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Film Diary: The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955)
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Never work with children and animals, runs the old show-business saw. Film-makers might be wise to add to this advice: never make a feature of a catchy song , for it will grow greedy and swallow the film. The history of popular music is littered with songs from long-forgotten films – perhaps the classic example is the song from Hall Bartlett's Unchained, a pleasant but unexciting flick about a California prison with an enlightened governor, now notable only for the unwitting film debut of Dexter Gordon who just happened to be on hand, and its Melody which became one of the most-recorded songs of all time.
Unchained was made in 1955, the same year that Hitchcock made this remake of his own 1934 film. Presumably he wasn't completely satisfied with the early version, so you'd expect him to make sure he got it right this time. But The Man Who Knew Too Much doesn't come easily to mind when you think of the Hitchcock greats. I bet you'd all recognise the song though. It's as much part of Doris Day as the yellow basket was part of Ella.
This is all rather unfair to a fine film. If it sits in the shadow of North by North West or Rear Window it's probably because James Stewart doesn't sparkle like Cary Grant, and Doris Day can't counter his hapless Ordinary Joe with the same touch of glamour that Grace Kelly could give him. Still, the pair of them carry off their portrayal of an unlikely couple wandering blindly into a net of international intrigue, espionage and assassination with their son – the sort of winsome brat so beloved of 50s American cinema – as the McGuffin. You do have to wonder how an international singing star manages to settle down to a life as mother and wife to a gauche Indiana quack. There's a story here, hinted at but never explicitly told, which would make more sense if Jimmy were Doris's shrink, but anybody who thought Doris Day was there just for her voice and were unaware that she could act too would be seriously impressed by the scene in which her husband has her all but begging for her medication.
This is good Hitchcock. The crucial scene in the Albert Hall is breathtaking, real edge-of-the-seat stuff. Will The Man Who Knew Too Much eventually be elevated to its rightful place in the pantheon? Who knows – whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see…
Film Diary: A Beautiful Mind (Ron Howard, 2002)
Monday, 10 November 2008
A biography of a distinguished mathematician seems an unlikely source for an Oscar-winning blockbuster. But it's precisely that aspect, coupled with real curiosity about the work as well as the life of John Forbes Nash, a brilliant but eccentric character (who is still alive so I'd better watch my step), that drew me to it. I never distinguished myself at maths but I penetrated the subject far enough beyond the tedium of the way it's taught in schools to retain a fascination for it.
What we get is a film that dwells on eccentricity at the expense of mathematics. As a portrait of a man battling with some pretty fearsome devils – Asperger's syndrome, one assumes, to start with and ultimately a nasty case of paranoid schizophrenia. The central enigma is the demarcation line between what is real and what is Nash's delusions. By keeping it that simple, it works pretty well as a crowd-pleasing thriller. There's always the old question to ask about "why now?" Why choose 2002 to make a film which centres on whether or not the threat of terrorist attack on US soil is real or fantasy. Can there be parallels with the real world being hinted at here?
All the same, I get a strange feeling with this film that I've seen it all before. These diaries are, for the most part, impressions and not studies. One of these days, though, I'd like to do a thorough analysis of the films of Modern Hollywood (say, post-Jaws), and see just how far each and every big Hollywood production follows the same schema; psychological buttons pushed, emotional strings pulled, all at carefully-planned strategic points. The result is a film that is seductively easy to watch, that draws you right into it, and leaves you afterwards feeling strangely, empty, like a Chinese meal.
What did I learn about John Forbes Nash? Nothing at all, very much, that I didn't know already. That he was brilliant and arrogant; that like many with an autistic-spectrum condition he could be very charming; that he could make a right fool of himself in public places. Some things I knew about seem to have been carefully airbrushed out, not least his alcoholism and his bisexual promiscuity. Anybody hoping to learn about what Nash actually did would be disappointed. He is best-known for game theory, and this is barely hinted at – after losing a game of Go he complains that Go was a flawed game because he had played first and played a perfect strategic game so should have won (Nash later invented Hex as a game similar to Go that could always be won as suggested.) Any maths heavier than that is hinted as by the stereotypical blackboard scrawl of the geek. Yes, Nash isn't to be seen as a beautiful mind at all, but as a one-man freak show. Well, what do you expect of somebody so sad as to be a mathematician?
All right. I enjoyed it, and I thought Russell Crowe pulled it off with surprising aplomb. But I didn't wake up this morning still haunted by it, and I doubt if I'll remember much about it in a couple of weeks time.
Film Diary: The Thirty-Nine Steps (Alfred Hitchcock, 1935)
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Long before there was James Bond, in an age when the cinema was still a novelty and the enemy was Kaiser Bill, there was Richard Hannay, suave hero of John Buchan's riproaring yarns. Buchan may or may not have realised that his brand of muscular adventure was perfect fodder for the film industry but she sure scored a bullseye. All that was needed to make it memorable was the budding talent of Alfred Hitchcock. Now why would somebody want to make a film with slippery Germans in 1935 of all years? Just as the year before Robert Graves had written a Roman epic also full of slippery Germans? Was something going on that not everybody was seeing properly? It's even updated to the 1930s.
So, a mysterious and very frightened woman takes refuge in Hannay's flat. Before the sun rises she's dead with Hannay's breadknife in her back, and there the fun begins. There are spies and there are establishment figures of decidedly fuzzy loyalty. There's a dramatic escape by train including an episode in a compartment with an unknown woman, and there's a dramatic confrontation in a wild and lonely place. A quarter of a century on, Hitchcock will do much the same thing again, in colour and with the inimitable Cary Grant in the lead, as North by North West. It will be a great film but it won't be half as charming as this one.
Film Diary: Watership Down (Martin Rosen, 1979)
Monday, 22 September 2008
To my shame it's only four years since I read Watership Down for the first time (it was one of the very first books I obtained through Bookcrossing.) For more than a quarter of a century before that, the thought of a book or a film about anthropomorphic bunnies made me a bit queasy. But I loved the book because it was dark and not in the least sentimental, and had a great deal to say about the human condition and the state of the world.
It took until now to see the film, and then only prompted by the fact that Tom Ewing's excellent Popular blog had reached 1979 and Art Garfunkel's strikingly dark and moving song Bright Eyes, taken from the soundtrack. The song is woven into the fabric of the film but I was a little surprised to find that it didn't dominate as I'd feared. Instead there's a score by Malcolm Williamson that owes a great deal to Vaughan Williams, and that's apt because what this film does most beautifully is to evoke the countryside of he Hampshire/Berkshire borders perfectly. So lovingly has the background been created in watercolour that sometimes it was easy to forget that this was an animation. Nor was it in the least idealised. This is a countryside complete with electricity pylons and full of hidden dangers: badgers and foxes, hawks, humans with snares, and other rabbits less than cuddly of demeanour.
A hefty novel – 500 pages in this case – is always difficult to translate into a manageable film, let alone an animation, but this film remains remarkably true to teh original. Some minor things have been changed, a lot has been missed out, but nothing has been lost. It's understandable that the horrors of the Efrafa warren are focused on, and I thought it was a shame that the effete and over-sophisticated rabbits of Cowslip's warren were glossed over (although I actively disliked this bit of the novel – it came across to me as anti-intellectual, although I did get the point.) But it keeps the dark flavour of the novel intact.
It's about as far from Disney as you can get, but it's none the worse for that.
Film Diary: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (Stanley Kramer, 1967)
Sunday, 14 September 2008
1967. Martin Luther King is making headlines at the head of the civil rights movement. In a third of the States, mixed-race marriages are illegal. Vigilantes hunt down voter registration campaigners. Hell, killing a Negro doesn't even count as murder. And the Oscar for Best Picture goes (all right, will go to) a film in which a black FBI man comes face to face with a rednecked Alabama police chief.
White America is polarised between the old-guard bigots and the liberal intelligentsia intent on sweeping them away. But what happens when those liberals come under scrutiny? What happens when the daughter of a crusading San Francisco newspaper proprietor brings home the man she's fallen head-over-heels in love with and plans to marry come hell or high water? And the man concerned is a brilliant doctor and medical academic who just happens to be Sidney Poitier? And what about his parents? And, er, the black skivvy in this exemplary liberal household? The racial revolution of the sixties has been the subject of a lot of films, but not many of them have turned the spotlight so searchingly on the motives of the white middle-class campaigners.
For all that it had its finger on the Zeitgeist (as it were), it's a curiously old-fashioned piece. By that I don't mean that its mid-sixties ambience seems 'dated' now – it's of its time and thet's fair enough. But it looks so terribly stagey. The most surprising thing about it is that it won the Oscar that year for Best Original Screenplay, because it looks like a theatrical performace, acted out before a painted backdrop of San Francisco Bay as if it were a piece of early Alan Ayckbourn. There are a couple of moments when the action moves away from the house – presumably intended to emphasise the aging Spencer Tracy's growing estrangement from the bright young world around him – and they are gruesomely, wince-inducingly, bad. But it would be unfair to judge the whole film on two short scenes. It rolls fairly predicatable on to a conclusion in which Tracy gathers all the protagonists around him to give a long speech like an avuncular Poirot, and you want to scream at him to stop wittering and get to the point. Then you remember that Spencer Tracy was seriously ill at the time, that Stanley Kramer didn't know if he was going to make it through filming, that it was the last scene he would ever record in a long and distinguished career. He would be dead in just a few days.
Film Diary: Life Is Sweet (Mike Leigh, 1991)
Sunday, 31 August 2008
The essence of Mike Leigh is simple. Take a bunch of assorted characters, all larger than life but all very believable. Throw them into a dysfunctional suburban nightmare, and just let them get on with. There's little in the way of plot but oodles of insight into human nature, especially of the kind to be found in the neglected wastes of north London, with all its limited horizons. There's a whole world out there, but they can't see beyond the limits of their housing estate.
Everybody here shines. Alison Steadman as the tireless mother hen who laughs infuriatingly at her own jokes, and Jim Broadbent as her meek husband, a cook who dreams only of running a ramshackle hamburger stand. The terrible twins, Claire Skinner who crops her hair and works as a plumber and might go for a fortnight in America one day if she gets round to it, and Jane Horrocks in huge round glasses who doesn't have a clue what she wants to be, except very, very angry. Steven Rea as a drunken wide-boy and, best of all, Timothy Spall's gormlessly intense would-be restaurateur.
It's all very theatrical. Stagey, I mean. It leaves you with the feeling that it ought to be played out in the round above a pub somewhere. Mike Leigh hasn't, by 1991, quite found his cinematic feet yet, but he does a good job here. Very enjoyable. And totally bonkers.
Film Diary: The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
Monday, 25 August 2008
It's so easy to poke fun at John Wayne. He's such an inviting target; his bone-headed stubbornness, his neanderthal attitudes, his apparently wooden acting. What's harder is trying to explain how it is he turns up in so many excellent films, and not in minor roles either. Stagecoach and Red River are up there with the greats of any genre, and so is The Searchers.
The history of the Western has been about the America of the European settlers coming to terms with what it has done: what it has destroyed as much as what it has achieved. It's been a hard lesson to learn, especially as the awful realisation of what was visited on the people who were already there. John Wayne fits into this history perfectly. He's the embodiment of Manifest Destiny; the pioneer who ain't gonna let nobody stand in the way of his fortune; the man who takes just what he wants and blasts away anybody who gets in his way. Even his own brother, if his brother has the woman he wants.
And he really hates Injuns. He lost his mother to them. He hates the red man so much that, when he comes back late from the Civil War and finds that his brother's family have adopted as their own the part-Cherokee boy Marty, the look he gives would freeze whiskey in the full heat of noon in Monument Valley. He hates them so much that he shoots them in the back as they ride away from him. Some Hero of the Old West! He's even determined to kill the niece he and Marty have been tracking for five years, taken by the Comanche, because she's become assimilated with them.
Sure, it's a dreadful thing that the Comanche torch the settlers' homesteads with the settlers inside and abduct the children. But it's also pretty bloody awful for the US Cavalry to charge through a tepee village on sight massacring men, women and children alike. And in the end it's the Comanche who come out of The Searchers smelling sweeter. In 1956 America was waking up to what it had done to its indigenous people, The Searchers still has a touch of moral ambiguity about it, but the Western has come some way from Red River a few years earlier where cutting the throat of an Indian was no obstacle to being family entertainment.
It's the ambiguity that made the ending, which I won't give away, such a disappointment for me. It's undoubtedly a great film, but for now it must yield to Red River the title of My Favourite Western.


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Doing Psychological Assessments or Psycheducational Evaluations is a mainstay in a Private Practice in Psychology. But what exactly does this mean, and how do we think it's best done ?
In a quality oriented Psychological Practice, the actual assessment should be completed by the person who reports on the results. In our case here, all testing is done by PhD level Psychologists. This assures for the best service for clients and their families.
Psych testing involves the use of standardized assessment tools that give us information about the issues that may be getting in the way of optimal performance. Tests, whether they are about intellectual abilities, academic skills or emotional functioning are administered to our clients. These tests have been given (or standardized) on thousands of children, adolescents and adults. Results we obtain are compared to this vast bank of data and our results situate our client in the context of these data.
Psychologists receive special training in order to assure that the administration procedures are reasonably consistent across all who test, however there is bound to be some variation. In order to get the most accurate results, it is important to make sure that the client is engaged and comfortable in the whole testing process. Testing should be fun and not a chore. In our practice, we invest much effort to assure that we are connected to our clients and that they enjoy the process. Testing in our practice is done by one Psychologist. We do not use different testers for different aspects of the process.
Another reason why our testing is completed by one Psychologist is that Psych Testing, in our view, is as much an art as it is a science. While we are interested in quantitative data, the understanding of qualitative information can be as valuable as any 'numbers' we obtain. How a client does a task is as important as what he/she scores on the task. This is another reason why only PhD level Psychologists tests each client in our practice. All information should be collected by the practitioner who will integrate and report on the results.
We administer standard tests of intellectual ability (eg. Wechsler Scales), tests of academic skills including reading, writing and math, tests of processing ability (memory scales), tests of executive functioning, and tests of concentration and attention.We also administer tests of social and emotional functioning if there are presenting questions about issues in this area. Sometimes the tests are paper and pencil tests, sometimes there are tasks where material has to be manipulated, and sometimes we use computerized tests. Often we will get the client, and their Parents to fill in questionnaires. We have a wide variety of instruments to use and often change or add tests as the unfolding assessment process suggests.
Results are then scored, organized and recorded in a written report which is given to the client and his/her family. In our practice, we verbally disseminate our results, that is we meet first, before we provide a written report. We like to include information from this session in the final report. Our clients own their reports and we are not permitted to discuss, or pass on any information, without their explicit consent.
It is our view that Psych reports should be written in a manner which makes them readable and easily understood by our clients. As Psychologists we feel an obligation to organize the complex information we have obtained into a report that interprets the results in a readable and informed manner. Our job is to give you our opinion, our answers, to questions you have posed.
Over the years doing assessments I have come to understand that in a odd way, doing Psych Assessments is very similar to doing therapy, only we do this type of therapy with our instruments to help guide us.

subset: commoncrawl


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YouTube Space
YouTube Space brings together the most creative people on YouTube to learn, connect and create with one another. The Space can be found across the globe offering events, workshops, as well as the latest production resources to help bring your biggest ideas to life. Select a location below to learn more.
- Select a Space
- Berlin
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To unleash the creativity of one of the largest creator communities in the heart of Europe, YouTube has partnered with MET Film School to bring a YouTube Space to Berlin.Visit YouTube Space BER
YouTube Space @ Dubai Studio City is the first hub in the Middle East and North Africa for creators to produce content, learn, and collaborate with the creative YouTube community.Visit YouTube Space Dubai
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The flagship location for YouTube Space is designed especially for creators to produce video content, learn new skills, and collaborate with the YouTube creative community.Visit YouTube Space LA
Nestled in the hills of Mumbai's Film City, YouTube has partnered with Whistling Woods International to provide resources for India's emerging creator community.Visit YouTube Space Mumbai
Located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, YouTube Space NY is a place for YouTube creators and advertisers alike to attend workshops, events and use production facilities.Visit YouTube Space NY
Located in the heart of Paris, temporarily housed at the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques, while we finalize construction on a refreshed facility.Visit YouTube Space Paris
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Located in cities across the globe, YouTube Spaces offer exclusive events, immersive workshops, and the latest production resources to help bring ideas to life.Visit Pop-up YouTube Spaces


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Lost in Translation
Going in cirlces after a whirlwind swept me :-).Was in Hongkong,Macau,Beijing,Guangzhou,Bhutan,Thailand ,Nepal,India.
And now near guangzhou-South China in a tiny some parts beautiful some parts not so kind of village.
Have a scooter to go around ,some industrial deadends,beautiful old style village houses hidden behind huge structures covered with bathroom tiles,a nice night market with hotpot and most people who still receognise me when I walk..
A little bit of randomness once in a while ......missing some chaos and hitchiking and sleeping on the roadside..Need to start the aimless wander sooner than later.


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With friends such as mine! 😛
Throwing cake in my face, asking me whether I want a large piece or a small one.
It was Shish's birthday yesterday and Tweetie got her this amazing black forest cake.
Which of course I couldn't eat. So I stared at it for a little while and decided to practice my new mantra, "Junk food will still be available after 50 days and I have to learn how to delay gratification" And they kept on asking, 'You will not have some? Are you sure?'
Then i went for C25K with Nas. Who proceeded to mention that she would like us to go buy crisps after our jog. She has never mentioned that before. I don't even know the last time I saw Nas eating junk food.
Till Tweetie mentioned, "Sigh, no 1k for us." They just want me to pay them!


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When it comes to getting caffeinated, these days we've got options. Gone are the days of picking only between a cup of decaf or regular. Now we're faced with an array of coffee beans that come from all over the globe, a handful of specialized ways to brew a regular cup of coffee, and enough options of espresso drinks to make your head spin. Coffee has gotten an upgrade. And while we're not complaining, the truth is that getting a cup of joe has gotten a little more complicated.
This new coffee culture only means good things for us caffeine fiends, but it also means that we need to stay on top of what's what. To help you figure out how to order a cup in this coffee-saturated world, read on. We've broken down the best espresso drinks, so that you can always get just the shot of caffeine you're looking for.
10 Cappuccino
One of the most popular espresso drinks, a cappuccino done right should be equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foamed milk (about 60 ml each).
9 Mocha
With 60 ml of espresso, 60 ml of chocolate and 30 ml of steamed milk, a mocha is a the right choice if you want something sweet.
8 Latte
The latte gets its name because it's full of milk. It is generally just a 60 ml shot of espresso with 300 ml steamed milk — and only 2ml foamed milk.
7 Cafe Au Lait
If you prefer brewed coffee over espresso, cafe au lait is for you. It's just a pampered cup of coffee — calling for warm, steamed milk in place of cold milk.
6 Americano
If you like the taste of espresso, but don't like how quickly it goes you'd be happy with an Americano. It's a shot of espresso (30 ml) with twice the amount of water (60 ml).
5 Cafe Noisette
The noisette is one step between the machiatto and the latte. It's a big shot of espresso with half of that amount in hot milk.
4 Macchiato
With a macchiato you get a shot of espresso (or sometimes two) with just a dot of foamed milk.
3 Doppio
Doppio means double in Italian, and that's exactly what you get with espresso. Rather than the expected 30 ml shot of espresso, a doppio gets you a 60 ml shot.
2 Espresso
A small shot of caffeine — but more than enough to get the job done — usually about 30 ml.
1 Ristretto
A ristretto is the coffee choice for those who like to get straight to the point. It's a very concentrated espresso shot — only 22 ml.cafe noisette, cappuccino, coffee, doppio, espresso, late, macchiato, mocha, ristretto


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Studio Sound In Your Home Office
With microphones and headphones designed for the most discerning listeners and audio professionals, Shure puts studio quality sound in your home office. Connect directly to your computer and enjoy audio clarity that puts you in the room with clients, colleagues and friends.
Switch To Digital
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Summer Sale
Save now on mics and headphones for videography, podcasting, vlogging and YouTube.


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The Central Connecticut State University men's basketball team
dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 53-45 loss on the road at
Savannah State on Monday night. The Blue Devils were led by junior
captain Shemik Thompson who had a
team-high 12 points while sophomore Robby Ptacek added 11 and
six rebounds. Freshman Joe
Efese finished the game with seven points and four blocks.
Central is off until Nov. 28 when they will play Savannah State
again in the first game of the Skip Prosser Tournament at The
Savannah State took an early 12-6 lead as the Blue Devils struggled from the field to open the game. Central hit just one of its first seven shots from the field to begin the contest. They cut it to 14-13 with 12:27 on the clock, but a quick 6-0 run by the Tigers upped their lead to 20-13.
Sophomore Vince Rosario hit his second three of the game, and fifth of the season, to cut it to 22-18 with 7:30 on the clock. Both teams struggled to score in the final minutes before the half, combining for only two field goals in the final six minutes before the break.
Savannah State led 27-23 at the half, after shooting 12-of-27 from the floor. Central shot only 8-of-22 from the field in the half, including 2-of-4 from three. They hit only 6-of-18 from inside the arc in the half and committed eight turnovers. Efese had five points, four rebounds and three blocks in the half in 16 minutes of action. Rosario led the offense with six points.
The Tigers opened up a nine point lead, their largest of the game, at 41-32 with 8:55 left on the clock in the second half. Ptacek scored the first seven points of the half for Central and 11 straight points going back to the first half of play.
A quick four point spurt by the Blue Devils cut the lead to 41-36, capped by a basket from Efese off a pass from junior Ross Pentland. The Tigers responded, however, and pushed the lead back to 46-38 with under five minutes to play in the game.
Central would get no closer than six points the rest of the way. They cut the lead to 49-43 with a little over two minutes to play, but Savannah State hit 4-of-6 free-throws in the final minutes to seal the victory.
Central hit just 9-of-25 shots from the field in the second half and 17-of-47 from the floor in the game, good for only 36.2 percent. They were 2-of-11 from three and missed their final eight attempts. The Tigers held a 39-28 advantage on the boards.
Thompson led the way with 12 followed by Ptacek's 11. Thompson added five rebounds and three steals. Efese added seven points and his four blocks and four boards. Roasrio ended the game with six.
The Blue Devils will be off until Saturday, Nov. 28 at The Skip Prosser Tournament at The Citadel. Central will again face Savannah State in the first day of the tournament. They will face The Citadel in the second day of the tournament at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday night, Nov. 29.
March 4, 2010 Men's Hoop Season Ends at Robert Morris with 71-63 Loss
February 25, 2010 Men's Hoops Tops Long Island 74-65 at Home
February 20, 2010 Men's Hoop Hangs On for 62-60 Victory at Wagner on Saturday Night
February 18, 2010 Blue Devils Drop Third Straight on the Road at Mount St. Mary's
February 11, 2010 Men's Hoop Four-Game Win Streak Snapped vs. Robert Morris
February 6, 2010 Junior Shemik Thompson Leads Blue Devils to Fourth Straight Victory
January 28, 2010 Blue Devils Top Monmouth 66-44 on Thursday Night at Home
January 24, 2010 Men's Basketball Falls on the Road at Quinnipiac on Sunday Afternoon
January 21, 2010 Men's Basketball Falls on the Road at Sacred Heart on Thursday Night
January 14, 2010 Blue Devils Drop Sixth Straight Game, Fall to Quinnipiac at Home
January 7, 2010 Central Men Drop Third Straight at Monmouth on Thursday Night
December 12, 2009 Blue Devils Win in Overtime Against Albany in Home Opener
December 5, 2009 Men's Basketball Drops 69-65 Decision at LIU
December 3, 2009 Simmons' Double-Double Leads Central Past St. Francis (NY) 63-50
November 29, 2009 Men's Basketball Falls 67-53 at The Citadel on Sunday Night
November 13, 2009 Men's and Women's Basketball Teams Open Season Tonight


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The peer review process is the cornerstone of all high-quality, well-respected publications. The Editorial Board of the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (CJHP) invites you to become a reviewer for the CJHP. If you are an active health care practitioner, please consider what you can contribute to one of hospital pharmacy's most prestigious journals.
To become a peer reviewer for the CJHP, please register through our online submission and review system at http://cjhp.msubmit.net/, where you can indicate your areas of expertise.
Already registered on eJPress? Please login and verify your contact information, as recorded in your profile. If you are having trouble logging in or changing the information in your account, please contact CSHP's Publications Administrator.
The Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists would like to thank all reviewers for their participation in the peer review process for the CJHP. Their assistance in this regard has helped us to maintain the high quality of articles published in the Journal.


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The Melissa water tower burned bright red Tuesday night in celebration of the Lady Cardinal golf team's regional championship. The total team effort, as contested on Monday and Tuesday, earned the team a 33-shot victory over its nearest competitor, Atlanta.
The tournament was held at the Tanglewood Resort in Pottsboro, challenging the players with rough conditions and blustery winds.
MHS freshman Brooke Nolte won the individual gold medal over 70 players from across the North East Texas Region. Nolte shot rounds of 80, 82. Katlyn Watkins shot rounds of 94, 93; LeeAnn Cardwell had her best outing of the year with 95, 94; and Kambri Gabel continued her strong play with a 102, 102.
The team must now prepare for the Texas State Class 3A Championship to be played at The Jimmy Clay Golf Course in Austin to be held on May 2 and 3.


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VueScan Scan Resolution Video
With most scanning software including VueScan Pro, we have a tendency to think the highest resolution value is the best. This all depends on what we are going to do with the final output.
Scanning a film negative at 6400 is not guaranteed to give us a file which contains more detail, what it is guaranteed to give us is a file which is very large in file size.
Let me put it another way, if from the outset, we know what the final print size is going to be, or we know the maximum print size we can produce from our own printer, why nor just scan at the required resolution to start with and be done with it.
The Correct Scan Resolution
Knowing how to calculate the correct scan resolution for a specific output print size is the key. Regardless of whether you use VueScan, VueScan Pro or any other scanning software.
VueScan Pro Resolution Video
I have created two videos, one demonstrating how to calculate the correct scanning resolution in VueScan Pro which just happens to be one of the scanning softwares I use and another video showing how to correctly set the image dpi for output using the Adobe Lightroom Print Module.
VueScan Pro Resolution & Lightroom Video
Each video is of high quality and is delivered in the mp4 format making them accessible on a wide selection of devices.
- The Lightroom DPI Output video has a duration of around 17 minutes.
- The VueScan Scan Resolution video has a duration of about 20 minutes.


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- Bone Remodeling
- The Bone Bank Account
- Women, Men, and Osteoporosis
- Osteoporosis Prevention
- For Your Information
To understand osteoporosis, it is important to learn about bone. Made mostly of collagen, bone is living, growing tissue. Collagen is a protein that provides a soft framework, and calcium phosphate is a mineral that adds strength and hardens the framework. This combination of collagen and calcium makes bone strong and flexible enough to withstand stress. More than 99 percent of the body's calcium is contained in the bones and teeth. The remaining 1 percent is found in the blood.
Two types of bone found in the body -- cortical and trabecular. Cortical bone is dense and compact. It forms the outer layer of the bone. Trabecular bone makes up the inner layer of the bone and has a spongy, honeycomb-like structure.
Bone Remodeling
Throughout life, bone is constantly renewed through a two-part process called remodeling. This process consists of resorption and formation. During resorption, special cells called osteoclasts break down and remove old bone tissue. During bone formation, new bone tissue is laid down to replace the old. Several hormones including calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, estrogen (in women), and testosterone (in men), among others, regulate osteoclast and osteoblast function.
The Bone Bank Account
Think of bone as a bank account where you "deposit" and "withdraw" bone tissue. During childhood and the teenage years, new bone is added to the skeleton faster than old bone is removed. As a result, bones become larger, heavier, and denser. For most people, bone formation continues at a faster pace than removal until bone mass peaks during the third decade of life.
After age 20, bone "withdrawals" can begin to exceed "deposits." For many people, this bone loss can be prevented by continuing to get calcium, vitamin D, and exercise and by avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol use. Osteoporosis develops when bone removal occurs too quickly, replacement occurs too slowly, or both. You are more likely to develop osteoporosis if you did not reach your maximum peak bone mass during your bone-building years.
Women, Men, and Osteoporosis
Women are more likely than men to develop osteoporosis. This is because women generally have smaller, thinner bones than men have and because women can lose bone tissue rapidly in the first 4 to 8 years after menopause because of the sharp decline in production of the hormone estrogen. Produced by the ovaries, estrogen has been shown to have a protective effect on bone. Women usually go through menopause between age 45 and 55. After menopause, bone loss in women greatly exceeds that in men. However, by age 65, women and men tend to lose bone tissue at the same rate. Although men do not undergo the equivalent of menopause, production of the male hormone testosterone may decrease, and this can lead to increased bone loss and a greater risk of developing osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis Prevention
Osteoporosis is preventable for many people. Prevention is important because although there are treatments for osteoporosis, a cure has not yet been found. A comprehensive program that can help prevent osteoporosis includes:
- a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
- weight-bearing exercise
- a healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake
- bone density testing
- medication, when appropriate
The National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center acknowledges the assistance of the National Osteoporosis Foundation in the preparation of this publication.
For Your Information
This fact sheet contains information about medications used to treat the health condition discussed here. When this fact sheet was printed, we included the most up-to-date (accurate) information available. Occasionally, new information on medications is released.
For updates and for any questions about any medications you are taking, please contact
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Toll Free: 888-INFO-FDA (888-463-6332)
Website: www.fda.gov/
For updates and questions about statistics, please contact
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics
Toll Free: Toll Free: 800-232-4636
Website: www.cdc.gov/nchs
NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center
2 AMS Circle
The NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center provides patients, health professionals, and the public with an important link to resources and information on metabolic bone diseases. The mission of NIH ORBD~NRC is to expand awareness and enhance knowledge and understanding of the prevention, early detection, and treatment of these diseases as well as strategies for coping with them.
The NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center is supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases with contributions from:


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events & styling
Your People LLC plans, coordinates and promotes events that build connections between businesses and their clients. We work with our clients from idea generation through to the day itself, designing invitations, crafting PR to go with it, creating eblasts and other tools that help spread the word, and choosing venues, menus and decor. In addition, our style department coordinates magazine and newspaper photo shoots for our clients and organizes décor for every event, from casual to black-tie, making every moment stylish and meaningful.


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I hate school. Tests all over my schedule, quizzes, problem sets, reportings and all. AAAAAAAAACCCKKK. I hate this sem. Waking up by 5AM and going home at 9PM, I hate this schedule. I HAVEN'T WATCHED ANY JDRAMA FOR MONTHS NOW. I can't make a space for jdrama in my schedule. All I've been doing is kpop-ing since it's kpop that can only fit with my tight schedule. Because 5-minute vids don't take up much time than 45-minute jdrama episodes + the loading/downloading time. I want this sem to end badly. Weehoo. I can't even make a birthday post for my loves. I haven't logged on to WordPress in a while. And my 80+ views a day dropped to 13+ views. Pathetic. Ohwell. I'll just greet them. XP
August 30.
Happy Birthday to my Jdrama bait, Matsujun!
September 1.
Happy Birthday to my ProDai fling, Hiraoka Yuta!
September 4.
Happy 1st Anniversary to the Hottest Boy Group in Korea, 2PM.
(I even thought before that I will be able to make a pimp post for them but my busyness in school even made me forget this date. I just remembered it the day itself when I accidentally opened my planner. Hate uni. And now with Jay leaving 2PM [I think all Hottests know this by now], I think I can't make a pimp post for them. Another post will be dedicated to Jay but maybe I'll do that later since I'm still heartbroken. XCCCCC
September 10.
Happy Birthday to my Favorite in Japanese F4, Matsuda Shota.
The one who makes me squeal everytime I see him. XD
That's all for now. I just want to greet them no matter how late.


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As most people probably know now, Google Reader is going to end on July 1st. Even though it was a pretty easy thing to use and manage it is closing down. So now most people are trying to find a new website/format to quickly read the newest updates from their favourite blogs.
The website I'm going to be using is called Bloglovin', I've been using it since I started this blog along with Google Reader.
, by Unknown


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The trial of billionaire hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam on securities fraud charges was being watched closely both in the United States and abroad – and not just because prosecutors went after one of the top hedge fund managers in the world, but because it represented the potential for a new wave of prosecutions aimed at curtailing what many believe is a widespread practice of trading on insider information through a secret network of well-placed sources. Now that prosecutors gained convictions on all counts against Rajaratnam, expect more of these cases to come.
Given the perceived inability of US prosecutors to gain any conviction to date in connection with the financial meltdown, prosecutors had a lot on the line in going after such a high profile target. But in the end, they achieved a resounding victory. Since Rajaratnam's October 2009 arrest, 21 people connected to him have pleaded guilty, including some who subsequently testified against Rajaratnam.
What this conviction means is that not only will prosecutors be watching others' Wall Street trading activities even more closely, but now investigators may also be listening into their telephone conversations. The unprecedented use of wiretap evidence in an insider trading case made this a landmark. An investigative tool that had traditionally been reserved for prosecutions of drug kingpins and mafia dons was unleashed for the first time in this case against a white collar defendant charged with violating federal securities laws. In an era where gaining an advantage through the accumulation of information can mean the difference between success and failure, the idea that federal agents may be listening to your calls is a sobering thought.
Despite mounting a vigorous defence, in which his lawyers questioned the materiality of the information he received, argued the public nature of the information that formed the basis of the insider trading charges, and attacked the credibility of the government's cooperating witnesses, in the end, the government had one star witness whose credibility Rajaratnam's lawyers could not impeach – their own client. It's not that the defendant took the stand in his own defence; rather, it was the series of recorded incriminating conversations of Rajaratnam himself that proved to be his undoing. The government played 45 wiretapped telephone conversations between Rajaratnam and his alleged co-conspirators during its case. Thus the jury heard Rajaratnam testify without having him take the stand and swear to tell the truth – and with wiretaps, jurors often conclude that the truth they hear on the tapes is more reliable than any self-serving testimony from a defendant in the courtroom.
There is a reason wiretaps are sparingly used by prosecutors. They are expensive – often thousands of hours of manpower are needed to monitor the calls – and they are difficult to obtain. Prosecutors have to get a judge's approval for the wiretaps by demonstrating probable cause of an ongoing criminal activity. Still, despite the cost and effort for prosecutors to obtain them, they are invariably the most potent tool in the prosecutor's war chest. Jurors hear live conversations about ongoing criminal conduct, and they can't be cross-examined. It's one thing to have witnesses testify that they passed material, non-public information to a defendant, but it's quite another to give jurors the opportunity to hear, in real time, those incriminating conversations. The tone and inflection in a person's voice can often reveal more about how they view the significance and legality of what they are doing than any co-conspirator testimony could ever provide.
There is no doubt that this conviction will embolden prosecutors to pursue more of these cases and to employ the network of cooperating witnesses to obtain future wiretaps to gather incriminating evidence. The investment of time and resources into this case clearly signals an intention by prosecutors to continue to pull back the curtain on what they believe is a pervasive practice of insider trading. The Rajaratnam trial demonstrated not only his ability to reach inside a long list of reputable companies, but also that, despite the complex algorithms and sophisticated modeling often associated with hedge funds, many of these investment decisions were, in fact, driven more by old-fashioned tip-gathering from former colleagues, friends, business acquaintances and others with access to non-public information.
While this was the first time federal prosecutors used wiretaps to build an insider trading case, US prosecutors have promised it won't be the last. It takes time to cultivate the network of insiders necessary to obtain wiretaps, and once prosecutors devote those kinds of resources, it's unlikely they will give it up anytime soon. While no one can say exactly where prosecutors are headed next, it is a safe bet that there will be many Wall Street traders who will be losing some sleep, wondering if it's their calls that are being monitored or their friends who may be handing them up in exchange for a lighter sentence.


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| Search the Kids First
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Our search engine supports stemming, so by entering the word stem only, you also get all secondary word forms. So, to cover also plural word forms, entering the singular should be sufficient.
If you want to find all occurrences of the word daycare but not in connection with universal, enter -universal daycare.
If you are not sure whether we have spelled day care as one word or two but want to cover both possibilities, enter (daycare OR "day care").
Upper or lower-case letters don't matter, so Day Care and dAy CaRe will give the same hit list.
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That was the theme of this weekend. Four friends and I decided to be adventurous and live life on the wild side this weekend and went camping at Park Moabi. And by living life on the wildside, I mean pitching our tent at midnight, sleeping on and around rocks that we forgot to move before we pitched our tent, and encountering spiders the size of my hand in the bathroom. Ok, well, the first two things were true.
It was a great weekend though, and boy, does my friend's aunt know how to make some excellent Korean BBQ. Excellent food in general. YUM.
Alas! Since it is summer time (even though it may still be gloomy out), today's Upcycle Sunday is appropriately themed for hot, sunny, beachy times. Today I turned a Dodgers shirt I've had for a few years into a bathing suit cover up of sorts. I was inspired by a cute shirt that one of my friends wore to the river. So here we go!
This project was a quick one. Took a little less than half an hour. I started using an adult small shirt. Although, I think the shirt is actually a medium… but who knows.
The first step is to remove the sleeves at about a half inch inside of the seam. Throughout this project, make sure you make your cuts very clean, otherwise you'll have to go back and fix it later… unless you like that raggedy look.
Next, cut the top of the shirt. We will be reattaching this later.
Next, try on the shirt and mark how low you would like your neckline to dip. Fold in half to cut evenly and trim any excess. You want to remember that for this project, the less fabric you're left with, the better. (But don't get all hoochie on me.)
Here, I started getting a little experimental. I should have prefaced this tutorial with: I have never made a bathing suit cover-up out of a t-shirt before. So just as you are learning, so am I. I just cut the shirt in a way I thought would work.
After that slicing and dicing, I took the two pieces and twisted it up. I then pinned the back straps to the front straps and secured it with a straight stitch using my sewing machine. I think it would work to just tie the straps as well.
And there we have it! As I am sitting here staring at it on my dress form, I think I might go back and make the neck line dip about an inch lower. Live and learn, right? Well, this once-a-year outdoorswoman needs her beauty sleep. Have a lovely week and don't forget that you can almost always turn something old into something fab. True story.


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Tonight was the AB32 presentation at City Hall by California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols. It was informative, well attended, well-run and civil. Kudos to organizers Judy Kildow and Robert Bergman and speaker Nichols for the format, which limited the presentation to AB32 and called for questions to be written on an index card and passed to the aisle.
Practically everyone who was anyone was there.
(And if you missed it, some extremely welcome news - there are plans to bring other science and science-aligned policy experts to our community, to speak on issues like climate change and ocean acidification.)
Nichols spoke for about half an hour on AB32's aims and implementation, then answered audience questions. She stressed that she represented all of us and was not expected or permitted to advocate for or against the stop-AB32 initiative, Prop. 23.
She pointed out we're victims of Bay Area and Sacto-area emissions - our air quality is worse than any rural region in the country, and worse than any region outside of California. And global warming makes air pollution worse - for the same amount of pollution emitted, you get more ground-level ozone. Their study projected that in 40 years, with global warming we'll have an extra 30 "bad ozone" days a year.
"People don't want air that shortens their lives and makes their children sick."What AB32 does -
Its goal is to get us off petroleum in 40 years, to increase efficiency & shift to more reliable & cleaner energy. It's "cost effective, common sense measures to ratchet down smog and greenhouse gases too."
CARB aims to manage the transition, to make it as seamless, painless and equitable as possible.
* Basically, AB32 reduces emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 - a 15% cut from today - and already we have in place over half the emission reductions needed to meet that goal, mostly via the Pavley bill (AB 1493?)
* By 2020, 1/3 of electricity generated in CA must be from renewables (this would be suspended under Prop 23)
* A low carbon fuel standard - oil cos. will have a choice on how to meet it, e.g. compressed natural gas, electric fueling stations... - for a 20% drop in oil consumption
* Reduce car usage, via land use and transportation planning - it'd be voluntary for communities, with the carrots being CEQA-free infill development and (presumably state) transportation funding.
* Cap & trade, a mechanism originally promoted by the business community - put a price on carbon, so people can choose to make money by cleaning it up. The cap steps down gradually.
There were a couple of good questions asking what to do when an AB32 regulation proves unworkable - e.g. diesel particulate filters on trucks causing them to run poorly and get worse mileage - she answered saying that yes, they do revisit such regulations - you contact their ombudsman, who's their small business point person, and they look at the situation and sometimes lift restrictions or temporarily stop enforcement until they can figure it out & come up with a fix.
Another question was about an L.A. study projecting a huge increase in electricity costs; Nichols responded saying that electricity rates are projected to increase considerably in future, AB32 or no AB32, and that one of the things AB32 will do is protect us from price increases, since - via renewables - it'll reduce our vulnerability to price spikes via outside interests; though she didn't explicitly mention our Enron summer.
For a historical analogy of an earlier transition, she used the example of vapor-retrieval gas nozzles at gas stations, reminding us how stinky refueling your car used to be, and how gas station owners were not happy about installing the new equipment; yet now we take it for granted.
She freely admitted that California wasn't going to stop global warming, since we produce just 2% of global emissions; but said the goal is for us to pioneer solutions, to let us demonstrate techniques & technologies for others to buy; and to reap the benefits of being early adopters.


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For the organization (aimWest) I'm president of, I will post a new event. I post this article on mollaskatude. For a client I post a new form. And on my friend Jay's blog – I commented on his Gay Marriage post.
This afternoon, however I deliver a quote to use Drupal as a CMS/Blogging Platform. I'm even considering making Evolve's site a Drupal site. Do you use a blogging platform as your primary company CMS platform? Why did you pick WordPress? If Drupal, why? Is there something you liked better? Why? Lots o'questions, but I'm doing this informal poll.


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It's an EXPLOSION of new things!
My order came in! And the lady gave me four things for free! I had ordered the two rhinestone wheels and the black and white Konad special nail polish. But the I got a free L.A. Colors Rapid Dry Top Coat, free minin silver rhinestones (on the bottom left), some interesting bead tattoos (the butterflies), and a free package of some stick on nail art.
I took pictures of all of them! And close up pictures for you all to see exactly what I got. If you care. Lol.
These are round-shaped (the normal kind) rhinestones. These are pretty large, but that is what I've been looking for. I'm excited to use these!
These are my heart-shaped rhinestones! I'm REALLY excited to use these. I've never had any fun-shaped rhinestones. I always just had the round ones. So, expect lots of designs using these heart rhinestones!
I probably wouldn't have bought this if I saw it in a store. Mainly because it's stick on nail art. I don't like stick on things because usually they look cheap and tacky. BUT! I like these! But instead of sticking it to my nail, I remove the clear sticky part, and apply the rhinestone/design to my nail with a clear coat. Oh! By the way, this is from L.A. Colors.
Konad Special Nail Polish! I never really used Konad because 1.) I was bad at it, 2.) The only special nail polish color I had was silver, 3.) I have very few design plates. Well, I've practiced and have gotten a lot better and I am now the proud owner of two more colors of special nail polish, which will let me give variety to the designs. I didn't get anymore plates. 😦 I want to, and I think I will in the future. I just don't have any new ones now.
This was another freebie! It's slightly ironic that I JUST got a new dry fast top coat. But hey, now I have another one. It's a different brand. Maybe I'll do a review, comparing L.A. Colors Quick Dry Top Coat with my Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.
But just by looking at the two clear coats, I know that L.A. Colors Quick Dry Top Coat is more liquidy, like water, while Seche Vite is thicker.
I'll have to try this out and see how good it is. 🙂
Another freebie! I have to say, these are my favorite kind of rhinestones. They're small, silver, elegant, and overall perfect!
I really should get more of this size.
This was a freebie as well. Lol. Let me start by saying this doesn't go on your nails. The butterflies are as big as my entire thumb nail. And on the back it says "For skin, cloth, or accessory items."
It seems kind of random to throw this in, but whatever. It was free.
This product is some kind of "bead tattoo" that I have no idea what I'm going to do with. Lol. But it's pretty, so I'm sure I'll find a home for it somewhere.
I'm sure you can guess whether or not I had a good day. Lol. Expect to see all these products used (except the butterflies) in the near future!
♥ ☮


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[The following was written last night, actually yesterday early morning. In the end, I was so unhappy with it that I couldn't bring myself to publish it. But these are thoughts I want to put across…so, here goes!]
So, I've been staring at this empty space for quite a while, now. And I thought I should be writing something… It's 1:00am. I'm not sleepy. But my little sister (who loves staying up with me) is already dozing off near me. I tried keeping her busy by giving her some funny stuff to watch but that doesn't seem to be working.
I guess I should just blog and be done with this, so that Ann and I can go sleep. 🙂 When I wrote the post about how I was feeling down, I mentioned a blog that had inspired me to write it out – hastywords. I was catching up on her posts, today. And I found another post that I could relate to so amazingly – My Heart The Traitor. Basically, it's about how she discovered the source to her negativity and the way to destroy it. Beautiful post. And there were so many parts in it which touched me beyond words!
I loved her thought about positivity being all around us, how looking up at the stars and the miracles all around us can give us a sense of it. 'From darkness…there is light.' So so so true! It's something I believe in but when it turns dark, I forget to remember that I'll find light at the other end.
Anyway, I think I'm getting there…finally seeing light. Trying to break through the layer of darkness and see beyond, into the enlivening light. And go sailing in a small boat on the vast ocean…
I think I should get to sleep…or I'll sleep-blog! 😛 By the way, it's just past 2am and Ann's already gone off to bed. [ Luckily, I stopped right here, or you would have had to read some of the nonsense I write when I'm on the verge of sleeping off!]
A new day. And guess what? When I logged in to my WP account, I was in for a wonderful surprise. It just made my day! 🙂 Matt (aka theotherwatson) at Wanton Creation nominated me for the Reader Appreciation Award!!!! 🙂 I can't tell you how happy I was. Even though I know you love me so much, these awards are like an awesome extra-bit of appreciation! And it always feels great! But the best part, for me, is that these awards seem to come right when I need them. As in, when I'm going through a low-time or having writer's block, I get nominated for an award and it completely changes my mood! 🙂 Thank you so so so much, Matt. You have no idea how happy I'm! 🙂
Like with every other award, this one comes with some rules. Apart from linking back to the person who nominated me (check), including the image (check) and nominating 6 other bloggers, I'm supposed to say something about what I've been upto.
Well, I had been experiencing a down-time. But now, I'm almost out of it. I've been watching some movies, listening to a lot of music, reading some really lovely blogs, talking to and spending time with Ann and basically, just making most of my time here at the heaven I call 'home'! Yesterday, Ann and I did some crazy stuff together. And yeah, I made her stay up while I was writing a post that I didn't even publish! 😀 So, that's what I've been upto!
Now, to pass on the award… Well, there are so many bloggers I like. And I'm going to choose 6 bloggers whom I haven't nominated before. So, here goes:
emotional salad – Love her thoughts! 🙂
Live, Learn, Mature – My awesome blog-friend 🙂
kkeilly – I stumbled upon her blog one day. And it was love at first sight!
hastywords – She's sort of an emotional soul-mate, as you might have understood by now!
Personal Concerns – Because I love the thought-provoking stuff he writes!
PIECES – Love his poems! 🙂
Check out their blogs, I'm sure you'll find them super-awesome!
Love y'all! 🙂


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Airtel Extra Credit Code: This post contains how to borrow credit from Airtel in Nigeria – Are you searching for the USSD code used to lend money or airtime on your Airtel line for free and pay later, then here is the place to be.
Airtel network now allows you to borrow credit from them just like their other counterparts in the business (MTN, 9mobile and Glo). Using a simple SSD code, you can ask for money from your network and pay back when you recharge your line.
In this post, I'll show you how you can do that. Kindly follow the guide carefully and remember terms and conditions apply when it comes to borrowing airtime from Airtel in Nigeria.
Airtel Extra Credit (Code) | How to borrow credit from Airtel in Nigeria
Airtel Extra Credit service allows you to borrow Airtel from Airtel, you must have met the conditions below to be eligible;
- You must be a prepaid customer.
- Sim must be at least three months old
- Actively recharging and using your line.
Borrowable amount
The amount that can be borrowed on Airtel is N25, N50, N100, N200, N500.
To borrow credit on Airtel
- Dial *500*amount#, e.g *500*50# to borrow N50 or dial *500# and follow the prompts.
Airtel service charge
You will pay 15% of borrowed amount as a service charge. E.g, if you borrow N100, you will receive N85 or if N50, you will receive N42.50.
That's how to borrow credit from Airtel Extra Credit. Go ahead and start borrowing airtime credit from Airtel network provider today. Let me know if the code works for you via the comment box below. See Airtel tariff plans and migration codes in Nigeria before you go.
More on call tariffs:


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Legal action in Tehelka case will set correct precedent
Sexual harassment at the workplace is the worst kept dirty secret in corporate India. It happens all the time, and women privately talk about the abuse that takes place
Sexual harassment at the workplace is the worst kept dirty secret in corporate India. It happens all the time, and women privately talk about the abuse that takes place. Yet, for all the despicable patriarchic power structure in both the government and private sectors, there is hardly any institutionalised mechanism to deal with these issues.
The Vishaka Guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in 1997 are just that-- guidelines. Even if the current law on sexual harassment at the workplace has been updated to include redress mechanisms for employees affected within and without the workplace, there is not much strict implementation.
This needs to change, and fast. In light of the recent episode ofalleged attempted rape by a Delhi-based magazine editor Tarun Tejpal on his female colleague at a Goa five-star during an annual event and the subsequent outrage, there must be corrective processes put in place.
Even though the woman journalist has not pressed any charges, her email to her superior and the subsequent email by Tejpal to this deputy wherein he practically confessed to the crime, should be suo motu taken note of by law-enforcement authorities and appropriate action taken.
Thanks to social media, the emails and the criminality are out in the public domain. Therefore, any attempt to conceal or cover-up the crime -- as the Tehelka management has tried to -- must not only be discouraged but also be made party to legal action, whatever that may be. The Tehelka management must share any evidence it has at its disposal to ensure speedy justice.
The matter of filing a formal police complaint is a personal choice for the woman journalist (and by all evidence, she is not inclined to), but it would be a shot in the arm for women's workplace rights in India if she does. There is national and international support for her, and the spotlight, even if adverse, is on Tejpal, not her.
This case, too, can be a precedent for other such affected women, who might find the courage to stand up to abuse at the workplace. If there is one silver lining in this sordid episode, it is only that.
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Ex-maid of honor Eloise (Anna Kendrick) – having been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text – decides to hold her head up high and attend her oldest friend's wedding anyway. She finds herself seated at the 'random' table in the back of the ballroom with a disparate group of strangers, most of whom should have known to just send regrets (but not before sending something nice off the registry). As everyone's secrets are revealed, Eloise learns a thing or two from the denizens of Table 19. Friendships – and even a little romance – can happen under the most unlikely circumstances.Release Date: 3 March 2017
- Amanda Crew
- Anna Kendrick
- Brad Oberhofer
- Carlos Aviles
- Charles Green
- Craig Robinson
- Jay Klaitz
- June Squibb
- Lisa Kudrow
- Margo Martindale
- Megan Lawless
- Rya Meyers
- Stephen Merchant
- Tony Revolori
- Wyatt Russell
Director: Jeffrey Blitz


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This small town located South-West of London is known worldwide for its famous grass court tennis tournament. Recognized as the world's oldest tennis event, it is also widly considered as the most prestigious. It starts late June/early July and is part of the Grand Slam tour.
You will not find any sort of advertisement on the courts but instead an overall atmosphere of elegance, it is a tradition to eat strawberries with cream accompanied with champagne. Players have a strict dresscode, all in white, everything under the watchful eye of the royal family. Tennis lovers will not be hard to convince and others will immediately understand that Wimbledon is a can't miss event of the posh British summer calendar.
Get in touch with your Simply Jet advisor to help you organize your holidays in London and enjoy this historic event.


text: When I mouse over photoshop it brings the window to top. This is really annoying. I use "Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse" / Mouse follow focus / XMouse window tracking. To enable this, follow one of the directions listed here https://superuser.com/questions/954021/how-do-you-enable-focus-follows-mouse-in-windows-10 or use this tool https://joelpurra.com/projects/X-Mouse_Controls/


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Haven of Peace Academey, aka HOPAC, celebrated its 15 year anniversary in March.The celebration was complete with a slide show of from the beginning days of HOPAC until today, alumni speakers, a representative from the Minister of Education's office speaking, our Tanzanian staff singing and dancing, a student performance of How Great is Our God with sign language, a cupcake birthday cake for all of the students and staff, and jumping castles. It really was a day to praise the Lord for how much He has done in such a short time at HOPAC! Happy Birthday HOPAC! May there be many, many more years of blessings to come!
Archive for March, 2010
31 Mar
HOPAC Celebrates 15 Years
28 Mar
Since September I have been blessed to be able to attend a Bible study with some awesome ladies here in Dar. Dyan, being the super planner that she is, knew that there would be a group of us wanting to have some girl time and fellowship this year, so she put together our Esther group and got the study books donated by her supporting church.
We did a Beth Moore study on the Book of Esther. This being my first Beth Moore Study, I thought it was very good and it really did make me take my time and study the book verse by verse. Each week we came together and watched the videos, which show how Texan Beth really is pretty amusing, and or reviewed the study days.They were thought provoking and lead to many great discussions.
Although the book is only 10 chapters the study has lasted all the way until now. It is amazing how much you can learn from a book if you take the time. I especially enjoyed learning about the history and significance of the Jewish holiday of Purim.
I think what is even more amazing is that even though Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not mention God it in, His works are written all throughout it.
I am so very grateful for the fellowship with the women of the Esther Bible study and for how the Lord has taught me so much in this time!
26 Mar
Birthday Club!
Who doesn't love Birthdays?
I would venture to say that of all of the themed clubs I have done over the years, Birthday Club is still on the top of my list.
Here are my reasons why:
1. Everyone loves birthdays and you only get one a year, so why not pretend and add another.
2. The games are so fun and take me back to memory lane. Pin the tail on the donkey, Hitting the pinata, Musical Chairs and so many more.
3. Birthday Songs. Okay so most people only know the birthday song, but I have an awesome collection of some sweet Birthday Jams like "Hip Hop Happy Birthday," "Ice Cream and Cake," and "Happy Birthday Techno Remix."
4. Birthday Decorations. So fun. So easy. Birthday hats that make your chin itch. Blowers that give out too easily. Streamers. Balloons. And shiny Birthday Banners.
5. Birthday Cake! Delicious. Doesn't matter what kind, color or flavor.
6. Goody bags for the way home.
We put together Birthday Club for Wyld Life and it was a hit. If you haven't tried it yet you should.
23 Mar
Weekend Getaway
In Tucson, every year, we have what they call, RODEO BREAK. It is a known fact that no one else in the world gets this holiday and Tucsonans like to seize the day during this four day weekend, the last weekend in February.
Coming to Africa, I was fully aware of the fact that Rodeo Break does not exist here. Come to think of it I don't think I have seen a horse in Tanzania the entire time I have been here.
However, I was very excited to find out that we actually do get the last week in February off. It was not Rodeo Break, it was some Muslim National holiday and Mid Term Break however, in my mind I could think it was Rodeo.
Austin and I took no time in planning a nice getaway for ourselves.
First thing Thursday morning, we flew to Arusha which is about an hour and a half long flight and about a 10 hour drive north of Dar es Salaam. We have some friends that are living their right now. We were picked up by our friends Jackie and Alexis. Alexis is one of the Senior African Leaders in Africa for Young Life. We actually met him and Jackie at Lost Canyon in the summer of 2008, so we always love getting to see them again. We had a nice lunch, with delicious green lettuce that is next to impossible to find in Dar. We then went to a local country club like facility. This was so refreshing to me, because the closest thing we have to a country club is our school campus. They had a gym, a beautiful pool, rugby fields, and a track for walking/running that is completely fenced. So nice. These kind of things make us wish we were called to Arusha, for moments of time anyways.
We then went to a friend of Jackie and Alexi's, Heath's house for dinner. The dinner was great and we had a great time hanging out with Heath's adopted daughter Neema. She is a bundle of energy and cute as a button.
The next morning we went to the second hand store. Here you can find lots of old backpacks, shoes, clothes and much more that are in good repair. Most of the items are priced fairly but they will try to rip you off. The only problem is that you do not really know what you are getting. I found an awesome Northface backpack which I am very content with. Austin found some hiking shoes that fit him perfectly. Unfortunately, on his first hike with them on, we found out they had only used a cheap glue to glue the bottom tracking back on. Poor Austin! Thankfully I got our shoe fundi to fix them right up when we got back home.
Anyways, then we hung out with our friends Zac, Hannah and Fluffy for a bit. We had lunch and helped them out with Seek the Sneak for their YL Club which was fun.
We also got some great deals on some sweet jewlery at the Masai Market. (I find that prices are cheaper for these things in Arusha, however, other things are much more expensive). Afterward we had some coffee at a new coffee shop in town, and began planning for our Lushoto camp. So exciting to be working together it really felt like our Young Life Family here in Africa.
Next we headed to dinner, at the Blue Heron. Our friend Zac plays drums their every Friday. It is quite a nice spot and their were many people there because they were celebrating a birthday. We just sat back and enjoyed the relaxing evening, good food and great company.
Then we headed off to bed at Zac and Hannah's house because we were off to climb up to hut one on Mt. Kilimanjaro the next day.
We got a bit of a late start, but it did not really matter in the end. The drive up was beautiful. The small town of Kilimanjaro is quaint but serene and very green. We were greeted at the gate by many men hoping to be our guide for the day.
It took a bit to get us all registered and legit, but the boys did it for us and we were off. Biatus, was our guide. He was very experienced and said that he has climbed to the top and back in 2 days, one day up and one day back. I don't doubt the validity of this, these men were made for the mountains.
Hiking is so life giving for me here. I never realized how much I love it, until I moved somewhere you cannot do it. The path was very nicely laid out and the scenery was lush and green. About 30minutes in it began to pour. Of course Austin and I did not bring our rain coats and the ponchos I lugged all the way from the US were sitting in our closet back in Dar. Needless to say I was soaked. I did have a grocery bag to cover my back pack and a change for the way back down. About three quarters of the way up the trees completely changed and there was a fog in the air. It was so beautiful. Then after just three hours up we made it to hut 1, Mandara Hut, elevation 9,000ft, Kilimanjaro is 19,000ft at the top so we were about half way up. The route we took is known as the coca-cola route because you can get a cola all they way up to the top, or so they say. Hopefully one day I will be able to find out for sure.
We ate a quick lunch and I changed out of my soaking wet shirt. I am sure the other hikers thought we were crazy because we had no rain gear or serious backpacks, just a shirt and shorts and a small day pack.
The way back down took about 2 hours. As we walked, we passed many of the Kilimanjaro workers who have to hike in all of the gear for all of the hikers. Men were carrying two or three full backpacks, food of all kinds, charcoal for cooking, enormous gas tanks for cooking, large coolers, and even 2 by 4's not sure what they were for. All I could do was say, Pole Sana ( Translation-I am very sorry for you) , to each of them as they slowly trekked along. Some of them were really hurting. I would not want that job for sure.
The best part of the whole thing was spending quality time with our friends Zac and Hannah. I love hiking because you can spend so much time hanging out while getting in a good workout. Overall it was so worth it and only motivated me more to want to conquer the whole thing.
We finished the weekend with a bang. First, a dinner at Dusty and Marlena's with everyone. Then a sleepover at our friend Fluffy's, who does YL in Moshi town (the town at the base of Kilimanjaro). Followed by an early wake up call to run the 5km fun run for the Annual Kilimanjaro Marathon. I am bummed I did not do the 1/2 marathon but I will do another one soon.
It was so great to see so many people out, and about and doing athletic activity. Besides the people who do manual labor in Dar, there are very few people who work out for fun. Actually they usually tell me, pole sana when I run. I always want to tell them, don't be sorry for me. I want to run, in fact I love to run! They just don't understand. Anyways, we ran and it was great. Dusty and Marlena lost the wheel of their son Imani's, Baby Jogger going over a speed bump and caught it all on tape. It was priceless.
We got to see the half marathon winners and marathon winners cross the finish line as well. The minister of Tanzania was even there to celebrate the occasion. Unfortunately a Kenyan won the race so the Tanzanian's were not happy but, I would say in the end, fun was had by all.
After the race and a delicious breakfast made by Fluffy, we just chilled out and played some cards with our friends until it was time to head to the airport.
As you can see having 4 days in a weekend really can make a difference. We got to do so much, and even felt relaxed and rested while doing it all. Thank the Lord for Rodeo Weekend!
22 Mar
Book Week
Each year at HOPAC the student council puts on BOOK WEEK. This is a week completely dedicated to Reading. I must admit at first I was a bit skeptical about the week, and thought it would be a bit corny, however, it proved to be a very fun and memorable time.
We began the week with a kick off assembly, where the student council members put on a skit about reading. It was super cute and they did a wonderful job. That day each student made a poster about why they love to read. The posters were hung around the school which really added to the week. All throughout the week we had a DEAR bell. Drop Everything And Read. Anytime it rang the students had to stop what they were doing and read a book.
The second day was Buddy Reading day. We all came in our PJs or comfy clothes and brought along our favorite pillow or stuffed animal. In the afternoon we read with one of the other primary grades. The students really loved it and I really enjoyed seeing my older kids hanging out with the younger primary kids. On the third day we held a book exchange. At the beginning of the week we, asked for the students to bring in any books that they no longer were reading and they could exchange 2 for 1 new book. All of the leftover books were given to a local school with very little resources. This was all organized by our first graders. So precious.
The final day was Book Character Day. Everyone is encouraged to dress as their favorite book character and bring in the book they chose. The kids really love this day! Parents and kids go all out, to create some awesome book characters. At the assembly there is a big competition and secondary students vote on the best from each grade. It was so fun to see all of the different characters that came about. We had the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sponge Bob, 101 dalmations, Pipi Longstocking and so many more.
Overall, it was a great week and a great way to promote the love of reading! I give it two thumbs up!
18 Mar
International School Training
During February for a very short few days, Austin and I got to partake in the International School Training for Young Life Africa.
Working with International schools is very different from what the rest of YL Africa looks like. The International schools are made up of wealthy African students, and students from all over the World whose parents work in government jobs or NGO's. Many of the schools are boarding schools which leaves the students with little to do. So having someone come and bring ice cream or play games is lots of fun for them. I really admire our friends who are doing this because for the most part they are completely on their own. There is not a support system and group of people doing the same thing as they are in the same town. It is just this small group. The work is hard but very rewarding.
Kathy Conner, who is from Florida and has worked for Young Life for a long time, came over to do this training for this very small yet amazing group of people. We spent a lot of time just processing how we are balancing our spiritual walks with the rest of life, and time in fellowship. We loved spending time with our friends Zac and Hannah, who do YL in Arusha, Fluffy (aka Alisa), YL Moshi, and Neal and Sarah, YL Dar es Salaam.
It was a great time with wonderful people. On one of the nights we had a BBQ on the beach. We had a delicious surf and turf and played on Bocce ball on the beach. We are very thankful for this great community of friends here in Africa.
17 Mar
Dala Dala vs. Charter Bus
On the trip to Amani, we were short just a few seats and some room from all being able to fit on a big "charter" bus. Unfortunately, we did not fit and therefore a group of us had to travel on a dala dala the entire 8 hours to Amani. To be fair the nicer bus was not exactly comfortable either, however, I would have much preferred to be on that bus.
Coming from the land of plenty, where we have pretty much always had a nice big charter bus this is definitely a different way to travel. No comfortable, cushioned seats. No TV's to keep the kids entertained. No bathrooms to make it so you don't have to stop for a potty break. No microphone so that you don't have to yell over the kids to get attention. No rest stops along the road or McDonald's to get a break from it all. And no air conditioning. Instead, Austin and I traveled with a small group of boys from my class squished in a dala dala. In all honesty, it was not pleasant, but it was doable. I would say the major bummer about it was the metal bars you can feel underneath your bum, which make you numb after just a short while, and you and your stuff being covered with an inch of dust because in order to get fresh air you must keep the windows down at all times. On a more positive note, our driver was one of the safest, and more alert drivers I have had in Tanzania, which made me feel much better about having my students in the car too.


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Nintendo indisputably makes some of the world's favourite games franchises, but Mario Party has never really caught the public imagination in the manner of, say, the Mario or Zelda games. Is Mario Party 10 the title to do it?
Admittedly, the Mario Party series never set out to be more than something fun and frothy that could keep up to four youngsters occupied for extended periods – the very essence, in other words, of what the original Wii console was all about. It's for the kids.
Taken in that context, Mario Party 10 is a roaring success – but it's still far from the sort of game that would persuade you to purchase a Wii U, no matter how cheaply you can pick them up these days. Here's why:
Bored game?
As was the case with its predecessors, Mario Party 10 is essentially a board game in digital form, which stars a large selection of Nintendo's most popular characters. It's a four-player game, but up to three can be computer-controlled.
Gameplay is simple: you progress around various boards, acquiring items, and playing mini-games against each other in a quest to collect the most stars by the end of ten rounds.
Which is all great fun, and there are some cute board-game-style twists, such as dice numbered from four to six or one to three (which can come in handy), plus battles against Bowser and Bowser Junior. But the mini-games, which you can play at your leisure, are very mini indeed, and it all feels a bit unsatisfying. Unless you're under 10 years old, perhaps, but even then kids know what's truly engaging.
Amiibo action
The main new feature that Mario Party 10 boasts compared to previous titles in the series is support for Nintendo's Amiibo figurines – the physical characters that can be used in conjunction with Wii U games for special features. They're essentially toys that carry some data on them which can interact with the game. We can see the collectible appeal for kids and these do indeed do bring plenty to the, erm, party.
There's a whole variation on the main board game which can be triggered with an Amiibo character, and you can make up your own board for the Amiibo-specific game by slipping in quarters of the board themed on different characters, like Donkey Kong and so on. Earn tokens in each Amiibo game, which are saved to your Amiibo and can be cashed in for all sorts of perks when you play next – that's an added prerogative to play.
Four people can play with an Amiibo each, too. Mario Party 10 works particularly well with the Bowser Amiibo, since he features very heavily in the game as "the bad guy".
So heavily, in fact, that you can choose to play as Bowser, and against the other three participants, bringing an element of asymmetry (which is very much a gaming buzzword at the moments) to proceedings; indeed, the normal course of the main game often randomly pairs players in teams or pits one against the others. Happily, you can still play as Bowser even if you don't own a Bowser Amiibo.
Singular note
Mario Party 10's mini-games make good use of the Wii U Gamepad's capabilities (plus the Wiimote's motion-sensing) – you have to do things like blow into the microphone or swipe the stylus, and at least the game provides employment for Wiimotes that have done little but gather dust in recent years. When you start winning, you're awarded cash which can be used to unlock a large roster of new mini-games, new characters and the like.
Mario Party 10 looks good, too, prompting you to wish that Nintendo would make it as a physical board game. But in pure gameplay terms, it is very one-paced and lacks variety, nor does it in any way hang together as properly coherent entity.
Even for the Nintendo faithful, Mario Party 10 will remain a non-essential curiosity due to its lack of cohesion and clarity. It's just a bit of fun for the kids, which it succeeds at, but it's not the A-list Nintendo game the "Mario" namesake would typically suggest.
However, it is a great purchase – presuming you actually own a Wii U in your household – if you have groups of kids around and would like to keep them remotely entertained for considerable periods. Each session around the virtual board takes about half an hour, and it makes great use of the Amiibo characters – if, that is, you happen to own any. If your kids are pestering for them, now you know why.
What the Wii U still lacks, though, is must-have games which drive hardware sales spikes, and Mario Party 10 certainly isn't one of those. It leaves you feeling nostalgic for the days when the original Wii introduced the joys of gaming to a whole generation of non-gamers.


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Was looking forward to visiting Costa Coffee after reading about it in the newspapers. So I went there last week. It is somewhere on the outer cirlce at Connaught Place, I think it was "L Block".
The coffee was nothing to write home about. I hoped for something better than Barista but that was not to be. Atleast the coffee in Barista is hot. At Costa Coffee the waiters serve the coffee at the table. We had to wait for more than 15 minutes for our coffee, and when it was finally served, the hot coffee was not hot at all.
The bakery products looked tempting, though I did not try them.
So for me the best coffee exprience in Delhi remains the one I have at my office daily, with Lavazza's Expresso Italiano made in a Kenwood coffee maker. My desire for a better smelling and tasting coffee from the professional baristas remains unfulfilled. Maybe I'll have to wait till starbucks decides to open a cafe in Delhi.


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Representatives from Luzerne County Councils of Government (COG) spoke on municipal cooperation and DCED official Marita Kelley discussed state options to assist local municipalities at PEL's recent Northeast Issues Forum, Nobody Survives on Their Own: Creating Healthy Communities through Regional Cooperation.
Click to read the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader story.
A panel featuring government officials and industry experts weighed in on the future of Marcellus Shale in the Williamsport region at the PEL Lycoming/Clinton Issues Forum on Nov. 22. Read the Williamsport Sun-Gazette article on "As the Natural Gas Industry Matures, What Does the Next Five Years Hold for the Williamsport Region?" and the related Sun-Gazette editorial.
Ellen Horan, President and CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Jon Scott, President and CEO of the Greater Reading Economic Partnership, gave an update on Ride to Prosperity 2.0 at the PEL Berks Issues Forum on Oct. 24. Read the Reading Eagle article.
PEL Central Executive Director Gerald Cross discusses the need for a new approach to funding local government services – regional tax base sharing. Read the commentary in The Scranton Times.
David Davare, who oversees PEL's Harrisburg office, weighed in on the issue of increased school district sharing in the face of flat or decreasing revenue and higher expenditures. Read the BCTV article. His comments were also featured in PEL's latest op-ed that appeared in the Scranton Times-Tribune and other publications.
Noted pension expert Richard Dreyfuss presented an overview of the public pension crisis at the May 23 PEL Lycoming County Issues Forum. Read the Williamsport Sun-Gazette article and editorial.
Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser discussed Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2013-2014 budget and other Corbett initiatives at the May 10 PEL Northeast Issues Forum. Read the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader article and the Citizens Voice article.
Timothy J. Shrom, Ph.D., business manager for the Solanco School District, presented an overview of the penalties, pitfalls and problems of health care reform at the May 9 PEL York County Issues Forum. Read the York Dispatch article.
Reading Mayor Vaughn Spencer outlined his agenda at a recent PEL Issues Forum. Read the Reading Eagle article.A review of options to eliminate the unfunded liability of Allentown's Police and Fire pension fund by the Pennsylvania Economy League found that one of the alternatives could result in an immediate 50 percent increase to water and sewer rates. Read the Allentown Morning Call article.
The Pennsylvania Economy League presented its Early Intervention Plan findings to the city of Lebanon on April 9. The conclusion: city officials have done a good job in taking control of the budget in recent years by raising revenues and cutting expenses, but more needs to be done in the future in order to avert deficits. Read the complete Lebanon Daily News article.
PEL suggests consolidating services not towns to to help financially struggling municipalities. Read the Standard Speaker article on PEL's presentation to the Luzerne County-based Mountain Council of Governments.
PEL Central Executive Director Gerald Cross weighs in on the problem of municipal debt. Read the Scranton Times-Tribune article.
Public pension returns on investment might be too optimistic. Read the Scranton Times-Tribune op-ed to learn why.


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a holiday for the rest of us...
Today's prompt: Today is Festivus, which is marked by Feats of Strength and the Airing of Grievances. What do you consider your strengths? Alternatively, air your grievances in today's blog post.
I'm good at reading people. And listening. And putting together outfits--colors and accessories.
My grievances are so... stupid. They're all self-created.
Posted by Kwizgiver at 1:56 PM
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