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Monday, 25 July 2011
By Way of Sorrow, Indeed
Someone on Metafilter.com linked to the lovely slideshow above on YouTube yesterday, saying a friend of his had put it together in celebration of New York's first legal gay marriage ceremonies. I defy anyone to look at the succession of images depicting loving gay couples, contrasted with images of the hatred and bigotry they've faced for so long, and not be moved. The slideshow is set to a song called "By Way of Sorrow", which my Googling tells me is written by Julie Miller and performed by a group called Cry, Cry, Cry, and I cannot imagine a more perfect accompaniment for this video.
As happy as I am for these couples, as thrilled as I am to see that the tide of homophobic bigotry is on the wane, my happiness is veined with sorrow and shame. I feel sorrow that gay people have had to wait so very long for a civil right so many of us have had all our lives, that the U.S. Federal government still does not recognize their marriage, that if they were to merely drive across the state border into New Jersey, their marriage certificate would legally mean nothing, that according to Wikipedia only 4% of the world's population lives in a jurisdiction that offers legal gay marriage, and that gays face discrimination and even violent persecution nearly everywhere on the planet.
The shame I feel relates to my own past. As a Canadian I live in a country that has recognized gay marriage for six years, and I am in no way responsible for what the U.S. or any other country's legislative tardiness in coming to it's senses. The shame is personal rather than political, and is rooted much further back.
I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian home. I attended a Christian school and Sunday School and church all my childhood, and had few other social contacts as my family lived on a farm. I'm embarrassed to think how indoctrinated I was at 14 or so, but the reality is that I didn't have much chance to be otherwise. As I attended public high schools, the re-education process began in grade nine and eventually led to my becoming agnostic at age 28 and an atheist at some point in my thirties, but it took many years for life to chip away what had been instilled in me.
At 17, when I was still two-thirds cocooned in a hard shell of patent Christian theology, I fell in love with a close friend who was gay. I didn't know he was gay, of course. If I'd had any real experience at all, I would have known. If I hadn't unconsciously wanted not to know, I would have known. Incidentally, it turns out that my first crush (at 11) and first boyfriend (at 16) were also gay. This is why you'll never hear me claiming to have gaydar, though since this trifecta I have at least, so far as I know, managed to pick straight men to date.
But it wasn't entirely due to my naiveté and wilful disbelief that I didn't know. My friend didn't tell me, and he had girlfriends before and after me. I finally clued in over four years later when I came across evidence through a bizarre chain of circumstances. It was his responsibility to tell me. Had he told me he could have spared me a great deal of pain, and both of us a lot of drama, and maybe we could have saved the relationship we did have that meant so much to us both in those days.
However, he didn't tell me, and in the years since I have recognized that I had a hand in keeping him silent. I remember very clearly, and with many a cringe, that one day on a walk through the park the subject of homosexuality came up and I expounded on what the Bible says about it and quoted the Biblical words "with such do not eat". I may even have shaken a finger at him. There were other incidents when I spoke disparagingly of gays or acted grossed out by what "they" did.
To understand the enormity of this you must know that I was a backward, sensitive teenager completely lacking in confidence or a sense of self-worth. My friend had confidence and self-esteem to burn, and whenever I was around him he cast such an aura of it that he made it possible for me to be wholly and unself-consciously myself while feeling completely accepted and supported. When I was around him we were in a world all our own and nothing anyone else said or did had the power to hurt me. He created that wonderful space for me... and in return I told him he wasn't fit to eat with.
I do keep what I did in perspective. He remained in the closet for a number of years afterward and I very much doubt it was my wagging finger that kept him there. He had a lot of issues that were unrelated to me, and even to being gay, just as I had my own issues that caused me to spend several years looking to him for things it was crystal clear all along that he could not and would not give me. But he was for several years someone I loved more than anyone, he probably suffered a lot over the conflict between who he was and what the world around him expected and allowed him to be, and instead of helping him and giving him the support he always gave me, I gave him one more slap in the face. It is this regret that remains with me to this day, more than fifteen years after all other regrets evaporated when I came to see that I wouldn't have been at all happy paired up with him even if he weren't gay.
And this is partly why, even though I am heterosexual, I am such a passionate supporter of gay rights. I've had intimate experience of how bigotry towards gays and living with lies hurts all of us, even when we're the bigots. Had my friend and I grown up in a time and a place when being gay was accepted as readily as being left-handed and the world offered the same options to a gay teenager as it did to straight kids, we both could have been saved the pain and waste of those years. And then perhaps my journals from my late teens would not be so full of an anguish so raw that to this day, twenty years later, I cannot bear to read them.
So to the newlyweds (including my former friend and his husband who have been maried for what must be close to three years now), I say congratulations, best wishes, and please forgive us all for being so wretchedly slow to give you your rightful place at the table.
Posted by Orange Swan at 14:04 No comments: Links to this post
Labels: gay rights, religion
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Jean Teasdale and a Life Spent On An Escalator
Satire is a difficult thing to review for the same reason that Saturday Night Live sketches generally don't make good movies: because satire by definition has little depth, and its thin premises are soon exhausted. Satire is simply a cleverly skewed presentation of truths everyone readily acknowledges, and one can find little to say about it before having to resort to obvious truisms. And so although I've intended to write a review of The Onion's first ever "columnist-written" book, A Book of Jean's Own! All New Wit, Wisdom, and Wackiness from The Onion's Beloved Humor Columnist,by Jean Teasdale (really Maria Schneider), ever since it came out last fall, coming up with enough words on the subject has involved much mental scratching about. But I was determined to get this review written. I do think Jean comes close to transcending her satirical type and becoming a realized character with some interesting ramifications. I won't go so far as to say she makes her readers care about her, exactly, but she's real enough that many people who read her say they know someone very much like her, and sometimes cringe at her partial likeness to themselves. I have several friends who are equally into the Jean Teasdale material and we have very lively conversations about her and talk about her as though she exists. Tellingly, these conversations often seem to be on the theme of "how we could get her life on track", and thereby tap into one of the most important veins in Jean's character.
Human beings have a natural bent towards improving themselves and their lot. If we didn't, we'd all still be living in caves and gnawing on raw meat. After millions of years of progressive development and invention we've exacerbated and inflated this tendency until we've reached a point of schizophrenic divide. We're bombarded with images of perfection and incredible achievements while at the same time have reached such an apex of material comfort and convenience that comparatively little effort is absolutely required of us. At least in North America, and under certain circumstances, one can with relatively little effort and knowledge ride the crest of excess material goods and easy credit and self-satisfied ignorance like a sun-baked, slurpee-sipping water park visitor on an air mattress in a wave pool. Resolving this tension within ourselves, deciding upon realistic individual standards, and maintaining a reasonable and consistent level of effort can require concerted effort. Some people find their balance in this matter easily, but for others this schism is a source of great conflict and practical difficulties. Entering the ring of this conflict is one Jean Teasdale, proud and willful lowest common denominator.
Jean is at once an exasperating and enjoyable departure from the social norm of at least making some effort towards being all you can be (or, failing that, feeling guilty if you don't). Some of Jean's best and most hilarious moments are those in which she is on the very brink of achieving a state of mindfulness and then turns and snatches the iron, or rather, her Teflon psyche, from the fire. One classic example of such a moment occurs in one of my very favourite Jean columns, the one she wrote after 9/11, in which she decides to deal with the horror of the terrorist attacks by pretending they never happened, and this column about her marriage contains another example. It's almost refreshing to see someone decide to not only embrace but wallow in her own rock-bottom laziness and sub minimal standards: someone who has "dress sweats"; who happily reports that she wears Crocs and clogs so as not to have to lace up her own shoes; who reads only home making and bridal magazines and romance novels; and takes to her bed, well fortified with junk food and sweets, whenever reality encroaches and life presents her with a challenge.
But then too, there is the urge to "fix" Jean. Her refusal to expect anything of herself or to be realistic has led to a life of precarious mental balance, and forces her increasingly more deeply into denial. She's like someone who enjoys the free and easy ride on an escalator so much she tries to stay on it all day, and runs into all the drawbacks and hazards one might expect. Her marriage is a hopeless mismatch, she is a middle-aged women with a net financial worth of well under zero, she thinks she's going to have the three children she dreams of even though she's 40 and married to a man who doesn't in the least want a child, she's so overweight it impacts what she can physically do, she's been fired from a long series of thankless minimum wage jobs, and she has no skills or education beyond high school.
My friend Jay and I have discussed how Jean could turn her life around or at least make it suck a little less. I suggested that Jean could sell the hundreds of stuffed animals and dolls and "collectibles" and assorted crap she seems to have acquired, which would surely give her a nest egg of at least a few thousand dollars, get at least a part-time minimum wage job and take it seriously enough to hold onto it, make up a budget and stick to it, cut up her credit cards, start knocking down some debt, and look into part-time community college programs. Once she has her finances under control, skills, and a job with enough income to be self-sufficient, she can move out. Jay thinks Jean should leave Rick and declare bankruptcy, immediately.
Maria Schneider has said that the Jean columns get more depressing with each one she writes, and that's understandable. I first discovered Jean in the summer of 2001 upon reading this column, and not too long after read most of her archived columns at one sitting. It induced a weird mental state in me that I can only compare to the feeling one gets from eating an entire bag of chips at one go. Such matter may be enjoyable going down, but it leaves a bad aftertaste, and there was a unwholesome feeling of mental somnolence, as though I'd gone too far into Jean's warped and confining little mindset and couldn't get back into my own. Like the potato chips, Jean is meant to be enjoyed in small doses, and I think that may be partly why I didn't enjoy A Book of Jean's Own as much as I hoped. Jean's columns are all solidly crafted with their own narrative arc and make for an enjoyable few minutes of entertainment each. The book was more of a hodgepodge of Jean's thoughts on this and that: Jean's tips on how to throw a pity party, her daily schedule, her sketch of her dream wedding dress, fiction she wrote about herself, extracts from her cat Priscilla's "diary", an account of the time she reacted to a job loss by shaving her entire body bald, recipes for chocolate goodies that sound revoltingly sweet, assorted lists, her accounts of her "most memorable" false pregnancy alarms (the first occurring before she'd even lost her virginity), her husband Rick's scribbled contributions, etc. Jean says in the book that she's not one of those "snobby authors" who expect their book to be read beginning to end, but I do think it's best to read it that way, as the only narrative force it has comes from Jean's growing desperation to fill the book (at one point she fills five pages with the repeated sentence, "I am limited!"), her progressive breakdown as her deadline looms, and Rick's stepping in to finish the manuscript. Not that I regret buying or reading the book, but the columns are the main body of work and the book is better enjoyed as an adjunct to the columns than the other way around.
On the whole the book simply maintains and fleshes out Jean's character as set in her columns. Maria Schneider must have run head-long into the limitations of the character in conceiving this book. Jean, of course, would never be able to focus and discipline herself to the task of writing a book. And, if she did, she would never come up with an interesting premise, let alone develop it into a book-length manuscript. The book, therefore, is the only thing Jean could ever write: a hodgepodge of Jean-like thoughts.
There are a few editorial sleight-of-hand changes which I suspect were made with an eye to the column's future. For one thing, her age has recently become fixed and lowered. Jean has been "pushing forty" since her column's debut in the mid-nineties and she used to make a lot of references to David Cassidy and other such seventies-era pop culture, but she celebrated her fortieth birthday in the summer of 2010, which makes her of an age more likely to have swooned over Michael J. Fox. Also the genesis story of her column has been changed. In a column that seems to have been taken down, I remember her telling the story of how she sent out copies of a column called "That Cathy Cartoon Was Bang-On!" to a number of newspapers on spec, and that just The Onion and some sort of coupon or sewing newsletter (that went out of business shortly afterwards) took it. Now the story is that her first column was "Day 24 in Deely Boppers and Counting!"
On the plus side (no pun intended, really!), I love that Jean's drawings of herself are cartoon versions of her "official" photo. The drawing of her engaged in her "naked Plush Jamboree" past-time is – well, I won't describe it, because it really needs to be seen. Suffice it to say it is arguably the best item in the entire book. The photos of Rick Teasdale and Jean's pal Fulgencio are superb and just what you might have expected when picturing the characters. And there were several moments where Jean hits some all-time new low ebb of self-awareness. It turns out that her cherished cats Priscilla and Garfield actually hate her, probably because she insists on constantly subjecting them to an affectionate mauling regardless of whether they're in the mood.
I also really enjoyed having a long-cherished theory of mine confirmed. My friend and I had a running argument regarding Hubby Rick, with Jay holding that Rick was a jerk and saying that Jean should leave him immediately, while I opined that while Rick may not be a palatable character he's no worse a spouse than Jean. Yes, Rick's obviously an alcoholic who expects Jean to do all the housework, makes no effort to do anything to please her, drops the occasional mean comment, and threw out Jean's "Think Spring" balcony display (even though his agency in the disappearance of this display typically escaped Jean completely). But Jean, for her part, expects Rick to pay all their bills, makes fun of him constantly in her published column (including references to his, er, competence in the bedroom), calls him "Hubby Rick" though he hates being called that, and makes no effort to accommodate his tastes and needs. She has filled their apartment with dolls and stuffed animals and frou-frou knickknacks that he hates, adopted two cats against his will, and gives him dancing flowers and potpourri for Christmas. A Book of Jean's Own confirmed my take on Rick. Jean is a classic unreliable narrator (reading between the lines of what she says is the biggest payoff of reading her work), and Rick's section of the book is quite revealing on both their parts. It so happens that Rick turns out to be, if less literate than Jean who can at least spell and write in complete sentences, more intelligent, realistic and insightful. He knows he has a problem with drinking and he readily admits he's fat, but he's also equally straightforward about his intentions not to bother changing. More interestingly, he "gets" Jean. He knows she lives in a fantasy world and that he's enabling her by paying their rent, but he's willing to do so because he knows she doesn't have any better options and because he, unlike her family and many of the other people in her life, does have a certain real if grudging affection for her. This is hardly a good foundation for a healthy marriage, of course, but in a way it's an improvement on Jean's passive aggressive denial.
I would be open to reading another Jean book, though I can't imagine where Maria Schneider could possibly take the character that would produce enough material. I'm hoping that some of the listed future book titles in the back of the book are merely a joke, especially Priscilla Teasdale's Kitty Letters to God. I do enjoy Jean's increased internet presence almost more than the book that occasioned it. Before the launch of the book in late 2010, Jean got a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and a web site for the book, where "she" posted sad accounts of her book tour appearances. This all served to give the character a startlingly realistic dynamic, especially when Jean interacts with her followers on Twitter. So, although the book may not have been quite what I hoped for, I look as eagerly for new Jean columns as I've always done, and now can also follow Jean on Twitter. As Jean would say herself, "Success!!!"
Posted by Orange Swan at 18:25 No comments: Links to this post
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Someone needs to invent a Bee bib. If you going to stick your face down into a flower, you're going to get pollen all over the fine hairs on your back. This bee at the Nature Center in Mandeville demonstrates the problem. What we need is a volunteer inventor ( I doubt if there is any money to be made) . Any takes?
--steve buser
--steve buser
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Manufactured from highly translucent and semi-rigid polyethylene with walls and crush-resistant corners.
Round neck form allows un-restricted liquid flow-out without leaving any residue at the bottle neck.
Flexible delivery tube guarantees a fine and straight flow with an application of a slight pressure on the body.
"Goose neck" design of the delivery tube guarantees easy and precise reaching to the flask corners.
The tip of the delivery tube can be cut to increase the flow rate.
Click here for product details


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Don't leave Vegas without an impression
With the recent addition of Frank Caliendo to the roster of masterful impressionists in Vegas, there's practically no area these funny people don't cover: sportscasters, singers (dead and alive), politicians, athletes, cartoon characters, movie actors and even fellow comedians. Here are some noteworthy examples.
Frank Caliendo, a former cast member of "MADtv," became well-known for his imitations of John Madden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. His show at Monte Carlo features a live band and he cracks jokes both in and out of character.
Terry Fator is a showman puppeteer who imitates well-known singers (including females), such as Etta James and Roy Orbison, and also creates his own characters. Sometimes a surprise guest will appear on stage at the Mirage with Fator to kid around with a puppet and/or sing a duet.
Downtown, you'll find Gordie Brown at the Golden Nugget doing impressions of a wide range of people, such as Julio Iglesias, MC Hammer, Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood.
Larry G. Jones is known as the man of 1001 voices. His long-standing show at the Royal Resort features many impersonations of artists as disparate as Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan to Bill Clinton and comedian Bill Engvall.
For something quite different try Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace. You'll see impressions of Britney Spears, Cher, Madonna, Dolly Parton, Lady Ga Ga, Whitney Houston and Beyonce. So, what's the big deal? These ladies are really guys!


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Hello peeps.
Well,my family and I went to Port Dickson last weekend,it was quite boring overall,lol. I miss the Pangkor trip so much! I miss the beach,I miss the canoes,I miss the sea,I miss the jelly fishes,I miss the food,I miss everything there! Pangkor is much better than PD,trust me. The beach is much cleaner,unlike PD's,even the sea water in PD is dirty,yuck :O Pictures shall do the talk,I'm lazy to write so much,hehehe :P Btw,it's mainly about food. Food again,lol!
Shhh,the babies are sleeping...
After checking in to our hotel,we went to have our lunch in 鸿记肉骨茶.
I ordered a coconut because the weather was too hot! ><
Aaah,so refreshing after drinking the coconut :P
Here comes the fish.
Sorry for the low quality of my phone camera ><
Bak kut teh!
Bak kut teh cannot leave without fritters! :D
Have been there for twice.
This is something special to share.
It's bak kut teh + 面粉kuih!
The taste,hmm...not bad :)
This vegetable can be rarely seen.
Forgotten it's name ( because I was eating non-stop :P ) but I can assure one thing.
It is delicious and crispy and yummy! XD
Hokkien mee.
Look at the coconut flesh,hohoho~~~
So smooth and thick and juicy!
Had nothing to do in the hotel,so camwhored :X
Spot my cousin's big butt :P
For dinner,we had it in 珍珠 seafood restaurant,somewhere nearby our hotel.
That was bean curd!
Up next,our favorite -- 咕卤
The outer layer were so crispy and crunchy! Thumbs up!
OMG,here comes our most most fav of all --- chilli crab! XD
The crabs were so fresh and tasty! XO
OMG I just love crabs.
Sweet and sour crab,also a common one.
Besides eating the sauce with bread,you can try with prawn crackers,not bad though! :P
These were our supper.
We had fruit juice,cakes,cookies,'guachi' and Rocky :P
Now you know why I need to start dieting.
The next morning...
Wakey wakey :)
Err,I really had nothing to do,all I can do was to camwhore =.=
Sleepy look?
Before we leave,we had our breakfast/lunch in a Chinese stall.
I ordered curry noodle because I didn't eat curry for a long time.
Yesh,I had a pimple on my chin on the next day,pitiful =.=
Alright,that's all for now. Um,overall,we went to PD for food instead of fun,I think so lol. I am blogging more about food now,I ate so much until I didn't realise! Steph,go jog later.
Okay,tata loves.


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What have I been doing??
Not blogging obviously! I find that it doesn't hold my attention as it once did, so I don't know how long this will stay active.
Did the Yarn Train to Portland in January- Loved it, will do again, went to Madrona Winter Fiber Retreat in Tacoma in February- had a nice time, doubt I'll stay overnight next year, and plan on going to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this summer, and Sock Camp in the Portland area in August.
My current projects include:
February Lady Sweater: Dream in Color Classy - Gothic Rose. I've purchased 5 skeins, and am using skeins 2-3 right now. One of the skeins was noticeably darker so I decided to alternate two skeins. This is working well. Based on how much I have left I'm sure I can get the length in the body and at least 3/4 sleeves. I do plan on narrowing the sleeves as the armholes are very comfortably wide. I plan on removing 1 pattern repeat and go down needle size from 7 to 6.
My queue:
1. I still haven't completed Marthas socks…. Ugh!!
2. Need to rip ( too big) then reknit my green watercolor faux colorwork sweater. It will be my first steeked cardigan.
3. I need to knit some baby booties, hat, sweater & bibs for some friends that are expecting babies this year.
4. I'd like to knit Molly a "big girl" cardigan, perhaps the February Baby Sweater or sweater dress….
5. Must make Lyle his fingerless mitts.
6. Was asked to knit a "sock" for a friends car armrest.
7 & 8. Knit a shawl from my new Knitted Lace of Estonian book as well as my Stahmans Shawl & Scarves book.
Good news is that I have the yarn for most of these projects. We'll see just how much of this list actually gets done.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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anagen phase, difference between hair and fur, hair growth cycle, science, skepticism, telogen phase
We tend to refer to a lot of animal hair as "fur", while referring to our own hair as just "hair". It turns out though that hair and fur are chemically indistinguishable, both made up of keratin.
The argument that is often cited as to why there must be a difference is that human hair will just keep growing forever, while most animal "fur" stops at a set length. In fact, the latter is true, but the former is not. Human hair will stop growing after a certain period and with your scalp at least, it tends to be a longer period than with many animals, though it varies on different parts of your body.
The maximum length of hair on various parts of your body is entirely determined by your genetics and varies widely from person to person and animal to animal. Each hair follicle has a period of growing and dormancy. During the anagen period your hair grows. During the catagen period, your hair stops growing and the outer root sheath shrinks and the root of the hair is cut off from its blood supply and from the cells that produce new hair. This is followed by a telogen period, where more or less the follicle is resting. Eventually your hair falls out and the whole cycle starts again.
For humans, a typical anagen period for your scalp hair follicles will last between 2-6 years; the resting phase, telogen, lasts about 5-6 weeks. On your arms and your legs, the anagen period lasts around 30-45 days. This explains why the hair on your arms and legs doesn't get that long compared to your head hair and more or less always seems to stay at a seemingly fixed length.
Various mammals have different growth cycles on their hair than humans do, thus why cat hair seems to stop growing at a certain, relatively short, length; not too dissimilar from the growth rate and length of the hair on a human's arms and legs. But in the end, hair and fur are chemically the same exact thing. There is no difference other than what we chose to call "fur" or "hair", which is often pretty arbitrary.
For instance, in many dogs with naturally short hair, it is typical to call this fur, though not always. But if the dog's hair gets naturally long, we tend to call this hair, even though the only difference is in the length of the anagen period of the hair follicle growth cycle.
[Reposted (with editing) from Misconception Junction]


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Home of the Freedom Pass Anarchists and the wonderful world of professional wrestling, psychogeography, allotments and the class struggle.
Monday, 31 August 2009
Carni on regardless.
Carni may not be what it was but it is still a good day out. Red Stripe, curry goat, Jamaica Patties, sound systems that suck the air from your lungs. What's not to like? Well,all right perhaps it was a trifle insensitive to site the hog-roast stall right in front of the Golborne Road mosque but how reassuring to know that my safety is being taken care of by the same stalwart thin blue line of heroes that looked after us at G20!!!
Friday, 28 August 2009
Meanwhile over on the other side of town.....
The media continue to big up the advantages of "growing your own" but aspiring growers must face up to the huge waiting list for allotments and the fact that not all off us are lucky enough to have gardens. This situation is giving rise to all kinds of initiatives from growing spuds in towers of old car tyres to the radical expropriation of unused land. I'm in favour of all of it, let a thousand cabbages grow. Last weekend I headed over to Hackney to check out one such project and you can do the same without moving from this keyboard by clicking here. It's not the eruption of the marvellous but projects like this can bring people together and lead on to who knows what.
Posted by ray at 14:32 1 comment:
Labels: allotments
Thursday, 27 August 2009
High Speed Train To Nowhere.
Can it really be true that anyone is seriously considering building a high speed rail link between London and The North at the cost of twenty seven billion pounds? We are told that the journey time between London and Manchester could be reduced from two hours and ten minutes to one hour and ten. Amazing! Now this is what I think politicians should do. Take a stroll around Tower Hamlets, hop on the slow speed train to Manchester, take a look round Moss Side and have a long hard think. Twenty seven billion quid, could it be put to better use?
Posted by ray at 09:44 1 comment:
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
The Wire too close for comfort for Chris Grayling. Chris who?
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling claims that much of the UK is just like the Baltimore portrayed in The Wire. It's not clear how much if any of the TV show Grayling has actually watched, and I see the thumbprints of spotty young researchers all over this, but what part of the programme is this Tory Boy referring to? The bit about corrupt, self serving politicians and the power of property developers, is that what you mean Chris?
Posted by ray at 09:45 No comments:
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Kropotkin, the lifeboats and me
Most maritime safety legislation, and a good deal of health and safety legislation in general, comes about as the result of a tragedy and the sinking of the Thames passenger vessel Marchioness was to eventually result in a whole raft of new initiatives. I say eventually because it was only after determined campaigning by relatives of the 51 people who lost their lives that night twenty years ago that all of the changes where put in place. One of the initiatives was the introduction in 2002 of RNLI lifeboats to the Thames. I was proud to be asked to take on the training of volunteer crews at one of the new Thames stations and having helped set up the station stayed on for three years.
I have a lot of respect for the RNLI and I'm not the first anarchist to feel that way about it. Peter Kropotkin was not only an admirer of the lifeboat service but was fond of pointing it out as an example of how a post-revolutionary society might operate. His vision of independent individuals freely cooperating in groups that in turn freely federated with others was in the opinion of that prince of libertarian communists something that could be witnessed here and now in the form of the lifeboat service.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Summer of Rage? At least the cricket was good.
Despite a promising start the Summer of Rage never really materialised and the time honoured English tradition of letting things fizzle out seems to have won the day. We can console ourselves with the fact that another time honoured English tradition, letting the Aussies get the better of us, has been forgotten about with England's win at The Oval. What a fantastic Ashes series this has been. 2009, Summer of Rage? Well at least the cricket was good.
Posted by ray at 18:47 No comments:
Labels: sport.
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Shut Up America!
As Ronnie Biggs lives out the final act of a long and eventful life as a free man there is one thing that he and his family can be grateful for; at least he never did anything to upset Amerika. Had he been unwise enough to fall foul of the Empire of Stupid he would no doubt have died in prison.
I have no idea if Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is guilty of the Lockerbie bombing, nor do I have any very strong views about him being released to die at home. I am however more than a little pissed off with hearing American politicians gobbing off on everything from the NHS to who should or should not be freed from British prisons. It's bad enough to have America as intergalactic police force without having to suffer them as world arbiter on ethics and morality as well.
Posted by ray at 13:19 1 comment:
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Man on Wire
I missed Man on Wire when it came out on general release and watched this account of Philippe Petit's blood chilling 1974 high wire walk between the World Trade Centres twin towers for the first time last night. It was worth waiting for. The film was a celebration of adventure, victimless crime, love, playfulness and optimism. It stands in stark contrast to the dreadful final moments of those twin towers. Perhaps this film should be watched by all aspiring jihadists.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Food for thought.
My Unison in house magazine arrived yesterday and unless you can get wildly exited about Dave Prentis and A Million Voices for Change it's, well, not wildly exiting. One thing that did catch my eye was a full page advertisement for the "Nostalgic Cook Book - the ultimate book of old fashioned recipes including many wartime recipes that kept our workforce both happy and healthy and kept our soldiers fit to fight in the battlefields!" Among the gastronomic delights on offer are Wooton Pie, Mock Oyster Pudding and Grilled Pilchards on Toast. On the same day that Unison unleashed this on it's unsuspectimg members Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced a new government initiative on food security in the face of climate change and population growth. Conspiracy theories are launched on less than this.
In the coming months the debate on food security will no doubt give rise to a number of ideas that have been around for a while being dusted off and given a new airing. Three that the media have picked up on already are:
Grow Your Own. Very trendy at the moment and certainly there is much to be said for it. DIY food production has a long and honourable history in this country and there is no doubt that it can make a significant contribution to overcoming food shortages but the real problem is the lack of available land. Every unused piece of waste ground would need to be brought into production as happened during World War 2. DIY food production has the potential to bring people together both in the struggle to make land available and in the collective effort to feed ourselves. I look forward to the launch of the Red and Black Pig Club.
Vegetarianism. I don't know why but the anarchist movement has always seemed to have had more than it's fair share of vegetarians. There are certainly very sound arguments for reducing our meat consumption but that is not the same as becoming vegetarian. The reality is that it is not possible to produce eggs, milk, cheese etc; without also producing meat. What we choose to do with this meat is up to us but the best thing to do is eat it! Livestock is a major component of all agricultural systems and is likely to remain so.
Improvement in efficiency. It depends of course how we measure efficiency, but in terms of yields per acre agriculture has never been so efficient. It's not production that is inefficient but distribution and I'm not referring here to the fact that half the world can't afford to eat what is produced, criminal though that is, no it's the shocking levels of waste that are now inbuilt into the food distribution system that I'm concerned about. Don't let them con you into thinking that you are somehow to blame for this. It is not the out of date food in your fridge that is the real problem; it's the crops left rotting in the field because some suit from Tesco thinks that it is not the right size or shape. It's the whole stranglehold that the supermarkets have on food production and the fact that growers are producing to satisfy not the need for food but the needs of retail marketing strategies and the production of profit. That is the real inefficiency, but you probably won't hear this from Hilary Benn, or Dave Prentice.
Posted by ray at 20:36 No comments:
Labels: allotments
Friday, 7 August 2009
A Call For Transparency
Andrew Simms of the New Economic Foundation argues for a maximum as well as a minimum wage in today's Guardian. Not a recommendation likely to go down well in The City I would have thought nor one likely to be implemented any time soon but certainly one of a number of ideas that need to be given a public airing. Personally I am in favour of complete financial transparency. Every aspect of everyone's finances should be out there in the public domain. When I worked for the Environment Agency we had a Performance Related Pay system. Needless to say I spent some time arguing against what was nothing more than a device to enable management to divide the workforce and the secrecy surrounding individuals salaries helped to foster this division. I always made a point of openly discussing what I was paid. Management hated it. Wages, expenses, profit on the sale of houses, make it all public knowledge. Not just for MPs but for all of us.
In this country we have developed a culture of privacy about money and about politics as well. An "it's my business" attitude that is at odds with any suggestion that politics and earnings are not just personal concerns but social concerns as well. Get it out in the open I say. It's nothing to be ashamed of; or is it?
Posted by ray at 15:28 No comments:
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Vestas Eviction planned for tomorrow.
Whatever happens at the Vestas occupation tomorrow the workers concerned have been a beacon to us all. The decision on how to play it tomorrow is theirs alone and they can hold their heads high in any event. One thing I am sure about is that they will remember these past days for the rest of their lives. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Posted by ray at 21:14 No comments:
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Citizen Woolas and the meaning of life.
Immigration minister and philosophy graduate Phil Woolas is keen to introduce a points system for aspiring UK citizens. According to Philosophy Phil points will be awarded for positive action such as voluntary work, campaigning for a political party ( any particular party in mind Phil?) and trade union activity. Points will be lost for negative action like attending demos and generally causing trouble. The rest of you philosophers out there will have spotted the problem straight away but I'll run it past you just in case. When out potential citizens have finished cleaning Phil's hotel room for the minimum wage and start using all that spare time for political and union activity they may find that this activity gets them into trouble. Can you see what I'm getting at here Phil? Phil Woolas. He ain't no fucking Wittgenstein.
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1.000 ml water
2 cube chicken broth
2 pack Tofu, cut
20 g ear mushroom
50 g sohun / vermicelle de Longkow
¼ teaspoon pepper powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ebi / dried shrimps, pounded
5 garlic, finely grated
· In a bowl, soak the rice vermicelli until soft. Loosen it with a chopstick. Drain well. Set aside
· Soak the ear mushroom until soft. Drain well. Set aside.
· Boil water with chicken broth.
· Add the garlic, dried shrimps, salt & pepper in boiling water.
· Add Tofu. Simmer for 20 minutes.
To serve:
· Put some vermicelli in an individual bowl followed by ear mushroom.
· Ladle hot soup.
· on mange ce plat chaud.
Tags: Jamur/Mushroom Soup Tempe/Tahu


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Many people know about Rachel's dance performance...but for those who don't know our sweet girl got to dance and worship our Lord Jesus with the Creative Ministry of Arts class. That night was crazy. We were completely unaware as to how big this event was. She got to go to class weekly for 12 weeks and loved it. So that night we just showed up a little early to find a packed church! There were 172 dancers just in the Fort Collins group...apparently there are at least 2 other places in Colorado they teach/perform. She did awesome. The first video is dress rehearsal where I got the whole song on tape. Then Aaron tried to get the actual show on tape and our space on the video ran out....but enjoy!
Ok...that was rehearsal...here's the performance


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How to Cope with Loss in your Family
Everyone faces loss in their lives at some point, and each person deals with the loss in their own way. The emotional suffering that many people experience when they have lost a family member, or even a beloved pet, is often more than some people can handle – for some it's such intense grief that they fail to be able to get back to a normal life for a long period of time. The best horse racing betting websites should have special qualities, namely safety, reliability and transparency. So let's take a look at some facts about grieving along with some myths and some ways to handle grief so that it's not so devastating.
Facts and Myths
Ignore the pain of grief: Some theories state that the pain of loss goes away sooner if the person just ignores the grief and gets on with their lives. Unfortunately, failing to deal with the grief does little more than prolongs the pain that eventually surfaces and can be devastating in the long run. Most people find that dealing with the grief as soon as possible allows the healing to begin.
Be strong and don't be emotional: One stream of thought is that it's extremely essential to be strong and not appear weak during the time of loss; however, feeling lonely, sad, or even frightened is a normal reaction to a significant loss. Crying is not a form of weakness; in fact, crying is a great release and is helpful in the healing process – as long as the crying and feeling of loss stops in a normal period of time. Showing true emotions and feelings is healing.
Timeframe for grief: In some cultures it's said that the remaining person has not fully grieved unless they have grieved for a full year. There's no wrong or right period of time for grieving because it's different for every person depending on the significance of the loved one who was lost. Grieving for an appropriate period of time is healthy and healing; prolonged grieving is unhealthy.
Stages of Grief
Many people find that they go through various stages of grieving when a beloved person or pet has died. Some of these stages have prolonged timeframes, and for some people these stages last perhaps only a few hours. The five stages of grief that have been identified include:
- Denial – Refusal to believe that the person is dead (particularly those lost in a tragic accident) can be devastating to those who remain, and even if the person has been suffering for years this can still be a stage that the survivors experience.
- Anger – Many people need to find someone, or something, to blame for their feeling of sadness or devastation, and it can take a long time for them to work through this phase.
- Bargaining – Some people try to bargain with God or whatever higher power they believe in by saying "if you spare them, I'll change this action or behavior". For many people this is a very short-lived stage.
- Depression – One of the most devastating stages is that of depression, and for some people it takes a good bit of counseling to get through this stage and return to a healthy state of mind again.
- Acceptance – The final stage of grief is accepting that the loved one has gone and will never return, and finding peace for the absence of the person.
Coping with Loss
There are several recommendations that people find helpful when dealing with the loss of a loved one:
- Counseling – Turn to friends, family, or professional counselors to draw comfort and closure.
- Faith – Many people find that their faith provides a great deal of comfort during this time.
- Take care of yourself – Don't forget to eat right, get rest, and let others know that you need support during this time.
There are many ways to deal with loss of a beloved friend or pet, and even though they are gone, remember life is worth living and they would want everyone to go on with their lives.


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'Constant Future,' the fifth full-length LP by Parts & Labor, will be released in the U.S. on March 8 and in the U.K. on March 7.
The 12-song album was mixed and co-produced by Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Sleater-Kinney, MGMT) at Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, NY.
Parts & Labor recently participated in a fundraiser for The Voice Project organization, raising money towards peace in Uganda. The band performed a cover of No Age's "Life Prowler" at the fundraiser. Check out the video of it below!
Constant Future:
01. Fake Names
02. Outnumbered
03. Constant Future
04. A Thousand Roads
05. Rest
06. Pure Annihilation
07. Skin and Bones
08. Echo Chamber
09. Without a Seed
10. Bright White
11. Hurricane
12. Never Changer


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Hi Everybody, I'm busy with my new class this semester, Still Life Painting, and I have two pieces under my belt. I have to say, I really enjoy working with Acrylics, I have very limited experience with painting in general and this was my first time working with this type of painting. I really feel like I'm clicking with it, they did a great job explaining the process(finally!) and it really relates well to the way I like to do things. Anyhoo, here's the first two:
First Assignment: Black and White - two simple objects.
Second Assignment: Limited Palette - Black, White, a Red and a Yellow.
Friday, February 19, 2010
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Five WoW accounts, one keyboard broadcaster and me.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Cue Card: Noob Paladin Tank
Your Buffs
Use Blessing of Sanctuary!
Kings may sound attractive, but Sanctuary is essential for mana returns. As of Patch 3.3, Sanctuary gives 10% Strength and Stamina, 3% less damage taken and 2% mana gained on block, parry and dodge. Compared to Kings, we loose 10% agility for 3% less damage and loads of mana. BoS is superior. If you can have two blessings, get Blessing of Might. If you can have three, get Kings as well.
Note: BoS is available from level 30 onwards. Use Kings before that.
Use Seal of Vengeance!
Seal of Vengeance is the proven superior seal to Righteousness and Command. It puts a stacking DoT up on anything you hit, and grants you 33% weapon damage as bonus as soon as your target has a full stack of 5. Also, when you use Hammer of the Righteous which hits 3 (or 4 with the glyph) targets, each of those gets the DoT.
The Glyph of Seal of Vengeance grants you 10 expertise. Expertise, not expertise rating. It takes you 26 expertise to be soft-capped and reduce a bosses chance to dodge or parry your hits by 5.6% each. 10 Expertise covers a lot of that without using item budget on gear and gives you a great advantage.
Note: SoV is available from level 64 onwards. Use Righteousness before that.
Use Divine Plea!
Divine Plea is used by holy and retribution paladins as a mana potion every minute. For protection paladins, it is used as a damage reduction and continuous mana gain. For that, you have to put two talent points into Guarded by the Light in the protection tree. Guarded by the Light reduces spell damage taken by 6% and refreshes Divine Plea each time you hit something. Add the 1 minute cooldown on divine plea, and you can have it active all the time while fighting. The Glyph of Divine Plea further makes Divine Plea attractive with a flat 3% reduction of all damage taken while Plea is active. So - get the talent, get the glph, use the Divine Plea before you pull.
Note: Divine Plea is learned at level 71. You'll have to wait if you are below that level.
Use Righteous Fury!
This increase the threat generated by your spells by 80%. If something is running off unexpectedly to squash a damage dealer or healer, most likely you forgot to re-activate your Righteous Fury. It should always be active while you are tanking, unless you have an encounter specific reason why you don't want this bonus threat.
Note: Learned at level 16.
Threat Abilities/Rotation
The best threat a paladin can deliver results from a 9/6/9 rotation. This refers to using your five primary threat moves in an alternating sequence between short and long cooldowns. Short is six seconds, long is eight or nine seconds. Let's look at those abilities:
Hammer of the Righteous
This hits three (with glyph four) targets in front of you. This is extremely handy when picking up groups of mobs. A hit with this ability counts as a direct hit for Seal of Vengeance and will apply the SoV damage over time debuff to the target.
Cooldown: 6 seconds. Learned at level 60. 51 point protection talent.
Shield of the Righteous
Hits only one target, but hits it hard. Boring and straightforward compared to Hammer of the Righteous.
Cooldown: 6 seconds. Learned at level 75.
Holy Shield
Holy shield does two things. It increase your chance to block an attack by 30%, which considering the chance to be missed, to parry, to dodge and the normal chance to block will result in no straight hits anymore. Since we are no longer dealing with crushing blows from bosses, this is less important today, but still a useful damage mitigation factor. It also deals damage to anyone who's attack you block.
Cooldown: 8 seconds. Learned at level 40, 31 point protection talent.
Judgement of Wisdom (or of Light)
This places a debuff on your target. Mana (or health) gain on hitting the target as well as the additional talented debuff from Judgements of the Just, which reduces the target's melee attack speed by 20%. This is easily missed, but is a significant factor in damage reduction for tanks. All tank classes have an equivalent move, not using it means you are taking more damage than you should. I prefer Judgement of Wisdom for the mana returns, as do most mana-based raiders. Judgement of Light is less useful with the trickle of healing it provides not quite up to countering raid damage effects.
Cooldown 10 seconds. Can be reduced to 8 seconds with 2/2 Improved Judgements talent points. Should be reduced to 9 seconds with 1/2 Improved Judgement. The additional point doesn't provide a gain in threat since there is a short time gap in the 9/6/9 rotation anyway. Learned at level 12.
Cooldown 8 seconds. There is a glyph that makes it last 10 seconds, but this actually creates problems in the 9/6/9 rotation timing and is a bad glyph to use. Learned at level 20.
2 comments:
Good evening.
I'm a writer for the Official World of Warcraft Magazine and I'm working on an article about multiboxing. I'd love to interview you for the article if you're interested.
My editor sprang the assignment on me so we'd need to chat before Sunday (5/23).
Let me know ASAP if you're interested or not. You can email me at: matthewcraggs (at) hotmail.com
Hope to hear from you soon,
- May 19, 2010 at 9:00 AM
- Jimbob said...
I respecced to Prot Tank on Monday, I so wished I'd read this first. Finally, someone actually taking the time to explain the what, how and why of tanking (It's my first tank in 10 toons)
Thank you. Now I have your cue card framed above my monitor, along with my Leeeroy! TCG card
I've also linked your blog on mine. Thanks again.
- July 28, 2010 at 9:01 AM


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The Denver Police Department and the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force (RMSSTF) are investigating a bank robbery that recently occurred.
Wells Fargo Bank
1777 West 38th Avenue
Denver, Colorado
August 24, 2012, 11:46 a.m.
The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6'0" in height, and 150 pounds.
The suspect entered the bank, presented a demand note, and fled.
Bank robbery is punishable by a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the commission of the crime.
The FBI continues to provide financial institutions with the best practices for security to make them less vulnerable to robberies.
If anyone has any information on the bank robbery above, or any bank robbery, please call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171; or, you can remain anonymous and earn up to $2,000 by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).


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luz600 (aida otero)
Joined 3 years ago, from United States
I enjoy capturing beautiful places and things. I think there is beauty all around us I create hair styles and hair coloring for women and men. Aventura Mall Miami Florida.
I enjoy life and I love the beach
20140718 202130[1]
3 years ago
20140718 202649[1]
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De nieuwe molen
by nightsight
Talv 2013 - Winter 2013
by Kristian192
San Galgano Abbey (tuscany)
by PhilFree
by huperdino
Nearby the Yacht Club
by mshamaa
Northern Lights show in Varbla beach, Estonia
Victoria Falls
by 786ammar
Hot spring in Bajina Basta
by koled
Niagara Falls Waterfall Landscape Photography
by FLiiBER


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Saturday, October 27, 2012
Altarnihil - "Terminal"
As expected the Iowa two piece utilize a murky, indistinct overall tone and production quality to paint the veil between their performance and your imagination. As a black metal listener I appreciate when this is understood and I often require this quality of a band for me to be drawn into a recording (due to my fervent A.D.D. and tendency to listen to black metal bands that I already know are good.) Producing an unfavorable, "necro", or murky black metal sound hard is enough to even achieve, let alone harness and have it enhance everything about the craft of black metal song. This is Altarnihil's strongest element yet. While all too many bands today have taken a reliance upon this much too far, I still believe that teetering upon this balance is where much of the magic of black metal lies.
I do not feel that Altarnihil rely all too heavily on this quality, but I do see great potential for a more musical direction for the band, mostly in the guitars, but I think some synth would work nicely here as well. There is a staunch and unwavering style to the music, and I think some more evocative riffing is where I look for the band to head. The riffing is simplistic and unmelodic but nothing I could draw comparisons to.
Overall I give this a 7 out of 10. The band was gracious enough to give me a copy of the demo, and gracious enough to offer it to you on their bandcamp page http://altarnihil.bandcamp.com as a pay what you want download. Look for a tape release soon, and I will look forward to future output from one of Iowa's rare black metal bands.
Alternately I thought I'd mention that this entire demo reminds me fondly of the last song "Einsamkeit" from Zorn's 2002 demo "Terror Black Metal" which is just absolutely stunning. Tell you what, heres a download link for that entire demo: DOWNLOAD
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Roger Lundeen doesn't have any movies playing in theaters.
If you feel like heading out, check out other movies in theaters.
3:10 to Yuma
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Reign Over Me
All Roger Lundeen films
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2018 FANDANGO MOVIES.


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At this moment, JT's got one hand in the cradle, holding JY's, and one hand on the keyboard. When I asked him what he's up to, he said, "Writing."
I did a double take. "What are you writing?"
"Oh, just compiling the parts of the manual that describe the class sergeant's duties. I'm taking this list and expanding it to include the detailed instructions from this part over here."
He's rewriting his training manual.
We were trying to figure out what certain words and directions mean. Why do they say "cover" when they could just say "hat"? And what in God's name do they want you to do when they tell you to "move your right hand in a circular motion perpendicular to your body until it is at a ninety-degree angle, and your elbow is close to your body, and your forearm is at a forty-five-degree angle to your elbow"???
Meanwhile, I'm doing a little writing myself--a grocery list. We've been relying on fast food for about a week now, both of us too tired to go shopping or do any cooking. But I know JT would love a home-cooked dinner when he comes home from preacademy on Tuesday, so I'm going to make him a nice one: lamb chops!
JY is almost ready for solid baby food. We're starting her slow on rice cereal mixed with breastmilk. She's developed a bad habit lately of sucking on her right wrist. It's got this huge red bruise on it like a high school hickey. To entertain her while I write this, work on my grocery list, eat my breakfast and get ready to go out, I've tied a little jingle toy around her foot. It clangs its bells when she kicks. Oh, the tacky things your mommy resorts to--you poor little baby!!
1 day ago


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Group B is an electrical & lighting distributor that has been trading in and around West London for over 40 years. We have branches in Shepherds Bush and Fulham serving large electrical contractors, property developers, hotel chains, government bodies, local electricians and DIY enthusiasts. We have a high proportion of repeat and recommended business due to our commitment to service and after care here at Group B.
We stock an extensive range of lighting and electrical wholesale products and will source non-standard items promptly and efficiently. Products are backed by our staff's extensive product knowledge which helps customers select the right product for their needs. Group B can also offer bespoke services in-house whereby we can visit your site, offer quotes from specification and give a dedicated lighting consultancy service. We can also recommend lighting design services.
Group B values the relationships it builds with customers and is able to compete on price and service with larger distributors due to its association with the AWEBB buying group and the Electrical Distributors Association (EDA). AWEBB is an independent negotiation body with over 130 branches across the UK and Ireland with many original members being part of our group for over 35 years.
© 2018 This website was designed by ASL (UK) Ltd


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Yuuri Shibuya is an average high school student whose passion in life belong to a baseball game. His life change when an unexpected incident happened, some guys bully him and used to flush him in the toilet. His head get dunked in the toilet but surprisingly he sucked into it and ends up in another world. When he reach mysterious land, he sees some people dressed in medieval costume and speaking in some weird vernacular. There he meets Adalbert von Grantz who uses some form of magic so Yuuri understands the local language. He also meets Conrad Weller and Günter von Kleist who rescue him and take him to Blood Pledge Castle, the residence of the Maoh, where he soon finds out he is the new Maoh or Demon King will rule over "Shin Makoku" (True Demonic Kingdom). He is declared the 27th Maoh of the Mazoku (Demon Race) because of the strange power that suddenly transforms him into the Maou, deliverer of justice, this form can be recognized mainly by the longer hair and demon eyes.
The series is predominantly made up of good-looking young men which lead to an assumption of being a shōjo (anime and manga written for a female audience). The series is often mistaken for such boys love because of its calm acceptance of homosexuality in the setting such as an early plot point that ends with two male characters becoming engaged, accurately the series can be called a "male harem". Romance is not a main theme of the series, though it has a flourishing fan-community dedicated to various romantic pairings. As the series goes it reveals that it is more about justice and friendship.


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Aziz has a part in Judd Apatow's new film about stand-up comedy Funny People and he's also got some kind of part in the mysterious The Office spinoff show.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
BREAKING: Aziz Ansari to perform at the North Star Bar
Posted by d at 12:54 AM
Labels: Aziz Ansari, North Star Bar, Standup
1 comment:
It is awesome Aziz is performing here.
That no local stand-ups are getting a chance to open (to my knowledge) is not so awesome.
This is the gap we need to bridge.
Unless someone is opening and I'm just an idiot.
- November 26, 2008 at 5:07 PM
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ONE of our favorite places, here at The Misread City, is Portland, Ore., and as much as we love the walkable neighborhoods, the groovy coffee shops, and the excellent local cuisine and Oregon Pinots, we find ourselves trapped helplessly in Powell's bookstore every time we're up there. (You may also have heard about the show Portlandia starring a member of one or favorite bands.)
So the troubles at the four-decades-old Portland institution, which has both a strong Internet presence and several locations in and around the city, saddens us. The company recently announced 31 layoffs due to the economy and new technology.
When I went to visit Powell's a few years ago for an LA Times story, I was struck by a contrast: Every morning, at least a dozen people seemed to be waiting outside the main 68,000 sq. ft. store for its 9 am opening, and even on week days the place was full of people buying books.
But Michael Powell, the company founder, glowered through out interview, worried about the book market, changes in the Internet, and passing over power to his daughter Emily.
"Businesses don't transition very well," Powell said. "Most of them fail." But he didn't think twice when his daughter, Emily, told him she wanted to come back to Portland and take over. "I didn't have another option," he said.
To the naked eye, things did not seem nearly as dark as Powell described them, and Emily was charming, smart and optimistic. Still, maybe he was onto something.
HERE is my full story, which describes much of what Powell's -- both like and unlike other American independent bookstores -- is up against.


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I love USAA! (I know I'm inviting a bunch of San Antonio hits again, but that's OK. They should know how much I appreciate them!)
Why you ask? Because...
1. they always are kind and patiently answer all of my questions when I call. (You know me - I always have a lot of questions.
2. the representatives always speak English fluently.
3. Totally free banking! No stupid fees for me letting them use my money. Why do people stand for that from other banks?
4. they refund my ATM transaction fees (and they started WAY before other banks did that).
5. I can deposit a check in prepaid envelopes in the mail or instantly online by scanning them from home. I don't have to go anywhere!
6. their checking and savings accounts are interest bearing (not just if you have thousands of $s).
7. their insurance rates are incredibly low. I have compared online with other companies and the comparison is laughable. We get a great deal!
8. I get dividends back on my insurance policies depending on how well the company does that year.
9. They have a great website - I can do everything online. FOR FREE!
10. And they are really understanding and human. They seem to have my best interests at heart and have compassion!
And it's this last item that causes me to write today. Last year we had a check written to us (a whole $4.80) that we deposited and then had it refused by the other party's bank. We were then charged a "chargeback" fee of $5. I saw the "chargeback" on my statement online and called my bank to ask what this was. Together we put the info together about what had happened and completely unprompted the gal on the phone with me said, "Well, that's silly that you have this charge. It's more than the check was worth! I'll just go ahead and refund that money to your account." I was shocked! I figured I would make the people who's check was returned take care of my $5. But USAA totally took care of it! They are awesome.
Then this week... We return from our trip to visit R's sisters and I checked my email. I received one from PayPal - all in Japanese (or whatever, Asian script for sure). I log in to PP to see what on earth this is, thinking it's one of those spoof emails. Well, lo and behold someone has hacked into my account (so scary!!!) and stolen $42.50 and paid an online gaming site with MY MONEY!!! Oh man, I felt violated and scared. I called PayPal right away and, of course, was sent directly to India. Thank heavens that PP protocol is to send fraud claims back to an agent in the U.S.! I would have had the worst time trying to explain what happened to someone who didn't really have an understanding of English (done that before - as I'm sure you have). I started the ball rolling there with my claim and went back to USAA to switch funds into my savings account to take care of this little blip. Well, I don't keep much in our savings since I get better interest in our money market account. But the evil teenage boy (total assumption, but I can picture him in my head!) who stole my money had already put our account into overdraft and there was a $29 non-sufficient funds fee already posted. Aaaaa! PayPal would refund the $42.50 but who's got to cover the $29? Me! Oh I was so mad. I stewed for a day or two and then I thought about my awesome bank... Would they maybe refund it? I decided to send them an email explaining that I knew it wasn't their mistake and they were totally justified in that fee, but as I wasn't responsible for that debit would they pretty please refund it? Well, the next day I get an email back - "Sure" and it's done! Most banks seem to look for opportunities to squeeze all the money they can out of you. But my bank is the opposite! They are so wonderful! So I am singing their praises! Rick has been so impressed each time we've dealt with them. Early on in our marriage he said that he didn't care if we got a better deal insuring or banking elsewhere - they had our loyalty for life. They are that fantastic! And, totally against my frugal nature, I whole-heartedly agree. I trust them absolutely and I am so grateful for that relationship!
Words of Love at Parents' Day
1 year ago


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Soft side
In love with that jacket, Maddie! So gorgeous.
Your fur jacket is adorable!
Love the softness and it looks great on you :)
Love your lace blouse :)
& what a great bun sweetie!
xx Lyn
lovely outfit expecially the bag!
♥ Alixia
Mio blog
Amazing outfit, I really like to wear different colors in winter too! =)
So cute and lovely. I really like the bag and the jacket!ReplyDelete
Your hair looks adorable like this!
xo Mel
turquoise blonde
School can be a chore. Hang in there. It's worth it in the end. At least you have something to look forward to :) That vacation sounds lovely. Great outfit. Love your jacket and top!
I love the muted colors and different textures and prints in this outfit!ReplyDelete
Loving this coat Maddie
vJenny's Bicycle-Indian Fashion Blog!!
Amazing jacket!!!
You look so beautiful sweetie :-)
בלוג אופנה Vered'Style fashion blog
Loving that lace top and you have a perfect top knot that I can never achieve!
xo, Delightful Sunflower
Love the pendants and ur bun!
Lovely blog
With Love,
such nice outfit! The lace shirt and the bag are so cute <3 and of course the jacket is nice as well! I can't wait for your posts on the Canary Islands! And good luck with school this semester, I'm going to be really busy myself as well >.<ReplyDelete
Ohhh~ lovely! (:
I love your bag.
Dear what size you have? I really like this jacket, but I afraid about size. :(ReplyDelete
I ordered it in size M, the fit is really great, but I would wish that the sleeves could have been a little longer!Delete
Very cute…love the boots!
That lace top is so nice, and I really like your floral bag! :)
Away From Blue
Love that jacket, so cute!
Hi Maddie! Stay strong and dont worry for the study, everything will be fine at the end, I know when you are just stuck in, is like it wont end never! But then, the feeling is great!:) Btw, Im done with the dark colors too, Im already thinking of springtime and all the new items I want to buy. Your jacket is really adorable, it brightens the whole outfit and you. The necklace and the bag are just too cute! And you look wonderful dear, you have a very sweet face! Kisses! xoReplyDelete
nice blog:) if u wanna follow each other let me know i ll behappy(gfc,bloglovin fb if u want)
can't believe the jacket is from sammy dress!! it looks so posh and luxurious!
Check out my valentines giveaway! :)
So beautiful outfit! :)ReplyDelete
So pretty!
you look great! that jacket looks so nice on you! my fav is the blouse btw! kisses
Maddie you look so sweet in pastel colors! I love your floral bag :)
Kisses :*
Totally in love with your jacket!! ;)
your coats so pretty :) I love furry coats :)
<3 victorique
cute purse :)
Lovely and pretty outfit! Reminds me of spring (wich I miss so much!)
I love that bag and your layered necklaces! Such a cute look, as always!
We love the jacket with this shirt, nice and sweet combination, lovely hairdress!
love your look , so stylish
Twitter / tumblr/ instagram: @fashionrlounge
A chic kiss ;)
I think I just fell in love with your purse! So sweet!! :)
You look amazing!! Such a beautiful and very fresh look!!
You have a great blog!! So I am following you via GFC. It would be nice for you to follow back! Thank you! Waiting for new inspiring posts.
Greetings from Fashionbyladym.blogspot.ro
Beautiful! Love your Hair :)
I love it how match your jacket with your shoes, btw I love it your shoes, the bag looks vintage and absolutely pretty!
I in love with your bag!
About women and not only Blog
What a beautiful girl!! Love the look and you are so pretty with this hairstyle!
Ciao Maddie
Love your blouse and jacket! I invite you to visit my blog, NEW POST
Yay, so Glad to see you wearing this beautiful new coat, it looks even better on, so perfectly styled Maddie!Thanks for stopping by dear...whether you're celebrating or not, from one blog friend to another...Happy Valentines Day.ReplyDelete
The jacket is so pretty, I really like the way you styled it. Amazing look as always, dear. :)
Keep in touch,
Your Jacket is absolutely lovely !
I do love the softness of this outfit, so nice to see things starting to transition to lighter colors and pieces. Side note, your hair is perfect!ReplyDelete
Maddie, I,love this soft color on you and I am crazy about that bag. You look so pretty and as though you are ready for spring!
XX, Elle
I'm in love with the jacket!!
The Cutielicious
Could you get any more perfect? This outfit is adorable, so feminine and dainty. I especially love the details. And your bun is gorgeous.
Happy Valentine's Day dear!!
Lace and Lipstick Stains
Sexy, feminine and lovely outfit. I love your bag and the coat. I can decide which is my favourite item because I like them all. Really nice outfit Manddie.ReplyDelete
Today, Valentine's Day best wishes to all lovers.
Beautiful jacket, lovely shirt
bloglovin follower
Beautiful as always!!!!! ahhh
why do you have such a good taste in matching pieces together Maddie!?
you look wonderful in your outfit.. love the feminity and class in your style! <3
love lots,
I love the softer colors as well for this time of year. Lovely outfit. Great post.
Love this color combo! You look so stylish and pretty - your lace top adds such a romantic element! Fabulous accessories too (obsessed with your floral bag). Happy Valentine's Day!
I am seriously swooning over this jacket and this bag! Love them both. Great look.
-- Alex at Cashmere Kangaroo
You look amazing dear! ;)
Tic-Tac Living
Love the jacket and wedges! Sooo very springtime. And your sockbun is beyond perfect. Loving the look :)
The Style Boro
LOVE that outfit..you look STUNNING dear :) I hope you had a lovely Valentines weekend.
Check out my new post .....Stylish oriental rugs and modern decor:)
Have a fab week
LOVE Maria at inredningsvis - inredning it's, Swedish for decor :)
Oh my heck! I have that same blouse waiting to be bought on my amazon account! Guess where I got the idea from...{you}!
Kat | www.poshbykat.com
I love your outfit. Your jacket is so cute.
This outfit is really sweet! The soft pink and the lace top make it feminine and girly and the jeans are a touch of casual.ReplyDelete


text:
Welcome to my blog. My name is Bryn but my friends call me Deco Chick!
I am a wife and a mother of three with a passion for all kinds of DIY projects.
I work part time at a Spa as an Esthetician and with this blog I get an outlet for my creative side. It's not news to anyone that know me to walk into my house to find me making things, moving furniture, painting, decorating, making jewelry or gardening. It is in my nature and that's when I feel the happiest!
Thank you for following my silly ramblings and I hope my blog inspires you to tap into your creative side!
Happy Reading


text:
Friday, June 5, 2009
Cambodia Update
God is everywhere. I feel Him on the streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia just as powerful as I feel him in the sanctuary of our church. He is all powerful and over everything that exists. Yet He is humble and willing to be servant of the least. So patient, as we run like mad men away from his perfect grace. He is all sufficient as we struggle in our deepest human need. There is nothing He cannot do and no one He cannot love. Not one person escapes the piercing gaze of His eyes like fire.
We're seeing Him move in the nation of Cambodia. We've met poor farmers that have absolutely nothing, and their lives are being changed. The work that Food for the Hungry is doing is completely transformational. They don't just mow over problems that will grow back a year later. They're not just driving up in a white truck and solving people's problems for them. The thing that's blown us away is that they empower the local people to fix their own problems with their own resources. Of course these people need some assistance, but they shouldn't have to rely on an NGO to meet all of their needs. God is their supplier and FH is teaching people this through savings groups, agricultural training, child development, education, biblical teaching, and a lot more.
Through the power of God, and a lot of hard work, the FH staff is up rooting the attack of the enemy that has existed here for hundreds of years.
I've got a question for you and would love some honest feedback. What do you think the role of an non-profit should be? Hand outs only? Or complete community transformation?
Thanks for your prayers as we continue our journey. Next stop... Bangladesh. It's very different than Cambodia, and we're so excited to see the work God is doing there.
Thanks for reading.
-jack and all the leeland boys
17 comments:
- emma dawn blunt said...
I believe that you must help with the complete transformation. To truly help someone get on the right track, you need to help them realize what is wrong and teach them to fix it foe themselves. You will not always physically be there to help, but can always be praying for them!
- June 5, 2009 at 5:21 AM
- Rafaela said...
I think it would be awesome giving people stuff so and then teaching them how to use that stuff.. Like, teach them how to grow other things than just rice. Most of the time the people just don't have time to think about solutions and learn new things, because they're too busy surviving. So yeah, I would say the best thing would be to REALLY help them, like you said.
- June 5, 2009 at 5:38 AM
- casey jones said...
I think you guys are awesome! you're helping people so much with the food for the hungry program and God is pleased i know for sure!
I think that handouts AND hand-ins are needed, when you help someone by giving them a handout it is also important to put a hand in and help see your seed that you have sewn GROW! and you guys are doing it! your awesome, love you guys forever-Juicebox
- June 5, 2009 at 6:35 AM
- Princess Samantha said...
Stephen Christian from Anberlin also talked about this in his blog Modesty (modesty.blogspot.com). He said that it's time we take action rather than just talk and raise awareness. Yeah, I think organizations should start working to help people live secure lives on their own rather than just continually give and give. Now, there's nothing wrong with giving, but people need independence to take care of themselves and not rely so much on others. The biggest problem though is often times the country's government, which we have the responsibility to basically pray for. Anyways, that's my opinion. I'm kind of sleepy so maybe that didn't sound so intelligent. ;)
- June 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM
- Olivia said...
Awesome guys!!
About your question, it should always be totally community and life transforming. There will be no progress otherwise. In the case of lack of food, after the hand outs leave it will be right back to where they were. Only when coming in and working with the people to provide what they need and teach them how to provide for themselves will there be any long term change.
I guess I also see that question in regards to slavery, which is my heart's passion. If you only go in a rescue the body from bondage but you don't care for the soul or do aftercare work then they will most likely end up right where they were and rescuing them was only a waste of time and money. That's one of the reasons why I want to go and work with former sex slave someday counseling and sharing the gospel.
Truly the only change we will see in all the horrible issue that face this world is through the gospel. It's the transforming work of all that Jesus has done on the cross. We need to remember that with physical water, to offer the Living water and with the physical bread, the Bread of Life. My brother would say that we need a marriage between the activist and the evangelist.
But now I'm just ranting and so I should stop. I'm praying for you guys and I really appreciate you guys, God is really working through you!!
In Christ,
- June 5, 2009 at 7:21 AM
- Kolleen K said...
Transformation! A hand out changes the situation of a moment. Transformation gives hope and power to the future as well.
- June 5, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Im praying for you guys, God's with you.
May the Lord bless you and reveal Himself to you more and more each day.
- June 5, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I think the best gift you can give is to tell people about Jesus and what He has done.
- June 5, 2009 at 12:46 PM
- JJprincess said...
Great Commission: Witness to all the world. So i would say that means community transformation.
- June 5, 2009 at 4:38 PM
- Tunafish said...
FH is doing such a great job there and I pray that Cambodia becomes a spiritual growth center that will influence the people surrounding them to rely on GOD to take care of their needs and problems. Although a complete community transformation requires a lot of work and is way out of most people's comfort zones, I think it is an awesome way to live for GOD and show others His love. If I got the chance to do something like this, I'd be scared but I know that it would really make an impact and would be well worth my time. Safe travels! :)
- June 5, 2009 at 11:44 PM
definitely complete community transformation! "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
- June 6, 2009 at 11:29 AM
- Paula said...
Hey guys! thanks for keeping us updated on your travels! what a blessing to be able to go around the world and see what the Lord is doing!
Non profit can be both but I think helping people to take care of themselves is very important.
Take care guys! I'll be praying for you all!
- June 6, 2009 at 12:46 PM
- adriana-nerd said...
hey! love your music, your blog, and the message you're carrying out to many people. i think the role is definitely complete community transformation.
keep spreading the word of the Lord! and God Bless You.
- June 8, 2009 at 5:09 PM
- Bill said...
Definitely complete community transformation led by the love of Christ. May your steps be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Wanted to see if you guys have seen this. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Check out the trailer for the new reality TV series by Samaritan's Purse with music from Leeland. www.childrensheart.tv
Don't miss the Children's Heart first episode web premiere on June 10!
Bill Coger
- June 8, 2009 at 7:25 PM
- Adam said...
I appreciate the labour you have put in developing this blog. Nice and informative.
- June 9, 2009 at 1:00 AM
That is so exciting! I will be leaving for Poipet Cambodia with members of my church in a week. God Bless the Nations!!
- June 9, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Great post, love the fist part of the post! I will be praying for you guys! :)
- June 17, 2009 at 8:19 PM


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The trickery in the Wall St bailout -- The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 -- seems to be in the alternative to the TARP suggested by House Republicans and midwifed into the bill by John McCain. This has the government providing bad asset insurance, which doesn't like a good business to be in, and firms opting for bad asset insurance can avoid all the regulatory and compensation restrictions in the rest of the bill. It'll be interesting to see how these provisions are greeted this week.
Here's a non-technical explanation of the bill by section


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Per the team:
ARLINGTON, Va., – Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Semin, who led the NHL with 16 points in October, has been named the league's First Star of the Month, the NHL announced today.
In addition, Washington prospect Keith Aucoin of the Hershey Bears was named the American Hockey League's Player of the Month for October, giving the Capitals organization a sweep of those awards for North America's top two professional hockey leagues.
Semin's 16 points in nine games included eight goals and a +7 rating as he recorded points in eight of nine games and goals in six of nine. He matched Dale Hunter (one goal, 15 assists in 1991-92) for the most points by a Capital in the first nine games of a season.
Semin becomes the sixth Capital to be named the NHL's Player of the Month or First Star of the Month since the awards were first presented in 1980-81. Alex Ovechkin has won the awards three times (Jan. 2006, Jan. 2008 and March 2008).
New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and Nashville defenseman Shea Weber were the NHL's second and third stars for the month of October, respectively.