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The Road to Home
Pari watched him in awe as he was sawing wood and measuring the planks with a scale. He had to make sure that her princess would fit inside. Every day, they would come down to the basement of his house to work on the castle. Pari had even picked out a shade of purple for the castle. She had seemed a little distant and scared in the initial days. But today, it felt like they've been together from the day she was born.
After four years of not even laying eyes on his only daughter, Vedant was very surprised when his estranged wife called him a month ago. All these years, he had tried convincing her that he was sober and begged to meet his daughter. But Shakti always waved the custody papers in his face and that used to shut him up. He might have been a lot of things when he was drunk. But when he was sober, he was the most chivalrous gentleman. He kept his distance and pined for his daughter silently.
His wife spoke of the thing he had always dreamed of hearing. Pari wanted to meet her father. She had vague memories of a man in her life and friends at school had been bullying her for not knowing who her father was. Mother dearest caved when Pari showed no signs of giving up. Shakti tried to look beyond the fact that Vedant was an alcoholic when the divorce came through. Perhaps it was time to let the father and daughter bond.
So it was with great joy and excitement that he brought Pari home last month. She talked to her mother every day and kept her posted on the things they did, people they met, places they went and the movies they saw. Vedant finally had a chance to be the father he never was. He was glad he had the chance to earn his way to be present at her recitals and school functions. And Pari was blossoming under his protective care. She learnt to ride a bicycle and signed up for swim classes.
Vedant's book on rehabilitation was doing very well and the publishers were hosting a party that weekend. After discussing with Shakti, he had his mother come over and watch Pari while he had to be at the celebration. No matter how things had turned out eventually, Shakti and her mother in law were always on good terms. So that was settled.
Vedant returned home at half past two. Disheveled, groggy and slurring, he wobbled through the living room. So used to being alone for years, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a door open and Pari stared at him with horror in her eyes. She had never seen him like this. But the horror in her eyes reminded him of her mother and rage took over involuntarily. Grandmother hurriedly took Pari back to bed. He lunged forward to catch the girl and smashed into something on the table near the door.
Next morning, he got up with a splitting headache. As he recollected the events of the previous night, fear seized him. He walked to Pari's room which was now empty. On the floor lay broken pieces of wood. They were painted a pretty shade of purple. There was a note on her bed that read, "V, that was your last chance at redemption. Pari will grow up knowing what kind of a man to not marry. Toward that effort, thank you. Thank God Maa was around. Go to hell."
He walked to the wardrobe and found all of Pari's things gone. He laughed bitterly when he caught sight of his book on a shelf. It was titled 'The Road to Home'. It seemed ironical that he should have got drunk after three years of being sober, when he finally had the chance to make things right. He looked at the man in front of him and rammed his fist into the sullen face. Nothing changed. A thousand pairs of sunken eyes now stared at him from the floor. The mirror only spoke the truth.
Image source: www.pixabay.com


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subset: commoncrawl


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We have a clear commitment to respect human rights that all within and who do business with RB must follow.
RB believes that human rights, which includes no slavery and human trafficking, are an absolute and universal requirement and is committed to upholding those rights, as expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We are also committed to following the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
We recognise the important role that businesses play in society and the responsibility we have in helping to ensure human rights are respected. Our commitment to respecting human rights is publicly disclosed through our Code of Business Conduct and our Policy on Human Rights and Responsible Business. These policies apply to all employees and contractors of, and suppliers of goods and services to RB. We also encourage our suppliers to communicate our requirements within their supply chain.
Our Policy on Human Rights and Responsible Business outlines the minimum labour, health & safety, environmental and business integrity standards we expect our facilities and those of suppliers to meet, in the production of goods and provision of services to RB.
Our requirements are closely aligned with the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) base code and the conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and consists of ten principles:
We take any adverse human rights impacts extremely seriously. Where RB identifies that it has caused or contributed to any such impacts, it will co-operate in or provide for appropriate and legitimate processes to remedy these.
We acknowledge the growing importance and complexity of the issue of human rights and are committed to continuously improving our approach, following the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as our model.


text: Unforgettable flavour of your cuisine. L-Originale® Condimento 15 is exclusively made of cooked and concentrated must from Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes. Acetified and aged for over 15 years in precious wooden barrels, it is the product of careful artisanal tradition which, combined with the right ageing period, creates an excellent combination of fragrances and flavours with bitter-sweet undertones. It's an unforgettable dressing ready-to-use on all kind of dishes, from appetizers to desserts (tartare, foie gras, smoked salmon, sushi, caviar, strawberries, vanilla ice-cream, cheesecake…). Contained in the valuable bottle Calamaio it reaches your table in a precious package, together with a measuring cap and a tasting spoon. Quantity: 100 ml.


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We are pleased to have secured the change of use of ground floor office space to a new A3 unit in Tavistock Square, WC1H. Both the loss of offices and establishing new A3 restaurants are sensitive issues in LB Camden making this approval at Committee particularly satisfying and a great achievement.
Smith Jenkins have extensive experience in Camden and have experience of dealing with a range of projects in the Borough.


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Researchers at the University of Toronto have unveiled a cheap, fast spray-on solar cell process that could enable the creation of solar arrays using the most modest of manufacturing methods. Even better, with the cells 'printed' onto flexible material, they could turn anything from airplane wings to your patio furniture into a solar power plant.
The research was led by University of Toronto researcher Illan Kramer, who calls the system sprayLD. Much as with many previous spray-on solar designs, spray LD utilizes colloidal quantum dots (CQD). CQD are tiny, light-sensitive dots—invisible to the naked eye—that can act as an absorbing photovoltaic material. The technology has long held promise, but the process of incorporating light-sensitive CQD's onto surfaces has been expensive, slow and laborious.
What Kramer and his colleagues have done is to invent an entirely new, cheap, efficient technique for creating solar cells using CQD. They based the technique on a newspaper-printing process, and explain "SprayLD blasts a liquid containing CQDs directly onto flexible surfaces, such as film or plastic… by applying ink onto a roll of paper. This roll-to-roll coating method makes incorporating solar cells into existing manufacturing processes much simpler."
Watch the Video:
As for their prototype, the team admits that it may look "more like junkyard wars than high-tech," but that's because it was made entirely from affordable, readily available parts; U of T explains "[Kramer] sourced a spray nozzle used in steel mills to cool steel with a fine mist of water, and a few regular air brushes from an art store."
Which perhaps makes it all the more surprising that this technique does not appear to cause any major drop offs in efficiency. However, efficiency is still a major consideration with spray-on solar. The sprayLD system converts about 8.1% of sunlight to power, as opposed to 15-20% for standard rooftop solar arrays. But, speaking to Co.Exist, Kramer explained that while he is working on boosting sprayLD's efficiency "we think of ourselves as operating in a slightly different paradigm, where we don't have to be quite as efficient because we're so much less expensive."
And in the long run, Kramer explains: "My dream is that one day you'll have two technicians with Ghostbusters backpacks come to your house and spray your roof!"


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Carol Sands is the Founder and the Managing Member of The Angels' Forum and The Halo Funds. Carol's career started as a bank officer with First Bank Systems. She has also held marketing or sales positions with Motorola and Xerox Computer Services and executive positions at Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young) and Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Carol later founded Sands MarketingPlus, an international sales management and marketing consulting firm with advertising and PR agencies. In 1997, she incorporated The Angels' Forum Management Company, the parent company of The Angel's Forum, a revolutionary company in angel investing that organizes individual investors with previous entrepreneurial experience to invest as a single entity using a venture capital model for due diligence, mentoring, and board management.
Starting in 2000, Carol co-founded a series of four venture funds to invest in early-stage Silicon Valley start-ups. Carol received her BA in Business Administration from The University of Iowa.
I don't leave a comment, but after looking at a few of the
remarks on this page Carol Sands of The Angels
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My name is Shulem Deen, and I am passionate about all forms of nonfiction writing. For over a decade, I have been studying, writing, editing, and coaching nonfiction writing in its various forms, with a focus on memoir, opinion essays, cultural criticism, and creative exposition.
For a more official bio (and a photo showing me to be of sterner stuff than I really am) can be found here: Bio and Contact.
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Design a logo for Wellesbourne Healthcare.
Entries by 22nd May, download if its not clear for you
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DueEast and SES are funded by the Equalities and Communities Team of Brighton and Hove City Council, and are assisted by Whitehawk Inn & Community Works


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Here is something that you don't get to see every day. When a 1001 HP Bugatti ...
Here is something that you don't get to see every day. When a 1001 HP Bugatti Veyron lined up next to an E34 BMW M5 in the video below, we were anticipating a pretty obvious result. Yeah, we knew that this E34 BMW was something special and had even been tuned to crank out 900 HP, but we still didn't think that it would be capable of competing with a supercar like the Bugatti Veyron. However, what we ended up seeing in this video far exceeded our expectations and just blew us away.Legendary Speed is dedicated to bringing you the very best Videos about Automobiles and Cool stuff.
Check out our other amazing pages LegendarySpeed, LegendaryFinds, Legendary Motorcycle, Amazing Rides, follow us on Instagram and Youtube.
Subscribe to our newsletter and check out our daily finds where we dig up the coolest cars and trucks for sale.
Thanks for visiting our site, we really appreciate it, you can help by giving us a like and a share on our social media platforms.
Whoa.. that was a crazy video. Now check out this next one!


text: I didn't feel this way until November 8th 2016.Hey, at least I've never hidden who I was or what I believed, or acted insulted when called on it. But I guess now I won't be surprised when a whole lot of liberals start coming out of the "I hate America" closet. Bully on being able to be yourself out loud, I guess, Blots.


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We have visited this banding station in Stuart, Florida twice now. While the banding has been slow, it has been great to meet kindred spirits and chat birds, birding, bird habitats, plants to attract birds…well, you get it. The small sanctuary is about five acres, about the same size as our Birdcraft in Connecticut. The banders are also working at other sites in the area banding Painted Buntings in concert with a program in the Carolinas, in an attempt to learn more about the decline of the Eastern population of this lovely bird (a popular cage bird in Europe!) They have installed an Osprey nesting platform and Mr. & Mrs. Osprey were hard at work mating and chasing off intruders.
Possum Long was a local high school science teacher and he donated the property to the Martin County Audubon Society on his death. While I didn't see any life birds there, I did get a life spider, a Golden Silk Spider or Florida Banana Spider. This impressive creature is beneficial and harmless, unlike the South American ones that come into the US on bunches of bananas, which have a venomous bite. Females can have up to a five inch leg span and are the largest North American spider species after Tarantulas. This one was about four inches wide, larger than my palm.


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Beauty, Colorado, family, Happiness, John Denver, Love, Music, Rocky Mountain High, Tourism, Where we Belong
I was at the grocery store last night and the song by John Denver called "Rocky Mountain High" came on. As I walked from aisle to aisle everyone was singing along! Customers as well as employees of the store, it was hilarious.
When I hear this song I actually think of my kids High School. All of our kids went to "Rocky Mountain High School" so when I hear the line "Rocky Mountain High, Colorado" that is what I think of.
So I listened to it again when I got home and it seriously is a beautiful song and it is so accurate, it probably describes a lot of peoples journeys here but it is pretty accurate about ours .
The best decision Kris and I ever made was to move to Colorado, we have been SO happy here, we never plan to leave.
We are grateful that our children have grown up in a liberal place where they've gained a realistic view in life.
We love the schools here, living in a state that doesn't devote as many resources to education then moving to one that does you really notice.
I think its truly God's country, I am so happy that we live here! Its refreshing to live in a place where you completely fit in and feel like you belong.
The line in the song: "Talk to God and listen to his casual reply" I feel like that perfectly sums up Colorado for me, we were lead here, we are where we were meant to be and it is a beautiful place.
And yes you can get high here if you want and no one will bother you about it, its just an accepting liberal place.
I recommend visiting Colorado to anyone in the world who reads this, the Colorado Rockies are beautiful and something to see, and in my opinion much prettier and better looked after than the Utah side although the Utah Rockies are pretty too.
Sharing the song because it is just awesome.


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Government term
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 results.
Ministers Andrew Little and David Parker have started three days of international talks in London, focused on cyber and online threats, and border and international security issues.
Breaking the cycle of family and sexual violence and better supporting survivors is a major feature of the Wellbeing Budget, with the Government delivering the largest ever investment in family and sexual violence and support services.
Cabinet has approved, in principle, a move to amend the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 to provide a statutory power for the senior courts to make declarations of inconsistency under the Bill of Rights Act, and to require Parliament to respond.


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Most diarrhoea in India (and the region itself) is caused from amoebic dysentery which DOES require treatment in the form of anti-flagellants.
A good anti-flagellant controls symptoms in a matter of hours, if the infection were to run its course, it would take several days. That's ample potential for a young child to dehydrate badly, particularly when care-givers are not adequately informed, as if often the case in rural settings.


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Minister admits 30% more work required with no extra resources
Police Minister Judith Collins has committed Police to a 30% workload increase without providing extra resources, says Labour's Police spokesman Stuart Nash.
"The Minister admitted in Question Time today that police currently investigate only 70% of all dwelling burglaries. Police are now required to investigate 100% of all burglaries so where is the extra support coming from?
"Ideally, Police should already be investigating all burglaries and the policy requiring this meets the expectation of all New Zealanders, but the problem is that there are no extra police officers to actually undertake this work.
"The interesting thing is that the Minister signed off on this policy when the latest Police culture survey revealed that almost 60% of Police officers have concerns about not meeting the promises they make to the public, and over 55% believe there is too much stress in their jobs.
"The top two recommendations to come out of the Police culture survey is the Police must 'rebuild confidence in New Zealand Police's ability to deliver' and they must 'build a culture of inclusion'.
"This policy will just exasperate the problem by forcing more work on an already stretched front line; especially when the Police Four Year Plan 2016 – 2020, signed off by the Minister in May of this year, shows no more Police officers until at least 2020.
"The Minister can't keep forcing more work on Police without significantly increasing police officer numbers," Stuart Nash says.


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The combined four boating clubs of Williamstown will again be running a Progressive Dinner this winter. The theme is 'Around the World' in Williamstown, with food from a different 'culture or country' at each location.
Tickets will be $75 for 4 course meal and one drink at each club. Each club is allocated 40 tickets.
Tickets have sold out.
- 6pm – canapes – Royal Yacht Club of Victoria
- 7pm – entree – Royal VIctorian Motor Yacht Club
- 8pm – main meal – Hobsons Bay Yacht Club
- 9:30pm – dessert – Williamstown Sailing Club


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Justin Schieber, co-host at Reasonable Doubts, has tentatively offered a rather novel argument against God recently (Schieber has informed me that the argument is not original to him. He heard it briefly mentioned in an unknown podcast a few years ago and it got him thinking about how to formalise it). Schieber hasn't developed his argument at any length, but helpfully provided this quick summary:
"If God is omniscient, he knows which persons would freely reject him if he were to create them as well as which persons would freely choose him if he were to create them.
If God is omnipotent and morally perfect, he would surely have created those who he knows would freely choose Him. However, God could have created Philosophical Zombies (Characters who look and act in identical ways to free creatures but lacking souls/internal mental lives) to play the roles of those he knew would reject him had he actually created them.
If he did, Hell would contain no conscious torment of persons. Heaven would contain only those who God knew would freely choose him. Those who God knew would freely reject him would never have been created.
In such a story, Free Will and Perfect Justice are preserved."
The concept of a philosophical zombie might be a new and unusual one to some readers. Philosophical zombies are a famous part of philosophical thought experiments in the philosophy of mind. A philosophical zombie is exactly the same as a human being but lacks consciousness. They are not self-aware. They do not have thoughts, sensations, inner mental lives, or an awareness of personhood. However, they act just like any human does. They will form sentences, walk to work, sit at a computer, eat lunch, talk to taxi drivers, and tell jokes. They are effectively lumps of flesh acting a certain way but with no conscious life.
Now, not all philosophers believe the concept is a coherent one. I disagree with this and agree with comments made by Schieber in a Twitter conversation that it is easily within God's power to make lumps of flesh look and act like humans whilst lacking any consciousness or inner mental life.
So, let's unpack Schieber's argument a bit further. Obviously his argument doesn't apply to all brands of Christian theism. For instance, the open theist needn't be much concerned by it since he or she will hold that God does not in fact know the future choices of free agents. Nor will the Christian pluralist – John Hick, for instance – be greatly disturbed since on his view God will eventually win everyone over to salvation. Furthermore, annihilationists – such as John Wenham or John Stott – will not be massively perturbed either since unbelievers will simply go out of existence.
Thus, Schieber's argument need only concern Christians who believe (1) That God does in fact know the future choices of free agents; and (2), that unbelievers will live eternally outside of God's presence – in Hell, however we choose to conceive of it.
In response to Schieber let's grant:
1. God is omniscient and knows how any free person that He could create will act in any circumstances in which He might wish to create that person.
2. God is omnipotent and could have created as philosophical zombies those He knows will freely reject Him.
3. The ultimately unrepentant will live eternally outside of God's presence.
Response to Schieber
It seems to me that there are certain assumptions underlying Schieber's argument:
1. That in creating actual people God knows will reject salvation, God is in some way wronging them or doing them an injustice.
2. Sending ultimately impenitent unbelievers to Hell for eternity is unjust, and thus a bad thing.
3. A world with no Hell is better than a world with a Hell.
I don't think Schieber's argument works unless these assumptions – or others very much like them – are granted. I will argue that all are, in fact, false.
What the hell is Hell?
Let's begin with the concept of Hell. Schieber refers to Hell as eternal conscious torment. At the popular level this idea raises images of people being burned in flames for all eternity, or perhaps tormented by demons as depicted in medieval art. However, this conception of Hell is not one which you'll find frequently amongst theologians. Christian philosopher JP Moreland states categorically: "God doesn't torture people in hell." I have neither time nor space to explicate a full doctrine of Hell here. The precise nature of Hell is not spelled out in the Bible. Rather what we find are a number of different images and pictures pointing towards it rather than spelling out its precise nature. In the literature on Hell theologians tend to be in agreement on one thing: Hell is fundamentally a separation from God.
In orthodox Christianity God is the creator: a generous, loving being who wishes the best for his creatures. God's purpose and will for us is that we should relate to and love Him. To this end God has created us with a degree of freedom – to seek, find and honour God, or to go our own way. How this pans out in each individual's life is beyond my ability to say.
Now, I detect two differing understandings within orthodox Christian views of Hell as the eternal destiny of the unrepentant and I want to discuss both in light of Scheiber's argument.
(1) The self-inflicted view, represented by Peter Kreeft and CS Lewis.
(2) The retributive view, represented by William Lane Craig.
Kreeft views Hell primarily in terms of a self-separation from God by the individual. He argues that the existence of Hell actually follows from the existence of Heaven and free will – as a place for those who freely reject heaven.
The central point made by Kreeft is best put in his own words: ". . . heaven and hell may be the very same objective place – namely God's love, experienced oppositely by opposite souls. . . The fires of hell may be made of the very love of God, experienced as torture by those who hate him: the very light of God's truth, hated and fled from in vain by those who love darkness." Kreeft appears to think that the damned could turn and be saved but they choose not to. They refuse God forever, and therefore – as Sartre once remarked – the door of Hell is locked from the inside. This same point is wonderfully made by CS Lewis in his allegorical story The Great Divorce. In this book he pictures people who live in Hell (depicted as a grey, colourless, and comparatively insubstantial world – not a fiery torture chamber) going on a journey to heaven, but hardly any of them choose to stay despite the pleadings of the saints. The core point is that God allows free creatures – out of respect for their autonomy and human dignity – to separate themselves from Him if they choose. Thus, the damned choose Hell, and Hell's existence stands as a testimony to the dignity of human moral freedom.
William Lane Craig on the other hand sees hell primarily in terms of retributive punishment inflicted on the unrepentant by God because of their sin rather than primarily as a state the damned themselves choose to remain in. Responding to the argument that any sin only deserves a finite punishment Craig points out that the damned very likely continue to sin: "Insofar as the inhabitants of hell continue to hate God and reject him, they continue to sin and so accrue to themselves more guilt and more punishment. In a real sense then hell is self-perpetuating." (I should point out that Craig disputes the notion that sin cannot rightly receive an infinite punishment. He argues that rejecting Christ is a sin of a different order altogether, one of infinite gravity and proportion and therefore believes the case can indeed be made for an infinite punishment for sin). The central point here is that if the punishment of obstinate, unrepentant sinners is just then the existence of Hell is just, and not therefore an evil.
Through Hell and Back
We return then to Schieber after our brief excursus through hell.
Take two possible worlds: Zombixia and EarthWorld. Zombixia is identical to EarthWorld in all respects except that those who God knows will reject him are created as philosophical zombies – not as real people – and thus will not go to Hell for eternity. Is Zombixia preferable?
I think our brief discussion of Hell allows us to see that Schieber's argument does not show that Zombixia would be preferable or that EarthWorld is somehow defective by comparison to it. In fact I think a reasonable case can be made for why EarthWorld is to be preferred.
On both the Kreeft and Craig models of eternal Hell God wills the salvation of every single person and every single person is such that they have sufficient opportunity to accept salvation. All can be saved. On the molinist model that I suspect Scheiber has in mind when he offers this argument, whilst it is the case that God knows that some person X will not accept salvation, it is the case that X remains free to accept salvation or reject it. The circumstances are "freedom permitting," even though God knows that X will freely reject him. But X has the opportunity to be saved, he really can be saved, but he chooses not to be. That he has this opportunity is a great good – one that would be missing from Zombixia.
On the Kreeft model X freely separates himself from God, and his eternal destiny is thus the upholding of his dignity as a free moral agent. In effect God respects X as a person and grants him his will. CS Lewis once said that there are two kinds of people: those who say to God "thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "thy will be done." God therefore doesn't wrong the unrepentant by creating them; he grants them dignity, respects their will, and upholds their personhood. These are goods pertaining to EarthWorld that are missing from Zombixia.
Alternatively, on the Craig model X is punished by God for his sin. But, this punishment is just, particularly if X continues sinning, continues in his God-rejecting unrepentant course. Now, are we to think this is bad? I don't think so unless we are prepared to defend the notion that punishment is inherently bad. Sure, it might be bad for X but does that mean that God shouldn't have made X as a real person? Why should God allow those who freely reject salvation to have some sort of veto power over his creative activity? He creates them as real persons, gives them real opportunity for salvation, but X squanders the opportunity. I don't see an injustice here that Zombixia lacks by comparison. On Craig's model no one will be in hell except by their own moral guilt and choice to reject salvation. In Zombixia God has effectively allowed the ultimately unrepentant veto power over his creative will, and to limit the number of people over which he can extend his love and offer of salvation.
Moreover, there appears to be something of very significant moral value lacking in Zombixia. Say Billy Bob is a philanthropist who spends large amounts of time and money helping turbulent Tom, destitute Dick and homeless Harry. But Tom, Dick & Harry are not in fact real people in Zombixia. They cannot truly appreciate Billy Bob's actions; nor do those actions really accomplish anything of moral worth in the lives of Tom, Dick & Harry. Not so in EarthWorld. It seems to me that there is therefore a clear value and purpose inherent to moral actions in EarthWorld that is lacking in Zombixia.
So, it seems to me that whichever model we advocate (I prefer a modified form of Kreeft over Craig, with the hope that John Hick is right!), EarthWorld and Zombixia each preserve free will and perfect justice. However EarthWorld has values that Zombixia does not and, indeed, cannot have. EarthWorld is a real world, with real significance. There's no pretense here. There are real choices to be made, and crucially real opportunities for every person to come to salvation. Human dignity and moral autonomy are respected in EarthWorld in a way that they aren't in Zombixia. X truly can be saved in EarthWorld, but has no such opportunity in Zombixia. It therefore seems to me that God has reason to create the former over the latter.
Stephen J Graham


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Ali, apartment, fish, food porn, Lieu Jaune, line-caught fish, Lisa, meals, Montorgueil, rue Montorgueil, Terroirs d'Avenir, weather
After a packed extended weekend it was time for me to slow down the pace. I had a minor stomach ache starting Monday evening and I had fallen a week behind in my blog, so for the next few days I mostly stayed around home and caught up on here. Lisa and Jackie had many missions on their last few days in Paris, so I was often on my own.
Jackie left on Thursday morning. It was really good to spend time with her again this year, and we both feel that our childhood friendship has been rejuvenated. Lisa, Aya and I had our final dinner together (Japanese takeout again) on Thursday night. I have always been "Uncle Bob" to them, so this year was more of the same, but Aya's (usually) cheerful mood improved our interactions as well as those with her mother and grandmother. Friday was moving day: I helped Lisa and Aya take suitcases over to Ali's nearby apartment to wait for their early morning flight back to Kampala, then I Uber'ed over to my new apartment in the 2ème.
My first two weeks in the 15ème paralleled almost exactly the start of last year's petit séjour, including the same apartment and the same people. I had been aware last year that my cousins were all under various stresses, but I enjoyed myself nevertheless, and felt that it would be fun for me as well as helpful to them to repeat this year. Only after seeing how much happier they each were this year did I realize just how difficult their lives had been in 2018! It was a real pleasure to see each of them having worked their way through to a much better place. I don't flatter myself that my presence had anything to do with this, but I do think giving the three generations quality time together in Paris was good for all concerned.
The weather in early May in Paris can be nice — it wasn't bad last year — but more often it's cold and rainy, as it was for the most part this year. There were sunny moments, but I was never tempted to wear shorts and rarely went outside without a jacket. My strategy before last year was to go somewhere warmer (Italy or the south of France) the first two weeks of May, hoping that the weather would be better when I arrived in Paris. The schedules of my cousins properly determined my schedule these past two years, but if all goes well Lisa will have returned permanently to Paris by next year, so I can go back to my southern strategy.
I normally average 7 miles of walking per day in Paris, well above my Boston average of about 4. In the 15ème this year my average was around 5, which was similar to last year. All three of my cousins also love to walk, but as a group we tended to stay fairly close to home apart from a few major outings. I was also slowed down last week by a stomach bug, and a need to catch up on blogging. I think it should also be acknowledged, however, that the 15ème, while authentically Parisien, doesn't draw out the flâneur in me as much as more central areas. The streetscapes are typical and a bit predictable, the architecture is sometimes interesting but never really old, and the people themselves seem a bit, well, ordinary. I do love the complete absence — present company excepted — of tourists, but there's a reason why they don't go there.
While my mileage was on the low side I scored a home run in the sleep department. I aim for 7 hours a night as measured by my FitBit, which monitors heartbeat to analyze sleep states. I struggle to hit this target at home, especially in the spring, when it gets light earlier and earlier. In the 15ème, however, the sublime quietness of our courtyard and the marvellous effectiveness of the electric room-darkening shades combined to put me out for a full night's sleep almost every night. I did have to put in ear plugs a few times when the birds started singing at 5 am, but no complaints.
My second apartment is really lovely, and well located near the bottom of rue Montorgueil, which I fell in love with in 2010, at the start of my first long stay. I wanted a bedroom so a friend could stay on the sofabed (or a couple could have the bedroom) but I couldn't find anything fitting that description in the neighborhood. I "settled" for a two bedroom apartment with a sofa bed and a futon, potentially accommodating up to seven people! I feel a bit silly occupying it alone, but it will get a bit more use when Sherard visits the last week of May.
I took advantage of the excellent food shops along rue Montorgueil to make my "standard meal" from 2010, pan fried fish with haricots verts, fresh bread with olive oil, a salad and half a pastry. It's like old times!
The fish, line-caught lieu jaune, from the poissonnerie Terroirs d'Avenir, on rue du Nil, was delicious! It was also punishingly expensive, but when I read the mouth watering description on their website I understood why. Follow this link if you read French, but here's a freely translated excerpt:
Lieu Jaune is line fished by the fishermen of l'île Vierge, Finistère ["Land's End," the westernmost point of metropolitan France]. The fish, caught with lures, are lifted alive one by one to the boat, where they are immediately gutted, washed and iced. Single-caught fish do not suffer from excessive handling and are not damaged, and are therefore of remarkable freshness and quality.


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How to get started: Click on the link a the top of the page to go to the Terpsichore Database Portal.
If you are a current student, your email address is already in our system.
To establish a password, please click on"Forget Your Password?".
A link will be sent to your email, follow the directions to get a password.
It is very important that you use the email that you have given us. If you try to use a different email - your account information will NOT show up. Please contact us if you would like to add an email address to your account.
If you are a new student to Terpsichore, please click on the Registration button to establish an account.
Text Option:
Please complete the text registration process so that we will be able to communicate with you via text. We will be using this texting function ONLY for last minute class cancellations or emergencies. Our primary communication will continue through email.
To opt-in to the program, please text "f2r" to 1-928-233-7032 from the phone(s) where you want to receive text messages.
If you have any questions about your account or functionality of the online portal, please email us and someone will get back to you within 48 hours with an answer or a solution..
Some of the functions and benefits of our Online Portal system
Check your tuition and costume balances
Copyright 2016. Dance 66 Inc..
All Rights Reserved.


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Edit or remove supporting document from a block
1. To edit or delete an existing document, click on a linked document from the list. The Linked Document screen displays.
2. From here you can view and edit the properties of this document (change the link, edit the title or description, etc) or delete the file by clicking on the Delete button at the bottom left of the screen.


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PolarX Ltd (ASX:PXX) is focused on the exploration of 35 kilometres of strike prospective for copper and gold within its Alaska Range Project in Alaska.
The project hosts two JORC-compliant deposits, Zackly and Caribou Dome.
It also has a number of emerging porphyry targets such as Mars and Zackly SE.
Zackly's resource measures 3.4 million tonnes grading 1.2% copper and 2.0 g/t gold and Caribou Dome is 2.8 million tonnes grading 3.1% copper.
PolarX has made good progress over the last 12 months advancing its flagship Alaska Range Project.
Most notably, in March 2018, a maiden JORC resource for the Zackly copper-gold-silver deposit was completed.
Exploration and drilling since then has further highlighted the upside potential of the resource growth.
The Alaska Range Project is an advanced project with district scale copper anomalies and escalating high-grade JORC resources of copper and copper-gold-silver in a known porphyry province.
PolarX has two goals
PolarX has two goals – first to expand the Zackly resource to critical-mass for an economically attractive project to underwrite a robust and tangle valuation.
Secondly, to advance high ranking porphyry copper-gold targets to a major new discovery through drilling in 2019.
The 2019 exploration program will be designed to further explore the 55 metres at 2.8 g/t gold and 0.6% copper intersection recently discovered at Zackly.
READ: PolarX copper-gold results reinforce potential for large open pit at Zackly
Drilling towards the end of 2018 not only supports new mineralised zones outside the current JORC resource but also open-pit mining potential.
Drill results and high-resolution aeromagnetic data indicate that the mineralisation trend continues 850 metres further east from the Zackly resource.
It occurs over a strike length of 1 kilometre, which could be extended further through drilling.
Subject to further drilling and study results, future mining could begin with an open cut operation on this shallow, low-angle mineralisation.
This would precede an underground operation to mine the high-grade sub-vertical mineralisation established in the current resource and immediate extensions 350 metres to the east.
New discovery targeted in 2019 from emerging targets
The Zackly deposit sits in the middle of a 12-kilometre long structural corridor containing multiple copper-gold porphyry targets.
A magnetic survey has shown prominent magnetic clusters at the Mars and Zackly SE prospects located at either end of the corridor.
Mars hosts strong rock-chip geochemistry with up to 50% copper and 7g/t gold sampled.
This is the most advanced targets is drill-ready.
READ: PolarX substantial shareholder JPMorgan Chase & Co boosts interest to 9.73%
The project is located in an easy to access, mining-friendly top tier jurisdiction.
Alaska has six current mines, all large-scale and many operated by major miners.
In the mid-term elections, a mining friendly Governor and Federal Senator recently returned to office.
The project has nearby lodges for accommodation and support and is 100 kilometres from rail, power and a highway.
80% of Alaska's gross domestic product (GDP) is from mining, oil and gas.
READ: PolarX completes $1.26 million placement for Alaska Range Project
Last month, PolarX successfully raised $1.26 million through a share placement of 21.1 million shares priced at 6 cents.
Funds will be used for work including a metallurgical test program, exploration surveys, and securing key exploration contractors for 2019.
PolarX said the support for the placement from existing holders reflected confidence in the substantial upside at Alaska Range.


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Choosing your wedding photographer is such a huge part of your wedding planning. So I am sincerely honoured that you would like to get in touch to discuss your wedding with me.
I would love to hear all about your wedding plans, so spill the beans! Tell me as much or as little as you like. Tell me your story. How did you meet? How did you get engaged? What do you do? Tell me about your ideas. Themes. Colours. What do you want from your wedding photography? The more you tell me, the more I can get an idea of what your day will be like. Plus it is always so exciting to hear what ideas you have.
Office Hours
My office hours are Monday to Thursday between 09:30 and 17:30. And I aim to get back to you within 48 hours or on my next office day if you get in touch at the weekend. I am not in the office on Bank Holidays.
For now, why don't you take a look around the rest of the website by either taking a look at the galleries, seeing what my wonderful couples have said about me or visiting the blog.
I look forward to having a chat with you soon!


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How to Mine Bitcoins
So you've heard of Bitcoin, and you're ready to get your hands on some digital wealth. You can buy and trade for bitcoins, or you can "mine" for them. Mining for bitcoins is actually the process of verifying other bitcoin transactions, which users are rewarded for. This is the central mechanic behind the bitcoin economy, and mining is used to keep transactions secure and reliable. This guide will explain how to mine bitcoins and potentially earn a fair amount of money.
Purchase custom mining hardware. When Bitcoin first started, it was possible to mine using only your desktop's CPU and GPU. While this is still possible, the returns make running this method impractical. You will be spending far more on electricity than you will earn mining coins. Instead, custom hardware allows for much better processing for about the same power draw.
- Custom hardware comes in the form of cards that are inserted into the computer much the same way that a graphics card would be.
- Popular Bitcoin-mining hardware brands include Butterfly Labs, Bitcoin Ultra, CoinTerra, and more.
- A dedicated Bitcoin mining machine can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands depending on the number of operations it can complete per second.
Obtain a bitcoin wallet. Bitcoins are stored in digital wallets that are encrypted to protect your money. These wallets can be either locally or online. While online services that host your wallet won't be able to access it, they are considered less secure as your money could potentially be lost if something catastrophic happens on their end.
- Most established bitcoin users recommend using a local wallet for security reasons.
- Local wallets typically require verifying the entire blockchain, which is the history of all bitcoin transactions. Hosting a blockchain is what helps keep Bitcoin running and secure. Syncing this blockchain for the first time can take a day or more.
- Popular local wallets include BitcoinQT, Armory, and Multibit. Multibit does not require downloading the entire blockchain.
- You can also get wallet apps for your mobile device. These do not require downloading the entire blockchain. Popular apps include: Blockchain and CoinJar.
- If you lose your wallet, you lose your money![1]
3Secure your wallet. Since there is no "ownership" when it comes to wallets, anyone who gains access to your wallet can use your coins as they please. To prevent this, enable two-factor authentication and store the wallet on a computer that doesn't have access to the internet, perhaps storing the wallet on your memory stick or SD card if you need to eject/dismount it later and have the wallet on the go.
Decide between joining a pool or going alone. When it comes time to start mining coins, you have two main options: join in with an established pool or attempt to mine on your own. A pool allows you to share resources and split the rewards, which can lead to quicker returns. Mining alone can be difficult as getting new bitcoins is highly competitive, but you get to keep everything you mine.[2]
- Without joining a pool, you may go a year or more without earning any bitcoins, since the coin is awarded to the pool that discovers it.[3]
- Most pools charge a small fee (around 2%) of your earnings.
- When joining a pool, you will need to create a "worker". This is a subaccount which is used to track your contributions to the pool. You can have multiple workers at once. Each pool will have instructions on creating workers.
Download a mining program. Mining programs are almost all open source and available for free. There are different mining programs available depending on the type of hardware you are running. Mining programs run in the command line, and may need a batch file in order to start correctly, especially if you are connecting to a pool.
- The two most popular mining programs are CGminer and BFGminer. EasyMiner runs with a graphical interface as opposed to a command line.
- See your pool's help section for specific details on connecting to the pool with your mining program.
- If you are mining solo, be sure to connect your mining program to your personal wallet, so that anything you earn gets deposited automatically. If you are mining as part of a pool, you will connect your wallet to your user account with the pool. Coins will be transferred as they are earned.
6Run your miner. Once you have your miner configured, you can start your mining operation. Run the batch file you've created if necessary and watch the miner connect and start mining. You will most likely notice the rest of your computer slow to a crawl as the miner works.
7Keep an eye on temperatures. Mining programs push hardware to their limits, especially if the hardware was not designed for mining in the first place. Use a program such as SpeedFan to make sure that your temperatures don't go above safe limits. Graphics cards should usually never go above 80 °C (176 °F).
8Check your profitability. After you've mined for a little bit, check your figures to make sure its worth it. How much did you make over the last few days? Compare that to how much money it cost you to keep your computer running at full speed during that time (most video cards take about 300-500 watts)


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Shutter ReNu Satisfaction Guarantee
We are so confident that you will be happy with the results of Shutter ReNu that if you aren't 100% satisfied you will be issued a refund. Simply
email us
Please note that although we do not require you to return the Shutter ReNu Vinyl Shutter Restoration Kit to us, our standard 15% restocking charge applies when taking advantage of our satisfaction guarantee. You will be issued a refund of 85% of the purchase price to cover our shipping and handling costs when the product was initially shipped to you.
Copyright © 2002 - 2020 ShutterContractor.com Exterior Shutters.
All rights reserved worldwide.


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Enrol in a Skin Diver course today and make good use of it on your next holiday!
Let our Dive In video instructor, James, present this page to you in the video below…
Both kids and adults, who love snorkeling, but haven't properly trained, will love this pool-based program for ages 8 and up. Snorkelling introduces youngsters to the underwater world, and increases their comfort with underwater experiences. It is a great way to spend the summer. Adults who learn proper snorkelling techniques can really enjoy snorkelling safely on holiday. Learn to snorkel the right way, to PADI Skin Diver standards and practices, whilst taking part in games that develop snorkelling abilities and confidence.
The Course includes
• Use of our Equipment
• The Science of Diving
• The Aquatic Environment
• Problem Management
• Safe Snorkelling Practices
• Buoyancy
• Surface Swimming
• Snorkel Clearing
• Performing Surface Dives
• Free Diving
What do you get
Upon completion of this course, students receive a PADI Certificate and PADI Certification Card, and because this course is internationally recognised, qualifiers can use their certification card whilst snorkelling abroad, as proof that they completed the course.


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WITH rising temperatures and brighter spells, it's clear that spring has arrived in Scotland.
And while Scots have been enjoying more sunny spells recently, it's hard to dispute that we live in the home of four seasons in a day weather.
We live by the old Scottish joke goes: "If you don't like the weather in Scotland, wait half an hour and it will change."
The blooming plants and flowers just adds to the beauty of Scotland's lochs, glens and mountains during spring.
Our gallery above reminds you of just how picturesque Scotland can be at this time of year, come rain or shine.
Then take a look at 40 amazing pictures that'll show your friends Scotland is even more stunning than you told them.
Find out why Scotland is the perfect holiday destination.
Check out other amazing sights in Scotland here.
Plus, Spring is finally here.. and Scotland is about to become even more beautiful
For more stunning pictures of Scotland click here .


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Here are the original shirt drafts based on the sketches I had done earlier on this month. Ill post the final shirt next or you can look to your left and click on the shirt tab to see all my designs. Enjoy!
Tea time and taggingStandard
Sketchy things going onStandard
Been sketching here and there, probably out of lack of things to do, but i'm hoping to turn these into digital works of art and print some more shirts. Progress update to follow. For more instant postings, follow my Instagram HERE
Baby, there's a shark in the water (VV Brown).
This happened when I got angry (Trex is my favorite), inspired by my recent visit to the natural history museum.
Fly away with me (because who doesn't dream of flying up in the air in a giant balloon.)


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Resource Lock Commit Protocol (RLCP) for Multimedia Object Retrieval
CS-TR-3746.ps (436.7Kb)
No. of downloads: 221
No. of downloads: 221
Auto-generated copy of CS-TR-3746.ps (256.4Kb)
No. of downloads: 631
No. of downloads: 631
Candan, K. Selcuk
Hwang, Eenjun
Prabhakaran, B.
Subrahmanian, V.S.
MetadataShow full item record
Many multimedia presentation applications involve retrieval of objects from more than one collaborating server. Presentations of objects from different collaborating servers might be inter-dependent. For instance, we can consider distributed video servers where blocks of movies are distributed over a set of servers. Here, blocks of a movie from different video servers have to be retrieved and presented continuously without any gaps in the presentation. Such applications first need an estimate of the available network resources to each of the collaborating server in order to identify a schedule for retrieving the objects composing the presentation. A collaborating server can suggest modifications of the retrieval schedule depending on its load. These modifications can potentially affect the retrieval schedule for other collaborating applications. Hence, a sequence of negotiations have to be carried out with the collaborating servers in order to commit for a retrieval schedule of the objects composing the multimedia presentation. In this paper, we propose an application sub-layer protocol, Resource Lock Commit Protocol (RLCP), for handling the negotiation and commitment of the resources required for a collaborative multimedia presentation application. (Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-97-08)


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True Story – American troops, Wehrmacht and French Prisoners defending a medieval castle against SS Troops.
The Battle for Castle Itter, a really strange battle, occurred at the end of World War Two. Wehrmacht soldiers fought alongside U.S. troops against the Waffen SS. They were protecting high ranking French prisoners who had been held at the castle.Continue reading
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Since my last major clean-up of my craft area in February, my craft area started to get a bit cluttered again:
It's a bit messy, but it's been worse. However, it was in need of an update. I've been wanting to get a new table for some time now, as this one is, from what I'm told, is my great-grandma's. As lovely as it is, it's a bit musty smelling and the paint is chipping and most objects stick to the paint on the top. I finally got the push to go to IKEA and get a new table. I love how inexpensive their tables can be. I picked up the VIKA AMON ($26) top and four VIKA ADILS legs ($3.50 each !) for my new table.
It was simple to put together. They had predrilled holes in the top for the legs to go in. I just followed the directions to attach the legs to the top:
Then I rearranged my area a bit and organized some and voila:
My area is once again organized and now I have a more functional table top to work on. It's smooth, not stinky, and doesn't attach itself to anything I put on it. I <3 IKEA.
Before and after:
In addition to the table, I purchased some KASSET boxes to hid some of the stuff that was just lying around. They contain ribbon, thread, and "random" stuff. I might make more curtain panels, but right now I like the half covered look. I'd also like to DIY some book ends for the top shelf.
The new look makes me happy. Hope it helps to inspire some organization!
Now you can Do It Yourself Too !


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Plan your tour
With the handy route planner you can determine your trip yourself. Choose the distance you want to do and follow the nodes!View page
650 kilometres. That's how long the Limburg bridle path network is. That's the equivalent of Hasselt to Berlin! And the best thing is that almost all of it is through nature on unmetalled paths. Woodland, sandy ground, dunes, heathland landscapes.... Limburg is full of them.
Limburg junction to junction
What you can do by bike here, you can also do on horseback: ride from junction to junction. Plan in advance the route you want to take using the online route planner. Write down the junctions, hop into the saddle and giddy up. And did you know that our routes connect perfectly with the Antwerp and Netherlands bridle paths? That is some mileage!
Horses welcome
With so many paths to discover, a short break is sure to be welcome. Of course we have thought of everything for that. The riding cafés along the route network are perfectly geared up for (wo)man and horse. And if you won't be able to cover everything in one day, we have a solution for that too: horse-friendly accommodation.


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Chang, international face for Houston, dead at 67
Houston city officials and supporters from around the world are mourning the death of Helen T. Chang, a seasoned international trade specialist who served under four Houston mayors. Chang, 67, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer.
"Helen was the public face for Houston abroad, focusing on developing our city's relationship with countries and cultures around the world," Mayor Annise Parker said in a prepared statement. "She made friends for this city and for its leadership, brought new business opportunities and enriched Houston's cultural life."
Lifetime of service
Chang was born Nov. 12, 1943, in Chongqing, China. Her parents moved the family to Taiwan in the late 1940s to escape unrest during the Chinese Revolution, said Joseph Tung, her son-in-law.
Chang's father, Lung Jim Tarn, and her mother, Hsiu Wen Chao Tarn, both had worked for the Chinese government.
Chang received a bachelor's degree in economics from Chung Hsing University in Taiwan, and earned a master's in business administration from Auburn University in Alabama.
She moved to Houston in 1969 after her husband, James Chang, landed a job at Brown and Root. The move, family members said, set in motion a lifetime of community service that earned the respect and admiration of supporters near and far.
"She put her academic and business background to use through public service and melded that into economic development," said Tung, an attorney. "She wanted to make sure that international trade was helpful for all people."
Chang was the first Asian-American to task a mayoral transition team, working with Mayor Bob Lanier after his election in 1992. She went on to serve during the administrations of Lee P. Brown, Bill White and Parker.
Most recently, Chang oversaw the seven-region Mayor's International Trade & Development councils and was the city coordinator of the Moscow, Calgary, ProMexico, Nuevo Leon and Milan bilateral cooperation committees.
Cultural, civic leader
When Chang arrived in Houston, "It took some time (for her) to get acclimated to the political system and the culture," said her daughter, Audrey Chang, a Houston attorney. "Her story is one of empowerment and discovering that she could do a lot of things, and she wanted to do a lot of things."
Helen Chang was a founder of the Houston branch of the Global Federation of Chinese Business Women, and has been a strong supporter of many local cultural and civic organizations, including the Chinese Community Center, Chinese Civic Center, the Asia Society Texas Center and Asian Pacific American Heritage Society.
"We are deeply saddened and shocked to hear of her very untimely demise," said Yujiang Zhou, a counsel at the Chinese Consulate General in Houston. "She has done a lot for better relations between Houston and China. Helen's life enriched the lives of the Chinese community here, and the people of Houston."
While Chang worked tirelessly, she always found time to spend with her family and her two beloved dogs, Coco and MeiMei, Audrey Chang said. "She loved to work, to shop and travel," her daughter said. "She was very energetic and dedicated."
'So many … will miss her'
Chang blazed new trails as a pioneer in Asian-American political circles, volunteering as a vote canvasser, fundraiser and booster. She received numerous appointments, including trade consultant and agricultural ambassador for the Texas Senate Natural Resource Committee; council member of the U.S. Department of Education's Advisory Council on Education Statistics; and council member of the Texas Statewide Health Coordinating Council.
"Her remarkable energy made her one of those people you will never forget," said former Mayor White. "She devoted her life to her faith, her family, her city and the Chinese-American community. So many who loved and admired Helen will miss her."
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston. A viewing will take place from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested donations may be sent to the Chinese Community Center or to St. John's School.
Chang is survived by her husband, James C. Chang; her son, Andrew C. Chang; daughter, Audrey Chang; brothers Tony Tarn and Terry Tarn; and sister, Jia-sun Tsang.


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By Judith Robinson
Blair The guy to talk about in the Shaw Festival's production of Guys and Dolls is Kyle Blair. Fresh from playing the leading lady, Sarah Brown, at the Mady Theatre in Barrie last fall; this young actor knows the production well—you could say inside out. Now he gets a chance to play the leading man—gambler Sky Masterson who lights up a production that could hardly be called dull.
♪ What's in the Daily News; I'll tell you what's in the Daily News ♪. The tinhorns check out the 'Morning Line'. Photo by David Cooper
The whole musical is high energy, full speed forward, frenetic and intense. But Blair stands out, and even rivals Marlon Brando's 1955 screen portrayal, with his whimsical sex appeal and luring combination of bad boy and innocent. This is a man most women could fall for—John Boy Walton with a touch of Robert Redford in' The Sting'.
Although the sexism is overwhelming—this is a world where woman are clearly second class—the charming romance between Blair and Elodie Gillett, who plays Salvation Army Officer Sarah Brown, relieves some of the pressure. Especially poignant was the scene in which Gillett finally lets her hair down in Havana and the two fall in love. Choreographer Parker Esse creates a mating dance with a red hot tango that won't let go. It's an entirely believable coupling in a totally unbelievable world—a seduction that doesn't quite happen—but a fairy tale romance that does. Peter Hartwell's set, particularly in this scene, is larger than life, blazing, and spacious. You can smell the cigars on the seaside breeze.
Frank Loesser's music never fails to please. Musical director Paul Sportelli outdoes himself with his versatile orchestra. All the musicians and the singers hit the right notes and the audience rocks with rhythm. Director Tadeusz Bradecki creates an almost West Side Story arrangement of opposing gangs facing off in the streets—the nasty gamblers against the feisty Salvation Army Officers—a silent standoff which finally reaches a crescendo in a powerful testimony scene at the chapel where they all dance together in ritualistic frenzy.
Bradecki stressed the humour in the one liners- milking each moment with sentimental wit. Jenny L. Wright had the audience laughing and humming during Adelaide's lament, that a rejected spinster "can develop a cold." Aadin Church was hysterical as Big Jule. He was the only actor who threatened to steal the stage from Blair when he sashayed across the floor in his white suit like a big time syndicate boss. Sexism aside—this is a good show. Blair is an actor worth watching and Sportelli scores.
Guys and Dolls is on at the Festival Theatre until Nov. 3rd.


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Polari –
A Cinderella Among Languages
Nantee dinarlee: The omee of the carsey
Says due bionc peroney, manjaree on the cross
We'll have to scarper the jetty in the morning,
Before the bonee omee of the carsey shakes his doss.
– Polari busker's song
How bona to varda your dolly old eek!
Don't be strange, troll in and welcome to my bijou cyber-drag lattie, devoted to the bespangled glory of polari. Polari (also Parlyaree, Parlary) is the most complete form of gay slang, comprising odds and sods from rhyming slang, circus backslang, Romany, Latin and criminal cant. Polari – originating from the theatrical Parlyaree – is best described as a mish-mash of expressions and words thrown together to make a semi-comprehensible glossary, whose high renaissance was during the 1960's when it was popularised in the mainstream by the larger than life characters of Julian and Sandy in the BBC Radio series Round The Horne.
A History of Polari
Gay slang in Britain dates back to the involvement of the homosexual subculture with the criminal "underworld". The homosexual subculture of the Eighteenth Century mixed with the gypsies, tramps & thieves of popular song to produce a rich cross-fertilisation of customs, phrases and traditions. As the Industrial revolution dramatically changed settlement patterns, more and more people drifted away from villages and small communities and moved to larger towns in search of work and opportunity. In these larger urban locations, the scope for the development of communities of outcasts substantially increased. The growth of molly houses (private spaces for men to meet, drink, have sex together and practice communal rituals) encouraged the creation of a molly identity. A linguistic culture developed, feeding into that profession traditionally associated with poofs and whores: theatre.
Much of parlarey, the travelling showmen's language, appears to be derived from the lingua franca or the vocabulary of travelling actors and showmen during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Specifically theatrical parlyaree included phrases such as joggering omee (street musician), slang a dolly to the edge (to show and work a marionette on a small platform outside the performance booth in order to attract an audience) and climb the slanging-tree (perform onstage). Nanty dinarly (having no money) also had a peculiarly theatrical translation in the phrase "There's no treasury today, the ghost doesn't walk."
The disappearance of large numbers of travelling costermongers and cheapjacks by the early twentieth century effectively denied the language its breathing space. As many of the travelling entertainers moved sideways into travelling circus, so the language moved with them, kept alive as a living and changing language within circus culture.
By the mid-twentieth century, there had also been a cross-over to a recognisably gay form of slang, with polari used by the gay community to communicate in code in elaborate forms. Words such as trade and ecaf (backslang for face, shortened to eek) became part of gay subculture. Blagging trade (picking up sexual partners), zhoosing your riah (doing your hair), trolling to a bijou bar (stepping into a gay club) and dishing the dirt (recounting gossip) all became popular coded phrases to describe and encode an emerging homosexual lifestyle. By the 1950's, with secret homosexual clubs emerging in swinging London and the Wolfenden Committee discussing the possibility of law reform around (homo) sexuality, it seems appropriate that polari should raise its irreverent head.
Polari became an appropriate tool with which to confuse and confound the naff omees (straight men). It travelled the world via the sea queens, who incorporated navy slang into a new version of the language and also accommodated local dialects and phrases. Polari, by its furtive nature, attracted the bawdy and ribald – something as innocent sounding as varda the colour of his eyes actually meant "check out the size of his penis" and nanty curtain meant an omee (man) was circumcised.
A Polari Glossary
acting dickey temporary work
badge cove pensioner
balonie rubbish
barney fight
battyfang to hit and bite
beancove young queen
bencove close friend
bevie public house,
billingsgate bad language
bingey penis
blag pick up
bloke man, any fellow
bolus chemist
bona good
bona nochy good night
booth room
bougereau– outrageously
quality nellie
bungery pub
buvare a drink
cackle talk/gossip
cant to talk
caravansera railway station
carsey house
charver to have sex
chavies boys, children
climb the perfrom onstage
slanging tree
clobber clothes
corybungus arse
cottage public toilet
cove friend, mate
diddle gin
dinarly money
do the rights seek revenge
dolly dear
ecaf (eek) face
Eine London
fakements personal adorn-
fantabulosa marvellous
farting crackers trousers
feeliers girls, children
flatties men (audience)
fungus old man
gaffer showman
gillie woman (audience)
hearing cheat ear
lally leg
lattie home/house
lally covers trousers
lav word
lily law police
lucoddy body
metzes money
mince walk effeminately
mish shirt
moey mouth
multi many
mungaree food
naff boring (straight)
nanty none
nanty dinarly penniless
omie man
omiepalone homosexual
on your tod by yourself
palone woman
parkering ninty wages/salary
parlary to talk in polari
peroney for each one
pig elephant
ponging somersaulting
rattling cove taxi
riah hair
scarper escape
stampers shoes
strillers piano
strillers omie pianist
thews arms
trade sexual partner
troll to walk
trundling cheat car
varda to look
yews eyes
1 una 2 dewey 3 tray 4 quattro (quater) 5 chinker 6 sayi 7 setter 8 otter 9 nobba 10 daiture
See also:
'The Color Of His Eyes' in Queerly Phrased ed Anna Livia & Kira Hall, (OUP 1997) my non-fiction essay on the language polari in a book on Queer Linguistics
'A Cinderella Among Languages' in Impertinent Decorum: Gay Theatrical Manoeuvres (Cassell, 1994) academic non-fiction based on my Master's research on gay men and the imaginative creation of 'theatrical identities' through the use of The Body, Codes, and Public/Private Space


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The report on "Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950 - 2010" was recently released. Basically, the report concluded that, although situational factors and opportunity to abuse played a significant role in the onset and continuation of abuse, there was no single cause or predictor of sexual abuse by priests.
The report confirmed our experience that most cases of abuse occurred between 1960 and 1970 and that most cases of abuse that are reported now occurred decades ago. The way bishops initially responded to allegations was to "rehabilitate" the abuser-priest. Although by the mid-1990s, there was a comprehensive plan in place to deal with survivors of the abuse, implementation by individual dioceses was inconsistent. The success of more-consistent efforts taken by the Catholic Church since the mid-1990s, expecially in the area of clerical formation, requiring background checks and training of everyone working or volunteering with chidlren, and providing training to the children, can be seen in the rapid decline in allegations. A complete copy of the study, conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is available. Click here to read a copy of the report.


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Although my name is Mildred, feel free to call me Millie. I'd guess there are an equal number of name-callers who use one as much as the other. I answer to both. At present I live in Granville, Ohio, a small village near Columbus. The village was settled more than 200 years ago. It is beautiful, peaceful, clean and family-centered. My only fear is that one day the ghost of Norman Rockwell will leap out at me from behind a perfectly manicured yew, making me scream and cause a scene. We do not like scenes for any reason in the village. We're much too civilized for that sort of behavior. I often write about living here in Perfect Town, USA. It might surprise you.
My writing career began some 50 years ago as a publicity writer at WSM Radio, home of the Grand Ole Opry. I wasn't a big fan of country music, but I wrote glowing stories about it anyway. It was the most fun I ever had to date. I was paid very little because it was considered a "glamour" job. But I was a young wife, and way back in those dark ages, it was de rigueur for same to work in a lucrative position in order to help her husband save money, buy a house, and start a family. I took a well-paying job at the Baptist Publishing House writing advertising copy. It was strictly non-glamorous, but it served its purpose.
I took a five-year hiatus from writing to serve as a house frau and a mother, at which time First Husband divorced me, and I had to return to the work force. I soon became a stringer for local papers in Central Ohio. It was fun as well, and I learned a great deal about newspapers. I also edited scholarly papers and others to increase my income.
My career reached its zenith when I was named editor of a Gannett newspaper. I, along with two others wrote, photographed, and edited the paper. We loved the job and the paper, which we brought from obscurity to a huge money maker. I wrote "Jottings," an account of my adventures, many of which are also described in this blog. I had the most fun as Francesca Fairchild, my doppelganger, whose identity was unknown to the readers for two years. She wrote "Letters to Buffy," in which she sent the latest gossip about real local residents as well as imagined ones.
I included many stories about my family, whose identities were also shrouded by fictitious names. My real daughter, Mandy, was Francesca's "Muffin." My grandsons, Michael and Evan were "Little Tadpole," and "Baby Dumpling." Toddlers back then, Michael is now 21 and Evan is 17. All three of my real offspring are brilliant, witty and extremely attractive. Sometimes people accuse me of prejudice when I describe them as such, but those naysayers are dead wrong. I share them with Husband #2, John, from whom I am also divorced, but we are best friends.
So… I left Gannett, whose suits were delighted to see the back of me. It seems I gave the managing editor the pip, despite my best efforts to be subservient and a loyal Gannett cheerleader. My two co-conspirators also left, and the paper died an agonizing death a year later.
After that inglorious leave-taking, I worked as a news writer and a columnist for The Columbus Dispatch, a Gannett competitor. I wasn't a bit good at hard news reporting, and I went out on my own, founding, writing and editing The Morning Rooster, an e-zine, with all kinds of columns, and my features. It lasted two years, and I closed it down for lack of continuing funds.
It's been free lancing for me ever since. I became a travel writer, which was even more fun, and yielded a ton of stories. I contributed to Seniorwire, a senior syndicate, and a website, go60.us, also a senior-slanted periodical. No doubt about it. I am now a "senior," more's the pity. I certainly don't feel like a senior, and I know there are a lot of stories left in the old girl yet.
I hope you enjoy them. Please let me know, pro or con.
Mildred, A.K.A. Millie


text: jigstick 32 Posted June 4, 2019 I can not source herring strips locally here in Pittsburgh. But I can find fresh whole 6-8in sardines. Could I brine these and use them in meat rigs? the slippery sinker isn't open when I leave the harbor for the day. So I need an option for meat. Any help? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Leadership Communication Skills: Listening and Being An Empathetic Leader
How to sharpen the most critical keys to successful leadership.
Colin Powell said, "Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership." In his book, It Worked for me in Life and Leadership, Powell shares with us rules that he developed, concepts that he found effective, and stories of his life that impacted him and his leadership style.
Good leaders have several important characteristics, and while all deserve a discussion, we simply do not have the column space to discuss all of them with you at one time. In this month's article, we want to focus on two that may often be overlooked or under-considered: listening and empathy. As a manager in a feed and grain business, you work with many different people including those that report to you, those that you report to, and those that neither report to you nor to which you report, but with whom you work and interact. Improving your listening and empathy skills will raise your status as an effective leader to all of these groups. Today, empathy and listening have been identified as two of the most critical leadership skills for successful leaders. Without well-practiced skills of these two characteristics, leaders are not likely to go as far as others who possess them.
Listening is a Skill
Communications skills include speaking, writing, reading, and listening. In academics, we quite often talk about developing good communications skills in our students, yet, we too, often neglect the listening skills. However, executive coach Marshall Goldsmith says that listening is the skill that separates the great leaders from the near-great leaders. So, what suggests that you are or are not a good listener? Based on the work of several researchers and other authors, below is both a description of a good listener and a not-so-good listener.
A good listener will exhibit the following actions and characteristics:
- Good eye contact; eyes are fixed on the speaker; maintain eye contact
- Does not interrupt but waits for the speaker to finish
- Pays attention to the speaker's non-verbal behavior, as well as verbal behavior
- Exhibits empathy by working to understand the speaker; demonstrates a caring attitude
- Summarizes what the speaker has said
- Is open-minded and does not criticize
- Provides constructive verbal and non-verbal feedback
- Asks questions in response to a question
A not-so-good listener will exhibit these actions and characteristics instead:
- Poor or little eye contact; eyes may wander and are not focused on the speaker
- Interrupts the speaker; may change the subject
- Is easily distracted, looks around, fidgets, is pre-occupied, takes phone calls, shuffles papers, does not pay attention to the speaker
- Talks more than listens
- May give little or no feedback
- Is close-minded and judgmental
- May give unwanted advice or starts giving advice before the speaker is finished
- Downplays other's emotions
Surely we have all been poor listeners at some point in time. Think about a time when you were trying to finish an important report and one of your staff popped in your office to talk to you about something. Did you put your report away and give all of your attention to your employee? Or, did you halfway listen while keeping your mind focused on your report? Everyone has times when they probably do not listen as well as they could and this is understandable. But, how you listen and behave much of the time will be the "label" given to you. Others may say that you are not really interested in what they have to say, or they may say that you have already made up your mind so it is not worth the effort to talk with you. If it is a bad time for you to focus on the person wanting to talk to you, then it is better to ask them to come back at a different time, maybe set an appointment. Then, at the time of the scheduled meeting it is important that you give this person all of your attention. This will put you in a much better light with your employee than seeing them now but not really paying attention to them. Poor listening skills can lead to poor relationships and poor performance, not something you want in your feed and grain business. Let your troops know that they can bring you their problems. And, when they do . . .actively listen to them.
Try Empathy – It Works
Being a good listener is necessary for being an empathetic leader: the second important leadership characteristic that we want to discuss this month. Many people confuse empathy with sympathy, but they are truly different. It is not surprising that empathy is important to leadership when you think of its origin. Empathy comes from the Greek term empatheia which means passion. How many times have you heard or said that you should have passion for your work and you should do something for which you are passionate? Empathy is recognizing and understanding the feelings, motives, and situations of others and being sensitive to these. Empathy is critical to great leadership because it helps you develop trust. When you use your empathic leader skills, it helps you understand why people react to situations, and you are more aware of others' feelings and how their feelings impact their perceptions.
Are you now starting to get why empathy is important to being a leader in your business? In so much of what you do as managers, understanding the "why" is so important. We can much more appropriately respond to a situation if we truly understand the "why" and empathy helps us do this. Being empathic does not necessarily mean that we have to agree with the other person and/or their perception of a situation. It merely means that we recognize and appreciate the feelings of others and their view and perspective; we understand the needs of others and let them know that we do. Doing so can help you as a leader in several other ways. When you use empathy in your management, you help others feel safe with failures and errors because they feel that they will not simply be blamed; they feel that you will understand. When you understand your employees better, you are better able to help those who are struggling to improve their performance and you are better able to help those that excel stretch themselves to continue their own professional growth.
Empathy, while recognized as important is not always exhibited and encouraged in the workplace. Why? For one, expression of emotion in the workplace can still be regarded as a weakness. It is definitely a fine line to walk. Humans are complicated creatures and correctly understanding others and their perceptions can take time and be difficult. Expressing empathy also involves considering others before yourself, which in today's extremely competitive business environment can certainly be challenging to do and one may wonder if putting others before self will really be a wise move. However, a survey of 2,405 managers and 2,595 non-managers conducted by the Institute of Leadership and Management found that respondent employees indicated greater levels of trust in CEOs for whom they believed exhibited greater levels of empathy. So, exhibiting empathy helps managers develop trust between them and their employees, and trust can also be a critical element to performance and business success.
Some Presidential Examples
Empathy can be potentially challenging to understand and utilize, especially if it does not come as naturally to you as perhaps some other skills. It is interesting to see examples of empathy and ratings of empathy in well-recognized leadership personalities, for example some of the Presidents of the United States. Author Colleen Shogan of the Congressional Research Service provides us some excellent examples and comparisons and contrasts of models of empathy used by Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Lincoln is considered to have possessed a high capacity for empathy and arguably his greatest use and impact of it came in his opinion and actions toward slavery. Lincoln also tried to understand the slave owners and understand their point of view. Lincoln also used empathy to stroke egos and gain political allies by using empathy to turn opponents into supporters, and he used empathy to identity persuasive emotional arguments. Lincoln is generally considered to have exhibited and used wise and appropriate levels of empathy.
Bill Clinton is often described as having great ability for making people believe that he understood how they felt. His expression of empathy in addressing questions during the 1992 presidential debate scored him significant points over George H.W. Bush because he made people believe that he understood them, their problems and their hardships; Bush did not. Clinton's use of empathy helped him have foreign policy success in Northern Ireland, and helped him successfully address families and citizens after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. However, Clinton is generally not heralded as highly as Lincoln in his use of empathy because Clinton's tears and other emotional gestures often made people uncomfortable and they have often been questioned as real or fake given his dishonesty in other aspects of his life.
George W. Bush's presidential leadership is generally labeled strong and decisive more so than empathetic. Bush is often said to have missed or passed on opportunities to show a softer side of himself. To many this change in leadership style from Clinton was drastic. During his presidency, Bush dealt with the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the flooding of the Midwest in 2008. Bush's statements after Sept. 11 are considered to have exhibited toughness and strong presidential leadership rather than empathy; his actions and statements in response to Katrina caused his empathy approval rating to drop; however, his actions in response to the 2008 flooding and his statements in Cedar Rapids, IA show significant displays of empathy, suggesting that he recognized the importance of empathy and the criticisms received during Katrina.
Apply Them Yourself
It is not necessary for you to be an aspiring president of the United States usiness to make use of your listening and empathy skills! You do have to be conscious of and tuned into the situation though. We said before that being a good listener is necessary for being an empathetic leader. If you truly want to earn points with your employees and others, then pay attention to them, get to know them, take an interest in them. Listen to them when they talk to you.
Empathy in some regards can be viewed as kindness. In chapter five of his book, Powell talks about empathy and kindness. He provides a quote from a sermon he heard: "Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know." Powell gives a wonderful example of the difference that kindness and empathy can make based on what he learned from talking to the employees in his office parking garage. This particular garage had to pack cars istacking them one behind another making a clear order to the exiting of cars at the end of the day: cars parked farther in could not leave until the lead cars did. Powell asked the attendants how they decided when the cars arrived in the morning who ended up getting parked so they were first, second and so on to get out. The attendants smiled and explained that if the driver spoke to them with something like "good morning" or "how are you" and smiled or something similar, then they were at the front to get out, but if a person dids not look at them or acknowledge their existence, then they were likely to be last or near last to get out. This is a great example of how just a little bit of kindness means more to the person receiving it than you might realize, and is also a great example of how a very costless act of kindness can make a big difference for not only the recipient but also to you as the provider, and to your business. Powell says, "Kindness is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of confidence. If you have developed a reputation for kindness and consideration, then even the most unpleasant decisions will go down easier because everyone will understand why you are doing what you are doing. They will realize that your decision must be necessary, and is not arbitrary or without empathy." There is that key word again — empathy.
There may be no more fun of a place to see genuine exhibitions of empathy than in the dugout of a 7- or 8-year-old boy's baseball team. As parents and coaches, we are leaders of our children and we generally hope that they are paying attention to what we say and to at least some of what we do. Watch what happens when your highest percentage hitter, the only kid who has not struck out all season, strikes out for the first time in the season during the second to last game of the season, and then he strikes out two more times in the same game. Every time, every kid in the dugout is there to greet him, pat him on the back, and show him that they know how he feels. If it were only that easy for us as leaders and managers to be genuine and to show others that we have an interest in them, in their state of mind and in their performance as it is for young boys on a baseball team, then maybe we would all perform better, be happier, and be "better" colleagues, co-workers, and bosses. And, maybe we too could come out at the final game of the season — the championship game — our next important meeting or interaction —and as an individual hit two homeruns, as a team hit four homeruns and have zero team members strike out, and get that big win! Just maybe….Listen, Empathize, Act. Try it. What do you have to lose? It could be the key to your improving your success as a leader!