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Book your stay
Don't hesitate to call us or send us an email to book.
Don't hesitate to call us or send us an email to book massages and beauty treatments.
Don't hesitate to call us or send us an email to plan your reception. Our team will be delighted to help.
Don't hesitate to call us or send us an email to ask us for a quote.
The Cinq Mondes Spa at the Château de Berne invites you on a sensory journey to another world! A temple to well-being, this elegant, 800 m² space presents a unique relaxation experience.
To relax at your leisure, enjoy access to: an indoor pool with a swim jet and massage water jets, overlooking the vines and olive groves, two jacuzzis, sauna, steam room, sun lounge, and relaxation space with a herbal tea room and gym.
Treat yourself a selection of high-end beauty treatments at the heart of the Château de Berne in spacious cabins, including two double cabins with magnificent views of the vines and olive trees. The Cinq Mondes Spa offers a fantastic palette of well-being treatments and traditions which are marked out by their quality and authenticity, drawing inspiration on practices from here and around the world. So let go and experience Cinq Mondes in the idyllic settings of Provence.
Escape from the stresses and strains of everyday life with our wellness packages lasting one or several days, in a truly exceptional environment. Succumb to the power of nature and get back on top of the world from the inside out in our expert hands, using various yoga and meditation techniques combined with ancient arts.
What greater pleasure than work-out overlooking the vineyards of Côtes de Provence ! The Château fitness room, which looks out over the domain, offers top of the range cardio-training and work out equipment: treadmill, exercise bike, stair stepper, rowing machine, bike…
After your work out, treat yourself to the comforts of the spa where you will enjoy access to the pool, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and herbal tea room.
The Spa Château de Berne opens the gates to a world of well-being where you can take time to be good to yourself. The mineral resources drawn from the vineyard earth, the surrounding wilderness of the domain with its two rivers, and the gentle climate of Provence provide guests with everything they need for a restorative stay.


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Here we go again. It's very depressing.
This was supposed to be a president who united the country and helped heal racial divisions. Post-racial, post-political. Of course, he's been anything but.
As he did in the Trayvon Martin case, President Obama is jumping right into the fray of a racially charged incident with an opinion about what happened.
Sure, in a statement released Tuesday, he called for calm, but only indirectly – i.e. we need "healing" instead of "wounds" – and only as a sideshow to his main point, which was empathy for Brown and the clear suggestion that the killing was wrongful and racially motivated
"The death of Michael Brown is heartbreaking, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family and his community at this very difficult time," Obama wrote, adding that Brown and his family need "our prayers."
Let me be clear: I have no idea why Michael Brown was shot. BUT NEITHER DOES OBAMA.
The police say it was self defense. A witness says Brown was shot for absolutely no reason. An investigation by federal authorities is underway. It's very important to find out what happened, because we can't have police shooting black men for no reason, OR, we have to allow police to protect themselves.
Actually, if we truly live in a nation whose judicial system and culture is predicated on a presumption of innocence, then once this officer's name is out, it's going to be him and his family who needs our prayers, you can be sure.
But this doesn't occur to Obama. Because Obama's race apparently defines his worldview to a far greater extent then he let on.
I don't begrudge Obama having emotions and passions derived from being a black man in a society that can still exhibit racism – and that certainly did during his youth. Walking around as a young man in black skin, you are defined by many, often negatively – even by those who are not racist – before you've even open your mouth. Although he did grow up in Hawaii, which I imagine was a far more benevolent place than most others.
What I object to is Obama's failure, both as president as the chief enforcer of laws, to put those passions away and take an objective view that represents everyone and at least awaits EVIDENCE before making judgemetns.

subset: commoncrawl


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The International Astronomical Union recently approved names for 16 impact craters on Mercury. Several of the craters are from areas seen for the first time at close range by MESSENGER during its second Mercury flyby. The locations of these newly named craters are shown on this MESSENGER mosaic of Mercury. To learn more, read the full news story. The new crater names are:
Craters on Mercury are name for deceased artists, writers, and composers. The full list of feature names on Mercury, as well as other planetary bodies, is available at the U.S. Geological Survey Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.
Date Acquired: January 14, 2008, and October 6, 2008Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)Scale: Mercury's diameter is 4880 kilometers (3030 miles)
These images are from MESSENGER, a NASA Discovery mission to conduct the first orbital study of the innermost planet, Mercury. For information regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy.


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Dim Others Senses
Dim Another's Senses
Sense Difficulty: Easy, modified by proximity.
Alter Difficulty: Target's control or Perception.
The attribute and skills are reduced as long as the power is kept up.
Effect: This power greatly reduces the Perception of the target character. If
successful, reduce the character's Perception and all Perception skills, depending upon
the result.
Alter greater than or equal Reduce to control or Perception by Perception
0-5 -1 pip
6-10 -2 pips
The power may be used on more than one target at a time, with an increase of +3 to the
sense difficulty for each additional target; the target with the highest control or Perception rolls for the entire group.
page revision: 0, last edited: 19 Aug 2016 01:34


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I've spent a little time today reorganizing the pegboard in my office (and by office I clearly mean "craft room").
Everything about this mitigates the nasty rainy grey old day outside. Look at these rainbows! Ooooh!
By the way, have you ever checked out Goodwill for yarn? The store by me always has a huge basket of the stuff. Yesterday I found 5 rolls of wool in crazy 70's colors (see above) for $.89 a pop.


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Nuclear particles that do not have electrical charges are called neutrinos. Neutrinos were discovered around 1930 by scientist Wolfgang Pauli, who was intrigued by this particle that appeared to violate the conservation laws governing energy and movement. In addition to lacking electrical charges, neutrinos have a mass that is negligible at best, and they can move through various membranes and chemical substances without causing structural damage.
Neutrinos are electrically neutral elements that consist of several different subatomic particles. These subatomic particles are relatively basic and may form weak interactions with other substances. Neutrinos lack electrical charges, which makes them among the most unreactive of all chemical elements. These particles are not influenced by various electromagnetic forces, which act on other charged atomic particles, such as protons and electrons.
Although they are not affected by electromagnetic forces, neutrinos are influenced to a small extent by weaker sub-atomic forces, including forces with shorter ranges than gravity. Neutrinos are essentially atmospheric elements that are created through various processes. Radioactive decay is the primary source of neutrinos, although they may be formed through nuclear reactions that occur in the sun, in nuclear reactors, or through the collision of cosmic rays with atoms as well. According to Georgia State University, the sun emits large numbers of neutrinos, which pass readily through the atmosphere.


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It's time to spice up your life.
And I'm not talking about watching the Spice Girls movie on continuous loop, although I would certainly not judge you if you decided to do this. It's a great movie.
No, I'm talking about Ancho Pine Nut Brownies, which are basically my new favorite thing. I became obsessed with them after discovering them on this blog; I sought out the book they came from, entitled Nuevo Tex-Mex: Festive New Recipes from Just North of the Border; and tried a batch myself (I lightly adapted the recipe, which was developed by baker Rebecca Rather).
Incredibly dense (yes!), the chocolate is off-set by a chile bite and a mellow background of pine nuts, and chocolate morsels added to the mix make for a minefield of mingling flavors that work in a surprisingly harmonious manner. Don't like sweet and spicy? Skip the Ancho if you must, but rest assured I will be judging you for that.
Ancho Pine Nut Brownies
- 1 pound semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 pound unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 7 eggs (the original recipe calls for 8!)
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chile powder (see note)
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
- 1 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or Pinon nuts.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
- In the top pan of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and butter. Place over barely simmering water in the bottom pan and heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter have melted and are combined.
- Remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick and smooth. Slowly pour into the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the flour, ancho chile powder, chocolate morsels and pine nuts.
- Pour evenly into the prepared baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cut into squares to serve. If desired (do it!) serve with ice cream.


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Park at White Oak Canyon Parking (GPS: 38.53927, -78.34935)
Main attraction: Hike, swim holes and waterfalls
Length: 7 miles out and back
Difficulty: Moderate
Map and Directions
Last weekend we went to White Oak Canyon in Shenandoah to hike and refresh our bodies in the swim holes of the Robinson river.
Usually there is a $10 dollar fee to enter the park, but last weekend it was free. The trail starts at the ranger station and it follows the river all the way up to the top. We first hiked up to the top to enjoy the many beautiful views of waterfalls and the forest.
Swim holes and boulders
We were looking for a good swim hole close to the trail, and we found a secluded one close to a big boulder, after the switchbacks and stone steps. The big ones were crowded. The water hole was big enough to immerse ourselves comfortably. We took a bath, had a snack, relaxed by the river and watched the sky framed by trees. If you like swimming holes, try also this hike.
The spot was great for bouldering. We also came here on fall and had a good time. By the time we couldn't swim by still appreciated the views and the climb. This is how the boulder looked like by October:
Overlooking the canyon
On our way down we stopped at the overlook for some great views of the mountains at sunset. Green and blue forests with yellow and pinky sky.
Big Bear
The sounds of the forest intensified in the twilight. We spotted a big bear in the trail on our way back to the trailhead, but it left quickly to the forest.
It was a great and relaxing day in the nature. We were both tired when we started to hike up but as always it was very rewarding. Next weekend we are doing a 3 day hike and camp in Seneca Falls, looking forward to it.
What we did last weekend? We had fun in nature!
This trip is featured on the book 20 Weekend Trips Close to Washington DC.


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Previous Presentations by Steve Collis
I've had a lot of experience over recent years running workshops and giving presentations. Contact me at email@example.com if you are interested in booking me.
3D Virtual Worlds for Learning, Middle Years Schooling Association Conference
With Gord Holden, Exploring Education in Virtual World Experiences, The Vancouver Symposium on Christian Education for the 21st Century. In the video, I speak for the second half.
Presenter, ISQ Virtual PD Program
Real Audience Project, SCIL Workshop
22nd - 24th August, 2010 How to run an Internet Radio Station, Expanding Learning Horizons Conference
6th - 9th April, 2010:
Various presentations at ACEC 2010: http://acec2010.info/
September 27th, 2009: Jokaydia Unconference, in Second Life: (Sunday 27th September) on Virtual Worlds: "Running a Closed Estate for our High School - our journey."
Expanding Learning Horizons Conference 16th-18th August, 2009: Real Audience Project. http://www.computelec.com.au/elh2009/program/elh/default.aspx
Education Revolution in Action conference - Queensland, Australia 22nd-23rd June, 2009
- "Moodle for unleashed learning"
- "Run a School Internet Radio Station with Audacity"
8th September - Pymble Ladies College
Topic: Moodle.
Lorne, Victoria - Expanding Learning Horizons Conference.
- Student Blogging and Mobile Phones
NSW IT Managers Conference
- From 0 to 100 kmh with Moodle
Christian Schools Australia Conference
- Future Learning, Anytime, Anywhere, using Internet Technologies
- Beyond Borders
Victoria, Languages Professional Development
- Beyond Borders
Sydney, Association of Independent Schools
- Collabor8 - the perfect place for language students
Sydney, Macquarie University
Cambodia, Microsoft Asia-Pacific Innovative Teachers Conference
Victoria, Expanding Learning Horizons Conference
- Instructional Videocasts with Camtasia
- Beyond Borders
Canberra, National Awards for Quality Schooling
- professional experience exchange sessions
Brisbane, Teaching Australia Master Classes
- Beyond Borders
Townsville, Teaching Australia Master Classes
- Beyond Borders
Sydney, Microsoft Vista Roadshow
- Innovative Teachers Showcase
Sydney, Association of Independent Schools
- Expanding Language Skills Through Technology
Sydney, Une Journée Pas Comme Les Autres
- Beyond Borders
Sydney, Cheltenham Girls High
- Beyond Borders
Sydney, University of Sydney
- Beyond Borders
Auckland, New Zealand Association of Language Teachers Conference
- Beyond Borders
- Audacity
Sydney, Une Journée Pas Comme Les Autres
- teaching gifted and talented students
Sydney, ran teacher training at Covenant Christian School on using Moodle
Sydney, ran teacher training at North Sydney Girls High on using Moodle
Sydney, NSW Association of French Teachers conference day
- Beyond Borders
Cairns, Australian Computers in Education Conference
- receipt of Microsoft Innovative Teachers Award


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The Audit is devoted to finding, curating, and reviewing podcasts.
The Index is our recommendation database. Our recommended podcasts are available here, tagged for ease of discovery.
Browse alphabetically or use the search function.
Example keywords: issue 42, audio fiction, documentary, australian, female-hosted, bbc, true crime
The making & breaking of a marriage.
Surreal indie comedy. Audio fiction, US.
The histories of iconic structures. Conversation, UK.
Art history, one work at a time. Conversation, UK.
Short and sweet indie series about how it feels to grow up. Narrative, US.
Deep-dive investigation into an unsolved cold case by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Narrative, US.
Beautifully-produced, essay-style, non-narrated human stories. Narrative, US.
Australian community radio's answer to This American Life. Narrative, Australian.
Atmospheric audio fiction about a mysterious tape archive. Audio fiction, US.
Reporter follows a death row inmate's battle to overturn his conviction. Documentary, UK/US.
Helen Zaltzman brings a charming dose of sass to questions of linguistics. Conversation/Narrative, UK.
Compelling long-form journalism read aloud and told in serial. Reading, US.
A sonically lovely podcast about the moments that change our direction. Narrative, US.
Interactive live storytelling events hosted by Jody Avirgan. Live storytelling, US.
Slick, strange fictions from co-founder of The Black Tapes.
Jon Ronson investigates the ripple effects of free streaming porn. Narrative, US.
Gripping NZ true crime serial. Narrative, NZ.
Breaking news from the 2017 UK Election + Brexit. Conversation, UK.
Two Marks set out to write a bestseller. Conversation, UK.
Inside an abusive relationship. Journal, Australian.
Serial crime drama set in 1940s Bronzeville. Audio fiction, US.
Millennial funny-person Gaby Dunn is startlingly frank about finance. Conversation, US.
In an alternate 2016, the Transcontinental Bridge spans the Atlantic Ocean. Audio fiction, US.
Documents the painstaking investigation into the death of an unidentified man. Documentary, UK.
Slick serial docu-drama about paranormal phenomena. Audio fiction, US.
Comedian Chris Gerhardt in intense communion with anonymous strangers. Conversation, US.
Gripping cold case investigation by Australia's national broadsheet. Documentary, Australian.
Surreal comedy podcast from fictional industry group The Beef and Dairy Network. Audio fiction, UK.
Life stories of historical figures, told by engaging history buffs. Conversation, Australian.
Mini-series in which comedian David Mitchell examines the British obsession with manners. Documentary, UK.
Long-form investigation of the misunderstandings and moral complexities of the euthanasia debate. Documentary, Australian.
Short, narrative stories about being part of a larger cause. Narrative, US.
Fly-on-the-wall podcast from the Guardian newsroom about the paper's efforts to cover climate change. Documentary, UK.
Affecting true crime series from The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, reporting each season on one case in which the justice system is failing.
A moving attempt to reckon with, and perhaps reconcile, America.
Inside the US Constitution. Narrative, US.
Dylan Marron talks to people who hate him. Conversation, US.
Wrongful conviction investigation. Narrative, US.
Film reviews on the walk home from the movies. Conversation, UK.
Niche oddity for conservation professionals/enthusiasts. Conversation, UK.
How our world moves. Narrative, US.
Accessible space science. Conversation, Australian.
Following one contest from beginning to end. Narrative, US.
The investigation of a murder, and the wrongful imprisonment of an indigenous man (Narrative, Australian)
Bespoke yoga classes set to classical music. Reading, Australian.
Ten-part series from the Sydney-based storytelling night. Live storytelling, Australian.
Ordinary people reveal their interesting sex lives. Conversation, UK.
A 30-something tries to cross the hard things off her to-do list. Narrative, US.
Lackadaisical recaps of each chapter in the Harry Potter series. Conversation, US.
Independent podcast about moments of connection. Experimental/Narrative, Australian.
A serial investigation into cults, told from a personal angle. Documentary, US.
Comedian Lauren Mitchell converses with bad-ass ladies. Conversation, Canadian.
An ambitious post-apocalyptic audio drama. Audio fiction, US.
Candidates who didn't win office recall their path to failure. Conversation, US.
An internet dating horror story becomes something stranger, and worse.
The stories behind documentary film. Narrative, US.
True stories from controversial subcultures and people. Conversation, US.
Table readings of TV pilots that never got off the ground (Conversation, US)
Musings on fictional dads. Conversation, US.
Fascinating BBC stories from all over the world. Documentary, UK.
Flagship documentary program of the Irish national broadcaster. Documentary, Ireland.
Interviews with people who know death intimately. Conversation, US.
Five-part series about basketball history. Narrative, US.
Tiny 10-part series in which diverse voices read letters aloud. Experimental, Australian.
Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond respond to listener letters with warm, loving, no-bullshit wisdom. Conversation, US.
Stories about the three things we've learned not to talk about. Interview, US.
Audio portraits of anonymous strangers. Narrative, UK.
The Australian Broadcast Corporation's documentary program. Documentary, Australian.
Road trips with Atlas Obscura. Documentary, US.
Revisiting the best non-fiction pieces from the magazine's deep archive. Conversation/Reading, US.


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After hearing that an Afghan border official had announced Taliban leader Mullah Maulana Fazlullah's death in Afghanistan, Hilal Ahmed went to the graveyard with tears of relief.
The 33-year-old doctor and resident of Pakistan's Swat valley closed his clinic in the hilly town of Charbagh and went to offer prayers at the graves of his uncle and two relatives who were shot dead by Mullah Fazlullah's militants. Their crime? The family had dissented against the Taliban's presence in Swat.
"It is God's revenge. [Fazlullah] turned our valley into the valley of death with his atrocities," says an emotional Ahmed.
The militant's death was claimed by the chief of Afghanistan's border security, following a clash between official forces and Fazlullah's militia in Barg Matal district of Nuristan province, which borders the Bajaur tribal region of Pakistan.
Fazullah was a key Taliban leader who led thousands of fighters and administered a parallel state system in the lush valleys of Swat. He was dubbed the Radio Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts . He set up a parallel court with militants as judges, modeled on the strict Afghan Taliban code, initially drawing local support that waned as he led a reign of terror. Under his two-year rule starting in 2007, girls' education was banned, schools were bombed, veils imposed on women, and public executions and flogging were used. Tens of thousands of families fled the valley.
In the ensuing military operation, more than 3,000 people were killed including 1,000 security personnel. A year ago, he fled Pakistan's military offensive in Swat and slipped into Afghanistan. Sources say he was in Nuristan province recently and he himself had telephoned a British broadcast station last year announcing his escape.
Engaged in Afghan fight
A day before his death, Afghan officials said that Fazlullah was leading around 300 Pakistani Taliban fighters against Afghanistan security forces in Nuristan. Sources say he was moving between Kunar and Nuristan provinces.
A Pakistani intelligence official, who asked not to be identified says, "We have to wait for authenticity of the claim. We have to see the body, footage, or picture of the corpse to reach to the conclusion that he is dead."
If the claim of his death is true, it could demoralize Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan ("Pakistan Taliban" or TTP) for whom he was the public face, and its commanders in the tribal belt, especially those in North Waziristan as the threat of a massive Pakistan military operation also looms large.
It may also push Pakistan Taliban commanders such as Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Sirajuddin Haqqani into keeping a low profile and make them cautious about sending fighters to Afghanistan. They are accused of sending fighters to Afghanistan's southeastern provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Paktika bordering North Waziristan.
Fazlullah's experience in Swat had initially provided the TTP leadership with a pilot model. But he was flushed from there, and if his reported death by Afghan border forces proves true, it's an illustration that seeking refuge in Afghanistan is no longer a sure thing.
Within an hour of the announcement, powerful militant commander Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, head of the TTP in the Bajaur tribal belt, told local reporters that Fazlullah had not been killed. "He could be in Nuristan because the Taliban have been moving back and forth along the border," Mr. Faqir said. "He may be in Nuristan but he is not engaged in any fighting there."
An Afghan Taliban commander Qari Ziaur Rehamn said "It's just a propaganda. We carry out guerrilla attacks with the strength of 10-20 fighters and not in hundreds as claimed by the Afghans. Let them show any proof."
Routine denials
But this has become a routine tactic. From Baitullah Mehsud to Hakimullah Mehsud to Fazlullah, Taliban commanders steadfastly deny reports of leaders' deaths in an apparent attempt to keep their ranks united and prevent panic among their fighters.
"The loss of a leader is like losing a thousand jihadis. The militant outfits thrive on leaders by creating their persona and once the leader is created then thousands of young fighters take oaths of allegiance," says Swat-based writer and analyst Mohammad Shehzad. "So for [the TTP] it is a big blow as it has already lost Baitullah Mehsud for which the vacuum is not filled as yet. And for Afghan Taliban, its like losing a commander who provided their insurgency oxygen in the shape of young brain-washed jihadis."
Fazlullah carried a government bounty worth fifty million rupees ($600,000 dollars).
He started as a woodcutter in his teens and then earned his livelihood as a chairlift operator at a ski resort in the Swat valley.
Influenced by the Islamic cleric Maulvi Sufi Mohammad, he joined the campaign to implement sharia (Islamic law) in the valley, joining the jihadis in the mid-1990s. While at Mr. Mohammed's Islamic school he fell in love with and married his teacher's daughter.
After 9/11, he went along with thousands of tribesmen to fight against the US forces in Afghanistan and returned a hero. Understanding promotion, he used FM radio for his sermons and became known as the Radio Mullah and drew large crowds to his speeches.
"My heart belongs to Pakistan but my soul belongs to Afghanistan," Fazlullah would say. "I am a jihadi and wish to die as a jihadi."
Back in Swat valley, Hilal Ahmed might be relieved by Fazlullah's death, but his neighbor Saeed Khan still awaits visual confirmation. He says his brother Ahmed Khan was shot dead by Taliban militants in public. "I had bathed the bullet-ridden body of my brother and his two friends myself. I will only believe when I see the footage of the corpse of Fazlullah,"says Saeed Khan.


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Why did you choose to become a nanny?
What do you consider are your qualities with regard to looking after children?
What is your current position and why do you want to leave?
Tell me about your previous jobs and why you left each one.
Have you ever had a period of unemployment and why?
What are you looking for in your next position?
Why do you enjoy looking after children?
How would you entertain them on a day-to-day basis?
How would you keep them occupied on a long wet day?
What artistic/creative talents do you have?
Can you cook? Do you enjoy cooking?
What would you cook for children aged 0-1 and 2-5?
Could you help my child with weaning, table manners, potty training, reading and writing?
Are you trained in First Aid? What would you do in the case of: bad cuts, burns, blow to the head, choking, high fever.
How do you see your role in disciplining my child/children?
What household tasks are you happy to perform? (e.g. nursery duties only, light housework, ironing, cooking).
Are you happy to baby-sit? Would you expect to be paid extra for this?
When did you pass your driving test?
Have you had any accidents?
Are you able to drive an automatic car?
What type of car do you have? Does it have rear seat belts? What type of insurance do you have (fully comprehensive / third party)? Have you got insurance for taking employers' children in your car?
Do you understand that smoking and/or drinking alcohol is not permitted at work?
When would you be available to start a new position?
What salary are you seeking?
Would you accept the position if it was offered to you?


text: As my final post for 2014, I thought it would be appropriate to show some bright, colorful and festive images. Over the last couple of months I have been experimenting with Olympus's new "Live Composite" mode. I have been extremely impressed. Enjoy and Happy New Year to all of you!


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Last Wednesday, WCIU Faculty and Staff gathered together and indulged in a delicious assortment of mooncakes and Jasmine tea in commemoration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. While gathering, we learned a lot about Chinese culture and traditions from our very own Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Yalin Xin. Our time together was nothing short of fantastic. Laughter, fellowship and tea in gorgeously decorated cups gave us all a sense of excitement, as well as a short break from our daily work routine.
A BIG thank you to Dr. Yalin Xin, who graciously invited us to be apart of this wonderful experience. We learned so much, and the mooncakes were AMAZING!
For those wondering what exactly the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is, it is the second largest festival in China following the Chinese New Year. During this time, family members and friends come together to gaze at the moon and express memories of other family and friends who live far away. As they watch the beautiful moon it is custom to eat mooncakes, which symbolizes reunion of family. The holiday lasts for an entire week--how awesome is that?! Take a look at the amazing photos below.
Ashley Manley


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Sun Tattoos
Moon Tattoo – Femininity, Harvest
The sun is equally symbolic like the heart. The sun has been representing birth, life, en positiewe energie sedert antieke tye. Dit dui ook krag, vitaliteit, krag en moed. One of the deeper meaning of the sun is reincarnation or rebirth; just as the sun rises again on setting, humans are also born again after they die. The union of the sun and the moon tattoos represent togetherness, love, relationship, or even sexual union of two partners. Although the sun tattoo is considered a masculine design, it is equally popular with females. Read more on sun tattoo meaning.


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February 24th 2017 Shahedah Williams had the opportunity to show her latest collection in Philly Fashion week's Runway I show. This collection showed diverse silhouettes with a mixture rich textiles. The prints were rich in color as well as bold. They looks were risky but provided enough coverage for woman to feel comfortable. The models embodied the swimwear appropriately giving off the sexy confident energy that the looks needed to come alive on the runway. The soca music playing gave the collection that added spice it needed going down the runway. Shahedah love to show her Caribbean style in her presentation and designs.
Shahedah Textiles X Eckhaus /
This past weekend was the opening for my first gallery exhibit in Kutztown, PA at the Eckhaus Gallery. This is my first time having a whole entire space to show my work so it was hard picking through things trying to decide what I would show. It was so tuff it took me three trips and help from multiple people to fill it up to my liking I finally did the day of the gallery opening. I must admit this is amazing I'm happy to have this opportunity and hope for more opportunities to come.
Prom Scholar 2017 /
I Wanted to Blog about my organization today and share with you all what we do. As president of Prom Scholar INC it is my job to share what we do with the world. Visit our website here
Our mission is to provide a unique prom experience
to high school students graduating and going
to college. Prom Scholar not only provides a
fully custom look we also aim to raise money
for our scholar's first year of college needs.
The selected graduates by Prom Scholar, are
measured and awarded various incentives such
as a custom made gown; professional makeup, and
hair styling to participate in the high school
Prom. We take the time to create a customized
prom experience and also serve as mentors
for our scholars.
Small Business Saturday /
Today until Sunday Night You can get 50% off the entire site... Today is our first time participating in small business Saturday so enjoy!!
Something about butterflies ...... /
My inspiration for this print was freedom and the love of expression. Butterflies are often used to describe a feeling of infactuation. That idea of internalized romance is being expressed through a print.
My couture Pop up shop /
I've recently been working with this app called my couture and participating in their pop up shops. My couture is a developing app dedicated to designers with small companies. I'm excited to be apart of such a innovative approach to fashion. I love the fact that this gives small designer like me a platform to present my work to the public.
for more info about My Couture click the link below.
I added a new style called Electrik butterfly using the summer 16 print. Also featured a few new products that we have coming out
Location: Fasondeviv 228 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19106, United States
Dates: March 19th-26th 2016
Come check it out !
Monday Wear Resort Photo Shoot /
Make Up: David Aroche
Van gogh Inspired Me /
Print by Shahedah Textiles


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Mitch Albom
- Living, Writing
- No Comments
- September 23rd, 2007
I enjoy reading Mitch's books. They make me feel good about the life I have lived, and at the same time they challenge me to live with more enthusiasm and passion. If you're looking for inspiration, look no further. SC
Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.
Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. –Patrick O'Kelley -
If you have coped with the loss of a loved one, a friend, a parent, a grandparent, then Tuesdays with Morrie is the book for you. It is a touching reminder. SC
This true story about the love between a spiritual mentor and his pupil has soared to the bestseller list for many reasons. For starters: it reminds us of the affection and gratitude that many of us still feel for the significant mentors of our past. It also plays out a fantasy many of us have entertained: what would it be like to look those people up again, tell them how much they meant to us, maybe even resume the mentorship? Plus, we meet Morrie Schwartz–a one of a kind professor, whom the author describes as looking like a cross between a biblical prophet and Christmas elf. And finally we are privy to intimate moments of Morrie's final days as he lies dying from a terminal illness. Even on his deathbed, this twinkling-eyed mensch manages to teach us all about living robustly and fully. Kudos to author and acclaimed sports columnist Mitch Albom for telling this universally touching story with such grace and humility. –Gail Hudson
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avocado, hummus & sprout tartine
This is one of my go-to meals. It's adaptable to what you have on hand and it fits the mold for breakfast, lunch or dinner. All you need is a hearty slice of toast, a flavorful spread, some smashable avocado, and a heap of fresh vegetables. Add a fried egg and call it breakfast or a side soup or salad and you've got dinner.
This particular combo is one of my favorites. Garlicky hummus and avocado are particularly complimentary. The fresh sprouts, carrots and radish add crunch and sweet earthy flavors. As a kid, sprouts were repulsive, and growing up in the hippy community of Puna, they seemed to be on everything. Now, they are one of my favorite ingredients, and it's nearly impossible to find them on a menu in NYC. Luckily they are easy to find at the grocery, and can be made at home with ease (more on this later).
I had the pleasure of taking a class from the wonderful Sarah Britton of My New Roots while she was visiting NYC last year. What stuck with me the most from that afternoon was her short blurb on sprouts and sprouting. She explained that each little sprouting seed, nut or grain has all of the nutrients, vitamins and energy needed grow into a healthy plant. All of this goodness and potential is densely packed into each and every itty-bitty sprout, making them a concentrated source of nutrition. Sprouts are loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and B vitamins. They are rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Sprouts contain omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, and live enzymes that act as powerful digestive aids. Sprouts are surprisingly high in protein, and provide your body with essential amino acids that are needed for healthy cell growth.
any time tartine
- a slice (or two) of whole grain toast
- heaping spoonful of hummus
- 1 carrot, grated
- a few radishes, thinly sliced
- half an avocado
- handful of sprouts
- salt and pepper
Make a batch of hummus ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to a week. You can find the recipe here.
Prep and clean vegetables. Toast bread, and layer your tartine as desired. Top with a sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper.


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Bacon and doughnuts with Uber Entertainment: A Monday Night Combat interview
By James Evangelho, June 9, 2010.
You can learn a lot about a game developer by asking them questions completely unrelated to their product. For example, we know that Uber Entertainment, the Kirkland WA based team behindMonday Night Combat, has an obsession with bacon-topped doughnuts. They also love the A-Team.
We wanted to know more about the humorous, genre-busting 'Team Sport Shooter' Monday Night Combat, and more about the delicious bacon they often allude to, so we sat down with Art Director Chandana "Eka" Ekanayake for an enlightening chat.
Examiner: What was the first video game you remember playing?
Eka: I moved to the States from Sri Lanka in 1985 when I was 8 and the first game I remember playing was Missile Command on my 2600. After that, Asteroids, Combat, Frogger, PitFall and pretty much everything I could get my hands on for the 2600 and on my friend's 5200. When the NES came out, I was hooked on Metroid and beat that game several times JUST to get the different endings.
Examiner: You guys mention borrowing mechanics from other games - was there a certain title that inspired the creation of MNC?
Eka: MNC at its core is a shooter so we've looked at other great shooters like Modern Warfare, Halo, and Battlefield and what we and other players like about those. Most of the team is made up of ex Gas Powered Games employees that worked on games like Supreme Commander and Demigod and our thinking was to bring a strategic element to a shooter. It comes down to personal taste as well and so we're crafting MNC in a way that's easily accessible to other shooter players but we've put our own unique spin on it. I think a better description is a shooter-mashup. There's action, leveling up, upgrading, persistent stats, hand to hand grapples, finish moves, armies of AI controlled robots, strategy, unique classes, and its all on a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game. MNC is a very deep game for a typical XBLA game but easy to pick up and play due to its shooter like controls.
Examiner: Eka, we did some research and discovered you have an addiction to bacon and doughnuts, but have you ever tried a a doughnut TOPPED with fresh bacon bits?
Eka: You bet I have. Get a load of the Smokey Bacon Maple Bar at Frost Doughnuts. Mmm, yummy bacon. We get these on occasion at Uber but it's way too good to have it all the time.
Examiner: Ok, let's play hardball: Bacon or Doughnuts?
Eka: That's an easy one, bacon for sure cause it goes with everything, anytime, anywhere. Just remember to keep your bacon hot.
Examiner: If the team at Uber Entertainment had to pick a theme song, what would it be?
Eka: It would have to be the A-Team theme. It was an inspiration for us when we were trying to figure out the musical direction for the game. It's got the right mix of action, adventure, and a dose of retro campyness.
Examiner: If you were pitted against a fellow developer at Uber, which of MNC's 6 classes would you choose to get the job done?
Eka: There are certain classes that match up well against others so it would depend on the opposing team makeup. Because Crossfire mode isn't about how many kills you can get and more about destroying the other team's Money Ball, one on one battles tend to play out differently then your standard shooter. There are always AI controlled robots around, eleven other players and hazards in the arenas that could turn the battle easily. I tend to play different classes depending on the arena and team makeup. Most recently I've been having a great time playing Tank. He's a slow heavy class with a very powerful short range Jet Engine gun and a secondary long range Laser Railgun. Tank also has a ton of hitpoints and at level 3( characters can upgrade themselves during combat via a skill upgrade menu), he has more health then any other class. His three active skills include a grenade that can be upgraded to a Product Bomb to stun robots, turrets and distract players, deploy ability that transforms him into a stationary turret, and a jet charge skill that can knock opponents down and do severe damage. Every class has a unique set of active skills that are mapped to the X, Y, and B face buttons on an XBox controller. Left Trigger spins the Tank around in a fiery death blossom which is great way to check for stealthy Assassins nearby.
Examiner: You point out that MNC is fairly complex for an XBLA game. We keep seeing the quality bar for Xbox Live Arcade rising ever-higher. Do you think we'll see full fledged digital releases like yours compete toe to toe with retail releases in this console generation?
Eka: It's an interesting question and something we're already dealing with for MNC. MNC is an easy game to jump into and play with familiar shooter conventions and controls. The complexity I refer to is more about the amount of depth the game has like six custom classes, custom character upgrades and abilities, building turrets, the AI control robots, hazards in the arenas, players spawning custom robots, which happens all during a live match. There are many strategic elements and options for players to choose from that caters to their play style. We feel like we're pushing the bar for what people perceive as a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game we're bringing a lot of value and alternatives for our fans that may not want to spend $60 on a full retail title.
One of the biggest issues we had first day of PAX Boston was convincing them that MNC was an XBox Live Arcade game and not a full retail title. PAX was a complete blast, our booth was mobbed all three days. We're big believers in the future of digital distribution with services like Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, and Steam. Digital distribution allows developers like us control of our content, marketing, and direct fan interaction. We've gotten great feedback on our forums, Facebook, Twitter feeds, events like PAX, and playtests with friends and family that's helped shape the direction of our game. It's a good time to be a self-sufficient independent developer.
Examiner: Ok, let's talk solo experience. We know there are a few hermits out there who don't play online. How much time can they expect to sink into the single player mode?
Eka: Monday Night Combat has two major game modes, Blitz and Crossfire. In Blitz, you can pick one of the six classes, select one of many challenges, and defend your Money Ball against armies of various robots. As you blow up bots, the money earned can be used to level up your character as well as build different turret types around your base to defend against the robots. Blitz can be played solo, split screen at home or over Xbox Live, and four player co-op over Xbox Live. After each match of Blitz or Crossfire, the money you earn goes into a Lifetime Earnings which is persistent across both modes.
Examiner: On your Developer Blog you guys recently defined MNC as a "Team Sport Shooter." Out of any combination of video game genres out there, what currently non-existent combination would you create?
Eka: MNC in an evolution of various experiences of the people that make up Uber and the various talents they bring. We made a game that we wanted to play. It's evolved since the almost two years we've been developing it and play-testing it daily. It's really amazing how much a game can get better during development if the developers play it constantly. We purposefully focused on the gameplay first, keeping the art and polish as "whitebox" and as rudimentary as possible to allow us to try out different gameplay ideas. Whiteboxing is a great way to filter out ideas that sound good on paper but doesn't really jive with the direction of the game when implemented and played.
We're still debating about what to call MNC as a genre. It's ultimately at its core an accessible class based shooter with strategic elements mixed in. If in the future we were inspired to do more genre mash-ups, we would take a similar approach to MNC and have a core base and mix in other elements that could complement that base. At the end of the day, it comes down to a good execution and what we personally find interesting to work on and play. Even now when we do our daily playtests, there's not a single person at Uber that doesn't want to play MNC. It's still so much fun for us to play and we hope our fans will love it too.


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A quick guide to what to expect, if you seek a diagnosis for your child.
Starting this part of the journey
Diagnosis is when a name is given to your child's special needs. Many children are diagnosed when they are little, but diagnosis can happen at any age. It is a good idea to get information and help as early as you can. If you think your child might have special needs, you can start by talking to the services listed on the page about where to start.
- Find out about other families' experiences of getting a diagnosis and help for their child.
Seeing a paediatrician
You might be advised to see a paediatrician: a specialist doctor for children and young people. You usually need to get a 'referral' (a letter) from a GP before you see the paediatrician.
The paediatrician is the main person who will take you through the journey of diagnosis. For some children the diagnosis process is quick. For others it can take a few months, or longer.
Assessment and testing
The paediatrician will talk with you and your child, and then do an 'assessment' of your child's special needs. The paediatrician will refer your child to see some other specialists, such as speech therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists or other medical services, for example to test your child's hearing or sight.
Each specialist will ask you and your child questions, maybe as part of a test. Different tests are used to find out about things like your child's understanding level, their communication, their behaviour, and how their brain and body work together. Other specialists will just watch how your child plays and communicates. Sometimes they might visit your child at kindergarten, childcare or school to do this.
Getting the diagnosis
The information from these visits and tests is sent to the paediatrician, who uses it to make a diagnosis for your child. At an appointment, they will explain the diagnosis, and talk about services that can help your child and family.
Ask the paediatrician as many questions as you can, to make sure you understand what they are saying. Ask them where else to go for help, and for any written information that might help you with the next steps.
Many parent and carers think of more questions to ask after the appointment. You might be able to ring the paediatrician up, or get another appointment. You could take someone with you to appointments, like a friend or support person. The 'disability world' is often a brand new one for parents and carers. It can be good to get help, for example from a support person who knows about that world.
It can be hard going
Many parents and carers find this part of the journey hard going. There's a lot to take in. And it might be scary or emotional to think about your child having special needs, and maybe needing extra help to do everyday things. Sometimes the testing might be pretty hard going. In finding out about your child's special needs, the tests mainly focus on what your child can't do. This may feel a bit negative or upsetting. But hopefully, the results from these tests will help your child to get the services they need.
Sometimes you might disagree with the diagnosis, or with the paediatrician saying that there is no diagnosis for your child's special needs. If this happens, you can ask for a second opinion. Talk to a support person.
Get support for this journey
Almost all parents and carers find that they need support for themselves on this journey. You can get information and help from a support person. They might even be able to even come with you to appointments.
It can be helpful to speak to other parents and carers who have children with special needs. They often understand what you are going through. You might know others in community you can talk to. You can also find families through playgroups, parenting groups and support groups, or you can ring up ACD's support team.
- Find out contacts for groups through your health service, VACCA or Carers Victoria.
- Find out contacts for many services in Through the Maze, our general guide for all families to the disability support system. There is also more information for rural families in our Regional Quick Guides.


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Today in Sunday school this quote really struck me, both as a mother and a teacher:
"Do you trust God enough to let him write your children's testimony?"
No matter how much I might want something for them, whether it's good grades or manners or a godly heart, they are ultimately going to have to go after it for themselves. And one thing is guaranteed, they will never, ever go about getting it soon enough, or fervently enough, or with enough passion to satisfy me. So, am I just in the way with all my nagging?
I have a nasty habit of trying to write their stories for them. To insist upon success, taking away their right to failure. To think that if I just pray hard enough, eventually God will see it my way and spare them from the heartache and pain that life can bring.
But without the inevitable pain that comes from living in our fallen world, how will they develop the need and desire for a relationship with a Savior? After all, God is not surprised by anything they do, or will ever do. Can I trust Him enough to get out of the way of His plan for their lives? Can I trust that He will tell me what to say when the world comes crashing down around them and they turn to me, maybe even thinking to themselves, "Ya know what, one time that crazy lady tried to tell this crap would happen. Now what?"
And THEN, but only then, God can use me as a vessel to bring them into the fullness and Joy of the gospel.
In other words, unless they (or I) manage to screw up something in their lives along the way, how will they ever know they need to RUN to Jesus?
If we were the perfect parents and teachers, what would our kids have left to say when they become adults and sit around talking about all the ways their parents and teachers got it wrong, causing them to seek the shelter of His unconditional love?
Phew, for a minute there I was really worried about my kids.


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This article was originally published by Martin Parr in the Sunday Times and details Martin's favourite photography books of the last year. Click here to read it.
An interesting and insightful article by American portrait and wedding photographer, David Ziser, on how to build your photography business. Click here to read it.
A brief article by Damien Franco over at yourphototips.com on "Does shooting film make you a better photographer?". The simple answer, I believe is "yes". And which kinda photographers shoot more film than digi? Just check out the real pro landscape photographers - They all use film! Click here to read it .
I continually strive to expand my creative talents, and flowers, although a tad cliched, are an area that I would like to pursue, even if only briefly. I was looking for inspiration, but a guest poster over at DPS has already done some groundwork for me! I love the internet!! ;-) Click here to read it.
I want one, but can I really justify yet another camera bag??? Click here to read Matt Kloskowski's review of his Boda bag.
Most importantly, are we all going to be arrested as terrorists?? & - WTF??? - - How can I t-shirt possibly be a security threat??? The world's gone mad!
Harlan Ellison - Prolific American writer of short stories & screenplays. He wrote for the original series of Star Trek and has won many acclaimed literary awards. Check this video rant out. Good point, well made!


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Actor Nicolas Cage can no longer call New Orleans home after property auction
By Rebecca Mowbray, The Times-Picayune
November 12, 2009, 6:07PM
Actor Nicolas Cage can no longer call New Orleans home.
Ted Jackson / The Times-PicayunePeople gather to bid on homes up for action by the Orleans Parish Civil Sheriff's office, including two that belonged to actor Nicholas Cage, Thursday, November 12, 2009.The Academy Award-winning actor, whose life has been in financial meltdown for the past year, lost his French Quarter and Garden District homes at foreclosure auction Thursday.
The Times-PicayuneThis home on Prytania Street is one of two fomerly owned by actor Nicolas Cage that were auctioned off Thursday. His lender, Regions Bank, purchased the homes for a collective $4.5 million, or two-thirds the value that appraisers hired by the Birmingham, Ala.- bank had determined they were worth.
No other bids were registered for the properties.
Cage, whose father died Oct. 27, did not come to the lunchtime auction in the lobby of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, nor did it appear that any representatives attended on his behalf.
With the sale, the cash-strapped City of New Orleans will collect $151,729 in unpaid property taxes.
Cage has listed homes for sale around the world as he has found himself mired in debt amid declining real estate values, and the Internal Revenue Service is pursuing him for $6.6 million in unpaid taxes. But while homes in England, Germany, the Bahamas, Rhode Island, Los Angeles and Las Vegas have either been listed for sale or recently unloaded, the New Orleans homes appear to be his first lost at sheriff's auction.
Annett Wolf, Cage's publicist, did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Evelyn Mitchell, corporate communications manager for Regions Bank, declined to comment, saying that her bank doesn't discuss its loans or real estate.
Cage has blamed his problems on his former business manager, Samuel J. Levin. In mid-October, he sued Levin in state court in California, alleging negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.
The suit claims that Levin "lined his pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin," and that Cage "is now forced to sell major assets and investments at a significant loss and is faced with huge tax liabilities because of Levin's incompetence, misrepresentations and recklessness."
Levin has not returned phone calls seeking comment.
Regions Bank's purchase of the 2523 Prytania Street and 1140 Royal Street homes for $4.5 million goes a long way toward satisfying the $5.5 million in unpaid mortgage debts on the homes. The bank is free to continue pursuing Hancock Park Real Estate Co., the entity that owned Cage's properties, for the $1 million difference. Meanwhile, it can try to sell the homes at their market value to raise money.
Because Regions Bank filed its lien on the properties before the IRS did, it was able to get the properties. The sale of the homes does not extinguish Cage's debts to the IRS.
RTA Chairman and attorney Cesar Burgos was on hand for the auction. Hehad said he was interested in the properties, but did not place a bid after the $2.2 million floor on the 13,200 square-foot Prytania Street property was announced.
Sheriff Paul Valteau said he's not surprised that no one bid against the bank on Cage's properties.
Bidders must have cash or a cashier's check to cover 10 percent of the purchase price at the auction.
"Generally, on large properties you don't see third parties bidding," Valteau said, adding that the secret to foreclosure auctions is bidding at a level higher than what the bank's interest is, but below the market value.
Properties in some stage of foreclosure in Orleans Parish are on the rise.
According to national foreclosure data released Thursday by RealtyTrac, the number of homes in New Orleans that are somewhere between receiving a notice of default from the lender to having been sold at auction jumped to 332. That's an increase of 68 percent from September, when 198 homes were in some stage of foreclosure, and an increase of 89 percent from October 2008, when 175 homes were somewhere in the foreclosure process.
The 10,300-square foot Royal Street property, known as the Lalaurie mansion, was appraised by Regions bank at $3.3 million.
During an 2008 interview with David Letterman, Cage boasted that the house was "allegedly the most severely haunted house in the United States of America."
According to the Haunted New Orleans website, Dr. Louis Lalaurie and his wife, Delphine, moved in in 1832 and quickly became known as a glittering couple.
But Madame Lalaurie was allegedly cruel to her slaves, keeping the cook, for instance, chained to the kitchen fireplace.
Outsiders started to get an idea of the horror when a neighbor saw Madame Lalaurie chasing a girl with a whip to the roof of the house. The girl jumped to her death and was buried in the backyard.
Whispers about these goings-on continued until April 1834, when a fire in the house confirmed the rumors.
Legend has it that when firefighters went inside after extinguishing the flames, they found a barred door to the attic, where more than a dozen slaves were kept in chains. Some were in cages.
Eventually, a mob formed outside the house. A carriage zipped out of the gates and into the night. The Lalauries never were seen again.
The next owner said he heard strange noises and groans in the house. He moved out after three months.
"Some people have beach-front property," Cage said in the Letterman interview. "I have ghost-front property."
Staff writer John Pope contributed to this story.
Rebecca Mowbray can be reached at email@example.com or 504.826.341


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5am just landed in secret location... Such strange people on flights in the middle of the night...— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) May 3, 2012
As you might already know, John M. Chu directed "Step Up 2: The Streets," "Step Up 3D," "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," oh, and this little movie you might have heard is coming out this summer called "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"! The film is currently in post-production, but when we saw Chu write that he landed in a "secret location," our minds immediately asked: "Cobra lair?!" Hey, "Marvel's The Avengers" shot an extra scene after the film already premiered—it could happen!
Also in May 3, 2012's Twitter-Wood, Rainn Wilson tweets his thoughts about "The Hunger Games," Emma Roberts is obsessed with "Girls" and Simon Pegg wants everyone to live long and prosper.
@simonpegg It's all about keeping the peace so we can all live long and prosper ... twitpic.com/9gkk7w
-Simon Pegg, actor ("Star Trek")
@dhewlett Every time someone dies in Game Of Thrones I feel like I've lost a friend. That and I wish Mars was less soppy mutt and more dire wolf!
-David Hewlett, actor ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes")
@RachelleLefevre At Russell Brand's comedy show & completely smitten by his lethal combination of humor & intellect. I'm done for. @rustyrockets
-Rachelle Lefevre, actress ("Twilight")
@RobertsEmma Finally watched Girls. #AMAZ #OBSESSED. Every conversation I've ever had. #girls #girls #girls @lenadunham is a genius.
-Emma Roberts, actress ("It's Kind of a Funny Story")
Wilson Watches "Hunger Games" 1: @rainnwilson Watching Hunger Games. There's a LOT of nice forest land available in District 12!
-Rainn Wilson, actor ("The Office")
Wilson Watches "Hunger Games" 2: @rainnwilson Hunger Games was truly one of the 5 best ABC after school specials from 1978-1982.
-Rainn Wilson, actor ("The Office")
@russellcrowe Valjean is in this city, I can sense him.Students creating problems, Brigade du Suret,Undercover police work.Vidoq you are a genius. #lesmis
-Russell Crowe, actor ("A Beautiful Mind")
Follow @MTVMoviesBlog for all the latest film, television and celebrity updates!


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During the Katrina crisis, soldiers patrolled the foot of the St. Claude Avenue Bridge, which crosses the Industrial Canal to the Lower Ninth Ward. No part of town other than the Lower Ninth was cordoned off by troops this way; one could only imagine, with a shudder, what was going on there. It took me until the Friday after the levees broke to get up the nerve to ask the soldiers for permission to cross.
"You don't want to," the sergeant in charge said. "It's all gone. Flooded. They're shooting back there, too."
"Let me just cross as far as I can go and see it," I said. He frowned a moment.
"I can't let you take the vehicle," he said. "Park it over there and I'll have one of my soldiers walk with you." A husky young man with an M16, his helmet strapped on tight, fell in beside me.
"Where you from?" I asked him.
"Tempe, sir," he said. This was my first hint that I was dealing with the Arizona National Guard.
"How do you like New Orleans?" I asked as we huffed up the bridge's incline in the soupy humidity.
"Beats Baghdad," he said.
We crested the bridge and both of us fell silent. As far as the eye could see, houses sat immersed to their rooflines in viscous, Army-green water. The stillness was absolute. No birdsong, no breeze, and certainly no shooting. No rescue effort, either, at least from our vantage point. We walked down to the foot of the bridge, which is where the water began, and looked down St. Claude Avenue, which had been the Lower Ninth Ward's primary commercial boulevard. All of it was covered with water.
The silence was broken by three black S.U.V.s speeding along the bridge toward us, engines roaring. It was too small a motorcade to be President Bush, but I thought it might be Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or Governor Kathleen Blanco. The trucks stopped, and a platoon of suits and security agents jumped out, and then, one long leg at a time, Diane Sawyer emerged, in fishing waders that were turned down at the top. As the soldier and I hiked up the bridge, I turned and looked back at the tableau of destruction. I remember the words "never happen" popping into my head, meaning, The recovery here will never happen. This place is dead.
Not long ago, as I was driving past the foot of the St. Claude bridge, I noticed an illuminated sign for Mickie Bee's Lounge. I pulled over to check it out. A blast of air-conditioning hit me as I stepped into a small wood-panelled barroom. Four African-American men who appeared to be in their fifties and sixties were sitting around the corner of the bar; all of them raised their glasses to me and invited me to come in out of the heat. A young woman behind the bar served me a longneck bottle of Budweiser for two dollars. A flat-screen TV glowed on the wall, digital fish swam in an electronic aquarium above the bar, and an Internet jukebox on the back wall was ready to play just about every song ever recorded. It was the woodwork that told me that a lot of money had been spent on reopening the place. The grain was rich and deep—the real thing, not veneer. I felt as if I were belowdecks on a yacht.
A man with gray hair and a Mickie Bee's cap sat on a high stool at a small round table; he introduced himself as Michael H. Morris, the owner of the bar. Morris told me that he had had a comfortable childhood here in the Lower Ninth Ward; his father had owned a janitorial service that had the good fortune to win a contract from a white-owned company that was building houses in the new neighborhoods of New Orleans East. "During that time, the black man had a fear of losing what he had if he made a wrong move," Morris told me. "My father said, 'I know we're making a nice amount of money. But I think we'd better buy some property in the black community so we have something to fall back on in the black community.'" In 1971 and 1972, Morris's parents bought a row of commercial buildings near the St. Claude Bridge. They opened a bar-restaurant called Mor's in one; the others held another Mor's restaurant, apartments, and a beauty salon.
Morris spent fifteen years driving a front loader for BFI, the big waste-management company, and helping his sister run the two Mor's restaurants. In 2004, he suffered a stroke, but he recovered completely. When Katrina hit, Morris's wife, Jolyne (Jo), evacuated, but he stayed in his New Orleans East house, trapped alone for days without much food or water. He then spent days more in a boat, helping neighbors get to the high ground of a nearby freeway overpass, before he escaped.
When he was finally allowed back into the city, he said, "I went into the house, and it was unbelievable. I called Jo and said, 'I'm going to need a generator, a portable TV, a little refrigerator, and a fan. And a mattress. I'm going to stay here, and start gutting this out right now.' I'd get up in the morning. I'd eat Spam for breakfast. I started hauling furniture out. All my kids are grown and gone, and they were scattered, so it was just me. There was nobody around. Nobody. It was like being the last man on earth."
All the while, he was thinking about opening a bar, he said. "I wasn't going to let my parents' legacy go down. I had a lot of people say, 'You lost your mind.' But I believed. You have to believe you can make something happen."
Morris paused to ask his bartender for a Diet Coke, reached into his pocket, and handed over two dollars for the till. "We had insurance on the house, flood, too," he continued. "That's how I fixed the house. This here is S.B.A. loan money. I did all this for a hundred and ten thousand."
Mickie Bee's has strict rules. Nobody under thirty is allowed in, which excludes "all those gold-teeth, big-T-shirt guys" who tend to cause trouble, Morris said. "I know all these fellows," he said, gesturing toward the customers. "I grew up with them." Mickie Bee's closes early—1 A.M. at the latest—and it's closed on Tuesdays for cleaning.
"The bar's doing good," he said. "It's the only one open in the Lower Nine."


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Hannah Freedom Project
Themes explored: Self, Family, Community, World - National Day of Social Action: Childhood Poverty
3rd - 8th Grades
Bettie Hodges, Executive Director
Karen Gilbert, Coordinator, Academic Programs and Hannah Gallery
LeeShawn Holcomb, Student Advocate/ Brotherhood
Pashia Lord, Administrative Assistant
Phillip Logan, Freedom School Principal
Artists Teaching Art: Mitchell Howard and Miriam Alfonso
Film and Photography: Michael Rosner-Hyman
The Hannah Project Partnership for Academic Achievement is a community based education and cultural organization located in Marin City, California. Utilizing culture and the arts to undergird its educational programming, the Hannah Project seeks to both build community and promote the value of achievement among low income black and brown youth in Marin City and Marin County as a whole. Our vision is to make college and career both an expectation and a norm.
Freedom School is a blend of educational, cultural and social development opportunities for 50 children aged 7-10, the Hannah CDF Freedom School® is an exhilarating six week summer experience. Focused on language arts and reading, the program strives to help children and young adults understand and appreciate their own history and culture in order to develop the resilience they need to address and overcome academic, social, cultural, and emotional challenges.
Modeled after the highly successful Marian Wright Edelman's Children's Defense Fund CDF Freedom School ® program, the Hannah Freedom School is the first CDF Freedom School site in Marin County. Sponsored by Hannah Project Partnership for Academic Achievement, the Hannah Freedom School works in partnership with the Sausalito School District, Manzanita Children's Center, Marin City Network, Marin City CSD Summer Recreation Program, Sausalito Art Festival Foundation's Artists Teaching Art program and host of other community based efforts to create an exciting educational experience.


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Life isn't always a holiday is it? It really should be.
Unfortunately most of us don't have the luxury of diving into the sea every morning and leaving with the perfect amount of salt in our hair to give us those luscious waves.
Sometimes, even when we do get the chance to dive into the sea, our hair looks more like a catastrophic beehive than a Victoria's Secret model.
I feel I can speak on behalf of all women when I say, there is nothing sexier than effortless beach waves! However, unless you surf everyday like Alana Blanchard, these beach waves don't come naturally.
For most of us... we have to work for it!
So, if looking like a mermaid is your goal (obviously everyone), then keep on reading because we have a step-by-step guide to help you get the hair you've always wanted.
And the best part is...it's pretty easy!
Robb & Lulu x
STEP 1 : Mentally prepare yourself. Because after you've followed these steps you're not going to be able to handle how good you look. You will be swatting away boys like flies. Be prepared.
STEP 2 : After you've finished some necessary mental preparation, grab yourself some good quality sea salt spray. We love the one from Bumble and Bumble because it has a little touch of oil in it, or Toni and Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray.
Sea salt spray is definitely worth investing in and with both costing less then $30, you won't have to skip your brunch plans.
STEP 3 : Spray all over your hair.
You don't want your hair to end up feeling wet, but make sure you've covered both the top and bottom layer. It is a good idea to twist little pieces of hair as you go.
STEP 4 : Time for things to heat up! Get that curling iron out.
We prefer the iron where you use your fingers to wrap your hair around the barrel rather than the clip, like the Babybliss Pro Dreamer Iron. However, both are fine.
You can even use your straighten to do it!! If you're a nifty hair wizard and all!
STEP 5 : Grab small sections of your hair with your fingers and wrap the hair around the iron. We like to wrap the hair in the direction that is AWAY from the face.
Wait for 6-7 seconds and then let go.
You don't need to section your hair off perfectly. Remember...this hairstyle should look natural. Beach hair and 'perfect' don't mix.
STEP 6 : After you've finished curling your hair, spray it with some hair spray. This should help the curls last all day.
STEP 7 : The secret ingredient which is always overlooked is Dry Shampoo! We use is Batiste, however we also recommend KLORANE and TRESemmé.
Spray the Dry Shampoo on top of your head where your part is and underneath the front sections near your face. Fluff your hair at the top and front to give it some height and life.
STEP 9 : You're nearly done! All you have to do, is brush out those curls!
Use fingers ONLY. Put that brush away!
With your fingers brush out the curls to soften them. Apply dry shampoo for volume where desired. You're allowed to go a little dry shampoo crazy.
STEP 10 : Now the final step.
Look at yourself in the mirror and give yourself a little wink. You've done it girl. You just mastered the beach babe look in five minutes. Off to work you go...Oh and if anyone asks, just say you went for a morning surf. Because you know...that's what real beach babes do.


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Most of us understand that chocolate cake particularly Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts is one of many best muffins to get ready although not everyone causes it to be deliciously, just as the ones that individuals have in pastry shops and restaurants. For you to make chocolate cake that you along with your family will really appreciate listed here is a chocolate cake recipe for you.
Using a background that goes to 1764, chocolate indeed goes a considerable ways, proving it is a well liked food among many people. It was first created when chocolate was found, utilizing ground cocoa beans utilizing two round millstones. It was further increased in 1879 when conching was launched by Swiss Rodolphe. Conching may be the means of making chocolate smoother and silkier which then caused it to be better for baking as it combines with batters completely. In 1930, there were chocolate cake mixes sold by the Duff Company in Pittsburgh. Chocolate dessert became very popular through the 1980s and also the 1990s whereby there may be different ingredients added apart from the chocolate including tea, champagne, red pepper along with a many more. To the time, there are always a lot of chocolate cake variants including level cakes, black forest cake, soufflé cake, fudge cake, snowball cake along with a many more.
One of many finest chocolate cake versions may be the black forest meal, that you simply could serve for both children and adults. For this delightful menu, what you would need are 1/2 mug of softened butter, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, two eggs, 1 1/4 cups of allpurpose flour, 1/2 mug of organic unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon every one of baking soda and vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 3/4 mug of buttermilk. For your filling, you will need 2 cans of cherry pie filling, 3 cups of major whipped cream, 1/4 mug of confectioner's sugar. If you choose to possess garnish, you'll have milk chocolate curls or sweet cherries or different garnishes that you just choose.
Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts was post at July 15, 2015. Hundreds of our reader has already save this stock photos to their computer.
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|About Ristesson Files
Please sign in to see more.
The "Ristesson Files" site here at Tribal Pages includes various file contents and source material in reference to the Ristesson Organization, a division of the Southerly Clubs of Stockholm.
Our main content here is such an account of royal genealogy and biographical history, primarily Swedish, as served as my foundation since 1962 for the book "Throne of a Thousand Years" (Ristesson, Ludvika & Los Angeles, 1996) and now continues to update that source material. This genealogy will have thousands of persons listed and is continuing to be compiled and completed in 2008.
Regarding a password you may want to have, see the end of this introduction!
Ergo, all known members of the Royal Families of Sweden, from the Viking Age till today, are the basics of the Ristesson Royalty Files. These individuals are usually listed by a last name of "Sweden", or of other countries that royals adopted, e.g. by marriage, or have descended from or are related to.
All the dynasties were inter-related so they are all here. Dynasty names, which are not surnames in this context, however, have been entered as special information pages. Much more about names follows further below.
A special information page about the Ristesson Organization is also included (see Ristesson as a name), with more to be found there, and under sources, about my 1996 book.
There are also some "regular" red-blooded Swedes and a handful of Americans included at this site, in two families that belong to my own paternity (families abbreviated T E M N) and maternity (A R S G) respectively. Both branches are also related, namely, to the current Bernadotte Dynasty. I have found no reason to doubt these facts.
The two extended families of my father's parents and my mother's, respectively, are involved in that. The eight greater families of THEIR grandparents are represented in the membership of the FamSAC Society of Relatives of Stockholm, Sweden, and Blair, Nebraska, founded on June 16, 2006. Those are the families of (from my all-paternal to my all-maternal great-great-grandparents, with each greater family's code letter first): T ~ Trued Abrehamsson & Karna Johansdotter of North Sandby, Scania; E ~ Erland Andersson & Lena Nilsdotter of Dahln, Arvika, Vermillandia; M ~ Kaj Mats Matsson & Rönns Anna Andersdotter of Frostbo, Dalecarlia; N ~ Näktergals Anders Andersson & Anna Görsdotter of Gimsbärke, Dalecarlia; A ~ Johan P. Andersson & Anna Katrina Andersdotter of Ersboda, Sudermania; R ~ Gustaf Adolf (Sr.) & Mathilda (Wahlberg) von Reis of Nyköping, Sudermania; S ~ Knuts Johan & Stina (Andersdoter) Sandberg of Barkargärde, Dalecarlia; and G ~ Anders J. Gäfvert & Fredrika Wahlberg of Tjärna, Dalecarlia.
To the name of each such relative of mine and spouse/mate listed here, which is everyone descending from my grandparents (excluding the royalty), an individual FamSAC code is given, adhering to traditional, paternalistic genealogy. Each code is exclusive to each person (mine is T220.127.116.11 for example). For the rest of the huge genealogy of those eight families, I refer you to www.famsac.tribalpages.com.
It can be good for a visitor to these sites to know that women normally did not adopt the surnames of their husbands in Sweden prior to a name law passed there in 1901.
A word of warning to some sensitive souls may be in order about the infant mortality rate in olden days, which gives you quite a jolt when viewing some families just about devastated by it. ~ "Tell us, Thou clear and heavenly tongue, Where are the babes but lately sprung? Lie they the lily-banks among?" (Robert Herrick liberally quoted).
The names of any and all persons of historical significance, by policy, are given here in their English versions, wherever possible.
The Kings of Sweden and the territories they ruled have been recorded with legitimate English-language name forms, which an increasing amount of globally concerned authors believe should be used when mentioning them in English. This pertains especially to texts which are likely to be read aloud, where the application of Swedish phonetics makes a smooth read practically impossible for non-Swedes, whether doing the oral reading or listening to it. The practice of translating the names of royalty and of places has natural origin in this situation and was particularly important in times when a minimal amount of people knew how to do the reading. Until quite recently, relatively speaking, a vast majority could enjoy written texts only if someone else would read them aloud. Using a name then like Ragnvald (in English Reynold or Reginald) would hardly help.
In many instances, personal names as well as place names have evolved since their translations first began to be implemented and generally known. Examples relevant to this presentation are names such as Godstowe, which long ago became better known and accepted in English first as Gustavus (actually Latin) and subsequently as Gustav; Charles, once universally used in French and English for Karl but now appropriately spelled Carl in American English, where Carl has become a normal name form of its own; Maria along with (not instead of) Mary, according to the same modus of natural Americanization. If a legitimate name reads like normal English, it can be well handled when spoken by most anyone. That's the general idea here.
Ideological slanting and fashion have had an occasional effect on the subject of names, in the past, such as an uncomfortable reluctance to use Adolf or even (English) Adolph in any context but the Hitlerian. Thus Adolphus became English. Even entire dynasties have been renamed because of disagreeable history from an earlier era. In Sweden, a branch of the illustrious Wittelsbach Dynasty has unanimously been called the "Palatine" (Pfalziska) and a branch of the powerful Oldenburgs the "Holstein-Gottorpian" (Holstein-Gottorpska) for such reasons. The Nicholan Dynasty of Mecklenburg was never called that, probably because its founder, Nicholas of the Obotrites, was not a Christian. The same has been true of the (extinct) Swiatoboreans or Greifs of Pomerania.
Common sense, rather than verifiable convention, is a feasible way of working name translations, from case to case, always allowing for interpretations based on fact (as often opposed to fashion) as well as up-to-date developments in normalcy. Consistency is always of utter importance to successful communication.
Many residents of Sweden, visited or visiting, delight in giving Swedish lessons to others through names. An increasing number of non-Swedish journalists in broadcasting are also attempting without success, while disregarding the phonetics of their own English, to pronounce Göteborg, for example, rather than using the long established and easy English name: Gothenburg. Language is then used as a game of sorts, with predictable results. New (pronounced) words thus invented, and of questionable use to anyone, are found objectionable and considered linguistic pollution by many serious cosmopolitan communicators, especially those concerned with the education and international success of the young. The problem of phonetic transgression, if it is a problem, is an ever-growing one in 2008.
Many regular Swedes are addressed by double first names such as Ulla Britta or Lars-Erik. Swedish kings number the first half of such names, thus the current king is Carl XVI Gustaf (not Carl Gustaf II). If numerals are in parentheses they can not been used officially, but can be regarded as reasonably factual for identification. Kings Carl III, Carl IV, V, VI, VII and Carl VIII of Sweden were 16th century inventions and never actually existed. Years of reign given here for each king are of a Swedish reign only. Additional countries ruled are noted.
Modern Sweden consists of three main regions, Gothenland (Götaland) in the south, Swealand (Svealand) in the lower middle, and the Northlands (Norrland). The Swedish word "land" was plural as often as it was singular in olden days. Rather than our posting a list here of the English names of all the Swedish provinces and of some of the towns, I invite you to use your imagination or to verify elsewhere on the Internet.
Though there were monarchic rulers of the Swea Region (Sveariket or Swithjod) before the so-called first Swedish king, Eric (V) the Victorious (d. 995), insurmountable gaps in knowledge about them make it impossible to list them with any degree of genealogical accuracy.
Regarding the queens, years enthroned signify actual periods as Queen Consort of Sweden here, not counting dowager years. They were not ruling sovereigns in their own right, thus did not actually "reign". As with the kings and other royalty, the full official name of a queen consists of one (single or double) first name only. As consorts they are not numbered. Many had several more names, noted on each individual's page.
Princes and Princesses of Sweden are such by birth or marriage or (very rarely) by adoption. Termination of royal status, by dethronement or prohibited marriage, is not important to being listed here as "of Sweden" (or elsewhere), since a person of legitimate royalty remains such to world history, as an integral part of his or her country's, notwithstanding such events. Children born after parental dethronement were not royalty in the literal sense of the word, and children deceased before parental elevation to royalty (in Sweden) were not royal (in that kingdom). Dethronement as a term includes abdication/renunciation in this context.
Swedish versions of the personal names are also given as notes on individual pages. Beginning at the reign of Gustav I (1523-1560), Carl is then spelled that way even in Swedish (not Karl), as per a written recommendation to me by the late Professor Sten Carlsson of Upsala University. As of 1901, when all personal names, including spellings, were regulated in Sweden by the new name law mentioned above, it could be considered correct to stop translating them. The names of 20th-century individuals here reflect that. Gustav then becomes Gustaf, Adolph becomes Adolf, Sophia becomes Sofia, Eric becomes Erik, Margaret becomes Margareta or Margaretha, not to mention that Seward becomes Sigvard, etc. Knowing this is likely to facilitate alphabetical searches.
Tribal Pages requires that a password be issued to visitors who wish to view living persons, their information as well as pictures. The current living Royal Family of Sweden is thus blocked from view without one (even though everything about them actually is public information), and so is its relationship to cousins of mine. If you wish to have a password, or if you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to "contact me" through that link at the top!
~ Jacob Truedson Demitz, Stockholm, Sweden, April 2nd, 2007.
P. S. A few little problems remain (June 2008):
Spouses may show up in incorrect places now and again, though I have done my best to enter them all correctly. My apologies for some pages that may contain such embarrassing mistakes due to formatting currently available. It has been necessary, due to formats as yet limited here, to add such prepositions as "von" or "of" in the first name fields of many individuals, which causes some odd listings and headings on certain pages. The first name normally used in addressing a person has to be put first among first names in this format, so in many cases, preceding first names have been entered in the personal information but are not found in name headings. It does not seem to be safe to assume that an apostrophe (') or quotation marks (") entered will show up as such, as they often show up as backwards-leaning (French) grave accents instead.
Unmarried persons with children cannot currently be entered in such a manner that they do not appear on some pages as married.
Finally, there is a bit of trouble with the Swedish letters Å, Ä and Ö. Last names beginning with these letters appear for now under A and O in the list here on our home page (just below here). For now, you'll have to search names with those letters by using the "Find" button (which usually is not necessary). Fortunately, names and text with these letters are not effected per se (they are all in there OK), just the search aspect is a little complicated.


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(1) Next choral jam
Next time (Tuesday October 20 at 5:30), in addition to some warmup hymns to keep us improving, we will be learning Thomas Walmisley's lovely Victorian-era arrangement of the Song of Simeon ("Nunc Dimittis;" lyrics further down). You can listen to it at the YouTube link below, and download the sheet music. If it's helpful to you, use these to familiarize yourself with the piece beforehand! Last choral jam we had a ton of guys and it sounded awesome--ladies, you'll have to keep up! ;-)
Sheet music:
(2) Choir Opportunity
Starting the day after choral jam (October 21), Holy Trinity Anglican Church is doing a series of five Wednesday night dinners throughout late October and early November, to prepare for Advent (free food + prayer and teaching! see bottom for details). As part of those dinners, they'll be doing Evensong, a beautiful music-heavy version of Evening Prayer. They've asked us to assemble a choir to sing the Nunc Dimittis for that service. If you would be interested in participating in this choir, please email our director Emily Jarvela at email@example.com. Remind her what part you sing. If neither she nor I has heard you sing before, we'll arrange for a quick, informal audition. If we have heard you before, and we like what we've heard, obviously we can skip that. You do not need to be available for all five weeks (although the more you can do, the more helpful it'll be!).
More about the Evensong service in general
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_Prayer_%28Anglican%29#Music. You can also listen to a full choral Evensong here (ours won't be this formal or elaborate).
Advent Dinner and Teaching Series
5:30 - 7:30 pm, Oct 21, 28, Nov 4, 11, and 18 - Childcare Provided – Sign-up in Fellowship Hall to attend and/or bring Soup
What: To better prepare for the Advent season, we will be holding a series of five Wednesday night dinners and teachings. Dinners will start at 5:30 pm with teaching sessions beginning about 6:15ish. The teaching sessions are still being planned and will be defined in more detail next week. Childcare will be provided during the teaching time for children 5th grade and below.
What To Do Next: Please sign-up in the Fellowship Hall if you are planning to attend. Include children's Name & Age needing childcare/sitting for the teaching period. There is a separate sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Hall to sign-up to bring your favorite hearty soup and bread(s) if you wish. (Sign up to bring a soup to feed 10 people and feel free to sign-up for more than one night. Also, remember to put the dates and times on your calendar.)
Lyrics to Nunc Dimittis:
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.


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Todays Thoughts
I am sitting in the Pastor's Study at Wesley UMC, Bradley, IL, trying to write the Advent and Christmas letter for 2015. How? I am sickened unto death by the violence and the darkness of the world. I am sickened unto death by the nonsense of arguing about a cup holding a $6 cup of coffee and whether it says "Christmas." I am sickened unto death with the political season already...Read More