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In her otherwise quiet residential neighbourhood, Erika Hennebury was surprised to hear pulsing music and shouts from dozens of young partygoers late Saturday night. When four gunshots rang out, she said she couldn't believe it, at first thinking they were firecrackers.
Hennebury and her partner ran to the front window of their home, perched high on Davenport Rd., and looked across the street where "kids were just pouring and pouring out of the house and taking off down side streets," said Hennebury, mother of 6-year-old twins. She estimated there were about 100 young people outside and said she has never seen anything like it since moving into her home seven years ago.
She now fears the townhouse where the party took place has been turned into a "ghost hotel" — a house or apartment where the homeowner does not live, but rather rents out through services like Airbnb. It's a practice city council has vowed to crack down on with regulations including that the homeowner must live on the premises. Council is to deal with the matter at its Dec. 6 meeting.
Toronto police confirmed shots were fired around 11 p.m. on Saturday. There were no victims, and charges have not been laid. "A lot of people were not co-operative with police," said Const. Craig Brister.
The main floor of the townhouse appears to be listed on Airbnb by a host with the same first name as the homeowner, Dovran Mollayev. Three neighbours told the Star that Mollayev does not live at the location, which he bought a year ago. A nearby neighbour, who does not wish to be named for fear of conflict, said Mollayev gutted the house and converted it into three apartments.
Mollayev, who owns two other properties in Toronto, would not confirm he lives at the Davenport Rd. townhouse. He refused to answer questions about whether he was aware of the party Saturday, or about how the regulations proposed by the city may affect him.
As the number of Airbnb rentals in Toronto tripled from 2014 to 2016, residents raised concerns about noise, safety, housing affordability and taxation, according to the city.
City staff have recommended regulations aimed at preventing ghost hotels. The regulations include the residency requirement as well as a registration and licensing program for short-term rental activity.
Read more:
Suspected ghost hotel ordered closed by city
Toronto council the next stop for rules governing short-term rentals like those offered on Airbnb
Basement apartment ban proposed for Toronto Airbnb
What happened on Davenport Rd. on Saturday is "just another indication of why we need regulation in this city," said Thorben Wieditz of Fairbnb, a Toronto coalition that advocates for short-term rental regulations.
"It is a part of a growing trend where people turn their houses into ghost hotels to make a quick buck on the market, but also impacts the communities around them."
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Airbnb said it has banned the guest who rented the listing at the time of the shooting. "We have zero tolerance for this type of behaviour," said spokesperson Lindsey Scully in an email to the Star.
Negative incidents through Airbnb are "extremely rare," she said, and the San Francisco-based company has a number of specific safety features such as risk scoring to "prevent bad actors from ever accessing our platform in the first place." It also screens all hosts and guests against terrorist and sanction watch lists, but only does background checks for U.S. residents.


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Houston lost one of it's most iconic characters this week. Dr. James H. "Red" Duke passed away at 86. Dr. Duke was a true medical pioneer, founding the Hermann Hospital (now Memorial Hermann) "Life Flight" air ambulance service during the 1970's. He was one of the first faculty members of the UT Health Science Center at Houston (now known as UT Health), where he taught several generations of medical students the intricacies of trauma surgery.
Dr. Red Duke was instantly recognizable to millions of people through his television health reports, which were syndicated on stations all over the country in the 70's and 80's. He was known for his signature signoff, "I'm Doctor Red Duke," delivered in a frontier Texas drawl that was more Texas cowboy than brilliant trauma surgeon.
Dr. Duke often masked his considerable intellect with folksy country humor, and a friendly bedside manner, which gave comfort to his trauma patients and their families during difficult times.
In addition to his many medical laurels, he also was an Eagle Scout, received a divinity degree, served as a tank commander in the US Army, was a yell leader at Texas A&M, rode horses, created western art, and grew up with Willie Nelson.
Early in his medical career, he was one of the emergency room doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas responding to the assassination of President Kennedy, and was widely credited with saving the life of then Texas Governor John Connally who was wounded while riding with the president.
I grew up watching Dr. Duke on TV, and in 2008, I was lucky enough to photograph him on the helipad at Memorial Hermann. We had no guarantees that there would be a helicopter for our background, as the aircraft were out and about, delivering critical patients to the hospital. When the doctor arrived a little later than our optimal sunset time, he apologized: "Sorry – I was in surgery….had to fix up a guy up who decided to wrap his car around a pole."(or something to that effect).
I think he was 79 at the time, and still working every day.
Building roofs are windy anyway, doubly so with helicopter rotor wash all over the place as you're trying to shoot photos. I'm sure it was equally difficult for Dr. Duke but he was unfazed. We had several volunteers helping out the assistants to keep the lights safe and secure. My favorite moment with him came at the end of our photo shoot….he had been very patient with us, and as we were starting to pack up, two rather attractive young women from the hospital (who had been graciously helping us out), asked to have their photo taken with Dr. Duke. As he stood in the middle and posed with his arms around both of them (in heels they were both quite taller than him…), he looked down at me and said, "You can take as long as you want to now…"
Happy trails, Dr. Duke.

subset: commoncrawl


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NOT long ago, supporters of Jewish Family Service toyed with the idea of changing the name of the venerable Denver agency, founded in 1872 with the help of legendary Denver philanthropist Frances Wisebart Jacobs, and originally named the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society.
Was the Jewish in the name too parochial? Was it too narrow in defining the agencys extensive work in the general and Jewish communities? Would it discourage non-Jews and foundations from supporting its work?
As it turned out, the name-change idea didnt go over very well.
Opponents of the change most notably, JFS president and CEO, Yana Vishnitsky negated the idea.
Like National Jewish Health, Vishnitsky told the Intermountain Jewish News in a recent interview, JFS should always be associated with the Jewish community, whether that goes over well with the general community or not.
And like NJH, she feels that JFS was wise to emphasize, rather than downplay, its essential Jewish component.
Im a strong believer that we already have a brand, Vishnitsky says. We are very deeply rooted in Jewish values and in the community.
I mean, how many agencies do you know that have been around for 140 years? For us to change the name, to become a generic agency, would lose its attraction.
While it might be considered traditional to want to proudly keep the name of an organization like JFS, Vishnitskys vision for the agency is anything but hidebound. To listen to her discuss the agency she has managed since 2000 is to hear a professional voice that is openly progressive and anticipatory of the future.
Its hard to dissociate that attitude from Vishnitskys personal background.
Read the related IJN editorial "JFS at 140"
She immigrated from her native USSR to the US in 1978. Then 30 years old, married and with a small son, she had already worked in Russia as a patent attorney and engineer.
Already fluent in English, she wasted little time establishing herself in her newly adopted hometown of Denver. Within months of her immigration, she was working at the Jewish Family & Childrens Services, as it was then known, starting out as an interpreter, then working her way up as a case manager and director of resettlement services.
Along the way, she re-educated herself, earning an undergraduate degree at CSU and a Master of Social Work from Smith College, specializing in mental health issues.
Vishnitsky is an eloquent and elegant speaker, methodical and clear in her thinking, and obviously passionate when it comes to discussing the organization she leads.
As the JFS celebrates its 140th anniversary, she readily agreed to the IJNs request to discuss the long history of the JFS wheres its been, where it is today, and where its likely to go in the future.
IJN: If the ghost of Frances Wisebart Jacobs were sitting here today, what do you think you would say to her?
Vishnitsky: What I would say to her is that we have fulfilled her dream; that we have been able to address not only the current needs but also to change according to the future needs, and to grow with the community together.
She would be very, very proud that her efforts would not have been in vain.
She would be proud that the Jewish community has stood up and taken care of their own, and not only their own but also that they show that Jewish values go way beyond the Jewish community.
Today, according to the ad that you ran recently in the IJN, Jewish Family Service serves 21,000 people. Who are those people and, in a general sense, what do they need?
They are the members of our community, rich or poor, Jewish or non-Jewish. I very strongly believe that all of us, at one point in our lives, have a need not to be needy but to have a need. And we respond to the needy and the people who have needs.
We are, as I call us, the 911 for the Jewish community.
We have four major area of service. People come to us when they need mental health counseling. People come to us when they have aging parents. Parents come to us when they have acting-out adolescents. People come to us when they have kids with special needs or adults with special needs.
And were a safety net for the community. We feed people. We pay rent for people. We change lives. We empower people to be self-sufficient and to lead healthy and productive lives.
The needy and people with needs is an interesting distinction.
I have always believed very strongly that because of our very strong expertise in our core competencies, which are mental health, geriatric care, disability and safety net we can appeal to the broader community, including people who have the means to pay but they dont know where to turn.
If you have not dealt with an aging parent or relative, there are thousands of choices that this community presents and you wont know which is a good choice.
We are experts in geriatric care. We know what to recommend in terms of nursing care, assisted living facilities, home health and in general how to deal with your parents or loved ones who are aging and help them to live safely in their homes.
Or people who need counseling. I think the statistical data shows that one in five Coloradans have some kind of mental disorder, either depression or anxiety or marital problems or problems with a teenager or drug addiction.
We have a sliding scale for people who cant afford to pay for full service. We also provide support care. We will deliver care to a person, the same quality that they can buy for full fee.
Thats why I say we all can be in need. I have an aging father. I go to my geriatric specialist to say, where do I turn to get a wheelchair, to get the best home care for my dad?
Thats in need versus needy. People who are in need arent necessarily needy, but there is a labyrinth of resources, and they dont know how to access that. We do.
It is confusing and intimidating. It is intimidating for people who have the means. Can you imagine how a person who doesnt have the means feels? Helpless, hopeless, lost, overwhelmed, burdened.
So we are there to relieve peoples burdens, to make life easier, to make life more accessible. Thats my strong passion and belief. I have been here for 34 years, from doing casework and working with people who dont speak the language, people who do speak the language, people who cant pay, people who can pay.
It has been a life-changing experience, for me and for those who need the service.
In 2008 the economy basically tanked in this country. What has been the impact of that recession on the number of people who have needed help and your ability, financially, to meet those needs?
We have seen the wave of the recession hit every area of our service.
Elderly werent able to pay co-pays. Their savings, their pensions dwindled.
People lost jobs. They couldnt pay for mental health.
Families got stressed out by unemployment. Marriages were under stress.
Children were feeling burdened with their parents unhappiness.
The unemployed, the hungry, people who had to make choices whether to put food on the table or to pay rent, co-pays for medication, insurance, the uninsured.
There were a lot of ripple effects. It was overwhelming.
But I have to tell you. I have been incredibly struck by the generosity of our community. The community responded in a beautiful, generous, compassionate way.
We have been able to do well. We have been able to meet the growing needs.
Its always a struggle. I cant tell you that we can meet everybodys needs. We had been able at one point to feed 2,300 people a month through the food bank. That became a burden that we couldnt handle because of the space and the financial burden.
And we wanted to make a bigger impact. We didnt want to just give out food. We wanted to make a greater impact on the well-being of the family.
So, yes, it affected us in a major way. Yes, the needs have grown. But also the donations have not dwindled. Some of it has grown, some of it has been diminished, but overall we did okay.
Have you maintained your staff or have you had to let people go these last four years?
We havent had to let our staff go. When a grant is over, here and there we have to make changes, but it was not driven by the economy.
What we have done is reduce the salaries for a year and stopped the contributions to 401-K. Then we were able to resume it the next year.
So it was an impact but we didnt have to close the program, we didnt have to shrink the program. We understood that the need is there, and greater.
And our staff is phenomenal. They love what they do. And you know that social service employees arent compensated very highly. They do it because thats what they perceive as their mission in life. Its what they love to do.
Do you feel that your revenue is adequate for the needs or is there still a gap?
There is always a gap. Federal and state funding is shrinking. It is constantly a struggle. We need to be creative, extremely efficient, extremely effective. We need to check our productivity in general, all the time to be on our toes, to be ready.
Overall, I feel that in terms of dollars raised by the community, weve had a slow increase. We didnt have a decrease. The federal and state funding and the foundations are more fickle than the commitment of our donors.
And subject to political forces, of course. We are living with a lot of unknowns. We really dont know what to expect. Were kind of preparing for the worst. The Medicaid is down and some of our services are Medicaid-dependent.
What needs that are unmet would you like to start to work on, ideally?
I would like to be able to provide more home-based support services for the seniors who cant afford to pay. This is a need that will only grow with the baby-boomers getting older. The number of elderly people will exponentially increase.
I would like to provide more mental health services, to be more helpful to the schools than we are right now.
I would like to provide more comprehensive help to people who are on the brink of homelessness and to be able to follow them a little longer than Im able to do right now.
It is one thing to pay rent and provide food for one or two months, but it would be helpful to see what happens to people within a year or two. Are they able to maintain self-sufficiency?
Everybody is moving toward that model and we have started moving toward that model, but it requires resources long-term contacts, long-term oversight, long-term connection and that is not always possible.
And Denver just changed its laws concerning homelessness. Im assuming that might mean a little more work for you, too.
Well, we dont deal directly with homelessness because we dont have the shelters. We deal with prevention. We try to do whatever it takes to prevent people from becoming homeless.
We have fought for that recognition with the city for a long time. Finally theyve recognized that its significantly cheaper to prevent homelessness than to eliminate homelessness.
JFS has always done a lot of work for the non-Jewish community. Has that been true from the beginning? How did that evolve?
I dont know about Frances [Wisebarts] philosophy. I know that Jewish values teach us certain things that will be spread to any community. It is about everybody. I know, because Ive been here for 34 years, that when I started we served just the Jewish community. Our funding was just Allied Jewish Federation and we knew that the Jewish community was growing and we needed to diversify the funding.
One of the biggest pushes at that time was diversification of funding. The more we diversified the funding the more were the requirements for us to open to the non-Jewish community.
But I have to tell you, I am a strong believer in two things. One, our focus has always been and will always remain on the Jewish community. We try very hard to do whatever we can to meet the needs of the Jewish community.
My second belief is that we have leveraged our resources. We have been able to take care of a lot of Jewish clients with non-Jewish money, with foundation or corporation money. Our individual donors are primarily Jewish.
You mentioned that one in five people needs some kind of psychological or emotional counseling. Is that as true in the Jewish community as the non-Jewish community?
I would think so. We are no exceptions in any area of service. Our numbers are fewer but there are the same needs as in the non-Jewish community.
So the belief in the Jewish community that we dont have alcoholics or people with depression or people who are homeless or poor or disabled . . .
It is a total myth. We have seen it all Jewish people who are homeless, Jewish people who have beaten their wives, Jewish youth who take drugs, Jewish families that are destroyed. We have seen it all. Were not immune to any problems that the general community has.
Does it worry you at all that the Jewish community seems to be leaning more heavily on JFS? The example that comes to mind is the JCC senior lunches program, which recently was put under your purview.
It doesnt worry me. I want to do the best for the community, as long as it is congruent with my mission. Id like us to be known as the service providers . . . so Im not scared. Im proud we can help. I perceive it as a compliment.
Looking ahead, where do you think this organization is going? What sort of needs are you anticipating in the future and what will be your ability to meet those needs?
Its a very appropriate question right now because we just completed a three-year strategic plan. Of course, we need to assure that there is always financial stability. That is attracting more donors, maybe through outreach to the non-Jewish community.
And to let the community know who we are. Believe it or not, we still remain a big secret in town. People misperceive us. They think we serve just the Jewish community or that we are a religious agency. A lot of people dont know us. There is still a great deal of work to do in the community for marketing, for delivering the message that we are here to help and to change lives.
One of the areas of growth that we have identified will be senior services, because of the boomers. The numbers are incredibly high. Thats why the JFS at the JCC is congruent with our mission.
We are trying to package our mental health services for schools and to really identify the niches. We want to become the concierge service for mental health services.
We need to market our expertise to the general community. We want people to understand the difference between need, in-need and needy.
Some will come and pay for services and that will enable us to subsidize people who are not able to pay.
That is our vision to stay the course, to grow a couple of areas and some areas will be dependent strictly upon the funding that will come.
How optimistic are you about that?
I have a strong faith in the community, in its generosity and compassion, and I very passionately believe in our mission. I have seen lives that have been transformed. When you have that behind you, its very hard not to be optimistic. You see how people change and the resilience of human beings.
Im very optimistic. I believe that we will survive and thrive. I probably wont see it, but our children and grandchildren will see a strong Jewish Family Service that will be three times or four times as big as today.
Copyright © 2012 by the Intermountain Jewish News


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the following was originally posted last night, and then removed this morning. i received a very hurtful comment from an anonymous poster and needed some time to reflect on the situation. after thinking about it, i've decided to repost it.
it is important for me to know that those of you who visit this space and support my work {both friends and strangers} have an understanding of where i'm coming from. particularly because my work is so personal. my entry about struggle and progress was not a solicitation for sympathy. it was written out of a desire to open up a dialogue about sustaining creativity through grief. it comes from a place of positive intention. thank you to those of you who reached out and left very personal, heartfelt comments. i am sorry they've been lost here, they are not lost with me...
originally i had planned to give you a little tour of my new studio today, but it has been such a grey day {complete with an ice storm}. too grey for pictures. i would have been getting ahead of myself anyway, when so much has happened between second storie last august and the papering of my walls in pride and prejudice this february. so i'll take it from the beginning {and give you the tour in a couple days}.
now, i don't think that because i've been absent for so long i should return with doctor's note in hand, spilling out all you missed in a few posts. sometimes we all need to take a break, tuck away, be with ourselves and then return refreshed and inspired. i can't tell you how many nights i'd lay in bed, hoping i'd wake up to that day.
but there are some things i would like to share with you. some things for which i'd love to hear your thoughts. in the past i tried to keep this space as light as i could, given all i could possibly share. but maybe one of you out there knows first hand what i've been struggling with. and maybe it's just better to be than to try to be.
have i ever mentioned this here before? after losing my grandmother and mother in the last 3 years, at 34 i am the oldest woman in my family. it is difficult to put to words just how strange this feels.
for me, this fact is never more clear, or more painful as when i've accomplished something i'm particularly excited about, or proud of. i am surrounded by supportive and amazing family and friends. but nothing compares to the loving words of a mother or grandmother. it really is so weird to not be able to call them, you know? this longing for maternal encouragement can be so strong it becomes debilitating.
because of how difficult this can be, i have found myself shutting down after something really great happens fearing that if i keep growing i'll feel this incredible longing again. this is what happened after the second storie} indie market last september. it was just the greatest experience! there was so much talent and inspiration swirling through our event, and it was so well received that plans for the next event were underway before the first was even over.
i packed up. i went home full of smiles. i crashed in a heap of exhaustion just like the rest of the girls. and woke up feeling more empty than ever...for many, many days to come. it took me 5 months to get back on my feet.
what i can say is that i've figured out this much. i now understand a bit better why i retreated within, tucking away for a safer day. what's left to explore is how to make use of this understanding, so that i don't subject myself to an endless spiral of creativity, effort, success, grief, depression, and creativity again. am i naive to think i can widen the spiral a bit? i'd like to think i can.
i'm heart deep in the creativity and effort part of it all again. it feels so good to be here. taking care of old, old business + orders, cleaning the slate. and looking towards exciting creative endeavors on the horizon, some amazing opportunities just around the corner. i had that day. the day when i wake up and feel that well of ideas, and deep deep desire to express all i feel for this great big beautiful life. i am here. but not without my fears. i don't want to lose it all again on the other side. sure, i know i will feel loss and grief all over again. but this time i have a map, which i hope will help. when i get to that difficult patch in the road i hope i can remain productive in spite of the pain.
thanks for listening, friends.
the photo above was taken the morning after the second storie} indie market last september.


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Starbound: Where to Find Cotton
Cotton is an incredibly important resource in Starbound. Not only do small items such as the teddy bear require it, but many of the tier II armors also use it as a crafting ingredient. Here's where to find it in Starbound.
At this current moment in time, the only place you're going to find it is from the cotton plants themselves. Plants can be grown by planting seeds which, in turn, you get from harvesting wild or grown cotton plants.
Wild cotton plants can be found on garden planets, which, lucky for us, is the first type of planet that players encounter in Starbound. These planets can also be found orbiting gentle stars. All you'll need to do is seek a few of these out and hope that the harvest rewards you with Cotton Seed as well as the fiber itself.
Once you've got the seeds, you'll want to make sure you keep coming back to check up on them and water them when they need it. Keep good care of your plants and you'll be able to harvest them for fiber, with the chance of it also dropping some cotton seeds. Simply plant any seeds you get and continue to build a farm of the plants. Soon enough, getting the fluffy white stuff won't be a problem you have to worry about every again.
That's all there is to getting this sought after crafting material in Starbound. Now you can craft that teddy bear without having to worry.


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Cathedral of Segovia Admission Ticket. Segovia Cathedral is the last Gothic cathedral to be built in Spain. Fronting the historic Plaza Mayor in Segovia, it stands on the spot where Isabella I was proclaimed Queen of Castile. Affectionately called la dama de las catedrales, Segovia Cathedral has a supremely Gothic exterior combined with a surprisingly bare interior, but contains numerous treasures.
Categoría: Pases y entradas para visitas turísticas.
Inicio en: Segovia, Spain.
Duración: 1 to 2 hours.
Precio: 3,00 euros.


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Inspirational insights
Blogs in the spotlight
- How do I buy the perfect diamond ring?
- How do I choose the perfect wedding ring?
- How to buy an engagement ring?
- Which earrings are perfect for you?
- How to choose a diamond bracelet?
- Which ladies' necklace will make you sparkle?
- Take your time in choosing your watch
- What's the right jewellery for each occasion?
- Why buy diamond jewellery online?
- What types of precious metals are there?
- Whqt types of gemstones are there?
Fill in the gap: I never leave the house without_________. If you answered 'my jewels', then we are on the same page. Nothing more annoying in the morning than to forget to wear your favorite jewel, the entire day feels as if something is missing. It is therefore important to organize them properly. Sometimes, you can be in a hurry, and with organized jewellery you can avoid unnecessary stress. Jewellery boxes which blend into your interior are currently totally on trend. But before you get started, we have 5 important tips.
Most viewed diamond jewels
VeneziaFrom € 6.220 (excl. VAT)
0.90 carat solitaire diamond ring in platinum with six prongsFrom € 1.450 (excl. VAT)
0.55 carat diamond eternity ring (full set) in white goldFrom € 1.270 (excl. VAT)
1.00 carat diamond flower ring in platinumFrom € 1.240 (excl. VAT)
0.90 carat white golden solitaire pendant with round diamondFrom € 2.150 (excl. VAT)
1. Everyday jewels within reach
You wear them every day, so they need to catch your eye immediately. The pieces you wear regularly, such as your engagement ring or your trendy fine jewellery, will be more easily to find if you place them in the first drawer (s) of your jewellery box. When you organize your jewellery, always start with these everyday pieces.
2. The more compartments, the better
Buy a jewellery box with several compartments. This avoids the diamonds/gemstones from getting scratched, and avoids necklaces and bracelets to be tangled. Invest in a beautiful and functional jewellery box with several drawers that makes it possible to keep dust from your jewellery.
3. Keep the same types of jewels together
Organize your jewellery box in such a way that each type of jewel is located in the same tray: rings with rings, bracelets with bangles, etc .. This way, you can make it yourself easier in choosing which earrings, bracelet or necklace that you're going to wear with a particular outfit.
4. Be creative!
And create an uncluttered visual appeal. Go for attractive boxes that reflect your personality and fit nicely into your interior. There are beautiful jewellery boxes on the market, from expensive to cheap, in wood, metal or (mirror) glass. Do you already have an extensive jewellery collection, then you can best opt for a boudoir table, or why not a jewellery wardrobe? It looks beautiful in your house, and has enough room to store all your jewels.
5. Protect precious jewels
Do you have some valuable pieces in your jewellery collection, then storage them safely when you're not at home. With a break-in, a jewel box can be taken away more easily. Therefore, we recommend to keep the more expensive items in a vault.
- Diamond Jewellery Advisor
- My Linkedin profile - Contact me


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Blog Archives
Quirky Q&A with Cathy Perkins: So About the Money
Posted by Krista Hall
Left-brain meets right-brain. Add in heart. Award-winning author Cathy Perkins skillfully blends all three in her newest mystery with a financial twist and a dash of romance: SO ABOUT THE MONEY.
When Holly Price trips over a friend's dead body, her life takes a nosedive into a world of intrigue and danger. With an infinitely sexy cop—Holly's pissed-off, jilted ex-fiancé—threatening to arrest her for the murder, the intrepid accountant must protect her future, her business…and her heart…by using her investigative skills to follow the money, before the killer decides CPA stands for Certified Pain in the Ass…and the next dead body is Holly's.
How does Cathy do it? That's what I wanted to know so I asked her a few quirky questions which she gamely answered for her third visit to K&T. Join me in welcoming the mastermind behind the Holly Price amateur sleuth romantic mystery series. (And be sure to read to the end to find out who won the Lark Brennan DANGEROUSLY YOURS give-away!)
Krista passed along five sentences openers for me to complete for this guest post. Panic! My mind raced along with my heart. I have to be profound. Funny. Introspective. Yikes!
Wait a minute. I just have to be "me." Whew. I know how to do that. So here we go.
1) I do my best thinking when… I'm moving. "Moving" can mean running, hiking or driving—anything that lets my mind relax. It may be getting into that zone that lets my subconscious toss out ideas that have churned around down there. Aside – the idea for So About the Money came while I was hiking with my husband along the Snake River in eastern Washington. As we pushed through some tangled foliage at the water's edge, I peered over my shoulder and said, "Wouldn't this be a great place to find a body?" Yes, mystery/suspense authors think things like that.
2) I'm addicted to… coffee. Seriously, I don't function without it. My husband is either an enabler or the best husband ever (my personal choice) because he always starts the machine when he gets up.
3) In my spare time… Wait, you have spare time? Can you lend me some? I'm still rocking the day job while writing. Oh, and there's the tree farm. And building the new house. And… But soon—really, really soon—I want to get back to the other creative outlets I adore—fused glass, watercolor, hand-sewing little girl dresses.
4) Smart women are… everywhere. "Smart" comes in so many varieties—I hope all of us can appreciate what everyone else has to offer. Book smarts, people skills; natural leaders and nurturers. Life is so much better when we focus on what women do well and help each other succeed.
5) Traveling… is my favorite thing. I love exploring new cultures and new places. My personal bucket list includes items big and small, local as well as international. Diving the Great Barrier Reef, Soap Lake's mineral springs, and seeing Qin Shi Huang Di's terra-cotta army in Xi'an, China.
What about you? Is there a place you'd love to visit?
So About the Money by Cathy Perkins
Holly Price never expected to be back in Richland, Washington. She bolted out of the small town in eastern Washington for college—with no intention of returning. She also never expected her father to have a mid-life brain-fart and run off with his yoga instructor. His defection stranded Holly's mother both personally and professionally. Without Holly's CPA license, her mother would have to close the family accounting practice.
And absolutely the last thing Holly expected was for a hike with Alex Montoya to turn into the date from hell, but when he'd invited her to Big Flats, she'd heard "hike," while he meant "hunt."
She peered forward and behind. "Alex," she called, louder this time. "Where are you?"
She might be the commitment-phobe in this relationship, but surely Alex wouldn't leave her out here. Everywhere she looked, dangling leaves and dried canes blocked her path. The sharp staccato of a dog's excited bark broke the silence. Duke—ahead and to the right. The dog must have found the wounded pheasant.
She edged past a mushy spot. A harsher tang that reminded her of the dead fish they'd passed earlier grew stronger with each step. Nose covered with her hand, she rehearsed choice phrases to unleash on Alex when she finally found him, starting with a sarcastic, "Thanks for your concern," before descending rapidly to "asshole."
Something big rustled in the dense undergrowth behind her. Heart pounding, she spun around and peered into the thicket. They had coyotes out here. And drug grower/dealer guys. The only person they'd seen between the gravel parking area and this jungle was an Aryan Nation skinhead dude. Her heart stutter stepped. Oh, crap. What if this was his territory?
The noise from something plunging through the brush grew louder, closer. Blindly, she turned and crashed through the tangled foliage.
The rushes ended at a mound of dirt. She staggered into the clearing, her gaze zeroing in on Alex. Leaning over something on the ground, he tugged at Duke's collar. The dog struggled, twisting his body in a muscular objection.
"Alex. Thank God." Her knees felt weaker than she wanted to admit. "I heard something in the bushes back there."
"Probably a deer. Stay back." He wrestled the dog to the side.
His brusque tone shattered her mini-panic.
Well, don't I feel silly.
A quick glance around registered the details. A drooping cottonwood canopied the clearing. Sunlit water lapped at the muddy shore. Gulls whirled overhead in a protesting flurry, lingering in a swirling complaint of dirty white feathers. The clearing looked like a teenagers' party spot. Tattered food wrappers and empty beer bottles littered the ground. Filthy, torn clothing formed a soggy heap at the water's edge.
The wind gusted off the inlet, carrying a stench across the clearing.
"Phew." As bad as it smelled, she wondered if a dead fish was caught in the trash. A few birds remained near the river, their wings raised high, voices screeching defiance.
The pile of clothes had female-shaped contours. Eyes narrowed, Holly gave it a closer look. A pale, mud-streaked foot extended toward her. "Is that a woman?"
Visit Cathy Perkins on Facebook, Twitter, and Cathy's website.
For more Cathy Perkins K&T interviews:
The Two (Suspenseful) Sides of Cathy Perkins & A New Kind of Mile High Club with Cathy Perkins
Congratulations to DARCY WOODS for winning the $25 Amazon gift card from Lark Brennan! And a special thanks to all of you who helped us celebrate Lark's debut DANGEROUSLY YOURS last week. DANGEROUSLY YOURS debuts today!
Posted in Author Interview, Krista Hall, Winners
Tags: amateur sleuths, Cathy Perkins, Lark Brennan, new release, romantic mystery, So About the Money, Winner


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This post is part of The Exchange. The opinions expressed by contributors shared on The Exchange do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of CIJA, its staff, or Board of Directors.
The mostly one-sided Western media commentary on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War – fixated as it was on the theme "50 years of Israeli occupation" – has generated the need for reflection on truths either omitted or marginalized in the coverage.
The highly influential Economist led the way with a 5,000-word May cover story, "Why Israel needs a Palestinian State." It was illustrated by a Star of David under lock by the Palestinians, implying that only by unlocking – freeing – the Palestinians can Israel hope to be free itself.
Its lead editorial made this abundantly clear: "The reason Israel must let the Palestinian people go is to preserve its own democracy."
There is a misconstrued implication, which is pervasive in key media and intellectual circles today, that Israel is doing to the Palestinians what the Egyptians did to the Jews millennia ago.
Conveniently ignored were Israel's repeated offers to the Palestinians of a viable, contiguous state. The initial proposals were presented to Yasser Arafat at Camp David and Taba in 2000-2001. An even more generous offer was made to Mahmoud Abbas in Annapolis in 2008. Most recently was John Kerry's 2014 proposal. All were rejected by the Palestinians because – bottom line — they reject the basic precept of Jewish sovereignty.
Nonetheless, the Economist claimed, although without follow-up, that "The outlines of peace are well known. Palestinians would accept the Jewish state born from the war of 1947-48…"
Economist writers should have recalled what their colleagues wrote in 2008 during the Annapolis talks. This was a profoundly important, albeit rare, observation in this august publication. At that time they noted, "It is ironic that the fundamental disagreement between Jews and Palestinians today is not about whether there should be a Palestinian state; most Israeli Jews accepted that long ago. It is about whether there should be a Jewish one."
Unfortunately, this time, The Economist, while failing to acknowledge that the Palestinians refuse to accept the idea of a "Jewish state," put virtually all responsibility on Israel alone: "To save democracy, and prevent a slide to racism or even apartheid, [Israel] has to give up the occupied territories."
The fundamental point is that, according to the "land for peace" formula of UN Security Council Resolution 242, which was drafted in the aftermath of the 1967 war, Israel is legally entitled to hold those lands that were taken in a war of self-defence. Changing that situation requires the Arabs to negotiate and make peace with Israel. The Palestinians, in particular, need to offer full recognition, safe and secure boundaries, and "termination of all claims." This latter condition would require the Palestinians to abandon their claim for a "right of return" of the now-millions of Palestinian refugees to present-day Israel.
In short, "ending occupation" is not something Israel is required, under international law, to do unilaterally. This essential point is rarely understood by media circles that routinely cite "knowledgeable diplomatic sources" and many who pose as experts on the subject.
It's important to recall that, in 2005, when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to withdraw unilaterally from Gaza and four northern West Bank settlements, Israel received in return not peace overtures but a series of missile strikes from Gaza.
Reacting to this bitter situation, the leftist, former Ha'aretz columnist Ari Shavit wrote in his acclaimed 2013 book, My Promised Land: "Here's the catch: If Israel does not retreat from the West Bank, it will be politically and morally doomed, but if it does retreat, it might face an Iranian-backed and Islamic-inspired West Bank regime whose missiles could endanger Israel's security. The need to end occupation is greater than ever, but so are the risks."
Israelis live on a daily basis with this very predicament, which has no safe and acceptable solution.
It's unfortunate that so much Western hectoring against Israel – "just end the occupation" – fails spectacularly to grasp this most basic reality.


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Chettinad University is a deemed university offering 2 UG, 5 PG courses in various disciplines. Admission to the MBBS course are through the merit list prepared on the basis of entrance exam conducted by the university.
Chettinad University MBBS Entrance is an all-India paper-pen based medical entrance. Medical aspirants who have completed 17 years of age as on December of the year of admission and those who have passed HSC/CBSE / ISCE in subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Botany and Zoology /Biotechnology and English are eligible to apply for Chettinad University MBBS Entrance. This MBBS entrance test for Chettinad University MBBS admission shall consists of subjects of Physics, Chemistry & Biology /Botany and Zoology.
The M.B.B.S. program at Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute is designed to create doctors who are fully qualified, broadly skilled and ready to pursue careers as generalists of specialists. The course offers a strong foundation in basic science with emphasis on early development of clinical and procedural skills.
Semi-online method:
STEP 1 Download the application form. A blue box in the middle of the page would read as 'Click here to download applications'.
STEP 2 Take a printout of the same.
STEP 3 Send the completed application form along with a DD of Rs.1000/- and enclosed documents to the address given below.
Offline method:
STEP 1 Obtain the application form either in person or through post by submitting a DD of Rs.1000/-.
STEP 2 Send the completed application form along with the enclosed documents to the address given below.
NOTE: Demand Draft should be drawn-in favour of "Chettinad Academy of Research and Education", payable at Chennai.
The Registrar,
Chettinad Academy of Research and Education,
Chettinad Health City Campus, Rajiv Gandhi Salai,
Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu 603103
Documents to be enclosed along with the application form:
Selection will be made on merit based on the marks secured in the All India Level Common Entrance Examination conducted by the University.
Exam Pattern
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College


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Items where Subject is "(C) Ecosystems > (CB) Marine > (CBC) Lagoons"
Group by: Authors | Item Type
Number of items at this level: 4.
Aronson, Richard B. and Macintyre, Ian G. and Precht, William F. (2005) Event preservation in lagoonal reef systems. Geology, 33 (9). p. 717. ISSN 0091-7613
Authority, Coastal Zone Management The National Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy for Belize. Technical Report.
Chi, Faustino (2012) Long-Term Changes in Mangrove Forests and Cays Following Hurricanes at Turneffe Islands, Belize. PhD thesis, University of British Columbia (Vancouver).
Rietsema, Jacob and Beveridge, Dorothy and Lumb, Judy (2012) The Vegetation of Caye Caulker. Technical Report.


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Common Missteps in Replatforming: Content Migration
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Back pain affects nearly everyone at some point—causing pain, anxiety, and disruption of your daily activities. Fortunately, research shows that low back pain is rarely caused by serious underlying disease, and there are things you can do to ease your pain.
Chronic low back pain affects millions of Americans every day—people working, playing, and functioning in their daily life. Fortunately, massage has been proven to be an effective choice for many kinds of persistent or chronic back pain.
In the largest U.S. study of its kind, our researchers found that acupuncture can help. The treatment helped people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities.
Yoga classes were linked to better back-related function and less chronic low back pain in a large study published by the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Kaiser Permanente researchers Drs. Daniel Cherkin, Karen Sherman, and Andrew Avins produced much of evidence in ICER report.
Read it in News and Events.


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Blue Daisies! Only in the papercrafting world can you make any shade of flower that you want! LOL! I had been wanting to use Stampin' Up!'s new Paper Daisies in the IB&C and decided what better way than to pair it up with the new Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper in the Mini Occasions catalog. This card was part of a Baggie Sampler that I created for my Sherindipity Stampers group meeting in January showcasing products from the new Mini Catalog and the Sale-A-Bration Catalog. The paper daisy was so easy to color! I used my Marina Mist marker and colored a little on each petal and then used my aqua painter to spread the color around. Use only a small amount of water with your aqua painter – do not soak your flower! I dried it quickly using my heat tool. Repeated the process to get a little tie-dye effect going on. You can also color the daisy by placing a few drops of one of the reinkers into a small dish with some water and paint it on with your aqua painter. But you don't get as much control this way on how the color turns out I thought. Any way you do it, it's pretty easy. I then splattered some ink on the flower using my color spritzer tool and a marker to make it look real. I also folded up each petal for more definition. I used the Punch Bunch from Sale-A-Bration to make the center of my flower. Use markers on the stamp so you can color each section of the stamp. Don't forget to huff on the ink to rewet it before stamping! The cute little hearts also express the perfect shades of blue too!
Supplies: Stamp Set: Nature Walk and Punch Bunch; Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso and Marina Mist; Designer Series Paper: Botanical Gazette; Ink: Early Espresso and Marina Mist; Accessories: Heat Tool, Aqua Painter, 1-3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Itty Bitty Buttons, Linen Thread, Color Spritzer Tool, Early Espresso, Old Olive and Marina Mist Stampin' Write Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, and Paper Daisies.
Do you have a favorite shade of daisy? Leave a comment below letting me know your favorite shade to win some blog candy shown here! Check back on Friday for the winner! It is the stamp set featured in yesterday's post – Easter Blooms. I received this clear mount stamp set as a prize at Leadership, but I already have it in wood mount. Do you want to be the lucky recipient?
I prefer wood mount stamps myself. I've been using them for 12 years – it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I just prefer the feel of wood in my hand. But Stampin' Up! now offers you a choice between the two styles of stamps that they offer. Clear mounts are great if you don't have alot of storage space. They fit on a shelf just like your DVD's. The images are not attached to anything. When you are ready to use them, you just mount the image on a clear block and stamp away. They also sell the empty clear mount stamp cases in a set of 4 for $4.95 (Item #119105). Watch for a new class I will be offering on how you can use the empty cases later this week!


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2019 Toyota Innova
The 2019 Toyota Innova, or the Kijang Innova as it is likewise understood in some markets, comes as a facelift of the present model. The updates on the popular 8-seater will concentrate on high end products in the cabin and enhancements to the flight quality. Obviously, Toyota updated the Innova with a Double Wishbone with coil spring and stabilizer in advance and a 4-link with coil spring and lateral roadway suspension at the back.
2019 Toyota Innova Exterior
Launched spy shots reveal that the 2019 Toyota Innova sports a brand name new big chrome grille incorporated fog lights and matched by a molded bumper. Likewise, the front fascia consists of a cluster of trendy LED lights, matching the L-shaped taillamps taillights round back. The broad fenders and wheel arches contribute to the athletic style of the hood and highlight the impression of strength and design. The side panels include powered side-mirrors and tinted window glass in sophisticated trims. The model rests on basic 17-inch wheels, which are 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels in advanced trims. What's more, Toyota has actually chosen to offer the new Innova with optional Aerokit Package, including front and rear bumper spoilers, roofing spoilers and side skirts.
2019 Toyota Innova Interior
The interior is large and outfitted with high end products from quality fabrics to soft-touch leather, which covers the control panel, guiding wheel and front and rear seats. The 3 row seats use a lot of convenience and leg space together with air bags front and sideways. Depending upon the trim the 2019 Toyota Innova uses seats for 8 or 7 travelers, with the latter including the second-row captain's chairs which are elegant in addition to able to move method forward or backwards to increase the freight area, which stands at the optimum 150 cubic feet as soon as you've eliminated the second-row seats. The model includes an host of technology upgrades, such as the Entune touchscreen, a navigation system and a suite of smartphone-connected services, plus a rear-seat home entertainment system, which features a split-screen display that makes it possible for 2 various media to dip into the exact same time.
2019 Toyota Innova Powertrain
The 2019 Toyota Innova is geared up with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder in-line 16-Valve DOHC with VVT-i engine providing 134 horse power and 182 Nm of torque. The engine features a 6-speed automated or 5-speed handbook transmission.
2019 Toyota Innova Release Date and Price
The Toyota Innova will get to dealers at some point in late 2015. The rates for the base level trim will start around $18,000 and if you desire the range-topping trim you'll need to pay around $24,222.


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Try this… Think back to the last 5 days, how many time on average per day do you think you really smiled? Are you surprised? Is it more or less than you thought?
It's a proven fact that just the motion of smiling can make you feel better, even if it's a forced smile! By raising the muscles on your face that's needed to smile, this releases brain hormones that triggers happiness.
If you want to see this for yourself, try holding a pen horizontally between your teeth, this forces you to smile and after a few minutes you will start to feel happier.
We smile when we meet people we know and people we've just met to show them we are not a threat or danger to them. It's a very important part of non-verbal communication, showing that you are a friend and not a foe.
Smiling is also very contagious, if you smile at someone you know they will smile back and if the smiles are genuine, it will make you both feel good and release more happiness hormones creating a very positive 'feel-good' chain reaction.
It's no coincidence that people who smile more tend to be more positive on their outlook on life and on average, live longer, healthier lives. Of course, it may not work trying to force a smile all day every day, you'd get a very achy face (ask Tony Blair), but when you are feeling a bit low, try forcing a smile for a few minutes and see how you feel.
Here are some or the positives effects smiling can have on you:
1. Smiling is contagious
Because of complex brain activity that occurs when you see someone smiling, smiles are contagious. Studies report that just seeing one person smiling activates the area of your brain that controls your facial movement, which leads to a grin.
Even in bad situations, if you smile, others are likely to mimic the expression.
2. Smiling lowers stress and anxiety
It's not easy to keep smiling in stressful situations, but studies report that doing exactly that has health benefits. When recovering from a stressful situation, study participants who were smiling had lower heart rates than those with a neutral facial expression.
The next time you're feeling stressed, just try smiling to calm yourself down.
3. Smiling releases endorphins
Smiling can help you manage stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins, chemicals that makes you happier. Endorphins are the same chemicals you get from working out or running, resulting in what is known as a runner's high. Smile more to get that high without having to run.
4. You'll be more attractive
Smiles can be very attractive for more reasons than one. A smile suggests that you're personable, easy going, and empathetic. In fact, a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that smiling actually makes you more attractive to those you smile at.
5. Smiling strengthens your immune system
Smiling even makes your immune system stronger by making your body produce white blood cells to help fight illnesses. One study found that hospitalized children who were visited by story-tellers and puppeteers who made them smile and laugh had higher white blood cell counts than those children who weren't
6. You'll be more approachable
Turn that frown upside-down if you want to make some friends!
Studies have found that people are more willing to engage socially with others who are smiling. A smile is an inviting facial expression that tells people you are willing to talk and interact with them.
7. Smiling will make you more comfortable
Our natural tendency is to stick to things that are familiar, but smiling decreases this need. A study found that smiling can make you more comfortable in situations you would otherwise feel awkward in.
8. You'll seem more trustworthy
If you want to improve your credibility, simply smile more. What could be easier than that?
Trusting doesn't come easily to many, but smiling at someone may help.
9. You'll be a better leader
If you're in a position of power, or want to be, smiling may be the key to your success. A group of researchers from The University of Montpellier discovered that smiling is a more effective leadership technique than having great management responsibilities.
So, the next time you really want to show off those leadership skills, just grin.
So don't forget to smile whenever you can, not only will it make you feel better, it can make other people feel better and help you to live longer.
We also hope we can help you smile when you use our services and you see your beautiful, clean home.
I'd love to hear your comments, let me know what makes you smile.
By Kevin Goodwin, firstname.lastname@example.com http://www.directcleaners.com


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I met a real live Russian today
Sunday brunch became more interesting than usual when I met Hillsdale's own student from the Motherland. In the course of the conversation I mentioned that Russia has been my favorite country to read and hear about since I was three years old and he said, "...you are very strange." Which is, I suppose, undeniably true. But my fascination with that country remains with me to this day; and I would love to reach a point in my life where I could spend a year traveling all over that country which uses up one sixth of the Earth's landmass. I think what has always drawn me is the deep understanding of pain and suffering that permeates Russian art, music, literature, and history. From Dostoevsky to Rachmoninov, I feel connected to a people who have accepted and lived with suffering more completely than any other culture I've ever encountered.
From Catherine_Creagan - 4.10.09
2 comments:
- Skinny Rich Coach said...
So beautiful! Thank you :)
- 11/18/2009
- Unknown said...
Hi Catherine, I came across this blog Googling Flannery O'Connor audio, which is amazing. I was back trying to download the Chesterton audio and dismayed to find the linked file deleted. I read your post and thought you might be interested in an anthology I co-edited: http://bookmaster.hostcentric.com/catalog/catalog_c_rasskazy_intro.shtml
New fiction from young Russian writers. If you happen to have any info on the link to that Chesterton audio, I'd really appreciate it.
- 11/21/2009
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Regular price
Our boys Christmas Santa jon is appliquéd with santa face. Shown with green cord cotton. (Picture is a long all)
We are happy to change fabric color, font choice and thread colorCan be made as either a shortall or longall (long all shown)
Lined with white broadcloth
Buttons on shoulder
Snaps in crotch for easy diaper change (Size 3t does not come with snaps unless you request them.)
Shipping: We ship your order within 5 business days of receiving order
Our shop is smoke and pet free.


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President Al-Assad: Terrorism should be struck as to get the political process forward
DAMASCUS, (ST)_ H.E. President Bashar Al-Assad underscored the pivotal role of frank and transparent dialogue among all the spectra of Syrian society as to sort out the ongoing crisis.
President Al-Assad declared, in a Ramadan Iftar speech, that the Syrians themselves and by their own hands can only solve the ongoing crisis, renewing the pledge to defend the homeland and encounter the challenges, whatever big might, with the more of strength and determination.
President Al-Assad pointed out that the homeland can never abandon its sons in moments of ordeals, but stands by them morally and financially.
''We will pursue tolerance with those misled, not those whose perpetrated bloodsheds, in parallel with striking at terrorists,'' said President Al-Assad, citing the continuously increasing numbers who turn themselves over to the State, the incubator for all Syrians.
H.E. President Al-Assad lashed out at those who during the ongoing crisis in Syria opted for the gray zone, the incubator of terrorism and chaos, citing those who opted for the white zone with their homeland, and for the black one against their homeland.
''If we all in the white zone stood together against the black, we would easily be able to emerge out from this crisis,'' said H.E. President Al-Assad.
The President reviewed all of the possible means resorted to by Syria as to end the crisis, including the amendments and changes of laws, of the constitution in a popular referendum, dealing with all foreign initiatives, with respect to Syria's sovereignty, like the Arab initiative, Kofi Annan, Geneva 1, and apart from the well-known intentions of Arab Countries, which failed the said initiatives through the Arab League.
H.E. President Al-Assad reiterated Syria's readiness to attend the proposed Geneva 2 meeting, pointing out that those who claim to be opposition abroad don't even represent themselves but the countries which prefabricated them.
''We have been flexible not out of naivety, but because we do believe in political work, The Syrian flexibility has helped the friends of Syria to be capable of defending Syria in all forums,'' added H.E. President Al-Assad.
President Al-Assad pointed out that the anti-Syria sides don't want any political solution to the crisis in Syria and get hysterical and frustrated once Syria responds to any initiative. 'Thus, these countries were exposed and it was proven that whoever said that Syria adopted the security solution, did adopt terrorism.''
''Terrorism once spread can never be dealt with through politics, and the only solution for it is to be hit with a hand of iron. Terrorism should be struck as to get the political process forward,'' underlined H.E. President Al-Assad.
H.E. President Al-Assad added that the solution for the crisis should stem from the realities, citing internationally the presence of some firm countries based on their principles, astray colonialist anti-Syria countries based on the wrong, and the presence of regional countries of the Wahabi thought and Moslem Brotherhood approach.
As for the domestic side, President Al-Assad underscored that the Syrians are encountering gangs which cut breads and necks, mercenaries who are paid for, thugs, thieves and extremists.
President Al-Assad cited the presence of national opposition in Syria, and of non-national opposition which seeks to achieve gains where some were paid for by countries or by officials in the Arab League, and where some among them flatter the armed terrorists, asserting that such an opposition is fallen at the moral as well as popular level.
H.E. President Al-Assad pointed out that the ongoing in Syria is but for Syria to be or not to be, for Syria either to be free and independent or to be a mount for the enemies, for Syria either to be a State governed by law and institutions, or by thugs and bandits.
''The confrontation is between the homeland and the enemies, the Army and the terrorists, between the State and the outlawed. We have on other alternative but to defend ourselves and country with our own hands,'' added H.E. President Al-Assad, highly lauding the great, remarkable and near to the impossible accomplishments of the Syrian hero Army against the terrorists.
''The Syrian Army heroic acts and sacrifices embody but the heroism of the Syrian People in the face of the attack from many big countries, agents and terrorists,'' added H.E. President Al-Assad, citing the increasingly mass popular support to the Syrian hero Army in combating the terrorism.
The settlement of the crisis is only in the field through combating the terrorists, President Al-Assad pointed out, blasting the bids by anti-Syria sides to prolong the crisis, asserting that well-being would never come from the countries which deny their citizens the minimum level of humanity rights, the countries which have no elections, nor parliaments or participation in resources and homeland.
''The well-being would never come from those of darkness thought, established by the Wahabis through slaughter and Moslem brotherhood thought, from those new ignorant who exploited Islam in the interest of Israel,'' President Al-Assad concluded.
Dr. Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim


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Saturday, September 10, 2011
Human Interest Story
Belvoir presents a Lucy Guerin Inc and Malthouse Melbourne production in association with Perth International Arts Festival, HUMAN INTEREST STORY in the Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St. Theatre.
It is all in the timing, isn't it?
Lucy Guerin Inc presents HUMAN INTEREST STORY in the Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St, a week or so after DV8 had presented their work CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS? at the Sydney Opera House.
Ms Guerin in her program notes introduces us to her and her company of dancer's aim to synthesise the many relationships between the news, as presented in human interest stories, and our personal experiences. Where the trivialities of our own lives and the commercial packaging that goes on around real human stories of the daily headlines on television and in the newspapers are the dominating events of our lives. "It is these tensions that become the physical material" of this work.
Keith Gallasch (Co-Editor, REALTIME) in a program essay, THE THEATRICALITY OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE, gives an overview of development of dance as theatre, and justifying its programming in a theatre company season, intimating the Pina Bausch repertoire in the 1970's as the point of emergence of the notion of Dance Theatre and the continuation of that tradition in the evolving works of Alain Patel's les ballets C de B, and Lloyd Newson's DV8, both recent visitors to these shores. He then goes on to cite some examples of Australian companies who identify themselves with this varied form: Bangarra Dance Theatre, Kate Champion's Force Majeure, Australian Dance Theatre (ADT).
He explains that Ms Guerin is not European in influence but has directly gained from her work as a dancer and emerging choreographer in New York. A more theatrical heritage. That there is a strong sense of experiment and unpredictability about her work. He mentions STRUCTURE AND SADNESS and an earlier work MELT as works of significance in her evolving repertoire. Both for me interesting works, especially MELT.
Mr Gallasch goes on: "Lucy Guerin Inc's low-tech HUMAN INTEREST STORY is about our relationship with the daily news. As nuance and empathy seem to evaporate around us, most alarmingly in the political world and media reporting, we need works that address this failure. HUMAN INTEREST STORY moves from an almost literal theatricality, amusingly embodying our engagement with the mass media on screen and then, frighteningly, with the page. …It's a powerful work, oscillating between the innocent and the ominous - a work of our time and a richly theatrical one."
This work is in its third presentation around the country: Perth, Melbourne and now Sydney. The Perth Festival in February may have let this work appear to be "of our time and theatrical" but after the experience of The Nerderlands Dance Theatre in Melbourne and DV8 in Sydney, in August, this work appears merely modestly theatrical and politically-thin if not trite.
In a black box surround, six chairs, a largish flat screen television and six broad-sheet pieces of laid out newspaper, six dancers enter in differently coloured uniforms/pyjamas. The costumes are changed often (Costume Design, Paula Levis). The atmosphere of the work attempts to be contextualised by the presence of a large military carrier truck stored in the periphery dark of the area (Set Design, Gideon Obarzanek).
The television screen lights up and the dancers in a choral voice begin dialogue accompanied with physical action/gesture/dance. The text is not very engaging or complex, and worse when the guest performer, newsreader Anton Enus, appears with a pre-recorded text, that is a faintly spoofy trivialisation of possible news reporting of human interest stories - cutesy humour - one gathers that the politics of this piece is shallow in its research and lightweight in its intention and dealing with the subject matter. It becomes obvious fairly quickly that the political over-layering is an under prepared wrapping for the dance. It has a point but not too pointy as to make the work interrogative and intellectually stimulating. It is a bit of flaccid bore. Beside the recent memory of the DV8 performance this work is indeed pallid and insipid, cowardly in its confrontation of the stated issues. "Lite", indeed.
The composition and scoring by Jethro Woodward is a contemporary mix of noise, sounds and music. The dancers are a well drilled group: Stephanie Lake, Alisdair Macindoe, Talitha Maslin, Harriet Ritchie, James Shannon and Jessica Wong. Their precision and stamina in this 60 minute work is awesome. The choreography/dance however is hugely repetitive and becomes tiresome in its lack of investigated movement variety, and, remembered beside the recent physical prowess and work of DV8, once again, achingly disappointing. Text and dance wanting, really. Standing beside the dance theatre choreographic invention and style of the Nederlands Dance Theatre, this work by Lucy Guerin Inc is banal and simplistic.
My attention span wobbled considerably during the work and was underwhelmed. Timing. If I had seen this work in February instead of September would I have been as impressed as Mr Gallasch? Thinking about it over the last few days, probably not, for I found the performance of STRUCTURE AND SADNESS similarly underwhelming, both as social commentary/politics and dance. MELT remains the highpoint of this company's output for me.
We will see this company again at Belvoir next year. It has been programmed as part of the new season.
1 comment:
Kevin, I would have to agree with you on Human Interest Story. Like you I also attended some of the shows in the Spring Dance series at the Opera house. I would totally agree that this does not hold a handle to the DV8 Can We Talk about This? Not to mention the inspired Chunky Move "I Like This" which was just such a brilliantly executed piece about the creative process. Where does the "boundary" between Movement Theatre and Dance begin or is that just a philosophical construct or preference? For a change the Jill Sykes SMH (dance) review (on 7 Sept) pretty much hit it on the head for me. She did refer to being in an audience of theatregoers who had bought it on their Belvoir subscription of plays. Being a Belvoir subscriber I put my hand up to that, and in fact in the nature of things turned up because I subscribe and did not know anything about it beforehand. In fact I was so busy talking to my friend that I had paid no attention to the program for which I had prepaid. The piece therefore began with me thinking that for actors they were fairly good dancers! I began to wonder when the "real" theatre piece would begin and it slowly dawned that it would not.
It very much suffered in comparison with the DV8 and Chunky Move performances in terms of inspiration certainly, as you point out. As a long term contemporary dance follower I have long ago given up attempting to find any hidden "meaning" in such pieces -- the choreography and movement simply have to be physically attractive or appeal on its own terms without the confusion of any great "meaning" of the whole thing. The sort of rag doll like manipulation sequence referred to by Ms Sykes was one of the few pieces of original choreography in the piece.
Overall my friend and I agreed that this piece belonged at the Performance Space venue, not on the Belvoir stage. Perhaps it is an attempt to "broaden the mind" of the Belvoir audience but I think it falls between two stools in that regard. Basically I go to Belvoir for theatre and often go to dance events separately elsewhere. However this piece was not sufficiently serious "dance" to qualify in that field, and I would suggest that neither was it sufficiently dramatic to be a "theatre" event (maybe if the APC in the corner had started up and flashed its headlights etc it might have been a coup de theatre Performance Space style but unfortunately it remained mute - and otherwise pointless). I am not necessarily saying that there should be no miscegenation of the art forms but I would agree with you that this was definitely a "lite" version as you say in comparison to recent DV8 etc al. The specialist dance reviewer Sykes essentially agrees with you in that view. Without being some sort of segregationist I am also somewhat concerned that another Lucy Guerin piece has been apparently programmed in the Belvoir 2012 season. To me this appears to be the start of the watering down of the strong theatrical tradition at Belvoir. What next, Don Quixote on ice? (at least that would be better than perspex cubes which I have seen enough of at Belvoir this year to last me about 5-10 years!).
- September 19, 2011 at 12:51 AM


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Joseph P. Manning Elementary School Project
During the 2013 Spring semester, two Wentworth design students will be working collectively on providing design services for the Joseph P. Manning Elementary School in Jamaica Plain. The focus of the project is to create a learning environment where primary school students can acquire knowledge collaboratively with nature through various interconnected activities around the school's grounds. The Boston Schoolyard Initiative will be a consulting partner in the process, providing many years of experience in transforming Boston Public Schools. The students will be mentored throughout the semester by a board of directors' representative from the Community Design Resource Center of Boston (CDRC). The following students are participating in this interdisciplinary project:
- Christopher Mara, B.S., Architecture '14
- Ashley Stowe, B.S., Interior Design '14
Documenting the Project
Throughout the semester, using photos, text, drawings, etc., the Center will be documenting the creative process of the team. The semester is broken into three (3) phases: research, design, execution. The research phase will focus on the students understanding what it means to 'play', how do children learn and how to create therapeutic spaces throughout the schools' grounds. The design phase will explore the grounds in three (3) different scales: master plan, spaces & activity details. The execution phase will be run in conjunction with the Center's community engagement workforce to clean-up and build components of the design as a team.
Research (Phase 1)
The co-op students have begun to explore the limits of play. Below is a glimpse into their current thought process.


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Traveling can be such an exhausting experience. But the time leading to your journey could be interesting and fun, full of a good deal of planning and much expectation. Traveling is an opportunity to have a break from the exhaustive work schedules and having time to relax. Below are a few points to consider when you are thinking about taking your next trip.
Check out alternative places to stay. You do not also have to stay in a resort to feel great on a break. There are various house swapping sites accessible, which let you temporarily swap homes with someone else willing to visit your area. Try looking for bed and breakfast or cabins. Alternate lodging can offer the most interesting and fun options therefore make sure you check it out it.
If you are planning to stay with friends or colleagues while on holiday, be a courteous guest. You should not try to hijack their plans with your vacation plans. Many people believe that when they visit others during a vacation that they need to include the hosts in their plans. Instead, do your research in advance and let your hosts understand what you are planning to do but do not ask they accompany you in your plans.
One important thing you can do regardless of your travel plans is to join the airlines' frequent travel club. Even though you may never fly again, you might receive a perk simply for joining. On the other hand, you could possibly travel several times and you will receive benefits every time which you do.
If you are traveling to a location that is known for insecurity, there are several measures you need to put in place for your personal safety sake. You need to travel in groups at all instances while in such an area. You also need to avoid wearing jewelry. When it comes to carrying cash, you should not let anyone know how much cash you are carrying with you. As much as you may make new friendships, you should not trust anyone unknown to you.
It is important to remember while traveling abroad to avoid consuming the area tap water. You may expose yourself to getting ill while traveling if you take tap water that you are not sure if it is fir for drinking. Get bottled water since it is easier to get at the local supermarket or grocery store. Taking bottled watered reduces the risk to any water induced illness.
You should always have something to keep you occupied during your trip. A simple option can be a pen and a paper. You can play games, write songs, and draw anything you can imagine. This will keep your brain focused thus you are not too much worried about how much longer the journey will be.
Limit yourself to about two colors of clothing, when packing to get a long trip. This will help to ensure that whatever you bring to use in your trip can fit with the rest. It will also limit the number of shoes and accessories you must match with your outfits.
You can use the experiences of other people while planning for your trip. With the use of friends and family experiences as well as online review sites, you are able to avoid making mistakes which have been made by others. Online review sites include a number of other useful tidbits relating to your trip. These ideas can help you decide on the top hotel, café or any other facility to go for.
Youth hostels are an option for cheap, no frills travel resorts in Europe. What some people might not know is that related hostels are available all around the world and more importantly around the United States. As the hostel program is most carefully established in continental Europe, you can get a good hotel by going doing necessary research.
While purchasing airline tickets, try and buy them beforehand. The best idea would be to get your ticket at least two months in advance; the cheapest flights can be available at least two months in advance.There is no need to start clamoring for expensive tickets while everyone else is. You will end up paying much more.
By putting the ideas into consideration while planning for your trip will help you avoid any frustrations during your journey. You need to address any concern before you start your journey. You need to avoid any last minute rushed decisions which may end up frustrating you. For example, if you are planning to enjoy some skiing experience in the Tarentaise valley, you can call to confirm availability of Meribel chalets. Above everything, enjoy your trip.


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8 Ethical And Stylish Sneakers You Will Be Proud To Rock In The New Year
9 comments
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