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Coalition of Concerned Members and Concerned Chapter Presidents
Statement made by Chris Hudson, President Massachusetts Chapter
Prepared for April 8, 2016 membership meeting before it was cancelled by National.
Welcome: We would like to welcome everyone here, and say that many of us very much appreciate the opportunity to have this meeting. Thus, we would like to thank President Wheeler and the NASW staff for making the arrangements for this meeting; our many colleagues among the Concerned Chapter Presidents, and especially, over six hundred concerned NASW members who signed the petition that called for this Special Membership meeting. We would like to be as brief as possible, so as to leave plenty of time for comments from all of you.
Background: In case you are not familiar with the Modernization Initiative, this is a massive reorganization of NASW that has been developed by several national task forces over the last 3 to 4 years. In a nutshell, it essentially aims to nationalize the 55 chapters, consolidating them into NASW's national administrative structure by reassigning all chapter staff to National; rewriting the governing documents for the Chapters such that their Boards will now function as advisory rather than governing boards; transferring many administrative functions to the National; standardizing many other functions; and reallocating funds to the National office to pay for their new administrative responsibilities. It also reduces the size of the National Board.
After extensive planning, last June the National Board decided to proceed with the Modernization recommendations, and devote this year to planning its implementation, to begin this July. This meeting, thus, comes at a critical junction since later this month and in the June meeting, the National Board will finalize and adopt the implementation plans, to go into effect beginning in July.
Beginning in Fall of 2014, when the initial recommendations were distributed to presidents and executive directors, many of us were very disappointed, not only by the content of the recommendations, but by the review process employed. At the same time that the plan emphasized "members first", yet members were systematically excluded from its review, we believe, because the plan is meant to reinforce a top-down hierarchical approach to NASW that will minimize a democratic and chapter-based approach to decision making. Although, the plan was designed to be a "Members First" initiative, it was only presidents and executive directors who were initially allowed to see the plan. Once the Board made the decision last June to adopt the recommendations, a Coalition of Concerned Presidents was formed with the goal of redressing the perceived problems of the Plan. Its first task was to mobilize the support among members to organize this meeting to reconsider the plan, and fortunately, we found more than sufficient support to call for this Special Membership meeting, which may be a first for NASW.
We have had a variety of other concerns about the wisdom of proceeding with this plan, which we will briefly review:
Hierarchical top-down organizational designs, if they can be justified at all, generally are just used when those who are on the front line have a low level of education and professionalism, are involved in highly standardized tasks, and are unmotivated to participate in control of their work environment.
In contrast, NASW members are highly educated and professional, and are closest to the service environments in the various chapters that require planning, thus, if anything, we should be thinking about increasing their input and chapter autonomy rather than diminishing it. The entire field of management research and theory has increasingly come to support such an approach for professionals.
By increasing the responsibility and autonomy of the chapters, we will increase their ability to individualize services and local advocacy efforts to the various chapter environments.
We expect that such diversity of responsibility will also enhance the cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity of our membership, which we believe will further flounder under the standardized direction of a national administrative structure.
To secure the many administrative approvals needed from National under the new plan, it is expected that local administration will become considerably more bureaucratic and slower in its ability to respond and adapt to new needs, and just to get things done.
By separating programmatic input, which is what local chapter boards would be restricted to, from fiscal and personnel oversight, which is being transferred to National, we believe that this will effectively fragment the fiscal and personnel implementation of NASW policies from programmatic considerations. Too often when such models are used, program plans amount to empty rhetoric, while the important decisions are made by fiscal managers, divorced from the realities of professional practice.
In general, we believe that the Modernization of NASW will set the Association back to a very traditional top-down corporate model, reminiscent of how many organizations were operated prior to NASW's founding in 1955. What we need instead is a post-modern plan, one that encourages multiple perspectives and power sharing, incorporating the best that broad, diverse, and multiple constituencies of professional social workers can offer.
While there are many other critiques that have been persuasively advanced for the various features of Modernization that might be mentioned, I would like to acknowledge that I believe that we are all in agreement that many of the administrative arrangements that Chapters have can certainly benefit from some degree of updating, such as better fiscal procedures and the like. However, the fundamental organizational arrangements envisioned, we believe are fatally flawed, and will result in progressive marginalization and continued loss of members from NASW.
Our Request:For this reason, we are respectfully asking each member of the National Board to vote to postpone implementation until the plan can be revised and reconsidered by the appropriate parties and the mandated oversight body.
According to NASW's Bylaws, the National Board's focus of its duties is on operational matters, and that any general guiding policies of NASW need to be considered, in the end, by the Delegate Assembly.This Assembly was designed by the founders of NASW to be the voice of the membership, with its elected 200 delegates who are entrusted to consider and act on the most important guiding policies of NASW. Despite this clear mandate in our Bylaws, the National Board sought to eliminate the Delegate Assembly in 2014, but fortunately, members such as yourselves did the responsible thing and voted to retain this Assembly. Now, given these massive changes that have been proposed, it is incumbent that the National Board not overreach its authority, and respect the prerogatives of the Delegate Assembly to consider this matter.It would not only be irresponsible, but we believe, even illegal for this matter not to be referred to the Delegate Assembly, unless of course, the Board decides to revamp the plan.
Thus, if the Board does not decide on his own to revamp the plan and/or to refer the matter to the Delegate Assembly for their review, and we assume it would be of a revised plan that would address the concerns of the members here, we anticipate submitting a formal petition of at least 500 members to bring this about, including changes in NASW Bylaws to prevent this from happening in the future. It is clear also, from our review of relevant corporate laws, and in consultation with our legal counsel, that the members, through the Delegate Assembly, have the right not only to act on the Modernization proposal, but also, to revise NASW Bylaws to assure that the most efficacious balance between the responsibilities of the Chapters and National, as well as prerogatives of members in NASW operations, are fully respected and memorialized in the guiding Bylaws of our association. Thus, we ask your support in requesting a full review of these matters by the National Board.


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Marketing Mix of Torrent Power analyses the brand/company which covers 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and explains the Torrent Power marketing strategy. The article elaborates the pricing, advertising & distribution strategies used by the company.
Let us start the Torrent Power Marketing Mix:
Torrent Power Ltd. deals in power generation, transmission, distribution and cables. It has a capacity of 3334 megawatts. They boast of an exclusive mix of conventional and non-conventional power sources like coal & gas based and renewable sources based. Torrent Power has a connection of 249 kms and 105 kms of 400kV double circuit transmission which transmits electricity produced at SUGEN & DGEN factories to all the off-take hubs. Other than generation, transmission and distribution of electrical power it also deals in manufacturing of cables, infact Torrent Power is one of the leader in high tension cable segment as it produces upto 132 kV XLPE cables. Also has Solar rooftops involved.
Image: company website
Price points of Torrent Power are high as it supplies to most industrial areas which use electricity for commercial purposes. Commercials have to pay a higher price for electricity as there are higher tax norms on it. Torrent Power Ltd. is one of the licensed distributors under the UJALA scheme. The UJALA scheme entails distribution and sale of LED bulbs at a discounted price. This affects the pricing of these bulbs in from of subsidy provided. They also offer an EMI scheme to make payments for poor section of the society. The tariffs in 2016-17 were the same with a Prompt Payment Discount facility to customers. Also as Coal India Ltd. one of the leading suppliers of coal increased coal process it is reflected in the increasing prices of power provided by Torrent Power Ltd.
Torrent Power has three million customers in cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Dahej SEZ, Gandhinagar all in Gujarat, Bhiwandi from Maharashtra and Agra in Uttar Pradesh. All these cities are major industrial or commercial centres. Therefore, this company is mostly functioning in Gujrat and Uttar Pradesh. The distribution channels of Torrent Power are one of its weakness as unlike its competitors it does not have wide presence across all states in India forget globally. The absence of ownership of raw material sources also puts Torrent Power at the disadvantage.
Torrent Power is a B2B company so its most promotion activity is targeted at its customers and not at a mass level. Torrent Power has used information technology to make website very accessible and easy. Bill payment, energy calculator, tariff, new connection, etc. They have made it very user friendly for customers. In B2B the transaction success is heavily dependent on relationship building and management. Torrent Power Ltd. has garnered love and support in Gujarat due to its help in rehabilitation post-earthquake in 2001, it has also provided electricity to slums, invested in health and education as well. Torrent Power Ltd. funds the cardiology wing of U.N. Mehta Hospital in Gujrat.
Since this is a service marketing brand, here are the other three Ps to make it the 7Ps marketing mix of Torrent Power.
Torrent Power has a broad network of electricity distributing hubs across Gujarat. In Uttar Pradesh, the agreement to distribute in Agra and Kanpur was cancelled as it was in direct competition with state electricity department. Torrent Power has also investment in unconventional forms of power like wind and solar power.
At Torrent Power, seven thousand two hundred employees are put through a rigorous training module. They also have regular workshops to help the employees stay adept to the changing skill requirements. To ensure employee engagement, Torrent Powers also has annual celebrations. They also have recreation facilities. As Torrent Powers is an energy producing company they have a systematic work culture.
A user friendly self-service platform was launched by Torrent Powers to create a one stop solution for customers. It provides real time information and personalised services. They have also received the "Gujarat Ratna Award". It also deals in production of solar power up to fifty-one megawatt solar PV at Charanka Solar Park and wind power in Lalpur, Jamnagar, Gujarat. Thus, this completes the Torrent Power marketing mix.
About Torrent Power Ltd:
Torrent Power Ltd. is a privately owned electrical power company. It is owned by the Torrent Group which is run by Sudhir and Samir Mehta, sons of founder Uttambhai Nathalal Mehta. The Torrent Group comprises of the Torrent Pvt. Ltd. which is the apex company, the Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Torrent Cables along with Torrent Power. Torrent Power was setup in 1996. Over the last twenty-one years Torrent Power has made major acquisitions like of Ahmedabad Electricity Company and Surat Electricity Company. It also entered into franchise agreements with State Electricity Distribution Company of Maharashtra in 2006 and U.P. Power Corporation Ltd in 2009.
Browse 4Ps Analysis of more brands and companies similar to Torrent Power Marketing Mix. The Marketing Mix section covers 4Ps and 7Ps of more than 300 brands in 2 categories.
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subset: commoncrawl


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It could be dated from the beginning of 19 centuries of the bleaching earth firstly used in edible oil refining, and till not, it is still the most important utilization of bleaching earth as its high efficient and commercial costs.
The mainly methods to purify edible oils is the traditional alkali process and physical refining. With the traditional alkali process by means of diluted lyes and soda solutions while fatty acid are removed by distillation as the physical refining.
To identify the purification degree after bleaching earth, we need to learn some parameters.
Content of free fatty acid
In the entirely bleached and refined oil, free fatty acid content should be lower than 0.01% (normally within 0.01%-0.05%). The detailed data is depended on the crude oil quality. Good quality of crude oil with free fatty acid no higher than 5%, if more than 10%, it is not suitable for human health and edible.
Color value
Yellow and red colors are measured as one of the standards of bleaching earth working. Bleached and refined oil should exhibit color values of between 1.0 and 3.0 Lovibond red and 10-30 Lovibond yellow. Good bleached oil should be yellow color.
Degree of oxidant
The absorbing oxygen directly influences the edible oil quality. The peroxide value means the quantity of peroxides formed in oils; while Anisidine value indicates the content of oxidant products (like Aldehydes, Ketones). High Peroxide value and high Anisidine value mean the high oxidation level of edible oil.
UV extinctions provide the information on if the oils or fats have been refined
The Totox value is being increasingly used as a characteristic value for the overall degree of oxidation
Totox=2*PV+AnV, more than 30 are indicative oxidized oils and fats,
Gums are present in most oil plants and production; they pass out of the cell walls and membranes into the crude oil. In some vegetable oil (especially soybean oil) the content of phosphatide could be as much as 2.5%,normally it should be controlled within 0.1--1,3%.
Because of the negative effects on stability, color and taste, gums need to be removed in most. The good quality bleached oil should be with the phosphorous contents below 5 ppm,(normally 1-3 ppm)
Various color bodies and pigments may cause the dark color of crude oil, the most important is carotene and carotenoids (yellow-red color to dark red) as well as chlorohpyll and its derivates (deep green color). Carotene could be regarded as a valuable substance as antioxidant pro-vitamin, but chlorohpyll is a pro-oxidant and impair the quality, so it must be removed with the value at 50ppb
Heavy metal contents
Heavy metal present in gums and pigments or as metallic soap, those as the powerful oxidising catalysts and results the formation of radicals, so it should be removed. Arsenic has the effect of a powerful poison on hydrogenation catalysts, the content in well bleached oil should be lower than 0.1 ppm.
Also some other values should be existed, like iodine value, saponification value, melting point, the solid fat content etc, they are of less significance of the refining process, but nevertheless play an important role in the hydrogenation of fats.


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I discovered a whole bag of this argyle die cuts that I had made previously (By previously, I mean probably well over a year ago!) If you've checked out my other creations today, you will definitely notice a similarity in supplies used :) I decided to use as much of them as possible because they have been just sitting there with nothing to do for so long.
This card was submitted to wonderful challenge blogs - See below for links & details, so you can create your own & join in the fun!


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Brocklebank Group Practice, 249 Garratt Lane, Wandsworth, London, SW18 4DUTel: 020 3 818 8270
Patients who are eligible for an NHS flu jab will have received a text or a letter regarding forthcoming flu clinics. Eligible patient groups are Patients over 65 years of age, Children aged 2-3, patients at risk due to other conditions they have such as diabetes, COPD, Asthma and a range of other problems. Eligible patients can book an appointment with a nurse to get their flu jab (speak to reception staff to book in). Please us keep you healthy and flu-free this year.
Question Of The Month
We have updated our privacy policy to reflect the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) . Click on the icon below to find information on how we use and protect your personal information and your rights in relation to thisBrocklebank Practice Privacy Notice
Improving access to general practice: evening and weekend appointments
Patients who are registered at this practice continue to be able to book an appointment to see a GP or nurse on weekday late evenings (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday after 6.30pm) or on Saturday (GP only). From now, patients who wish to be seen in late (after 6.30 and before 8pm) on Wednesday and Friday and on Saturday afternoon and Sundays will be able to book into appointments at an alternative NHS setting in Wandsworth. Talk to reception to find out more or book an appointment.
Are you a carer? We are keen to know if you are looking after someone so we can support you with carer consultations and guide you to other support. Please let the clinician or the reception staff know if you would like it recorded on your record that you have carer responsibilities for another person and if you have not yet had a yearly review please book a consultation.
Copyright 2006 - 2019 My Surgery Website | Privacy & Usage | Edit | Staff Home | Site Map | Accessibility | Site T&C's | Service T&C's


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Manila / Philippines
Hotel H2O
H2O Hot Deal
The Travel Highlights
Enjoy the richness of Manila with 2 days and 1 nights accommodation at Hotel H2O
Indulge in satisfying 42% discount on breakfast at Makan Makan Food Village
20% discount at Zenyu Eco Spa services
Complimentary local calls, welcome amenities and in-room internet access
The Destination
Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is a densely populated bayside city on the island of Luzon, which mixes Spanish colonial architecture with modern skyscrapers. Intramuros, a walled city in colonial times, is the heart of Old Manila. It's home to the baroque 16th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and military prison.
The Hotel
Unfold yourself in Hotel H2O's suites and rooms that offer an unobstructed view of the bay — from fabulous guest rooms and a spectacular seascape, one will surely be relaxed and revitalised in this chic urban getaway. Aquarium rooms and suites are luxuriously appointed, chic and modern. Soft, crisp, lush linens and pillows, ultra-comfortable beds ensure every guest a restful stay.
Room and suite features include 37″ or 40″ flat screen LCD Television, and high speed internet enhances the hotel's high tech feel. IDD telephone, complimentary welcome. Experience Hotel H2O's upscale features and amenities. Meticulously chosen conveniences await each guest to ensure that they will feel pampered from the time they arrive until they depart.
Hotel Facilities:
Lobby | 24 hours reception | Safe Deposit box | Car Parking | Concierge | CCTV |
*Some services may incur additional charges, payable locally.
The Room
AQUA ROOM ( 2 Adults )
Relaxation is redefined by our signature room – the only one of its kind in the country. A life-sized aquarium running the length and breadth of the 25-square-metre room's main wall provides a window into the calm and mesmerizing beauty of the marine world. Fish of myriad colors, shapes and sizes glide by as you enjoy the amenities: Queen-size bed with cotton linens, 37-inch LCD television, work desk with high-speed Internet access, and marble bath. The slightly larger Aqua Classic has a sofa bed to accommodate an extra person.
Board Basis
This special offer is based on Bed and Breakfast.
Savor the best of Southeast Asian cuisine at Hotel H2O's main food and beverage outlet. With more than 150 dishes to choose from, Makan Makan is more than a restaurant – it's a veritable pan-Asian village where the culinary delights of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan and the Philippines abound.
Roti prata. Dimsum. Coffee spareribs. Chili crab. Hainanese chicken rice. Sticky rice with mango. These are just some of the quintessential Asian favorites prepared fresh everyday by our chefs. Makan lah! Let's eat!
Roxas Boulevard,Behind The Quirino Grandstand,Luneta,Manila 1000,Metro Manila, Philippines
The Fine Print
- Rate is for two persons, (twin sharing)
- No refund or rebooking once booked and confirmed
- Child Policy: Maximum of 2 children, below 12 years old free of charge (room only)
- Price is inclusive of taxes
- Room upon availability
- 20% discount at Zenyu Eco spa services
- 42% Discount on Breakfast at Makan Makan Food Village
- Complimentary local calls, welcome amenities and in-room internet access
Offer 1
4-Day/3-Night Accommodation
Pay only
$86 per night
(instead of $310)
Good for two persons (based on double occupancy)


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Residential Dumpster Rental
There is no need for residents and homeowners in the greater Tampa Bay area to track down dumping and landfill regulations and policies when Bin There Dump That is knowledgeable and experienced in all facets of junk hauling and trash removal. And, it is not just about delivering a roll off dumpster and driving into the sunset. At Bin There Dump That, it's about providing trash dumpster solutions to all the debris connected to your home clean out, clean up or renovation project.
Where you are, we can be ~ on time, affordable, dependable.
From the bungalow in Lutz or the condo in Pinellas County to the contemporary in Clearwater, classic style home in Hillsborough County or beach front residence at Clearwater Beach or St. Pete Beach, home renovation is big business. You have to take out the old to put in the new, and Bin There Dump That stands ready to be your best junk hauler, trash removal service and affordable, residential dumpster rental supplier.
A roll off dumpster rental from Bin There Dump That is the easiest and most efficient means for Tampa area residents and homeowners to handle trash removal, junk hauling and waste management during a house remodeling project, garage and yard cleanup, new addition or home construction or estate clean out. These clean, green dumpsters fit in a typical parking space, and you can use your driveway during the project.
Additionally, Bin There Dump That roll off dumpsters are neatly placed on boards which are taken off the truck and laid on your driveway for complete protection of the asphalt, pavers, or concrete surface.
We proudly serve:
Tampa, Clearwater, Brandon, Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Palm Harbor, Carrollwood, Westchase, Lutz
There's a size to meet your needs:
If you're not sure of the size, call Bin There Dump That at 727-475-1080. Describe the job, and our customer service staff will expertly evaluate your project, make a size recommendation and give a free estimate. You provide the date and time, and Bin There Dump That's professional driver will show up, meet and greet, see the spot, lay the boards and place the roll off dumpster exactly where you want.
Residential Dumpster Rental
Reliable, affordable, courteous, sensitive to your needs as a homeowner because we are residents and homeowners.
Home Junk Hauling
Stuff accumulates, people move out, move on, things need sorting and disposal with efficient trash containment and hauling.
Yard Waste
Tree limbs, old mulch, stone, shell, planters and yard junk.
Garage Clean Out
Miscellaneous items and junk from years gone by.
Estate Management
Sorting and disposing of stuff accumulated across decades and perhaps generations.
New Home Purchase
Things left behind by previous tenants or owners, old curtains and rods, wallpaper, small and quick remodeling jobs.
Home Sale
Preparing a home for sale means de-cluttering and cleaning out in a major way
Condo, Townhouse, HOA
Coordinate a neighborhood cleanup, inside and out, to meet or stay within HOA guidelines.
Disaster Clean Up
Storms bring down all kinds of branches and blow stuff all around. A dumpster rental is the easy way to tidy up, thereby maintaining property values and attractive neighborhoods.
Bin There Dump That
~ Same day service, including Saturdays ~
~ Smaller quiet trucks ~
~ Roll off dumpsters ~
~ Driveway protection ~
~ On time every time ~
~ Superior customer service ~
~ Professional, helpful drivers ~
~ Knowledgeable staff ~
~ Excellent reputation ~


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A special event hosted at Barnes & Noble. We will have a panel of authors talking about their books. They will be signing books, too!
Join us Friday, April 20, 2018 for a special kick-off event at Barnes & Nobles Bethlehem.
While this event is aimed towards educators, all are welcome to attend. This is also a good opportunity to meet some authors if you cannot come to Saturday's full event.
Books purchased at the store on Friday will go towards the YA Fest fundraiser. Just be sure to tell the cashier and barista that you're with YA Fest for the fundraiser.
4445 Southmont Way, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18045, United States


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We'd Love to Hear From You
Our management team would love to hear your feedback or suggestions. Please specify and share with us about any experience you had at any of our locations.
Chat With Someone Now
ELAN Hair — Green Hills
3756 Hillsboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37215
Hours of Operation
Monday — 9:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday through Friday — 8:00am - 8:30pm
Saturday — 8:00am - 5:00pm


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New puppies expected at our store :
Regrettably, I do not have the time to put in order the photos of the parents & the puppy litters of the breeds listed above. So please feel free to email me directly & ASK FOR MORE PHOTOS & DETAILS!! As you can see from the photos, ALL the puppies are hand picked directly from breeders homes in Italy to arrive straight at Dubai Airport by Emirates Airlines. All puppies are traceable, parents photos & breeders details are available. 100% tranceparency!
( Installment payment plan is available )
Email us on firstname.lastname@example.com
or call 04-3418085


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Only for the Ambitious. — Angelus Direct
A First Look at Ambitious Rebirth [ uncaged ] Sock dARts
Ambitious Rebirth Angelus Direct AR Kicks custom kicks new product nike nike customs SNEAKER sneakerhead sock darts uncaged sock darts
So we've been going back and forth on the release of these but after checking in with our street team, the "[ uncaged ] Sock dARts" are definitely a go. We collaborated with an East Carolina art student on the artwork and the prototype can out super clean. Still working on a few minor details but a release date will be set for these soon. As the name suggests, the concept behind the Sock Dart silhouette was to create something that gripped your foot and act as if you're not actually wearing a shoe. The shoe is comprised of a knitted...


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Blog Archives
Two Books, Two Outcomes
Upon recommendation from a writing colleague, I picked up a book — you know the type. The kind of book that is supposed to help guide you through the trials and tribulations of being a writer. The kind of book that will give you great insights into the world of scribedom, and helps you hope that one day, you too will be a paid laugh-maker, scream-inducer, or tear-jerker.
What's in a Name?
Over some Kibbe and Falafel on Thursday, Adam and I got into a little discussion focused mainly on naming characters. It seems that we are about 90% in agreeance over one thing: female characters' names in films have become fairly pretentious.
His theory is that if you want an every-woman character — a name that won't be distracting, to script readers and theater-goers alike — go with one of the more popular names for a person born during the time period in which the character would have been born. So, if I were writing about a current/incoming high school student (which I will be soon) for a script I figure I'd complete in 2012, I would choose a name that was fairly popular in 1998 (BTW, I was in high school in 1998). In the case of my coming-of-age script that I'm working on (yeah, yeah, the world has plenty of coming-of-age stories) my lead female character's name is Vanessa. According to the Social Security Administration, Vanessa was the 52nd most popular name among American babies in 1998; mid-range, considering the top 100.
But we don't necessarily always want an every-woman. Some writers, like some parents, want our children/characters to be interesting straight outta the womb (take "Sue" from this pretty awesome short a classmate of mine did, for example). The lead female character for another script I'm working on is named Harper. This name, Adam took issue with, but I don't think Harper is really that ridiculous for a name. Maybe a decade ago, that would be a seriously pretentious name. In 2004, it was the 887th most popular baby name in the U.S. Last year it was #119. So in 5 years, it may be even more common (but then again, can pretention also be common? Vice versa?)
I just finished reading Freakonomics, which has a lot of fascinating insights on race, class, gender, morality, and, most interestingly, parenting. In the chapter titled, "Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?" I made a bit of a connection: While some people may believe that "black" names (like DeShawn or Imani) may have a detrimental effect on the children who receive them, the real correlation seems to be a socioeconomic indicator; "good" parents put a lot of emphasis on picking a name, and "good" parents tend to be better educated in general, and can provide decent opportunities for those children. Furthermore, I don't think DeShawn or Imani are bad names. I know good people with those names! In either case, the parents who give their children strong or "smart" sounding names tend to care more about their kids anyway, and they share a more aspirational attitude/goals for those kids. If I were writing about a stripper living in a trailer park in Daytona Beach, I'd probably name her Krystal or Jazmynn. If I were writing about a Yale-bound, cello-playing snobby 16-year-old, I'd probably name her Eleanora or Madison; quite presidential.
Names of characters tend to have several indications: the tone of the film, the essence of a character, and who wrote the script. I thought about some of my personal favorite comedies/romantic comedies of the last few years, and the names of the female leads:
Mean Girls
Cady (Lindsay Lohan)
Easy A
Olive (Emma Stone)
500 Days of Summer
Summer (Zooey Deschanel)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Clementine (Kate Winslet)
Em (Kristen Stewart)
Kill Bill, Vol 1 &2 — yes, I know this is not a comedy.
The Bride/Beatrix (Uma Thurman)
Jules (Emma Stone)
Miss Congeniality
Gracie (Sandra Bullock)
Lost in Translation
Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson)
Legally Blonde
Elle (Reece Witherspoon)
The Devil Wears Prada
Andy (Anne Hathaway)
I would venture to say that none of these names are in the top 50 names for females in the probable years that each character would have been born. If anything, these names indicate, to me, that writers and authors are affluent, educated, and tend to indicate that in their own characters. Is that good or bad? I don't know. In Freakonomics, sixish of the names listed above are also listed below with the average number of years of formal education that the mother who chose the names also had:
– Clementine (16.23)*
– Charlotte (14.98)
-Gracie (13.81)
– Beatrix (16.26)*
– Ellen/Ella for Elle Woods (averaged to 15.235)
– Olive (15.64)
So yes, some of these A-List writers like Burt Royal, Charlie Kauffman, and Uma Thurman/Quentin Tarantino are effing geniuses.
The names with the * indicate that they were among the list of the "Twenty White Girl Names That Best Signify High-Education Parents." Interestingly, despite my blackness, my name was the eighth most popular "White Girl" name in 1980. In 2000, the 8th most popular name was Emma. I'm sure by now, #8 is Mackenzie. Names that indicate affluence supposedly trickle down from the upper class down to the masses, kind of like how Forever 21 knocks off a beautiful Gucci dress. And, just like fashion, one day you're in, the next day, you are out.
So, my point is that while I agree that the unique, quirky names have gotten out of hand — in real life, and in books and film — I don't think Harper is really all ridiculous. In fact, I'm just ahead of the curve.
Nouveau Niche
Years ago, I had a professor who was fairly young, and was around on campus as Facebook was popping up. About a year into Facebook infiltrating campus life (mid 2005, maybe?), I remember him observing that social media is a great tool, but it is hurting the way that young people interact with each other. I totally agreed. I'll be honest, writing a funny one-liner on a friend's wall was waaaay easier than a 45-minute phone call about whether they should break up with their boyfriend (if it's someone I really don't care about — I'm not completely callous).
Fast forward a few years later; 2009ish. My husband and I were talking about media consumption, and he says "We're losing the water cooler in our society." The grander society no longer shares collective experiences in everyday media.
And, for better or worse, it's definitely true, along nearly all major forms of media: music, movies, television, web, and books.
Everything now is highly niched. As highlighted in the NPR series, Fractured Culture, nothing can be targeted toward the greater society. There are so many great scripted television shows on prime time right now, but only small fragments of America watch them. While you can say that's partially because of cable, it goes beyond that. There are so many options. You don't even have to have a television. You can just have DVDs and a Netflix account streaming to your TV, and maybe access to Hulu Plus. And then, of course, there's YouTube. Right there is access to TONS (literally) of hours of nearly anything you could possibly want to watch. And music videos. So why sit in front of the television and watch the shows they are force-feeding down your throat, when you can watching a hilarious web show with a disgusting, crass sense of humor that you can't find on television, but is so well targeted toward you?
Music may be the most emblematic of this — the first industry really hit hard by this shift in the way we consume media. People stopped paying money for music years ago, unless it was truly meaningful now. No one watches MTV for videos — firstly MTV hasn't played music videos since the days of Jesse Camp, and secondly, music videos are basically an online-only venture (aside from BET, really). Why watch a bunch of random videos hoping they'll play the one you want to watch, when you can just go online and play the one you want to watch at that moment? Also, do you notice that your favorite television shows and movies don't use overwrought music that you're already sick of because they play it on the radio constantly anymore — they play the "indie" stuff. It's cheap, and it caters to an appreciation of the "underground." It's catering to the fact that people love to be the first of their friends to have heard of a band, and then be pleasantly surprised to hear it on Grey's Anatomy.
And etc. and so-forth. But is this nichefying a completely bad thing? I don't know. I think there is good to this, because, as the NPR series points out on many platforms, audiences who have not been engaged before on television can enjoy niche TV on cable (106 & Park and its teenage fan base); Asian people don't really have soooo few images on television, but can find some well produced series' online featuring people of Asian descent doing stuff other than being nerds or weird little businessmen.
So to me, as I've written about before, I don't think it's necessarily a terrible thing. In fact, I'm hoping to one day capitalize on it…
A break from our regularly scheduled program
My mom, acclaimed and amazing author Rita Williams-Garcia, nabbed two — count 'em, TWO!! — big old fancy schmancy awards today:
– The Coretta Scott King award for "outstanding books for children and young adults."
– The silver prize for the John Newbery Medal for the second-most "distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
Add that to her being a finalist this year for the National Book Awards and winning the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction last week, and we've got ourselves a pretty happy family! She is so deserving and so talented. My mom's amazing!!
And while all of this is so literary, this does play into films, too. One of the reasons I want to get into TV/film is because I've seen my mom work so hard to get to where she is today, while pop writers do great things to get kids to read, but it ain't exactly quality stuff. I'm not naming names, but my mom isn't writing about vampires and zombies and pirates. She writes about youth forgotten — immigrants, teen moms (15 years BEFORE it was cool, MTV), bullying in school, dancers turned away from the ballet world because of its own ridiculous body hang ups, and most recently, the Black Panthers through the eyes of three little girls. Furthermore, her visual writing style, and accessible characters are perfectly adaptable for the screen.
But does anyone want to pay for tickets to go see deeply written black teenagers on the big screen — or small screen, for that matter? That's the big gamble that, so far, very few have been willing to take, aside from the marvelously sweet Akilah and The Bee, Precious (oy), and The Quite Saccarine Blind Side (double oy). So, we'll see. And if anyone is interested in actually filming an adaptation, let me know. I know an excellent associate producer (hint: it's me).
Week in Review
I've taken Media Law as an undergrad, and then again when I was considering getting an MA in journalism a few years ago and took a class online at the University of Missouri. I've also learned a lot about the legal dealings incorporated with launching a company, copyright, contracts, and all that good stuff through my UCLA class that I took last semester. So I am not really feeling like I need to learn it all on my own. So I'm just not gonna. In the interest of concentrating on what's important, I'm dropping my Entertainment Law course.
I've basically done all of my reading/viewing assignments for the week, so that's been good. I still have not had a lot of time to work on my Modern Family Outline, either, but I have the whole week off to hone it.
All in all, I'm still pumped on this whole project. I've received a bunch of great things from friends and family for Christmas that'll help me with my learnin': a couple of gift cards, and the DVDs, Directors: Life Behind the Camera and the PBS documentary, Pioneers of Television.
Best Dog Ever
I just wanted to take a break from making Christmas dinner (Cornish Game Hens, roasted red potatoes, and buttery-fantastical string beans) to give an update on some altered plans for the week. I know, I know, you're saying "already altering plans? FAIL."
But no. I'm making provisions to make sure I know what I'm doing.
Earlier this week I dropped a lot of money at our local big-box book store that is in the process of cutting off all of their inventory to shut the store down. Honestly, I'm surprised they lasted longer than they did. Anyway, they had a ton of stuff at 40% off, so I bought my husband's Christmas gift and about five books for myself — some that I know I'll need for future classes and my career, and others I've just wanted to get. One of which was Get the Picture: The Movie Lover's Guide to Watching Films by Jim Piper. While I'm supposed to be evaluating these TV shows, films, and shorts, I figure I should know what I'm talking about. I've only read the first 2 chapters, but it has me thinking about shots in a more conscious way — color, angle, depth of shot, movement and framing.
Yesterday, on my way home from work on the bus, I watched a book mentioned in chapter 3 of my Film history book, Rescued by Rover by Cecil Hepworth. This was one of the first films to show sequence with several cuts and implied movement throughout the story. We see a baby get abducted while her nanny's back is turned away, and * bam* the next cut is the nanny bursting in to the house, to tell the parents what happened. We don't see her going on and flirting with that dude; we don't see her turning around and not seeing the baby, and turning over leaves in the park to look for him. It's implied that all of it happened, so we cut straight to the drama. Furthermore, we see the dog running across town looking for the baby. When he finds him sitting with the gypsy that stole him, the dog runs back using the same sequence of setting. He then gets his owner to follow him, in the same sequence of shots, and then they rescue the baby. Good times. It's short, and simple, but a clear step forward in filmmaking…prior to this, cameras were pretty darn stagnant, and basically no cuts. Take that, Air Buddies!


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Ama Dablam in the Post-Monsoon. A total of 50 men and women summited Ama Dablam this season. Two expeditions each put 11 of their members on the top, bringing to 388 the grand total of foreigners to the summit of this 6812-meter (22,349-foot) peak. Two teams had 14 and 18 members, a size that one of the leaders said "was much too large." All climbed the normal southwest ridge except where specially noted. An expedition of 11 South Koreans led by Son Moon-Kyu completed the 136th ascent of the peak on September 10 when Kim Young-Jeoung and Park Byoung-Sun got to the summit. Members of this expedition also simultaneously climbed Tawoche and Cholatse. [See below.] Swiss Bruno Jelk led 13 Swiss and 1 Austrian, who placed the following on the summit: Richard Lchner, Thomas Zumtaugwald, Manfred Graven, Jean-Louis Mazzone on October 5; Rudolf Steindl (Austrian), Klaus Tsherrig, Bernhard Imboden, Prem Lhakpa Sherpa on October 6; and Kurt Lauber, Willi Taugwalder, Urs Lerjen, Bruno Marchetto on October 7. Climbing the north ridge, 9 Japanese led by Hidehiko Tajiri all completed the ascent: Kanji Saito, Yasuo Matsumoto, Tomayasu Sano, Hiroshi Doke on October 19 and leader Tajiri, Jiro Kurisima, Mizuho Tamaru, Tsutomu Yanagisawa and Kumihiro Kumagai on October 21. Scot Rob Fairley led 12 Britons, 2 Americans, 1 Canadian, 1 Irishman, 1 German, 1 Pole. The following made it to the top: Pole Ryszard Pawlowski, Americans Keith Boskoff and Mrs. Chris Boskoff. Briton Simon Yates on October 25; Britons Andy Collins, Peter Williams on October 26; Britons Ken Balfour, Ian Pomeroy, Miss Peta Watts on October 27 and Britons Nigel Porter, John Walmsley on October 30. On October 26, all 6 Frenchmen led by René Tomio climbed the mountain: Pierre Blanc, Bernard Favre, Gérard Girod, Thierry Lombard, Cédrik Tomio and leader Tomio. Led by Takao Miyashita, 5 Japanese put onto the summit on October 27 leader Miyashita, Hisao Onami, Shiro Niwa and Tuyoshi Oizumi. An international expedition consisting of 4 Australians, 1 American and 1 Briton, led by Australian Armando Corvini, climbed up the south ridge and descended the southwest ridge. On November 8, Australians Andrew McAuley, Miss Vera Wong, American Rod Willard completed the climb, followed on November 10 by Australians Corvini, Andrew Burns, Briton David Smith. Two expeditions were unsuccessful. American Ed Webster and Canadian Paul Teare first tried the northwest ridge, getting to 5790 meters on October 23 and then the north face of the west col, where their high point was 5750 meters on November 7. Jean-Jacques Couton led 6 Frenchmen, who got to 6400 meters on the southwest ridge on November 7.
Elizabeth Hawley


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Evie DressSorry, this product is no longer available
Product info
- Length
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- 53% viscose/rayon 47% polyamide/nylon
- Trim
- trim 100% cotton
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- Machine wash
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Editor's Notes
In structured Milano stitch with a detachable sequin collar, the Evie puts a modern spin on the little black dress. The body is knitted in a clean viscose and nylon blend, in a shape which fits the body with an easy-going shift silhouette which is both flattering and versatile. Wear from office to evening by slipping the collar after hours and teaming with shimmering accessories.Model is 175cm/5'9 and is wearing a size UK 8.


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Rays' Franklin briefly plays 2 days after being hit on head
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Tampa Bay Rays utility man Nick Franklin entered Friday night's game as a defensive replacement in the third inning but departed after playing two innings, two days after being hit in the head by a teammate's bat while on deck.
Franklin was not in the starting lineup against Texas Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels but he went into the game when center fielder Kevin Kiermaier left after the second inning. The team said Kiermaier was bothered by left hip tightness.
''Everything is good,'' Franklin said before the game. ''Everything came out fine. I'm set to play whenever.''
Franklin took over in left field for Mikie Mahtook, who shifted to center. However, Corey Dickerson replaced Franklin in the top of the fifth.
There was no immediate word regarding Franklin's departure.
Kiermaier smacked the back of Franklin's head with a bat when Franklin bent to grab some pine tar in the on-deck circle before leading off the first inning Wednesday against San Diego. Kiermaier was stretching a few feet in front of Franklin, swinging the bat over his head with one arm. Franklin was wearing a helmet.
''That was a little scary there,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ''I heard it. I didn't see it.''
Franklin drew a walk and scored in the first inning Wednesday before leaving with a head bruise. He passed concussion tests Wednesday and Friday.
Tampa Bay had a day off Thursday.


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The first edition of Bolivia Media Show ended with great success!
On 28 and 29 June, took place in Rosario – Argentina, the 21st edition of the traditional "Regional Telecommunications Meeting". More than 800 visitors, were present while Network Broadcast presented all the cutting edge technology available in the market, in a stand mounted with its products. Sebastián Rossi, Network Broadcast´s Commercial Director Commercial, was present at the event, participating of the Talk Show "OTT's warm up Access Networks – The Collapse of HFC Architecture", to a full audience and more than 200 participants, validating the great interest among them for the solutions that will be the future of TV. Thanks to everyone who accompanied us in the event!


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The Casino Road Keyboard Orchestra celebrated the end of their current quarter with a winter recital on Saturday, December 5, 2015.
The Casino Road Keyboard Orchestra program began in February 2014. It had just 15 children. Today, there are over 90 each week. The program has also expanded to include parents so that entire families can share the experience. At no cost to participants, this program is a thriving part of the Casino Road neighborhood.
Read More


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"How do you spell your name again, Cady?" "It's pronounced Katie. C-A-D-Y."
"Yeah, I'm gonna call you Cady."
Knowing someone's name is really important, however there are many times when you just forget someone's name. This could be handled a few different ways.
During my dating adventures I ended up going out with a guy whose name I just couldn't remember. We had met a few times and I just started seeing him around and it just got too far to ask him his name again. Then he asked me out to drinks one day. So here I am on a date with a guy whose name I don't even know. For whatever reason, everyone I had ever met was out that night. I thought perfect; here is my opportunity to get his name. I introduced him to everyone we ran into thinking he'd say "nice to meet you my name is X" and he didn't! So I just continued on a date with X. If someone is introducing you and they don't say your name, make sure you always do so!
Instead of trying to figure someone's name out inconspicuously, you can always just call them the wrong name. What you have to image for this story is the way my dear friends, Jersey Girl, walks. She walks about a thousand miles per hour, way ahead of anyone us, with such drive. It's pretty funny because we always were able to see people's reaction to her. Jersey Girl also likes to know everyone. For about a year Jersey Girl would pass this one particular girl and say "Hey Megan" with such confidence and just keep walking. She didn't even care if Megan said Hi back because Jersey Girl was already at her next destination. It took about a year for Megan to say "My names not Megan, is Jennifer." Thankfully we were all many steps behind her so we got to see this all go down. It was great!
I don't remember names very well (see story above) however you don't have to make that known. The guy I went on a date with, to this day, has no idea I didn't know his name. Eventually you'll be able to learn someone's name, but don't make up a name till that happens!


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It was another frenzied shell battering, newspaper shredding, egg whacking day on April 1st. As usual I found many reasons not to win: the field was too cramped, my newspaper roll was not firm enough, my egg was overcooked, the ground was crumbly, my ankle was sore. So, I came last. Never mind, there's always next year.
Those who were not brave enough to race eggs settled for cheering on their favourite egg jockeys, or retired to eat cake in the church.
Between shoving ha'pennies (or 50p coins), tossing balls in flower pots, spooning marbles into flower pots (what is it with the flower pots anyway?), picking straws, pinning tails on donkeys and so forth, a fun day was had by all.
Here are some of the fierce and less fierce competitors, stall runners and spectators.


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Tuesday, May 2, 2017
80 clash in front of Ampang Hospital
PETALING JAYA - The police were forced to wade into a fight in front of Ampang Hospital yesterday with 80 men allegedly using their motorcycle helmets as weapons in the scuffle.
According to The Star, police said that the group had ignored their orders to disperse in the incident which took place at 3.15am.
The report said video footage of the fight showed two men attempting a getaway on motorcycles while others tried to stop them. At the same time, another group was seen chasing two other motorcyclists and pulling them off their vehicles.
Ampang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Hamzah Alias told the daily that two men were arrested, one of whom had been wielding a parang.
According to the report, the case is being investigated under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958 for carrying weapons in public places.
Posted by wikisabah at 3:09:00 PM
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Amazing Technology Turns a Patio Into a Pool
Irwin Weiner ASID - Thanks to our lovely designer friend Bev Kahn in Sydney, Australia for sharing with us the story of Hidden Water Pools. This is an amazing patent pending technology that turns a high-and-dry circular patio surface into pools of different depths (up to 6 feet deep, half that depth, and a kiddies wading pool with as little as an inch of water). The patio surface lowers and water magically bubbles up to fill the gap and create the pool area. Families with small children, in particular, will appreciate the safety features this type of pool offers - no more dangerous pool water for children to play around when they're unattended in the yard ... just raise the pool floor and the water disappears and the patio surface is back in play. Quite ingenious. Visit the Hidden Water Pools website for more information ... and enjoy the following video demonstration.


text: Long Beach Hotel Reviews - Hear From Our Guests From the fresh foods and warm ambiance at at Connect Café to the free local shuttle, guests are raving about their experience at our hotel. We provide exceptional service, modern amenities, and an ideal location near shopping, dining and attractions. You'll enjoy a heated outdoor pool, fitness center, and free Wi-Fi during your stay. Want to know more? Check out these Long Beach downtown hotel reviews to discover for yourself what guests are saying. Write a review on the following channel: ReadRead Review of Holiday Inn Long Beach Downtown on Tripadvisor WriteWrite Review of Holiday Inn Long Beach Downtown on Tripadvisor


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Over the past few years quite a few local clubs have lost members to the commercial fisheries and it's been very hard for them to win them back onto natural venues.
Deeping St James AC are one such club and lack of support could well see drastic action being taken as already a match has had to be cancelled.
Yet, the club have tried so hard to attract new members.
They've improved parking facilities at Stibbington and have also transformed the Horseshoe Pool at Wansford into their jewel in their crown. It has been cleaned up and restocked and a huge fence has been erected right around the complex to keep the otters away.
And the club possess an impressive fixture list with a varied and comprehensive list of local fisheries on it.
In their latest fixture on the Elm Pool at Decoy, anglers fished for points in the first round of the Wade Cup Series.
The match also featured the final of their Knockout Trophy between Jon Bowland and Paul Dotchin and it was Dotchin who had a resounding win.
Drawn on peg 11 and fishing cat meat close in at full depth, he took some quality fish to weigh 119lb 10oz.
The win also gave him a good lead in the Wade Cup, which is won on aggregate weight over three rounds.
Second from peg eight was Pete Molesworth Junior with 91lb 9oz and third from peg 10 was Ray Torrington with 87lb 12oz.
At first glance, the latest Hotpoint result would suggest that Lou's Pool on the Decoy complex did not fish as well as it should do.
But the full picture tells a better tale as it was a sweetcorn only match. Basically you can't use or even bring with you any other bait but sweetcorn.
It's my least favourite bait yet it never ceases to amaze me the amount of fish I and indeed all the other lads in the club catch each year we run the event.
It's a good leveller too as in the eight years the match has been running no angler has managed to win it twice in a row.
And this season was no exception as Vincent Stapleton took the honours with 79lb 1oz on a feeder from peg six.
Pete Sanderson took the runner-up spot from peg one with 68lb 12oz and I scraped in third putting 63lb 8oz to the scales.
Peterborough Conservative Club were at Decoy Lakes on Saturday fishing an in-form Oak Pool.
Top rod with a fine 149lb 10oz net of quality carp taken close in with red maggot was John Newman on peg 30.
Runner-up was Pete Marshall, who also fished the margins but took his catch of 119lb 10oz on sweetcorn from peg 21.
Third fishing meat close in was Terry Tribe with 117lb.
It was far from easy on a windswept Cedar Pool and in driving rain for the JVAC lads.
Leading the way was the in-form Jim Regan. He caught 97lb on a maggot feeder from peg four.
Then came Roy Whincup with 95lb 12oz followed by Roger Gowler with 92lb 7oz.
The club champion this year was Andy Gausden. He was just ahead of Roger Gowler and Mike King and now holds the bragging rights for 12 months.
Webb's AC fished the Horseshoe Pool at Float Farm Fishery and it was young Harry Murphy out in front with an impressive 129lb 15oz, caught on the feeder and pole with pellet. Alan Forrest came second with 70lb followed by Mick Linnell with 62lb 3oz.
Cock Inn were also on the fishery trying the Kingfisher Pool for the first time.
There are plenty of bites to be had on this one which saw Steve Smith taking the top spot fishing the pole with pellet for 29lb 2oz.
Runner-up was Jim Williamson with a level 23lb followed by Mick Sidney on 19lb 12oz.


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By Dr. Becker
I ran across an article in a pet food industry journal recently that questioned whether fillers in pet food are unfairly maligned, not only by "informational websites" like this one, but also by pet food manufacturers who use phrases like "contains no fillers" to market their products.
The author of the article observes that the overriding message is that fillers are bad news and should be avoided. He then poses the question, "But, is this a legitimate warning or are we unwittingly being sensitized to select against a broad category of potentially beneficial ingredients?"
Defining Fillers in Processed Pet Food
For those of you unfamiliar with pet food industry-speak, "potentially beneficial ingredients" can be loosely defined as ingredients added to processed dog or cat food that are:
- Cost effective for the pet food producer
- Useful to the manufacturer in turning raw ingredients into processed pet diets
- Beneficial in stabilizing products for shipment and storage
- Not species-appropriate nutrition for pets
If the "potentially beneficial ingredient" also offers the manufacturer an opportunity to market the product to appeal to pet owners hoping to offer a healthy, high quality diet to their dog or cat, it's an added bonus. For example, pet food producers realize consumers have grown savvy about the need for protein in their carnivorous pet's diets. The only protein truly beneficial for cats and dogs is animal protein, but that doesn't stop pet food companies from adding ingredients like feather meal or soy protein concentrate to not only increase the protein percentage of the formula, but also give the product "high protein" bragging rights.
The article author goes on to say that what constitutes a "filler" is open to interpretation, because the term isn't a defined ingredient by any regulatory agency. But the fact is, it's not at all complicated to find the fillers in processed pet food.
Take a look at the ingredients in these two commercial dog foods. Which do you suppose contains more fillers?
Raw Dog Food, Sold Frozen 'Premium' Dry Dog Food Ingredients Ingredients Free-Range Meat = 69%
chicken meat including bone, chicken gizzards, chicken hearts and chicken livers
Organic Vegetables = 29.3%
carrots. squash, yams, zucchini, celery, romaine, parsley, apple cider vinegar
Special Nutrient Mix = 1.7%
kelp, sea salt, inulin, zinc, copper and iron amino acid chelates, vitamin E
Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), soy protein concentrate, soy flour, water, rice flour, pearled barley, sugar, tricalcium phosphate, propylene glycol, animal digest, dicalcium phosphate, salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried spinach, dried apples, dried sweet potatoes, choline chloride, calcium propionate (a preservative), added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Yellow 6), Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, DL-Methionine, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite
Another reason for the laundry list of ingredients in the dry food above is that in order to meet AAFCO nutritional standards, pet food manufacturers must add back in the vitamins and minerals that either aren't found in a limited ingredient list (raw food, above), aren't found in a long list of low quality ingredients (dry food, above), or are destroyed during the extreme processing that these pet foods undergo (dry food, above).
Fillers Can Be a Special Problem for Cats
Unlike dogs, who are scavenging carnivores that can survive (but not thrive) eating grain-filled diets, cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need animal meat to stay alive.
Let's do another ingredient comparison, this time looking at a raw cat food and a canned cat food marketed as containing "natural ingredients in perfect balance."
Raw Cat Food, Sold Frozen 'Premium' Canned Cat Food Ingredients Ingredients Free Range Chicken, Ground Chicken Bone, Chicken Hearts, Chicken Liver, Psyllium, Kelp, Salmon Oil, Catnip Turkey, Turkey Broth, Chicken Broth, Water, Pork Liver, Brown Rice, Carrots, Pork Plasma, Potato Starch, Rice Starch Modified, Spinach, Dried Egg Whites, Dextrose, Oat Fiber, Pea Protein, Pea Fiber, Chicken Liver Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Phosphate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisufite Complex (source of vitamin K3)), Taurine, Guar Gum, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Choline Chloride, Caramel (color), DL-Methionine, Beta-Carotene
Once again, it's a piece of cake to pick the formula loaded with fillers. As with the dog food examples, both cat foods meet AAFCO nutritional standards. But it's again notable just how many supplements the producer of the canned formula must add back in to meet those requirements.
Don't Be Fooled By Nonsensical Discussions of 'Good' vs. 'Bad' Pet Food Fillers
The bottom line is this: fillers in commercial pet food are there for the benefit of the manufacturers, not for the animals who will be fed their formulas. The other benefit of these formulas is that they are affordable for most pet owners.
Your job as the loving guardian of a dog or cat is to feed the highest quality diet you can reasonably afford, since what your pet eats directly contributes to how long he will live, and how healthy he will remain throughout his lifetime.
For more information and tips on how to choose the best food for your pet:


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Brexit debate, Sakharov Prize and visa suspension at the plenary – this week at the European Parliament
The MEPs travel to Strasbourg this week for a week of plenary debates and votes. The upcoming Council summit is high on the agenda. The award of the Sakharov Prize of Freedom of Thought will take place on Tuesday and other pressing business will be discussed during the busy week. The highlights are below.
Brexit and EU summit preparations. MEPs will air their views on the most pressing issues ahead of the EU Council summit taking place this Thursday. Brexit, migration, security and defence, the economy, jobs for young people, relations with Russia will be debated on Wednesday morning.
Sakharov Prize Award. Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, public advocates for the Yazidi community in Iraq and survivors of sexual enslavement by the so-called Islamic State, will receive the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in a ceremony on Tuesday at 11am UK time. A joint press conference of the laureates with Parliament's President Martin Schulz will take place immediately after the award ceremony at 11.30am UK time.
Visa suspension. New rules to allow visa requirements to be reimposed faster and more easily on third-country nationals will be put to a vote in plenary on Thursday. Under the new rules, visa requirements may be reintroduced if there is a substantial increase in irregular migration or unfounded asylum applications, lack of cooperation on readmission of migrants or threats to public or EU internal security. (Debate Wednesday, vote Thursday)
Watch live through webstreaming at


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|Periwinkle Brushes Aside a Rebel...
I have managed to get a fair amount of gaming in over the last few weeks, not that you'd know from the posts on this blog.
This is partly because every game I've played has been set during the 17th Century English Civil War - and it has been English - Royalists versus Parliamentarians in 1642, '43, '44 and 45 - with the exception of one game as the Royalists against an Allied Parliamentarian-Scots Covenanter Army, but that been the extent of the participation of the other kingdoms in the struggle.
We use DBR rules and play 300 point games in 15mm on a 4' x 3' table using pre-set terrain. This is a departure from DBR's recommended table size and 'Preparing for Battle' terrain placement and is an innovation thought up by Keith McNelly at The Wargames Room http://thewargamesroom.wordpress.com/ Keith is a regular opponent of mine and a gentleman to boot - the breadth and depth of his wargaming interest is vast and he is also a real
contributor to out hobby, developing scenarios, organising competitions, actively promoting rules systems and welcoming newcomers. This little tweak to DBR has been a revelation- no more fluffing around before getting stuck into what most wargamers really want to do: pushing toy soldiers around and rolling dice.
We're now getting an enjoyable game inside 2 1/2 hours, which makes for a relaxing evening even if it is mid week and we have to go to work in the morning.
I've enjoyed limited success in my games and made some spectacular unforced errors - marching a column of Royalist cavalry across the face of Scottish cannon and then letting the survivors get charged and destroyed by the Scots Lancers being by far the worst.
Another of my regular opponents, Chris, has just moved out of town and will be sorely missed. Our games over the last few years have been great fun and no one could predict who would win. Chris has a great sense of humour and never took playing too seriously, just seriously enough to make our scraps entertaining and absorbing. On the good side, now I have an excuse for a holiday in his new home town
Jeff has recently started playing DBR in earnest and acquitted himself well as General Harbottle Grimstone, commanding a detachment of the New Model as they routed Sir Lancelot Periwinkle's cavaliers in an action in the environs of Much Snogworthy - this was a little known engagement battle fought prior to the decisive encounter at Naesby the following month. Harbottle's Ironsides rode down the Royalist Horse on his left flank and his infantry held their nerve and their ground despite the right giving way to a combination of galloper guns and cavalier charges. Jeff is another true gent and our games have been a pleasure.
I've been sketching out a little narrative to accompany this 'War Without an Enemy' featuring Grimstone, Periwinkle and Sir Henry Dudhop and others. We've yet to involve the Irish or the Scots, but, as I have armies to represent them it's only a matter of time before the war in England spills over into the other kingdoms. Over the summer I may write this up in more detail.
No photos of the toys soldiers in the battles I'm afraid, but here's a couple of others to be going on with.
|New Model Pike Steeling Themselves For the Royalist Charge
Scots musketeers massacre my cavalry...


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Boo Glow in the Dark Graphic T-Shirt
Full of scares for Halloween
$20.00 $10.00
BOO! We hope we didn't scare you... Maybe these glow in the dark graphics will. The contrast raglan sleeves are comfortable and the cotton is supersoft — dig this t-shirt out this Halloween.
- Supersoft cotton
- Comfortable fit
- Glow in the dark graphics
Product code: 936741
Care Instructions
- 100% cotton
- Machine washable
Returns Information
Need to send something back? We now offer FREE returns!
Returns Policy
We really hope you like your purchase, but if you need to send anything back, just email firstname.lastname@example.com with your order number beginning USF and we'll send you a pre-paid returns label.
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Playing God - An Editorial
The act of creation and destruction is often something that gives a player (and a person) the greatest sense of achievement. However, most MMOs on the market today seem to be lacking in both of these departments, with gamers unable to do much more than quest and kill respawning mobs. But what does the future crop of MMOs look like? Find the answer in this editorial!
When I woke up the following morning and logged into my MMO flavor-of-the-week, I felt almost discouraged that there was absolutely nothing in the gaming world that I could graphically be a part of. With the gradual passing of Shadowbane into oblivion, there are only a scant number of virtual worlds that allow you to actually build something in their game space. And unless I've missed something from a recent MMO contender, there are no titles that allow you to take over a piece of the realm and call it your own.
Don't miss out! Get clicking to read more.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Miscellaneous Game Page.


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53,150pets' lives saved since becoming no-kill in January 2002
Hello! Woof! Meow! (not required to browse site)
EVENTS CALENDARView photos from recent Richmond SPCA events on Flickr.
Instructor: Alisha Fritz - Tricks are tons of fun and a great way to bond with your dog! In this 7 week Beginner through Advanced class we'll discuss concepts such as catching and shaping while covering fun activities like roll over, riding a skate board, wave, and more! Dogs and trainers of all levels are encouraged to attend. In this class you work at your pace and comfort level. All are welcome whether you've taken tricks before or this is your first try. The curriculum for this class is guided by the students and what tricks you would like to learn. Besides being an enjoyable activity, learning tricks can be a confidence builder for your dog and help them increase focus and body awareness. It also helps teach your dog to think and that it's great to try new things! Prerequisite: Canine Manners or another basic manners class is not required, but strongly recommended. Dogs should be familiar with skills such as sit, down, stay, and leave it. Dogs also need to be under control when in the presence of other dogs and people. Enrolled dogs must be up-to-date on vaccinations and at least 6 months old. Spaying or neutering strongly recommended. All classes will include dogs. Classes are held in Smoky's Training Center which is accessed from our 3rd parking lot.


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Renewing tenancy agreement and giving notice
I have a "normal" situation, but cannot find standard documentation for it on your site.
I have signed the standard RLA AST with my tenant, for a nine month lease that ends June 17. The tenant has contacted me and would like to stay 2 weeks beyond the existing end date, until July 1st, and I have agreed to this in principle.
I would like to formalise this agreement in some sort of document, such as a letter that serves the double purpose to give him formal notice of the end of the lease but which also extends the lease by two weeks to July 1st.
Do you have a standard text or document for this situation?
Best Regards,
Want to read more?
This is a members only forum, if you want to read more you need to login to your membership, if you are not a member, click here to join.


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Search for Homes
Sold for $167,000 on Apr 16, 2018
Beautiful popular Westross model with 2 BR/2 Bath plus den/library. Gorgeous tile floors throughout. Brick paver drive and walkway to a welcoming covered entry. Kitchen lined with wood cabinets, Corian counters and a gas range. Super extended brick paver patio with large bird cage - perfect for a jacuzzi! Enjoy exclusive membership to all OTOW and Candler Hills have to offer! BONUS: Walk-in all tile shower!
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352-817-3574 | email@example.com


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New Generation has different work/life views
Writes Veciana Suarez about the new grads: "Money, they're telling us, isn't always the best inducement. It's nice to have only if you have time to enjoy it. And security - well, quite frankly, they've seen none. This is a generation interested in options (and I don't necessarily mean the stock kind), flexibility and a life not consumed by work-work-work-and-little-else."
I think her conversation with one recent grad in a dentist office could pretty much be heard in many households in South Florida were new grads reside. Veciana-Suarez says armed with a degree in business, his particular grad says he is in the market for a job.
"Not any job, mind you, but the right job, one that would fit in with his social life, which means no weekend hours - the girlfriend lives on the other coast - and few, if any, long workdays. Something or other about pick-up basketball games with friends," Veciana-Suarez writes.
I have heard law partners complain about this attitude in their young associates. I have heard managers talk about this attitude in their new hires. It's not too hard to figure out. The new generation wants a life outside of work. And, they expect the workplace to accommodate them.


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According to a survey presented today by the Association of Sociologists and Demographists, SPRM candidate for president, Igor Dodon would get - 29% of votes in the presidential elections and Maia Sandu- 13% followed by 11% of Andrei Nastase, Marian Lupu - 10% and Iurie Leanca - 6,5%.
3% of respondents say they would vote against all, and 9% have not decided for whom to vote, other 7.7% say they will not go to elections.
At the same time, 30% of respondents could not specify the exact date of the presidential election.
The survey was conducted from September 2 to 10, on a sample of 1.178 people from 77 localities.
No reviews


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The building accommodates many of the organisations under the umbrella of Interchange Studios, providing offices, a library, function and meeting-room spaces, a performance hall seating 250 people, foyer spaces, and a café/bar for both visitors and occupants alike. The building is linked to a new extension by a glazed atrium art gallery space.
The new extension is occupied by the Weekend Arts College, providing music, dance and drama for young people, including those with disabilities. The College comprises two new rehearsal studios, music practice and recording studios, and affiliated storage, changing rooms and office spaces.
Twelve years later Interchange continues to thrive and has provided support to many people of all ages. Amongst those who have benefited from the venue include members of the street dance group, Diversity, winners of Britain's Got Talent in 2009, and Ms Dynamite who said "WAC was the foundation of the experience and expertise I needed to become the artist I am today".


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Well it already late November !
I only come to realize when I just bought two pieces of wide shawls at one time that I'd shopping a lot of hijabs last month (October).
I really suffer from financial lost and I hate that !
I name it my November HIJAB because I gonna wear it all in this month :)
Got so many unevitable debt around me. hihi
Just a few ringgit LOL . but done paying it back.
People also debting with me.
Well it is not an issue right now.
In this post , I would like to share some of the hijabs that I have bought last month. Yes because I feel a little bit free to review each of them.
I'm not only going to display the photos of the hijab , but I'll also include the link of the shop where I'd purchase them if you keen to know ;')
This is Hot Pink Plain Wideshawl and was only RM10 too. Actually I expected the pink is way a little bit more striking but it come out to be more soft,. But, It okay,I kinda love this color too.
Both from @Elscarves (instagram)
RM25 for one piece , but not regret buying it because it is a high quality pashmina . Would show you how it turn out when I wear it later.
Bought from My friend
Bawal saree murah @fromsa_ (instagram)
and yes ! I love this bawal saree ! Damn good color and the design is kinda rare. Notice the fish design on it ? what a coincidence because I wore this to Sunway Lagoon a few weeks ago! The blue indicates water , sea , theme park ,teheee
Why I say murah? Coz it was really cheap, RM20 only excludes postage.
I only purchased 6 hijabs for a month but I already thought I've bought so many. ;p
The other two were only plain black bawal and one more I can't remember it while writing this post.
Grey-ish skirt with knitted white jumper,
I kinda love it, because it looks simple but expressive , bold to add something up to your head.
Gonna go with this inspired outfit later , ! :D
Oh ya! that lacey flat shoe ! I'm dying to have it , found one at NOSE shop but it is too expensive to me. (RM69.90)
Gonna ask mom to buy it for me . hehehh


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If eating a restaurant-quality steak at home required cooking it in a plastic bag, would you do it?
Hold that thought.
In order to see if the sous vide-style Anova Precision Cooker was able to deliver a perfect medium-rare rib-eye, Tech Insider got one of the units and fired 'er up in conjunction with a steak done on the stovetop.
The cooker — which works by bringing water to a precise temperature and circulating it around a plastic-sealed piece of food to theoretically create a dish that's cooked evenly and full of juicy goodness — took about an hour longer than the traditional stovetop method, but apparently it was worth it (quote: "I'm never going back to stove top").
Image via Megan Willett/Tech Insider
While the Anova-cooked rib-eye was lacking a sear or char of any kind, the interior was pure pink, extremely tender and tasted sublime — good enough for the tester to declare a lifelong allegiance to sous-vide precision cookers.
"The biggest secret is that it's simple," says Anova cofounder Stephen Svajian. "The technique, while it sounds complicated, makes it incredibly easy to make restaurant-quality food."
Wanna give it a shot? The cookers are $199 and can be returned within 30 days, no questions asked.


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Jackson Mayanja: The Greatest Ugandan Footballer?
Mia Mia.
more from author >>
First published: May 9, 2007
It does not happen every day that a player is compared to either the great Pele or Maradona. When it comes to the international footballing, the time has come to accept that even Barcelona's 'teacher' Ronaldhino who was widely tipped to be the next Maradona is still far off that prediction. Likewise, when it comes to Ugandan football, it is very unusual that anyone is compared to the great Omondi, the greatest footballer Uganda has ever produced yet. To do so, one stands the risk of causing outrage in Uganda. However, I find the temptation not to compare Jackson Mayanja to Omondi all too irresistible.
Through out the 1990's, there was only one household name as far as Ugandan football was concerned - Jackson Mayanja. He is currently U-23 national team's and KCC FC's tactician. He was twice voted as footballer of the year in the best leagues on the black man's continent, (in Tunisia and Egypt where he played professionally) and was baptized 'Mia mia', Swahili for one hundred because of his ability to give a 100% whenever he played. He twice won the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) player of the year award, emerged top scorer twice in the Super League, won various accolades for his beloved KCC FC and Uganda's national team the Cranes. Mind you, ever since he retired from active football, KCC FC has been no where near the Super League title.
Not that he equaled Omondi's prowess but he is up there in the club of Ugandan football kings. Like Omondi, he played position 10 (what modern coaches prefer calling half 9) although at times he featured in the midfield and at other times as an out striker depending on the team strategy. Both players outscored tradional number 9s, dictating matters from the mid-field positions and made their fans forget that they were not strikers. Omondi was named in the all African team of 1978 and so was Mia Mia in 1996 after the African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Omondi is still ranked as the best dribbler Uganda has ever witnessed. He used to squeeze his way around defenders, sell dummies, change pace without warning and secured numerous goals after virtually dribbling his way through entire defence lines and Mia Mia was not too bad either. If there is any area where Mayanja beat Omondi, it should be the ability to pass the ball on, at just the right time. Classic passes were always attributed to him for a long time until Willy Kyambadde and his short reign on the national team came along. At the moment, only former SC Villa and now Iceland-based professional Augustine Nsumba comes close.Ā
Talk about winning games. That is perhaps the other area where Mayanja out-performed Omondi. While Omondi featured prominently nearer the18 yard box, Mayanja managed to cover more breath taking mileage on the pitch, making chisel runs through the midfield and dribbling, before finally initiating diagonal killer passes. Both players had professional stints in the Middle East and North Africa and were once untouchables at Lugogo for KCC.
Omondi was always excepted from the rules at Lugogo. He used to miss training sessions after drinking too much but always made the first eleven and put up incredible performances. Though Mayanja doesn't hasn't shown the same love for the bottle, he used to miss training and make excuses that were very similar to those that Omondi used to make. Very few realized the talent of 18 year old Mayanja at Lugogo alongside Omondi until Omondi quit the game in 1987 and inherited super star cult status at Lugogo.
There is always a time for every thing and the time for Mayanja to quit finally arrived but sadly, his only genuine potential successor Willy Kyambadde crippled his career. It's now up to 20 year-old Nsumba to remind us of how Mayanja and Omondi did their business.
Jackson Mayanja's Profile:
Born: 27th July1969
1987: Captain Kololo Senior Secondary School.
1988: Joined KCC and Uganda Cranes as well.
1989: Injured for most of the season.
1990: Back from injury, guides KCC to Kakungulu Cup.
1992: Joins paid ranks in Egypt to become Uganda's only second proper professional after Omondi.
1993- Voted best player in the Egyptian League.
1995: Joins African power house Esperance of Tunisia
1996: Returns to KCC and inspires the team to 2nd position in the Super League, scoring 17 goals.
1997: Voted Uganda's footballer of year.
1998: Inspires KCC to win the Super League title again.
2001: Hangs up his boots.
2002: Appointed URA SC head coach
2003: Guides URA to Super League victory.
2004: Crosses the border to Rwanda to coach Kiyovu Sportive.
2005: Returns to Lugogo to take over from Sam Simbwa as KCC's head coach to date.
2006: Appointed the Kobs' (Uganda's U-23 team) coach.
more from author >>
First published: May 9, 2007
Ramathan Kasozi is a member of Ultimate Media Consult (U) Ltd. . A graduate Journalist, Kasozi has more than 5 years experience reporting on sports in Uganda for different print and broadcast media houses.


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It's been nearly 3 months since we visited Ladakh and I still remember each detail so vividly, I think my heart is still all over the region. This post was long due but so many things were happening at our end, I had to stay away from the blog. I did not realize how and when 2017 came to an end and 2018 began. Majority of the winter season is over and I am still pondering, what all did I miss! The days are getting longer, and the mornings are so beautiful, again. I hope you all had a great …
Category: Leh Ladakh
Ladakh: Road Trip to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso
It has been a while since we hit the road, so we decided that we would head out on a road trip once we reach Leh. While the choice of road trips across Ladakh is ridiculously tempting and might pull you into choosing a couple of them, we carefully chose our destination- Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso. Majority of our luggage would stay tucked in our hotel room at Leh and we would fit our basic belongings into our backpacks and drive along the mysterious mountains for 2 days.
An Intense Love Affair: Leh Ladakh
Expect your mind to be blown away on your first trip to Ladakh and let it stay that way for as long as you can. It is a feeling you probably never felt before. Let the silence of the land and the abstractness of the sky numb your soul. Plan your first trip to Ladakh for as long as you can.


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Jamie Carragher is hoping his impressive return to the Liverpool starting XI against Norwich on Saturday will be rewarded with a regular run in the first team.
The 34-year-old made only his second Barclays Premier League start of the campaign in the 5-0 rout of the Canaries, turning in a typically imperious display at the heart of the Reds defence.
Now Carragher is eager to build on the performance and add to his tally of 22 appearances so far this term as Brendan Rodgers' side gear up for a run of three away fixtures at Oldham, Arsenal and Manchester City.
"It's been a difficult season for me in terms of starting games," said Carragher. "It was only my second start in the league this season which is disappointing from my point of view, but I said I wouldn't complain and I'm just trying to get more starts and be involved between now and the end of the season.
"I've played a lot in Europe, the FA Cup and League Cup, but the Premier League is the most important thing for the club and the players. We all want to play in that, and I'm no different.
"The manager has always kept me involved by having me on the bench or bringing me on in different situations. But listen, I want to start. I'm no different to any other player."
On the prospect of prolonging his Liverpool career and signing a new deal with the club, Carragher added: "It's up to the manager and the club to make a decision like that. It's down to them. I'm pleased I got a game at the weekend and I'll hope to get a few more games now."
"I'll chat to the manager at the end of the season. I'm open-minded and I'm sure the club are. But the club getting results is the most important thing. It's not about what I'm going to do, that's something we can sort out one way or another."
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Meet Doodlebug:
I used to be terrified of this little cutie. I first met DB when she was three days old and was instantly in love. DB is the daughter of my stepsister and the first of the next generation of my blended family. I knew from the moment we met that DB and I would be pals. I love kids and, at the time, I didn't think that I would ever have any of my own. This child was my chance to make a mark on a kids life. To be the type of adult that I wish I would have had around when I was a kid.
But, for most of her life, I've obsessed over the moment that I would out myself to her. DB's mom (my sister) seems to be accepting of my gayness and, though we've never talked about it, I think her dad is as well. They won't raise DB to hate people who are gay. However, I've wondered if my sister, accepting or not, was a little uncomfortable with how to handle my lifestyle. Hearing her call my partner my "friend" in mixed company made me wonder how these things would be explained to my niece.
I decided early on that I needed to take some control over how this information was imparted. After all, it wasn't a secret but it was my news. The best way was to begin subtly giving her facts about my gayness while she was young. The easiest way to do that was to be in a relationship and make sure she knew it so that she could naturally put my relationship into the same box as those of my brothers and her parents. Unfortunately, I was hopelessly single while she was toddling around and absorbing the basic social structures of our family.
There didn't seem to be any point to having an actual conversation about this with a preschooler. So, I waited, thinking that someday I would find a way to break the ice. Then came Caroline. I met my wonderful partner when DB was just about to turn four and soon she, too, was obsessed with how DB was going to take the news and whether we would offend her parents by making her aware that we are gay.
While we agonized, DB grew from toddlerhood into a little girl who had her own obsessions. She is fiercely devoted to all things princess (as befits her station) and very interested in how princesses act with princes. Shortly after I met Caroline, DB went to her second wedding, for the second of her uncles to get married in consecutive years. At the wedding, she told me that her mommy and daddy were getting married (a falsehood) and that mommies and daddies made babies. Would Uncle Matt and Aunt Julie have babies, too?
I knew that it was time to let this kid know that there were other types of families and that I was planning on having one of them. But how? When DB first met Caroline, she was too new to be introduced as Aunt Caroline and I was too nervous to do something so bold as to hold my girlfriend's hand in front of this child. But, I still didn't want to make a big deal of it by just explaining the situation outright.
We thought that the time had come in January 2013, when DB spent the weekend at our house for the first time. Caroline had just moved in and we spent a lot of time getting the spare room just right for DB's first visit. That night, she asked when Caroline was going to leave and we told DB that she lived in the house with me. She said, "oh," and went back to TV. No questions at all. Caroline and I looked at each other and then it seemed as if the moment passed. Mission failed.
We hugged once or twice in front of DB the next day and she did look at us and cock her head once but, again, no questions, no good opportunity to provide explanation. DB left to go back to her own home, three hours away, without any real progress on our part to provide a teachable moment. After that, we continued making sure that she got to say hi to Caroline during monthly calls so that she would perceive Caroline as an extension of me but made no attempt to take it any further via phone.
The next time we saw DB, Caroline and I were engaged. We didn't have any alone time with DB and, though we did sport our shiny new rings in front of her and her mother, no one in the family actually mentioned what they meant in front of her. Again, no questions, no real attempt to discuss. We had moved past pathetic and on to depressingly embarrassed. Why was it so hard? How could this child be so intimidating? She idolizes me and yet I was afraid that she'd…what? Think I'm strange? Who cares? She wasn't even five yet.
About a month later, I got to see DB again when we met our newest family member: my older brother's baby, Sweet Pea. I was distracting DB with pictures from my phone so that someone else could hold the baby without interference and DB noticed a picture of a big, beautiful house with a gorgeous yard. She asked what it was and I said, "that's where Caroline and I are getting married."
"You're getting married? To Caroline?" she said. When I answered yes, her next words were, "Can I come?"
Yeah. She's pretty scary.


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What If Fifty – A Triffic 'Ypothe'ical
In a week in which Harry Redknapp managed to wind down the car window of time, lean out and give two fingers to the gods of the EFL, the Team are back together to wheel their way through the deal that is the world of football.
Here at A Team of John O'Sheas, we sometimes tire of the rigid predictability of the football narratives. Jose Mourinho spoke some bollocks. Arsenal perked up at the end of the season. Spurs bottled it. Chelsea were destined to win the Premier League. Yadda yadda yadda.
In these times, we like to hide away in our happy format – What If – where we pose the most hypothetical of scenarios to try to pretend we don't live in the country with a league which boasts the biggest discrepancy between expenses and watchability in world football.
This week, in celebration of the man who looks like a Madame Tassaud's creation that has been left out in the sun for too long, we're stretching the limits of modality by asking the question: What If Harry Redknapp's parent's had never met?
The thinking person's football pundit has Organised Fun this week. He's pitting two of the most sonorous voices to have ever appeared on the podcast against each other: can bass Will Geeson counter tenor Harry Bradford this week? That's a choir joke.
All this and more beside on this week's episode of A Team of John O'Sheas.
If you have a question that you would like the team to answer or if you have any feedback about the podcasts, please don't hesitate to contact us.
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