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Debbie Worthey
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Real Estate is more than just closing a transaction. It's about building trust, developing an ongoing relationship and being a resource for all my client's real estate needs. I view responsibility, accountability and professional ethics to be a standard practice and as a Windermere Broker, I guarantee the highest level of excellence and professionalism. I've built my business on three important values: Honesty, Integrity and Dependability. Along with those values, I find a positive attitude and definitely a sense of humor, to be paramount in this industry.
Since moving to the Eastside in 1982, I've been working in service-related fields. After leaving my first career in Radiology, I became a Realtor in 1990 and am currently the Assistant Manager with Windermere Bellevue South.
In addition to my real estate business, I stay busy with my husband and two grown sons. We all enjoy sports, movies and travel as well as staying active with our golden retriever, Sam.
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As I reported last month, conservative Christian leaders are already meeting and plotting to defeat Barack Obama--in the same way they did against Jimmy Carter--but they apparently are struggling to find the candidate that excites them like Ronald Reagan did. Although several commentators who wrote about my piece thought it was an effort to help Huckabee, that seems unlikely given the response these leaders gave him last time (and that Land is still giving him). Interestingly, the candidate who seems to have the most connections with the group is Newt Gingrich (most significantly, the leader of his religious-political group was part of the meeting). However, the Newsweek piece quotes some of the individuals from the meeting I covered who clearly are not keen on Newt, including Land and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. Yet, the leader of that effort--James Robison--seems to be building his ties with Newt. The two recently appeared together in a program in Dallas. During his speech at the event, Newt stated:
Reverend James Robison's an amazing person. He was a leader in the Reagan years. He has, I think, the most important thing that a Pastor can have, which is a sincere, deep, total belief that helping Christ to enter the lives of others will permanently and decisively change who they are. And I think all the rest of us are busy doing many other things but having people walk up to you, look you in the eye and say that Christ truly loves you and that your life can be changed if you would just surrender to that love, is an enormous part of the best of America. And so when you were here tonight, I just wanted to thank you for a lifetime of living what you believe and living what you preach.If Newt, who is twice-divorced and a recent evangelical convert to Catholicism, can win over the key evangelical Protestant leaders, it would clearly provide him a strong boost should he enter the presidential race. Either way, all of this seems to confirm that we live in an era of confessional politics.

subset: commoncrawl


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Deep geothermal energy is currently being investigated in many Western European countries, including Belgium, as a promising renewable energy source for the future. On the 14th of September 2015 the first drilling on the Balmatt site for the construction of the first deep geothermal energy plant in Flanders, Belgium took place. With this drilling, VITO wants to measure the available output of hot water at a depth of approx. 4 km below the surface. On the basis of these data, a geothermal energy plant will be built. The expectations are high because even in a minimal version the planned geothermal energy plant would be one of third largest in Western Europe, just after Iceland and Italy. While in these countries, as well as in the Netherlands and Germany similar geothermal systems are already in use, the project is pioneering in Belgium.
Geothermal energy plants rely on pumping up large amounts of deep hot groundwaters and transferring these groundwaters through above-ground facilities (such as heat exchangers, turbines or pumps) before reinjecting them back to the geological layer from which they were extracted (closed-loop configuration).
Previous and recent chemical and radiological analysis of these groundwaters have, however, shown that, in order to guarantee long service life without adversely affecting humans and the environment, such installations will need to be assessed both chemically and radiologically. Indeed, from a chemical point of view, very large quantities of dissolved salts, more specifically NaCl, have been found in many of these groundwaters (in the order of 120 to 150 g/L [1,2]). Radiologically, these groundwaters are also characterised by relatively elevated concentrations of 226Ra (up to 120 Bq/L) and 228Ra (up to 10 Bq/L) [1,3].
In European regulations, geothermal installations have been included in the so-called Basic Safety Standards for Radiation Protection (EU Directive 2013/59/Euratom) as a NORM practice of concern to the Member States. At Belgian level "geothermal energy production, including exploration and pumping activities in the development thereof" has recently been added as a NORM practice to national radiation protection legislation by the FANC-Decree of March 3, 2016, ensuring control of radiation protection by the national regulatory body (Federal Agency for Nuclear Control - FANC) in the installations and in the safe disposal or discharge of solid and liquid residues which exceed the exemption criteria.
The elevated activities of naturally occurring radionuclides (NORs) detected in deep geothermal groundwaters, as well as the high salt concentrations observed in these groundwaters, pose several challenges to the successful exploitation of deep geothermal energy. These challenges include:
1. To correctly assess possible radioactivity accumulation in the surface installations of a geothermal facility, both by (co-)precipitation of Ra-containing solid phases as well as by precipitation of its daughter products (210Po and 210Pb).
2. To correctly assess possible scaling formation in surface installations and clogging of injection wells due to precipitation of solid phases induced by temperature- and pressure-related gradients associated with operation of the geothermal facility.
3. To provide mitigation solutions to reduce the occurrence and effects of the phenomena described in the above points 1. and 2.
In order to address the challenges stated in the previous paragraph, the following research proposal outline is presented:
Literature study on the management and handling of process streams or equipment contaminated with NORs, based on common practices in similar geothermal installations or in the oil and gas industry.
Obtaining representative water samples for radiological and chemical analysis from existing geothermal installations. Such water (and gas) samples have already been obtained by VITO at the Balmatt site (Mol, Belgium), and more may be taken (from the Balmatt site and from other sites in Western Europe) if the research would call for a more elaborate data set.
Performing predictive thermochemical modelling to scope for the possibility of radioactivity accumulation in scalings, sludges and precipitates. The thermochemical models developed during this PhD will receive input from ongoing PhDs at VITO, looking at the detailed mineralogy of the formation. The challenge in thermochemical modelling lies within the brine-type nature of the groundwater, for which thermochemical data are relatively scarce.
Laboratory testing to validate and verify the modelling. Due to the scarcity of data, an experimental programme is needed in addition to model assessment. The experimental programme and forthcoming results will allow to adapt and fine-tune the modelling part, or to select the most appropriate thermochemical data set. The challenge in the experimental setup will be to mimick, as close as possible, the deep geothermal groundwaters and the changing physico-chemical conditions in the geothermal installation (mainly temperature and pressure changes). Post-mortem analysis will then allow to judge whether scaling formation has occurred, and whether NORs are associated with these scalings.
Development of a reactive transport model for the whole installation. If the conditions in the whole geothermal installation can be correctly mimicked through thermochemical models, these models can be elaborated by coupling them to a transport model. Such reactive transport model would then allow to assess if, and where scaling, sludge and/or precipitation might occur in the system. At this point, the PhD might benefit from the ongoing post-doc at KULeuven to simulate pore clogging in the system, using a simplified chemical model.
It is considered that the outcome of the research proposal outlined above will allow:
to gain more insight into the radiological and chemical aspects inherently associated with deep geothermal installations which tap into brine-type groundwater aquifers.
to help designing new installations (in terms of temperature and pressure gradients) in order to minimise contamination of installations and equipment with NORM-associated radionuclides.
to propose mitigating strategies in case such contamination would occur during testing and/or operation. At this moment, the testing of mitigating strategies is not taken up (yet) as part of the PhD. During the PhD it will be judged whether time and resources are available to perform such tests, or whether they should be performed within a separate experimental framework.
[1] Vandenberghe, N., Dusar, M., Boonen, P., Fan, L.S., Voets, R., Bouckaert, J. (2000) "The Merksplas-Beerse thermal well (17W265) and the Dinantian reservoir", Geologica Belgica, 3 (3-4), 349-367.
[2] Analytical results (unpublished) on groundwater samples from the first extraction well on the VITO Balmatt site (Mol, Belgium).
[3] Vasile, M., Bruggeman, M., Van Meensel, S., Bos,S., Laenen, B., (2016) "Characterization of the natural radioactivity of the first deep geothermal doublet in Flanders, Belgium", accepted for publication in Applied Radiation and Isotopes.


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A Lesson in Love and Murder by Rachel McMillan
Genre: Inspirational Mystery
Publisher: Harvest House
Date: September 1, 2016
Reviewed by: Rachel Dixon
Fiction Addict Scorecard: A
From the iconic cover through to the Epilogue, Rachel McMillan has delivered another thrilling Herringford & Watts adventure. Filled with love and mystery, sorrow and murder, trust and anarchy…You will be drawn into the story and fight alongside Merinda and Jem for justice and freedom. Can I just say…"Mounties"…Even this redneck American girl can appreciate the Royal North-West Mounted Police. And I was giddy with delight that Rachel incorporated them into this story. I loved this book so much (more than the first one I think). There was so much going on in history at this time. It was interesting to watch those with the desire to bring change, they had the passion and drive to see things through to the end…But they had a warped view of how to go about it. Unfortunately, it reminds me of society today. It breaks my heart knowing that not much has changed in that aspect. Protests, bombings, violence and murder…These are not the answers. That is all I will say about that…Back to the book…Full of the same witty dialogue and precarious circumstances that I have come to expect (and adore) from Herringford & Watts. The footnotes also make their appearance in this story, which I still think is BRILLIANT! If you are interested in mystery, humour, and romance, these are the books for you. You will want to start with the first book, A Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder (links found below). Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this adventure.
Review first published on Bookworm Mama.


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Anil Chaturvedi is an internationally acclaimed banker with decades of experience in the field. His journey started off in India where he studied and got a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the Meerut University in the year 1971. He would later in 1973 graduate with an MBA from Delhi University.
After his studies, he got his first job at the State Bank of India where he worked for the bank from September 1987 to July 1991. Anil Chaturvedi was the manager of the development and planning department which was responsible for formulating the bank's marketing strategy. He had many successes as the bank grew in those four years.
From 1991 Anil relocated to the United States of America where he worked for the ANZ Grindlays Bank in New York. He was the bank's vice president and was later made the bank's senior Representative for its U.S operations. His tenure in ANZ Grindlays lasted 18 years, at this time Anil had gained a lot of experience in international banking.
Anil Chaturvedi's next job was at the Merril Lynch in 2011 which is in New York where he was the Managing Director. His subsequent employment was in the same year at the Hinduja Bank Ltd which is a private bank, in Geneva Switzerland. With his vast experience in capital markets, finance and investment banking came in handy as his role in the Hinduja Bank was grow its cross-border plans, grow the bank's capital, offer corporate advisory services and forming mergers with other banks across the world. He has improved the bank's dealings in the European and South Asian regions vastly.
Banking and economics isn't the only thing he does; he is involved in numerous philanthropic courses. Anil Chaturvedi and his wife Kiran donate to the Kiran and Anil Chaturvedi Foundation. It focuses on helping the poor, providing medical care, feeding the hungry and offering scholarships to the people of India his birthplace. Anil Chaturvedi's accomplishments are recognized by the banking and financial world which is attributed to his long and illustrious career of four decades.


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|The Chair in the Corner (After)
(Note: In order to use the Flypaper Textures I re-sized the texture first in Photoshop to 72 DPI and matched the resolution of the original image, 2448 x 3264 then transferred the file to my iPhone using PhotoSync.) Also.....Snapseed is now free and available for Android too! Thanks to Google.
|Kitchen Light (After)


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Staples memberships could save you more | Learn More
Featuring head and foot up and down functionality, the Salire Sync allows you to get comfortable with a good book or TV show and put your legs up after a long day. Helps reduce your partner's snoring, all with the click of a button on a wireless remote. You deserve a bed that supports whatever you do and our power bases do just that all while setting a standard of excellence that will never go out of style with clean lines and contemporary style.


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Water, sewer among approved expenses
The Hagerstown City Council unanimously approved about $680,000 in water and sewer expenses Tuesday as part of a single vote covering items from several departments.
The water and sewer expenses were:
· $19,400 to m2t Technologies of Peekskill, N.Y., for a service agreement for oxygen systems
· $219,600 to Synagro of Baltimore to remove residuals at the R.C. Willson Water Treatment Plant
· $176,530 to Hazen & Sawyer, PC, of Baltimore for a West End reservoir replacement project
· $26,580 to Black and Veatch of Gaithersburg, Md., for engineering service for an excess wet-weather primary effluent disinfection system
· $240,000 to Rausch Electronics USA, LLC, of Chambersburg, Pa., for a closed-circuit TV unit
Other expenses approved as part of the single vote included:
· $90,715 to Henson & Son Inc. of Hagerstown as part of the reconstruction of West Baltimore Street from South Prospect Street to South Walnut Street


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So this episode sees 'gruesome Grissom' (an excellent coinage by Jenna the coroner – I like her, it's a shame that she disappears in the next few episodes) getting emotional about the crime he's investigating: a kid who has been killed by his best friend while they're both high on jimson weed.
The boy is quite the hottie [edit: and apparently a bit of a Hero too…] so I can understand Grissom's emotional involvement.
In fact, he is so upset by the whole thing that he has to take the Pout on the New York New York rollercoaster (an excellent ride on which I myself have rid), the first appearance of a hobby which gets referenced many times in future episodes. The whole sequence of Grissom doing a mournful face while whizzing round the sky is absolute gold (maybe one day I will set it to an appropriate soundtrack) but I have selected a pout picture as particularly pleasing to my many fans (ahem).
At least this off-her-face lady at an illegal desert rave does her best to cheer him up.
Meanwhile a man (if not a face) we will soon grow to know and love makes his first appearance – step up step up David the assistant coroner! Woop.
He cracks onto Sara with an excellent line, which she somehow manages to resist.
David: I really admire the gusto with which you approach your job.
Sara, in this episode, applies her gusto to a clingfilmed lady found in a dumpster
who has been graverobbed by her own mortician. Ordinarily this would be something of a shock but let's take a look at the man in question…
Meanwhile Nick and Catherine have to deal with some evil lesbians
who aren't really that evil but have had to kill the headmaster of the school at which they teach to stop him blackmailing them about exposing their relationship to parents. What a horrible man. He kind of deserved to die. So I guess that means Speccy White Guy is the only real villain in this whole episode… what a surprise.
Another thing that isn't surprising is that Greg is modelling YET ANOTHER hideous shirt.
In a new turn of events, he's also got himself a necklace.
And finally… I don't really have anywhere that I am going with this, but an excellent face from Nick.


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Jonathan Hickman's sprawling epic about the reformation of Earth at the hands of the Gardeners continues in "Avengers" #10 as a faction of the team more closely investigates the bombs from the Gardeners, specifically the evolution-charged bomb in Regina, in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Captain America -- joined by Hulk, Wolverine, Falcon, Manifold and Smasher -- leads that group. Accompanied by Maria Hill, the squad meets up with a pair of operatives from Department H, including Robert Michaud, a Department H spook that insists on accompanying the Avengers into the quarantined zone.
As has become the case for Canadian Flight teams used in the pages of an Avengers comic, "Avengers" #10 does not end well for the members of Omega Flight -- Wendigo (I'm not sure when that happened, if it happened before now), Validator, Kingdom and Boxx. Validator becomes the focal character for the Canadian team's mission, but her powers and skillset undefined. A quick internet search bore no fruit, so my guess is that she does more than simply waive parking fees, but I'm not certain. Wendigo is the Sasquatch/Hulk analog for this adventure, while Boxx is more familiar to me from previous Alpha Flight adventures. Kingdom seems familiar, but just doesn't ring a bell. Naturally, none of that matters as they all become grist for the Gardener's reclamation mill.
Mike Deodato's artwork is gritty and solid throughout this issue. I've never been a big fan of his heavily slanted panel layouts, which he uses a bit extensively here. The panels themselves are filled with strong artwork and definitely deliver a sense of alarm or uneasiness, but the use of four to five panels like that simply seems like a waste of page space given the sheer amount of excess page available. Deodato's linework is exceptionally crisp in this issue, using crosshatching and lines for shading, which is a nice contrast to the preference of most artists to let their colorists save their hides. That said, Frank Martin nicely complements Deodato's linework, matching the story beat. Deodato and Martin really deliver on the splash page revealing the current state of Regina once Manifold teleports the team there. That breathtaking page acts as a nice pause for the reader, inviting them to take in an eyeful of Eden-eque beauty. As with most of Deodato's work, there is a point that causes distraction for me. In this case, Agent Michaud wields a firearm that appears to be a BlasTech Industries DL-44, or in layman's terms: Han Solo's gun. It's a quirky enough distraction to present a hiccup in the flow of "Avengers" #10, but it doesn't completely destroy the work Deodato submits for this adventure.
Bizarre aliens and a creepy scene driven by the presence of Validator post-Gardener fill "Avengers" #10 with uncertainty and excitement. Hickman opens the issue at the end of the story before leaping back to what transpired beforehand, which intensifies the drama and adds a bit of mystery to this adventure before he reveals the status of the system to readers in a cliffhanger. Par for the course, "Avengers" #10 is a great read when considered in the context of the grander adventure. As a standalone story, there's more than enough meat to this story for readers to sink their teeth into.


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SAN GIMIGNANO, Italy — We hadn't planned to stay on a farm in Italy until we learned every hotel was booked to capacity.
It was the big break of our trip.
Liberation Day was being celebrated and bells in the 15 towers were striking. The town was in a holiday mood and San Gimignano was unbearably crowded. Everything was booked, the desk clerks told us again and again. " Tutti " (full) they said with a grand gesture that seemed to encompass every bed between Switzerland and Sicily.
Deciding that the walled, medieval town of San Gimignano was best viewed from the distance anyway, we headed for lower ground. In Tuscany, however, all roads eventually go up. Atop another hill we saw an old woman by the side of the road where she was cutting flowers.
We used our broken Italian and she pointed with her sickle, nearly slicing off a nose. We soon found ourselves settling into a three-bedroom apartment with real paintings on the walls, chintz-covered furniture and a fireplace almost big enough to stand in.


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Saturday, January 23, 2010
You deserve the best
If you can come up with an excuse for not taking action, you can also find a compelling reason to go ahead and take that action. If you can find a reason to quit, you can also find a good reason to keep going.
Are you skilled and experienced at making yourself miserable? Turn those skills around and make yourself motivated, inspired, effective and fulfilled.
Do you spend lots of time getting little or nothing accomplished? Just by making more productive use of that time you have the opportunity to achieve great things.
Are there mistakes that you've made in the past? By learning from those mistakes, and making more positive choices, you can vastly improve the results you get.
Every day, you utilize powerful skills and tap into abundant resources to bring to your life those things you think you most deserve. So what exactly do you think you deserve?
Choose to see that you deserve the best. For you already have what's necessary to make it happen.
Ralph MarstonWhat you can achieve Do it well
Copyright ©2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.


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How do you stay polished, fresh, and camera ready during the month-long period of shows around the clock and travels to major cities? I'm sure most industry types have got it lock and loaded, but for those of you still in search of helpful remedies, this line of beauty products entitled This Works may actually work for you. The scope of the British brand covers every necessary beauty tool consisting of natural ingredients sourced from British farmers. This Works, created by Journalist and Beauty expert Kathy Phillips, launched in 2003 with the intention of making a product which does not use harmful chemicals and is eco-conscious. Within the range of options are products catering to those in transit and those in need of assistance with sleep and rejuvenation. Try the In Transit Camera Close-Up for an all in one face boost or the In Transit Spray-On Moisture for instant relief while traveling. I have selected a few other options relating to travel and revitalization for this busy month. Goodbye New York and hello London, Milan, and Paris!
Click here to learn more about the brand.
Click here to shop the brand


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- Home
- Watersports
- Water Toys
- Rave Whoosh 20' Water Mat Inflatable Activity Platform
Rave Whoosh 20' Water Mat Inflatable Activity Platform
Product Description
Rave Sports Whoosh 15' Water Mat Inflatable Platform
The Whoosh 20' floating water mat provides enormous fun for all ages! Use
it as a "slip 'n slide" on the water, a water ski or wakeboard starting platform, a relaxing hang out on hot days ... or anything else your imagination creates! This splash pad floats like a lilypad on top of the water.
Compared to traditional foam mats, the Whoosh Air Mat offers no mold, no tears, no bulky foam and stays more bouyant with the same amount of weight. For added adventure, attach the Whoosh 20' to other RAVE Sports inflatables including Aqua Jump Eclipse water trampolines, Bongo bounce platforms, an Activity Island or a Splash Trax. Or, connect multiple Water Whooshs to create a limitless track on the water!
Constructed from extremely durable, yet flexible, commercial grade, durable drop-stitch material, the Whoosh is built to last. The Whoosh includes a hand pump and is quick and easy to inflate, and folds up compact for easy portability and storage. With a Whoosh onboard, there's no need to lug around those heavy foam mats on the boat anymore!
Includes dual action hand pump!
*Connecting to Splash Trax units requires adapter item #20872, sold separately.
*Connecting to Trampolines or Bouncers requires adaptor #02474, sold separetely.
Additional Information:
- Setup Time 10-20 minutes
- Required Water Depth 4' (1.22 M)
- Warranty Limited lifetime
- Inflatable Size 20'
- Details 20' x 5' x 3" (610cm x 152cm x 8cm) inflated · 6 adults or 8 children (2000 lbs. max weight) · Commercial grade, reinforced drop-stitch construction · Extremely flexible and lightweight · 2 anchor points · 48 lbs. (22 Kg) product weight
- Included Double action hand pump
- Weight (This is the weight used for shipping) 59 lbs
The Water Whoosh is a slippery, flexible, inflatable activity mat made for fun on the water! Connects to all Aqua Jumps, Bongos, Activity Island, Splash Trax, and other Whoosh sizes.
Warranty Information
Limited Lifetime
Other Details
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Great small-town service!
Elegant Repeats and Elegant Bridal & Formal
Great prices and choices in both new/orderable and used dresses!
Vote: Wedding Dresses
Awesome service - they definitely went above and beyond to help us have a great night!
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Awesome cinnamon rolls!
The BEST place for a great, quick, inexpensive lunch. I always try something new and have never been disappointed. Their crab rangoons are heaven!
GREAT fish on Fridays!
If you go, you must get Saganaki before the meal and Baklava after. YUM!
Gotta go on Half Price wine night! GREAT for a girl's night out!
Holy Deep Dish!
HUGE ribeye for a great price!
Best place to get the perfect running shoes for your style. The personal attention is so worth it!
Never had a thing I haven't loved. You HAVE to try their oatmeal raisin cookies...and the Bayou Goo pie!
great atmosphere and a killer prime rib. Great local wines!
I still get compliments on my DJ more than two years after the wedding. It was PERFECT!
Great prices and choices in both new/orderable and used dresses!


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Why Don't the Olympics Translate to Videogames?
Posted by jgaudiosi :: Sports & Video Games
2K Games is the latest publisher to tackle the Olympics. Every two years, it seems like a round-robin tournament as game publishers pick up a one-off license to translate the next winter or summer games into a videogame. At least this year, 2K had the decency to released "Torino 2006" for $20. But even that seems like a steep price for such a mediocre effort. The game has received a pathetic 37 percent average on GameRankings.com.
Why is it that game publishers balk at creating good Olympic videogames? 2K Sports has accelled with its "NHL 2K" and "NBA 2K" franchises. And it's "NFL 2K" franchise forced EA Sports to sign an exclusive NFL license to keep "Madden" king. So how did the "Torino 2006" debacle occur? The game's graphics look about four years old. And, as is the case in every Olympics game, there's no variety in the events. What's billed as 15 unique events is actually only eight. And some of the biggest sports, in terms of what people will watch on NBC, like hockey and figure skating, are nowhere to be found. 2K Sports could have easily ported its hockey engine over, even in a more simplistic form. But the $20 price shows that this game is geared towards the unsuspecting mass market audience that haven't read about how bad this game really is.
And what is the Olympics license anyway? It doesn't include any of the actual athletes likenesses. It doesn't include any NBC broadcasters. It doesn't even include the Olympics anthem! All you get is the name of whatever host city happens to be the center of attention for two weeks. Perhaps that's why game publishers who take a stab at this sports license approach it with such a haphazard attitude.
The goal seems to be an attempt to make as much money from as many sales from unsuspecting consumers as possible in a short window. Because following those two weeks, no one cares about the Olympics. And how can you relive any glory from your country's victories, if the game doesn't allow you to step into the skies or skates of your country's actual athletes?
It's not like good non-licensed Olympic games haven't existed. Konami's "Track and Field" was a hit both at the arcades and on home consoles back in the day. And Commodore 64 had a hit with Acclaim's "Winter Games." It's just a matter of putting some resources into these games.
It seems appropriate, in a way, that the ancient Olympic sports are still stuck in the 1980s when it comes to videogames. Back in the 8-Bit and 16-Bit era, game publishers forked over money for Hollywood movie and TV licenses. Because of limitations of the consoles, all they got was the movie box art to put on the front of the game box art. That attracted mass market gamers. Essentually, the Olympics videogames give you nice box art. But is that worth $20?


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{this moment}
Inspired in Soulemama
A Friday ritual. A single photo -noword- capturing a moment from the week. A simple,
especial, extraordinay moment. A moment i want to pause, savor and remember.
this is stunning. i absolutely love this picture. such a beautiful photograph - well done!!
here's my moment if you'd like to visit: http://homespired.blogspot.com/2014/03/this-moment_27.html
hope you have a blessed & restful weekend!
Preciosa foto, Rosa. Besos domingueros!ResponderEliminar
Gracias Montse! Que tengas una semana buena y primaveral!Eliminar


text:
Wherever you are, If you like it, you can download kindle eBook of True Love Deluxe Jennifer Loper.
.. explores one of Jennifer Lopez' life's most defining periods—the transformative two-year journey of how, as an artist and a mother, Jennifer Lopez confronted her greatest challenges, identified her biggest fears, and ultimately emerged a stronger person than she's ever been
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text:
GREENWOOD – The professional baseball season is under way for four former Bearcats. Lander has three players in Class A and one in Class AA.
Will Jones -- P, Staten Island Yankees (A-Short - New York Yankees)
Season: 2-0, 1.26 ERA, 8 G, 0 SV, 14.1 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K
Jones made a pair of scoreless appearances for Staten Island last week, tossing 2.0 shutout innings in a win over Lowell last Sunday and 1.2 scoreless Sunday night in a loss to Hudson Valley. He has not allowed a run in his last 8.1 innings, the longest streak of his professional career.
Colby Lusignan -- 1B, Jupiter Hammerheads (A-Advanced - Miami Marlins)
Season: 95 G, 54 R, 94 H, 22 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 60 RBI, 3 SB, .259 AVG
Lusignan racked up 14 hits and 11 RBI in his last seven games, culminating in a two-home run, five-RBI performance, including a three-run walkoff homer, in Jupiter's win over Lakeland on Sunday. Since joining the Hammerheads, Lusignan is batting .339 and is tied for fourth on the team in home runs.
Mason McCullough -- P, Jackson Generals (AA - Arizona Diamondbacks)
Season: 3-0, 2.14 ERA, 39 G, 4 SV, 46.1 IP, 24 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 28 BB, 79 K
McCullough struck out three of the four batters he faced on Sunday in a loss to Tennessee, marking his fourth consecutive outing with a strikeout. Opponents are batting .125 against McCullough since his arrival in Jackson.
Brandon White -- P, Florida Fire Frogs (A-Advanced - Atlanta Braves)
Season: 2-0, 2.25 ERA, 29 G, 10 SV, 48.0 IP, 43 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 12 BB, 46 K
White held Jupiter scoreless for 2.0 innings on Wednesday in an extra-inning loss for Florida. In two outings in extra-inning contests for the Fire Frogs, White has surrendered just two hits and no runs in 5.0 innings.


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An animation production, whether it is for a movie, a commercial, a game, or "just a video", benefits greatly from being planned properly before its production stages begin. Every author we encounter has a little different spin on these concepts, so let's take a look at what Mr. Wyatt has to say.
On pages 14 - 31 in the Wyatt text, the author outlines a production life cycle. There are several steps in any production done properly. Mr. Wyatt's pre-production flow goes like this:
The actual production cycle contains more steps.
On pages 24 - 31, the author deals specifically with his idea about a storyboard, with appropriate examples. Consider the examples from pages 24 and 25. Three characters are shown. A series of eight events are depicted in the storyboard, in a sequence of fourteen frames. If we were to turn this into an animation, the last seven frames might be used just as they are. The first seven frames could use some elaboration. Something might happen in each one in addition to the moment that is shown. In my opinion, something more should happen in each of those frames. If it does not, we might be satisfied with this story as a cartoon panel, and not need to make an animated feature of it. That is my impression from the material. What would happen if a production were to be made by a director who does not share this idea?In 2011, I ran across a discussion in Salon of a movie technique that is described (and derided) in a video essay by Matthias Stork. Mr. Stork calls the technique Chaos Cinema. Links to his two part essay are below. My reasons for bringing up his essay are that it is enlightening, and that it relates well to this week's concern with storyboards and what you do with them.
When you are in the planning stages of a production, a storyboard of your concept should be a jumping off point for the director, not an endpoint. The storyboard is meant to show key shots, which are normally developed by in-between shots, additional shots, camera movement, and other forms of visual story telling.
In some of the video sequences provided in Mr. Stork's essay, it is tempting to presume that the directors saw the storyboard as a final draft, something that needed no additions. If we examine chaos cinema from this point of view, that of being intentionally unpolished and unfinished, we see a danger inherent in allowing ourselves to stop thinking creatively too soon in the process of creation. Yes, you must stop eventually, or you will never finish a project. However, the time to stop is when your story is told, not before. Let's watch and discuss some of his essay at this point.
Chaos Cinema Part 1 from Matthias Stork on Vimeo.
The initial shot from The Dark Knight of the Joker is fine. It seems to be there to introduce the word Chaos, and to lead into two chaotic sequences from the same film. The street sequence is typical of the technique that we will see in the essay: fast cuts, short shots, bright explosions. The fight at the party sequence strikes me differently. I wonder if the chaos was more a method to hide the fact that Batman is not actually displaying very good or very interesting fighting techniques. Compare the street sequence we just saw from The Dark Knight to the one that is shown next from Bullitt. The smooth camera work in the older film, which many of you have never seen, should illustrate the difference: Bullitt was telling a story in the chase sequence, where The Dark Knight was conveying an experience. Can a movie do both? Yes, it can and often it should. The problem that Mr. Stork describes crops up when one is sacrificed for the other.
Moving ahead to the Indiana Jones sequence (Raiders of the Lost Ark), the author's narration complements the sequence. It immediately follows a sequence filled with quick cuts from The Wild Bunch. In the latter film, the viewer can become lost in the sequence shown. We lose track of where each shot is taking place in the scene. In the sequence of Indy moving from the hood of the Nazi truck, to the grill, then to the fender, there is a visual continuity with every change of shot that leaves the viewer in no doubt about where we are or how we got there. As we change to the point of view (POV) of the characters in the car, we are not lost, because we saw the car twice already over Indy's shoulder, and then again when Indy was on the right side of the screen and and the car was on the left. Each cut goes to a location that was already established in a previous shot. The classic technique of establishing and using each location is displayed in other sequences as well.
At 3:30 in the video, the author takes us to a Transformers sequence which we are told displays a type of film making called Intensified Continuity. I wonder if it began with an idea like "let's skip ahead to the more interesting shot". Taken to extreme, this can easily be lack of continuity. If we only see the "interesting parts" we will lose what happens in between, which could be vital to the point of the piece, assuming the piece has a point to make, which may be debatable for some films.
The next sequence of shots is from two films, making it harder to follow. It is also short. I had to view it twice to get the feeling of what I just saw. Is the author stacking the deck for this deal? Maybe not. He is, in fact, showing us another feature of the Chaos Cinema technique: things are only on the screen for a moment, so you had better not look away if you want to see it all. This is not the kind of shot that will stay in memory, because you will not see it long enough to recall it. Like a car accident, it happens quickly and brutally. You recall the rush of the experience, but you may not recall the experience itself. If you missed some of the action, well that's all you missed, because the narrative was not really advanced by it anyway.
Move ahead to the slightly longer sequence from Battle Los Angeles. Watch this sequence, then pause for a moment. Can you, as a modeler, lay out the scene that this sequence takes place in? Can you block the movement? I doubt you can do either with any degree of certainty. I know I could not, without external references. If you were making a video game version of this sequence, the good news is that you could get away with a lot because the bad news is you can't be sure where anything happened.
I am more comfortable with the chase sequence from Inception that follows, less comfortable with the fight sequence from The Expendables immediately afterward. I don't mean that I wouldn't have enjoyed the scene in The Expendables. My expectations for any scene in those films would be different. I suspect few would disagree with the author's comments about the nature of Chaos Cinema, starting at about 5:30. That is not to say that either sequence is bad or fails. They work, but they might have been done differently if the directors wanted or needed to give us a sense of placement in the scenes.
As a student of the cinema, I must take a moment to reflect. Is a film technique confusing just because it is new? Not necessarily. When the first director decided to pan a camera across a scene to follow an actor (The Great Train Robbery), he was asked if he was afraid the audience would not understand what had just happened. Thankfully, no one pondered this too long, and movie techniques advanced. You turn the camera, and the audience understands. Am I just being afraid that the Chaos Cinema technique will be misunderstood by the audience because it is new? I don't think so. I think I am more bothered by the lack of knowing where we are in any shot, and the lack of a linear story track. Movies, books, and music are all art forms that are pretty linear, and I miss that when it disappears. In Chaos Cinema, as Mr. Stork remarks (5:48), "It doesn't matter where you are. It barely matters if you know what's happening on screen." Well, if that's so, it also barely matters which Chaos Cinema movie I'm watching, game I'm playing, or commercial I'm ignoring. And that should matter to any movie maker.
What follows are more examples of action sequences that could easily be intercut with other action sequences, losing no story continuity because the viewer is expected to make up his own continuity or to do without it.
The author makes an interesting point that the sound track in this kind of movie is more precise than the video, and that this provides an anchor for the viewer to what is happening on screen. This leads to another insight for us. If we are not using the visuals to tell the story (which I do not recommend), we had better pay close attention to the sound, so that it fills in the gaps. His opinion about the film Quantum of Solace is that the film makers did not enhance the visuals with sound as much as they allowed the two to compete for our attention. In this case, there are simply two experiences. The sound does not complete the visual, it is simply there as well.
In the last segment of this part of the essay, the author compares the car chase he has been showing us from Quantum of Solace to one from Ronin. Ronin, unsurprisingly, is an older film than Quantum of Solace, and it displays a more traditional continuity of visual content.
As a devil's advocate, I will ask at this point whether this matters much to a movie viewer? If the average movie goer is aware of the word "continuity" at all, he probably thinks about things like the actor's jacket being zipped or unzipped from one shot to another, the Coke bottle in the actor's hand being opened or unopened at the wrong time. Regardless of whether I know the terminology to describe my dissatisfaction with a product, I can still be unhappy with it. If there are other choices available, I will eventually stop buying the product I don't like. Let's hope there will be other choices. Mr. Stork's fear seems to be that currently, there are not.
On pages 108 and 109 in the Wyatt text, there are some reasons given for having various forms of continuity. Mr. Wyatt discusses continuity in six areas:
I think that Mr. Stork and Mr. Wyatt would agree about the principles in the text. Wyatt says that continuity invites the audience to be engaged in the film. Chaos Cinema seems to be more like a fireworks display. Colorful and exciting, but not mentally stimulating.
The second part of the essay continues with more examples.
Chaos Cinema Part 2 from Matthias Stork on Vimeo.
In the second part of the essay, the author shows us an example of Chaos Cinema done well (The Hurt Locker) as well as some others done poorly, then he makes an interesting point at about 4:02. His commentary that most Chaos Cinema is "lazy, inexact, and largely devoid of beauty or judgment" can be a criticism of other techniques as well. Any tool will produce bad results if it is the wrong tool for the job. His impression is that this is the way this technique is often used. It is not producing art, but instead is producing a rapidly forgotten experience.
Advice? If something doesn't belong in your video, don't put it in your video. If it makes the audience sick (Cloverfield), ask yourself if it was necessary. Are we always trying for high art? No, but shouldn't we try for it? When you make your storyboards, think about this. Think about clarity everywhere, unless the work requires something else.
Exercise 1: Animation for the dresser


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MY HONDURAN AMIGA was flying to Arizona for a holiday, and had a stopover in Florida for a few days. She asked me if I'd like to join her? I'd only previously visited NYC as far as my Stateside jaunts go, and fancied seeing Miami. It was the location for Brian De Palma's 1980s epic gangster flick Scarface...and so naturally I wanted to visit South Beach.
It was also a good opportunity to see Americans in their natural habitat, so to speak. You can't judge the States on New York City, after all. I've encountered plenty of switched-on American backpackers on the road. And I've met some freaks. I'm not tarring all Yanks with the same brush, so don't be offended; I have several good friends from the other side of the Pond (you know who you are). Besides, we English have countrymen to embarrass us: our drunken football hooligans, white trash racists and ex-pats in Spain who speak only English, eat only English breakfasts and refer to the Spaniards as foreigners. Ahem.
I'd been in Mexico a few days, having travelled up from Guatemala with a brief stay in San Cristobal De Las Casas. Returning to the hostel one evening, I was buttonholed by a long-haired American of mixed race. He began quizzing me about the motorcyclist's gear in our dorm, and did it belong to me? Then whose is it? Where is he? He had only got to the city that evening and bemoaned his lack of marijuana opportunities. I told him he'd met the right man, and invited him to smoke awhile on the balcony upstairs. As is the way, destinations and length of trip were the primary threads of conversation. Then I asked him where he was from. Then I wished I hadn't.
"California, man."
"All over.You know..."
Do I?
"But where?" I asked.
"But don't you remember which place you were born in?" Puzzled now.
"Weeeell...Santa Monica, I guess."
"You guess? Like sticking a pin on a map?"
"Right." I frowned, took another drag and began wishing that I was smoking alone.
"And I'm from Panama."
I coughed a cloud of smoke "You what, mate..?"
"I partly grew up in Panama" he told me.
"All over."
Here we went again.
He asked me what I was doing in Mexico, and I told him I'd been backpacking and diving, glad of the change of subject. He went on to tell me he couldn't dive again, after a rocket had exploded near him in Iraq, damaging his ears. When he pointed out how close it had been, I struggled to contain my mirth: there was no way he'd have survived. Other half-baked tales came out which exposed the fact that the guy was, quite clearly, talking out his arse. The fella was a few sandwiches short of a picnic, no doubt; he was so vague about everything that I got the impression I had a stoned Walter Mitty on my hands. And I was bored already.
When he informed me that it was 9pm, I yawned theatrically and told him that I was off to bed, thinking this was my chance to escape. He said he'd turn in too, and took a bottom bunk next to mine.
"Bottom bunk, man" he said from beneath the blankets.
"Eh?" I asked.
"Bottom bunk...you know."
"Know what?"
"Bottom bunk."
"Bottom bunk what?" I almost groaned.
"Too long in the miltary...bottom bunk...you know..." he grinned knowingly.
Time for the earplugs. I can't half pick them, you know...I'm some sort of freak magnet.
As I was dropping off to sleep, movement made me open my eyes. He was there, this fellow (who I later nicknamed Syndrome, short for the Gulf War variety), hurriedly packing his rucksack.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Getting out, man...big cities..."
"Big cities what, exactly?" I was perplexed.
"Not good, man...gotta get out of the cities."
I asked him just where he thought he'd get to at midnight, starting to think that shit...maybe he had served in Iraq? Maybe he has got Gulf War Syndrome? Maybe I've set him off and he's going to go on a mad one somewhere? Shoot some kids, or something. I was still a little stoned, which wasn't helping.
When he left the room I followed at a distance and watched him shiftily making his way down to reception. I felt a bit guilty, but he did look funny creeping around in the shadows of the lobby, obviously pretty stoned himself. Thankfully he didn't wander off into the night and trouble (I didn't want the blood of innocents on my hands, obviously), but fell asleep on a sofa instead. Next time I offer someone a smoke, first I'm going to ask them "Have you ever nearly been blown up in a war or experienced anything equally traumatic?"
4am and I was in a taxi hurtling towards the airport, the last of the madrugada fading as the sun inched over the hills. I had a pleasant chat with the taxista in Spanish; not all taxi drivers are arseholes. But more on those who are at some point in the future. Airport formalities over, I joined a queue for a paperwork check. An elderly American gentleman, and I use that term loosely, was in front of me, haranguing his silent wife. Not that I'm a nosey bastard: it was impossible to avoid listening in. "This fucking country...backwards...fucking primitives. We've been through African countries more civilised than this. They just wanted that stuff for themselves. Those motherfuckers. They'll be drinking it tonight and laughing at us...you mark my words." He turned my way, and he reminded me of the late comedy legend George Burns. Yes, actually...like a vitriolic, hate-filled, xenophobic George Burns. "This'd never happen in a developed country. These fucking wetbacks..." he spat. His wife dutifully bore it, probably used to it after 50 years of blissful marriage. I felt like saying something, but couldn't be bothered. People like that don't reason, and never change, so why bother engaging in conversation with them? Life's too short as it is. Besides, the last time I picked a fight with a racist, I broke a finger.
I experienced a joyous flight to Dallas; forced onto an old lady in the window seat due to the sheer mass of the gargantuan chap next to me. I think I sat at a 25 degree angle for the entire flight; listening to a running commentary on the scenery from the lady, who hadn't flown this route for 20 years. All the buildings that hadn't been there in 1991 were helpfully pointed out. The fields looked different too, apparently. Fascinating stuff. I was looking around for a hidden camera after an hour of it, my face an aching, rictus grin from constantly acknowledging her running commentary.
I wasn't quite prepared for the scale of Dallas airport: it's huge. Having only 45 minutes for my connection, I'm pleased I decided to just head for the next departure gate rather than wander around the shops, as there was a ten minute shuttle ride between terminals. I found a bookshop amongst the draped Stars & Stripes, various huge screens broadcasting war footage and Obama speeches. It was here that I encountered my first, and sadly not last, Have A Nice Day-er. She looked up as I perused a shelf of novels. "Hey, how ya doin' today?" she asked with a big toothy smile. "I'm fine, thanks...you?" She answered in the affirmative. I left and withdrew some cash from a nearby ATM; I was gone not three minutes. She looked up at my return and gave me an identical smile, then cheerily asked "Hey, how ya doin' today?" Great. Just like three minutes ago. I went to the gate and sat watching the endless patriotic ads for the airline, between war footage: servicemen in uniform being shaken by the hand; given first boarding privileges (British military personnel traditionally get free tickets for Wimbledon here); thanking the pilot for a great flight and getting a heartfelt "No...thank you." I nearly threw up. Thanks for what? Securing the oil to keep American Airlines flying? All those poor young men getting killed or crippled for the greedy bastards behind the Administration.
I find most Americans a friendly enough bunch. True, I had to run the gauntlet of Have A Nice Day-ers on arrival in Fort Lauderdale. But there were several people made my first day in the US a pleasant one. The 20-something black girl on the Hertz desk allayed my fears about driving a car here. "Don't worry...the roads are huge here, the lanes are wide, and everything is on a grid. You'll be fine." She flashed me a beautiful smile as I left and said "Try and bring it back in one piece, OK?"
She wasn't lying. The roads in America are very wide and easy to drive on, I'd been worried for nothing. And now I understand why Americans feel claustrophobic while driving in British cities. The only problems I had were road signs drying up unexpectedly, and the traffic lights being on the far side of intersections, resulting in a few screeching stops. The nice Hertz lady had given me a map and a rough idea of where my hotel was, as I'd neglected to write down the full address. Clown. The roadside scenery seemed to be on a continuous loop: KFC; Wendy's; Knives & Guns; Blockbuster; We Buy Guns; used car lot; KFC; Wendy's; Knives & Guns; Blockbuster; We Buy Guns. I decided to stop and ask someone.
I asked for directions in a McDonalds. Two black guys in there, dressed like gang-bangers, were very enthusiastic about helping me but didn't know the hotel. The staff were none the wiser. After a quick chat and well-wishes from them and I headed across the parking lot to a row of shops. I entered a lawyer's office and told the grey-looking man sat at the desk that I was English and lost. He hardly batted an eyelid. By the pallor of his skin I'd say that he hadn't been outside in three or four years. I asked him if he could possibly Google the hotel, and soon wished I hadn't. I ended up having to show him how to open new tabs in a browser, and how to use Google. Painful. But I got the address.
The hotel was nondescript and far from special, but I've stayed in far worse places. I soon found a decent Thai restaurant; a pleasant change from the Taco Diet, let me tell you. My friend arrived soon after me and, deciding that Ft Lauderdale was a little on the dull side, we planned a trip to Miami the next morning. Most of my Stateside friends agreed that Miami Beach would be the place to find the most vacuous, plastic, image-obsessed lunatics in the country. I didn't expect to fall in love with the town.
I was in a store in Ft Lauderdale before we left, grabbing some supplies. An old man was walking around talking loudly to anyone who'd listen. I arrived at the till and he sidled up to me; obviously my turn to be engaged in unwilling conversation.
"They don't know nuthin'..." he informed me, wild-eyed beneath unkempt hair.
"They certainly don't, no..." I smiled placatingly.
"Nuthin'. The Irish know nuthin'..."
"And I ain't telling them nuthin', neither" he said, tapping his nose and winking conspiratorially.
I turned to the woman ringing up my items, and she smiled knowingly.
"It's going to be one of those days, eh?"
"Honey..around here, it's always one of those days."
A pause.
"Nuthin'. The Irish know nuthin'..."
The approach to South Beach is a pleasant drive, spotless roads lined by some jaw-dropping houses adjacent to the water. We parked up and wandered down through the Art Deco District. There are some interesting buildings here, but the atmosphere of the place wasn't grabbing me. It was an obvious see-and-be-seen kind of town. I noticed a guy get out of a yellow Ferrari, wearing matching shades and a Ferrari polo-shirt. He sat down and looked about to see who'd been impressed by his arrival. No-one much, by the looks of things. I was so tempted to go over and point at his sunglasses on the table, the crest on his shirt, and then adopt a penny-just-dropped expression and saw "Wow...is that your car outside? You are so cool..."
We sat and had lunch at a pavement cafe. My companion was accusing (to me) the camp waiter of being catty and selective about who he served. I think she was just a little miffed that I was getting more attentive service? It was a great spot to people-watch. I saw just how far money gets you in this town; several stunning woman strutted by with stunted Danny DeVitos in badly-fitting outfits. Unbelievable that a woman could sleep with a toad for a lavish lifestyle? Lights off, hopefully. And each to their own.
My favourite freak of the afternoon was the young man who strolled by, pushing a shopping trolley with a dog in it. He wore a leopard-skin bikini, smudged lipstick lined his mouth and he'd written Slut in marker pen on his forehead. He was smiling and waving at people, not a care in the world. I actually admired his (metaphorical) balls, just didn't want to see his actual balls hanging out of a skimpy outfit. You can't not admire people who just don't give a flying fuck what other people think of them?
I got to see the building used in the chainsaw-murder scene in Scarface, sadly now a fast-food joint. Thirty years have changed the town a great deal, and the beach isn't even next to the road any longer, you need to walk through a hundred yards of vegetation to see it. A few photos later, and a walk on the hugely underwhelming, featurless beach and we were heading for the car. We crossed the street twice to avoid a shouting crazy in the street; the middle-aged white man, wearing a filthy bandanna, was walking up to random people, smiling, nodding at them "Yeah...yeah...fuck yeah...yeah...FUCK YEAH! Yeah! Alright...yeah." Some people have nothing better to do with their day, they really don't.
So. Culture? Not much. I'm going to have to visit the Deep South and San Francisco to see a little of that. But this story's just about the people, and it was a short break, after all. Before we knew it, the trip was over and we were heading back to the airport. I filled the car's tank at a 24-hour gas station, manned by an elderly and seemingly spaced-out rastafarian. The pumps were pre-pay only, and a few people were waiting for their change. I'm used to late-night customers at gas stations being a bit stoned and unsure of exactly what they want, but this guy was working here...wandering around picking the wrong items up and looking flummoxed. I asked a young man next to me how much I should put on the pump to fill my tank. He wanted to know what kind of car it was. I said I wasn't sure, as the car was out of shight, but that it was "a tiny Chevvy piece of shit". He made a mock-offended face, thumped his heart and said "Man, that hurts...Chevvy's my brand, man." We continued giggling at the rasta's continued antics: he was certainly entertaining. I eventually managed to get my change and left the lengthening queue behind me. As I crossed the forecourt, the young man I'd spoken to shouted over to me as he got in his car "Hey man...you were right...that one is a piece of shit!" I grinned and waved him off.
I left my friend at her terminal, and drove to the international one. I had a couple of hours to kill, and headed to the Hertz car park to drop the auto. The unearthly hour was no excuse for the rudeness I encountered from one man there. I pulled up and asked him if he wanted me to leave it in the same bay I'd collected it from?
"Leave it there with the keys in it."
I got out and waited for him to go through a checklist of some sort.
"Anything else I need to do?" I asked.
I received a grunt in reply, he didn't even look at me as he scanned the car.
"I'm sorry?"
"You're done" he replied tersely.
"And which way is the office, please?" I continued to be polite, even if he refused to.
"That way...second door after the pillar" he jabbed a pen in the vague direction I wanted to go.
I walked off, but couldn't see the exit. I returned to within 20 yards of the Hertz man and called over "Sorry, mate...where, exactly?"
He jabbed again and repeated the directions. "Yellow door, just keep walking...man, you stupid or something?"
I hadn't really met many rude Americans yet. This was certainly a first.
"You tell me, mate? I'm flying to Mexico today...whereas you're parking my car?"
I turned on my heel, didn't wait for a reply.
If I thought he was rude, then the best was yet to come. I had a handful of change when I made it through to the departure area. Mexican shops accept dollars, but not US change. I had a little over a dollar, and wanted to exchange it for a bill instead. I went into a newsagent staffed by a weighty black woman in her 30s. I smiled and asked if it was possible to swap my coins for a dollar bill, mindful that most shops like having change. She grumpily told that she couldn't open her till. I told her I could wait.
Five minutes later a woman entered the shop, and a man around my age entered with his teenage son. The woman bought something, and to my surprise the till girl immediately closed the drawer without changing my money. I gasped.
The woman next to me apologised. "Oh I'm sorry...were you next?" she asked.
"No, no...it's OK. I just wanted to change these coins for a bill."
"Oh, well I can change that for you" she said, producing a dollar.
I thanked her, and explained that I'd asked the shop assistant but she hadn't been keen to do it. She seemed surprised.
The assistant was ignoring me and serving the man. He had a copy of Playboy. She scanned it repeatedly, and 60 cents kept flashing on the till. She seemed puzzled.
"I don't understand it...it keeps coming up as 60 cents."
"I think the big black and yellow sticker on the cover saying 60 Cents Offer means it's probably 60 cents?" I offered. I was mildly annoyed by now.
"Bargain!" laughed the man at me; his son eyed the magazine; the assistant scowled and ignored me.
I left the store and sat near a group of elderly Americans with a delightful Southern-drawl. I love that accent. As I counted my remaining coins and realized that I had 55 cents, an idea formed in my mind; if revenge is a dish best served cold, then I was about to have mine with ice-cream. I asked one of the southern gentlemen if he could spare 10 cents, please? No problem, and he gave me more than I needed. I thanked them, and said I'd be right back.
She looked surprised when I walked back into the store. It was empty, and I walked right over the shelf and picked up the magazine. I put it down on the counter, then deliberately placed the coins next to it in a neat pyramid. "6o cents, I believe?" I asked cheerfully. "That's handy...exactly what I had left."
She didn't even look at me; scanned the barcode on the Playboy.
"That'll be 64 cents." She took the coins.
A slight smile crept across her face.
"Ah...tax on it?" I asked.
She nodded.
I pulled out a 5 cent coin with a well-look-what-I-found expression.
"Well...that was lucky, wasn't it?" I gave her a big smile.
The smile evaporated as I passed her the coin. "Keep the change" I said haughtily, and walked away without looking at her: the unexpected cherry on the vengeance-flavoured ice-cream.
I sat down with the old folks. One of the women eyed the magazine and said "Oh yeah?" and laughed.
"There's actually a story behind this...I don't usually buy this magazine."
"Oh sure!" they cackled. Her husband grinned and winked.
I related my experience in the shop. They were very surprised at the assistant's attitude, and apologised for her. I told them that they needn't...I'd met lots of nice people from their country, but some strange ones too.
"Where have you been?" asked the winker.
"Miami" I told him, and they all laughed as if to say that that explained everything.
"So where you headed to, boy?" I could have just listened to him talk all day, just to hear that accent.
He paused for a moment.
"You be careful down there, boy...you hear?" he smiled.
"I will...thanks" I said. I shook their hands, thanked them again and headed for the plane.
So that was the Americans at home. And to be honest, I quite liked them. Sure, they have their idiots...but doesn't every nationality? I found them a friendly and helpful bunch; some of them were very funny indeed; and nobody minded giving up time to help me, bar one or two notable (and duly noted) exceptions. It's actually made me think that I should see more of the States, so they can't have been bad. I think I'd just avoid Florida and Texas next time. After all, only steers and queers come from Texas, no?
Monday, 14 November 2011
A Mixed Bunch
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The Mercure Sao Paulo Berrini hotel (previously the Mercure SP Royal Booklin) is in the city's southern district, close to Av. Eng. Luiz Carlos Berrini, a hub for Brazil's largest businesses, and to Marginal Pinheiros, the city's main thoroughfare. It isnear the US and Canadian Consulates and the WTC and ExpoTransamerica convention centers. The development is also close to the Hipica Paulista riding school, Teatro Vivo theater and some excellent city shopping centers: Morumbi, Market Place and Jardim Sul
Checkin: 12h
Checkout: 12h
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In the Columbia Gorge, there's certainly a wide variety of outdoor activities available for people to enjoy throughout the summer.
Many area residents participate in the family-oriented sport of motocross. Kids of all ages, adults, and even senior citizens compete at nearby motorsport facilities in Washougal, Wash., Sandy and Portland.
Hood River riders who enter motocross racing events every week include the McDowell family, Jason Dageus, Matt Kent, and Collin Sullivan. Other Gorge residents, such as Michael Spears and son Chris of Cascade Locks and Kevin Beloy of White Salmon also race often at Washougal Motocross Park, located on the far northeastern side of the city.
Kent rode his 250cc Suzuki motorcycle and he took eighth place in the 250 D Class race July 4-5 at Washougal. Beloy rides a Kawasaki in the age 25 and over class and the 30 and over class and he leads the Classic Series point standings in both classes. Sullivan rides a Suzuki in the 30 and over B Class and he recorded a season best finish May 24 at Washougal.
Ryder McDowell, who has a very appropriate name for motocross, rides a Kawasaki 250cc motorcycle in the Classic Series 250 C Class at Washougal and he took 23rd place in his last race there May 3. McDowell, 17, an incoming senior at Hood River Valley High School, also competes often in races at Mountain View Motocross Park in Sandy and he practices there every Tuesday with his friends.
One fact about McDowell competing in a physically challenging sport like motocross that makes his accomplishment even more amazing is that he's blind in his left eye. McDowell is also a member of HRV's varsity boys lacrosse team and is an avid kiteboarder.
Ryder's dad, Terry, also competes in motocross. Terry, 48, rides his 250 Kawasaki in the age 40 and over B class. Terry had a season-best third place Classic Series finish on May 3. Terry and his wife Melissa operate their own business in Hood River, McDowell & Son Heating and Air Conditioning. Terry's daughter Bleu, 15, is also beginning to compete in motocross and she participates in practices that are held frequently at Washougal. Bleu hasn't entered any competitive races yet, but she'll probably follow in the footsteps of her mom Melissa, who is a former motocross racer too. Bleu is an incoming HRV sophomore and she's on the Eagles cheerleading squad.
"Bleu is still a little timid on the track, but she likes going out on trails to ride," said Terry McDowell. "Washougal can be an intimidating course for beginners like Bleu, but she's become more comfortable out there now after participating in a few practice sessions and she really likes motocross."
Riders in the Classic Series compete for points, prizes and trophies which are awarded at the end of the season in September. The Classic Series is seven races that draw over 200 cyclists from around the Northwest who compete in many different race classifications of various age groups (age 4 through age 50 and over) and skill levels (beginner, intermediate, expert). Terry McDowell is ranked sixth in the over 40 class with 38 points and the McDowells will compete in the next race at Washougal on Saturday and Sunday.
"I've been doing trail riding on motorcyles since I was age nine and I've continued doing it all my life," said Terry McDowell, who previously owned a KTM motorcycle dealership in Hood River, which closed in 2008. "When we had our kids, it was just a natural thing for them to get involved in motocross, because we all enjoyed riding. After we opened our business, we were pretty much doing trail riding and going to Washougal to race nearly every weekend."
Local cyclists who competed in the last race July 4-5 at Washougal included the father/son duo of Michael and Chris Spears. Michael took fifth place in the Age 30 and over B Class July 4 while riding his 250 cc Kawasaki. Chris, a third-year motocross rider, took fifth place in the 50cc age 4-8 Junior Class on July 4, followed by a sixth-place finish July 5. Chris, age seven, has recorded top-seven finishes in all six events this season. Chris is sixth in the standings with 47 points out of a total of 35 riders in his class.
"I've been doing pretty well in the 30 and over class and I've finished in the top three of the Classic Series point standings the last three years," said Michael Spears, 33, who works for the Cascade Locks Fire Department. "I love racing and I'm having even more fun teaching Chris how to ride too. He's getting better, he's improving every year and he really enjoys motocross, so he's doing pretty good."
Dageus, 23, took sixth place in the 250 C Class while riding his 100 Percent Goggles/Dunlop Tires sponsored 250cc Honda motorcycle. Dageus is ranked 21st with 23 points out of a total of 53 riders in his class. Dageus, who took fifth place in the 2014 point standings, has entered four of six races this year and riders have to compete in a minimum of five events to be eligible for awards at the end of the season. The final Classis Series race is Aug. 15.
"This is a very competitive sport, but it's a lot of fun and I had a great time while racing here all weekend," said Dageus, a 2010 HRV graduate who has been competing in motocross racing since he was age 15. "Even though the weather was really hot, I still enjoyed racing and I had lots of fun both days. This is my favorite track and I like to come here as often as possible along with my friend Matt Kent."
Washougal MX Park has events held every weekend through September. The track's premier race is the Peterson Cat/Lucas Oil Pro Motocross National Championship Series July 22-25. Races are four laps on the 1.5-mile-long densely forested hillside course consisting of steep downhill sections, sharp hairpin turns, jumps, and a bumpy straightaway. It's considered one of the top facilities in the country and is one of just 12 tracks in the U.S. to host the National Championship Series.
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And now each installment is only .99, for you who thought the extra fifty cents was just too much. Get on board now, the next installment is coming next month. It will all wrap up by November so you have all summer to look forward to more action, more intrigue, more deaths. After that the whole book will be available in one volume, but the print version of each step of the way is still there for the collectors among you.
As long as I'm here talking about good things, another review came across my desk for the little book that lives on – Dig Two Graves. I share it because it feels good for my ego and I've been informed I need to get over the inclination to shy away from praise. This would be a good time to do that, however, since the reviewer makes the absurd assertion that my little book is in the same league as Chandler, Hammett, Cain, Thompson and Hinkson. That hyperbole aside, I love reading when someone really enjoys a book. So, y'know, if you were thinking of doing it and wondering, do authors like that? Yes. Yes, we do.


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All Hands on Deck for Field Day!
The Cherryland Amateur Radio Club is planning another awesome Field Day for 2018!
It takes a lot of ham-power to make this a successful event!
This means we need you to come out and give us a hand setting up, taking down and operating at Field Day!
For the complete schedule and details visit:
Glen needs to plan for how much food he needs to prepare.
Please note that ALL MEALS ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ARE FREE!
There is a special Friday Night dinner at an additional $15
I hope you will join in the fun and come out to the Field Day site.
73, Joe N8CN


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Welcome to That One Scene, a semi-regular series in which Marine veteran and pop culture omnivore James Clark waxes nostalgic about "that one scene" from a beloved movie.
Benjamin Franklin nailed it when he said, "Fatigue is the best pillow." True story, Benny. There's nothing like pushing your body so far past exhaustion that you'd willingly, even longingly, take a nap on a concrete slab.
And no one knows that better than military service members and we have the pictures to prove it.


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The detached house is surrounded by a well-kept and mediteran garden and a closed parking.
For self-catering!
Villa Vanessa is just 200 meters from a natural pebble and rocky beach. A little further is a newly landscaped -very beautiful pebble beach with promenade.
The house is spread over 2 floors. The upper floor is accessible via a spiral staircase. The outdoor area has 2 large terraces with a beautiful panoramic view over the sea. It is equipped with seating and sun loungers.
There are 3 bedrooms, two with double bed and one with single bed. There is air conditioning, satellite TV and internet / wi-fi.
The living area is lovingly furnished with everything you need in the home, fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher and fridge / freezer.
In the open conservatory you can stay anytime and eat with a view to the outside.
Also, the house has 2 bathrooms (1 large and 1 small) and 2 toilets.
The living area comprises about 130m² with ground floor,
1. Floor and terraces.
At the top of the bedrooms is a "panoramic room" from which you can enjoy a wonderful sea view on the church of Rovinj.
Borik is a quieter and greener (pine trees!) Suburb of Rovinj.
The center of Rovinj is 2 km away from us, so easy to walk (about half an hour) or from Camping Amarin reached by taxi boat.
The grocery store 'Konsum' is only 50 meters away.
In the immediate vicinity there are several restaurants.
The homeowner and a very dear, black free-running German Shepherd live in the lower ground floor of the house us are always approachable with questions and helpful.
Deposit on booking 206 €
Final payment please in cash upon arrival on the spot!
Unfortunately I do not speak English,
Therefore, I ask English speaking guests before booking distance increase!