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318,149,850 | JEDI HoloNet
Elrehka Quena
Elrehka Quena
Padawan Learner
Homeworld: Manaan
Mentor(s): Nivek Tholmai
Species: Zabrak
Elrehka was born to a respectable Iridonian couple in year 259ABY. Her biological father was a pilot, working transporting legal goods from planet to planet. When Elrehka was two years old however, her parents did not return from one of their journeys. Their ship had been bombarded with meteors en route to their destination, leaving Elrehka an orphan. The Quena’s official home was set up on the planet Manaan, where Elrehka resided during the incident.
After the death of her parents, Elrehka was simply handed over to the nearest orphanage on world. A further 4 years on, Elrehka was adopted by a wealthy couple who took in over a dozen orphans like herself. There she was quiet, but friendly, minding the contents of her own little world.
Only a single year further, she met Jedi Knight Nivek Tholmai, who had been visiting a friend in the city. Her force sensitivity had been noticed by the Jedi Knight, however he made no move toward her, until later the very same day, he glimpsed her with the dozens of other children the Phazuli couple had taken in, sitting in the corner alone. The Jedi Knight approached her and asked where he could find her adoptive parents.
Nivek spoke to them, and the Phazuli nodded in agreement, announcing Elrehka would be safe to leave with him for Yavin IV, to have her tested, to eventually become a Jedi Trainee.
Elrehka was informed, and she packed her few belongings. The Jedi Knight however, lent her a set of Jedi tunics, for her to wear during her stay in the temple she was heading to, which she wore, and found fitting, in a way she didn’t yet realise. After saying goodbye to the Phazuli couple, the two of them set off; en route to Yavin IV.
Elrehka didn’t think much of leaving her homeworld, she gazed in amazement as she saw the stars and outer space for the first time as she sat up front with the Jedi. During the journey, Nivek described the Jedi to her, and she sat, quietly, but smiling as she listened eagerly. He did not promise she would become a Jedi, he only promised she would be tested, the rest was up to her.
A further few cycles on, Elrehka was taken up to the Council Room in the Temple she stayed at. Whilst there, she was questioned in a way that surprised her. Only to realise it was the final thing to do before becoming apart of the Jedi Order. In addition, she was given her own blue-bladed lightsaber, for her to train with as well as her own robes, datapad, commlink, and Training Remote. She thanked the Council with delight before being shown her new room. By the time she was alone, Elrehka was sure that this would be her new family, home, and life.
Elrehka Quena resigned from the Jedi Order 278.25 |
485,136,987 | Friday, March 23, 2007
Tony Stark, Futurist
Throughout the whole "Civil War" thing, the word "futurist" has been thrown around a lot to describe Tony Stark and Reed Richards. But what is a futurist? Is it, as Stark describes here, someone who works towards the future, or is it really a member of the Italian art and drama movement of the early 20th century that fetishised technology, violence, youth, urban living and was eventually tied closely to fascism?
I just find it amusing that the word is thrown around quite a bit, but there's that other meaning to it that seems to fit so well. Tony Stark is all about technology; for the Futurists, it was fast cars, while for Stark it's a suit of armour where he becomes a machine basically. The Futurists were heavily interested in the idea of humans being like machines or body parts replaced by machines. Stark has a machine heart basically. He is all about living in the city and, goddammit, he is one violent guy, isn't it?
To tie it to Civil War a bit more, here's the first paragraph from "The Futurist Synthetic Theater, 1915" by Filippo Marinetti, Emilio Settimelli, and Bruno Corra:
As we await our much prayed-for great war, we Futurists carry our violent antineutralist action from city square to university and back again, using our art to prepare the Italian sensibility for the great hour of maximum danger. Italy must be fearless, eager, as swift and elastic as a fencer, as indifferent to blows as a oxer, as impassive at the news of a victory that may have cost fifty thousand dead as at the news of a defeat.
For a guy who claimed to be doing it for the greater good, Stark always was a little too gung-ho on the fight, wasn't he?
Now, I'm not suggesting a direct connection here. It's just something I find interesting. It could be sheer coincidence or, maybe, it's one of those subtextual things that was thrown in for a laugh.
Just something I thought of and figured I'd put out there. Something to keep in the back of your head.
For more on Futurism: this site has a lot of good info. |
133,891,181 | Advanced search
Holiday entitlement when dropping to part time
(19 Posts)
TemporalUser5k Wed 24-May-17 19:52:50
Name changed as I suspect some of my colleagues are on here.
I am currently on maternity leave and am due to go back to work later this year. While on leave I have obviously accrued my usual holiday entitlement and bank holidays which HR have confirmed.
I am going to drop my hours to almost half (but still working every day).
I contacted HR and asked them how my holiday entitlement would be handled as I have accrued 27 days at a full time rate. Taking those as 27 days after I drop to part time hours means that I would lose money as those days would only be paid at my new part time salary even though they were accrued before I drop to part time.
Am I wrong in thinking that they should either pay those days at my full time rate or give me the full entitlement of my holiday in hours (more holiday for this year and going to normal accrual from the next holiday year)?
2014newme Wed 24-May-17 19:55:49
Yes ask them to recalculate it based on hours. So if a full time day is 8 hours x 27 days for example.
Are you sure you can carry over that many days from the previous holiday year?
MadameJosephine Wed 24-May-17 19:56:28
I'm pretty sure you are right and that they should give you the time in hours. Alternatively could you add the 27 days on to the end of your maternity leave and then reduce your hours at the end of that period?
BeyondThePage Wed 24-May-17 20:00:34
At my workplace you had to take off full time hours during full time employment - so like above would add the 27 days to maternity leave.
(I effectively added a month to my ML and then took the others at the new part time hours rate, taking a loss, as I would not have had enough for a later holiday otherwise.)
AnnoyedByAlfieBear Wed 24-May-17 20:02:05
When I went back, I stayed at my full time hours for the 4 weeks holiday they owed, then dropped to pt after I'd taken my holiday. So I never actually worked the ft hours, just got paid for them. Does that mane sense?
RandomMess Wed 24-May-17 20:06:39
The other option can be to go back full time and take half a day leave every working day until they are used up and then drop to part time hours.
Pootle40 Wed 24-May-17 20:08:39
You accrued your 27 days on full time hours - for example - 27 x 7 hours a day = 189 hours. So if you change to part time hours at the end of your maternity - say 5 hours per day then you would take 5 hours off the 189 hours every time you have a day off.
ivykaty44 Wed 24-May-17 20:10:45
Take the annual leave at the end of your maternity, therefore still being g paid full time. Then after start part time
TemporalUser5k Wed 24-May-17 20:31:27
Thank you for the replies, I have asked them to recalculate and they keep stating that as I am still working 5 days a week my holiday does not change.
I would prefer to just have the time off as that would save an awful lot of money if I could use that to delay DC starting nursery (and I would get to spend more time with them) but would settle for just being paid the full time rate.
I have only carried a day over from last year, the days accrued are this year's holiday plus bank holidays which they have said that I am entitled to.
hellypad Wed 24-May-17 21:01:21
We would still give you 27 days too but you wouldn't lose money as if your working day is 4 hours that's what 1 days holiday would equate too. So if you had a week off that would be 5 days holiday, even if you were only really taking 5 mornings off. Hope that makes sense!
CadnoDrwg Wed 24-May-17 21:22:49
They need to recalculate because 27 days off at £1000 (for example) is entirely different to 27 days off at £500.
You need to go back and confirm you will take dates X-Y off at the end of your maternity leave using accrued holidays at full time rate with renumeration of Z (however much you'd normally get).
You will be back in the office on XX date which will mark the contractual change to part time hours, at which point your holiday allowance changes pro rata.
Communicate via email and make sure you get written confirmation.
If they still aren't helpful let them know you're going to speak to ACAS/Union about your legal rights as you know they aren't being fulfilled.
MrsPeacockDidIt Thu 25-May-17 13:07:57
You could ask them to change it all to hours instead of days when they recalculate.
All our part time employees holiday is worked out in hours because it's easier to calculate.
Saying to you that as you are working 5 days it's still 5 days holiday to take is ridiculous. If they are not going to pay you for 5 full days then they can't take 5 full days holiday from you for the same period.
TemporalUser5k Sat 27-May-17 07:47:16
Thank you, I have supplied a calculation in hours to them that they have disregarded. The calculation was done by someone from my DH HR department so I know it was correct.
I suppose they don't have to convert to hours?
We may just have to ask an employment solicitor for advice if we can't find any legal evidence that what they are doing is incorrect. The closest we found was an ECJ ruling but I'm not sure they would accept that.
ohforfoxsake Sat 27-May-17 10:02:57
You should take the leave as though you were FT and go PT once that has been done.
They don't sound particularly competent. Have a look on the ACAS website. Might be worth calling them.
Diaryofalways87 Wed 31-May-17 23:38:21
I agree with @hellypad and believe what your HR department is saying is correct. I'm guessing your reduced hours means you're working 5 days a week but shorter days? In this case you would still be entitled to 28 days holiday per year, it's just that your daily rate is lower.
TemporalUser5k Mon 05-Jun-17 21:11:04
I'm waiting on a reply from an employment solicitor, I'll let you know what they say in case anybody else is in the same position.
Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes Mon 05-Jun-17 21:21:32
Yes, I stayed full time for three months and used the leave two days a week then went part time once it was used up.
PourquoiPas Mon 05-Jun-17 21:30:12
They are probably getting confused between the holiday you have accrued vs what your are entitled to going forward. Sadly, a lot of people in HR are either good with people or good with numbers, not both and it seems that you have been unfortunate enough to get someone who is not particularly numerate.
I would send them a very factual email stating something like
I understand that going forward I will be entitled to 26 days of holiday per year that equates to 130 hours at my weekly working pattern of 5 x 5 hours per week.
I have accrued 27 days/ 189 hours of holiday for the holiday year 2016/2017. I am writing to inform you that as per previous discussions with my line manager I will be returning to work on dd/mm/yyyy full time and will take my accrued holiday from dd/mm/yyyy - dd/mm/yyyy. As of dd/mm/yyyy I will then be part time working 9-2 m-f.
I trust this is clear but if you would like further clarification please do feel free to contact me.
PourquoiPas Mon 05-Jun-17 21:31:29
That last bit was the end of the email sorry, posted too soon.
Good luck, hope it gets sorted out.
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61,639,696 | lunes, 14 de diciembre de 2009
Sermons On Ending Times
"What J?"- asked the girl
"You still have those dreams" - She was worried.
Silence ran acrossed the room.
lunes, 5 de octubre de 2009
Greetings stranger
"... inside the centipedes mouth"
Primero que nada un cordial saludo a los lectores y seguidores de nuestro blog, a quienes agradecemos inmensamente por su constancia. Nosotros optamos a la creación de este blog debido al interés de los oyentes de la banda, quienes se intrigaban en conocer el trama detrás de las canciones, que a pesar de ser ritmos y melodías agradables pueden contener un significado un poco más allá de "Mary that's one pretty hat".
El punto no es poner una caja en tu cabeza y decirte como debes sentir la canción, después de todo la música es como un Dios a quien nosotros mismos le dibujamos rostro, es decir cada quién interpreta el tema como lo desee, porque si nos castracen la imaginación... aquella canción con la que abrazábamos a nuestros panas mientras reíamos y cantábamos, no nos sonaría igual.
Algunas son relatos o pequeños cuentos escritos por nosotros, otras son canciones basadas en hechos de la vida real, tambien están aquellas de experiencias personales y las más peculiares nos narran de profecías personales entre las cuales destacan el retorno de cristo a la tierra, la lucha de la humanidad contra el Leviatán y otras sorpresas más que nos depara el lapicero. Así que mantente al tanto con los post que estarán llenos de historias, dramas y curiosidades de la banda.
Att. David
miércoles, 12 de agosto de 2009
"The Nutcracker" Chapter 3
Suddenly from across the alley we hear a scream, so loud it could only come from complete despair. This scream was fading to the sound of footsteps. Who ever was screaming was being chased, so the nutcracker acted quickly by running to help this horrified victim. He didn't understand why he wanted to save the needed or why he was brave and felt no fear to even the scarier of things. He just knew he had a sword in one hand and on his head he had the blind purpose of slaying the unfair.
O boy he ran fast! he was now off the alley, and saw a couple of rats who he guessed were the hunters. He followed them untill they entered an inmense dumpyard. Not to far from the entrance they stopped "Five rats!" he counted "Five hats?" he noticed, they all gathered in a circle but they were to fat to see what was on the middle. They had monocles, nice shoes, hats and one was holding a really nice cane.
"I beg you please grow a heart and leave"
He heard from the center, it was the cries of a doll. The rats laughed, the one with the cane answered:
"We will not depart 'till we break you apart".
The nutcracker was mad and took a fighting stance and talked with the must heroic tone:
"You will let her go or I'll kill you all".
The surprised rats turned quickly their faces to where they heard the nutcrackers voice but it was to dark to see him clearly. The one with the cane approached with style to the center and the other four were standing two on each side. They were far to coordinated to be normal rats:
"You really sound like fun... can you please come closer to the light son?".
Said the one in the center so that the nutcracker stepped into the light. He proceed then the rats bursted in laughter, one of them even cried a little.
"You said... haha you would kill us all!? HA! you there standing tall!?".-Spitted with sarcasm one on the left side.
The one with the cane stopped laughing drastically and screamed: "Shut up!".
The others went quite quickly after this said. "If you haven't noticed this toy smell he's rotten like hell".
The lacais quickly aimed with their ugly noses to the nutcracker. "He smells like blood... from rats! and something abominable like... CAT!!"
Driven by fear they took a step away from the nutcracker and hided on the back of the rat in the center almost simultaneously. The rat swinged the cane and scowled as he pointed our hero, impotent and not knowing what to say she yelled and clenching her teeth she started breathing both hate and fear. They scramed through an old pipe that probably lead to the sewers, it was located behind the crying victim that was laying on the dirt.
He remembered the cat licked his face and they probably got scared by that scent. But still, he was glad that they left the prey be. He putted away the sword and approached slowly to the sobbing doll."It's safe now madame, there's nothing here for you to fear" said the savior with timidity. She was covering her face with her hands, I loved the way her hair felt from her head covering her shoulders and arms as she was sitting there on the floor. There were small pieces of porcelain on the mud she was hurt from an encounter with them before.
"If I may say... where you lay... is no place to rest. You should stand up or you will ruin your dress".- Said the nutcracker always worried about decency.
Sadness polluted the air as she moved slowly her hand from her face and lifted it gently as if to be helped or kissed on the back of her palm. The nutcracker kissed her hand and then helped her to stand up carefully, after all she was a delicate doll. He finally reached her face and she was beautiful. It was pale with a cute round tip nose that made her lips look sharply drawn and well proporcioned. But then the death of beauty. She had cracks on her chin and the lower side of her cheek she was shattering. She gathered strengh and said:
"Porcelain broken chin... orders of the rat king"
lunes, 20 de julio de 2009
"The Nutcracker" Chapter 2
The dimmer illumination coming from above, radiated the elements in this grotesque scene like a spotlight. But the nutcracker head was still blurred with doubt. "What am I doing here... ? Who is the Rat King... ?" And suddenly a hiss! He heard a hiss and another. It was not to far from where he standed. It was half a feet from the pole and to the left entering a street passage that lead you through a continuous row of backdoors from enormous buildings.
Indeed our hero was made from wood, nevertheless he portrayed no fear to any known menace. So without any hesitation he stepped inside the darkness of the alley where the growling was taking place and as he walked to the beast, the sound became clearer. Finally he reached a dead-end, everything was dark and quiet, over his head there was a laboured lightbulb hanging and to his right there was a fusebox with a sticker: "Main Power". holding a lever there was a rat that smelled like grill, his hand was charcoal dark, and we bet it tasted like charcoal as well due to the heavy burns. The nutcracker gently removed the scorched unlucky individual and pulled the lever up.
It was beautiful, there were lightbulbs hanging from a ceiling made with scaffolds and the biggest cat inside the smallest cage. He was white, he was fat, he was a ragdoll cat and he didn't fit on his jail and probably the bars were hurting him:
"There were lights in the in skies and the floor
there was blood on the walls and the doors
I ate them all... I ate them good
Had to do it they served no food
there were runners and there were screamers
You are no rat... you have no shivers?"
With this said the nutcracker tried to look around the blinding lights and it was true, it was a massacre, everywhere he looked there was blood and rats and half a rat. The nutcrackers response was something like:
"I have no shivers down my spine
I got no nerves... I got no spine
if you see I'm made from wood
Even if you try I can't be food
it looks like you've drained your rage
my sword in the lock will open the cage"
The cage opened and the cat was released, he stretched and his bones cracked, he was happy, but more important he was free, also he was surprised he wasn't feared. The nutcracker noticed that he was smiling.
"You've gotten my attention
here is a proof of my affection"
The feline putted his face near our heroes face and licked him. The nutcracker felt weird looking to the beast light-blue eyes, but he was curious about the lights aiming the cage so he asked:
"What happens when you are near the light?"- said as he started petting the enormous creature.
"My inner killer feels shy"- the cat quickly answered with a deep and serious tone.-"If you want me I'll show"
"Only if you want me to know"- The nutcracker answered with respect.
The enormous kitten jumped to a platform in the scaffolds and bowed from above the lights. He was to far to see him sharply, but you could distinguish he now had green eyes and that he had some vicious looking claws.
"My friend I thank you deeply
I most go on and I'll leave sadly
We will meet again
I'm almost certain
So... Untill then!"
The nutcracker bowed as well and waved his sword like a reverence. When he looked again the cat was already gone.
viernes, 17 de julio de 2009
"The Nutcracker" Chapter 1
The snow was grey now and it kept piled up on the sideways. An intermittent street lamp played the sun on this cold and wet night. Under this urban beacon was a dumpster, a rusty and stinky dumpster. Inside of it, among the waste and filth we find a nutcracker. His window to the outskirts of its shelter is nothing but a hole in the front side, caused by the rust that was eating that metallic case. He wakes up asking "Oh my! Where am I?". His clothes design, beard and colors remind you of a card, you know he is way to fashioned for a J so you are guessing he is a nutcraker that resembles a K. He draws a sword, we are now certain; "He's the king of spades". He made his way through the garbage and through the decayed hollow, and he is standing outside that inmense trash can vulnerable of the drizzle that was falling so feeble, that when they reached the orange color that emanated from that old lightbulb it looked like they were sparks from a great fire.
Walking in the beaten pavement abundant of newspapers he managed to read a fallen sign, and it said "The Forgotten Street" in white letters over a green background, it had fallen from a Pole at the left side of the road near a brick wall, a huge red brick wall. Curiousily this pole now held another sign, a homemade looking sign that displayed: "Rat king domains", it was written on red letters over a white fabric and it was tied up with two knots one on each far end of the bar at the top as if to be read horizontally.
He still didn't know how he got there. When he lowered his head he noticed there was chalk on the wall: "RaTs StAy AWaY fRoM ThE DaRK oR YoU wiLl gEt EaTeN!" at the feet of this warning there was blood, and on the sidewalk there was a smiling face and a kitten paw drawn with deep dark red. |
462,475,043 | 19 September 2012
Talappavu (2008)
Directed by: Madhupal
Script: Babu Janardanan
DOP: Azhagappan
Starring: Lal, Prithviraj, Rohini, Atul Kulkarni, Dhanya Mary Verghese
The blog has been Hindi film-centric for some time now, and it was never my intention to have it be so. The time has come to remedy the error of my ways and review some films whose stories are just begging to be told. Some are movies I had watched more than a decade ago; some are new-ish ones. They are in all different languages as can be, and deal with different cultures, different people - yet their stories are universal. One thing that unites these next few reviews is that they are, without fail, thought-provoking.
The first of these is a film I watched recently, one that brings back memories of a time when it was not possible to remain untouched by events around us. It was the seventies; Emergency had been declared, and the Naxal movement was featured prominently in the news.
Depending upon the sympathies of the newspaper, the stories were slanted to portray the Naxals as misunderstood Robin Hoods, or as the perpetrators of some of the worst crimes in the history of mankind. The truth, as all truths, lay somewhere in between.
The late sixties saw the spread of the Naxalite movement from Bengal to Kerala. Conditions in the Wynad were particularly ripe for the rise of such a movement. Forest land had been depleted for cultivation, such land was owned by feudal landlords who bought up all the land and ruled over those domains with an iron fist. They exploited the labourers, charging them for the privilege of cultivating this land, and took their women as matter of right.
The Naxalites claimed that they were fighting for the people against exploitative landlords, the brutality of the police, and the might of the state; and that, the only people who were attacked and killed, were the ones whom the law could not, or would not, touch.
The 'Naxal menace', or so it was termed by the government, was so acute that the police were ordered to crack down with immediate effect. They did, violently, often cruelly, and very often, paying off old grudges in the process.
The period between 1968 and 1977 was one of the bloodiest in the history of modern Kerala. Innocents died along with the guilty when the Naxalites bombed or otherwise attacked police stations in the rural areas. Many people were picked up by the police for 'questioning' and labelled 'Naxalite' - there was no one to question them. Neither side could claim to be totally 'right', though depending on one's sympathies, one is predisposed to defend one over the other.
Talappavu (Headgear) brings back to mind the worst of the excesses of the period; yet, for all that it deals with a period mired in blood and gore, it is very understated, very 'quiet' as it seeks to unravel one particular incident, and its long lasting consequences.
Somewhere in Wynad, an informer helps the police track down a young revolutionary leader.
Caught unawares, he is captured, tortured, and finally ordered killed. Constable Ravindra Pillai (Lal) is chosen to kill him, and when he refuses, is forced at gunpoint by his superior officer. Joseph Verghese's (Prithviraj) calm demeanour intensifies his grief at having to kill the man whom he has been proud to call his friend.
But old sins cast long shadows. Thirty five years have passed, and Pillai is a shadow of his former self. Bent under the weight of guilt and repentance, he finally confesses, telling the truth of what really happened that fateful morning years ago.
Guilt had turned him into an alcoholic; he could not even confide in his beloved wife, so scared was he of his Superior's threats. His wife could not understand, or accept, the drastic change in her husband's behaviour until a 'chance' encounter with her husband's colleagues gave her the reason. (Or so she thinks.) It devastated her completely.
Multiple flashbacks show us vignettes from Pillai's life. His happy days at home, his frustration at having been transferred to Wynad, away from his wife and children, his reminiscences about his childhood love, they paint a picture of a man who is not cut out to be a police officer, especially in those harsh times.
It is on his way to Wynad that he first meets Joseph. The latter is quiet, but compelling as he stands up for an old woman's right to travel by that bus, and slightly contemptuous as he realises that Pillai is a policeman. If the law cannot help ordinary people, then what is it there for? For Pillai, the youth is someone he aspires to be, and knows he cannot. However, he is drawn to him.
Later that night, there is an attack on the police station. There are no casualties, but one of the constables is wounded. Cowering behind the file cupboard, Pillai realises with shock that the attack is led by his charismatic friend from the bus. The latter recognises him, and his contempt for Pillai's fear passes fleetingly across his face.
The next morning, the local landlord Saivar (Atul Kulkarni) berates the police for not being able to handle the 'Naxal' menace. He offers his men, money, backing - Joseph and his friends must be quelled.
As Pillai turns to leave, he recognises one of the servants - it is his childhood sweetheart, Saramma (Dhanya Mary Verghese). His colleague informs him that she, like the others in Saivar's household, serves to 'take care of' Saivar and his cronies.
Pillai visits Saramma the next day, and learns that her husband committed suicide within a month of her marriage. When she hides him from the eyes of passers-by (and hence from Saivar's spies), he is taken aback to realise that Joseph and his partners are hiding in the backroom.
Saramma and Joseph take Pillai to their hideout in the forests. There, Joseph describes why he and the others have turned Naxals. These young men and women have given up their lives of comfort to help the weaker sections of society. In that cause, they see no reason to give any quarter and are willing to live and die for their beliefs.
Joseph also reveals the unpalatable truth behind the 'suicide' of Saramma's husband, and the life she is forced to lead afterwards.
Pillai finds himself sympathising more and more with the Naxalites. Then the unexpected happens. Things come to a head. Saramma, accused of harbouring Joseph, has been 'interrogated' but refuses to say anything; Joseph is betrayed and is in police custody, and Pillai finds himself at the cross-roads of right and wrong, duty and conscience.
Thalappavu is a story of choices. Are 'law' and 'justice' one and the same? How do you address the conflict between the two? When the lust for power conflicts with the rights of an individual, then who is to stand for the meek and the oppressed? Isn't it the law? And if that very law bows before the power of the mighty, then who can the weak turn to? Are we to look away, and wait for the state to do the right thing? Do we, as individuals, not have a responsibility to the society at large?
The narrative unspools from the perspective of Ravindran Pillai, who, tormented by his part in cold-blooded murder, finally breaks down and reveals that the 'encounter' that ended the life of a young revolutionary was staged. Joseph Verghese is a young man fighting for a cause; when the state machinery aids the exploiter and helps suppress the exploited, he takes the law into his own hands.
When Pillai is forced by threats and intimidation to hide the secret of Joseph's murder, his nearest and dearest are estranged from him, and three decades of hiding the truth under duress costs him dear.
Finally, it is the murdered Joseph who becomes the voice of his conscience, exhorting him to break his silence. For those who suffer injustice without raising their voice against it are as guilty as those who perpetrate the injustice.
Loosely based on the real-life murder of an activist called Arikkad Verghese, Talappavu deals with the confession of the man who committed that murder. (In real life, when the constable confessed his part in the killing thirty years after the incident, it triggered a trial, and the superior officer was sentenced to life imprisonment. In a final irony, the constable died before he could testify in court. However, one of his colleagues testified in his place.)
With sharply etched characters, it is Lal's constable Ravindran Pillai, who is forced to obey his superior officer, and whose life unravels in the aftermath of that horrifying deed, who stays with you after the movie is over. His pain-filled eyes are mute testimony to the pricking of his conscience, and he turns in a performance that is all the more powerful for being so underplayed. He deservedly won the Kerala State award for Best Actor that year. It is his film throughout, and he does not stumble even once. He plays the role of a devoted husband, doting father, principled but spineless police constable, moving between one and the other without striking a single false note.
Prithviraj, playing Joseph Verghese, the charismatic Naxal leader who gives his life for the cause, can count this film as yet another feather in his crown. He has consistently chosen powerful roles, not caring whether he is the protagonist, or whether he gets adequate screen time. Here, his role supplements and complements Lal's, and the young actor delivers a strong performance without resorting to chest-thumping or loudly delivered rhetoric. It is his sincerity that makes you believe the cause he is espousing.
It is a triumph for an actor who has been eschewing the trappings of stardom for the more rewarding path of character-driven roles ever since his debut.
Others, known and unknown, complement the two protagonists. Atul Kulkarni is as efficient as always, playing Saivar, the landlord who treats the adivasis as pawns, with nonchalant ease.
Rohini is good as Karthyayani, Pillai's wife, and one wishes she had other strong(er) roles to sink her teeth into. She is too fine an actress to be neglected. The actress who appeared in a cameo as Pillai's daughter also did a fine job.
The other female protagonist is played by Dhanya Mary Verghese. As Saramma, she moves effortlessly from a girl in her mid-teens, to a woman in her late twenties. Like Lal, she uses her eyes to great effect, and her final scene haunts you long after the movie is over. I would like to see more of her.
Last but not the least, a note about the debutant director, who very deservedly walked away with all the state awards that year. After donning many hats as a successful writer and actor (winning many awards in both roles), his debut venture is a dark subject that is engrossing from beginning to end. Despite its non-linear narrative, he has a tight hold on its telling, each segment looping back to the earlier scene, thereby heightening the effect. He handles his subject and his characters like a veteran, leaving things unsaid (and un-shown), the implications more, dare I say, satisfying, than if he had crossed very t and dotted every i.
There is no suspense in the film. It begins with the death of the central character, and slips into a flashback soon after. There are no comic side-plots to divert your attention, or violence or romance to interfere with the narrative. It is just 'real'. In a film that is 'tragic' from beginning to end, one would think that dramatics would have full rein. It is to the director's (and the screenplay's) credit that the scenes are so controlled that one feels its profound impact without actually realising it.
I do wish that certain scenes (like the one where Karthyayani attempts to immolate herself) were better handled, and that the whole segment with Jagathy Sreekumar was removed. In retrospect, I have also wondered why Pillai couldn't unburden himself to a loving wife who had shown herself to be nothing but supportive, but that is a minor peeve.
Do watch.
1. This sounds SO gripping. I have to admit that I generally shy away from these 'realistic' portrayals of crime etc - possibly because the reality was very close to my life when I was growing up? My father was a police officer, and posted in the Chambal area when the dacoits were at their zenith. Dinner table conversation between my parents often used to consist of what the dacoits had done in so-and-so place, which police informer had given what information, etc - and, invariably, about encounters. It used to be scary, too, because Papa had to often go deep into the ravines after the dacoits, and we were always scared that he wouldn't return... that's one reason why (unlike a lot of cinema bloggers) I don't like daaku films.
But this one sounds very different, so when and if I get the time, I'll certainly look out for it!
2. It is gripping, Madhu, and you don't have to worry about realistic portrayal of crime - because this is more to do with a man's conscience than it is to do with the crimes itself. The background is that of the Naxal movement, and much is implied or told, not shown. I highly recommend it. (If that was not obvious from my review.) :)
3. Your review makes me want to see the movie, but then again, do I want to see such an intense movie? I do remember the Naxal struggle, since my father was in Calcutta at the time, and he was getting threats all the time. Maybe I will watch this movie when I am sitting by myself in India.
4. You should, Lalitha, and then you can tell me how you liked it.
5. It is not without reason Malayalam cinema counts to be among the finest, what Indian cinema has to offer. I always liked the Malayalam films shown on TV. Good to see that new film-makers carry the tradition ahead!
As for the film, what to say? Haunting!
Well-written post, Anu!
6. Thanks, Harvey. There are some really good movies coming out these days. It makes me hope that we are seeing a resurgence of Malayalam cinema after all. It had been mired in the 'superstar' trap for some time. New talent in direction, fresh faces with definite ideas, brave enough to take risks without worrying about 'image'....
7. Thalappavu made quite an impact when it released and was noticed widely and finally established Madhupal as a film-maker to be reckoned, after so many years in the industry. His latest movie 'Ozhimuri' has been making waves among the critics' circuit but sadly, with very little publicity, it hardly made any impact at the box office.
As you said, it is less about the Naxal movement but a more personal reflection of an honest but spineless constable caught in the war. Does the State have a greater right to take lives in the name of the law? Interestingly, Mohanlal's 'Shikaar' uses a similar plot line with the backdrop of the Naxal movement in Andhra but more as a thriller than an emotional drama. If you take the 1st half out of 'Shikaar', you will like the movie.Lal, as an actor, has featured in much better movies than as a director - thanks to Jayaraj for introducing him. Prithviraj has done interesting roles but the last year has also seen a lot of mucked up star roles, which hopefully, will be an exception than a norm. Atul Kulkarni as Saivar? Not very comfortable with artists dubbing for non-Malayalee artists and making it look so obvious - remember the menacing Bhaskar Pattelar, played brilliantly by Mammootty, in Vidheyan?
8. Pinne oru karyam, my mail is due..Aayikkanam, aayikkanamnu unde pakshe time is a premium commodity now.....Hopefully, ee weekendinte ullil aayikkum...
9. Meh, I keep away from Mohanlal/ Dileep/ Jairam movies these days. Lal is a superb actor. I have always liked him ever since Kaliyattam and Kanmadam. Atul Kulkarni, I think, dubbed for himself. I think the muri-Malayalam was deliberate - he is supposed to be a Manglorean or something, no? I had a friend whose parents spoke Malayalam with that accent.
I hope Prithviraj sticks to the unusual choices; I'm not very enamoured of him doing the same senseless roles. I tend to just ignore those films.
10. Yup, I was going to write and ask you if you were alive.
11. Mohanlal has had a decent year this year in terms of choice of films - Grandmaster, Spirit and Run Baby Run - none of them 'star' movies by any stretch of imagination. He's finally also doing a Shaji Karun movie "Kadal' - fairly good going. Dileep's been in a lot of nonsense but heard a lot about Shyamaprasad's 'Arike' which as usual had no takers despite the acclaim! Enough good movies happening to keep regularly recommending in Malayalam...
Did Atul Kulkarni dub for himself? Don't remember but still tad uncomfortable with actors from other languages feeling out of sync with Malayalam but film makers still insisting on them..
12. I am not sure if Atul Kulkarni dubbed for himself; the reason I didn't mind it as much is because his character *is* an outsider there, so it makes sense that his Malayalam is a bit stilted, and that there is an accent.
13. :) Good to know you are alive, if guilty.
14. I doubt I can stomach a film like this one. Of late, I find myself avoiding movies that include excessive violence and/or torture. I don't need to subject my senses to such disturbing sights/sounds/sensations. I wandered into 'Agneepath' (and I realize that it's utterly foolish even talking about the Hrithik-starrer and this Lal movie in the same sentence) and came out sickened... :(
That being said, I am a HUGE fan of Prithvi (a gushing fan-girl, really!) and it makes me happy to seem him carving his space in Malayalam cinema. Enjoyed watching his performance in 'Indian Rupee,' such a delightful little movie. Btw, his upcoming 'Ayya' with Rani Mukherjee is making me half-nervous, half-excited. I like the guy too much... Not sure I want to see him in Hindi movies because then he won't be the dashing, handsome Malayali hero I adore, right?
15. Lakshmi, do watch this - the beauty of this film is that there is no excessive violence - what is there, is implied most of the time. There is, I think, one 'fight' scene - and that is on par with what you usually see in other films. Everything else is left to the viewer's interpretation.
16. ps: I really like Prithvi too, but I have no great hopes for his Hindi debut - despite that fact that I also like Rani.
17. Actually, I think this movie was running on one of the BOM TV channels we used to subscribe to. The lingering air of menace was enough to scare me off. Btw, that picture of Prithvi with his face all beaten up doesn't help either... A story of deprivation, exploitation, violence and torture... Phew, I'll pass, good movie or not.
18. :) *grin* The 'deprivation, exploitation, violence and torture...' are all talked about, or implied. They are *not* shown. Yes, Prithviraj walks around with a designer face, but that's a few scenes. The film has more to do with Lal's own conscience and the war between that and what his duty forces him to do.
19. I wish I would be able lay
hand on a DVD with English subtitles!
The portrayal of
the portrayal of human emotions is as much restrained as the
original portrayal is presented to be.
There are very few directors
who have been able to restrain the urge to play to the gallery in using the
visual medium to its full blast when it comes to depicting the animal
instincts of the human race.
Incidentally, almost all films
which have been based on the socio-politico - cultural milieu of the
post-independence India have invariably come out well.
Mirch Masala [in Hindi] or
Bhav Ni Bhavai [ in Gujarati] by Ketan Mehta or Ankur / Manathan / Nishant etc.
by Shyam Benegal or Tamash by Govind Nihalani and a host of similar films in
almost all Indian languages come to my mind when I relate the
20. Ashokji, the DVD (with sub-titles) is available. I do not know where in India you live, but it should be easy enough to source. Or else drop me an email, and I'll see what I can do.
21. Thanks. I have added this in my Must-see list.
22. BTW, Madhupal's latest movie 'Ozhimuri' is being spoken about very highly and is probably among the best movies this year in Malayalam. Haven't watched it but keep it your on watch list...
23. Isn't that the one with Lal and Shweta Menon? I'd heard good things about it.
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524,143,282 | Saturday, July 30, 2016
Homemade Bike Bags On The Hot Springs Loop
I made a frame bag, gas tank bag, and a porteur bag for my Elephant NFE and used them on the Idaho Hot Springs Loop Mountain Bike Trail. How did they do?
The gas tank bag worked great. I'd like to make it a little taller and a touch longer even though it intrudes into my stand over space. The zipper opening was exactly the right length to get my glasses case and phone in and out, which means it was a snug fit. It would be a problem if you were in a hurry to get the case or phone in or out but when you're bike packing, what's the hurry? The bag also carried a small notebook, pen, folding knife, and DEET spray.
The only thing I need to do with the frame bag is make sure I pack it properly. I had stowed a small tupperware container full of chamois cream in the bottom of the bag. The contents shifted during the first day. I heard a rhythmic thump while pedaling that I thought was coming from my bottom bracket. It turned out the crank arm was hitting the bag where the tupperware container was pushing outwards. That was a quick fix and I had no more problems with it but it did damage the bag. The bag also held a Tyvek ground cloth, a rain fly, a 3-liter water bladder, a water filter, and an extra 2-liter bladder that I usually filled and used at a camp sites.
The porteur bag held up and worked pretty well during the trip, but it could use some improvement. I was concerned about the mounting straps because I felt too much play resulted in the way I attached the straps to the nylon material of the bag. Nothing tore and I didn't see any damage, but the bag really bounced on the frame when hitting all those ruts, wash boards, holes, rocks, etc. Maybe that's normal behavior for a porteur bag. But maybe I could snug it down a little tighter. The velcro strips I put on both sides and the back held the lid on and never gave out. Nothing bounced out of the bag but the way it was shaking on a lot of those rough forest service roads, you'd think the contents were going to bust out at any second. I sewed a clear vinyl piece onto the top of the bag with the idea the map and my phone could sit underneath them. But the space between the pliable nylon and the vinyl was too loose so anything under the vinyl would start working its way out during the ride. The cue sheet was the only thing that would stay. Plus, when the sun was high the clear vinyl would reflect the sunlight into my eyes.
The bag carried a bivvy, stove, fuel can, foil shield, pot, pillow, food, energy bars and snacks, mug, map, first aid kit, dental care kit, body care kit, and my phone when charging off the dynamo.
Looking fresh and new on the first day.
Aesthetically pleasing except for the black velcro on the front. The cue sheet under the vinyl top was easy to read good except when the sun was high.
The crank arm was striking the slightly bulged out part and damaged the bag.
Starting to show some use.
Oh, we're dirty now.
Six days in and still going strong.
The down side of a light-colored bag. The dirty spots are easier to see.
But this bag is a keeper.
I didn't do a practice gas tank bag so this was kind of that, too. I attached two sides of the velcro straps backwards. Rather than take everything apart I just cut the straps, flipped them over and sewed each one to its reversed partner.
The elastic cord used as a backup for holding the lid closed quickly started wearing and fraying where it looped around the rack. I'll substitute shock cord and see if that holds up better.
I had two velcro straps on the back of the bag that went around the sides of the rack.
And two straps that went around the middle cross piece of the rack and then forward to the front side.
Velcro strips on each side of the unattached lid.
Back of the bag where it opened from.
Coroplast lined to give the bag shape and structure. Duct tape to hold the pieces in place. I used a trash bag liner so no small bits would fall through the cracks.
Pretty much useless vinyl top. The sheet of foam, attached to the vinyl using double sided sticky pads, didn't help hold anything in place.
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351,573,024 | Conscious Leaders for the Future: Steven Ebbers' Thoughts On Personal Leadership
The following article is an amended transcript from a recent Webinar on the topic of Conscious Leadership that Nomad Academy's own Steven Ebbers undertook in partnership with Kate Watson and Camila Pestana from On Purpose [A fantastic organisation that work with inspiring professionals and help them get stuck in to become leaders who harness the power of business for good].
"In deciding what I was going to talk about specifically, I realised that we are living in a time where immediate action is required. Looking specifically at the state of our societies and planet. Therefore I decided that I was going to focus on talking about Leading as opposed to Leadership.
We know, on a theoretical level, what needs to be done but the question is always how?! What can I start doing today? What can I do to create these changes? As a result I decided to draw on my experience as a professional athlete and on my personal experiences of leading groups of young professionals here in Asia and Africa, which is my current job.
Now, the key in all that way are saying here today is hidden in the very first word of the title of this webinar: Conscious.
Conscious comes from the Latin “To know” or “With knowledge” and when you Google its definition it says: aware of and responding to one's surroundings. I’ll tell you why it’s so important to look at what conscious actually means. Because it’s only from this awareness of ourselves and our environment that we are able to change it. It requires knowledge about its current state, seeing what is actually right in front of you to know what it is you like to change. In many ways this relates directly to our webinar partner Kate’s systems model which indicates that there is one place where conscious leadership begins, and that is the Self.
As a result, I’ve derived three lessons from my personal experiences in leading that are incredibly important when you want to lead and impact your environment.
Lesson Number One: Self-Awareness
If you want to lead you have to get as self aware as you possibly can.
This is absolutely vital, because only if you are aware of what it is that you are putting out there, can you actively influence what the other person is receiving and experiencing. Without self awareness it’s impossible to lead, I’ve learned that it’s the absolute starting point of successful leadership. It allows people to relate to you.
Self Awareness is the ability to identify your own feelings and intentions. Knowing what is happening inside of you. Our thoughts, beliefs and emotions guide our behaviours. So to make sure we lead in the best possible way, you need to get as clear as you can be on what is going on inside yourself.
So when it comes to leading and training yourself as a leader there are a couple of questions I try to ask myself constantly to increase my own self awareness as a leader:
Question One : Why am I taking the lead?
This question is about checking my intentions at that specific moment in time.
Am I taking the lead because I am trying to help the other person to the best of my capabilities?
Am I taking the lead for a need of control? Am I afraid of not being able to control the situation and am I taking the lead from source of frustration? That “Come on guys, just do this” type of frustration, when you feel like you are losing oversight.
Or are you taking the lead to show your environment what a great “leader” you are, so you can maybe get a promotion? This can be very ego driven, showing you environment who is the boss. Often people will rule by fear and put others down to look better themselves, which will sometimes do the job, but you will only be listened to out of fear so people won’t approach you anymore.
So check your intention. Because only if your intention is to help others, should you actually take the lead.
Question Two: What am I doing that is making my environment respond like this?
This is all about taking extreme ownership of yourself, which is the only thing you can effectively change.
As a leader, people look at you, all the time, more than they probably would look at others. And almost every action you undertake will be seen in the light of you as the leader and will lead to a certain response from your environment, action→ reaction.
So whenever, and this can be applied to a 1:1 and in a group setting, things aren’t going the way you were hoping or you see that people are fearful, find you intimidating, unapproachable or soft or weak or whatever it is, don’t blame your environment, they are simply responding to what they are picking up from you. To give you a short example, I coach half the group [of young professionals that undertake the Nomad Academy program] and these sessions seemed to be going well, they were intimate and personal conversations, besides talking about entrepreneurial things. The workshops I did for the whole group also went well and we predominantly got really good feedback. So all fine, I thought I had a good relationship with the group.
However, after a conversation with my fellow program director, I realised that I had never really had personal conversations with some of the other half of the tribe, the half who I don’t have coaching sessions with. My colleague [Tess who also coaches young professionals with Nomad Academy] told me that she got the impression that some people felt intimidated by me. Initially I just thought “Well, that’s weird, I am always open for a conversation and I’ve had personal conversations with my coachees, so they are wrong that I am intimidating.” On the other hand, it stung me a little, why didn’t they feel it was safe to talk to me?
After thinking about it, it started to dawn on me: I didn’t realise that most of them had only seen me in a group setting and I wasn’t aware enough of how I presented myself, combined that I am not the smallest person, and I can be pretty convincing when giving a workshop. So they had mainly seen me in a pretty dominant way, verbal and non verbal.
Fast forward:
A couple of days later, we went on a meditation retreat with the whole group where we ended with an hour long silent sitting meditation. I realised that I had to actively show a different side of me publicly if I was going to connect with everyone in the tribe.
Afterwards, we had a group discussion about our experiences at the retreat, I decided to share it with the whole group how I would like to connect with everyone one in the tribe, and that my image of dominance or intimidating was not a reflection of my thoughts. Saying this out loud served as an invitation to come and speak to me. From that moment onwards relationships slowly started to change and people felt I was more approachable.
So ask yourself these 2 questions over and over again:
- Why am I taking the lead?
- What am I doing that is making my environment respond like this?
You will increase your self awareness and will slowly see that your environment will start to behave differently as well. That certain dynamics that you thought were set in stone, you know can actually be changed.
We all do this: “Ah he or she is just like that”
Lesson Number Two: Authenticity
As a leader it’s incredibly important you create a safe environment. Only in a safe environment can people thrive and experiment without the fear of being shut down.
A safe environment allows people to develop a growth mindset, fail at things, learn from it and move on as opposed to being punished for failing. Only when they feel safe in your proximity will they know that they can come to you if they have a problem or issue.. One of the easy ways you can make people feel safe is by being consistent in your behaviour and that’s where authenticity comes in. So the easiest, and arguably the only way, to Always be as consistent as possible, is by being as authentic as you can be. And the reason for that is that your authentic self is always with you, right? It’s always there.
So if you are brave enough to always show your authentic self as a leader, you ALWAYS have a central undisputed source on which to base your behaviour. Because it’s impossible to keep up a fake persona over an extended period of time. By being authentic you are leading by example, you create an environment where people feel safe to take off their corporate masks, to show themselves and stop pretending they’ve got it all under control.
Leading in an authentic way is also very scary sometimes.You have to be willing to show a certain vulnerability, show your true self. I experienced this the other day, where something happened that made me pretty angry and frustrated, because I felt like I was under attack. So I asked to have a 1:1 conversation, and I, in my own anger, was going to tell them exactly all the things that they’d done wrong and XYZ. But as I was getting ready for the conversation I realised that if I were to do that; firstly of all this person wouldn’t get the message because they’d feel under attack just like I did, and secondly that if they were to have another problem in the future they’d never come to me again because I shot them down for raising their issues.
So instead I decided to sit down and I wrote down the following 3 words:
- Upset
- Disappointed
- Painful
With each of these three things, I then also wrote down exactly what it was that had made me feel that way. So as the conversation started, I was able to articulate how I felt and why I felt it. I felt super vulnerable, because it didn’t portray me as “strong” at all. To my great relief, the other person completely accepted what I said, apologised, and we had one of the best conversations I’ve had on this trip, both learning so much more about ourselves and why we did what we did.
So I strongly believe that authenticity is vital, especially in moments when things are at stake.
We’ve talked about increasing your self awareness and the importance of authenticity.The last point I’d like to talk about has personally changed my life and I promise that it will make all the difference in the development of your awareness and the ability to tap into your sense of authenticity.
Lesson Three: Reflection.
I would highly encourage each and everyone here today to develop a reflective practice. And for those of you who already do this daily, you know how much of an impact this can have. Now what do I mean by having a reflective practice. I’m talking about things like Meditation, Mindfulness, journaling, going for long walks on your own, whatever works for you and doing this on a daily basis. Ideally you would combine a number of these activities. Honestly, I’d even go so far as to say: the more the better.
I was reading Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris for a couple of months, a book in which he spoke to over 200 of the most successful people in all kinds of disciplines. Now I didn’t necessarily get too much out of the book besides the fact that most of these people seem to have 29hr days looking at how long their morning and evening routines take and that I should take cold showers, which I hate….
BUT what WAS interesting is that over 80% of these world class performance had one thing in common which is that they have a daily meditation or mindfulness practice. And I can’t agree more.
So what I’d recommend is that everyone here ask themselves the question: How do I reflect? And start experimenting and stick to it, even if it feels hard in the beginning because it will change how you go about life. By reflecting on a daily basis, it will get way easier to be authentic because you are calmer which means that you will feel more resilient and confident to show yourself. Your awareness will significantly increase because you are processing all the things that happened to you that day and what it made you feel like.
We've covered a lot. So, to quickly summarise, these are the things I’ve learned over the years when it comes to leading.
1: Work on your self awareness as a leader to have better conversations.
To do this you can ask yourself the questions:
Why am I taking the lead? AND What am I doing that is making my environment respond like this?
Take extreme ownership of your own behaviour.
2: Authenticity
To get the best out of people, they need to feel safe. To make people feel safe, your behaviour needs to be consistent and the easiest way to do that is to be authentic. Your authentic self is something that is always there with you, and is something people can always relate to.
The easiest way to be authentic is to work and lead on things that have meaning to you.
Point 3: Have a reflective practice!
Find out how you reflect. In silence by meditating, by writing by journaling, or maybe you are a verbal reflector so get out your voice recorder or get a coach or mentor.
Through reflection you will get to know yourself better, increase your self awareness your EQ and authentic self.
Some thoughts on Self Awareness & EQ.
For those of you not familiar with the basic elements of EQ;
i. Self - Awareness → The ability to identify your feelings and intentions
ii. Self Management → The ability to adjust your thoughts and actions, based on your self awareness
iii. Social Awareness → The ability to pick up on other’s emotions and perspectives
Each of these 3 elements come together in the last part which is Relationship Management: Understanding yourself and others to the point that you can effectively work towards a positive outcome.
Some thoughts on Authenticity.
Now how do authenticity, safely, and predictability interact.
When you are leading a group over an extended period of time, they will see and interact with you at different times and places. So if I take my own situation, I am travelling with these groups of people 3 months at a time, where day see me in the morning, midday and evening, in 1:1 sessions, in socials, at workshops, on the beach, in the mountains, in our spare time etc
As we said before, for people to feel safe there needs to be a certain predictability in your behaviour.
Now, let’s for example, imagine a leader who is not being authentic. Maybe she or he’d put up a certain persona week one or two and will be able to get away with it, but over time, you will not be able to keep up this persona, right? You will at a certain point be caught off guard and behave in a way that is not in line with the person people thought you were.
In a nutshell:
Inauthentic → can’t be consistent in your behaviour because there is no central source of behaviour, inconsistent behaviour → which means people can’t predict your behaviour, taken by surprise, sometimes you are friendly, sometimes you are strict in other words unpredictable → feel unsafe, they don’t know how you will react and therefore will hold back in your proximity.
Inauthentic → inconsistent → unpredictable → unsafe
Some thoughts on Meaning.
Now, I’d like to look at what you can do to be as authentic as possible.
The easiest way to be as authentic as possible, is to engage in things that elicit the strongest feelings inside of you. When you don’t have to delve too deep inside yourself, to talk about what matters to you. And this is why it is so incredibly important that you work on things that actually matter to you.
Things that matter to you so much, that you almost have no other option than to take the lead on it. And the things that tend to matter to us are the things that have meaning to us, the things that have a purpose, things that resonate inside. It’s the reason why companies like On Purpose and Nomad Academy exist in the first place. Because if people engage in things that truly matter to them, they are able to lead and bring others along on their journey.
Some thoughts on Reflection.
By doing this regularly you will train your reflective muscles to get to a point where you can start doing this thing which is called: Reflection in Action.
Where you are able during a conversation, to observe what is going on within the interaction, and pick up on what it is that you are experiencing and what you are picking up on from the other person.
So for example when you have a difficult conversation:
I notice I feel a certain pressure in my chest, I’m not calm, Why is that? Hmm this person is making me feel like this because they need help but are talking around it. It looks like they are afraid. So I say in the moment “What you are talking about, what are you afraid of that could happen?
And suddenly their face changes, they truly feel listened to and seen, and suddenly go something like
“Well actually, yes, I’m super scared because XYZ”
“Ok, and what is it that I can do to help with that” and the conversation suddenly goes into a whole different direction."
- Steven Ebbers
You can watch the full webinar Conscious Leaders for the Future here.
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584,108,471 | Background of Vesuvius Plot:
Vesuvius Plot is dedicated to the mountain that never sleeps, Mount Vesuvius, still active after 2000 years.
The author visited Pompeii in the Amalfi Coast on her second trip to Rome she was 15 years old. She took a one day tour from the eternal city down the coast to the most famous archaeological ruin that exists anywhere. She was anxious to take notes and photographs for her Latin one class back at the high school.
She followed closely behind the guide all the way through the town, looking from left to right at all the ruined houses and artworks and taking copious notes. The guide would not allow her, her mother, or her sister to visit the art gallery devoted to nude statues and other controversial artwork. He would allow only her brother, even though he was younger, and her father to take the tour. Later she was able to view the artworks in various coffee table books that showed the reader the statues and paintings that now reside mostly in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. She was able to view Mount Vesuvius in the distance alongside of the Bay of Naples. That volcano probably made a bigger impression than anything else. It was easy to imagine even for a 15-year-old what it must’ve been like that day at noon time on August 24 79 A.D. When the volcano erupted. Up until now the author has never dealt with that event in any of her novels. She thought it was fitting that it become the subject the novel of its own entitled the Vesuvius Plot.
Here we follow the adventures of the grandson of the hero of the Cherusci Plot as he joins the administration of Pliny the Elder at Trier where the government then resided in the province of Germany. The ancestors of Arminius, Hermann the German, are still trying to resist Roman rule. In particular they are targeting Pliny the Elder because of his work entitled the Germania, which has since been lost. The governor, a famous scientist and philosopher and author of the encyclopedic natural history, the first encyclopedia ever written, criticized the Germans for being barbaric and outside the Roman world. This was an accusation that the descendants of Hermann the German were not likely to forget or forgive.
They follow Pliny the Elder and Caius Antonius back to Italy during the summer of 79 A.D. While the volcano blows its top they try to decide who will rule the Western world – will it be the Romans or will it be the Germans, under the sign of the swastika, symbol of their ancient religion, after all?
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89,573,381 | A Casper man allegedly stole three vehicles worth $240,000, but how that happened -- with one of them found in Riverton -- remains unclear because his explanations weren't either.
Austin Ideen, 24, was charged Friday with three counts of felony theft, possession of a controlled substance, prohibited possession of a firearm, use of a firearm while committing a felony, and interference with a peace officer.
We're talking some serious felony theft.
The vehicles are a 2019 black Dodge Durango GT valued at $50,000; a 2018 red Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT valued at $100,000 (with a 6.4 liter V8 with 475 horsepower); and a 2018 black Dodge Challenger Hellcat valued at $90,000 (with a supercharged 6.2 liter Hemi V8 punching 707 horsepower), according to a Casper Police affidavit filed with the Natrona County Circuit Court.
The case began at 3:53 p.m. Friday when a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper tried to stop the Durango on Interstate 25 when it took a Casper exit, according to the affidavit.
Fourteen minutes later, the general manager for Fremont Motors contacted police dispatch about the dealership missing the Durango, Jeep and Hellcat. Fremont Motors had the three vehicles at a sales event at the Casper Events Center from Dec. 22 when they were noticed missing on Dec. 26. The manager told police vehicles sometimes are unaccounted for after such events because they are not placed correctly back in the lot.
At 5:20 p.m., the manager activated the GPS on the Durango, which was located at an apartment complex at 600 E. M St., where five officers set up a perimeter. The Jeep soon pulled up next to the Durango.
Officers identified themselves to Ideen and began chasing him. One officer tackled Ideen right before both crashed through the ice and into the North Platte River. Ideen continued to fight with that officer, the other officers pulled them out and took Ideen into custody. Ideen had a gold-painted pistol with an obliterated serial number in his front pants pocket.
Ideen and the officer were treated for cold water exposure, then taken in separate ambulances to the Wyoming Medical Center.
Meanwhile, the Fremont Motors general manager activated the GPS in the Hellcat and located it in Riverton.
At 10:20 p.m., Ideen was released from the hospital and taken to the police station for an interview.
It got real incoherent after that.
Ideen said a friend, whose name he misidentified, called him about the chase in the Durango, parking it in north Casper, and told him to clean it, swap license plates, and go to an apartment complex in south Casper to get the Jeep, drive it to north Casper, and drive the Durango to the apartment complex.
Ideen said he found a pistol under the seat of the Durango, and "freaked out" because he wasn't supposed to have guns after a violent gun charge in 2012, according to the affidavit.
After other explanations about his friend, how Ideen communicated with him via his or his girlfriend's cell phone, how he had the key fob to the Hellcat in Riverton, and how he didn't steal the cars -- the police officer told him he was lying.
"Ideen stated he was terrified of what his charges would be and was concerned he would get prison time," according to the affidavit.
Ideen's girlfriend told police that he had the Durango and the pistol for about three days, and that both were intravenous drug users.
A subsequent search of the apartment of Ideen and his girlfriend in the 2300 block of East 18th Street, police found the gold paint used to paint the pistol, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia.
The affidavit added Ideen had a no-bond warrant for his arrest out of Converse County, and he was arrested on that warrant.
More From Rock 96.7 |
100,635,176 | Update: Evidently the Gov. handed the President a letter demanding he visit the border with her whilst wagging her finger at him and declaring that she had “saved” the border. If any of this bears out, she purposely and publicly confronted him and then blamed HIM. Nice…very classy Gov. Brewer.
Arriving in Arizona yesterday, the President had what was characterized as a “tense” exchange with Gov. Brewer. Evidently it was about something in the Governor’s book that said he had “lectured her” back in 2009 about illegal immigration. The caption on the still of their conversation (see still capture below) used by the Today Show said “Obama Confronts Arizona Governor Over Book Claims”. Now look at the picture below, what do you see there? Who is giving off confrontational non-verbal body language? The Governor is the one who is pointing her finger, speaking with a lot of emotion in her face. The President on the other hand is leaning to the side, reaching out to the side, making himself vulnerable to her…it’s a sign of conciliation, not confrontation. Afterward, the Governor gave a statement where she said that SHE felt threatened by him because she was there to “welcome him”. Then I later read that the Governor said Obama told her “that he didn’t feel I had treated him cordially.” Wow, that’s really threatening isn’t it?! /snark (take a look at the raw footage at Huffington, not that revealing except that the President didn’t look threatening from the little that I could see, I couldn’t see her at all in that raw video).
Tense Exchange Still from the Today Show
Tense Exchange Still from the Today Show
I have a few thoughts about this. From the still the President actually looks conciliatory and slightly amused by her reaction. She looks like the aggressor. All I know is that if someone got in my face with their finger pointed like that I would feel threatened–and it’s not the President who is pointing there. However, a still is not the entire conversation so without a video I can’t say any more than that. Also, we don’t know who actually brought the topic up. It might not have been Obama, as the Today Show caption indicated, but maybe it was. If he did bring it up, his intention may not have been confrontation but a desire to clear up her misconception…we’ll never know unless we were a little birdy perched on their shoulder.
Yet we can still put it into some context. Ever since the President was elected, she has been ragging on him about illegal immigration, and that’s just one of a host of issues she vehemently disagrees with him about. The President, while also strongly disagreeing with her on those issues, has offerred time and time again to meet her halfway with a compromise solution. Here’s an example of that….Back in April of 2011, Sen. McCain and Sen. Kyl layed out a grand plan for border security requesting 3,000 National Guard soldiers in addition to the troops requested back in 2009. The Governor supported their plan. Indeed her own request around the same time for 250 additional National Guard soldiers paled in comparison. The Senators and the Governor expected the Federal Government to pay for those soldiers, which I believe would be the correct thing to do. This request would have been 12 times the number of troops sent to the border at the height of the Bush Admins push to secure the border back during a previous mission called Operation Jump Start back in 2006 to 2008. Although there has been an increase in crime in the U.S. it has almost been exclusively within the drug community–meaning that those involved were in the drug trade or closely related to someone in the drug trade. But that could begin to affect legitimate citizens so it is a real concern.
Pres. Obama approved sending 1200 additional troops to the border and requested additional funding from Congress to the tune of $500 million. Moreover the U.S. Border Patrol was in the process of recruiting and hiring more agents but that takes more time than just sending existing soliders. If the President had sent the number requested by the Senators, it would have probably cost around $1 billion. Now I’m not saying we shouldn’t do it because it is expensive. I am saying that if Republicans, like Governor Brewer, Senators McCain and Kyl want the U.S. to deliver democracy around the world at the end of gun (i.e., Iraq and Afghanistan), then they had better expect that funding and troops for other needs like border security are going to get shortchanged. The U.S., while the most prosperous and productive country in the history of the world, does not have unlimited funding.
They refuse to accept that the President can’t give them all that they want because he has to deal with ALL the issues such as a two front war, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, etc. And this would have been the case even if it had been a Republican President in office–they wouldn’t have gotten everything they wanted. As evidence that they won’t accept that he’s doing all he can do, Gov. Brewer instigated a lawsuit in federal court accusing the President of failing to enforce immigration laws or maintaining control over the border (this was basically a countersuit to the DOJ challenge to SB1070). Her accusation was patently absurd as I will show you in a minute and the suit was dismissed in Oct. 2011.
Furthermore the President, from an overall viewpoint, has been tougher than any previous administrations. President Obama’s administration deported more illegal immigrants in the first three years of his administration than G.W. Bush did in all eight of his years in office. The President has increased the number of troops on the border (as noted above) even though we really couldn’t afford it AND he continued the expansion of the number of agents in the Border Patrol begun by G.W. Bush. As of 2011 there are twice as many Agents as there were in 2004, and the majority of them (about 17,000 agents out of the total of 21,000) are on the Mexican Border.
So that’s your context…The Republican Party, with people like Gov. Brewer and Senators McCain and Kyl, demanding that he not only give them everything they want on the Border in addition to demanding just some of the following from President Obama and his adminstration:
1. continue a war in Iraq that he did not originally want
2. continue nation building in Afghanistan which he did not think was feasible and which was so ignored by the former Republican President that it was not likely recoverable
3. continue indefinite detention of enemy combatants in Guantanomo in spite of the fact that he wanted to close it and even requested that Congress fund the closing….they said no
4. continue prosecuting people using military tribunes instead of criminal courts
5. accept whatever laws the states chose to pass regarding illegal immigration (like SB1070, in spite of the fact that they were more likley unconstitutional) which forced the DOJ to fight back
And those are just the highlights. All of these things have diverted manpower and funds from important domestic problems. So it’s no wonder the President doesn’t get all warm and tingly when dealing with Governor Brewer and, quite frankly, she knows this. That’s why I think she is being manipulative and disingenuous when she felt “threatened” by the President. If anything, I would say it was the other way around.
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132,080,080 | While experiencing the effects of a literal force of nature, whereby I lost a considerable amount of money, I also came to experience the kinship of my neighbours. Many are familiar with the account of the event on that windy March day in Port Hawkesbury, as several media outlets carried the story. What many are not acquainted with is the response of a few extraordinary people.
Several individuals helped me, a stranger, in trying to retrieve bills that were flying through the air so quickly that one could hardly follow them visually. These witnesses to the event endured a miserably cold, wet, and (obviously) windy day to assist someone with whom they had absolutely no connection. This act demonstrated that they had immediately made an assumption that I was a legitimate owner of money obtained honestly. They displayed the empathy of thinking how they would feel if it happened to them, and sprang into action. It is easy to stop and take time to make careful consideration on whether one should or should not act, deliberating on the risk and benefits of doing so. However, the speed with which these people provided the help clearly showed that they thought that they should do the right thing without thought of reward, consideration of whether I merited the help, or their own discomfort.
This is in sharp contrast to others who made the assumption that my plight was a scam, a result of carelessness, that perhaps the money was illegitimately or distastefully obtained, or that I would not be negatively affected by the loss because it was believed that only those with plenty of money would have been carrying that amount.
I cannot adequately express in words my gratitude to Shelly Forgeron and her daughter and nephew, and to a gentleman and his wife who spent so much time to lend assistance to me. I regret not asking his name before we were separated. To Alan Findlay, who returned some of the found cash to the RCMP, my deepest thanks to you. I hope to be able to assist all of you some day in a similarly important time in your life. These people are truly selfless, decent human beings and deserve to be treated in kind by others.
It has been asked why this would happen to me, by well-meaning others attempting to be supportive as I assessed the loss. My response to this is that it was better to have happened to me than to someone less fortunate. I can still work, and have a job at which I have worked hard for 29 years. Though it will take considerable time, I will earn again what was lost.
Consider if that had happened to a senior who could no longer pay for heat, a single mother unable to buy groceries, someone unable to pay for a prescription, or someone unable to buy gas for or repair a car needed to get to work, or any hundreds of scenarios where the day-to-day life of someone would be devastated because of a similar loss.
On hearing the story and feeling badly about it, some have asked if there was anything they could do to help out. I am deeply appreciative of the offers, while I am not comfortable with my so-called 15 minutes of fame, I recognize that it does provide a platform. If I can do any good as a means to show thanks for the concern and help that I received, I would ask those reading this to look around purposely and recognize those in our community who might be in need of support and offer it to them. A selfless act of kindness and charity makes a difference, always.
I will remember and have gratitude for the people who leaped so quickly in to action to help.
Suzanne MacIntyre
River Bourgeois |
115,019,142 | More than 500 evacuated from Puerto Rican cruise ship blaze
Dozens of school-age athletes were aboard
Posted: 7:49 PM, Aug 17, 2016
Updated: 2016-08-17 19:49:15-04
500 evacuated from cruise ship blaze
500 evacuated from cruise ship blaze
500 evacuated from cruise ship blaze
500 evacuated from cruise ship blaze
More than 500 passengers and crew were evacuated from a burning ship about a mile off Puerto Rico's north coast on Wednesday, and many required medical care, though there were no reported fatalities or life-threatening injuries.
The fire burned as hundreds slid down emergency slides from the Caribbean Fantasy, a combination cruise and ferry ship. U.S. Coast Guard boats then carried passengers into San Juan's harbor as helicopters whirred overheard. Other agencies and even private vessels joined in the effort as firefighters were ordered to abandon the ship for their safety.
"It was like something out of a movie," said Maria Prensa, a 64-year-old Dominican passenger as she wiped away tears. "You panic when you see that. You're in the middle of the ocean and there's a fire. Imagine that."
The mostly Dominican passengers included dozens of school-age athletes headed to competitions in Puerto Rico, including a cycling team, a girls' volleyball team and a boys' baseball team. The ship runs several times weekly between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
The fire erupted in the engine room and apparently had been burning for some time before the alarm was sounded.
Gyno Funes told The Associated Press that he was one of two mechanics in the control room when a hose carrying fuel burst open and caught fire.
"We were trying to extinguish it for two hours, but couldn't," the other mechanic, Marlon Doblado, said after the two reached shore.
Officials with American Cruise Ferries, which operates the Panamanian-flagged ship built in 1989, did not return messages for comment about the fire.
Federal authorities were interviewing the captain, said Angel Crespo, director of Puerto Rico's Emergency Management Agency.
Ricardo Castrodad, a Coast Guard spokesman, said the agency had started its investigation into the fire, although it was too early to say what would happen to the ship, which remained grounded.
A ProPublica investigation found that the U.S. Coast Guard had discovered 107 deficiencies during 61 inspections of the ship since 2010. The most recent inspections found no major faults, but a January 2015 inspection stated that oil fuel lines should be screened or protected in some way to avoid any spray or leakage onto ignition sources.
Crespo said 105 people were treated at the scene, mostly for heat stroke, shock and dehydration, and 24 others had been hospitalized. Among these were three women who dislocated their ankles and a man who broke his leg while going down the emergency slide, he said. None of the injuries were serious, and everyone was expected to recover, he said.
The injured were followed by a small group of children who held hands as they disembarked from Coast Guard boats. Passengers were still arriving more than five hours after the fire was reported.
Pereira said she was at the beauty salon when her sister called to notify her. "She said, 'You need to be strong. The ferry has caught on fire." |
73,605,206 | This story was originally published in The Denver Post on May 28, 2006.
As Colorado, other states and federal officials increasingly look to toll roads to spur growth or clear clogged highways, a review of 23 new turnpikes nationwide shows that a clear majority are failing to meet revenue projections to justify their costs.
Even with adjustments for the break-in period in the opening years, 86 percent of new toll roads in eight states failed to meet expectations in their first full year.
By year three, 75 percent - 15 of the 20 that have been open that long - remained poor performers.
Despite that history of flawed forecasts, Colorado officials are promoting tolling as a way to build new roads or express lanes in an era in which other funding sources for roads are shrinking.
Three companies nationally do most of the revenue projections relied upon to sell bonds to cover road construction costs. Their representatives offer several possible explanations for consistent overestimates of road popularity.
Two scenarios never mentioned are troubling to securities experts:
Cases where the consultants doing the revenue and traffic forecast either had an interest in seeing the road get built or were later awarded additional work on that road.
Cases where the road's revenue projections were used as a negotiating tool to secure favorable financing terms rather than as an impartial scientific study.
Both situations apply at metro Denver's Northwest Parkway.
The $416 million, 11-mile parkway from Broomfield to E-470 has attracted just half the cars forecast since it opened in 2003.
Its director, Aurora City Councilman Steve Hogan, said that before seeking outside investors in the road, he didn't believe the optimistic forecasts for its profit potential. But, he said, he treated those estimates as a tool to persuade bond experts to give the debt a favorable rating, not as a solid predictor.
"My personal opinion was that the numbers were probably a little high," said Hogan, who thought the projections for the critical, early years could be as much as 25 percent above the mark. He expected bond raters to trim the revenue estimates and base their ratings for investors on more realistic projections, but they did not.
In the modern world of financing toll roads, those are the rules of the game, he says. Others agree.
"Big numbers win big prizes," said Robert Bain, a London- based analyst for bond-rating agency Standard & Poor's who has conducted international studies of toll roads. "Quite often, people shop around until they find the people who provide the numbers."
But if that's the case, it's a game that former enforcement officers with the Securities and Exchange Commission say should not be played. Inflated numbers expose investors to more risk and lower returns than they should be getting.
"To believe that they're 25 percent off - I would be extremely concerned about that," said Carr Conway, a former SEC enforcement officer, who spoke after current SEC officials declined to comment. "That's just flat wrong. ... It's not a negotiation. It's not anything like that."
Though consultants say they abhor mistaken studies, a review by The Denver Post of tolling projects in eight states finds there is no incentive for the estimates to be accurate. Even when wrong, the bonds are simply refinanced and the consultants are paid again for their work on new studies to support the new bonds.
New investors, now earning a higher return, pay off the old investors and hope that enough development follows the new road to make good on the payments. Even in a worse case, such as a Texas toll road that defaulted on $75 million in bonds, taxpayers or insurers can be counted on to bail out the lenders. And the same consultants are hired again and again.
Additionally at the Northwest Parkway, a consultant on the traffic study was promised a lucrative job - paying $350 an hour - if the road was built. Another consultant on the study was promised a contract to serve as oversight engineer if the deal went through. That contract proved to be worth $5.7 million.
Similar situations have occurred elsewhere.
In South Carolina, the company hired to prepare projections for Greenville's Southern Connector also was promised a pair of contracts worth millions of dollars if the bonds sold.
In Florida, too, the state's tolling officials hired their traffic consultant to do additional work for three of the roads funded by its studies.
One of those five roads will open this year, so its performance can't yet be measured against the projections.
In each of the other four cases, actual use of the roads ranged from 34.5 percent to 67.5 percent of their estimated traffic in their first year of operation. The projections remained dramatically off in the third year, where toll collections were from 35.3 percent to 78.4 percent of the forecast amount.
Consultants said their revenue projections were never influenced by the prospect or promise of future work. Instead, they said, estimating use is a tricky business, subject to the vagaries of development, the economy, weather and even terrorist acts.
Ed Regan, who directs forecasting at South Carolina engineering firm Wilbur Smith Associates, said bias is not an issue for his company. As proof, he pointed out that not every road idea gets to market.
Five times in the past 21 years, his company was paid for comprehensive studies of proposed roads and concluded that a reasonable tolling scheme would not work.
But Wilbur Smith's president and chief operating officer acknowledges that traffic consultants are under pressure from project sponsors to supply numbers that sell bonds.
"Some of them will come directly to us and say, 'Your numbers are too low,"' said Hollis A. Walker Jr. "It is not a rare situation to have clients try to influence the numbers, and we refuse. We make our best estimates, and then we stick by them."
Still, critics bristle at a process they say lacks the oversight of traditional road-building.
"It's a no-lose situation for the state," said George Price, who opposed Greenville's Southern Connector. "If the bonds sink, the bondholders are left holding the bag, but you will have a road.
"No matter what happens, you will get a road. And that's how they're selling them across the United States."
Missing projections
When planning a new toll road, backers usually turn to one of just three companies to conduct the traffic projections: Wilbur Smith, URS Corp. and Vollmer Associates, which did the projections for the Northwest Parkway.
Although each company worked on a project reviewed by The Post that surpassed expectations (the only three that did), collectively the three companies missed first-year projections on 19 of the 22 operating roads.
Several tolling officials said they had little choice in picking a traffic consultant because Wall Street analysts expect experienced firms. But the analysts say they have wondered about the errors.
"The track record for startup toll roads has been spotty," said Scott Trommer, a senior director at Fitch Ratings.
So much so that investors increasingly demand greater returns on the bonds, forcing toll authorities to borrow more money to use as a hedge against roads that don't perform as expected. The extra money is set aside to cover payments in early years should the toll collections not be sufficient.
But traffic and revenue consultants say many toll roads do finally come around and produce, once the new houses and businesses they make possible move in.
Colorado's E-470 is a good example, Hogan says, adding that he expects the Northwest Parkway to emulate the road he led for several years before taking over the Northwest Parkway.
But E-470 is still lagging well behind its original projected toll revenues. Vollmer predicted in 1995 that E-470 would collect $97.9 million in 2005. The road collected $77.8 million, a miss of more than 20 percent. But the miss is bigger than it seems. Vollmer's 1995 predictions were based on an E-470 only 34 miles long. The toll road opened to its present 47 miles in the first days of 2003.
Consultants at the Northwest Parkway blame missed forecasts on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which occurred after the bonds were sold that summer, and caused a drop in the expected trips between Denver's northern suburbs and Denver International Airport.
The collapse of the high- technology industry also hurt employment in the corridor, they say, and plans for a nearby housing development are just now getting underway.
But traffic at DIA is higher than it has ever been, and the tech-industry collapse had started well before Sept. 11. Yet the road has failed to come close to its projections.
The projections Vollmer gave to investors predicted that in its first full year, 2004, the Northwest Parkway would collect $6.3 million before expenses. Instead, the new road collected $4.2 million.
Vollmer said that toll plazas would collect $10.4 million in 2005. Instead, they collected $5.6 million.
Hogan predicts the authority will take in between $6.3 million and $8.5 million in 2006. Vollmer predicted $17.3 million.
Vollmer officials declined repeated requests to comment.
Analysts say that at its current rate of collections, the authority could be in danger of default when it is required to begin repaying debt in 2008. Hogan says that the money it saved in construction costs and some reserve funds could carry the authority until 2009.
"A reasonable basis"
In 1994, the SEC first warned that anyone selling municipal bonds should make sure they were giving potential investors the full picture.
"Municipal dealers must have a reasonable basis for recommending the purchase of securities," the SEC said.
Former SEC enforcement attorney David Zisser said the federal agency could easily become concerned about the failure of a tolling authority to disclose doubts about their revenue forecasts.
Hogan's admission that he doubted the numbers struck rating-agencies analysts as surprising. Analysts said they expected good-faith, rigorous estimates.
"It's interesting to actually hear an open acknowledgment of it, because when we sit here, we wonder if that's going on," said Tom Paolicelli, a senior analyst at Moody's, one of three agencies that gave the parkway strong initial ratings. "We wonder if there is an inflation because they expect us to cut (the revenue estimate) down."
Hogan, who earns in excess of $166,000 annually as the authority's director and whose signature is on the official statement, said his doubts wouldn't have mattered to investors.
"If I were buying the bonds, ... I would say, 'Well, here's an executive director whose job it is to be cautious, whose job it is to be careful ... but who has never issued bonds on his own."'
His explanation is echoed by others in the industry who say that the bonds are purchased by sophisticated investors who understand what they are getting into. And the official statements warn that the revenue projections could be in error and that the bonds are for the consideration of experienced investors.
"These are not mom-and-pop people," said Pamela Bailey- Campbell, a consultant Vollmer hired to help it prepare the traffic study.
But Colorado mutual-fund manager Chris Johns, who buys Colorado tax-exempt bonds for Kirkpatrick Pettis Smith Polian, says had he known of Hogan's doubts, he would have returned to the bargaining table.
Hogan's concern that the numbers might have been 25 percent too high means "more risk," Johns said. "Which means we would require a higher return."
Startup costs covered
One of the major differences between a traditional, taxpayer- constructed road and the public- private partnerships that create toll authorities such as the Northwest Parkway is that the contractors hired to build the toll road are required to cover many of the startup costs.
Because of this arrangement, the firm chosen to build the Northwest Parkway was required to cover the costs of hiring various consultants, including the contract with Vollmer to conduct the traffic and revenue study.
The firm, now known as Washington Group, also paid most of a $1.1 million fee engineering firm Carter & Burgess charged for an environmental-impact study.
The result is that Washington Group knew upfront that it would lose the money it spent if the bonds didn't sell and the road wasn't built.
If the bonds did sell, however, the construction company would win an immediate fee of $7.75 million, and the company would move forward on a project worth $191.6 million.
Washington Group partnered with another contractor in 2001. Its cut plus the $7.75 million would be worth $83.7 million in gross revenues.
Hogan says Washington Group's work was kept separate from Vollmer's work to prevent any undue influence on the studies that gauged the project's feasibility. But he acknowledged that the contractor, with so much to gain from the sale of the bonds, had key meetings with the consultants as the critical projections were being crafted.
A year before the bond sale, and with the blessing of Northwest Parkway officials, Washington Group representatives went to Vollmer's New York offices to get the preliminary picture on whether revenue generated by the road would be enough to persuade bondholders to invest. They returned and informed Hogan that the projections looked good.
The bonds sold. The Northwest Parkway Public Highway Authority was suddenly flush with cash. But officials discovered soon after it opened that it might not be able to repay that money. Now, because traffic has fallen so far short of expectations, some of that cash is being spent again in preparation for refinancing the bonds through sale to new investors who probably will have to accept more risk.
The authority paid $500,000 to Vollmer last year to recalibrate its traffic model in a failed start at refinancing, and another $42,465 to Bailey-Campbell's consulting firm for work on the refinancing. The authority abandoned the effort when it learned the interest costs would be too high.
The canceled bond sale cost the authority an additional $324,071 in payments to rating agencies and disclosure attorneys.
For its next attempt, the authority has agreed to pay Vollmer another $625,000 to update its traffic and revenue study. Bailey-Campbell, the rating agencies and attorneys will all be paid again.
The result could be that the authority doesn't default on its loans but that users of the road could pay tolls 10 more years beyond the expected bond payoff date of 2041, Hogan says.
The Northwest Parkway, like some others, paid to insure its bonds. It paid about $16 million to two insurance companies from the money it borrowed from investors.
So even if the authority fails to refinance and can't make payments, bondholders should get their money.
Johns, of Kirkpatrick Pettis, which bought $2 million of the Northwest Parkway bonds, said he knows what the insurance meant to him: Without it, his company would not own the bonds.
The policies, Johns says, give an extra advantage to his clients, whom he describes as mostly working people adding to their retirement savings and young couples saving for their children's college educations.
But Johns predicts that the certainty the insurance provides isn't so certain for future bond issues. The insurers may not wish to maintain or increase their coverage, he said.
"Would you insure the new bonds?" Johns said. "Here's what will happen: The existing bondholders aren't going to lose anything. ... When the new ones are issued, they will find a new group of investors who have to analyze the risk to determine whether to invest.
"It's going to be a kind of 'eyes wide open."'
Johns' point is all too clear to Hogan as the Northwest Parkway tries again to sell new bonds.
Hogan says he's thankful the toll road managed to save $20 million in construction costs it set aside as a rainy-day fund.
"If we hadn't done that, we would have been in trouble," he said. "Big, big trouble. There's no two ways around that."
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib and staff researcher Barbara Hudson contributed to this report.
Staff writer Chuck Plunkett can be reached at 303-820-1333 or |
624,327,869 | Adultery: What’s the problem?
Gen. David Petraeus resigned from his post at the CIA because of his adulterous affair. This was headline news for a week or so and has receded into the dustbin of memory. But the nagging questions that his extra-marital affair raised are unanswered.
Is there something intrinsically wrong with extra-marital relations? Or was it a sense of military honor that led to the general’s decision to leave the intelligence agency? Nothing in his CIA post would call for an automatic expulsion. Whether a CIA employee remains is contingent upon a number of other factors, such as whether the behavior compromises secrets. It is the action in relation to the bigger picture that matters. Can the person continue to perform his or her duties? That is the question.
But the military code is different and Petraeus is ashamed of what he did in his role as a military officer. He believes he owes his troops a model of untarnished virtue. We assume he believes he owes his wife as much.
Although adultery isn’t listed is an offense in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, there is a provision in Article 134 that prohibits conduct that brings discredit to the military or conduct which is prejudicial to good order and discipline.
Petraeus is free to think his conduct brought shame upon himself and his office and that he was right to resign. But this bypasses the basic question about adultery itself. Is it intrinsically wrong?
Adultery is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments. That is the end of the matter for some; nothing more needs be said. But the biblical commandments also prohibit lying, yet no one could ever remain in office if this were taken without exception. We know that Parson Weems wasn’t exactly telling the truth when he wrote that George Washington said he could never tell a lie.
And certainly there would be no army from which Petraeus could resign if the prohibition against killing were taken literally. There is killing of varying degrees, as the law and common sense recognize, ranging from self-defense to pre-meditated murder.
All rules need interpretation; all principles need to be placed in context; all prohibitions need to be examined against reason.
There is a fear that if adultery is condoned, then all sexual standards must fall. However, sex between consenting adults is different than sex in which there isn’t mutual consent. It is also different from sex with children. Using another person as a means only is immoral because it violates a person’s inherent worth and dignity. This is why sex that is imposed on another is wrong and why children are a protected category. Children don’t have the capacity to make informed consent about several things, such as going to school, voting or making medical decisions. In addition, they are vulnerable to undue pressure by adults.
Similar reasons prevail regarding restrictions around sexual relations in the workplace between a manager and a subordinate. Lockheed Martin was right in accepting Lockheed Martin CEO’s, Christopher Kubasik, resignation when an internal ethics investigation found that he had a sexual relation with an employee.
The moral problem with adultery is two-fold. It is wrong if there is deceit. Cheating is morally wrong, in sex and in other matters, because it violates the ethical standard of reciprocity and fairness. If one partner entered into marriage with the understanding of sexual fidelity, adultery is wrong if that understanding is still in place.
Adultery is wrong if it hurts others. While the parties involved may consent and a spouse may be may also be agreeable to their spouse’s extra-marital affairs, there may well be a fourth party involved who doesn’t know about what is going on and hasn’t agreed. Everyone must be honest and offer consent or the affair is morally tainted.
The second problem with adultery is that it is often psychologically damaging to the spouse. Only the most secure person doesn’t feel threatened, believing that they don’t measure up to the lover.
Betrayal hovers heavy over extra-marital affairs.
But does this mean that Petraeus should have resigned? Since we don’t know what understanding the Petraeuses and other who were involved had, it is best left to them to make the moral judgment. As for his CIA role, it is for the CIA to determine whether it compromised his duties.
In and of itself, affairs are personal matters that may or may not be acts of betrayal. Private and public morals can be separated here. If good generals must also be faultless in their character, we would likely never have good generals.
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4 thoughts on “Adultery: What’s the problem?
1. The Petraeus issue aside, you raise germane issues about adultery and ethics. In my view, the greatest violation inherent in adultery is the betrayal of trust and honesty with the person with whom has been most intimate. In my professional experience as an Ethical Culture leader, I have never encountered a cuckolded wife or husband for whom his or her spouse’s affair with another was a matter of indifference. On the contrary, it is always a matter of deepest pain, and often great anger. The very intimacy of marriage leaves the betrayed souse most vulnerable. In a relationship in which extra-marital affairs are discussed and agreed upon beforehand, this moral dynamic wouldn’t pertain, But such marriages are very rare, and most likely suffer other problems, though this is a different matter.
A more daunting question, which is outside the scope of your blog, is how we the public are to assess the capabilities of people in positions of leadership ans responsibility who have affairs once they become known. Are we to conclude that such people are not to be trusted in positions of leadership on the presumption that if they can be dishonest toward their spouse their honesty overall is suspect? Or, can we conclude that there is a thick line between the private domain and the public, so that what goes on in a person’s marriage has no bearing on his or her moral capacity for public leadership? Are a person’s morals untrammeled, or can we contextualize a person’s moral character and behavior?
2. Great points. When this bit of news came out, I began having this debate with everyone I spoke to… Why would it matter to his post at the CIA? Some pointed out that the fact the affair was with his biographer might have been inappropriate because it may have affected the content of her work. Or that he was acting too far out of his proclaimed character such that he could no longer be respected as the same person. There are interesting issues, but to me it seems that this is between Petraeus, his wife and his mistress. I don’t agree with his actions but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with his post. I think he may have just taken the opportunity to retire to avoid getting pulled into the press scandal further. It might have just been pragmatics on his part, not a recognition that he would be fired if he didn’t do it himself.
3. Petreus worked for the US Army and the US Code of Military Justice specifically prohibits adultery. To protect high ranking officers from breaking this rule, as much as possible they’re kept in the company of military comrades.
When Petreus retired and became head of the CIA he was required to report any affairs to his boss. But his boss had some discretionary powers regarding how to handle the situation. Mostly, they’ve been treated as private problems unless crucial secrets were found to have been revealed or the media was fed and published salacious details.
One of my thoughts on this is how rules can impede internalizing of ethical asperations (as in the first case, where it’s too risky to allow one to learn from their mistakes . Another is how ironic it is that personal codes of conduct in a group often distract us from larger, intrinsic goals:
In the case of military operations, warriros by psychological necessity must at some level dehumanize the “other”
In the case of intelligence organizations, the gaining of information often includes acts of subterfuge and the weaving of of larger webs of deception.
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368,213,220 | What Makes House Selling Difficult?
You’ve probably heard a lot about the state of the housing market since the global financial downturn in 2008. The crisis affected many aspects of financial life, but the housing market has been hit particularly hard, and is still struggling to improve to a situation that suits both buyers and sellers. The question is, what exactly is going wrong, and why isn’t your house selling?
The Sub-Prime Market
One of the major catalysts of the downturn was an excess of what are known as sub-prime mortgages in the United States. These were mortgages given to people with less than ideal credit ratings. Unfortunately, much of the debt became bad – meaning it wasn’t paid back. This caused serious negative implications for the lenders, some of which collapsed in numerous high-profile cases.
This situation caused banks all around the world to make their lending criteria much, much stricter to avoid the same thing happening again. Where once it was relatively simple to get a mortgage with a reasonable credit rating and income, it is now very difficult in many places around the world.
With lending a lot less common, it has become quite difficult for people, first time buyers in particular, to be able to actually afford a house to live in. Where once there had been many buyers, there are now far fewer around which has obvious implications when you’re trying to sell.
Not only are there fewer buyers, but the buyers that are around can afford less, and are only willing to pay smaller amounts. This has meant that a lot of people who bought houses in the last decade are not too keen on selling in this market.
Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
The upshot of all this is that it takes a lot of effort to sell a house these days, which means choosing the right marketing strategy is essential. Estate agents rely on custom packages rather than a one-size-fits all method. You need to tailor things to the buyers in your area and be prepared to change tack if necessary.
The market certainly isn’t impossible to operate in, but if you understand the reasons for a more difficult selling environment, you’ll be better placed to combat it, and ultimately sell your house for the price you want, and not have to wait an age for it to happen.
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225,927,858 | FILE - This Aug. 13, 2019, file photo, shows the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. Suicide is such a constant concern at federal lockups such as the Metropolitan Correctional Center’s Special Housing Unit that guards keep ready access to “the stick,” a wooden pole with a sharpened blade at the end that’s used to cut down inmates if they try to hang themselves with bedsheets, which is how Jeffrey Epstein is believed to have died. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
For inmates like Epstein, suicide watch is meant to be short
August 14, 2019 - 9:33 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Suicide is such a constant concern at federal jails that guards have ready access to "the stick," a wooden pole with a sharpened blade at the end that's used to cut down inmates if they try to hang themselves with bedsheets.
That's believed to be exactly how Jeffrey Epstein took his life Saturday at the Metropolitan Correctional Center's Special Housing Unit after a possible previous attempt, and less than two weeks after he had been taken off suicide watch, in which the lights are left on all night, inmates are not allowed bedsheets, and they are monitored round-the-clock by someone making notes every 15 minutes.
For all the talk from politicians and conspiracy theorists that Epstein should have remained under such scrutiny behind bars, prison experts say suicide watch is intended for only short periods because it puts too much stress on the staff and inmate alike.
"It's just not humane to keep them on those restrictions indefinitely," said Lindsay Hayes, a nationally recognized expert on inmate suicide prevention and a project director for the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives. "Many times, suicidal inmates will deny they're suicidal so they can get their clothes and privileges back."
The 66-year-old Epstein was awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls when he killed himself, taking his life amid a cascading series of breakdowns at the MCC's Special Housing Unit, a chronically overcrowded, understaffed lockup-within-a-lockup that has held some of the world's most notorious terrorists, drug lords, sex traffickers and swindlers. The SHU can hold several dozen inmates at once.
Inmates say the unit — pronounced the "shoe" for short — is a soul-crushing high-rise gulag in the heart of lower Manhattan, with one prisoner once calling its constant noise, sewage leaks, mold, rodents and roaches "a stinking pond of depression whirling in an arc of madness."
"It's a place of torture. It's terrifying," said Sabrina Shroff, a federal public defender who has represented inmates in the unit facing terrorism charges.
Keeping the MCC's inmates from killing themselves is complicated by staffing shortages so severe that correctional officers often work so many overtime shifts in a row that they don't even go home, and employees who have other jobs in the jail are often pulled in to do the work of guards.
Of the two guards responsible for Epstein on the night of his suicide, one was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another was on mandatory overtime. Federal investigators are looking into whether the guards were sleeping on the job and falsified log entries to show they checked on inmates every half-hour as required.
In the meantime, the warden has been removed and the two guards have been placed on leave.
It's not known exactly how many inmates have taken their own lives over the years at MCC, but federal Bureau of Prisons figures show at least 124 killed themselves in the agency's prisons and jails between fiscal years 2010 and 2016. There was no breakdown on how many were on suicide watch.
Getting on suicide watch requires a determination by the institution's suicide prevention coordinator, usually its chief psychologist, that a person may be in imminent danger of suicide.
Hayes said it is not unusual for inmates on suicide watch to be taken off after a few days, because the conditions are so oppressive. Often their clothes and bed linens are taken away, and they are issued heavy, rip- and fold-resistant smocks and blankets to reduce the risk of hanging.
They are typically provided only finger foods so they do not have to be given utensils. Visits and phone calls are curtailed, and the inmates are often confined to their cells for up to 23 hours a day, unable to shower or exercise.
Typically no cameras are trained on inmates on suicide watch because of federal guidelines restricting such monitoring in areas where prisoners are likely to be naked. But a guard or specially trained inmate watches from a chair outside the cell, taking notes on what the prisoner is doing.
Guidelines say inmates are removed from suicide watch only when they are deemed no longer an imminent risk for suicide and only after face-to-face evaluation by the chief psychologist or a doctoral-level psychologist.
In Epstein's case, he was put on suicide watch after he was found on the floor of his cell with bruises on his neck July 23. By August, he was returned to a SHU cell, able to meet with his lawyers for up to 12 hours a day.
Inmates in SHU are typically paired with a cellmate and checked on by guards every half-hour. They are provided a mattress, blankets, a pillow and sheets, normal prison clothing, regular meals and access to a wash basin and toilet. Epstein had a cellmate for a while but was alone after the cellmate was transferred out.
Jack Donson, a retired treatment specialist who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades, disputed any notion that Epstein was removed from suicide watch prematurely.
If anything, he said, Epstein spent more time on it than is typical: "It was really at least double what the agency policy suggests."
Associated Press writers Jim Mustian and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report. Biesecker reported from Washington.
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10,240,347 | Text by Shrisha Nepal
Photos by Satyan Shrestha
Zumba is a fitness dance form performed to energetic music. It fuses dance moves from a variety of dance forms. The intense dance workout form has been widely famous for its fun element. Contradicting the other tough fitness routines, zumba makes workout fun and interesting. An hour of Zumba, if done well, can help burn as much as 500 calories in just an hour.
To know more about the benefits of this workout routine, we interviewed Chandani Shrestha, a Zumba instructor from Shapes 2 gym. The 23-years-old Shrestha has been a Zumba and Aerobics instructor for 5 years now, and instructing zumba has come to become her hobby and passion.
Shrestha had an interesting story on how she landed as a fitness instructor. She first joined the gym in order to train herself to join an army. She, however, didn’t start with zumba as it was not a requirement of her training. But looking at zumba workouts, she would always cheer up and eventually, developed a desire to join zumba classes.
If you are looking for a change in your life, zumba just might be it. It has helped a lot of people, not just to gain physical beauty, but also to gain mental peace.
Zumba provides great health benefits. In order to be healthy and feel healthy, you need to take a step towards a healthy habit. Zumba can’t be that healthy habit.
Zumba helps you to lose your weight helps increase the level of energy and confidence. I experience this every day, and see other people feeling the same every day.
Finally, her love for zumba pulled her towards it, and she didn’t resist. Later, she gave up continuing the army training and began a new journey of helping people stay fit. Now looking at her confidence and her passion, we could see how much it meant to her.
Shrestha confesses, “Being an introvert, expressing my emotions was tough for me but after I practiced zumba starting from 18 years-old, I started expressing myself through dancing. I never thought I could be around people comely like today.”
“Zumba has transformed my life,” says Shrestha, and admits, “I used to be depressed. I had tried everything else from meditation to other things but they were just not helping. Now, I am never going to stop practicing zumba. I am addicted to it. It changed by life.”
1. Zumba word helps release endorphins the feel good hormones which will make you happy.
2. An hour of zumba helps burn as much as 500-600 calories, even without much physical burden or additional workout materials.
3. Zumba is choreographed in a way to achieve a full body workout. It is designed to start with a warm-up, which follows a full body cardio workout.
4. Weight loss is a clear result of zumba. It helps tone the body and lose unwanted body weight. Additionally, it helps improve the metabolism of the body and results in better immunity.
5. Zumba works for every age. People who do not have good dancing skills can also do it. It is simple, with repetition of steps in different timings, and can be learned easily.
6. Heart health boosts through zumba. It helps maintain a good cardiovascular respiratory system.
7. Confidence is seen as an outcome of zumba. People who do this workout have realized an increase in their level of confidence.
8. Zumba is fun if you have ever seen a zumba you would want to put on your dancing shoes and go for it! It is a fun workout and gives remarkable benefits from an upbeat and energetic routine.
9. The main areas zumba targets are core, arms, legs, glutes and back. It does not only boost a body part but focuses on the whole body.
10. Researchers have shown that regular practicing of zumba can help decrease blood pressure among people who are suffering from a high blood pressure.
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587,826,476 | ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel
The Greatest Financial Lesson You Can Teach Your Children
Updated on March 02, 2008
It is natural for parents to want the very best for their children. But we often make the mistake of trying to protect and shelter them rather than really sharing valuable life lessons with them.
If you ask most people what they want, invariably they will come to the conclusion that freedom is what we all strive for. And we will never have complete freedom until we have financial independence. But in our materialistic world where the emphasis is on getting more and more material things, we often become financial indentured slaves. There is only a very small percentage of Americans that retire financially secure.
It is not only possible to retire financially secure, it is rather easy. Easy if children are taught the greatest financial lesson they can ever learn.
Before we get to the lesson, consider this question. Person "A" starts a tax deferred savings plan when they are 20 years old. They invest $3,600 per year and the account earns 8% per year. At the end of 20 years, this person stops making additional investments but lets the account continue to grow. Person "B", wanting to obtain more material possessions, waits until they are 40 to start a tax deferred savings plan. Since they did not start younger, this person invests $7,200 per year and the account earns the same 8%. This person continues to invest $7,200 for the rest of their life. The question is how long will it take person "B" to match the investment balance of person "A"?
The answer may surprise you. Person "B" will not live long enough to ever catch person "A" who started their savings when they were 20. Let's assume that they both live to 90. Here is what things look like. Person "A", invested a total of $72,000 and at age 90, assuming he never made any withdrawals, he would have $7,726,716. Person "B" who started investing when they were 40, would have invested $360,000 but would only have a balance of $4,466,837.
Now for the most important financial lesson you can teach your children. It is the power of compound interest. Person "B" who waited until they were 40 to start investing, invested 5 times as much as person "A" who started when they were 20. But their total nest egg was some $3 million less.
If we looked at what happened at age 70, person "A" who started at age 20, would have a nest egg of $1,657,000 and could withdraw over $122,000 per year without touching the principal. Person "B" who started at age 40 would only have a balance of $888,090 even though he would have invested 3 times as much. And if he wanted to withdraw just the income, he would only have half as much to live on each year.
So teach your children about the power of compound interest. The earlier they start saving for their future, the less they actually need to save and the more financially secure they will be later in life.
You can also teach them a valuable lesson about choices they make when their income increases. When they get a raise, most people raise their expenditures to consume the entire increase in pay. A much smarter strategy would be to save 50% of the raise and let the balance go to enjoy a higher standard of living. If your children did that, they would squander less money and they would also find they would probably be able to retire much earlier in life and they would have sufficient funds to live the life of their dreams.
Let's look at the power of this simple strategy. Let's just work with Person A. Assume that at age 20, he has a job that earns him $30,000 per year and that he will get a 5% annual raise. If he increased his contribution to the tax deferred savings plan by 50% of his raise for the same 20 year period as the initial contribution (after investing it for 20 years he would make no further investments) at age 70, his total additional investments would have been $22,904. His balance at age 70 would be $2,170,743 and he would be able to withdraw $156,129 each year without touching any principal. Quite the return for a very little extra savings.
You need to have a little chat with your children and teach them the financial facts of life.
Submit a Comment
• profile image
jooles01 9 years ago
Hi John,
Those figures are amazing. I can see the advantage in what you are saying.
Unfortunately, here in the Uk many people have invested in pension plans that have been 'raided' by the government and companies running the the pension plans.
People are afraid and dissilusioned John - how do they get the best out of the limited investment they can make?
• John Chancellor profile image
John Chancellor 9 years ago from Tennessee
This situation is not limited to the UK. A lot of people in the US lost all or most of their retirement funds when the company they were working for went belly up - companies like Enron, MCI, etc.
The solution is to not put all your eggs in one basket. To put a certain amount in an account that is not tied to a particular company and is totally under your control. Now most people do not have the skills or discipline to monitor their own investments. For me, the best thing to do is to get with a company like Vanguard and put your funds in some index funds. If you are willing to stay on top of things a little more, you can rotate in and out of certain mutual funds - right now real estate and financial funds would be the ones to be out of. But again, only do specific industry sectors if you are willing to keep up with what is going on.
• Ruchi Urvashi profile image
Ruchi Urvashi 5 years ago from Singapore
Great information. I also think along the same line. Financial independence is very important and need to be taught early to children.
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30,019,202 | September 29th, 2008
02:00 PM ET
9 years ago
Palin takes on Biden directly as debate looms
Filed under: Joe Biden • Sarah Palin
soundoff (202 Responses)
1. brad
Wow. smart girl to be listening to Biden at age 2. Honestly the most stupid thing to say especially when McCain is 72. Sad
2. mmd
I thought she quit school in the third grade. Second grade wow, now that explain everything. She should have stayed another year.
I wonder how palin and first dude feel about john mccain dismissing them from debate night, and not only have rudy speak for him, but rudy and judy were waving to the crowd joined the mccain aboard john and cindy plane. and no palin
I feel sorry for palin, I mean how much more trashy can mccain get Also, I heard that CSB has more footage of the kate palin interview. And the word is, that it is worseeeeeeeeer than the released footage.
September 29, 2008 02:25 pm at 2:25 pm |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 |
172,270,234 | Tuesday, June 10, 2008
David's favorite hiding/playing places
I don't what is it with cabinets, but David loves sitting in them. He also loves rummaging through the stuff inside and making a mess. He asked Meng and me to take a photo of him while sitting in the cabinet where his diapers are stored.
Another favorite hiding place is the pantry. He would sometimes sit on the boxes in the pantry and close the door and play hide and seek with us. That's why now we usually keep the pantry locked.
One of the first places we go to when David goes missing is the CR. This boy just loves water and loves playing with the toilet bowl! There was a time he threw the entire roll of tissue inside the toilet bowl...tsk tsk naughty boy!
June 2, 2008
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271,326,654 | Monday, January 11, 2010
Hi Larry,
I have a question one of our students asked me and I was wondering if you could help me find the answer?
If a stylist is charged back bar charges from their salon, can that be a tax deduction for them? If yes what type of paperwork would they need from their salon for the IRS?
No one has ever asked me that before, I thought it was a great question.
Thanks for your help with this.
Olivia, I hope that this finds you well. Here is my best guess as an answer to your questions. I would have to have more information to make sure that this is correct.
Normally the service charge is a reduction to the wages so therefore there is no additional deduction. For example, the commission at 50% for $2,000 of services would be $1,000. But there is a service charge of say 10%. So the calculation of the wage would be $1,800 ($2000 less ($2000 times 10%) and the resulting wage before withholding would be $900 ($1,800 times 50%). As you can see, there is no additional deduction because the service charge is already deducted.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Larry Kopsa CPA |
571,569,972 | Monday, January 10, 2011
There Is No Superman
Semi-automatic weapons.
Automatic weapons.
Street sweepers.
A mentally ill young man was able to buy a terrible weapon of mass destruction and used it to destroy several lives this weekend.
I struggle to make sense of the recent tragic shooting in Arizona as I hear the words of self-important politicians, political pundits and shock jocks ricocheting through the airwaves like so many bullets, each one believing they can repel those missile-like words like Superman.
There is no sense to be made of it.
There is no Superman.
It is true that there will never be a gun in my house. I made that decision 37 years ago and stand by it.
You can have a gun in your house, but you are not welcome to bring it to mine.
I believe with all my heart that guns have no place at a grocery store parking lot, and challenge anyone to explain why I might be wrong.
I have no answers, and only one question:
What is the argument for owning a weapon designed to kill man?
Rebecca said...
There is not a rational argument for a rapid fire weapon. I am pro-gun but this is a weapon designed to kill mass amounts of people very quickly.
I carry a weapon for protection and if I was there, I could have stopped this mad man. Why he was able to get a gun amazes me. That is the problem. No one took all the signs seriously. He was a crazy man for a long time and folks knew it. The school had a responsibility to notify the authorities and they should have checked him out. I do not want to lose my rights because of a mad man.
My prayers are with everyone effected by this insanity.
Anonymous said...
beautifully expressed!
apronsandappetites said...
Pray for the day when mental health issues are taken as seriously as all other health issues, and quality mental health care is available to all people. Getting help for a mentally disturbed adult person is a challenging process.
TC Caldwell said...
I hate guns. I do own one though, it's a water pistol :) I squirt my cat when she claws the furniture. It doesn't hurt her, just annoys her.
Fresh Garden said...
That's inspiring!
Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed the visit. :)
Perimenopause Answers said...
Wonderful post. Really well written, and you've raised an issue I think everyone should really think about a bit more before deciding their stand.
menopausal mama said...
Guns scare the hell out of me---I have older kids and when they go to someone else's house, you just never know if there is a gun there. Thanks for sharing your blog.
menopause age said...
Its a big issue you have described its true there is no superman but I really hate guns and all those stuff which use to harm anyone. Thanks
Anonymous said...
I agree with apronsandappetites. Most of these mass shootings have been done by the hands of someone suffering with a mental illness. There's no doubt a gun can kill people however, so can any device known to man. If guns were banned, there is no doubt they would still be pushed through the black market or bought illegally and put into the hands of dangerous people. Now we have an issue where all the "bad" people have guns and the average joe is not protected and cannot protect his family if attacked. Lifestyles are different from Miami to Nebraska. On farms and in the rural areas, guns are used for protection of one's family or livestock against predators such as coyotes, wolves, mountain lions. These are real factors and these predators are increasing rapidly in numbers. Family pets are getting attacked and killed. Hunting is a way of life and is used to control deer and other wildlife population. It's a tragedy that a hunter cannot donate his meat to a food pantry anymore. But that's another story. Abolishing a constitutional right to bear arms is not safe for anybody. However, increased education on gun safety is the key. |
603,409,957 | You've got family at Ancestry.
Find more Levensailor relatives and grow your tree by exploring billions of historical records. Taken every decade since 1790, the U.S. Federal Census can tell you a lot about your family. For example, from 1930 to 1940 there were 18 more people named Levensailor in the United States — and some of them are likely related to you.
Start a tree and connect with your family.
Create, build, and explore your family tree.
What if you had a window into the history of your family? With historical records, you do. From home life to career, records help bring your relatives' experiences into focus. There were 19 people named Levensailor in the 1930 U.S. Census. In 1940, there were 95% more people named Levensailor in the United States. What was life like for them?
Picture the past for your ancestors.
In 1940, 37 people named Levensailor were living in the United States. In a snapshot:
• 38% of adults were unmarried
• 20% owned their homes, valued on average at $1,600
• 30% were children
• Although 38% were female, the most common name for males was George
Learn where they came from and where they went.
As Levensailor families continued to grow, they left more tracks on the map:
• Most fathers originated from Texas
• 11% were born in foreign countries
• Most mothers originated from Texas
• 16% were first-generation Americans |
112,408,007 | THINK, for just a minute, about what makes your town or village a pleasant place to live.
Maybe it's the local library, where the staff and volunteers behind the desk recommend just the right books. Or perhaps it's a pleasant park where you take leisurely strolls on well-groomed paths. Or it could be the knowledge that you can call up your town supervisor or village mayor to discuss a civic issue without wading through layers of bureaucracy.
One reason so many local institutions work as well as they do is that lots of people make it their business to make that happen.
It's not about writing out checks to support good causes, although that is often a piece of community service. It's about willingly, cheerfully and eagerly doing the work that needs to be done, whether for a few hours a week, or a few hours a year. Here are portraits of some county residents who make a difference in their communities.
The Ultimate Volunteer
Emily Johnson is almost too busy to be bothered with an interview.
After all, she has work to do. There are volunteers to supervise and bric-a-brac to arrange attractively to catch customers' eyes for the one-day-a-week opening of the Rye Thrift Shop at the Rye Presbyterian Church, a project Mrs. Johnson has headed as a volunteer for the last five years.
''I'm a first generation American,'' said Mrs. Johnson, whose family emigrated from Denmark. ''I feel very strongly that America is as strong as its volunteers.''
Continue reading the main story
Mrs. Johnson, 74, worked as an administrative assistant at the Rye Historical Society for 25 years, until 1995. Now, in retirement, she spends nearly as much time as a volunteer as she ever did on her paid occupation.
One chunk of time goes to the Rye Thrift Shop, which raised $25,000 last year that was then donated to local nonprofit organizations. Mrs. Johnson is also the membership chairwoman of the Friends of Rye Town Park (and does her part each season to clean up the park); she weeds and cleans up trash for the Rye Nature Center; she helps to raise money for the United Hospital in Port Chester through its Twig organization and she clips newspaper articles for the Rye Historical Society's files.
That's not all. As a young woman, Mrs. Johnson was a companion swimmer at the Y.M.C.A. in Rye for a man who had been disabled by a stroke. She has helped prepare meals in the Saturday program of Helping Hands for the Hungry, and with her husband, Eddie, raised money for Habitat for Humanity.
''I do this work Mondays through Fridays,'' said Mrs. Johnson. ''I do it through the year. You can't take a whole summer off when you have responsibilities, although we do take some vacations and time off. I like to show others that they can help, and they don't have to be part of a group. I don't play cards. I've got to work. Everybody needs help, and I'm going to do this until I fall apart.''
Behind-the-Scenes Mover
Ever wonder how that new stop sign appeared at one of your town's heavily trafficked corners? Or where the newly painted pedestrian crosswalk came from?
Chances are your town has someone like Murray Bodin quietly at work behind the scenes.
Mr. Bodin, a 69-year-old resident of Hartsdale, says, by way of introduction, that he has attention deficit disorder and dyslexia and hands a visitor a button that reads, ''But We've Always Done It This Way,'' with a red slash through it.
Since his retirement as owner of the Life Cleaners dry-cleaning business in Yonkers, Mr. Bodin has turned his attention the quality of life and safety of residents in his village, in the county and in the state.
Mr. Bodin is a regular at meetings of the county Board of Legislators, attends traffic safety conventions in Albany and Washington, Metropolitan Transportation Authority meetings and meetings about the Tappan Zee and New York State Thruway. He never stops asking questions related to these issues. ''I'm in charge of asking stupid questions,'' he said. ''Why don't we have double-decker buses?
''Why don't we have flexible bus routes, where you can pick up a cellphone and have the bus pick you up to go to the train station?''
Mr. Bodin shuns committee assignments for himself and exerts his influence through quiet back channels.
''I'm so controversial that any committee I'm on tends to be punished,'' said Mr. Bodin, who credits his father's involvement in civic and other causes as a strong influence on his own endeavors. ''It's safer for me to do my work independently.''
Trained as an electrical engineer at Rensselaer Polytechnic University in Troy after graduating from Yonkers High School, Mr. Bodin embarked upon his volunteer and community efforts early in his career. He built two community gardens in Hartsdale, and a children's garden in Yonkers; was the president of the Yonkers Rotary Club, and president of the Yonkers Jaycees, and helped start the Yonkers soap box derby 35 years ago.
''I'm interested in solving the basic problem, not the symptom,'' said Mr. Bodin, whose business card proudly proclaims his identity, among other things, as a concerned grandparent.
''Most people treat the symptoms,'' he said. ''All of these issues are related. It's about the quality of life we leave for the next generation. The past is the past. The future is what's important. I do projects that need to get done, do them and move on. I don't do it for the recognition. I do it to get the job done.''
For Love of Music and Children
James Golson loves gospel music, Christianity and children.
That should be perfectly clear to anyone who sees him in action as a singer, pianist and chorus director.
As a musician, he is mostly self-taught, ever since he walked away from his mother's lessons and a piano duet one memorable Easter morning when he was 7 years old.
Still, for more than 26 years, Mr. Golson, whose day job is in the Ardsley post office, has brought music to residents of the Leake & Watts treatment center in Yonkers. He ran a choir there, the Voices of Praise, until about five years ago, when he stepped aside to let someone else direct it. And he still shows up faithfully on Sunday mornings for the center's worship service, helps chaperone out-of-town trips and escorts the residents when they sing at local nursing homes.
''A lot of people in the community think these children are bad,'' said Mr. Golson, 54, who lives with his wife, Gail, in Yonkers and has a grown daughter and three grandchildren in Dobbs Ferry. ''The children have always given me respect, and they keep me young. It's all about children and music.''
Besides working at Leake & Watts, he conducts an adult and youth choir at his own church, Community Memorial Baptist in Yonkers, rehearsing them on Saturdays and conducting them two Sundays a month.
''When I work with the children, I know that you can't save them all,'' said Mr. Golson. ''But if you save just one, you've accomplished something in your lifetime. I do this out of belief. I'll get my reward later. Man can't give me what God can. It's about good works that I can do now.''
Drum Major for Housing Homeless
The boxes of plaques and tributes sitting in his Briarcliff Manor basement aren't what inspire Stanley Schear to spend his days as a housing advocate and community advocate.
''If I get up in the morning and don't have something on my calendar to help somebody, I'm not sure I want to get up,'' Mr. Schear said. ''I need something to do to get up in the morning. I need a social change challenge. That's where my passion comes from.''
For more than 30 years, the 74-year-old Mr. Schear has directed his passion -- originally inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- toward solving some of the county's housing needs.
''Every person in this country should have a piece of the American dream,'' Mr. Schear said. ''I think housing should be in the Bill of Rights.''
Mr. Schear, who used to own and operate Jespersen's Bakery in Scarsdale, where he and his wife raised their family, has done his share of marching and protesting.
But, he said: ''If you want to protest and yell, you have an obligation to come up with a better idea or do something. There's never going to be a revolution. I like to peck away at a problem, one issue at a time.''
The issue that has captured his heart, and energies, is housing -- whether it is for the mentally ill, the mentally disabled, the homeless, or, most recently, the county's increasing number of frail elderly people.
''If you're going to spend $10,000 a month for nursing homes, why don't you spend $2,000 to $3,000 a month to keep people in their own environment,'' he said, referring to his concept of enriched housing, offering services like housekeeping, cooking and personal care that can keep the elderly in their own homes.
His tangible contributions to the county's housing problems include his work in bringing a group home to Scarsdale; helping the homeless (Mr. Schear helped compel Andrew P. O'Rourke, the former county executive, to buy the Coachman Hotel and provide services to the homeless families residing there); a founding board member of the Housing Action Council, the Interfaith Housing Corporation, the Community Housing Resource Center, and the Bridge Fund, a nonprofit organization that makes modest loans to people so that they can avoid becoming homeless. Most recently, Mr. Schear has spearheaded the group Briarcliff Citizens for Affordable Housing, which is working to have developers set aside 20 housing units in a complex for the frail elderly.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Schear has also been on nearly every housing advisory board in the county.
''I have outside-the-box ideas,'' said Mr. Schear, who is now the paid program director for Life, which stands for Living Independently for Frail Elderly, a new program at Family Service of Westchester. ''I see the gap.''
Behind his activism, Mr. Schear has a memory.
''My mother used to bake a challah every Friday,'' said Mr. Schear, who was raised in the Bronx. ''She used to keep a small piece set aside for the poor, symbolically. I learned early that you have to share, and you have to care for others.''
Model for Other Hispanics
When a 9-year-old boy recently told Gisella Vivanco that he ''didn't want to go to school, because English is too hard,'' Ms. Vivanco identified only too well with his experience.
Ms. Vivanco, who emigrated from Peru in 1995, has not forgotten what it felt like to be an uncertain and scared 16-year-old trying to navigate not only the mysteries of White Plains High School, but also the rest of this bewildering new life.
''I had no English at all,'' said Ms. Vivanco, 24, who is enrolled at Lehman College in the Bronx, studying to become a teacher. She earned an associate's degree at Westchester Community College, after spending two years in English-as-second-language classes at White Plains High School.
Despite her full-time course load, Ms. Vivanco works with Latino Domestic Youth Corps, a nonprofit group, to help newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrant children adjust more easily to American society. What she gets paid helps Ms. Vivanco with her college expenses, but she often works , unpaid, meeting with the students.
''I use myself as a model, and tell them that they can learn,'' said Ms. Vivanco.
Through the youth corps, Ms. Vivanco works at the Washington Irving Intermediate school in Tarrytown. She helps Hispanic students with homework before and after school, and spends time in their classrooms, helping them with reading, math, social studies and science.
''There's nobody to help these children at home,'' said Ms. Vivanco. ''The parents don't speak English.'' Ms. Vivanco also tutors their parents in Spanish, many of whom are illiterate in their native language.
It's a familiar role. She often was a translator at parent-teacher conferences for her mother, who cleans houses, and her father, who is a maintenance worker at the Valhalla medical center.
Her motivation is simple.
''We only had my aunt to help my family when we arrived from Lima,'' she said. ''I want to make it easier for other people.''
Giving Through Performing
When it was time for Seth Stone to select a volunteer project for his bar mitzvah, the choices available through his synagogue, Congregation Sons of Israel, didn't appeal to him.
Seth remembered visiting a great-aunt in a Pennsylvania nursing home when he was 11 years old, and how much she had enjoyed hearing him play the piano. Along with his friend, Adam Barruch, a dancer and performer, Seth organized other students in his Hebrew school class to form an ensemble to perform at nursing homes, assisted-living residences and pediatric wards.
That group, known originally as the ''Mitzvah Kids,'' remained together after the bar mitzvah year was over (minus Adam, who worked with the group until last year and now studies dance and performs professionally). The ensemble expanded to include non-Jewish high school students from Briarcliff and Ossining and evolved into ''Kids Care: Community Artists Reaching Everyone.''
Seth, who is now 16, seemed puzzled that anyone would wonder why the original group stayed together.
''It was clear that everybody enjoyed us,'' said Seth, who is the group's accompanist as well as piano soloist. ''It was a good feeling, and we decided to keep going with it through high school. It's what we'd do anyway, and it's a great feeling doing it for other people, so they get something out of it.'' '
The group performs at least twice a month during the school year, at places like the Bethel Nursing Home, Hebrew Hospital Home, New York Veterans Home, Cambridge House, Atrium Assisted Living and Blythedale Children's Hospital.
''I was raised in a house where charity was important,'' Seth said. ''I was one of the few kids who always went to Hebrew school with money for the charity box. I believe in doing charity through art.''
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Parakram Rana is saying Goodbye to Nafisa 'Jiah' Khan...
Parakram Rana Son of Sneha Rana vividly remember in Grade 9 when he was in Boarding School, the trailer of Nishabd had come out and he was really very imapressed with how it looked. Nafisa 'Jiah' Khan lasted in him a breathtaking first impression. That it where his love for Nafisa started. His friends then thought he was crazy to be looking forward to watch such a depressing looking movie but yet he was excited. It happened to be that he loved Nishabd, especially Nafisa's role and performance in it. So thats how he love for Nafisa started.
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Tell Me About It: Friend's ex-boyfriend doesn't seem as bad as she says
Q: My friend "Emily" dated "Andy" a few years ago. They broke up spectacularly. Emily has always said that Andy was the most controlling and insecure boyfriend she has ever had, which always surprised me because that does not come across when I interact with him.
Andy and I have gotten close over the years and have been on a few dates. Emily has moved on and is fine with it, but it really bugs me that I feel like I'm waiting for these negative traits to suddenly appear. Is this something I should talk to him about, or do I just discount Emily's opinion until given a reason to do otherwise?
A: Seems to me there's a lot Emily can say that will be useful to you. For example, did she see these traits in Andy early, or did they emerge as things got serious? Were there signs she didn't recognize at the time but that his later behavior explained? Were there specific triggers? Dig a bit to see if they had mismatch issues versus an Andy-is-bad issue.
Also, how reliable is Emily as a judge of character? I realize some people might recoil at such kiss-and-tell recon, but "controlling and insecure" are serious stuff. Yes, you have your eyes open, that's good, but borrowing a map would just be smart.
To Andy, don't blurt, "Emily said this and I'm wondering if it's true." That could make Andy both defensive and unwilling to look inward. Better to talk about life, love and hypotheticals, and see who both of you reveal yourselves to be. Listen to the way he talks about his exes. Are they all crazy? Is everything their fault? Is he a blamer, a perfectionist, a person of strong preferences?
12/30/13 [Last modified: Wednesday, December 25, 2013 5:29pm]
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436,406,420 | Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Ups and downs
I seem to be spending more time learning how to do YouTube videos than blogging lately. However, I'm going to try to keep up with both and do chores.
Last night, the overnight of June 2 to June 3, my dear sweet dog passed away. She got sick the day before and was thrashing around for hours while I held her wrapped in a towel. Eventually she calmed down from that but still had problems controlling her head movements. Also, she could no longer sit up or stand. I fed her water with a dropper and bits of food with my fingers. She ate very little and drank very little, and finally last night refused either food or drink. Mostly, she just lay next to me on the sofa and occasionally nuzzled my arm or leg.
Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, she crossed Rainbow Bridge and was gone. I am absolutely heartbroken even though she was about 15 years old. Anywhere I went around here, she was right with me. I'll miss that old girl so much and I can't even imagine how to conduct my days without her now.
Below is a picture from when we were camping and she was a lot younger.
The next one is when she was still a puppy and it looked like she wanted to taste the flowers. |
431,858,559 | 03 December 2009
Velib's striking success
I've just been in Paris for a couple of days. I'm very interested in visual art, and I certainly got the authentic French experience: standing outside art galleries which had been closed thanks to a public sector strike. Groups of young Parisians were standing around outside smoking and answering every question with a shrug. They were the pickets.
A very nice young lady from the Guardian interviewed me at the Louvre. I don't think she can have been in the job long, because she spelt my name correctly and got the quote right.
But at least I could shuttle between the inactive museums quickly and conveniently, thanks to the famous Paris bike-hire scheme, Velib'.
It really is a good system. Signing up for a day pass is quick and easy: you can do it online, or just at one of the terminals at every docking station (above right). You spend two minutes prodding the screen with a frown before you realise you should be pressing buttons on the numerical keypad below, but then all you need is a bank card and a few seconds.
A day-pass costs a token one euro (and you authorise a 150 euro deposit, but it's not taken from your account unless the bike is, say, stolen by a striking art gallery worker escaping the tourist mob). Then you can take a bike for free for up to half an hour, returning it to any of the very numerous docking stations across the centre.
The bikes (right) are chunky, solid, one-size-fits-all, with three hub gears. There are chain guards to protect those stylish Gallic trousers, and lights that stay on all the time, Volvo-like, some strobing nervously like a warning light. They're pretty front-heavy, especially if you plonk a daypack full of one-euro plonk in the front basket, but they run smoothly and are a pleasant ride.
Once you get the hang of it, like going on strike in the French public sector I imagine, you want to do it all the time. It's easy: you can take out and return a Velib' bike at the drop of a dog turd. (It's true what they say about French dog owners - a good reason not to cycle on the pavement. Or walk on one.)
To take one out, all you need is to key in your daypass subscriber number and a four-digit PIN of your choosing, and select your bike. To return it, you don't have to key in anything - you just slide your bike into a docking post where a bracket engages and a green light shows that it's safely docked. Yesterday I did seven journeys, all of them free.
The multilingual terminals at docking stations show locations of nearby stations, and show how many bikes and vacant posts are available (right).
This is valuable advance info: you can find some docking stations empty, with no bikes to be had (right), especially around popular start-points such as a rail terminus.
Even if there are bikes, you might find some are out of action through punctures (right) or other problems. Their posts show this with a red instead of green light, and the system knows they're en panne and won't let you take them out. Outside the Gare du Nord, one docking station had six bikes, five of which were unusable. There seems to be an additional informal system where duff bikes are left with their saddles the wrong way round as a kind of long-range-visible warning.
Conversely, some popular destination docking stations might be full of bikes (right) and have nowhere to dock your bike back into.
And, of course, the scheme's appetite for bikes - which get abused, trashed or stolen - is legendary. Each of the 21,000 bikes has been replaced already.
Navigating Paris's one-way system isn't always easy, and you often find your nice separated bike lanes suddenly throw you out onto a cobbled traffic bedlam. But it's great fun, a delightful way of getting from A to B to C-cedilla, a genuine must-do, and is popular with locals (right: she must be one). Every other cyclist you see is on a Velib' machine.
Just hope that, when you go, the public sector workers running Velib's electronic system aren't on strike instead. Otherwise you might have to spend all afternoon footslogging the Louvre's vast corridors. There's somewhere that could do with bikes to get around.
1. Bewildered?
I like the American woman who "had been looking forward to showing her 13-year-old daughter the wonders of French culture." Surely...
The jokes just write themselves when it comes to French strikes.
2. Also: interesting write-up of Rome's scheme. I don't think you covered it in your Bike hire cities series. Another holiday?
3. I wouldn't have described myself as bewildered - more pissed off - but what did throw me a bit was the lack of alternative entertainment, seeing as beer in Parisian bars is six quid a 'pinte' (ie 50cl, which I suppose is about as close to a proper pint of 56.8cl as you get in most London pubs anyway). At the exchange rate of 1.6 euro to the pound, like what we used to have, everything was London prices. At the current rate of 1.1 to the pound, everything is Copenhagen prices. Aieee.
Anyway, ta for the Rome link. Will investigate.
4. Given the bikes I saw in Paris - but didn't try, as we were both staying and working in the same arrondissement - in October were quite heavy and slow, how far can 30 minutes of free ride get you? The Boulevard Peripherique is maybe five miles across: that can't be less than half an hour on one of those things. You didn't get stung, but would a less experienced cyclist, do you think?
5. @jps... Mmm. In half an hour, 'not far', basically. Especially if you're not really sure where you're going. It took me 23 minutes, I see from my account details, to make it from the strike-hit Pompidou Centre to the strike-hit Louvre, which is only about a mile. I'd walked it the other way earlier in about the same time.
You're certainly right that progress is slow and that, especially as a tourist, you probably won't get very far in half an hour. I think the main thing that slows you though is unfamiliarity, rather than the 1960s Ford Zodiac-like handling of the Velib bikes.
If I had a similar bike in London, I'd be quite confident of zipping three or four miles in half an hour, from (say) Speaker's Corner to (say) the Eye.
6. I expressed surprise before at the use of exposed chains on these public bike schemes. The chain won't last, and will have to be replaced. However, given the rate of turnover, I guess that few ever make it as far as needing their chains replaced.
Claims of the effectiveness of these schemes at increasing cycling are massively over-stated. I worked out the numbers before as showing that putting 20000 shared bikes in Paris is enough to account for just 0.8% of the total journeys in the city. This was based on unrealistic claims from the promotors that the bikes would each be used 10 times a day. Recent feedback from Montreal shows that their shared bikes are actually used less than a fifth so often as that, and I would expect that the Paris bikes don't manage to be used an average of ten times daily each either.
And how about OV-Fiets ? It's probably the biggest scheme in the world, as it's national here in the Netherlands and at 200 railway stations and many other sites across the country. It'd also give you an excuse to come and visit the world's top cycling country. See cycling on a scale that you simply won't see elsewhere.
7. Indeed, @David, I've enjoyed many cycling trips to de Nederlandsh, and it's probably about time I enjoyed another.
How can you dislike a country whose coastal cycle route goes through villages called Slag and Monster? Whose language is throat-launched artillery? Whose inhabitants built the largest objects ever made by man but haven't got round to making off-the-peg curtains? A country that gave us Bosch, Rembrandt, Vermeer, van Gogh, Mondrian and Escher, as well as Mata Hari, Fanny Blankers-Koen and Miep Gies? Where everyone including the queen cycles?
Yup, I'm on that next ferry from Harwich. Oh, damn - they can't guarantee my bike on the train after I change at Manningtree.
8. David,
From what I remembered the Paris scheme is quite sucessfull in the way the system is used by in average 130 000 to 190 000 people a day(2008 numbers). So with 20 000 bikes in the scheme, each bike is used in average 6.5 to 9.5 times per day which is the highest figure ever achieved for this type of scheme. In Lyon the number is only about 4 times per bike.
The other main thing is that it created a kind of shock in Parisians' minds and convinced large number of then that cycling inn a city is possible and that cycling is not only a sport you watch on TV during summer.
I think the main critism we can give is that it has created modal shift from public transport to cycling rather than directly from car. The parians drivers are still driving. Though one good thing is that when the 1,450 stations were created, on-street parking space was removed (big stations can take up to 4-5 parking spaces). However it made only a small difference as the capacity of underground car parks in Paris is massive (though rental prices of these parking space are expensive, but Parisians who own a car are rich).
Also we could say that Paris spent quite some money in cycle infratsructure and tried to provide some segregated path. Many one-way street have also been converted to two way for cyclists. Though there is still loads to do to create continuity of path, make Parisian understand what paths are (prevent pedestrian using then, prevent motorcyclists using them, prevent cars/delivery vehicles parking in them) but Paris is really strating from scratch (since about 10 years ago) and I believe is improving slowly towards something better thanks to its mayor and the influence of the green party at the Paris City Council.
The main problem in the Paris Region remains in the outskirts where most mayors (who have the highways under their control) do not believe that cycling is a viable alternative mode of transport. |
480,909,886 | Rape Is an International War Crime Thanks to This Bosnian Woman
Nusreta Sivac vowed to memorize the names and faces of the guards that repeatedly raped her and 36 other women at a Bosnia concentration camp in the early '90s so that one day they would pay for their crimes.
One problem: rape wasn't actually considered an international war crime until 1995, after Sivac and her colleagues spent years gathering testimony from women across Bosnia that convinced the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague to take sexual assault more seriously.
From the AP:
For centuries, rape was considered a byproduct of wars - collateral damage suffered by women, horrors often overshadowed by massacres. Even though the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 prohibited wartime rape, no court ever raised charges until Sivac and Cigelj presented their overwhelming evidence.
The effort finally paid off in June 1995 when the two traveled to The Hague to take part in preparations for the first indictment by the Yugoslav war crimes court.
Their collected evidence exposed the magnitude of rape which courts could no longer ignore. According to the United Nations, it was a major "turning point" in recognizing rape as a war crime.
A year later, the tribunal indicted eight Bosnian Serb men based on Sivac's work. It was the first time ever that an international tribunal charged someone solely for crimes of sexual violence.
Sivac, who has since testified in several cases, including one that put her serial rapist behind bars, said she's happy with her successes even though she's dissatisfied with the pace. "It's slow, very slow," she said. "But it is a start." |
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[–]HorusTheOwl 1 point2 points ago
In the 90's they were a violent commentary on the "the norm". Once they became the norm, they turned into a parody of themselves.
I'm pleased with the outcome. Any series that can transition to Motor Kombat is OK by me. |
506,513,819 | Author Note: Beware of spoilers for chapter 613 (and 614). Sadness ensues.
This isn't how she imagined her first time.
Pushed against a tree, bark digging into her back, his hands digging into her pants, Ino takes a large gulp of air and tries to clear her mind. Shikamaru's breath is fire on her neck, his teeth knives against her pale skin. Tan hands carve a trail down the warm flesh of her stomach, the thistles in his sleeves snagging on the jagged edges of her shirt where he dragged a kunai through her clothes.
She tries to push him away, her palms digging into the hollows of his shoulders to tell him to stop, that this wasn't right, wasn't how it should be, their fathers would never approve, it would only make the pain worse—
But he merely shoves her hands away, angry she would distract him from his goal, and she can see the stars dying in his eyes, the sun setting, and her heart breaks a little more at the sight of unbridled vulnerability in usually controlled, stoic eyes.
He reeks of sweat, grief, and death, and she imagines she can't be any better with her blonde hair matted with grease and disgrace. Her father gives his last breath to save the Ninja Alliance and here she is shoved against a tree, panting against her childhood friend like an animal, lying to herself that she isn't finding some relief from the pain in his tongue tracing its way between her breasts.
She adds their names to a list of fatherless children in Konoha, and her knees buckle at the thought. His hand between her legs and under her arm stop her from falling, but she's already long gone, six feet deep in despair and desolation. He steadies her by pressing their chests together, the hard flak jacket he's still wearing digging into her soft skin, but all she can see with the sun burning out behind him are broad shoulders and a strong neck, and she's thinking Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, I miss you please come home I need you.
His lips descend upon hers, shutting her up, because apparently she wasn't thinking those words, she was screaming them, her lungs burning for air and oxygen and for someone to fill this gaping hole where her father used to reside. He pulls away, breathing hard, and she's breathing even harder, but a shout in the distance has them freezing, stiffening in fear of discovery and shame.
Someone's calling their names.
Have they really been gone that long? Wasn't it only minutes ago when he slunk off to disappear into the surrounding trees, she shyly following at a distance because she had no idea what to do with herself? He knew she was following, had always known, and when they were far enough, he roughly pulled her with him, darting through the prickly underbrush and into the creeping darkness before slamming her against a tree and running a kunai down her shirt.
The voices fade.
He flicks a finger between her legs and elicits a startled noise from her, something unintelligible, a mix of a squeal and a moan. She shuts her mouth immediately, the probability of detection still unknown, but when no one pops around a bush or screams at the indecency of their actions, he pumps his fingers faster and hungrily attaches his lips to her again.
She moans, and rolls her hips against his fingers, her breaths coming in gasps and pants. There's a smoldering look on his face, lost somewhere between desire and disgust, but it disappears when she snakes her hands underneath his shirt and over his back, caressing the muscles jumping underneath her cold fingertips.
He knows she's moments from her high, so he retracts his fingers from her core, leaving her breathless and heated and incensed he would do such a thing, but he places his hands underneath her hips and lifts her away from the tree. He only makes it several steps before he drops her to the grassy floor, ripping off his jacket and shirt before joining her, and dragging her pants off the smooth expanse of her shapely legs. He runs his hands over her skin before prying apart her legs and dipping his head between her thighs, tasting her for the first time. She's sweet, and fragrant, just as he had imagined, but her tangy flavor does nothing to distract from the feeling of despondency and anguish raging inside him.
She digs her fingers in the grass to keep her hips from rising to grind against his tongue, a lame attempt at keeping them grounded, because if she doesn't do it, then who will? She's lost all rational thought, moans tearing from her throat to mingle with his jagged breath in the evening air.
When he finally slips into her, filling her like no one has before, she wraps him in her arms and threads her fingers through his dark hair, letting go of her last shreds of sanity and losing herself in the feel of his weight pressing down on her. They come together in a whirlwind of dissolving colors, green molding into blue, his brown blending into her blonde, swirling their lines together and erasing the division of self. He slips under her skin, swims in her beauty, and she drinks in the warmth of his soul.
Her spirit sings when he kisses her, pressing marks into her skin. They blend and blur, sunlight refracting off their glass hearts, a small beacon nowhere strong enough to illuminate their crooked path, but it's all they have and all they can afford.
He knows his father would be disappointed, humiliated to call him son, but Shikaku is long gone, and Inoichi merely a speck on the horizon. So he clings to her with all his earthly worth, because for once, he has nothing left to give and she has nothing to say.
One day, it'll be enough.
But for today, he'll lie beside her, carving the shape of her body against the night sky into his memory, and wish their fathers had a better ending, so they'd have had a better beginning.
Extraneous Author Note: Still grieving over Shikaku and Inoichi. (And Neji, my poor baby.) ;A; |
108,999,463 | Here Say: Your Stories about Travel, Told at the Jefferson City Amtrak Station
Apr 6, 2016
Rian Stallings
Credit Claire Banderas / KBIA
We talked to Rian Stallints, a high school student who was traveling with friends to St. Louis. She told us about seeing Niagara Falls during her trip to Canada with her family.
“It was beautiful, I had never seen anything like it before. It was really nice…You could maybe be a mile away and still feel the mist coming off, just from the waterfall. It was just, a nice time with my family, just to get to spend time and just see that beautiful place."
"Did you all drive to Canada?"
"We did actually, yeah"
"So how did you guys pass the time in the car? What’d you do?"
"We would sing songs or just play different games. One of them was something that I remember singing in preschool and it was umm ‘Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow. Back to my home, I dare not go. For if I do, my mother would say’ and you’d just make something up like if you ever see a whale with a polka dot tail, and we went on with that for like two hours.”
Floyd Harris
Credit Claire Banderas / KBIA
Floyd Harris used his business trips as a way to expand his collections.
“I enjoyed being in the position to take my family along also, and I was a collector at the time and so I would use public transportation to get to various antique shops and flea markets. I collect American Red Cross root beer, black memorabilia, laundry room collectibles. My major collection is on African American hair products, beauty care and finding those was a real challenge and most of the time I traveled in the south, the southeast part of the country to find those. Those items came about, were manufactured back in the 20s and 30s and it’s hard to find ‘em."
Deborah Austin
Credit Claire Banderas / KBIA
St. Louis attorney Deborah Austin told us about a memorable trek in a Puerto Rican rainforest.
“So we go through, and we’re walking quite a ways and we get to a point, and there was the landslide, blocking like the entire thing. We actually climbed up and over the mud and it was like, along this cliff and so there were some guys that were like from New York that were like helping everybody across, and I just remember walking across this cliff and you get to the end of the mudslide and you had to like jump down five feet. And then we get down to where the bus driver was taking us back and everybody was just covered in mud and he was not very happy and had to hose everybody down before we got back on the bus.”
Bill Graham
Credit Claire Banderas / KBIA
We talked to Bill Graham, who is the Amtrak volunteer in Jefferson City on Wednesday mornings. He told us why he believes everyone should travel.
"You learn how the rest of the world actually lives, you know. You can read it in a book, but you don’t really appreciate and, it’s different but it’s all good, it’s just different from what you’re used to. That’s the biggest thing. The only way you’re going to learn about other countries and other people is to go visit them and you know I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding about how the people in different parts of the world live, but they live that way because it’s most convenient for them, where they are and their status in life and wealth, and all that sort of thing.” |
74,383,769 | USA - Yuba City Not Immune From Teasing Of Sikh Children | SIKH PHILOSOPHY NETWORK
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USA Yuba City Not Immune From Teasing Of Sikh Children
1947-2014 (Archived)
Jun 17, 2004
When Sikh students get teased about their religion, the newest immigrants are the most common victims, students say.
Less Americanized students, whether they have been in the United States for two years or two months, are often the target of taunts and teasing by Western students — including those within the East Indian community, said Kiran Samra, president of the Punjabi-American Club at Yuba City High School. The students are mocked for how they dress, speak and even smell.
"There is such a standard when you get to high school. You have to dress this way, You have to act this way," she said. "People make fun of you if you are your own person."
Students who were born in the United States do not face as much harassment or discrimination because they have adapted to blend in with their classmates. Many join their American counterparts in the bullying of immigrants, said Samra, a Yuba City native.
"I'm not too sure they know other people make fun of them, but if they knew, obviously it would hurt them a lot," she said. "I think that's why they separate themselves so much from other Indians, to protect themselves so they don't get hurt."
Samra has heard other students tease or taunt during classes or passing periods.
"They say, 'Oh they smell,' or 'Have you heard the way they talk? It's hella funny,'" she said. "It's kind of sad because I think they should be treated equally."
Blending into society
The bullying is more verbal than physical, said Yuba City High School senior Manraj Singh Garcha. The 17-year-old said few people have made fun of him, but he admits it's probably because he was born in the United States, cuts his hair and tries to meld his American roots with his Sikh background.
"I kind of blend into society," he said. "It's more those that just came from India two or three years ago or two or three months ago."
One of the worst forms of taunting Garcha witnesses is when students call other students "fobers," a derogatory term for someone who recently immigrated. That and other forms of bullying sadden him.
"It's not something that you want to see around our society," he said. "You want to see people coming together and enjoying life and not to be isolated."
Amarpreet Everest, 20, now attends UC Davis but said the bullying she witnessed as a middle and high school student in Yuba City was subtle but very much an issue.
"I had a few of those times, too, where just because I was different I was kind of picked on," she said.
Everest remembers hearing the story of a girl whose long hair was snipped off by non-Sikh classmates, and can recall girls called "hairy," and boys being asked, "What's that rag on your head?"
"It definitely impacts you, especially for those people who are not in touch with their history," she said. "If they are being made fun of, and they don't have that knowledge, that pushes them away from their identity and their religion."
Breaking down barriers
The Punjabi-American Club aims to promote breaking down cultural barriers and student involvement in the community, said its adviser, Sutter County supervisor and Yuba City High teacher Jim Whiteaker. At the high school, he tries to correct bullying and prevent it when possible.
"Most of the time it's due to the ignorance," Whiteaker said. "A majority of the time people don't understand the difference between Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus."
Jasbir Kang, a member of the Punjabi American Heritage Society, agrees.
"There is nothing in the school books, nothing in the history books or social sciences or the school curriculum for the average kids to learn who the Sikhs are," he said.
People often make their judgments on outward appearances, but the Sikh values are just like American values, he said.
Kids find their own ways to cope with discrimination.
"A lot of kids just suffer through it, especially the boys," Kang said. "Some kids give up their appearance because they don't want to be bothered and some kids are strong and they want to make every effort for people to understand."
Bullying can also be difficult for parents, who want their children to be accepted among peers while still maintaining Sikh values.
"You think with the large population there would be better awareness, but I think kids just look for something that's different," said Yuba City Councilman Tej Maan, also a member of the Tierra Buena Sikh Temple.
Understanding of the Sikh culture has improved in recent years, he said, but the teasing and taunts continue.
The entire social system is to blame, because there is little encouragement for people to be outside the norm, Everest said. Education that fosters understanding of the Sikh religion is critical for putting an end to bullying.
"If you don't know who you are, how do you expect other people to know that?" Everest said. "There has to be someone who is willing to be different, to put themselves out there. And at the same time you have to have support, too."
Apr 4, 2005
This world is full of double standards,When anyone tries to put dress codes on youngsters anywhere in world ,Youths start crying and give logic that we are living in free world and everybody has right to look wear or look what they like .On the other hand these same youngsters are biggest dictators in term of How a person Look ,or behave or the type of language he speak.The only difference is that they do it by making fun of person and that to an extent when the victim is completely broke down and starts feeling that he /she should fit in the majority.
1947-2014 (Archived)
Jun 17, 2004
Cutting down a child because he/she is the child of an immigrant is also very painful. It does immeasurable damage. Not only is the child shamed because he is different and therefore "odd." The parents, culture and motherland are also shamed in the eyes of the child by these cruel, heartless words. Schools need to get a grip on this. It has been going on for centuries. It has serious consequences for society when the children who are constantly taunted and ridiculed seek to find support and strength in gangs -- which some of them do. Every generation of new immigrants in the US has seen a percentage of its youth (in every racial and ethnic group) make up the loss of pride in culture and trust in the new world by finding strength in gangs, children guiding children, down a crooked path.
Nov 15, 2010
I am giving this very situation a lot of thought lately.
I went to a gurdwara here in the US for the first time this past Sunday, and my boyfriend and I were the only white people there. We made the embarrassing faux pas of sitting together because there were only 3 other people in the room when we arrived (aside from the man who was reading and the woman up front who was singing) so it wasn't clear that the men and women should sit separately. :blushhh:
Once we realized we needed to sit on opposite sides of the room, my boyfriend very sheepishly moved to sit with the men. :blushh: People were very kind and no one said anything or even looked at us funny. On the contrary, everyone was quite gracious (though I could tell they were a little puzzled by our presence!). It was a lovely service, though the entire thing was read and sung in Punjabi so I did not understand a word, alas. :-/ I will be learning Punjabi sometime in the next year, but for the time being it is a completely foreign language to me.
All this is to say I am someone who is embracing this faith, and I *want* to learn more, but it is not easy to do even though I am proactively taking steps to learn more about it, about Sikh and Punjabi culture, and to see how I can successfully align those things with my own culture, language, and my own core values as an American.
So what I am wondering is what can *I* do to contribute to Sikh awareness? How can we make it seem more accessible and less "other" to people in the dominant white US culture? What could I offer this Gurdwara that would not feel like an unwanted intrusion of white/American/Anglo culture into their worship?
Part of what I'm envisioning is posting flyers around town saying:
"Do you believe there is only one God for all people?
Do you believe that men and women are equal in God's eyes?
Do you believe that people of all nations and religions deserve respect?
Do you enjoy worshiping God with songs?
Do you value earning a living and then sharing your abundance with others?
Do you defend the defenseless and protect the weak?
If so, you may be a Sikh! Come to an informational session this Saturday..."
...or something like that.
It's not evangelism (which I know is eschewed by the faith) so much as it is public relations and outreach to the local community. It would be important to offer services in English, I think, given that most Americans would be unwilling to worship in a place that requires they learn not only a new language but a new set of characters. (I *love* learning new languages so for me this is a bonus, but I realize I'm the exception in that regard rather than the rule...)
Any thoughts would be welcome here.
1947-2014 (Archived)
Jun 17, 2004
Sri Kamala ji
I commend you for your desire to be part of the solution. This is only one person's humble opinion. Your effort and energy would go much further if you did not go it alone but joined forces with an organization that is already practiced in fighting these abuses. Find out how you can be part of local efforts through organizations like Sikh Coalition. See if there are local chapters of The Tolerance Project where you can become a local organizer and use the tried and true tools they have developed. Work with a local school district as part of their effort if they have anti-bullying projects. And remember that change happens one step at a time, one person at a time.
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Shabad Vichaar by SPN'ers
In honor of the gurgaddi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji on October 20 the Shabad of the Week is taken from the Hukamnama drawn at Sri Harimandir Sahib early this morning.
It is found on Ang 555...
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65,278,142 | Home >Opinion >Online-views >Life Hacks | The Gladiators
Photo: ThinkStock
Photo: ThinkStock
Life Hacks | The Gladiators
Those who stay focused at their jobs are the ones who work at keeping their body in shape
The other day, Rajat Chauhan claimed something that came across as ludicrous. Entrepreneurs and CEOs ought to have the ability to run at 16km per hour if they intend to stay at the top. It was difficult to dismiss the claim outright because his credentials are impeccable—sports physician of repute, race director at La Ultra (www.laultra.in), among the world’s cruelest runs (as described by participants), speaker at international symposiums, and a Mint columnist.
To drive his point home, he wrote an interesting piece on Founding Fuel (www.foundingfuel.com). “Each one of you reading this, had to run to be born—or rather had to swim like hell to get to life. Each of you as a sperm was a leader, or an entrepreneur if you will, who believed you were the chosen from among 300 million other sperms. But that self-belief only became reality because you moved like you never did before… When a man ejaculates, sperm travels at approximately 16km to the hour. How many of us have managed to move unassisted at that speed after we were born?" The sum and substance of his argument was that all high achievers across the world are exercise fanatics as well.
Because he is an outlier who thinks running 333km through the Himalayas in 72 hours is par for the course, I turned to K. Ramkumar, executive director at ICICI Bank Ltd. He is responsible for the group’s human resource function as well. Superbly fit and somebody who swears by sport, I thought—for lack of a better word—Ram could offer a more grounded perspective than the maniacal one Chauhan offers.
Now, Ramkumar is the kind of person who has an incredibly tough job. The calls he takes hold the potential to decide what direction the lives of a little over 95,000 people the bank employs can take. His neck is on the block pretty much every day because, god forbid, if any of his calls go awry, the government, media, the families of 95,000-odd people, and his counterparts will haul him over the coals. Technically, he is on call 24/7. When you are part of a team that runs the country’s largest private sector bank, you never know when a crisis can strike—and it strikes often.
That said, he carves 90 minutes every day to engage in physical activity. On weekends, he takes more time out to spend either running or walking at least 15km. He likes to write, but thinks he is incompetent at it. So he consciously takes time off to engage with the craft and religiously maintains a weekly blog (www.theotherview.in) where the world has seen him slip, fall and evolve for almost two years now.
He is close to the family and “it is important my wife and children see me as a hero". So no matter what, he switches off from work at the end of the day. Even if that makes him boorish to others on the board, he holds his ground. He is loved and loathed in equal measure. Be that as it may, he is good at what he does and is incredibly productive. How does he do it?
“Why single me out?" he asks. “Everybody at ICICI does it. And everybody makes the time to work out." By way of examples he points out to chief executive Chanda Kochhar, who he thinks is incredibly focused. Much like Kochhar, he speaks of Lalita Gupte, chairperson of ICICI Venture, and Chinmay Sengupta, who heads ICICI Foundation. Kochhar and Gupte, who live and breathe pressure-cooker situations every day, are conscious of how fit they are. Sengupta is a long-distance runner.
“All of them keep punishing routines. My hypothesis is that high achievement orientation is common to all of us," says Ramkumar.
That doesn’t sound like an adequate answer. I can think of dozens of professionals, including me, who are highly motivated but do not have the time to do everything Ramkumar and his counterparts do. Work consumes pretty much all of our waking lives to the exclusion of everything else. What is it that makes me and my ilk different from Ramkumar and his contemporaries? When probed, Ramkumar comes up with a few interesting answers.
In his mind, the likes of him are gladiators. “There is a myth that in a gladiatorial combat, you have to land the last punch. Truth is, you simply have to be the last man standing after everybody has been battered equally and nobody can land another punch." By way of explanation, he offers that in his career, he has come across people who are obnoxiously more talented than him. But when it comes to the last mile, after everybody has put in much the same effort, it boils down to who continues to stand—not who is the most competent.
Gladiators who have lost rationalize it by using circumstances and an unfair pitch as crutches. But experience, says Ramkumar, has taught him, it is inevitably the fitter one who keeps standing. This shows in little ways. For instance, at marathon meetings where make-or-break decisions are taken and go on for as long as 16 hours, it boils down to whose mind can stay on the task at hand. Those who stay focused are the ones who work at keeping their body in shape.
But staying fit isn’t easy. To make sure he’s out on his run, walk or at the gym every day, he calls it a night at 11pm. He refuses to take red-eye flights because they hold the risk of coming in the way of his 90-minute regimen that starts at dawn. That is why in his head, Ramkumar has to justify even the number of hours he sleeps. “When you’re sleeping, you’re doing nothing. You’re dead. But if I tell myself I need seven-and-a-half hours to achieve peak performance during my waking hours, then sleep is a tool I have to invest in."
Pretty much every day, he reminds himself of his mortality as well. Given his current lifestyle, Ramkumar reckons he’ll live to be 80. In his book, he measures the years in hours. At his age (55 years), he reckons he’s got 10,000 days of life left in him. “How can I best compress the most of life into these days?" he asks rhetorically.
“That is why I begin everything on time and end on time. My social life is restricted only to those who matter. Everything is prioritized, including what tasks I participate in, the people I meet, how much time I spend with them and so on and so forth. The clock is ticking and I am aware of that. It pisses people off because I come across as rigid and selfish. But so be it. I have to do what is best for me." When viewed from this perspective, everything else then ought to fit into a system that works with clockwork precision. So much so that it can sound excruciatingly monotonous.
Ramkumar disagrees. “There are three parts to life," he begins. “First, how healthy do you feel? Second, what is the quality of your thinking? Third, how emotionally balanced are you?"
By way of explanation, he offers, if you’re mired in nostalgia, as is endemic to unhealthy people, you can’t think right. Emotional imbalances follow because you cannot deal with pressure, either professional or personal. To get all of these in place, you need the right kind of endorphins in the system. These are released only when you work out. “But the unhealthy don’t know that. If you’ve been unhealthy all your life, how will you know what it is to feel healthy?" he asks me, as the both of us stare uncomfortably at my large frame.
Which is Chauhan’s point as well. We were born because we fought hard for it. The fittest sperms made it to the world. We have forgotten all about that. Which is also why, right after getting out of Ramkumar’s office, the first thing I did was call my former tennis coach Karthick Raghuvaran and told him I’m signing up with him right away.
Charles Assisi is co-founder and director at Founding Fuel Publishing (www.foundingfuel.com), a media and education platform for entrepreneurs.
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276,499,854 | Driver gets prison for critically injuring 12-year-old in Pontiac hit-and-run
The driver who hit and critically injured a 12-year-old boy on a bike in Pontiac is going to prison.
A judge sentenced Dominique Amos to spend 18 months to five years behind bars on Tuesday.
Back in January, police say Amos hit Christian Castle on Baldwin Road then left the scene. Police arrested Amos a month later in Illinois.
Christian's family says they were concerned that Amos might only get probation, but say they feel justice was served.
"We just want him to understand that his actions after the accident were what were wrong and that's what he's paying for," said his aunt, Laura Coburn.
Christian suffered severe head trauma and several broken bones. His family says he's a fighter and continues to recover from his injuries. |
616,711,777 | Warren Buffett trolls Trump and GOP on tax cuts
Inside the GOP's tax blueprint
Inside the GOP's tax blueprint
Warren Buffett is poking fun at President Trump and Republicans in Congress over doubts that they can come together on taxes.
"Any politician that can't pass a tax cut is probably in the wrong line of business," Buffett told CNBC on Tuesday.
The world's second-richest person said Republicans "don't want a shutout" in their first year controlling both houses of Congress and the White House.
For those reasons, Buffett thinks tax cuts are likely.
But Buffett, who supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 campaign, isn't so sure that American businesses need the tax cuts that Trump is calling for.
Related: The stocks set to win under Trump's tax plan
The GOP tax framework rolled out last week proposes slashing the corporate tax rate to 20% from the current 35%. Republicans say reducing taxes will make the United States more competitive with other major economies.
Buffett said that his Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) holding company owns 60 or 70 businesses, but none of them are "noncompetitive in the world because of the corporate tax rate." He noted that American businesses earn "extraordinary" returns compared with history and other countries.
The billionaire didn't dispute that tax cuts would make many businesses even more profitable -- and lift their stock prices. Then again, he joked that a "negative tax rate for corporations would really be great."
Related: Is the Trump tax plan a big win for middle class? Not so much
But Buffett told CNBC he worries about a plan to offer companies a one-time low tax rate to entice them to bring home the cash they are hoarding overseas.
Buffett says that might just encourage more companies to stash money outside the United States in hopes of getting a tax break.
"People may find their nose growing" after making some of the arguments for repatriation, Buffett said.
Buffett also knocked the GOP's plans to eliminate the estate tax, saying such a move would be a "terrible mistake" and could lead to dynasty-building. The tax applies only to estates worth more than about $5.5 million, or $11 million for couples.
"The wealthy now are so much wealthier than they were 25 years ago," he said.
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116,874,575 | Fan Fic: I'm Here to Help
Crystal Tokyo.
Crystalline structures, delicate spires of magic reaching to the heavens like angel's wings.
People laughed, people smiled, people almost never cried. Why would they? They lived in Utopia.
I hate it. I hate them. I hate her.
Serenity. 'Neo-Queen' Serenity.
I'm Here to Help is a Sailor Moon fanfic mostly written in 1998 (but finished in 2007) by Mark Doherty. What seems to be a typical "Big Bad wants to change history" plot upon first reading quickly becomes much, MUCH more.
This story provides examples of:
• And I Must Scream - What Emerald ends up being subjected to when he was frozen in the Great Ice. Specifically, while almost everyone else experienced it as a sort of "bad dream" with varying degrees of consciousness, he was fully aware the entire time for over 300 years before he managed to free himself, (less than an hour before Serenity freed the rest of the world). Naturally he comes out of it rather shaken and leading to his Identity Amnesia. Beryls "Eternal Sleep" punishment is also along these lines, Emerald even directly compares it to being frozen in the Great Ice.
• The Ageless - Emerald and the Sailor Senshi are this by Crystal Tokyo's time.
• Badass Boast - All the freaking time.
• Bad Future - Whether Emerald is averting or creating one is up for the reader to decide.
• Bad Powers, Morally Ambiguous People - Emerald notes that all of his powers are pretty much stereotypical villain powers. He also mentions that he's been treated with suspicion by a number of people with more traditional "good" powers even before the Great Freeze while he was fighting for the Earth and that afterwards the survivors weren't surprised by, or were even expecting, him to fight against Crystal Tokyo.
• Beware the Superman - Emerald asked why the Senshi should rule the world just because they had powers instead of making it better in one of his diary entries.
• Big Bad - Neo-Queen Serenity, and the (future) Senshi. To Emerald, Beryl and even Metallia are not worth the time.
• Bittersweet Ending - Emerald never gets to fully enjoy his victory as he's erased from time moments later, but his younger self will not have to go through the pain he did.
• Blatant Lies - Emerald's "past lover" story. Also the lie to Queen Beryl that he served under Jadeite, but she doesn't believe him.
• Blessed with Suck - Emerald's view of immortality, after many years of suffering and fighting.
• Brainwashed - Everyone in Crystal Tokyo and the rest of the Earth, except Emerald and those exiled. The result of Instrumentality, and the main reason Emerald wants to change the past.
• Clark Kenting - Due to the Senshi's disguise magic changing even their auras. It takes Emerald a long time to figure out Sailor Moon and Serenity are the same.
• Crapsaccharine World - Crystal Tokyo according to Emerald.
• Cruel Mercy - How Emerald sees his planned punishment after being defeated in the first rebellion, mainly banishing him from the planet. More accurately, he's not so much angry at the punishment itself then the fact that everyone at his trial acted like this was being magnanimous of them.
If being thrown off the planet that had born, raised, and supported you, if being thrown off the planet that you fought time and time again to save and protect, if being thrown off the planet that people died, DIED to help you protect, if being thrown off your home planet, the planet you love is MERCY, then by the GODS, never, EVER show any mercy to me AGAIN!
There's no mercy in planetary exile, none at all.
• Determinator - Emerald. He's been fighting against Crystal Tokyo just by himself and with his small sentient crystal for centuries, always dragging himself up to try again whenever he fails. This does take its toll however, and when he finds out that Serenity has Resurrective Immortality he decides to go for a Pyrrhic Victory by stopping the Purification whilst he was in the past.
• Does This Remind You of Anything? - When Emerald is draining youma to regain his energy, he is only shown hunting female ones. While this can be attributed to the fact that most Youma in the series seem to be female, he corners them in ways that can be seen as reminiscent of assailants (he catches his first by breaking into her apartment as she comes home from work and gets another by luring her to an alley and tossing her down it, before going after and coming out saying how "easy" it was), which to be frank, is in fact what he is technically doing but not for the reasons normal people would think.
• Dramatic Irony - The protagonist is unaware that Sailor Moon is Queen Serenity.
• Enemy Mine - One of Emerald's off lines mentioned a brief alliance he had with the Sailor Senshi against an intergalactic conqueror who controlled his entire army through brainwashing. It lasted less than an hour and was described as ending in disaster. He also has a brief and unintentional one with Sailor Mars during one of their last battles when they work to save a child who gets caught in the middle. It leads to a brief moment when they both realise just how meaningless their battles have become. It's also implied that this event was what directly lead to Emeralds plan to travel to the past and prevent Crystal Tokyo from ever being born
• Energy Absorption - Emerald needs to do this to get stronger, he can do so through a variety of ways and can even drain energy from the elements around him
• Vampiric Draining - ...but in the end he does it most effectively by draining other living creatures, mostly youma to the point where they die and turn to dust.
• Exact Words - Sailor Pluto sees Crystal Tokyo prevented from coming into being as it existed through no act of her own. Meaning by arranging events so Emerald be forced to go through with his fallback anti-Purification plan, and being in the right place so he could defeat her and feed off her energy, Pluto could prevent the future she didn't want without breaking her oath to Queen Serenity.
• Fashion-Victim Villain - Emerald described the Senshi as "girls with interesting powers in silly suits. As opposed, of course, to women with horrifically intense powers... in silly suits." invoked
• First-Person Smartass - Whenever Emerald isn't being introspective, his narration tends to be this.
• For Want of a Nail - It is heavily implied that in the original timeline, Emerald would have become Wiseman. Pluto's "If you knew your original fate, you would have thanked me" line cinches it.
• Future Badass.
• Gambit Roulette - At the end, it is revealed that Sailor Pluto was the true mastermind behind the plot to prevent Crystal Tokyo (or at least the "purified" version described) from coming into being. She spent "thousands of manipulations over thousands of years" working towards the goal "Only to realise only after [she] got it that it wasn't what [she] thought it was." After that she started secretly working towards getting Emerald to change things.
• Getting Smilies Painted on Your Soul - The Purification is described as something like this, not so much forcefully making everyone happy so much as severing every "negative emotion" and leaving only "positive emotions." Emerald himself scoffs at this black and white view on emotions and he also sees his inability to prevent this from coming to pass as his greatest failure
• Go Out with a Smile - Emerald ultimately dies this way, erased from casting his Anti-Purification due the paradox he created, content with finally achieving his goal.
• Heroic BSOD- After Emerald finds out that Sailor Moon is the Serenity he has been looking for all along.
• Identity Amnesia - Emerald cannot remember his own name or much of his past. His true name is revealed to be Yukio, by Pluto.
• Jadeite, after being freed from his Eternal Sleep, remembers everything about his past before his brainwashing by Beryl, leading to a moment of sheer, screaming horror as these memories overwhelm him. Emerald thinks he's simply gone crazy and so snaps his neck.
• The Immune - Emerald notes that his and Serenity's energies naturally repel each other. This effectively renders him immune to the Purification. He eventually casts an Anti-Purification when in the past after draining Pluto's energy that renders everyone on the planet this.
• Instrumentality - What the "purification" supposedly did to the majority of mankind. The few that were strong enough to reject it or otherwise weren't affected are regarded as enemies by the Senshi, according to Emerald.
• In the Name of the Moon - Emerald thinks it's over the top and at one point interrupts Sailor Moon during one such speech. It's noted by Pluto that this isn't the first time.
• Meaningful Rename - The original group of rebels (who, in this fic, would come to inspire the Black Moon Clan) named themselves after gems and stones to reflect the fact that they were fighting for the Earth, Emerald was actually indifferent towards the idea since he saw little importance in names but did so anyway because everyone else urged him to.
• Meaningless Meaningful Words - Emerald's journal entries are full of his fauxlosophical thoughts. At least some of it is written down deliberately to taunt the Sailor Senshi.
• My Greatest Failure - Emeralds was his inability to prevent the Purification from coming to pass. This is due to him being immune to Serenity's power, had he released and bathed the planet in his energies first, he could have prevented the Purification from having any effect. Although, on an intellectual level, he notes that, at the time, he had neither the control, the knowledge, or the power to actually pull it off, the fact that he had the potential still caused him endless guilt. This eventually comes into play at the end when he does this whilst in the past.
• Never Hurt an Innocent - Emerald was tempted to drain Naru of her energy after seeing how much she has but ultimately refuses due to this.
• One-Hit Kill - Emerald does this to one of Kunzite's youma, with Kunzite himself standing there. And then to Kunzite himself later on, as well as many more Dark Kingdom fodder.
• Power Crystal - Emerald's green crystal that he keeps around his neck by a leather chain, though he's quite powerful enough without it. It is also sentient.
• Really 700 Years Old - Emerald is nearly a thousand years old, but appears to be no older than a young adult. Same with all the Crystal Tokyo Senshi, and the King and Queen.
• Set Right What Once Went Wrong - The whole motivation of Emerald's life, as written in his journal entries. He succeeds.
• Time Travel - From the 30th century, to the time the Senshi first reawakened in the late 20th century (Dark Kingdom Arc).
• Unreliable Narrator - Almost everything we learn about Crystal Tokyo being a Bad Future is told to us by Emerald, who, it must be noted, has a very deep-set grudge against Neo-Queen Serenity. The fact that barely any of the fic actually takes place in Crystal Tokyo means we don't have much choice but to take his word for it, or reject it. Of course since part of this was implemented by Sailor Pluto, it really calls into question how right or wrong Emerald was.
• Unrequited Love - Emerald and Rei in the future, due to them being Arch Enemies on opposing sides trying to kill each other. After journeying to the past, Emerald doesn't understand why he seems so willing at times to aid the younger Rei. May be possibly subverted at the end with the "present" versions of themselves.
• What Measure Is a Mook? - From chapter 1:
"I killed it. A creature, youma, demon, call it what you will. Did it have dreams, aspirations, hopes? Did it wish for its life, to be hunted and killed? Did it want to be left alone?"
• We Win Because You Didn't - Emeralds ultimate plan. He breaks through the timeline to attract Sailor Pluto's attention and drain her energy. Afterwards he casts his Anti-Purification spell whilst using Pluto's energy to prevent a paradox from occurring and effectively preventing the Crystal Tokyo he knew from existing.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Despite Emerald's antipathy towards the Sailor Senshi, even if we take everything he says at face value at their worst they, at most, come across as this given that they did their best to save the world and try and provide a home for many people who lost theirs in the Great Freeze. Emerald himself is also arguably one of these, given that he's willing to travel through time to achieve his goals.
• Why Did It Have To Be Sailor Mercury: Out of all the Sailor Senshi, Mercury is the only one Emerald truly fears. Partly because her analytical and strategic abilities makes her dangerous to fight and partly because she attacks with ice due to experiences in the Great Freeze.
• You Will Be Spared - Emerald's offer to a horde of youma ready to invade the Earth through a portal... not that they listen despite knowing how strong he really is. |
343,119,773 | Mass. still reeling from lab scandal a year after chemist faked results
Published On: Sep 01 2013 11:50:29 AM EDT
State drug lab
The state is still reeling a year after a scandal at a drug lab threw the legal system into turmoil: More than 330 prison inmates have been released from custody and at least 1,1000 cases have been dismissed or not prosecuted because of tainted evidence and other fallout from the facility's closure.
Annie Dookhan stands accused of faking test results, tampering with evidence and routinely ignoring testing protocols.
With thousands of challenges still making their way through the court system, many in the legal community believe it will be years before the cases handled by Dookhan are cleared.
Just two weeks ago, a lawyer appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to help create a database of Dookhan's cases said more than 40,000 defendants may have been affected, about 6,000 more than officials first estimated.
"Forget having your day in court, forget having a lawyer - it's taken us this long just to get a number on the number of cases that she tested," said Matthew Segal, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.
"It's been very damaging to the integrity of the justice system," he said.
Dookhan, 35, treasured her reputation as the most productive chemist in the lab and became the go-to person for prosecutors in drug cases.
But now prosecutors believe Dookhan's reputation was based on fraud. She told state police that instead of testing all the substances turned over to the Department of Public Health lab, she sometimes would test only a fraction of them but certify them all as drugs, authorities said. She has pleaded not guilty and her lawyer hasn't responded to repeated requests for comment.
The scandal led to the resignation of the state's public health commissioner, the resignation of a manager at the lab and the firing of another manager.
The effects have reverberated throughout the state.
The state's public defender says the number of affected cases could be even higher because management and protocol lapses at the lab may have allowed other chemists to cut corners or falsify results. Defense attorneys say all test results at the lab over the last decade should be questioned.
In Suffolk County, which includes Boston, 240 defendants have been released by judges who agreed to put their sentences on hold or reduce their bail for pending cases. About 60 of those released have since been arrested on new charges.
In one case, a career criminal and convicted rapist failed to show up for court after his bail was reduced. Marcus Pixley was rearrested two days later, but his case was cited by prosecutors who feared that dangerous criminals would end up back on the streets. Pixley eventually pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge and was sentenced to a year in county jail.
In Brockton, the dire consequences predicted by prosecutors came true, authorities said, when a man released from prison early killed another man in a fight over drugs and a gun.
Donta Hood, 22, has since pleaded not guilty in the shooting death of Charles Evans, 45. Hood's lawyer said all defendants are entitled to a review of their cases when improprieties or tainted evidence is discovered.
Hood had served about three years of a five-year sentence on a cocaine distribution charge when prosecutors learned that Dookhan testified about drug evidence at his trial. His case was dismissed and he was released. The remaining evidence had been destroyed because Hood had lost all his appeals, said Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz.
Evans' mother, Lucille, said her son had been trying to get his life on track after being released from prison in 2010.
"I'm a little disappointed in what happened at the lab and I'm disappointed with the court that let (Hood) walk out," she said. "Maybe he wouldn't be part of killing my son if he had been kept in jail to do his time."
Two other men who were released ended up getting killed in Brockton. Another man whose drug possession case was dismissed was rearrested after authorities say he shot at state police troopers in a gang unit.
"These individuals deal drugs; they protect their turf with weapons. Once they were released, they went right back to what they know best - dealing drugs - and as a result, we're seeing our violence going up in the city of Brockton," Cruz said.
Some defendants have tried to use their release as a second chance.
Yohan Marquez had served about eight months of a three-year sentence for selling heroin when a judge put his sentence on hold.
Marquez, 36, of Boston, has been out almost a year now but has had trouble finding work. Three weeks ago, he finally landed a job as a prep cook at a Boston restaurant. Less than two weeks later, he was fired.
Marquez said he got a vague response when he asked why, but he believes it's because of the GPS ankle bracelet he wears as a condition of his release, a constant reminder of his criminal record.
Marquez, who had an earlier drug conviction, said he's grateful to be released but disappointed that prosecutors haven't dropped the charges against him because of the accusations against Dookhan.
"I made a mistake. I was paying for my mistake, but you had somebody in the system doing what she was not supposed to do," he said. "That's not my fault."
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158,693,338 | Battered by covid-19, Narendra Modi is humiliated by Indian voters
IN THE HOME state of Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, a person too clever by half is said to have won the house, but lost Gujarat. Through March and April, political pundits voiced the Gujarati proverb as a warning. So fiercely were Mr Modi and his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) fighting to win elections in another state, West Bengal, that they risked losing a bigger prize. Focused obsessively on the campaign through eight rounds of voting that ended on April 29th, they failed to pay attention as India’s second wave of covid-19 grew from a worrying swell into a tidal wave—the biggest cataclysm to have struck the country in living memory. What good would it be if Mr Modi unseated Mamata Banerjee, the obstreperous opposition leader in West Bengal, if his apparent lack of interest in the mounting body-count from the pandemic shook the whole country’s confidence in his leadership.
The country’s confidence is indeed being shaken. Every day sees grisly new records, either in the number of new infections of covid-19, or in the number of deaths from it. Debilitating shortages of oxygen and hospital beds appear to be spreading as the second wave washes across new regions. Frantic relatives of ailing patients have to hunt and beg for life-saving treatment—often unsuccessfully. On May 1st alone official records show 3,689 deaths, and that is almost certainly a woeful undercount.
To make matters worse, when West Bengal’s votes were tallied on May 2nd, along with those in three other states, Mr Modi did not even capture the benefit for which he has jeopardised his national standing. As widely expected, the BJP did keep a hold on one state, Assam (population 36m). In the two far-southern states of Kerala (population 35m), and Tamil Nadu (population 82m) it failed to secure a single seat. This rebuff to a party that is strongest in India’s Hindi-speaking north was not unusual, but still a setback. In Kerala voters handed a resounding victory to an alliance of leftists that is viscerally opposed to Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalism, and in Tamil Nadu they trounced the BJP’s local ally, opting instead for an ally of Congress, the BJP’s historical rival in national politics.
Yet it was in West Bengal (population 91m) that Mr Modi suffered the greatest humiliation. The prime minister himself had hosted some 20 giant rallies across the state, and devoted immense amounts of money and manpower to the fight. His closest henchman and electoral supremo, Amit Shah, the home minister, brashly predicted that the BJP would grab more than 200 of the state assembly’s 294 seats. The outcome was precisely the opposite. Mr Modi’s party captured just 77 seats. Its chief opponent, Ms Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) sailed home with a cool 213. Shekhar Gupta, a journalist, describes this as the most significant electoral defeat of Mr Modi’s seven years in government.
Why should the loss of—or rather, failure to capture—just one of India’s 28 states be so important? The answer is that not only the BJP, but also its sister organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a tentacular fraternity that underpins the Hindu-nationalist movement, portrayed the contest in West Bengal as a show of strength. They wanted a victory to prove that Hindu nationalism could thrive anywhere in India, even in a region where Hindi is not the main language, with a distinct culture and a strong secular tradition.
The TMC has done little to revive West Bengal’s lumbering economy. The state is also marked by stark social divisions, including those between the Hindu majority and a Muslim minority of nearly 30%. Mr Modi has successfully exploited conditions like these again and again, with one hand promising money, development and progress, and with the other a club to put “anti-nationals” such as Muslims in their place.
The party’s campaign in West Bengal was ugly even by the often unseemly standards of Indian politics. Mr Shah repeatedly insinuated that local Muslims are in fact dangerous Bangladeshi “infiltrators” out to steal “Indian” jobs. He excoriated Ms Banerjee for “appeasing” them with handouts. Other figures in the party publicly gloated when Muslim voters were shot dead by police during a fracas at a polling booth. In an astonishing lapse of taste during a pandemic, the BJP loudly advertised that if elected, it would give everyone in the state free vaccines for covid-19.
None of this seems to have worked. West Bengal’s voters did not turn against the BJP because of Mr Modi’s disregard for social distancing in the midst of a pandemic, or to punish him for his government’s failure to handle the disease’s second wave. Half of the eight phases of voting in the state took place before the number of infections and deaths began to soar. Many also did not vote for the TMC out of love for the party, which is widely seen as thuggish and corrupt. They voted simply to keep the BJP out of power. Muslims, importantly, voted strategically, rejecting “Islamic” parties and abandoning secular alternatives such as Congress and communists in order to concentrate all their strength in the party most likely to ward off Mr Modi.
With the official death toll from covid-19 nearing 220,000 by May 2nd, and media airing mortifying imagery of blazing pyres and dying patients gasping for oxygen, Mr Modi now faces a ferocious backlash from beyond West Bengal. Carefully cultivated over three decades in politics, his reputation for dynamism, patriotism and compassion for the little man has been shredded. The trouble is not just his government’s failure to anticipate, plan for and now cope with India’s devastating second wave. What has shocked millions of Indians, including much of his own base, is Mr Modi’s deafness to widespread suffering. At one rally in West Bengal in mid-April, he actually joked delightedly at the size of the largely unmasked crowd. As the misery has mounted, he seems to have grown more distant, avoiding the limelight and commenting in increasingly stilted soundbites.
Yet neither the BJP’s electoral setbacks nor the political damage from covid-19 represent immediate threats to Mr Modi. Morning Consult, a political monitor, reckons that his popularity rating has fallen to its lowest level since the beginning of his current term, and by seven points in the past month alone. Yet at 67% it remains enviably buoyant. His party, too, is more resilient than a few poor state results might suggest. “The BJP is very good at quietly reviewing its mistakes and learning from them,” says Kapil Komireddi, author of a critical book on the Modi era. “Don’t write them off. They will work harder.”
With three strengthened regional leaders now grandstanding from the post-poll states, and with Mr Modi’s standing shaken by the covid-19 debacle, other regional opposition leaders may be emboldened. India’s mainstream press, largely cowed by the ruling party’s money and clout, as well as by Mr Shah’s ruthlessness, has also grown less craven as evidence of the government’s callousness and incompetence has grown impossible to ignore.
But pulling all of Mr Modi’s critics into a political force strong enough to challenge him at the national level is another matter. India’s once-dominant Congress party, from which many of the regional players, including Ms Banerjee, emerged, lacks the drive and energy to rally and galvanise the opposition. Its leader, Rahul Gandhi, has ironically been prophetic about covid-19, repeatedly and accurately chiding Mr Modi for failing to take the threat seriously enough. But Mr Gandhi is not backed by an effective machine, and as the scion of a venerable political dynasty he remains vulnerable to Mr Modi’s anti-elitist jibes. “He harms the message by being the messenger,” says Mr Komireddi. |
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No. of Recommendations: 5
By the way, a couple more things to think about: Always think about your pawn structure. Beginners tend to move and/or recapture with pawns without thinking about it, and the truth is that pawns are critical. Imagine a game in which you trade pieces evenly until you each have nothing left but your king and a few pawns. The guy with the biggest pawn chain(s) will win. If you have three isolated pawns and your opponent has three in a chain that protect each other, he will win. If you have a group of two and a group of three, and he has all five of his in a single chain, he will win. You want to always think in these terms, even in the first few moves. Yes, you have to move a pawn or two or maybe even three in the opening (you really want to be developing pieces and not pawns), but always think about what will happen if you trade. Will your pawns be doubled? Will you end up with an isolated pawn (one without another pawn on either side)?
So if you have your knight out in the third row, and your opponent captures it, forcing you to double your pawns in order to re-capture, he has gained an advantage even though you each lost an identical piece. This is even worse if it disrupts the pawns in front of your king after you have castled. A good opponent is always looking for such a trade, even one that costs each of you your queen and a couple of other identical pieces. If he's got pieces that are able to capture your pieces, and your pieces are only protected by pawns, that means he can trade evenly, but your pawn structure gets screwed up.
You've seen the scenario where two queens are facing each other, and one queen captures the other queen, forcing the other guy to use his king in order to capture the enemy queen, and this costs him the ability to castle, right? It's an even trade as far as "points" are concerned, but the guy who moved his king got screwed. Watching your pawn structure is along the same principle. Even if you each lose an identical piece, it's not an even trade if your pawns get disrupted!
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45,615,902 | The Ultimate Fighter: Season 11 – Finale: “Will to Winâ€
Previously on TUF, Yager quit, Tito got fired and Team Ortiz became Team Franklin. In tonight’s finale, the semifinalists fight to make it to the big show.
First things first, Rich Franklin is given the grand tour of the new gym (as it has been years since he coached). We even get to witness Franklin officially signing to fight Chuck. The guys are then brought in to meet with all their new coaches: Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard and Tyson Griffin. Dana wasn’t kidding when he said he was overcompensating!
In the first day of training with Franklin, they all jump right in. They break McCray’s style down, giving lots of pointers. The guys are pleasantly surprised at their hands-on approach.
Then Team Liddell comes rolling in to find Franklin’s giant mug hanging up in the gym. After the double take, they get right to work. It’ll be awkward for Tavares and McGee to fight each other, as they are not only teammates but they have become close friends. Trying to train them both has created an awkward dynamic for the coaches. Chuck points out that it’ll be hard for him to watch – who does he root for? Who does he coach?
Later at the house, many of the guys decide to get back at the rowdiest (McCray, Yager, Tavares, Noke and Ring) of the group, because of their late (late) night antics. They arm themselves with air horns and silly string, and invade their rooms to wake them in the wee hours. They all take it well…except for Tavares. He first trashes the chess board, but then starts plotting his revenge.
All around the predictions are that this is going to be a tough fight. No one makes any concrete predictions except Dana – he picks McGee.
McGee opens with a leg kick, but Tavares counters with jabs. McGee connects with a combo. Both seem tentative and cautious. McGee almost seems to be throwing kicks/punches in slow motion. Tries a body kick, then a head kick, but they are checked. Finally, McGee goes offensive with a big right hook, but Tavares ducks and they clinch. Against the cage, they work for position and McGee is able to slam Tavares. McGee has Tavares half mounted and is looking for the full mount. Tavares defends and McGee ends up in his guard. Tavares continuously tries to posture and is able to push McGee off. They return to the center and begin slugging. Both land several shots. After a few exchanges they clinch again, with McGee in control against the fence. He lands several kidney shots. They return to the center and once again, McGee is the aggressor. He lands several unanswered jabs and leg kicks. Tavares is able to check a few shot and even lands a couple of his own. He looks to shoot but changes his mind as they return to the clinch. McGee pins Tavares, landing body shots and looking to take Tavares down as the round ends.
I give that round to McGee…all McGee.
This time Tavares strikes first with a straight jab to the face. McGee fights back though. So far the pace is a bit faster. They are less tentative and more calculating. Tavares lands another jab. Nice attempt at a headkick from McGee, but it is checked. McGee works the leg kick and follows up with a combo. Tavares comes in on him and McGee pops him with a right hook that wobbles him. McGee then shoots on Tavares and pushes him against the fence. Neither does much, but Tavares gets himself off the cage. Back at center, Tavares gives a nice jab/uppercut combo. Now they are finally throwing some nice exchanges. Both are landing solid punches and both are taking them. McGee shoots, but Tavares sprawls and is able to defend. Taking advantage Tavares gets a good knee on McGee. McGee loves that leg kick and connects with several. Tavares tries one also, but McGee catches it and uses it to drive Tavares back. Tavares is practically doing a split as McGee tries to take him down. But the round ends before he can.
Wow…much closer round, but McGee did more damage. I didn’t expect it to go this far.
Immediately both start swinging and kicking. A stray kick lands in McGee’s groin. After a brief break they’re back to duking it out. They slow down and get back to being careful. McGee connects with several leg kicks. He goes in on Tavares and Tavares lands a few shots to McGee’s head. Neither looks gassed. Tavares lands a heavy leg to McGee’s thigh. Nice jab to McGee’s face snaps his head back. Tavares is definitely more aggressive now. McGee shoots, and puts Tavares against the fence but it doesn’t last. Back to standing they continue to exchange. A shot from McGee gets Tavares backpedaling and he nearly falls, but regains his footing. They clinch against the cage. Struggling for control, Tavares jumps up with a knee that connects to McGee face but it doesn’t seem to rattle him enough. In the continued clinch, this time it is Tavares who takes a shot to the pills, but all is ok. They restart and exchange. McGee lands a combo leg kick/jab that seems to rock Tavares. Nice overhands from both. McGee throws an inside kick that ends in the groin again. As soon as they restart, McGee rocks Tavares with a big right. McGee pounces as Tavares wobbles and gets Tavares down. Immediately he jumps on his back, and wraps his arms around his neck. He sinks the hooks in for the RNC and Tavares drops to the ground. The ref sees that Tavares is not responding. He checks him and he is sound asleep.
Winner: Court McGee via Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
What. A. Slugfest. By far the best fight of the season. Props for both guys from everyone. Dana even says that was a finale-type fight. I definitely see a future for Tavares. But that was huge for McGee.
As a surprise for the guys, Dana brings in a handful of Marines to train with them. The soldiers are going to roll with them and learn what they go through and how they prepare for deployment. Part of the lesson is trust and teamwork, combat conditioning, de-arming someone etc. They even get to have a little fun taking out their aggression with some big foam sticks! There is a camaraderie forming, I can feel it!
The Marines are then invited back to the house for a bit of a BBQ. Over hot dogs and hamburgers, they compare their experiences: boot camp, the sacrifices and what they go through. It’s impressive how they all seem to appreciate each other now. I like seeing that these rough and tumble guys have heart outside of the ring too.
But, back to the fighting. Franklin reviewed McCray’s first fight with Bryant to break down where he could improve. This will be McCray’s 5th fight on the show (uh, wow!) and Franklin vows that he will not make the same mistakes. His major criticism of the first fight was the McCray was working too hard and inefficiently. That will not happen again.
At the house, Yager and Tavares talk prank to get back at the rest for the silly string and air horns. Their plan: hide their shoes, whip dry beans and rice and bags of flour at sunbathers. This enrages Hammortree who empties a nasty bag of trash all over Yager’s room (though the flour had been Tavares). Yager tries to retaliate and gets in Hammortree’s face. The two bark and bark at each other. As several try to break them up, Yager fakes on Uscola who then flips. Yager tries to insult Uscola, but everyone is quick to remind him that he’s the one that quit in his fight. The solution of course is to take it outside. Uscola gets his shoes and makes his way to the patio but Yager hides up in his room. “Another fight he didn’t show up for.†Now the rest of the guys realize their shoes have gone missing. This time Yager is quick to comply with the requests but not without heated words from McKinney.
Team Liddell trains Bryant for his rematch with McCray. Bryant expects McCray to be a bit more cautious this time. I agree that this will not be the same fight. Dana is assuming that history will repeat itself and picks Bryant to win again.
McCray starts out aggressive, but maybe too aggressive. Bryant is able to check his shots and scrambles away from McCray’s takedown attempt. McCray is finally able to pin Bryant sideways against the cage and then tries to slam him to the ground. Bryant works back up, but McCray is not letting go. While clinching, McCray lands a nice knee and is then able to slam Bryant. Bryant keeps trying to push McCray off and stand, but McCray has a good grip. They both stand and continue to dirty box. They soon separate and get back to stand up. McCray leads with a nice right/left combo, but Bryant connects with a jab. McCray charges at Bryant and lands several shots and Bryant counters with a leg kick. They exchange and briefly clinch, but both back off. Nice uppercut from McCray leads to the clinch, but Bryant fends him off. McCray lands a big knee, but Bryant is unscathed. Now Bryant controls the clinch, but it doesn’t last. BIG left from Bryant leads to a painful exchange that leaves McCray a little damaged as the round ends.
Even though he was very sloppy, McCray controlled and won that round. I’m not impressed.
Franklin tells him that he wasn’t overworking, but I disagree…
McCray fakes a kick and lands an overhand instead. He gets Bryant’s back against the fence but can’t hold him there. McCray then peppers Bryant with unchecked jabs. Back in the clinch, Bryant now looks for the takedown, but he seems tired. As a matter of fact, neither seems to be working much except for a few weak knees and elbows. After being restarted, Bryant strikes first with a jab. They have a heated exchange, both landing some decent shots. They end up against the cage again, but nothing significant happens. Instead, they go back to stand-up and throw countless weak shots at each other. McCray lands some nice kidney shots, but (yawn) Bryant goes for the clinch again (to presumably catch his breath). They both try desperately to connect, but nothing really works. The same pattern emerges – clinch, body shots and knees, back to the center, slug, repeat. It’s a relief when the round ends.
Finally I agree with Franklin; Bryant likely won that round out of sheer control. And if McCray lets that happen again, he will lose.
ROUND 3 (no commercial?? Wtf!)
More of the same. They slug a bit….weak jabs, right hooks, wild uppercuts, and a few leg kicks for good measure. Clinch… a few knees and elbows, McCray trying to get the underhooks in, but cannot take Bryant down. Return to the center. They both connect with jabs and McCray charges Bryant trying to take him down. He is nearly successful, but Bryant is able to defend. The exchanges continue, but both are clearly exhausted (my son has hit me with more solid jabs!). This clinch/strike cycle is getting to the point where they could just loop the video and no one would know. With a minute left, McCray lands what would be a good left hook, but Bryant’s solid chin is able to take it. McCray is able to latch onto Bryant’s back, standing, looking for the slam but loses it. Bryant then lands a left hook that rattles McCray. They clinch til the bell.
That was sadly the weakest round of the 3, and I could see calling it a draw. Both were pretty evenly weak, but McCray did have more takedown attempts.
Winner: Kris McCray via Decision (Unanimous)
I don’t know where the Bryant of old went, but he definitely didn’t show up tonight. McCray definitely improved, and was able to execute a better game plan. Bryant just got overwhelmed.
So, live from the Palms it will be McGee and McCray. And considering that both of these guys actually lost their previous fights, it just goes to show you what second chances can do. This has the potential to be a sick fight.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 11 – Episode 7: “Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fedâ€
Previously on TUF, Nick Ring aggravated a knee injury. In the final prelim fight, Baczynski beat Henle in a 3-round decision. Court McGee was chosen to replace Attonito. Kyacey Uscola and Kris McCray were chosen to compete in the wildcard fight.
To start tonight, Uscola is brought to tears with the news that his son has been born: Charles “Champ†Uscola. But he realizes that he still has a job to do, and that is to prepare for that night’s wildcard fight.
McCray is disappointed that he has to fight someone on his team, but he understands that it needs to be done to advance. He also realizes that he is the underdog, and sees Uscola strengths. He has hope anyway. Considering that Tito is coach to both, he opts to sit on the bleachers to let them fight on their own laurels.
McCray starts out with a leg kick, but Uscola comes back with some nice body shots. McCray fakes a jab but then lands a leg kick which Uscola counters. A nice exchange lands a right from Uscola. They are both choosing shots carefully. Uscola lands a leg kick that seems to really hurt McCray. They clinch and McCray slams Uscola awkwardly. Having Uscola pinned against the cage, McCray lands several shots to his face which he alternates with knees. Continuous knees, but not much else. McCray first tries to sweep Uscola, then slam him, but Uscola defends the takedown. The ref restarts them at center cage and McCray is walking gingerly on his right leg. They both engage in successful exchanges, both landing leg kicks and jabs. Finally McCray takes Uscola down, but they are back up immediately. In the process, several shots to the face are landed by Uscola. Back to the center, McCray charges and slams Uscola. Uscola is face down and McCray takes his back, landing several body and head shots. Uscola attempts to maneuver out and the round ends as McCray looks for a choke.
Uscola goes right in with a big swinging right. They clinch against the cage with Uscola in control, but McCray goes for and gets the slam. McCray has side control as U tries to roll out. McCray works for a better position and gets a good hold of Uscola’s arm. He yanks it hard and Uscola taps.
Winner: Kris McCray via Submission (armbar)
It was nice to see McCray more composed and technical. Uscola admits he had a lot on his mind, but refuses to use that as an excuse. He is disappointed, but has nothing else to say.
The coaches sit down with Dana to discuss the quarterfinal fights. Chuck is at a complete loss, and it seems to extremely hard for anyone to come to any sort of consensus. What seems to be the issue is the effed up fight between Ring and McGee. The coaches are sent out of the room and Dana is left to his own devices to decide the match-ups. Shortly thereafter, the guys are gathered and are very anxiously awaiting the quarterfinal fights. Dana has decreed the following:
#1 – Nick Ring vs. Court McGee – they finally get their 3rd round!
#2 – Kyle Noke vs. Kris McCray – yikes! Poor McCray…
#3 – Brad Tavares vs. Seth Baczynski – my money’s on Brad
#4 – Jamie Yager vs. Josh Bryant – unfortunately, I think Yager takes this one
Obviously both coaches think their guys have the shot at winning every fight. Personally, I see Team Liddell taking 3 out of the 4 fights.
Back at the house, the guys are chilling, when out of nowhere, Forrest Griffin comes strolling in donning a creepy trench coat, UFC Undisputed 2010 in hand for everyone to play. It’s a hit in the house, especially the part where they get to play against Forrest (and Hammortree KO’s Forrest via Tito!). Attonito says it was the fastest two hours he has experienced since being in the house.
Ring makes a visit to the doctor to get his knee checked out. He is told that there is very little tissue there, and as such he as re-torn his ACL. This requires yet another (his 3rd) reconstructive surgery. This is frustrating to Ring, who is tired of picking himself up and dusting himself off. There are risks of even further damage (torn meniscus, etc.). Should he eke out 1 or 2 more fights? Or should he just play it safe and call it a day now? It’s surely a tough decision that no fighter ever wants to face.
Dana then makes a visit to the house to talk to Ring. Just the presence of Dana gets the guys on edge. Dana has already spoken to the doctor about Ring’s knee. The doc told him that he can and is cleared to fight, but Ring tells Dana of his concerns. He thinks that long-term, it is not smart for him to continue on despite being a favorite to possibly win. Ring knows he’s losing a huge opportunity, but he feels he needs to listen to what his body is telling him.
The guys are gathered and told that Ring is out due to his knee. This opens another spot to bring another loser back in. That person will fight McGee in the first quarterfinal. Since so many are hurt, that really only leaves Henle and Hammortree (though he, too, went to the hospital). Dana needs to speak to the coaches before he decides. Hammortree uses his chance to run after Dana and put it out there that he wants to fight. He was cleared by the hospital and is good to go. No surprise, this impresses the hell outta Dana. Dana turns right around, marches back into the house and tells the guys that Hammortree is back. Henle is p-i-s-s-e-d and approaches Dana. His anger is seething through. But Yager makes a good point: the “closed mouth don’t get fed.†(Is that supposed to be the ghetto version of “the squeaky wheel gets the grease� lol)
Court McGee vs. James Hammortree – Quarterfinal Fight #1
McGee strikes first with a missed jab. Both seem tentative. Hammortree leans in for a jab and McGee shoots but cannot get Hammortree down. McGee fakes a right hook and lands a nice leg kick. He follows up with a jab that snaps H’s head back. Both are circling a lot but are being very cautious. Hammortree throws a kick but McGee catches it and forces Hammortree backwards toward the cage. They clinch and McGee controls it, wrapping himself around Hammortree’s back. He wrangles Hammortree to the ground, getting in a few head shots, but Hammortree gets back up. They exchange a few jabs. McGee swings a big overhand right that misses and Hammortree uses it to go in for a solid jab that lands. Continued circling allows McGee to be more aggressive. Again, McGee charges into the clinch and gets Hammortree down. He nearly gets his back and gets in for a choke, but Hammortree gets free and back on his feet. Hammortree is dropping his guard more. McGee shoots and pins Hammortree against the cage. He tries to pick up and slam Hammortree but can’t get a good hold. McGee tries a spinning back kick, but he gets caught and Hammortree takes him down. McGee rolls and pins Hammortree against the cage again. He works upward and ends up in half guard as the round ends.
Hammortree strikes first with a big combo. This time he shoots first but he cannot get McGee down. Instead, McGee immediately wraps both arms around Hammortree’s neck and sinks the hooks in hard for a standing guillotine and Hammortree taps nearly instantly.
Winner: Court McGee via Submission (Guillotine )
Tito gave Hammortree the first round (though he adds barely), but everyone else saw the same fight we did, giving McGee the round. What’s to blame is Hammortree’s inexperience, but also McGee seems to be getting better with every fight. He made a fan out of Dana, who dubs him the dark horse of the house.
Next week: Team Ortiz is delivered more bad news, but this time it’s involving Tito, leaving the fight with him and Chuck in jeopardy. And we get 2 more quarterfinal fights, one of which goes to a controversial decision that sparks a fight between the coaches.
The Ultimate Fighter: Season 11 – Episode 7: “Coming for Bloodâ€
Previously on TUF, Seth Baczynski is brought back after Camozzi is sent home with a broken jaw. Rich Attonito was forced out due to a broken hand, despite winning. And Court McGee lost in the most recent fight. Now Dana and the coaches need to decide which of the losers to bring back. But first, Baczynski needs to prove his worth in his fight against Joe Henle.
Last week, McGee and Ring slugged it out in a fairly controversial fight. While the first round was close, the second was far more decisive, though the judges apparently saw things differently. Despite being known for his stand up, no one was impressed with Ring. And thankfully McGee has wildcard hopes.
After the fight, Ring expresses his concern for his knee. An old injury, he reinjured it after the fight to get into the house, and is worried that he did more damage fighting McGee.
Tito makes his fight announcement – the last 2 guys, Joe Henle and Seth Baczynski. Dana sees this as a very lopsided fight. Henle is a very one-dimensional fighter; he was the last pick who barely won his fight to get in. Baczynski, on the other hand, looked great in his fight and is very well-rounded. He also realizes that he is on borrowed time and is capitalizizing on his second chance.
Later at the house, Henle is discussing how he got into MMA by accident. He literally just went pro months before the show. He’s defnitiely got the heart, but boy is he green! When not fighting, he is a substitute teacher and coach, so he realizes that he is sacrificing a lot to be where he is. Though he is neither cocky nor confident, he is improving and is willing to work at it. Chuck sees his potential, but knows it will take time to get there.
At Team Ortiz’s practice, Ring and Hammortree are sparring, when Ring’s knee suddenly gives out on him. Accoridng to Ring, his previous surgeon, 3 years ago, told him that he would never fight again. Since that time it has given him nothing but trouble. Having had knee trouble himself, Tito takes a look at it, and sees the same symptoms he suffered with his own torn ACL. Not looking for Ring (of course, you’d think it was the end of Tito’s world!).
Back with Team Ortiz, everyone discusses the wildcard spots – who deserves it, who thinks they deserve it. Which of course they all think they do.
(no wonder they call Henle “the ape†– he has a 77†reach!)
Bacyznski strikes first with a missed leg kick. Henle counters and goes for the quick takedown. Bacyznski tries to go in for a choke, but Henle gets him down and is in his guard. Bacyznski is looking for a triangle from his back but cannot get both legs secure. This gives Henle the opportunity to get up and try striking. In doing this he allows Bacyznski to wrap his arm around his neck looking for a choke. Henle holds on and does not tap, and Bacyznski soon after lets go. Henle has him pinned against the cage, but is not doing much. Henle reverses his position and it looks like he is going for an arm. He manages to get his arms under Bacyznski’s neck for a choke. Bacyznski starts to turn red, but manages to get free. Henle is now back in Bacyznski’s guard. Bacyznski begins to look for an arm, but Henle spins free, reverses and takes Bacyznski’s back. With back control, Bacyznski spins and puts Henle on his back. Baczynski rolls over and is now in Henle’s guard. Baczynski lays on the ground n pound with repeated hammerfists and elbows. This lasts about a minute and the round ends.
Immediately Baczynski comes out with a flying knee that doesn’t quite make it. Both come at each other aggressively with legs and fists flying. Baczynski charges at Henle and they clinch against the cage. Baczynski goes for and slams Henle, but while on the ground, Henle reverses. Henle is in Baczynski’s guard, and is slowly working toward side control. Meanwhile Baczynski looks for an arm. Henle reverses his position and takes Baczynski’s back. He slips one arm under for the RNC but can’t keep it sunk. Henle tries to pin on of Baczynski’s arms but can’t keep it stabilized. Using the fence, Baczynski pushes up and flips backwards out of Henle’s control. Baczynski ends up on his back and Henle is in his guard again. Henle finally gains side control, but Baczynski is doing well at defending submission attempts. Both weakly continue to look for submissions, but but are tired. Back up on their feet, Baczynski tries another flying knee that is dodged by Henle, putting Baczynski into the cage. Henle takes Baczynski down again and eventually takes his back once more. Baczynski manages to roll and take Henle’s back. He gets one arm under, but the round ends before he can finish it.
Could it be?? Another Round 3? Or will the judges screw the pooch again?
Nope. They must’ve learned from last week!
Baczynski agains, comes out slugging, but doesn’t really connect. He then goes for the takedown and gets Henle on his back. As he is working half guard, Henle has a good hold on Baczynski’s arm and is trying to pull it out for the armbar. Baczynski pulls free. As they are being warned to work, Baczynski gets a good choke attempt, but Henle gets out. Instead, Baczynski punishes him with some hammerfists. With Baczynski in Henle’s guard, they continually swap some nasty elbows (and Baczynski is warned for fingers near Henle’s eyes). Baczynski connects with several nasty shots, but Henle does counter. Henle uses his legs to push Baczynski off and tries to get up, but he is tired (also, his inexperience is showing). Baczynski has side control and is just letting up. He lands several unanswered punches as Henle just tries to cover up. For every 5 shots from Baczynski, Henle throws 1. The round ends with Baczynski unleashing.
Winner: Seth Bacyznski via decision
Dana was quite surprised by the fight overall. He had higher hopes for Seth, and was pleasantly surprised with not only Joe’s BJJ, but his cardio. When Joe called it a chess match, he wasn’t kidding. Unfortunately it was Henle’s empty gas tank that got him in the end. Considering he only had 3 pro fights prior to this, Henle has potential for sure. And heart – you can’t teach heart.
Later, the guys are gathered for the wildcard announcement. The coaches and Dana have chosen Kyacey Uscola and Kris McCray (who are rightfully excited). And although he won, Rich Attonito is injured and needs to be replaced. That spot goes to Court McGee, who in his fight was robbed by the judges (a good time for Dana to remind them not to leave it in the hands of the judges. Something these guys seem to forget frequently).
Of course, Henle and Hammortree both think that the wildcard spots should have gone to them. But, who do they have to blame but themselves?
Next week: Uscola and McCray get another shot at getting back into the race. Dana has to mediate between the coaches and come to a consensus to choose the quarterfinal fights. And if there wasn’t already enough injury and drama, one figther’s announcement sets the stage for yet another to come back. Finally we are treated to the first quarterfinal fight. |
321,480,048 | 5 Mental Mistakes You're Making at the Gym
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5 Mental Mistakes You're Making at the Gym
You may have the best intentions when it comes to working out, but sometimes your mind just gets in the way. Have you ever said "I'll start tomorrow?" or given up after one really tough workout, convincing yourself you just don't have the time anyway? You're not alone.
"Women are constantly overshadowed by obstacles they cannot shake!" says Carla Lundblade, a licensed clinical therapist who works with some of the country's top professional sports stars and celebrities from her practice in Beverly Hills. "They will most likely not achieve their workout goals because they are not preparing themselves enough mentally for the many challenges ahead."
If you focus on coaching yourself psychologically rather than just physically, you'll get better results, Lundblade says. "Sports psychologists and therapists have studied MRI scans which show how important emotions and mental imagery are to the physical gift of an athlete," she explains. "Women can incorporate brain training techniques very quickly that will make their physical training programs more effective and give them a competitive edge."
Here are five mental mistakes you may be making at the gym—and how to change your brain for better results!
1. Low Self-Esteem
Maybe you're just not confident enough to meet your fitness goals. "This is a problem that has everything to do with mental skills training and requires regular positive reinforcement coaching," Lundblade says. Try picking a personal trainer who provides plenty of support, or a workout buddy who can encourage you along the way.
2. Fear of Failure
It can be embarrassing and discouraging to hit the workout circuit and feel like you can't keep up with other women. "Women are highly affected by what other people think of them and their performance," Lundblade says. "I've seen a lot of women quit working out due to the fear of failing and it's a travesty." The bottom line here? Don't worry about what other people think, if you keep at it, you'll be up to their level in no time.
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624,417,831 | Car HID kits
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Find replacement lighting parts such as bulbs and HID for yoru Lexus IS 250. The Lexus is a car that has very many attractive features. Its design is quite appealing and the engine very good because it is economical in consumption of fuel. The frontal part of this car is fixed with air bags which help greatly in maintaining the stability of this Lexus automobile. It has aluminum pedals and calibrations that are very firm; its wheels perform highly even if you drive for very long hours. It has anti lock brakes. The availability of Lexus is hid kit has greatly improved the safety levels of many car owners. This kit is in a position of enabling your bulbs to produce the light intensity that is friendly to your eyes but very strong to pass through all the dark corners that you might be driving at. The hid kit has been made specifically to replace the halogen lighting system which produces light which is not bright enough. |
572,980,974 | My boy friend worked for Aspen dental as a dentist.He left because he was forced to do things that he was not supposed to
He hated every single minute of it .He says they blackmail their dentists to sell expensive treatments to patients
They are expected to sell $3000-$4000 worth of treatment to every patientthat walks into the door on average and mostly deep cleaning to as many patients as possible
If they don't do it , they would lose their job .
What a shame !! Nobody does anything about it and this comany is growing like crazy and invading the whole world
Product or Service Mentioned: Aspen Dental Dental Cleaning.
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Hey anonymous:
I am also a dentist and I don't need to SELL any $10,000 treatment plan to any of my patients, I don't have to sell anything to be succesful, I am in a small town in central PA and my succes comes from being honest(word of mouth) and from all the patients you people are trying to rob. You are the reason people hate the dentist. And NO not every doctor goes to school to make $$$$$$ lots of money.
While I was having my teeth cleaned...they stripped my body naked and proceeded to *** with me !!! I bet I've topped everyone's bad experiences !!! :cry :cry :cry
Hey anonymous let me guess.You must be one of their office sales person(probabably would have had lots of experience in selling used cars ) who thinks success is all about making money regardless of the quality of care you are providing .You exactly talked like how the aspen sales managers talk.
Nobody is perfect but when so many people here are complaining and on average a dentist leaves evry 6 months to 1 year from every office ,definitely there must be something wrong with the system .Tell me this how can a non dental sales people control and guide a doctors judgment . Thats speaks a lot about the Aspen's rotten system
Why do you think your boyfriend is so perfect? Maybe he just doesn't get it?
Doesn't any Doctor want to have a succesful practice?
That is why he went to school, right?
To make money?? Obviously Aspen is successful for a reason.
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386,624,531 | Tuesday, March 02, 2010
B101's Questions For The Competition
Questions For The Competition is a weekly column that addresses our issues with the brackets of other bracketology "experts." Today's questions are reserved for ESPN's Joe Lunardi, SI.com's Andy Glockner, and CBSSports.com and CollegeRPI.com's Jerry Palm. Keep in mind that these questions are about each expert's most recent brackets, which were released before Monday's games.
With the bubble being as weak as it is right now, it's tough to argue about some of the at-large differences we have with other bracketologists. We were surprised to see so many bracketologists with Virginia Tech in their bracket, but for brackets done as if the season ended today, having the Hokies in isn't terrible. We took them out in large part because we don't think they'll win at Georgia Tech this weekend, but most other brackets aren't looking that far ahead. The same could be said for Dayton, who we don't have in because of their upcoming game at Richmond. Most of the issues we had with the other bracketologists this week were in terms of seeding rather than teams.
Joe Lunardi (ESPN) - March 1 Bracket
Our plug on SportsNation has to be concerning for you. The last thing you need is for your co-workers to start comparing our stats to your abysmal bracket stats over the last four years (we won't even get into all the bracketing principles issues you've had the last few weeks.) You a little nervous now that we've invaded your home turf? Does your office have a nice view?
UConn's so far in that they aren't even on the Last Four In list?
How did Temple drop from a 4 to a 5 after two wins? They have a worse resume than BYU? How exactly?
Jerry Palm (CBS, CollegeRPI.com) - March 1 Bracket
We joked after URI and Charlotte lost that weekend that A-10 fans didn't need to worry because you would still have five A-10 teams in your field on Monday. As least we thought we were joking...
How in the world would the A-10 get five bids (five!) if the season ended today? How is Dayton a 10? They're that safe?
Worst of all, how is Rhode Island - after losing FOUR of FIVE - still an 8 seed? That's insane. Oh wait - the Rams' RPI is 37. That explains everything.
How is Mississippi in the field at all, and more specifically, how are they in over Mississippi State? The Bulldogs swept the Rebels head-to-head and are two games better in the SEC. Explain.
St. Mary's is a 10 seed? How are the Gaels that safe?
How is Cincinnati (who has lost five of seven) ahead of Notre Dame (who just picked up two huge wins) on your Last Four Out list?
Andy Glockner (SI.com) - March 1 Bracket
Did you really try to justify Dayton's spot in your bracket by saying that the Flyers "don't have any double-digit losses?" Seriously? That's the criteria?
How is Richmond still a 5 seed?
Isn't UTEP a little low as a 13?
Anonymous said...
Good post, have you ever gotten a response from any of these guys?
SMA said...
Pretty obvious why Glockner does those things for Dayton and Richmond, he's a major A-10 homer. Great writer, great guy, but huge A-10 homer, anyone who has followed him and listened to his ESPN podcasts knows this.
Bracketology 101 said...
Glockner wrote us about a month ago and we put his e-mail and our response to it in a Mailbag post. We tweet back and forth with him on a semi-regular basis, too. He's a cool guy, who despite our criticism, definitely knows his stuff.
We've never gotten a response from Palm or Lunardi. Needless to say, aren't holding our breath.
SMA said...
What do you guys think about Louisville? Glockner says the winner of tonight's game is in, but then starts talking about how they're in trouble after the disaster. Obviously beating Syracuse would put them in, but what if they're 10-8 going to New York? What needs to happen?
Jeff said...
Did I mention this is the best site on the 'net?
Go Owls!
Anonymous said...
How about a question for B101? When did you jump off the Virginia Tech bandwagon? You guys have ignored their horrible OOC resume the past month, what changed your mind now? Did someone finally tell you that most of their wins are against teams outside the top 100?
Anonymous said...
Jerry Palm will actually answer questions over on the CBS Sports boards if you want to post over there after he does a bracket.
Anonymous said...
Hey Jeff, good to see another Temple fan on here.
I'm glad that people are noticing that Lunardi keeps putting Temple lower while they keep winning games. That doesn't make much sense. |
254,548,490 | Scientists found that feminine charm does indeed have economic benefits and can increase success rates in negotiations with both men and women by as much as a third.
The findings from the first academic study of its kind shows that women who flirt while negotiating the price of a car can get a considerable discount at around 20 percent off the original price.
However, researchers said that the technique needed to be done with the right balance between flirtation and friendliness because women who come off as being too straightforwardly friendly actually lose out more.
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the London School of Economics conducted a series of experiments and scenarios to measure the advantages and disadvantages of feminine charm in negotiations.
They found while that feminine charm, employed with the right combination of warmth, friendliness, playfulness, flattery and sexiness, effectively deducted the price of a car by a fifth of the price.
In one experiment researchers asked about 100 men and women to imagine that they were selling a car worth £750 ($1200) to a potential female buyer in which researchers had provided them with a written description.
Half of the participants received a description of a woman who flirted through the negotiation by looking the seller up and down, leaning forward and touching the seller's arm, flattering the seller and winking when asking for his or her best price, while the other half read a description of a much more business-like transaction.
Researchers found that flirtatious ‘buyers’ were offered significantly better deals, but only if the seller was a man, and that women who were described as being flirtatious in the written descriptions ended up with a price that was on average 20 percent lower than the no-nonsense ones, according to the study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
However the flirtation technique backfired when the women were too friendly or when the seller was a woman. Flirtatious women actually got worse deals from female sellers, which may be because female sellers got the balance wrong.
Lead researcher Dr. Laura Kray said that women who were perceived as being too friendly and caring may also be thought of as easy prey.
"They are seen as pushovers; as caring solely about satisfying other people's interest. We found that flirtation, on the other hand, conveys assertiveness and power, from someone who is also concerned about satisfying their own interests," Kray said, according to The Independent.
"When perceived as flirtatiousness, female negotiators received better offers, but when perceived as friendliness, female negotiators negotiated worse deals," researchers wrote in the study. "This is consistent with the finding that warmth signals a lack of competitiveness, making friendliness an economic liability in a negotiation." |
537,353,291 | Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 13:29:30 -0600 From: Cameron Writer Subject: A Light in the Tunnel chapter 12 Hello everyone. I'd like to thank everyone for their opinions and input as I write this. As I hope I have said, it means so very much to me. Because of some recent personal events, my recent illness not included, I am able to devote more time to writing, a fact that makes me very glad. This is chapter 12 of A Light in the Tunnel. You will notice right away that it doesn't pick up where the last one left off. I have decided to skip ahead a month in time. I feel the story was going to become too stagnate going day by day. I am jealous of writers that manage to pull it off. There will be pieces that refer to events skipped over, so, don't worry, you will know what happened. As always, I do not know NSYNC, anyone affiliated with them, or any other celebrities that may appear within these pages. That said, it can be correctly assumed that I have no insight into their sexual orientations/habits or personalities. This is a work of fiction. This is a story detailing relationships between men, so, if such things offend you or you are not of legal age in your community, please look elsewhere for you entertainment. A Light in the Tunnel: Chapter 12 Burke dropped onto the soft, heavily cushioned, brown leather couch, and pulled his anatomy book from his backpack. He was tired of school for the day, but Chris had a thing about him finishing his homework before anything else was done, not letting him put it off so more amusing things could be found. Burke instantly regretted nestling into the plush sofa, wondering how much pain would be had when he needed to peel his bare legs from the leather. Sighing, he delved into his book, not all that interested in the inner workings of kidneys. "Hey, Burke. What's going on?" Burke gladly tore his eyes from the chart in front of him, looking up at the welcome distraction. "Hi, Lee. Nothing much, just doing homework." "No study group today?" For the past month, he had been volunteering four days out of the week with a local after school program, tutoring and hanging out with kids who had no where to go between the time school got out and their parents were off work. Lance had found him the job, and he really enjoyed it. The children made him laugh and feel important. "Nope. I don't work on Fridays." "Alright. Do you want me to turn the sound on so you can hear what's going on in there?" Lee gestured over his shoulder to the bubble like recording studio, Burke's friends clustered around a set of hanging microphones. He liked listening to them work on their music. It always provided at least a few slip-ups he could tease them about later. "What are they working on today?" "Just a couple of run-throughs. Justin and JC wrote a new song and they wanted to test out the harmonies and stuff." "Sure, if it isn't too much of a problem. I've been sitting here for an hour or so and they haven't noticed me yet." "Ok, as long as you promise to behave yourself." Burke tried to look innocent, pretending to be ignorant of what he was alluding to. "Don't give me that angel face, Burke. I happen to remember a certain young man that had to postpone his trip to Universal because his friends had to spend a Saturday morning laying down tracks to replace the ones he caused them to mess up." Burke grinned, the corners of his eyes scrunching up. "That wasn't very nice of that guy! He should be ashamed of himself!" Giggling, Burke remembered pressing his face against the studio glass, making faces while the guys were recording, breaking their concentration. After an hour of his hijinks, the producer called it quits for the day, but demanded they come back in the morning to get it right. Needless to say, Burke had to wait in another room. "I promise, Lee. I'll just sit right here and read my book. You won't hear a peep out of me." A few moments after the man left the room, disappearing into the control booth, the music was piped in through speakers in the corner. Burke listened for several minutes as they toyed with the vocals and notes. The harmonies, as usual, were tight and well blended, no one hitting a sour chord. He found it slightly funny that Justin, a huge goofball, could write the most tender love songs. At the same time, he pictured himself as the one Josh was singing to. With a content sigh, he drifted back to his text, reading but keeping an ear cocked to the music. He barely realized that a new song was being sung, this one upbeat and more be-bop. Justin worked the rhythm with his mouth, sounding like a drum track, while Lance offered the counterpoint, his deep voice bouncing out an accompanying beat. Chris' contralto added a high do-wop, Josh echoing an octave lower. Joey just stood there, a wicked glint in his eyes. While trying to memorize the part of the kidney, Burke's head began to bob to the lilting tune, keeping beat with their scatting. "Burke, Burke, Bo-Burke. Banana fana Fo-Furke. Me My Mo-Murke. Burke!" His head snapping around, Burke was met with five men making hideous, hilarious faces at him through the glass. Laughing hysterically, he rolled off the couch, his skin parting from the leather with a sticky sound, and collapsed on the floor. One by one they made their way out of the studio, all cackling as hard as their young friend. "What do think?" Justin giggled. "Will it make it on the next album?" "Unless your fans, myself included, have lost their senses, I'd say not! But the intro was awesome as hell!" Lance cleared his throat. "Sorry," Burke murmured. "So, y'all finished for the day?" "Almost," Chris answered, "we have one more thing to do. One of the things we want to do sounds a little flat. It needs something extra." Burke nodded. "I'll be right here when you finish. I promised Lee I would leave you guys alone while you're working." "Actually," Joey piped up, "we were hoping you'd help us with the problem." Shrugging, Burke started toward the control booth, figuring they wanted his opinion on how to balance things out. "No, come in here." Gathering around the microphones, Burke stood against the farthest wall, not wanting his breathing to be recorded on the sensitive system. "You can't help way over there," Chris smiled, holding out one of their sets of headphones. Burke gulped, his throat becoming dry and tight. He looked at them, each beaming. "I--you want me to--sing with you?" "We've all been told that you have a great voice, but, except for in the car and stuff, we've never heard you. Come on, it'll be fun!" "Nobody that's going to buy your record wants to hear me too, guys." "This is just for us, Burke. Please?" Justin's puppy dog eyes were joined by four more. "Thanks, but no thanks. You all have an amazing mix, and adding me to it will mess everything up." He firmly shook his head when they started to beg. "He doesn't want to guys, and it isn't fair of us to try and force him," Lance spoke up once he realized Burke wasn't going to cave in to their pleading. Burke smiled a thank you. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" "I have to sit down with Burke and tell him about today's news. After that I don't have anything to do. Have you finished your homework, son?" "All I have to do is answer a couple of questions at the end of the chapter, dad. It won't take me more than a couple of minutes. What news? Is something important going on?" "I'll tell you when we get home. And take that look of dread off your face. It's nothing bad." Burke nodded. "How about we give you all a call later? Maybe we can set something up for tomorrow." Everyone agreed, and, after doling out farewell hugs, left, each going their separate way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Burke poured himself a glass of water, and looked out the kitchen window facing the back yard. Thick, black clouds were rolling in from the southwest, just as the weatherman had forecasted for the evening. It wasn't supposed to be a bad storm, definitely spawning no tornadoes, but it was supposed to drop a few inches of rain on them overnight. Stepping onto the back porch, Burke sucked in a harsh breath. The normally torrid Orlando humidity was oppressive and blanketing with the approaching storm. The wind had picked up, blowing Burke's hair as he faced into it. Hunkered down in the shrubs for protection, tree frogs and cicadas chirped their song of warning. Burke tried to mimic them, trilling his tongue lazily. A flash of lightning lit up the darkening sky, casting an eerie white glare over everything. If the flash of light startled him, the echoing clap of thunder was worse, making the boy jump into the air. Taking a moment to compose himself, Burke realized someone was watching him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Chris standing in the doorway. "You shouldn't be standing outside," the man spoke, having been spotted. "You'll get hit by lightning or something." "I was just enjoying the air. Everything seems so alive when a storm is coming." "Well, come inside. Supper is ready." Burke nodded, "You mean the delivery guy came?" "Yes, smart ass, now come eat." Two Styrofoam boxes sat on the kitchen table, their contents marked on the lids in green marker. "The enchiladas are yours." Burke grabbed forks and napkins, then sat at the table. "So, you want to hear the news now, or wait until after we eat?" "Is it going to make me upset or laugh until I puke?" "Shouldn't, but you aren't right in the head, so I'm not sure." Burke grinned, loving the game of teasing he and Chris shared. "I know you're old and everything, dad, and senility comes with that. But I'm not so sure you should say I'm crazy. I'm not the one who started his career by letting his hair look like a deformed pineapple." "Don't start with me, little man, or I'll have to tell everyone about Reggie." Burke blushed. Reggie was the stuffed tiger that he had owned since childhood, and still slept with. The poor thing had lost an eye and been restuffed at least twice, but he refused to part with his oldest friend. "Whatever. I do have to admit that your hair is better now." "Thank you," Chris answered smugly. "Your welcome, dad. Besides, the treasure troll thing works for you." Chris reached across the table for his cell phone, but Burke beat him to it. "So, what's going on? I've been patient all evening." Deciding to let the teasing go for the time being, Chris shoved another bite of burrito in his mouth. "Well, do you want the good news or the so-so news first?" "The good." "In two weeks we'll be starting a fall tour." Burke's face fell. "What's that look for?" "Nothing. How long will you be gone for?" "We do the last show a week before Thanksgiving, which, by the way, is at the Bass' house this year. And what do you mean, 'how long will I be gone'? Remember why you have a private teacher instead of going to public school?" Honestly, Burke had forgotten that he was supposed to go with them, and his eyes brightened at the thought of touring around the country with his father and friends. "Great! What else?" "This tour swings past your old stomping grounds. You don't have to worry about any problems, but I wanted to warn you beforehand." Burke shrugged, not knowing what kind of reaction Chris expected from him. He didn't know the specifics of how a tour worked, but was relatively positive not just anyone could come backstage at an arena. Besides that, he would be tied up with school work, and doubted he would be allowed to wander around much. Unless something unforeseen happened, Burke wouldn't have to see anyone he didn't want to. "Thanks for the heads up, dad, but you worry too much. Do you think Aunt Lisa would be able to get tickets or something?" "I think it could be arranged. I do have connections to the group." "Oh, by the way, Josh wanted to know if I could go to a movie with him tomorrow night. I told him it would probably be okay, but I had to ask to make sure." "That's fine. You know the rules about curfew and all that jazz." Burke's nose wrinkled comically. "You do realize that I'm seventeen and going on a date with JC Chasez, right?" "Wow, really? I did not know that," Chris replied sarcasm dripping from his voice like syrup. "You know when you have to be home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clambering out of bed, Burke barreled down the stairs, wondering what all the shouting was about. Chris' voice was raised, but still held some tinge of calmness, but the woman he was talking to was raving. Crossing the foyer, he finally understood what was going on. Trembling, he walked into the living room, and saw his mother stomping around, her arms flailing madly. "He's my son, and I want him to come home! Now!" "It's not that simple, Mrs. Kennedy. You gave up all rights to Burke. Legally, he's not your son anymore. He lives here now, and is quite happy. I suggest you calm down before things get out of hand." "Are you threatening me? I will drag your ass to court and take every cent you have! Get him down here and get his bags packed!" They hadn't seen him hovering in the doorway, but Burke could tell Chris' patience was wearing thin rapidly. Not too much taller than the woman, Chris, full of anger and annoyance, seemed to be huge. "You just try it, lady, and I'll bury you in paperwork until Burke turns eighteen. What kind of judge is going to grant custody to someone who throws her son away instead of helping him when he needs it most? Now, get out of my house before I have you arrested for trespassing." "This isn't the end of this! He's mine and I'll have him back!" She spun on her heels, both of them gasping when they saw Burke standing there, tears running down his cheeks. "Burke, sweetheart--" "What are you doing here?" he sobbed. "I've come to take you home where you belong. These *people* are not your family. I am, and you should be with me. Now go get your things so we can go home." Chris stepped up, his hands shoved in his pockets. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Burke. The decision is yours." His voice was low and wavering. "No, he doesn't have a choice. Burke is still a child, and he will do what he's told. Now, Burke." Burke felt his fingers curl into the palms of his hands, his fingernails pressing sharply against the skin. He was happy with Chris and his friends, happier than he could ever remember being. He couldn't picture his life without Joey's joking barbs or Justin's enthusiasm or Lance's quiet understanding. He had a father for the first time in his life, and someone who was interested in getting to know him romantically. He didn't want to lose that, he didn't want to lose everything he had been trying to build. "No," he whispered, his eyes opening to glare at his mother. "No," he said again, this time with more conviction. "What do you mean, 'no'? I told you to go get your things." Her voice was rough, furious that Burke was talking back to her, something he had never done in seventeen years. "And I told you no. You threw me away like a piece of trash, and now you expect me to come running back? It doesn't work like that. All I've ever wanted was for you to love me, but you've proven, time and time again, that you can't do that." "I'm your mother, Burke. You can't argue that no matter what kind of lies these singers have filled your head with." "I wish I could argue that fact, I really do. And they haven't filled my head with any kind of lie. That was all you. All my life you stomped me into the ground and made me feel worthless. I actually believed you, but not anymore. Like it or not, these guys love me, and I love them. This is my home now, and I'm not going anywhere, especially with you." Beverly's lip curled into a cruel smirk. "Do they know exactly how much you love them? Tell me, Chris," she snarled, whipping around to face him, "do you know that Burke is a pervert?" "Stop it mother," Burke warned. "That he is going to hell and is dragging you with him?" "Shut up!" "That he doesn't really care about you? All he wants is to have sex with you? Burke is a filthy homosexual." With an anguished shriek, Burke launched himself across the room, a fist raised in retaliation. Moving faster than he thought possible, Chris leapt in his path and grabbed Burke, pulling him back. "No, son, don't do it. She's not worth it." Struggling against Chris' arms, Burke howled as he attempted to get at the frightened woman. "Yes, I know that Burke is gay, but that doesn't make a difference to me. He's a good boy; smart, funny, caring, talented. You're the one who's going to hell you miserable, self-righteous, bitch. You have about ten seconds to get out of here, or I'm going to let your son take a few swings at you, then tell the cops you attacked him first." Her eyes wide, Beverly scurried to the door, leaving it open as she shuffled to her rental car. "This isn't over! I'm warning you!" Calmer, and sheltered within his father's arms, Burke answered her, his voice lacking all emotion. "Yes, it is." He pushed the door shut, watching his glowering mother disappear behind the wood. With the click of the latch, Burke buried his face in Chris' shoulder. "Oh God!," he wailed. "Oh God!" Steering the boy back into the living room and to a couch, Chris cradled Burke, sad that his son had to face that, angry that Beverly had dared to show her face around their home, and proud that Burke had stood up for himself against someone who had tried to destroy his soul on a daily basis. "Shh, it'll be alright, Burke. I swear it will be alright." "But I just threw my mother out! I slammed the door in her face! Oh God! I almost hit her! I almost hit her, Chris!" "But you didn't, and, if you had, she more than deserved it for talking to you like that. I almost laid her out the minute she rang the doorbell. I shouldn't have let her inside. I'm so sorry." Rocking back and forth, they apologized and forgave each other for things that didn't really matter. "You didn't believe her, did you? About me only wanting to have sex with you? Because it isn't true! You're my family!" "I know, son, I know. Of course I didn't believe her. She was just trying to hurt you. I mean, if she was talking about Josh, I might have bought it." Chris giggled and poked his fingers into Burke's ribs. "That's not funny, dad! He's my friend above everything else." "Chris, Burke, you're never going to guess who I think I just saw pulling out of the front gate," Joey called out as he came walking in. "I mean, I know it wasn't, but the likeness was amazing." He rounded the corner, becoming silent when he saw them cuddled together on the couch, both still sniffling. "Oh, shit! It was her, wasn't it?" Chris nodded slowly. "What the hell did she want? What did she do to Burke?" "She wanted me to go home with her," Burke answered, wiping his eyes on the hem of his shirt. "I told her no, then she got really nasty with me. She said a couple of things and I lost it. I almost hit her, but Chris grabbed me back." "Why did you go and do that, Christopher? That woman deserves to feel a part of what Burke has had to deal with for years. I think it would've been pretty fun, actually. Wham!" He chuckled at his own joke, kicking an invisible body on the floor. Watching the large Italian man fighting with an imaginary foe made Chris, then Burke, start to laugh, exactly what Joey had hoped for. "Don't worry about it, little man. You can get her next time. I'll keep everyone back so you can go a few rounds." He bounced on the balls of his feet, jabbing at the air as if he were boxing. "What's up, Joe?" Chris asked as he wiped away his tears. "Someone was supposed to call last night, but didn't, so I came over to see what's up. Did Chris tell you about the tour and everything?" Burke nodded. "Did he also tell you that our road manager is ticked because he has to give up his bunk on our bus and ride with the rest of the staff people?" "Why does he have to give up his bed? Because of me? He doesn't have to do that." "Yes he does. Unless, of course, Chris is going to let you share with Josh." "He most certainly will not! Burke will have his own bed, which he will sleep in, alone!" "You're no fun!" Burke and Joe said at the same time. "If you want to do something today, we better get to doing it. It seems my son, as usual, is blowing me off tonight." Joey couldn't let the opportunity pass, getting extreme pleasure out of pestering both Burke and Josh about their blossoming relationship. "Oh, another hot date! How many is this? Four?" "Tonight will be five," the boy muttered, his skin blazing. "Sounds like it's getting hot and heavy. You all spending all your time making out in the back seat of the jeep?" "No!" "I think the gentleman doth protest too much!" "Leave me alone! Josh hasn't even kissed me yet." "Uh huh, right." "I swear! He hasn't even tried since our first date!" "If you say so, Burke." Burke's cheeks flushed, but it was from annoyance instead of embarrassment. He opened his mouth to say more in his defense, but Chris slapped a hand over his mouth. "He's just pulling your chain, son." Joey gasped for breath between gut wrenching guffaws, bracing himself against the back of a chair. "You sure are cute when you're pissed!" "Leave me alone, Joey. What are we doing today?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sitting in his room after an afternoon of miniature golf and go-cart racing, Burke tried to think of something to wear on his date. It was only dinner and a movie, but he felt the need to at least look worthy of being at Josh's side. Burke knew that line of thinking would get him lectured, but it still bothered him a little. He knew that Josh liked him no matter what he wore. At the same time he wanted to look like more than a kid who had somehow caught the pop star's eye. With a sigh, he hung off the side of the bed, fishing for something underneath the mattress and box springs. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled out the plastic box and sat it before him. With a sappy smile, Burke took off the lid and gazed at the objects inside. Though he would deny it until he was forced to confess, Burke was a hopeless romantic. He had managed to save something from each of his dates with Josh, and kept them as mementos. A dried flower from the bouquet he was given. The empty champagne bottle from their picnic, which he had grabbed from Josh's garbage the next day. His fortune cookie from their dinner, and a gaudy plastic bracelet he had won from an arcade later. He picked up movie ticket stubs. They had, though Josh argued that it was too cheap, gone to a dollar movie showing of Moulin Rouge, then gotten kicked out for singing along with the actors. A rainbow of pieces of rubber were the balloons, now deflated, Josh had bought him when they went to a circus passing through town. On the pillows behind him, nestled next to Reggie, was the bear Josh had won at a carnival game. They weren't expensive, but those things were priceless to Burke. Each told a story, held a precious memory of happiness. Sighing deeply, he laid everything back inside. "What's that?" Chris asked from the doorway. "Nothing," Burke blushed, snapping the lid on. "You're bright red, Burke. That tells me it's something. C'mon, you can tell me." Burke motioned his father over. "You have to promise not to laugh or tell anyone, ok?" "My lips are sealed." Burke showed him all of the things he had stowed away, telling a story about each one. "You have it bad! This has got to be the sweetest thing I've ever seen! Burke, what would you say if Josh wanted to get more serious about your relationship?" Burke chewed his lip, thinking about the answer. "I guess it depends on how serious he wanted to get. I don't think I'm ready to be intimate with him yet, but I'd probably say yes if he wanted to make this an official thing, like boyfriends or something." "That's exactly what I wanted to know. And I'm proud of you for realizing that you aren't ready for a relationship that includes sex. A lot of guys your age let their little head do the thinking for them. They're just boys in my eyes, and it takes a real man to know what is and isn't good for him." "Thanks, dad." "You're welcome. You better finish getting ready before he gets here. We know each other too well for me to do the intimidating father thing." Burke snickered as Chris walked out the door. "Oh, one more thing. If he wants to kiss you, or vice versa, it's alright. Just keep control of yourselves." A smile across his face, Burke nodded. They shot out of the driveway like a horse from the starting gates. Burke realized that Josh wanted to get somewhere so they could talk about whatever he had on his mind. As was their usual habit, their hands snuggled together as the jeep wove in and out of traffic. Throughout the short ride, Burke kept glancing over at the man, wondering what the glint in his eyes meant. Though it was a Saturday night, only a dozen or so other people sat in the dark theater. They had specifically chose a movie that had been out for several weeks so that the chance of Josh being recognized and mobbed would be less, though they still sat in the back. Burke held a bucket of popcorn in his lap, their fingers brushing against each other when both reached for the buttered fluff, smiling each time it happened. Relaxing, Burke shifted in his seat, resting his head on Josh's shoulder. In response, the man wrapped his arm around his date. As they watched the movie in that position, Burke thought about how natural it felt to be held by Josh. If he could have read his mind, he would have known Josh was thinking the same thing. Before leaving the theater, Burke folded the popcorn box and stuck it in his jacket pocket, an addition to his collection. Having snacked during the movie, dinner was hot dogs bought from a vendor cart at a nearby park. They sat on a secluded bench, eating and watching people pass by. An elderly couple tossed chunks of bread to ducks and geese; a small family chased each other around the playground equipment, laughing and shrieking. Burke giggled when Josh burped, the man instantly covering his mouth and apologizing. Burke could feel something in the air, a tension building between he and Josh. Digging into his pockets, he pulled a coin out and pressed it into his date's hand. "What's this for?" Josh asked as he eyed the shiny copper penny. "It's a penny for your thoughts. You've been thinking about something all night." "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get distracted." "You haven't been distracted, Josh. I just knew you had something on your mind." The dark haired, blue eyed singer took a deep breath. "I have been thinking about something. You know we'll be starting the tour in a couple of weeks, right?" "Yeah, Chris told me last night. I'm excited about it. Did you know I've never been to one of your shows?" Josh shook his head, honestly surprised. "Nope. We never had the money to spend when you played somewhere close by." "Trust me, you'll get to see us perform. You'll probably be sick of it by the time we're through. But anyway, I don't know if Chris explained how things work, but it's pretty difficult to get out and do things when we're on the road. People know we're in town, so they're always on the look out." "That makes sense." "It'll be hard for us to go out and do things like this." Burke understood what he was getting at. Josh didn't want to jeopardize anything by worrying about taking him somewhere. "I understand Josh. It's fine, really." "I haven't finished yet, but I hope you say the same thing. And for future reference, let me get everything out before you jump to conclusions." "You should learn to get to the point then," Burke joked. Josh grinned evilly. "You want to the point? Ok, here's to the point. I want you to be my boyfriend, Burke. We won't be able to go out on very many dates for the next couple of months, but I want things between us to stay serious." It took a moment before Burke understood what he had said, already prepared for Josh to call it quits. "Yes," he stammered, "yes, Josh." Both smiled like they had just received a billion dollars in the mail. Slowly, their breathing becoming rapid, then shallow, they drifted closer. Burke's eyes slid shut as he felt the dampness of Josh's breath on his tingling skin. Josh's hand cupped his cheek, his thumb fluttering over his temple. Then, in a moment both had anticipated, their lips met. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aww! They kissed! Hehehe! That's it for now. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this out. Mean old nurses wouldn't let me hook up my laptop! As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. All messages will definitely be answered. You can reach me at Always, Cameron |
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I work at an optometry as a secretary. I am 18, married, no children, and my husband is in the navy. When we moved to California (we are originally from Colorado, and we should be paying Colorado tax since my husband is in the navy) I started working at this Optometry. I was very naive and trusted the doctor (my employer) and filled out a W-9 upon request. Now I come to find out that a W-9 is for independent contractors and she is making me pay both halves of the taxes, instead of her paying her half. I know it was a very unintelligent move, please do not tell me that I was an idiot or be sarcastic about it because I know I made a big mistake. I confronted her about this and threatened to quit. She made me an offer of having me fill out a W-4 that starts from January 1st of this year. She has been paying me $8 minimum wage and has not been taking taxes out. So far this year I have received $2267.36. She told me she can take all the taxes that should have been taken out on my previous checks out of my next paycheck. Can she do that? If so, how much should she be taking out? Is there a website I can go to that will help me figure this out? I have been trying to research it and get tax help but I have had no luck. Also, if anyone is willing to help me and follow up with me on this I would be so very grateful. My e-mail is IceShafter@yahoo.com. Thank you so much in advanced for helping me. I appreciate it.
DO NOT ACCEPT THIS OFFER. She is screwing around and will probably tack on all the payments as wages and you get screwed on taxes. Make her go back and amend the payroll for 2013. Yes, it CAN be done. It will cost her, but the alternative is you file complaints with the IRS, the Anniston department of revenue/taxation, the Anniston unemployment division and the worker's compensation agency. All will be glad to assess her penalties and interest as well as possible criminal charges for failure to file payroll taxes. IF, and I do mean IF, you decide not to "make waves", I suggest that you take this deal. She pays you, in cash, any additional tax you owe because she did not do this right. I mean cash. If she pays you via check, she will probably try to issue you a 1099 or add it to your payroll as wages for 2014. The primary additional tax you owe as a mis-categorized contractor is the Employer half of FICA. SE Tax is essentially both halves of FICA; employee and Employer. So, she owes you 1/2 the SE Tax.
At 18 I am not suprised that you expected your employer to act ethically. First question - did this affect any paycheck you received in 2013? If so, then you have that year to clean up. Also, you might want to make sure she is sending in the employer's part of FICA (that is SS and Medicare taxes) and make sure that she is not making you pay for that part. She is more likely to be concerned about you maybe reporting her to the IRS for her actions. The link below will give contact information to local IRS offices - they are the best resource you have in this matter.
When she gave you a W-9 to complete, that was your first clue that you were NOT an employee and she is paying you(incorrectly) as an independent contractor, and unfortunately you are responsible for both sides of FICA you can get the form SS8 from www.irs.gov, complete it and submit to IRS for their determination especially if you continue to work for her now to the military, whatever his home of record is while he is in the service is the state tax you are responsible to file, only your income in Calif. is taxable to Calif a law was passed a number of years ago that allows the military spouse to claim the state of the person who is in the military if this is Colo then likely all your combined income is taxable to Colo
There is no way to answer this. the amount will be different if she calls it a single lump sum payment or she determines the per week amount and adds them together. At 40 hours x $8 = $320 However, she calculates it, you will not be receiving a paycheck at all this week and maybe not a paycheck next week. You owe $174 in FICA taxes. You owe approximately $220 in federal income taxes (10% of your income). Plus state income tax which I don't have memorized.(probably around 6%) You can go to paycheckcity.com to calculate the different tax scenarios.
Texas Bankruptcy and not paying bills?
• Roel Rowe
Roel Rowe
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• Hugh Mitchell
Hugh Mitchell
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• Pierce Hane
Pierce Hane
She won't to look jail. we does n't it 'm staying debtor's there right now the us. frankly, i do n't know , exactly where she expected that or rather botherto - gimme bankruptcy. if you moved into froma pension, that constitute or doing things exemption is garnishment -- particularly since air travel doesn't help you carry out garnishment. of the european , maps sue , too reach an judgment, we actually not not 'il have it may be possible to go after. based on what type to be pension, there could shall grant the way account if it does n't able to obtain judgment. look , it doesn't seemed to have working group was a lot in lending institutions after all case the all they revenues that those things pension. member states may also the detention the commissioner house, but she 's ca n't do this his house foreclosure. the the relationship were expected to be as soon as the , parliament has direct or refinanced. the interviews won't walk away persevere with the convention car. god 's not warrant close enough bother. basically, , she wo all right , break it up be charged degrees on credit card and have them default. after my such a way call, you tell she is n't species or of achieving a answer phone speaking as well like it just think of calls.
• Rosendo Schumm
Rosendo Schumm
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• Kaleigh Von
Kaleigh Von
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• Keanu Simonis
Keanu Simonis
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• Maggie Ernser
Maggie Ernser
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The James Gleeson oral history collection
James Gleeson interviews Australia's major artists | SUBSCRIBE TO iTUNES PODCAST
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Meeting Point 1970
Print, planographic. Technique: offset-lithograph, printed in black ink, from one plate
Gift of Roderick Shaw 1984
sheet 38.0 h x 28.0 w cm
more detail
Louis James
5 August 1979
Louis James: Yes. I went away in '39 actually then. I was in the army in '39. Then in '45 I rejoined–I think it was '45, '44, end of '44 I think–the Lands Department and I was doing illustrations for a few papers in Adelaide. I think there was a paper called The Express and Journal which is defunct now and one or two papers like that. But they were simply black and white drawings again, and then I applied for a post-war reconstruction grant which I felt I'd earned. Everybody seemed to be getting them. It was rejected in way because the idea seemed to be, 'Well, you've got a very good job with the public service, why do you want to study painting?'. Painting seemed to be a crazy thing.
James Gleeson: I see.
Louis James: In way it was a very discouraging knock-back and the time limit at that time had expired and I missed it. I felt a bit angry about this, so I said 'Well, I'll either go to Melbourne to study or try to get to the tech in Sydney, or maybe to London'. I thought 'Or we might as well go the whole hog and move', so we sold everything we had.
James Gleeson: You were married at this time?
Louis James: We were married, yes, in '43 and we'd built a house and furnished it and we sold everything down to the last teaspoon and left it intact, and walked out and the money from that took us to London.
James Gleeson: But you had a show in Adelaide before that?
Louis James: I had one at John Martin's, yes, the gallery which existed then. I don't know whether it's still there, but that was a one-man show in '49.
James Gleeson: Forty-nine. What was your work like then? Were you working in oils?
Louis James: I think it was rather primitive, looking back on it. I have destroyed most of the works since then. I had a store. When I came back I kept certain things. I've seen one or two around actually recently in Queen Street, curiously, very close. But many of them I've got back and I went through them, like most painters do, and said 'I don't like that', and I destroyed a certain amount of them. Well, the reason for that was simply that after 15 years working very seriously and quite hard actually in London, coming back and re-looking at earlier work, you know, I realised that there are all sorts of deficiencies and inadequacies there.
James Gleeson: What was it like in a sense, was it abstract, or figurative?
Louis James: No, it was figurative; slightly primitive, I suppose, if I can use that word, in those days. I became very interested, naturally, in London, in what was happening at that particular period when I got there. So that coming back and seeing my earlier work it seemed to be something I felt wasn't quite what I wanted to be represented by.
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369,251,487 | How to Make Vanilla Extract
Why make your own vanilla extract? Well let's see. It's easy to make. You'll never run out of vanilla again. It might even be economical, given that you'll never run out of it. It's fun to watch the extract change colors? I don't know. Sometimes we just make things for the heck of it. In this case, Garrett gave me a dozen or so vanilla beans, sharing what he had been given by this generous company. Vanilla beans are produced in several countries, and Garrett has a good write-up on his site regarding the differences between the varieties - Madagascar, Bourbon, Tonga, Mexico, Tahiti, etc. Did you know that each vanilla bean comes from an orchid that has been pollinated by hand? Once the vanilla seed pod has developed, it must be hand picked as well. After picking the curing process takes several months. So if you've ever wondered why vanilla extract, and especially vanilla beans, can be so expensive, this is why. |
320,071,760 | A BATTLING 80 from Matt Winter held up Middlesex before the first-class county completed their predictable victory over Oxford MCCU in The Parks yesterday.
The students were never going to make the 528 needed, but they stuck to their task manfully before being bowled out for 230, going down by 331 runs.
Winter hit 13 fours in his innings and was well supported by Henry Hughes with 43.
Latest Sport news |
153,785,662 | Monday, May 14, 2007
The Backburner
Spent the evening doing the 'final' overdubs for a friend's album that I've been producing - very, very slowly - over the last six years. You can see why 'final' is in quotes... anyone who's ever been involved in a long term backburner project like this knows that the finish line recedes faster the closer you get to it. Theoretically, we're going to start the final mixdowns on Thursday, and they'll be occupying the better part of my weekend. I'm looking forward to it, because when I'm in the studio I feel a confidence and decisiveness that's pretty elusive most of the rest of the time.
Tonight's work consisted of two final vocals - trouble songs that couldn't quite come together in the past. One got a complete melodic overhaul; Ryan (the artist) had written the original melody as a fast, rappy patter, with a lyric about someone else's romantic obsession with him. Neither the lyric or melody worked for me - in fact, it's fair to say that I really disliked them strongly. But the guitar solo had a completely different melody that I thought would work as a verse (it does). So, on Saturday - in a break from home repair - Ryan and I sat on the back porch and threw together a new version of the song, along with a more thematically appropriate lyric. The theme? Being unable to finish a long-term backburner project.
The other song just needed a tweak to make the melody more interesting, but apparently we didn't tweak hard enough, because even after redoing the vocals tonight, the thing still just lay there, a great instrumental track waiting to be fulfilled.
Other overdubs were mostly some 'final' vocal harmonies for me - a role I as a singer volunteered myself for, and I as a producer accepted. Ryan also laid down some nice harmonica on his ode to George Harrison - which was timely when we first started recording this album, so that should give you some idea of how long it's taken to get to this point.
Lord knows why these things take so long. Copper Man's own album, Selling the Downtown Dream, took about three years to pound through the tubes. The first sessions were done while Ryan was still in the band (in fact, about five of the songs on his album are his Copper Man compositions from those sessions) back in early 2001. Then those were laid aside. After Ryan left (alright, I fired him, sigh), Shaun came onboard and we developed enough new songs to replace Ryan's in the set, and went in to record those the week before Christmas, 2002.
Then Shaun flew to India to attend his sister-in-law's wedding, and broke his back in a terrible traffic accident there Christmas Eve, on his way back from the rehearsal dinner (well, whatever passes for a rehearsal dinner in Zoroastrianism). Then, his first week recuperating, they discovered that his wife was pregnant.
Think about that: that's got to be the most intense possible chain of events possible. I think only if he'd found out he was due to fly to Mars the following Wednesday would it have been any more storied.
So, we slowly recorded the guitars and vocals over the course of 2003, which Shaun mightily soldiered through, relearning each song before recording, not having a chance to develop any solo ideas that he really was thrilled with - although the guitar turned out to be a highlight of the album. But it all proved too much - he finally retired from the band in late 2003. The record sat around for a few more months, and then we finally mixed it - but by then, the spirit had gone out of it and I can barely stand to listen to big chunks of it (but I'm still proud of the achievement, so go figure that paradox).
It's funny - the rest of our lives, we spend trying to figure out ways to make time to play music - for many musicians I know, it's about the only thing that we really enjoy doing. But always, it's on the backburner, getting black and crunchy. Maybe when we all retire, we'll form some godawful band of octogenarian light rockers, an "America" for the 2060s.
But, really, who doesn't have something in their lives they'd rather be doing than the things they usually find themselves doing? Anyone who's figured out how to live that full life, out there? Or are you editing copy instead of printmaking? Assembling widgets instead of writing illuminating travel literature? Clearing tables instead of studying Byzantine Art? Answering phones instead of writing symphonies?
Really, why are we all jerking off instead of humping like bunnies?
Or was that just me?
John said...
That was a good post. I want to hear that album. I think I only heard parts of it. I'm trying to sign in to this comment using my gmail account. I wonder if it will work? -JN
John said...
Dave Kopperman said...
You don't have a copy of Selling the Downtown Dream? For shame. I'll happily get you one.
John said...
OK. I would actually listen to it.
Dave Kopperman said...
I'll probably do a critical appraisal of it in a few posts - sort of like Wil Wheaton's reviews of ST:TNG that are turning up over on TV Squad. |
293,732,216 | Sunday, May 25, 2014
Kitchen - Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks - Week 22
This week I read Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto for the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge. It is actually a novella and a companion short story - "Kitchen" and "Moonlight Shadow" - told through the eyes of a pair of contemporary young Japanese women.
The stories focus on themes of mothers, love, kitchens, tragedy, transsexuality, loneliness, loss, grief, isolation, hope, and redemption. Out of the two stories, I preferred "Kitchen" which included all of the aforementioned themes.
In the story "Kitchen," a teen girl's (Mikage's) grandmother dies, and she is left with no family. She is devastated by her aloneness. Even after being taken in by a classmate, Yuichi, and his mother (who is transsexual) she is unable to shake her feeling of being alone in the world.
Mikage's solace is the kitchen, especially the cooking and sharing of food which is her salvation. Yet, that's not the main focus of this room. Rather, it is in and through kitchens that Mikage feels loss, is saved from despair, and reconnects with life. Further, through food from kitchens, Mikage realizes and nurtures love.
I found this book to provide interesting insight on different types of loss and the bereavement process. It explored how survivors - those closest to people who have died - adjust or find escape in places or things associated with the person who passed away.
One of the things that stood out for me was what Eriko (Yuichi's mother/father) told Mikage: "If a person wants to stand on her own two feet, I recommend undertaking the care and feeding of something. It could be children, or it could be house doing that you come to understand your own limitations. That's where it starts."
Eriko continued, "If a person hasn't ever experienced true despair, she grows old never knowing how to evaluate where she is in life; never understanding what joy really is. I'm grateful for it."
There was one description of a time when Mikage was along in Yuichi's home after Eriko died tragically and unexpectedly. She said, "The room was so unearthly quiet, I lost all sense of time being divided into seconds. I felt that I was the only person alive and moving in a world brought to a stop. Houses always feel like that after someone had died."
Those few sentences immediately brought me mentally back to the time that I went into the my parents' home after my father had died three months earlier. My mother was in transitional care at a nursing home and I needed to pick up some things for her. I remember entering the home to complete silence - no welcoming announcement ("It's Ann Marie!" - as my dad would often greet me with), no movement, nothing. Just silence. It was literally like time had stopped on the day my father died. The spirit and life of the home was no longer there.
So, reading Yokomoto's words deeply resonated with me. I had never heard anyone describe that deep feeling of aloneness - of silence - of loss. I felt less alone knowing that probably others have felt that same sensation.
Kitchen was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm glad he suggested I read it. Had he not mentioned it, I don't think I would have found it; and been able to enjoy and reflect upon it as I did.
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179,733,064 | The Q&A was followed by a workshop where each individual was given the opportunity, using simple and safe materials, to design and create their own mask.
They were symbolic of their own struggles - the masks they might wear in everyday life engaging them in a creative and meaningful way. The mask were then hung on the wall and became part of the installation. |
261,689,508 | Famine crowds outside a workhouse in the 1840s
Each record contains both an image and a transcript of the original material. The amount of information can vary but you can find out the following about your ancestor:
• Name
• Status (whether married, single, widowed or a child)
• Occupation
• Religion
• Age
• Birth year
• Admission year
• Workhouse
• Workhouse number
On image only
• Name or location of spouse
• Number of children
• Observations of condition when admitted
• Date left workhouse or died
The history of Irish workhouses
Floor plan for a model workhouse 1939
The workhouses in the North and South Dublin Unions were among the busiest in the country. Historically many types of special social care had been provided in the capital, the Dublin Foundlings’ Hospital for example, took in children from all over Ireland until 1834. Ireland’s poor were regarded as nomadic as large numbers travelled throughout the country in search of work and relief. During the years of the Great Famine in particular, the Dublin workhouses were housing thousands rather than the hundreds they were built for.
Until the late 1830s all support for the poor and incapacitated in Ireland had been funded by charity. Unlike the UK, where the care and management of paupers had been covered by law since 1601, Ireland was not covered by a national Poor Law until 1838.
It had long been recognised that levels of poverty in Ireland were far higher than in the UK but successive reports commissioned by the Westminster government had failed to agree on a solution. In 1833 the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Richard Whately was appointed to run the Royal Commission on the Poorer Classes in Ireland which aimed to assess what kind of poor laws would best benefit Ireland. The British government had already decided that they wanted to use the same new legislation that was being fine-tuned in England but Whately ignored his brief and interviewed a wide range of Irish people across all social classes. The reports of the Commission, when they were released between 1835 and 1839 were clear that the cause of Irish poverty was lack of work and introduction of the British laws would simply cause more hardship for some of the most vulnerable in Irish society.
The Commission’s reports and their wide-ranging recommendations were shelved and the Government turned instead to Sir George Nicholls, an English Poor Law Commissioner who produced a favourable report about the introduction of the existing UK law based on his observations over six weeks travelling around Ireland. Nicholls helped to adapt the law to an Irish context and the Irish Poor Law was passed at Westminster in 1838 despite unique opposition from all Irish politicians, Catholic and Protestant, Unionist and Nationalist. Those of a liberal disposition were critical of the law’s ability to protect the poor while conservatives were against a tax to pay for the poor as they were aware of the levels of poverty in the country.
Ireland was divided into Poor Law Unions which were presided over by Boards of Guardians. The Guardians oversaw the setting up and running of workhouses, the gathering of local taxes to pay for the poor laws and the appointment of staff and contractors. Elections to the Board were often highly controversial. While the idea was to have representatives from across the political divide there were often accusations of partisan voting, especially in the early days of the Unions. In Dublin in 1839 a brawl erupted at a meeting to nominate Board candidates.
Irish workhouses were generally built to accommodate around 800 inmates although it soon became clear that more space was needed. A programme of building took place throughout the 1840s and 50s. Life inside was grim. At first there was no so-called outdoor relief, as would have been common in England. Outdoor relief was when the poor could simply use the workhouse facilities as needed by undertaking a day’s work. Indoor relief was initially the only option and required the poor to prove they were destitute before they were admitted.
Once inside the inmates were separated into distinct groups, men and women, adults and children, able bodied and infirm. They were expected to wear a uniform inside and were kept separated from other groups. They were expected to work for a roof over their heads and the work was hard and monotonous. Common tasks included treadmills or breaking apart old ropes into fibre. Women might be employed in sewing tasks but certainly in Dublin, also used the treadmills. Food was also monotonous and basic. Stirabout, a watery gruel was common, as was bread. Once a year the routine was relaxed and inmates had meat to celebrate Christmas.
While many lived and died in the workhouse it was not unusual for people to leave. The workhouse authorities would provide a suit of clothes if an inmate could prove they had a chance of work.
Dublin had very high levels of child desertion. Mothers would leave their children at the workhouse while they went to look for work and there were several cases of children being deserted by parents who had emigrated to America. Deserted children were often fostered out until at least the age of 12 when the workhouse could arrange an apprenticeship. In the early records at least many were named after the street where they were found or after the person who found them. This custom caused quite a bit of confusion so by the late 19th century had been largely discontinued.
These records cover three Dublin workhouses - those in Dublin North and Dublin South as well as Rathdown. |
333,834,384 | Oh, what a great thing to happen during the auto show when thousands of people are in downtown Detroit! Crews are working to patch up this giant sinkhole outside the Renaissance Center, which is home to General Motors, among other things.
The sinkhole, 30 feet deep, is believed to have been caused by a water main break and was discovered Saturday night after a cab driver drove into it. The cab driver was rescued and there are no other injuries.
The Michigan Department of Transportation tells WXYZ that because of underground utilities and the sheer size of the hole, there's no telling how long it'll take to fix it up.
[Video via WXYZ] |
588,790,755 | Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Should We Resurrect cfopenBB?
As many of you are probably aware, the cfopenbb project never really got off the ground. A few weeks ago it was officially abandoned. While I think it was a great idea, in my opinion the execution plan was flawed from the beginning because it was an attempt to do a file-by-file port of phpbb. As you can imagine this caused numerous issues and combined with the lack of clear decisions about how to handle the PHP -> CF mismatches, it's probably no surprise this didn't take off. I'm not saying any of this to criticize so much as to point out why in my estimation things never took off.
As I said above, however, I think it was a great idea, and while I didn't have the time to take up the former leader of the project on the offer to take things over before it got abandoned, I think at some point it would be great to readdress the project, albeit in a different way. When I see how many deployments there are of phpbb and some of the really, really nice free .NET message board apps out there, I know we as a community can match or better these offerings with ColdFusion.
So what I'd really like to do is get a sense of how many people think A) coming up with a world-class, free message board app is a good idea, and B) how many people would be interested in helping with the development. This isn't a commitment, it's just to gauge interest at this point. And before you answer, consider this a clean slate--it doesn't have to (nor should it, really) be approached in the same way cfopenbb was originally. We could take this in any direction that makes sense.
Post comments here if you're interested or have other thoughts on this potential endeavor.
I would like to be apart of this project! Please keep me up to date.
I think its a great project and idea, and would really love to see it happen. I would be willing to help out as I could, but couldn't commit to a full time role by any means.
same for me - would like to join. I was in the original cfopenBB list.
I would support to go for a 'modern' cfBB app, build with a cfframework not a file-per-file port of phpBB.
This sounds very interesting. The more free full scale tools that are out there the better for the CF community.
I'm all for more open source CF! Rock On!
Yes... I would really like to participate!!
I definitely have code to contribute. I think it would be a good idea to try to resurrect, and I agree with you that a straight port would not be the best way to go. I've implemented phpbb and looked around inside the code. A cf solution should take it's own direction.
Excellent--thanks for the feedback everyone. What's the next step? Should we get things rolling over at someplace like tigris, or just come up with our own setup? I'm certainly not averse to hosting it myself somewhere.
How about a name? Should I see if we can adopt cfopenbb or do you want to come up with something else?
I would love to be a part of this project in any capacity.
Would definitely like to help out here. Is FuseBoard already taken?
I would definitely be willing to help out.
As someone who volunteered for cfopenBB my opinion is that trying to port phpBB line for line was a major factor in it not getting off the ground. I don't know php and I think a lot of the other volunteers didn't either so we were looking for some direction from someone who did. That direction never came.
It would be cool to have both html and flex as front end and admin options.
As for names....how about BoardFusion?
Cool--keep the name suggestions coming. FuseBoard and BoardFusion have both been suggested. I'm a bit partial to FuseBoard myself, but let's keep brainstorming! Remember, it's all in the marketing! ;-)
I was one of the team leads on this project (as you know Matt), and I agree with your assessments. I would also vote that whomever takes the lead on the project has time to answer questions and stay involved. I know it's no one's full time job, but it can be frustrating not to get answers to questions.
Actually I take that back--I think boardfusion is a bit better. Plus fuseboard.org is already taken. I actually started (prior to cfopenbb) building a message board that was meant to look and work like phpBB but under the hood was completely different and called it "interfuse" but I'm not sure I like that name anymore.
I went ahead and registered the domain name boardfusion.org just in case that's the name we end up using.
Ya boardfusion sounds cool. At my last job we used FuseTalk, it was ok, didn't take too long to integrate. The forum idea has been around for awhile and all forums have basic functionality; so aside from that integration into existing stuff is a key feature (single signon and all that).
This is just an opinion, but I dont really care what its called, because it really should be able to be rebranded however the user wants. It should have the obligitory footer, but I hope its not going to be branded very much.
Also, I hope we start out small and make sure we nail the essentials before moving on to the fluff. For instance, I would really like to see something like punbb (http://www.punbb.org) starting out and then add the extra features later in the release cycle.
sorry if this is more input than you are really asking for at this point.
Matt, email me - I work for an ISP so I can get us free hosting and ill pickup the domain name if it still needs to be done.
Dan's been nice enough to offer hosting for the "official" web site for the project, which unless there are any major objections we'll call BoardFusion. I'll get CVS or SVN hosting figured out as well as a dev site set up and we should be able to get rolling!
There are other infrastructure concerns of course, with communication being the main one. How do those of you interested in participating want to communicate? Mailing list? Yahoo group or something similar? Message board hosted on our own server? Let's get that figured out ASAP.
I went ahead and created a project for BoardFusion on tigris. (Sorry, but cfopen.org is just too unreliable for me to put things there.) I'll get everyone more details once the project is approved.
I used to be a PHP developer for the majority of my web development career, but I have found such a love for ColdFusion and what it can accomplish that I left the PHP language and went straight into ColdFusion and haven't really wanted to turn back. I'm open to help with anything that I can. I'm a CSS guru and have been working with ColdFusion for a while now.
I feel the more we push towards an Open Source CF community the more CF will see developers coming to it, especially as now ColdFusion hosting is becoming cheaper by the day!
What about this name: Fusion Forum
- Tony
Cool Tony--we've already started up but you're welcome to join. Just create an account at sourceforge.net if you don't already have one and email your user name to me at mpwoodward@gmail.com and I'll get you added to the project.
Glad to hear its underway! CF needs a forum solution ..
No one has mentioned Galleon, Ray Camden's free open source forums app. Instead of re-inventing the wheel (again!), why not contribute to Ray's app?
It seems to be a common failing in the CF community regarding open source projects that we keep re-inventing the same ol' wheels over and over again. The end result is that there are a bunch of half-assed apps out there that no one wants to use. If cfopenbb failed, despite all the apparent support and offers of help, why will BoardFusion be any different? Why not rally around an existing project that does a lot (most?) of what folks actually want from a forums app?
Sean, we're all aware of Ray's Galleon application, and while it's nice and may fit the bill for a lot of people, it's (no offense to Ray is in any way intended with this) lacking a lot of what more full-featured solutions like phpBB have. Things like easy skinning, just as one simple example, make or break forum apps in the minds of the end users. We're starting from scratch with the mindset of creating something that rivals any other forum app out there regardless of language.
We've had many lengthy discussions thus far among the developers who've signed on for the project and if we reach our goals the end result will be anything but half-assed (but thanks for the vote of confidence!).
Why it will be different than cfopenbb? There was IMO a fundamental flaw with the approach that was being attempted with that project. BoardFusion is not picking up where cfopenbb left off other than in the spirit of creating a world-class open-source forum solution that just happens to be in CF.
sean, that's a "common failing" of all open source communities, there are a zillion half-assed/half-dead SF projects last time i looked. i don't see that sort of stuff as specific to cf.
time will tell but why don't you give matt the benefit of the doubt on this one.
I think that lumped in with all of the half-assed projects that are out there, are definitely some nuggets of gold as well. The success/failure rate of other developers' projects (in my mind at least) shouldn't be a factor when someone has an idea that they are passionate about and want to see it come to life. I would hate to believe that all the good ideas are already used up, and that we as developers should stop trying to be innovative and just live with what we have. I don't think that would be a good philosophy for very many areas of business in general.
Are we running low on CF programmers? Do we need to ration people's efforts now so everyone who wants to participate in an open-source project should be assigned to specific projects? I, for one, like the idea that there might be competing (yes, even half-assed) projects out there. That's what makes this fun. If I wanted to sign onto a formalized development team to do someone's bidding, I'd go to work.
If you can't handle a little beautiful uncertainty, stay out of the open-source movement.
Kammie, I've probably been doing open source longer than you've been writing software so don't be so touchy. I'm sure you'd find most of the successful open source projects to be pretty formal...
Everyone seems to have overreacted to my comment. Matt explained why he does not want to use Galleon as a base for BoardFusion and that's fine - that wasn't clear from the original post. I wish him luck.
I would just like to see a little more teamwork in the ColdFusion open source movement... that's what has made great software in the (non-ColdFusion) open source world (think Apache, OpenOffice, GNU libraries etc etc).
A lot of people lament the lack of good, free, open source ColdFusion applications and the main reason is that many folks just want to build a little toy app on their own "just for fun". A lot of people want to take but not give...
BTW, Matt, your email notifications have a typo in the URL - three 'm's in commmentID=
I'm no programmer but I can tell you that this project, completed, will do much for the CF world. I am pulling for your collective success and appreciate the efforts of each of you.
No comments: |
418,629,521 | Saturday, April 6, 2013
F ~Fitting In, Friends and The Flintstones
School got better after that first horrific day. I learned the routine, I learned the rules, I got more confident in my English, no longer rehearsing each sentence in my head fourteen times before daring to say it.
I guess I should have told you earlier in the series, but both my sister and I were bilingual when we moved. DataBoy didn't talk. He was two. Growing up, we learned both languages at once. I've asked my parents how they did that, and I think I remember the answer. They both spoke Swedish to us. They spoke English to each other. Regardless, I've always known two languages, though at the time that we moved, Swedish was stronger.
Grandma Vivian had come on many visits, and we'd been to America when I was 6, so I'd had plenty of time to converse with those with whom I couldn't just switch to Swedish if I got stuck. I just had to move that file to the front of the line and open it. It didn't take long.
Making friends at school meant that I had more than the Camponellas to play with. There was one friend who lived on that big street beside our house (as opposed to the only slightly smaller, two lanes each way street that we lived on) and she was quite the bossy one. I know you're laughing – bossier than Tina? Yes, such a person exists, though her name is lost. She wasn't very kind.
I remember one afternoon I was done playing with her and said I had to go home. She couldn't leave it there.
Why do you have to go?”
I promised I'd watch a TV show with my sister.”
You're leaving me to watch TV?”
Yes, in Sweden they don't have kids TV and here they have cartoons and my sister and I want to watch it.”
What show are you watching?”
You like Scooby-Doo better than me?”
(free images from
Apparently I did. I didn't know how to deal with someone so persistent and unlistening. So I just said, “See you tomorrow!” To which she answered, “I'll think about it.” Fine.
Swissie and I enjoyed our Scooby-Doo. After all, we had to look at the TV guide when it arrived and mark out our chosen two hours of TV. If you missed what you marked, it took quite a bit of persuading to substitute something else.
Afshan said...
Gosh !
I cant stand the bossy types. U were polite enough :P
Fellow A to zer
Sally said...
I don't think kids these days would know what only two hours of TV was. Well done for keeping your promise.
Jo said...
I used to like Scooby Doo, and I was a lot older than you. Its lucky you did have English before you arrived, it would have made acclimatisation much easier.
Brian Miller said...
mmm hard choices...scooby doo is really good...ha...and it did not take long for you to fit right in...sitting sucked into the tv did it...smiles.
Doreen McGettigan said...
My husband still watches Scooby Doo:)
It was very sweet of you to keep your promise to your sister. Are you still close?
Rebecca Rasmussen's book the Bird Sisters has a character named Swiss.
Good luck with the challenge. Its been nice to catch up with you:)
Alex J. Cavanaugh said...
Heck with her! Scooby-Doo was better.
Marti said...
What a choice for a young child! The love of family vs the excitement of something new! I remember when we had no TV, and then when my kids were growing up the excitement they had for Saturday cartoons--they would fly through their chores to watch their favorites. Visiting from A-Z
JoJo said...
you made the better choice with Scooby!!! ZOINKS!
DL Hammons said...
I spent hours in front of the TV watching Scooby-Doo growing up. Ruh-Roh!!
beachlover said...
I wouldn't imagine that kind of persistence in someone so young! I wonder what she is like now...Scooby-Doo has always been a house hold favorite in my house! I enjoyed stopping by your blog.
Jeremy [Retro] said...
going with the scooby-snacks!
M Pax said...
I wish [as Americans] we learned more than one language. It's hard to pick up another language as an adult. We had limited TV as kids, too. Who wants to give up their Scooby snack?
Hilary Melton-Butcher said...
Hi Tina .. I mentioned "friends?" in the previous comment and should have put it here ... she sounds obnoxious - so you were much better off without her.
But frankly that kind of lack of understanding still occurs at all levels of life ....
People ... it is interesting how you adapt.
I forgot the bi-lingual bit .. you just absorb as a kid don't you .. so you probably didn't think about it - I'd love to be bi-lingual .. still I have an interest - but not a smattering!!
Cheers Hilary
Barbara White Daille said...
Enjoying your story!
It sounds like you made the right choice with Scooby Doo.
Kids pick up language easier than adults, anyhow, but I'd imagine that must have been a great natural way to learn them.
F is for Fiction, Freedom, and Flagman's Folly
The Daille-y News
Laeli said...
I had a bossy "friend" like that too, took me 20 years to get rid of her :P
Deb Betz said...
Yabaa Daabaaa Doooo!
Loved the Flintstones too!!!
Banker Chick said...
When kids are young, is the time to train them in languages, so good that your parents though you should use both languages. I am always amazed how quickly my grandsons can turn from English to Serbian.
Katie atBankerchick Scratchings
klahanie said...
Fred Flintstone meet Scooby-Doo.
Yabba dabba...Scooby-Doo!
Sue McPeak said...
As you remember much of the details of your friend and her attitude, but not her name, I'd say keeping your word to Sister the right choice. Not to mention learning a lesson about the importance of being on time and keeping to a schedule.
Another Chilren's Story Book Chapter.
Sue CollectInTexasGal
AtoZ LoneStar Quilting Bee
Su-sieee! Mac said...
I was raised with 2 languages, too. The parents had immigrated from the Philippines. I was a typical American-born Filipino of my generation. Understood the parents' language, but just could not speak it. When I did, the parents had a big question mark above their heads. What is she saying? they'd ask each other. LOL I do go on. Will come back this way again. I'm AtoZing at
Take 25 to Hollister
Don't be a Hippie
Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca said...
Oh my... quite the tale, Tina.
I don't know about your level of 'bossiness', but I do know about childhood interactions, and I couldn't help but smile at yours.
Kids tend to be a strong reflection of their parents/peers, it seems you were raised pretty well to deal with persistent unlisteners :)
Lady's Knight said...
A good friend should understand
she made the right choice to spend the time with her sister
Delightful subject to cover for A to Z
miss uncertain said...
This brings back childhood memories :) I love Scooby-Doo! Who wouldn't?
You must be a very loving Ate for keeping your promise <3 (Ate-/äh-teh/=Tagalog word for big sister). I speak 3 languages but I really suck at speaking English =_=
Happy A-Z-ing!
Sincerely,Miss Uncertain---sidetracked
Amy "Lyre" Turner said...
I'm intrigued by your family's system for approving TV watching!
This just goes to show that not all friends are true friends.
And Scooby was an excellent TV show choice!
Amy "Lyre" Turner said...
I'm intrigued by your family's system for approving TV watching!
And Scooby was an excellent TV show choice!
Lyre at Lyre's Musings
suesconsideredtrifles said...
I grew up without TV and never became a habitual viewer. Find out the effect this had on me in my pachyderm post.
ayjay said...
What an adventure! Glad you found other people to hang out other than the bossy one..
Rachel said...
I knew a few people like that when I was little. They always made me feel horrible when I had to do something besides focus my attention on them, which was not fair at all. They never stayed my friends for very long.
P V Ariel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
P V Ariel said...
Hi Tina,
This is really an interesting piece from the childhood memories, What happened to the poor little friend of yours, still in waiting! Hey the habit of watching TV is still there! Or gone forever due to the busy schedule in life. LOL
Keep cracking
Best Regards
Mark Means said...
*Waves hi from the blog hop*
I really like the theme you have going here and always nice to see the 'other side' of the coin. As Americans I think we, sometimes, take the simple things for granted.
And, as a kid, you have to have priorities....Scooby Doo is totally legit as one of them :)
Love your perspective and thank you for co-hosting the challenge :)
Left and Write
stacybuckeye said...
It's hard to go wrong with Scooby-Doo!
Jolie du Pre said...
Another fun post! |
255,333,580 | Courting Disaster: Interview with Cass Sunstein
JJ Helland
September 12, 2005
Legal scholar Cass Sunstein explains the dangers of "fundamentalist" judges on the Supreme Court, why conservatives should fear right-wing radicals as much as liberals, and what went wrong with Roe v. Wade.
Imagine this: One day in the not-so-distant future you wake up to discover that the constitutional rights you've always enjoyed have been drastically scaled back -- or eliminated altogether. The United States you live in no longer respects an individual's right to privacy. The state of Utah has established Mormonism as its official religion. And many provisions of important environmental, civil rights and labor laws have been struck down as unconstitutional. And all this is not only perfectly legal but actually sanctioned by the Constitution.
Such is the bleak scenario that University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein imagines in the introduction to his book "Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America." And it's not so far-fetched. With two vacancies on the Supreme Court, conservatives have a chance to dramatically shift the bench to the right. And if it were to become dominated by more fundamentalist justices like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, the "federalist revolution," as it is called in American jurisprudence, will result in a radical transformation of the Constitution and the concept of liberty as we know it.
Fundamentalists like Scalia and Thomas, Sunstein writes, believe that "the Constitution must be interpreted according to its 'original understanding'" -- meaning, we should read the Constitution the same way people did when the founding documents were ratified. Sunstein thinks this would be disastrous for America; a right-wing bench would radically "destabilize not only our rights but our institutions as well," he writes, and fundamentalists will be "all too willing to read the founding document as if it embodied a party platform."
Yet despite its title, "Radicals in Robes" is no left-wing diatribe. Sunstein shuns "judicial arrogance in its many forms, liberal and conservative alike." And for all the odious implications of fundamentalism he outlines in the book, Sunstein concedes there are problems with the other side, too. "Liberal perfectionism," and its less-than-strict fidelity to the Constitution, is often a valid target of fundamentalists. Placing himself smack in the center, Sunstein instead argues for a "minimalist" judicial approach that eschews political dogma, heeds legal precedent, and is never too sure of its own rectitude. "Minimalism makes it possible for people to disagree when agreement is necessary, and unnecessary for people to agree when agreement is impossible," he writes.
In "Radical in Robes" Sunstein presents an instructive appraisal of the American legal landscape and a cautionary tale, should fundamentalists succeed in securing a majority on the Supreme Court. Salon spoke to him by telephone about his new book, Judge John Roberts, and problems with Roe v. Wade.
Despite the title "Radicals in Robes," I was struck by how measured and tempered the tone of the book was.
In writing the book I was torn between my more basic impulses -- where I treat all views with respect, accuse no one of anything, and be generous with whom I disagree -- and the opposing impulse, which says that the fundamentalists are often playing partisanship when they purport to be doing law. The book was kind of born in a thought that fundamentalists are sometimes hypocritical and haven't defended their position. I hope that the charitable impulse is the dominant one in the book.
Yet, you warn against what would happen in America if fundamentalists dominated the Supreme Court. What would America look like then if fundamentalists eventually got their way, and all these states were allowed to pass whatever laws they wanted?
If, for example, the separation of church and state were abolished at the state level, we would have really horrendous fights among competing religious groups. This would, at the state level, move the United States and its political processes in the direction that we're now seeing in Iraq. Where different people with different ethnic and religious identifications are really at each other.
How does the recent death of Justice Rehnquist play into all of this, especially since John Roberts is now being considered to take his place as chief justice?
Rehnquist's passing obviously raises the stakes. Now President Bush has a chance to alter the court in a pretty major way. We don't know exactly what Roberts will be like, but we do know that he's excellent, likable, and young. [If he is confirmed] as chief justice, he'll have a significant influence. If the next appointment is also a young conservative, the court will be affected for a long time -- especially if the conservative has fundamentalist leanings.
Do you identify Judge John Roberts as a part of the fundamentalist movement?
Roberts is clearly an affable, good person with a really first-rate mind. But there are people like Justice Scalia who are also affable, good and have a first-rate mind, but who are, in some ways at least, radical. Judge Roberts seems to be quite lawyerly, not given to bitterness, anger or broad pronouncements. On the basis of what record there is so far, he looks more like a Rehnquist type than a Scalia or Thomas. That is, someone who is definitely conservative and who will shift the court a bit. But maybe he'll be more unpredictable than Rehnquist has been. I think it's a very interesting choice, partly because of the ambiguity. He doesn't seem like someone who has a clearly defined agenda. What are some of the differences then between the liberal perfectionist and fundamentalist interpretations of the Constitution?
The liberal perfectionists are certainly faithful to the text of our Constitution. What they want to do is understand the document, the "majestic generalities" -- equal protection, due process, and cruel and unusual punishment -- and cast these generalities of our Constitution in the best possible light given our current values. If the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment, then given our current values, we should strike down the death penalty. If bans on same-sex marriage are inconsistent with the best understanding of equal protection, then we should strike down bans on same sex marriage. So that's been a very popular view among American liberals in the last half-century. Fundamentalists think that that gives too much discretion to judges, and that it's not really faithful to the historical Constitution. They want to turn constitutional law into a series of historical questions, whereas the perfectionists want it to be a question of values where we don't go back in time machines.
And part of the fundamentalists' view of constitutional law has to do with the distinction between "original meaning" and "original intent" in their legal interpretations.
The best fundamentalists insist on this distinction. The "original intent" asks, What did the framers intend? The fundamentalists think it is very hard to know what particular people intended, and second, it doesn't matter what they intended, because the intentions of the framers of the Constitution have no authority. What matters is what the "original meaning" was to the people who ratified, or gave these phrases legal force. If today we ratified a constitutional provision that allowed Congress to ban flag burning, fundamentalists would ask what the words "ban" and "flag burning" meant. They want to ask questions about common understandings at the time, not about subjective views inside people's heads. It's a subtle distinction, but it matters. Suppose Congress passes a law today. Do we ask what Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch intended by the law? Or do we ask, What is the natural meaning of the law, given how language works today?
President Bush constantly invokes the term "strict constructionist" when describing judges he likes or judicial philosophies he prefers. How has this phrase been used by the fundamentalist movement to make it more palatable to the public?
The use of the noble sounding "strict constructionist" phrase is a camouflage for a set of views that are quite radical. If it was "radical construction" or "extreme right-wing construction" it wouldn't be as appealing a description. Some Republican extremists have been terrific propagandists and they have been extremely good at coming up with phrases that make radical plans sound innocuous and wonderful. But I don't think the country has come close to getting an adequate picture of what it would entail. One reason is because fundamentalists are evasive when pressed about the implications about their position. When they're asked, "Doesn't this mean the national government is permitted to discriminate on the basis of race?" they change the subject or make it more complicated.
Is it just liberals who should be afraid of this radical movement? Or should conservatives be concerned, too?
One of the best developments in the last six months is that Arlen Specter gets it. He understands that conservatives have a lot to lose if the court continues on a program of reasserting limits on congressional power. The Rehnquist court has struck down more than three dozen acts of Congress, like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act -- which was mostly a conservative initiative. If the court had struck down the ban on marijuana for medical purposes -- and Justice Thomas wanted to strike down the ban -- conservatives would've been more upset than liberals. The War on Terror might be compromised in its attempts to enlist the states in the protection of national security. Some of the court's decisions raise some questions about that. There are a lot of things that conservatives would want to do through Congress that the fundamentalists won't let them do. I think Specter wants to ask Judge Roberts some questions about that.
In your book you quite plainly list the number of potential consequences should fundamentalists gain a majority on the court.
I believe fundamentalism actually means that the national government is entitled to discriminate on the basis of race and sex, and there is no equality principle applied to national government. Fundamentalists believe that there is no right to privacy. If the government wanted to disclose your medical records or bank records, there's no constitutional problem with that. They believe that state governments can discriminate on the basis of sex however they want. They believe that state governments can engage in racial segregation. And many fundamentalists think that you can't have independent regulatory agencies.
How does the rise of the religious fundamentalist movement in this country figure into all of this?
I didn't get into the religious right [in the book] because I am a law professor who hasn't studied the underlying political dynamics. But the fact that the word "fundamentalist" has an echo of religious fundamentalism didn't bother me. What bothers me about religious fundamentalists is that they think the law is much more against them than it actually is. They act as though the Supreme Court is on some sort of rampage against religion -- which is ridiculous. This Supreme Court is much more sympathetic to the claims of religion than any other court in the last 40 years. There is also a feeling that some religious fundamentalists have that religious pluralism is un-American, that ours is a Christian country, and to affirm that through our law is good and natural. Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas have gone further in the direction favored by the religious right, rather than in the best interests of a pluralistic democracy.
It seems like many of Justice Thomas' positions are quite radical. You write in the book that he would see nothing wrong allowing a state to establish an official religion for itself.
Let me say something about Justice Thomas. There's no doubt that he has an interesting mind and he's creative, but he is one of the most extreme people we've ever had on the Supreme Court. He believes the separation of church and state doesn't apply to the states; he believes commercial advertising receives the same protection as political speech; he suggests that the court should start striking down agencies on the ground because they exercise too much discretion; he takes the hardest line imaginable against campaign-finance reform without looking at the original understanding of the Constitution; and he says that affirmative action programs have to be struck down. He's treated as a Scalia partner, but Scalia is, for all his bravado, interested in precedent. Thomas doesn't seem to be interested in precedent. What about the Warren Court? Do you feel it made too many aggressively liberal rulings?
I think that some of the Warren Court's decisions were a little lawless and jumped too far too fast. In so many areas the court's ideals didn't have clear constitutional foundations. The Griswold v. Connecticut case, which created the general right to privacy, was that kind of ridiculously weak opinion. The court didn't identify a clear constitutional basis for saying that the ban on contraceptives within marriage was impermissible. The court referred to "penumbras" and "emanations"[in the language of the ruling] from the Bill of Rights. But the Bill of Rights doesn't have "penumbras" and "emanations"; it just has a catalog of rights. It would have been better to say that the ban was never enforced and it was a recipe for arbitrary and unpredictable action by the police in a way that does violence to the rule of law.
I think the "one person, one vote" decision [Baker v. Carr, Reynolds v. Sims] -- which was in many ways a success -- has very weak constitutional roots. The court was responding in this case to allocations of voting power that were racist. But instead of insisting on the "one person, one vote" principle, it would have been more reasonable for the court to interpret the Equal Protection Clause more narrowly. For instance, a ruling that would have forbidden racially discriminatory and arbitrary allocations of voting power in this case would've been sufficient, ... rather than insisting on "one person, one vote."
It seems like your average person would hear that and say that doesn't seem fundamentally fair.
That may be true, but the Constitution doesn't have a fundamental fairness clause. There are lots of things that are fundamentally unfair that the Constitution doesn't forbid, like homelessness and starvation, which are in my view fundamentally unfair. However, at this stage, I wouldn't question the "one person, one vote" principle. Precedence has its claims and it's been around for a long time. It's been administrable and it's corrected both discrimination and arbitrariness. But hauling out a principle that doesn't have clear roots in the Constitution is properly questioned.
Did the overreaching decisions from the Warren Court pave the way for the conservative Rehnquist Court?
I wouldn't quite say that. In the early 20th century, the Supreme Court was striking down minimum wage and maximum hour laws, laws protecting labor unions, and laws forbidding child labor. Conservatives were very eager to get the courts to distort ambiguous constitutional provisions to serve right-wing ends. When conservatives lost that after the Roosevelt administration, there was a continuing effort in the '40s and '50s to get the court to do what the right wanted. The conservative eagerness to use judicial power for their partisan ends long predated the Warren Court.
The Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion has probably been one of the most controversial rulings from that era. Do you feel that, given how divisive the issue of abortion continues to be, Roe v. Wade was a mistake in any way?
Roe v. Wade itself was probably a horrible moment for liberal politics and almost certainly created the Moral Majority. Roe simultaneously demobilized the pro-choice movement in politics and fired up the pro-life movement everywhere. There probably would've been an Equal Rights Amendment without [Roe v. Wade], less agitation with the process, and stronger legal commitments to sex equality in general. It's absolutely true that if the court goes in the teeth of the public, it can hurt the cause that you're trying to promote.
How do you think the Roe v. Wade decision should've proceeded?
I think the Court should've said, in the Texas and Georgia cases [pertaining to Roe v. Wade], that these laws are so draconian in their reach that they're unconstitutional. The Texas law didn't allow abortion in cases of rape. So the court could've said very narrowly that we're not going to say anything general about what the Constitution says with respect to abortion -- but women who have been raped have a right to have an abortion. The Georgia law had procedural hurdles for women seeking abortions that seemed to intrude on women's interests and went well beyond what was necessary to make sure that the decision was reasonable and well-considered. The court could've said simply that the Texas law didn't have an exception in cases of rape, and the Georgia law went far beyond what is reasonable and necessary to protect fetal life. And that way there would've been a continuing dialogue between the states and the Supreme Court on the abortion issue.
But would that "continuing dialogue" between the states and the Supreme Court have eventually produced the broad set of abortion rights women currently have under the law?
Well, we don't want to fall in the trap of reading the Constitution to do whatever is good. This is the activist fallacy, on both the left and the right, which says that if something is very good, then the Constitution requires it. Even if the pro-choice people are correct, we have a Constitution that we're reading here. It's not true that the text and history of the Constitution, at the time, clearly supported the broad right to choose abortion. I am not saying that Roe v. Wade should be overruled. I don't think it should. It's been the law now for a long time. But I am saying that as a matter of pure self-interest, decisions like Roe often backfire.
So let's say the Roe v. Wade ruling was approached from a minimalist perspective, where would we be then regarding abortion rights?
The court might've gradually built up to something pretty close to Roe v. Wade without anything like the intense public backlash that Roe itself yielded. We would've eventually gotten there through the slow process of case-by-case decisions. Another possibility is that the court would permit some restrictions on abortion rights -- more restrictions than it now does -- and we would see some variability across the states. Some states would basically ban abortion, with exceptions for rape and incest, but most states would allow abortion, probably quite freely. We wouldn't have the intense political tangles we now do, and things would be much more congenial between pro-choice and pro-life people.
Finally, have you found it difficult to have any sort of dialogue with fundamentalists, even though being a minimalist means you agree with some of their criticisms?
Yeah, I have. I find of number of them [fundamentalists] dogmatic and extremely confident. They like to accuse people who disagree with them of bad faith, and they think the word "liberal" is disqualifying of the need to engage in arguments. The most you can hope for is that people who are still thinking will see that their view has to be defended rather than shouted.
Copyright 2005, Inc. |
27,745,533 | Saturday, April 12, 2014
Kapu - Be Careful What You Do!
Kapu means taboo, forbidden, prohibited, banned. It also means a rule or law. And it also means sacred. It’s pronounced kind of like “kah-pooh” with emphasis on both syllables.
The ancient Hawaiians had many rules or kapu.
A kapu sign, a link to Hawaii's past.
Some kapu were for religious reasons. They kept certain temples, items and people sacred and untainted. Another meaning of the word kapu is sacred or holy. This is why a commoner could not stand near a chief nor touch his shadow or personal items. The chief was holy and sacred. One could get killed.
Certain days of the month were kapu days when commoners had to stay inside their houses all day. Even the animals had to be kept quiet, like chickens. Imagine trying to keep a chicken quiet all day! The Hawaiians figured it out: they put their chickens in covered wooden bowls.
Do you think you could keep these chickens quiet to observe the kapu?
Some kapu protected and managed natural resources. Fishing kapu ensured there were always enough fish to catch, so there were rules around not catching baby fish or fish during spawning season. There were many kapu around water, like not bathing in certain places. This kept the water safe for drinking.
Other kapu are much harder to relate to: it was kapu for men and women to eat together. Even their food could not be cooked in the same underground oven. Some foods women were not allowed to eat include pork, coconuts, certain fish, and bananas because they were considered sacred. Maybe these kapu were also a way to manage the food supply.
These ancient kapu helped to structure life and make things predictable, but they were also very hard to follow. Kapu were not to be taken lightly. Breaking a kapu, even accidentally, could be punishable by death. There were no trials. One could not plead extenuating circumstances.
Then in 1819, after Hawaii had many years of contact with foreigners, King Kamehameha II (Liholiho) broke the kapu by eating with women. This action brought an end to the kapu system, and to the structure of society.
In modern days, kapu is sometimes used as a “no trespassing” sign. A kapu sign means don’t come here, stay out. Luckily, modern kapu signs are not punishable by death. Otherwise, with all their trespassing, there would be no teenagers in Hawaii! I've been collecting kapu signs because I'm fascinated to see how rare they are becoming. Kapu can also mean "reserved" or belonging to someone.
1. Were bananas kapu for women because of shortage of food then?
2. I found this very interesting. Not at all Kapu!
3. I don't think bananas were scarce, but they were considered sacred, food that was offered to the gods. Since women were considered unclean, then one wouldn't want to defile the gods by sharing them with women. But also, I heard somewhere else that bananas had a sexual meaning, which is why they weren't eaten by women. I can't find whether this is true or not.
4. I am learning so much. I'm glad I live in this century. I will have been killed as I don't do well with being told "forbidden" if I don't agree but I'm glad there are still teenagers.
5. Oh I can relate to that, forbidden is like a red flag for me, I launch straight at it, at least to see WHY and does it make sense :)
6. Great post, thanks for this little insight to the Hawaiian culture, there's so little I know about it and I found it really interesting!
Andrea, #atozchallenge Mighty Minion Asset
7. Very interesting. I love all the research you put into this. Amazing there were foods women could not eat.
8. Interesting! The more I read your blog the more I want to visit :) Lovely!
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Tales of colors
MopDog - The crazy thing about Hungarians...
9. Mahalo! (Hawaiian for thank you) I adore Mop Dog. Your other blog is intriguing too, but Mop Dog rocks.
10. "Mighty Minion Asset" That's quite a title! Thanks for including your link!
11. Glad I found you!
|
35,848,969 | Sunday, December 5, 2010
Lizard on a plane
All of the recent flapdoodle with full-body scanners the TSA has been foisting on the American public in the name of ostensible security reminded me of what air travel was like in my youth. To say the least, it was quite different.
My father was in the military, so our family did a fair amount of travelling by air in the 1960s. Back then, there was no security screening: you paid for your ticket, checked your bags, headed to your gate and got on the plane--no fuss, no muss. You could take on board the plane what you could carry, and never was it even hinted at that someone would want to search your belongings. This is how I was able to get my anole lizard, purchased for one dollar in late 1967, from Detroit, MI to El Paso, TX. That's right, I carried him directly onto the plane without a problem.
How? He was in his plastic cage inside of a brown paper grocery bag that I placed at my feet as I sat down. No other passengers were aware of the stowaway reptile they were sharing their flight with and business went on as usual. The stewardesses, as they were known back then, served food, and snacks, and drinks, oblivious to the extra passenger not on anyone's manifest. When the flight was over, we deplaned and that was that. No one was harmed, no one was groped. I sometimes wonder what other odd and/or exotic cargo made secret trips aboard commercial airliners back then.
But we are a different people now. We are a good deal less realistic (in other words, immature) about life. So many people have bought into the childish notion that life can be lived without limits, especially financial limits, that our government now reflects that belief. We are also less likely to point out obvious truths--such as certain groups of peoples being more likely to commit anti-social acts than other groups of people (think 9-11)--lest the cudgel of political correctness land upon our skulls.
Somehow, though, we muddle through all of these idiocies and indignities, although not unscathed. We are a changed people, less involved in what matters in life and more involved in voyeuristic pursuits. We are distracted to a fault by nonsensical blather and gadgets to the point where we can no longer think out a problem and come to a logical, sensible solution. So we throw up our hands in despair and let the so-called experts in government, business, and banking (the lines of distinction between the three blur more every election cycle) handle the problems--with disastrous results. Then we wonder why things never seem to get better. Wonder no more, friend, go peer in the mirror.
Look how far we've fallen. From peacefully carrying a lizard on a plane to limiting the amount of liquid one can embark with and frisking children.* But the most galling fact of all is that the American people, those fools who live vicariously through sports teams, and theatrically-belligerent, freakish-looking "wrestlers," and actors, are allowing this to be perpetrated upon themselves. The American people are not the bada**es they like to pretend to be; they are cowardly sheep who leave the thinking to the shepard. The few who aren't like that are the ones protesting, but they are fighting an uphill battle against the inertia of the masses.
Take care.
*Yes, I'm aware of the events of 9-11-01. I'm also aware of the entity that created the conditions favorable for that epochal event to occur, the U.S. government through their interventionist policies, chiefly their support of Israel. It's not that the U.S. should or shouldn't be supporting Israel. It's that the U.S. should not be sticking its globetrotting nose into ANY other country's business. If Israel can't survive on its own, then it wasn't meant to be. If it has to use nuclear weapons to survive, so be it. At this point, I really don't care anymore. It's not any of Main Street America's concern; we came over here to get away from all of the strife the rest of the world is perpetually locked in. |
450,492,575 | by dovetailedlife
Some songs become popular because they are catchy.
Because of this, those artists become popular.
It is my greater belief though that many artists get popular (and because of that stay popular) because they gain a sense of connection with those who listen to their music. There is a sense of loyalty to the artists and the listener buys anything that comes out by them no matter the review. This group or artist is different for each person. Perhaps you, like me, have several of these.
One of the main ones for me is Lifehouse.
Ever since their original album that was mass distributed, No Name Face, I’ve been a fan. Not all of their stuff is magical, but most of it seems to just gel with me. I haven’t listened to No Name Face in years. Today I did. I remembered every word.
Here’s the thing though, I’ve never seen them live. I’ve had a few chances, but never have. Either something has come up, it was too far away, or I just chose not to go.
One of the magical things about music is that it can just exist without some sort of performance. I know that that is hard to believe in today’s world with music videos and live shows, but it can. The music can exist in its original recorded state. It can exist in your mind, running through your head. And what’s funny, is that when its something you love, you can remember EVERYTHING about how it goes in your head. You can’t always recreate it with your voice, but it’s there…and you know it.
One of the things that Ive found about bands that I see live is that after the show, some of the magic is gone. It’s not that they’re bad, or that the show sucks, its almost like a “been there, done that” situation. And it’s not all the time, but its more than I’d like.
Lifehouse is here live on NC State’s campus tonight. I’m going.
Here is hoping that the magic will continue to live on.
For those who have never heard Lifehouse, listen below. This is why I fell in love. |
450,219,169 | Energy Renewed: COVID-19 impacts to renewable energy project investors and lenders
What impact has the pandemic had on financing debt and equity investments for renewable energy projects?
In episode 3 of Energy Renewed, Katie Janik of ICF speaks with Steve Becker of the ICF technical advisory team within ICF’s Commercial Energy Division; Whitney Hampton, senior project manager in the RETC Group at US Bank Community Development Corporation; and Dan Miller, managing director of Origination at CIT, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 from the perspective of investors and lenders of renewable energy projects. ICF developed a two-part series of podcast episodes to explore how COVID-19 is impacting renewable energy transactions. This episode is part 2 of the COVID-19 impact series.
Full transcript below:
Katie: Welcome to "Energy Renewed," a podcast by ICF, a meeting of the minds on renewable energy where people come together to discuss ideas and synergies to propel the industry forward. I'm Katie Janik from ICF and the host of "Energy Renewed." ICF provides technical advisory services to lenders, investors, and project owners for renewable energy technologies and processes. In this podcast series, we will consider varying viewpoints ranging from policy topics to equipment components.
Hi there. In this episode, we are discussing the impact of COVID-19 on financing debt and equity investments for renewable energy projects. We are in an unprecedented situation and--as consultants, and generally within the industry--we are asking how is COVID impacting transactions? Today, we have Steve Becker from the ICF technical advisory team as well as representatives from U.S. Bank and CIT to speak about the current situation from the perspective of lenders and tax equity investors. Hi, Steve.
Steve: Hi.
Katie: Do you want to introduce yourself?
Steve: Yes. Thank you. Steve Becker, I've been in the power industry as a consultant now for over 20 years. And during that time, I've been able to experience a number of ups and downs in the industry due to various events, including recessions and changes in technology, and so forth. In particular, I work in the transaction space and with developers and in some cases working with lenders from a bankruptcy standpoint as well.
But as a consultant, I've always been interested to see how it impacts the financial community, these various events and, you know, COVID is no different. We've had our own experiences in terms of changes that we've seen in terms of various aspects of our due diligence like project schedules and the O&M piece, and so forth and so. But what I'm really interested in is trying to understand more on the financial side. How COVID has impacted that. And so, with that said, we have two great guests today, Whitney Hampton, who's a senior project manager in the RETC Group at U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation, and Dan Miller who's managing director in CIT's Energy Group. Whitney, would you like to introduce yourself?
Whitney: Yeah, of course. First of all, I just want to say thank you, Steve and Katie, for having us on. I appreciate the opportunity to and share my experience. So as Steve said, my name is Whitney Hampton. I am a senior project manager in the Renewable Energy Group at U.S. Bank CDC. My job, as project manager, is an underwriter. I underwrite every element and close transactions. I've been closing deals for five-and-a-half years for the bank and every year seems to present its own sort of unique set of challenges. And I would say this year has been no exception. I've been very much in the trenches, just because I've had to deal with the complications that the COVID crisis has brought on firsthand. I would also say that my point of view tends to be more deal-specific for that reason. But I can also just speak to what we're seeing across our overall portfolio and across the market in general. Dan?
Dan: Hi, everyone, and thank you also to the ICF team for having me. I think this is a great idea and I'm excited to be included in the discussion. As far as my background goes, I've been financing renewable and traditional energy projects for a little over 12 years. And at CIT, I'm responsible for originating and structuring debt transactions for primarily large renewable energy projects that tend to be on the higher end of the complexity scale.
A lot of my clients that I cover seem to be at the forefront of this massive energy transition. So our team spends a lot of time in what we call the “lab designing structures” to address merchant risk, basis risk--low rated or not rated--off-take counterparties, as well as technologies like battery storage and all the fund revenue streams that come with that asset class. It's never really a dull moment and very exciting. But as far as the past five months have gone, CIT has been very active, leading fairly sizable transactions. So, I look forward to sharing the key takeaways from those experiences with you and your listeners.
How changes in lending affected prices
Steve: Well, thank you both. One of the things that we heard as consultants--very early on when COVID was just in the thick of it, in February and March--was that the pricing has changed from a lender standpoint. And not so much for existing projects that were already being worked on, but more from the standpoint of new projects that were coming down the line. Can you speak a little bit to that, Dan?
Dan: Yeah, for deals that needed to close in the March to May timeframe, we saw lenders within the syndicate needing material on [inaudible] pricing to get the deals done--as a lot of them were trying to determine what exactly their funding costs were and whether or not they were even open for business at the time. I would say that, while the pricing on the margin had increased, the overall cost of debt was probably the same or even potentially lower just because the LIBOR rate at the time had dropped so significantly. So, the sponsors definitely understood the situation and their economics were materially impacted.
I would say going forward, while the market is starting to stabilize quite a bit, there's still some pricing overhang due to higher bank funding costs and capital allocation constraints at some of the banks. But I would say that, relative to pre-COVID levels, the pricing is anywhere increasing from 25 [inaudible] to 100 [inaudible] based on what we call the Big 3: the sponsor, the complexity of the transaction, and the size of the transaction. Since most of the deals we work on are at the higher end of the complexity scale, the importance of the sponsor and the size of the transaction will really dictate, you know, where within that 25 to 100 [inaudible] range that transaction will ultimately price.
Steve: And from a due diligence standpoint, as a consult, it's changed quite a bit for us in terms of our areas of focus. We have much more focus on. Certain aspects of the contracts of project schedules, knowing where equipment is coming from, and force majeure provisions and force majeure notices--which is something that we've experienced much more as consultants when we're looking at these transactions. But I wonder how that's impacted the lenders and their area of focus. Whitney, would you like to start?
Whitney: Sure. Yeah, so I would echo all of that. I would say we spent a great deal of time sifting through those various contract provisions or force majeure provisions and of all the various deadline dates. In doing so, I think they probably had to cast a bit wider net than we have in the past just to capture some of those events and circumstances that are sort of new to the situation. So, for example, I had to keep myself apprised of various state mandates and stock construction orders and things like that. And I think about how those things are impacting program requirements and my projects timelines and things of that nature.
And then, of course, like you mentioned, we've also been facing potential supply chain issues. One of the first questions that I'm asking my partners now is, “where's your equipment and where is it coming from if it's not already on U.S. soil?” And it's not just the equipment itself but it's also the components that are used in making that equipment. Because even those things are causing delays. And that, of course, was a much bigger issue in the beginning when all of this was first unfolding, and things have loosened up quite a bit. But in the beginning, it was very interesting to see that our sponsors were having to make some very tough choices on outdoor equipment, and where it was coming from and what they were selecting for the projects.
And it definitely was a complicating factor just in terms of IE reports because every time they have to change that, it has to filter throughout the entire deal. So, it made things interesting. And then, of course, I would also just say that we are sorting through all the various buffers and construction deadlines and making sure that we're not pushing up against PPA cliff dates or debt maturity dates. And then where necessary and where it is [inaudible], we are asking partners to go back and renegotiate those deadlines if possible. So again, necessitating some tougher conversations but I would say I think we're finding our way through it.
Potential scheduling delays on each end of construction
Steve: Thanks. And Dan, how about you? What's your experience been?
Dan: Yeah, I definitely share the same experiences as Whitney, from that perspective. The only point I would add is that, during construction, our primary focus has really been on the tax equity sunset date. Just because that date doesn’t typically benefit from some of the force majeure relief, the PPAs do. So, on every deal, we're having the independent engineer run a two-month delay scenario on both the equipment side as well as the installation side of the equation to ensure that there's an adequate cushion to that date. If there is an adequate buffer to that date, then we're fine with pursuing. Otherwise, we'll typically have to more formally transfer that risk to the sponsor whether it's including additional defaults tied to milestones or needing additional credit support in one shape or form.
That's definitely a case-by-case basis because the deals that we're doing now--assuming it takes a year to build some of these large projects and the tax equity investor wants to fund their investment in 2021--those CODs or placement service dates are happening in the June 2021 timeframe. So, there's a sufficient buffer to absorb any probate delays. But where this could be pretty impactful going forward is some of the late Q3, early Q4 transactions. If a tax equity investor is extremely intent on utilizing 2021 tax capacity and it takes a year for those projects get built, we're definitely going to need to provide even greater scrutiny to the construction schedule than done previously. And so, having very diligent IEs like ICF that are willing to dig into the nitty-gritty of the schedule has been in and frankly will continue to be critical in getting all these deals done.
Steve: One thing that we've experienced--or the one thing that I thought in the beginning or I've heard in the beginning from some of the owners of assets, renewable assets specifically--is that they plan on hanging on to their assets a little bit longer as they thought that the market was not good enough. Maybe the buyer pool was not as robust as it used to be. So, I'm wondering how it has impacted the future pipeline of assets that are coming for transactions for debt and tax equity. Whitney?
Momentum in the pipeline
Whitney: I would say as a project manager, I have not felt that at all. I'm as busy as ever. I'm happy to report that at least for us, we really aren't seeing any indications of that or any indications of our pipeline slowing down. We actually have a really robust pipeline at the moment, and we may even have some opportunity to increase it later this year. I would also say that we're still seeing a lot of syndication activity, which is great. So, U.S. Bank holds about 50% and then we syndicated about 50%. And some of our syndicated investors, especially in the beginning, kind of slowed down a little bit. But as far as I'm aware, none of them have stepped away from the table, which is, of course, great for us because that opens up more capacity for us.
This is probably a good segue to Dan, but I would say that the issue I've seen more is as partner access to debt. We're just seeing lending institutions that are either pausing or slowing down their targets or they're just more hesitant to extend credit or commitments. But for us, I don't think that we've seen the volume of deal change and I don't expect it to. But I think that we'll probably just see things slip into 2021.
Dan: It's funny, because the sponsors typically tell us that they're waiting to sign up tax equity to get going. Hopefully, ICF can go into further detail on their COVID-19 developer edition and can settle this debate once and for all. But all kidding aside, we were already seeing a fairly sizable Q3, Q4 pipeline pre-COVID. So, some of the deals that were delayed as a result of COVID--and spilling into Q3, Q4 from Q1, Q2--should make for a pretty interesting fall and holiday season, to be honest.
And on top of that, most of these projects getting developed are not straightforward or layup type deals. They all have been pretty high with the complexity characteristics I was mentioning before. So, while there are likely 50 or so consistently active banks in the project finance market, only 10 or so are willing to do the work associated with understanding the risks these new-age transactions present. On the one hand, this is great news for banks like CIT who are very experienced in analyzing pricing and structuring around these new-age profiles. The pace of this massive energy transition may be slowed if banks don't really roll up their sleeves because there'll be a sizeable void over the next year as these projects continue to get more complex and interesting. It'd be interesting to see if the pace of the education of banks coming in to support them can meet that or not.
Katie: It's interesting that you mentioned these new-age assets and that Steve mentioned owners wanting to hold on to the assets for a little bit longer. Because some of the key takeaways from the episode that we have from the developer standpoint is innovation, adaptation, rolling with it, right, really adapting to what's happening in the current situation in the market and being flexible.
Steve: Yeah, great. It's great to hear that the pipeline is still as robust as it was before. I guess with time being relatively short, are there any closing statements? Whitney, do you want to start?
Not all challenges lead to COVID
Whitney: I would just say, I think we can all agree that the industry is very challenging right now for a number of reasons. Not just because of COVID, but I think the industry is actually weathering the COVID storm itself quite well. It certainly adds a layer of complexity to our transactions and, of course, we're asking more of our partners from an underwriting side, but my experience thus far has been that sponsors and third parties are proving themselves to be very flexible and resilient. And my hope and my thought are that they will continue to do so.
Dan: Yeah, I would just add that pre-COVID-19, I felt like we were getting into a groove with a lot of the traditional project finance banks that were used to simply [inaudible]…there was a transition that we were going through and it was important to really roll up their sleeves and do the work associated with the new assets and support their clients. I think COVID-19 has obviously put a damper on some of the progress that we're making then--and in the March and April timeframe.
I was nervous that we would never get back to where we were prior to COVID-19 but it seems like definitely getting a lot of calls from reverse inquiries from banks saying, "We're open for business. We still have the same budgets that we had previously, so what do you have to show us?" And so, I think that we've missed five months of opportunity to continue to progress towards making progress on the energy transition. But that doesn't mean that we can't overcome that time with a lot of hard work. So, from that perspective, I'm optimistic on the future for these types of assets.
Steve: Well, thank you, really appreciate having both of you today. It was very enlightening and it’s always interesting to see how resilient the power markets are--and seem to be--as well here given this current event.
Katie: Yes. Thank you for being here today. I'm happy we were able to do this.
Dan: Great. Thank you so much for having us again.
Whitney: Yeah, thank you both.
The latest Energy news, explained.
Meet the authors
1. Katie Janik, Asset Management Advisor, Energy
Katie is a financial strategy professional with substantial project finance experience, particularly in the renewable energy, oil, gas, and financial services sectors. View bio
2. Stephen Becker, Project Manager and Financial Transactions Expert
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104,902,352 | The Russian defense minister has proposed that Russia and the U.S.-led coalition launch joint airstrikes against the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in Syria.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday that Moscow had proposed to Washington that they encourage all militants willing to abide by a cease-fire in Syria to leave areas where Nusra is present before May 25.
He said Moscow has proposed that Russia and the U.S.-led coalition would then begin joint strikes against Nusra and any other groups refusing to honor the truce.
The U.S.-Russia-brokered cease-fire has helped reduce violence in Syria, but it has been steadily eroding. The Islamic State group and the Nusra Front have been excluded from the cease-fire, and Russia long has pushed for excluding other militant groups that have cooperated with Nusra.
The proposal, which would still need the backing of the U.S. government and its allies, comes at a time of rising tensions between Russia and NATO.
Nearly simultaneous with the Syrian proposal, Shoigu announced that his nation’s military has strengthened forces in the southwestern region with long-range weapons to fend off emerging new threats.
Shoigu said Friday the move was taken in response to “attempts by some nations to expand their military presence near our borders,” an apparent reference to NATO.
Shoigu said that troops of the Southern Military District have been beefed up with “precision long-range weapons” and air defense. He added that the Russian navy potential in the region has increased by one-third.
Amid Russia-West tensions over the Ukrainian crisis, the U.S. has sent additional military equipment to the Baltics and Central Europe. Last week, a U.S. missile defense site also became operational in Romania. Russia has threatened to take retaliatory steps to maintain a strategic parity. |
440,139,973 | LIVE VIDEO: News 19 Mornings Watch
Gabbiee Swainson's Father: "I Don't Think She's Alive"
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Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The man accused of kidnapping teenager Gabbiee Swainson was found guilty on separate federal ammunition charges Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the girl's father is expressing deep concerns about her ultimate fate.
"I don't think she's alive," said Alvin Thompson, Swainson's father. "I don't think she's alive. It's been way too much time. Only one person knows that for sure: him."
Thompson believes Freddie Grant, the man found guilty of having ammunition while being a convicted felon, also kidnapped his daughter Gabbiee.
"That still doesn't bring my daughter back to me," said Thompson. "I feel for his family, but at the same time I feel for my daughter because I don't know where she's at."
Richland County Sheriff's investigators found shotgun shells and .38-caliber bullets when they raided Grant's Elgin home in August.
Grant can not possess ammunition because he's a convicted felon.
"When we see career criminals like Mr. Grant and they're in possession of ammunition, they're probably coming to federal court no matter what the circumstances are," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Haynes.
Haynes notes while the ammunition were not on Grant's person, he can still be 'in possession' under the law.
"Constructive possession: it's all the items you have back in your house, it's the items you don't have on your body," said Hayes. "You still possess them, you're just not in actual possession. Just because we don't have them on us every day, doesn't mean we don't have dominion over them."
"I think the jury deliberated a very long time about this," said defense attorney John Delgado. "There were obviously questions in some jurors minds about if Freddie had known and intended to possess that ammunition."
Delgado says Grant will stay in the Lexington County Detention Center until he's sentenced in April.
"That was my brother," said Freddie Grant's brother Johnny Grant. "He's the only brother that I could do anything with. So, now I don't have anybody."
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225,088,180 | He then encountered Mu Ling God 【7 more !】
The chapter of 1743 once again encountered Mu Ling God7 more!】
Lan Qing Fairy low profile, Chen Fei Fairy high profile.
This was Ten Fairy in personality was completely different from the two of them, who is good at this moment to appear at the same time, forming a stark contrast.
The slowly looked at the two figures, many of the men, They were stunned, even his saliva almost flowed out.
Mu Ling God was still a disguise, His cold face, seemed to be filled with a feeling of eternity was unable to approach the beauty.
As for the Fairy, Chen Fei was wearing revealed, Large white from all parts of his body appeared, A Blue one-piece dress, the other a pair of beautiful legs were completely displayed before the crowd's field of vision, He didn't have any flaws, causing countless saw the man, they would have a bloody nose impulse.
The hair was a little messy, but it demonstrated her deliberately high profile, beautiful, Her facial features were also extremely refined, There was a pink light makeup smeared on his body, the dense aroma, suppressing Mu Ling God's body fragrance and intoxicating.
Needless to say, to be able to rank amongst the Ten Fairy, not only Potential problem, appearance, it was extremely important.
The ten Prince, The God of humans, you don't need these, Although their appearance, they were also extremely high......
Chen Fei Fairy, Fei Hua Qing!
Ten Fairy in the middle, ranked ninth in the Mu Ling God's earlier position.
Her Potential was extremely high, The appearance was extremely beautiful, but the most famous, but not this, Instead, she and the ten great Prince in the fifth ranked of Prince Chong Yun Han Elites, was a dual cultivation companion!
As Ten Fairy, Very few people could see the other man, because they themselves didn't lack anything, background and Potential and strength and resources... really was... was not lacking.
Thus, they basically wouldn't choose to follow another man.
Chen Fei was Fairy, the rise of the Ten Fairy earlier, he had already followed Prince Chong Yun's marriage, causing many to her hope of men were extremely disappointed.
She arrived, standing behind the thousands of figures, There were both males and females, in terms of cultivation, were Void God Realm, and the highest would have surpassed Fourth Stage.
The Fairy Chen Fei's cultivation is that of a rank three Void God Realm.
From this, it could be seen that these people weren't here to protect her, only to appear.......
Made her the supreme identity, making her extremely beautiful face.
Chen Fei Fairy's high profile, This was a famous, he was aware of her, it must be because of her first high profile, he knew of her.
But very few people made her feel disgusted, who's that beautiful?
Beautiful, it should be high profile!
The group slowly landed on the ground.
Mu Ling God alone, it walked to the location, It was Su Hanshan here.
But Su Hanshan had already changed his face, Clearly, she did not recognize him.
The Fairy Chen Fei's side, they were a group of people clustered around, casually standing there, that place was standing originally, and immediately made way.
Hehe, little girl, I have to tell you, what you think about it?”
Lin Qi Sha stared at Chen Fei, Fairy unscrupulously sizing him up, sighed, What a perfect body, how is that person's appearance, he was able to sleep with me again, I'll give you a hundred Spirit Crystal, how about that? Don't worry, I'll definitely your clan that the time to grow, will definitely satisfy you.”
Hearing those words, the atmosphere immediately became a little quiet.
This Lin Qi Sha is simply too audacious, Before he teased the Destruction Queen, Now that he had to tease Chen Fei Fairy, Is not afraid of angering Prince Chong Yun?
Get lost.”
Chen Fei Fairy Lin Qi Sha swept a glance, said indifferently, “In terms of appearance, you didn't have outstanding, terms of Potential, you still very far away, and in terms of strength,'re in him...... What qualifications do you have, sleep with me again?”
Lin Qi Sha didn't care in the slightest, Instead, laughed and said, What you mean is. If I achieve all these, you have to let me sleep?”
Disgusting.” Chen Fei Fairy still spoke indifferently.
However, she gave others the feeling, he wasn't really so calm, Instead, it was a kind of...... resisting yet welcoming tone.
Even her words were resolute and decisive, allowing Lin Qi Sha had teased the opportunity.
Lin Qi Sha and Chen Fei Fairy spoke, Mu Ling God had already arrived in front of Su Hanshan.
The surrounding people even though he was extremely close to, But, he still didn't dare to stay here any longer, immediately retreated away.
The young man was also like this, However, just as he was planning to dodge in time, Su Hanshan was caught it, laughed, Aren't you looking forward to Ten Fairy's arrival? We have one here, why did you run?”
“... I, I...”
Young man's face turned red, looked at Mu Ling God, Then, looked at Su Hanshan, For a moment, was so anxious that couldn't say anything.
Fairy Lan Qing, not everyone could approach it, Since he was already here, that is your fate, and now stood, thinking she won't chase you away, This is your first here.” Su Hanshan laughed after said that.
The young man walked it, not leaving either, Mu Ling God in the eyes, their gazes hurriedly dodged, they didn't dare to argue with Mu Ling God looked at each other.
The Mu Ling God, his gaze was sweeping over the young man, in the end, it landed on Su Hanshan's body.
She was already accustomed to this kind of scene, he left the place, where one would be able to open it.
She wasn't really wanted these people to dodge, she was still not that high up in the sky, but these people was to dodge, If this young man, Su Hanshan is pulled off, how could they blame him?
Mu Ling God but didn't expect was, before this Fourth Stage Spirit Body Realm fellow, to actually have so much courage, not only didn't dodge, Instead, he relied on this young man, Not a trace of teasing her with a few words.
Of course, this was Mu Ling God thought, Su Hanshan really didn't feel that he was teasing, at most he would be teased.
You know me?” Mu Ling God stared at Su Hanshan.
She is very intelligent, knew, if he didn't follow the relationship, it would not be so open his mouth, He wouldn't be this calm stood in this place.
Su Hanshan smiled slightly and said, I asked you to do, you have to help me do?”
What happened?”
Mu Ling God is stunned, revealed a puzzled expression.
After a long time, she suddenly opened her eyes, pointed at Su Hanshan in disbelief and said, It's you?!”
I am.” Su Hanshan nodded.
How did you......”
After the words, Mu Ling God didn't ask, She knew that in front of so many people, he shouldn't have asked.
No way! In the future, the people he had offended would be very much, as came up with this plan.”
Su Hanshan smiled towards the front to take a look, and said, For example, this time.”
Mu Ling God's gaze, followed Su Hanshan looked back, saw that the Prince.
Do you have a plan to fight the Flood Dragon Spirit Liquid?” She couldn't help but knit her brows.
No, why?” Su Hanshan said with a smile.
End of this chapter
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489,904,250 | Monday, February 13, 2006
The Known World
I waited so long for this book to come into the shop, and was looking forward to reading it so much, that I suppose it couldn't help but be disappointing. It could be the frame of mind I was in when I read it. It could be a whole lot of things, but I just wasn't engaged by it, despite its credentials. I usually like a Pulitzer winner. I usually like an epic tale of hardship in the American South. The fact that this was an epic tale of hardship in the American South that also included a black slave-owning family only made the book more attractive.
But I couldn't follow it. I kept having to go back and reread sections because I found the names confusing and the characters blank. Nothing much happened that I haven't read in other books. The timeline was constantly disrupted, which I know is a deliberate style to make the book seem more like an oral history, and the actual story moved very, very slowly. I'm sorry I didn't like it, but I just didn't. It was, well, it was boring.
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334,607,163 | Has the iPod made us anti-social?
Steve Jobs launches a range of iPods
It's 10 years since the iPod was unveiled, but has the MP3 player turned us all into headphone-wearing, anti-social people?
It sounds like a dystopian vision. Half of humankind wired up to a parallel universe that leaves them oblivious to their surroundings and fellow man.
Those used to travelling on public transport will recognise the scene - a carriage full of commuters sprouting white wires that plug into the ear with little white buds. In the car, children listen to their own music on headphones.
Once upon a time footballers travelling to away games would bond over a game of cards on the team bus. Now they step off the coach with headphones on, as if their journey has been a solitary exploration of a favourite playlist or movie. Many runners, cyclists and even swimmers train with headphones.
The personal stereo has been around for three decades. But the iPod - by far the biggest selling MP3 player - has taken it well beyond the limitations of its bulky earlier equivalents, like the Sony Walkman or Discman. Since Apple unveiled its first iPod in October 2001, promising "1,000 songs in your pocket", the company has sold more than 300 million of them.
In 2005 the media greeted the revelation that President George W Bush owned an iPod with surprise. Now that the iPod's tentacles creep through society, such news would be greeted with a shrug.
By 2007 over half of Western city dwellers were using an iPod or MP3 player, says Prof Michael Bull, author of Sound Moves: iPod culture and urban experience.
It has gone beyond the anti-establishment youth market of the personal stereo to embrace everyone from children to grandparents. And research suggests that when people switch to an MP3 player, they listen to music for twice as long as before, Prof Bull says.
Leander Kahney, editor of, based in San Francisco, argues the iPod has enriched people's lives, allowing them to escape the daily grind. "It's been a great boon to people on the way to work. There's nothing like music to be a mood lifter. The iPod is a mood drug."
And despite attempts by competitors like Microsoft to launch their own versions, Apple's product has not had significant opposition, never slipping below 70% market share, Kahney notes.
Image caption Here Thierry Henry has his headphones in the "you may talk to me" position
German-Brazilian inventor Andreas Pavel can be regarded as the spiritual father of headphone culture, having invented the first personal stereo in the 1970s. Pavel's initial aim was to free recorded music from the yoke of the household music system.
But when he first tried out his prototype - "this magic combination of sound source and headphones" - he experienced something transcendental. "It was like a dream. It is the pleasure of the music combined with the vision of your environment. You are putting a soundtrack to life so that it becomes like a film."
In those days he was laughed at for wanting to move around while listening to music on headphones, he recalls. And Sony's marketing department told him his prototype was too expensive and wouldn't find a market.
But they later went on to develop the Walkman. In 2003, after 23 years of legal negotiations with Sony's lawyers, the Japanese electronics firm agreed to settle out of court.
So ubiquitous is headphone culture today that it has become a sort of cultural shorthand - often for a spoilt, selfish generation who lack civic values.
When British sailors were taken prisoner by the Iranians in 2007, Able Seaman Arthur Batchelor admitted he had "cried like a baby" after his iPod was confiscated by his captors. He was branded a national embarrassment by newspapers. In the same year, a Muslim juror was discharged from a murder trial after being caught listening to her iPod under the hijab.
But the most visceral concern is that the iPod is making people anti-social. It's not just the tinny noise that leaks out of the puny ear buds but the barrier the device erects between people. Telegraph columnist Bryony Gordon says young people have grown up to be "plugged in" to their iPod, rather than relating to their surroundings.
"I wouldn't stop someone wearing those white wires to ask for directions. It's like they're putting up a big closed sign," Gordon notes.
Prof Bull's interviews with iPod users confirm this perception. Many iPod users told him they resented people interrupting their listening to talk to them.
The iPod has thus created a minefield over how to behave. When entering a shop, should the user take off their headphones to talk to a sales assistant? Should they take one out? Or leave them both on and turn the volume down?
Debrett's etiquette adviser Liz Wyse says that both of them must come out. "It's very belittling to a shop assistant if you can't be bothered to take your headphones out. And the half on, half off, look is compromised - it's like you're going to put them back in any minute."
Image caption Many people wear headphones in circumstances where they would not anyway want to be disturbed
But in a reflection of what a battlefield public space has become, she defends the iPod as a means of defence against a still worse public nuisance - the mobile phone. "An iPod is a brilliant thing on trains. Otherwise you're forced to listen to people's loud conversations on their mobile phones."
Psychologist Oliver James says the reluctance to take one's headphones out shows the "self-absorbed and atomised" state that people have got themselves into. "It's almost like madness. Will I come out of my bubble? How much of a compromise will I make to my external reality?"
But the fact is, it fits our modern desires, says Prof Bull. People have never talked much on trains - hence the famous commuters' trick of hiding behind their copy of the Daily Telegraph. The iPod is merely amplifying that trend.
"It can be lonely travelling through public space and using music warms it up," he says. The downside is that while the individual feels warmer - and has the perception of being safer despite not being able to hear an approaching assailant - the public realm becomes a less social, "chillier" space.
Image caption The MP3 player dominates the Western world
But the iPod hasn't caused this move from public to personal space, it is just reflecting the trend, Prof Bull argues. Nowadays people work out to their own playlists in the gym rather than hearing the same tunes. But that's not to say people are becoming anti-social.
"The actual presence of people next to you in the street is not recognised as social any more. We get our intimacy from nearby loved ones or people who are absent over chat sites and social media," he says.
Pavel says he never set out to isolate people from the outside world when he made that first rudimentary personal stereo. Indeed he recalls how his patent suggested a non-recording microphone so that users could hear the world around them during the music. And there were to be up to four outputs so that people could listen in groups.
In the end, it's a trade-off, Pavel believes. Sometimes we want privacy and escapism, other times interaction with our fellow man.
"It is somewhat isolating. But when I'm on the bus I don't necessarily want to talk to people. I want the aesthetic involvement of listening to music." |
40,388,275 | Top News
My Response To 12 Year Old’s Letter To Romney
Dear Governor Romney,
Jackson Ripley, age 12
Jackson, While I do sympathize with your sister’s condition and glad she is being covered, but you should understand that Obamacare is not fully implemented yet. If you want to see a policy that has a government bureaucrat come between you and your doctor to decide who gets what coverage and who doesn’t, then Obama is your man. If you want a healthcare policy where 70 years old is the cut- off date and your grandparents or parents when they reach 70 and need a heart transplant or bypass or treated for a stroke and are only given comfort care instead, then vote for Obama.
Jackson if you want to live in a country where you are a ward of the state and the government controls every aspect of your life then vote for Obama. Obama has already passed an executive order to have the postal inspector general register all of us. If you want to live in a society where 1 in 6 people are in poverty because of Obama’s policies then see that he is re-elected. If you believe in a society where our military is diminished and we have a president who bows to terrorists and kisses their rings then vote for Obama. If you think it is Ok for a president to sympathize with and invite terrorist leaders like the Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi to the white house while ignoring our friends and allies like Netanyahu who is being threatened on all sides and turned away in favor of going on David Letterman’s then vote for Obama. If you believe in a president who is the most secretive president we’ve ever had and most corrupt president who had thousands of guns go to drug cartels in Mexico that killed two of our border guards then vote for Obama. Jackson if you support a president who in his next term will instill a policy where the government tells you how much you can make and puts limits on that like Obama will do with his “fairness check” policy he has planned then vote for Obama. The mid-east is burning, our ambassadors are being killed, Alqueda flags flown over our embassies and our flags burned because of your man’s policies while he diverts attention on a little known anti-Islamic film and goes over to Jay Zee’s and Beyonce’s house. A president who had investigators come to this guy’s house in the middle of the night to get him. Jackson how many more people and film makers will he arrest for expressing their freedom of speech.
Romney may not be the best choice and I disagree with him on some things, but I believe in freedom not slavery. My country comes first and Obama wants us to cease being No.1 and prefers us to be No. 30. He blames America for all the troubles in the world. He stated in one of his books that he would support the muslims and so far that’s what he is doing. Jackson there are other vey affordable insurance companies that have sprung up that will accept pre-conditions like your sister where you don’t need the government controlling you and them.
Obama says he cares about 100% of the people. No he doesn’t. He want s to control 100% of the people and healthcare is the way to do it.
What’s in the healthcare bill:
About Jim Clayton
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401,624,272 | Chapter 264: The transient braves
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The Adventurers of Origin.
That was something talked about all around the world. It refers to the people that are called the ancestors of the currently existing adventurers.
They travelled through the whole world and helped out the people, and became the role model for the brave that came after. Of hyumans and demi-humans alike.
However, their names currently remain only in a small part of the Lorel Union.
Why is that? That kind of question popped.
Just like how Rokuya-san said about it not being anything hide about, he spoke about it fluently.
But he also said that this is not something we need to talk about in a room filled with people, so he began the talk after guiding us to a space that seemed to be a secret room in this floor.
When we entered the room, I felt something strange, as if we passed through a thin film. It was something slight that doesn’t warrant much attention though.
It is probably something to make it so that even if we were to come here on our own, we won’t be able to find it or won’t be able to enter it.
Well, let’s leave aside the topic of the hidden room for now.
I am still half in doubt, but it seems like this Rokuya is actually the one from the legendary Adventurers of Origin.
In other words, immortal.
It is not that they are always awake and active, they live in a style where they wake up every now and then and move, and have been living like that for a long time.
Honestly speaking, I wouldn’t be able to imagine a life like that.
At this moment, I felt like Rokuya-san and the other people called the Adventurers of Origin are existences I wouldn’t be able to comprehend.
Living for eternity.
How does that feel?
If I were forced to choose between death or immortality, the current me would probably…choose death.
If it were longevity, it would be a different story, but immortality…
Even if I become immortal, my surroundings will definitely continue dying.
I kind of don’t like that.
“Well, and so, we ended up cooperating, and that guy Munemori not only got the trust of Root, he even married her, and founded one of the nations that would be counted as one of the five major powers, Elysion.” (Rokuya)
“There’s still quite a lot of anecdotes remaining about the foundation of Elysion, and the dragon princess that appears in those, I could somewhat understand that it referred to Root from the talks the person himself told me, but…there was no mention about Apfel(Apple), you know?” (Makoto)
By the way, this is my first time hearing that his husband was a person named Sou Mamoru.
If I remember correctly, he was a swordsman.
And after building up his country, he began liking love affairs.
…I feel like this part of his subtly overlaps with Tomoki.
But well, there was no information regarding charm, and Root said his husband didn’t have those kind of powers.
“Yeah, we were erased from history after all.”
In those days, it seems Rokuya-san’s group called themselves Apfel, which is written as Apple. <Apfel=アプフェル>
It is a name I have no recollections whatsoever.
It seems like Lorel remembered them as Apple instead of Apfel, and called them Apple and people of Apple.
“Era…sed?” (Makoto)
It sounded conspiracy-like. Ominous words.
Moreover, Rokuya-san is one of the affected parties, and yet, he doesn’t seem to be blaming anyone.
“You see, Munemori revealed it to Root. About us…more accurately speaking, about the power of our master.” (Rokuya)
“Your master’s…” (Makoto)
It seems like Rokuya-san’s group, the Adventurers of Origin, have a leader they call master.
But rather than a relationship of one being in higher standing than the other, it sounded more like another word denoting a friend.
What’s with this.
I myself…feel like I have a relationship like this.
“Not only Munemori, us as well, the heroes, and also you; when coming here, you received a power, right?” (Rokuya)
“Yes…eh?” (Makoto)
“For example; Munemori received ‘the Sword of Ambition, Desire’ and ‘the Sword of Oath, Damocles’. A cheat sword that responds to his will and becomes stronger without the need of a blacksmith, and…the sword of resolution that you make an oath and as long as you protect it, all of your abilities are raised. The second one, in the case that he broke the oath, he receives a big wound, so it wasn’t all merits though.” (Rokuya)
“Ehm…” (Makoto)
“And in my case, it is a bit special, you see. I can’t talk in detail about the second one, but the first one is a bit different from norm, an ability that links my comrades.” (Rokuya)
In other words, Rokuya-san is –no, all the Adventurers of Origin are…Wise?
And as if natural, it seems he also sees through me as well.
But what is this second one he is talking about?
In my case, I was summoned by a God, and at that time, I received [Sakai] from Tsukuyomi-sama. That’s the only one I got.
Don’t tell me, is the language comprehension of the Goddess that she jammed inside of me also counted?
Is that the second one?
“Us six came here at the same time, and noticed that we had acquired an ability. And the one who was able to exercise that ability was master. That’s why…yeah, link would be the correct understanding of it.” (Rokuya)
“Link ability.” (Makoto)
If that’s the case, at least they wouldn’t be lonely. Even if they had come to a terrible world.
But this link ability, I don’t really understand it well.
“Ah, that’s the ‘Blood Pledge, Guild Verse’. Don’t know what sort of fate this is, but we were companions in an MMO -or so to speak, an online game- we played in those days. And our abilities were connected with it. What a joke.” (Rokuya)
“…Ah, a net game.” (Makoto)
So that’s what it is.
Rokuya-san and his companions, and then there’s the master <Guild Master>.
Guild comrades in an online game.
I see.
“The details of it are…to put it in an easy to understand way for you, it would be the reproduction of the online game system. Well, strictly speaking, it is different though. In other words, from a novice, I can hunt mamonos and change my job to thief, and after that, assassin, and further after, I can decide on a specialized job…it is that kind of setup. There’s also a shared warehouse that other people can’t see, side quests, and other fine details in the ability.” (Rokuya)
It is truly a guild.
And this entered the ears of Root, and that’s how the current guild was established.
They are truly the adventurers of origin.
No lies in their name.
But from what I have heard until now, I don’t understand the meaning behind them being erased from history.
It doesn’t explain the point about the immortality either.
“In other words, it is that right? Root took the idea of the Adventurer Guild from the ability of you guys? If the information of Root’s husband was about that ability, that’s plausible but…” (Tomoe)
It seemed like Tomoe was putting it all together, but at the same time, her eyes were saying there’s more to it.
Rokuya-san silently nods.
He continues.
“Yeah. Root took an interest in the structure called a guild, and tried to replicate it. It is certainly true that she heard about Guild Verse from Munemori and got the idea. But the part that would serve as the core, in the end, she was unable to create it.” (Rokuya)
“Eh?” (Makoto)
That’s strange. In the end, he did create the guild and is the guild master.
And in present, Root is still the guild master.
“Even if she is the heavenly dragon Root that governs over a percent of the world, as expected, there’s no way she would be able to grasp the essentials of the Earth’s pc online games. She desperately gathered information from me, master, and the other members.” (Rokuya)
“That…must have been annoying.” (Makoto)
To the point you would want to call the police.
“Nah. Even if she was a dragon on the inside, her appearance was that of a peerless beauty. The three men counting me actually enjoyed it, you know. Root was aggressive, she wasn’t as stubborn towards one person like Munemori, she let us enjoy without any hesitation.” (Rokuya)
“I…I see.” (Makoto)
Could it be, I’m quite the herbivorous?
Or is it that, Root had quite the appeal in the past?
Judging from the atmosphere in the story, not only Rokuya-san, the other two members also enjoyed it.
I am currently receiving a culture shock here.
Rokuya-san is a Wise -though I don’t know from what era he is- he must be a japanese person.
If he is a person of the Showa era, were the men of that era this indiscriminate?
In that era, did they dig in when a woman made advances on you?
“…By the way, I was born at the end of the Showa era. I don’t think our perceptions are that different, Raidou-kun.” (Rokuya)
“A…Ahahaha…” (Makoto)
Did he master mind reading?
I am blocking the magic type, and there’s no signs of him probing.
My expression as well, I have lately been able to hide the things that show on my face.
“It looks like you are not self-aware of it, so this might be a good chance to tell you. You are a late bloomer. There’s a limit to being herbivorous. It has been several years since you came to this world, right? In age…you are already over twenty huh. ‘Sleeping with somebody will only be with the person I have decided to marry for the rest of my life’, that kind of ideal is so far from reality it is close to being a delusion, you know? If you are being desired, it is fine to desire as well. That’s all there is to it, and there’s no need to think too deeply about it.” (Rokuya)
He looks at Tomoe, looks at Mio, and even looks at Shii, and then, sighs and points a finger straight at me as he said that to me.
Shii is also okay with you, Rokuya-san?
It is true that I am an adult, but that’s clearly already crimina—no, let’s leave it at that.
“No well, you see, it is been a while already, so there’s things that are just hard to advance towards…” (Makoto)
“…Are you seriously saying that? Going through the trouble of finding a partner for one night would be just… there’s two women at both your sides that are practically shouting that they are ready anytime you want, right? If you are at a lost, if it’s those two, even if it is the two at the same time, they would probably not complain, you know?” (Rokuya)
“Rokuya-san! You are going too far.” (Makoto)
What is this person saying.
I hurriedly object as I look at the two.
Tomoe and Mio are obviously angered…or not?
On the contrary, Mio was stealthily giving a thumbs up to Rokuya-san. Her face is slightly red.
Tomoe didn’t say anything, but she was nodding and going ‘Umu Umu’.
No well, it isn’t as if I didn’t know, but…in the past, the figures of Hasegawa and Higashi were definitely bigger than Tomoe and Mio.
Then, if asked now, it would be about the same, or actually…
But if we were to cross the line, I feel like a variety of restrains will be broken.
Thinking about my determination of returning to Japan wavering and disappearing…honestly speaking, I am scared.
And in reality, whether it is Rokuya-san, that Munemori person, and the Adventurers of Origin; they have all stayed in this world without returning.
“…Fuh… Sorry. It was probably not something for me to talk about. Let’s return to the main topic.” (Rokuya)
“…Sorry.” (Makoto)
“It is fine. And so, Root thoroughly researched about us and Guild Verse, but it didn’t bear fruit. However, Root thought that an adventurer guild was a necessary existence in the future of the world. Just as her attitude showed, she wasn’t the type who would obey the Goddess after all.” (Rokuya)
“Yeah, Root is like that. I think his stance is different from that of the Goddess.” (Makoto)
I can tell by the fact that he is thinking of things like thinning out the hyumans.
So Root has been like that in the past too, and Rokuya-san had noticed that way of thinking Root had.
“That’s why…” (Rokuya)
Rokuya-san slightly narrows his eyes.
“Root has already diverged from the Guild Verse system, and she is trying to make it a permanent existence in this world.” (Rokuya)
“In other words, it means that Root is trying to make it possible for the Adventurer Guild to have your ability as well?” (Makoto)
“Yeah. But for the sake of that, he needs the cooperation of the Goddess, and more than that, there’s the need for our cooperation as well.” (Rokuya)
“Right. Leaving aside the Goddess, the cooperation of you guys would definitely be a necessary.” (Makoto)
“However, the price that was asked for was way too big. You probably already have an idea but…for the sake of that, all the people related to the Guild Verse ability are required to live forever. If the Wise die, the ability goes with them after all.” (Rokuya)
“That’s why, a lot happened, Raidou-kun. By the Goddess, Guild Verse became the core of the Adventurer Guild, and we became immortal. But you see, a problem was born in this.” (Rokuya)
“Problem?” (Makoto)
‘Yeah’, Rokuya answers with a bitter smile.
“At that rate, our achievements would be way too big. Moreover, the Adventurers of Origin are immortal. I was a charismatic person in those days, you see. If I wanted to, I would have been able to become the king of a major power.” (Rokuya)
“Obviously. Receiving immortality, bringing the Adventurer Guild to this world; those are achievements that would surpass a king of a major power.” (Makoto)
“That’s why it was inconvenient for Root. Her unyielding wish was for Munemori to be the greatest brave of that time. Fufu, in the end, she beared the child of Munemori. Even if she was a Superior Dragon, it was her first time having a child. She went wild probably because of the maternal instincts that were suddenly born in her.” (Rokuya)
“Maternal instincts have nothing to do with that. That’s way too much of a selfish wish.” (Makoto)
“Hahaha, right. It is just as you say, Raidou. But this is not something that’s happening now, it is all history that was settled thousands of years already. Also, it is not the history of winners, you know? It is the history of people that are fading away. It is not something for you to be so riled up about. In the first place, I who am one of the related parties don’t feel anger towards Root.” (Rokuya)
“Why?! If what you have done is true, then that bad treatment of Root would be similar to what the Goddess did to m—!!” (Makoto)
“No matter the sequence of events and the conclusion of it, the Adventurers of Origin became a minor fairy tale of Lorel, but Root has been able to properly maintain the Adventurer Guild in this thousands of years.” (Rokuya)
“The hyumans growing haughty was in part the Goddess’ fault, and even Root wouldn’t be able to stop that, but a diverse amount of demi-humans and a narrow amount of demons have been able to survive until today. It is certain that she has been able to carry out her role in the Adventurer Guild which she fervently spoke of in the past.” (Rokuya)
Even so, there are things that can’t be forgiven as well.
Being forced immortality, and have your existence erased, that’s just…
“That’s why, the Adventurers of Origin, as well as I, have accepted most of our circumstances already.” (Rokuya)
“‘Most’?” (Makoto)
“As troublesome as it is, the one man that has to accept it the most, is still fighting against it. And so, at that time in the past, there was one kind dragon that was enraged by this, just like how you are, Raidou-kun -no, that rage was even higher than yours.” (Rokuya)
Could that be…
“A dragon, you say? I don’t think there was anyone who would be able to fight against Root in the past. At the very least, I don’t know of one.” (Tomoe)
Tomoe tilts her head.
I see.
Leaving aside if both of them have met before, Tomoe was alive at that time as well.
She learned about the Guild when she heard of it from Root, so she was probably asleep at that time anyways.
“No surprise. In those days, the other Superior Dragons aside from Root and Futsu didn’t boast much strength after all.” (Rokuya)
“As I have said, I don’t know of a dragon named Futsu-ja. It seems like it is known widely in this country, but who in the world is that-ja?” (Tomoe)
After a brief silence, Tomoe seeks an answer from Rokuya-san.
It is certainly true that the name Doma is spread in Lorel Union as well, but the name of Futsu surpassed that.
And Doma is being seen as a dungeon’s Superior Dragon, but it felt as if Futsu was being directed something like reverence.
It felt like the kind of reverence they direct to Spirits and the Goddess.
“The Ancestral Dragon of Heavens, Heavenly Dragon Root; directly opposite, the Ancestral Dragon of the Land, Land Dragon Futsu. The matchless Superior Dragons that possess the highest of powers, however, Futsu was against the creation of the Adventurer Guild, and…as a result, its power was snatched away by Root and was terminated.” (Rokuya)
“This is a matter of Superior Dragons. It is a top secret matter that would be bad if Root knew, so Raidou, please keep it a secret as well, okay? After that, its existence was thoroughly erased by the hands of Root, even more thoroughly than in our case. That was way too pitiful you see. We saved it.” (Rokuya)
“As I thought, I don’t know of it. If we are talking about a land dragon, it would be Grount, right?” (Tomoe)
“More accurately speaking, that girl is a Sand Dragon. Can’t be helped, we are talking about Root here. She probably persistently chipped off the memories of Futsu from the other Superior Dragons every time they were dormant or were reincarnating. It was probably easier than erasing the Adventurers of Origin from the history of people.” (Rokuya)
“That damn Root…” (Tomoe)
“If Futsu had acted as how it normally acts, the situation wouldn’t have gotten so screwed. In the end, whether it is people or dragons, what decides things is most likely emotions over logic. Fufu.” (Rokuya)
Rokuya-san was probably reminiscing the events of one thousand years ago, he laughs.
Even though this was their defeat.
Receiving the curse of immortality and having their existence erased from history; that’s right, it is supposed to be a defeat.
And yet, is this really something that one can look back at it a thousand years after and laugh?
I…probably will end up fighting them at the floors below the tenth.
Since they are immortal, there’s only one way to beat Rokuya-san and the others, I have no choice but to break their will.
No, Tomoe and Mio are probably already investigating this immortality of Rokuya-san.
If possible, his memories of it as well.
That’s probably the reason why the two aren’t speaking much and simply look like they are listening to the story.
There’s the possibility that there will be some sort of way to break through this situation from what they might figure out.
But…the will of people that are able to accept defeat in this manner, if I have no choice but to break it, just how am I going to?
Is it breakable?
I currently…don’t know.
I felt something heavy slowly accumulating in my stomach.
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292 thoughts on “Chapter 264: The transient braves
1. Rokuya might have said all that, I wonder when will Makoto realize the true desires of Tomoe and Mio …
Oh, and I hope for developmenet with SHiki and his student
1. Makoto knows about it, he even acknowledged it in this chapter. The thing is, right now he said he is placing more importance on returning to Earth, and he’s afraid that if he enters a relationship with Tomoe and Mio he’ll lose his motivation/desire of returning to Earth.
He already said that their place in his heart is greater than his two friends who proposed to him back on Earth, and it’ll probably keep growing.
Liked by 2 people
2. Am I the only one who a few chapters ago caught onto the fact that th3 basis of the whole Adventures Guild is the job class system from Ragnarok Online? It is actually a good trip down memory lane for me seeing that the author decided to use this MOM for the basis. Also as always thanks for the translations !
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3. So I was thinking, and I’d just realized something.
You know what Makoto could bring that would probably go a really long way in building relations with Apple? The various fruits gathered from Asora. Asora is heavily Japanese, and fruits are one of the few foods you can’t simply replicate after knowing what they look and taste like.
As Japanese otherworlders, Apple members probably all have some level of a craving for the nostalgic tastes of their homeland-even more so if they’re immortal.
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4. One thing is for sure….I don’t wanna live long and neither do i wanna be some carnivores too….being a herbivore is a big NO too….but still….Who can tell that the child root bore was of mamoru?
5. At first I was only annoyed at Root, but now, I thoroughly hate that character.
First off, she/he is a slut. (Yes I am a sexist crucify me now. But I just can’t see any woman who does GB by will, RL or Porno in a good light. Its hot, true. But not a wife material afterwards, just a SFriend.)
Second, she/he is a huge bitch. Hope Makoto just offs her/him somewhere in the story 😐
6. Yeah. Makoto has no validity to the way he thinks. Hell, when he beat the crap out of the world gate God he openly declared that he wasn’t planning to return to the origin world without bringing all of Asora, all of his followers and worshippers with him. Now, he is saying he is scared to form an intimate relationship because it will interfere with his desire to return. Come on author! This is such an excellent story, all except the totally unrealistic main character! What 17-19 year old boy is scared to have sex? Especially when tons of gorgeous women are seriously trying to sleep with him. This is the only failure I can really see in this story, but it is really frustrating as a reader that enjoys realism and relatibility in the characters I read about. Even rape boy Tomoki is at least a plausible character. Makoto reeks of contrivance. I know it isn’t our awesome translators fault, but I feel this need to say something somewhere and I can’t communicate with the author so I can only state my opinions here. Sorry.
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7. rereading this chapter gave me the conclusion that no matter what, makoto will gain immortality because asora would be gone when makoto dies
8. “Us six”
weren’t they ten?
Is there a limit to how irritating you are Makoto? I really resent the author for making such a piece of crap frustrating MC in this great novel, Does he enjoy watching the readers get Diabetes reading his novel?! About Matoko, I don’t hate his principle about waiting until marriage(actually I respect him greatly for that) but his response to the question is just… AHH!!
“Could it be, I’m quite the herbivorous?”
you are equipmentless piece of ****
Why is it a delusion? this dude is meddlesome, what’s the difference with the Original world.
“But if we were to cross the line, I feel like a variety of restrains will be broken.”
please don’t change your stance towards her, you only wanted to punch her after all
1. Muramatsu Iori
Sou Mamoru
Are they the same person?
“There’s also the matter with Root’s husband, the legendary swordsman, Iori-san”
“that guy Munemori not only got the trust of Root, he even married her”
“This is my first time hearing that his husband was a person named Sou Mamoru”
1. Sou mamoru and Munemori are same, base on wiki fandom.
Muramatsu Iori is a fairly tale hero, and also questionable if he/she exist.
9. 1. go for it Rokuya, do reprimand him. Hahaha
2. Wooow! What a shocking revelation. 😆
3. Thanks for the chapter Reigokai-san.
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83,147,214 | Sunday , 25 June 2017
Muslims and the Congress
Muslims and the Congress
After the War of Independence 1857 the English government had realized that their policy to rule by force was no longer beneficial in India. Thus, they tried to win the support of the Indian people. Several promises were made by the government that the Indians will, from now onward, also be a part of political affairs in their country and that they will no longer be treated as mere slave/masses but as citizens.
During these circumstances an ex English CSP officer named Alan Octavian Hume came up with the idea of forming a political party, of the Indians and for the Indians. For that purpose he met with senior English bureaucrats and with their guidance, along with local Indian contribution a political party was formed in 1885. It was called the All Indian National Congress. Its first president was an Indian and Mr. Hume was its first general secretary. On 28th December 1885 the first session of the Congress was held with 72 members among whom, 58 were Hindus of which only 2 were Muslims. This obvious difference in the ratio of membership continued throughout the history of the Congress’s existence as the only political party in the Indian sub-continent. For instance in the Congress session held in 1894 there were 118 Hindu members of Congress and only 20 were Muslims. The difference of proportion between the two nations’ representatives can show a great deal of truth about the intentions of the Congress.
The chief Muslim leaders in India at that time were Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and his Aligarh comrades who believed that the English government was accusing Muslims to be the real force behind the “mutiny of 1857”. According to Sir Syed, Muslims should stay aloof from all political matters to give the government the impression that they were not concerned with the politics so that they can save themselves from the government’s wrath. Attainment of modern western education was the focus of the educated sections of Muslim society. The rest of the Muslim population was either too unaware of the current political affairs because of their educational backwardness or too afraid for their lives.
Congress on the other hand started to become more and more prejudiced against the Muslims. Hindus, being in majority in the party started using it to achieve their own ends. The Congress during all her life in united India kept claiming that it represented all the communities living in India no matter what their faiths were. But the reality was quite the opposite. During the last decade of the 19th century Congress and its policies became excessively biased and violent toward the Muslims. Extremist Hindus like Tilak, Medan Mohan Malvia, Rash Behari Ghosh and Banerjee became its major leaders who practically took arms against the Muslims, their faith and practices. Their violent protests against cow slaughter and division of Bengal are living proofs of Congress’s pro-Hindu approach.
In spite of all anti-Muslim activities of the Congress, some Muslim politicians had stuck their desires with the part because they agreed with the claim of the Congress that all the people living in India were one nation and Congress planned to keep it that way. Muslim politicians like Maulana Azad, Maulan Mohammad Ali Johar and even Mohammad Ali Jinnah were also in favor of united India and they believed that in spite of all the newly emerging Hindu-Muslim differences there was still the chance of their unity and that’s why they remained with the Congress.
On the Aligarh side, after the death of Sir Syed, his successors like Mohsin-ul-Mulk and Wiqar-ul-Mulk perceived that the time for Muslim separation from politics was gone and a new era had begun, that demanded a political party for the Muslims as well. For that reason in 1906 All India Muslim League was formed which in contrast to the Congress declared itself to be the representative of the Muslims of India alone who were by all definition a separate nation. The formation of Muslim League opened new doors for Muslim politicians who now had an independent platform of their own to work for their own good. Still there were some Muslims like Jinnah and Johar who believed that the unity of Hindus and Muslims alone could help figure out the solutions of the problems that India and the Indians were facing. That’s why Jinnah joined Muslim League as well in 1913 when he was still a member of the Congress. He tried to become the bridge between the two major political parties of India at that time and because of his efforts in 1916, the famous Lucknow Pact was finalized between the two associations which could create a relationship of mutual trust but even that attempt proved to be futile because of the rigidity of Congress. Their constant claim to be the only representative party of the Indians and their refusal to accept Muslims as an independent nation led to the failure of the Lucknow Pact. Similarly the betrayal of the Congress during the Khilafat Movement, when the intentional of Congress the movement to save the Ottoman Caliphate failed in India disillusioned the Muslims from Congress even more. Soon Jinnah also realized the non-conciliatory intentions of the Congress and resigned from its membership.
With the passage of time Muslim League started becoming a great representative of the aspirations of the Muslims of India and they started looking towards the League it as their guardian. So the chances of Congress having the Muslim support as well started to become bleak. The Congress, however, did not bother about that much and in 1928 the Nehru Report from the Congress platform distinctly crystallized the anti-Muslim approach of the “political party of the whole of India”. These differences of opinion on all matters led to the freedom movement of Pakistan prior to which during the elections of 1937 Congress won the majority seats in the legislature and formed government in India.
Those were terrible times for all Indians except Hindus of course, and particularly for Muslims. Congress during its rule did all in its capacity to work against Muslims and their representative political party Muslim League. Hindu-Muslim riots were common stories of the day in which the Muslims were always accused for everything. Cow slaughter was banned in many regions. Congress party song Banday Mataram was declared the national anthem of India which branded all Muslims as outsiders and traitors and the song suggested the elimination of Muslims by all means. The language controversy was given a new life during that time as well. All these events proved that all Congress wanted was to destroy Muslims, their heritage and to rule them as masters over slaves. That’s why when Congress ministries resigned in 1939; Muslims of India celebrated Day of Deliverance on 22nd December. The Congress doings intensified the feelings of freedom of the Muslims and though Muslims like Maulana Azad and his party Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Hind kept themselves on the Congress side and hailed for a united India the majority of the Indian Muslims followed Muslim League and finally founded an independent country for themselves called Pakistan in 1947.
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451,797,534 | Friday, January 19, 2007
I've recently begun to make use of a great resource called Wikidpedia, an incredible online encyclopedia. But when I went to log in today I couldn't get online and so pressed "reset my password" and went to check my email for the new one. I had no new emails and couldn't work out what was going on for a minute until I had a brainwave. Going back to Wikidpedia I tried a different username and got straight on. Meaning I just reset someone elses password!! Whoever the poor guy is will have a moment or two of confusion next time he goes to log in.
Busy week this one in the Posse House. And yet little of it is worth posting on the net. The most noteworthy event was watching Children of Men last nite. It has Clive Owen in it (always a good start) and Michael Caine (getting better all the time) and is set some 25 years in the future where the human race is facing extinction because there are no more children being born, the youngest person in the world being 18 years old. The film manages to be incredibly realistic in its style and characters while telling an incredible story that would seem impossible, man on the edge of extinction within a generation. One interesting aspect is that the larger details of the story are never more than vaguely explained, you have to gather a lot as you go along and guess at a lot more, filling in the gaps as you go. Maybe I was just in tune last nite but this seemed easy and made the movie if anything more enjoyable as I grappled with the plot to understand what was happening. I liked it anyway.
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87,236,029 | Thursday, April 19, 2012
I try to avoid speaking ill of the dead, but does Dick Clark have to answer for this...
Dick Clark died yesterday. I did not know about this until I read Crack's post today. The Macho Response reports on one of the great injustices of American music...
Here is how the song ended up becoming a hit:
Ballard's original version was the B-side to "Teardrops On Your Letter," a song that was covered by many Country musicians. "The Twist" went over very well live and Ballard thought it was a hit, but his record company thought "Teardrops On My Letter" would do better. In Philadelphia a deejay named Buddy Dean had a TV dance party show and played the song. The kids' reaction was excellent and Buddy recommended the song to Dick Clark. Clark was impressed enough to play the song on American Bandstand and saw the incredible reaction - the kids went nuts. He tried to get Ballard to introduce the song on American Bandstand, but the deal fell through. Checker (real name: Earnest Evans) was a chicken plucker who liked to sing on the job. He was a great impersonator and kept everyone at the chicken plant laughing as he'd do his impersonations of the popular stars of that time like Fats Domino, Elvis, The Coasters and the Chipmunks. His boss thought he was great and just happened to be a close friend of Dick Clark. Clark was impressed enough by what Checker's boss said about him to invite Chubby to sing a Christmas Card greeting record he sent out to his friends. When he couldn't get Ballard on this show, Clark thought of Ernest Evans, the chicken plucker. He hired musicians and Evans to duplicate the Ballard version of "The Twist," which they did almost exactly: Same key, same tempo, and Evans sounded just like Hank Ballard. Clark was going to release the record but wanted Ernest to think up a stage name. Clark's wife suggested that he use a take off on Fats Domino: Fats=Chubby Domino=Checker. Ernest Evans became Chubby Checker. When Hank Ballard first heard the song on the radio he thought it was him - "They cloned it" were Hank's words.
This link that Crack Emcee had at his post states this: Was Ballard bitter over Checker’s success? Far from it – he thanked Chubby Checker (and Dick Clark) for helping make the song popular and why not? One would assume Hank Ballard earned a fortune in songwriting royalties Given how a lot of artists (especially black R&B artists) were ripped off during that time period, I would not automatically assume that about song writing royalties. Still, I would be bitter on not getting the wider credit for this song.
As far as Godfather scenes go: The confrontation of Michael and Carlo seems more on point.
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167,729,346 | Sunday, November 20, 2011
Grand Vacation 2011 pt 1
I am taking a break from the 7 meals that I promised to come up with. Reason being I have been far too busy to photograph the meals that I plan to. I promise I will get back to it once things are less crazy.
Things are crazy now because we are a day and a half away from embarking on a mega 24 day long vacation with the extended family. This has meant the desperate rush to tie up loose ends, picking up stuff to pack (we are going to different states in the USA with different types of climates which has meant massive, massive packing) and the actual packing for 5 people, 3 of whom are under 5 and require a large number of things, ranging from diapers to formula to milk bottles.
Thankfully, the twins are hyped up about it in a good way. They really cannot wait to go. Every morning, Evan asks what day it is and has figured out how to count down to Tuesday. I have managed to convince him to go easy on ginger bread cookies because he doesn't want to be fighting a cough on the plane. He willingly traded a ginger bread cookie for a bowl of apples after confirming that apples were good for him.
Jordan hasn't taken quite as academic an approach to counting down her days as her brother but she asks every morning if it is the "twenty- two of November" yet. She has taken very seriously the preparation for it. In a bid to get them involved, we brought down their trolley bags. Evan will just run around with it but is quite content to board the plane with an empty trolley, just as long as he gets to board the plane and the plane takes him to the US. Jordan however has obviously given packing a lot of thought and packed and unpacked several times.
This evening, when I decided it was time for me to actually pack her trolley bag, this was what I found in it.
1. A jacket.
2. A beanie
3. Some of her art work.
4. 2 books - That's Not My Fairy and Fuzzy goes to the Moon.
5. A box of flash cards.
6. A Princess Pillow Book.
7. A stuffed toy cat which she can decorate with the relevant fabric markers.
8. A pair of binoculars.
9. A Barbie cell-phone.
10. A whistle.
It really does make me smile because when you ask her, she explains very clearly why she needs everything. The cell-phone is of course for emergencies. The whistle, so that Mommy will know where she is. The binoculars, to see into the sky and see America from the plane. The drawings are to show Princess Aurora and Cinderella when she sees them in Disneyworld.
Packrat asked me to respect what she has packed. I would love to and have kept some of the things in, but the toys and stuffed cat and pillow have had to make way for extra clothes (which she didn't think to put in).
Now, that was the fun bit of the packing. The real packing is not as entertaining and considering the fact that internal flights charge luggage per piece and it is beyond me to pack light; I am stressed beyond belief.
All those out there who believe in prayer, please pray for us! Nobody gets sick, Muffin doesn't cry from Singapore all the way to San Fran and cause himself and his family to be put on the black list and we come back with the same number of people (12!) we left with. No more, no less!
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458,081,314 | Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Learning to spell and do math
Learning to Spell
When you are having fun, learning becomes easy. When Kathy was in first grade and learning to spell, she had a hard time. It was a frustrating experience for her. To help her out, we taught her a fun trick – which was to imagine each letter as a person. An “O” would be a rotund person, letter “I” would be a thin person, letter “T” has his feet together but arms outstretched at shoulder-height, letter “A” is standing with legs apart, letter “X” has his feet far apart and his arms outstretched above his head, etc.
As she spelled each word, she imagined the letters marching out one by one joining the others in the right sequence. We started her with short words, but pretty soon, she was spelling long words. Sometimes, she would laugh, imagining how awkwardly certain letters would walk to their position in the word.
Just recently, my husband was trying to write something but couldn’t get right the spelling of a certain word. He kept asking Kathy to repeat the spelling. Getting tired of doing so, Kathy, who is now 26, said, “papa, just imagine people as letters and they are marching one by one. Now, what do you see in your head? Who comes after E?”
Learning Math
Whether doing additions or subtractions, mental arithmetic is not much fun for a 5 year old. When Ching was in prep, she had math homework to do, but she was not in the mood to do them. I asked her to bring out her math worksheets, and we struggled with the first one. She was not paying any attention at all to what we were doing, and counting on our fingers did not do the trick, since our fingers, hers and mine together, only reached up to 20. (I wish I had heard of “Finger Math” then). I was really challenged to make math fun for her to do. I looked around the house for things that she could count, but there were hardly any that reached 21 to 99, until I happened to glance at a jar full of coins (to save money, I throw all my coins into the jar at the end of each day). I gave her some coins in different denomination, and we pretended to be buying and giving change to each other. Sometimes, when she did not have the exact change, she learned to combine different coins to reach the required amount. It was fun, and it took us only a few minutes to finish several pages of homework.
To add variety to things for us to count, I bought multi-colored popsicle sticks and beads, and we often laid them out on the entire floor of the children's room so we could see how much space a thousand sticks occupied when grouped in 5’s, 10’s, or 100’s. I think it helped in understanding math that we were touching them as we were counting. Math was real and physical, not just abstract and mental.
Kathy, on the other hand, learned math the easy way because her school had interdisciplinary programs – meaning, they did activities such as going to the zoo, cooking or doing stage productions, and through these activities, they learned math, writing and other subjects. At the zoo, for example, they helped in preparing food for the animals – and they learned fractions – mix 1-½ cups of chopped carrots with ¾ cup of sliced beans. For theater production, they learned the height, width and depth of props to take onstage, or length and width of costumes to sew.
One of the best-loved books in our family library is Mathemagic, part of a series of books called Childcraft. One of Ching’s early questions as a child was “Is there a number smaller than zero?” I told her yes, but I was befuddled as to how to explain the concept of negative numbers until I read Mathemagic. In one chapter, the book explained negative numbers in a way that a child could understand, by instructing the child:
a. Draw a line and step on it – that’s zero.
b. Take a step forward, that’s one.
c. Take another step forward, that’s two
d. Now, return to zero.
e. Take one step back, that’s minus one.
f. Take another step back, that’s minus two.
When third and final daughter Sacha came along, it was easy. We still had the coins, beads and popsicle sticks. She was playing and counting them even before she went to school. We had Mathemagic, and that was one of the first books she herself read.
Math is easy when it is fun. |
74,354,719 | WTOP.com - Purpose of Comments statement Click to show
• Have a positive and constructive tone
• Are on topic, clear and to-the-point
• Are respectful toward others and their opinions
• 1
• Bob Snot
12:38pm - Sat Dec 10th, 2011
You're right to an extent
As much as I don't like the idea either, "You have to pay to play".
BUT! Our country is in the sad financial shape it's in, due to decades of allowing business to send their good paying jobs out of the country in favor of slave labor, so they can boost their bottom line. Company profit margins and the stock markets have become more important than the country and public. That is wrong! But that's what happens when corruption runs rampant. Millions of jobs for which workers used to earn good or decent wages, that they were able to support themselves and their families on, not to mention pay taxes proportionally to, AND be active, healthy consumers not having to charge everything, were eliminated so the few at the top could take home millions of dollars and the financial crowd could bet on and make even more. And now that so many everyday people have bought hook line and sinker into the "Get rich quick" by investing in the stock market ideal, as long as their jobs aren't directly affected they could care less. Amazingly, they don't have the least bit of a clue that while they might not be affected directly, the loss of any jobs has a negative impact on everyone, our economy, and our country. We've essentially subsidized our businesses and stock markets, the ones who are out for themselves and behind the outsourcing, "Global economy" scam, by destroying our country and publics means to provide and support themselves. And very few, if any, of the corporate or financial crowd currently running the show know anything about building companies, all they know is how to gut them and destroy them for profit increases. To successfully build a company you have to "Pay to play", and that's the last thing they want to hear or will ever believe. Even old clowns like Jack Welch, who all the business shows want to paint as a god, didn't build anything, he just destroyed in the name of profit increasing. He alone is responsible for the elimination of millions of jobs that provided incomes for US workers which allowed them to pay taxes and be good active consumers. The corporate crowd kiss their way up the corporate ladder, then when they get to the top, they lay waste to everything they can in the name of increasing profits. They don't build, they acquire, that's why if you look into most companies there is no true competition, so many are owned by the same parent corporation.
The more I think about it, maybe I am against taxes being charged for internet sales. There are more important places to clamp down on before the already taxed public is taxed more. Go after the fat cats who got us into this sad shape and end the insanity. Why should a US company be allowed to put a good paid US worker, who's a tax payer and a consumer that promotes business here, especially small business, out of a job and run overseas where they can pay a child worker .05 an hour? Considering the mark up on most products, the only ones who are capitalizing are the company owners, executives, and investors, and they sure don't make up the whole country. We need actual cost disclosures for goods, the majority of the public would probably be shocked and infuriated at the amount of mark up on most items. Just a look around at various products, you can see even some union made items, the few that are left, don't cost anymore than so much of the crap being made for bargain basement prices overseas. The whole Capitalistic ideal of whatever the market will bear, sets the price of items, is crap. When the consumer has no idea what a fair or decent value is, they're forced to pay what is asked. If business is hurting or struggling, I have no problem with our governments helping them, but when the pain is coming from their own greed driven actions of eliminating jobs (CONSUMERS and TAX PAYERS) they deserve no sympathy. Most of the big businesses who are outsourcing, especially the older, well known ones, were profitable before they started doing so, some extremely profitable, it just wasn't enough. They would rather increase their profits even if it means destroying the country. Any politician defending such businesses has no business being in office. |
269,727,774 | Every May I enjoy watching the Mount Everest climbing season unfold. This year seems to be a pretty harsh year. There is a lot of buzz on this story, about a climber essentially left to die by passers-by. Sir Edmund Hillary himself has chastised the climbers who did not try to save David Sharp.
I think most people who are interested in Mount Everest understand the situation is much more complex than that. Mr. Sharp was trying to summit the mountain alone and he knew the risks associated with that. He knew that rescue at that elevation was virtually impossible. Many people die going down that mountain in normal circumstances. To assist someone who is disabled by altitude sickness and frostbite who is that high on the mountain would take the concerted efforts of dozens of people, if it was possible at all.
Rather than asking why people walked by this poor man it is better to save a step and ask why he had put himself in this situation in the first place. This is a question we can answer: he was doing what he loved. He was pushing the limits and he knew the risks. I suspect that Mr Sharp held no ill-will towards the people going up the mountain that day. It’s a sad thing but, in my opinion, understandable. You don’t go up that mountain and expect someone else to bring you back down. That seems to be the rule of Everest these days.
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132,239,516 | In search of the Targa Florio, part three: Nino Vaccarella, the fastest schoolmaster of all | Autoweek
June 19, 2012
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Targa Florio 1965 'Mountain Legend' video
Checking directions to Nino Vaccarella's home with the hotel concierge, he looked up immediately and said, “He is a very famous man here, you know.”
When we arrived at his house Vaccarella opened the door and showed us in. He is a courteous and modest man and is revered as a Sicilian superstar.
“How did you know of me?” he asked, still surprised at his fame. He speaks little English, and our Italian is nonexistent, so we settled on French.
Vaccarella drove a wide variety of cars in his career. He raced the Targa in everything from a birdcage Maserati to an Alfa Tipo 33, though in other events he campaigned a Ford GT40 and a Ferrari 250 GTO. He won Le Mans in 1964 in a Ferrari 275P with co-driver Jean Guichet and the same year won the Nürburgring 1000 Km paired with Ludovico Scarfiotti.
In 1965, driving with Lorenzo Bandini, he became a hero in Sicily when he had the first of three Targa Florio wins. Vaccarella would win again in 1971 in an Alfa Tipo 33 and in 1975 in a Ferrari 312P.
When he raced the Targa, virtually every wall on the route had the sign “VV,” “VN” or “Viva Nino.” Some of them still survive, 40 years later. He says he had been approached several times by Porsche to drive on their team, but ultimately he stayed with Ferrari and Alfa.
“The Commendatore was not a good team manager,” he remarked. “Ferrari was all about the cars and the drivers were nothing.” Vaccarella said he thought Porsche had stronger team management at the time. Still, he stayed.
Enzo Ferrari wanted him to join the Formula One team, but he did not want to leave his native Sicily—where he still lives—and make the move to Modena. This probably wasn't the best long-term move for his career, but he still got calls to drive in the sports-car races.
“When it came to the Targa, others would come to practice a day or two before the race, but I went all the time,” he smiled.
“I have always been associated with the Targa, and my first win there was the most important for Sicily, but my preference was always for the more powerful cars on the high-speed tracks like Le Mans, Daytona and the Nürburgring.”
Sitting in his chair, Vaccarella suddenly assumed the position of a racing driver, changing gears and heeling-and-toeing in the air. “With the Targa, there was endless gear shifting, and I drove most of it one-handed. At the end of the race I would have blisters on my hand.”
His 1965 win was all the more heroic because Porsche had a strong team, taking the next four places behind him. It was a sign of things to come—Porsche would win the next five Targas in a row.
The following year his co-driver Bandini crashed. In 1967, Vaccarella had the magnificent Ferrari P4 and made a rare error, which he calls his greatest regret, catching the marbles on a hairpin in Colesano while in the lead on the very first lap. He broke two wheels. All of Sicily stood still, and then immediately the crowd descended on the stricken Ferrari grabbing any loose piece of wreckage as a souvenir. We'd guess that many homes along the Targa route have detritus of wrecks from almost 70 years of racing.
The Sicilian crowd each year cheered their hero to break the iron grip of the Porsche team, and in 1971—the last year Porsche entered prototypes—he delivered. The race was a pitched battle between Vic Elford and Vaccarella. Elford set the fastest lap, and the lead swapped back and forward when Elford's co-driver had two flats and had to drive 30 kilometers back to the pits, causing suspension damage. The local hero had finally broken the Porsche domination. The Sicily crowd erupted.
“It was different then,” Vaccarella said. “We were not isolated from the crowds like today, and we all had friends in the teams.”
Yet being a racing driver was a very dangerous profession. “I lost so many friends in accidents,” he said quietly. “Bandini, Scarfiotti, [Jo] Bonnier, [Jo] Siffert and more.”
We asked him a question that we'd also asked of Elford: Why is it that the greatest Formula One drivers have rarely been successful in sports races, and vice versa?
“It' different to drive almost 5,000 km in a 24-hour race,” he said. “You have to look after your car much more. In the 1964 Le Mans, we barely changed tires.”
We're not sure whether anyone really knows the answer. Drivers such as Vaccarella, Elford, Hans Stuck, Allan McNish and others had brilliant sports-car careers but had limited success in F1. Few F1 drivers made successful sports-car careers.
The towns along the way remember these great drivers, though, and in 2006, Elford and Vaccarella were jointly presented with an award from the town of Termini Imrese, where the Targa first started in 1906.
What's the Targa's future? The automobile club of Palermo has worked for a number of years to establish an historic Targa Florio, and last year it made the decision to turn the race over to professional management. The MAC Group, a marketing firm which also manages the Mille Miglia, plans to make this a major event, so stay tuned. Since many of the greatest cars are not Mille Miglia-eligible as they were made after 1957 when the event stopped being run, the Targa might allow us to see the great cars from Ferrari, Alfa, Mercedes and Porsche run the old route once again.
Meanwhile, MAC Group officials told Autoweek that a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR will return to Sicily for the first time since Stirling Moss won in 1966. Jochen Mass will drive car No. 358 at the Eco Targa Florio on Oct. 10-14, 2012, and the old houses will once again echo to the bellow of an unsilenced straight-eight. This might be the best chance to see these wonderful cars run together again in the magnificent Targa Florio.
This 41 minute video explores the 1965 Targa Florio which was won by Nino Vaccarella.
By Ronan McGrath |
580,882,385 | 15 Reasons Breastfeeding And Going To Work Are Basically The Same
It's no secret that parenthood is "work." In fact, motherhood is constantly being described as the "hardest job in the world," which is a description I tend to stay away from because, well, I'm not getting paid. This isn't a job, it's a choice, and one that is difficult and taxing and exhausting and extraordinary and awarding. However, some of the things associated with motherhood, can absolutely feel like a "job." Breastfeeding is one of those things, and it didn't take me long to realize that breastfeeding and going to work are basically the same thing.
Just like having a job, breastfeeding can rewarding, and just like having a job, breastfeeding can be taxing. There are so many mixed emotions about being employed and about breastfeeding, that often times those two things are interchangeable. While I loved being able to exclusively breastfeed my son for seven months, there were times when I hated it and didn't want to do it anymore and wish it was someone else's (hell, anyone else's) problem. While I absolutely love my job (it's literally my dream job and something I have worked my entire life for and toward), there are days when I'm so exhausted and overwhelmed that I simply don't want to do it anymore. All that glitters isn't gold, and even the best things can, at times, suck.
Which is why it helps to talk about the bad sides of even the best experiences. I love having a job (and am acutely aware of how lucky I am to have one), but sometimes I need to vent about how difficult it is. I am so very grateful that I was able to breastfeed my son, but sometimes it wasn't all that fun and, at times, felt exactly like having a job.
You're At The Mercy Of Someone Else's Schedule
When you report to a boss (usually) you have a set schedule you must adhere to. When you're breastfeeding, there's a set schedule you must adhere to, set forth and changed at the convenience of a tiny, mini-dictator, also known as your baby. You don't get to call the shots, my friend. Oh, no, you're on their time table, now. Just. Like. Work.
You Won't Always Appreciate The Person In Charge
I am pretty lucky to work with a wonderful boss, but in past jobs, I haven't been as lucky. Even when I appreciate a boss I, at times, don't always like them. When I was breastfeeding, and while I love my child dearly, I didn't always appreciate the things he was doing. Like, refusing to latch on or refusing to eat once he was latched or biting down (ouch), because that's just completely uncalled for.
Someone Is Going To Assume They Can Do A Better Job Than You...
There will always be someone who just automatically assumes they can do your job better than you can. Their claims are unfounded (usually) and completely ridiculous (most of the time) and it's just annoying. Likewise, there will always be someone who thinks they can do a better job at breastfeeding, or just being a parent, than you can and do. If you're having trouble breastfeeding, they'll go on and on about why they didn't and all the things you should try that worked for them. Sigh.
...And Will, Inevitably, Question Your Choices
People who don't have your job, will question why you do it in the manner that you do it. Perhaps they think that your diligent note taking is a waste of time, even though you're well aware that it's beneficial.
Of course, people are going to question your choices when it comes to breastfeeding (and every other aspect of parenting). If you breastfeed in public and without a cover, people will want to know why. If you're breastfeeding on demand, people will want to know why. Hell, if you're breastfeeding at all, people who don't choose breastfeeding are going to wonder why.
Unforeseen Problems Always Occur, And Usually At The Worst Time
It's usually on the days when I can't have coffee, running late to work and behind on a deadline, that my computer will stop working or I'll be delayed (even longer) on the train or my child will need something that requires my immediate attention, delaying my ability to work efficiently. It's, like, the science of life, or something.
The same can be said for breastfeeding. Whether it's running into a breastfeeding complication (because there's never a good time for that) or having trouble latching when your kid is crying and hungry and making a scene in public, something crappy will happen and it will be the worst and it will make the entire act of breastfeeding all the more exhausting.
You Get Tired Of Explaining What It Is You Actually Do...
If the bulk of your job isn't obvious by the title alone, I suspect you'll be rather exhausted at even the prospect of having to explain exactly what it is you do. I mean, after the 15th time it just gets old.
The same can be said for breastfeeding, especially if you're breastfeeding in public. Having to explain to someone that you're simply providing your kid with a meal (and not, you know, ruining the youth around by engaging in some sexual act) can be exhausting. Get it together people, I'm too busy feeding my kid to stop and educate you. Again.
...And Why You Do It
You do your job because you either love it, or you have to do it. It's that simple.
You breastfeed for, basically, the same reasons.
Sometimes, It's Absolutely Boring
Any job can, eventually, feel a little monotonous. I'm lucky in that I absolutely love my job, and work with people that make it exciting on a daily basis. But, still, a job is a job and, sometimes, it can be a little boring.
Breastfeeding is the same. While it is miraculous and precious and all of those other great things, it can also be boring. Sorry, kid, you're great, but in the middle of the night with no one to talk to and nothing to do, feeding you is anything but exciting.
Sometimes, You Just Want To Be Alone
While I absolutely adore my coworkers, sometimes I just want to work in a tiny office space by myself, without any distractions.
While I absolutely love my partner, and my baby, sometimes I just want to take a vacation without either of them, where I won't be needed or wanted. Everyone needs their space and, yes, that includes breastfeeding mothers.
There Are Days When You Feel Like Calling In
Even though I love my job (it's literally the job I have always wanted) I have days when I am so exhausted, I just don't want to work. I just want to call in and have my job be someone else's problem.
Even though I love my son, sometimes I am just so exhausted, I don't want to mom anymore. I want to call it in and buy that damn formula and have the job of feeding my son be someone else's problem.
Of course, I won't do either of these things, but these fleeting feelings (fueled by exhaustion and being oh-so overwhelmed) are still pretty valid.
The Introduction Of New Technology (And The Need To Learn About It) Is Annoying
Whenever something new (or, at least, new to us) is introduced at work, there's a learning curve that, you know, sucks. Whether it's a new platform the office has decided to use, or a technology update that changes how we do things, it's such a pain in the ass to learn or re-learn something.
When it comes to breastfeeding, I just have two words for you: breast pump.
Sometimes, Even If You Don't Want To, You Have To Quit...
I don't see a scenario where I will have to quit my job. I mean, I honestly can't imagine or envision it. However, that day could come and if it ever did, I would be devastated.
The same can be said for so many women who breastfeed, and love it. They don't want to quit, and when it's time to wean and their baby/toddler has had enough, the end of that experience can be devastating. You know that, eventually, you have to quit, but it doesn't make it any easier.
...And Sometimes, You're Pretty Excited To Quit
And, of course, sometimes you work at a job that sucks so hard, you're looking forward to the day you can throw those papers in the air and say you're done. Trust me, I have worked plenty of jobs in which I spent the majority of my time employed, waiting for the day I wasn't.
While breastfeeding can be a remarkable experience, plenty of women hate breastfeeding, and look forward to the day they no longer have to and/or chose to. Gaining complete body autonomy back is a pretty miraculous thing, so please, don't ever feel sorry or bad for not hating the fact that breastfeeding is over.
There Are People Who Wish They Could Do What You Do
Whenever I am frustrated or exhausted when it comes to my job, I remember that so many people would kill to have those problems. I work at a pretty incredible place, doing some pretty incredible work with some pretty incredible people. Even when it's hard, I know I'm lucky.
Whenever I was frustrated or exhausted by breastfeeding, I would remember my friend, who was unable to breastfeed her daughter because she was born early. I remember her crying and telling me how horrible she felt and how she thought she failed and how she wanted that experience so badly. IT helps, sometimes, to put things into perspective.
In The End, It's Worth All The Stress And Hardship
No matter how difficult or frustrating or exhausting my job is, it's always worth it (for me). Of course, not everyone can say this about their job, but I'm one of the lucky people who can, and that makes me eternally grateful, even when I feel like I couldn't possibly work another day.
No matter how difficult or frustrating or exhausting breastfeeding is, for me, it was worth it. Again, not everyone can say the same and when a woman feels like breastfeeding is no longer worth it (for herself or her baby or both), she should stop (and never, ever, be shamed for that decision). However, if you're like me and you faced some serious challenges while breastfeeding, but chose to push through them (and was able to push through them) and made the decision you knew was best, you know that, in the end, it was worth it. |
267,165,507 | The Daughter Chronicles
Thursday, November 18, 2010
What's a Commie, Godless, America-Hater like me to do?
The other day Norah started singing a song. She was making up some lyrics, not singing lyrics at other parts, but when she got to the chorus, she was very clear:
Yes, the Lee Greenwood song. Now, it's not a particularly egregious song, is "God Bless the USA." I mean, it's been co-opted by the nutty right, but lyrically, there's nothing wrong with the song. I just know it from the accretions of right-wing wackiness that have attached themselves to it, so I was taken aback by Norah singing it. She said she learned it in music class. I'm not terribly happy about it, as I wish they would sing other, less polarizing patriotic songs (even "God Bless America" would be better), but whatever. I just found it surprising that she learned it in music class.
Of course, yesterday she came home and started singing something that makes me yearn for the days of Lee Greenwood:
"Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who?"
Really, Norah's school? She lated amended it to "Who let the tigers out?", which makes me think they were learning to identify animals using the song and whoever taught it to her used it because it was catchy, but still. She wouldn't tell me where she learned, claiming she has always known it. Yeah, I'll bet.
So, if you're a good atheistic communist who wants the United States to crumble into ash (like all liberals MUST be, right?), which is worse: the Lee Greenwood song or the Baha Men song. Man, what a crappy choice.
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BREACH - Episode 4 - Operation Thunderbird
Thane here. This one was a little strange, relatively speaking. It was myself, Jefferies, Barry, and Tanner again. The brass seemed to like keeping us together, even if we were smaller than a regular BREACH squad, so they started using us for the operations that didn't warrant a lot of loud noise and dead bodies. Results, as you'll see, tended to vary. We were being deployed at night to a remote location in the Northwest Territories, the black nothing speeding beneath the osprey as the faintest tips of snow-covered trees glinted in whatever moonlight could slip through the clouds.
By then, something had happened with the Travelers. Those seismic readings we were getting from Libya were there for a reason - probably controlled detonations. We thought they were building some kind of underground outpost, and as far as I know, they still are. We sent UAVs and even some guys on the ground, and they couldn't find a way in, but that didn't necessarily surprise us. They were so far beyond us that anything we did was likely to just antagonize them, and there's only one thing you do to a mosquito on your arm. I heard people are getting paranoid, though, and are starting to consider more hostile options. I hope, for our future, that they don't.
They made some minor improvements to our railguns, this time, and some not-so-minor improvements to their scopes. Since we could selectively power our shots between 'subsonic stealth' and 'blow through sixteen city blocks and kill somebody's cat,' we now had the ability to track movement through walls, provided they weren't too thick. Unfortunately, our shitty cloaking fields still made us look like discount predators, and our armor was truly uncomfortable. R&D was busy trying to counterfeit the self-replicating nanomachine tech from the Traveler, but stopped when they realized that their prototype nanomachines were about to turn the planet into nanomachines.
For this operation, we were also given what we were pretty sure was a bomb, packed in a featureless, hexagonal cylinder with a little crease along the middle. It'd pop open with a hiss, revealing a keypad and the black metal that shrouded the internals. Barry pointed out that there used to be lettering on the inside, but it was intentionally scratched off. I don't know where they got it from, but it wasn't our tech, and a part of me doubts it even came from our planet. I only heard so much from the other squads, and there are some things they just wouldn't talk about.
Eventually, the sky began to flash with lightning, a massive storm brewing overhead that foretold our destination. Our objective was to infiltrate the compound of an organization called the Cult of the Veil, who had apparently made contact with an unknown deity, and traded something in exchange for an artifact that could summon storms. We knew this, because a first nations community had lived in the area for hundreds of years, and in the span of a day, was reduced to a flaming ruin. You could see the storm from space, like a cyclone had formed in the middle of a continent.
As for why they gave us a bomb, well, they apparently came upon the information that the cult was establishing contact through a stable portal to another universe, so our job was to figure out how they were doing this, and deliver the 'package,' so to speak. We deployed about two klicks off from our destination, because any closer and the bird would get zapped from the sky. We were at least authorized to communicate with our handler at HQ, this time, because unlike the Prometheus Mandate, a cult that was previously only known for huffing paint fumes wasn't going to intercept our calls.
Looking through our night vision, we moved through the woods as quick as we could, our armor insulating us from the cold as the sky flashed with lightning overhead. Barry led the way with his coms equipment, our cloaking fields shimmering upon the air while we passed through the trees. Slowly, the terrain began to rise as we moved up a mountainous incline, large rocks jutting out of the snow.
"Hold on," said Barry, his blur pointing at a section of stone that was chiseled flat, and painted with a rune in dried blood. "That's Elder Futhark - a reversed thurisaz rune."
"Meaning?" asked Jefferies.
"A lot of things - none of them good. Point being that it's an ancient Germanic alphabet that has no business being here, so it's probably a marker put down by the cult."
"A marker for what?" I asked.
"That." He disabled his cloaking module, and we looked at where he was pointing. "The shadow, right there."
I looked ahead, and saw a thin, black line tracing across the ground between the rocks, and then past them, disappearing into the distance. It didn't catch the light at all, even when the sky flashed with the storm.
"Sierra, this is Sierra One," said Jefferies. "I think we found some kind of ward. It's like a shadow, but it's just black. Barry says it's marked with a reversed thurisaz rune. Please advise - over."
"Sierra One, this is Sierra," said HQ. "The ward is passable, but lethal if touched. Proceed over it, ensuring nothing - including debris - makes contact. Over."
"Roger out," said Jefferies, moving forward as Barry reactivated his cloaking module. Carefully, Jefferies stepped over the shadow, and surveyed the other side. "We're good," he said. The rest of us followed, and as my feet passed over the ward, I felt the air humming around me, like pins and needles on my skin. "Keep an eye out for any more. I don't want to know what those things really do."
Barry took the lead again, and we crept forward at a noticeably slower pace, searching the ground for wards with every step as sleet began to patter against the trees overhead.
"Lights," said Barry, stopping to look through his scope. We moved up behind him, and I began to see the flicker of torchlight in the distance as the terrain leveled out, a powerful wind howling against us. I raised my gun, peering through the scope and increasing the magnification to see the glowing outline of a man in robes, moving through the darkness beyond the trees. Jefferies motioned us onward, and we crept closer until we could see the cultist in the torchlight that danced before the mouth of a cave. He was wearing the skull of a caribou, bleeding runes carved into his skin.
"Tanner, you're up," said Jefferies. "Make it quiet."
"On it," said Tanner, moving ahead while we slowly followed behind, the wind and freezing sleet howling through the trees as the storm cracked overhead. Jefferies signaled for us to stop, and we watched as the blur of Tanner crept up behind the man, who was stumbling and mumbling as though heavily intoxicated. Tanner jammed his knife into the base of the man's skull, cutting through his brain stem before catching his body and slowly easing it to the ground. Grabbing hold, Tanner dragged it off into the trees before rejoining us. The faint sound of a rasping song echoed from the cave beyond, warbling through a distorted pitch that could not have been produced by human vocal chords.
Jefferies took point, and we followed him into the cave, the eldritch song reverberating through the torch-lit stone, runes slathered upon the flickering walls.
"Sowilo," said Barry. "Sunlight, or safety."
"Reassuring," said Tanner.
As we continued onward, the tunnel slowly opened up into a wide cavern, filled with rows of tents crafted from the hides of animals, torches burning before them. In the center of it all, hundreds of men and women sang the distorted song, naked and carved with twisting sigils, yet beyond their gaping mouths was only a starry blackness. They danced and swayed in a circle around a massive pile of books, and at the top, a man sat in a high chair, voraciously reading a massive tome as he twitched and shuddered in place. Behind him, a woman slowly massaged his skull, yet her fingers seemed to sink into the bone, working through his brain while the man violently flipped to the next page, his frothing, black saliva dripping from his chin.
"I'm not even gonna' ask," said Barry.
"There," I said, pointing as I noticed a massive, obsidian archway at the end of the cavern, two 'guards' standing before it with wooden staves, deliriously rapping their heads against the rock.
"We're going around," said Jefferies as he carefully crept down the rock face. "Keep it slow, and stay behind cover. We don't want to catch their eye."
We followed behind him, making our way down to the cavern floor, and taking cover behind a tent. A writhing, tentacled shadow stirred from within, and began to cry like a human child. Wasting no time, we moved from tent to tent, slowly working our way to the end, and then keeping low near the open archway.
"Look," said Barry, pointing at a massive, ornate hammer that sat within the flames of a bonfire, its gleaming surface sparking with electricity. "I think that's it."
"Not our objective," said Jefferies. "The cleanup crew will pick it up after the smoke's cleared." The man in the high chair started to yell something in another language, his barking intonation grating upon my ears.
"That's Danish," said Barry. "Who the fuck are these people?"
"What are they saying?" asked Jefferies.
"Fill my skull," said Barry, sounding confused. The man was repeating the same thing, over and over again. A high-pitched whine began to screech through the cavern, and I clenched my teeth in pain. Then, it faded. The man stood up from his chair, and made his way down from the pile of books, the crowd parting before him as his eyes split apart within their sockets, making way for several thin, spider-like legs that wrapped around the back of his head. The guards next to the archway rose from their stupor as the man strode with confidence toward them, and disappeared into the chamber beyond, the guards shambling in his wake and muttering incoherently in an excited tone.
"Move up," said Jefferies. We followed him into the chamber, which was crafted entirely from the bones of massive, inhuman arms, winding together into a cradle of hands and long, tapered fingers. In the center, the skeletal design dipped into a black and fleshy pit that hummed with a sickening radiance. Slowly, the man crawled to his hands and knees, and crept into the pit, disappearing in the darkness. The guards shambled back outside, where one collapsed to the ground and immediately fell asleep.
"My equipment's saying this is it," said Barry. "Down there."
"We're really gonna' go in there?" I asked.
"I think you know the answer to that," said Jefferies, getting onto his knees and crawling into the pit. For all we knew, it could've been a sacrificial altar that would kill us all before we even processed it, but we followed nonetheless. I went last, slipping into the darkness as I slowly worked my way down across the fleshy walls. A strange, tingling sensation ran over my skin, and I suddenly felt gravity reverse itself, like I was being pulled up into the sky, but I fought against it as my eyes met the light of day, and I climbed up onto the surface, nauseous and disoriented. Tanner grabbed my hand, helping me up, and I surveyed the world that now surrounded us.
Switching my night vision off, I saw that it was daytime, and we now stood within a massive, circular library that seemed to tower forever into the sky. Beyond the marble pillars that surrounded us, the ruins of a city spanned to the horizon, and the sun looked as though it were slowly disintegrating, its glow overtaken by a creeping, black malaise. A spiral staircase wound upon the walls that were lined with books all the way to the top, and upon it, the man with legs jutting out from his eyes slowly made his way up the steps. Others rocked in delirium nearby, clutching their staves of winding wood. Far above, the library was open to a roiling, localized storm that flashed with lightning, yet through the blackened clouds, I almost thought I saw the shape of a massive, crimson eye, my heart seizing in my chest as its gaze briefly fell upon me. The sky flashed again, revealing a spanning chasm of teeth that disappeared into the gale a second later. Something was up there.
One of the men nearby started to scream and shout in Danish, brandishing his staff as he seemed to be looking straight at us.
"Can he see us?" asked Barry.
"I don't -"
The staff flashed with light, and Jefferies was blown back against the wall with a thundering boom, his cloaking field crackling away as books rained down on him from above. I ducked just as the man turned to me, a bolt of lightning tearing overhead and lighting the shelves aflame as I charged the capacitors of my gun, and unloaded a uranium slug into his chest. The man was bisected by the round, blood and organs splattering against the tomes as the cultist from the caverns began to run up the steps, nearing the top. A low growl reverberated through the air as Jefferies crawled to his feet, reactivating his cloaking module while it fizzled with distortion. Another cultist rose from behind the rubble that surrounded one of the pillars, slowly shambling toward us as he retched and twitched with insanity. Barry asked him something in Danish, leveling his gun at the man's chest. The cultist only continued forward, Barry repeating his question, until several long, spider-like limbs erupted from the man's mouth. Barry backed away while Jefferies shot the cultist with his railgun, blowing him back in a spatter of blood.
"We're not getting anything out of these guys," said Barry. "Let's finish this."
"Thane, set up the bomb," said Jefferies. As I took the bomb from my pack, a flash of lightning cracked from overhead as someone fired at us from the stairs, the blast igniting the ground, and barely missing me. Tanner opened fire on the enemy, who was clad in the blood-soaked skull of a caribou, which promptly exploded when the slug tore through it and blew the remains of the man against the wall, books clattering down from above. I opened the bomb, and began to arm it, giving us sixteen minutes to get clear of the blast. An inhuman scream cried out from above, and I looked up to see the man from the cavern being telekinetically lifted into the sky as a massive, suckered tentacle descended from the clouds. It latched onto the man's skull, and bored inside, the fleshy appendage pulsating with hunger while it drank the knowledge from his mind. The bomb lit up as it armed, and I locked it up, Jefferies and Tanner firing at someone overhead.
"We're good," I said.
"All right, get back," said Jefferies, firing again with a loud bang while an arc of lightning lashed against the nearby wall, flaming pages blowing through the air. An enormous, misshapen hand descended from the heavens above, coated with a black gangrene as its claws slowly reached for us. The others fired at it, forcing it to flinch back as its flesh was blown away, the sky rolling with thunder. "Hurry! We'll cover you!"
I got onto my hands and knees, and quickly crawled back into the pit as the others helped Jefferies fight back the claws of the eldritch deity, their gunfire booming from above while I sank into the darkness, and switched on my night vision. Gravity reversed around me, and I eventually found myself crawling back up through the other side, rising to my feet in the cavern as Barry came through behind me. Tanner followed, and then Jefferies, his cloaking field malfunctioning from the massive burn stricken across his torso, where the metal of his armor melted into his skin.
"Looks like we're getting out the old-fashioned way," he said, charging the capacitors in his railgun as I took a grenade from my pack, the song of the cultists still rasping from the cavern beyond while another man twitched upon the chair. "Sierra, this is Sierra One, we need evac ASAP. Over."
"Sierra One, this is Sierra, evac is inbound in three minutes. The coordinates have been forwarded to your navigator. Over."
"Roger out," said Jefferies.
"Got 'em," said Barry, looking down at his map.
"Then let's get the fuck out of here," said Jefferies. "Thane, you do the honors."
"My pleasure," I said. Ripping the pin from the grenade, I ran forward and tossed it into the ring of singing cultists as Tanner and Barry slit the guards' throats behind me. The grenade detonated, blowing several cultists to pieces as the rest were showered with burning shrapnel. The others opened fire with their railguns while we quickly advanced straight through the cavern, blasting glowing holes in anyone we saw. A blinding pain cut through my nerves when a bolt of lightning struck me in the shoulder, my cloaking field crackling away while the man in robes began to charge another blast upon his staff, only to be decapitated as Tanner unloaded a round into his skull. A woman ran toward us with a knife in hand, screaming in a deranged madness. I charged my railgun and fired at her, blowing her back across the cavern as her organs splattered against the tents that writhed with shadowy tentacles.
Taking out another grenade while the others gunned down the cultist guards that fired upon them, I pulled out the pin and tossed it into one of the tents before whatever was inside could tear through the hide. It exploded, a piercing, child-like shriek echoing upon the stone as a flaming cacophony of tendrils and screaming mouths spilled across the ground, needling my mind with an aura of raw depravity as I struggled to keep my bleeding eyes on the nightmare.
"Contact right!" I yelled, my vision blurring in delirium. The others turned, unloading their railguns into the shrieking aberration before it could close the distance, and blowing it back as it quickly burnt to death upon the rocks. Reaching the end of the cavern, we ran up into the narrow cave, a bolt of lightning bursting against the ceiling above and raining sparks on us. Slipping away, we hurried out of the cave as Barry took the lead, the sky flashing overhead while the storm of sleet lashed against us. We ran as quickly as we could, and I glanced back to see the flickering lights of the cultists in the distance, slowly beginning their pursuit.
"Stop!" yelled Barry, stumbling to a halt, and pointing out the ward that was stricken across the ground. Carefully, he stepped over it, and we did the same, just as a cultist wielding a massive knife came screaming out of the forest behind us, his face carved with bleeding runes. We didn't even get to fire before he stepped on his own ward. All I heard was a sickening crunch, a splatter of blood smacking against me as he was sucked into the shadow within a split second.
"Barry," said Jefferies. "When we get back, remind me to buy you a beer."
"Yes, sir," said Barry, continuing forward while the torches of the cultists drew closer in the distance. As we made our way down the incline, a light gleamed from overhead while the sound of an osprey cut through the storm, hovering above us in the howling wind. The M240 gunner tossed down a rope before opening fire on the advancing cultists, and we began to climb it, the strength of my armor carrying me up as I gripped the cord tight, and pulled myself up into the helicopter, joining with the others while the gunner fired another burst.
As we sped away, I could see the lights of the cultists below, yet before they could try to shoot us down, a blinding flash canceled the night. The hill that contained the eldritch cavern erupted in a massive explosion, throwing off a tremendous shockwave that blew back the trees and lit them aflame. The osprey shook as we rose into the clouds, speeding away as quick as we could, and I looked back to see the remnants of a fiery mushroom cloud, scorching the sky with a deep, orange glow.
I swore, my body still shaking while a numbing pain coursed through my skull. When the others took off their masks, I saw that they were feeling the same, slumped back against the interior of the helicopter as they struggled to catch their breath. When I became more lucid, and the adrenaline wore off, I began to wonder how the Canadian government was going to explain away the detonation of a nuclear bomb. Then again, until I came along, BREACH was always good at keeping things quiet, and blaming seismic events on fracking was a favorite of theirs, much to the displeasure of the petroleum industry.
Some other teams went back to clean up the mess, but thanks to everything being vaporized, they didn't find anything of note beyond the hammer - and yes, they're calling it mjolnir. It's currently powering another outpost that's being used for the development of an artificial intelligence, on account of them being too terrified to even touch the Traveler's antimatter core.
Speaking of covering things up, I got a visit today - just not at my apartment. There's a special kind of 'oh shit' that you feel when you get cornered in an alley by four guys with submachine guns. Turns out that they don't particularly care about me running my mouth, because anyone that's heard of these is under the impression that they're works of fiction. They do want to keep an eye on me, though, in a very close and personal way. I'll be joining my old squad, for whatever it's worth, and they made it clear that it wasn't a request.
I can't say I'm looking forward to it. The camaraderie was great, but at the end of the day, I got out because my mind was starting to break. Nobody's meant to see the things we've seen, and if something major's about to happen, I'd rather be freezing in Alaska than fighting on the front lines. I heard another small town got overrun by the roots in North Dakota. They firebombed the whole place, and removed any trace of it from the internet, like it never even existed. Here's hoping they figure out how to stop it.
Next up, if I'm still breathing, I'll tell you about the one in Egypt. An archaeologist found a hidden passage in KV62, or the tomb of Tutankhamun, and it led to an upside down version of Earth. Until then, thanks for reading, and don't drink the tap water. |
378,773,973 | 29 May 2010
pay no attention to the man behind the web site
Warning: contains a word not usually used in this blog. The word in question is Facebook.
The dust seems to have settled now. Again.
If anyone out there besides me has been reading this blog from the beginning, then you know that the main motivation for starting it was my complete and utter dislike for Facebook. I joined it sometime in the summer of 2007, back when it was supposed to be a way to keep in touch with friends and family (in case you missed the memo, it's not anymore). During the course of my never-ending search to find a decent writing critique group, I'd stumbled across a group of Facebook fans, who were so enthusiastic about it I thought I should at least give the thing a try. Besides, there were some people from high school I always wish I hadn't lost touch with.
I've ranted about what I dislike about the site before, so I won't go through it here again. Suffice to say that the user interface drove me crazy long before the constantly-changing privacy settings did. Truth be told, most of the time I was actively on Facebook I had my account pretty much wide open, because right from the account creation process the site didn't pass the sniff test when it came to being able to trust it.
Every time Facebook goes and changes something, a certain percentage of people get up in arms about privacy. Facebook seems to ignore them for a while, and then, when the media attention reaches a certain pitch, they apologise and make some overture to show that they're "listening."
The last bit was about changing some default privacy settings again. As usual, the changes had to be opted out of, rather than opted in, and so everyone who didn't like the new defaults had to go to their privacy settings and update them.
Here's the part people seem to be missing: If you have to go in and close something off or opt out, it's already too late. You've already been exposed. Your privacy, what's left of it, has already been compromised. The spammers and scrapers and marketeers have already cleaned you out.
So, it's not about privacy. What's it about then?
For one thing, check out this interactive graphic. Yeah, I know it shows how the privacy elements have shifted over the years, and I just said this wasn't about privacy. But check it out anyhow. See how things keep changing, year after year?
Now take a look at this web page that shows how Facebook's mission statements have changed over the years. A mission statement is something most companies rewrite every five years or so. Facebook has been around for less than ten years, but look at how much the mission statement has changed.
Imagine a bank doing this. At first, your funds are safe in your saving account. Then, your funds have been transferred to a mutual fund without your prior knowledge or consent, and it's only after several thousand likewise enraged depositors demand control of their money back that the bank reluctantly agrees to redeposit funds back in savings accounts. "We listen to our customers," they sigh, "but they're missing out on such a great opportunity to earn more with their money. We weren't trying to do anything wrong."
Of course they were doing something wrong. They just broke several laws. They did something with your money that you never told them it was OK to do, and if you have any sense at all you would immediately clean out and shut down all your business with them and go elsewhere. Yes, technically another bank could pull the same thing on you, but the world runs on banks, and it's a rare person who has the means to do without them.
Facebook does the same thing with the data we provide them. (We think of it as sharing data with our friends and family. Really we're giving data to Facebook and they're letting our friends and family see it.) They've changed the on-line yearbook that early adopters signed up for to something that is supposedly like Twitter, yet continues to be much more cumbersome.
And, unlike Twitter, where you can back up your tweets (although it's awkward), there's no good way in Facebook to get your data back. There's not even a good way to delete it. The first time I made an effort to clean out my account, just over two years ago, it took me days of pecking away at different aspects of the UI and ditching all the data I had entered. Yeah, I know it's still lurking on a Facebook server somewhere, but again, that wasn't the point. The point is that Facebook breaks user interface standards (again) by making it only easy to add information, like a bank that lets you deposit your money into a savings account but never make any withdrawals or transfers, even though you supposedly can. No wonder leaving Facebook has been compared to leaving a cult. Of course, if Facebook deems it reasonable, they'll delete stuff from your account themselves, again without your knowledge or consent.
Mark Zuckerberg claimed recently that Facebook does not sell users' personal information with any other parties. They don't need to. They just network with their "partners" (again, something else users have to opt out of in a way designed to make it difficult to do so) so the "partners" can connect the dots themselves, with your (forced) consent. This is like the crooked body repair shop that slips in a form authorising repairs your car doesn't need into a sheaf of forms authorising repairs your car does need, and then, when you complain about the extra work and higher cost, claiming that you agreed to it, so you have no recourse.
For the last two years, I've had an empty Facebook account strictly so that people who manage their event invitations from there could include me on their lists. Lately, that's been happening less and less (often people will use an invitation and and e-mail), so I think it's time to delete my account. I'm going to do it on 31 May, which has been chosen by a lot of people as Leave Facebook Day. Oddly, it's been called "Facebook suicide" a lot. I think of it more as "Facebook freedom".
The ever-wise Howard has spoken eloquently at West End Stories about "resistance culture" — of cutting the established circuit of "us providers/you consumers" and engaging in opportunities to blur that dichotomy. Time to take it on-line.
1 comment:
1. Facebook is an odd place and the privacy thing is nutty. But I'm still on it, I like that people actually interact on it. I've been blogging for years and have hardly any readers, even when I blogged frequently. It's such a time killer though! So many photos and groups and of course Lexulous! oy!
Anyway, I keep up with you here. I have a few other friends who don't do FB and they arrange nights out with "e-vite." I can't read e-vite on my phone so I have to make sure I have the exact address before I head out, but otherwise it's alright.
Comments are very welcome.
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138,948,419 | What do you want your company to be?
Do you truly believe that culture eats strategy for breakfast?
Do you really understand the jobs your people do?
As an entrepreneur or CEO, most of us tend to have a skill set developed prior to this role. I started my career in sales and continue to love persuading people to use our company to fulfill their needs. It doesn't matter whether you were in finance and accounting, marketing, development and IT, or strategy and operations. You have an area of expertise.
There tends to be a couple of ways leaders of companies focus their attention. They micromanage the areas they know. How could anyone possibly know how to do "that" better than me?! Or they jump into areas they aren't as comfortable with but are fascinated by. The finance person wants to tell salespeople what to do. The salesperson wants to tell HR what to do. The HR person wants to tell marketing what to do.
So, which works? This is the idea that's hard for many to wrap their heads around: Leadership is a science.
Everyone who graduates from Harvard Business School isn't a great leader. The same as how every child raised in a family doesn't turn out the same. There is a science and an art. How we view ourselves. How we view others. How we interpret what we hear and what we see. We are all different.
When building a company, prioritization is important. Leaders allocate their time on the basis of what they like and what they believe the company needs. These aren't always the same thing. If you have a manager who doesn't like to be "micromanaged," many leaders will back away and avoid the confrontation.
"I'm paying them a salary to do their job, so I'll let them do it," Steve Jobs said. "Hire good people and get out of their way."
Unfortunately, that isn't the case for every company and every employee: 1. You aren't running Apple, so the BEST people aren't clamoring to get in the door. 2. With the size of your company, you probably can't afford the BEST people. 3. Great leaders like Jobs and Gates have quotes from them all over the place, but when they were building, it was different. That gets lost on a lot of people.
So, ask yourself the following questions:
1. When was the last time you had a meal with a staff person who makes less than $60,000 a year and does a crucial job in your company?
2. Rather than tell them stories about how you used to do that job or how they should do their job, did you ask them how they do their job? And how they view other departments?
3. Have you ever sat down with an employee at six months into their tenure and asked them about their onboarding process? "Where did you struggle the most?" "What could we have done better?"
4. What is the most menial thing you do in your job? Do you make sales cold calls? Do you create graphics? Do you make collections calls? Do you run payroll? Making sure you are in touch with some aspect of what staff people do keeps your connection level high.
Whether you are running a company of five people or 500 people, most leaders don't realize how they are viewed. The majority of their staff are intimidated. You "control" their destiny. You may feel like you need them more than they need the job, but most employees don't always see it that way.
Thus, a connection to the leader is truly important. A coffee, a meal, and during Covid-19, a socially distanced walk in their neighborhood would mean the world to them. The CEO came to my house to take a walk?!
If you are asking, "Why would 'I' go to their house?" we have already found the first problem. It's not always what is easy or what is right. It's about how you engage and how you make people feel that you really care. I hope you really do. |
207,597,141 | What happened
Shares of Nevro (NYSE:NVRO), a medical device developer and manufacturer with a specific focus on providing relief to chronic-pain sufferers, tumbled as much as 12% on Tuesday following the release of its first-quarter earnings results after the closing bell on Monday. As you can probably surmise, the results didn't pass muster with Wall Street or investors.
So what
For the quarter, Nevro generated $68.4 million in sales, which was a 64% increase over the prior-year quarter. The vast majority of this growth came domestically, with 80% sales growth in the U.S. and a more modest 30% sales growth in international markets. Growth was due to the ongoing uptake of the Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation system.
An investor clicking the quarterly report tab on a digital screen.
Image source: Getty Images.
In terms of its bottom line, the company wound up reporting a $13.1 million loss from operations, or $0.50 per share, which was significantly wider than the $9 million it lost in the first quarter of 2016. Operating expenses look to be the culprit, with an increase in headcount pushing operating expenses higher by 70% to $59.4 million in the first quarter of 2017.
Comparatively, Wall Street was anticipating $68.7 million in sales, so this was more or less in line with what the company delivered, but a much narrower loss of $0.26 per share. In other words, Nevro missed the bottom line by a mile.
If there is some solace, the company reaffirmed its full-year sales guidance of $310 million to $320 million, which is in line with where Wall Street's consensus currently has the company pegged. The primary worry here is that rising operating expenses may lead to steeper losses than analysts had realized.
As the icing on the cake, investment firm B. Riley cut Nevro's rating to "neutral" from "buy" right around the opening bell this morning.
A doctor speaking with a hospital patient in their bed.
Image source: Getty Images.
Now what
This was actually a pretty decent and expected quarter for a company that's only now beginning to really ramp up sales of its lead pain control device. While the growth rate of its Senza system will slow as we move forward, sales growth is still expected to remain in the double-digits through 2020. That could be alluring for investors seeking growth stocks.
However, the past two earnings reports, which has Nevro has missed on its loss per share estimate by a very wide margin, are also evidence that a growing company can produce wider-than-expected losses as it attempts to build its personnel and marketing staff to make its product great over the long run. These are hiccups that investors deal with from time to time with growth stocks.
Personally, I like the product and the growth behind the product, but I'm leery of Nevro given its rising expenses. Even with recurring profitability expected by 2019, it could be many, many years before Nevro's valuation makes sense on the basis of its forward P/E ratio -- or even its PEG ratio. With that being said, I'd monitor the company's progress from the safety of the sidelines.
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34,940,408 | December 17, 2009
Badgers dominate overmatched Cal Poly
MADISON - Trevon Hughes joked about getting the nine points needed to reach 1,000 for his career within the first two minutes of Wednesday's 90-42 blowout win over Cal Poly.
He almost did.
En route to scoring a game high 20 points, the senior guard did not miss any of his six shots in the first half and reached the milestone just over five and a half minutes into the contest.
"It was a jump shot and they gave me two points," Hughes, who became the 34th member of the 1,000-point club at UW, said. "I thought it was supposed to be three. But it was a big weight off my shoulders.
"Obviously I came out tonight and I couldn't miss. The only thing that slowed me down was halftime."
Hughes assembled a great line over the first 20 minutes of action as his team jumped out to a 31-6 run and never looked back. With his third three-point bucket of the half just before the buzzer, Hughes had scored 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting, hauled in five rebounds, and recorded two steals without a committing a turnover.
But it wasn't just his performance that had the people in attendance enjoying what they were witnessing. By the end of the opening frame three Badger players had scored in double digits while UW tallied over 50 points in a half for the first time since December of 2006.
"We ran good cuts and we took care of the ball," UW head coach Bo Ryan said following the win. "You never know. You're not thinking of the other team when you're doing you're thing. You're not thinking score and you're not thinking about anything (else).
"You're just thinking about playing the game the way it should be played all the time."
The Badgers were simply too much for a fatigued Cal Poly team that didn't get into Madison until after midnight following its win at South Dakota State Tuesday night. UW was bigger, more athletic and more disciplined than the Mustangs who committed 22 turnovers on the night.
"We actually said that the only real chance we felt we had tonight was if we had one of those nights where we shoot 60-65 percent from the perimeter and they shot 25 percent," Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero said after the game. "We knew a couple guys that we were going to have to cheat off and the guys we cheated off went ahead and knocked down some threes.
Keaton Nankivil hit two of his four shots from distance on his way to a 12-point performance and Hughes, Jason Bohannon and Jon Leuer combined to go 11-of-17 from distance.
For the game the Badgers hit 54 percent of their shots from beyond the arc while Cal Poly, who scored first and never led again, only mustered a 28.6 percent clip in the same category.
"It was fun because our offense was clicking tonight," Hughes said. "We've been playing as a team. I feel like everybody is moving well, we've been playing great defense and, if somebody did get beat, we had help and recovered.
"I think everyone was on point even though finals are coming down."
By the end, UW had committed only nine turnovers in relation to its 22 assists. Leading the charge in that category was sophomore point guard Jordan Taylor, who dished seven helpers without committing a turnover.
"I'm just trying to get the ball to guys when they're open," Taylor, who also chipped in nine points, said. "I just give it to them and guys… and they make the shot. They make it pretty easy, I guess.
"When you shoot like we did tonight, I think it's pretty easy."
UW will be off for a week as finals are set to begin Thursday. The Badgers will return to action next Wednesday when UW-Milwaukee visits the Kohl Center.
Post game notes:
-UW's 90 points are the most since dropping 98 on Gardner-Webb in December of 2006.
-Wisconsin's 48-point margin is the largest margin since beating Florida A&M by the same mark in November of 2007.
-The Badgers hit 13 three-point shots against Cal Poly. It was the most since hitting the same amount against Florida A&M.
-Hughes became the 34th member to join the 1,000-point club at Wisconsin with a jumper at the 14:24 mark of the first half. He is the eighth player to reach the milestone under Bo Ryan. He also topped the 20-point mark for the fifth time in 10 tries this season.
-With his 15 points, Leuer completed his seventh-straight double-digit scoring effort and ninth of the season.
-Taylor's seven assists set a new career high.
What they were saying:
-Bo Ryan on Hughes reaching the 1,000-point milestone:
"For Trevon, in four years, to put those kind of numbers up and play on teams that probably average 24 or 25 wins a year or whatever it's been, that's saying a lot. He's doing that on teams where he's not the only scorer that we're looking to get 20 points and 25 shots a game. He's done that in a very democratic offense and system, and he has carried his load and then some.
"He has also improved defensively. I don't know if they have a thousand good plays defensively that they reward guys for. Maybe we should start another category. They happen to do it with points. That's tremendous, that's quite an accomplishment and that just shows it can happen here. If you are a player you can play anywhere and get things done and he's proving that here."
-Jon Leuer on playing in the pose:
"That's something I definitely wanted to work on this off-season, which being more of a post presence. I feel like I've gotten a little bit better at that. I still feel like that's a real good improvement. But any time we get the ball in the post that's good for us because the defense has to make a decision, so any time we get in there we just want to be efficient and get something out of it. That's all I'm trying to do from there, just make a play from there."
-Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero's opening comments:
"I think that what you saw was a very, very good Wisconsin basketball team. I can see how you win games and how you beat Duke and how you turn around, and like the other night, beat Marquette. We knew we bit off more than we could chew, but at our point in our program, this is something that we needed to do. So congratulate the outstanding team that you have here and the (look forward to the) exciting run towards the tournament."
-Trevon Hughes on what he plans to get coach Ryan for his birthday:
"I'd get him a photo album so he can remember our names."
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332,573,199 | 01 March 2008
Pay attention, parents
I'm only trying to help, parents. I'm on YOUR side. I'm not one of you, but that is to your advantage, because I haven't drunk the same Koolaid that you have been drinking. Trust cranky old Auntie Suebob, because I had perfect parents who taught me:
1. Children do NOT need a birthday party every single year. A 3-year-old does not need a party that requires invitations and planning. Cake, ice cream, family, a present or two. STOP AT THAT POINT. Nothing else is required. THEY WILL NOT REMEMBER THE PARTY OR THE LACK THEREOF. Promise. Relax. Breathe.
2. You do not need to attend every single birthday party of every single classmate, kid on the soccer team and child that you are in some way associated with. Free yourself! Take the weekend off the party circuit.
3. You are not responsible for entertaining your children. Children are self-entertaining devices. If they aren't, you are doing it wrong. If they are "bored" make them clean house. That was my mom's favorite trick. We learned to quit saying we were bored.
4. Your child's school project is his or her responsibility. You may contribute by purchasing supplies. STOP THERE. If their project is not as good as their classmates', at least they have the pride of doing it for themselves. Teachers KNOW whose parents do all the work for them, believe me. They are not stupid.
What are you teaching your kid by doing it for them? That mommy/daddy will always bail them out? Yeah, keep doing that and see how much fun it will be to bail them out when they have a $50k rehab bill.
5. Kids don't believe what you say. They believe what you DO. They are so freaking smart that way.
6. What other people are doing isn't important. Stick to your beliefs, your morals, your ethics (assuming you have some). YOU are the adult. YOU are in charge. Your kids need to know that someone is running the ship, and they will ultimately be happier if it is you, not them.
Ok, 6 pieces of excellent advice are enough for one post. Remember, I'm not a parenting expert, but I play one in my head.
29 February 2008
Spring Whining
Normally I go to Baseball Spring Training in Arizona.
This year I'm not going and I'm a little bitter.
Wake me when they do.
What I did with my allowance
I did it. I got a crackberry (a red one) AND unlimited data, texting AND a wireless card for my laptop. It is all on, all the time, baby. I feel like I have joined the 21st century.
27 February 2008
Down on the corner out in the street
Most people move to suburbia because it is so safe and organized and predictable there.
I moved away from suburbia because it was too nice for the likes of me. People sniffed at the renters down the street because their lawn wasn't all golf-course-like. Probably after paying $2400 a month for rent, they couldn't afford a lawn service. In all of the other yards, the shrubs were trimmed into cube shapes. Even mine.
I felt like I couldn't breathe. The beige was choking me. Among other things.
So I moved to the nuttiest place I could find. I have already talked about the Hells Angels clubhouse down the street, the big Mexican dances in random back yards, complete with lights, DJs and crowds.
Tonight was a new one on me. I was turning the corner to my house and was temporarily blinded by a truck with flashing yellow lights. Animal control.
Then I saw this:
Goatses! Not only goatses, but 2 of the BIGGEST goats I have ever seen. They must weigh about 300 lbs each. The size of ponies.
The animal control officer said he found them wandering around in the street, placidly. The lady on the corner said they belong to the guy behind her. I wonder if they were destined for the barbecue or what.
Barack Hussein Obama
I remain,
25 February 2008
The stink that keeps on giving
Do you read Jonniker? Goodness gracious why not? She does stream-of-consciousness like no one since Kerouac.
She just posted about stinky perfume. Cologne that YOU think is okay but that you later find your loved ones think smells like you have been forgetting to bathe.
Most of the cologne she refers to contains my least favorite scent (besides rotting goat cheese, as I found out Saturday morning when I was cleaning out some tupperwares from the week's work lunches), the evil patchouli.
Story time: Once upon a time, I was standing in my friend The Dutchess's kitchen. Her roommate, the Evil Mike, came in and gave me a hug. (Please note: normally, I do not comment on how people smell, no matter how bad it is. But this was super special).
Suebob: Gaaaaah!
Evil Mike: Whut?
Suebob: You smell...terrible. Awful. Oh my god, I got it ON me.
Evil Mike: Huh?
Suebob: You smell like...Patchouli!!
Evil Mike: Well some days I go on long bike rides and I don't have time to take a shower, so I just put on some patchouli oil to cover it up.
Suebob: Gaaah!
Evil Mike: You mean it doesn't work?
Am I right people? Where do you stand on the patchouli issue?? (R. - you are exempt from my contempt. I love you despite your patchouli obsession. Which is saying something).
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467,999,016 |
About: Doncaster Royal Infirmary
What I liked
What could be improved
visited the eye clinic and had to take my 1 year old son with me. it was a tiny corridor with not enough seating at all, let alone for a buggy. the nurse who dealt with me at first was horrible she spoke to me like i was something she'd dragged in from outside and didn't explain what she was doing or why and what was happening next. just very rude. also, my son was asleep in his buggy and everytime she walked past us she shouted right next to the buggy until eventually she woke him up. she then somehow managed to lower her voice once he was awake. how convenient. not very compassionate at all. some people who were alot older than me were waiting a lot longer than i was. all in all a horrible experience and i was glad to leave.
Anything else?
seating was that low eldery people had to stand in a different corridor. disgusting
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509,196,883 | 'Big Brother 15' Spoilers: Helen's Week 3 Nominations
'Big Brother 15' Spoilers: Helen's Week 3 Nominations
John Kubicek
John Kubicek
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Big Brother 15 is rapidly becoming The Helen Show. The woman is a force of nature. She might be the oldest person in the house, but she's wickedly smart, quite athletic, a huge fan of the show and, as far as I'm concerned, her conviction and determination were the primary reason Nick was evicted. So who did she nominate for eviction?
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains Big Brother 15 spoilers.
Helen nominated Aaryn and Kaitlin.
Nominating Aaryn is an obvious choice because she's just plain awful, and arguably the strongest female competitor since she stayed on the popsicle in the first HoH challenge for three hours, outlasting all the other girls, and she won the second endurance HoH. Kaitlin seems nominated as a pawn.
In addition, the plan is to have the MVP nominate Howard because Helen knows he's against them.
Helen knows that Howard and Spencer concocted a plan to split their votes this week and try to blame Jessie. She also knows about the Moving Company (Amanda told her first, and 15 minutes later, Jeremy told her too). When Helen met with Howard, he confessed to being the fourth vote to evict Elissa this week, but he denied working with Nick in an all-guys alliance. She tried to give him a chance to be honest, but he refused to take it.
So now Helen doesn't trust Howard or Spencer at all, but it's a little complicated because Candice really likes Howard and wants to believe him.
Assuming Howard goes up as the MVP nominee and the Power of Veto gets used, they can backdoor Jeremy. This is in spite of a deal Helen made with Jeremy to keep him safe this week if he agrees to never go after her or Elissa in the future. I'm pretty sure that deal was just in case Jeremy gets picked to play in the Power of Veto and wins. In other words, it's a deal where Helen isn't actually going to help Jeremy at all.
Andy has also grown close to Kaitlin, and Jeremy seems open to trying to form a bond with him. He's pushing for an alliance with Andy, Helen, Jeremy and Kaitlin, which is crazy and probably won't happen, but I think it could be cool. Jeremy tried to bond with Andy by telling him all about the Moving Company. The best part is that Andy acted surprised despite the fact that McCrae told him all about it last night. In other words, Andy has no real intention of aligning with Jeremy.
In addition, Amanda is stirring up some major crap by telling Aaryn about the Moving Company and she lied that Jeremy voted against David. Amanda is clearly trying to make sure Aaryn and Jeremy are working against each other. I don't understand any of this, because since the Team Elissa Alliance has the numbers, trying to turn the other four against each other feels like they're just playing with their food for sport. Why are they all pretending to make fake alliances with Aaryn, Jeremy and Kaitlin? It's making me really hate Amanda, because she's starting unnecessary crap just for the sake of causing drama. And making deals of any kind with Aaryn while turning on Jeremy just boggles my mind.
The dynamic is basically that Jeremy and Kaitlin have split from Aaryn and GinaMarie, with Howard and Spencer as another outcast pair. The other eight, however, seem solid, though they're already forming cliques (Amanda, McCrae, Judd and Jessie will grow a lot closer since they are the Have-Nots this week).
Personally, I hope Jeremy survives this week. I know people don't like him because he's a bully, but I really want to believe he's just a dumb, immature kid who has a lot of growing up to do. He's been surprisingly calm following Nick's eviction, unlike Aaryn who went even crazier than usual Thursday night. And Jeremy confessed to Helen about the Moving Company while Howard and Spencer have not.
I know the thought process for Helen, Elissa and Candice is that big, strong guys need to go ASAP because they always win, and girls only win if they go to the end with another girl. But right now, there are more awful and untrustworthy people for Helen to go after (Aaryn, Spencer, Howard). Also, if Helen is thinking long-term, Jeremy could be helpful if she ever needs to break up McCrae and Amanda.
Although that could be why Helen is also trying to sway Kaitlin and GinaMarie to join her side. Helen seems to be amassing a female army, which should make the guys worried. Obviously Jeremy, Spencer and Howard's days are numbered, but McCrae and Judd should watch their backs too, because I could see the ladies turning on them once they reach the final 7 or 8.
What do you think of Helen's nominations? Should Aaryn be evicted this week or does Jeremy need to get backdoored?
(Image courtesy of CBS)
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The Legendary Firefighters of FDNY Rescue 1
New York is known as the city that never sleeps, and no one knows this better than the more than 11,000 firefighters of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). Seconds after an explosion, dark smoke rose from a narrow brick building on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan’s trendy East Village. Four houses were on fire and one building had already collapsed. It was later revealed that the explosion was caused by work on the water and gas mains. The first fire engine arrived on the scene, followed by ambulances and police cars. The noise of sirens filled the streets and the red flashing lights of the fire trucks were everywhere. Firefighters in heavy grey and yellow safety gear rushed to the rescue. More than 250 men from 50 different fire departments were on scene fighting the flames. Unfortunately, there were some casualties but also many survivors.
Only a few days earlier, HAIX® visited with some of the heroes that put their lives on the line, not just that day, but every day. Among them was the legendary team of Rescue 1 which is stationed just around the corner.
Captain Rex Morris is the head of Rescue 1. His father also served as a captain at this station. He was one of the first to arrive at the World Trade Center on the fateful morning of 9/11 and was among the lucky ones who survived. When he retired about ten years ago, his son took over the post. “I had no choice, really,” jokes Captain Morris. As the only son in the family, it was up to him to continue the tradition. He brought us right to the heart of the fire station. A big red garage door forms the back of the station, which provides just enough space for one fire truck, a station room, and a few small storage rooms. This door was actually once the front door of the station built in 1894, explains Captain Morris. “In Europe where most of the buildings are thousands of years old, that might not mean a lot, but in America, anything dating from 1894 is considered ancient.” And there is a story behind the door, many years ago, a factory which sat opposite the fire station collapsed on top of the Rescue 1 building. When the station was rebuilt, the old door became part of the back wall where it now offers a place of pride. There is an American Eagle with its wings spread across the bright-red background along with blue and white letters proudly displaying the station’s name: RESCUE 1!
– Alarm sounds! –
A few seconds later, the men are on their way. Six or seven blocks in one direction, then a sharp turn and another two blocks and they are at the scene. The monitor in the vehicle indicates “10-8”, which means that the situation is already under control. A few minutes earlier, a vehicle drove into the building and firefighters examined the damage. “This is very important.” explains Captain Morris, “many buildings in New York are actually quite old and built of timber.” These buildings are easily spotted, as they feature fire ladders in the front. “We always need to be especially careful here,” Captain Morris says. “Sometimes, what might be perceived as minor damage actually means that the building needs to be torn down. If there is a fire, the flames can quickly spread over ten or more stories”. This time, everything looks OK.
Back at the firehouse, it’s time for pictures and a few questions about how the team is made up. Each captain actually hand-picks his own firefighters. Given the many different incidents the team has to deal with, team leaders are always on the lookout for firefighters with extra skills. “Big John”, a giant with the shoulders of Mister Universe, for example, is a trained plumber. Most of the time he can be found keeping contact with the operations center and forwarding information to his colleagues. “You have to have a trade or profession before you can join the fire department,” explains Big John. There are even two carpenters among them. When we met up with Captain Morris the next day at the Fire Academy, he told us, “the team has to match and work together like clockwork,” which is why he brings his team there as often as he can!
Catch up on the entire FDNY series:
Part 1: The legendary firefighters of Rescue 1
Part 2: Real action at Rescue 5
Part 3: Academy training at The Rock
Part 4: Keeping over 400 vehicles in service
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361,940,871 | Movie Actress Queen Of The Film
All the female performers on the screen are the actors. Actresses can have lead roles or can be supporting the leads; they might even just have a minor role wherein they come on the screen for a very short span of time. During the casting of the film, they might as well appear for some auditions or screen tests in front of the casting team and the director. They essentially read scripts, and consult with their agents if they wish to be a part of it, and then they sign. The director of a film and the actor need to work out on the dates of the shoot and make sure that the actress’ dates don’t clash with any other assignments that she has already committed to. The actresses might need to pick up different art forms for their roles, or to learn a language (or simply get a hold of the accent).
They need to maintain a good diet and exercise on a regular basis to stay fit. They might need to shape their bodies according to their on-screen characters. They need to travel extensively for their shooting as well as promotions. They are well versed with the script and know the importance of each character in the film. The director is the person with whom the actresses interacts the most. While some film-makers give them complete freedom to act the way they wish to and deviate from the script a little bit, certain directors like it if the actresses stick to the script strictly.
The actresses also need to go through a rigorous styling phase- the costumes, make-up, hair and the like. They need to coordinate with the cameramen for every take that is shot and also work well with the make-up artists (even between the takes for touch-ups). For women, styling is extremely important no matter what kind of roles they play- even if they have a very basic costume structure throughout the film. |
560,344,852 | 1. Parenting
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7-Year-Old Child Development: Behavior and Daily Routines
The daily development milestones you can expect to see in your 7-year-old child
7-Year-Old Child Development: Behavior and Daily Routines
Seven-year-old children will be able to help sort laundry and do other routine household chores.
For parents of 7-year-old children, parenting is more about guidance and reminders than close supervision. Seven-year-old children are becoming much more adept at taking care of themselves -- not only in those day-to-day routines such as bathing, getting dressed and even getting themselves a bowl of cereal in the morning but also in relation to making decisions and choices for themselves.
For instance, 7-year-olds may express preferences for certain activities or types of books or foods. There may be more negotiation over diet, extracurricular activities, how to spend leisure time, and even what chores they can and want to do.
Not yet adolescent and no longer a young child who needs constant supervision, a 7-year-old’s behavior and routines will be shaped by constantly balancing independence with reliance.
Eating patterns can fluctuate widely at this age. You may notice that your 7-year-old eats like a linebacker one day and then nibbles on a few crackers the next.
While parents of 7-year-olds may worry that their child is not eating enough or not getting enough vegetables and fruits, the focus should be more on the overall picture rather than what a child eats a one particular meal. As long as parents provide their 7-year-old with a variety of nutritious foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats, and lowfat calcium-rich foods such as cheese or milk, then chances are that a child is getting the nutrients she needs.
Parents can discuss their 7-year-old’s individual diet with their pediatrician, but as a general rule, the focus should be on establishing healthy eating habits in children as part of an overall healthy lifestyle. Setting good food habits early will become increasingly important as children spend more time away from home and have the opportunity to make more food choices on their own, such as at a party or in the school cafeteria.
One of the most fun ways parents can encourage healthy eating is by having kids help out in the preparation of meals. Seven-year-olds are able to help mom and dad pick out fresh fruits and vegetables at the store, plan meals, and even help with some of the cooking. While 7-year-olds may not yet be able to handle a knife, they can certainly help mix ingredients, dish out food, and help serve the meals.
If you have a garden, your 7-year-old can help grow vegetables. Seven-year-olds can handle everything from pulling out weeds to watering the vegetables. And the pride that they will develop in their work will help 7-year-olds appreciate the fruits and vegetables they grow, and make it more likely that they will enjoy them in their meals.
School-age children generally need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night. But your 7-year-old child’s individual needs may dictate that he can do with a bit less or a bit more.
Seven-year-olds may find it difficult to get to bed at a reasonable hour because children this age may have more challenging homework and be involved in after-school activities such as team sports -- things that can cut into the amount of free time kids have between the end of school and bedtime. Add to that TV time, socializing with friends, and wanting to spend time with family, and you have a lot of things packed into a few hours.
Since so many distractions and activities can make it difficult for a 7-year-old to get to bed on time, it can be especially important for parents to set up good sleep habits in children this age. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for signs that your child may not be getting enough sleep.
Behavior and Discipline
By this stage of development, children are better able to handle transitions and setbacks, and are less likely to need reminders to mind their manners (such as by saying "thank you" or "please"). At this age, child discipline is more likely to be focused on guidance and less centered on consequences for bad behavior.
As 7-year-olds continue to explore their identities and develop socially and emotionally, they will naturally explore boundaries and limitations. They may experiment with behaviors such as lying, defiance, or talking back. And while behaviors such as tantrums may be behind them, 7-year-olds are not fully "big kids" just yet. Parents can expect to still occasionally see younger-child behavior problems such as whining in children this age.
Seven-year-olds will take great pride in being “big kids” who can handle more responsibilities. Chores can also help your child feel like he is contributing to the family. Assign your 7-year-old some age-appropriate chores such as setting the table, sorting laundry, and feeding pets.
The great thing about 7-year-old children is that they will not need as much close supervision when they are tackling their chores. Parents may still need to give 7-year-olds reminders, and may want to help their child finish up a task such as sweeping the floor, but many 7-year-olds will be able to generally handle things on their own as long as the chore is age-appropriate.
Obsessions, collecting
Many 7-year-old children can develop a love of collecting toys or other knick-knacks. (Toy marketers often take advantage of this phase of development, and create lines of toys that children will want to collect.) Seven-year-olds can also develop obsessions with games, such as a favorite video game, or subjects (wanting to discuss and learn everything about Star Wars or animals, for instance).
More About Your Seven-Year-Old Child's Development
1. About.com
2. Parenting
3. School-Age Children
4. Physical & Emotional Growth
5. 7 Year Old Child Development - Behavior and Daily Routines
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Book 2: Mitra-lábha/Mitra-samprápti: The Gaining of Friends
The second of the five volumes of Panchatantra.
Pandit Vishnu Sharma begins the second part of the Panchatantra with the following verse:
The Gaining of Friends
A large banyan tree was present on the way, near a town called Mahilaropyam in south India. Many species of birds rested and ate the tree's fruits, while the hollow of the great tree was home to poisonous reptiles like snakes and scorpions. Travellers took shelter under the tree in their journeys.
The Crow-Rat Discourse
On seeing how Hiranyaka helped Chitragriva, Lagupatanaka came down from his tree and started calling out for the rat. He mimed his voice to resemble that of Chitragriva. On hearing this, the rat thought to himself, "Why am I being called again? Did I not free all the birds? The king of doves must be calling me for this reason."
Meeting a New Friend
A mouse named Hiranyaka, and a crow named Laghupatanaka, struck a great friendship. One day, the crow came to meet the mouse with tears in eyes. Worried at the sight of his friend weeping, the mouse asked,
The Hermit and the Mouse
Hiranyaka said, "A hermit named Tamrachud lived in a Shiva temple on the outskirts of a southern city called Mahilaropya. Every day he would travel into the city to collect alms, and come back to cook his food with the alms he had collected. Regularly, after his meal, he would store the leftovers in his begging bowl hanging on a peg, before going to sleep. The leftovers, he would give away to poor people who would render services to the temple. These poor people would wash, clean and decorate the temple with patterns of chalk."
Shandili and Sesame Seeds
Brihat begins the story thus, "One day, I sought hospitality from a Brahmin for sacred ceremonies in the monsoon season. This kind Brahmin offered me a space in his house in return for the services I rendered which he found useful in his rituals. One day, during this arrangement of my stay, I heard the Brahmin and his wife discussing their plans for the day. The Brahmin told his wife, "From today, the Sun commences his northward journey. This time of the year, the rich and pious people offer gifts to Brahmins. I will go to the next village to collect the offerings. At the same time, it will be proper for you to invite a Brahmin as a guest and offer him food in the name of the Sun."
The Hunter and the Greedy Jackal
While searching for a kill, a hunter went into the forest and spotted a well-fed boar. He took out his bow at once and shot a sharp arrow at the boar. Although, the boar was severely wounded, it made a wild charge at the hunter causing his death. Due to the wounds inflicted by the hunter, the boar also died soonafter.
Story of the Merchant's Son
In one of the India's big towns, there lived a merchant named Sagargupta. He had a son. Once, he purchased a book which contained only one verse in the entire book. The verse read:
The Unlucky Weaver
A weaver named Somilaka lived on the outskirts of the city. With his expertise, he made such fine garments that they would be worthy of kings and princes. Although he enjoyed the patronage of this nobility, he was much poorer than weavers who made coarse garments for common people. Worried with his condition, as compared with others, he said to his wife, "Look at how rich these weavers have become while making such coarse garments. There must be something wrong with this place, and I shall go elsewhere in search of success."
The Rescue of a Deer
A rich person who does not spend his money is no richer than a poor man, because both the poors and misers are equally not able to enjoy the lavishness that money can buy. While there is no greater thing on earth than doing charity, there is no bigger enemy of self than miserliness. Stating such, Mandharaka completed the story of Somilaka, which he was telling to Hiranyaka and Laghupatanaka.
Thus ends the second part of the Panchatantra.
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136,089,559 | If you ever have a secret, you'd be wise not to tell loose-lipped Louis Tomlinson. The cheeky One Direction singer has a habit of humorously ribbing his bandmates -- and revealing some of their more covert secrets that way.
In a recent interview, Harry Styles was asked about the meaning behind his newest tattoo, a pair of sparrows on his chest. (He was under the needle on Nov. 8 at the Shamrock Tattoo Shop in West Hollywood, adding to his already checkered canvas of body art.)
Before he could respond, Louis interjected, "You got it because you think they look cool. There's not that much meaning!" For the record, Hazza has said there is a story behind them: He told Ellen that the tats signify traveling, since "Birds fly." While it's a bit of a weak explanation, it was an adorable one.
Other fun facts? Liam Payne won't share a drink with his mates because he's a germaphobe. He thinks they're dirty! (Sounds like he knows stuff we don't.) "I'm a hygiene freak," Liam admitted. "I can't share a drink with people." He laughed to his fellow 1D members, I don't like any of you, and you all smell weird and you don't wash properly. So why am I going to share a drink?" Don't worry -- he actually does like them. He was kidding about that part!
Watch Harry Styles Explain His New Tattoo |
42,847,936 | I WAS looking forward to Monday’s game at St Mary’s, between two of my former clubs.
I would have wanted Everton to win anyway, but the news that Southampton have sacked Nigel Adkins has only reinforced that view. What an utterly laughable decision.
I have seen Southampton play three or four times recently, and I was convinced that Adkins’ eternal optimism and brightness was not misplaced. Saints have been improving every week, and had got themselves into a decent position above the relegation zone.
Why they feel the need to change managers, I do not know. They were third from bottom in League One when Adkins took over, now they are 15th in the top flight.
This is yet another example of the savage mentality that dominates top-level football. To replace a manager who has done so much for the club with yet another unproven, foreign boss, is an almighty gamble. It shows no regard for the work Adkins has done, the progress he has instigated, or the loyalty he has shown. I find it incredible.
Experimenting with foreign managers can work, of course it can. But look at Wolves and Blackburn, to give just two examples. They sacked Mick McCarthy and Sam Allardyce, respectively, when the situation was not that bleak, and subsequent foreign appointments have since backfired spectacularly. Stale Solbakken and Henning Berg won’t be remembered fondly by those clubs’ supporters.
As I said, I always want Everton to win games, but for Adkins, a smart, honest, dignified man, I hope the Blues administer a good, old-fashioned wake-up call on Monday night. God knows, their chairman needs it. |
537,256,026 | Slideshow Widget
please help end factory farming
22 Oct 2012
4 Responses to “please help end factory farming”
1. Thank you Jenny. I didn't want to watch it because I knew what was coming but I knew I had to, so I did. We don't eat factory farmed meat or eggs but a lot of people are yet to learn that this happens in Australia too. I'm on my way to Make it Possible and will put the video on my blog.
1. Thanks for your support Rose. I think they managed to handle a topic that we would rather not acknowledge in a very positive way and appeal to the very best in human nature.
2. They did indeed Jenny. Ok I'm signed up for monthly donation, my kit is coming and the video is on my blog. Let's hope it keeps moving, there were 474 people who had taken the pledge when I signed on.
3. Thanks Jenny. I will also spread the word. I think there are definitely good changes coming about with the removal of sow stalls and public pressure or rather consumer pressure is seeing a decline in cage eggs. It's very easy in Tasmania to buy free range and they don't have to be exclusive heritage breeds. We also buy common old Landrace pigs from a farmer and get to see them face to face. The industry that I don't think we are changing fast enough is meat birds. It breaks my heart that we would raise chickens that grow so big , so fast that they can't stand up or get out of their own excrement. That is NOT normal. It produces $4.49 chickens at the supermarket but it is WRONG.
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535,458,816 | Friday, August 18, 2017
Who should I minister to?
Although the Lord loves everyone, not everyone is ready to receive. I've learned this through the experience of speaking to thousands and thousands of people one on one over the past 9 years. This is why it's important to discern what the Lord is doing. We want to get involved in what the Lord is doing because that is what will be fruitful.
He who corrects a mocker invites insult. He who reproves a wicked man invites abuse. Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you. - Proverbs 8:7-8
1. But how do we know when someone is a "Wise man" so to speak??
For example, I was talking to this guy about my faith and he did listen and he respected my view, but then rejected it and said he trusted science and that if he couldn't see it, it wasn't real. We were talking just before a work meeting and there were other people around so I didn't really have the time to go deeper, but I know that if I had one to one time, I could have explained my belief more. He rejected what I said but I didn't see him as a mocker or scoffer because he also respected what I said. Do you think I should try and speak to him again??
1. If I were in your situation and just had that experience, I would at this point pray for him privately and wait for him to bring up the subject and then talk to him some more. |
307,159,158 | It seems regulators and policymakers who want banks to pay for the foreclosure crisis just can't make up their minds as to how they plan to do so.
Now we know that federal regulators are possibly scrapping plans to review thousands of foreclosure cases for errors and instead focusing on another $10 billion settlement with the big banks that will in turn create funds for hurt homeowners. (News of the pending settlement, the second involving so-called 'robo-signing' abuses, originally broke in The New York Times over the weekend.)
So what is the reason for this game-changing plan?
As the Wall Street Journal uncomfortably points out, the foreclosure review process is "too expensive" and "not delivering enough assistance." And, apparently, both financial firms and their regulators reached this conclusion after sifting through an initial set of reviews.
As to why there may have been a push for a new settlement instead of more reviews, Edward Kramer, EVP of regulatory affairs at Wolters Kluwer, suggested it may simply be a lean towards what's more pragmatic.
"As far as the review, the review is supposed to cost so much per loan," he said. "You look at how many loans you have to do, how long it is going to take, and the OCC and other regulators are not happy with the results of the reviews."
From a financial standpoint, Kramer says it's likely the parties eventually concluded it would be better to obtain another $10 billion in settlement funds to assist homeowners rather than "paying all of these people to review the loans."
He added, "Maybe the decision was made that [a settlement] is a more equitable way to accomplish this."
Either way, the quick-changing regulatory landscape is enough to give a person whiplash. |
317,331,689 | Find a Security Clearance Job!
A3J (A-5) Vigilante
The two aircraft that rank as the heavist the Navy ever deployed aboard carriers are the A-3 Skywarrior and the A-5 Vigilante. Designed by North American to be a supersonic, all weather, strategic bomber, the Vigilante began life as the A3J and was redesignated A-5 in the general redesignation of Defense Department airplanes that occurred in 1962. The contractor reffered to this design as the "North American General Purpose Attack Weapon" (NAGPAW).
The first contract for this aircraft was awarded to North American by the Navy on 29 August 1956. Its first flight occurred two years later on 31 August 1958. Technical difficulties and strategic priorites prevented the A3J from ever serving in its intended role, but did find a valuable place as a reconnaissance aircraft. The Vigilante was first reported in squadron by VAH-3 in June 1961, and completed it final deployment in September 1979. A total of 156 Vigilantes were bought.
The "Vigilante" original design and purpose was as a long-range nuclear delivery platform operated from aircraft carriers. This plane had a mach two-- twice the speed of sound--capability. The weapon was carried internally in a "linear" bomb bay between the two engines, and it was ejected rearward. Extra fuel tanks were also carried in the bomb bay.
When the reconnaissance Vigilante was produced with many recon packages both external and in the bomb bay, the speed was limited to just over the speed of sound. Some of the recon packages included many camera types and flasher pods for night photo work. There was also an in-flight refueling system that could be carried in the bomb bay.
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618,734,673 | ‘Hamilton’ makes history, wins 11 at Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards
Hamilton makes history again and again and again.
The revolutionary musical broke the record for most Audience Choice Awards.
Hamilton won 11 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards, including Favorite New Musical and all the big acting categories.
It's the 17th time Broadway.com has handed out these honors, as voted on by the fans.
This evening we talked with the star and creator of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, about how it feels to be honored by theatergoers and how wold his life is right now.
Web extra: Other Audience Choice Awards winners express appreciation and gratitude
"It's voted on by people who have no reason to go online to vote, there's no incentive in this for you, you don't get to go see the show for free like it's people who took the time out of their day to cast a vote for us because they like our show and that means the world because there's no reason you have to do it, it's just out of pureness and love," Miranda smiled. "I call this the montage section, I mean if my life were a movie this would be the part where newspapers are spinning, and they would cover it with light bulbs and me walking into buildings, so I'm just trying to live it in real time and not live it as a montage."
Of course, Hamilton is up for a record 16 Tony nominations. Those awards will be handed out June 12th. |
615,985,328 | Denver Broncos
Closer look at dramatic finish in Miami reveals Tebow's flaws
Yes, a Tim Tebow sermon is about to commence. I'll wait for the shock and awe to subside.
Awe really is the operative word where Tebow is concerned. But it's time to reduce some of the hero worship and look at where his game is headed in the near future, one that doesn't always look so bright.
The second-year quarterback continues to receive a lot of attention for Sunday's incredible win in Miami, and for his ability to produce fantasy points (22.9 on scoring). It's time to tap the brakes, though, because much of that production, and the plays that ultimately decided the Miami game, were of the fluky variety and came about because of great efforts by his teammates.
On the first touchdown pass, Tebow used his ridiculous athleticism to make a play, but the reality is that the catch (and concentration) by Demaryius Thomas was the difference on a ball that could have been thrown a lot better.
Tebow got a lot of love for a 28-yard completion over the middle to Daniel Fells during the last minute of regulation. Yet, the pass was a wobbler that required a nothing-short-of-spectacular catch by Fells.
Give Tebow some credit, as he miraculously put the ball where only Fells could really get to it. Whether the Broncos quarterback intended the ball to go there instead of where it was supposed to go (Fells' back shoulder) is another story. Rather than dangerously trying to wedge it between three defenders, Tebow could have hit an open Eric Decker on a deep out near the sideline at the 14, which would have stopped the clock with just under 50 seconds to go. He missed that read.
Finally, Tebow's second touchdown pass on a tight-end screen to Fells was a brilliant call by offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, and a blown assignment by the Dolphins secondary. The play merely required that Tebow lob the ball to Fells.
Does this suggest these were poor plays by Denver's quarterback? No. But it's hard to give a guy credit for playing a good game, much less winning it, when he stunk up the joint for three-plus quarters and got some big help from his ancillary parts, like Thomas and Fells. Had Tebow launched several beauties -- or just plain accurate throws -- throughout the game, it would be easier to lay accolades at his feet.
That said, don't count me among the Tebow "haters" who dislike him for all sorts of dumb, misguided reasons. Let us just temper expectations regarding his ability.
This weekend, he'll face a front four that's much more talented than Miami's, and Detroit's secondary is giving up the fewest plays of 20-plus yards in the league. This figures to be a tough matchup for a player who clearly is still in the learning stages of playing quarterback.
Again, Tebow's athleticism is unique to his position, but if he keeps attempting to run over linemen and linebackers against the Lions like he did in Miami, he might be learning while in the training room.
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