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- Map curricula dynamically
- Gain actionable insights with visual analytics
Why We Are Different
The ClearAlignment platform is your engine for scaling educational programs for elearning delivery.
- Our team is here to assist professors build their elearning courses.
- Our approach ensures your program syllabus is in alignment with standards and competencies.
- Our methodology provides Quality Assurance for constant program updates and improvements.
- Our dashboard allows you to review courses on a term by term basis to see if they are meeting/matching program requirements.
Who We Serve
- Deans, Provosts, Department Chairs
- Curriculum & Accreditation Committees
- Faculty
The ClearAlignment solution is backed by instructional designers and professors who've actually been in your shoes
Our application is an automated course design tool, so faculty can easily convert face-to-face courses to online delivery without requiring our intervention.
But we are always here if you need extra guidance or advice.
Deans, Provosts, Department Chairs
Curriculum and Accreditation Committees
Curriculum and Accreditation Committees
Success Metrics
The ClearAlignment platform uses analytics in the Success Metrics dashboard providing you actionable insights while you are
Launching and maintaining quality
- Essential Stats: You'll know exactly what's going on at course, program and college levels.
- Ongoing Improvements: At a glance you'll know course performance and cost-benefit analyses.
- Cost Savings: You can view metrics such as efficiencies of scaling, and more.
Building brand strength with scalable digital education.
- Program Performance: In real-time, you can visually track your program goals.
When To Use ClearAlignment
- Deans, Provosts, Department Chairs
- Adding new elearning programing
- Converting a face-to-face course to elearning or blending learning
- Curriculum Committees
- Ensuring vertical and horizontal integration
- Reviewing and updating competencies
- Evaluating effective and relevant curricula
- Accreditation Committees
- Advising on assessment plans
- Ensuring that programs meet and exceed professional standards
- Faculty
- Converting face-to-face course to elearning or blending learning delivery
- Replacing content-centric instructional strategies with student-centric instructional strategies and activities
What People Say About Clear Alignment
"Thank you Jane Neapolitan for your support of having my course reviewed by Sara of ClearAlignment. I am currently revising the course for the Gold Review and I found the report from Sara extremely helpful. I wanted you to know that this was a great aid in my course revision."
"Despite my 10 years teaching management courses online, I found the ClearAlignment process most insightful in reframing my understanding of course design process and then aligning my intent, activities, and assessment so cohesively and simply. My thanks to the team and their efficiency, and genuine care in meeting my busy schedule and collaborative interests."
"We were looking for a partner who understood our organization, could analyze any given situation, and develop effective solutions to achieve the desired objectives. Were also looking for someone who knew how to orchestrate large and complex projects smoothly, possesses extraordinary creative design and multimedia skills, and had a deep understanding of technology. We found that with Dr. Sara Tarr."


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Kevin Bacon was wrong all along
Profile: Dan O'Connor
Well Frigyes Karinthy.
I have been working on an idea that was similar but I was thinking more of personal contact. How it would travel between sites, say if someone sneezed on you in LA, then you fly to Vancouver then sneeze on a few more people etc…


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Robyn Hitchcock - Robyn Hitchcock (Yep Roc)
Add Date: 04/04
Focus Tracks: 4, 1, 2, 10
FCC: Clean
Formats: College
Artist Info: Described by its creator as "an ecstatic work of negativity," ROBYN HITCHCOCK instantly stands among the most energized and ambitious recordings of the iconic troubadour's long career. Hitchcock's 21st studio recording and first-ever eponymous release, the album sees him casting familiar shapes into surprising new forms, the sci-fi fueled sounds and visions that first stimulated his work now ribboned with experience and hard-earned wisdom. Spanning dystopian, inspired folk baroque, even rambunctious liver-fried country, ROBYN HITCHCOCK marks both a masterful new chapter and ideal entry point into Hitchcock's wildly brilliant oeuvre.
"It's 'Introducing Robyn Hitchcock,'" he says. "Think of me as a new act – I'm only 63. People always ask me, where should I start listening to your records? I'm a train with many carriages. I thought, I'll just make this record and if people like this one, then they'll probably like the others. If they don't, it's not worth them listening to any of them, really."
Hitchcock's one-of-a-kind approach remains as exuberant, irreverent, and immensely moving as ever before, the verbal hijinks and fantastical imagery always in service of surprising emotional exploration and forward-thinking vision. ROBYN HITCHCOCK surely embraces Hitchcock's sonic past, but songs like the metamorphic first single, "I Want To Tell You About What I Want" are almost painfully of the moment, staring the future square in its orange marmalade face.
Robyn Hitchcock and ROBYN HITCHCOCK both have an undeniable pep to their step. Remarkably vital and positively vibey, the album's charged psych pop 'n' roll stands as not just a high-water mark for Hitchcock but two joyfully raised fingers towards the inevitable.
"It is quite perky for a man of my years," says he. "I've been making autumnal records since I was 30. Now I'm past the autumn of my life so I've decided to start making spring records. I can't be bothered to sound as ancient as I am.
"I am, I suppose, growing old. But I'm not growing up. The brush of maturity has not yet swept my fevered brow."


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Primary Energy Recycling Closes Facility With Scotiabank, Others
Primary Energy Recycling Corporation, a clean energy company that generates revenue from capturing and recycling recoverable heat and byproduct fuels from industrial processes, announced the closing of a US$110 million senior secured credit facility. Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets and RBC Capital Markets acted as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners on the new credit facility.
The proceeds of the new credit facility have been applied to fully retire the company's outstanding US$36.4 million term loan, and will be used to fund the previously announced purchase of Atlantic Power Corporation's common membership interests in Primary Energy Recycling Holdings LLC (PERH).
"The completion of this transaction facilitates the impending closure and funding of the Atlantic Power transaction, provides the company greater financial flexibility, and lowers our borrowing cost by approximately 180 basis points," said John Prunkl, president and CEO of Primary Energy Recycling. "This series of transactions will increase shareholder ownership and allow us to move forward as an independently managed company."
The new credit facility will include three tranches of debt:
The cost of borrowing (including up-front and original issue discount fees, and hedges) for the New Credit Facility is approximately 5.1% based on current LIBOR. Principal repayment is primarily achieved by periodic 50% cash flow sweeps plus modest quarterly amortization payments. The revolver will be undrawn at close.
The existing senior debt that will be retired is at LIBOR plus 450 basis points with a 200 basis point LIBOR floor, and has a borrowing cost (including original issue discount fees) of approximately 6.9% based on current LIBOR.
Primary Energy Recycling Corporation owns a majority interest in Primary Energy Recycling Holdings, which indirectly owns and operates four recycled energy projects and a 50% interest in a pulverized coal facility.


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Technical Design Architects
Our Technical Design Architects work in partnership with our customers to construct a shared development plan for any ITIL based capability. They use industry-standard Systems Engineering methodologies and tools which ensure that the technical designs fully meet the needs of the customer. Our architectures balance service quality, operation and system requirements which ensure cohesion of all application, platforms and systems in order to exploit synergies that deliver:


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An ongoing CSB probe into the February 2015 explosion has uncovered multiple process safety management deficiencies that led to the accident and a serious near-miss.
An ongoing investigation by the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) of the February 18, 2015, explosion at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California, has uncovered multiple process safety management deficiencies that led to the accident and a serious near miss, the board said on Wednesday.
CSB_news_conferenceAt ExxonMobil, two workers were injured when an explosion occurred in the refinery's electrostatic precipitator, or ESP, which is a piece equipment used to control air pollution. Due to a series of events that unfolded over several days, hydrocarbons accumulated inside the ESP, the board said. The result was a blast that dispersed large quantities of catalyst dust up to a mile away from the facility.
The CSB also found that large pieces of debris from the explosion were thrown into other units of the refinery directly surrounding the ESP. One of these pieces of debris hit scaffolding in the refinery's alkylation unit, narrowly missing a tank containing tens of thousands of pounds of modified hydrofluoric acid, or HF.
The CSB determined that had the debris struck the tank, a rupture could have been possible, resulting in a potentially catastrophic release of extremely toxic modified HF into the neighboring community.
"Hydrofluoric acid can pose a severe hazard to the population and environment if a release occurs," said CSB chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland. "After HF acid vaporizes it condenses into small droplets that form a dense low-lying cloud that will travel along the ground for several miles and can cause severe damage to the respiratory system, skin, and bones of those who are exposed, potentially resulting in death."
Torrance, California is a mixed-use city with industrial areas directly adjacent to residential communities. Within a three-mile radius of the ExxonMobil refinery are 333,000 residents, 71 schools, and eight hospitals. In an area as heavily populated as Torrance, a significant release of modified HF stored at ExxonMobil has the potential to cause serious injury or death to many community members, the CSB said.
"Had flying debris ruptured the tank of modified HF, this accident could have been far worse," Sutherland said. "We look forward to hearing the concerns from the community at our public meeting."
The CSB said that its investigators have faced a lack of cooperation from ExxonMobil to comply with their requests for information about the near-miss incident involving the alkylation unit and modified HF, even after repeated voluntary requests and subpoenas. To date, the CSB has no or incomplete responses to 49% of its subpoena requests.
"Despite these challenges, the team is making strides to complete their investigation, including analysis of the near miss incident," Sutherland said.
The sequence of events that eventually led to the explosion at the refinery began on February 12, 2015, when problems with a piece of equipment called an expander caused the refinery's fluid catalytic cracking, or FCC, unit to be put into a idled condition referred to as safe park.
With the FCC unit shut down, steam was forced into the reactor to prevent hydrocarbons from flowing back from the main distillation column. On the morning of the accident, this steam was escaping through an open flange on the expander, the CSB said, preventing operators from continuing their maintenance work. It had traveled through a leaking slide valve connected to the reactor.
An outside supervisor then reduced the amount of steam being forced into the reactor so that work could continue. However, at the time, workers were unaware that hydrocarbons were leaking into the main distillation column from interconnected equipment. As the pressure of the steam dropped, the hydrocarbons flowed back into the reactor, out through the leaking slide valve and eventually into the ESP, according to the board. There, the hydrocarbons found an ignition source – and exploded.
While the investigation into the explosion is ongoing, investigators say they have already identified multiple process safety management deficiencies that helped contribute to the accident.
In order to perform work to bring the FCC unit back online, ExxonMobil determined they needed to deviate from several existing procedures, the CSB said. This required a document called a variance, which is a written temporary deviation from normal operating procedures. The variance used was created in 2012 to address problems with the expander.
CSB investigators say they found that ExxonMobil did not conduct a management of change review before implementing this outdated variance, even though conditions within the FCC unit had changed over the previous three years. Read more
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Finds Multiple Safety Deficiencies Led to February 2015 Explosion and Serious Near Miss at the Exxon Mobil Refinery in Torrance, California
Read more


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Gary Gall
Gary Gall Pottery
Gary's mission and passion is working with clay. He is always in for a surprise when he opens the kiln where Pele, the fire goddess, has been performing her magic, complimented by the air and moisture that is brought their way on that particular day.
In addition to creating art pottery, Gary also does many home improvement projects for clients such as fireplace fronts, complete bathrooms with tiled walls, tubs, basins, pillars decorated with sea life, flowers, sunsets; whatever the customer wants. Gary also enjoys teaching pottery classes in school settings and at his home studio.
Currently, Gary spends most of his days as a production potter making traditional utilitarian objects and taking his turn greeting customers from all over the world at Amphora Gallery.


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Thomas M. Cooper
Mr. Cooper is a senior associate responsible for a diverse caseload of complex litigation in the areas of medical malpractice, worker's compensation, general liability, insurance law, as well as novel litigation issues and appellate practice. Mr. Cooper originally joined the firm in April 1998. Mr. Cooper earned his undergraduate degree from Long Island University, Southampton Campus (summa cum laude) and a juris doctorate from Hofstra University School of Law, earning the Citation of Excellence in the subject of Evidence.
New York, 1986
USDC, Eastern District of New York


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- Home
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Sertão Travel Guide
The sertão, where rain is scarce and irregular, average temperatures are high, and the vegetation (called caatinga) is adapted to such tough conditions. Roughly speaking, the sertão is the area to the west of Arcoverde; Serra Talhada, Cabrobó and Salgueiro are important cities of the sertão. Petrolina, although also in the semi-arid zone, has benefited from the irrigation of the river São Francisco, and has become an important center of irrigated agriculture.
Serra Talhada ("cut mountain range") takes its name from the large mountain range that rises in the north and ends abruptly in one clean cut (talho) of rock face.
Approximately 430 kilometers (267 miles) west of Recife via the BR-232 highway, Serra Talhada is the birthplace of Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, the legendary cangaceiro Lampião.
The city's main attraction is the small farm where the bandit was born in 1898. Serra Talhada is also known as the capital of xaxado, a rhythmic dance spread (but not invented) by Virgulino. On weekends the many xaxado groups rehearse throughout the city.
Detailed Map of the State of Pernambuco
The small farm where the beloved bandit Lampião was born is 45 kilometers (28 miles) outside of town.
It became a museum in 2001 and features photographs, weapons, and possessions of the "cangaceiros' king".
Getting there is an adventure, requiring travel along a hilly, poorly signed road full of stones, goats, cows, and flocks of hawks. Call in advance to ensure that the museum is open. Casa de Lampião - an informal organization set up by Anildomá Willians de Souza, an expert on Virgulino - often has guides available to accompany tourists to the museum. 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Fazenda São Miguel.
6 kilometers (4 miles) are on dirt roads. Estrada Virgulino Ferreira da Silva.
The triangle, zabumba drum, accordion, and tambourine accompany Lampião's favored dance. It's performed during June festivities and religious presentations and at the hour-long rehearsals held by xaxado groups on Saturday afternoons.
The Cabras de Lampião and Maria Bonita groups rehearse at the Escola Estadual Methódio de Godoy Lima school (São Cristovão).
The oldest of the groups, Manuel Martins, can be seen at the Faculdade de Formaҫão de Professores de Serra Talhada college (Centro), while Cangaceiros da Vila Bela rehearse at Colégio Antonio Timóteo school (Bom Jesus). Information on the groups and their rehearsals is available at the Fundaҫão Casa de Cultura de Sena Talhada (Centro).
The Mercado Municipal serves breakfast from 7am to 10am at communal counters scattered around the market. The one with the most customers tends to offer the best breakfast.
A few years of 1920s economic boom earned this town, 450 kilometers (280 miles) northwest of Recife, the nickname"Princess of the Sertão".
Triunfo's sugarcane and coffee elite soon went bankrupt together, but not before leaving their mark architecturally.
The old houses with well-preserved faҫades near the neo-Gothic church Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora das Dores and around the lovely Aҫude Borborema reservoir in the town center are one attraction.
The Teatro Guarany embodies the glory days of the 1920s and the Museu do Cangaҫo has an interesting collection of weapons and other possessions from the days when cangaceiros (bandits) controlled the Northeast. The highest point in Pernambuco - Pico do Papagaio – is within Triunfo's limits. Sugar mills such as São Pedro, which produces rapadura (brown sugar tablets) year-round, are plentiful on the road to Cachoeira do Pinga waterfall. To get to Triunfo from Recife, take the BR-232 highway west to Serra Talhada; from there, head north on the PE-365 state highway for 31 kilometers (19 miles).
Founded in 1971 , this Museum collects weapons, clothes, photographs, and possessions of f:lmous cangaceiros (bandits) - from Coristo's knife to Lampião's old accordion and 1916 tray. The building also houses the Museu da Cidade (City Museum), featuring everyday objects from houses in Triunfo, and the Muse u de Arte Sacra (Sacred Art Museum).
The Sacred Art Museum exhibits the intriguing roda aos enjeitados (foundling wheel), where mothers placed their unwanted babies to be raised in convents and monasteries (Praҫa Monsenhor Eliseu).
Brothers and tradesmen Manuel and Carolino Siqueira Campos were inspired to build a large theater in Triunfo. Opened in 1922, the Teatro Guarany found its glory days short lived. It felt into disuse that same decade, a result of Triunfo's political and economic decline.
After several interior remodelings, the theater was repurposed as a bar, but it has since been restored to its original function.
Teatro Guarany opens for shows on special dates, seating up to 180 people, though visits are possible all year. Praҫa Carolino Campos, Centro.
At an altitude of 1,260 meters (4,130 feet), Pico do Papagaio is the highest point in Pernambuco.
Reaching the top involves an hour's drive over 9 kilometers (6 miles) of rough, rocky road, but the panoramas from the top are reward enough for the long ride.
Petrolina, on the right bank of the São Francisco River in Pernambuco, connects to Juazeiro, Bahia, by bridge.
Ferry boats also cross between the two cities: The city embodies diversity and fusion , an identity embedded in its very name. "Petrolina" is a combination of "Pedro" (from Dom Pedro I) and "Leopoldina" (from Maria Leopoldina of Hapsburg, archduchess of Austria and empress of Brazil).
The place used to be known as "Passagem de Joazeiro" (Joazeiro Walkway), a route for northeasterns heading towards the south of Brazil.
Diversity exists not just in the city's name, but in its music - a rhythmic mix of forró, pagode, axé, rock, and maracatu.
Planted in the middle of the sertão, 767 kilometers (477 miles) southwest of Recife, the city has defied drought to become Brazil's major fruit and flower exporter. It has also begun to perfect its production of wines, including Port, becoming the second major center in the country and the only one on northeastern soil. About five million boxes of grapes and twelve million boxes of mangos are sold annually to Europe and Japan.
Petrolina's highlights include the Espaҫo Cultural Ana das Carrancas, with its expressive figures, the Museu do Sertão, and the Bodódromo, a collection of restaurants which serve not goat (bode) as one might expect, but mutton.
Heading west on the BR-232 highway from Recife will bring you to Petrolina, but passes an area with a high incidence of robberies. The stretch near Salgueiro is especially risky. A safer route approaches Petrolina from the south, via Juazeiro, Bahia.
Petrolina airport greets regular flights from Recife and São Paulo.
PETROLlNA CATHEDRAL
Community contributions helped build the neo-Gothic Catedral de Petrolina, which was finished in 1929 after four years of construction. The building's stones come from the banks of the São Francisco and the stained glass from Grenoble, France.
The clock is a donation from Padre Cícero Romão Batista, a priest and politician from Ceará, recognized as a saint by northeasterners (Praҫa Dom Malan, Centro).
BODÓDROMO GASTRONOMlC COMPLEX
In September 2000, City Hall donated land for a gastronomic complex specializing in goat meat. The complex opened with ten restaurants; now there are eight, none of which serve bode (goat). They've all switched to mutton for reasons of supply: sheep reproduce twice a year and can have up to four lambs while goats produce just one kid in the same period. Mutton is also more tender and has a milder smell than goat. The complex also includes a stage featuring musical shows, kiosks, and snack bars. Avenida São Francisco, Areia Branca.
The phenomenon of São Francisco Valley wine production - the sun, northeastern soil, and river water allow the rare occurrence of biannual grape harvests - has already attracted the attention of European wine specialists. Unlike wines from the south of Brazil, this region's wines are young and produced in aluminum kegs rather than traditional wooden casks. Vinicola Garziera, built in 2003, is a tourist-friendly winery. Fazenda Garibaldi, municipality of Lagoa Grande, 72 kilometers (45 miles) from Petrolina, towards Vermelhos.
Sertão in Pernambuco travel guide and tourism information such as accommodation, festivals, transport, maps, activities and attractions in Pernambuco, Brazil - Brazil Travel Guide


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#GoodRead & Watch | Kids Need to See Women on Currency, Here's Why and What You Can Do
"Kids Need to See Women on Currency, Here's Why and What You Can Do":
Money designed in 1929 doesn't meet the needs of today's pluralistic society.
Women on 20s, or W20, organized and launched this month by Barbara Ortiz Howard and Susan Ades Stone, is making a fantastic effort to change this. The organization plans to petition the White House to change the face of the $20 bill by 2020, the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment. The Treasury Secretary and the President, without an act of Congress, have the ability to do this.


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JAM Fund has a new national champion.
Just one month after joining the JAM Fund elite team, Rhys May won the Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships in the women's 19-29 category on Saturday. The 60-mile race in Columbia County, Georgia was even more of a challenge due to the 95-degree heat and sweltering humidity. May won the race in 6:06:29, beating the second place rider by sixteen minutes.
"It was a hot day so pacing was all-important, and dialing back after a hard start worked out well," May said. "I moved into first after about four hours of racing, and kept it together for another two hours to pull off the win in my category. It definitely didn't feel real until I had the jersey on, and I'm celebrating with an epic burrito."
Immediately after the race, May posted the following message on her Instagram:
"I destroyed myself racing some very badass ladies today, and I get to go home with this stripey shirt and I can't stop smiling."
May competed against defending 19-29 champion Elizabeth Lee, one of her longtime friends, who ended up in third place.
"I got to line up with my cyclocross friend of several years Elizabeth Lee, the defending 19-29 champ!" May said. "She's been racing with me since I was off the back of the cat 4 CX races."


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Mom, blogger, wannabe extrovert and wife to a mad scientist wannabe hippy. It's our life.
Another Day
9 comments
Hang in there!! {{Big Hug}}ReplyDelete
How about a book to read?
James Patterson does pretty short chapters. Which might make it a little easier to follow.
I can always bring you something over to read if you want since I'm here in town working. give me a shout.
There are no words I can give you to comfort you. I know from walking the fimiliar path you are on it is so very hard and heart wrenching. Don't keep it pent up inside. Whatever you need to say or feel let it out.ReplyDelete
You're still her Momma.
With the Lord nothing is impossible!
I'm still praying and will continue.
I am thinking of you and your family. ::hugs::ReplyDelete
I am praying for you and your little girl. Whatever happens, you are a good mom to your daughter.ReplyDelete
I wish I could say something to comfort you at the moment. I am really sorry this is happening to you and it is totally normal to ask why. It's not fair, I don't get it either. Keep thinking positive thoughts, pray and let God guide you through this one step at a time. I am praying so hard for you. GOd bless you!ReplyDelete
It's not fair, you're totally right. I'm just hoping that you keep trucking along *boringly* until at least Sunday. You are carrying a girl, and girls ARE stronger this early, so I'm hoping, and wishing, and praying...It is a bonus that the NICU know that you're in the wings and will be prepped and ready to give it their all when the time comes (but hopefully later rather than sooner).ReplyDelete
As for the perfectly normal kids of addicts etc? It'll do your head in if you ask why because there is no rational answer.
Keep cookin mama >:D<
Healing thoughts and well wishes.ReplyDelete
Hello, your cousin (I think?) Leslie gave me your information. My daughter was born early when I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome in August 2005. I actually gained 35 lbs in two days (I'm only 5'1"!). It was crazy, seizure mats, tons of mag sulfate, puffy toes, and face...the whole thing. Even now I'll be at Target and nurses will recognize me....ReplyDelete
The pre-term labor room that I was in overlooked into a hallway w/ those odd glass blocks. I didn't see the sun for 8 days and with the mag and headache it really seemed like I was taking some *interesting* drugs. :)
All this to say that I am praying for you continuously and for you, Shannon, and Josie's strength. I'm pretty familiar with the whole pre-clampsia battle so if you want to whine I'm available...it sometimes helps just to vent to someone who actually has been extra-puffy too.
Hang in there...
Kerry and Shannon,ReplyDelete
Maria has been good to let me know you need prayers...yes plural.
I have noticed in the Old Testament that those people cried out, shook their fist, yelled at God. You know what? God wants us too. His shoulders are big enough to bear it and his hands to cradle us. I hope that gives you some peace that you aren't "ticking Him off."
Debbie Starr has a blog. debbiestarr.com, that you may want to check out. She lost her husband December 24. But many of the things she writes fit all of us. They are not long pieces and might help pass the time.
I do not have any answers, nor will anyone which is so hard. We want to have answers to help. Wish we could take away your pain and grief...
© the m house. Design by Albemarle PR


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I don't have a good photo to illustrate this point, but if you or your child are hypermobile, you know exactly what I am talking about. It can be any part of the body; shoulders that allow an arm to fold under the body and the child lies on top of the arm, crawling on the backs of the hands instead of the palms, standing on the sides of the feet, not the soles.
The mom of a child I currently treat told me that this topic is frequently appearing on her online parent's group. Mostly innocent questions of "Does your child do this too?" and responses like "At least she is finally moving on her own" When I met her child, she was rolling her head backward to such a degree that it was clearly a risk to her cervical (neck) spine. We gradually decreased, and have almost eliminated, this behavior. This child is now using it to get attention when she is frustrated, not to explore movement or propel herself around the room.
Because of their extreme flexibility and the additional gradual stretching effects of these positions, most children will not register or report pain in these positions. Those of us with typical levels of flexibility can't quite imagine that they aren't in pain. Unfortunately, because of their decreased proprioception Hypermobility and Proprioception: Why Loose Joints Create Sensory Processing Problems for Children and decreased sense of stability, many hypermobile kids will intentionally get into these awkward postures as they seek more sensory input. It can actually feel good to them to feel something!
The fact that your child isn't in pain at the moment doesn't mean that there isn't damage occurring as you watch them contort their bodies, but the underlying inflammation and injury may only be perceived later, and sometimes not for years. Possibly not until tissue is seriously damaged, or a joint structure is injured. Nobody wants that to happen. Read Safety Awareness With Your Hypermobile Child? Its Not a Big Thing, Its the Biggest Thing. If you think that there is a chance that your child is more than just loose-limbed, ask your therapist to read Could Your Pediatric Therapy Patient Have a Heritable Disorder of Connective Tissue? and get their opinion on whether to pursue more evaluations. Some causes of hypermobility have effects on other parts of the body. An informed parent is the best defense.
Here is what you can do about all those awkward postures:
- Discuss this behavior with your OT or PT, or with both of them. If they haven't seen a particular behavior, take a photo or video on your phone.
- Your professional team should be able to explain the risks, and help you come up with a plan. For the child I mentioned above, we placed her on a cushion in a position where she could not initiate this extreme cervical hyperextension. Then we used Dr. Harvey Karp's "kind ignoring" strategy. We turned away from her for a few seconds, and as soon as she stopped fussing, we offered a smile and a fun activity. After a few tries, she got the message and the fussing was only seconds. And it happens very infrequently now, not multiple times per day.
- Inform everyone that cares for your child about your plan to respond to these behaviors, to ensure consistency. Even nonverbal children learn routines and read body language. Just one adult who ignores the behavior will make getting rid of a behavior much, much harder.
- Find out as much as you can about safe positioning and movement. Your therapists are experts in this area. Their ideas may not be complicated, and they will have practical suggestions for you. I will admit that not all therapists will approach you on this subject. You may have to initiate this discussion and request their help. There are posts on this blog that could help you start a conversation. Read Three Ways To Reduce W-Sitting (And Why It Matters) and Kids With Low Muscle Tone: The Hidden Problems With Strollers and How To Reposition Your Child's Legs When They "W-Sit". Educate yourself so that you know how to respond when your child develops a new movement pattern that creates a new risk. Kids are creative, but proactive parents can respond effectively!!


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Fostering Futures has collected these referrals from families, colleagues and other resources in the community. However Fostering Futures has not necessarily utilized each of these services directly, and therefore Fostering Futures cannot guarantee the quality of services you will receive. We welcome feedback as it will help us create a strong, high-quality referral base.
Adoptive Family Support Network
AFSN provides support, education, information and referral to adoptive parents. AFSN supports all kinds of families and all types of adoptions through:
Statewide Parent to Parent Program
Adoption Support Groups
Adoptive Parent Seminars / Training / Workshops
Adoptive Family Fun Events
Fostering Forward
A coalition of Michigan foster families and families who have adopted out of foster care, working together to promote better service and better outcomes for the children in our care. Also has a "toolbox" of resources for foster/adoptive families, which you can find here: http://www.fosteringforwardmi.org/foster-parent-toolbox.html
HELPING tRAUMATIZED CHILDREN LEARN
Creating and Advocating for Trauma-sensitive Schools
Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange
MARE is a statewide information and referral service for families interested in adopting children from foster care, and for adoption workers looking for homes for these children. The MARE website provides a listing of waiting children in Michigan and of Michigan families interested in adopting children with special needs.
The Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange is a program of Judson Center and is funded by The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Michigan Alliance for Families
Advocacy, Education and resources for Special Education
Contact: Kristen Columbus, (734) 662-1256 ext 203, email@example.com
Keywords: IEP, IFSP, Special Education, Disability, Accommodation, IDEA, Section 504, NCLB, ADA, MARSE, PLAAF, ADD, ADHD, Autism, ASD, Down Syndrome, FASD, Fetal Alcohol
Michigan Education Trust
College scholarship assistance to youth who have experienced foster care
Contact: Student Scholarships and Grants, 1-888-4-GRANTS (888-447-2687), firstname.lastname@example.com
Keywords: scholarship, financial aid, college
IMPORTANT NOTE: The "Fostering Futures Scholarship" (or FFS) is an MET program, and has no affiliation with "Fostering Futures," the foster care and adoption Agency.
Providing support and advocacy to Muslim children in foster care, including support groups, welcome packages to youth in care, Ramadan and Eid packages to youth in care, and education to the community.
Keywords: Muslim, Islam, Ramadan, Eid
Student Advocacy Center
Advocacy and support / Helping kids stay in school
Contact: Email email@example.com or visit their website for address and phone number information for each office (Washtenaw, Jackson and Wayne counties).
Keywords: expulsion, expelled, discipline, truancy, public education, intervention, student rights, advocacy
Michigan Colleges and Universities
Several Michigan colleges and universities offer programs to provide extra support to students who have experienced foster care. Eligibility for each program may vary; services may include one-on-one coaching and/or connection with resources in areas such as:
Housing Assistance • Employment Assistance • Academic Advising & Monitoring • Guidance in navigating admissions, transitions, transfers, etc. • Budgeting/Financial management • Counseling & Support • Career Planning • Accessing campus & community resources • Financial Aid • Connections to social and recreational activities • Mentoring • Life Skills Labs & Workshops
Eastern Michigan University
MAGIC Program, Joi rencher, email@example.com
Grand Valley State University
Fostering Laker Success, Jessica Campbell, 616-331-2748, email@example.com, www.gvsu.edu/cwge/fosteringlakersuccess
Michigan State University
FAME program, https://socialwork.msu.edu/Programs/Community-Outreach/FAME
University of Michigan
Blavins Scholars Program, Emily Hurtado-Arboleda
Washtenaw Community College
REACH Program, Kathy Stewart LMSW, (734) 973-3572
Wayne State University
Transition to Independence Program (TIP)
313-577-0433 (office), firstname.lastname@example.com (email), www.tipwaynestate.org (website)


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Christmas Baubles, Bells and Bows Cutter Set
This great cutter set from Marion Frost at Patchwork Cutters is a versatile set of cutters for all sorts of traditional and modern Christmas Cake designs.
Each cutter can be used individually and this makes it particularly useful not just at Xmas but throughout the year when the bow can be added to floral arrangement, presents etc and the bells could be used for wedding and anniversary motifs. The bell cutter measures approximately 7cm x 6cm.
How to Use the Baubles bells & Bows Cutters
As with all Patchwork cutters this is very versatile and can be used in many different ways. Emboss directly onto the cake and then paint or cut out either as one piece or by applying a little more pressure to the cutter you can cut out in several sections allowing you to build up a 3d motif. If you cut out the motifs and leave to dry they can be used as free-standing decoration.
The recommended paste to use is Mexican paste which you can make yourself or can buy either as a ready to mix powder or as ready to use paste.


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Helicopters / Gimbals / Safety
We have a fleet of RC helicopters (Including the Freefly ALTA 8 and ALTA 6) and gimbals (including MoVi Pro, M15, M10, M5, etc.) to achieve the vision of your production. Each heli is purpose built, and operate with the latest in camera stabilization systems to produce the cleanest footage in the industry. Our aircraft and handheld gimbals are meticulously maintained in-house to assure reliability and safety. Every platform is capable of carrying Alexa Mini, RED, Sony FS700, C500 (C100, C300), DSLRs and like sized cameras.
With a rapidly expanding industry, on set crashes by inexperienced pilots or improperly maintained aircraft have become more frequent. Safety is our upmost concern, and where two decades of experience sets our operation apart from the masses.


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Archive for May, 2010
Goodbye to all that: The LOST finale
Posted on May 25th, 2010 by annakjarzab
Okay, before last night I'd watched approximately one and a half hours of Lost in total in my life: half the pilot, and an episode maybe a month and a half ago I remember precisely none of. So, obviously, I was the target audience for last night's finale. Just kidding! Nobody expects punks like me to watch this stuff. OR DO THEY? Because they did air that two hour long recap which I totally watched and made the finale a piece of cake to understand. Seriously. I know it's the journey and not the destination, you guys, but I felt entirely unconfused by the Lost finale, and I know that some of this is because I don't have any questions they didn't answer because I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PERIOD, still, you'd think that I'd be like, "Whuh?" a couple of times. But the story is actually very simple, so simple that I was kind of sad for everyone who spent six years obsessing over this show. The secret of the island is that there's a secret plug that…something? And if you remove it, then…something? And Desmond has to remove it because…some reason? And Jack is the protector of the island because…some other reason? I mean, there just was not a lot of compelling stuff in the island-centric portion of this finale.
And don't tell me the plug keeps the Evil at bay–the world is full of evil, duh. That plug in the island isn't really preventing any murders. And considering that the guy who plays Jacob (the good guy, I guess?) is the guy who plays Lucifer on Supernatural, I'm not really inclined to believe anything he says, anyway. Also, the Man in Black's name is Esau. Duh, it has to be. They're not really reinventing the wheel on this one, you guys. So I found all the island shenanigans (I mean, I know duct tape is strong, but can you really repair a commercial airplane with it?) kind of dumb. I know I have no place saying that considering I don't watch the show, but it didn't feel very grand or epic to me. Except the very end, with Jack stumbling through the bamboo and finally laying down to die with the dog at his side. I did tear up, I admit.
I did, however, love the revelation of what the flashes sideways were all about. My one question (merely a clarification request) to my friends while we were watching was did the nuclear explosion (now that I've had a few hours away from it, I don't remember WHICH nuclear explosion, maybe the one that killed Juliet?) cause the separation of the dimensions, to which they replied, "Yes." Which they were obviously wrong about because the sideways world in which the plane did not crash is in fact just a metaphysical 'tween place where the souls of the dearly departed Losties are working through accepting what they've been through and their deaths in order to move on as a group because they're the most important people in each other's lives (spoiler, I guess). That was a nice bit of symmetry. It made perfect sense to me, and it allowed die-hard Lost fans to get to see their beloved characters happy after all that they've been through. That's some deft narrative maneuvering that I really loved, and I kind of cried a little. Anyway, I was wholly satisfied by the finale, not that you care. You're welcome for these very relevant thoughtsicles re: Lost. What would you have done without them?
Also, this Lost cake is pretty FTW.
- Filed under: Friends, television
- Tagged: cakes, Lost, television, thoughtsicles
- 0 Comments »
With love and rhino cakes
Posted on May 21st, 2010 by annakjarzab
What follows will be a boring post about my boring life. Also, I suspect that while I find this incredibly funny, it's one of those stories that you had to be there for. You can tell me in the comments, I guess.
So, as some of you know (because you're my friends in real life! Very few other people read this blog), I am a legal adult and therefore am allowed and choose to imbibe the occasional alcoholic beverage. There are many, many places to do this in New York City, but I prefer one bar in particular in the East Village, because…well, they have weekly trivia, and we do it every week, and since it's been like two and a half years since we started going we now know all the bartenders, who are cute Irishmen and give us the occasional buy back UNLESS YOU'RE COLIN READING THIS IN WHICH CASE NO THEY DO NOT WE PAY FOR EVERY ONE! Just kidding, Colin doesn't know how to use the Internet.
Anyway, some time ago the only non-Irish bartender, Jeff, got a degree and went off looking for a 9-5. So of course the boys hired a new bartender, a sweet young lad from Dublin named Dave. Except, the bar already had a bartender named Dave, so we called them Old Dave and New Dave. Old Dave is a delight in his own way, sort of grumpy but I believe he's grown used to our faces in the last few years and tolerates us admirably. New Dave, however, is just the loveliest puppy-type person you've ever met in your whole existence. He's got a cherubic face and a wide smile, and when you walk into the bar he looks up, grins at you, waves and says, "Helloooo luv, nice ta see ya!" EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And then we shout, "NEW DAVE!" by way of greeting. I've never seen the man in a bad mood or upset, and he's very charming, but not unsettlingly so. Sincerely so.
So the other day, we went into the bar and Old Dave was working, and Colin, the manager, was behind the bar. I remember being thrown by that, because I almost always go on Wednesdays and Colin doesn't work Wednesdays, but it was Saturday, so that was my first mistake. I ordered a beverage from Old Dave and asked, "So where's New Dave?"
"Fired," he said.
"WHUUUUUUUUT?" I cried.
"We had to fire him," Old Dave said. "He was stealing."
"Money?" I asked in a daze. I mean, New Dave? A THIEF? Impossible!
"No," Old Dave said. "Rhino cakes."
Okay, so what are rhino cakes? But Old Dave has a pretty thick accent (we like to rank the bartenders by how difficult their accent is to understand; 1, being the easiest, is Brendan, and Old Dave is at 4 with the hardest). Later, Brendan came in and I grabbed him by the shoulder with my Talons of Rage and asked, "DID NEW DAVE SERIOUSLY GET FIRED?"
"Oh," he said, nonchalant and disinterested. "Yeah."
"He was stealing urinal cakes."
OH, URINAL CAKES. At least that's a real thing. Although my roommate did say, when I told her this story, "Rhino cakes makes more sense to me than urinal cakes. What's a urinal cake?" So…
Anyway, they told us that he would steal boxes of the urinal cakes and then sell them to other bars. And we were like, what? That's a thing? But they assured us that it was, and that New Dave wasn't coming back. We drowned our sorrows in cheap beer that night, and then a few nights later we were eating dinner and trying to come up with ways to figure out how to get New Dave re-hired. WE LOVE HIM THAT MUCH, Y'ALL. We wished we had his phone number so that we could find out where he was working now and make that our bar instead. We contemplated buying a box of urinal cakes, dumping it all over the bar and saying, "HERE'S YOUR STINKING URINAL CAKES! We want New Dave back!" We thought about paying for our tabs in urinal cakes. We thought about bringing them upstairs to the owner's apartment and demanding that he allow New Dave to come back. Meanwhile, we were cracking up hysterically, but we were half-serious.
Then I forgot all about it, honestly. It's been a busy few weeks.
But guess what, you guys? Those assholes were just messing with us. New Dave didn't get fired, OF COURSE. He had the night off! Like a normal human being! WTF were we doing believing that idiotic story? Although, I will say that Brendan is the MASTER–I don't know if Old Dave warned him before that he was telling us this, but when I said, "Is it true New Dave got fired?" he completely verified the story without hesitation. That's pretty impressive.
I'm not even mad, because you know what? I'm just happy to have my New Dave back.
- Filed under: writing
- Tagged: Anna's boring life, New York City
- 3 Comments »
Ten Rules
Posted on May 17th, 2010 by annakjarzab
If you're a Wheaton Warrenville South student looking for my 10 rules for writing, you can find them here. Even if you're not a Wheaton Warrenville South student, you can still find them there. Democracy! or whatever.
Here's a cute picture of a beagle:
- Filed under: writing
- Tagged: dogs, random, writing
- 1 Comment »
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Posted on May 6th, 2010 by annakjarzab
Admittedly, I've only watched about ten minutes of Tuesday night's episode of Glee because I thought it was on on Wednesdays and also yesterday was Cinco de Drinko (I have a life, you guys, and friends, I bet you forgot JUST KIDDING I know you know I'm very busy and popular), but I did catch some clips on Jezebel and while the episode itself seems like yet another stinker (remember how YAWN last week's episode was? I do, because I just watched it two days ago and also I wrote this blog post), I found Rachel and Jesse's performance of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" actually very sad and poignant.
Okay, so Rachel is very often the worst (in the best way, naturally, but I wouldn't want to know her), and after trying to browbeat Finn into dating her/sing him to death she finally found someone whose booked the same flight and hotel for their MASSIVE ego trip that she did and it's a match made in Narcissism Cove or whatever (did that make any sense?). My point is: Jesse + Rachel 4 LYFE. But also, in the end it's always been Rachel + Rachel 4 LYFE because deep down Rachel never thought that anyone would "get" her (i.e. "tolerate" her), so WTF does Rachel do when someone tries to puncture her oversized opinion of herself that is usually kept intact only by virtue of the walls of delusion she keeps high around herself to stave off the near constant assaults to her actually very fragile self-esteem? She acts like a total idiot and makes a woefully misguided attempt to seem "sexy" by singing "Run Joey Run" with three different guys in some weird video that nobody but the glee club kids are ever going to see and they're already pretty set in their impressions of her (negative). OF COURSE SHE DOES. She's Rachel. She actually doesn't understand the meaning of sexy. She and Jesse should've done some hot song/dance routine in the cafeteria at lunch wearing skimpy clothing if she wanted to spice up her image. At least that makes sense. Or she should just come to terms with the fact that Jesse thinks she's sexy (we think? I'm still confused by their relationship and whether or not Jesse is actually in it for Rachel or for Vocal Adrenaline or at first for Vocal Adrenaline but now for Rachel or what) and that's enough because WHO CARES.
Ugh, Rachel. But still, I'm a big fan of this "Total Eclipse of the Heart" video and I'll miss Jonathan Groff when he's gone.
- Filed under: television
- Tagged: Glee, music, television, YouTube
- 1 Comment »
Wednesday win!
Posted on May 5th, 2010 by annakjarzab
Guess what you guys? Jonathan Groff is maybe probably sorta kinda coming back to Glee next season! (I think that picture is of Groff and Lea Michelle, even though she looks like Penelope Cruz. Or maybe it's Penelope Cruz? Hard to tell.) This is good, because I was just whining to my coworker today about how it was rude of them to waste one of Groff's six episodes last week (that boring "Home" episode) by just having him stand in the background and sing back-up on "Beautiful" without having any lines or much to do when we know that he has nefarious plots a-brewin' and I would like to know about those plots please thank you!
I THINK IT AND THEN IT HAPPENS. I have to figure out a way to harness this power for evil–I mean good–just kidding, of course I mean evil.
Related: Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence are getting their own sitcom on ABC Family! Did you guys see My Fake Fiance? It was so stupid! But it turns out that Joey Lawrence is kind of scrumptious? Anyway, for pure camp factor this is great news.
AND: Apparently a Breaking Dawn movie is so in the works that they've hired a director? I don't know how they're going to make Renesmee at all believable, so I'm glad that's not my job.
- Filed under: movies, random, television
- Tagged: Books, Glee, movies, random, TV, Twilight
- 0 Comments »
Stop the presses!
Posted on May 5th, 2010 by annakjarzab
Okay, so two things. First of all, I want a dog hella bad, mostly because hello, dogs are the best things. In order to stop me from going out and buying a miniature beagle this instant, I keep telling myself that I can get a miniature beagle when I'm thirty (I assume that by this time I'll have my shit together, which means my own apartment, but maybe not! If so, Eesha, guess what's coming home with me January 13, 2014!), and I will name her Scully, after Dana Scully OBVS, and dudes, by the way, miniature beagles exist, totes magotes. It's going to take me that long just to save up the $$ for a miniature beagle, because, you guys, genetically modified animals are SO EXPENSIVE THESE DAYS (what is up with the economy amirite?), and also it will take me four years to figure out how to square with the fact that they are creating miniature versions of regular normal animals just because they're cuter.
Also, do you read Videogum? If you don't, you're ridiculous. Wait a second, these thoughts are related!
Because, you see, Videogum has a new mascot–editor Gabe Delahaye's new…Shiba Inu? I'm bad with breeds. Whatever, her name is Birdie and she is adorbs-town! Observe. Erin mentioned that the Hanson video brought her spirits up after a tough day–imagine what Birdie can do. Bookmarking it!
- Filed under: random
- Tagged: Anna's boring life, cute, dogs, random
- 3 Comments »
Best. Music. Video. Ever.
Posted on May 5th, 2010 by annakjarzab
Thinking 'Bout Somethin'
HANSON | MySpace Music Videos
If this video doesn't make you love Hanson, then you are ridiculous. That is all.
Oh, and I've been killing myself trying to figure out who that guy playing the tambourine is–it's Weird Al Yankovic.
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Posted on May 5th, 2010 by annakjarzab
For the sake of not being such a broken record, I will avoid apologizing for my considerable absence from this blog, although really I just brought it up so I must apologize, it would be rude not to. I'm sorry! I don't even know how many people read this blasted thing, but I'm sorry to you all! Good, that was good. Had to get it off my chest.
One of the reasons for said considerable absence was the fact that I still have to finish Untitled Book 2 Formerly Known as MB No I'm NOT AT ALL SURE What It'll Be Called. The other was that I went on vacation! Yes I did! Don't argue with me, I'm telling you that I did! Very out of character for me, I know, but R&R must be had on occasion. Where did I go on vacation, you ask? The title of this blog post says it all. I went to Mississippi with my parents to attend the Morgan family reunion.
Who are the Morgans, you ask again? My, you are so full of questions today! Well, quite a few years ago a man named Leonard Morgan and his wife, Della, had a grip of kids, ten of them I think, down in Amite County, Mississippi, which is right over the border from Louisiana. Anyway, one of those kids was my great-grandmother, Ruby. Thus, I am a Morgan, and every year there is a Morgan family reunion, in which all of the various descendants of Leonard and Della get together in Mccomb, MS and have a grand old time. I've been attending this reunion since I was a very little kid, but I haven't been in many years (school/work/various commitments always seemed to get in the way), not since before Hurricane Katrina. I was looking forward to seeing cousins I hadn't seen in YEARS, as well as spending some time in New Orleans. Our trips to the reunion always involved a jaunt to New Orleans, and I love it there. It's so unique and charming, and I really, really missed it.
My parents and I flew into Jackson, MS on Thursday morning and rented a car to drive down to New Orleans, where we were set to spend a few days before the reunion on Saturday. As soon as we got onto the highway, my mom and I saw the sign for the Eudora Welty house and demanded we stop there. Eudora Welty is an author that, I'm ashamed to admit, I haven't actually read, but my mother is a big fan and has written pretty much everything she ever wrote. Welty lived for most of her life in Jackson, except for a brief period where she attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Columbia University, and her house has been a museum in her honor since her death in 2001 at the age of 92. It's not actually the house she grew up in–that house is a couple of streets away–but her parents moved there when she was sixteen, and she lived in it for most of her life, although she always considered it her parents' house. The house is kept exactly as it would have been in the mid-1980s, because that's when she bequeathed the house to the state of Mississippi (they graciously allowed her to continue living there for almost twenty more years). The detail is pretty painstaking; she left her possessions to her nieces, but they donated about 97% of them back to the museum, so the only things that they did take (a few pieces of furniture) were reproduced and placed in their original location in the house. Her sofas and the surface areas in almost all the rooms are littered with books; there is even an open pad of paper with an uncapped pen laid out for her on a table in the breakfast nook where she used to begin writing every morning with a cup of coffee. The ladies who ran the tour really knew their stuff; I expected a short guided tour, but we stood in every room for about ten minutes listening to stories about Eudora and her family.
Even though she was a highly celebrated author, winning the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom among others, she was incredibly humble, and not just in the "Oh shucks" sort of way. When she died, they literally found all of her awards–including her Pulitzer!–on the shelf in one of her closets. The only award she ever received that she displayed was the Raven Award, given by the MWA to "non-writers who contribute to the mystery genre"–Welty didn't write mysteries (although to call her a "non-writer" would be, in a word, false), but she did love to read them. Since they're keeping her house the way that she had it, that's still the only award in the house–the others are on display in the office next door in a glass case. The Pulitzer Prize is actually a little underwhelming; it's just a certificate. I could whip that up on my Mac in two seconds! Shouldn't there be, like, a medal or something? Maybe there is. There's at least a cash prize, I think.
Anyway, I snapped some photographs of the house with my iPhone camera. I think somewhere along the line I switched to my real camera, so I only have a few Welty pictures on my phone, and of course the only one I took of the house itself is slightly obscured by my finger. I'm obviously a top notch photographer!
It was super cool, though, and it made me want to read her stuff. My mom says I should start with Delta Wedding, but I decided to start with something else–One Writer's Beginnings, a short book of lectures she delivered at Harvard–for now.
After Eudora's house we drove down to Mccomb to visit with my cousin Pearl. Pearl is actually my grandmother's cousin (their mothers were sisters), but I think by the time you get to as many generations as we Morgans have you just call everyone "cousin". Pearl lives in a lovely house in rural Mississippi. I just love being there. It's so peaceful and lush. I remember writing a nonfiction-y piece about being at Pearl's house when I was in grade school, and my teacher even said that I "displayed a talent for writing" after I turned it in. This is where it all began! Or something. Anyway, here are some pictures:
That's Pearl and my mom.
After we left Pearl's, we went to New Orleans. We stayed in the French Quarter, as we usually do, even though my great-grandmother Ruby, who was pretty religious, used to say that it was evil. She wasn't a big fan of the drinking and carousing, apparently, although I can't see why not! Actually, it was pretty tame in the French Quarter last week. I don't know what it was, but I didn't see very much carousing, although maybe that's because I was with my parents, I don't know. I was a little disappointed, to be honest. It was also pretty dark. Thunder storms were predicted all weekend, but on Friday it was just overcast, with what we were calling "spitting rain." Not enough to soak you, but enough to spatter up your glasses. My dad decided to go to the city of New Orleans offices for work, so Mom and I were on our own for a while. We went to Jackson Square (my personal favorite; I love looking at all the art hanging on the fences surrounding the square) and poked around in some shops. We also went inside the St. Louis Cathedral, which I think is one of the most gorgeous churches I've ever been in.
Wow, apparently those are the only pictures I have from Jackson Square. I bought a painting while I was there, my first original piece of artwork. I need to snap a photo of it so I can show you–I think it's pretty gorgeous. My mom called it "Tim Burton-y" although I'm not sure that's a compliment. I think it is!
When my dad got back, we decided to drive down to the Garden District and do a self-guided tour. My parents like to do this–they buy a guide book or pick up a tourist map and then make me give them a tour of wherever we are. That's how I ended up dragging my family around Pompeii for two hours babbling like I really knew what I was talking about, when really I was just reading out of a guide book. But I love it, because I get to talk my fool head off, which is something I love to do. One of the things I really wanted to do when I was a kid was give guided tours. I didn't even have a specific thing in mind, I just really wanted to be a tour guide. I still regret not ever having done that; maybe someday when I retire I can be a docent somewhere. I don't even need to get paid! I just like to tell stories.
The Garden District was a blast. I have a lot of pictures, because everything seemed worth taking a picture of. For those of you not familiar, the Garden District is the area of New Orleans that used to be plantations, where the Americans settled (the French Quarter was, obviously, mostly French and Spanish settlers, and eventually Francophone creole people). The houses are stunningly beautiful, in a wide variety of architectural styles, although some are just downright creepy (getting to that!). We parked down the street from the Lafayette Cemetery and walked through there first, so that's where some of these photos are from.
Aside from the obvious, there's something very sad and sobering about walking through a centuries-old cemetery. As you can see, so many of the tombs are falling apart. They're just not being maintained, probably because they're so old that the descendants of whoever is buried in them have long moved away from New Orleans. Those pictured aren't even the worst ones–some are in such a state of disrepair that it's impossible to tell who is buried there, and some have even been stripped of their marble and the bricks are collapsing inward. It's really upsetting, although I guess the people buried there probably don't care. There was some debate amongst my parents and I as to whether people are still being buried in Lafayette–the oldest marker we found on a tomb was from 2003. I kind of feel like many of these tombs can never be opened again, even if it's possible to be buried in Lafayette, because they'll just crumble to pieces! If we'd had more time, I'd have insisted on taking a cemetery tour. We took one of the St. Louis cemetery once, and it was so interesting. Less voodoo in Lafayette, to be sure, but it's bound to have a wealth of history.
Below are some pictures of the beautiful mansions we saw in the Garden District. Again, it's so sad the day was so dark–the pictures don't come out quite as amazingly as the houses were in person–but it was nice not to have to be out in the sun, because to tell the truth you're already getting swampy, sub-tropical humidity and heat in late April down in the deep South, and it would've been so uncomfortable had the sun been out.
Again, I'm seeing that a lot of my pictures were on my regular camera. Well, you get the gist. The most exciting part of the Garden District tour was how I totally cyber-stalked Anne Rice to find out where her New Orleans house is. Turns out, she owns/has owned three, but that's not the point. Through careful sleuthing, I was able to figure out which house (which she owns) was the one where she set The Witching Hour. If you haven't read The Witching Hour, you really should, although I should warn you that it's psychologically terrifying and also contains some nasty bits of a sexual and violent nature, so be prepared. But I would say that my top three favorite Anne Rice novels are The Witching Hour, Interview With the Vampire, and Violin. I also got a picture of the house Violin is set in (although as I remember a lot of it takes place in Vienna), but that must be on my camera.
I can just see Deirdre rocking back and forth, semi-comatose, on this front porch. Spooky! Also, note my finger at the top of the frame again. Even spookier! No it's not.
After our walking tour, we were exhausted, so we went to this little quaint shopping center in town and I went to Anne Rice's favorite bookstore, Garden District Book Shop, and bought a copy of One Writer's Beginnings (see how it's all circling back? Genius). They didn't have AUT there, but that's okay, I forgive them. I see this post is getting quite long. Hm, maybe I should speed it up a bit? Anyway, then we went to the reunion. It was lovely. We had it at my cousin Betty Sue's cabin. The end.
No, wait, I have to tell you how stupid getting home was. So there were thunderstorms threatening Mississippi since we'd arrived in Jackson, and they finally started on Saturday (right when we got to the reunion, yikes!), and by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around my flight to Chicago was so delayed that I missed my flight out of Chicago to LaGuardia. So I had to stay overnight in Chicago with my parents and then hop on the first available flight on Monday, then go right to work. It totally sucked! Good trip overall, though. Aren't you glad you read this thing to the end?
- Filed under: random
- Tagged: Anna's boring life
- 2 Comments »


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- Hellenic Network for Corporate Social Responsibility
- Hellenic Ornithological Society/ BirdLife Greece
- Hellenic Passive House Institute (HE.P.H.IN.)
- Hellenic Retina Society (H.R.S.)
- Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature
- Hellenic Values Foundation
- Impact Hub Athens
- Initiative for Heritage Conservation
- Kids Fair Collection
- Life Line Hellas
- Mission ANTHROPOS Hellenic Medical & humanitarian support
- MITOS – Mental Health and Social Interventions NGO
- Moirazomai.gr
- Municipal Waste Europe A.I.S.B.L.
- NGO Heraklion association of Alzheimer Disease and related disorders "ALLILEGII"
- Nosilia
- P.C.E.R. CPE PCER Ecosystem Hellas
- Polyeco Contemporary Art Initiative
- Psychogeriatric Association 'Nestor'
- Science For You-SciFY
- Transparency International


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3 Reasons Why "Analytics" Should Stay on Your 2016 Resolutions List
It's easy to let New Year's resolutions start to slip once January is underway. But if improving your company's use of data and analytics was on that list, you definitely won't want to let it fall through the cracks. Here are three reasons why:
1. The top pain point for business leaders where analytics is concerned is that too much data is left unanalyzed — a problem cited by 53% of those surveyed in the State of Analytics report published by Salesforce Research. If too much data is left unanalyzed now, just imagine how much will pile up if left untended for another year. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of data sources actively analyzed by businesses is expected to rise 83%. The time to get started is now.
2. A staggering 90% of high performers say analytics is absolutely critical or very important to driving the company's overall business strategy and improving operational outcomes. Businesses that are far outmatching their competition are using analytics to do so. High performers are 4.6x more likely to say they've moved beyond using data to keep score and onto using data to drive business decisions. By stark contrast, underperformers are almost 5.7x more likely to rely on their gut instinct instead of data when making strategic business decisions.
3. Analytics is increasingly finding its way into every corner of the business. Driving operational efficiencies and facilitating growth are baseline analytics-driven priorities for businesses today. As companies improve performance, they begin to focus on more advanced use cases such as automating business operations, enabling new business models, and predicting customer behavior. The chart below shows the top 10 use cases for analytics, but a complete list can be found in the full State of Analytics report.
Download the State of Analytics report now to get insights on analytics trends from more than 2,000 business leaders worldwide.


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sold out
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These classic Ukrainian flush mounts were designed in the 1960s. The body is casted potted metal with a thick well-glass shade. This brownish-red Soviet light fixture is new-old stock. Also available in turquoise.
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If you have looked at my art and photography, flowers play a huge part in my imagery. I have always wondered why .
As a child, during the spring, summer and fall, I spent a lot of time outdoors. This gave me an opportunity to spend endless hours exploring and enjoying the world around me. Although I lived in a city, I was very attuned to the seasons, their sights, sounds and smells. Being a very visual person, who loves colour, the bold colours of flowers , that each season offered was very appealing. When you are outside, alone for periods of time you have the opportunity to interact with nature with all your senses; the touch of a velvety iris, the smell of lilacs and roses,the grandeur of sunflowers, even in more adventurous times the taste of a flower petal.
When I am outdoors, I am in awe of the beauty that surrounds me. Life in many instances can be hectic and busy. Being in nature centres me, invigorates me and also calms me at the same time.
As an artist, I am fascinated by the lines, abstract shapes, patterns and transition of colours and light in nature. I also want to bring beauty to life. So many things can be ugly,divisive and unkind.
This brings me to 10x10=100. In the next year, I hope to create 100 images that are 10x10 inches. The square format itself presents a challenge in composition. I will use digital and traditional methods to develop the theme.
Below is my first image for the project. Cascade of Lilacs. The second a work in progress is Anemone Allure. As I develop more I will keep you posted.
What subject matter appeals to you ? If you have a favourite, what made it so ? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments section below.


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G.I. JOE: Flashback
A film that dares to explore what happened to core G.I.Joe characters during their tour in Vietnam.
G.I. JOE: Flashback
A film that dares to explore what happened to core G.I.Joe characters during their tour in Vietnam.
There is a largely untapped era of G.I.JOE. It consists of tales of three of the most well known characters. Stalker, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes who all served together with some unfortunate soldiers, Dickie, Ramon, and Wade Collins. Those three were K.I.A. or M.I.A. in an instant. We know very little about Dickie and Ramon. We know that the survivors of that fateful canteen sloshing that cost the lives of Dickie and Ramon went on to become allies and enemies. What happened in the missions prior?
We also know that the exploits of these soldiers in Vietnam impacted the lives of many. This mission will spark a dramatic, psychologically impactful, emotional journey of one character.
This story will be about before allies became foes and events changed lives forever. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat compared to 40 in World War Two and one in ten soldiers were a casualty. "Boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror" Is an apt phrase for the story of "Flashback." Get ready to have your gut punched.
You will watch soldiers fighting in the muck. You will follow a LRRP as they move through the reeds of Vietnam and they face the dangers within. You will see the consequences of conflict just like an embedded photographer would with their 8MM camera dodging fire.
Script doctor, actors, camera operators, lighting, production assistants, sound, stunts, props, practical effects, costumes, this is a labor of love created by those who love the franchise.
Military historian and veteran Jim Hatzell will be a consultant. He has been a Production Assistant and actor in films such as Dances With Wolves and Hidalgo.
Bill Nedrow, Kindle Worlds published author is mentoring the script.
Tracy Mailloux, who also has worked on national television series and who is no stranger to fan films will also be a part of the production.
Paul Skidmore has stepped up to the plate as G.I.Joe fan and accomplished DP to direct.
Paul Panfalone, action figure photographer and graphic designer has jumped on board.
Philip Ockelford will provide the score. The score is as much an important character in any film.
There are others who will participate and as we get further along in the production we will make announcements.
A stellar cast and a stellar crew will make this something fans and non fans alike will be talking about.
Purely a nonprofit project all funds will go into the production of this short.
Risks and challenges
The risks and challenges associated with any fan film will be present as well as any of the challenges associated with a higher quality independent film. Weather, cast, crew, permits, location search, props, stunts all are planned events and as we know even the best laid plans can go awry.Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Funding period
- (60 days)


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Life. Education. Friends!
With Life, Education, and Friends, all things are possible.
Comfort and stability are always welcomed in life, but sometimes we aspire for more. Knowing that you haven't reached your full potential is a feeling that should never be ignored. These have been my thoughts for the past several years regarding my life. Finally, on Dec 15, 2014, I decided to challenge that feeling and embark on a new journey to seek out what really is my full potential. I realized that it's never too late to accomplish anything once you have life. With my prior education and the knowledge I gained throughout the years, and with the help of great friends, I was ready to create my own lane in this world instead of sitting back and watching my destiny unfold.
I decided to leave my job, leaving the comfort of a salary, and on the advice of a friend that I hadn't seen in years, come to a country where I have no family and only a few friends. That friend, who is now my brother is Striker Lee, the son of one of the greatest music producers in the history of music, Mr. Bunny "Striker" Lee (see picture below of father and son in AFR Clothing Tees); and that country is the beautiful island of Jamaica. Striker, who is apart of the AFR Clothing family, opened up his home and recording studio to me without any hesitation. His family immediately became my family, and his friends also became my friends. With this positive synergy in place, I was able to create some of the greatest music I have ever made to this date. With a positive environment and the proper tools, I'm able to utilize my prior knowledge and create pieces of art that could be regarded as masterpieces decades down the line. Similar to how the music that Mr. Lee created many years ago is revered today.
I believe that any one given this same opportunity with the proper education, knowledge, and positive outlook on life, can achieve similar results. That's why it's important to give back to those who do not have the ability to receive an education. Living in Jamaica for the past month and a half has shown me that people are extremely resourceful with what they have, no matter how little or big that fraction may be. Life shouldn't be complicated. A basic education should be free to all people, because everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential once they are armed with the proper tools. Team EchoSlim, Gorgon Entertainment Group and the entire AFR Clothing family will do our best to make sure everyone is granted this opportunity.


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Download the Heritage Community Church APP for Sermon Notes, calendar, resources, ministry contacts and more!
Pick your app store below, App Store for iPhones and Google Play Store for Androids. You will be prompted to download the My Church App by eChurch.
Once you have downloaded the app, type in our keyword, "heritagecc app" and you will quickly be connected to the Heritage Community Church app experience.


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By Stephen Baranyi*
Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and his cabinet ministers' statements following their election in October 2015 that "Canada is back" reflect a global strategy that is likely to give a boost to Canada-Latin America relations. Canada never "left" the Americas during the decade of Conservative governments led by Prime Minister Harper, but the new administration is patching up its predecessors' mixed record. Building on the Americas Strategy launched in 2007, Ottawa signed new bilateral free trade agreements with Colombia, Peru and others; broadened its engagement in regional security affairs; and greatly increased its whole-of-government engagement in Haiti. Canada played a major role at the Summit of the Americas in Panama (April 2015) and hosted the Pan American Games (July 2015). Yet the revelation of Canada's espionage in Brazil, visa restrictions on Mexicans, the poor reputation of some Canadian mining firms in the region, and its inability to reach a trade agreement with the Caribbean Community fed a growing desencanto in Canada's relations with the region.


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CHICHESTER DISTRICT COUNCIL | www.chichester.gov.uk
Chichester District Council supports businesses large and small through its Economic Development Service. A key part of our work focuses on direct, proactive support to businesses, from start-ups to our major firms. We provide face-to-face business support to help resolve business issues; assist with finding premises; help with formulating your ideas; put your business in direct contact with relevant council teams and with other organisations that can help.


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The Anti-Dropout
Or, Why I'm Going Back
Since dropping out of college at age 20, I've been a vocal proponent of "Career Hacking" and other approaches that lead to departing from the standard education path. College was a frustrating and limiting experience, while my time since dropping out has been universally positive. I worked for David Tisch and the inaugural class of TechStars NY, joined Onswipe as Employee #2, and most recently was one of the first US employees at Taykey. At each of these roles, I've been privileged to be surrounded by smart people solving hard problems — exactly what I hoped to find when I left college.
That's why it's coming as a surprise to many of my friends that I am returning to my studies this fall. I'll be studying Computer Engineering at Columbia University, attending as a full-time student.
Why am I doing this after successfully dropping out? Because two truths have become apparent after spending two years working in tech:
The most interesting technical problems of the next decade won't be solved in areas of knowledge that can be self-taught, and most technical knowledge remains locked up in traditional academia.
Part of the fetishization of the dropout over the past few years has been the assertion that smart people can "teach themselves" the skills needed to succeed in technology and business. I take issue with the fact that this implies all smart people are autodidacts (not at all the case in my experience). It also implicitly argues that all "important" knowledge can now be found online in a readily digestible format.
It's true (and exciting) that so much knowledge has moved online in the past decade. I can learn basic programming via Treehouse. I can learn web design in a course on Udemy. But what if I want to learn about the physics that drive hardware performance? The materials science behind the next generation of wearable computing? Or what about how to bring electronics manufacturing back to the United States? There are real, fundamental sets of knowledge that are still locked up in traditional academia.
We can debate the merits of this, as well as how quickly this knowledge will go "open source," but as a 22-year-old in 2013, I'm not willing to bet my career on that time frame.
The next generation of innovation will come from larger organizations, where traditional credentials are more highly valued than in degree-agnostic web tech startups.
I believe that the next set of world changing innovations won't necessarily come from the same team structure that has thrived over the last 5+ years. The default mode has been a small, nimble team, with limited resources (angel-financed seed round) building products. This is a great model when you are building on the back of commoditized tech or open sourced frameworks.
This won't necessarily be true in the next generation of innovation. We forget that the technologies underpinning the current generation of startups began in huge organizations (Xerox, IBM, Apple) before being iterated upon in smaller teams and organizations. The past few years have seen a large reallocation of resources to the "iterative" end of the spectrum, which leads me to believe we are due for a swing back to investment in the "fundamental" side.
What does this mean in the context of education? It is in those types of organizations that credentials do matter. Want to work on the self driving car? That Ivy league engineering credential is your ticket onto that sort of team. I won't bet my career on beating the HR apparatus at Google, even after I have proven my ability to hack my way onto early startup teams.
I've now twice expressed an unwillingness to "bet my career," which probably seems oddly conservative for a college dropout. I've always admitted to being the most risk-averse dropout around. Just like the smartest gamblers do everything to stack the odds in their favor, I want to place smart bets in high-impact areas. My decision to drop out was a gamble that I could find success through my own educational framework. Going back is a way to double down on the experience I've gained over the past two years — I've seen the cards, and I'm ready to place the next bet.


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Making a Scene
After seeing an article on By Making in MACO Sourcebook, architect Brian Lewis contacted us about creating custom outdoor seating for the front garden of his private residence, then under renovation. We met with Brian, listened to his needs, visited the space and came up with the design of our newest bespoke seating, Scene, which consists of two identical mixed-material chairs that angle gently towards each other, and are joined by a wooden table to form a single unit. The lines and form of Scene have their origin in the traditional Trinidadian benches that can be found in public squares throughout the country. Instead of concrete, however, Scene uses a familiar By Making combination of materials – powder-coated metal and wood – which were employed for their combined elegance, as well as their sturdiness and longevity in outdoor settings.
According to Brian: Garden benches are not merely for sitting – when they are in a front garden their prominence speaks about the owner's relationship with the community. The twin bench-chairs joined by a teak table are constructed of just two materials: painted steel and teak. Yet in its simplicity the unit is not merely comfortable to sit on but adopts a contemporary sculptural dimension in a communal-private space.
In speaking about the process of creating this bespoke piece, By Making designer, Marlon Darbeau, notes: The idea behind Scene was to create a sense of comfort normally provided by living room seating. Its design was very much informed by Outin – another garden unit that uses the same materials and making processes. What sets them apart is the referencing of traditional Morris chairs and Savannah benches, while at the same time extending By Making's work on the idea of outside/inside.
View more photos of Scene here.


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Lot 229 Banks
|*TO BE BUILT* Cayman w/ basement at Chandlers Glen. Purchase now and receive $4,500 in closing costs with the use of NVR Mortgage! By Appointment Only. Photos for representation only. Other home sites available. Model Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, & Fri 11a-6p; Sat 11a-5p; Sun 12p-5p. Closed Wednesday. *Community amenities coming soon.* Heat Pump(s) Central A/C
Status: PENDING
Subdivision: Chandlers Glen
Acreage: 0.25
Year Built: 2019
House Style: Detached
Waterfront: False
Parking: Attached Garage
Taxes: $0.00
SqFt: 1,560
Listing Courtesy of: NVR Services, Inc. - MLS ID: WVBE167944
Questions about a particular property or home? Request More Information.
Need to schedule a showing or set an appointment? Contact Us.
Copyright Long & Foster 2015 Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. Buyer should verify all information through personal inspection and appropriate professionals.


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Crime - Sacto 911
Thousands pack memorial service for Sacramento deputy slain in hotel shootout
Deputy Robert French is remembered
More than 3,000 law enforcement officers, family and community members gathered on Thursday to remember the life of Robert French, the veteran Sacramento County sheriff's deputy who was shot and killed last week.
The memorial was held at the Adventure Christian Church in Roseville, which was packed full during the ceremony. The sanctuary seats just under 3,000 people. Several officers watched the service on television screens set up in the lobby, as co-workers and friends recalled the jokester with the southern drawl who was passionate about protecting his community.
Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, who spoke during the ceremony, said while he felt both anger and hurt following the shooting, he also felt honored to be part of the law enforcement community in Sacramento.
"I'm honored to know a man like Bobby French, who in his life, touched and impacted the lives of countless people and even in death, stood tall as a warrior, continued to fight until everybody else was safe," he said.
French, 52, was a patrol officer in the North Division, serving 21 years in the department. He also had experience as a training officer. Sacramento County Chief Deputy Kristofor Palmer estimated French helped train more than 300 deputies for the department in the span of 13 years.
French was killed Aug. 30 while responding to reports of shots fired at the Ramada Inn hotel on Auburn Boulevard. The Sheriff's Department said French exchanged gunfire with a fleeing suspect after he fired rounds through a hotel room wall at two California Highway Patrol investigators assigned to an inter-agency auto theft task force.
The suspect, identified as Thomas Daniel Littlecloud, 32, allegedly shot the officers as they attempted to enter the hotel room to conduct a probation search. The CHP officers faced minor injuries from the gunfire.
Littlecloud then made his way down the room's second-floor balcony, armed with an high-powered assault rifle and a 9mm handgun, the department said. He exchanged gunfire with French in the parking lot and pierced French's shoulder as the deputy fired from behind a car. The bullet hit his heart, the department said on Tuesday. Still, French kept firing, Jones said.
Littlecloud was taken into custody after he crashed his car in a pursuit with police following the shootout, and was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. He died on Saturday.
French died en route to the hospital. He leaves behind live-in girlfriend, Kara Merino, her two children, three adult children, a sister and three grandchildren.
Criminal records show Littlecloud had an extensive criminal history and had been running from police for a month before the shooting. Jones said Littlecloud should have never been released from jail.
On Thursday, law enforcement officers from across the state and other parts of the country, like Nevada and Texas, attended the memorial service.
French was considered a class clown, always cracking jokes with other officers, said Lt. James Giannelli, the watch commander for the North Division team that French worked on since 2009.
The two met while French was stationed at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, at the start of his career, and after Giannelli had been promoted to sergeant and transferred to the facility. He remembered French's enthusiasm as a young deputy.
"He was bigger than life and had a magnetic personally," Giannelli said.
French started patrolling in 2000, a task that Giannelli called French's true calling. He used his knowledge of the area and investigative skills to try to solve cases or resolve problems, often keeping an eye out for opportunities to help victims.
"He didn't just answer calls for service, he actively looked for the bad guys," he said.
At home, French was a loving father and a good friend to many, said Merino, his girlfriend of four years who lived with him in El Dorado Hills.
She remembered weekends spent with French and her kids on her boat, and how he would go out of the way to do things for her on a daily basis. He became a role model for her young son during the time they spent together.
"I love you and your parents would be so proud of you," she said.
Friend Mark DelCarlo recalled French's drawl, which DelCarlo said came from French's southern roots, as did his love for cowboy garb and country music.
"Most of all, he loved to make everyone's life better," he said. "He always had your back, up until the last minutes of his life."
Nashelly Chavez: 916-321-1188, @nashellytweets


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Pinterest is amazing. I was introduced to the addicting social media site in 2010 and never turned back. Besides the fact that you are free to do whatever you can dream of – plan your wedding, get crafty, find recipes, laugh on the humor page all day or even catch up on news – there is a huge creative opportunity for companies to come up with marketing campaigns and contests to reach their customers. The main driving factor behind Pinterest is it's an outlet for us to organize and get inspired about what we want to do in real life. That means we LOVE companies that make our Pinterest dreams a reality.
In November I talked about Sephora's portfolio of social media contests, including its Pinterest #SephoraSweeps wish list contest. Users could follow the company's boards, "Holiday: 40 Days of Wishes" and "Sephora Sweepstakes," for a chance to win any makeup of their choice. A lot of business Pinterest contests require users to follow a company's Pinterest page, create a board based on the campaign and pin/re-pin with designated hashtags.
Unlike Sephora's sweepstakes boards that were only really live for the duration of the contest, AMC Theatres has a board on its Pinterest page called "AMC Giveaways" that updates with giveaways as they happen. Opportunities include winning a prize pack from box office movies, signed posters, Blu-Ray DVD sets, a year's worth of free movies from AMC, autographed director's chairs and more. Follow AMC Giveaways to stay up-to-date on goodies from your favorite movies.
What I really like about Pinterest campaigns is the opportunity for companies to go above and beyond the traditional, "Enter to Win"-type contests. Kotex, the feminine health and hygiene provider, is a great example of that. In March 2012, the company created a campaign called "Woman's Inspiration Day." It located 50 inspiring Pinterest female users and sent them a personalized kit based on what they pin. From 50 packages sent, there were 2,284 social media interactions and 694,853 total impressions. Check out the video:
Contests Happening Now
Ultimate Travel Companion
Condé Nast's Traveler magazine is hosting a Pinterest contest for a chance to win one of three Sony NEX-5RK/B cameras, including one grand prize package with a zoom lens and a camera case. The "Ultimate Travel Companion" contest requires users to create an original Pinterest board representing the inspiration for your next must-see destination, pin at least two items from the Condé Nast Traveler and Sony Electronics Pinterest pages, tag each item and your board with #travelcompanion and fill out the contest entry form. The deadline for the contest is January 22.
Connected Living Room
In Mashable's first Pinterest contest, it wants users to create a board filled with things they want in their ultimate living room. Users create a board called, "Connected Living Room," and pin anything they want. Winners could win one of three brand new gadgets, including the new 47" LG Google TV, an LG Optimus G smartphone or an LG Touch10 monitor. Deadline for the contest is January 18.
New Year, New Room
The RoomPlace is giving away a $500 gift card and five $100 gift cards to The RoomPlace. Enter on the company's Facebook page, follow the company on Pinterest and create a "New Year, New Room" board and re-pin at least five items from The RoomPlace. Winners will be chosen based on the most likes and comments on Pinterest. The contest runs from January 14 to January 28.
To stay updated on more Pinterest contests, you can search "Pinterest contest" pins on the site, or follow one of the hundreds of boards available. Good luck, and happy pinning!


text: Freed women understood that their value had previously rested on their ability to reproduce, and the outwardly assigned identity as wanton, subhuman workers, always available for the sexual desires of others. Emancipation brought new labels and terminology to the landscape, but the racial dynamics that positioned Black women on the bottom tier remained, morphed, intensified. Common themes persisted throughout the transition to freedom and despite a concerted effort to keep black women fearful and compliant.


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