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Democratic National Convention Countdown, No. 43-41
Democratic National Convention Daily Digest and Open Thread
Sunday July 13, Monday July 14 and Tuesday July 15, 2008--No. 43-41
•Protest "tool" ban in Denver contemplated ahead of DNC would prohibit the use of PVC pipe, cement, and other devices for chaining protestors together, as well as the use of urine, feces, blood or any other "noxious substances" that might be poured on law enforcement or even by the protestors on themselves to prevent arrest; Gas masks and bulletproof vests okayed
•Dem leaders not notified about switch from Pepsi Center to Invesco Field until Barack Obama's campaign announced decision--Obama's campaign described as "insular, uncooperative, and inattentive"--ahh, hope and change redefined!
•ACLU lawsuit on behalf of protestors against Pepsi Center security restrictions now applies to Invesco Field, trial set for July 29
•Public Demonstration Zone protestors will see a double fence, creating an 8 foot buffer zone between protestors and delegates
•DNC bonanza isn't benefitting all Colorado businesses--many more details on the failure of local businesses to find DNC work; the Pepsi Center continues to make progress in its transformation, including the critical technology upgrades
•The switch from the Pepsi Center to Invesco Field has Denver law enforcement and the Secret Service pressed for time in developing new security measures
•Hillary Clinton supporters may have other plans for the DNC next month
•Denver homeless see park meals reduced, charities charge DNC with responsibility
•Colorado's mountain towns hope that places other than Denver will receive a benefit from the DNC, and are banking on fleeing Denver residents
•Host committee donors revealed--a who's who of corporations and organizations who can donate unlimited amounts to the party conventions
•Obama supporter and singer Usher to perform at DNC
•"Green Frontier Fest" in Denver on eve of DNC
•Metro State has begun a history reenactment and exploration series that features highlights from the 1908 DNC and other themed events
•DemConWatch also has a roundup of DNC news
All previous Daily Digests can be found here.
Labels: democratic national convention, democrats, dnc, dnc countdown, moonbats


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SOURCE: Health Care Without Harm
SOURCE: Practice Greenhealth
January 26, 2016 09:30 ET
Showcases Growing Movement to Eliminate Chemicals of Concern From Health Care
RESTON, VA--(Marketwired - January 26, 2016) -
Eleven furniture manufacturers and two textile suppliers have publicly released lists of products that avoid the use of chemicals linked to negative health and environmental impacts. The release of these lists makes it easy for hospitals to identify, compare, and select furniture that meets their sustainability standards. Broadly, the availability of this resource demonstrates the commitment of the market to move away from products containing chemicals of concern.
Furniture companies that provided lists of products include: David Edward, Exemplis (SitOnIt Seating and IDEON), Herman Miller, Haworth, KI, Kimball Office, Knoll, La-Z-Boy/Knú, National Office Furniture, Naturepedic, and Stryker. Textile companies that provided lists of products include: EnviroLeather by LDI and Stinson.
Today's announcement is part of a broader movement away from chemicals of concern in health care. Three years ago, Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm launched Healthier Hospitals, an initiative designed to aggregate the sustainability efforts in the health care sector and to leverage the purchasing power of this significant sector of the economy. Reducing the use of chemicals of concern in health care interiors was one of the goals.
Since then, some of the nation's largest health care systems have publicly announced a commitment to purchase furniture without toxic chemicals, including Advocate Health Care, Beaumont Health System, Hackensack University Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, and University Hospitals.
"Purchasing products without hazardous chemicals just became much easier for health care," said Gary Cohen, President of Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth. "This represents another important milestone in our efforts to make the health care sector a national leader in sustainability."
Some furnishings can contain chemicals that have been linked to cancer, cognitive impairments, and immune system toxicity, among other health impacts. The Healthier Hospitals healthy interiors goal of the Safer Chemicals Challenge includes five chemical and material priorities to be avoided:
Where there are well-performing alternatives, Healthier Hospitals pushes the market to offer safer furnishings.
"These lists will enable health systems to better meet their sustainability goals by making it easier for purchasers to identify products without chemicals of concern," said Mr. Cohen. "The announcement today means we will be protecting patients, and helping to protect communities and workers where these products are made."
To see the new green furniture lists or to learn more about the Healthier Hospitals program, visit http://www.healthierhospitals.org/hhi-challenges/safer-chemicals/list-furniture-and-materials-meet-hh-healthy-interiors-goal. Additional lists from other manufacturers are in development and will be added soon.
About Health Care Without HarmHealth Care Without Harm seeks to transform the health sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it becomes ecologically sustainable and a leading advocate for environmental health and justice. To learn more about Health Care Without Harm, visit www.noharm.org.
About Practice GreenhealthPractice Greenhealth is the nation's leading health care community that empowers its members to increase their efficiencies and environmental stewardship while improving patient safety and care through tools, best practices and knowledge. To learn more about Practice Greenhealth, visit www.practicegreenhealth.org.
About Healthier HospitalsHealthier Hospitals (HH) was launched in 2012 as a three-year national campaign designed to implement a new approach to improving environmental health and sustainability in the health care sector. HH was led by three nonprofits -- Health Care Without Harm, Practice Greenhealth, and Center for Health Design -- with the help of 12 sponsoring health systems. Moving forward, Healthier Hospitals continues to help hospitals and health care systems reduce their impact and improve health as a free program of Practice Greenhealth. More information is available at www.healthierhospitals.org.
Contact: Sherry MacDonaldPractice GreenhealthPhone: 703-870-7494Email: email@example.com
Contact: Sherry MacDonaldPractice GreenhealthPhone: 703-870-7494Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
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subset: commoncrawl


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Our Mercury is not a vulgar one - but a philosophical one!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
FAR+C Deception vs. True Alchemical Processing
7 comments:
- AnonymousSeptember 5, 2009 at 4:28 PM
You're a liar, if you know anything about alchemy, then you know that transmutation of base metals into gold and the manufacture of gold out of thin air was being manufactured in a actual physical laboratory and never meant to be metaphorical, all other rhetoric by you and others is meant to deceive. We no longer need you or any other derisive secret initaitive organizations to impart this knowledge to a select few, while you brain wash them into thinking as you do, religion does the same. Now you will see the true power of the people of the light, thanks to modern day alchemists and the likes of David Hudson this information will go out to everyone who seeks without anything in return, and we will transform the world.ReplyDelete
The following response is from Master R, a Magister of the Third Order of the Alpha et Omega:ReplyDelete
You are partially correct in that there is indeed a branch of alchemy that advances one spiritually through the external transmutation of metals, herbs, or minerals. Where you are mistaken, however, is that you do not understand that there also exists alchemy that effects physical transmutation by using internal fluids and energies. You demonstrate that you have not fully understood alchemy in that you are separating the ONE - and the first law of alchemy is that "Everything is ONE. Thus each operation referring to an external metal may also be referred to a metal literally - INSIDE MAN. Thus you are only considering one aspect of alchemy and not ALL OF ALCHEMY - WHICH IS GLOBAL AND BASED ON UNITY.
Hudson is but a student who has remained only with the physical, external aspect of alchemy - and remains ignorant of the mysteries of Internal Alchemy. Yet for the complete opus it is necessary that alchemy be complete. There are surely different branches of alchemy which should be studied separately and put into practice. Thus the external alchemy of Hudson is only a part of alchemy; "chemical alchemy" whereas we study alchemy WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY.
There are diverse paths to attainment that may be followed all together or separately. This is a choice. We prefer working with the subtle fires of the body itself, such as love and sexuality, and the fluids of the human body, whereas you prefer chemical substances that exist in nature. Yet these alchemical paths are the same in the sense that we use the same elements arising from the same root. The difference is that we use elements within the human body, whereas you use those without.
You should, however, always remember that true alchemy should always tend to the liberation of the energy that is contained within matter. Thus the way of Hermetic Internal Alchemy is the most useful to man. Due to the processing practiced by Hudson and others like him - they have been called "Puffers" (Souffleurs) by the ancients. When alchemical texts speak of "puffers" this is exactly what they are referring to, as such ways of external processing are extremely long when contrasted with Hermetic Internal Alchemy - and thus best left to others.
Let there be no doubt about it. Hudson - and others like him - are "Puffers. " Hudson speaks not of ""aLchemy" but rather of "aRchemy" - from which arises modern chemistry. Alchemy is something else.
You need consider only this one law:
"Use nothing external to the matter of the Opus itself - which is already complete as it is - and all you should do is - cook - cook - cook."
How is it possible, therefore, that Puffers like Hudson seek to use things external to the human body or to the matter of the Opus, when everything you need to complete the Opus Magnum is contained within the human body itself?
Why do they not follow this most basic law of alchemy?
For only one reason: to sell their potions and products and to make money. This is a question of business for these individuals.
This is also why they are so upset with our order - because we reveal the truth about alchemy - and the truth is bad for their business!
It is always so interesting and inspiring for the masters of the Third Order to be seen and heard, even under such unfortunate defamatory circumstances. I wonder if such wisdom and commentary could be issued publicly aside from responses to what will undoubtedly arise as negativity from those in disagreement, in proportion to the dedication to their own disciplines. Take for instance the paradigm shattering effect on a student of knowing for certain that in the highest practices of Hermeticism, that the body is seen as one with spirit - a profound disconnect from dualistic thinking. I would hope that in the future such dialog could be shared with students, like myself, who are steadily progressing, yet many years away from alchemical practices and thus could benefit from such divulgences as would better help to shape the many years we spend trying to build a cohesive pattern of thinking in our spiritual development. It is quite curious a practice to study the patterns of logic in the responses of such masters, where it is in response to this terrible defamation streak that is happening now.ReplyDelete
For example, I found the podcast on Sexuality in the Golden Dawn very (if I may) enlightening as to making the premises of sexuality and alchemy quite clear, and yet still without revealing secretive detail. And yet unfortuneatly I still had a sour feeling that I owe a lot of the information I learnt to the need for response to the cretins that continually bash the HOGD. This is a dark lining to our golden cloud. I hope that in the future we can find channels of communication and learning that can serve all this fantastic information, in a place that is nothing short of a celebration of the completed three order Golden Dawn system. Villans, monsters, and cretins aside!
All the best, and thanks for the continuation of your efforts, GH Frater LES.
In LVX,
Frater MVV
- AnonymousOctober 29, 2009 at 7:10 PM
Dear Sir,ReplyDelete
I am reading The Stellar Man by John Baines and think it should be added to your reading list for beginers. I think it really gives a better understanding about Hermeticism and alchemy than seemingly abstract symbols and empty rituals. I just looked up "philosophers stone" in the wiki. Because I didnt even know what that was...though. I feel skeptical towards all the orders out there. I also find them to be pretty non-responsive, and as someone who sincerly wants to become more spiritually evolved, I feel this is very discouraging. I also saw some videos of the lodges and they look quite shoddy for people who say they know the secret of turning metal into gold. And why would I need to turn into Gold? It's simply not true that someone with a sincere urge to learn will find a master. Because I truely do want to but I have to take a solidary route appearently to learn anything. Initiatic schools seem to say that you cannot rise above animal level into stellar man without being accepted by us. Well I can't find love unless someone loves me and I cant be independant unless someone hires me, and Ive done neither, so it would come as no surprise that I wont be accepted because I am not the right type of person. So what do I do? Do I keel over and die? I of course will try to better myself on my own. If we needed a master to be better, then alot of us, are screwed. I know in my heart my own sincerity. Obviously none of these enlightened people can even tell shit from shinola. And if Im shit, then so are the people they accept because few are sincere as me or as serious about life as I am.
- AnonymousNovember 1, 2009 at 5:08 AM
I just wanted to add, like I said earlier, I just found out about the philosophers stone, its actually quite disheartening that there are all these people trying to cheat spiritual advancement.. if thats even possible. You have sketchy kids like Nick Collette who treats it like some sort of illicit drug trade. Im sure he firmly believes what he has is the real deal. Quite frankly, Im skeptical. Im actually on the wrong post because alot of my questions about initiation have been answered in the post about.. intiation. But I truely hope that the philosphers stone isnt the end all be all of the reason why people are in the order. Number one. I just dont believe that theres a magic potent thats gonna make you wiser. If it takes me 400 or 4 billion years to spiritually advance, at least my advancement will be real and hard earned. I think there are so many people who are just trying to take shortcuts. I thought this order was about being ready mentally, being the the now etc., more like buddhism. So I didnt put to much weight on books by Israel Regardie, because the information seemed fragmented. I have a Bachelors in communications, and the thing about my education was that it really helped me to understand the world and how everything ties in together, but it certainly didnt help me in a practical manner as far as getting a job. I approached this from the point of view of everything in its time and everything at the pace where you get a larger understanding for how it ties in, like understanding how algebra works rather than just to learn algebra. But I suppose everyone expected me to just learn algebra. So I am continuing my studies but I wont ellude myself with trying to find some magical elixer...I dont even know chemistry, and Id rather trust that if anyone knows something in this regard, its been tried and true. And you get to it in due course. People are trying to rip apart the school it seems to me just want the bubblegum in the middle or the prize inside of the cereal box its. I would have never imagined there to be drama like this. Its saddens me that there are people who join the HOGD for some magical elixer as the goal. If it even exists I question whether or not it should. And should there be a method for making it the papers are better off destroyed than revealed to the public otherwise we get a whole lotta Nick Collettes, teenagers with lsd. This is my current opinion. Im sorry because I never heard of this matter till three days ago, and I have been aiming to read the kybalion not intro magic books. I apologize for my ignorance.ReplyDelete
Jenny Contonio
- AnonymousJune 21, 2013 at 3:48 PM
for an informed history of OSFAR+C.
1st the path is the reason to be a alchemist, I have study this for over twenty years, and still feel like it all new to me. I do not believe, that any Group can conclude it came from one group or a another any more, but they can find with in the sprite or the source the influences that form their teaching. Science had show that there is a great field of energy and each thing no matter how big or dead, alive or small, has come from this source, Some even think that this is the "God stuff", So lets not worry what group we descended from, but look for the deeper teaching that we are here at this time to learn. There are four way to obtain the stone, The F.A.R.+C has found just one path, but it does, and I repeat work. It is not as easy as the dry path, but in theory one can get the stone from any item if they have the knowledge and a enough of the items to start the great work. I found during this path, That I started to find riches, now I don't want riches any more, I now have more then enough funds to live in the top 1% of the US, and yes their in the millions, then I thought I would love to live forever, but then I came to the knowledge not only would I have to see my wife died but also my sons. Also I did not want to have the burden of carrying on the secrets that have been given to me. So why am I on the path still one would ask, well it is for mastery of self and to serve others. I know less now then I did then, I must confess up front that I am a student of the F.A.R.+C and will all ways be one, and one of life, I have here try to share my walk on the path and my finding of the stone...So will belive me, some will not, either way it is OK. May your study's bring you fulfillment in this life time and may you walk in the light of the source of all things. C.W.E. 32nd 3nd 19th.ReplyDelete


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My younger sister, Molly, claims she was neglected as a baby since there were no photographs taken of her. I won't admit she is right, but she might be onto something. Keeping things equal with two kids is a tough thing to do. I hate for Haley to tell all her friends down the road, "Just look at my crazy mom's blog. There are NO posts about ME!" So, Miss Haley, this one is just for you.
Unique does not even begin to describe Her Majesty. Haley is our little beauty queen, and she takes her queen-ness seriously! Because she is prettier than any other child under the age of one*, she requires a little more attention than her older sister.
*Yes, every mother says that their kid is the most beautiful ever. With Haley, I know it is true!
Haley constantly wants to be held, and once she is in your arms, she wants to squirm, kick, spin, and flail about. She only has your best interest in mind, as this helps to build your entire body's muscles.
Her Royal Highness is also stronger than any other 9-month old you've ever seen. I predict she will be walking soon and has been climbing the stairs for weeks now. She's just trying to out do her sister. Tilt your head to the left, and check out this video of her showing off: (feel free to sing along to the Wonder Pets background music!)
Another unique characteristic that is oh-so-charming is that we have our own version of "The Princess and the Pea" going on every night in Haley's room. She still refuses to sleep all night and will only go back down if you hold her tight and feed her a bottle. I cherish these late night/early morning interruptions in my sleeping, as it is the only chance I get to snuggle with her all day. (Moms have to play these little mind games. If not, society as a whole would cease reproduction from all the horror stories!!)
Mealtime is Haley's favorite. She will put anything in her mouth that is on her tray. She gets lots of laughs from her dining companions from covering herself with her meal. So far, she is one adventurous eater with her one lonely tooth to chew with.
Haley, you are such a delight to all of us. No matter where I drag you out in public, you are such a good sport and will flirt with any strangers. Your smile lights up your entire face and can brighten the worst of days. I treasure you as the baby of our little family!


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So, I work at michaels, in the jewelry department, and I looooove jewelry! I kind of liked jewelry before I worked in the jewelry section, but mainly I just wore the junky claires or ardenes jewelry. It is soooo much better when you make it yourself! Or buy quality hand made items from someone. It just feels so much better. :D
Anyways, we got a new machine at Michaels and it looks so cool, I'd love to have it if I had the room and could afford it, hahaha. It's called the Vintaj, by Sizzix. It cuts, etches, and embosses designs into metal plates, such as the one in the photo above.
Beautiful designs! So if any of you have this machine and have tried it on jewelry, please show me what you've done and how you like the machine. :)


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The focus group in this video consists of a group of Iowa Democrats who are asked to name just one accomplishment Hillary Clinton can claim from her tenure as Secretary of State that qualifies her to be president. The consensus answer is, apparently, that she hasn't accomplished anything, but she's got the right view of gay marriage and abortion and she's better than Scott Walker because he's a Republican.
For those readers with long memories, remember that Richard Allen, Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor, innocently accepted a check from a Japanese magazine for arranging an interview with Nancy Reagan. There was no impropriety, he never cashed the check, and an FBI investigation cleared him of wrongdoing, but nevertheless the Democrats howled about the stench of corruption until Allen ultimately resigned. Hillary Clinton accepted millions of dollars in gifts from foreign countries while she was Secretary of State, a clear conflict of interest that potentially compromised American foreign policy, and her base remains steadfastly supportive. It's no big deal. She's not a Republican, after all.
Older readers might also recall that fourteen members of the Reagan administration were indicted in the Iran-Contra affair for illegally selling weapons to Iran and illegally channeling some of the proceeds to the Contras in El Salvador. The Democrats were livid about this, but Hillary Clinton was evidently involved in illegally sending weapons from Libya to Syrian rebels, an operation that quite possibly precipitated the attack on the Benghazi consulate, and it hardly makes the news. What matters to a lot of people is not the candidate's qualifications or character, but whether there's a D or an R after his or her name. They'd vote for Beelzebub himself if he was a member of the right party.


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I sit and stare at my screen this evening; the family is in bed, and the launch of a 2 year obsession (for me) is finally at hand. I can't even imagine how the folks over at Bioware are feeling at the moment. I am so terribly proud to have met so many of them over this past while (virtually, that is), and more so, I am excited and proud to have been a small part of their raving followers community.
The next few weeks will be especially hectic, but the groundwork has been carefully laid for what looks to be one of the most successful launches of an MMO in video game history. Certainly, it has been stellar thus far.
Belana is all ready to leave Tython (once I find the last few codex entries). I wanted to make sure of that before the launch.
Adaram waits patiently for me to give him some more attention. At level 8, he is not far from leaving the noxious fumes of Hutta behind while pursuing the next greatest Bounty.
My third character has been created, and Maandos is ready to really Sith some butt alongside my best friend in the world, who is playing Morgeth as an Inquisitor in this universe. These characters will only be played when we can play together, and it has been a very long time since we have found a game that has excited both of us as much as this one! I would like you all to meet him as we now roll into the last 10 minutes before this momentous event!


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California Earthquake graphic generic(CBS)
MARKLEEVILLE (CBS/AP) — A small earthquake has shaken a remote part of Northern California near the Nevada border.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake with a preliminary 3.3-magnitude occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday 103 miles east of Sacramento and 30 miles south east of South Lake Tahoe. It was centered 13 miles east south east of Markleeville in Alpine County.
Quakes this size usually don't cause major damage and none was reported.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Investment advice: if it burns, buy it.
Open Marriage: The Eu has agreed to stop buying oil from Iran... in six months. C'mon, isn't that like asking for a divorce effective in six months, but until then wanting spousal privileges? And as part of the divorce, they don't want Iran to
change the locks on the front door block the Strait of Hormuz. These guys have been taking marriage advice from Newt.
Let's Make A Deal: You never thought Obama was actually going to investigate and prosecute the banking giants for their part in the housing debacle, so why act surprised at the spineless giveaway? Or do you think that giving $1,800 consolation prizes to 10% of those who have been swindled out of their homes is adequate? No jail time & a hollow promise not to get caught again. Phah. [This trial balloon appears to have crashed & burned.]
Echo: Folks making $30,000 a year, buying $600,000 apartments, expecting a 20-30% return in less than a year are now finding that their apartment is worth only $400,000 and there are no 'bigger fools' around to buy at even that price. Sound familiar? Well, that's because China's housing bubble resembles the US bubble, except theirs is just starting to pop. But don't worry, it'll be contained.
One For Our Side: The Supreme Court has ruled that the cops can't physically attach a GPS device on your car without a warrant. At least, that is, if they want to track you "for an extended period of time." So the government can spy on us, just not continuously.
Rose Is Rose: House Republicans say that their budget plan - which hasn't been formulated yet - will include an alternative vision to the "cradle-to-grave welfare state". Specifically the unwritten document will specify substantial cuts in Medicare
and turn it over to the insurance companies.
Leaks vs. Leaks: A former CIA official who publicly confirmed the use of waterboarding in interrogations and in doing so revealed the identity of two CIA officers now faces 20 years in prison, which is considerably longer than Dick Cheney got for outing a CIA covert officer.
Bushite Iraq: Under a law called "Freedom of Expression of Opinion, Assembly, and Peaceful Demonstration," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is intimidating, beating, detaining and torturing those who are foolish enough to express an opinion that does not meet government approval.
Anomaly Is As Anomaly Does: TSA at Nashville said "an anomaly" on Senator Rand Paul's right leg "triggered an alert" that resulted in his being escorted from the screening area by police when he declined to be patted down. A half-hour later, rebooked on a different flight, Paul went through the same screening devices without triggering an alarm, raising the question of the validity of either the first or the second screening.
Pick A Number: Joe Granville claims the Dow will fall 4000 points by year's end. Optimist.
Nation Building: Political factions are tearing apart what little central government the US and David Petraeus were able to cobble together before declaring victory and skedaddling. Opposition politicians are particularly upset over Obama's recent characterization of Maliki's government as inclusive, efficient, independent and transparent - none of which terms can be applied to anything in Iraq, much less Maliki's government.
Priorities: KY Gov. Beasher's budget cuts higher education and basic services and - he admits - "is inadequate for the needs of the state's people." There is, however, $43 million to help a creationist theme park teach Bible lessons to the uneducated, much like the art in medieval churches.


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The National Defense University in Washington issued a major report in October 2014 on "Chinese Overseas Basing Requirements in the 21st Century" by Christopher D. Yung, Ross Rustici, Scott Devary, and Jenny Lin. It deals with the so-called Chinese "String of Pearls" strategy in the Indian Ocean and has rekindled an old debate. This discussion is relevant to future Chinese naval interests along the East African coast. One of the authors responded to recent criticism of the report in a piece published in The Diplomat on 22 January 2015 titled "Burying China's 'String of Pearls'."
The original report argues that China's expanding global interests will generate increased demands for out-of-area naval operations and predicts that China is likely to establish at least one "dual-use" civilian/military base, probably at Karachi, to provide logistics support for increased People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operations. The report also concluded that China is unlikely to attempt to dominate the Indian Ocean region militarily and suggested the "String of Pearls" model has long outlived its usefulness as a strategic concept.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Chinese Naval Strategy and the "String of Pearls" Debate
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Where to Propose in Paris
It goes without saying that France brings to mind a certain air of romance. Planning to pop the big question? Here are some ideas on where to propose in Paris to conjure up some of your own Paris romance. Eiffel Tower – This is one of the most popular places to get engaged in Paris. You can ask your love for her hand in marriage at the top of the tower as you take in the beautiful view of Paris.… Read full article


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By: Too many to list—check out the review.
The Story: Everyone needs a lawyer—especially when your judges are master mages.
The Review: I like free stuff as much as the next person. I'm an old hand at waiting for five minutes to get a sample of some Costco microwaveable piece of whatever that you can inhale in three seconds. So of course, Free Comic Book Day has all kinds of appeal for me. But—and I don't think I'm alone in saying this—I've always found the gratuitous offerings less than stellar, either being forgettable fluff pieces or thin teases for upcoming events.
DC's contribution to comic lovers' favorite holiday isn't just a prelude to their next company-wide Big Event; it's an Event that doesn't even show up until next year. This kind of move has always struck me as overly confident. Whoever's in charge must believe that whatever story they have up their sleeve must be big and important enough to keep you intrigued for twelve or more months, and they must be pretty certain they can build up the tension properly until then.
If this issue means to give us a taste of what's to come, I'm not entirely certain we want the main meal. Throughout its sixteen pages, Geoff Johns labors to craft a gripping prologue of epic proportions, but only manages to offer a functional set-up with a few interesting details. The best thing to come out of the issue is some slight development of Steve Trevor and A.R.G.U.S. (a fairly obvious S.H.I.E.L.D. facsimile), particularly in their various "Rooms," each containing some of the most potent and dangerous extraterrestrial and supernatural objects in the world.
Aside from that, every other plot element Johns introduces falls flat. The major problem is Johns simply doesn't have what it takes to write a convincing epic storyline with complex themes. His strength lies in the way of pure action-adventure and superheroics. Add anything with greater depth than that, and Johns will reduce it to the broadest, most simplistic level, the kind of thing you'd expect from an overeager high-schooler trying to imitate literary classics.
By way of example, I offer you Johns' handling of the Phantom Stranger's origins—which, to be frank, I consider sacrosanct territory. The appeal of the character is despite his mysterious nature and background, he projects a palpable air of tragedy, a sense of constant regret. Few writers have done more than even hint at where this figure comes from, which perhaps shows wisdom on their part. Johns has apparently decided the time has come to set the Stranger's story in stone for this new DCU, and it can be summed up thusly: some centuries ago, a young man's greed "forever darkened the world," for which a panel of self-appointed mystic judges punished him to "walk the earth as a stranger to man," turning his hair and eyes white in the process. I must admit: I would never have imagined the Stranger's origins to play out that way.
The rest of the issue goes much in the same vein. The same mystic panel punishes one defiant sinner to facelessness and namelessness, doomed to "forever question your identity and forver search for answers you will never find." As for Pandora, it seems she ties into her mythological namesake to some degree ("You opened the box!" "The prison to tragedy and torment and torture!"), and judging by her altered lettering, she may not share the same human origins as her fellow defendants, whom the panel refers to as, with a crack of doom, "the Trinity of Sin."
At least DC invested as many big-name artists as possible into the venture, with work by Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Kenneth Rocafort, and Gene Ha all in the mix. Each of them only get so much to do, but despite Lee's four-page foldout splash, featuring an inflated Justice League fighting amongst themselves, it's Reis and Ha who make the most of their time. Reis delivers some great character designs for multi-ethnic panel of mystics (all of whom with lightning motifs), and Ha gets to fill a whole room with supernatural artifacts, which include a dragon skeleton, a bone chandelier, and, most intriguingly, a WWII-era tank.
Conclusion: Just as Free Comic Book Day only lasts but twenty-four hours, so will your interest in this issue.
Grade: C+
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – Final Crisis ostensibly did away with the Monitors, but some lingering memory of them lives on in the new Multiverse: Cyborg's dad has access to a "Monitor Machine," which manages to pick up a signal from Earth-2.


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It is supposed to be made from stretch fabric, but I didn't. I make dresses look awful, anything that is too flowing, pretty, or made from fine fabric is not good. This pattern has princess seams and a zip in the front . The strong verticals help my 'look'.
I love textured fabrics (are they called jacquards?) This cream cotton I really love, it is thick but has a soft hand. I am planning to make a loose jacket with inseam pockets . I was going to use ' hong kong' seams to make it casual-so that I could wear over jeans/pants, but now I am undecided. I am thinking because the fabric is so beautiful that I should interface the entire jacket and line it; however that will make it much hotter. I always have trouble sticking to plans.
BWOF The pattern
The fabric.
There is this warehouse that has a stack of fabric bought from business that are no longer operating. Most of the material is scary, but I like to go and spend a bit of time dreaming about making a wardrobe only from this fabric. Anyway, this is what I bought the other day.
I have not idea what this is. It is thick and fleecey on the wrong side. This side (right side) has been printed with a metallic/brown black paint. I have already cut out Hot Patterns' Boulevard Cardigan.


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They are almost exactly the same as when you're dating... except now all space is shared space. You can't just run home.
Oh, and those Biblical roles you've spent all that time talking about during dating - well they are a reality now - and they're not easy!
Paul and I survived our first argument and we know there will probably be more where that one came from. It is nice once you're finally on the otherside and are able to look back at the issue and learn and pray through your mistakes!
I'd also crack a joke here about once you're on the otherside you get to make up too - but that could be seen as inappropriate ;)


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Assalamualaikum wbt.
|Sharing some little minute things hopefully beneficial to adik-adik at SMKA KL ;-)
1. It is our nature that we forget. In fact, the word 'insan' in Malay which means a man or mankind, is derived from Arabic language which suggests forgetfulness. We are indeed always forgetful.
2. Hence, Islam is always about reminding oneself and others.
3. Seeking knowledge is one of the ways to be reminded.
4. It is the responsibility of a teacher, I believe, to make his/her speech or teaching most beneficial, and most interesting.
5. However, it is important to emphasize that the main asset of a teacher is the knowledge; not so much whether he/she is a good in his/her presentation.
6. We as students and seekers of knowledge, may always complain about not understanding the speech of our teachers, and the boredom we have from his/her monotonous voice etc. etc.
7. Out of adab though, students should never do that.
8. It is never required for a teacher I believe, to entertain the students in the way the students want.
9. The students should not look for an entertainer (if we define entertainment as mere jokes and humors; most probably meaningless), neither should they look for only new things from their teachers.
10. The reason why is that because there's definitely so much merit in hearing the same thing all over again. Repetition, in Islam, is a well-accepted way of learning. Why? Because we forget, and because sincerity will lead us to acquiring new knowledge even from the same exact point that is shared by our teacher.
11. In short, I don't think it is wrong (in fact it's a bonus) for a teacher to make his/her presentation as interesting and entertaining as possible.
12. But it's not compulsory upon them. It is not the right of the students.
13. If the students are sincere and really thirsty for knowledge, they will definitely have better attitude; hence appreciate the teachers more.
14. Please do not make it a habit to condemn people or teachers who have their own ways in their presentation, most importantly when they may cater to different types of crowd/audience.
15. I believe, everybody, be it the teachers or the students, has some unique roles to play, and to help complement each other.
16. If we keep complaining, and then condemning others, nothing much can be reaped. This world is not only about us. It houses so many other different types of people and seekers of knowledge.
17. May Allah make us a great teacher with great students, and a great student with great teachers. May Allah increase in us beneficial knowledge. And may Allah make us all humble for all things He bestows upon us ameen.
Allahuaklam. Wassalamualaikum wbt.


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When the weather starts to warm up in the West Bank, everyone heads to the public pools or the Dead Sea. Although the Dead Sea is technically inside the West Bank, it is still occupied by the Israelis—so when Palestinians want to go to the only beaches available to them it can be more difficult that you would imagine.
Despite the fact that all the beaches on the southern half of the Dead Sea are in sovereign Israeli territory, Israel is still trying to claim the entire Western shore for their own use—by barring Palestinian access to their own areas.
They do this by setting up checkpoints ahead of the public beaches. On holidays or weekends it is nearly impossible for a Palestinian to pass through these checkpoints—"for security reasons." However, the real reason is that the Israeli-run beaches and concession stands do not want Palestinians at their beaches.
Recently, some Palestinian friends of mine invited me to go with them to the Dead Sea. We had our swimsuits, towels, and bbq—and we were all ready to relax at the beach and forget about our problems. Everyone was happy and excited for this small escape—there are few places inside the West Bank Palestinians (who are, in most cases, prohibited from leaving the territory) can go and feel like they are on vacation—and this is one of them.
We went on a Thursday to avoid unnecessary checkpoint problems—on weekends and holidays it is nearly impossible for Palestinians to reach the beaches because those days are basically Israeli-only days. We took two cars; in the front car were my friends' uncles and we were in the second car.
When we reached the checkpoint before all of the public beaches, we waited to see if the soldiers would let the first car through. They did not. Somehow, three Palestinian men all ready to relax on the beach was a "security concern" for Israel and we were not allowed through—inside Palestinian territory—to go to the beaches.
"Luckily", there was a make-shift beach down the hill from the checkpoint, commonly known to be the beach for the Palestinians who cannot get through the checkpoint. From the top of the hill, it looked like a decent beach, and we decided to stay.
As we walked down the steep, rocky, and slippery hill to the shore below, I began thinking to myself how unfair this situation was. This was about the millionth time I have had that thought since I arrived here four months ago—so I let it go.
However, half-way down the hill I saw a sign with a warning on it—"Danger of infection with West Nile Virus: Do not remain on site at dusk or after dark!"
If not getting through the checkpoint was a slap in the face, this was off the scale of injustice and Israeli insults. Israelis get the nice beaches, with showers and concession stands and bathrooms. Palestinians get the "beaches" that smell like sewage, take a half an hour to hike down to, and are infected with West Nile Virus! Not to mention the fact that the entire time you are trying to relax in this ghetto beach, the 18 year-old soldiers who would not let you through the checkpoint are watching you from their towers with M-16's.
Another time, some friends of mine rented a bus to take them to the Dead Sea beaches to swim and have a BBQ—they were half internationals and half Palestinians. They decided to go on a Friday despite the risks, and told the international girls to sit on all the window seats so the Israelis would be more likely to let them through.
Since it was so early, there was no one at the checkpoint and they made it to the nice, public beaches. However, when they tried to enter the most popular beach, they were turned away by a soldier who told them this beach was "for Jews only."
So, they turned around and went to the next beach. Since it was Friday it was very packed, and the international girls who were wearing bikinis were getting too much male attention so the group decided to go to yet another beach. On the way out, they attempted to get a refund of the 50 shekels they each paid to get in—telling the Israeli woman in charge of the beach what had happened and that they had only been there for 15 minutes.
She responded by saying, "What do you expect, these are Palestinians. Of course they're going to act like that. You think you're special because you're from Ramallah, but you're not. You're still Palestinian."
So they left, insulted and without a refund, for the next beach. Unfortunately, the same woman had called ahead, apparently to all the beaches, saying that there was a bus full of "trouble-makers" and not to let them in. The group was forced to return to Jericho and have their BBQ there instead of on the beach.
Acri (Association of Civil Rights), an Israeli organization, filed a petition last year to the Israeli Supreme Court challenging this discriminatory and racist policy. They say that the Israeli military is using the Beit Ha'arava checkpoint specifically to bar Palestinians from reaching the nicer, public beaches. Acri says that it is not security that is prompting this policy, but economic gain—as the Israelis who own the public beaches fear losing customers if there are "too many Arabs."
Senior Acri Lawyer, Limor Yehuda, says: "We are dealing here with travel bans and entry prohibitions to public places in occupied territory which are tainted with discrimination and characteristic of colonial regimes. We have here prohibitions preventing the protected population of the occupied territory from using its own resources, while the very same resources are put at the disposal and enjoyment of the citizens of the occupying power."
The real intentions of the checkpoints came to light after two Israeli army reservists said that they were told that the purpose of the checkpoint was to "prevent Palestinians coming from the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea beaches."
One of them, Doron Karbel, also testified that the Jordan Valley Brigade Commander, Colonel Yigal Slovik, said the reason for the checkpoint was that "when Jews and Palestinian vacationers were sitting on the beaches side by side it hurt the business of the surrounding yishuvim [Jewish communities]."
Karbel added, "In a conversation I later had with the Brigade Commander, he told me that he could come up with or find a security justification if he needed to."
The 'security justification' they use now is that the checkpoints are in response to events that happened during the Second Intifada. It has been years since then, without any kind of organized violent resistance from the West Bank—making that justification particularly weak.
The northern half of the western shores of the Dead Sea is Palestinian territory, and all Palestinians should have access to these beaches. It is the only open water accessible to Palestinians while Israelis have beaches on the Mediterranean Sea on the entire western coast of their country which begs the question: Why do they need to control all of the beaches on the Dead Sea as well?
The barring of Palestinians from beaches in their own territory is a clearly racist policy which must be stopped. This and the many other restrictions on Palestinians under the guise of "security concerns" must end. The world will not believe Israel's feeble excuses for discriminating against Palestinians forever.
Follow-up of the site's activity
Ref: Palestine monitor
Filed under: ANTI-ISRAEL, imperialism, ISRAEL, ISRAELI-APARTHEID POLICY, occupation, palestine, Racism/hate, reflections, resistance, settlers, shoah, zionism | Tagged: colonialisation, dead sea, occupation |


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Remember how those beigey pulp hardbacks from the school library used to smell? My nose was always in books, so it was a nice smell to have around.
Nancy Drew was the Katherine Hepburn of girl sleuths. A class act. Thanks to Carla216 on flickr for a great image.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
I wanted to be Nancy Drew when I grew up.
Remember how those beigey pulp hardbacks from the school library used to smell? My nose was always in books, so it was a nice smell to have around.
Posted by Jill Draper at 3:58 PM No comments: Links to this post
Courage and Fear and Penzey's Spice
In advertising, as in life, so many more possibilities present themselves when you're not being afraid all the ding-dang day. Courage, on the other hand, is what we all admire. It's what we respond to emotionally for better or worse.
Haven't we all managed to ignore the plain vanilla? Unless is Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, then you've got Penzey's Spice. Ever gone in one of their stores? It's all wood and natural looking, but it's the smell. The smells. Each section assaults your senses. Never before have I been willing to spend so much money on spices. But Penzey's does something very interesting. It turns bottles of ground up plants into objects of desire. Spices strike a chord in the reptilian part of our brains. Just how many people set off into the great unknown in search of a Spice Route to the Far East? And why would they risk falling off the edge of earth but stuff like this:
Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon
The highest quality, strongest cinnamon available in America today. Extremely sweet and flavorful. Use 2 /3 what recipe calls for. Since the trade embargo with Vietnam has been lifted, this wonderful cassia has become available. Very high 6% grade. Ground, from Vietnam.
Penzey's is intent upon delighting its customers. For instance, they give away tasty recipes for nothing. Every big spice group has at least one free recipe.
Then there's their magazine-cum-catalog-cum-cookbook-cum-brilliantmarketing piece that's new each season. Delighting customers. That's the ticket.
Their people are good, too. Service, they've got down pat. No wonder, though, when their applications ask questions like, "What's your favorite spice or seasoning and how do you use it?" Which job that made the biggest impact on your life?
Think of the insightful, telling responses they get to this question in the "Education" secion:
Penzeys [sic] Spices is a growing company with an emphasis on comunications and visual arts. Tell us about your own background and experiences with the fine and performing arts.
Get outta town!
Here's another one:
Have you ever been convicted of a crime? (do not list minor traffic violations). If yes, please explain.
Here's a big ol' big business taking the risks involved to retain its humanity, actually presenting a willingness to listen to what really happened. Watched the news lately? They need a bit of the Gospel According to Penzey's.
Take the time to tell the truth. It's that truth that is the best thing you've got. Be bold and blunt. Show emotion, get personal, take risks. TAKE RISKS!
How else is anyone going to see your gorgeous self, let alone give you a chance at their business?
The thought process for clients is pretty predictable at this point. They freak out, and those little hairs on the back of their necks stands up, all the while they're bobbing their heads up and down in faux agreement.
Here's where everything clever gets cut. Like 500 units of Thorazine, right in the hip. It's been bought and paid for, but it's not doing its job.
Jim Asacker tells a story about the most common answer his favorite question, "What would you really like to do before you die." Skydiving. That's the most popular response. But how many people ever wind up skydiving? I call it Thorazine, he calls it awfulizing, but it's the same thing.
. . . Our brain thought about the skydiving scenario, awfulized the situation, made up the worst case scenario, believed it to be true, and then responded to what it believed to be true, as opposed to objective reality, which says that you probably won't die as a result of skydiving. So the cost of what our brain made up, that we'd die, was greater than the benefit of feeling that incredibly free feeling of flying through the air, so therefore, we just decided not to do it, based purely on what our brain made up, as opposed to what was reality. So ask yourself this. What is the cost of changing? Remember to judge the cost of changing using objective reality, as opposed to what your brain is making up and awfulizing about the potential results of making this change. More often than not, when we take out all of the stuff our brain is making up, it's much easier to see that the benefit of making the change far outweighs the cost.
So, what this really comes down to is people are weird. They don't always pay any attention at all to things like facts. We're emotional creatures. We are comforted by the status quo when that quo's bus has already left the station. As emotional creatures, though, we intuit great care, compassion and concern. We respond to authenticity, and that's what advertising should deliver.
Posted by Jill Draper at 5:35 AM No comments: Links to this post
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It's a hot topic.
It doesn't matter if you're talking about it in the context of marriage, adoption, the Boy Scouts, professional sports, fast food chains, or any other battleground, it is a topic that can quickly set a blaze between individuals both online and off.
So, you must be thinking, why have I created Apology|2013 and what is my intent?
Let me start with what Apology|2013 isn't.
It's not an attempt to rewrite the Bible or refute it's contents.
It's not a statement about what is or what is not sin.
It's not a condemnation of Christians across the country or around the globe.
It's not an apology for being a Christian or our beliefs.
What Apology|2013 is.
It's just that, an apology.
It's intended to say...
I'm sorry for every time I ever thought my sins were more tolerable than yours, they aren't.
I'm sorry for every time I ever thought God loved me more than He loves you, He doesn't.
I'm sorry for every time I wasn't loving, that doesn't reflect Jesus and not just MY Jesus, but the actual Jesus that lived and breathed and walked the earth, Who I believe still lives.
I'm sorry for every time I didn't jump to your defense or looked the other way when you were hated, Jesus would have.
I'm sorry for every time I assumed I knew more about life than you did, I don't.
I'm sorry for every time I judged you, if sins had a hierarchy, pride would be at the top.
I'm just sorry.
Now, I have had people that have suggested that we cannot apologize for the actions of another human being. After all, we are all human and we are all broken. I agree on some levels, but on the other hand, I do feel that we can apologize on behalf of our family, especially when other family members are not representing our core values.
This is not a personal apology that I've blown out of proportion to some kid I knew in high school. This is not a response to some guilt that I have floating around.
This is me standing for something that lies at the core of my CHRISTIAN beliefs and an invitation for you to join me.


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collection borders with preserve food, vegetables, fruits. autumn harvest Shutterstock .eps vector - collection borders with preserve food, vegetables, fruits. autumn harvest - ID: 276993557
- Author: Oksana Alekseeva
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Our services are informal, with music that's a little on the loud side and a few videos thrown in for good measure. You can also expect one of our pastors to give a talk that's designed to make a difference in your real life. And no matter what campus you attend, the service is designed to be straightforward, understandable, and – dare we say it? – maybe a little fun.
Sundays at 10:30am
Temecula Luiseno Elementary
45754 Wolf Creek Dr N
Temecula, CA 92592
Get Directions
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Kids & Students Programs
EastLake Temecula offers programs for kids and students during each of our weekend services.
Click here for more information about our kids and students programs.


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Kinks - Here Come the People in Grey
Anti-Flag - No Paradise
Dave Alvin - Guilty Man
Dengue Fever - Sleepwalking Through the Mekong
Modern Lovers - Modern World
184.108.40.206.s - Jane in the Jungle
Pixies - Silver
Sonantes - Looks Like to Kill
Mighty Imperials - Matador
Nick Cave - The Singer
So after I did my covers CD for the swap, I of course started thinking of songs I should have included...and wound up thinking of a whole CD's worth. So there's a bonus CD snailmailing its way to my fellow swappers. 'Bonus', of course, being in the eye of the beholder.
And here's one more cover, just for good measure:
Friday, December 05, 2008
Friday Random Ten
Kinks - Here Come the People in Grey
Posted by Tom Hilton at 7:59 AM
Labels: Friday Random Ten, music
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A shirtless Irving graces the cover of the magazine's sports issue.
In his profile, the NFL Hall of Famer talks about his late brother, who was gay, and how his sexual orientation was not discussed in the family, and relates a story about how he found out his brother was a cross-dresser.
Driving with his father at the age of 12, they came upon his older brother Vaughn walking down the street wearing women's clothes.
"My dad looked back at me and said, 'Yes, that's your brother. And you love your brother,'" Irving said.
Irving added that he's ready to support an openly gay professional athlete.
Cohen retired from playing rugby in the UK earlier this year to head his anti-homophobia campaign, the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation.
"The time is right now to retire from rugby and follow my new passion," Cohen said during a videotaped interview. "People have the right to be happy and, you know, to be loved and love others." (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Twenty-seven-year-old Houston Dynamo Mike Chabala posed last year for the NOH8 Campaign, which raises awareness and funds for gay rights causes.
He told the magazine that he would support an openly gay soccer player.
"The treatment of gay people isn't a liberal or conservative issue," he said, "it's a human rights issue."
Australian rugby player Nick Youngquest also talked about supporting an openly gay teammate. The six-foot player with a huge gay following added that he believes in marriage equality: "I don't see any reason why gay people shouldn't be able to marry. I think it should be a union of two people in love. Why not?"
Columbia University wrestling coach Hudson Taylor is doing more than talking; he started Athlete Ally to fight homophobic speech in sports.
"There are a lot of ways you can be an ally, but for what I'm aiming at in sports, it's a pretty simple equation: making the sports community more respectful simply by being conscious of your words," Taylor told the magazine.


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Paul Goble
Vienna, September 28 – The Moscow city government, which pioneered many of the "dirty" political techniques Vladimir Putin extended to Russia as a whole to ensure the electoral outcomes the regime wants, has so perfected the system that "falsifications [at the ballot box] aren't needed, but they happen anyway," according to an election watchdog group.
On the one hand, Andrey Buzin, president of the Inter-Regional Union of Voters, says in an article posted yesterday, that means that the Russian government gets its way without the falsifications that normally set off alarm bells among observers who consider only the day of voting (www.specletter.com/elections/2009-09-27/laboratornaja-rabota.html).
After Yury Luzhkov was elected Moscow mayor in 1992, he began the construction of "a government model, many elements of which were later borrowed [by Putin during his presidency] and extended throughout the country" in the quest of both for "predictable results" from any election.
Because the Russian Constitution mandates elections and because Russian laws governing them while not without problems support the holding of such votes, Buzin suggests that most of these activities fall under the rubric of what Russians call "dirty political techniques."
The Moscow "model," Buzin suggests, should be called "an oligarchy," in which there is an intermixing of power and property resembling that found in Latin America in the 1950s combined with demonstrative government paternalism" and the active use of "secret police," two inheritances from the Soviet past.
The four basic features of the government system "gradually build in Moscow and beginning in 2000 repeated at the federal level are "an extremely harsh vertical of executive power," "a monopolization of the mass media," a departure from "the principle of the division of power," and "concentration of property in the hands of government bureaucrats."
Because of the Constitutional requirement for elections and the presence in the Russian capital of "a more or less politicized population," Buzin says, "it was impossible to immediately go to completely administered elections." Instead, "the degradation started gradually," although he suggests that the signs of where things were headed could be seen already in 1996.
In that year, he notes, the prefects and sub-prefects for the first time "formed in practice completely controlled election commissions," an arrangement that allowed the city government to "ignore" the opinions of even "the politically active part of society" and ensure that the leadership's candidates would get in regardless of what the people thought.
Even before then, the powers that be in Moscow began using "administrative resources" alongside "contemporary electoral techniques," regularly putting political operatives on the payroll during election campaigns. But that was not sufficient, especially given the adoption in 1997 of what Buzin said was the "most progressive" election law since 1917.
Given that law, Moscow officials had to adapt their approach, using their control over election commissions, which until 2002 had the right to drop the registration of candidates without a court decision, and over large portions of the media in order to ensure that the right candidates got coverage and the wrong ones did not.
These techniques became more effective and the degradation of the electoral process became more advanced, Buzin says, because of "the unprecedentedly low norm of representation of the Moscow city duma, where one deputy represented approximately 200,000 voters," a ratio that ultimately converted voters' control "into a fiction."
Also important to this "degradation" of democracy, the voting rights activist says, was the compilation of "an informal 'mayor's list'" of candidates. Those who were on it were given better coverage and support; those who weren't got neither and typically lost. Over time, as Buzin shows, this was so successful, that it became almost superfluous.
Indeed, by 2001, the elections were "almost without any choice, in the sense that the forces of the competitors were incomparable: all the administrative resources, including budgetary ones, worked for [the candidates] on the list." And those not on the list suffered. As a result, 33 of the 35 on the "list" won.
Buzin carefully traces the many ways the powers that be in Moscow exploited the situations created by party list voting, by single member districts where "pseudo-choice" existed but where the overall outcome was determined, and by requirements that a certain percentage of the voters participate for an election to be valid.
In Moscow, he writes, "direct falsification in the elections of the mayor and Moscow city duma earlier did not have a massive character – there was simply no need for that since everything was decided in advance." But sometimes falsification nonetheless happened, either because of "insufficiently experienced" officials or counterproductive outcomes.
The latter have occurred when officials have used the resources at their command either to exclude opposition candidates or make it clear that they have no chance of winning. That has led to a situation in which Russians not surprisingly decide not to take part in a charade where everything has been decided.
But when certain participation rates are required for an election to be valid, officials will falsify results to ensure that the necessary share of voters is listed as having taken part. When the officials do that, "falsifications in favor of one of the parties and the administration candidates" occurs, but this is not so much the intention as a collateral, if "dirty," benefit.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Window on Eurasia: In Moscow Elections, 'Falsifications Aren't Needed -- but They Happen Anyway,' Voting Rights Group Says
Posted by Paul Goble at 3:15 PM
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Today I read a typical description of the evanglicical scene. It doesn't seem to matter what denomination or tradition one is in now, the church is dead set on conforming to our present cultural norms and expectations. The Church as a consequence, no longer sounds a clarion call of distinction, but has, like the world around it been carried on by the twin forces of modernity and modernization, buying wholesale the gospel offered therein, and now joins in the cacophany resultiung from the failure of that system. The narcissistic, deconstructionist stepchild of modernism, that is forced to deal with modernization, postmodernity.
The Questions Remaining
We are left to ask some uncomfortable questions. Is it possible, that post-modern culture has infiltrated the evangelical Church so deeply, that it has committed institutional suicide, and come to a crossroads, such as that faced by Judah in Jeremiah 18-19, where it has rejected the word of God, beyond the point of repentance? Can the pottery be remolded, or will God shatter it?
Whether its the churches that are now, or the churches that will be started in the future, the Bible's warning must be acknowledged; "do you not know that friendship with bthe world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4).
"The world", as David Wells describes in God in the Wasteland: Truth in a World of Fading Dreams, is the "collective expression of every society's refusal to bow before God" (p. 39).
In the Cross and Christian Ministry DA Carson explains how the wisdom of this world is exposed as foolishness by God, in that "the world through its wisdom did not know Him" (I Co. 1:21). He has confounded the wise, that is the worldview expert, and the scholar, the religious scribe, and the debater, the deconstructionist and thus "made foolish the wisdom of this world" (I Co 1:20 cf. Carson p. 18).
For those post-modern Christians, who claim orthodoxy in statement, but believe, along with their culture that truth is no longer the catalist for change, or the foundation for society, God answers, "It pleased God, through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:21).
But God's wisdom accomplishes a lot in what that bare statment expresses. In the preaching of reconciliation, God has "destroyed the barrier wall of division" (Eph. 2:14) between Jew and gentile, by creating a holiness apart from the Law contained in commandments in ordinance, but through the cross to "reconcile them both in one body to God" (16).
Thus Christ's ministry of reconciliation brings humanity together and unites them "holy and without blame before God" (Eph 1:4). It is this ministry that is given to the Church, "so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through this church" (Eph 3:10).
So, we are left with the question, do we demonstrate the manifold wisdom of God, or the wisdom of this world? Do we attract people with persuasive means of human reason, or with the foolishness of God's message?
The Dangerous Answer
Romans 8:5-7 recounts:
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on athe things of the
flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, bthe things of the Spirit. 6
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life
and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God.
In Jeremiah 18 the prophet pleads with Israel to be faithful. "Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as the potter does?" (v. 6). The potter Jeremiah observed had a pot not pleasing to him and so he remade it into a more pleasing vessel. "Behold like the clay in the potters hand" God declares, "so are you in My hand" (6). If Israel repents, the judgement of the coming exile can be averted, God will "relent" and bless rather than curse them.
In Judah's history however, they continued to follow their wisdom and despise God's word and God's messenger. Jehoiachim burnt the Scroll of the prophecy, and So God hardened His position, in Chapter 19, Jeremiah is to smash a potter's jar, and declare tht the calamity is certain, Israel has been abandandoned to the consequences of their sin, and choice has changed from repent and be saved, to surrender to Babylon and avoid death.
The cultural monolith of Babylon is invading our church, and god calls us to "be seperate" from the practices of the pagans around us. If we are faithful, who knows what times of refreshing may come from the Lord, but consider the seven Churches of Revelation, who refused to hear His plea.
A Bold Conclusion
Are we staring at the noose? Does the Bible offer a compelling meta-narrative in contrast to the nada-narrative of our culture? Does theology matter in our "doing church"? Do the Scritures speak compellingly about the mystery of the Church, the purpose, plan and model for this organization?
I believe the answer to all those questions is "YES". The book of Ephesians is an exposition of the revelation of the mystery of the Church entrusted to Paul (3:1ff). It begins with God's eternal purpose in the Trinity to establish this church, demonstrates what has been accomplished by this plan, ethnically, sociologically, and salvifically in the next two chapters, and then moves into the practical living of the members of that body, so as to "display the manifold wisdom of God in the Church" (3:10).
Yet, shockingly, in the books we read and the classes we take on ecclesiology (study of the church) and church planting, these revelations, from God Himself are largely, if not totally ignored!
Like a condemned man the church stares at the noose, and the Judge offers reprive, if the church will repent and follow Him. But it is Christ, who is building his church, and he will not allow the gates of hell, to consume it, even from within:
Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and arepent and do the deeds
you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your clampstand out
of its place-- unless you repent (Revelation 2:5).


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Repetition of a message should increase how persuasive its effect is, at least it should according to research conducted by Zajonc (1968), who suggested this work via the mere exposure mechanism. People prefer stimuli (messages, faces, paintings etc) that they are more familiar with (have been more exposed to) and so by repeating the message, you expose them to it more and so increase their liking for it. One of Zajonc's (1968) experiments used made up 'Chinese' characters as stimuli, and asked participants to rate the 'goodness' of their meaning (how positive they thought the word the character represented would be). This was used as a measure of preference, assuming prefered words would be given higher ratings for 'goodness' of meaning. Zajonc (1968) predicted higher frequency characters (those participants had been exposed to more) would receive higher 'goodness' of meaning ratings, which they did find and are reflected in the table below.
The go compare advert's use of repetition does not increase positive feelings towards financial comparison websites or opera singers, a civilian casualty of this terrible advert. Rather the repetition becomes annoying and distracts from the actual message of the advert. Repetition in advertising has been found to be counterproductive in some situations as it leads to 'wear out' - the viewers become bored of the message (Appel, 1971) and this may account for why the go compare advert does not have the desired affect.
Appel, V. (1971). Advertising wear out. Journal of Advertising Research, 11, 11-13.
Zajonc, R. B. (1968). Attitudinal effects of mere exposure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1-27.


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DALLAS, TX --A Texas man who earlier this year tricked the Army into allowing him to join the reserves as a noncommissioned officer has been sentenced to six months in prison and a bad conduct discharge. A spokeswoman at Fort Rucker in Alabama says Jesse Bernard Johnston III received the punishment from a military judge July 26 after pleading guilty to seven counts of wrongdoing.
The charges stemmed from a scheme in which he used falsified discharge papers to dupe the Army into thinking he was a decorated ex-Marine.
The deception allowed the 26-year-old Johnston to join a reserve unit at the Fort Worth Naval Air Station as a sergeant without going through basic training. It was uncovered while he was going through advanced aviation training at Fort Rucker.


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April 15, 2016
November 18, 2012
Not So Fast Newt
"Obama is the best Food Stamp President in American History. "
Newt Gingrich claims that "more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history." He's wrong. More were added under Bush than under Obama, according to the most recent figures.
November 16, 2012
The Staggering Cost of Israel to Americans
Israel has a population of approximately 7.8 million, or a million fewer than the state of New Jersey.
It is among the world's most affluent nations, with a per capita income similar to that of the European Union.[1] Israel's unemployment rate of 5.6% is much better than America's 9.1%,[2] and Israel's net trade, earnings, and payments is ranked 48th in the world while the US sits at a dismal 198th.[3]
Yet Israel receives approximately 10% of America's foreign aid budget every year.
Israel's cost to American taxpayers has remained high since Stauffer's 2003 study.
The US currently gives Israel an average of $3 billion a year in military aid, under an agreement signed by the Bush administration to transfer $30 billion to Israel over ten years, starting in 2009.
So now we are back to the question of why America continues to pour money into a state that commits daily human rights violations, defies US strategic interests, provokes rage and resentment among billions of people, competes with and crowds out US interests using technology subsidized by US taxpayers, and sells America's military secrets to its enemies.
AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is consistently ranked in the top two most powerful lobbies in Washington. And it is only one arm of the much larger, multi-faceted, and well-financed Israel lobby.
Please, read the entire article here: http://ifamericansknew.org/stats/cost.html
The gist of the site is not to sway you one way or the other, merely to inform you as the taxpayers providing this money of the reality of the situation so that you can make an informed decision. There is an excellent video here: http://youtu.be/ziSTY408h6k that explains the problem with the information you are not getting.
November 15, 2012
The Pictures Tell the Story
President Obama raised more money from more contributors without taking any PAC funds. I believe that means more votes. The top contributors to his campaign were schools and tech companies while Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney's top contributors list reads like a who's who from the banking scandal that plunged the globe into recession. Speaking of the great state of Massachusetts, it was the 4th top state contributor to a campaign, but it wasn't Romney's.
The sectors that topped the list of contributors to Mitt Romney's campaign? Agribiz, construction, defense, energy (oil) and finance/insurance.
November 14, 2012
Fiscal Cliff Scare Scripted
October 10, 2012
2012 Veg Garden October Magic
The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.
The Center for Public Integrity
The 380,000-plus-word database presented here allows, for the first time, the Iraq-related public pronouncements of top Bush administration officials to be tracked on a day-by-day basis against their private assessments and the actual "ground truth" as it is now known. Throughout the database, passages containing false statements by the top Bush administration officials are highlighted in yellow. The 935 false statements in the database may also be accessed by selecting the "False Statements" option from the "Subject" pull-down menu and may be displayed within selected date ranges using the selection tool below. Searches may also be limited by person or subject, or both, by using the appropriate selections from the pull-down menus.


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Oprah: I'm Not Gay
Oprah Winfrey and best friend Gayle King address rumors about their close relationship in the August issue of O Magazine, denying they are gay:
"I understand why people think we're gay," Winfrey says. "There isn't a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it -- how can you be this close without it being sexual?"
King goes on to say that they would not hide a gay relationship if one existed.
One more mystery solved. No word yet on why Winfrey keeps foisting King on a public that clearly ain't interested.
Liz Kelly
| July 17, 2006; 2:57 PM ET
Categories: Celebrities, Oprah Winfrey
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Friday, October 25, 2013
A terrible crime indeed.
3 comments:
What a funny, charming piece, Caro. And such cute doggies! Thanks for the early morning smiles.ReplyDelete
Hilarious, Caro! Another fine example that humorous crime stories are often the best! (And it's a crime what Jeff keeps doing to his MIE portrait... you want to talk about a guy who KNOWS 'funny'!)ReplyDelete
Pets make places. Mykonos would be nothing without Petros the Pelican, a gift of Jackie O in the 1960s (She actually sent over a pair, but Irini didn't draw the print coverage of her mate.). A Petros still walks the streets of Mykonos...though no one (now) claims it's the original Petros.ReplyDelete
What's not been revealed publicly until this very moment--other than by old Mykonians telling (spinning?) the tale in tavernas over tsipoura--is the truth about the first Petros and Irini. Allegedly, Jackie's gracious gift arrived from a far off land via air freight in an unpressurized cabin. The two poor pelicans got off the plane as buzzed as the heaviest all-night, think they can fly, partiers on the island. Trouble was, the two with actual wings never sobered up.
No one wanted to pass on the sad news to Jackie, so instead the Mykonians brought in two stand-ins and the legend took off from there.
Let's keep that just between us, OK? And for sure don't tell Everett.


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Crime fiction is the most popular literary genre on the planet. The fascination with murder on the page has long been recognised by authors and critics, and has been demonstrated by the stratospheric sales of many crime novels. But how do the successful crime novelists create plot, structure and pace? How do they create believable victims, perpetrators and investigators? How do they get in the head of a killer?
The Writers' Academy from Random House are holding a creative writing workshop at the beautiful Hotel du Vin Harrogate (home to the famous Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival) to aid participants in the writing process. Over the course of two days, Henry Sutton, crime author, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and Co-Director of UEA's flagship MA in Prose Fiction, will draw on the past and the present, critics and authors, to teach the key skills needed to create gripping plots, convincing characters, sharp dialogue, startling settings, and suspense. From the police procedural to the psychological thriller, what's always crucial is the writing – exactly how you tell the story.
Participants will be taught, through a series of examples and exercises, how to control the flow of information and develop pace, how to create cliff-hangers, how to structure their novel, how and where to break convention, when to deploy unreliable narration and devices to tease the reader, what research needs to be done and how, understanding the uses and abuses of violence, humour, and sympathy, and ways of avoiding cliché and being original.
The course is open to people who have made a start on their novel, or are about to. Henry Sutton will read a 1000 words of each participants' work ahead of the course in order to familiarise himself with each participant's writing style. Up-to-date market information will also be highlighted, and advice given on the best next steps to publication.
Henry will be aided by guest tutor S J Watson, author of the bestselling thriller Before I Go to Sleep.
Places on the course are limited to 14 and cost £375 each to include Hotel du Vin Bistro lunch and refreshments over the two days and a rewarding glass of wine! Preferential rates at Hotel du Vin Harrogate are offered for the dates of the course alongside the purchase of a place.
For further information please contact
Chloë Johnson-Hill on 020 7840 8490 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Notes to Editors:
Event details:
Date: Friday 20th and Saturday 21st September 2013
Time: 10am to 5pm daily
Venue: Hotel du Vin Harrogate
Tickets: £375 (limited to 14 places)
Website: www.thewritersacademy.co.uk
Tel: 020 7840 8490
My Criminal World by Henry Sutton is published by Harvill Secker, price £12.99. Henry Sutton is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at UEA and Co-Director of UEA's flagship MA in Prose Fiction.
Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson is published by Black Swan, price £7.99. The book was the bestselling literary debut of 2012 and spent 10 weeks at number one. It has been translated into over 30 languages and a film of the book, starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth and directed by Rowan Joffe, will be released in March 2014.
Harvill Secker is an imprint of Vintage Publishing and Black Swan is an imprint of Transworld Publishers, both divisions of the Random House Group.
Harvill Secker and the Telegraph are currently running a competition to find an unpublished crime writing star. The winner will receive a book deal and a £5000 advance. Deadline 30th November. Full details can be found at: www.telegraph.co.uk/crimecomp


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Here are the two most recent assignments from the anatomy class at FAA. The teacher (Andrew Ameral) gives us a photo and we have to draw the skeleton and the muscles on top of it, on seperate sheets of tracing paper. It's kinda fun and kinda tedious. I'm learning a ton!
Monday, March 31, 2008
2 comments:
- Matt Berger said...
talk about improvement! wow!
- March 31, 2008 at 5:04 PM
- November 5, 2009 at 11:30 PM
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Tuesday, 29 December 2009
You sinner
At lunch today I went to the bank to pay a cheque in.
It does get more interesting than that.
Anyway, I looked out of the window and saw a man on the opposite side of the road holding a sign which said 'you sinner'
This, naturally, held my gaze.
After a while he saw me looking, and we made eye contact. At which point he started to cross the road.
The thought that he might be making a beeline for me entered my head, but I dismissed it.
Surely he wouldn't come into a crowded bank, walk into the middle of a bank queue and evangelise to me.
Well, I learned something today. You should never underestimate someone who carries a sign saying 'you sinner' around with them. They don't stick to the received social mores.
So in he came.
He walked up to the front of the queue and asked me, – really sheepishly I might add – "Did you...did you erm, know, you're a sinner?"
I said, "You don't sound so sure yourself"
He laughed nervously and then went away.
This is where it gets good.
As I was being served I heard a bit of confused conversation coming from the front end of the branch.
Turns out, after finishing his very brief chat with me, he'd sat himself down at an empty desk, where the mortgage advisers usually sit – none of the staff had noticed – and people were coming in and going to him for mortgage and financial advice.
As I was leaving I saw a couple come in and say to him "Excuse me can you tell me about the interest rates on your savings accounts"
He replied "No, but I can tell you about our Lord Jesus Christ"
If that happened in a sitcom it would be deemed implausible. My life is an implausible sitcom. Official.
One more thing that I must share with you.
We were watching Bid TV last night (yes, again) and there was a lady standing in for Paul Ross, hosting his DVD evening for him.
She was trying to sell this:
But couldn't stop laughing at it.
At one point she was muttering, through the tears of laughter, "I can't do this...I can't do this"
After a while she started fiddling with her ear piece and pulled herself together.
I think she was getting a telling off.
Just goes to show, it takes a real pro like Paul, to peddle really bad box sets and not laugh at them.
She could also learn a thing or two from Peter Simon, who managed to sell a toilet seat with a picture of a dog's face on it without so much as a snigger.
Happy New Year everyone!
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Sparrows are just common little birds. But the bible speaks of them so their importance to God has me thinking. I saw two sparrows having a very intimate moment a few years ago. I was mailing a letter at the mail box outside of the office building where I use to work. Those two little birds were chatting up a storm and fluttering their wings wildly. I am nearly 100% positive that they were being very romantic and I thought they have no one but each other and God to rely on. It is such a shame people don't act more like sparrows instead of trying to act like eagles and end up looking like turkeys! So here are a few internet images of these sweet little fellows and ladies. They are simple but their message for me as been powerful.
Please stop by Angela's place today and say hello. Just go http://wvtreasures.blogspot.com/. Congratulate her for being a new auntie too!


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"What I didn't know then was that the beginning of my love story wasn't so far away, and that New York would end up being my home for many more years to come ..."
After watching a couple of episodes from the final season of 'How I Met Your Mother', I felt inspired and extremely nostalgic. The long journey of how Ted Moseby finally met his wife is coming to an end. It seems like we have seen the best and worst of his character. It's like saying goodbye to someone you've known for so long. The current uncertain limbo he faces concerning his direction in life, in this season, is something I can definitely relate to, especially with my graduation date looming closer and closer. I channelled my inner Ted Moseby, the philosophical nerd and hopeless romantic, and came up with this interesting fiction piece. To read the rest of this short creative piece, please click here. Please, tell me what you think - I would love to know!


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It has been weeks since my last blog post and don't think I haven't been racked with guilt over my lack of postage...(can I use that word in this sense? I don't think so, but I kind of like it and I'm going to anyway...)
All I can say is, moving in New York City is a hell I wouldn't wish on my least favorite of people and I've been a bit busy surviving the most stressful and strenuous (both mentally and physically) weeks of my twenty-two years on this earth. So please have some patience.
But, things are different now. I feel like my world may have finally stopped spinning and I can foresee a future where weekly blog posts are again a part of my reality. And that future is bright.
And now, a little story:
One Thursday night about three weeks ago, Tyler, a good friend of mine from SMU mentioned in a previous blog post, flew in from Colorado, suitcase in hand, his pockets, of course, proverbially full-of-dreams.
He'd tentatively planned on moving here last semester and through some combination of unicorn dust and a show-stopping resume, he actually landed a job here prior to graduation, sealing his fate to be my new (and hopefully long-term) roommate!
So Thursday June 3 he shows up and we officially have the weekend to find our new digs, or else. His first day of work is Monday; my lease is up the fifteenth--time, to say the least, is of the essence, and we didn't waste a minute.
The next day Tyler scoured the entire borough of Manhattan while I emailed him craigslist postings from work. He saw ten different apartments, God bless him. Most listings were in the upper upper East and West sides, aka, lower Harlem.
Harlem's supposedly very up-and-coming these days though and Tyler was very impressed with some of the places, one in particular. He sent me a text describing a tree-lined street and "HUGE" livingroom windows. The place even had a washer/dryer, which, in any other city in the country would definitely not be a major selling point, but let me tell you, in Manhattan you're lucky if you have a common washer/dryer in your entire building. Wanting one in your own apartment is a dream.
Up until about 3 p.m. I was pretty sure we were getting this Harlem place, and actually very excited about it without even having seen it. I very much trusted Tyler's judgement though and if he loved it, I was sure I would, too.
That's when I got the call.
I was at work, but I answered my cell anyway. It's not everyday you're remote-apartment-hunting and I felt that if Tyler chose to call rather than text, it must be important. I was right.
"I found this great place!" he told me.
"Yeah? East or West?" up to this point those were the only places we'd been looking...
"You're joking."
He wasn't. I promised him I'd take a look at the place even though I was sure I would hate it. (I kept that last part to myself...)
We went out that night in both neighborhoods to get a feel for how safe I'd be walking home late at night. Turns out a coworker of mine lives in Chinatown; we met him for drinks in the area and he told us about how his kid goes to daycare in Chinatown and now speaks English and Mandarin and a little Hebrew (apparently it's a Chinatown daycare owned and managed by Jewish people. Oh, New York....)
Walking around in Chinatown elevenish at night with Tyler, I felt completely fine. Okay, so maybe I had to pee badly and nothing was open so Tyler and I pretended like we were staying at the Best Western until it turned out there were no Joneses registered for that night (really? no Joneses??) and then we had to leave (but not before I got to use their restroom!) but, the area felt very safe and was surprisingly busy considering most stores there close fairly early and the only places open were a smattering of bars. I even had Tyler walk ahead of me ten paces so I could feel what it would be like to be all alone on the street...and it was really ok.
Then we took the 6 train to the upper-upper East....Harlem.
I do not care what the New York Times says about it; Harlem past midnight was no place to be. Tyler offered to walk his ten paces ahead of me to simulate this whole being alone thing. I told him he'd better not.
It felt less safe for a number of reasons: The streets seemed absolutely deserted except for your standard homeless nappers and beggars; there were no cops making standard patrols as in Chinatown, probably because Harlem isn't your biggest tourist hot spot and NYC throws its money where the money is; finally, about a street down from our would-be washer-dryer-equipped apartment, there was what can only be described as a block party going down, only this block party was unlike any you've ever seen. One a.m. on a Friday, it included a number of baby strollers manned (and wommanned) by young-looking parents using their free hands to hold glass beer bottles or lit cigarettes, or both. I wanted to stop and tell these people "Go home. Put your kids to bed. You are a mom/dad--Seriously...give me a break!"
And because after passing these people enough nights I was sure that at one point I would speak my mind and have to deal with the consequences of such actions, it was probably for the best that Tyler and I turned around at that point and decided we couldn't take the Harlem apartment.
I was also pretty convinced that despite my positive experience in Chinatown by night, we were still not getting that place, either. In fact, I was pretty sure we would be scrapping the whole crappy experience and starting from scratch the next day in search of more mythical laundryrooms, but then something surprising happened: I really liked the C-town place.
Ok, granted, it's small--only two bedrooms, no living room (same as in my old place, the converted one-bedroom to three-bedroom...This place was probably actually a studio at one point and they threw up some pressurized walls and called it a two-bedroom. Again, Oh, New York...)
But, it has hardwood floors and granite tiling and countertops in the kitchen. And there's rooftop access, which is awesome. Tyler and I are on the lookout for folding chairs; we already rescued a folding table propped beside a Chinatown garbage can and got it "foh fwee!" as we've started saying. Now we're looking for chairs and I'm envisioning many a rooftop wine-night in our futures.
And we each have our own window A/C unit in our rooms, which I know doesn't sound great by regular living standards but... you guys have to believe me, it's good. I know a couple who moved into an apartment in Manhattan with no A/C units and they're having to buy and install them themselves. Ridiculous.
Anyway, this post is getting long, but I just wanted to update and soon I'll probably post again to tell the epic tale of my Dad's trip to NYC and how I roped him into helping me move into this fifth-floor-walk-up using only our own brute human strength and the kindness of one brave Taxi driver.
And then another about my first trip to my new grocery store, the Hong Kong Supermarket, and my newfound love for garlic-flavored peanuts.
Post again soon. Please message or leave comments. Miss everyone from home and would love to hear from you!
<3 Leigh
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Down in Chinatown
Posted by Leigh Camp at 3:51 PM
Labels: Chinatown, Hong Kong Supermarket, Manhattan, Moving, New York City
4 comments:
- Truc TranJune 23, 2010 at 6:26 PM
I love the Hong Kong Supermarket in Texas and Georgia...not sure how it is in NYC tho!ReplyDelete
sounds like a bitch!ReplyDelete
Truc--HK Supermarket here is nuts! I can't wait to write all about it--really, so much to say. I've never been to the ones in TX and Georgia but I'm sure it's a similar madness :)ReplyDelete
Danny--It 'twas quite the bitch.
Oh Leigh, this sounds wonderful! I'm so happy y'all got a good place, and I can't wait to hear more about your first experiences there! Love you!ReplyDelete
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Have you noticed that I love shopping and seasonal activities for the classroom? Luckily that means great freebies for you, like this comparing numbers spring freebie. I hope you and your students love it as much as mine do!
I found these adorable jelly bean erasers at Target a few weeks ago. They were in the Dollar Spot section, so I had to get several packs (of course!). Each pack contains 20 erasers in 5 different colors. I love the little faces on them. Aren't they the cutest?!
My first thought was to put various colors in the plastic eggs that I bought at Hobby Lobby (hello 50% off!) and have students graph the colors. But the more I started thinking about it, I thought a comparing numbers activity would be a fun twist! This activity is similar to the Reindeer Games freebie that I shared back in December.
To prepare this comparing numbers spring freebie activity I put various amounts of jelly bean erasers in each egg. {If you don't have these erasers, no worries, you can use real jelly beans, or any type of small erasers or small manipulatives.} Be sure to use several of the same color eggs so students don't know how many objects are in the egg. You'll need to print the game mat and add some bingo dabbers or crayons. Students can play with a partner or a small group.
To play the comparing numbers spring freebie game, each student selects an egg from the basket. They open the egg and count the number of objects inside. The student with the least amount of jelly beans wins that round. They dab {or color} a circle on their game board to show they won that round. {Note: with this activity you can decide if you want students to practice identifying the number that is the least or the greatest.}
Then they put the objects back in the egg and return the eggs to the basket. They take a different egg and repeat the process of counting and comparing. The player with the least amount in the next round dabs their game mat, and so on.You can see my favorite bingo dabber by using my affiliate link to purchase them on Amazon here.
They continue counting, comparing, and dabbing until one player has filled their entire game board.
You can download the game mat and directions by click on the picture below.
If you take pictures in your classroom of these ideas or resources in action, I would love to see them! Please tag me on Instagram {@theprintableprincess} or send them to me on my Facebook page or via e-mail {email@example.com}.Need some more ideas for spring? Click here to check out spring resources and freebies in my TpT shop!
Thanks for reading along as I shared about my comparing numbers spring freebie!