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The Standing Desk and Getting 10K Steps at Work
Over the last month, just about every aspect of my life has been altered in some fashion. I moved to a new city, a new bedroom, with new roommates. I am the new girl (one of many) in my singles ward, with two new callings and all new people to meet (so far, they are wonderful and far too athletic). I got a new (to me) car, a new commute and a new monthly budget for gas (hint: its lower!). New running routes and a decided lack of new running partners. My job also moved to said new city and new building. Most importantly, my work gave me a new convertible standing desk. (The word new is starting to look weird now … New. New. New. See? Weird.)
Now, with everything in my life being so new, it has been difficult to adjust and find a new normal. I've been understandably stressed and miraculously only had one panic attack of uncontrollable sobbing and . Usually I carry stress in my lower back. But not anymore! I have had a standing desk for all of eight days and after only two days my low back pain is gone. I've had low back pain caused by stress and laziness for about ten years so this is kind of a big deal. And the best part? I'm only standing about an hour and a half daily, spread out into three chunks throughout the day.
Having a desk job is hard on your body. Everyone knows this so I won't go into detail about how sitting is killing you. But I will say that I am so very grateful that I was given a standing desk. Its amazing how much better my whole body feels, like dropping the giant bag of rocks you didn't know you were carrying.
Another new things in my life is my FitBit Ultra. Like many of my possessions, I bought it second at a bargain and it has been working great as the previous owner never really used it. And now that I've become part of the FitBit madness and the 10K Steps a Day Program at my work, I have a new goal: to get 10K steps just at work. And so far, I've done it twice. Next week, I'm going to try to make it the whole week.
I have been walking on my morning and afternoon breaks regularly for a few years now but it wasn't nearly enough to reach 10K steps in 8 hours. Cue the standing desk! I have found a way of "walking" at my desk by trying to imitate the motion of walking while keeping the balls of my feet on the ground. That's the best way I can explain it. Anyway, I can get about 100 steps per minute while at my desk. So I only have to "walk" at my desk for about an hour a day (spread out, of course) to reach my 10K steps a day at work. It takes a bit of disciple and I can't do all of my tasks while bouncing at my desk but there is enough mindless work that this is very possible to do every day.
So here's to walking to Mordor, ten thousand steps at a time.
The Ugly Cry
Just discovered this magical gem today. An entire tumblr dedicated to Claire Danes Cry Face.
I've always found a strange reassurance in Claire Danes's unpretty cry face. Perhaps because I feel our faces look very similar when we cry. She is the one who always comes to mind when I try to think of hollywood stars that cry like real people. The scrunched chin, twitching, snot running, etc. So check out this tumblr for a bit of fun or have yourself a good cry in great company.
Shame: Let It Go
It's been about four months since Disney's Frozen was released in theaters. And I assume that most people have had the chance to see it by now or they have at least heard the song "Let It Go," gorgeously sung by Idina Menzel. She has such a unique gift to emote through music and I credit her with half the popularity of this song.
If you didn't have much of a reaction to the movie itself, I am guessing you had a strong reaction of some kind to this song. Whether that reaction was "I love this song!" or "Disney has a hidden agenda!," I bet your reaction was one of strong emotion. If you are like me, you silently cried and you weren't sure why.
I've always been an emotional person. I cry when talking about anything too personal, spiritual or uncomfortable. And its ugly crying. The snot dripping out of your nose, voice clutching crying that you can't stop. And my whole body shook as I cried in the theater listening to "Let It Go" for the first time in theaters. And I continued to cry the next dozen times I listened to it in my car.
Why was I having such an emotional reaction to this song? I have been thinking about this for four months now. And it took me this long to put a name to what I was receiving a release from when listening to this song. It was shame. Specifically shame for having depression.
As many of you know, I have battled depression for almost half of my life. And to this day I feel ashamed. That shame is not always from having depression but shame that I can't just get over it, shame that I can't be the perfect Wonder Woman my society and culture demands that I should be, with perfectly manicured nails and never breaking a sweat over anything. Shame that I can't fix it and be done. Shame because my depression has no end.
It is important to point out that shame is different from guilt. Guilt is actually a healthy thing at time. It makes you feel bad when you break your sister's favorite CD or lie to your parents. To quote one of my favorite TedTalk speakers Brene Brown, "Shame is a focus on self, guilt is a focus on behavior. Shame is "I am bad." Guilt is "I did something bad.""
When we feel guilt, we can change our behavior and it goes away. When we feel shame, it isn't that easy because it is focused on a part of who we are.
So even though I manage my depression very well through my behavior, I still feel shame for having it at all. For having to make the effort to deal with it, to never let it out of my sight because it might gang up on me in an alley if I let my guard down for even a second.
So when Elsa began to sing (and even now as I type this) I cried because she was telling me to let go of my shame. She was telling me that it was okay and that she felt it too:
Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know
Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway
For me personally this song was about my shame for depression. But the song writers were clever enough to make the song universal. Shame for being fat. Shame for being gay. Shame for being religious. Shame for having an addiction. Shame for being a nerd. Shame for being yourself. And when you decide to accept yourself as worthwhile, the storm of society's judgement will rage on. Loving yourself is not an easy thing and the world might tell you loving yourself is wrong because you are wrong. But you can outlast the storm if you have love (something else Frozen taught us).
I will forever be indebted to Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez for writing this song. If you haven't read about them, they are parents to two little girls and wrote Let It Go for them. I began writing this essay just hours before the Oscar's and I was touched by their acceptance speech for best original song as it confirmed my understanding of this song and what it means to them and hopefully to every little girl who has been singing it on repeat for months now.
We live in a world where the expectations are ridiculous and impossible for girls (and women) to achieve; a world that is almost guaranteed to make beautiful, wonderful, unique girls who once loved themselves suddenly feel that they don't deserve that love from themselves or others anymore. Because they are ashamed of who they are and for not being able to live up to the standards of the world.
And if there is one thing I know with absolute certainty it is that everyone in this world deserves love, from themselves and from others. And Frozen did a wonderful job showing that love can mend a broken heart. Don't let fear or shame stop you from being awesome. Just be you.
So to everyone who has criticized this movie and especially this song, stop it. This song has helped me to find greater love for myself than almost any psychology book or therapist ever has. Just let it go.
NaNoWriMo 2013: I'm Finally Back
This year was my third NaNoWriMo and it confirmed that NaNo will be a life-long tradition.
NaNo noveling has helped shape my writing life in ways I never expected. In 2010, NaNo helped me to finish my first novel (first draft anyway) which was a revelation and a wake up call. I was a finisher for the first time since I outgrew fan fiction. In 2011, I learned how to continue to plot as I made discoveries about my characters along the way. I also worked out some personal issues with that novel which really helped to heal my heart and free my writing from old cobwebbed shadows. And 2012 was skipped due to my third successive move in five months at the beginning of November. My writing this last year has suffered and I know it is due to not pushing my boundaries with NaNoWriMo. Never again.
So I entered this year's NaNoWriMo with low expectations, finally writing my old "great golden idea" from high school, which I was certain would be a throw away novel just like every NaNo novel has been. Even so, this November gave me much more than could have expected. For the first time, I wasn't scrambling for plot to fill up the last ten thousand words, instead passing 50K before the plot had ended, finishing NaNo's word goal a day early (miracle of miracles!). I've learned a lot about my process and how to handle pressure. I wrote scenes that might be usable in later drafts (completely unheard of as I write terribly messy discovery drafts). And some of the writing was actually good. I wasn't planning to revise, as I use NaNo as more of an experimental period than anything. But this story took hold of me and is demanding a rewrite. Possibly a musical but most definitely a rewrite.
Most importantly of all, I've found confidence when facing the blank page. Even now, my stomach bunches in tight knots in the hour leading up to writing time every day. But the physical signs of anxiety I feel are no longer overwhelming. I doubt they will ever go away completely but now I can at least get them to sit in the corner quietly while I get my work done. I have momentum for the first time in forever. My writing well is full of inspiration, ideas and hope so bright I can almost imagine away the frigid temperatures outside. Almost.
I owe a lot of my success this November to all my writing friends that took the journey with me. They were fierce competition this year, most of them beating me to the finish line, but straggling behind them still pulled me forward. And to the rest of my friends and acquaintances who commented and liked my status updates on Facebook, it meant the world to me. Thank you for letting me ignore you in November. I'm finally back.
Let the Games Begin!
Happy November 1st to all the writer's out there!
Shiny Day: Stuff You Missed in History Class
I work a desk job that is more often than not, repetitive and boring. To cope with this, I listen to several podcasts during the week to distract my brain. I've already mention some of my favorite writing podcasts (I Should Be Writing and Writing Excuses) but I haven't really talked about any others so here I go!
Stuff You Missed in History Class is a fabulous podcast with two hosts who have extensively researched a person, event, building, or other item of interest and condensed the information into a fun and informative 30 minute podcast.
The best thing about this podcast is the introduction to bits of history I didn't even know I was missing. In school, I never did well in histroy as I have no memory for dates and names. But every once in a while a bit of history intriques me and I would study on my own. This podcast does that for me as well as introducing me to things I might never have thought interesting enough to research on my own.
I think this is a beneficial podcast for anyone who has a bit of writer's block. I've learned so many interesting things, quite a few tidbits that pertain to my current WIP and future novels. Not to mention how inspiring the stories are. I've always said, you have to have something to write about to be a writer and this podcast will give you tons of ideas.
Some of the more recent 'casts I loved are Pluto: The Demoted Dwarf Planet, The Flannan isles Disappearance, and Who was the real Robin Hood? The podcast posts twice weekly and has been going since the beginning of 2008 so there is plenty to listen to.
The Four Stages of Competence: Writer Edition
While listening to I Should Be Writing the other day, Noel Birch's Four Levels of Competence were explained. Not only was this new to me, it helped me to distinguish the skill levels of many writers I have met. I have applied the Four Levels to writing for your enjoyment.
Level One: Unconscious Incompetence
You're terrible. Really terrible. You're so terrible you don't even know how terrible you are. You have TALENT and therefore don't need hard work, skill or ability. Often, this writer thinks they are the next J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, etc. and brings up their novel in every conversation imaginable. This is not always the case but we've all met these people on the bus or at a writing conference. You cannot help this person. Yet.
"The only reason I'm not published is that I haven't finished anything yet."
– That One Guy who was trying to impress me at LTUE 2010
Level Two: Conscious Incompetence
You realize how terrible you are. This may be followed by feeling overwhelmed or hopeless. You now recognize the value of hard work, skill and ability as well as how much there is to learn. This is where many give up because they recognize their mistakes. But mistakes are your friends. Keep going.
"I've killed it. Oh! Everything I touch gets ruined." – Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas Special
Level Three: Conscious Competence
You have worked hard, practiced and now have some writing ability. You are still breaking the beast of writing into smaller steps. you still make mistakes but now have the ability to fix them. With great concentration and a lot of time, you can write something worth reading. You are on the path of learning.
"Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming." – Dory, Finding Nemo
Level Four: Unconscious Competence
You have internalized all that writing knowledge and can now compose with ease. Sometimes you can even write while doing other tasks or in the midst of distractions. Writing is second nature.
You are Brandon Sanderson, Neil Gaiman or similar.
I love this breakdown. I've started to analyze all sorts of trades in my life with this system. I am definitely at level four when it comes to knitting. I can knit while doing almost anything and have yet to find a pattern I cannot master.
When it comes to writing, I think I'm at level three. I can write more easily than I used to but I have yet to practice certain skills, like doing line edits on the 12th draft of a novel or writing a sequel. I often panic myself back to level two. So I guess I hover.
But I wonder how many professional writers would rate themselves at level four. Can you ever truly reach level four as a writer? I feel like there is always more to learn. From all the writers I've met, I've observed the best ones to be humble enough to admit they don't know it all. Emerson put it best:
Shall I tell you the secret of the true scholar?
It is this : Every man I meet is my master
in some point, and in that I learn of him.


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Key facts
Located in subregion/area: Côte des Blancs / Côte des Blancs
Vineyards and grape varieties: 220.5 hectares (544.9 acres), of which 97% Chardonnay, 2.3% Pinot Noir, and 0.5% Pinot Meunier.
Classification: Premier cru (95%)
Noted for: Chardonnay from premier cru-classified vineyards.
Google Maps view with the villages in the Côte des Blancs highlighted. The grand cru villages are shown in green, and the premier cru villages, including Bergères-lès-Vertus, in yellow.
Clicking on a village opens a field to the left with a link to the village profile.
Neighbouring villages
North: Vertus, premier cru
Southwest: Val-des-Marais, premier cru
Westnorthwest: Étréchy, premier cru (part of the Val du Petit Morin)
Comment: some of the communes on the map, in particular on the flatlands to the east, are not part of the Champagne appellation and therefore don't have any village profiles.
The village
Bergères-lès-Vertus is located to the southsoutheast of Épernay, at the southern outpost of the "genuine" Côte des Blancs slope. The village itself is located below the slope.
The forest-clad Mont Aimé hill is located on the border between Bergères-lès-Vertus and Val-des-Marais, i.e., in the southern part of the commune. In the Medieval age there was a fortified castle on this hill.
The Bergères-lès-Vertus commune covers 1828 hectares and has 588 inhabitants (as of 2012) referred to as bergeronnets and bergeronnettes.
Hostellerie du Mont Aimé is an hotel in the village which also runs an ambitious restaurant.
The vineyards in Bergères-lès-Vertus are mostly located on the southern part of the Côte des Blancs slope, and these are continuous with the vineyards in Vertus. A large part of these vineyards are eastsoutheast-facing, but at the end of the slope, the direction turns to south. Other than these, there are also vineyards in the southern part of the commune, on the eastern side of the Mont Aimé hill. These vineyards are approximately east-facing and are continuous with those in Val-des-Marais. Chardonnay dominates greatly in the vineyards.
The current vineyard surface in the Bergères-lès-Vertus commune is 220.5 hectares (544.9 acres). There are 214.0 ha Chardonnay (97.0%), 5.1 ha Pinot Noir (2.3%), 1.0 ha Pinot Meunier (0.5%), and 0.4 ha others (0.2%). Numbers from CIVC, as of 2013. In 1997, the vineyard surface was 217 ha. There are 109 vineyard owners (exploitants) in the commune.
Champagne houses that control vineyards in Bergères-lès-Vertus include Bollinger, Duval-Leroy, Moët & Chandon, and Piper Heidsieck.
Champagne producers
Champagne houses/négociants
The producer status NM = négociant-manipulant means that purchased grapes can be included in the Champagnes. NM producers can be anything from small producers that supplement their own grapes with some that they buy in, to large Champagne houses that primarily rely on purchased grapes. ND = négociant-distributeur, which means that they at least partly sell Champagnes produced by someone else, but under their own name.
- Hatt et Söner (ND, fomerly RC – see discussion below), a Swedish-owned Champagne house that sold their first bottles under this name in 2012. The current range (2015) includes a entry-level blanc de blancs called Grande Cuvée. At the launch in 2012, it was non-vintage, but in early 2014 it changed into a vintage Champagne, then the 2008 vintage. The current vintage at the end of 2015 is the 2009. Other than the regular Brut version there is also an Extra Brut. There is also a rosé that has remained non-vintage, and which in late 2015 is said to be composed of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, from the 2009 and 2010 vintages. (The rosén is today the only non-vintage Champagne of their range.) The prestige Champagne is called Le Grand-Père and is a blanc de blancs launched in 2012 in the 2004 vintage. The vintages that have followed are 2005 and 2006 (the current vintage in late 2015, the grape origin is 80% Oger and 20% Bergères-lès-Vertus). There is also an Oger which is a blanc de blancs not generally available, only by invitation. The current vintage in late 2015 is the 2005. They also have an activity called "Personal Vintage" where customers can buy the possibility to influence the style of Champagnes produced for them. Overall, my impression is that their entry level (Grande Cuvée) is quite OK, but that their "prestige" so far not has been at the level you should expect. However, I'm willing to revise this view if my impression change. One reason I point this out is that Hatt et Söner still are in a build-up phase, and in a few years they aim at starting to sell Champagnes produced by themselves. Those sold so far have been produced by Coopérative la Vigneronne in Vertus. Initially (2012) they sold under RC status (in similarity to François Vallois), but some time later (in 2013 or 2014), the labels instead read ND. The thought is apparently to go for NM status in the future, i.e., to sell Champagne produced by themselves but where bought-in grapes or must can be included. It will be interesting to follow where this leads to. Their idea is to only produce vintage-dated Champagnes (apparently with the exception of the rosé) without malolactic fermentation. And the name? "Hatt" is Swedish for hat, "söner" is Swedish for sons, but "et" is French for and, so the name corresponds to "Hat and Sons", and would be "Chapeau et Fils" in French. When marketing themselves in Swedish (and they definitely do, with a bit of a focus on non-traditional channels), they focus on their Swedish connection. They don't sell exclusively in Sweden though.
Since the late 1970s, the Ruscon family was a major customer for the Champagnes of François Vallois in Bergères-lès-Vertus (see below). In 2006, they found out that François Vallois expected the business to be closed down when he retired, since none of the children were interested in taking over. The Ruscons thought this was a shame, so discussions of buying partly or in whole were initiated at this time. The first small purchase happened in 2008. In the beginning, Hatt et Söner was said to be a progressive buy-out of François Vallois. They have later said that they became majority owners in 2011, using external venture capital. The first bottles where sold in 2012, and there could be little doubt that their focus was on selling in Sweden and to attempt to use various Swedish connections. The name comes from the hat factory that the family formerly ran in France. (Another branch later ran a brewery.) The Ruscon which is the face of the company is Kristofer Ruscon, who has a Swedish mother. Apparently they had first considered calling themselves Hatt et Fils and were supposed to have delivered some bottles with that name, but due to the risk of confusion with two producers called Hatté et Fils (Bernard Hatté et Fils is located in Verzenay and had a Swedish importer), they ended up choosing Hatt et Söner. The prestige Champagne, Le Grand-Père ("the grandfather"), is so named because it was Kristofer Ruscon's grandfather who was the Ruscon who started to buy Champagnes from François Vallois. The plan is now that the daughter of François Vallois, Céline Vallois, will take over as winemaker in 2021. For the record, they received some less than positive reviews from Swedish wine bloggers in 2012, when we had our first encounters with their Champagnes and their marketing. I never translated the two blog posts I've previously written about them (in late 2012 and early 2014), since those post only seemed relevant to the Swedish market at the time. I've tried to keep this profile "fair and balanced", but its length and the way it's written may come across as odd unless you're familiar with this background.
Champagne growers
Producer status is indicated where known: RM = récoltant-manipulant, or grower-producers. RC = récoltant-coopérateur, growers that are cooperative members but sell Champagnes under their own name. Smaller producers with unknown status are placed under this heading.
- Christian Adnot
- Patrice Aubert (RC)
- Barthélémy-Thévenin (RC)
- Batteux-Busson (RC)
- Denis Champion (RC), often written Champion Denis on the label. Has 7.2 ha of vineyards, of which 5.5 ha in Bergères-lès-Vertus. The range includes two vintage Champagnes: Cuvée Justine which is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir, and Grande Réserve. Some Champagnes are sold under the brand Champion-Rifflard, and that range includes a vintage blanc de blancs.
- Yves Jacopin (RC), has 4 ha of vineyards with 95% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir, and an annual production of 30 000 bottles. Has two vintage Champagnes, where one is called Réserve Blanc de Blancs and the other Cuvée Spéciale.
- Alain Lefèvre (RC)
- Moncuit-Ploix (RC)
- Naveau (RC), the vintage Champagne of which is called Rhapsodie and is a blanc de blancs.
- Perrot-Batteux & Filles (RC), has 5 ha of vineyards with 95% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir. Has a vintage Champagne that is a blanc de blancs.
- Poirot & Fils (RM, alternativ webbplats), the vintage Champagne of which is called Cuvée Prestige and is a blanc de blancs.
- Serge Ragot Gallois (RC) used to be located in Bergères-lès-Vertus but is now located in Athis (to the east of Oiry) under the name Serge Gallois.
- Bertrand Vallois (RC)
- François Vallois (RC), which has two vintage blanc de blancs, where the "regular one" is produced from grapes from Oger and Vertus (80%/20% in the 2008 vintage), and Millésime Oger Grand Cru originates from Oger only. Has formerly produced a Cuvée Vieille Vigne Les Falloises from the vineyard site with this name. There is a connection between François Vallois and Hatt et Söner, which is explained above under the latter producer's profile.The François Vallois Champagnes are still sold as of 2015. Also sells Champagnes under the brand:
- Comte de Vallois
- Vallois Férat (RC)
- Vigier-Perrot (RM), has 2.6 ha of vineyards and the range includes an oak barrel-vinified Champagne.
Comment: the list may not be complete.
When bottles are sold directly by a cooperative the producer status is given as CM = coopérative de manipulation, as opposed to RC when sold by a cooperative member under their own name.
- Cooperative Vinicole du Mont Aimé is a cooperative in Bergères-lès-Vertus that is a member of the major cooperative Union Champagne in Avize, and which has 111 members with a total of 83 ha. Of the grapes that are delivered to this cooperative, 10% go to De Saint Gall (the brand of Union Champagne for their own Champagnes), 54% to major Champagne houses, and 36% is kept by members to be sold under their own name. This cooperative doesn't seem to have a brand of its own.
The cooperative was founded in 1952 by a group of vine-growers in Bergères-lès-Vertus, Coligny (Val-des-Marais) and Vert-la-Gravelle (Vert-Toulon) with a total of 27 ha of vineyards that planned to purchase a common wine press. In 1967, the cooperative joined Union Champagne. This meant that some of the members had to switch to being members of Les Coteaux de Champagne in Oger, which is the cooperative within Union Champagne handling grapes from villages that were score below 95% on the échelle des crus, while the Mont Aimé cooperative turned into one for members having premier cru vineyards. In 1987, cellar space of their own was added.
- Wikipedia about this village in English, in French.
- Website of the Bergères-lès-Vertus commune.
- UMC's new village profile of Bergères-lès-Vertus.
- UMC's old village profile of Bergères-lès-Vertus (dead link)
- Vineyard map of Bergères-lès-Vertus at weinlagen.info.
- The Swedish version of this post.
© Tomas Eriksson 2015-2016, last update 2017-02-26

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Muslims Suffer Violent Attacks in Bulgaria June 20, 2011Posted by Yilan in Bulgaria, Human rights, Human rights abuses, Islam, Muslim, Turkey.
Tags: Bulgaria, Islam, Mulsims, Muslim hate crimes, turks
3 comments
Chief Mufti urges Muslims to defend themselves
Muslims Suffer Violent Attacks in Bulgaria
For the past century, Muslims in the Balkans are the victims of many episodes of ethnic cleansing by the crusaders and later by the Communists in Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece. As Communism collapsed, the Muslims in Eastern Europe are still facing suppression, discrimination, harassment and intolerance.
Recently, members of the far-right Bulgarian Ataka party have attacked several Muslims who gathered for their usual Friday prayers at a main mosque in downtown Sofia. The supporters of Volen Siderov, the leader of the Bulgarian ultra-nationalist party Ataka, burned carpets used during Friday prayers at Sofia Grand Mosquea and attacked the Muslims with stones and eggs, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Police say several people were injured as nationalists clashed with Muslims during Friday prayers. The Ataka party's followers had gathered in downtown Sofia to protest against the Muslim community in the country.
The violence erupted after one of the rightist members grabbed a prayer rug and set it on fire, leading to a fight between the two groups. The tension also escalated after an Ataka activist tried to play patriotic music on the loudspeakers of the mosque. Siderov, who is running in the October 11 presidential election, said during the Friday protest that he wants demonstrations against Muslims to continue in Bulgaria.
Around one million Muslims currently live in the country amid grave concerns that the Muslim community could be deprived of their constitutional rights of religious expression if the extremist Ataka party's leader takes power in the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boyko Borisiv expressed concerns over the incident, saying the ethnic cohesion of the Bulgarian society should be preserved. But many people say mere words are not enough.
The Bulgarian government has recently forbidden passport pictures with women's headscarves and banned religious literature from focusing on Islam in a move that has been widely viewed as part of a smear campaign against Muslims in the country.
Muslims Reactions
Part of the Bulgarian society is plagued with islamophobia, the Bulgarian Chief Mufti's Office has declared in a statement urging the Bulgarian Muslims to take measures to defend themselves against attacks.
The Chief Mufti's Office, however, complains that numerous similar incidents have followed ever since, and that the Bulgarian state institutions have failed to protect the Muslims in Bulgaria and their worship places. "After this next case of violence against a Muslim and the desecration of a mosque, the Bulgarian Muslims community has received a clear message that the state is either unable to protect us, or doesn't want to do that, which leaves us in a very hard situation as citizens of the EU who were still hoping that there are sufficiently good democratic mechanisms for preventing repressions against us," reads the statement of the religious leadership of the Bulgarian Muslims.
"Unfortunately, our hope turned out to be illusionary, our expectations were not met, and we are now aware that we have to provide for our own security and rights. Numerous cases, some of them rather shocking, in the recent years lead us to assume that Muslims are unwanted in this country, and that pressure against us will continue… [They] show that part of the Bulgarian society is hostile and aggressive against Islam, Islamic values, and the Muslim community," the Chief Mufti's Office says stressing that the above-described incidents should not be treated as hooliganism or criminal acts "but as a common strategy and intolerance against the Muslims, which could probably lead to more large-scale operations."
It further calls upon the Muslims in the country to organize day and night guards as volunteers "in order to protect what the state fails to protect – the honor and dignity of Islam and Muslims."
"These steps are the beginning of a self-protection campaign. We are going to inform you of your next steps depending on the development of the problems and the desires of the community. In conclusion, we turn to our state leaders, institutions, and authorities, to all evil-minded people, to all Islamophobes, to all attackers – do you think that we love Bulgaria less than you, concludes the Chief Mufti's Office.
Who Are the Bulgarian Muslims?
Muslims in Bulgaria belong to various ethnic groups, such as the Turks, Pomaks, Gypsies and Tatars. The Pomaks are the main Muslim ethnic group in Bulgaria. There are many contradicting views, regarding the origin of Pomaks. According to some historians, they are the descendants of the ancient Slavic or Slavized inhabitants of the Balkans. Some of them converted to Islam at the time of the conquest and during the years that followed. Other groups converted to Islam during the period of the Ottoman Caliphate.
The number of Pomak population changed several times due to the suppression policy by the Christian and communist governments. During and after the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, the biggest waves of Pomak migrated to Turkey. Bulgaria's population is approximately 7.9 million according to a 2001 census. Approximately 13 percent of the Bulgarians are Muslims.
Bulgarization of the Muslims
Since the Bulgarian independence in 1908, the nationalist regimes marginalized the Muslims and traditionally considered them as foreigners, even if they were ethnically Bulgarian. The Orthodox Church is very influential and with the help of the Bulgarian nationalists they forced the Muslims to convert to Christianity. All the resisting Muslims were wounded, imprisoned, killed or deported. Thousands of them fled to Turkey and Greece. In the summer of 1989 more than 300,000 Muslims were deported from Bulgaria.
Mosques were converted into churches. Out of the 44 mosques in Sofia only one remained as a historical monument. The largest mosque in Bulgaria was the Tumbul Mosque in Shumen, built in 1744. Muslims were coerced to go to church every Sunday. Circumcision was prohibited, and the people who circumcised their sons were severely punished.
There are pressures on Muslims to change their names, vestment and language. Since 1942 a new law was passed which commanded Muslims to change their names to Bulgarian ones. About 2000 Turkish and Pomak village names were also changed to Bulgarian. Pomaks were banned from attending Turkish schools or use the Turkish language and they were forbidden to open private schools. Then Muslim school boards were abolished and unified with Bulgarian school boards. Thus all their non-Bulgarian daily life was subjected to censure.


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FAQs Regarding Influenza
What exactly is influenza? Influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and can cause death. Influenza is not a cold. Influenza usually comes on suddenly. People who have Influenza often feel some or all of these symptoms: Fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy … Continue reading


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Founded in 1985, Cornerstone Properties is a leading Bay Area commercial real estate development and management firm. Locally owned and managed, Cornerstone prides itself on caring for its tenant-clients by providing unmatched administrative and facilities-based service. Cornerstone's in-house dedicated building technicians ensure that all tenants can focus on what's most important to them – their business. Customizing terms and space to each tenant's needs provides the flexibility needed by all growing businesses. Cornerstone's industry leading tenant retention rates shows its true focus on tenant service.
Cornerstone specializes in the rehabilitation and repositioning of under-utilized buildings. With over 2 million square feet of successfully redeveloped projects, Cornerstone has the in-house building management expertise to efficiently execute both large and small projects.


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Most practitioners will join the RJC as an Associate Practitioner. Associate Practitioner membership costs £55 a year and is ideal if you have completed your facilitation training and have yet to achieve a qualification recognised by the RJC.
All RJC practitioners agree to abide by our Practitioner Code of Practice and will be listed on our Practitioners Register. Practitioner members will receive monthly practitioner and members' bulletins, three issues a year of our magazine, Resolution, access to restricted resources on our website (such as our series of How to guides) and discounts on CPD events, conferences and publications.
Associate Practitioner membership is the first step to becoming a fully Accredited Practitioner. You can use our free self-assessment to decide whether you are ready for accreditation.
If you have already achieved an RJC approved qualification you will be upgraded to Accredited Practitioner status at no extra cost within a few weeks of providing us with details of your qualification.
Restorative Justice Council KLIC Innovation Drive King's Lynn Norfolk PE30 5BY
Contact us: email@example.com
RJC Patron: HRH The Princess Royal
RJC is registered charity number 1097969 and company 4199237. VAT reference #165 3583 91
© 2016 Restorative Justice Council


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224 pages | 6 x 9
Paper 1995 | ISBN 9780812215564 | $26.50s | Outside the Americas £19.99
Ebook editions are available from selected online vendors
A volume in the series Penn Studies in Contemporary American Fiction
View table of contents
"This is the first book on Auster and is sure to be the foundation of most Auster criticism to follow."—Review of Contemporary FictionThe novels of Paul Auster—finely wrought, self-reflexive, filled with doublings, coincidences, and mysteries—have captured the imagination of readers and the admiration of many critics of contemporary literature. In Beyond the Red Notebook, the first book devoted to the works of Auster, Dennis Barone has assembled an international group of scholars who present twelve essays that provide a rich and insightful examination of Auster's writings.
The authors explore connections between Auster's poetry and fiction, the philosophical underpinnings of his writing, its relation to detective fiction, and its unique embodiment of the postmodern sublime. Their essays provide the fullest analysis available of Auster's themes of solitude, chance, and paternity found in works such as The Invention of Solitude, City of Glass, Ghosts, The Locked Room, In the Country of Last Things, Moon Palace, The Music of Chance, and Leviathan.
This volume includes contributions from Pascal Bruckner, Marc Chenetier, Norman Finkelstein, Derek Rubin, Madeleine Sorapure, Stephen Bernstein, Tim Woods, Steven Weisenburger, Arthur Saltzman, Eric Wirth, and Motoyuki Shibata. The extensive bibliography, prepared by William Drenttel, will greatly benefit both scholars and general readers.
Dennis Barone is Professor of English and American Studies at Saint Joseph College.
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John Elliott (historian)
|Sir John Elliott
|John Huxtable Elliott
23 June 1930
Reading, Berkshire
|Alma mater
|Known for
|Works on the history of Spain and the Spanish Empire in the early modern period
|Regius Professor of Modern History
|Michael Howard
|Robert Evans
Sir John Huxtable Elliott, Kt, FBA (born 23 June 1930) is an English historian, Regius Professor Emeritus at Oxford University and Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge.[1]
Born in Reading, Berkshire, Elliott was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was an assistant lecturer at Cambridge University from 1957 to 1962 and Lecturer in History from 1962 until 1967, and was subsequently Professor of History at King's College, London between 1968 and 1973. In 1972 he was elected to the Fellowship of the British Academy. Elliott was Professor in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey from 1973 to 1990, and was Regius Professor of Modern History, Oxford between 1990 and 1997.[2][3]
He holds Honorary doctorates from the Autonomous University of Madrid (1983), the universities Genoa (1992), Portsmouth (1993), Barcelona (1994), Warwick (1995), Brown University (1996), Valencia (1998), Lleida (1999), Complutense University of Madrid (2003), College of William & Mary (2005), London (2007), Charles III University of Madrid (2008), Seville (2011), Alcalá (2012), and Cambridge (2013).[2] Elliott is a Fellow of the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford, of whose Founding Council he was also a member.[4]
Elliott was knighted for his services to history in 1994 and was decorated with Commander of Isabella the Catholic in 1987, the Grand Cross of Alfonso the Wise in 1988, the Grand Cross of Isabella the Catholic in 1996, and the Creu de Sant Jordi in 1999. An eminent Hispanist, he was given the Prince of Asturias Prize in 1996 for his contributions to the Social Sciences. For his outstanding contributions to the history of Spain and the Spanish Empire in the early modern period, Elliott was awarded the Balzan Prize for History, 1500–1800, in 1999.[2]
His studies of the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish Empire helped the understanding of the problems confronting 16th and 17th century Spain, and the attempts of its leaders to avert its decline.[5] He is considered, together with Raymond Carr and Angus Mackay, a major figure in developing Spanish historiography.[6]
Elliott's principal publications are The Revolt of the Catalans, 1963; The Old World and the New, 1492–1650, 1970; and The Count-Duke of Olivares, 1986.[3] His Richelieu and Olivares (1987) won the Leo Gershoy Award of the American Historical Association.[7] In 2006 his book Empires of the Atlantic World: Britain and Spain in America 1492–1830 was published by Yale University Press, winning the Francis Parkman Prize the following year. In 2012 he published his reflections on the progress of historical scholarship; History in the Making.[3]
Other works
- Imperial Spain: 1469–1716 (Penguin Books, 2002)
- Spain and Its World, 1500–1700: Selected Essays (Yale University Press, 1990)
- The World of the Favourite (Yale University Press, 1999)
- Spain, Europe and the Wider World, 1500–1800 (Yale University Press, 2009)
- A Palace for a King – with Jonathan Brown (Yale University Press, 2003)
- ↑ "Honorary Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge". Retrieved 2007-01-26.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Debrett's People of Today entry for Prof Sir John Elliott, FBA". Retrieved 2014-10-26.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "British Academy Fellows Archive. Record for: ELLIOTT, Sir John". Retrieved 2007-01-26.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "The Rothermere American Institute Founding Council". Rothermere American Institute. Retrieved 2012-11-22.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Balzan Prize Returns to Oxford". Oxford University Gazette 1999. Retrieved 2007-01-26.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Delanty, Gerard Handbook of Contemporary European Social Theory. Routledge, 2006 ISBN 0-415-35518-4, ISBN 978-0-415-35518-6 at Google Books
- ↑ "Leo Gershoy Award Recipients". Retrieved 2007-01-26.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
External links
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1930 births
- Living people
- People from Reading, Berkshire
- People educated at Eton College
- Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
- Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge
- Fellows of King's College London
- British historians
- British knights
- Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford
- Fellows of the British Academy
- Historians of Spain
- Institute for Advanced Study faculty
- British Hispanists
- Members of the University of Cambridge faculty of history
- Knights Bachelor
- Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
- Regius Professors of History (University of Oxford)


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Flannel sheets are ideal for chilly winter nights and for those who prefer a cozier alternative to traditional cotton sheets. Without proper care, however, they can easily lose their signature softness. To keep your flannel sheets pleasing to the eye and comfortable to the touch, it's important to know the best way to clean them. The most important points to remember are to always separate your sheets by color, wash them on your machine's gentlest cycle and dry them gradually at a low temperature.
Method 1 of 3:
Washing Flannel Sheets
1Separate your sheets according to color. Before you begin washing, sort your bedding into two or more separate piles: lights, darks and colors. Washing dark or brightly colored sheets with white ones could cause bleeding or fading, leaving your sheets with a dingy, discolored look.[1] X Research source
- In addition to sorting lights and darks, it may also be a good idea to wash dissimilar colors like red and blue separately.
- As long as you don't mix-and-match your flannel bedding, you should have no problem keeping it separated when it comes time to do laundry.
2Pre-treat flannel sheets with vinegar. The first time you put your flannel bedding through the wash, add one half cup (120ml) of distilled white vinegar. The acidity in the vinegar will prevent pills from forming. It also has the added bonus of locking in colors, making them less likely to run during future washings.[2] X Research source
- Pills are little clumps of tangled napping, or the loose fibers on the surface of flannel. Pilling occurs when fabrics like flannel aren't properly maintained.
- Adding a splash of vinegar to the wash cycle now and then may also help keep your sheets fluffy and free of oily residue.
3Set the washing machine to a low temperature. It's best to wash your flannel sheets with warm water, although some manufacturers even recommend that the water be cold. Lower temperatures will be easier on the delicate structure of the fabric as well as the color.[3] X Research source
- High temperatures can shrink the tiny fibers in flannel, resulting in pilling and a less comfortable sleeping experience.
4Add a small amount of mild detergent. Choose a detergent that's been specially formulated for use on delicates. Be careful not to use more than necessary—some detergents contain chemicals that put fabrics (especially soft ones like flannel) in danger of fading.
- A color-protecting detergent will come in handy for preserving the look of brightly colored bedding.
- Add colored detergents to a laundry ball or the dispenser on the washing machine so you don't have to pour them directly onto the sheets themselves.
5Wash the sheets on a gentle cycle. A slow setting that uses minimal agitation is perfect for cleaning flannel sheets without harming the delicate weave of the threads. When you're loading the washer, be sure to distribute the bedding evenly throughout the drum to prevent it from becoming bunched or tangled. [4] X Research source
- If your washing machine doesn't have an option for different wash cycles, set it to a timed wash for the shortest duration.[5] X Research source
Method 2 of 3:
Drying Flannel Sheets
1Dry the sheets on low heat. As with washing, drying flannel sheets with too high a temperature may lead to shrinkage and pilling. To prevent this, always select the lowest available heat setting, or simply let your sheets tumble dry. It will take longer, but it will be worth it to preserve the comfortable feel of your bedding.[6] X Research source
- Give yourself plenty of time to get your laundry taken care of so you won't have to worry about soggy sheets at bedtime.
2Allow the sheets to air dry. If space permits, you might also choose to dry your flannel sheets by hanging them up. After removing the sheets from the washer and wringing out any excess water, stretch out the sheets to expose as much surface area as possible and hang them on a clothesline or drying rack.[7] X Research source
- Save money on your energy bill by getting the sheets started in the dryer, then letting them finish air drying.
- If it's a nice day, you can speed up the drying process by placing the damp sheets in direct sunlight. Not only will the warmth of the sun help them dry faster, sunlight also makes a great natural disinfectant and deodorizer.[8] X Research source
3Replace or put away the sheets. Once your sheets are dry, you can put them right back on your bed, or neatly fold them and stash them in the linen closet until cold weather comes around again. Leaving them to sit in a pile makes them more susceptible to wrinkles.
- Be sure to check your bedding for large pills, lint and loose threads.[9] X Research source
- Give the sheets a good shake to fluff them up before making the bed.
Method 3 of 3:
Extending the Lifespan of Your Flannel Bedding
1Treat stains right away. Once stains set into a soft surface like flannel, they can be next to impossible to remove completely. In the event of spills, leaks and other accidents, blot the affected area with a damp cloth while it's still wet. Afterwards, clean your bedding as usual, adding one quarter to one half a cup (60-120ml) of white vinegar to the washing machine as it fills.[10] X Research source
- Use a mixture of warm water, hydrogen peroxide and mild liquid detergent to deal with substances that are likely to leave stains, like coffee or red wine.[11] X Research source
- Be careful not to scrub the sheets too forcefully—over time, it's possible to wear holes into the fabric.
2Avoid using fabric softeners. Though they may sound like a good thing, the chemicals in fabric softeners have a tendency to coat and stiffen flannel fibers. Over time, this can leave your sheets feeling waxy. It's also a good idea to say no to dryer sheets for the same reason.[12] X Research source
- To keep older flannel sheets soft to the touch, try throwing a couple (clean) tennis balls into the dryer with them. The movement of the tennis balls will help loosen up clumped fibers.
- One of the main selling points of flannel is that it's already soft, so there's no need to use a lot of conditioners and other products to keep it that way.[13] X Research source
3Change out your sheets periodically. Rather than constantly washing and reusing the same set of sheets, invest in one or two additional sets and cycle them out between uses. Each set will last longer, and you'll appreciate the fresh new look your bed gets every time you do laundry.[14] X Research source
- Remember to keep lights, darks and colored sheets separated in the wash.
Community Q&A
QuestionHow do I bring back fluffiness to flannel sheet?Community AnswerKeep soaking it in salty or bicarbonate of soda water for at least 3-4 days and the fluffiness should comeback. After you've done this, make sure to wash it before use.
QuestionHow do I keep my flannel sheet from getting little fuzz balls on it?Community AnswerYou can use a shaving razor that you use for a lady's leg/a man's face and use it on the sheet.
QuestionAt what temperature do I dry flannel sheets?Community AnswerI would dry flannel sheets on a warm setting, but avoid high heat as this can damage your fabric. Whenever possible, allow your flannel sheets to dry at room temperature, not in a dryer.
QuestionWhat setting should I use to dry flannel sheets?Community AnswerGenerally, it's best to use a low heating setting, or to let the sheets tumble dry gradually. If time and space permits, you could even hang your flannel sheets in the sun and allow them to air dry. This is the best way to preserve their softness and avoid unnecessary wear and tear.
QuestionFlannel sheets keep making my feet green. How can I prevent this?Jax MonroeCommunity AnswerWear socks, preferably ones that are already green, but any color will suffice.
Can I put vinegar directly on the sheets in the washer to wash flannel sheets?
Can I put the vinegar directly on the flannel sheets in the washer?
- Get in the habit of washing your sheets every 1-2 weeks.
- For best results, always follow the care instructions included on the label of your bedding.
- Find an open place to store your flannel sheets (like a shelf as opposed to a drawer) where they won't be packed in too tightly. This will help prevent pilling while the sheets are not in use.
- If you need to iron flannel sheets, be sure to do it from the underside to avoid compressing the napping on top.
- You can remove areas of thick pilling from flannel sheets by laying them flat and lightly running a handheld razor over the surface.
- Avoid washing flannel bedding with other heavy or scratchy items like bath towels or denim.Thanks!
- Be careful not to handle your flannel sheets roughly or expose them to the elements. Too much friction can cause pilling to get worse.Thanks!
- ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/laundry-basics-how-to-sort-clothes/
- ↑ https://www.overstock.com/guides/how-to-care-for-flannel-sheets
- ↑ http://www.sleepingexpert.org/how-to-find-the-best-flannel-sheets/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qYI9of48Ok
- ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/laundry-basics-how-to-choose-the-washing-cycle/
- ↑ https://www.hunker.com/12554918/what-are-microfiber-vs-flannel-sheets
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qYI9of48Ok
- ↑ http://www.medicaldaily.com/laundry-bacteria-could-be-your-clean-clothes-ways-reduce-germ-growth-your-wash-253557
- ↑ http://www.orvis.com/s/guide-to-flannel-sheets/14111
- ↑ https://www.overstock.com/guides/how-to-care-for-flannel-sheets
- ↑ http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-get-rid-of-red-wine-stains-206634
- ↑ https://www.overstock.com/guides/how-to-care-for-flannel-sheets
- ↑ https://www.hunker.com/12554918/what-are-microfiber-vs-flannel-sheets
- ↑ http://www.sleepingexpert.org/how-to-find-the-best-flannel-sheets/
About This Article
To wash flannel sheets, machine wash them with a mild laundry detergent and 1/2 cup of white vinegar, which will help prevent pilling. Use cold or warm water since high temperatures can cause flannel sheets to shrink and pill. Also, wash the sheets on a short or delicate cycle so the machine doesn't damage the fibers in the sheets. Once the sheets are done in the wash, dry them on low heat or hang them up to air dry. To learn how to expand the lifespan of flannel sheets, scroll down!
Reader Success Stories
LS"I love using flannel sheets year-round (we live in a cooler climate). Whenever I get a new set, I check to remind myself how best to care for them initially. This article was easy to read and understand. Thank you!"..." more
A"Would never have thought of using vinegar first time wash. Will try it. Thank you for your help."
JP"Washing flannel sheets with white vinegar to keep them from pilling was a great tip."


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Has anyone "done you" lately? Really ravished you orally, letting their tongue send shivers of raw pleasure and exquisite delight through your hungry frame?
How long HAS it been since you last really enjoyed yourselves together orally?
Has anyone REALLY "done you" lately? Absolutely covering and then uncovering you with dangerously forthright locution, too risky and intimate for any other ears? With unabashed and naked exploration and protestations of love and passion and penetrating queries beseeching you to reveal all, to risk everything? An erotic "Show and Tell?"
Really… how long HAS it been since you enjoyed the dreamy naked experience of this wilder kind of "oral" sexuality with your beloved?
In our recent post "A Safe Place to be Dangerous," we suggested that in most homes, on any given evening, this kind of compelling and risque reparté between lovers is heard mostly in decent literature or trashy novels, or in television shows or movies (fiction), with the "real life" conversation sticking to the basics; "Is tomorrow garbage day?" and, "…the battery in this remote seems to be going sweetheart." Sigh…
Has anyone REALLY done you lately; persisting with their tongue, pressing their way into the the secret places in your heart and soul?
Some 3000 years ago, King Solomon (the same chap who penned that passionate poem – "Your breasts are like clusters of fruit… and I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit!" – SS 7:6-8), etc., also wrote that "an honest answer (or absolutely "straight talk") is like a kiss on the lips!" As we risk soulful nakedness with our words (a different kind of "oral sex"), the result can be something quite juicy and rewarding indeed… "Like… a kiss on the lips!"
Who wouldn't mind THAT kind of thing on any given night? Especially when compared to the normal fare.
This kind of "oral sex" is exactly what the "A Private Affair Game" is all about. Oh we know, "we're tired, we've grown apart, we've got other things on our minds;" kids, debt, work, your parents, perhaps a leaky roof, AND… we're not getting along too well these days," etc; but… as Shere Hite wrote in her infamous report, so many years ago; "More oral PLEASE!"
The game makes this variation of "oral sex" very simple indeed.
It may be that you haven't enjoyed this kind of vulnerable and intimate reparté for some time; perhaps not for a long time. Our natural tendency is usually to take the path of least conflict and risk. And "naked conversation" is not all smooth sailing. Far from it! But it is being true and alive to ourselves and our beloved. It is being passionate in an increasingly passionless world.
What are you waiting for?
Pocket a few cards, and head out together, for a few minutes (a "quickie"), or for a longer time of lingering tongue-work. Either way, a much more alive and exciting way to spend your time and your life!
And in case your game hasn't yet arrived in the mail; check out a few sample cards in our gallery cards to get the juices flowing… and a few more here as well!


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Some love it and some loathe it. It's the market with the Marmite factor.
But why is Birmingham's German Christmas Market so divisive?
It was first held - with just 10 stalls - back in 1997 and has been an annual festive fixture in the city since 2001.
The market now attracts 5.5 million visitors a year - but it's obvious that not everyone is in love with this seasonal spectacle.
It's opening for even longer in 2016 - until December 29 - to celebrate the 50 years of twinning between Birmingham and Frankfurt.
On the Birmingham Mail Facebook page, people gave their views and experiences.
Terry Ray said: "Most of the food you can get in Lidl for a fraction of the price, it's a rip-off."
Darrin Cassin said: "Overpriced tat and they look miserable whilst serving you! How about giving free pitches to traders from surrounding areas Stoke, Cannock, Telford etc. Now that would be a great Xmas gift from Brum City Council."
Kelvin Carol Greaves said: "Think it's past its sell-by date, same every year and expensive."
Matt Tomlins said: "What a waste, hate it, loathe it, load of rubbish, cheap tat on all the stalls. Sooner the better it finishes."
Mike Jones said: "Four different stalls of expensive rubbish repeated ad nauseum. Will give it a miss."
Emma Bicknell said: "I've been many times and can honestly say I won't be going again. God forbid there was an emergency and all those people started to run and fall and get trampled on. Yep, not for me anymore."
Terri Oliver said: "I'm no Scrooge but having to fight through the same crap every year just so I can get a loaf of bread is a nightmare. Hate living in the city centre around this time!!!!"
Tom Richards wrote: "Same crap every year, plus it's hell to negotiate when you work in town."
Susan Haynes said: "Lord help us. More crowds and been pushed about. Nightmare."
Crime risk
Chris Rowe said: "Just watch for the pickpockets, it's rife with the scum."
Toni Clark knew someone who'd been a victim of such a crime. She said: "My friend had her purse stolen last year from inside her rucksack. Keep a hand on any valuables at all times. With the crowds it's so easy for them to grab or get into your bag."
Gina Griffiths agreed: "It's a pickpockets' haven."
Not local
Jacqueline Ayres said: "It's getting boring now and it would be lovely to have maybe something like a traditional Victorian or traditional Christmas market with lots of local producers, artisans, craft people from all over the region.
"Celebrate what's on our own doorstep and help small local businesses at the same time."
Shareen Munir commented: "It would be great if it was local traders rather than same old rubbish costing a fortune."
Not authentic
Christopher Bending said: "GERMAN? I don't think that there's been a German working on it for years."
Craig Dollars said: "It's not German, it's a Polish market and all the same old overpriced crap every year."
Andrew Spokes said: "Not authentic in any way (I know for a fact that a lot of the food is sourced from the same suppliers that Greggs use) and frankly a pain in the backside if you want to get anywhere in town."
On Twitter here are some of the comments from those who are not fans of the seasonal spectacle.
In our poll asking whether people were happy the market was here for longer, 75 per cent of people (more than 1,000 voters) clicked 'yes' compared with 349 who voted 'no.'
These are the main reasons people give for enjoying the market:
Festive atmosphere
Stacy Morgan said: "I'm excited, to me it means Christmas is nearly here. Yes it's overpriced and the same stuff on sale every year, but I love it and it makes me feel all festive.
"It's the atmosphere! Just walking through looking at the things for sale makes you feel all Christmassy. You don't even have to spend money to feel good."
Tony Wassall said: "It's very atmospheric and all that's missing most times is the snow."
Ruth Waters said: "Love it, the atmosphere is good and the smells are great, gluwein and brokkies and the smell of the candles and everything else. But it isn't compulsory so if you don't like it stay away."
Shariah Mear said: "I'm excited because it brings a Christmas feel to Birmingham and it does have a joy about it."
Dawn Howlett said: "Love it only thing that gets me in the Christmas spirit - me and the kids go meet up with my mum for a mug of mulled wine, the kids love it too."
Food and drink
Jane Taylor said: "I'm happy that something that is fun is back. Perfectly happy with bratwurst and a drink (and don't moan about prices, they are less than Harborne).
"I worked at an alternative Christmas festival last year, lovely things on sale, music etc but you could hear the tumbleweed blowing through."
Gurprit Khaira said: "Beer and a bratwurst, perfect combination."
Good for the city
Richard Bowcott said: "It's good for Birmingham, good for local businesses so it gets my vote. Yes it's overpriced but so much is at Christmas and I will as always be going.
"Take the market away and how miserable would the city centre be at Christmas, but guess all those that moan would still continue to do so."
James Baker said: "Because it contributes massively to our local economy bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors from outside the immediate area each year specifically to visit it. Money > Local opinion."
Tim Thorpe said: "All those saying bored with it etc... 5.5 million visitors spending 400million in Birmingham. Think about it. You'd soon be moaning if things shut because they didn't get this boost."
Karl Rogan wrote: "Maybe, just maybe, there is a popular demand for this cultural event which brings in millions to the coffers of Birmingham businesses.
"Maybe prices are high because the traders need to cover higher overheads, transport from Germany and accommodation in UK, whilst away from their families and providing a well-loved event for UK citizens and visitors?"
Do you love the German Market?
He added: "Some of the comments regarding the traders are out of order and downright disgusting and frankly obscene.
"It's ironic that in their next breath they cite Aldi or Lidl as alternatives. I think Santa needs to deliver dictionaries this year with a bookmark for the clarification of ignorance and intolerance."


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Find Your Replacement Apple Laptop Battery
Often an Apple laptop battery will not hold a full charge or charge at all. In this case you need a replacement Apple laptop battery. Use the links below to find the Apple battery you need then click Find Best Price to track down one of the best prices on the internet.


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Another celebrity endorsed prepaid debit card was announced today. This time, the card is the REACH Prepaid Visa Card, and the celebrity is syndicated radio host Tom Joyner host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and also founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com. Unlike some other recent celebrity endorsed prepaid cards, the REACH Card takes what seems to be a great approach to pricing. The fee structure is about as simple as you can get. We take a look at the REACH Prepaid Visa card here.
As the new website for the REACH Card asks "Why The REACH Card?". The answer? "It's the card you can trust at a fair price.". While the card is not yet available, consumers can preorder the card (and if you order before January 20, 2011, you get "ELITE" status, whatever that entails…).
The site goes on to state: "The REACH Card has only three fees. Period. There are no hidden fees.". We love simple, and we love cards with few gotchas. The fees of the REACH card include an activation fee of $9.95, a monthly fee of $8.95 and ATM withdrawal fees of $2.50 (plus any surcharges by ATM operators).
That's it. No bill pay fees, no customer service fees. We love the structure.
The REACH Visa Card also comes with some interesting additional features (details of which are not yet available on the site), including a credit builder feature called the "PayFit Credit Builder". The card is issued by the Bancorp Bank and is FDIC insured.
We think the simple fees are a great step in the right direction, and expect the card to do well because of the celebrity status of Mr. Joyner and the simple structure.
But how does it stack up against some of our favorite low-fee cards? Here's a quick comparison of a typical month (not the first month, when the activation fee is involved, but a later month).
In the following, we assume a cardholder makes the following transactions: 5 bill payment transactions, 5 ATM withdrawals, 2 customer service calls, and 2 ATM balance checks.
REACH Card Comparison
|Prepaid Card
|Average* Monthly Fees
|The REACH Visa Card
|nFinanSe Visa Card
|Mango MasterCard
Comparison of the REACH Card to Other Low Fee Cards (* assumes monthly fee if any, 5 bill pay transactions, 5 ATM withdrawals, 2 customer service calls, and 2 ATM balance checks)
So, while simple fees are great, sometimes finding a card that matches a consumer's buying and transaction habits can be even cheaper than using a prepaid debit card with low fees.
Nonetheless, we congratulate the REACH Card team for designing a product that appears to have very few gotchas or surprises. Check out their website here.


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This is the thread about Kubica right?
Getting confused by previous posts
Anyone know if he has movement of his fingers in the right hand or are the locked in place like his wrist/elbowtimbo wrote: ↑Tue Nov 27, 2018 6:00 pmWhat is a bit worrying judging from onboards to me, is that he can't use his right arm to operate the buttons on the wheel. It means that if he needs to make an adjustment to rotaries he has to use his left hand and he has almost no control of the wheel at this moment.
But that is something that the team should react to and make a set of controls he can operate with his thumb. His wheel layout should be pretty unique.
Each time he squeeze his right hand fingers he do it by "pushing" them - either by left hand or by leaning them by something.
Sorry its the wrong thread, but I agree. 1 thing Russell has over Norris and Albon is his aggression. Russell can be very aggressive when he needs to be, but its a very well controlled aggression. Norris seems to be a little over the top when it comes to bringing the car home. Norris needs to be aggressive next year to avoid doing a 'Stoff'marmer wrote: ↑Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:08 amI don't think all the McLaren fan boys would agree but he might actually be the best. He did beat Norris in a spec series and AlbionPlatinumZealot wrote: ↑Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:47 amI think Russel is the real sleeper of the newbies... He looks like a ventriloquist's puppet, but don't take him lightly.
His hand looks a bit lame when he's standing there, but in action it might be stronger than we think it is!Unf wrote: ↑Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:15 pmEach time he squeeze his right hand fingers he do it by "pushing" them - either by left hand or by leaning them by something.
He has a very little feeling so he can hold a quite light thing like microphone:
But I don't see that he could hold a cup of tea etc. So his right hand looks inert in about 90% for me...
this. the further to the right, or opposite direction, the higher the ratio gets, it's a matter of adapting.
Dumpster sounds so much more classy. It's the diamond of the cesspools.


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Perfect for Veterinary Laboratories
The veterinary industry continues to evolve, driving new and improved diagnostics and treatment of pets and animals. The Matrix Gemini Veterinary LIMS simplifies and speeds up the process of booking in and processing submitted animal samples for analysis in a veterinary laboratory. Built in result limit checking based on specific species and breed reference ranges, instantly sift and highlight results of concern. Features such as rapid barcode scanning, automated invoicing and short code dictionaries (animal species, etc.) reduce the time needed for tracking work in the system. This in turn allows a higher volume of business to be undertaken and enables easy record management.
Added value comes with the interfacing of analyzers saving technician time and improving the reliability of the captured data. Reference limits can be automatically applied to every test result with warnings given for any abnormal values. A further module is designed for pet crematoria providing a complete solution for all aspects of the business.
Key Veterinary LIMS Features:
- Full integration of Microchip, Vet XML and VeNOM codes
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- Species and breed dependent reference ranges for tests
- Suitable for single or multi-site implementation with management visibility and reporting
- Currency conversion options
- Quoting and invoicing
Designed for Evolving Veterinary Laboratories
The configurability of the Matrix Gemini Veterinary LIMS means that it can be configured and re-configured to meet both current
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Case Study
Nationwide Labs chose Matrix Gemini to use across multiple sites.
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Thank you for your interest. Please complete the form to access this document. We respect privacy and your personal details will not be shared.


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A chair farewell
The Spring semester marks the end of my term as Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. During the semester, we will be rapidly transitioning to Craig Hemmens taking over as Chair. With his wealth of experience, brilliance, common sense, and work ethic, I have no doubt he will do a great job leading us for years to come.
Looking back, I'm extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish during my four years as Chair. When I took the job of Director of the Criminal Justice Program during the Spring of 2010, I had three primary goals: 1) Stabilize the faculty after years of comings and goings; 2) Grow our doctoral program both in size and quality; and 3) Transform us from a program housed in a department to an independent department respected across WSU and by other criminal justice departments across the nation. Not only have we achieved these goals, we have used them to propel us into a trajectory of sustained growth and excellence.
You might recall in 2010 WSU imposed draconian budget cuts across the university and vowed to redistribute resources to promote excellent programs. Rather than being crippled by these cuts, we viewed them as an opportunity. By demonstrating our excellence to administrators using many metrics, as well as being patient and aggressively seizing opportunities when they presented themselves, we as a unit were able to thrive and bring about amazing achievements.
Over the past four years we hired eight new faculty while having only one leave WSU. These eight professors, all of which are great scholars, teachers and people, doubled the size of our faculty on both the Pullman and Spokane campuses as well as for the department as a whole. We now have 14 professors across three campuses.
During this time period, we also tripled the number of funded graduate students (25 in 2013-14) and doubled the number of criminal justice majors (over 500). We increased our external grant and contract support more than ten-fold, and added 15 new courses to the graduate curriculum. We developed a newsletter, created an institute, developed graduate and undergraduate assessment programs, established an advisory committee, assumed control of criminal justice internships, and had multiple faculty members win college, campus, and university awards for excellence. Most important of all, we became an independent department.
Thanks to all of you for your efforts in making these things happen. Although I was chair when we achieved these accomplishments, my role in many of their fruition was minor, with credit belonging to our remarkable faculty, graduate students, and staff who did the heavy lifting. Without their willingness to go above and beyond what should be expected of them in service to the department, we would assuredly be a program housed in a school or department instead of the vibrant department we are and will continue to be.
Apart from the other benefits of no longer being Chair, passing the torch to Craig allows me to rejoin the faculty in Spokane and focus on my research and work with graduate students in Pullman and Spokane. I will also continue to actively advance the interests of our department, student, alumni, and research partners under Craig's leadership.


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Genre / Subject Cloudaction packed adventure Audrey Best of 2014 Best of 2015 Best of 2016 character driven coming of age contemporary family Fantasy female protagonist female writers ficiton heroine historical fiction kelsey Murphy Middle School mystery nonfiction Ofilia Readers Advisory realistic fiction Roben romance science fiction series Smith Public Library supernatural young adult
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Category Archives: civil rights
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Dear Martin by Nic Stone About: Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, … Continue reading
Posted in Black History Matters, Black Lives Matter, civil rights, equality, Steph Tagged Dear Martin, Nic Stone, Smith Public Library, Wylie TX Leave a comment
Stephanie's Best of 2017 !
Audrey's Best of 2017
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas This is THE YA title of 2017. If you read one YA in 2017, this should be it. THUG is the story of 16yo Starr Carter who moves between two … Continue reading
Posted in #metoo, American History, Audrey, Best of 2017, Black History Matters, Black Lives Matter, character driven, civil rights, college, coming of age, contemporary, culturally driven, Diversity, female writers, Feminism, graphic novel, History, Immigration, Korean American, magic realism, multicultural, police brutality, realistic fiction, science fiction, time travel, urban fantasy Tagged American Street, Angie Thomas, Best of 2017, Damian Duffy, Ibi Zoboi, Jennifer Mathieu, Kindred, Moxie, Nicola Yoon, Octavia Butler, Riot Grrrl, The Hate U Give, The Sun is Also a Star, THUG, YALit Leave a comment
Celebrating Black History month! Meet our shero of the day, Ruby Bridges!
"Although she lived mere blocks away from an all-white elementary school, segregation forced Ruby Bridges to travel for miles every day to attend an all-black kindergarten. Then, in 1960, Bridges was thrust into the national spotlight at the tender age … Continue reading
Black Lives Matter by Sue Bradford Edwards
About: Black Lives Matter covers the shootings that touched off passionate protests, the work of activists to bring about a more just legal system, and the tensions in US society that these events have brought to light. Anna's Thoughts: This … Continue reading
Posted in civil rights, equality, nonfiction Tagged Black Lives Matter, Smith Public Library, Sue Bradford Edwards, Wylie TX Leave a comment
Audrey's Top 5 of 2014
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny , and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, … Continue reading
Debbie's Best of 2014
Palace of Spies #1 by Sarah Zettel About: It is London in 1716. 16 year old Peggy Fitzroy has been tossed into the street for refusing to marry the man chose for her by her uncle. Brave and resilient Peggy is … Continue reading


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"He's a tiger," says his coach.
He's only 5-foot-4 and he can't hear, but Carpinteria coach Ben Hallock says that doesn't stop cornerback Guillermo "Memo" Tavira from breaking up pass plays and making tackles.
Hallock introduced Tavira at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon on Monday, Presidio Sports reports.
"'He's got a great, great motor, he can just go and go; he's a tiger, he is fearless and there is no quit in him at all,' Hallock said. 'He's had to line up against some very tall receivers and he's made some great plays just by being a tenacious defender and putting himself [in a] position to make great plays.'"
Read more ...


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What We Believe
Salvation Through Jesus Christ:
Salvation is deliverance from spiritual death and enslavement by sin. God provides salvation for all who believe and accept His free offer of forgiveness. Mankind's only hope of redemption from the fallen sinful state is through the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son–blood that was shed as Jesus died on the cross. [The account of the crucifixion of Jesus is recounted by four of His contemporaries: Matthew (chapter 27), Mark (chapter 15), Luke (chapter 23), and John (chapter 19).] (Luke 24:47; John 3:3,16,17; Rom. 8:16; 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8,9; 4:24; Titus 2:11-12; 3:5-7)
Divine Healing:
Baptism in the Holy Spirit:
All believers are entitled to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and therefore should expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all believers in the early Christian church. With the experience comes the provision of power for victorious Christian living and productive service. It also provides believers with specific spiritual gifts for more effective ministry. The baptism of Christians in the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the initial physical sign of speaking in other tongues (unlearned languages) as the Spirit of God gives them audible expression. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 2:4; 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9; 1 Cor. 12:1-31)
The second coming of Christ:
All Christians who have died will one day rise from their graves and will meet the Lord in the air. Christians who have not yet died will be raptured or caught up with them, to be with the Lord. Then Christians of all ages will live with God forever. The scriptural truth of the Lord's soon return is "the blessed hope". (Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Titus 2:13)
*An expanded explanation of our doctrinal statement can be obtained by being a part of our membership class. This is an informative class on the history and beliefs of the Worship Center.
Mission Statement
- To connect people to our loving, patient and kind God.
- To restore hope where hope has been lost.
- To raise up servants to invest in our community.
- To allow God to move freely in all we do.
- To minister to every facet of the Family.
- To reach deeper intimacy with God.
- To be a place of acceptance of all people.
- To worship in action.
- To make the Word come alive in a practical and applicable ways.
- To cultivate lasting relationships that brings strength and encouragement.
Core Values:
- We value the family as a whole and long to minister to every aspect of it.
- We long to create lasting relationships to unify the body of Christ
- We value the role that Christ played as a servant and long to set the example and teach others the power of servant hood.
- We desire to have the heart of David as we worship God freely in all areas of our lives.
- We fully embrace the power of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit in our worship services.
- We value people and their God given purpose.
- We recognize that discipleship is a core part of the foundation of the church and desire to disciple all believers
- We desire to be apart of the harvest by reaching out to our surrounding community.
- We strongly believe the church should be a place where the compassion of the Lord is shown and freely given.
- We long to see people lives changed by the hope that only the Word of God can bring.


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About Games
Use arrow keys for the movement
Be ready to grab spectacular stunts in Uphill Rush 3 unblocked, guys! Don't lose out a chance to experience Uphill Rush 3 because the game is back with more and more great challenges! Are you excited? Check the fact out right now! There are numerous vehicles such as bike, skateboard, roller skates…, for your selection. You need to race over the hills, other tracks and try to perform frantic stunts, overcome all the obstacles. Don't forget to collect the coins on your way to purchase new enhancements. Are you ready to flaunt your racing abilities? Try the Uphill Rush 3 game now
Use arrow keys for the movement
Tap spacebar to perform stunts, or jump.
Press key X to use turbo boost, key P to pause the game, key M to view the map.
Tagsunblocked games Uphill Rush 3 Uphill Rush 3 Unblocked


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The Wuben TO50R HC is a 21700 quad with USB charging, a boost driver, and 90 CRI LH351Ds. Zebralight also uses them and has their lights made in China.
But Zebralight has its official headquarters in the US, and Wuben lights usually aren't cheap unless you get them from BLF group buys. Neal and Lumintop may not have access to the same kind of supply chains they do. Sofirn, on the other hand seems to me to have much more in common with Lumintop as a company. It would surprise me if there are things Sofirn can get with relative ease that Lumintop cannot.
Ceilingbounce – flashlight testing and runtime graphs for Android


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Kai Po Che! not Modi propaganda, Abhishek Kapoor clarifies
Director Abhishek Kapoor is upset with those who see Kai Po Che as a tool spreading Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi propaganda.bollywood Updated: Mar 05, 2013 20:02 IST
Director Abhishek Kapoor is upset with those who see Kai Po Che as a tool spreading Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi propaganda.
The filmmaker, who has based his third directorial venture on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller The 3 Mistakes of My Life, which tells the story of three friends living in Ahmedabad, took to Twitter to express his disappointment.
"Strange how some people are seeing Kai Po Che! as Modi propaganda. They are obviously missing the point and looking for something that it's not..." he tweeted.
Reportedly, some people have been criticising Kai Po Che! for watering down the 2002-Godhra riots incident in the film by depicting it as something that was the sole decision of one the Hindu local leaders.
However, Kapoor describes Kai Po Che! as a film for youth.
"Kai Po Che! is about the innocence of youth and their coming of age... not a witch hunt... accept it for what it is... and you might see the light," he tweeted.
Starring, Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Amrita Puri, the film came out last week and is doing well at the box office.


text: This lesson will discuss stats for your PvP template. At this point you should be familiar with the classes known at Pure Mages, Tank Mages, & Melee Warriors. If not then please click this link before continuing...http://uorforum.com/threads/pvp-university-pvp-templates.6307/#post-48467 Statistics (Stats) Strength (str): Determines Max Health. Max Health = 50 + ( strength / 2 ). Strength also grants a bonus to weapon damage. Str *(.2) = %bonus to combat effectiveness. Strength also determines how much weight your character can carry. Each 1 strength is 3.5 more stones carrying capacity. Dexterity (dex): Determines Max Stamina. Current stamina determines bonus to attack speed: Swing Latency = 15000 / {[STAM+100] * WepSpeed}. Stamina also impacts the time it takes to use a bandage. Intelligence (int): Determines max mana and is a factor in some spell damage formulas. Each 1 intelligence grants 1 additional maximum mana. Stat Cap: Each stat has a limit of 100. Your combined total may not exceed 225. So by now you're thinking, I'll be a pure mage who has no need for dexterity since I use no weapon and I will choose 100 str, 100 int, 25 dex to total out the cap at 225. Well before you do that it is extremely important to understand the spell Mind Blast and what effect it has on you based on your stats. Mind Blast is a spell that does damage based on your highest and lowest stat as shown: The damage formula for Mind Blast is [(Highest Stat - Lowest Stat)/2 not to exceed 40]. So if you have 100 str, 100 int, and 25 dex the formula filled in looks like this; [(100 str - 25 dex) / 2] = 37.5 points of damage (100 str - 25 dex) = 75 [75 / 2] = 37.5 To expand even further it is important to understand that Mind Blast calculates the damage to be dealt by using your current stats. So if an opponent were to cast clumsy on you first then attack with Mind Blast it would do even more damage. Let's assume that after you have been hit with clumsy your dex is 14. Using the same formula above with this new variable we will see that the damaged would hit the cap of 40 points. This is a 5th Circle spell that requires only 14 mana to cast and has the potential to do 40 points of damage, or nearly half of your life! Consider the implications this spell can have on your character and the stat choices you make! Mind Blast is the only spell that's damage is directly calculated by your total stats. The most common stats for PvP Mages and Tank Mages are: 90 Strength 90 Intelligence 45 Dexterity This gives you a more balanced set of stats versus Mind Blast that is buffable to over 100 in priority stats. It will also gives enough stamina to use Stun Punch if the template allows for it without sending the character into a walking mode immediately. The most common stats for PvP Melee Classes are 90 Strength 95 Dexterity 40 Intelligence This gives the warrior a better balances set of stats versus mindblast that is buffable to over 100 in priority stats. It will also give enough mana to cast some minor spells like cure, heal, buffs, and recall. There are no perfect stats to have that give you the best bonuses and protect you from Mind Blast at the same time. Use the calculations above to determine how much health you will have, how fast you will swing, how your mana regen will be affected, and what kind of damage can be dealt with Mind Blast when you are trying to decide on your final stats. It is important that you should be able to have 100 or greater in your two primary stats for your template after buff spells such as Strength, Cunning, & Agility or Bless. Intelligence affects your mana regeneration rate passively so the higher the intelligence you can have the more mana you will have at your disposal faster. Buffing your strength will give you more health and buffing dexterity will allow you to swing at a faster rate.You should always try to keep your stats buffed using magic or potions, and be aware of what debuffs have been cast upon you so that you can negate them. We will discuss buffs and debuffs in PvP in another lesson. Some information for this lesson was used from the UO:R guide produced by Bashoosh found here http://uorforum.com/threads/one-guide-to-rule-them-all-one-guide-to-find-them.682/


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On December 15th we held a Vigil to End Gun Violence at Davie Street Presbyterian Church in Raleigh. It was one of over 350 events throughout the country.
Everything went very well. We had dynamic speakers from the LGBTQ, Christian, and Muslim communities along with a survivor. It reminded us of the daily toll gun violence has on a community with the death of a loved one. Rev. Byron Wade did a fantastic job pulling the event together at the end with a message of hope.
Do you like this post?


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Posts Tagged 'PS3'
Prince of Persia Epilogue
I just ordered, or rather I downloaded, Prince of Persia 'Epilogue' today. I have to say that I am even more angry, hurt, frustrated and angry, (did I say angry twice?) than when I finished Prince of Persia 'Sands of Time'. Don't get me wrong, the only reason I'm feeling all of these things is because I love this game so much.
Let me just say that I'm not a big "gamer". I don't have the experience, time vested, or the skill set to be slumped in with those guy/gals. I'm a novice at best, but I was able to play and eventually beat the game. I probably wouldn't have bothered if I'd known I was going to get hung out to dry so badly with the story line.
See, I like there to be substance in my games. I like the banter of the Prince and Elika, hearing the history and listening to the immense story that the makers of this game obviously worked hard on. As soft as it may sound, I really wanted to see the tension of the two of them to explode in the end. So what do they do? Elika dies! Yea, not really what I was expecting. So then I hear news that 'Epilogue' is coming out and it will pick up where the last period of 'Sands of Time' left off. I'm excited and happy again, but for how long.
Ten dollars to download this game and it took me two hours to play through it. So for gamers it was probably like ten minutes. Not worth it and I knew it before I bought it, but as I said before I love this game and I never wanted it to end so I didn't care.
So I get to the end and I thinking to myself, "Wow that was fast. Kind of a rip-off, but oh well, at least I get to finish the story." NOPE! The cliff hanger on this game is ten times worse than 'Sands of Time'.
What is up with Ubisoft? They make some of the best games, but their endings are kick-you-in-the-balls-when-you're-not-looking-horrible. Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed are two of my favorite and both have absolute dreadful endings. I understand that you want to leave me hanging so I'll buy the next release, but a cliffhanger isn't slamming on the brakes when you're driving 100 miles an hour. They shouldn't even be legally able to call it Epilogue, because it doesn't finish or conclude anything.
I guess I'll just have to wait till 2012 for the next full game release. Damn you Ubisoft! Do I smell Price of Persia Double Epilogue? How 'bout Prince of Persia & Altair double teaming with Elika… that came out wrong.
I'm sorry Sunnah. (Sunnah left me a comment about being human and not posting advertising nonsense, but I needed to get this off my chest and I wanted to write it before I read your comment, so please forgive me. As for my other readers who are asking themselves, "What's this kind of blog doing here on Rooster's page, I assure you it's over now and I won't do it again.)
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster
PS3 Blows My Mind, Means I'm Just Old
So what? I bought a Play Station 3, what's the big deal? A non-gamer, old man, went out and had an impulse purchasing moment and bought a $400 dollar gaming system, is that a problem? I guess only if you're one of the people at a company which sends me monthly bills, because I won't be paying you this month, or next month probably.
I've never been a gamer. I played "Pong" and the arcade classics like Asteroids, Pit Fall, Donkey Kong, Elevator Action, Spy Hunter, Galaga, and Pac-Man. I even owned the Atari, Vic 20 and Commodore 64, but kind of let video games go when Nintendo took over the market/home scene. Many years passed by as did the Play Station, Game Cube, Play Station 2, X-Box and all the hand held Nintendo gems. I tried a couple of Play Station 2 games, but it didn't take.
"So how did this happen," you might ask? A commercial, a stupid, freaking commercial made my "go for it". It was for Mortal Combat vs. the DC Universe, the part where the Joker pulls some attack move on a MC character and does a little "happy dance" in delight. It just seemed like so much fun. I wanted to be the Joker and do the "happy dance". Am I really this simple? Sadly, yes.
Well, I got the PS3, but not the game yet. It goes on sale in six days so I'm going to wait and at $60 (new) every penny's worth of savings seems worth it to me. In the mean time, I bought some used games because I had to try it out of course. Man oh man, how times have changed. No wonder the military snatches young kids out of their futons in the middle of the night to make them black-op soldiers, those games are incredibly hard. Remember in the good ol' days when if you simply got close to doing what you were suppose to be doing, the game would do the rest for you, like jumping to a vine, running through a door or shooting a bad guy? Those days are long gone. I always wondered why my son would search the internet for "cheats" and why there are books published on how to beat a game. Almost every nuance of being human is now incorporated into the game and it's no longer a novice's playground.
I'm more than aware that my amazement is nothing short of just being old. That the graphics/technology for today's youth isn't a major accomplishment deserving recognition because what they were upgraded from wasn't that bad to begin with. I know that my confused feeling about all those buttons and what seem to be impossible button maneuvers are being laughed at by six year olds around the globe. I'm not blind to the fact that there is very little difference to me in my living room with my PS3 and shaking my head at the elderly man driving the Lamborghini, but in the same way I'm sure he feels, this is just too cool to care.
In any event, congratulations to all those who can kick my ass at any game I play. All I can say is too bad it's not a skill that transfers into the real world. "Thanks for your resume Timmy. Says here you have no real work experience, but can get to level 27 on Toxic Kill Zone IV. Yeah, that really isn't a prerequisite for being the Fry Guy at Burger-Mart. Sorry."
Which sucks, because I could use a second job to help afford games and another controller?
Egg On!
Ramblin' Rooster


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I wrote:
Sgt. DeRosa,
I also want you to know that I am and will continue to post our correspondence on www.copinthehood.com. I'm not identifying you in any way, other than retired BCPD sgt.
Professor Peter Moskos
Dept. of Law and Police Science
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
899 10th Ave, Room 422
New York, NY 10019
Sgt [DeRosa] writes:
Feel free to post my name and address if you wish [Ed note: I do not wish. But I admire his willingness.] . I am a proud conservative and vote that way every election. I distrust any one who contends that "the police are the problem" in the ghetto. Those animals living there who rob "mostly their own" are the problem. I totally distrust any one who contends that drugs should be legalized. Hell, why not legalize bank robbery & rape, then we could lay all the police off as there would be no crimes to arrest for. Then we would have more money to give to those who chose not to work for a living.
Liberalism has ruined Police Depts all across this country. It has begun to ruin the whole country as well.
As for me I will not sing "Kum-by-ya.", I will keep my powder dry, my guns loaded, and my picture of Charlton Heston dusted. I will never be a victim because some liberal thinks I should be. Further more, I do not have a problem with your PHD, just the way educators use it to impress liberal views on young kids who are paying a fortune to be turned into future liberal activists. It is a statistical fact that 90% of professors are left wingers. Surveys that were taken prove this, as the intelligencia has admitted it. Ward Churchill is a perfect example. Teach if you wish, but teach the truth, not the truth as you wish it to be.
[Mark DeRosa] Sgt (ret) BCPD
My response:
[Sgt DeRosa],
The police are not the problem. I agree. Again, I wish you would read my book. You've taken me for some cop-bashing liberal. I'm not (well, I am liberal. But I'm not a cop basher. Believe it or not, those are two different things).
I do think drugs should be legalized. Basically because I don't think drug dealers wouldn't shoot each other as much if drugs were legal. There's more, but I'm not going to type my reasoning again here. It's in the book.
I think you misunderstand Liberalism. I'm not saying there aren't any stupid and intolerant liberal. There are. Just like exists among conservatives. I feel I do teach the truth. Sometimes the truth is Liberal. Sometimes the truth is Conservative. You know what liberals and conservatives have in common? When they know that they're always right and think less of those who hold other opinions, they become one and the same thing: fascist.
But no, I don't think Liberalism has ruined Police Departments. I think Liberalism has made policing and the country better. I also think that police should reflect, to some extent, the people they police. So personally, being liberal and living in a liberal area, I'd prefer to have more liberal cops. I think the streets would be safer.
I appreciate you not hating me for having a college degree. I'm sorry you're against higher education in general because of the generally liberal bias. But that's why you take many professors, to hear all different perspectives.