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Additional information
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres
"Rousing . . . Action-packed . . . A gripping story about love, fortitude, and convictions that are worth fighting for."–Los Angeles Times
"POWERFUL . . . Smiley takes us back to Kansas in 1855, a place of rising passions and vast uncertainties. Narrated in the spirited, unsentimental voice of 20-year-old Lidie Newton, the novel is at once an ambitious examination of a turning point in history and the riveting story of one woman's journey into uncharted regions of place and self."–Chicago Tribune
"[A] grand tale of the moral and political upheavals igniting antebellum frontier life and a heroine so wonderfully fleshed and unforgettable you will think you are listening to her story instead of reading it. Smiley may have snared a Pulitzer for A Thousand Acres . . . but it is with Lydia (Lidie) Harkness Newton that she emphatically captures our hearts. . . . The key word in Smiley's title is Adventures, and Lydia's are crammed with breathless movement, danger, and tension; populated by terrifically entertaining characters and securely grounded in telling detail."–The Miami Herald
"SMILEY BRILLIANTLY EVOKES MID-19TH-CENTURY LIFE. . . . Richly imagined and superbly written, Jane Smiley's new novel is an extraordinary accomplishment in an already distinguished career."
–Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A SPRAWLING EPIC . . . A garrulous, nights-by-the-hearth narrative not unlike those classics of the period it emulates. In following a rebellious young woman of 1855 into Kansas Territory and beyond, the novel is so persuasively authentic that it reads like a forgotten document from the days of Twain and Stowe."
–The Boston Sunday Globe
"CONSISTENTLY ENTERTAINING, FILLED WITH ACTION AND IDEAS."–The New York Times Book Review
"ENGAGING . . . [A] HARROWING ADVENTURE . . . This picaresque tale presents a series of remarkable characters, particularly in the inexperienced narrator, whose graphic descriptions of travel and domestic life before the Civil War strip away romantic notions of simpler times. . . . Smiley has created an authentic voice in this struggle of a young woman to live simply amid a swirl of deadly antagonism."–The Christian Science Monitor
"A fine historical novel that describes a fascinating time and place . . . It is both funny and subtle, rich in ideas . . . Smiley has created a better all-around piece of fiction than any of her previous work, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "A Thousand Acres.">–The Wall Street Journal
"Smiley is a writer of rare versatility who travels widely in her creative endeavors. She proved her mastery of both short fiction and the novel with three sterling works (The Age of Grief, Ordinary Love and Good Will, and A Thousand Acres); her fondness for history had already been established with The Greelanders. In 1995, she successfully extended her repertoire to comedy with the hilarious academic satire Moo. What her new novel shares with all these works is its authorial intelligence."–The Boston Sunday Globe
"Jane Smiley is nothing if not protean, a literary ventriloquist of incredible range. . . . This is a novel that manages to combine the evocative storyteller's voice with the moviemaker's sense of drama and visuals, an old-fashioned tale told with contemporary steam and panache."–The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Not only is this a rollicking feminist tale of a woman who can handle herself in the thick of the Kansas Wars, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton is also a coming of age story as well as a lasting portrait of the genuinely tumultuous time just before the Civil War."–The Raleigh News & Observer
"A tale of love and war, revenge and betrayal, Smiley's fictional memoir invites comparisons with Gone with the Wind, even War and Peace. . . . Lidie Newton has the ring of honesty and truth. It also carries the stamp of its author's historical sense, stylistic verve, and moral passion.">–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
>"Full of the same arresting authenticity of detail that carried A Thousand Acres."–New York Daily News
"LIDIE IS AN UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER . . . The All-True Travels is a showcase for Smiley's range and dexterity, dead-on in its emotional impact and resonant in the painful truths it conveys."–San Diego Union-Tribune
"Rendered in sharply lucid prose and filled with wonderful period detail . . . Lidie's story reads like a long and various dream, brightly colored and brilliantly observed–a journey into a world as troubled, ambiguous, and full of life as our own."–Chicago Tribune
"An adventure story, full of suspense, near-misses, and coincidence . . . The first and sustaining marvel of [Smiley's] new novel is Lydia Newton's voice: grounded in 19th-century reserve, yet honest, self-aware, and curious."Toronto Globe & Mail
"Smiley nabbed a Pulitzer for A Thousand Acres. This stunning new effort should win equally thunderous acclaim."–Mademoiselle
"An immensely appealing heroine, a historical setting conveyed with impressive fidelity and a charming and poignant love story make Smiley's new novel a sure candidate for bestseller longevity. . . . Propelled by Lidie's spirited voice, this narrative is packed with drama, irony, historical incident, moral ambiguities, and the perception of human frailty. . . . This novel performs all the functions of superior fiction: in reading one woman's moving story, we understand an historical epoch, the social and political conditions that produced it, and the psychological, moral, and economic motivations of the people who incited and endured its violent confrontations."–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Gloriously detailed and brilliantly told, this is a hugely entertaining, illuminating, and sagacious vision of a time of profound moral and political conflict, and of one woman's coming to terms with the perilous, maddening, and precious world."–Booklist (starred review)
"Smiley scales another peak with this bighearted and thoughtful picaresque novel. . . . [A] richly entertaining saga of a woman who might have been well matched with Thomas Berger's Little Big Man, and whom Huck Finn would have been proud to claim as his big sister."–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"HER FINEST WORK YET . . . Resembling a cross between the writing of Jane Austen, Stephen Crane, and Mark Twain . . . A fast-paced historical ride through a defining moment in our nation's history as seen through the eyes of a remarkable woman. . . . Smiley's biggest triumph is in the character of Lidie. One can actually 'see' her growth throughout the story as Lidie learns about the ambiguity of human morality–and that true justice is rarely served."–San Antonio Express-News
Highly recommended . . . Trust Smiley to take a situation charged with both social significance and novelistic opportunity and ride it for all its worth. . . . Smiley gives us a rich lode of historical detail yet keep the story moving, so that it seems to flow by like a river while at the same time yielding up its riches in leisurely fashion."–Library Journal (starred review)
"Like Cold Mountain and Beloved–and with more than a casual nod to Mark Twain–this sprawling saga by the Pulitzer-winning author of A Thousand Acres connects readers to the historical issues of the time."–Glamour
Our heroine is a horse-riding, river-swimming, plain-faced young woman with a distinctly well-calibrated mind of her own."–The Baltimore Sun
A long, wild adventure . . . Lidie never loses her pluck, and her story becomes both a rich homage to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a thrilling variation on the derring-do of Lonesome Dove."–Outside magazine
"[A] gripping, epic new novel . . . The All-True Travels is consistently absorbing, thanks in large part to the strong, vibrant voice of the unforgettable Lidie Newton."–Good Housekeeping
"Packed with action in a setting worthy of a Western shoot-'em-up."–Newark Star-Ledger
"ROUSING . . . ACTION-PACKED . . . A gripping story about love, fortitude, and convictions that are worth fighting for regardless of the outcome. . . . The voice Smiley creates for her sympathetic and wonderfully human heroine is sharp, engaging, wry, and wise."–Los Angeles Times
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Brozman had built a career as a guitarist and ethnomusicologist, moving from an early fascination with the delta blues of the American south to a consuming passion for the traditional music of Hawaii. He was also one of the world's leading authorities on the National steel guitar.
The early yearsBrozman emerged in Santa Cruz in the 1970s as a street musician, playing a decidedly un-contemporary American roots style of music. Known for playing anything from obscure jazz tunes to Hawaiian chanties,
Brozman discovered the National steel guitar at the age of 13, and it was, he said, a turning point in his life. "At the very beginning,"
Mixed with cultureAnthropological understanding was always a feature of Brozman's music. While he was popular in Europe early in his career for his rakish image, often interpreted by the media as part Leon Redbone, part Frank Zappa, he never pursued wide commercial success in the U.S. He was intent in documenting and eventually actively participating in all the ways the guitar interacted with local cultural traditions.
"He was always interested," said Thomas, "in what happens when a guitar is left behind in some culture or on some island with no instructions on how to use it, and how it adapts to what that culture feels is consonant. He told me, 'I just feel like I'm here to follow the guitar to all the places it finds a home."
Brozman was one of American music's greatest collaborators, having recorded albums with a number of musicians in a dizzying number of cultures, including Indian master Debashish Bhattacharya, American mandolin master David Grisman and even local string bands from Papua New Guinea in a release designed to benefit local music in that nation.
Tour memoriesThomas remembered a Canadian tour in which Brozman led a huge collaboration between musicians from India, South America, Europe and Japan. "We had 16 musicians who had mostly never met," he said. "We had a Greek speaker with no translator, a Japanese musician with no translator, and others from India, South America, all over the place. We had one day to rehearse, and without exception every one of these virtuosos musicians were terror-struck, except for Bob. He just said, 'Don't worry, I'm the hub here, plug your spokes in and here's what we're going to do.' The very next day we were in front of 20,000 people at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, with a 16-man band, and one day of rehearsal. I don't know any other musicians who had cajones like that."
The secret to his collaborative success, he told the Sentinel in 2000, was a deeply thought-out approach that involved educating himself about a given culture, understanding music's place in that culture, figuring out the body language of how musicians communicate comfort or discomfort and anthropological cues -- "observing pupil diameter, facial movement, respiration and fine muscle movement so that I'm as empathetic as possible toward how a person approaches their music and their instrument."
Brozman was severely injured in a car accident in 1980, and carried pain with him the rest of his life. Still, he kept up a prodigious traveling schedule that brought him to almost every corner of the globe. He had been popular in Germany, France and the U.K. for years, and had cultivated sold-out audiences in Spain, Italy and Australia. He played widely in Japan, and was known to perform in unusual places such as Singapore.
News travels fastDaniel Thomas, who has been Brozman's closest musical ally for the past 20 years, said he spent much of the day on Thursday calling people all over the world with the news of Brozman's passing. Soon, his e-mail folders began filling up.
"It's astonishing to me," said Thomas, "how many people I don't know who know Bob's work and who managed to find me online to express their grief. I've received about a thousand messages in the past six hours, from people I don't even know who have the albums and getting the albums out and thinking, Who can I say this to? Who can I tell how important he was to me, even though I never knew him."
Contact Wallace Baine at email@example.com.
Bob Brozman
Born: March 8, 1954, New York City Died: April 24, 2013, Ben Lomond Survivors: Wife, Haley S. Robertson. Daughter, Zoe Brozman Education: Washington University, St. Louis Career: First emerged as a street and club musician in Santa Cruz before becoming a recording artist and world-touring musician. Released his first solo album in 1981, 'Blue Hula Stomp,' and has released about 30 albums since, including many collaborations with musicians from all over the world. Authored the definitive work on National steel guitars 'The History and Artistry of National Resonator Instruments.' Services: Pending.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - "LIKE" ---Bman's Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I'm looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

subset: commoncrawl


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Wikia Inc. Corp. Ltd.
- Please note that this article is in no way, shape or form endorsed by or affiliated with Wikia Inc. Corp. Ltd.
Wikia is awesome. It is quite simply the best wiki farm available, a breath of fresh air in a sea of stale wikihosts and morally corrupt corporate-run shared hosting deals. Wikia would never think about alienating you or your morals. Why should it? After all, it is hosted by robots that will crush your beliefs and intentions with its delightful selection of stock responses (See Forking of content), and since when did robots have any respect for human morals? But it is still cool.
Wikia: not in any way morally questionable[edit]
Innovative Web 2.0 formatting[edit]
"You must never speak ill of the Mighty Oasis"
New Monaco is, put plainly, the best thing since to happen to social networking, and indeed the Internet, since Lily Allen. The unfixed bugs are in no way irritating and give the otherwise bland skin some much-needed character. The adverts, a characteristic of the New Monaco skin, are a necessity as they form the very basis of western society, and an integral element in Wikia's plans for financial progress.
The front page is formatted in a completely different way to the rest of the wiki, and does not provide links to recent changes, forums or any inner-wiki workings. This makes it difficult to find stuff such as the complaints forum or an administrators userpage. But that's alright, because it looks awesome and will please the man on the street. There's also absolutely no adverts despite the fact every single other page hosted by Wikia is plastered with ads for Next, Marks and Spencers and Coca Cola. This, too, is fine because it's fun to mislead.
Induction process (or lack thereof)[edit]
Whereas there was previously a moderation period for new wikis [1], Wikia now accept absolutely any and every idea anyone can ever come up with because, as everybody knows, quantity is far more important than quality, especially where raking in the readies is concerned. That's important, because 2% of that money is required to keep the wikis running and functioning the way
you we like. Anybody that claims Wikia is now just a glorified, souped-up version of Editthis is wholly mistaken and quite possibly deluded.
"They even accepted us!"
Wikia does not like the term 'wikifarm' as it implies their users are kept in small, cramped cubicles with tubes attached to their udders. All Wikia's content is free range, ethically sound and not in the least bit morally questionable. Any bitter ex-users with an anti-Wikia agenda are deranged, misguided fools that should not be trusted, for they misunderstand the ultimate goals of the project.
Perfect policies[edit]
Cruft and inaccuracy are encouraged, and anyone not conforming will be pelted with ice cream until they give in. Usually, however, the victim will return to Miraheze where they are willing to put up with interminable server crashes as it is a much more favourable alternative to being scrutinised and babysat by a whole squadron of drones. But Wikia is still cool.
IRC is the enemy as it is detrimental to wiki progress, and to this end all users are limited to fifteen minutes in the chatroom per week. If there is no administrator to help you, then tough turkeys - work it out yourself, you ungrateful barstool.
At all other times, Wikia staff shall run the iron rule over you and reserve the right to overturn any decision the collective community think is right. This occurs on an almost hourly basis, where Wikia robots ensure that all content is within the terms and conditions at all times. Remember, robots do not sleep and will watch you 24 hours a day.
Forking of content[edit]
Should you create a wiki on the Wikia servers and at some point down the line have second thoughts, the content you contributed on their server space remains theirs and can not, under any circumstances, be forked without the express written permission of the Wikia CEO. Conversion to other, similar licenses is against the question and is strongly enforced for their own financial safety.
Enforcement of the above is overseen by Wikia's dedicated staff.
|Wikia staff have a chip implanted in their head which limits them to the following stock phrases:
—Wikia Terms and Conditions, 'Wikia staff', point #3[2]
Wikia projects[edit]
Wikia are very proud of their Wikia Answers project, which is in no way affiliated with, or stolen from the completely different and much more successful WikiAnswers. Though they are incredulously similar, any complaints regarding the legality of this or any of their other wikis should be directed to Wikia's legal department where their high-powered lawyers will work hard to keep the content
for themselves and nobody else free [3].
Not a Valid Wikia, Wikia's most popular wiki, accounts for over 67% of its total monthly earnings due to its 1,000,000+ hits per month [4]. The remaining 33% is shared between financially successful acquisition Uncyclopedia -- which, despite Uncyclopedia's disgust for their supreme overlords, is Wikia's pet project -- and ten thousand one-page, five-word wikis rich in Google keywords. [5]
|All communities are treated with equal contempt, except Uncyclopedia. If Uncyclopedia were to leave, we'd be screwed, so don't even think about it, mush. We can crush you with our high powered lawyers and GFDL license, under which we can do anything we please.
—Wikia Terms and Conditions, 'Community policy', point #1
Wikia's oldest project, the Domain Hijack wiki, is dedicated to snapping up each and every address relating to everything in the world to protect its assets. Users are encouraged to hand over their own registered domain names to the Wikia project for their own benefit, and oh, how beneficial it truly is.
Relationship with its non-commercial big brother[edit]
Wikia go to great pains to stress they are in no way affiliated with the socialist scum that is Wikipedia, and spit in the very face of its founder and his principles [6]. But hey, Wikia is still cool! It has mint Web 2.0 features and stuff, which, after all, is integral to creating a successful and engaging website.
Wikia does not pay Wikipedia to keep their entry on the free encyclopedia devoid of disparaging truths, despite the fact these glaring omissions make the article inaccurate and unreliable. That would be akin to moral corruption, an accusation one could never level at Wikia [7].
Despite the fact Wikia clung to the archaic GFDL license so long, they were forced to migrate its content to the more flexible Creative Commons license. This was not because Wikipedia did it first, rather because it was deemed to be commercially sensible by a team of specially-appointed, legally minded university graduates. Damn Credit Crunch.
- ↑ Wikia Requests, one disgruntled user
- ↑ Wikia Official Binding Terms and Conditions Enforced Under Pain of Death, November 2008 revision
- ↑ Wikia Answers under the microscope, Illogiblog
- ↑ Not A Valid Wikia, Wikia
- ↑ Don't let the Credit Crunch get you down, Illogiblog, A deluded and bitter ex-Wikian
- ↑ Wikipedia bans Christmas, Harry Yack
- ↑ A free content article on Wikia courtesy the Free Encyclopedia
See also[edit]
- Full Wikia Terms and Conditions, hosted at a non-commercial website
- Wikia front page. Just try and navigate the Wikia Central Wiki from here.
|Featured Article (read another featured article)
|Featured version: 31 August 2009
This article has been featured on the front page. — You can vote for or nominate your favourite articles at Uncyclopedia:VFH.
|The Conclave of Doom: Fred Phelps, Ed Gein, Enron, Evil Jesus, Wikia, The United States of Arabia, Iran,
|Space Committee: Marshall Applewhite, L. Ron Hubbard, Robotic ghost pirates
|Music/Theatre Committee: Abu Hamza, Ke$ha, The Jonas Brothers, Frank Sinatra
|Politics Committee: Dick Cheney, Glenn Beck, Chairman Mao, Kim Jong-il, Osama bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, Bill O'Reilly, "Ileana" Ross Lehtinen, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Richard M. Nixon, Xi Jinping, Benjamin Franklin, David "Delinquent" Cameron, Vladimir Putin, Nigel Farage, The Casagrandes
|See also: Baby Seals, Axis of Evil Hot Dog Eating Competition


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Hamilton Mug - Splatter Thistle
Splatter Thistle bone china mug has 370ml capacity. Packed in a designer windowed gift box.
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On thousands of furniture & home products!
Entertain your friends and family over drinks with the versatile Mansfield Swivel Bar Stool. Its crisscross design on the backrest, warm brown cherry finish, and black faux leather upholstered seat offer a transitional flair that will seamlessly blend with both modern and classic interiors.
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Learning and improving on the history of furniture designs and feedback from customers, the company tastefully combines the best in finishes, materials and designs to bring you both beauty and value with every piece you purchase. The artful blend of metal, wood, and leather has given them the reputation for "leading edge" styling and concepts. With the motto "we will win by design and stay on top with service to our customers", Hillsdale Furniture provides fashion forward designs, great looks, outstanding value, quality, and tremendous selections.
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Cocktail Of The Month
Mix It Up
Commitment is complex, so when you're looking for your favourite, why not take some new friends out for a spin? You never know, you just might meet 'The One'. We have a hunch on who you'd get on pretty well with. See our recipe of the month, picked by us, especially for you.


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1 large poblano pepper
5 tomatillos, husked and washed
2 large garlic cloves, whole with skin left on
1/3 cup chopped cilantro or to taste
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
I love flautas and this recipe looks so perfect I want to dive in and have it for breakfast!ReplyDelete
Oh this looks so so so good! There are so many of my favorite flavors and ingredients here. I can't wait to make this!ReplyDelete
YUM! I love flautas. These look delicious.ReplyDelete
These look so good! I'm sitting here, trying to decide what I'd like for lunch... and these are making me so hungry!ReplyDelete
Great! Another Mexican goodies. I love the avocado sitting on top of the roasted tomatillo.ReplyDelete
This dish looks absolutely delicious! I LOVE flautas but I only ever get them in restaurants...definitely something I need to try at home! :) Gorgeous photo too.ReplyDelete
Love the idea of the broth! Delicious looking dish!ReplyDelete
Hi Nicole, Your Chicken Flautas in a Roasted Tomatillo Broth recipe has been selected to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Please share the following link with your friends and fans. To play, go here: http://knapkins.com/guess_games/91?source=blog Congrats again!! :)ReplyDelete
Your dish inspired me to make some chicken taquitos. I loved the combination of the ingredients for the filling! Yum!ReplyDelete
I just tried to pin this recipe and keep getting the message that I can not pin from this site. The recipe sounds wonderful and I wrote it down.ReplyDelete
Thanks for visiting my blog! I love hearing from family, friends, and bloggers, so please leave a comment. Happy cooking!


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[A few weeks ago, Dtoid community blogger Swishiee wrote a cblog talking about how he had let his shyness get the best of him during PAX Prime 2011, and how he was determined to make the most out of PAX Prime 2012. In this follow-up, he shares his experience at PAX Prime 2012, and his thoughts on our community in general. –Mr Andy Dixon]
About a month ago, there was a flood of cblogs questioning the state of the Destructoid community, as well as our community management team. To the people who were — and still are — in doubt of our community, all I have to say is this:
You just need to know where to look.
PAX Prime 2012 took place a few weeks ago, and I had the time of my life.
The afternoon of Day 0 started out slow, but picked up once I met up with Dtoider flintmech and started looking for people to hang out with. We headed to Elephant and Castle to grab a beer, which is where we ran into Mr Andy Dixon, Jon Bloodspray, King Foom, and Conrad Zimmerman. After conversing amongst each other for a few, we set out to meet up with Spencer Hayes and company at GameWorks. That was when the real party started.
As the night went on, dozens of Dtoiders made their way into the bar of the arcade to hang out; it was like a family reunion. Each subsequent day at PAX I spent the majority of time with these people, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Our last night together was a sad one. After I said my goodbyes to everyone and got back to my hotel room, I sat in the chair in the corner depressed for a while. Over the weekend, these people went from being my friends on the internet to being my family. I miss everyone a ton, and I can't wait for the next time I get to see them all again. All of you guys made my PAX 2012 the best weekend of my life.
The Destructoid community is what you make of it. If you're looking to make some rad friends with common interests, then you're in the right place. Get involved with the community by playing games with us during Friday Night Fights or Team Fortress 2sdays. Follow us and talk with us on Twitter. Post stuff in the forums and cblogs. We're everywhere, and we're one of the most inviting groups of people you'll ever meet.
One last thing. I'd like to give a special shout out to our community management team here. It might not be apparent, but these guys work pretty dang hard to keep the spam at bay, to respond to people with issues, and even to post comments in cblogs and interact with people around here. They even launched a rad new front page feature recently, where they highlight the top posts from the CblogRecaps every week. I appreciate you guys, both for who you are and what you do. We couldn't ask for a better bunch of people to help keep this community going.
Now then, how much longer is it until PAX Prime 2013?


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Navigating Microsoft's complex rules and programs for software licensing has been notoriously difficult for businesses -- a pain point not lost on the company, which for years has said it is trying to simplify the process for customers.
But remarks made recently by Microsoft's top executive, as well as suspicions raised by customers and software consultants, suggest that Microsoft keeps its licensing complicated for a reason, and that it has no plans to make it any simpler in the foreseeable future.
CEO Steve Ballmer was asked earlier this week at an event in London when Microsoft will simplify its licensing, according to several reports. His response: not anytime soon. "I don't anticipate a big round of simplifying our licenses," Ballmer was quoted as saying. "Every time you simplify something, you get rid of something."
While he acknowledged licensing is complicated, Ballmer said those complications sometimes allow customers to use the fine print to save themselves money. Simplifying the process, he reasoned, would cost them that advantage.
In a recent interview, Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop also defended Microsoft's licensing. He acknowledged that it can be difficult to contend with, but said customers find it worth the time and money they invest because it brings them products that help them to innovate and lower their costs.
Customers tend to take a big-picture view of licensing, according to Elop -- that is, they look at the value it adds to their businesses overall, rather than dwell on the minutia of individual licenses required for the products they use.
"Customers want the amount they pay to be tied to the value that they're driving, the usage they're getting -- that's why these models are so complicated," he said. "For different customers, these things are measured in different ways.
"What a customer will do generally is take a big step back and say, what am I paying for e-mail? What am I paying for collaboration? And they will make a determination as to whether they think that's fair value or less than fair value," he said.
Nevertheless, customers grouse that Microsoft's licensing terms -- particularly a requirement that they buy client access licenses (CALs) for each employee who uses Microsoft's business software -- are harder than they need to be. Some are resigned to their fate, as they don't foresee any long-term resolution to what has been a constant problem.
"I would never say that it's easy," said a senior manager at a Silicon Valley gaming company that uses Microsoft's products. While his company is generally happy with the products it uses, he said, "it's always challenging" to ensure his company stays compliant with Microsoft's licensing agreements -- especially when it comes to CALs.
In fact, the changes Microsoft has made to simplify its licensing over the past several years have only made it more complicated, according to the manager, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak publicly for his company.
"It seems like every two or three years, Microsoft changes the way they do things," he said. "I know they're trying to make it simpler -- I know that's what they say -- but the fact that it's changing does not make it simpler. Each time we go through [a change] we have to learn again how it's done."
For sure, licensing software from large vendors has never been a walk in the park for business customers, for various reasons.
Scott Rosenberg, CEO of Woodbridge, New Jersey-based Miro Consulting, which helps companies analyze licensing agreements with Oracle and Microsoft, said it's not really in the interest of large vendors to make licensing easy for customers, who they know have limited options to go elsewhere for products.
"Once you're on Microsoft, you're on Microsoft -- where else are you going to go?" he said. "In a sense, they have you where they want you."
This locked-in feeling is what many customers think gives vendors like Microsoft and Oracle an unfair advantage over them, and it's the reason vendors are not inclined to make licensing any easier, Rosenberg said.
Still, Microsoft's licensing is unique in requiring companies to purchase CALs in addition to whatever per-CPU pricing they pay for a piece of software, he said. This has been one of the biggest areas of contention for customers for years when it comes to Microsoft's licensing.
Microsoft sells access licenses to its software and services in different ways. Sometimes the price is built into the cost of a hosted service -- something that's called a subscription access license (SAL) -- and sometimes CALs are sold in packages.
Elop said Microsoft has made its pricing for CALs, as well as the process for buying them, as flexible and painless as possible, and that CALs are one of the company's most popular licensing items.
"[They're] very successful on our price list," he said. "When you look at how they license the CALs, the customers have recognized there's tremendous value derived from bundling CALs together, licensing the suites. We have all sorts of ways of making it easier for customers to take advantage of these things."
However, that success probably stems from CALs being a requirement for many Microsoft licensing agreements, leaving customers little choice in the matter, said Paul DeGroot, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft who has closely studied Microsoft's licensing.
"Customers do not particularly like them -- they have to buy them," he said.
Customers dislike the CAL system for several reasons, DeGroot and others said. One of its most daunting aspects for a company is knowing whether it has enough of them. Because of that, customers end up buying more than they need, thus paying for licenses they aren't using, DeGroot said.
On the other hand, customers sometimes don't have enough CALs and find themselves in violation of a licensing agreement if Microsoft investigates, he said. "They are impossible to track, and because they're impossible to track, customers can very easily get in very serious trouble for not having the right CALs and the right number of CALs," he said.
The CAL-counting system is particularly difficult when a customer has to re-evaluate a license at the end of its term, and count the number of people inside the company who have access to each product that requires a CAL, said Stephen Hultquist, principal of Infinite Summit, Boulder, Colorado.
Hultquist serves as an independent CIO to many small companies, and he said companies that are growing quickly or are constantly in flux with their employee count have an especially hard time keeping track.
"CALs are the most evil thing Microsoft has ever done, especially for someone who has to manage the number of users in an organic organization where you have to be flexible," he said.
Scott Noles, director of technology and education at Microsoft customer Kinex Medical, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, agreed that making sure his company is compliant with Microsoft's licensing terms is difficult, even when he has made a concerted effort to do so.
"If people ask me, I say I'm pretty sure I'm compliant," he said. "I believe we've done our due diligence, but would that hold up under tight scrutiny? I don't know if I've missed a license agreement or if one has expired or not. There are situations where I just don't know because it's too confusing."
It's so difficult, in fact, that many companies need help to navigate licensing Microsoft products. Both Noles and Hultquist said they use third parties to help them wade through Microsoft contracts. "I think it's overly complicated. Even the rep that we use locally has said, 'If it wasn't so complicated, I wouldn't have a job,'" Noles joked.
With more companies pondering or implementing a mix of traditional software and hosted services -- such as Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite, a bundle of hosted collaboration and productivity services -- Microsoft licensing is bound to get even more complex, DeGroot said.
He said that the way Microsoft's enterprise agreements (EAs), or special licensing contracts available to enterprise customers, work now, many companies are still paying for CALs for all of their internal users, even if they have switched some of them to Microsoft's hosted services.
For instance, if a company with an EA has 1,000 people using Exchange, and half are accessing the software on-premise and the other half using Microsoft's hosted Exchange service, that organization will be paying more than it should for that hybrid environment.
"You would have to buy 1,000 licenses for internal users even though only 500 people are using it, then you would buy 500 subscriptions [to the hosted service] on top of that," he said.
Microsoft is still working out how to balance this hybrid licensing, and right now offers some credit back to companies in such a case, DeGroot said. However, a company still could be paying twice for licenses if they try to mix software and services.
As Microsoft tinkers with its licensing to better accommodate these hybrid environments, Elop said it's important to keep in mind that Microsoft's reason for having a variety of licensing options is to give customers choice. While it might take them some time to figure out which provide the best fit, he said, it will ultimately be worth it.


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Corporate Spirit – Business Presentation. I hope you like my new clean and corporate after effects project, hope it will fit great for your new business video.
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Media Article # 272
Thursday, August 25, 1977
By Bert StrandStandard-Examiner
Two North Ogden men and six young companions said today they watched a "gorilla-like" creature in the High Uintah Mountains that matched reports of 'Big Foot." Jay Barker of 1350 E. 2600 N., who has hunted big game animals for years in the area, said the creature was estimated at being 10 feet tall. He said it was covered with a white mantle of hair over its shoulders and halfway down its huge body. The lower portion of the creature was dark colored, said Mr. Barker who said after it spotted his party it ambled off on its hind legs. Hikes To Ridge Mr. Barker and his two sons Brent, 12, and Danny, 6, had hiked to the top of the ridge between Pass Lake and Cuberant Basin at the head of Weber River drainage. They reached the top of the ridge at noon Monday and made contact with Larry Beeson and his three sons, Scott, 14, Michael, 11, David, 5, and Paul Carling, 14. About that time, they looked down upon a small alpine lake about one halfmile below them and saw the creature standing on its edge. Creature Turns At first, Mr. Barker thought he was looking at an elk. Then the creature turned to look up at the party after a couple of the boys had knocked rocks loose that rolled. "What are we looking at?" said an amazed Mr. Beeson as the creatureturned and walked off on its hind legs. Mr. Barker said the distance was too far to get a good look at the creature's face, but he said it moved through scattered trees, turning its head back to look at them from time to time. Four Minutes He said they watched it for some four minutes while it covered about one half mile through the scattered trees and then disappeared into heavy timber. Startled and almost dumbfounded, the group stared. "That thing is standing ontwo legs," said one member of the amazed party as they looked. Mr. Barker said the party went down to where they had seen the creature after it disappeared. They found "paw-like" imprints in the earth, but the ground was too hard and dry to leave a clear imprint. He said the paw mark was "huge" and resembled that made by a palm and toes. The party followed the path of the creature to the timber and found other scruff marks on the rocks and in the dry ground and grass. Heavy Timber Mr. Barker said the group thought better about following the hairy creature into the heavy timber. Excited and unable to sleep, Mr. Barker said he and his boys were too tired after their experience to make the return trip of over six miles back to their camper near Pass Lake. They spent Monday night huddled about a campfire at Fish Lake near where the creature had been seen and came out Tuesday. Mr. Barker estimated the elevation of the small lake where the creature was seen at about 12,000 feet. It was above the timberline. Sheep Scared He also said a sheepherder in the Gold Hills area below, Arlo Fawcett of Roy, reported he has been unable to get his sheep to stay in the area where the creature was seen. Mr. Fawcett reportedly said he would take his sheep into the area to graze, and they would beat him back to camp, apparently filled with fear. The herder also said it's the first summer this has happened. It's also the first summer that he has failed to see or hear coyotes in the area. Utah wildlife officials, informed of the incident, said they would ride into the areaon horses to check the area. Fits Grizzly Jerry Dahlberg, conservation officer, northern region, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, when informed of the creature, said the description fits a grizzly bear "to a T," all except walking upright for such a long distance. Officer Dahlberg says he plans a horseback trip into the area over the Labor Day weekend. Mr. Beeson said when they reached the area where the hairy creature was seen, they found the carcass of a rabbit that had been completely "skinned as by a human" and partially eaten.
Outdoor Editor


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A few hours into the Melbourne flight, I was more or less covered in vomit. But I was so happy for something to do that I was - in a way which might be difficult to understand - tremendously relieved. There was something unexpected to manage with a "challenging" material that wasn't related to the destruction of the plane. It was, in its incalculably moist way, optimal.
I didn't really sleep on the trip, which felt long but not as long as I expected. My expectation was that it would not actually end at any point, that it would be a new state of being inexorably woven with my physical and psychic selves, so this must be seen as an improvement. Getting out of the Airport once we landed was Kafkaesque, but whatcha gonna do. Sometimes people want to bring nuts into your country that you don't want in there! Those people must be stopped at all costs.
Melbourne is actually pronounced Mel-Byn, as though it were a wizard; I learned this from Scott And Kris, who are also Kris and Scott. They're on their way to the San Diego Comic Con, a convention I've attended for more than a decade solid, and this is the first time I haven't been there since I started going. I know how to feel about being here, which is great. But I don't know where to file the other thing.
There is a city called Vancouver up in British Columbia that feels very much like Melbourne somehow. Except Melbourne is, in a pokemanian sense, like an evolve of Vancouver, with more incredible plumage and a repertoire of savage elemental attacks. We cracked the waterfront down here yesterday, and I was flabberghasted by it. This flabberghastation was amplified by the onset of darkness, when the whole place became almost mystical. I think that some percentage of what I saw last night wasn't entirely real. I have a perfectly clear memory of a malevolent digital ziggurat, which I assume was the result of some errant mental process.
As you might have seen already, Sand is up. Or maybe "back up," after a two year dormant period. It has leveraged this period to level up considerably.
(CW)TB out.


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Scott Anderson
See also: Categories: Instructors, Adjudicators, Dancers
Born: October 20
Hometown: Brookfield, Wisconsin
Current location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Current status:
- NDCA Member
- National Adjudicator
- Certified Instructor
- Choreographer
OverviewScott Anderson has been active in the dance industry for over 25 years. As professional dancers, Scott & his wife Amy Anderson are United States Rising Star American Smooth Champions & Open Finalists and Fred Astaire National American Smooth Champions.
They have performed in shows from Epcot Center to the NFL Superbowl Halftime Show. As a Pro/Am teacher he has won over 30 US titles. Scott is also a certified Adjudicators with the Terpsichore & DVIDA Organizations as well as a member of the National Dance Council of America (NDCA). Scott is also an Examiner for the DVIDA Organization. As a business owner, he & his wife ran a successful Fred Astaire franchise for several years & now teach independently all over the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as around the country.
The Andersons organize the Twin Cities Open Ballroom Championships in Minneapolis. The Twin Cities Open is a proud member of the Dancers Cup Tour, as well as the World Pro/Am Series of events, and the National Dance Council of America. In 1998 & 99, Scott and Amy produced WORLDANCE which coincided with the Twin Cities Open. WORLDANCE featured the professional open competition held in the state-of-the-art Target Center arena. Over 7,000 spectators came to WORLDANCE both years, as it also was a benefit for Fraser Community Services – a Twin Cities based non-profit organization aiding children and families with special needs.
In keeping with the idea of "giving back" & raising money and awareness to certain charities – the Andersons produced "Fiesta for Francesca" in 2002. Over $25,000 was raised for the Francesca Genereux Foundation. In 2009, they continued their fundraising efforts in conjuction with the Dancers Cup Tour - the Twin Cities Open raised over $5,000 for the Minnesota Chapter of the Susan G. Komen organization for Breast Cancer awareness.
- United States Rising Star American Smooth Champions
- Open Finalists and Fred Astaire National American Smooth Champions
- Certified Adjudicators with the Terpsichore & DVIDA Organizations
- Member of the National Dance Council of America (NDCA)
- Owners of the Fred Astaire franchise
- Organizer of the Twin Cities Open Ballroom Championships
- Founders of WORLDANCE and Fiesta for Francesca
Dance Partners
- Adjudicator
- Instructor, owner of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio
- Choreographer
- Organizer of the Twin Cities Open Ballroom Championships
Photo Gallery


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The best free, offline Assassins Creed live wallpapers app with 29 selected wallpapers in HD resolution! Check the screen shots. HOW TO USE: Home > Menu > Wallpaper > Live Wallpapers > Assassins Creed Live WP > Set wallpaper. You can fine-tune the application by selecting "Home > Menu > Wallpaper > Live Wallpapers > Assassins Creed Live WP > SETTINGS..." and choose from several options This free app is ad supported and may contain adds in the notification tray and/or home screen. Disclaimer : This App is in no way affiliated or associated with "Ubisoft Montreal", and "Ubisoft". All trademarks and images are the property of their respective owners.
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After focusing on the PayPal, VISA, MasterCard, and Amazon websites, the members of 4chan-affiliated group Anonymous have decided to pick a new target for an unorthodox DDoS attack: Fax machines belonging to corporations which they believe are against WikiLeaks' mission.
Basically what these folks are doing is sending a crap ton of random WikiLeaks cables, letters from Anonymous, Guy Fawkes images, and WikiLeaks logos to fax numbers belonging to Amazon, MasterCard, PayPal, VISA, Tableau Software, and the like.
While it seems that the idea is to render the corporations' fax lines useless and to get the attention of the folks running them by sending a ton of spam, it's worth noting that the "orders" for this operation remind Anonymous members to "BE RESPECTFUL." That's gotta count for something, right? [Netcraft via Slashdot]


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Heil Valley Ranch, Photo Gallery, Boulder - Denver - Golden - Fort Collins - Lyons, Colorado
Heil Valley Ranch
Boulder - Denver - Golden - Fort Collins - Lyons
Heil Valley Ranch runs north-south along Boulder's foothills where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountain upslope. Its 5020 acres support wildlife communities from each, including deer, elk, turkey, coyote, fox, mountain lion and bear. Heil Valley Ranch is open to mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding and winter recreation.
|Related Trails:
|Wapiti Trail to Ponderosa Loop
Picture Rock Trail
Wild Turkey Loop
The Heil Valley area was first homesteaded in 1888, and acquired by Boulder County Open Space in 1996
Turkeys can reach land speeds of 18 mph and glide for a mile without flapping their wings
Mule deer have relatively small rumen for their body size, and therefore must be more selective in what they forage
The Homestead Act of 1862 encouraged western expansion by opening America's land to agricultural settlement
Mild grades and open glades on the Ponderosa Loop are ideal for skiing and snowshoeing
When agitated, elk hold their heads high, pull their ears back and flare their nostrils
Trails now connect Heil Valley Ranch and Hall Ranch to form some of the longest contiguous riding and hiking trails in the Boulder front range
Wild male turkeys can weigh up to 37 pounds
Mt. Meeker (13.911') and Longs Peak (14,259') from the Ponderosa Loop
Mule deer antlers typically shed by February, and begin regrowing immediately
Looking south at Boulder's Front Range - Bear Peak, South Boulder Peak and Green Mountain are all visible
Naturally occurring, low intensity fires keep densities in check and rejuvenate soils
Homestead remains along the Wapiti Trail in Heil Valley Ranch
Wild turkeys can fly for short bursts at speeds up to 55 mph
Reminders of past development efforts on the Picture Rock Trail
A wild turkey courtship display off the Wapiti Trail in Heil Valley Ranch
A gaggle of turkeys off the Picture Rock Trail


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Qibla Connect® Find Directionadmin
The description of Qibla Connect® Find Direction
Help Note:For the most accurate measurement, device should be kept flat and at a proper distance from electromagnetic fields for precise pointing. Qibla Connect® is a Smartphone application that helps Muslim mobile users throughout the world in finding the exact direction of Qibla (قبلة) and also gives exact Namaz timings to make them offer prayers easily. This Qibla Finder shows the course of Kaaba with the help of its unique and easy to understand Qibla Compass. Distinctive Features:With the help of this Qibla locator you can: • Find Qibla Direction anywhere anytime • Track Kaaba location with Both online (using GPS) and offline (Manually inserting current location) modes• Calculate distance of Qibla from existing place in both Kilometers and degrees • Choose Multiple Qibla Dials present in diverse designs• Multiple languages are like English, Turk, Spanish, Russian, French, Dutch, Malay, Indonesian, Italian and Thai are included• Know the prayers timings • Use Salat Timing facet for the accurate Salat occasions of all five daily prayers • Automatically be notified about Salat timing through Adhan Reminders offered in 3 different voices present in Tone Settings• Customize Namaz timing according to Hanafi Fiqh or Standard method• Know Salat instances as per 7 Recognized Islamic Research Centers (MWL, Makkah, Karachi, ISNA, Tehran, Egypt, and Jafari)• Adjust latitude to AngleBased, Midnight or OneSeventh• Select Juristic according School of Thoughts of Shafi/Maliki, Hanbali or HanafiDownload this incomparable mobile app Qibla Connect® in order to benefit from it for finding the course of Qibla and knowing about Salat timings.
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Genetically Modified Wheat Mysteriously Discovered in Oregon Field
Genetically modified wheat was mysteriously discovered this spring on an Oregon farm – and no one knows where it came from.
The USDA told FOXBusiness.com it is investigating the situation, which was revealed when an eastern Oregon farmer, whose name has not been released, sprayed some leftover wheat with an herbicide. Once he realized the wheat wasn't dying off, he knew something odd was underfoot – and sent it off for testing.
A USDA spokesman confirmed the wheat under review is the same variety of genetically modified wheat developed by Monsanto and field tested from 1998 to 2005.
"There are no GE [genetically engineered] wheat varieties approved for sale or in commercial production in the United States or elsewhere at this time," the USDA wrote in a press release about the investigation.
Some Oregon farmers worry the USDA investigation will push foreign markets to close their doors to American wheat.
Bruce Pokarney, the director of communications at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, says Oregon's wheat producers are "very nervous."
"We have maybe a month before the next harvest of winter wheat in Oregon. If this situation hadn't happened that wheat would largely be spoken for," says Pokarney, explaining the farmers worry their wheat won't have a buyer.
Pokarney says there are approximately 1,400 wheat growers in Oregon, producing a crop worth nearly $500 million.
"90% of our soft white wheat goes to exports," says Pokarney, and the major buyers include Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) released a statement saying it has received unconfirmed reports the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries has imposed an "import restriction" on U.S.-grown soft white wheat. However, the organization says it has not received official word on any restrictions, and says none are necessary.
"There is no reason for governments to establish a restriction on U.S. wheat as the USDA made it clear yesterday that there is no evidence suggesting that this materials has entered commercial supplies and that there is no health risk associated with it," the USW wrote.


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Dear all,
It is with great consternation and sorrow that I announce the temporary closure of The Emergency Times blog until such time as its services are required and can be fulfilled with the dilegence required, again. Due to a combination of my personal difficulties and the evolving nature of our country's political scenario, The Emergency Times no longer serves the exemplar purpose it did following its birth on the 5th of November, 2007. I find I can no longer maintain the quality and regularity that used to be the cornerstone of our guiding principles.
The days and months following the the 5th of November were, in addition to other things, an unbelievable example of how committed citizen journalism can mould the shape of society in a significant way. Beginning from a merely informative on-campus handout, to this date, The Emergency Times has reached an audience of around 150,000 people in around 100 countries. It served, for a long time, as one of the most reliable and regular sources of information and material on the post-Nov 3 people's struggles against the injustices being perpetrated in our country (though, I will readily and unapologetically admit, with a significant editorial bent :). All of this, of course, was made possible by all of you, our committed contributors and readership.
And of course, my editorial team...Madiha, who started it with me, helping me come up with the idea (though she was unable to continue for very long), Moulvi, my ever-reliable assistant-ed, helping me keep the exhaustive schedules, Omer. G, for his powerful, moving articles and accounts, and Samad Khurram (now a national hero :-), in particular, for contributing and distributing from day one and keeping it alive when I had become encumbered with personal dilemmas..
All the thousands of people who distributed and forwarded our issues on their campuses, the streets, their mailing lists..thank you all..this wouldn't have been possible without you.
I hope (as our disclaimer used to state) that The Emergency Times was truly able to make a difference in these troubled times by 'inspiring and making aware'. If the need shall arise, we will be there to report, inform and inspire once again. But for now, I feel it is time to call it a day.
Our archives and back-issues remain on the site for perusal and records. Our email contact remains firstname.lastname@example.com.
May Allah guide our country and its people through these rigorous times unscathed.
As always, In Complete Unity..
Ammar Rashid
The Emergency Times


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By Su'ad Abdul Khabeer
For the past month, I have been dragging myself out of bed at 4 a.m. for a pre-dawn meal, usually yogurt and granola, to prepare for an all-day fast. At each sunset, I have been breaking my fast in the lively, and lovely, company of my fellow Muslim sisters and brothers fasting for Ramadan.
Before things go back to a better kind of normal in a few days, I've got some serious celebrating to do! Today, I will join about 1 billion Muslims around the world commemorating the end of a month of fasting with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
The black Muslim celebrations I am describing don't look much like the Hollywood version of our faith. We are part of the African diaspora, with roots in the Caribbean, Latin America and the American South. We are African-American Muslims who found within Islam spiritual enlightenment and more: the legacy of our ancestors, enslaved Africans, many of whom were Muslims. Some of us are converts and others, like me, are raised in Muslim families.
Yet all of us are living proof that black folks come—have always come—in more than just two types: Christian and "Easter and Christmas Christian."
Eid al-Fitr (the festival of breaking the fast) is one of two eids, or celebrations, that Muslims around the world enjoy each year. Eid al-Fitr is the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, which commences at the end of the preceding month, Ramadan.
Ramadan is the month in which Muslims fast from the break of dawn until sunset. Despite Ramadan's requirements—abstinence from food, drink and sex during the daylight hours—its arrival is a joyful occasion because the physical fasting is accompanied by spiritual reflection and renewal for the individual and the reaffirmation of social ties for the community.
Many adherents use Ramadan to take a break from other things as well, from cigarettes to television. By deciding not to watch yet another YouTube rendition of a pop song, the Muslim is making room, physically and spiritually, for the evaluation of her internal spiritual state as well as her impact on the world in which she lives.
The arrival of Eid al-Fitr is about putting that evaluation into action: How can I be more compassionate and giving than I was last Ramadan? How can I show gratitude for all the things God has given me and kept from me? What am I going to doing to change the wrong things I see happening around me?
During Ramadan, we spend evenings together, at the masjid (mosque) and each other's homes. We pray together, laugh together and fill up our plates with curry chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, bust-up shot, arroz con gandules, and more, while little brown-skinned children play to the jangle of silver bracelets, as the rustle of brightly colored head scarves and dashikis move in prayer.
The Eid al-Fitr celebration that follows is also a community affair.
After a series of round-robin calls to different masjids to confirm the end of Ramadan, a bevy of preparations begins: settling on the perfect head scarf to match a new outfit; the final shoe shine; another car wash; and paying your tithes, which we call Zakat al-Fitr (an Eid charity)—all while getting to the Eid Salat, a simple prayer and sermon, the next morning on time.
And I would be remiss if I forgot to mention the cooking—lots of cooking! Indeed, one of the highlights of Eid, especially after a month of fasting, is food: sumptuous West Indian curries, rich Southern cuisine, and bacalao fried just right. And, true to our diasporic heritage, on the days of Eid we step out: in styles from West Africa to West Philly; in fuchsia, tangerine and indigo; and in some communities, in spite of the raised eyebrow, some even step in the name of love.
Of course, all the cooking, eating and festivity comes with its challenges. Some are small—How in the world am I going to keep this barbecue from spilling on my fresh linen? Others are of greater consequence—how to celebrate in a way that honors the lessons of charity and self-restraint Ramadan teaches, and at the same time honors the ancestors who weren't allowed Eid celebrations.
In a few days, I will be back to my usual routine, my consciousness expanded and ready to find news ways to serve. So when you see a Muslim, whether it's your cousin Raheem, or your co-worker Jamilah, who might look a little winded from all the festivities, be sure to say, "Eid Mubarak" (Eeeed Moo-baa-rack), which means Blessed Eid. They will appreciate it, because Eid al-Fitr is a black thang, too.
Su'ad Abdul Khabeer is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology/African American Studies at Purdue University and Senior Editor at Sapelo Square. An earlier version of this post appeared on The Root.


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Hi everyone! Sorry I've been absent for the past month but life and summer has kept me busy. We've been busy planting in our field area that we had cleared just before snow flew in January. My business suddenly decided to breath life back into itself and I got the idea in my head that after a decade I should redesign my website. Do you have any idea how challenging it is to wrap your head around a computer program after a decade? And with menopause? Yes I ask for a lot but it's all good!
Summer has been bountiful as far as plant life goes thanks to the great amount of rain we received this spring. This is one of my favorite flowering plants called Sneezeweed. It's the first to bloom in the spring and the last to die back in the fall. Best part is it decided for the first time this year to add some yellows flowers to the arrangement.
I also love Hydrangea, every variety, and I have to say I love this incrediball Hydrangea. It doesn't flop from heavy heads and if you deadhead the flowers it'll make more. I planted up this little garden two years ago and my dwarf boxwood hedge is coming in nicely. Another two years and we should have a real hedge.
Incrediball Hydrangea
Blue Endless Summer, except they need to include a disclaimer with this shrub, it doesn't really bloom all summer!
Limelight Hydrangea
The heads on the limelight get as big as my head and they turn the most incredible green in the fall.
This is a type of Hydrangea Paniculata f. grandiflora and I love all the ferns just above him along the top of the wall. We get tons of ferns that will suddenly jump up around here and Mister Man keeps mowing them down only to have them jump right back up. He isn't trying to mow the ferns just the grass but the ferns are literally everywhere!
My best friend Deb, yes even the same name, and I have been talking a great deal about gardening and Hydrangea and with my birthday coming up soon she surprised me with an amazing gift clear from Seattle Washington! Two huge Viburnum and a Let's dance starlight purple hydrangea. The Viburnum are planted and staked since I'm going to grow these two as trees and my new Hydrangea went into a new garden I just started that will be nothing but Hydrangea. I personally don't think you can ever have to many Hydrangea.
I don't know what it is about olive trees but I have a slight fascination with them so I picked up two small plants early this spring and imagine my surprise when they actually grew olives!
Yep, they grew olives, black olives that are ripening! This is very exciting for me and I don't even like olives….lol.
As for this guy he's been loving his life of hiking, swimming although he doesn't actually swim he's more of a wader and finding mud. I snapped this picture the other morning after his hike and he was panting on his side.
So that's what I've been up to a life of gardening and work and loving being outdoors. I hope all of you have been enjoying your summer and I'm going to try and get caught up with you all.
Enjoy your Labor Day!


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L-Com HD BNC M to HD BNC M Using Blue Belden 4694R
L-Com HD BNC M to HD BNC M Using Blue Belden 4694R
The L-com LCCA30728/BL RF cable assembly available from ShowMeCables, comes with HD BNC Male to HD BNC Male connectors using Belden 4694R coaxial cable. This assembly has a 75 Ohm impedance, and is suitable for high quality video transmission, medical equipment, broadcast A/V, and HD cameras. The LCCA30728/BL RF cable assembly carries 12G-SDI, video, and broadband UHDTV signals.
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Obama's Libya Defense Makes
Bush's Lawyers Look Smart
By David Swanson
Beaver County Peace Links via WarIsACrime.org
June 16, 2011 - The arguments made to "legalize" war, torture, warrantless spying, and other crimes by John Yoo and Jay Bybee and their gang are looking rational, well-reasoned, and impeccably researched in comparison with Obama's latest "legalization" of the Libya War.
Here's the key section from Wednesday's report to Congress:
"Given the important U.S. interests served by U.S. military operations in Libya and the limited nature, scope and duration of the anticipated actions, the President had constitutional authority, as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive and pursuant to his foreign affairs powers, to direct such limited military operations abroad. The President is of the view that the current U.S. military operations in Libya are consistent with the War Powers Resolution and do not under that law require further congressional authorization, because U.S. military operations are distinct from the kind of 'hostilities' contemplated by the Resolution's 60 day termination provision. U.S. forces are playing a constrained and supporting role in a multinational coalition, whose operations are both legitimated by and limited to the terms of a United Nations Security Council Resolution that authorizes the use of force solely to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under attack or threat of attack and to enforce a no-fly zone and an arms embargo. U.S. operations do not involve sustained fighting or active exchanges of fire with hostile forces, nor do they involve the presence of U.S. ground troops, U.S. casualties or a serious threat thereof, or any significant chance of escalation into a conflict characterized by those factors."
Whatever the president's "foreign affairs powers" may be, they do not, under the U.S. Constitution, include the power to launch "military operations" or "hostilities" or "wars." Nor has the distinction between "military operations" that involve what ordinary humans call warfare (blowing up buildings with missiles) and "hostilities" that qualify for regulation under the War Powers Resolution been previously established. This distinction is as crazy as any that have come out of U.S. government lawyers in the past.
The War Powers Resolution forbids unconstitutional wars unless the United States is attacked. But even ignoring that fact, as is the custom, the Resolution says right at the top:
"It is the purpose of this joint resolution to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States and insure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and to the continued use of such forces in hostilities or in such situations."
Anything from imminent involvement in hostilities to hostilities is covered. There doesn't seem to be a gap left through which to exclude bombing people's homes in a non-hostile manner with non-combat troops as part of an overseas contingency operation.
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey remarks: "To say that our aggressive bombing of Libya does not rise to the level of 'hostilities' flies in the face of common sense and is an insult to the intelligence of the American people."
Further down, the same resolution makes clear:
"For purposes of this joint resolution, the term 'introduction of United States Armed Forces' includes the assignment of members of such armed forces to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany the regular or irregular military forces of any foreign country or government when such military forces are engaged, or there exists an imminent threat that such forces will become engaged, in hostilities."
So, the "constrained and supporting role in a multinational coalition" is completely irrelevant, and would be even if it were true that a UN resolution was being adhered to.
The Obama report to Congress spends half its time claiming that the United States is not part of the NATO operation in any major way, and the other half warning that the NATO operation would collapse without the United States:
"If the United States military were to cease its participation in the NATO operation, it would seriously degrade the coalition's ability to execute and sustain its operation designed to protect Libyan civilians and to enforce the no-fly zone and the arms embargo, as authorized under UNSCR 1973. Cessation of U.S. military activities in support of OUP would also significantly increase the level of risk for the remaining Allied and coalition forces conducting the operation, which in turn would likely lead to the withdrawal of participation in the operation."
The "limited nature, scope and duration of the anticipated actions" is irrelevant. The War Powers Act specifically sets a limit of 60 days, which has passed. Moreover, not that it matters legally, but the House resolution to which this report was a response asked for some information that the report does not provide, including:
"The anticipated scope and duration of continued United States military involvement in support of NATO activities regarding Libya."
The report says the duration is limited, but that merely suggests it's not infinite.
I have my doubts even about that claim. 0digg
MayFirst.org Source URL: http://warisacrime.org/content/obamas-libya-defense-makes-bushs-lawyers-look-smart
Links: [1] http://warisacrime.org/content/obamas-libya-defense-makes-bushs-lawyers-look-smart [2] http://warisacrime.org/category/categories/libya


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Houston, TX – The Houston Texans have reportedly landed veteran Ed Reed through free agency.
According to multiple outlets, including the Houston Chronicle, Reed agreed to a deal with Houston on Wednesday night.
Reed has spent his entire 11-year career in Baltimore after the Ravens selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2002 draft out of the University of Miami.
The play-making free safety has led the league in interceptions three times, totaling 61 in 160 career games and taking seven back for touchdowns.
He has been a Pro Bowl selection nine times and last season helped the Ravens capture the Super Bowl.


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Former Vice President Joe Biden expected to announce 2020 presidential campaign next week
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to join the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field next week.
The decision answers one of the most significant outstanding questions of the early presidential primary season, which has already seen announcements from 18 other Democrats. Biden, 76, would be the most experienced politician in the race, and the second oldest, after 77-year-old Bernie Sanders.
His plans were confirmed by three people with knowledge of them. They were not authorized to discuss the plans publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The announcement is expected as early as Wednesday and would cap months of deliberation over his political future.
Already, supportive donors have begun trying to raise money on his behalf.
"A number of us in San Francisco have begun organizing for Vice President Joe Biden and his nascent organization as he prepares to make his announcement later this month," wrote California-based attorney Thomas McInerney this week in an email obtained by the AP.
He continued: "If you are interested and able to get in on the ground floor of his presidential campaign and help the Vice President make a splash when he announces, please consider sending a check now made out to, 'Biden for President.'"
The specific launch date and location is unclear. Biden is likely to soon start making visits to early voting states.
One person said Biden's advisers are also considering an early event in Charlottesville, Virginia, the site of a deadly clash between white supremacists and counterprotesters in 2017. The location would be intended to draw a contrast between Biden and President Donald Trump, who said there were some "very fine people on both sides" of the violent confrontation.
Biden has been particularly outspoken against the rise of white supremacy in the Trump era.
One of the most recognizable names in U.S. politics, Biden served for two terms as Barack Obama's vice president after nearly four decades as a senator from Delaware. His high-profile, working-class background and connection to the Obama years would help him enter the race as a front-runner, though he faces questions about his age and whether his more moderate record fits with a party that has become more liberal.
With a record in elected office that stretches half a century, Biden faces multiple challenges.
Last month he struggled to respond to a complaint from Lucy Flores, a 2014 lieutenant governor nominee in Nevada, that he made her uncomfortable by touching her shoulders and kissing the back of her head before a campaign event. A few other women have made similar claims, though none has alleged sexual misconduct.
The incident is just a taste of the harsh vetting from both Democrats and Republicans expected for Biden, who has run for president twice before but never from such a strong political starting point.
His first White House bid in 1988 ended after a plagiarism scandal. And in recent weeks, he was repeatedly forced to explain his 1991 decision, as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, to allow Anita Hill to face questions about her allegations of sexual harassment against Clarence Thomas, then a nominee for the Supreme Court.
Biden has since apologized for his role in the hearing. But in the #MeToo era, it's another example of why critics believe he may struggle to catch on with the Democratic primary voters of 2020.
On paper, however, he may be well positioned to take on Trump in a general election.
The Republican president's allies have privately warned that Biden might be the biggest threat to Trump's reelection given Biden's potential appeal among the white-working class in the Midwest, the same region that helped Trump win the presidency.


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Rabbi Ari Kahn
Parashat Korach 5776
You Say You Want a Revolution
The time was ripe for a power grab: The frightful report of the spies and the unequivocal sentence handed down were still ringing in the peoples' ears; the Promised Land never seemed farther away. The strategy was simple: Foment unrest, and stage a takeover. The tactics employed were cynical: Collect the disheartened, and create the facade of a united opposition. The message was populist: "All the people are holy." (B'midbar 16:3). The results were disastrous: Death and even greater despair. The leader of this uprising was none other than Moshe's own cousin, Korach.
What may have seemed like a unified revolt was more like a chimera, an impossible confederation between Korach, from the tribe of Levi, a trio of Reuvenites, and a larger group of other men, presumably all firstborn sons who, like the Reuvenites, considered themselves wrongly displaced priests: Until very recently, it would have been the firstborn sons who would have been the kohanim, religious and political leaders who served God in the newly-built Mishkan. Members of the tribe of Reuven, the eldest of Yaakov's sons, as well as the firstborn sons of other families, forfeited this honor through poor judgment and sin; the Levites were appointed in their stead.
Korach was both power-hungry and an opportunist; in addition, he was a first class manipulator. He was well aware of the heartfelt disappointment of those who had been passed over, and set out to use it to his advantage. In what may have seemed an act of historic reconciliation, he, a member of one of the most illustrious families of the very tribe that had displaced the firstborn, reached out to form a coalition with them. As the new kohanim, and the stewards of the Mishkan, the Levites were more than simply those chosen to replace the firstborn who had sinned; they were actually complicit in what Korach must have described as Moshe's greatest act of "infamy," his call to wipe out the perpetrators of the sin of the golden calf. Foremost among those perpetrators were the firstborn; the people who sprang into action and carried out Moshe's order to kill the sinners were from the tribe of Levi – arguably, even Korach himself had taken sword in hand. To make matters even worse, Korach pointed out, there was one guilty party in the golden calf debacle who had gotten off "scot free:" Moshe's brother Aharon seems to have benefitted unduly from his family connections; Aharon, then, was the weak link on Moshe's team.
Korach argues that the firstborn, despite their sin, are still holy. This statement, coming from a member of the privileged clan of Levi, had tremendous impact on those who felt wronged. Charmed by his words and seduced by his apparent sincerity and empathy for their loss, two hundred and fifty men mobilized to shore up Korach's rebellion.
Yet the two other heads of this three-headed monster cannot be easily reconciled with one another. If Korach himself will become the new high-priest, how does this help the three Reuvenites who stood shoulder to shoulder with Korach? If they are to reclaim the role of the kohanim for their tribe, where does that leave the firstborn sons of the other tribes?
The person who saw through the deception and realized that Korach's words were no more than demagoguery was the wife of one of the original conspirators, On, son of Pelet - a man who is not only a hapax legomenon but a complete mystery in terms of his disappearance. As the rebellion takes shape, Korach bands together with Datan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, and On son of Pelet - all from the tribe of Reuven. And yet, as the rebellion unfolds, On seems to vanish. In the final act, all the other co-conspirators perish, while On is never heard from again.
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 109b-110a) fills in the details of On's disappearance, and identifies On's wife as the heroine of this cautionary tale. On's wife sees that Korach is taking advantage of the feelings of guilt, frustration and loss that are running rife among the firstborn men. She understands immediately that Korach is making cynical use of their anguish, and using them as pawns in his own game. She understands that although Korach, too, feels he has been slighted, allowing him to feign empathy for the others, he will not hesitate to cast his allies aside when his own desires are fulfilled. She sees that the endgame is poorly conceived and unrealistic; the chimera really has only one head, and that is Korach; the others are being played. Mrs. On spells it out for her idealist husband: "You will never be the leader. You have only one choice to make: Will you follow Moshe, or Korah?" "My 'comrades' will soon be here to collect me, so that we may march together in protest," he worries. She gives him a drink, puts him to bed, and says, "I will take care of this."
Knowing that the battle cry of this revolution is "Everyone is holy," (16:3) she stands at the entrance to their tent and brushes her uncovered hair. The other rebels arrive; upon seeing a married woman's uncovered hair, they quickly turn around and walk away rather than cast their eye on such immodesty. These "holy" people were willing to rebel against Moshe, to slander Aharon, to cast aspersions on those chosen by God Himself, and to undermine the faith of the entire nation – but they were not willing to look at a married woman's hair.
This Talmudic passage gives full expression to Korach's manipulation and to the tragic gullibility of his followers. Korach convinces them that they are as holy, if not more holy, than Moshe and Aharon. He convinces them that they should be the ones to don the clothing of the kohen. He convinces them to take incense in hand and approach the Mishkan – despite the fact that even bona fide kohanim who brought incense when not specifically commanded to do so had perished in the Sanctuary. And like Nadav and Avihu, the 250 faux-kohanim perish. Korach, Datan and Aviram, who sent their duped followers to their deaths, do not make that mistake. They never put on the clothing of the kohen, nor do they bring incense; they know what the consequences will be.
In fact, for these three men, the entire charade had very little to do with holiness; that was merely the bait they used to lure in their supporters. For Korach, Datan and Aviram, the rebellion had been about leverage and power from the very start. They hoped that Moshe would retire in order to preserve unity. They expected that this modest, selfless public servant would retreat, and take Aharon with him.
Korach, Datan and Aviram had a very different agenda than the other participants in the rebellion, and different fates awaited them. The two hundred and fifty men who joined Korach in a desperate and misguided attempt to serve God had been led astray by a man who sought glory, power, honor – not holiness. This naïve but misguided group truly sought holiness, and like Nadav and Avihu, they were consumed by a fire that came from God. They departed in a blaze, like a sacrifice on the altar. Korach, Datan and Aviram, on the other hand, sunk into ignominy. They fell into a never-ending abyss.
Only one of the conspirators lived through this episode: On, the son of Pelet, was saved by his wife's keen insight and decisive action. She understood Korach's strategy, and saw through his tactics. She understood the tragic, warped piety of the firstborn men who joined the rebellion, men who saw themselves as holier than Aharon, holier even than Moshe - so holy that they could be stopped in their tracks by a few strands of hair.
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