text:
NEW - MAXIMUS special edition
The MAXIMUS special edition of crystal, enameled, fond and fond enameled chandeliers- 3 years guarantee.Please see new chandeliers with mark MAXIMUS.
Prices for goods
All the prices stated on www.maximus.cz are in EUR€ and CZK (Czech crowns) and include packing charges.
The prices of products on the pages www.maximus.cz are stated with V.A.T.
Customers from the countries of the European Union (E.U.) will pay the prices including the above stated tax (except companies with V.A.T.).
Other customers, who are not from the countries of the E.U. will pay the prices without that tax. They can save up more than 15% of the final price of goods.
Packaging of chandeliers
All the chandeliers are delivered disassambled into parts (the body, arms, bowls, trimmings and chain with cover of hook) which are carefully wrapped and labeled.
Exchange of damage or destruction parts
If you find out a damage or destruction of a part within 2 days from the delivery at latest, he´ll be sent a new part/parts free of charge.
We kindly ask you to announce such a situation via e-mail or phone to our company, and describe a damaged part in detail (you can scan an illustration of a chandelier and highlight a damaged part, or take a snap of such a part and send via e-mail: email@example.com
Assambling instructions and wiring
A chandeliers is easy to be re-assambled according to enclosed instruction and scheme. You will need only pliers, a screw driver and a bit of skill. Approximate time to re-assamble a 6 arm chandelier takes about 1 hour, including wiring.
In principle, you will first put together the body and chain, you will hang the chandelier on the hook and you will fix the arms in possition. The arms have to be fitted into the terminal board in the body of the light. It´s highly advisable to have this step along with wiring made by a specialized person or company. Only after the bowls trimmings can be fixed.
If you decide for chandelier with more than 6 arms it chan be wired the way tahat the chandelier is divided into 2 lights circuits. That means you only have half of the light bulbs switched on, not all of them. This wiring is only possible if there are 3 conductors leadinng from the chandelier to the switch.
We recommend to use the bulbs with maximum power demand of 40W for socket E14 or 60W for sockets E27. For US market - sockets E12 with maximum power demand 40W.
There are many types of bulbs to illustrate:
socket E14
bulb shape - candle (classic or twisted) or round
colour of bulb - clear, frosted, frosted with krypton filling
The situation is similar concerning socket E27.
For more information about the bulbs, see the pages of the company OSRAM.
It´s not advisable to use the compact fluorescent lamps because of aestethical reasons.
Maintenance of chandeliers is very easy. It´s enough to take down the trimmings and bowls once a year and wash them as well as the body of the chandelier using moist cloth and detergent solution.
Another possibility is to buy detergent HAGERTY destined for cleaning crystal chandeliers.
You spray the detergent on all parts of the chandelier, you leave it drain away. Dirt melts immediately without leaving stains. You don´t take down any parts of the chandelier; you only spread out some polythene on the floor.Cleaning, which used to take several hours, least only a few minutes now.If you are interested in buying this excelent detergent, contact us, please.
Spare parts
It´s a part of your light damaged and you can´t get a new one? Send us its photo along with a photo of the chandelier. We will try to provide it.
Other colour variety
There aren´t all possible colour designs of metal and glass parts of the chandeliers stated in our catalogue. If interested in other colour version then that offered, please contact us to let us know your requirements. We will find out the possilities and suggest a solution.
Is there high ceiling in your flat?
When choosing a chandelier, an important point is the lenght of the chain. Regular - lenght chains are about 20cm ~ 7 3/4" long (3lugs), which is satisfactiory owing to average ceiling height about 2.6m ~ 8 1/2 feet. It´s up to you how long chain you will order, this service is free of charge.
All chandeliers are guaranteed for 24 month; and all are delivered with the certification ESC, CE and/or IECEE-CB which guarantee that all sold lights fit the standards valid in and out of European Union.
Prices for goods
Packaging of chandeliers
Exchange of damage or destruction parts
Assambling instructions and wiring
Maintenance of chandeliers
Spare parts
Other colour variety
Chain lenght
privacy policyTax Free Shoppingpayment conditionsshipping & deliverycurrency converter


text:
FDA outlines path to test Alzheimer's drugs earlier
Proposed U.S. guidelines may make it easier for drug companies to test Alzheimer's treatments in people at an earlier stage, when scientists think they may have the best shot at working.
The draft guidance document, issued on Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reflects changes in scientists' understanding of Alzheimer's. They now believe the disease begins at least a decade before symptoms appear.
"The scientific community and the FDA believe that it is critical to identify and study patients with very early Alzheimer's disease before there is too much irreversible injury to the brain," said Dr. Russell Katz, director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Current Alzheimer's drugs treat symptoms, but none has been proven to interrupt the steady destructive course of Alzheimer's that robs sufferers of their memories and independence.
"I think this will be hugely useful to the pharmaceutical industry," said Dr. Paul Aisen of the University of California, San Diego, and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study, a joint effort between the university and the National Institute on Aging focused on identifying the earliest signs of Alzheimer's.
Aisen said the draft document will help companies design clinical trials to test drugs in people before dementia strikes, such as prodromal disease, a precursor to Alzheimer's in which mild cognitive changes have occurred and there is some biomarker evidence, such as a brain scan, that suggests the changes are related to Alzheimer's disease.
The need for new treatments is great and growing. A study on Wednesday suggested that the number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease would triple to 13.8 million by 2050.
Drug companies have been working for years to develop so-called disease-modifying drugs, but so far, with little success.
Last summer, a promising drug called bapineuzumab being developed by Johnson & Johnson , Pfizer and Elan, failed to show a benefit in large trials of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.
And a drug by Eli Lilly and Co known as solanezumab also failed to meet the main goals of two large trials in this same population. But the drug did appear to show a slight benefit in mild patients when results of both studies were pooled.
Researchers now plan to study Lilly's drug in patients with earlier-stage disease, including a trial known as the "A4" prevention study, which will study 1,000 volunteers aged 70 to 85 with pre-symptomatic disease, who have not yet developed significant memory problems.
The trial will be managed by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study under Aisen's direction.
Several other so-called prevention studies are testing drugs in people who are genetically predisposed to develop Alzheimer's at an early age. In one study, members of a large family in Colombia will test a drug from Roche Holding AG's Genentech unit known as crenezumab.
Maria Carrillo of the Alzheimer's Association, which has worked with the National Institute on Aging to develop new guidelines for identifying Alzheimer's at an earlier stage, said the proposed changes "open the door wider for those of us working on and thinking about prevention trials."
The FDA said the move is part of the government's efforts to respond to Alzheimer's as part of the National Alzheimer's Plan signed by President Obama last year. The plan aims to find an effective way to prevent or treat Alzheimer's by 2025.

subset: commoncrawl


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|2011-12-28, 12:31
|Link #21503
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Poland
Age: 32
Spoiler for 49:
On a different topic, I wonder if the conversion that Tsukune and Moka are going to have, is going to somehow reflect on the topic that Inner Moka had with Inui (The Fake vampire) in chapter 40 of the first season, about the "true ability" of a vampire, which Tsukune has already gained or rather surpassed, since he is not only capable of changing his youkai aura to physical strength, but is also capable of using it, to form youjutsu techniques, which isn't something that an ordinary vampire is capable of...
Of course, I know that chapter 40 of the first season can be considered as a filler, but since it has been made by Ikeda, it might be mentioned in Tsukune's and Inner Moka's future conversation, especially now, after Tsukune has became more similar to an actual vampire (due to undergoing the human modification ritual)... which is something, that is definitely going to surprise Inner Moka.
Last edited by Chris38; 2011-12-28 at 13:47.
|2011-12-29, 01:46
|Link #21505
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Moe Land
Age: 38
Merchandise Update.
Kurumu 1/8
by: OrchidSeed
Spoiler for NSFW:
Gotta love Kurumu man this is one of the best figures of the R+V merchandise.
|2011-12-29, 06:49
|Link #21506
Join Date: Jun 2009
|2011-12-29, 17:12
|Link #21507
Senior Member
Oh, yummy Kurumu. I swear, it's a miracle that she's still a virgin, and I'd say that's pretty unusual for a succubus. But it looks like they upped her breasts a couple of cup sizes there.
|2011-12-31, 02:21
|Link #21511
#1 Akashiya Moka Fan
... so for those who are unaware (if anyone actually is) that volume 6 of SII is now out in stores... while I have to wait a paycheck before I can buy it, I looked through the omakes in back, and found something I find very interesting
Spoiler for just in case...:
|2011-12-31, 02:40
|Link #21512
Disabled By Request
Spoiler for 49:
|2011-12-31, 10:25
|Link #21518
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
I wonder what if gyokuro needs to follow this masked king order or he will wipe out their entire race... so kinda he threatened her with this...
what if the masked king first went to issa to make the deal but he refused.. and so masked king killed him in front of everyone... so those who would not follow he would kill so in order to protect the vampire race she needs to cooperate...
but I think that its more possible that gyokuro had a power greed and started to work with this guy to get what she wants... maybe issa rejected the offer and was inprisoned or killed and gyokuro took the charge... when the masked king talks gyokuro's eyes are really empty somehow maybe he controls her...
and that masked king figure... tentacles kinda similar to allucard... maybe those egs that were attached to the ice tree are releated to him... like in order to live he needs to consume energy and so those eggs are like energy drainers...
other question is what is his relantionship with funai... it was stated he hates him the most in the world... so lets see how it will turn out and who is this guy anyway... maybe masked king loved akasha... but she choiced other people and went angry and so he wants to get his anger on moka (and the same akasha who might be aware inside alucard and see her child be killed)
hmm I was wondering what the next fight migh be... ok the ghost samurai might go against kurumu or mizore.... so what about tsukune...
first he might go against miyabi but he betray's gyokuro and lets tsukune pass... than we will get tsukune vs akuha... than moka wakes up and she gets the fight against akuha as a payback for what she did to her in the past and maybe what she did to tsukune.... allucard close to waking up... maybe gyokuro shows up and gets to fight tsukune... later there might be moka + akuha vs gyokuro... gyokuro loses... masked king appears... he fights everyone but then funai appears and fights him.... at the end of it alucard wakes up and he goes that even if he lost he still won...
and at the end of the fight steak we will get everyone vs alucard... which mostly focuses on combination of tsukunes power and moka (like the prophecy fortold)... well maybe the manga will end with outside moka disappearing but promising that they will be reunited one day... tsukune ends up with inner silver moka (and maybe with other girls as polygamy XD)... they have a child daugher that looks exacly like outside moka (like she said that one day they will be reunited together)...
but still till this happens it will be 1-2more years XD
|2011-12-31, 10:48
|Link #21520
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Poland
Age: 32
Well, first of all, the previous chapter (most specifically the Yuki Onna village arc) have implied that Issa is still alive...
Second of all, I doubt Moka is going to assist Tsukune in defeating Akua, since that would definitely cause Alucard to awaken, and like I said earlier, even if the group works together I doubt that they would be capable of defeating him.
Not to mention, I think that, if Tsukune wouldn't be capable of defeating Akua on his own, then the entire training arc, before the infiltration to Fairy Tale's HQ would be a little redundant, if he still wouldn't be capable of defeating a strong opponent on his own - after all, we have already seen Tsukune working together with Sun to defeat Kaede (who at that time, was definitely a strong opponent ), so him needing Moka's help to defeat Akua would fell like a repeat of that - in other words that Tsukune, still hasn't reached a level where he would be capable of dealing with strong opponents.
On the matter of who is going to fight the Yuki Gairen - well, I doubt it's going to be anyone from Tsukune's group, since apart from him and Miyabi (who I doubt, is going to fight against Tsukune and his friends, due to having his own plans) there are two other subdivision leaders + Gyokuro, Akua and ... Kahula...
Basically, what I want to say, is that there is a very strong chance that Tsukune's group reinforcements (in the form of Gin, Haiji, Kokoa, Ling Ling and probably Tohou Fuhai + maybe even the headmaster of Youkai Academy) are going to arrive at the Floating Garden, and they will be the ones, who will deal with the rest of Fairy Tale subdivision leaders + Gyokuro, while Tsukune's group proceeds toward Moka and Akua... most likely having to deal with Kahula on the way, and she might be the one, who Mizore and Kurmu will need to fight with...
Last edited by Chris38; 2011-12-31 at 11:29.
|action, comedy, ecchi, harem, monogamy, romance, shounen, supernatural, tsumoka romance, vampire
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2315 Stockton Blvd Sacramento CA United States 95817
UC Davis Children's Hospital is the Sacramento region's only nationally ranked, comprehensive hospital for children, serving infants, children, adolescents and young adults with primary, subspecialty and critical care. It includes the Central Valley's only pediatric emergency department and level I pediatric trauma center, which offers the highest level of care for critically ill children. The 129-bed children's hospital includes the state-of-the-art 49-bed neonatal and 24-bed pediatric intensive care and pediatric cardiac intensive care units. With more than 120 physicians in 33 subspecialties, UC Davis Children's Hospital has more than 74,000 clinic and hospital visits and 13,000 emergency department visits each year. For more information, visit http://children.ucdavis.edu.


text:
Development policy and humanitarian efforts
War and conflict have forced 65 million people to flee their homes. There is considerable unrest and suffering in many countries. Climate change, migration and infectious diseases are not contained by national borders.
The UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the global framework for efforts to promote sustainable development, peace and a more equitable world. Under the 2030 Agenda, all countries, including Norway, have committed themselves to reaching goals and targets at the national level. In addition, we share an international commitment to help other countries achieve their goals.
Aid is one of several tools for fighting poverty and promoting development. Norway gives priority to areas that are particularly important for development: education, health, and job creation through business development. Human rights, gender equality, climate and environment, and anti-corruption are cross-cutting issues in Norway's development policy.
It is important to ensure good coordination between humanitarian relief work and more long-term development efforts. We will maximise our chances of success if we focus on prevention and on reaching the most vulnerable groups. In this way, we will also reduce the need for humanitarian aid in the future.
Development policy covers far more than just aid. Trade, investments, cooperation in the areas of technology development, research and culture, and strengthening the international legal order are equally important.
- eradicate extreme poverty by 2030
- ensure good governance and respect for human rights for all by 2030
- contribute to rights-based implementation of the SDGs
- ensure that people in need receive the necessary assistance and protection
- contribute to sustainable development and help to make countries independent of aid
Support for private sector development
Over the next ten years, one billion young people will be looking for work. The private sector provides nine out of ten jobs in developing countries. This is why support for private sector development, for example through Norfund, is an important part of Norwegian development cooperation.
Fish for Development
Support for fisheries development in Kerala in southern India in 1952 marked the start of Norway's international aid efforts. Today we are coordinating aid in this field more strategically through the Fish for Development programme. The overall objective of the programme is to reduce poverty through enhanced food security, sustainable management of resources and profitable business activities.
- promoting closer coordination between humanitarian relief efforts and long-term development
- using aid to trigger private investments and create jobs
- strengthening humanitarian aid and long-term development in fragile areas
- helping to increase the opportunities available to women and girls, and to promote their right to self-determination, and further their empowerment
- focusing on girls' education, education in situations of crisis and conflict, and on providing better quality education
- playing a leading role in efforts to improve maternal health and reduce child mortality, and to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases
- actively promoting more ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally
- investing in renewable energy with a view to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions
- providing around 1 % of GNI a year for development and humanitarian efforts.
Combating illicit financial flows and corruption
National income generation, taxation, and combating illicit financial flows and corruption are far more important for development than aid. Illicit financial flows from developing countries total USD 1.26 trillion a year. In comparison, global aid is around USD 120 billion.
Maternal and child health
Norway recognises the importance of education for maternal and child health. Girls who go to school and gain an education tend to marry and have children later. Education for girls and women is therefore crucial for improving maternal health and reducing child mortality.


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Delicious Entries
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys, the famous English diarist, is remembered not so much for his recounting of historical events such as the coronation of Charles II or the great fire of London but for his daily accounts of his social and domestic life, including his numerous meals and amorous affairs. A native of London, in 1654 Pepys entered the service of Edward Montague, the future Earl of Sandwich and First Lord of the Admiralty, and shortly afterwards joined the civil ser-vice as a clerk with the Navy Board. In 1660 he started his diary and for almost ten years wrote his vivid daily impressions of seven-teenth century London, at that time a city of half a million people with an abundance of taverns, shops and entertainment outlets.
Due to a decline in his eyesight, Pepys abandoned the diary in 1669. Nevertheless, he continued his active life, and served as Sec-retary for the Admiralty, a Member of Parliament and president of the Royal Society. Upon his death, fellow diarist John Evelyn wrote: "This day died Mr. Sam Pepys, a very worthy, industrious, and curious person."
In addition to enjoying many dinners at his own home and at the lodgings of his friends, Pepys was a frequent guest at the best of the London taverns of his time - the Swan, the Sun, the Dog and the Leg being among his favorites. In a dinner he had with the Earl of Sandwich, his employer, on 26 January 1660, they ate "a dish of marrow bones; a leg of mutton; a loin of veal; a dish of fowl, three pullets, and two dozen of larks all in a dish; a great tart, a neat's tongue, a dish of anchovies; a dish of prawns and cheese." A year later, on 1 January 1661, when entertaining his father, brother and uncle, he gave them "a barrel of oysters, a dish of neat's tongue and a dish of anchovies, wine of all sorts, and Northdown ale."
One of Pepys' favorite's foods was oysters. They are mentioned sixty-eight times in his diary. In an entry on the twenty-first of April 1660 Pepys writes: "In the afternoon the Captain would by all means have me up to his cabin, and there treated me huge nobly, giving me a barrel of pickled oysters, and opened another for me, and a bottle of wine, which was a very great favor." He also sa-vored mince pies, and on the sixth of January 1662, celebrating the wedding anniversary of Sir W. Penn, he and his friends had a feast of "chine of beef and other good cheer, eighteen mince pies in a dish, the number of the years that he hath been married." In seven-teenth century England, a standard recipe of mince pie would in-clude a rabbit, a pigeon, a partridge, a hare, a pheasant, a capon, the livers of all these animals, as well as eggs, pickled mushrooms, dried fruit and spices.
Pepys was also fond of venison pasty, and in an entry from the first of September 1660 he writes, "we dined at the Bullhead upon the best venison pasty that ever I eat of in my life, and with one dish more, it was the best dinner I ever was at." Following is a modern-ized version of this dish.
Venison Pasty
For the pastry:
1 cup flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs beaten together lightly with 1 tsp water
For the filling:
1 lb (450 gr) venison meat, chopped finely
1/4 lb (115 gr) fatty bacon, diced
2 medium onions, chopped finely
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped coarsely
salt and pepper to taste
peach or mango chutney for serving
Prepare the pastry dough: Combine the flour and salt and resift. Combine the vegetable shortening and butter and then cut half of this mixture into the flour, working it in gently with the tips of the fingers until it has the texture of cornmeal. Cut in the remaining shortening and continue working with the fingertips until the pas-try is in pea-size bits.
Sprinkle the dough with 2 1/2 Tbsp water and blend the water lightly into the dough. If necessary add more water - just enough to bind the ingredients.
Note: If covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated, the pastry dough can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Do not freeze, because the pastry tends to become dry.
Prepare the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl, mixing well by hand.
Sprinkle a large working surface with flour and on this roll out the pastry to a large rectangle. Spread the filling in a sausage like shape in the center of the dough. Brush the uncovered edges of the dough with the beaten eggs. Fold over the ends of the dough, fold the sides over the filling and seal by pinching the ends together. Brush again with the beaten egg mixture.
Transfer the roll to an oven that has been preheated to medium and bake until the pastry begins to brown. Cover lightly with alu-minum foil and cook 20 – 30 minutes longer. About 3 minutes before the cooking is done remove and discard the aluminum foil. Remove from the oven, and let cool. Serve warm, ideally accom-panied by peach or mango chutney. (Serves 4-6)
Pickled Oysters
For the marinade:
1 tsp each, allspice, cloves and mace, all ground
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and salt
6 whole peppercorns
3 onions, peeled and halved
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Sherry wine
48 oysters, shucked, with the liquids reserved
In a moderate-sized saucepan combine all of the marinade ingredi-ents. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Let cool completely, cover, and then refrigerate until well chilled. Add the oysters and their liquids. Mix well, cover and marinate 8-12 hours.
Return the mixture to the heat and bring to the boil. Let boil for 1 minute and then remove from the flame, let cool and refrigerate until well chilled. To serve, remove the oysters with a slotted spoon. Serve with toasted bread and butter. (Serves 8 as a first course)


text:
Flags line route to Iowa soldier's funeral
Flags line route to Iowa soldier's funeral
SHENANDOAH, Iowa —
People holding flags and signs saying "God bless Buttry" lined the route to an Iowa soldier's funeral Thursday morning in Shenandoah.
Nineteen-year-old Pfc. Brandon Buttry, of Shenandoah, died Nov. 5 while serving in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army.
The funeral was held at the First Baptist Church.
Family said Buttry "had an infectious smile and did not know a stranger. He has five brothers and eight sisters.
The family said Buttry's childhood dream was to be a U.S. soldier.
Buttry was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is south-southwest of Tacoma, Wash. He was deployed to Afghanistan in August.
Gov. Terry Branstad ordered state offices to lower U.S. and state flags Thursday.


text:
|2007-12-15, 18:05
|Link #1125
Gregory House
IT Support
I don't know if it's too common, though, or if my analysis is in any way correct.
|2007-12-15, 20:49
|Link #1126
Join Date: Nov 2006
What and where do you recommend me that can something teach me comprehensive lessons on grammar higher than basic? I do know some schools can teach me but I like to see alternatives. I see particles in seemingly normal sentences that, in my knowledge, should not be there such as, (blah blah blah)ので(blah blah blah) and the 私はonehpといいます to name a few.
Last edited by onehp; 2007-12-15 at 21:04.
|2007-12-15, 21:10
|Link #1128
Gregory House
IT Support
If you can rationalize a mixture of what the particles の and で mean, you will get the idea, but you need to abstract yourself from your native language.
|2007-12-15, 22:52
|Link #1129
|2007-12-16, 08:40
|Link #1131
Toyosaki Aki
Join Date: Nov 2007
I learned the basics in intro language classes. Now I'm trying to build on it by watching raws, then subs for the parts I don't understand.
It's actually not very hard to get a basic understanding. If you want to start, you should definitely check out the site valdra suggested: guidetojapanese.org
It teaches you the correct way of learning Japanese. It's not very fun, but it works. You DO NOT want to learn it in relation to another language. The classes I took taught that way, and even now I mutter to myself in English when I translate the raws in my head. The point is, you don't want to translate in your mind, you want convert Japanese directly into thought.
I'd follow that online course. Again, memorizing what seems like random scribbles to you isn't fun, but reading kana is absolutely critical and child's play compared to kanji. Make sure to practice until you can read it fast. When you can read my title in under 2 seconds, I'd say that's good enough. When you get to the kanji section, don't panic and give up. It's really not that bad.
Last edited by tripperazn; 2007-12-16 at 09:12.
|2007-12-16, 14:15
|Link #1133
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
because I remember that Excel Saga episode where Excel finds a talking gun that ends every sentence with a strong "SSU", something like "Ossu! Jibun no namae wa Nanami-SSU. Yoroshiku-SSU!" and she notes that's a very manly speech...
|2007-12-16, 15:09
|Link #1134
Gregory House
IT Support
|2007-12-16, 15:12
|Link #1135
Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
If there is anything that you use aside the guide alone please tell me. With anything I mean lists of kanji and meaning plus pronunciation.
|2007-12-16, 15:34
|Link #1136
Toyosaki Aki
Join Date: Nov 2007
Reading raw manga will be hard has richvh points out earlier. I'm slowly working through Hayate no Gotoku with scanlations for reference. You need all the skills of listening, plus knowledge of both "onyomi" and "kunyomi" for a lot of different characters of kanji. That kind of ability isn't going to mastered quickly by anyone. Reading Japanese takes me over 10 times longer than English.
If it's just for your personal enjoyment, obviously do whatever.
|2007-12-16, 15:46
|Link #1137
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: San Francisco
Age: 36
When I went to college, my Japanese teacher asked who had taken the language before.
Apparently 3-4 years in HS = 1st semester. No more than that.
Or maybe that's just the case where I went to school...
|2007-12-16, 16:07
|Link #1138
Gregory House
IT Support
The same thing happened to me with Japanese. At first, it was just basic word recognition (I remember I was very glad when I found out the meaning of 心 just by associating the translated lyrics and the romaji karaoke for the Bubblegum Crisis 2040 ED), then it evolved towards sentence structure, and then it just became something very natural to me. I started attending classes when I was 17 and, to be completely honest, these two years have been pretty boring, since I knew already all I've been taught. Most of my classmates are barely starting with kanji, and I've already got a bit more than a 3-Kyuu level. The most fun I can have in classes are those times where my teacher separates me (while the rest does some sort of exercise) and makes me practice dialog and rapid speech. I've talked to the course manager about skipping levels but he didn't agree, so next year I'm switching courses.
|2007-12-17, 03:55
|Link #1139
Join Date: Dec 2007
Age: 30
Hey guys, do you have this similar problems?
I just started learning Japanese a month ago, i could pretty much write all the hiragana now but i could only write in this way ka ki ko ke ko, sa shi su se so and so on pretty fast, so if someone randomly say a hiragana, i will need like 5 sec to think and write it down hmm. also is someone chuck me a sentence of hiragana it takes quite sometime for me to actually read it in mind or aloud. so did i actually memorize the hiragana or something? sometime seems to be awefully wrong -_-
also im trying to learn some vocabs, for example if someone point me a fish i cant answer that in japanese, but if someone ask me what is sakana i know that is fish -_-
holy, this is getting frustrating and at the same time entertaining. . lmao
|2007-12-17, 10:11
|Link #1140
If you've learned to write the kana, practice reading them with flash cards. Better yet, there are lots of online kana flash card style games, some of which can actually be fun. When you have even the ability to recall them in any capacity, start reading everything you come across, even if it's just a couple of characters you see at random. The more context you have for what you're reading, though, the better it will stick.
Vocabulary is the same way. Sure, you can learn words by wrote memorization, but you'll remember them properly when you have some context for them. The more you learn and the more you actually experience these words, the easier it will be to not just memorize them, but absorb them. Remember, you're not trying to learn what a word means in English so much as you're just trying to learn what it means, period. It really ends up being more like just learning a new word in language you know more than learning "alternate words".
If you're some one who finds it easy to think visually (or even better, think in abstract, non-verbal, non-visual concepts--which is what I do), try to associate words not with the English translation, but with the picture or idea.
And read and listen to as much as you can, especially if it's in a form that interests you.
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Berets & Bicycles, Block Party & More
Kids know how to party! Check out these festive celebrations from the Apartment Therapy Family channel, which posts kids' parties every day. We'll be bringing you a roundup of these inspiring parties every week.
• Clementine's Berets & Bicycles Party
• Elsa Joy's Garden Block Party
• Levi's Little Man Party


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Art Walls: Murals that Work
Wall murals aren't usually on my home decor radar. I love wallpaper, I've liked a few decals, but that's about it. I've been surprised lately, then, to come across a few murals that actually look pretty stylish.
Usually when I think of indoor murals, I think of kids' room or (for some reason) faux columns and grapevines. The three murals here, however, all add a bit of unexpected style and artfulness. I'm not ready to commit yet — and may never be — but now I can see the appeal.
- A traditional pastoral scene looks laid-back and hip in fashion designer Alexandre Herchcovitch's apartment.
- This mural is from the 1970s, and looks it, but it shows that whimsy can go a long way towards making a mural work.
- A detailed, gorgeously-hued world map looks chic in a room designed by Dufner Heighes.
(Images 1. Todd Selby for The Selby, 2. Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement via 9Bytz, 3. Dufner Heighes via Houzz)
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|System: PS3*, Xbox 360, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U
|Dev: Ubisoft
|Pub: Ubisoft
|Release: October 29, 2013
|Players: 1 (2+ Online)
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Blood, Use of Alcohol
Probably the biggest compliment I can give to the developers of Black Flag is that they did a fantastic job of refining the things that needed to be refined and leaving alone what didn't. Some might find the combat to be a bit stale, but the system still works well enough to make you look forward to fighting foes. In fact, many of the things fans have come to love, such as the combat, feel exactly the same. This is mostly a good thing, but there are a couple of remnants from previous games I feel we could have done without. For example, eavesdropping.
Eavesdropping is something I personally think should've been toned down from previous installments. While playing, however, I sometimes felt like Ubisoft actually increased the amount of these missions. But to its credit, the Black Flag eavesdropping missions do not feel as slow they do in Assassin's Creed III. In fact, nothing about Assassin's Creed IV feels slow. I'd say this is one of the most fast-paced storylines in the franchise. But don't let that fool you; the story is also a rather lengthy one. And it's gorgeous.
Black Flag proves the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles still have a lot of punch in them. This game is, at times, incredibly breathtaking. The environments are in-depth and wonderfully alive. You'll find a random turtle on a beach, iguanas to hunt just off the shores of an island, and experience a lot of "holy crap did you see the whale jump out of the water?" moments. Much like the environment they live in, the characters are fluid and are obvious upgrades to the already impressive visuals of the series. Their believability is only further expanded upon by the voice actors who portray them. A lot of people feel Assassin's Creed III's Connor is too stale and stiff of a character, but I doubt there will be as many complaints this time around.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is more than just a sequel. It is an obvious attempt at stretching the series past the point of Desmond's storyline. I noted before to several colleagues that a way for them to do this would be through the model used in the PS Vita title Assassin's Creed: Liberation. It seems Ubisoft had a similar idea. With a tight story, wonderful characters, and the best visuals of the series, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a solid experience fans of the series would be remiss to miss out on. Hell, I'd even go as far as to say gamers as a whole would be remiss to not experience the world created. Plus, didn't I mention there were pirates?
Matt Walker
Date: October 29, 2013
Game Features:


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Weekly Diocesan Bulletin - Sunday, February 23, 2014
Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meat-fare); The Holy Hieromartyr Haralambos
When You descended to death, O Life Immortal, You slayed hell with the splendor of Your Godhead! And when from the depths You raised the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out: O Giver of Life! Christ our God! Glory to You!
O wise Haralambos, you were proven an unshakable pillar of the Church of Christ; an ever-shining lamp of the universe. You shone in the world by your martyrdom. You delivered us from the moonless night of idolatry, O blessed one. Therefore, boldly intercede to Christ that we may be saved.
Hell became afraid, O Almighty Savior, seeing the miracle of Your Resurrection from the tomb! The dead arose! Creation, with Adam, beheld this and rejoiced with You! And the world, O my Savior, praises You forever.
O Priest-martyr, athlete, champion Haralambos, your relics are a priceless treasure of the Church. Therefore she rejoices, glorifying the Creator.
When You, O God, shall come to earth with glory, all things shall tremble and the river of fire shall flow before Your judgment seat; the books shall be opened and the hidden things disclosed. Deliver me then from the unquenchable fire and make me worthy to stand at Your right hand, O Righteous Judge.
Epistle reading
The Prokimenon in the 3rd Tone:
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
Sunday of the Last Judgment: 1 Corinthians 8: 8 – 9: 2
Brethren, food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
The Alleluia Verses:
Come let us rejoice in the Lord! Let us make a joyful noise to God our Savior! Let us come before His face with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with psalms!
Gospel reading
Sunday of the Last Judgment: Matthew 25: 31-46
Jesus said, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me'. Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me'. Then they will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me'. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Spiritual Articles
From The Prologue for February 10/23 by St. Nikolai Velimirovic:
The Hieromartyr Charalampus
This great saint, Charalampus, was a bishop in Magnesia who suffered for Christ in his 113th year. When a terrible persecution began during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, the elderly Charalampus did not hide from the persecutors. Instead, he freely and openly preached the Christian Faith. He endured all tortures as though he were in someone else's body. When they skinned him alive, the forgiving elder said to the emperor's soldiers: "Thank you, my brethren, for in scraping my old body you renew my spirit for a new eternal life." He worked many miracles and converted many to the Faith. Even the emperor's daughter, Galina, abandoned the idolatry of her father and became a Christian. Condemned to death and brought to the place of execution, St. Charalampus raised his hands to heaven and prayed to God for all people, that God would grant them bodily health and spiritual salvation and that He would multiply their fruit of the earth: "O Lord, Thou knowest that men are flesh and blood; forgive them their sins and pour out Thy grace on all!" After praying, this holy elder gave up his soul to God before the executioner lowered the sword on his neck. He suffered in the year 202. The emperor's daughter, Galina, removed his body and honorably buried it.
The Venerable Prochorus, the Orach-eater
Prochorus was a miracle-worker of the Monastery of the Kiev Caves. He is called the orach-eater because, during the time that he lived in the Monastery of the Caves, he did not taste bread. Instead, he fed on orach, mixing it in his own way, and from it he prepared a type of bread. Whenever he would give someone his orach bread with a blessing, the bread tasted sweet, as though prepared from honey. If, however, someone stole the bread, it was as bitter as wormwood. One time, when there was a shortage of salt in Russia, Prochorus distributed ashes to the people in place of salt. The ashes that he distributed with his blessing were as salt; however, the ashes that people took on their own remained ordinary ashes. Prince Svyatopolk ordered that all the ashes from Prochorus's cell be taken to his palace with neither the permission nor the blessing of the monk. When the ashes were removed, those who tasted them were convinced that they were ashes and not salt. Then Prochorus told the people who came to him for salt to go to the emperor's palace and, when the prince threw the ashes out of his palace, to take them and carry them home for salt. The people did so, and again the ashes were salt. Having become convinced, the prince himself was filled with respect and love toward the holy man. When Prochorus died in the year 1107, the prince, with his own hands, placed him in the tomb alongside the great Russian saints, Anthony and Theodosius.
HYMN OF PRAISE: Saint Charalampus
The inexperienced sword was brandished over Charalampus,
only to be lowered!
The saint knelt and raised a petition to God:
"O Lord, release them!
Absolve the sins of all sinful men;
have mercy again.
Bless their labor and grant abundant fruit
to the fields.
Let them have everything; they are flesh and blood;
let them sing to Thee.
Oh, grant them health, health and joy;
let them remember Thee!
Drive away every evil, save them from misery,
have mercy on them all,
And after death take their souls to Paradise.
Lord have mercy!
Whoever prays to Thee
and mentions my name,
Because of my suffering, help him, O God,
help him for my sake!"
Then came a voice from heaven: "I accept your prayer;
now render Me your soul!"
The saint released his soul and flew to Paradise,
before the falling of the sword!
Many of the serious infirmities that befall a man have their cause, known or unknown, in his past. The causes of such serious infirmities as, let us say, mental disorder, are nothing other than the transgression of the moral law of God. When St. Charalampus was being tortured, the persecuting emperor learned of his miracle-working power. The emperor ordered an insane man to be brought before Charalampus, to see if Charalampus could heal him. The devil had tormented this man for thirty-five years, driving him into the wilderness and hills and hurling him into bogs and chasms. When this deranged man approached Charalampus, the demon sensed a sweet-smelling fragrance emanating from the holy man and shouted: "I beg you, O servant of God, do not torment me before my time, but command me and I will depart. And, if you wish, I will tell you how it happened that I entered into this man." The saint commanded the demon to relate the story. The demon said: "This man wanted to steal from his neighbor and thought to himself: 'If I don't kill the man first, I will not be able to seize his goods.' So he went and killed his neighbor. Having caught him in the act, I entered him and, behold, I have dwelt in him for thirty-five years." Upon hearing this, the saint of God commanded the demon to depart from the man immediately and to leave him in peace. The demon departed, and the demented man was restored to health and became tranquil.
Contemplate the Lord Jesus as the Beauty of the entire created world:
1. As the Beauty of all created things, a Beauty dulled from fear and the melancholy of sin;
2. As the Beauty of man, the most rational being in the material world, a Beauty dulled by fear and the melancholy of sin;
3. As the Beauty of the pure, mental, bodiless world of the angels;
4. As the Beauty of the Holy Trinity, revealed by Him and through Him.
HOMILY on the sin of those who assert that they can see
If ye were blind, ye should have no sin (John 9:41).
These words were spoken to the Jews by Him Who gave them the Law through the prophets, that the Law might serve them as the sight of the soul. The Jews received that sight, but they intentionally and evilly shut their eyes. That is why the righteous Lord spoke these righteous words to them. These are words of true justice, yesterday and today and forever, for a blind man has no sin if he tramples upon someone else's crop or if he takes someone else's garment instead of his own. If he who has sight commits this, he will be committing a sin and will incur punishment. If he who has eyes intentionally closes his eyes and does this, he also will be committing a sin and will incur punishment. Nevertheless, what can be said about those who have received baptism and chrismation, the two eyes of the soul, and still sin as those who are unbaptized? At the Last Judgment, they will not be treated as those who are born blind, rather they will be judged as transgressors who have willfully disfigured and blinded themselves. And what can be said about those who receive the other Mysteries of grace in the fullness of Orthodoxy, having before them the examples of the saints, and constantly listening to the warnings and admonitions of God's Church, but who nevertheless depart and go astray? At the Last Judgment such people will not be able to justify themselves by any type of blindness, rather they will be judged as transgressors who have disfigured themselves and others around them with blindness. O Awesome Lord, save us from sin. O Merciful Lord, open our eyes to the path of salvation. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen
Source: Western American Diocese


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paranoia agent this series I really never gotten into I watched all the way to episode 6 to see if the series will turn out to be good but no it just became even more lame. It's been about 7 yrs since I've this series. I'll probably go back this time to watch the entire series cause I really hate leaving an anime series unfinished.
Hmmmmm, I only really dropped Shaman King, after the first episode. It was boring and I enjoyed the manga way more. I think I'm close to dropping GinTama, even though it's one of my all time favorite anime. I just started watching too many anime and reading manga alot so I can't keep up, I hope I don't end up dropping it tho. I also dropped the Naruto spinoff, Rock Lee spring time of youth blah blah blah, it was decent, okay for laughs, but since it's episodic and has no real plot, I got tired after a while... And I hate the fact that Orochimaru is the main villain in it, its really annoying
I hate Mods
Tenjho tenge for me... It's not bad ,it's just.... well how do i put this? It kinda lacks story and is just about fighting and ecchi. plus, it's kinda.. boring.
Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters, My god
I got through 140 episodes of it, took a break from it and never returned to it. I won't say it is the worst series ever BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE 200+ EPISODES LONG.
I really have no idea what people see in it other than nostalgia, because it's mostly just dull, predictable Shounen tournament fighting, that loses any dynamic action it has because it is turn based.
The abridged series is good though
Rozen Maiden (2013)
I just couldn't get into it. I was totally lost after the first episode. I'm not sure if I had to had knowledge of the first series/(Seasons?) to know what the hell was going on
UpdateThanks to suikojay, I dropped the show I was currently watching and turned my attention towards the second episode of the series. Because of his reply, I'm happy to say that I'm now excited to see how this plays out.
(Note: I tend to drop a series if I felt that A.) There was no good plot or B.) I was totally lost, but that's rare for me to drop a series on the first episode unless it really fucked with my head in the bad way.)
I love you Miichan, Takamina, Sasshi & Nako! (^_^)/
Amnesia. Omg, I wasn't able to continue this anime after watching 8 episodes, the plot was so annoying. I also might drop Majestic Prince soon. I've watched 6 episodes so far, and haven't been able to watch anymore because of it's annoying characters and plot.
I have only ever dropped Saint Seiya Omega after Ep.60
(too many reasons to say but mainly the new arc and the Steel Saints)
and the other was Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World), literally dropped in the middle of Ep.9
(I've never seen Amnesia but I feel like this would be the pace)
Note: You are banned until 2014-10-22 09:34:31 (PST)
Attack on Titan about seven episodes in. The story and characters are just terrible.
He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.
Heaven's Lost Property, I think, was the last series I dropped. I got thru the 1st 4 eps of it, but it just seemed a bit too ecchi for my tastes.
Renji_Tamaki wrote:
Rozen Maiden (2013)
I'm not sure if I had to had knowledge of the first series/(Seasons?) to know waht the hell was going on
Nah, u didn't need to see the original seasons since they were their own original stories. And this new RM series took all 8 volumes of the 1st manga series and condensed it into that 1st ep, which is why it all seemed so rushed. They basically were trying to show in that 1st ep how things got bad (in the 1st manga series). And the 2nd ep is where it really starts the 2nd manga series, with older Jun, from another alternate universe in which he never had the Shinku doll when he was a kid. And as it says in the synopsis of the show, these 2 worlds (with the young Jun from the 1st manga series and the older Jun from another universe) that were never meant to meet, will meet.
Personally, I'm Iovin' the show so far. I guess it helps, though, that I've already grown to love the characters from having already seen the original anime series a long time ago. xD
how can you have dropped HLP? Funis dub is absolutely hilarious. It'd be understandable if you watched a fansub since most subbers take translations too literally and end up compromising accuracy for good dialogue. (I.E BAD JOKES)
Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World)
I didn't give up on this one so much as I had to take a break from it because it is very depressing in places. You have these good kids that keep having all this bad stuff happen to them due to the world they live in. A lot is caused by the adults, but you aren't really able to really hate them because you learn why they do what they do and you can even understand why. So there is no evil plot or bad guy to blame for what's happening. It left me feeling sad cause it reminded me of hoe there are some messed up things that just happen and they aren't anyone's fault. Life just sucks!
I would disagree with you and I mention it cause I have always thought that it's story and characters are it's strong points because that artwork and character design aren't very good. I've read some of the manga and its not any better there. I just gotta wonder if I'm the only one that has noticed how badly drawn Attack on Titan can be.
would have to be rosario + vampire after reading the manga I couldn't stand the difference; its very rare for me to drop a series
I've only ever dropped one anime and that was Clannad. I couldn't take all the emotion!! :)
I stopped watching naruto it just stopped being good after the pain fight and the animation quality is horrible


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Catastrophic. Disastrous. Default. Those are just some of the doomsday terms being used to describe what would happen if Congress fails to raise the country's debt limit and isn't able to pay its debt.
Not so, according to some–mainly Republicans—in Congress. Their reasoning seems to revolve around the same thread: if we don't know what's going to happen because the country has never been down this road before, how can we be sure it'll be so bad?
"We don't know, we haven't ever done it," Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, told ABC News, when asked what happens if the debt limit isn't increased on Oct. 17.
Part two of this theory involves "prioritizing" debt payments, so that the government is able to pay the interest on the country's debt, and postpone other payments.
"We have about $25 billion a month in debt service and we have about $225 billion in revenues that we anticipate," Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., told ABC News. "I think we'll always service our debt so that we never default on our sovereign debt."
"It just becomes a priority of what are we going to pay or not pay thereafter," he added.
That view has been resoundingly denounced by the White House, which has said that the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling—prioritization or no—would send economic markets into a tailspin.
"Prioritization is default by another name," Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling said on Monday at a breakfast sponsored by Politico. "Prioritization is like telling a relative who's got near -- who's got perfect credit, you know, it's ok if you pay your mortgage and don't pay your student loan and your car loan, your credit loan."
And in a report to Congress last week, the Treasury Department warned that two years ago in 2011 a near miss on this same issue caused long-lasting consequences to the economy.
An actual default, they warn, could cause credit markets to freeze, the value of the dollar to plummet, interest rates to skyrocket, in a way that could make the 2008 recession seem less severe.
The warnings have come from the White House, economists, the business community and even from China, our biggest debtor, who in a statement yesterday warned lawmakers to "resolve in a timely way the political issues around the debt ceiling and prevent a US debt default."
They have even come from House Speaker John Boehner, who told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Sunday that he agreed with the White House's assessment that default could have disastrous consequences for the economy.
But the problem they all face in making their case to skeptical lawmakers is that the exact mechanism for default isn't clear, even to them.
Asked directly how it would happen, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman acknowledged that failure to raise the debt limit wouldn't cause the U.S. to instantly fall off the proverbial cliff.
"We've never actually tested it," Furman said Monday. "We don't know what happens. And we don't ever want to find out what happens."
Some lawmakers, like Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., have pledged that they won't vote to raise the debt limit at all, and others have said they'll only do it if the vote is accompanied by reforms that reduce the country's debt overall.
Either way, come Oct. 17, the Treasury Department says that unless Congress acts, on that day it will run out of "extraordinary" measures they've utilized for the last several months to pay the country's debt.
But a few Republicans view even that date as an arbitrary timeline used by the White House to gain leverage and kick long-term budget reforms down the road.
By Rep. Tim Huelskamp's calculations, we have "about five weeks" until the Treasury department faces a sizable enough payment that it might require it to raise the debt ceiling.
"I think the Oct. 17 date … is not the real date," the Kansas Republican told ABC News. "We don't have a payment on debt until Oct. 31 according to the Treasury Department…we have a big one on Nov. 15."
"It's in their interest to kind of keep fudging with those numbers and moving them up to create pressure," he added.


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The news stories coming out of Washington these days are pretty much all bad: Government shutdowns, partisan bickering, and both parties' leaders acting more like children in a sandbox than statesmen in their august Capitol chambers.
We are tempted to just throw up our hands, curse all the politicians in both parties and say that all governments are just incompetent and a waste.
But it does not have to be this way.
There are some proven ways to make government work better, operate more effectively and save some of our hard-earned taxes - all at the same time.
The most obvious tools that are not being used, especially here in South Carolina, are the new digital technology tools. I'm not talking about some futuristic, pie in the sky, new thing that is going to one day get invented and somehow solve our problems.
No, I'm talking about the here and now - software and tools that are on the shelf and could be bought, installed and used tomorrow.
Let me explain. A few years ago, my company was involved with a big, international, not-for-profit technology project. Microsoft was our lead funder. One evening I got to enjoy a very expensive steak dinner with some very good wine in a very nice rooftop restaurant watching a very beautiful sunset over Puget Sound in Seattle, home of Microsoft.
My dinner companions (they picked up the check) were the heads of worldwide and U.S. government sales for Microsoft. These guys knew more about governments and technology than just about anyone on the planet.
Over the second bottle of wine, I asked them a very simple question: "For the average state government in the U.S., how much money could they save if they simply installed and used the currently available technology - what they could buy off the shelf today?"
Their answer was shocking. For the next few minutes they debated between themselves whether the number was closer to 10-15 percent or 25-30 percent. So just for argument sake, let's choose the middle number of 20 percent. Think about that. We could save 20 percent of the cost of state government by just being smart and using the right tools.
So what does this mean in real money and spending here in South Carolina? The 2013-14 general fund budget is about $7 billion. Now, this is just state-generated money and doesn't include all the federal money and other funds that may have strings attached with certain restrictions on how it is spent. If you add in everything, the total state spending is about $23 billion, but this $7 billion is "our money" - funds that we as a state generated and money we can spend any way we want.
The math works out like this: 20 percent of the general fund of $7 billion is $1.4 billon. That's real money. And, even better, it's "free money," because it's existing money we could save to spend on other things we need, or to cut taxes and give the money back to the taxpayers.
Well, that's simple you say. Tell them to "just do it."
Unfortunately, it isn't that easy here in the Palmetto State. It should be, but it isn't. What other states seem to be able to do as a matter of course, we screw up, and screw up big time. Just two current examples:
Hacking scandal: We are all painfully aware of the recent hacking scandal that caused 5.7 million current and former South Carolina taxpayers to have their tax and other personal information stolen. We will spend perhaps as much as $50 million or more over several years to "fix" it. The great irony is that had state government installed a simple dual-password system that costs just $25,000, the hacker likely would not have gotten in. If this had happened in the private sector, the head person (a.k.a., the governor) would have been out of a job and on the street by sundown.
Child support enforcement: In 1988, the federal government passed a very reasonable law that required all states to install a computerized system to ensure that parents paid their child support as required by the courts. This was part of a crackdown on "deadbeat dads." The feds told the states they had nearly 10 years to get it installed and up and running.
To this day, South Carolina has still not gotten it done. In fact we have paid a total of over $104 million in fines to Washington, simply because of our incompetence.
And it's not like we in South Carolina had to figure all this stuff out on our own; there are 49 other states with the same issues and they got it right. No other state has lost this much data. No other state has been so incompetent about installing the right computer system to collect child support.
Again, it does not have to be this way.
We elect our governor and other officials to run the government, and they are failing us in so many ways, but especially in the area of technology.
When national or global companies are looking around to decide where to invest their money in new plants and to hire thousands of new employees, what do they think of us if we can't even figure out how to run the basic technology that everyone else in the world is using effectively?
It just doesn't compute - and it doesn't have to be this way.
Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and serves as President of the SC New Democrats. Contact him at email@example.com or go to www.SCNewDemocrats.org.


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A gunman killed an employee and a customer inside a supermarket before police shot and killed him Wednesday night in north-central Indiana, police said.
Indiana State Police were called to "an active shooter situation" at a Martin's Super Market, at 3900 E. Bristol St., in Elkhart about 10 p.m., Sgt. Trent Smith said at a press conference near the crime scene.
The suspected gunman, 22-year-old Shawn Walter Bair, of Elkhart, walked into the store with a large semi-automatic handgun and shot a woman before walking about 12 aisles down and shooting another woman on the other end of the store, officials said.
The first victim was 20-year-old Krystle Dikes, a Martin's employee who was stocking shelves. Smith said surveillance cameras in the store showed Bair shooting her and then walking one aisle over and firing -- but missing -- a customer who ran away. Bair then walked down several aisles and fired "multiple times" at 44-year-old Rachelle Godfread. She died.
Smith said Bair was then confronted by the on-duty manager of the store. They exchanged words and the manager was ordered to a "praying position" on his knees. After about two minutes, Smith said Bair's attention was diverted by arriving officers from the Elkhart Police Department. It was at that point the manager was able to escape his captor and run out of the store unharmed.
The arriving officers then exchanged gunfire with Bair, killing him, Smith said, adding that the gunman was also armed with a large hunting knife.
"There's no doubt in my mind ... the bravery and the quick response of the Elkhart City Police Department saved lives. There's no doubt," said Smith. "From the time they entered the store to the time the shooter subdued is probably around one minute or so."
Surveillance cameras in the store showed about 12 to 15 people in the store at the time of the shooting, Smith said. He commended the employees seen on video who "corralled ... and pushed" patrons out of the store to safety.
"There's good stories even to come out of bad stories," he said.
Smith said Bair lived within two miles of the store and had never had a problem with the store's management. adding that authorities had no initial information about a motive.
"He was going to the store with a mission. As far as how in depth the planning phase was, if this was something he thought of today or six months ago, I can't really comment on that. We don't know at this point," said Smith.
Investigators were looking to see if there was some sort of connection between Bair and Dikes.
"She did not deserve this at all. Out of all the people, she did not deserve it. I don't know what his goal was, or what his aim was, mad at the world? There's definitely a family grieving for her," said Dikes' ex-boyfriend, Kyle Barnett.
Published reports note that Bair had a criminal history and may have spent time in a mental institution. His Facebook page showed had several posts related to serial killers.
Witnesses were being interviewed at the Elkhart police station. Additionally, Smith said several items that may be used as evidence where recovered from Bair's parent's home, where he lived.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting with the investigation, according to a tweet from Tom Ahern with the ATF.
Representatives for Martin's Super Market could not be reached early Thursday, but the company mentioned the incident Wednesday night in a post on its Facebook page.
"Thank you to our community for your thoughts and prayers tonight. We will comment further when we can do so responsibly and appropriately," the post said.
Indiana State Police and Elkhart police were investigating.


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Follow Loyola University New Orleans on Twitter
Loyola celebrates Christmas with musical tradition
Loyola press release - November 12, 2012
Christmas at Loyola showcases several Loyola ensembles, including the Loyola Chamber Orchestra directed by Jean Montes, D.M.A.
Loyola University New Orleans will ring in the Christmas season with its annual Christmas at Loyola musical celebration on Dec. 2 at Holy Name of Jesus Church. A popular tradition for 20 years, the concert showcases several Loyola ensembles, including the Loyola Chamber Orchestra directed by Jean Montès, D.M.A., Loyola Chorale and Chamber Singers directed by Meg Frazier, D.M.A., and the Loyola Brass Ensemble directed by Nick Volz, D.M.
The concert features a mix of classical Christmas music and a Christmas carol sing-along. Christmas at Loyola is free and open to the public.
Free parking is available in Loyola's West Road Garage, located on West Road and accessible from St. Charles Ave.


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Naughty Secretary
Added Mar 31, 2010
by sunnilj9
Cedar City, Utah...
This is a dress made from Simplicity 2724. I was thinking about Zoe's post over on the Colette Pattern's Blog of how to break up a printed fabric with a solid or subtle printed fabric. Then I saw this pattern and knew it would be the perfect dress for this application. The top section is made from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane printed cotton and the bottom is a wool/poly blended herringbone. This dress has a smashing side zip that is applied with the best lapped handpicked zipper application known to man. There were a few fitting adjustments made to the original pattern to get it to fit like a glove and there were a few things I altered with the pattern itself. I made a lining for the skirt portion which the pattern didn't call for and I eliminated the facing for the sleeve and gave it a bias binding instead. I'm thrilled with how well it turned out and absolutely love the fact that its so easy to wear to work or a night out. For more on this dress visit my blog.
Material Notes
Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane Cotton, wool/poly blend herringbone, bemberg lining, zipper, thread
- For
- Women
- Garment Type
- Dress
- Style
- Business, Casual, Classic, Preppy
- Material
- Cotton, Blends, Polyester, Wool
- Simplicity Sewing Pattern
30 Comments Sign in to add a post
Jan 18, 2017, 10.07 AMby Stullhee5
I just love this! The fit looks perfect, and the fabric is just gorgeous!
Jan 11, 2017, 11.32 AMby joemorris5
Good job buddy
Sep 2, 2016, 11.10 AMby MaryBrown12
nice dress
Jul 30, 2016, 04.49 AMby katherinebirch
nice look
Oct 1, 2015, 06.29 AMby carlsmith
soo beautiful.
Sep 30, 2015, 10.09 AMby mayshawn
i like this.
Sep 29, 2015, 06.58 AMby FrancesAnchondo
wow nice skirt.
Jun 7, 2010, 06.56 PMby clabrazil
Loved the blue lining. Good job!
Apr 20, 2010, 10.14 AMby Ophelia K
Wow, I am so inspired by your works. This one is great color combination, and yet style is gorgeous too!!
Apr 18, 2010, 01.05 PMby kraftykuka
ooh i just love this! The fit looks perfect, and the fabric is just gorgeous!
Apr 15, 2010, 10.59 PMby dilshadburman
SO GREAT!! Just beautiful!!
Apr 7, 2010, 02.24 PMby cheekie
absolutely gorgeous! beautiful job !!!
Apr 3, 2010, 01.42 AMby nessys
This is just gorgeous!!! Having been a secretary (fond of glamor) in a not so long ago past life – I know this outfit would have rocked the office world! This is beautiful, harmonious contrast. That blue lining on the skirt is "wow"!
Apr 2, 2010, 05.51 PMby smallone
wow! this is lovely…such style!!!
Apr 2, 2010, 02.04 AMby gdac
This is jaw-dropping! I had no idea that it was one piece. It looks great! PS love your face in the second pic!
Apr 2, 2010, 01.11 AMby scheryka
I am loving the unexpected…the blue!
Apr 1, 2010, 10.49 PMby eugeniaofthewasps
beautifully executed!! Gorgeous!
Apr 1, 2010, 09.28 PMby alden
Apr 1, 2010, 09.11 PMby Ashlee Nemo
Looks like the cover to a J. Crew catalog!
Apr 1, 2010, 08.40 PMby urbanjill
I never would have thought to put those 2 fabrics together. You are so creative. I might have to copy this too. Luvluvluv it.
Apr 1, 2010, 08.32 PMby pixelink
WHOAHH…. STUNNING!!! Think you just stole the bosses job!
Apr 1, 2010, 08.15 PMby pieriangirl
I thought this was a skirt and blouse at first. I like the idea of combining the two into a dress so you don't have to worry about the blouse coming untucked! Great fabric choice for the top, it looks really good on you!
Apr 1, 2010, 07.47 PMby bttn
It's just amazing! I love every detail about it
Apr 1, 2010, 06.11 PMby dnembhard
Great job! A few of my students are making this project (the skirt only). I'll definitely show them the pictures as inspiration to make the complete dress.
Apr 1, 2010, 05.37 PMby abourgeois
Apr 1, 2010, 05.32 PMby rifka
So stylish! I've passed over this pattern a few times and never thought to break it up this way. Thanks for the inspiration, very well done.
Apr 1, 2010, 03.08 PMby marcy harriell | oonaballoona
YAY please give this to me! haven't you always wanted to give a perfectly made garment to a perfect stranger???
awesome awesome awesome.
Apr 1, 2010, 02.37 PMby threadsquare
"I'm your secretary." Love it! The print combo, fit, fancy sleeve finish, and that lining peaking out. Off to the blog, where I hope to find out more about this amazing zipper application :) Ima get this pattern, too. What a copycat, hehe!
Apr 1, 2010, 02.28 PMby irmchen
Klasse! :) Your creation is full of contradictions… but nevertheless it is all in harmony. I like it very much!
Apr 1, 2010, 01.45 PMby Natalia *
I love it. It looks amazing. Great job!
Add to Favorites 142 people added it


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How did I do against the goals I shared in February?
1. Finish – check!
2. Run 11 minute miles – a bit slower…more like 12 minute miles
3. Feel good when I'm done – I'd say the pictures speak for themselves!
A behind the scenes look at the jump shoot:
I can jump, but I can't walk.
Photos from the race:
Thank you to my friends for their support before and during the race! A special thanks to Abby and Tony for watching me finish and Colette for accompanying Beefy on race day. An extra, extra special thanks to Beefy for supporting me during my training and spending his second rainy Pig bouncing around the race course to cheer me on.
My next fitness goal is to run a half marathon in less than 2 hours…maybe even 1 hour 57 minutes. After I recover from this run, I'll start speed drills, plyometrics, and strength training. I will discontinue regular Sweaty Sunday posts, but I will definitely still be sweating!
Photos by Beefy Muchacho


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I'm going to say right up front that the proportions called for in this recipe are a bit crazy. This was my entry into the 2012 Cherry Heering Sling Award competition, in which competitors were challenged to make their own variation on the Singapore Sling. The catch? The initial rules that I read mandated the use of at least two ounces of Heering. I like the stuff, but that is a lot of it! Looking at the site now it appears that one ounce is all that was required, so I'm not sure what happened there. In any case, this is a very tasty drink and it made the top ten in the competition. Besides, sometimes a super-sized tropical cocktail is just what the doctor ordered.
2 oz cherry Heering
1 oz Krogstad Festlig aquavit
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Angostura bitters
2 oz sparkling wine
1/2 orange wheel, for garnish
cherries, for garnish
sprig tarragon, for garnish
Pour the sparkling wine into a chalice filled with ice. Shake all the other ingredients with ice and strain into the goblet. Garnish with the fruit and tarragon.
For Aquavit Week at Metrovino, we've downsized the drink to more sensible proportions. Here's a revised recipe:
1 oz cherry Heering
3/4 oz Linie aquavit
3/4 oz lime juice
1/4 oz Angostura bitters
1 oz sparkling wine
1/2 orange wheel, for garnish
cherries, for garnish
1 sprig tarragon, for garnish
Serve as above, in a rocks glass instead of a chalice. The drink is a bit drier in this formulation, so feel free to add more Heering for greater lushness.


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Trainer Peter Miller stood atop the second-story staircase on Barn 66 South overlooking the training track at Hollywood Park Wednesday before entering Majestic City in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity Saturday.
"He's being dismissed by a lot of people, but at their own peril," said Miller, as optimistic about the chances of the 2-year-old colt as he was about those of Comma to the Top before he won the Grade I test at 1 1/16 miles on Cushion Track last year.
Comma to the Top came into the Futurity on a four-race winning streak last year while Majestic City enters the race on a three-race losing skein, but Miller has not lost faith in the chestnut son of City Zip.
"Comma to the Top came into the race in great shape and Majestic City is coming in just as well," said Miller. "He's doing super. He worked awesome the other day (a bullet four furlongs in 46.80 seconds December 7). He is on point."
Majestic City showed his fondness for the main track here during the Spring/Summer meet with three victories in as many starts, climaxed by a score in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship. Only Swiss Yodeler in 1996 has been able to sweep the Juvenile and Futurity.
Killer Graces posted an upset win in the $402,000 Grade I Hollywood Starlet for fillies Saturday to end a three-race losing streak following domination of the Spring/Summer meet with two stakes wins, a pattern not lost on Miller.
"You can throw out his last race because of the soft turf," said Miller in reference to a distant 13th-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs November 5 after setting the early pace.
"He could have easily won the two races before that," said Miller, alluding to a second-place finish in the Breeders Futurity at Keeneland and a second-place finish in a roughly-run Del Mar Futurity in which he was disqualified and placed third for interference.
"He's three-for-three here, training like a beast, and gets the leading rider in the country," said Miller of jockey Ramon Dominguez, flying in to ride him for the first time. "He should be the favorite in my opinion."
Track linemaker Russell Hudak tended to agree with Miller's reasoning and indicated he could make Majestic City the tepid favorite in the field of 13. Majestic City drew post 11 in the Futurity, which will be run as the ninth race.
"I'm taking blinkers off, getting him to relax," added Miller. "I expect to see him a little off the pace, maybe sitting second or third."
Miller seeks to join Hall of Famer Bob Baffert as the only trainer to win the Futurity in consecutive years. Baffert, who entered a formidable trio of Drill, Liaison and Sky Kingdom, has won the race a record five times, including back-to-back twice.
Miller will never forget Comma to the Top's victory last year in a rainstorm following a lengthy delay in the paddock to replace a lost shoe.
"It was probably the longest half hour of my life," said Miller of the delay when one blacksmith was injured and a replacement needed to be found. "It was surreal. The elation I felt afterwards I never felt before."
Comma to the Top, a Florida-bred gelding who gave Miller the richest victory of his career in the Futurity, scored an impressive victory in a $56,000 allowance race Sunday, covering seven furlongs in 1:21.63 in his second start back following a seven-month layoff.
"He's a thoroughbred horse who should have been running in the 1920's," said Miller, eyeing the Malibu Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita December 26 for his next start. "The more I run him, the better he runs."
Trainer Mike Mitchell, who holds a 15-13 lead over Bob Baffert heading into the final five days of the Autumn Meet, hopes to put an exclamation point on a memorable session with Mark the Bench in the $80,000-added On Trust Handicap, closing-day feature Sunday.
"He should like the 7 ½ furlongs on synthetic," said Mitchell Wednesday of the 6-year-old chestnut horse he claimed for $25,000 out of his last start, a second-place finish here December 7.
Win, lose or dead-heat, Mitchell will have no complaints over a meet in which he passed the legendary Charlie Whittingham for the No. 2 spot in career wins at Hollywood Park.
Mitchell said the meet highlight was a victory by Pacific Ocean in the $100,000 Vernon Underwood Stakes November 26 in the fastest six furlongs (1:08.48) of the year over Cushion Track.
"It was his first start for me with a new client (JMJ Racing Stables) and got us off on the right foot," said Mitchell. "He smoked 'em."
Mitchell will have his work cut out with Mark the Bench, the 112-pound lightweight with Martin Garcia, in the On Trust for Cal-breds. Other probable starters include Mensa Heat, Joe Talamo, 122; Red Defense, Joel Rosario, 121; Chiloquin, Martin Pedroza, 118; Legal Separation, Victor Espinoza, 116; and Spud Spivens, Garrett Gomez, 116.
Legal Separation worked four furlongs in 49.60 Wednesday for trainer Ed Moger, Jr.
Jockey Joel Rosario, shooting for a third consecutive Autumn Meet title, holds a narrow lead over Rafael Bejarano and Martin Garcia entering the final five days of the session.
Through December 11, Rosario had won 29 races, two ahead of perennial rival Bejarano and five in front of Garcia.
The last jockey to lead the Autumn Meet three straight years was Hall of Famer Chris McCarron, who won five in a row (1981-85).
Rosario, who has also led the last three Spring/Summer meets at Hollywood Park, is chasing his sixth straight title at the Inglewood track, the most since McCarron won nine in a row from 1980-84.
Weemissfrankie, the star 2-year-old filly, was back in her stall in Barn 52 North here Wednesday following successful surgery Sunday for a condylar fracture of her right foreleg.
"The surgery went excellent," said trainer Peter Eurton of the operation performed by Dr. Wayne McIlwraith at Los Alamitos. "I just got the e-mail from Dr. McIlwraith. The prognosis is very good."
The injury was discovered after Weemissfrankie finished fourth as the 9-to-10 favorite in the Hollywood Starlet. "One screw was put in," said Eurton of the surgery. "The fracture was non-displaced."
Eurton said the filly might be able to return to training in four months. "We can start hand-walking her in 14 days," said Eurton. "She will stay here for 45 days. She might start aqua-tread work in three months.
"In four months, we could start jogging her," said Eurton in hopes of a return to the races at Del Mar or the autumn Santa Anita meet.
Weemissfrankie established herself as the top 2-year-old filly on the West Coast after victories in the Del Mar Debutante and Oak Leaf Stakes, both Grade I's, and a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
FINISH LINES—Trainer Richard Baltas was happy with a victory by Adriatic Moon in a $25,000 claiming race at 1 1/16 miles Sunday, his first since returning to training on his own recently. "It was his second time with blinkers off and first time routing since he was a 3-year-old," said Baltas of the 5-year-old gelding, claimed three races back. "He was bred to route but had been sprinting and doing well so they kept sprinting him. I thought he could route and he should like grass and he's a Cal-bred, so we have a lot of options."… Frank Regina , a long-time horse owner on the Southern California circuit nicknamed "Frankie Eyelashes," passed away Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was 74…Trainer Marty Jones said that Tiz Flirtatious, who remained unbeaten in three starts with a victory in the Cat's Cradle Handicap Sunday, is under consideration for a return in the Grade I La Brea Stakes December 30 at Santa Anita .
Copyright © 2009-2012, Hollywood Park. All rights reserved. Site design by Love Has No logic Design Group


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A BlankTV Feature Presentation:
The Shrine - "Louise"
Where the riff and the board collide is where you'll find The Shrine. In the Louise video the boys take it to their friends secret underground skate warehouse for a rager. Somewhere in the background the mad woman is lurking, on the trail. No matter what she's coming for you. They legendary Gonzales backyard pool skate spot gets a funeral and the concrete wave gets smashed. If you have the need for speed, take it to the hills. Psychedelic Violence will prevail in the struggle against good and evil. The craving for raw power throughout the 70's & 80's skate rock universe will continue on as a timeless inspiration for rock and roll.
"On the night of November 6th, 1979 Black Sabbath was at their most drug addled and explosive standing. They were on tour supporting their newly released Never Say Die album and had a night off in Los Angeles. After knocking back a few drinks at the infamous Rainbow Bar, they decided to check out the local rock scene at the Whiskey A-Go-Go. Arriving late, they caught the tail end of a set by The Circle Jerks. Feeling intimidated yet inspired, they rented a rehearsal space and spent the rest of the night jamming. For an unknown reason they exclusively played Thin Lizzy material and Keith Moon was sitting in… These events never took place. But if they did, the results may have sounded similar to Los Angeles's The Shrine. Formed in 2008, The Shrine play a houserocking breed of heavy, psychedelic, riff based Rock n' Roll. Their debut, recorded on vintage reel-to-reel tape, by local hero Dave O. Jones and under the auspices of the notorious Chuck Dukowski, is the perfect soundtrack to any debaucherous gathering of longhairs. If you and your rag-tag group of riff-raff friends are planning a road trip to Humboldt County to 'Score', this is the album you need to be listening to on the way. The Shrine is Josh Landau on guitar/vocals, Courtland Murphy on bass, and Jeff Murray on Drums. Dig It." - Harley Rother
>> Pick up music by The Shrine from Amazon or iTunes and get The Shrine merch from their Merch Store Now! <<
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Sally_Sparkman on Family Tree Circles
view: full | list
Journals and Posts
How to find facts versus fiction
My great grandfather's history was sketchy and I am trying to fill in the blanks. There are a couple of versions passed down through a very bitter family, and as best I have been able to figure it out, here is what I THINK may be valid, but I keep running into walls so would love help in sifting through the mess and figuring all this out:
Jefferson (Madison) Burkett
Born: 1863 Little Rock, Pulaski Co, Arkansas
First Marriage: December 30, 1889, to Minnie Aschew (born 1871 Her father was Henry C. Aschew. Her mother was Sarah (last unknown)) in Woodruff, AK.
They started having babies right away and had at least three sons within three years or so. Then, so the story goes, he came home one day to find a man sitting on his front porch so he pulled out a gun and killed the man. His mother (now this part is probably embellished greatly) gave him a horse and told him to run away. He did.
He then changed his middle name to Jefferson Davis Smith and rode to Louisiana where he found work laying rails for the railroad (possibly Southern Pacific).
He met and Jessie Shipley met and married in Louisiana. They lived in a box car that was moved from siding to siding as the railroad progressed west and had eight children (first was my grandmother born 1895) also in rapid fire succession. Eventually, they settled in Houston, Texas where he got a job as a trolly conductor.
When their youngest son was 3 years old the family got a visit from two or three now very grown-up sons from Arkansas looking for their father. This news was naturally disastrous to (very Catholic) Jessie and her children, all of whom had been born as "Smith" and now had to go have their names changed to Burkett. Jessie had the marriage annulled by the church because Jeff had never bothered to divorce Minnie and bigamy didn't sit well with the church or with Jessie.
Jeff then married for a third time in Houston and had twin girls. He died in Houston around 1945 or perhaps a couple of years later.
How can I find out if he was indeed Cherokee, who his sons were by his first wife, and how to trace his ancestry back up the tree? So much of his story to Jessie was fabricated because he was (or SAID he was) wanted for murder back in Arkansas, but I don't know how to find out whether even that was true or not.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Looking for SPARKMAN family
I am looking for the Sparkman family members from the three brother's families who originally settled in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas. I have a number of dots connected, but am still missing quite a few as well, and would love to get in touch with my family.
My great grandfather was Jerry Sparkman who lived and died in Corsicana, Texas (passing about 1924 or so). He was married to Samantha Ferguson (sister of the Texas Governor, Pa Ferguson). Their daughter, Gertrude Sparkman, married one of her first cousins from the Oklahoma branch who was in politics. Their son, Irvey, was my grandfather. His only child was my father, William Jerry Sparkman.
I know that I have about a zillion cousins spread throughout the South, and probably the country, but I don't know any of them or how to reach them, so would appreciate any help anyone can give me.
Thank you for your help,
Sally (Erin Margaret) Sparkman
Looking for relations of Leonard Garvin
My grandfather, James Leonard Garvin, died in Houston, Texas around early 1926 but was originally from Tennessee or Arkansas. He was an older brother in a family with a few siblings, had married and divorced an older woman there, and later married my grandmother in Houston after returning from WWI where he fought.
His second wife (my grandmother) was Thelma Burkett and they had one child, my mother Erin, born in Houston in September, 1925.
His last remaining sibling, a younger sister, passed away about 9 years ago in Tennessee (or Arkansas -- sorry, don't know which). I have never met any of my relatives from the Garvin family line and would love to find them.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
- Displaying 1-3 of 3 Journals
- 1
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Re: Do you think you jump high?
So the question is, what is the widest angle lens you can get away withsq225917 wrote:Nah, fdvj's jump is no more than 25 feet. Funny thing about wide angle lenses
and slowed down video footage, they make even good jumps looks truly mega.
before what --sq22....-- is saying, starts to come into play ? I don't really
like that distorted image either, and want a water-proof camera that gives
a far amount of field of vision, but at the same time doesn't over-do it .
Any suggestions for an HD camera that's water-proof and doesn't weigh a bunch
where the field of vision doesn't look so dramatic ?


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Luke Ford writes: Thursday afternoon, I interview singer and vocal coach Ariella of AriellaApproach.com.
In our culture where "American Idol" and "Glee" set the standard for good singing, many of us forget that we too can sing. We have been silenced in our past by a teacher, sibling, friend, peer, or even a parent who at some memorable point in our lives said:
-"Stop singing! You'll break glass."
-"You have a terrible voice."
-"Keep your day job."
-"You're tone deaf!"


text:
McHenry softball coach John DiFrancesca only needs to take a quick look around his infield to see the potential of his team.
It starts with junior pitcher Kristin Koepke, one of the area's best pitchers, and continues right behind her with sophomore shortstop Alex Martens. An experienced and veteran-laden group also includes the return of seniors Rachel Ford at second base and Ashley Clingingsmith at first base.
Coming off a season in which the Warriors finished second in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division and won 24 games en route to a regional title, it's no surprise that McHenry is considered one of the favorites to capture the division title.
"If you combine experience with talent, my gosh, hopes are high I can't lie," DiFrancesca said. "It's a nice mix of returning starters and a couple of new kids who are coming into the program."
McHenry won't have an easy path to the title. Cary-Grove is a perennial contender while Prairie Ridge is looking to successfully defend its FVC Valley crown. And after an impressive postseason run, Jacobs enters the season hoping to build off of last year. The Golden Eagles have the players to contend, led by senior third baseman Alyssa Lach and sophomore shortstop Sarah Murray, two of nine players returning.
"It should definitely give us confidence because we had a nice little run, beat the No. 1 seed in our regional," Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer said. "It shows we have the ability to do it and now hopefully we can fill in a couple of the missing pieces we had last year and go a little bit further."
Crystal Lake Central, which shared the FVC Fox Division title last year with Grayslake North, has the talent to challenge for another title. They may have to do it without junior standout pitcher/shortstop Megan Mahaffy, who is working back from a torn ACL.
Tigers coach Brian Strombom said Mahaffy, who still needs to be officially cleared to play, is about three weeks away from getting back on the field. While having her in Central's lineup would be an obvious boost, Strombom said he plans to ease her back onto the field to make sure Mahaffy doesn't get pushed too hard too fast.
Strombom expects the Tigers' pitching depth to shine in her absence but conceded that replacing Mahaffy's bat in the lineup will take a team effort considering she hit .613 last year with eight home runs.
"I think, over time, this team can really develop,' Strombom said. "I think it's too early to say if we're able to be up at the top of the conference, but I do like the potential that we have. … I have a feeling we can really improve a lot over the course of the season."
In the Big Northern Conference, Marengo has some holes to fill in its lineup – which includes determining who will be the Indians' No. 1 pitcher – but the Indians have the experience and talent to be considered one of the favorites for the BNC East Division title.
Richmond-Burton shouldn't be overlooked either as the Rockets balance a mix of returning seniors with talented underclassman. Marian Central hopes to continue to improve while battling in the Suburban Christian Conference. Although they only have one level again this season, the Hurricanes feature 12 freshmen on varsity.


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Hi Kurt
Thank you for this forum, I have found this site to be the most informative on Turkish Takla pigeons. I must say I got fond of this breed as soon as I saw their pictures and videos on the net. I was desperately looking for them and was able to manage one 10 weeks old and one 8 weeks old pairs from the same pair. I was told that these are Takla mardins. I tried to train them with my tipplers and until the age of 4 months they were flying for upto 30 minutes with my tipplers and tumbling like regular tumblers. After that they would become tired and land. Then one day they started to do combinations and couldn't land. They also developed the habit of sitting on nearby high buildings for hours and could only come down with much difficulty.
Today, one of the hens which is around 4 months old couldn't even land from the roof of my building and went to another direction tumbling. The last I saw her she was moving away from the loft towards another high building. It is night here and I don't know if she is going to return. In my country this is a very uncommon breed and the few people I know keep taklas as fancy pigeons. I have one pair left which may lay egg any day now. I don't know if I am doing anything wrong with the training. I feed them a pigeon mix which has most kind of grains( fancy pigeon mix) but now I have switched to wheat and paddy seeds only.
Is this a problem with the blood line I have? Feed? Trainging? I am really confused. It seems it is very difficult to train these birds. I tried to fly them almost everyday.
I could really use some advice from you and other fellow members. Thanks.