text:
Friday, December 28, 2007
Will Somebody Please Save These People From Themselves*
A couple pertinent strike-related news items came out today that I felt compelled to comment upon. Anything to put-off working on my Year End piece I suppose. They are as follows:
Letterman Makes Deal With Writers.
Followed later in the evening by the official press release.
In short, David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants (which is not to be confused with CBS Television, the network), has agreed to the Writer's Guild's terms and has secured a waiver for both the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson." The Writer's Guild leaderships goes on to commend Letterman for agreeing to the "integrity and affordability" of their proposals stating that this is an important strategic move in brokering an industry-wide resolution.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
This is why I feel, the Writer's Guild will ultimately gain nothing from this alleged work-stoppage, with a special gift basket of nothing delivered at the doors of the "little guys" in the guild whom this strike is supposed to be about. In addition to the lack of clarity over their demands, the lack of solidarity and conviction by the Guild's leadership has been undermining the work stoppage since day one. Either you're flinging your wooden shoes into the machinery or you're not. There are no half-measures with this one.
The issue was never whether the benevolent David Letterman, Writer's Guild member, edgy cat and all-around burr in the side of corporate America would support the union's demands. Letterman may be a successful entrepreneur and television mogul with an enterprise worth hundred of millions of dollars, but he's also an entertainer. Furthermore he knows those Top 10 sketches and Paul Shaffer songs about hot dogs don't write themselves. Furthermore, he's able to sniff out a competitive advantage when one's presented to him. The move was a no-brainer for him, as it would be for Leno or Conan. Or for that matter Jerry Bruckheimer ("C.S.I.")or Bad Robot ("Lost") or Dick Wolf ("Law & Order"). Because, you see, the WGA isn't striking to bring about change from individual producers. The enemy here is The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Collectively. Just as Writer's belong to an organization that collectively negotiates and protects their rights, whether it effects them or not, so to do the producers. But in the eyes of an individual producer such as Letterman (or any of the aforementioned production shingles), this waiver represents nothing more than a case by case contract renegotiation. A bump in after-air/alternate media residuals to keep the workforce happy. Since it's their pie, they're free to slice it up however they see fit. Essentially, the waivers push the writers' problems onto the show's producers, with the real people causing the harm and getting rich (the networks and the studios) remaining blissfully removed.
But how exactly is that helping the cause? Sure twenty writers (who, it's been informally reported, make in excess of six figures a year) get to return to their jobs with new WGA-approved contracts. Letterman is viewed as a savior both to the WGA (already showing favor towards the man, paving the way for his show to be the first to hammer out an arrangement such as this in addition to this recently published release) as well as to his network. But here's where the kick in the balls comes in: CBS gets to reap the benefits of that WGA approval while still continuing to be a part of the very system that's (allegedly) keeping writers down. A textbook case of having your cake and eating it too.
So what exactly does Letterman get out of this deal? Well for starters he gets to return on January 2nd at full steam, with the writers Dave is comfortable with, able to perform an opening monologue (something union leadership has warned Leno and Conan not to do) as well as employ his usual routine of skits and audience Q&A's while killing time before this month's hot starlet and Oscar-grubbing star spend time on his couch. Oh yeah, that's the other thing: no WGA picket-lines outside the Ed Sullivan. So, the few remaining actors with principles no longer have to fret over angering another union over crossing a line to shamelessly promote their new product. I'll give you a for instance. Let's say you're Tom Hanks. Your new movie is horribly underperforming in a crowded winter marketplace and it's time to slap a Band-Aid on the situation by hitting the late night, talk show circuit. Do you go on Jay where you're might run into Aaron Sorkin or Akiva Goldsman carrying picket signs (oh, who am I kidding… the guys Aaron and Akiva paid to carry picket signs) or do you stick to Dave and Craig where you'll be patted on the back for supporting "the good guys?"
So what's the big deal you ask? Isn't some progress better than none? No, not when it comes about like this. Because the WGA is cherry picking who it is they do and do not want to guide through this painful period in our national history which is sure to be remembered for a proliferation of hastily conceived reality shows, game shows, reruns from sister networks and more televised sports (I don't think CBS has ever looked forward to March Madness more than it does this year). Worldwide Pants has agreed to a waiver. Does anyone doubt for a second, if given the opportunity that Leno or Conan or "The Daily Show" would not jump at the opportunity to sign one as well? Does anyone else find it suspect that the WGA is creating semantics arguements to justify that this is a deal with Worldwide Pants and not CBS, (the alledged reason that Jay and Conan are SOL is they are considered employes of NBC/Universal and not entities unto themselves)? But that's not how the WGA is playing this one. They're anticipating the return of those shows to be such abject failures that their desperation (especially in the face of Letterman operating at 100%) creates even more leverage. I'm not quite sure what Letterman did to be placed in such a lofty position of unfair creative advantage though. Or for that matter how it was deemed that it was acceptable for CBS to benefit but not NBC or Comedy Central.
The favoritism as lobbying for position continues elsewhere. It was recently reported that the Golden Globes were denied a waiver from the WGA and as a result may not be televised . Before everyone starts making obvious jokes about one less bloated award show or how "we'll never know who gets drunk" it should be pointed out that the WGA granted waivers to both the Screen Actor's Guild Awards (broadcast on TNT a subsidiary of Time Warner) as well as the Film Independent Spirit Awards (broadcast live on the Independent Film Channel and later on AMC, both subsidiaries of Cablevision). So what we're to take away from this is some award shows are acceptable for movie stars to grace the red carpet unfettered by noisy picketers and heavy consciences but others are not. Namely the Hollywood Foreign Press, who serve (seemingly) no other purpose than to hand out trinkets in the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards. Again, I'm forced to ask, does anyone really believe that if push comes to shove that Daniel Snyder (owner of Dick Clark Productions which produces the show, the Washington Redskins and BFF of Tom Cruise) wouldn't agree to a similar waiver that would allow the stars to shine at his awards show and for the whole event to broadcast at NBC? But what's to be gained from that? The cancellation of the Globes is nothing more than a shot across the bow at the Academy Awards: You see what we did to them, well we're coming for you next.
And since no one seems to be asking it, then I must: what is an industry pocked with a handful of waivers really going to matter when (because no one can honestly believe it's a case of "if") the work-stoppage is resolved? What happens if the WGA folds on their demands, or at the very least compromises on some of them? I mean, it's not like you're not giving some of the studios an advantage anyway by letting them make money off new original content while your brothers and sisters in arms continue to "starve" on the picket line, right? I eagerly await the announcement that since Reveille Productions sent a plate of muffins to WGA leadership, "The Office" and "Ugly Betty" can resume production. But I digress: back to the earlier issue. Wouldn't these waivers be as worthless as the Confederate dollar in 1866? What would bind a production company to adhere to a contract out of step with the rest of the industry? And conversely, how would the rest of the rank and file react to some productions having more amenable bylaws than others simply by virtue of being on the waiver pecking list? I thought this strike was supposed to be for all future generations of writers. Strength through unity and all that jazz. How does this move reflect that candy-coated sentiment in the slightest?
And then there are the real losers of this latest development: WGA feature film writers, who don't stand to benefit as heavily as their TV-brethren from weekly streaming content. Who could probably give fuck-all about Reality TV and animation. Who stand to benefit not at all from Waivergate (if this term catches on, I want to be on record as coining it) who, most importantly, stepped away from their Power Books and potentially lucrative paychecks to support their poor, exploited television writing cousins. Because it was the right thing to do. What could they possibly be thinking right now, as they continue to metaphorically (I can only hope not literally) go hungry while they're future is sold out from underneath them by short-sighted management. For this they gave up months (and counting) of employment?
I'm over the strike frankly. I'm industry, but in an especially apt irony, I work in a sector of the industry that isn't successful enough to be negatively affected by the strike so I'm more or less observing from a safe distance. I've kept my eye on the trades, regularly read Finke and Poland, have watched the battle lines being drawn, have seen the number of recordings on my Tivo dwindle. I've been hopeful for a speedy resolution but not a hasty one. I am not a WGA member (although I suppose on some level I can't deny that I'd like to be one some day, if only for what is implied by said membership) so I can not pretend to be swayed by the same issues that have emptied the writer's rooms out in front of the Warner's Gate on Barham and the Paramount Gate on Melrose. But if it was decided that a strike was required to change the industry then I accepted my small sacrifice of less television and the realization that almost every big budget movie rushed into production for next summer will be even more shitty than usual. But, it could be rationalized, even as just a consumer, that these are small prices to pay for the greater good.
However I now feel betrayed. So I can only imagine how the membership at large is feeling right now, no matter how leadership spins this:
Guess what folks: you've jeopardized your livelihood, your careers and the security of yourself and your families so the men and women who feed lines to Rupert at the Hello Deli can get a slight increase in their residuals for online content. Wait a minute, Worldwide Pants doesn't control that: CBS does, so I suppose it's their prerogative whether or not they honor the waiver agreement. The important thing is two dozen of you are going back to work and we get to increase Les Moonves' bottom line. Smells like victory to us.
Smells like something alright.
* Line courtesy of WGA member Peter Morgan
3 comments:
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- December 31, 2007 at 12:19 PM
Do you guys watch movies in theater or on internet? I use to rent DVD movies from [b]Netflix.com[/b]. Recently I discovered that we can watch all new movies on internet on day, they are released. So why should I spend money on renting movies??? So, can you guys please tell me where I can [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]watch latest movie National Treasure 3 2010[/url] for free?? I have searched [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]Youtube.com[/url], [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]Dailymotion.com[/url], [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]Megavideo.com[/url] but, Could not find a good working link. If you know any working link please share it with me.
- April 9, 2010 at 10:28 PM
- obat cytotec said...
cool the content contained in your site ,,,
if we are also pleased to see the site ..
obat telat bulan | obat pelancar haid | jual obat aborsi |
obat cytotec asli | pil pelancar haid | obat aborsi
- March 1, 2015 at 7:48 PM


text:
HAHAHA! Now Tian Chua refuses to say sorry over his fake photo and Khairy Jamaluddin, the son-in-law, is angry. "What he claims is art or humour is not only in bad taste but also offends the sensibilities of every rational Malaysian," says Khairy. NST has even taken the trouble to ask the toothless tiger – SUHAKAM – National Human Rights Commission's – comment over the photo controversy. (Read the follow-up story here).
Update: Tian Chua Admits Responsibility For Publishing Fake Photo
"I did it myself and it was not done professionally. If there had been such a dinner, that is how it will be perceived. The woman in the photograph was not the real Altantuya," he told reporters at the PKR office, here.
Your super-imposed photo of Najib, Razak and Altantuya has even made it to Parliament. Hahahahahahhahahahaha ! Tian Chua resorted to cheap publicity indeed, but what about all those who fell in line – bloggers as well as members of Parliament? Making the issue bigger than it is – cheaper than cheap publicity I would say!
You got the traffic to your blog, as desired, and you made waves, as you always do.
PKR Leader Criticised For Deriding National Leader
KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (Bernama) — Several backbenchers Wednesday lambasted a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader whom they said resorted to `cheap politics' by publishing a `super-imposed' photograph of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu in its website.
The members of parliament, when met at the Parliament lobby, said the antics of the PKR leader concerned were despicable and shameful.
Datuk Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) said the PKR leader had gone overboard as he should not have resorted to such malicious acts for political mileage.
"The opposition cannot simply spread lies to discredit national leaders.
"This is a criminal act," he said.
The PKR website on Monday had deliberately carried a photograph of the Deputy Prime Minister being flanked by a woman who looked like Altantuya, the part-time Mongolian model who was murdered, and political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, who is charged with abetting in the murder of Altantuya.
The `fake' photograph still appears on the website until today.
The `super imposed' photograph is purported to refer to the testimony of the sixth prosecution witness, Burmaa Oyunchimeg, 26, who told the murder hearing that she had seen a photograph of Altantuya dining together with Abdul Razak and a Malaysian official known by the name of "Najib Razak".
However, the photograph referred to was not shown in court.
The Deputy Prime Minister had in the past repeatedly denied his involvement in the murder of the Mongolian woman, saying that everyone including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi knew better about the actual situation.
Referring to the impudent act by the PKR leader, Datuk Hasan Malek (BN-Kuala Pilah) said such impudence showed that the opposition was now under pressure to the extent that they were willing to bring shame upon themselves and their supporters.
"The cheap politics should not have been resorted to as the people themselves are aware that the information and photograph published are false," he said.
Datuk Mohamad Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) said legal action should be taken against the PKR leader concerned for the slander committed against a national leader.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As I sit here typing, dead tired but yet totally exhilarated, I can't help but be amazed at the precious gift of life. You see, this very morning at 6:55 a.m. I was allowed the privilege of witnessing a miracle. My niece, Cheri, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Not since the birth of my own son had I witnessed this unbelievable miracle and I am so grateful to Cheri for allowing me to be a part of this blessed event. I would like to introduce you to Jayna Brielle.
My sister Jane called me around midnight last night to tell me they were at the hospital. Of course Aunt Karen wasn't going to miss out on all the fun so off I went. Cheri and her mom were already settled in the labor and delivery room and her dad was nervously sitting in the waiting room. I wanted to be where the action was so I went straight to the L & D room.
Boy have things changed since back in cave times when I gave birth! For you more mature mothers out there, remember when we had to suffer through labor and they wouldn't give us the good stuff until last minute? Well, not anymore! Cheri was resting comfortably and feeling no pain. So much better! But for us 2 old ladies who had to sit in chairs all night...not so much. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long and at 6:55 this morning
we, I mean Cheri, had a beautiful baby girl. I've never seen a more beautiful baby except for my 2 grandchildren. Of course, no baby could be as beautiful as they are!
Unfortunately, Jayna's daddy couldn't be here to see her come into the world. Cheri and Diego live in Costa Rica and he wasn't able to come at this time. For several reasons they decided it was better for Cheri to be here when the baby was born. In a few months momma and baby will return home to be with daddy. It was hard for them to be separated but thanks to modern technology they can talk via skype daily. Hopefully in a couple years or less they will all be back to live close to our family.
|The Proud Parents
Jayna is a bouncing baby girl weighing in at 7lbs even and 19 3/4 inches long. Momma and baby are doing great. As for Auntie, I'm tired but I'll get over a little lost sleep. The one thing I will never get over though is being a part of such an awesome experience. Thank you Cheri. I love you and your new family.
Until next time...that's my view.


text:
The Government seems to be putting some serious clout behind alternatives to petrol-power for cars, with the PM himself stating last month that a greater take-up of electric and hybrid vehicles would be key to achieving carbon reduction targets.
The NICE Car Company is one of the innovators in this arena, actually delivering electric models now whilst other companies unveil concept models.
And the Ze-O is its family model, with five seats and a £13,995 price tag.
On sale from September/October, it comes with a 2-year warranty, has a maximum speed of 50mph, and a 65 mile range in typical city driving.
The Ze-O takes 5-8 hours to charge its AGM sealed lead acid battery although you can also opt for the Lithium-ion version.
Standard equipment includes a high performance brushless electric motor, side impact beams, child locks, radio/CD, fog lights, reclining front seats, and 50/50 folding rear seats.
Optional extras include air con, electric pack (powered windows, locks and mirrors), alloy wheels, reverse sensors, dual airbags (from December 08), and automatic transmission.


text:
We flew out to Austin, Texas, Friday night and visited our friends, Dianna and Johan, and their daughter, Ella, and newborn, Amelia. Ashlee and Dianna grew up together in southern Georgia and have kept in close touch over the years. We had an ulterior motive to visit as well because our favorite band of all time, Train, was also in concert Saturday night in downtown Austin at a small musical venue called La Zona Rosa. The weekend was laid-back as we all slept in both Saturday and Sunday mornings (well, as late as Amelia would let us, but she's a dandy little sleeper). Before we headed downtown for dinner and the concert, we visited another great organic supermarket (we were introduced to Whole Foods on our last visit to Austin several years ago before it went nationwide). This one is called Central Market. What an amazing store. Incredibly fresh food at very reasonable prices. These Austinites are always ahead of the curve in terms of supermarkets. Next we stopped by a liquor and beer superstore called Spec's which was giving out free samples of their wares (Ashlee sampling tequila in photo above)...only in Texas I guess.
Johan's brother and his family were nice enough to watch the little ones and let him and Dianna join us at the concert. Uncle Kracker opened and put on a rowdy little set that was a lot of fun to see. We've seen Train live a half-dozen times, but this was actually the closest to the stage we've ever been thanks to the general admission set-up of La Zona Roza. We were about ten rows back when Pat and the boys took the stage and gave a helluva show enjoyed by us all. Besides a few choice cuts from their new album,, Save Me San Francisco, including their great new hit "Hey, Soul Sister" - the band cranked out hit after hit for close to two hours as well as their usual incredible covers of Led Zepplin as well as "Dream On" from Aerosmith. Lead singer, Pat Monahan (photo above), is still at the top of his game in terms of an amazing vocal range.
This was our first concert in Austin and it was everything we thought it would be. Like Nashville, Austin is a live music mecca and performers seem to bring their best game to these towns. The venue was great as well with good acoustics and great sight lines. We will definitely hop aboard the "Guitar Express" (six guitars brought on the Southwest plane going back to Nashville) if we get another good opportunity including one of our goals to attend the town's famous annual music festival, Austin City Limits, sometime soon. We won't have to wait too long to see Train again since we just bought tickets to see them again in a show they added on this same tour in Birmingham a week from Friday. See you fellas in Alabama next week!
Thanks so much to Johan and Dianna for the wonderful hospitality and generosity.


text:
Tonight, I want to begin discussing a particular topic I've started writing on more times than I can remember. It's a topic that has too many facets to count, can easily become convoluted, and is so big that I usually end up calling it quits after a couple of hours because I can't wrap my mind around the vastness and simplicity of this philosophy.
Jesus said, "love your neighbor as yourself." When asked which neighbors he's referring too, he goes on to tell the story of the good Samaritan, pointing out that even those we perceive as our enemies are the ones he's telling us to love as ourselves.
I'm going to begin small here by saying that every purchase we make is an opportunity to love our neighbors both near and afar. There are companies out to make a buck, and there are others out to change the game, both in business and in the lives of those they employ. The question of course is why do we feel the need to buy from big, greedy companies? Well, for one--we're greedy and we buy into advertising that tells us that we need to make every purchase our heart desires. That's probably a whole other subcategory for another day (case in point on trying to write on this topic).
I'm going to the roots of These Sacred Grounds tonight by sharing my first coffee shop in the 12 Days of Christmas series. This is a business whose mission is to support those coming out of foster care, and whose instrument is coffee. I want to encourage you to check out their website, but more importantly support their work and the work of those like them.
If you don't know much about the foster care system, I'm not going to bog you down with statistics, but I will encourage you to do some research. I will also paint a simple picture for you: a human child is taken from their home due to some form of abuse or neglect. Child is sent into a foster home where they may or may not experience love and care. Child goes back home. Child is taken from their home again, but because there is no room in their original foster home, they get put in another one. Child goes back home. This cycle could easily go on for well over a decade, never giving this child a chance to know love, security, or deep and safe family bonds. Child turns 18, and is on his/her own. Child may or may not have experienced a plethora of abuses, substance abuse, or homelessness growing up, not including the aforementioned lack of love and care that all humans need. This creates a lot of problems for this child--now grownup. Where do they turn? Do they have any opportunity to go to college? Have they had any professional counseling? Did they graduate high school? Do they have any job prospects? The issues for these "state kids" is overwhelming to say the least.
Every corner of the internet these days is preaching the #village, the #tribe, the #squad, and yet what does it look like to have deep community where even the foster children know they have a safe place? By supporting coffee shops The Monkey & The Elephant, we can truly live out the gospel of loving our neighbors as ourselves in community. Can we all take in a foster child or orphan? Can we all go into prisons and show love to those living inside cell walls? Can we all support to needs of the widows, the abandoned, the abused, the sex trafficked? In the most perfect of worlds with the most perfect of communities, yes we can. In fact, I encourage you to take a moment to consider if your family should be doing any one of these things.
The truth is, for one reason or another--or at least a million and one excuses, we are not doing these things. I can't get into all the reasons we (weeee all) need to surrender and do the dirty work of the gospel because that's not the purpose of this post. The purpose of this post is to say that through creative thinking, intentional buying decisions, and by not giving into big companies telling us how we should live, we CAN do all of those things by supporting businesses and non-profits like The Monkey & The Elephant. There are many out there, and with the internet they're easy to find.
This may just be one tiny step in the direction of living our neighbors as ourselves, but we can't have a revolution without taking a step.
The Monkey & The Elephant
1218 South Alder Street
Philadelphia PA, 19147


text:
Who wouldn't want to win tickets to an upcoming Saints game — even if the price of entering was providing your cell phone number to a political campaign? It must have seemed a great idea in the offices of Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, whose campaign website (www.caoforcongress.com) offered supporters the chance to do just that by texting the word "TIX" and/or giving up their cell numbers.
The problem? Nothing on the site indicated that providing a phone number was "opting in" to receiving text messages from the Cao campaign — and, unlike most sweepstakes, there were no rules or odds posted, no number of stated tickets to be given away, nor even the dates of the contest or the prize: just the vague promise of a "chance to win tickets to upcoming games." Even stickier: the prize had already been given away, according to Cao's campaign manager.
When Gambit called the Cao game on Sept. 21 for clarification, it turned out the prize were for the team's season opener — which was Sept. 9. The tickets had already been awarded (the winner: Desmon Benn of Algiers), though the campaign was still collecting phone numbers with the promise of giving away more tickets.
"We just did it for the Saints-Vikings home opener. We don't have any more scheduled, but we're hoping to do more," said Cao campaign manager David Huguenel. "This just happened, and we are in the process of changing our website."
Huguenel conceded the problem with holding a contest in which the prize had already been awarded two weeks before, but said, "We were certainly not trying to deceive anybody; we're not trying to confuse people. I'm confident we did everything within the rules of FEC (Federal Elections Commission) compliance."
Cade Cypriano, the campaign's director of new media, said there would be another ticket giveaway at some point, but "we don't have the name of the game yet." Cypriano said the first giveaway had harvested some 800 phone numbers from supporters, and that the campaign was hoping to give away tickets for the Saints-Steelers matchup on Oct. 31.
A contest with no existing prize or stated rules? Julia Queen, a public affairs specialist for the FEC in Washington, D.C., said the commission had no hard and fast rules for giveaways of this sort in exchange for cell phone numbers. "Believe it or not, the FEC rules on the Internet haven't been updated since 2006," Queen said, referring Gambit to the U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
By this afternoon, the Cao campaign website had been changed; the tickets were clearly stated to be for the Steelers game, and some boilerplate rules had been added:
Limited to one entry per mobile number. Winners will be notified within 24 hours of promoted event. Promotional entries and any subsequent information provided are to be used by Joseph Cao for Congress in compliance with FEC regulations, and will not be further distributed at any time during the 2010 congressional campaign. Entry should not be viewed as campaign contribution, and is not deductible as charitable contribution. If you are are under the age of 18 please consult with a parent or legal guardian before entering.
Cypriano also forwarded Gambit a document titled "Internal Memorandum • Mobile Campaign • 8/1/2010," which stated, in part, "Joseph Cao has experienced success in tailoring SMS technology to his congressional race, and once re-elected, looks forward to exploring the utilization of text messaging to increase transparency and accountability within congressional representation."


text:
To see some of my earlier thoughts on the draft see my Skeleton Mock Darft or you can check out my my Final Prospect Rankings.
1. Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent Hopkins -
- WHL scoring phenom from the same town as Joe Sakic.
- Playing in Red Deer next best thing to right in town.
- Lit up the Edmonton team in the playoffs (and apparently the Oil Kings didn't do that bad a job defending him, how's that possible?).
- Had a strong back half, including going on a tirade for a few weeks.
- Had a great final few games of the regular season.
- Rated #1 overall everywhere.
- Plays centre.
- Comparisons to Datsyuk (Oilers love the idea of looking like Detroit and Datsyuk is probably the 2nd best forward on Earth).
- He's humble, says the right things, is a "regular kid" who is well mannered and extremely good at hockey.
- Room to fill out still.
- Is the guy they should take.
2. Colorado Avalanche
Gabriel Landeskog - Forsberg sold Colorado on swedes but they haven't had much opportunity to get quality Swedish help... until now. A modern version of Sakic/Forsberg with Duchene/Landeskog is too much to pass up.
3. Florida Panthers
Jonathan Huberdeau - A dynamic phenom much like Hopkins. Florida needs to get a star and Huberdeau's it. They took care of defense with Gudbranson last year.
4. New Jersey Devils
Adam Larsson - Lou Lamerello seems to like to build through defense and Adam Larsson will provide that at least.
5. New York Islanders
Ryan Strome - Another Centre so they have a 1-2 with Tavares. They are doing ok with young wingers and defense.
6. Ottawa Senators
Mika Zibanejad - I've heard this name here a lot. Alfredson would be a great mentor for this kid.
7. Winnipeg
Sean Couturier - What a name for Winnipeg to get in their first draft year. They look good on the back end anyway. A big name. A splash. A good pick for that franchise.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets
Dougie Hamilton - They took a stud centre last year in Johansen. Stud D here. Where ever Columbus moves will have a good team ( I kid ).
9. Boston Bruins (via Toronto)
Ryan Murphy - The puck moving D-man they need. Modern Bobby Orr comparisons begin here (plus they took Seguin last year)
10. Minnesota Wild
Mark McNeill - They need depth help everywhere but maybe down the middle most. They wanted a goal scorer but the real high end goal scoring centres are gone and and McNeill is the best centre left.
11. Colorado Avalanche (via St. Louis)
Oskar Klefbom - Colorado gets a Swedish mate for Landeskog to grow up with and addresses both wing and defense with their picks. Bet they are happy.
12. Carolina Hurricanes
Nathan Beaulieu - I think they get a puck moving blueliner here and I think either Beaulieu or Brodin are the best ones left. They take the North American kid.
13. Calgary Flames
I don't know what Calgary does here. They need so much help everywhere. There is still so much here. They wanted Mark McNeill almost for sure but I have him gone. I hope they take Duncan Siemens - I hope. Please take him out of the Oilers way. They can have a new Phaneuf and we can get someone who plays better offensively. Other candidates are: Mark Scheifele, Jamieson Oleksiak, Joel Armia, Sven Bartschi, Rocco Grimaldi, Boone Jenner, Scott Mayfield, Tyler Biggs, Brandon Saad and Nicklas Jensen.
14. Dallas Stars
Basically they like the same list as Cow Town.
15. New York Rangers
Same plus add Matt Puempel, Zack Phillips and Ty Rattie names to the list of possibles here.
16. Buffalo Sabres
Add Thomas Jurco and Joe Morrow's names here.
17. Montreal Canadiens
Add Phillip Danault for this spot for obvious reasons.
18. Chicago Blackhawks
The guy we want goes here in all cruel likelihood. Also add Jonas Brodin's name as a possibility here.
19. Edmonton Oilers (via Los Angeles)
A pick out of what ever is left of that group minus Zack Phillips and Phillip Danault. I hope we choose well.
Total cop out between 13 and 19, I know, but I wanted to give you an idea of what it really looks like from my perspective. I feel really good that if no team trades their pick / no other major hockey moves happen for these teams in the next 2 days, my top 12 are solid. If I was more of a betting man I might place money on 1-12. Cow Town really screws everything here though because their needs are so many and their drafting record a little shabby. I think they shy away from Armia a little and Brodin a lot after the Tim Erixon fiasco.


text:
Snowden's stable of winners is to become a travelling circus with some of his top performers of the 2010 / 2011 season booked in for a UK venture.
They will both be from his superstar juvenile ranks, the team which earned Darley a clean sweep of all of the Australian two-year-old Group 1's.
Golden Slipper champion Sepoy has been talked about as a European prospect ever since his Blue Diamond win and he will be joined by Helmet.
Helmet was erratic before the Golden Slipper and missed out on a chance, he was erratic afterwards as well but still did enough to win the Sire's Produce Stakes and the Champagne Stakes.
Snowden travelled to the Newmarket training base last week and says he was very impressed with the facilities.
It was a holiday slash recon mission, the results telling him that Helmet and Sepoy are his number one chances for English glory.
"It is not just about the good ones going over, it is finding the right horses that will fit in the to system well," he said.
"With Sepoy and Helmet, their ratings will be high and (they) have to compete at the elite level. Because they are southern hemisphere (bred) horses, they will be six months behind and probably won't be competitive at their rating until probably June or July next year, that's when they will be able to show their best.
"We are not quite sure when they will take them, we will know more after the spring carnival."
Luckily for Australian race fans they'll still both be sent for a full spring carnival assault in Melbourne with the horses well into the training.
That being said though their races will be specifically targeted, Snowden wary of not over racing them too early.
It's now a delicate balancing act for the Darley operation as they try and build their colts stud value the best way possible.
Sepoy is due to return with a barrier trial in around three weeks with his first assignment to come at Caulfield on August 13th.
Helmet meanwhile will start off in Sydney in the Run To The Rose on August 23rd.
That will culminate in the Group 1 feature event Golden Rose, the $1 million race si the biggest on the Sydney spring calendar.
Fellow juvenile Group 1 champion Benfica will also return for Snowden in the spring however it will only be a short campaign after running deep into the Brisbane Winter Carnival and winning the TJ Smith.


text:
* This was original posted at Pix-N-Pens, Thursday, April 22, 2010.
I had a revelation the other day about just how great my husband is. When we first decided to build our house, we came out one afternoon to walk the property and daydream. You know how that is. Our heads brimming with hope, we star-gazed a bit at the ideas circulating in our thoughts. This was when I first noticed these strange tiny flower stalks shooting up from between the blades of grass.
The ordinary observer might not have noticed them at all, but my husband and I are not ordinary observers. Our idea of a great nature walk involves identifying as much flora and fauna we can. We are forever telling each other of some bird sighting, some rare plant we passed, something that is finally in bloom.
So here were these unusual flowers, their slender, green stalks circumnavigated by seemingly negligible white blossoms. That is, they were negligible until I looked closer and realized that each flower held the perfect shape and form of an orchid.
Imagine that! These tiny insignificant flowers buried in the surrounding overgrown grass were orchids!
It's amazing to me how many beautiful things people walk by every day, blind. Aren't most wildflowers just weeds? I already shared with you the saga of the toadflax, which bloomed and faded just weeks ago. Those are very common wildflowers here and people mow them over all the time, yet for me they were beautiful.
For most of the year these orchids are invisible. In fact, they are also called "Leafless Orchids". Buried in the grass, you can search and search and never locate one. This is where we have a problem. Because we never know where they will pop up from or how many will blossom, mowing in the spring is out of the question. You cannot possibly mow orchids!
Last year it worked out great. The orchids bloomed for a few days and then faded back into the soil before the grass began its summer growth. But things this year from the very start have been different. When my husband decided to mow the toadflax, his thoughts went immedately to protecting the orchid buds. You see, we had spotted a few already. Setting his blades high, he commenced to the task thinking the buds were not yet tall enough to be damaged.
The good news is it worked! The orchids were coming!
But as time went by we were hit with another problem. The warm temperatures had the grass, and thereby the weeds, really growing. Now what do we do? This is where I say my husband is a great man. He refused to mow the orchids. For two or three days he crisscrossed the field marking every flower stalk with a small wooden stake. He trimmed around the base of each one by hand, to avoid any possible damage, and then spent extra time carefully navigating all those poles.
I have told him time and time again how appreciative I am. What other people might have overlooked, are valuable to me, and to him. And in the coming weeks when the flowers finally open for their brief span of life, he and I together will be the ones who reap the reward of such amazing diminutive beauty.
I am grateful for that, and I can't wait.
*These photos were taken last year.
Suzanne Williams Photography
Florida, USA
Suzanne Williams is a native Floridian, wife, and mother, with a penchant for spelling anything, who happens to love photography.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The Orchids Are Coming!
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Don't Miss The Giveaway ~ Or Another Free Book
Don't miss the SUMMER BOOK BAY GIVEAWAY. You must be an email subscriber by 7 a.m. on July 31st to receive the download link. Inc...
I am excited to have Staci Stallings, a well-established Christian Fiction romance novel author, as guest on the blog today. Staci has a gif...
My next GIVEAWAY will be 7 a.m. on July 31st. All email subscribers will receive the download links. Included are: The Roma...


text:
- 3 T cold water
- 1 pkg. Knox gelatin
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 ripe banana, pureed/mashed very well (I used a small potato ricer)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup 2 % milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2-3 tsp dark rum (optional)
- 5 chocolate cookie wafers, crushed*
- In a medium sized bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let sit sit for 5-10 min.
- In a heavy saucepan, gently swirl together 1/3 cup water and sugar. Bring to boil over medium-high heat without stirring
- When mixture turns a deep amber color, remove from heat and quickly whisk in 1 cup heavy cream.
- Return to medium-high heat and, whisking constantly to dissolve any remaining bits of caramel, bring cream and caramel mixture just to boil.
- Immediately remove from heat to stir in milk, banana and salt.
- This time, heat until very hot, but do not boil.
- Carefully pour hot liquid over gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Stir in vanilla and rum.
- Divide evenly into 4 small serving dishes (custard cups, wine goblets, pretty jars, etc.).
- Chill until firm, about 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Just before serving, top with ground cookies or cake crumbs
*NOTE:I happened to have leftover dark chocolate cake (just the bits that I'd cut off when leveling and torting the cake) in my freezer. I whirled it in the food processor to grind it up and it worked beautifully. So don't throw away (READ: waste) all of the extra bits of cake when you cut them off to make layer cakes! Put them in a ziploc and throw them in a freezer for cooking inspiration on another day!
And now, for a sad story...
I also made a Meyer lemon meringue tart this weekend, after a friend gifted me with a large bag of amazingly fragrant and juicy Meyer lemons from a relative's tree.
The tart was beautiful.
The crust was a golden and crisp pate sucree.
The filling was perfectly creamy with just the right balance of creamy and sweet.
The meringue was gloriously golden brown.
I had just pulled it out of the oven and set it on top of the counter to cool.
And then I leaned over to wipe a few crumbs off of the floor.
And then...
tragedy struck.
Moral of the story: Don't clean your floors until after dessert has been served.
(P.S. Much like our hideous counters, the floors in our very old house were "redone" by former owners who had an aversion to grout sealant. )


text:
I had a vision that I would have a heavy rucksack slung across my back, tired feet and I'd follow the alluring smells of cooking food to an open bistro, sit down and indulge in wine, pasta and gelato for the afternoon while the sun dipped behind the bridges.
It was in the heart of Venice, hidden in a maze of alleyways and bridges, nowhere close to the more touristy spots right by the water's edge - and that was one of the things that was so great about it!
We were split into groups and had such good fun slipping around in the sludge and mud – it was here that one of the guys on tour, Fin, broke my toe.
I stupidly decided to play the game without shoes and had this idea that I was the best tackler possible, but I think I got slightly too cocky and confidant and ended up walking away with a broken toe. But Fin became such a good friend to me throughout the course of the tour that all was forgiven and forgotten. When he saved my life later on in the tour, that was when I stopped giving him a hard time about it, to some degree ;)
Other things I did while in Venice was go to this absolutely fascinating glass expo where we watched this traditional Venetian man make a beautiful glass horse statue in about two minutes flat, from nothing more than a RED HOT clump of glass!
We did this in Venice as Venice is famous for its glass making - more so than any other place around Italy.
The glass making factory we visited was situated just down an alleyway off of St. Mark's Square, so if you ever get a chance to get there just ask a local where it is and they will point you in the right direction!
As I had been to Venice already and the Contiki group were all feeling slightly knackered from our continuous drinking sessions night in and night out.. we spent our day in Venice in this gorgeous little park with a few bottles of Prosecco.
We lazed out in the sun, toasting to good times and bonding while catching some rays. It was such a wonderfully relaxed time.
I also finally rode a Gondola! Something that has been on my list of things to do since I can possibly remember.
It wasn't exactly romantic - I was on a boat with five other guys from my Contiki group but they were such fun! We opened two bottles of Torre and played Mozart from YouTube on my iPhone until our Gondola 'driver' started singing for us! What a show.
We stumbled off of the gondola half an hour later feeling extremely merry before heading back to the campsite, swarming with the most ginormous mosquito's I have ever seen!
It is such a happy, vibrant place. The locals are incredibly helpful and welcoming. The pasta is to die for. The smells are amazing, besides walking down some of the alleyways that reek of fish and sewage but in a way that only adds to the effect of the place!! It didn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, it only made me like it even more.
I would move there tomorrow - if you have not been, please do yourself a favor and book a ticket today!!


text: Promise Day Greetings 10:51 PM Posted by I Osiris Valentine Week No comments Friendship is a promise spoken by the heart is not given by plege, nor written… Happy Promise Day, wish have a good day today, Promises r di uniquely human way of ordering di future,, making it predict-able & reli-able, 2-the extent dat dis is humanly possible.233 I Must Have Been Born Under A Lucky Star, To Find A Friend As Nice As You Are. I Will Follow The Rainbow To The End, If You Promise To Remain My Friend !!! Happy Promise Day I Want To Be The Greatest Of Me, For This Is All I Can Do. It Is My Wish That You Promise Me This, You Be The Greatest Of You. Happy Promise Day!!! Love is the happiness of today, and promise of tomorrow, so this warm note comes to you, to say that live life with a heart full of love Happy Promise Day 2015 Promise day is special promise to person, means make promise controller or promise driver of promise life because all relationship depends on promise transaction. Speaking Without Egos, Loving Without Intentions, Caring Without Expectations, I Promise You That You Will Be Mine Always. Happy Promise Day We met it was Luck! We Talked it was chance! We became friends it was destiny! We R still friends it is faith! We will always be friends it's a promise! On this promise day this is for U. Happy promise day 2015 You are as sweet as rose bud, you are bright as a star, you are cute as a kitten, thats' what you are. you are everything for me Happy Promise Day 2015 Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook


text:
(It took forever to get this post finished. I was worried 2013 would finish before I got this 2012 wrap-up done. Hastily written at any spare moment, I'm just happy that this little list actually exists, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. Also, yay to me for breaking a 5-month freeze on this blog by actually posting something. Is the blog officially unfrozen? I'd like to say yes, but I've made loads of promises that have not come to fruition in the past, so let's say for now it's still thawing.)
If 2011 saw a distinct drop in the number of films viewed, then in 2012 this pace dropped to a near standstill. What else could be expected with bringing up a new baby, undergoing a complete vocational about-face, and taking on full-time study as well as full-time work? I'm happy I got the occasional dollop of sleep last year, let alone the chance to watch a few films here and there.
There's an intense complexity woven within this film's fabric that is belied by the simplicity of an unrequited love story. Dream interpretation, story-telling, and re-living memories are recurring motifs that elide the two-part structure of the film. While initially feeling rigid and clinically precise, the film slips and melts with graceful sensuality. And, at its beating heart, the film aches for cinema's own history, yearning for its own paradise lost.
8. STUDENT (Darezhan Omirbayev; Kazakhstan)
Omirbayev should be far more well-known than he is. This somewhat faithful rendering of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment sets the story in modern-day Kazakhstan as a means to critique the soul-less modernisation of his country. Although Bresson appears to be an obvious influence, the close-ups, gestures and quiet pace accumulate to form Omirbayev's own signature which reflects the friction between the old socialist version of Kazakhstan and the new capitalist version. While the film may be bleak and unemotional, it is also extremely elegant and precise. It also has the simplest yet quietly haunting dream sequence I've seen in a long time.
Embedding his 'Maddin-esque' style deep within the noir genre possibly makes for Maddin's most accessible work yet. However, 'accessible' and 'Maddin' don't exactly live on the same street, and this ties genre conventions in knots from the outset. Ostensibly the film focuses on a gangster boss and his mob returning to his family home to hole up for a while, in hiding from the police. However, the home is haunted, not just with yelling ghosts, but with memories, and boss appears to be committed to nothing other than working out how to remember his past through navigating not just the labyrinth of the house but the layers of memory that still live and breathe within its walls. Here, there does not appear to be mere life and death, or the living and the ghost traces of the dead, but instead a multitude of blurred varieties of mortality. Mundane objects take on a powerful resonance, as placement and movement trigger memory. The protagonist's own being seems to ultimately be infused with the house, and the film projects not just a poetics of memory but also a poetics of space.
Grant Gee's film is an attempt to mirror W.G. Sebald's 'unclassifiable' book The Rings Of Saturn, ostensibly a travelogue of the writer's walk through Suffolk but also a meander through his thoughts on European history, literature, and culture. To do this, the film becomes almost book-like, with grainy images of many places along the route taken by Sebald indexed with a page number. The film thus becomes a travelogue of a travelogue, making a map of the book as much as mapping the places described within the book. The layered quality of Sebald's work is emulated through an accretion of overlapping layers to the images – shots of quiet and lonely landscapes are inlaid with text, fading images of interviewees, pages from the book itself. And, at last, someone has the sense to score an entire film with music by The Caretaker – the ghostly sounds of records from yesteryear seem to perfectly match the spectral grainy tone of the film.
This is a deceptive documentary that transcends a mere portrait of the Russian art collective Voina. Gryazev apparently infiltrated the group and recorded their exploits in 2010. These exploits and actions at first appear to be utterly childish – organised shop-lifting and turning over cars make the group appear to be less of an art collective and more a bunch of immature pranksters using the 'art' tag to justify larking about. Constant bickering between the leaders, Oleg Vorotnikov and his partner Natalia Sokol, doesn't help this initial impression. However, slowly the film reveals the group's plans and plots to be far more cohesive than it first appears, and it leads to an organised action that has serious consequences for the group. As the film progresses, and the group are targeted for criminal conduct, a deep complexity arises in relating to these protagonists. On the one hand, having warmed to over the course of the film, it is easy to feel concerned, perhaps even outraged, at their plight. On the other hand, there is an ever-increasing concern that the leaders are putting their politics and art before being a cohesive family. Their 18-month old son is a strong focus of the film, and may possibly even be the motive behind its title, questioning the 'tomorrow' of this boy's future. Although the leaders are depicted as loving parents, the exposure of this child to their antics is questionable (especially at the climax of the film, where the boy is present at a Voina-instigated riot, and potentially exposed to physical harm). The incremental movement of this film from its first impressions to deeply conflicted and unsettled feelings towards Voina make for an unusually powerful film that stays with you long after it is over.
There is not a single superfluous moment in this film. Petzold has sculpted a lean, poised, and simmering work that is capable of exercising powerful contradictions. East Germany in the 1980's is visually presented as bleak, cold, and clinical, but also replete with visual warmth, colour and softness. The eponymous protagonist vacillates from aloof to abrasive to cordial to vulnerable and then back again. Within an economically spare visual framework and script, Petzold has performed some kind of magic to engineer a constant push-and-pull of emotional attachment, while steadily tightening the tension to near vice-like proportions.
3. THE LONELIEST PLANET (Julia Loktev; USA/ Germany)
The most devastating split second on film in 2012. This blink-and-you-miss-it decision ruptures the supposed harmony between an engaged couple travelling through the Caucasus Mountains, but what makes the film so powerful is through showing this rupture via wordless treks, haunted expressions, and floundering gestures of rapprochement and mitigation. Loktev opts for having the characters thoughts and emotions locked deep inside their heads, withdrawing them to the loneliest place from each other but also allowing the viewer to make a deeper 'there-but-for-the-grace-of-God' connection. Because of this very spartan approach, this film is possibly the most tragic portrait of relationship to hit the screen in a long, long time.
From out of nowhere, Carax pulls out his best and wildest film ever. This is a love poem to cinema's own history, a vehicle for Denis Lavant's powers of performative commitment and self-transformation, and a spectral journey through the streets of Paris all rolled into one. But there's more, so much more. The act of performing takes on an incrementally elegiac tone, with Lavant getting wearier with each appointment. Is it the weight of expectation from an unseen audience, the same audience watching a film (or watching us?) at the beginning of this wild ride? You almost wonder if Lavant's Mr. Oscar is always aware that we are watching him, that we demand these appointments be kept. Carax seems to portray cinema itself as loaded down with this heavy weight of demands and desires, and has attempted to craft a magnificent vehicle to try and shuck off the weight and fly to freedom.
Rey's full-length experimental masterpiece operates on totally different plane than any other film of 2012. Composed of 9 reels that can be played in any random order, it exists in a perpetual present, its trajectory never a foregone conclusion. This freedom seems to give the film a mesmeric quality. Rey's work is an interpretation of a book he has never read (Gunther Anders' 1936 novel The Molussian Catacomb), in a language he does not understand (German). Grainy and colour-drained footage of ploughed fields, sparse hills, highways, and industrial buildings are wedded with fragments from Anders' book, but the spoken text is drizzled sporadically over the images, allowing for a hypnotic change in the way the landscape is viewed. The footage, derived from 'our' world, eerily becomes another world, the fictional city of Molussia. The novel's dystopian city of the future is woven into our 'now', rendering time, history and verisimilitude as arbitrary concerns. This blending of contemporary Europe into fictional Molussia is almost hallucinatory, a vertiginous magic trick born from celluloidal grain and pockmarks. Truly spellbinding.


text: Integrated Water Resources Management in Laos - Some Data on Flood in Laos and Nam Ngum River Basin 2011 Souphasay Komany Acting Director Nam Ngum River Basin Committee Secretariat Department of Water Resources Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Email: [email protected] and [email protected] Water Resources Status in Lao PDR Annual Surface Water Availability and Sectoral Consumptive Uses Surface Water Availability: 270 Billion CM3 Sectoral Consumptive Uses: 5.7 Billion CM3 5.7 Billion CM3 (2%) 8% 264.3 Billion CM3 (98%) Remaining Surface Water Flow 10% 82% Surface Water Uses Industry Agriculture Domestic 4 History – Regional Context – October 1957: Establishment of the Lower "Mekong Commission", the Secretariat had been based in Bangkok. – …………. Mekong Committee. …... – 1978 – 1995: Interim Mekong Committee. – 1995: Mekong River Commission. • Under the Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin (Mekong Agreement 1995); • Procedures for Data and Information Exchange and Sharing; • Procedures for Water Use Monitoring; • Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement • The Secretariat based in Phnom Phene 1998 – 2003; in Vientiane 2004 – 2010; and Co-host Location between Lao and Cambodia 2010 – 5 History – National Context • Constitution, Article 17: All organizations and citizens must protect the environment and natural resources: land, underground, forests, fauna, water sources and atmosphere. • Environmental Law 1999 specifies necessary principles, rules and measures for managing, monitoring, restoring and protecting the environment in order to protect public, natural resources and biodiversity, and to ensure the sustainable socio-economic development of the nation. 6 History – National Context • Water Law 1996 paved the way for application of IWRM principles: – "determines necessary Principles, rules, and measures relative to the administration, exploitation, use and development of water and water resources in the Lao people's Democratic Republic to preserve sustainable water and water resources and to ensure volume and quality providing for people 's living requirements, promoting agriculture, forestry, and industry, developing the national souci-economy and ensuring that no damage is caused to the environment". • Decree to Implement the Water Law 2001provides officially cross-sectoral framework for coordination and functional arrangement: – "The decree establishes the responsibilities of different ministries, agencies and local authorities with regard to the management, exploitation, development and use of water and water resources. – The Decree shall also ensure efficient development and use, conformity with the socio-economic development planning, an increase in production, an improvement of the living conditions of the people and sustainable use of water resources". 7 History – National Context • Legal and regulatory framework and management tools developed in a less integration and given provisions were too general with the lack of subsidiary legislations. On the other hand, their enforcement were relatively limited; – – Water Law is considered as framework legislation with limited dissemination and weak enforcement; Lake of supporting subsidiary legislation, regulations and tools; • Sectoral planning observably fragmented with insufficient communication with the lack of resources supported for implementation and fully goal achievement; 8 History – National Context • Previous River Basin / Water Resources Management: – – – – – • Establishment of the Water Resources Coordination Committee (WRCC), 1999: – • No formal RBO in-functioned; No commonly institutional arrangement – project-based arrangement; Sector-based design; Limit coordination on planning and management; Functional Conflict with the existing Lao National Mekong Committee (LNMC), since over 90% of the Lao territory is within the MRB; Concept of IRBM Confused with Integrated Watershed Management Function; 9 History – National Context • At the beginning lack of national coordination / management agency (apex body); and later the coordination agency was existed but facing with insufficient authority and less recognition; • Lake of human resources and technical capacity; • Limited understanding on IWRM at national and local levels; • Fragmented, in-updated and unqualified data and information, inconsistent data and information system; 10 Present – National Arrangement • LNMC – National Water Apex Body as part of its MRC institutional Arrangement; – Honorably chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and permanently chaired by WREA; member by vice ministers of line agencies; • Former WREA (now MoNRE) – Public Administrative Body brought about IWRM functions into official stage and provide management framework for future IWRM application by considering IRBM as a heart; • DWR – Combines LNMCS and WRCCS in one and acts as LNMC Secretariat as part of its national administrative functions; • Reconceptionalizing of IRBM and IWM Functions - Agreement between WREA and MAF on River Basin Planning and Landscape Continuum Planning, 2009; • Setting up the national Models of RBC: NN RBC and NTNK RBC; 11 Mandate of RBCs • Based on the Prime Ministerial Decree, no. 293/PM, dated 15 June 2010 1. Principles: – IWRM through consultation and participation development process in river basin area among all involved agencies, including government, private sector, communities and other involved parties; – Ensure equitable water resources use and sustainable ecosystem; – Apply mechanism for polluter / user pay fee. Mandate of RBCs 2. Location: – River Basin Committee: • • • – Non-permanent organization; Basin-based water resources management; Under the supervision of the LNMC Secretariat: • • • • Permanent organization; Institutionally located under and technically supported by WREA (Now is reorganized as under DWR of MoNRE); Has the permaent office location at a province in the basin; Acts as an advisory body and permanent office to the RBC. Mandate of RBCs 3. Organization and Membership – River Basin Committee: • • • • • • • – Chaired by one of the provincial governors in the basin and has 5 year rotation; Vice-chaired by vice governors in the basin and the Vice Head of WREA (now is being reorganized as MoNRE); Key National Departments as Members; Key Provincial Divisions in the basin as Members; Representatives of Development Groups (Hydropower, Mining, Industry and Agriculture> in the basin as Members: Representatives of Communities in the basin as Members: Prepresentatives of Multi-ethnic Groups and Mass Organizations in the basin as Members. Secretariat: • • • The DG of RBCS has jurisdictional position as same as DG of Department; Composes of DDGs, Head and Deputy Heads and staff; (Now this structure is being reorganized, which is possibly under the DWR of MoNRE). Public Administration (Legislative / Permanent Bodies) Mekong River Commission National Government River Basin Committee Ministries / Agencies MoNRE DWR / LNMC Secretariat MoNRE Depts Prov. Level RBC Secretariat Prov. Adms Provincial DoNREs Sub-Basin Committees Dist. Level Dist. Adms District OoNREs Relevant Depts / Divs Task Forces / Working Groups / Advisory Groups National Level Lao National Mekong Committee Sectoral Sub-committees / Forums Sub-basin Sub-national Basin International and Sub-international Basin Coordination Arrangement (Impermanent Bodies) Prov. Agencies Dist. Agencies 15 16 Nam Ngum RB Profile Physical Features Area 16,800 square km (7% of national area) Length 354 km Water Resources Average Flow to Mekong River 22 billion m3 / year (14% Mekong Flow) Annual Water Use 0.9 billion m3 Agriculture: 99% Urban: 0.5% Industrial: 0.1% Land Cover and Use Natural Forest 47% Shrub land / Re-growth 34% Agriculture 8% Grassland 7% Water surface 3% Urban area 0.02% Administration No. of provinces 5 No. of District 19 Population 502,000 persons (9% of Lao PDR) ISSUES: - lack of knowledge, experiences and inadequate capacity; - water use for various purposes; - hydropower development; - irrigation schemes have increasingly developed throughout the basin; - lack of sub-basin management plans - impact from water related disaster – flood & drought. Major Sectoral Water Resources Development in the Nam Ngum River Basin Major Debvelopment Present Situation Future Expectation Hydropower 5 Projects (2011) 14 Projects (2020) Irrigation 58,000 Ha (2004) Maximum Potential: 150,000 Ha Domestic Water Use 326,000 m3/Month (2006) 482,500 m3/Month (2020) Tourism 250,000 visitors (2010) 1,600,000 visitors (2020) Medium and Major Mining Over 34 Projects (2007) Expected to be largely increased Medium and Major Industries 197 plants (2008) Expected to be largely increased Other water uses Increasing Expected to be largely increased 18 The Nam Ngum- Mekong Linkage Geography IWRM instruments Mekong Basin Mekong IWRM-based Basin Development Plan Laos Nam Ngum Nam Ngum Sub-Basins Watersheds National Water Resources Strategy and Action Plan Nam Ngum IWRM Plan Nam Ngum sub-basin plans (as e.g. Nam Song and Nam Kho) Integrated Watershed Management Plans 19 NN RIVER BASIN PLANNING DEVELOPMENT PLANS 2011-15 National Province District STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS WATER RESOURCES PLANS National WR Strategy 2011-15 MoNRE Strategy 2011-15 NN IWRM Plan NNRBC SUB-BASIN COMMITTEES (Districts, communities) OTHER PLANS MRC BDP & Procedures Sector plans Climate change adaptation plans MDG, PRSP etc.etc. NNRB PLAN 2011-15 ANNUAL NNRBC WORK PLANS (NNRB Secretariat) NN IWRM Planning Initiatives Key Result Areas: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Building Capacity to Manage the NNRB; Sustainable Water Use; Optimization Hydropower Outcomes; Developing the Irrigation Potential of the Basin; River Sub-basin Management; Reducing Risks and Impacts from Water Relate Disasters. Flood Characteristics in Laos and NNRB • Floods are by far the most damaging of all the natural disasters the strike the Lao PDR. • The central and southern regions are most affected by the frequent floods. • Flooding is a regular occurrence in the Nam Ngum River Basin and casing economic loss, social hardship and the times loss life. • Flooding is also important for the maintenance of riparian and aquatic ecosystems and also contributes to improve the fertility of soils. • Flooding on the Vientiane Plains is a serious and complex problem caused by waters from the Nam Ngum River , the unregulated Nam Lik River and interaction with the waters of the Mekong river. Luangprabang Province Xiengkhuang Province Bolikhamxay Province Flood in urban center and adjacent Historical flsah flood of two districts Flood along the Mekong on the Road No.13 Vientiane Province Saravan and Sekong Provinces Flash flood of Vangvieng and Kasi Districts Historical flash flood to urban and adjacent districts Vientiane Capital Flood in urban districts Khammuan Province Flood along the Mekong on road No. 13 and Xebangfai River Champasack Province Flood at the river mount of Sedone River 23 Flood damage and impacts in Nam Ngum (2011) Provinces affected 3 provinces: Xiengkhouang, Vientiane, Vientiane Capital Districts affected 13 Villages affected 252 People affected People injured People killed Cost damaged in Nam Ngum 8 > 14 millions USD Flood damage and impacts in Nam Ngum (2011) – cont. Agriculture Hectares of Rice paddy fields affected 3,861.10 Irrigation damaged Livestock Cattle 141 head lost Poultry 6,622 head lost Fish ponds, fishes and aquaculture 179 sites Existing and Planned Hydropower Development Plan 32


text:
McPherson posted the latest snowfall on record Tuesday, breaking a record that has stood for almost 100 years.
McPherson posted the latest snowfall on record Tuesday, breaking a record that has stood for almost 100 years.
McPherson does not have complete records with the National Weather service. However, according to the information that is available in the weather database, April 23 surpassed the latest snowfall record, which was April 20, 1918.
Because records are missing concerning McPherson weather information, it is impossible to tell with certainty that McPherson broke its low temperature record. However, Jim Carusco, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Wichita, said McPherson likely saw its coldest April 23 on record as communities all around it posted records.
Salina's posted a record low with 23 degree, Wichita posted a record low with 25 degrees and Russell posted a record low with 20 degrees.
According McPherson's local weather official, McPherson experienced a high of 34 and a low of 23 Tuesday.
These temps are far for normal for our area, Caruso said. McPherson normally has high temperatures in the 70s and lows in the mid-40s this time of year.
The frost on our spring flowers has been caused by anomalous weather pattern coming our of Canada, Caruso said.
"We will have a couple days of mild days followed by a cold air," he said. "We've had everything from showers to sleet, snow and freezing rain the last couple of months."
For those of you who are sick of the cold temps and white stuff, look for a warming trend today and through the weekend.
Temperatures are supposed to be in the mid-60s today with partly sunny skies. Late tonight and into Friday there are a chance for showers. Highs are forecast in the 70s Saturday, Sunday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
For those of you looking for an outlook for the summer, that's a little harder to do.
Caruso cautioned long-term forecasting is very difficult and may not be accurate.
However, the National Weather Service is forecasting above normal temperatures for this summer with precipitation normal to below normal.
Although snow could be seen on grassy surfaces Tuesday morning, drivers in McPherson encountered more slush than ice on roads.
Dillard Webster, McPherson County director of emergency management, said local law enforcement officers reported several slid offs in the county Tuesday morning, but no one was seriously injured.


text:
I've been overwhelmed, and underwhelmed ... but never whelmed. Until I read Beowulf. And maybe not even then.
I have now seen, for the first time in my life, the use of the word "whelm."
According to the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary, Whelm means:
1: to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down usually to cover something: cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effect
2: to overcome in thought or feeling, to pass or go over something so as to bury or submerge it
Probably should have looked it up while I was still reading Beowulf.
I'm done now. Don't really understand the fuss about it ...
Beowulf goes to help out the Danes.
Wounds Grendel. Big Celebration is held.
Grendel's mom comes and seeks revenge for the wounding and kills some Danes.
Beowulf goes and finds Grendal's lair under the sea and finishes off Grendel.
Big Celebration.
Beowulf goes home and mostly lives out his life.
Some foolish person plunders the local dragon's lair.
Dragon gets angry and goes on a rampage.
Beowulf kills dragon and is mortally wounded in the process.
Beowulf dies.
Beowulf is cremated.
End of story.
Did I miss anything?
I think that from now on I'll leave the works written in Middle English to scholars of Middle English.
I was, shall I say, underwhelmed. But I finished it.
Next on the classics list: The Time Machine.
(I've been alternating reading modern junk fiction with classics on my BeBook. Now I'm reading some Barbara Michaels to clear my head of Beowulf. Then back to H.G. Wells who I've really enjoyed so far.)
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Labels: books
2 comments:
- Cookie said...
Nope. You got it.
I watched the Clash of the Gods last night on him and had the same reaction. At least, I finished a mitt while watching.
- Ina said...
How's this: Beowulf is a good man and a hero in his time because he fights monsters rather than people and doesn't slaughter members of his own community when he's drunk. Have we evolved different expectations for our heroes? Maybe, maybe not. The appropriate use of violence is still an important measure of civilized manliness. Monsters and what we call PTSD have always posed challenges to a peaceful, constructive society.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.
When I was pregnant with my son, I was faced with so many important decisions as any expecting mom would face before her baby is born. From choosing the baby's name, clothes and baby furniture to the preferences over breastfeeding vs. formula feeding. On my third semester, I found myself so hooked up on the information about the idea of umbilical cord blood banking. The idea is normally introduced to pregnant mothers before 34th week of pregnancy.
Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) banking is not too popular in many countries. In the United States, it was introduced in response to the potential transplants in treating diseases of the blood, metabolic, and other inherited immune diseases. It is believed that cord blood contain stem cells that has unique advantages over traditional bone marrow transplantation, especially in children, and can be life-saving in cases where a suitable bone-marrow donor cannot be found. It is also believed that cord blood stem cells can also be used for siblings and other members of the family who have a matching tissue type. Siblings have a higher chance of compatibility, and the cord blood may even be a match for parents and grandparents. The process are done by collecting the blood from the umbilical cord after it was clamped, then placed in a collection bag, and transported to the facility for testing, and then cryopreserved.
There is a cost preserving our baby's cord blood. It is sometimes the issue that adverse our decisions. Public bank accept donations to be used for anyone in need. They have very strict regulations that needed to be followed to enable the donated unit to be added to the Registry. Once it is added and passed the testing process, it loses all identifying information, and families cannot retrieve the sample of their own blood. However, private bank store cord blood with a link to the donor's identity, families can retrieve it later when needed, parents have the custody of the unit until the child is an adult.
There are so many conflicting opinions and future parents need to be fully informed so that they can make an educated decision on whether to privately or publicly bank their newborn's umbilical cord blood, or whether to forego the process entirely. Not only must personal and financial aspects be considered, but many moral and ethical elements also factor into the decision.
It's Your Baby's Life. Learn More. Request Information Packet & Consult an Advisor or visit www.Cryo-Cell.net and www.Cryo-Cell.com. Get Free Belly Bag!


text:
Today is Friday, everywhere. Everywhere except in the Palace of Westminster where, by a quirk of history it is is still Thursday (indeed, and from the advice given to Sir Patrrick Cormack by the Deputy Speaker it could well still be Thursday by Saturday).
This is why I love my country. A country that can come up with games that last for five days; where the parliament can reject the passage of time; oh all sorts of oddities.
I am proud of our absurdities, they make me smile.
Could a non-Brit tell me what they think?
Friday, March 11, 2005
Only in the UK
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Today the students read their books again in order to fill out a Chain of Events graphic organizer. I found this graphic organizer at the Read MHS web site. There are lots of great graphic organizers in Spanish there!
When they were done with their worksheet (graphic organizer), they began work on their Clifford Newsletter project. I thought this would be a great way for them to see what happened in the other books.
Here are the requirements for their Clifford Newsletter project:
The project must be in sections like a newsletter. They must have Headings/Headlines, and it must be neat and colorful.
Their newsletter must have two parts from each of the following:
A: Story summary, main character article, supporting character article, write a new ending to the story.
B: Advice column for one of the characters, editorial about an issue in the book, comic strip that shows the plot, advertisements/puzzles that relate to the plot.
This is the final teaching day for the Clifford Books reading unit. They will have the next two days in class and one computer lab day to work on their newsletter. Then they will present.
Gracias, Penny


text:
Vancouver, Canada (PRWEB) June 10, 2014
A lot of people on the internet nowadays look for out of the box ways to know more about their personality. This infographic is an interesting and engaging tool that can be used for gaining important insights into the correlation between style-choice and personality types. By just taking a simple quiz, users can find the secret about themselves hidden in shoes.
Zelenshoes.com, an online shoe selling website, recently introduced this infographic for shoe lovers so that they can find the basics about their personality only by understanding their shoes.
"Talk the Walk: What Your Shoes Say about Your Personality' Infographic showcases how people sub-consciously bring personality into perspective when picking shoes. The Infographic has been divided into four main sections, as follows:
1. Statistics and Facts: The section talks about some statistics and facts connected to various types of shoes and sandals.
2. Shoes and Personality Types: The section talks about types of shoes and what it reflects on the personality, based on type of shoes selection.
3. Boots and Sneakers: This section guides the personality type of those who wear boots like Dr. Martens, Converse and Vans, all brands available at Zelenshoes.com.
4. Play to Reveal: This is a simple quiz that users can take to find out what is their personality type based on their type and style selection.
This Infographic is not just visually appealing, but also engages users in taking a small quiz that enables them to find out their own personality type without having to read a million books on behavior and psychology. Apart from giving people a sneak peek into their personalities, it also points out subtly how shoes indicate power play. For example, it talks about how sneakers showcase a laid back attitude, while wearing stilettos can exhibit a powerful position.
Extensive research has been done for data compilation from authenticated resources that talk about 'personality and behavior'. Using this, users will learn how to:
1. Understand people's personality and attitude by carefully examining their shoe choices.
2. Wear shoes as per how they want to be perceived by others.
3. Select shoes and style based on how users want to perceive by others.
4. Identify how fashion is responsible for imagery.
Zelenshoes.com is a leading retailer of shoes of different brands. They retail a good variety of shoes including brands like Converse, Vans, Zelen, Dr. Martens and more. This is the right place to buy shoes online selling the best of footwear at the best of prices.


text:
It has been a GREAT year so far for Bella at her new school. She has enjoyed being a cheer leader. Last night was her last game. They had a lot of fun as we enjoyed watching them. They are just the cutest things.
Our girls have come a LONG way for a lot of them to never have cheered before.
SO PROUD of them.
I know Bella had a blast. She made some really good friends and it really helped her adjust to this new school a lot quicker.
She was really having a hard time.
She missed her school she was at before and her BFF's (still does)
Although she has made some really good friendships here and is doing really well.
I hope she will go out again next year. It has been fun.
After the game, There was a fun Pizza party at Godfathers pizza. eye yi yi!
can you imagine 22 hyped up little girls in a pizza parlor that was NOT very big along with their families. approx. 50 ish people.
(I had migraine all day was an interesting evening believe me)
Pizza was great, the kids were fabulous and I DO BELIEVE everyone had fun. You can tell by the Rave reviews the Blue and Yellow cupcakes received!
We are so grateful to our cheer coaches for their patience their time and dedication to our daughters. We thank them for taking the time with them and also the values and beliefs they help instill in our girls. We are so ever thankful.


text:
Matt Kuchar won his seventh PGA Tour title in dramatic fashion on Sunday at the RBC Heritage. After three-putting for bogey from 4 feet on the par-3 17th, Kuchar holed out from the left greenside bunker on 18 for birdie, topping 54-hole leader Luke Donald by one. Here's the skinny on the final round from Harbour Town:
Leaderboard: Matt Kuchar (-11), Luke Donald (-10), Ben Martin (-9), John Huh (-9), Scott Brown (-7), Brian Stuard (-7), Brian Harman (-6), Jim Furyk (-6)
What it means: Kuchar had finished in the top 5 in his last three starts before sealing the deal Sunday in Hilton Head, S.C. His 7-under 64 in the final round was the first time he'd broken par on a Sunday since January. Among the worst of his recent Sunday struggles came two weeks ago in Houston when he squandered a four-shot lead during the final round.
Round of the day: Kuchar's 64 was his lowest round of the season, and it could have easily been a 62 had he made the 4-foot birdie putt on the 17th. The hiccup at 17 was his lone bogey of the day in a round that included eight birdies. Kuchar hit 10 of 14 fairways, 15 of 18 greens, needed 27 putts and went 3-for-3 in sand saves.
Best of the rest: Donald took a two-shot lead into the RBC Heritage finale, and had it not been for Kuchar's lights-out 64, Donald's 2-under 69 on Sunday would have been enough to secure the win. Donald has now finished runner-up at Harbour Town three times in the last six years.
Biggest disappointment: Formerly the world No. 1, Donald was thisclose to breaking his winless drought that dates back to the 2012 Valspar Championship.
Quote of the day: "I said to Lance, 'I'm about due to make one of these.' It was so cool to see that thing disappear at the end." – Kuchar, on his hole-out from the bunker for birdie at the 72nd hole.


text:
Yes, I know... it's been quite a while. My apologies. You can see from the posts made for 2011 that they weren't much. Took on two major projects this year that consumed my time and had a few minor ones along the way. All in all, I'm very proud of my accomplishment in the work department.
Enough about me. It's that time of year again - I can hardly believe it myself. Just hours away from Christmas day and I know in many parts of the world it already is.
I started to compile a Christmas wishlist a couple weeks ago in keeping with tradition but time did not allow. I'm pretty much pushing my limits here trying to fit these few words in but I just had to take the time to wish all of you beautiful people a most joyous and wonderful Christmas. For the ones who do not celebrate Christmas, I wish you joy and peace as well no matter the occasion.
A special thank you to my followers and a heartfelt thank you to all who took the time to visit and also to leave comments. Although I'm not in it for the comments, I sincerely appreciate them all. They offer appreciation for what I put in as well as insight into your thoughts.
Of course a Slym blog would not be a Slym blog without showcasing they beauty and purpose of me doing this. Do enjoy the sights.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Holidays, etc, etc....


text:
Papa and Gigi came for Thanksgiving! We celebrated "The Giving Dinner" (as Kennedy calls it) on Saturday. It was wonderful to have family here to share the holiday with. The day they traveled here, we were busy cooking and baking! Kennedy and Jackson helped Mama make Party Mix and Kennedy was in charge of making the banana pudding. Aside from my cutting up the bananas for her, she did it all by herself!! That night, Kennedy got to stay up late to wait for Papa and Gigi to arrive. She was sooo excited! She also thought it was pretty cool that the babies had to go to sleep and she didn't!
On Thanksgiving morning, we had Grandma's cinammon rolls for breakfast. Kennedy helped me make Nonna's dressing, and Jackson helped Daddy make Grandma Dickson's mashed potatoes for lunch! Aunt Amy's corn casserole was also among the dishes we had for The Giving Dinner. It was special to have some of our favorite family recipes for the special occasion!
The kids had so much fun playing with Papa and Gigi-and Hoover! Of course, they spoiled the kids with a trip to the Dollar Tree and lots of snacks. We had family pictures taken at the park-thanks Gigi, you did a great job! Our last night together we had a pizza party and watched Santa Clause 3 for family night. We all enjoyed the visit and time together. We have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for family. Most of all, I am thankful to be Jordan's wife and Kennedy, Jackson, and Chandler Grace's Mama!
Jackson 18 Months
Jackson is such a joy to our family. He has such a sense of humor-even now, and is so much fun. We all enjoy him and can't imagine him not being a part of our family.
*He weighs 27 pounds
*He is now saying "Mommy and Daddy" instead of "Mama and Da Da"
*He can go up and down the stairs independently
*He can say whatever he wants to say-sometimes surprising us with what he knows
*Repeats ANYTHING
*He knows animal sounds
*Finishes Jackson Kyle-with "Harr" sounding like "Hore" (Gonna have to work on that, huh!)
*Sings "Twinkle, twinkle, little star"
*Says "1, 2, 3"
*Says "Ho Ho Ho"
*Says "Oh, no" and puts his hand on his forehead!
*Total dare devil!
*Good eater
*Can climb into his car seat
*LOVES the Wiggles
*Imitates the Wiggles dance to the song "Bears are now asleep" (Kennedy's first "imitation", too!!!) He just did it one day while the song was on-we were stunned just as we were with Kennedy!
*Loves to talk on the phone
*Fusses with Kennedy at times (gifted, huh-I thought this came way later)
*ADORES Chandler-cannot keep from hugging and kissing her-still calls her "Baby"
*Idolizes Kennedy and will do anything she does or asks him to do!
*Loves to play "where's Jackson" and will say "there he are" when he jumps out or comes running back into the room-will actually say that when asked where anyone/anything is
*Loves outside
*Says "NO" and "Hey!" to Kennedy when he's unhappy-wonder where he picked that up?!!!
*Still flips out if Jordan leaves for even a second once he comes in from work by falling face-down on the floor and crying
*Will say "sorry" when we tell him to if he hits will give a hug-usually happens with Kennedy
*Will say "yes, mam" usually after telling me "no" and getting in trouble for it
*Says "hug" or "kiss" when he wants one!


text:
If nothing else, this week was a great example of how you can eat a lot and still lose weight as long as you're still within your points. And that if the points you're given aren't enough for what you want to eat, you need to exercise. Without the 31 activity points that I earned, this week could easily have been a 3.2 gain! I'm feeling reassured that I can make it through football season and anything else ahead as long as I'm smart about it and am sure to do enough exercise to offset what I eat. A new week has begun, and so far, so good. Some fiber cereal for breakfast and half a Subway sandwich (meat and lots of veggies) and half a bag of Baked Lays for lunch leaves me with 18 points for the rest of the day, and it's already almost 2:30. Plenty of points to have a buffalo chicken quesadilla and a margarita or beer while I watch the Patriots tonight, and even enough for a WW ice cream bar for dessert! I'm not sure you're supposed to make your days so point-heavy at the end, but it's working for me so far. I'd much rather have a light breakfast (I pretty much never skip breakfast though) and have more flexibility later in the day. If I find myself hitting a plateau, switching that around will be one of the things I try to break through it, but for now, I'm not changing a thing.
I'll update my Mini Goals every time I reach one of the goals, or the date by which I was supposed to reach a goal. So here we go:
My Mini Goals:
15 lbs. by October 10
18 lbs. (my 10% goal) by October 24
20 lbs. by November 7
25 lbs. by December 5
28 lbs. (my 15% goal) by December 19
30 lbs. by January 2
35 lbs. by January 30
38 lbs. (my 20% goal) by February 20
40 lbs. by March 5
45 lbs. by March 26
47 lbs. (my 25% goal) by April 9
50 lbs. by April 23 - GOAL WEIGHT!!
I'm a pound ahead of where I planned to be today, which means I have four weeks to lose four pounds and reach my next goal. I'm hopeful that it won't take that long (and really, I'm determined that it won't) but I wanted to give myself some leeway when making these goals because I'd rather overestimate the amount of time and be pleasantly surprised than be too aggressive and be continually disappointed if I don't hit the marks. It's working so far!


text:
Anonymous is a loosely associated international network of activist and hacktivist entities. A hacktivist from #Anonymous has removed thousands of child pornography images from the dark web and the internet is cheering them on.
One of the hackers told Vice that in his first ever hack, he breached Freedom Host II, the biggest host of the 'Dark Web', which can only be reached through an anonymous network, so people who access it can't be traced.
In total, more than 10,000 hidden services were shut down and anyone trying to access them will see a message from Anonymous. Dayum son, that's wicked!
The message reads :
" Hello, Freedom Hosting II, you have been hacked. We are disappointed.. This is an excerpt from your page 'We have a zero tolerance policy to child pornography' – but what we found while searching through your server is more than 50% child porn."
Furthermore the message said, "Moreover you host scam sites, some of which are evidently run by yourself to cover hosting expenses.. All your files have been copied and your database has been dumped." OUCH!
"We are selling all data (excluding cp) for 0.1 BTC. Up to January 31st you were hosting 10613 sites. Private keys are included in the dump."
"We are Anonymous. We do not forgive. We do not forget. You should have expected us."


text: This splendid hotel is located in the middle of a beautiful garden only 150 metres from Fossa beach and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a particularly attractive beach where guests can enjoy a relaxing walk along the sea. The resort is situated around 1.5 km from Calpe with the famous Peñón de Ifach and the Amusement Park Terra Mitica is only 20 km away. The airport of Alicante is roughly an hour away and there is a bus stop in front of the hotel. This beach hotel offers guests a large hall with lifts, a games room, a buffet restaurant, a café and a bar with a dance floor. In addition, it also can provide 4 meeting or banqueting rooms with a capacity of up to 300 persons and WiFi access. The rooms, decorated with pure Mediterranean style and all with a balcony or terrace, are equipped with a complete bathroom with hairdryer and telephone.


text:
There is an ingenious company on Etsy by the name of Cleaner Science and they are the masterminds of these insanely adorable Petri Dish Soaps. Have you honestly seen something cuter! And very practical as well, I might add. I've never seen anything like 'em and I certainly hope that they come up with more soaps very soon.
Blue Petri Dish Soap
White Petri Dish Soap
Yellow Petri Dish Soap
Purple Petri Dish Soap


text:
Williamsburg Christian Academy has the opportunity for a rare double accomplishment Saturday: state championships in boys and girls basketball on the same day.
Deron Powers had 22 points and nine assists as the WCA boys, the No. 1 seed, overcame No. 4 North Cross 70-44 in a Virginia Independent Schools Division III semifinal.


text:
Fort Worth Dallas Ballet
'Donizetti Variations,' 'Four Last Songs,' 'Who Cares?'
by Jennifer Cody
February 14, 2003
-- Bass Performance Hall, Ft. Worth, TX
The company presented two works typical to its repertoire: Balanchines "Donizetti Variation"s and "Who Cares?".
The FWD Ballet has long made its mission to focus on Balanchine ballets, but after this production I wonder if the company has finally found its calling elsewhere: in Ben Stevensons vision and choreography. This production, which ran from February 14-16, marked the first Stevenson ballet to enter the companys repertoire: the provocative and beautiful "Four Last Songs," which left the Balanchine pieces small and in the shadows.
The first ballet of the night was Balanchines "Donizetti Variations." Though its colorful pastoral costumes and eternal happiness were indeed charming, the ballet succeeded in leaving the audience cold and unimpressed. The dancers seemed to lack the balance and security necessary to bring the joy out of the ballet, which in this case seemed to be more fluff than anything else.
The third ballet of the night, "Who Cares?", seemed to suffer from a similar affliction. Though excellently danced by the entire company, it was deficient in the charm that the ballet should have exuded. It seemed that each individual section of "Who Cares?" contained only a little piece of the ballets carefree intentions, but ultimately the pieces ended up making more than a mediocre whole. The highlights of the ballet were the ensemble numbers: only then did the spirit and drive truly transmit to the audience.
The second selection in the performance truly stole the show from the Balanchine romps. Ben Stevensons "Four Last Songs", a study of the journey from life to death, brought out the absolute best the FWD Ballet has to offer, and deserves a more in depth description than the other ballets on the program. The ballet is set in four movements to four songs composed by Strauss with vocals sung by Melissa Givens.
As soon as the curtain opened I knew we were in for something special. We were presented with a bare black box for a set, decorated only with a huge, gauzy white sheet suspended from above. Between each movement of the ballet, the gauze shifted above the dancers to form a new shape and a new atmosphere for each dance.
The dancers first entered the stage in a tightly entwined, protective group, moving and interacting with each other across the stage. Each was stripped down in costume to a bare, revealing flesh colored unitard. There was nothing to separate us from the exposed emotions of the dancers. Soon, the mass breaks, and we are left with an understated but ecstatic pas de deux (danced by Christy Corbett Miller and David Scott Thompson) of young love. It embodies the hopefulness and the idealistic nature of youth, and feels as if happiness could never end.
The second movement, a pas de trois featuring Marcella Ducsay (a gorgeous dancer whose combination of innocence and womanly maturity seemed meant for this ballet), Grant Dettling, and Ronnie Underwood, was a dance of contented security that, in the end, somehow went wrong. Ducsay began enclosed in strong circles formed by the arms of her two male partners, and each of the three seemed to be praising one another as they danced. Somehow, though, their contentment turned sour and their expressions of happiness disappeared. They lost hold of their feeling of safety, which was replaced by disillusionment and regret. They unsuccessfully tried to disconnect themselves from a hurtful destiny they knew they would have to face anyway.
The third movement was another pas de deux, but not of love and happiness but instead of pain and loss. As they danced together, the two (Enrica Guana Tseng and Michael Clark) strove for contact that they never achieved. Each time the woman tried to enter the safety of the mans arms, suddenly he was no longer there to hold her. They both needed intimacy, but were afraid of getting too close because they knew that they would eventually be separated.
During the final movement, Michelle Gifford is featured in a dance of death and loneliness. Her solo, filled with the fluidity of lament and the sudden jerks of sobs, perfectly captured her despair. Slowly, the rest of the dancers enter the stage like ghosts, and she pleads for comfort from those who are no longer there. She finally lost hope as she watched everyone around her lay down and die. She then submitted to her fate as the white shroud fell from the ceiling to cover them all in death.
When the curtain fell on this ballet, the audience was instantly on their feet. I have never seen this company so fully grasp a ballet, and I have certainly never seen its audience respond with such an ovation. If the Balanchine works presented at this performance represent the FWD Ballets past and Stevensons influence represents the future, I anxiously await whats undoubtedly in store for this company.
Edited by Mary Ellen Hunt.
Please join the discussion in our forum.
You too can write a review. See Stuart Sweeney's helpful guide.
For information on how to get reviews e-published on Critical Dance see our guidelines.
Submit press releases to email@example.com.
For information, corrections and questions, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.