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By Chandler Groover. (Parser; IFDB; play here)
Groover's works are dark and delicious, and this one especially so. You are Morgan the Magnificent, the esteemed magician. Last year, your two-card tricks granted you the favour and popularity from the most influential, wealthiest patrons.
Now, however, a rival has emerged: ostentatious, flashy Ivan, and his three-card trick. Now is your chance to regain your rightful title.
Despite a carnival-like setting – one often associated with summer and fun and play – there is an unsettling undertone (why would you need guards around a group of magicians?) which hints at higher stakes than are initially stated.
Highly polished both in style and substance, Three-Card Trick once again features several parser tricks which enhance its delivery. Text is doled out to control pacing; directions are highly simplified, similar to What Fuwa Bansaku Found.
It's a delicate balancing act Three-Card Trick does. It remains one step ahead of the reader, through to the end; yet, the required actions are hinted with sufficient contextual clues – one is unlikely to get stuck for too long – to give the sense of player agency.


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Happy Saturday!! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!!
At a recent endo apt, I learned an interesting fact about glucagon production in T1D versus surgical T1D. Again, although I'm an RN, for the purpose of this blog I am not a diabetes professional and you should ask your T1D team for further info and confirmation of what is offered here. Now, with that out of the way, let me tell you what I learned…
I asked my doc about glucagon in the diabetes population. I had heard conflicting information regarding the different types of diabetes and the PWD's ability to produce glucagon. In T2D, the person's alpha cells that produce glucagon work ok in the beginning of the disease process. But as the disease progresses, her/his ability to produce glucagon is diminished.
In the straight up, immunodeficient T1D, again the alpha cells are able to produce glucagon, but when the beta cells which produce insulin are unable to do so, the alpha cells get confused. Medical science has not come up with the reasoning behind this yet, but we're hoping they are able to do so at some point in the future! These confused alpha cells, produce some glucagon but are not able to get it where it needs to go in the event of a low.
In surgical T1D, there is no production of glucagon because the alpha cells have been removed along with the beta cells and the rest of the pancreas. I'm hoping to have a discussion with my transplant surgeon soon, so I can ask him if alpha cells are transplanted along with the beta cells during the auto (meaning your own cells so no immunosuppressant drugs are necessary) islet cell transplant that occurs in the type of surgery I had for chronic pancreatitis. I'm not sure if the purification process that currently is available can separate the alpha from the beta or if they just get transplanted together and we all hope for the best. Plus, I'd like to know if the alpha cells are as sturdy as the beta cells and do they survive the purification and transplanting process. I'll get back to you when I know more on this point.
It's important, if you are on insulin therapy to ask your doctor for a glucagon prescription and carry it with you at all times. It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and to be without. My endo didn't offer it to me but after reading many articles on the DOC (Diabetes Online Community), I learned that I needed a script. My doc didn't hesitate to give me one but it confuses me that we have to ask for it when, I believe, it should be offered to anyone on insulin therapy. That's because, it is more likely to experience a low with insulin than other forms of treatment, so we should be prepared just in case.
There are instructions in the glucagon case on how to use it and there are many youtube.com videos detailing how to use it. as well as, an iPhone free glucagon app that is an excellent resource for friends with an iPhone. I have had glucagon get-togethers with friends and family with the purpose of explaining lows to those who love me and also, explain the glucagon and how it is used. I take expired glucagon kits and let friends and family practice with them. This goes a long way when and if there is ever a low that I can't reverse by myself. Hopefully soon, as a result of all the closed loop system research going on, that a better form of glucagon than the one currently available will soon be developed and made available.
In my opinion, it doesn't seem to matter if your T1D or T2D or a surgical T1D. The glucagon whether there or not, is not able to be used in the manner a normal functioning pancreas is able to provide. Therefor, we must supplement the glucagon if the low is incapacitating the PWD or treat the low before it gets that bad with immediate release forms of glucose. I just thought it was interesting to know what is actually happening in the different forms of diabetes, so I'm passing this along to you.
Remember, TEST!! DON'T GUESS!!!

subset: commoncrawl


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This post might seem like a it's a bit off the beaten path but I feel like I need to write it...for myself, but also for anyone else out there that might find themselves in a similar place.
I feel like I am two different people - Erica the musician, and Erica the mother. There's nothing original in this concept - we all find ourselves stepping into different hats on a regular basis but I am struggling right now because I keep throwing off my mother hat and not wanting to put it back on. This became painfully evident this past weekend when my daughter celebrated her 5th birthday. Most mothers I know and read about approach such a milestone with incredible sentimentality, pride, and unrestrainable joy. I, on the other hand, spent much of the weekend going through the motions of being such a mother, but feeling an overwhelming urge to ditch everything and run to the piano to practice instead. Perhaps some would say that I was just in denial...that I was avoiding my true feelings about my daughter growing up...that I was just stressed out by the whole birthday scenario. But that wasn't it. As the weekend dragged on and Monday (the actual day of her birthday) was upon us, I slowly began to feel that part of the "problem," if you can call it that, is that I am addicted to making music. Making music, especially performing music, makes me happier than anything else and I have to tell you, as a mother and a wife, this is one scary realization, feels a bit unhealthy, and makes playing my "mother" role quite challenging.
So a question I had when I came to this shocking revelation was, "Is it really possible to be addicted to something like music?" To find out the answer, I pulled out my handy-dandy copy of Daniel J. Levitin's book, This is Your Brain on Music-the science of a human obsession, and discovered this on page 189:
In the landmark study in 1999, Anne Blood, a postdoctoral fellow working with Robert Zatorre at the Montreal Neurological Institute, had shown that intense musical emotion - what her subjects described as "thrills and chills" - was associated with brain regions thought to be involved in reward, motivation, and arousal: the vental striatum, the amygdala, the midbrain, and regions of the frontal cortex. I was particularly interested in the ventral striatum - a structure that includes the nucleus accumbens - because the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is the center of the brain's reward system, playing an important role in pleasure and addiction. The NAc is active when gamblers win a bet, or drug users take their favorite drug. It is also closely involved with the transmission of opioids in the brain, through its ability to release the neurotransmitter dopamine. (Italics added by me.)
Levitin then goes on to describe some further research he and Vinod Menon had conducted. In the end, they were able to determine exactly what was going on in the brain while people were listening to classical music. I am assuming that these same findings also apply, if not more, to people that perform classical music. In fact, I would venture to say that performers can get even more addicted since music-making and performing can increase our self-esteem, serve as an intimate social outlet, and serve as an emotional release. How could this not get addictive? And another question, "So what's wrong with being addicted to music?"
With most mothers I know, there is an innate addiction, an incredibly wonderful addiction to one's own offspring. Although many people might not believe me, I haven't experienced those maternal, rock-you-to-the-core feelings with my daughter. I won't dwell on examples or explanations, but I will say that I have dealt with post-partum depression and severe anxiety ever since she was born and have been on medication to ease these problems. She was never cuddly and still isn't, I couldn't soothe her when she was a baby, she is a clever girl that likes to constantly and intentionally challenge boundaries, she has always had a difficult time trusting us... Our daughter is a beautiful, loving girl but we've been through a lot since day one and I still feel like I never bonded with her in the way I see other mothers bonding with their children. That said, my experiences with motherhood might explain why I would rather be practicing than playing or taking care of my own child. Yes, it explains it at least partially but I have to tell you that it makes me feel like an absolutely horrible mother.
So where do I go from here? I believe in making lemonade out of lemons so armed with these acknowledgements, I'm going to trudge ahead. I won't give up my music - that's impossible. But maybe I can find a way to make my passion for music form a bridge between my daughter and myself. I had a glimpse of this being a solution the other day when my daughter and I were spending some time in the music room together. I sat at the piano (surprise, surprise!) and began improvising. She, dressed in a new mermaid costume, immediately started acting out and choreographing a dance based on what I was playing. She is a very sensitive, creative girl and she responded to every nuance in my piece. During that time, which lasted about twenty minutes, I felt a glimmer of connection between us and therefore a foretaste of what can be, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Oh, and for the record, I really am a nice, loving person! At least I think I am.
Oh, and for the record, I really am a nice, loving person! At least I think I am.


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what would you do if your fiancé announced that he is about to become a grandpa? Would this be a deal breaker?
16 Answers
- BeatriceBattenLv 712 months ago
If He had not told me previously that he was a father, then yes, this would be a big deal.
If I already knew that he had adult children, then him being a grandfather Is out of his control and therefore I don't see a reason why I would be angry at him or call of the engagement.
If the issue is that his child who is now expecting a child is a minor, then it's up to you whether or not to marry someone whose minor child has found themselves to be pregnant/impregnated someone.
- Common SenseLv 712 months ago
Ha, absolutely not.
If I was engaged to be married to a man, I would think that I would know him well enough to know he has children. In which case, a pregnancy would be no big surprise or shock. And, it is a known fact that when one of your children has a baby, you become a grandparent. No shock there either.
Now, how that could be a deal breaker is beyond me. What is the problem here, I do not know. Or, maybe he decided to leave his estate to his grandchildren and not his wife, perhaps? I just cannot figure out why it would be a deal breaker if your fiancé's child decided to have a child. How on earth does that effect your daily married life? Do tell, please, do tell.
- OcimomLv 712 months ago
It would if he never told you he had a child that was that old to become a parent him or herself. But I'm sure you knew he had kids and you knew their ages, so its not a big surprise, is it????
- FoofaLv 712 months ago
If I knew him well enough to be engaged to him I'd already know he has a child in the childbearing age range and this wouldn't come as some shock to me.
- What do you think of the answers? You can sign in to give your opinion on the answer.
- TrishLv 512 months ago
I don't know how you can think of that being a deal breaker he's not having a child outside the marriage he's having a grandchild and you should celebrate. Marriage is all about Love and family you're combining your families to one big happy family even the wedding is a family event with the grandparents, children, and grandchildren. Congratulations and best wishes have fun.
- KellyLv 71 year ago
Nah, I like kids and babies.
He didn't have any kids when we met and our oldest biological child is 8 so if he's about to be a grandpa everyone in that situation would be a surprise.
- GEEGEELv 71 year ago
Assuming you knew he had a child to produce that grandchild, no. If the announcement of his having children is new news, then yes, that would be a deal breaker.
- sunshine_melLv 71 year ago
...why would it be a deal breaker?
Presumably you knew of their offspring. Any grandchildren are not his 'fault' nor should they be an issue.
- NancyLv 71 year ago
Why would it be? He's already been my boyfriend long enough for me to get engaged to him, so whether his age were 35, 55, or 75, it's not been an issue thus far, and aside from maybe age, I don't see any other possible reasoning going through your mind for why you would even consider it might be a "deal breaker."
- 1 year ago
No. I love me some silver daddy.


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Thanks to the Clergy Spice Facebook group I have recently become aware of The Society of Mary and Martha, a charity which is based at their property Sheldon in the Teign Valley near Exeter. They offer retreat and education resources for all but also have a specialist work in supporting those in Christian ministry. Their definition of ministry for the purpose of access to their ministry resources and discount is: Continue reading
National Information
Broken Rites – support for CSs experiencing/facing relationship breakdown
The team at Broken Rites provided the following summary of the aims of their organisation:
"Broken Rites is an organisation which was founded over 30 years ago to give advice, support and information to clergy spouses/partners who have experienced or are facing the breakdown of their marriage or civil partnership. It is open to both women and men, including those who have been in a same sex relationship. For more information or to contact us visit www.brokenrites.org.uk"
Many months ago I posted about a secret Facebook page which has been created for CSs in this situation and you can now access this group through the Broken Rites website – just fill out an enquiry form on the 'Contact Us' page.
There is all sorts of information on the website including links to support which may be equally useful for CSs who are not experiencing marital problems.
Clergy Wives Conferences
I'm afraid these conferences are only for the ladies – if you are interested in meeting with other clergy wives at national conferences rather than diocese specific ones there are a few opportunities next year (2016).
The London Ministry Wives Conference Organising Team are holding a one day conference on Saturday 30 January, 10am-4:45pm in Tooting, London. This is a day of teaching and fellowship for wives of ministers with speaker Clare Heath-Whyte. For more details and to book a ticket go to the website: http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/bookings/details?id=312
Wives of Evangelical Clergy are holding a two day conference from 1st-3rd March in Oxfordshire. There is also the opportunity to just go for the day on the Wednesday. This is another opportunity for fellowship and teaching with worship, prayer and discussion. For more details and to book see their website: http://weac.weebly.com/
The Proclamation Trust has a two conferences next year for clergy wives. 7th-10th March in Leicestershire (this is for wives of ministers who have been in ministry for 7 or more years.) The summer conference is for wives of those in training or who have been in ministry for less than 7 years and runs 4th-7th July also in Leicestershire. For more details see the website: http://www.proctrust.org.uk/conferences/index.php?type=24
New Wine have a conference for Women and Leadership in London 10th-12th November. This is for women whose lives 'are wrapped up in leadership one way or another'. They also have several New Wine Women days which are not specifically for women involved in leadership but may be of interest. For details of all of these go to: https://www.new-wine.org/events
You will have noticed that these are all for women and are at the evangelical/conservative end of the church spectrum. I am yet to hear of anything aimed at men or both men and women or for those of other churchmanship. Having grown up in the more liberal end of the church I suspect this is at least partly because there just is not such a conference going culture in those churches. Gender differences may also be a factor in terms of level of interest in meeting up in this way and perception of the role of CS. There is also the practical complication of many conferences happening during the week which is tricky if you are in paid employment. So my apologies to anyone who feels left out, perhaps as more women are ordained into the church there will be enough men wanting a conference that someone will get organising – maybe you are that person and just don't know it yet!


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Former Indianapolis Colts head coach, Tony Dungy, was in the news this week for saying that he wouldn't have drafted Michael Sam if it were up to him. Dungy basically said that Sam deserves the opportunity to play in the NFL, but he wouldn't want to deal with "all of that". Most people assumed "all of that" is meant to mean all of the extra media attention and distractions caused by Michael Sam being the first openly gay player in the NFL. Me, I'm not so sure.
At first glance, this seems to be a pretty harmless statement by Dungy, but there are a few things that make it pretty bad. First off, Dungy is African American. It seems pretty short sighted of him to make a statement like that considering all that he must have gone through as a player back in the day and as a black coach trying to get a job. So I guess Tony would have been one of those baseball GMs back in the day that would have passed on Jackie Robinson?
Alright Jackie, back to the Negro Leagues with you, I don't want to cause a stir.
Even more hypocritical is the fact that a few years back Dungy was the biggest advocate for getting Michael Vick back into the NFL after he served his prison sentence for dog fighting. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST MEDIA CIRCUS IN THE HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE!!! So if someone tortures a bunch of animals Dungy is alright with championing their cause, but if they like dudes he suddenly wants to mind his business? Makes sense. Jesus never specifically spoke out on dogfighting in the bible. We all know how he feels about the gays.
Here's Jesus stopping his disciples from going into a gay night club.
The problem with taking the moral high ground is that it sets you up for a big fall if you are not genuinely moral. The moral high ground is not a place that's designed for you to look down on people from. Once you've put yourself in a position where you are telling people the right and wrong things to do, they are going to expect you to do the right thing too. "Do as I say, not as I do" has never been the most popular rhetoric in most circles.
Really, the simplest way to sum up Dungy's comments is to day that they were dumb. Oh, what's that? You agree with Dungy? Well you are dumb too. Hiding behind the veil of righteousness does not make it less dumb. Most times when you start off a statement with "I'm not saying" it means you are going to say exactly the thing you are claiming not to say.
"I'm not saying all religious zealots are dumb, but man they sure aren't smart."
Reminds of my boy Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights
"What? I said, ALL DUE RESPECT!!!"


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19 Jan 2018 06:45
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I wanted to write a post comparing the recent film release The Danish Girl with the book written by Niels Hoyer, Man Into Woman, which contains diary entries and letters from Lili Elbe herself, and stories of her life written by her friend. They are in very few ways similar.
Einar does not describe ever being told that he was schizophrenic.
He does not record ever having to flee to avoid institutionalisation or being forced to undergo any treatment.
As there were in fact shrunken ovaries inside Einar, that makes him intersex, and I'm not sure whether that means he is a transexual as advertised – he didn't feel like he was in the wrong body, but that there were two persons inside his body instead, and that the female hormones began to dominate. Einar is shown going into a library and looking at a book which depicts the sexual organs of an intersex person, but there are no words to explain what he is examining, and after the twenty seconds in the library it is never referred to again. For a film that has been advertising in interviews that it is representative of the transgender community but has never once mentioned the intersex community, it concerns me that these people did not actually read the real diary of Lili Elbe, and are unknowingly portraying her falsely. Then again, if they did read it, then why are they ignoring the inter-sex community? And why were they ok with the incredible changes made in this film?
In the film, the man that Lili meets up with several times and kisses, is a man who in the book makes an unwelcome advance and is then punched in the face by Lili, never to be seen again.
Gerda does not marry Hans the childhood friend of Einar's, and Einar never describes having kissed him as children. In the biography, it is in fact a childhood friend (possibly this Hans) that proposes to Lili before her final operation. If, then, the film is portraying that Lili's near-death fiancé in fact married Gerda, then this is a seriously strange edition!
Whilst it is true that the transgender community has been targeted with violence on many, many occasions, it is not true that Lili ever recorded being physically attacked. Also, nobody even called her names in the street. Lili was suffering emotionally because of her own mental turmoil, but not because of anyone else's deliberate hurting of her. Overall, then, this film is so loosely inspired that I think it could really be an offence to the memory of Lili and Gerda.
And for the record, Lili comes off as seriously homophobic in the books. As Einar, he describes only ever being attracted to women, and that being a man and kissing a man would be wrong. As Lili, the idea of being with a woman is appalling and disgusting to her. Although scientifically speaking her case may be interesting, I'm not sure she should be idolised in the LGBT community.


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About Me
I'm Chris Essig, a web developer navigating the difficult waters of the news business. I'm currently a data visuals developer at the Texas Tribune, a non-profit news organization which covers Texas politics. Previously, I was the Interactive News Developer at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Online Editor for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Waterloo, Iowa.
In this blog, I hope to highlight some of the projects I've worked on and hopefully help others along the way.
Feel free to contact me here.


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When was the last time you had a good water fight? I bet it has been ages ago, at least mine I could hardly remember – until we happened to be in Thailand for the Songkran Festival.
Towards the end of our 6 months stay in Thailand everybody started talking about the Songkran Festival. I had never heard of it before and in general I'm not a big festival fan so I did not get very excited about it even though throwing water into other people's faces sounded like fun. We didn't pay so much attention to the talking until a few days before the supposedly big event when the amounts of water pistols (and their sizes!) which were literally sold everywhere seemed kind of odd. To be prepared (we still had no idea what was going to happen!) we also bought one. Just in case!
We watched some youtube videos of thousands of people going crazy in the streets of Bangkok and Chiang Mai but since we were in the South, in Ao Nang, at this time, we kind of felt save and thought not much would be happening (at least that's what we have been told).
In the morning of the first festival day I left our bungalow to walk (usually I took the scooter but somehow I thought it would be better to walk that day) to our local 7-eleven store. Before reaching the main street I already heard a lot of noise, people screaming and shouting, horns beeping, laughter. But what I saw when I turned around the corner left me speechless for one moment: the street was stuck with cars, mostly big pick up trucks with the loading areas full of people shooting with water pistols and throwing buckets of water onto the crowd which was lining the street on both sides, shooting back. Additionally, many scooters tried to make their way a bit faster by crossing the cars to all directions. It was a huge chaos, slowly moving forward. Many cars were nicely decorated in colorful ornaments or had paintings all over, people wore colorful clothes, mostly soaking wet, and many had chalk in their faces.
I was stunned and soon realized that there was no way to reach 7-eleven on the other side of the street without getting completely wet. I watched the spectacle for a few more minutes, trying to figure out which way was the safest with least damage before I started running… I few seconds later I already felt the first cold water running down on my back and it didn't take much longer for the first huge splash of water to hit my face. By the time I reached 7-eleven I was completely soaked but considering the heat (above 30 degrees) it actually felt quite refreshing. The only thing what bothered me was that I was unarmed and could not fire back. So I quickly finished my shopping and ran back to our bungalow to load our water gun and grab a water proof bag for my camera. A few minutes later we left on our scooter to join the party. We aimed to reach the centrum of Ao Nang where we suspected the center of the party at the beach front. However, to get there was quite a challenge! While my boyfriend was driving, trying to find a way through the traffic jam and partying people I sat in the back and was firing at everything that moved. It was so much fun! I felt like 5 again. That's where 3 crazy party days started…
Facts about Songkran
Traditionally, Songkran is the celebration of the Buddhist New Year of the lunar calendar. It is a national holiday in Thailand, celebrated on April 13-15. The ancient religious festival is an opportunity for Thai's to relax with their families. Commonly people pour water on Buddha statues which represents purification, all sins and bad luck are washed away. Also many street parades are held. The cars are decorated with colorful ornaments and people wear traditional clothes and jewelry.
Nowadays, major streets are closed for traffic and used as arena for water fights. People walk the streets and use water pistols or containers of water to wet each other. Some also stand at the side of the streets with a hose and soak everybody who passes by. It is also very common to smear chalk to people's faces. This originates from the chalk used by monks to mark blessings.
Since water is the symbol of rebirth, Songkran is a way of celebrating life which always is a good thing I would say!
Songkran survival tips
To get the most fun out of the Songkran festival, here a few tips for you to consider:
- When you decide to join the party there is no chance to avoid getting wet! Most likely, you will also get wet when you decide not to join. There are only 2 options to stay dry: lock yourself into your hotel room for at least 3 days or leave the country!
- Since April is the hottest month in Thailand it actually feels good to get wet. But consider your clothing! You will walk around for hours in wet clothes. Long trousers or dresses are not recommended. Comfortable shorts and T-Shirt with your swimming suit underneath probably would be the best option.
- Take a waterproof bag for your valuables (camera, phone, glasses,…). Everything outside of this bag will be soaked after minutes.
- Buy a water pistol but consider the size! A small one will not get you very far, a big one might be too heavy when fully loaded. I would recommend to go for a medium-sized one. Many restaurants and bars offer huge containers to refill the pistols any time.
- Prepare for heavy drinking! As with all festivals around the globe the amount of alcohol consumtion also increases during Songkran. Since it lasts at least 3 days (it felt more like a week) a slower pace of alcohol consumption during the first day(s) might be helpful to still be able to enjoy the last day 😉
If you haven't been to Thailand for Songkran I highly recommend going! Prepare to get soaked and to have the time of your life in a fun and exciting water fight – you'll feel like a kid again!
Have you joined the Songkran festival already? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below!


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"Give me (some outrageous demand), or I will (do something that negatively affects you and impedes your goals.)"
If this sounds familiar, then someone is probably trying to force you to appease them. My advice: Tell them to "fuck off" now. Seriously. There is no appeasing people like this because they actually don't want to be appeased. Their goal is one of a constant grievance, a constant demand to be made whole, yet none of your efforts will ever do that.
To underscore my point, consider this quote from British military historian and strategist, Sir Basil Liddell Hart:
"It is folly to imagine that the aggressive types, whether individuals or nations, can be bought off … since the payment of danegeld stimulates a demand for more danegeld. But they can be curbed. Their very belief in force makes them more susceptible to the deterrent effect of a formidable opposing force."
*Note: Danegeld is "Danish Gold," aka the bribes countries used to pay Danish Vikings not to raid. History has shown that this policy didn't work because the Viking's price kept on going up, and other Vikings started demanding it too. Even after being paid large sums of gold and treasure, the Vikings often raided, anyway.
Appeasing People Never Works!
So what is Sir Basil Liddell Hart trying to teach us here? In my opinion, he's really trying to tell us three things… three simple truths that few people consider when dealing with people who are making ridiculous demands:
1. Threatening to take something away from someone until you are appeased is an act of aggression, and anyone who does this is an aggressive person.
2. Appeasing someone carries with it NO guarantee of reciprocal behavior on the part of the aggressor. (In fact, it often produces the opposite effect.)
3. When threatened, it is best to respond with force, since force – not reason, ideas, or soft talk – is the only thing that aggressive people respect and respond to.
The problem is that many people have a hard time believing that the people in their life can be aggressive or act out in an aggressive manner. Instead, we make excuses for the people in our lives. "Oh, she didn't mean that. You just don't know her like I do." Or how about this one: "He's not normally mean… It's just the whiskey that makes him that way." Whatever the reason, whatever the excuse, people are inherently aggressive and they act out on their aggression. It's just that simple.
Trying to Appease Mr. FanTAStic
To prove my point about appeasement, I'll share a personal story. (No advice is complete without one, in my opinion.) It happened long ago when I used to front a punk rock band in Flint, Michigan. Long story short, we took in a new member – "Mr. FanTAStic." And he was a rather talented musician… and we needed him at the time. The problem was, Mr. FanTAStic knew this, and he began making small demands. It was always the same thing: "Give me what I want or I'll quit."
Against my better judgement, we paid Mr. FanTAStic his "danegeld," and this created a pattern. His subsequent demands continued, each one more difficult to satisfy than the next… but still, we kept paying the danegeld, always hoping that his most recent demand would be his last. I quickly began to resent his constant threat to quit the band unless he got what he wanted.
Perhaps Mr. FanTAStic thought that this could go on forever. Sadly, he was wrong. Eventually, the day came where the demand he made was so outrageous, so insulting, that I could no longer hold my tongue. I finally exploded upon him after and unleashed months of pent up anger and frustration. (For a more detailed account, read here.)
Appeasing People Never Ends
I kicked Mr. FanTAStic out of the band, but it did little good at that point. The rest of the band – so-called "friends" who'd been with the project long before Mr. FanTAStic showed up – now saw me as some sort of psychotic monster for the way I yelled at him. This was the least of my worries.
Mr. FanTAStic's antics seemed to have inspired the other members of the band. Not long after his departure, they began making demands for their own "danegeld." I almost couldn't blame them; it worked for Mr. FanTAStic, after all. Seeing that I would be spending more time trying to please them than I would playing music, I pulled the plug on the project and haven't talked to those guys since.
Appeasement is a Bad Long-Term Strategy
Those who make demands are aggressive people, and holding your relationship hostage is a blatant act of aggression. And much like the historical vikings, these folks can never be appeased because appeasement is never their goal. These calculating miscreants have a diabolical long-term strategy: to drain you of everything you have, then cast you aside before moving on to their next victim.
If you followed the link to the original story, you'll see that finally standing up to Mr. FanTAStic was the only thing that ceased his demands. And pulling the plug on the band was the only way to stop the other guys' demands for danegeld. While this ended my days in the local music scene – I never could get another band together – it allowed me to pursue my writing career. In the end, I'm much happier having to rely only upon myself to find fulfillment through my art.
Not All Vikings are Bad
Not all vikings/Norsemen demanded "Danegeld." Check out my novel "Legacy of the Bear" and its sequel, "Prophecy of the Bear." This fantasy-adventure series follows the life of Autar Magnusson, a young Norseman who faces his greatest fears in order to become a man… and so much more. Fans of fantasy fiction such as "The Hobbit," "Lord of the Rings" and "Game of Thrones" will love my Berserker's Saga novels.
About J.P. Ribner
J.P. Ribner is the author of Viking fantasy adventure series "The Berserker's Saga." Currently, the saga features two novels – "Legacy of the Bear" and "Prophecy of the Bear." For more about his written work, check out his website.


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Hot Korean Dumplings
Emboldened by my success in locating the secret Adult World kalbi butcher, I was curious to discover what else might be lurking around that mysterious strip of stores. It turned out that there were no less than three large Korean groceries in close proximity, which made me very happy as one of my hobbies is going to supermarkets and buying food. There's nothing like wandering around the fluorescent lit aisles, admiring the seafood and fondling the vegetables.
One of these supermarkets has a sweet potato seller in the front, and for a couple of dollars you can walk away with a steaming paper bag of roasted sweet potatoes. I always get some when I go by, telling myself that sweet potatoes are really a sort of superfood etc. and so much healthier than cake. Of course, this logic doesn't work when my next stop is at "Paris Baguette", a frothy Korean daydream of a Parisian bakery. The pastel-coloured cakes, swaddled in whipped cream, are so adorable that it's always a struggle between eating and squeezing them.
At the very back of the sweet potato supermarket is a small independent stall that sells mandu, or dumplings (I don't know why there are so many of these random stores within grocery stores that sell everything from cosmetics to odd clothing, but they exist, just in case you want to buy some false eyelashes along with a nice piece of brisket). It's run by two friendly Korean ladies who make the mandu and steam it on the spot.
I have a weakness for dumplings, particularly the Korean variety which I sometimes make at home. However, the disparity between the number of dumplings our family wants to eat, and the number that I can actually make is so depressing that this has become my go-to place to buy them. Note: if you want a steady supply of home-made dumplings, you should start your children young. My family had no such tradition and so I'm resigned to the fact that I'll never be as speedy as my friends who were former child-labourers.
The best way to eat these pre-steamed dumplings is to take them home and pan fry them until they are golden and slightly crispy. Served with a dipping sauce of vinegar and soy sauce, you'll find that small children (who were previously engrossed in redecorating the house with Lego) will greet you with cries of delight.
My report on the joys of this neighborhood would be incomplete without mentioning The Face Shop. This is an outlet of the popular Korean high street cosmetic store, and is fully stocked with every kind of potion for a beautiful complexion. Guiltily, I'm tempted to go in each time I stagger past, laden with my bags of sweet potatoes, cake, and mandu. What makes me hesitate is the life-size cardboard cutout of Kim Hyun Joong. At first, I wasn't sure why he was advertising cosmetics. However, a closer inspection reveals flawless skin, doe-like eyes and glossy lipstick. This creates a similar sort of dilemma as the cakes. You don't know whether you're supposed to date him, or be him.
In my case, I'm so far gone into auntie-hood that I could only gaze enviously at his airbrushed complexion. I wouldn't mind looking like a nubile twenty-something. We even have the same hairstyle. My husband has other opinions. "NO! I don't want you to look like a guy!" But is he really? Coyly posed behind a tree, he sends conflicting signals. I think on the whole, I'd prefer some older "uncle" type like Lee Byung Hun.
Snack Suggestion:
- Mandu – If you can't find a convenient freshly-made source, here's a recipe from a blog that I love.
What's your favourite type of dumpling? (Either for squeezing or eating)
If you enjoyed this post, follow my blog or follow me on Twitter 🙂
love the title. and then felt like i accompanied you on your little excursion. yep, know the sweet potato guy (yum!), our bakery is called 'tous les jour' (koreans love anything that sounds french even though its impossible for them to pronounce), mandu (yes, super time-consuming and never satisfying after you realize how effortlessly they disappear), and finally the flower boys. not sure how koreans became so fanatical about skin care (who you looking at?) but now even the male actors market the bb creams and other skin care products. not as masculine, it's true, but the flawless skin sure is pretty!February 22, 2013
You just really made my mouth start watering for dumplings.
🙂February 22, 2013
I wish our H-Mart had a roasted sweet potato vendor. We do have the (always deserted) cosmetics shop …February 22, 2013
My local H-Mart has fresh, crispy whole-dumpling mandu samples. I stalk them with my toddler – using her as a shield to edge out other sample hunters, and as an excuse to get TWO samples instead of just one … knowing that she'll not want it and will give it to me to eat 🙂February 22, 2013
After watching too many Top Chef shows, I attempted to make dumplings from scratch, including the wrapping. Chef Anito Lo from NYC has some nice tutorials on her techniques which she employs in her restaurant: http://www.epicurious.com/video/holidays/holidays-chinese-new-year/1915458790/filling-and-pleating-dumplings/1915433392
If you really want to freak out your kids, puree some spinach and mix it into the dough to make green dumplings. I have no comments on Kim Hyun Joong.February 22, 2013
Laura Leafstrand #
Let's go get dumplings sometime! Have a great time in NYC. Eat some great food for me! We had dinner at State Bird Provisions in SF a few weeks ago and it was just amazing!
Should we try to get our next dinner on the calendar? We are generally around since tickets to FL are crazy expensive and we probably won't be going this spring break.
LauraFebruary 26, 2013
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Ok, she isn't teeny tiny--but she is to me (and will probably always be). Last year, the 22nd I had the flu--which was awful. Then the 23rd, I woke up having contractions, but decided to wait until my Dr. appointment at like 10:30 or something. By that time I was miserable. They kept poking my belly and making me want to punch someone. Luckily I hadn't eaten since the 21st, (because of the flu) so they scheduled my C-section for later that day. I went home, got ready in a hurry and we made it back to the hospital w/in the hour. By the time they were ready to wheel me into the OR, I was already dilated to a 7!!! Anyway, about an hour after that Camryn Paige was born!
She was 7lbs 7oz and perfect. I had no idea what I missed when the trio were born, until I saw her for the first time--heard her cry for the first time. It was magical and just thinking about it again gives me butterflies in my stomach. It was the best feeling in the whole world.
We stayed in the hospital for 2 days (that's 2 less than usually c-section patients) and left ON Thanksgiving Day 2010. All would have been golden, if the flu hadn't passed on to everyone else in the house (my mom included). What a pukefest that was.
Anyway, now it's 12 months later and she is so big! She can walk, crawl, wave bye-bye, shake her head yes and no. She can also say Hi, Bye-Bye, Mama, Dada, and Ba-ba. I couldn't be prouder of her.
Here are her monthly pics--
1 month old
2 months old
3 months old
4 months old
5 months old
6 months old
7 months old
8 months old
9 months old
10 months old
11 months old
12 months old!!!


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Syrian peace talks sponsored by UN to start Friday
Turkey opposes Kurds taking part in talks
Peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups are to start on Friday, the United Nations special envoy on Syria announced Monday.
Staffan de Mistura told reporters he would be sending out invitations to the talks in Geneva on Tuesday. The talks are expected to take six months and the sides will not talk directly to each other to begin with.
De Mistura said the priorities would be creating a broad ceasefire, stopping the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, and clearing the way for humanitarian aid.
- The disastrous hubris of that first Gulf War 25 years ago
- Despite ISIS attacks, Turkey focused on 'the Kurdish problem'
- Syria crisis: Severe malnutrition confirmed in trapped town of Madaya
- Russian airstrikes help Syrian army gain major victory in strategic coastal region
"We want to make sure that when and if we start, to start at least on the right foot," he said. "It will be uphill anyway."
Separately, Turkey's foreign minister warned that any participation of Kurdish forces in the Geneva talks would be dangerous and would spell the end of the initiative seeking to end the nearly five-year conflict.
Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish forces "terrorists," accusing them of co-operating with Kurdish rebels who are banned in Turkey. He says they have no place among the opposition at the Geneva talks.
Geopolitical tensions between countries including Turkey, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia have weighed heavily on efforts by negotiators. The initiative has run into delays and disputes notably over the invitation list. Fierce, ongoing tensions have also led negotiators to decide that the opposing sides won't initially meet face-to-face — a sign that even minimal progress is far from certain.
Ambitious resolution
The Geneva talks are the first since discussions collapsed two years ago.
Russia has called for the inclusion of Kurdish representatives, and the U.S. and others have supported the Kurds in the fight against the extremist Islamic State group in Syria. But Turkey is strongly opposed.
"There are efforts among some countries to water down the opposition. We oppose this," said Cavusoglu. "To insist that terror groups such as the YPG (the main Kurdish militia) are included within the opposition would lead to the failure of the process. We have to insist that this is extremely dangerous."
But European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who spoke to reporters alongside Cavusoglu, said that, "from the European perspective, we attach an extremely high value on the fact that the process in Geneva will be inclusive."
The UN Security Council passed an ambition resolution on the Syria crisis that set a target for the peace talks to start this month. That resolution also aims to produce credible governance and a schedule for drafting a new Syrian constitution. But airstrikes by Russia — a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad — against rebels have altered the military situation on the ground.
The extremist Islamic State — considered a terrorist group — has not been invited to attend the talks in Geneva.


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Wine Specs
Harvest Date
October 8, 2014
Harvest Brix: 22.5˚
5.74 g/L
9 months in neutral French oak barrels
Bottling Date
July 21, 2015
Residual Sugar
Alcohol %
Gewürztraminer 2014
In Stock
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Dry and complex, this wine shines bright with peach blossom and delicate floral aromas. The cool, slightly tart lychee palate is a thing of beauty. Richly textured with a creamy, caramel-like finish that lingers.
Production Notes
BLEND: 100% Gewürztraminer
Winemaker Notes
Meet our very first barrel fermented and barrel aged Gewürztraminer. R2 yeast was used and our most neutral older barrels. We wanted to try something different and out of the ordinary with a small batch to change the typical flavors you get with stainless steel fermentation. The oak aging tamped down some of the traits of heavy perfume and spice.
Food Pairing Notes
With food-friendly acidity giving the wine a lively, fresh taste this wine's food pairings are numerous. Good with all forms of pork, spicy grilled chicken, and Asian cuisine.
121 Cases
Other Notes
RELEASE DATE: October 12, 2018
Vintage Notes
The 2017 winter was the most mild in the last four. A cool spring held back bud break (and potential frost damage) until May. These two factors combined to set the stage for a fruitful vintage. The GDD's (growing degree days) were close to average through June and July but dipped in August. Rainfall was above average right through the growing season which inevitably increased disease pressure and crop load. Thankfully, September and October were warmer and drier than average thus allowing the grapes more time to mature and develop flavor. 2017 pulled off the seldom seen scenario of high quality wine in a high yielding vintage.
Product Reviews


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Around this time last year, I was puzzled with the prospect of finding a worthwhile, resume worthy summer job. I am a student at the University of Connecticut studying Urban Youth and Families. I wanted to make a difference. I was not interested in just earning money. I am driven to impact people and learn from my work. My passion lies in service and I thrive off of the fact that change is possible. I'm determined and inspired by the prospect of our world becoming a better place. Retail wasn't an option for me, I needed something bigger.
That's how AJWS Volunteer Summer came into the picture!
After searching long and hard I could not find a job. This is probably how many college students feel each year. I called my mom and said, "Well I can't find work. So, can I go to Africa instead?" As I expected that did not go over too well. Issues of finance and safety were discussed and with much persuasion and generous scholarship on behalf of AJWS the worries were out of the way and I was sending in a visa application on my way to a summer in Uganda. I couldn't have been happier. I was getting to travel, serve and learn! It was the opportunity I was looking for. AND…
It was the best decision I could have ever made!
I spend my summer with eighteen peers who motivated me to want to learn so much more. I served with the NGO Friends of Orphans and before my eyes we contributed to the building of a radio station. I never expected I would be able to help and do the required physical labor with such ease. Although the work was strenuous it was amazing! We were motivated to work harder each day and the difficulty of the work passed as our conversations grew deeper with our new friends. I spent five days a week for seven weeks working alongside Ugandan youth and workers learning about their stories and their histories. I was stunned when I heard of their past and listened as they outlined their hopes for the future: school, work, family, financial stability to name a few.
I shopped at the local market and participated in home visits. As we became comfortable in the town of Pader, we were trusted and accepted. It was a warm feeling to walk around and know people, we had friends! This culture is so outstanding and I am forever grateful to the friends who took me shopping and showed me to cook. Who shared their homes with us and their stories, the bad but mostly the good.
We also traveled to the Abayudaya, the Ugandan Jewish community, and joined in joyful praise during the Kabbalat Shabbat service. This Shabbat was one of the most surreal things I have ever been a part of. Across the world we were all Jews together and that is what made Uganda really feel like home. The tunes and prayers were so fervently sung out loud. Everyone sang together regardless of which language and when I realized Judaism connects people all over the world, the only thing that I wanted to was call my mom. She introduced me to a song once the main lyric is "Where you go, there's always someone Jewish". It sounded in my head so loudly and when we walked for an hour on Shabbat afternoon to meet a local high school student, Rachel's, family it was unbelievable that in the middle of Uganda we were preparing for Havdallah and singing Jewish songs together, we were truly connected by Judaism and it was so special.
My travels led me to interests in international development, government aid, international education and history. After seven weeks I was sure it had not been enough. We all left with many unanswered questions and bursting at the seams to make a difference. We discussed how we would share the stories, experiences, sights, and service with people when we got back and it seemed almost impossible. Everything we saw and learned changed me and motivated me. I got home and immediately jumped on idealist.org and tried to get involved in EVERYTHING! Uganda left me feeling inspired to make a difference and I will be doing that this coming semester in South Africa. I will be participating in a study abroad human rights and activist program. I cannot wait to develop an activist project and work in an internship placement when I can learn and grow and become even more fascinated.
Traveling is the best gift I could have ever asked for. It gave me a chance to learn and grow but most of all to ask questions. I am fortunate for the people and experiences I have had and I hope that by sharing my passion many others who are ready to make a difference and create change the world will follow in my path.
See pictures from my summer in my Picasa gallery.
I would love to answer any questions or come to your synagogue or school and do a presentation. Please contact me at email@example.com or visit the AJWS volunteer summer webpage.
There are so many ways to make a difference. Please consider stepping up for service and donate your time to making a difference this year!
Melissa Lovitz
Powered by service, motivated by change!
This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here.


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2002 NPC Nationals Men's Backstage Posing Part 1
Bantamweight & Lightweight • 1 hour 18 minutes
The 2002 NPC National Championships is America's top-level amateur bodybuilding show, featuring over a hundred competitors as they battle on-stage to turn pro. Backstage Posing Part 1 brings you over an hour of intense pumping, posing, and flexing as we feature a crop of incredible bantamweight and lightweight competitors from this contest. We set up our private backstage posing area to capture these athletes during the weigh-in, prejudging, and evening show portions of the competition. Featuring Derik Farnsworth, Victor del Campo, Eric Yamashita, Julio Navarro, Van Nguyen, Michael Wick, and many more. • 1 hour 18 minutes
Athletes Appearing In This Video
- Al Ferraro
- Allan Terrell
- Carlen Charleston
- Cheung Teav
- Chickel Azor
- Daniel Stern
- Derik Farnsworth
- Eric Yamashita
- Heath Warren
- Hector Vazquez
- Henderson Gordon
- James Ferreri
- Johnny McKnight IV
- Johnny Traynor
- Jonathan Hunt
- Julio Navarro
- Kevin Ofurum
- Manny Vigil
- Martin Burger
- Michael Matassa
- Michael Wick
- Randy Jackson, Sr.
- Rashad Hood
- Roland Aki
- Roland Huff
- Roy Bacani
- Van Nguyen
- Victor DelCampo


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- This article is about the race track in Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. For information about the race track in Crash Tag Team Racing, see this page.
Deep Sea Driving (ぶっとび しんかいドライブ lit. Surprising Deep Sea Drive in Japanese) is the sixth race course that appears in Crash Nitro Kart, as well as a remade version in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.
The track is part of the Barin world and takes place in an underwater tube and cave. This track is the race used when racing against Nash, Barin's champion. This also includes the zero gravity mechanic, and is also the last track to race on in Barin before racing against the boss fight.
Since the track is used for his boss race, Deep Sea Driving is considered Nash's home track. It is a course in the Uka Cup and the Green Gem Cup (along with Jungle Boogie and Out of Time).
The track starts off in a cave with a set of item crates. The racers will then come across a turbo pad that will take them into an underwater tube. They will be able to view many unique underwater creatures while racing in the tube. The underwater tube will branch off into two different paths that will eventually converge into one path. The racers will then encounter a giant rotating pendulum that will that cause them to spin out if they touch it. They will then enter the cave again and use a turbo pad to go over a few pits. After that, they will come upon a normal path and around a stone structure protruding from the ground. The final part of the track takes place in another underwater tube. This time, the characters are able to drive around the whole tube and are not bounded by walls. Along the way, they will encounter giant rotating fans. If they touch one of the fans, then their kart will spin out. After they finish the underwater tube, they will enter the cave again and come across the finish line.
- Giant Rotating Pendulum - After the characters enter the first underwater tube and finish the split turbo paths, they will come across a giant pendulum that oscillates itself in a complete circle. Any character that touches the rotating pendulum will spin out and lose Wumpa Fruit. Since the giant rotating pendulum is near a turbo pad, it is possible for a racer to mess up and fall down the pit while on the pad.
- Giant Rotating Fans - The second underwater tube of the track contains three giant rotating fans. The fans contain three blades each and will rotate slowly in a complete circle. If a character touches one of the fans, they will spin out and lose some Wumpa Fruit. Towards the end of the tube, there are two fans that are bunched up together. The racers must time the blades while driving through these two fans as it is easy to spin out.
- The only short cut that appears in this track is located in the second cave portion of the track. After the racers exit the first underwater tubes, they will come across a series of turbo pads that will take them across the pit. When they come across the second turbo pad, there will be a small ledge to the right near the stone structure that they could reach. However, the racer must either use an invincibility mask, power boost, or power slide boost.
Boss race
The characters will race Nash on this track once they collect all three trophies in the Barin world of adventure mode. The track will remain virtually the same, but the rotating pendulum and fans will be turned off. However, the player will still spin out if they touch the blades on any of these obstacles. Also during the race, some of the regular item boxes are replaced by X Crates during this race. While racing Nash, he will dispense miniature jaws from his kart that will cause the player to spin out if they touch one of them. If the player wins the race, then they will gain the key that will grant them access to the next world, Fenomena.
Crash Nitro Kart
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
- One of the tracks in Crash Tag Team Racing also has the name Deep Sea Driving.
- Deep Sea Driving is the only course to be repeated twice in a row (trophy race and boss race).
- The track's name is also a pun on the famous hobby, deep sea diving.
- This hobby is one that Crash has taken up in Warped, Wrath of Cortex, and The Huge Adventure.
- In Adventure Mode, on a normal race, the player will begin in the same place as always (8th), but on this track, they will begin in 5th place instead of 8th.
- This track, along with Meteor Gorge and Barin Ruins, makes unlocking Fake Crash and Pura much easier.
- N. Trance has the best "race the trial" time for this track.
- The track can be compared to the Crash Team Racing race track Roo's Tubes as they both involve racing through underwater tubes and caves.


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Suzuki Intruder C800 / Boulevard C50
Make Model
Digital transistorized
Max Power
Max Torque
5 Speed
Front Suspension
Conventional telescopic fork, oil
damped, coil-sprung
Rear Suspension
Link type, mono-shock,7-way adjustable
Front Brakes
Rear Brakes
180 Drum
Front Tyre
Rear Tyre
Seat Height
Ground Clearance
Dry Weight
Fuel Capacity
As the early morning sun
bursts through the valley, the fir trees a vibrant green against a cloudless
blue sky, some of the mountains seem cold and dark in shadow, contrasting
sharply to the sun bathed slopes. Remnants of last night's frost linger on the
ground, rooftops steam, and each crisp breath of air brings a positive energy
for the day ahead. I am attending the Suzuki Cycle Fest at Copper Mountain,
Colorado, and waiting for me, a shiny new Suzuki C50 Boulevard is full of fuel
and ready to ride. All I have to do is decide where to take it.
Lady luck steps in, as seems to happen so often during motorcycle adventures,
and a chance coffee stop sees me in the company of world famous motorcycle
adventurer Dr. Gregory Frazier. Having never met the iconic travel writer
before, it is a motorcycle career highlight as he gives me some advice on where
to ride for the day as Aspen is only a few hours ride over Independence Pass.
That's if I get my finger out and get riding. So, with an invite to a steak
dinner in Denver later that evening, I climb on board Suzuki's new 800cc cruiser
and roll up highway 24. A route that will take me through the historic town of
Leadville, before US 82 leads me into Aspen.
New for '05, the Boulevard is not really that new, as it's basically a re-badge
of last year's popular Volusia. I have to confess this was a model that slipped
by me completely, and a little research was needed to bring me up to speed here.
I am extremely familiar with Suzuki's Intruder line, and sold plenty of the
700/750/800 range while working in the retail end of the motorcycle industry.
Fast, attractive and reliable, used Intruders never sat on the floor long.
For '01 the Intruder got a serious face-lift to become the Volusia, with some
mechanical changes to boot. Where the Intruder's headers exited on either side
of the bike, style dictated the Volusia's both exit from the right-hand-side of
the bike. To facilitate this, the rear cylinder head was reversed, and a single
carburetor employed in place of the Intruder's dual set up.
Suzuki then introduced the Marauder, but that has also gone the way of the
Volusia with the introduction of the Boulevard line. As a move that has seen
much rhetoric, both positive and negative, Suzuki has now brought all their
cruisers under one banner with a new system to classify all the different
models. It all gets a little lengthy, so lets just deal with the C for cruiser,
50 for fifty cubic inches, and that explains the bike on test here.
What is new for this year is the fuel injection, and starting my ride somewhere
around 10,000 feet above sea level, any problems it may have aren't going to
take long to surface. Hitting the starter button, the bike bursts immediately to
life, quickly settling into a smooth idle. Pulling away is a breeze, and within
minutes the C50 is pulling strongly up a steep mountain pass as we leave Copper
Mountain behind: Strongly for a bike that only displaces 805cc, without taking
into account any power loss the altitude is most certainly causing.
The air is fresh through the vents in my jacket and in the distance, up above
the tree line, muscular shouldered mountain peaks dominate the view. Standing
proudly against their sharp blue backdrop, they are more perfectly isolated than
a subject in a studio photograph. Sunbursts reflect off the chrome as the road
flicks left and right, climbing, twisting and falling, the Boulevard making the
perfect viewing platform for the constantly changing panorama unfolding before
Responsible for the smooth flow of power, Suzuki has borrowed from their GSX-R
sport bike range for the fuel injection system. Utilizing a Dual Throttle Valve
System (SDTV) optimum air velocity is maintained throughout the engine's range
with one valve for low rpm and one for high. A powerful 32-bit Electronic
Control Module (ECM) takes readings from a gearbox position sensor, as well as
the water and air intake temperatures. This allows for precise fuel delivery,
any time, any place, anywhere. And, crossing Independence Pass at 12,093 ft it
is certainly earning its money as it is performing flawlessly. It doesn't give
me any problems as we descend through a tight, technical section some miles
before Aspen either. The throttle response remains smooth as I come back off a
trailing throttle and there is no popping and farting with the throttle closed.
The brakes also do a pretty good job with the steep descents, just don't ask too
much of them. With just a single disc up front and a drum rear they ain't the
most powerful set up on the market. The front has a fairly healthy looking 300mm
rotor; it is just let down some by the two-piston caliper. There is still enough
brake to have the forks flexing if you get on it too hard, but simply put, I
prefer dual disc systems.
Parking up for lunch gives me a chance to reflect on the bikes looks, which
there is no denying are very pleasing. Lustrous paint, complimented by plenty of
gleaming chrome, make the C50 very easy on they eyes. My test mule is wearing a
windshield, back rest and saddle bags, which make it look even more the part,
and physically the bike looks a good bit larger than a mid sized cruiser. A move
that was no doubt deliberate by Suzuki.
The front end is typical cruiser, the beefy front forks looking like something
from the Motor Company's line up. These aren't adjustable and are set up on the
soft side. Adding a passenger, or luggage, to the mix will have you hunting down
some pre-load spacers to help the stock springs. The forks are suitably
complimented by the large multi-reflector chrome headlight, which can also be
used to when applying Chap Stick in the thin air if needed. I can't comment on
its night-time abilities, but am sure it will be just fine.
Moving down, the 16-inch spoke front wheel gets a 130/90 series tire and an
attractive skirted fender. Sitting behind them, the radiator sits unobtrusively
in front of the frame's down tubes. The 45-degree V-twin uses blacked out
cylinders with faux cooling fins for the air-cooled look and are nicely set off
by chrome engine cases. Chrome header pipes run to their own individual slash
cut chrome mufflers and have a nice note for a stock system. More chrome accents
are to be found on the rear frame rails and backrest.
The rear wheel is a 15-incher, wearing a fat 170/80 series IRC tire on its spoke
rim, and a single pre-load adjustable shock keeps the ride smooth. Taking the
engine's power to the rear wheel is a five-speed gearbox and a low maintenance
shaft drive. No surprises with the floorboards and the heel/toe shifter, or any
complaints with the way it operates either. Up at the handlebars, a light clutch
nicely compliments the slick shifting gear change. The lever is not adjustable,
but the front brake lever is, and it only requires the lightest pull to get the
pads grabbing the front rotor.
Sitting on the bike, the seat is a low 690mm from the floor and this is going to
make the bike a very attractive proposition for shorter riders. The 17-litre
fuel tank is also not too wide, which makes the riding position a whole lot more
comfortable, and along with the broad, firm seat, long distances should be a
breeze. The tank also holds a chrome instrument panel with a large, round
speedometer, which is nice and easy to read on the move.
Lunch over; it's time to point the Suzuki C50 Boulevard toward Copper Mountain.
I don't have much time so need to make a little haste and stay in the saddle. No
worries, I have a full tank of fuel, a comfortable perch and a willing engine.
Add in some of the most breathtaking scenery America has to offer, and it looks
as if I am in for a great afternoon.
If you are looking for a great mid-sized cruiser but don't want to spend a
King's ransom then cruise on down to your Suzuki dealer and check out the new
C50 Boulevard. At $11,790 it is certainly one of the best deals going around in
the mid-capacity cruiser class.


text:
Actor Vishal was severely injured as he was tossed along with four wheeler bike (ATV BIKE) at Cappadoccia in Turkey. It all happened during the shooting of his untitled next, directed by Sundar C, which had an action packed chasing sequence, choreographed by Anbariv. On an unexpected turn, Vishal got tossed along with ATV bike and it turned out to be a shock to the entire team. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where instant treatment was given.
This untitled film is produced at a whopping budget by R. Ravindran of Trident Arts and is directed by Sundar C. Tamannaah and Aishwarya Lakshmi are playing female lead roles in this film, which has the 50-day schedule planned in Turkey continuously.
The shooting of this film commenced last week in Turkey, where important scenes are being filmed in Cappadoccia, the same place, where Rajinikanth-Nayanthara song 'Konja Neram' from Chandramukhi was shot.


text:
Tricky one this. Not just because I keep wanting to write "Sixth-episode verdict: The Three Degrees". No, the trouble is I've been sucked in now.
It's not a terribly exciting show. The freaky coincidences are dying down and the implied pairings-off that looked inevitable have now gone into remission, making the possibly supernatural aspects of the show less of a draw.
It's really the characters and the actors that are the draw. The writing's good and manages to avoid most clichés, although the characters themselves are somewhat clichéd in concept. The ensemble cast is a whole lot better than on some shows I could mention (eg Jericho). And you do actually want to find out what happens to everyone.
If you want to avoid being sucked in, don't watch. I don't want to watch, but now I have to.


text:
The research we have suggests that deep engagement in rich mathematical tasks and student collaboration are keys to promoting learning in mathematics classrooms. For most of the semester, I have been using student presentations to the whole class as the means to engagement and collaboration. However, I have found that it sometimes becomes necessary to adjust the classroom organization. One reason is that running with just one format can become stale over the course of the semester. Also, certain students become comfortable sitting passively in presentations, even though I try to keep them involved. I also find that as the instructor, I sometimes get weary of one routine. In addition, students' energy levels wane as their workload increases with the end of the semester looming.
So, I have been mixing it up with a technique I learned as Expert-Home Groups, but it is essentially a Jigsaw. Here's how I use it:
I assign 2, 3, or 4 problems to the class. For purposes of this example, let us assume two problems have been assigned, #1 and #2.
Divide the room into groups. The number of members in each group is not too important, but usually 4 is the maximum number in a group if they are all going to contribute productively to a discussion. For purposes of illustration, let's say there are 8 groups, which I will label 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Further assume that each group has 4 people.
Within each group, members are assigned a color. With two problems, two colors are needed. Let's say the colors are red and blue. (With three problems, three colors are needed. With four problems, two or four colors can work.) The room then looks like Figure 1, where each digit represents a student.
With the assignments to groups and colors, I now tell the odd-numbered groups to work on problem #1, and the even-numbered groups to work on #2. I tell them that they must make sure everyone in the group understands the problem well enough to explain it to another group.
After the students have had time for discussion, it is time to regroup. Now the red tagged members of odd-numbered groups are paired with red tagged members of even groups, and similarly the blue tagged members of odd-numbered groups are paired with blue tagged members of even-numbered groups, and the room looks like Figure 2.
In the new groups, each problem is explained in turn, until everyone is satisfied that the problems are solved.
Tips for making this work:
- Problems of highly uneven difficulty may not work well. This is because one group will bog down in the problem while another group is idling and waiting to be regrouped. This can be partially counteracted by having groups that finish quickly discuss problems assigned to other groups.
- With two problems and groups of four people, there is slightly less accountability than if four problems and four colors are used. A countermeasure is to use four colors anyway, and regroup the room as in Figure 3. In this way, although there are still two people in each group responsible for the same problem, they worked independently, and therefore may have different solutions or explanations.
- One reason for using two problems rather than four is to deal with uneven numbers of students. If there are some groups with three people, they can still swap a member with another group and thus participate.
- There is assessment, and there is grading. Informal, formative assessment can be gathered during class by listening to the conversations of the groups, popping in to groups with questions, and asking individual group members to respond to questions, to ensure that all group members are participating in and understanding the conversation.
- I have graded these sorts of activities in a few ways. Sometimes I give a participation grade to everyone who appears to be engaged with their group.
- Another way to grade this assignment is to pre-assign each group to its problem (e.g. assign the problem Monday and have the Jigsaw on Wednesday), and then to ask that the group share a copy of their solution with you at the beginning of class. In this way, you have a record that the group (or at least someone in the group) has produced a solution to share.
- You can collect the notes that students take from the class and grade that in a couple of ways. Either it can be used to grade only a group's own problem (so Group 1 is graded for its work on #1, Group 2 is graded for its work on #2, etc.), or it can be used to assess whether everyone is taking notes for all problems as they are sharing.
This is a great way to liven up the classroom and use a little movement to shake things up. If you have opinions on this, or other ways to get small groups actively engaged, I'd love to hear from you.


text:
Background: During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism. Current Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies.
Location: Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam
Area land: 328,657 sq km
Area water: 1,190 sq km
Coastline: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)
Country name conventional long form: none
Country name conventional short form: Malaysia
Country name former: Federation of Malaya
Population: 28,728,607 (July 2011 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.6% (male 4,374,495/female 4,132,009); 15-64 years: 65.4% (male 9,539,972/female 9,253,574); 65 years and over: 5% (male 672,581/female 755,976) (2011 est.);
Population growth rate: 1.576% (2011 est.)
Birth rate: 21.08 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death rate: 4.93 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.069 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female; total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2011 est.);
Infant mortality rate: total: 15.02 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 17.37 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 12.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.);
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.79 years; male: 71.05 years; female: 76.73 years (2011 est.);
Total fertility rate: 2.67 children born/woman (2011 est.);
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2009 est.);
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000 (2009 est.);
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,800 (2009 est.);
Nationality: noun: Malaysian(s); adjective: Malaysian;
Ethnic groups: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.);
Religions: Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census);
Languages: Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai;
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 88.7%; male: 92%; female: 85.4% (2000 census);
GDP (purchasing power parity): $416.7 billion (2010 est.); $388.8 billion (2009 est.); $395.5 billion (2008 est.);
GDP (official exchange rate): $219 billion (2010 est.);
GDP - real growth rate: 7.2% (2010 est.); -1.7% (2009 est.); 4.7% (2008 est.);
GDP - per capita (PPP): $14,700 (2010 est.); $14,000 (2009 est.); $14,500 (2008 est.);
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.1%; industry: 41.6%; services: 49.3% (2010 est.);
Population below poverty line: 3.6% (2007 est.);
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6%; highest 10%: 28.5% (2005 est.);
Labor force: 12.2 million (2010 est.);
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 13%; industry: 36%; services: 51% (2005 est.);
Unemployment rate: 3.5% (2010 est.); 3.7% (2009 est.);
Budget: revenues: $46.78 billion; expenditures: $46.34 billion (2010 est.);
Industries: Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging;
Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2010 est.);
Electricity - production: 107.4 billion kWh (2009 est.);
Electricity - consumption: 93.8 billion kWh (2009 est.);
Electricity - exports: 91.7 million kWh (2009 est.);
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.);
Statistics: CIA World Factbook.
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Displaying 1 to 7 of 8 items.
Berita Harian
(Independent), Kuala Lumpur
(State-controlled news agency), Kuala Lumpur
Borneo Post
New Strait Times Online
(N/A), Kuala Lumpur
Star, The
(Pro-government), Kuala Lumpur
Sun, The
(Independent, daily), Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia in the News
Displaying 9 to 12 of 16 items.
Interview: Marina Mahathir
Rachel S. Taylor interviews Marina Mahathir, an AIDS activist and daughter of the Malaysian prime minister, about Asia's worsening AIDS crisis.
Sermons in Sungai Manggis
Reporters from the independent Indonesian newsmagazine Tempo visit Abu Bakar Bashir's home in Malaysia.
Malaysia: Dramatic Exit
Debora Kuan reviews Malaysian coverage of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's surprise resignation.
Malaysia: So Near, So Far
A Philippine perspective on travelling in Malaysia, from the Manila Standard.


text:
At St. Pius X Children's Center, education is fun. We support the development of the whole child including not only the cognitive and academic, but also emotional, spiritual and physical.
Attending School Everyday, All-Day
Combine a 2-All Day and a 3-All Day class for a child to attend school all five (5) days of the week from 8:15 AM to 2:15 PM.
Preschool classes are offered for three-year-olds. Our classes meet either two or three days each week, and are intended to provide our youngest students with their first experience in a classroom setting.read more
Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K)
Pre-Kindergarten classes are offered for four- and five-year-olds. Choose from a variety of class options, including a full-day option twice a week. Our focus is improving academic and cognitive skills while teaching children how to "do school," in an effort to make a successful and happy transition to kindergarten.read more


text:
The former transit official who led the New York City subway system's recovery from Sandy filed paperwork Thursday making his bid for mayor official.
Former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota appears to be leading among Republican candidates vying to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but will be challenged by Democrats in a city where they're strong
NBC 4 New York first reported Lhota planned to leave the MTA and vie for the top city job.
Lhota is a 58-year-old Bronx native who grew up on Long Island. A graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Business School, he's the son of a unionized sheet metal worker who later became a police lieutenant and a grandson of a New York City firefighter.
In an interview with NBC 4 New York Thursday, Lhota said he's dreamed of being mayor for decades.
"The notion of running for mayor entered my mind years and years and years ago, quite honestly. Probably even before I was in City Hall," he said.
He supports same-sex marriage and abortion rights, but is considered fiscally conservative — in favor of keeping the lid on city spending.
Lhota isn't afraid to take shots at labor groups; unlike the Democrats in the 2013 mayor's race, Lhota strongly criticized school bus drivers.
"Those school bus drivers work for private companies and they want to be treated like civil servants. They're not," said Lhota. "They have this misguided notion. And they're treating schoolchildren in a very despicable way."
Under Rudy Giuliani, Lhota was a deputy mayor and budget director. He later went into business as a top executive at Cablevision and Madison Square Garden and took on the MTA post in 2011.
With Bloomberg term-limited, the field for November's election already includes several other declared and likely candidates — including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson, a former city comptroller. All are Democrats.
Lhota said the other candidates have "little pieces of experience in their backgrounds but not the broad background that's necessary to run the city."
Lhota said his priorities as mayor would be continuing a laser-like focus on education, growing the economy and keeping crime down.
In response to a new Quinnipiac poll saying 63 percent of voters would be more likely to support a candidate who promises to reappoint the current police commissioner, Lhota said, "I think it's presumptuous for a mayoral candidate to start talking about who their next commissioner will be. If I'm elected, I will have with Ray Kelly a discussion about whether he wants to stay or whether he wants to move on to something else."
Lhota also says it would be dangerous to eliminate the city's stop question and frisk policy. He says he would not reverse Mike Bloomberg's supersized soda ban, though he would have opted for a broader public education campaign before seeking a ban.
Lhota stands out as a public official who says what he thinks — bluntly. He once displayed his middle finger to a reporter at City Hall.
Lhota describes himself as less "reserved" and more "outspoken" than Bloomberg and "a lot more progressive on social issues" than his old boss Rudy Giuliani.
On the day of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, he rushed to lower Manhattan to help direct traffic amid the emergency.
After Sandy, Lhota is credited with saving subway service by shutting down the system before the storm.


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Undergraduate study
It can be a real struggle to decide which five universities to put on your UCAS application. You'll either have three unis you're happy with and have to find another two, or you'll have seven and have to start making cuts. It doesn't even stop there, because once you have your offers, you've got to start making choices about which will be your firm and which will be your insurance.
How do you make these big decisions? One of the best ways is to look at all your potential choices and make sure you can see yourself studying that course, at that university for three or more years. Think about what is important to you and make sure all your choices fit those criteria. What should your criteria be? Watch the video above to get some advice on where to start.
Making your UCAS choices Video Transcript
I'm Becky, I work for Leeds Beckett University - we know that making a decision around which unis to put on your UCAS form can be really tricky and we reckon there are three criteria that you might want to think about when you're making that decision.
- The Course
- The Location
- Post-uni
So let's break those three criteria down.
The Course
Firstly, the course. You're going to be studying for at least three years, so you want to make sure that the course content is something that's going to interest you, that the facilities are good - how about the lecturers and what about any placements that you get to do on the course?
The Location
When it comes to location think about what the uni is like and can you picture yourself there. What are the buildings like, what's the rest of the community like and how about stuff that you're going to do outside of the course - can you join a society? Can you do some voluntary work? Maybe play a sport? Think about where the uni is located. Do you want to be close to home or a little bit further away? And what kind of stuff you want to do when you're there? Do you want to be somewhere where there's plenty of lively student stuff to do or maybe somewhere that's a little bit quieter and calmer. They're all going to have an influence on how much you enjoy your time at uni.
You want to think about what you want to do after uni as well and this can be quite a difficult one but maybe you've got a specific career in mind or maybe you want to go on and do some research and a postgraduate degree. Even if you don't know, it's worth looking at what the uni offers in terms of a career service. What work experience are you going to get? What links have they got with employers? It's all really useful for when you graduate.
I hope that's been helpful and best of luck with your choices.