Unlike the well-behaved Minutemen, however, Chávez's boys sometimes beat up intruders.
Today's protest stands in complete opposition of what it is to be a freedom loving and law abiding American and only ignorance of the past and ignorance of American traditions would allow so many to openly lend support to the continuing criminal enterprise of smuggling people into the United States and those people setting up squatter rights as they claim this land for their home country by using our laws and our rights to help facilitate their invasion of this once sovereign nation.
For Americans that believe that it is too late to do anything to save America do not lose heart this issue was effectively dealt with before by President Dwight Eisenhower and it can be done again if you show your willingliness to fight for your country by voting for leadership that will protect America's sovereignty.
Unlike the current sentiment everything is not free in America. There is a heavy cost being paid for this present illegal alien invasion, César Chávez knew it as all working Americans know it.
As illegal aliens and their supporters wave their flags of Mexico and America proudly this day, the irony is César Chávez would be ashamed of this day as he would be ashamed of the people who celebrate it!


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I continued experiencing contractions throughout the night but nothing that took my breath away. The next morning the contractions had slowed to every half hour, so Chris went to work. I had lunch with Jessica Tunstill, her 1yr old daughter Willow and son Colton, during which I had contractions every 10 minutes. However after lunch they slowed to every half hour again. We stopped by Jessica's house to grab some raspberry tea (old wives tale) and brewed it at my house afterward. My mom offered to make dinner for Chris and I that evening and on the menu was beef stroganoff and a fresh salad. I had no idea this would be my last real meal before having my daughter. Throughout that evening the contractions were mild but steadily increasing, including one "take your breath away" contraction as I laid down for bed. Around 1:30 AM, I was awoken by the most painful contraction thus far. I got out of bed and began timing the next few contractions while practicing yoga positions (like cat and cow) and deep breathing. Around 3:30 AM the pain was immense enough that I woke Chris up to help me time them. They ranged in length from 11 seconds to 60 seconds and occurred anywhere from 3 to 7 times per hour. During the slow hours I did things like take showers and nibble on a banana, which was the only food I had that day. Finally at 9:51 A.M. after a 58 second contraction that came within 3 minutes of the previous one, Chris called the hospital and they suggested we come in. We loaded up the car with our overnight bags for the second day in a row (haha), and Chris made me smile as he opened the door for me to get in. I felt every single bump on that 15 minute ride to the hospital and was shaking like a leaf! I had three contractions in the truck, one on the walk through the front door of the hospital and one against the wall in the hallway to my labor room. Strangers asked if we needed help (which made me cry), a doctor (named Patella) held the elevator and got me a wheelchair. I was met by a crew of nurses outside the doors to the birthing center. I began to cry and they asked if it was the pain or the nerves. I said I didn't know, but I'm sure it was everything combined and the lack of food, too. I was shaking like crazy, too. Chris signed us in at 10:40am.
They immediately dressed me in a gown and my nurse, Becky, did a check to verify that I was 100% effaced and 3 cm dilated. The lab tech drew my blood and my nurse inserted my IV. I requested an epidural and since it was during the day, the anesthesiologist was on duty and I received it within the hour. It hurt a little bit and I felt some funny electricity in my right foot as he administered the drugs.
During that same hour my waters broke. Once the epidural kicked in, my nurse inserted a catheter and set me up with a pink peanut shaped yoga ball between my legs to help my cervix open further. I shifted from side to side and within an hour I had dilated to a five! Since I was feeling fine from the epideral, we invited Chris's family back to our labor room for a while and after they left my family came in as well, which was nice so they could experience what I was going through with me. They mainly watched the monitors go up and down and I joked, "Am I having a contraction?" My mom and sister got me a wet washcloth for my forehead and my sister stroked my hair. At some point during this time, the doctor on duty (Reardon) came in and ruptured a bubble in my water sack, as well as broke through some scar tissue on my cervix that was stopping it from dilating further. Within another hour or so I had dilated to an eight and the baby was at a plus one station. I was hoping to be able to deliver before 6 PM shift change, however the new doctor (Olhausen) did an exam and changed his reporting from dilated to a seven and a zero station. I felt very nauseous and even threw up. We had just sent our family back out to the waiting room expecting for me to begin pushing at 6 PM. I was pretty bummed as I had not dilated any further and from Dr. Ohlhausen's report I felt like I was moving backwards. It was at this time that I also met my new nurse Janet and I began feeling every contraction again. I guess when they changed out the bag of drugs in my line to my epidural they failed to restart the 15 minute drip. I had labored for twelve 15 minutes cycles without any pain meds. I began to push the button on the epidural for pain relief but could only get in two15 minute sessions before I got cut off so that I would be able to feel my pelvic floor (push) muscles.
Janet had me doing a few different poses as the doctor had said the baby was face up and she needed to turn in order to be delivered. Within two hours I was dilated to 10 cm and the baby had turned.
Around 8 PM I started to push. I had my legs in stirrups and my hands were gripping on these bars on the side of the bed to pull myself forward. My first few pushes revealed the baby's head, however once the doctor came in I was not making very much progress. We pushed for an hour and a half and eventually the doctor stepped out to go to the bathroom. My nurse Janet immediately took his position and begin coaching me on how to push towards her face. She also massaged my perineum. After five more contractions, she called in Dr. Olhausen. Within a few more contractions the baby's head came out and I was done pushing. Her body followed and Chris cut the cord. Even though the doctor said, "Cut here, between this clamp and these hemostats," Chris had to repeat, "Here?"just to be sure. The total time for pushing was two hours.
Kaya Lynn Surber was born at 9:51 PM on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. She weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Her eyes were blue, as well as her wrinkly hands and feet. I was able to have her on my chest for about eight seconds before the nursery team whisked her away and began working on suctioning out her lungs, her nose, her mouth, and cleaning her up. Her breathing was pretty fast. They seemed pretty concerned but eventually let me have her back for some skin on skin time. During that first hour I also breast-fed with a nipple shield and around midnight we invited the family to come back and meet her.
The cameras were out in full force and the family got to witness her first bath.
So many people try to explain the miracle of becoming a parent as the greatest love you ever feel, but that is only beginning. There really are no words to justify the 40 weeks (and sometimes longer if you go past your due date) that you wait to meet the little person who has been growing inside of you, kicking you, giving you indigestion, hiccuping, making your hormones a roller coaster ride – sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much – and seemingly although you know it's a human being making those awkward little (and big) movements, you still wonder if it is an alien growing in there.
So when the time comes to go through the most painful contractions - to rise above them one by one - and to become a mother, it's almost like even though you know you're going to have a baby you still can't believe it until it actually happens. Once that little person appears in front of your eyes, it makes all that waiting, eating five times a day, crying over nothing meltdowns, an oddly shaped growing body that interrupts sleep and sex, the multitude of people asking you over and over "Is she here yet?" and the nesting - oh my goodness the nesting…the struggle is real! But once that little person appears and you see her for the first time - it's as if the world has changed forever, for better, for now this little human being depends a hundred percent on you and you couldn't be any happier.


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* Net income $5.4 billion vs $5.6 billion year earlier
* Q1 EPS $1.31 vs $1.28 year earlier
April 13 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co reported lower first-quarter profit, but higher earnings per share after the company bought back stock.
The biggest U.S. bank by assets, JPMorgan said on Friday that net income was $5.4 billion, or $1.31 a share, compared with $5.6 billion, or $1.28 a share a year earlier.
The company's quarter-end share count declined 4 percent from a year earlier as it bought back stock.


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Saturday, December 12, 2009
Injustice for all?
Well, hold onto your butt because I've got a helluva story to tell!
As you may be aware, there is a little bit of a flu going around. They call it "SWINE FLU!!!!!!!" People. Young people. People with chronic health conditions. And pregnant women are dying from this flu. My mother works in a medical office and on Oct. 29 she heard that 3 pregnant women had died in the past week from swine flu and that another was fighting for her life in ICU. This, as you can imagine, caused her some distress when she thought of her only daughter who has diabetes and a bun in the oven working in a homeless shelter in downtown Calgary. So, to protect her only chick she came to the Drop In Centre (hereinafter referred to as "the DI") and asked me (well, actually TOLD me) that I was getting an H1N1 shot now if not sooner. I took her upstairs with me to tell my boss that I was leaving early to get my H1N1 shot. In the course of our conversation my mother mentioned my pregnancy. My boss said it was fine for me to go and get my shot and I told her that I'd see her on Monday.
That night I stood in line for 4 hours with Chris and got my H1N1 shot. My luck being what it is I spiked a fever and felt sick the very next morning. I went to the doctor and was informed I had (probably) H1N1. I phoned my boss and informed her of the situation and told her I'd be back in 10 to 14 days. She said, fine, I asked if i needed a doctor's note, she said not to bother as she could tell from my voice that I was sick.
On November 12 I was feeling human again and returned to work to take my CPR course. After my course I was called into the hiring manager's office (his name is Steve). He informed me that "we" had a "couple of problems". The first problem was that I'm pregnant and they just weren't sure I could fulfill my duties (let me remind you that I am a secretary!) The second problem was my mom. They were "disturbed" by the way she "stormed" into the DI.
Now, Steve not only works for the DI, he also works for Officejobs. I asked Steve if, since they were firing me, I could return to officejobs and temp. He informed me that Officejobs was no longer "comfortable" having me on their books because my mother's behaviour was too "erratic" and they couldn't feel safe that she wouldn't "charge into a client's office" to come get me in the future. He said that he's been in HR (human resources) for 15 years and had never seen a 28 year old woman be "dragged out of work by her mother".
Needless to say, I've filed a human rights complaint. Not only can they not fire me for being pregnant (which they did) they can't fire me for something a family member did (which they did). So, I suppose I'll just have to wait and see how things go.
I haven't received my final paycheque yet (even though they fired me over a month ago). I did however receive my ROE (record of employment) from officejobs. I was amused (but not surprised) to see that under my reason for termination they put "insufficient work". What a bunch of cowards. They don't even have the integrity and honesty to say why they fired me. Although, thinking about it, is there a governmental code for "Sarah's mom scares me"?
I'm not so mad at the DI for firing me (I wasn't really enjoying it there. I've found that before I worked there I used to be very sympathetic to homeless people but working there soured me. I am very angry at officejobs for taking me off their books. They've essentially denied me the opportunity for future employment. I've been hobbled.
So, Chris and I are back to surviving (there's really no other word for it) on just his wages. I really have no idea how we'll survive once the baby arrives. Knowing my luck I won't be eligible for EI (despite having paid into it since age 14).
I'll keep you posted with, hopefully, more optimistic posts.
Happy Chanukah to my Jewish friends.
2 comments:
- DaveG said...
I found you on Pharyngula. That Travelling Creation Museum guy had American landmarks, not Canadian ones, in his display. So I'm curious, as an ignorant American: what cool geographical stuff would draw one to Canada - ie, what are your Grand Canyons, your Mount Rushmores, your Yellowstones?
- March 1, 2010 at 6:12 PM
- Rean House said...
We don't have any Mount Rushmores or Grand Canyons I'm afraid. We've got the Rocky Mountains and some great resort towns (Banff is pretty but has become WAY too touristy, Jasper is nice but very secluded). My favourite place to go (and I go nearly every year as we live close by) is the Tyrell Museum, there are also some neat geographical landmarks near there, such as hoodoos and whatnot.
All of Canada is beautiful. The west coast is like something out of a fairy tale (the Queen Charlotte Islands are a must), the rockies, of course are awesome. The prairies are neat if you're into wheat. I haven't spent much time in the east (although there are the great lakes of course) and I've never been to the Maritimes. I've heard Newfoundland/Labrador are neat.
Sorry I can't be much help (and sorry for taking a million years to reply!
- March 9, 2010 at 4:25 PM


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Friday, March 4, 2011
Be Gentle
13 comments:
Robot's CPU CORE is Super Hot !ReplyDelete
Unicorn is sooooooo sexy! But robot better use his hard drive rather than his floppy disk don't you think?ReplyDelete
Last MONTH, not last week!ReplyDelete
Much appreciated update <3
Mokshu, your comment blew my mainframe! LOLReplyDelete
Robin, you are SO right about a hard drive being preferable to a floppy disk. Thanks for finding Unicorn so seeexy :)
Bisou, thanks for the correction. You are right [ -_- ]
How long you spend to draw the strip? Simple curiosity.ReplyDelete
(sorry for bad english, i'm french ^^.
Ugh... that's the problem. The strip probably looks very simple to make but I actually spend about 3 to 5 hours on each one, depending on complexity. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist.ReplyDelete
I believe it Justin. Each comic is a piece of art and your hard work and perfectionism is APPRECIATED!ReplyDelete
looking at the new vote,ReplyDelete
why floppy disk? that's so billion years ago!
*but voted for it out of curiosity :p
-MSR (Mythfits' Sick Readers)-
Robin, thank you for the awesome compliment! Thanks :)ReplyDelete
Zuperdzigh, I guess when it comes to technology, Robot's prototype is a bit behind the times :)
Me gusta tanto este blog!!ReplyDelete
Son una pareja encantadora..
Yo quiero que estos sí vivan felices para siempre.
Hi Carmen! I had my Brazilian lover translate your comment :)ReplyDelete
I will try to make sure that Robot & Unicorn live happily ever after. Sorry it takes me a while to update. I've been busy job searching.
Good luck!ReplyDelete
Eagerly awaiting the next post :)
- AnonymousDecember 20, 2011 at 1:09 AM
Living in modern society,we More and more know how to enjoy, even on the Internet to play the game also is so, not only requires the game fun, but also for the game to beautiful picture, friends all say Cheap Runescape Gold and Buy WOW Gold are good games, I also tried, not letter of friends to try it.ReplyDelete


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Artist: ScHoolboy Q
Song: Groovy Tony
Album: Oxymoron
Genre: Rap, Hip Hop
Language: Strong
One of my favorite artists I found last year, ScHoolboy Q has a flow that I don't see too many other places. There's this dark gritty sound to all of his music that really draws me in.
I'm not sure why, but I always feel like I have to defend why I like certain songs. For no reason whatsoever I feel like I need to ad some sort of disclaimer to most all Rap and Hip Hop songs as to why I like them. I feel like this is because I don't know as much about the artists as I post, I generally only like a couple songs.
Rock stuff on the other hand I have generally more information on as a general rule.
Well I like this song a lot because it makes me think of Hotline Miami, one of my favorite video games of all time. There's this really heavy 80s vibe through the whole game's soundtrack and a lot of this song's beat just makes me think of the HM tunes. Lyrically even it could be talking about the game, since the game focuses on various masked killers and the song has such lines as "Groovy Tony no faced killer" and the phrase "Blank Face" a lot. Granted the song is more about a guy that falls down the slippery slope of crime, but I like to attach it to Hotline Miami.
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The Harry Binswanger List continues to be one of the most important forums in Objectivism and I heartily recommend it. Recently, Objectivists at HBL have been debating the nature of the Bush presidency and its impact on America. Here I stand with Objectivist and historian John Lewis on his point that Bush is not about advancing individual rights domestically or defending America internationally.
The effect of the war has been worse then had it not been fought at all. America is not more secure as a result of Bush's expeditionary campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan when the jihad still survives, when both nations can vote themselves into Islamic republics and when Iran—the fountainhead of Islam and America's key enemy--remains unchecked.
Objectivists who are sympathetic to Bush argue that he represents both the best and the worst in the "honest American" while his cowboy demeanor depicts the vibrant American spirit. If only. The more realistic appraisal is that that Bush's cowboy persona runs only skin-deep, while his neo-conservatism (a literal cross of both liberalism and religion) has advanced some of the worst ideas to be offered in American politics since the rise of the New Left.
Bush spent months begging the UN for permission for the US to protect its interests, only to couch that interest in sacrificial language. Bush's "Ownership Society" died stillborn for want of a moral argument. The "Forward Defense of Freedom" assumed that the liberty-hating people of the world nevertheless desire freedom and that it is for America to bring it to them. The Bush administration and the Republican congress can't even find the sauce to abolish the NEA, let alone correct any substantive spending injustice--or prevent the rise of new ones. And don't even ask me about antitrust or fundamental tax reform under Bush.
All the while, Bush has been energizing the wing of the Republican party that seeks to establish theocracy in America. The White House doesn't call an Objectivist when it has a problem--it calls an evangelical preacher. The Bush presidency is a disaster.
People animated by a revolutionary philosophy such as Objectivism ought to be highlighting these facts and explaining the principles that drive them. This debate goes far beyond the question of which political party can do a worse job--it's a question of what Objectivists have to say about the current state of the world and how we will publicly present our antidote to today's unabated orgy of irrationality and sacrifice.


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My story isn't anything special or riveting or poignant. I was 19 and working as a bank teller in 2001, and I was blissfully unaware that morning as I watched Disney cartoons before work and listened to -- and sang passionately along with -- a Disney CD in my car. I got to work around 7:15 a.m. (I was usually a few minutes late) and waited for my coworker to arrive so we could open the bank vault and open the drive-up. I saw my coworker outside talking to the ATM maintenance lady and wondered, a little irritated, why she didn't just come inside already -- it wasn't like her to be late or to slack off. When she came inside she told me what little she knew about what was happening in New York City. The entire day we were all watching the news online between customers and the bosses dug up a tiny black-and-white TV to set up behind the teller line. When my shift ended at 12:15 I headed home and watched the news for the rest of the day, surely crying (though I don't really remember) and masochistically thirsting for information -- searching for some sign that it was all some cruel hoax or a nightmare. My sister was in high school and I went to pick her up around 3. We were both dumbstruck. I think I was supposed to work at the Disney Store in the mall that evening -- or maybe I just talked to my boss on the phone -- but they closed the mall, I remember that much. There was nothing to do but watch and listen and cry.
I don't personally know anybody who was killed in the attacks, but with such a long list of names representing people who remain unaccounted for I still find this postcard chilling and a bit reassuring. Maybe that's just me, but this secret has had a strong effect on everyone who's seen it. I feel compelled to share it here. I hope it comforts those who may need it and does not upset anyone unduly.
Okay, that's all I can handle. I need to go do some homework, cry a little bit, and go to bed. For those of you waiting for an update on how classes are going, I promise I'll update again soon. This week. Promise.
|Originally from PostSecret.com, found archived here.
Okay, that's all I can handle. I need to go do some homework, cry a little bit, and go to bed. For those of you waiting for an update on how classes are going, I promise I'll update again soon. This week. Promise.


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Sunrise here brings in now the chirping of birds
my veins start thumbing as I see you in smiles
you leave & I feel then my heart is in shears
I make me work, like a slave till I tires
in desk, when I feel the curves of my board
the screen comes alive as you jump in onboard
tiring and weary, yet I still go forward
sunlight is fading as the sun goes downward
I do not like, but the sunset is here
With incoming dusk, I feel a sense of scared
a nightmare now starts & my soul is not spared
it starts with bees that just buzz in my head
making me lone like a nobody's child
as lights are all off; I am thinking of you
a ghost in me says that 'she no more loves you'
turning and tossing I spent all the night
my welcome song is the call of the birds
I like it now as the sunrise is here
This is my story as I wanted to tell
loneliness force you to be in a shell
I want to smile, and I want it in style
give me a hand and give me a smile
I am a bit sad but laughing with you
this is my time to say good bye again
God knows, I know not, if I see you again
sing with me plz! Come ondance with me plz
Merry Xmas! Merry Xmas!


text:
maandag 11 februari 2013
Last night I made this card for my sister for valentines day.
Every year (since 1992) it's a hard day for her.
She had to give birth to a stillborn baby girl.
I send her a card on valentines day every year to let her know I won't
forget what she went through. I stayed with her in the hospital that day.
Materials used:
* Angelic digi image from Shelly's Images
* White linen cardbase
* Promarkers
* Heart dies
* Designer paper
I want to enter this card to the following challenges:
- Shelly's Images - TTT Anything Goes
- CDAC Progressive Freebie Challenge
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!
7 opmerkingen:
- Ellis zei
Beautiful card you made for your sister, great layout and nice backing paper! =)
Hugs, Elenor
- 11 februari 2013 om 13:06
- Darlene (SCS:akronstamperdpk) zei
Oh Kitty how sad for your sister and how wonderful of you to help her shoulder that sadness with your thoughtfulness!
BEAUTIFUL card and I'm sure it will help to ease her painful memories.
Thanks for sharing your creation with us at CDAC. Gorgeous coloring and design!
- 11 februari 2013 om 14:56
- Vickie Duffill zei
Hi Kitty, the card you have made for your sister is really a heartfelt piece of artwork. Beautiful design in both colours and papers. Thank you for sharing with us at CDAC. *Hugs*
- 12 februari 2013 om 10:52
- Priscilla zei
What a great entry. What a pleasure to visit your creation.Thank you so much for playing the cdac challenges. Can't wait to see what you will come up with for the other challenges going on. Remember you can enter as many times as you like till March 31st. Happy crafting.
- 12 februari 2013 om 13:38
- Shelly Parker zei
This is such a beautiful project Kitty, and I am so honored to have a small part in such a meaningful project. I hope that your sister loves this card!
- 21 februari 2013 om 00:34
- Deb Ochs-LaGrone zei
Kitty your a very sweet sister to help her through a roudh day each year. The card is beuatiful and I know she'll love it. Great job with the image! Thank you so much for playing the CDAC PROGRESSIVE CHALLENGES
A Look Through My Eyes
- 26 februari 2013 om 01:03
- Intruderlady zei
My sister loved the card and she looks at it every day.
- 26 februari 2013 om 22:07


text:
September 20, 2007
September 18, 2007
Secret Wars Part II
Posted by Svinrod at 6:05 PM 2 comments Links to this post
September 13, 2007
What if they had a war and nobody knew it ?
Posted by Svinrod at 3:41 PM 0 comments Links to this post
September 11, 2007
9/11 Why We Fight
This is a hard post to compose. There is not an American alive today that does not know of the thousands that perished on that September morning. To me, this is what the fight is all about. America has now been at war for six long years. Thousands of brave volunteer soldiers have died and even more wounded. The treasury of the U.S.A., like a blood bank, is desperately trying to transfuse life into a dying region of the planet. There is a cancer growing there that, if left untreated, would destroy all vestiges of civilization as we in the west perceive it. It has thoroughly infected europe, and more than a few cells have been found here at home. It has a name. It is malignant and it is evil . It is also a religion. It is ironic that "We The People" should be confronted by an enemy that we have always considered sacrosanct. We guarantee religious freedom in this country. Our enemies demand submission to their bitter and twisted vision of Paradise. There is little room for compromise between medicine and poison. This sickness has been thrust upon us and can only be eradicated by it's complete and utter destruction. There can be no treaties, no co-existance, no conditions. The enemy must be ruthlessly hunted down and killed. Some will argue that an idea can not be killed. They are wrong . For untold centuries, civilizations were ruled by the"Divine Right" of royalty claiming descent from the Gods. This arrogance has been mostly given its answer in the last century. In the 19th century, slavery was considered a " peculiar" American Institution. Fascism, Hitlerism, and the 20th century Bushido of Japan were not only crushed militarily but destroyed as even viable ideas. It can be done. It has to be done again. I will leave it to those who have read thus far to determine how those infected with an evil idea should be treated. Is the infection always malignant? Can it be reversed or tamed? Can it be even understood? Choose your answers wisely my friends. The wrong decisions will kill us all. I choose life for myself. That choice may have consequences for others. Bad ideas cause bad things to happen. Too Damned Bad !
Posted by Svinrod at 1:01 PM 0 comments Links to this post
September 09, 2007
And The Winner Is...
Finally !
After weeks of review, the winner of the YouTube Smackdown video of the month !
Posted by Svinrod at 6:32 PM 0 comments Links to this post
September 02, 2007
Afghan Drug Trafficking
Click the link for teh funny.
Bin-Laden, Zarquwi, and uh...Dave
Posted by Svinrod at 12:09 PM 0 comments Links to this post


text:
Monthly Archives: March 2014
Restaurant review: Chili's, Mumbai
First ever guest post on Nothing Intellectual. Old friend Sanket Chavan, who is a freelance photographer, and a better writer than he thinks, does the honours. Here goes:
Chili's gives you the feel of a regular watering hole filled with chatter from neighboring tables. The place emphasises on the south western American cuisine, influenced by Tex-Mex. I was invited for Chili's Grill and Bar's food festival; they had a special menu for it. Rezy, the restaurant manager was of a great help throughout the evening, explaining what goes into the dishes and managing our expectations, especially when people think that Chili's must have something to do with all the dishes being spicy. They are not.
Rezy recommended starting out with a Beer-ita. As expected, it came in a tall beer glass, dark, yellow and frothy. It tastes like the usual draught (sans the bitterness) and leaves an aftertaste of margarita. It was accompanied with Bold Calamari with Cilantro ranch (Rs 395). The pairing would've been ideal if it were to be just beer. However, the Calamari was crunchy and satisfying enough.
Then, we were recommended the Triple dipper (Rs 495). Given the fact that I was sharing my table with a vegetarian, we ordered Southwestern Rolls, Texas Cheese poppers, Paneer bites and Boneless chicken wings. Other than the wings all of them were vegetarian preparations. However, the best of them was the Paneer bites, you felt the initial crunch as you bit into the softer insides, it just disappears in your mouth. The Cheese poppers can barely be qualified as solid, these just melt as soon as it slides in your mouth. Chicken wings were a bit spicy with a sweet aftertaste, Southwestern Rolls were devoured before I even had the opportunity, must be that good.
As I primarily eat fish at any given opportunity, I was waiting for the Orange Habanero Salmon (Rs 725) ever since I read the menu. Finally it arrived, paired with the freshest Brocolli and cucumber, the orange coloured fillet sat there emanating a smoky aroma. After taking a deep breath I sliced a part of the fillet, pink flakes of the salmon gave way for my knife. As soon as it was in my mouth I could feel the balanced flavors. The Habenaro and fish combination goes really well.
We had also ordered a Paneer and Cheese Fajita (Rs 395). For someone who has never tasted the Quesadilla, I would want to recommend this to them vegetarians. Molten cheese, paneer, mushrooms, sour cream, four different toppings… it's like a carnival of all things nice and soft on a platter.
The meal concluded with the Molten Chocolate lava Cake (Rs 325). Sitting on top of a bunt chocolate cake is a dollop of chocolate coated vanilla ice-cream. As soon as you break open the chocolate coating along with the cake to get a spoonful of the Lava cake, you can see the ice-cream and the chocolate ooze out. Drool worthy site, quite literally.
All photographs by Sanket Chavan. Check out more of his work here. Also, Sanket would like to thank his dear friend Amrita Hom Ray for inviting him and Karishma Shah for being such good company.
Chili's: 13, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park, Central Avenue Road, Powai, Mumbai.
Phone: 022 67419002, 022 67419003


text:
i think i'm going to start subscribing to the nytimes weekend papers. i
usually get up early enough to snag it before whoever steals it. my
dad's friend said there are parts of the classifieds (section 4a or
something like that) that aren't online, so i suppose that should be a
reason. i also like reading the international news, and it's easier to scan
headlines and read the lead in the paper as opposed to the internet.
right now, on the nytimes website, i'm reading an article about religious
missionaries in africa
and am also in the midst of bret easton elli's new book LUNAR
PARK--being in europe i missed the hype of its release--and it's very bizarre.
t left nyc today and i feel lonely already. i know when i get home and
it's just luna to greet me, that hole in my heart will ache again, and
i will look around the space of my 1br apt and think, "it's so empty."
love makes it impossible to think outside of cliches. i've included a photo of him with a stray cat in greece. isn't he sweet? both the cat and t.
i mentioned wanting to do the peace corps to my mom, more of, "when i
do the peace corps..." and she was like, "wha?" it's something i've
wanted to do since i first learned about it in high school social studies.
i finally finished cataloging that big pile of books and it's nice to
chill out with a book at work for a bit. one of the perks of being a
librarian, except when people interrupt me.
the workstudies ignoring patrons to work on their schoolwork is really
pissing me off. oh well, some things never change.
Ultrarunning, traveling, writing, and adventures from the RD of the Burning Man Ultramarathon.
30 January 2006
what's happening...
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text:
Graham has posted a stirring, beautifully written, article on Iran. I found this particularly moving:
In Shah of Shahs, Kapuściński describes a street exchange between two men, a protester standing at the edge of a large crowd, and a policeman. Until now, he reminds us, the policeman would scream at the man to go home; he and the rest of the crowd would turn tail. But then suddenly, things change. 'The policeman shouts, but the man doesn't run. He just stands there, looking at the policeman…he doesn't budge. He glances around and sees the same look on other faces…Nobody runs though the policeman has gone on shouting: at last he stops. There is a moment of silence. We don't know whether the policeman and the man of on the edge of the crowd already realize what has happened. The man has stopped being afraid – and this is precisely the beginning of the revolution…the policeman turns around and begins to walk heavily back toward his post.'
You can read the rest here


text:
Here are some of my thoughts on the Ryan Braun saga.
First off - we are not talking about a crime here so let's stop with the talk about due process. Ken Rosenthal had a very good take on the subject but his one flaw was thinking this was a matter of due process. It was a case of contractual process and arbitration. If Braun was "guilty" he wasn't going to jail.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for certain processes to be in place and those processes were violated by agents in the employ of MLB. If the lack of adherence had come on the part of the player - say if the player did not provide the urine sample in the presence of a MLB tester - then the sample would have been ruled invalid and rightly so. That is not to assume that the player would have tried to use a Whizzinator if the tester wasn't watching but that same adherence to the agreed upon rules has to apply on the flip side of the coin. Who's to say the courier who failed in his duties doesn't have a Matt Kemp shrine in his apartment and access to synthetic testosterone?
It has been said that the arbitrator was also influenced that Braun's sample was rumored to have three-times the testosterone of the next highest sample ever recorded. Unprecedented levels of testosterone coupled with an unprecedented breaking of the testing process guidelines really left the arbitrator with no choice but to rule the way he did.
In unrelated news - the Milwaukee Brewers announced today that Rocky Mountain Oysters will no longer be served in the Brewers clubhouse. Ryan Braun was the only player eating them anyways.
Let me just say that MLB looks bad in this episode. They responded by saying they "vehemently disagreed" with the arbitrator's decision. They "vehemently disagree"? Is that how it works? MLB disagrees. Overruled. No, no, no - we VEHEMENTLY disagree! Oh, well if you vehemently disagree then the arbitrator should take some time to reconsider - NOT! (Someone at ESPN should definitely get Kevin Pollack to read MLB's statement.)
According to a Tweet from Ken Rosenthal - the 2-1 vote was the result of Union chief Michael Weiner and independent arbitrator Shyam Das siding with Braun while Rob Manfred of MLB voting against Braun. Is it just me or does this seem like a strange arrangement that would always result in any case starting off at 1-1? Why bother having the Union and MLB voters in the first place? Just have the arbitrator. Saying it was a 2-1 vote instead of an arbitrator's decision just makes it worse in my opinion.


text:
Saturday was learn to dye Mohair day at Ronan Country Fibers in Selma Oregon.
What a great day with great people!!!
Using Jacquard dyes we learned a multitude of techniques.
Solar dyeing, microwave dyeing, canning jar dyeing, pot dyeing..... and we talked about a
bunch of other possible techniques. We learned what the difference is between dying wet fiber and dry fiber and dirty vs. clean fiber
This is the solar dyeing technique.....
Dyed fiber waiting to be rinsed
Carol examining her solar dyed Mohair. That is my Navaho churro yarn that I snuck in to the mohair party....
Lisa is rinsing her solar dyed mohair locks
On the right is some grey Mohair with red and blue dye overlay-it will be great when it is spun
Ellie is rinsing her solar dyed roving ...not sure she likes the color that she got yet, granddaughter Natalie is learning the technique
We all agree that canning jar dyeing gives the most brilliant color...that green is supposed to be kelly green...interesting...looks like neon lime to me
Beautiful fleece drying in the sun
It was a fabulous day with fabulous people!!!!! I cannot wait to do some more solar dying myself.....have fiber will dye.........
Thanks Carol for letting me sneak in my wool!!!!


text:
You're most likely familiar enough with Facebook, but what you may not be aware of is Fabulis. It's sort of a Fb for gay men. So far it's not a hook up site, and that's nice. It's still in it's early stages, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it or how I feel I fit in there, but over all it seems like a potentially delightful resource.
All of that is to explain the fabulis questions which are questions you can post to other members and that other members might post to you. They're sometimes interesting and thought provoking, and sometimes they're just nonsense which is as it should be. One I got today, and I imagine all members got today, from one of the founders, was this, followed by my answer:
Q: Today, October 11, 2010 is National Coming Out Day in the U.S. (It's also celebrated on the 12th in the UK). We'd like to know, what does OUT mean to you?
When I think of being out I can't help but think of it in levels of outness based on the situation you are in at the moment.
My family knows, but we don't talk a lot, and they're very Baptist for the most part, but it's a really big southern family, and there's a lot we don't talk about. Plus they live in a different state, though close enough to visit sometimes.
At work and in my social life I'm completely out. I see no reason not to be. I don't have a problem being gay, and I don't have a problem if some people with opposite sex attractions choose to live that lifestyle. It's not for me, and I want to make sure that straight people know that I'm gay so that if they have a problem we assert from the beginning that it's going to have to remain their problem. I don't really have room in my life for it.
Each spring and fall for the past few years I've coached my oldest son's soccer team. I coached both of my boys till we realized soccer wasn't for the youngest. I'm not out even a little bit there. When we started this whole soccer thing my oldest was five, and for all intents and purposes we were a fairly normal family, mom and dad with two young sons. I was even a stay at home dad at that point while my wife followed her career.
I'd love to feel like I could be out at soccer, but I'm not sure how they'd take it. While our social life involves that part of our town that's the hipper and closer to town part, soccer takes us north to the more socially conservative part of our town.
Also, it doesn't come up. I kind of want to say it doesn't matter, but I lied for so long in the closet that I just feel dishonest sometimes. And it kind of feels like the closet all over again.
Really, coming out is a never ending process. People tend to assume you're not gay and don't really even think about the fact that they've already made a judgment about you. It isn't necessarily a big deal except that you are consciously making judgments because you are gay. And I know in my case that I'm always looking for an ally or, better yet, a fellow homo.
I want to think that there will be a day when being out isn't a big deal, that we'll one day be accepted as normal people, that it won't even be a curiosity that we are also gay. But I can't help but think there will always be some sort of coming out process.


text:
This weekend, you can catch me at The Public, soaking up every last ounce of innovation on display at the Under the Radar Festival (with the exception of Mike Daisey's one night only monologue on How Theater Failed America, or the work-in-progress of Dael Orlandersmith, Stoop Stories). Below, you'll find short reviews of the two shows I was most looking forward to, Young Jean Lee's Church and Nature Theater of Oklahoma's Poetics: A Ballet Brut, but in the coming days, you'll also (hopefully) get to hear some wide-eyed discoveries of new artists and groups, like Ireland's Mark O'Rowe (Terminus) or the Bay Area's spoken word collective, The Suicide Kings (In Spite of Everything), a subtitled, anti-oppression piece from Belarus Free Theatre (Generation Jeans), and "anthropological humorist" Reggie Watts (Disinformation). If you like theater, why wouldn't you want to explore it a little? Tickets are just $15, and if this year's offerings are anything like last year's, expect high quality, bold performances, and tons of new voices.
Reviewed by Aaron Riccio
- Church
For the most part, Young Jean Lee's Church, a quiet exploration of the power of faith, avoids the pontification that she declaims early on as "masturbation rage." Instead of focusing on anything negative, she opens with a voice calling out from the darkness, then introduces us to four ordinary people, Reverends Jose (Brian Bickerstaff), Weena (Weena Pauly), Katie (Katie Workum), and Katy (Katy Pyle), who each deliver a sermon asking simply for our prayers to help them (and us) through the most understandable of troubles in our lives: the tendency to whine, for instance. The play then moves into a series of absurd testimonials which, because they are delivered straightly, without satire and with tenderness, give us a touchstone for why some people are able to believe, and why others are not.
In this case, surely no-one in the audience shares the circumstances of Weena's deliverance -- ten years of orgies, drug-use, abortions made into trophies on the wall, relaxation atop ten gushing feet of chicken blood, or the erstwhile tattooing of a swastika onto one's face -- her unabashed recollection speaks to some underlying grace. Likewise with Jose's attempts to sermonize -- it doesn't matter that his parables turn themselves, half-finished, into other parables, much like his hysterical references to "birds made of fish" or of demon mummies (including, but not restricted to, unicorns). Ultimately, the play concludes with two surges of music -- the first, a rapturous dance that, all smiles and energies, gives the sensation of beauteous freedom, and the second, a large choral rendition of "Ain't Got Time To Die" that reminds us that every voice has the power not only to sing, but to come together. I'm not a religious man, but Lee's Church gives me hope that there is something that unites us all, some inner inexpressible goodness, even if it's not religion itself.
- Poetics: A Ballet Brut
They may not be from Oklahoma, but if Nature Theater of Oklahoma's recent works prove anything, it's that they understands nature: human nature. Just as No Dice exaggerated our casual conversations through the veil of dinner theater, Poetics takes our ordinary movements and filters them through a dream ballet. They dress like hip twentysomethings, all colorful sneakers, funny socks, and graphic Ts; and they act like us -- sipping on a soda, crossing their arms behind their head or placing their hands in their pockets, basically trying to find a way to idle comfortably on a narrow swath of space between the audience and a looming red curtain. And when these movements start coming together in sync, as "All By Myself" starts playing, they dance like us too, or like those of us who don't know how to dance would dance (or have danced: like children, unfettered by form, unrestricted by rules).
As the curtains part, the space changes -- growing from the backstage audience area to the stage itself and eventually the entire theater -- as does the dancing: though many of the gestures are repetitive, they way they look changes based on the song (from "You Should Be Dancing" to "Dancing Queen" to "Dream Weaver"). Sometimes ballet twirls are accomplished with the use of spinning office chairs with complex steps done by dancing fingers on the floor; the show is a combination of grace and sloppiness (as when they dance while eating pizza), and becomes a brute force approach to dance. Simple movements that, out of context, would not be dance, are now, through persistence and choreography, a part of a new vocabulary of motion.
At its heart, however, Poetics is -- like Church -- a reminder of the ties that bind us all. Music and dance are two other artistic forces whose effects cannot be easily described, but which have the power to make us all move. So get up off of that dance floor, kill me softly with that song, because we can dance if we want to, and I don't stop till I get it up.
According to Lincoln Center's new LCT3 project at its slogan, it takes "New Audiences for New Artists." It also takes new critics, hence the establishment of Theater Talk's New Theater Corps in 2005, a way for up-and-coming theater writers and eager new theatergoers to get exposure to the ever-growing theater scene in New York City. Writers for the New Theater Corps are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the off-off and off-Broadway theater scene, learning and giving back high-quality reviews at the same time. Driven by a passion and love of the arts, the New Theater Corps aims to identify, support, and grow the arts community, one show and one person at a time.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Under the Radar Festival @ The Public Theater
Posted by Aaron Riccio at 1/11/2008 11:51:00 PM
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text:
April was filled with stories about Easter and Justin Bieber. I'm pretty sure the two are totally unrelated, but my sweetie told the Dog Walker that he couldn't speak the name of Justin Bieber in our house so suddenly he became JB. The Dog Walker tends to become obsessed with things and JB happened to be the latest one. This three-part story started with the Dog Walker bringing home a poster and what ultimately happened to it.
Bossy graduated from the university and the Dog Walker played in a music festival. I also told the story of my first boyfriend and how he broke up with me after I nearly crashed his beloved car. So hard to choose a favorite, but the JB ones were so fun!
May brought a bunch of Mom stories and an interview with the local newspaper, The Salt Lake Tribune. We also wrote a bunch of stories about ripped pants and my personal favorite, when Scout announced that Curly didn't have to wear pants because he was the king. We still use that phrase if anyone is running around in their underwear so it has become a new tradition. The final posts of May included near drownings including when my sweet Princess actually drowned and a series of miracles brought her back to us. And my last post was a bittersweet experience with my grandma who passed away in September.
June brought about the craziness of summer and the beginning of the summer list. I wrote about dads and grandpas. We had three birthdays and some fun camping memories. My favorite post was about the Prima Donna and her "tangled web." You'll just have to read that one. I can't do it justice without the pictures.
This is so much fun, just looking back over our year and remembering all the crazy things we did. Thanks to all those fabulous ladies who suggested a review!
|(Sarah A. Miller | The Salt Lake Tribune)