text:
The Empire has dispatched a series of probe ships across the galaxy to track down the Rebel's base of operations. One of them arrives on Atollon, and after it lands some kind of protocol droid emerges from it. It takes a few moments to scan its surroundings and then heads out, just as it comes under attack by two Krykna Spiders.
Meanwhile at Chopper Base, the Ghost Crew and Phoenix Squadron are heading out for a training exercise, leaving Zeb in charge of the whole base. However, Zeb is not happy about being left behind. He does not want to get bored or be in the company of Chopper or AP-5. AP-5 is also not so keen about Zeb being left in charge of the base, as he always assumed him to be somewhat of a "grunt". After a brief, but insulting, conversation, AP-5 goes off to conduct a thorough inventory of the base's munition supplies. He offers either Zeb or Chopper to assist him but both of them pass and leave. The two of them arrive at the command center, where they receive reports about meteors impacting on the surface nearby. The Rebel officer making this report suspects that one of them may have knocked out one of the perimeter sensors. He offers to send a unit but Zeb chooses to handle this personally.
Accompanied by Chopper, who came along only because he did not want to help AP-5 with his supply inventory, Zeb arrives at the knocked out perimeter sensor in a speeder. They have brought along a new one to take its place. As they inspect the damage, they find no evidence of a meteor crash but they do find two dead spiders and underneath the droid that was dispatched from the Empire, powerless. Zeb suggests they take it back to base and find out where it came from, but Chopper disagrees and insists they trash it. Zeb does not listen and carries the droid back to the speeder. Word about the droid being out of contact with the Empire is soon reported back to an Imperial fleet, operated by Agent Kallus. The reporting office suggests alerting command to investigate, but Kallus recommends they be patient for now rather than waste time chasing down every temporal comm failure. Back at Chopper Base, Zeb and Chopper present the droid to AP-5 who is still conducting his supply inventory. AP-5 identifies the droid to be a protocol type, and after giving it some power to restart its systems the droid reactivates. Zeb tries to talk to it but the droid does not appear to understand due to having a damaged memory system. Then, to their surprise, the droid scans the entire supply inventory. Both Zeb and AP-5 are impressed that they decide to keep him, making him as AP-5's assistant. Leaving the droid in Chopper and AP-5's care, Zeb is needed at the commander center for a priority message from "Fulcrum". Upon arriving, the Zeb is patched through to "Fulcrum", who warns him about a series infiltration droids being dispatched by the Empire to sweep the Outer Rim worlds for Rebel bases. Displaying the schematics, the droid is shown to be heavily armored and extremely dangerous. Fulcrum also reveals that they can impersonate themselves as harmless protocol droids, specially like the one Zeb just found. Then before signing off, Fulcrum reports that one failed to report in and advises Zeb that if the droid remains out of contact the Empire will come after it, jeopardizing the whereabouts of their base.
Meanwhile, AP-5 and Chopper are Showing the droid around, when Zeb shows up armed with his Bo-Rifle. He warns them to step away from the droid, just as it starts to remember its programming and deploys its true form. Zeb opens fire and the droid attacks. The droid is revealed to be, as Fulcrum warned, well armored and very tough. Chopper tries to take it out with his shocker to no effect. However, Zeb manages to damage it and it retreats, leaking fluids. Knowing what might happen if the droid reports back to the Empire, Zeb, Chopper and AP-5 go after it by following its trail of leaking fluids. The trail eventually ends where they find a dead astromech droid with its power core completely drained and several key components removed. Zeb suspects that the infiltrator droid is trying to repair itself. Chopper is unable to track it and AP-5 suspects that it is still looking for more droids to consume, since the power from the astromech they found was not enough for its needs. This gives Zeb an idea, and instructs Chopper to get its attention and lure it back to him so he can blast it. However, AP-5 points they are in an area housing high explosive munitions, and was not the best place to be firing blasters. So Zeb changes his plan to grabbing it so they can shut it down. With everyone in agreement, Chopper heads out to find the droid. It does not take him long to find it consuming the power of another droid. He gets its attention and runs off with droid chasing after him. Then out of nowhere, Zeb jumps onto the droid and struggles to restrain it. The droid is again proven to be tough to beat. During a physical confrontation, the droid easily out muscles Zeb. However, Zeb manages to restrain it long enough for AP-5 to shut it down. Then just when they think their problems are over, they discover that upon deactivating the droid it has activated its fail safe and is set to self destruct which will vaporize the entire base.
The droid has already started its countdown, set to go off in twenty seconds. However, Chopper manages to temporally freeze the countdown circuit. It gives them the time they need to move the droid to a safer location before it detonates. However, they cannot just dump it because Zeb knows from Fulcrum that if the droid does not report back the Empire will come looking for it. They also cannot allow it to go back, not while it is carrying information on their base. Whipping its memory is not an option and neither is disarming the warhead built into it. The droid is going to explode, and it is just a matter of when. Finally, Zeb has an idea. He suggests they could send it back to the Empire, but with some adjustments that will make the warhead go off when the droid reconnects with the Imperial network. Zeb's plan is to send the droid back to its base and explode before it uploads its data, also taking along with it the other droids leaving the Empire with no clue of which one it was. AP-5 is stunned and finds that a good idea. He makes the necessary adjustments, and before reactivating it sets it to return to its disarmed state. He also initiate its return to base protocol. AP-5 restarts its main system, and then everyone takes cover as the droid reactivates. As AP-5 predicted, the droid returns to its protocol state and peacefully heads back to its ship. Zeb, Chopper, and AP-5 follow it, just to make sure it does leave. They see the droid arriving back at its ship, and before it can contact the Empire Zeb takes out the transmitter. Following its programming, the droid powers up the engines of its ship and flies back to base.
All the droids make it back to the Imperial fleet, including the one that probed Atollon. The technicians inspect the droid that was sent to Atollon, but as a result it reset its warhead and explodes, taking all the other droids and an Imperial Star Destroyer with it. Meanwhile, the Ghost crew return to Chopper Base just in time to hear Fulcrum congratulate the Rebels on dealing with the droid that infiltrated their base, much to the confusion of Ezra, Kanan, Hera, and Sabine. Although they managed to protect the location of their base, in doing so they have narrowed Thrawn's search to the ninety-four possible locations searched by the infiltrator droids.
- Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger
- Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Kanan Jarrus
- Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla
- Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren
- Steve Blum as Garazeb Orrelios, Droid Technician #1
- Stephen Stanton as AP-5, Droid Technician #2, Imperial Officer
- David Acord as Imperial Infiltrator Droid EXD-9, Rebel Officer #1, Rebel Officer #2
- David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus
- Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn
- In the original story for this episode was a smaller B-story that would be occurring while the events of "Trials of the Darksaber" formed the A-story. The story was also going to be focused on Zeb and Rex, rather than teaming Zeb up with AP-5 and Chopper.
- The beginning of the episode is a reference to the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, where a Star Destroyer deploys Viper Probe Droids down on Hoth to look for Rebels.
International Premieres
Concept Art


text:
We are excited to formally invite you to the 4th Annual Maronite Youth Convention – Halifax, on May 19-21, 2017.
Deadline: April 7, 2017
Age Restriction: 19-35 years old (Legal age in NS is 19+)
To register either complete the online registration form, OR Download the PDF Form and submit it to your youth leader or online.
Registration fee: $125
($20 will be used to support those who need help attending MYC).
The registration fee covers food, shuttle services, activities and souvenirs for the entire weekend.
We will be staying at the Delta Halifax Hotel in downtown Halifax. Reservations can be made on the phone under MARONITE YOUTH CONVENTION or online through the link below.
Book your group rate for Maronite Youth Convention
Delta Halifax
1990 Barrington Street, Scotia Square
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1P2
Phone Number: 902-425-6700
The price for each room is $149/night (plus tax) and based on a 4-person occupancy.
Please check the rooming list and do your best to record who will be in each room as people book their hotel rooms.
Note: Reservations can also be made through Marriott Reservations at 1(800) 268-1133, please reference Delta Halifax and Maronite Youth Convention.
To help reduce the cost of travel, we have arranged a discount with Air Canada. By Using the Promo Code RVFZEEM1 a 15% discount will be applied to all FLEX FARE tickets as well a free checked bag.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact your youth leader in your parish or the registration department of MYC 2017-Halifax:
Julia Daniel
Phone: (902)292-6222
Email: email@example.com
Sami Jreige
MYC 2017 – Halifax

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'll keep the list of dates updated here.
Sunday, June 14 – tGG, Nashville, TN, East Room (with Granville Automatic & Wyatt Espalin) 9pm
Tuesday, June 16 – tGG, Daytrotter.com, Rock Island, IL (private day session, https://medium.com/gone/how-an-indie-idea-is-sparking-a-renaissance-in-a-midwestern-town-b7e54a609ea6)
Tuesday, June 16 – tGG, Second Unitarian Church, Chicago, IL (Lincoln Park area) 7:30pm
Wednesday, June 17 – tGG, Grand Rapids, MI - NBC WOOD-TV Morning show performance and interview, live stream at 11AM local time - http://woodtv.com/live-streaming-video/
Wednesday, June 17 – tGG, Grand Rapids, MI - WYCE 88.1FM, on-air interview & performance 11:00am
Wednesday, June 17 – tGG opening for Indigo Girls, Grand Rapids, MI, Meijer Gardens Amphitheater 7pm
Thursday, Jun 18 – tGG, Kalamazoo, MI - Green Light Music In-store 3:30pm
Thursday, June 18 – tGG, Kalamazoo, MI, Old Dog Tavern (with Valentiger) 9pm
Friday, June 19 – tGG, opening for Indigo Girls, Ann Arbor, MI, Summer Festival (University of Michigan Power Center) 8pm
Saturday, Jun 20 – tGG, Cleveland, OH - Blue Arrow Records In-store 4pm
Saturday, June 20 – tGG, Cleveland, OH, The Bevy in Birdtown (with Tanya Kos) 7pm
Sunday, June 21 – tGG, Indianapolis, IN, Melody Inn (with Old Grand Dad, Scotch Hollow, Those Lazy Cabineers) show at 9pm, we'll go on at 12m
Monday, June 22 – tGG, Knoxville, TN, Preservation Pub 10pm
Tuesday, June 23 – tGG opening for Indigo Girls, Asheville, TN, Orange Peel 8pm
Wednesday, June 24 – tGG opening for Indigo Girls, Chattanooga, TN, Track 29 8pm (our closest show to Atlanta with Indigo Girls)
Thursday, June 25 – tGG opening for Indigo Girls + Kristy Lee , Mobile, AL, Saenger Theater 8pm
Sunday, June 28 – tGG, Kennesaw, GA - KSU's OWL Radio, on-air performance and interview
Sunday, June 28 – tGG, Atlanta, GA, Red Light Café (early show, celebrating the end of the tour, with Garner Sloan, Love Me Till My Heart Stops) Doors 6pm, show starts 7pm
If you have friends in any of the towns above, feel free to invite them out to the shows, and tell them to say hi. Info can be found:
https://www.facebook.com/events/570913066383864/ (all links to the Facebook events)
http://prettynewsongs.com (links to music, etc)


text:
Classic Stephen King adaptations like Misery, which won Kathy Bates an Academy Award is pretty damn awesome - and don't forget that Stephen King also wrote Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.
What I'm saying is that horror (often combined with the thriller and sci-fi genres) can be storytelling at its very best. Also, women and LGBT people tend to be more represented in these movies and TV shows than otherwise. And yeah, I know, we end up dead, but we end up dead in any genre. At least in horror, the playing field seems more evened out since most people end up dead...
|You said it, Katniss!
Anyway, what I really wanted to say is that I have a favorite horror website called Heaven of Horror, but it wasn't very relevant to share this information with you all previously, since it only existed in Danish with the website www.heavenofhorror.dk
Now they've gone global with an international website in English over at www.heavenofhorror.com And let me tell you, this isn't your average horror website, where only men - or mostly men - write the news stories and reviews. Oh no, Heaven of Horror was made by two girls back in 2009. The same two girls are still running the website and write almost all the content... oh and yeah, they're gay. In fact, they're married.
|Indeed it is...
Girls like horror. Gays like horror. Gay girls like horror and these two gay girls write about horror, so show them some love, please?
With love of Friday - and horror,
- GayGirl


text:
'Castle,' 'Nashville' & More Canceled: ABC Shockingly Axes 4 Beloved Series
Our hearts are aching right now because ABC just announced they canceled 'Castle,' 'Nashville' and more — some of their most beloved and long-standing series. All the named series will end at the conclusion of their current seasons. So sad.
Boo! Shame on ABC for canceling so many series that we love the most. The network just announced Castle and Nashville will come to an end when their current seasons wrap in the next two weeks. Plus, a few others were canceled as well. We're beyond devastated.
Just one month after Castle co-lead Stana Katic was not asked to come back to the series, following Season 8, the network has just revealed no one will be coming back because the show is dunzo, according to HollywoodLife.com's sister site Deadline. Nathan Fillion was going to fly solo if the series returned for a ninth season, but now it seems as though the series will end with Castle and Beckett together.
Sadly, Nashville was also axed by the network on May 12, Deadline also reports. There had been positive signs for a Season 5 renewal, considering producers Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick were recently hired as new showrunners, but ABC must have not had enough faith in the series. On a positive note, Deadline hears "Lionsgate TV will shop the series to other networks." (Fingers crossed!)
And while we're at it, we should probably note that Agent Carter and The Muppets were canceled by ABC, too. It's such a sad day in TV land, and we wish the bad news would just stop coming! Please — we can't bear to hear about another cancelation.
What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Are you upset Castle and Nashville were both canceled? Tell us below.


text:
$27.35 $42.08
Collections: All, American Standard, Other, Under $100
Smarter design for higher performance and fewer clogs all at a great price. The Cadet 3 series toilets come in a variety of styles; one piece and two piece models, elongated and round front bowls, right height and compact versions and even water efficient models. The Cadet 3 is a hard working versatile series with superior performance.
At American Standard it all begins with our unmatched legacy of quality and innovation that has lasted for more than 140 years. It is this tradition of quality and innovation that puts us in three out of five homes in America, as well as, countless hotels, airports, and stadiums. We provide the style and performance that fit perfectly into life, wherever that may be.


text:
[Election 2008: Here We Go Again]
Things are getting ugly out there on the campaign trail, and in the middle of it is Sarah Palin, the Republican's attack dog in lipstick and, now, by her own account, high heels.
With the McCain-Palin ticket fading in the polls—and with more Americans saying their values are closer to Barack Obama's than they are to John McCain's—there's a sinking sense of desperation in the McCain camp. And as we know all too well, when the going gets tough in American politics, losers go negative.
This past weekend, and today at a rally in Clearwater, Florida, Palin has attacked Obama for his connection to former '60s radical Bill Ayers. He and Obama served together on the board of the Woods Fund, a charitable organization in Chicago.
"Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," Palin declared.
Palling around with terrorists? It's an age-old charge with little or no substance. Obama, who was a child when Ayers was active in the so-called Weather Underground in the 1960s, has denounced Ayers' radical views and actions.
End of story. Or so one would have thought.
But, today in Florida, Palin added a little more spin to the charge. "I am just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America the way that you and I see America," she chortled. Fearful. It's the Republican's 2008 version of the Willie Horton smear.
And it's riddled with racist undertones.
Am I being paranoid here? Am I stretching it? I don't think so. Even the mainstream, middle-of-the-road Associated Press made the connection. "Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as 'not like us' is another potential appeal to racism," the AP noted. "It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American."
Is there any another subtext for creating the false image of a Black presidential nominee "palling around with terrorists" while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn't see their America?
Not a chance. Sarah Palin's crowds in Florida are even more homogenized than the crowd gathered at the Republican convention a month ago. The McCain-Palin campaign is preying among the fears among white, elderly voters in Florida and in several other crucial swing states in the hopes of scaring them in droves away from Obama.
And their calculated plan is that these racially coded smears will have traction with undecided voters, too. It's 1988 all over again. McCain, Palin and the Republican campaign strategists should be absolutely ashamed of these tactics. They are the ones who are truly "un-American."
That said, there's been an interesting response to these charges. The McCain-Palin ticket keeps sinking in the polls. In many ways, these outrageous charges underscore how out of touch both McCain and Palin are with the financial crisis flaming around them.
Indeed, I am getting the sneaking suspicion that such tactics will ultimately fail Election Day. In northern swing states like Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Ohio, Obama is opening up the race with growing leads. McCain has now pulled out of Michigan all together. And most tellingly, Obama has taken a small lead in Florida, once considered a sure state for the Republicans.
No wonder the Republicans are panicking.
"There is a time when it's necessary to take the gloves off, and that time is right now," Palin told supporters today in Southwest Florida.
That was Palin's polite way of saying that it will be smear tactics all the way to Election Day. Be prepared. It is only going to get worse. The Republicans are likely to play fear and race cards until the end of the game. With the economy and America's standing in the world both crumbling, those are the only cards they have left.
Black Star News columnist and award-winning filmmaker and journalist Geoffrey Dunn, Ph. D., is the former recipient of a both a John L. Senior Fellowship to the Cornell University Graduate School of Government and a National Newspaper Association Award for Investigative Journalism. His most recent film is Calypso Dreams.
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to email@example.com and email@example.com
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for advertising rates and long term packages.
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to firstname.lastname@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact email@example.com for advertising rates and long term packages.
All content is copyright Black Star News © 2011. All rights reserved.


text:
For those interested in obtaining a copy the fabulous publication, The Hamwood Papers of the Ladies of Llangollen and Caroline Hamilton (1930), edited by Mrs Bell:
nice First Edition copy of THE HAMWOOD PAPERS OF THE LADIES OF LLANGOLLEN AND CAROLINE HAMILTON for sale. The book is missing its dust cover but has no damage and is in good condition. If interested please contact me for further details via the following email: jejclarke [at] hotmail [dot] com.
Jim found the text while sorting through relatives' books, doesn't have room for it himself, and would like to see this copy go to a good home (rather than sit on a bookshop shelf).
If you've never heard about The Hamwood Papers, feel free to post a comment (below) asking about the book's contents. A "must have" for anyone interested in the lives of Sarah Ponsonby and Eleanor Butler; useful also for anyone interest in this period (late 18th, early 19th century) in British and even Irish history.


text:
Festa del Bocolo 25 Aprile
During Republican times, it was tradition that on April 25th (St Mark's holy day) a red rose blossom be offered to one's beloved, as a token of love. The tradition allegedly started with Maria, daughter of the Doge Angelo Partecipazio, who fell in love with young Tancredi. The relationship was not supported by Maria's father, who would not allow her to marry Tancredi. Maria asked her young beloved to join Charlemagne's army and go fight the Arabs in Spain, so as to earn fame and elevate his station.
Tancredi went to war and rose quickly among the ranks. One sad day, French knights under Orlando's command came to Venice and sought out Maria, bearing terrible news: Tancredi was dead. Struck fatally by the enemy, he had come to rest over a rosebush, and before dying, had picked up a rose, begging Orlando to deliver it to Maria. Maria went mad with grief, and was found dead the following day, the still-bloodied flower on her chest.
The Bocolo festival will start at 15:30 with a concert in homage to Vivaldi. At 16:30, the event will progress to the Doge palace, with a celebration of Venetian excellencies.


text:
In one of the most breath-taking pieces of pretzel logic we've ever seen, Spansion's board of directors last week restored the 10 percent cut in pay given to its executive officers last October on the very same day it let go 3,000 employees.
The effective pay raises were characterized as "an employee retention program" designed to provide "an incentive for executive officers and certain other key employees to remain employed" with the Sunnyvale chip maker that last week defaulted on $266 million in debt obligations.
For executives who seem to be impressed with big numbers, we'd like to offer Spansion's board 667,000 more cost-effective reasons they might give their executives to convince them they should choose to "remain employed" than increasing their pay.
That's the number of first-time applications made for unemployment in the U.S. last week, the highest number in more than 25 years. And given the 3,000 Spansion employees let go this week, that number may well rise some more.
There's an adjective for such behavior: shameful.
Tags: Executive Pay, Layoffs, Pay cuts, Spanion


text:
The Song of the Sages was a Takarian epic poem that prophecied the arrival of the Holy Sages, demigods who would rule over the Takarians as benevolent protectors. The Song also told of their eventual departure, heralded by the Holy Pilgrim. It was often performed in the street by Takarian bards.
The Ferengi Arridor and Kol co-opted the mythology in the Song of the Sages to exploit the Takarians. (VOY: "False Profits")
Verse 1
- Oh those many years ago,
- The people's hearts were sad and low.
- Then the Sages to the city came.
- They came upon a burning flame,
- Just as the seers said they would,
- They lifted Takar's blinding hood.
Verse for the other Holy One
- The sages in the sky did dwell
- Upon white clouds that held them well
- Until the sentry rang the bell;
- The Holy Sages never fell.
Free Verse (incomplete)
- But when the ringing called them here,
- From the sky they did appear.
Final Verse
- And there, amid the Eastern lights,
- Three new stars appeared that night.
- And with the ringing of the bell,
- The Sages knew where they must dwell.
- The Holy Pilgrim led them back,
- High into the sky of black.
- And riding on the wings of fire,
- The holy men rose higher and higher.
Community content is available under CC-BY-NC unless otherwise noted.


text:
As with the rest of journalism, there is endless teeth-gnashing about the future of wine writing. That is, if it has a future and isn't subsumed by the joys of the blog world, social media, communal recommendations and mass online wine tastings that would leave the Rev. Sun Myung Moon duly impressed.
It's always important to think about new models. So today is the second day of my joint spare-time project with Wolfgang Weber of Wine & Spirits on our natural wine experiment.
That's not exactly right. More of a natural pizza experiment, with natural wine to wash it down. Wolfgang and I both decided to participate in a celebration of natural wines being run by Cory Cartwright, a San Jose video-game designer for NamcoBandai and lover of vinous esoterica. Cory's "31 Days of Natural Wine" has been running on his Saignee blog since June 19 with a new post each day. It was intended, in part, as an anniversary of his first year of wine blogging. (Chronicle contributor Paul Clarke did something similar with cocktails for his "30/30" project.)
What distinguished Cory's effort was its particular focus: There are lots of one-off discussions of natural wine (let's not ignite yet another discussion about what that term means — at least not until next week) floating in the blog ether, and occasionally popping their head into print. But rarely is there an extended, or what Herbert Gans might have called "multiperspectival," meditation on the subject.
Cory floated the idea, expecting only bloggers to chip in, but he got a dramatic response. Aside from Wolfgang and myself, there are a handful of other working wine writers, including Alice Feiring (on Muscadet), Peter Liem (on a very special Champagne) and Robert Camuto (on "un-pimped wines").
"I was actually surprised," Cory recalls of when he first starting getting inquiries. "I didn't know a lot of these people even read my blog or had heard about it."
He also got contributions from high-profile wine bloggers like Jeremy Parzen of Do Bianchi (on Vino Nobile de Montepulciano) and Lyle Fass of Rockss and Fruit (on the natural movement in Germany/Austria). But there's also a lively explanation of sulfur in wine from chemist and Burgundy lover Arjun Mendiratta, appreciations of obscure wines from aficionados, like Slaton Lipscomb's take on Carema, and a lyrical consideration of natural wine in Detroit from wineseller Putnam Weekley. One of the best reads is an incendiary post from Terroir (the San Francisco flavor) co-owner Guilhaume Gerard, who offered his "natural wine dogma," which has already sparked flames. (Example: "If you are inoculating your wines, you might as well make a non vintage.")
I wouldn't presume to say this is the best collection of writing on the topic. But Cory has done an impressive job of curating a lot of divergent thoughts from a lot of dedicated and noteworthy people. Did I mention he was doing this all for free? In fact, everyone is doing this for free. That forced a few of us writerly types to break our vow against pro bono writing, but it seemed like a worthy exception.
In fact, it has been a perfect chance to tinker with what my colleague Phil Bronstein likes to call the "pro-am" model of journalism, in which career journalists and unpaid contributors somehow learn to work together. Of course, in this case it was entirely non-monetized, which has been and will continue to be a huge roadblock for the pro-am model. But as a pro-am experiment (though I rather doubt Cory conceived of it as such) it has been compelling to follow.
You can read Day 1 and Day 2 of our pizza/wine odyssey. I won't spoil it, but he and I wanted to explore what it meant to put natural wines in a proper context with food (rather than fetishizing them), and of course since we were drinking wines made without added yeasts, we figured we should do the same for the pizza. Consider it an exploration of San Francisco's dough terroir.
"31 Days" ain't over yet. And natural wines are likely to get more local focus in the next couple months. Local retailers and restaurants are talking about doing a Natural Wine Week. And John Locke, formerly of Bonny Doon (which, in the course of this project, inaugurated Cory into the confrerie of wine-sample recipients), is serving an all-biodynamic list of wines by the glass this month at the Santa Cruz wine bar Soif.
Take a moment to read through some of the "31 Days" posts. This may not be the right model, but there's far more to provoke discussion and debate than you're likely to find in a mountain of tasting notes.


text:
Not really been writing much
recently, not really sure what
to write to be honest.
So I focused on my Flickr. If you
want to see anymore of my
photography and illustrations
[basically wayyy more than you'd
see on here] follow the links below.
- Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/squarebrackets/
- Profile: http://www.flickr.com/people/squarebrackets/
[add me as a contact if you like]


text:
School Violence Case Blamed on Minecraft
I don't know if Jack Thompson is dancing in glee at another strike against the video game's fast-beating heart, or if he's sitting in a corner weeping at what kind of shenanigans his attempts at alienating the public from the violence in video games has led to.
Earlier this Wednesday, a nine-year-old boy in Orlando, Florida brought "an unloaded handgun, a magazine with six bullets inside, a steak knife and a small-handled sledge hammer" to his elementary school in Hunter's Creek, according to WFTV-TV in Orlando.
Officials at the Endeavor Elementary School on Balcombe Road said that the boy told three of his friends before school that he had the weapons, and they immediately reported the information to the school resource officer who found him, isolated him, and searched him.
According to the boy's father, he was playing a character he learned from the video game (wait for it), Minecraft.
The boy's father went on to explain:
"They use hammers to dig and knives and guns to protect themselves from zombies."
The boy was so tiny that his detention uniform engulfed him, and he could barely see the judge over the podium on Friday. Nevertheless, this did not stop the judge from ordering the child to home confinement, and ordering his parents to keep any and all weapons away from him.
The boy is charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds, possession of a concealed weapon, and possession of a firearm by a minor.
No injuries were reported in the incident and the father insists his son was just acting out the game. Furthermore, he believes the gun could never have been fired because while the gun was stored in a drawer, the firing pin had been removed.
You're kidding me, right?
This is Minecraft we're talking about, right? Minecraft? The game they've let grade one students play because it is so good for conceptive learning?
I'm calling bullshit on this one.
If he started punching trees at school? Maybe I could see the influence. Hissing at people and pretending to implode in the school cafeteria? Creepy, but not beyond the scope of an (evidently disturbed) child's imagination. Started building some really epic (and angular) sand castles? Yeah, I'd get it.
But guns?
Since when does Minecraft have guns?
Bow and arrows, yeah. Swords, sure. Maybe even that pickaxe if you're in a tight spot. But no guns, not as far as I know. That'd be too easy. I don't need guns to kill zombies. I just need to force them to falling lemming-like from the sky or to punch them satisfyingly to death. Maybe even use a sword if I felt the need to be big and manly (my Minecraft skin is Aeris from Final Fantasy VII, a total he-man's man). As is understood by anyone who tries out this deceptively simple time-waster, creativity is the name of the game when it comes to Minecraft.
It's a shame the boy's father failed to see that. And that he obviously has not actually played or seen much of Minecraft at all.
It's a copycat accusation.
And a bad one too.
This is just one more drop in the bucket of the latest wave of real-life violence being blamed on video games which has sprung up recently following the burgeoning success of super-violent GTAV. And it's even more ridiculous than any of the GTA V stories. We gamers didn't need to have to deal this going on our rep, nor do we deserve it.
The boy's father is just looking for a scapegoat. Maybe the Xbox just looked like the easiest target. However, that doesn't change the fact that bad parenting is bad parenting. Don't try and excuse it as anything but.
Keith_9944November 14, 2013, 7:25 pmits pickaxes 2 mine and swords 2 fight zombies, skeletons, spiders, and more
CerberethOctober 17, 2013, 12:07 amThe video game industry needs a lobbyist. Hollywood and the music industry don't get saddled with these bizarre accusations anymore, because they own a large chunk of capital hill. Maybe it is time for game companies to follow suit.
joey_1296October 16, 2013, 9:24 pmthers tinngs called mods ya there not new you can get guns with a mod that makes minecraft look like the walking dead
joshisgemsOctober 6, 2013, 6:33 pmI grew up in a household with guns--handguns, rifles and shotguns. All of us knew where the guns were kept and were taught gun safety early on (well before age 9). We would never have dreamed of taking guns, knives or hammers to school (appropriate parental discipline if we had). I would love to know what kind of social activities this child engages in, besides playing minecraft. Sounds like this child needs more parental involvement in his life.
Tantric989October 6, 2013, 12:47 pmWhat bothers me is how pervasive today's culture is where we can blame everything but ourselves for our problems. Bad parents? Unthinkable! It's the vidya games and rap musiq and sax on TV that polluted my children, when in all actuality violence, crime, and teen pregnancy are all on the decline.
What is on the rise is blamestorming, where people sit around and try to blame something, usually something that can't defend itself (Minecraft as an entity, in this case) for life's problems without ever pausing to reflect and look at maybe... just maybe, I shouldn't have had a loaded gun in an unlocked drawer accessible to a person half the age to legally purchase one. For a 9 year old, that's an entire second lifetime away.
Ultimately, fantasy or realistic violence has been an entertainment medium that's existed for thousands of years, from the Illiad and the Oddessy to the Brothers Grimm. I challenge you to read the latter, you'll find that Disney has certainly downplayed the original stories quite a bit. Even then, one of my favorite Disney movies, Aristocats, involves a scene where the butler puts sleeping pills in the kittens food, drugs them, puts them in a burlap bag and tosses them over a bridge into the river. What matters is that parents need to sit down with small children and ensure they understand the difference between right and wrong when confronted with scenes like this.
What we have today is not a culture that is making children dangerous by emulating what they see in games, it's a parental responsibility deficit, i.e. people who think it's both appropriate and acceptable to blame the bad things their children do on everything but themselves.
Stephanie TangOctober 6, 2013, 2:54 pmFeatured ColumnistThat was like an article all on its own. I am humbled, good sir.
awesomepacman212October 6, 2013, 7:31 amhow you dare say that, they said that you should expand the fantazy
Stephanie TangOctober 6, 2013, 12:00 pmFeatured ColumnistThat's actually something in line with what I was wondering... that is, I'd really like to hear more from the kid as to what he was thinking. What was he going to do with those weapons? Smash some rocks? Lie in wait in case one of his classmates comes up undead?
ZietlogikOctober 6, 2013, 1:00 amI know a few people that have guns in their home for the aforementioned protection, but they also do not leave their guns in easily accessible locations, unlocked, and loaded...
this is a major issue with the parenting abilities at work here rather than the quick excuses they use to try and cover their own assets.
Stephanie TangOctober 6, 2013, 12:01 pmFeatured ColumnistI know people who do, but never around small children. :(
Lactating LemursOctober 4, 2013, 4:47 pmI almost pissed myself of laughter. I thought this was a joke.This kid either has something wrong in the head, or his dad's just a bad dad (which is true regardless). Besides,what kind of dad lets their kid have access to a gun in the house and then blames it on a video game? Something's obviously not right here.
Stephanie TangOctober 6, 2013, 1:16 amFeatured ColumnistI definitely snickered a little at your username. :P But yeah, I wonder if his excuses actually worked to redirect his community's disapproval. I suspect that was the point of bringing it up, whether or not we on the internet think otherwise.
Steve LawtonOctober 4, 2013, 9:19 amColumnistBlaming Video Games for violence doesn't make any sense. If a child has thoughts of bringing guns to school or violence in general then he had those thought to begin with. The parents should've realized their child's mental health and done something about it.
There no logical leap you can make to say gaming made someone do anything. That's like saying The Bible made me want to bring about the Rapture. No it didn't, I'm insane. That's why I want something fictional to happen in the real world.
Stephanie TangOctober 4, 2013, 1:57 pmFeatured ColumnistI understand that it can be difficult to understand the state of mind that your child is in. Particularly as they get older, they stop talking about the bad stuff happening to them if they're troubled, and just bottle it in.
So I understand if they missed something, I don't automatically think that they're terrible parents because of it. But I do think that if they leave weapons around the house (especially a gun, I'm sure a hammer and a steak knife can be missed easily, and at 9 years old, that's a little old to be checking your child's bag every morning), but owning a gun demands more responsibility than I believe this father is taking.
His carelessness, excuse-making and deliberate attempts to reassign blame and attention is what makes him a pathetic excuse for a parent.
Daz LeeOctober 4, 2013, 7:50 amthis is as stupid as the Alleged explicit sex scenes from mass effect 1 that a certain journalist tried to sensationalize, when in fact they were tastefully and sensitively handled. What we have here is Joe mcstupid leaving guns around where a kid could reach em, then realizing they had gone missing and then blaming it on the first game he could remember his child playing on after connect a series of stupid dots together. I'm an avid gamer and ive gamed all my life and am pretty sure ive never tried to kill anybody or shoot up schools. Its about time idiots who look for the first available thing to blame and immediately attribute it to the problems in their parenting skills or use it to as a scapegoat for killers with twisted desires to shut the hell up and realize that its not so black and white as "they play violent games,now theyre violent people". sorry for the rant, but this always pisses me off:)
Stephanie TangOctober 4, 2013, 1:52 pmFeatured ColumnistSex and violence are two of the major button-pusher topics that get people mad and sell papers, I think. I am glad that the law didn't care about his stupid excuses and put it on the parents to keep weapons out of that child's hands, but at the same time... they didn't dismiss his stupid talk as deliberately side-stepping the major issue (that is, his piss-poor parenting), and I think it should have been.
EdibleKnifeOctober 2, 2013, 11:30 amCorrespondentRiiiiight....This dad is just passing the blame; trying to get the spotlight away from the fact that he had a gun in a drawer, firing pin removed or no. I'd say some mods can add guns to Minecraft but I'm pretty sure the 360 version doesn't have 'em. This whole thing is dumb.
Stephanie TangOctober 4, 2013, 3:04 amFeatured ColumnistPretty much. The media grabs onto anything remotely juicy when it comes to relating violence and video games, but this one just doesn't have any meat to it and it bothers me all to hell to see such an obvious sidestep tactic being taken seriously.
Chai Chien LiangOctober 2, 2013, 10:02 amContributorHow do parents leave these weapons around freely for their little kids to access whenever they choose beggars belief...
RothalackOctober 2, 2013, 11:33 amMaster O' BugsThat's exactly what I was thinking.
Let's see... What is going through this dads head.
"I have a nine year old son, right? So I'd say the best thing I could possibly do is have easily accessed guns around. Not only that, when my gun isn't sitting out where I obviously left it, why in the world would I think to figure out where it went. A missing gun, ha, what could possibly go wrong."
This just... makes me livid. I have no problem with people having guns. What I have a problem with is people with a lack of a brain, having guns. I'm 23 years old and I can't even get to my dad's guns. Like seriously people, why the **** do you think you can blame video games when your dumbass has your gun sitting out in the open for your kid to take to school.
Capt. Eliza CreststeelOctober 1, 2013, 5:07 pmContributorIt's called PARENTING! Don't sit your child in front a video box for hours on end and then blame the box.
Stephanie TangOctober 3, 2013, 12:54 amFeatured ColumnistThat's people, blaming everything else.


text:
Stacy McCain, a long time friend, proved once again what a stellar friend he is. Smitty too. They read my blog tale of financial woe and published an appeal for folks to send me money, and the response has been amazing. Other bloggers also created links asking their readers to help. What great people bloggers are, and those who follow them.
My wife, like me, is not used to getting paid and giving nothing of value in return, so she asked me to make a list to pay everyone back! I will probably just "pay it forward," being extra generous in the future to conservative bloggers trying to make it. In any case, I suspect wifey won't be so quick in the future to tell me that blogging is a waste of time!
I have offered whatever services I can to those who have donated. Only two have taken me up on it. One was a blogger who had a glitch in her blog format, and I helped her solve it rather quickly. Another has asked for assistance on a graphics project, and I readily agreed to do it for her.
Fellow conservatives, I owe you big time. If I can do anything for you, please do let me know.
Dynamic Dunces
6 minutes ago


text:
John Paul Vann was an American patriot who became the highest ranking US civilian in Vietnam .. he was killed in 1972 when the helicopter ferrying him from a visit to a brothel, crashed on the way back to his operational headquarters. http://www.historyne...-and-legend.htm
John Paul Vann
After military ops in the Courtney Rubber Plantation, and adjacent forested areas thru December into January 1970, taking a rest break in Vung Tau, the dude I was with suggested that if we were to really experience the Viet Nam experience, we should drink a little beer, smoke a little marijuana and go to a brothel.
We have a smoke and a couple beers then head up town, we pay mama san and two chicks take us with them, in the rooting cubicle I decided that at nineteen years I could do a bit better, I had heard lurid tales of dreadful diseases and did not want to get one, I tell the chick I have changed my mind, I still have the MJ she has a smoke with me and gets a couple beers.
Having a beer movement and noise indicated the cubicle on the opposite side had an occupant, the chick pushes the bed over and looks across, she has closed her mouth waves at me to join her, a thin Caucasian male forties was being served, his civilian clothes neatly stacked.
My girl giggles loudly then ducks her head, the guy having sex face up is an American says "say man who the f--- are you anyway," I say "sorry mate my girlfriend made me do it," he tells his girl "have you ever met a God damn Australian with good manners" .. that was the first time I caused Johnny Vann liver shrinkage.
The next time was in October 1970 I was a Lance Corporal machine gunner, I was asked to attend an Orders Group .. intelligence said a supply train was leaving the village of Long Dien that night, I would be point MG in a twelve man ambush placed to intercept them.
After being delivered by road, we made our way across flooded rice fields and took up positions in a cemetery, we had machine groups at two points of a triangular position, and a command radio group in rear protection, I would be the machine gunner right front.
I sighted two banks of Claymore mines on a paddy bund, and could deliver enfiladed fire across an arc of one hundred and twenty degrees, nightfall and the flooded fields became a myriad of lights, the villagers were chasing fish and crustaceans with candles and torches, later in the night the fields were deserted, and in my gun group I was the only one awake.
We had been sent some guys who had been shelled by the New Zealand artillery, losing two men killed just a few hundred meters outside of the wire at Nui Dat, July 20 that year .. I let them sleep, the Australian Government had decided to reduce the commitment to the Vietnam war, and said when the Battalion rotated home in November, it would not be replaced,
Might be this was a going away present in response to the government's decision, organized by Mr B52 himself, master war criminal John Paul Vann, who was known to be active in the area.
Around eleven o'clock a beautiful Vietnamese girl comes along, she has a steam cooker of food in one hand and a bag of rice in the other, she had a WW2 Japanese rifle slung across her back, and looked like she had stepped straight out of a propaganda poster.
I had met a beautiful girl in Vung Tau and just as I loved her, I knew this beautiful girl was going to meet someone she loved .. standing up and placing my finger in front of my lips that she make no sound, I showed her the correct path and saw her safely away from the militarized area.
About midnight bursts of automatic rifle fire sprayed tracer across the rice, I lifted the M60 into position .. mist had spread across the paddy fields, a group was moving out of the village in the dark and thru the mist, finding their way with torches and candles,
I leveled the gun, it fires at a cyclic rate of five hundred and sixty rounds per minute, I had twelve hundred rounds in a waterproof rucksack each fifth round tracer, kept clean and free of dust.
Navigating across flooded rice paddies is a zigzag type of thing, as way is made along bunds and dykes, we were going to intercept them none the less, since their way toward the Long Hai hills met up with our position in the cemetery,
A couple of times they lined up with the sights, then I had them broadside on as they tracked toward my position, I could see about seven lights, and as they drew closer saw some were lower down and closer to the ground than others, as though the person holding the torch had short legs.
From about fifty meters downrange, they got onto a bund that brought them walking in a line directly toward my machine gun, and into the field of fire from both banks of Claymores, for about twenty meters till they turned onto another bund, their lights dimming in the mist as they zigzagged toward the hills.
Next day there is a hell of a problem, another O Group and some officer says "you must have seen them," I tell him "I saw them alright," he says "well why didn't you fire."
I told him that I much preferred they went their way unmolested, they get long faced because it was an operation organized by the Americans, Johnny Vann was in charge of intelligence just there, and was said to be right p*ssed off.
Edited by Martin Timothy, 03 June 2014 - 06:22 AM.


text:
Why FloControl?
FloControl offers a comprehensive range of valves, pipeline products and highly engineered pre-assembled system solutions for fluid handling applications within the UK building services industry. Our products and solutions provide superior environmental comfort whilst reducing the capital, installation, commissioning and running cost of heating and cooling systems as well as reducing a building's carbon footprint.
Valve Sets & Manifolds
We provide the most innovative PICV's, ABV's, DPCV's, pre-assembled Valve Set arrangements and Manifolds plus a full range of ancillary products, sourced from world class manufacturers. Stocked and assembled in the UK, to provide standard and bespoke solutions for all project needs. FloControl supports Architects, Consultants, Contractors Controls Houses and Commissioning Teams to design, install and deliver highly effective, customised indoor environmental control systems.
Our Products
The total package of valve products is available from stock including: Pressure Independent Control Valves, Automatic Balancing and Constant Flow Valves, Thermal Balancing Valves, Differential Pressure Control Valves, Commissioning and Double Regulating Valves, Flow Measurement Devices, Radiator Valves, Strainers and Check Valves, directly to projects in the UK and selected distributors.


text:
New: Luxury 4-piece Glow Gift with Orders $350+
By Category
By Concern
By Collection
Sun Protection Duo
Regular price
($260.00 value)
Give the gift of glowing, radiant skin with a set of RéVive's most luxurious products in deluxe travel sizes. Perfect to pair with your favorite daytime moisturizer.
This collection includes: Moisturizing Renewal Cream Nightly Retexturizer (15 ml/ 0.5 fl. oz.), Gel Cleanser (60 ml/2 fl. oz.), Moisturizing Renewal Eye Cream (3ml/ 0.10 fl. oz.), Intensité Complete Anti-Aging Serum (5ml/ 0.169 fl. oz.), Intensité Complete Anti-Aging Eye Serum (3ml/0.1 fl. oz.).
See individual product pages for ingredients and technology.
Brightening Moisture Mask
Online Exclusive
Black Friday Exclusive
Please note: There are no guarantees of specific results—and individual results may vary.


text:
Clicking on Taboola ads leads users to a scam site
Clickbaited again
If you cannot resist the temptation of clicking on seemingly intriguing articles, then, you probably fell into the trap of malware hidden in msn.com. Though Taboola advertising platform is legitimate and you can find its commercial offers in many legitimate sites, they became the tool of clickjacking technique.
The felony was spotted on msn.com site. It suggests that Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge users are more likely to have been affected as Microsoft Network site automatically loads in these browsers. Microsoft has been cooperating with the online advertiser already since 2006[1], thus, it is not surprising why the platform caught felons' attention.
Like its counterparts Mgid and Revcontent, Taboola network has been promoting articles which attempt to attract users' attention rather than provide objective and verified piece of news. Though neither of these networks is malevolent, the reliability of their promoted content has been a topic of discussion for a long time.[2]
What happens when you click on Taboola ads?
Speaking of this particular incident, users were directed to a site called 4vxadfcjdgbcmn.ga[3]. It happens to be just an ordinary sample of tech support scam. Take a look at its extract:
The server 4vxadfcjdgbcmn.ga is asking for your user name and password. The server reports that it is from Suspicious activity detected on your IP address due to harmful virus installed on your computer. Call Toll Free now +1-833-335-1333 for any assistance. Your data is at serious risk.
Needless to say that such pop-up alert is a pure scam. Users should note that Microsoft never displays such alerts nor provides phone number or email address.
Interestingly, the below statement already gives out its deceptive origin as it warns users that their entered data will be transferred via an insecure connection. Furthermore, the text suggests that a fraudster is not a native English user. Luckily, the malware has been already removed.
Security tips for the future
Bear in mind below tips to determine whether you are dealing with an online scam. You may also find this advice valuable:
- pay attention to the domain name where a system alert pops up (scams are often displayed in redirected randomly-named pages)
- do not enable any extensions or download apps promoted in redirected new tabs
- install malware elimination tools to block phishing and malicious URL sites
- ^ Robert Abel. Taboola content platform served malvertising on MSN.com. SCMedia. The cyber security source.
- ^ Revcontent?. AndroidCentral. Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help.
- ^ David Bisson . Taboola ads exploited to serve up tech support scams. GrahamCluley. Award-wining computer security news.
Your opinion regarding Clicking on Taboola ads leads users to a scam site
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
News Centre -TDO- Minister of Foreign Affairs and foreign trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó after meeting the MFA Turkmenistan answered the questions of journalists:
Today you have met with President of Turkmenistan, what topics were given main attention? How do you assess the state of the relations between our countries?
- Hungary considers Central Asia, and especially Turkmenistan as a very important country of the region from the viewpoint of the European security. At the meeting with the Turkmen leader, we have also discussed the cooperation in the field of energy. We are looking forward that gas resources of Turkmenistan will feed the common energy flow of Central Europe.
- We have also discussed economic cooperation, one of the forms of which is manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, where Hungarian state-owned pharmaceutical companies are working productively and one of the largest firms in the European market.
- We have also considered the issues of regional policy. We respect a lot the role of Turkmenistan in strengthening of regional stability and security. We welcome the activities of Turkmenistan regarding the fighting terrorism and extremist ideologies. Contribution of Turkmenistan to stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan deserves special recognition.
What areas of cooperation of Ashgabat and Budapest are most perspective in the aspect of integration?
- We have considered them today at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, where we had fruitful and effective dialogue. For example, we discussed in details such regional initiatives, like Council of Turkic-speaking countries, where Hungary is observer. The "One belt, one road" initiative, where Hungary is an integrated partner.
Of course, the possibilities of enhancing bilateral economic cooperation were in the focus of attention. Hungary established credit line in amount of 46 million US dollars in one of the Hungarian banks to finance direct commercial ties and projects.
- You have already told about energy cooperation that represents mutual interest. How other major directions of Turkmenistan's diplomacy – transport and water are expressed in the relations of our countries?
- As concerns transport, we are currently working on drafts of two agreements in the field of civil aviation and road transportation, which will be stimulating the connectivity of two countries. We will continue negotiation of the issue of water management. The Hungarian technologies in this field are recognized as cutting edge and proved themselves on the internationally level.
We know that water supply takes an important place in the policy of Turkmen state. We will continue supporting efficient activity of your country in this direction, including in terms of improvement of irrigation systems and management of water resources.


text:
Gorgeous 18K Gold Filled Champagne Crystal Cubic Zirconia Women Earrings
You can wear this Gorgeous 18K Gold Filled Champagne Crystal Cubic Zirconia Women Earrings with any marching beautiful clothes in different seasons and any occasions such as Anniversary, Engagement, Gift, Party, Wedding, etc.
Material: Yellow Gold Filled
Condition: New
Available Colors: Champagne
Fine or Fashion:Fashion
Earring Type:Hoop Earrings
Item Type:Earrings
Material:Cubic Zirconia
Model Number:B537
Size (Length * Width):as the picture
Metals Type: 18K yellow gold filled
Quantity:1 pair
Earrings Type:hoop Earrings
Main Stone:100% CZ Cubic Zirconia
Occasion:Anniversary, Engagement, Gift, Party, Wedding, Shape:Round
Package: 1 x Earrings
This Gorgeous 18K Gold Filled Champagne Crystal Cubic Zirconia Women Earrings is a great idea to give to your loved one and your family on a special day such as valentine, anniversary, engagement, wedding…
Tips For Gifts Giving:
1-Planning in advance to be sure the up coming birthday, valentine, anniversary …Take an extra time for shipping process if online purchase or time to wrap your gifts.
2-Choose a gift that suit to your loved one, family or friends who they are expecting for what the gift is special, valuable and useful. The gifts are suitable for their ages, styles and personalities.
3-Estimate your budget. This is how much you spend for. There will be cost less with coupons saving, early bird specials or shopping around to find the best on sale price.
4-Giving from the bottom of your heart. Remember it is your thought, not for the cost. Get something is valuable, special, sentimental, It's NOT necessary of expensive or extravagant items. This is what your thought will be sincerely appreciated.
5-Wrap your gift and ready to give away. It is NOT necessary to be fancy, long ribbons or expensive materials. The tastefully wrapped gift can be reused some left over materials or recycled the materials for the caring of environment


text:
A list of the essential articles that I posted to Twitter from January 24, 2010 – January 30, 2010. This week's categories: Online Fundraising; Israel & Jewish Nonprofits; Global Banking & Finance; and Potpourri.
This week contains fewer links than usual — the week was just a tad nuts. I spoke at a conference, and in Hebrew, no less. Needless to say, that occupied a lot of my time. But about that (and the links that go along with it) at a different time. Continue reading
Filed under: Weekly Roundup | Tagged: Bill Gates, Checking, Davos, Haiti, Internet & Social Media, Network for Good, Nonprofit, Philanthropy, Stanley Fischer | Leave a comment »


text:
Burnside Skatepark T-Shirts Are Shipping Now!
Thursday, May 31
Burnside T-Shirts are now FREE with each $25.00 donation. We will ship anywhere in the lower 48 for no additional charge, sorry Hawaii and Alaska.
Black - Med, Large, X-Large
Grey - Large
Green - Large
We have a limited number of this first run of just over 50 shirts. First come first serve.
You can check to see that we still have your color/size or your donation had been received by either e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com or via a private message on our facebook page. I looked into setting up a Paypal merchant account and decided we don't need that right now. We already accept Paypal donations on our website burnsideskatepark.org (will re-direct to our actual site burnsideskatepark.blogspot.com) and we can receive the shipping address through that transaction. We will send an address confirmation message from Paypal back to you.
That's it. Go skate!
<< Home
<< Home


text:
|British Folk Studies Section
The British Folk Studies Section of the American Folklore Society was established in 1992 to encourage and support the study of British folklore among members of the Society and to facilitate communication between folklorists in North America and the British Isles. The inimitable John Ashton led the section until 2004, and all section members are very grateful for the work he did in establishing this section and keeping it going, encouraging panels and collaboration among a dispersed membership. Many of the UK- and Canadian- based members of this section are not able to attend AFS on a regular basis, so we hope this enhanced website will be useful.
We offer a forum for all folklorists who are interested in the
folklore of the United Kingdom
and also to British-based folklorists who share an interest in American
folklore. We collect no dues.
Anyone interested can be a section member and attend events regardless
of whether he or she is a member of
AFS. See the bottom of this page for information on joining the
The British Folk Studies Facebook page can found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/British-Folk-Studies/394129697372381
Calendar of Events
We welcome announcements of conferences, workshops, short courses, festivals, and other events of interest to section members. Please send them to the convener. If you want them to be included in the newsletter as well as on this site, please send them at least two weeks before the next newsletter is to be published.
More to come in the future as this section is being revitalized.
Click here to join this American Folklore Society interest-group section. Section membership is free.
Already a member? Click here to visit the member-only group.
8/17/2020 » 8/23/2020
Tenth Annual Folklore Fellows' Summer School
9/1/2020 » 9/4/2020
Digitizing Geographies of Indigenous Folklore in the Global South Conference
9/3/2020 » 9/5/2020
Thirteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum


text:
Will money corrupt elected?
Walter Rodgers really brings our suspicions home in his Jan. 10 column, "Will Congress's tea party class go native in Washington?" Once in office, it becomes about fundraising. I would like to believe some of the new members of Congress won't buy in. From the sound of it, though, they are set up to fail.
Charles Wade
Defining 'rights' and values
In his Jan. 17 commentary, "Do you have a 'right' to a job, home, or health care?," Mark Hendrickson acknowledges only "those who work" and "those who shirk." What are his thoughts about those who cannot work for reasons beyond their control, such as serious illness or job loss due to the Great Recession? Those circumstances aren't the result of poor personal choices.
Why do we support obscene bonuses for those whose product is imaginary numbers, and yet we don't consider, for example, putting the able-bodied unemployed to work restoring 1930s bridges? Is it the "right" of the greedy to be made whole, and the "responsibility" of their victims to suffer?
Ann C. Somers
Brookline, N.H.
Our Founding Fathers did write a limited number of unalienable rights into the Constitution. However, we do have a number of additional rights that are not listed as unalienable: for example, the right to a free high school education. Rights like this exist because we decided that the government providing them at our expense creates a more peaceful and prosperous society.
A right to a good job and a house would indeed fail to qualify as a true Constitution-backed "right" for all the reasons that Mr. Hendrickson mentions. However, creating a right to medical care would allow us to live longer, healthier lives at substantially less cost. So it has become a "right."
Should economic conditions change and health care become a product that can be more efficiently provided by the free market, the "right" to health care can be revoked.
Daniel Schein
Health care and the economy
Regarding Anthony Schlaff's opinion piece "Barrier to better health care: GOP definition of freedom" (Jan. 17): The United States must adopt a national health-care system to be economically competitive. Medical costs are approaching 18 percent of the US economy, twice that of other industrial nations. US life expectancy is two to three years less than other industrial nations – indicating a sicker, less productive workforce. Historically, half of US personal bankruptcies are a consequence of medical bills.
Whether with "Obamacare" or something similar, the system has to change to protect the economy.
Charles Forsberg


text:
New Year's Eve with Paul Brown and vocalist Melina
Join us for Award Winning Music with multi Grammy Award Winner Paul Brown and his special guest Melina! Your ticket includes appetizers, dinner, dessert, champagne toast and mid-night and after party buffet! PLUS…the amazing music of Paul Brown! All this for only $50.00 per person or $90.00 per couple. Public House is located at 138 N. Monroe St. Monroe, MI 48162. Reservations are recommended. 734.242.3010
Thursday, December 31, 2015 – 8:00 pm
Public House, 138 N Monroe St, Monroe, Michigan 48162 (Toledo, Ohio area)


text:
I know it's been a while since I've posted. I had expected the Halloween season to be busy with wing orders, but nothing like it turned out to be. I learned a lot of thing from this first season selling online, including the express overnight shipping offered by USPS is definitely not to be relied upon to be timely, so definitely keep those confirmation slips if you use this service and complain if it is late. Another thing I have learned is which wings are most popular in reality. The Etsy favorites and the different ways to track them (like through Craftopolis and Heartomatic) are great ways to see how many people like your designs, but the items that had only a fraction of the hearts that many other of my designs had were the ones I just couldn't seem to keep stocked. I also learned the lesson of "it is better to have too much than too little" when it comes to supplies. When the lady at the craft store is saying "Back again? Didn't you just buy a dozen jars of glitter?" and your calling every store in the area for a specific color, you know next year buying a ton of supplies early.
Yeah, I probably should have known these things ahead of time, but hey all new businesses have some sort of bump the first year or so. Other than the hecticness I'd say this season was a great success.
So what's next? I think it's time to think small. I'm going to be putting the costume wing designs I had planned on hold and shrinking some of the current designs to create a line of ornaments and decorations.
I'm also going to be trying my hand at selling a family favorite. My great grandmother's good friend passed a wonderful recipe for pizzelle's to our family. We have played with the recipe for years, and a plate stacked high with the Italian cookies is always present at family gatherings. We have made everything from butter rum flavored ones, to pumpkin spice. I've even been working on a caramel gingersnap version. I am going to be adding the variation of the cookie we have made over the years to the Etsy shop as soon as the necessary red tape for getting my food handler's permit and my kitchen certified out of the way, so check back for more on that.
The mini wing ornaments aren't the only Christmas idea I've been tossing around. I've found tons of beautiful advent calendars and garlands on Etsy, but nothing like one of my favorite traditions. We have advent ornaments that would contain a clue to a hidden gift every day. It would be like a treasure hunt that could last all month and would span to all the houses of family and friends. What do you guys think to adding n Advent Christmas Mystery kit?
More when I get a chance. I'll probably be posting something on the new pair of angel wings I got a chance to work on during the Halloween rush, and definitely some on great holiday projects I find. however I'm going to be attempting Nanowrimo this year so if the posts here get sparse that is why. My plan is to do my Nanowrimo writing on Subsequent Remnants this year.


text:
If you're just now getting into casino gambling (and its various standardized games) you're probably already aware of the amazing number of choices out there with regards to where and how you can gamble. But the biggest choice that potential gamblers will make is probably whether or not to focus on (real) brick-and-mortar casinos or their online counterparts.
Regardless of whether or not you're going online or getting physical, it's important to remember that most of the games will be the same in either place. For example, every type of casino will usually feature the following activities:
- Baccarat
- Poker – various games.
- Blackjack
- Roulette
- The Big Six Wheel (a.k.a. "Wheel of fortune")
- Keno
- Slots – such as Bonanza Slot.
- Craps
- Etc…
In other words, it doesn't matter if you're talking about digital or material casinos, these types of games will likely be present.
For those who are interested in a more casual experience, online casinos are probably your best option. With lower betting parameters and a host of other features which make gambling much easier and faster, many people find online casinos to be the best way to gamble, especially these days where nearly everyone is playing poker. However, one should know that they're not dealing with a physical stack of cards, but some type of software-driven random number generator instead. While this might not seem like a big deal, it can significantly affect the outcomes of games as well as the way the player applies basic strategies. This is of course further exacerbated by the addition of other (real or digital) players, who are also interested in winning. Having said that, even if you're interested in gambling at a real casino, online destinations make for excellent training tools. After all, what better, safer and more efficient / inexpensive ways are there?
As far as real casinos are concerned, they're really destinations for people to get away from it all, perhaps as part of a holiday excursion. Sure, there are individuals who might be considered to be "professional casino gamblers" but we're talking about a very slim percentage here. In fact, one should never approach casinos with the notion that they're going to leave as a high-roller, that's probably the easiest trap to fall into. Instead, the average casino gambler should focus on simply improving their game and having fun. As always, one should remember to bet conservatively and make sure that they aren't spending critical funds which they might need to let's say, buy food or make the return trip home with.
As always; stay safe and have fun. Here's hoping that you emerge as the big winner! Cheers!


text:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Joint Review
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Joint Review
Lestat's Perspective:
The life of the movie buff nowadays is a series of unfortunate trailers. I don't know about the rest of the world, but if I know I'm going to watch a certain film, I avoid its trailers, exclusive clips, BTS rolls, cast interviews and social media analyses and breakdowns of every twitch in the characters' noses. It's a hard job, and a full-time profession given the abundance of information bombarding us every day.
But the effort pays off when the viewing experience is full of surprises. Going into 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' I was unaware of most plot points. I would have loved to have avoided the announcement of the many cameos, but those are battles I couldn't win.
The story takes place before the original Star Wars trilogy and follows a ragtag team of misfits, not unlike our usual Star Wars heroes. Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso, a character unwittingly dragged into the Rebellion's fight against the Empire, teams up with rogue-ish Alliance Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as they search for missing pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), who is the key to finding a way to end Imperial reign. Along the way, we meet other integral participants of the film, as well as re-visit places of yore and legend.
The film starts slow as we jump from system to system meeting a host of brand new characters. Rogue One takes its time to build up the current galactic environment and the quirks of these characters. We are unsure of all of them and their intentions, which makes for a tense two-hour watch.
The planet-hopping introduces us to wildly different settings, adding depth to an-already beloved galaxy. We visit civilizations built on the rings of planets, holy Jedi sanctuaries, industrial wastelands and tropical wonderlands, all as we follow a war-weary band of rebels who want to fight but aren't sure whether they are on the right side.
The long build up helps cement the camaraderie between the characters and their motivations. By the time we get to a pivotal discussion between the varied factions of the Rebel Alliance, we are rooting for the small band we have followed since the start.
Admittedly, though, the first half is merely a set up for the second half of the film. The bulk of the action and suspense takes place then and, boy, is there a lot of action! Harking back to the final segment of 'Return of the Jedi', we have a space battle taking place concurrently with a ground squad under siege. There is peril everywhere and incredibly high stakes. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff with a heavy dose of emotion, probably more than we have encountered in a Star Wars film before.
Across the board, the acting was on an even keel, suffused with urgency and humour at every turn. I was a bit disappointed in Forest Whitaker, who appeared to either ham it up or look confused. Not sure what happened there. I loved K-2SO (who didn't?), which is a testament to Alan Tudyk's comic abilities.
Not sure how I feel about Michael Giacchino's score. While it is time to move away from the franchise's reliance on John Williams' music, Giacchino's work is drowned out by the visuals, instead of adding depth to them. The standout moments are the throwbacks to the original score, which detracts from his efforts. Perhaps it will grow on me eventually, but on first viewing, it might as well not have existed.
Rogue One is a spin-off and the start of an anthology series, but it feels like it always belonged in the Star Wars expanded universe. There's the griminess one would expect in a galaxy ruled by the iron fist of the Empire, and the throwbacks to the old designs in 'Star Wars: A New Hope' work much better here than they did in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', which now looks even more like a replica of ANH than it did before.
However, Rogue One is more than the sum of its throwbacks. The diversity in this film is staggering. The core group of characters is ethnically diverse, much more so than we see in Hollywood blockbusters. They are also led by a well-written female character, which will hopefully become a staple in Hollywood following decades of white male leads.
I struggled with the lack of female characters in the majority of the film, however. While it effortlessly fits into the mould of the original trilogy, which also didn't have much in the way of female representation, it's a backward step from TFA, which deliberately had a number of women in the film. It's probably the only sore spot for me with this film, and one that Hollywood needs to actively work on in future films.
Yet, seeing the plethora of diverse faces and listening to the different accents adds to that feeling of coming home. I was filled with trepidation when I heard about this spin-off, but the new management behind Star Wars seems to have hit upon the magic formula of minority and POC heroes and a healthy (ish) mix of nostalgia.
When Rogue One ended, the hall erupted in applause and well-deserved it was, too. The plot of this film is unique within the Star Wars universe. The mix of nostalgia, cameos, action, suspense, emotion, stunning photography and tight editing make it a perfect entry to a franchise that keeps getting better and better.
On a personal note, the fact that Rogue One A Star Wars Story includes throwbacks to the unfairly-maligned prequel trilogy is a major win in my book.
Written By:
Lestat de Lioncourt
Random Thoughts – Lestat's Blog
Freelance Contributor
Kieran's Perspective:
There's a certain feeling of absolute child-like elation you get when the thunderous trumpets of John Williams' score ushers in the two glowing yellow words that have cemented themselves in cinematic legacy; Star Wars is a big deal. With the juggernaut Disney taking over from Lucas, the beloved space opera threatened to become something of a space pantomime with spin off after spin off being announced, threatening to crush the elation of going to that galaxy far far away like going on holiday to the same place too many times takes away the grandeur from it a bit. Rogue One is the first of these spin offs, charting the story of the rebels who stole the death star plans in the events immediately preceding A New Hope. Does Rogue One live up to the brilliance of the original trilogy, or even JJ Abrams' seventh installment, or does it carry echoes to that of Lucas' misjudged prequels?
Well, it's at once a very different film, but also a very same one. (Mostly) gone are the wise cracking archetypal heroes of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. (Mostly) gone are the child-friendly, lovable robotic companions and (mostly) gone is the whimsical direction of the originals. What has fully gone, however, is the sense that everything is going to be okay. Not only are the lines between good and bad (which are so dogmatically drawn in previous installments) smudged up in a dark, cold portrayal of a desperate and divided rebel alliance, but real characters are in real peril as they embark on what is effectively a suicide mission. Emotions are high as Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy deliver a script with enough poignant levity about family and sacrifice. Director Gareth Edwards said himself that Rogue One is more a war movie than a space opera and he's not wrong, delivering the darkest and bleakest feature to ever carry the Star Wars name to date.
This will please some and annoy others. Those who love the originals for their sense of adventure and fun will struggle to adapt to the new tone as I myself feel that Edwards' film can never match the universal greatness of what has come before it. We care less about the characters here; maybe it's because we know how it all ends, maybe it's because characters like Solo and Skywalker can never be rivaled; maybe it's because they're all so damn depressed. In any case there's a distinct sense that this is a good action film made better by virtue of being in the same world of some of the greatest sci fi flicks ever, reminded by a fantastically created score by Michael Giacchino who steps in to the daunting shoes of John Williams as if he's always been wearing them.
But I did note that whilst Rogue One is very different, it's not that different and only mostly abandons key features of the episodes. There's still a hilariously sarcastic robotic companion called K2SO who, as a foil to the at times frustratingly melodramatic C3PO, is a welcome and gloriously deadpan character to introduce to the saga and add the much needed humour to a film that feels more Saving Private Ryan than Space Adventures with Cuddly Ewoks. Jyn Erso, dutifully carried by a strong Felicity Jones, leads a fairly archetypal and charming group of ragtag rebels (including Diego Luna as Cassian Andor and Donnie Yen as the force-strong Chirrut Imwe) in a story that eventually starts to feel more and more like the goal-driven, simple adventures of old. As a result, the film gets better as it goes on, accumulating in a third act that rivals any of the saga to date and despite us knowing how it all ends, feels surprisingly high stakes; maybe this new dog has learned some old tricks. Oh, and James Earl Jones is back, but I'll say no more on the big bad sith lord for now.
Maybe that's why, when it's all said and done, I still felt that child-like elation before and after the film finished. The Star Wars world that we know and love is buried in Rogue One not too deeply at all and eventually shines through after it's rocky opening of clumsy location hopping. Even if clumsy, the locations are still in that galaxy far far away; a galaxy now owned by Disney and one that still has a lot of stories to tell. After Rogue One, I'd say don't ditch your plastic light sabers at that news just yet. As far as spin offs go, Rogue One is a rogue one indeed.
Written by:
Kieran Rae
Freelance Contributor
Read Similar Articles?…
[Review] – 'Moana'
[Review] – 'Sully'
[Review] – 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them'


text:
What does healthy and delicious look like? Our Organic Poblano Chicken Burrito!
Made with the freshest ingredients and slow cooked to perfection. Antii-biotic and hormone free chicken, black beans, poblano chiles, cheddar cheese, red bell peppers, and corn blended together with an amazing organic tomatillo sauce and hand wrapped in an organic tortilla complete this marriage made in heaven.
Includes 2 Superfoods!
Black Beans, Red Bell Peppers
FILLING: (Organic Chicken (organic chicken meat, water, organic cornstarch, sea salt), Tomatillo Sauce (water, organic tomatillo, organic cornstarch, organic jalapeno peppers, sea salt, organic sugar, organic cilantro, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder), Seasoned Black Beans (cooked organic black beans, organic soybean oil, organic onion, organic jalapeno peppers, sea salt, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder, organic chipotle pepper), Organic Cheddar Cheese (organic pasteurized cultured milk, salt, organic annatto (color), and enzymes), Cooked Organic Brown Rice, Organic Poblano Pepper, Organic Red Bell Pepper, Organic Corn, Organic Lime Juice, Organic Cornstarch, Sea Salt.
TORTILLA: Organic Flour Tortilla (organic wheat flour [organic wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, ascorbic acid {vitamin C} {dough conditioner}, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, enzyme, folic acid], water, organic soybean oil, sea salt, baking powder [monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch {made from non-genetically modified corn}], organic cane sugar). Organic Starch Solution (water, organic cornstarch).
Contains: Wheat, Milk, Soy.
Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours and use within 1 day, or thaw by microwaving on high for 1 minute. Place on baking sheet coated with non-stick spray and heat at 375°F for 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked.
MICROWAVE OVEN (from frozen)
Place in a covered microwave-safe dish. Cook on high for 1 minute, flip and cook for 45 seconds on the other side. Due to differences in microwave ovens, cooking times may vary.
Caution: Contents are HOT!


text:
Prices from £100 per night
Berth: 6 (With 5 Seatbelts)
Transmission: Manual
Rollerteam Autoroller 746
More Details
Matilda the Autoroller 746 is our spacious high specification 6 berth motorhome (with 5 seatbelts) based on the Fiat Ducato with a hi-line body shell incorporating an over-cab bed. Plenty of storage and a spacious layout make this the perfect motorhome for families and groups as well as couples looking for a bit more space on a longer trip.
The accommodation provides an over-cab double bed, large rear U-Shaped lounge which can convert to a large double bed, well equipped kitchen and a spacious dining area which converts to a further double bed.
As with all of our motorhomes, there is plenty of internal storage space, external locker space and a bike rack.
· Six berth with six seatbelts
· Electric drop-down bed over lounge/diner
· Two further double beds when the rear lounge and central dinette are converted
· Modern en-suite with separate shower
· Spacious kitchen with fridge freezer, oven, grill and hob
· Heating and hot water system
· Bike rack
· Reversing camera
· Solar panel
· TV and DVD
Low £600 per week or £100 per night
Mid £775 per week or £125 per night
High £950 per week or £150 per night


text:
This year Christmas has caught me by surprise, I wasn't expecting it yet. Summer seems like yesterday. Besides, I have tons of work to do so I won't have much time to celebrate. Anyway, I wanted to wish you all happy holidays .
Thursday, 24 December 2009
This year Christmas has caught me by surprise, I wasn't expecting it yet. Summer seems like yesterday. Besides, I have tons of work to do so I won't have much time to celebrate. Anyway, I wanted to wish you all happy holidays .
18 comments:
- ALL AND POSH said...
Que bonita la foto ^^
Felices fiestas :)
- 24 December 2009 at 17:45
- Madelene said...
Happy Holidays! Nice to know the package arrived safely :)
- 24 December 2009 at 17:58
- Ashley Dy said...
Love the photo! Merry Christmas!
- 24 December 2009 at 20:08
- jennine said...
happy christmas!
- 24 December 2009 at 23:26
- mmr said...
Merry Christmas!
- 25 December 2009 at 11:22
- מיכל וינש said...
these picture is horrible, i can't even look at it, kate is extremely thin. it's not natural! no matter how much you love models or art. stop encouraging these ugly desease, you have the power to face it, your'e *not* a women-hater magazine. don't renounce your responsibility. you have a responsibility.
little girl read your blog and think real women should be scrawny, pale and that makes theme a beauty icon. and why shouldn't they?
i'm tired
- 25 December 2009 at 12:10
- María said...
Michal: You are tired and you tire me. Yours is the same old speech, apart from inappropriate and out of topic because I wasn't even talking about models. My only purpose was to wish you happy holidays and I chose the picture because Kate is surrounded by Xmas lights.
- 25 December 2009 at 13:09
- Siru said...
Merry Christmas!
juliet xxx
- 25 December 2009 at 16:56
- Nina said...
Great photo! Kate is so beautiful!
- 26 December 2009 at 01:45
- מיכל וינש said...
i know your topic for this post wasn't about the models, even though i decided to tell you what was on my mind because i couldn't ignore the skinny model. you have to open your mind a bit. although blogs are so called "private" actually they aren't. this picture is provocative in the way the model looks, and even if your purpose was good- to wish us all a merry Xmas- you chose to put a picture thet no one can't ignore. the lights are beautifull indeed, but the model isn't. so don't tell me it's inappropriate.
- 26 December 2009 at 12:35
- María said...
Michal: I do tell you whatever I want, it's my right. Take it or leave it, I'm not removing the picture.
Besides, never in my whole life anybody has called me narrow minded, so I don't know why I should take seriously the opinion of an anonymous person.
- 26 December 2009 at 12:52
- Kimberley Brandsma said...
I hope you've had a lovely christmas so far!;)
- 26 December 2009 at 13:51
- Sally said...
Thin women exist. Some of them are beautiful. Hiding their existence is just another way of commodifying women's bodies. This issue is a lot more complex than you seem to realise, Michal, and as a feminist I believe we should celebrate Kate Moss for who and what she is.
Allure, lovely post as usual. Do try and relax over the Christmas! x
- 26 December 2009 at 14:46
- erica lorraine scheidt said...
Allure - how lovely your blog is. I think this is our second holiday together (or better put: my second holiday visiting Allure Allure).
I loved your favorite books of 09, there were so many of the books that I read and reread on it. Reading Identity by Kundera now and The Sea by Banville. I love slim novels. The skinnier the better...
- 26 December 2009 at 17:24
- Michelle said...
Happy holidays to you too! x
- 26 December 2009 at 18:10
- Caroline Gault said...
Great blog... Happy Holidays to you, too! And by the way, I appreciate this photo the way you intended it to be so.
- 27 December 2009 at 01:24
- Tamara said...
Merry Xmas for you, too!! :) Y suerte con todo ese trabajo pendiente, espero que al final encuentres un huequecito para celebrar un poco, besos!
- 27 December 2009 at 22:22
- Teresa said...
What a wonderful photo of Kate! Love how the lights outline her silhouette!
- 30 December 2009 at 20:25


text:
Your criteria did not match any products.
Synthetic wigs with invisible parting are the natural way blend your own hair with the beautiful wig. Synthetic invisible part wigs feature parting on top of wigs to give natural, beautiful look at an affordable price. Synthetic wigs offer you longevity, shine, and high quality synthetic hair for your natural look. Make sure to check out synthetic invisible part wigs from brands such as Freetress, Sensationnel, Model Model, and more.


text:
I liked this article on the BBC website about Banksy's Cardinal Sin sculpture, which was "designed as a response to the child abuse scandal in the Catholic church", and in particular I was fond of this comment from the artist:
"The statue? I guess you could call it a Christmas present. At this time of year it's easy to forget the true meaning of Christianity – the lies, the corruption, the abuse."
(By the way, for an excellent discussion about Christmas please read this.)
The Vatican's response, or lack of it, to child abuse is well-documented. One thing that tends to get overlooked, though, is how the institution doesn't condemn the (often) specifically homosexual nature of the child abuse.
The Vatican is perfectly happy to condemn homosexual activity between two consenting adults but I have never heard robust theological condemnation of homosexuality in the context of institutional child rape, so it appears that transgressing a key plank of Catholic doctrine in the line of your ecclesiastical duties is absolutely fine. Presumably consenting homosexual males go to Hell but rapist homosexual priests get a free pass into Heaven.
Incidentally, I recently met a homosexual man who said he had never been cruised as much as when visiting Vatican City as a tourist. I have no reason not to believe him.
I imagine many Christians will be grossly offended by Banksy's work, and at some point the ones with functioning brain cells might even say:
"Freedom of speech doesn't give you the right to shout 'FIRE' in a crowded theatre."
This is a common and ostensibly intelligent restriction on freedom of speech or freedom of expression. It also impliedly condones any resulting behaviour. However, it is an incorrect analogy for analysing the taking of offence and the consequences of that.
In the theatre example, genuine fear of death is harmful and leads to another harm: mass panic and stampede. This is then likely to cause actual death or serious injury – again, harmful. The initial harm, the fear of death, which then leads to other harms, is a perfectly comprehensible and rational response to the primary action of someone shouting 'FIRE' in an enclosed environment, and that's why it's sensible to refrain from doing it and why mentally stable humans generally do.
The taking of offence is a completely harmless consequence of someone creating a sculpture (or drawing a cartoon, etc). Being harmless, it does not have the power to lead to additional, compounded harms. That should be the end of the matter.
– There then follows a logic break –
We pick up events in the shape of – for example – bombing, maiming and murdering. This is all very harmful and it is a perfectly incomprehensible and irrational response to the primary action of creating a sculpture or a cartoon, which caused no harm.
Lesson: don't let people give themselves an armour-plated right not to get offended by using the theatre analogy.
I recently heard someone describe the Vatican as a nihilistic institution, and I agree with that diagnosis. The irony is that it's often the unreligious that are accused of being nihilistic and obsessed with death. This is silly.
Religion, not absence of religion, tends to be obsessed with death. By reason of their fixation with Heaven, many religious people by definition seemingly look forward to death, and some are even disappointed when this doesn't happen on a huge scale.
All that talk of Heaven, Hell, God, Satan, the afterlife, and all that fucking imagery of a poor, tortured dude pinned to a lump of wood, dying or dead. If that's not an unhealthy obsession with death someone needs to explain to me what is.
A colleague of mine told me our HR system had recently been upgraded to allow us to select and change our religion on the intranet (for equality monitoring, you understand).
I can be very gullible at work because I automatically assume my colleagues aren't intentionally talking bollocks. Carelessly and/or incompetently talking bollocks, absolutely, but not intentionally. So I checked it out for myself and saw he was right.
As you can imagine, I have been crying out for this essential functionality for some time now: there's nothing I like to do more after a hard day shifting papyrus from my desk to someone (anyone) else's than update my religious status on a flat-screen monitor from the comfort of my ergonomically designed working environment.
I logged on to the system and scanned the drop-down options but sadly none of them tickled my fancy. There were 'rather not say' and 'no religion' options but on that specific day I had an inexplicable and overwhelming urge to describe myself as 'Infidel'. I'll speak to the IT manager and see if he can put in a change request with the supplier.
At least the system recognises that people can change their religion, though. In my view there is general unease with the concept of someone changing their religion from day to day. You can change your political affiliations, your football club, your wife, your sexuality and even your gender, but not your religion. People feel you should be 'consistent' when it comes to religious matters.
Consistency by reference to whose standards, though? The truth is that people of the same religion only have one thing in common: the name of the religion. Within every religion, even within every denomination, there is huge difference in beliefs and practices. For example, I know Jews who eat bacon sandwiches like they're going out of fashion. (They even make these on Saturday mornings, using fire, in double contravention of the Sabbath.) I know Jews who don't believe in God. I know Muslims who love a glass of Malbec. I know Muslims who pay interest on regular, non-Sharia mortgages. I know Christians who don't go to church. I know Catholics who are homosexual. I know Scientologists who aren't scary. (Ok, I made that up.) I even watched a BBC programme recently which featured a Christian minister who doesn't believe in God.
I suspect most people can't handle the idea of others changing their religion because they instinctively associate religious belief with certain privileges: going home early on a Friday, extra school holidays, right to silence others on the basis of offence caused, right to be homophobic, right to be sexist, right to genitally mutilate defenceless babies, etc. They want you to define your unreasonable privileges and then bloody well stick to them, please. Open-mindedness is actively discouraged when it comes to religion so you had better get your choice of religion right, first time. Or hope that your parents do, on your behalf.
Before I forget: merry Christmas.