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It's nearly noon and the shades in my writing room are still drawn. The softness of semi-darkness is exactly what the molecules of my body are hungry for right now. I've just returned from an interview at an upscale flower shop and am sitting in the glow of my lamp, eating lunch, and wondering what I should do (I was offered the position. Should I take it?). I started coming down with something lastnight and today I'm feeling just generally ooky and terrible. It's hard to make any decisions under these circumstances. Not to mention, I have to go to work at the bookstore in an hour. I love working there, but today I just want to crawl under the covers and sleep.
I think my body is getting generally run-down from the effects of being new at one job and the stress of getting a second job. Counting my blessings, at least I'm getting offers. One I didn't take because it felt all wrong. That was an easy decision. Then there's this flower shop--which sounds like it could be both challenging and fun, maybe even a little intimidating. But it's a long commute if I need to depend on the bus (which I probably will). V.'s getting more adjuct offers and will, therefore, probably be using the car the most--that's just the way it's working out.
One source of my stress is that I'm waiting to hear back from the place I want to work the most (a 2nd job, that is). It involves working with animals. It is within walking distance of my house. And, at this time in my life, it would be the job of my dreams. A humble job, but one that I've always wanted to do. It would be rewarding in many more ways than a paycheck--but, even so, it pays ok.
So, the question is: Do I want to make extremely creative $500.00 floral bouquets on a daily basis, wrangle up new corporate customers, and do interior design in a very rich neighborhood OR do I want to work with animals? And how long will I have to wait to find out if I will even get the animal job?? And how long can I make the floral shop job wait for me to make a decision?
I'm at a fork in the road and all I can do is be patient for a few more days and see what happens. And, of couse, being sick doesn't help. In the meantime I'd like to just morph into a puddle on the floor. Oh god, what a big baby I am.
But enough whining...
It's time to go to work.
This is what was written in the Southwest Journal about the place where I've been spending my days:
"Once upon a time, there was a little bookstore in Linden Hills called the Wild Rumpus. It was a place where nothing ordinary ever happened. But if you've been to the Rumpus, then you already know that. From the menagerie of chickens, cats and rats that run the store to the child-size purple door within a door, whimsical and wacky are the rule at the Rumpus" (Ellen Kane).
Now really, how can I complain?
Saturday, September 16, 2006
no title, just a few under the weather ramblings.
5 comments:
- Tammy said...
Don't decide a thing until you feel better :) Pamper yourself!
- paris parfait said...
Just wait and see how things unfold - don't stress! The bookstore where you work sounds fabulous! Take care of YOU, Jessie. xo
- beansprout said...
Offers are always good. Is there any way you can call the animall place and let them know you've had another offer but really your heart is waiting on them? It is just a thought. Hope you feel better soon.
- Kristine said...
Hang in there! I hope you gte a chance to rest and relax. I know it will all work out...
- Jamie said...
I'm thinking like Bean. Give the animal job first dibs on your talents. If you can, hold out for what's right for you. You deserve it. I'm crossing my fingers for you :)
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subset: commoncrawl


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Take the brand forward...in big steps
Behind Lightbulbs Direct lies a very well established and respected brand with great history. The online offering needed to look and feel different while not completely severing all connections.
The new website had to communicate with warehouse systems, hook up with drop shipping and cater for over 10,000 products.
Keep it simple
From our research we found that a more literal representation of the business worked best. This was no place for abstract metaphors. Direct. Just like the name.
We then extrapolated the idea of clean, light colours and white space through into the initial web elements to make sure it would all hang together. We sorely needed to lift the visual language of the brand to match the new website and direction. We kept it simple, straightforward and light.
We used Magento as the platform to meet the needs of this demanding website.
A brand and platform ready to go
The brand looked fresh in their competitor set and helped establish Lightbulbs Direct as a leading player.
The website integrated with many 3rd party pieces of software and gave a robust platform for the business to take forward.


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Night Running: Tips, Gear, and Safety Advice
I thought I'd cover night running in this article because for most of us, we can't avoid it for a few months of the year at least.
There aren't many people who are going to put their hands up if I ask, 'who prefers running in the dark?'. Yet there are some pretty cool advantages if you want to make the best of it.
You need to take some extra safety precautions and know your routes well, but weather permitting you can get some great training in at night.
Here are some of the advantages, safety precautions to be aware of, and reasons why night running may just become your first choice when training going forward.
Benefits of Running at Night
Depending on how you look at it, there are actually some benefits to running at night in the dark.
Admittedly, it's still not for everyone, but here are some things to think about to make the most of late night running:
Less Distractions
Unless you hit the trails away from the bustle of the city when you run I'm sure you've been distracted by all the buzz going on in the day.
Being able to focus without interruption is vital to your training and being able to make those small improvements that add up.
There are fewer things to catch your eye when it's dark, it's also quieter allowing you to calm your senses and concentrate on your breathing.
Headlights from cars, overhead street lights, and a few night owls should be the worst of what you have to look out for.
Cooler Temperatures
Taking into account where you live, how well you deal with different temperatures and weather conditions, cooler temperatures at night might be exactly what you're looking for.
If you burn easily under the hot sun then this is also going to be a huge advantage. Don't forget to still take plenty of water however and keep well hydrated.
Keeps Your Runs Interesting
If you've been running for some time during the day you've probably done everything you can to mix it up and keep it interesting.
Although your focus should be firmly on improving your times, breathing, how you prepare and how well you're progressing. We're all susceptible to getting bored if we're running similar routes and seeing the same sights.
Mixing up night and day runs might give you that little boost of motivation you need with the change of scenery it brings.
It's a Productive Use of Time
Finding time to get a quality run in when you're not rushed or thinking about all the other things you should be doing is the biggest challenge for most people who work, have a family, etc.
What are you usually doing in the evening when it's starting to get dark?
Probably starting to wind down and maybe even relaxing after a long day, especially if you've been for an early morning run.
Night running is the only time some people can make for themselves, so if it's a good time for you, make the most of it.
Running at Night Safety Gear and Tips
Along with the obvious, the main difference between day and night running is safety.
There is a lot more hazards and potential for injury running while it's dark. The main issues are the lack of visibility, both on your part, and that of others around you.
There is some gear designed to help you out here, and there are a few things you can do to ensure you're as safe as possible:
Wear Reflective Clothing
There is plenty of reflective clothing designed to make you more visible while running at night. It reflects when vehicle headlights in particular shine onto it and allow motorists to see you very easily.
If you don't want to wear a top or bottoms that are reflective then you can just use clips that go around your ankle or wrists.
Take a Flashlight
Strap a small flashlight to your arm if you don't carry a backpack, or you can wear a head torch which is just a small light that wraps around your head.
Either way, while running at night it's important to have a source of light, especially if you're running off the main roads with few or no street lamps.
Know Your Route Well
Night time isn't the best time to start exploring your neighborhood and going down roads you haven't been down before.
Ideally, you will have run the route in the daylight so you know exactly where you're going and what to expect. Being aware of any areas that are less than friendly when darkness falls is also a good idea.
Let Someone Know Your Route and How Long You'll Be
As you would do when going off hiking, let someone know where you run and how long for when running at night.
It's a safety precaution that will almost never be needed, but it's also one of the most important things you can do.
Keep Hydrated
Just because temperatures are lower at night it doesn't mean you can leave home without plenty of fluid.
This is where hydration bladders really come into their own over bottles. You can keep your hands free, run without a backpack, and sip as you run so your focus can be on the road.
Final Thoughts
Night running can be fun. It's something a little different, adds some variety to your running schedule and can give you that little motivation boost you may just be needing right now.
I recommend mixing it up with some runs while it's dark if you have all the bases above covered.
Don't be put off by all the safety tips, with some forward planning and common sense it shouldn't be scary to run at night.
Have fun and happy running!


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Sprouting wings
Preparing to ink the tail feathers of an edition
Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison
Prattle, scoop, trembling: a flutter of Australian birds
Indigo press, perfect bound, 106 page artists' book
Edition of 100
In order to get the printed edition of Prattle, scoop, trembling: a flutter of Australian birds (2017) off the ground, rather, in order to give it wings, Louise and I have set up a Pozible campaign for preorder copies.
Recently released into the wild, we are humbled by the response so far. The campaign runs until the 31st of January. You are also welcome to make a donation towards the printing costs, from a tiny feathered cheer of $5 to a big feathered cheer of $250, for which you receive a copy of the book as well as the option of having your name credited in the edition.
We plan to go to print in February, and to launch the edition from our stall at the third Melbourne Art Book Fair at the National Gallery of Victoria in March. Yes, suddenly the year, she has sprouted her wings!
Each book will be hand editioned and signed, with only 100 copies ever printed. And to whet your appetite further, twitchers, sky larks, and good sorts, there will be a hand-cut collage component, in reference to An Index box of birds still fluttering (2016).
We cannot wait to see this book inked and bound, and to see it soar to your bookshelves.
Thank-you for your interest, trumpeting, and preorders. This is getting exciting.
The original artists' book, Prattle, scoop, trembling: a flutter of Australian birds (2016), is still on display as part of Birds: Flight paths in Australian art at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery until Sunday the 12th of February. We will also be at the gallery talking about this work and our other pieces from 1pm on Sunday the 5th of February.
Image credit: The Eatonville Dispatch, c. 1920, which began in 1916 with a 1908 Chandler & Price Gordon press, Eatonville, WA, Pierce County; photograph courtesy of Rick Parnell and the Parnell family


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WaterMarks: An Atlas of Water and the City of Milwaukee is a city-wide public art project created by artist Mary Miss that invites the citizens of Milwaukee to explore and understand the water systems supporting their lives.
The Haggerty Museum of Art has been proud to collaborate with United Community Center, UCC Acosta Middle School, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, KK River Neighbors in Action, Reflo - Sustainable Water Solutions, and City as Living Laboratory on realizing the initial phase of WaterMarks. This blog highlights the Haggerty Museum of Art's activation of key nodes in the WaterMarks atlas through a series of interdisciplinary neighborhood walks, workshops, and artist projects.
We're grateful to the Institute of Museum and Library Services for funding the WaterMarker at Acosta Middle School, and to Marquette University's Explorer Challenge Fund for providing critically important development funds.
We spent the afternoon dodging a late April snowstorm while discussing Jones Island and the Milwaukee Harbor with an artist, an urban planner, and thirty deeply committed community members. The walk explored Jones Island with artist Alexis Rockman, and Harbor District, Inc. Planning Director Dan Adams. An exhibition of Alexis Rockman's work, The Great Lakes Cycle, was on display at the Haggerty Museum of Art from February 8 – May 19, 2019.
Alexis Rockman discussed his interest in exploring the changing natural landscape of America. Mixing research and observational studies, his work seeks to bring awareness to the human impact on the natural environment in and around the Great Lakes area, and beyond. In many ways this work demands a call to action. Participants explored historic images of Jones Island and learned about Milwaukee's smallest piece of public land, Kaszubes Park, from Dan Adams.
Next we heard from Adam Schlicht, Director of the Port of Milwaukee. Adam shared a bit about the partnership between the Port and Harbor District, Inc. Their goal of creating a port experience includes transforming the port area into a choice neighborhood, while maintaining the port as a vibrant economic asset for the community. The port is busy, in 2018 the port carried 2.5 million tons of cargo!
Next Dan spoke about the water reclamation facility. Most of the metro area's sewage drains through twenty-six miles of deep tunnel system, to this site. The water reclamation facility is the country's oldest activated sludge plant, and it opened right here in Milwaukee in 1926. Milorganite is made here! Learn more about Milorganite, the country's oldest recycling effort, and how we contribute to the process every day.
Just as the snow started to pick up, we heard a bit more about the Harbor District, Inc. The organization spent two years working with the city to create a Water and Land Use Plan for the area. Check out details on their website here: https://harbordistrict.org/plan/. Thanks to all that braved the weather to join us!
With our walk series at the KK River concluded, it was now time for residents to vote for their favorite artist proposal to be installed along the new river trail Sixteenth Street Community Health Center's Environmental Health Department worked to transform. All three artists who led WaterMarks walks communicated with residents and spent lots of time and energy on proposals that reflected what community members expressed they wanted for the space.
Everyone was excited for the picnic where the artists would reveal their final project proposals. When Saturday, July 21st rolled around, grey clouds were making their way across the sky. Rain was in the forecast, and at first this prospect dampened our spirits. Yet, this year's art-themed Kinnickinnic River Neighbors in Action and Sixteenth Street Community Center Summer Picnic was destined to draw residents out to celebrate the beautiful natural environment and enjoy food, music, screen-printing, face painting, and last but not least, time for talking to the WaterMarks artists.
The event was a huge success, and it turned out to be a beautiful day with only a few small rain showers. Gabriella Riveros and Jessica Meuninck Ganger enjoyed speaking with people about the ideas for their projects and showing off the beautiful illustrations and proposal materials they brought along. 59 people cast their votes for an artist's installation, including Alderman José Perez who said all three projects were so wonderful that we needed to find funding for all three! The picnic was a joyful occasion where a community came together to celebrate, enjoy the outdoors, and give voice to their vision for Pulaski Park.
The third WaterMarks walk along the Kinnickinnic River brought our largest group of residents, neighbors, and friends of art and sustainability out to Pulaski Park on a beautiful Thursday evening! We gathered at the Pavilion where Joanna Demas, Land Manager for the River Revitalization Foundation, and Jessica Meuninck-Ganger, Chair of Arts and Design at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, welcomed participants to the "Re-greening the KK River" walk.
Joanna and Jessica explained the impact of the concrete riverbed on the wellness of the community and landscape, discussing the river's current state and reputation since the 1960s as a "lost river." Joanna discussed the goals of the revitalization project and explained how replanting native species in the restoration area would help to naturally control flooding and reduce erosion due to the stronger and larger root structures native plants can achieve. They shared images of the river before its channelization, and the group discussed the river's relationship with the community in the past as a vibrant hub of recreation and wildlife.
A fun feature of the walk was Biodiversity Bingo, and along the walk, participants asked questions about the trees and plants in the park -- their ages, types, health, and if they would be preserved. The kids especially enjoyed looking for plants and animal species as we walked, and three Bingo winners took home a packet of native plant seeds.
The final walk destination was "Victory Garden" where Jessica set up a demonstration with UWM's Peck School of the Arts students, who cooked paper fibers from invasive plants removed from the hillside days prior to the event. Jessica's research at UWM in sustainable practices involves transforming discarded invasive plant specimens as well as growing and harvesting native plants for papermaking and pigments.
Claire LaFontaine, a recent UWM MFA alumna and biologist, described her research in growing native Wisconsin plants for papermaking and pigments. She described the PMF (PaperMaker's Farm) at UWM as an outdoor lab that fosters sustainable research in papercraft practices. Participants got to glimpse part of the process firsthand and pass around examples of paper made from invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and reed canary grass. This activity led to an exciting discussion about the relationships between arts, culture, and sustainability.
At the conclusion of the walk in the Victory Garden, residents expressed their hopes for the river restoration, and their faith in the project due to their previous relationships with project partners Stephanie of SSCHC and Travis of the KK Neighbors in Action Association. We are eager to see this project progress!
On June 16th, Patrick Elliot, Senior Project Manager from Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), and illustrator Gabriela Riveros led the WaterMarks walk entitled, "River Development and River Myths." We gathered at Pulaski Park Pavilion on a hot, sunny day, a group of both residents and community members, some of whom worked in the neighborhood.
Patrick talked about the Kinnickinnic River in regards to engineering and development – he spoke of the previous attempts to manage flooding and control the river through design. He also provided a deeper look into the new proposal for the river restoration. Gabriela spoke about water deities from around the world, as examples of how people throughout history have understood the nature of the river, its importance, and the ways it served them. Gabriela began the walk by acknowledging that we are on indigenous land and telling the Ojibwe creation myth of Turtle Island, because it was the Ojibwe that named the KK River.
Patrick and Gabriela led the group down to a river bank that intersected the train tracks. Here, Patrick pointed out some invasive species, such as wild parsnip and talked about how the river restoration plan will include a sizeable area where native species will be replanted and used as a buffer zone to decrease erosion and flooding hazards. He also spoke of 100-year flood events, which describe an amount of rainfall that occurs, on average, once every 100 years. Patrick pointed out the railroad bridge, which stood about 10 feet above the water level, that was once flooded during one of these rare events.
Here, Gabriela paused and asked us to engage in a brief, silent mediation. She asked the group to pay close attention to the sounds of the river, and we all were transported from a dense urban city to a natural oasis for those brief moments in time. We ended the walk by crossing 16th street, where we stood in the area which was cleared of homes to make room for the restoration.
Residents expressed their concerns for safety during the construction and transition time, and Patrick and Stephanie from Sixteenth Street Community Health Center talked about the temporary trail and public art that will be installed later this year to help unify and activate the green space along the river.
The walk was a fascinating way to reflect on the different perspectives Patrick and Gabriela brought regarding the ways in which people from different cultures and time periods understand and work with rivers. Water can both take life and give life, and when we try to control the river, it reminds us of its power and finds ways to push back.
On June 9th, community members convened at the Pulaski Park Pavilion on the southside of Milwaukee for the first WaterMarks walk along the Kinnickinnic River. Over the course of the walk, Mollie Oblinger, Associate Professor of Art at Ripon College, and Nancy Frank, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Urban Planning at UWM, led the group through the history of the area of the Kinnickinnic watershed, beginning with the Ice Age in 10,000 BCE and extending into the future. Each stop marked a different point in the history of the watershed and the surrounding neighborhoods, and Mollie and Nancy invited participants to help them present each "timeline stop." Some attendees were surprised to learn that the neighborhood was once comprised of Polish immigrants, as it is now primarily a Latinx community. Nancy explained how the timeline illustrated "a narrative of the geology, people, and transformations of the land beneath our feet and the river flowing by."
During the walk, she continues, "We honored the Paleoindians who populated this land as the Ice Age melted away, forming Lake Michigan and the Kinnickinnic River. We recognized the subsequent diversity of indigenous people and the waves of immigrants from Europe and Mexico escaping ethnic and political persecution. All these people found a home along the banks of the KK." Exploring the rich history of these communities along the river with Nancy and Mollie gave the group a chance to appreciate and honor what has come before, as the neighborhood transforms yet again with the widening of the river and the KK River restoration project led by MMSD.
Mollie illustrated how the concrete lining of the river established in the 1960's constrained the river by passing out a blue ribbon, which each participant held as we walked single-file and parallel to the tamed waters. She pointed out the contrast between this movement and the free-flowing movement the river will once again exhibit once the restoration project is complete.
We concluded the walk by sharing hopes for the future of the space using a talking stick, as another way of honoring the traditions of people who had previously inhabited the space we held. Thank you, Mollie and Nancy for helping us reflect on the KK River's past and helping us envision what is to come!
The WaterMarks walk series with United Community Center's Acosta Middle School culminated in the May 8th Workshop, where we gathered at UCC AMS to celebrate what students, teachers, and community members learned through exploring water in their neighborhood. Students also voted on the letter to sit atop the first WaterMarks marker, which will be installed outside of the new UCC AMS building in August 2018.
Three teams of students served as "captains," sharing their new knowledge with peers in a poster-board session and were accompanied by the walk facilitators. We then broke out into three groups, led by the artist and scientist co-facilitators. Here, students were invited to share ideas about improving water management in their neighborhood, based on what they had learned during the walks. Students shared creative and innovative ideas and discussed how painting rain barrels, organizing their own neighborhood cleanup walk, and marking storm grates with aquatic animals could help call attention to the connection between water and the larger ecosystem. We re-convened as a large group where both students and parents shared stories about what water means to them and how it plays a role in recreation, cooking, and special celebrations.
Finally, it was time to count the votes for the letter and concept to represent the role of water in the neighborhood! The group selected the letter "A" for several reasons; A is for Agua, Acosta, and Art, and it represents the highest grade that a student can receive. The first letter of the alphabet also seemed like an appropriate choice for the inaugural marker at this new pioneering school. We look forward to seeing the marker installed later this year!
WaterMarks celebrated Earth Day on April 22nd, 2018 with another artist and scientist-led community walk. The walk, "Identifying, Understanding, and Envisioning Storm Water Management", concluded the spring program series with community partner UCC Acosta Middle School. Marquette Civil Engineer PHD Candidate Paige Peters, who is also the founder and CEO of Rapid Radicals Technology, led the walk with Milwaukee artist Colin Matthews, who writes that, "traveling [a] very local and familiar landscape provide[d] the opportunity to introduce the hidden in plain sight architecture of storm water management." The walk began outside UCC Acosta Middle School on Washington Avenue with an introduction to the topic by Paige, who is an expert in rapid water treatment and its applications in stormwater management, especially during extreme weather events. Paige notes that "an entire network the footprint of the city lives underground where our wastewater and drinking water infrastructure provides necessary services to taps and toilets, [which allows] us to live in an urban setting."
A scavenger hunt encouraged kids to identify stormwater infrastructure along the route, including manholes, storm grates, downspouts, and pavement types. Walking north toward National Avenue, the Colin and Paige stopped to discuss the fish markings on a manhole cover. The fish was accompanied by a sign reading, "Dump No Waste," alluding to how stormwater travels from the streets through the sewer system and eventually into a fish's habitat in Lake Michigan.
In making this connection, the kids on the walk became energized to pick up litter from the streets, making a timely Earth Day contribution to cleaner, healthier rivers and lake! The group stopped on National and 7th to discuss a new development that includes designs for green infrastructure such as rain gardens, green space, and, as one of the participants pointed out, possibly a green roof. Participants learned about the importance of integration of water management and green infrastructure in urban development. At an empty lot, the group envisaged means for homeowners to contribute to a healthier water system by adding landscape features such as vegetation, intentional landscaping, and rain barrels to capture rainwater where it falls. Paige discussed how rain barrels help to reduce stress on the combined sewer system during periods of heavy rainfall. The day ended at Paliafito Eco-Arts Park on 3rd and Walker where the group witnessed the epitome of innovative, green infrastructure right in their neighborhood. We concluded the walk with an energizing open discussion on visioning the future of green infrastructure in Milwaukee and how communities can contribute to a sustainable future.
Many thanks to Paige and Colin for spending Earth Day with us and helping us brainstorm how to best manage stormwater in our community!
On March 28th, 2018, 44 UCC Acosta Middle School students, teachers and community members met for the second installment of WaterMarks neighborhood walks. Melanie Ariens, artist in residence for Water Commons, and Dr. Carmen Aguilar, Associate Scientist at UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, teamed up to facilitate a multifaceted exploration of green infrastructure in the neighborhood and its impact on water systems management.
The walk titled, "Hidden Green/Blue," led students from UCC Acosta Middle School to the School of Freshwater Sciences by way of Washington Street, South Polycn Street, and Greenfield Avenue. Melanie Ariens stenciled "Hidden Blue/Green" logos along the route, which students enjoyed pointing out at each stop along the way. The scientist/artist team pointed out the green roofs at UCC, Bruce Guadalupe, Braise restaurant, 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, the Clock Shadow Building, and the School of Freshwater Sciences as well as raingardens, rain barrels, pervious pavement, and water reclamation systems. Carmen Aguilar was excited "to see students using their knowledge about the water cycle and how that relates to the effects of rain." She started working with rain in North Carolina, looking at the effects on Chesapeake Bay, coastal areas, and open ocean in the Atlantic, and now continues her research in Milwaukee with Lake Michigan.
The walk engaged its audience by heightening awareness of green infrastructure and exploring simple ways to relocate water in concrete-dominated urban environments, highlighting community members and businesses, big and small. Students and community members learned how landscape choices and infrastructure help retain water and prevent runoff, and learned about the Greenfield Avenue Gateway, a fountain designed by UWM architecture professor Jim Wasley that treats runoff from the roof of the building.
The walk culminated at the School of Freshwater Sciences where participants viewed a classroom laboratory aquaponics system and observed a quagga mussels science experiment that demonstrated the impact of invasive species on Lake Michigan. Melanie then lead a hands-on activity where students used origami to create a pamphlet about the Great Lakes. At the end of the day, everyone received a blue marble which represented the importance of water and put the "earth" in the palm of their hand.
Many thanks to Carmen and Melanie for sharing their knowledge and helping us become active stewards of water systems in our own neighborhoods!
On November 7, 2017 more than twenty-five students, teachers, interested community members, folks from local non-profits, and WaterMarks project partners gathered after school at UCC Acosta Middle School for the inaugural WaterMarks neighborhood walk. The interdisciplinary walk was facilitated by visual artist and longtime Walker's Point resident Jill Sebastian and environmental engineer Justin Hegarty, director of Reflo - Sustainable Water Solutions. Sebastian and Hegarty invited walk participants to uncover "hidden water stories" in the surrounding area.
In the heavily reshaped environ of Walker's Square, the walk explored the disjuncture between the historic natural water pathways and the legacy of industry and infrastructure on our current perceptions. At Walker Square Park, the group explored how the surrounding water and landscape in the area has changed due to human activity. They then followed storm drainage to a man-made canal sculpted from a landfilled Menomonee Valley. The walk circled the massive I-94 interchange, allowing participants to consider its environmental and social impacts on the neighborhood. Cement dominates the area, burying from view the presence of birds seeking sanctuary among the ruins of factories.
Sebastian reflected, "As an artist who generally works in public space, I had exempted myself from doing projects where I live. Having been attracted by the diversity and grittiness of Walker's Point, I admit to rather liking it the way it is. However, that is changing around me, and like my neighbors, I am challenged by questions of gentrification. As I do with projects I have done elsewhere, I complemented my direct observations, in this case over 25 years, with research that filled out the questions I ruminate upon - things that catch and hold my curiosity. How has what we see come into being? What forces, commerce and habitation, have formed the unique character of how we live here? The environmental engineering perspective that Justin Hegarty provided deepened my understanding of what we cannot see and what we might do."
The group wondered—how can the ample water resources that were exploited in the late 19th and early 20th century be revealed to enhance our densely populated urban-scape? How might we live more responsibly here? In the area, local schools are becoming sites of responsibly—reclaiming green space from pavement. Under sections of the high overpass, one finds evidence of adaptive community engagement—activating underutilized spaces that currently work as barriers to community cohesion. As the group returned to their starting point, they explored historical photographs and discussed how local water use—and misuse—speaks to the potential power of water in an urban context.
The first WaterMarks maker will be installed at UCC Acosta Middle School in summer 2018. In the coming months, we invite you to join us—along with Milwaukee-area artists and scientists—in considering how we can all become active partners in recognizing water as a resource that is vital to both life and general well-being throughout the region.


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In the Gayborhood
There was a fire near 800 W Cornelia this past weekend. The Caribou Coffee on Halsted and Cornelia are taking donations for the fire victims. Please donate!
Making Progress
Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that a lesbian mom can seek custody of a child shared with the birth mother!
Needs Action
As you may know, I sometimes lead the safe sex street outreach with Howard Brown on weekends. I get a lot of "I've been with my partner for x number of years, we don't use condoms, thanks." responses from older couples. Well, guess what? Older couples are at risk of contacting STDs too.
Well, shit, luckily Irene was a "disappointment" to New Yorkers because NYC failed LGBT youth during the hurricane.
Taxpayer money was used to fight gay marriage in Iowa. If we lived in Iowa, I know we'd be so angry! Not everyone is against Iowa.
Sasha Mallory was criticized for not being out on So You Think You Can Dance? As members of the LGBTQIA community, I think that we need to stick together and support those who didn't feel it was their best interest to come out.
A Canadian study shows that gay couples and single parents are more likely to face discrimination when house-hunting.
In Other News
HRC's Joe Solmonese resigned.
NSFW pictures of anti-gay Puerto Rican Senator Roberto Arango were found on Grindr, prompting him to resign over "lost weight" photos.
Fun Stuff
Because sometimes we need to just laugh at the crazy ridiculousness of it all to get by: The Six Worst Excuses by Anti-Gay Public Figures Caught Doing (Allegedly) Gay Things, courtesy of New York Magazine.
Have you heard of Dildo Sport? (NSFW video).
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About JT
JT is originally from San Francisco, CA. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in psychology, focusing primarily on gender and sexuality research. Seeking a change in 2008, she moved to Chicago, and what a change it has been! She can been seen walking and yelping about various Chicago neighborhoods. JT identifies as queer and bisexual, and she is currently dating a straight man. She has an unapologetic love for civil rights, whether it'd be for racial, gender, sexual, or political socioeconomic equality. Occasionally, she volunteers with Howard Brown Health Center to promote safer sex in Boystown.


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«Omsky kauchuk» takes measures on work environment improvement
Installation of the equipment that will ensure the safest conditions to specialists working at height is being carried out at the plant «Omsky kauchuk».
Safety systems are being installed on the racks of the workshop for product loading/unloading from tank cars. In total, the contractor organization will have to fit 75 risers of 4 loading/unloading racks with safety devices. Each riser should be equipped with one slow-response device of retracting type «НВ-03» that has the certificate of conformity TR CU 019/2011 «On personal protective equipment safety».
The safety devices are completed with a carbine and a polyamide lanyard instead of a steel cable. The brake device starts its operation at a sharp increase of lanyard pulling rate. In this case, braking distance does not exceed 0.5 meters, and a swivel that is built in the protective housing minimizes the possibility of the lanyard twisting.
In addition to such system, the safety of specialists working at height provided by a safety harness, that is nailed to safety wire using carbine.
Earlier, similar equipment was installed at «Poliom» Ltd. – the joint venture of GC «Titan», «Gazprom Neft» and SIBUR.Let us recall that in 2017 more than 112 million rubles were invested in the sector of the environment protection, occupational safety and industrial safety of «Omsky kauchuk» PJSC, and more than 24 million rubles in the first quarter of 2018.
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Sex dating in hammondsport new york interracial dating problems family
It was a simple tale of how she discovered Whitehead, but it wasn't the whole story.
In January 1935, Popular Aviation published the article "Did Whitehead Precede Wright In World's First Powered Flight?
That, it was thought, would provide evidence of "prior use" in the on-going patent war between the Wrights and Curtiss.
As things turned out, it became a mess for all involved and made for bad blood between Orville Wright and the Smithsonian, which had loaned the Langley Large Aerodrome "A" to Curtiss. "Call it woman's intuition if you wish, I knew at my first meeting with Zahm that I must never release anything to him. Whether as a result of this, or whether my visitors came from other sources, I never knew, but during the three years of the 1930's research I was constantly harrassed.
" by Stella Randolph and Harvey Phillips, plucking Whitehead from an obscure corner of forgotten history and making his name known to the general public.
In 1937, Randolph's book Lost Flights Of Gustave Whitehead presented the evidence she'd gathered, including affidavits, that Whitehead had flown in 1901.


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There seems to be little doubt that the Clintons are trying to gear up to put Hillary Clinton forward for another run in 2020. That would seem at least part of the reason for their 13 city tour. That and money. But when you even lose Maureen Dowd and the New York Times in the effort, you may not be achieving your goal.
Dowd writes for the Times.
She got the duty to go to the first city on the tour in Toronto.
And she said she found herself feeling sorry for the Clintons.
From WRAL:
I'm looking around Scotiabank Arena, the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it's a depressing sight. It's two-for-the-price-of-one in half the arena. The hockey rink is half curtained off, but even with that, organizers are scrambling at the last minute to cordon off more sections behind thick black curtains, they say due to a lack of sales. I paid $177 weeks in advance. (I passed on the pricey meet-and-greet option.) On the day of the event, some unsold tickets are slashed to single digits.
I get reassigned to another section as the Clintons' audience space shrinks. But even with all the herding, I'm still looking at large swaths of empty seats — and I cringe at the thought that the Clintons will look out and see that, too. It was only four years ago, after all, that Canadians were clamoring to buy tickets to see the woman who seemed headed for history.
Dowd said she doesn't quite get why they would act like "aging rock stars" and do this.
What is the point? It's not inspirational. It's not for charity. They're not raising awareness about a cause, like Al Gore with global warming. They're only raising awareness about the Clintons.
It can't be the money at this point. Have they even spent all the Goldman gold yet? Do they want to swim in their cash like Scrooge McDuck?
The Clintons' tin cup is worthy of the Smithsonian. They hoovered more than $2 billion in contributions to their campaigns, foundation and philanthropies.


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An agitated mob sets a factory on fire, over allegations of blasphemy.
In keeping with details, an agitated mob has set a factory on fire in Jehlum yesterday Friday, November 20. The owner of this factory was from Ahmediya community. It has been learnt that the mob set the factory on fire after one of the employees of the factory was accused of blasphemy.
Hundreds of infuriated people gathered around the chipboard factory, and set it on fire after the rumours spread that one of the employees of this factory had committed blasphemy by allegedly desecrating Holy Quran. In this regard, the local Islamic clerics had once again incited the crowd by delivering provocative speeches using mosque loudspeakers.
Also Read: A 24-year-old Christian accused of blasphemy by local police
In this regard, a spokesperson Jamat-e-Ahmadia Saleemudin stated, "About 80% of the factory, Pakistan Chipboard Factory, has been destroyed along with six residences in the factory. Ahmadi families have fled the area to save their lives, leaving their houses at the mercy of the unbridled mob."
He revealed that all the workers and employees were safe after the incident. Moreover, he added that police was present at the scene when the enraged mob was setting the factory on fire, and completely failed to pacify the mob.
He said that fear has struck the Ahmediya community. "If the police does not take stern action against the perpetrators, there are chances of them burning down the houses of the Ahmadis too."
Moreover, recently agitated mob had set an Ahmediya place of worship on fire, today Saturday, November 21, as their anger has still not subsided.


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Quote: "Mid 90's here but it was 117 in Needles Friday. "But its a dry heat" on many tee shirts there. Dry or not, that is HOT."
The Southwest is not as dry as it used to be anymore.
Our thermometer shows 110 in the shade (the news media says it's 95), and the humidity gauge shows 75%. Used to be in the 25% range just a few years ago. Another Mexican import.


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Ends: 11/30/2019
Contact us for information about fishing, hunting and trapping licenses. We offer information on where to boat in North Carolina and provide the downloadable NC Coastal Boating Guide. We also oversee several wildlife education centers and work with wildlife conservation and habitat management. Works with N.C. Birding Trail, http://ncbirdingtrail.org/.
Local Information
Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau
Wake County


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The Kahn GMT timepiece, the GMT midnight is a symbol of enhancement and elegance.
Coupled with the impressive technical abilities of the Quartz movement and contemporary appearance, a stainless steel case and contrasting deep black face provides an opportunity to appreciate the finer details and unblemished craftsmanship.
This striking British design, manufactured to the uppermost standards in Switzerland commemorates the exquisite characteristics of immaculate craftsmanship.
Product Code:


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The future of food: where do bees fit?
As Bob Dylan quipped over half a century ago, the times they are a-changin'. Mr. Dylan's famous remark is as true today as it was in the turbulent 1960's, when his landmark album first came out.
In case you haven't noticed, the agricultural food production landscape has been undergoing a major cultural shift. Investors worldwide are beginning to funnel mountains of cash into companies working to develop "alternative" foods.
These forward-thinking investors hope to capitalize on the harsh reality we face in the near future: producing enough nutritious food to feed a booming world population. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that by 2050, a 70% hike in global food production is required in order to feed a projected 9.1 billion people.
A challenge that's hard to swallow
In basic terms, our challenge by 2050 is to produce:
We have a good idea of what's required for the latter two points, but how do we define "highly nutritious foods"? It all ties back to protein. Volumes of research point out a well-established link between growing countries and protein consumption. As countries get richer, their citizens consume more meat and dairy. The visual tells a compelling story:
Where are things headed?
What's on the menu?
So what exactly are "alternative foods"? Well, look no further than your nearest Bait & Tackle shop. No, seriously. Insect meat is one of many hot topics being researched in the alternative food landscape.
Some of the less attention-grabbing items on the year-2050 menu include things like algae-based foods, dairy-free "dairy" products and lab-grown meat. Perhaps the most promising development is Impossible Foods, a plant-based burger company that's raised nearly $400 million so far.
That said, all hope is not lost for traditional agriculture producers. As long as crops meet the three criteria listed above (highly nutritious, scalable production, low inputs), they're in a strong position for the future.
The good news for beekeepers
All this talk about insect meat probably has you wondering where I'm going with this. Just to set the record straight: No, I don't think consumers will be eating bees in the near future.
Here's what beekeepers should take away from this: almonds aren't going away anytime soon. The latest USDA Almond Report suggests that the high-protein nut is poised for sustained growth moving forward. Some key takeaways:
People will continue to make a fuss about how almond growers are ruining the environment, but the truth is almond growers are rapidly advancing innovation and sustainability. What matters is that as long as almond production continues to depend on bee pollination, the outlook is encouraging for beekeepers.
Final thoughts
It'll be interesting to see how these trends in food production and consumption will pan out over the next few years. I'm willing to bet that 20 years from now, human nutrition will look drastically different than today. As Bob Dylan would remind us, the times they are a-changin'.
Comments are closed.
Expert beekeepers into expert businesspeople


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This is part of Marc H. Ellis's "Exile and the Prophetic" feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page.
Do Black lives matter in America? After the murders in Charleston, the historic debate about race in American history rages on a new level.
Do Black lives matter to Jews? Another longstanding debate stretching from the Civil Rights era to the present.
Yet of late a new and dangerous element is being reintroduced into the discussion by BlackLivesMatter and Jews of Conscience that threatens to resolve the issue in a definitive and negative way. The issue revolves around Jews and Palestinians: If Palestinian lives don't matter to Jews, how can Black lives matter to Jews?
No matter the progress in race relations in America, most Jews interact with African Americans in stylized settings with symbolic backdrops. Martin Luther King Day, Black churches and political solidarity events dot the American landscape. This is happening in Charleston right now. In the coming days we will see more of this kind of interaction.
Jews mourning the murder of African Americans is heartfelt. What's missing are the real lives of African Americans. Few Jews interact with African Americans out of the public glare, in their daily lives.
There is a long history of establishment Jews admonishing Black leaders on the very issue which would make the connection of Jews and Blacks in America real. Reverend Jeremiah Wright is the most recent Black church leader to be called on the carpet for "interfering" in the discussion of Israeli power and its claims of democracy. Years earlier, Jesse Jackson felt the brunt of the Jewish establishment for relating to Palestinians on a political level. On the international scene, the South African archbishop and Nobel Laureate, Desmond Tutu, is outspoken in his defense of Palestinians and his description of Israel as practicing apartheid. As with Wright and Jackson, Jewish leaders often describe Tutu in patronizing terms as misguided and worse. Often all three are vilified as anti-Semites.
Why are Jewish leaders so adamant about disciplining Black leaders on the issue of Israel-Palestine? For many years African Americans have wondered aloud whether the way Jews treat Palestinians gives insight into the true nature of the Black-Jewish alliance in America. By acknowledging Palestinian lives as mirroring their own, Black leaders have a lever to begin the discussion of the Black-Jewish relationship on a new, more equal terrain.
Most recently, the issue of Jews, Blacks, Israel and the Palestinians has been addressed by Keith Feldman in his book A Shadow over Palestine: The Imperial Life of Race in America. In a fascinating account of Jewish-Black relations, Feldman traces the vision of the Black Panther party and the thoughts of James Baldwin and June Jordan who linked the unfulfilled promise of liberal democracy in the United States with the perpetuation of settler democracy in Israel and the possibility of Palestine's decolonization. Feldman, as has others have before him, also traces the disciplining of these connections by American and Jewish power. In sum, the Jewish establishment seeks to keep the Black critique of racism in America and Israel on a conceptual level. Kept on the conceptual level, the symbolism of democracy trumps the real lives of Blacks and Palestinians.
In an interesting confluence, what the Jewish establishment demands of Black leaders, it demands of Jews. Keep Israel conceptual rather than real. As a symbolic marker in Jewish life, PalestinianLivesDon'tMatter.
The task of a new Black-Jewish solidarity is to move that symbolism from the conceptual to the real. Only by focusing on democracy and equal rights in America and Israel-Palestine can Blacks and Jews come closer to that elusive goal where Black and Palestinian lives matter.


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UPDATE: The FBI Issues PSA on VPNFilter Threat to Routers
The FBI issued a Public Service Announcement on Friday, May 25, updating their guidance for owners of small office/home office (SOHO) routers to combat the threat of the VPNFilter malware. The FBI is now recommending all owners of SOHO routers, regardless of the manufacturer, reboot their devices to temporarily disrupt the malware's second and third stages. The first stage of the malware, providing it persistence, will still be present after a reboot. To ensure the malware is completely removed from the router, users are advised to reboot and then reset their routers to factory, default settings. This is typically done by holding down a small button on the back of the router. Resetting will require the user to reestablish their configuration settings. Conducting a reboot followed by a reset will allow the device to reconnect to the C2 server associated with VPNFilter (now controlled by the FBI) via its persistence capability, providing the FBI with an accurate count of infected devices and a list of vulnerable devices. A subsequent reset will then wipe the malware from the device. The size and scope of VPNFilter is significant and the investigation is still ongoing. The FBI is also advising all Wi-Fi router owners and administrators to establish strong passwords and enable encryption for remote management settings or consider disabling remote access altogether. For additional information and recommendations, please review the US-CERT Alert and the original NJCCIC threat alert.


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7 tips to exercise in the Texan heat
Here it is! The Texan summer-it's surely hot during the day, but often also during the night. And you wonder how you can continue or begin to exercise without suffering from a heat stroke. Heat stroke is when your body reacts to too much heat: headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion, lost of consciousness, and ultimately seizure.
Here are some tips to do it safely, avoiding the heatstroke.
Find the cool hour of the day.
If you are already used to exercise (even as slow as walking your dog), choose very early hours, before 9 or 10am, or very late hours. Choose places in the shade, or where there is some wind.
Find the water.
Swimming, or doing aqua gym activities, in a pool, is a way to stay cool. Find a public pool like at the YMCA, a private pool like your friend's one, a lake or a water amusement park. Remember to drink and stay in the shade as much as possible.
Swimming is a way to stay cool while exercising. Remember to stay hydrated and to protect yourself from the sun with an appropriate sunscreen.
Find the cool.
If it's more than 86°F (30°C), then you shouldn't be exercising.
But especially in Texas, you can find air conditioned gyms. It's also a good place to meet friends or a coach to stay motivated (which can be harder when it's "too hot to move").
Gyms are a good place to meet your "exercise buddy", someone who keeps you motivated. Collective classes are also a good way to "have an appointment" with your exercise time 😉
Stay hydrated.
Drink before you exercise, during you exercise and after you exercise. Don't wait to be thirsty (usually you're already dehydrated). If your training lasts more than one hour, then your water should contain some salt. You can use a sport drink, or make your own adding some salt to your water.
Even in the pool you need to stay hydrated.
Infuse your water with citrus to give it a twist.
Wear light clothes.
Black shirt and leggings will get hot under the sun and make it warmer for you. Choose light colors, light fabrics that your skin can breath through (and your sweat evaporate as well.)
Some legend say that heat will make your fat melt. It's completely wrong, so don't make it hotter!!!!!
Don't forget the sunscreen.
If you know a place all in the shade, tell me! But otherwise, don't forget to put sunscreen to avoid sun burn and later skin cancer. Choose high index, more than 50, to get enough protection. There are some waterproof creams (which means also sweat proof).
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a complete file to help you choose a non-toxic sunscreen.
Don't begin, but keep it regular.
If you never exercise, don't choose the summer months to begin. Wait until the temperatures drop.
If you are already exercising regularly, consider doing less: walk instead of running, doing some bicycle (slowly instead of mountain biking), try some new things like slow yoga or Pilates.
If you are a professional in exercising, take all de precautions you need to avoid the heat stroke, including having some first medical aid near you.
Beside exercise, being careful about what you eat is also really important. You can try, for free, the 30-day challenge "Track down the sugar", to find out how much sugar you eat and how to slow down.
You will also get the newsletter to know when a new article is published.


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by B.Younus, Ilyas Wahdat, Naeem Kohistani-Pajhwok
(IPS) KABUL -- Almost daily armed attacks on government officials by the Taliban may have prompted President Hamid Karzai to renew his amnesty offer to supporters of the ousted Afghan regime.
Karzai recently urged the Taliban to give up the violence and join in the efforts to reconstruct the country. Almost four decades of war and civil strife have reduced Afghanistan to rubble.
The Afghan president, whose tone was conciliatory, called the Taliban "victims of outsiders" -- but he did not identify these.
He said a Muslim does not kill innocent people, including teachers, engineers and religious scholars. Neither was burning of schools the act of a true Muslim, he added. "I ask the Taliban, in which Islamic country are schools torched?" he asked rhetorically.
The public speech at Kabul's Chaman-i-Hazoori park was on the 14th anniversary of Mujahideen Victory Day, when the Taliban fighters emerged from seminaries in Pakistan to overthrow the pro-communist government on April 28, 1992.
But this victory was followed by another bout of bloodletting as the different mujahideen factions started fighting amongst themselves to grab power. The infighting resulted in 65,000 deaths in just the capital city, Kabul.
Civilian rule was restored in 2002 by the U.S.-led coalition that has stayed on to prop up the Karzai regime. But remnants of the Taliban continue to fight the coalition forces, government troops and the police, particularly in the southern and eastern provinces.
This week, a rocket landed close to the Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan, but caused no loss of life or property. The airport is under the control of Canadian troops, who have recently taken charge of security in the province from U.S. forces as part of NATO's southward expansion plans.
Maj. Quentin Innis, spokesman for the coalition forces, confirmed that it was the fifth rocket attack on the airport since the 2,000-strong Canadian force took over.
Four policemen and 11 Taliban fighters were killed in the Panjwayee district of Kandahar on May 13, provincial Gov. Muhammad Daud Ahmadi told Pajhwok Afghan News. According to witnesses in Moshaam village, the Taliban had warned them of the imminent attack by government forces. Violence has escalated in Kandahar in recent months.
A senior official of the Women's Affairs Department escaped unhurt in an assassination attempt May 8 that killed her driver in southern Helmand. It was the first attack on a woman official in the lawless province, where the Taliban have targeted teachers and schools, which have opened to admit girls. The Taliban regime had banned girls from attending school or joining the workforce.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the fatal attack on an intelligence officer in the Tor Tank district of Helmand, but denied involvement in the attack on a schoolteacher in the provincial capital. Both incidents took place on the night of May 13. The schoolteacher was injured but survived.
Two months back, a teacher named Arif Laghmani was gunned down inside a school in the Nad Ali district of the same province. In another attack in the Musa Kala district in early April, an intelligence officer was killed along with his brother.
Four policemen were killed in a clash with the Taliban in Baghran district in Helmand April 29, the provincial governor told Pajhwok Afghan News. The Taliban spokesman Ahmadi confirmed the report on the ambush of the police patrol.
A day earlier Taliban fighters had fired rockets at a security post in southeastern Paktia province.
Afghan Interior Minister Zarar Ahmad Moqbil confirmed at an official meeting last Saturday that security was a serious concern in Ghazni province. The Taliban's writ runs large in many districts including Andar, where it had imposed a ban on entry of vehicles. Since May 1 there have been 20 attacks on police patrols. On May 11, the deputy governor's vehicle was attacked.
The government has not been able to confine the violence.
The Taliban claimed it had captured Baraki Barak district in central Logar province, which was counted among the most peaceful in Afghanistan. While the Interior Ministry's spokesman Yousaf Stanizai said the government forces had repulsed the night attack, the Taliban claimed they had taken over the district, burned government offices and killed or injured several policemen.
A high school was set ablaze in the central Kapisa province on April 22. More than 1,200 boys and girls were studying in the newly built school. The arson attack was the first such incident in the province, which is north of Kabul.
Karzai publicly decried these attacks in his public speech on April 28. "In our brotherly neighbor country Pakistan, girls become pilots, and the ulema (religious scholars) support that, but in Afghanistan, girls are not allowed to attend schools and their schools are burnt and destroyed by bombs," he said.
Albion Monitor
May 28, 2006 (http://www.albionmonitor.com) All Rights Reserved. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com for permission to use in any format.
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Contact email@example.com for permission to use in any format.


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Siem Reap is winding down for Pchum Ben, the Cambodian religious Ancestors festival, with many businesses closing their doors over this period. We are following suit and will be popping over to Laos for a few days to experience the magic that is Luang Prabang and will be sure to post photos of our trip and any treasures we find along the way! The shop will be closed from today at 1pm and will re-open its doors next Wednesday the 14th of October at 10am.
We leave you with a photo of our new lacquer vanity sets which have finally made it into the shop. Happy Holidays!


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New Analysis Consolidation Tool Launched
Strictly Education is always looking for initiatives that simplify procedures for those within schools and academies responsible for analysis and reporting.
Our deep understanding of how educational establishments run smoothly, and the unique financial needs of schools has brought our in-house team to develop a Analysis Consolidation Tool for Payroll analysis.
Rather than the need to run several reports that could take a lot of time, followed by report collation, school office staff can now quickly and easily select specific data from the analysis reports generated by Payroll by function, date or member of staff.
The new Analysis Consolidation Tool is especially beneficial for Multi Academy Trusts, with the ability to collate Payroll information across all of the academies within a MAT in an instant.
If you would like to know more about the Analysis Consolidation Tool or if you have any questions, please call us on 0330 123 2541 or email us.


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This is at a cost of AU $3780 per person (sharing). Pick up and drop off in Ha'apai.
INCLUDES: 6 days / 5 nights accommodation in a double berth cabin on board Wildlife, 3 meals a day and all whale swims while on board.
NOT INCLUDED: Airfares / Travel insurance (mandatory).


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Spaghetti & Meeples: Are You A Werewolf?
Brandon asks Tarehna about playing Are You A Werewolf? in a cabin in the woods! Spooky!
They also discuss cheese-filled peppers and Reuben bowls!
Email them at firstname.lastname@example.com if you would like either of the recipes described in the podcast.
Please visit www.spaghettiandmeeples.com/ and www.punchboardmedia.com/.


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What am I hoping Creepy Claus has in his bag this year? He's going to need a big bag 'cuz I got a big list . . .
It's almost all about DVDs, especially TV-on-DVD, this year, a real rarity for me.
2001: A Space Odyssey (Special Edition) – Absolute must-have after receiving the "special edition" treatment this year. Quite possibly my favorite movie of all time, and the fact that this version has extras makes it even better. GOT
The Shining (Special Edition) – Besides Misery, this is probably the best Stephen King film adaptation ever, and also equally the best book. It doesn't follow said book so closely toward the end, and maybe you could argue with the choice of the already maniacal Jack Nicholson in the role of a man who is supposed to gradually go insane, but with a movie this great, those are minor gripes. GOT
A Clockwork Orange (Special Edition) – With this recent "special editionizing" I find it hard to resist yet another Kubrick classic. GOT
In fact, when the box came out a couple months back, it made just as much sense to buy that instead and get 3 extra films (Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, and the Kubrick documentary, A Life In Pictures) for just a few dollars more on Amazon than buying the above three separately. (I also have to admit that am slightly embarassed to say I've never actually seen Full Metal Jacket. Eyes Wide Shut was actually not a bad film at all, just misunderstood. And it also had Nicole Kidman at the peak of her icy hotness.)
Northern Exposure (Complete Series) – This is one of those shows that I fell in love with back when it aired in the early 90s, and I've been eying the individual season sets for a couple years now (and I'll ignore the whole "original music has been replaced issue" – it's just the way things are going to be with some series. Life goes on.) Now that the whole series is in one place, it makes a lot more sense to just buy them all together, even though you do get that dreary final season where Rob Morrow decided he was a really hot actor right on the verge of a huge film career and abandoned the show mid-season. Boy did he learn.
Dr. Katz Professional Therapist – I never watched this while it was on, but caught a few episodes in repeats and loved what I saw. I saw that seasons 1 and 2 had come out on DVD and then . . . nothing else. Now they've issued the whole series together rather than the rest as individual sets, which is understandably pissing off those who bought the first two seasons. And, frankly, it makes it a bit hard for those of us who would rather just buy a set at a time to get into. We aren't given the choice, and it's either boycott or give in. I give in, unless Santa boycotts for me, which is always a very real possibility given the price.
30 Rock (Season 1) – Maybe I was still smarting from losing Arrested Development, I don't know. I skipped out on this show figuring it wasn't going to make it – why get attached knowing yet another show was going to be dumped? Well, it made it, and I watched a few episodes here and there from last season and fell in love this season. Now I need to see all of last season. GOT
Home Movies (Seasons 2, 3, and 4) – One of my favorite Adult Swim offerings, I somehow only have season 1 on DVD. Kind of a "cartoon about nothing," just three kids who like to make their own movies, talking about anything and everything, done in such a casual manner that it sounds like they don't even script the show (maybe they don't.)
Flight of the Conchords – We caught an episode of this on HBO in our hotel room in San Diego a few months ago. That was enough to convince me that I needed to see this show in its entirety. Very low-key comedy focusing on the music of a song-writing duo that just can't seem to get anywhere. GOT
Extras (Season 2) – I've seen about two minutes of this show, to be honest. It's Ricky Gervais, the mastermind of the original BBC version of The Office, so season 1 of this was on my list last year (and I got it.) Unfortunately, I still have yet to actually watch it yet, but that's not stopping me from putting season 2 on my list. GOT
The Office (Season 3) – I want The Office sets almost as much for the outtakes and extras as for the show itself, regardless of the fact that it's a can't-miss show every week.
The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition) – Another "favorite of all time," and it's hard to believe it's 20 years old, this one comes with a bonus disc filled with bonus features, some of which were on last year's edition (which warrants a mild boo – two editions in a year?!) One of the most consistently funny movies of all time. It never gets old.
Music DVDs
Not much explanation needed, right?
Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years – Videos and concert footage from throughout "the cute Beatle's" entire solo career. It's not as comprehensive as you might hope – the concert portion especially, but some of this stuff may never get a full release due to label apathy. GOT
Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same – Remastered and all that, I've developed a bit of nostalgia for this goofy concert film with fantasy segments thrown in. The newly expanded live album is astounding, and is probably all I need, but it's nice to have things like this for those time when you just want to experience it again. I won't be at all crushed if it's not under the tree.
The Beatles – Help! – Quaint and charmingly humorous, I saw most of this one night a while back but missed finding out how – or if – Ringo got that ring off his finger and escaped sacrifice at the hands of gypsies, or whatever they were. Strange premise. GOT
Queen – Rock Montreal + Live Aid – Kinda obvious, isn't it? GOT
Queen – On Fire At The Bowl – Again, another concert DVD, like the above. GOT
Up next: music and after that books I think Santa wants me to have.


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Hi everybody!
Chuck Anderson here!!
I found some interesting information on the Royal Navy, around 1921. There are views of both uniforms (officer & enlisted), and insignia of rank (officers only). It's a little hard to make out some of the printing (unless you can expand its size), but the illustrations are pretty neat.
The actual name of the site is.................................................................
Uniforms,Badges & Insignia of the Royal Navy c.1921
You can find it at...................................................................................
http://www.angelfire.com/de/BobSanders/ ... index.html
I hope this helps to fill-in any information gaps anyone might have! Gotta' go! See ya'!!
Chuck Anderson


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Send us your Mequon photos:
Mequon is a city in Ozaukee County, in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area.
The community was named after the daughter of an Indian chief.
The latitude of Mequon is 43.236N. The longitude is -87.984W.It is in the Central Standard time zone. Elevation is 669 feet.
The estimated population, in 2003, was 23,449.
Sections below provide additional information and links about Mequon demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Ozaukee County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Milwaukee area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 53097 ZIP code.
34% of Mequon residents report German ancestry, and 11% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Mequon ancestry & family history guide.
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At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Mequon was $48,333, compared with $21,587 nationally.
60% of Mequon residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.
Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.
Median rent in Mequon, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $836. Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $1,829.
Libraries in Mequon include Frank L. Weyenberg Library ... View libraries
Ozaukee County supported George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Mequon political report.
The average commute time for Mequon workers is 22 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.
A total of 7 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Mequon between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This is a rate of 3.2 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.
Hotels in Mequon include Best Western Quiet House Suite.
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30 days, 30 tasks to change your life!
This is a program I'm developing, beginning February 1st, which is meant to bring harmony to the mind, body and soul. Each morning I will give a simple task to help shift your day to be much more positive and beautiful. I will also give information and resources for you to explore your own path in personal growth.
I've been studying everything from quantum physics to Theta Healing and have had a blast doing it and now want to share the information in a format that I think will be very accessible and inspiring.
This will be an exciting adventure and I can't wait to begin!


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The Evangelical Problem With Science
A couple of weeks ago, evangelical professors Karl Giberson and Randall Stephens wrote in the New York Times that evangelical rejection of science demonstrates "unyielding ignorance on the part of the religious." They believe in Jesus, too, but "find it hard to recognize our religious tradition in the mainstream evangelical conversation."
That didn't sit too well with evangelicals and their sympathizers. Al Mohler predictably condemned their piece as a capitulation to secular knowledge and the desire for worldly approval. Columnist Dennis Prager, who is Jewish but often ideologically difficult to distinguish from evangelical conservatives, wrote that he would "take the evangelicals' values and the evangelicals' America over those of left-wing intellectuals any day of the year." Privately, several evangelical believers I know expressed dismay that Giberson and Stephen's piece seemed to oversimplify and misrepresent their beliefs.
I think this is worth discussing because the underlying question—evangelicals and their problem with science—is very important to people following the trajectory of American evangelicalism. But the forum where the idea was presented comes with some automatic hurdles for the evangelicals whose beliefs are being critiqued. So I hope to unpack all this a bit, and to explain why I think Giberson and Stephens are making a very prescient point that evangelicals should take as an opportunity to examine themselves rather than lashing out in defense, even if they may feel the authors are attacking them.
First, I'll acknowledge the barriers to doing so. Giberson and Stephens presented their views in an opinion piece in the New York Times, which means several things: a) it is required to be somewhat artificially tied to the news; b) it is written for a particular audience; and c) it is very brief. So to meet these criteria, the piece is "pegged" to the science denialism on display in the GOP presidential primary, to which the authors' subject is only very tangentially related. Strike one. It is also aimed at the largely secular, liberal reader of the Times, so a number of "hot button" political issues are mentioned that are particularly of interest to that audience but may not be central to the authors' actual argument. Strike two. Finally, most op-ed pieces run about 700-800 words, which any columnist will tell you means that nuance has to be replaced with generalization; there is simply no space to do justice to a complex argument. Strike three. So considering that a piece like this is written for people who are generally hostile to conservative evangelical beliefs and written in a very constrained space, it's not surprising to see evangelical readers—even those familiar with the realities of the media—find it alienating.
That's no excuse, though, for the kind of misreading and spin on display in Prager's response in particular. (I've written about Prager several times before.) He leads off his column with a paraphased bullet list of Giberson and Stephens' reasons they see evangelicals and anti-science. One of the bullets—"evangelicals oppose same-sex marriage"—is not even something Giberson and Stephens address. But that's only a minor misrepresentation. Throughout his piece, Prager argues that sure, evangelicals can be ideological and wrong, but their errors are nothing compared to the irrationality and ideology of left-wing academics. "Compared to the many irrational beliefs of secular-left intellectuals—good and evil exist even though there is no God, male and female are interchangeable, international institutions are the hope of mankind—evangelical irrational beliefs are utterly benign."
You will never catch me disputing the notion that there are orthodoxies in every institution, from the church to the media to the academy, and that these orthodoxies can and do produce groupthink and ideology-driven errors. But what Prager is doing here is exactly what Giberson and Stephens are criticizing, and what a great number of evangelicals have done previously in their effort to discredit science and secular knowledge. That is to establish a false equivalency between the inevitable errors and blindnesses of mainstream science and the ideological pseudoscience practiced by evangelicals like Ken Ham, the founder of the Creationist organization Answers in Genesis, or reparative therapists who claim they can "cure" people of homosexuality. Because scientists make mistakes and have ideological blind spots, ergo all science is suspect and the supposed errors of evangelical "science" are no big deal.
The success of this strategy is quite astounding in both the conservative political movement as well as evangelicalism. Giberson and Stephens talk about how evangelicals have established a "parallel culture, nurtured by church, Sunday school, summer camps and colleges, as well as publishing houses, broadcasting networks, music festivals and counseling groups." Political conservatives have done this as well, establishing highly partisan "alternatives" to mainstream institutions that mimic the form of those institutions, but exchange their primary goal of discovering new information for a primary goal of substantiating predetermined conclusions. Again, this is not to say those mainstream institutions don't miss things or need to be challenged, it is saying that they are not nearly as constitutionally ideological as parallel conservative institutions are. To cover up this imbalance, conservative and evangelical institutions spend a great deal of energy trying to prove that mainstream institutions are as brazenly ideological and intellectually dishonest as they themselves are.
This is where I think Giberson and Stephens are fundamentally correct. Whatever Dennis Prager wants to say about how evangelicals don't actually believe you can "pray the gay away" or how many scientists doubt that humans cause global warming, he cannot deny that evangelicals are responsible for decades and reams of psuedoscience that has deluded millions of people who could have handled more accurate information about the world and still loved God just as well. The errors and distortions of these psuedoscientists are not equivalent to the errors of mainstream science; their errors are much more pervasive and pronounced because their research was carried out with the instrumental goal of substantiating views seen as "biblical." Prager also can't deny that evangelical leaders and opportunists have created a prevailing posture among rank-and-file evangelical believers that is hostile to "secular" knowledge. Just to be clear, pointing this out is is not attacking evangelicals for not believing every word their doctor says about vaccinations or for not embracing the Democratic Party. It is about an underlying fear evident in many if not most evangelical believers that knowledge is dangerous and is a deliberate plot by secularists conspiring to undermine their faith. (The secular Republican version of this is that knowledge and information are a ploy by "elites" to increase the size of government and control your life.)
Instead of attacking Giberson and Stephens for pointing out something that has been obvious for a long time, evangelicals should be very soberly reflecting on why they have not been able to correct this "scandal of the evangelical mind." I tend not to believe this is possible; I'm more of the opinion that anti-intellectualism is foundational to evangelical belief, that an assault on knowledge is the only means of defending some of the key tenets thereof. But I know and love a number of people still committed to the project, and my advice to them would be that people like Karl Giberson are their best hope of survival. Evangelicals should be thrilled that bona fide scientists like Giberson, Francis Collins, Warren Throckmorton, etc., are willing to publicly identify as evangelicals while refusing to tolerate the kind of distortions and outright lies that have characterized the evangelical relationship with science. But I must say the way these people are treated—called "wolves in sheep's clothing," for instance—does not make the outlook very bright.
David Sessions
David Sessions is the founding editor of Patrol, and is currently a doctoral student in modern European history at Boston College. His writing has appeared in The Daily Beast, Newsweek, Jacobin, Slate and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter here.
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text: The eye is a powerful symbol. We love eyes. The world loves eyes, Everybody loves eyes. Your aunt loves eyes. And your child loves eyes. Maybe your dog too. For me it was ever since. I loved eye, I love eye. I will love eye. I wish I could show you all eyes that I Read More


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The level of remortgaging has risen six fold over the last fifteen years, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. While many people are making the most of better rates, it is estimated that more than half of all borrowers may be continuing to pay over the odds for their mortgage each month. Switching to a cheaper deal is one of the easiest ways that homeowners can save money, better in many cases than a wage rise.
More and more people are realising that they can use their strong position as a home owner to release the money tied up in their homes to use for any purpose. Releasing the equity in the property means that high interest rate credit cards and loans can be repaid at low interest rates for one easily affordable monthly payment – freeing £100s per month simply by rearranging existing credit commitments. In addition money can be released for any purpose – home improvements – an extension that will increase the value of the property further, special occasions, weddings, dream holidays or that special car.
As independent mortgage brokers, Westexe Mortgage Solutions can ensure that we provide you with the right advice and the right product.
There are many things that need to be considered when looking for a remortgage.
The first step is to check the terms and conditions of your existing mortgage. These will tell if you are tied-in to your mortgage deal or if there are any redemption penalties – sometimes phrased as early repayment charges. If you are locked-in, you must decide if it is worth switching to a different rate or stay put until the penalties have expired. You may have been with your existing lender for a long time and feel a sense of loyalty towards the company. However, most lenders do not reward this loyalty with a reduction in rates. You should therefore expect to shop around and look towards a different lender to get a better deal.
The advantage of using Westexe Mortgages is that we will look at what different lenders are offering and, being an independent mortgage broker, we will often have access to special deals, which are not available elsewhere on the High Street.
You will face a choice of broadly five types of deals: fixed, tracker, capped, discounted and flexible.
Fixed-rate schemes are ideal for people who want certainty and must be able to regulate how much they will be spending each month. The rate is usually fixed for between two and five years.
Tracker mortgages directly track the Bank of England Base Rate, these are variable and will go up or down with the bank base rate.
Discounted loans offer a reduction off the standard variable rate for a set period. If rates fall further, the rate that you will pay will also go down. However, when rates rise, so will your mortgage payments.
Capped-rate loans will set a limit on the rate you will pay. If rates rise, your payments will not go above that level. However, if rates fall below the cap so will your repayments.
Flexible mortgages allow you to overpay and underpay when you choose and without penalty. This is ideal for people who have fluctuating incomes or who want to clear their mortgage early.
An increasing number of fixed, capped and discounted deals have more flexible features as well. With so many areas to consider, why not let Westexe Mortgage Solutions take care of finding the very best remortgage deal for you.


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Angie's List Answers is the trusted spot to ask home improvement and health questions and get answers from service companies, health providers and consumers. For ratings and reviews on companies in your area, search Angie's List.
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HomeServe USA has offered a $9.99/month policy to repair or replace my outside sewer. Are they a reputable business that I should do business with. Any complaints?
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Found them on the BBB; they have an A+ rating. Also when you Google 'homeserve usa' you can see a star rating of 4.6 which appears to be based on customer reviews when you click on the stars.
Considering it's a service-based business, that's pretty good in my opinion. If you dig hard enough, of course you will find complaints, but it's like that with any company, even your favorite consumer products. I think all in all, it is a reputable company and after reading the reviews on their website, customers seem very happy with their service.
Source: http://www.bbb.org/connecticut/busine...
Answered 4 years ago
by homerehabgirl
Report It
I have a different take on this. I can't say yes or no about whether they are a reputible business - they certainly do "exist". If you google this search phrase - HomeServeUSA complaints - you will find quite a large number of newspaper articles about complaints about this firm, government investigations regarding their mailing appearing to be from government agencies or utilities, a Wisconsin state agency and the Corvallis OR police department issuing warnings not to do business with them, a number of complaints on Ripoff Reports and elsewhere, etc. You will also find articles on the FSA in Great Britain investigating them and that they evidently shut down in GB without notice and quit providing the promised and paid-for service.
Also read in the articles on the frequency of cases where a homeowner actually needs this service, and also some comments in articles about very low coverage amounts or high deductibles which can affect the "value" of the service.
Also - the BBB report says A+ - which if you read the recent reports on the BBB is not surprising, considering the number of businesses who have stated they have been offered higher BBB ratings if they pay for it. I know I was contacted by the BBB and invited to sign up for a membership for my company, and I was told that if I upgraded my membership for $500/year I would get an instant A+ rating. On the BBB website, I saw 311 complaints in the past 3 years, 70 some in last year - this is a very large number for a company to have, and to me certainly does not merit an A+ rating.
If you google this search phrase - HomeServeUSA angies list - you can find several listings in different areas for HomeServe - check out their reviews and ratings for yourself.
Buyer Beware
Answered 4 years ago
by LCD
I have HomeServe for exterior sewer repair. I know others that have been satisfied, but my experience has not been the same. After large downpours in the city (flooding basements) plumbers are scarce. HomeServe has only one available company. I used my own plumbers to diagnosis the problem (broken outside sewer line), then called HomeServe for warrantee work. I have been waiting over a week for someone to come out.
Answered 2 years ago
by Lem


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Massages are a great way to help relax and revitalize your mind, body, and spirits. Through muscle kneading, tension is significantly reduced, offering a sense of relief that strengthens the physical and emotional components of the body. Indeed, for many clients, massages are life-changing.
Our center specializes in massages by licensed professionals. Skilled in numerous empirically-validated methods, such as Swedish massage, our massage therapists will be able to provide the correct techniques for your needs.


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We have been massively committed to the 3D printing industry since 2013. At a time when most people has not heard the term before we realised the future potential of the industry and committed resources to not only the technology itself but to related technologies also.
The term 3D printer is a little unfortunate these machines are in fact prototyping machines. Machines capable of taking a electronic design and creating a physical objects.
These machines are in fact so capable that we used our first rudimentary machine to manufacture parts for itself and thus upgrade itself to one of the nicest printers we have.
Printers are either built to specifications or can be bought as manufactured printers.
We are agents for a Few well known and reliable brands.
We are able to supply
Each printer has their own advantages and reasons to purchase and we are able to consult with you to find the best machine for your requirements.
Obviously if you've done your own homework you can order on online right now.


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Christmas comes early in some part of continental Europe like Germany and Austria. They celebrate Saint Nicholas on the 6th of December. This is no wonder then that one of the most famous and visited Christmas markets in France are in the East; in Alsace now part of the "Grand Est" region – welcome to Strasbourg and Mulhouse!
Strasbourg – the first of its kind!
Its market is also the oldest in France, possibly Europe. There are indeed records of the special event going back to 1570. The "Christkindelsmärik" is one of the most visited too because it managed to retain the true spirit of Christmas. You will find actually that all the craft available there is related to the festivities, whether it is presents, decorations and specialty food.
Mulhouse – serious competition in southern Alsace
It is difficult to mention Strasbourg and not Mulhouse when covering the most traditional Christmas markets in France. It is just over one hour drive on the motorway A35, both cities are so close yet the markets are so different.
For a start, Mulhouse has a tradition of designing a new pattern every year. Similar to new tartans being introduced for every special occasion. Also, their market have a great wheel which is well set on the main square and gives you a unique view on all the chalets where one can purchase special presents for their loved ones.
Lille – gateway to France
Now, if you live down south and have been to France once or twice, you will know of Calais of course. In its vicinity, the main city is Lille. Less than one hour drive on the motorway, a good stop before hitting Paris – or Strasbourg as the toll is cheaper! They also have one of the most welcoming Christmas markets in France.
Lille's market is only 26 years old and holds less chalets but you will be able to enjoy a great selection of Christmas products from all over the world, Russia, Italy, Belgium and other regions of France of course! The city itself has far more to offer and is a fun place, in other words a great stop-over if you are crossing the Channel this December!
Paris – cannot be missed
The capital city is only a few hours away be it Calais or Lille. Of course it boasts dozens of markets, whether this is in the heart of Paris or nearby. We visited the one on Parvis de la Défense, at the far end of Métro line 1 going westward and we loved it. It is quite vast and wide spread. The 350 chalets offer innovative presents as well as traditional ones from all over France and abroad. A trip around the world in 80 minutes, not 80 days. Highly recommended, a Sextant favourite!
If you prefer something in the city center then Avenue des Champs-Elysées is certainly a touristic hot spot.
Lyon – 20th anniversary
We are going down south slowly but surely, we think you will have noticed. What to say about Lyon that has not been said already? One thing to remember is that it is the capital of French gastronomy and the market on Carnot square will deliver on the food front for sure – they are celebrating their 20th anniversary. On top of that they have plenty of Christmas decorations, toys and presents of all sorts.
Sarlat – The pearl of the Périgord
Sarlat is in the black Périgord, not far from Brive-la-Gaillarde, which sits between Limoges and Bordeaux. This one is another favorite at Sextant as we know well the area. The market is smaller than the rest but you will be welcome with warmth and goodies. It has to be seen if you are in the area.
Aix-en-Provence – Because it is Provence
There is quite a distance between Strasbourg and Aix-en-Provence, quite a difference too between the ways they celebrate Christmas. This will show in their markets as well. Provence is famous for its "santons" – they are little colourful characters made of terracota for nativities. There also is the thirteen desserts which in itself is worth a full article. We will cover what this is about, but here is a hint, they are very tasty!
Last but not least, Merry Christmas in France, is "Joyeux Noël!"
Tags: Christmas, Christmas in France, Christmas markets