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It's About the Smiles
A popular feature at each year's Sputnikfest are the Star Wars characters. What do Star Wars and Sputnik have in common? Not much, when you get right down to it. I will admit that in the early planning stages of the event I was a bit skeptical as to including Star Wars or "alien" elements in the festival. Manitowoc, Wisconsin can lay claim to something no other city in the world can – part of a Russian satellite crashed into our city at the height of the Cold War. My initial thoughts were that we should focus on the retro/Cold War/early Space Age aspects of the event. I figured – there are plenty of sci-fi conventions and such where a person can go see Star Wars characters and aliens … but you know what? There aren't a lot of opportunities in Manitowoc, Wisconsin to see a Stormtrooper pushing a baby carriage.
The 501'st Legion is a world-wide all-volunteer Star Wars themed costuming organization, with the mission of "promoting Star Wars, facilitating the use of costumes and contributing to their communities through charity work and volunteerism." The 501st legion has over 6,000 members world-wide and is 15 years old this year. The Wisconsin Garrison is three years old this year and has more than 60 members, with more enlisting all the time.
I asked Garrison Public Relations Officer Kristal Brandt why it is that they do what they do. She replied "Why we do this will differ for each member. However the answer always seems to come back to the smiles. When a Stormtrooper, Vader or any character for that matter steps out the excitement and the smiles that follow are priceless ... It always comes back to the smiles."
If you are interested in knowing more about the 501st Legion, check out their website. Last year members of the Wisconsin Garrison appeared at nearly 80 events throughout the State. The Dark Side of the Force apparently has a heart of gold. The only payment the group asks for is a donation to either a charity of the event's choice, or one the group will be happy to recommend.
To become a member of the 501st you have to have a passion for Star Wars – and for helping others, be at least 18 years old, and have a professional quality Star Wars costume. GPRO Brandt told me their "members take pride in building their costumes to be screen accurate. The first step in the process is to research, research, research." The 501st website has a costume reference library that details the standards for each character. Most elements are hand-crafted and these costumes don't come cheap – a basic Stormtrooper costume starts at about $1,200. Some other costumes may cost a little less, many characters a lot more.
The Star Wars characters do play an active role in Sputnikfest. Last year Darth Vader guided the fire truck into position for the alien drop and the characters also served guard to hold back the masses of children waiting to charge in and fill their pockets with little rubber aliens. See a previous post for details on how the Alien Drop works, but after the winning alien is determined, all the remaining aliens are scooped up by enthusiastic children. Sometimes they are bit too enthusiastic and want to rush in and start grabbing up the alien booty before the contest winner has been determined. At last year's event the Star Wars characters really had their hands full trying to "hold the line." The spectacle of Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and assembled Empire Heavies struggling to keep a group of children back prompted Museum Director Greg Vadney to quip to one of the characters – "See, that's why you guys lost the Death Star twice."
Visit Sputnikfest on September 7, 2013 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin to see the 501st Legion Wisconsin Garrison in action. And see firsthand why it truly is all about the smiles.


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Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon.
What is this Read-a-Thon craziness that I speak of, you ask? Why, it's only one of the most fun weekends of the year - and it happens twice, in April and in October. You can find out more by going here (and you can participate even if you're not a book blogger), but basically, it's an online 24 hour read-a-thon that was started several years ago by a book blogger named, appropriately enough, Dewey. The idea was for book bloggers to devote 24 hours to reading, get caught up on our books, blog about what we were reading, and create a community of folks who love to read. The event has grown significantly, with prizes and people serving as "cheerleaders," and mini-challenges, and people reading for charity (i.e., pledging to make a donation for number of pages or books read, etc.)
Anyway, I'm participating ...sorta. I'm a bit fried from my recent work schedule, feeling a little overwhelmed with all that there is to do. I woke up with a headache that threatens to turn into a migraine, so that's going to be a Read-a-Thon issue if I can't get this under control. This weekend is also the ZooBoo, a Halloween event at our local zoo, and Betty is very gung-ho on going. Plus, I am woefully behind on reviews and writing such, so there may be a bit o' blogging happening. I may actually wind up being more of an unofficial cheerleader this time around, which is OK.
Part of the Read-a-Thon fun is making piles and lists of books we hope to read during the event, and even though my participation will be limited, that didn't stop me from doing so. Here's my little (but ambitious, and nowhere near going to happen) stack of books.
You Are My Only, by Beth Kephart ~ This comes out on October 25, so even though there has been lots of early buzz and great reviews on this one - so much so that it is in its second printing even before its official publication date! I have this one on my Kindle. Obviously.
The CHICK-tionary: From A-Line to Z-Snap, the Words Every Woman Should Know, by Anna Lefler ~ This just arrived in the mail this week and is a review book for TLC Book Tours, so I am eager to read this. I love Anna, who I would not know if it wasn't for Beth Kephart's blog.
A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen ~ Just purchased last week at the library's book sale, and it is definitely the perfect Read-a-Thon length. And, it will satisfy a reading challenge.
The Comfort of Strangers, by Ian McEwan
H, by Elizabeth Shepard
Shining On: 11 Star Authors' Illuminating Stories
Something Inside of Me: How to Hang On to Heaven When You're Going Through Hell, by Chitoka Webb ~ I met Chitoka at this year's Book Bloggers Convention and she was absolutely delightful.
Poetry is often a good choice for the Read-a-Thon, and to that end, I have four collections in my stack, all purchased last week at Paper Kite Books in Kingston, PA.
Echolalia, by Dan Waber ~ Dan is the owner, along with his wife Jennifer, of Paper Kite Books. This one had me at the title.
Questioning Walls Open, by Jennifer Hill Kaucher ~ Dan's wife
Book of Days, by Jennifer Hill Kaucher (I love the Enya song of the same name, so I had to get this collection.)
Mother Love, by Elizabeth Cohen ~ a new poet to me and one that I think I will like, based on the poems I glanced at in the store before buying this collection.
Overly ambitious, yes. But abundantly fun. Happy Read-a-Thon Day!
copyright 2011, Melissa, The Betty and Boo Chronicles If you are reading this on a blog or website other than The Betty and Boo Chronicles or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
We Now Join Our Regularly Scheduled Read-a-Thon, Already in Progress
Posted by Melissa at 10:59 AM
Labels: Beth Kephart, Book Tours, Books, Kindle, Poetry, Read-a-Thon
1 comment:
- Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) said...
Aww, I hope your headache improves. I have no desire to read when I get those... which happens often. I'm sending "feel better!" vibes your way. I have Beth's book on my readathon pile too -- it might be up next.
- October 22, 2011 at 11:16 AM
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subset: commoncrawl


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Danny and Robert Carlesso are owners of D.R Construction. Two generations bringing experience and knowledge in home building in the Fort Erie, Ridgeway, Crystal Beach area for many years.
They have been working with homeowners in the Niagara Region to provide them with the best quality and service for their new homes. When you build your home with D.R. Construction, you can feel safe in knowing that we strive to provide the utmost quality with their work!
If you already have a lot, we can build you a home on that lot, and we also have lots which you may choose to locate to. If you are ready to start your own home, call Kevin Noonan and let their quality work and reputation help you to achieve your dream of a house you can call your own!
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Daily Iowegian - 25 March 1966
Pearl Eugene Dooley, lifelong resident of Jerome, Iowa, passed away Thursday, March 24 [1966], in Artesia, Calif., where he was spending the winter. Born in Jerome, Iowa, Aug. 29, 1889, the son of Frank and Ollie Close Dooley, he was 76 years, six months and 25 days old at the time of his death.
He was married to Isral Carter who survives his passing, along with two children, Billy D. Dooley and Mrs. Maxine Yeater of Artesia, Calif., five brothers and two sisters: Earnest and Dewey, both of Jerome, Earl of Excelsior Springs, Mo., Grover of Whitefish, Mont., Roscoe of Marseilles, Ill., Mrs. Marie Olson, Ottumwa, and Mamie Lawton, Peoria, Ill.
He was a World War I veteran and a retired employee of the D and C Coal Co.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced later from the Johnson Funeral Home.


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Tuesday, 8 January 2008
sugar buttons...
sweet li'l Nellie came out to help me with this weeks Arty Girlz challenge - buttons {i lurves buttons! - i also lurves these gorgeous crochet flowers, mine came from The Scrummy Stash Cafe}
soooo... 1 Sugar Nellie, 1 flower {with a BUTTON in the middle - just in case you missed it!}, some yummy BG mellow pp & a little bit of ribbon & i have a card all ready to go in my "I need a card for so&so, Leann & I need it NOW" stash!!! {anybody else have this problem? friends who think you just magic up cards in seconds? this is why i very rarely put a sentiment on anything!!}
13 comments:
- Deb said...
Awww, she is so sweet, love the BG too, fabulous paper. Love, love, love the flower, I so want to learn to crochet so I can make my own! Hinted to my mum but haven't heard anything yet, maybe I should send her some crochet cotton!
- 8 January 2008 at 18:37
- Julie said...
Leann this is gorgeous and I love the crochet flowers they're so sweet, hmm I used to crochet when I was a little girl I wonder if I can remember how to do it lol
Thanks for joining in with Arty Girlz :) xx
- 8 January 2008 at 18:52
- Paula said...
Very sweet card, love the paper.
- 8 January 2008 at 18:56
- Silvia said...
Oh, that looks really lovely.
- 8 January 2008 at 18:58
- Andrea, said...
Wonderful card Leann, great colours and I love how you have coloured the Nellie
- 8 January 2008 at 19:27
- Monika said...
love the nellie and fantastic card...
- 8 January 2008 at 20:24
- Marlou said...
excellent Leann!!! just adorable little Nellie!!!
Glad you joined crafyblogs, you'll be way up there in no time :) xx
- 8 January 2008 at 20:36
- Debbie said...
very cute :)
- 8 January 2008 at 21:49
- Claudia said...
hi leann... is it posted??? iam so nerveous... i dont know about you. this card was sooo hard for me.
before i just worked without pressure now this time it was different.
you newest creation is lovely.
i wish i could get my hands on some of these cuties
- 8 January 2008 at 23:11
- Penny said...
Such beautiful colours and style !
- 8 January 2008 at 23:13
- ink'n'rubba said...
Nellie is so sweet on your card, and I like those crochet flowers you've used with the button.
- 9 January 2008 at 12:28
- crissi said...
Gorgeous card Leann the flowers are fab.
Thanks for joining in with the Arty Girlz challenge.
crissi xx
- 9 January 2008 at 17:15
- Rein said...
This is a sweet card!
- 11 January 2008 at 17:33


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Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Louise Lamphere received the Franz Boas Award for exemplary service to Anthropology recently from the American Anthropological Association. The award is presented annually by the AAA to its members whose careers demonstrate extraordinary achievements that have served the anthropological profession.
The Boas Award recognizes Association members who have made exceptional contributions to anthropology with respect to the increase and dissemination of humanistic and scientific knowledge and/or service to the profession.
Lamphere is perhaps best-known as a founding mother of feminist anthropology, influencing decades of research within anthropology and related disciplines on issues of gender inequality and knowledge production.
In releasing information about the award, AAA's Emilia M. Guevara and Kathy Ano said Lamphere has made significant contributions to anthropological knowledge during her more than 45-year career through her studies of the Navajo, workplace life, family and kinship, U.S. immigration and U.S. healthcare policy.
Guevara and Ano cite her work as co-editor, with Michelle Rosaldo, of the founding feminist anthropology text, "Woman, Culture and Society." Published in 1974, this collection is now a classic. Lamphere's deft coediting and original contributions helped create a volume that reread the existing anthropological literature for androcentric assumptions, reconfigured perspectives on women as active agents in their societies, stretched the boundaries of existing anthropological theory, and quite literally transformed the entire discipline.
Lamphere's 1997 volume, "Situated Lives: Gender and Culture in Everyday Life," coedited with Helena Ragone' and Patricia Zavella, extended her feminist commitment, focusing on the impact of the intersection of gender with race, class and sexual difference in women's daily lives.
In addition, Guevara and Ano say Lamphere continued her work in the 1980's and '90's by exploring gender dynamics, contributing a range of books on immigration and labor within the changing political economy of the United States, publishing "From Working Daughters to Working Mothers" in 1987, "Structuring Diversity: Ethnographic Perspectives on the New Immigration" in 1992, "Sunbelt Working Mothers" in 1993 (with Patricia Zavella, Felipe Gonzales and Peter Evans) and "Newcomers in the Workplace: Immigrants and the Restructuring of the U.S. Economy" in 1994 (with Guillermo Grenier).
In 2007, she shared authorship with the grandmother, mother and daughter of a Navajo family with which she had worked since the 1960s, producing "Weaving Women's Lives: Three Generations in a Navajo Family," that combined her scholarly and personal history.


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Run This Town Is No Mad Max, And RiRi Is No Aunt Entity
Jay-Z, Alien Princess RiRi of the Universe and Gay Fish joined forces for "Run This Town" and this is the video for it. Basically, it's just the three of them chanting in front of a mob of fire stick wielders in a post-apocalyptic world where wearing sunglasses you can't see through is all the rage.
The mob really doesn't need to carry weapons. Shit, they don't need to do anything! All RiRi has to do is yodel "Haaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy" over and over again and their enemies will eat each other's ears off to stop the madness. Seriously, after listening to that song once, RiRi's warbling made me want to stick a power strip in my ass and strap myself in a straitjacket.
And when can we expect a battle between "Run This Town" and Boogie Town? Yes, the mess below really is a trailer for a real movie. You decide which town you'd rather see become a site for missile testing. I'm torn.
VIA Videogum


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Here we are at the zoo entrance at the Africa gates.
Lena and daddy checking out poison dart frogs.
Chasing birds at the aviary, her favorite part.
Watching the polar bear take a swim.
Riding the tram like a big girl.
What a great day!
This blog is designed to keep my friends and family updated on what I do. It's a keyhole into the day to day goings on of my life.


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One of my earliest memories of livestock was watching our landlords daughter, Roxy, putting neat squiggles on the side of her wet Hereford, 4-H steer, using a round, metal currycomb with a red handle. Recently while using the same style currycomb with the same red handle I have wondered "why is it is called a currycomb?"
This is what I found. From the late 13th century Anglo-French word curreier comes the English word curry, meaning, to rub down a horse. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes a phrase from 1398 as "coryed wyth an horse combe." So, logically, a comb used to curry a horse might come to be called a curry-comb.
|"Der behexte Stallknecht"
("The Bewitched Stable Boy")
Hans Baldung Grien (1544)
German Renaissance woodcut
This unfortunate stable boy has dropped his 16th-century currycomb on the stable floor.
An interesting side-note is that the phrase "to curry favor" rose from a satirical 14th century French poem Roman de Fauvel. In the poem Fauvel, a horse, moves from the barn into the largest room in the house. He represents sin and corruption; Fauvel's name is an acronym (in French) for the seven deadly sins. In the story the occupants of the house, who metaphorically represented church and state leaders, not only allowed Fauvel to dwell in the house, they even lowered themselves to curry and clean his coat.
Hence, the common expression "to curry favor" is believed to be a mistaken English adaptation of the French phrase to curreier Fauvel. In the English language, to curry favor has come to mean seeking favor by fawning or flattery.


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She peers out from inside her father's sheepskin coat on the cover of his debut solo LP, McCartney. It's 1970 and she's the firstborn child of one half of perhaps the world's greatest songwriting partnership. So enters Mary McCartney into the world of photography: as a subject.
"I was born and bred in London," says Mary, "and I'm still based in London, but I've recently been in Sweden where I've currently an exhibition, and in Sardinia where I was doing a shoot for Mandarin Oriental."
Mary McCartney, 42, as elder sister to Stella and brother James, with an older half sister Heather, has quietly forged a career as a photographer specialising in portraiture, with A-listers of the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Jude Law happy to sit for her.
"I grew up around photography, watching my mother [Linda McCartney] taking pictures," says Mary. "She and my dad collected great photography books, so I saw those from an early age. They were beautiful vintage black and white prints. So you'd be right in saying my mum got me into the craft.
"I worked with my mum in her archive, helping her edit the projects she was working on, but I've had no formal training, except for a very short course on how to use an SLR to establish the basic principles of exposure and film speed."
A passing car drowns out our conversation. 'In the old days when I liked to do interviews, I'd go to the Electric in Notting Hill, but that was noisy too,' she says, laughing. "I still use film cameras for personal or exhibition work. But when I'm doing commercial projects I'll use digital. I like my photographs to have the look of having been lit by natural light, despite the necessary higher production values."
As a local, does she think London's art scene remains vibrant? "Yes, there are some amazing painters out there at the moment. I was just looking at the exhibits for the National Portrait Gallery Award [for 2012] which were beautiful. There is definitely a public enthusiasm and hunger for art, and the talent is out there, but it's very difficult to get noticed these days. There are a lot of people very passionate about what they're doing.
"But how these artists get noticed will be the interesting thing, because gaining exposure is difficult.' The reason for this? 'The modern need for branding oneself might be the issue. Ten years ago there was no need for it," says Mary.
Ten years ago London was a different place, I venture. "Yes, you can see it when a shop closes down and you hope that something interesting will replace it, but what comes along is usually a chain coffee shop.
"This kind of loss is also evident in places like Soho which has lost a lot of interesting places such as The Colony Room. But thank god places like Bar Italia are still around. Bar Italia is almost like National Trust property! If that were to close down then I'd be very sad. When socialising in London I prefer to find interesting, atmospheric little places," she says.
"When I was nine, we moved out of London and then I moved back when I was 18. I got a job as a picture researcher in Soho at Omnibus Press. I wasn't actually taking pictures at this time. But when I got my first commission I thought that that was it, but in reality it took me a long time to build up my confidence and style. I learn about myself through how I take a picture and how I approach each job."
And how has she arrived at her photographic style? "I like my subjects to be relaxed, so my style is candid and informal. If I'm too overbearing they can look startled; I want people to reveal themselves. It's difficult to have subjects relax before a camera. When I started out I was in the background, observing, but now I'm engaged upfront, directing shoots and in control."
Can 'the eye' for taking photographs be taught? "Basic principles of composition can, but I think I've inherited my [photographic] eye. Most of my family can take good pictures. I grew up assuming everyone could take good pictures because of it, then I realised not everyone can. I was watching someone last week holding their camera at arm's length and it seemed as if they were intimidated by the camera itself," she says.
"My dad [Paul McCartney] is very encouraging. He has some of my work up on his walls, which is a good sign. I look for his opinion, because he has a good eye and appreciates photography and art. He worked with my mum in the same way too, so he's used to it."
Inspiration can be tricky for a photographer constantly at work. "I try and balance my commercial and art work. So I have two arms, as it were. The works of Jacques Henri Lartigue and Diane Arbus inspire me. Juergen Teller too. I like free-spirited photographers who don't take themselves too seriously.
"On a recent shoot, Beth Ditto was great to photograph. She has great energy. She had a punky ethos and doesn't like to plan too much, and I related to that because you can plan a set up in photography, but you must leave it to the moment as well, because that's when the unexpected can happen," says Mary.
"I'm not very techy, so if I'm off doing some personal work it's just me and my film camera. But I also love my iPhone. I'm actually having to ween myself off my iPhone because I've started to take too many pictures with it. I recently bought a more high-powered digital camera, but I like shooting on film."
So it's a case of keeping it simple? "Absolutely. I like a constant light source rather than flash. I can also light an area in which a subject can move around. There's that technique. I also have to be able to go off on my own with a camera. I like the balance of these two modes of working because it keeps me interested. I like variety," she says.
Is there more she can achieve, having photographed a wide variety of politicians, celebrities and lesser-known sitters over her 20-year career? "I feel I've loads more to do. I'll be exploring more and shooting more and I've got so many projects I want to see come to fruition. I like taking portrait pictures of interesting people and I also rely upon requests. I have an agent, so I also get booked that way."
For her commercial work, Mary keeps a tight-knit production team, eschewing the large entourages of some contemporary big name photographers. "I like photos with a sense of humanity attached to them,' she says gently. 'I'm interested in photographing people who are devoted to their professions, such as the series of portraits I did with ballet dancers [Off Pointe: A Photographic Study of the Royal Ballet After Hours]."
"I'm attracted by people who invest time, thought and passion in what they do," says Mary. "I'll always be a photographer. It's my hobby and my profession. It's my love."
© Jason Holmes 2012 / firstname.lastname@example.com / @JasonAHolmes
Photograph by Simon Aboud


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FFIXXED STUDIOS - Designer Archive | Dwellings Coat
FFIXXED STUDIOS light blue collarless boxy fit raglan short sleeve coat.
- Collarless
- Raglan sleeve
- Side pleat detail
- Hidden pockets
fit: true to size - boxy fit
70% tencel, 30% polyester - lining: 100% cotton
Made in China - in-house Atelier production
photography by ffixxed studios
Designer Archive by Damage is a curation of previous collection pieces by outstanding designers under the credo style never goes out of fashion. As we do not propose the new, what matters most is well made, using high quality, and fair as possible fabrics. Pieces that you'd always want to wear at any moment during nature's yearly recurring cycle. All items are new and directly from the designers but will always be offered at a reduced price and are well to combine with our other collections and/or your current wardrobe.
collection year: 2015
FFIXXED STUDIOS is a collaborative art and design project initiated by artist and designers Kain Picken and Fiona Lau. Their focus is the production of both a men's and women's readymade fashion label that evolves alongside a range of other art and design-related activities.
All FFIXXED STUDIOS garments are produced in-house at FFIXXED STUDIOS, located at Wutong Mountain, China.
The collections respond to the role clothing and objects play in constructing our daily lives, elaborating on a series of new and unexpected form of trans-functionality for everyday basics. FFIXXED STUDIOS utilise a range of high-quality natural fibres and highly personalised production techniques to address, transcend and stimulate a variety of social and domestic situations.
available from week 16


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OK, first… The frustrating stuff…
As I mentioned in my last post, I have injured my neck. Well, it isn't getting any better. In fact, it's worse. I am seeing my dr in the morning to see if there's anything seriously wrong. Hopefully there isn't. The only semi-comfortable position is lying flat on my back in bed. Not a great way to spend the day. It's depressing, lonely, frustrating and aggrivating. I've been wanting to start and finish projects like finishing the knitted long fingerless gloves I've been working on, starting a new drawing, making some new bracelets to name a few. However, I can't sit up long enough to be able to do these things.
Tonight I caved and took 2 percocets because the pain was so bad. Now I am dealing with the fun side effects of insomnia and tingly face…. awesome. Luckily, I take trazadone so that I can sleep. Frequent dislocations and subluxations doesn't allow nice, uninterrupted, deep sleepy wonderfullness. No, everytime something slips, shifts, pulls, tugs, spasms, and oh so many wonderful thing accompanying EDS I am woken up yelping, gasping, crying… well, you get the picture. So my good friend trazadone allows me the deep sleep that my poor body desperately needs. Now I'm just waiting for it to kick in!
I'll post an update about the dr visit.
Now onto the good news. My therapist confirmed the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome! You know, I thought that having an official diagnosis didn't really matter to me. I know I have Asperger's but having it actually confirmed by a trained professional gives me a definitive answer. Something to explain all my odd quirks, obsessions, etc. I'm not crazy! It is a very validating and liberating feeling. She has been helping me with ways to communicate to people that Shadow (my service dog) should not be distracted and that they aren't allowed to pet them. It's a real dilemna for me, I don't want to be rude and say "Don't pet him," but I also need to say it and am afraid to and don't know how to. She also has a Service Dog and gave me some great websites where I can order "do not disturb" and "do not pet" patches as well as cards that explain for me the purpose of a Service Dog and explaining that he is a working dog and should not be distracted or pet. She's helping me find solutions, which has been really helpful. However, sadly, she has been reassigned to a local inpatient program and won't be seeing individual clients anymore. The good news is that being a person with disabilities herself, she is starting a support group for younger people (teens- to about 50) with chronic illnesses and disabilities which I will be attending.


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Welcome to my blog where I will be reviewing Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense books! I will also occasionally review cozies too!
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
New Releases 2014 (Jun 24)
Karin Slaughter, author of the New York Times bestselling Will Trent novels, is widely acclaimed as "one of the best crime novelists in America" (The Washington Post). Now she delivers her first stand-alone novel: an epic story of a city in the midst of seismic upheaval, a serial killer targeting cops, and a divided police force tasked with bringing a madman to justice.
Atlanta, 1974: As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city's police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. She's determined to defy her privileged background by making her own way — wearing a badge and carrying a gun. But for a beautiful young woman, life will be anything but easy in the macho world of the Atlanta PD, where even the female cops have little mercy for rookies. It's also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.
Kate isn't the only woman on the force who's feeling the heat. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When she and Kate, her new partner, are pushed out of the citywide search for a cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach the boiling point. With a killer poised to strike again, they will pursue their own line of investigation, risking everything as they venture into the city's darkest heart.
Relentlessly paced, acutely observed, wickedly funny, and often heartbreaking, Cop Town is Karin Slaughter's most powerful novel yet — a tour de force of storytelling from our foremost master of character, atmosphere, and suspense.
Only Killing Stops The Pain
Callie Cantrell has only fragmented memories of the car accident that killed her husband and son. One year later, she's still trying to start over, yet she can't shake her unease. Especially when former LA cop West Laughlin barges into her life, searching for his young nephew. At first he thinks Callie's lying about who she is and what she knows. But soon it's clear that Callie and West are linked by a killer who has bent others to his twisted will. The worst night of Callie's life was just the beginning of his vengeance. And when her turn comes again there will be no escape.
Posted by Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews at 12:00 AM
Labels: New Releases 2014 (Jun 24)
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A single-concept tumblr blog done right.
I defy you to look away.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
The greatest unreleased rock album just had its official release. (Link to the Guardian). I heard one track this afternoon and had to crank it up: the bass guitar line sounded eerily like something Paul McCartney would have played on the "Revolver" sessions. (I keep mixing up the chain of events. Is it Rubber Soul influenced Pet Sounds influenced Revolver influenced Smile influenced Sgt. Pepper?)
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|Andrew Jackson & Agnes Hayes Franks with daughter Geraldine
Andrew, Sr. was born in May, 1847 and died Jun. 11, 1915 in Viola, Fulton Co., AR. Serena was born Nov. 26, 1854 in Tarrant Co., TX and died Oct. 19, 1946 in Viola. Both are buried at the Viola cemetery. Serena's parents were Henry and Elizabeth Trayler Benbrook. Henry was born in KY on Dec. 17, 1812 and died in Izard Co., AR on Feb. 26, 1872. Elizabeth was born in Indiana on Mar. 15, 1824 and died in Izard Co. on Jul. 18, 1868. They are both buried at the Spring Creek cemetery in Calico Rock, Izard Co.
Agnes and Andrew had only one child, a daughter Geraldine R. She was born Nov. 2, 1917 in Washington state and died in Everett Feb. 13, 2007. She married a Mr. Tackitt who so far remains a mystery to me.
The photo of Andrew, Agnes and Geraldine is courtesy of Bob Hayes, a descendant of John and Malinda Coffey Hayes.


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|Photo courtesy: The Roche Group/Tamiflu
You see the guy in the bed? He's got the chills and the floor is littered with used Kleenex. There's nothing little about being sick.
Welcome to my world. I feel like death warmed over. I got sick some time during the night on Thursday. I woke up with the crud, a low-grade fever and achy all over. I called out sick.
I wallowed in the bed until I couldn't wallow anymore and moved to the den and wallowed on the sofa. I didn't have an appetite so I ate very little on Friday. When I woke up Saturday morning I had a full-blown case of the ickies.
This is the weekend before Christmas. It was Saturday and my only option for seeing a doctor was to visit the Urgent Care Center.
I spent roughly three hours waiting to be seen. Meanwhile, an endless parade of the great unwashed streamed through the waiting room. After they registered at the desk, they took a seat near me hacking and wheezing and spewing cooties everywhere.
One guy, that I am not ashamed to describe as a pig, never once covered his mouth when he hocked up a loogie or sneezed. In my disgust, I walked up to the registration window and plucked a mask out of the box and put it on. I stared at the guy for a long time hoping he would sense my outrage. I'm not sure, but I think I muttered under my breath the words, "What a pig!"
After an eternity, the door opened and a nurse called my name. We went into one of the examination rooms and I whined about how gawd-awful I felt. She took my vitals and my temp and walked out saying the doctor would be in soon to see me.
Shortly I heard a gentle rapping on the door and the doctor came in. She asked me what I was there for. I chose to visit the Urgent Care Center at the hospital where my lung specialist and cardiologist are located. My decision was based on the fact that they would have access to my health records. Surely, I thought, seeing my health records would make this part of the process easier. I couldn't have been more wrong.
I answered her question. She decided to have a nurse take a swab of my nose to determine whether I had the flu stating that even though I had my flu shot in September that another strain may have jumped on me.
The nurse who came in was very nice at first glance. She reached into one of the drawers and took out one of those swabs with the long stick, unwrapped it and walked over to my left side. She implored me to be very still. The nurse who looked gentle when I first laid eyes on her turned out to be a variation of Nurse Ratched or Frau Blücher because she jammed that Q-Tip with the long stick up my nose all the way up to my brains. She left the room saying it would be about 10 minutes before the results would be known.
The doctor came back into the room and announced that the results were negative. She did not prescribe any medication. She handed me a record of the office visit upon which she wrote:
"You have a URI, likely viral. Continue your chronic medications as prescribed. Your flu test was negative; I commend you for having your annual flu shot. You may return to work if no fever. Push fluids, frequent hand washing or hand sanitizer. Mucinex may help your symptoms. Follow up at ER or here if not improving, worsening or otherwise concerned."
I shuffled out of the room, down the hall, out the door, into the parking lot and then hopped in my car. I decided to stop by the grocery store and buy a boatload of Progresso Reduced Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup.
Everybody knows chicken soup is Jewish penicillin; a magical elixir. I thought, "It vouldn't hoit."
There's no such thing as too much chicken soup, unless you're a chicken. Maybe I'll even start speaking in Yiddish just for shits and giggles.
Have a great weekend. Buy stock in Kleenex cuz I'm going through 'em like water.


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These photos are shared from a book of Taylorsville and Spencer County history celebrating the city's sesquicentennial. The book belonged to T.C. and Louise Bentley and was purchased at auction by David Jewell, who loaned it to the Magnet. Historical information from the book was written and edited by Mary Frances Brown and photos were courtesy of Dr. W. K. Skaggs, Charles Smith, Jan Doyle Brown and Roderic Brown.
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Have you ever noticed that each of the study rooms in the Morrell and Fairhurst has a name on the door, and wondered what's behind that name?Wonder no more, as all is being revealed this week. Each name has been chosen because it represents a place or person, or something with a York or Yorkshire connection.
Acomb doesn't just refer to an obscure, far-away suburb at the end of the no. 4 bus line…Acomb Room Sign, photo credit: Paul Shields, University Photographer
We don't just have signs on famous figures either - there is information about lesser-known people, such as Catherine Cappe, who was prominent in the Unitarian movement in York.
Next time you're in one of our study rooms, look up - you never know what you'll find out.


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Marilyn Crispell: Vignettes. 2008. ECM Records: 2027.
Marilyn Crispell: piano
The "deep lyricism" of Marilyn Crispell's current creative incarnation sears deep into this solo expression. Within these spare, melodically focused tracks there are so many different dimensions along which Crispell will vary things. A universe of nuance falls under her fingers as the spaces between notes and chords expands and contracts along a wide horizon. Unpredictable yet structured within Crispell's distinct sensibilities. In many ways, this is a music that reaches deeper toward the spirituality of John Coltrane that first inspired Marilyn Crispell to take up improvised music.
Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca. 2009. Domino Recording Company: DNO217CD.
David Longstreth: vocals, guitar
Amber Coffman: vocals, guitar
Angel Deradoorian: vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass
Brian McOmber: drums
Nat Baldwin: bass
Haley Dekle: voice
Jordan Dykstra: viola
Caleb Russell: violin
Andrew Todd: violin
Anna Fritz: cello
Summer soundtracks come from unexpected places. I recall bonding with Talking Heads 77 while lying on a hardwood floor on a hot summer in Portland, Oregon. The sophisticated simplicity of a "Psycho Killer" and "Don't Worry About the Government" creating their own wrinkles in my brain with their infectious, guilt free listening. A sound that is immediately appealing that does not wear out after periods of addictive listening. Bitte Orca is that kind of record. Vocal centric writing that threads a line through infectious, addictive territory while retaining an aggressively sophisticated edge in the unexpected turns of form and development. A polished, produced recording that doesn't feel the weight of over-production serving up a set of songs that immediately appeal to the ears while darting out at odd angles away from traditional song form. Generous portions of drum-free textures contrasting against satisfying, full ensemble material. And the voices alternate between male and female while moving in and out of the focal point of the overall sound. This is a wonderful record.
Iannis Xenakis: Works for Large Orchestra - Volume II. 2001. Timpani: 1C1062.
Jonchaies (1977)
Shaar (1983)
Lichens (1983)
Antikhthon (1971)
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Arturo Tamaho: conductor
Jonchaies is written for 109 musicians. And the din Xenakis rips out of all that humanity is thoroughly unholy and relentless. What a fantastic work! Orchestral music that begs to be played loud to feel the relentless pummeling of percussion, brass, piercing piccolos and strings. Major props to the Orchetre Philharmonique du Luxembourg for performing this music with an aggressive bite not normally associated with genteel orchestras.
Orchestral masses and forces set in motion characterize all the works on this disc. Shaar pours Xenakis's unique language into a large string orchestra while Lichens and Antikhthon add plenty of percussion, brass and winds to the massive ensemble load. Music that thrives under the baton of Arturo Tamaho as the assaultive, unapologetically dissonant textures burn with a heat more often reserved for wicked feedback solos. Recordings like this make the best argument for modernist aesthetic of the previous century.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
HurdAudio Rotation: Deep and Dirty Projectors
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Let the Playoff Beards Begin: Pittsburgh Penguins Clinch Playoff BerthApril 8, 2009
It wasn't easy, but what has been this season?
The Pittsburgh Penguins finally locked up a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night in Florida. They now cannot finish any lower than seventh place in the East.
Sidney Crosby had a pair of power-play goals, Petr Sykora returned from exile to get the elusive 300th goal of his career, and Evgeni Malkin added a pair of helpers to put a little more distance between himself and Blowvechkin in the race for the Ross.
Rob Scuderi might be the best defenseman in the world right now. If you're looking for justification for that statement, just watch him play a game.
Hal Gill had a rough game last night, taking two delay-of-game penalties for shooting the puck over the glass from his own zone. Both gave the Bolts a two-man advantage on the power play. Luckily, Vinny Prospal is a joke and Marc-Andre Fleury made some sweet lovin' to his goalposts before the game.
Ryan Malone broke his hand. Probably from banging on his head as images of him never playing in the playoffs again slowly flashed in front of his eyes. Tough break, Bugsy. That fat paycheck should buy you lots of beer to drink on the golf course this spring.
Every team ahead of the Pens in the standings is winning on a regular basis, so talking about possible seeding in the East right now would be a joke.
The Pens are in, that's all that matters.
After you eat ham or whatever you eat on Easter this Sunday, get the playoff beard going. And for our female readers, don't shave your legs/armpits or whatever for a couple of months. Hey, it's sexy in France, right?
Let's go Pens!


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Here are a couple more pieces for my future quilt.
This is Kit #31 from Lizzie Kate entitles Big Girl Panties.
This is Kit #32 from Lizzie Kate entitled Normal.
This one is Waxing Moon Designs #147 - Frugal Samplings
This is also from Waxing Moon Designs; it is #ML06 called I'm Right - He's Wrong
This one is Waxing Moon Designs #067 - Everyone Brings Joy, but it isn't finished yet. The chimney smoke and the picket fence aren't stitched and I'm not sure what thread color to use. The design called for DMC 3865, but since this is stitched on white that one is out of the running. What color(s) do you think would look best?
This piece was already stitched, but needed to be washed and pressed; now it's ready for framing. It is #123 titled Country Seasons from The Prairie Schooler.
There's now 8 pieces stitched for my quilt and that many or more waiting to be stitched. Obviously this is going to be larger than the lap-size quilt originally planned. Who knows how large it's going to be by the time I get done stitching.
Can you guess which one is DH's favorite so far?


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A new report from the Research Information Network is Overcoming barriers: access to research information. "Based on the findings of five studies, the report investigates the nature and scale of key restrictions on access to information resources of importance to researchers; the impact of these restrictions and the ways in which they might be alleviated or overcome."
Photo by Sheila Webber: Sheffield, November 2009


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n March 23, 2013 I introduced the upcoming Discovery Channel miniseries, Klondike, based on Charlotte Gray's book "Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike," centers on a group of fortune seekers as they struggle against the elements in a small, frontier town in the remote Klondike. Our interest in this production is that Soapy Smith will be portrayed as the main bad guy.
Today it was announced that actor Sam Shepard has joined the cast of Klondike. Shepard replaces Chris Cooper, who pulled out last week to attend to a personal matter. Shepard will play Father Judge, who has come to Klondike to atone for his violent past on a mission to save souls. The series about the gold rush that overtook Alaska's Yukon Territory in the 19th century will mark the network's first-ever, scripted miniseries. Production began last week in Alberta, Canada.
Chicago Tribune
Discovery Channel's Klondike
March 23, 2013
"Imagined history can be more persuasive than fact."
— unknown


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Saturday, September 12, 2009
four years of artistic moments
It's only four years ago, but if feels like a lifetime ago since these images were taken.
November 2005. The very month that the Biscuit became zygotic. Little did I know what life had in store for us.
The next summer, I looked like this.
The summer after that, I looked like this.
And the next November, I looked like this again.
And now, after all that rigmarole, I look like this.
What a long, strange trip it's been. It's like the incredible growing, shrinking, growing, shrinking woman. Seriously. 136 to 177 to 148 to 177 to 148. I can haz 136 agin, pls?
And the smile's a lot bigger now, too.
All photos except the last one courtesy of the talented Simon Effendi of Artistic Moments Photography. Thanks for chronicling us through the years, Simon!
Posted by delilah s. dawson at 6:10 PM
Labels: a picture is worth 1000 words, Me, memories, picspam
6 comments:
- Caroline D. said...
aww, what great pictures! such and amazing journey.
- September 12, 2009 at 8:14 PM
You're so beautiful. And you were so beautiful pregnant.
- September 14, 2009 at 12:14 AM
- Virginia Valerie said...
Love the pics of you over the years! And I love your smile in the latest one!
- September 14, 2009 at 11:31 AM
- bibliophiliac said...
you are lovely
- September 14, 2009 at 3:15 PM
- Jenny Penny said...
I am really tempted to censor myself, but I think for the sake of boosting another human being's self esteem, I won't. My first reaction when I looked at these pictures was, literally, "Fuck, she's beautiful." Sorry for dropping an f-bomb in your comments, but it seemed an appropriate usage. And also? You've gotten prettier with pregnancy and motherhood. Really.
- September 16, 2009 at 11:34 PM
- Fifi Flowers said...
WOW... beautiful photos!
- September 21, 2009 at 11:03 PM
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Abbeylara March 11
Abbeylara Gun Club - A meeting of the Gun Club will be held on Thursday, March 10 next at 9pm at the shooting grounds in Derragh. All members are requested to attend.
Mullinalaghta Ladies are holding their registration day Saturday 19th in the community centre from 12 noon till 2 pm. New members welcome
The family of the late Mary Kenny would like to thank neighbours, friends etc. who attended the house, removal and funeral. A special thanks to the docotos and nurses in Granard. May she Rest In Peace.
At this time of deep recession and high unemployment,we need hope.Seamus Mollaghan,a bus driver with Donnellys Coaches Granard,is running a bus to the Novena of Hope in The Graan Enniskillen.It starts on Saturday the 19th of March at 6.30pm,with Celebrant Fr.Brian Darcy.Contact Seamus Mollaghan at 0433323668 or 0863901060 or e-mail email@example.com.
On Wednesday nights at 8.30 p.m.
Takes place on Wed 9th March. Ashes will be blessed and distributed on Wednesday evening in Abbeylara Church at the 7.30p.m. Mass. School children will receive their ashes on that day in the National Schools.
Trócaire Boxes: - Will be distributed to each home during the coming days of this week. We thank the School children who with their teachers and parents do this work which is much appreciated.
Bereavement Course takes place on Wed 9th March in the Family Centre at 8pm. The course runs for six weeks. Theme – "See I will not forget you….I have carved you on the palm of my hand". More details from 043 3346827, 087 2843034.
Is presently taking place all over the country. The Fairtrade Mark is the only independent guarantee of a fair deal for Third World producers and it is supported by all the main Third World charities and by the ICTU in Ireland . Millions of tea and coffee farmers have been hit by the huge slump in prices over recent years. We can help by using our purchasing power to help make campaign for trade justice by buying products such as Fairtrade tea/coffee both of which are available locally. Fairtrade tea/coffee morning on Monday 7th March in the Library Longford from 11 to 12 noon. Fairtrade tea/coffee morning with Miguel Mateo Sebastien, a coffee producer from Guatemala .
Abbeylara Tidy Towns: The Abbeylara Tidy Towns Committee are now getting very anxious to get out cleaning our village with Easter coming up shortly. New members are very welcome. A special thank you to Anne and Paddy for their help during the last couple of months, more in next week's news.
We had a very enjoyable meeting on Thursday morning, plenty of activity and our usual chat. We welcomed our new member Rosaleen Nugent from Coolarty into our group, there was a great turn out of members all enjoying themselves. Our sympathies to the Kenny, Kenneally, and Burke families on their recent bereavement. Our next meeting is on March 16th (Wednesday) at 11AM.
We had a very enjoyable meeting on Thursday morning, plenty of activity and our usual chat. We welcomed our new member Rosaleen Nugent from Coolarty into our group, there was a great turn out of members all enjoying themselves. Our sympathies to the Kenny, Kenneally, and Burke families on their recent bereavement. Our next meeting is on March 16th (Wednesday) at 11AM.
Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
Numbers Drawn 5-13-15-24: €20 Winners: Mick O' Neill, Lismacaffrey; Marcela Flynn, Crenagh; Brendan Devine, Rathcronin; Alas Kearney , Streete; Phil Reilly, Springstown; Maurice & Aileen O'Connor, Ballywillan: Jackpot €10,900
Membership is now due. Rates €25 for individual €40 for couple €50 for players which includes membership and insurance. Please hand in your membership to any Club Officer. The yearly Lottery entry ticket for €100 is on sale now. This will give you entry into the Lotto each week from 16th March 2011 for 12 months, for a large weekly jackpot. The majority of households in the parish and elsewhere will be visited with these Lotto tickets. Your support would help Club Finances greatly and ease the need/pressure of other fundraisers. More details later. Jackpot €10,900


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I was thrilled to be contacted about doing a giveaway. eDiaperCakes.com is offering 2 of you $25 gift cards! How awesome is that? eDiaperCakes.com is a mom-owned business that started in April of 2012.They sell a variety of diaper cakes that are designed with children's books, stuff animals and baby products. All their diaper cakes are assembled by hand and they use brand name products to embellish them.
Here are my personal favorites:
Giveaway will run for 1 week and is for US residents only! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Life with kids isn't easy so I want to write about it all. I want to share the good, bad and the ugly and of course everything in between.
eDiaperCakes.com Gift Card Giveaway!
6 comments:
The World of Eric Carle Developmental Caterpillar Diaper Cake!ReplyDelete
I like the Hello Kitty Diaper Cake.ReplyDelete
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
The goodnight moon diaper cake.ReplyDelete
I like the goodnight moon diaper cake! (alisa)ReplyDelete
i like the duck teething diaper cakeReplyDelete
I like the lion cakeReplyDelete
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Paper and Such Mothers Day Challenge
Good morning friends, I am happy to share my card for this weeks Paper and Such Challenge, this week is a Mothers Day challenge, I cannot wait to see what you create! I have used this amazing bicycle image from Paper and Such; called Basketful of Flowers. I must say this is the sweetest bicycle image I have ever seen, a new favorite stamp! I colored only the flowers, luv the look...shabby/vintage style. I hope you have a super day...enjoy!
Sketchbook Saturday: sketch
Posted by Teresa Kline at 4/24/2012 12:00:00 AM
Labels: Paper and Such, Sketchbook Saturday
5 comments:
So pretty Teresa!!ReplyDelete
I love that stamp too, it's been on my wishlist for ages! Love how you coloured the flowers only!ReplyDelete
So lovely card, love the ribbon ! Very nice creation !ReplyDelete
This is just gorgeous Teresa!!! Love the vintage look and feel!ReplyDelete
so lovely Teresa!!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for your comments, they mean so much to me. Have a wonderful day! Teresa
sparkle & shine *~*
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Paradise Rising - Update II
Construction work is continuing at the Paradise development with construction work on the core and podium deck. Here is an update from the 20th December following my last update on the 8th December, http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.com/2016/12/paradise-rising.html.
Construction work on the new HSBC headquarters is visible behind Alpha Tower.


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Friday, June 19, 2009
Pedaling as Fast as we Can
He tends to improve remarkably once he's on home territory, so I'm not sure it's a bad thing for him to skip the rehab. One thing's for sure, he's going to have to change his eating habits. The nuts and seeds and evening junk food snacks are going to have to go, and we're happy about that. We've been trying to get him to give up the nightly Cheetos and Pop-Tart binges for a while to no success. But when someone's pushing eighty and wants strawberry frosted Pop-Tarts, who are we to demand he can't have them. Just because someone grows older doesn't mean he automatically surrenders his free will. This way, he's willing to eat better to avoid the gastrointestinal nightmare that put him in the hospital, and it was his choice, so to speak.
It's been a looong week for the Hula-gen's. Hubby, Teen Angel and Mama J. have all spent most of their time at the hospital, helping with Papa T.. In between spurts of rain and Papa T.'s medical tests, Hubby has been running home to mow and do errands. I've raced from busy days at work to the hospital in the evenings and then errands and home. My work day yesterday put me in the sun for about twelve hours. Summer finally arrived here, so it's currently 612 degrees in the shade and humid. I was whipped last night, and so were the rest of my peeps. We slept like hibernating bears last. In fact, Teen Angel is still sleeping. I am off of work today, and I'm glad. It will give me a little time to slow down a teeny tiny bit and do some paperwork and phone calls regarding Sissy's finances and accounts. I'm starting to get responses from all of the letters and death certificates I had to send out to various banks, insurance companies and offices. Egad, that's a long, drawn out process. We are pedaling along, we seem to be over the hump on this latest medical issue with my in-laws and we have an invitation to a ParrotHead party tomorrow afternoon, so things are looking up. I hope to be back to reading your blogs and commenting more in a day or two, but for now, it's still one bump at a time, and I truly appreciate your concern.
7 comments:
- Trailboss said...
So glad to hear he is doing better. My brother has the same illness. He has had many many bouts w/it before it was diagnosed. I wish I could sleep like a hibernating bear. I have had such trouble sleeping lately.
- June 19, 2009 at 10:22 AM
- oreneta said...
Thank goodness for Parrotheads!!!
Glad he is doing better, hope Mama J gets some rest in there somewhere.
- June 19, 2009 at 4:18 PM
- Janis said...
So glad to hear things are starting to look up. Its been a tough road for you guys. Drink a margarita or two at the parrothead party, you deserve it.
- June 19, 2009 at 7:22 PM
- Jason, as himself said...
Wow. My MIL has had divuriticulitis as well, and it was a NIGHTMARE. After battling with it for a couple of years, it ended up with her having 18 inches of her large intenstine removed. Then after the surgery she was bleeding internally and nobody in the hospital was paying much attention. Giancarlo kept trying to get help but they weren't concerned. Then she crashed; some kind of code blue or something. That got their attention. She almost didn't make it.
And now? She still eats spicy food and nuts in spite of it all!
Good luck with the recovery!
- June 19, 2009 at 8:16 PM
- Jason, as himself said...
And by the way, I just need to say: When it rains it pours!!!
- June 19, 2009 at 8:16 PM
- Mia said...
hmmm, hospital...home...hospital...home...I think I will have to side with Papa J on this one. Very glad he is doing better.
- June 20, 2009 at 3:45 PM
- Belinda said...
Hope he's better soon! I have diverticulosis as well and pay not one bit of attention to what I should and shouldn't eat! Just think-poor Kev has about 50 more years of being frustrated by me!!!
- June 21, 2009 at 7:47 PM


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By Their Actions Shall You Know Them
Today it was an email summary of my local network news program. I've stopped watching television, all television, because it seemed so irrelevant, but I still haven't gotten around to cancelling that damned email alert. Today's intrigued me enough to check out this story.
BALTIMORE -- Medical ethicists are intrigued by a communal group called Jesus Christians, many of whose members have donated one of their kidneys to total strangers.
The Jesus Christians base their surgical donations on the apostle Paul's New Testament letter to the Romans, which says Christians should present their bodies as "living sacrifices."
They also point to John the Baptist, who urged those who had two coats to give to those who had none.
Medical ethicists say peer pressure within religious groups can be a concern, but note that faith can be a valid reason for an organ donation.
Instead of holding jobs, Jesus Christians live on gifts and spend their time handing out literature and volunteering around their communes in the United States, Australia and England.
My first response was "cult!" but, as I thought about it, even if it were a cult, it was doing something I don't know that I would have the courage to do. These people were living their belief system to the benefit of strangers. They were taking the words of the Bible literally, but in a way that gives life rather than sucks it out.
I went to their homepage and discovered that they in fact are 'end times folks.' Still, even though I don't agree with some of their premises, and I wouldn't leave my current spiritual home, I am impressed with the integrity of their movement.
And I am also embarrassed by my tepid nature when it comes to living the life Jesus asked us to.


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Myers Park-based gym Metro Fitness Club is opening its second Charlotte location, near East 4th Street and Hawthorne Lane.
The gym has been open for 1 1/2 years in its current location on Selwyn Avenue. The second location, called Metro 2, will be 6,000 square feet, the owners said. It's slated to open in April.
"We're thrilled to now offer this premiere standard of excellence in the Elizabeth neighborhood as well as Myers Park," said Metro Fitness co-owner Denise Abood, in a statement.
The gym will focus on individualized instruction and small group training programs. Metro Fitness has programs such as crossfit, kettlebell, yoga and Olympic lift training, as well as on-site massage services.
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Second Metro Fitness Club to open near uptown
Myers Park-based gym Metro Fitness Club is opening its second Charlotte location, near East 4th Street and Hawthorne Lane.
9 comments:
- Anonymous said...
$69(single) a month to $300(family) a month. WOW ! ! !
- February 15, 2012 at 11:54 AM
- Dar said...
Our rates for club membership are $69 for single, $109 for couple and $139 for family NOT $300. We do offer other packages which are higher price points but they include a full CrossFit schedule. We are as competitive with other local CrossFit gyms. The only difference is you actually get an upscale CrossFit experience, multiple class options and a full service gym for the same price. Thanks, Dar Malecki, Metro Fitness Club Owner.
- February 16, 2012 at 7:25 AM
- Michael Procton said...
LOL...I'll take my $10 membership at Planet Fitness any day of the week.
- February 24, 2012 at 12:08 PM
- Anonymous said...
i've been to Metro. Can't imagine how much nicer a gym could be. $69/ individual is a deal for membership to Metro. It is a good value. location, equipment/ amenities, staff. rare instance of superior in all three categories. And no- i'm not an owner or employee.
- February 24, 2012 at 1:19 PM
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Sunday, July 4, 2010
Ask a Zaidi
8 comments:
Note: Abdullah and Awsmekka's discussion about punishment, which was located here, has been moved to the theology section...ReplyDelete
Do Zaidis believe that Imam Zaid and the 4 imams preceding him were infallible (ma'soom)?ReplyDelete
This issue was raised by MacIsaac at Shia chat.com
Also, does Zaidism reject Sufism?
This issue was raised by Jilani at islamiccenterdc.com
zaidizm have no infallible imams but the 5 who Allah gave them the Infallibility by the Quraan Aya: ((Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.)) ahzab 33ReplyDelete
the relation between zaidism and imam zaid is not a relation of tradition, zaidism does not believe in tradition, they said Diligence is a duty for every one has a mind, so the name after Imam Zaid came bcz he had a big role in reopening the gate of Jihad and Renovation the Islam, so its an honesty relative for Imam Zaid more then its a tradition relative e.g: Jaafri or Hanafi but zaidism is not limited for Imam zaid like some other dectorines.
Imam Abdullah (the completed) ibn Hassan ibn Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Taleb(as)said: (( The flag (or the mark) between us and other people is Imam Alia, and the flag between us and other shia is Imam Zaid))
Imam Mohammed (the pure self) ibn Abdullah ibn Hassan ibn Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Taleb(as)said: (( i swear by allah that Imam Zaid had relive what have been Muffled from the prophets traditions, he had re-correct the Pillar of Faith after it has been Serpentined, we will not Quote from anything but his light, and Imam Zaid is the leader of all leaders))
أما والله لقد أحيا زيد بن علي ما دثر من سنن المرسلين، وأقام عمود الدين إذ اعوج، ولن نقتبس إلا من نوره، وزيد إمام الأئمة
about Sufism, sufism is not one line or Harmonious doctrine, they r many currents some of them r close to right and some of them r completely wrong, generally most of suffism are Ash'ari in their Dogma and they have the same idea of fatalism of most of Ash'ari, a lot of them have more concentration over Superstitions then true thoughts, and most of them have the idea of obeying the corrupted leaders whatever they did to u ...!!
most of the old sunni scholars were sufism !!
theres alot to say about sufism but its not suitable now for eveything ...
- Imam Rassi SocietyJuly 13, 2010 at 6:47 AM
Thanks, brother Aws!
If I may add, if by "sufism" you mean purification of the soul, then Zaidism is not opposed to that! Indeed, many of our imams and scholars have attained what the sufis would call "wilayat" through spiritual excercises and gnosis (ma'rifa) of their Lord. As a result, some of them were able to do miracles!
We refer to this as zuhd (indifference towards the dunya). Indeed, zuhd is a qualification for the imam. However, the ability to perform miracles is not a qualification. Miracles are just possible consequences of their spirituality.
We have powerful duas and awrad from our imams and ulema that are sufficient for one on the spiritual path! We do need murshids or brotherhoods (turuq) to reach gnosis of our Lord!
If by sufism you mean following a murshid or sheikh blindly, Zaidism is opposed to such! This is because, as brother Aws said, the greatest ni'ma is our minds and intellect. If we forsake our intellect to blindly follow some "sufi shaykh" or "pir sahib", we have no one to blame except ourselves if we are misguided!
- Imam Rassi SocietyJuly 13, 2010 at 6:51 AM
Oh yeah, it must also be said that historically "Sufis" have played a role in the destabilization of the Zaidi imamate.ReplyDelete
For example, in the Yemeni consciousness, the Zaidis saw sufism as being equated with the Ottoman rule. So when the Ottomans dominated Yemen, the imams were a bit suspect of sufism.
Abdullah Hamidaddin said:ReplyDelete
On the question of Sufi tradition; the essence of the sufi tradition is not as thought to be connecting to God .. its essence is submission to a guru ... belief in his special powers, in particular powers to know you more than yourself .. considering inspiration as a valid source of knowledge, focusing on conscious-altering rhythmic rituals among others ... in that regard Zaydis didn't have such practices.
Anonymous said...ReplyDelete
Assalaamu 'Alaykum,
I don't know if Zaidi Muslims believe in infallibility of any Imam except for Ambiya wa Rusl. But I hope you don't share this concept with Twelver Shi`as who believes that A'immah are better than Ambiya wa Rusl and with their infallible "Hidden Imam" for over 1200 years which is fiction and fabricated for the sake of upholding their religion for political desires. I'm glad Zaidi Muslims didn't end up with such Mullah's like Twelvers, they fabricated A'immah to fit the hadith of "Twelve Amirs/Caliphs" form Quraish and when the 11th Imam didn't have a son this was a huge problem for them and hence the fabrications and contradictions. I don't ask you to read all the arguments and texts of the brother but just look at the narrations and ponder upon the 12th hidden fictive fabricated non-existent Imam of Twelver Shi`as in their own books and writings of scholars:
July 15, 2010 6:21 AM
Imam Rassi Society said...
wa alaykum as salaam!
Thank you for your question!
Regarding the doctrine of infallibility ('isma) of the imams: the Zaidi view is that the only non-fallible human beings other than the Prophets and Messengers are the Companions of the Cloak: 'Ali, Fatima, al-Hassan, and al-Hussein, peace be upon them all.
We say this not only because of the verse of purification (Q. 33:33), but also because of various authentic hadiths. For example, the Prophet said about them collectively: ((I am at war with whomever they are at war with and I am at peace with whomever they are at peace with)); about Fatima az-Zahra, peace be upon her: ((I am angry with whomever she is angry with...)); about Ali ((O Allah help those that help him and be at enmity with those who are at enmity with him)).
Such hadiths show that the Companions of the Cloak, peace be upon them, will not randomly fight or make war with someone who the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, would not make war with. And those who the Prophet makes war, Allah makes war with!
Does this mean that if Sayyida Fatima, peace be upon her, gets upset at someone for something trivial, Allah will be mad at that person?! This must mean that she (as well as the other Companions of the Cloak) will only get angry for the sake of Allah! If this is the case, this would mean that they are protected from such errors.
July 16, 2010 11:34 AM
As salam alaykum,iReplyDelete
I'm a twelver shia and wanted to respond to the comment about concoction of the twelver Imamis. The evidence for each of our Imams selecting the next Imam to succeed him is sound and available for all to study and see. Our claim for infallibility for the Aimmah is not our handicraft but the simple teaching of the Imams themselves starting with Imam Zaids father, Zaynal Abideen.
Promote facts please with the kindness of the Prophet please. We are all Muslims.


text: June 17, 2010Uncategorized Leave a comment We won Best Urban Apparel on SFBaylist Thanks to everyone who as supported us in winning SFBay List 2010 Best Urban Apparel. We are so excited! Cheers Lo + Everyone @ 5733 Advertisements Share this:FacebookTwitterLike this:Like Loading... Related 5733baylistBest Urban Apparelclothingcontestdesigndesignersfiftysevenfiftyseven-thirtythreehoodiehoodiesmade in the city of oaklandOaklandsan franciscosanfranciscoscreen printsfSF GATEt shirtt shirtsthirtythree


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RECENTLY the media raised interesting questions: "Who will be the next PM when the prime minister quits politics in 2011 before the 2012 National Elections; What will happen to the National Alliance Party or the current Government?
This is a subjective issue and you will get many different answers. I will try to predict what may happen gauging from public perceptions and opinions of a coalition government's performance since the 2002 national elections.
So who will be the next PM? This is easy in an ideal political world where the job will naturally go to the next senior MP after the prime minister in the ruling party's hierarchical 'chain of command'. In this case, it should go to the deputy PM, Sir Puka Temu if the PM quits politics next year as speculated.
This will not happen because we are not in an ideal political world. There are many competing interests and shifting alliances within any coalition party government.
First of all, the PM will not quit politics in 2011 and before the elections. PM Somare is enjoying the feeling of power and controlling the destiny of some six million citizens that he would still has to extend his record breaking streak of being in politics until after the 2012 national elections.
More so, no one believes this talk of leaving politics any more. The people of PNG have heard it many times before, like prior to the 2012 and 2007 elections as predicted. The PM did not quit politics as speculated by the media like this one.
On a hypothetical note, if the PM was to quit politics in 2011 due to some reason like ill-health, the NA party will most likely see splits in its senor ranks. Some party members have openly shown that they do not prefer the deputy PM take the reins as they see themselves as the ideal choice for the top job. A further outcome is that the NA party may not do too well in the 2012 polls without the stabilizing presence of its draw-card, the grand chief; the glue holding the NA party together.
With due respects to other NA party members, no one is eminently qualified with the required seniority, depth of public administration knowledge and experience; and political maturity to succeed the PM Somare than the Deputy PM, Sir Puka Temu. Sir Puka has the edge over all the NA party's regional deputies as none were effective departmental heads like him before entering politics.
Apart from the deputy PM, there is another option that may seem a controversial outcome but not impossible. This option could be another record breaker for the grand chief that will be unbeatable in both PNG and Commonwealth politics. If PM Somare was really serious about elevating the status of PNG women in his twilight years of politics, he will give his job to the best performing MP in the coalition government: Dame Carol Kidu. The Dame as an MP has no equal and her actions speak louder than words as she is well supported by a competent Secretary running an effective department compared to most of her peers.
This decisive action by Grand Chief Somare will be in full recognition for the tireless efforts of a lone woman MP (and one of PNG's best lawmakers in recent times). This will upset the men in parliament but they will soon get over it to see that good governance, accountability, responsibility and 'sanity' returns to both parliament and government before the 2012 national elections.
Finally, I predict PM Somare is not yet ready to quit politics in 2011 and before the 2012 national elections. There are still many outstanding political reforms left by former PM, Sir Mekere that this government has yet to progress and this is no time to be quitting politics.
Reginald Renagi
Port Moresby
Monday, February 15, 2010
Who will be the next Prime Minister?
Posted by Sunday Chronicle PNG at 2:28 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Holy Moses! Gareth Bale is en fuego. He pretty much took care of West Ham on his own yesterday, leading his Spurs to a 2-3 win at Upton Park. His free kicks weren't up to their usual standards but The Hammers allowed the new Welsh Wizard plenty of time on his left foot to knock in two glorious strikes. Scott Parker reckons Bale has "deflated" Arsenal ahead of Sunday's mega-clash. Some of the SSN staffers who are Arsenal fans were certainly deflated. Jonathan Wilson says André Villas-Boas has changed Spurs' shape and the system has allowed the winger to take flight with startling results. Startling results, indeed. Here's a match report. And here's the winner:
Now that all of this round's action is complete, let's take a look at the table. As noted in the reports above, Spurs jumped above Chelsea into third. United remain comfortable at the top, while a gap has now opened between fifth and sixth after Everton's loss. QPR looked doomed, which means 'Arry will leave to ruin yet another club, and Villa have work to do to get out of trouble.
On to Spain. We're graced with two (count 'em) two columns from Sid Lowe today. The first is his usual weekend round-up, whilst the second is a closer look at the upcoming grind for Real Madrid. The Special One's boys face Barcelona away in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg at Camp Nou this evening, having drawn 1-1 in the first; on Saturday they play Barcelona again in La Liga at home and next Tuesday they travel to Manchester United in the Champions League, again having drawn 1-1 at home in the first leg. Yikes!
Speaking of Barcelona, Phil Ball was down there at the weekend and filed this report.
Honigstein? Yeah, we got him. Bayern Munich are running away with the Bundesliga but their rivalry with Borussia Dortmund remains completely compelling. The two sides clash in the German Cup morgen.
The Houston Dynamo have new jerseys. Didn't expect that jump, did you? Anyway, this writer is rather upset about it. We've done an informal poll around SSN HQ and we like them. So there.
Sticking with the USA, Tim Cahill is here. Yes, the boxing midfielder left lovely Liverpool for Harrison, New Jersey. New Jersey! Tom Dart had a chat with the former Everton star. Speaking of Everton, they've got a tricky Cup tie tonight against Oldham. Preview, please.
|Governor Patterson was shocked by Cahill's move...
This headline from the Daily Mail sums it up: The price of racism? Inter fined just £43,000 after fans subject Balotelli to monkey chants and wave inflatable bananas... and Mario is charged £8,500 for reacting!
Slides at St. James' Park? What a novel idea. We like it. "Travel Accelerators." Very cool.
Right. That's your lot. Off you go.


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Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Glamour Don't
12 comments:
I have saggy jeans. they are 20 years old and I wear them as a reminder of the 20 pounds (us) I lost over the past 4 years. But I also have a rear end which helps to keep them above my ass.ReplyDelete
I was watching a young man in the parking lot at my bank yesterday and was thinking the exact same thing.ReplyDelete
I would SO rather see polyester sans-a-belt high waters than the saggy draggy look for guys.ReplyDelete
good lord! i thought this horror scene was only visible in the u.s. sorry it has migrated north. shudder.ReplyDelete
I so hate this look and do not understand why anyone would sport it - looks kind of uncomfortable too!ReplyDelete
I have no butt so my pants do that naturally.ReplyDelete
When will this trend die????ReplyDelete
D.: I hear that. Good on you for changing your lifestyle!ReplyDelete
Mardel: I cannot understand it.
Tessa: LOL. I can't say either appeals, but I probably agree.
Droll: Oh no, y'all don't have the market cornered on horrible hip hop fashion circa 2002. :-)
Imogen: There is absolutely nothing to recommend it, is there??
Dr.M: I just know that you do not wear your pant's half way down your thighs. Bum or no, I'm sure you sport a lovely belt to keep it all in place.
Bel: Perhaps it will happen in our lifetime. Or then, maybe not.
- AnonymousMay 6, 2009 at 9:21 PM
I honestly don't care how many times one tries to "well..butt" this just does not look good ON ANYONE!ReplyDelete
That goes for the same Huchie (sp)? mama's t-back showing undies..
au contrair. I see nothing wrong with a little pantsu on an otherwise drab day.ReplyDelete
this photo is good actually. ive seen pants so baggy, i wish i was joking they were hanging off his thighs!!!! seriously. not anywhere near his butt. all this boxers in full view, and i think he had a belt on too. like what's the point??ReplyDelete
GJ: I'm with you on both accounts.ReplyDelete
~h: If you've seen worse than this that is HARDCORE! It really looked extreme when walking behind it though. Thing is, I couldn't get to close (as you can imagine).


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Family life in Poland under communism/Moscow rule.
Halina's Background 2
Poland was devastated during the II Word War 1039 – 1945.Many members of my family died, some were in concentration camps and some fought in underground groups.
"Camps were being created near the centers of dense populations, often focusing on areas with large communities of Jews, Polish intelligentsia, Communists or Roma. Since millions of Jews lived in pre-war Poland, most camps were located in the area of General Government in occupied Poland, for logistical reasons." from Wikipedia*
My uncle Czeslaw Ostankowicz survived. After the war he couldn't stop writing about his time in concentration camps.
The "maltreatment of the Poles was one of many ways in which the Nazi and Soviet regimes had grown to resemble one another", wrote British historian Niall Ferguson.
The occupiers burgled and devastated much of Poland's cultural and historical heritage, while oppressing and executing members of the Polish cultural elite. Most Polish schools were closed.
My family lost everything, again.
My Grandparents (who came from Polish old land) and Parents started new life in Poland under communist rule. They had to change their identity and family belonged to persecuted minorities. We were the enemies of the system.
I was getting education at home. My grandmother Irena de domo Jelenska, after marriage Osinska, was my tutor.
We distinguished factual Polish history, which was totally different from what they taught at schools.
My cultural distinctiveness comes from the family history. I am Polish, I feel Polish and I want my friends to accept me, the way I am.


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Vote here as many times as you can! Don't stop clicking until midnight Eastern tonight!
The band Metric approached us this month to be the recipient charity for the Pepsi Refresh SXSW Challenge. This is a challenge between the bands Metric and Broken Social Scene in partnership with Austin's SXSW Challenge. If Metric gets the most votes we could receive $100,000. The winner will be announced March 31.
Metric chose Women's Funding Network to support the launch of the national expansion of A Future. Not a Past. to end the prostitution of girls across the U.S. This phenomenal concept originated in Atlanta, where child sexual exploitation was running rampant before city officials partnered with Atlanta Women's Foundation and The Harold and Kayrita Anderson Family Foundation to create ways to prevent and end the trafficking of children. Women's Funding Network wants to take the work done in Atlanta and replicate it nationally to make all our communities safer.
Please visit the great Video about the Pepsi Refresh Challenge, Metric and Women's Funding Network. Please take a couple of minutes to link to our Facebook page, too and VOTE! You can vote as many times as you want!
Vote here!
#SaveSCOTUS: Stategic Advocacy
22 hours ago


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PENSACOLA, Fla -- As the sunshine and blue sky lay above the warm waves on Pensacola Beach, a pair of high performance jets soar high over the northern gulf waters in a aerobatic display which captures the attention of the sunbathers below.
The twin U.S. Navy jets quickly break away in a planned maneuver and begin to soar higher into the cloudless sky. Suddenly, the jets ignite a white smoke trail which begins to trace their aerobatic flight path of twin circles.
The United States Navy's elite Flight Demonstration Squadron is known to the public as the Blue Angels. The team's blue and gold jets are a familiar sight and sound along the sugar sand beaches along the northern Gulf Coast just a few miles from their home at the Naval Air Station Pensacola.
The team's public demonstration flights is the Navy's most popular recruiting tool to attract interested young adults into a career with the military. One of those young adults is a pilot today with the Angels.
For many on Pensacola Beach, the sight of the unexpected air show above is in reality only a low level practice flight by two of the six Blue Angels.
A typical week may find all six Blue Angels in flight as they practice flying wing tip to wing tip, just eighteen inches apart; and perfecting a stunning performance which has two of the jets speed toward each other before each jet breaks into a left and right hand 180-degree turn.
This year, however, the Blue Angels' F/A-18 Hornet jets were ordered to stay home. Their practice hours limited to only eleven hours a month.
2013 marked a year of major budget cuts in the U.S. military, cuts which grounded the team from performing at any of their planned air shows during their annual March to November season.
For the first time in sixty years, the Blue Angels were not allowed to perform at any of the planned thirty-five airshows across North America.
This aerospace journalist soared with Angels pilot Lt. Mark Tedrow in 2012 in Angel 7 jet, a two seater F/A-18D Hornet, and experienced nearly every maneuver these incredible pilots endure during an air show performance.
This year would have marked Tedrow's first year as Angel 6, one of two solos performing fast paced, highly intense flight demonstrations along with Angel 5.
As the aerobatic pair take center stage over an airshow runway, Angels 1, 2, 3 and 4 are typically lining up in a formation to soar high above as 5 and 6 finish.
As Lt. Tedrow and I stood on the flight line at the Blue Angels home base this week, we began to discuss about this season, and what inspired him to join this elite flight squadron.
Charles Atkeison: Lt. Tedrow, take us in the cockpit with you and explain what it's like to soar with your team.
Lt. Mark Tedrow: "It's really hard to describe for people who have not done it before, luckily you have so you what the feelings and sensations are like... it's pretty incredible being part of the solo routine for the Blue Angels, number five and number six because unlike the one thru four pilots, we demonstrate the maximum performance capabilities of the FA-18. We're the ones that wow the crowd with some of the amazing maneuvers, we fly our jets at just below the speed of sound and pull between 7 and 8 G's, during the demonstration. It's hard to describe to the person who has never felt G-forces before, but actually pretty painful but good at the same time because you know you're max performing the aircraft and it's definitely a crowd pleaser.
It's incredible to go through what we go through."
Atkeison: With the Angels grounded due to the sequester, how do you continue to practice and stay prepared for a hoped 2014 season?
Lt. Tedrow: "We've been flying locally here since we got shutdown. We fly two to three times a week and we do basic maneuvers. We have a local working area out over the (Gulf) water there that we go and practice some of the airshow maneuvers that we do, so that's the way we stay proficient as we're waiting to hear about the 2014 season.
Are we flying as much as we normally would if we were doing a season this year? No. Are we proficient to do a demo tomorrow? No. But, we defiantly are keeping are skills sharp so that we will be able to fly a demo in '14. The knowledge is there all we have to do is sharpen our skill set with a bunch of practicing before we pick-up and fly during the 2014 season."
Atkeison: Blue Angel 1 is your "Boss" and is flown by commander Thomas Frosch. Run through with me a few of his speech techniques he uses to keep your team's mental edge prepared.
Lt. Tedrow: "I would not want to be in his shoes especially this season. He has done a phenomenal job and I do not know how everyday he comes to work - he's so optimistic. And, that is what he has passed on to us.
Throughout the weeks and the months we kinda hear different things, different stories, from 'Hey, we're gonna have a 2014 season' or 'Hey, we're gonna be flying in the Fall.' It's back and forth, up and down, we get different information, but throughout the entire process, he has been nothing but optimistic about what we're going to be doing in the future and the mission of this team in 2014.
The Boss always is optimistic 'Hey, we're still the Blue Angels... we have a mission to accomplish and it's still looking good for 2014". So, he's been great throughout, and without him, I don't what we would've done."
Atkeison: O.K., let's back up a few years... you grew up outside of Pittsburgh. What lead you into a career with the U.S. Navy and later, the Blue Angels?
Lt. Tedrow: "Growing up in Pittsburgh, we didn't have much of a Navy presence, and I didn't have many family members that were in the military. In that area, sports are a big deal - especially high school football - so I grew up playing a lot of football games. In high school, I was luck enough to be recruited by United States Naval Academy.
It kinda sparked my interest... I showed up to the Naval Academy and I started playing football there, and the first year I was there the Blue Angels performed at graduation and I had never seen them before. I said, 'Wow, that is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life. I'd love to do that one day'.
I went thru the four years at the academy. I was lucky enough I selected naval aviation, went through flight school and selected jets. I did a few combat deployments to Afghanistan and worked my way through the fleet... I was lucky enough to get picked up, so here I am living that dream that I had since I was eighteen years old, and I'm super lucky to be here, and I'm honored to be a part of the team."
Atkeison: So what's it like to perform a carrier landing? What's the sensation versus maybe an Angels flight?
Lt. Tedrow: "It's a lot different. What sets naval aviators apart from the rest of the aviators throughout the world is the ability to land on aircraft carriers and ships. It's one of the unique skill sets we bring to aviation, it's one of the hardest things that we do. So to learn it is a lot of pressure, it's a lot of stress. It's very hard briefs and debriefs to get to the point where you're ready to land on the aircraft carrier.
I'll tell you first hand, the first time I landed on the aircraft carrier was in one of those jets right there, a T-45, and It was the most terrifying experience of my life. You're coming around the corner and all you see is this ship. Aircraft carriers are huge, but from the sky at 500 to 800 feet, they look tiny, they look like a postage stamp. You're coming around the corner in the landing pattern thinking to yourself, 'There's no way I'm gonna land this thing'.
To land is the most abrupt stop and landing you can ever image going from 140 m.p.h. to 0 m.p.h. in about two seconds, so that's pretty incredible. And the take-off is even more incredible to go from 0 m.p.h. to 140 m.p.h. in a about a second and a half is pretty phenomenal as well. I think I screamed the first time I got launched from the carrier in a T-45 cause their so little and light. It's one of the hardest things we do.
I'm lucky to be apart of naval aviation."
As it stands for now, Tedrow and his Blues team are due to travel out to their winter base at the Naval Air Facility El Centro, California the first week of January for three months of intense training.
(Charles Atkeison reports on aerospace, science and technology. Follow his updates via Twitter and on Instagram @BlueAngels_7.)
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
U.S. Navy Blue Angels look forward to 2014 season
Story by Charles Atkeison at 11:00 AM
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At the Buddy Walk I overhead a kid ask their parent, "why is Lucy special?" The child was quickly pulled aside and shhhhed. I smiled, because I love having those conversations and I love those innocent questions. Those looks they give when they realize Lucy is 7. Simon is so interested in the fact that he is younger but taller. Lucy is growing up and so are her friends and I've began to wonder what questions they are asking their parents and since I've had 7 years to think about how I respond, I wondered if I could help in any way.
What is down syndrome? When Lucy was growing in my belly her body formed differently. I like to think that nothing went "wrong," it's just different. I wasn't sick and neither was she. We were lucky and Lucy entered this world completely healthy.
Because her body is formed differently she has to work harder for things that come easy to us. She had to work harder to learn to walk, eat, and talk. She has to work harder to learn things that are easier for us to learn. It takes a lot of practice to get something right.
But somethings aren't different.. She loves princesses and dancing. Loves to help me cook and set the table. She wants to do things for herself. She likes to pick out her own clothes and likes her nails painted. She loves to play pretend. She's doesn't like Dora as much as she used to. Her new favorite movie is Annie.
We do things like the Buddy Walk to show Lucy and others who have down syndrome that we love them and we are so proud of how hard they work. We value what they have to offer even when the world doesn't. The Buddy Walk shows the world that it's ok to be different. Different is something that we don't have to hide. She can be celebrated.
Kindergarten Readiness and the Summer Gap
4 hours ago


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To produce healthy and intelligent children, mothers should pay attention to diet during pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding. Note the nutrients contained in food consumed.
The following essential nutrients needed for pregnant and lactating mothers health and infant growth and development:
The following essential nutrients needed for pregnant and lactating mothers health and infant growth and development:
- Protein is a builder substances needed for growth of cells in the fetus / infant. Contained in animal food sources such as meat, fish, milk and eggs.
- Folic Acid (Folic Acid), including B vitamins are useful in the formation of DNA, red blood cells and the development of the nervous system. There is the source of green food such as spinach and broccoli, fruits such as oranges, strawberries, pineapple, avocado and beef, corn, crab, mackerel and nuts.
- Calcium is useful for the growth of bones, teeth and soft tissue in the baby / fetus. And prevent bone loss in the mother. Can be obtained from milk, eggs, cheese, anchovy, salmon, sardines, green leafy vegetables, sesame, beans and fruits.
- Iron is important in the formation of hemoglobin (Hb) which is a component in blood that carries oxygen to the placenta. Also beneficial for endurance in the mother, for fetal growth and development and encourage the development of the fetal brain. In order to better absorption of iron, required the presence of vitamin C.Sources of iron found in beef, liver, eggs, cereals, nuts and green vegetables. There is also in the form of supplements available in pharmacies and health service venues.
- Choline is an essential nutrient that the body will be broken down into phosphatidyl choline is an essential part of the brain cell membranes and neurotransmitter involved in the control muscle movement (motor movement), memory and other body functions. To fulfill it is recommended to drink mother's milk for pregnant or nursing mothers containing choline.
- AA (arachidonic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic) is a component of essential fatty acids found in the brain. Function is important for neurological development in fetuses / infants, especially the formation of brain tissue and the interconnection between nerves in the brain. In addition to function also in the development of the organ of vision and growth of body tissues. can be obtained from oily fish (salmon, tuna, lemuru), soybean oil, olive oil, corn oil, seed oil sun and can also be obtained by consuming special milk pregnant or lactating.
- Vitamins essential for the formation of new cells, such as:
- Vitamins, B1, B2 and B3 which serves for the formation of energy.
- Vitamin B6 helps the protein to form new cells and suppress nausea in pregnancy
- Vitamin B12 helps make red blood cells
- Vitamin C to boost the immune system and helps absorption of iron.
- Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium
- Vitamin A to prevent myopia. But there are opinions that say, too much vitamin A during pregnancy can cause defects in the fetus.


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If you're still counting rain drops, Fresno won't set a record this year for lowest rainfall total, according to National Weather Service numbers.
The rain last weekend nudged the city to 4.77 inches for the season, which runs from July 1 through June 30. The driest on record is 1933-1934 with 4.43 inches.
Interesting note, there was measurable rain in both May and June of 1934.
Fresno still needs another tenth of an inch to move this miserably dry year into a tie for third with 1878-1879. And the Weather Service says there was measurable rain in May 1879.
One more interesting note, 2012-2013 was seventh-driest on this list until this year. It will move to eighth.


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Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists!
This week my teaser comes from an intriguing new book, Death Watch by Ari Berk. I'm not too far along, but so far I'm really attached to the main character, Silas.
Here's the blurb:
They say the dead should rest in peace. Not all the dead agree. One night, Silas Umber's father Amos doesn't come home from work. Devastated, Silas learns that his father was no mere mortician but an Undertaker, charged with bringing The Peace to the dead trapped in the Shadowlands, the states of limbo binding spirits to earth. Now, Silas must embark on a dangerous path into the Shadowlands to embrace his destiny and discover the truth about his father—no matter the cost.
Here's my teaser, from page 22:
And what was she jealous of?
Of Silas?
Of them?
Of those folk Amos claimed to help?
Please, she thought, what kind of man prefers the dead to the living?
My man, she told herself. Mine does.
Dolores had started grinding her teeth.
She took another sip of her warm gin and a deep breath after that.
I'm not drunk, she told herself.


text:
Two months ago, Dunkin' Brands (NASDAQ: DNKN ) revealed plans to develop some three dozen Dunkin' Donuts shops "stretching from Salt Lake City to Denver to El Paso over the next several years," beginning in El Paso. Now it seems the company's going to shift the effort even farther east.
On Wednesday, Dunkin' announced it has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with existing franchisee New York Donuts Group to open eight Dunkin' Donut restaurants and one Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combination location in Houston. The first restaurant is planned to open in 2014, and the rest of the shops should be up and running by 2020.
Dunkin' isn't stopping there, either. In the same press release in which it announced the New York Donuts Group franchise expansion, Dunkin' took the opportunity to invite prospective partners to contact it to open other locations throughout Texas, including in Beaumont, Rio Grande Valley, and Victoria. Additionally, the company says it's looking for partners to help develop Baskin-Robbins locations in Houston and Austin.