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Why is it that when a young hitter shows power and signs of breaking out, or a young pitcher is lights out over a few starts, that fantasy owners run to the waiver wire to stake their claim? Yet when an older player who either has had a few disappointing years, or even one that was productive but started off the season slow, starts to show signs of life, those same owners hesitate and allow that production to sit on waivers?
I know we all covet the young guys; they have upside and potential. While those older players may not have the same upside as their younger counterparts, they can be just as productive, and possibly even more stable and dependable with their production. That's what today's theme is all about. The following players are all older guys (for the most part) that may have started off slow, but lately they have picked things up. This production may not last all season, but every point counts in fantasy so cast aside your prejudices and take advantage of what they're doing now – while you can.
C.C. Sabathia (Yankees): I know what you're thinking. Sabathia has been a train wreck for the past three years, and his April numbers coincide with that. That doesn't mean we should ignore what the man has done lately. Over his last four starts (26 innings) Sabathia has allowed a total of three earned runs, against the Blue Jays (twice), Baltimore and Oakland. For the season he has allowed only two home runs; that's extremely lucky considering his 37.3% fly ball rate. The line drive percentage is 18.7, and it's the first time below 20% since 2010 – this helps explain the .233 BAA.
While his BB/9 may be over three, it was 1.73 for the month of May. Also the K/9 in May was 8.65 – right around where he was before his collapse after the 2012 season. The FIP (3.13) says his season is for real; the average BABIP (.289) and strand rate (75.2) don't point to any luck; plus his hard, medium and soft contact numbers are in line with his dominant years. But the xFIP (4.33) and SIERA (4.24) say he's pitching over his head.
Maybe there has been luck with the home runs, and maybe the low walks from May won't carry over through the rest of the season. There could be some regression coming, but until that day comes I would advise you to ride the Sabathia train until it derails. Damn the age and past; look at what he's doing now.
Available in 44% of CBS, 70% of Y! and 75% of ESPN leagues
Logan Morrison (Rays): Yup, I see the .239 batting average with just three home runs, 11 RBIs, 14 runs scored and four stolen bases. Not very pretty, but you might be surprised to know that over the past two weeks (44 at bats) Morrison has two home runs, eight RBIs, eight runs scored and three stolen bases. That's basically his entire line of production. Oh, and there's the matter of a .386 batting average. He's crushing lefties in limited at bats (.368) and away from Tampa (.307), and he does have an unimpressive yet healthy track record for home runs.
Morrison is a streaky hitter, and right now he is on a tremendous hot streak. If your corner infield slot is hurting or you need a quick fix at your utility spot, you could do a lot worse than Morrison as a band-aid for the next few weeks (or longer if you're lucky).
Available in 86% of CBS, 92% of Y! and 91% of ESPN leagues
Chase Utley (Dodgers): His line for the season isn't bad: .283 average, four home runs, 19 RBIs, 31 runs scored – good enough for a rank of 18 on the ESPN player rater. Over the past two weeks he hasn't been overly impressive with the batting average like some on this list, but his counting stats have taken a bump. During that time he has 2 home runs, nine RBIs, and 11 runs scored. Combined with a .277 average, those numbers rank 8th on the ole' ESPN rater.
Utley is only good versus righties now a days (.315), and is much better away from Dodgers Stadium (.309) – two things to keep in mind when setting your lineup. If Dozier is sinking your batting average, you're still waiting patiently for Kolten Wong or Matt Duffy to come around, or you just need a stable player to plug into your middle infield slot, Utley isn't a bad option for that. He won't win you a championship, but he won't sink your chances either.
Available in 61% of CBS, 84% of Y! and 74% of ESPN leagues
Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals): So much talent – so many disappointments. As someone who has owned and kept Ryan Zimmerman in the past I have been through the good times and bad. What I have come to learn is that Zim is good for about two solid months, and the rest of the time he is no better than a replacement player. Take April for instance. He hit .219 with one home run and seven RBIs – that right there is enough for owners to cut their losses, and nobody is going to blame them or rush to put in a claim. But like I said, he is good for some hot streaks, and right now we are in the midst of one.
Over the past two weeks he has four home runs, nine RBIs and eight runs scored. Over the past week he has picked things up in the batting average department hitting over .300, and from May 28th to June 1st he went 9 for 20. According to the ESPN player rater he was the seventh best first baseman over the final two weeks of May, and there should be some more left as his streaks tend to extend beyond a few weeks. Those that play on CBS are out of luck, but if you play on ESPN or Yahoo I would grab Zimmerman now and ride this one out. The streak may last through June, or it could go longer health and luck permitting. Just don't get too attached, and remember to throw him back (or trade him) once things start to cool.
Available in 26% of CBS, 63% of Y! and 59% of ESPN leagues
Adam Lind (Mariners): Lind is right there with Zimmerman. He hit a paltry .234 in April with one home run and three RBIs. Even those that play on CBS tossed him back on the scrap heap. But it now looks like the man we've grown accustomed to getting 20 home runs with 70 or so runs and RBIs has found his swing. Over the final two weeks of May, Lind hit .375 with four home runs and 14 RBIs. That's even better than Zimmerman as Lind ranked 5th on the ESPN player rater.
Just like Zimmerman, Lind is someone to pick up and plug-in your lineup Now. If you wait too long you could miss your chance. And if you take the wait and see approach and delay for a few weeks, you'll only get in on the tail end of his streak – maybe. The cold start was in the past; look to the future.
Available in 71% of CBS, 79% of Y! and 96% of ESPN leagues
Joe Mauer (Twins): We were down this road earlier in April when Mauer was flashing an impressive (but empty) .321 batting average, but when the calendar flipped to May the hits stopped coming. Those hits returned at the end of May, and this time there was some power behind them. Over the final week Mauer hit .350 with three home runs. Granted all three were against the Mariners so it could be a coincidence, but they were also in Seattle so you know they had some distance to them. And he did hit another home run the week prior at home versus Kansas City and another the week before in Detroit.
His ISO for the season is .142 so he is more than capable of reaching double digits for the season. The walk and strikeout percentages are the best we've seen since 2012, and his hard hit rate of 38% is the second best of his career. Not to mention his soft contact percentage is the fifth best in the league. Now the FB% does play against him here (20%), but he has been lucky with the HR/FB ratio, and that luck could continue given his hard hit rate. Mauer isn't a must add and is not an option for first base. He is, however, an intriguing player for corner infield or your utility slot (more so in H2H leagues) as long as he's hitting for average. For leagues with more than 12 teams he is a must own right now, provided Zimmerman or Lind are not available.
Available in 53% of CBS, 81% of Y! and 60% of ESPN leagues
Aaron Hill (Brewers): Hill has been on sleeper lists for years, and each year he hits the snooze button. He was available almost universally by the end of April with a .169 batting average. But just when you thought Hill was worthless he put on a May hitting display. That .169 average is now up to .275. I'd like to say that the .353 he hit over the final two weeks was the sole reason, but he hit .357 the entire month so it wasn't just a little streak that gave him a boost. He hit five home runs last month, but I'm not sure we can read too much into that. All five were against the Reds and the Reds like to give up homers, but he does have a .157 ISO and a 40.8% fly ball rate so he is more than capable. Plus Hill plays half his games in Miller Park – the home of the homers.
For the month of May, Hill ranked 14th on the ESPN player rater for third basemen, but he ranked 10th for second base which is where his true value lies. Second base has a lot of average talent in the middle, so there is a lot of competition, and maybe he won't cut it as a starter in your league. As far as middle infielders go, you could do a lot worse than Hill. I just hope his hot hitting continues through June.
Available in 77% of CBS, 87% of Y! and 85% of ESPN leagues
Corey Dickerson (Rays): OK, Dickerson isn't old, but he does have a horrifically cold start in common with the above players. C.D. hit .214 in April and was even worse in May with a .195 average. The power has been there (primarily on the road) which is nice, and with a 35.5% hard hit rate, .250 ISO, and obscenely high 48.6% fly ball rate you can expect the home runs to continue regardless of the batting average. But that average is what has caused his ownership levels to fall below 50% on Yahoo and ESPN, and they are even going down on CBS. Well, now is the time to pounce (I think).
After only three multi-hit games in April and just one through the first two weeks of May, Dickerson had three of them from May 26th to the 31st, and he hit .320 over the final week of May. Maybe he was just due for a good week, maybe riding the bench in three of the previous four games lit a fire under him, or maybe it was a sign of things to come. The multi-hit games came against three different clubs so he wasn't just honed in on a specific team. He still had his share of swings and misses in between so it's not like he's fixed. But this is the first real time he has shown some life, and sometimes all a player needs is a few little things to go right to get things going.
We knew Dickerson would struggle away from Colorado, but he isn't this bad. Even away from Coors he was still a .250 hitter. The power is there, and if these few hits get his batting average going; this is stock I want in on. In CBS you may have to trade for him, but it shouldn't cost you much. If he is available, pick him up and stash him on your bench for a few weeks (it can't hurt). Maybe it's nothing, but if it is something – you're getting in on the ground floor of it.
Available in 27% of CBS, 62% of Y! and 55% of ESPN leagues
Franklin Gutierrez (Mariners): Last season Gutierrez was the man to own against lefties in the second half. He held his own against righties too, but he mashed lefties to the tune of a .317 batting average with eight home runs over 104 at bats. Overall he hit .293 with 14 home runs in the second half over 140 at bats and looked primed for a breakout in 2016. A cold start, combined with the fact the Mariners had multiple options for the outfield, pushed Gutierrez into a backup roll. With Leonys Martin now on the DL, Gutierrez has been given a chance to shine.
Over the final two weeks of May Gutierrez has hit .379 with four home runs and eight RBIs. Three of those homers came in the final week after Martin hit the shelf. If this keeps up he should easily garner more playing time once Martin returns. Gutierrez is hitting .283 against lefties, and while his average against righties only shows a .192, the sample size is small and he is hitting .263 against righties at home so don't read too much into that. Worst case scenerio he is a matchup bat similar to Chris Young last season with the Yankees. That's not the worst thing in the world; at least you'd have a virtual guaranteed bat on your bench when there is a lefty on the hill.
Available in 98% of CBS, 99% of Y! and ESPN leagues
Matt Shoemaker (Angels): I thought Shoemaker was turning the corner back in April as he had a 1.49 ERA and 0.90 WHIP not counting his first game against Texas, but that was just a teaser and Shoemaker collapsed, was sent back to the minors, and then recalled prematurely as an injury replacement. Anyone who has ever owned Shoemaker is well aware of his Jekyll and Hyde persona. Well, the Doctor is currently in.
Over his last three starts (22.2 innings against Baltimore, Houston and Detroit) he has allowed just four earned runs (1.62 ERA) and has struck out 31 batters. In those three starts he did not surrender a walk or allow a home run. The zero walks were nice to see since he struggled with them early, and his BB/9 is now down to 2.24. You could say the zero home runs allowed was luck given his 34.1% fly ball rate, but his IFFB% is 17.9 so less than half those flies are leaving the infield.
His contact rate for the season (72.2%) ranks seventh in the league, and his O-Contact% (50.7) is down 14 percentage points from last season despite the fact that the O-Swing% is up four percentage points – he ranks 13th in O-Swing% among qualified pitchers. Finally Shoemaker has a 3.58 FIP, 3.55 xFIP and 3.70 SIERA for the season, but all of those were below 2.00 during his last three starts.
I know his past meltdowns make him hard to trust, but Shoemaker is and can be a much better pitcher than we saw early on, and even last season. Pitching is usually picked clean at this point of the season so you're left looking for players to take a chance on. Here's one of them.
Available in 52% of CBS, 80% of Y! and ESPN leagues
Previous Waiver Wire Recommendations
I like to hold myself accountable for past recommendations so I will monitor my hits
and misses from the previous weeks and adjust the players accordingly.
This is the last week Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Chatwood will appear here. Their ownership levels has reached a point to where both should be owned in all competitive leagues, but they are still available in enough leagues so check your waiver wire.
Continue to add
- Jonathan Schoop, Adam Duvall, Brandon Guyer, Michael Saunders, Matt Adams, Melky Cabrera, Kevin Gausman, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Andriese and Bartolo Colon.
- Mark Reynolds has seen his power fade and has now had an off week with the batting average. It may just be a glitch, or a sign of potential bigger issues.
- Devon Travis is off to a slow start, but given his power potential he should still be picked up in case he takes off. The same goes for Wilmer Flores who should see regular at bats with David Wright on the sideline and headed to the DL.
- Eduardo Nunez and Mike Napoli are both making a case to be mixed league worthy.
- Tim Lincecum and Jose Reyes are still interesting stashes.
Stash – Minor league players to stash prior to their promotion
- Alex Reyes, Tyler Glasnow, Josh Bell, Trea Turner, Blake Snell, Alex Bregman
Hold – Do not add them, but do not drop them yet if possible
- Trevor Bauer continues to give up three runs a game and walk too many batters. He has gone six or more innings in four of his last five games and is getting K's. Flip a coin.
- Trayce Thompson missed a number of games with back issues – this could stall the hot streak he was on so monitor him daily.
- Evan Gattis is almost eligible for catcher in Yahoo leagues, but his hitting is still questionable.
- Derek Dietrich and Jake Lamb each had a hot week, but I'm not sure that warrants picking them back up. Gauge their value in your league by what's left on waivers.
- Melvin Upton continues to mix solid weeks in with the clunkers. I'd advise you to look for a more stable option if you own him.
- Matt Bush may be good for holds leagues and could be a future closer, but right now he's a little too hittalbe to help with ratios.
- Mike Minor experienced fatigue in his shoulder, but it is said to be nothing serious. Hyun-Jin Ryu has also backed off his rehab assignment with soreness. Both will be reexamined.
Drop 'em
- Jayson Werth is still worth a hold in leagues with 12 or more teams that use 5 or more outfielders, but everyone else feel free to jettison him.
- Homer Bailey and A.J. Griffin are worth a hold, but only if you have a DL slot for them. Don't waste the bench spot if you don't.
- Mallex Smith could be a worthy player to own down the road, but right now he's just taking up a valuable roster spot. Keep your eye on him though; he could have Ender Incarte type value in the second half.
- Javier Baez can be safely dropped, but feel free to stash him if you believe he can improve and work his way back into the lineup.
- Brandon Moss isn't even worth being a CI player at this point – it was fun while it lasted though.
- Rubby De La Rosa is out with a sprained UCL. While there is no official word, a consultation with Dr. Andrews tells me all I need to know.
Need more waiver wire recommendations, 2-start pitchers, prospect news and general fantasy baseball goodness, head on over to Fantasy Rundown


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I'm sure you've all been wondering what pit I fell into and whether or not it was truly bottomless. Well, it is the pit of Progress and Inspiration, and yes, I'm still falling. In between bouts of overwhelming vertigo, my descent has taught me a few things:
- When you are uninspired and/or burnt out creatively, it may be because you're under-read. So instead of wallowing and accepting your fate, go out and find something to read.
- I am still a miserable failure at time management.
- I am still addicted to school.
- Finals week is still agonizing in light of #2.
- Just because I break self-imposed deadlines and regimens does not mean I need to abandon the project or activity they're attached to (see: the blog that rose from the mostly dead).
- Making numbered lists is a self-perpetuating activity.
Anyway, this is an interim blog post until finals are actually over (my last day is the 10th). When I get back I'll go into detail about my adventures in endless academia (past, present, and future), talk about my driving test (it's this Friday), maybe touch on where my writing has taken me, and then reveal my epiphianic vision of where I now plan to take this blog (yay, narrowed focus!). Until then, I would like to apologize for my more-than-a-month absence and thank you for continuing to consume this little line in a much wider world of words.

subset: commoncrawl


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Writing implements perfect in form, the Design series by Faber-Castell
Founded in 1761 in Nuremburg, Germany and renowned for being the World's largest pencil manufacturer, the Faber-Castell business has been in the Faber family for eight generations and produces everything from markers and pencils for professional artists to luxury pens for the demanding consumer.
With numerous branches of writing instruments and accessories in their company, the Faber-Castell enterprise offers something for everyone whether they are an artist, pen aficionado or just someone who loves to sketch.
The Design series of Faber-Castell is one that showcases many ranges of pens and pencils including some well known products such as the E-motion Fountain pen and the Faber-Castell Grip 2001 pencils which are ergonomically shaped and have non-slip grips for long drawing and sketching sessions.
The collection was designed with the consumers demand in mind and the products are all made with high-quality design and fine materials at their heart. The use of Coconut wood, Precious Resin, Stainless Steel and Chrome-plated metals results in a selection of products perfect for giving as gifts or simply for treating yourself.
Our favourite items in the collection are the Faber-Castell E-motion Fountain pens in Pure Black and Rhombus White and the Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil gift set which is ideal for people who love to draw at home and on the go.
We also stock refills for all of the pens and pencils in this category as well as luxury accessories such as pen cases and personal organisers, all made with the softest Italian Leather.


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St. Vinnie's Retail Thrift Store
- Store hours: Mon thru Sat 10 am – 5pm
- Daily specials: 25% - 50% off selected items
- Generates sufficient revenues to fund most expenses for social service operations
- Employs many part-time workers in the La Pine community
- Volunteer hours, annual savings over $47,000
- Lower store prices when donations are generous
- Good/clean clothing, shoes, and kitchenware are relocated to the Social Services Center and given free to clients in need
Thrift Store is open as of Monday, May 11, 2020.
Come in and Check Out the Daily "In-Store" Surprise Sales
• Come in and celebrate your birthday with 25% off your entire purchase!
• Don't forget to visit the furniture department located in the building adjacent to the thrift store.
• Famous for stocking "name-brand items"
• New and recycled arrivals daily, including a wide variety of furniture, purses and shoes.
• Come in and check out the daily "in-store" surprise sales
• Large selection of VHS tapes located in furniture dept, everyday price of .50 (not eligible for 1/2 off sales)
• Gladly accepting grocery sacks/bags to recycle for your shopping convenience
• See Calendar for upcoming information
Monthly sales are scheduled and can be viewed at the store and on our calendar.
- Known Exclusions from any sale unless otherwise specified:.50 VHS, .25 Books, locked cases
- We are happy to exchange within 7 days of purchase with receipt. Sorry, no cash refunds.
- All sales are final for clothing. No in store credit will be issued for clothing returns.
FREE DONATION PICK-UP YEAR-ROUND from 10:00am -3:00pm Tuesday through Saturday. We are located across from Bi-Mart. See map.
Click here to see the calendar of sales events!
A Store That Makes a Difference!
The La Pine St. Vincent de Paul Retail Thrift Store depends solely on the generosity of the community for donations of clothing, household items, hardware, furniture, appliances, miscellaneous and vehicles.
When you shopped at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in La Pine in 2015-16, your money provided 246,465 lbs of food that filled 3,806 food boxes to 14,894 people?
For your convenience, we have a large truck stationed every week at the following times and locations:
- Thursdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Thursdays at 18143 Cottonwood Road in Sunriver.
Donations can also be picked up by calling (541) 536-1956.
Times subject to change. Call (541) 536-1956 for more information.
These donations are sorted, evaluated, priced and placed in our retail thrift store for sale. You never know what treasures you'll find!
Surplus funds generated from the operation of the retail thrift store are channeled into our social service and food bank programs for the benefit of needy families and individuals regardless of race, creed or color.
Other Retail Thrift Store Success Stories
- Transitional life skills (on-the-job training)
- People move from working for the store to truck driving, other retail, and management jobs in the La Pine area
- While looking for full-time jobs, employees at the store are paid on an hourly basis
St Vinnie's Thrift Store "Caring for our Community"
"Happy to exchange within 7 days of purchase with receipt, sorry no cash refunds"


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AT&T Will Now Accept Bitcoin For Your Phone Bill
US-based mobile users can now use bitcoin and cryptocurrency to pay their bill thanks to a new partnership between AT&T and BitPay. AT&T Will Take Your Bitcoin Bitcoin's path to mass adoption continues forward as major US telecom giant AT&T has announced that customers now have the option to pay their bills in cryptocurrency. The […]Continue Reading


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I have a finish! Whaaaat!!
Yeah, I know, I can't believe it either! I actually finished this quilt last week (maybe the week before? I just finished midterms, my brain is broken...) and I took some pictures of it right away, before I lost the light and/or the top got wrinkled.
I started this quilt intending it to be a nap-sized couch quilt (~60" square) but after it got to that size, I decided I liked it too much and wanted to make it bed-sized. It's a little small for my queen sized bed, but I have a few inches of overhang on each side so it's passable.
You can see where I planned out additional blocks after I finished the quilt top the first time... I also cut the fabric to preserve the directionality, which is a really nice effect with these beautiful prints!
This was a fun one. Super fast, instant gratification blocks. I've already started on the back, so once I figure out how I want to quilt it I'll finish the back, baste it, and get going!
Build Me Up Buttercup
Fabric used is Meadow by Leah Duncan
Pieced with Aurifil 2600
On my Bernina 750 QE
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Build Me Up Buttercup
Labels: Build Me Up Buttercup, finished quilts, Piecing, quilty bits
6 comments:
very nice Megan and yes making it bed sized was good as you can still use it on the couch if you want toReplyDelete
This is a very nice pattern for these fabrics.ReplyDelete
Beautiful, Megan! You can't go wrong by going bigger!ReplyDelete
Beautiful quilt !!ReplyDelete
Such a cheery quilt, lovely!ReplyDelete
Love the name! The quilt is beautiful.ReplyDelete
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France, Antibes
"Antibes" (Provençal Occitan: "Antíbol" in classical norm or "Antibo" in Mistralian norm) is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in south-eastern France, on the Mediterranean Sea in the Côte d"Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. Integrated to Antibes Juan-les-Pins, the technological park of Sophia-Antipolis is located north east of the city.
Antibes is a leisure-industry town also called Antibes-Juan-les-Pins. The Juan-les-Pins part is the area that many tourists flock to as this is where the nightlife can be found.
Antibes was founded as a 5th century BCE Greek colony settled by Phocaeans from Massilia."The western shores of Turkey: discovering the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts" by John Freely p.91 Due to its naturally protected port, the town of Antibes has long been an important trading centre. Many different people ruled over Antibes until France finally took control.
As the Greek Empire fell into decline, it began incorporating the small towns into its empire. In 43 BC, Antibes (or Antipolis, as it was then called) was officially annexed by Rome and remained so for the next 500 years. The Romans turned Antipolis into the biggest town in the region and a main entry point into Gaul. Roman artefacts such as aqueducts, fortified walls and amphora can still be seen today.
When the Roman Empire fell apart in 476, various barbarian tribes took their turn at Antibes. The main result was destruction and a long period of instability. In the 10th century, Antibes found a protector in Seigneur Rodoart, who built extensive fortified walls around the town and a castle in which to live. For the next 200 years, the town experienced a period of renewal.
Antibes' prosperity was short-lived, as the whole region fell into disarray for several centuries. The inhabitants of Antibes stayed behind their strong city walls as a succession of wars and epidemics ravaged the countryside. By the end of the 15th century, the entire region had fallen under the protection and control of Louis XI, the king of France. Things returned to a state of relative stability, but the small port of Antibes fell into obscurity.
The area around Antibes finally emerged from its long slumber around the middle of the 19th century, as wealthy people from around Europe discovered the beauty of the place and built luxurious homes here.
In 1926, the old castle of Antibes was bought by the local municipality and restored for use as a museum. Pablo Picasso came to town in 1946 and was invited to stay in the castle. He stayed for six months, painting and drawing many pieces of art as well as crafting ceramics and tapestries. When he departed, he left all his works here, and the castle officially became the Picasso Museum.
Today sport is important and the town hosts the National Training Centre for basketball. On 25 May 1999, the town was the first in the department to sign the State Charter of the Environment, planning projects to conserve the environment and respect the quality of life. 25% of inhabitants are under 25 years of age.
Antibes enjoys a Mediterranean climate.
The Marina Villeneuve Loubet
The Fort Carré
The rocky beaches of Antibes
There are 48 beaches along the 25 km of coastline that surround Antibes and Juan les Pins.
*"Archaeology Museum"
This museum sits atop the Promenade Amiral de Grasse in the old Bastion St Andre, a 17th century fortress. The museum"s collection focuses on the classical history of Antibes. Many artifacts, sculptures and amphorae found in local digs and shipwrecks from the harbour are displayed here. The views of the sea and mountains from the promenade are also spectacular.
*"Naval Museum of Napoleon"
Housed in a 17th century stone fort and tower, this museum presents a collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, paintings and naval models. Several wall paintings show historic moments in Napoleon"s reign and there are also pieces of his clothing such as one of the hats he once wore.
*"Picasso Museum"
This museum houses one of the world"s greatest Picasso collections: 24 paintings, 44 drawings, 32 lithographs, 11 oils on paper, 80 pieces of ceramics, 2 sculptures and 5 tapestries.
*"La Tour Museum"
This small museum in the centre of town brings the contemporary history of Antibes to life through its exhibit of costumes, tools, photographs and other objects used by the local people.
*"Absinthe Museum"
From its basement location within the Roman foundations of Old Antibes, the Absinthe Museum is a must-see for any visitor to Antibes. The owners and their staff are happy to talk you through the process and teach you to appreciate the distinctly green liqueur like a fine wine.
arks and Garden
*"The Exflora Park"
The Exflora Park is a five hectare garden open to the public. Next to the large olive grove, there are different styles of mediterranean gardens, from ancient Rome to the exuberant Riviera of the 19th century.
Fountains and ponds stretch along the terrace, making a waterway 500 m long.
Antibes is renowned for rose production, and recognising this, rose bushes line the path leading to the sea.
The luxuriance of the exotic garden and palm grove is reminiscent of the belle époque, when English gardeners succeeded in planting flowers that bloom in winter, the season when the aristocracy visited the Cote d"Azur.
A little further on is the Theatre de Verdure, inspired by Italian gardens, and a panoramic viewpoint with a glorious view of the sea and the Iles des Lerins.
In the style of Provencal gardens of the 18th century, there is a maze with sculpted hedges. Further on, Islamic gardens are featured, with an orange grove where the ground is patterned with terracotta irrigation pipes similar to those in the celebrated Seville Cathedral in Spain.
The vegetable gardens and orchards in the Arsat are planted in hollows as in Morocco, to protect them from the sun and maximise shadow and humidity. A representation of a Moroccan house pays homage to the painter MAJORELLE, creator of the beautiful blue garden in Marrakesh.
In another area, the winter garden contains plants that flower in winter, such as mimosa and camellias.
*"The Eilenroc Gardens"
Villa Eilenroc was built on a rock in the middle of a virtual desert. The area was transformed into a glorious garden through the patience and talent of Jacques Greber, landscape architect and consultant to the Great Exhibition in New York in 1939. He was commissioned by Mr Beaumont to create this luxuriant park of 11 hectares.
The gardens with all their luxuriant vegetation lie thirty metres above the sea with a view across the bay of the Cap. Planted with traditional mediterranean species such as marine and parasol pines, Alep and Canary pines, Cyprus, oaks, olive trees, arbutus, lavender, thyme, rosemary, eucalyptus, ficus, etc., as well as three km of pittosporum hedges, a whole part of the park has been created with plants found in the Antibes area in 1920.
*"Thuret Park"
In 1857, Gustave Thuret discovered the wonderful, unspoilt Cap d"Antibes and bought five hectares of land where he built a villa and began the creation of a glorious park. Bequeathed to the state by his heirs, the Jardin botanique de la Villa Thuret is now managed by the INRA (National Institute of Agronomic Research). The superb collection of trees and exotic plants, and the rich earth, provide many opportunities for learning, and the cross-fertilisation of plant species that grow on the mediterranean coast.
aroupe Lighthous
The old lighthouse of Antibes provides one of the best views in the region from its lofty hilltop. To get here, you must walk about one kilometre up the Chemin de Calvaire from the Plage de la Salis. It makes for a nice half-day stroll.
hurch of the Immaculate Conceptio
The central church in Antibes was first built in the 11th century with stones used from earlier Roman structures. Its current façade was constructed in the 18th century and blends Latin classical symmetry and religious fantasy. The interior houses some impressive pieces such as a Baroque altarpiece and life-sized wooden carving of Christ"s death from 1447.
ôtel du Cap-Eden Ro
This villa, set in "a gorgeous forest" at the tip of the Cap d"Antibes peninsula, re-creates a nineteenth-century château. Since 1870 the glamorous white-walled Hotel du Cap on the French Riviera has been one of the most storied and luxurious resorts in the world. Guests who flocked there included Marlene Dietrich, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Winston Churchill. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton conducted an affair and honeymooned there.
There are many yachting harbours which provide moorings for a range of ships ranging from fishing vessels to full sized yachts.
* Port Vauban: The largest yachting harbour in Europe, with more than 2,000 moorings, can accommodate craft of more than 100 metres. This old port was the heart of the ancient Greek city of Antipolis and has a long and colourful history which includes Ligurians, Romans and Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. Today, it is the largest marina in Europe, serving both local fishing boats and luxury yachts.
* Port Galice: 542 moorings
* Port de la Salis: 233 moorings
* Port du Croûton: 390 moorings
* Port de l"Olivette: Situated in the sheltered cove of the same name, this is a harbour for sailors and their wooden fishing boats who enjoy the old marine, provencal traditions.
The view of Antibes
The view of the Gulf of Antibes
The view of the Fort Carré
heatre and musi
The Theatre Antibea, Theatre des Heures Bleues and Café Theatre La Scene sur Mer all offer a variety of performances from orchestra music to dramatic plays. Music of all types, from live jazz to DJs spinning techno, can be found in the bars and nightclubs and there are a number of festivals and special outdoor concerts during the summer. Jazz is still the specialty around here, and the Juan les Pins Jazz Festival is one of the best in the world.
Antibes and Juan les Pins host a number of festivals, mainly during the summer months. There"s not much in the way of traditional cultural festivals in Antibes; most of the festivals focus on music and contemporary activities.
*"Jazz à Juan" remains one of the top jazz festivals in the world. Since its inception in 1960, it has attracted many famous Jazz artists each year to play outdoors.(July).
*"The Antique Show of Antibes" attracts thousands of collectors for two weeks in April. It"s one of the largest shows of its kind in France (April).
*"Voiles d'Antibes" is one of the world"s biggest gatherings of old teak and brass sailing vessels. They converge on the port for one of the most regal regattas in the Mediterranean (June).
*"The Festival of Saint Peter" is the annual celebration of the patron saint of fishermen. A colourful procession through the town is followed by all the local fishermen adorning their boats and floating along the coast (June).
*"The Festival of Sacred Music" takes place in Antibes Cathedral, which has renowned acoustics. Sacred music is the theme of this popular festival, which attracts huge crowds each year (January).
If you are a foreigner and are planning to visit Antibes then the best way to get there would be to fly to the nearest airport, which is at Nice, and then make use of the train system. The train station at Antibes is in the centre of town located close to the Antibes town centre. From the Train station it is relatively easy to make your way around.
win citie
* Newport Beach, United States
* Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
* Olympia, Greece
* Ålborg, Denmark
* Desenzano del Garda, Italy
* Kinsale, Ireland
* Eilat, Israel
* Bodrum, Turkey
ee als
* Route Napoléon
* Fort Carré
* Stade du Fort Carré
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|population = 2203817|population ranking = 1st in France|urban area km2 = 2,723|urban area date = 1999|urban pop = 10,142,983|urban pop date = 2006|metro area km2 = 14518.3|metro area date = 1999|metro area pop = 11,769,433|metro area pop date =
|population = 2203817|population ranking = 1st in France|urban area km2 = 2,723|urban area date = 1999|urban pop = 10,142,983|urban pop date = 2006|metro area km2 = 14518.3|metro area date = 1999|metro area pop = 11,769,433|metro area pop date =
|population = 2203817|population ranking = 1st in France|urban area km2 = 2,723|urban area date = 1999|urban pop = 10,142,983|urban pop date = 2006|metro area km2 = 14518.3|metro area date = 1999|metro area pop = 11,769,433|metro area pop date =
|population = 2203817|population ranking = 1st in France|urban area km2 = 2,723|urban area date = 1999|urban pop = 10,142,983|urban pop date = 2006|metro area km2 = 14518.3|metro area date = 1999|metro area pop = 11,769,433|metro area pop date =
|population = 2203817|population ranking = 1st in France|urban area km2 = 2,723|urban area date = 1999|urban pop = 10,142,983|urban pop date = 2006|metro area km2 = 14518.3|metro area date = 1999|metro area pop = 11,769,433|metro area pop date =
"Marseille" (in English also "Marseilles", ; ; locally ; in Occitan "Marselha" or "Marsiho", pronounced ), formerly known as "Massalia" (from ), is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France. It forms the third-largest
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The 31-year-old man who drove a delivery truck down 2 kilometres of Nice's seaside promenade, killing 84 people celebrating Bastille Day, had envisaged such a terrorist attack for months before getting behind the wheel, a French prosecutor said Thursday.
French far-right leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen was set to lay out her key policies in a speech to supporters on Sunday, ahead of elections beginning in April. Lyon, France (dpa) - On the first of two days of events in the city of Lyon
France is heading for an unprecedented four-way contest in the first round of its presidential vote on April 23, according to opinion polls. Paris (dpa) - Far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron are out in front, the polls
Emmanuel Macron won the French presidential election on Sunday by what is expected to be a huge margin, as leaders in France and beyond hailed it as a victory for the European Union. Paris (dpa) - He won with between 65 and 66 per cent of the vote,
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A season of tricks and treats has descended - A dirty trick in my Weekend Writing Warriors snippet along with treats in the giveaway above (more on that below!) and on the blog I'm visiting today.
First things first, Sunday is the day for weekly dining on tasty word snacks of just 8-10 sentences from my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors. I'm following up the thread in last week's post from PRINCE OF FOOLS (only a week and a day away from its debut!!) where Cinderella barmaid Amber James is confronted with her prince's relatives -alone!- when he sends her and her daughter to their Lake Tahoe compound for safety while he and his brothers get rowdy in New Orleans. Leave it to the Terriots to take the Fun out of Dysfunctional with this less than warm fuzzy greeting . . .
"A half-breed nobody with a human's brat a Terriot princess," Rico's sister-in-law sneered, "in what world would that happen? He can screw you, he can shack up with you, we don't care, but don't think that we'll let you pollute our family with your kind, because Cale will forbid it."
Humiliation trembled on the edge of shock because she'd thought much the same about her and Rico together . . . but Evie . . . Evangeline was no one's brat!
"Who in their right mind would want to be a part of what you are," Amber snapped with a sharp bite, "so over-weaned, over-privileged, and over-inflated with your own importance? Being a Terriot is no prize, it's a detriment to everything I believe in. Do you know how hard your brother-in-law had to work to get me to consider being with him, to being worthy of my daughter?"
Cale's quiet intrusion separated them as if two cats hanging over the same clothesline.
Fawn meekly bowed her head, whispering, "My king."
Amber stood frozen, readying to bear the brunt of his temper at her less than flattering attack, but it was Fawn who drew his lethal admonition of, "Don't suppose to guess what I know or think, because what I know is we do not treat our guests with such disrespect in my name unless we want to live up to Ms. James' rather harsh opinion that I, for one, want to change before my brother, your prince, returns."
Boom! Nuff said. At least until next weekend!
For a sweeter offering, I'm joining my fellow bloggers and BookHounds for a Spooktacular Hop from now through Halloween. I'd love to tuck a $10 Amazon gift card into your treat bag so sign up (and take some extra chances, too!). Make sure to follow along the Hop to see what my neighbors are handing out!
Just a reminder that the tremendous giveaways continue with more Halloween Spooktaculars from Bewitching Book Tours and Night Owl Reviews. Follow their graphics on my sidebar to join in the fun!
Happy Haunting!!
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.


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Mine was a brick ranch that looked kind of cute, it sat in a town outside my normal route. An entry level home, I priced it to sell, three months later I called it my listing from hell.
The road was quite busy which was easy to see, but some other facts were discoveries to me. First was road flooding from minimal rains, took several days for puddles to drain. Also an airport was nearby, ensured plenty of noise up in the sky.
Inside it offered some challenges too, the owner was friendly but wanted nothing to do. I went on vacation and let the place stew.
After a week it was ready to show, a quick offer came in - unacceptable low. A few weeks later, the offer was greater. The owner accepted, we had a signed deal, took my wife out for a celebration meal. The next day was kind of a pain in the neck, buyer never came up with the deposit check.
The third time around happened later at night. After loosing two deals my seller put up a fight. His getting tough made negotiations rough. Stubborn and tired my seller decide to sleep on it, the buyer got nervous and took a fit, withdrew the offer not willing to wait, Oh what a night ain't that just great.
Three months after listing, negotiations again. My seller gets meaner not willing to talk, fortunately for us the buyer didn't walk.
Now the horror of inspection day! I arrive before three to find a new sign out front on the tree. Blindsided by this I hadn't a clue - my seller left town, what should I do?
It's always fun to reminisce, anyone else got a story like this?


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.It is important to realize that starting and running a business is hard work. In fact, for many, it is even harder than working for a boss in a corporate setting. When you're an employee, you can work at your job from 9-to-5 and forget about it until the next day. When you're an entrepreneur, there's so many things to do, so many things to think about that chances are you can lay awake at night worrying about your business.
Even Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple and recognized as one of the leading innovators of our time, think entrepreneurship is hard work.
Here is what he has to say about the hard work that goes into starting a business in this interview with the Smithsonian Oral History Project:
I get asked this a lot and I have a pretty standard answer which is, a lot of people come to me and say "I want to be an entrepreneur". And I go "Oh that's great, what's your idea?". And they say "I don't have one yet". And I say "I think you should go get a job as a busboy or something until you find something you're really passionate about because it's a lot of work".
I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. It is so hard. You put so much of your life into this thing. There are such rough moments in time that I think most people give up. I don't blame them. Its really tough and it consumes your life. If you've got a family and you're in the early days of a company, I can't imagine how one could do it. I'm sure its been done but its rough. Its pretty much an eighteen hour day job, seven days a week for awhile. Unless you have a lot of passion about this, you're not going to survive. You're going to give it up. So you've got to have an idea, or a problem or a wrong that you want to right that you're passionate about otherwise you're not going to have the perseverance to stick it through. I think that's half the battle right there.


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In 2010 I started working for the University of Free State, or KOVSIES as it is also known.
My job was to recruit the best students to study at Kovsies.
I covered the Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Gauteng(Pretoria) and also the North West Province.
These schools rank among the best in SA .
My target audience was mainly GR 12 learners and sometimes the Gr 11's
What I found regarding Career Guidance in all of these school's were shocking.
70% Of Gr 12 learner's were unable to say what they were going to do in a couple of months' time.
Unsure, ill-informed and confused.
These students were trying to figure out what they wanted to study, or do with their lives in a modern fast paced and fast changing world where International work prospects are waiting for them.
I then became a Career Direct Consultant and started Futuresmart Career Guidance Centre.
Many teachers and principals agree that there is an incredible need for a solution, but it will cost the school too much money, and therefor they would rather leave the responsibility to the parents.
Most parents are clueless themselves.
So who should be blamed or who should take responsibility for Career Guidance?
The school, Department of Education or the parents?
About 20% of parents will play an active role in helping the children to get to proper Career guidance with an Educational Psychologist, Psychometrist or Guidance Counsellor. Mainly those who can afford to pay the cost which can be in the region of R3000 plus.
I am convinced that if more concerned roleplayers will come onboard and effectively consult with, not only parents, but with the learners themselves, a lot can be done to help these learners to make better Career decisions.
Better Technology is available to assess Personality, Interests, Skills and Values and it can all be done online.
No more: "You are smart, you can become anything" feedback.
South Africa has a very high number of students dropping out in their first and second year of University. Almost two-thirds will not finish their degrees/diplomas.
Money might probably be the biggest reason, but the lack of Career Guidance is definitely a huge contributor.
Pieter Jordaan.
Founder and Director: Futuresmart Career Guidance Centre


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Before He Cheats
Underwood does a "dark" version of her Song of the Year-nominated track dark, and off-key. As a performer, Underwood still relies on her American Idol bag of trickslots of arm waving and vocal gymnastics. But give it up for the background dancers, who are not only ripping off Stomp!, but ripping off Stomp! in S&M gear. Impressive.
by Josh Tyrangiel
Next The Time and Rihanna


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Tom laughed quietly.
"A shadow!" he exclaimed. "Since when were you afraid of shadows, Ned?"
"I'm not afraid of ordinary shadows," answered Ned, and in his voice there was an uncertain tone. "I'm not afraid of my shadow or yours, Tom, or anybody's that I can see. But this wasn't any human shadow. It was as if a great big blob of wet darkness had been waved over your head."
"That's a queer explanation," Tom said in a low voice. "A great big blob of wet darkness!"
"But that just describes it," went on Ned, looking up and around. "It was just as if you were in a dark room, and some one waved a wet velvet cloak over your head -- spooky like!"
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tom Swift mysteries
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A while back I hosted a mini online AAC/AT tour of Japan which showed a KidStation Playstation controller by Bandai being used with Joy-to-Key software to operate a computer. This inspired my blogger pal Barrie of One Switch to purchase a used KidStation, rehab it and offer it for sale (including a Playstation to USB adaptor and a disk with Joy-to-Key) in his online shop. The moment I saw Barrie's post I wanted the KidStation, so I bought it from him (thanks for the deal Barrie).
My idea for it was simple. I wanted to allow one of my students, a music lover who has extremely low vision with some motor and learning difficulties to control iTunes on our classroom computer.
Using Joy-to-Key (which is always available free from One Switch) you can reassign the buttons on any gaming controller or joystick to be what ever you need them to be. The software is pre-set with a few configurations, such as mouse emulation, but to make the KidStation run a media player I had to assign the buttons myself.
Once I sat down at the classroom computer I realized Windows Media Player would be the best choice (mostly because it was already on the computer and iTunes wasn't). So I assigned the left button to go back to the last song (ctrl-b), the right button to go to the next song (ctrl-n), the bottom button to pause/play (ctrl-p) and the top button to toggle the visualizer.
Next I used sticky-back craft foam to make the markings on the buttons tactile so my student with visual impairment can distinguish them. Finally I let my learners at it.
A different student than the one I originally planned on using the controller tried it first, from her stander. She really enjoyed scanning through the songs by hitting the right button until she found one everyone liked (indicated by us starting to hum or sing along) and then changing the song as soon as we were into it. She really cracked herself up.
A while later the student I intended the controller for tried it. It took him under ten minutes to figure out how to scan through the songs and listen for the ones he likes and then click the left button to replay it.
The biggest surprise to me was one of my older students, who is not usually "into" activities like this really wanted to try it out. We didn't have time and there wasn't any music he would have liked on the computer anyways, so he will give it a whirl tomorrow.
New Note (June 1st, 2007):
My older, usually not-into-technology student tried out the Kidstation with Windows Media Player today. He loved it! In fact, he tried it out the minute he arrived at school, used it until he had to go to his job in the community (Ben and Jerry's). When he came back from work, after lunch, he when right back onto the computer to use the Kidstation.
He decided that he will bring in some country music CDs to download on Monday, since there is only one country song on the playlist and had someone write a note to his mom to remind her to send in the CDs. I think his favorite part of using the Kidstation was making it go to the song Mahna Mahna from the Muppet Show, because one of the staff really doesn't like that song.
This student also has low vision and some motor and intellectual challenges. He is less likely to use the tactile adaptations and more likely to use location and color to find the button he needs, however. If I can get my hands on another Kidstation before his next birthday I would love to give it to him to use on his home computer.
Resources and ideas for teachers of learners with severe, profound, intensive, significant, complex or multiple special needs.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Awesome Adaptation - Kidstation and Joy-to-Key
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Linking to Macro Friday, Flowers on Saturday
and Scenic Sunday
You are heading into spring and we are almost into fall. YOur flowers are blooming and our leaves are falling. Isn;t nature wonderful? And thru the internet and our photography blogs, we can see what it is like all around the world at one time. Amazing. Beautiful macro captures. Your flowers are gorgeous. genie
Congrats! You're a Top Blogger at The Blog Entourage this week!:) Keep up the awesome blogging.
beautiful flowers!


text: Inspiration Can YOU Hula Hoop With A Shopping Cart On Your Face? Steve Bags can. HoopingSkill.com | July 25, 2014 Yes, you read that right the first time! Steve Bags never fails to amaze…as he demonstrates how to hula hoop with a shopping cart balanced on his face. Read More


text: Email This Post HomeHumorDropping a Dime Amy Vansant November 8, 2011 Humor, Literary Humor 8 Comments First published in Hobo Pancakes Humor Journal I caught him red-handed. "Sorry Joe, but I'm going to have to drop a dime on ya," I told him. The man looked at me with fear on his mug. He tried to play it off like confusion, but it was fear, or my name isn't Sam Slade. "Come with me, kid," I said. "Your number is up." "I was just taking an extra towel for my son at the pool…" said the guy, his face covered in more guilt than a religious statue. Sure, for that comment to make sense I mean gold "gilt" not "guilt," but aurally speaking, it made sense in my internal monologue. Either way, I wasn't about to take any lip from this palooka. "Sorry, pal, but I'm the house dick." "The house what?" he asked, playing the boob. He tilted his head and gave me the eye. "Aren't you hot in that jacket? It's like 90 degrees out here." I scoffed and pulled the belt around my trench a little tighter. "Clam up, or I'll be fitting YOU for a Chicago overcoat, if you get what I mean." The man shook his head. "No, honestly, I have no idea what you mean." "Look you," I said, trying to keep my temper. "I said I'm the hotel's new house dick." This egg stared at me like I'd lost my mind. What a maroon. I tried a different tack. "I'm an Op, a Peeper, you know, a Shamus! And I'm going to have to drop a dime on you for glomming the extra towel. The sign clearly states 'one per guest.' " I grabbed the schmuck's arm and led him away from the pool, straight into the lobby of the hotel. I started to give him the third, but he yanked his arm out of my paw. "Don't make me pull out my bean shooter," I warned him. Again, the nance's face clouded over with fear disguised as confusion. "Your what?" he asked. "Look, freak, I needed a towel for my son, so I took one." "Exactly. And now that you've gone and done it, I'm going to have to drop a dime on you." I looked around the lobby for a set of phone booths, but found nothing. I kicked myself for not checking in with the boss on the location of the horns in the event I needed to drop a dime on someone. Finally, I found one near the bathrooms, but it only took quarters. Since when did it take eight cups of joe to call the bulls? "You got some quarters on you?" I asked the guy. He'd begun to shiver from the cold. "Are you kidding me?" he asked. "I'm in swim trunks." I froze, unsure of my next move. 'Dropping a quarter' on the guy just didn't have the same ring. "Get a cell phone, asshole," said the guy. "Until then, I'm going back out to the pool with my son." I was behind the eight ball on this pinch. The guy turned and stormed off towards the pool. I let him go. In the old days, I would have played that daisy a little chin music, but I just wasn't the man I used to be. I pulled out a gasper and lit it, deep in thought. "I'm sorry, sir, you can't smoke in here," said the kid at the desk. I took one last drag and put the pill out on my shoe. My eyes drifted towards the hotel bar. On the square, I've been known to be a bit of a boozehound. It's how I lost my last job. I thought better of it, and I made my way outside. This wasn't the place for me. I needed to tip a few in a joint where I felt a bit more jake. Author Recent Posts Amy VansantAmy Vansant is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling author specializing in fun, funny fiction --- even the murder mysteries. Latest posts by Amy Vansant (see all) Pineapple Hurricane is Released + Even More Giveaways (three chances to win a kindle) - June 4, 2020 Too Many Book Deals, Steals, Kindle Giveaways… - May 27, 2020 Name the Hurricane Winners, Win a Kindle + Books - May 19, 2020 8 Responses Lance November 8, 2011 Do ya know how ta whistle? I need to know about your getaway sticks. Are they long and dangerous like a black widow spider? I'm all outta Lucky's. Maybe the the soda jerk across the street will loan me a burner. 0 likes Reply Amy Vansant November 8, 2011 Lance, ya dirty rat. 0 likes Reply Carrie - Cannibalistic Nerd November 8, 2011 God, I love old school lingo. This was great! Have you seen Double Indemnity? I've tried very hard to bring "Suppose I…" back, but since I only talk to my dogs and cat it isn't catching on. 0 likes Reply Amy Vansant November 8, 2011 I've seen all the old classics.. went through a major Bogie phase in grade school (nerd much?) My husband and I regularly talk to each other like Edward G. Robinson. "You're gonna take the trash out, see? Yeah… " 0 likes Reply Carrie - Cannibalistic Nerd November 9, 2011 One of my dogs' names is Edward G. Robinson. 0 likes Amy Vansant November 9, 2011 Gotta be a pug… 0 likes Jeane November 15, 2011 I am horrible with old lingo but you, obviously, have it down to a T! I do think I might have to borrow 'play that daisy a little chin music' though. By the way, I am almost finished with Kid-free living essays…giggling my way through! Hoping to have a review up for you on Amazon in the next few days! 0 likes Reply Amy Vansant November 15, 2011 Thanks SO much! 0 likes Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Add me to Amy Vansant's Humor Newsletter!


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Carson City's ban on "colors" in court struck down
RENO — A federal judge has struck down a rule at the Carson City courthouse that banned bikers from wearing insignia or "colors."
Monday's order by U.S. District Judge Philip Pro makes permanent a temporary injunction issued in October.
"It's a huge victory for bikers," Richard Eckhardt told a Reno newspaper. Eckhardt, of Sparks, is president of His Royal Priesthood, a Christian-based biker group.
He and nine other bikers were cited for trespassing at the Carson City courthouse March 26 for refusing an order from court security officers to either remove their motorcycle jackets or leave the public building.
They were among the 35 or more motorcycle riders who showed up at the courthouse that day in support of two Branded Few bikers who had been arrested two weeks earlier on the same charge.
The initial incident involved Scot Banks and Steve Dominguez of Reno, who went to the courthouse March 9 to contest a traffic violation but were told by security officers that they couldn't wear their swastika-decorated vests inside.
The two were arrested and their vests were confiscated after they refused the officers' ultimatum.
Thirteen bikers sued in federal court after the incident.
Carson District Judge William Maddox said while the ruling restricts a broad ban on wearing biker insignia into the courthouse, judges could still restrict what people wear in courtrooms.
People won't wear biker insignia into his courtroom just like they won't wear shorts or hats, Maddox said.
"The problem I have is that we live in perilous times," Maddox said. "It's our responsibility to ensure the security of people that come into that building.
"We took our best shot at trying to ensure everybody's safe," he said. "It wasn't our intent to violate anyone's civil rights."
In his decision, Pro also noted judges have the power in particular cases or circumstances to restrict what people wear.
Maddox noted Laughlin casinos have banned bikers from wearing insignia into the casinos, following the April 2002 deadly battle between two biker gangs.
"Apparently we can't do that," the judge said.


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Maybe there will be a time when Dean Ambrose will be booked to his potential. But April 2015 was his low point so far in his WWE career. That's exactly why I stopped watching WWE shows. Because they want certain wrestlers to be liked and they try with shoving them down our throats with four+ segments per show. I only started watching Dean Ambrose's segments from April 2015 today. And this is my summary of it.
SmackDown | 02 April 2015: The booking of Dean Ambrose stinks
Vince McMahon definitely had a blast writing the happenings that led to the match between Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper. Because it was another toilet "joke". Seth Rollins was rambling with Kane backstage when Rollins noticed that the office stinks. Rollins went off in disgust; enter Dean Ambrose after the spectator listened to a toilet flush. I laughed my ass off. Funniest scene I've ever watched in WWE.
No. Of course not! Please, Mr. McMahon, do yourself a favour and stop trying to include funny segments. Because these "jokes" only amuse the 5-year-olds. If that's your prime target, fabulous, you hit the nail on the head. But if your main target is still Emperor of the World, then you couldn't be more of a failure. Cut the crap, seriously.
Now, Dean Ambrose was punished by Kane for using his toilet with this match against Luke Harper. And that was next. We were barely into the match when WWE went for a commercial break. And after it most of the match happened outside of the ring. The match was quite even with Dean Ambrose hitting a few moves from the top of the turnbuckle. But finally Luke Harper prepared the announce table and powerbombed Dean Ambrose in it to the disadvantage of the table – and the back of Dean Ambrose. It was the same move that prevented Dean Ambrose from becoming IC champion on WrestleMania. And now Dean Ambrose was only able to get backstage by the help of a few doctors.
The match itself happened to last for 7:36 minutes before it was declared a no contest.
RAW | 13 April 2015: Dean Ambrose is back as a jobber against a jobber
The European Tour of the WWE was already in full blast, when RAW came to London, England. After he missed the previous RAW and SmackDown because of "doctor's order" due to the humiliation he suffered from Luke Harper, Dean Ambrose was punished even more with a two-minute "match" against Adam Rose of all people. I really like Adam Rose and he works great in front of NXT crowds. But he's a jobber of the lowest level in WWE. So, at least Dean Ambrose won this outing with Dirty Deeds. This expression on his face just before he hit his finisher in fact was quite telling – like he was saying, "I know I'm jobbing here, but what can I do?". These are the little moments when I wish Dean Ambrose would have the same united fanbase like Daniel Bryan.
Later on, after Luke Harper disqualified himself in a match against Ryback by hitting his opponent with a RAW sign from the announcers table, Dean Ambrose came out to attack Luke Harper in the middle of the ring. He tried to hit Dirty Deeds but Luke Harper was able to escape through the crowd.
RAW | 20 April 2015: Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper -OR- The most sophisticated storyline I've ever seen in WWE
The booking of the Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper segment on the next episode of RAW (of course Dean Ambrose hadn't been on SmackDown before because he was busy destroying Luke Harper in Bournemouth that night instead of being in London again) was quite astonishing. Extraordinary really. First of all Dean Ambrose had to come out inside the ring, just to pace through it through the entire commercial break WWE threw in at that point. Then they gave us replays from Dean Ambrose being powerbombed by Luke Harper into the ladder at WrestleMania and of Dean Ambrose being powerbombed by Luke Harper into the announcers table at SmackDown. Only then Luke Harper came out and he who hardly speaks into a microphone, had this to say to Dean Ambrose:
"Dean Ambrose, I don't know why you weren't afraid of me, boy. But after tonight you will be!"
Fabulous. That's the storyline. Remarkable, isn't it? I just can't hold my excitement. The match itself was rather short again and of course they had to act after their crazy gimmick. So they barely left the action inside the ring for one minute. Instead they brawled themselves outside of it and after just one and a half minute Luke Harper threw Dean Ambrose over the barricades. And the brawl continued through the crowd. Eventually they made it back over the barricades but never went back inside the ring. Instead they now brawled their way up the ramp. And we were barely over two minutes in… um… this when Michael Cole told us that the match was over, even if we didn't hear the bell again. A little tossing and teasing went on on the ramp. But in the end Luke Harper escaped backstage while Dean Ambrose was standing "tall" on the ramp to his music.
Oh, and why exactly should Dean Ambrose have been afraid of Luke Harper after that? Maybe Vince McMahon is able to answer this question.
SmackDown | 23 April 2015: Dean Ambrose teams up with Roman Reigns to make him look strong
As some fun program by Kane for Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose was supposed to be his opponent for a singles match. But when Dean Ambrose made his way to the ring, Luke Harper's music hit for a little distraction. Anyway, Dean Ambrose continued his walk inside the ring, the bell was heard and the match started. But after just a few punches between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, Luke Harper joined the action. And also Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble had fun destroying Dean Ambrose now in a 4-on-1. Some genius in the back thought it was far better not to make Roman Reigns coming through the crowd for the safety. And soon after Reigns joined the action, he had saved Dean Ambrose for the two of them standing tall inside the ring. Consequently the main event match of SmackDown was soon announced as Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins & Luke Harper.
This match happened to last for around 16 minutes of whom Dean Ambrose was in action for around eleven minutes. Actually it was a good match, good pace, good moves and good built-up to the finish. It's not really surprising that Dean Ambrose again had to take a lot of beating and right at the end had to save Reigns from a pin, then cleared the ring on his own from Rollins, Harper and J+J Security, who of course had to get involved at ringside. Then Kane, who sat beside the announcers table, shoved Rollins inside the ring and Dean Ambrose made it back inside on his own. Both were the legal men, and it would have been easy for Dean Ambrose to hit Dirty Deeds on Seth Rollins for the win. But still he made the tag to Super Reigns who only had to hit Rollins with a spear for him to get the win. Of course, Super Reigns had to look strong.
Extreme Rules | 26 April 2015: WWE knows how to make people keep watching
For Extreme Rules and since this Pay-Per-View took place in Chicago, Illinois, it was previously announced that the match between Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper would be a "Chicago Street Fight" and that meant everything was allowed, not count-out, no disqualification. As it is usually the case for a Pay-Per-View we had a full hour of pre-show. And Dean Ambrose appeared here at the panel. He somehow cut something like a promo on his match against Luke Harper and it was the usual rambling about how he would destroy the man and get his revenge for Wrestlemania. But, either some stupid guy in the back handed him a non working microphone or Dean Ambrose was just unable to get the mic work, so we only heard him via the mic of co-host Corey Graves.
Now the match, that didn't get a proper promo, did start as the first one of the evening. As low-carded as this is, I was kind of glad because I didn't want to watch the entire show. Because, yes, Extreme Rules was the only show from last month that I watched live. So I was hoping for early bed time here when Dean Ambrose came out as the first opponent. But he didn't wait for Luke Harper to make it inside of the ring. He joined him halfway and brawled him inside the ring for the start of the match. And both men didn't wait long for bringing out the toys. Two chairs made it inside the ring but Dean Ambrose started with working the Kendo stick on Luke Harper's back. Then it was Dean Ambrose who suffered the most from the chairs. And when both men were outside of the ring once again, Dean Ambrose grabbed another Kendo to beat Luke Harper up the ramp and backstage. There they brawl through the locker-room area until Luke Harper arrived at a car. Somehow Dean Ambrose made it inside of it through the co-driver's window. And off they went after 8:22 minutes. The last we saw from this segment was referee Charles Robinson looking after the car, wondering what happens next. This question now was discussed by Michael Cole, JBL and Jerry Lawler, announcing that this match only ends inside of the ring. And that was later in the show when both opponents chose to come back. And while JBL, Cole & King still argued, the Chicago crowd chanted "CM Punk".
43 minutes later Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper decided that they have had enough fun on the streets of Chicago. Now Dean Ambrose was driving the car almost into a wall backstage. Luke Harper made it outside of the back of the car, Dean Ambrose took out The New Day who were there by accident for an interview. And then Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper brawled back inside of the arena and down the ramp. But before they made it back inside the ring they flooded the ring with tables, thrown inside from both sides of the ring. Soon later Luke Harper literally buried Dean Ambrose under all these chairs, then climbed onto the turnbuckle in an attempt to jump on this pile. But Dean Ambrose crawled free and now everything went really fast. Luke Harper was thrown onto all these chairs and after a few seconds of recovery Dean Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds for his first Pay-Per-View win after a match time of 12:01 minutes. Now you can add the 43 minutes between these two segments and you get a total match time of 55 minutes (but without the commercial breaks – I'm not quite sure anymore but maybe there were two commercial breaks during this time, so you can easily add another five minutes for a total match time of a full hour).
I went to bed after that and maybe a few other people have done that as well. But kudos to WWE to make me actually stay longer than I initially wanted to. And, yes, Dean Ambrose finally got his first Pay-Per-View win – it was about time! – but it was against another mid-carder and with no title to fight for, not even a decent storyline. Typical mid-card, no-one really cares finish to this "feud".
On the Extreme Rules Fallout show Dean Ambrose finally was able to say something into a working microphone again:
"Twelve staples! Twelve staples in the back of my head. And every single one of them – *tshk, tshk, tshk, tshk* – hurt. Just like getting powerbombed through a steel ladder hurts. Just like failing to win the Intercontinental title at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania, really hurt. We've found out tonight and it only takes one big win to get back on track, and they'll come no bigger than a monster like Luke Harper. Fights don't come any tougher than against a monster like Luke Harper. It doesn't get any wilder or any nastier than a Chicago Street Fight. But the thing about Dean Ambrose is, whenever, wherever with me – the fight never stops. And to the guy whose SUV I commandeered earlier, I, er, sincerely apologize and I hope we can keep that just between me and you. And I left a present in the glove box for you. So we should be square. Thank you. Thank you. [I'm sorry.]"
RAW | 27 April 2015: No ashes left – back to reality
Once again WWE dug deep, found the King of the Ring tournament and started it right on this episode of RAW. The first round, i.e. quarter finals, was scheduled for this show while the semis and the final were an extra live show on coming Tuesday.
Now since this is a mid-card tournament, Dean Ambrose was one of the participants and his opponent for Round 1 was Sheamus. I have to say that I like Sheamus' new entrance music. I just laugh about his appearance. But since he's a heel now, that's certainly supposed to be. The match was a really good one this time. 12:46 minutes of hard hitting in-ring action. But once again Dean Ambrose was the one who had to act beat-up, heavily disorientated at times. Like a real cockroach he did came back a couple of times and fought back where he could. But Sheamus appeared as too strong. At the end both men were outside of the ring at rampside when Dean Ambrose finally had to eat a Brogue Kick. Maybe he would have been counted out anyway but Dolph Ziggler came out, attacked Sheamus and consequently disqualified Dean Ambrose. So Sheamus progressed to the second round while Dean Ambrose was furious afterwards when it was announced that indeed Sheamus won via disqualification. So Dolph Ziggler basically helped the man who humiliated him at Extreme Rules with making him kiss his ass. And Dean Ambrose apparently doesn't know the rules. It started as a real good match but ended in a quite ridiculous way.
But it went even worse when Dean Ambrose was interviewed on the RAW Fallout show where he generously forgave Dolph Ziggler his actions:
"Disqualification! Disqualification? I'm unqualified to win a match for not even doing anything to break the rules for once in my life. The one time I'm telling the truth. It's on camera, broadcast to the whole world on U.S.A. Network – I didn't do anything wrong. And I get disqualified. See, you might think that I'm pretty upset right now with Dolph Ziggler for him screwing me out of the King of the Ring. But I know the feeling. I know that Dolph Ziggler was humiliated at Extreme Rules and he was screwed over earlier tonight in his match with Bad News Barrett. I know the feeling of getting screwed over. And I know the feeling of having revenge on your lips – the taste of sweet payback on your lips. And sometimes a man just can't help himself. So I understand where Dolph Ziggler is coming from. And I'm gonna let this one slide. It's just one, one time as long as I get outta here before I see him. So I'm gonna get dressed, I'm gonna get showered, I'm gonna throw a couple cold ones in the cooler, I'm gonna get in the back of the truck, and I'm gonna move on to the next town. And when I see Dolph Ziggler, bygones will be bygones. I hope. I think."
So, that's it. Dean Ambrose had a saint for breakfast, and Dolph Ziggler is save. For now. I'm sure. Because Dolph Ziggler is in a feud with Sheamus, and Dean Ambrose has got nothing to do with that. At least WWE felt the need to make Dean Ambrose saying this and didn't just let it slip under the carpet. That's some kind of improvement, isn't it?
SmackDown | 30 April 2015: Dean Ambrose as the "weak link" of The Shield is one of the longest lasting storylines in WWE
Prior to the main event of SmackDown Seth Rollins met up with Dean Ambrose who was just preparing for his match with the sell-out of The Shield. Of course J+J Security were with Rollins. And now the WWE World Heavyweight champion tried to talk Dean Ambrose out of that match. Kane apparently made it to humiliate Rollins like this is some kind of game Kane likes to play recently when the rest of The Authority aren't around. Now Rollins told him about the reasons why Dean Ambrose should back out. First of all he would have a title match at Payback (against Orton and Reigns; yeah, what you are listening right now is me laughing) but that would be nothing Ambrose would know something about (again!) and if Triple H finds out that Ambrose participated in Kane's plan to humiliate Rollins, he would take it out on him. Well, what shall I say? We already had this promise once: Ambrose was teased to be a thorn in the back of The Authority once again – just tune in to see what The Authority will do to him – and then there was nothing at all. WWE knows too well that there is a huge Dean Ambrose fanbase out there. But either they willingly hold him down or don't know what to do with him (I seriously hope it's the first because if it's the second, then why are these creatives are still employed when they've got no idea what to do with a man who can do anything and everything?), they still tease possibilities just to make Ambrose fans tune in. And that was just another of these lame hints.
Anyway Dean Ambrose said it sounds good, at least the part to humiliate Seth Rollins, so of course he wouldn't back out. And then we head back inside the arena where the match was about to start. Whole match time was 13:04 minutes and as it usually is the case with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a one-one-one match, it was a good one. Still J+J Security were on ringside and at one point they kicked Dean Ambrose when the referee wasn't watching. Otherwise it would have been a win for Dean Ambrose because of disqualification. Just a few minutes into the match also Kane made his way to the ring and late in the match when the action once again headed towards outside of the ring, Kane picked up Rollins by his throat. For numerous times Rollins had been hit Kane, courtesy of Dean Ambrose, so Kane almost lost it once again. He almost got the referee by his throat but before he could come to his senses on his own, Dean Ambrose shoved him into a ring post, clotheslined J+J Security over the announcers table but was hit into the steel steps by Seth Rollins shortly after. Then Rollins shoved Dean Ambrose back inside the ring to hit his reverse Dirty Deeds (yes, I'm still mad about this finisher change) on him for the win.
Now the rest of SmackDown once again was senseless and ridiculous. Kane made it inside of the ring while Rollins was celebrating with his belt. Kane was still furious about Rollins but perhaps because he feared consequences on Monday Night RAW, he let out his frustrations on Dean Ambrose who was still lying flat on the canvas. Rollins and J+J Security joined the kick fest, so once again it was a 4-on-1 assault on Dean Ambrose. But his big saviour was near when the Shield music hit and Super Reigns came from ringside to take out Kane, then J+J Security. Rollins was long gone, watching from the ramp, when Dean Ambrose was allowed to have at least one shot against Kane. But of course it was Super Reigns who had the last say on that with a spear on Kane. And like Big Daddy he checked on Dean Ambrose afterwards to see if he's okay.
Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against a good friendship storyline but I hate this "weak link" angle the WWE still stretches up to now. They started it when The Shield had this storyline with CM Punk around October / November 2013 and it wasn't completely dropped until today. Dean Ambrose is the one who loses his head, gets always beaten, thinks he can beat anyone but in the end loses and has to be saved by his über-brother Super Reigns. It's stupid, ridiculous and one-dimensional, i.e. something the WWE loves because they think that most WWE fans are one-dimensional and love simple storylines. Maybe they aren't that wrong. But as for me, I hate this and sincerely hope that Dean Ambrose at one point turns on Roman Reigns because he's fed up with being saved by him all the time.


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Hypocrisy at work / supporting genocide?
I read today that the death toll in Sudan's Darfur Genocide has passed 30,000, with 1.4 million people driven from the homes by the Jangaweed militia. A new UN Report indicates that Sudan has done little, if anything, to stop the bloodshed.
In turn, it appears that the UN Security Council is going to do little, if anything, to assist the people of Darfur. So far in this 17 month crisis, our government has done little but to deplore the massacres. The latest statement I could find from the White House suggests that Darfur is simply someone else's problem:
"The President commends the African Union's deployment of cease-fire monitors and a protection force to Darfur. We welcome the deployment of 155 Rwandan troops to El-Fasher, Darfur and the commitment to deploy approximately 150 Nigerian troops by August 30. We hope this will help improve security and create conditions in which humanitarian assistance can be more effectively provided to the Sudanese people.
As the United States has said before, the Government of Sudan must halt all Jinjaweed violence and hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations. All parties, including the Darfur rebels, must respect the cease-fire and allow the free movement of humanitarian workers and supplies."
BUT, we're not willing to back up our noble words with either military action, or with a blank check to nations that have the forces, but not the finances and/or transportation. I have not heard any big name conservative commentators or politicians of either party express discontent with this state of affairs or urge military intervention to stop the killings of civilians.
HOWEVER, this same crowd (Coulter, Limbaugh, Wall St. Journal, etc) branded anyone who opposed the IMMEDIATE invasion of Iraq during the debates of 2002 as a supporter of Saddam Hussein -- despite the fact there was no similar large scale murder IN PROGRESS. By this "logic" shall we call Bush, Kerry and the rest of the American political establishment supporters of the Jingaweed? If not, why not? Why should it be ok to punish decade-plus old crimes (Kurds, Iranians, Kuwaitis, etc) with military force and turn our backs on people dying in our midst?
Why should we ignore the UN when people WEREN'T dying by the tens of thousands, and scrupously follow every last jot of UN procedures when millions have been driven from their homes and hundreds of rapes take place each day? They may rape outdoors instead of in political prisons, but it sounds like many more are occuring in Sudan 2004 than in Iraq 2002 -- not that either country publishes reliable rape statistics.
Forgive me for being so angry about this, but I really want to know why the outrage poured out over Iraq war opponents isn't being served out to people in both parties who are content to say "Gee, that's too bad. We're sure the international community will do something meaningful one day..." while we watch the flames of genocide/mass murder consume so many of God's children.
off base
"BUT, we're not willing to back up our noble words with either military action, or with a blank check to nations that have the forces, but not the finances and/or transportation. I have not heard any big name conservative commentators or politicians of either party express discontent with this state of affairs or urge military intervention to stop the killings of civilians."
Interesting statement. Which countries have said they would stop the slaughter in Sudan if we would just pay the tab?
Sudan is terrible and I believe at the very least we should throw a couple missiles into their capital but please don't ignore 10 years of resolutions and failed inspections in Iraq, or their own dead and dying, or their WMDs that they used to kill and maim. Just this once blame the UN, and just the UN.
the answer...
is NOT what Greg suggests "at the very least we should throw a couple missiles into their capital".
Why is it always brute force that comes to mind?
To be honest, I don't know what the answer is, as inevitably whatever is to be done will cost a lot of money and manpower. But the cost of human lives...can't be measured in dollars. I think the best thing to do at present is to keep the atrocities in the forefront of people's minds and on their TVs, and hopefully help will arrive before it's too late.
The Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief has raised funds to send people to the Dafur region. Medicines Sans Frontiers (Docs w/o borders) is there, ICRC and other NGO's are there - at least those who can get authorization from the Sudanese government which is not being remarkably helpful at times are there.
US Agency for International Development has spent more than $200MMusaid.gov>. I think two hundred million dollars is a good start and I could run several small countries on that.
We are backing up our diplomatic efforts with a blank check and we are a little thin militarily now to send troops to a civil war in the Sudan. Perhaps France or Germany could spare a few soilders. It is the same old song here Muslims in the North of Sudan vs. Non-Muslims in the rest of the country. That is why no one else wants to get involved because they don't want planes flying into their buildings, they don't want their school children taken hostage, they don't want their subways and nightclubs bombed.
If you will check my previous posting on here I have been outraged by the Sudanese problems and that it is left to the US to solve this. Sure the NGO's are going to go there, sure the UN debates it ad nauseum, but it is up to the US according to you - and apparently the rest of the world - to stop the civil war and the genocide.
Search google for france & sudan you get nothing of substance. The fifth linkinfo-france-usa.org> down the French Embassy in NY has a nice picture show of one of their diplomats meeting with turban wearing Sudanese leaders and taking a nice river cruise. A few below that notes that France opposes UNsanctions on militias accused of ethnic cleansingbbc.co.uk>. This from a country that forbid yarmulke and burqua in public schools.
Screw France, they are insane, the US will handle it as always, and no not everyone is going to be happy, but a lot more will be alive. It would be nice if some other nations had a collective conscience that extended beyond their borders, but they don't. The Sudanese government has to meet us halfway and not impose pointless restrictions on NGOs that prevent aid and assistance from being timely provided. If they want our help, and they insist that they do, then quit playing political games, stop trying to be the biggest turban wearing mufti and let the NGOs help otherwise your country will go down the toilet like all of the other Africo-Islamic states.
Re:BS and more BS
This has been going on for decades. The U.S. government has been aware of the persecution of southern sudanese for at least four previous administrations. Maybe if they had oil, there would be some results. Meanwhile, I don't rely on France either...I'm waiting for Ireland. Of course, they were conspicuous by their absence during WWII, so I probably shouldn't get my hopes up.
Re:BS and more BS
Don't be an arse, Ireland's political policies are not germane to this discussion and this is not the first time you have brought this up. Just because I am from Ireland does not mean you have to respond to my posts with a comment about Ireland and World War II. If you are a librarian please feel free to read a book or two about history and you will find out that while Ireland remained politically unaligned as a nation its people took an active part in helping the Allies in WWII. In fact the Dublin Fire Brigade went to the North during the war to help in Belfast after German bombings thus risking the Republic's neutrality to help their fellow man. More that 70K Irishmen (from the ROI) fought in the war with the British forces. More than 145000 immigrant and first generation Irish served in the US forces.
While Ireland was officially neutral as was Switzerland many Irish fought and died because of their personal abhorrence to Hitler and Nazi rule.
As you can seeeuropeanirish.com> the Irish are quite active internationally. The neutrality of Irish Defence Forces and the fact that they had never been a colony make their troops attractive as UN and OSCE peacekeepers.
So unless you want to condemn Ireland and for that matter Switzerland for their neutrality during World War II stop making comment you think will annoy me. Being Irish and American as well living and working in Florida and being a US citizen as well as an Irish citizen by birth I know the history of both countries to which I owe allegiance. I know the truth, why don't you grow up and do something constructive rather than attempting to speak about things you don't know or understand. Oh, and Trócaire, an Irish Catholic charity is spearheadingtrocaire.org> a relief effort in the Sudan.
I'd love to stay and call you an eejit, but I have to prepare for a hurricane, and the relief work I do locally - you know us Irish just trying to do our part.
Re:BS and more BS
I never intend to annoy you. I just get tired of the incessant bitching about France. I also disagree with your presentation about Irish efforts in World War II (a few "gestures" made when the tide had obviously turned). I applaud the Trocaire efforts and your "doing our part" with the hurricane approaching. But when you make an "arse" of yourself, you'll get your nose tweaked a little.
Sincerely: good luck with the storm.
Re:the answer...
See now this annoys me. You don't know what the solution is but somehow your sure mine won't accomplish anything. I aleady know what your solution is, even if you don't, we've gone through it before.
Talk talk talk, people still dying, people still dying, talk talk talk, people still dying, people still dying, send in the soldiers, people stop dying, bad guys die, soldiers die, big fat waste.
My way: missiles, boom, bad guys die, people stop dying, the end.
there is another way
I say lets just feed and arm those displaced. Give them a fighting chance. It's not like this hasn't happend before and it's not like it won't happen again. I know it's very cold for me to say things like this but it's true.
For the record it shouldn't happen at all but not everyone in the world believes that there is a peaceful soulution to every problem.
A resolution to impose sanctions
"Declared genocide by the U.S. Congress last Friday, Darfur's heightened violence prompted the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution last Friday (7/30) that threatens to impose sanctions on Sudan in 30 days if its government doesn't take action to disarm, apprehend, and prosecute the Janjaweed – and to provide access by aid agencies seeking to supply food, drinking water, and medical supplies to an estimated 300,000 displaced people facing imminent starvation." Church World Servicechurchworldservice.org> I hope the UN doesn't wait around as long as it did in Iraq. Does a threat to impose sanctions mean anything?
Re:And who could forget...
Like you said "Monica inspired" which is why there was no serious intent. Other examples you listed were all out wars, in other times that we've tried we targeted military establishments only. I'd rather level their government buildings in general. In the case of Sudan its not a question of submission but of altering behavior. So far my way offers the most possibilities with the least risk and least resources.


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Short, Helpful, and Transformational
In 20,000 Days And Counting: The Crash Course for Mastering Your Life Now, Robert D. Smith gives us a short book so as not to waste much of our time, and what's better, he also writes in an entertaining style that makes the content digestible. I love that Smith's focus is upon practical, actionable steps to help us make the most of our days. I'm still getting comfortable reading books on my Kindle Fire, but the style and formatting made it an enjoyable experience
I resonated most with the section about starting the day off with forward momentum and energy. Making the most of the morning really does have the power to transform the rest of the day. I am more of a "night" person instead of a "morning" person. Smith's encouragement challenged me to reconsider *how* I start my days instead of focusing upon (and coming up short) *how early* I start them. I especially love the idea of asking, "What does God have to say to me today?" to focus in the morning with Scripture.
I also appreciate how Smith opens up into his own life without being too prideful about himself or his successes. He earns your permission and builds his case so that it benefits you, not a personal agenda of his own.
You would do well to read the book. Even better to highlight helpful thoughts & quotes. Best to put into action his advice. But even if you don't read it, be sure to count your days (Psalm 90:12).
By the way, I've lived 10,846 days thus far.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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Legendary party girl and one-time girlfriend to some of rock n' roll's hardest-living bad boys, California-bred Sable Starr lost her virginity to Iggy Pop at age 13 (which just sounds sick to me, nowadays), and was the most salient and recognizable face of the new group of baby groupies that prowled the Sunset Strip in the early 70's. She was best friends with Lori Mattix, and together they became regulars at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, where they enchanted Led Zeppelin and other rockers, and called out rude remarks to former GTO Miss Pamela, who had dated Jimmy Page and was then the ripe old age of 25. When the New York Dolls came to LA, Sable and friends waited by their hotel to give them a warm welcome, and to pick out the Doll they desired. For Sable, it was guitarist Johnny Thunders, and it began their tumultuous two year, coast-crossing romance.
Ultimately, Sable was a tragic figure, disappearing from "the scene" when she was still a teenager. She died two years ago of a brain tumor.
Here are the scans I've collected of Miss Starr and Lori (and a couple of Miss Pamela). Please credit if you re-post, and let me know if you want me to email you bigger versions of the files (I resized them, as usual, for this blog).
Sable (far left) with Lori (right, smiling) and friends:
With Led Zeppelin. Morgana Welch is also here (center):
David Johansen (foreground) and party-girl Sable dancing on the table at Max's:
Jimmy Page and Miss Pamela circa 1973:
Rodney, Jimmy, Miss Pamela and Lori:
Miss Pamela with Alice Cooper:
Punk rock love affair - Johnny Thunders & Sable Starr:
Sable with pal Debbie Harry circa 1977-1978, around the time she "retired":
all photos courtesy of/scanned from Bob Gruen's Dolls book or Creem magazine