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This week I get the wonderful opportunity to ask an actual friend of mine 20 Questions. What?!? Yes, I have actual friends who will actually share enough time with me (at least digitally) to answer my inane 20 Questions. So let's explore 20 Questions with one of my more hilarious co-workers who is an absolute delight, Susan McGowan. I met Susan earlier this year when she started working at the same place of employment as myself. It turns out that her daughter and my daughter have horse riding lessons at the same barn and sometimes at the same time and in the same class. Oh, and she and I know a surprising amount of the same people from at least 4 different pockets of connections. It really is surprising that we only met this year.
Editor's note: Susan, over the course of this interview (which only took a few weeks), has had two of her beloved pets "cross the rainbow bridge" (that's one of the pet euphemisms about pets dying, right?). Anyway, she lost two furry companions in the span of a week and a half. I think it ended up being about 10 days total between pet deaths. That is not much time between pets dying, and incredibly emotionally hard to deal with while full-time jobbing and parenting. I know their passing was hard on her. Needless to say this post is dedicated to those two four-legged members of her family. So everyone, pour some out for Murphy Seidel Herriott-McGowan (cat of the month for an untold number of months running) and Bartleby Herriott-McGowan (her mix Shar-Pei in the hizzay).
So without further ado… 20 Questions with Susan McGowan.
Many people know this little preamble, because I have been doing this for years…. And question one is always the same, but I get new readers and I get people who only read one of these and then drift off to be non-readers, so bear with me faithful readers and welcome aboard new people.
Anyhoo… my professional life started with selling Nordictracks at a mall, but that doesn't really mean anything. I just did not want to write that my professional life began with making maps and then to get a nasty email from David Metzger the manager of Nordictrack in the Riverchase Galleria Mall. I know he is watching… he is always watching… and waiting....
Umm… where was I? Oh, yes. My real career began with making maps in 1997. I have always loved stories told through the concept of place. For me, my personal geographic story is that I was born outside of Oklahoma City, moved to Montgomery, Alabama when I was super young, moved up to Birmingham, Alabama for the rest of my childhood, and then moved off to college in Kent, Ohio. I followed my fiance to Columbus, Ohio for grad school and marriage and have been in the Columbus area for more than 20 years now. We have settled in Worthington, Ohio (which is an edge city around Columbus, that straddles the I-270 outerbelt). Question 1: What is your geographic story?
The short version of my geographic story is uninspiring--I've lived in Ohio my entire life, moving from Cleveland to Wooster for undergrad, then Columbus for grad school. I intended to move to Scotland after that, but I took a job to save up some money, and, like a comfy couch, Columbus sucked me in. Even though I've lived here for 22 years, it still feels temporary. Home might always be Cleveland Heights. If I'm very still, I can feel the way it breathes green in the summer and picture some carved corner. I think of Columbus from an aerial view primarily, but Cleveland is a collection of architectural details, old and filthy and beautiful--an American thatched roof, an angel draped over a gravestone, an iron bridge, a cracking tower. I also have roots in Chautauqua, NY, although I've never lived there. I grew up spending summers there, got married there, scattered my mother's ashes there. My dad currently has a little place there, but he will be selling it next fall, around the same time he moves out of Cleveland Heights. I'm not sure where home will be then.
It is an interesting thing when what was home is now, no longer home. That happened for me when I moved away from Alabama. The place only holds memories for me, especially after my parents moved out of my childhood home. The 2 things that killed any and all love for Alabama was the death of my childhood cat in my super-senior year of college, and my parents moving out of my childhood home. The place just is not "home" anymore. You will find a place to call home. It takes time and can be emotionally difficult, but you will find that, and my bet is that it matches up with where you will have the bulk of your memories with your kids.
You seem to not be sheltered like many people who have only lived in (pretty much) one place. Question 2: Do you travel much and what is the furthest from Ohio you have traveled?
I grew up traveling and it's something I want to pass along to my children. My dad traveled a lot for his job and my mother loved to travel, so if a trip fell during a school break or in the summer, we would go with him. If it was within the US, he'd add a few days on either side, and we'd drive. As a kid, I had winter friends (from school) and summer friends (kids I befriended for a few days in hotel pools, kids whose parents attended the same lighting conferences year after year). As a June birthday, I had as many birthdays on the road (7th picnicking by a stream in the Blue Ridge, 9th in an apartment in DC, 15th in Venice) as I did at home. I complained about that a lot and finally my parents agreed we'd try to be home for a party every other year. That seems so dumb now, but as a kid it felt like the Worst Thing Ever.
By the time I left home, I'd visited 48 states and three continents. I've been fortunate to have a best friend who traveled with me for a bit, and then my husband. Having kids has made it harder and more expensive. We persevered with Kid 1, taking her to Iceland and Germany when she was three and I was 6 months pregnant with Kid 2--and she was such a trooper. But Kid 2 is a different beast; we've traveled cross country with him, but haven't ventured overseas. It's something that kind of kills me.
The furthest from Ohio I've been is Israel (twice) and Ghana. I went to Israel once with my youth group in high school, during my religious phase, and as a then-Christian among Christians, it felt like it could be home. The second time, I was there through Journey of Conscience, an organized visit to several of the death camps in Eastern Europe. I was invited as sort of the Poet-in-Residence and one of only two non-Jews on the trip. After the rage and unrelenting sadness at the Holocaust sites, my travelmates got off the little prop plane that had taken us from Warsaw to Tel Aviv and kissed the ground. I felt like I was at a friend's house for the holidays, where their mom might give me a hug in welcome, but I was still just a guest.
I went to Ghana because my stepsister was a math teacher in a little village there for Peace Corps. Instead of bringing her back to the US for Christmas, my family rented a palazzo in Sicily for a week and she met us there. Since I was already halfway around the world, my best friend* and I decided to return with her to Ghana, figuring it would never be easier than having my stepsister to act as a guide and deal with logistics for us. We flew in and out of Accra, then traveled to her village for a few days. We covered a lot of ground on that trip—not just mileage-wise, but going from celebrating New Years' with fireworks in a medieval square and drinking limoncello to riding a tro-tro for 10 hours with 15 strangers in a sweaty crush.
*I was dating my now-husband at that point, but I didn't invite him to join us on this amazing trip, because we were never going to last, something he likes to bring up to this day.
Well, I think you may have mis-stated earlier. You have been to 4 continents, not merely 3. You have graced North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. You'll need to update that in your travel log. You are only 3 away from collecting the set. I, sadly, have only been to a measly 2 continents, but once we kick the kids out of the house… Nothing. But. Travel!
That's funny; I always put Israel in Africa, but the Internet says you're right.
Question 3: Cake or pie? Which specific kind and why?
Totally pie. If you match random pie vs random cake, 90% of the time, pie will be the victor. Pie comes with pi puns and a day dedicated to celebrating it; cake makes you choose between cake or death and we all know the cake is a lie. As for specifics, the #1 pie is sour cream peach. Somewhere below that, in vaguely ranked order: pecan, butterscotch, blueberry, bumbleberry, chess, and sweet potato.
Of course, the question itself is flawed, because sticky toffee pudding is neither cake nor pie and is the best dessert on earth.
Sticky toffee pudding was not in the question, because the question was not "What's your favorite dessert-like food?" ugh… Do you like cats or dogs? I like cats more, but sugar gliders are the best. And sweet potato pie is an affront to humanity because it tries to disguise itself as pumpkin pie. Sweet potatoes are the devil's food, but not like "devil's food cake" devil's food, but like the "made of lies and tormented dreams" devil's food.
Question 4: What do you consider to be the "made from lies and tormented dreams" devil's food?
You have the "devil's weed", which is cilantro, but anti-cilantro rants are boring--it's like the Mac/PC debate that geeks-in-training like to drag you into. I despise avocados--why would anyone willing eat swamp-flavored butter? But--and maybe it's the phrasing that confuses me, but what's really made of lies is yogurt. Is it a dessert? A cheese? "Hey, I'm like healthy ice cream! Good people eat me! I'm breakfast-ready pudding!" Those are the devil's lies. Yogurt is a grave disappointment 99% of the time. Actually, 100% of the time. The other 1% is when you mistakenly eat pudding and think "this is the best damn yogurt ever".
Cilantro is a loved or hated item, it is not a surprising selection at all. People who love it, want it on everything, while people who hate it, hate people who love it. Also, I think I will start referring to avocados as "swamp butters" from now on. This yogurt thing surprises me, because yogurt is so unusually innocuous. Who hates beige? I am sure people do, but it beige is so blah, which is what yogurt is, beigy blah.
Again, I may have just been misconstruing your language about "made of lies and tormented dreams", but that's why yogurt makes the list. It's made of lies.
I know for a fact that you have held some odd jobs (while not being Odd Job from the Bond films). So, I started into the professional world by selling NordicTrack exercise equipment in mall retail stores for most of my undergrad years, then I worked at Barnes & Noble for a bit, then I was a graduate assistant in the Department of Geography teaching GIS and cartography labs, from there I went to a local engineering architecture firm as a transportation planning cartographer, then I became the GIS technician for the Department of Geotechnical Engineering for the Ohio Department of Transportation. From there I switched careers entirely and went into user experience design as an interaction designer. Question 5: What is your professional journey?
My first non-babysitting job was working retail at an antiques shop where I did table displays of Staffordshire figurines and dusted a lot. Then, I apprenticed to a rare book dealer. I spent one summer temping at Office Max world headquarters, blacking numbers out of reports with Sharpies, like the guy in Catch-22. In grad school, I taught English 101 and beginning poetry workshops and worked as a research assistant for David Citino.
After I graduated, I was hired as a researcher to develop content for an educational computer game company. After a few months, my boss asked if I wanted to learn to code. Three months later, I made my first game--Magnificent Marlena's Mind-Bending Magic Show, a sequence game. I loved this job--storyboarding, coding, troubleshooting, plus I did most of the female voices in our games. I truly believe learning to code changed my life.
When the company started going under, I left to go to library school and worked as a writer for the International Dark-Sky Association, a non-profit dedicated to reducing light pollution. During that time, I took on additional freelance writing, editing, and research gigs. I published a few magazine articles and had a nice stretch with the Armchair Reader series, contributing to Weird, Scary, and Unusual and a few others. I realized that I was making more as a writer than I would as a librarian, so I dropped out of school. A friend who worked for a healthcare marketing agency reached out, asking if I had ever done digital QC. I said I'd give it a try, and the 6 hours a week turned into full time. I created the processes, the team grew to ten people--it was thriving, but I hated it.
During this time, I started hearing about UX. I found a few people at the agency who were interested in it as well, and through good fortune and kindness, I got a mentor and a workstream and started the UX team at the agency with a handful of people. The agency decided it didn't want to support UX work, so it was time to leave. I moved to an edtech startup at Ohio State's College of Education as the Director of Product and User Experience. I was there for three glorious years, then the funding was pulled and the company went under. From there, I came to the UX team at my current employer, where I met you.
That is a pretty interesting list of jobbies. I had not realized how much the English language was your playground. I just thought you might be kind of verbose, but you are officially verbose. Well done.
Since you are an English aficionado, and since I like me some language arts. Question 6: What is one word in the English language that you feel is getting short shrift? What word is not being used enough and is ready for a resurgence?
I don't know how to answer this--that's like asking me to pick a favorite child. How could anyone choose between mirepoix and fungible? Acanthopterygian and flibbertigibbet? Frangipane and salacious? Picking a word is like wandering through a fabric store--a rush of textures and colors. Words should feel good in the mouth, be a bit of a surprise for the listener and the user, and delight the ear.
For my job at the game company, my first assignment was to write a 10,000-word dictionary and it was so much fun. I combed through other dictionaries to find words, then wrote my own definitions to avoid copyright infringement. The president of the company was a word person too, so we met for three hours every day to go over the previous day's words--good gravy, how we argued over the minutiae of definitions. There are some perfectly good words, such as hirsute and parka that didn't make it into our database because neither of us would budge*.
There is a wonderful children's book called Ounce, Dice, Trice that is the closest thing I've found to being in my brain, the way it savors and plays with words. The kindest thing you could do for a budding poet in your life is to keep them far away from this book and tell them to develop some useful skills, otherwise, they will be forever lost.
*He was incredibly wrong on both counts, however, and I'm still quite bitter. Almost as bitter as the time my 3rd-grade class played Scattergories and didn't believe that indigo was a real color, the little heathens. Words matter, people. Words matter.
...okay. I was just thinking that "whilst" should be used more. This is clearly a topic that you feel strongly about. I know what mirepoix, fungible, frangipane, salacious, hirsute and parka mean, but I am at a loss for acanthopterygian, and think I know what flibbertigibbet means but did not know that it was a recognized word in the English language.
Acanthopterygian means descriptive of a spiny-finned fish, such as a bass or perch. TMYK.
Question 7: Do you think that the English language can rightfully claim words such as salsa and mirepoix as its own even though those words belong to a different language?
Absolutely. I love English for its gelatinous cube-like quality of picking up and holding anything in its path--in this case, great words from other languages. I don't think we'd be able to make or eat salsa if we called it something else. The Anglo-Saxons ate onions, but they didn't know about tomatoes or the "demon weed", so we'd be looking to another language anyway. It might be called relish or chutney, but both of those stem from India, so why is borrowing from Hindi, but not Spanish or French? Pretty much, unless we're talking about livestock, root vegetables, or war, we're going to borrow words. It seems nicer to keep them with some semblance of their original pronunciation. Though give it a few centuries and I'm sure we'll manage to turn mirepoix into something like "murrypoy".
+2 to Int for use of gelatinous cube, but sadly -1 to Cha. Even though geeky things are "in" right now, overly deep cuts into geeky things are still surprisingly negatively geeky. I don't write the rules, I just enforce them (which gives me a -2 Cha modifier to old skool geeks). Also, "murrypoy" sounds like a name and is not any easier to say than "mirepoix." If Americans have anything to say about it, the linguistic shift will be from "mirepoix" to "merpo" or something else that sounds less sophisticated. Americans can be soooo un-sophisticated.
I didn't know what Cha meant, but my husband stepped into the room, wearing +1 flannel armor and immediately got a -3 to his Cha by knowing the answer, but he's used to it.
Question 8: How many animals do you have in your household?
Currently, not counting children, we have four. Bartleby the shar pei butler dog and then three cats: Murph the Cat (not to be confused with our late Murph the Dog, and winner of Cat of the Month for 200+ months!), Rory the Round, and Wunk (née Duncan) the Dim. The cats are all orange by royal fiat.
That is a bunch of wee beasties in the house. When my wife and I were married (over 20 years ago now… how the hell did that happen??!? {that's not the question, do not answer that question!!!}), we immediately got 2 cats. They were our marriage cats. Lenny was a Russian Blue, and Señor Don Gato (was a cat, meow meow meow) was a solid black lump of milk cap fetching love. Señor Don Gato's name eventually truncated to just Señor. Señor then became Señor Von Beanor, and eventually just to Bean. Question 9: How did Duncan's"regal Scottish king's name devolve into the less regal "Wunk?"
First, let me disabuse you of how regal poor Duncan's name is. At the time my daughter named him, she was very much into the dreadful show "Total Drama Island" on which the character Duncan is a villainous, scheming emo-punk. I requested that whatever we named the cat have Scottish flavor, so that's what she chose. Duncan branched into Dunk, Punk, and Punkin, but he is not smart, and we quickly started looking for less-intelligent variations. He spent some time as Wunkin. Wunkish. Wunky Woo-woo. Wunky Wunk and the Funky Pants. You know, the usual. At my last job, my daughter wrote Wunk all over a process diagram I was working on. WUNK. WUNKIN. YOU MUST KNOW HE IS A POUFE [sic]. This evolution is the way of things. Sadly, since having all of his teeth removed, Murph (the cat) has become Moop. This is the way of the world.
Right… so no "Duncan Wunkan." Occam's Razor be damned. I would not have thought the path from Duncan to Wunk would be a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon-esque path. Don't get me wrong, the actual path is way more interesting, just more surprising as well.
Question 9: What is something that you think people would be surprised about you?
This question has been hard to answer, mostly because I'm bad at predicting what surprises people. I think the answer depends on which person, and how do they know me.
o If you know me now, you might be surprised that I was a fundamentalist in my early teens.
o If you knew me in my early tweens, you might be surprised that I was a paranormal investigator.
o If we went to college together, you are often very surprised to learn I married Mark.
o If you knew me in high school, you might be surprised to learn that I'm smart; if you knew me after high school, you might be surprised that I used to practice batting my eyelashes and giggling because I thought I was hopelessly stupid and tried to cover it up.
Again, it's all context. But I'm a Gemini and we're just a delightful mess of contradictions.
The thing is, I love it when people surprise me, which they always do. My favorite poems are made of details that are like delicious little salt crystals, and so are people. Uncovering a surprise is a burst of flavor. In high school, a friend was detailing some minutiae of her life and I responded with the clever 'I'm like, wow" and she snapped, "Susan, you're always like 'wow'." She meant it as a bad thing, but I think it's part of my charm. This thing I just learned about you? Wow.
The fundamentalist thing is super surprising to me. I was pretty thick in the religion when I was a youngun as well. The somewhat racist reaction from my childhood church burned that bridge below its caissons. I was already tottering on the edge of leaving the churchiness behind, and then there was the reaction to whom I was going to marry.
For me, it was a few things. A) I had made somewhat of a career of dating Jewish men, and they found that unacceptable. B) I was given a talking to about listening to the "wrong sort" of Christian rock. But the final straw was when they told me that my mother's death was "all in God's plan." There's no excuse for that—none.
Question 10: Fill in the blanks: I find that I am mostly _____________. Others think that I am mostly _________.
I think/feel/imagine myself to be mostly Fluttershy. Others think/feel/imagine me to be mostly Twilight Sparkle, although Mark, and possibly he alone, finds me to be Rarity.
I so do not want to know about any potential cutie mark //shudder.
Question 11: So, why do you think others feel you are a magical problem solving princess, your partner sees you as a magical and giving seamstress, and you think you are mainly known for being a caretaker? And why don't you think anyone thinks you are Applejack?
Interesting. I think others see me as bookish and well-read. Mark sees me as refined and polite. I see myself as a burbling mess of insecurity. I don't think anyone thinks I'm an extroverted hick. I mean, maybe they do, but that's not one that's filtered back to me.
That cartoon was a bizarre one. It seemed relatively innocuous and fun for young girls and then the weird movie thing came out where the ponies became overly sexualized horse/girl/furries. It really made me sad to see this cartoon where young girls/women who happened to be ponies of some kind were able to overcome obstacles though friendship and understanding turned into anthropomorphized teenage horse girls. Seemed to be catering to the furry bronie more than the kids.
So… a few years ago I did a 20 Questions with a French podcaster, Patrick Beja, and this delightful gentleman brought me to the most deceptively simple questions I have ever been asked or have asked. So, without further ado… Question 12: Are you happy?
I've really been pondering this one. I am happy. I'm a happy person--I've always been kind of emo, even as a kid, but generally, I trend to happy. I'm also happy in this moment--I can't promise about the moment before or what will come next, but this moment is perfect and I am content in that.
That said, I'm depression's bitch, if you'll pardon the language. I recognize this, and am trying to learn to separate what is real, and what is that smothering, gray blanket in my head, but it's hard. I had post-partum after my my daughter was born, sought treatment, then went off it when I was trying to get pregnant again. My son's birth was so traumatic that I didn't recognize it--I thought I was just grieving that, but it's eight years later and the sun hasn't come out yet. I thought I could fight it on my own, and I am slowly realizing I just can't.
Depression is a lying liar that constantly lies. Honest to goodness depression is not something that can be navigated by oneself. Depression is misassociated with the idea of people being "sad." It is not merely big sustained sadness, but a fundamental brain chemistry issue that cannot just be pushed to the side by a smile and some M & M's (not saying that M & M's couldn't help… well, the peanut butter M & M's or the white chocolate ones… the caramel ones are terrible, and they should not be). I suffer from it, and no many people who suffer from it on a a daily basis. Seriously people, depression sucks, and the people who have to deal with it, do better when they do not have to deal with it by themselves. So, hug someone you care about, but don't hug them in a weird way that takes just a beat or two too long.
Here we are at an unlucky question for triskaidecaphobics… Question 13: Do you subscribe to any superstitions or rituals?
If I let my brain do what it wants, I would be too busy touching oak, building altars, and sourcing silver to keep in my pocket to get anything done. At heart, I want to embrace superstition and bury my face in it. When I was little, I used to say a series of prayers at night, and I was fairly certain that if I got them out of order, I would die. I think this is why I was such an easy mark for religion. I have spent most of my adult life, walking the fine line between rational and batshit crazy. I joined my paranormal investigation group as a skeptic, because I really did yearn to find something magical, something beyond the rational. I was a skeptic, though, and joined a group that tried to find scientific evidence, so at the same time I was searching, I was also walling myself off from that possibility. I want proof that is based on more than just a feeling, because I don't trust my brain to do what's right.
I remember crying after seeing my grandma, several years before she died. I told my husband (who had once been a phone psychic), that I had a premonition that it was the last time I would see her. He said that it was possible, but that our brains don't remember all the times we have premonitions that DON'T come true—and that's stuck with me. I did see her after that, many times, and if he hadn't said that, I would have forgotten how sure I felt. That's why I can't trust my brain—it lies.
All that said, I still believe in saying "good night", "I love you", or "See you soon", rather than "good bye". I believe you should start as you intend to end, so birthdays, New Year's, and other beginning/end holidays should involve physical and emotional contact with the people you love best in the world. I believe in kissing on footbridges and saying "gesundheit". I light the wicks of every new candle that comes into the house, although I'm not sure why—I learned that at the antique store. I try to light a candle on Yom Hashoa. I am incapable of not touching wood, but I try to do it secretly. I say thank you to animals we eat and apologize to the bugs I kill. And if there's a special place, I find myself talking to it—like Lake Chautauqua. I don't particularly respect these things about myself, but it is what it is.
I don't think this was the direction you meant the conversation to go, and really revealed more about the soft squishy bits than I meant to. I wish I had a meditation practice or could say breezily, oh, yeah, I do yoga every morning. That's what normal people do.
Even though you did not directly answer the question, you did thoroughly answer it. I have a couple of reactions to some of what you wrote.
One: I have often found that skeptics want the paranormal to be real much more than believers. Skeptics truly want these phenomena to be real, and try their darndest to prove it. Believers tend to just believe without questioning wholesale the thing that they believe in. I have found this is true for many highly religious people and flat-earthers as well.
Two: "Good night," "I love you," and "see you soon" is one of the best rituals I can think of.
Three: Let's be clear, normal people don't do yoga every morning. Yoga people do yoga every morning. If they have an issue, they "take it to the mat." I hate myself a little more for just typing that out.
So, this paranormal investigation group thing has come up, so I feel like I need to dig. Question 14: So what types of things did you investigate and what supernatural thing do you most want to be real?
The group was The Ghosts of Ohio so we specialized in...wait for it...ghosts, but I don't believe we ever turned down a call. We did private investigations for property owners who contacted us. We're not allowed to talk about our those, but we did everything from private homes in quiet neighborhoods to historic structures and places of business. We also did investigations of places that were open to the public, researched local legends (Helltown, crybaby bridges, etc.), collected folklore about any number of things.
The founder, Jim Wills, is a local paranormal historian and one of the authors of Weird Ohio. I didn't have kids then, and Jim was one of my closest friends, so we spent a lot of time wandering through cemeteries together. (In fact, check out the title page and p. 248 of Weird Ohio!).
As for what I most want to be real? Ghosts for sure. The thought of nothingness when you die terrifies me. Also, fairies--the grotesquely beautiful fairies of Brian Froud's world--because I so very much want there to be magic in this world. That is, when I allow myself to believe in it.
I think I had some kind of ghostly encounter when I was a kid, but I have chalked that up to the overactive imagination of a 5 or 6 year old (I don't remember how old I was at the time). That is a story for a different time. My favoritest thing for paranormal stuff is cryptids. I want so many of the legendary creatures to be real. It would be amazing if even one of them was conclusively proven real.
Question 15: In all of these paranormal investigations did you (specifically you) ever experience something ghostly, or did you suffer the equivalent of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and effect the outcome by trying to observe it? Honestly if you did, that would be kind of burying the lead a bit.
I never did, although for a while, I tried to feel like things other people experienced were just as good as experiencing them myself. At one investigation, my first, Jim recorded a cold spot that moved down the hall towards him and I would tell people about that, as if it meant something. But after a while, you start asking yourself why you're never the one to get an aberrant reading, see something strange, catch the EVP. Jim always said that he imagined crowds of ghosts scurrying into hiding when they saw us pulling up in the driveway, and laughing and waving at us as we left, so it's a known thing that when people are looking, they don't find anything. But when the group shifted from entirely recordable data to giving weight to things like seeing orbs and feeling feelings, it seemed time for me to leave. It felt like a club that I wasn't part of, if that makes sense.
When I was in 8th or 9th grade, in the heat of my Fundamentalist phase, I went to sort of a Christian Woodstock (a Christian Lollapalooza?) with my youth group. On the final night, there was a big revival before we boarded the bus to drive home in the dark. Once on the bus, one of the girls in my group--one of the "good" ones, the ones who prayed publicly and was known to be particularly godly--began sobbing, saying she saw an angel and he was shaking his head and expressing his disappointment. Soon the whole bus was filled with weeping teenagers claiming to have seen or felt that angel. I didn't see an angel. I hugged my friends while they cried and prayed with them, but as with the ghosts, I was an outsider, not one of the blessed.
That's what I don't get--what's the point of having this irrational part of my brain, the part that wants ghosts, that wants God, that wants fairies and magic, if I'm meant to only ever witness the supernatural touching others?
You don't get to ask me questions until Question 18. I know you have read some of these, I cannot believe that you thought you could just randomly ask me a question in the middle of this. I am shocked at this behavior. Shocked!
As I stated earlier, the skeptical want desperately to believe, it is just that their threshold of believability is much stricter. I can easily see you on the fringe of the paranormal and on the fringe of the fundamental. I think they are different colors of the same mask. There is a level of faith required for both fundies and believers that logic just won't work with.
Question 16: Are there any questions you expected me to ask that I have not?
"What is your favorite song/album/band/Spotify playlist/type of music?" I absolutely hate that question, but it's de rigueur, isn't it? I know so many people who claim to judge your worth based on the answer, and I feel like it gets too close to the soft underbelly. We were listening to Spotify the other day and Mark said "What is this playlist? I have no idea what's going on here." I said it was just things I'd favorited. He said that made sense, how it was at once bizarre, yet familiar. That's me. Bizarre. Yet familiar.
There are many questions that tend to be de rigueur that are really horrible questions. The most often one I have seen is the "what's your favorite X?" That is a tired and boring question.
Comedy dictates that my next question be something about identifying your favorite of some category, but today I am eschewing comedy dictates. You hear that, Comedy? Eschewing!
Question 17: What would the God of All Comedy be named, if you could name the God of All Comedy? For the purposes of this post, you do, indeed, have that power.
I'm an agnostic, so I'm not sure if there is a God of ALL Comedy, but a few Halloweens ago, Mark and I dressed as two of the lesser gods you might not have heard of--Dorfeus, god of Dad jokes, and Purrsephone, goddess of cat memes.
My go to names for gods of humor are Mirthcoatl the Omnijocular or Brosadi the Norn or Humor. That being said, I do not have "go to's" for a god of humor name. I just came up with them for this post, but I like them verily.
Now it is time for me to turn the tables. Question 18: Do you have any questions you want to ask me?
I love asking questions and hearing people spin their yarns, so I have ALL the questions for you.
What keeps you going?
What keeps you up at night?
What makes your skin crawl?
What taste, smell, or sound turns you into a kid again?
What do you try not to remember?
What do you hope to learn through these questions?
How much is enough?
It's hard, because what I really want is a bottle of wine, and the ability to respond to some of your responses with more questions, but this is a start.
Alright… here we go.
In general, curiosity keeps me going.
Worrying about the kids and having to deal with emotions I try not to deal with keep me up at night.
Spiders make my skin crawl.
Not much will turn me into a kid again… maybe dealing with my parents for more than a day at a time will throw me into some not so great childhood patterns. Does that count?
I will not tell you what I try not to remember. Nope, not going to happen.
I hope to learn more about people, because I like people in the abstract… I tend to not actually like people though.
Enough is enough.
So… Question 19: What are you taking from these 20 Questions that you did not bring with you?
I discovered that I actually love talking about myself, even though it's ingrained in me to deny that vehemently. I don't think I looked my depression in the eyes and gave it a nod until we discussed happiness here. And I don't think I truly understood how starting your career trajectory at NordicTrak can put you on the path to success before this; I regret some earlier life choices.
Not just anyone could start their worklife at NordicTrack, and no one can start in their retail arm anymore. The 90's were the absolute best for niche retail stores in malls. Anyhoo… the happiness question is always an introspective one.
Here we are at the last. Question 20: What's next? Be as vague or as specific, as concrete or philosophical, and as near term or long term as you would like
In the short term, we are opening up the house and trying to dig out. Things have been rough, with two beloved pets dying in the last month. Spring is a good time to open all the french doors in our house that were closed to keep ailing pets out, to remove puppy pads, to let in some light. I need to get back to work--I owe a dear friend a poem, and frankly, I owe myself a poem. And it's time to travel, to see new things, to taste new things, and to make a few new lists, because life doesn't doesn't seem to have direction without one. Beyond that, things are fuzzy, and not just because of all the cats.
The problem with flinging open the doors in Central Ohio is that the weather is so volatile, you will want to fling them closed again almost instantly. In the time since Susan flung open her doors (answered this last question) it has snowed twice... maybe three times.
I have adored this 20 Questions Tuesday greatly, and am very happy to know more about Susan. Everyone should give her a follow on the Twitters (@selimacat) even though she does not tweet much and on the 'Grams (@selimacat).
She is an absolute delight and everyone should get to know her primarily because she is an introvert and that would freak her out.
To recap:
Plumber and painter in the house this week
Oh, and had to get a new over the range microwave as well
It does really come in threes
My kid really likes the Overwatch League
I find myself being sucked into it somewhat
My heel/plantar fasciitis is still a little ouchy
I realize this is a Wednesday
But I was not able to get the post formatted yesterday
It takes time
This blogging platform does not keep the formatting I already do on the documents
So I have to reformat everything
It is an arduous process
I just want to make sure all of you know that I suffer for my art
I don't really
I was tired last night and didn't feel like doing it
So this becomes a Wednesday post
Deal with it
Have a great week everyone


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Great food and beer specials all weekend long. Live music tonight by Llyod & the Lucille Blues Band @ 5pm. Bring your dancing shoes and enjoy the beginning of a great weekend.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: February 14Valentines Evening at the Brewery
Later Event: March 151st Year Anniversary Celebration Weekend

subset: commoncrawl


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Prince Tyran and his guard Braxon are searching for a new planet to call home away from the politics of their home world. Their time allowed to search for a new colony is almost up when a beep turns up on the radar. Phaedra just doesn't quite fit in, not a Cyborg, not quite human, and not quite other. She searches for the truth always, trying to find a way to help others. When Tyran and Braxon land on the base that Phaedra is on things go crazy!! A first encounter, deception around every corner and the three of them in the middle. Great read and a total page turner, Susan Hayes does it again. I cried, I laughed, and I got mad....can't wait till the next book!!
Three hearts. Two worlds. No limits.
Tyran Varosa and Braxon Torr are on a mission. Find an inhabitable planet. Start a new colony. Escape the archaic rules and traditions of the Vardarian homeworld. They never expected to find their mate along the way, and they never imagined she'd be a diminutive human female with pink hair and a warrior's spirit.
Phaedra Kari has been called a lot of things in her life: trouble, cyber-jockey, lunatic, hacker, but never someone's mate - not until an alien prince and his best friend arrive at the Drift. She's got plans of her own, and they don't include mating anyone, not even a pair of gorgeous aliens whose every touch tempts her to say yes.
When corporate backstabbing progresses to real-life murder, these three will need to come together to ensure the survival of their plans, their friends, and each other.
From her website:
Susan lives on Vancouver Island, off the Canadian west coast where the waters are patrolled by orcas, and the sighting of snowflakes leads to citywide panic. She's jumped out of perfectly good airplanes on purpose and accidentally swum with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef.
If the world ends, she plans to survive as the spunky, comedic sidekick to the heroes of the new world, because she's too short and out of shape to make it on her own for long.


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India-China relations went through a year of relative calm in 2018. This was the result of the so-called 'Wuhan Spirit' – after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in the Chinese city in April to attempt to sort out tensions in the relationship following the several months-long standoff in Doklam (Dolam) in Bhutan middle of last year. However, this respite must be considered unusual for the goal that China under Xi has set itself is of racing to the top of the global hierarchy at the apparent expense of the United States and India certainly is seen only as a bit player in this story. Continue reading 2019: What's in Store for India-China Relations?
Tag Archives: Sino-US relations
Raising China as an Issue in Indian Elections
US Vice-President Mike Pence delivered a key speech on his country's China policy early this month on 4 October 2018.[1] His speech drove home the message of the burgeoning challenge to American interests from China. Using specific examples, he pointed out how the Chinese sought to influence American domestic politics, stole American technology, and undermined other countries through debt-trap infrastructure projects under its Belt and Road Initiative.
Implications for India
Pence's speech on China has also been read as being politically motivated given the November mid-term elections to the US Congress.[2] While this may be so, it also offers Indians an opportunity to think why their country's foreign policy challenges from China do not form more of an issue at least during parliamentary elections. Continue reading Raising China as an Issue in Indian Elections
19th CPC Congress in China: Ideology Dominant
China is the world's second-largest economy and one its major political powers. While it has not been tested in battle for some 40 years, it has the largest military in the world and the second-largest military budget. For nearly 70 years, the world's most populous country has been ruled by a single political party – the Communist Party of China (CPC) – and so when it holds its once-in-five-years national congress, it is an important event that the rest of the world and especially neighbouring India would do well to watch closely and understand. Continue reading 19th CPC Congress in China: Ideology Dominant
China and North Korea: A Convenient Arrangement
China has gone around Asia, particularly, Southeast Asia telling countries to behave because they are smaller than China.[1] Beijing however, is strangely more diffident when it comes to Pyongyang's consistently cocking a snook at it and also complicating China's regional security environment at the same time. As opposed as they are to the DPRK's nuclear status, the Chinese also do not seek a US-led regime change through military meansand to see either North Korean refugees or American troops on its borders.[2]
Chinese Views on North Korea's Nuclear Programme
Chinese scholars also view the DPRK as feeling genuinely threatened by the US and that its development of nuclear weapons is for regime survival.[3] The huge US-ROK joint military exercises in March-April 2016[4] according to the Chinese caused major worry in Pyongyang, which sees such exercises as disguising potential military invasion. Continue reading China and North Korea: A Convenient Arrangement
Tsai-Trump Telephone Call: Reading Trump and the Chinese Response
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called up US President-elect Donald Trump on 3 December to congratulate him on his victory. A statement from the Taiwan Presidential Office stated that the call lasted just over 10 minutes and that Tsai and Trump 'shared views and ideals on governance, especially on promoting domestic economic development and strengthening national defense' and 'also exchanged views briefly on the situation in Asia'. Tsai 'expressed the wish of strengthening [Taiwan-US] bilateral exchanges and contacts and establishing closer cooperation relations.[1]
Trump Testing the Waters?
Taiwan has in the past congratulated the US president-elect in private or in writing[2] but this is possibly the first time since 1979, the two sides have actually spoken over the phone. Taiwanese presidential spokesman Alex Huang said, 'Of course both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact.'[3]
Trump also tweeted about the occasion saying, 'The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!'.[4] Continue reading Tsai-Trump Telephone Call: Reading Trump and the Chinese Response
Major Powers in the Indo-Pacific
Originally published as Jabin T. Jacob, 'Role of Major Powers in the Indo-Pacific Region' in Gurpreet S Khurana and Antara Ghosal Singh (eds). India and China: Constructing A Peaceful Order in the Indo-Pacific (New Delhi: National Maritime Foundation, 2016), pp. 79-89.
The conversion of the 'Asia-Pacific' into the 'Indo-Pacific' – a construct of fairly recent vintage – is of somewhat varying legitimacy depending on the issues one is dealing with. From an economic perspective, the 'Indo-Pacific' makes sense given the long energy supply lines between West Asia and East Asia and also from a goods trade perspective. The 'Indo-Pacific' is also increasingly relevant on the basis of various new and specific themes such as climate change, theft of intellectual property, currency manipulation and cyber-security.
However, from a traditional security perspective, the new nomenclature appears rather contrived still even if energy security or nuclear proliferation – that link the Indian and Pacific Oceans – are major issues for the growing powers in Asia. This is so because it is only truly the United States that links the two geographies in terms of credible security capacity. Further, concerns of piracy in the Indian Ocean apart, it is the East Asian half of the Indo-Pacific that is the more critical region from a maritime security perspective given the various maritime disputes involving China and its neighbours, the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula and the incipient great power competition between China and the United States. Keeping this context in mind, this essay will examine the role of three major powers in East Asia, namely, Japan, Russia and the United States, and their interactions with China as a way of understanding evolving dynamics in the Indo-Pacific.
As neighbours and sibling civilizations, China and Japan have been structurally oriented towards rivalry. China is unwilling to forgive or forget the humiliation by and depredations of the Japanese during WW II and the Japanese elites that matter are unwilling to fully and genuinely apologize or to let go of the chip on their shoulder from having bested and dominated their larger neighbor for however brief a period. The current Chinese territorial claims over the Senkakus are only a manifestation of this historical reality rather than the main problem. Continue reading Major Powers in the Indo-Pacific
US FON Ops and China's Continuing Challenge
Originally published as Jabin T Jacob, 'China's aggression in South China Sea a global challenge', Hindustan Times, 4 November 2015.
In late October, the American destroyer USS Lassens sailed within a 12 nautical mile territorial waters limit claimed by China at Subi Reef in the South China Sea. China has no right to such a claim under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the US was exercising its rights to freedom of navigation under the Convention.
Predictably Beijing has protested while others have cheered the US action but American freedom of navigation (FON) operations are nothing new and have been carried out regularly in other seas despite the fact that the US itself has not ratified UNCLOS. In the South China Sea itself, the US has carried out FON operations previously to counter excessive maritime claims by Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Continue reading US FON Ops and China's Continuing Challenge
Regional Hegemony or Peaceful Rise? China's New Silk Roads and the Asia-Pacific
Based on a presentation made at a conference on The US Rebalance and Asia Pacific Region, organized by the Centre for Public Policy Research, Kochi, Kerala, 7 March 2015.
The questions asked of China about whether it is engaged in a regional hegemony project in the Asia-Pacific are deeply problematic. For one, there is a great deal of ignorance about China and so the starting assumptions are underlined by misinformation or lack of knowledge of China's internal political dynamics, its external concerns as well as of its policy processes. For another, similar questions are not asked of the United States. Is the United States engaged in hegemony or is it a power that maintains peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific? Or is it both? Can the responsibility to maintain regional or global peace be separated from the need to also be hegemonic in order to actually successfully carry out that role? These are big questions but the more interesting one from an Indian point of view is why this question today is asked more of China than of the United States. Continue reading Regional Hegemony or Peaceful Rise? China's New Silk Roads and the Asia-Pacific
Obama's India Visit and Chinese Reactions
The Chinese objective will be to keep India out of the US camp in a way that prevents any substantial balancing or containment strategies against China. Chinese commentary and analyses of US President Barack Obama's visit to India offer some clues to how they might seek to go about achieving this goal. China will employ both rhetorical devices and measures that have to be taken sooner or later such as for example, support for Indian membership of important regional and international bodies as well as substantial measures such as trade and investment opportunities from China. Continue reading Obama's India Visit and Chinese Reactions


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Members Helping Members - Educating, Informing, Supporting
Time: January 17, 2018 from 6pm to 8pm
Location: Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria
Street: 200 E Jackson Ave
City/Town: Knoxville 37915
Website or Map: http://barleysknoxville.com/
Phone: (865) 521-0092
Event Type: pub, night
Organized By: Doc Bishop
Latest Activity: Jan 17, 2018
Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)
January's Pub Night is going to be at Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria located at 200 E Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37915, In the old city. This Tavern features a long list of craft brews & pub grub, plus pool tables & live music.
Come Join us on Wednesday January 17th 2018 form 6pm-8pm. And stay for the live trivia starting at 8pm
You can find more information at the link below. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
Wish I could make this but it's a bit too far for my work schedule. Have fun. Pub night is always a lot of fun.


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China marked the start of its National Day celebrations with a special flag-raising ceremony in Beijing.
More than 140,000 people from all over the country gathered at Tian'anmen Square in the capital city before sunrise to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Some visitors even arrived as early as 8pm the night before at the city square, hoping to secure the best spot for the best photos.
An estimated 16 million people will be embarking on train travels around the country on October 1 alone, according to numbers released by China Railway.
Over the course of the week, 129 million people would have boarded a train somewhere in the country, the operator added. The national holiday is believed to be the country's second-largest annual human migration after the Spring Festival.
China's State Council held a reception at the Great Hall of the People on Sunday, hosted by Party and state leaders Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang and attended by more than 1,200 Chinese and foreign guests.
Noting that this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening up policy initiated in 1978, Premier Li said China will firmly uphold rule-based multilateralism and promote opening-up on a higher level.
While safeguarding its own development interest, China will open wider to share development opportunities and progresses with other countries, according to Xinhua citing Li.
'We will continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and absolutely not tolerate any 'Taiwan independence' attempts and activities,' said Li, while reiterating the policies of 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong and Macao, both special administrative regions.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam echoed Li's statement in the city's annual National Day reception today following a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai.
As the city celebrates the public holiday, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the Chinese government - an annual fixture over the past few years.
After the former British colony was returned to China in 1997, differences have deepened between Communist Party leaders in Beijing and a younger generation of democracy advocates in Hong Kong over the past two years.
Chanting 'Hong Kong is not China', pro-democracy protesters called for Hong Kong's independence as they marched on government headquarters today, according to South China Morning Post.
A figure, in the shape of a hand with the colours of the Chinese national flag for fingernails and a '23' on its palm with reference to the controversial Article 23 law, is carried by protesters at one of the rallies.
Stating that Hong Kong should enact its own laws to 'prohibit any acts of treason, secession, sedition, subversion' against the Chinese government, the so-called 'Article 23' national security law is seen as a grave threat to the city's autonomy.
Pro-democracy advocates were met with Beijing supporters, who were pictured smashing their iPhones in their protests against United States President Donald Trump amid the escalating trade war with China.


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Game Night Movie Review
Weekly movie reviews thanks to our sponsors Event Cinemas Robina, Pacific Fair & Australia Fair
Game Night- Event Cinemas Pac Fair
Check out Stevie's review below on Game Night.
The next addition in the MCU, comes a character from the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Black Panther is a fine entry for Marvel, but a forgettable one.
Ryan Coogler is in the directors & writers chair for this huge 2018 blockbuster. Not his best work after 'Fruitvale Station' or 'Creed' but still enjoyable. He teams up with Michael B Jordan once again for this flick, who also delivers an A+ performance.
If you're a Marvel freak you would have already seen this, but even if you're not it's a decent flick to pass the time if there is nothing else to watch.
Everyone has been raving about this movie, but for me it just didn't wow me like some of the other MCU movies.
Giving it 3/5.
Buy Tickets at Event Cinemas - https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/
Reviews – https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/game_night_2018/
IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2704998/


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In the News
RETF tools help prevent illegal dumping in counties, cities
Monday, August 01, 2016
The Regional Environmental Task Force (RETF), in its 20 years of operation focused on protecting the environment through awareness and enforcement activities, offers a range of resources and tools that can assist communities in the 10-county CAPCOG region to curtail illegal dumping and catch violators who still do it.
One of the most used and effective tools are road signs purchased by the RETF, said Mike Bittner, Caldwell County code enforcement officer. Setting up the signs brings awareness to illegal dumping in trouble areas and provides an avenue for witnesses to report incidents. "The signs help in a number of ways," according to Dennis Rudder, a sergeant investigator with the Travis County Attorney's Office Environmental Crimes Unit and founding member of the RETF. "One way is just by educating people that they shouldn't be dumping their trash."
Caldwell County has placed 70 signs along county roadways and bridges; the area surrounding the signs have experienced about a 75 percent decline in illegal dumping, according to Bittner. Signs also were used by Travis County in a large, unfinished subdivision on South Imperial Drive after a massive volunteer cleanup effort removed a lot of illegally dumped trash. "Illegal dumping was a huge problem in that area," Rudder said. "The paved roads gave people easy access to the site, so large piles of trash started to build up." Eventually, the piles could have polluted the Colorado River waterway since the subdivision sits in the floodplain, but after the area was cleaned, the signs prevented further illegal dumping.
The use of one the RETF's 10 HD-digital-video cameras requires a bit more time and effort, but they are extremely useful when collecting evidence of environmental crimes. Ken May, CAPCOG's Director or Regional Services but formerly in charge of solid waste programs at TCEQ explains that cameras, which can be checked out by enforcement personnel whose jurisdiction is in the CAPCOG region, are constantly in use throughout the region, assisting in recording what happens at illegal dumpsites, and their video can be used as evidence leading to ticketing or prosecuting people who commit environmental crimes.
In one case, cameras were used to catch a man illegally dumping and burning materials after he would steal copper wiring from buildings. "We caught this guy acting like Tarzan, banging on his chest and swinging stuff around, as he was throwing this stuff into the fire," Rudder said. That video helped convict the man for stealing the copper piping and his environmental crimes.
For Bittner, the best tool the RETF provides is an intangible one: the continuing education of code and law enforcement officers.
CAPCOG organizes four environmental law training courses for code and law enforcement officers every year — three beginner courses and one intermediate course. Local governments across the state send representatives to attend the RETF's courses, which can be taught outside of CAPCOG upon request. In recent years, RETF instructors taught three courses in Beeville, Rockport and Eagle Pass. Each course instructed about 25 officers from the Costal Bend and Middle Rio Grande regions. Attendees learn the difference between civil and criminal environmental crimes as well as how to investigate, prepare case reports and what is needed to prosecute the crimes. Many officers who attended the training have recommended it to others and requested additional, more specific environmental law courses such as developing case reports for environmental violations. CAPCOG is investigating offering such courses.
"The instruction I got through the task force was immeasurable," Bittner said. "Because I am a code enforcement officer, it gave me a law enforcement perspective, too. Knowing the proper law enforcement procedures allows me to work with peace officers and help put cases together."
Having staff complete the intermediate course gives a jurisdiction an environmental law expert who becomes a powerful resource for protecting the public's health, welfare and safety from environmental crimes and prevents the need for expensive clean-ups by local governments.
List of RETF tools:
Environmental Law Training — Annually, the RETF offers four courses on environmental law geared for sanitarians, code enforcement, and peace officers. CAPCOG also added an environmental law segment to its basic peace officers course.
Environmental Enforcement Guide — This small pocket sized guide contains information on Texas environmental laws. It is published by Pocket Press and can be ordered on its website.
10 SPYPOINT Tiny W-3 Cameras — RETF members can check out cameras for conducting surveillance and investigating illegal dump sites and other solid waste crimes.
No Dumping Road Signs — These signs can be put up on county and city roads or common dumping locations. They state the location is under surveillance and provide the 1-877-No-Dumps (663-8677) for witnesses to report illegal dumping.
The 1-877-No-Dumps Hotline — The hotline lets citizens report illegal dumping. All calls are reviewed by the RETF coordinator and directed to the appropriate jurisdiction's investigator.
RETF Sampling Trailer — The RETF trailer contains all the supplies needed to conduct environmental sampling. It is housed in Travis County but available to any RETF member.
Outreach materials — From posters to magnets to reusable bags to pens, the RETF provides educational materials about the No-Dumps hotline and illegal dumping.
> Learn about the RETF.
> Read about the CAPCOG Solid Waste Program.


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Abe drafts rising star MP, allies for new cabinet
Japan's Abe shakes up cabinet, brings in rising star
Japan will have to dump radioactive Fukushima water into Pacific, minister says
Powerful typhoon Faxai batters Tokyo, two dead
Woman killed as strong typhoon lashes Tokyo area, cutting power and transport
Tokyo braces for direct hit from typhoon Faxai
One dead, 30 hurt as express train, truck collide near Tokyo
Two dead as Japan orders 670,000 to flee heavy rains
Japan says North Korea developing warheads to penetrate missile defences


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Huskies Top Beavers, 69-64
Jan. 3, 2010
CORVALLIS, Ore. - This was no track meet. One game after racing up-and-down the court with Oregon, the Huskies had a much more physical matchup with Oregon State to close out their opening Pac-10 road trip.
Maybe it just fits their style.
Kristi Kingma scored a season-high 18 points as the Huskies escaped the Willamette Valley with a much-needed split after pulling away from Oregon State, 69-64. Coming into the game, the Beavers had set a franchise record in holding teams to below 49 points in three straight games.
In a game more fit to be played across the street at Reser Stadium, both teams tried to impose their physical styles on one another. Bodies were flung to the ground and hard fouls were dished out and there was even a technical issued on Beavers coach LaVonda Wagner for arguing a call.
But the Huskies did their job shutting down Beavers' star Talisha Rhea, who had to work for her 22 points. Rhea shot just 5-20 from the field, and 11-for-11 from the line. Haiden Palmer added 10 for OSU, but no other Beaver scored in double-digits.
The Huskies (6-6, 1-1), meanwhile, had no trouble scoring despite having their star player - Sami Whitcomb - in foul trouble for the entire game. Overall, UW shot 49 percent (24-for-49) from the floor. The easy buckets came at the Huskies continually feeding the ball into the posts, which spaced the floor for the guards.
Junior Sarah Morton tied a career high with 12 points, including a timely 3-pointer from the corner in the final two minutes of the game. Mackenzie Argens continued her hot stretch of play with 10 points and eight rebounds.
'Kristi was fantastic today,' Jackson said. 'Sami picked up those two quick fouls and wasn't able to get into a rhythm.'
With the loss, Oregon State fell to 9-3, 1-1 in the Pac-10.
Kingma hit 5-of-11 from the floor, including four of her first five shots from the field. But she managed to ice the game from the line at the end, giving the Huskies their first Pac-10 win. The sophomore was hoping after the game that this game would 'catapult' her after a slow start to the season offensively.
'It's been a rough start with my ankle and obviously with our injuries,' Kingma said. 'But I'm hoping this will be the one to catapult me to better games.'
Now the Huskies will finally return home when they host the Arizona schools after playing seven straight on the road. The home stand tips off with on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. at Bank of America Arena.
Cal Rallies for 69-64 Win over Long Beach StateDec 12 '04
Cats Top 'Zags, 69-64Dec 14 '08
TODAY | 12:00pm PTLive
TODAY | 3:00pm PTLive
Pac-12 PlaylistTODAY | 5:00pm PTLive


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Add To Cart
Black onyx with a crystal rondelle and pet's name. Stretch bracelet to easily put this on and off with a bit of sparkle and your pet's name. Is perfect bracelet to wear alone and add a little shine or to stack with others. Joy comes in four legs and you can always keep your favorite furry family member close at hand with this piece.
A portion of all pet jewelry purchased will go to animal rescue foundations.


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Finally! A glimmer of hope at the end of a polar vortex! Spring is coming early!
On Saturday, February 2, 2019, Americans were crossing their fingers and waiting on bated breath for Punxsutawney Phil to make his annual Groundhog Day prediction. As tradition dictates, if the groundhog sees his shadow and goes back into his burrow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. But, if he doesn't see his shadow and stays outside, spring will come early. And if you haven't already heard, Phil did not see his shadow!
Punxsutawney Phil might just be the best meteorologist in America because Michiganders have been enjoying warm temperatures this week. Monday reached a high of 54 °F, which after the subzero temperatures the day before, made it feel like a heatwave hit Metro Detroit! But just because spring is coming early, doesn't mean winter is over just yet. There may not be a blizzard on the horizon, but Metro Detroit is experiencing an ice storm. According to The National Weather Service (NWS), "Freezing rain develops as falling snow encounters a layer of warm air deep enough for the snow to completely melt and become rain. As the rain continues to fall, it passes through a thin layer of cold air just above the surface and cools to a temperature below freezing. However, the drops themselves do not freeze, a phenomenon called supercooling (or forming "supercooled drops"). When the supercooled drops strike the frozen ground (power lines, or tree branches), they instantly freeze, forming a thin film of ice, hence freezing rain... Ice storms result from the accumulation of freezing rain."
The NWS also mentions that, "Ice storms can be the most devastating of winter weather phenomena and are often the cause of automobile accidents, power outages and personal injury." In 2014, The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 42,480 work injuries involved ice, sleet, or snow. 2,040 of them were Michigan work injuries. The report also indicates that the injuries resulted from, "falls, slips or trips; overexertion and bodily reaction; transportation incidents; and contact with objects and equipment."
Icy sidewalks, driveways, and even roads may cause disasters and lead to a higher risk of slips, falls, and even car accidents. Don't slip into spring; walk and drive slowly.
Slip and falls and car accidents caused by ice may lead to minor injuries such as twisted ankles and scraped knees and to serious injuries like broken bones and even traumatic brain injuries, leaving victims in the hospital for days and out of work for weeks. The Michigan Law Firm, PC provides legal services to those who have been injured in slip and fall accidents and icy car crashes. Call us at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free legal consultation.


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- Description
DetailsEkuanot hops offers a burst of pleasant aromas from tropical fruit, papaya, and mango notes that pairs well across all fresh-flavored styles. Ekuanot™ is an up-and-coming hop with pronounced aroma, tight cone structure and notably high oil content. Noted for an indescribably unique berry-and-fresh-pepper character.
Hop Details:
- Flavor Descriptors: Melon, berry, orange peel, lime, papaya, pine and fresh peppers.
- Alpha Acid %: 24-27%
- Total Oil %: 6.0-7.5%
- Details & Instructions
Additional Information
Size 1 oz. Origin USA Alpha Acid (Average %) 24-27% Type Pellet
Product Instructions(Size: 2.6 MB)
- Reviews
- Customer Q&A


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I actually took a commission yesterday to write a poem for the birthday of a friend of a friend. It was a fun and interesting exercise. I worked mostly from a list sent to me of associations and interests of the person—and wants and wishes as well, one of which was to go to Paris. So….
In Paris. The Portraits
In Paris, the painters have no free will now.
They stand outside cafés begging the wind
To bring them strands of hair you left mingled
With wild grasses pale under the summer moon.
They stand outside cafés, forgotten red wine
Evaporating from clear carafes while they beg
The wind for strands of your hair to twist
Into brushes to paint you again on the morning
You rose singing from the seafoam, gleaming,
Hair dark and wet, tangled on your shoulders,
Water parting in sorrow from your torso, limbs,
Falling back to waves breaking at your feet.
The canvas refuses all other underdrawings
In Paris. The portraits are all of you now.
My friend David Nicholson just noted that he specifically chose the following to listen to while reading the poem. I like his choice, so I'm adding it.


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Yet another video has gone viral online, exposing China's troubling shortage of good Samaritans.
In the video, an elderly man is seen hustling across a busy road in Zhuzhou, Henan province before stumbling and falling down on his face. The man stays lying on the street for more than a minute as cars, buses and motorcycles weave their way by him.
A total of more than 22 vehicles passed the man by, with none of them stopping to help.
Eventually, the driver of a bus comes out to help the man up and escort him to the safety of the sidewalk.
The video has sparked yet more anger online, reminiscent of an infamous incident earlier this year in which a woman was hit by a car while crossing a busy intersection, leaving her lying motionless on the road alongside the crosswalk. Afterward, dozens of pedestrians and drivers passed by without a care before the woman was run over a second time, ending her life.
[Images via Beijing News]
Follow Shanghaiist on WeChat


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AeroCal Limited is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of our employees, whether on or off-site, so far as is reasonably practical, and recognise that the effective management of health and safety is an integral part of our business.
We also accept our responsibility for others such as visitors and contractors and customers and their contractors when off-site who may be affected by our activities.
The objectives of the Policy are to ensure that our statutory obligations are met, but these are regarded as minimum standards to be exceeded where possible. Appropriate preventative and protective measures are, and will continue to be, implemented following the identification of work related hazards and assessments of the risks associated with them.
Employees have a duty to co-operate with the Company to ensure that this policy is effective and to offer all necessary assistance to ensure the health and safety at work of all employees. Employees also have a legal duty of care. This means that they must exercise 'reasonable skill and care' in their relationship with the Company (their employer), colleagues and anyone else affected by their acts or omissions.
Employee's should remain alert and if they feel that carrying out a specific task would be dangerous or observe something which in their opinion could constitute a hazard to themselves or others, then it is the employee's duty to report this to their manager or a Director.
The Company will take such measures as may be necessary to ensure relevant training, supervision and information is available to all employees in matters pertaining to their health and safety.
The Company will consult with the employees periodically to ascertain what measures should be taken to increase awareness of health and safety and to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to make this policy effective.
The objectives of this safety statement can only be achieved through the co-operation of employees and all other persons who represent the company.
AeroCal Limited's Health and Safety Policy will be continually monitored and updated to reflect any changes in business activities and/or legislation. The policy it will be reviewed at least annually.


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2016 left me lying face down on the ground, spread wide and vulnerable in the mud of all the ideas and expectations I was so desperately lunging after in the hope that they might bring me solace and value in this ever-dimming social, political, and environmental climate we find ourselves moving through today. However, there becomes a point where it is too dark and heavy and complicated, and something deep within tells you to wipe the mud off your face and look up. And when I cleared and opened my eyes, I saw the familiar flicker of light that always has been and always will be- the same light that I have seen and walked towards, and then forgotten and strayed from many times before. In yoga, we call this inherent and eternal direction and soul-longing of our existence, sankalpa. Sankalpa is formed in the heart and if you give yourself time and space to sit, it arrives with everything you need.
So how did I lose focus and wander off course yet again?
The senses
Being human means we have a body-mind vehicle and with that comes likes and dislikes, birth and death, joy and sorrow. If something feels good, we try to re-enact and re-live the past experience. If something is painful, we move away and avoid in the future. This is a human behavior deeply rooted in fear and habit, and it is the attachment to these attractions and aversions that push us off the path over and over and over again.
Yoga is a state of being that results from the practices offered in the ancient teachings. Yoga is the union leftover when our consciousness disconnects from the entanglement with the mind and the manifested world. Achieving yoga takes discipline and work. It requires a sustained practice known as abhyasa. Abhyasa can be developed through consistent self-analysis and satsang.
In sanskrit, "satsang" means a sacred gathering to sit, or simply BE, in Truth. It is an invitation to come together as a community of yoga practitioners and study the ancient teachings offered in texts such at the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Upanishads. This is a two-fold offering to first, go inward deeply through the teachings and sitting and afterwards, to re-enter our outward lives and reflect and discuss how we are experiencing and applying the wisdom that has been so beautifully and graciously passed down the lineage.
The teachings are oh so clear, and yet this path takes devotion and hard work. It is certainly easier to press the snooze button and go back to and remain asleep. However, if your year was anything as emotional and draining and confusing as mine, you might want to wake up. You might hear a whisper to open your eyes and a calling to return to or stay the path. This is it! The time is NOW. We need to muster all our strength and support each other to the best of our abilities. We need to continue to show up, not only for ourselves, but for our community, for our sweet and nourishing and life giving Mother Earth, and for humanity. So please join us! We will gather at Yoga Garden SF every Wednesday night at 8:00 pm.
May this satsang bring more clarity, compassion, and perseverance to ourselves and the world. May we collectively uplift our community, our society, and our species. May this gathering bring more health, happiness, and freedom from suffering to all beings everywhere. Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.


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Preschool Prep
Early childhood students prepare for the arrival of the preschool students in October
While most classes at Potomac Falls have settled into a familiar routine by October, Early Childhood Education classes are preparing for a major shakeup: the arrival of the preschool students. The high schoolers spend the first month of school cleaning and decorating the classroom, creating lesson plans, and learning the skills they'll need to become teachers and role models for these kids. Once October hits, the whole dynamic of the class changes – the teacher takes a step back, and the students assume the role of teachers for a class of 16 preschoolers.
The Early Childhood teacher for this year is Toni Fasan, new staff member at Potomac Falls. As the new program head, Fasan is implementing changes that will improve the class for high schoolers and preschoolers alike. "We're changing a lot. We're upgrading a lot of our resources and toys and tools and items that we use to assist the high school students in teaching their lessons. A lot of aesthetic changes in how we're structuring this space will hopefully be a benefit and conducive to what our objectives are in here," said Fasan.
Some of the new additions to the program will include weekly trips to the library, and weekly center activities that will be coordinated by the high schoolers. However, Fasan is keeping some of the students' favorite traditions, such as the trick or treating event that happens every Halloween, where the high schoolers lead the preschoolers around the school to trick or treat at every classroom
The preschoolers will be starting at the school on Monday, Oct. 15. In anticipation of this, the high school students are in full preparation mode. "We're making bulletin boards with little colors, things like that for them, and we're getting ready for their parents to come and meet all of us. We're making lesson plans and just kind of decorating the classroom to make it kid friendly," said senior Megan Dawson.
Once the preschoolers arrive, the students dive headfirst into their role as teachers. "What's super fun about this class is that my main role is really towards the early part of the year, where as the teacher I'm instructing the high school students and providing them with the tools and resources they need to be good teachers when the preschoolers arrive. I will be taking a step back in October, and if anybody was to come in here and witness a day in the life of the ECE program, what they'll see is the high school students running the show, and I'm just there as a support person," said Fasan.
Students create lesson plans and then spend the classes instructing the preschoolers, typically in small groups. They focus on teaching the kids basic skills that will prepare them for kindergarten. "At certain times we'll all have our own teaching days where we'll be helping the kids and teaching them skills like how to write their names or the alphabet, or learn numbers," said senior Rebeca Castellon.
For any high school student with an ambition to teach or work with kids in the future, Early Childhood provides them with the skills and experience needed to take on those roles. "I am most excited for witnessing the high school students build confidence and faith in their abilities to be able to facilitate a lesson, to be able to make corrections and deviate when things don't go according to plan, and just to watch them develop. It's fun to watch the preschoolers develop, but I love watching the high schoolers get more comfortable in their skin the more times they deliver lessons," said Fasan.
With Fasan's enthusiastic new leadership and a group of students with a passion for teaching, the preschoolers attending Potomac Falls' program are in the best hands possible.


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Founded in 2010, in 8 short years, artGuidemag has established its place as a premier arts publication ranking alongside world renowned online arts magazines and attracts readers nationwide. artGuidemag has successful built its online presence to become one of Google's top ranked art websites, ranking in the top 3 for searches related to "gallery guide magazine", "art guide", and hundreds of other regional and local frequently used search terms linked to the arts.
artGuidemag has carved a niche in the art world by providing unique art related content, reference material and resources for artists, galleries, collectors, and art enthusiasts that no other online art platform provides.
Tens of thousands of art patrons frequent artGuidemag each month to consult the only comprehensive Gallery Guide in the nation, delve into the only print and online national Artist Directory to discover and learn about a vast collection of artists working in a variety of media and genres across the country, and to stay up-to-date on current art trends and happenings in our ever-changing Art News segment.
National Artist Directory
Artist Directory is the only print and online NATIONAL directory of artists. Included in the high-end Artists Spotlight magazine.
A beautifully printed Collector's Edition Artist Directory that is mailed to 5,000 gallery owners/directors in 480 cities.
Artists receive a Feature Profile in the online edition of the Artist Directory, on artGuidemag's top-Google-ranked website.
Our subscribers are interior designers, realtors, collectors, and art lovers.
Gallery Guide
The only comprehensive Gallery Guide with 6,000 galleries/museums in 500 cities. Every market has been researched to discern real/true art galleries which have been listed with Directory Lists and Maps.
Galleries across the country can:
Top Gallery Profiles that include artwork and biographies of all their artists. Top Gallery Profiles are linked on the Homepage as well in the Gallery Guide page devoted to their respective city.
Link their websites on artGuidemag's Gallery Guide to direct local, regional, and national art collectors to their artworks..
Art News
artGuidemag's Art News segment features information about art exhibits, art events, and our trademarked artGuidemag's Top 5 Art Lists.
Each month, Art News attracts thousands of new readers while continuing to enjoy its loyal following of repeat readers.


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Saotome Gakuen Blue Wind Story 1 – Message Board
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Juan C. Jimenez is a Chesterfield, VA Certified Professional Inspector® and certified by the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors® (InterNACHI®)
$10,000 Honor Guarantee, backed by InterNACHI: Covered.
Contact Juan today at (804) 269-4321.
Visit A House on a Rock Home Inspections LLC on the web at http://www.ahouseonarock.com
This ID can be used to verify Juan C. Jimenez's membership at any time.
Juan provides the following additional inspection services:


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Psychic Spirit guides can be a very diverse group of entities. Some human, some non-human. Non-human guides can evolve with humanity, but are not part of its life stream. Angels, devas, nature spirits and totem animals, are examples of this. They can have a very real and subtle influence upon you.
The human kind of guide can be living or dead. The living we may encounter as ordinary individuals who are out of their bodies, at night while we are asleep. There can be individuals who have trained themselves to consciously leave their bodies and withdraw their energy and consciousness to those more subtle realms through astral projection. Life masters, adepts or individuals who are spiritually developing, and very aware in a psychic sense.
This type of spirit guide are individuals who are still living within the physical. Encounters with this kind of guide are often not as recognizable as those who have passed over such as family, or friends. This type of psychic spirit guide can also be those who are preparing and waiting to reincarnate. Contact with this type of spirit is through the etheric and astral energy left behind by the deceased as they withdraw from physical life, ghosts and apparitions can fall into this category.


text: Below is a link to the CRC Foundation's new online donation page which has a donation option specific to the Veterans Resource Center (VRC). Your donation can help support our center to better serve our Veterans and their families. We do many events on and off campus to support our Veterans community. Thanks to many donations, we have been able to support programs and events such as:


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Home | San Diego Zoo 100
Return to
In the introduction to the book It Began With A Roar, Dr. Charles Schroeder said of Dr. Harry: "I have never met a man with Doctor Harry's animal-like persistence, or his tenacity of purpose to do the job and carry it to completion, come hell or high water. If it is selfish to make personal sacrifices in fortune and energy for the sole reward of seeing a dream come to fruition, then Doctor Harry was a very selfish man. His goal was so clear, and the road was so narrow and straight that he would not permit any form of deviation....He planted the seed. We did his bidding with further interference. He knew how to pull the most out of everyone who would help, and you felt good about it....The world has known no more stubborn or determined man."
Centennial Celebration
San Diego Zoo
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© 2019 San Diego Zoo Global
Site by Mindgruve
Home | San Diego Zoo 100
Years and Counting at the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo's timeline is best viewed on a desktop.


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Building Babel
Last weekend, I had the great pleasure of performing in Babel, a new acro-dance-theater piece co-created by WT McRae and Jeremy Williams. Bodies as building blocks, creating towers and structures — climbing, yielding, flying, falling — Babel tells the story of a tower, built so high it offends god. God divides the people who build it and gives them separate languages so that they cannot build again. The piece explores the human desire to create, the necessity of communication, and how human ambition can overcome adversity. We had our premiere at Gibney Dance Center, as part of APAP, to sold out houses! Thanks to all who came out to support the work.


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Developer Update: Connor W-C. Week-6
This week for me involved a lot of playing around with particle effects and materials, as well as creating an improved rig for the boss in preparation for improved animations again (in hindsight Wellington Armageddon has kind of negatively impacted the creation of high quality animations, as I rushed to finish for this event, I sacrificed quality). In general terms I was just trying to learn as much as possible and apply what I could to things in game. It was very much the beginning of polish for me. Firstly I had already discovered, prior to vertical slice, how to create a flat shock wave distortion effect as both a particle effect, and a material on a flat plane. It's essentially the same thing for both however normals and fresnel have to be used differently on particles bias to always want to face the player. I adapted this shock wave effect to be paired the existing flat shock wave emissive ring.
I also created a similar material to be applied to a sphere that, in game, would expand rapidly and serve as a spherical shock wave that would push the player off the boss. This is where I learned how to pan tileable textures over time. Leading to a rotating ripple effect when used on a wavy normal map, plugged into a fresnel, plugged into refraction on a translucent material. After playing with values and colours I created an effective spherical force pulse material. This material was also copied and reused for other things in the project, such as damage indicators and walls to block the player from certain areas. I also created a circuit crawling type material that didn't have time to be implemented properly. This was going to be applied to the leg guards of the boss.
The final thing I discovered this week was world normal displacement on objects. Basically creating a material that distorts the vertices on an object based on the world position of the object. The tutorial I watched was for clouds, however I adapted what I had learned to use as the base for an explosion/jet (used for rockets) as well as further adapting what I had learned for a lazer material. To adapt the material for a lazer I first ditched using noise as a map to displace vertices, and plugged in a panning sine wave, multiplied it a few times, and used that to inform the displacement if the vertices of a cylinder. This created a pulsing effect as the sine wave traveled down the length of the extended cylinder.


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The Oztix Event Guide is your portal to what is happening in and around Australia.
My Oztix is an area where you can manage all details of your account.
with special guests Abjects (UK) and The Unknowns
Sunday 06 October 2019 (opening 7:30 PM)
The Gov - Main Room
( venue info )
59 Port Road,
All Ages Licensed
Please wait, we are attempting to reserve tickets for your order, this process can
take several minutes during peak time, so please be patient and do not refresh the
page or navigate away.
Price includes booking fees
Please wait we are attempting to reserve tickets for your order, this process can
take upwards of 5 to 10 minutes during peak time so please be patient and do not
refresh the page or navigate away.
Australian national treasures, The Chats, have given us their cracking new single Identity Theft and a tour of the same name set to take place in September / October. Tickets on sale now!
This is a Licensed/All Ages event.
Photo ID must be provided to consume alcohol. * Intoxicated persons will not be admitted * No thongs or steel cap boots * The venue reserves the right to refuse admission to any person * Dangerous behaviour including Crowd Surfing, Stage Diving, Moshing and Violent Dancing is not allowed and will result in your immediate removal from this venue.
You have tickets reserved. You have a limited time to complete your booking before your reservation expires and you will have to start your reservation process again. You can keep an eye on the time remaining in the top right of the page.
Are you sure you want to cancel your reservation?


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Group Policy Management Template Updates for XenApp and XenDesktop
This page contains links to download additional templates and updates to the Citrix templates built-in to XenApp and XenDesktop Group policy management package.
While you still find Citrix provided templates in Citrix Studio and in a GPO editor (after installing the Group Policy Management package) we want to be able to quickly provide you with updates and templates for additional scenarios beyond what is included in the installer package.
About these templates
Templates on this page are intended to be used with the latest version of XenApp and XenDesktop unless otherwise specified and while they have their name and description in English, they can be imported and used in other languages.
Updates to built-in Citrix templates
Updates to the built-in Citrix templates appear in this topic. Note that when imported, the .gpt templates appear as custom templates.
To download and install the templates
- Click on the Download template link in this topic for the template version you want.
The template with the extension ".gpt" downloads to your computer.
- Import the template to Studio.
For more information, see Manage Citrix policy templates.
If you open the file locally, a Windows message appears that asks you to choose the application to use for opening the file. Cancel this error message and return to Citrix Studio to import the .gpt file.
Template for CloudBridge
Download the template to maximize the advantages of CloudBridge WAN acceleration. This template configures settings that allow XenApp and XenDesktop to maximize the benefits of CloudBridge WAN acceleration devices in the path between a client and a VDA.
You can assign this template specifically to sessions with CloudBridge present by using the 'With Citrix CloudBridge' policy filter allowing for use of different policy settings for CloudBridge and for other connections.
Templates to explore settings for Receivers for HTML5 and Chromebook
Download the template
This template exposes some of the policy settings available that have exclusive or special effect on sessions from Chromebook endpoints.
Download the template- For sessions that use Receiver for HTML5, the following template includes the applicable settings. Particular to the Receiver for HTML5, enable WebSockets in the default installation of XenApp and XenDesktop. The default setting for WebSockets is disabled.
Download the template to improve the user experience in unreliable networks This template enables the Framehawk UDP-based graphics protocol and exposes some of the policy settings available that have exclusive or special effect on these sessions.
Download the template for pass-through (dual hop) application sessions On deployments with managed/pooled/RDS-hosted virtual desktops, it is common to provide users with applications not in the desktop image by using a pass-through session to XenApp. This template is intended to be applied to a XenApp providing applications to desktops. It should decrease the CPU usage in the Application session server and at the same time allowing the desktop session to optimize the delivery to the client endpoint device. This is achieved by disabling the video codec for compression in graphics and delivering from the application to the desktop minimally compressed graphics.
Using the template for pass-through (double-hop) application sessions will increase the traffic between the applications and desktops.
Download the sample template for Citrix Universal Print Server Use this template as the starting point to configure your deployment of Citrix Universal Print Server. A resultant policy will allow for printer-specific drivers to be used if previously installed by the VDA administrator, else the Citrix Universal Printer Driver will be used. It also lists sample Printer assignments (new alternative to Session Printers and Default Printer settings) which should be replaced with the proper ones for your deployment. This template requires Domain access to the printers for proper configuration.
This template is designed to be used in deployments with Citrix Universal Print Server.
Download the templates prior to 7.6 FP3 This zip file includes the templates existing prior to 7.6FP3.
After importing, these templates appear as custom templates.
Additional Resources
Citrix Documentation - To import a template More information about XenApp and XenDesktop templates and polices can be found at docs.citrix.com.
The above mentioned samples and downloaded policy templates (the sample code) are provided to you AS IS with no representations, warranties or conditions of any kind. You may use, modify and distribute it at your own risk. CITRIX DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, WRITTEN, ORAL OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you acknowledge and agree that (a) the sample code may exhibit errors, design flaws or other problems, possibly resulting in loss of data or damage to property; (b) it may not be possible to make the sample code fully functional; and (c) Citrix may, without notice or liability to you, cease to make available the current version and/or any future versions of the sample code. In no event should the code be used to support of ultra-hazardous activities, including but not limited to life support or blasting activities. NEITHER CITRIX NOR ITS AFFILIATES OR AGENTS WILL BE LIABLE, UNDER BREACH OF CONTRACT OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING FROM USE OF THE SAMPLE CODE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Although the copyright in the code belongs to Citrix, any distribution of the code should include only your own standard copyright attribution, and not that of Citrix. You agree to indemnify and defend Citrix against any and all claims arising from your use, modification or distribution of the code.


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It is the first day of spring on the North 40 latitude. We made it. I am not fond of winter's darkness. I don't enjoy the long shadows that are produced by a sun that is lower on the horizon. (I know, I know…what a wuzz I am…especially for you who live North 50/South 50 and beyond!) What is my problem with long shadows? I am not sure, but maybe it is a reminder of all the darkness that lies inside of me. Still something tells me, I need to spend time with winter's shadows, acknowledging it all. Lately, I have been doing a little bit of that in short spurts. I am very slowly reading an introduction to Thomas Merton, an American monk who acknowledged his own shadows, even spent quite some time living in them actually, as he sought out a complete relationship with God. I like the dude so far… a lot. If I was ever going to get drunk with a monk (there is a song lyric for ya), Thomas Merton would be my guy.
Lately, I have been thinking about teachers, speech therapists, nurses, environmentalists, poets, songwriters, bloggers, social workers, high school counselors, professors, novelists, parents, shamans, social entreprenuers, hospice workers, students, graphic artists, therapists, artists, consultants, and social justice advocates. In other words, my family, friends, and colleagues. Their daily work is so challenging and often seems like one step forward and two steps back. On this vernal equinox, I ran across this quote from a letter in the Thomas Merton book I am reading, What I Am Living For,
"[D]o not depend on the hope of results. When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, essentially an apostolic work, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite of what you expect. As you get used to this idea you start more and more to concentrate not on the results but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself…In the end, as you yourself mention in passing, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything."
I don't know if this means anything to you, but it kind of rings a bell with me – a bell that softly says, "Sit down by the big oak tree, and think about this for a moment." I watch so many people in their "truth work, right work" who face enormous obstacles in getting things done. The results are spotty, sometimes, at best. Yet, that work must be done because it is right. I am proud of ya'll.
Maybe the equinoxes should be celebrated as the Yin and Yang Days? The Vernal Equinox represents the middle path, situated perfectly between the light and the darkness. From a gardener's point of view though, I am looking forward to those summer tomatoes that come with more light! They seem a long ways from my shadows.