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Despite the oppressive presence of an occupying army, Beit Ommar villagers have a strong history of popular resistance, with active participation from the area during both the first and second intifadas. Today, Beit Ommar is famous for its regular demonstrations and its ongoing resistance.
The settlements surrounding Beit Ommar
Settlement expansion is an obstruction to daily life in the town of Beit Ommar. Continued land grabbing has been at the expense of Palestinian farmers, who have seen their land slowly annexed.
Gush Etzion, the overarching name for the Jewish colonies in this particular area, is comprised of 14 Israeli settlements, including Migdal Oz, Karmie Tzur and El'azar, Bat Ayin, Alon Shevut and Kafar Etzion. These settlements surround Beit Ommar from three sides and have cut off many of its natural connections to the neighboring Palestinian villages.
In addition, Israeli settlers have often violently attacked the civilian population in Beit Ommar, making local farmers afraid to tend their land at the outskirts of town.
Daily life in Beit Ommar
Several hundred residents of Beit Ommar are currently political prisoners in Israeli prisons, and the village is subjected to weekly late-night raids by Israeli forces. For a glimpse into the life of young Beit Ommar boys, after being released from Israeli prison, check out the 2012 Norwegian documentary "When the Boys Return".
The Israeli army's presence in the village of Beit Ommar is highly visible. The army closes of the village's main entrance on a regular basis, which violates the freedom of movement of the local Palestinians.
As over 70% of Beit Ommar's economy is based on agriculture, water is key to the villagers' livelihoods. All water resources are controlled by Israel. As a mean of discrimination, Israel provides less and less water for the Palestinian villages and thus, farmers in Beit Ommar are suffering from the shortage of water for their crops.
In addition, agricultural projects in Beit Ommar face the threat of demolition by the Israeli army. While inaction to such demolitions orders, given by the IDF, eventually leads to loss of land and thus livelihoods, engaging in court by challenging demolitions are economically paralyzing, as they are costly procedures that most Palestinians cannot afford.
In this period, they constructed a wall around the existing tower and expanded their presence there by building two extra interrogation and holding cells. The construction of these structures has, in turn, narrowed the street by 1,5 metres, drastically hindering traffic in the main entrance of the town.
In other, unrelated happenings, on Sept the 27st, four 'Apache' helicopters flew southwards over Beit Ummar. This is not a new occurrence. However, what is novel is that they flew unusually low over civilian houses. When Apache helicopters fly so low, it is often seen as a scare tactic, making people on the ground feel very uneasy and threatened.
For the past five days, the Israeli occupation forces have closed off the main entrance of Beit Ommar. Deploying soldiers, army jeeps, roadblocks, barbed wire, and tire spikes, they are now seemingly reinforcing the existing military tower and building a new construction, the purpose of which is currently unknown. They do not allow anyone to come close to the obstruction, and threaten anyone who dares to do so. The effects of this blockade are significant. The inhabitants of Beit Ummar must now take alternative, longer roads to leave or enter the town. Palestinians and internationals looking to visit or do business in Beit Ummar are scared away by the big army presence. And local farmers and merchants are less capable to moving their products in and out of the village.
There is no concrete information as to when the blockade will be lifted. So far, it has been paired with economic struggle, as is obstructs trade and the freedom of movement. It is important to mention that the current roadblock coincides with the annual grape harvest, which Beit Ummar is famous for throughout the West Bank. In this period, local farmers depend on selling their grapes outside the village, a business that has now been made harder by the Israeli obstruction of the village's entrance.]]>
The effects of this blockade are significant. The inhabitants of Beit Ommar must now take alternative, longer roads to leave or enter the town. Palestinians and internationals looking to visit or do business in Beit Ommar are scared away by the big army presence. And local farmers and merchants are less capable to moving their products in and out of the town.]]>
The project site in question is one of the Center's larger projects and is located next to Road 60, the main road that connects Jerusalem to Hebron. As part of a long-term plan, the Center has been working on making this area a future market space, where local farmers from Beit Ommar would be able to sell their agricultural products, instead of having to travel to outside towns to move their stock (which is often a problem with fresh fruits). As over 70% of Beit Ommar's economy is based on agriculture, the benefits of such a project would thus be considerable.
In recent years, we have made much progress and managed to build a water-well and plant new trees, laying the foundation to transform this area from an arid site to a rich agricultural field. The market project would also be accompanied by the construction of a small factory in Beit Ommar, which would allow farmers to use part of their harvests to make juice, jams, and other products which can be stored and sold for a longer time. This way, the farmers would not lose considerable amounts of their harvest every year, increasing productivity, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.
Overall, the project will contribute greatly to the sustainable development of agriculture in Beit Ommar, and will be a step forward for the community's self-dependency and economic empowerment. Despite our progress and future aspirations, the Center's activities on the market project have been halted due to the demolition orders. The legal base on which these demolitions take place however, as is commonplace in the Occupied Territories, are not mentioned, either on the order slip or in courts. All that is mentioned is that the site, at some unspecified point in time, will be bulldozed.
The fact that the Israeli military places (if not hides) its demolition orders away from plain sight does not change the authority of the military to take action. In other words, in cases where local Palestinians do not see or find the demolition orders, the military can still come at any given day and demolish the building or site without any prior knowledge of such actions from the Palestinian side.
Legally, Palestinians are allowed to build projects on their land located in Area C, given that it is for agricultural purposes. Yet although our project falls within these criteria, our site is currently ordered for demolition, with exact and concrete reasons lacking. These evasive legal and military tactics are consciously designed to make Palestinians feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. While inaction to these orders eventually leads to loss of land and thus livelihoods, engaging in court by challenging demolitions are economically paralyzing, as they are costly procedures that most Palestinians cannot afford.
In spite of the financial burden of taking legal measures, the Center for Freedom and Justice will continue to challenge the demolition orders in court. By remaining firmly committed to the principles of universal human rights, international law, and non-violent action, we aim to regain full control and freedom over our land and work constructively on the sustainable development of Beit Ommar.]]>
In other, unrelated happenings, on Sept the 21st, four 'Apache' helicopters flew southwards over Beit Ommar. This is not a new occurrence. However, what is novel is that they flew unusually low over civilian houses. When Apache helicopters fly so low, it is often seen as a scare tactic, making people on the ground feel very uneasy and threatened.
The effects of this blockade are significant. The inhabitants of Beit Ommar must now take alternative, longer roads to leave or enter the town. Palestinians and internationals looking to visit or do business in Beit Ommar are scared away by the big army presence. And local farmers and merchants are less capable to moving their products in and out of the village.
There is no concrete information as to when the blockade will be lifted. So far, it has been paired with economic struggle, as is obstructs trade and the freedom of movement. It is important to mention that the current roadblock coincides with the annual grape harvest, which Beit Ommar is famous for throughout the West Bank. In this period, local farmers depend on selling their grapes outside the village, a business that has now been made harder by the Israeli obstruction of the village's entrance.
These happenings coincided with the 34th commemoration of the Shabra and Shatilla massacre in Lebanon in 1982, where Israeli occupation forces in Lebanon did not stop Christian Lebanese Militiamen to enter Palestinian refugee camp, resulting in the slaughter of hundreds of people. The numbers of exact casualties range between 700 and 3500 people.
Every year on the 16th-18th of September, Palestinians throughout the West Bank organise demonstrations and hold ceremonies to remember the massacre that took place in Lebanon. In Beit Ommar however, no demonstrations or political activities took place on this day. The village was quiet, and people went about their normal businesses as usual. Nevertheless, the Israeli military forces entered Beit Ommar preemptively and occupied the main road for hours. In these kinds of actions, the Israeli military operates under the banner of 'security', claiming such operations are necessary security measures. The lack of any legitimate threat in Beit Ommar however, clearly shows that this action, and other actions like it, have the sole purpose of provoking the local population and are designed to make the life of the average Palestinian unbearably challenging.
Water is a precious and essential commodity in daily life, indeed our very existence depends upon it; this was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 who stated that access is a fundamental right. However; this right is ignored by the Israeli State as it continues to exert its control over the water supply in the West Bank, restricting access to water in areas during the summer period to just once a week; making life unbearable for the inhabitants and impacting local farmer's ability to irrigate their crops, thus resulting in difficult decisions being made regarding the futility of planting. This consequentially affects their income in a negative manner, as their harvests shrink. This also results in inflated prices of local produce, demonstrating that none in the community are left unaffected by this tactical assault by the occupying power.
It is important to acknowledge that the water shortage is not due to natural environmental conditions, as both the Mountain Aquifer and the Jordan River are in the region of the West Bank and rather the issue lies with the Israeli government having control over 70% of the former and forbidding Palestinians to extract water from the latter. Since the Oslo Accords; which commenced in 1993, Palestinians ability to access water sources has become increasingly difficult, with studies suggesting that locals access less water today than they did 20 years ago. Some Palestinians are only able to make use of 20 litres a day per capita; far below the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommendation of 100 litres; which is vital for maintaining good health. Palestinians are forced to buy bottles of mineral water and to arrange for tanks to be bought to their homes with significant financial implications, that makes this impossible for some families.
Due to the restricted harvest, locals are forced to buy produce brought in by the Israeli State; thus perpetuating the total control Israel exercises over them. The water issue has been recently covered by Charlotte Silver in the 'Electronic Intifada', who refers to Clemens Messerschmid, a German hydrologist who has worked with Palestinians for 2 decades on the subject and refers to the situation as a "hydro-apartheid". Messerschmid acknowledges how Palestinians, along with being subject to Israel's control of the water; are also forbidden from drilling wells on their land and find any reservoirs they have built to be systematically destroyed by the Israeli army.
It is clear that the security argument advances by the IDF is an illusion, a way to disguise a darker reality, which is to maintain a military occupation following systematic and organized policies elaborated by the Israeli government. The main purpose of IDF soldiers is to ensure that the Palestinians sense that the army is everywhere, all the time. Making the livelihoods of Palestinian unbearable, intimidating them and humiliating them, that's the only purpose of the IDF. The resilience of Palestinian people has to be emphasized as well as acclaimed because despite the countless provocations and violations of their most basic rights, the Palestinians keep resisting the occupation and fight for a brighter future.]]>
There is no doubt that the Balfour Declaration has set in motion the creation of a Jewish state on a land, which was already habituated by a native population and it lead to an ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population. Thus, there is an imperative for the British government to take its responsibilities and assumes the implication of the declaration, which was made of imperialistic power manipulation and false promises.
The historical context of the Balfour Declaration is worth to mention to understand the web of lies the British government used at that time. Indeed, in the wake of the twentieth century, Palestine raised strong interest from the world powers, which were eager to increase their economical influence and political prestige in the Middle East. Thus, they seized the opportunity of the weakening the Ottoman Empire and European powers, such Britain and France strengthen their grip on areas along the Mediterranean including Palestine.
Moreover, we cannot speak about the Balfour Declaration without speaking about the correspondence between Sir Henry McMahon, British High Commissioner in Egypt and Sherif Hussein of Mecca. The result of their correspondence was the promise by McMahon of an independent Arab state if Hussein would help the British troops to fight against the Ottoman Turks. The malevolence of the British government once the war was won, was to pretend that the Palestine territory was never included in the promise. However, by analyzing the documents and reports from that time, they revealed that British politicians and officials were aware of their obligation to offer Palestine to Hussein as a result of the McMahon-Hussein correspondence. For instance in a document Lord Curzon stated: "Palestine was included in the areas as to which Great Britain pledged itself that should be Arab and independent in the future…" More articles reveal the same position that British had actually promised independence to Palestine. (For more examples visit http://www.balfourproject.org/the-mcmahon-promise/).
More dishonest behavior from the British was their unwillingness to publish the correspondence before 1939. So why to do so, if the British government had nothing to hide. Thus, it is not difficult to understand the feeling of treason among Palestinian when the Balfour Declaration got publicized, which promised a homeland to Jews in Palestine.
The declaration stipulates:
His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non- Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
Although the British have fulfilled the first part of the declaration, they have definitely forgotten the second one. In fact, as some commentators of the declaration like to recall "the most hameful aspect of this is that the British never indeed planned to honor the clause in the Declaration, which committed them the respect the right of the non-Jewish population" (http://www.balfourproject.org/britains-broken-promises-the…/).
Next year, the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration should be to opportunity for the British government to analyze with honesty and fairness the impact of the Balfour declaration without being influenced by the noisy hasbara. The Balfour Declaration as Edward Said stated "a prime example of moral epistemology of imperialism". Furthermore, he gave the best analysis by pointing out that the declaration was made: a) by a European power, b) about non-European territory, c) in flat disregard of both the presence and wishes of the native majority resident in the territory, d) it took the form of a promise about this same territory to another foreign group, so that this foreign group might, quite litteraly make this territory a national home for the jewish people. Thus, it is time for the British government as well as the British civil society to put pressure on its government to face its colonial past.
Although there is legitimacy of the PA to sue the British government, there are still many doubts about the seriousness of President Abbas and its cabinet. The main question is still what's the end goal of such endeavor? Sure the Brit h hold some accountability, but what are the PA expectations? But mostly, how this legal actions will help the Palestinians people? Once again, Abbas seems totally disconnected from the reality of the Occupation and the daily suffering of the Palestinian people. More extraordinary, Abbas seeks the help of the Arab league, which has done nothing for Palestinian and end the occupation besides establishing a path of normalization with the Occupier.
President Abbas attempt is laudable but its lack of vision and structure is appalling, especially regarding his lack of credibility inside the Territories. Maybe as Walid al-Moudallal mentioned in an Al-Monitor article, "It would be better for the PA to first end all political and economic agreements with Israel, such as the Oslo Accord of 1993 and the Paris Protocol of 1994, in addition to halting security coordination as these agreements are in favor of Israel" (http://www.al-monitor.com/…/palestinian-authority-sue-brita…).
The Balfour Declaration has planted the seeds of a colonial regime on the Palestinian lands and this regime is protected and sustained by the British government since then. Although no apology will be able to change the past and expunge the suffering of the three generations of Palestinians who were force out of their homes or treated as a second class citizens and deprived of their human rights and dignity, an apology and an acknowledgement of British colonial past is a first step towards the recognition of Palestinians rights.]]>


text:
Nearby TermsTransient Lunar Phenomenatransient suppressortransient voltagetransistortransistor tester
transistor-transistor logictransittransit telescopetransit timetransitiontransition factor
transistor-transistor logic
- noun the most common family of logic gates and high-speed transistor circuit design, in which the bipolar transistors are directly connected, usually collector to base, to provide the logic function.
- Logic similar to diode-transistor logic, except that bipolar transistors are utilized to perform logic functions. Its abbreviation is TTL, or T2L.
- abbreviation T2L
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subset: commoncrawl


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After training you will admit to a real combat missions, doing that you will destroy the enemies, escape from anti-aircraft guns and attack from the rear. According to the results of missions you will earn a certain amount of points, the number of which depends on factors such as time spent on the task, target accuracy, speed of flight, the safety of your plane, the amount of spent ammunition. Missions at the moment only 6, but their number promises to grow, especially as each mission can be long and hard to try to pass as much as possible.
Improved management Nickname
Improved performance
Minor fix
|2.0 (2)
|date of download
|The size
|no viruses
|inspection date
| View report
(Proverechno using the service virtustotal.com)
| full network access
Allows the app to create network sockets and use custom network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.
| view network connections
Allows the app to view information about network connections such as which networks exist and are connected.
| control vibration
Allows the app to control the vibrator.
Attention! All files represented on this site either were found freely distributed on the internet or by their authors' permission. If any of materials on this site violates your rights, report us
Rating:(67) 2.65★ 52.91%
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French Dinner - Tres Elegante!
Photo courtesy of Ron Rogos
The superb chefs and wait staff for this elegant dinner event were none other than the Rotary Club of Leesburg members and "family" who put away their regular work clothes and donned restaurant attire and culinary tools. Held at the lovely Aiken maison, the night proved to be an outstanding dining experience. Diners had purchased the auction item, a French Dinner, during the Sticky Wickets Croquet Tournament and Garden Party. Given the rave reviews, (which some diners would like to keep secret), the auction item could be even more popular at the upcoming Sticky Wicket event in May 2015.
Custom Graphics
Phil & Barbara Rusciolelli
Chuck Reavis
Charlie & Janice Bowden
Hugh Forsythe
Dee Jonas
Ellie & Phil Daley
David & Kristine Struba
Ron Rogos


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Conflict Management
Manage Conflict like the world's best with Conflict Management
Conflict is an unavoidable reality in today's fast-moving business environment. Unfortunately, for many people the fear of conflict prevents them – and their business teams – fulfilling their potential.
Top-performing professionals stand out by being able to channel conflict into productive performance, and this one day programme shows participants how to do just that.
If you have difficult conversations at work on a regular basis, need to manage large teams or regularly find yourself 'fire-fighting', Conflict Management is the programme for you!
Over the course of the training, participants learn how to:
Identify their natural conflict style and what it means for their relationships Defuse people problems using our tried-and-tested conflict resolution model Increase creative tension in order to accelerate the accomplishment of goals Manage difficult conversations with confidence and ease
Conflict Management is a highly interactive training programme with video case studies and hands-on activities delivered in Thai or English
[maxbutton id="1″]
See also:
Overcoming the fear of conflict in Asian companies


text:
philippa rice is an illustrator who also makes pattern designs, and is the creator of my cardboard life. for the last three years she has been cutting and pasting characters from paper and card, making comics, diorama, etc. philippa works from her home studio in nottingham, UK and has a blog and shop online.
19 January 2012
ILLUSTRATION - phillipa rice
Posted by bowie style at 7:59 am
Labels: ILLUSTRATION
2 comments:
- Peter and Sarah Slight said...
very cute!
- 8:43 am
- Rachel Wright said...
The only word for these is 'adorable'.
- 3:31 pm
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Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush Open Wet Republic Las Vegas
Earlier in the month we told you that Wet Republic Las Vegas is back for another season of fun. Well now, its official.
Photo by Scott Harrison | HarrisonPhotos.com/Retna
On Saturday, March 28th, as promised, Kim Kardashian kicked off the summer season at Wet Republic pool at the MGM Grand with her current boyfriend, Reggie Bush. Also accompanying the couple was her sister Khloe Kardashian and brother Robert. The group took a lot of time for the media and enjoyed the beautiful day as they set the tone for the 2009 summer at Wet Republic Las Vegas.Tags: Kim Kardashian, Reggie Bush, Wet Republic Las Vegas


text: To make the best hamburger you first place your hambuger into a large bowl next you should add some garlic salt, minced onion, pepper, meat tenderizer and last some A1 sauce, last mix it all together. Next section it off and roll into med. sized balls and flatten them out and then place on grill! Cook for about 10 minutes flipping often! Enjoy!


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- Death in the Park – Death in the Park LP
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- A Scream For The Memory – Pop! Goes The No-Wave (digital EP)
- The Sleeping – The Big Deep LP
- The Gay Blades - Savages LP
- DriftDivision - DriftDivision EP
- Darryl Jenifer - In Search of Black Judas LP
- Kayo Dot - Stained Glass EP
- Nightmares For A Week - "Veins" (7″ Vinyl Single) [order]
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Monthly Archives: August 2010
Lush Beat: Terrible Things | Interview 5.26.2010
http://www.lushbeat.com/2010/05/terrible-things-interview-5-26-2010/ May 26, 2010 by Jared Bowers Interview: Jared Bowers | Photo: Ryan Russell I was extremely fortunate to get to talk to both Fred Mascherino and Josh Eppard, who are both in the new and very much buzzed about … Continue reading
Music Emissions Interview with Joey Eppard
http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/3#interview May 2008 by Dennis Scanland I had the opportunity to have an email conversation with Joey Eppard from 3 recently. Below you will find the transcript. Make sure and check out the story from their Porcupine Tree tour. It's … Continue reading
RockNet Webzine Interview with Billy Riker
http://www.rocknetwebzine.com/interviews/riker.html April 7, 2006 Tell me a little bit about how 3 started. Well, there are many different variations of 3. The original band was Joey Eppard on guitar and vocals, his brother Josh Eppard on drums who is now … Continue reading
The HV Scene Interview with Joey Eppard
http://www.thehvscene.com/interviewtext.php?id=132 January 25, 2005 by Morgan Evans 1.So you guys, collectivelly known as Three have a new CD out called "Wake Pig". Could you describe the albums inception and how it came together in comparison to other works? Also, what's … Continue reading
Alternative Press Web Exclusive Interview: Three
http://altpress.com/features/72.htm July 15, 2007 by Chris French Before the term "progressive" became the go-to adjective for any band sounding remotely experimental, two New York bands began toying with a genre that Queen defined in the '70s: Shabutie and 3. The … Continue reading
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http://www.punktv.ca/video/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356:3-interview-with-joey-eppard-in-support-of-the-end-has-begun&catid=43:interviews&Itemid=108 2007 – November/December by Dixon Christie PunkTV.ca: Hi Joey. What's going on? How you doing man? PunkTV.ca: I am doing awesome, how are you? Really good. PunkTV.ca: What has been going on with you guys? We did a lot … Continue reading
PunkTV Interview with Joey Eppard #1
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Pure Grain Audio Interview with Three (3) Interview with vocalist Joey Eppard
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Cheap Shot Philly Interview with Three's Joey Eppard
http://www.cheapshotphilly.com/content/eppard.html December 7, 2007 by Sean Monaghan The End is Begun… don't take the title of Woodstock, N.Y.'s Three's latest release as a pessimistic statement, but as a positive one. This album is not telling us that this is the … Continue reading
Kiss Kiss interview on Twilight Vision TV
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by Sebastian Wöber | 16th December 2012
This week we wrote about the very accessible pricepoint of the new Sony F5 camera in Europe. Today we hear that B&H adjusted their new price for the Sony F5 and made it $3000 more affordable. The official suggested list price from Sony for the PMW-F5 4K Camera is at $19,400. This was also the price the camera went for at B&H until we contacted them and they could change the price to a more attractive number. The new price for the Sony F5 is $16,490. The most important details on the camera and a film sample can be found here: LINK B&H Sony F5 link: The gift code for the European Marcotec store gives you the best pricepoint for the F5 and F55 in Europe: LINKRead more
by Sebastian Wöber | 19th November 2012
If you were keen on actually seeing the F5 and F55 cameras operated here's a nice video in which Richard Lewis, Cinematography & Product Specialist from Sony shows you around their new babies. Recently the Yen prices for the new cameras have popped up (LINK) ahead of official announcement (apparently by mistake). A rough conversion of the prices gives us the following (seems to be before tax): Sony F55: $34k Sony F5: $20k the R5 RAW recorder: $5.8k oled EVF: $6.5k normal EVF: $3.9k 7″ LCD: $5.3k olivine Batteries: $579 RAW card reader: $763 6-lens kit: $30k 3-lens kit: $17k And these are expected to ship in February 2013. You can pre-order this bank account sweeper at B&H: LINK And we also have another discount pre-order code for Europe, but the final pricing is not official there yet, so you can only make a deposit for pre-order: CODE: 311212C5DF55 (gives you 500€ off, for what it's worth) Insert at checkout when pre-ordering the Sony F5 or Sony F55 at A.F. Marcotec. More info on the cameras in our announcement article: LINKRead more
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WHEN: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 17
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Father's Day weekend at Henry Estate, we celebrate with a different kind of dad — crawdads! Join us for a day filled with tasty mudbugs, great wines and toe-tapping live Cajun music. Kids can get their faces painted, visit the petting zoo, jump in the bounce houses or take part in crawdad races.
Our festival is about more than just food, though! All of the proceeds as well as $2 per crawdad plate, all Celebrity Crawdad Feed donations and raffle earnings go to the Sarah Beavers Mercy Foundation Partners Fund.
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.: The Glen Elden Band
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Etouffee Cajun Band
Crawdad dinner: 1 lb. crawdads, red potato, corn on the cob and a roll – $15
BBQ dinner available for purchase from Rolling Thunder BBQ
Admission info:
Adults: $10
Kids (ages 3 to 20): $5
(Children younger than 3 get in free)


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- select colour
it's an internet thing!
it's an internet thing!
12:44 25 July 2012
It has been revealed that the UK Border Agency has a backlog of 275,000 cases - an equivalent to the population of Newcastle.
This figure is made up of failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals hiding out, illegal immigrants and others who are refusing to leave Britain. The backlog is expected to take years to rectify and has drawn sharp criticism from the government and public alike.
Keith Vaz, the committee's chairman and Labour MP, said that the agency seems to have "acquired its own Bermuda triangle".
"It's easy to get in, but near impossible to keep track of anyone, let alone get them out.
"This is the first time that the committee has collated all the cases at the UK Border Agency that await resolution. This backlog is now equivalent to the entire population of Newcastle upon Tyne."
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents Home Office staff and related staff, has proposed a 24-hour strike on Thursday which is the day before the official opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Regarding he backlog, the committee claimed that the total included at least 21,000 asylum cases, 150,000 migrants who have been refused permission to stay in the UK but who may still be in the country illegally and 3,900 foreign offenders living in the community.
A confirmed 57 foreign criminals who were released in 2006 without having their deportation confirmed have also gone missing through the system's cracks.
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With electronic devices surrounding us nearly every step of the way these days, it is fairly easy to overlook the value of interacting with people in the real world, the physical world. In the same way a conversation with a … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Facebook
#SepiaMail – Reconnect by sending memories by mail when you post to Facebook
Digital photos and the internet have completely transformed the way we take and share photos. It is incredibly easy to take photos and share them online with friends and family. In this transition from analog (physical) to digital (virtual) photos, … Continue reading
Never Forget The Last Time You Were Here
Just last week Facebook quietly rolled out a new feature showing photos of a person and their significant other on their anniversary. It is great to see Facebook finally start to leverage the vast amounts of data about people to help them enjoy their photos more. Around the same time I started seeing a new experience on my iPhone after posting a photo. First it was public photos at the same location I just posted a photo at. Then yesterday I posted a photo while out to dinner and I was shown a photo from the last time all the people I was at dinner with (which I tagged in my photo post) were tagged in a post. I was also shown the last time I checked in at the restaurant and who I was with.
This is a great way to help you spend a small amount of time to remember the past. Facebook is barely even scratching the surface of what could be done to combine all they know about you and your friends to surface interesting set of photos at times you are likely to enjoy seeing them. Another example of what cuold be done is your friend's birthday. Instead of an advertisement to send them a gift, I would much prefer to see photos of me and my friend. Sepia is a great service for that. I get a collage of photos of me and my friend on their birthday that I can then share with them if I want.
A Sign of Change? Facebook Promoting Public Photos With Checkins
Last weekend we went kayaking in the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge near Olympia. A great place to go by the way if you love seals. They were there by the dozen where the river meets the sound, … Continue reading
Why Facebook Is Not Serious About Photos – The Development Platform
In part 1 I talked about the end user experience on Facebook and why I don't believe they are doing a very good job and offering a great photo experience to users. In this post I want to focus on Facebook as a development platform for people like me to build apps leveraging the data within Facebook.
Ah, where to start. How about I start with the Facebook f8 developers conference I went to in April. In the words of Mark Zuckerberg, the APIs Facebook makes available to developers are the same APIs used to power Facebook. He says this with such enthusiasm and conviction that if these APIs are good enough for Facebook, they are good enough for me to build my app. The problem is, I am not trying to build Facebook, I am trying to build something using the data within Facebook. Any developer knows that to build a product of the scale that Facebook is at requires serious tradeoffs and optimizations. Over the past 6 months I've become intimately familiar with the Facebook APIs. It is clear that they are there to meet the needs of the Facebook product, with little olive branches here and there to demonstrate they aren't completely ignoring the needs of developers.
Rich API
To be fair to Facebook, they are trying a little bit harder to make developers live's easier. The APIs are now versioned and will last for two years. Well, almost. The 2 year guarantee only applies to core properties. When looking at the documentation, very few properties are core. Even if 99% of the properties were core, there could be one property that is critical to my app, and Facebook could remove it, change it, or do something else to the property that could make it impossible for my app to function the way intended, it could kill my business.
For the past 2 years or so, Facebook has had two different APIs for accessing data, FQL and the newer Graph API. At the f8 conference, Facebook announced they would be deprecating the FQL API in 2 years. In my opinion, the FQL is the richer of the two APIs. I have my gripes about FQL, but it certainly provided a richer way to query information. So Facebook is removing capabilities from the developer and shifting more of the heavy lifting from Facebook to the developer. It is rare that a modern development platform makes a wholesale cut in functionality resulting in a net reduction in capabilities of the platform. Sure, APIs come and go, tweaks here and there, but this is big. This is the exact opposite of a WOW feature that opens the door to a whole new world of possibilities of what I could build.
What is perhaps most frustrating is that with what few fields I can filter on, depending on what the value I use for the filter, I might not get results, even if I know there are matching results. I believe this has to do with the Facebook internal 5000 row limit. I can't tell you how many forum posts I've seen on Facebook app developers getting tripped up on the internal behavior garbage Facebook makes its developers deal with. Yes, they explain what is going on and how to deal with it for some situations, but is it really even necessary to expose this dirty internal laundry to your development community? And for the scenarios that have no pattern for reliably getting results, it makes any filtering with the API completely worthless.
At f8, Facebook did announce some new ways of querying data. However they were very narrowly focused. Being able to make queries with more filter conditions and get consistent results would be a huge improvement.
Rich Data
Let me go back to the scenario I mentioned in my previous post about finding photos from my anniversary and look at it from the developers point of view. In Sepia, I have been going through different scenarios such as friends' birthdays, mother's day, father's day, anniversaries, etc to try and automatically find relevant/interesting photos from Facebook. Since Sepia is an application I am developing, I am not restricted by the user interface provided by Facebook. I am primarily constrained by the quality of the data within Facebook and the APIs offered by Facebook to access that data. Remember what I said about Facebook nuking all metadata from photos when I upload them? Well, there goes a ton of interesting information I could have used to build new ways of enjoying your photos. My friends who uploaded photos days or weeks after the wedding were not easily found with a search on our anniversary date. So with what little data I have left to work with, it may not even be an accurate representation of reality that allows me to find relevant photos from our wedding.
Unlike the Facebook app and web site, I can use the Graph to search for photos by a date range, or if me or someone else is tagged in the photo. Beyond that, I can't do much more. I can't search by location, description, comments, or more complex queries including multiple dates or date ranges, or multiple people tagged. A location search for example requires me to download all photos that could potentially be relevant, and then implement my own filtering to narrow down the results. This isn't rocket science, but it is more work for me, doesn't scale very well, and is something relatively basic that one might want to do with photos. A company serious about building a developer platform to work with photos should have this.
Data Beyond Photos
One of the reasons I started building Sepia on Facebook rather than another platform with photos such as Flickr or Google+ is because of the rich data set available beyond the data primarily associated with photos. This additional data would allow me to provide much more context and meaning to the photos of my life. For example I wanted to be able to send a couple a collage of photos from their wedding on their anniversary. Unfortunately their anniversary is not exposed to developers. I know this is more of a bonus feature, but it is the kind of information that can allow developers to completely transform how we relive the moments of our life through photos.
Privacy Settings
Many users don't let apps their friends use access their photos. Having this setting makes sense, but I am doubtful many people are aware of it and what setting it has. If your friends do have this set, it is not explicitly noted to the friends of the user who has prevented access to photos. As a user of an app, I may think the app is broken if I don't see John's photos. Privacy is an inherently complicated problem, and Facebook needs to do more to educate people about the settings available and to help people choose the settings that make the most sense in the context of scenarios in which those settings apply. This is no different than Facebook's own strong advice to app developers to ask users for permissions to user's data in the context of why they need it. So why isn't Facebook following the same best practices it encourages others to follow? I realize this in many cases will require collaboration with app developers, but in the end, it would result in richer apps and a better end user experience.
With Facebook's new versioned Graph API, one of the new aspects of it is that I can't access any friends data from an app unless that friend is also using the app. This pretty much trumps the privacy issues I just described thus far. I don't blame Facebook for this change though. Users need to own and control their data, and this theoretically should allow them to do that more easily. For developers, our challenge is now even greater to figure out how to get more users on board. With a significantly reduced set of data to access when I sign up for an app like Sepia, the experience will be much more limited that it otherwise would be if all my friends were using it as well. I believe Facebook needs to work with developers to find ways of encouraging people to sign up for apps that enhance the Facebook experience. Without a rich app ecosystem, Facebook will be limited by their own resources and ideas, leaving the door open for competing social networks to attract users away from Facebook. Microsoft and Apple (iOS more specifically) are only what they are today because of the armies of developers out there who built on the rich developer platforms those companies provided. Facebook is far from accomplishing a similar feat.
The features Facebook offers for your photos are squarely targeted at sharing new photos for people to see now. The lack of rich metadata on photos unless added by Facebook users, and the week development APIs doesn't foster a rich community of photo applications on Facebook. Yes, simple compelling scenarios can be implemented as Sepia has demonstrated with the This Day in History emails. Some more interesting scenarios can be implemented with significant development effort, but are limited to the quality of the data within Facebook. For Facebook to be serious about photos for end users and developers, they need to support the rich metadata people expect from photos and enhance their APIs to make it even easier to build compelling applications with photos on Facebook.
Why Facebook Is Not Serious About Photos – Part 1
When I look at all the different photos services out there, there are 4 main capabilities I want…
- A great experience for viewing and sharing my new photos with friends and family. I'm not really into sharing my photos for the world to see.
- An easy way to find and enjoy photos from the past.
- A backup of the photos I care about most. I can get this elsewhere, but then that is another task I have to set up and manage.
- A rich developer platform. I am biased here because I am a developer. However you should care about this even if you aren't. You will benefit from the creativity of the worldwide developer community finding new ways for you to enjoy your photos that your chosen photo service hasn't though of, or perhaps hasn't done a very good job at.
Sharing New Photos
So how about those new photos on Facebook? How is it? In my opinion it is the best at serving the purpose of sharing my photos with friends and family because it is where the highest concentration of those people come together on the internet. Of course your audience may be on Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, or somewhere else. What matters is that you put your photos where you audience is going to see them. Beyond that, all sorts of shortcomings become visible. The max resolution of photos on Facebook is a paltry 2048×2048. I mentioned this in my blog post on choosing a photo service. TVs and monitors are exceeding those dimensions far more often now.
It isn't too uncommon for me or a friend to want to know which camera they used to take a photo. On Facebook we have to ask the question because Facebook strips all metadata in the photo when you upload it. All the nitty gritty details about the camera, lens, settings, etc is perhaps not a huge loss for family and friend photo sharing. However for the more hard core photo communities of public photo sharing, these are essential pieces of information about a photo you expect to be able to see.
Personally, I like to share the location of my photos. It is a richer experience for those viewing the photos and it is also nice for me when I want to look at old photos and perhaps I forgot where the photo was taken. My phone has the location stored in the photo. However when you upload the photo to Facebook, in order to make the location visible to everyone on Facebook, I have to set the location explicitly in the Facebook UI. This is an unnecessary hurdle when eliminating as many clicks and taps as possible is essential to retain users attention. Google+ on the other hand shows me a little map next to a photo (along with all the other metadata in my photo) and allows me to remove the location altogether, or to share the location for all the photos in the album. I don't have to search and select a location from another set of UI.
Facebook has a not too discoverable feature called shared photo albums. The gist of it is a photo album, that you invite other people to add their photos to. So for example, we spent a weekend with a few other families and I wanted to easily access all the photos from everyone that weekend. I created a shared album and invited them to it. One family added their photos, the other didn't. For the photos that were added, great! The problem is, people are busy, miss things, can't figure out how to use feature sometimes, etc. The real opportunity here is not to create another feature where people have to actively manage their photos more. Facebook knows who was there that weekend because we all either posted photos to Facebook or were tagged in photos posted by others there that weekend AND they all have location information in them. A great photo experience would be something akin to Google Stories where Facebook sees that everyone is probably at the same event/activity and suggests to us that we have a combined view of all our photos that we can all see with one click.
Finding Photos
If you are tired of reading, know that in this area, Facebook gets an F-, 0%, complete failure in my opinion.
My anniversary was a couple months ago. I wanted to go on Facebook and find photos from our wedding weekend posted by me and friends. There are really 5 main variables at play here in this scenario to help me find the relevant photos. Album, time, location, people's photos, people tagged in photos.
Not everyone made an album of their photos from that weekend. Most are just uploaded to the default Mobile Uploads or some other generic album. Even if they all did put in an album, there is no way for me to search all my friends photo albums. I would need to go to each of their profile pages. This is consistent across all aspects of photos, I can't search for anything, it is all browsing. Most of the browsing is not at all optimized to be efficient. Lets say I was religious about creating albums and I uploaded all my photos to Facebook, there would be hundreds of them. Browsing for a specific album in their UI would be horrendously slow.
How about I go right to the date of the wedding. I can use the Timeline for looking for photos by time. However this requires me to scroll through an entire year's worth of Facebook posts, not just photos. There is no way for me to go to a specific date in just a few seconds. And then, at the end of all this I am only in one person's timeline. I wanted to see photos from all my friends who posted photos from the wedding. This brings me to the next big problem with finding photos or anything on Facebook. You can't combine variables when trying to find anything. Of course this idea is already dead in the water because of the previous point that there are no searching capabilities at all, only browsing.
Ok, so lets say I am determined to browse for photos. On the date of our wedding, there were not actually many photos posted relating to the wedding. I found many photos from friends posted days, weeks, or even months past the actual wedding. OK, I get it, you just want to enjoy the wedding festivities and worry about posting later, the way it should be. Remember what I said about Facebook nuking all metadata associated with a photo when you upload it? That includes the date and time the photo was actually taken. So now, rather than our wedding photos showing up as being taken on the date of our wedding, they are scattered across the multi-month timeframe in which people got around to uploading them to Facebook. I find this very odd for Facebook to do. They want every last detail of your life down to the minute practically on when it happened, yet when I post photos I have a history of when I added it to Facebook rather than when it the photo was actually taken.
People Tagged in Photos
I know myself and others are tagged in photos, so I could use Facebook's ability to see photos I'm tagged in, or photos me and a friend are tagged in. However this alone is insufficient get photos from the 10s of people who were at our wedding and narrow it down to our actual wedding date rather than all the other times I've seen these people.
My last hope, location. We were married in a church we never went to except for our wedding. Hidden away on your profile page, there is a way for you to view a map of all your posts. It is very clumsy to use compared with every other modern map out there. Of course I can't search it, because why would I want to search to jump right to a location? And it is only my photos! I can go to a friend's profile page and view their map, one by one, and it would take forever. But then the real kicker in all this is what I mentioned earlier. Facebook doesn't leverage the location in your photos. You need to add the location in Facebook's UI on your own. So chances are people probably don't even have the location on the photos.
This may seem like an exceptionally complicated scenario, however I don't believe it is. All the big events in life happen with other people, somewhere, sometime. We remember some set of those variables, and naturally want to use them to find photos from our past. We all have holidays, graduations, weddings, big birthdays, anniversaries, religious events, etc. and want to see photos from them again.
One last example that is completely different. Lets say I want to see all the photos me and my friends have posted that have a baby or kid in them doing something cute. In my experience people love to comment on these sorts of photos and I'd bet I'd do pretty well if I could search for all photos that have a comment with 'cute' in it. Just like all the other pieces of data associated with photos, I can't search comments either :(.
I already touched on this a bit for Facebook in my post on choosing a photo service. This is really quite simple. Facebook stores a low quality version of your photo with none of the metadata. Do not rely on it as your primary backup of photos. Maybe your 4th or 5th backup is ok, a low quality photo is better than no photo!
Developer Platform
This warrants its own blog post. Stay tuned.
Facebook is a social network which many of us get a lot of benefit from. From my point of view though, they are currently focused on getting as much information out of people as possible, so that information can be shown to friends, and encourage them to share even more information. Facebook is a giant personal information vacuum, showing what it just sucked up. This only helps me with new photos, and fails at just about every other photo scenario. After 7 years as a user of Facebook, I am sorely disappointed. I use Facebook to augment my experience with photos, sharing in particular, but beyond that Facebook has not demonstrated to me that it is serious enough about photos that I should consider it as the primary home for my photos online.
A new way of finding photos for throwback Thursday, Sepia
A few blog posts ago I talked about the Facebook page for viewing your relationship with a friend. While that is a fun pivot and experience to look at old photos, it takes some initiative to decide you want to go there. You probably aren't going to do it unless you have a very specific reason to go there, beyond just wanting to feel nostalgic about the past. For pretty much every photo solution out there, it requires you to take the initiative to search for what you to look for.
I love looking at my photos from the past. I actually don't even care which photos I see, so long as there are photos I care about. As simple as it sounds, making a decision to spend some time to look at photos, figure out where they are stored, and search to find some photos requires too much brainpower and time. That probably makes me sound lazy, but with 2 young kids, time is precious. Spending even a couple minutes to find some photos to look at for just a minute or so, is a horrible ratio of work/enjoyment. I want work to be 0, and enjoyment to be off the charts because I just spent a minute looking at a couple photos from the camping trip we did a few years ago, or the dinner we had with friends. Throwback Thursday (TBT), which I blogged about a few weeks ago, is becoming increasingly popular. For good reason too! It is fun to look at old photos. But again, finding these photos is a bit of a time consuming process.
Being a developer, I've though a lot about what could be built to help bring this work/enjoyment ratio to what I want it to be. Over a decade ago my friend Tom and I built a photo web site we used for our photos and our friends photos.
This is pre-Flickr days and pretty much every other photo web site that we know of today. Perhaps we should have quit our day jobs and built a business out of our site given how much our friends and family loved it, but that is a whole different story. One of the best features of our photo site, was receiving an email every day you or your friends had photos from that day in past years. I get a great set of photos sent to me, and all I have to do is enjoy them, perfect! Quite often, there would be a fun dialog back and forth with friends about the good times we had together.
Tom and I shut down our web site a number of years ago because our time was needed elsewhere. Fast forward to today, I've been back on the hunt to solve this problem. With a very different landscape from the early 2000s, the most natural place it seemed to start was with Facebook. It is perhaps the largest, if not the largest photo repository on the internet. There are enormous amounts of metadata associated with photos to aid in finding photos. Facebook knows who your friends are, who your close friends are, and who your family members are. The possibilities for the ways I could use this information to build great experiences for people to enjoy photos makes my mind run wild. So I got to work on building Sepia. Essentially, Sepia is currently a modern version of the emails the photo site Tom and I made. Sepia leverages all the great data to send you a selection of photos from you and your friends on this day in history. You can share the photos with friends and reminisce about the past. Sepia isn't along in trying to help people enjoy their photos. The once very promising startup Everpix introduced flashback emails, one of their most popular features.
Sepia isn't only aware of this day in history. You know how Facebook asks you to wish your friends a happy birthday and to send them a gift? Sepia will find all the photos of the times you and your friend spent together and send you a personalized collage on their birthday.
I've been working on Sepia for quite a few months now, getting feedback from early users. While it is still in its early stages (beta), I want many more people to be able to enjoy what I've built. So I've decided to open up Sepia for anyone to sign up. Just go to www.sepialife.com to sign up. After that, tell your friends. Since Sepia is still in beta, I'm working hard and fast to improve it. There may be glitches, but I'll fix them fast. If you have feedback good or bad, please send it to me.
As one of my friends put it, "These daily photo flashbacks make me so happy!"
The pace of life only seems to be getting faster and faster. These moments of taking a step back and reflecting on the past are becoming more and more meaningful to me. Give Sepia a try, and love your photos again for throwback thursday, or any day
Timeline of you and a friend on Facebook
In my search to find different ways I could view my photos from years gone by, I stumbled upon a well hidden feature in Facebook, Friendship Pages. As far as I can tell, the feature was quietly released over 3 years ago in a Facebook blog post. A Friendship Page is a timeline view of you and one of your friends, containing all the interactions you've had together on Facebook. For example, a photo you are both in, or one of you is in a photo the other posted in Facebook. There is a convenient link on the left that will let you see a album like view of all the photos of you and your friend. The feature goes beyond photos into posts and other interactions people can have on Facebook.
Apparently at one point users could get to this page by a link on the sidebar in a friend's timeline. Not super convenient, but discoverable for those glancing around. Now, the feature is hidden away under a gear icon which brings up a menu, containing a link to the feature. This pretty much guarantees next to no one will ever find the feature.
Notice what else is in this menu? The long forgotten Poke! When was the last time you saw a Poke used? Its been a long time for me. This menu is one of many places where features go to die on Facebook. It's a shame. The Friendship view is a nice way to look back in time at the the relationship you have with another person, in the virtual world at least.
Birth of Sepia
It seems to only make sense to have the first blog post be what I am putting in the About section for this blog to set the context for the blog. So here it is…
I started Sepia because I have thousands of photos I never look at! Oddly enough, all my friends have the same problem. Social sites for sharing photos (Facebook, Instagram, and others) heavily favor viewing photos that are recently posted. This means the vast majority of photos I look at are from the past week or so. Other tools for photos involve managing and editing them. While that can be fun, it often sounds like a chore to me and turns of off from my photos. This is exactly the opposite reaction I want to have with my photos. I want to love them again!
One of the things I miss most about photos is looking at ones from years past and having a raw emotional reaction and flood of memories from that time. This is a very different experience from viewing photos from the past week. Over time, how I react to a photo changes, and the moments in life that have had a big impact on me become crystal clear when I look at them. My goal for this blog is to cover all aspects of simply enjoying the photos of my life.


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I have a special place in my heart for this pair. And the little one they're preparing to welcome into the world very soon. You see, this is my baby sister, and she's due to have her first little one very soon. I'm going to be an auntie!! I've been waiting (and praying) for this for ages. I don't think I can put into words how exciting that is! (And not only that, our little ones will be just weeks apart!)
I'm so happy to be able to share a few photos of my beautiful sister, Megan, and her hubby, Kevin. And I can hardly wait to meet their soon-to-be baby boy (my nephew!)! Congrats, M+K!


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Manchester City are victims of their own success, argues Roberto Mancini.
The City manager says last season's title came too soon.
"It's difficult to win a championship here," said Mancini. "We won last year but we won very quickly. Usually when you manage a team that hasn't won for 40 years, I think that you need four, five or six years to win a Premier League.
"We won the championship after two years and it's clear it's more difficult the year after but we had the chance."


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text: >BTW audi had an upgrade kit for the V8's but Im not sure if they are >still available. You can probably find some hanging around some dealers >though. > part # 441 615 301A > $3600.................... >Later! >> ????????????????????????????????????????? Part#: 441-615-301A is a standard front rotor not a UFO, and not the whole NLA conversion kit. AoA Suggested Retail for USA is 187.70 ea. Vince Lyons


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Have you watched "The Impossible"? I did…for the first 15 minutes or so. I can't continue without having a heart attack before I lull myself to sleep (how can I even sleep in the first place if prior to bedtime is that movie). I am just relieved that Naomi Watts has recovered from this:
I love Vogue Australia's take on the month of February. There is nothing so red and so "valentinish" unless you expect flowers on the 14th!
PS. Reminder to self. The Impossible is just a movie (but a true story). I'll be brave enough to watch it.


text: You can but lice treatments from your local pharmacy. Just follow the instructions that are on the box. You may also want to pick up some spray and make sure to spray anyplace that you can not wash. For example the car, car seats and things like that. You also will want to sterilize all hair accessories, and wash all pillows and blankets. If the lice have become really bad, you can always call your doctor as there is a prescription type head lice killer.


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Wall Posts
Favorite Episodes
Recent Comments with recent replies
Hey, what gives? The opening credits of this movie are really the opening credits for Galaxy Invader. Didn't anyone else notice this?
"Sigma Wave" in Invasion of the Neptune Men, 24:00 to 24:40
Just don't do something, STAND THERE!
The doctor with the giant hypodermic needle is the funniest thing I saw in the movie -- except the part where Glen harpoons the doc with it.
Are there really 1155 people watching this movie on 1 13 15? that must be a record?
Why is that alien called " The Blood Beast?" Where's the blood?
Now we know where sea monkeys come from -- Steve (aka Johnny) and the Blood Beast!
I want Tammy! Perky Women are HOT.
Recent Riffs
( Joel talking about Hercules) I hope his body grease isn't flammable!
We're being Martinized!
They're all photo negatives of Abe Lincoln!
Look! My mouse melted!
My mouse melted!
Du-du-du-du- dudu. Du-du-du-du-dudu. Du-du-du-du- dudu. Ew! Step around that !


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Oxford science report warns of catastrophic wipeout of human civilization from asteroids, viral pandemics and the rise of the robots
There are a host of existential threats that could wipe out humanity, from virulent viruses to the development of artificial intelligence. According to a recent ominous report, however, government institutions are not taking apocalyptic threats seriously enough. Climate change, nuclear winter, super volcanoes and asteroids were among the threats that pose an existential threat to […]Read more


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Republican Lawmaker wants to Inhibit Free Speech
by Big Dog on Mar 10, 2008 at 17:03 Political
Republican Tim Couch of Kentucky is introducing legislation making it a crime to post to the Internet anonymously. His bill would make it a crime for a person who runs a website to allow anonymous comments and would require people to register with the website using their real names.
Couch proposes a first offense $500 dollar fine to those who allow anonymous comments. Subsequent "violations" would cost $1000. Couch states that this is to cut down on online bullying which he claims happens a lot in his home state.
The First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law that abridges free speech. Couch is a member of his state legislature and it would have to enact this law which would abridge free speech. Certainly he is not in the US Congress but he would be part of a government body trying to curb free speech. If a website owner wants to delete bullying comments or ban commenters then that is the web site owner's prerogative. The government (state or otherwise), on the other hand, is forbidden from doing this by the First Amendment.
Couch might believe that this would stop online bullying but I have my doubts. I also doubt he is strictly motivated by the bullying "problem." People could register using any name that appears legitimate. How would a webmaster know? Why would a webmaster be fined because John Doe commented? We don't get the names of every person who joins a protest and some of the signs they carry have messages that could be considered bullying and certainly some of their actions amount to bullying. Will we require those who carry disparaging signs to disclose their names?
Couch is trying to stifle free expression and that is a violation of our Constitution. Perhaps the bullying he refers to comes from those who write about the stupidity of members of government, such as say….Tim Couch.
It is not the job of government to be the nannies of all Americans whether at the state or federal level. The government works for us, not the other way around. We have the right to express ourselves as we wish and website owners are free to police their sites as they see fit, not as Mr. Couch sees fit. Perhaps Mr. Couch would better serve his constituents if he did some serious work rather than try to play nanny to Kentucky citizens who can do quite well without an intrusive government or its officials.
As Ronald Reagan once said; "We are a nation that has a government – not the other way around." One could substitute state for nation and it would still be just as meaningful.
Maybe Mr. Couch should reexamine his conservative values and either straighten them out or switch parties.
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Tags: free speech, intrusion, tim couch, unconstitutional


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Michael Parenti: Capitalism's Apocalypse (ONE of ONE)
For a 30 second PROMO click HERE
Why the rich can't save anybody – not even themselves
Parenti predicted the financial crisis and said that giant corporate capitalism – by it's very nature – is an apocalyptic system. When unregulated the built in elements of ever increased growth may well bring the whole system down. And he described the growing national debt not as a tragic mistake but as a means to shift ever more money from the tax payers to the financial institutions in the form of interest payments. This speech is an analysis of the many structural flaws of a capitalist system that puts it on a permanent collision course with democracy.
Recorded on August 23, 2008 at the closing reception for Maria Gilardin's art show. [ . . . ]
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:02 — 19.9MB)


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Write to Joyce
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs. -Proverbs 10:12, WEBBE
It is impossible to forgive without love. We can grant pardon from punishment towards those who offended us. We can say that we have decided not to seek vengeance anymore. We can even say that we desire the good of those who hurt us. But without love, we cannot achieve true forgiveness, for forgiveness requires love.
Yet how can we love without knowing what love is? How can we give that which we have not received? That which we have not felt?
When we find it impossible to forgive, let us seek the God of Compassion. Let us seek Him who loves us and never gives up on us no matter how many times we have fallen and lost our way.
Let His words of mercy resound always in our ears. Let His tender touch melt the hardness of our hearts. Let His gaze of kindness break through our own guilt and our many burdens. And let these words be a balm that the heals the wounds of your soul: "You are loved. You are forgiven. You were lost, but now you are found."
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
One Year Devotional Book
"Your companion for healing."


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A few bars of dark chocolate, some spoonfuls of unrefined sugar and lots of soya milk later; the idea of a delicious, natural hot chocolate drink was born.
After 3 years of making, packing and selling my delicious chocolate, and having gained a stone in weight, I had reached the first milestone in the business.
It seemed as if Choc affair had reached a ceiling with just myself, one other team member, and my husband who was doing the accounts, delivering orders, and keeping me in check, (or trying to!) something needed to change to grow, or I needed to be content to maintain the status quo.
Well anyone who has an entrepreneurial spirit will know that there is never a time when you are content to maintain the status quo!
Driven by an ever optimistic personality and of course the obligatory touch of madness which I firmly believe is needed to start a business venture, there was only one thing for it. I needed a business partner to help Choc affair reach her potential.
So, business partner it was. Ian is firstly my brother in law (there is nothing like keeping it in the family!) and comes from a retail background with 30 years experience in the field. With Ian's energy and passion, the company has gone from strength to strength.
2017 has seen us celebrate our 10th birthday, and it has been a busy few years. We have moved to bigger premises, twice, and from our small beginning at home in the kitchen with one tiny machine, we are now a team of 20 and a production factory of 12 machines, all responsible for the creation of our mouth watering chocolate delights.
It's a busy team, but we all work in a friendly and dare I say a great atmosphere, and the hum of activity is inspiring. If you visit us, the smell of chocolate delights your senses, and there are samples everywhere to try.
What's next? To go on making great tasting chocolate, whilst keeping good family values at the heart of what we do.


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Quit Being So Nice All the Time
Doing things for the right reasons. One of a million other lines we hear every day is that we should do things for the "right reason". But what is the "right reason"?
Something else said often, especially to children, is to "be nice" or to "play nice". What exactly is "nice"? And is it the same thing as "right"?
These two words both have significance because they are used in relation most often to another person, but sometimes with regard to animals and nature as well. For the sake of clarity, I'll stick to just people. Although both are used in relation to another person, the likeness, in my opinion, ends there. Both words, though having to do with an interaction between two people, don't necessarily require a genuine consideration of the other person in order to be applied.
It seems that all too often, the words "right" and "nice" are lumped together and intended to mean the same thing, but where rightness is firm, niceties are hollow and trend toward something it bends over backward to avoid: cruelty.
A French Revolution parable from author Frank Sheed helps explain what I mean. When told the people had no bread, the king's minister suggested, "Let them eat grass", to which the king's wife, Marie Antoinette, replied, "Why don't they eat cake?". Though the former was cruel and the latter was kind, Sheed noted that "men will die on a diet of cake just as they will die on a diet of grass". Neither option could be considered a "right" choice.
The explanation of why something is right lies no further than its absolute and objective nature. There will never exist a sliver of the world where theft is "right" and the opposite is "wrong"; stealing something from another person will always be an objectively bad choice. Don't believe me? Ask a thief how he would feel if you stole his stuff.
Still, so many people in the world today feel the need to argue the objectivity and absoluteness of this portion of truth, as if some level of stubbornness or a large enough portion of the population arguing for alteration could will that truth to change. A person might freely proclaim that killing a person is always wrong, but you could turn around and see the same individual advocating for a woman's right to choose in the case of abortion over life.
In my estimation, that's only half "right" and half wrong, but both things could be considered "nice" to do in relation to the other person.
Humanity should try to get it "right" 100% of the time before even considering what's "nice", but don't take my word for it. After all, I'm a finite, human person who will die at some point in the future. After I'm gone, then what? Humanity will still be meant for more, and people will still be bound to the same moral code of "right" that existed when I was alive.
It follows that if what I say doesn't have any impact on what's right, and if all human persons are created equal and are to be treated intrinsically as such, then what any other human person past, present, or future says has no impact whatsoever on objective moral truth.
You can't say the same for "nice". Niceness is entirely based on human influence, and as a result it mirrors humanity's flawed nature. Furthermore, all too often an overabundance of niceties without the accountability of "right" behavior compounds on itself and has the potential to create massive problems. It may be nice to tell someone that an ugly sweater looks good on them, and that someone might hear the same thing from everyone they ask, but it still doesn't mean the person looks good in the outfit (Emperor's New Clothes, anyone?).
Whether or not you consider the well being of another person is the key, and we're all guilty of getting it wrong more often than we'd like to admit (for me especially). To treat a person rightly is to consider their long-term well being, while treating a person nicely is only looking at the short-term.
Am I saying that you can never be both at the same time? No. But next time the opportunity comes up, choose "right" first.
Check out Facebook, too…


text: For the first time I saw my daughter receiving her prize with medal when she won in a solo contest in school! And I think this will be her first step to becoming a good singer someday! As parents we are so very proud of her! She didnt excel in the class but she excel in singing field. We are more than happy! Our main project is to buy her a sound system set so she can practice at home, if only we are near in midlothian va but we can order online though. I hope we can provide her with that and she will be trained to be a good a great singer!


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Sound of Music stars pay tribute to Eleanor Parker
Sound Of Music stars Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews have paid tribute to their co-star Eleanor Parker, who died on Monday (09Dec13). The 91 year old, who played The Baroness in the beloved 1965 movie musical, passed away at a medical centre near her home in Palm Springs, California, and Andrews has spoken of her fondness for the veteran actress while promoting new film Saving Mr. Banks, which chronicles the story behind her Disney movie Mary Poppins.
She says, "Eleanor was a charming, elegant and beautiful lady. It was an honour to know her and a pleasure to work with her. She was beloved by all who knew her and will be remembered as one of the legends of Hollywood."
Meanwhile, Plummer, who romanced her character in Sound of Music has released a statement, which reads: "Eleanor Parker was and is one of the most beautiful ladies I have ever known.
"I hardly believe the sad news for I was sure she was enchanted and would live forever."


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text: Audio Lecture for Parents of Teens Audio Lecture for Parents of Teens PLDZ-1020 In Stock $ 4.99 USD firstname.lastname@example.com Buy and Download > Description "Get Out of My Life!" A Live Audio Lecture for Parents of Tweens and Teens (Running Time 1:20 minutes) Parents struggled with their toddlers and preschoolers, then feel like they can come up for air a bit when their kids move into the school age development stage. But somewhere around the age of 9 or 10, something goes terribly wrong and parents begin to believe their older kids are going CRAZY! Well, the truth is... they are. Because of a number of chemical and biological changes going on in the tween's and teen's body, their behavior changes and sometimes for the worst. Sit back and relax and listen to a live lecture conducted by award-winning author, parenting expert, and television producer and host, Bill Corbett. This entertaining audio presentation will have you laughing at parents and teens alike as he lays out the irrefutable issues with raising teens. In this one hour and 20 minute audio recording in front of a live audience, Bill explains what it takes to become a successful parent with the modern day teenager. Bill Corbett is the author of the award-winning parenting book series, LOVE, LIMITS, & LESSONS: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RAISING COOPERATIVE KIDS (in English and in Spanish). He sits on the board of the Network Against Domestic Abuse, the Resource Advisory Committee for Attachment Parenting International, and the management team of the Springfield Parent Academy. Bill's practical experience comes as a father of three grown children, a grandfather of two, and a stepdad to three. He resides with his wife Elizabeth and teenage step daughter Olivia. You can get FREE parenting advice from him at http://www.CooperativeKids.com. Learn more about Bill and his unique style of training at http://www.BillCorbett.com. "Get Out of My Life!" A Live Audio Lecture for Parents of Tweens and Teens (Running Time 1:20 minutes) Parents struggled with their toddlers and preschoolers, then feel like they can come up for air a bit when their kids move into the school age de Direct Link http://store.payloadz.com/go/?id=1350532 http://store.payloadz.com/details/1350532-audio-books-family-and-parenting-audio-lecture-for-parents-of-teens.html Tags parenting teensTeenagersAdolesentsTweens Family and Parenting Audio Books


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At the GOP Convention in 2012, there's going to be a speech from someone and the mantra is going to be: "Republicans, Independents or Democrats, we're not taking sides, but Obama's got to go."
Just close your eyes and think about it being said in the voice of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards who did the silver spoon speech about George Bush, 41.
The speech will go something like this:
"When it came to the economy and getting Americans back to work, Mr. Obama led the charge to spend his way out and raise the debt of our nation. We're not taking sides, but Obama's got to go.
"When it came to the government take over of medicine, Mr. Obama led the charge. We're not taking sides here, but Obama's got to go.
"When it came to bowing to the leaders of other nations, Mr. Obama led the way and became the first president ever to bow to a foreign leader. We're not taking sides here, but Obama's got to go.
"When it came in 2009 to shaking hands with Muhammar Ghaddafi years after he led the way to blowing up the Lockerbie plane and killing almost 200 innocent Americans, Mr. Obama stepped out of the crowd to shake Ghaddafi's hand. We're not taking sides here, but Obama's got to go.
"When it came time to do something to stop Ghaddafi from killing his own people, Mr. Obama led the way to wait. We're not taking sides here, but Obama's got to go.
"When it came time to decide if America was running the attack on the Lybian military, Mr. Obama led the way to indecision and said it was up to NATO. We're not taking sides here, but Obama's got to go.
"When it came time to decide if America should help provide weapons to Lybians fighting their oppressive government, Mr. Obama said he wasn't ruling it out, but wasn't ruling it in. We're not taking sides here, but Obama's got to go…"
I respect the office of the presidency with all my heart. Since age 14, I've met every president to hold office since Jimmy Carter out of my respect for the people who have held that high office, whether I liked them personally or not. I have no desire whatsoever to shake the hands of someone who shook hands with someone with so much American blood on their own.
I'm deeply saddened every day to hear how Mr. Obama has failed to led and abdicated the role as the country with the light shining on a hill. I can't wait for the 2012 elections to get here because anyone, Republican, Independent or Democrat, I'm not going to take sides, could run the country in a much more honorary way than the way it is being done now.
In 2012, Obama's got to go.
Related articles
- Chris Weigant: Obama's Libyan Gamble, Week Two (huffingtonpost.com)
- A Deep Look At Obama's Libyan Gamble, Week Two (businessinsider.com)
- Obama's Libyan War, offensive and unjust, but how dare the real world distract His Majesty (pumabydesign001.wordpress.com)
- Now We Are Bombing Libya (robertlindsay.wordpress.com)
- Obama sets doctrine on Libya (rt.com)
- Obama: We have stopped Gaddafi's deadly advance (rt.com)
- Obama Parties in DC While Japan Disaster and Lybian Crisis Ignored (dewgeneral.wordpress.com)
- Obama's Libyan Gamble (businessinsider.com)
- Obama's Speech and our "Interests" in Libya (swampland.blogs.time.com)
- Obama's Collective-Action Problem (thedailybeast.com)
- Over-Articulate Obama (themoderatevoice.com)
- Bill Kristol Hearts Obama on Libya (themoderatevoice.com)
- Libya: 'Obama Doctrine' in Action? (abcnews.go.com)
- Obama on Libya: a Goldilocks doctrine gambling on Gaddafi's exit | Richard Adams (guardian.co.uk)
- Obama's Bush moment (thehill.com)
- Obama Speech Analysis: a Weird Journey Through the Mind of a Narcissist (gunnyg.wordpress.com)
- Obama Leaves Libya Questions Unanswered | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News. (gloucestercitynews.net)
- "Democrats and Press upset about even tiny cuts in government spending" and related posts (johnrlott.blogspot.com)
- Fred Barnes: Republicans Are Winning the Budget Fight (online.wsj.com)
- CNN Poll: Neither Democrats or GOP have edge in budget battle (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
- House Republicans To Run Against D.C. Establishment Even Though They're Part Of It (outsidethebeltway.com)


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Mad Max GoKart Paintball War
All Mad Max GoKarts were made by Seth Jones and Andy Sims. With help from several others. This video could not have happened without all my amazing friends who spent two days camping on location, and so much was sacrificed by so many people to make this happen, so many I can't even begin to list.
– Devin Graham


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OIG Report Finds CO Medicaid Data Security Controls Lacking
Certain Medicaid data security vulnerabilities were identified at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.
- Colorado's Medicaid data security may have increased risk due to vulnerabilities found in the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) information systems according to a recent investigation by the Office for Inspector General (OIG).
HCPF did not fully comply with Federal information system security requirements when it comes to safeguarding its Medicaid eligibility determination and claims processing systems, OIG stated in its report summary.
HCPF administers or supervises the administration of Colorado's Medicaid program, and uses outside contractors to develop and operate the state Medicaid eligibility determination and claims processing systems, OIG states in its report. It also relies on the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) to provide or contract necessary information system resources.
"Using the information systems managed by OIT, HCPF provided eligibility determinations for approximately 2.3 million Colorado Medicaid recipients and processed approximately 90.5 million claims in State fiscal year (SFY) 2015," OIG found. "Total Medicaid claims in Colorado for SFY 2015 totaled approximately $6.4 billion."
However, OIG wanted to see if adequate security controls had been implemented, and assessed information system general control effectiveness. The agency also reviewed HCPF's risk assessment and implementation of certain controls over its Medicaid application database security, web site security, and universal serial bus (USB) device security.
In evaluating HCPF's risk assessment, database security, Web site security, and USB device security for its Medicaid eligibility determination and claims processing information systems, we identified vulnerabilities related to inadequate risk assessment policies and procedures, improper administration of the Medicaid claims database, inadequate security of Medicaid databases, inadequate Web site security, and improper management of USB ports and devices.
These exploitations could have potentially resulted in unauthorized access to sensitive information, or led to that information being inappropriately disclosed, OIG determined. Furthermore, a lack of proper safeguards could leave systems vulnerable to unauthorized individuals that may attempt "to commit fraud, waste, or abuse or launch attacks against other computer systems and networks."
OIG recommended that HCPF address the found risk assessment vulnerabilities, along with the database administration and security weaknesses. HCPF should also ensure that strengthens its Web site security and USB port and device security for its Medicaid eligibility determination and claims processing information systems.
Medicaid data security risks can lead to widespread problems for any healthcare organization. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that OIG has investigated this type of potential vulnerability.
South Carolina's Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) was found to have a weak risk management process earlier this year.
OIG reported that MMIS data was not safeguarded properly per federal standards, the supporting systems were not properly secured, and there was not "an adequate risk management process that included contractor oversight."
Overall, OIG highlighted what a strong risk management program should include:
- Contractor oversight
- Establish a security plan for the MMIS
- Implement media protection for laptop computers
- Meet Federal requirements for the security of software and data
- Adequately address vulnerabilities on network devices or Web sites
- Implement adequate security awareness and role-based training programs
In some cases, the found security weaknesses were significant, according to OIG.
"Although we did not find evidence that anyone had exploited these weaknesses, exploitation could have resulted in unauthorized access to and disclosure of beneficiaries' electronic protected health information, as well as disruption of critical Medicaid operations," OIG explained in its report.
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Politics are changing lightning fast and climate is changing lightning fast, and now it seems that wild animal behavior is also seriously changing.
I've written about the catastrophic decline of lions, but recently we learned of one of the weirdest wild animal behaviors ever: inter-species nursing! Combined with several years ago, when a lionness adopted an oryx (!) in Samburu, I think we're seeing nature desperately trying to evolve as fast as earth's temperatures warm.