text:
During Valentine's Day weekend, the Liberty Theatre Company will host its first original dinner theater play, "Pieces of Home," which is based on real letters from soldiers stationed at the former Camp Stewart during World War II. The camp later became Fort Stewart.
The Liberty Theatre Company was formed by the Hinesville Area Arts Council, according to the council's website.
The play was written by HAAC Chairwoman Leah Poole, who said she has always loved writing and was inspired when she saw an epistolary play not too long ago.
"When talking to some folks out at MidCoast Regional Airport, we got to talking about World War II and some of the role that then-Camp Stewart played. So I started researching and got hooked," Poole said. "I found several letters on eBay — of all places — that were from soldiers stationed at the hospital here to their sweethearts, and even one from a 'pen-pal' type program where the soldier is obviously lonely and writing to introduce himself to this woman who is a friend of a friend."
The play, which will last an hour and a half to two hours, will have a plot focused on several stories that include historically accurate information, Poole
"I tried to keep the 'storytelling' to a minimum, though, so that you actually get a real idea of what that era was like," she said. "The importance of epistolary drama is not the staging or props; it's the drama with which the people tell the tale."
Poole estimates that she's collected about 15 letters from which she pulled various aspects of the story. She changed the names of the letter writers.
As she dug through historical correspondence and worn-out photographs, Poole said the one thing that tugged most at her heart was how touching the letters were.
One such letter was from a wounded soldier stationed at a hospital in Liberty County who was trying to start a relationship with a friend of a friend, Poole said. And as someone whose husband has gone through military training where letters were the only form of communication at some points, Poole said she can relate to how difficult it is to go through that sort of situation.
"I know that in today's culture we have really gotten away from the written word due to technology, and to read something like that and see how truly alone this soldier was is really touching," she said.
There will be two showings of the play, on Feb. 11 and 12, said HAAC Vice Chairwoman Jennifer Buehler. Tickets will cost $25-$30. The fee includes dinner.
"We have a wonderful group of volunteers within the HAAC/LTC who graciously give their time to make every show a success," Buehler said.
Auditions will take place for the roles of three females and three males — one as an extra — from 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 4 and 6.
The minimalist set will include military cots, a rocking chair and a writing table/desk. Donations of old military letters, costumes and clothes from the World War II era will be accepted through the HAAC.
"The Liberty Theatre Group will be doing everything. I am merely the writer," Poole said. "I hope to help with wherever they need me, but I am pretty clueless when it comes to theater production. I just plan to follow what they tell me to do."
During Valentine's Day weekend, the Liberty Theatre Company will host its first original dinner theater play, "Pieces of Home," which is based on real letters from soldiers stationed at the former Camp Stewart during World War II. The camp later became Fort Stewart.


text:
This will be my fourth recipe featuring sweet potatoes 🍠 As you can tell, I don't like them at all 😂
I have my savory Sweet Potato Fries with Magic Sauce which I eat on a weekly basis because they're so amazing, and then there's this divine Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake with Coconut Creme Fraiche situation going on. Today's recipe is similar to one of my earliest recipes I ever posted on this website for Sweet Potato Pudding. It came to me after I got cute little sample bags of Dandies Marshmallows at the Vida Vegan Con Bazaar in Austin.
Creamy, blended sweet potato topped with melted vegan butter, cinnamon, dark chocolate chips, and puffy vegan marshmallows. Just as satisfying as an ice cream sundae 🍨 but waaaaay healthier and cruelty free!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As of March 16th, the existing client dashboard will cease to function.
Following a recent software update, the system has shown a number of issues that have prompted me to review how client files are managed.
As of March 16th, I will be switching over to Trello as a dashboard service.
Trello provides the same functionality as the existing dashboard, but with the benefits of a much more streamlined 'drag and drop' experience. Trello also comes with a phone/ tablet app, making it much easier for clients to review work on the go.
Although Trello is a third party application (as opposed to the existing dashboard, which was hosted and run from within the Maverick Numismatics site), the levels of security are still as robust. 3D files will still be hosted on the Maverick Numismatics server, and Trello will only provide links to those files.
I will be posting some instructions on how to get the best out of Trello over the coming weeks, but please get in touch if you have any questions.
I will add clients to the system as projects arise, so if you wish to access archive projects, please let me know.


text:
An internationally renowned artist will use exploding gunpowder to create a 10-by-162-foot drawing that will line the four walls of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's new Chinese art gallery.
Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang will execute the MFAH commission in a Houston warehouse during a two-day public event on Oct. 5-6. Cai and his crew will lay 42 panels on the floor and apply an assorted mix of gunpowder to them before igniting the drawing with a fuse and manipulating the resulting explosion to create the work. The museum will then install the panels in the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Arts of China Gallery before it opens Oct. 17.
Photo by Seiji Toyonaga, courtesy Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art.
Cai Guo-Qiang making the gunpowder drawing Unmanned Nature, Hiroshima, October 2008.
MFAH Director Peter C. Marzio said he and Cai "did the deal in about five minutes" after Marzio suggested the commission during a dinner for museum donors the artist attended in the new gallery's raw space.
"He does these beautiful paintings with gunpowder, and at first glance, they look like ancient ink work or pencil work, and then you look at them closer and they're obviously something very different," Marzio said. "I said, 'This may sound crazy, but if we could get a drawing that went all the way around the walls so that the gallery was like this 21st-century crucible, and then inside it went the ancient work, I think that would create a really interesting dialogue.' And he just jumped at it. He said that's never been done before."
Tickets to attend the creation of the drawing are free, but capacity will be limited. Online registration for tickets begins Sept. 20 on the MFAH's website.
"(Cai and his team) don't call it performance art, but that seems to be a big part of it," Marzio said. "I've seen one video of (a gunpowder drawing's creation), and it's a hoot. You wonder what the hell the explosion's going to be like, and then you see the whole floor lift a little bit. And then he and all his assistants, many of whom will be volunteers from the art communities in Houston, run around putting out little fires and stuff."
A licensed pyrotechnician and a representative from the fire marshal's office will be on hand for safety reasons, but Marzio said he knows the project also presents an artistic gamble.
"Whenever you commission something like this, there's always risk," he said. "Hopefully it'll come out well, it'll look good and so forth, but I just have enough faith in him, and it's such a wacky idea, it seems right to me. And if you can't do stuff like this in a museum, where are you going to do it?"
Cai is no stranger to spectacle. He directed the visual and special effects for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Titled Odyssey, Cai's drawing is part of the MFAH's developing "Portals Project," a planned series of commissions from living artists meant to provide a contemporary take on the holdings in the MFAH's new permanent Asian galleries. Do-Ho Suh will install a piece for the Arts of Korea gallery in 2011, and the MFAH has had discussions with Anish Kapoor about creating a work for the Nidhika and Pershant Mehta Arts of India Gallery, Marzio said.
The Korean gallery, which opened in 2007, and the Indian gallery, which opened in May 2009, already mix contemporary and ancient art. Marzio said he hasn't heard of another museum using that approach, but it helps avoid "that hushed feeling where you walk in and you feel like you don't belong there the way you often see with many beautiful galleries in museums that have strong collections.
And when you go in there, you almost never see anybody in them, either."
The MFAH's new Indian gallery drew more than a quarter million visitors within a year of opening. Marzio said even Indian visitors, who "tend to be educated fairly conservatively when it comes to Indian art," have enjoyed the gallery's inclusion of contemporary artist Subodh Gupta's 500-pound assemblage of stainless-steel utensils used in everyday Indian life, including Hindu rituals.
"It just lit them up. I was expecting to get some push back — that it would be considered irreverent or something — but it's been quite the reverse," he said.


text:
A recent survey in Canada has revealed that even today, most of the workplaces have continued to ignore reported cases of bullying and harassment in the workplace. This decision of ignoring the reported cases could cost the employers tens of thousands of dollars to be paid in severance payments and legal fees through constructive dismissal claims. So if you have faced workplace bullying and your report has been ignored, then it is time for you to consult a Dismissal lawyer Toronto, to help you fight for your right and get what you truly deserve.
How common is workplace bullying in Canada?
According to a recent survey, bullying in the workplace is a common phenomenon in Canada and most of the Canadians workers experience it. 55 per cent of responders out of a random sample of more than 1,800 Canadians said that they had either been victims of workplace bullying or knew someone who had been bullied at their respective workplace. The statics of reported bullying is as high as one in two employees. Out of these only, one-third of workplaces have taken adequate steps to put workplace bullying to an end.
How to go about Constructive Dismissal due to workplace bullying?
With an increase in awareness about mental health and talks against bullying, there should be no excuse for any employer to ignore any reports of bullying happening within the work premises. As an employer, it is your clear cut duty to create a safe and healthy environment for your workers. This means providing them protection from any sort of verbal, physical, mental and sexual harassment which might take place with the work premises.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of bullying which has gone unaddressed by the company, then you should consider consulting a lawyer. Consult an employment lawyer regarding a potential claim for constructive dismissal due to a toxic environment at the workplace. In such a case, your employer could owe full severance pay. It is also possible that you may get additional damage charges such as aggravated or punitive damages.
How to prevent instances of bullying in the workplace?
According to the survey, when the employers took immediate action upon learning about the instances of harassment, two-thirds of the workers reported that the response was effective. Hence, employers need to encourage their employees to report any instance of harassment as soon as possible. Businesses need to make sure that they have clear policies and procedures in place in regard to bullying and what action needs to be taken in such a situation. It is crucial that employers become proactive especially when it comes to the safety and well-being of their employees and work towards creating a healthy environment.


text:
Electric Pink Spinel and Diamond Halo Design
Regular price $3,169.00View product options
18ct White gold fine Halo ring design with our signature replica Ring profile. Set with a 5.4x5.3 cushion cut Pink Spinel, 8x 1.6mm and 16x 1.1mm round brilliant cut D/F VS Diamonds.
Buy the Electric Pink Spinel and Diamond Halo Design
Enquire about a custom design
Questions and answers relating to the Electric Pink Spinel and Diamond Halo Design
Free Shipping for Orders over USD $299
Any order whose total value (including NZ GST if applicable) exceeds US$200- or equivalent qualifies for Free Shipping (using either standard Courier in NZ or Fedex International Priority outside of New Zealand) which will be automatically applied during the Checkout process.Read more about our free shipping
Lifetime Workmanship & Satisfaction Guarantees
Jens Hansen offers a return to studio lifetime workmanship guarantee on our jewellery. This means that if in the unlikely event a workmanship defect is ever discovered, we will replace or repair the item. The item needs to be returned to our studio for assessment and repair and the guarantee does not cover wear and tear, accidental or consequential damage.Read more about our lifetime guarantees


text:
- Home
- News
- Activities
- Catalogue
- Join the ISCM
- Members Area
- About us
C0 note (16,35 Hz) — vibrating on liquid surface
D0 note (18.35 Hz) — vibrating on liquid surface
C0 note (16,35 Hz) — vibrating on liquid surface
F0 note (21.83 Hz) — vibrating on liquid surface
G0 note (24.50 Hz) — vibrating on liquid surface
A0 note (27.50 Hz) — vibrating on liquid surface
During the past months, the primary focus of the European-Egyptian Contemporary Music Society (EECMS) has been on developing and implementing projects that aim at bringing together Arab and European culture on several different levels. The starting point of these projects is the consideration of connecting the traditional Arab cultural heritage with the musical language of contemporary music: on the one hand, this approach enables Arab listeners to comprehend the achievements of European Modernism in greater intellectual and emotional depth through their connection to elements of their own cultural heritage; on the other hand, it encourages European composers to deeply engage in Arab music and culture.
Newly integrated Music Talks
The EECMS introduces a Music Talks series in the Cairo Contemporary Music Day 5th editionwhich is a series that promotes the general and essential knowledge of music development which comes from a strong belief in the importance of understanding the progress in the field which has led the technologies to be part of it and of the creations of most of the sound artists and electronic music composers. This is in relation to the developed theory which has led to current complexities of music composing in general. The series of music talks and lectures welcome everyone to experience more about the music industry and free of charge as all EECMS events. "Carte Blanche" Collaboration between the Goethe Institut Cairo and with the Goethe-Institut Vilnius (Lithuania) dealing with the exchange of different programs and projects in many cultural and artistic areas. The project aims to transmit a current realistic image of each country. With the support of the Goethe- Institut the mobility of cultural activists will be conveyed and a space for encounters between the countries and a better understanding should be created. Within "Carte Blanche" the Goethe-Institut Cairo organizes concerts with Egyptian musicians from the Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble (ECME), Lithuanian musicians from LENsemble (Lithuanian Ensemble Network) and others. Support from Egyptian and Lithuanian institutions as well as the Japan Foundation and the ISCM Members support fund enabled us to realize the plans. For this reason, this year's Cairo Contemporary Music Days take place in two phases. The first part of the festival in April and May 2017 is dedicated to the compositions of the participants of "Heritage and Modernity". Two world premieres will be in the centre of the programme: Justina Repečkaitė (Lithuania) and Hikari Kiyama( Japan) were both amongst the participants of the "Heritage and Modernity" forum last year. The second part of the festival will be held in October 2017 and focus on the Nordic Countries. Further highlights of this year's festival is the Egyptian premiere of several Arab composers, among others Hassan Taha with his Dice Player, Zad Moultaka with his Cinq Haïkus pour alto et voix and a focus on Bushra el Turk. Moreover, Dr. Doris Kösterke will inaugurate the EECMS's frst seminar-series `` Music Talks`` at the Supreme cultural council and the American University in Cairo with two different topics. Our already existing collaboration with Lithuania was perfect to integrate in Carte Blanche, thank to the support of Goethe Institut, furthermore we could win the ISCM Member Support Fund for a second round in Cairo and after a very successful performances and lectures in Vilnius where again members of the Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble and LENsemble will perform two concerts dedicated to the Topic Music Tradition and Modernity.
Women Composers of our Time
For the past six years, the EECMS and its supporters have been working towards remediating this deficit: since 2011, we were able to commission an unprecedented number of new works by Egyptian and Arab composers, and to have them performed by some of the most acclaimed musicians in Europe and the Middle East. In the course of several initiatives, we have set in motion a process of intense artistic exchange between Arab artists in the field and foreign ones, such as our "Heritage and Modernity" Forum in April 2016, which was attended by many well-established as well as upcoming young composers from different parts of the world. Thus, we were able to critically raise the awareness and appreciation of contemporary composition in Egypt among governmental and non-governmental cultural actors as well as various kinds of audiences.
We believe it would be insufficient to explain away the absence of women composers in the musical landscape of the Middle East solely by pointing to the small contemporary classical market, a lack of recognition of the genre, and the overall standing of women in Middle Eastern societies. However, our aim is not to confirm the rarity of women composers in the contemporary music, as the whole field is marginalized and composers of all genders are shunned from the mainstream artistic scene. Much rather, we hope that with "Women Composers of Our Time", we will be able to shed more light on the progress of the presence of women composers worldwide in different cultures that deal with questions of gender differently.
The EECMS strongly believes in establishing a constructive cultural dialogue that involves other important actors in society in order to complement the musical and performative nature of its projects. That is why collaborating with other organizations such as the Women and Memory Forum in Cairo (http://www.wmf.org.eg/en/) is of much importance. The Women and Memory Forum has been involved in a process of highlighting the role of women in Oral and Written history, and its academic expertise will greatly enrich the project. We are now working toward a joint roundtable discussion at the new residence of the Goethe-Institut, including artists, composers and academics who will discuss the role of women in general and women composers in particular at different epochs and in different areas throughout history.
1. Panel discussion in collaboration with the Women and Memory Forum and the Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble, hosted and supported by the Goethe-Institut Egypt in Cairo. The program and list of speakers is being developed in close collaboration with the Women and Memory Forum. The programm will be accompanied by performances of short pieces by Bushra Al Turk (Lebanon/UK), Kaija Saariaho (Finland) and Anahita Abbasi (Iran).
2. "Meet the Composers", an EECMS initiative in collaboration with the English Department Cultural Society, Cairo University. The event is aimed at non-music students in Cairo, providing a hinge between the contemporary music scene and non-music students in Cairo; a second edition is planned in April 2017.
3. Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble Concert, Ewart Memorial Hall – in collaboration with the American University in Cairo, Center for the Arts, with the friendly support of the Goethe-Institut. With the concert, we wish to showcase as wide a range of contemporary music forms as possible, including sound art and electronic tools. It will feature a world premiere by leading Egyptian sound artist Yara Mekawei and Egyptian premieres by Kaija Saariaho (Finland), Isabel Mundry (Germany), and Guest of Honour Tansy Davies (UK).


text:
Source: NPR.
Larry Coryell, the jazz guitarist known as the "Godfather of Fusion," died Sunday night at a hotel in New York City, according to his publicist. He was 73. Coryell was still performing more than 50 years after his first recordings. He played at New York jazz club Iridium on Friday and Saturday night, and had plans for a summer tour with his fusion group The Eleventh House.


text:
After decades of radical questioning and cycles of reaction, which term is more difficult to define neatly these days: "feminism" or "contemporary performance"? That was one question raised by the Minneapolis collective SuperGroup in its smart and inventive New York debut on Thursday.
The performance took place at the Invisible Dog in Brooklyn, though the evening, which also included Laurie Berg's "The Afterlife," was part of Joyce Unleashed, a new outside-the-box venture by the Joyce Theater, which specializes in what most people would label dance. What happened at the Invisible Dog was harder to categorize.
SuperGroup's 75-minute "The Tent Has Been Pulled Down" began with a singalong. The collective's three members — Sam Johnson, Erin Search-Wells and Jeffrey Wells (they are not related), all in their early 30s — invoked the form of a prior generation, the folk song, to poke fun at being raised by feminists. A hint of resentment later grew sharper.
They also spoke, switching between the voices of feminist bloggers and their grandmothers. If the old, befuddled biddies they portrayed were caricatures, the young characters were less appealing, careering from issue to issue in sarcastic, rapid-fire, reference-dense, jargon-laden language. The bloggers' knowingness infected the humor on the whole, but hearing the bloggers' manifesto read in an old-lady voice affectingly brought home the intergenerational divide.
What about those feminist mothers? They spoke for themselves — the actual mothers of the trio's members, reading from scripts. In their confusion, they were the most sympathetic group, the most real, but also the least theatrically vivid. Once the three generations were established, the show expanded rather than developed.
And, oh, yes, there was also movement: "performative tasks" that were, according to the program notes, purposely "incongruous." My meaning-producing mind read the collision of Trisha Brown-like swinging limbs as conflict, and the small-motor action as "women's work," but the relation between the text and the choreography, rarely expressive in itself, was mostly that of patting your head while rubbing your belly.
"Tent," which transpired in a room of Japanese paper (designed by Abbey Kleinert) on the Invisible Dog's second floor, was meticulously constructed. Downstairs, "The Afterlife" was a more ramshackle affair, but it had its own just-making-it-up charm. As Ms. Berg and three colleagues threaded tied-together sheets around the space, they asked the audience for help. "We tried this once," Ms. Berg said winningly, "and we got stuck."
"The Afterlife," Ms. Berg's longest work yet, an hour, was also topical and pop-culture-referential. The dancers, sometimes topless, wore plastic masks with the faces of dead celebrities: Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Divine. I recognized a bit of the choreography from Jackson's "Beat It" video (that's my generation), but there were probably other quotations I missed in the dancing, which often resembled routines for cheerleaders or backup dancers.
Perhaps it was because "Tent" was still in my head that the repetition of a 1941 recording of "Perfidia," by Glenn Miller and the Modernaires, seemed nostalgic for a simpler time. The tent has been pulled down. Anything might happen in a dance performance. Now what?


text:
In this podcast Professor Thurman talks about causes and conditions which brought about Buddha's teaching in Tibet, and how Buddhism transformed society.
This episode was recorded on November 11, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman.
Essential Tibetan Buddhism
A vibrant, accessible introduction to the heart of Tibetan Buddhism through its own rich literature from "the most visible and charismatic exponent of Tibetan Buddhism" (Roger Kamenetz, New York Times Magazine). Expertly and lucidly surveying the basic …


text:
Bloomberg BNA – Electronic Commerce & Law Report
Sight-impaired voters and others with disabilities are accustomed to accommodations at physical polling places that enable them to exercise their right to vote.
As the 2016 presidential elections near, voters expect those accommodations to extend to online voter services. These expectations, however, have not been fulfilled everywhere according to sight-impaired individuals who have sued in California, Maryland and Ohio.
The National Federation of the Blind and three blind, registered Ohio voters filed a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Jon A. Husted, alleging that Ohio violated the ADA by failing to provide an accessible voter services website.
On April 25, a federal district court in Ohio will hear a claim that the state's voter services website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because, plaintiffs say, it cannot be accessed using commonly available screen-reading technology. The case marks the first voter website accessibility lawsuit brought under Title II of the ADA.
Dan Goldstein and Jessie Weber represent the plaintiffs.


text:
They are homebound and need our help
While the VA generally does a good job, it takes time … and these vets don't have much time.
Support our work in assisting veterans who struggle with everyday needs
Help us help them by making a tax deductible donation.
Central Coast Veterans Helping Veterans has no paid staff. 100 % of your donation goes directly to help needy vets here on the Central Coast.
If you would like to join Central Coast Vets Helping Vets with a recurring contribution, please CLICK HERE.
We'd love to hear from you
For more information about the SLO Veteran Treatment Court, mentorship, home care, or other veteran service programs, give us a call.
Pete Pepper805-242-5575
P.O. Box 12725, SLO 93406
Or click on this link:
Contact Us


text:
Do you think the square smart watch plate is too common? Are you waiting the round smart watch which with camera? Do you think if there with WIFI location would be better? How about with a flashlight?
Now Wonlex meet all your imagine and idea! GW600 round GPS kids watch here meet you.
For the first round watch ,the main function as below:
- Support 2G network and the APP is Setracker
- GPS+LBS+WIFIreal-time Positioning
- Make friends between watches
- 4 inch Round TFT color display
- Flashlight on theright side of the watch
- Camera: remote shot, take picture
- Voice monitoring
- Two-way phone call and voice chat
- Setting no disturbing time when kids on class
- SOS Phone call and alert
Target: This model is design for the little kids 5-8 years old.
Based configuration & functions:
Why it is design for the kids?
- All icons are cartoon, it's light weight 42g.
- Press SOS button 3 seconds for auto emergency calling, there have 3 SOS number can be set up, it will auto calling two round until answered.
- GEO fence: Range from 100-2000m, once kids walk outside the fence will auto alert to parents.
- Voice monitoring: parents can remote monitoring the around voice but won't disturbing kids.
- There have 8 parts in watch : Phone book, talk, make friends, camera, tools, Math game, step, device info.
"Tool" with flashlight, album, stopwatch, screen brightness, theme, there have two theme can be selected, one is blue another is pink , all these functions are design for the 5 to 8 year-old kids.
- WIFI positioningis design indoor, while watch indicate three WIFI signal it will auto renew location info and send to the server shown on APP.
Flashlight is suitable for kids using in dark night like searching, bright the road, flashing for help,etc.
Camera: camera is in the top side, it could not turn around like the GW1000, it support operating on watch, take picture keep the bright moment on watch, other is support remote silence shot while the kids don't know, parents can seeing the around situation of kids when they in emergency.


text:
Story by Roger Moore, Sheerar Museum of Stillwater History Director
Forty-two years in the books. So, what's next for the old building at the corner of 7th and Duncan?
First, for those new to Stillwater, a short history lesson.
On November 17, 1974, the Stillwater Arts and Humanities Council, with plenty of support from Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Sheerar, formally opened a museum in the basement of the new Sheerar Cultural and Heritage Center. It was not an overnight process, but one that started in 1968 with the newly-formed Stillwater Arts and Humanities Council seeking a home for a history museum and performing arts space. "Mike and Molly" Sheerar made their challenge gift of $25,000 to inaugurate the community-wide fund drive to purchase the building at 702 S. Duncan.
On May 2, 1973, the Cultural and Heritage Center opened with the Arts and Humanities Council issuing a resolution officially naming the building as the Sheerar Cultural and Heritage Center in recognition of the Sheerars' contributions.
The building, constructed in 1928, was the second home of Stillwater's First Church of Christ, Scientist. In 1927, the congregation signed a $40,000 contract for its construction with the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving 1928 marking the first services. The church constructed a new building in the early 1970s.
The museum officially opened to the public in November 1974 with the Sheerar Button Collection one of the first exhibits.
Leonard Sheerar's mother, Lena, began collecting buttons in 1936 while living in Wellsville, New York. She continued collecting buttons until 1949, when she moved to Stillwater to be near her son and daughter-in-law, Leonard and Grace Sheerar. When she arrived in Stillwater her button collection had grown to tens of thousands of items and weighed 87 pounds.
During her years in Stillwater, word of the button collection spread, bringing many from the community to her home to view the large variety of buttons. Following her death in 1955, her son and daughter-in-law began looking for a permanent setting to display the collection. For the museum's opening in 1974, members of the National Button Society made a special trip to Stillwater to organize and arrange a display that includes a description of the history and types of buttons. One of the oldest buttons from the Sheerar Collection is a brass button dated circa 1786. Of the 3600 buttons in the collection, a number remain on display as a tribute to the founders of Stillwater's history museum.
Since 1987, the Stillwater Museum Association has owned the building and operated the Sheerar Museum of Stillwater History. Throughout its existence, the museum has had thousands of supporters who have contributed not just monies, but their curiosity, their passion, and their energy to Stillwater's local history museum. As we jump into 2017 there is plenty of room for you to join us!
The 2017 calendar includes some Sheerar traditions … with a few additions.
- January means Associates Drive 2017. Generous donations started in December and continue into the new year. Become an Associate this year and join us for a busy schedule.
- Call February 25 "Grand Opera House Night." In the early 1980s a replica of Stillwater's first entertainment venue (now the Antique Mall) was built. Barbara Mintmire has updated that model, and with a new exhibit case, it will be on display on February 25 near the auditorium entrance. The night will also include some entertainment from the Stillwater High School drama department. Expect a "waving song" or two to be sung that night.
- "Where Oklahoma Began!" will be back in April and May. The award-winning education program brings over 500 area third graders to the museum for an Oklahoma history lesson. We are happy to team with OklahomaWONDERtorium to provide this fun and educational program.
- In May and June, the Sheerar will welcome an Oklahoma Historical Society traveling exhibit focusing on Oklahoma sports, including plenty of Oklahoma A&M tales. This summer exhibit will lead us into our September exhibit, "Stillwater: Where FUN Began! A History of Recreation in Stillwater. Skating rinks, drive-in movies, swimming pools, movie theaters, plenty of things to explore.
- June also means the Sheerar Museum's annual fundraiser. Without the support of the community and our Associates, exhibits, programs, and the services provided to the community would not be possible.
- The Cool Classics Summer Concert Series returns for an 11th year to the auditorium. It is a July tradition in Stillwater.
- A new and fun event will be held in October. "Off the Stage" will give all in attendance a chance to leave with a piece of donated art from a local artist. There will be 50 pieces of art and 50 tickets sold. A drawing follows and once your name is called you pick the piece of art you want. Everyone goes home with something. Stay tuned.
- November marks the return of the American Quilt Study Group. A Study of the Civil War is the theme of quilts that will be displayed in the gallery from November through February 2018.
- December means holidays. The Sheerar's Open House last December drew a great crowd and the Stillwater Community Singers got everyone in the holiday spirit. This December the Stillwater Community Singers will have a holiday concert.
The mission of the Sheerar Museum of Stillwater History, a non-profit museum administered by the Stillwater Museum Association Board of Trustees is "to receive and collect the material culture of Stillwater, Oklahoma, dating from prehistoric times, but especially from the 1880s to the present; to preserve those materials for the future; to study them to derive information about the past; and to use the knowledge resulting from such study to present to the public the history and culture of the area through all effective means."
For more information about the museum, to find out how to become an Associate, or to rent the classic auditorium, contact the museum's director, Roger Moore, at (405)377-0359 or through email at email@example.com.


text:
Isla Fisher
Isla Lang Fisher is an Australian actress. She was born to Scottish parents and raised in Australia. She appeared on the children's adventure series Bay Cove and the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach, before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away. She has since been known for her comedic roles in Scooby-Doo, I Heart Huckabees, Wedding Crashers, Hot Rod, Definitely, Maybe, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Rango, Bachelorette, and Arrested Development. In 2013, Fisher starred as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby and as Henley Reeves in Now You See Me.\nIn June 2015, Fisher became the ING DIRECT brand ambassador.WIKIPEDIA


text:
Athletic trainer Ben Galley (left) and assistant coach Alexis Sherard visit the Garden Tomb on Monday.
Audrey Rettstatt describes the Lady Flames' Monday, which saw the team tour Jerusalem for the second consecutive day. On Tuesday, the Lady Flames will fly to Eilat, Israel for the start of the Friendship Games tournament.
Hey everyone! Today was day four of touring around the Holy Land for us Lady Flames, and it was jam-packed. It was amazing? :)
We started the morning off with a bang by going to the Garden Tomb. Owned by the United Kingdom, the Garden Tomb is a beautiful sanctuary free of charge to anyone and everyone. We were welcomed by our temporary tour guide, Ken from Texas, who walked us through the garden.
First we went to the corner of the garden where, when looking over the fence, we could see Golgotha or Calvary. Due to the two eyes and the nose shaped into the side of the hill, Golgotha is also referred to as "The Place of the Skull." This is believed to be one of the possible locations of Jesus' crucifixion (John 19:16-18). Golgotha is located a little bit outside of the Northern Gate, also known as Damascus Gate, with a major highway running right in front of it that is still there today. Only instead of being occupied by donkeys and carts, today it is filled with buses and cars :) This would have been an ideal spot for the Romans, because they wanted many people to see the crucifixion as it took place.
Fun Fact #1: Did you know that the crucifixion most likely occurred at the bottom of the hill, unlike most illustrations that place the three crosses on the top?! This is because the Romans would have wanted the people passing by to be able to look into the eyes of the ones being crucified. However, there is no complete certainty of the actual crucifixion site. With that in mind, Ken put everything in perspective by reminding us that we did not come all the way to Israel to worship a slab of concrete somewhere or a pile of stones somewhere else, but we came to worship Jesus for what He did for us.
After Golgotha, we walked to the Garden Tomb where Jesus was buried. This tomb was no poor man's tomb. Hand cut into the stone, this large family tomb must have belonged to a wealthy man.
Fun Fact #2: Did you know that today we would most likely use a jackknife to carve out that tomb?! That means a lot of time and hard work was put into that tomb! Having to duck to enter, the tomb was nice and cozy. It was so amazing to get to stand in the actual tomb where Jesus was buried and resurrected? It is something I am sure none of us will ever forget!
We then went to another spot in the garden where we held communion and worship, remembering the sacrifice Jesus made for us and His defeat over death. It is humbling to know that Jesus suffered through all of the pain, agony and stress of His crucifixion, all because of my sin and His love for me.
Fun Fact #3: Did you know that a Jewish custom when eating dinner is that if a man gets up from the table and will not be returning he will throw his napkin on the table?! However if a man leaves the table but will be returning, he will carefully fold his napkin?! In the same way, Jesus's burial cloths were found folded in the tomb. He will be returning?
After the time of worship, we walked along the eastern wall and entered the city through the Lion's Gate to the Pools of Bethesda. This is where Jesus healed the crippled man of 38 years on the Sabbath, as mentioned in John 5. At the sight of the Pools of Bethesda, were built two churches, but only one stands today, the Church of St. Anne. The Church of St. Anne is known for its phenomenal acoustics, so of course we had to test them out :)
Fun Fact #4: Did you know our new G.A., Joyous [Tharrington], has a beautiful voice?!
We then walked to Antonio's Fortress (Pilate's Palace). This is where Jesus was held after being sentenced to death. While in the fortress, we read from Matthew 27:27-31 and John 19:16-17. The mockery and pain Jesus went through prior to His crucifixion came to life while I stood in the area he spent His last moments.
We exited Antonio's Fortress and began to walk Via Dolorosa exiting the city through Damascus Gate, the path Jesus walked carrying His cross to Calvary. It was not exactly what I expected in that it was a crowded street with lots of vendors. It was hard enough for me to make my way through the crowded uphill street merely carrying a backpack, and yet Jesus was forced to walk these streets carrying a heavy cross after His long night in Pilate's Palace. It was truly an amazing and humbling experience.
Later today, after a break for lunch, we toured the Holocaust Museum. I could have spent hours upon hours in there. It was so interesting and yet terribly heartbreaking hearing and reading all of the stories from the survivors. It is a great memorial remembering and paying tribute to those lost and those who survived.
Yesterday, we were told that this afternoon we would be receiving a surprise! All of us were trying to guess what it could possibly be. Lots of ideas were being thrown out, but personally, I was just hoping the surprise would be pizza or burgers or ice cream. I could really go for some good American food right now. :)
However, when we were told that we would be going to the site where David defeated Goliath, my cravings momentarily vanished and I was pumped! We made it to the top of the hill where the Philistines set up camp. From the top we could see the hill where the Israelites set up camp, as well as the valley between where the battle took place (1 Samuel 17). We even got to pick up stones from the stream David chose his five stones he used to defeat Goliath.
Fun Fact #5: Did you know Goliath had four giant siblings as well?! That is why David chose five stones instead of just one!
Well, that concludes day four of touring! We have one more site to see tomorrow and then off to Eilat to play the game we love!
Shalom :)
Audrey Rettstatt #12
AmAzInG Day in Holy Land! Garden Tomb/Golgotha, Pools of Bethesda, Via Dolorosa, Yad Vashem & David vs Goliath valley pic.twitter.com/cP9LI2It6K— Andy Bloodworth (@LUCoachBlood) June 9, 2014
AmAzInG Day in Holy Land! Garden Tomb/Golgotha, Pools of Bethesda, Via Dolorosa, Yad Vashem & David vs Goliath valley pic.twitter.com/cP9LI2It6K
Coming out of the tomb.....just like my Savior. Absolutely unreal to be at this site. http://t.co/YYXu6nPCJB— Joyous Tharrington (@let_tharr_b_joy) June 9, 2014
Coming out of the tomb.....just like my Savior. Absolutely unreal to be at this site. http://t.co/YYXu6nPCJB
Overlooking the valley where David upset Goliath in the first ever NCAA Tournament. http://t.co/nBEx2eq1Nh— Jamie Karl Hall (@JamieKarlHall) June 9, 2014
Overlooking the valley where David upset Goliath in the first ever NCAA Tournament. http://t.co/nBEx2eq1Nh
Like Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Twitter
Follow Us on Instagram


text:
This Week's Blog Special
Week of: 02/06/2009
Enjoy this week's blog special! This beautiful print by Johnny Myers will be available at this discounted price until 03/06/2009 or while supplies last. Get yours today!
Title: Heaven's Little Messengers
Artist: Johnny Myers
Edition: Open Edition Offset
Size: 36×24 inches
Retail Price: $45.00
Our Price: $36.00
Blog Special: $30.00 + $8.50 Shipping
This Week's Blog Special!
Available on the Blog Only


text:
The presents have been unwrapped, "Miracle on 34th Street" has been watched, "Happy Birthday Jesus" has been sung, the man in the red suit has done his annual drive-by (or is it fly-by?) under cover of darkness and childhood fantasies, and the last cookie crumb has been carried off by a hopeful house-mouse. That means only one thing: 2012 is officially breathing its last, so grab a hip flask and your favorite alcoholic beverage and settle in for a year-end review. If yours looks anything like mine, you're going to need a drink or five. So, here goes:
Weight:………Ha! Made ya look. I don't think so.
Jobs: 1 (hurrah. Am career woman extraordinaire…or impoverished graduate student with delusions of grandeur. It all depends on your point of view).
Status of Dissertation: almost complete (unless you count the fact that all chapters are in draft form and at least 5 pages short of the minimum required length. Re: point of view, positive attitude, glass half-full ETC.)
Boyfriends: 1 (V.G. Definite improvement in life situation).
Number of obsessive thoughts about Mark Darcy/Colin Firth: 16000000 (conservative estimate).
Number of times watched unveiling of Colin Firth's wax figure on The Ellen Show: 3 (minimal due to irrational waxyfirthophobia).
Number of times watched "Hobbit" trailer to hear Martin Freeman exclaim, "I'm going on an adventure!": 3054830 (approx. Is natural and just, though, considering adorable factor of Martin Freeman).
Number of books read: 44 (disgusting, illiterate slob. Must improve).
Number of books read from the BBC's list of 100 books everyone should read: 1 (positively Philistine).
Number of films scene: 4 (serious lack of dedication to supporting the arts. Must really try harder in 2013).
Number of films seen in theater: one (Bad. Clearly have become victim of technology and convenience of Netflix, online streaming, ETC.)
Number of Colin Firth films seen: two (pathetic beyond what words can express. Have resolved to redouble efforts and complete Firth filmography project by end of 2013).
High points of year: My trip to Boston (though not, perhaps, the incident involving a very muddy guidedog and a disgruntled bellhop); discovering that I can, contrary to previous belief, attract decent heterosexual males (*crosses fingers*); Sherlock series 2 (except psychological trauma re: fake suicide and suspense over pending return of supposedly-dead detective)
Low points of year: Discovering that, according to this article in the Daily Mail, Colin Firth actually claims to hate Christmas. Something inside of me has died. All hope and joy have gone from the world. This must be how Dorothy felt when she pulled back the curtain and saw a shriveled old prune of a man instead of a god-like sorcerer type figure in manner of Gandalf or Albus Dumbledore…or how Bridget Jones felt upon discovering that Mark Darcy votes Tory. I'm completely overlooking the fact that the above Article appeared in The Daily Mail and consequently contains about as much truth as a politician's promise. There's just no cure for that kind of paradigm-shattering trauma. If you were planning to tell me that the Easter Bunny isn't real, now might not be the best time; I'm just a bit too fragile at the moment.
2013 Resolutions: Finish dissertation (because, well, this isn't negotiable), eat healthier, drink less alcohol (except for medicinal purposes…like stress…or watching any movie in which Colin Firth dies), put DVDs back in cases after watching, keep up with laundry, washing up, and other house chores, work out at the gym at least three times a week, work on inner poise.
Question: How has your 2012 been? What are you looking forward to in 2013?


text:
Triggered by an article in the Guardian, the BCS Open Source Specialist Group (OSSG) sponsored a conference earlier this year on 07/01/10 to explore the application of open source tools for content and document management in the public sector. This talk by Graham Oakes the principal organizer of the conference earlier this year on 07/01/10 will summarise some of the conclusions of that conference at a combined event held by OSSG and BCS Manchester on 07/10/10 from around 1815 hours in John Dalton Building, Chester Street/Oxford Road Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester M15 6BH
Is Open Source a viable way for the public sector to contain its IT costs? Government policy is gradually becoming more favourable to open source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7910110.stm). Many commentators identify open source as a way to contain spiralling project costs (e.g. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/07/local-government-open-source-birmingham-website-costs).
For further details please visit:


text:
Michael Green: Blade Runner 2049 is inspired by MCU
- Bang Showbiz
- 9 October 2017
Hollywood scribe Michael Green has admitted he took inspiration from the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when penning 'Blade Runner 2049'
Michael Green has revealed that 'Blade Runner 2049' was partly inspired by the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The American screenwriter penned the sequel to Sir Ridley Scott's 1982 cult sci-fi classic alongside original 'Blade Runner' scribe Hampton Francher which is itself inspired by Philip K. Dick's novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' which came out in 1968.
When he began working on the second 'Blade Runner' film, Green admitted he looked to the separate stories in the MCU for inspiration as he knew it wasn't enough to expand the fictional universe if he didn't have a story worth telling on the big screen.
Speaking to 'Entertainment Weekly', he said: "So many studios and property rights holders have seen the success of Marvel, which we all adore and wonder how to replicate it. For me, the lesson of Marvel is: you don't begin by building a universe. You begin by telling a story worth telling. And if it is a great story, directed well and performed brilliantly and stays with people, it will become the black hole around which a galaxy can form. If you begin by trying to build the universe before creating a film worth watching, well, there be dragons.
"At no point in the creation of this story or script did anyone talk about spin-offs or how might things continue. It was always: what's our story and make sure you have a story that is worth the title."
Denis Villeneuve's sequel takes place three decades after the original movie which is why Harrison Ford, 75, is seen as a much older version of his police operative character, android hunter Rick Deckard.
The impressive cast includes Ryan Gosling - who plays main protagonist, LAPD Officer K - Jared Leto, Lennie James, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, Mackenzie Davis, Barkhad Abdi, David Dastmalchian, Hiam Abbass and Dave Bautista.


text:
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Whine (05/23/13)
TITLE: Conquering EntitleMentality
By Tim Pickl
"What did you say?" Maria stepped out of the laundry area, located just off the kitchen. "The washer and dryer are so loud I can't hear you."
"Your old Macintosh is whining again. I think Annabelle has used it so much the hard disk drive is goin'."
As if on cue, Annabelle shuffled into the kitchen. "Daddy, come an' look. I think my 'puter is dead."
"Attention! Attention! Antichrist Antivirus Perception Police, report to the gathering area." Within a fraction of a second, the A-APP reported as ordered to the Commander-in-A-APP-Chief.
"It looks like we have another busy Saturday on the docket today for the Johnson family. A new stream of antichrist virus thoughts has managed to sneak past the perimeters of the Johnson minds overnight; but we are well equipped as both Ross and Marcia have been praying this week!"
"What kind of threat are we facing today, Sir?"
"Today the Johnson family is facing the strongest spirit that's invaded the world and is attacking My Church today: entitlement."
"See, look-it, Daddy, my 'puter died again."
Sure enough, the old Macintosh desktop display was frozen, but the obnoxious whine remained. A large smiley face on the screen mocked Ross as he reached to power it off.
"Wait, Daddy, wait!"
"Why? This is how—"
"Cuz I was playin' MY fav-rit game!" Annabelle's whiney voice matched the pitch of the Macintosh.
"But, honey… the only way to fix it is to restart it."
"Awwwwww, puhleez, Daddy? Don't turn MY 'puter off."
"But, Annabelle, honey-bear, I need to turn it off."
"Here it comes! Entitlement antichrist thoughts at 3 o'clock."
"Roger that. Weapons at the ready."
"Please Daddy, puhleez? This is MY computer. You gave it to ME." Annabelle stuck out her bottom lip, crossed her arms and stomped the floor with her left foot emphasizing almost every syllable. "You promised you would get me a new 'puter. Remember?"
"Firing antichrist antivirus weapons, Sir."
"Honey, let's talk about this."
"No! I don't wanna."
"Another attack! Entitlement reinforcement antichrist thoughts at 9 o'clock."
"We see them, Sir."
"Firing second round of antichrist antivirus weapons, Sir."
"Don't shut off my 'puter." Annabelle went to the corner of her room and plopped down in a huff. Thankfully, she stopped whining.
Ross quietly prayed, "Dear Lord, I need Your help with this situation, right now."
"Another attack! Entitlement reinforcement antichrist thoughts at 6 o'clock."
"We're on it, Sir."
"Firing third round of antichrist antivirus weapons, Sir… Got 'em! We've captured them all!"
"Annabelle, go hug your Father, now, and tell him you are sorry."
"Oh, all right, Mommy." Annabelle ran to Ross and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I just want my 'puter to work."
With one finger, Ross gently lifted Annabelle's head by the chin and said, "I love you, honey-bear. We love you. We want the best for you and we'll do anything and everything in our power to give you the best things."
"I know. Thank you."
"Now, that's the Spirit. We need to be thankful for the things we have; and we need to be thankful for the people in our lives."
"Thank you Daddy."
"Every good thing we have is a gift from God: We are not entitled to anything." The solution came to Ross as God answered his prayer. He hit a couple of keys and Annabelle's game resumed. "See? God answers prayer."
"I love you, Daddy. I love you, Mommy."
"Mission Accomplished."
"Excellent job."
"What should we do with all the captured antichrist thoughts?"
"Demolish them all."
Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 (Holman Christian Standard Bible—HCSB)
Now I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ—I who am humble among you in person but bold toward you when absent. I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way. For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.


text:
|Riane Eisler
By Riane Eisler and Rene Redwood
A financial debt can be paid back. But the debt we'll owe our children if investments in health, nutrition and education are slashed is irreparable. Investment in human infrastructure – providing the human capacity development for optimal economic productivity and innovation through both government and business investments – is essential for success in the post-industrial economy, and this should be our policymakers' guiding economic principle.
|Rene Redwood
Why are we told that cutting social programs is the road to prosperity, when our past prosperity was the result of the very opposite?
At the beginning of the 20th century, the United States was what we today call a "developing country." Except for the super-rich, our general living standard was abysmal: child and general mortality rates were extremely high, as was poverty. Then we invested in prenatal and child health care such as vaccines; abolished child labor; mandated not only primary, but also secondary public education; and promoted college education through the GI Bill for returning soldiers. These kinds of government expenditures, along with Social Security, Medicare, Head Start and other government programs to care for and educate our people had a huge return on investment for our people and nation.
Today, largely as a result of retrenching in such public expenditures, the U.S. has higher child mortality, maternal mortality and poverty rates than any other developed nation. According to a 2007 UNICEF study, the U.S. ranked 24th of 25 developed countries with children living below the national poverty level. By comparison, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Spain topped the list. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that poverty afflicts roughly one in six American children—some 13 million youths, a figure that's expected to rise as poverty trends continue to soar.
In 2009, more than 4.4 million single mothers earned wages below the national poverty level and were barely able to supply their children with basic needs. That number of women had increased 6.7 percent compared to the previous year, according to census figures. The kinds of cuts now proposed—especially cuts to programs to help impoverished families with children—will push us down even further.
By contrast, investing in education, health care, child-care and eldercare drastically reduces unemployment, poverty, public assistance, spending on prisons -- and at the same time provides a trained work force and higher tax base. According to a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 37 percent of Americans believe job creation/economic growth is our nation's No. 1 issue, and only 22 percent named the deficit/government spending as the top. What's more, while Americans find some budget cuts acceptable; they adamantly oppose cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and K-12 education.
That's because most of us know that our most important assets are our people. If we don't invest in human infrastructure, we cannot be economically successful.
We urgently need a realistic long-term perspective on how national and state deficits are calculated. The human capital deficit created by cutting social programs will be irreparable. By contrast, benefits to individuals, families, businesses and society at large from investment in human infrastructure will accrue for generations.
There's an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Our priorities should be exactly what the "deficit hawks" are putting on the chopping block. Cutting those programs is criminal behavior, not sound policy.
Riane Eisler is president of the Center for Partnership Studies (www.partnershipway.org) and author of The Real Wealth of Nations and The Chalice & the Blade. Rene Redwood is CEO of Redwood Enterprise in Washington, D.C. (www.redwoodenterprise.com)
Copyright 2011 (c) by The American Forum. 5/11


text:
Phone: 970-348-2100
Degrees and Certifications:
Mrs. Jodee Mueller
I am Mrs. Mueller, and I am excited to be a Gifted and Talented Specialist at Shawsheen.
In addition to serving students at our school, I also work at Scott and Bella K-8 Academy. This is my first year in this position. For the last 5 years, I was an assistant principal in District 6, first at Jackson and the last three years at Monfort. Prior to working as an assistant principal, I was a 4th and 5th grade teacher at McAuliffe Elementary for 18 years. All of these experiences have prepared me to work with teachers, students, and parents in my new position.
Challenging students to do their absolute best is my passion. All students need to feel supported in their academic challenges. When students are pushing boundaries academically, they continue to learn and grow. In this struggle, students acquire new learning. As a GT specialist, I will work directly with teachers and students on higher level thinking opportunities.
My husband and I have lived in Greeley for nearly thirty years. We have three children; two sons and a daughter. Our oldest is Macee Jo. She is a graduate of Greeley Central High School and Carthage College in Kenosha, WI. After graduating from college, she moved to Chicago and got married. Levi is our middle son. He just graduated from Northridge High School, and is attending Northwest Missouri State University. Logan is our youngest, and is a fifth grader at McAuliffe Elementary.
When we're together as a family, we enjoy gardening, bike riding, and traveling. One of our favorite cities to visit is Chicago. Not only because our daughter lives there, but it is a fun city for outdoor activities and museums. When we visit, we eat deep dish pizza and drive the shores of Lake Michigan.
Shawsheen is the place to be, and I am thrilled to be here. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you or your child on their road to academic success.


text:
Greenwich High girls soccer determined to return to postseason play
One goal.
In the game of soccer that is often what separates champions from their competitors. Last season it was a series of goals that didn't go its way that kept the Greenwich girls soccer team from defending its FCIAC crown.
Unable to get a goal in their regular season finale, the Cardinals missed out on the final bid for the league tournament and were ousted in the first round of the Class LL tournament by Hall on a golden goal in overtime. The 6-4-6 finish wasn't quite what Greenwich head coach Danny Simpson and his team had envisioned as an encore to their 2007 FCIAC title season, but with a new season ready to kick off next week, the GHS coach has his team conditioned for what it hopes will be a return to glory.
"As we reflect on last season we as the coaches take responsibility for the team running out of gas late in games," Simpson said. "We weren't as conditioned as we should have been, but we have spent the last two weeks focusing on team fitness. In addition to fitness our success really comes down to the simple concept of putting the ball in the net more than our opponents."
That concept will be a little harder with the graduation losses of Kristina Patrk, Kristi Kelly, and Gabby Morgan on the offensive side of the ball and Alexa Campbell and Heather Niven on defense. Yet despite losing that talent the Cardinals do bring plenty of skilled veterans to the pitch, lead by tri-captains Kelsey Shea, Liz Niehaus, and Courtney Callahan. According to Niehaus 2009 will be very different than 2008 in more ways than wins and losses.
"Last year we took everything for granted because we were defending champions," Niehaus said. "We needed to understand that any team was capable of beating us on any given day and unfortunately we learned that lesson the hard way. We understand now that we need to go into each game focused on the task at hand and take nothing for granted."
That is the type of attitude and leadership that Simpson will rely on as the Cardinals start a new season. While this team might be a little inexperienced when it comes to the high pressure FCIAC showdowns that it will face, it is that fact that has Simpson confident.
"You never know if you'll capture lightning in a bottle like we did two years ago so it's hard to say what this season will bring," Simpson said. "A lot of these girls are new to playing in these intense FCIAC games so they really go into this with nothing to fear. They'll need to take that approach and go into this season and play with grit and determination."
With renewed focus and an emphasis on conditioning one might assume that the Cardinals are solely concerned with regaining the league crown, but not these Cardinals, not this year.
"We aren't even talking about the championship," Shea said. "Our problem last year was that we expected the title to be handed to us but this season is about taking it one game at a time and earning every win."
A capsule look
AT THE HELM -- Simpson is entering his fifth year as GHS head coach and is joined by fourth year assistant coach Jason Simone.
WHO'S GONE -- Defenders Campbell and Niven along with the offensive prowess of Patrk, Kelly, and Morgan represent the biggest losses for Greenwich due to graduation.
WHO'S BACK -- Shea, Niehaus and Callahan are joined by wide midfielder Meghan Hayden and center midfielder Maddy More.
LOOK OUT FOR -- Sophomores Shannon Culligan and Tori Dunster should add a boost to the GHS midfield. Also keep an eye out for Taylor Bucklin, a freshman goalie, who adds great depth and a bright future for the Cardinals in net.
STRENGTHS -- Fitness and motivation. "We are already a stronger team in terms of conditioning and I think we are stronger mentally, too," Simpson said. "I think everyone on this team wants to put last year behind us and prove to the league that we're no one hit wonder."
WEAKNESSES -- The biggest question surrounding the Cardinals is how their holes on defense are filled. "Losing the seniors we did on defense leaves us a little inexperienced as a unit," Simpson said. "How we come together on that side of the ball will go a long way in determining the success of our season."
SHOWDOWNS -- Some key matches for the Cardinals will be against Darien (away, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m.); St. Joseph (away, Oct. 14 at 4 p.m.); Trumbull (home Sept. 30 at 4 p.m.); and Ridgefield (home Oct. 13 at 6 p.m.).


text:
LaCosta filled in it's motel pool years ago to open the deck bar, the Ocean Drive and Braca's have both purchased adjacent properties to open and expand their outdoor bar areas. Take a walk down Landis Ave and there are always people outside at O'Donnell's Pour House and visit the other side of town, where you can catch people sitting outside at Kix.
Even more outdoor bar changes are coming this summer as well as Braca's Henri's outdoor bar is undergoing a huge expansion and renovation plans, first reported by Sea Isle Guide.
Also the Ocean Drive has just received city approval to replace it's temporary tent above the bar with a permanent structure, so the party can keep going even in the rain. The Ocean Drive also plans to demolish an old storage garage on the property and add in new bathrooms for the outdoor bar.
It's safe to say both will be great additions to the Sea Isle Bar scene this summer.
Check our a picture of Braca's Henri's expansion below:


text:
Our Services.
Brand Positioning
Creating brand strategies to connect with its users. Communicating consistent brand messages.
Social Media Marketing
Engaging with the brand communities and attracting the audience on your web properties.
Content Marketing
Crafting impactful content that drives inbound traffic and helps clients achieve business goals.
User-Centered Websites
Designing websites that are focus on users' needs to provide holistic brand experience.
Digital Business Strategy
Leveraging digital technology to help clients thrive in rapidly changing digital economy.
Search Marketing
Helping with search marketing for ranking in organic results. Managing Google paid ads campaigns.
Creative Design
Using design for telling brand stories that engage users and provide beautiful brand experiences.
ChatBot Marketing
Building chatbots that engage with users to humanise the brand messages and build connections.
Ecommerce Consultation
Helping with ecommerce platforms that actually sell products and services to drive business growth.
Business Model Innovation
Helping organisations innovate their business models to compete with new-age innovative companies.
Digital PR
Helping brands disseminate positive word-of-mouth to enhance business' visibility online.
Customer Relationship Management
Generating sales, creating values, building user trust and loyalty to ensure lifetime connections.


text:
One match in the Cup was played last evening, with Sudbury going down ½ - 3½ to Ipswich C. The other two matches, between Ipswich D and Manningtree, and Ipswich E and Ipswich A, will be played on Tuesday 6 January. The seventh team, Ipswich B, has a bye to the semi-finals.
In the Plate, Saxmundham will play Stowmarket on 6 January, whilst the two Bury St Edmunds teams, E and D, face each other on Thursday 29 January. Two teams have byes: Felixstowe and Ipswich F.
The success or otherwise of this event can be judged by its 13 entries, considerably more than the nine teams that played last season in the Under 125 and Under 145 Cups combined. However, eight teams declined to participate in the Cup and Plate, mostly on account of fixture congestion and the consequent difficulty in finding sufficient players. These were three teams from Bury St Edmunds (A, B & C), Adastral Park, Clacton, as well as the 'B' teams from Stowmarket, Saxmundham and Manningtree. Both Bury and Clacton have considerable commitments in other leagues (Bury Area and North Essex respectively).


text:
What's your emotional trigger? The thing that stops you in your tracks, makes your heart pound or stop, and blurs the pages of the morning paper? A lost child? A hurt puppy? A dying grandmother?
Emotions are among the most researched of psychological conditions. The word "emotion" dates back to the 1500's, deriving from the French émouvoir, which means "to stir up". But a journey back through history, even before that time, demonstrates the prevalence of that human state.
You can't invent new emotions to go along with your fictional world. Given that your emotional construct will reflect the real world, you'll rely on two types of emotions: primary emotions and secondary emotions. Your primary emotion will develop from your inciting incident. This is the emotion that propels all of your main characters' actions. How they display and deal with the primary emotion will be the backbone of your story. Your secondary emotions are those emotions your characters demonstrate as they strive to resolve the conflict brought on by the primary emotion. For example, they may experience an inciting incident that creates a fear response. Fear is your primary emotion. As a response to that fear, they become angry and driven to conquer their fear. Anger is your secondary emotion. As you structure your story, you typically have one primary emotion and several secondary emotions. This adds the depth to your characters and story that gives your readers an enriching and fulfilling reading experience.
All good fiction writing has at its heart the goal "to stir up", whether it is an adventure, a fantasy, a mystery, or a romance.
Emotions – feelings, moods, behavior – are reactions and responses to stimuli. These stimuli may include certain events, stressors, behavior of others, or even our own inner thoughts and conflicts, attitudes, frustrations, etc. For example, the emotion of sadness may be caused by the loss of something or someone very important. Anger may be precipitated by someone taking something very important from you.
Rational-emotive psychologist Albert Ellis designed the following Model of Emotion:
A (Activating Event) + B (Belief) = C (Consequence)
Based on the human belief that our desires must and should be fulfilled, our emotional responses can be an irrational reaction to those stimuli.
For example, if your protagonist (Let's call him Brad) wanted more than anything to ask the new girl out on a date and she declined, this might be his emotional response:
A (Dinner invitation declined) + B (Because I am unlikeable) =
C (Sadness, depression, feeling rejected)
Brad's belief, whether rational or irrational, leads to his feelings of rejection and sadness. Of course, if she had accepted his invitation, the model would yield a different result.
Just as we react in our real world, we want our characters to react in our writing. And even though we all want and feel we deserve to get what we want – the job, the car, the girl – life often does not turn out that way. Enter the disturbance that will stir things up!
Take our rejected protagonist for example. When we first meet Brad in our story, he appears to be a pretty normal guy. Handsome, friendly, ambitious. Brad's a rising attorney in a large law firm, who graduated from a major university, where he was a star quarterback on the football team. But when it comes to women, he strikes out. He's shy and awkward. On that playing field, he lacks self-confidence. Why?
Maybe he had a girlfriend in high school that cheated on him, dumped him, and married his best friend. He never got over her. He subconsciously compares all other women to her. Now we have a character with some emotional baggage to go along with his promising career.
Enter the emotional trigger. As soon as Brad saw the attractive paralegal walk into the law library. He wanted to pursue her, take her out to dinner. But the subconscious response linked to his past experience and the subsequent arousal of his nervous system, set him on another course.
Brad felt heaviness in his chest. He was light-headed from the rush of adrenalin. A flush crept up from his neck to his cheeks. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his nails dug into his palms. Words crept out in uneven syllables, hanging…
When Brad's attempt to get something he wanted was thwarted, it sent him spiraling into a deep depression. That moment and what he does next will become his emotional journey. And whether he responds in a positive or negative way to stimuli, his action and motivation will be propelled by emotion.
When your characters don't get what they want, one of the first emotions they experience is frustration. It is in that moment that he or she must choose what to do in response to that setback. The choices are dependent upon what kind of person they are and where the plot will take us. The emotional response of your characters is deeply rooted in their personality.
What is Brad feeling? Anger? Sadness? Hurt? Pain? Will he lose control? Seek revenge? Will he give up and shrink back into the stacks of the library and lick his wounds? Will he take a deep breath and try again until he succeeds?
Initially, our character's reactions to frustration are tied to learned behavior. In Brad's case, how did he respond to the loss of his girlfriend in high school? Were there other significant emotional events in his childhood that might influence his present day reaction? Was he abandoned by someone else? Left alone? Did he feel unloved by a parent or another significant person?
Brad's emotional journey began before we met him in our author's mind. It has been a fusion of his external persona, i.e. successful attorney, and his internal identity, i.e. wounded child. His complete character is a combination of flaws, i.e., insecurity, depression, quick temper and strengths, i.e., intelligence, handsome appearance, integrity.
Character flaws are often learned coping mechanisms to compensate for our vulnerability. Often the direct result of not getting what we wanted or felt we deserved. Perception is reality. And when we view ourselves as insecure, unlovable, weak, our character is threatened. In Brad's case, when he was rejected in the past, he was hurt and angry, prone to despair and depression. This is his emotional maturity level when we first meet him.
Now that we care about him, we want him to succeed. We know that there is potential for growth and transformation. As we travel with him on his journey, we see how he reacts to stimuli at each juncture. From the introduction in Act One, where we create empathy for him, with his vulnerability and flaws. We show his reactions and adjustments in the turning points when his desires and longings are thwarted thrusting him into new situations and pursuits.
Into Act Two, we show his fear and angst as he pursues his dream and his goal, facing the conflicts and failures, the progress and retreat. We describe his commitment at the point of no return when he realizes what his life would be like if he failed. And when we raise the stakes even higher for him, we paint the peak of his emotional journey as we glimpse the all or nothing moment when it seems he will not succeed. Then the emotional maturity level has grown and his reaction to stimuli has changed.
The emotional journey that your character(s) take serves to heighten the interaction between your reader and that character. The reader has been on that journey, become that persona, and experienced that growth. And that is one of the many reasons we write what we write. To fuse that emotional connection between the reader and the story.
Ann Eisenstein is the author of The Sean Gray Junior Special Agent Mystery series. Hiding Carly, (Peak City Publishing, 2012), in which she applied the skills and knowledge gained through the FBI Citizen's Academy to tell the story of reuniting a missing child with her mother, is the book one. Book two of the three part series, Fallen Prey, (Peak City Publishing, 2013), tells the story of the danger of internet predators.
After growing up on a farm in Ohio, Eisenstein earned a BS degree in Education with an English major and Journalism minor and a M.Ed. in School Psychology. Besides teaching at the elementary, middle school, and college levels, she served as a psychologist in multiple school systems, an adolescent psychiatric treatment facility, in private practice, and for the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.
Ann currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the South Carolina Writer's Workshop (SCWW), the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizen's Academy (FBICCAA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation InfraGard (FBIIG), and the Richland County Sheriff's Department Citizen's Academy (RCSDCAA).
For additional information about Ann Eisenstein, visit her website: http://www.anneisenstein.com


text:
A few weekends ago I was invited to attended Unwined WA as a guest and invited my friend C to come along with me. I went to Unwined WA last year (blog post here) and loved it so I was exciting to be returning to the event again this year. Unwined WA is a wine show held at Market Square Park in Subiaco over a weekend in October each year to showcase wine and food produce of Western Australia.
While at Unwined WA I took C around and introduced her to some new wine varietals as well as a few favourite wineries of mine. After a few hours of sampling many of the wines on offer we came to the consensus that Castelli was our favourite winery of the day for across the board quality. We however also enjoyed the Malbec at Talisman Wines and the Rose at Fifth Estate Wines.
I had made the mistake last time of missing the fudge stall so this time around I made sure to not leave before I had tried some. Around the time we were ready for a break from wine tastings we found Gidge Gourmet Fudge, and let me tell you, boy did the double chocolate fudge make for a perfect gooey snack at the show. Loved it and the few pieces that I took home did not last very long either. Lovely range of flavours with something to tickle everyones fancy!
I enjoyed the show again and it was great to see more stalls at this years event. Looking forward to seeing how the show goes next year!
I would like to say a big thank you to Jessica at CMS Events for providing me with tickets to this years show.


text: Driving around the West Bank, Israeli settlements and outposts can be seen on almost every hilltop [GALLO/GETTY] For an unforgettable "Groundhog Day" experience, there is nothing better than a trip to Palestine and Israel. We've experienced multiple revolutions over the past six decades in information technologies, social mores and political upheavals. The Soviet empire collapsed, democracy advanced around the globe, Asia began to rise and the West began to decline. It is all quite disorienting. But one thing remains constant: The Arab-Israeli conflict. It just grinds on and on. For those of us who have been studying it professionally, there is something oddly reassuring about that. For most others not directly involved, it has just become boring. Too bad, because, like a smoldering peat fire, the Palestine problem helps keep the entire Middle East on the boil. Here are some verbal snapshots from a recent visit to Palestine and Israel. Welcome to Bantustan RamallahGetting out of Fortress Israel into the promised land of Palestine is not nearly as difficult as getting back in. Ramallah has become a boom town, far different from the sleepy metropolis it used to be. "There's lots of money here," my taxi driver observed, "but not so much anywhere else in the West Bank." A lot of that money comes from Western donors to support that sickly enterprise known as the Palestinian Authority. Other money is coming in from the Gulf. Land prices are out of sight. The Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, darling of Washington and the World Bank, is building small city that would aspire to be Dubai or Singapore. But Ramallah, like the other main towns of the West Bank, is hemmed in by Israeli checkpoints. And for a Palestinian to get from Ramallah to Bethlehem requires a two-hour (or more, depending on delays at checkpoints) journey down into the Jordan valley and back up again, which could be done via Jerusalem in a half-hour were there no Israeli obstacles. Arab Jerusalem (the east side including the Old City) is languishing economically and socially because it is now effectively cut off from its natural hinterland - Bethlehem and Hebron to the south, Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin to the north. If you want to contemplate the possibilities of the two-state solution, there is no better place to do so than on a drive between Ramallah and Nablus. Where is this other state going to be, anyway? I got a ride with a friend who has been making the trip regularly for some years. She said the pace of settlement construction has dramatically increased under Netanyahu's regime. At every crossroads there are signs and roads to new Israeli settlements, and on virtually every hilltop there is a new "outpost". Settlers continue to seize the agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian villages. By any conception of a genuine state, with territorial contiguity, these settlements would have to go. But is there any Israeli government, hawkish or dovish, that could make that happen?Abu Mazen the Hero!?Who would have thought it? Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), this colourless, suit-and-tie kind of guy, antithesis of the charismatic Arafat, reviled and ridiculed for allowing himself to be bamboozled for a decade by the charade of the Oslo "peace process", is suddenly getting some respect! But yes it's true. Abu Mazen has gained much respect among Palestinians since the bid for statehood at the UN [GALLO/GETTY] Buildings in Ramallah and Nablus are plastered with banners proclaiming him the standard-bearer of Palestinian statehood. The empty chair for Palestine at the UN is (people hope) about to be filled thanks to Abbas' uncharacteristically principled performance before the General Assembly. Contrary to the pronouncements of many Israeli and Western pundits, he has not been undone by the Hamas-Israel prisoner swap which was actually a win-win event for all Palestinians; and now, with the overwhelming international endorsement for Palestinian membership in UNESCO, his flag is flying even higher. Will it all dwindle away when the Security Council rejects full Palestinian membership - thanks to the threat of a US veto (this being part of the Obama administration's campaign to be on "the right side of history" in the Middle East!)? I doubt it. Palestinians have shown remarkable indulgence for their leaders who have failed but "fought the good fight". Nevertheless, the time may not be far off when the two-state solution, and those who fought for it, will be consigned to the dustbin of history.The swap: Advantage HamasOutside the villa housing the offices of the International Red Cross in east Jerusalem four - now two - Hamas officials from the elected Palestinian Legislative Council and the short-lived Fatah-Hamas government that followed it have been holed up for over 400 days. They are Jerusalem residents, and the Netanyahu government has ordered that they be deported. One of them who briefly stepped off the premises was snatched by Israeli security agents. The remaining pair vow to remain indefinitely. While an international organisation like the Red Cross does not enjoy the sovereign status of an embassy, the Israelis so far have been reluctant to intrude and cause a fuss. I asked their lawyer whether they might be included in a possible swap for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held in Gaza for five years. He replied that there have been rumours of an imminent swap for almost as long, so don't expect anything soon. But only a few hours later, there was a deal between Netanyahu and Hamas to exchange Shalit for over 1,000 of the some 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Unfortunately, the two Hamas officials were not among them.So why did the swap suddenly happen? Some analysts claim that Hamas leaders blinked because they felt upstaged by Abbas at the UN - but it is not obvious that they made significant concessions - indeed they did better than they ever had in terms of the comparative prisoner "yield". If they were concerned (as they should be) about a threat to their larger strategic position from the turmoil in Syria, a successful swap would give them a "bounce" but wouldn't materially improve their overall position. President Abbas has transformed Ramallah from a sleepy small town into a busy capital [GALLO/GETTY] Two other explanations are more plausible. First, Egypt - "liberated" from Mubarak and his slavish collaboration with Israel and the US - has begun to recuperate some of its long-lost influence and had improved leverage with both Hamas and Israel. To Hamas, Egypt is now more of an honest broker. To Israel, Egypt is suddenly much more important and problematical in its strategic situation. Egypt's interim military rulers are more vulnerable to the deep anti-Israeli popular sentiment than was the former dictatorship, and cooler heads in Israel realise the importance of trying to repair one of their few normal relationships in the neighbourhood, especially now that the Turkish connection has almost been severed.But second and more important, Netanyahu blinked. An Israeli analyst I spoke with spoke of the domestic pressures - the unprecedented and ongoing mass protests over deteriorating social conditions. This plus the effective lobbying campaign by the Shalit family had put him in a tough spot. And there is no doubt that Netanyahu scored many political points by bringing back the soldier, despite recriminations by some that he had paid too high a price and was opening the door to new kidnapping attempts. But my Israeli contact raised another and more intriguing question: Why would Netanyahu, whose brother was killed in a counter-terrorist raid and whose life's vocation has been to make war on terrorists, suddenly make a deal with terrorists (and not such a favourable deal at that) while at the same time continuing to undermine the "moderate" Palestinian leadership? Is he undergoing some kind of Nixon-in-China epiphany? Or is he simply trying to deepen the rift between the two Palestinian factions? My Israeli interlocutor said he had no answer. But the fact that Netanyahu apparently rejected a Hamas demand to include Marwan Barghouti, the imprisoned popular Fatah leader, in the swap leads one to suspect that he would prefer the weak Abu Mazen to a dynamic leader who might unify the Palestinian factions and create a more powerful Palestinian leadership. Israelis in a funk What's a liberal Israeli to do? I met a few during my trip. Rarely have I seen a more dispirited lot. Obviously there should be a meaningful two-state solution, said one of them. It would have been smart for Israel, he continued, if instead of fighting tooth and nail against the Palestinian bid for full UN membership it had supported it. So why don't the Israelis do what's in their interest, I asked naively. Wearily he replied that Israel is in the grip of a determined radical minority of settlers, xenophobic emigres from Russia and orthodox Jewish interests for whom a Palestinian state is anathema. The peace movement, thanks in part to past Palestinian provocations, is on life support. And among conservative Israelis the mood is also bleak. They rightly sense a new insecurity. The "Arab Spring" has weakened relatively friendly Arab dictators and nobody knows what lies ahead but it probably won't be favourable to Israel. Relations with Turkey have collapsed - a major strategic setback. The new Egyptian regime remains at best a question mark. And they must be unhappy at the recent successes of the Palestinians in the international community - most recently with their victory in securing UNESCO membership over vigorous American and Israeli opposition. For much of the Israeli public the occupied territories are a distant sideshow now that terrorists acts have declined; domestic social and economic issues are more important. America AWOLWe all crave a happy ending to this dreary story. So where is the deus ex machina to provide it? Naturally we look to the United States. Europe seems too divided to do the job, and Asia is still too weak, too far away, and too uninterested. Unfortunately, the US is out to lunch as far as this matter is concerned, at least until the next presidential election. Mired in tired positions, promoting a diplomacy defined by "Oslo" and "the Quartet" that are utterly discredited, the Obama administration appears resigned to "muddling through" even though its fecklessness feeds America's many other problems across the region. Michael C Hudson is the Seif Ghobash Professor of Government and International Relations at Georgetown University. He is currently serving as the Director of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. He has written, edited and contributed to numerous books, including Middle East Dilemma: The Politics and Economics of Arab Integration (Columbia University Press), Arab Politics: The Search for Legitimacy (Yale University Press) and The Precarious Republic: Political Modernization in Lebanon (Random House).The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy. SOURCE: Al Jazeera ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael HudsonMichael C Hudson is director of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. Politics US & Canada China Egypt Israel


text:
You are not the owner of your own body. You have been bought at a high price! Therefore bring glory to God in your body for it belongs to Him. I Cor. 6:19-20
"It's my body, I can do with it what I want" some have said. Wrong! Jesus Christ paid a tremendous price on the cross to ransom you from satan's power. He purchased you and your freedom. A big part of salvation is acknowledging that we belong to Him. That puts a whole new light on things. We're His. We should live to bring glory and praise to Him, not just satisfy ourselves. That kind of thinking isn't very popular these days, but it's the truth.
Pastor Ray Pile


text:
Can you guess who number one might be?
Don't be frightened if you find yourself in Liverpool and someone comes up to you and starts snorting, hacking, clearing their throat, sniffing and coughing – it's just their way of saying "hello". What they're actually doing is talking. It's weird. Equally weird is that such strange and indecipherable speaking voices can make for totally amazing singing voices. We're thinking of Elvis Costello, the guy with the hair from The Zutons, the young scientists in Atomic Kitten. And yet, sadly, none of those people made the cut. The best second best bands from Liverpool read like this:
1. Echo and The Bunnymen
Formed in 1978, Echo and The Bunnymen started life as an edgy post-punk outfit with a futuristic drum machine, then found an actual real life drummer, and went on to become massively successful. At their height they garnered important spots on The Lost Boys and Pretty in Pink soundtracks, and became a feature in the top ten right up until their founder, Ian McCulloch, left in 1988. They have since got back together, but we've largely ignored that, because they're not as good as they were. And they were excellent.
2. The Coral
What a cheerful gang of scamps The Coral look like. In fact, they look nearly as fun as The Monkees. Hey, perhaps they should become the UK's answer to The Monkees? Or have S Club 7 already done that? Either way, their music is brilliant – so much so that they've completely edged The Zutons out of the running.
3. Frankie Goes to Hollywood
For those who can't remember, or weren't around, these guys enjoyed three consecutive number one hits in the early 1980s – Relax, Two Tribes, The Power of Love. They did also, of course, make Mike Read go totally bananas about the lurid homosexual content of their first hit (Relax), because he assumed it was all about kissing your boyfriend in front of your grandfather. Or something. We're not sure. Great band.
4. The La's
It's hard to judge The La's fairly, mainly because their leader, Lee Mavers, has gone on to receive Syd Barett/Brian Wilson status as some kind of misunderstood genius. They made great pop songs, that much we do know.


text:
There is no better way to get a pro wrestling fix than to attend a Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment Live event. This weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the WWE Live Show at the Pan American Center here at NMSU. The event featured some of the WWE's most well-known wrestlers including WWE champion AJ Styles, SmackDown women's champion Becky Lynch, and United States champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
WWE puts the entertainment in wrestling. WWE tells a story of each wrestler, much like a daytime soap opera. Wrestlers play larger-than-life characters while undergoing bodily harm — all in the name of entertainment.
WWE Live events, such as the one this weekend, are different than what is shown on television or Pay-Per-View. Televised events focus on advancing the wrestlers' personal stories week to week. At a WWE Live event, wrestlers entertain more through fan interactions than high-stakes matches. Wrestling matches can turn from a serious competition into a comedy act and back in the blink of an eye.
The wrestlers try to create a family-friendly setting that will appeal to the many young children who attend with their parents. The wrestlers' main intentions are to make sure their audience is entertained and goes home satisfied.
After experiencing a WWE Live event, I would highly recommend it to any wrestling fan or anyone who would like to broaden their interests. All in all, I think anyone can find pleasure in watching these spectacular entertainers perform live.


text:
Summer Iced Tea – Green Mint & GingerCamellia's Tea House
Here, at Camellia's Tea House, we have created a series of delicious summer iced drinks, using our hand-blended teas, which we will be sharing with you over the course of the next few weeks. You will also be able to find all of the recipes later on our Tea Journal pages, including last week's Very Berry Iced Tea.
This week we are featuring a superbly refreshing and cooling drink, cold brewed with a bit of a twist:
Green Mint & Ginger Iced Tea
- Put about 5-6 generously heaped teaspoons of our Green Mint tea directly into a large jar or bottle and pour in about a litre of fresh cool water.
- Grab a knob of ginger, peel it and chop finely. Add to the brewing tea.
- Let the tea brew for at least 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in a fridge, until you have a nice and strong brew.
- Strain the tea leaves and ginger and fill a tall glass about 3/4 full. Add a couple small mint leaves, a bit of freshly grated ginger and transfer it all into a blender.
- If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, feel free to add a little sugar, and blend everything for 10 seconds.
- Pour the drink back into the tall glass, add one or two ice cubes, and if you're feeling fancy, garnish with mint leaves.
- Grab a straw, kick back and enjoy!.
Additional tips:
- To prevent the iced tea from getting too diluted, instead of using regular ice, make some Green Mint ice cubes beforehand. Just brew a strong mug of the minty tea, pour it into an ice cube tray and pop it into your freezer.
- If you're in a hurry, you can brew the tea the more traditional way. Use 80°C hot water instead and brew for about 8-10 minutes. Just make sure to strain the tea leaves before you pop it into the fridge to prevent over-brewing!
- For those especially hot days, blend the tea with some ice for a truly cold and refreshing drink.


text:
5 Step Plan
Pathway of Hope: Long-Term, Self-Sufficiency
Families selected to participate in Pathway of Hope will undergo a careful review to ensure their strong commitment to improving their lives if given incentive, support, and opportunity. In return, Salvation Army case managers will provide intensive case management, linkage to resources, and tangible supports to help empower families to take their first steps out of poverty.
5 Step Plan
1) Identify highly motivated families who express a sincere desire to work to change their circumstances.
Only families with at least one child under 18 years of age
are considered.
2) Pair families with a social worker to assess their situation, identify their strengths, and set measurable goals. From the very start, families know that they will be responsible for working to improve their own situation.
3) Connect families with community resources and opportunities to help them out of crisis to self-sufficiency.
4) Meet regularly with the families and hold them accountable to show progress.
5) Monitor progress at predetermined steps along the way, and track outcomes.
The Goal Is
Long Term


text:
You start with a couple of "blank" marble tiles. I chose white ones:
Then spraypaint them both black:
I designed the silouette in 3Ds Max and exported it as a DXF file. I used the file on a vinyl-cutter.
Download DXF file here
You could probably create the silouette using an x-acto knife if you dont have access to a vinyl-cutter.
Then you carefully apply the vinyl to the marble tiles:
Now all you have to do is spraypaint yellow over the vinyl, and then add a touch of orange on the right side of the tiles.
Then you can remove the vinyl and add the "blood". I used a small paintbrush the flick paint on to the tile to get the sprayed blood effect, but that turned out to be harder than i thought. If i where to do this again i would practise more spraying with a brush to get the best results.
PS! While typing this and looking at the last photo, i see there is adhesive residue from the vinyl, so i would suggest heating the vinyl up before removing it from the tile.