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{life's a party + a FREEBIE}
Happy New Year everyone!!! I can't believe its already New Year's Eve! Wow. Well, I have a brand new kit to celebrate 2008! It's called "Life's a Party"!!
This kit is available now at both scraphead and ScrapMatters (very soon). :) It is full of tons of glitzy and pop! Perfect for all your New Year's Eve party pics!! I had a ball making it! :)
Here's a page I scrapped with it! These are pics from my first New Year's Eve with Josh as a married couple! :)
What a fun night that was!!
Well, as a special New Year's Eve release gift, I made a little add-on for you! AND I turned my page into a QuickPage and threw that in too!!
Enjoy! Download it HERE. Leave me a little shout-out if you download! :)
One other thing. Starting today, the ScrapMatters Team Blog shifts into full gear with daily entries, challenges, tutorials, freebies, photography tips and lots lots more. I am coordinating the entries with all our team and we're all working hard to make it a fun blog to stalk. So add http://scrapmatters.com/wordpress/ to your blog reader and go check it out each day for lots of digi-scrap fun!
Well, I hope you all have a very happy New Year and a great and safe time tonight! Josh and I were invited to a big bash over at a friend of a friend's house who just so happens to be the drummer in the band Rancid, and used to drum for The Used. It's supposed to be a great party that he throws each year, so we're totally stoked. I'm sure I'll have lots of pics and stuff to blog about after tonight!
Happy New Year!!! CHEERS!!!!!!!


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This article from Gizmodo (Jason Chen) came in on my RSS feed and it kinda hit my tickle spot.
Aparently you can buy old arcade game buttons and pin them on your shirt, jacket, pants, whatever. Kind of a neat idea Jason but after a little thought on the idea had me chuckling and saying, "Nope, not for me".
My family, brother, cousins, friends, etc. are pretty male dominated and for many of us, it's funny when somebody gets hurt; not serious injuries; by definition that wouldn't be funny ... or it wouldn't be serious.
The idea of putting PUNCH or KICK any where on my body is an invitation for abuse. Ever hear the term "Cruisin for a Bruisin"? This is an engraved invitation.
Putting BLOCK on my chest would be just as bad. This invites a good punch followed by the comments, "Good block" or "You should have blocked" while I'm on the ground sucking wind.
So at the end of reading this article I'm less interested in buying some of these for myself. Maybe I just need to buy them and find a way to sneak these buttons onto others so they can be the ones sucking wind. Maybe I just need new friends.
Monday, November 3, 2008
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subset: commoncrawl


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After quite some time of inactivity on MMO couples, I suspect that by now you are more than wondering if this blog is resting in peace or if there is still more to come.
The truth is I am kind of stuck when it comes to new content. I have been trying to get my blog known in the Asian gaming community, to see if there are any love stories to be found there. Unfortunately, there has been little response. I am not much of an expert when it comes to gaming cultures, but I do think there is a difference between the Asian and the European/American one, theirs being more focussed on achievement than the social aspects online games have to offer. I might be utterly wrong here though, so feel free to correct me.
On the other hand, it could very well be that I have reached about all the MMO couples there are. Or at least the ones who want to share their tale of love with the rest of the oh so curious world. It is unknown how many failed MMO relations there are, or how many people are keeping their online relationship a secret. In general, people still think it an odd way to find a partner. To openly talk about one's online crush is not something everyone wants to do.
For others it can simply be satisfying enough to keep the relationship at a (safe) virtual distance; maybe because it makes it more exciting, maybe out of fear the relationship will be disappointment in the real world, or maybe because they are in a relationship already.
All in all, I am out of ideas and tips. I also have to admit that I am giving almost all of my spare-time-attention to finishing my first book, in which the story of my Night Elf Hunter and I will be featured in more detail :)
And: I am leveling a new character in World of Warcraft as well, hoping to reach level 70 with my Tauren Druid before Wrath of the Lich King comes out. Yes I know: I am a bad girl! (I don't want to know how much played time I have.)
I promise though, that as soon as the feeling of eureka, new stories, tips, suggestions and new ideas come my way, I will blow a fresh wind through MMO couples. That reminds me: how about a Vice Versa MMO relationship:
A friend of mine will be leaving the country next week to start his new job in France. But what happened just a couple of weeks earlier: love knocked on his door. Fate as is seems does not care about good timing. But to keep in touch, he convinced his girlfriend to start playing World of Warcraft. That way they can spend time together, eventhough they are miles apart.
I think it is a great idea :) Good luck to you two, J. & A.! And make chars on horde side so we can roam Northrend together!
For now I wish all of you lots of fun and love in both the virtual and the real world. And remember: anything is possible. Even falling in love with a Gnome!
Welcome to MMO couples
Thursday, September 25, 2008
MMO couples R.I.P.?
After quite some time of inactivity on MMO couples, I suspect that by now you are more than wondering if this blog is resting in peace or if there is still more to come.
4 comments:
Grrr... why Horde? QQ
Well, you may come across a tauren druid and undead rogue cuddling...
Thanks for the nice message :)
- September 27, 2008 at 12:13 PM
I have a story..
but, it'll have to wait a few weeks.. because I'm picking up the love of my life from the airport.
maybe i'll get him to help me on it? =]
- September 29, 2008 at 10:23 AM
- Will Gittoes said...
I'll keep yers in my RSS bookmark thingy just in case :-)
Also, yay, I'm a Tauren Druid!
- November 3, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Was reading this and thought of MMO couples:
- November 23, 2008 at 3:58 AM


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We accept a large variety of Ferrous and Non Ferrous metals including copper, brass, aluminum, … Continue Reading
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N16 in NYT
This article by a Stoke Newington resident was in the New York Times earlier this week http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/opinion/13goldfarb.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
It sums up everything that's uniquely good about Hackney as a multicultural community and what that means in a world that looks increasingly like it is sliding into conflict.
My baby son plays on the swings that Goldfarb writes about his daughter using (I have a photo of him sat in a swing in Clissold Park in front of me on my PC as I write this) and goes to the One O'Clock Club in the same park.
Goldfarb's conclusion "Someday soon, someone with an inability to value what is precious about Clissold Park will commit the act that shatters this small world and drives all of us into our corners" was the bleakest thing I have read for a long time.
I hope he is wrong, but I fear he may be right.


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I used red fleece for the binding as well. This was fun and super easy, so I think I'll probably post a tutorial for this when I make the next one. I didn't take step-by-step pics on this one!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Monogrammed Baby Blankie
Here's a little project I completed today. It's a gift for a friend who just had a baby. The monkey fabric is ultra cuddle from Jo-Ann's (which is 50% off this weekend, by the way, and comes in quite a few fun prints). The cool thing is that it's 2-sided. I appliqued fleece letters using a technique I found online and now can't locate again...
Labels: kids, kids crafts
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You need three things to make your idea happen: your belief in the idea, the determination to act on your belief, and some strategies to make it happen. You supply the first two and the patterns in Fearless Change and More Fearless Change provide the third.
Whether you are a change agent, a change leader, a change artist, or you find yourself on the receiving end of change and transformation, this book will arm you with a vast collection of actionable insights and nuggets to better understand the art and science of change.
J.D. Meier
Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen
A truly valuable resource for anyone attempting to pursue change or translate their ideas into real action.
Ewan Milne
This is an essential part of any change agent's toolbox.
Do you have a "good idea" but don't know how to make it happen?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if people who have successfully turned ideas into reality could share their strategies with you?


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Michael Bay Movie or LA Police Report?
If it were a film scene, it might feel a bit derivative, but a real-life robbery in East Los Angeles is getting some "in other news" attention this morning.
According to a bank manager, two robbers grabbed her from the garage of her home on Wednesday morning, strapped what they said was a bomb to her chest, and ordered her to drive to her bank and get them money.
The Los Angeles Times with the story:
"Authorities said the manager complied, taking a bag filled with cash to the back of the bank, where the robbers grabbed it and sped away in a car.
"In an area known for some bizarre bank robberies, what happened at the East L.A. Bank of America branch is quickly taking on a mythology of its own. The robbers avoided being seen on bank video cameras and as of Wednesday evening were still at large with what officials said was a large sum of money."
The bank manager was unharmed. Police later destroyed the device, which did not appear to be an active bomb upon inspection. Several hundred people were evacuated during the incident because of the bomb threat.


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Which Is Right for You?
Because of their limitations, we cant enthusiastically recommend either a software or hardware firewall. Each type has its pros and cons, but to go unprotected is an appalling idea.
If youre a mobile worker, the choice is obvious: Its impractical to lug a hardware firewall around. Go with the software. If your machine is stationary, the choice is more difficult. A hardware router with an SPI firewall, typically considered only for networks, is a simple and inexpensive way to protect a PC. But a software firewalls application-level protection may be more practical protection against todays most common threats. And a few companies, including Network Associates and Symantec, bundle their firewalls with security suites that include antivirus, ad-blocking, privacy-control, and spam-removal software.
Further reading
For multiple machines, a router will typically be cheaper than multiple software licenses, especially since the firewall adds very little to the cost of this nearly mandatory piece of networking equipment.
For the best security, get both. The hardware guards your network, while the software provides a second line of defense and keeps an eye on your Internet-enabled applications.
Whatever you install, keep it up to date. Also, consider running occasional port scans from outside your network to see how youre faring. One of our favorites is Gibson Researchs ShieldsUP! (www.grc.com). Ideally, port scanners should be unable to detect your computer name or any services youre running. If youre using a hardware firewall, a scanner shouldnt be able to detect the existence of your internal network.
Remember that even behind a properly configured firewall, risky actions will still compromise your computer. Think before you download, and view the Internet with the proper level of suspicion. No system is foolproof, but the right combination of hardware, software, and defensive habits might just keep you out of trouble.


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Updated 10/24/11 – 11:48 a.m.
CHICAGO (STMW) — Two 'persons of interest' are being questioned in the death of a man stabbed in the neck during a street fight in the Bridgeport neighborhood early Sunday on the South Side.
No charges have been filed as of Monday morning but police are questioning two "persons of interest" in the slaying which happened about 6 a.m. in the 1000 block of West 34th Place, according to police.
Carlos Cartagena, of an unknown home address, was pronounced dead on the scene at 1050 W. 34th Pl. at 6:46 a.m., according to a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
The man in his 20s was stabbed in the neck during a street fight, according to the spokesman.
Police said no one else was hurt.
Wentworth Area detectives are investigating.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)


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Gay or not
Derrick Ward tweeted: "I'm fine with it being a new day in age but for him to do that on […] national tv is disgusting. Gay or not," Ward added with a follow-up tweet.
First off? No, you're not "fine with it" or you wouldn't follow up with "but". You do realize that the whole point of the new day and age, the whole point of him being out, is that he can have his boyfriend in the room with the cameras, and then when he gets the great, life-changing news, kiss him right then and there instead of hiding his heart away from the rest of his life? Actually, no you don't. You want him to be the Token Gay Friend who never dates, am I right? You know I am. That "but" says it all.
Second? Unless you tweeted your disgust at every straight player's kissing his girlfriend, "Gay or not" is not remotely true.
ps: this? really quite ordinary PDA. Not even close to "get a room" territory. Kind of sweet, actually...
Labels: gayrights


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How much fun! I started this with a sketch from ScrapStreet's Birthday SNS and finished it with a Nook challenge - it just makes me smile.
I'm also bringing this to AMM - super wonderful hugs to Michelle & her daughter. I hope there are many, many, many more happy and healing days to come!
Layout details:
Pocketful of Sunshine by Lindsey Krauss.
Paper: SEI
Flowers: AC Plastic
Brads, Metal letters: MM
Glitter: Crayola
Metal Clips: ?
Chipboard letters: Scenic Route, Basic Grey
Pen: SharpiesSketch: Jenn Hennegen


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The Elephone P9000 supports USA and Canada and is coming soon, according to details found on Elephone's website, the Elephone P9000 will come with support for the following frequencies:
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz Band 2/3/5/8
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz Band 1/2/5/8
4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz Band 1/3/7/20
Unlike the majority of handsets sold out of China the additional support for these bands will finally give support for great hardware specifications at great prices, where they would normally be left watching with jealous eyes, as European buyers get to take full advantage. Given that the price of Elephone P9000 is expected to be priced at just $299.99 when it officially goes on sale in December, we expect the handset to be quite popular amongst American and Canadian consumers who want flagship features but are unwilling to pay the huge premiums demanded by the likes of Apple or Samsung.
Many of the individual features to be found in the P9000 might be enough to compel users to forget about their currently owned device and switch, however as a total package it could turn out to be pretty irresistible. The Elephone P9000 is going to be running a Mediatek Helio P10, which from a price/performance aspect, offers a really good combination of power and affordability for the majority of smartphone users, Secondly, the handset features a Type-C USB port, which is able to deliver 10Gbps, twice the speed of USB 3.0 (5 Gbps).
The Elephone P9000 comes with a hefty 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, as well as the option for users to expand their existing storage with a MicroSD card (up to a limit of 128GB). The Elephone P9000 will be on sale in December making it one of just a very limited number of handsets actually running Android Marshmallow 'out of the box', this on its own may prove to be motivation for users that want a combination of not just powerful hardware but also the ability to run the latest and greatest operating system currently available from Google and the fact that the Elephone P9000 supports USA and Canada making it more of a total package.
Please find a detailed hardware specifications list below.
Display: 5.5 inch 1920×1080 FHD Screen
CPU: MTK6755 Octa Core ( 4 x 1.1GHz A53 and 4 x 2.0GHz A53 cores )
System: Android 6.0
Camera: 8.0MP front camera + 21.0MP back camera
Bluetooth: 4.0
SIM Card: Dual SIM dual standby, dual micro SIM
Network: 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz Band 2/3/5/8, 3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz Band 1/2/5/8 & 4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz Band 1/3/7/20
What do you think of the Elephone P9000, does it float your boat? is it something that will leave you with a $299.99 sized hole in your bank account this December? As always please leave questions and comments below.
Elephone P9000 pre-sale details here @ Gearbest
Don't miss any of our future video tutorials, follow us on Youtube. Like us on Facebook. Add us in your circles on Google+. Watch our photo albums on Flickr. Subscribe now to our newsletter.


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Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Mykkänen to lead a Team Finland visit to Ghana and Nigeria
Press release 196/2017
10 November 2017
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will lead a Team Finland visit to Ghana and Nigeria from 13 to 17 November. He will be accompanied by representatives of over twenty companies and other stakeholders. The delegation members will represent companies operating in, for instance the cleantech, energy, education and health sectors.
"The visit offers an excellent opportunity for us to showcase leading-edge Finnish expertise in the Nigerian and Ghanan markets with their over 185 million and nearly 30 million consumers respectively," Mykkänen says.
Finnish companies' business contacts and projects will be promoted at high-level meetings to be held in both countries. Minister Mykkänen and his delegation will meet representatives of local private sector actors, as well as ministers and other representatives of different government institutions.
Growth in African countries is forecast to pick up significantly in the near future. Finland is well placed and has many opportunities for increasing trade with these countries. Finland has a good reputation and is well known for its high-quality products in both Nigeria and Ghana. The aim of this visit is to help Finnish companies enhance their trade with these countries.
The visit will be organised together with Finpro, which is part of Team Finland.
The following companies will be present:
- Altum Capital
- Aquaminerals Finland Ltd
- Aquaminerals West Africa Ltd
- CCE Finland
- Creowave
- Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
- Ferratum
- Finntrepo Ltd
- Finnvera Plc
- Häme University of Applied Sciences
- Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences
- Kemira
- Nocart
- Nokia Corporation
- Optomed
- Outotec
- Prodiags
- Recowell Solutions Group
- Roadscanners
- Scandinavian School of Creativity and Innovation
- Vaisala
- Valio Ltd
- VAMED Health Projects Finland
- Wärtsilä Corporation
Inquiries: Tuuli-Maaria Aalto, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 40 352 0463, and Mari Lankinen, Counsellor, tel. +358 40 743 1887, Unit for Southern and Western Africa.
The Foreign Ministry's email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The Future of Boat Engines?
While the standard combustion engine has worked pretty well for wakeboarding over the years, new technology advances, environmental concerns, and high gas prices make us wonder if wakeboard boats will see some new engine technologies in the coming years.
To help solve the mystery, we interviewed Mike Shirley, the head of engineering at Skier's Choice. Skier's choice manufactures both the
boat lines.
Has Skier's Choice and your engine supplier looked into the possibility of using any kind of power besides the standard combustion engine?
Skier's Choice is continually looking for new and inventive ways to approach all aspects of our business. We have ventured into alternative power sources as well.
Which potential alternative power seems like it would have the best chance for success in a boat engine? Hybrid gas/electic? Solar? Something that runs on a different type of fuel?
A hybrid power source is logically the next step in power source conversion, it gives us the best of both worlds. Anything other than hybrid, at this time, would be much to big of a step, and the technology of these individual systems has not evolved enough for our needs. But innovations in this area are progressing rapidly.
What problems do you foresee with the alternative power options on the horizon? Is it even possible to use any of these options to provide enough power for a boat such as a Supra Launch?
The primary problem we run into is torque and acceleration. Boats must have enough torque and horsepower in the low rpm range to overcome the friction of water on the boat bottom. In addition a boat must also have the acceleration to be able to pull wakeboarders out of the water quickly.
A secondary problem is getting this power in a weight sensitive form. Boats are much more weight sensitive than vehicles in a variety of ways.
I believe the future does hold the possibility of a Supra Launch, or even a new Moomba Mobius XLV, of being powered by an alternative power source, although there will be several stepping stones to get to that point. A revision of the Moomba Outback using alternative power would likely come before converting bigger boat.
Does the boat industry just follow the auto industry in this regard? For example, the auto industry is just now starting to get hybrid gas/eletric models out in the mainstream. Will boats just follow the same path on a delayed basis using the research and development done by the auto industry? Or does the boating industry have an opportunity to do it's own research because of the differences between land and water?
Since our current power source is based off of an automotive base engine, following the auto industry is a likely scenario. After all, they have the mass quantities of production to allow for more extensive development in this area.
Even though we do follow the auto industry on a delay basis, we do not always follow them step for step. Some things that work well on automobiles, do not necessarily work well on boats, for example, automobiles can use huge battery banks to store potential energy and they also can use down hills and braking to create energy, all of these things don't work well with boats.
On the other hand boats have some advantages that the auto developers don't take into consideration, for example, boats have an unlimited supply of cool water that can be used for cooling or maybe extracting power from.
As wakeboarders continue to want bigger boats with bigger wakes while also not wanting to pay a fortune for gas, what sort of things does Skier's Choice do to try and make their boats as fuel efficient as possible?
We start by designing our boats to create bigger wakes without having to add as much weight, weight increases wake size and fuel cost. Bottom design is a major factor in wake size and shape, and Skier's choice designers spend months refining and testing bottom designs.
Our engine supplier, Indmar Engines, works with us on creating more torque where it is needed as well as making engines more fuel efficient. We also continue to do research in other "outside the box" areas to make the boating experience as fun and cost effective as possible. But Skier's Choice will always keep the safety of the consumer as the highest priority, and we will not offer wake size increasing alternatives that compromise the safety of the people.
What other environmental factors are considered in the construction of a Skier's Choice boat?
Skier's Choice continually works with our suppliers and our processes to decrease any possible environmental effect that our manufacturing process might have, as well as search for uses of recycled materials in our material. We are currently in the process of moving into a new location that has "state of the art" air recirculation system, and this will help us to capture any negative impact on the quality of the air in our area.
Thanks to Mike Shirley for spending some time with us, and if you'd like to discuss these issues further, please
visit our Boats Forum
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'Uncertainty' is the most synonymous word to the word 'life', more so, in case of people like me who are a dilemma for themselves. Ever since 1987, I have been going through such phases in life but this one is an outstanding phase. Simply because I have made a decision which is referred to as 'foolish' by the whole world and when such a majority stands before you, you usually tend to get influenced. Same is the case with me as I have been also made to feel that I took a foolish decision. But, from my heart, from my mind, from my within, I do not have any such regrets. Its only because of the external influences
Oh, by the way, I have not yet shared what the decision is. Nothing big but big enough to make life go crazy. I have quit from my job at ICICI Bank. And surprisingly, I have not been able to understand why I did so even after 45 days of research. I submitted my resignation through the intranet. No one except Priyanka knew it. The moment I submitted the resignation online, it was an instant news on the floor and I could see all kinds of reactions around me. Some were almost in tears while some smiled. Some showed sympathy while some laughed at my foolishness. And yeah, my parents, I told them quite late about this. And I have been unable to judge their reaction till now
Oh, by the way, I have not yet shared what the decision is. Nothing big but big enough to make life go crazy. I have quit from my job at ICICI Bank. And surprisingly, I have not been able to understand why I did so even after 45 days of research. I submitted my resignation through the intranet. No one except Priyanka knew it. The moment I submitted the resignation online, it was an instant news on the floor and I could see all kinds of reactions around me. Some were almost in tears while some smiled. Some showed sympathy while some laughed at my foolishness. And yeah, my parents, I told them quite late about this. And I have been unable to judge their reaction till now
But everyone, including me, had a common question, 'What next?'. I had to answer something to keep my dignity before those who laughed at me. I could share the truth that I was clueless to only those people who had some sadness in them for me
The plan had been there ever since I completed the 3 month internship in March 2009. But somehow, I kept delaying for various reasons. Sometimes, I thought that I should find a job before I quit this. Sometimes, I thought I shall do it next month. Sometimes, life got so busy that the thought was erased. Sometimes, life was so tough that I could not afford such a thought. I definitely must say that, sometimes, I felt good too and did not find any meaning in leaving the job. For the kind of person I am, I know that what I think now will never be there the next moment
On 17 Nov 2009, I decided that I must resign and I just did that right away. I knew that, had I delayed for a few minutes, something would make me decide otherwise. It was 11.55 pm on 17 Nov that I submitted my request. It was important that I submit it on that day only as that would relieve me from work on 31 Dec exactly. A single day's delay would make me work in 2010 also, which my superstitious mind did not want me to do. In the process of complying of the notice period of 45 days (17 Nov to 31 Dec), I have been thinking a lot about that question, 'What next?'. And honestly, as on 4.20 pm (I don't know why 420 comes so often in my life while trying to analyze life) on 30 Dec, I am still as blank as a black board having not seen a chalk ever in its lifetime. Alternatively, you may also say that I am black board which has seen only chalk on it and never say a duster and in the process, a whole lot of writing has made it only a garbage. In these days, there have been variety of rumors that spread across the floor at my workplace like I got a job in HSBC, Infosys and many other companies, I am going to London to do an MBA, I got into a PSU Bank as a PO, etc. I, honestly, never initiated any of these
More than finding an answer to this question, what was sounding more important for me was finding the answer for the other question, i.e., 'Why did I resign?'. I felt, its possible for me to decide what's next only when I know what made me leave this. I can take a right decision only when I know my priorities, likings, dislikings, etc appropriately. In fact, off late, I have been able to cope up fine with the job too. The salary too has gone up by 25% considering that I am working in the night. The chances of being sent to branch banking, though I am not interested and consider my current profile far better than branch banking profile, have also gone up considering the large retail expansion plans of the bank
All these reasons did not seem to convince me when I asked one question to myself, 'Where will I be in the next 5 years if I continue?'. Seeing all people around me who are having a work experience of around 4-8 years and have a similar educational qualification as me, I could farely evaluate my position in 5 years and that did not seem convincing to me in any manner. I had to go beyond. I realized that no effort can take me to the position that I desire as my qualification does not permit it. Only being talented and hard working is not sufficient as you need to have the eligibility criteria as well. I have been observing all the newspaper ads in the recruitment space. For all the position that I desire to be, I satisfy all conditions viz age, talent, skill, experience, etc but the door would open up only if I had an MBA from a recognized B School or a ICAI certification as a Chartered Accountant. My performance would be seen only if I were qualified to perform
I understood the bitter fact that I have destroyed my life by ignoring my CA studies. And all through the past 1 year, each time I saw an ad asking for a CA, I have hated myself beyond anything for the wrong decisions that I made. Seeing practically, I can, to some extent, say that I made decisions as per the situations' demand and continuing CA was never an option to execute. I joined IFBI after my degree to ensure that I will get a job in 3 months flat and start earning. The process took 6 months. I have been working from the past one year and have earned about Rs 1.5 lacs. But, I never felt this as an achievement as I had to pay Rs 66000 to IFBI and spent Rs 30000 to survive in Bangalore and Rs 50000 to survive in Hyderabad and Rs 20000 for miscellaneous reasons (I spent more than I earned and I still owe Rs 16000 to Vivek. The loan taken to finance IFBI education is still outstanding for Rs 32000. The same amount has been used to buy my laptop. Perfect tally) and thus, as per the terms of accounting standards, all I did was merely a mistake. I spent an amount to earn to earn the same amount and in the process, lost 1 and half years of precious time that just went off giving no results to me. Add to it those 2 years during BCom when I could have joined articleship and completed PE-II as well. I could have easily been a chartered accountant in July 2009. And my income till now would have been positive as CA course would cost me some Rs 50000 and I would have earned it back and also some few thousands (can dare to say lacs) more too. This is when I realized the importance of dreaming big and doing big. Never settle for a small aim. It only makes you smaller. Set a big aim. It makes you bigger
The current condition of my life is too critical. Even a slightest financial mismatch can create big blunders. But, I can not hold myself anymore in this meek life. Even if I start today, I would reach my goal by 2013. Thats fair. I deserve this punishment for all hasty decisions that I made rather than accepting all adversities and moving towards the goal
Its going to be very tough to stick to this decision. I have not seen educational books from over a year (in fact, about 3 years as the college books were more like a novel which I never read too. Moreover, my choice of subjects was so magical that I did not have books for them. That's perhaps the biggest reason why I scored very high marks in these subjects as I would write my own content rather than trying to write something that has already been written by someone. In fact, I believe, there should be no standard books. We must be asked to express our views on each topic in the exams rather than the definitions that have been told by someone). I have not sat in serious classrooms for over decades. The classes in my school were more fun as I was a child. The classes during higher secondary education were mostly missed by me as I carried a lot of other responsibilities. The classes in degree... Should I say? The classes did run. I either would be busy doing something else in the class or out of the class or we would be roaming across the city or busy in some other activity and thus classrooms never took an important perspective in our lives. Further, its been ages since I stopped writing. Ever since computers have come, writing with a pen has become a rare act
Above all these physical aspects, the biggest issue that I have to deal with is the mental set up. Once a person starts earning, a totally new lifestyle begins. And once you adapt to such a life, its very difficult to come back to a life that involves serious struggles on the ground. Battling with the mind that has become a slave at work for the wage and the hand that irks for not having cash on hand to be spent at its own will and wish is a real big challenge. Money is no less than drugs. It addicts you. You feel lifeless without it on the planet earth. So, continuing education is one option that I can not again, practically, think of. I have been with the same mindset from years. I have to somehow change it
Going for a job is one thought that I would not consider. I have understood that, for the qualification that I possess (though my score is superior), I can get ground floor labor jobs only. I want to some intellectual job which has certain value. I want to do something which can bring out the best in me. Working in a bank and creating accounts and deposits is something anyone can do. Even if I be a topper and record holder in this, it is in no way going to add any value (it only increases quantity). I want to do something in which the brain has a larger role to play creatively rather than following a set process through which the work is done. And this level of job is called as senior management job. To go for this, you either need 20-25 years of experience or qualification and I do not have both
Another thought is that of beginning the business that I always intended to start up, i.e., stock broking. The task would be quite difficult and it would need certain investment too which is the biggest barrier
There are many other think inks that are thrown on my sheet which also includes doing something creative (I would reveal more when the work nears completion). All I can say is that I have thrown my life once again into the world of challenges. At least, from now, life would be lively again and the monotony would not exist. I would definitely miss my workplace and people and more importantly, my bank balance on the last day of every month. There has been a lot that I have learnt over the past year. I'll miss you ICICI
For the moment, in my life, only one thing is decided. I am going to Bangalore. When? How? And most importantly, Why? No clear idea


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Not only has "Embrace Amidst Orange Blossoms" been released today 19th October 2016 by Luminosity Publishing, LLP, the book has also managed to score the Highest Historical Romance Rating and # 1 Best Seller on the ARe Distributor website.
Keep up the good work Louise… may there be many sales along the way.
RLB – Tomewriter


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Snagged from Wendy's Journal :)
Each player of the game starts with "6 Weird Things about You" People who get tagged need to write in their blog 6 weird things, as well as state the rule clearly. In the end you have to choose 6 more people to be tagged and their names.
Six weird things that you didn't know about me...
1. I always have an agenda, whenever we go somewhere, I always have somewhere else nearby I need to go to, I always have to have this pre-planned in my head. It drives my husband crazy, and me too sometimes. At least I am never bored!
2. Wendy, you and I have this in common, singing as loud as I can to loud music in my car. Me, particularly in the mornings driving to work. Usually it is my rock music, it wakes me up and puts me in a good mood. I have a very bad voice, but I like to sing :)
3. I love old cars, and hot rods. In fact, my husband painted flames on my PT Cruiser. I love it.
4. Whenever I sit down, I have to be reading something, or cross stitching. Basically something to keep my hands and mind busy. I can't sit down to relax, it's rather annoying.
5. I have too many hobbies, and I love starting new ones, I love learning new things. Which means I have boxes full of random, various hobby projects. My main ones now are cross stitching and quilting, but there is painting, drawing, card making, scrapbooking, jewelry making (new one!), reading, and it could go on and on. Anyway, I still love all of these things, and just can't do them all at once. I sit at work a lot and think about doing them all, and not wanting to be at work… ah well, gotta pay the bills.
6. I want to own a horse boarding facility some day, where everyone comes to ride horses and enjoy them. I would love that.
And I'll tag whoever reads this and wants to play along. Just let me know so I can visit your blog and learn a little more about you too!


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Hi!!*********its been a while since i feel like ive showed
all you lovely ponies some of my work!!! Its been a while since
ive been in drawing boot camp but i really feel like i am about
to have a new burst of pen scratching !
So i would like to have this space as my online gallery!
here are a few oldie B&W's !!!! loveeeeee


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Saw this on Thanksgiving Day after dinner with my oldest and youngest sister. We wanted to get in the Christmas spirit. What better way to do that than by watching a Christmas classic?! This is the Dickens tale we all know and love but with stunning 3D graphics and a Scrooge like no other. Jim Carrey was fantastic as the "humbug" spouting old geezer, Ebeneezer. The ghosts in this version were creepy and weird, although, the ghost/spirit of Christmas past (the floating candle man) cracked me up with his whispers and dancing flame head. His voice reminded me of Will Ferrell.
There were some surprisingly morbid moments in this movie so I definitely wouldn't recommended this to anyone thinking they want to show this to a 5-year old. This is definitely one of the best versions of A Christmas Carol that I've ever seen, but I still rate The Muppet Christmas Carol as my number one just because I love its balance between humor and darkness and the fact that it's a musical...also, I love Muppet movies.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
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At least four years' husbandry experience in the care of great apes and other primates essential.
Applicants holding the Diploma in the Management of Zoo & Aquarium Animals, (BIAZA / Sparsholt College) or other equivalent qualifications preferred. Full driving licence desirable.
Terms and conditions:
Ø 38¾ hours per week (5 day week)
Ø Roster that currently involves working 2 out of 3 weekends
Ø 28 days annual leave per annum (including Bank Holidays)
Ø Pensionable post; starting salary according to age and experience
Applications by post only (i.e. not by e-mail) and to include a full CV and handwritten covering letter to:
Neil Bemment
Curator of Mammals
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Totnes Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 7EU
Closing date: Friday 9 December, 2016
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant
+971 50 4787 122 | firstname.lastname@example.com | Skype: peter.dickinson48


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Imperial Belvedere
Imperial Belvedere Hotel is located in the center of Hersonissos overlooking an unspoiled beach. Imperial Belvedere Hotel was opened in 2001 and offers bright rooms.
The hotel is approximately 20 minutes' walk from Aquaworld Aquarium & Reptile Rescue Centre. Bars, restaurants and golf courses are stroll from the hotel.
Imperial Belvedere Hotel overlooks palm trees and hills and provides quick access to a sandy beach.
This hotel comprises of superior family double room, standard family room and economy double room that come with modern décor as well as central heating, cable TV with on-demand movies, pay TV, a patio and a refrigerator. The property boasts views of the Aegean Sea from its rooms. Guests can take advantage of a shower, a hairdryer and terry bathrobes supplied in the bathrooms.
A rich full American buffet breakfast is served daily. The indoor restaurant serves light vegetarian meals. There is an onsite Snack bar to relax in. Guests can dine at Pietros and Casa Nostra Bistro, about 450 meters away from the property.
The hotel enjoys a great location within 30 minutes' drive from Nikos Kazantzakis airport.
Imperial Belvedere Hotel welcomes guests, offering a designated area for smoking, a gift shop and a lift along with a business centre, a conference room and a copier.
Entertainment options include animation, live music and live performances. Guests will take advantage of archery, volleyball and tennis available on site.


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Is the Jot Magazine mood board challenge. I have looked at it before but never played along. This month however, it was completely irresistible!
In an effort to break out of my grunge comfort zone I have been attempting to create more subtle pages with soft colours and whites. I see so many pretty pages with no dark colours at all and have set myself the task to achieve a similar effect so this challenge was perfect.
This is what eventuated, I like it and am encouraged to persevere.
It is still me in the mist and stamping, the feather hand-carved by the awesome Louise Nelson, clocks from Kaisercraft. Ink sprays from Ranger Dylusions, journal card and star embellie by Charm's Creations, crochet piece from Lime Tree Creations, some big brads and twine, a few enamel dots and a wood grain alpha. The blue looks a bit green, I had trouble getting the colours exact.
This is the heavenly mood board
I might have another go at this board, it's so pretty.
Thanks for coming by


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"Bean Sprouts aims to spark kids' appetites by making healthy food fun. Our new app is an extension of our mission—an engaging, playful way to get kids excited about trying new tastes, especially vegetables." Shannon "PEA-casso" Seip, co-founder
Sausalito, California (PRWEB) March 07, 2014
For parents looking to get picky eaters excited about trying healthy new foods, Bean Sprouts—a nationally recognized kid-friendly café and cooking school--introduces a new experiential learning app: Bean Sprouts: Cooking Fun for Kids, just in time for National Nutrition Month.
Designed for children eight and under, the one-of-a-kind app features a cute cast of silly pea and bean characters—including Peacasso, Let it Bean and Pea Rex-- who guide users through playful recipes, like Crocamole and Snack Man, star in food games and magically appear in videos. The app offers a play-by-play of how to create the most popular "Imaginibbles" recipes from Bean Sprouts Café and the award-winning book it inspired: Bean Appétit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food.
In honor of National Nutrition Month, the app is free March 7-9 in the iTunes online store for iPhones and iPads. After the promotional period, the app will cost $0.99, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting The Junior League's "Kids in the Kitchen" initiative.
"Our Kids in the Kitchen program has been providing hands-on experiences to teach children about healthy eating since 2006. We are proud to partner with Bean Sprouts to get kids excited about eating healthier and introducing new foods in a fun and engaging way," said Laurie Dodge, director of marketing and development for The Junior League.
Bean Sprouts: Cooking Fun for Kids, teaches kids how to make fun, good-for-you foods like Crocamole—guacamole hummus disguised as a crocodile, and Snack Man—a pineapple and blueberry snack that looks like the lead character of a famous video game.
"Bean Sprouts aims to spark kids' appetites by making healthy food fun. Our new app is an extension of our mission—an engaging, playful way to get kids excited about trying new tastes, especially vegetables," said Shannon "PEA-casso" Seip, co-founder of Bean Sprouts Café and Cooking School, co-author of Bean Appétit, and mom of two boys.
In addition to dressing up characters with silly accessories and facial features (called Build-a-Bean), kids can test their "Pea Brain" with food-themed puzzles and memory games. The app, designed by top kids' app developer Playrific, also includes:
- Spill the Beans: Quirky conversation starters with a food theme, such as "If rain could fall in any flavor, which flavor would you choose?"
- Mmmmatch 'em Up: Kids improve their food IQ by matching vegetables
- MasterPEAs: As an artist draws a food scene with a pencil, kids try to guess what it is. How long will it take to figure it out?
- Bean an Artist: Kids discover their inner artist by coloring fun Bean Sprouts characters.
- Bean Bags: A silly scavenger hunt to make trips to the supermarket more fun!
- Imaginibbles: Yummy, good-for-you reciPEAs and videos!
The app has no ads or in-app purchases for parental "peas"-of-mind. Healthy recipes for kids, videos and other content will be periodically updated to keep content fresh. To purchase the Bean Sprouts: Cooking Fun for Kids app, go to http://bit.ly/beancookingfunkids.
For more information, visit http://www.beansprouts.com.
# # #
About Bean Sprouts
Bean Sprouts is a nationally-recognized, hip and healthy kid-friendly café and cooking school. Bean Sprouts' philisoPEA is to spark children's appetites with yummy, good-for-you food and delight grown-ups with a happier meal time. Recognized on Fast Casual magazine's Top 100 Movers & Shakers list for two years, Bean Sprouts has three cafés at family destinations in Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland, with plans to open an additional 75 cafés by 2018. For more information, visit http://www.beansprouts.com.
About The Junior League's "Kids in Kitchen" Initiative
The Junior League Kids in the Kitchen initiative began in 2006 with the goal of engaging kids in the preparation of healthy meals as a means to educate them and their parents regarding nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices. Junior Leagues in more than 200 communities in four countries provide lessons and demonstrations related to preparation of healthy meals and snacks in partnership with local community organizations, chefs and nutritionists. For more information, visit http://kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org/the-village.


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How many of you made a new year's resolution to lose weight this year?
How many of you stuck by that and accomplished it?
If you did not, don't worry. I'm just as guilty and in the same boat.
Every year, it seems everyone I know makes it a good to eat healthy, work out more, and lose weight for a new year's resolution. Many studies have losing weight as the top resolution set in our country every year.
As I will probably write about later this year, I love the end of the year and the start of a new one. One of my favorite things to do is to reflect on all that happened and keep a positive attitude heading into a new year. One of the ways I do this is by creating a goal to accomplish, whether big or small, to build on my character.
My weight is something I have not worried too much about. I got used to being one of the bigger guys in school. In all honesty, I actually never considered myself "large" or out of shape because I was always active and playing sports.
Since my college days, the activity in my personal time has been limited. While it's nice not having 5 a.m. wakeups for lifting and year-round work for football, I certainly do realize that I have put on a few pounds over the years.
So, in 2016, I decided it was time for me to get back on track. I wanted to drop some pounds and try to get back to looking how I did in college. I will always be a big guy, but could still manage to lose some pounds.
What I discovered this year is that the biggest obstacle in accomplishing my goal was myself.
With my busy schedule, I managed to have excuse after excuse to join the gym. Finally, during the summer, I got my membership and began hitting the weights and running on the elliptical.
My journey finally began, albeit a little later in the year.
The next hurdle would come shortly after getting a membership. Like most people, the first few weeks you begin to work out, you are in all the time and feeling good about what you're doing. But then life hits you with things, or you simply don't have the same energy to accomplish the goal.
Here come the excuses. And they range from everything. Here are some examples of mine:
I worked late last night, I'm going to sleep in and maybe go in the afternoon.
I got too much with work going on right now to workout.
I'm kind of tired, maybe I should take the day off.
Over and over again, I was finding more reasons to not go workout than I was going. And that goal I had all the way back in January? It seems like a distinct memory now.
Sure, I got down on the fact that my number one goal for the year was not accomplished. At the same time, it hit me one day.
The year isn't over.
That's an important lesson for people like us that have not accomplished that resolution. While I might be almost 10 full months off of my goal, I still have two more to go. And plenty can be accomplished in that time frame.
Now is the perfect time to get back on track. Finish strong. End the year on a positive note.
Trust me, you'll feel much better trying to accomplish your goal last minute than giving up on it because you might think it's too late.
Brandon Boles: 970-441-5102, email@example.com or twitter.com/FMT_Sports


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So you got a Cricut for Christmas and you've heard all about Sure Cuts a Lot but still don't get it. Here you'll find links and videos that will help you get up to speed with the world of SVG!
Click here for more details!
Get your Sure Cuts Alot Software below


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- at the very beginning i must mention that i do not have a pizza stone. however we like our crust crispy. and we are able to get it using the tip here. so i started by preheating the oven to 500 degrees F and placing a large enough baking sheet in the oven. I left the sheet in the oven for over 15 minutes while i made the escarole topping and readied the pizza dough according to the instructions from the book.
- for the topping, i began by heating the oil over medium heat and adding the onions and salt to it and then letting it sweat. once the onions became soft and translucent i stirred in the olives, capers, and red chilly flakes into it and cooked till the flavors were well combined, 2-3 minutes.
- next i added the escarole to the pan, a little at a time, as the leaves wilted and made space for more. i let it cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the leaves became tender. then switching off the heat, i proceeded to top the pizza dough with it.
- to prepare the pizza, i sprinkled the cornmeal over a aluminium foil, placed the prepared pizza dough over it and lightly brushed the dough with olive oil. then leaving 1/2 inch border of the dough around the edge, spread a thin layer of the escarole. then arranged the salami over it, spread a little more of the escarole on top and finally finished by spreading the grated Parmesan, Mozzarella and Feta over it.
- then turning the oven temperature to 425 degree F, i baked it for 11-14 minutes, until the crust was golden and the cheese had melted and was bubbling.
* i should mention here that we had actually made two 6 1/2 inch diameter-ed pizza's. and the measurements of the first 7 ingredients was enough for both of them.
St. Patrick's Day Recipe & Craft Linkup @ Jam Hands
Tempt my Tummy @Blessed with Grace, Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box
Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations , Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays @ SS& GS, Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Tasty Tuesday @ 33 Shades of Green, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Hearth & Soul Tuesday Blog Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers
Wednesday Food:
What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked Mom, Whatsit @White Lights on Wednesday , Fresh Foods Wednesdays @ Gastronomical Sovereignty, Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl


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The international trade union movement said Labour Ministers have set the standard for Finance Ministers and Leaders to follow as they prioritized employment and endorsed the social protection floor and rights for workers after their two day meeting in Paris, 26-27 September. ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow said that Labour Ministers have shown themselves to be champions of workers and the real economy where workers and employers are the actors, not bankers and rating agencies. Now the G20 Leaders and Finance Ministers must follow suit. The results of the meeting can be found in a Communiqué and the Conclusions endorsed by the Ministers.
"G20 Labour ministers have shown their Leaders the way to go. Now the Leaders must send the right instructions to their Finance Ministers, so that spending for jobs is increased while the G20 finally bring the financial markets under control as they promised to do when the crisis first broke three years ago. Complacency by G20 governments has meant no regulation of the financial sector and no action to meet the jobs crisis. We know that only workers will drive the world out of the crisis, not the bankers or the ratings agencies," said Sharan Burrow.
The union movement also welcomed the creation of a task force on employment by the G20 Labour Ministers, and called for the group to put in place plans to build the green economy, tackle the severe crisis in youth employment, formalise informal economic activity and create sustainable jobs and businesses. OECD-TUAC General Secretary John Evans said Labour Minsters have set in place the basis for serious follow up to their work by establishing a task force on employment to be co-chaired by France and Mexico. "Its work needs to cover all the main challenges to employment at this time, from youth unemployment to the national employment targets that the G20 needs to establish. The union movement will devote maximum priority to working with the task force to help devise responses to the record levels of global unemployment," said John Evans.
Trade unions further welcomed the Labour Ministers' endorsement of a social protection floor based on the ILO's four-part definition and workers' rights. "When over 75 % of the world's workers have inadequate social protection this is an economic as well as a social disaster and no more than now in times of great transitions. Developed countries built their social security systems when they were poor and coming out of the Great Depression of the 30s. These great social contracts became economic foundations as they work as economic stabilisers. When the finance ministers meet in Paris in October, they need to look at coordinated action for investment in jobs and social protection and to recognize the economic role of collective bargaining to reduce income inequality," said Sharan Burrow.
The G20 Labour Ministers met following a tripartite dialogue with employers and unions. "A strong social dialogue with employers and unions laid the foundation for the G20 Labour Leaders discussion, which allowed workers to be put at the centre of recovery plans. Finance Ministers and Leaders need to take heed, and hear the voices of workers not just the bankers," said Burrow.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Trade unions praise G20 Labour Ministers
Eingestellt von Rainer Falk um 02:32
Labels: G20, International Trade Unions
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(Click on the buttons above or the links on the left)
So what can I actually use a classroom blog for?
A question I have often pondered..
As a teacher about to embark upon (September 2006) developing a class blog with my children this year (Priestsic 6 Blog) - I would like to collate suggestions, ideas, successes and thoughts regarding the varied uses and ways a weblog can enhance teaching and learning in a classroom.
I would hope that this would become a useful list for other teachers about to develop a blog with their own class and something that they can begin with and develop from, in turn submitting their own ideas.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive, comprehensive list - but somewhere that both the uninitiated and expert blogging teacher can see good ideas and develop them. Perhaps together we will stumble upon some great ideas...
Visit my own Blog and let me know what you think...


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Lately, I've been musing on my McGarr ancestors from Ballyraggan, Kildare. I've traced them back to the early 1820's at that location, but still don't know where Daniel, my 3rd great-grandfather was born. Most of the McGarrs in early records are in Kildare so there's a good chance that is the county of his birth, but what about his father? It truly vexes me that the records stop about the time of Daniel's birth around 1795, and even earlier in many spots in Ireland. I read on a genealogy website that there were McGarrs in Dublin in the 17th century, which is right next door to Kildare, but there was no clue as to where the writer found this information. I've personally seen McGarr records from 18th century Dublin, but have no way to link them to my family.
I tried searches for "McGarr surname" and "McGarr family" but the results were disappointing. One site claimed a Scottish origin and another Irish. While looking around the net I stumbled upon this site hosted by Trinity College, Down Survey Homepage, and I've spent the past two days engrossed. The website is packed with information about the 1641 rebellion of the Ulster Irish against the English and Scottish settlers to whom their homes and farms had been given. No wonder they rebelled.
Click on the heading, "About this Website", and a page is displayed showing a timeline of events from the rebellion in1641, to the end of this sad chapter in Irish history in 1669. The tab, Down Survey Maps, is next but the Historical GIS is better for my purposes. This page allows you to search the maps by landowner's name or religion. Or you can zoom in on the map and locate your townland of interest on your own, which worked better for me. Once you have maximized the map to it's limit you can then move the cursor over various townlands, click, and the name and religion of the owner appears along with the townland name for the years 1641 and 1670. Those of you familiar with Irish history will recognize this as the time of Cromwell and the transplantation to Connaught of Catholics in Ireland, as well as their deportation as slaves to colonies in America and Barbados. In townland after townland I clicked on, the results were the same-- a Catholic owner in 1641 and a Protestant in 1670.
As you see in the first photo, I found Ballyraggan on the GIS map and it proved to be an exception to the ownership rule. In both years the owners were the powerful, Catholic, Fitzgerald family whose descendants still owned it in Daniel McGarr's time. I don't know if Daniel's forebears were anywhere near Ballyraggan in 1641, various websites also disagree on how much our ancestors moved about. One will claim they were very attached to their homes and the graves of their ancestors and stayed put, while others will claim they moved great distances more often than we think. Still, it was somehow gratifying to see that Ballyraggan existed way back then, as did Ballygowloge in Kerry from whence my Gunn family hailed, and Cullencastle in Waterford, home to my Power and Crotty families. I recall reading somewhere that townlands are very ancient land divisions, and it appears to be true.
None of this really got me any closer to my genealogical goals, but I know some nameless ancestor of mine lived through these trying times, and survived them, else I wouldn't be writing this. Not knowing their names doesn't lessen my compassion for them, nor lessen my desire to know more about the times they lived in.


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Business Shark
So why is Amazon making British publishers pay 20% VAT on ebook sales? And is this even legal? Seems to me no private company can be a taxing authority. Right or wrong?
Every time I get HALFway convinced that Amazon is really not all that bad and just employs aggressive (but hopefully legal) business practices, they do something devoid of good ethics.
On top of abusing the VAT subsidy, Amazon is always negotiating other discounts that often result in publishers/writers receiving less than 10% of the ebook price.
Amazon is just NOT a friend of publishers/writers --- Yet, many believe they are the best thing next to sex. I just don't get it.
More details provided by Telegraph.co.uk, the online daily:
Amazon forces ebook VAT on publishers
The online retailer Amazon charges publishers a UK tax rate despite having a tax dispensation because it is based in Luxembourg.
Amazon is making British publishers pay 20 per cent VAT on ebook sales, despite their true VAT cost for UK ebook sales being closer to 3 per cent.
From 2006, the online retailer has been based in Luxembourg, where the company only has to pass 3 per cent VAT to the government for UK ebook sales. (There is no VAT on printed books in this country.) Despite this, Amazon starts negotiations with UK publishers on the basis that the UK VAT rate of 20 per cent must be lifted from the cost price.
The difference between the UK VAT levy imposed on publishers and the actual 3 per cent that Amazon pays amounts to an extra £1.38 of profit every time it sells a £10 ebook in the UK.
The company negotiates further discounts on top of the VAT subsidy, which in some cases can result in publishers receiving less than 10 per cent of the price paid by the online customer.
Richard Murphy, founder of the Tax Justice Network, told Sky News Luxembourg's 3 per cent tax rate on ebooks is being taken advantage of by Amazon.
Read and learn more


text: Full disclosure: I'm a member of a secret society. It's so secret, I can't say its name under penalty of death. It's a pretty gruesome death, too, but I can't describe it because it's secret and unique to this secret society. Should other members read my account and feel I've explained too much, it might be curtains for me. I joined this society in honor of my Uncle Del who was a member. When he died, I joined in tribute and after I went through the initiation and became a full member, my father told me he was a member, too. That's how secret it is. I haven't been to a meeting in years, but I'm still on the mailing list, which I'm sure is secret.


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I am simply fascinated by the Hard Rock Café. It's not so much the food, although it has its tasty moments. It's not really the cool merchandise they sell at the gift shop. It's not even the 30+ locations all over the world that anyone can visit. Two things stand out to me above all: their theme and their slogan.
Every Hard Rock Café is completely lavished with musical décor, memorabilia, and historical treasures. How do you even put a value on the stuff in there? A typical dining experience at any of their locations would leave little doubt as to what Hard Rock Café is all about, what they stand for, what they are passionate about. The music, the lights, the walls, and the service are basically directed at you remembering your experience there.
At first glance, the slogan of the restaurant is one that seems a bit "hippie-ish," but hear me out. "Love all, serve all" just strikes me as incredibly simple, profound, and clever. I read somewhere it is a minimalist version of an Islamic prophet's teachings, yet it captures my attention. Maybe it's because my love for others is limited to those I choose. Maybe it's because I am incredibly selective and selfish with my service for Christ.
I saw a church on Louetta that displays a sign of their vision/purpose, and it's a variation of the Hard Rock Café slogan, with some spiritual direction: "Love God, Love all." Why does all of this get me so excited and sound so appealing? Perhaps my heart and my mouth long for a simple explanation as to what Church and being a follower of Jesus means in this day and age. With all our theologies, dynamic ministries, and super facilities, is it possible for the most basic elements of love, grace, and service to become invisible?
Just like we recognize what the Hard Rock Café by their theme, slogan, and experience, I read Jesus' desire for us to stand out in a profound way. John 13:35 – "…all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." This plea of Christ, added alongside loving God with all that we are and a service love for humanity truly shape a vibrant Christian faith at its core. Imagine a group of believers sold out to that mission over comfort levels. Imagine a church family as such pivotal presence in the surrounding community. Imagine a campus designed, decorated, and dedicated to living like Jesus.
I don't know about you, but what's to stop us from turning imagination into reality? Love God, Love All, Serve All.
Cara Mengenal Poker Online Didunia
3 weeks ago


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This chapter picks up with two characters introduced briefly in the prior chapter: Mr. Shepherd, an attorney who is Sir Walter's agent and solicitor, and Lady Russell, a friend of the family. I should point out that Lady Russell's husband was the one with the title, hence the use of his surname along with her title. He was a knight, a title also obtained by payment to the crown, but not one that could be inherited - therefore, a baronet is of higher rank than a knight, although both of them are below the aristocracy and nobility (where one finds Dukes and Earls and such). Were she endowed with a title of her own, she'd likely be called by her first name (as in the case of Lady Catherine De Bourgh, whose title came from her father and not her husband). In case you were wondering why there's a difference in the mode of address.
Mr. Shepherd knows that Lady Russell will push Sir Walter to do the right thing, so rather than prod Sir Walter himself, he waits for her to do it, then agrees with her. Lady Russell's character is quickly listed off for us, but I'd like to encourage all of us to slow down and read it again, because it is all too easy for modern readers to get pissed at her as they read the book and to consider her as meddlesome in a negative way and are apt to think of her not treating Anne like an equeal, rather than as a good-hearted, well-intentioned woman with a bias favoring titles. Here's the paragraph on Lady Russell, which emphasizes her economic good sense, slowness in coming to decisions, and strong attachment to the Elliots, as well as her deference to rank:
She was a woman rather of sound than of quick abilities, whose difficulties in coming to any decision in this instance were great, from the opposition of two leading principles. She was of strict integrity herself, with a delicate sense of honour; but she was as desirous of saving Sir Walter's feelings, as solicitous for the credit of the family, as aristocratic in her ideas of what was due to them, as anybody of sense and honesty could well be. She was a benevolent, charitable, good woman, and capable of strong attachments, most correct in her conduct, strict in her notions of decorum, and with manners that were held a standard of good-breeding. She had a cultivated mind, and was, generally speaking, rational and consistent; but she had prejudices on the side of ancestry; she had a value for rank and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who possessed them. Herself the widow of only a knight, she gave the dignity of a baronet all its due; and Sir Walter, independent of his claims as an old acquaintance, an attentive neighbour, an obliging landlord, the husband of her very dear friend, the father of Anne and her sisters, was, as being Sir Walter, in her apprehension, entitled to a great deal of compassion and consideration under his present difficulties.
They must retrench; that did not admit of a doubt. But she was very anxious to have it done with the least possible pain to him and Elizabeth. She drew up plans of economy, she made exact calculations, and she did what nobody else thought of doing: she consulted Anne, who never seemed considered by the others as having any interest in the question. She consulted, and in a degree was influenced by her in marking out the scheme of retrenchment which was at last submitted to Sir Walter.
We learn that Anne is in favor of an even more drastic plan that what Lady Russell concocts, for Lady Russell knows that Sir Walter will want to retain the appearance of rank and importance, whereas Anne is far more concerned with speaking honestly and in paying down the debt as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, Lady Russell's plan is influenced by Anne - she has found a diplomatic way to allow Sir Walter to pay off his debts within seven years (a significant period of time in this book, in which seven years have passed since Anne Elliot broke off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, although I am getting several chapters ahead in the text by telling you that).
Sir Walter rejects Lady Russell's econimisation out of hand, declaring he'd rather quit Kellynch Hall than be seen to live to a lesser standard of living, which allows Mr. Shepherd to propose that he do just that: Pack up, move to Bath for a term (where one can live well without nearly as much expense), and lease Kellynch Hall out.
"How quick come the reasons for approving what we like!" (A direct quote from the text that serves me well in everyday use, and not merely in the icon to this post.) Lady Russell loves Bath, and is keen to see the Elliots there, even though poor Anne prefers a house in the country. She's also hoping to separate Elizabeth from Mrs. Clay, Mr. Shepherd's widowed daughter (a mother of two children - you will note, perhaps, that they are not mentioned again), who is "beneath" Elizabeth in the same way that Harriet Smith is "beneath" Emma in Emma, but who is a manipulative sycophant. Lady Russell considers Elizabeth's relationship with Mrs. Clay to be potentially dangerous, for reasons which are not yet spelt out, and is pleased to hear the Elliots will be moving to Bath, thereby separating Elizabeth from an undesireable relationship. (Or will it?)
Note that we still haven't been given too much information about our actual main character - we have a very little information from chapter one - she has "delicate features and mild dark eyes", quite different from her father, and her bloom had faded, and she was now quite thin (fashion called for a slight plumpness as the preferred female form at the time, so being thin was not a good thing). In chapter two, we learn that she doesn't really care for appearances (not merely physical appearance, but in all of the things to do with keeping up appearances for society). She is practical, honest and unconcerned with social status. The main thing we know from both chapters is that neither her father nor Elizabeth pays her any mind or accords her any sort of respect. And you ought not hold your breath that you'll learn much more in the next chapter - truly, an outdated way of starting into a story, and yet I adore the suspense. What do you think about it? Could this sort of opening work today? (I think perhaps it could - and does in, say, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but that is written in 19th-century prose (kind of), so perhaps that's not a fair comparison?)


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The question is, can any of these meticulously engineered, unmanned autos actually make it across the Mojave Desert on their own?
On Saturday, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon's few-holds-barred research and development arm, will award $1 million to the first team whose robotic vehicle can cover a rugged desert course from Barstow, Calif., to Primm, Nev., in less than 10 hours.
The vehicles in the so-called Grand Challenge, part of Pentagon efforts to have one-third of all ground vehicles unmanned by 2015, cannot be controlled remotely. They've got to navigate all by themselves.
"It's a marriage of the geeks and the greaseballs," said Sal Fish, a longtime desert off-road race promoter and the lead designer of the course. "If they go even two miles, I'll be in awe." Five teams dropped out of the competition even before qualifying runs began Monday, leaving 20 entrants.
Two hours before the race begins, DARPA will give competitors a CD-ROM with Global Positioning System coordinates that chart the eastward course.
A DARPA vehicle will be assigned to each robot contestant, with a judge ready to hit a kill switch if it goes astray. Helicopters will also monitor the action.
DARPA officials are considering several possible routes along dirt roads and rough trails, ranging from 150 to 210 miles. Even the shortest course would require the robots to average 15 mph, a feat that has eluded major defense companies.
Several of the robots are capable of 65 mph but obstacles along the way will require them to go much slower as they rely on combinations of orientation devices ranging from GPS satellite positioning to digital compasses, ultrasonic scanners and gyroscopes.
If no one finishes on time - a likely outcome, many participants say - DARPA will host another contest, probably in 2006.
All eight teams that took part in Monday's trials failed in their first try at finishing a flat obstacle course a little longer than a mile that was strewn with bricks, gravel patches and metal rods.
Only two teams - from the California Institute of Technology and Palos Verdes High School in a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles - made it very far past the starting line on their first attempt. The other six had immediate mechanical problems and were making modifications before trying again.
The other 12 teams were making their first runs Tuesday and it was expected that the field would be winnowed.
Warren Williams of Baldwin, Mo., who calibrates precision manufacturing tools by day and plays with remote-controlled robots in his spare time, was desperately seeking radar for his converted Kawasaki all-terrain vehicle. Without the radar, the robot can't spot some roadblocks and must limit its speed to about 5 mph.
Even the most feared competitor - Carnegie Mellon University's "Red Team" - has been racing against the clock after its 1986 Hummer rolled over during practice last week, forcing quick repairs on antennae, sensors and other parts.
The team, whose sponsors include Intel Corp. and Boeing Co., is led by William "Red" Whittaker, who used robots to explore Antarctica in 1993 and map a 3,500-foot corridor in an abandoned Pennsylvania mine last year.
Among other contenders was a partnership of Oshkosh Truck Corp. and Ohio State University whose 16-ton, off-road Marine transport vehicle can handle 60 percent grades and push through five feet of water, according to team leader Jim Fravert.
Other entrants are using modified sport utility vehicles, dune buggies and ATVs.
Participants say the key to success is how well sensing devices feed data to the onboard computers. If they work properly, the sensors should be able to tell a boulder from a tumbleweed and determine whether a ravine is too deep to cross.
But coordinating sensors with navigation and steering systems has been a daunting challenge.
"Everyone thinks they have a solution to the problem of how to handle the flood of data," said Bill Zimmerly, who wrote software for 28 years and helped design the Kawasaki ATV entrant. "At these speeds, no one has been able to do it."
DARPA outlined plans for the Grand Challenge 13 months ago and had 106 applications by November before it narrowed the field.
In addition to military uses, technologies growing out of the race could eventually find form in such inventions as collision avoidance systems for cars or automated farm equipment.
"It's not only conceivable, but it's expected that commercial applications for this technology will emerge," said Darrell Davidson, executive director of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, which includes a number of major defense companies.
By Elliot Spagat


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Another card using 'A Cherry on Top' hostess stamp set! For this one I tried to think a little bit out of the box by turning the plate stand cover up side down to use as a cherry bowl. I stamped just the very bottom of the plate stand to use as the bottom of the 'bowl' then covered the 'bowl' with designer paper, textured CS and a strip of 1/8" Taffeta ribbon.
I stamped a bunch of cherries by inking the cherry stamp just at the very corner of my stamp pad and using a post-it rounded at the corner for masking then going back with the Gumball marker and drawing in a few stems. Way faster then inking the cherry stamp with markers.
I did mix up my 'reds' for this card! LOL....Framelit is Riding Hood Red as well as the stamped Cherries. The ribbon is Real Red Taffeta and the Baker's Twine is Cherry Cobbler but it all looks fairly good together with the last two reds being only very small amounts!
Stamps: A Cherry on Top.
Paper: Whisper White CS, Riding Hood Red CS, Midnight Muse CS, Twitterpated DSP.
Ink: Midnight Muse, Riding Hood Red, Gumball Green.
Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Fan Folder, Apothecary Framelits, Crystal Effects, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Real Red 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Paper-piercer, Mat.


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101 14th Avenue NW/I-15
Great Falls, MT 59404 US
Phone: 406-727-6565
Fax: 406-727-6308
Days Inn Great Falls
101 14th Avenue NW/I-15, Great Falls, MT 59404 US
Phone: 406-727-6565, Fax: 406-727-6308
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center
Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on a perilous, awe-inspiring and nationally important journey in pursuit of President Thomas Jefferson's vision to expand America to the west. The expedition of the Corps of Discovery took place between 1804 and 1806, and the mission's success made Lewis and Clark national heroes. Experience this incredible story at the Interpretive Center in Great Falls.
C.M. Russell Museum
Charles Marion Russell's sympathetic paintings of the American West made him famous—and rich. Ironically, Russell (1864-1926) was well aware that the romantic era of the Old West was rapidly fading away during his own lifetime. The C.M. Russell Museum preserves and celebrates the works of the artist, who was also a passionate and outspoken advocate for Native Americans.
First Peoples Buffalo Jump
Before westward expansion took place in Montana, native cultures used the mile-long cliff to drive off and kill bison. The site is possibly the largest bison cliff jump on the North American continent. Visitors to this state park learn about the importance of the buffalo and bison to the native people that lived in the region, and also enjoy hiking and picnicking along the interpretive trail.
Giant Springs Heritage State Park
Captain Clark of the Corps of Discovery described the springs he encountered at present-day Great Falls as "the largest fountain or spring I ever saw, and I doubt if it is not the largest in America known." He was on the right track: Giant Springs is the largest cold, freshwater springs in the world, with over 300 million gallons of water rushing from the rocks per day. Visitors to the park enjoy spectacular vistas and pleasant picnic grounds. A fish hatchery is also located at the site.
Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
The beautiful museum building—originally Great Falls' first high school, dedicated in 1896—houses works by contemporary artists, many of them from Montana. The museum's permanent collection focuses on the artistic diversity of the American Northwest. The Square also serves as the community cultural center, and offers tours, guest lectures and workshops.


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ProblemI have a .build file in MSBuild. I'd like to to execute my NUnit tests, but I have multiple test projects and thus multiple DLLs. NUnit requires one assembly to be passed to the nunit-console.exe application that MSBuild calls.
SolutionCreate a ".nunit" file, a specially understood file by NUnit that contains XML for referencing your test assemblies under each configuration.
I recommend putting this at the same folder level as your solution file and calling it [SolutionName].nunit. NOTE: the file must be a .nunit file; I tried with ".NUnitProjects" and it failed on the name alone.
It will look something like this:
Note that I create one of these references for every configuration. (Debug and Release are the defaults). I'm not sure that this is necessary, but my bet is that it probably helps later when specifying the Configuration to MSBuild for an automated integration.
Lastly, add the appropriate variable to your .build file that references the .nunit file, and call that variable instead of the DLL. All assemblies will then be passed.


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Theists daydream about crushing modernity, in favor of "Radical Orthodoxy".
One of Isaiah Berlin's finest works (see the side-links) was his essay about the intellectual outlook of Joseph de Maistre, the staunchly conservative Catholic Savoyard who lived through the French Revolution and wrote whitheringly against it, against modernity, against rationality, and against all points un-Catholic.
His great insight was about the dark side of human nature- how people want to be in chains, want to sin and be forgiven, want to sacrifice their lives on the altar of authority, and thus need and want to be led by their betters, or indeed by anyone with plausible authority. He saw clearly the acidic nature of rationality and atheism, which would wash away the veneration of throne and altar as divine manifestations, imperturbable and unanswerable, which best undergirds such patriarchal, hierarchical systems. He despised the French revolution, yet was fascinated by power, legitimate and illigitimate. One can see clear affinities with Machiavelli, even as de Maistre hewed devotedly to the Roman Catholic church (see fideism). He knew that to see through the contingency of such institutions and theistic rationalizations was to destroy everything- to destabilize the delicate threads of society, with no assurance that anything at all, or at any rate anything worthwhile, was ready to replace them.
Echos of de Maistre's philosophy, which was highly influential in its time, especially in reactionary Russia and restoration France, continue down to our day, through Fascism, opposition to Vatican II, Opus Dei, and most recently, in a curious phenomenon that calls itself "Radical Orthodoxy" (RO). Not coherent enough or palatable enough to be a philosphy, RO calls itself a "sensibility", and seeks the usual conservative dream of universal subservience to clergy and church- of stability promised by verities imbibed unthinkingly and enforced ruthlessly. A medieval world where being outside the church is literally unthinkable, and atheism but a rumor from far away and long ago.
de Maistre's views were a powerful antidote to the enlightenment faith in human rationality, which did indeed have an excessively sangine view of our (or at least revolutionary Frenchmen's) ability to reshape society to the ideals of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, instead authoring a rather sanguinary episode that was saved (depending on one's view of him) only by the Machiavellian hand of Napoleon and his even more sanguinary excesses abroad (admittedly, in response to the relentless aggression of the horrified theo/auto-cratic enemies of the French revolution).
Optimism or pessimism about the human condition- that is the question. In the end, even de Maistre knew he was waging at best a holding operation, since the progress of the sciences and rational thought was so demonstrable and invigorating to so many, despite the missteps along the way. It was left to the next century for the full excesses of each extreme to be made explicit in the death-grapple between Germany, with its romantic religion of Volk und Blut, and the Stalinist dictatorship of the proletariat. Each partook in some measure of both extremes, claiming rationalist sanction by way of various pseudosciences (race studies and eugenics on the one hand, and historical determinism on the other, among many others), while also feeding deeply on romantic irrationalist attitudes, including leader-cults and nationalism, to create updated terror-states.
Thankfully, other political systems have cast a less harsh light on the possibilities of reason in the guidance of human affairs, but the modern age remains deeply discomfiting to those who are not at home in the ultimately self-determined and meaningless nihilism of fully realized modernism. This nexus of self-made meaning, rampant liberty, and penetrating skepticism offend those who seek timeless truth and structure in their inner and outer lives, however illusory.
Thus Radical Orthodoxy, a minor theological revolt from the Anglican church that sidles up to Rome, (indeed holding a recent conference right by the Vatican, with the howlingly misleading title "The Grandeur of Reason"), and offers patently irrationalist mystical maunderings to communicate its "sensibility". A sensibility which offers a critique without criticism- a cry of protest against modernism without rational content, as far as I can tell (or Mr. J. Irwin either, who was there). Which seems, at base, to wish its way back into the early middle ages, when life was good for the clergy, everyone knew their place, and none of the doubts introduced by the Renaissance had yet reared their head, let alone the utterly corrosive skepticism of modernity. Indeed, they have something of a bone to pick with the eleventh century pre-scholastic Duns Scotus, [ed. note- a correspondent points out below that Scotus was 13th-14th century, and taught at the height of scholasticism] and his excessive use of reason! No community will be conceivable outside the church, and while the church will be perfectly humble and humanistic, somehow nothing could be done or authorized without its sanction.
What is the Grandeur of reason, in their eyes? Well to quote Irwin, "What brings this reductionism to pass, it is claimed by both [pope] Benedict and Radical Orthodoxy, is the 'self-imposed limitation of reason to the empirically falsifiable'." The grandeur of reason turns out to be its extension and broadening into faith- thus giving blind faith the name "reason" just because, well, reason has a nice ring to it in this modern age, doesn't it? Apparently the outright proclamation of faith, pure and simple, is unappetizing for theologians who call themselves "thinkers", so their answer is to slap the sticker of reason on whatever they happen to hold as faith, and hope no one notices.
The self-applied moniker of "Radical" is not RO's only claim to chic, for they are self-avowedly postmodernist as well. Whatever claims to deconstruct modernism and reach beyond the horrors of penetrating rational thought is their friend, and postmodernism is certainly that, since in most understandings it attacks the very capability of humans to understand anything, as per Lyotard, Derrida, and Foucault, to the point that their own writings demonstrate what they set out to prove. It is a fellow obscurantism with which the RO theists feel very much at home. All the same, they appear blind to how postmodernism is even more thoroughly critical of the "logocentrism" and other universal narratives that RO wishes to shelter from thought than it is of the residual certainties of modernism.
For that is the point of RO, isn't it? To proclaim, propagate, and enforce an orthodoxy (kerygmatically, as they would say) without skepticism, quarter or second thought. That is why they yearningly look up to the Catholic church, which stands as such a monolith of unappealable, unapologetic, infallible orthodoxy in a sea of doubt and skepticism, even as it quietly steers its ship with the times, claiming to be best friends with the Muslims and Jews after all, casting off limbo with a press release, settling pederasty case after case as quietly as it can, and otherwise reluctantly trimming its course to the critiques of enlightened reason and morality. And the ruby slippers, dresses, and hats- out of this world!
de Maistre would be deeply pleased by the continued appeal of ultra-conservative thought. His battle goes on an on, one golden age replaced by another in the rear-view mirror, and those who have authority based on nothing other than superstition and tradition deathly afraid that the winds of reason will lift up their skirts and blow them away.
Incidental links:


text:
I made this sandwich the other night and it was sooo good! I found it on Pioneer Woman's website. I've tried a few of her recipe's and haven't loved them, but I LOVE this one!
What you'll need:
(I halved it, skipped the mushrooms, and used a different hot sauce and because I'm a little kid used cooking sherry)
* 4 Tablespoons Butter
* 2 pounds Cube Steak (round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
* Salt
* Freshly Ground Pepper
* 1 whole Large Yellow Onion, Halved And Sliced Thick
* 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Sliced Into Rings
* 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Sliced Into Rings
* 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
* 16 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Sliced
* 2 Tablespoons (additional) Butter
* 1-½ cup Sherry (regular Or Cooking Sherry Is Fine)
* 4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
* 4 dashes Tabasco (more To Taste)
* 8 whole Deli Rolls (the Crustier The Better)
* 2 Tablespoons (additional) Butter
* 8 slices Cheese (Provolone, Swiss, Pepper Jack)
Prep: Cut all the vegetables up and then the meat, so we don't spread germs.
Slice the meat against the grain and season it with s&p
(I had never had Cube Steak, but it's dang good)
Throw 2 tbls of butter in a pan on high and brown both sides of the meat, this may take a few batches. Set the meat aside
I threw in a little more butter and then added the garlic, stirred it around, then all the vegies. Throw a lid on and let it cook on medium until the onions aren't crispy anymore, unless you're into that sort of thing.
Now set the vegies aside, it's time to make the sauce. Mushrooms are evil little things, so you can put them in now if you'd like, but if you don't want to die do what I say. Pour the Sherry in, hold your breath, it stinks, throw the Worcestershire sauce in, your hot sauce, some butter and let it simmer. I gave it a good 3-5 minutes and then added everything right back in. Make sure to taste it, and you can add in a little more hot sauce if you'd like or more Sherry.
Now toast your buns, or use a pan and butter them up, both sides. Throw the mixture on the bun, lay the cheese on top and broil.
Trevor and I ate these in like 30 seconds. That's a lie, I did. Trevor eats like an old man. But he ate a lot. :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The MM sandwich
Posted by trevandjules at 8:26 PM
2 comments:
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The rules of the Butterfly award are:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate 10 other blogs. (I'm bending this rule and only doing three.)
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
I'm pleased to nominate these awesome blogs - in no particular order. I'm also going to tell you a little bit about them. See if you can find something that will strike a chord with you!
Urban Christian Fiction Today is a blog run by my friend and fellow social worker, Rhonda McKnight Nain. She does a fabulous job promoting Christian fiction and does a lot of author interviews. She highlights African American Christian authors. You don't want to miss her posts. Everything she writes thoroughly impresses me, including her upcoming debut novel Secrets and Lies (2009)
Bibliophiles Retreat is another favorite. Melissa Meeks, AKA ForstRose is an avid blogger and book reviewer like me and she has a lot of worthy reviews posted. Check them out. Her insight will inspire you and make you want to read more Christian fiction. Plus, we have similar tastes.
God Uses Broken Vessels is my friend Angie's blog, where I am an occasional contributor. Angie is a classy woman with elegance and style. She's a very busy woman who loves the Lord and loves people and her life shows it. Her blog is always interesting and she posts about everything under the sun that she loves. She is writing a book to which I'm a contributor and her handsome sons are on my book's front cover.
Please check out my friend's blogs and tell them you found them from reading my blog. Peace!


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Here is Petal the pink unicorn girl! A new custom petite Blythe doll from little dear.
Petal has a pretty hand painted white face with a sparkly horn attached. She has two tone pink needle felted hair in a (permanent) pretty pony tail. Her hand stitched felt dress has tiny attached wings and a felted wool tail that matches her hair. The dress is removable and closes with snaps. Her white boots are also included. Petal comes with a hand painted, keepsake tag.
Little Petal would love to come live with you! Find her at www.littledear.etsy.com
xo aimee