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Fitna on Google Video (embedded viewing above)
Link for direct viewing, click here. Note--
If Google Video were to hereafter remove Fitna,
go to the Jawa Report to find other sources
for viewing/embedding it.
Therefore, it's sensible to also include in this installment an embedded version of Fitna (see video box to the left) now playing on Google video. Thus far, Google has shown courage for quite a few more hours than did LiveLeak. However, given Google's long-lasting love-affair with political correctness as well as its willingness to kowtow to the Peoples' Republic of China, one's optimism on this issue must be guarded. If Google were to continue hosting the video indefinitely, I would be first in line to extend "kudos" to Google (even though Google's own YouTube has capitulated to what appear to me to have been demands by nutroots on the left to ban several of PoliSat.Com's anti-Left videos on political grounds-- more on this to be provided in an update.)
--Jim Wrenn, Editor at PoliSat.Com.
Permanent links to this installment:
http://polisat.com/DailyPoliticalSatire-Commentary/Archives2008/du20y08m03d29-01.htm ;
See also http://PoliSat.Com/AnatomyOfAFaceInFitna.htm .
Satire not needed re fanatics proudly embracing medieval interpretations of Islam and thus exposing their dangerously mindless inability to grasp their own backwardness, hatefulness and barbarity.·
By Jim Wrenn, Editor at PoliSat.Com.
Editor's note: See also March 29, 2008 Update: http://polisat.com/DailyPoliticalSatire-Commentary/Archives2008/du20y08m03d29-01.htm.
March 28, 2008--
As Western media outlets decide how they will treat Geert Wilders' film, "Fitna" (released yesterday, March 27, 2008), the question arises: Will classical Western liberalism exhibit resistance or submission? Courage or capitulation? The same question must be asked about how Islamic media outlets that claim to disavow such fanaticism will treat it. There are not grounds for serious optimism regarding the latter, and it remains to be seen how much courage will be exhibited by the former. Update: Now we know-- LiveLeak removed Fitna from it's servers in response to receipt of serious threats to its staff members. Go here for LiveLeak's explanation. Regarding he "Anatomy of a Face in Fitna" (see image below-left), it's not the Fitna video, but it's relevant to it-- to learn why, scroll further down for more information about it and for viewing it or click here.
But trusty Rusty has uploaded it to Google Video for direct viewing here (or for embedded viewing using the embedded Google version at Jawa Report or below on this page). How long before Google caves to threats? (Gentlemen, start your stopwatches.) Furthermore, the fact that the version uploaded to Google Video still displays the LiveLeak logo provides an easy, lame excuse for Google Video to cave. How long will Google stand up to the terrorists? As long as they've stood up to Chinese censors? How long before Google changes its mission statement from "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" to "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful except, of course, for information offensive to fanatical adherents to medieval, tyrannical and barbaric interpretations of Islam or to any official of the Peoples' Republic of China or anyone else more serious and threatening about their ideology than we at Google are loyal to our originally stated 'mission.'"
Fitna on Google Video (embedded viewing above)
Link for direct viewing, click here.
This is a time when every media outlet professing to favor liberty over tyranny should encourage facilitation of access to the film to make it ubiquitous in order to facilitate public understanding of not only the film but the reasons for which Wilders made it. Thus far, too few have been willing to do so and too many are cowed by fear of the fanatics. What is the current "slogan" of America's self-described "liberals" demanding "non-partisanship" in politics? "Divided we fall" is it not? Will they show their willingness to "unite" on the side of freedom against terroristic tyranny? Don't hold your breath. Too many in the West are still living in a dream world leaving them as naively oblivious to the threat of the fanatical variety of Islamic ideology as was Neville Chamberlain to the fanatical, ruthless and barbaric nature of Nazism.
Fitna removed by LiveLeak after threats against staff:
Too many in the so-called "mainstream" media who profess to worship the rights of free speech and free press as vital to the survival of liberty paradoxically and incorrectly think adherence to such principles obliges them to be "neutral" about the conflict between the forces of liberty and tyranny. They don't seem to understand that on the issue of freedom, they can't be "neutral" and must, instead, "take sides." That's what classical Western liberalism did. It "took sides" with liberty against tyranny. Today, too many people claiming to be "liberal" are merely liberal poseurs vacuously frolicking in the insulated bubble most of the rest of us recognize as the "Hollywood Left." Those liberal poseurs are blind to the fact that those whom they deride as "NeoCons" are in fact classical Western liberals who understand the reality that anyone professing to favor freedom can't be "neutral" about the struggle between liberty and tyranny. ···
Too many modern Christians are still oblivious to the historical similarities between medieval Christianity, which burned heretics at the stake, and Islamic fanaticism today, which remains in a medieval form of stunted cultural evolution. Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- no shrinking violet in confronting Islamic fanatics (see Submission here or here) and certainly no apologist for medieval Christianity has correctly pointed out that "the enlightenment [reformed Christianity]" -- not to imply modern Christianity is perfect but to make a point to which Secular Fundamentalists are blinded by their anti-religious bigotry: That modern Christianity embraces the enlightenment view that heresy not be punished by violence but rather be opposed by persuasion. (Update-- Hirsi Ali's website has extensive commentary about Fitna.) Those who say Islam can't be reformed are ignoring the history of the enlightenment and reformation of Christianity, but it certainly can't be reformed without first being exposed for what it is: a culturally backward-looking, patriarchal religion founded on doctrines threatened by modernity and fundamental human rights known as "liberty" gradually recognized in the course of the enlightenment in the West and formally declared in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution (despite tragic moral flaws in both with respect to slavery). To the credit of Barack Obama (of whom I am NOT a supporter), his speech in Philadelphia -- though seriously flawed in many ways-- correctly rejected his preceding generation's grievance agenda against America for her past sins in favor of his generational agenda of seeking further improvement -- i.e., traveling the "road to perfection"-- by being willing to recognize, appreciate and build upon improvements made. This is the genius of the system created by Founding Fathers despite the blindness caused by their own bigotry.
Too many western secularists are too blinded by their bigoted hatred for Christianity to comprehend the nature and scope of the threat to liberty posed by the spread of fanatical versions of Islam. They seem not to understand that medieval Islam views non-believing infidels to be every bit as evil as Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. This is especially true of the liberal poseurs in the Hollywood Left. ··
Regarding the "Anatomy of a Face in Fitna" video (wmv and flash versions embedded at the right), it analyzes the assertion by Sugerio that Geert Wilders may have mistakenly used the wrong image for the face depicted in Fitna as that of the murderer of the director, Theo Van Gogh. Since anatomy-changing distortion would be necessary for that image to be deemed to match that of another person, it's debatable whether such other person would even have a legal case against Wilders. Even if it were to be proved that Wilders made errors with respect to one image in the entire film, his error in doing so is dwarfed by the widespread derelictions of duties to freedom by so many in the Western media claiming to be champions of "free speech" who refused to host or link-to Wilders' video. To paraphrase HotAir.Com's AllaPundit, the timidity of Western media in the face of terrorist threats sort of proves the point Wilders made in Fitna, doesn't it?
Update-- Additional questions: Does Fitna paint non-fanatical Muslims with the same brush as fanatical Muslims? Not if one understands that it is in part directed at the reluctance (outright fear?) of non-fanatical Muslims to unequivocally confront, reject and defeat the fanatical Muslims. The fanatics are screaming their hatred but the non-fanatics are whispering their disapproval. The non-fanatics need to raise their voices. They need to stop being apologists for medieval practices such as "honor killings" and demands that religious theology be made the "law of the land."
Meanwhile, the Hollywood Left needs to overcome its naive embrace of the hackneyed and flawed cliché "might doesn't make right" and instead embrace the reality that right without might loses to wrong armed with might. The Ghandi/MLK non-violent approach only works against a power structure which despite serious flaws remains fundamentally committed to civilized norms but not against violent, totalitarian ideologies such as Nazism, Stalinism and Islamo-Fascism. To view a picture that is emblematic of what is the best hope for human society in the current struggle between modernity/enlightenment and medievalism go to Michael Yon's November 6, 2007 installment (and make a donation while you're there.).
--Jim Wrenn, Editor at PoliSat.Com,
Permanent links to this installment: http://polisat.com/DailyPoliticalSatire-Commentary/Archives2008/du20y08m03d28-01.htm and
http://PoliSat.Com/AnatomyOfAFaceInFitna.htm .
About Archives (Old Archives) Contact Search PoliticalxRay/PoliSat.Com News Troops


text:
My soul would sing of metamorphoses.
But since, o gods, you were the source of these
bodies becoming other bodies, breathe
your breath into my book of changes…
~ Ovid, The Metamorphoses
My abdomen is probably the only part of my body I've never felt insecure about. Everything else has, at one time or another, been overrun by pudge, pimples, stretch marks, or, the most likely culprit in my case, unwanted body hair. When I gain weight, I tend to pack it on around the hips, thighs, chest, but, thanks to the crapshoot of genetics, I have never really had a flabby stomach.
That, however, is no longer the case. My abdomen is a fleshy pillow now. I can sink my fingers into it like bread dough.
My body has gone through many permutations over the past ten months, but this one is the most engrossing to me…
View original post 1,406 more words

subset: commoncrawl


text: Stoner by John Williams Buy one get one half price £8.99 In stockWant it on Wednesday, 20th February? Place your order within 13 hrs 20 mins and select Nominated Delivery at the checkout. Quantity: Add to bag Add to wishlist Share View all Buy One Get One Half PriceView all Books Available for Click & Collect Gift Wrap Fast Delivery Contact Us Product details Author: John WilliamsPaperback Entering university at the age of nineteen to study agriculture, William Stoners life is changed forever after attending a seminar on English literature. He never returns to work on the family farm. Stoner becomes a teacher and leads a seemingly unremarkable life, after his death his colleagues seldom remember him. Yet with truthfulness, compassion and intense power, this novel uncovers a story of universal value. Stoner tells of the conflicts, defeats and victories of the human race that pass unrecorded by history, and reclaims the significance of an individual life. A compelling read, this is a novel to be savoured. Publisher: Vintage ClassicsISBN: 9780099561545 BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE OFFEROffer only applies to books displaying the Buy One Get One Half Price Offer. View more books included in this offer on our Buy One Get One Half Price Books page. The 50% discount will be applied to the lowest priced qualifying item in your order. Your discount will be applied and shown at checkout. Terms & Conditions Apply Delivery Delivery We aim to dispatch all items which are in stock on the same working day when orders are received by 2PM. Orders are sent with either Royal Mail or Parcelforce. Parcelforce normally offer a one hour delivery window via SMS or Email. Our Delivery Charges England, Wales & Southern Scotland Orders under £40 £3.50 Usually within 2-5 days Orders over £40 FREE Usually within 2-5 days Nominated day or Saturday delivery* £6.00 Select your day, on orders placed before 14:00 Click & Collect Furniture FREE FREE Same day at our Norwich stores on orders placed before 14:00 Expected within 5 weeks Scottish Highlands, Channel Islands and Northern Ireland View postcodes in this bracket All orders £5.00 Usually within 2-5 days Nominated day or Saturday delivery Furniture N/A N/A Unavailable to these postcodes Overseas (any non-UK address) At present we do not deliver overseas. Gift Cards, Book Tokens and Event Tickets £1.95 Furniture Small and flat packed items will be sent via Parcelforce, Direct Distribution or via our delivery vans. Large items will be sent by our specialist 2 man delivery partners. The delivery company will contact you within 7 days to organise delivery of your items. The delivery service includes an E-mail, SMS or call to advise a date and a 4 hour time slot for delivery. Crews will call 30 minutes prior to delivery and deliver to a room of choice, unpack and take away packaging. If you require assembly of your items then this can be arranged for an additional charge and you will need to speak to our team to arrange this. Please read our furniture Terms and Conditions here before you order. Delivery times: Orders in Norfolk and Suffolk will be approx 2-3 weeks Orders to the rest of the UK will approx 3-5 weeks We cannot deliver furniture to Northern Ireland Island, Scottish Islands and Channel Islands For more details on delivery please click here. Returns STANDARD RETURNS POLICY Please note that these terms apply to products purchased through our website only. You may cancel your order for any reason at any time prior to dispatch and make returns up to 30 days after receipt of your goods. You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason. To cancel your order prior to dispatch please telephone the Internet Order Help Desk on 01603 697150 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. Click here for our cancellation policy Refunds Refunds will be against the card used to make the original payment following inspection of the returned goods, normally with in 7 working days. Return documentation is included with the goods when dispatched to you. We recommend that a verifiable method of return delivery is used, as proof of posting cannot be taken as proof of receipt. Please see our Returns Policy for items which are exempt from the right to cancel If goods are not returned and received by us in perfect condition we reserve the right to withhold or refuse any refund, pending enquiry, and/or make only a part refund Returning Furniture Please be aware that furniture purchased in store at Jarrold is exempt from the above terms. Please contact a member of our Furniture team on 01603 697258 who will be pleased to explain the terms and conditions of furniture purchases. Returns Postage Responsibility Please note that unless your item is faulty, or delivered in error, you are responsible for the cost of the postage back to us. This is in accordance with the Distance Selling Regulations Please click here to see products which are exempt from the right to cancel Recently viewed items Stoner by John Williams 1 x £125.00 Subtotal Continue shopping Checkout now Stoner by John Williams Click image to zoom 55f8407e87bb3843cc26430fStoner by John Williamshttps://www.jarrold.co.uk/departments/books/buy-one-get-one-half-price/stoner-by-john-williamshttps://www.jarrold.co.uk/userdata/root/images/products/other/24/210/stoner-2.jpg?w=5008.99GBP2016-05-20InStock/departments/books/buy-one-get-one-half-price/departments/books/fiction137107818.998.99https://www.jarrold.co.uk/departments/books/buy-one-get-one-half-price/stoner-by-john-williams?sku=13710781https://www.jarrold.co.uk/userdata/root/images/products/other/24/210/stoner-2.jpg?w=500InStock


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Cooler temperatures may arrive earlier than thought
South Florida may not have to wait through the weekend for cooler temperatures from the first significant cold front of the 2016 fall season.
Forecasters today said the overnight lows on Friday may drop to the high 60s with Saturday barely reaching 80 degrees and Sunday stretching to hit 78 degrees.
The front is being driven by the powerful jet stream, which is screaming across the U.S. at about 30,000 feet. A severe plunge south by the river of air is what will push the cooler temperatures through South Florida.
The low pressure heading east will also push out a stubborn high pressure system that has been centered over Georgia and the Carolinas and helped send the easterly winds into Florida since Hurricane Matthew headed north Oct. 7.
Winds will turn north on Friday, gusting as high as 23 mph over the weekend.
West Palm Beach hasn't experienced an overnight low under 70 degrees since May.
The weekend is also expected to be mostly shower-free following the front, making for a sunny, cool and dry weekend.
National Weather Service forecasters in Miami continue to have a high risk of rip currents posted in Palm Beach County and a coastal flood advisory as the king tides continue the annual flood of some coastal areas.
As measured at Palm Beach International Airport:
Normal daytime high, Oct. 18-19: 85 degrees
Normal daytime high, Oct. 20-25: 84 degrees
Normal overnight low, Oct. 18-22: 71 degrees
Normal overnight low, Oct. 23-26: 70 degrees
Average date of first 60-degree temperature: Nov. 2


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Report Links Biofuels With Food Prices
The food versus fuel debate just took a new turn.
For years, commentators have blamed Asia's rapidly-expanding middle class for pushing up the cost of food and creating markets so volatile prices have spiked to record levels two times in four years.
But according to new research for the United Nations' food body, the increasing diversion of grain and oilseeds to create fuel—particularly in the U.S. and Europe, which spend an estimates $8 billion a year supporting their biofuel industries—has had a far greater effect.
A new report by the Committee on World Food Security found that using grains like corn and wheat to create bioethanol, often blended with gasoline to create transport fuel, has added 0.5 percentage points to the growth in world cereal demand, pushing it to 1.8% a year from 1.3%.
In vegetable oils, which are used to make biodiesel and dominate Europe's market, growth has been even more pronounced. While their use for food slowed down between the 1990s and 2000s, from 4.4% to 3.3% a year, industrial use soared, so that in the decade to 2010 it grew from 11% to 24% of world use.
[Read more over the jump]


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Years ago I never even considered making my own yogurt. I had NO idea yogurt was something people could even make at home.
Even when I began eating healthier, homemade yogurt was just something I didn't think I could do. It was too intimidating. Plus, it sounded like something only "weird crunchy people" do. Well, apparently I am now a "weird crunchy person" because I LOVE making homemade yogurt!
One thing I never realized – homemade yogurt is easy. Easier than making bread. Easier than baking a cake. Yes, it is crazy how easy it is and I'm tired of it being a big secret!
First of all, you don't need any fancy equipment! There are many ways to make it, but I prefer to use my crock pot. No need to buy anything special just to make yogurt.
Second of all, you can control the ingredients in homemade yogurt. Take a look at the ingredient list the next time you buy yogurt. I have no idea why they have to add so much unnecessary junk! It is also really hard to find whole milk yogurt at the store (even organic!) which is something we are sticklers about.
Plus, homemade yogurt is also a lot cheaper. Even with our expensive milk, it still works out to half the cost of store-bought yogurt! Definitely worth the 10 minutes of work!
- ½ gallon whole milk
- ½ cup plain yogurt with live and active cultures
- Crock Pot
- Candy Thermometer
- Beach Towel
- Ladle
- Mason Jars
- Colander (optional)
- Cheesecloth (optional)
- Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into your crock pot, set it to high, and heat the milk to 180°. My crock pot has a probe that will alert me when it reaches the set temp, but you can just check it occasionally with a candy thermometer. It takes approximately 2 hours.
- Turn off crock pot, remove lid, and let the milk cool down to 115°. Do not disturb. This takes approximately 6 hours (varies widely depending on the temperature in your house).
- Once the yogurt has cooled down to 115°, stir in ½ cup of plain yogurt. The temperature cannot be above 120° or it will kill the cultures in the yogurt.
- Put the lid back on, make sure the crock pot is turned off and unplugged, and wrap the entire crock pot in a large beach towel. Leave out overnight, undisturbed.
- The next morning, remove the towel and transfer the crock pot to the refrigerator, do not disturb the yogurt. Chill for about 8 hours.
- Optional Step If your yogurt isn't thick enough for your preference, strain off some of the whey. Line a colander with a cheesecloth and set in the sink or in a large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth, cover, and let it strain until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Ladle the yogurt into mason jars and store in the refrigerator.
Don't forget to save ½ cup of the yogurt to use as your starter next time!
This is delicious in smoothies or topped with fruit and a little honey!
Linked to Thrifty Thursday and Thrifty Thursday.
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item (at no extra cost to you), I will receive a commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.


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Hi there guys!
I am a new one in this forum. And i see that there is less information about service tools. I have many experiences with some Tool so i decided to share with you. I will start with the CHIMERA TOOL
Chimera Tool is basically a software that helps you repair errors of your (or your customers) phone.
They work with samsungs blackberrys and nokias. and they will add the HTC too.
so i used this tool to solve my issues with some BB. I will write down what i experienced.
See Ya


text:
Product Description
This set includes:
- 2x 160g Dentiste Nighttime Toothpaste
- Free 1x Dentiste Italian Toothbrush.
Goodbye, morning breath and Hello, Fresh Kisses!
Dentiste Nighttime Toothpaste has 14 natural extracts that inhibits the growth of nighttime oral bacteria, so you could have a fresh morning breath.
Dentiste Italian Toothbrush keeps your teeth clean and bright with its ultra-soft bristles that go in-between teeth to remove dirt that can cause bacteria build up.
This set includes:
There are no reviews yet.


text:
To The Family Of Phil Africa
Truly he was a man that was well loved by me and all those he touched
Bro Red
Brother Delbert and The Move Family
Thank you for standing firm upon true righteousness a true solider is gone but his spirit will never die and will never be forgotten
In Solidarity Gabe
Juan Gonzalez - worked in prison infirmary , was holding on to Phil as he moved on.
Brother Delbert and Family
May God give you the strength to continue on this struggle not only was Phil a mentor to me but my Brother . I will never forget what he taught me not only from my connection but by his actions . Phil will be missed but never forgotten .


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socrates wrote:kane wrote:Welp there you have it lads, turns out the owner of haxball is even more of a useless fuck than we thought. don't expect any game reviving updates until atleast 2026.
Ok I'll bite. He created a game that you've spent years of your life playing. He has just finished creating a html5 version after coding for probably way over a year and is still actively working on it now. Don't be so rude and ungrateful.
Do you remember the years of ZERO major updates between 2012 and 2017? i think i'm entitled to criticize him when he literally neglected his game for so long and only decides to actually do something when he isn't making as much AD revenue as he used too.


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Supah here again
Im now gonna show you the steps to making spider spawner. This method of building does not work on Zombie or Skeleton spawners
Also, the reason I am in creative is because I made the model spawner on build (It was a little easier having creative)
Hope it helps!:
Step 1:
Find a Spawner.
Step 2:
Place torhces around spawner.
Step 3:
Dig hole 8-14 blocks down
Step 4:
Make an area to stand in while collecting XP.
Step 5:
Remove the torches.
Step 6:
Make a guard exactly like this between you and the mobs
Step 7:
Add chests and furnaces (Optional)
Congratulations! You now have a completed Spider XP Farm!


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WASHINGTON—If Democrats win one or both houses of Congress in November's elections, as polls suggest is increasingly likely, President Bush's Washington will change dramatically.
Democrats will press to get out of Iraq. They'll mount investigations into the Bush administration's record that could rival those of Presidents Nixon in Watergate and Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky affair. They'll push a boatload of social-welfare legislation, such as raising the minimum wage, that reflects their pent-up priorities, while blocking the Republican agenda on social issues such as gay marriage, abortion and religion.
Those are some of the top plans that Democrats would pursue if they won power, according to interviews with Democratic lawmakers, strategists, staff aides and lobbyists. The tone and temper of the Democrats were reflected well by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, in a conference call in late August. He'll become the panel's chairman if Democrats take the House.
"The Republican-controlled Congress has worked with the White House to shield them and the government from any scrutiny of corruption and abuse," Waxman said. Democrats "plan to expose the truth about billions of taxpayers' dollars."
That's the flavor that Democrats savor as they return to Congress after Labor Day following a monthlong recess, eagerly anticipating the elections two months away. National polls strongly suggest that they could ride widespread voter discontent with the war in Iraq and Bush into control of one or both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994.
The House of Representatives is more likely to turn Democratic than the Senate, analysts agree. The transition would be symbolized vividly in the change of hands that hold the gavel wielded by the speaker of the House. Now it's Republican Dennis Hastert of Illinois, a loyal supporter of President Bush. If Democrats take the House, the next speaker will be Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a liberal feminist from San Francisco who decries virtually everything Bush does.
Issue one would be the war.
"If the Democrats take the House back, pressure to find a way to withdraw from Iraq will greatly increase," said Rep. Barney Frank, an outspoken liberal Democrat from Massachusetts.
Democrats also could challenge the administration's war strategy at oversight hearings and by threatening to clamp conditions on war appropriations, although they'd take care to do it responsibly, said Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the House's third-ranking Democrat. He'll run for majority leader if the Democrats take control.
"You're not going to see the Congress—Democrats or Republicans—while troops are still deployed, withdrawing support of those troops," Hoyer said. "We want to make sure the troops are kept as safe and supplied as possible."
That caution reflects Democrats' recognition that they might scare voters if they're perceived as favoring a too-radical agenda, a threat that Republicans trumpet in hopes of rallying their own supporters.
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., for example, could take over as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. In June 2005 Conyers held an unofficial Democrats-only hearing on Iraq prewar intelligence that many saw as a potential building block for impeaching Bush. Now Conyers is backing off such talk, while Republicans warn that he'd pursue it if he gets power.
"It's something you have to take seriously," Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman said.
Pelosi has said she doesn't support impeaching Bush. Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf says impeachment is a "Republican bogeyman" and "a ridiculous notion that's not going to happen."
But there's no guarantee of restraint from a freshly empowered Democratic caucus after 12 years of snubs by Republicans.
Democrats should strive for civility if they take power, said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., but he acknowledged that many of them "are going to want some retribution." Murtha, a leading critic of the Iraq war, will challenge Hoyer for majority leader if the Democrats win.
Mehlman predicts that Republicans will hold their majority by convincing voters that Democrats will raise taxes, compound energy shortages through their environmental policies and weaken national security.
Democrats already are encouraging their top-ranking committee members to think big. Their staffs for several key panels are considering how they'd investigate the Bush administration's preparation for and execution of the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, regulatory decisions involving contraception and science versus religion, and administration ties to energy and drug companies, government contractors and individual lobbyists.
Winning even one chamber of Congress would give Democrats a bully pulpit and enable them to hold hearings, issue subpoenas, put witnesses under oath and block Republican legislation. Controlling both chambers would allow Democrats to pass some legislation that Republicans have bottled up for years, although Bush still holds veto power.
Democrats say they'd raise the minimum wage for the first time in a decade and force Bush to accept or veto it.
Here's a partial list of other priorities they'd like to pursue:
_Tax cuts for top earners and multimillion-dollar inheritances could be scrapped.
_Oil company tax breaks could end.
_Pharmaceutical companies would be pressed to lower domestic prices.
_The Medicare prescription-drug benefit could be retooled to help seniors more and benefit the drug industry less.
_Another bill promoting embryonic stem-cell research, such as the one the president vetoed this year, could pass.
_ Global warming could drive environmental and energy policy.
_ Spending on welfare and affordable-housing programs would expand.
If Democrats take the Senate, many of Bush's judicial nominees could be blocked and the calculus of any new Supreme Court nomination would change.
For all their hopes and dreams, Democrats recognize that there are limits on what they can do so long as Bush remains president.
Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.—who'd become the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax policy—warns that even if Democrats capture a majority in Congress, Republicans "have still got the executive branch, and we've got to work with them. We would be a disappointment to the voters if all we want is retaliation."
Some Democrats are talking about major overhauls to simplify taxes, tackle Social Security's solvency problem and enact universal health coverage. While Bush's new treasury secretary, Henry Paulson, vows to press for big changes too, it's unlikely that such thorny issues would be addressed immediately or that Democrats would compromise much with a lame-duck Republican president.
In the end, University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato doesn't expect that Democrats will accomplish many policy priorities in the near term.
"If the Republicans have one (chamber of Congress) and the Democrats have another, hardly anything is going to reach Bush," he said. "If Democrats take both, then Bush will probably set an all-time record for vetoes."
(c) 2006, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Need to map


text:
Book Title: Devil's Lake (Bittersweet Hollow Book 1)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Pages: 290
Audio Run Time: 8 Hrs 48 Mins
Audio Run Time: 8 Hrs 48 Mins
Author: Aaron Paul Lazar
Date Published: 8 July 2014 (E-book)Synopsis:
2 September 2014 (Audiobook)
2 September 2014 (Audiobook)
After two years of brutal captivity, Portia Lamont has escaped and returned to her family's Vermont horse farm - only to find her parents gone to New York to try an experimental treatment for her mother's cancer, and her childhood friend Boone Hawke running the farm. The man Boone has become frightens her to near paralysis, but she's too traumatized and physically devastated to put up a fight.
Like the rest of her family, Boone has never given up hope that Portia would return. But when she turns up battered, skinny as a 12-year-old boy, afraid of everything and unable to talk about what happened, he does the only thing he can - try to help her heal. He summons the town doctor and Portia's parents, and sets out to put this beautiful, broken woman back together again.
Through her family's love and Boone's gentle affection, Portia gradually comes back to herself, and starts to fall for her old friend in a whole new way. But one thing threatens her fragile hopes for recovery: The man who took her promised that if she ever escaped, he'd kill her. Slowly. And someone is definitely watching her...waiting to make a deadly move.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book in the Bittersweet Hollow series. I really enjoyed it!
This audio book is narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor. I must admit that although I found her reading voice to be clear and understandable, I had trouble with her interpretations of the characters' "voices". Due to this, I had to stop listening to it for a short period before going back to it. This, I feel, broke the story's flow so I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Other readers/listeners may not have the same issue.
Portia Lamont is a woman who has been kidnapped and held against her will for two years before managing to escape. I really liked this character. She has been through hell and has a lot of courage. I am not sure if I would have survived in her place.
Boone Hawke is a wonderful character and I really liked him. He is sensitive to Portia's situation, and since he's been in a war, he knows how emotionally fragile someone who has been in a traumatic event could be. I love how he gives her space to come to terms with things, but is close enough to offer support when needed.
Devil's Lake is definitely a bittersweet story. Having read/listened to other books by this author, I knew that I would be in for an emotional ride. However, I didn't realise how much this story would touch me.
The author wove an incredibly suspenseful, thrilling and thought provoking tale that sent shivers up my back. He dedicated this story to the women kidnapped and held hostage for ten years in Cleveland, Ohio. I cannot imagine what they went through, but they were incredibly brave to survive through their ordeal. My heart goes out to each and every one of them and their families.
This book is told through the eyes of both Portia and Boone for the most part, though there are scenes through the eyes of Portia's father and sister. I found myself gripped with the terror that Portia lived with for two years. Her captor is not exactly sane in my opinion. His actions are not excusable, though his past made me pity him. I cannot imagine living with the fear every day as Portia did, no wonder the trauma can cause PTSD. I have to admit that Grace (Portia's sister) has got to be the bravest (if not potentially stupidest) character in the whole book. I loved the way she handled Portia's kidnapper, but thought she was incredibly stupid at the same time as things could have turned nasty rather quickly.
I reached the end of the book with mixed feelings. I was sad that the story ended, but happy with the way it concluded. I am now looking forward to reading/listening to the next book in the series, Devil's Creek as soon as I can.
Aaron Paul Lazar has written a fantastic tale that captured my imagination. I love his writing style, which is fast paced and entertaining. The story flowed wonderfully (apart from my issue with the narrator). I am a huge fan of this author. I am now looking forward to reading more of his books in the future.
Although this book doesn't have any bad language, there are some explicit scenes of a sexual nature. Therefore, I recommend this book to older teen readers and to adults who love contemporary romance or romantic suspense genres. - Lynn Worton
View all my reviews
Aaron Paul Lazar wasn't always a mystery writer. It wasn't until eight members of his family and friends died within five years that the urge to write became overwhelming. "When my father died, I lost it. I needed an outlet, and writing provided the kind of solace I couldn't find elsewhere."
Lazar created the Gus LeGarde mystery series, with the founding novel, DOUBLE FORTÉ (2004), a chilling winter mystery set in the Genesee Valley of upstate New York. Like Lazar's father, protagonist Gus LeGarde is a classical music professor. Gus, a grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and thinks of himself as a "Renaissance man caught in the 21st century." This book has since be rereleased in 2012 as an "author's preferred edition," via Twilight Times Books.
The creation of the series lent Lazar the comfort he sought, yet in the process, a new passion was unleashed. Obsessed with his parallel universe, he now lives, breathes, and dreams about his characters, and has written ten LeGarde mysteries in eight years. (UPSTAGED - 2005; TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON - 2007 Twilight Times Books; MAZURKA - 2009 Twilight Times Books, FIRESONG - 2011, DON'T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU - 2013, VIRTUOSO - 2014, with more to come.) The author has just completed his twenty-first novel.
One day while rototilling his gardens, Lazar unearthed a green cat's eye marble, which prompted the new paranormal mystery series featuring Sam Moore, retired country doctor and passionate gardener. The green marble, a powerful talisman, connects all three of the books in the series, whisking Sam back in time to uncover his brother's dreadful fate fifty years earlier. (HEALEY'S CAVE, 2010; TERROR COMES KNOCKING, 2011; FOR KEEPS, 2012) Lazar intends to continue both series.
Lazar's books feature breathless chase scenes, nasty villains, and taut suspense, but are also intensely human stories, replete with kids, dogs, horses, food, romance, and humor. The author calls them, "country mysteries," although reviewers have dubbed them "literary mysteries."
"It seems as though every image ever impressed upon my brain finds its way into my work. Whether it's the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly slate-green lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine, or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in mid-winter, these images burrow into my memory cells. In time they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured out on the page."
In 2009, Kodak gave him up for grabs, and during the year off before he landed in his coveted new job with KB America, he had time to explore and reconnect with his environment. Little did he know that several trips to the Adirondack Mountains would reawaken his passion for that part of the country. Two new books were written in that time frame, starting yet another mystery series, Tall Pines Mysteries. The first two combooks in the series, FOR THE BIRDS - 2011 and ESSENTIALLY YOURS - 2012 have been winning literary awards. Keep an eye out for SANCTUARY (2014), and MURDER ON THE SACANDAGA (2015), coming via Twilight Times Books.
In between all the novels, Lazar found time to issue three writing guides based on his many years of writing advice blogs, entitled WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volumes 1-3. These are available in eBook and audio book.
In his twenty-first book, Lazar has jumped genre. THE SEACREST - OCT 2013 -, a love story, is poised to capture hearts across the globe.
The author lives on a ridge overlooking the Genesee Valley in upstate New York with his wife, mother-in-law, two dogs, and cat. He finds grandfathering one of the most precious and important times of life, and spends as much time as possible with Julian, Gordon, and Isabella.
Lazar maintains several websites and blogs, was the Gather Saturday Writing Essential host for three years, writes his monthly "Seedlings" columns for the Voice in the Dark literary journal and the Future Mystery Anthology Magazine. He has been published in Absolute Write as well as The Great Mystery and Suspense Magazine. See excerpts and reviews here:
Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Twilight Times Books by multi-award winning author, Aaron Lazar:
DOUBLE FORTÉ (print, eBook, audio book)
UPSTAGED (print, eBook, audio book)
TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON (print, eBook, audio book)
MAZURKA (print, eBook, audio book)
FIRESONG (print, eBook, audio book)
DON'T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU (print, eBook, audio book)
HEALEY'S CAVE (print, eBook, audio book)
TERROR COMES KNOCKING (print, eBook, audio book)
FOR KEEPS (print, eBook, audio book)
FOR THE BIRDS (print, eBook, audio book)
ESSENTIALLY YOURS (print, eBook, audio book)
THE SEACREST (coming fall of 2013)
WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volumes 1, 2, 3 (ebooks and audio books)
Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming Twilight Times Books releases, SANCTUARY (2014), and VIRTUOSO (2014).
Double Forté
* 2012 ForeWord BOTYA, Mystery, FINALIST
Tremolo: cry of the loon -
* 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Awards: Grand Prize Short List
* 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Awards: Honorable Mention, Eric Hoffer Legacy Fiction
* 2011 Global eBook Award Finalist in Historical Fiction Contemporary
* 2011 Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award - 2nd place Mystery
* 2008 Yolanda Renée's Top Ten Books
* 2008 MYSHELF Top Ten Reads
For the Birds
* 2011 ForeWord Book Awards, FINALIST in Mystery
* 2012 Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Top 10 Reads
Essentially Yours
* 2013 EPIC Book Awards, FINALIST in Suspense
* 2013 Eric Hoffer Da Vinci Eye Award Finalist
Healey's Cave
* 2012 EPIC Book Awards WINNER Best Paranormal
* 2011 Eric Hoffer Book Award, WINNER Best Book in Commercial Fiction
* 2011 Finalist for Allbooks Review Editor's Choice
* 2011 Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnson's 9th Annual Noble (not Noble!) Prize for Literature
* 2011 Finalists for Global EBook Awards
Terror Comes Knocking
* 2013 Global Ebook Awards, Paranormal - Bronze
For Keeps
* 2013 Semi Finalist in Kindle Book Review Book Awards, Mystery Category
Author Links:


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Hey all - I'm so excited to FINALLY share our revamped living room! This space has been in the works for almost a year and has been updated bit by bit, piece by piece. There's still some things to be done, but I feel like it's finally at a point where it's worth sharing.
Here's what our upstairs front living room looked like shortly after we moved in:
Everything in this space was purchased for my old apartments - the only exception being the rug which we bought from Target shortly after moving in to the house. The sofas, coffee table, and end table were all bought off of Craigslist over five years ago. The painting on the wall is an original of mine that was made for my old apartment and the pillows were bought to match. Kevin's only contributions were his sad standing lamp and TV.
Here you can see the opposite side of the room. To the left is the front door (not shown) and in the top left is the door to the garage. The stairs leading down take you to our lower level living room and the guest bedroom (as well as the "Man Room" and laundry room which are a level below) and upstairs are the three main bedrooms. On the right side of the photo you can see a section of our dining room, and around the corner is the kitchen.
Now that you know what we started with I can show you where we've ended up almost 12 months later:
Gone are the yellow walls, dark furniture, bright pillows, and bare walls. I wanted to give the room a warmer and more rustic feel so we added some more wood elements along with some worn-looking pieces.
The picture below makes the walls look a little pink-ish, but I promise they're more of a tan/grey in person.
What immediately drew us to this house was the open concept of this level and the amount of natural light that the room received. Even on a cloudy day we rarely have to turn the lights on.
Normally you'd expect the first change in the room to be the paint color, but since we were waiting on help from family for that project we decided to skip ahead and make one small change first. At this point it was right after tax season and we had just received our refund (woohoo!). Being the responsible adults that we are, most of it went toward debt. But the tiny amount we got from back from the State could be spent on the house, and what did I choose to replace? The massive eye-sore of a light fixture hanging from the ceiling in the dining room. Seriously this thing was massive- the picture doesn't do it justice. One big bug-catching machine.
I shopped around online and was hard-pressed to find ANYTHING that fit the style I was going for that was under $300. Eventually we decided to just try shopping around town and ended up finding this beauty at BBC Lighting in downtown Milwaukee for $240. *Insert angels singing*
About a month after the chandelier was installed we painted. Annndddd just like every other time I paint a room it took me weeks of debating to figure out what color I wanted to go with. I knew I wanted to go with the greige route to keep things neutral and eventually narrowed it down to Behr's "Chocolate Froth" or "Wheat Bread":
I ended up buying samples of both colors and painted little swatches of them on various walls in the room to see how each looked at different times of the day. I highly recommend doing this - it makes the decision process sooo much easier. After much debate the lighter tone "Chocolate Froth" won out.
I knew going into this revamp that I wanted to give my old coffee table and TV stand a new lease on life. Both pieces aren't the highest quality and were pretty beat up, but I knew that with new tops, paint, and hardware they could be the center of attention. And look at them now! They look like completely new pieces.
With the help of our new miter saw cutting the boards for the tops was a snap, and I actually stained them using the vinegar/steel wool method which had decent results. I'm not super happy with the orangey tint of the wood so they may get touched up eventually.
After the furniture was given a face lift it was time to add decor and accessories. I brought out the terrarium we used as a card box from our wedding to sit on our side table and found these window picture frames at World Market to hang on either side of our TV.
Since our TV stand is fairly low to the ground we needed something to help fill the wall space above the TV screen. That's where our DIY floating shelf came in.
The cloche, pumpkins, and cottom stem all came from Michael's. The bird cage photo holder is from TJ Maxx and the small silver vase is from Target. The white candle holder is from JoAnn Fabrics.
I had attempted to re-paint my large canvas with a color scheme that would better fit the new theme of the room but something still wasn't working. That's when I decided to switch gears and had Kevin make this barn door wall hanging inspired by Johanna Gains from HGTV's Fixer Upper. I'm addicted to the show/blog and love how she uses old shutters and doors as wall hangings in the homes she decorates. To finish it off I hung a coffee filter wreath I made on top, though I'm probably going to end up changing this since the wreath is a little big in proportion to the barn door.
Hanging on another wall is the thumbprint tree guest book from our wedding (the original post for that project can be found here). I love walking past this every day and seeing the names of so many people who where there on our big day to celebrate with us.
I also incorporated a gallery wall in the room to add some visual interest since all of the other walls in the room are decorated with larger pieces.
Source List:
-Paint Color: Behr "Chocolate Froth"
-Floating Shelf: DIY
-Window frames: World Market
-Barn door wall hanging: DIY
-Coffee filter wreath: DIY
-Floor Lamp: Walmart
-Chandelier: BBC Lighting
-Coffee table and TV stand: originally from Target, bought on Craigslist
-Key pillows: TJ Maxx
There are still a few changes I'd like to make to this room like adding window treatments, re-staining the chest by the window, and painting the trim white....but I'm sure those things will come with time. What do you guys think?! Let me know in the comments :) Thanks for reading along!


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1) Molecular functions of type 3 effectors
R. solanacearum possesses an abundant repertoire of Type 3 effectors (T3Es). A newly created database contains all the predicted T3Es for a large collection of strains. Since these effectors are injected by the bacterium into plant cells, the elucidation of Type 3 effector functions require the identification and characterization of their plant targets in order to understand their mode of action in the host cell.
Through comparative genomic approaches on the many available genomes, we defined a group of 'core' T3Es whose presence is conserved in the strains representative of the biodiversity of the species. Systematic searches of protein interactors of these effectors in tomato are currently being carried out using yeast-two-hybrid. Using this knowledge we are performing reverse genetics (mainly on Solanaceae) to identify key players involved in the control of this bacterial disease. The objectives are to identify either (i) susceptibility genes and/or (ii) alleles able to escape the recognition by T3Es, in order to propose new means to improve plant tolerance/resistance to this bacterial pest.
The search for resistance or susceptibility genes by screening natural plant diversity (GWA approach) is also underway (Arabidopsis, tomato).
Several of these effectors have been functionally characterized such as the RipG effector family, which have LRR and F-box domains and which probably mimic the action of some plant components with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Another way of investigation concerns the regulation of the translocation process of Type 3 effectors into plant cells. We identified Type 3 chaperones controlling secretion of effectors and some observations suggest that alteration of the secretion process can be detrimental on specific hosts.
Our group also characterized several effector proteins that specify host range of R. solanacearum GMI1000 towards several plants, such as, for example, the AvrA and PopP1 avirulence proteins which are recognized by the tobacco immune system and trigger a defensive hypersensitive response.
Project members: Stéphane Genin, Nemo Peeters, Fabienne Vailleau, Patrick Barberis, Fabien Lonjon, Alice Morel, Cyrus Sabbagh, Manuel Gonzalez-Fuente.
2) Adaptation of R. solanacearum to its environment
Based on the still expanding host range described in the literature, it is known that R. solanacearum has a great adaptive potential that allows it to infect multiple hosts from distant botanical families. This offers a unique opportunity to study the molecular mechanisms governing this trait. Consequently, we initiated in 2008 a project on the experimental evolution of R. solanacearum by serial passage experiments on a variety of plants. We performed a complete genome re-sequencing of individuals with evolved beneficial adaptive traits. This approach has unraveled genetic alterations targeting essential regulatory genes impacting bacterial fitness in planta. The functional characterization of these genes is currently being carried out. More recently, we developed experiments aimed at determining the importance of epigenetic alterations in adaptation to the host.
In order to explore the metabolic adaptation of the pathogen to physiological host conditions in a global context, we developed a system's biology approach aiming at reconstructing the bacterial metabolic and virulence regulatory networks. All the metabolic reactions identified through the genome annotation were manually curated to generate a high-quality genome-scale metabolic reconstruction. Predictive model-based approaches with these reconstructed networks will be used in the future to study how environmental variables constraint pathogenic fitness.
Project members: Stéphane Genin, Alice Guidot, Caroline Baroukh, Xavier Barlet, Anthony Perrier, Rekha Gopalan Nair


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Hau'oli La Ho'omakika'i
That's Happy Thanksgiving in Hawaiian.
If you'd like to know how to pronounce it, try this:
how-oh-lay la ho-o-ma-key-kah-ee
Hope everyone has (or had) a wonderful day with family and friends, eating, sharing, and making wonderful memories.
What are you thankful for? I am most thankful for God's hand in my life and the lives of my family. We As always, we are thankful for our many blessings this year!
May God bless you today and every day.
Aloha, and Mahalo for visiting!
The Hawaiian Island Detective Club
Book One—Pineapples in Peril
Cascade Writing Competition 2013
Cascade Writing Competition 2013
Book Two—Menehunes Missing
FINALIST and WINNER!
Cascade Writing Competition 2014
Cascade Writing Competition 2014
Book Three—Ukuleles Undercover


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Monday, May 9, 2011
Being as industrious as Ma Ingalls
It turns out, I am pretty sure, that I never actually read any of the Little House on the Prairie books. I'll pause for a moment, to give that a chance to sink in.
So I'm reading them now, and they are so good, as good as sugar snow with maple syrup on it! Ma and Pa are just so industrious; Ma is busily ironing the clean clothes on the wagon's buckboard while Pa is out hunting bears, and I just have to keep getting up to clean something or churn butter or whatever. I'm working on this sampler now, an ambitious project that will take forever, which is my favorite thing in the world.
Labels: embroidery
2 comments:
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Reader Comments
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Mike, 1 Nov 2006 @ 8:33pm
Duh!Over the past few years, we've begun to recognize that perhaps the issue of plagiarism is blown out of proportion, echoing a fascinating discussion about how Malcolm Gladwell came to terms with his own story being plagiarized for a play. However, what still is fairly amazing is just how blatant some plagiarists are. The latest is that the Harvard Crimson (yes, the same paper that broke the story that a Harvard student had plagiarized parts of her best selling novels) has suspended two staffers caught plagiarizing. What's amazing here is that people do this sort of thing and don't think they'll get caught. One of the cases involved a cartoonist who copied cartoons from well-known newspapers, and the other was a columnist who took content from the popular online magazine Slate. Why would anyone think that they could get away with copying the content from readily available, easily found sources? Perhaps it really is a case that, for some people, it's become so easy to do that they just can't help themselves, but you would think they'd at least realize that they should cover their tracks.
wes, 1 Nov 2006 @ 8:45pm
Re: Duh!dude, did you just plagiarise yourself??
wto605 (profile), 1 Nov 2006 @ 8:50pm
Re: Duh!YAH!!!!
love the pun... (and the article)
p.s. good job on first post ;-)
wow, 9 Apr 2008 @ 7:00am
Re: Duh!well aren't you just so cool...lol..got to amitt that was good
ASW, 1 Nov 2006 @ 9:56pmnow here's a subject I know.
In the case of the Slate plagarism...maybe it was just a case of "everyone knows it's there" and they forgot that since it was practically common knowledge now that it NEEDED to be cited.
I've done that few times, but come to find out, what's common knowledge to me is something the person looking over your shoulder may have never known. A line has to be drawn somewhere (famous quote) or will I have to cite that too?
WeePee Sherman, 2 Nov 2006 @ 1:50amI remember back to undergrad days when people were routinely being busted for plagarism. Cribbing from the internet or widely known sources is DUMB. I did it the old-fashioned way by going to this place called a "library" and copied from these old things called "books". The older the better. Not that I'm advocating plagarism or anything. =D
MrPaladin, 2 Nov 2006 @ 3:24am
I have a dream...... I dream of a world with no plagiarism. and a man is judged on his character, and not the words in his article!!!
mixlplix, 2 Nov 2006 @ 6:32amMaybe it was so good it needed to be said twice!
Sean, 2 Nov 2006 @ 8:46am
Good to see legitimate reason.I attend a public Univeristy in Connecticut, and I have become so sick of the word Plagiarism. So many of our professors call it, "The theft of another's ideas and passing them as your own." Under this ambiguous definition, which they make no reference to print, few of them realize the theories and facts they have learned in their studies, and they are now teaching, would constitute plagiarism. In fact, using a word learned in the dictionary, since it isn't their creation, falls under plagiarism. I wish they understood it better, like when it is a blatant offense like these.
This raises a question for TD Readers. If I write the same exact thing as Hemingway in one of my books, I mean word for word, down to punctuation and paragraph structuring, yet I have never read Hemingway, is it plagiarism? If I didn't know it existed, and yet it is my own, my professors would classify my original, yet identical work as plagiarism.
O Roome, 2 Nov 2006 @ 10:19am
PlagiarismIn 2002, Georgetown University installed on all professor's suite of software a detection software that matches up student paper text with online material on WWW. Why? Widespread plagiarism across this *prestigious* university, one that everyone vies to get admitted to...
Dan, 2 Nov 2006 @ 11:06am
It's easier to get caught is all.Really, what this spate of plagiarism means is that with the advent of the internet and improved information technology, it's just a lot easier to bust someone that is plagiarizing than it used to be. 15 years ago, it wasn't possible that a professor or editor (or some random reader) could type a phrase into google and find that it had been cribed from another source.
Not Mike, 2 Nov 2006 @ 12:45pm
History ChannelI see the History channel and Discovery channel use/reuse segments in different content topics... is that like plagiarizing or just like quoting for the significance of the topic?
When writers write they research other authors work.
tek'a, 2 Nov 2006 @ 1:08pm
re: history channelI think Discovery and History channel (and a load of others) are owned under the same large company somewhere up the line, so its not plagiarism because they are still using content that they own/created, even if its not exactly obvious to tv consumer.
soylentyellow, 25 Nov 2006 @ 12:07pmI believe that the difference between reusing/recycling part of a TV episode (History channel example) and copying a text in a research paper is a difference between copyright infringement and plagiarism.
If you don't hold the rights it's copyright infringement and you are liable for a fine.
If you plagiarised a work, you don't pay a fine but you fail the course.
Add Your Comment


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Would You Prefer a Rapid settlement Offer in Your Personal Injury Case?
Interviewer: In the cases you see, how often do they have to go to trial versus get a settlement amount?
Adept Handling of Your Personal Injury Case Will Result in a Faster Settlement Offer
Adam: It depends on what the injuries were, whether they could be directly connected, and how long they waited for treatment. If the case is fairly solid and everything was done properly from the beginning, then you could get a settlement fairly quickly, within a period of a couple months or whatever. It also depends on how long they have to treat what the type of injury was.
How Soon Should You Seek Medical Treatment if You Have Been in an Auto Accident?
Interviewer: You mentioned not getting treated soon enough. How soon do people need to get treated, and what do they do? Do they go to a doctor first or a physical therapist first?
Adam: It depends on how severe the accident was. After an auto accident, some people seek treatment in an emergency room but sometimes they don't. Sometimes they go to their personal physicians. Sometimes they go to a chiropractor because they're noticing persistent pain in their back or neck.
You Should Seek Medical Attention as Soon as You Feel Pain
Interviewer: How soon should people do that? Even if they feel Okay, should they still go? What do they do?
Adam: I would say whenever the pain starts to manifest, they should at least go see their family physician.
Your Personal Injury Case May Be More Difficult to Resolve if You Delay Seeking Medical Attention for a Month
Interviewer: What kind of mistakes do people make? Do they start to have pain and just think, "Oh well, I'll be fine," and then don't go a doctor? Do people wait months? What actually happens that causes problems?
Adam: The biggest problem is if they waited more than a month, then seeking medical treatment begins to look a little suspect. It gets a little more complicated as far as trying to connect that pain at that point in time, but it's not impossible.
For What Types of Injuries Do Insurance Companies Typically Deny Claims?
Interviewer: What are the types of injuries that people sustain in auto accidents that result in a claim? Under what circumstances would people not have a claim versus have a claim?
Insurance Companies Usually Deny Claims for Injuries Treated by a Chiropractor; Bone Injuries Tend to Increase the Settlement Offer to the Injured Party
Adam: The insurance company is more likely to deny claims solely based on chiropractic treatment. If there's a soft tissue damage versus hard tissue that impacts the amount of the settlement. If there's hard tissue damage, like bone, then the offers from the insurance companies usually significantly increase.


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|Heather Peterson Designs
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Saturday Inspiration
Posted by Beth Connolly at 7:30 AM
Labels: black, blue, gold, pineapples, pink
2 comments:
- Vickie H. said...
I love this, too...and those blue pineapples are such a beautiful touch....gonna spend some time sourcing them....thanks Beth!
- January 17, 2015 at 10:58 AM
- ------------------- said...
Often I'm not a fan of accent walls, but this is an inspiration. Perfect
- January 17, 2015 at 7:23 PM
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Maxi dresses for workFriday, March 16, 2012
Last year I posted about the perfect maxi dress for work and now I am on the lookout for another.
For the office, I think, it is best if your maxi dress covers your shoulders, is modest and is minimal.
There are thousands of maxi dresses available but the vast majority are strapless or sleeveless, floral or heavily patterned and voluminous.
Here are the office-friendly maxi's on my list (the ones nearer the bottom on my 'if only' list).
Casual T-Shirt Maxi Dress
New Look £14.99
Simple shape, neutral colour - the possibilities with this are endless. A cute cardigan would work equally as well as a blazer for the office, but this wouldn't look out of place slung on over a bikini on the beach too… win, win.
Mariella Belted Long Sleeve Maxi Dress
Missguided £19.99
Simple shape, long sleeves - easy to accessorise. A great wardrobe staple and the sleeves will save you on those typically English summer days when the sun spends most of it's time behind the clouds.
Navy White Stripe Cotton Jersey Maxi Dress
Laura Ashley £67.50
I adore stripes in all guises, especially when they come in the form of an empire line with clashing stripes - perfect for hiding an after lunch tummy. It's also smart without being to 'buttoned up'.
Splendid Maritime Stripe Maxi Dress
shopbop, £91.45
This is perhaps a little casual for work but you could hide the tie waist under a belt and smarten it up with a lightweight blazer. I love the stripes and simple t shirt shape.
Full Circle Kasumi Cap Sleeve Maxi Dress
House of Fraser £110.00
Okay, so technically this is more of a midi than a maxi but isn't it lovely? And, technically, it doesn't have sleeves but the neck is high enough to compensate (am I clutching at straws here?). The stripes and blocks of yellow are just too lovely not to have included this dress!
Ella Moss Chelsea Striped Maxi Dress
shopbop £104.70
I really don't think that this dress needs any explanation...
Tucker Floor Length Dress
shopbop £267.05
For me this is THE perfect maxi dress for work. It's the colour, sleeve length, neckline and even the buttons that make it so. What's more after work you can undo a few buttons, add some jewellery and sandals and it would be transformed into a gorgeous evening outfit. I want this dress.
So there it is, my (wish)list for an office maxi dress. Which ones take your fancy?
Images from New Look / MissGuided / Laura Ashley / House of Fraser / shopbop
11 comments
My personal favourite is the Laura Ashley dress, but they all tick the boxes for me (although the two neon numbers from missguided are pushing the 'acceptable for work' brief). I love the idea of maxi's for the office. You could easy rock each one of these Hazel xReplyDelete
I still need to embrace maxi dresses! I love the New Look one. It looks perfect for work. And you could add a fun belt/accessories to make it stand out.ReplyDeleteReplies
Sherin, you'd look fab in a maxi! They are so easy to accessories to create different looks, I need more maxis in my life :)Delete
I am yet to find the maxi dress that doesn't make me look 7 months pregnant. People keep telling me they'd be great for me as I'm already a tall person but so far no luck. And yet I seem unable to give it up and I keep....on.....searching...ReplyDeleteReplies
They are worth the search! The other day I was having an 'I have nothing to wear day'... a maxi, ballet flats and a scarf later and I was good to go and I felt fab all day.Delete
I bought a maxi-dress that is like a combo of the Laura Ashley, Shopbop and other Shopbop one! It's brilliant and I love it!!! Chuffed that mine was so inexpensive in comparison!ReplyDeleteReplies
That sounds fab. Where did you get that from? (always on the lookout for a bargain).Delete
- Anonymous17 April 2012 at 02:56
Where can I buy these type of maxi dresses in America?
Beautiful maxi dresses collection, thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete


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Home » Arrangers » Brett Huska
Brett Huska has been a performing percussionist in a wide range of styles and settings for 15 years. He was introduced to pan with the Calypso Band at Humboldt State University, where he earned a Bachelor's in Percussion Performance in 2011.
For four years, he taught percussion and bass guitar at the Humboldt Music Academy, and continues to teach young drummers in the community through private lessons and school outreach sessions with the samba group Janky Mallets.
In addition to teaching, he performs regularly with the soul-revival group Soulsapiens and pan band Steel Standing, serving as a drum set player and arranger for both.
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Copyright © 2013 MauMauMusic. All Rights Reserved.
CBIZ Designs L.L.C.


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Whatever. Texas State is bringing the band Saturday. Ready for a throw down!
I am ready for a wonderful Football experience along with a wonderful Marching Band experience at Cajun Field on Oct. 5th
Everyone needs to spread the word to all of our fans to get into the stadium for our bands pre game....very exciting... and a practically full house for the team as they roll out of the tunnel will do wonders for the Cajuns....
For all of you that live out of town and have not been able to make a game this year this is a recent post on Youtube of the exhibition performance of the POA and the recent District Marching Band Festival.
If you go to full screen mode you won't see the ULL reference. The performance was a compilation of pregame and some of the halftime show. Notice reaction of the crowd (mostly band geeks). It looks like they enjoyed the performance and it could make some of the members of the high school bands want to come to UL. There will be another exhibition performance this weekend at the Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands to be held at Cajun Field. This event will be for bands from around the state. So if you are so inclined, you may want to pass by the stadium this weekend just to see what takes place. The Showcase weekend is a big fund raiser for the band and the more money they make the more the band has to improve and grow. The various improvements at the stadium (although minor compared to what is planned) along with the improved band should provide a more favorable impression to some of these people that never set foot on the Campus other than for events like this. I know that throughout the course of the event the PA announcer does provide information relative to all of the various scholarship opportunities available at the University.
Hats off to Lafayette Music Company for providing sponsorship of this event. As all the construction on campus continues and eventually is completed this event will become an even better avenue to "Showcase" the University.


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Monsanto has launched the Cotton Community (http://www.CottonCommunity.com), a new online Web site designed to encourage farmer-to-farmer exchanges on topics such as variety performance and agronomic practices.
The site was put together to provide cotton farmers with in-depth information on the latest Deltapine Class of 09 varieties and is anticipated to have broad utility on the farm because farmers will shape the site's direction.
"The cotton industry has long been considered a community and we've traditionally shared information with neighbors to make our farms more successful. This Web site will build on that by enabling farmers across the Belt to connect through one portal," according to Keylon Gholston, Deltapine product manager.
"This brings together the unprecedented experience from our new product exposure plots with the Class of 09. With such an innovative testing program, we wanted to develop ways to provide cotton farmers access to this information. The idea grew and we have now launched our Cotton Community and farmers are talking about their experiences in 2008 and plans for 2009.
"They are discussing their experiences with the Class of 09 and this information will be beneficial to other farmers during the 2009 crop year."
At www.CottonCommunity.com, a farmer can track variety performance, connect with fellow farmers, learn about new products and share information in an easy-to-use format. The online community is one effort to improve agricultural production by facilitating information exchange between farmers and also provides a platform for the company to share information.
Brian Effer, marketing communications manager, has led the site's development. "Cotton farmers are very active on the Web. At the same time, we are seeing social networking sites like Linked-In and Facebook broadening their reach. Although many had thought networking sites were simply fun for students to engage in, the demographics and utility of sites has grown and the impacts are very positive for users. We felt the next logical extension was www.CottonCommunity.com."
More than 100 farmers planted the new Deltapine Class of 09 cotton varieties in 2008, generating lots of performance information on the new products. Many of these farmers already have profiles posted on the Cotton Community talking about their experiences. Their comments have been posted on the site and can be searched by variety name, state, soil type or maturity.
All farmers can log on and exchange information on the performance of varieties and other agronomic topics with fellow farmers, as well as connect with Deltapine local field advisors and technical development representatives.
"We introduced the Cotton Community during a meeting with the Class of 09 farmers at Beltwide," Effer explains. "Since then, we have had a lot of information added to the site with more than 300 farmers now in the system with information about the 2008 season. Profiles, comments on their crops, videos, and various written materials provide a great platform for us to grow from. We anticipate use will increase further as we have farmers participating in testing of the Class of 2010."
To learn more about Monsanto, go to: http://www.Monsanto.com.


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I've always loved Halloween. My theatrical side loves getting dressed up and taking on the character of someone else. I'm also a total horror nerd: scary movies, haunted houses, Ouija boards, I love it all. As if that wasn't enough reason to get excited, Halloween has also felt like the unofficial start to the holiday season (as marked by Starbucks holiday cups launching on November 1st and my mom's Christmas shopping is usually finished by November 5th). So yea, I'm pretty pumped for tomorrow.
Our plans are still unclear. I was so excited for our first Halloween in the burbs last year, but then we only got 2 trick-or-treaters, so I ended up OD'ing on Milky Ways and passed out on the couch in my sad excuse of a costume (we were Crazy Ira & The Douche from Parks & Rec, which really meant wearing a sweatshirt and backwards hat). So I'm hoping to step up our game this year. We're thinking Suzy Bishop and Sam Shakusky from Moonrise Kingdom. Thoughts?
What is definitely happening is this festive cheese board. When I have last minute plans, but still want to put something together that seems somewhat personal, I love to do a simple cheese plate. It's easy and just a few extras will make it seem like you spent a lot more time on it than you really did. And let's be honest, everyone loves cheese. Here are a few of my tips for throwing together a fun and festive fromage ensemble.
- Stick to 3 different cheeses to keep it simple and not overwhelm the guests.
- Go for a variety of milks and textures. For example: 1 goat, 1 sheep, 1 cow. Or, 1 soft, 1 hard, 1 stinky.
- Pick cheeses that you like and always sample before buying if you can. Don't worry so much about what pairs well together. If you like it, chances are others will too!
- Start the cheeses by slicing or crumbling a few pieces so guests know how to eat it. A big hunk of cheese can be intimidating to go at if you don't know how to eat it!
- Leave cheeses out an hour before serving to get them nice and ripe (even the soft ones).
- Keep the accouterments simple and tie in elements from the cheese. For this plate, I added some dried cranberries (for the White Stilton with Cranberries), rosemary (for the Asiago with Rosemary), and some honey (for the fresh goat cheese).
- Keep the presentation of the plate more organic and flowing. It's more inviting and more appetizing if it's not so rigid looking.
- Skeleton hands, spider webs, or little mice (fake ones of course) can add a cheap and easy touch to your spread.


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Well, life has been hectic, but the semester is over! FREEDOM!
So what have I been doing since I've been out? Spinning.
I noticed recently that spinning is taking over my life, and I love it. 🙂 Knitting and crochet still happen, but those are things I tend to take with me when I'm out and about. So much easier to haul around than a spinning wheel. Now for the pictures!
The CTH I was spinning is finally finished! There are 3 larger skeins, and two little tiny ones. This picture was taken before I washed it which it has so much bounce still in it. I love spinning and plying tightly because it gives such a nice squishy quality to the yarn. After I washed it the yarn did calm down a bit, and right now it's hanging in the bathroom drying. This will probably be going up in my etsy shop after it's dry and I can get some better pictures. As much as I love the colors and the texture of the yarn, the original purpose of making socks for my sister just won't work with this yarn. My sister needs something superwash, because she is the queen at felting socks. And it's not that she felts them while washing them, she felts them while wearing them on her feet.
The Lincoln/Mohair blend that I bought back in early 2007 is almost done as well! I finished up those three skeins yesterday, and theres only a small bit of fiber left! If you enlarged the CTH picture any, you might have seen the little bits of fiber all over it. Yea, apparently this lincoln/mohair REALLY sheds. The whole shedding thing is really driving me crazy, as I'm sure you can all imagine. The good thing though is that the random bits of fluff are all on the outside of the yarn, it's not like they've been spun in with it. So it will be very easy to remove later.
And now for one last picture. My new knitting/fiber basket:
I love having a basket to carry around with me. 🙂
Well that's all for now. Hopefully I'll be back more often with updates and more substance to my posts.


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Norwegian born but London based designer, Amy Hunting has an amazing line of furniture and accessories made entirely from wood waste and off-cuts collected from factories in Denmark. The wood remnants are glued together first before being made into furniture without screws or bolts.
The line consists of a chair, a book box or bookcase and a series of 12 lamps. Her book box can be orientated differently to accommodate a variety of book sizes. The legs form additional book stops if the book box is place upside down. The book box can also be stacked one on top of the other or wall-mounted.
The lamps were made from a single block of assembled wood cut-offs. Each was successfully cut from that block until no more lamps could be made.
Wooden Patchwork Eco Furniture
More Stats +/-
Hippy-Chic Furniture
Patchwork Furniture
Low-Carb Noddle Bowls
Adhesive Phone Notepads


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CNM catalysts are like business incubators for your nonprofit, using a cohort model to jumpstart your organization into a new subject.
CNM's signature catalyst, the Social Enterprise Catalyst, is now re-launched as the Innovation Catalyst. With this update, we are expanding the meaning of social enterprise to include other spins on earned revenue streams and revenue diversification ventures. Develop a fully implementable business plan throughout the course of this 9-month catalyst process.
Applicants should be prepared to commit to full participation in the Innovation Catalyst through their identified Impact Teams. Each Impact Team is responsible for guiding the process of program review and new venture development. Functionally, the team makes recommendations to the executive director and board. In addition, organizations that are selected to participate in the cohort will collaborate with cross-sector community partners who will be included on the Impact Team.
The Innovation Catalyst is generously sponsored by the following:
October 24, 2018, 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Identifying Individual and Collective Strengths to Build Relationships with Leigh Ann Roberts
Through the lens of the strengthsfinder assessment, take a closer look at your own strengths, as well as your leadership partner's, in order to strengthen trust and communication. Studies have shown that those who focus their strengths every day are "six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs" and they are more likely to be productive individually and in teams (click here to read more) – resulting in better results for your nonprofit.
November 7, 2018, 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Best Practices in Action: Analyzing Nonprofit Board Case Studies with Susan Chapman
Use knowledge gained from the strengthsfinder session and application of the core responsibilities of nonprofit boards to analyze nonprofit board case studies. This session will be based on the second edition of Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards by Richard T. Ingram produced by BoardSource.
November 28, 2018, 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Putting It All Together: Meeting Your Challenges and Opportunities with Lydia Cox
Each executive director and board chair team will present a specific challenge from their organization and apply lessons from previous sessions, resulting in a proposal to strengthen board governance. Teams will learn from one another and participate in active discussion about real-world issues.
Date TBD: Six hours of customized consulting services
In the concluding piece of the Governance Catalyst, a consultant will work with your full board of directors and/or executive committee to integrate lessons learned from the workshops and work through a solution for a challenge your board might be encountering. Our consultant will meet with your board during a site visit, making the consulting process more convenient for participants.
Meaningful financial information is important for all stakeholders of a nonprofit. Strong internal policies and well-trained staff are key elements in maintaining proper recordkeeping and reporting that supports decision making for the organization. For smaller-sized nonprofits, with limited staff and resources, these can be difficult tasks to achieve. The Financial Catalyst, led by Amy Maden, CPA and CNM Consultant, aims to develop staff in bookkeeping roles and provide key templates and customized implementation for their organization. Upon completion of the catalyst, individuals will have formulated fiscal policies and procedures, received customized training in effective use of their agency's accounting system, and built a foundation for recordkeeping and reporting to key external stakeholders.
The ideal organization to participate in the Financial Catalyst is one that employs a full or part-time bookkeeper. (Attendees should not be a CPA or CFO.) Participation in the first three sessions of the catalyst is limited to one employee per agency. The integration segment outlined in Part 4 may involve other agency staff or board members. The budget size for participating agencies should be between $250,000 and $750,000 and the accounting records should be maintained in software such as Quickbooks or Sage.
Successful applicants will be chosen from a competitive application process. Selected agencies will be required to contribute $450 in total for all four parts of the catalyst – just one third of the total value for all services included. The remaining costs will be generously funded through the AWC Foundation.
Stay tuned for announcements about the next catalyst application dates.
The Collective Impact Catalyst provides custom consulting and education to propel existing collective impact initiatives forward. You have your mission, and your collective impact work is underway. We can help you accelerate progress.
The first cohort of Collective Impact Catalyst teams has been selected. Stay tuned for news of the next catalyst in 2018, or reach out to Director of Collective Impact Meg Morgan (firstname.lastname@example.com) with any questions.
Time commitment:
Click here for more information about collective impact programming in the Collective Impact Accelerator.
Parking Information


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Great holidays...
Which was your best holiday?
One of our most amazing holidays was spent at the Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli in Lake Garda. It is very expensive but you do get very special treatment. The day we arrived, we felt a bit tired and planned a lie-in the next day, so I asked the head waiter: "What time do you serve breakfast?" He replied: "Whatever time you want. If you want breakfast at four o'clock, then you will have breakfast." When someone says that, then I know that I'm staying somewhere special. The atmosphere is lovely as nobody bothers anyone. Finding your way into the hotel is pretty difficult – the idea is to keep people out, not bring people in! On certain nights of the week, they serve dinner right on the shoreline.
It's a very special place.
And the best hotel you've stayed in?
Wilnelia [his wife] and I visited the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, which was luxury personified. They have a huge, circular dining room and right in the middle is an aquarium containing beautiful tropical fish, both in front of you and swimming around you. They even have a heliport on the roof. Their suites were absolutely incredible, where everything had been thought of. We'd love to go back and stay next year.
What do you need for your perfect holiday?
Puerto Rico represents my wife's heritage and she has lots of family there she loves to see. We have a second home at Dorado Beach, on a fantastic golf course, so I walk just 30 or 40 yards and suddenly I'm on the sixth fairway. Golf is hugely important as it keeps me going. We both love beautiful scenery and it's very important to both of us to stay in a place that serves all kinds of good food: Japanese, Chinese and Lebanese to roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
What do you always take with you?
I read a lot when I'm away. I love courtroom dramas and I'm always looking for new authors.
What's your best piece of travel advice?
In the same way that you get a second opinion when consulting a doctor, do the same with friends and travel agents for holidays. Double-check or even get a second or third opinion and it can save you a lot of heartache.
Where do you want to go next?
My holidays are very important. Mind you, I take a very long one every year. As soon as Strictly finishes, we'll usually spend Christmas here, before flying off to Puerto Rico. I'm a little bit known there, just by being the husband of my darling wife, who is the country's one and only "Miss World". Everyone adores Wilnelia and she is treated like the queen of the island. The locals know that I'm fairly famous in England but they accept me as an ordinary person, and that is lovely as I can get away from everything.
. . . and disasters?
Which was your worst holiday?
When I finally made it and was earning some real money for the first time in my life, I always wanted to go skiing. Fifty-one years ago, I booked everything first-class, up front, at the Palace Hotel in St Moritz, and arrived at night.
First thing next morning, I set off to the nearest shop to buy some ski boots, and everyone waiting to be served had a neck brace, an arm brace or a leg in plaster. It frightened the life out of me because I was coming back to a lot of work and my legs were my life. When the assistant asked: "What can I do for you, Sir?" I replied: "Have you got any slippers?" From that moment, all I did was watch people skiing, but it was my worst holiday because I didn't do what I set out to do.
And your worst experience abroad?
Touring in India on honeymoon with my first wife Penny was absolutely horrendous, although it was 1953 so it may be very different now. We travelled by train from Bombay to Calcutta, across the whole width of India, with no air-conditioning. After three days on this horrible train, we finally arrived in Calcutta and this terrible stench came through the window, from 400 refugees living in the railway station. We took the deepest breath we could and kept running until we left the station. In 10 weeks, I lived off boiled eggs because the meat was all black. Then when we got to our hotel, I stayed up most of the night armed with my slippers, killing cockroaches that were running all over the walls and across the ceiling.
What's the biggest packing mistake you've made?
About five years ago, I used to have to smoke a cigarette whenever I packed. I was always so annoyed to leave something out whenever I went away, and lighting up helped me concentrate, even though I'd given up 20 years previously. Most of all, I hated to leave behind a very tight pair of underpants when I was working. It's important for a dancer to wear very tight underpants. I used to feel a bit exposed if I wasn't being held up in the right place. They used to give a much more upright feeling of posture when I was working.
Which is the worst hotel you've stayed in?
As a young performer travelling alone, I could find myself in dreadful theatrical digs. Once, I stayed in Newcastle and I couldn't sleep at all. It was so bad that after the third night I complained to the landlady, "That bed is dreadful. I can't sleep, it's so uncomfortable." "Well," she said, "we had no trouble last week when Dudley's Midgets were here." I told her, "Well, it would be very comfortable for a midget, but I'm six feet tall!" Back upstairs, I looked at it more closely. It was actually a child's bed with two beer crates propped at the end of it to make it longer.
What do you avoid on holiday?
Too much to drink – I don't like to be with a group of people who have to drink a lot to enjoy themselves. It goes back to my silly principles, but I like to pace myself. I never mind meeting fans, and in Marbella it can be like walking around the streets of London. It can be a bit embarrassing if young lads shout out my catchphrases, but most people are very nice and will come up and say some kind words. I avoid crowded places, and if there is a busy bar I'll think twice before going in. Most people are very nice and it's all part of my job. If they want to say something, that's fine, and if I come back with a funny reply, even better.
What do you hate about holidays?
Going somewhere where I'm not really comfortable. Or where the view isn't what I'd hoped it would be or the meal isn't as good. All those things would put me off and might encourage me to move out a couple of days earlier.
- 'Strictly Come Dancing' returns to BBC One at 8.30pm on Friday, September 18.


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Lauren Weir
"I was asked to help create an end of year video for my team to reflect on the successes we'd had. I'd seen so many stock standard PowerPoint presentations and wanted to do something different that would really entertain people. I found John & Andy and asked them to create a song based on the stats I provided. What an impact! The video grabbed the attention of everyone in the room from start to finish and it is still talked about today. I can't recommend Romance Outsourced more highly. Such a fun and unique way to get a message across!"
Penelope Hogan
John and Andy brought a unique creativity and work ethic to the campaigns we worked on together. As performers and songwriters - they can really help brands create a unique connection with their audience. One of our campaigns even an award!
We recently helped The Story Lab and Jacob's Creek win an award for "Most Innovative Use of Content' from Dentsu Aegis Gold Innovation Award.
What we do
We write songs for business. We create unique, fun and engaging musical content which lets your message be shared by your followers while gaining new customers.
Return on Investment
Some of what we do comes naturally, the rest is hard work. We do not stop working until your ad campaign has been a success. Just ask our previous clients!
We have crafted and performed impromptu songs shared to millions on social media, written the catchiest of songs to be animated by Oreo, recorded and performed songs to be played at Team Building events, provided a fun musical backdrop for business presentations / pitches & written children's songs. Imagine it – we'll make it happen.