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Okay, so far we have the refined opening, tight as hell, and the moody, left-field second episode. It's almost logical to follow with this one, a light entry in the tone of a Tachikoma adventure. Although the story might be relatively lightweight in comparison to the first season's Stand Alones, what with their assassination duets and jungle cruises, we still bear witness to a masterful Section 9 plot, and manage to explore some seedy territory while we're at it.
Problem is, I suppose, that you can't really do sex dolls after Innocence. Granted, this episode predates it by a few months, but that one really closed the book on explorations of that man-machine interface if we're going the disturbing route. And any other route is… closed. Lars and the Real Girl is sort of banal.
But to begin, we start in echo of the first season's episode 3, with female feet at roof's edge. Granted, perhaps the jeris were style-biting on the Major, because that is what the Major likes to do. Here she's dressed up in some sexy MGS4 bug stuff, bouncing rooftop to rooftop like she was in the Matrix — look, I've frequently balladeered the badassery of the Major, but if physics can't hope to apply to her, how's this cyberterrorist got a snowball's chance?
Did I mention this was gonna be a heist episode? The Major goes on to outdo Zeta Jones, by just knowing where the laser-sensors are, and skipping around them. She coolly flicks a coin into a security camera, and jumps out the window — another of her favorite pastimes, which sometimes goes hand-in-hand with rooftop meditation.
Next day, she returns to the scene of the crime to eye that broken camera, and listen to this rich arse prattle about a burglar whose left a calling card: "Cash Eye." He uses a female android. We know better. We also know how silly it sounds, his emphasis of the male pronoun. Sometimes they do that when we don't know the mysterious character in question is female, like the hacker girl in Revenge. It was immediately obvious, just by the way they were putting the emphasis on 'he' and 'him' and 'he's the best at what he does,' that it would turn out to be a girl. But before you scream progressive — it's okay, she's Asian.
Now, this rich fella, Tadokoro, has moved his great fortune — in cash — to a vault within this very building. Aramaki wants him to go to the police. As quickly becomes a theme, Section 9 doesn't like being guns for hire. For the Prime Minister, that's bad enough. For some deformed CIS agent? Actually bad — but this dude? Get outta town.
They take the case regardless, and are told that the next heist is to happen tomorrow night. Again, the Chief says, why not go to the police? You seem highly bent on getting the best of the best of the best for this bullshit. Well, Tadokoro says, something's scheduled for that night, a gathering of very important people, and they'll be doing… illicit things. Not illegal, hell, not even illicit, just delicate. At these functions, this is where policies are decided. Then, in the world's creepiest compliment to a police force, he says he can smell the Major's white blood from where he's standing. The Chief's like, no you can't, she's a cyborg. Now I question your aptitude for many things. Guy's like, whatever I still have a boner.
How did she hide that under her revealing dress?
What a professional. She didn't grab him and fold him up into the size of a slip of paper and put him in her wallet, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like this job. Maybe that's the real issue with lighter episodes, and why Section 9 doesn't like working these kinds of cases — they end in arrests, not ass-kicking. Tadokoro gets his comeuppance, but it's off-screen. He deserves worse, as he's cutting into the Major's vacation time. The Chief actually apologizes, says that there's a lot that'll fray her nerves tomorrow. Just… don't lose your temper. Cooler heads, right?
Cut to, the night of the incident. Politicos and financiers from all around are flooding in, trotting out their sex dolls they hide from their wives. Saito spots the foreign affairs minister. It's funny — they're on security detail, but can't help watching on in disgust. Here comes the Chief and the Major. "Now that's more like it!" Boma says. She's in sexy formal wear, but it's no more salacious than her first season getup. She starts mingling, and Batou's eyes go wide — one of those bastards just copped a feel! Ishikawa dryly says that they would've been better not knowing.
And then Batou and Togusa, also dressed nicely, head in. The Tachikoma are on standby, awaiting the Major's signal. She might not be dressed the part, which would undermine the present day female manager in the eyes of male subordinates, but she's still head honcho. Tadokoro makes quick work of the Chief, getting him out of the way so he can have some time alone with the Major. "Would you like a tour of the place?" Of course, she says.
Ishikawa tries to figure out the vault, but he's hitting some snags. Meanwhile, the Major inches her way closer to that vault. Timing will be key. Tadokoro imagines that the Major will find this an odd hobby, the fetish for these dolls. But there's a whole culture surrounding them — they're haute couture, designed by famous creators.
The Chief checks in on the Major as Tadokoro forgets that she isn't a fucking android. Interesting though that androids in this universe have white blood. You'd think it'd be black, but not after Alien (in which it had pretty thick thematic relevance — Ash was after all trying to kill Ripley by shoving a rolled up magazine down her throat. Ooh, just got chills). The Major says that she turns her skin sensors down whenever she doesn't want to feel something. This might assume that she doesn't turn it down when she goes into battle — hardcore quotient rising… Regardless, this comforts the Chief.
Then the Major makes him a grand offer: I'll turn myself off and you can play with my body. And then she blanks out, and he gets busy. No, no — she knocks him out. But could you imagine? Jesus. Now that I've cleared myself of this animated titillation, the Major goes on to pleasure the other watcher by stripping down to that catsuit. It's like modern cat burglar garb, updated for the future. And actually — it's looking pretty cool.
The android operators come in to distract the guards at the vault. The Tachikoma loop the video feed before they enter frame. Batou and Togusa knock the guards out with some gas, and the Major meets up with them. They don't know what kind of double protection is in that vault. Batou warns that she'll be on her own. Oh, only now? I'm pretty sure this is child's play.
She runs and jumps into the vault, doing a wild gymnast's landing. Meanwhile, Aramaki wakes Tadokoro, because it's almost time for the theft. Too late — Pazu and Boma report that it looks like the thief got by them. The Major opens the vault. Togusa alerts the people at the party, to stay calm, and that their safety is the priority.
From the control room, they watch the Major open the door, and the Chief says he'll send his men to arrest her. Boma and Pazu turn to go, but Tadokoro says something alarming, that the door will close on her and she'll be trapped. The only thing that can open it then is his ghost key. And what they'll find is the meat in a Major sandwich. The doors start to close on her, and Batou is like "Chief………"
They head down to the vault, can't find her. But she comes in from behind her, dressed up again. How… That Major you saw was just a virtual image created by the Tachikoma. It's nice when we're all clued in, huh? And now that Tadokoro has opened his vault, and we're already here, the Chief says we might as well gather the evidence of money-laundering — that Tadokoro is still managing Yakushima's assets. In what must be the Chief's favorite part of the job, he explains the intricacies of how Tadokoro was so caught, as Section 9 verifies that yep, these serial numbers match the ones the tax bureau gave them.
The Tachikoma wonder if these people are those they call… 'perverts.' Maybe eccentrics, they posit. Later, the Major is at the beach. Finally vacation? And now Batou comes along, and wearing a Hawaiian shirt, no less. She says it was fun playing cat burglar. Maybe in another life — if she took up a life of crime, who could stop her? She had Batou worried, anyway, as he hands her a drink. The Chief interrupts: come on people! The Major says that maybe she should consider a new line of work.
Whoa. Maybe she does want to be a cat burglar after all. If we look into the future, we see that she becomes disenchanted with Section 9 by the end, but law enforcement is in her DNA. So while it's ambiguous as to whether or not this iteration of the Major ends up with Section 9, and in fact, the last time we see her, it's in much the same environment as this. The Section 9 pool with its holographic windows. Wistful, looking out into the infinite beyond. So many possibilities. If Section 9 means going undercover at the perv den, and letting good men die as this season's eventuality, maybe there's a better way to do things.
Now, my first question is… why did the Major even have to endure all that sexual harassment? Why did she have to be there outside of playing the Cash Eye thief? Why even have her introduced to Tadokoro? Kamiyama, don't make me ask these questions. Your episode is consistently asking why this is happening, but you never really give a good answer.
And to the themes of this episode, Japan's always needed a good PR guy. In a post-war world for barbaric imperialism, and these days and till the end of time, for perviness. Otaku culture, hostess clubs, AKB48/schoolgirls. They say you can buy panties in vending machines over there — and while I'm pretty sure that's untrue, those speculations don't arise from thin air.
So what's being said here? Taking into consideration not only the text and subtext, but the supertext of creators and their external context. Text. Text. Well, this episode represents something of a roundabout close-the-book on the first season. We see that things have long-reaching consequences, that the criminals aren't done when the case is closed. So with this, we get a glimpse into the seedy underbelly of Neo-Tokyo, and it looks like… the Major.
The old ghosts are hard to get rid. Culture might be augmented with a robot arm, but some things take a while to shed. Like patriarchy. Like the Tachikoma said, this isn't about perverts, it's about patriarchs. We don't see anything sexual here, it's the closing in of heavy-breathing men all over that curvy female form like a vacuum-sealing bank vault.
The Major doesn't get trapped in the end. She's far too badass. But just as she has law enforcement in her DNA, she's also a stone's throw from perhaps having that white blood after all, from the jeris, and from these sex dolls. As mentioned (about one zillion times) in the podcast, the Major is an ideal feminist hero, not a perfect one. She exists in transition, even in her body, whether sexy robot in sexy-robot land, or female to genderless, or adult to child.
I know, Ish, I know


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subset: commoncrawl


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Hit The Florida Wildlife Trails
Do you want to venture into unfamiliar territory Saturday to chance seeing something new? Then try Florida�s wildlife management areas, which are underexplored troves of trail-laced waterways, woods, marshes and scrub.
Besides footpaths, they have overlooks, where visitors can glimpse wildlife; and there are boat launches, so people can paddle the many creeks, rivers and lakes throughout the 5.8 million, mostly undeveloped, acres of wildlife management areas (WMAs) and wildlife and environmental areas (WEAs).
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) manages these habitats that wildlife call home.
The Great Florida Birding Trail offers another unique approach to wildlife viewing.
Saturday is National Trails Day, so named by the American Hiking Association. While some people will take to more traditional park trails, the management areas and birding trail are often off the beaten path, thereby promising wilder experiences.
Deep in the southern section of the state is Fisheating Creek, a place that draws rave reviews from paddlers taking to the water trail. This Lake Okeechobee tributary is home to alligators, not houses. Swallowtail kites fly over the tree-lined banks. Paddlers will like the cool shade too.
The best place to hike there is off State Road 78, south of Lakeport. Canoe and kayak rentals are available at the FWC campground, off U.S. 27 in Palmdale. The water level is good after the recent rains.
Check out the stops along the Great Florida Birding Trail. Babcock-Webb WMA in Charlotte County still has plenty of red-cockaded woodpeckers and purple gallinules (marsh birds). This is one of the WMAs with horse trails.
Check out one of the other 489 Great Florida Birding Trail sites if you want to stay close to home. Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County is a good place in the summer. Abundant trails lead away from the swimming beaches and picnic grounds to a variety of trails, paved and not. Summer is a good time to watch beach-nesting birds, but remember to watch your step for eggs, and do not disturb birds nesting in the dunes.
For more information on these and other sites, go to MyFWC.com/Recreation. Pick your wildlife trail adventure. Happy trails.


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The Times and the Independent suggest that the Government was warned 6 months by a former Haringey social worker before the child's death about failures to follow child protection procedures.
Haringey apologies according to the Guardian.
Lynne Featherstone MP calls for someone (anyone) to resign . She has a little list and is not impressed with the parachuting in of the man from Hampshire as mentor.
A comment worth reading is from Simon Jenkins who begins
Surprise, surprise. How we all hate the nanny state - until nanny takes a day off. Then we want nannies galore. We want nannies with whips, nannies with locks, keys and public inquiries. Labour, Liberal or Tory nannies are suddenly the order of the day.
The Telegraph reports on the Daily Mail's reports that Baby P's mother has had another child while in custody and according to the Guardian LB Haringey tried to prevent the child being removed from her until, apparently, they were overruled by the police???
The Press Association reveal that Ofsted & the Social Care Inspectorate identified 'issues for improvement' at LB Haringey months ago.
Sky News reports that Gordon Brown will do something to make sure it never happens again .
This is Life says that there have been 115 complaints to the ombudsman about LB Haringey since the death of Victoria Climbie . Right at the end of the article it is revealed that in only one case was there a finding of maladministration.


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Congress needs more courage
As a citizen aware that members of Congress will spend their five-week recess campaigning and making promises, I suggest they spend some time reading and rereading John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage."
Based upon their failure to compromise for the benefit of their constituents, perhaps revisiting stories of some of their predecessors will shock them into the reality that doing what's right for the country requires courage. "Grace under pressure," as defined by Ernest Hemingway.
Rather than being "determined to deliver a message" by voting to prevent "the IRS from enforcing or implementing the new health-care law" ("Bill targets IRS, Obamacare," Aug. 3), the "228 Republicans and four Democrats" should have voted to resolve to "secure the blessings of Liberty" for the American people.
Their unwillingness for concessions, their useless debates and the House's "40th attempt at repealing the health care law" are indicative of their need to examine self and do what's right for America.
The failure by members of Congress to act responsibly toward us - "We the people" - is evident of their desire for political gain, clearly sending the message that they're not about the business of securing the God-given rights guaranteed by our most sacred document.
Will the politicians conduct business as usual upon their return to Washington? Will they emulate the actions of those cited in the suggested reading? Regardless of their decision, they must realize that the courage to do the right thing lies not in courage stories, but within themselves.
Ethelyn Holden Baker, Fayetteville


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Higher Learning with Irving Farm & the SCAA
It's been almost a year since we opened our new education & training space in Manhattan, affectionately known as The Loft. Last autumn, we proudly became the first Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Certified Lab in New York City and began offering a range of SCAA certification courses that are among the most advanced in the nation. Our next workshop is the Barista Pathway Level 2 Workshop on March 25 & 26, and below you'll find a list of all our currently scheduled SCAA classes for 2016. Take a moment to learn more about SCAA curriculum and how it has an important impact on the life of anyone looking to build a career in the coffee industry.
Certificate Basics
The SCAA Certificate programs are divided into Pathways: Foundations of Coffee, Barista, Roaster, Coffee Taster and Coffee Buyer. There are also Stewardship Programs like Gold Cup Technician and SCAA Lead Instructor.
What makes SCAA workshops different from other Irving Farm classes and training opportunities?
SCAA coursework teaches industry best practices without bias to any coffee company, equipment manufacturer, or personal preference. The courses are geared toward setting the industry standard and applying different techniques within the standard. SCAA coursework lays the foundation for any company-specific training.
Irving Farm offers intensive training for our retail staff and wholesale partners, as well as a range of classes that are open to the public. These classes, like most coffee classes you'll find, give specific information and standards tailored to our coffees, equipment and policies. What we teach in these classes is adapted from the SCAA best practices to meet our specific needs.
What does an SCAA certificate do for you?
SCAA Educational Pathway programs are internationally recognized and respected as the premier source of industry knowledge, and the foundation of any great coffee professional's craft. Many companies state that they seek out and show hiring preference to professionals who are Pathway graduates. If you're serious about a career in coffee, SCAA Pathways can prepare you for success!
Hot Tips
Did you know that Certified Baristas:
- Make $4,620 more annually according to the SCAA Compensation Report, and they're more likely to be salaried rather than paid hourly
- Receive more tips (and are less likely to rely on tips for compensation)
- Are more likely to receive paid time off—and get more of it!
- Are more likely to receive benefits like health insurance and access to professional development & events
- Are more likely to be managers or supervisors
Why does it cost so much?
The classes are definitely an investment—one that will pay for itself in less than 1 year of compensation increase—so even if we can all agree that the classes are a good value, they still cost quite a bit upfront.
Consider this—if you took the entire Foundations + Barista Level 1 Pathway at SCAA Expo, the cost would be $1830 for non-members (or $1035 for members), not including the $195 fee for your Expo badge.
We are offering the same group of classes at a significant discount: $1050 for non-members and $950 for members. We also provide breakfast and lunch each day for our students. And... it's a good excuse to immerse yourself in the rich coffee culture of NYC (not to mention all that other cultural stuff the city has to offer).
- Class size is limited to 6 students per instruction
- Each class has dedicated hands-on time with the instructors
- Students use a variety of equipment in an independent setting
- Students receive individual feedback based on their skill level
- Students receive access to class materials and handouts
I've already taken some classes for this bundle? Can I still attend?
Yes! Just email firstname.lastname@example.com and tell us which classes you need to take. We'll get back to you with an adjusted registration fee based on the number of classes you want to attend.
Who created the classes?
The class content for all the Pathways has been developed by Subject Matter Experts over many years. Each Pathway is managed by a committee of dedicated volunteers who are leaders in their field. These SMEs work for all different types of member companies all over the United States and across the globe. Their shared experience spans many lifetimes in the coffee industry, and their knowledge base is vast. Classes are developed over decades and kept up-to-date by the Pathways committees.
Who teaches these classes?
All classes are taught by SCAA Lead Instructors under the guidance of an SCAA Specialized Instructor. At Irving Farm we have two SCAA Specialized Instructors and three SCAA Lead Instructors on staff.
Dan Streetman, SCAA Specialized Instructor and Irving Farm VP of Green Buying
Dan Streetman is the Vice President and Green Coffee Buyer of Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. He is a certified barista, roaster, cupper and coffee educator. Dan sits on the SCAA Barista Pathways Committee, Coffee Tasters' Pathways Committee and WCE Advisory Board. Dan's favorite part of working in coffee is facilitating learning. For fun, he likes to taste things.
Sarah Leslie, SCAA Specialized Instructor and Irving Farm Wholesale Educator
Sarah has nearly a decade of coffee experience. She holds the SCAA Specialized Instructor and Lead Examiner credential. She is a Level 1 and Level 2 Certificate Barista and a Gold Cup Technician. In addition to leading SCAA classes at Irving Farm and events around the country, Sarah leads Irving Farm's wholesale and public education program. She serves as Vice Chair of the Barista Pathway Committee and is a member of the BGA Executive Council.
Teresa von Fuchs, SCAA Lead Instructor and Irving Farm Director of Wholesale
Teresa started as a barista back in 1994 and has over 20 years experience in the food and beverage industry. Since 2008, she has been nose deep in Specialty Coffee—working with the SCAA and the BGA on curriculum development and their growing certification program. She's judged many Barista Competitions and worked with some of the best cafes and restaurants in NYC in helping them make coffee as beautiful as the rest of their food and beverage programs. She's BGA Level 1 and 2 Certified, a Certified World Barista and Brewers Cup Judge, and an SCAA Lead Instructor. What gets her out of bed and to work everyday is her confidence that there's always something new for her to learn and share with others.
Bill McAllister, SCAA Lead Instructor and Irving Farm Director of Service
Bill McAllister started moonlighting as a barista in 2010 while going to school for electrical engineering. He is BGA Level 1 Certified and an SCAA Lead Instructor. At Irving Farm he runs the Service Department and also regularly leads cuppings and wholesale training sessions. Much of his free time is spent playing with microbes, working as an assistant fabricator at a metal shop, and riding his bike. He has a dog named Cheddar.
To learn more about all of our class offerings, simply visit our Eventbrite page where you'll find dates, descriptions and more. Also be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! We'll see you in class.


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Small Leather Zip Pouch
This variant is currently sold out
Simply divine, in soft, smooshy leather. Carry your hopes, dreams, and everyday wishes in this leather zip pouch alongside your cards, keys, and most favorite lip balm. Make it your own with a hand-painted message in metallic gold.
- Natural milled leather
- Brass zipper
- Measures 4" x 5"
CUSTOMIZATION: Please include the message you would like painted on your clutch in the "notes" during checkout. You can add up to 12 characters, and each message will be painted in a hand-lettered script.


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Roseneil, Sasha, Crowhurst, Isabel, Hellesund, Tone, Santos, Ana Cristina and Stoilova, Marya (2012) Remaking intimate citizenship in multicultural Europe: experiences outside the conventional family. In: Roseneil, Sasha , Halsaa, Beatrice and Sumer, Sevil, (eds.) Remaking citizenship in multicultural Europe: women's movements, gender and diversity. Palgrave. (Citizenship, Gender and Diversity) ISBN 9780230276284Full text not available from this archive.
|Item Type:
|Book Section
|Research Area:
|Faculty, School or Research Centre:
|Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (until 2017) > School of Social Science (until November 2012)
|Depositing User:
|Isabel Crowhurst
|Date Deposited:
|30 Apr 2012 10:52
|Last Modified:
|30 Apr 2012 10:52
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Great news for Tangled fans! The long-haired heroine Rapunzel is set to return to the small screen for the show's official sequel: Tangled: Before Ever After. The trailer for the upcoming television movie premiered last Friday, January 13, on Disney Channel.
Mandy Moore Returns to Voice Rapunzel for Tangled: Before Ever After
Tangled made over $500 million in worldwide box office during its theatrical run in 2010. The movie was under production for six years and had one of the biggest film budgets throughout Disney history. The effort proved to be worth the risk as not only did Tangled score big in profit, but it was also nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Original Song.
The story is based on the fairy-tale story Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm. It centers around a young princess who is born with magical hair. She is locked in a secluded tower and longs for a life beyond her daily routine. When she crosses paths with a thief, the unlikely pair are forced to work together to take her out into the world she thought she'd never venture to before.
Following Tangled's success, creators Nathan Greno and Byron Howard released a short animated film in 2012 entitled Tangled: Ever After, which focuses on the wedding of the two lead characters, Rapunzel and Flynn.
The newly announced TV movie Tangled: Before Ever After reportedly takes place in between the time of the original film and the animated short. It will also serve as a predecessor to the upcoming series, which is set to air on Disney Channel this year.
Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi will return to play Rapunzel and Eugene, respectively. Other supporting characters such as Maximus and Pascal will also make their small screen debut. The musical scores of the series and movie will be produced by Tangled's original composer, Alan Menken.
The showrunners have also confirmed that a new character named Cassandra will be introduced to the cast with Broadway actress Eden Espinosa stepping in to voice over a character. While no concrete plot details have been released, the official trailer suggests that the story will reset the events of Tangled.
Tangled: Before Ever After will premiere on Disney Channel this coming March 2017.


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He started out on the TV show "Rawhide," but Clint Eastwood had to travel to Europe to make it as the Man with No Name in the Sergio Leone spaghetti western trilogy "A Fistful of Dollars," "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Eastwood's stateside breakthrough would come as hard-nosed cop inspector Harry Callahan in the "Dirty Harry" series, then turned director with the thriller "Play Misty for Me." He earned a pair of Best Director/Best Picture Oscars for his 1992 film "Unforgiven" and the 2004 "Million Dollar Baby," earning his only two Best Actor nominations in each (along with a Best Supporting Actor win for Gene Hackman in the former and a Best Actress win for Hilary Swank in the latter). Streampix offers a half-dozen Eastwood movies, including four he directed ("Mystic River," "Absolute Power," "Letters from Iwo Jima," "The Eiger Sanction"), two of which he also starred in. This month, Streampix highlights seven of Clint Eastwood's greatest hits as a director, actor and influence.
"Mystic River": Clint Eastwood received a Best Director nomination for this Oscar-nominated 2003 adaptation of Dennis Lehane's emotional drama about three childhood friends in blue-collar Boston who become entwined in solving the murder of one of their daughters. Eastwood proved masterful coaxing award-worthy performances from the uniformly superb cast, with Sean Penn and Tim Robbins winning Academy Awards as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. The supporting ensemble included Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Best Supporting Actress nominee Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and Emmy Rossum.
"Absolute Power": Clint Eastwood both directed and starred in this 1997 political thriller as a master jewl thief who witnesses the killing of a woman by Secret Service agents, with a screenplay by William Goldman based on David Baldacci's novel of the same name. The film also starred Gene Hackman as the murderous President (shades of "House of Cards"), Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis and Scott Glenn, as well as the last screen appearance of E.G. Marshall. Look also for appearances by "24" POTUS Dennis Haysbert and "Six Feet Under" patriarch Richard Jenkins. Who knew just 15 years after directing this film about a venally corrupt White House, Eastwood would be front and center at the Republican convention talking to a chair?
"Letters from Iwo Jima": This 2006 war film was Clint Eastwood's Japanese companion piece to his earlier "Flags of Our Fathers," which told the story of the same battle from the American point of view. The movie flashes back to 1944, where Japanese soldiers were building subterranean tunnels under the island to prepare for the U.S. invasion. The largely Japanese cast includes Ken Watanabe as the General in command who discovers that the fleet assigned to protect them has been destroyed. Although the movie is set in Japan, it was filmed in Barstow and Bakersfield, California. The film itself earned a total of four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Eastwood's fourth as Best Director (he lost to Martin Scorsese for "The Departed") and Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis for Best Original Screenplay, winning only the Best Sound Editing category.
"Dirty Harry": Clint Eastwood had his breakout role in an American movie as Inspector Harry Callahan in pal Don Siegel's 1971 crime thriller, followed by four sequels, one of which (1983's "Sudden Impact," Eastwood directed himself). In the movie, Callahan tracks down the serial killer who calls himself "Scorpio" (Andy Robinson), with a ransom note sent to the city demanding $100,000 with the promise he'll commit a murder if his demand is refused (hard to believe, but that was once a princely sum). The movie's most well-known scene involves Eastwood confronting a bank robber, challenging him to remember how many shots he's fired from his .44 Magnum with one of his series of unforgettable catch phrase alongside "Make my day": "You've got to ask yourself one question. 'Do I feel lucky'? Well, do ya punk?" With that, Eastwood became an unlikely cultural hero as the face of the law-and-order Republican right in the midst of an America quickly embracing its inner counter-culture.
[iframe http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/Dirty-Harry/8251560649728633112/62088771616/Dirty-Harry/embed 580 476]
"The Eiger Sanction": Eastwood directed and starred in this 1975 action thriller based on the Trevanian novel of the same name, about a retired government assassin (niftily named "Hemlock") who performs officially approved killings or "sanctions." He also has a reputation as one of the world's stop mountaineers and a collector of masterpiece paintings. The director of his secret government agency C2 is an albino ex-Nazi Dr. Strangelove type confined to semi-darkness and kept alive by blood transfusions. The movie has a number of exotic locations, including Eastwood's adopted hometown of Carmel, the Swiss Alps, Arizona's Monument Valley and Utah's Zion National Park. The mountain scenes cost the production the life of a 27-year-old Scottish climber, David Knowles, a body double and photographer, who was killed during a rock fall. Eastwood lived out his boyhood fantasy of climbing mountains and did all his own stunts during the filming.
"The Dead Pool": This 1988 thriller, directed by Buddy Van Horn, featured Eastwood's Dirty Harry character in the fifth and final film in the series, set once again in San Francisco. The plot centers around the manipulation of a dead pool game by a serial killer, who goes head to head with Harry's confrontational tactics. The suppor4ting cast includes Liam Neeson and Patricia Clarkson, with a relative newcomer named Jim Carrey in his first non-comedy role as a rock singer found dead in his trailer outside a meatpacking plant during the filming of a slasher film. Check out the uncredited cameo appearance by rockers Guns N' Roses at the Carrey character Johnny Squares' funeral, and a later scene with Slash firing a harpoon gun through a window and getting berated by Neeson's snuff film director Peter Swan. The band's "Welcome to the Jungle" serves as the theme song to Swan's movie within the movie, lip-synched by Carrey's character.
"Charley Varrick": Not technically an Eastwood movie—he's neither in it nor directs it—but his main inspiration as a filmmaker, Don Siegel, directed this 1973 crime flick starring Walter Matthau as a bank robber in trouble with the big-league racketeers whose payroll he unwittingly heisted. The film stars Siegel regulars like Joe Don Baker and Andy Robinson, who played the serial killer Scorpio in "Dirty Harry." Matthew earned a Best Actor nod from British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. The movie was one of the Kinks leader Ray Davies' favorites, as revealed in his autobiography, "X-Ray," while guitarist Rory Gallagher named one of his songs, "Last of the Independents," after the motto of Varrick's company, which Siegel wanted to call the film.


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Thank you to everyone who attended the 2018 Annual Meeting for the
United Way of Northwest Connecticut!
All who attended enjoyed socializing with their fellow supporters of the United Way and our Community Partners, and fantastic Hors d'oeuvres prepared by the Torrington Elks Lodge #372!
During the night our Executive Director Owen Quinn, and Chairman of our Board of Directors JoAnn Ryan honored our Volunteer of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Business Partner of the Year, Outgoing Board Directors, and our new Incoming Board Directors.
Volunteer of the Year ~ Deborah Pokrinchak, Rookie of the Year ~ Anita Rosa, Business Partner of the Year ~ ITW Automotive Components, Outgoing Board Directors Gail Olsen, Susan Suhanovsky, and Margret Warner, and Incoming Board Director Jeffery Kitching could not be in attendence.
Pictured below from left to right, Executive Director Owen Quinn, Chairman of the Board of Directors JoAnn Ryan, Incoming Board Directors Alan Colavecchio, Father Ian Height, Joyce Muse, Lance Leifert, Michael Rooke, and Outgoing Board Director William Riiska, Esq.


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Undergraduate Honors Theses
Thesis Defended
Spring 2016
Document Type
Type of Thesis
Departmental Honors
First Advisor
Dylan Taatjes
Second Advisor
Cecilia Levandowski
p53 is a transcription factor that plays a significant role in cell cycle regulation, senescence, and apoptosis. The p53 protein has been widely studied for its link to human cancer, and is estimated to be mutated in ~50% of all human cancers. This project focused on generating a p53-null A549 cell line using the genome editing technique CRISPR (Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-Cas9. CRISPR-Cas9 was employed to generate a simultaneous knock-in/knockout of mCherry and WTp53, respectively. The mCherry gene was inserted at the WTp53 endogenous translational start site (TSS), thereby rendering WTp53 inactive and mCherry "active" whenever WTp53 would normally be expressed. After the initial transfection yielded low levels of mCherry fluorescence, focus shifted to next-generation CRISPR techniques that would increase the p53 knockout efficiency. One of these techniques included expressing and purifying the Cas9 protein in order to directly introduce the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex to target cells via electroporation. Cas9 was overexpressed in Rosetta 2 (DE3) E. Coli cells and was purified through a Ni-NTA affinity column followed by a Heparin Ion-Exchange column. The Cas9 purification process has been optimized for future uses, and the assembly and electroporation of Cas9 RNPs will likely increase efficiency for any upcoming genome-editing projects within the Taatjes lab.
Recommended Citation
Shults, Elaine, "Improving the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9: The expression & purification of Cas9" (2016). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 1189.
Included in
Biochemistry Commons, Biotechnology Commons, Molecular Biology Commons, Other Cell and Developmental Biology Commons


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About Us
Welcome to Goodwin House, Welcome to Choice
For 50 years, Goodwin House Incorporated (GHI) has been reimagining aging. Our mission-driven, not-for-profit organization continues to earn a reputation for integrity, innovation and excellence in vibrant residential, community-living for older adults and for compassion and care along life's continuum. Adults from all over the world and all around the National Capital Region select Goodwin House, making our communities abundant with diverse experiences, talents and interests.
We invite you to explore the choices we offer through our two Life Plan Communities – Goodwin House Alexandria in Alexandria's West End and Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads in Falls Church, Fairfax County (near Arlington), which include independent residential living as well as the full continuum of care. We also offer one of the first "at home" life care programs in the United States – Goodwin House at Home. Modeled after the continuing care concept in retirement communities, this unique program bundles an array of services and supports provided to members wherever they call home.
GHI also owns and operates a growing Medicare-certified Palliative Care and Hospice program and a pioneering new model of nursing care and small house living at our Health Care Center on our Goodwin House Alexandria campus. In addition, GHI is the management agent for The Lewinsville Retirement Residences, Inc., serving McLean and Great Falls, Virginia.
GHI advances its mission through a 501(c)(3) supporting foundation – the Goodwin House Foundation – that provides support for current and future residents in need and funds programs dedicated to seniors' well-being and vibrant living.
To learn more about our commitment to reimagine aging, view this brief video from 2017 featuring Kathleen S. Anderson, who served as President and CEO of GHI from 2002 to 2019.
To visit us in person and begin to reimagine your own aging, contact us at 703-824-1000.


text: You are here: Home > What we do > Latest news > News archive > News stories from 2017 > July 2017 > Guy Evans Young Hero - Vote! Vote for your Guy Evans Young Hero of the Year! Voting is open for the Guy Evans Young Hero of the Year Award, part of our Everyday Heroes Awards. The award, supported by The Mail on Sunday, is in memory of teenager Guy Evans, who tragically lost his life when first aid could have given him the chance to live. Read the stories of our amazing finalists below and vote for your favourite. Voting closes at midnight on Sunday 30 July 2017 so cast your vote now! The winner will be announced at the Everyday Heroes Awards on 28 September 2017. Voting for the Guy Evans Young Hero of the Year Award has now closed. Caine Wildman Hero son gives CPR to father and saves his life Caine Wildman, 14, came home from school to find his father collapsed on the sofa not breathing and unresponsive. Caine immediately took control of the situation by placing his father on to the floor, calling an ambulance and starting CPR, while he waited for the paramedics to arrive and take over. When they arrived, Caine helped to calm down his two younger siblings. Caine's father Craig Wildman was told by the consultants that Caine was a hero and undoubtedly saved his life by his cool, calm actions and first aid skills. Emily Budinger Teenager treats herself following severe bleed in axe incident Emily Budinger, 16, was chopping firewood at a camp in Canada when her axe made contact with her leg and caused a deep laceration. She used her clothing to stop the bleeding and treated herself for shock. When her campmates arrived, one of them fainted. She instructed one of the campers to remember the recovery position and make sure the other casualty had an open airway. Once a first aider arrived, she was taken to hospital and made a full recovery. Dominic Hollinshead 10-year-old saves mum from choking to death When mum Lisa Hollinshead started to choke, son Dominic, 10, acted fast and put the first aid skills he'd learned from St John Ambulance's Big First Aid Lesson at school to the very best use. Lisa was relaxing watching television and snacking on pork scratchings when a piece got stuck and she started to choke. Although normally in bed at that time, 10pm, Dom had gone downstairs for some reason and raced into help his mum. Dom knew exactly what to do and performed abdominal thrusts on Lisa to dislodge to piece of pork scratching. On the fourth thrust the obstruction flew out. Amy Crowther Teenager saves mum suffering rare heart condition When Amy Crowther's mum, Jo, picked up her children from school she was feeling poorly. By the time they got home she felt so ill that she asked Amy to watch the younger children as she needed to go and lie down. Amy said she wanted to check Jo's temperature and when she went to get the thermometer, Jo lost responsiveness. Amy kept very calm, called an ambulance and explained what was happening, rang her dad and when she couldn't get him she rang her grandparents. The younger boys heard the commotion and went upstairs but Amy told them everything was fine and didn't let them into mum's bedroom. It must have been terrifying for Amy but she kept calm throughout. Paramedics arrived and Amy went with her to hospital. Following investigations, it was discovered that Jo had had a heart attack due to a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a rare, sometimes fatal condition. Ellis Rudge Teenager treats skate park head injury Whilst Ellis Rudge was in the skate park, he witnessed a boy, Mason Kent, fall badly and bang his head. Ellis assessed the situation, realised that Mason had passed out and straight away placed him in the recovery position. He took his coat off and placed it under Mason's head in an effort to make him comfortable. Ellis then managed to alert those around him to call for an ambulance and locate Mason's parents. When the paramedics arrived, Ellis, despite only being 12 years old, was able to deliver a credible and thorough brief to them. Mason had sustained internal bruising to his skull, but the swift action taken by Ellis that day ensured that Mason received professional medical assistance as soon as possible. Share this page Email a friend Print this page Facebook Twitter More sharing options Digg Delicious StumbleUpon Reddit


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(Common Oat)
Has a selective action on brain and nervous system, favorably influencing their nutritive function.
Nervous exhaustion, sexual debility, and the morphine habit call for this remedy in rather material dosage. Best tonic for debility after exhausting diseases. Nerve tremors of the aged; chorea, paralysis agitans, epilepsy. Post-diphtheritic paralysis. Rheumatism of heart. Colds. Acute coryza (20 drop doses in hot water hourly for a few doses). Alcoholism. Sleeplessness, especially of alcoholics. Bad effects of Morphine habit. Nervous states of many female troubles.
Inability to keep mind on any one subject.
Nervous headache at menstrual period, with burning at top of head. Occipital headache, with phosphatic urine.
Amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea, with weak circulation.
Spermatorrhea; impotency; after too much indulgence.
Numbness of limbs, as if paralyzed. Strength of hand diminished.
Compare: Alfalfa (General tonic similar to avena-also in scanty and suppressed urine).
Tincture ten to twenty drop doses, preferably in hot water.
(Oat. N. O. Gramineæ. Tincture of fresh plant in flower.)
Clinical.─Alcoholism. Cholera. Debility. Influenza. Neurasthenia. Opium habit. Palpitation. Sexual excess. Sleeplessness. Tuberculosis.
Characteristics.─Avena has been used empirically in substantial doses (5 to 15 drops of the tincture, preferably in hot water) in a large number of cases of nerve weakness. The leading indications are: Irregularities of the male sexual system. Nervous exhaustion. General debility. Nervous palpitation. Insomnia. Inability to keep the mind fixed on any one subject, especially when due to masturbation or sexual irregularities. It is most valuable in enabling a patient to overcome the morphine habit. It appears to exert the same kind of soothing action, without creating a habit of its own. When not more than four grains of morphine have been taken daily it may be discontinued abruptly, 15 drops of Avena in a wineglass of hot water being given four times a day instead. The only symptom that has been observed to be caused by it is a pain at the base of the brain from 20-drop doses.
An alkaloid, Avenin (C56 H21 NO18), has been isolated from oats. It is easily soluble in alcohol. No clinical observations with this have been recorded.


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The Forgotten Market Online: Older Women
New Fashion Sites Target Youth -- Though Most Web Apparel Sales Are to Women Over 35
Here was my ideal outfit for Monday morning here in Los Angeles, according to my daily, personalized StyleCaster email: an oversized gray T-shirt and black tights.
StyleCaster is among a new generation of Web sites that are trying to solve a stubborn problem: how to make fashion-shopping Web sites more than simply online catalogs. Using video and social-networking techniques, Stylecaster, ShopFlick, SmashingDarling and other sites aim to connect us with new indie designers, stylists and each other, all the while presenting...


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Your Visit
Box office opening times and contact details
Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Sunday and public holidays closed
Opening times / details Read more
Buying tickets made easy: whether on the Internet, by phone or on site.
All information about booking, special offers, benefits, vouchers, price categories and seating maps.
Tickets Read more
Directions to the Semperoper in the historic centre of Dresden
Semperoper Dresden
Theaterplatz 2, 01067 Dresden
Journey Read more
History of the Semperoper: The Semperoper Dresden through the ages
In 1838 King Friedrich August II commissioned Gottfried Semper with the construction of the new Hoftheater...
History Read more
Exklusive catering at the Semperoper with bean&beluga
Exquisite finger food, refined hors d'oeuvres and fine coffee and pastry specialties.
Gastronomy Read more
Semperoper away – Vouchers and souvenirs of the Semperoper
Gift ideas, Semperoper collections and gift vouchers for family, friends and acquaintances.
Vouchers / Opera Shop Read more
Guided Tours: Explore the architectur and history of the Semperoper!
See one of the world's most renowned opera houses up close! Let the magnificent architecture and richly decorated rooms enchant you.
Guided Tours Read more
Enjoy opera without barriers
A disability should not prevent you from being able to enjoy our opera house.
Accessible opera Read more
Sights and accommodation in Dresden
Usefull links, hints and tips for your stay at the baroque town Dresden.
Tourist information Read more
FAQ: frequently asked questions
Get answers to all your questions regarding the Semperoper.
Read more
Publications and magazines
Our various publications, magazines and periodicals are available at the Visitor Service: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Pain Medicine
Online pharmacy > Pain Medicine > Prescriptions > Ponstel
All orders over $149 shipped free! (Standard Shipping)
Ponstel (Mefenamic Acid)
Also known as: Meftal, Bonabol, Coslan, Lysalgo, Mefacit, Mefenacid, Namphen, Parkemed, Ponalar, Ponstan
Ponstil, Pontal, Tanston, Vialidon
Ponstel (Mefenamic Acid) is a Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to relieve pain caused by sprains, strains, or menstrual cramps. It is also used to treat other conditions as determined by your doctor.
Buy now and get +20% bonus pills on your next order!
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You will get a doctor's review of your order absolutely free. Our doctor works hard so you could be sure that your order is correct.
Save on Shipping
If you make several purchases within 24 hour period you will pay shipping fee only once. Other orders will be delivered to you free of charge.
We care about your privacy
All your orders arrive in discrete and unmarked parcels. We leave the shipment description field blank for your added protection.


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Fazakerley Special Needs Project
Charity information
Fazakerley Special Needs Project
FSNP provides people with learning and physical disabilities access to social and recreational and lifeskills activities in order to help develop personal skills and abilities.
As part of this remit we operate an inclusive drama group which offers training in performing arts resulting in public performances as well as a social group which promotes inclusion through arts activities.
Founded 1989
Established: September 1989
Registered Charity Number: 1022114
Phone number: 0151-521-7569View charity accounts on the Charity Commission website


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States › Assam › Hotels & Resorts in Assam › Hotels in Bongaigaon
With the brilliance of ancient buildings and the reflection of rich cultural heritage, Bongaigaon is one of the must visit places of Assam. There are many hotels in Bongaigaon along with several lodges and guest houses in varying ranges for the visitors to check in while on a tour to this beautiful place.
The city has many luxury places to stay where elite facilities and warm hospitality are offered to the guests. One can expect superior quality services, all possible luxury amenities - spa & wellness centre, gym; and prompt transportation arrangements as well.
Bongaigaon also offers numerous standard hotels that are also well maintained and take great care of the needs of their guests. Apart from it, there are also many pocket-friendly hotels and lodges where one can enjoy a comfortable stay during their holiday in Bongaigaon.
We at Tour My India aspire to provide our clients the full assistance on hotel bookings and also make sure to offer an enjoyable trip. We also ensure that the hospitality, staff and rooms are perfect and you are offered one of the best tours of your life.


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Tutorial #16: Customizing the Dictation Box
This video builds off the previous one on using the Dictation Box by teaching you how to customize the look and feel of the Dictation Box, including how to adjust transparency in "Hidden Mode"
Customizing the Dictation Box
The dictation box is a very useful tool for dictating in the background as well as in unsupported applications. Part of its usefulness is the variety of customization options you have including its visibility level in hidden mode, how it opens, when it opens and much more. Please explore the options as you feel fit. If you ever experience issues that you can't resolve, please navigate back to the options and simply click "Restore Defaults"
Launch Dragon Veterinary, if it isn't already open, by double clicking the desktop icon, clicking the icon on the taskbar if present, or by simply opening the start menu in windows and typing in "Dragon Medical Practice Edition," and then pressing enter
Once Dragon opens, either select a profile to load or, if you have only one profile, wait for Dragon to load your profile
Click on "Tools" on the Dragon Bar
Click "Options..."
When the options window opens, click on the "Dictation Box" tab
Change the settings to your liking and then click "Ok" when finished


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What does the heat anticipator do on a furnace thermostat? Does it have anything to do with the dwell (temperature rise) of the unit? — BV, Burton, MI
A simple thermostat turns the furnace on when the temperature it senses falls below a certain value and turns the furnace off when the temperature it senses rises above that value. Because it takes time for the furnace to respond to signals from the thermostat, for the heat from the furnace to travel to the thermostat, and for the thermostat to respond to changes in the temperature around it, the furnace tends to stay on for too long after the thermostat turns it on and then to stay off for too long after the thermostat turns it off. The result is an oscillation in temperature: the home or building alternately overheats and then overcools. To reduce this oscillation, a thermostat with a heat anticipator limits the amount of time that the furnace stays on. Since the furnace turns off earlier, the temperature doesn't overshoot as much on the high side and the furnace turns back on again more quickly once the home or building drifts below the set temperature of the thermostat. Overall, the temperature still oscillates above and below the set temperature, but those oscillations are smaller and faster.


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Joe's Winos Wine Club december 2016
South African sparkling rarely makes it to US shores. Graham Beck was able to break through into the international markets by becoming their own importer. Their entrepreneurship rewards us with a glimpse into South Africa's world of bubbles. What they refer to as the "Méthode Cap Classique" is bottled conditioned Méthode Champenoise with the added necessity of 18-20 months on the lees (yeast). Graham Beck's first planted vines in 1984 and produced their first sparkling wine in 1991. This non-vintage Brut, sourced from Champagne clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, offers lively orange peel, lime custard, toast, almond butter and subtle flinty notes. The bright bubbly offers a rich, creamy mouthfeel teaming with lemon meringue, yellow delicious apples, peaches, Parmesan and a toasty, buttered bread finish.
Great as an aperitif but would do very well alongside seared tuna or sashimi, puff pastry, herb baked brie, or waffles.
Marco Speri is the son of Valpolicella wine-making legend Benedetto Speri. Benedetto helped perfect the now famous Amarone di Valpolicella, a style of drying out the region's grapes for several months before pressing. Marco's vision was to make wines with bright acidity, lower alcohol and less residual sugar than his predecessors. The results speak for themselves with this amazingly expressive wine. Valpolicella, an appellation in the province of Verona, is a field blend of the local varietals Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara. Valpolicella Classico is sourced from grapes grown in the original Valpolicella region. The Secondo Marco Valpolicella Classico 2014 offers impressive complexity with tart raspberry, anise, pomegranate, rose water, foxy nutmeg and clove, cured meat and old leather. The palate is light bodied but has a rich mouthfeel with pie spice, cranberry and cola. Many Valpolicellas can come across as simply easy drinking, light summer quaffers but Secondo Marco has blown all those preconceptions away with this stunner.
The wild side of this wine just beg for wild game if its available to you. Also try with Braised oxtail or any hearty stew.


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Project: Forward Error Correction for Groupware
Real-time distributed groupware sends several kinds of messages with varying quality-of-service requirements. However, standard network protocols do not provide the flexibility needed to support these different requirements (either providing too much reliability or too little), leading to poor performance on real-world networks. To address this problem, we investigated the use of an application-level networking technique called adaptive forward error correction (AFEC) for real-time groupware. AFEC can maintain a predefined level of reliability while avoiding the overhead of packet acknowledgement or retransmission. We analysed the requirements of typical real-time groupware systems and developed an AFEC technique to meet these needs. We tested the new technique in an experiment that measured message reliability and latency using TCP, plain UDP, UDP with non-adaptive FEC, and UDP with our AFEC scheme, under several simulated network conditions. Our results show that for awareness messages that can tolerate some loss, FEC approaches keep latency at nearly the plain-UDP level while dramatically improving reliability. In addition, adaptive FEC is the only technique that can maintain a specified level of reliability and also minimize delay as network conditions change. Our study shows that groupware AFEC can be a useful tool for improving the real-world performance and usability of real-time groupware.
See the publication page for more information and a link to the PDF copy.
Toolkit download
The toolkit is available for download, including a simple whiteboard telepointer client-server project which shows the toolkit in use.
Jeff Dyck
University of Saskatchewan
Carl Gutwin
University of Saskatchewan
Zenja Ivkovic
University of Saskatchewan


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FRONT STREET FIGHTS 4 – Main Event: Brandon "hotrod" Hempleman vs Steven "super" Siler
Event Date: Friday Feb 20, 2015
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Front Street Fights 4 – presented by Bodybuilding.com – will take place on February 20th at 7pm.
The main event features Steven Siler (23-14-0) stepping into the cage against Brandon "Hot Rod" Hempleman (10-2-0). Brandon is currently under contract with World Series of Fighting and they have granted him permission to step the cage in front of his hometown crowd!
The co-main event will see Benny Vinson (7-2-1) taking on Czar Sklavos (10-4-0)
More fights will be announced over the next few days, so make sure to like Front Street Fights on Facebook for the official announcements.
FIGHT CARD (current as of 12/30 – card subject to change)
Brandon "Hot Rod" Hempleman vs. Delane Lamere (Main Event)
Czar Sklavos vs. Benny Vinson (Co-Main Event)
Freddy Arteaga vs. Weston Barnes
Joe Hamilton vs. Carson Frei
$15 General Admission
$25 Lower Bowl Reserved
$50 Floor Reserved
For Floor tables please call the CenturyLink Arena Box Office
Click below to view seating map:
Tickets can be purchased by using 'Buy Tickets' button, visiting the CenturyLink Arena Box Office, or by calling 208.331.TIXS


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Online Reputation Management
Online reputation management is a valuable service that Bamboo Nine provides to businesses…. to help them get the best visibility on any positive recommendations for their products and services. We offer to manage and build social media accounts to push down negative sentiment, manage online comments or reviews and brand building. Where possible and if needed, we will even request the removal of specific content on Google.


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Jose Lambiet
Anchor was away, now he's coming back: Louis Aguirre to join Miami Channel 10
Former WSVN-Channel 7 personality Louis Aguirre, who left Miami three years ago to take over as co-anchor of the tabloid show "The Insider," is coming back to South Florida.
Aguirre, 50, is set to return to the local market as anchor and reporter at WPLG-Channel 10, according to station officials.
He is due to start in September, both as co-anchor of the 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. news shows then as reporter at 11 p.m.
Bert Medina, boss at the ABC affiliate, saluted Aguirre's return by pointing out he started out at WPLG in 1989, right after he graduated from the University of Miami. Aguirre stayed with the station for three years before moving on to Fox News Channel then WSVN.
"We are thrilled to welcome Louis back to South Florida," Medina said.
The permanently sun-tanned Aguirre was one of the best known Miami boob-tubers when he left Channel 7 in 2014 for LaLaLand.
He co-anchored the CBS-produced "The Insider" alongside Debbie Matenopolous since then.
Earlier this year, however, the network announced it would cease production in September after 13 seasons. While no official reason has been given, "The Insider" never garnered the ratings of grittier staples "Access Hollywood" and "Inside Edition."
In Miami, Aguirre will take over the anchor's chair scheduled to be vacated by Victor Oquendo, who's moving to ABC News.


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..hmmm, what are my signs of Spring, you know things that happen every year at this time, that remind you Winter is over.
The first is the window redo that usually without fail has me hunting for the silk forsythias and a dash of green.
There are wonderful things, like loading the truck late at night with auction purchases in a muddy parking lot, (but it is over 50 degrees.) The pooling of rain water in front of the shop and Humphrey refusing to go out in the rain. Customers in search of outdoor iron furniture, potting containers and treats for the garden.
The Middle School helps mark the coming of Spring in our house, it was Guys and Dolls this year, nothing like watching kids do their best, while singing, dancing and getting that direct look from your own child. (You were wonderful Everett) Later this week the High School musical, will surely give me that undeniable feeling that Spring break is here.(break a leg Aubrey)
The gathering of merchandise that compliments the Annual Gardiner Cupcake Festival, has begun here at HiHo. Meetings with the Main Street Gang are more frequent and productive,reviewing all the details for the day, May 8th, this year.
My favorite every day sign of Spring, is having the shop door open, being able to put almost anything outside and seeing all the other doors open in the hamlet. Life is good in the Spring!!


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Bluford Shops products are not intended for children under 14.
N 86' Auto Parts Boxcar Features
Now Accepting Pre-Orders
About Us
Contact Us Links
In Stock at Bluford Shops
N Hopper Features
Past Releases
N Caboose
HO Caboose
New to N scale: International Car Co. Bay Window Cabooses.
Phase 1, 2, 3, and 4 plus the iconic "Half-Bay Window" edition.
Bluford Shops is announcing new N scale models of a family of steel bay window caboose designs developed by International Car Company in the early 1950s. Over the years the design of the bay windows evolved and Bluford Shops is presenting four phases of these designs plus the iconic half-bay window edition. Ladders and running boards will be included on appropriate paint schemes for each version. The ready-to-run models will feature magnetically operating knuckle couplers, Fox Valley Models metal wheels, wire grab irons, window glass, and plenty of weight. Two road numbers will be available on each road name.
Leading off on the Phase 1 car is Erie Lackawanna in maroon and gray. EL inherited this group of cabooses from Erie who received them from International Car in 1953. This particular EL paint scheme is the same as that used on their locomotives but with the gray and maroon reversed.
41010 Erie Lackawanna maroon/gray #C307.
41011 Erie Lackawanna maroon/gray #C349.
Southern Railway was a big fan of the Phase 1 style bay window and stuck with it right to the end. This red and yellow paint scheme was adopted in 1969. During this period, red bay windows denoted cabooses in road service.
41020 Southern road service #X336.
41021 Southern road service #X397.
Leading off on the Phase 2 car (note the narrow bay window with steeper sides but retaining the long slope on top) we have Chicago & North Western. C&NW received this group from International Car in 1955 and by 1968 they could be found in this paint scheme with the now mandatory ACI tag.
42010 Chicago & North Western yellow #10331.
42011 Chicago & North Western yellow #10353.
Chicago & Eastern Illinois also chose the Phase 2 design for this group of cabooses built by International Car in 1965. C&EI was later divided up between Missouri Pacific and Louisville & Nashville but not evenly. All of these cabooses joined the MoPac fleet.
42020 Chicago & Eastern Illinois #38.
42021 Chicago & Eastern Illinois #36.
Western Pacific opted for a version of the Phase 3 car with the wider bay with a dual pane window. These cars were built by International Car in 1955 and 1956 and delivered in this paint scheme which most wore well into the 70s.
43010 Western Pacific mineral red #438.
43011 Western Pacific mineral red #445.
Having built nearly identical cars in their own Ironville Shops as early as 1955, Nickel Plate Road went to International Car for this group of Phase 3 cabooses. Nickel Plates High Speed Service had high priority shippers coming back for more.
43020 Nickel Plate Road #452.
43021 Nickel Plate Road #499.
Rock Island took delivery of this group of Phase 4 cars from International Car in 1967. The bay has been widened again with more steeply angled sides. Rock Island had begun painting caboose ends yellow for increased visibility. The silver railings and ladders also helped in that regard. These cars were stenciled for pool service and could often be found on connecting lines. A pre-production sample is shown here.
44010 Rock Island block letter #17124.
44011 Rock Island block letter #17170.
After the collapse of The Rock, Union Pacific took possession of their fleet of International Car Phase 4 bay window cabooses. UP had paid for these cabooses and leased them to Rock Island as part of their ill-fated merger plan. Like The Rock, UP used these cabooses in pool service (note the P on the bay window.) In addition to the spiffy new paint job, UP added diagonal mounted widow screen frames to the bay windows. By this time, UP was painting slogans directly on the sides of cabooses since the old board-in-a-frame method was not holding up to the weather.
44020 Union Pacific What do We do?... #24515.
44021 Union Pacific What do We do?... #24599.
Louisville & Nashville took delivery of this group of Phase 4 cars from International Car in 1974. L&N had built most of their own cabooses in their South Louisville Shops but this time a surge in hopper car repairs left the SLS too busy to build cabooses. Note the curious polished aluminum trust plate.
44030 Louisville & Nashville #6426.
44031 Louisville & Nashville #6473.
Delaware & Hudson received this group of Phase 4 cars from International Car in 1968. This was during D&Hs yellow period although they would later switch back to red for cabooses. Also of note are the ladders and running board as this was the tail end of the era for that equipment. Removing them was not a priority and many running boards remained on these cars into the Guilford era.
44040 Delaware & Hudson yellow #35720.
44041 Delaware & Hudson yellow #35727.
The Half-Bay Window caboose design was championed by Conrail predecessor NYC in 1948 and it spread through Centrals sister lines, successors and even a few unrelated lines. Rather than treat this bay window design as an oddity, Conrail embraced it and even ordered more half-bay window cabooses.
40010 Conrail #21204.
40011 Conrail #21286.
New York Central adopted the cigar band style logo and Century Green paint in the summer of 1959 and this paint scheme began to appear on NYCs fleet of half-bay window cabooses at that point. Running boards and ladders were still standard equipment.
40020 New York Central green #21039.
40021 New York Central green #21047.
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Nov. 12, 2000
Postgame Audio
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Senior Brian Jones showed why he should be considered one of the top senior basketball players in the country with a double-figure scoring and rebounding performance in Santa Clara's 73-65 win over Korabel, a club team from the Ukraine, Sunday at Bellarmine Prep.
The Carson, Calif. native scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds playing both the point and off-guard positions to lead the Broncos to victory in their final exhibition game of the preseason. Jones, who shot 10-of-17 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw line, scored 21 second half points to help claim the win for Santa Clara.
Senior forward Jamie Holmes (Merced, Calif.) was the only other Bronco to score in double-figures. He also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Oleksande Rayevskyy led Korabel with 25 points in the final game of their seven-game U.S. tour. Korabel ended its tour with a 2-5 record with wins over Idaho State and Montana State.
"Every game is a chance to grow a little bit more as a team," said Santa Clara Head Coach Dick Davey. "Even though some of the younger kids didn't play well, it gave them a chance to get their feet wet again and I think that is important. We were a little bit more mature offensively. This game was a good learning experience for our team."
Santa Clara played without the services of its two top centers. David Emslie and Stephen Dely missed the game, as did forward Andre Bobbitt. All three were suffering from minor injuries and should return to action in the regular-season opener later in the week.
Santa Clara will open the regular season on Nov. 17 against Utah State in the first round of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. (Pacific) in the Carlson Center at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. All Santa Clara men's basketball games will be broadcast live locally on the radio by KBZS 1220 AM as well as worldwide on the Internet at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com.


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The following is a list of Masonic Amateur Radio Nets held in and near Ohio.
Additions to this list are welcome by contacting the SIG coordinator listed below.
|The Trestleboard Net
|Originating in Cleveland
|Sunday evenings on 28.495 mHz at 2030 ET(0130Z, 0030Z DST)
|Tuesdays on the 146.73 mHz repeater at 2100 ET (0200Z, 0100Z DST)
|Ohio Masonic Fellowship Net, W8QV
|Sunday evenings on 3.865 mHz at 2130 ET (0230Z, 0130Z DST)
|Net Control: W.B. John Sutherin, K8DHC
|Marion, OH
|20 Meter Masonic Fellowship Net
|Monday-Friday on 14.328 mHz at 1100 ET (1600Z, 1500Z DST)
|Net Controls: Dave KD5RHL Thursday and Friday, Barb KD5SVX also on Friday
|Larry, N7LAR Monday, Jim N0TUI Tuesday
|Chuck W4CTC on Wednesday
|Michigan Masonic Fellowship Net
|Sunday afternoons on 7233 mHz at 1400 ET (1900Z, 1800Z DST
|Net Control: W.B. John M. Akkala, W8AT
|Marquette, MI
|QCWA Chapter No. 1
|Cleveland, OH
|Wednesdays at 2000 ET (0100Z, 0000Z DST) on the 146.88 repeater
|Net Control: Craig D. Kollai
|Masonic Gathering Net on Echolink
|Node 83055 – Sunday, 8:30 PM CST


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China Daily: Chinese carmaker to build monorail in Egypt
China's leading new-energy carmaker BYD announced Tuesday that it would build a monorail transit system in Egypt, the company's second overseas monorail order.
The Shenzhen-based company has recently signed an agreement with the government of Alexandria, a coastal city in Egypt, to build a 128-kilometer monorail, the company said.
The cost and other details of the project were not revealed.
The carmaker has spent around 5 years and 5 billion yuan ($750 million) to develop the system named Yungui (Skyrail). Monorail trains can run at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour.
Compared with a subway system, a monorail requires only one-fifth of the building cost and one-third of the construction time, according to BYD.
"BYD began to produce and sell passenger vehicles in Egypt many years ago. Nearly one-third of taxis in Cairo are made by BYD. Our brand popularity, product reliability and local manufacturing experience have made this new order possible," said Huang Zhixue, general manager with BYD's Middle East and Africa Auto Sales Division.


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First, from the shadows.
by Jonathan Lethem. I really enjoyed reading this book, even if the protagonist--part small-time thug, part detective . . . with Tourette's--seemed so odd that I'm not sure I was ever really able to identify with him. He was certainly unique, anyway. And I'm excited about this!
And now, in the sunshine:
The Cat-Nappers by P G Wodehouse, which is nothing if not silly and tongue-in-cheek. Though if you've read any Jeeves and Wooster books, this is exactly what you might expect (along with a few high-jinks, many complications, and a misunderstanding or two). This is the sort of book to read in one rainy afternoon of house-sitting.


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Single Pointed Focus
June/July Newsletter
For those of us who are actively seeking out the Truth in all things, we may find that at this time we are being severely pushed in our ability to take on this flood of new information, assimilate it into our daily reality and still be able to hold our centre (and enjoy life) without our mind scattering into a million pieces. We are being bombarded with "the great reveal" and it is happening on a multitude of levels simultaneously. It's way okay to admit that things are happening so fast that it makes your head spin – and if you are feeling this way, then it's important to take some steps to integrate and re-balance yourself before moving forwards again or before looking for more or new information.
In the spiritual arena, so much information has been regurgitated over the years – balancing your chakras, working with your astrological birth sign, archetypes, inner child stuff, angel messages, channelling, etc… all may be valuable for learning at a certain time but for those of us that genuinely ask to know the Truth, we will be taken way beyond that type of information and deeply down the rabbit hole, and this is where things can get really funky.
Generally speaking this is "the road less travelled". For those that choose this road, much of it literally is ground breaking work, we are the pathcutters and many of us are the prototypes for divine ascended human embodiment. We are on the Ascension path as opposed to the New Age path.
Many of us have asked God/Universe to show us "the Truth" or "to help us to remember" and when we ask something like this from the Universe genuinely and from our heart, it usually shows up – albeit that it may not arrive in quite the way we expected. Hence we can often not even recognise that what we asked for is actually there right in front of us. So for example, when I asked to see "the Truth" – what I actually got to see was everything around me that was "Untruth". That was the beginning of my personal great reveal and the dismantling of my life so that it could be re-created in a different form. There were many things, people and situations in my life that I had to look at that revealed themselves to be untrue, full of lies or surrounded by deception. It was very painful for me to have to look at all of these things and it was only when I was truly willing to see and know the truth was I was even able to see things that had clearly been in front of me the whole time. Previously I had been unwilling to fully and completely face the Truth and had therefore subconsciously blocked myself from seeing it. What an amazing way to learn what Truth looks like and feels like! When you know untruth so personally that you can recognise it in every cell of your body, you then also know Truth because of it's energetic signature. It resonates to the Truth vibration, that which you have aligned yourself to through your genuine commitment to be in Truth on every level of your life.
If you refuse to see the lies, how can you expect to see the Truth?
I believe that we all have an inbuilt survival instinct that can tell us when we are being lied to. Most of us have shut this down over time, but we can activate it again if we really want to – by choosing to live in Truth.
Everyone on this planet has experienced some level of betrayal – the adulterous spouse or partner, the parent that did not give us love or protection and who hurt us, or the invasion of our planet by a race of beings who forced themselves upon us and set about erasing our memory of that fact. All of this is recorded as cellular memory and it is written in our DNA. As we wake up and learn to trust our inner knowing again, more and more of these memories are revealed. Humanity's hidden history is revealing itself now.
Psychologists use the term "Gaslighting" to describe "a form of mental abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making victims doubt their own memory, perception, and sanity.Instances may range simply from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim".
In actual fact, this is what has been done to humanity. We have been lied to, we have been deceived and we have been taught not to trust our own inner voice, so that we consistently override our inner knowing to believe what others tell us, be it governments, doctors or the masses. This seems particularly targeted towards the population of newly awakening starseed or indigo beings, purely because of who they are as it is preferred by the controllers that none of us wake up and become aware of what we really know and therefore particular constructs are put in place to thwart our awakening and remembering process. This can take the form of a frequency fence at the 4D/5D level, various implants in the mental/emotional/spiritual body and as well through interference in the planetary logos at a 7D level. We are able to be free of all of these "interferences" of course, though only when we are able to see them, recognize them and accept them and this is partly where we see a divide between the new agers and the hardcore ascension goers. It is not all love, light and unicorns… there is some serious work to be done as ascension is a commitment to your Inner Spirit, to your Inner Christ Light and quite honestly, it can be hard work, but… so very rewarding. I am at a loss to understand sometimes why someone would prefer to stay in the 5D New Age world when multidimensional/universal connection with God Source is offered as the highest potential for humanity.
While the population on planet earth still continues to believe that we came out of a swamp or evolved from apes, how could they believe that embodying the Christ could be a potential for them?
This is a great problem that we have on earth, because when any one of us tries to step forward and correct this Darwinian or evolutionist theory and bring the Truth into great reveal we are ridiculed, abused and laughed off the stage. The establishment sets about discrediting us and calling us a conspiracy theorist. (The new-agers attack us and call us negative or judgemental!)
Really… what will it take for people on this planet to wake up and look at the Truth?
We can appreciate how hard this could be for some people to accept… goodness knows even those of us searching for the Truth are sometimes so shocked or impacted by what we discover that it takes us a little while to integrate the knowledge and come back into balance again, but a Truth is a Truth, even though some of them are pretty shocking, scary or downright heartbreaking. It also doesn't take away from the fact that "someone" decided to hide the Truth from us, from humanity, and that means that a major deception has occurred on this planet, is still occurring on this planet, and it has been done deliberately through governments, religions, military and more.
I recently heard a geologist speak about a "closed system" which prevents archeologists or scientists from publishing evidence that goes against the accepted version of evolution. At one time this lady was highly regarded as a geologist specializing in the study of volcanic ash she had an international reputation. NATO and the AAS would pay for her to travel and give talks, she was a Professor at a State University in Colorado and she had many high level credentials to her name. She spoke of an archeological discovery that she made with another colleague when they discovered an artifact that would date the existence of humans in the New World to 250,000 years ago. The "system" could not accept this information, as the accepted norm is that humans arrived there 10,000-20,000 years ago. Whilst both agreed on the accuracy of the research her colleague's professor would not allow him to publish this information, so he decided to publish a lie and the lie was accepted. He is now a professor at a European University. By contrast she published the Truth – it was not accepted – and her whole life changed. As a result, she now does flowers to earn a living. She was discredited and lost her job and her reputation.
This is a perfect example of how "the system" will not allow the Truth to be revealed and how they believe they have the right to withhold certain information from the public. There is nothing new in me saying this, many of us know that this is how things work but the "hold" that this has over the general public is astounding and in part fits in with how the 7D logos* – the Planetary Brain – is manipulated and used to program humanity.
Again, we CAN break free of this program and activate our inner knowing and inner spirit but we must be strong and willing to swim upstream, for it will take all our strength at times to go against the grain. There are a growing number of us doing this now though and that is really good news!
THIS really is the truth of what is occurring on the planet in this ascension cycle. Bad things do exist here – we are working against dark forces. This is not a negative statement it is a Truthful statement though some may choose not to see it that way – and we wonder why it has take us 26,000 years to wake up!
But still we carry on our work, ever focused on what we as individuals and as a collective came here to do… and even though some days it may feel tough, there are so many successes and so much progress is being made that it really keeps us on the path with single pointed focus.
With love and blessings


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Telematics has firmly established itself as an integral component of fleet management. Firms operating large fleets and small alike have embraced vehicle telematics technology with gusto over the last decade-and-a-half, with these systems becoming something of an industry standard among fleet operators. Of course, the benefits telematics systems deliver in terms of enhancing efficiency and boosting the bottom line are well documented - but that's not all they have to offer.
On top of what they offer firms, fleet telematics do a great deal to help drivers as well. This FAQ guide will address some of the most important questions about what telematics can do to make their lives easier.


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Miami Heat
Miami Heat's Danny Granger expects to be on 'maintenance program'
New Heat forward Danny Granger, limited to 46 games because of knee injuries the past two seasons, said Friday he underwent "minor" arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two months ago but expects to be available for the Heat's regular-season opener Oct.30 against Washington.
Granger said he will be on the "maintenance program" the Heat has used for Dwyane Wade, an approach that appealed to him when he was recruited by the Heat in July. He said there's no soreness in the knee, which has been surgically repaired twice, but it needs to get stronger.
"We don't want to burn me out through training camp and the preseason," he said. "I'm doing everything fully now."
Granger, 31, averaged 24.1, 20.5, and 18.7 points for Indiana over three consecutive seasons before the knee problems limited him to five games in 2012-13 and 41 games for the Pacers and Clippers last season, when he averaged 8.2 points on 37.8 percent shooting.
"Hopefully, he can bring to us what he brought to Indiana: a dynamic scorer at times," Wade said. "We understand he has something to prove, and when he's physically ready to be able to do it, we're excited."
Granger said he will embrace coming off the bench, having been sold on the idea by former Clippers teammate Jamal Crawford, who was voted the NBA's top sixth man last season.
He said he asked Heat coach Erik Spoelstra what position he will play and "Spo said, 'We don't have positions.' He keeps telling me that."
Granger said when he committed orally to the Heat (two years and $4.2 million), he thought LeBron James would be re-signing with Miami.
He spoke to several teams, including Indiana, after James signed with Cleveland, "but still came to the conclusion this would be the best place for me. Trying to come back to where I was, it gives me the opportunity to play more with him not being here, so it was a good place for me either way. [And] it's Miami. We have a dock behind our house, can go fishing with my son."
The Heat's Media Day "was the first time I put the [Heat] jersey on, and it's kind of weird."
▪ Center Chris Bosh said Spoelstra told him he will play in the post more often. But Bosh didn't put on weight because "when you bulk up, you want to get into a wrestling match and, that's no good for my game. I'm focusing on being light, strong, quick, being effective. I can't do that if I'm wrestling with other big guys. That's not up my alley."
Bosh said: "I had to play a role the past four years. Moving forward, I can show the city and organization what value I can be. I'm really looking forward to it."
He said "I'm a much better player, a better leader" than when he played in Toronto.
▪ Wade, who has been on a strict diet, declined to give his weight but said it's somewhere between the 212 pounds he weighed as a rookie and the 225 he weighed last season.
▪ Forward Josh McRoberts, who committed orally to the Heat before James left for Cleveland, said he never reconsidered that decision after James bolted.
Spoelstra said even though McRoberts "had a breakout season last year," he told McRoberts in their first meeting that there is potential for more.
"Who knows what the ceiling is?" Spoelstra said. "His skill is very unique."
▪ A prediction from Udonis Haslem: "We are going to surprise a lot of people. They will not be disappointed in the way we play the game. People will be proud of this team."
Haslem also said: "Now we'll see who the real Heat fans are."


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I discovered Shauna Niequist last spring while we were living in NZ. The bright orange cover of her first book, Cold Tangerines, was hard to miss on the Auckland library shelves so I picked it up and gave it a whirl. What can I say, it was a good grab; I appreciated what she had to say and it was all so timely.
Shauna's second book, Bittersweet, came out this year and I was fortunate to receive a copy for review. I've spent the last few evenings curled up on the futon devouring it and taking furious notes (I can't help myself!).
Like any reader, I assume, I always read memoir mentally drawing out similarities between my life and the author's. I guess that's what reading about other people's lives is about -- finding connections and shared experiences and revelations with people we've never met.
With Shauna Niequist, the list looks like this:
- We both went to colleges in Southern California, lived away from home for many years and have recently moved back to our home towns. Shauna's love for Chicago rivals my own for Seattle.
- We're both non-athletes who've run marathons (or in my case, a half-marathon. Whatever.)
- We feel the same way about cats. Sorry.
- We're both writers married to musical husbands, proving two creatives living under one roof can remain solvent and happy.
- We're both blonde.
- We've both been through seasons that were stretching for whatever reasons, and use writing to make sense and find purpose. The big difference here being that she's already written and published this writing in the form of Bittersweet.
I love this paragraph and the idea of composting for the soul:
"I don't believe that God's up in heaven making things go terribly wrong in our lives so that we learn better manners and better coping skills. But I do believe in something like composting for the soul: that if you can find life out of death, if you can use the smashed up garbage to bring about something new and good, however tiny, that's one of the most beautiful things there is."
So many times while reading the book I felt that she put into words the thoughts/ feelings/ lessons I'd learned during my own bittersweet season of life in England. If her Chicago is my Seattle, her Grand Rapids is my UK.
"I fought against that house for almost six years. It was too big, too unfamiliar. I wanted desperately to move, particularly back to Chicago, but out of that house, in any case. But staying put in that house all those years taught me something incredibly valuable: when you stay with something instead of walking away it builds something new inside of you, something solid and weighty, something durable. But you do have to wait for it. You have to earn it the hard way...There is, in grown-up life, very little black and white. I tried to cast that house and Grand Rapids as a whole as villains in our fairy tale, but they weren't. That house both drove me crazy and grew me up...Grand Rapids never did really feel like home, but it taught me some things I want to take with me wherever home is the rest of my life."
I hear you Shauna.
She also addresses a fear I've known all too well, fear that difficult is the "new normal", that things will always be like this. Neither seasons of sweetness or sadness last forever, and we have to remember that.
One thing I got out of Bittersweet as well as Cold Tangerines was encouragement to keep writing, that my story, everybody's story, is worth telling. It can seem selfish and indulgent to write about yourself (indeed, sometimes it is), but also life-giving, because our stories are not really about us. When we tell our stories we're telling the story of who God is, and that story is one that can be told a million times over with an infinite number of settings and characters and story arcs and desire lines and obstacles.
Nobody has a perfect life all the time, no matter how it appears on blogs and facebook. Life is bitter and sweet, and I love how Shauna embraces and dives into that reality.
Shauna has graciously agreed to do a book giveaway to one lucky reader. Just post a comment below (and facebook/ tweet about the giveaway for more chances to win). I'll draw the winner next Monday (December 5), and you'll have until December 9 to claim your prize.
Check out more of Shauna's at her blog, http://www.shaunaniequist.com/