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I was thrilled to learn at the weekend that my necklace Hedron Rising was awarded 2nd prize in the Advanced Beader, Wearable Art in the 2012 Treasures of Toho contest.
I wish I had been able to attend the judging in the US at the Bead and Button Show but another time maybe....
Cranberry Beads for the one above that she took before Hedron Rising headed to the US for judging earlier this year.
A second thanks to Jo for supporting the Toho contest and selling a great range of their beads in her online shop Cranberry Beads.
One of the requirements of the Toho contest is that the piece must use 90% Toho beads - so my third thanks to Jo who stocks a great range of Toho beads that was possible. A couple of urgent orders were needed as the deadline approached and Hedron Rising grew and as always my order was quickly dispatched and arrived in time. Hedron Rising uses several of Toho' permanent finish beads and I loved using them. They are not only wonderful colours but they are wonderfully uniform beads. Here's a taster of the key colours I used - click on them and you'll be at Cranberry Beads online store. If you use seed beads its a great online shop to know about. Jo is also President of the Bead Society of Victoria - another great organisation to know about, if you don't know it already.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Treasures of Toho 2012 contest news and thanks Cranberry Beads
Posted by Glenda of Dax Designs at 2:56 PM
2 comments:
- Diana @ Serendipity Beads said...
It's a gorgeous piece and congratulations on your 2nd place for this competition. I love Toho beads and am building up my range in my little beading studio/shop in New Zealand. It is a slow process, educating the people of NZ about beading and good quality seed beads.
- July 3, 2012 at 10:35 AM
- Glenda of Dax Designs said...
Thanks Diana - they are wonderful beads to work with. Good luck with your beading studio/shop - which part of NZ are you. I'd love to pop by next time I am there. Happy beading. Glenda
- July 3, 2012 at 11:00 AM
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how it works
Most of us are here for one of two reasons: to seek immediate counsel for a pressing issue, or to find on-going support for life's longer term complex issues.
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subset: commoncrawl


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We shop the lowest rates on Auto Insurance for you so you don't have to. Site back, relax and let us find the right coverage for you at a price you can afford.
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Student LivingPage address: http://www.mnsu.edu/students/living.html
Residential Life
University managed On-Campus and Apartment Housing offers students many choices within our five residence communities.
Off-Campus Housing
This resource is for students who live off-campus and for those who are considering it. We can help find answers to some common questions about living on your own. Your choice of living arrangements will impact your student experience, and we hope to help you make the best decision you can.
Student Activities
Student Activities seeks to be the center for the co-curricular experience at Minnesota State University, Mankato. We promote programs creating civic engagement, leadership and student development opportunities.
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The mission of the Office of Campus Recreation is to promote long-term healthy lifestyle behavior through participation in multi-faceted recreational, educational and leisure opportunities.
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
Barnes & Noble Bookstore is located in the Centennial Student Union, and is a convienient place for students to get textbooks and stock up on Maverick gear.
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The Campus Computer Store is located in the lower level of the Centennial Student Union. Students can shop in store or online. Being on campus makes it easy for you to pick up your items. And best of all, 100% of our profits are re-invested into the University.
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The Office of New Student and Family Programs connects students and their parents to the resources, services and opportunities they need at Minnesota State Mankato. We ease the transition to college life, make sure that both students and their families feel comfortable on campus, and help them develop the confidence they need to achieve their goals. Our goal is to set students up for success in school and beyond.
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"This reality is usefully obscured by the language so that programmers can, without thinking, do wonderful things, blissfully pretending that the pictures in their head are what the computer is really doing."
What did we read about?
This is our fourth week reading Functional Programming for the Object Orientated Programmer.
Begin on page 47 ("All the Class in a Constructor") and read until page 54, leaving the exercises for next week.
The bare believable object from week three is developed further by moving the Class out of the constructor and introducing object instantiation and message dispatch.
What stood out?
- The Let special form was introduced.
If you read nothing else this week…
- Make sure you read about the Let special form.


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Non Refundable
Non Refundable


text:
Unfortunately, no. You can change the page margins in your doc and create custom margins. But the next time you create a new document, Word Online will revert to the Normal margin setting of one inch on each side of the page.
Tip: Got a suggestion for this feature?
Vote for an idea, or share a new one in our suggestion box at word.uservoice.com.


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EDITOR'S NOTE: Since I've been tracking this issue for quite a while, the first item is from me. Then I'll pass you over to Taylor for the rest of the post.
At around 10 am on Thursday morning, juvenile justice advocates across the state were frantically sending out texts and emails urging everybody—anybody—to call a particular shortlist of California State Assemblypersons—or email them, fax them, or walk in their damned offices if need be—and tell the three to please, PLEASE vote for SB 9, Senator Leeland Yee's bill that, if signed into law, would allow kids who have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, to have at least a tiny outside possibility of one day being freed from prison.
The bill was just one measly vote short, the advocates' messages said. Just one.
As close as the proposed legislation was to passage, however, a lot of those tracking the matter were too jittery to hope for a victory.
After all, twice before over the past three years, a form of Yee's bill had passed through the state senate only to die a disheartening death in the assembly because a cluster of moderate Democrats were made so jumpy and spineless by the threats and dark predictions of victims lobbies and the state's district attorneys' organizations, that they couldn't bring themselves to vote for the bill.
(WitnessLA covered 2010's ignominious defeat of the bill here.)
On the other hand, many advocates believed that this time the hoped-for miracle might happen, mainly because of the June ruling by the US Supreme Court, Miller v. Alabama, which stated that LWOP—life without parole—could no longer be a mandatory minimum sentence for kids.
The court avoided banning juvenile LWOP altogether. But it took a big step in that direction by making clear, as it had begun to do in an earlier ruling, that kids are different than adults. Thus, SCOTUS implied, we need to consider their actions—even their worst possible actions—- in a different light than we do those of adults.
Juvenile advocates hoped that the Miller ruling would give the nervous assembly members the political cover to finally stand up straight and do the right thing.
Now here it was, do or die time. The advocate emails named Assemblypersons Alejo, Campos, and Mendoza as the three Dems who hadn't yet voted. Call them now! urged the emails. All we need is one!
A few minutes later, the needed vote arrived. State Assemblyman Tony Mendoza was the breakthrough lawmaker.
Within seconds, a new set of email and text announcements flew around the Internets, and this time they were nearly ecstatic in tone: SB 9 had been passed by the California State Assembly.
Not a single Republican assembly member voted in favor of the bill.
Yes, the proposed legislation still needs to be passed by the state senate. But versions of this bill have made it through the state senate twice before without too much trouble. So with just a modicum of luck, and the added impetus of June's SCOTUS ruling, SB 9 could be on Governor Brown's desk before Labor Day.
To get an idea of the uphill battle that has taken place to get SB 9 to this point, take a look at Rob Greene's LA Times editorial from this past January, in which he quoted with sorrow and fury from all the other editorials he and the Times had written on the topic over the past 3 years—to no avail.
Until now.
But first clip from the story by Human Rights Watch, which has been a strong advocate for the bill from the beginning.
The vote came just weeks after a United States Supreme Court decision barring the mandatory sentencing of juvenile offenders to life without parole. The Senate and governor should now act to bring California in line with the Supreme Court ruling, Human Rights Watch said.
"The Supreme Court decision highlighted the need for the California leaders to act," said Elizabeth Calvin, senior children's rights advocate at Human Rights Watch, based in Los Angeles. "Laws now on California's books allow youth to be condemned to a lifetime in prison, with no hope or possibility of release. The bill that the assembly just passed finally recognizes children's capacity for change and would enable California to comply with the Supreme Court's recent ruling."
The bill, Senate Bill 9, is to go to the state Senate for a vote. If the governor signs it into law, it will allow people who were under age 18 at the time of their crimes to ask the sentencing court to review their sentences after serving up to 25 years in prison. The passage of time puts the court in a better position to assess whether the person merits the possibility of parole, Human Rights Watch said.
Here how Robert Greene's January editorial opens:
We've said it before — more than a dozen times. A child, even a bad one, should not be sent to prison for life without any chance at parole. It's a mark of societal fear and a lust for revenge. Some younger criminals may indeed be so incorrigible that they should never go free, but after he or she has been behind bars for a quarter of a century, a judge, and a parole board, should be able to consider release.
On Tuesday, the state Assembly is reconsidering SB 9, a bill to put California among the ranks of civilized societies by ending juvenile life without parole sentences. Finally, Assembly, put this matter to rest, pass the bill and send it to the governor.
Or, as we have said previously:
Jan. 16, 2008:
But of all the inequities of a dysfunctional penal system and harsh state laws, few can touch our predilection for discarding the lives of children who commit crimes before they're old enough to fully understand the consequences of their actions….
And he goes on from there with nine more snippets of nine more Times editorials on the topic—all of them impassioned and all particularly satisfying to read today— in the light of Thursday's good news.
Obviously, we'll be tracking this bill the rest of the way—with our fingers firmly crossed for a sane outcome.
Okay, now back to Taylor for the rest of today's postings.
A new policy to extend to all seven San Diego jails bans inmates from receiving letters. Inmates will be restricted to postcards and email communications beginning September 1st.
CBS has the AP story. Here's how it opens:
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore has a message for jail inmates: No more letters.
The sheriff announced Wednesday that letters for inmates at the department's seven jails will be returned to senders starting Sept. 1. It is an effort to prevent contraband from entering cells.
Cmdr. Richard Miller says drugs, weapons and needles have been hidden in letters. He recognizes that letter-writing is an inexpensive way to communicate, but says safety concerns prevailed.
A new report by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice reported that in the first quarter of realignment there were 39% less prison admissions than when realignment began, and 26,480 fewer total prisoners. However the CJCJ notes that, in the second quarter, things begin to get more complicated as, in some counties. admissions rose—with the biggest increase in non-marijuana drug offenses.
Here's a clip that describes what they found:
New quarterly figures released by CDCR show that during the first 9 months of realignment there has been a 39% overall reduction in new prison admissions as of June 30, 2012, and a drop of 26,480 in the prison population as of August 8, 2012, compared to October 1, 2011. Realignment was designed to redirect non-serious, non-violent, non-sex offenders from incarceration in state prison to the supervision of local jurisdictions. Within the first 9 months of realignment, CDCR has already progressed two-thirds of the way toward the goal of reducing inmate populations by 40,000 by 2017.
However, the initially steep reductions in prisoners may be almost over, and further cuts may prove harder to achieve. The second quarter of 2012 actually brought an increase in new admissions. From March through June 2012, 8,352 inmates were admitted to California prisons, an increase of 306 over the 8,046 admitted in January through March. A contributing factor to the increase was an additional 2 days in the 2nd than in the first quarter.
The biggest increase in admissions, by far, was in new felon admissions for non-marijuana drug offenses, which rose by 22%, while property offender numbers rose by 6% and violent offender numbers remained the same.
So how to account for those admissions increases?
In the report's conclusion, CJCJ explores possible explanations for this small but curious reversal of trends, and offers one explanation that their analysts believe is the most plausible—and that assuredly deserves further investigation:
Here's a clip from that section:
….prosecutors in certain jurisdictions could be exploring
ways to avoid realignment mandates by charging more defendants with those offenses still eligible
for state imprisonment. For example in November 2011, Los Angeles District Attorney, Steve
Cooley, announced he was teaching his staff "to 'scour' criminal records to make sure they note any
prior offenses when they file new charges, and to make sure that new charges include offenses
categorized as serious, violent or sexual when possible" (Lagos, 2011). Whether as a result of
deliberate policy or for other reasons, Los Angeles's prison commitments rose by 135 from the first
to the second quarter of 2012, reversing the county's previous decline.
Definitely worth exploring further.
With the arrival (and extended stay) of OR-7, the lone wolf who wandered into CA from Oregon in December, has come concern that gray wolves need to be given California endangered species status. The Department of Fish and Game commission will vote on the issue in October, and hopefully pave the road for future CA wolves.
Summit County Voice's Bob Berwyn has the story. Here are some clips:
Responding to a petition from wildlife conservation advocates, the California Department of Fish and Game last week recommended the endangered species status to the state's fish and game commission, which will vote on the issue in October.
California is grappling with the issue against an interesting backdrop. A lone wolf that wandered from Oregon continues to roam the wild northeastern quadrant of the state, and wildlife advocates say there's room for more. At the same time, the federal government is considering removing wolves from the endangered species list on other parts of the country.[SNIP]
"We're glad the Department of Fish and Game agrees that the gray wolf deserves consideration for protection under the California Endangered Species Act," said Noah Greenwald, the Center's endangered species director. "California has hundreds of square miles of excellent wolf habitat, but if wolves in the state are going to increase from one to many, they need the protection of the California Endangered Species Act."
"California needs a road map for recovering wolves," said Greenwald. "Wolf populations in neighboring states will continue to expand, and more wolves will almost certainly show up in California. These wolves will need protection when they arrive."


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general meeting
Practical IPv6
When: Tue May 08, 2012 07:30 PM to 09:00 PM
Speaker: Frank Ball
Location: O'Reilly Media
I'll be covering IPv6 basics and using IPv6 on Linux. You can get a 6to4 tunnel and start using IPv6 now, you don't need to wait for your ISP. How to set up IPv6 networking. How to make some common services work with IPv6.


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What's it about: Bernice has come to the Moon of Adolin on a desperate mission. Instead, she finds an abandoned labyrinth, two confused survivors, and something ancient that needs her help.
Archaeological Adventuress: Bernice always thought she would die young, she never thought she would grow old. Orphans learn that people don't grow old, they die young. You never forget the early lessons. But here she is in the middle of life's journey and she is starting to get on. A few grey hairs, some lower back pain. Slippers and a cup of cocoa in no time. Bernice is in a ruminative mood this week. If she dies in the crash she is holding the Doctor personally responsible. Back in her comfort zone of unpeeling the mystery of a setting that is ripe with mysteries, Bernice realises that there are still things for this archaeologist to discover at the peak of her powers. It kills the scientist inside of her to say but sometimes it is better not to ask any questions. She doesn't like being pushed around and it certainly feels as though the Dalek is trying to herd her in a general direction. If it wants them to go with it then Benny will only do it on her terms. Bernice thinks fondly of the TARDIS, calling her a lovely old girl and compares her life travelling the vortex with free abandon to the slavery of a Dalek ship. Her apologies are so rare that they shouldn't be interrupted. Suddenly Bernice's dark thoughts about people who never grow old come to light when Claire reveals herself to be her mother, the woman that was stolen from Benny when she was a child and never allowed to grow old. At eight years old her mother was murdered by the Daleks, by the same kind of creature the she is now begging Benny to have pity on and help to pass on. For once Benny doesn't want to do the right thing and sacrifice this opportunity to spend some time with her mum and go after Ace...but she knows it is the right thing to do.
Oh Wicked: The first sign that Ace has been on Adelin is that Benny stumbles across explosives. It is practically a calling card.
Standout Performance: Sheila Reid is a pretty neat draw for the story and she provides some subtle menace to the proceedings as the mysterious Claire, trying to destroy all hope Benny might have of working out what is going on on Adelin.
Sparkling Dialogue: 'You can't hurt a Dalek. There's nothing left in there to hurt.'
'It's gesturing...' '...with it's gun.'
'What life could a Dalek ship have?'
'I can't leave the machine...I'm part of it.'
'You may just be a ghost but you're the ghost of my mum!'
Great Ideas: What do Gods do when there is no one left to worship them? Do they fade away too? Or do they keep on going hoping that one day somebody will remember their magnificence? For once the Daleks aren't used as a surprise appearance just because they appear, they are actually a part of the mystery and dropped into the story quite early. Una McCormack is far too savvy a writer to rely on the appearance of the Daleks to promote her work, especially when they are plastered all over the cover of this set. There is something mildly sacrilegious about the idea of a Dalek blasting away inside a cathedral, it is a potent image that I think would translate well in screen. Daleks don't take prisoners and they don't play around...so why aren't they dead? The wreck of a Dalek ship is lying beneath the cathedral, the ship came first and the holy building was built around it. Ace was looking for a Dalek Time Ship and here it is, calcifying underground. Like the TARDIS, the Dalek ship has a death toll. Claire is the voice of the ship. The ship is frightened and alone and wants to die, it needed somebody who wasn't afraid of a challenge and Bernice was more than up to the task. Ace was sent to a forbidden world, she asked for help and the ship sent her.
Audio Landscape: Heart monitor, exploding consoles, footsteps, a crash, wind chimes, crows screaming, Dalek extermination blast, screaming Daleks, blowing up the roof, rubble, church bells tolling.
Standout Scene: A conceptualised version of Christine Summerfield brought to life by the Dalek ship, a haunting opportunity for Bernice to see the kind of woman she might have been had she grown older with her.
Result: 'Nothing this good is ever meant to happen!' Back to doing what Bernice Summerfield always did best, an isolated location, an economic number of characters, strong dialogue and a mystery to solve. It almost feels as though The Revolution never happened. The first half of Good Night Sweet Ladies is a quiet affair but that is something of a relief after the smug gaudiness of the previous story, it is a real back to basics approach with a Dalek thrown in to keep things spicy. There is a contemplative and haunting atmosphere to this story that makes it stand out from a crowd, the measured pace of the script complemented by some solemn sound design and music that helps to compel the listener to the plight of the dying Dalek ship. Lisa Bowerman is afforded some emotional opportunities in the last third that brings out the best in her performance, Bernice is afforded a touching reunion with a character that she never thought she would have the chance to talk to again. There's barely any intrusion by the Doctor and Ace either so it really does feel like old school Benny. The choice that Bernice has to make at the climax is an impossible one and those always make for the most compulsive listening. Good Night Sweet Ladies strips away all the bluster and action that plagues so many audios and focuses on characterisation, specifically Bernice who is always well served when women are putting dialogue in her mouth. I thought this was achingly sad in parts and refreshingly different in tone to anything I had heard before: 8/10


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A question about the old TMP supplement "The Armory Volume 1"
Hey everyone, while I know that "The Armory Vol1" is not actually a TMP book, I've hunted for it for about two decades because it was one of those "kinda related" supplements. Mentioned in lots of places but rarely seen in the wild!
I finally got my hands on a PDF through an acquaintance at my local game store and knowing how much trouble I've had trying to get a copy, this was one of those bizarre but lucky, random chance kind of things that came about over a conversation of how much I am tired of heroic fantasy RPGs. Considering how little publicity TMP got in Australia, I'm still amazed that I spoke to someone who knew exactly what it was. But enough babbling...
So my question is this; is the book still covered by any sort of copyright issue in regards to sharing it with others?
I would quite happily post a copy of it here but I don't want to cause any hassles for this website or anyone else due to copyright/IP violation.
So yeah, before consider I posting it, does anyone know the current legal state etc. etc. of "The Armory" at all?
From my limited understanding of copyright law, posting it would probably be a violation subject to a DMCA removal request.
Unless the copyright is released we probably have decades before it can be freely published.
I have allowed a few exceptions to be posted, most notably the Finnish to English translations of T2k material, as there is much smaller number year protection on translations if the original owner is not taking any action to provide their own translations. I have also allowed posting of things like Project Phoenix which was basically given away by its creator.
In reality issues would depend on how aggressively someone protects their property. There are entire websites that are based on copyright infringement (piratebay and scribd spring to mind) where there is too much clutter, or an owner simply thinks it is not worth the effort to have things removed, or the site flagrantly ignore DMCA requests.
You can post snippets or a review. Posting an the ISBN number might allow users to find it via bookfinder.com or other sources. But as for posting the entire thing here (or a link to it) would be a legal no-no.
Thanks for the reply Kato, I thought this might be the case although I had hoped that it wasn't.
At one time when I was originally searching for it, I was given to understand The Armory was a cheaply produced supplement meant as practically a freebie for conventions and so on (anecdotal story and nothing I've seen in the last ten years has supported the claim). It was printed in 1983 by a publisher that no longer seems to be in operation and there is no ISBN from what I can find, all of which leant some initial credibility to the freebie claim.
With a little bit of checking on the net just now, there are copies for sale on Amazon, with an Amazon "ASIN" ID because there is no ISBN. A hell of a coincidence because there were none listed on Amazon, EBay etc. etc. for the last few years from what I recall.
Amazon ASIN: B0006EG1YY
USA https://www.amazon.com/Armory-Vol-Gu.../dp/B0006EG1YY
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Armor...ent/B0006EG1YY
The Amazon page shows the later (I think third) print release with the colour cover, the copy I have appears to be the first printing with no proper cover.
There's a very small entry for the book on Wayne's Books, near the bottom of the page that shows the covers from what I think are the second and third printing.
If nothing else, at the very least, I might have made someone aware of this piece of early Kevin Dockery work. It was overshadowed by his much more comprehensive later book Edge of the Sword Volume 1: Compendium of Modern Firearms.
The Armory is almost in the realms of "the forgotten" these days, such a rarity that it's practically a unicorn - often wished for, sometimes seen, but rarely possessed.
Thanks it's available as a download on scribd
It's fascinating as it's been written with all the Morrow Project stats, E factor etc as well as the short descriptions about how the weapons could be used in game.
If it was written without permission it must be a copywrite nightmare.
I came across a pdf of this sometime ago.
Just noticed a couple of copies of one of the authors later books, Compendium of Modern Firearms on ebay for much cheapness, so I grabbed one.
Also inspired me to dig out my copy of Guns Guns Guns by BTRC , another oldie from the 80's.
Compendium of Modern Firearms is one of my top 5 weapon reference books.
Two copies of the Armory Vol ! on Bookfinder.com
decent prices
I've got a copy; it has a color soft cover.
The Armory
Volume 1
Gunpowder Era Weapons From The
Foureenth Century To The Present.
With Tables For Use With
Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes
Kevin Dockery
No other volumes were ever published. About five are suggested on the inside front cover: Ancient Weapons, Science Fiction Weapons, Expansions of Modern Weapons, Exotic Weaponry, Nuclear Devices.
On the credits page it has:
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 84-148519
Copyright ©1983 by Kevin Dockery,
All rights Reserved
Published by
Firebird Ltd.
P.O. Box 4180,
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
On the last page are three ads: one for Golden Age of Champions (by Firebird, as a licensed Champions/Hero System product apparently); one for "Here There Be Tigers", a scenario for the Hero System, set in Laos just after the Vietnam war; and an ad for Firebird Ltd. itself, for Research and Consultation in the weapons field.
Inside the rear cover are ads for more Hero system and MS&PE supplements, and an NRA application. It's 158 numbered pages, more than twice the page count for MP 3rd Edition ... I don't think it was a "freebie".
My presumption is that Firebird was Kevin Dockery "doing business as".
Michael B.
Disclamer: I am not a copyright lawyer, but I did deal with copyright on a regular basis in a previous job.
I do think posting the entire document here is not a good idea just because I like this forum and want it to stay up. With that being said, a copyright search shows the original 1983 copyright. This would run out in 28 years unless an extension was applied for no later than 2011, which would extend the copyright out to 75 year from the original copyright date. The search did not show that an extension was applied for, so it is possible the copyright has expired.
There where 2 editions of it made.
1st edition that looks close to TM1-1, plain beige cover and MP stats for each weapon.
2nd edition with full color covers, no MP stats for the weapons.
If you go to my page on it http://www.thesupplybunker.net/history-2.htm you will get a brief background on the 1st edition.
Compendium arrived...
and this... :D
Kickstarter backers copy of Morrow Project 4th Ed., still sealed with the various extras, dice, recon badge, challenge coin and i.d. cards. Sweet!
And a very cheap but mint copy of GDW's Merc:2000 for the rpg collection as I didn't have it.
Some one was lucky enough 10 years ago to buy a first printing! Now only 2nd printings are available, only online copies of the first exist right now. BTW, has anyone tried using the "Edge of the Sword" system with 3rd ed TMP?
I worked for Games Workshop for a time here in the UK (in the good old days before they stopped selling other companies rpg products). I remember seeing The Armory on the shelf, and never bought it. :mad:
There is a single copy on usa ebay for $9.99+$26 postage to UK. Almost tempted...
I have the 2nd printing dead tree and the online first printing. Small arms have covered a lot of ground since then. Even civilian/police weapons.
I'm also firmly in the "Must own a copy of the Compendium" crowd, again it was one of those books connected to TMP so I just had to get it. Fortunately I found a copy in one of the very few game stores in my town.
Thanks Gelrir for the additional info regarding The Armory Vol 1, unfortunately it seems to have set a precedent because as we know, the Compendium was also Vol 1 in a never completed set.
And thanks also to mmartin798, I didn't know for sure but I was certain there was a time limit to copyright however I had always thought it was in the region of 40-50 years or something like that. I guess it differs based on just what is being copyrighted?
And on the subject of old material, does anyone have the Tri Tac Games CD-ROM of Rogue 417 at all? I ask because it includes the original Morrow Project short story by Robert Sadler. The disc I have has the following details for anyone chasing it up: -
Tri Tac Games CD PDF
Rogue 417 Armageddon Guide
Description from front cover:
Campaign Setup and Resource Book for Tri Tac & The Morrow Project
Invasion US
The Morrow Project, Robert Sadler's Original Short Story
I'd bought it from Tri Tac about a decade ago because I wanted to read the short story but the other material is worth looking at as well.
It seems they still have it available on their site as pdf only version (although the latest version has a very different cover and seems to have left out Guests, which in their own words is "A really silly alien invasion of the Earth rpg supplement" that was inspired by the V tv series of the 1980s.)
That short story is canon references for what the US government knew and why that failure means that COG failed.
I was on the Tritac podcast off and on two years ago mostly on Fringeworthy, also Cloisters, Wierd Zone, and some others. Richard Tucholka is and was very generous with his time to explain the little tidbits and gems written into his games. Richards wife, Melody, is doing here best to keep his games going and improving the distribution. Fringeworthy D20 is up on Drivethru now.
I still have my copy of the second printing of The Armory Volume 1 from my gaming days in the '80s. I know the first printing had E Factor numbers for everything, but that was omitted from the 2nd printing.
Does anyone have a copy of the first printing? Is there a page with a table of all the E-Factor ratings?
A random Amazon check said a first edition, January '83 was available for $22. No pic, but I went ahead and bought it, now we wait.....
2 on amazon uk £40 & £58
It was a third printing, so I now have two of the three dead tree. I have the 1st on USB, still desire a dead tree variant.
Armory vol 1
I have a copy of the armory and the book and its contents are the property of #kevinDockery. Kevin is one of the original designers of TMP and did not need to put permissions in the book to use TMP stats, because he owned it with Richard and Robert. To answer your question about posting a file or copy of it That would be a bad idea copyrights being what they are. :)
I am definitely in agreement that it would be wrong to post a pdf of the book.
I am, however, not sure if there is anything wrong with posting or sharing the tables from the 1st ed with the E factor numbers. That is all I am looking for since it would be a helpful list to help integrate other firearms into TMP games.
As someone who owns print copies of basically everything ever published for TMP, it would be nice to round things out with the E Factor tables.
My $.02
Each weapon has the e-factor in the stats. You could take a page out the armory and put it directly into TMP rule book and it would not look out of place.
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|Before (Honestly, this is a cleaned up before... Norm threatened to call Hoarders on me.)
|The scaled to size plan that Norm made... (He's pretty awesome!)
|All the boxes arrive... My studio condensed!
|The panoramic shot...
|Little treasures and quilt corner
|Right side of office
|Drawing desk with lanterns
|View from my art desk
|Computer/Sewing/Silhouette desk and printer corner
|Bookshelf and closet view
|Looking into studio from doorway
|You have to love the, "USE IT WISELY!"
My talented mom made me the cutest ornaments of Clark and our angel, Walter, for my birthday! I had them on the tree but will keep them in my office until next Christmas time. I was really spoiled as you can see!
I am so grateful for my supportive family! Thank you for helping me find a way to better organize all my supplies... I LOVE my new studio! I feel like it's waiting with open arms every time I walk past the door.
A special thank you to all who take the time to leave me comments... I so appreciate it!


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Forward vs Redirect
These are the two methods of transferring the control between web pages,the purpose of both is almost same but there is some difference which i am going to tell you here.
Redirect: If you want to implement this redirecting process in jsp you have to follow this syntax:
<c:redirect url="targetPageURL">
>> where c is nothing but prefix for core JSTL actions we set at the beginning of every jsp page to use Java Standard Tag Library .
we include tag libraries in our page this way :
<%@taglib prefix="c" uri="http://java.sun.com/jstl/core"%>
Note:you can provide some other prefix aswell but c is recommended so that you don't catch a reserved keyword.
Now moving to the main point
Redirecting will pass the control to the page specified in the url attribute of
tag. This control transfer make browser to request the new page in a formal way,and the address in the address bar of browser changes to the url of new page as the page is loaded.
So the URL in the address bar of the browser will remain same even though new page has been loaded.
|-> It request the new page implicitly without letting browser know about the control transfer.
|-> It request the new page with the help of browser in a formal way.
|-> URL in the address bar of the browser remain intact indicating previous page.
|-> URL changes to the new page automatically
|-> Transfers all the request parameters to the target page.
|-> It doesn't transfer request scope parameters to the target page.


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Thursday, October 9, 2014
Pope Francis' "NO"s
Cristianisme i Justícia Blog
September 30, 2014
The Pope's constant smile, his tender gestures towards children and the sick, his homilies about mercy, his writings about the joy of the Gospel...could offer us a false image of the bishop of Rome were these very positive aspects not complemented by some of his prophetic denunciations, his numerous "NO"s.
Jesus of Nazareth's life and message would also be incomplete and even counterfeit if the beatitudes and his predilection for the poor and the little ones were not completed by his criticism of the scribes and the Pharisees, by his "woe to you rich", by the expulsion of the merchants from the temple which triggered his passion and death on the cross -- "You cannot serve God and mammon."
Francis prophetically denounces the aspects of our society that are contrary to the gospel of the Kingdom: NO to an economy of exclusion and inequality, NO to an economy that kills, an economy without a human face, NO to an unjust social and economic system that is crystallized in unjust social structures, NO to a globalization of indifference, NO to the idolatry of money, NO to money that rules rather than serves, NO to inequality that engenders violence (let no one hide behind God to justify violence), NO to social insensitivity that anesthetizes us to the suffering of others, NO to the arms race and the war industry, NO to human trafficking, NO to any form of induced death...Basically Francis is updating the commandment not to kill and to defend the value of human life from beginning to end. Francis is updating Yahweh's question to Cain, "Where is your brother?"
But along with this prophetic denunciation of our society, Francis also criticizes the attitudes of Christians and the Church that are contrary to the gospel: NO to spiritual worldliness, NO to pastoral acedia (or apathy), NO to sterile pessimism, NO to the prophets of doom, NO to the disenchanted sourpusses, NO to sad Christians with funeral faces that look like Lent without Easter, NO to war among ourselves, let us NOT be robbed of community, of the gospel, of the ideal of brotherly and sisterly love, NO to those who think that nothing can change, NO to a self-referential Church that is closed in on itself, NO to moralistic obsession that forgets the joyful proclamation of the gospel, NO to pastors who think they're the princes of the Church and are always at the airport, NO to clericalism, NO to those who want to go back to the past before the Council [Vatican II], NO to fake happiness and flight attendant smiles, NO to those who convert the sacraments into customs offices and confession into a torture chamber, NO restricting the missionary power of popular piety which is the fruit of the Spirit, NO becoming experts in apocalyptic diagnoses, NO reducing the gospel to a personal relationship with God and à la carte charity, NO to a religion limited to the private sphere and to preparing souls for heaven. Not falling into doctrinal errors isn't enough if we are passive or complicit in injustice and in the governments that maintain it...
Behind Francis' "NO"s is a truly gospel image of the Church and the desire for a better, more just and egalitarian world, closer to the Kingdom of God. Francis' joy is not a worldly joy or fruit of an optimistic temperament but the joy that springs from the gospel of Jesus dead and risen and from the vivifying power of his Spirit: "Don't let them steal our hope."
Posted by Rebel Girl at 11:03 AM
Labels: solidarity, theology
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Friedman caught drinking beer at parade in violation of law
Gubernatorial hopeful Kinky Friedman rode in a St. Patrick's Day parade car Saturday with his trademark black hat and burning cigar — plus a beer in his hand, an apparent violation of the state's open container law.The Dallas police didn't ticket Friedman, because no officer witnessed the imbibing of the libations. They aren't planning to ticket him, despite photos.
A spokeswoman for Friedman, the author and musician running as an independent, acknowledged that the candidate drank from a can of Guinness handed to him. State law prohibits opened alcoholic beverages in the passenger area of a motor vehicle. The Class C misdemeanor carries a maximum fine of $500.
"Guinness is the drink that kept the Irish from taking over the world. It would be unthinkable not to have a Guinness during a St. Patrick's Day parade. In fact, it would be spiritually wrong," Friedman said in a statement issued by spokeswoman Laura Stromberg.
In typical style, Friedman said:
Yes, I admit to holding a Guinness. I even admit to drinking it. But I did not swallow.Having a swig of Guinness during a St. Patrick's Day Parade doesn't really seem like a worthy ticket to me. And Friedman and I have something in common: we both had free Guinness on the 17th.
However, I think that it's arguably a bad headline for voters to read as they form initial impressions of Friedman as a gubernatorial candidate. While disgruntled voters won't mind, they are also less likely to vote, because voting is a habit. Somebody like Ventura didn't win solely because of disgruntled voters, but because they were able to persuade frequent voters as well.
So all in all, maybe a dumb story/scandal, but probably not a good one for Friedman.
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Dems protest Solyndra hearing, call it "rigged"
WASHINGTON - A House hearing on a solar panel manufacturer that went broke after receiving a half-billion dollar federal loan erupted in a partisan skirmish before any witnesses had testified Friday. Rep. Henry Waxman called the hearing "a rigged proceeding."
Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee criticized Republicans for not allowing the Energy Department to testify and for blocking the release of an Energy Department memo that outlined the legal basis for its decision to restructure the $535 million loan to Solyndra.
"We are going to get only one side of the story. That's no way to run an investigation," said Waxman, D-Calif., a former chairman of the energy committee.
CEO of troubled energy company Solyndra resigns
Obama: I won't "surrender" to China on green tech
Obama on Solyndra: "Hindsight is always 20-20"
Democrats' protests temporarily stopped the hearing. But Republicans quieted the complaints by agreeing to enter the Energy Department memo into the record and to allow the department's officials to testify at a later hearing.
Democrats say they want "to get the facts on the table," Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said. "That's what we're trying to do."
The hearing Friday was focused on newly released emails that show that the Treasury Department was concerned that the loan restructuring, approved earlier this year, could violate federal law. The deal was structured so that private investors moved ahead of taxpayers for repayment on part of the loan in case of a default by Solyndra.
Administration officials have defended the loan restructuring, saying that without an infusion of cash earlier this year, Solyndra would likely have faced immediate bankruptcy, putting more than 1,000 people out of work.
Even with the federal help, Solyndra closed its doors Aug. 31 and let all of its workers go.
Democrats sought the release of a 6-page memo, dated Feb. 15, 2011, outlining the legal basis for the Energy Department's decision to ensure that investors who provided additional funding to Solyndra would be repaid before the federal government if the company defaulted on the loan.
Republicans said Democrats were aware before the hearing started that Energy Department officials would not testify.
"Today we're here to talk to the Treasury Department because they're the department that actually financed the loan," Barton said. "It's not really a loan guarantee. And apparently they're the department that raised a lot of red flags about it that nobody at DOE or the White House paid any attention to."
The lawmakers cite emails showing that Mary Miller, an assistant treasury secretary, said the deal could violate the law because it put investors' interests ahead of taxpayers. Miller told a top White House budget official that she had advised that any proposed restructuring be reviewed by the Justice Department before it was approved.
"To our knowledge that has never happened," Miller wrote in an Aug. 17 memo to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., called Miller's memo "startling" and said it appears that DOE violated "the plain letter of the law" in approving the restructuring.
"We need insight into Treasury's role in reviewing this loan guarantee," said Stearns, chairman of the energy panel's subcommittee on oversight and investigations.
Emails released last week show a wide disagreement among officials at the Energy Department, Treasury and Office of Management and Budget about Solyndra. Officials at the latter two agencies raised questions about the quality of the DOE's loan-vetting process and the special treatment Solyndra was given as its finances deteriorated.
Gary Grippo, a deputy assistant treasury secretary, and Gary Burner, chief financial officer at the Federal Financing Bank, are expected to testify. The financing bank made a $528 million loan to Solyndra in 2009.
The Fremont, Calif.-based company was the first renewable-energy company to receive a loan guarantee under a stimulus-law program to encourage green energy and was frequently touted by the Obama administration as a model. President Obama visited the company's Silicon Valley headquarters last year, and Vice President Joe Biden spoke by satellite at its groundbreaking.
Since then, the company's implosion and revelations that the administration hurried budget officials to finish their review of the loan in time for the September 2009 groundbreaking has become an embarrassment for Mr. Obama.
Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the Energy Department, said Thursday that the loan restructuring was legal.
"Based on a careful analysis of the terms of the restructuring, the career officials in the DOE loan program determined that the restructuring was legal and that it did not require Justice Department review," LaVera said.
Energy Department officials say the statute cited by the Treasury Department requires the Justice Department to approve a loan "compromise," in which a borrower is allowed to pay back less than the full amount of the loan. That was not the case in the Solyndra deal, they said.
And while one portion of the law makes clear that a federal debt cannot be subordinate to other financing at the time of the loan, another section provides officials with broad authority to take action to protect the taxpayer in an emergency situation, they said.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu approved the restructuring in February.


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Opinion: Power Line Project, NJ Transit Trains Are Dangerous Mix
JCP&L's proposed Monmouth County Reliability Project (MCRP) would install an air-insulated, 230,000 volt transmission line along ten miles of NJ Transit's high-speed train tracks from Aberdeen through Hazlet, Holmdel and Middletown to Red Bank in a dangerous mix that threatens the property and physical safety of many people living in this densely populated area, as well as the safety of passengers and employees on NJ Transit's trains.
About 8 a.m. on December 4, 2016, in a sparsely populated area of Ohio east of Toledo, 3 cars of a slow-moving 187 car CSX freight train derailed and crashed into an electrical tower supporting high-voltage power lines while missing two nearby and occupied buildings. But JCP&L's proposed MCRP would cram its tall electrical towers supporting 230,000 volt wires into the most heavily populated areas of five towns and the same 100-foot wide strip now holding two tracks used by NJ Transit's high-speed commuter trains. Though the minimum recommended width for containing a 230,000 volt line on its center is 150 feet, JCP&L's MCRP would squeeze its proposed 230,0000 volt line into the margins left over from the two existing NJ Transit tracks.
JCP&L's MCRP shows an unprecedented and reckless disregard for public safety. Air-insulated, high-voltage transmission lines are used in sparsely populated areas, but to safeguard the public from an array of associated hazards, high-voltage transmission lines in densely populated areas are always enclosed in conduit that is either buried below ground or contained within an above-ground berm. For example, in Bergen County's Borough of Ramsey, the Rockland Electric Company operates a high-voltage transmission line that is buried under the Franklin Turnpike.
JCP&L 's MCRP would expose many residential and commuting members of the public to unwarranted risks merely to add a third redundant transmission line into its Red Bank Substation, even though the two existing transmission lines into that Substation have a demonstrated reliability of 99.99% over the past 20 years, with only two equipment failures of 4 to 5 hours each. JCP&L's MCRP cannot be not justified on the basis of either safety or reliability.
Anthony Cooper of Holmdel is the vice president of Citizens for Informed Land Use (CILU)
This article was first published in the March 2-9, 2017 print edition of The Two River Times.
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Fashion retailers were initially slow to adopt to emerging technologies, but many are now actively testing new ways to remain relevant and valuable to increasingly digital consumers.
The challenge is accepting the idea that along with the technology hits come some misses, too.
Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus is a good case study. The Dallas company, also parent of the Bergdorf Goodman luxury emporium, four years ago created its own "innovation lab" and began inviting tech partners to investigate ways to improve customer experience and enhance employee capabilities.
"We are trying to make sure people feel comfortable shopping online and get the best of the store, and (make sure) people come to the store and get the best of the digital world," said Chief Technology Officer Rajeev Rai in an interview. "Their experience has to be seamless if you really seek to attract and retain the digital customer."
Serving that digital customer right is perhaps even more crucial for Neiman Marcus than for many of its rivals. The company generates 30.1% of its sales online. By eMarketer estimates, that ranks the retailer ahead of its department store rivals, including Nordstrom, Saks, Macy's and Lord & Taylor.
Top 5 Department Stores, Ranked by Ecommerce Sales (as a % of Total Sales)
1. Neiman Marcus - 30.1%
2. Nordstrom - 21.8%
3. Saks - 21.7%
4. Macy's - 17.9%
5. Lord & Taylor - 11.3%
Source: eMarketer estimates
It's also critical as Neiman, like many of its luxury rivals and fashion retailers on all ends of the price spectrum, struggles to retain customers, especially millennials, who are more inclined to shop online, and who increasingly focus on buying experiences over buying material things. Neiman in March said it's exploring a possible sale after reporting its sixth straight quarter of lower same-store sales. (Lord & Taylor and Saks parent Hudson's Bay Co. is reportedly in talks to buy Neiman.)
"High income shoppers tend to shop more online at least in fashion," said retail consultancy WSL Strategic Retail CEO Wendy Liebmann. Neiman Marcus and other traditional fashion retailers are "doing a lot of catch up there because that higher income shopper is in the digital space in a very strong way…. You have to be prepared now because there are so many technologies out there and shoppers are learning about them, too. Try and fail—it has to be the motif of how every retailer, including fashion retailers, does business. You won't get the sales unless you are experimenting and innovating."
And Neiman indeed has been trying and failing along the way.
Damaged Pumps
For instance, when the company noticed that only 85% of its in-stock shoe styles at Bergdorf Goodman (they sell such shoes as $965 Manolo Blahnik pumps) were on display, Rai's team tried to solve the problem using RFID stickers to track inventory. But, Rai related at the WWD Retail 20/20 Forum this week, when it came time to test the system, Neiman discovered the RFID stickers were damaging the expensive lacquer of the shoes.
When testing the stickers in the lab, he said, Neiman used cheap shoe samples.
Neiman has since worked to fix that issue and saw the RFID implementation significantly improving its shoe-display level and purchase conversion.
But that wasn't the only lesson. At a time when 3D printing was widely billed as an industry gamechanger, Neiman three years ago experimented with making 3D printouts of brides' pictures for those who might want to "preserve the moment" and have them as keepsakes or give away as gifts.
But in a telling sign of why industrywide 3D printing never ended up taking off, Neiman abandoned the prototype after the company found it was taking too long and costing too much to just take the 3D images of the bride.


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Friday, October 24, 2014
Stop the Telephone Books
7 comments:
- tammy j said...
i'd rather they let the TREES GROW
- October 24, 2014 at 4:40 PM
- The Queen Vee said...
We aren't getting them anymore, they just stopped giving them out and then I would have to recycle them. I confess that the past few years used the phone books to boost my little grands so that they would sit higher at the table. They no longer need a boost.
- October 24, 2014 at 9:10 PM
- Catherine said...
I constantly get those left at my door. Such a waste!!!
- October 24, 2014 at 9:42 PM
- Patricia @ Corn in my Coffee-Pot said...
Oh! I totally dislike looking into the car park to see the plastic covered YELLOW... blowing in the breeze!
It's just so aggravating.
Though, I have to say-- my daughter is becoming quite the coupon shopper, so I mentioned to her there are coupons inside the phone book... so, well, now-- she gets my phone book before I toss it!
- October 25, 2014 at 1:11 AM
- jenann said...
I love this.
The great Yellow Pages invasion happens here in the UK too but, in our rural area somebody with no idea of who lives where, dumps them at the end of any turning that looks as though it might be a track to a farm and every gate post. Perhaps 10 to each family who lives here is 'delivered' down our lane. What a waste! Though the cow I saw munching one seemed to be enjoying it, she'd even removed and discarded the plastic wrap.
- October 25, 2014 at 5:25 AM
- Stacey Snacks said...
Too funny.
I recently received a condensed version of the yellow pages on my front porch....it immediately got tossed into the recycling trash.
GOOGLE works for me!
- October 25, 2014 at 9:12 AM
- donna baker said...
The only good thing they are good for is pressing flowers. They soak up the juices nicely. I can't tell you how many of them I have.
- October 25, 2014 at 11:24 AM


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Another January has come to a close, as the Republican legislature looks to continue its unprecedented attack on the cervixes of Texas. We need to restore funding to family planning and women's healthcare so that all women can receive the care that they need.
In honor of the 100,000 Texas women who lost access to healthcare last session, I'm reposting this diary. It is sadly still too relevant. — kh
Why should you care? Because the cervix is yet another battlefield in the Republican Party's war on women. Positioned between the vagina and the uterus — two body parts that aging white male Republicans always seem most eager to want to legislate control of — the cervix is literally in the middle of the debate over women's health.
Thanks to the Republican Party and their draconian cuts to women's health and family planning services, next year's Cervical Awareness Month will celebrate a lot fewer healthy Texas cervixes.
And as the Republican Legislature's efforts continue to close Planned Parenthood clinics and curtail funding to health centers that perform pap smears, we should see the incidence of and death from cervical cancers rise, and watch our overall healthcare costs increase as well. So let's talk about cervical cancer, and why the Republican legislature's policies will increase the number of women who die from this thoroughly preventable, treatable disease.
Here in America, cervical cancer is the 8th most common cancer of women. Approximately 11,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and an estimated 3,800 women are expected to die of the disease. Thankfully, here in the US our mortality rate is much less than the rest of the world, due in part to widespread Pap smear testing.
Pap smear screening every 3-5 years with appropriate follow-up can reduce the rate of cervical cancer by up to 80%. Pap smears are recommended for women beginning at age 21, or three years after a woman becomes sexually active, whichever is earlier. In 2010, Planned Parenthood performed 769,769 pap smears nationwide. (They also provided 747,607 breast exams but hey, it's not breast cancer awareness month yet, now is it?!) They also provided over 44,000 treatment procedures for women with abnormal pap smear results. It's all part of the 14.5% of Planned Parenthood's national work that consists of cancer screening and cancer prevention. Here in Texas, PP screened 104,000 women for cervical cancer in 2010. Over 13,000 pap tests were abnormal.
Between 2 and 3 million women have an abnormal pap smear every year. It's very common, as is the human papilloma virus that causes it. Yes, HPV. More on that later. Ask around at your next ladies night and you should find a few women who admit to an abnormal pap smear. For 90% of women, the abnormalities clear up within a year, especially in younger (under 30) women. Meanwhile, if you want to read more about abnormal pap smears, The Hairpin has a really helpful guide with a very cute cartoon.
70% of cervical cancer is caused by HPV. HPV vaccines reduce the risk of cancerous or precancerous changes of the cervix by about 93%. The fact is, the HPV vaccine that's so often bandied about as a political football would go a long way to reduce this disease. While Rick Perry is routinely excoriated for his failed mandate that all girls in sixth grade and above be vaccinated against HPV, the policy would have gone a long way to lower the incidence of cervical cancer. Of course, a whiff of cronyism surrounds the decision since Perry's former Chief of Staff Mike Toomey was a lobbyist for Merck at the time Perry signed the executive order. The mandated vaccine would have generated millions in revenue for the pharmaceutical giant. The policy had flaws, but with some adjustments, such as parents having the choice to opt out, and male children being vaccinated as well, it could have been a great public policy initiative.
Hispanic women have a cervical cancer incidence that is 50% higher than that of the general population. African-American women also have a higher rate. Poor White people also have a higher incidence than non-poor White people. According to the National Cancer Institute, this statistical disproportionality is due to lack of access to health care and low socio-economic status. So here in Texas, where we have a majority-minority population and some of the highest rates of poverty in the country, we're facing a greater risk of exploding cervical cancer rates if we slash family planning funds. Planned Parenthood and other clinics that the state has put on the chopping block serve an overwhelmingly low-income population.
In their attempts to slash funding from Planned Parenthood and women's health centers, Republicans are making sure that less women can access pap smears and get the early detection they need to avoid cervical cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital to short- and long-term survival. The longer the cancer goes undetected and untreated, the worse the survival rates are. 80-90% of women with Stage I cancer survive five years after diagnosis; only 15% of those diagnosed with Stage IV cancer make it that long. It's worth repeating: the majority of cervical cancers in the US occur in women who haven't been screened in the last five years. That's why making sure these services are prevalent and affordable — such that more women can get pap smears more frequently — is so key to keeping the diagnosis and mortality rate down.
It's not just Planned Parenthood that is suffering — Republicans slashed funding to most family planning clinics, including the federally qualified health centers they so love to prop up as an alternative to PP. Those FQHC's are already overburdened with patients, and in a state as big — and as rapidly-growing — as Texas, we need more outlets for low-cost women's healthcare, not less. Last biennium, 71 clinics received state funding. Now, that number is down to 41. Family planning funds used to serve 220,000 women a year. Now, that number is down to 60,000. The cuts in funding represent a drastic decrease in care, which in turn will mean more missed pap smears and more advanced diagnoses of cervical cancer.
In developing nations, cervical cancer is a leading killer of women, because these populations lack the early detection necessary to stop the disease in its tracks. Texas Republicans are enacting policies that threaten to bring our own women back to that same low level of detection, treatment, and survival. It's shameful!
For a political party that routinely abuses the phrase "pro-life," Republicans are doing everything in their power to systematically increase the number of women that die from or have their lives greatly shortened by cervical cancer.
But hey, on the upside, maybe during the next session Republicans can re-name January as "Systematic-Denial-of-Pap-Smears-to-Women,-Especially-Poor-Women,-Thus-Increasing-the-Odds-That-They-Die Awareness Month." It'd be more honest, right?


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Our newest show for our youngest visitors (recommended 3-12) starts this Saturday January 28, 2017 and will run through March. Saturdays at 12:30 and 2 pm. $6 per child. Adults get in free.
Motions and Patterns – How do the sun, moon and stars move across the sky? Why does it get dark so early in the winter yet the sun is still up at bedtime in the summer? Discover motions and patterns in the sky, make and take your own constellation and travel around the world to see how others see the sky.


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Digital Issues
Going Through SAIT's Professional Cooking Diploma Program
Gifts that Foodies Love to Give and Get
Great Gifts for the Boozer In Your Life
One Ingredient: Caramel
The Sunday Project
6 Quick Ways with Chestnuts
What's Happening in Calgary
Recipes in this Issue
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Appetizers, Starters and Breakfasts
Quick Ways With
Rice, Grains and Pastas
Sauces, Dressings and Condiments
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Vegetables and Salads
THE ENTERTAINING ISSUE - November December Issue 2018
Heather's Smoked Bacon
Nov/Dec 2009
Chef Heather Goulde-Hawke at District, a new watering hole on 11th Ave. S.W., makes her bacon without nitrites. After curing, cut the bacon into useful-sized pieces and wrap well for freezing. Gould-Hawke likes the additional flavour that accrues when she leaves the rind on the pork belly (bacon comes from the pork belly). This recipe needs a smoker and a fruit wood, like cherry or apple.
Chef's note: if you don't have a smoker, it takes a little trouble to smoke pork belly over indirect heat on a closed barbecue for a minimum of 6 hours, but it can be done. Engineer your barbecue so that soaked wood chips in a pan are on one side of the grill, while the pork belly sits on the other side on the rack over very low heat. Most butchers carry pork bellies.
4 T. maple syrup
2 lb. pork belly, any ragged edges trimmed, rind on
4 oz. kosher salt by weight (about 1 c.)
2 oz. demerara sugar by weight (about 1/2 c.)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. minced thyme
cracked black pepper to taste
Rub the syrup onto the pork. Mix together the remaining ingredients – the cure – on a tray. Dip the meat into the cure to coat all surfaces and shake off any residue that does not cling. Put the meat into a waterproof plastic bag in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, turning daily. On the final day, rinse well under cold water and pat dry. Let stand, uncovered, to air-dry in the fridge for up to 48 hours to develop the sticky texture that allows smoke to penetrate. Don't skip this step. Smoke the pork belly for 6 to 8 hours over very low heat. Cool and wrap. Fry to use. Makes 2 lbs.
16 oz. New York Strip
Aidas Dawood Basha served with Couscous
Alberta Elk Tartare with Pickled Shallots, Pine Nuts and Truffle
Andrew's Pork Rillettes
Antelope Bolognese
Apple and Apricot Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Bakers Wifes Leg of Lamb
Beautiful Bronto Beef Ribs
Beef and Guinness Pie
Beef Bourguignon
Beef Burger with Herbed Butter Core and Caramelized Onions
Beef Daube
Beef Tenderloin and Double-Smoked Bacon Brochettes
Bison Bourguignon
Bison Chili
Bison Saskatoon Meatballs
Bison Tenderloin with Bison Sausage Pot au Feu
Boneless Lamb Leg Stuffed with Melting Chard and Mascarpone
Braised Beef Tenderloin with Oxtail Potato Pave
Braised Cranberry Beef Short Ribs
Braised Lamb Shanks with Honey Caramelized Brussels Sprouts and Chestnuts
Braised Lamb with Red Peppers and Potatoes
Braised Pork Belly
Braised Pork Belly with Apples and Cider
Braised Short Ribs, Roasted Squash, Barley Risotto
Braised Veal Cheeks and Scallops
Carmen Creek Gorgonzola Bison Burgers
Cascadia Rooibos Braised Lamb Shanks
Char Siu Pork
Chipotle Peanut Pork Chili
Chris Shaftens Winter Tourtiere
Cilantro's Barbecued Pork Ribs
Classic Choucroute Garni
Classic Dadburger Deluxe
Coconut Pork Ribs
Cola Braised Bison Short Ribs
Connie s Pork Burger
Cotechino Sausage
Couscous with Lamb and Chicken
Cowboy Rib Eye
Crisp Roast Pork Belly
Darla's Pork Chops with Ancho Chili Baste and Glaze
Dominique Moussu s Pate de Lapin aux Pruneaux
Duck Hash with Eggs
Duck Legs With Cabbage and Tomatoes
Elk and Sprouted Lentil Tartare
Elk Outside Round Roast with Bourbon Saskatoon Berry Cream
Flank Steak Barbecued Korean Style
Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage
Good Old Liver and Bacon with a Twist
Greek-Style Cheater Ribs
Green Curried Beef
Grilled Achiote Pork Chops with Chimichurri
Grilled Flatiron Steak, Braised Red Cabbage and Short Rib Tortellini, with a Lemon-Thyme Veal Reduction
Grilled Marinated Rabbit with Walnut Tarator
Grilled Spring Creek Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Tomato Spatzle and a Balsamic Reduction.
Guinness Bison Pot Pie
Hachis Parmentier
Hanger Steak with Romesco Sauce and Baby Greens
Harissa Lamb with Yogurt Dressing
Hazelnut Crusted Lamb Sweetbreads
Heather's Smoked Bacon
Home-made Chicharrones
Huenkar Begendi
Kashmiri Beef Short Ribs
Kebabs with Harissa, Yogurt and Fresh Herbs
Kefta Tagine with Herbs and Lemon
Khlii Tagine with Eggs
Lacquered Cranberry Ribs
Lamb and Olive Ragu with Tagliatelle
Lamb and Orange Khoresh - Lamb Shank Redemption
Lamb Burger with Molten Chevre Core
Lamb Kebabs with Pomegranate Molasses and Feta
Lamb Meatballs and Roasted Potato Wedges with Yogurt Sauce
Lamb Meatballs with Swiss Chard and Feta
Lamb Pies
Lamb Tangia with Preserved Lemons and Cumin
Lamb with Yogurt and Roasted Vegetables
Lemongrass Lamb Chops
Maple Pork Tenderloin with Plums
Maple Rosemary Ribs
Marinated Flank Steak Ssam with Kimchi and Butter Lettuce
Meatballs with Artichokes, Green Olives and Sage
Mechoui Lamb with Crushed Potatoes and Tomatoes
Merguez Briouat
Mixed Grill
Mock Porchetta
Moroccan Braised Lamb Shoulder
Orange Beef
Pancetta and Fennel Gratin
Pear, Caramelized Onion and Brie Flatbread with Truffle Honey
Pepper and Sausage Frittata
Peppered Steak with Truffle Butter
Peruvian Heart Kebabs.html
Porchetta Stuffed with Grilled Lemon, Onion, Fennel and Figs
Porchetta-style Roast Pork with Arugula Pesto
Pork Belly with Chinese Flavours
Pork Burgers
Pork Chop with Crispy Potato Pancake and Quince
Pork Loin Roast with Caramelized Onions and Apricots
Pork Loin with Sage Stuffing and Caramelized Pear Sauce
Pork Ragout
Pork Riblets Simmered in Caramel Sauce
Pork Ribs
Pork Sate with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Pork Tenderloin with Saskatoons
Portobello Mushroom Gratin with Seared Foie Gras
Quick Peanut Butter Beef Curry
Ragu with Polenta
Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovies and Garlic
Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic, Rosemary and New Potatoes
Roasted Marrow Bones with Parsley Salad
Roasted Pork Belly
Rockin Ronnie Shewchuk s Barbecued Beef Short Ribs
Ropa Vieja
Rotisserie Spring Creek Rib Eye Roast
Saskatchewan Black Lentil and Edgar Farms Aparagus Salad
Seared Lamb Loin
Self-Braising Pork Shoulder, Butt End
Sexy Minty Lamb Racks for Two
Shanghai-Style Braised Beef Short Ribs
Short Ribs Braised in Espresso and Chocolate
Short Ribs Braised with Chinese Five Spice
Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder
Slow-roasted Leg of Lamb with Roasted Potatoes
Slow-Roasted Pork Carnitas with Orange and Milk
Spanish Pork Stew with Potatoes and Chorizo
Spice-Crusted Pork Blade Steaks
Steak & Asparagus Bibimbap
Steamed Pork Belly Buns
Stuffed Alberta Rabbit Risotto� with Roasted Vegetables
Tandoori Beef or Lamb
Tandoori Beef or Lamb
The Perfect Meat Experience- Pan-Fried Steak
Veal Meatballs with Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa
Wagyu spinalis
Wine-Braised Lamb Shanks with Creamy Polenta, Cherry Tomatoes and Lamb Jus
Zuni Cafe - Mock Porchetta
Tweets by @CityPalate


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"A Rich Spot of Earth"
Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello by Peter J. Hatch
"Peter Hatch's vibrant and enthusiastic passion for preserving Thomas Jefferson's farming legacy at Monticello reminds us all of the time-tested continuity and historical root of this kind of agriculture."
- Alice Waters, from the Foreword
Were Thomas Jefferson to walk the grounds of Monticello today, he would no doubt feel fully at home in the 1,000-foot terraced vegetable garden where the very vegetables and herbs he favored are thriving. Extensively and painstakingly restored under Peter J. Hatch's brilliant direction, Jefferson's unique vegetable garden now boasts the same medley of plants he enthusiastically cultivated in the early nineteenth century. The garden is a living expression of Jefferson's genius and his distinctly American attitudes. Its impact on the culinary, garden, and landscape history of the United States continues to the present day.
Graced with nearly 200 full-color illustrations, "A Rich Spot of Earth" is the first book devoted to all aspects of the Monticello vegetable garden. Hatch guides us from the asparagus and artichokes first planted in 1770 through the horticultural experiments of Jefferson's retirement years (1809–1826). The author explores topics ranging from labor in the garden, garden pests of the time, and seed saving practices to contemporary African American gardens. He also discusses Jefferson's favorite vegetables and the hundreds of varieties he grew, the half-Virginian half-French cuisine he developed, and the gardening traditions he adapted from many other countries.
Available in April 2012, "A Rich Spot of Earth" Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello by Peter J. Hatch is a gorgeous volume showcasing Jefferson's amazing vegetable garden, its uniquely American characteristics, and its legacy.
A co-publication of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello and Yale University Press. Cloth 978-0-300-17114-3; $35.00
Also available as an eBook. 288 pp. 10 1⁄4 x 8 1⁄2 201 color illus.
Celebrate the legacy of revolutionary gardener Thomas Jefferson during the 13th annual Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello, September 21, 2019.


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Bella Thorne, Anna Kendrick & More Best Dressed Stars At Alice + Olivia
Bella Thorne, Zendaya Coleman, Peyton List and Anna Kendrick all looked perfect on the red carpet at the Alice + Olivia fashion show on Feb. 10. Who do you think represented the popular brand the best?
The stars were out to support Alice + Olivia during New York Fashion Week on Feb. 10. Each of these four lovely ladies are quickly becoming fashion icons, but who do you think wore her look best? VOTE!
Alice + Olivia Best Dressed — Bella Thorne, Anna Kendrick & More Stars
Bella Thorne looked ready for spring! The 16-year-old actress and budding fashionista wore a long colorful floral skirt paired with a short cable knit sweater with a collared shirt underneath to the designer's show. Her beautiful natural red hair was worn in a side braid with a blue ribbon woven throughout. So cute!
Zendaya Coleman looked beautiful with her hair swept up into an updo with bangs and white liquid eye liner. The 17-year-old stunner wore a white jumpsuit with a black printed sweater and black and white heels.
Peyton List looked adorable in a collared dress with a red lip print and red heels. Her blond hair also looked flawless, and was kept down in loose waves. Peyton is only 15 years old, and we think that this look was very age-appropriate and perfect for the starlet!
Anna Kendrick wore all black and used her pretty pink lips to add a pop of color. Anna wore a black skirt with a 3/4 length blazer and tights. Her hair was swept up with tendrils hanging in the front. The real statement, though, were Anna's leopard booties, which featured a cobalt blue toe!
Who Was Best Dressed?
We honestly love all four looks! But there is something about the way that Bella paired her floral skirt with cable knit sweater that we really love — not to mention the fact that she looks perfectly age-appropriate!
What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Who was best dressed at Alice + Olivia? Let us know!
— Caitlin Beck


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I realized how lucky I am.
Coworkers are expecting babies in the next few months. This is, of course, a new and exciting time for them - one is even expecting TWINS! They have much joy, and much fatigue, in their futures. They have the excitement of all the firsts - steps, smiles, teeth, words. Oh, I remember it well.
My life, these days, however, is different. So much different. And it took giggling over baby bellies for me to realize that many of those differences are actually quite awesome. Yes, I will enjoy watching their bellies grow and will snuggle those little ones endlessly given the opportunity (the babies, not the bellies). I would pat little diaper bums and rub circles on their wee backs. I would look at their beautiful little faces and make gooey noises at them.
But no. You could not pay me a million dollars to go back there myself. I've done my years (almost 18 of them so far at my oh-so-young age of 38) and cherish them. But I'm happy to move on.
Yes, I have teenage girls. And a younger girl who thinks she is a teenager. Yes, they swear at me and roll their eyes and stay up too late and write "I thot you loved me" in the dust on my car. Yes, they can choose their own friends, and it doesn't matter whether or not I like them, seeing as how they schedule their own playdates now. (And trust me, if any of those playdates result in me rocking a babe-in-arms again, heads are gonna roll!)
Yes, there are demands for money and more scheduling and plenty of "that's gay!" comments. There are scantily clad self portraits on facebook and lots of creepers that they trust because that's what big-hearted girls do. There is girl drama and cat fights constantly. And yes, money is extremely tight.
There is more clean up than every before. They are far messier than any toddler, with the exception that they don't fingerpaint on the walls with their own poop. But they are still plenty gross nonetheless. There is still much potty talk and a whole lotta bodily functions.
And keeping the oldest one dressed is almost harder now than it was when she was two.
The majority of my time now is spent driving kids around. Of trying to remember who has to be where when. Of homework (soon) and school nights and late-night phone calls. Of fighting over computer and TV time. Of trying to convince the offspring that it is okay to help with dishes, do their laundry and clean their own room. Of watching them play sports with no car seats or strollers.
And while I no longer stand by a crib carefully watching a little chest move up and down, I do sometimes stand by an empty bed in a pink tinkerbell bedroom wondering when the little body who belongs there will be home. A reminder that my life isn't perfect. (Yet.)
The rest of my time, the time I've been most concerned about over the past years - me time - has come to me in abundance. For the most part. With the exception of the stuff I've already mentioned, my life is my own now.
As I sit here, finally blogging, I have one kid out (somewhere), another watching TV and the third out playing on the block with her friends. I have come down to the computer in peace. There is no screaming. No tantrums. No demands on my time.
And I can sit and read a book on the deck with no interruptions.
As promised, things do get better - and easier - as I become less important in my childrens' lives. Their independence is my independence.
How sweet is that?


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Pro Wrestling: A Solid Week of Women's ActionFebruary 8, 2009
This episode of RAW, in the first week of February, saw the return of Mickie James and Layla also in ring action in a mixed tag team match. While they were not the main focus of the match and didn't wrestle for very long, the two had some solid chemistry together.
I'm a big fan of Layla, and about this time last year, she put on a good match with Michelle McCool, which she did on more than one occasion. I'm a little sad that she hasn't been pushed more in the ring and allowed to wrestle more since being drafted to RAW. I can count, on one hand, the number of matches she's had on the show.
She gave some stiff elbows to Mickie and had some good heel taunting. It was nice to see Mickie back in the ring as well.
The WWE would be wise to feature her more as she is the most popular diva with no close second.
Hopefully, these two will be given a one-on-one match and feud, as Mickie needs a new fresh opponent, and Layla could use a good rub from beating up the popular former champ.
We were also treated to a one-on-one match with Beth Phoenix and Candice Michelle. I was surprised Candice and not Kelly Kelly was used. I guess Kelly is still selling her loss to Beth from last week in the tag match.
It was a bit of a squash, although Candice got in some gold albeit sloppy offense; but it wasn't difficult to figure out Beth was going to win. She then had Rosa Mendes throw Candice out of the ring. I'm still not sold on Rosa or this storyline. Personally, I think it's just to get Santino on TV.
No Melina, which I'm not surprised about. The WWE is at least taking steps to feature other divas and move along other storylines.
The Beautiful People finally returned to their bitchy heel gimmick. They're much better in this role rather than trying to do anything else. The beginning of the match which happened outside of the ring added to their heat and showed them using physicality to get revenge.
It was good to see them revert back to TBP that we know and love. Unfortunately, after beating Taylor Wilde and Roxxi, the Governor Palin imitator (Daffney) came out and cleaned house.
Does TNA not know that no one cares about Sarah Palin anymore? The election is over and she's back in Alaska. Please, TNA I beg you, STOP!.
More than a year after winning the Diva Search, Eve Torres made her in-ring debut in a match with Michelle McCool. It was a bit of a bore fest, seeming more like a match you'd see in a training school than on the big stage, but Torres did well in her debut.
Now that those in ring jitters are most likely gone, she can have more solid showings and be pushed.
The WWE would be wise to do so as she is, at this point, much better than Maria in the ring, unfortunately in this match the WWE basically did nothing to build Eve and get the fans behind her.
A dead crowd killed this match. McCool seems much more natural in her heel persona, but it still needs work. She needs to get some more mannerisms and facial expressions in; and no offense, as I'm a Southern girl myself, but she shouldn't pull a Victoria and talk in the ring.
It's not a pretty sound. It seems that unless she has a skilled opponent, McCool can't quite carry a match, and she needs to sell a bit more. Maria came out to try and save Eve, making Michelle run out of the ring.
Apparently, the two will have a match this week. I'm calling Maria as the winner, and I'm sure it won't be a pretty sight.


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With 1-inch Sensor have you ever thought about enhancing your already-capable iPhone camera even further. Look no further than DxO ONE, which is a camera accessory for the iPhone that will give you DSLR quality photos right on your smartphone. iPhone accessories are many, like that in the list, this new transformer package can give you something which you haven't expected until now. Bet that in mind, and go forward to turn your iPhone camera into a DLSR with RAW support. More details on how it can be transformed, and used to achieve that can be found right after this jump.
It comes directly from the reputed name in the photography industry DxO Labs. Introduced DxO ONE – will indeed connect with your iPhone courtesy of the Lightning port and a companion app. Your iPhone will serve as the viewfinder whilst using the DxO ONE's powerful lens to capture images. The camera can swivel around the Lightning port, turning your iPhone into basically a swivel LCD display, and it can capture RAW files.
Speaking of lens, the ONE is a no-holds barred kind of affair, brings with it 1″ 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor with backside illumination, f/1.8-11 aperture, and focal length of 32mm in 35mm equivalent terms. While the sensor size is on par with the Sony RX100 series of compact camera, which produces amazing pictures in terms of image quality and noise in a small-body device, and eventually enable great effects like truly dramatic background blur.
DxO ONE itself is made out of aluminum and swivels 60-degrees, allowing for perfect positioning for almost any kind of shot, which is smaller than the RX100 and by means you'll have lots more flexibility with the finished product in terms of editing with programs like Adobe Lightroom.
On the software side, DxO claims that the ONE is capable to hold its own against any mid-level DSLR camera, courtesy of a software trick called SuperRAW mode, which is the camera that will capture 4 superimposed RAW images in quick succession and will stitch them together to produce a outstanding output. This same camera is also applicable to videos as well, with the camera capable of shooting 1080p in 30fps setting. Stunning!
Features that DxO ONE has manually adjustable aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings, complete with the kinds of picture modes you'd been accompanied on a DSLR or micro four-thirds camera, and evidently it can capture 720p/120fps for slow-motion effects. For storage, DxO stores more images to the on-board microSD card, or to the attached iPhone directly, buy that might take longer than normal.
It sounds awfully familiar, that's because the DxO concept is nothing new. While casual photography attachments for all kinds of smartphones have existed for a long, long time, Sony upped the game with its QX10 and QX100 cameras a couple of years back, And the Japanese company's QX1 can basically take any E-mount lenses, including professional DSLR ones – smartphones photography isn't the same anymore.
While DxO is aiming to grab the markjet that is already niche, and with limiting their product to only the iPhone. DxO One costs $599, and will ship no sooner than September this year.
The DxO ONE is a Plug-In iPhone Camera with a 1-Inch Sensor available for pre-order in the UK right now where it will cost GBP500, respectively.


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Specializing In Restoration and Auto Repair Since 1978
Since 1978 John's Body Shop has been family owned and operated. We are dedicated to producing high quality work that has represented us well in the industry. Our reputation has provided us with customers from across the U.S, Canada and Internationally.
Our specialty is American Muscle Cars, but also have experience with many foreign autos. Rolls Royce, Ferrari, and Porsche to name a few.
We would like to personally thank all our customers for "showing" your cars and promoting our business over the years. We owe our success to our customers. Thank you for choosing John's Body Shop. We appreciate your business.
John, Jeanette, and Jeremy Sieberg
We also offer custom House of Kolor paint jobs for your motorcycle or automobile.
We accept Credit Cards
John's Body Shop
Nicollet, MN
Phone: 507-947-3120 | Fax: 507-947-3392
Email Us


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Please call for availability
For ages 8-80 years, and over 1.3m high
- Available most days, in between group bookings.
- Sessions are timed at 15 minutes
- Multiple sessions recommended!
- Exclusive group bookings for 6+ available (deposit required)
|Arrive & Drive
|15 min sessions x
|Cost per driver
Open Sessions
Monday – Friday 12pm till close (subject to availability)
Saturday – limited availability between bookings, please call before travelling
Sunday 9.30am – 12pm (we try to hold this every Sunday morning, but please phone for availability if you are making a special journey)
We often have other times available, please phone for availability.
When booking Kadet Parties or Arrive & Drive events, the minimum number for the booking is 6 drivers. If there are more than 10 drivers, the party will be split into two groups. In this case the minimum number of drivers for the event becomes 11. If you were to book for 9 drivers and turn up with 7, you will only be charged for 7. However if your numbers drop to 5 (below the minimum), you will be charged for 6.
Age restrictions apply, please ask a member of staff. Optional breaks are available between sessions. Normal track rules apply to Arrive & Drive. Arrive & Drive is not sole use, others may join you on track.


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The required service period must begin upon commencement of service with the agency for a recruitment incentive, and upon commencement of service at the new duty station for a relocation incentive. In both cases, the required service period must terminate on the last day of a pay period. (See 5 CFR 575.110(b) and 575.210(b), including the exceptions under 5 CFR 575.110(b)(2) and (b)(3) and 575.210(b)(2) and (b)(3).)
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