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A consultation on a draft Bill to allow same sex marriage in Scotland has started today.
The plans have received cross party support in the Scottish Parliament.
The consultation seeks views on the detail of the legislation. It covers not only the introduction of same sex marriage but the detail of important protections in relation to religious bodies and celebrants, freedom of speech and education.
The Bill contains a provision making it clear that the introduction of same sex marriage has no impact on existing rights to freedom of speech.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said:
"This Bill represents a proud step forwards for equality in Scotland. Equal marriage is the right and natural step towards the modern, tolerant and progressive Scotland we all want to see.
"These reasonable changes are about removing barriers and extending freedoms. It will extend the rights of same-sex couples whilst retaining the freedom of religious groups who do not wish to conduct same sex marriages. Scottish Liberal Democrats look forward to working with the Scottish Government on this historic bill."
Health Secretary Alex Neil said:
"We are introducing same sex marriage in Scotland because it is the right thing to do.
"We are striving to create a Scotland that is free, tolerant and fair and I am pleased to say there is support across the chamber for this significant step.
"I am absolutely clear that this should not impact on religious freedom and no religious body will be compelled to solemnise same sex marriages. Religious bodies who wish to solemnise same sex marriage will have to opt in.
"Where a body does decide to solemnise same sex marriages, we will also protect individual celebrants who consider such ceremonies to be contrary to their faith."
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald said:
"I'm glad that the government is going out to consultation on this because the more people who discuss the question the harder it will be for anyone to recommend that such an inequality of treatment should be tolerated - the measure has my full support."
Co-convener of the Scottish Greens Patrick Harvie MSP said:
"Scottish Green Party policy has supported equal marriage for over a decade. Wider Scottish public and political opinions have been moving in the direction of equality for many years too, and I congratulate the Scottish Government for taking this next logical step.
"I look forward to examining the bill in detail over the coming months to ensure that it commits fully to the principle that same sex couples and mixed-sex couples are equal in Scotland."
The closing date for the consultation is Wednesday, 20 March 2013.
Take part in the consultation here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/9433


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Angry IP Scanner (or simply ipscan) is an open-source and cross-platform network scanner designed to be fast and simple to use. It scans IP addresses and ports as well as has many other features.
It is widely used by network administrators and just curious users around the world, including large and small enterprises, banks, and government agencies.
It runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X, possibly supporting other platforms as well.
I'll post more about how to use and how to increase speed in due time, under out dark tech tips.
There are currently two different versions available:
- New cross-platform version, 3.x – still in beta
- Old Windows-only version, 2.x – stable and widely used

subset: commoncrawl


text: Anda Seat Special Edition Large Gaming Chair with 4D Armrest (Blue/Red/Yellow) 11,900.- In stock - est. delivery in 1-2 days Key Specifications 4D adjustable armrests90 to 160 degree tilt mechanismHigh-density memory foamSteel framework Color: Blue/Red/Yellow SKU:#043926 Warranty6 Years by Anda Seat Product No.:AD7-09-SRY-PV Short link:http://i.nvade.it/bqu See specifications from the manufacturer Description Specifications Special Edition Large Size High-Back Ergonomic Design Gaming Chair PVC LEATHERM Highly Stain-Resistant, Durable And Scratch-Resistant Same Material And Original Desingn As Race Car Seat VELOUR HEAD PILLOW & LUMBAR SUPPORT CUSHION Anda Seat Ergonomic Design Neck Pillow And Lumbar Support Cushion Would Help You Sit Straight In The Right Posture. They Not Only Make It Easier To Focus On Your Work But Also Take Care Of Your Health 4D ADJUSTABLE ARMRESTS The Purpose Of Armrests Is To Rest Your Arms Nothing Would Do A Better Job Than Anda Seat Highly Adjustable 4D Armrests. The Surface Is Covered By PU, Support The Forearm To Relieve Wrist Pressure And Muscle Strain Which Maximum Your Gaming Experience Warranty Warranty 6 Years by Anda Seat


text: Pearl is the birthstone for the month of June and the gemstone for the 3rd and 30th years of marriage. The ancient Greeks believed that wearing pearls caused marital bliss. And now, it will cause pure beauty to the wearer. We have jewelry pieces in various types and styles of pearl for your necklace, ring, earring, bracelet, charm, pendant and even slide desires.


text:
U.S. to Recognize Utah Gay Marriages Despite State Stance
The Obama administration on Friday said that it will recognize as lawful the marriages of 1,300 same-sex couples in Utah, even though the state government is refusing to do so.
Wading into the fast-moving legal battle over same-sex marriage rights in one of America's most socially conservative states, the administration posted a video on the Justice Department's website. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said that the federal government will grant federal marriage benefits to the same-sex couples who had rushed to obtain marriage licenses after a federal judge last month unexpectedly struck down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage.
"I am confirming today that, for purposes of federal law, these marriages will be recognized as lawful and considered eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages," Mr. Holder said in the video. "These families should not be asked to endure uncertainty regarding their status as the litigation unfolds."
Click the article title for full coverage by the New York Times.
My feeling is one of cautious optimism. I think it's great that the U.S. government is going to step in and recognize these marriages, but I'm afraid how this will be viewed by those who advocate state sovereignty. That aside, I think our country is heading in the right direction in terms of recognizing the rights of homosexuals in general. When is Pennsylvania going to join the party?
Last night, I was watching documentaries on Netflix with my boyfriend Corey. One of them was called "Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream," which features clips of Ayn Rand speaking about her vision of Laissez Faire Capitalism. This brought me into research mode, wanting to find out a little more about the Ayn Rand Institute. I have loved Ayn Rand and "Atlas Shrugged" for years, but I never knew that ARI was a political powerhouse. On my quest, I came across an article George Saunders had written for the New Yorker called "I Was Ayn Rand's Lover."
I had known about Ayn Rand's affair with Nathaniel Branden from reading her many biographies, in particular "The Passion of Ayn Rand." It creeped me out quite a bit back then, but now to see that she prowled on more than one innocent young man left me with a sour taste. If you know Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism, you wouldn't be too surprised that Nathaniel Branden was a target on her radar. To hear Saunders recount his having essentially been "raped" by her was a little off-putting to say the least, but his developing jealousy over Ayn having set her eyes on a young Paul Ryan disturbed me. It wasn't his feelings of jealousy that disturbed me, rather her voracious appetite for bedding young men in late puberty is what was particularly disturbing.
So, we now know of three men in their late teens who were successfully pursued by Ayn Rand. There are probably plenty more, but my interest stops there. Seeing Paul Ryan run wild with Ayn's version of Laissez Faire Capitalism as it pertains to our present day economy was like being punched in the gut by Ayn Rand herself. All of her theories sound good as just that -- a theory, but when put into practice as Paul Ryan has done as a congressman, they are truly frightening. I don't know what plagues me more: the affairs with young boys, or being disillusioned by Paul Ryan's crazy plans for American prosperity.
To understand what I'm talking about, you'll have to do a little research. Most of it can be done by watching the "Park Avenue" documentary, reading "Atlas Shrugged," "The Passion of Ayn Rand" (also a film), and then reading George Saunder's New Yorker piece (which is very well-written, I might add). It amounts to a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, I'll bet, because that's what I'm feeling right now. It can all be summed up in one word: UGH!
Watch the entire "Park Avenue" documentary:
Barbara Branden (Nathaniel Branden's wife) on The Passion of Ayn Rand:
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About Me
My name is Nicholas Emeigh, but everyone calls me Nick, and I prefer it. I'm usually called Nicholas when I'm in trouble. I'm from the Philadelphia area, work in business, and fancy myself as a freelance graphic designer, writer, and artist. I have a passion for art in all its forms including music, but I restrict my singing to the shower and the car for the good of society. If you'd like to know more, just send me an e-mail. I really appreciate you stopping by.
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text:
Here are the facts:
- "Urgent Appeal for Librarian Hunger Striker," by Steve Marquardt, Ph.D., Cuba451Letters, 11 March 2010.
- "[ifforum] Hunger Strike Appeal: Librarian in Danger," by Robert Kent, The Friends of Cuban Librarians, 11 March 2010, reprinted below.
Here is one example of how the ALA has addressed the issue of Cuban librarians in the past:
- "American Library Association Shamed," by Nat Hentoff, Laurel Leader-Call, 2 March 2007.
For more of the disgrace that is the ALA's treatment of Cuban librarians, see my other blog posts at http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/search/label/CubanLibrarians. I hope the ALA will act effectively now, but I doubt it.
Hurry, ALA, Guillermo Fariñas Hernández of the Dr. Roberto Avalos independent library in Santa Clara is dying. Please help. I have included above a picture of the man so you can look him in the face and see who your late de facto leader wished would have "drowned." That leader is gone. It's time to move on now and help Cuban librarians like you help other librarians worldwide, and perhaps more, given the mortal circumstances.
* From: firstname.lastname@example.com
* To: email@example.com, email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com
* Subject: [ifforum] Hunger Strike Appeal: Librarian in Danger
* Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:56:41 EST
Dear colleagues:
Appended below is an urgent appeal to the ALA to help save the life of Guillermo Fariñas. As noted below, the address of Mr. Rodríguez, the Cuban Foreign Minister, is: (firstname.lastname@example.com). While awaiting a response from the ALA, we urge you on an indvidual basis to send messages to the Foreign Minister. Your e-mail could be the one that makes the difference between life and death. Thank you - The Friends of Cuban Libraries
Subj: Appeal to ALA: Hunger Strike Librarian in Danger
Date: 3/11/2010 2:43:06 PM Eastern Standard Time
To: email@example.com CC:firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, email@example.com, email@example.com, email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com
The Friends of Cuban Libraries
March 11, 2010
Dear Ms. Alire:
We write to you in your capacity as president of the American Library Association, asking for your urgent and compassionate aid in saving the life of a fellow library worker, Guillermo Fariñas.
Mr. Fariñas, the director of the Dr. Robert Avalos Library and the national coordinator of the largest group of independent libraries in Cuba, is on a hunger strike at his home in Santa Clara to win the release of 26 Cuban prisoners who are in poor health.
Mr. Fariñas has refused to consume food or fluids since he began his hunger strike on Feb. 24, following the hunger strike death of prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo. Guillermo Fariñas is growing weaker, and Cuba's official newspaper "Granma" has indicated that the government will make no effort to save his life after his health declines to the point of unconsciousness.
Among the prisoners for whose health Guillermo Fariñas has gone on a hunger strike is Ricardo González, the director of the Jorge Mañach Library, and Ariel Sigler Amaya, who was condemned to a long prison term for, among other alleged crimes, gathering books for a library collection. Both have been named prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.
On an urgent basis, we ask you to please contact the Cuban Minister of Foreign Relations, Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, to request that efforts be made to save the life of Guillermo Fariñas. The e-mail address of the Foreign Ministry is: (email@example.com).
Today the Parliament of the European Union passed a resolution expressing concern for Mr. Fariñas, and we hope the American Library Association will rapidly join the worldwide effort to help in saving his life.
Sincerely yours,
Robert Kent
Co-chair, The Friends of Cuban Libraries
New York


text: I just chance upon SamuriHL's guide on ripping bluray movies as protected ISO. I think it is a good method for me to play bluray on my bluray drive-less htpc with latest pdvd 7.3 installed. I ripped, using my ps3, the following 4 bluray movies to iso format but only movie 1 and 2 plays without a glitch; 1) KungFu Hustle 2) Celine Dion live in las vegas 3) Spiderman 3 4) Resident Evil Extinction Issue with 3 and 4 is it just gets me to the looping main menu and I cant click on play at all. Attached the log file and tried ripping Spiderman 3 again gives the same looping menu and clicking on play does nothing. I hope I can get solution so I can buy Anydvd HD at 20% before 28th Sept 2008.


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Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Filigree brown...
Today's card is a filigree card made very simply from just one die. As I have said before there are tutorials for how to make the filigree card on you tube however I will be making my version on a video tutorial in the next couple of weeks using a background die however I am holding onto that one for a while lol
Back to toady I simply die cut the card base with the largest die from Spellbinders Mystical Embrace die which makes a nice detailed card base however it leaves a nice solid rectangle in the centre onto which you can build a nice raised area. I simply then added a panel of gold mirror card, embossed with the tied together embossing folder, which I had cut to match the centre section. I stamped the sentiment in versamark and embossed it with detail Gold embossing powder and die cut the piece using the square oval die from the spellbinders radiant rectangles set.
Finally i wanted a bow but not a ribbon as that would be a little too soft against the card base so I used the filigree bow set from Sue Wilson and backed it with gold. A simple heart shaped gem in the centre and finished.
Spellbinders Mystical Embrace Die
Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles die
Sue Wilson Filigree Bow die
Gold & Brown cardstock PMD
Waltzing Mouse sentiment stamp
Gems from stash
18 comments:
Wow-what a stunning card!! I love the addition of the card bow-perfect.ReplyDelete
Just LOVE this card base John. Another die I've just got to have. You're a great salesman for Spellbinders.ReplyDelete
You made me laugh with your spelling. For a split second I thought I was going to see a TOAD topper LOL. Just as if!
Bye for now.
Love Val x
Morning John,ReplyDelete
Not sure about this one John, sorry.
Hi John. Love this card, so ornate this die is great for this type of card : ) Take care.ReplyDelete
Eh up JohnReplyDelete
Now this you described very well and its just as fabulous as I imagined. I can even live with the brown lol! Love it!
I too, like Val, was wondering who "Toady" was. Thought you'd started getting into Neighbours hahaha!
Have a great day matey!
Ang x
Hi John,ReplyDelete
Another wonderful card and the gold embossing looks so lovely against the chocolate background and perfectly finished with SW's bow. Looking forward to the video.
Love Sheila xx
Gorgeous, xxxReplyDelete
Good morning John, I like the concept but not this card, perhaps it is the colour, a little dark, though I'm sure in real life it will look lovely, best wishes JackieReplyDelete
Morning John, a mixed set of comments from above - I kind of agree with them a beautiful card not not 100% sure about brown- suppose it's a girl thing - we prefer pink !!!.ReplyDelete
Glad you had a good time at the show - despite the rain. Looking forward to seeing what you've bought. Janice xx
P.s - still getting your comments through my g-mail x
Fab card - luv all of it including the colour but would look equally nice in other colour combos too xx GailT xxReplyDelete
Beautiful card and look forward to seeing your video for this type of card! I love the colours Another couple of sets of dies so must look out for I have Sue's bows Now saving hard for the Itty Bitty onesReplyDelete
P.S. I lurve lurve lurve the coloursReplyDelete
Pretty, but I think the bow gets a bit lost... perhaps a gold one would look better? You would need to try it first.ReplyDelete
Lovely card John but not too sure about all the brown you have used perhaps less brown but a bit more cream or vanilla...I have all the ingredients to make this card except for the stamp and bow so I might try giving it a go in a different colour...thanks for the shares and take care Susan downunder xxReplyDelete
Hi John super card,love the colour,but the camera is not doing justice to it.ReplyDelete
Brilliant...thank you John.ReplyDelete
Your art is beautiful.
Happy thoughts,
great card John ,love these detailed cards that you make ,Laura OReplyDelete
Lovely Card John, I like your photo's of your creations, they always look amazing:-)ReplyDelete


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How can "entrepreneurial spirit" and "creative destruction" flourish without nourishment?
Friday, 14 October, 2011 Leave a comment
Joseph Schumpeter reinterpreted (from Marx economic theory) and popularised the expression "creative destruction" to describe the process by which established ways of doing things are destroyed from within (by new thinking, tools and processes) – at this point the scientific community may draw attention to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: that a system tends toward entropy (chaos or disorganisation) and consider the state of our global economy.
Hugely expensive and experimental life support for "clinically dead" institutions, markets, currencies and flawed philosophies equates to – at best – stagnation and at worst starves innovators of the means to accelerate a new evolutionary phase: instead of "creative destruction" we have "destructive creation" in the form of more regulation!
Let me share this, from George Washington's Writings, (1793):
"A Scotch [we know what he meant] adage, than which nothing in nature is more true 'that many mickles make a muckle".
Another version is, "if you look after the pennies the pounds will take care of themselves".
The point is that, if these sayings have any credibility at all, the manner in which our leaders should have set about resolving our (delete as appropriate): current; ongoing; worsening, global financial crisis/recession, was by building from the bottom up (entrepreneurial spirit) or inside out (creative destruction)!? It is an approach that works pretty well in just about every other field.
Instead they determined to socialise bank bailouts (to replace our savings and pensions that they lost on the strength of Rating Agency opinions), injecting trillions to sustain, patently false inflated, markets. In economic terms this is "at macro level" and hope that these broken and morally bankrupt institutions would honour their commitments to cascade funds into the economy at a local (or micro) level!!!
Needless to say, 3 years later, this still hasn't happened. To make matters worse, the rating agencies whose "opinions" saw junk rated as AAA, are still wielding such influence as to determine the cost of sovereign debt and Corporate borrowing. Meanwhile, millions of small businesses (too small to merit a rating) – who weren't a significant part of the problem but are expected to be THE major contributors to the solution – cannot access the funds, or do so at significantly higher rates so struggle to find the means to innovate and grow.
…if hollow promises and political rhetoric weren't assumed to be AAA rated we wouldn't be in the hole we are in!
Let's face it we're broke…and I don't just mean financially. We don't actually make much any more and even if we did the smart Entrepreneurs wouldn't still be here to fund a Public Sector paralysed by its own complexity. A "dumbed down" nation that has grown useless, fat and lazy in the image of the Welfare State that sustains it. "Clinically obese" was how one expert described the UK Public Sector. We are told that the choices were Quantitative … Read More


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Update: FX confirmed this was fanmade and not real. Although, it's a dead-on attempt to match what this show has done for other seasons. Impressive in its own way.
FX teased the next American Horror Story season tonight during the premiere of The Strain. And, as is usual for this show, it was eerie and had a great look, while ultimately revealing nothing concrete about the new Freakshow season.
The image of an ethereal angel, dead eyed and lackluster, with the creepy operator behind her, is a great one. But if the message is "this lovely thing has a dark underbelly," it's not really revealing. It's awesome looking, though.


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One of the ways we lose our youthful appearance is in and around the lips. Sagging, loss of collagen, and frown lines can create a "tired" look that ages the face. Lip Enhancement is a proven way to combat these issues, while maintaining a healthy and natural look. Our lip enhancement treatments leave patients with fuller, smoother, more symmetrical lips, and an all over more youthful appearance.
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text: VITAMINS THAT HELP REVERSE ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION Erectile Dysfunction (ED) has been known to affect men from different races and ages. Before a challenge can be properly tackled for a lasting solution, the root cause must be known. The same thing applies to ED; there are different causes of ED and there …Read More »


text:
Ever since making my Roberts collection dungarees I wanted to try the Turia dungarees. The Roberts are more of an overall and the turia more of a traditional dungaree. My Roberts are now about 2 inches too big and I was missing having them in my wardrobe!
After buying some bargain denim from BnM (£18 for 3 metres) and trawling through Instagram and blog posts I set about making my version.
I decided after seeing everyone else's to lower the front by 2 inches and extend the bib by the same amount. I thought the length of the front looked a little odd especially the pockets. I wanted the bib to hit more around my hips than the waist. Turns out this was one of my more stupid ideas. My hips are the widest point and I'm more suited to clothes that hit at the waist. This is what they looked like:
I kept trying them on after a sewing session here and there and I just wasn't happy. A quick tweet and Amy and Rachel suggested adding a waistband. I had thought of it but dismissed it due the closure. I figured it was worth moving to make them more flattering.
I feel more comfortable in them with the waistband and it's less obvious that I've had a baby! Thanks to breastfeeding I'm in pretty great shape but I still have a belly.
After some stalling I finally finished these last night and installed the buttons this morning. I took my Turias and my wee family to Haworth – home of the Brontes and braved the snow(!) to take some photos.
I slimmed the legs down – I sewed a 38 grading to 40 but then ended up taking them in by a good two inches. Could be the stretch of my denim as I fit the finished measurements (hips 39 inches, waist 28 and bust 34). I also sewed the straps in at an angle after someone commented about the straps sitting funny.
The excess fabric is because the hem is caught on my boots. I also ommited the zip closure and added jeans buttons.
The clips I pinched from my Roberts dungrees which were originally from eBay.
The topstitching isn't actually wonky!! I used the bib to display my pin collection.
We had a lovely day wandering around Haworth drinking hot chocolate and people watching.
Now onto the next project… I have no idea what to sew next which isn't like me at all! I'm still on a shirtdress kick so possibly an archer-Alder mashup.


text:
Designs in Machine Embroidery
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text:
Yesterday afternoon Sim and I headed up to Tubu Lodge (our neighbours) to help advise on an elephant that keeps digging up the water pipes. They are only 16km away as the crow flies but it takes a good 90 minutes to drive there and more when you have issues to deal with on the way.
After we had crossed most of the deep water crossings and headed for the truck road that would take us to Tubu we smelt something dead and just by the road we could see vultures and marabou storks feeding on the carcass. We approached and found it be to a giraffe. After checking for predators I got out the car as something did not look right – on closer inspection it was obvious that this giraffe had not died of natural causes, he had been poached. Chased on horseback to the point of exhaustion and then killed. He had torn off the skin off one of his knees, so he must have hit the ground with huge force to do that. Both of his ears had been cut off, which we presume is for muti (traditional medicine). It was heart breaking to see him like this and imagine his last minutes of life.
We radioed it through to the office who informed the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, but there was little they could do about this incident, except add it to the list of poached animals found in the area, as it was already a day or two old and the trial for the poachers would be long gone. Photos.


text:
So what's the word?
Are we back or not? is fantomaster here?
- 0 agreed / 0 disagreed
- Login to post comments
Back :)
We are definitely back but not yet well-organized. We either have too many stories or none. Most users seem to be watching what is going to happen before submitting stories.
didn't even know "back" was an option....
until just now. i did not know that jim had resurrected Threadwatch! couldn't be happier!
So what do we do now...
... compete at munching popcorn? :)
Fantomaster = the prrof that we are live!
Ok, what a relief, fantomaster is here, so we are actually and officially live from now on :)
Great, I'm finally happier :)
Lots of good names listed under "Current Threadwatch Editors", nice to have another spot to chill at and contribute to. Also nice to see my old login works.
I'm glad Fantomaster is here!
Less noise, more signal is old-skool cool. I hope people love the idea that I'm resurrecting another fine old resource we used to hang out in too. Everything got so noisy for like, the last ten years. Enough already. I for one think that more sane convo comes from heavily moderated threads with a healthy dose of flame retardent and barbed wire wrangling the trolls. Take the power back, why don't you?
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text:
General Manager Phil Emery has used the phrase franchise quarterback when talking about Jay Cutler. His new coach artfully avoided that Cutler characterization on Thursday.
Hes a guy who really loves football, Marc Trestman said, creating a vague feeling of damning faint praise.
Longtime quarterbacks mentor Trestman did say that he cant wait to get my hands on Cutler, with the consensus in the room being that Trestman was speaking as a coach and not someone with hostile intent because of too many interceptions.
Cutler was not the only franchise player whose future was left in question by Trestman, who skirted questions about individual players by generally stating that he and Emery had not gone into enough depth yet.
With Lovie Smith gone and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli choosing to leave rather than work as a member of Trestmans staff, the future of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher moves from questionable to doubtful. Make that very doubtful after Trestman would say only that he had a sense of Urlacher as a Bear in the past.
I have a feeling that this guy has been a great player for this team, Trestman said. I recognize certainly what hes meant to this locker room, and to the fan base of the Chicago Bears. When we get done meeting with the media well begin to try to answer some of those questions and Phil will educate me to that.
Cutler screening
When Trestman was going through the interview process that culminated in his being named the 14th head coach in franchise history, Emery wanted input from Cutler.
Specifically, Emery wanted Cutler to meet with Trestman and come back with a sense of Trestman on four points: communication (can the guy be talked to easily?); poise (does the guy present as a head coach?); articulation (can the guy explain his football schemes and ideas?); and is he a leader (no explanation necessary).
Cutler was not involved in the final decision but Trestman received his quarterbacks endorsement. Then again, so did Mike Martz, although Martz went to Nashville to meet with Cutler, whereas Trestman was at Halas Hall for his Cutler meeting.
Trestman met with Cutler in years past, helping prepare him for the NFL Scouting Combine. But the Cutler he met with this week was not the same one he encountered before Cutler had ever thrown an NFL pass.
Hes a different guy, Trestman said. Hes in tune to where he is and where he wants to go. He understands his strengths and his weaknesses, and he wants to go forward.
I cant wait to get my hands on him and go to work with him, and I think hes ready. And were going to try to put a system of football and put people around him that can help him be the player that he wants to be.
Long-term futures of Cutler, Urlacher not necessarily secure
Long-term futures of Cutler, Urlacher not necessarily secure
General Manager Phil Emery has used the phrase franchise quarterback when talking about Jay Cutler. His new coach artfully avoided that Cutler characterization on Thursday.


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A delegation from Agirre Lehendakaria Center has recently visited the US. The main goal of this visit was, on one hand, to strengthen the relations with its collaborators in the American country; on the other hand, the center's director took part in the 17th Annual LAX Conference on Entrepeneurship, organized by SWARTHMORE COLLEGE in Philadelphia.
During the visit to the US the Basque delegation from ALC, lead by Juan Jose Ibarretxe, met their collaborators at COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY in New York. Both institutions signed a collaboration agreement three years ago, in order to research and measure Sustainable Human Development based territorial TRANSFORMATION MODELS. This agreement has allowed them to understand better the deep social, economic and political transformation experienced by the Basque Country in the last few decades, as well as share it internationally. With the aim of continuing to research in this particular area, next June a NEW COLLABORATION AGREEMENT between Columbia University and Agirre Lehendakaria Center will be signed.
During this three years period the researchers at Columbia University reached the following conclusion: it is absolutely necessary to identify the CULTURAL FACTORS (kultura in Basque) that have allowed an extraordinary response to a situation of extreme difficulty the Basque Country. The key to understand this response would not lie in how things have been done (reindustrialization strategy, recovery of the Basque language, the Guggenheim Museum, the RGI for income security…), but in the cultural factors and the social imaginary that have allowed that response, and also in the ability to overcome constraining factors (RESILIENCE). This thesis could be condensed in the following motto: THE K IS THE KEY.
Both institutions are thus committed to explore new lines of work around this issue that could be applied to other regions and countries in the world facing similar problems. Such different regions such as WALES, CROATIA, QUEBEC, SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND have shown their interest in sharing the Basque transformation experience, as well as in collaborating with ALC in the future.
After the New York meeting the Basque delegation flew to Philadelphia in order to take part in the 17TH ANNUAL LAX CONFERENCE ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP, in which ALC Director Juan Jose Ibarretxe was among the main speakers. The conference featured a panel discussion, networking opportunities and the popular SwatTank Student Innovation competition. The theme was shared or SUSTAINABLE VALUE — that is, businesses actively changing their practices to not only do good business but good for society. Former Basque President Ibarretxe presented the BASQUE EXPERIENCE AS A CASE STUDY to all the participants.
Among the main goals of Agirre Lehendakaria Center is to connect the Basque Country with the world and vice versa. We find essential to bring the Basque diaspora together, as well as to build bridges to CONNECT ALL THE BASQUES AROUND THE WORLD. ALC took therefore the chance offered by this US visit to meet the members of the Washington Basque Center (EUSKAL ETXEA) and discuss potential collaboration projects.


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10 February, 2009
Hey Georgia Bloggers & Friends!...Let's Do Lunch!
When: Monday, March 2, 2009, 11:00 AM until ?
Where: La Madeleine French Bakery and Restaurant
4101 Roswell Road, Suite 812
Marietta, GA 30062
Website: http://www.lamadeleine.com/ for directions/map
Please RSVP by Monday, February 23rd at email@example.com so we can let the East Cobb location know how many to expect. Please be sure to include your email address so I can send out a reminder closer to the date! Can't wait to meet you all face to face!
38 comments:
Debbie, I would be a Georgian for a day if I could come, but I'm stuck here. :-( Y'all have fun! :-)ReplyDelete
Debbie, it would be wonderful to be a Georgian for a day, maybe I can be there thru cyberville..:-) I hope you have lots and then can share with us. Thanks for the visit this morning..I tell ya after "having" to keep all the paperwork for years.. it feels wonderful to lighten the load.. have a super day my friend.. hugs ~lynne~ReplyDelete
I forgot ... I love the picture of Isabella, Miss Public Relations over seeing the good works of your blog.. to say nothing of Kitty Webmaster.. too cute.. :-) hugs ~lynne~ReplyDelete
Oh I sure do wish I lived in Atlants. Gosh you guys are going to have so much fun. Here is the addy although I think you can get there through my name? http://sisterhoodofthecreativehearts.blogspot.com/ It's just for comments now but maybe time will allow more. Love your blog Debbie, you are such a delight. CindyReplyDelete
Hi Debbie....great post.I was going to do the same but I don't have anyone from Georgia visit my blog except you guys and well we already know we will all be there...I can't wait. Even if only a few of us show up will can still make a party out of it!! See you then...Sue.ReplyDelete
no fair , this sound too fun, but too far for me to come, ck out new posting on our blog, always love yoursReplyDelete
I am a Georgian transplanted down here in Florida. I have always thought that Ga. girls make the best hostesses and you have proven me right!
March 2? Having a brain freeze...seems like something is March 2 that I am supposed to do. I am going to check my calendar...cause I would love to make it if I can (1-2 hours away, depending on traffic)ReplyDelete
Debbie, Sounds like you'll have a wonderful time! Please take lots of pictures for the rest of us to see. ☺ DianeReplyDelete
Debbie,I will have 2 grandies with me, but will see if I can make arrangements with the other grandmother...how fun! LindaReplyDelete
UGH!!!! Debbie...I'm having a jealous attack....green with envy...I so want to go!!!!!! sniff sniff...maybe another time! CHEERS! MicheleReplyDelete
Hi Debbie...ReplyDelete
What wonderful fun!!! Sure wished I were in Georgia...shoot!
Girlfriend, just wanted to let you know that I left you a couple of comments on your blue & white carpet bowl post!
Love ya,
Hi...I live in the Atlanta area and plan on attending lunch on the 2nd. Count me in! Looking forward to seeing ya'll!ReplyDelete
Oh how fun! can I virtually join you? Nevertheless, I'll be there in spirit...ChristineReplyDelete
Man, I told my husband we should have moved to Georgia! Atlanta is what, 12 hours away? Sick day? Mental health day? You guys have fun and take LOTS of pictures and I'll be there in spirit. Hugs, KathyReplyDelete
Sure wish I lived closer Debbie! I know you Georgia gals will have a wonderful time.ReplyDelete
The funny thing is, I don't have a blog - I am a blog supporter and very happy about it. I am not Georgian,,,live in N.C. about 3 hrs from Atlanta but can just imagine all the fun you Georgian girls are going to have! Look forward to hearing all about the luncheon and the fine friendships formed...the fun of meeting! Should you ever want to meet a supporter I'd be there in a heartbeat.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 10, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Well,maybe Rose and Susan,and I know there are more...AnnReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 10, 2009 at 6:31 PM
I hope you Georgian girls have loads of fun. What a great idea :>)ReplyDelete
Okay, I'm looking at maps, trying to figure out how long it would take me to get to Atlanta! Oh, I wish I could join ya'll. That will be SO much fun, and I am just SO jealous! I can't wait to see pictures. laurieReplyDelete
I am really wishing I was in Georgia, but I think AZ. is just a little too far for lunch. I hope you get a lot of the Georgia gals together and can't wait to see all the pics. Hugs, MartyReplyDelete
Oh Norwegian!! If only there were some way to reach you and thank you for all of your visits and comments!!! Do you ever come back to read??? It would be great fun to meet you!!...DebbieReplyDelete
Debbie, My daughter lives in Canton. Oh man, I wish I was going to be there for your get-together. It would be so fun to meet you.ReplyDelete
That sounds like so much fun!! I wish I lived a few states closer!!ReplyDelete
Debbie, I put in my request today, should know something by tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed! ;) ~CC Catherine (I've asked for the entire day off)ReplyDelete
Hey Debbie,ReplyDelete
Yipee! Yes, I will be there , oui! oui!
Sounds like a lot of fun. Do I need to let Susan know , or are you rsvp'ing?
I hope we have a good turn out!
Great idea.
Ciao baby,
this Texas gal would love to be a Georgia gal for the day... hope ya'll have fun... (I'll be retired in a couple of years... I'll be a Georgia gal for the day then) ;)ReplyDelete
hugs. Dixie
My feet are still stuck in this Middle Georgia red clay. I don't travel real well. I know I would be welcome even though I don't have a blog, same as Norwegian would. Maybe you'll run into her before the luncheon either here or on another blog, so she'll know. Hope everyone has a stupendous day today and on March 2.ReplyDelete
Of course you would be welcome, Miss Glenda!!! Did you get my email?? I wish you would come, but I understand! ope you are having a great day!...DebbieReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Hi Debbie! Oh, this get together sounds like SO much fun, and if I weren't WAY down here in the southern part of the state, I would join you girls without a doubt. I think it would be about a three hour drive, and that's just if I didn't end up getting lost, which I'm very prone to do! lolReplyDelete
Debbie, I did get approved for March 2nd and will be joining the GA Bloggers for lunch! I also wanted you to know I copy and pasted the logo on my blog and attached it to this permalink so that anyone else interested can get the info they need. Hope that is ok~ Let me know if it's not. ~CC CatherineReplyDelete
Oh! Not fare! I am pouting! lol Wish I could come and meet all of you! Just to think I worked all over Georgia for months for five years! Now I can't come! I am begging for a road trip to Hubby! lol Have a great time! I will be here in Mississippi thinking of all of you!ReplyDelete
do i qualify? i am a georgia girl...no blog, yet...you bet i'd be there if i could!!! we're in arizona until may...so, maybe i can make the next get together ( if it's before oct. when we return to arizona) anyway you'll certainly have lots of us there in spirit! have fun. oh, how i miss sweet tea out here! heheReplyDelete
We moved to AZ from Peachtree City. Oh, I would be there if I could. I would LOVE to chat with the Georgia ladies. Y'all have fun now and please drink a glass of sweet tea for me.ReplyDelete
All the best, Lana
Wow wee....ReplyDelete
Sounds like a fun time is going to be had! :)
Oh, how I wish I could come to the luncheon.ReplyDelete
But girlfriend I live in Indiana, right on the boarder of Indian and cinti.
Have a great time and post a report on who was there and what you guys did.
Can't wait.
debbie, Is New York near Georgia ? Nooooooo, just kidding.ReplyDelete
I have been through it and over it but never there on foot.
I watch HGTV and have seen shots of Atlanta, and other cities there, and it looks beautiful.
Well, enjoy your luncheon ~~ have fun.
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! I appreciate my wonderful readers!... Debbie


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Leaders love leading. They cannot run from it, leadership finds them. When we talk about leading, we usually are referring to others, right?
Well, there is an idea that I want to propose to you wherever you are in leadership right now. Here it is: You cannot lead others well or be led by someone else until you have first led yourself well.
Some of you, especially if you are new to your leadership journey find yourself frustrated, because you are waiting until you have a following to influence those around you.
Here is the truth that I want to propose to you in this post, all of us have the power to lead at least one person and that person is yourself. We all can lead ourselves well.
Your organization may help you develop. Your mentor may help you develop. Your boss may help you develop, but ultimately the responsibility of personal development is our responsibility. We must own the responsibility of leading ourselves well.
Thomas Watson, former CEO of IBM says it this way, "Nothing proves a man's ability to lead others well than what he does day by day to lead himself."
So if you are not leading yourself well, you cannot lead others or be led by someone else.
So, how do we lead ourselves well? Glad you asked. Here are four things that every one of you can do right now to lead yourself well.
1. Be Disciplined
It amazes me how so many people lack discipline. I am shocked as I work with other leaders how many are just not disciplined in their work or personal life.
To lead yourself well now, you must practice and be intentional about becoming more disciplined.
Discipline means follow through. It means doing what is expected of you and doing your very best at it. Even if there is no pay check.
Discipline is being on time. Young leaders, don't waste the time of someone who is pouring into you. Be on time to things.
Get up early.
Do more than is required of you. If you want to stay in your current leadership position and never move up, do the least amount that is expected of you.
Be prepared. Come to every meeting ready to take notes. Come to every meeting with ideas. Attend every meeting having processed what the meeting is about.
This is discipline. Every one of you can be disciplined regardless of age or current position.
Discipline is not something that you grow into. It is something that you work into.
2. Model Followership
Young leaders today run when they feel that they cannot follow their boss.
I get it, I have been there.
Now before I get into this, I want to narrow our thinking. I am not referring to a boss who is doing unethical things or things you fundamentally disagree with.
I am talking about a leader that leads differently than you. A leader who has a different personality than you. A leader who is hard on you.
So many young leaders walk away from positions because they disagree with their leader over the things mentioned above.
If you want to be led well, model followership right now. Show it off. Show others around you how to follow your leader. It can change your organization.
3. Evaluate Your Why
So many good leaders evaluate their behaviors; great leaders evaluate their motives.
In leadership, the why is so much more important than the how or what.
Is your motive so that people will like you? Is your motive to build a name for yourself? Is your motive pride?
Great leaders spend time evaluating their motives.
4. Seek Accountability and a Mentor
If I could go back and start all over in my leadership, I would have started to ask for help much earlier in life.
I was always afraid to ask for help, because I felt that asking for help made me vulnerable and it appeared that I did not know what I was doing.
You also need someone you are accountable to.
Here is the reason: Healthy accountability leads to spiritual integrity.
We all want spiritual integrity, but few do what is necessary to obtain that goal. It is the small things in life that no one sees (accountability) that usually result in the big things that everyone wants (integrity).
You should have 2-3 people in your life where you can be 100% honest with.
You need someone pouring into you.
How are you leading yourself?
Leading yourself is so important and is essential to leading others.
I want to hear from you about how you are leading yourself. What are you doing that possibly is not on this list? Leave a comment and let us learn from each other.


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A Trusted Name in Manufacturing and Packaging Industry since 2012 We are engaged in development, manufacturing and supply of corrugated and polypropylene box as per the requirement of customer and provide other packing material as and when required. We work as per client requirement. Client satisfaction is utter most important part of our working principle.
Our mission is to design manufacture and deliver wide range of packaging products in a manner that meets and exceeds the expectations of our customer's requirements.Read More
Being a quality conscious organization, we strive to maintain high quality standards in our products and policies. The range offered by us is manufactured...Read More
we aim to maximize the satisfaction level of our respectable clients in the possible manner.To grow within the industry and become market leader by providing excellent quality service .Read More


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Look at this beauty! I have seen this quilt around and about, and saw it in Salt Lake City but this was my first closeup of the actual quilt. It is called Gather ye Rosebuds and it is by Kathy Adams of Koolkat Quilting right here in Australia.
It is an adaptation of a stained glass window and each of the pieces has been individually machine appliqued on a piece of black fabric.
It is quilted with all fillers, and with lots of different colours, and with all the starts and stops it took a long time, but it is stunning isn't it?
Its going to hang on a wall above the fireplace - a perfect substitute for the real thing.


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Emergency incident sites where fire departments respond to are often surrounded by numerous observers. The majority of these people are usually simple spectators. Others are more interested in the actual work of firefighters, even showing up regularly on incident sites thanks to a radio scanner. Among these people, we often find different types of photographers: professionals, amateurs, experts or beginners. With all these people present on a scene, the work of emergency services can easily be impeded on.
There are however many serious photographers that show interest in capturing firefighting work on film for various purposes: increasing the fire department's visibility to the public and other departments, showcasing the outstanding work of firefighters, producing images for firefighter training, producing images for the fire department's archives, documenting the evolution of an incident, promoting the fire department's activities, etc.
These fire photographers could do their work in full safety and without disrupting emergency operations, but the frequent presence of unauthorized individuals with all kinds of intentions complicates the management of incident sites. Photographers are consequently often confined to very large perimeters only to simplify access management.
To favor a tighter collaboration between photographers and emergency services, some individuals specialized in fire photography formed on June 30th 2004 a group called the Quebec Fire Photographers Association (QFPA). This association defined its mission as to represent professional and amateur fire photographers and to structure their activities through the design of a code of conduct.
In 2009, the Association opened a program for personal commitment to the Quebec Fire Photographers Code of Conduct. This free program replaces the previous accreditation process known as «CDPIQ». By voluntarily committing to this Code of Conduct, fire photographers gain an additional tool to help them evolve within the field of fire photography.
Even though authorities have in now way an obligation to recognize this Code of Conduct, personally committing to obey its enactments constitutes in itself a tool to help build a stronger relationship with emergency services. Authorities that acknowledge fire photographers ready to personally commit to this Code gain additional assurances in matters of respecting legislation, authorities, incident scenes and victims.
The Quebec Fire Photographers Association (QFPA) hereby invites the senior staff of fire departments and police services to study the Quebec Fire Photographers Code of Conduct and to recognize favorably the individuals that vow to obey it.


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Firefox is the second largest internet browser after Google Chrome. The risk of losing private data in Firefox is increasing with the increase in its popularity. So, to be safe, you ought to delete cache and cookies from the browser in the regular interval of time. If you are looking for the updated procedure to delete Cookies in Firefox, then congratulation you are at the right place because in this article we have provided you the updated process followed by the relevant pictures to delete Cookies from Firefox.
Simplified Procedure to delete Cookies in Firefox
- First of all open Mozilla Firefox Browser from any device as per your preference.
- Now click on the settings menu. The menu option is the three horizontal line at the top rightmost corner of the page just below the close (cross) icon.
- You will see a drop down list just as shown in the picture below. The drop down list will be different by the version of Firefox you use. (Below presented picture is the drop-down list that you will see in the latest version of the Firefox. The drop-down menu may differ if you are using an earlier version of Mozilla Firefox).
- From among the menus in the drop down list click on the option (gear) icon.
- Once you click on "option", a new window will appear towards the left side of which you will see different Headings. Form among the headings,?click on "Privacy and Settings".
- In the Privacy and security page click on the "remove individual cookies" that you will find under the heading "History".?
- As you click on the "remove individual cookies a sub window will appear. If you want to delete individual cookie then select the cookie you want to delete after that click on "Remove Selected" option at the bottom left corner of the sub-window.
- If you want to clear entire cookies from your Firefox browser, then click on "Remove all" option. The "Remove all" option lies at the bottom of the sub-window.
Since all the cookies are cleared from your Firefox, you can now feel the difference in the browsing speed, results shown by the search engines, Ads you see, recommendations of videos on YouTube, etc. And finally, you are safe from the chance of losing your personal information to spammers.


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$ 6.95
Meri Meri
$ 6.95
These funky fish cups, with shiny blue holographic detail, are a brilliant way to serve tasty drinks to your guests.
Suitable for hot & cold drinks
Blue holographic foil detail
Pack of 8
Cup capacity: 9 fl. oz.
$ 9.95
Meri Meri
$ 9.95
These beautifully illustrated plates are perfect for a party with an ocean theme. Featuring lots of delightful sea creatures and shiny foil detail and border.
Neon print with silver & blue holographic foil detail
Pack of 8


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Biomass Plant For Michigan's UP
Verso Paper, a paper products company based in Memphis, TN, is building a $43 million renewable energy biomass plant in the Upper Peninsula Michigan town of Quinnesec, the company has announced (PDF). The plant is made possible through tax breaks awarded by the state declaring the area a Forest Products Processing Renaissance Zone. The plant is expected to go online by December 2011.


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Professional corporate headshots can be taken at your offices in London and across the UK.
A portable studio will be set up on site, using natural looking and flattering lighting. A plain background can be supplied, usually in white or grey, or you may prefer to use your office as the backdrop, which can create a contemporary look. Chris will discuss the brief beforehand to ensure the style you're after is achieved, and can help advise on the most suitable clothing and colours for the shoot. Chris is aware time is often at a premium, and is experienced taking professional & natural looking headshots quickly and with a minimum of fuss, so you can get on with your day.
Following the shoot, you will be able to view your portraits online and your chosen images will be individually optimised and and then made accessible online via secure digital download.
You can view our corporate headshots and corporate portraits galleries below.


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"Aww, where's mommy?" they teased. "Is baby homesick?"
And she dried her tears and lied to them.
"I'm not homesick," she shouted, and that wasn't the lie.
"I don't care about my mommy," she protested, and that wasn't the lie.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed, and that was the lie.
This story was based on a title suggested by Dan Hingston through the Facebook page.


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Online bookselling
A few years ago I used to supplement my income by online bookselling on Amazon. Although I no longer do this I thought I would offer a few tips in case anyone else is interested. Some are also probably relevant to general online trading. I am now a poacher turned game keeper and help at a local charity shop and I sometimes spot items they can sell on Ebay.
Most people start by selling their old books, often college textbooks but then need to look for replacement stock. The first thing I realised was that online selling is more about the ability to source quality stock cheaply than brilliant salesmanship.
When you first look at Amazon you will find a lot of books for sale for 1p . You will wonder how sellers manage to do this. The answer is that these are mega sellers who probably buy charity shop rejects for about 5p each and make most of their profit from the postage charge. Professional sellers also pay considerably less Amazon fees than you or I.
The key to success is to find your niche. If you are interested in fishing or local history that is the place to start. Have a look at sites like Amazon or Ebay to find what is selling and for how much. If you try looking up the price of your own books it will give you some idea. All modern books have an ISBN number above the barcode. If you search for this number you will can compare your edition with what is on offer. Try to do a practice listing to see exactly what you will receive and then decide if it is worth it. Also look at the best seller ranking to see if it is likely to sell. Personally I would avoid hardback fiction or thick mass market paperbacks. Old encyclopedias , readers digests or family bibles are also unlikely to sell.
The next task is to try to source the books in good condition cheaply. If you have time go into your local charity shops and talk to the staff, ask them to look out for books on your interest and if they find any pay a fair price and thank them. Large book shops also have end of season sales especially if a new edition of a text book has just been published. Unless you intend to trade on a large scale and have a lot of storage space I would avoid buying in bulk. It takes a surprisingly long time to list and pack books. Only buy books for resale in very good condition.
You then need to cut costs for posting and packing. I was able to buy padded envelopes in bulk from our local stationers. Look on ebay for discounted stamps. It is a good idea to invest in some cheap postal scales. It is important to work out a selling price that gives you a reasonable profit. Some dealers have software that automatically makes their books 1p cheaper than the next lowest but ignore this. If your books have been well chosen they will sell. Give the books a good description, mention any faults like highlighting in textbooks and try to package them well and post promptly. If you have good feedback you will get orders.
Other bookselling sites
The Amazon sellers forum is very helpful. If you have several books on the same subject or by the same author it might be worth selling them as a bulk lot on ebay. More specialist books sometimes sell better on Abe books which is also owned by Amazon. Ebay also allows you to let the buyer collect if they are particularly heavy. Ladybird books have devoted collectors and prices can be checked on the weeweb or they can be saved and sold as a collectors lot. Another series to look out for is Haynes car manuals. I once sold a manual for a Reliant Robin for a good price.
If you have books that are worth a few pounds but you just want them out of the house a site like Music Magpie is worth considering. Minimum sale is £5.00 but they pay postage and provide the packing labels.
If you want to try bookselling but don't have any spare storage space then the Amazon affiliate programme may be for you. Once you sign up you can put a link to any Amazon product on your social media or blog and receive a small commission on sales generated.
Publishers are also looking for people to review books in exchange for a hardback or digital copy. You can apply to receive books to review at Goodreads or Netgallery (E.books).


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Gran Torino Movie Review
Clint Eastwood seems to like to do his movies in batches, and ever since 2003's Mystic River he hasn't done a single film that could be ignored as an awards contender. Unfortunately, Changeling, which was just released a few months prior and expected to be a possible Oscar favorite, lacked the power many were expecting, which leaves the venerable director's December release, Gran Torino, to pull off an upset.
Unfortunately, Gran Torino is not an Oscar film. At least I don't think so. It has far more laughs than serious parts, even though, in the end, it is a serious movie. Nevertheless, it is one of the best movies of the year and one of the most entertaining pictures I have seen in a long time.
Gran Torino stars Eastwood as a bitter old man named Walt Kowalski who seems to hate everything and everyone. He hates his grown children for trying to talk him into a retirement community, and he hates his grandchildren for having more interest in their iPods than in his wife's funeral. He hates his neighbors, most of whom are Hmong immigrants, for the simple fact that they are different than him, and that he fought against "chinks" in the Korean War. He wears his disgust for all these things on his face, and often growls his displeasure.
However, as his relationship with his own family fades, he finds a new place in life when he "saves" a shy neighbor kid named Thao (Bee Vang) from a local gang, and again when he helps protect Thao's much-less-shy sister Sue (Ahney Her) from a couple of aggressive guys. Sue immediately sees through Walt's racist remarks and befriends him, and in turn gets Walt to befriend Thao. This may come in handy when that gang comes around again.
Gran Torino is a drama, but it is the funniest drama I've ever seen. Eastwood is absolutely perfect as Walt, and there's rarely a line he spits out that doesn't have some kind of racial epitaph. In fact, there probably isn't a single Asian slur that isn't used in the movie, but Asians aren't the only victims; stupid people, his family and a variety of others all get panned left and right. Eastwood delivers every one of these lines with a grisly growl, and will have you rolling in your seat. The thing is, no matter how many bad things he says, he's never actually offensive, and he develops a truly likable character from the first second he's shown on screen. Other critics have said this and I'll agree: this is what Dirty Harry would be like in retirement.
The movie is one where it's funny 80% of the time and serious for the last little bit, and often a switch like this can throw audiences for a loop. However, Eastwood the director handles this brilliantly; he sets the stage early that, in fact, Gran Torino is indeed a drama and will most likely end in bloodshed, and as many laughs as there are, there is something deeper to the story that is always developing and evolving.
There isn't anything I would change about Gran Torino, even the younger actors who could only be described as decent. Neither Bee Vang or Ahney Her have the chops to star in an Eastwood Oscar-winner, but they work here for whatever reason - maybe because Gran Torino has no chance of winning a Best Picture Oscar. It is an excellent movie, but it isn't an awards movie.
Gran Torino is a rare breed of film that is entertaining, dramatic and funny all at once, but it is nothing like the dramedies like Juno or Little Miss Sunshine that have received Oscar nods in the past. Eastwood deserves a nomination for his performance, and the movie deserves a spot in the top five of the year, but it won't have a chance to win Best Picture. Highly recommended.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.


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Powers Boothe is set to join Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Boothe is set to play Gideon Malick a mysterious man with his own agenda who comes into conflict with Coulson's team over Inhumans which have come to the fore this season after the release of terrigen in the finale last season.
This is not the first time Powers Boothe has appeared in a MCU, he was in The Avengers as a member of the World Security Council.
SOURCE: Deadline.com


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"Imagine if you found people that linked up like a heart beat, like one beating thing. Like a wave listening to the moon for the time to turn around. Where you stop asking 'why doesn't anyone understand me' but rather 'where do I end and they begin?' This I believe should be a top priority if you seek joy in this life. Find your beat and sync up and move like a migrating flock of birds, possessed by the rumor of summer down south." -Jedidiah Jenkins
Read More


text:
SOLIDWORKS 2016 Advanced Techniques
Mastering Parts, Surfaces, Sheet Metal, SimulationXpress, Top-Down Assemblies, Core & Cavity Molds
Key Features
- The perfect follow up to SOLIDWORKS Intermediate Skills
- Uses a step by step tutorial approach with real world projects
- Comprehensive coverage of advanced SOLIDWORKS tools and techniques
- Covers parts, surfaces, SimulationXpress, sheet metal, top-down assemblies and core and cavity molds
- Features a quick reference guide and a Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional practice exam
In Detail
SOLIDWORKS 2016 Advanced Techniques picks up where SOLIDWORKS 2016 Intermediate Skills leaves off. Its aim is to take you from an intermediate user with a basic understanding of SOLIDWORKS and modeling techniques to an advanced user capable of creating complex models and able to use the advanced tools provided by SOLIDWORKS. The text covers parts, surfaces, SimulationXpress, sheet metal, top-down assemblies and core and cavity molds.
Every lesson and exercise in this book was created based on real world projects. Each of these projects has been broken down and developed into easy and comprehensible steps for the reader. Furthermore, at the end of every chapter there are self test questionnaires to ensure that the reader has gained sufficient knowledge from each section before moving on to more advanced lessons. This book takes the approach that in order to understand SOLIDWORKS, inside and out, the reader should create everything from the beginning and take it step by step.
Who this book is for
This book is for the intermediate to advanced user who has already completed the SOLIDWORKS Basic Tools book and may have also completed the SOLIDWORKS Intermediate Skills book. People who are very familiar with SOLIDWORKS and its add ins will also find this book to be a valuable resource.
Table of Contents
- Introduction: SOLIDWORKS 2016 User Interface
Advanced Modeling Topics
- Introduction to 3D Sketch
- Plane Creation
- Advanced Modeling – 5/8" Spanner
- Sweep with Composite Curves – Helical Ext. Spring
Using Variable Pitch
- Advanced Modeling with Sweep & Loft
- Loft vs. Sweep – Water Meter Housing
- Loft with Guide Curves – Waved Washer
Advanced Sweep - Wire Form
- Using Surfaces – Advanced Modeling
Lofted Surface – Remote Control Casing
- Advanced Surfaces–Offset Surface & Ruled Surface
- Using Filled Surfaces
Boundary and Freeform Surfaces
- Surfaces vs. Solid Modeling – Safety Helmet
- SimulationXpress – 5/8" Spanner
Sheet Metal Topics
- Sheet Metal Parts – Post Cap
Sheet Metal Parts – Vents
- Sheet Metal Forming Tools – Button with Slots
Designing Sheet Metal Parts – Mounting Tray
- Sheet Metal Conversions
Sheet Metal Gussets
Flat Pattern Stent
Stent Sample - Sheet Metal Approach
- Working with Sheet Metal STEP Files
Adding Parts to the Toolbox Library
Weldments – Structural Members
- Sheet Metal Parts – Post Cap
Top-Down Assembly Topics
- Core & Cavity– Linear Parting Lines
Mold Tooling Non Linear Parting Lines
- Top-Down Assembly - Miniature Vise
- Top-Down Assembly – Water Control Valve
- External References & Repair Errors
- Using Appearances and Textures
- CSWP Core Preparation Practice
SOLIDWORKS 2016 Quick-Guides
- Core & Cavity– Linear Parting Lines
- Exercise Files
- Download File139.5 MB
For additional information on downloading, unzipping, and using these files visit the downloads section on our FAQ page.
Product Details
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SCBWI: January 2010. Hilton, Manhattan.
This was my first writer's conference and very much worth the time and the drive up from Framingham on a cold, winter day. New York was reeling from a recent heavy snowfall, the remnants of which were largely evident in the roadways. My husband and I stayed a 20 minute walking distance away and while I attended the Saturday session, he spent good time touring the museums.
Heard a lot of great speakers-- Lois Lowry, Sarah Zarr, R. L. Stine, Jane Yolen, Grace Lin, among others. Very inspiring! The banquet hall was buzzing with electric energy and vibrant enthusiasm. I must say it was a good feeling to be in attendance as a soon-to-be-published author. Looking forward to possibly attending SCBWI 2011.
SABA Thursday October 16- Sunday, October 19, 2014.
Madison Concord Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin.
I had the distinct honor to be invited by SABA to Madison, Wisconsin, to receive the 2014 Honor Award for The Garden of My Imaan.
I arrived in Madison on Thursday. A Friday school visit to the Oregon Middle and High Schools was arranged by Ms. Lou Kindschi, teacher at Oregon Middle School.
On Friday night there was a recognition at the Annual Conference on South Asia All Conference dinner at the Madison Concourse Hotel. I had the pleasure to sit with Rachel Weiss, assistant director, Center for South Asia, University of Wisconsin, and with Jennifer Bradbury, and Elizabeth Suneby, winners of the 2014 SABA Awards
The award ceremony was at 3 PM in the Central Library on Saturday, October 18. The ceremony was one of the featured events at the Madison Book Festival. Following the award ceremony, there was a lovely dinner with past and present SABA and SANOC members and other guests.
Saturday morning I enjoyed a lovely tour of the State Capitol and visited the famous farmer's market.
Hmm....how do I rotate these pictures taken at the Farmers' Market? OK...figured it out....Yay!And this is how to do it...right click on picture in Picture library, click edit option, then click rotate 90 degrees! Feeling good right now!
Visit the link below to view pictures from the award ceremony! You will need to highlight, then right click for the option that will take you to the site. Sorry....I am still trying to get a hang of creating a webpage!! Now.... where on earth are the photographs of the award ceremony I remember so vividly storing in my IPhone.....Hmmm?
Solstice Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College 400 Heath St, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Meg Kearney, director
Friday, January 8, 2016
3:30-4:30 ES&S session: Writing About Others: Multicultural Perspectives
I had the good fortune to be invited by Meg to lead a ES&S session during which I shared some perspectives on being a writer of multicultural fiction. The session was followed by a book reading from The Garden of my Imaan, later in the evening as part of the January 2016 Reading Series. Reading along with me were Dzvinia Orlowsky (author of five poetry collections, including Silverstone) and Laura Williams McCaffrey, (author of three speculative fiction/YA novels including the forthcoming, Marked).
Pine Manor is a small, private four year liberal arts college. Its historic campus is situated on 50 wooded acres in the Chestnut Hill section of Brookline, just off Rte 9.
Thank you, Meg, for this wonderful opportunity to visit your beautiful campus.
July 8-11 ILA Conference, Hynes Convention Center, Boston,MA
Saturday, July 9, 3-5 PM : Author meet up
Sunday, July 10: Book signing at the Anderson and Peachtree booths.
5. Eric Litwin (Groovey Joe, Ice Cream and Dinosaurs #1) 6. Jonah Winter (You never heard of Casey Stengel?)
Not long ago, Linda Sue Park was key note speaker at a SCBWI conference and I, one of several hundreds in the audience. I spoke to her in passing at the Author Meetup (3-5 PM). She was a primary level author, and I, mid level. Grace Lin was there too among several other authors. During these fast paced, high energy sessions, we, the authors spend 10 minutes with the attendees, presenting our books and answering questions, and moving from table to table. Pretty amazing experience!


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Publish Date : 13th March, 2019
Prize Giving Ceremony of 11th UIU National Debate Championship'19
Directorate of Student Affairs along with UIU Debate Club organized a Program titled '11th UIU National Debate Championship'19'. The prize giving ceremony of the program will be held on March 16, 2019 (Saturday) at 6:00 PM in Multipurpose Hall (Basement)
Chief Guest:
Professor Dr. Chowdhury Mofizur Rahman
Vice Chancellor, UIU
Guest of Honor:
Md. Shariar Mannan
Program Manager-SAMPREETI
Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF)
The event scheduled is as follows:
Date : March 16, 2019
Time : 6:00pm
Venue : Multipurpose Hall (Basement)
You are cordially invited to join the Seminar.
Thanks & Regards
Directorate of Student affairs


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It was a big dinner, one of those traditional, multi-family affairs, always the same people, the only change being their growing or graying over the year's span. This time I sat next to the art professor who taught at a small, liberal-arts school in the southeast. Our conversation ranged all over the place, from the abstract paintings of Makoto Fujimura to how she'd struggled to get down the stairs in an academic building after fracturing her leg, from the challenge of defending a thesis before snooty Parisian academics to the glories of Rhône reds. Then the topic changed to religious belief, and she told me how she'd attended a number of congregations known for ecstatic forms of worship. "It's good for me," she said, "because strong personal experience underpins great art."
Enthroning experience as art's prime mover has a distinguished tradition. Wordsworth famously defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings from emotions recollected in tranquility." Welsh wordsmith Dylan Thomas and American auteur Orson Welles gained renown for mingling creative excellence with hard living. And grunge's favorite son Kurt Cobain carried the theory to fatal extremes, writing that "it's better to burn out than to fade away" before putting the gun to his head. But what of the nine-to-fivers, those of us with average pains and normal joys and oh-so-common fears? Is there a place at the artistic table for us?
Yes. Oh, yes. A thousand times yes. Occurrences aren't the only grist for the mill; the mind has its own utility. This is where genre fiction excels, in taking naked ideas and clothing them, covering bare propositions with people and places and actions. We may not have ever found the Holy Grail beneath a fur coat or set fire to a neighbor's house or made a literary pact with the devil. But we have ruminated over the pain of aging and the fragile ties that bind person to person and whether or not anything can prick an editor's hard heart. So the thoughts flow and the wheel turns and we grind out the words, grind them over and over and over again. And sometimes, precious sometimes, what we end up with is fine indeed -- even if we've never experienced it.
(Picture: CC 2007 by Micah A. Ponce)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009
2 comments:
- ChriZ said...
Kurt Cobain may have written "it's better to burn out than to fade away," before he shot himself, but he was quoting Neil Young (who is on quite a long burn himself)`
- April 27, 2009 at 3:29 AM
- Loren Eaton said...
Yeah, in the first draft I'd worked in that it was an allusion to "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," but it was getting really wordy, so I cut it. There's a lot of irony in Cobain's use of Young.
- April 27, 2009 at 8:13 AM
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Listen to radio stations from Plymouth, from a wide variety of genres like Community, Entertainment, Information, News and Talk. Enjoy stations such as ZJB Radio Montserrat and more. Come find the top new songs, playlists, and music! Listen on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Blackberry, and other app-enabled mobile phones.


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The new ABC drama series Last Resort, from co-creators Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Karl Gajdusek and premiering on September 27th, tells a suspenseful, emotional and action-packed story about what happens when a U.S. submarine crew receives an order to fire nuclear weapons at a foreign country, and then ignores that order. With nowhere left to turn, Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) take the sub on the run and bring the men and women of the Colorado to an island where they will find refuge, as they try to clear their names and get back home.
During this recent interview to promote the show's premiere, executive producers Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek talked about the great feedback they're already getting from people who have seen the pilot, how they approached the show's development and how it's evolved into what it is now, why Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman were the perfect actors for their roles, the challenges of shooting submarine scenes, and the value of a serialized drama. Check out what they had to say after the jump.
Question: What kind of reaction have you gotten from people who have already seen the pilot?
SHAWN RYAN: Well, the short answer would be a great reaction. The only caveat I would give is that people who contact us on Twitter or say things online tend to be the people who are going to take the time to write in, so I don't know exactly how representative that is of the audience. The people that have sought it out online probably have a natural disposition to like the show. On my Twitter account, I've been hit with dozens of people who've watched it, and the overwhelming majority has been very positive. We'll see if that trends to the network airing of it. But, they seem especially impressed with Andre Braugher and the direction of Martin Campbell, who I think did a spectacular job on the pilot. I think what they appreciate, most of all, is that it's very different. There's nothing quite like this on TV now, or in the recent past. You're not going to mistake our show for another one. So, I think the people who are enjoying it appreciate the uniqueness of it.
Given the current political climate, how did you approach the development of the show to make it appeal to everyone?
RYAN: First of all, you just start off from a creative, dramatic point of view by thinking, "What is something that I'd like to watch?" Karl and I, both, really considered what the political situation was in the world, as of last year when we wrote this pilot, and thinking about how they got topical. You can't appeal to everyone, and I don't think any show does appeal to everyone, but we do hope that the show has a mass appeal. One thing we made sure to do is really focus on the characters in the situation. We're not focusing on a political agenda. We're not naming political parties, in this show. With the President who seems to be going off the rails in our pilot, we're not identifying him as one side or the other. This isn't a show that's about Democrat versus Republican. It's more a show about power versus the less powerful, and investigating those dynamics. As it gets past the pilot and gets into future episodes, we will deal with the difficulty of it being easier to think that you can do better than the guy in the office, but the realities are much more difficult than that. It will touch on things that are human, as opposed to things that are partisan, if that makes sense. That's how we're trying to appeal to everyone.
Karl, how did this initial idea that you had evolve into what it is now?
KARL GAJDUSEK: I had a love of submarine stories, from early on. My father had books about subs in the South Pacific, all over our library at home, and I've always loved the submarine genre and some of those great, tension-filled sub films, like The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide. So, as I started to think about what this show could become, I thought more about what the modern-day holistic missile submarine is and I had a realization that one of these submarines is such a powerful piece of machinery that anyone who owns one really could plan a flag and say, "Hey, I am new small nuclear-armed first world nation." That was the gem of the idea. Once I said, "Okay this is the premise," that was about the time that I went to Shawn and said, "Can we make a show about this?" So, we started to come up with who the principal characters would be and what the story would be. One of the things that was really important to us was the section at the middle of the pilot where the captain questions the order he receives to fire. The last thing in the world we wanted to do was take a show about a military people who've sworn an oath to push that button when the time comes, and then have them say, "On this day, I just didn't feel like it," or they have a crisis of conscience. So, we worked very vigilantly to make sure that the plot points around that section would hold water and be something where military people also would say, "You know what? I might question that order as well."
Shawn, when you got the call about the idea of doing a submarine show, did you immediately jump on it?
RYAN: Yes, actually, I did jump on it pretty quickly. One of the things I pride myself on is never repeating myself. I don't want any one show I do to feel like I'm trending the same territory as another. And this was an opportunity that was certain things in my wheelhouse, such as a group of dynamic people in a dangerous situation, but with a concept and a scope that I've never done before. I like the idea that this was a big, huge, epic show. Part of our pitch to ABC was that this is the kind of show that I would not have been able to have accomplished three or four years ago. It took all of my experience doing shows like The Shield, The Chicago Code and Terriers to develop the skill set to try to pull this off. It's still difficult, at times. It's an extraordinarily ambitious show, perhaps even more ambitious and serious than in the pilot, because you've got more time and money for the pilot. And we're trying to live up to that pilot standard, on a weekly basis, with less time and less money to do it. That requires a lot of creative thinking. So, I knew that I wanted to try to do something with Karl, and then, when this idea came about, it just really sparked me. I hear ideas that I acknowledge are good, all the time, but I also realize that I probably wouldn't take time from my own life to watch that particular show. This was a thing where I was like, "Wow, I would really like to see that show and, if the only way I can see it is to help make, then I guess I'll have to do that."
At what point in the process did you think of Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman for these roles?
RYAN: We did not write any of these roles specifically for anyone. The pilot got picked up and one of the first things you do is have a phone call with the network and studio where you start to discuss casting. They always want to aim really big to start with, so threw around a bunch of big names, but Karl and I said, "What would you guys think if we could get Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman?" That was really something we said. Those were people that we thought would be great for the roles that, and that were realistic to go after. And the network agreed. They wanted us to consider some bigger names and explore some bigger names, but you want people that really feel right in the roles and who understand the world of television and the schedule that comes with making television. Andre and Scott were the two people that Karl and I had our hearts set on, from the beginning. There are lots of procedures and hoops to jump through to get there, but we did eventually get there, and we couldn't be more thrilled that we have them.
What kind of journey did Andre have to go through, to really get the essence of this captain and make him believable?
GAJDUSEK: He's a remarkable actor and he does his research, in depth. Shortly after we cast Andre, we had series of conversations, telling him what we loved about him, and he talked about what he responded to in the script. He immediately started reading troves of books, both fictional and non-fiction, and just researching the role. He's a researcher and a studied actor.
RYAN: We also had a couple of advisers in the pilot preps stage, and then one during the production stage – two different people who had been captains on naval submarines – and he spent time talking to those guys about stories, in general, and about how they might approach certain things from the pilot. He is someone that really studies and does his homework, and then arrives with a real plan of attack, not only for that scene, but how the scene will play within the scope of the whole episode.
Are any of the actors who make up the submarine crew claustrophobic?
RYAN: No one admitted that, probably because they want to keep their jobs.
GAJDUSEK: It's not claustrophobic on the set, but it is on a submarine.
RYAN: Our set looks pretty claustrophobic on screen, but it is actually a little bit bigger, in real life. Our set is definitely roomier than the real thing, but we've got to fit cameras. But, no one has admitted to claustrophobia. I imagine, if they have it, they're keeping it to themselves for job security purposes.
What are the challenges of shooting the submarine scenes, as well as in the water and on an island?
RYAN: They're all difficult. The submarine was more difficult. For the pilot, that set had to be built. Now that it's built and we're understanding the best way to film it, I think it's going easier with every episode. Our production offices are in Los Angeles. We edit it here, but we're filming in Hawaii, so our set is five hours away. It's a three-hour time difference for half the year, and a two-hour time difference the other half of the year. So, you've got some separation there. You've got a big sprawling cast where we're trying to service everyone. You've got action taking place on a fictional French Polynesian island, you've got action taking place in the D.C. area, and you've got action taking place in the Maryland suburbs where Sam's wife lives. Additionally, you have a lot of special effects and visual effects, and then there's the water. For the pilot, things were filmed around the water and then visual effects were added later. That requires really giving a lot of lead time to our special effects team. To do that, the scripts need to be in early. You need to know what you're doing in the episodes, so that you can start planning with these people, a month and a half or two months ahead of time, in order to get the work done.
It's not something where you can just decide on Wednesday, "Well, we're going to write some scenes that we're going to shoot on Friday," because it's not just a hospital set and we can't change it. We really need to have a very firm plan. We need to fly a lot of actors from L.A. to the Hawaii. The acting pool in Hawaii isn't as deep as it is in L.A., Chicago or New York. So, you've got to plan ahead. You've got a lot of characters who are recurring, and that are going to span over a certain number of episodes, and you've got to manage that. And then, to serialize the show where things are changing, week-to-week, you've got to be able to keep track of all that story and stay ahead of the game, so that you can meet your production schedule. That's why it's very ambitious. And then, on top of that, we're trying to tell great big stories with great big scope. It's a challenge. If we pull it off, I think it will be a great treat for the audience. If we don't pull it off, there will be a very public humiliation, on our part. The stakes are high, and that inspires us to do the best we can.
How will you tackle the fact that Scott Speedman's character has a wife back home that he may never be able to get back to?
RYAN: Well, we love that situation. One of the things that we spoke about when we first started the show, is the idea of Odysseus in The Odyssey, and trying to get back home to Penelope while being separated by an adventure. Scott Speedman is alone on an island with beautiful women all around, but what's best about the sexy side of our show is that it's unfulfilled, very often. It's about the moral problem of yearning for what you can't have. It's a show about people in a time of war, not a show about war, and that can mean people are separated by war. Sam and his wife are separated by war. You can also get pressed together with strange bed fellows. There are attractive characters that, all of a sudden, he can't not be around. That can lead to the edge of temptation, and we think that's probably the best situation to play those such stories in.
How did you convince ABC to let you make a serialized drama?
RYAN: First of all, we had our choice of a couple of different networks to go to, and we chose ABC because they're the one network that embraces serialized dramas. Grey's Anatomy, Revenge, Once Upon A Time and Desperate Housewives, before it ended last year, are all examples of shows on ABC that have embraced that serialization. When you're talking about the resistance of that kind of thing, it exemplifies the other three broadcast networks, at the moment. So, knowing that this one is going to be a serialized, ongoing, big show, ABC felt like the perfect place for us. People have talked about some comparisons to Lost, but the fact is that Lost was a big hit, as a serialized show on ABC. So, for us, ABC was really the one natural place to try to make that work because they've had some success, and they will embrace the idea of serialization.
GAJDUSEK: The value of a hit serialized drama shouldn't be underestimated. It's really a great serialized show. It becomes event television, in a way that a network can hang its hat on. We hope to do that.
What is the balance going to be, between the military from the submarine, the characters from the island, and then also the characters that are back in the United States?
RYAN: There's some crossover there, so it's hard to say an exact percentage. What we've talked about is probably 60% of the action will take place on the island, 20% on the sub, and 20% D.C., but some characters can be fluid. Obviously, characters like Sam and Marcus will be on the island and on the sub, and sometimes there might be some communication with people in D.C. We'll be on the island a lot, we are definitely going to use our submarine going forward, and we're definitely going to play up the D.C. thing. We don't want to get too formulary with the show, so not every episode will match up to a pie chart, but that's the general pie chart that covers the whole season, I would say.
GAJDUSEK: After the event of the pilot, we consider the people on the sub and the people on the island to be a group. And then, we've got D.C. as a remote place. We don't consider this show to be a military intrigue show. We think of it as a large, dramatic epic-adventure. Although the military intrigue and the political intrigue is a huge juicy part of our show, hopefully, it will lead to some great mysteries and some great thriller-tension moments. But, the question of who's done it is not nearly as big as, what will these people do with the situation they're in?
What are the dangers that these people will be facing, in the first season?
RYAN: I would say that they boil down to three different types. One is danger from the outside, with people who feel threatened by the power of this nuclear sub, who are looking for ways to neutralize the sub or neutralize the crew. Another kind of threat is the population on the island, when they arrive. There can be people there who are not thrilled with the presence of these people, who view them a little bit like an occupying force that's endangering them. As a result, they're going to look for relief in dangerous ways that will provide some stories. And then, I would say that the third one is the people on the ship itself. The pilot starts with approximately 150 crew members. Not everyone could be down with this program. Not everyone is going to love what Marcus and Sam have done, in the situation that they find themselves in. So, they'll be dealing with some internal descents and some dangers from that. Those are the three main plot engines that are driving some of those storylines.
What qualities do you feel make a great leader?
RYAN: Well, I don't know that I am one, so I don't know the secrets. But, I'm a believer in team work more than individual accomplishment, so I would say having the ability to inspire those around you to do their best work is a mark of a great leader. Grace under pressure is a phrase we use, here in America, and it applies there. Intelligence and some kind of moral compass are important, as things get tougher and tougher, along with the ability to reach down and do the right thing, even when it's the difficult thing to do. Finally, the ability to inspire confidence. Maybe that goes along with the ability to inspire.
What makes Hawaii the ideal place to shoot this show?
GAJDUSEK: One of the issues is actually a practical issue of casting. We have this amazing cast that we're so proud of, but as series regulars, we're asking them to make a commitment to be with this show for a long time. Knowing that we would have to shoot somewhere that would double for a tropical island, we were going to ask these people to move somewhere completely off the map, for many years of their lives. Hawaii offers a chance to be somewhere exotic, beautiful and somewhat unknown, even though we are familiar with it, to a degree. It's also a place you can make a home in. That's the practical answer. From an artistic point of view, Hawaii really does offer incredible vistas and dramatic places. One of the only challenges is that sometimes it's too beautiful. We actually have to look at parts of it and say, "Okay, how can we ugly this up for our show?"
Last Resort airs on Thursday nights on ABC.


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A former Prince George's County police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to taking inappropriate pictures of a sleeping woman.
After initially denying the accusations, Christopher Adams pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in a hotel at National Harbor last year.
The victim was a friend of Adams' wife. They had been celebrating Adams' wife's birthday, and the victim was intoxicated, authorities said. She saw Adams by the side of the bed before she went to sleep on the bathroom floor. When she felt her underwear move, she saw a flash of light, authorities said.
Investigators found photos on Adams' phone.
Adams will have to perform 150 hours of community service. He resigned from the police force when the victim and her husband complained.


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There's a New Royal Baby in Town! Who's Stealing Kate's Thunder?
All weekend the world waited with bated breath for the arrival of the baby of Kate Middleton and Prince William. There was royal baby news, yes, but it wasn't about Baby Cambridge—it was from William's cousin.
OK! Investigates: See all the ways Kate Middleton has imitated Princess Diana—so far!
Buckingham Palace announced that Zara Tindall is with child, expecting a baby in early 2014. Zara is the daughter of Princess Anne, Prince Charles' sister, making her William and Harry's first cousin and fourteenth in line for the throne (well, until Kate's baby adjusts things in a few days). She's married to rugby star Michael Tindall.
Are you excited for this smidgen of royal baby news? Do you think Zara's baby and Kate's baby will get along well? When do you think we'll hear news of Kate's baby? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @OKMagazine.
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