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For Rep. Allen West, the skyrocketing price of gasoline is not just a policy matter, it's a personal pocketbook issue. The Florida tea-party Republican (who, of course, blames President Obama for the increase) recently posted a message on Facebook wailing that it's now costing him $70 to fill his Hummer H3.
It's hard to feel the pain of a whining, $174,000-a-year congress-critter, but millions of regular Americans really are feeling pain at the pump — especially truck drivers, cabbies, farmer, commuters and others whose livelihoods are tethered to the whims of Big Oil. It's an especially cynical political stunt, then, for congressional Republicans, GOP presidential wannabes and a chorus of right-wing mouthpieces to use gas price pain as a whip for lashing out at Obama's January decision to reject the infamous Keystone XL pipeline.
This friendly Canadian corporation, they cried, would send 700,000 barrels of "tar sands crude" oil per day through the 2,000-mile-long pipeline that it would build from Alberta, Canada, to Texas refineries on the Gulf Coast. "Less dependence on OPEC," they chant like a mantra, "more gasoline for America, lower prices for consumers." What's not to like?
Well, aside from inevitable environmental damage from pipeline leaks, and the fact that this foreign-owned corporation would use the autocratic power of eminent domain to take land from unwilling sellers along the 2,000 mile route, here's something not to like: The gasoline and diesel that would be made from this Canadian crude would not go to American gas pumps, but to foreign markets.
The dirty little secret that those pushing so urgently for building Keystone XL don't want you to know is that the tar sands oil producers are in cahoots with Texas refineries to move the product onto the lucrative global export market, selling it to buyers in Europe, Latin America and China — not to you and me. The pipeline and the toxic crude it'll carry across six states would do absolutely nothing to shave even a penny off of the price we pay at the pump.
Already, U.S. refineries are exporting records amounts of the gasoline they make. For the first time in 62 years, America is now a net petroleum exporter. Valero Energy Corp., the largest U.S. exporter of refined petroleum products, is a major lobbyist for Keystone XL. Along with Motiva (an oil refiner jointly owned by Shell and Saudi Aramco) and Total (a French refinery), Valero has signed secret, long-term contracts with Keystone's owner (TransCanada Corp.) and several tar sands oil producers to bring this crude to Port Arthur, Texas. All three have upgraded their refineries there to process diesel for export.
Adding to Big Oil's enjoyment is the fact that the Port Arthur refineries of Valero, Motiva and Total are within a Foreign Trade Zone, giving them special tax breaks for shipping gasoline and diesel out of our country. And adding to the dismay of some U.S. consumers, TransCanada has quietly boasted that Keystone XL would cut gasoline supplies in our Midwestern states, thus raising prices at the pump and siphoning more billions of dollars a year from consumers pockets into the vaults of multinational oil interests.
So, lets tally the score in this Keystone pipeline deal: The American people's environment would be put at risk, foreign nations would get the fuel, pipeline and oil investors would get the tax-subsidized profits, and we'd all stay hooked on deadly polluting oil. Meanwhile, the financial speculators and supply manipulators who are artificially causing our gasoline prices to rise escape scrutiny, while self-serving politicians (tanked up on Big Oil's and Wall Street's campaign cash) divert attention to the bugaboo of Obama's pipeline decision.
And, yet again, our nation has an excuse to postpone the necessary investments in conservation, alternative fuels and mass transit that will actually solve the gas-gouging problem.
What's not to like?
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subset: commoncrawl


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Abdominal Lift
The abdominal lift brace with march strengthens your lower abdominal muscles, helping you keep your pelvis and back stable:
- Lie on the floor with both knees bent. Put your feet flat on the floor and your arms by your sides. Tighten your abdominal muscles. Be sure to continue to breathe.
- Lift one bent knee about 2 inches then return it to the floor and lift the other about 2 inches. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and continue to breathe. These motions should be slow and controlled without your pelvis rocking side to side.
- Repeat 10 times.
For your safety, check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program.


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Please note that new members will now be required to apply for membership with a recognisable user name, not just letters and/or numbers . Usernames like XYZ, Wd51, etc. will not be accepted in future. Our name registration section now clearly states:
Many thanks,Please enter the name (not just letters and numbers) by which you would like to log in and be known on this site.


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'Celebrity Apprentice' recap: 'Where's Barbara Walters now?'
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Sunday night might have served as a teachable moment for Donald Trump: Don't mess with President Obama. And not only was the Donald skewered at the White House correspondents dinner but also last night his show was trumped by historic news of the death of Osama bin Laden.
The timing was anything but fortunate for 'Celebrity Apprentice' viewers east of the Rocky Mountains, who caught only part of the showdown and missed who was sent packing. Those of us out west were able to see one villain vanquished only for a new one to emerge on what was an absolutely magnificent evening of reality TV.
I expect fans to be split into two factions here over who the villain is: NeNe Leakes or Star Jones?
I have to admit, I'm in Camp NeNe. I also readily admit her faults — she flew off the handle like a madwoman in front of the client (not so good) and got a little too riled up. But that's why I love her: She keeps it real, and she won't back down. She's God's gift to reality television. And to be fair to Jones, I thought it was noble of her to put personal differences aside to work on the task at hand.
For those whose regularly scheduled broadcast was interrupted, Leakes went off on Jones at the start of the evening. It was the result of Jones' manipulation in the boardroom last week, in which she practically coerced Leakes into helping her rid the team of La Toya Jackson (hold on for more on Jackson, for sure).
The towering Leakes bent herself like a desk lamp to inform Jones that she would be the one to stand up to her, even though the rest of the women had backed down. Too bad she did all of this in front of the executive for the hair products company they would be working for. 'Where's Barbara Walters now?' Leakes says, taunting Jones.
Leakes said she was upset because Jones had essentially preordained her to be project manager, as though it was part of the nefarious plotting Jones had been up to all season. (She did become project manager, as did Lil Jon for the men — after losing a game of rock-paper-scissors.)
Moments later, though, it was like Leakes had completely forgotten. They had gotten their assignment — to put on a hair show using this company's products — and she had kicked off a dance party with the woman, centered on her theme of 'Shake Your Beauty.' (I kept waiting for Dwight Eubanks to pop up with offer some pithy commentary, like a 'fashion show with no fashion' all over again — 'Housewives' watchers know what I'm talking about!)
The men, after some initial worries and wandering to nowhere with Meat Loaf, came up with a fun, patriotic-themed event. They also managed to get inside the women's heads by calling back Niki Taylor, who had been fired weeks before. If you don't recall, Taylor was a class act after her run as project manager, sacrificing herself because she said the blame for her team's loss could be assigned to no one but the manager. Now, she had some of her former teammates mentioning betrayal.
Another twist came when La Toya Jackson, who was fired last week, had a sit-down with Trump in his office. (Side note about his office: Were you as underwhelmed as I was seeing his personal office? On the '30 Rock' scale, it seemed more Liz Lemon than Jack Donaghy. I had pictured a desk of solid gold, a shark tank — at least a bust of himself on the shelf.) She proposed that she have a second chance; she got it — she's back on the show, on the men's team now, and turned out to be one of Leakes' biggest advocates in the boardroom. That in itself is a shocker, considering how just a couple of weeks ago Leakes' big target was Jackson.
The women lost what should have been a sure thing for them. Left in the boardroom were Leakes, Jones and Hope Dworaczyk.
Note: I made no mention of Dworaczyk before now. Like I said last week, she's basically become a piece of furniture on the show. Or, as Leakes put it, the intern there to do whatever Jones commands. When she did speak on the show, it was to whine about Leakes, as though she were Leakes' target. (It's quite clear that Leakes could not care less about her.) And Dworaczyk, who whined about always having to be the model (she's a former Playmate), stunk as a model, walking around the stage like a scarecrow with robot legs.
Despite the NeNe-versus-Star showdown, it became clear that — SPOILER ALERT! — Dworaczyk was the one who had no place being there. No matter the vitriol between them, and how crazy they may be, Leakes and Jones are far superior players. Jones has, regardless of her manipulative ways, been a workhorse; Leakes has proved to be talented and hard-working and, when she's not confusing another player for Kim Zolciak, is never tardy for the party. Ultimately, Dworaczyk — who, Trump says, is a huge star now because of 'The Apprentice' — was sent packing.
The war between dueling villains continues. In the strange world of reality TV, the survival of a villain is the reason for celebration.
— Rick Rojas


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Democratic lawmakers on April 8 unveiled legislation aimed at promoting local hiring and putting in place penalties for contractors who outsource …
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Democratic lawmakers on April 8 unveiled legislation aimed at promoting local hiring and putting in place penalties for contractors who outsource work involving state projects, when avoidable.
But, so far, the so-called Keep Jobs in Colorado Act has been met with uneasiness by representatives of the contracting field, who are expressing concern over key requirements of the legislation and worry that the bill could run up the cost of doing business with the state.
House Bill 1292 was announced at a Capitol press conference, where it was touted as a bill that will "reform state procurement," the bidding process for state work projects.
Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, said the legislation will "promote local hiring, domestic manufacturing, and will help stop the outsourcing of jobs with taxpayer money."
"Our number one job is boosting our state's economy and connecting more Coloradans to good jobs," Pabon said. "One way to do that is to ensure that state funds, our taxpayer dollars, go to hire Colorado workers and support Colorado businesses."
The bill would expand the state's "best value" bidding process, to include factors beyond low bidding in awarding contracts, such as the availability of Colorado workers and whether domestic materials like iron and steel are being used for state-backed projects.
The bill also would put in place financial penalties for companies that do not meet a current legal threshold, which requires that 80 percent of all taxpayer-backed state project labor be conducted by Colorado workers.
Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, said that the 80 percent requirement has been on the books since 1933, but that the jail penalty for company owners who do not abide by the law has not been enforced.
Kerr said the bill would replace jail time with financial penalties for companies that do not comply, with fees as high as $25,000 when violations are found.
"We are putting some teeth into a law that is already in existence," Kerr said. "And we are making sure that it is feasible for it to be followed, as well."
The bill takes a "three strikes and you're out" approach to companies that do not comply with the law, which could result in a company no longer being able to do business with the state. Enforcement will be up to the state Department of Personnel and Administration and the state Department of Labor and Employment.
"If somebody violates those rules, there's going to be consequences," Pabon said.
But representatives of the contracting field were not exactly jumping out of their seats with excitement over the bill, during a legislative committee hearing that followed the press event.
Some had neutral positions on the bill, saying they just don't know enough about the legislation or its cost to form an opinion at this time. But they did express concern over the 80 percent requirement, especially over how it's enforced.
Some who testified said that, for example, it would be difficult for contractors to ensure they are working with Colorado-based materials.
"That's a complicated process," said Craig Clark of Dynaelectric, an electrical contracting company. "We have a tough enough time identifying a U.S. project."
Republican members of the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee also expressed concern that contractors would be penalized over things that would be difficult for them to control, such as whether those in the process are being honest about whether labor and materials are Colorado-based.
"There's absolutely no way in this free market system that everyone is going to be truthful," said Rep. Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction. "It gets into the weeds so deep and puts such a burden on a general contractor."
The committee ran out of time during the hearing and will vote on the matter at another time.
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Posted this on another blog what seems forever ago, thought that some who maybe had not seen it before may enjoy it, yes cheating I know but my fingers and mind are tired tonight :-)
Something under the sea
So here's a story from my younger years (much younger), the events happened when I was about eight years old so perhaps my memory has become distorted over the passing of many long years since but this is how I remember the events which took place at the time (I'm lucky the remember where I left my mug of tea these days!): -
I don't come from a ' great outdoors ' background, more your typical working class family where my mother ran the home and my father worked all the hours god sent at the local cement factory to provide for my sister, brother and yours truly. His one pleasure, when not working in dust, was the training and racing of greyhounds and through these we travelled all over the North of England. The one family holiday was the annual fortnight in a caravan on the isle of Anglesey (Ynys Mon in welsh) in North Wales in a site over looking Traeth Bychan (little beach). Whilst here my brother and I were usually left to our own devices, my brother being four years older usually taking the lead in our adventures. These usually consisted of fishing, rock pool exploration, piracy and general not letting our parents discover the various troubles that we seemed to amass (well they'd only have worried wouldn't they?).
It was on one of the fishing adventures that this story takes place. We had in our possession a small, plywood built, dinghy I recall being of a type called a Goblin. The boat had been rescued by father on the previous year's holiday during some unseasonable storms. Over the winter he carefully repaired the damaged side, manufactured a new mast and had my Nan run up a set of sails. So now armed with the ability not just to fish from the rocks my brother and I set forth that summer to plumb the depths of the bay off Traeth Bychan. We'd had a couple of half successful outings that summer holiday with a fare number of flatties (plaice), a couple of codling and three unattended lobster pots (minus any lobster though) as well as the usual beach debris of various shells, skimming pebbles obviously made somewhere like Germany because they were the perfect shape and weight for our small hands, and a couple of shark or ray eggs, which I was told were mermaids purses which, to an impressionable eight year old was just pure magic. The holiday was drawing to its inevitable end when I overheard a couple of holiday anglers talking about conger eel. Well my eyes must have been as big as saucers as I stood rooted to the spot listening to tales of this underwater serpent with its evil dark purple color, the mighty muscles which made it such a fight to land and its jaws filled with row upon row of flesh shredding teeth. A fish to be respected they said, a fish that would test any fisherman's metal. Mmmmm well now its funny how an idea takes hold of a young mind, now to catch a fish like that would let me, mmm let me, oh I didn't know what it would let me do but I did know that I had to catch this monster. I must have spoken out aloud or maybe it was just the feral gleam that was shining in my eyes but the two fishermen had stopped talking and were looking straight at me "you fish" I was asked, I don't think that I spoke, just nodded dumbly in answer, "well then try for this monster at dusk" the other said smiling, "if you do fish that is" the first man added then they turned back to stowing their boat with the little urchin clearly forgotten.
But the seed had been sown, off I flew to find Peter, oh yes that's my brothers name, to fill his head with this wonderful notion of beaching a real sea monster. Problem was that Peter was quite a stubborn child in that if he had not thought of a plan then obviously the plan was not worth a pinch of salt because he was the eldest so he was the brightest (yeah right o). I'd learnt that a little gentle persuasion was sometimes needed for him to come around to one of my ideas, even one as brilliant and as adventurous as this. So after cleaning the sand off our clothes, wiping his bloody nose, telling on him for the bite marks in my leg (and arm, the jesse) and having to wash the dishes for fighting again oh and getting a clip off Pops for telling tales, bite marks or not! There was still an impasse, not his idea! I had one last ace to play him with "scared" I said with no little venom (well I'd washed most of the dishes) as I pushed him into some gorse. So the next day after doing dishes again, this time on my own (bless his patchwork legs) we coerced Pops into taking the Goblin to the beach. "It's a little late" he said "tides' in just as the lights failing, make sure you're beached and stowed before then and I'll be waiting for you on this side of the bay". The thing about Traeth Bychan is that at full tide the sea comes right into the base of the cliffs leaving just a small area of beach at each end of the bay, one with the launching slipway where our camp site adjoined and the other leading to a little more exclusive site (they had wooden holiday homes and proper toilets, not a communal block) not that this has any effect on the tale, just thought that I'd bulk the story up a bit by describing the area a little. We were off, Ahab and Starbuck in search of their monster (little did we know then what waited for us), our harpoons sharpened, OK just a rusty gaff that had obviously not been wanted by the bloke we'd past walking up the beach to get his boat trailer (told you before - piracy) our bait bucket full of fresh lug worm and a couple whole of mackerel, we even had a couple of new weights and wire traces with shiny new hooks for the bottom end, bought by Pops, probably because of the guilt off giving me that undeserved slap, well I did blub loads. But what on earth could have possibly been better than this? Two adventurers skimming across the world's deepest ocean at a phenomenal rate of knots powered by their 1.5hp Seagull outboard.
About ten minutes later the intrepid fishermen had reached their destination of the furthest reaches of the known oceans, the other side of the bay. We dropped anchor and started tackling up. Now I did say that this happened an eon ago and is based on a younger memory but I tell you now that I've never since seen a patch of water as flat as the bay at Traeth this night. The saying as calm as a mill pond comes to mind but once the small wake made by that little dinghy had died away the sea's surface was like a sheet of deep turquoise glass with only the gentlest of sounds as the tiny waves slipped onto the beach. It was like the quiet in the film Moby Dick before that knurled, crooked jawed, white leviathan breached from the depths taking Ahab and his crew to Davy Jones's locker (not that you get many sperm whales off Ynys Mon that is). The moment was not lost upon the two adventure's as the noiseless air covered them like a blanket, "the mackerel are mine, you can have the lug" spat out Peter, obviously he hadn't got over his nose been bled the day before. Without Pops on hand to settle the possible argument, and the fact that I was yet to learn to swim (to my shame this wasn't to happen for a couple of decades ) I took the obvious course of action, "that's fine, everybody knows lug's a killer bait for eel" I said greedily reaching for the bucket.
We lowered our offerings to the sea gods, Peter's bait with one of the two shiny new weights that we had in our spartan selection, and a spark plug holding my flapping piece of mackerel to the sandy bottom (told you I was smart). we were prepared for the inevitable hours of waiting it was going to take to trap our monster and wrestle it from the depths, when after a couple of minutes Pete's rod gave a tell tale twitch. Wide eyed and frozen we stared at the fiberglass beast tamer hardly daring to breath, again it twitched this time bouncing slightly in the rowlock where it rested, spurred by this latest movement Pete lunged at the rod striking so hard we both ended up on our back sides, "its on, its on" he yelled winding in like demon and sure enough a few minutes later our first monster lay flapping in the bottom of the goblin, "can you eat dogfish?" I asked innocently, "You will in a minute smarty bum" came back the retort. And that's the way the afternoon drifted by, with each and every twitch of the rods, visions of bauble eyed monsters leapt to my thoughts, of bloody fanged creatures tearing at the side of the boat and wasn't it time that we had a butty and opened the flask of coffee yet? I reached over to nudge Pete on the back to pass the butty box, fare dues he jumped out of his skin; the tension obviously was eating at him as well. "Scared" I mumbled into my spam butty, "You were right about the lug" he quipped (2 dogfish and 3 flatties to my 1 doggy, sometimes being smart is a curse) at this we both started laughing and giggling our feud now forgotten. "Monsters" we yelled "sea dragons" we cried, we were nearly choking our selves with mirth (and relief). "Alright, flatties it is then, give us some strips of them mackerel here and we'll try the baits together", OK he may have had some good ideas after all I'll admit grudgingly. The afternoon drifted to evening with several flatties in the bilges, no score keeping, and two content explorers stinking of bait and fish guts, full of spam butties and coffee and feeling like brothers again.
And with the evening light slowly fading something else came into Traeth, it was not the cold that had started nipping at our faces nor the few gulls that watched with dark, greedy eyes from the flat surface surrounding us, hoping for some more fish entrails, it was not even the whisper of the slightest of breezes which had stirred around the bay ,or even the beginning of twilight shadows dancing on the steep cliff faces that evening for all these things were on the sea's surface or in the air and what came into Traeth was not above the sea. "I'm cold" I whined "and the suns going down", it was time to go, we started to stow our tackle Pete putting it away whilst I pulled up the little anchor on its sodden, slimy rope (yep, second again) I glanced across the bay at Smart's harbor hoping perhaps to spot Pops waiting on the walls for us to head in, Pete glanced over as well "one day that yacht will be mine" he said pointing at the only boat to big to berth within the harbor breakwater, it was about a twenty eight foot pleasure yacht but to us in our little Goblin it was the Queen Mary. "we could live on that forever and sail to Australia on that" he mused, he was right, with that yacht we'd be the lords of the seven seas, with our scurvy crew to do our bidding ha ha, we sat and stared each dreaming and coming up with new ways we would use our Queen Mary. I must have still been drifting with these dreams when a sharp nudge and a breathless whisper from my brother brought my mind swiftly back into focus; "what's that in front of the harbor?" he hissed through gritted teeth. I followed the line of his shaking arm; my eyes must have been on stalks as I strained to understand what we were looking at.
Across the other side of the bay, what only could be described as a mound of water was moving at an angle towards the anchored yacht. From where we sat mesmerized it was impossible to tell how large this disturbance was or even how fast it was traveling? To our young eyes though it seem both huge and fast as it made it's way deliberately towards the yacht. There was something wrong with the movement that held us spellbound like a brace of rabbits caught in the glare of headlights. It wasn't that something disturbed the surface or that something moved in the bay, we'd both seen large grey seals moving through the water as well as huge shoals of mackerel chasing whitebait against the rocks in our adventures but nothing that we'd witnessed before bore any resemblance to this. Also the sound, there was none to be heard from our vantage point although maybe we were to far away for all but the loudest of splashes to be heard. The mound, for want of a better description carried on until we were sure that whatever it was below the surface must surely ram the sitting duck of the yacht, but no, as the mound came to the side of the vessel near its stern the whole boat just lifted over it as if riding a large wave and gently settled into a slowing rocking motion. From across the bay we could hear the gentle noise of what must have been a small bell on board sounding out and bearing witness that the yacht was indeed moving back and too. Then there was nothing, no wave, no sound apart from the wavelets on the beach now nearing the rocks as the tide carried on rising regardless of anything else even the watching gulls were subdued. We looked at each both unwilling to admit our fear. "Maybe it was a dolphin?" Pete ventured, "Yeah must have been a dolphin", I agreed "er lets make for the sailing club". Pete turned to the ever reliable Seagull motor, wrapped the starting chord around the drum and pulled heavily, nothing! "Bugger" he said under his breath then glanced up hoping that I hadn't heard to hold him hostage to Pops. "Try again, and hurry up" I blustered hoping that he didn't hear how nervous I was feeling. Again he wraps the chord, more deliberately this time and his pull is hard and sure, splutter, turn, choke then nothing, again and again he tries with no burst of the noisy 2 stroke ever showing signs of happening. "Come on stop messing around" I was nearly crying by now "it won't bloody start, will it" he yelled turning towards me his eyes wild with frustration. It was then; just over his shoulder I saw it. The water between us and the beach was rising slowly up into a mound of blackness.
Its funny how certain things stick in your memory over the years, it wasn't the height or size of that body of water (although now if I had to but a size on it, it wasn't hardly as high as the stern of the dinghy and only a couple of yards round) but the fact there was no wake like that of a boat moving across the surface, no ripples across it and no turbulence behind it, just a mound of water moving towards us. I grabbed the oars and started flailing like a demented humming bird at the water not making much if any headway for my efforts. Pete jerked around to see what it was that I was now screaming at and promptly dropped the starter chord into the bottom of the dinghy. The panic was enhanced by the deepening dusk as well the cloud of seagulls now wheeling over our heads, perhaps they sensed something tastier than fish guts? Both of us now were screaming at each other, at the ever nearer mound, at the useless motor, at everything. But then for the briefest of moments everything stopped, both of us froze for the smallest fraction of a second looking at nothing else but the terror etched deep within each others eyes. And that's all it took, that one moment when to those young lads everything was lost, no tomorrow, no fighting, no laughing, nothing left but the terror of the unknown, that's all it took. "Row properly you ponce" Pete ordered his calm voice belying his youthful fear, grabbing both oars as one I heaved with every last ounce of strength I had, once, twice again and again the little Goblin started cutting through the glass surface with each measured stroke I could feel the sea slipping past us. There was no panic left, just the oars, looking past Pete the light now made the oncoming mound look inky black as it continued to surge towards us less than twenty yards away. "ONE OAR" my brother yelled, easing off on the port oar I dug the other two handed into darkening water, swiftly the little Goblin spun around and I lost sight of the terror behind for a moment, "BOTH OARS" Pete was now screaming, the rusty gaff held aloft in his shaking hands, straining with all that I had I glance up the mound that was now angled towards us, whatever it was it wasn't just some random wave cause by freak currents, it had changed direction to intercept us! It was upon us, eyes now tightly closed I dug the oars one last time, Pete's screams (or were they mine) filling my senses. The little dinghy lifted up and over the dome of water, as I felt it tipping back downwards my oars tore at the water and then with a jolt that numbed my whole arm the starboard oar felt like it had smashed into rocks, and then it was gone from my grasp.
I opened my eyes to see Pete belly down in the bottom of the dinghy covered in tangle of bread crusts, discarded bait, tackle and gutted fish, I chanced a glace to the water's surface, on our right side the lost oar bobbed on the surface a few feet away, the gulls were alighting on the water again, of the mound there was not the slightest of signs to show that it had ever been there, only the slightest rippling caused by the now freshening offshore breeze. Pete had pulled himself from the dregs of the bottom of the dinghy, starter chord in his hand, a grin on his face but with tears flowing down his white cheeks. "Don't cry little brother" he said turning to the outboard, reaching down he turned the fuel tap 90 degrees, "that's why it would start" he mumbled to himself. He wrapped the chord slowly around and with one swift pull the ever reliable motor spluttered into life. I wasn't even aware of my own tears as he turned our little pirate boat back towards the sanctuary of the yacht club on the further beach across the bay, the lost oar receding into the gloom as neither of us dared to reach out of the dinghy for it.
Making our way across the now black water seemed to be taking an endless eon of time compared to the fleeting outward voyage of discovery we had started off on a few hours ago. With both of us now too scared and tired to speak we watched the approaching beach with a growing sense of relief. Instead of easing off on the throttle as we came to the beach so that we could perform our practiced act of me jumping into waist deep water and holding the boat whilst Pete would retrieve the trailer to slide under it, Pete drove the boat out of the surf and onto the pebbled ground of safety not caring of the damage done to the carefully painted keel. We both leapt out over the bow not daring for one moment to allow any part of us touch the now demonized water. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, haven't I shown you pair have to look after anything?" Father's voiced boomed from the yacht club door, falling over ourselves in our haste to reach him, both yelling and sobbing at the same time trying to describe the events that had overtook us that evening, we must looked like two bedraggled waifs cast ashore by the vengeful sea.
Later, in the warmth and safety of the gas lit caravan mum and dad listened patently whilst we gathered our thoughts and tried to recount our adventure (minus my brothers Anglo Saxon language!), in-between mouthfuls of crusty bread and oxtail soup. The events that had surrounded us that evening seemed somehow unreal but the image of that mound of water was burnt into our memories even to this day. Even with hindsight and more years experience of being outdoors than I care to admit, I have still never come up with a completely satisfactory explanation for the events on the warm summer's evening. There have been one or two suggestions;- a freak wave, a dolphin, even a basking shark or as someone suggested the ghosts of HMS Thetis, a submarine which had the distinction of sinking twice during its short service, the first time the recovered ship was beached at Traeth Bychan. But deep down I'd still like to know what kept me from venturing out on the sea for nearly a decade after, but I don't think that I'll ever truly know. Maybe some mysteries are better unsolved; they certainly leave life more interesting.
Musings of Murphyfish
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Now here's something for you all to debate out there blog land. Since starting to write this blog once more I've tweaked the format of the home page as well as my attitude to writing here. One thing you may have noticed is the appearance of sponsored adverts on the right hand side of the page, click on it and cha ching. I have signed up to ad-sense with conflicting thoughts on this matter. On one hand I don't feel that it's in keeping with the spirit of what I'm trying to do here but on the other hand getting some income from my blog does have a certain appeal....your thoughts please.
The Fish
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Project trike
Some of the more astute of you may well have noticed some subtle changes to the look of the blog, one of these being the addition of a new page...... project trike. The idea behind this is to produce a low cost usable trike. I did consider a motorbike but a trike appeals to me more at the moment. Whilst helping out at the Chunkster's workshop he happened to mention a potential donor bike that has come into his clammy ickle claws. After a brief discussion and a gentleman's agreement the donor bike is now the base for what should prove to be an interesting project.
The donor is a CCM 600 with the Rotax 4 stroke engine, it may not look much at the moment and it'll be a steep enjoyable learning curve for me, but with help and therapy from the Chunkster I'm sure this will be something to smile about when alls said n done. The project will be reported on in more detail than this brief introduction, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling so to speak (which is more than the wheel-less bike does at the moment!)
All the best from the 'Fish.
Friday, October 19, 2012
It seems a lifetime ago since I visited these pages. I have been through my own personal hell and have unknowingly dragged those who love me through it at the same time. For those who stood by me through this time when really they should have fled I will be eternally grateful.
I have tried several times to write new blogs and release my spirit from the claws of what one friend calls "the black dog", but my heart was never in it. I stood back and reread many of the posts here upon my original musings. If you were to do the same you would notice the changes that came into my writings, how I was trying to be someone I'm not. The praise of other people had taken over the fun and basically tongues in cheeks accounts of my mundane wanderings and projects. As to whether or not the furnace has tempered me or weakened me only time will tell.
I am telling you this so that there is no misunderstanding, tis true that I have been through a furnace and dark places but I feel that there is sufficient weight being lifted from my shoulders to contemplate writing once more but what you'll get here is no longer a search for praise but a sharing of a life.
Through all the gloom and also what a idiot I have been there are two true friends who have stood by me and seen past my own self loathing. Heartfelt thanks to Clare and to Neil....thank you.
Right enough of that and on with my life........
Thursday, February 2, 2012
About time...
Well a belated happy new year to all you folk in this blogosphere, tis a while since this worthless Welshman last posted so I guess tis high time I started again. As they say (who are 'they' ?) "watch this space......
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12:29pm: Soriano has opted out of his contract and will hit free agency, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
7:45am: Rafael Soriano will opt out of his contract with the Yankees and elect free agency today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Soriano's contract includes a $14MM player option for 2013 with a $1.5MM buyout.
Assuming the right-hander opts out, the Yankees will counter by making him a one-year qualifying offer worth $13.3MM. This would link Soriano to draft pick compensation, setting the Yankees up for a potential pick in 2013. The Scott Boras client is believed to be seeking a four-year deal, Heyman reports. Soriano probably won't accept New York's qualifying offer, but the Yankees are likely willing to give him a two-year deal.
The 32-year-old posted a 2.26 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 with 42 saves this past season. "There is a strong chance that he would have tremendous value as a free agent," Boras told Joel Sherman earlier in the month. It's hard to disagree following such a strong season.


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Thousands of Indian farmers march to demand government help
Tens of thousands of farmers who marched up to six days from across western India arrived Monday in the country's business capital to demand loan waivers, fair prices for their produce and other help as India's agriculture sector struggles from years of declining earnings.
The farmers, the bulk of them impoverished, plan to surround the state legislature of the western state of Maharashtra in Mumbai. Many had walked barefoot in the already soaring March temperatures.
The farmers want the government to ensure they earn at least one and a half cost they incur in producing their crops. Many are tribespeople who have farmed for generations on land they don't own but are demanding recognition of ownership.
Agriculture employs more than half of India's 1.3 people, but its shrinking earnings means it now only adds 15 percent to India's economy.
Indian farming also is largely rain-fed, but flawed water policies, groundwater misuse and unseasonal rain-drought cycles have hit farm incomes hard.
Failed harvests force poor farmers to borrow money at high interest rates for buying seeds, fertilizers and even food for their cattle. They often mortgage their lands and, as borrowings mount, many are driven to suicide.
India's farmers have long complained that their woes are ignored, and have held protests in the past too.
At a protest last year in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, many carried human skulls they said were of farmers who had killed themselves due to deep debt.


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Connection II Delivers Telecom
Connections II Will Connect People from Virtually Anywhere
The Connections II contract provides agencies with access to new telecommunications infrastructure solutions in areas such as security and sustainability, while also providing agencies with capabilities to better manage and exploit wireless, telepresence, and other maturing technologies.
The campus-level telecommunications needs of agencies have changed significantly since the first Connections contract was awarded eight years ago. Consequently, Connections II has been structured to deliver solutions that can address agencies' new requirements. "Everybody wants to be connected to whatever device they choose—all the time and everywhere," said Frank Tiller, Acting Director of the Office of Network Services in GSA's Office of Integrated Technology Services (ITS).
Tiller sees a greater focus among agencies on obtaining higher bandwidth, wireless services, and virtual applications using network connections that carry video and other media-rich applications. "The infrastructure that supports all of that is much more complex," Tiller said. "Government agencies will often need help figuring out their overall network architecture and how to put their entire infrastructure together to effectively deliver these new services."
GSA and industry officials said the new Connections II contract would play an important role helping agencies in these key areas:
- Managing the telecommunications infrastructure of multiple buildings within a Local or Enterprise Wide Area Network. Connections II can help customers address multiple requirements in a single vehicle. For example, HP Enterprise Services helped the Department of State consolidate the management of its voice, data, and other services on an enterprise network across a large campus environment spanning more than 40 buildings in the Washington metropolitan area. Other agencies are looking for Connections II to help them implement similar consolidations of campus buildings, officials said.
- Telepresence solutions. Improvements in the quality of telepresence and video-conferencing are driving up the demand for these solutions, particularly as travel costs rise. "Telepresence makes a good case for cost-effective face-to-face meetings," said Jeff Mohan, AT&T's Government Solution's Executive Director for GSA Programs. This includes gathering people together after a disaster or un-planned event, as well as for regular staff meetings. "We're seeing a lot of organizations take advantage of telepresence in lieu of putting people on airplanes," Mohan said.
- Supply Chain Risk Management. Connections II is designed to help agencies adopt supply chain risk management solutions that meet National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards for tracking and tracing equipment to guard against using items that have been counterfeited or tampered with. "GSA has emerged as one of the groups that is proactive in addressing supply chain risk management in its contracting vehicles," said Kevin Youel Page, Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the ITS.
- Sustainability. Connections II is aimed at helping agencies meet their environmental goals and compliance requirements, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) compliance and the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) standards. "We asked all of our Connections vendors for sustainability plans to help agencies be more energy efficient and better environmental stewards by reducing waste and toxic materials," said Connections II Program Manager Debbie Clark.
- Managing a Wireless Infrastructure. The demand for mobility and wireless voice and data grows constantly. Although Connections II is not a wireless contract, it provides solutions for designing, updating, and managing a wireless infrastructure, and integrating it with existing wired connections.
- Managing a Converged Voice, Video, and Data Infrastructure. Many agencies that currently manage these capabilities separately are looking for solutions that will enable them to manage these capabilities more efficiently in a single network. "If you have a problem with video, you want someone who can determine if it's the network, video equipment, or perhaps the user," said Susan Zeleniak, Group President of Verizon Federal.
- Transitioning to IPv6, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Cloud Computing, or Carrier-based Ethernet. As agencies adopt these and other emerging technologies, Connections II can help them put in place the infrastructure required for the transition at the campus level, including help managing the transition, coordinating with other contracts, and ensuring network access.
Obtaining enough bandwidth for telepresence, cloud computing, and other emerging telecommunications technologies could be a challenge for many agencies. Consequently, Connections II will play an important role in helping agencies address their bandwidth and latency issues within the campus infrastructure.
"The technologies and management tools for utilizing the available bandwidth are within the scope of Connections II," said Don Small, President of Government Telecommunications Inc. "We can take the bandwidth you have and properly allocate it to get the most bang for the buck."


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Great post. I hate when I find a cool idea on Pinterest, and then the link is broken...UGGGH! Thanks for sharing these great tipsReplyDelete
So true! I am so disappointed when I try to get more information about a pin and it's a dead link.ReplyDelete
I am totally guilty of pinning 50 things at a time! ;) I did it last night to move everything from a secret board, to the board they belonged on. I guess if I slow down and check all of the links, they wouldn't all pop up at the same time! :) Thanks for the awesome tips Bonnie, I will try to be better, LOLReplyDeleteReplies
I'm guilty of pinning a lot at once too. I think everyone has done it at one time or another!Delete
I started pinning to secret boards to avoid boring anyone who followed me. What I'm unsure of though is whether those pins show in the feed when I later move them to their home board - sometimes many at a time? Thanks for all the great tips!Delete
I am so sorry, am so guilty, i get so excited when i see all these lovely things, but i promise, i would not let it happen again, am also very new to this. Again my apologies.Delete
Thanks for the tips. Trying to up my pinterest game :)ReplyDelete
Haha...these are some great tips!ReplyDelete
Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!
Wow -- I just realized that a lot of my pins go back to my homepage --yikes! Thanks for the info!ReplyDeleteReplies
I did the same thing when I first started blogging. In fact, I think I learned everything in this post by making these mistakes at some point.Delete
These are great tips and it gave me a good idea for pinning moving forward. Thanks so much. I found you at Wake Up Wednesday. Kathleen @ Fearlessly Creative MammasReplyDelete
Great tips! Thanks for sharing. When I pin I try and do a variety of different things not just all recipes or all knitting so my followers don't get flooded with info.ReplyDeleteReplies
Great idea Kimberlee!Delete
Thanks - I realized I have been guilty of a few of these. Oops. Sorry. Thanks to you I won't do it again. But, it's just so hard to limit my time on Pinterest! :)ReplyDeleteReplies
I know what you Vickie! I have the same problem!Delete
Great pointers! I'm your newest follower on fb; I'd love a follow back (lisalewiskosterspeaks)ReplyDelete
Great tips! When I first started using Pinterest I was definitely guilty of so many of these things, but I have since learned the errors of my ways! I find it frustrating when I see an interesting pin in my feed and it turns out it is from Google images. Stopping by from the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Great tips. Broken links drive me nuts! If I repin I always try to follow it first to make sure it works.ReplyDelete
found you through The Wednesday Round Up
I haven't used secret boards yet but what a great idea! I'm learning so much!ReplyDeleteReplies
Secret boards are great! In the past, you could only have three secret boards, but now Pinterest lets you have as many as you want. Woo-hoo!Delete
Thanks! These are great suggestions.ReplyDelete
Thank you for the tips, all really good things to remember. I am guilty of pinning sprees. As my following grows I need to curb that (or at least do it on a secret board) so I don't scare off my followers.ReplyDelete
Thank you for sharing these great tips. I wasn't sure how to fix pins with bad links, and that is always annoying.ReplyDeleteReplies
Glad I could help Karen!Delete
Yes, I do not like it when links do not work. I see a great pin, then the link is dead. I always, always check my pin links before repinning so my followers don't feel the same frustration. Thanks for sharing at #BloggersBragsPinterestParty !ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing these handy tips, Pinterest is great but it can get a tad confusing. I am now going to read the tips on organizing boards :-)ReplyDelete
Great tips. Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
I love reading these. I agree with them. I need to be better on some things as well! Thanks so much for the suggestions!ReplyDelete
I love this list. Not particularly for me because I only randomly pin, but sometimes I have friends who go for it! I like the idea of "liking" it and printing out the great ideas! Thanks for sharing with Creative Style!ReplyDelete
Wonderful tips! I need to check my pin links more often. But even more important is to make sure I'm pinning original content!ReplyDelete
Bad links are my biggest Pinterest pet-peeve! I hate it when I see a super delicious looking recipe, and then click through and can't find it anywhere! (Found you through the Tuesday PIN-spiration linky!)ReplyDelete
Great tips! Thanks for sharing. :) Following you now on Pinterest!ReplyDelete
Spam links! Spam links that don't even go to the original source make me CRAZY! Thanks for sharing! Hello from Wake Up Wednesday.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 18, 2014 at 1:47 PM
These tips are awesome! Thanks for linking up at The Bloggers Brags.ReplyDelete
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I get so frustrated from pins that pin to the blog and not the actual post. Sometimes I will take the time to find the correct post and then pin that post, but sometimes especially if the blog doesn't have a search feature it just isn't worth trying to find the post. I am definitely going to pin this post.ReplyDelete
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THESE! While I don't always check the link for pictures of pretty places or houses, I do for recipes, DIYs, hair tutorials, etc. So many of them are broken, or they link to a shady website that stole the photo. I use Google Reverse Image Search to find who originally posted the photo.ReplyDelete
I also try to update descriptions with personal comments, to which I add my name so followers know it's my comment.
My additional tip that you didn't include is using the like feature to save posts that aren't relevant to any of your boards. I then periodically check my likes to see if I have enough in a new topic to create a new board. It's better than having a bunch of boards with 1-2 pins each.
how do I find a secret board thank youReplyDeleteReplies
You can't find secret boards since they are only visible to the person who created them.Delete
Is there a way to thank a fellow Pinner for repining or Liking 1 of your pins or following 1 of you boards?ReplyDeleteReplies
I think the easiest way to do that would be to comment on one of their pins.Delete
So many great tips and thing I did not know. I will get better at pinning with your posts.ReplyDelete
Thanks for these great tips!ReplyDelete
Wow so much great info for newbies like me!! After reading the article and then the great comments, I should probably plan on doing a board for self destruction!! I have most likely bugged every pinner! This is great information for me since I know nothing on Pinterest edict! I've recently started a website by myself with no tech experience with plans on teaching others how to go through the process step by step and how even a meager income can be had... My name is Tonja and I'm a Pinaholic....ReplyDelete
Any comments or advice whether positive or negative is welcomed. Please forgive the very newbie status of the site and terrible Pinterest manners! Be blessed...Replies
Great post it was filled with great information. Great Pinterest tips.Delete
Thanks for all of these tips.ReplyDelete
Whenever I start pinning my own pins, I lose followers!
I want to build followers, but I also want to be able to
pin my own pins too.
I pin so many other people's pin, so I am definitely helping out
my fellow bloggers.
Any advice?
Thanks in advance,
Great. Made me consider some things I had not thought about.ReplyDelete
Thanks for these great tips, i will be sure to follow from now onReplyDelete
I once pinned more than 150 pins in one unsleepable night! A friend called me on it the next day asking if I really had done that much...Guilty!ReplyDelete
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The story of "Gei Oni" is an historical epic which interweaves the story of the first wave of Jewish European migration to Palestine, at the end of the 19th century, with an unusual love story between Fania, a young Russian immigrant, and Yechiel, a native Jew. Seventeen-year-old Fania, her baby daughter, her elderly uncle, and her emotionally impaired brother arrive at the port of Jaffa, having survived a pogrom in which all other members of their family were killed. Having no real choice, Fania marries Yechiel, a widower whose wife died of malaria, leaving him to care for their two children himself. The two set out to a small settlement near Safed, where Yechiel and a few other daring settlers are trying to cultivate the barren lands which they bought from local Arabs. Fania is burdened by a harrowing secret she is unable to share with anyone else. but unless her husband Yechiel shares her secret, their marriage cannot be consummated.
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Learn Tiny Core. View Tiny Core Screen Shots and Videos.
Is that actually a real MS advertisement?
Though we have to admit it is not that far of a stretch given MS's often desperate marketing tactics.
Looks to me the advertisement is just a joke, far from Microsoft... Besides, it is the opposite that must be true...
Compared to our sample of servers across the Internet, Microsoft IIS features twice as often (49% vs. 23%) as a malware distributing server. Amongst Microsoft IIS servers, the share of IIS 6.0 and IIS 5.0 remained the same at 80% and 20% respectively.


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Particularly at places like Tuolumne Meadows, I think the convenience and abuse-prevention benefits of J-1772 connectors outweigh the risk of vandalism. And it is not obvious to me that inductive charging is the answer here, as I would imagine the losses could be fairly high if this approach is used for slow L1 charging. (It's already slow enough without adding more resistance.)GRA wrote:The question is, is it better to risk losing someone's personal EVSE [for L1 charging] without disabling the charging station, or provide permanent EVSEs with J1772 connectors that will be used more often, but which can be put out of service with a single act of vandalism? The long-term answer is obviously wireless charging via embedded coils.
I think you are right on this point. Some might be surprised to find that in campgrounds using the honor system, a non-trivial fraction of campers try to slide by without paying. I've witnessed this. As a result, rangers are forced to waste their time checking for compliance.GRA wrote:AOTBE I'd opt to use simple, reliable Clipper Creek EVSEs everywhere, and use the honor system. But, while that will work well among early adopters, if PEVs move from the early adopters to the mainstream the % of people who will 'do the right thing' voluntarily is going to drop precipitously. I'm still pondering what to recommend.
Given that there's no wifi and the cellular data coverage is spotty, I suppose a PoS system might have to work over traditional phone lines if possible. Another option could be to activate EVSEs using a machine that reads coins and bills, like a vending machine, but that seems expensive and clunky.
Maybe the best that could be done would be to require payment by envelope and have park staff check any parked vehicles vs. the envelopes from time to time, with the threat of real parking tickets for those who choose not to pay. While I'd prefer not to add another responsibility for park employees (or volunteers), this is actually in concept no different from maintaining other park amenities that visitors depend on.


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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wordless Wednesday. Does It Get Any Better Than This?
Cocktails and Hot Wheels Ashley Paige at 8:00 AM
29 comments :
OH MY its that adorable fuzzy wuzzy doggie again! I just love love it! ADORABLE!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous picture. I love Fall!!ReplyDelete
OMG! This turned out amazing! So adorable!ReplyDelete
Such a great photo!! Love it!!ReplyDelete
Awww.... such a cute family photo :) xxxooReplyDelete
This picture is beautiful. Love your pup so cute!ReplyDelete
What a wonderful family photo!ReplyDelete
LOVE IT!!!!! WOnderful!!!ReplyDelete
what a great family photo!!ReplyDelete
omg, that is my favorite picture ever! AO cute!ReplyDelete
That is frame-worthy if I've ever seen it!! Your dog is adorable.ReplyDelete
No it does not. I love it!!ReplyDelete
i have never seen such a more beautiful picture!! love it!!ReplyDelete
i want to cuddle with your dog!!!
What a wonderful photo and your dog is just beautiful xxReplyDelete
I LOVE your doggie! Omg I just want to brush him!! I have a bischon and am a HUGE fan of big balls of fluff. Great pictureReplyDelete
Wow what a great picture! I would never in a million years get this right.ReplyDelete
I agree! I would love to put your dog and mine in a room together! HOW CUTE! :)ReplyDelete
And your family is the cutest thing ever... oh my word! LOVE THIS PHOTO!!!
I seriously love your dog!ReplyDelete
no way- it doesnt get any better- and with that dog to boot!ReplyDelete
OK, I love this! And your hair is so cute!ReplyDelete
What a sweet picture. I love your boots!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 11, 2009 at 10:30 PM
Gorgeous picture!ReplyDelete
So perfect!! He's the cutest!ReplyDelete
Nice family portrait! I love fall! It's so wonderful :)ReplyDelete
very sweet!!!!ReplyDelete
Amazing picture!!!! Wow!!ReplyDelete
what a great picture!!! gorgeous family!!ReplyDelete
What an adorable picture!ReplyDelete
*sigh* this is beautiful and I don't know how I missed it! :(ReplyDelete
Gorgeous!!! Christmas Card?? :)
Thank you for reading ILYMTC. If you have any questions about a post or want to get in touch with me (or any of the cast of characters here at ILYMTC) email me at iloveyoumorethancarrots(at)gmail(dot)com.


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During the 1990s, when Neon Genesis Evangelion exploded in popularity, voice actress Yuko Miyamura was along for the ride. Like many other voice actresses, she wasn't merely someone who read lines, she was an idol. Fans worshipped her.
That is, until the unthinkable happened: A porno.
In Japan there are, generally speaking, idols who are supposed to be pure and idols who are not. The pure idols are usually young popstars and voice actresses. They've got a girl-next-door quality to them, and like American idols during the 1980s and for much of the 1990s, they are supposed to refrain from things that most humans do: You know, have lives, get married, have sex, or even make people. The other types of idols, such as voice actress Chiaki Takahashi, are given the go-ahead to run wild with their sexuality.
Image is extremely important in Japan—not just for celebrities, but for regular people. While Western celebrities can seemingly re-invent themselves over and over again and survive scandal after scandal, the Japanese public is far less forgiving, which is why super famous variety show host Shinsuke Shimada left the entertainment industry after a scandal broke out over ties with organized crime.
This pigeonholing is why game and anime voice actress Aya Hirano is catching heat for leaked photos of her with male companions. Those photos are tame, but they place against type. So much of image in Japanese entertainment is manufactured the way it was in Hollywood during the old studio system. With Hirano losing fans over the photos, Japanese publication Men's Cyzo looked at other voice actresses who weathered even worse storms, with the worst of them all seeming to be Yuko Miyamura.
As the voice of Asuka Langley Soryu, one of Evangelion's principle characters, Miyamura grabbed a brass ring in Japanese voice acting. The anime took the country by storm during the 1990s, and Miyamura scored other major roles, such as Kazuha Toyama in the Detective Conan anime. She also released CDs and picked up game roles like Chun-Li in the Street Fighter Alpha and EX games as well as Akane in Pokémon.
But in 1997, a porno, dubbed Experiencing Erotic S&M as a Couple, surfaced. The video was apparently from when she was in her early 20s. It wasn't until the following spring that Japanese tabloid Friday ran a story on the video. Fans were certain that the woman in the video was Miyamura, who was still riding high with Evangelion. But the video, combined with her marriage, quick divorce, and second marriage changed the way fans viewed her.
By 1999, Miyamura was in the hospital from fatigue (it was later discovered that she suffered from Graves' disease). Outside Evangelion and Conan, the voice work slowed, and the TV appearances came screeching to a halt. The music CDS, always a good indicator of an idol's popularity, stopped. Her image had been changed.
It's a shame the scandal more than anything else ultimately impacted her work, because Miyamura, who is originally from Kobe, is a talented voice actresses and often voices characters in the Kansai dialect. While work dropped off significantly, Evangelion and Conan stuck with her. She also picked up memorable roles, such as the lady who explains "Battle Royale" in the landmark film of the same name, and more recently took over the role of Larxene in Kingdom Hearts. She continues to occasionally appear in movies, and every once in a while, she pops up on TV to talk about Evangelion.
It's no longer a popularity contest. Game makers and anime companies who now hire Miyamura aren't doing so because she has otaku fans. They do it because she's good at her job and that's more important than baggage, innuendo, or even image. Voice actors and actresses are supposed to become the characters fans love, not be the characters.
Culture Smash is a daily dose of things topical, interesting and sometimes even awesome—game related and beyond.
(Top photo: 宮村優子 | PR)
You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.


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Justice League Gift Pack for Kids-Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman -Crew Socks(Pack of 3 Pairs/1U)
Balenzia, the leading brand of socks in India has designed a collection of Justice League Superhero socks. The socks have attractive designs, bright colors and character face pattern of superman, flash, and batman.
This funky collection is made with finest cotton yarns and highest quality standards ensuring that each sock provides incredible comfort, breathability and durability. Officially licensed product.
These crew socks are fashionable and complement your style statement.
Fabric Composition: Combed Cotton
Color: Multicolor


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DG REGIO - DG for Regional and Urban Policy
DGs & EU Agencies
Additional Info
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Please be aware that the information and links provided in the metadata above are maintained in distributed and heterogeneous information systems. Although we strive to maintain and keep links and information updated, this may not always be possible because of changes that are not registered and updated in the relevant information systems. Please, help us to maintain the system updated by indicating broken links or any other outdated information by contacting the relevant contact point. You can also inform us using the "Contact" link of this page.


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Pascal and the absurd notion that the principles of justice vary across state borders (1669)
Found in The Thoughts of Blaise Pascal
The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) points out that artificial lines drawn on a map do not invalidate moral laws which are derived from the nature of man. It is "absurd" to think I have the right to kill a foreigner because my sovereign orders me to do so:
Theft, incest, infanticide, parricide, all have found a place among virtuous actions. Can there be any thing more absurd than that a man should have the right to kill me because he lives across the water, and because his prince has a quarrel with mine, although I have none with him? There are no doubt natural laws, but fair reason once corrupted has corrupted all. Nihil amplius nostrum est; quod nostrum dicimus, artis est ("There is no longer anything which is ours; what I call ours is conventional"). Ex senatus consultis, et plebiscitis crimina exercentur ("It is by virtue of senatus-consultes and plebiscites that one commits crimes"). Ut olim vitiis, sic nunc legibus laboramus ("Once we suffered from our vices; today we suffer from our laws").
Pascal asks some very profound questions in this chapter on Justice and Customs in his collection of Thoughts (1669). He laments the fact that too many people are willing to obey the laws of their country unquestioningly even if they do not comport with natural law but are merely the conventions in which they have grown up ("unjust custom"). The example he cites is that of going to war to kill an unknown personal across a national border just because one's sovereign orders one to do so. However, he recoils from the full consequences of this line of thinking by concluding that it is perhaps better not to examine the origin of the state too closely because one might find some very unsavoury and unpleasant things: "it is necessary to cause it (the law) to be regarded as eternal and authoritative, and to conceal the beginning if we do not wish it should soon come to an end."


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|/* Convert wide character to multibyte character.
|Copyright (C) 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
|Written by Bruno Haible <firstname.lastname@example.com>, 2008.
|This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
|it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
|the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
|(at your option) any later version.
|This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
|but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
|MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
|GNU General Public License for more details.
|You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
|along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. */
|#include <config.h>
|/* Specification. */
|#include <wchar.h>
|#include <errno.h>
|#include <stdlib.h>
|wcrtomb (char *s, wchar_t wc, mbstate_t *ps)
|/* This implementation of wcrtomb on top of wctomb() supports only
|stateless encodings. ps must be in the initial state. */
|if (ps != NULL && !mbsinit (ps))
|errno = EINVAL;
|return (size_t)(-1);
|if (s == NULL)
|/* We know the NUL wide character corresponds to the NUL character. */
|return 1;
|int ret = wctomb (s, wc);
|if (ret >= 0)
|return ret;
|errno = EILSEQ;
|return (size_t)(-1);


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Gemini Login
Login here to get started. With G𝓮miñi , you'll get access to advanced trading features, charting tools, and more. ... Gemini 🌊 Login. If you're looking to login to G𝓮miñi , …
Are you looking to trade cryptos on Gemini with a debit card? Well, you can easily add a debit card to your Gemini account in case you have the Gemini login and debit card details. Here on this page, we are going to discuss the way to buy and sell cryptos on the Gemini exchange with the help of a debit card. Make sure that the card that you are using has sufficient balance and it is active or not. In case you are not logged in to your Gemini login account then you need to provide the username and password details on the login page to access the account. Now, check whether your mobile or computer is connected to the internet, and then you need to keep reading this post.
If you are using a mobile to trade on the Gemini exchange then you need to follow the steps that are given below:
- 1.If required, go to the App or Play Store to find and install Gemini mobile app
- 2.Now, you need to open the app and access your Gemini login account
- 3.After that, go to the 'Buy/Sell' section of your Gemini account
- 4.Now, click on the 'Buy' button and then choose crypto to trade
- 5.Enter the required details and then type your debit card details
- 6.Now, you need to complete the security verification to finish the process
In case you are using a computer, do the following to trade on Gemini with a debit card:
- 1.Open a browser and then go to the Gemini.com/login page
- 2.Now, type the Gemini login details and click the 'Login' button
- 3.Find and click on the 'Buy/Sell' button to proceed
- 4.Now, choose the crypto that you want to trade
- 5.Then, choose the 'Debit Card' option when you are asked to choose a payment method
- 6.Now, fill up the debit card details and then complete the security verification to add it
To sum up, users who have set up their Gemini profile can easily start trading with the help of its app or website. To buy a cryptocurrency, you need to choose a payment option. On Gemini exchange, there are different payment options and you can also use your debit card to buy cryptos on it. Surely, this read has given you the idea to trade on the Gemini exchange by referring to this post.


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Session Details
June 5
11:00 am - 11:00 am
Room 1
Why 80% of Marketers are Failing with Display, and How to Fix it Fast!
Digital display advertising is a complicated ecosystem with ever-advancing technology that can be difficult to master. Whether you are purchasing site-direct or using advanced programmatic ad networks, this session will help you avoid the common pitfalls made by marketers and provide you with immediate action items to improve your digital presence! After this session, you'll be able to:
- Better understand your customers' journeys, and how they should be applied to your strategy
- Recognize how display advertising fits into your overall marketing strategy
- Utilize Google Analytics and other tools to measure the metrics that matter
- Optimize your ad spend and improve your ROI
Marketing Strategy
Paid Ads


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The Autism Revolution
By Martha R. Herbert with Karen Weintraub
After years of treating patients and analyzing scientific data, prominent Harvard researcher and clinician Dr. Martha Herbert offers a revolutionary new view of autism and a transformative strategy for dealing with it. Autism is not a hardwired impairment programmed into a child's genes and destined to remain fixed forever, as we're often told. Instead, it is the result of a cascade of events, many seemingly minor: perhaps a genetic mutation, some toxic exposures, a stressful birth, a vitamin deficiency, and a series of infections. And while other doctors may dismiss your child's physical symptoms—the diarrhea, anxiety, sensory overload, sleeplessness, immune challenges, and seizures—as coincidental or irrelevant, Dr. Herbert sees them as vital clues to what the underlying problems are, and how to help. In The Autism Revolution, she teaches you how to approach autism as a collection of problems that can be overcome—and talents that can be developed. Each success you achieve gives your child more room to become healthy and to thrive.
Drawing from the newest research, technologies, and insights, as well as inspiring case studies of both children and adults, Dr. Herbert guides you toward restoring health and resiliency in your loved one with autism. Her specific recommendations aim to provide optimal nutrition, reduce toxic exposures, shore up the immune system, reduce stress, and open the door to learning and creativity—all by understanding and truly meeting your child's needs. As thousands of families who have cobbled together these solutions themselves already know, this program can have dramatic benefits—for your child with autism, and for you, your whole family, and your next baby as well.
A paradigm-changing book that offers hope and healing for the millions of families who have autism in their lives, The Autism Revolution shows that there's plenty you can do every day to give someone you love the best possible gift: a life lived to the fullest potential.


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Home design ideas can inspire you and guide you in updating your home or living space if it is outdated. There are countless ideas that can help you transform the overall look of your home. When you have the right ideas, you can create a unique space with an outstanding style.You can also use different colors, patterns and width of stripes to maintain a dynamic and balanced look of the décor in your home. For instance, if you want to create a sense of increased height in your home, you can use vertical stripes to create a balanced proportion of the spaces with the high ceilings.You can also try to rearrange the furniture in your home. Your living space can look boring just because of the arrangements of your furniture. Proper furniture arrangement is one of the best home interior design ideas. Therefore, take time to rearrange the existing furniture in your home instead of purchasing new one.When purchasing new fixtures in your home, be keen on your choice of colors. One of the major home décor ideas is being conservatively bold. You can avoid choosing trend-driven or seasonal colors and instead, think about textures and colors that you can live with for long without feeling bored. You can use throws and pillows to add prints and boldness to neutral colors. The good thing about this is that it allows you to change and refresh the look and style of your home any time you feel like.You should also consider signature touches. Instead of painting the entire room, you can choose soft furnishings or smaller objects and make them your signature or artistic pieces in your home. For instance, pepper shakers and decadent salt on display in your kitchen can make all the difference in the look of your home. There are also artistic pieces that will work well with different modern home ideas from which you can choose what to have in your home.It is also important that you embrace your own style. You are decorating your own home and therefore your decorations should reflect your personality and style. Make sure that the decorations that you put in your home impresses you so that you can enjoy living in your home. Take your time to know what exactly you like and what to have in your home. Consider your preferences and tastes when coming up with home decorating ideas.
Important Home Design Ideas for Your Home
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CRS: Germany's Relations with Israel: Background and Implications for German Middle East Policy, January 19, 2007
From WikiLeaks
About this CRS report
This document was obtained by Wikileaks from the United States Congressional Research Service.
The CRS is a Congressional "think tank" with a staff of around 700. Reports are commissioned by members of Congress on topics relevant to current political events. Despite CRS costs to the tax payer of over $100M a year, its electronic archives are, as a matter of policy, not made available to the public.
Individual members of Congress will release specific CRS reports if they believe it to assist them politically, but CRS archives as a whole are firewalled from public access.
This report was obtained by Wikileaks staff from CRS computers accessible only from Congressional offices.
For other CRS information see: Congressional Research Service.
For press enquiries, consult our media kit.
If you have other confidential material let us know!.
For previous editions of this report, try OpenCRS.
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: Germany's Relations with Israel: Background and Implications for German Middle East Policy
CRS report number: RL33808
Author(s): Paul Belkin, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Date: January 19, 2007
- Abstract
- Most observers agree that moral considerations surrounding the Holocaust continue to compel German leaders to make support for Israel a policy priority. Since 1949, successive German governments have placed this support at the forefront of their Middle East policy and today, Germany, along with the United States, is widely considered one of Israel's closest allies. Germany ranks as Israel's second largest trading partner and long-standing defense and scientific cooperation, people-topeople exchanges and cultural ties between the two countries continue to grow. On the other hand, public criticism of Israel in Germany, and particularly of its policies with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, appears to be on the rise.
- Download


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So, while white liberals like Chris Matthews blather on about how post-racial we all are now with a black president, other folks are not so post-racial after all. Allen McDuffee sent me this disturbing image circulating via a Facebook group dedicated to denigrating Haitians and the earthquake relief effort. While it appears that Facebook has pulled the group once already for violating the Terms of Service (TOS), the group is back and loudly proclaiming its alleged protection under the First Amendment and threatening to contact the ACLU to defend it.
There is no constitutionally protecting right to have a racist group on Facebook. And, given the threat to the president implied by the image linked above, I'm surprised that those who are generating such an image are not under investigation by the Secret Service.
As I've said here before, it's certainly possible to disagree with the policies of President Obama and not be a racist, there is something about linking the threat to Obama with the vitriolic hatred of Haitian people which suggests not only a criticism of Obama's presidency, or lack of empathy for earthquake victims but a deep well of racist antipathy as well. I guess we're not so post-racial after all.


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Revenue Statistics 2019
Data on government sector receipts, and on taxes in particular, are basic inputs to most structural economic descriptions and economic analyses and are increasingly used in economic comparisons. This annual publication gives a conceptual framework to define which government receipts should be regarded as taxes. It presents a unique set of detailed and internationally comparable tax data in a common format for all OECD countries from 1965 onwards.
English Also available in: French