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Disgraced socialite Bad Black who got a four-year jail sentence for stealing sh11bn is to appeal.
By Edward Anyoli and Anne Mugisa
Disgraced city socialite, Shanita Namuyimbwa aka Bad Black got a four year jail sentence for stealing her former British lover's sh11bn, David Greenhalgh is to appeal the verdict.
Her Ugandan lover, Meddie Ssentongo, with whom she squandered the money originally meant for investment got an 18 month jail term. While Meddie's lawyer Isaac Walukagga said he will not appeal against the conviction and sentence, Black's lawyer, Caleb Alaka said he intends to appeal.
Black got a cumulative sentence of seven years; four for embezzlement and 18 months each for the two counts of conspiracy to defraud. The reason she will serve only four years is because she will be serving the three sentences concurrently.
Meddie on the other hand got 18 months for each of the two counts of conspiracy to defraud. He also serves the sentences concurrently. This in effect means he will be in prison for the duration of only one sentence.
Alaka said that he feels the erroneously found that the company Daveshan Development Uganda Ltd, from which she got the money existed. He said that the company never existed because David Greenhalgh who was supposed to be a director never signed its memorandum of Association. Instead, Alaka said it was Greenhalgh's lawyer, David Mushabe who signed.
Justice Catherine Bamugemereire handed them the jail sentences after convicting them the previous day. She said that though Back's lawyers asked the court not to imprison her on account of her baby, the court will not take lightly their behaviour which reflect the growing decline in public morals and social values.
"With reckless abandon they unscrupulously pilfered funds and in an unprecedented manner wiped away a sh11bn fortune within a record period of nine months," the Judge ruled and noted that this money was not theirs.
"Local partners of foreign investors should be seen to act with impeccable integrity and utmost trust. This case is a sad tale and reflection of the breakdown of key tenets of our society. We cannot build trust of the people whose financial resources our economy requires if local partners engage in behaviour that puts the investments at risk.
She declined to issue orders on compensation saying that Greenhalgh did not exercise sufficient due diligence in the selection of development partners. She said that the investor also did not put in place measures and controls to safeguard his investment and also that no asset recovery investigation as done to verify existence of ill-gotten assets.
But Greenhalgh's lawyer, Patrick Farah said that they already filed a civil suit for recovery of the monies. He said that the suit was filed last year, but that they will now amend it to reflect the new position of the conviction. He said they intend to recover all the money.
Jailed Bad Black to appeal


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Student from Wales International Academy of Voice wins first prize at Catrin Finch competition
A student from UWTSD's Wales International Academy of Voice has made her first record at Acapela recording studio after winning a competition hosted by the internationally acclaimed Ceredigion-born harpist Catrin Finch.
A student from UWTSD's Wales International Academy of Voice has made her first record at Acapela recording studio after winning a competition hosted by the internationally acclaimed Ceredigion-born harpist Catrin Finch.
Chloe Morgan won first prize in Classical Café, a showcase evening hosted by Catrin Finch at Acapela, the converted chapel and recording studio in Cardiff. She represented WIAV along with Australian baritone Nathan Lay. Also competing were The Ibert Quintet and pianist George Fradley from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Participants were invited to perform a selection of pieces from their repertoire and the winner was chosen by the audience. Chloe said: "The evening was so refreshing. I was immersed in exams and coursework so it couldn't have come at a better time. It was a relaxed and creative evening, being surrounded by young and very talented musicians, the effortlessly cool Catrin Finch and an eager audience who were there to be entertained. I chose repertoire that I love singing, a mixture of arias and musical theatre and I thoroughly enjoyed singing every note."
Catrin said: "Classical Cafe is a relaxed evening celebrating young talent within the World of Classical music. We are grateful to the young musicians that come and perform so amazingly for the audience and it is always an evening to enjoy, meet fellow musicians and an opportunity for someone to get some studio time at the time of their choice. Chloe was one of four artists and groups that took part in the last cafe, and we've been looking forward to welcoming her back to Acapela for some recording."
Euros Rhys Evans is the Academic Director of Wales International Academy of Voice. He said: I was delighted to hear of Chloe's success – she's a well-deserved winner and a singer of immense potential and talent. The Classical Café concept provides its winners with a golden opportunity as it enables the singers to record at the professional Acapela recording studio. All at WIAV send their congratulations and best wishes to Chloe."
Chloe will also be giving a live performance at BBC's Hoddinott Hall in the Wales Millennium Centre as part of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017 competition on 14 June at 3pm. She will be performing along with other students studying under Pontarddulais-born tenor Dennis O'Neill at WIAV.
Note to Editor
A converted chapel located on the outskirts of Cardiff, Acapela Studio offers not only a great performance space and party venue, but its beautiful and peaceful environment also makes it perfect as an excellent live recording space. For further information, and tickets for all upcoming events please visit www.acapela.co.uk
Further Information
For further information, please email: email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Episode 81
Haunt Weekly - Episode 81 - 7 Ways to Make a Terrible Escape Room
June 19th, 2017
54 mins 51 secs
About this Episode
Making a good escape room is tough. It requires days of planning, countless hours of beta testing and an endless string of adjustments and tweaks.
And we don't have that kind of time, knowledge or expertise.
However, we are avid players of escape games and, if you want to know how to make your escape game really crappy, we can tell you that real easy. We didn't even have to research how to do that.
So, on that note, here's our basic tips for making your escape room as terrible as possible including how to frustrate your customers before they even arrive and how to make sure the game itself is nothing but a ball of frustration.
Obviously... don't do this...
This Week's Episode Includes:
- Introduction
Conference Reminders
7 Ways to Make a Terrible Escape Game (Plus One Bonus)
A Few Things Don't Matter (As Much)
All in all, if you're looking to create an escape room, this is customer perspective you probably don't want to miss!


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I'm making another of my occasional forays into non-fiction, because this enormous and beautifully illustrated book covers just about every area of culture influence by the classical world, including popular culture. This was a review copy from the distributor Inbooks, on behalf of the publisher Harvard University Press, organised for me by Hasan Niyazi over at Three Pipe Problem, who has reviewed it from an art historian's perspective here.
This is a quite spectacularly huge book, and its massive size and scope is both its greatest asset and its biggest flaw. On the positive side, the sheer volume of information here is staggering. The book is organised alphabetically, so you can think up just about any topic concerning the Classical Tradition and find out something interesting about it. The entries themselves also cover a wealth of topics, including some welcome material on the manuscript tradition of some ancient texts, which is always useful and not always included.
On the downside, a certain amount of detail is necessarily lost in the course of including so much. Non-specialists are not given all that much guidance on issues such as which centuries, specifically, are meant by 'the Roman period' or 'the period of imperial Rome', on the line between myth and history (the phrase 'Olympias, a descendant of Achilles through Neoptolemus' gives no indication that Olympias is historical and the other two are mythical) or on the specifics of certain subjects (the entires on 'Ajax' and 'Augustine' do not make it clear that there are two Ajaxes - the entry focuses on Telamonian Ajax - and two Augustines - here only Augustine of Hippo, the author of City of God is acknowledged, though perhaps the Augustine who was thought of as the founder of the English church is of less interest to non-Brits).
I also found myself slightly surprised at some of the topics included. 'The Classical Tradition' is here interpreted in the widest possible sense and goes far beyond the basic topics of the influence of Classical art, architecture and literature on later art, architecture and literature. Entries on things like 'aesthetics', 'grammar' and especially 'medicine' are, essentially, short introductions to entire areas of history and literature that would normally warrent books on their own, while other entries read like etymological essays on the Greek and Latin origins of English words or even punctuation (e.g. 'asterisk'). The good thing about this is that it acts as a forceful reminder of just how much Western culture owes to the Classical world. However, it does make the volume a little unfocussed, and I think if I wanted to learn about the influence of Classical medical theory on later physicians, I'd pick up a book on the history of medicine rather than the 'Classical tradition' (probably one written by the renowned scholar Vivian Nutton, who was on the editorial board for this book).
Among the more successful entries are those on specific characters, whether mythical or historical. Entries on mythical characters tend to pick out the most well known Classical text to feature them and then launch straight into their reception, though this includes their ancient reception as well as modern - so, for example, Achilles is known from the earliest text we have, the Iliad, so several of his later Classical appearances are included as 'reception' of the Homeric Achilles, whereas the entry on Oedipus starts with Sophocles and provides no information on any other Classical sources for Oedipus apart from Seneca. In such a large work with such a broad range this is understandable as the focus is, after all, reception and tradition, not the history of myth - though a little more detail, particularly on such a fascinating character as Oedipus, might have been nice. The entries on historical characters provide a great introduction to each, again focussing on their reception and including ancient reception - so, the entry on Julius Caesar starts with Augustan propaganda and Lucan's Civil War before going on to Napoleon and Marx. Some of these entries include popular culture, for example the entry on Odysseus mentions Ulysses (if that can be called popular culture!), Troy and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, but others do not. I was particularly surprised to find no popular culture references at all in the entry on Caesar and only very brief references to some of the major films on Cleopatra in her entry. Whether or not popular culture is included seems to depend on the individual author, rather than on an editorial decision.
Specific information on popular culture is gathered under the headings 'Cinema', 'Novel' and 'Television'. The entry on 'Cinema' is excellent, covering most of the important bases, though unavoidably hampered by the fact the book was published in 2010, so the relatively large number of Classical films from that year can't be included. (The suggestion that the original Star Wars trilogy 'dramatizes the end of antiquity' is an interesting one, and I may have further Thoughts on that later). The 'Television' entry, though short, is equally good, including a brief reference to Star Trek's 'Who Mourns for Adonais?', though the book seems to have been finished too early to be aware of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
The section on the 'Novel' is more frustrating. The entry is divided more or less evenly between the history of the novel as a form with some limited roots in Apuleius, Petronius and Lucian and an alternative to epic poetry, and a discussion of novels with Classical subject matter. However, this second section is interested solely in the 'literary' novel. I, Claudius, The Ides of March and the works of Mary Renault are referred to but, we are told, the literary historical novel 'no longer flourishes in England' (sic. - Ulysses doesn't get a mention either, as it happens) or America. The article is so desperate to fill the gap, it starts talking about cinema and film again, namely Troy, Alexander and Rome. Not only does the article completely ignore the many, many historical novels it does not consider to be 'literary' that have been published since the 1950s and were not written by Mary Renault, which would be far too numerous to be named individually, it also ignores the entire genre of historical detective fiction or mysteries, which has given us Falco, Gordianus and The Roman Mysteries, among others. This is such a popular genre and has produced such wonderful books, to ignore its very existence seems bizarre.
This book offers an extraordinarily wide-ranging reference book on all aspects of the Classical Tradition, and will be especially useful for anyone looking for an encylopedia-style source of information about any aspect of the subject. Like any encyclopedia, analysis is brief where it is included, and those interested in a particular area will need to follow this up with works more specific to what they're doing, but as an introduction and guide, you won't find a more ambitious project than this.


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Reader's Beware: Some of you vegetarians and snuggly animal lovers will not like the following post. It involves dead bunnies.
We made sticks. Heavier on one end and lighter on the other end. You carried two. The idea was to throw it at a rabbit, preferrably a cotton tail and not a jack rabbit, hit the rabbit with the stick and hopefully kill, but if not at least stun it. If only stunned, then the second stick came into effect. The idea was then to bludgeon the rabbit with the remaining stick.
This is not as easy as it sounds.
First, it is very difficult to be accurate with a stick you just carved out of juniper. In fact, "First" should be the mere fact you have to carve a stick out of juniper. This is a huge pain in the ass when one is hungry for meat.
Second, Bunnies are a fickle bunch. Not only are the very easily distracted, their first instinct is to scatter. So after the long slog of walking in circles to finally find spot a rabbit and (if the chance of meat does not overwhelm you) plus being patient enough to get within 20 feet, the cute little hunk of protein scatters. Out of desperation you throw the stick, but flat-lining adrenalin on an empty stomach makes you throw the stick horizontally and the rabbit jacked-up-on-pure-rabbit-speed scatters. Tiny little fluffy clouds of dust in the dusk wind.
Below: Practing with the stick.
It has been said that men have run down a rabbit. No way in God's Green Earth I could. Those things move fast and wild. They go through bushes of desert plants while you have to run around them. I was lucky enough to find two that I even had the chance to try to run down while wildly waving inefficient sticks in the air.
At one point, I had a clean perfect shot at one, a tiny little bunny cottontail. "This is my chance to redeem myself in front of these men," I quietly told my self," If I can bring back meat after all my failings with the dead traps, the ability to track, the spoon carving, the mis-diagnosed poop identification, then I will be a hero." I breathed in, I breathed out. I threw the stick with all my attention, and it missed by a wide 7 feet. The rabbit sprang. With my second stick I gave good hunt. But the rabbit's fast ability to change directions dramatically got the better of me and left me panting over a stick. I retuned sans rabbitt. Alas,we did not have meat that night for our stew.
Below: The Hunt.


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SME hasn't upgraded their tonearms in years and their tables haven't changed much either. Which is fine by me as I own several of their tonearems and one of their tables. But if anyting I would have thought they may have purchased complimentary industries like an electronics company that could help with say their power supplies. Not sure how Loricraft makes them better. That said it will be interesting if they now put all their machining prowess behind the manufacturing of 301's and 401's with a modern touch, and what does that mean for all those used 301's and 401's out there.
SME Limited Acquires Legendary Turntable Manufacturer Garrard Audio
Those of us who know Terry are happy for him, for his customers and now hopefully for a wider base that can become acquainted with Loricraft products. Purchasing Loricraft will help SME to make the best use of the Garrard assets. It also gives SME a well-engineered "thread" type record cleaning machine.
The Loricraft purchase allows SME to "support owners of existing Garrard idler drive turntables" as well as develop plans for future Garrard products. Will there be a new SME developed Garrard idler wheel drive turntable? Time will tell!
From the press release:
About Garrard
A British brand famous for the design and manufacturing of turntables throughout the 1950's, '60's, 70's and 80's, The Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company was formed in London by the Crown Jewellers Garrard & Co. in 1915. Moving to Swindon, Wiltshire in 1919/1920, the company went on to develop some of audio's most iconic turntables, namely the 301 and 401 transcription turntables. Sold to electronics conglomerate Plessey in 1960, the company continued to develop audio products until it was sold to Gradiente Electronics of Brazil in 1979. R&D continued in Swindon until the mid-90s, when the British company closed its doors. Since 1997, Loricraft Audio has been using the Garrard brand name under license from Gradiente until April 2018, when the brand was purchased by SME Limited.
About Loricraft Audio
Founded by Terry O'Sullivan and located in Lambourn, West Berkshire, England close to the site of the original Garrard gramophone factory in Swindon, Loricraft Audio has been servicing, refurbishing and producing plinths for the iconic Garrard 301 and 401 transcriptor turntables to their original specification for over 30 years, as well as producing the highly respected Garrard 501 and 601. Thanks to relationships with many of the former employees and senior engineers at Garrard, it has a unique insight into the design philosophy behind the company's renowned idler wheel turntables. A small group of dedicated engineers and enthusiasts, Loricraft has also developed upgrades and modifications to Garrard turntables, as well as produce a wide range of accessories and record cleaning machines.
I think there's enough interest, and a big enough market, to make it worthwhile for SME to tool up and produce parts for the 301 and 401. As a 301 owner, I'd like to be able to purchase a new motor or idle wheel. And I think it'd be super if they put those tables into production with a nice plinth and an SME arm.


text:
People are increasingly opening up about their stress and depression problems in Facebook posts. It is great that people feel able to speak out about such things - any stigma around such issues seemingly, and rightfully, relegated to the past.
Breakout punk-rock band Slaves stirred the big pot of debate this weekend, posting on Twitter that they never post set times for their shows.
The DeeJayOne Podcast teams up with RGM for a very special episode to celebrate the launch of Arctic Monkeys new album, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino.
Reyt Good Music magazine (RGM) are committed to 'Honest' reviews, but how easy is that in practice and does it work?
Updates from the latest meeting as Sheffield's urban festival continues to consult on moving from Ponderosa Park and the city centre to Hillsborough Park.
Sheffield venue The Rocking Chair is undergoing a big change to become the new Café Totem, here's what they need to do to shake off the failures of the past.
Carl Maloney returns with episode 31 of his popular Reyt Good Music Magazine podcast, this time featuring guest Mike Hughes..
Episode 16 of 136: The return of the number one Sheffield Wednesday fans podcast from Owlstalk. Did you miss us?
Sheffield's Tramlines Festival is reportedly set to be moved further away from the city centre to Hillsborough Park for its 10th anniversary event in 2018.


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$ 22.00
Footsteps in Katmandudu is the second installment in the international adventures of dog detectives Scott and West. Our heroes are invited to the Royal Tiger Hunt of their old school mate, the Maharajah of Katmandudu ("Old Stinky!"). When the Maharajah is kidnapped by the mythical Abominable Snowcat ("Keti!") the boys must scale Mount Evertest in pursuit — and that is only the beginning of the adventure!!!
Footsteps in Katmandudu continues to delight its picture book audience with the fun and thrills of the detective adventure-mystery genre, and is a perfect gateway to the chapter books of the advanced reader. The beautiful oversized edition has as an added highlight an original puzzle board (based on our tale) featured on the endpapers of the book.
Hardcover, 11 x 15, 52 pages
Additional information
|15 × 11 × .25 in


text: The People's Gardener Jim Buttress ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.1 based on 10 ratings & 2 reviews on Goodreads.com Hardback Ebook Buy Amazon Blackwell's Book Depository Hive Waterstones WH Smith Wordery Foyles See more book details 19 May 2016 9780283072550 320 pages Synopsis With an introduction by Alan Titchmarsh, The People's Gardener is an inspiring memoir by top gardening judge Jim Buttress, that will amuse and enthral gardeners everywhere.As a judge at the RHS, Jim Buttress presides over the country's favourite flower shows, including Chelsea and Hampton Court. He also judged the Britain in Bloom competition for over twenty-five years, and was watched by millions on the BBC's The Big Allotment Challenge. But how did this practical gardener from Purley go on to have one of the most impressive careers in British horticulture?In this warm and funny memoir, Jim takes us from his boyhood obsession with Percy Thrower to his ten-year stint as Superintendent of the Central Royal Parks. Here, his day-to-day duties could include anything from having a drink and a chat with the Queen Mother to working out how to water some elephants who'd taken up residence in Hyde Park.Jim also reveals what it's like to exhibit, and to win gold, at the Chelsea Flower Show, and shares his many adventures as a judge; from the joy of awarding medals to grateful winners to the shock of being threatened with a punch on the nose from the odd irate loser. Packed with brilliant characters, this book will delight everyone who shares Jim's love of gardening. Books by Jim Buttress


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We've always been dear friends, staunch allies, and devoted advocates for our edible friends in the plant kingdom. Whatever craziness descends upon our lives and our society, there's sanity, indeed healthful respite in a bountiful, brimming, vibrant dinner plate of vegetables.
And now there's even more reason for veggie veneration. Research [1] from Tufts University funded by the Agricultural Research Service suggests that potassium-rich plant foods can help older men and women maintain their lean muscle mass.
"What?! Well, I'll be damned." We know! We said it too!
We've always loved vegetables (and their fruit compatriots) for their antioxidants, their minerals, their fiber. But this had us bowing down at the cornucopia, we have to say.
The researchers followed 384 men and women age 65 years or older for a total of three years, measuring urinary potassium excretion, which was "significantly positively associated" with the maintenance of lean muscle mass levels.
Their urinary potassium was measured at the start of the study, and their dietary data was collected at 18 months. Based on regression models, volunteers whose diets were rich in potassium could expect to have 3.6 more pounds of lean tissue mass than volunteers with half the higher potassium intake. That almost offsets the 4.4 pounds of lean tissue that is typically lost in a decade in healthy men and women aged 65 and above, according to authors.
via Science Daily [2]
The researchers suggest that "net [dietary] acid load" impacts the preservation of lean muscle mass in later years. Cereals and proteins contribute to the acidity of the diet and over many years can result in a "metabolic acidosis" that the researchers say correlates with sarcopenia, or muscle loss. Fruits and vegetables, even if they are acidic themselves, are processed or metabolized by the body to alkaline "residues." These alkaline residues appear to counteract dietary acidity and significantly lessen or prevent acidosis and associated muscle loss in older adults.
The maintenance of lean muscle mass in later years is of crucial importance for overall health and longevity. Regular resistance training and a solid intake of good quality protein are cornerstones for maintaining muscle. But now we add another dimension to the picture, and wouldn't you know it's one we've suggested (albeit for other reasons) all along. A high intake of vegetables and low glycemic fruits not only contributes to overall health, it preserves muscle. This is the sensibility behind the Primal Blueprint after all: what kept our ancestors strong and healthy for millions of years is darn likely to do the same for us moderns. There's some food for thought to enjoy with that lunch salad!
Thoughts? Cheers? Questions? We want to hear them.
computix [3] Flickr Photo (CC)
Further Reading:
Dear Mark: Primal Blueprint for Both Men and Women? [4]
The Role of Lean Muscle Mass and Organ Reserve in Aging [5]


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Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tacos El Poblano Chula Vista and some Ensenada News
UltraMarino by Barra Azul Now Open
I had a chance to stop by Ensenada's newest bar UltraMarino Bar a few weeks ago. I'm a big fan of their sister restaurant Barra Azul and was curious what menu options they would bring to their new Bar. Ultra Marino is a Bar first and foremost but I was pleased to see I could get my tempura battered oyster fix here. The presentation differs from the picture below(Taken at Barra Azul) but the taste is identical. They serve a wide variety of drinks including some interesting martini offerings that include oyster flavor.
UltraMarino is Located at First and Ruiz.
Last month Jay (The Linkery Restaurant in San Diego) informed me about a new a restaurant on the coast of El Sauzal Ensenada called Gazuza. Gazuza is located at the same location the Oaxacan Restaurant at Viento was previously located. They actually moved it closer to the coast the scene is breathtaking. I hope to get back their soon and provided a full report. Thanks Jay.
7 comments:
- KirkK said...
Hey MA - Thanks for the mention. BTW, those tempura oysters look amazing.
- October 7, 2009 at 10:34 AM
- KirkK said...
Hi MA - Sorry to butt in again, but the Missus and I visited El Poblano last night, and the Carne Asada was better than my previous three visits. The only difference was how busy the place was. So it seems that the busier they are, the quicker they go through the Carne Asada, the hotter and fresher everything is.
- October 9, 2009 at 7:34 AM
- caninecologne said...
hi MA! i'm happy to see that Tacos El Poblano is in my neck of the woods! Thank goodness for the plethora of great taco shops in Chula Vista.
I think we're going to go to Mercado International 2000 tomorrow!
- October 9, 2009 at 7:17 PM
- Masa Assassin said...
Hey Kirk you are always welcome, thanks for reporting back its great to hear that everytime you go it is getting better. The owner has is own Carniceria in TJ so I hope the are using the same source. I will be checking it out on Sunday.
Hi CC you are sooooo lucky Mexican Food is very limited in my area (56Corridor). Chula Vista is a hotbed for business owners from Tijuana with Tacos El Gordo starting the trend in the 90s. Mercado 2000 you are a tropper :) Have fun.
- October 9, 2009 at 11:17 PM
- caninecologne said...
hi MA
we're going to go to mercado 2000 tomorrow after church instead. it's near seafood city anyways. it's worth the trip down! there is a tacos el gordo right in front of my old high school (used to be a taco bell)...
i'm going to make shrimp tacos tonight.
OMG, i thought the word ver was: penis
but it's: pents
ha ha!
- October 10, 2009 at 5:06 PM
- Unknown said...
Hi MA, Gazuza Restaurant is now open, I hope you can visit us soon, to taste or food an fusion flavors.
Fabricio Palomino
Owner Chef
- June 13, 2010 at 11:09 PM
- Unknown said...
We went to Ultramarina yesterday. They have a great selection of microbrews on tap and hand-made mojitos that were amazing. Great music and kick -back atmosphere, although we were told that the get very busy at night. We had steamed clams, raw oysters and the "straight shrimp" (similar to a ceviche, but all about the protein). Food was excellent, as was the service.
- August 22, 2010 at 8:14 AM


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Christmas came. Presents were opened, feasts were prepared, stomachs were gorged. Christmas went. And to all a good night. No, this isn't one of those "thank god Christmas is over" rants, but rather a call to arms. Gone are the days of tug-o-war between religion and consumerism, replaced by the final stop of the holiday season. New Years: when people can step down from their pulpits and wipe their hearts off their sleeves, putting it somewhere safe for a night, because that shirt is coming off. It's time to party.
I love partying. Everybody parties. Evidence of people purposely fermenting beverages for alcohol dates back to the neolithic period, 10,000 years ago. Give that a second. That means before humankind had developed the wheel, they were trying to get hammered. And why not? If you're stuck in a cave with nothing to do except draw pictures of aliens on the walls and ignore your ogre of a wife, what else is there to do? Not to mention, they didn't have to worry about getting a DUI. But that's neither here nor there.
Point is, everyone wants to celebrate. It's as human as curiosity. Every culture that has unsettled the earth beneath them, every individual that has bartered oxygen with carbon dioxide inside their lungs, EVERYONE has had a concept of partying. It is truly one of the most universal values across humanity.
It makes sense when you think about what the ability to party entails. If you have the time and resources to take a break from working just to have a good time, odds are you're probably doing all right in the grand scheme of things. As a result, you actually have things to celebrate, like the very abundance that provided you the opportunity in the first place. It's self-fulfilling.
That being said, partying, like the internet, seems to be a mine of untapped unifying potential; our typical association of partying is similar to our typical usage of the internet–kegstands being the proverbial Farmville of our party lives. But I believe there's more to partying than going to sleep in closets and waking up in vomit.
Those of you who know me personally are probably rolling your eyes right now. And I don't blame you. Where does someone who went by "Nitro" in college, who was known for blacking out, getting naked and shitting on himself (that's for another blog entry) get off on preaching the merits of partying? It's true; if I were to tell you my idea of partying, it would consist of shapeless stories, hazy Rorschach silhouettes of tempered drug use, apocalypse inspired drinking and insecurity-ridden sex. In hindsight, my partying days teeter between adolescent nostalgia and adult regrets.
But I'm a changed man now, and I can say my palate for partying has diversified tremendously. Family dinner? That's a party. Movies with friends? That's a party, too. Doing pull-ups at the park at 9:30pm with your friend and co-blogger? Fuck it, that's partying in my book. Why not expand our definition of party to a broader concept, one that involves anyone at any time, because I want everybody to party. Merriam-Webster, take note:
Par-ty \pär-tē\
To bring happiness to oneself or others, to behave with positive intent.
If it's not already abundantly clear, what I'm trying to say is that partying doesn't require alcohol. Or loud music. Or scantily clad women, or even poor decision-making (though that is a tried-and-true combination for a good one).
Life can be a party. That isn't to say everything that happens will be a good thing, or that you have to try and twist your perspective to convince yourself that shit really isn't shit, because part of life is trudging through the feces you encounter (not an homage to the aforementioned story about me shitting myself, by the way). Every party has it's hangover, and that's a good thing, because it means you had an epic time before.
At the end of the day, if you're goal is to party for the rest of your life, you can. Try it. When someone hits you up and asks what you're doing, tell them you're partying. International Ambassador of All Things Party (Andrew WK) said it best: "You can spend tons of time trying to figure out life, or you can just party and have an awesome life automatically."
Just remember, everyone you know – even the people you don't like – want to party. It's just a matter of figuring out how they party. From there, you can learn how to be the wingman, how to enhance the party atmosphere. This builds positive connectivity between people, in a world that is otherwise increasingly teaming with negative connections (or none at all).
My New Years Resolution: party on. Join me.


text: All the King's Men is a 2006 film adaptation of the 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. It was directed by Steven Zaillian, who also produced and scripted. The story is about the life of Willie Stark, a fictional character resembling Louisiana governor Huey Long, in office 1928 through 1932. ... more on Wikipedia


text:
Pitch Executive
|London, England
|Contract Type:
|BD, Marketing & Communications
|£35000 - £40000 per annum
An exciting opportunity has arisen to work with a top Global law firm to join their expanding BD team as a new pitch executive. With a great team ethos and working environment, this role will see you working closely with heads of department to provide all round and strategic support with the bids and tender process.
Responsibilities will include:
- Working directly with the Partners, Heads of departments and the wider BD and Pitch team to produce engaging and innovative tender responses across the firm.
- Monitoring and identifying new tender opportunities working with senior stakeholders during the qualification process.
- Sourcing and updating credentials, CVs, practice group awards and accolades for inclusion in pitch documents.
- Working with the Senior Business Development Executive and Senior Pitch Executive to put together client research packs.
- Co-ordinating the bid process from end-to-end, providing guidance on how to respond to RFPs and bringing new ideas and approaches to the process.
In order to be considered for this role you will have:
- Previous experience within a bid's role this is essential for this role
- Strong communicator with excellent written and verbal skills.
- Ability to immediately win trust, influence and establish credibility at senior levels.
Please apply online asap to be considered.


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MFA, CalArts
David McDonald is a highly respected and exhibited artist as well as an experienced teacher. His work has been shown nationwide and reviewed by numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, New Yorker, the Santa Fean, and Art Ltd. He is a recipient of a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2006 Pollock Krasner Fellowship. He has taught at University of Southern California, California State Long Beach, New Roads High School, Crossroads High School, and UCLA Extension amongst others. He is also an experienced meditator and has been certified as a Senior Dharma Teacher in the Kwan Um School of Zen, a worldwide organization with over sixty centers around the world.


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Call : 918037304147
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We are visiting Susan and family in Pittsburgh for a few days. They do not really live in Pittsburgh, just in one of the rural, wooded suburbs that surround the city.
I am in the midst of being a very cool grandma. As everyone knows, cool grandmas come in a wide array of colors and shapes, but they are only really cool if they get artsy-craftsy with the little ones. I have about three things in my artsy-craftsy arsenal, so it's good that I am a long-distance grandma and can spread those three things out over my entire career.
Hence, I came prepared with a bucket of seashells and a huge jar of popsicle sticks. We made treasure boxes by gluing the sticks together in dizzyingly-high layers until we reached the attention span limit. The seashells became lid decorations. The small fry will remember my visit fondly forever. Now you know how to be a very cool grandma, if you didn't possess that information before. Isn't the Internet wonderful?
Jason Upton sings, "Do you really want to know … where the wild things are?" I know. They live in suburban Pittsburgh — both inside and outside the house. We arrived to find Susan and her husband in a massive battle with squatters — an army of mice. These are brazen rodents: they do not wait until we are all snuggled in bed with the lights out to reconnoiter. They watch us from corners, waiting for the very moment we leave the room, whereupon they scramble from their bunkers in search of plunder. The killer beagle is not concerned. He should face a long stint in the brig for dereliction of duty.
Francis Scott Key described the battle he witnessed as "the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air." Here it is more like snap, crackle, and POP — sounds of mice rummaging through the cupboards and their eventual demise in the cleverly positioned booby traps.
I commented darkly that we should consider mouse croquettes for dinner some evening. I'm not sure that is any more of a gross idea than escargot or frog legs, but it was merely a conversation starter, not an idea to be seriously entertained.
The house has a history of wildlife intrusions. Last summer Susan found a baby snake coiled among the children's toys. Her heroic husband strode to the rescue, scooped the viper up in a box, and hurled him down the hill to the creek. I'm not sure it was a real viper. Chris said you can tell whether they are poisonous or not by how slanted the eyes are — but he didn't examine the eyeballs intently enough to find out. He's a very just-get-the-job-done kind of guy.
Incidents of this sort must be why Susan once announced that she would much prefer to live in an apartment with concrete all the way up to the foundations and not a blade of grass or a tree in sight.


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Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has said that naval presence isincumbent on the four Ps — people,platforms, power and partnerships.While the U.S. Navy has myriadpartnerships — industry, allies, itssister services — the secretary toldan audience at the Washington-areaNavy Ball on Oct. 7 that the NavyLeague's partnership with the Navyalso is important. The Navy League,he said, is "like no other privateorganization. You support our Navyand our Sailors and families, andconnect our Sailors and the Navy tothe American people."It is the Navy League's mission tomake that connection, to educate our legislators and theAmerican people about the importance of maintainingstrong sea services, and to advocate on their behalf toensure they have the equipment and training they need— when they need it, where they need it — to succeed.
Secretary Mabus said one of the things driven hometo him time and again during his travels is "just howhard the jobs we give our Sailors are, and just howgood they are at doing them. Our expectations are sohigh. Those Sailors out there deployed right now, theydon't let us down. They never let us down. They neverlet this country down."That's why a partnership — a connection — with theAmerican people is so important to the Navy, he said.
We are able to help make such connections because
of the dedication of our more than 40,000 members
around the world and the various partnerships they
have made to accomplish the Navy League's goals.
Whether we are recognizing the exceptional work of
a Sailor, hosting the commissioning of a ship, welcoming
our troops home from deployment, or raising awareness
of the important role our sea services play in our security and economic prosperity, Navy League members are
dedicated citizens in support of the U.S. Navy, Marine
Corps, Coast Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant Marine.
Navy League councils around the world forge part-nerships with like-minded organizations and business-es at the local level to help expand their reach and thesupport they can provide. A ship commissioning, forexample, is an enormous under-taking, yet Navy Leaguers and theirbusiness and community partnerscome together to make them hap-pen across the country for the Navyand Coast Guard.
At the national level, the Navy
League also relies a great deal on our
partners in industry, who help make
events such as the Navy Ball and
our annual Sea-Air-Space exposition
possible. In turn, we host events
for them, such as our Special Topic
Breakfast speaker series and caucus
events on Capitol Hill, that connect
them with the decision makers.
In this issue of Seapower you'll
find our 2016 Corporate Membership Directory. The
defense and maritime companies, organizations, and nonprofit and government agencies listed therein, including
our 26 Corporate Gold members, are dedicated to providing the most comprehensive services and top equipment,
systems and technologies to the U.S. sea services. And,
because they are Navy League members, they also are
dedicated to our mission of education and advocacy.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our
corporate partners for believing in the Navy League's
mission and for working with us to support those who
stand the watch. From our Community Affiliates at the
council level, to our Business Associates and Corporate
Members at the national level, your partnership helps
us make that all-important connection between our sea
service members and the American people.
I also want to thank Secretary Mabus for his serviceto the Navy and to this country. He told the Navy Ballaudience that events like re-enlistments and ship-namingannouncements he performs throughout the year, oftenat Major League Baseball games, help "make that con-nection stronger between the American people and thosewho are protecting them."That is what the Navy League and our partners willcontinue to strive for.
Making Connections
By SKIP WITUNSKI, Navy League National President


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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has signed two new laws that would help facilitate access to more affordable credit facilities for businesses in the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo's spokesman, listed the acts to include the Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act, 2017 (otherwise known as Collateral Registry Act) and the Credit Reporting Act, 2017.
He said the new laws are part of the federal government's reforms aimed at easing business operations in the country.
The new laws will empower Nigerians to use their reputation, generators, deep freezers, school certificates, farm produce such as rice and beans, and many unconventional properties. The collateral register has been in the works for a number of years, with expectations that it would be signed into law early in 2016.
Akande added that while the Collateral Registry Act ensures that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) could register their movable assets and use same as collateral for accessing loans, the Credit Reporting Act provides for credit information sharing between Credit Bureaus and lenders and other institutions that provide services on credit.


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Not too long ago I was having a conversation with a seasoned fundraiser. This person works with a large organization as a consultant. He told me that a billionaire had sent $1,000 to the nonprofit and that the CEO quickly sent out a letter to the billionaire requesting $50,000.
My colleague was lamenting about how much of a mistake this was, and I couldn't agree more with the assessment.
Missing the Point
Although the CEO of the organization was excited when he saw the $1,000 gift from a high-profile billionaire, the last thing he should have done is to send an acknowledgment with an ask for more money. The reality is that the billionaire will likely never donate to the organization again. The letter missed the whole point of development.
Donor Has the Money
The first thing that likely came to the mind of the CEO who sent the letter was, this donor is a billionaire. He has the money! While that is, of course correct, just because someone has the money to give to your organization does not mean they have the propensity to do so. Think about it, why should they give to your group? No one wants to give money, even if they have a lot of it, to anyone and everyone. Additionally, millionaires and billionaires tend to get hit up with requests all of the time.
Better Approach
Many years ago, I served as the CEO of a nonprofit organization, and I've been in your shoes. I've had people that I've wanted to get to fund our group send a check, and I've experienced the excitement that comes from receiving one of those major gifts. But, like my colleague, I would never have sent the billionaire a letter in the mail thanking him for the $1,000 and in the same letter asking for more money!
Here's what I would have done:
- Sent a personalized thank you letter in the mail with a penned signature and perhaps a little note. I would have expressed my gratitude for the gift and informed the billionaire donor what would happen with his donation of $1,000.
- I would have been aware of the fact that the $1,000 gift could have been given for a multitude of reasons, such as a friend asked him to donate, or he somehow came across our group. A likely reason was that he was also "testing" us with the $1,000 gift to see how a relationship could develop.
- Therefore, I would have then followed up the letter in the mail (email is fine, but the chances are that a letter that is personalized will get opened because people receive too much email). My follow-up would have been a note, email or perhaps even a personal call to thank the donor.
- I would have developed a strategy to figure out how I could get a conversation with him in person. All the while, I would have been sending information and regularly keep in touch to start building awareness of our group.
- Once I had secured a personal meeting with the billionaire prospect, I would have gotten to know him. I would have asked about his background, interests, family, why he gave to our group, other philanthropic interests, etc. As CEO, I would have made it a point to learn as much as possible about the donor.
- I would have recognized that getting to know the billionaire personally was probably the most critical activity I could do because it was the creation of a relationship. I would have served as his liaison with our group and the work we do.
- Once I understood his motivations and interests, it would have been only then that I would have considered beginning to see how we could engage him more substantially with our group.
If you're new to major gift fundraising or have limited experience in it, remember an essential point: Just because someone can give does not mean they have the inclination to do so. Having the financial means is only half of the equation. And, if it turns out that a leading philanthropist gives to your group and it is a small token, it can indeed be the beginning of more significant support, but they have to get to know you, and you have to learn about them. If you ever get a gift from a billionaire, pause and think carefully about your next steps.
Author of"How to Dominate Your Fundraising to Create Your Success"Free Digital Download)
© 2018 Wayne Elsey and Not Your Father's Charity. All Rights Reserved.


text: Bush has faced criticism over the war in Iraq The leaders of Australia and Japan, both staunch allies of the US, George Bush and the "War on terror", were among the first to honour victims on Monday.The Australian prime minister, John Howard called September 11 "an attack on the values that the entire world holds in common" and promised that the ideals of liberty and freedom of religion and speech "will in the end triumph." At a ceremony at the US embassy in Canberra, Howard defended his decision to send troops to Iraq in support of the US-led coalition, and called the campaign to remove the Taliban regime in Afghanistan the first battle in the war on terror.Japanese solidarity "As far as Afghanistan, it's been established beyond any real argument that that was the source of the Osama bin Laden-inspired attack and the Taliban, and role of the Taliban and bin Laden in Afghanistan was really, in a sense, the beginning of this campaign of terror in the west," Howard said. Another memorial ceremony was planned later in the day at the US Embassy in Tokyo. Japan has also been a top supporter of the US-led war on terror, sending troops to Iraq and aiding in logistics support for operations in Afghanistan. "There's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict the same kind of damage again"George BushThe Japanese prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, in Finland for an Asia-Europe Meeting, was cited by a Japanese official in the Kyodo News agency as saying that terrorism "continued to be as much of a threat as ever to mankind." Bush himself had begun the remembrance services on Sunday when he and his wife, Laura, laid wreaths in the reflective pools where the twin towers of the World Trade Centre stood.Remembrance"There's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict the same kind of damage again," he said after the ceremony.Americans will mark the fifth anniversary on Monday with sombre ceremonies across the country and at the sites of the devastation in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.Bush will meet firefighters in New York, visit Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought the hijackers, and attend ceremonies at the Pentagon. About 3,000 people were killed by the attacks, and the anniversary has intensified the debate over whether the US, bogged down in a vicious conflict in Iraq, is any safer. Bush's approval ratings have plummeted and he intends to use the anniversary to renew his pledge to pursue the war on terrorism. SOURCE: Agencies


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Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show
Jan 31–Feb 12, 2014
Tucson, Arizona
read more →
Imaginatively realized in sterling silver, our style blends sophisticated contemporary trends with soulful ethnic influences.
Don't like the phone? Don't live in our area code? Not a problem, you can also reach us by:
You can download our catalog and browse offline. All you need is Adobe Acrobat, but you already knew that, didn't you?


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From sumptuous steaks and prime cuts to braises and savory stews, this guide is a carnivore's delight. Gourmets will appreciate the book's accurate and comprehensive information about when, where, and how to buy meat; how to tell if it's fresh, and how to prepare, cook, carve, and serve meat to best advantage. From store to kitchen to table, this compendium fills in all the blanks about how to obtain fresh meat from humane and sustainable sources, identify cuts, and fillet and carve them, while offering up a rich trove of reliable recipes.
A visual directory that showcases each cut and comments on flavor, preparation, and cost rounds out this indispensable culinary reference.
About Jennie MilsomSee more books from this Author


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On the 8th and 9th of September the University of Southampton played host to the NRG BESS Early Career Researcher Conference on Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability. This event was just one of a number of initiatives conceived and organised by NRG BESS – a network made up of early career researchers contributing to interdisciplinary research focussing on biodiversity and ecosystem services. We are a dynamic part of the NERC research programme BESS: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability. The NRG in our name stands for Next Research Generation.
This was the first conference of its kind, and provided a great opportunity for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in these fields to come together to network and share their ideas. It was organised by two PLUS members – Sarah Pogue and Md Sarwar Hossain, with the support of NRG BESS and sponsorship from BESS, Geography and Environment at UoS and Sustainability Science at Southampton.
Quite a few months of planning and organising went into putting on the conference – this involved not only myself and Sarwar but also several other members of NRG BESS – but it was all worth it in the end as it was a big success with close to 60 postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers from all over the UK as well as Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil and Bangladesh!
There was plenty of opportunity to hear about exciting research from the twenty-four ECRs who gave talks and the twenty who presented posters, as well as our three keynote speakers Prof Georgina Mace (UCL), Prof Katrina Brown (University of Exeter) and Dr Sandra Nogué (University of Oxford). The entire event was filmed and we hope to have footage of all of the presentations available soon. In the meantime, you can click here to see a Storify of our live tweets during the event.
To get the most out of the two days, we also had a breakout session entitled "Future Directions" – this involved all of the conference participants and highlighted the essential questions in the fields of biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability research that the next research generation thinks science and society must tackle.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and so we hope that this is just the beginning and that next year will see an even bigger and better NRG BESS Conference 2015!
Photo credits: © Joanna Kuleszo (top); © Laura Harrison (bottom left and bottom right); © Victoria Wickens (bottom centre)


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Koenigsegg and Norwegian Investors Sign Letter of Intent to Purchase Saab
Tom Ludwickwriter
Swedish news sources reported today that automaker Koenigsegg and a group of Norwegian investors will purchase the struggling Saab brand from General Motors.
Naming anonymous sources, Sveriges Television (SVT) claimed "the buyers have signed a letter of intent to buy Saab." If true, final negotiations could commence immediately and run through the next month.
Saab has been operating under protection from creditors since February. Over the past few weeks, the Swedish automaker has narrowed down its list of potential buyers to two or three. Rumors have been circulating that Saab intends to officially announce a buyer by the end of this week.


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Hearings and Business Meetings
Jan 15 2009
Full Committee Hearing: to consider the nomination of Ken Salazar to be Secretary of the Interior (ROOM CHANGED TO SD-G50)
09:30 AMThe purpose of this hearing is to consider the nomination of Ken Salazar to be Secretary of the Interior. This hearing will be webcast.
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Witness Panel 1
Secretary, U.S. Department of the InteriorSalazartestimony11509.doc (36.0 KBs)