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Thursday, September 4, 2014
Loves and Loathes
8 comments:
- Jess said...
So I promise - I am still reading. I just don't always have the time to comment or anything productive to say. :)
So ... I totally love TSwift's new song. and as much as I love G, I can't stand her hair either! The blonde with the bad roots? She is just not a blonde kinda girl. and I am super proud that fall is not on your loathe list. summer is on my loathe list right now because I just cannot deal with this heat. I guess y'all are used to it in the south, but I'm not!
- September 4, 2014 at 7:16 AM
- Carly said...
I'm still reading too - I'm just a really bad (and lazy) commenter.
Anyway, I hear ya on G's hair - I hate it. The bob is just not a good look on her (makes her slender frame look worse) and the blonde is just not good at all. A shoulder length light brunette colour is what she needs. I should totally be her new hair stylist ;)
- September 4, 2014 at 8:20 AM
- P!nky said...
I'm here lady!!!!
I love that T swift song and totally loathe G's hair, just so not cute.
We are growing up, not loathing fall, look at us! xoxo
- September 4, 2014 at 8:28 AM
- BLovedBoston said...
Your GR comment about her hair made me laugh - yes the bob was bad and the blonde hair is so much worse!! I love that James Dean was your boyfriend...I mean they just don't make them like that anymore!!
- September 4, 2014 at 9:58 AM
- Caley-Jade Rosenberg said...
Yay for being one of your 7 blog readers. Nay for that nasty blonde bob. Yay for that delicious sushi plate. Nay for having to cook yourself. x
- September 4, 2014 at 10:42 AM
- Courtney B said...
Serrrrrrriously! My blogging is pretty lame now that I only talk about Mia. I mean, it's great for me and my documenting... but lame for my readers! Ha! I need to get back into writing and being creative!
- September 4, 2014 at 1:10 PM
- Shannon said...
Totally obsessed with buzzfeed quizzes. I don't know why, but they are so addicting.
Yes, I do need to know which flavor cough syrup my grandkids will prefer!!
- September 4, 2014 at 2:57 PM
- Whitney @ EHFAR said...
I'm probably done to like 7 followers too, because I haven't really blogged that much in months and months.
- September 9, 2014 at 5:40 PM


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CNN's Jim Acosta Singlehandedly Sinks the Cause of a Free Press
What's more, Acosta harmed the cause of freedom of the press by doing something so obviously self-aggrandizing and unprofessional. The free press, which is essential to the functioning of a democracy, is already in disrepute with the American people for its overt bias. Acosta Wednesday did more damage, creating a viral video clip showcasing press bias and unprofessionalism that will be rerun for years.
African-American PBS Reporter Calls Trump a White Nationalist — Trump Calls Her a Racist!!
PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor accused President Trump of being the leader of the White Nationalist party on Wednesday.
- Yamiche Aldindor: On the campaign trail you called yourself a nationalist. Some people saw it as emboldening white nationalists.
- President Trump: I don't know why you are saying that. Such a racist…
- Yamiche Alcindor: There are some people that say now the Republican Party is seen as supporting white nationalists because of your rhetoric. What do you think of that.
- President Trump: Why do I have the highest numbers with African Americans… You're a racist.
And THAT is exactly what the liberal insane media thinks of Republican voters.

subset: commoncrawl


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Professor Mervyn Heard's Magic Lantern Show
2 December 2011, 18:00 - 20:30
The Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ
Tickets: £8.50 (limited tickets available)
To book call 020 7841 3600 or drop into the Museum.
Doors and bar open at 18:00, the Magic Lantern Show begins at 19:00
Professor Mervyn Heard presents genuine Victorian and Edwardian magic lantern shows featuring vintage moving slides, comical stories, sights, frights and optical surprises.
Magic lantern shows made it possible for Victorians, most of whom would never travel much beyond thirty miles of their own home in a lifetime, to see actual, real-life living pictures of places unheard and undreamt of. As popularity increased lantern slide manufacturers began producing songs and stories in lantern slide form, with 'life-model' slides featuring ordinary working people drawn from the community close by the slide-producing studio.
This magic lantern show is organised by Professor Mervyn Head and the Foundling Museum in association with the German Historical Institute London as part of their conference Screen Culture and the Social Question in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lasting approximately seventy minutes, the show will focus on nineteenth century social work and will be accompanied by piano music.


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There is now a generation that knows Nardwuar The Human Serviette for nothing but his hilarious and very informative interviews of everyone from Snoop Dogg to Lady Gaga, but long time fans will know Nardwuar not only for his radio shows and articles, but for his record label and the awesome music has has made with his band The Evaporators. Busy Doing Nothing (Mint) is a brand new album featuring new music by The Evaporators, along with music from his music friends and of course, you can't have a Nardwuar product without having one interview segment.
Nardwuar has always been a champion of powerful music, and he's not just a casual fan, but he shows his love by interviewing his favorite artists and influences. Whenever possible, he'll also get The Evaporators going and they'll play together with some of them. Busy Doing Nothing features some great new songs by The Evaporators, including the Cheak Trick-flavored "I Hate Being Late When I'm Early", and if "Hot Dog High" (which features Sage Francis, Xaul Zan & Megan Barnes doesn't become an anthem, it should. It'll remind some of the days when you were able to go to punk shows and explore your favorite pits, or those wacky teen camp movies that were basic cable staples. There are also a number of collaborations and covers that come off like going through random thrift stores or deep record collections to see what happens when you bring an old song to life.
Hearing Kate Nash cover Cub's "My Chinchilla" and makes it sound as new as it did back then, but if there's one choice for ultimate cover, it has to be Fuad & The Feztones' cover of The Evaporators anthem, the almighty "Welcome To My Castle". The song may only have four words (essentially, the song title repeated over and over) but to hear it done in a way that may make you want to shag is just brilliant. Let's just say if those fuckers in The Mummies were bowed down to Nardwuar with respect, this is what it might sound like if they entered a proper recording studio.
Other highlights include The Cribs covering The Dishrags' "Death In The Family" and Franz Ferdinand doing a Canadian punk rock gem, Pointed Sticks' "Real Thing". The album closes with an interview between Nardwuar & Franz Ferdinand.
On top of that, Busy Doing Nothing also includes a 40-page calendar of classic Canadian punk rock photos from the 1970's, with full album credits and some informative liner notes, which for many is what brought people to Nardwuar's geeky genius in the first place. His love of music and all that is Canadian is very deep, and all of these things and more are celebrated with this comp. Let me just say that if major labels worked with the passion that Nardwuar The Human Serviette has shared with fans and fellow music junkies for so many years, the world would be a much better place. Put on your knitted touke and ROCK!
Doot doo!
(You can order the album on vinyl directly from Nardwuar himself by clicking here. MP3's can be ordered from the Amazon link below.)


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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Time for e-Textbooks in Schools?
So my sister has been jumping through hoops the last few days, buying used books online, through Amazon.com, neighbors, etc. She's learned that there is a whole sub-culture of entrepreneurial businesses that does things like rent textbooks, find people used books, sell used books. Leave it to the private sector to figure out innovative ways because it's certainly not happening in the public sector, and don't even get me started on the property taxes she pays in Chicago, most of which goes to fund their public schools.
Side note: I occasionally teach online writing classes at a local college here in Phoenix and I see the prices that students are charged for books and, frankly, it makes my stomach turn. I have to wonder if schools resorted to e-textbooks whether the costs would decrease. I know that some private colleges have started experimenting with e-textbooks and e-readers. Maybe it's about time it became more common?
I have no idea why high school and college textbooks are so freaking expensive but I can guess at some of the reasons. The fact that these books are required makes it all the more distasteful.
6 comments:
- Talli Roland said...
I was just going to say it reminded me of university textbooks! The cost of those is out of control. I'm shocked that high school books cost this much!
- August 24, 2010 at 10:11 AM
- Unknown said...
I have been out of the loop for so long I have no idea what text books are costing. I pay close to eight hundred dollars per child for homeschooling which included the full years tuition, books,and the access to video streaming(use to be dvd). Is this to much? Is it better priced than public school in the states?
- August 24, 2010 at 10:36 AM
- Liz Fichera said...
Talli, It's pretty shocking, believe me. And it only goes up.
- August 24, 2010 at 12:10 PM
- Liz Fichera said...
Talina, I'd say you're getting a bargain, in comparison. My sister will pay at least that for books. That doesn't include all the special fees, gym fees, team fees. School has become one big fee.
- August 24, 2010 at 12:11 PM
Yikes!! You almost need to take out a loan on your house to buy school books nowadays. Maybe things will get better someday.
- August 24, 2010 at 3:03 PM
- Liz Fichera said...
TOG, yes, a loan, or you have to get real resourceful and discover all the underground alternatives--e.g. places that "rent" textbooks, used textbooks, neighbors, etc.
- August 24, 2010 at 3:37 PM


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Tuesday, March 19, 2013
A DANGEROUS METHOD (2011)Posted by EdWood at 19:49
Directed by David Cronenberg
Starring Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen
The third collaboration between Cronenberg and Mortensen is easily the least exciting of the bunch (the others being A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises). I was expecting more from the meeting and ultimately clash between Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Fassbender) given the talent in hand but A Dangerous Method is ultimately just an elevated, steady character triangle. It's very well acted and Cronenberg keeps the mood stable but there are no real fireworks of emotion which is kind of a let down when you consider the film tells a tale of two titans of psychology. Good but not great.
A Dangerous Method at IMDb
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time zone(redirected from Calculating local time)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
time zone
Any of the roughly longitudinal divisions of the earth's surface in which a standard time is kept, the primary division being that bisected by the Prime Meridian. A typical time zone averages 15° of longitude in width and observes a clock time one hour earlier than the zone immediately to the east.
time zone
(Physical Geography) a region throughout which the same standard time is used. There are 24 time zones in the world, demarcated approximately by meridians at 15° intervals, an hour apart. See also zonetime
time′ zone`
art at time
one of the 24 regions or divisions of the globe approximately coinciding with meridians at successive hours from the observatory at Greenwich, England.
time zone
Any of the 24 divisions of the Earth's surface used to determine the local time for any given locality. Each zone is roughly 15° of longitude in width, with local variations. Local time is one hour ahead for each time zone as one travels east, and one hour behind for each time zone as one travels west. So, for example, when it is noon in New York City, it is 11:00 a.m. in Chicago, 10:00 a.m. in Denver, and 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. See more at International Date Line.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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|time zone - any of the 24 regions of the globe (loosely divided by longitude) throughout which the same standard time is used
geographical zone, zone - any of the regions of the surface of the Earth loosely divided according to latitude or longitude
časové pásmo
vremenska zona
เขตเวลาของโลกซึ่งมี ๒๔ เขต
múi giờ


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Let's go back to a simpler time- when one could buy a nice vibrator at the drug store. No? Well, at least nowadays we have the likes of Kjetil Nordin. Find out who he is and why we're talking about him in today's episode! You'll be glad that you did.
Check us out in the iTunes Store
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Mau Mau
Also found in: Dictionary, Wikipedia.
Mau Mau(mou` mou'), secret insurgent organization in KenyaKenya
, officially Republic of Kenya, republic (2015 est. pop. 47,236,000), 224,960 sq mi (582,646 sq km), E Africa. Kenya is bordered by Somalia on the east, the Indian Ocean on the southeast, Tanzania on the south, Lake Victoria (Victoria Nyanza) on the southwest, Uganda on
..... Click the link for more information. , comprising mainly Kikuyu tribespeople. They were bound by oath to force the expulsion of white settlers from Kenya. In 1952 the Mau Mau began reprisals against the Europeans, especially in the "white highlands," claimed as Kikuyu lands. The settlers retaliated and non-participant Kikuyu were killed by the Mau Mau. Jomo KenyattaKenyatta, Jomo
, 1893?–1978, African political leader, first president of Kenya (1964–78). A Kikuyu, he was one of the earliest and best-known African nationalist leaders.
..... Click the link for more information. and other nationalist leaders were imprisoned. By 1956, however, British troops had hunted down the Mau Mau in the mountain forests. Most leaders were captured and executed. Later the entire Kikuyu tribe was resettled within a guarded area. The state of emergency decreed (1952) in Kenya was ended in 1960 and Kenyatta was released; he subsequently became prime minister (1963) upon independence, and president (1964) when the country became a republic.
See study by D. Branch (2009).
Mau Mau
Kikuyu dissidents in Kenya revived an ancient secret society to support their demands for independence from the British. Tragically, black magic rituals soon became transformed into bloody rites.
In 1948, police officials in the British colony of Kenya began to receive reports of midnight assemblies in the jungle, where the participants mocked Christian rites through bestial rituals that included the eating of human flesh and the drinking of blood. These strange accounts were soon followed by stories of native people being dragged from their beds at night, beaten, and forced to swear oaths of initiation to a secret society called the Mau Mau.
Experts on tribal culture thought that the Mau Mau was an ancient Kikuyu secret society that had been reactivated. The Kikuyu tribe was the most populous and best educated in Kenya, but their culture also permitted secret societies to flourish, and many such groups had existed since long before the Europeans came to Africa. The Mau Mau leaders invoked the old secret society in order to stir up the Kikuyu to support their demands for independence and for the return of the Kikuyu land that the whites had taken over the years.
The reactivated secret society had moved from practicing black magic and the administration of blood oaths into the most violent barbarism. The first man to die at the hands of the Mau Mau was a Kikuyu chief who spoke out against them. A state of emergency was declared in Kenya as the midnight rituals and beatings escalated into the murder of Kikuyu policemen, whose bodies were found mutilated and bound with wire, floating in rivers. White farmers discovered their cattle disemboweled and the tendons in the animals' legs severed so they could not walk. In October 1952 a lone white settler was killed and disemboweled. An elderly farmer was found dead in November; in January 1953 two men who worked a farm as partners were discovered murdered by the Mau Mau.
The Mau Mau weapon of choice was the panga, a broad-bladed machete commonly used to hack a path through thick jungle vegetation. The society appeared to favor bloody and brutal attacks as a means of striking fear into the hearts and minds of all who might oppose them, but their choice of enemies often seemed difficult to understand.
A vicious attack on January 24, 1953, claimed the Rucks, a family of English heritage who had always been regarded as dealing with their black employees in a fair-minded and charitable manner, even to the extent of supporting a clinic at their own expense. What seemed particularly insidious to the white population was that employees who had been loyal to them for decades were suddenly rising up and butchering them without warning. Such unprovoked and bestial butchery as that exhibited toward the Rucks had the white farmers watching their employees apprehensively and preparing for another brutal attack on their isolated homes.
The next violent raid occurred on March 26, 1953, against the police station at Naivasha. The attackers overran the station and hauled away guns and ammunition in a truck. Later that same night, the Mau Mau bound the circular huts in the villages of Lari with cables so the doors could not be opened, poured gasoline over the thatched roofs, and set the homes on fire. Most of the men of the village were away serving in the Kikuyu Guard, an anti–Mau Mau force, so most of the ninety bodies found in the charred remains were those of women and children. In addition, the Mau Mau had mutilated over a thousand of the villagers' cattle as further punishment for opposing them.
The ranks of the Mau Mau increased when they began to force many unwilling individuals from other tribes into participating in their blood oaths. The oathing ceremonies began with the new members taking a vow to honor the old religion of their tribal ancestors. There were at least seven stages of oath-taking, which might take several days or weeks to complete and which included the drinking of blood, eating portions of human flesh, having sex with animals, and ingesting bits of brains from disinterred corpses. After the seventh stage of the oath-taking had been reached, the members had to repeat the cycle and reinforce their vows by beginning again. No man or woman was exempt from this requirement, not even the leaders of the society.
The Mau Mau reign of terror was broken by small bands of white settlers who joined the auxiliary police, army units, and Kikuyus, who taught the whites how to move silently through the thick underbrush. In May 1956 a party of Kikuyu tribal police captured Dedan Kimathi, the militant head of the Mau Mau. The British executed Kimathi in 1957 for having ordered atrocities and murders.
By the time the Mau Mau were disbanded, they had slaughtered over two thousand African tribespeople and maimed many thousands more. Killings of white settlers attributed to the Mau Mau range from a minimum of thirty-two to nearly a hundred.
The Kikuyu Central Association, the political party that fronted for the secret activities of the Mau Mau, was headed by Johnstone Kamau, better known as Jomo Kenyatta (1892–1978). Under his leadership, Kenya gained independence in 1963.


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Cambridge to offer minibonds to small investors
The City of Cambridge is trying to attract small investors to buy its municipal bonds, to fund work on schools, streets, and ball fields. The so-called minibonds will be available in increments of $1,000, instead of the usual $5,000. They'll have a duration of five years and will be part of $2 million in bonds set aside for Cambridge residents in a total $65.8 million public debt offering. The munis will be sold online, with no fee, according to Cambridge Budget Director Jeana Franconi. Neighborly Securities, a San Francisco-based brokerage, will handle the sales. Franconi said the city was looking at "how we could engage the community more in our financial process." The minibonds will be priced Feb. 17 and will be sold through Feb. 23. Current yields on such bonds, which are tax-exempt, would be 1.6 percent. — BETH HEALY
Verizon wireless business remains sluggish
Verizon Communications Inc. continues to face a slowdown in its core wireless business, putting more pressure on the phone giant to show progress in its plan to transform into a media and advertising rival to Facebook and Google. The nation's largest wireless carrier sacrificed profits in the fourth quarter by cutting prices and offering giveaways like free iPhones, but lured fewer customers than expected. The company added 591,000 subscribers, compared with 1.5 million a year earlier and the 744,056 projected by analysts. By comparison, T-Mobile US Inc. gained 1.2 million in the period. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
Way cleared for sale of University of Phoenix parent company
The Higher Learning Commission, a college accreditation agency, has cleared the way for the $1.1 billion sale of Apollo Education Group, owner of the University of Phoenix, Western International University and College for Financial Planning, to a group of investors. The commission notified Apollo on Monday that it voted in favor of an application filed by the for-profit colleges to ensure they remain accredited after investors assume control of the parent company, according to a regulatory filing. All three institutions must submit quarterly reports to the commission detailing such things as enrollment, quarterly financials, and student retention rates. The purchase of one of the largest for-profit education companies has been met with criticism because of the involvement of Vistria Group, a private equity firm run by President Obama's friend Marty Nesbitt and former deputy education secretary Tony Miller. Vistria is among a consortium of investors bidding to take the publicly traded Apollo private, but its ties to the Obama administration sparked controversy over the Education Department's objectivity in approving the deal. The Obama administration made holding for-profit colleges accountable for poor student outcomes and abusive practices a cornerstone of its higher education policy. Phoenix, like other for-profit schools, has been battered by government investigations, heightened federal regulation, and poor enrollment. — WASHINGTON POST
3M's sales fall on weak demand
3M Co.'s fourth-quarter sales fell in its consumer division as the maker of Post-it notes contended with weak demand for office products and stationery. The business posted its first year-over-year decline since 2009, Deane Dray, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said in a note Tuesday. The ''uncharacteristic softness'' offset better performance elsewhere, he said. The results capped a challenging year for 3M, which faced a steady drag from a strong US dollar and a sharp downturn in the consumer-electronics market. With about two-thirds of revenue coming from overseas, the maker of adhesives, touch screens, and dental tools has attempted to reduce US expenses and strengthen business in Europe and Latin America. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
Johnson & Johnson profits rise
Johnson & Johnson edged above fourth-quarter profit expectations, helped by consumer goods and pharmaceutical growth, but the world's biggest health care products company also gave Wall Street a softer-than-expected 2017 earnings forecast. The maker of Band-Aids and prescription drugs also said Tuesday it was taking another step in restructuring its medical device segment by shopping its diabetes care businesses, which make test strips and insulin pumps, among other products. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
Pittsburgh's tallest building up for sale
Pittsburgh's tallest building is for sale, and the US Steel Tower could go for a sky-high price. Real Estate Alert, a trade publication that first reported the listing, says the 64-story, triangular office building could fetch $350 million. The current owner, 601W Cos., a New York holding company, paid $250 million for the building in 2011. The owners have spent $60 million upgrading the building and have two major tenants, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which has corporate offices there, and US Steel. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
Operators of Backpage.com want pimping charges dropped
The operators of Backpage.com pushed for pimping charges to be tossed out for the second time Tuesday, two weeks after the website that prosecutors dubbed an online brothel stopped advertising adult services in the face of a congressional investigation. The California attorney general's office charged Backpage executives Carl Ferrer, Michael Lacey, and James Larkin last month with conspiracy to commit pimping and 26 counts of money laundering. Ferrer also is charged with 12 counts of pimping, seven involving children. The men are accused of knowingly profiting from prostitution. The charges allege that the three laundered nearly $37 million derived directly or indirectly from illegal activity from July 2014 through August 2016, with the monthly take often topping $2 million.
Landmark departure board removed at Penn Station
A longstanding ritual for travelers at the nation's busiest rail hub came to an end late Monday when workers began removing the large board that announced the times and platforms of departing trains at Pennsylvania Station. The 10-foot-tall electronic timetable had long been the center of attention in the utilitarian waiting area for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passengers, with travelers forced to keep their eyes trained on the display to know which gate to dash to when their train rolled in. On Tuesday, it was a dark hulk, replaced with 40 eye-level digital panels scattered around the station. An Amtrak team will dismantle the sign within a week. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
American's new 737 Max planes won't have seat-back screens
Passengers who want to watch a movie on American Airlines Group's new 737 Max better bring a device to watch it on. The carrier said it won't feature seat-back video screens on the Boeing Co. aircraft because almost all travelers now carry mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. Satellite-based systems have improved on-board Internet speed and access, which will enhance the viewing experience, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said. The move marks a reversal for chief executive Doug Parker, who said less than a year ago that American would have seat-back screens on all of its planes to remain competitive.


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There are 3 contests running on pattern review during January. All ones I would love to be part of.
They are refashioning, Stash and UFOs.
The refashioning is something new to me but I really like the idea of it. This is where you take an existing fabric item- curtains, a dress, a long skirt etc and treat the fabric in it as yardage to cut out and sew something else. I am sure that generations ago we would have all been great at this but its now cool again as being green.
Stash is sewing fabric that you have had for more than 6 months, this is to encourage you to use stuff you have already bought. I tend to be most enthusiastic about new purchases, but have quite a large stash.
UFOs, this is unfinished objects and encourages you to complete items which have been left half done.
Most of my half done things are like that for a reason though (horrid fabric, terrible style, appalling fit), so maybe they should be thrown out (something I find hard to do).


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In October of this year, Rend Collective released a new album titled Campfire II: Simplicity. You probably got this from the title, but the general idea of the album was to record stripped-down, acoustic versions of songs around a campfire. Most of the songs featured on this album were previously from their The Art of Celebration and As Family We Go albums. But, it also features two new tracks, as well as a re-imagined version of Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) originally by Hillsong United.
How does their version of Oceans differ from the original? Continue reading


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Spoons Tours – The Capitol – Forest Hill
This magnificent Spoons came into our eyeline the moment we turned the corner from Forest Hill station.
This magnificent Spoons came into our eyeline the moment we turned the corner from Forest Hill station.
Apparently, this pub stands, more or less, on the site of an old alleyway, known as Baxter's Court, which dates from at least 1700. For us, this Spoons was a traipse, but well worth it. We have neglected our Spoons tours and felt duty bound and excited to visit a new branch to us.
This Spoons is situated at Metro Central Heights, formally Alexander Fleming House. It is a complex designed by Erno Goldfinger whose modernist architecture can be spotted all over London. This particular installation is grade listed. Right across from Elephant and Castle station, we visited on a day of biblical rain.
The next stop on our day out following Strawberry Hill plus Twickenham was the Watchman in New Malden. Named for the fact the building was once a police station, this Spoons is something pretty special.
Before a night visit to the Natural History Museum, we were eager to find the nearest Spoons to visit for a pre exhibition bevvie. This was just as well, as we ended up paying an extortionate £9.00 for two bottles of wanky craft beer called London Lager upon our arrival later that evening. Named for the… Read More Spoons Tours – The Asparagus, Battersea
This Spoons is in situ to replace a centuries old pub by the same name. We visited on a day to commemorate the Queen's birthday, and were impelled to celebrate by indulging in a special high tea in honour of her majesty.
The coronet is a neon picturesque cinematic dream – fittingly, as it was once the Savoy cinema. Renamed the Coronet in 1979, it screened its last film four years later and it became a Wetherspoons in 1996.


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It can be hard to pick the right mattress for your needs, because there are so many options available. You might, therefore, be tempted to purchase the first mattress you come across, but don't. For the perfect night's sleep, we recommend reading our top tips to finding the ideal mattress for your needs.
Identify Your Needs
Do you regularly wake up with aches and pains? Do you struggle to sleep because you are waking up too warm at night? The chances are you would be better suited to a memory foam mattress, which not only offers therapeutic support but can adapt to your body's temperature.
Pick the Right Mattress Size
Do you feel like you have little room to move at night? Does your partner regularly take up most of the bed? It might be time to invest in a larger mattress and bed. So, swap your king size bed to a queen size or super king. You can, therefore, spread out and enjoy a great night's sleep without falling out of the bed.
Make an Informed Decision
You will undoubtedly want to purchase a mattress from a reputable provider, so it is vital you make an informed decision before you begin shopping online or in-store. Not only must you consider the type of mattress you need, but you must also do your homework on a company.
One of the best ways to do so is by looking for signs that a company offers both a dependable product and service. For example, Lull mattress reviews allow a verified buyer to leave a review 30 days after their purchase, regardless if it is good or bad. They will also publish the reviews on their website within thirty days or will provide the customer with a refund.
Think Back to Past Experiences
Think back to a time when you enjoyed a great night's sleep at a hotel or friend's house. What was the mattress like? Was it soft and springy or was it firm with little bounce back? This could be the type of mattress you need in order to make sleep deprivation a thing of the past.
Consider the Long-Term Value
You probably will not want to change your mattress once a year, so cheap mattresses can often be a false economy. We, therefore, recommend you pay a little more for a more durable mattress that will last for many years to come. Look for a mattress that will maintain support, structure, and durability so that you can enjoy years of wonderful sleep. For example, you could purchase a mattress that has been rigorously tested and offers a 10-year warranty.
So, if you are looking for the perfect mattress for your home, body, and budget, ensure you do your homework to find the perfect mattress to suit your comfort, budget and needs. Also, make an informed decision by turning to a reputable supplier that can only provide high quality, durable mattresses to ensure you sleep like a baby each and every night.
*Read my Disclosure


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Afterimage Requiem by Kei Ito and Andrew Keiper presents Grief, Remembrance and Hope in a Nuclear Age by Nicole Clark
When Kei Ito was born, his grandfather asked the doctor to confirm that his grandson had all ten fingers and toes. Ito's grandfather needed closure. He needed to know that his grandson was free of any mutations caused by exposure to radioactivity.
More than the endearing worry of a doting grandparent, Takeshi's inquiry was matter-of-fact, and a matter of the past – on August 6, 1945, Takeshi witnessed the detonation of nuclear bomb "Little Boy" over his hometown, Hiroshima, from an arms factory where he'd been mobilized to work during WWII. Though Ito's birth was forty-six years later, and there was no risk of him being exposed to the bomb's residual radioactivity, Takeshi needed reassurance that his grandson was not physically tainted by the legacy of what became known as the "Atomic Age."
"My grandfather knew I would be fine, but, you know – he had to ask," Ito recalls. Ito's hands flex and he stretches his palms away from the cup of tea he holds, perhaps instinctually to remind himself of the fingers he was indeed born with, perhaps the habitual itch of a photographer's hands. He pushes his teacup aside, physically making room for what he wants to say next.
"It's so interesting how the U.S. superhero culture is often linked to stories of mutants, creating superpowers out of human mutations," he says. "Atomic bomb victims in Japan tried to hide that they were exposed to radiation because those affected by the nuclear bomb were discriminated."
"Misinformation," Andrew Keiper, sound artist and Ito's collaborator-friend interjects. "Misinformation," he repeats softly, shaking his head "and censorship really lead to people believing that Hiroshima and Nagasaki remained radioactive long after the bombings."
It's mid-afternoon on a Thursday at BAMF Café in Baltimore's Station North Arts & Entertainment District, and Ito and Keiper are huddled in a wooden booth, giving me a personal history lesson of the U.S.'s engineering and detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The lesson is rich with insights that come from their intertwined family histories with the bomb. They pause occasionally (and patiently) to indulge my hurried fact-checking searches between note-taking, and most times procure an original article or family photo that trumps any social-fed, Wikipedia page 'the Google' turns up for me.
"So, do you?" Keiper, asks Ito.
"Do I what?" Ito says.
"Do you have all ten fingers and toes?"
"Yup!" Ito responds, holding out his digits, which Keiper promptly counts for confirmation.
The two laugh in a rare moment of levity. When discussing nuclear Armageddon, you have to take the humor where you can get it.
This deep dive into the history of weaponized nuclear power, while oh-so relevant in our current news cycle, has to do with something more auspicious – the latest of Ito and Keiper's artistic collaborations together, Afterimage Requiem.
In 2016, Ito and Keiper received a Rubys Artist Project Grant through the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance to create Afterimage Requiem. The exhibition is a large-scale visual and sound installation that probes the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and provides a palpable means to contemplate the roots, sorrow and scope of what has become a distressing reality of our human existence – the threat of nuclear war. It runs January 19-31, 2018 at the Baltimore War Memorial.
Keiper is a sound artist, and Kei is a photographer. Both have experience in installation art, both live in Baltimore, both received an MFA from MICA's Photographic and Electronic Media program in 2016. Both have a familial tie to the atomic bomb, which creates profound situational irony, and, well, makes for an interesting story.
The story of how they met begins with a basic necessity that is perhaps the bane of every budding, broke student-artist's existence – how to find cheap housing. The two found each other on MICA's online housing board while searching for housemates to share an apartment with in Baltimore City during their years in graduate school. They exchanged a few emails to coordinate logistics in the weeks leading up to the start of graduate school, and met in-person the night before orientation.
"A few weeks later, we were talking in our apartment and Kei began telling stories about his Japanese heritage, and his grandfather, who was a teenager living in Hiroshima when the U.S. dropped a nuclear bomb on the city," Keiper said. "A shiver ran up my spine."
Keiper's grandfather, Lovell Cardenas, contributed to the development of the atomic bomb as an engineer on the Manhattan Project, a research and development undertaking during WWII that produced the first nuclear weapons. Keiper disclosed this information to Ito, sitting on the couch of the new home they were to share for the next two years.
"We made a promise, just weeks into knowing one another, to one day collaborate, and create something about this connection to the atomic bomb," Ito said.
Much of the imagery that was presented to the American public in the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing was of power and might – the now infamous mushroom cloud swelling, then curling upward and into itself, ballooning with smoke, debris and condensed water vapor. The common American was hard-pressed to find any major news outlets depicting corpses or maimed survivors of the bombings.
In early 1946, several months after the bombing of Hiroshima, the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey used a film crew to document the results. According to an article published by the Huffington Post in 2009 titled "The Great Hiroshima Cover-Up," the total of 90,000 ft. of film shot by the cameramen from this effort had not been fully aired as of 2009.
Art became an anecdote for what was quickly becoming global amnesia about the single greatest turning point in modern history. Nuclear art emerged, perhaps most deliberately through survivor artwork that was collected in 1974 by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and remains on display at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Dali was inspired by the a-bomb, Pollack tried to compete with it, and most recently, Gregory Green is an artist who constructs nuclear bombs in order to explore humanity's potential for real chaos.
Ito and Keiper believe that Afterimage Requiem pivots from the standard ultimatum that requires us to view our nuclear past and precarious future as either all-powerful or hopeless. Instead, they describe the installation as vacillating between the extremities of power and darkness on the one end, and regeneration and light on the other; creating agitation, dynamism, and offering audiences a boundless journey through grief, remembrance, and eventually, hope.
Their collaboration, most recently made manifest, is roughly two years in the making. Their work together and apart has been marked by fits and starts, lots of individual experimentation, and circuitous meanderings through subject matters that keep them coming back to the a-bomb within their respective mediums.
Ito used his two years in graduate school, to develop his style of camera-less images, and to enhance the conceptual strength of his work by freeing himself to focus on issues that impacted him personally.
"That is how I came to terms with the fact that I needed to make peace with Hiroshima," Ito said. "It was a very personal subject that I shied away from because I was not sure as a photographer and an installation artist, how to retrieve something that is gone, taken away, or destroyed. How do I materialize the fear of radiation and the memory of one I loved? The idea of visualizing the invisible is something I have been continuously exploring in my practice as an artist," Ito said.
He designed a ritualistic image-making process that has been honed through his ongoing works Sungazing: Prints and Sungazing Scroll, allowing himself and others to grapple with the legacy of mass destruction and power.
"My grandfather described the a-bomb explosion like '100 suns lighting up the sky,'" Ito said. "As a photographer, I felt the need to portray that."
In order to express the connection between the sun and his family history, Ito created 108 letter-size prints and a 200-foot-long scroll, made by exposing Type-C photographic paper to sunlight. The pattern on the scroll corresponds to his breath. In a darkened room, he pulls the paper in front of a small aperture to expose it to the sun while inhaling, and pauses when exhaling. He repeats this action until he has breathed 108 times. One hundred eight is a number with ritual significance in Japanese Buddhism and culture.
The results of Ito's rhythmic and symbolic process are arresting. The chromogenic color prints evoke the powers of duality, presenting organic and free-form black shadows, which envisage Ito's breath, against an intense color burn of inorganic atomic reds, oranges and yellows. Without context, a viewer could quite possibly interpret the prints as photographic executions of the womb. Or, an atomic blast.
"If the black parts of the print remind you of a shadow, it is the shadow of my breath, which is itself a registration of my life, a life I share with and owe to my grandfather. The mark of the atomic blast upon his life and upon his breath was passed on to me, and you can see it as the shadow of this print," Ito said.
As Ito found his artistic stride between 2014-2015, Keiper found himself immersed in collaborative graduate work as a means to offset something of a creative impasse in his solo practice. Keiper came into graduate school with an art background that spanned the gamut from painting and woodworking to video and performance. But he had a growing interest in sound-based art and experimental music.
During the 2015 Baltimore Uprising, following the death of Freddie Grey, Keiper participated in protests and says he was moved by the response of the people in Baltimore.
"It seemed to me that it was necessary to make work about this," Keiper said.
And he did. He began producing political work that focused on white supremacy and police brutality. He collaborated with poet Fire Angelou to create Listening Is a Political Act, based upon her poem Earthquake. He developed Rough Ride, an 8-channel sound-based work that weaves together sounds from the Baltimore Uprising and audio culled from social and mass media, along with the sounds of police surveillance, control, and violence.
As Keiper moved into the second semester of his first year, however, he felt that if he continued this work, he would overstep his boundaries as a Caucasian man, preferring to foreground people of color's voices.
"I was trying to find my next step, as a traumatic presidential election was underway, and I was not having much success," Keiper said. "Meanwhile, I was busy with side work, supporting other artists' projects."
Keiper collaborated with painter Morgan Everhart on her thesis, Drive developing sounds for a large painted diptych with a two-channel sound piece, and he began researching and developing sounds for that eventual collaboration he and Kei promised to do one day.
"I realized I couldn't do the work I thought I'd do for my thesis and I was happy to bring to fruition this other body of work I'd started in the background," Keiper said. "It felt good to be active while struggling in solo practice. You could say I was saved by collaboration."
By the time their second, and final year in graduate school rolled around, the two began to lay the groundwork for a collaborative installation concept. They worked together to submit their concept to the Ruby Artist Project Grant, and were one of only nine selected for the Literary and Visual Arts Grant Program in 2016.
"It quickly went from 'This would be a cool idea,' to 'We have to figure out how we're going to pull this off!'" Keiper said, laughing. He glanced at his phone, quickly checking the date, and Ito instinctually did the same.
"Oh my gosh, the installation goes up next week!" Ito says.
The Afterimage Requiem exhibition includes 108 human-scale photograms that were made using using sunlight, light sensitive paper and Ito's body evoking those lost in the bombing; and a 4-channel sound work by Keiper that portrays the places and processes of the bomb's production, and includes field recordings made at atomic heritage sites in New Mexico and Chicago.
"This piece and Baltimore War Museum space offers the opportunity to work at a scale that seems appropriate to the subject matter," Keiper said. "We've had the chance to work separately on this subject, and collaboratively on smaller scale pieces, but the Ruby grant gave us a chance to level-up and try something that has the opportunity to be immersive."
Ito used his trademark cadenced process of breathing and sunlight exposure to create part of the Afterimage Requiem photograms during the artists' trip to Los Alamos, N.M in June 2017. Though there were 19 different project sites, the first nuclear device ever detonated was an implosion-type bomb during the now-famous Trinity test, conducted at Los Alamos.
During their week in the valley near Los Alamos, the two hiked through the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in order for Keiper to collect natural sounds from the birthplace of the atomic bomb. These were the same foothills and view of the Santa Fe Baldy summit that reportedly impressed Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Los Alamos laboratory at the time of the Manhattan Project, citing its natural beauty, which, he hoped, "would inspire those who would work on the project."
The trip to Los Alamos was a critical part of their proposal, but posed a few challenges that in the end contributed to the ethos of their work. For instance, there were the Ford F-150s.
"Way up high, thousands of feet above sea level on the mountainside it is far easier to hear the Ford F-150 in the gorge than to hear any particular natural sound," Keiper said. "But, there are bird and insect recordings that made their way into the piece, along with the sounds of leaves blowing."
Two days after my interview with Ito and Keiper, on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, Hawaii was thrown into a state of momentary panic as push alerts pinged local's phones in error, warning of an inbound missile threat. A handful of the 394 sirens on the island went off, many legacy of the Cold War era, creating an eerie visual and audible composite of people and noise set against a paradise-like setting that was at once nostalgic and tragic.
There is a certain memory lapse that happens between generations, leaving humanity prone, if not indeed doomed, to repeat our past. Seventy years after the dawn of the Cold War, the threat of the Atomic Age is greater than ever. Nine countries have stockpiles of nuclear weapons thousands deep and more powerful than the atom bomb that hit Hiroshima in 1945. Yet, in an uncanny similarity to the censorship and public response of the mid-20th century, the pangs of nuclear warfare go unfelt—a disquieting state that art, like Afterimage Requiem, has the power to change.
In the age of Big Data and infinite information, the artist can play a critical role in curating not just knowledge, but memories of the past that we have either forgotten or do not hold first-hand.
"We need to remember our mortality," Ito said.
"For me, this is an exceedingly disturbing historical time to become as intimately familiar with nuclear weapons as I have become," Keiper adds.
The evening after Hawaii's error message went out, former Defense Secretary William Perry warned on Twitter, "The risk of accidental nuclear war is not hypothetical — accidents have happened in the past, and humans will err again. When the lives of millions are at risk, we must do more than just hope that mistakes won't happen."
Afterimage Requiem is "more than just hope." It is a visual and audible dialogue that while presented in abstract form, has concrete application to our fragile existence. The images and sounds shake the apathy from our bones, leaving us not just hopeful, but demanding of a better, more humane future.
I end my interview with Ito and Keiper suddenly more conscious of my otherwise trite farewell.
"Hope to see you soon," I say.
"Yup," Keiper says.
"Me too," Ito says.
Photos courtesy of the artists.
More info available at the Afterimage Requiem website.
101 N Gay St # D, Baltimore, MD 21202
On view January 19th, 2018 – February 1st, 2018
War Memorial hours: M-F: 8 AM – 8 PM // Sat-Sun: 12 PM – 8 PM


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Liverpool have identified Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given to provide backup for Simon Mignolet, according to the Mirror. The veteran stopper is not part of Paul Lambert's plans and was not part of Villa's pre-season tour this summer, alerting Brendan Rodgers of the possibility of landing him for a nominal fee.
Liverpool want Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given as back-up for Belgian international Simon Mignolet, according to the Mirror. The report claims the former Newcastle United no 1 is not wanted at Villa Park and the fact Paul Lambert dropped the 37-year-old Republic of Ireland international from his pre-season tour has alerted Brendan Rodgers.
The Reds loaned Spain international Pepe Reina to Serie A club Napoli, leaving them without a viable alternative to the 25-year-old Mignolet; the former Sunderland No 1 is a summer arrival at Anfield.
Villa are understood to be keen to transfer Given, particularly because he has three years left on his £60,000 per week contract at Villa Park. Given, who has also played for Manchester City, Blackburn and Swindon Town in his professional career, made only nine appearances for the Villans, across all competitions, last season and is unlikely to have any major role to play this season either.
In other transfer news, the Reds pursuit of defenders Tiago Ilori and Mamadou Sakho has hit a roadblock. According to the Mirror, Sporting Lisbon and Paris St Germain (PSG) want £17m and £13m, respectively, for the Portuguese and French players. Both Ilori and Sakho will be out of contract next season and Rodgers is believed to be unwilling to spend £30m at this point in time.
However, the former Swansea City manager's hand may be forced, following injuries to Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure and Uruguayan Sebastian Coates.
Injury Worries
Meanwhile, the Merseysiders have injury concerns to defenders Kolo Toure and Aly Cissokho and midfielder Joe Allen. The three received knocks during the club's Capital One Cup game against Notts County and are in danger of missing Sunday's high-profile Premier League clash against champions Manchester United.
"There's no doubt playing extra time was a blow. Kolo's injury came in extra time. He wouldn't have done that during normal time. We have ourselves to blame for his injury.... fingers crossed he doesn't miss that many games for Liverpool," captain Steven Gerrard said.


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The History of Up Helly Aa
Up Helly Aa is a relatively modern festival. There is some evidence that people in rural Shetland celebrated the 24th day after Christmas as "Antonsmas" or "Up Helly Night", but there is no evidence that their cousins in Lerwick did the same. The emergence of Yuletide and New Year's festivities in the town seems to post date the Napoleonic Wars, when soldiers and sailors came home with rowdy habits and a taste for firearms.
On an old Christmas eve in 1824, a visiting Methodist missionary wrote in his diary that "the whole town was in an uproar, from 12 o'clock last night until late this night blowing of horns, beating of drums, tinkling of old tin kettles, firing of guns, shouting, bawling, fiddling, fifeing, drinking, and fighting. This was the state of the town all the night...the street was as thronged with people as any fair I ever saw in England".As Lerwick grew in size the celebrations became more elaborate. Sometime about 1840, the participants introduced burning tar barrels into the proceedings.
"Sometimes", as one observer wrote, "there were two tubs fastened to a great raft-like frame knocked together at the Docks, whence the combustibles were generally obtained. Two chains were fastened to the bogie supporting the capacious tub or tar-barrel...eked to these were two strong ropes on which a motley mob, wearing masks for the most part, fastened. A party of about a dozen were told off to stir up the molten contents".
The main street of Lerwick in the mid 9th century was extremely narrow, and rival groups of tarbarrelers frequently clashed in the middle. The proceedings were thus dangerous and dirty, and Lerwick's middle classes often complained about them. The Town Council began to appoint special constables (police) every Christmas to control the revellers, with only limited success. When the end came for tar-barrelling, in the early 1870's, it seems to have been because the young Lerwegians themselves had decided it was time for a change.
Around 1870, a group of young men in the town with intellectual interests injected a series of new ideas into the proceedings. First, they improvised the name Up Helly Aa, and gradually postponed the celebrations until the end of January. Secondly, they introduced a far more elaborated element of disguise- "guizing"-into the new festival.
Thirdly, they inaugurated a torchlight procession. At the same time they were toying with the idea of introducing Viking themes to their new festival. The first signs of this new development appeared in 1877, but it was not until the late 1880's that a Viking long ship-the "galley"- appeared, and as late as 1906 that a "Guizer Jarl", the chief guizer, arrived on the scene. It was not until after the World War I that there was a squad of Vikings, the "Guizer Jarl's Squad", in the procession every year.
In the early days orders had to be conveyed by means of placards or proclamations at the Market Cross. This meant that the Guizers had to go there to find out where and when the festival would take place it was not always held on the last Tuesday of January as is the case today.
The first "Bill as we known it was produced in 1899, its primary purpose still being the conveyance of constructions. However, it was soon to be elaborated on by the addition of local jokes, satire, etc. and the bill head, painted each year by a local artist chosen by the Jarl. The painting usually depicts a scene from the Jarl's saga.
At 6 in the morning of Up Helly Aa Day, the "Bill" is erected at the Market Cross for the public to read and is removed before the procession at night.
There is a lot of anticipation as to who is going to be featured each year and in general everything is taken in good humor.
Since 1949, when the festival resumed after the war, much has changed and much has remained the same. That year the BBC recorded a major radio program on Up Helly Aa, and from that moment Up Helly Aa ....not noted for its split second timing before the war... became a model of efficient organization. The numbers participating in the festival have become much greater, and the resources required correspondingly larger.
Whereas in the 19th century, individuals kept an open house to welcome the guizers on Up Helly Aa night, men and women now cooperated to open large halls throughout the town to entertain them. However, despite the changes, there are numerous threads connecting the Up Helly Aa of today with its predecessors 150 years ago. The festival takes place the last Tuesday in January every year in Lerwik, Shetland. Today the festival consists of a series of marches and visitations, culminating in a torch lit procession and Galley (a Viking ship) burning. Then there follows hours of performing acts in dancing halls, throughout the evening and early morning. The following Wednesday is a public holiday so everyone can recover from the festivities.
Up Helly Aa is a community event, with countless volunteers contributing many ours each winter towards organizing and planning the following year's festival.
The Guizer Jarl (Leader of the squad) and his squad begin their preparations in February, and many long hours of hard work go into the design and productions of their outfits.
The Up Helly Aa Committee begin their year preparing the Up Helly Aa Exhibition that runs from May until September in the Galley Shed. This boasts a full size Galley, Jarl Squad suits, other Squads memorabilia and an extensive collection of photographs recording the suits worn and the guizers involved.
In early September the Guizers of the remaining 45 squads begin their squad meetings and preparations. This involves determining the character or characters that they wish to rotary with their suits, making the suits while also creating and practicing their act to perform in the halls they visit throughout the evening.
At the end of September the Galley shed is transformed back into a working shed where the Galley and the torches are constructed during the winter. During this same period the Committee checks the progress of the preparations including the Collecting Sheet and Bill.


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Having forgotten their God and his people Israel, old mainstream Methodists lust after the pagan righteousness of Leftism instead
The Evil One himself would be proud of reasoning which defends Israel's attackers and says that only Israel can do wrong
The United Methodist Church's official lobby office is urging church agencies and members to divest their holdings in Caterpillar Inc. because the company sells bulldozers to Israel. United Methodist General Board of Church and Society sponsored the resolution, accusing Caterpillar of facilitating Israel's destruction of Palestinian property. Caterpillar, along with Israel, was the target of a lawsuit by the family of Rachel Corrie after the activist was crushed by a bulldozer in 2003 while attempting to block the destruction of a Palestinian home used to facilitate arms smuggling. The resolution will go before the United Methodist General Conference in April 2008.
The 7.9 million member church's pension agency reportedly has $5 million in Caterpillar stock out of $15 billion in assets. Other mainline churches, including the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Church of England, recently have rejected similar measures. The denomination's General Assembly had voted 431-62 to divest from the Jewish state. At the time, the PCUSA was believed to be the largest organization or institution to join the divestment campaign against the Jewish state. It was the first Christian denomination to do so, but later decisions reversed that.
As WND reported in June, the United Church of Christ's General Synod adopted a resolution "in support of a renewed and balanced study and response to the conflict between Palestine and Israel." Previously, the United Church of Christ had approved resolutions calling for the tearing down of walls constructed by Israel to protect itself from terrorist attacks coming from the Palestinian Authority territories and for divestment from the Jewish state.
Mark Tooley of the IRD, said the Methodist Church is out of step. "How bizarre that the United Methodist Board of Church and Society now is jumping aboard a long-stalled bandwagon by endorsing anti-Israel divestment against Caterpillar, when other churches are moving in the opposite direction," he said. "And does anyone really think that punishing Caterpillar will help create a peace in the Middle East?" Tooley urged the Methodist board to examine a 2006 resolution approved by the church's Pacific Northwest Conference noting "some church groups have selectively advocated divestment of firms doing business with Israel while ignoring severe human rights abuses by the governments of Israel's neighbors."
The Northwest resolution affirmed the Jewish state as "nearly the only long-standing democracy among its neighbors in the Middle East" and declared that "selective attention to Israel's mistakes will not create peace in the Middle East."
Ben Stein to battle Darwin in major film
Ben Stein, the lovable, monotone teacher from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Wonder Years" is back in the classroom in a major motion picture release slated for February 2008.
But this time, the actor will be on the big screen asking one of life's biggest questions: "Were we designed, or are we simply the end result of an ancient mud puddle struck by lightning?"
That's right. Evolution - and the explosive debate over its virtual monopoly on America's public school classrooms - is the focus of the film "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed."
In the movie, Stein, who is also a lawyer, economist, former presidential speechwriter, author and social commentator, is stunned by what he discovers - an elitist scientific establishment that has traded in its skepticism for dogma. Even worse, say publicists for the feature film, "along the way, Stein uncovers a long line of biologists, astronomers, chemists and philosophers who have had their reputations destroyed and their careers ruined by a scientific establishment that allows absolutely no dissent from Charles Darwin's theory of random mutation and natural selection."
"Big Science in this area of biology has lost its way," says Stein. "Scientists are supposed to be allowed to follow the evidence wherever it may lead, no matter what the implications are. Freedom of inquiry has been greatly compromised, and this is not only anti-American, it's anti-science. It's anti-the whole concept of learning."
As "Expelled's" official website asks: "What freedom-loving student wouldn't be outraged to discover that his high school science teacher is teaching a theory as indisputable fact, and that university professors unmercifully crush any fellow scientists who dare question the prevailing system of belief? This isn't the latest Hollywood comedy; it's a disturbing new documentary that will shock anyone who thinks all scientists are free to follow the evidence wherever it may lead."
"Expelled" is produced by Premise Media, and being marketed by Motive Entertainment, which has spearheaded major previous Hollywood blockbusters, including "The Passion of the Christ," "Polar Express" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." It will be distributed by Rocky Mountain Pictures, with numerous box-office successes to its credit.
"Expelled" documents how teachers and scientists alike are being ridiculed daily, denied tenure and even fired believing there is evidence of "design" in nature and challenging the current orthodoxy that life is entirely a result of random chance.
For example, Stein meets Richard Sternberg, a double Ph.D. biologist who allowed a peer-reviewed research paper describing the evidence for intelligence in the universe to be published in the scientific journal Proceedings. Shortly after publication, officials from the National Center for Science Education and the Smithsonian Institution, where Sternberg was a research fellow, began a coordinated smear-and-intimidation campaign to get the promising young scientist fired. The attack on scientific freedom was so egregious that it prompted a congressional investigation.
In the film, Stein meets other scientists like astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez, who was denied tenure at Iowa State University in spite of an extraordinary record of achievement. Gonzalez made the mistake of documenting the design he has observed in the universe. And there are others, like Caroline Crocker, a brilliant biology teacher at George Mason University who was forced out of the university for briefly discussing problems with Darwinian theory and for telling the students that some scientists believe there is evidence of design in the universe.
Unlike other popular documentary films, "Expelled" isn't one-sided - it confronts scientists like Oxford evolutionist Richard Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion," influential biologist and atheist blogger P.Z. Myers, and Eugenie Scott, head of the National Center for Science Education. In fact, the creators of "Expelled" spent two years traveling the world and interviewing scores of scientists, doctors, philosophers and public leaders for the film.
According to the New York Times, Dawkins, Scott and other evolutionists are now claiming the film's producers deceived them into going on camera by hiding the "Intelligent Design" orientation of the film.
But Stein denies misleading anyone. "I don't remember a single person asking me what the movie was about," he told the Times.
In the end, say the film's publicists, the production delivers to viewers "a startling revelation that freedom of thought and freedom of inquiry have been expelled from publicly funded high schools, universities and research institutions."
"The incredible thing about 'Expelled' is that we don't resort to manipulating our interviews for the purpose of achieving the 'shock effect,' something that has become common in documentary film these days," said Walt Ruloff, co-founder of Premise Media and the film's co-executive producer. "People will be stunned to actually find out what elitist scientists proclaim, which is that a large majority of Americans are simpletons who believe in a fairy tale. Premise Media took on this difficult mission because we believe the greatest asset of humanity is our freedom to explore and discover truth."
Special laws for homosexuals
One wonders how a similar mockery of Islam would have been treated? The full force of "obscenity" and other laws would no doubt be brought to bear on the mockers
Following the discovery of an ad for a sadomasochistic street parade in San Francisco which mocked the Last Supper replacing Christ and His Apostles with leather-clad (and unclad) homosexuals, Concerned Women for America (CWA) and other groups called on California legislators to denounce the anti-Christianity. Rather than denounce the ad, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has derisively dismissed any concerns.
Drew Hammill, Pelosi's press secretary, responded to media questions on the offensive ad saying, "As a Catholic, the speaker is confident that Christianity has not been harmed."
The offensive ad was put together by organizers of San Francisco's partially taxpayer funded and Hedonistic Folsom Street Fair - sponsored by Miller Brewing, Co. - which will take place this Sunday. Over 400,000 people are expected to attend.
"As if the add itself isn't offensive enough," said, Matt Barber, CWA's Policy Director for Cultural Issues, "we have photographic evidence that the San Francisco government suspends indecency and child abuse laws for a day allowing fair goers to parade the streets of San Francisco, fully nude, engaging in illegal public sex while tax-payer funded police stand-by and do nothing."
"Children are allowed to - and do - attend this event and are exposed to this activity which is illegal child abuse," added Barber. "We're a nation of laws, and we're calling on Mayor Gavin Newsom to enforce the law and for San Francisco police to arrest lawbreakers on Sunday."
Australia: More hatred of childhood
CHILDREN are being banned from dressing as their favourite superheroes in Victorian kindergartens and preschools. Batman, Shrek and Wonder Woman are being outlawed in pre-school care in a clampdown on childish behaviour. Parents have been told to leave their children's dress-ups at home for fear they could cause violence and injury in the playground. There are concerns a child may try to fly like Superman or scale a building like Spider-Man, causing serious injury and sparking legal proceedings.
Bentleigh early learning centre director Tracey Young said the costumes were not allowed because they could trigger violence. [so could frustration with stupid rules] "Our main reason has always been it permits quite rough and outlandish behaviour," she said. "They are role-modelling their . . . play to become violent when they are dressed as a superhero."
Swinburne Childcare spokeswoman Janelle Blaess said many centres banned the costumes because they distracted children. "They can find it difficult to differentiate between what is reality and what is fiction," she said. [Well how about helping them to learn? Or are they not supposed to learn at school?] "The safety issues related to that are a real concern."
Several kindergartens contacted by the Sunday Herald Sun said they had banned costumes in the playground. Some strongly encouraged a no-costume policy and others were considering bans. The issue is being taken so seriously it was discussed at a statewide kindergarten conference this month. Kindergarten Parents Victoria president Meredith Carter said that bans on toy knives and guns were becoming more common in schools.
But a ban on dress-up costumes, which are hugely popular among young children, could turn them against preschools. "Small children will take risks no matter what," she said. "It's not the costume doing the damage; it's just that children will always find a way to test the boundaries."
Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.
American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of other countries. The only real difference, however, is how much power they have. In America, their power is limited by democracy. To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges. They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did: None. So look to the colleges to see what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way. It would be a dictatorship.
For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN. My Home Pages are here or here or here. Email me (John Ray) here. For times when blogger.com is playing up, there are mirrors of this site here and here.
Monday, October 01, 2007
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At What Age is it Best to Start Injectables?
It depends on whether Botox/Dysport, Juvederm, Restylane, Sculptra etc. are being used to repair an existing problem, prevent problems later, or create beauty by re-contouring areas lacking desireable bone structure.
On repair – examples would be an obvious frown line or lines around the mouth or mild sagging. On prevention, it would be just the beginning of lines based on muscular patterns in the face or early volume loss (often seen in serious aerobic athletes, for example).
But there is no one rule or age that applies to everyone. Each individual needs an individual plan that looks at their particular goals (repair, prevention, re-contouring) and their current skin and face – not a "cookie cutter" approach. Dr. Irwin


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Sunday, October 12, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Ft. Lauderdale
On our way to Peru last April, we had almost a 12 hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale. We decided to get a car and explore the area.
As our flight landed at 6:00 in the morning, the first order of business was breakfast. We love trying local restaurants and dives, and we were frantically hungry when we saw this Waffle House. We don't have the Waffle House chain in Utah, so we decided to try it. Apparently, there are quite a few of these on the east coast because as we walked inside, there was a sticker on the door that said "location 971". They cheerfully greeted us and showed us to a table. The Waffle House was not super clean, and the food was far from healthy, but it filled our stomachs.
At breakfast we decided that we were going to take a drive out to the Everglades. The Everglades are about a 45 minute drive from Ft. Lauderdale, and there are alligators there. We don't have alligators in Utah either, so we loaded into the car.
The Fort Lauderdale area is pretty easy to navigate and pretty and green {in the springtime, anyway}. On the way to the Everglades, we drove past the new Ft. Lauderdale LDS Temple, which was cool.
The Everglades are huge and have a large variety of plant and animal life. Since we were limited in our time, we decided to visit Holiday Park. Holiday Park is the location of the TV show Gator Boys. I haven't ever seen an episode, but apparently that's the place.
When we got there, we signed up for an airboat tour and chatted up some retirees who were fishing off the dock.
The airboat tour was really cool, and if you go to Holiday Park, it's worth the money to do. Not only did we see alligators, but we saw all kinds of cool birds and vegetation.
And we got to ride in the airboat.
After our tour, we got suckered into purchasing our touristy Airboat Tours picture {mostly because I thought my hair looked pretty good in it}
and then we went to see a short show with the girl from Gator Boys. She did some dangerous/dumb/cool tricks with some of the rescued gators, and then we paid more money to get our picture taken holding a gator.
So yes, in the end it was an expensive little place, but very cool.
After the Everglades, we went back to Ft. Lauderdale and drove around for a little bit. We {of course} made a stop at the beach, where I learned that seashells in Ft. Lauderdale are thicker than seashells in Southern California. Also cool.
After the beach, we found a Cuban restaurant, where the food was just so-so, and then went back to the airport to catch our flight.
Despite the food, Ft. Lauderdale was nice. Next trip will include more beach time, a trip to the temple, and more exploring.
Monday, October 6, 2014
October Visiting Teaching Message {The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Bread of Life}
Our physical bodies need food to survive. We eat breads, fruits and vegetables, meats and dairy, and sometimes treats. When I go for too long without food, I get grumpy and tired, and my body and mind don't seem to work as well.
Our spirits also need food to survive. We read and ponder the scriptures, pray sincerely and attend our meetings. We try to help others and we partake of the sacrament. When I go for too long without spiritual food, I get impatient and apathetic, and my spirit feels far away from home.
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life. We should look to God each day for help, both physically and spiritually. He knows us. He loves us. He wants to help us. He wants us to know Him.
I once had a wonderful visiting teacher named Margaret. She visited every month without fail and would always come with a thoughtful message. Though we were very different in our day-to-day circumstances, we shared many interests and I loved having her visit and share spiritual bread.
Margaret was also an excellent baker, and shared with me her recipe for Rosemary French Bread, which I made for my sisters this month.
If you are in a pinch for time this month and can't take the time to make bread, feel free to purchase a loaf of your favorite bread instead to share with your sisters.
Share physical bread and spiritual bread.
I packaged my bread in paper bag, cut in half and tied with twine. I made a little paper pocket to put Margaret's recipe with the message.
If you would like to make your own little pocket, just cut a 12x12 inch sheet of cute paper that is printed on both sides in half, so you have two pieces measuring 6x12 inches. Fold one side up and secure with staples. Print the message and the recipe and tuck inside.
Happy Visiting Teaching!


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You can almost hear Alice Cooper wailing in the background around this time every year: "School's out for summer!"
For many American teenagers graduating as high school seniors, this time period is accompanied with excitement, anticipation and the thought of the entire world floating toward the grasp of their fingertips. Such an accomplishment serves as an introduction to another life chapter, and a new world of opportunity for the individual who is willing to get out of their comfort zone and go after it. The same can be said of a formal education. Regardless of financial standing, if college lies on a desired life path, it's an achievable goal.
For parents of graduating seniors, this time period comes with the same excitement, a swelling of pride and for many who are uncertain about how to tackle the beast that is a college education, growing fears. However, like the graduating student, if sending a child to college lies on a desired life path, it is a goal that is achievable.
How to Afford College – A Few Thoughts on Approaching College Life
Regardless of where you are in the planning process, it's not too late to make a move. There is always an opportunity to move forward with formal education.
Even if you've just watched one of your children walk across a stage to be awarded a high school diploma, and yet you've never looked into how you'll help pay for college–it's not too late. Let's cut to the chase and consider a few options.
If it's early in the game, you can start putting money away into a college fund. This is the easiest and most stress-free option to begin saving for college. Instead of lavish holiday gifts and overspending on birthdays, ask family and friends to contribute to your child's future and potential college education.
This is also the right time to introduce your children to the word "scholarship." Help educate them on the importance of developing a wonderful work-ethic in grade school and high school, and it may translate to coming out of college debt free, with more life opportunities at their fingertips.
If it's late in the game, and your student is choosing a school to attend, there is one thing that will greatly help the family dynamic: Enrolling in a school that is affordable. I'm of the mind that an education is measured by what you put into it, rather than "get out of it." From the effort put into education, I believe more life opportunity, personal contacts and connections and social-educational opportunities will fill the proverbial cup of formal education and overflow it.
While being married to the idea of an Ivy League education may be the dream, or the ideal college option, it shouldn't dictate the thought that great college educations aren't also found at other institutions of higher learning. As a parent, however, I understand the desire to help a child realize a dream. There may be need for compromise, and deep discussion and negotiation. Weigh the options, and consider what is best for the overall family dynamic.
A former student, there is one thing I wish I would have done more of–work through college. Many students are afraid that they won't have time to balance their studies, a job and still take the time necessary for a decent social standing; however, I can confidently attest to the fact that it's possible. Some of the most dedicated students, and most sociable people I knew in school worked part and full-time throughout their degree programs and came away with no regrets, and little student loan debt.
The key to moving in the right direction: Parents and the potential college student(s) need to come to an understanding that they are working on a team. The process of going to college is something that they need to do together. For many families this may be the introduction to a new family dynamic: Parents, partners and educational peers. An open dialog will greatly benefit all parties involved.
In Part 2 of this Family Budget Friday feature, I'll offer a few great resources and opportunities available for scoring money for school, both through scholarship as well as financial aid. I'll also delve into the opportunities offered through online education in the 21st century.
(Image via: eHow)


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September means it's time for the harvest. The big cornfield down the street has been plowed over and under. Within a few days the field will be filled with geese, making a pit stop to munch stray kernels before continuing their flight south. I still have a few tomatoes to pick and greens to clip for a salad but they'll be eaten up soon. The nights are getting cooler and will soon threaten my herb pots, so it's time to get to work and make pesto.
Basil is the key ingredient in Pesto alla Genovese and most years I am overwhelmed with basil, not so this year. Between the rain and cool weather in June and July, I have but a paltry pot of pewny and puny plants. So I need to bite the bullet and go out and buy some basil or miss out on this fabulous treat.
Making pesto is easy. Historically, people used a mortar and pestle to crush garlic, salt, basil and pine nuts into a thick, creamy paste. Next olive oil and Parmesan cheese were added. If you want to stay true to tradition pull out your mortar and your pestle and have a wonderful afternoon.
However, making pesto is a chance for me to get out one of my favorite gadgets, my handy-dandy mini food processor. I love kitchen tools, gadgets and gizmos and have collected a fair number of them. From mandolins to colorful citrus squeezers to old fashion apple peelers, I may not have it all but I've got a lot! Now when I make pesto, I don't worry too much about tradition. Of all the many kitchen tools I own, surprisingly there is no mortar or pestle. I eye them periodically at the kitchen store but so far … I just eye them.
But getting back to business, my first step to making pesto is roasting the garlic. Like I said I don't worry about tradition. Roasted garlic is delicious in and of itself but it is also wonderful in pesto. Particularly if you or someone you know has trouble with raw garlic. It's not that I don't love raw garlic but it has a tendency to stick around for awhile; making intimate conversation difficult for a day or three. So I frequently roast my garlic before throwing it in the pesto.
Here's how:
I start by peeling a few or several garlic cloves and put them in a small oven-proof custard cup. Sometimes I smash them or roughly chop them first. Then I cover the cloves with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (or chili peppers). Next I pop the cup in the toaster oven and bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour or until I remember to take it out. I let the garlic and the oil cool completely.
When the garlic cools, I'm ready to make my pesto. I take a big bunch of basil, remove the leaves from the stems, wash them and dry them. Then I do the same with a small handful of parsley leaves. Adding parsley may be considered heresy in some kitchens but I think it makes a nice addition. In any case, I throw the herbs, roasted garlic and some olive oil in my little food processor and buzz away until everything is smooth. Sometimes I use the roasted garlic-y oil, sometime not. Sometimes I add a little vinegar or a shot of lemon juice. The lemon juice is a really nice addition to my shrimp and linguine di pesto alla Genovese.
As you can see the measurements are very exact and the directions exacting! I usually add the herbs in batches because they don't all fit in at once. If you are making a big batch of pesto, you can use a big food processor. I like the little one because it chops everything, including the garlic, very fine. Plus it's easy to clean.
You may be wondering about the pine nuts and Parmesan. If you want to get technical, I actually make what the French call pistou and not pesto. I rarely throw pine nuts or grated Parmesan into the mix ahead of time. Instead, I put a dollop of pesto on my pasta and then add freshly toasted pine nuts and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan.
So pull out those mortars and pestles or handy-dandy food processors and make some pesto. But don't stop at basil, I make lots of different kinds of pesto from sun-dried tomato to artichoke to roasted peppers. Why not treat friends and family to a wonderful fall dinner of raviolis with sage pesto? Enjoy!
Bon appétit!
Raviolis with Sage Pesto
Again, the recipe is as exacting as the measurements are exact! Enjoy!
Fresh or Frozen Raviolis
A handful of fresh sage leaves, washed and dried
A tablespoon or two of fresh thyme leaves, washed and dried
Roasted garlic to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Chopped and toasted walnuts
Grated Parmesan cheese
Put the sage, thyme and garlic in a small food processor and process until chopped and blended. Season with salt and pepper and add a little extra virgin olive oil and process until smooth. Slowly add more olive oil until it reaches the desired consistency.
Cook the raviolis according to your recipe's or package directions. Drain the raviolis, reserving a little pasta water. Return the raviolis to the pot and gentle toss with enough sage pesto to coat. If the raviolis seems dry, add a little pasta water or extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
Whether you make it with basil or sage, make pesto or pistou, it freezes beautifully. Spoon any extra pesto into ice cube trays, freeze it and then store the pesto cubes in a re-sealable bag. (I figure without the cheese and pine nuts, I save a few inches of space in my already packed freezer.) You'll have fettuccine di pesto in minutes or a great no-fuss garnish for soups throughout the winter.
Print-friendly version of this post.
One Year Ago – Brie & Sun-dried Tomato Omelet
What's your favorite pesto? I'd love to hear from you! Let's get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I'd be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You'll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.
Feel free to visit my photoblog, Susan Nye 365 or my cleverly named other blog, Susan Nye's Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010


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Complete section 3 of Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) document for the Cannon and Zumbro Watersheds and provide input to sections 1 and 2.
This project will build network and the skill set of local resource professionals to do effective civic engagement work for water restoration and protection in Southeast Minnesota. The cohort will be administered through the Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board (SE MN WRB) which is an area wide Joint Powers Board (JPB) established to help improve and protect the water resources of the area through coordinating local water planning efforts. This JPB has successfully administered water quality grants in the past that have positively impacted the water resources of this region.
The purpose of this effort is to create an educational video that will "bring to life" geo-scientific information related to groundwater movement in southeast Minnesota. This video will be used by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and other regional partners to help explain the local geology and related groundwater movement. It is anticipated that the video will be used at meetings and other events related to water resource management and natural resource issues. In addition, three stand alone high resolution graphics will be created.
The goal of this project is to investigate nitrate transport and the sources of nitrate in karst for more effective implementation of best management practices that will reduce nitrate concentrations in ground and surface water.
This project will build upon the outreach and education efforts of the Zumbro Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS). The targeted area will be residents of the Zumbro River Watershed, specifically individuals and organizations that are not professionally involved in managing natural resources. This project will provide necessary outreach and education during the interim between the Zumbro WRAPS and beginning the One Watershed, One Plan process.


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Bignoux Surname Ancestry Results
Our indexes 1000-1999 include entries for the spelling 'bignoux'. In the period you have requested, we have the following 3 records (displaying 1 to 3):
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bignam bignay bignayle bignel bignell bignells bigner bigneti bigneux bigney bignill bignod bignol bignold bignolde bignolds bignoles bignoll bignon bignot bigny bigo bigod bigod' bigode bigoe bigogo bigolas bigom bigonet bigood bigoreau bigorie bigorne bigos bigot bigote bigoth bigott bigotte
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Holly KnillProduct Development & Business Strategy
Holly Knill is a digital leader with 15+ years of television, media, mobile, OTT, business transformation and start-up experience predominantly in Europe, Australasia and the Middle East. Passionate about new technologies, great consumer propositions and product development, she has a proven track record in developing, award winning TV and OTT products (including games, channels, ad campaigns, 3G content, interactive, live and VOD services). She was nominated first in VOD Professional's 2013 'Top 50' following her success in developing and leading Sky Go and subsequent direction of Sky Store on OTT devices. Other than BSkyB she has worked with TVNZ, Sky TV NZ, Joost, twofour54, Mediamorph, Antenna Group and Accenture.
Howard KiedaischBusiness Strategy & Finance
Howard is an international media & technology executive with over 20 years experience in business development, finance and operations. He is the former CEO of Arts Alliance Media, former COO of NBC Universal, former COO / SVP Business Operations at Universal Pictures and former CFO of NBC Universal (GE Company). He has been an advisor for MoMedia since 2013.
Sebastien JaninAcquisitions Advisor
Sebastien is an international manager with over 20 years experience in Movies and TV. He was previously responsible for the global roll out of iTunes and was subsequently their International Head of Independent Film. He has also consulted for Wuaki TV and is the former Vice President of Home Entertainment at StudioCanal. He currently advises MoMedia on their acquisitions strategy.


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Student loan debt can be demoralizing if not understood. Unfortunately, this situation is all too common among young folks. With luck, the following article can help you sift through the information out there and make wise choices.
If you have taken a student loan out and you are moving, be sure to let your lender know. It is important for your lender to be able to contact you at all times. They will not be too happy if they have to go on a wild goose chase to find you.
Think carefully when choosing your repayment terms. Most public loans might automatically assume a decade of repayments, but you might have an option of going longer. Refinancing over longer periods of time can mean lower monthly payments but a larger total spent over time due to interest. Weigh your monthly cash flow against your long-term financial picture.
You don't need to worry if you cannot pay for your student loans because you are unemployed. Usually, most lenders let you postpone payments if some hardship is proven. Just know that when you do this, interest rates might go up.
Once you leave school and are on your feet you are expected to start paying back all of the loans that you received. There is a grace period for you to begin repayment of your student loan. It is different from lender to lender, so make sure that you are aware of this.
If you have extra money at the end of the month, don't automatically pour it into paying down your student loans. Check interest rates first, because sometimes your money can work better for you in an investment than paying down a student loan. For example, if you can invest in a safe CD that returns two percent of your money, that is smarter in the long run than paying down a student loan with only one point of interest. Only do this if you are current on your minimum payments though and have an emergency reserve fund.
To pay down your student loans effectively, focus on the one that has the highest interest rate. Repaying based on balance size could actually cause you to pay more in interest than you otherwise would have.
You should shop around before deciding on a student loan company because it can end up saving you a lot of money in the end. The school you attend may try to sway you to choose a particular one. It is best to do your research to make sure that they are giving you the best advice.
To reduce the amount of your student loans, work as many hours as you can during your last year of high school and the summer before college. The more money you have to give the college in cash, the less you have to finance. This means less loan expense later on.
Student loans impact your life during and long after your college years. For that reason, anyone contemplating borrowing money to finance their education must pay close attention to what they are doing. Use what you've just learned to take advantage of student loans without negatively affecting your future.


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A first: Woman cop leads charge on goon
Inspector Arti Sharma made history on Wednesday. She not only became the first woman officer of Delhi police to lead an all-male team but also faced firing from an armed criminal.delhi Updated: Mar 08, 2013 01:06 IST
Inspector Arti Sharma made history on Wednesday.
She not only became the first woman officer of Delhi police to lead an all-male team but also faced firing from an armed criminal on Wednesday evening, two days before International Women's Day.
Veteran of many an operation, Sharma, 47, not only led the eight policemen to trap wanted criminal Arvind Sharma but also showed alertness and courage when he opened fire at the team. One of her team mates, head constable Shyam Lal, was injured in the firing.
Senior police officers have praised Sharma for her courage and are planning to nominate her for a gallantry award. Also, two male members of her team, including Lal, will get out-of-turn promotion.
"She is the first woman inspector to lead a team. This is the first time that a team led by a woman officer nabbed a wanted criminal," additional CP (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav said.
Yadav said Inspector Sharma and her team had laid a trap at Janakpuri around 9:30pm. He said the team knew that Arvind Sharma was going to come to collect money from someone.
"He was in a black Santro car. Inspector Sharma and her team immediately surrounded his car but he opened fire twice to escape. Head constable Shyam Lal was hit," Yadav said.
Talking to media, Inspector Sharma said, "We knew that he would be armed, so we went fully prepared."
Her advice to other women: "Don't be scared and always face life with determination and courage."


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This poem was inspired during a conversation I was having with a new Pashtun friend I just met recently. She happened to mention her baby and it was then that the words for this poem started flowing out of me; and I managed to write this whole poem in less than 15 minutes. It's still a working progress though, and I may have to add to it from time to time; but it's definitely inspired and I feel it's important that I give this lovely friend her due credit. 🙂
Your eyes
My lips
Your nose
My hair
Your hands
My feet
Your dimples
My crinkles
Our love – our child
Created in sated passion
And lived unwearyingly through my fluids,
For what seemed like an eternity;
Our beloved has finally entered this world
A world filled with chaos,
A world filled with rainbows;
The wait is over…
Dream child, dream
Fill the skies with your light
And let the tinkling of your soft laughter
Warm the hearts of many strangers
Let your tears fill the ground with love
And fill the space of your liberty with rosy fumes
Dream child, dream
Show the world there's still hope
For they are waiting,
You are their salvation;
The only child that will
Lead them to insurrection
Dream child, dream
Fill the seven seas with your depth
For you are born to make manifest
Let your enigmatic spell shatter this livid curse
All across the dawns for a brand new morn
© September, 2011