text:
Mystic Falls Messenger
GIMME AN OUCH! GIMME AN AMBULANCE! "L-O-L! O-M-G! You're looking at Mystic Falls' Var-sity! B-e-a-t, beat those cats. B-E-A-T, Beat those Cats. B-E-A-T, BEAT THOSE KATS"! Yeah. (Watch that last step, it's a killer!)
Editor's note: Ruthie took a well-deserved sabbatical to the TVD Mecca, the Atlanta TVD Convention! Hope you enjoy the mess we made without her! Huge shoutout to @rainbowdragon12, without whose large screen, hi-def, closed captioning we might sometimes pull our hair out!
The Brothers Salvatore began another evening at Stately Salvatore Manor, drinking and debating Elena's wiring yet again. We've run ads for a good town electrician since Stefan went Rippah last year! Damon took the 'Perks of Being A Vampflower' side, while Stefan contended Elena needed a reason for a 'Humanity ON' flip. Too much too soon, she'd freak. The controversial decision? Show her a good time–girls just wanna have fun! Skeptical Stefan reluctantly agreed to give it a shot. Meanwhile, we spied Elena doing the zombie walk down a dark, lonely road. Eventually, she sprawled across the road kill strip like trippin on two bad hits of vampire Prozac. Pullin a Damon! Headlights appeared in the distance. Ms. Commuter-lookin Chick stopped in a panic, 'OMG! Where does it hurt?' The motionless figure didn't feel anything *wink wink*. Twenty-eight reasons NOT to carry a safety blanket in your trunk–TEETH!
Good thing Damon went out looking for trouble, since he reined in Elena's DRANO imitation. Child, meet sire. ENUF! I said that's ENUF! We agreed no killing, honey. Put the nice lady down, wipe your mouth, and show a little restraint. But, Daddy, I'M FREAKIN HUNGRY on this vervain-laced diet! Well huff! Elena thought being undead was supposed to be fun. It's just like an offspring to stalk off and leave Daddy Dearest to clean up the mess! (FREE LUNCH!)
REVIVAL OF 'NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY' OPENS OUT OF TOWN TO MIXED REVIEWS: Speaking of Free Lunch, try Jake's Diner–breakfast, lunch and dinner, 24 hours a day. Which one are you? Our travel correspondent caught up with Weregirl Hayley at a sleazy truckstop, unsuccessfully trying to avoid a Kat-lackey stalker. Why would anybody in their right mind walk between two parked semis with a vampire on their tail? Mystery Meat had her by the throat when BOOM! Klaus to the rescue (did we SAY that? lol)! After Klaus turned the Eat-er into the Eat-ee, we discovered Hayley had phoned a well-placed urgent SOS to The Original. Stop Drop N Roll dude sped off into the night, but don't you fret, kiddies! He'd never make it through another night (werewolf bite+vampire=the BAD indigestion). Hayley was concerned Mystery Meat had a posse, since she was STOOPID enough to play Let's Make A Deal with Katerina Petrova. You been USED, honey! Hayley had become just another loose end for Kat to dispose of. Well of COURSE Klaus could provide protection service–in exchange for everything Hayley knows (got a thimble?) about Kat.
Cleanliness is next to tawdriness! Damon's shower got a workout courtesy of Elena–don't hide your eyes, you ain't seen nuttin yet! Damon and Stefan entered the bedroom, discussing Plan B, since the fun route didn't pay off (except for the FREE MEAL). Take her back to school? Stef didn't exactly wanna play school chaperone, but he's at least a student, and Damon should be lookin for Katherine. Elena needed that damn Cure like yesterday! Bathrobed Caroline joined in the Bedroom Bonding–The Bros' fancy water filter made for the only vervain-free shower in town (thanks to Mayor Rudy-Tooty Fresh N Fruity's water supply lacing). Damon had soooo many people to kill. Back-to-school hopping was a SWELL idea to Car, oh, and Sheriff Mom said things were about to get worse and Liz needed help. Okay, places everyone! 1) Damon would go after psychotic doppelganger, 2) Stef would go talk to the Sheriff, 3) Blondie would take Elena to school. Oh, and 4) Naked Elena–sounded like fun. Nothing they haven't seen before (embarrassed Caroline included). GIANT AWKWARD EYEROLLS ALL AROUND!
She had nothing (nobody?) 'better' to do than go back to school. With a throat clear and a head nod from Stef (um, use the bond, dude), Damon launched into 'make me happy as your sire' instructions to go to school, study hard, and DON'T EAT ANYONE! Message received?
The annual Cheerleading Invitational competition was held at the MFHS Gym this week, with a surprise contestant. Under a "WELCOME CHEERLEADERS!" banner, Caroline (who was SUPPOSED to be watching Elena) recorded Tyler voicemail #487. "We're sorry, this voice mailbox is FULL. This means YOU, Caroline Forbes." Car thought the incessant message stream would make it like he'd never been gone when Tyler gets back. *sigh* Her charge, Elena, was busily scanning the bulletin boards for mischief to get into:
Memorial Friday at lunch in the Quad. Please join your fellow students in sharing memories and giving condolences to the Gilbert Family.
There's REALLY a Seismology Club at MFHS? Do they feel the Earth move? Anywho, Jeremy's picture flyer got wadded up, but the "Mystic Falls Cheerleading Invitational. Mystic Falls Gymnasium, 4 p.m. today," caught Elena's attention! Matt walked up to make the obligatory "Where's
Waldo Bonnie?" inquiry–a little drained from 'everything, or Shacked up with Shilas? Enquiring minds want to know! Flyer in hand, Elena barged in to the convo, practically demanding Cheer Captain Caroline put her back on the squad, um, TODAY! Tossing peeps around sounded like fun now. Car thought that would make Damon really happy!
Happy he was, Detective Damon (does that make him a "dick"? Bwahaaa!) showed up at Fortress Klaus with a list of "Things You Suck At." 1) Finding Katherine–EVER, 2) Covering up secret backstabber bitch Hayley phone convos (super-secret hacking and apparently the paper list to prove it). Damon wanted Klaus to reveal Hayley's 4-1-1, and her dish on Katherine. After the Salvatore 'lot' killed Kol and stuck him in the Invisibox! Outrageous! Hey, priorities, Origidude! Kat has The Cure and probs wants to shove it down Klaus' gullet. Help Damon find Katherine and the Cure, Elena gets it, WINNING! Too bad, so sad, Hayley's off-limits. But (there's always a butt)! There just might be a stray vamp running around who'd know where Katherine is…better hurry, Damon, that Mystery Meat's head may just be hangin on by a thread (if the bite don't kill him first)!
Stefan had hotfooted it to Sheriff Mom's office to get filled in on pilferage of the entire hospital blood supply and all the reserves. She wasn't accusing the remaining Scooby Gang, but she was havin a super bad week. One more unexplained house fire and the citizenshit could hit the fan. Stefan's help was gladly accepted; the stolen blood endangered, oh, just ordinary human's lives and also risked exposing the "good" vampires, Car included! Who did he know that was jonesing that bad for blood? Uh-oh. Looked like Stefan was thinking it started with "E" and ended with "na-na-na-na-na!"
If the uniform still fits…..MFHS was abuzz with cheer competition students, former ex-cheerleader Elena wandering through them like scoping out HungryMan TV dinners. Caroline was NOT properly executing her watcher duties! Just like old times, Elena looked fabbo and they were gonna kick rival Grove Hill's collective ass! OMG. One of Team SF's competitors (Stupid Flakes?) got a pimple! Makeup emergency! Never leave it on the bus unless it's in a quarterback's jock strap! The weak, pimpled prey cut herself from the herd, with predator Elena right behind. Vamp ambush on the bus! Under the pretext of wanting Pimple's blue hair ribbon (didn't match Elena's Timberwolf Red!), Elena got the hang of Snatch, Eat, Erase!
E stuck that bow in her own hair and returned to the gym wearing her trophy. Car (DUH!) finally got it. Pimples showed back up sans ribbon sporting a neck scarf and a daze.
WTF part of Damon's sire instructions had Elena not heard? No eating the competition! Elena would do what she wanted, back off, Queen Bitch! Stefan witnessed most of the testy girl-talk, so called Damon to fill him in that the infamous sire bond wasn't working. No, wait. That's all it took? Flipping Elena's emo switch broke the bond? No emo, no feelings for Damon, no sire bond? What would happen if she turned her humanity back on? Who cares, where the eff are you, dude?! Damon was where he was supposed to be–the Boonies truckstop lookin for dead Mystery Meat that could lead to Katherine. And The Cure.
Well, there was Rebekah! Freshly returned from Fangtasy Numbskull Island with tales of a dead Professor Shane (hmmm, he DID manage to gasp out a word–we reserve death announcement) and still lookin for The Cure. Bex was bettin Damon could help find Katherine. Why would he help? Well, she brought a pinch of Klaus' blood to fix that pesky hybrid bite Mystery Meat was sporting. Only way to get him to squeal like a pig before he's bacon! Reluctantly, Damon agreed to let her tag along.
Following the competition eating incident, Stefan searched for Elena for a little 'talk'. That minx! Threw one foot up around Stefan's ear to stretch while HE talked. Yoga is the key to flexibility–get your Down Dog on! Not to be manipulated, Stef questioned her about the hospital's missing blood supply. Nope! Sick of bloodbags she's into the warmer, pumping sustenance! He tried the empathy tactic–being undead is fun at first! He didn't turn Rippah for 50 years (well, 48 but who's counting), when all of a sudden he ate an entire village. She should be scared of becoming him. Hard to climb outa that deep, dark hole of misery! She was better than 'this.' Unless, of course, this was the better version of her? Interruptions! "Up next, Mystic Falls own Lady Timberwolves!" Gotta go, bye!
Caroline was hell-bent on preventing Elena from performing after her munchies–oh, yeah? Try to stop her! The roar of the crowd! The swizzling of pom-poms! The bitchy look exchange! The totally ridic cheer! The big Queen Caroline aerial and SPLAT! (Good thing 10 class rings didn't fall out of her cheer shorts when she hit the floor!) Stef knew Elena let her drop on purpose, and so did Caroline. Elena adopted a "see, I TOLD you I do what I want" look and waltzed out of the gym during the aftermath.
Stefan decided another tactic was called for. He intercepted Elena outside near his bike–who was she texting? Everybody's pissed at her! He had to hand it to her–got herself on the cheer squad with buttloads of vervain-free victims bussed right to her. Smooth! But ya know, gymnasiums have too many witnesses. Somewhere more private would provide REAL fun. He knew a dive bar, had his bike, and had been 'switched off' in Mystic Falls himself. She half-teased he was bluffing, but got caught in the old 'Catch the Helmet Whilst I Vervain You' ploy. Just a touch to take the edge off! (Editor's note: There's no sidecar on that bike, how'd he get her home, sprawled across his lap? Bwahaaaa!)
We followed Detective Damon and his sidekick Rebekah to Grove Hill Hospital. Bitten Mystery Meat, in a sun-fried and dying dazed state, might have hit the local open-all-night hospital blood bank. Damon knew first-hand the bite stages of death! Ooh, but THIS one was empty, too! That 'Sherlock Holmes with Brain Damage' crack was HIGHLY uncalled for, Bex! Okay. Mystic Falls also had a raid, and Mystery Meat wouldn't have the strength or the time to clean em both out. It's……Someone Else! Damon would think about that later–if Mystery Meat didn't get any either place, he's close and STARVING! With a little banter questioning why Damon still wanted The Cure with the bond broken (giving Elena back to Stef?), Bex thought SHE should take the lead from now on!
Surprisingly enough, Bex gave Detective Damon one more try. He fed on a no-name med tech in the darkened parking lot–bitten vampire bait! Three-course, 115 pounds of last supper, compelled to troll slowly through the parking lot! Bex had the Klaus blood, they just needed to lure him out. And out he came! Damon got to him first with a tree-slam, but WTF? Will? Damon? (Who the hell was Will and how did they know each other?) Ooh, gotta keep Big Bad Bex away from this one! Damon could 'help' fix what was wrong with Will. HEARTRIP! Bex demanded to know WHY?! Meh, too far gone already. (Yeah, right.)
Following Hayley's truckstop rescue, what turned into a VERY intimate dinner party for two was held at Fortress Klaus. He provided hospitality rather than torture and intimidation (but don't cross him when it comes to desert!). After all that wine and fine food, he wanted to know where Katerina was–Hayley had tipped her off about The Race for The Cure, and in exchange got targeted by Kat's Mystery Meat lackey. What had Kat promised Hayley? Hmmm. Okay, Hayley was in New Orleans lookin for info on her bio-parents when Kat found her. She'd said she could help find out. Guess that trade didn't work out so well! Now Klaus was the only one that could protect her, IF she cooperated. After dinner drinks, anyone?
After dining, they wandered into the study for drinks and Hayley's eloquent artwork critique. Hate that. Too much. Don't get that. Um, I don't care. This one doesn't make me wanna puke. Why'd he paint that lonely boy lookin one–painting was Klaus' metaphor for control. Klaus never felt like he was in control as a child–painting taught him one's vision could be achieved through sheer force of will. Also true of life–providing you don't let anything stand in your way. Hayley got her flirt on. This was Klaus' big move? (Let me show you my etchings! lol) Flip a few mediocre paintings, whine about childhood, and she'd swoon and spill her guts? Whatever Hayley thought, Klaus was kinda enjoying himself. Oh, he ALWAYS does what he enjoys, right? Including hunting Tyler? She SO read him–talked a good game but let Tyler go for fear of Caroline's hatred. Klaus read her right back–did she REALLY think she had a future with Tyler? Hmmm. Tyler might have dumped Car if Hayley had used The Cure to kill Klaus. Man, did these two have their deadly flirt on or what?! If Tyler had half of Hayley's resolve he might actually live a year. Didn't take resolve. Takes allies–a network willing to chase down loose ends to their death. That was how Katherine had been playin Klaus for YEARS. (sneak in close to whisper-flirt) Perhaps Hayley knew names of Katerina's special little helpers? Maybe one or two. Maybe she'd tell him. (Maybe not.) TEASE!
Whether by saddlebag or drug by her ponytail, Elena awoke from her vervain nap in Damon's bed with Stefan standing guard. Grounded for dropping Caroline on her thick head? No, public feeding was a no-no. Shrug. She'd been hungry, and now she was taking OFF her cheerleading uniform. Real mature, Elena. Try to manipulate Stefan with sex like Katherine.
Nope, no comparison to Scaredy Kat, afraid of her own shadow. Elena wasn't afraid of anything–it was all shut off, including her feelings for Stef. The sex was good but, meh, not feelin it anymore. (Again with Elena texting–who to?) Stefan cared what she does because it's…..(wait for it)…..all his fault she's like this. He brought this into her life. (Technically correct!) Stef didn't want to live with all the people that SHE killed. (more texting)
Oh, snap, Stefan, his whole world revolved around Elena! Maybe he needs a switch-off! Voices wafted up the staircase. PARTY TIME!
Downstairs were rooms full of jocks and cheerleaders–AHA! The texting! Since Elena couldn't party at the gym, she brought the party THERE! OMG! Don't spill booze on the rug! OCD Damon would have a hissy fit! The Stelena looks exchanged made us KNOW two 164+ year olds were learning what it's really like to babysit a petulant 18 yr old!
Caroline recovered from her earlier mishap, finally arriving at the insanity. Well, they couldn't COMPEL the guests to leave since the locals were full of vervain. Maybe they'd just get bored, or Damon would come home and kill them ALL! lol Grab a bottle, enjoy the party, and keep Elena from butchering Grove Hill's cheerleading squad! They spied Elena, dancing on the furniture, havin a rockin good time! Didn't that make Stef wanna let go a little? Unfortunately, when he 'let's go' heads roll–literally! Sober Coach Caroline gave him the green light–high school kegger, hot girls, single–go for it Stef! Bwahaaa! He DID! We got a Steroline moment! Slung her right over his shoulder and out into the writhing bodies they went!
Everybody had fun! Elena poured endless upside down shots, while Steroline danced and chatted. Did Elena no likey that, or did she have other things in mind? Jealousy was one of those pesky switched off emotions–go ahead, Car! Take him out for a spin (you can have my sloppy seconds again)! Just when we thought it was safe to pour a cold one, Sheriff Liz showed up to bust Elena's party. BUMMER!
Yup, Caroline was there, flirting with Stef, but he'd be good Tyler rebound material. Relax, Liz! Grab a drink, Enjoy yourself (and Elena's hand on your arm if you went one step farther)! Take your hand off me, Elena! Either Liz had a drink, or Elena would….watch those veiny eyes! Liz reached for her gun, but Elena slammed her against the wall. THAT brought Car running, with Stefan holding on to Caroline to keep the girls separate. ZOOM! Diversion worked like a charm, Elena was gone, gone, gone out the front door to freedom!
Bex called Klaus to let him know Mystery Meat Will was dead. Hayley was presently safe to go–or stay. They didn't really need that fireplace roaring, because they were SMOLDERING at each other already! She 'could' be persuaded to stay and enjoy some of the good life. Maybe she'd come up with a few more Katherine secrets, and Klaus could return the favor. Sorry, she'd never convince him to back off of Tyler. Oh, well, she'd never get her chance with Tyler, but Klaus wouldn't get a shot at Caroline, either. (Mood intensified–holy hell!) Why had she liked that one painting? Not because it allowed her to see into his wounded soul, but she saw how twisted it really is.
(You sexy, sauntering, bottom lip biter, you!) Maybe she could relate. Klaus closed the remaining distance between them. What was it gonna be? Going…..or staying? She sealed the deal–he liked to be in control, he should tell HER. THAT did it! KLEX! Let the puppy making begin! (We hate to be a buzzkill, but was Klaus' right shoulder blade triangle tattoo a not-so-subliminal message? See 'Illustrated Man' below.)
While they searched the woods, Stefan explained to Caroline how Elena had laid out her calculated plan, drawing all the peeps to Salvatore Manor, waited for a distraction, and poof–free! Car could not beLIEVE she stooped to hurting Liz! Calm down! Car should search the woods, Stef would go check the road. If Caroline ran into Elena, she should snap her neck. INTENSE!
After Will fell from grace, Damon returned home with his new blonde shadow in tow, smack dab into the middle of totally unchaperoned insanity. Oh, geez, the damage was done, he grabbed a passing bottle. Bex knew he was hiding something about Mystery Meat Will. Damon killed him to keep Bex from finding Katherine so Bex could have The Cure. Huh? That blonde logic was a tad twisted to write down! lol Damon questioned Rebekah's motives–did she REALLY want The Cure? REALLY? Case study: Two teen girls yucking it up on the staircase, having a high old time. Look happy now. In five years they'd settle for a mediocre starter husband and a mind-numbing career. What makes Bex different from them? She's a vampire. Takes that Cure and becomes like them? Meh. No one. Nothing. Losing The Cure is the best damn thing that ever happened to Bex. He left her standing there, looking like that finally sunk in! On his way upstairs, Damon got a text from Stef: Elena's AWOL. Need help. Well, crap!
Caroline shouted for Elena at the top of her lungs, threatening to use her 'superior strength' but didn't want to hurt Elena. No T no shade, biotch–Elena was an honor graduate of AP Alaric Self-Defense Against the Dark Vampire Boyfriends, training while Caroline was too busy butting into other peep's bidness! CATFIGHT!
Hair pullin, throat grabbin, ground slammin CATFIGHT! Laced with interludes of not feeling bad about hurting Liz–Elena DOESN'T CARE! Suggestions of Car hitting the off-switch–so she'd stop whining about Tyler leaving her. Bonus! No more guilt about her dirty Klaus thoughts! SHUT UP! More intense scuffling–Bwahaaa! Elena told Car she fights like a girl! Just when Elena had Caroline on her knees, about to stake her with a nearby broken branch–Ta-da! Salvabros charged in like the cavalry, wrestling the two hairballs apart! Before getting Elena out of there, Damon just couldn't resist the, "Under any other circumstances this would be a major turn-on!" ROFLLLLLLLLLLLL!
The warring factions converged back at the Salvatore's. Caroline was on the couch, leaving voicemail #488 for Tyler about her shitty day and wish for a return call. BUZZ BUZZ! Incoming text! What was this? Matt texting Caroline to meet him at Tyler's house?! Stefan came in for a little sit down to smooth things over.
Car's best friend REALLY didn't try to kill her. With her emotions off Elena's the worst version of herself. What if Elena can't turn them back on? Or doesn't want to? She's an orphan, just lost her brother, her life SUCKS! Why would she come back to us, Stefan? (With age comes wisdom.) Even when Stefan was at his worst, Elena didn't give up on him. They can't give up on Elena. Deal? Deal.
Damon and Elena were upstairs in his room. Him going through that old trunk of pics he hoards, and her in time-out sitting on the bed. To last, oh, say until she doesn't want to kill her best friend. Honestly? How many times had Damon tried to kill Stefan, hypocrite? Hey, what's that picture Damon just found? Him and the Vampire Formerly Known As Will with their arms slung over shoulders on some city street. One of life's many mysteries (um, maybe soon to be answered?).
Elena was tired of being lectured she needed to feel. She FEELS amazing. Should she go back to the scared little girl who couldn't admit what she wants, was that Damon wanted? (uh-oh, the old familiar Delena pull in full da house!) For a long time he'd wanted to 'be' with her, but was scared she'd find out what a monster he was. That no longer mattered because she doesn't CARE! Be honest. You like me better like this? Furrowed brow, and lip staring, we think he liked her any way he could have her!
Caroline answered Matty's text by showing up at the open front door of the Lockwood Estate. We think this pretty much sums up things nicely:
Come and listen to a story 'bout a boy named Matt
A poor busboy, barely had himself a flat,
Then one day a package he received,
And out from the mail fell a great big deed.
Legal that is, big columns, white swans.
Well the first thing ya know ol' Matt's a millionaire,
His good bud said, 'Matt, move in dude, I swear!'
Yep, Lockwood Mansion is the place for better luck.
So he loaded up and moved in his fancy free truck.
Gift, that is, strings attached? Oh, f*#k!
Well now it's time to say goodbye to Matt and all his friends.
And they might sometimes thank ya folks fer kindly droppin' in.
You're all invited back next week to visit TVD
To have a heapin' helpin' of their warped reality!
Vampire that is. Cast a spell. Take your shirt off.
Y'all come back now, y'hear?
APOLOGIES! We haven't gone off on a rant like that in a while! Long story short (haha, this is MFM, who're we trying to kid, short), Caroline could no longer walk through the Lockwood entryway–until Matty invited her. He had a piece of paper in his hand and a kinda sorry look on his face. He got a package in the mail from Tyler, with a letter for Caroline.
Dear Car,
I miss you, more than I can put into words. But I know as long as Klaus is alive, I can't come home. He won't stop trying to kill me. And you won't stop trying to protect me. Which means the only way to make sure you're safe is for me to go and never come back. I left Matt the deed to the house. It will protect you in ways I can't anymore. I will always love you.
Aside from his really crummy penmanship with a No. 2 pencil on a Big Chief tablet, it was an exercise in 'parting is such sweet sorrow'. Except for the house protecting her in ways he can't? Headscratch. Tyler's not coming back. Matty Donovan. Human Kleenex. RICH Human Kleenex (with no health insurance, but who cares now?).
Instead of an after sex smoke, Hayley appeared to be re-dressing for a cut and run–until Klaus FINALLY spied the birthmark on her right shoulder (they'd been all over the house and ended up in a bedroom, he's just NOW noticing it? We could SO make a doggie style joke right here, but…). She blew it off, lots of peeps have birthmarks. However, in Klaus' considerable lifetime, he had only seen a handful of others. All from the same bloodline. A werewolf clan that thrived through what is now Louisiana. Struck a nerve! Don't lie to her! Matters of family are SACRED to The Lord Niklaus! Tell her!
Quick observation. Klaus got inked since he became a hybrid! We sleuthed through back issues for THIS candid proof!
(from 2.21, As I Lay Dying)
We're hazarding a guess whatever those feather looking things on his left arm and the flock of seagulls across his pec must have some hidden meaning! Stay tuned to see if we're full of bologna!
Stefan got a late-night phone call from Sheriff Liz with a bigger problem. WHAT? Another one? We weren't privy to their convo, but Stefan called Damon ASAP. Where the hell WAS he? Oh, out for a me-time drive. Damon had said blood was stolen from Grove Hills Hospital? The Sheriff has reports that six other blood banks within a 30 mile radius have been hit, too. Somebody's stockpiling. It wasn't Elena, and it wasn't them. Sooo…..spit it out Stefan. S.H.I.L.A.S. Followed them back from Fangtasy Island, fresh off a 2000 year fast. Okay, good talking to ya, Stef. Not in the mood–hold down the fort till Damon gets back. Buh-bye, now, CLICK. Hung up. Ruh-roh! Elena was in the car with him! Stef was gonna hate Damon for that cutoff–emotions are overrated. Where they going? ROADTRIP! Newbie Vampire Heaven! To the City that Never Sleeps. Tale a bite out of The Big Apple! Start spreading the news!
We needed a special shoutout to WOOBIEISMS this week because we just couldn't pass this up: Life sucks when you're ordinary. Closely followed by: Under any other circumstances this would be a major turn-on! We have to pick a word, though, so due to it's frequency of use in this gossip rag as well as in many episodes, this week's Woobie Word of the Week………SCOOBY-DOO!
MAK turned her obsessive habit of TVD tweeting and commenting on other people's recaps into The Mystic Falls Messenger. She loves the stuffins out of all things vampire, especially The Vampire Diaries. Follow her shameless tweets @mak75231 so she doesn't feel ignored!


text:
Watch Dakota Johnson Get Upset with Darth Vader in the Acting Game
Usually Jimmy Fallon is the king of creating fun new activities but on The Tonight Show Thursday, Dakota Johnson was the game master.
Wearing a pink Gucci dress featuring a deep-V neckline, the Fifty Shades of Grey actress introduced a new game in which one player is given a scenario and a telephone and then has to act out a fake call. "It's called the acting game and I played it once with my family and some friends," Johnson said.
In the first round Johnson pretended to be a woman dating Darth Vader and had to listen to him tell her he was leaving her for another woman. Channeling some real emotion Johnson dropped the F-bomb and Fallon called quits on that round. "Hang up the phone, hang up the phone," he said. "It's an adult game."
Fallon did a little better pretending to be a French chef, and Johnson managed to get through her next turn without cursing though she had to pretend she was a clown getting rejected from clown school.
Witness the duo's great improvisational skills by clicking on the video at top.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is an intriguing guy...[he] asks great questions and answers others with style, flair, reason and wit. On the blogroll he goes. Make him a part of your regular blogospheric reading. I certainly will.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Common Sense Junction: Misha @ Anti-Idiotarian never ceases to amaze me. He keeps finding other good blogs. I went over to A.I. this morning for my daily Misha fix and he had found this guy named Morgan Freeberg in Fair Oaks, California, that has a blog, House of Eratosthenes. Freeberg says its "The Blog That Nobody Reads" but it may now become the blog that everybody reads.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
The Heat Is On: From House of Eratosthenes comes yet another enlightening piece on liberals. All I can say is "Dayum, does this guy have libs pegged or what?" Excellent work, Morgan. Here's to ya!
Jaded Haven: Good God, Morgan, you cover a topic from front to back with a screwy thoroughness I find mind boggling. I'm in awe of your thought proccesses, my friend, you're an exceptional talent. You start by throwing in the kitchen sink, tie in someone's syphilitic uncle, bend around a rip tide of brilliance and bring it all home in a neat, diamond dripping package of an exceptionally readable moment of damn fine wordsmithing. I love reading you.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
Pajamas Media: Over at The House of Eratosthenes ("The blog nobody reads"), Morgan Freeberg is taking a candid look at one of America's most indulgent habits.
Philmon: When Morgan meanders, stick with him - he's got a point and it'll be worth it in the end. He's not a hit-and-run snarky quip kind of guy. The pieces all fall into place like tumblers in a lock and bang! He's opened a cognative door for you.
Rightlinx: Morgan at House of Eratosthenes is one of the best writers out there. I read him nearly every day because he manages to provide an interesting perspective, even though I don't always agree.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
I liked it a lot. But when my girlfriend sent me a text message asking how it was, I had to reply that I liked it just as much as The Pacifier, Big Momma's House, The Spy Next Door and Tooth Fairy. That would be my one reservation against it; creativity is being short-changed again.
Something is happening to the Doofus Dad movie; it is transforming into the Doofus Stepdad movie. The loner is talented in his own way, fun to watch, and selfish. An "instant family" happens along and hijinks ensue.
There is much more, because this genre is becoming extravagant, complicated and rigid. Something is happening to the children — or rather, to the configuration of children. It is solidifying. Three is becoming a popular number. The oldest is a girl, and there's a side subplot wrapped up in here because the oldest is coping with the most daunting abandonment issues and she comes 'round last to the idea that New Daddy might be a cool guy. The middle child is more of an incorporation of the entire set, sort of a "straight man." This could be a male, it really isn't that important. And then the baby of the family is just plain adorable.
Maybe the three are supposed to be representing something from Freud's Id, Ego and Superego?
As far as events, well we have New Daddy meeting up with adorable moppets while doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. This juxtaposition, seemingly innocent at first, brings on trouble and then a separation. The story of the separation is intertwined with some performance the little tykes are putting on, and they'll be just devastated if New Daddy doesn't show up to watch it. The separation happens before, during or after the performance…to which New Daddy is on time, late, or doesn't show at all.
So the drama involving the performance takes on all kinds of forms, but it's gotta be in there somewhere. And that means New Daddy's attendance has to be an open question.
Be that as it may, it is also a constant that New Daddy's life seems to be incompatible with the moppets, and/or he does something abysmally stupid that shows his selfish streak. The kids all decide the New Daddy sucks, especially the oldest one (the youngest accepts this only reluctantly or not at all). New Daddy is mad at himself and lonely. But he continues on with his mission, and there's some madcap adventure at the end during which they're all pushed back into each other's arms while the adrenaline is pumping hard, and at the absolute climax the oldest one has to make a choice-that-isn't-a-choice, finally overcoming her distrust and bonding with New Daddy.
The villain is a complete jackass. He isn't killed, just badly humiliated. Oh, and also he kidnapped the kids about halfway through. That's a given. New Daddy has to scowl at the camera and intone something to the effect that nobody but nobody messes with his kids!
Sorry, did I just review this movie or a whole bunch of other ones? I sorta lost track.
We need a word for this. "Trope" doesn't do it, because a trope is a character trope or a plot trope or a theme trope — this is all three. Let's call it a "template." The "How I Became A Family Man" template. Because nobody can pay attention to a story that takes place across nine months anymore.
So now you know what the template is. This one implemented it extremely well. I'd like to see the template retired for good…but since it isn't going anywhere anytime soon, if you have to see one this is probably as good as any.
What makes it superior? The jokes that are aimed at the grown-ups are funnier than usual.
Also, it's a little tougher for me to beat up on it. The constant in the "How I Became a Family Man" template, and in the Doofus-Dad template as well, is that whatever the father figure is doing when the kids are not, around he needs to stop doing right now. He needs to take on a new life that involves having the kids up his butt all the time, since Lord knows the women have been making do with that for thousands of years. So he needs to cease & desist all non-kid things. Even if that's working at a job to provide for the family.
In this one, they went out of their way to make the non-kid activity bad stuff. Indeed, the entire project seems to be built around this objective. New Daddy has to stop doing his bad stuff. This is a message to little kids I can support. Although, at the end of the movie, it remains an open question what the world they're all going to live on…but…that's the part where you have to say hey, it's a kid's movie, don't sweat the details.
It is a trope, wrapped up in a stereotype, inside a cliché, Morgan.
Well, it was highly entertaining so I went easy on it. I can handle the lack of variety, and having jokes made at my expense, since I'm a guy. It's the lack of creativity that really sets me off. There was enough creativity here to compensate for re-using the over-used…or close to enough anyway.
It'd be kind of cool once in awhile seeing a mom absorb a lesson or two about being-there, being-reliable, balancing work with life, et al. Just for a change of pace. I think the ladies are tough enough to handle it, although Hollywood evidently would beg to differ.- mkfreeberg | 07/23/2010 @ 10:08
Plagerized tropes, with a new coat of paint…
It's OK to swoon over that good looking movie idols because
they're vampires (were wolves/beasts/ogres), "complex" in their flat affect, and counter-intuitively "sensitive" when in the presence of a princess who can "tame" them.
It's OK to hate, and cut down, the entire group of those folk who are "different than us", after all, they're only zombies.
Meanwhile, tropes in the "other" arenas of entertainment known as schools…
We MUST show tolerance to those tortured soles, except those we MUST bestow a NO TOLERANCE policy upon.
ALL hetro males are rapists. ANY consequence of a false accusations must be borne solely by the accused, as it's a good learning experience.
(Can't remember the "higher ed administrator" that opined THAT (admittedly dramatized) jewel).
Of course there's the whole "Variations and special exceptions on victimologyhoodnessism in Out Of Context petards" trope.
Any budding professors out there that want to use that title for their next
tenure-track "published papers" drivel, or directors needing to "produce" another improbable chick-flick for the studios coffers, feel free to plagiarize from me,
instead of Shakespeare, Aesop, Brothers Grimm, or your students/interns.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
Arrests drop, favor whites
Last week, the New York City-based Drug Policy Alliance released a 17-page report titled "Marijuana Arrests in Colorado After the Passage of Amendment 64" (tiny.cc/w6mbwx), which shows the amendment's implementation has predictably gutted the rate of marijuana arrests since 2010. Statewide, arrests for possession, cultivation and distribution have dropped almost 95 percent. However, arrests are still disproportionately high for black Coloradans, as they were before legalization.
The statewide marijuana arrest rate for white people in 2010 was 335 per 100,000 people. For black people, it was 851, a rate 2.4 times higher. In 2014, the arrest rate per 100,000 people for whites was 116, and 281 for blacks, a difference still 2.4 times higher.
In El Paso County, the area's 40,000 African-Americans have experienced a worse, and growing, disparity. In 2010, blacks were arrested for possession 2.5 times more than whites. By 2014, the difference was 3.3 times greater — 77 white arrests per 100,000 people versus 251 black arrests. Also, in regards to crimes related to public consumption, blacks are arrested in El Paso County at three times the rate of whites.
"The overall decrease in arrests, charges and cases is enormously beneficial to communities of color who bore the brunt of marijuana prohibition," the Associated Press quoted Rosemary Harris Lytle, president of the Colorado/Montana/Wyoming NAACP State Conference, as saying in a statement. "However, we are concerned with the rise in disparity for the charge of public consumption and challenge law enforcement to ensure this reality is not discriminatory in any manner."
Numbers were pulled from the Colorado Judicial Branch and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and do not include Latinos.
Keef crumbs
• Shortly after expanding into a neighboring space, 420 Speakeasy (1532 N. Circle Drive, 471-3398) is ready to unveil the latest: The Ganja Game Room. "It's starting to be a big hit," says owner Travis Perkins, who notes that entry is included with the monthly $50 membership fee. "We are actually the first marijuana-friendly arcade here in Colorado Springs." Expect pinball, air hockey and games like Hydro Thunder, Pac-Man and Crisis Zone.
• Last week, the state of Colorado responded to lawsuits filed with the Supreme Court by Nebraska and Oklahoma, calling each "an attempt to reach across their borders and selectively invalidate state laws with which they disagree," reports the Denver Post.
"Friday's brief is the first time Colorado officials have had to make a full-throated argument in favor of the state's marijuana legalization laws," John Ingold writes. "In doing so, the brief spends several pages noting states' lengthy history of trying to regulate marijuana, 'a product whose use is staggeringly widespread.' Nearly half of all states now have laws legalizing recreational or medical use of marijuana, the brief states."


text:
Powerful IoT terminals and modems for VARs and integrators
ORBCOMM offers a comprehensive suite of satellite, cellular and dual-mode terminals and modems that allow you to track, monitor and control assets in the most remote areas of the world.
Our powerful, rugged and cost-effective devices are programable, allowing you to process information at the edge to minimize communication costs. ORBCOMM's broad portfolio of terminals and networks gives you the flexibility to solve diverse business challenges and increase your addressable market.
ST 6000 Series (Satellite)
ORBCOMM's ST 6000 series satellite terminals deliver complete visibility and control of industrial assets operating in remote areas, with global satellite connectivity over the e IsatData Pro network.
IDP-782 (Cellular and Dual-Mode)
The fully programmable IDP-782 is available as cellular-only or as an integrated dual-mode device combining cellular network coverage and the two-way IsatData Pro satellite service. It enables fleet managers to locate and remotely manage vehicles and communicate with drivers traveling in and out of remote areas.
IDP-800 (Satellite)
The IDP-800 is a low-profile, fully programmable satellite communications device with an integrated battery compartment that uses the two-way IsatData Pro satellite network for near real-time tracking of trailers, containers, vessels and more.
ORBCOMM has simplified the hardware decision-making process for OEMs with the release of its interchangeable OG2 and OGi satellite modems. The versatile M2M modems feature an identical footprint, connectors, power input, programming environment, communication interface and protocols.
Simply drop in the appropriate satellite modem based on your geography, message size, delivery speed and regulatory environment for unrivaled ease of use and flexibility.Details
ST 2100 (Packaged Satellite Modem – COMING SOON)
The ST 2100 packaged modem provides reliable satellite connectivity over the two-way IsatData Pro network to a variety of industrial assets in remote locations including vehicles, heavy equipment and fixed assets. This versatile modem has applications in maritime, oil and gas, utilities, transportation and more.
ORBCOMMconnect is a powerful subscriber management platform designed to reduce the complexity of managing IoT and M2M assets across multiple networks. Simplify provisioning, connectivity, set thresholds and alerts, and more with a single web-based interface.Details
DeviceCloud lets you speak one language to all your connected devices. Use a single interface to manage multiple networks and devices, where connectivity and device-specific messaging is abstracted to a common interface and messaging API.Details
"With IDP devices and off-the shelf applications, integration is accelerated and provides a comprehensive set of features that addresses the needs of fleet management without requiring additional device programming."
Jeff Palmer, Director, Global Satellite Engineering


text:
Both the common cold and many respiratory allergies give us many of the same symptoms. If you have an idea of what is causing your symptoms, you have a better chance at being able to treat it.
Around 50 million American suffer seasonal allergies, but even for those who deal with allergies regularly, it can still be hard to tell when it's actually a cold.
Both allergies and colds can cause:
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Sore throat
- Congestion
- Nasal draining
Allergies are caused by your immune system reacting to any kind of foreign substance. Whether its pollen, pet dander, dust, or certain molds, your immune system perceives it as a threat and releases chemicals called histamines to fight off the intruder.
These histamines are what actually create the symptoms of the allergy. Allergy symptoms will persist as long as the sufferer is exposed to whatever the allergen may be.
One of the clearest indicators that you are experiencing allergies rather than a cold is that your symptoms started suddenly and tapered off just as fast.
Again, once you are no longer exposed to the allergen you will no longer have symptoms. This may be hard to determine if you have seasonal allergies as airborne allergens may be present for weeks at a time.
Moreover, unlike the name suggests, a 'cold' can occur any time of year regardless of the temperature, furthering the confusion.
However, there are some symptoms that will not be caused by a cold. Some symptoms specific to allergies include:
- Skin rashes
- Itchiness or redness in the eyes
The best treatment for respiratory allergies is removing the allergen altogether. This is obviously an ideal, but unlikely, remedy.
Some of the things you can do to reduce your exposure include wearing a mask when doing outdoor activities that stir up pollen like mowing, gardening or raking leaves, keeping windows closed during seasons when you are most susceptible and regularly cleaning air filters in your air conditioning units.
You can also take over the counter antihistamines and decongestants to help manage symptoms, but it is advised to consult a doctor first to be sure you are making the right choices for your specific allergy.
The common cold is caused by any one of more than 100 types of viruses, according to the Mayo Clinic. These cold viruses are contagious, spread in the air and by touch. Cold symptoms tend to subside after a week or so.
If they do persist or get worse, the sufferer may have developed an underlying respiratory infection. While they may present so many of the same problems as allergies, colds also can cause very specific symptoms that give them away.
Symptoms specific to colds include:
- Fever
- Body aches
Rest and plenty of fluids are two of the most important home remedies for a cold. There are a myriad of decongestants and cold medicines available for the common cold, but again, it is best to have a doctor's guidance even with over the counter medicines.
This is especially true if you are still unsure whether your symptoms truly warrant treatment for either an allergy or a cold.
Consult with an Ear, Nose and Throat in South Florida
At the Office of Dr. Joshua Light, MD, you will receive top notch care for any of your ear, nose or throat complaints.
Dr. Light is specialized in pinpointing the causes of your allergies or respiratory problems and can guide you through the best treatment options possible.
Schedule your appointment today for allergy relief today by calling 561-349-6637.
Know more about tips to help you avoid the common cold: https://www.lightent.com/how-to-beat-the-common-cold-this-winter/


text:
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) – Richie Whitt is known for taking care of himself.
But for his birthday this past Sunday, he spent a nice chunk of change on something that he'll never use but will have those happy memories for the rest of his life.
It's a must listen 'Whitt's End' to hear a rare emotional side of Richie Whitt.
PLAY: Richie's Birthday Gift
Listen to Richie & Greggo "RAGE" weekdays 2:00pm – 7:00pm on 105.3 The Fan. Follow us on Twitter @1053RAGE @RichieWhitt @TCUWhiteTrash @ArmenontheAir @Sybil1053
(© Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM, CBS Local a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Also Check Out:


text:
The Fox News Channel is the unofficial broadcast wing of the Republican Party, its boss Roger Ailes a media coach to past GOP presidential candidates and parent News Corp. a $1 million 2010 donor to the Republican Governors Assn.
Still, even for the "fair and balanced" Fox — lately broadcasting almost daily interviews with Mitt Romney — the following note on Lake County, Florida, Republicans' website should prove embarrassing:
"Dick Morris auctions himself as a personal tour guide for a visit to Fox News in New York and raised an additional $6,000 for Lake County REC Campaign Season."
Morris, a pundit ubiquitous on The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity, was a Democratic consultant whose clients included liberal Washington Rep. (later Gov.) Mike Lowry. He helped bring President Clinton recover from the 1994 Republican landslide.
But Morris was banished by the Clintons just before the 1996 Democratic National Convention, after he was photographed with a hooker on the balcony of his Hotel Jefferson suite in Washington, D.C., and later revealed to have a thing for women's toes.
He has since tacked far to the right, and found a home at Fox delivering predictions of doom for the Democrats. He has headlined Republican events and was Lake County Republicans' Lincoln Day dinner speaker earlier this month.
The "personal tour" was revealed by MediaMatters.org, a liberal web site founded by a former conservative ("The Real Anita Hill" David Brock. It specializes in critiquing Fox and publishing internal memos.
Responding to MediMatters, Morris said:
"Fox News has no involvement in this auction nor have they either approved or sanctioned it. It was simply a private, personal offer of a personal meeting in New York City and a tour of Fox studios."
Fox has also been the employer of past, present and prospective Republican presidential hopefuls including Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Sarah Palin, and Mike Huckabee.


text:
Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of JAKKS Pacific
So what: The all-cash offer values JAKKS at $20 per share, representing a 25% premium to its Tuesday closing price. According to Oaktree, taking JAKKS private would allow the company to "execute a long-term value creation strategy free from the pressures of managing short-term objectives and seasonality."
Now what: When you make more than 20% in one morning, taking at least some dough off the table seems like the prudent thing to do. While Oaktree said it is willing to raise its bid if JAKKS could demonstrate more value during the due diligence process, the upside seems small given the risks that still remain. After all, with toy giants Mattel
Interested in more info on JAKKS? Add it to your watchlist.


text:
Windows System Software -- Consulting, Training, Development -- Unique Expertise, Guaranteed Results
The free OSR Learning Library has more than 50 articles on a wide variety of topics about writing and debugging device drivers and Minifilters. From introductory level to advanced. All the articles have been recently reviewed and updated, and are written using the clear and definitive style you've come to expect from OSR over the years.
Check out The OSR Learning Library at: https://www.osr.com/osr-learning-library/
Hello everyone,
I am facing a problem with a WFP driver, based on the inspect example shared by Microsoft.
My driver only monitors connections, nothing is blocked, no modification are performed on the packets, and this driver works well everyday since a year.
But when a specific software (with WFP driver) is installed on the same machine, the network connection is totally cut, and I need some help to debug this.
This issue is encountered with Checkpoint VPN Client, or Kaspersky total security for example, and I bet the issue is the same if I start 2 WFP drivers (didn't test yet).
After multiple test I see the problem occurs in TLInspectCloneReinjectOutbound.
I don't know why, but when an other WFP driver is present, the packet netBufferList is NULL when the ReinjectOutbound is called.
And this make fail FwpsAllocateCloneNetBufferList with error STATUS_FWP_NULL_POINTER.
Here is the begining of the function if it helps (the original source code in on github, wfp inspect by Microsoft)
NTSTATUS TLInspectCloneReinjectOutbound(_Inout TL_INSPECT_PENDED_PACKET* packet)
NTSTATUS status = STATUS_SUCCESS;
NET_BUFFER_LIST* clonedNetBufferList = NULL; FWPS_TRANSPORT_SEND_PARAMS sendArgs = { 0 }; if (debugLog) DbgPrint("DEBUG %d Start TLInspectCloneReinjectOutbound\n", PsGetCurrentThreadId()); if (packet->netBufferList == NULL) { if (debugLog) DbgPrint("WARNING %d netBufferList is null\n", PsGetCurrentThreadId()); } status = FwpsAllocateCloneNetBufferList(packet->netBufferList, NULL, NULL, 0, &clonedNetBufferList); if (!NT_SUCCESS(status)) { if (debugLog) DbgPrint("ERROR %d FwpsAllocateCloneNetBufferList Failed, error: 0x%x\n", PsGetCurrentThreadId(), status); goto Exit; }
Thanks for your help,
My driver only monitors connections, nothing is blocked, no modification are performed on the packets, and this driver works well everyday since a year.
Not sure this statement is correct if you're cloning and re-injecting. You're not just passively monitoring.
In terms of next steps I'd use:
netsh wfp show filters netsh wfp show state
To see exactly what the state of the system is, then take it from there.
|Upcoming OSR Seminars
|OSR has suspended in-person seminars due to the Covid-19 outbreak. But, don't miss your training! Attend via the internet instead!
|Kernel Debugging
|30 Mar 2020
|OSR Seminar Space
|Developing Minifilters
|15 Jun 2020
|Writing WDF Drivers
|22 June 2020
|Internals & Software Drivers
|28 Sept 2020
|Dulles, VA


text:
Our School values the individuality of every child and our explicit goal is to develop confident learners, who become empowered to take on the challenges of Primary School.
Alphablocks Nursery School & Pre-Prep in Hadley Wood, situated between Barnet and Enfield in North London, provides outstanding early education for children from 2 to 5 years of age, with a few additional places for children between 5 and 6 years old. Children have access to a wide range of learning experiences, which are linked with the School's educational curriculum and support their development. Extracurricular activities and workshops for children include music & movement, drama, sports & physical education, language & storytelling, natural mathematics and information technology classes. We are a non-denominational school, which values the individuality of every child and actively welcomes children of all backgrounds.
Our approach
We follow a hybrid educational approach, which brings together the best elements of different teaching methodologies in order to maximise children's learning potential and to 'scaffold' their learning. Our classroom is specifically designed according to needs of the children and the skills we want them to develop. It is a flexible and adaptive environment with spaces to explore, to learn, to relax in and have fun. We want our children to be enthused and motivated to learn.
Our teachers
All the teachers in Alphablocks Nursery School & Pre-Prep are experienced educators, who are specifically qualified in the field of early education. Teachers and early years practicioners, including any trainees, get to know our children well and use this knowledge to plan effectively for the next steps in each child's learning journey through detailed and meaningful observations, which are shared with parents through various channels of communication. They understand the importance of providing the right balance between play opportunities and more structured activities.
Our setting
The School has one main classroom situated in St. Paul's Church Hall in Hadley Wood, London. This is divided into different areas of learning, including a maths area, a literacy area as well as an area where we explore nature and develop children's understanding of the world. A creative workshop area allows children to develop their own creative projects. Over 90% of our resources, including all educational toys, are made of natural materials (and over half of them are handmade). There are two outdoor spaces: a sensory garden next to the main classroom and a separate playground in a wonderful tree-lined courtyard. We encourage parents to visit the nursery and come and talk to our team about our philosophy of learning.
The School operates between 8.15 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. (with extended hours included). The core morning session is between 8.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m., while the core afternoon session is between 12.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. Regular attendance maximizes the impact we can have on the child's learning journey and in preparing them for school. We therefore recommend that children participate in at least 5 sessions per week, at a minimum.
Our fees
We have a simple and competitive price list, which makes clear and explicit any extra charges for specialist classes, workshops field trips. The minimum attendance for children over 3 years old is five mornings per week. For 2-year-old children, minimum attendance is three mornings per week. Funding for 3-5 year old children is available (up to 30 hours). Parents who wish to claim the 30-hour entitlement should undertake a quick eligibility check. You can find our complete price list with all possible options here.
Areas covered
Set in Hadley Wood village, our nursery school is within easy reach of Enfield, Potters Bar, Cockfosters, Southgate, High Barnet, Totteridge and Whetstone and surrounding areas.
More information
You will find a lot of information about our School's ethos and educational approach on this website, mainly through our early years education blog, but also in the Frequently Asked Questions page. Please do get in touch with us if you have any other questions. We believe we can be the right early years setting for your child. But we understand that choosing a nursery isn't easy, so please do visit us and compare us against other nursery schools.


text:
« Judge Posner's reasonable work on acquitted conduct sentencing | Main | AFDA federal sentencing audio webcast today »
February 5, 2007
How is Florida's lethal injection commission doing?
As noted here, two months ago, after a troublesome lethal injection execution, then-Florida Governor Jeb Bush issued Executive Order 06-260 (available here), which imposed a moratorium on executions in Florida and created a state Commission on Administration of Lethal Injection. The Commission is charged with reviewing the method in which lethal injection protocols are administered; this AP report discusses some of the testimony presented to the group in a hearing today in Florida.
Notably, Executive Order 06-260 provides that the Commission "shall submit its preliminary report of findings and recommendations to the Governor no later than February 1, 2007, and its final report of findings and recommendations by March 1, 2007." To my knowledge, however, the Commission only had its first meeting on January 29, and it has not yet submitted any sort of report.
Is anyone following the work of this Commission closely? Is the Commission likely to help Florida develop a sound execution protocol, or will its work ultimately end up as just one more piece of evidence in an inevitable habeas fight over whatever new procedures Florida might adopt?
UPDATE: A reader sent me this helpful comment, "The Florida Commission's preliminary report has been delayed until Feb 15, but the final report is still due on Mar 1." In addition, StandDown Texas Project now has this extended post covering "Florida LI Panel at Work & Reverberations."
February 5, 2007 at 06:09 PM | Permalink
TrackBack URL for this entry:
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference How is Florida's lethal injection commission doing?:
A post on hearings on this at capital defense weekly blog:
Posted by: an | Feb 6, 2007 3:24:23 PM


text:
Manuka honey, from the New Zealand manuka bush, sweetens this sour-style drink. "Manuka has this crazy, leathery thing going on," says
bartender Chris Elford. "It adds another level of flavor—like spices in cooking."
Slideshow: Whiskey Recipes
Recipe from Food & Wine Cocktails 2015
How to Make It
In a cocktail shaker, combine the rye, lemon juice, honey syrup and cayenne. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe or Champagne flute and top with the Prosecco.
Manuka honey is available at health food stores and amazon.com. You can also use another dark honey like buckwheat.
Dark Honey Syrup: 1/4 ounce dark honey, such as buckwheat or manuka, mixed with 1/4 ounce hot water and cooled.


text:
Think the world of consumer 3D printing and hardcore manufacturing 3D printing share nothing more than a few words? After all, high-end production 3D printers are churning out end-use parts, highly detailed concept models and more for a range of manufacturing operations. And consumer 3D printers, like the Cube, are perfect for at-home projects and art pieces. The two seem pretty far removed, right?
Not so fast.
In a recent Industry Week article, Jim Williams, vice president of aerospace and defense, MANTEC and program development at 3D Systems, argues that manufacturers ought to be taking note of the implications of consumer 3D printing on the manufacturing industry. In fact, consumer 3D printing is laying the groundwork for a new generation of manufacturers, getting students interested in making early. In addition, it's helping manufacturers who haven't stepped into the 3D printing arena to get a feel for the design paradigm shift that 3D printing requires.


text:
2017 was an incredible and tumultuous year for me. I started a new and completely different chapter in my life. Everything in my personal life has changed beyond what I ever thought was possible, for the good mostly, but not without immense pain. I discovered dark truths about people I'd considered family for over a decade, and chose to be true to myself and to what I know is right.
I went into a bubble of isolation from most people and from my work for the past year just getting through the day-to-day and dealing with the grieving.
I've been in survival mode.
I never thought I could live through the loss I did last year, but I am trusting that love and truth will triumph in the end and I'm ready and to move forward in my life and in my work.
All year I've been looking at my unprocessed film and fresh packs of photo paper, knowing I need to get back, so it's time for New Years Resolutions!
2018 Goals:
Finishing my Along the Way film processing and printing
Complete my writing and book for the project
Exhibit Along the Way as a solo show
Get back to blogging regularly
Process my new 4×5 film and keep shooting
Resolve Flex series printing


text:
Elizabeth (Betty) WalpertGrade(s): High School DramaSubject(s): Acting 1, Acting 2, Acting 3/4, Costume Design 1/2/3/4, Theatre History, Drama Fundamentals 1
BETTY WALPERT BIOBetty Walpert teaches advanced-level Acting, Costume Design and Theatre History at Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School in Augusta, Georgia. In her 25th year in the classroom, Ms. Walpert was recognized as an Honorable Mention recipient for the Tony award for the 2017 "Excellence in Theatre Education Award". Only twenty other teachers across the nation received this honor! Ms. Walpert is also an inductee into the GA Thespian 'Hall of Fame' for her years of service with the GA Thespians.Additional honors include induction into the Georgia Thespian 'Hall of Fame', the 'Women of Excellence' "Arts" Award presented by Girl Scouts of America, Inc., 'Best Local Actress' by Augusta Magazine (twice), the Greater Augusta Arts Council "Arts Professional of the Year" award, the SETC 'William E Wilson' Award winner and the US Army Commanders Award for Civilian Service. She has been recognized with Richmond County's Sallie Mae First-Class Teacher Award, and as DFA's Teacher of the Year, and Star Teacher.DFA Drama has performed by invitation at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, the largest arts festival in the world, where they received rave international reviews for their production of Dark of the Moon. And, Ms Walpert and her students traveled to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska where DFA Drama students performed The Crucible in June 2017 as a 'Chapter Select' production for Georgia!Ms. Walpert is a four-time recipient of the GA Theatre Conference Best Director award, with Davidson Fine Arts Drama winning Best Show on seven occasions at GTC. Most recently, her production of A Wrinkle in Time, was the State AA One-Act play First Place winner and Ernest and the Pale Moon won First Place at State One-Act Play, Georgia Theatre Conference 'Best Play' winner, and the Georgia representative to the 2018 Southeastern Theatre Conference. Appearing seven times as Georgia's rep for SETC, DFA Drama has won first place once at SETC with Wiley and the Hairy Man, and runner-up with A Thurber Carnival. Also, Mrs. Walpert co-directed with Heather Davidson, the DFA production of Music Man which won 2nd Place for the American Prize in Musical Theatre Performance, 2014.Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Walpert is very active in her local community. She is a graduate of Leadership Augusta, and has received significant recognition for over 30 years of providing outstanding entertainment to our military service members and their families. She has appeared in regional and local television commercials as well as over 75 stage appearances with many companies.Ms. Walpert absolutely loves teaching and mentoring young people and feels so lucky to work at such an amazing school with such amazing colleagues at Davidson Fine Arts! She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Auburn University and a MS in Theatre Education from Florida State University. She shares her love of the Education and the Arts with proud husband Steve, daughters Kate and Sarah, and grandbabies Finley and Ayla.
Video List
Tony Nomination video for 'Excellence in Theatre Education'
Watch the brief video for the Tony nomination packet!Author: Michael HennessyLength:


text:
SaleBestseller No. 1
Sport Horse Soundness and Performance: Training Advice for Dressage, Showjumping and Event Horses from Champion Riders, Equine Scientists and Vets
- Cecilia Lonnell
- Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
- Hardcover: 160 pages
SaleBestseller No. 2
Conditioning Sport Horses
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Hilary M. Clayton
- Publisher: Sport Horse Publications
- Edition no. 1 (12/01/1991)
- Paperback: 271 pages
SaleBestseller No. 3
Champion Sports Rubber Horseshoe Set
- RUBBER DESIGN FOR ALL AGES: Made with quality rubber, these lightweight horseshoes are easy to throw and aim compared to traditional metal horseshoes, and their soft design also makes them safe to use for kids and adults
- INDOOR OR OUTDOOR PLAY: Designed with lightweight rubber playing mats and rubber horseshoes, this horseshoe game is suitable for indoor or outdoor use as it will not damage floors or walls during games and is sure to stay in place
- BRIGHT, VIBRANT COLORS: This horseshoe set comes with bright red and blue horseshoes along with vibrant yellow pegs, improving visibility for outdoor play and making it easier for players to see their target when throwing the horseshoes
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PLAY: With 4 horseshoes, 2 rubber mats with center pegs, and 2 red plastic dowels, this horseshoe set comes with everything needed to start a game in your backyard, on the playground, or in the gym
- QUICK, EASY SET UP: Made to be easy and convenient to set up and tear-down, this horseshoe game is simple enough for anyone, including kids, to put together on their own right out of the box
Bestseller No. 4
Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse: A Modern American Hunter/Jumper System
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Paul D. Cronin
- Publisher: University of Virginia Press
- Edition no. 1 (11/24/2004)
- Hardcover: 320 pages
SaleBestseller No. 5
Helena the Horse-riding Fairy (Rainbow Magic: Sports Fairies #1)
- Daisy Meadows
- Publisher: Scholastic
- Paperback: 80 pages
SaleBestseller No. 6
The Sport of Kings: A Novel
- C. E. Morgan
- Publisher: Picador
- Edition no. 0 (05/02/2017)
- Paperback: 560 pages
Bestseller No. 7
Breyer Classics Sport Horse Family Toy Set
- Set includes a beautiful stallion, mare and foal
- For additional play, the set includes fencing, bucket, apple barrel, hose and hay bale
- Classics are 1:12 Scale, with hand-painted details and all the quality you expect from Breyer!
- Designed to give horse-savvy young collectors the true-to-life horse details they crave for active role play.
- Breyer's most realistic junior collector line.
Bestseller No. 8
North American Sport Horse Breeder
- Kathleen Hiney Kirsan
- Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
- Edition no. 0 (06/11/2013)
- Paperback: 460 pages
Bestseller No. 9
Tough-1 Extreme Vented Front Sport Boots - Set of 2 (colors may vary)
- JT International Distributors Inc
- Tough 1
- Extreme Vented Sport Boots
- Color Black
- Size Medium or Large
SaleBestseller No. 10
Jump Course Design Manual: How to Plan and Set Practice Courses for Schooling Hunter, Jumper and Equitation Riders
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Susan D. Tinder
- Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
- Edition no. 0 (04/01/2013)
- Spiral-bound: 232 pages
Last update on 2020-08-07 at 17:02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API


text:
I've been swamped this weekend. I was up at 8 a.m. doing my hair on Saturday morning before anyone awoke. I followed that with baking gingerbread pumpkin cookies for Halloween. Yes yes, I know I could have bought ginger cookies. But they're just not the same! Some of the cookies went with Petite to her Halloween party at daycare today. Some will go to a bake sale at the office on Wednesday. And some more, I'll keep for us at home.
I did even more baking: a couple of batches of Sugar cookies. Happy Birthday ones for one of the kids at the daycare (to coincide with the Monday Halloween party).
I made a macaroni and cheese casserole for dinner on Monday night. I contemplated baking bread, but I never got that far.
I shopped: picking up a snowsuit for Petite for this year as well as Halloween goodies for daycare kids. I have yet to get Petite's winter boots though. And I didn't buy enough Halloween candy/chocolate to hand out at my girlfriend's house yet. Crap. I knew I forgot something. I'll put it on the "to do" list for Tuesday.
I finished sewing some details of Petite's costume. She wore it today for the Halloween party. She loved it.
Hubby enlisted his son's help to close our pool (finally!) and then Hubby finished up the painting in the living room. Good thing. Our furniture from the east coast will arrive in the next couple of days.
I did some laundry, changed Petite's bed, all that sort of regular thing.
Hubby was recently in a car accident and the woman in the other car came to our house on Saturday with an estimate for her repairs. Ugh. Can I stick my head in the sand now? One good thing about seeing this woman: she bought all of the rest of Petite's old clothing that I was going to consign. I gave her a helluva deal because she is going to ship it all to Haiti (her native country). I know the need there is great, so I let it all go for a steal. I know some kids in Haiti will be very well dressed. I even threw in a huge bag of shoes/boots/sneakers for good measure.
Over the weekend, we hung up a bunch of Halloween decorations. We carved our pumpkins on Saturday night too. You can see the five here:
|Hubby's bat, my witch (Petite wanted me to do that with her), my girlfriend's bat cavern,
her daughter's grim reaper, and my stepson's "Beware," which he took home with him, and it promptly became a squirrel snack!
A woman came today to buy our coffee and end tables that we had for sale on Kijiji. After the mother of all garage sales, we had a few big ticket items left that we were going to try to sell individually. I think we have only one or two left now.
Needless to say, we're busy. I cannot wait until some of the busy goes away. (And some part of me is very, very thankful that I am this busy at all.)
I continue to be excited and happy for Mo and Will who welcomed little Magpie one week ago. What an incredible journey. What a gorgeous girl. How very lucky they were this time around!
And to Keiko, who is venturing into the early stages of a hard-won pregnancy after premature ovarian failure and a donor egg cycle. She is a wonderful advocate for the ALI community. I am keeping fingers crossed that all continues to go well for her.
I know many of you are dealing with Hurricane Sandy in the next few days. Stay safe everyone. Love to all.
Oh, I've taken up my "photo a day" blog again. I posted about 40 photos starting from a few months ago up to pics that I took today. I will try to pick it up and finish out this year.


text:
Texas Woodcrafts
About the Wood
Texas Ebony
Black Walnut
Other Texas Woods
"Foreign" Woods
Rough-Turned Bowls
Texas Pen Blanks
Ordering & Shipping
Wood Glossary
Contact Us
Rough-Turned Bowls For Sale
Texas woods are too beautiful and too valuable to simply turn into curly shavings on the floor beneath my lathe. Even so, I still wind up with a lot of shavings as the photo above illustrates!. So I generally try to core smaller, interior bowls as I rough-out larger bowls. Like their bigger brothers, these smaller bowls are set aside to dry before final-turning to the finished product.
Lately I have been turning a number of quite large bowls and as a result, producing three or four times that number of smaller, interior bowls. These are simply more rough-out bowls than I can complete, or have an immediate market for at this time. So I am offering a number of them for sale here.
The following bowls are rough-turned to a reasonably thick wall dimension, generally slightly thinner on the bottom than the sides (to minimize cracking), with a tenon on the bottom suitable for lathe mounting with a spiral chuck (generally cut to fit my Oneway Talon chucks). Non-Mesquite woods are generally roughed-out to a wall thickness of approximately 10 percent of the diameter. As Mesquite is very stable with minimal distortion, my Mesquite bowls are commonly roughed-out to less (generally 5 to 10 percent).
These bowls are allowed to air-dry to equilibrium for our local (Texas) conditions, somewhere around 12 to 15% moisture content, before final turning (or being offered for sale here). I do remount these rough bowls and re-turn them to round (and roughly smooth-out any CA glue or epoxy repairs) before putting them up here for sale. So if you buy one, it will be round and ready for you to do the final turning, sanding and finishing. The appearance of a shiny finish in the pictures below is due to water applied to each bowl before photography, to bring out the beauty of the grain hidden below the rough-turned surface.
If you are interested in one of these, please contact me to check/confirm availability and total costs including shipping. If you are interested in a size or other wood species not listed, again contact me - I have a lot of wood and roughed-out bowls that I have not listed here.
To see samples turned from these "exotic" Texas woods on my companion website, www.prairiesend.com.
Listing last updated 3 June 2016
Nothing here that suits your needs?
Then send me an email at: firstname.lastname@example.com
or a telephone call at: 281-392-5336 (home/shop w/ans. machine)
281-782-0185 (cell, but w/o voice mail)
There is a possibility that I have more, either cut into blocks or in the rough log,
so I may be able to meet your specific requirements.
If not - send an email with your requirements and I will put it into my "wood requested by species" files and
see if I can cut it next time I have a log of that species up on the mill.


text:
It's Game on at Level Up! AMD Foundation and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Team Up for Gaming
You might already know the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have a video game design category (sponsored by AMD!). But did you know that now teachers have a place to go to online to find tools for their students to design their own video games? AMD Foundation, the Alliance and Scholastic come together thanks to AMD Changing the Game, to bring you video gaming excitement and education with a new online initiative – Level Up!
Level Up! is an online resource for teachers where they can find curricula, tools and platforms for their students to create video games, all entirely free. Hosted by Scholastic Inc. at www.scholastic.com/createvideogames, Level Up! is an opportunity for educators to strengthen students' science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and language arts skills while having them build unique digital games. There are game-design teaching tools for all levels of gaming knowledge at Level Up! For those at the beginning to intermediate levels, there's Gamestar Mechanic, and gaming veterans can use Activate.
In addition to the lessons and design tools at Level Up!, you can find other resources such as informational videos and sample student games. Students using Level Up! are encouraged to submit their original games to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for the opportunity to earn scholarships and recognition.
Level Up! marks the second time AMD and the Alliance come together in the name of video gaming. The category was first introduced to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards last year with sponsorship from AMD and proved to be a hit as submissions in video game design more than doubled this year. Teachers across the country now have access to these free tools and technology thanks to Level Up! Take a spin at it- simply choose your design tool, teach a lesson, encourage award submissions, and it's game on.


text:
If you enjoy the Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton's lovefest, then you're really going to love the star-studded couple's new music video for their festive tune, "You Make It Feel Like Christmas," off the former's 2017 holiday album of the same name.
On Tuesday (November 20), the former No Doubt frontman released the feel-good clip and it sees the pair in a number of comical set-ups, but the biggest attraction to the three-minute video has to be their affection for one another. Directed by Sophie Muller, the holiday video plays out like a mini-romantic comedy as the pair don smiles, acting chops and some PDA for viewers. "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" isn't the first time these two have collaborated on a track together. Shelton previously included Stefani on a cut called "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" from his If I'm Honest LP.
Earlier this month, Us Weekly revealed that the pair is "determined to have a child together" and steadily working on the surrogacy process. "They are in the final stages of choosing the woman who will carry their baby. It's extremely important to Gwen that she give Blake a biological child, and Blake is so excited," the insider explained, adding that Blake "wants his own child, too." Stefani is currently mother to sons Kingston, 12, Zuma, 10 and Apollo, 4, with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale. Meanwhile, Shelton did not have any children with ex-wife Miranda Lambert. "Gwen just is so in awe of the love Blake has, not only for her but for the boys," the insider added.
Prior to the Us Weekly report, the pair appeared at the 2018 E!'s People Choice Awards in Santa Monica alongside Carson Daly. During the ceremony, Shelton and his Voice colleague took the stage to accept the award for Choice Competition Show, but not before the former stood up and embraced Stefani with a big kiss and hug. "I want to thank Gwen Stefani and all of our coaches on The Voice," Daly told the crowd at the podium, which prompted cameras to pan to the former No Doubt frontwoman sitting close to the stage. "All-time favorite coach right there ... Gwen Stefani," the country titan said while pointing to his leading lady. "I love her. Thank you guys so much!"
Photo: YouTube/Gwen Stefani


text:
By most accounts, riders on the Long Island Rail Road have had a rough couple of years.
In fact, in 2017 the transit agency saw its worst on-time performance in more than two decades, and 2018 was only marginally better: At year's end, 88 percent of morning rush-hour trains had arrived on time, and in the evening, 86.6 percent, according to railroad statistics.
But there has been better news. The railroad finished off the year with 93.5 percent of its trains arriving on time in December, signaling that the agency may be turning a corner when it comes to reliability.
It was for this reason, and in the aftermath of a deadly collision and derailment in Westbury, that nine state senators from districts on Long Island and Queens, other elected officials, and members of the LIRR's leadership crammed into a second-floor room at the Nassau County executive building in Mineola on March 1 to discuss challenges and succeses on big-ticket items, as LIRR officials prepared to make their case to the lawmakers on what they would like to see in their next round of capital funding.
"Yes, 2018 was a challenging year," acknowledged LIRR President Philip Eng. "A lot of that had to do with storms, but if you look at what we've done since . . . we've managed it differently."
Urgency was the word of the day, which Eng noted was chief in his philosophy of how to improve service since he took the reins of the agency last April. Urgency in cutting costs, shoring up infrastructure and taking risks to improve service and convenience for the railroad's ridership, which in 2018 ballooned to 89.8 million — its largest in nearly 70 years, he said. All of it was part of an initiative Eng referred to as the "Long Island Rail Road Forward" program.
"Since I started 10 months ago, it's been about me making sure I'm engaging every customer throughout my daily commutes . . . to meet with management, and make sure that as we invest, they think it's important to them," he said. "The Long Island Rail Road Forward program is about tackling things that are important to [riders], and addressing things causing them delays and affecting their commutes."
Among the steps the railroad has taken are the replacement of switches to improve reliability, the extension of platforms at the Forest Hills and Kew Gardens stations to ease congestion and the clearing of more than 200 miles of trees and undergrowth along its lines to prevent leaves from falling on the tracks, which pose constant maintenance issues for rail services.
Big-ticket items
Janno Lieber, chief development officer and president of capital construction for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the LIRR's parent agency — announced that its long-delayed East Side Access tunnel project, which is intended to ease congestion at Pennsylvania Station, will stick to its 2022 completion date, and is currently 90 percent complete.
He did, however, ask the lawmakers that they provide an additional $1.5 billion for the project, which has suffered numerous cost overruns, and last year passed the $11 billion mark, ranking it among the country's most expensive railway projects.
Railroad officials also reported that its long-in-the-works $2.6 billion third track — a new 9.8-mile line running between Floral Park and Hicksville — is roughly 40 percent complete and is also slated for completion in 2022.
The lawmakers asked pointed questions at times, but for the most part, what they were seeking was information to better inform their legislation and to ensure that the agency's revenue was being spent appropriately.
Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Beach, who co-chaired the event, asked about the scope and effectiveness of the MTA's management overhaul, as well as whether the LIRR would be in favor of congestion pricing proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which would implement a surcharge for cars entering and exiting New York City and put the funds toward strengthening MTA infrastructure.
"It was public position of the Long Island senators at this table that part of congestion pricing revenue would go toward bolstering Long Island Rail Road capital . . . I assume that's something you would welcome."
Eng replied that he favored the plan, but noted that it was up to lawmakers to make it happen. Additionally, Lieber reported that despite aggressive consolidation of management, and leaving vacant positions unfilled, resulting in roughly $2 billion in recurring annual labor savings, the agency was still vastly underfunded.
"The MTA is facing a serious financial crisis," Lieber said. "This is something that's not widely understood. We're expecting a $500 million deficit next year, which after a few years we expect that to rise to close to $1 billion."
Kaminsky also grilled the officials on what they have done to improve service. Eng said that despite a bad start to 2018, between switch replacement and the clearing of trees along tracks, this fall or "leaf season," which traditionally presents maintenance challenges for rail services, the LIRR saw improvements in reliability.
A tight squeeze
Sen. Anna Kaplan, a Democrat from Great Neck, asked what could be done about crowding on train cars. Eng responded that it was an issue of maintaining the LIRR's fleet or "rolling stock" of cars, which is a challenge that has only been compounded after the Feb. 26 derailment.
"That's a crop of 20 cars that's no longer available to us," Eng said of the damage caused in the accident, and addressing other senators' questions about safety, he said that his agency was working to eliminate as many grade crossings, or sites where streets and the railways intersect, as possible, but admitted that with 296 such crossings across the island, it would take years.
Sen. Kevin Thomas, a Democrat from Levittown, said he was "personally upset" by the recent announcement of ticket-fare hikes, which could see commuters' monthly expenses increase by as much as $15.
"The fare hike was below the rate of inflation," Eng maintained. "It's important revenue . . . we are investing the money we have and we're putting it towards improvements in service."
Additionally, Lieber noted that biannual fare hikes had been approved by the state Legislature almost a decade ago. "The Legislature decided in around 2010 that regular fare hikes that were in the range of inflation . . . would be better than people waiting and waiting and getting a mega fare hike every few years," he said.
According to Larry Penner, a retired Federal Transit Administration employee from Great Neck, the MTA's problems run much deeper than fixing switches and adding new trains. In his public statement to the legislators, he argued that Penn Station would require an expansion of platform capacity to accommodate a larger fleet, and due to the poor state of tunnels running in and out of the station, that capacity is at risk should one fail. Any of those projects could cost tens of billions of dollars, Penner argued.
It also remains to be seen what kinds of revenue lawmakers would be willing to provide the agency in the state's upcoming budget. With $15 billion in expenses, and operating deficits predicted for 2019 and 2021, new revenue streams will likely be necessary, many of which are still up in the air.


text:
2012.11.21 Wednesday
| - | | - | - | pookmark |
This is a notebook and guide for learners of English as a second or overseas language, all over the earth. Most of the writings here are in Basic English, first designed by C. K. Ogden, using 850 necessary words and a number of international words only.
2012.11.21 Wednesday
| - | | - | - | pookmark |
2005.11.09 Wednesday
BES: Upcoming Event in Tokyo
The Basic English Society, Japan, is going to have a meeting in Tokyo.
Time: 20 November, from 10:00 till 16:30.
Place: Izumi Eifuku Chiiki Kumin Center, Eifukucho, Tokyo.
Part 1. Reading The Grammar of the English Language, a book by Randolph Quirk and others.
Part 2. Reading the book Learning Learning Basic English by I. A. Richards and C. Gibson, and The Bible in Basic English and the Bible in other forms of English. Hands-on training of writing with Basic words like "change," "cheap," and "cheese."
See more details in Japanese:
| Basic English | 18:00 | comments(0) | - | pookmark |
2005.11.16 Wednesday
Richards-Gibson System: Training for Starters
Graded Direct Method, or GDM, is a system of teaching language by step-by-step way, making thing-word connections. It was made up first as a way of teaching Basic English, at Harvard University, by I. A. Richards and Christine Gibson. So I make use of the name "Richards-Gibson System."
The Japanese group of language teachers are going have a training day for starters on 23 November at Bentencho Shimin Gakushu Center, Osaka, starting 13:00.
There will be a talk and hands-on training. The talk will be about the theory which the system is based on. The training will be seeing an example by an experienced teacher and taking part in the teaching.
Details in Japanese: <www.gdm.pos.to>
| Basic English | 14:32 | comments(2) | - | pookmark |
2005.11.27 Sunday
Andersen's Little Match Girl
Hans Christian Andersen was a writer from Denmark, who put out a number of beautiful stories. They were in Danish language, but put into other languages like German, English, Japanese and so on.
"The Little Match Girl" was one of the noted stories by Andersen, with his love for little ones and his feelings on troulbes in the society put in a beautiful writing.
I put the story into Basic, in 2003, as a part of my training for writing Basic English. Even in Basic with a very limited number of words, you will see Andersen was a great writer.
Mr. Ohyama, one of my Japanese friends, kindly made it public in his online pages. It may be a bit early, but I have a hope that you will have, with this Christmas story, a happy Christmas.
Hans Christian Andersen, "The Little Match Girl"
| Basic English | 12:21 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
2005.12.17 Saturday
BES: Regular Meeting
The Basic English Society, Japan, is to have a regular meeting tomorow in Tokyo.
They will be happy to have anyone interested in Basic or in the society being present.
They will have time for reading parts of
The Grammar of the English Language, a book by Randolph Quirk,
Learning Basic English by I. A. Richards and C. Gibson,
The Bible in Basic English, making comparison with other English Bibles.
After that, they will have a time for hands-on training of writing Basic English, using words like "change," "cheap," and "cheese."
Time: 10:00-16:30 Sunday 18 December 2005.
Place: Shukai Room 4, Eifuku Izumi Chiiki Kumin Center, 3-minute walk from Eifukucho Station, Keio Inokashira Line.
For details in Japanese and future events, see The Basic English Society
| Basic English | 08:06 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
2005.12.22 Thursday
Music and Basic English
I am a lover of music, so I am happy whenever talking or writing about music.
Basic English, however, do not have much words for music. Instruments of music, for example, like guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, saxophone, flute, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, tuba, viola, and cello are not on C. K. Ogden's list.
Old books from the Orthological Institute, which was Ogden's organization, did not have much about music. Books by I. A. Richards, in addition, did not have much about it. Those two men, though they were experts in a number of different fields and with great knowledge of arts, did not seem to have much interest in music.
So it is possible to say that music is a "road not taken," one of the less walked-on fields, for anyone interested in Basic English. And there is much to do with writing about music. Writing in Basic about music has to be started by someone. It may be me.
| Basic English | 12:24 | comments(3) | - | pookmark |
2005.12.29 Thursday
Music and Basic English 2
Why did C. K. Ogden put only a small number of words for music on his lists of Basic and international words? There may be two reasons. 1. Talking or writing ABOUT music was not much of general interest. 2.Music in the West had already been international. In the coming posts I will put more about these reasons, one by one.
| Basic English | 18:04 | comments(1) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
2005.12.30 Friday
Writing about Music: For Ones with Knowledge
If you are writing for general readers who have some interest in music, it will be better for you to keep your statements within the limit of Basic words and Ogden's international words. If you are writing online, you may put some pictures or sounds as helps to give a better idea. But it may be necessary for you to have deep knowledge of Basic words.
If you are writing for music lovers, players or song-men, you may make use of special words which you see in school-books of music. It is possible because music from the West has been, in a way, international.
Let me give a bit of backdrop knowledge. Chief bases of music from the West were formed in Italy, hundreds of years back. Italian men of music like Palestrina or Monteverdi made up the chief theory and examples of music. Other Italian music-writers made journeys all over Europe and got positions in Austria, Britain, France and Germany. So Italian became THE language of music. German men of Music like Johan Sebastian Bach and Austrian men like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart made journeys to Italy, and took time learning Italian music and language. Mozart was specially good at Italian, and he made long song-plays in the language. Players and writers of music still make use of Italian words like do, re, mi, allegro, and andante.
Writers and players of music, in addition, generally make use of more and more English words now. Japanese players of music, for example, never make use of Japanese music words like ha, ni, ho, he, to. They make use of English, or German, words and signs like C, D, E, F and G. They will not have a hard time facing English words with the same senses.
In the coming year, I will give more examples and suggestions for writing about music in Basic English.
| Basic English | 18:08 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
2006.01.02 Monday
Horns: Music in Basic
Horns are hard, and sometimes pointed, things on the head of an animal like goat or sheep. They are used when the animal makes a fight.
Horns are sometimes taken off the head of a dead animal and used for other purposes. If you make a horn hollow and have it upside down in your hand, you may make use of it for drinking. If you have the pointed top cut off the hollow horn and have the horn upside down, you may make use of it to put gunpowder into the small space in your gun.
A hollow horn without a top was used as an instrument of music. You put the narrow part on your lips, give a push of air into the horn, and your lips make quick, waving moves, making a sound, which gets loud through the horn. These horns were used by caretakers of sheep.
Men of music, working on horn-playing, made new and longer horns, by and by, of wood or metal. They made a discovery that the best metal for horn-making was brass. Metal horns were played by men on horseback and postmen on carriages. Those horns got longer and had new apparatus for playing. They had developments into new and different forms, like french horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba. Inventions of new brass instruments like cornet, flugelhorn, tenorhorn, bariton-horn and so on gave births of brass bands in Europe.
In serious writings on music today, these are brass instruments; in everyday talk or writings on music, they are, after all, horns.
One of the best and most noted men in the history of jazz music is a trumpet player named Miles Davis. A selection of his recordings made public in 1981 was The Man with the Horn.
| Basic English | 21:17 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
2006.01.05 Thursday
Pipes: Music in Basic
[Note: In this posting, I made an error of putting the word "whistles" in green letters. "Whisle," in fact, is a Basic word.]
Thousands of years back, someone in Asia sent a breath of air over the top of the hollow stem of a plant, and a sound came out. Being interested in the discovery, that person, or someone with the knowledge, made other attempts on stems long and short, getting low and high sounds. That was the invention of simple whisltes, not noted in history.
Years went by, and someone in Asia made a discovery that, by opening and shutting the hole at the end, a whistle made of a plant stem gave different sounds, low and high. More attempts were made with more holes in the whistle, or pipe, and that was the start of music pipes like shakuhachi, Japanese pipe played in the upright position, and flutes, pipes played in the sideways position.
There were other inventions. The most important one is a more complex whistle made with one or two small bits of a plant stem, giving out a harder and clearer sound. This apparatus, as the sound-maker, was put at the upper end of a pipe, and it became other sorts of pipes like Japanese sho and hichiriki.
Those pipes made journeys from China through the Silk Roads to Europe. Because it was hard in Europe to get the stems of water-plants, new pipes were made of wood. They are woodwinds.
There were more inventions in Europe: more holes, metal keys, and new designs for better playing. Today, there are woodwind instruments like clarinets, oboes, english-horns, bassoons, and so on.
Though flutes and saxophones are made of metals, they are named woodwinds because of their system and history.
In everyday English, those woodwinds are, after all, pipes.
| Basic English | 12:10 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |
2006.01.07 Saturday
Winds: Pipes and Horns
I said, in my note on pipes, that the music pipes are woodwinds. They are named so because they are made of wood and played with breaths of air, a sort of wind, coming out of the mouths of the players. Those pipes, and horns, are wind instruments.
There are other instruments made of wood but not played with wind, like pianos and violins. ("Piano" and "violin" are on Ogden's list of inter[natio]nal words.)
Brass instruments, nearly all of them, are played with wind, so there is no need to make use of words like brasswinds.
Music for wind instruments are wind music. The most noted work of wind music in the history is probably Night Music for 13 Wind Instruments by Wolfgang A. Mozart.
Bands of players who are mostly on wind instruments are wind bands.
In Japan and the North America, a great number of middle and high schools have their wind bands. They have music for school events and sports events. If your school has that sort of band, it is your school band.
| Basic English | 11:37 | comments(0) | - | pookmark |
Days of the Month
About Me
Fields of Interest
Past Writings
New Notes
New Notes from Outside
Ryota's Latest Notes: From Twitter
RY0TA's Other Pages: In English
• Ryota's Old Daybook: Till November 2005
• About Basic English
• Books in Simple French: Ryota's List at Amazon.fr
RY0TA's Japanese Pages
For Small Machines
(C) 2020 ブログ JUGEM Some Rights Reserved.