text:
An article which might be of interest in some quarters – replace "Dutch" with "Highland" and swap in your own favourite teuchterish quirks, and this piece of editorialising speaks very pointedly to … (- well, if you know that's fine, otherwise no need to name names :) )
Quoted in full from the Confessional Outhouse.
Dutch Guilt: An Editorial on an Editorial
Yesterday I received the latest issue of the Banner magazine, the official publication of my denomination. Guest editor Gary Mulder wants to offer a lesson in popular existentialism ("A Fish Doesn't Know It's in Water").
Starting with the observation that "missional" has become a buzzword in the hipper expressions of the church-elite, and not particularly guarded about what that may entail, Mulder takes up the issue of cultural dissonance in the Christian Reformed Church. This caught my eye, since I at once have active membership in the CRC and am fairly well removed from what it means to be Dutch Reformed, emphasis on the Dutch. And my wife is as much a cultural mutt as me. (While she can point to her maternal grandmother's immigration from Scotland, and I to my paternal great-grandfather's trek from Eastern Europe, it more or less goes a whiter shade of pale after that.) We have often bemused at the ways in which we are not exactly all-in-the-family. My personal favorite is to suggest an initial "Van" to our surname (Zrimec) in order to prevent its very common slaughtering. And like the day Zechariah was given his speech back, the pronunciation rolls off the Dutch tongue.
True enough, my blonde-haired, blue-eyed and plain-vanilla-white-bread persona goes a long way in the interests of assimilation. Yet, the rearing in secular unbelief, as well as being third-generation Slavanian, seem to go even further at winning the day…or losing, as the case may be. If the concentric circles that keep me simultaneously in and out are real, I very much get what Mulder is putting is finger on here.
But since one of the things the Dutch Reformed and I share is the fact that we are both Caucasianittes I feel rather confident to confess on both our parts a vulnerability to "white guilt." I tend to think this accounts for all the African-American spirituals in the gray Psalter Hymnal, as well as the multi-cultural tinge of the CRC in general. Speak with most ethnic minorities and they will tell you how easy it is to spot white guilt in our ranks. I don't doubt that; it makes sense. Those who are outside certain sociological demographics tend to often times be the better barometers on another's foibles. In the same way, the white guilt black Americans discern amongst us white folks finds its parallel in the way those of us perfectly un-Dutch might discern it amongst Dutch Reformed folks. So as I read Mulder's editorial I get a sense of what it must be like for black folks to watch us white folks do social penance:
"I recently re-read the editorial by former Banner editor Andrew Kuyvenhoven titled, 'It's Time to Burn the Wooden Shoes' (Nov.3, 1980). He says that, for immigrants, taking along some of the traditions they grew up with is a legitimate part of the immigration process. But he also notes that if the church becomes 'our church for our people,' this 'ethnic exclusivism becomes sinful'…Yet often we're unaware of how we hurt people by how we show our ethnicity…Those of us in churches made up primarily of a single ethnic and/or cultural group may not be aware of how we show our ethnicity or culture…When we play 'Dutch bingo,' we exclude people. When joke about the many people whose last name starts with a 'Van,' we exclude people."
This rather Pollyanna self-flagellation is actually quite common in my circles, and it brings into rather bright relief the misguided spirit of the CRC. They are very aware of their entrenched culturalism. They are aware of how it seems to frustrate the universalistic nature of the church whose program rightly transcends tribe, tongue and nation. This is to their credit. But like the 21st century descendant of plantation sires who admits freely to a held-over institutional racism, they really don't know what to do about it. So they flail and fall over themselves, thinking it has something to do with a card game and certain jokes. Worse, instead of employing a churchly means to correct the problem they simply repeat the very culturalism they mean to dismantle. There is never any conscientiousness, for example, to recover the confessional forms or Reformation history that transcends particular times and places. Rather the answer is to simply parrot religious versions multi-culturalism and the weirdly therapeutic language of "hurting people." The great equalizer isn't so much Christianity according to the Reformation as it is to celebrate all the colors of Benetton.
Mulder bids an awkward outreach the way a well-meaning suburbanite goads his son to seek out the lone black kid who just moved into the cul-de-sac:
"If you attend a church made up of people who have mostly Dutch roots, try to find a non-Dutch person in the congregation who is open to talking with you about this issue."
Well, all right, as long as you asked. First, in the interests of familial civility, I should point out the great debt I owe to the Dutch Reformed among whom we have moved for the last decade or so. Finding the Reformation on paper is one thing, but finding a living body of Reformed believers is quite another to say the least.
That said, families are nothing if not able to get real with each other about their evident dysfunctions. So, if you really want to be "serious about being a missional church" and to be "much more intentional about identifying and eradicating the ways [your] ethnic roots make it difficult for people to become part of [you]," you might consider the whole phenomenon of Christian day schooling. I know that's a big one. But until the Dutch Reformed begin to grasp that their educational enterprise is less a way to "cultivate the Christian life" (Wolterstorff) than a carried over project at a particular cultural cohesion, your claim to be "serious" may be overstating things a bit. You can't help actually being Dutch, nor should you. But education is a powerful cultural tool to keep certain people in and others out. You can keep your card games and jokes about names. They don't bother this outsider much at all.
But if you are really taking requests, and the day schooling is too much too fathom, I would also suggest exorcising your Reformed narcissism ("I am Reformed; I think x; therefore x is Reformed") and contemplating a more honest re-discovery of the Protestant Reformation. Coming to the Reformation as deliberately as I have, it seems to me you have assumed way too much about what it means to be Reformed, resting more on cultural indicators than on churchly ones. I appreciate your polite offer to brainstorm over coffee "about the subtle ways your ethnicity or culture might exclude people," as well as your sunny visions of "people from all cultures and socio-economic groups" inhabiting the denomination one day. But, frankly, it's all a bit too polite, not a little patronizing and misses the point entirely.


text: A season that promised so much going into September and saw the Bucs at one stage leading the division at 4-2 totally fell apart under the weight of a 10-game losing streak. A second visit to Wembley for an International Series game meant much to the Bucs UK but the loss to Chicago saw the start of a collapse to rival any in franchise history. Raheem Morris ultimately paid the price by losing his job the day after the season finished and a 4-12 mark was one of the worst in franchise history.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
AdvertiseGame GiveawaysGame ReviewsContact Us
...where board games are your Friday nights out.
...where board games are your Friday nights out.
All of your favorite board games, rules and more!
Snapshot Safari Game Rules
Snapshot Safari Children's Game Instructions
Average Price: $16.00
Playing Time: 15 - 30 min.
Playing Time: 15 - 30 min.
Ages: 6+
Players: 2 - 4
Players: 2 - 4
The Wild Thornberrys Snapshot Safari is a great game for the entire family. In this fun and unique game you'll be racing to take the most pictures of wild animals. Snapshot Safari gives you the chance to travel the world as you search for new animals to add to your collection of pictures.
Snapshot Safari is great for the entire family. The rules and instructions booklet includes variations for game play that make this the perfect addition to your collection of games. Be sure to check out The Wild Thornberrys Snapshot Safari for a fun trip around the world. The best part? You'll be back from your trip around the world tonight. Try playing Snapshot Safari today.
To be the winner of Snapshot Safari you must collect points by "taking pictures" of the animals on the map. If you're the player that collects the most points after all the players get back to the Commvee, you'll be the winner of Snapshot Safari.
The Wild Thornberrys Snapshot Safari game comes with game board, die, 4 character movers, 4 mover stands, 4 reward cards, 12 compass cards, 20 animal photo cards, and the Snapshot Safari game rules and instructions.
Snapshot Safari Children's Game Rules:
Please keep in mind that the official Snapshot Safari childrens rules and instructions could be different depending on the game version you have. The rules below are some of the exact directions on how to play Snapshot Safari.
Snapshot Safari Reviews, Comments, Questions
Share with us your comments, funny stories, tips, advice, strategies, creative ways to play, questions about how to play, problems with the rules or anything you want about Snapshot Safari. All submissions will be reviewed within 24 hours. Click here to add your Snapshot Safari comments.
Luisa says:
I am surprised you can still get this game. I don't know of many that have played it. It was my favorite game when I was little. Now I'm teaching my nephew how to play.
I am surprised you can still get this game. I don't know of many that have played it. It was my favorite game when I was little. Now I'm teaching my nephew how to play.


text:
|Eye on Books Classic is the official archive of author interview podcasts originally posted before 2006 at Eye on Books. For the very newest author interview podcasts, on current bestselling books, we invite you to visit Eye on Books.
Find on the web: www.stevealten.com
The book is about the underpinnings of growing up very technical, and being very geeky, partly because you're just so smart about it, and what it's like to live that sort of life, designing computers at a very young age, but all on your own, not even showing them to parents.
Home • Authors • Books • Author Photos • FAQ
About Us • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Legal Disclaimer


text:
Monday, January 6, 2014
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Enough was enough! I had to break up with his urban fantasy series.
I'm loyal to a fault. If I liked the first few books in a series, I'll keep reading them even when I get bored. Why? Because I'm nostalgic. I'm either fond of the hero, the world she lives in, or (shhh! don't tell anyone) 'shipping a one true pairing. I continue reading the series because it's comfortable and finding a new, better one can mean kissing a lot of toads.
It wasn't always so easy for me to move on. The guilt of leaving a novel unfinished would weigh heavily on me. Books were meant to be finished. It was a notion instilled in me in school, one that was hard to break. But the thing was, I wasn't reading for school, was I? I was reading for fun, not self-flagellation. There was no reason to suffer through a chore of a story if wasn't for some great work of cultural importance or my grade depended on it.
No, when reading a book becomes a dreaded chore, it's time to let it go. I carried around that massive tome of an urban fantasy for a solid month without slogging through more than a page a day before I realized it was finally time to give up on wizard Harry Dresden. Don't let yourself be guilted in to reading something that bores you to tears, even if you've loved the series in the past. It's not worth denying yourself when there are so many other fish in the sea... or books in the library.
10 comments:
Don't worry, Harry. You can still be my wizard boyfriend.ReplyDelete
I refuse to read the third Divergent book, which people I trust absolutely loathed. I'd rather make up my own ending, thanks.
- AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 2:54 PM
I made it to somewhere in the fifth Harry Dresden book, and can't make myself open it again. I just can't take it anymore either.ReplyDelete
- CorrinaJanuary 6, 2014 at 6:06 PM
Oh thank goodness! I dumped Harry after rereading the series twice & never getting past book six. I felt such guilt! But then again, I dumped Anita Blake & Sookie Stackhouse too. It's not them, it's me.ReplyDelete
- Anne V.January 6, 2014 at 8:59 PM
Dumped Anita Blake when it became clear that she was only in it for the sex and that her "good little christian" spiel was only an act.ReplyDelete
I wanted a real good girl for once!
- AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 11:35 PM
I went through the same thing with Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. The vampires no longer had unique personalities. They started to become self-righteous and the personalities blurred together. Not to mention there were glaring continuity errors (i.e. Lestat's left eye gets ripped out and later it's the right, and this isn't once, it's all through them...) I didn't kick Lestat to the curb until Fred Saberhagen's version of Dracula came along. He had the traditional Dracula powers, was fierce, actually liked what he was, and his adventures actually were unique.ReplyDelete
If Vamps are your thing, you can't do much better than Barbara Hamilton. She's amazing.ReplyDelete
That's interesting! For me the series really picked up at book 12. I'd liked them before but I loved them after that one. I have a couple series like that I'm just done with too and sometimes it's ones that everyone else really loves.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 8, 2014 at 9:39 PM
if you didnt read past book six you missed so much awesome stuff its not funny. the first 6 were good but dead beat on were amazing. t rexes, gods, fallen angels, actual angels, a battle royale between vamps, soldiers, wizards, warriors, faeries, werewolves, humans, monsters, and so much more.ReplyDelete
I agee and I'm a little sorry to say that my most recent read was Changes. It took me months to get to it and I have no enthusiasm to read Cold Days. Or Side Jobs. They're sitting here due to borrowing them from a friend but... the love is gone. I may have to set them aside and imagine in my head that the series ended with Harry falling into Lake Michigan and dying, putting an end to a rather shitty sort of lonely life.ReplyDelete
But I know that I probably won't. Something Changed for me after reading Changes, heh heh, and I long for the wizard Harry who was a paranormal investigator. This new SUFFERING HARRY is something new, and while I appreciate the twists and turns, I feel as if something is missing. Doesn't make the series any less good, it's just not what I want right now as a reader.
kolkata EscortsReplyDelete
kolkata Escort
kolkata Independent Escorts
kolkata call girls
kolkata Escort Service
escort in kolkata
escorts in kolkata
independent escort in kolkata
kolkata Independent Escort
kolkata call girls
call girls in kolkata
call girls kolkata


text:
Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park, Lumpy Ridge
On August 8, two climbers were descending from a completed climb of Batman Pinnacle. The climbers were rappelling down a loose, talus-filled gully when their rope got stuck. One of the two, (36), scrambled back up the gully to try and dislodge the rope. As he was pulling on the end of the rope, a large boulder dislodged and fell onto his right lower leg. The boulder momentarily pinned his leg against the sidewall of the gully and continued to roll down the hillside. He suffered severe trauma to his right lower leg. Park Dispatch was notified by cell phone of the accident at approximately 11:45 a.m.
Eighteen NPS rescue personnel responded to the accident site. One NPS employee, who is an air ambulance flight nurse during the winter season, worked with Park Medics to stabilize the patient and render medical care. The man's injuries were life threatening and presented rescue personnel with a true medical emergency. Numerous bags of IV fluid were used during treatment due to severe blood loss.
The rescue was very technically demanding and required a short vertical lowering, followed by several hundred feet of loose, low angle terrain. The lower angle terrain required rescuers to pass the litter hand-over-hand across loose talus fields. A Flight For Life helicopter was able to transport the man to a hospital after rescuers carried him for several hours to an open meadow. Analysis
Lumpy Ridge is an extremely popular rock climbing area in RMNP during the spring, summer, and fall. Some of the finest sub-alpine granite in the United States is found here. However, Lumpy Ridge is infamous for two things: flared cracks that are difficult to climb and protect, and long, arduous, scree and talus-filled descent gullies. This man was the victim of the latter, and while no climber can predict when a loose rock will fall, there are some important points to emphasize regarding climbing and descending safely at Lumpy Ridge.
Loose Descent Gullies. Lumpy Ridge rock climbs are plagued by long, complex descents where loose scree and talus mix with small cliff bands and vegetation. Negotiating this terrain safely after a long hard multi-pitch climb takes great care and patience. While descending these areas, climbers should space themselves to avoid accidentally kicking loose rock and debris onto each other. Descend on independent lines, if possible, or consider tackling some sections one at a time. Loose rock is loose rock, but if care and patience are exercised during the descent, accident potential can be minimized.
Rappel or Down-Climb? The decision to rappel off of a climbing route or down-climb is often obvious due to the severity of terrain; however, sometimes you have the option to choose one or the other. It is important to consider the pros and cons of each and make your decision based on safety considerations and not necessarily on what will be easier or more convenient. At Lumpy Ridge it is often tempting to rappel down all or parts of some of the horribly loose gullies to avoid having to deal with the time consuming task of carefully down-climbing through the rubble. This is often quicker and easier and less mentally taxing. Nevertheless, be sure to consider the cons of such a decision. Rappelling is one of the most dangerous things we do as climbers, so the decision should not be taken lightly. Will the rope knock debris down onto you or your partners as you make your rappel? Will the rope knock debris down onto you or your partners when you pull it for the next rappel? Given that the terrain is low angled and complex, what are the odds that the rope will get stuck when you pull it? Is there a way we can walk around this section so we don't have to rappel? Are the anchors solid? Sometimes the answer to these questions will still lead to a decision to rappel. At Lumpy Ridge, however, make sure you make that decision thoughtfully. (Source: RMNP Rangers)


text:
Bataleon Snowboards FW17/18 Preview
Retail Buyers Guide: Staff Sales Handbook: Snowboards 17/18
KEY PRODUCT FOCUS: Please pick the three most exciting boards from your new 17/18 line and tell us about them.
The Bataleon line is undergoing a massive overhaul for the 17/18 season. We are introducing 3rd Generation 3BT™ featuring SideKick™ tips, four new models, and several key shapes are getting updated. It's extremely exciting for us.
The WALLIE is a new jib board designed with progressive jib/park riding in mind. The innovative WALLIE TIPS™ allow riders to be more comfortable hitting manmade obstacles in the park and street due to the turned up tips. A new JIB 3BT™ complements this board's outline and give riders a wider, more stable centre-base, while the minimal side-base uplift will prevent edges from catching.
THE CARVER is designed with riders like me in mind ;-). We got inspired watching our team carving on the Camel Toe and wanted to take that to the next level. The CARVER has our 3rd Generation 3BT™ with the new patented SideKick™ tips. Combine that with responsive camber and a balanced flex, and you have one of the smoothest carving boards out there. Ride it aggressive and hard or smooth and stylish; it will be a ride to remember.
THE SURFER is our 3rd Generation 3BT™ flagship model. The 3D shaping is unlike anything you have ever seen on a snowboard. The Corvette looking nose packs some serious uplift and features the new SideKick™ tips while the swallow tail represents a 60's Cadillac. If there's a board that can make snowboarding feel like surfing it's definitely our SURFER.
Construction. Using any new inserts / edge tech / cores / sidewalls / glue / wood types / metals / bases / other materials? Or are you using this stuff in any new ways?
Materials influence how a board performs but only to a certain extent. You need quality shapes, cambers and flex patterns to create a snowboards real performance. We source the finest materials available, and don't mess with proven materials like our selection of high-end ISOSPORT bases.
We are now milling our wood-cores in house, which gives us the ability to create unique cores exclusive to our brand. Our latest creations are the CoreCore Light (Swiss Paulownia/Poplar with Bamboo Stringers) and our Reactor Light (Swiss Paulownia/Poplar with Bamboo Stingers along sidewalls)
Where will you build your boards, any changes? What makes this production facility the best solution for you?
There are only a handful of quality snowboard factories left. We have decided to utilize multiple production facilities for the coming season. By splitting up our production, our suppliers are able to give their full attention to a smaller segment of the line. We are growing quickly and must acknowledge that with that growth we can no longer produce everything in one factory. We have 100% confidence that both our production locations have the right knowledge to produce according to our high quality standards.
Where is the price-point that's working the best right now? Right at the top, at the bottom, or somewhere in-between?
The battle to offer the lowest price only has losers and anyone that does not understand that should be locked up…
We do not offer any boards under €400,- and we make sure that everyone in our supply chain has room to develop, innovate and invest back into snowboarding. Each year, we see the sales of our high end boards increase, telling us we have an intelligent consumer that appreciates innovation, quality and understands that trying to save €50,- on a board can never be compensated on the mountain.
We're seeing a lot of small, grassroots snowboard brands getting traction again. How does this affect your brand, marketing & positioning?
First of all, we think this is great. It's what the industry needs as these companies do things different and look at snowboarding fresh. We still approach snowboarding as a small, grassroots snowboard brand because, in the end, we are. We only make products that we ourselves ride. We ride as much as possible and avoid getting involved with investors and non-snowboarding people.
We do sell a good number of snowboards these days and are really appreciative for that, but deep down, we are still same guys we were 14 years ago stoked to be riding gear we make ourselves.
What inspired your topsheet & base aesthetics? Where is the trend here – muted, flashy, photos, what? Any cool collabs/limited editions?
Rather than trying to follow or predict trends, we design our graphics how we think looks best. We like a clean aesthetic, but what really influences the graphics of a board is the vibe of that particular model. We put the board first and then fit the art to that model. 90% of our design happens in-house and we work only with a few trusted friends from the outside. We don't use artists that have worked with other snowboard brands in the past as it is important to keep the Bataleon look fresh and consistent. When you see a Bataleon, it should be recognizable as such, even though our art is always evolving. Our mission is to continually present a solid line that looks better than the season before.
Shops are asking for a two-year product life cycle to help sell boards on price longer. Any thoughts on this, or featuring any carryover boards in the line?
I can see where they are coming from. We are strongly against discounting, as it does nothing but devalue quality products in the consumer's mind. At the same time, shops, brands and distributors lose much-needed margins when discounting products. Margin that they need to invest back into the sport we all love so much.
A 2-year life cycle for products is an option, but it's not something I see happening anytime soon unfortunately. It would only work if all the brands cooperated and we know that many brands are run by suits far away from the snow who want to see yearly growth on an excel sheet.
Brands should produce what they sell instead of overproducing and flooding the market at a discount. Brands should stop trying to increase pre-orders by offering huge discounts to retailers. It is all short-term growth and will slowly kill the core retailers and the soul of our sport.
With this approach, we'd sell 90% of the boards at full price and everybody would get a healthy margin. Then we could release something new every season that pushes snowboard innovation forward and not need a 2-year lifecycle.
Doing splitboards? What are you doing to push this segment forward?
We have been asked to produce splitboards, and I believe we could sell a few if we did, but deep down, we are not splitboarders. No one at Bataleon camps in snow caves or starts hiking before the sun comes up to get a line. We could pretend, but we don't like pretending. We'd much rather have a cappuccino in the lodge, take the first chair and hike some side country close to the resort. Europe is blessed with amazing terrain accessible in and very close to the resorts. I own a splitboard and I carried it around for two years and never used it… When I need to get someplace difficult I bootpack, snowshoe or just forget about it.
There are brands out there with great passion for split-boarding and and we prefer that they get the sales in that segment.


text:
By Noel Beck
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I have always had mixed feelings about this month. My mom found out she had breast cancer back in 1999 and then passed away from the on-again/off-again diagnosis in 2010. She and some of her friends would do the walks when I was little, but as I got older, I started to wonder why we are not finding a cure or at least better health techniques when so much money is being donated during the month of October. I know it helps people feel like they are supporting their friends and loved ones, but I have found that doing some good, old-fashioned, self care is what helps us take preventative measures for our own futures.
Cancer isn't predictable and it isn't pretty, but here are a few simple ways to take care of yourself and honor your breasts.
Lead by Example
Perform monthly self breast exams, get knowledgeable about your body, and schedule regular mammograms. I have been told since I was 17 that I would have to have my first mammogram at 30. This is 10 years younger than most women, but with my family history it makes sense. Make sure you schedule a clinical breast exam with your primary care physician, too. I have mine done every year at my annual visit. Set a good example for the loved ones around you by incorporating healthy practices. This can include starting a garden, eating as organic as possible, exercising regularly, and packing healthy lunches for your kids.
Talk to Your Family and Friends
Teach your children about self care and good breast health. Tell them about the health risks that come with smoking and alcohol. The smoking aspect is what my mom's doctors believed was a major factor that contributed to her breast cancer. Talk with your kids, siblings, parents and grandparents about your family's health history and don't be afraid to tell your doctors. Consider talking to your sister, mom, or best friend about getting a mammogram. A friend of mine had her first mammogram a couple of years ago and she said it was easy breezy where they just smooshed her breasts and then sent her on her way!
Give a Meaningful Gift
Go out of your way to show someone you care. If someone close to you is struggling with cancer, offer to get their groceries, bake them a casserole, take them to a doctor's appointment, or just be there for them when they need it. This was the most helpful thing that our community did for us. Remembering the kind people who baked us home cooked meals, and helped us out with grocery shopping was a wonderful thing in a difficult time. A gift doesn't have to involve money or the purchase of a material item. Just being there for someone makes a world of difference.
Get Involved
Consider raising money for a good cause, attending a local event, or starting your own fundraiser during the month of October. I think local charities are the best, because you can see that money going directly back to the community. Diana Price Fish (which closed in 2009) was one such organization that allowed my mom to get out of the house and take us to plays, musicals and concerts. It made living with cancer not so serious 100% of the time.
Take Care of Yourself
Put in the effort to take care of yourself and this goes beyond eating right. Of course, it's good to avoid processed foods, but also make sure you are exercising and curbing any habits that negatively affect your health. Replace them with good ones. Turn your 10 minute smoke break into a 10 minute walk break. Avoid staying up to late and try hitting the sack even 20 minutes earlier. Change your monthly Girl's Night into a Girl's Spa Day and get massages. Stress is the number one cancer causing problem. Stay active and relaxed (which is one of the most difficult things out there for some reason) and stay positive.
It's all about little changes to make small steps toward health. Breast health goes beyond routine breast exams, it starts with the food you eat and getting outdoors to everything in between.


text:
Puget Island Farmer's Market
Puget Island Farmer's Market is the best little market around!
Located on Stockhouse's Farm on beautiful Puget Island, we feature local vendors who are presenting their Wahkiakum County grown/produced products.
Spend Friday afternoon shopping for locally grown plants, flower bouquets, and herbs as well as a full array of locally grown produce. There is also a wide selection of jams, jellies, and kim chi. We have Puget Island beef and lamb by the cut, as well as delicious artisan goat cheese. Be sure to pick up some of Farmer Rob's artisan bread and wood fired oven pizza!
Stockhouse's Farm
Stockhouse's Farm
Up Beet Stage
The Up Beet Stage is often filled with local musicians, sometimes we showcase featured artists and other times we have open mic…bring your instrument and jam! We are the market where foodies hang out, and neighbors and friends linger to visit. You will find items to enjoy while at the market or take home.
For more info
For more information please contact Diane & Rob Stockhouse – 360-849-4145
Puget Island Farmer's Market – 59 W. Birnie Slough Road, Cathlamet
Open Seasonally
Fridays from 3pm to 6pm
May 22nd through October 16th


text:
Two of the world's most famous beards are about to get a sprucing up, and the Smith Brothers can stand it.
Though the cough-drop business prospered under the founder's bearded sons, William ("Trade") and Andrew ("Mark"), Smith Brothers in recent years has lagged far behind such aggressive drops as Vicks and Luden's.
In business for 117 years, the firm operated out of a half-century-old factory in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., never spent much on advertising, only recently tested TV for the first time and has stuck tenaciously to its one product. Though the firm name...
To continue reading: or Log-In


text:
Microstock is a new idea in stock photography that permits you to very easily upload and sell your photography (digital photos) on-line, via a variety of large Microstock agencies, that are desperate to sign you up and sell your pictures for you! Concealing anything that the shop provides away as a sample does not meet the needs for shoplifting, imo, anyway. Hi Scared, Thanks for checking in. I don't have much information to go on to answer you effectively, but for the most part, once you make it outdoors of the shop and you have not been stopped, you're quite much all set. Hi today I stole from a drug retailer that I I've stolen from a couple instances just before and never got caught. The service counter manager agreed and while waiting for the assistant that she named to get the keys to the propane location, the shopper placed the cart in the foyer just previous the EAS but still in the shop. As you know, I am not a cop or an attorney, but if the shop wanted her bad adequate, they would have had the cops waiting outdoors for her when you each left.
I pointed the prank farter app at my buddies a single by 1 and as soon as it detected the fart culprit, it screamed out â Farter â Farter â. It operates by gently tilting the phone but no a single can inform how I was performing it. It is the greatest prank app I have had! With no choice, the retailer does not know if you walked in with the item, or not. The can't even so say anything to you about the incident the subsequent time you walk into the store. I got myself a Tamrac velocity 7, It appears cool but do not have the old style boring camera bag's look. By the way LP, I created certain they did not see me take the camera out of my purse but made certain they saw me put it in.
Its triple compartment design and style neatly manages the important elements of digital photography with a rear compartment for a notebook laptop (fits most 17 models) and files and a lower compartment that accommodates a digital SLR with lens attached (up to a 105mm f/two.eight), plus two to three extra lenses or flash units. Certainly, not becoming an attorney, I can't establish regardless of whether you have a case, or not, but if I was that store detective and shop manager, I'd be crapping myself waiting to hear from your lawyer. The particular person that walked into dillards has died, a new individual was dragged out of that shop. I'd feel a lot greater about the police, but the retailer certainly knows who you are. I've been searching for a trendy, but also functional camera bag since my funky microfiber Samsonite bag began to appear quite worn out.


text:
Town & Country Bank is dedicated to ensuring security and privacy for each and every customer. Our Privacy Policy explains in detail what we do with your personal information including: what information we collect and how we use that information. Click here to view details of our Town & Country Bank Privacy Policy or to exercise your privacy choice.
Federal Reserve Board
Town & Country Bank's Primary Regulator:
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
One Federal Reserve Bank Plaza
Broadway and Locust Street
P.O. Box 442
St. Louis, MO 63166-0442
FDIC and My Accounts
Town & Country Bank is an FDIC insured bank. For more information about FDIC insurance coverage visit:
NMLS (Lender) Registry
Lenders who originate mortgage loans are required to be registered. You may verify Mortgage Companies and individuals at the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) and Registry Consumer Access site:
FAQ's -
+ General- Less Info
Q: What is Town & Country Bank's Routing/ABA #?
Q: What is Town & Country Bank's SWIFT code?
+ Deposit Accounts- Less Info
Q: Are my deposit accounts FDIC insured?
A: Town & Country Bank is a Member of the FDIC. For more information about FDIC insurance coverage visit:
To calculate FDIC insurance coverage amounts visit the FDIC's Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator (EDIE) at:
Q: How do I set up direct deposit?
A: Most employers, retirement plans, Social Security and other entities have a form that you will sign authorizing direct deposit. This form will request your account number and bank routing number. Town & Country Bank's nine digit routing # is 081503704. Town & Country Bank checking and savings account numbers are ten digits in length. Checking account numbers can be found at the bottom of your check. If you need assistance completing the form or setting up direct deposit, contact your local banking center.
Q: Can I check my account balance by phone?
A: Yes. Account information is available with our Customer Service Representatives during business hours at any of our locations. In addition, try our Voice Response System, Dial-A-Bank, for automated account information 24 hours a day. You are automatically enrolled in Dial-A-Bank when you open an account. Simply call your local banking center to receive your assigned PIN # and unique Dial-A-Bank number for your area.
Q: Can I open an account if I do not live in the United States? What if I live in the United States but am not a citizen yet?
A: At this time, we only accept applications from persons residing within the United States with valid U.S. tax identification numbers (Social Security Numbers). If you have questions, contact a banking center near you.
Q: How frequently is my deposit account information updated?
A: Your account information is updated at the end of every business day (Monday - Friday) with the transaction(s) received that day.
Q: How can I receive E-statements?
A: If you are currently enrolled in Online Banking you will log in. Once you are logged into Online Banking select the Additional Services tab and then select Online Statements. Follow the simple instructions provided.
Q: How can I make a deposit to my account from a remote location?
A: There are several ways to make a deposit remotely; ACH (Automated Clearing House), wire transfer, mail or with your phone using our Town & Country Bank Mobile Check Deposit Service*. See the FAQ general section for bank routing information to assist with ACH or wire transfer transactions. See the Mobile Banking Section for information on mobile check deposit services. If you choose to mail your deposit please mail the deposit to the Town & Country Bank location you use with frequency. Town & Country Bank location address information can be found in our Contact Us section click here.
Q: Can I use my phone to make deposits?
A: Yes, simply download the Town & Country Bank App. Using the Town & Country Bank Mobile Banking App; log in and select Deposit. Follow the steps given to enroll.*
*Mobile check deposit is subject to approval. Data rate plans & text messaging rates from your service provider may apply.
+ ATM/Debit Card- Less Info
Q: My ATM/Debit Card has been lost or stolen. What Should I do?
A: To report a lost or stolen Town & Country Bank ATM or Debit Card, call 1.800.264.5578.
Q: Can I increase the limit on my Debit Card?
A: Yes, with bank approval, temporary increases can be made to allow larger purchases. Call your local banking center to request the limit you need for your next big purchase.
Q: What is the difference between an ATM and Debit Card?
A: A Town & Country Bank ATM card can be used to withdraw cash at automatic teller machines world-wide. Transactions made at a Town & Country Bank ATM machine have no transaction fees. A Town & Country Bank Debit Card can be used just like an ATM card at automatic teller machines world-wide. In addition, our Town & Country Bank Debit card can be used to pay for purchases anywhere that accepts MasterCard. The funds for these transactions are taken directly out of your checking account with no fees or interest charges.
Q: Which automatic teller machines will accept my Town & Country Bank ATM/Debit card?
A: A Town & Country Bank ATM/Debit card can be used at any automatic teller machines world-wide that accepts Discover/Novus, MasterCard, American Express, Cirrus, Visa, Money Pass and Pulse.
Q: How can I avoid transaction fees with my card?
A: You can use your Town & Country Bank ATM/Debit card at any of Town & Country Bank ATMs without any transaction fees. In addition, get the full value of your money by using any of the 24,000+ Surcharge- free* MoneyPass ATMs from coast to coast. Click here to find Town & Country Bank ATM locations and Surcharge-free ATM locations near you.
*A $1.00 foreign ATM transaction fee may be assessed by Town & Country Bank on any ATM transactions at non-Town & Country Bank ATMs.
Q: How can I protect my Debit Card from Fraud?
A: Review your accounts on a regular basis to keep track of your balance and account activity. If you think you have been a victim of theft or fraud, act quickly by contacting us or the credit bureaus. Click here to learn more
Q: What does the bank do to protect my account from fraudulent debit card activity?
A: All cards we issue are protected by FraudWatch PLUS, a program that provides industry-leading technology, tools and proven expertise to manage fraud. Experience analysts work around the clock watching for any suspicious card activity. If potential fraud is detected on your card, a fraud analyst will attempt to contact you immediately to verify the authenticity of the transaction.
+ Online Banking- Less Info
Q: How does Online Banking Work?
A: Online Banking allows you to view account balances and transaction history, transfer money, and download transactions to a personal financial manager and much more from your personal electronic device.
Q: How do I enroll in online banking?
A: Simply go to the home page and in the top right corner and in the log in area click "New User". Complete the Online Banking Registration form, print and sign. Return this signed document to your local banking center and your request will be processed within 24-48 hours of receipt. Online banking participation requires ownership of a savings, checking, or loan account.
Q: Can I get notifications and alerts via e-mail?
A: E-mail alerts and notifications are available. To participate simply log in to Online Banking, go to the Additional Services tab and select Mobile Banking and Alerts. E-mail alerts and notification options are located near the bottom of the page.
+ Mobile Banking- Less Info
Q: Does Town & Country Bank offer Mobile Banking?
A: Yes, simply type www.tcbanks.com in your browser to access Mobile Web Banking.
Q: Does Town & Country Bank have a Mobile Banking App?
A: Yes, you can find Town & Country Bank's Mobile Banking App for the IPhone or Android.
Q: Can I use my phone to make deposits?
A: Yes, simply download the Town & Country Bank App. Log In and select Deposit. Follow the steps given to enroll. *
*Mobile check deposit is subject to approval. Data rate plans & text messaging rates from your service provider may apply.
Q: Can I use my phone to check my balance or to transfer funds between my Town & Country Bank accounts?
A: Yes, using the Town & Country Bank app you can check balances, transfer funds between accounts and pay bills.
Q: Can I check my balance with text messaging?
A: Yes, you can check your balance, view recent transactions and transfer funds between existing Town & Country Bank accounts. To participate, log into Online Banking, go to the Additional Service tab and select Mobile Banking and Alerts. Complete the requested information to participate in any mobile banking services available.
Q: Can I pay bills using my phone?
A: Yes, using your Town & Country Bank App you can pay bills to any Payee that you have already established as a Payee in your Online Banking Bill Pay.


text:
Appraisal: Ottoman Zarf, ca. 1875
Preview: Season 22 Episode 12 | 3m 34s
Check out David Walker's appraisal of an Ottoman Zarf from around 1875 from Portland, Hour 3.
Aired: 04/16/18Video has closed captioning.
Problems Playing Video?
Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, Ancestry, and Consumer Cellular. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.


text:
Electric cars have burst onto the drag racing scene in the past few years, in fact, 3 of the top 5 quickest cars in the world are electric. But will this trend continue for much longer?
Today we're going to look at the top 5 fastest accelerating production cars in the world and dig into what might be coming down the road. Let's start with number 5, the Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron is a mid-engine sports car designed and developed by Volkswagen Group and made in Molsheim France. It gets its name from the racing driver Pierre Veyron.
The super sport version of this car is recognized as the fastest production car in the world comes in at #5 in our list of quickest, meaning the fastest from 0 to 60 miles per hour.
Bugatti limited their production of this model to a mere 450, 30 of which were the super sport variety, and sold them for a cool 1.7M dollar US.
On the UK show Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson pointed out that the Veyron cost around £5M pounds to make and were sold to customers for around £1M pounds. They called it a "Concord moment" billed as a technical exercise.
When it came down to it, the Bugatti Veyron had a lot going for it, but in the 0 to 60 test it clocked in at just 2.5 seconds, a few tenths behind the leader.
Next, we have the LaFerrari. LaFerrari, Italian for The Ferrari, is a limited production hybrid sports car from Ferrari. The idea behind the name is that this is the "definitive" or "ultimate" Ferrari.
Personally, I'm partial to the 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS that Tom Selleck drove in Magnum PI, one of my favorite shows as a kid, but hey, this one looks pretty cool too. So this is our first hybrid electric on our list, as I promised and this one comes with a shocking sticker price of over 7M dollars making it this century's most expensive car sold at auction.
Did I mention Ferrari has only made about 500 of these? That increases the value of these collector sports cars for rich people. One interesting fact about this car is that the hybrid engine they made increases power output while decreasing fuel consumption by 40 percent…in a Ferrari!
Unlike the Bugatti Veryon which breaks the 250mph speed barrier LaFerrari clocks in with a top speed of 217mph and 2.4sec which to be fair, was taken on a downhill track so it's hard to say how it would fare against these others in similar conditions
Coming in at #3 we have the Bugatti Chiron which is the successor to our #5 car, the Veyron. The Chiron, like the Veyron, is a mid-engine sports car and is the latest from the French carmaker introduced in March of 2016. The 8-litre W16 quad-turbocharged engine was carried over from the previous model although Bugatti made lots of updates to it for this version. In this model, for safety reasons, they limited the top speed to 261mph, but it is believed that the car could reach 288mph without the speed governor.
Like the Veyron, this supercar is limited to 500 units, 200 of which were sold before the car was manufactured. That may not sound like much but considering the price tag is 2.8M dollars it's not a bad payday for Bugatti. The Bugatti Chiron clocks in with a 0-60 time of 2.3 seconds earning it the third spot in our list of top 5 fastest production cars.
It's down to the last two but before we get to them I want to mention something about the limitations of acceleration for automobiles.
A few key factors influencing how fast cars can reach 60mph, notably horsepower, AWD, and grip. When trying to calculate the physical limit of a car's acceleration, you first have to assume that you have unlimited horsepower to push the car along as fast as it possibly can handle. For a car to accelerate as fast as possible, all four wheels need to work together, so AWD is a must. So far so good for all our cars on this list.
The limiting factor often comes down to grip. Without getting too deep into the weeds, the way people often calculate this is by looking at how fast a car can stop. They measure that in feet it takes to go from 60mph to 0. Here is where things get a little tricky. The concept is that if you know how fast a car can stop, you can then figure out how much grip the tires have. For these cars, we're only considering street legal tires and not ones specifically made for drag racing. Once you know how much grip the tires have, meaning they provide acceleration instead of just spinning on the track, then you can calculate the theoretical limit of a car's acceleration. That is their 0-60 time.
When it comes to our #2 car, however, the Tesla Model S P100D, the laws of physics here need to bend a little. I have a link to great videos from the Engineering Explained video in the description if you'd like to learn more.
// Engineering Explained 0-60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAvIVGGhEis
In short, the Model S has an odd ratio of it's acceleration to deceleration rates, which indicate that there is more to the equation, and may also mean that it could achieve an even faster time with some tuning to the traction control and other parts of the operating system. The Tesla Model S P100D is the only fully electric car on our list and is Tesla's fastest option with the Ludicrous mode giving it a 0-60 time of 2.28 seconds.
Tesla Software limits the top speed at 155mph, and unlike the other cars, Tesla has been selling thousands of these each quarter for the past few years. This is Tesla's most expensive Sedan coming in around 150,000 which is still around 750K cheaper than the next most affordable car on our list. Unlike the other supercars on our list, the Tesla Model S is highly regarded as the best luxury sedan money can buy and comes in cheaper versions affordable to a much broader market. While the other car makers here set out to make the fastest sports-car possible, Tesla made the best sedan possible, and it just happened to be faster than nearly all other production cars in the world.
The reason the Tesla made this list is due to the instant peak torque. You can see how obvious this is when you look at the acceleration graph compared to some of the other supercars. You'll notice that the Tesla jumps way out ahead of all the other cars but then quickly begins to lose ground. So in a 0-60 test the Tesla Model S comes in second, but if the track were much longer, it wouldn't perform nearly as well.
This brings us to #1 – the Porshe 918 Spyder. The Porsche 918 Spyder is a mid-engine plugin-hybrid sports car from Porsche. The Spyder is powered by a naturally aspirated 4.6-litre V8 engine with two electric motors delivering some additional force to make it the worlds fastest car in the 0-60 test. Porsche initially unveiled the 918 cider at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show but didn't release the production version of it until 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Since then they've made almost 1,000 of these making it the second most selling car on our list. With a price tag of 845K, this beauty is practically a steal, especially when compared to the 7M dollar Ferrari.
With a top speed of 210 mph the Porsche 918 Spyder comes in with a 0-60 time of an even 2.2 seconds, a full eight hundredths of a second faster than the Tesla Model S P100D, and for a mere 700K more!
So there you have it, three of the top 5 quickest cars on the planet are electric for today. In the future, I'm guessing this trend is going to continue, however, including the upcoming NextGen Tesla Roadster.
While not more than rumors at this point Elon has said he would consider shooting for making the Next-Gen version of the Tesla Roadster quick enough to come in under 2 seconds in the 0-60 test. While it may sound simple, just put the P100D drivetrain in a lighter car, it is going to be harder than it sounds.
Going back to the physics of it, the weight of the car plays a role in the amount of grip it has, in a negative way. Tesla equipped the original roadster with a 50kWh battery pack giving it a weight of nearly 3,000 lb. The Model S P100D, in contrast, has a 100kWh pack and weighs only 2,000lb more. Using some back of the napkin calculations, the Next-Gen Roadster would need to be closer to 1,000lb with the same amount of horsepower to beat the 2-second barrier
Considering the battery is the heaviest part of the car, and they'd need to increase the size of it over original roadster, I'm just not seeing it. I'm not saying they can't do it if anyone is capable of breaking the laws of physics to get his way it's Elon, I have faith, but at first blush, it seems unlikely.
I'd love to know what you think…besides Tesla are we going to see more EVs start to dominate the 0-60 times? Will the roadster beat the 2sec barrier? Leave me a comment down below.


text:
Benefits of Accident Attorneys in Houston
If a person is negligent and you happen to have suffered a loss or an accident, you deserve to receive compensation. It is imperative to file a claim if you want to receive the compensation that you deserve, if you file the claim, you can find that it can end up creating other complications. In order to have help for your case and have a claim that is successful, it is important to ensure that you hire an accident attorney. There are many benefits that you will get when you hire an accident lawyer.
One of the advantages of hiring an accident attorney is that they have wide knowledge on Houston laws that deal with accidents. The advantage of having these benefits is that the attorney will have the ability to prove that the defendant was liable for the accident. Proving that the defendant is liable is among the things that the attorney will be required to prove, he will also be responsible for pinpointing the traffic laws that were broken in that case. Recovering compensation from the insurance company is also the other thing that the attorney will do for you when you hire him.
The attorney that you will hire will be responsible for negotiating with the insurance company so that you can be able to get the compensation that you deserve. Many insurance companies try to discredit victims so that they don't pay out the compensation, with the help of the lawyer you will not be discredited because the lawyer knows all the tactics that the insurance companies use.
In order to receive the compensation that you require you will be required to file your case within the required time frame, this is according to law. This might be hard for you to do on your own that is why it is important to ensure that you hire the services of an accident attorney who is going to help you with the filing.
The other advantage that you will get from hiring an accident attorney is that he will help you in the estimation of the compensation that you should get from your case. The lawyer will have the knowledge and skills to estimate the total amount of money that you deserve and he will advise you not to accept the amount of money that the insurance company is offering if it is not fair. In order to prove that the defendant is responsible for the accident, you will need the services of the accident attorney. In order to receive the compensation that you deserve, the lawyer will ensure that he builds a strong case for you. With the attorney, you will have a great chance of winning the case in court.


text:
Links on this page refer to multimedia resources (podcast, vodcast, audio recordings, video recordings, photos) related to FreeBSD or of interest for FreeBSD users.
This list is available as chronological overview, as a tag cloud and via the sources.
This list is also available as RSS feed
If you know any resources not listed here, or notice any dead links, please send details to Edwin Groothuis so that it can be included or updated.
Managing OpenBSD
Source: New York City *BSD User Group
Added: 12 May 2008
Tags: nycbug, presentation, openbsd, system management
MP3 version (11 Mb, 103 minutes)
This talk is the result of an after-meeting discussion with a few folks, when it became apparent that there is some confusion as to how to deal with OpenBSD in small and large environments. The topic of installation and upgrading came up again. This talk is aimed to hopefully dispel many of the rumors, provide a thorough description and walk through of the various stages of running OpenBSD in any size environment, and some of the features and tools at the administrator's disposal.
Okan Demirmen has been working with UNIX-like systems for as long as he can remember and has found OpenBSD to match some of the same philosophies in which he believes, namely simplicity and correctness, and reap the benefits of such.


text:
An hour with Tam Ly
Born and raised in Greensboro...
As a normal first question to any interview I asked Tam where did you grow up? He said he was born and raised in Greensboro, NC and then the next question I asked brought out a truly amazing story of heroism, courage, and ambition. This story must be shared.
What brought your family to NC?
And we will get to this, but the journey starts in the early 80's in Vietnam.
Tam's parents had an arranged marriage which was sparked when his Grandmother (Father's Mother) spotted his mother in the market.
Vietnam War
Things were rough. The family struggled as they did whatever was necessary to get by. Tam's Father smuggled goods in the dark of night between towns (deemed illegal by the communist government), as well as painted communist propaganda for money. However, Tam's Grandmother envisioned another life. She planned and arranged an escape, but did not tell her husband or family until the day they left.
Tam mentions "My Mother left her entire family, she made a choice to follow her husband's family and said good bye indefinitely."
"We were boat people"
25 people crammed on a 30ft fishing boat and headed out to sea with the hope of getting past the Vietnamese border. They were not on a ship built for the ocean, they were on a simple fishing boat with one goal-- to survive past the trackable boundary.
Sink or Swim
The passengers were able to make it to open water where they tried to get picked up by other boats, but as obvious refugees they were being passed. During this time Tam's Mother was sea sick, which was the wrong diagnosis. Later on they found out she was actually pregnant. It is maritime law that if a boat is in distress than the closest vessel must help. With no one stopping to pick them up , there were no other options but to sink the boat. Tam's family sunk the boat and got picked up by a vessel heading to Indonesia.
Indonesian Refugee Camp
Tam's family landed in an Indonesian refugee camp where Tam's Sister was born. About a year into living at the camp, his family was sponsored to come to the United States by a Lutheran Church in North Carolina.
United States: Arrived together, with nothing, no english, and a whole lot of ambition.
The entire family, Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents and Cousins, all lived together in one house. Tam's Dad got a job at a printing press and between all of the relatives and their various jobs, they pulled their money together and opened the first Vietnamese restaurant in Greensboro.
Ly's Restaurant and Tam's early years
Tam was born shortly after the restaurant opened and remembers his childhood being immersed in helping in the family restaurant. Although Tam was born in the US, his first language is Vietnamese.
How was it growing up in Greensboro and being the first person in your family born in the US?
Tam: English came pretty easily since I was around it all the time with movies and school, but I did take an ESL class that really helped me catch on. I was about the only Asian kid in any of my classes early on and I started to realize that I couldn't hide my Asian American identity. I actually felt more uncomfortable around Vietnamese people growing up. That changed later when I got involved in VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) in college.
Do you and your family ever go back to Vietnam?
Tam: I have been back. It took my family over 25 years to go back. My parents worked at the restuarant 7 days a week for 10 years so there was no time. We did go just 3 years ago and we spent time with my Mother's family for the first time.
Could you tell me about your high school experience?
Tam: For the most part, I fit the "smart" Asian kid stereotype as I am introverted, always had a few friends, and made good grades. My parents instilled in me the value of doing well in school. My mom has a 5th grade education and my dad has a 10th grade education.
"If they had been educated they would be killing it. They are hustlers, you know. I have a ton of respect for them."
You went to UNC Chapel Hill and majored in psychology?
Tam: Yes, I started as a chem major because I always thought I would be a Doctor, but it was not for me. I switched to psychology and I think it was meant to be as my name, Tam Ly, means psychology in vietnamese. I continued on to get my masters at UNCG in psychology, but while I enjoyed learning I did not love implementing the case studies.
So you were the first in your family to get your masters and you got it in psychology, how did you end up programming?
Tam: I wish you could be called a Master for getting your masters. Master Ly has a good ring to it!
I had to shift gears after I got my masters and decided to take a year and a half off to clear my head. I went back the greensboro and helped my parents out at the restaurant while tapping into an old hobby.
I had always done a little coding, started on my TI83+ calculator. I am artistic and creative - so I went that route into programming with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I also took classes for a year to refine my skills before moving into a full time job in programming. At my previous company, I was first doing web maintenance, then moved more into UX analysis, UI development, and by the time I left I did all of their UI dev.
How did you end up at Windsor Circle?
Tam: If I wanted to be comfortable I would have stayed at my old job. Here, I am challenged pretty much everyday and work with people who really know their stuff. I like the culture, everyone says culture is important but you can't really define it. When i came here, talked to people and interviewed, it was different. I take a lot of pride in my work so I like being here where people do too.
What's Next?
Tam: Getting married! My fiancee is planning the wedding and I just do what she tells me to and stay out of her way.
Those Who Say It Can't Be Done Should Not Get in the Way of Those Doing It.
The biggest accomplishments in human history are the ones that seemed impossible. But someone did them.
Tam mentioned numerous times throughout our discussion how is Grandmother was the driving force in his family. She is the matriarch and a true hero. Tam's family story is a testament to taking risks and championing change.


text:
Ecuador, Uruguay are reeling at the wrong time in World Cup qualifying
South America's World Cup qualification campaign is a marathon. With a total of 18 rounds played over more than two years, stretching over three club seasons, it is all but impossible to maintain consistency from the first kickoff to the final whistle.
The early pacesetters of the current campaign know this all too well. Ecuador were out of the blocks at a blistering pace, winning their first four games. The only rivals at the top of the table were Uruguay. After six rounds, a third of the way through, they were level on points and only separated on goal difference. By the halfway stage, Uruguay were out in front, but Ecuador had dropped to third. Even so, they still seemed to be sitting pretty. Historically, 28 points have always been enough for direct qualification, with 27, 25 or even 24 sufficient to grab the playoff spot. And with 50 percent of the campaign still to come, Uruguay already had 19 and Ecuador 16. Surely the pair would be able to cross the line in relative comfort.
The table now, going into Thursday's 15 round, looks very different -- worrying for Uruguay, and downright alarming for Ecuador. The Uruguayans are third, but only a point clear of the playoff spot. Ecuador, meanwhile, are down in sixth and in real danger of missing out on Russia altogether.
What makes things worse for the early leaders is that on Thursday they are up against the continent's "Big Two." Ecuador visit Brazil while, in the undoubted tie of the round, Uruguay host Argentina.
This may not be a good moment to face the Argentines, who themselves are scrambling desperately for points. But they have a new coach - Jorge Sampaoli, who did such exciting and impressive work with Chile before enjoying a fine debut season in Spain with Sevilla. There is genuine optimism that finally Argentina have a coach able to get Argentina's star-studded attack to click together -- the fact that the team have scored just 15 goals in 14 games is a sad indictment of a side that has been punching far below its weight.
Ecuador, meanwhile, travel to meet a Brazil side in party mood. With four rounds still to go, Brazil have already made sure of their place in Russia -- a consequence of the superb work done last season by new coach Tite, who took a struggling side and led it to eight consecutive wins. Thursday's match is in Porto Alegre, his hometown. In all of their history, Brazil have never lost a World Cup qualifier on home soil. It would be one of the biggest shocks in the continent's footballing history if that proud record were to fall to the Ecuadorians.
The chances are, then, that going into matchday 16 next Tuesday, the table is going to look even worse -- if not for Uruguay, then almost certainly for Ecuador.
What has gone wrong with the two teams who set the early pace?
In the case of Ecuador, after those four opening wins the next 10 games have brought just two victories. There are concerns that the team no longer gains the same advantage from playing its home games at the altitude of Quito, since an increasing number of players are based abroad and have lost familiarity with the conditions. More to the point, perhaps, is that Ecuador are heavily dependent on a restricted group of players. If they lose form and fitness, then performance suffers. One of the stars of the early wins was Swansea winger Jefferson Montero, who has been badly affected by a series of injuries. Key centre-forward Enner Valencia appeared to lose form and confidence in England.
And centre-back has been a problem position for a while. Senior defender Frickson Erazo ran into injury problems. Along came the duo of Arturo Mina and Luis Caicedo, who were so impressive last year as little Independiente del Valle made it all the way to the final of the Copa Libertadores. They were both sold abroad, but their moves have not proved a success. They, too, have lost form and coach Gustavo Quinteros is still searching. His patched up defence will surely be severely tested by the Brazil forward line.
Uruguay also have defensive problems. Coach Oscar Washington Tabarez is emphatic about his team's model of play. Uruguay have to operate within their limitations and he fully expects the opposition to have more possession. Defensive solidity, then, is essential. But the side has started leaking goals -- with nine conceded in the last three World Cup qualifiers, all defeats. In June the team collected two more defeats in friendlies away to Ireland and Italy, letting in three goals each time.
The problem may well be in the central midfield positions, where one of the team's stalwarts, Egidio Arevalo Rios, is now 35. Will he be trusted to start Thursday's game against the likes of Lionel Messi and Paulo Dybala? Or has the time come for bolder solutions? Both Tabarez and Quinteros could be forgiven for wanting to turn the clock back to a time when their teams seemed to be coasting to Russia. But it is form over the next few weeks which will determine whether or not they make it to the World Cup.
Tim Vickery covers South American football for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @Tim_Vickery.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.


text:
Presumptive Disability Insurance
The keys to presumptive are the words "permanent" vs "complete"
Policy Provisions
The definition of presumptive disability varies among contracts. Some contracts do not even have a presumptive disability insurance provision. The basic idea of presumptive disability is to protect against drastic disabilities that occur suddenly. They generally protect you against the loss of hearing, sight, speech, or the use of any two limbs. This is not a provision for which you pay an extra premium, it is built into most contracts. The main differences are in the definition language, specifically in the words; Total, Permanent, Irrecoverable. A total loss of sight, speech, hearing, or the use of any two limbs is a lot different from an irrecoverable or permanent loss. Total losses protect you from temporary loss of site, speech, hearing, and broken limbs. An irrecoverable loss is just that, the disability must be permanent. All contracts that have a presumptive disability provision pay first day benefits for these losses.


text:
personalized wristbands no minimum
Party Favors - Incorporating Spice To A Kids"S Get Together If you can"t go to Louisiana for Mardi Gras, have your very own Mardi Gras party. Invite all your rowdy friends, and have lots of liquor and meals on hand. Get your party began by selecting one particular of these low-cost and festive Mardi Gras invitations to send to every guest. tyvek wristbands come in just as many colour alternatives as any other range of wristbands. That way you won"t miss out on look when picking this affordable admission alternative. Printing or logos can be additional to make an a lot more distinct and personalized appear that will compliment your occasion. If your arranging spending budget is tight, save funds making use of a wristband that will function just as well as any other variety.
If you are unsure of what to purchase, in regard to design, request the guidance of the printing make your own bracelet company you have chosen to operate with. They will be far more than happy to offer you recommendations and support you come up with the ideal style possible. Just like a billboard, a message requirements to be clear, concise and to the stage. There is only so considerably true estate room on your personalised wristbands magnets; make use of it wisely. Be positive to omit any phrases that are not needed and focus on the greatest message. Narrow in a single goal and go with it. Also much going on in an advertisement leaves the likely customer baffled or basically uninterested. The ZDNet Holiday Gift Guidebook also begins with an USB drive, this time the IronKey ultra-difficult, waterproof USB drive with built-in hardware encryption. At $299 for an 8GB drive, you"re paying a steep premium for the safety and dependability. Hint: The 4GB model is becoming far more heavily discounted. They also have Khet: The laser game on their record. The only board game with two class II lasers, it"s probably the greatest geek board game. To make the toga far more suitable for Halloween you could choose an orange or black fabric or 1 of these patterns that comes out exclusively at this time of 12 months - a pumpkin or witch design for illustration. When you customize your custom silicone wristbands you get to select every thing from what shade they are to the certain design and the writing. This indicates that the whole finished item will reflect you, your result in or your organization. There are many different locations that produce these kinds of bands and that indicates you have the selection to make your silicone bracelets appear however you want. If you own a firm you will definitely want to use this technique of obtaining your name out there. Many folks dress in these varieties of bracelets and far more folks see them. For each and every bracelet you get someone to put on, you could be obtaining many new buyers.
wholesale custom wristbands
cheap festival wristbands
cheap custom wristbands free shipping
custom message bracelets
custom mantra bracelets


text:
Archive for July 24th, 2010
Micro-Documentary: BP Gulf Of Mexico Oil Disaster – Revelation 8
July 24, 2010: SGTbull07 / YouTube – July 5, 2010
REVELATION 8: A must see micro-documentary about the Gulf oil catastrophe. The oil disaster is possibly an extinction level event for our Republic. The fragile eco-system, the air, the food supply, the water supply, crops, tourism, the economy, the land and Liberty are all threatened. Humanity is at war with the Elite who intend to carry out their depopulation agenda no matter what cost…
The Tonka Report Editor's Note: Excellent video exposing the underlining New World Order conspiracy in regard to the BP false flag Gulf of Mexico oil disaster… – SJH
Link to original video below…
Written by Steven John Hibbs
July 24, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Posted in 9/11, Agenda 21, Big Brother, Big Oil, Bio-Chem Warfare, Civil Rights, COINTELPRO, Communism, Conspiracy, Controlled Demolition, Corruption, Deception, Disinformation, Documentary, Economy, Education, Environmentalism, Eugenics, False Flag, Fascism, Federal Reserve, Freedom, Genocide, Geo-Politics, Global Banking, Government, Gulf Of Mexico, Health, History, Law and Justice, Nature, New World Order, Obama, Obama Regime, Orwellian, Planet Earth, Police State, Propaganda, Psyops, Science / Technology, Slavery, Socialism, Sovereignty, Terrorism, U.S. Constitution, U.S. News, Video, World Bank, World Disasters, World Government, World News
The CIA – Beyond Redemption The 'Agency' Should Be Terminated
July 24, 2010: Sherwood Ross / Veterans Today – July 24, 2010
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has confirmed the worst fears of its creator President Harry Truman that it might degenerate into "an American Gestapo." It has been just that for so long it is beyond redemption. It represents 60 years of failure and fascism utterly at odds with the spirit of a democracy and needs to be closed, permanently.
Over the years "the Agency" as it is known, has given U.S. presidents so much wrong information on so many critical issues, broken so many laws, subverted so many elections, overthrown so many governments, funded so many dictators, and killed and tortured so many innocent human beings that the pages of its official history could be written in blood, not ink. People the world over regard it as infamous, and that evaluation, sadly for the reputation of America, is largely accurate. Besides, since President Obama has half a dozen other major intelligence agencies to rely on for guidance, why does he need the CIA? In one swoop he could lop an estimated 27,000 employees off the Federal payroll, save taxpayers umpteen billions, and wipe the CIA stain from the American flag.
If you think this is a "radical" idea, think again. What is "radical" is to empower a mob of covert operatives to roam the planet, wreaking havoc as they go with not a care for morality or, for that matter, the tenets of mercy implicit in any of the great faiths. The idea of not prosecuting CIA interrogators (i.e., torturers), as President Obama has said, is chilling. These crimes have to be stopped somewhere, sometime, or they will occur again.
"The CIA had run secret interrogation centers before—beginning in 1950, in Germany, Japan, and Panama," writes New York Times reporter Tim Weiner in his book "Legacy of Ashes, The History of The CIA" (Random House). Weiner has won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the intelligence community. "It had participated in the torture of captured enemy combatants before—beginning in 1967, under the Phoenix program in Vietnam. It had kidnapped suspected terrorists and assassins before…"
In Iran in 1953, for example, a CIA-directed coup restored the Shah (king) to absolute power, initiating what journalist William Blum in "Rogue State" (Common Courage Press) called "a period of 25 years of repression and torture; while the oil industry was restored to foreign ownership, with the US and Britain each getting 40 percent." About the same time in Guatemala, Blum adds, a CIA-organized coup "overthrew the democratically-elected and progressive government of Jacobo Arbenz, initiating 40 years of military government death squads, torture, disappearances, mass executions, and unimaginable cruelty, totaling more than 200,000 victims—indisputably one of the most inhuman chapters of the 20th century." The massive slaughter compares, at least in terms of sheer numbers, with Hitler's massacre of Romanian and Ukranian Jews during the holocaust. Yet few Americans know of it.
Blum provides yet other examples of CIA criminality. In Indonesia, it attempted in 1957-58 to overthrow neutralist president Sukarno. It plotted Sukarno's assassination, tried to blackmail him with a phony sex film, and joined forces with dissident military officers to wage a full-scale war against the government, including bombing runs by American pilots, Blum reported. This particular attempt, like one in Costa Rica about the same time, failed. So did the CIA attempt in Iraq in 1960 to assassinate President Abdul Kassem. Other ventures proved more "successful".
In Laos, the CIA was involved in coup attempts in 1958, 1959, and 1960, creating a clandestine army of 30,000 to overthrow the government. In Ecuador, the CIA ousted President Jose Velasco for recognizing the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The CIA also arranged the murder of elected Congo Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in 1961 and the installation of Mobutu Seko who ruled "with a level of corruption and cruelty that shocked even his CIA handlers," Blum recalls.
In Ghana, in 1966, the CIA sponsored a military coup against leader Kwame Nkrumah in 1966; in Chile, it financed the overthrow of elected President Salvador Allende in 1973 and brought to power the murderous regime of General Augusto Pinochet who executed 3,000 political opponents and tortured thousands more. In Greece in 1967, the CIA helped subvert the elections and backed a military coup that killed 8,000 Greeks in its first month of operation. "Torture, inflicted in the most gruesome of ways, often with equipment supplied by the United States, became routine," Blum writes.
In South Africa, the CIA gave the apartheid government information that led to the arrest of African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, who subsequently spent years in prison. In Bolivia, in 1964, the CIA overthrew President Victor Paz; in Australia from 1972-75, the CIA slipped millions of dollars to political opponents of the Labor Party; ditto, Brazil in 1962; in Laos in 1960, the CIA stuffed ballot boxes to help a strongman into power; in Portugal in the Seventies the candidates it financed triumphed over a pro-labor government; in the Philippines, the CIA backed governments in the 1970-90 period that employed torture and summary execution against its own people; in El Salvador, the CIA in the Nineties backed the wealthy in a civil war in which 75,000 civilians were killed; and the list goes on and on.
Of course, the hatred that the CIA engenders for the American people and American business interests is enormous. Because the Agency operates largely in secret, most Americans are unaware of the crimes it perpetrates in their names. As Chalmers Johnson writes in "Blowback" (Henry Holt), former long-time CIA director Robert Gates, now Obama's defense secretary, admitted U.S. intelligence services began to aid the mujahideen guerrillas in Afghanistan six months before the Soviet invasion in December, 1979.
As has often been the case, the CIA responded to a criminal order from one of the succession of imperial presidents that have occupied the White House, in this instance one dated July 3, 1979, from President Jimmy Carter. The Agency was ordered to aid the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul—aid that might sucker the Kremlin into invading. "The CIA supported Osama bin Laden, like so many other extreme fundamentalists among the mujahideen in Afghanistan, from at least 1984 on," Johnson writes, helping bin Laden train many of the 35,000 Arab Afghans.
Thus Carter, like his successors in the George H.W. Bush government — Gates, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Paul Wolfowitz, and Colin Powell, "all bear some responsibility for the 1.8 million Afghan casualties, 2.6 million refugees, and 10 million unexploded land mines that followed from their decisions, as well as the 'collateral damage' that befell New York City in September 2001 from an organization they helped create during the years of anti-Soviet Afghan resistance," Johnson added. Worse, the Bush-Cheney regime after 9/11 "set no limits on what the agency could do. It was the foundation for a system of secret prisons where CIA officer and contractors used techniques that included torture," Weiner has written. By some estimates, the CIA in 2006 held 14,000 souls in 11 secret prisons, a vast crime against humanity.
That the CIA has zero interest in justice and engages in gratuitous cruelty may be seen from the indiscriminate dragnet arrests it has perpetrated: "CIA officers snatched and grabbed more than three thousand people in more than one hundred countries in the year after 9/11," Weiner writes, adding that only 14 men of all those seized "were high-ranking authority figures within al Qaeda and its affiliates. Along with them, the agency jailed hundreds of nobodies…(who) became ghost prisoners in the war on terror."
As for providing the White House with accurate intelligence, the record of the CIA has been a fiasco. The Agency was telling President Carter the Shah of Iran was beloved by his people and was firmly entrenched in power in 1979 when any reader of Harper's Magazine, available on newsstands for a buck, could read that his overthrow was imminent—and it was. Over the years, the Agency has been wrong far more often than it has been right.
According to an Associated Press report, when confirmed by the Senate as the new CIA director, Leon Panetta said the Obama administration would not prosecute CIA officers that "participated in harsh interrogations even if they constituted torture as long as they did not go beyond their instructions." This will allow interrogators to evade prosecution for following the clearly criminal orders they would have been justified to disobey.
"Panetta also said that the Obama administration would continue to transfer foreign detainees to other countries for questioning but only if U.S. officials are confident that the prisoners will not be tortured," the AP story continued. If past is prologue, how confident can Panetta be the CIA's fellow goons in Egypt and Morocco will stop torturing prisoners? Why did the CIA kidnap men off the streets of Milan and New York and fly them to those countries in the first place if not for torture? They certainly weren't treating them to a Mediterranean vacation. By its long and nearly perfect record of reckless disregard for international law, the CIA has deprived itself of the right to exist.
It will be worse than unfortunate if President Obama continues the inhumane (and illegal) CIA renditions that President Bill Clinton began and President Bush vastly expanded. If the White House thinks its operatives can roam the world and arrest and torture any person it chooses without a court order, without due process, and without answering for their crimes, this signifies Americans believe themselves to be a Master Race better than others and above international law. That's not much different from the philosophy that motivated Adolph Hitler's Third Reich. It would be the supreme irony if the American electorate that repudiated racism last November has voted into its highest office a constitutional lawyer who reaffirms his predecessor's illegal views on this activity. Renditions must be stopped. The CIA must be abolished.
(Sherwood Ross is a Miami-based public relations consultant and columnist who formerly reported for the Chicago Daily News, the New York Herald-Tribune, and wire services.)
The Tonka Report Editor's Note: And President Obama, along with the rest of these criminals need to all be arrested and charged with treason! – SJH
Link to original article below…
Written by Steven John Hibbs
July 24, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Posted in 9/11, Afghanistan, Africa, al-Qaeda, Asia, Assassination Teams, Australia, Big Brother, Big Oil, Britain, Bush Regime, Central America, CIA, Civil Rights, Clinton Regime, COINTELPRO, Communism, Conspiracy, Controlled Demolition, Corruption, Cuba, Deception, Disinformation, Drug Wars, Economy, Education, Eugenics, Europe, False Flag, Fascism, Freedom, Genocide, Geo-Politics, Government, Greece, History, Indefinite Detentions, Iraq, Law and Justice, Middle East, Military, New World Order, Obama, Obama Regime, Orwellian, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Propaganda, Psyops, Renditions, Revolution, Socialism, South America, Sovereignty, Surveillance, Terrorism, Torture, U.S. Constitution, U.S. News, Viet Nam, War, War Crimes, War On Drugs, White House, World Disasters, World Government, World News
North Korea Threatens Nuclear Deterrent Over US Military Exercise
July 24, 2010: David Batty and Justin McCurry / guardian.co.uk – July 24, 2010
Pyongyang ramps up the tension over this weekend's joint US-South Korean wargames in the Sea of Japan.
North Korea has threatened to use its "nuclear deterrent" in response to planned military exercises by the US and South Korea this weekend.
The regime promised a "retaliatory sacred war" amid increased tensions on the Korean peninsula over the March sinking of a South Korean navy vessel, which Seoul and Washington blame on Pyongyang.
North Korea's National Defence Commission (NDC), headed by leader Kim Jong-Il, issued the threat today for what it called a second "unpardonable" provocation for again being blamed for the incident in which 46 sailors died. "The army and people of the [North] will legitimately counter with their powerful nuclear deterrence [against] the largest-ever nuclear war exercises," the commission said in a statement run on the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Pyongyang routinely threatens war when its southern neighbour and the US hold joint military exercises. South Korea's defence ministry said no unusual North Korean military movements were detected. Operation Invincible Spirit, which begins tomorrow, will involve 8,000 US and South Korean troops, 200 aircraft and 20 ships, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington.
"The more desperately the US imperialists brandish their nukes and the more zealously their lackeys follow them, the more rapidly the [North's] nuclear deterrence will be bolstered up along the orbit of self-defence and the more remote the prospect for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will be become," the NDC statement said.
Yesterday, a North Korea spokesman, Ri Tong-Il, told reporters at the ASEAN regional security forum in Hanoi, Vietnam, there would be a "physical response" to the drills in the Sea of Japan, which he branded another sign of US "hostility". "It is a threat to the Korean peninsula and the region of Asia as a whole," he said, adding that the exercises harked back to 19th-century gunboat diplomacy and violated North Korea's sovereignty.
The meeting of regional powers in Hanoi has quickly become the stage for a war of words between the North and the US, although there has been no direct contact between the countries' delegates. The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said "isolated and belligerent" North Korea would have to end its "campaign of provocative, dangerous behaviour" if it wanted better relations with the US and the rest of Asia.
North Korea has pulled out of six-party talks on its nuclear programme and is blamed for the March sinking of South Korean navy vessel the Cheonan. It denies carrying out the attack. On Wednesday, Clinton unveiled new sanctions designed to deny luxury goods to the North Korean elite and strangle funding for Pyongyang's nuclear programme. The North says it will not return to nuclear talks unless sanctions are lifted. Yesterday, Clinton urged Asian nations to pressure North Korea into abandoning its nuclear ambitions by enforcing strict UN sanctions imposed after the regime's second nuclear test last year.
A South Korean newspaper said the new US sanctions would target 200 North Korean-held foreign bank accounts thought to be connected with illegal activities such as nuclear weapons development, drug trafficking and counterfeiting. "Even before the Cheonan incident, the US was tracking around 200 North Korean bank accounts in banks in China, Russia and even eastern Europe and Africa that are believed to be involved in the development of weapons of mass destruction and the export of drugs, counterfeit money, fake cigarettes and weapons," the Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted a diplomatic source as saying.
The paper said Kim Jong-Il is believed to hold a US $4bn slush fund in secret accounts in Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. North Korea also rejected Seoul's demand for an apology over the sinking.
The Tonka Report Editor's Note: North Korea did not sink the Cheonan. Case in point: If there was definitive proof that they had, all-out war would have already erupted in the region… – SJH
Link to original article below…
Written by Steven John Hibbs
July 24, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Posted in Asia, Big Brother, COINTELPRO, Communism, Conspiracy, Controlled Demolition, Corruption, Deception, Disinformation, Economy, Education, False Flag, Fascism, Genocide, Geo-Politics, Global Banking, Government, History, Military, New World Order, North Korea, Nuclear Warfare, Obama, Obama Regime, Orwellian, Propaganda, Psyops, Science / Technology, Socialism, South Korea, Sovereignty, Terrorism, U.S. News, United Nations, War, War Crimes, WMD, World Bank, World Disasters, World Government, World News, WWIII
Chemtrails – Evil Atmosphere Is Forming Around Geo-Engineering
July 24, 2010: Clive Hamilton / New Scientist: Magazine Issue 2769 – July 21, 2010
IN 1892 Edvard Munch witnessed a blood-red sunset over Oslo, Norway. Shaken by it, he wrote in his diary that he felt "a great, unending scream piercing through nature". The incident inspired him to create his most famous painting, The Scream.
The striking sunset was probably caused by the eruption of Krakatoa, which sent a massive plume of ash and gas into the upper atmosphere, turning sunsets red around the globe and cooling the Earth by more than a degree.
Now a powerful group of scientists, venture capitalists and conservative think tanks is coalescing around the idea of reproducing this cooling effect by injecting sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere to counter climate change. Despite the enormity of what is being proposed – nothing less than seizing control of the climate – the public has been almost entirely excluded from the planning.
Up to now, governments have been reluctant to talk about geoengineering. The reason is simple: apart from its unknown side effects, it would weaken resolve to reduce emissions. But it may soon prove an irresistible fix. This form of geoengineering is extremely attractive because its costs are estimated to be trivial compared to those of cutting carbon. It also gets powerful lobbies off governments' backs, gives the green light to burning more coal, avoids the need to raise petrol taxes, permits yet more unrestrained growth and is no threat to consumer lifestyles.
No government is yet willing to lend support to geoengineering, but the day when a major nation backs it cannot be far off. It is even possible that a single nation suffering the effects of climate disruption may decide to act alone. Indeed, Russia has already begun testing. Yuri Izrael, a scientist who is both a global-warming sceptic and a senior adviser to Prime Minister Putin, has tested the effects of aerosol spraying from a helicopter. He now plans a large-scale trial.
Izrael is the latest in a long line of scientists who have advocated planetary engineering. Two of the earliest and most aggressive were Edward Teller and Lowell Wood. Teller, who died in 2003, is often described as the "father of the hydrogen bomb" and was the inspiration for Dr Strangelove, the eponymous mad scientist of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film. Wood was one of the Pentagon's foremost weaponeers, which led his critics to dub him "Dr Evil". He led Ronald Reagan's ill-fated Star Wars project.
Wood and Teller began promoting aerosol spraying in 1998. Reflecting the dominant opinion of the 1950s, they saw it as our duty to exert supremacy over nature. Both have long been associated with conservative think tanks that deny the existence of human-induced global warming.
A number of right-wing think tanks actively denying climate change are also promoting geoengineering, an irony that seems to escape them. Of course, geoengineering protects their funders in the fossil fuel industries because it can be a substitute for carbon reductions and justify delay, but a deeper explanation lies in beliefs about the relationship of humans to the natural world.
While emissions reductions are an admission that industrial society has harmed nature, engineering the climate would be confirmation of our mastery over it, final proof that human ingenuity will always triumph. Wood believes that climate engineering is inevitable. In a statement that could serve as Earth's epitaph, he declared: "We've engineered every other environment we live in, why not the planet?"
Advocates of geoengineering also court the super-rich. Wood is doubtful that governments can reach a consensus, but he sees no need for that, instead speculating about going ahead with support from a billionaire. "As far as I can determine, there is no law that prohibits doing something like this". He is right.
Perhaps the billionaire he has in mind is Bill Gates, who has been funding geoengineering research for three years. Gates is also an investor in a firm named Intellectual Ventures that is promoting a scheme called StratoShield, which would pump sulphur dioxide into the upper atmosphere through a hose held aloft by blimps. Richard Branson has also set up his own "war room" to do battle with global warming using "market-driven solutions", including geoengineering.
The Carbon War Room website promotes a paper co-authored by Lee Lane of the American Enterprise Institute, well known for its climate scepticism. It argues that the benefits of geoengineering vastly outweigh the costs. The authors worry that ethical objections from environmental groups may block deployment, before noting with relief that "in reality, important economies remain largely beyond the influence of environmental advocacy groups".
Geoengineering is not something we should enter into lightly or without proper public consultation. If we resort to it, then the concentration of carbon dioxide will continue to rise. It would then become impossible to call a halt to sulphur injections, even for a year or two, without an immediate jump in temperature.
It's estimated that if whoever controls the scheme decided to stop, the greenhouse gases that would have built up could cause warming to rebound at a rate 10 to 20 times that of the recent past – a phenomenon referred to, apparently without irony, as the "termination problem". Once we start engineering the atmosphere we could be trapped, forever dependent on sulphur injections.
More than a painting, The Scream would become a prophecy…
Check out this video…
The Tonka Report Editor's Note: Folks, the US government and military have been geo-engineering with aerosols (chemtrails) in the atmosphere since at least 1996. Check out the link below… – SJH
TTR Chemtrails Archive
Link to original article below…
Written by Steven John Hibbs
July 24, 2010 at 12:12 am
Posted in Agenda 21, Arts and Literature, Big Brother, Bio-Chem Warfare, Chemtrails, Civil Rights, COINTELPRO, Communism, Conspiracy, Corruption, Deception, Disinformation, Economy, Education, Environmentalism, Eugenics, Fascism, Freedom, Genocide, Geo-Engineering, Geo-Politics, Global Banking, Global Warming / Climate Change, Government, Health, History, Law and Justice, Military, Nature, New World Order, Orwellian, Planet Earth, Propaganda, Psyops, Science / Technology, Socialism, Space / Universe, U.S. News, Video, World Bank, World Disasters, World Government, World News


text:
QUESTIONING PROTOCOL is an eye-opening narrative replete with humor, hope, and, most importantly, helpful tips about the health care system.
No parent wants to see his or her child suffer. What began as frightening seizure-like episodes for twelve-year-old Gary Oster eventually evolved into two unexpected operations and turned into one mother's memoir about her son's harrowing and roller-coaster medical journey with Crohn disease.
Award-winning writer, speaker, and expert on healthcare reform Randi Redmond Oster shares a candid and compelling story. Amid a flurry of medical confusion from doctors' orders down to the hospital cleaning staff, Oster explains how she utilizes her corporate skills to gain insight into the medical hierarchy and protocols in order to communicate effectively to medical professionals about her son's battle with Crohn disease. Oster does not mince words as she relays her gut feelings amid a plethora of unforeseen circumstances—sleepless nights, frantic calls to the doctor, long drives in the middle of the night to the ER, and the list goes on and on.
While Oster's narrative appears to be a parent's worst nightmare, she aptly interweaves humorous situations including survival tactics, as well as a wealth of serendipitous blessings and lessons learned—all that miraculously kept her on task during Gary's three-year medical whirlwind. Oster closes each chapter with a "What You Can Do Now" page, which highlights tips followed by chapter examples.
Oster's most prominent lesson led her to initiate Help Me Health, an organization dedicated "to transform how healthcare thinks about and delivers patient experiences to achieve better outcomes for patients and a better bottom line for providers."
QUESTIONING PROTOCOL is undoubtedly a must-read for consumers who deal with Western Medicine.