text:
About CSIL
The department of Student Involvement and Leadership, which includes Fraternity & Sorority Life, June Anderson Center for Women & Nontraditional Students, Student Government Association, Student Organizations & Service, and Intercultural & Diversity Affairs offices of Student Life, helps students achieve their goals through the provision of high-quality support services and comprehensive programs that stimulate, enhance, and extend student learning; empowering Middle Tennessee State University graduates to become active, engaged citizen leaders in Tennessee and throughout the world.
Our Vision
The Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, through a commitment to innovation and synergy, fosters an inclusive community that empowers students to discover and pursue their passions.
Our Mission
Middle Tennessee State University exists to produce educated persons. It has been established that learning which takes place outside of the classroom is a major component in that learning process. Thus, the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership exists to further the university's educational mission by equipping students with the skills and confidence needed to become leaders in their chosen fields through involvement in a variety of out of the classroom activities on and off the MTSU campus. We seek to accomplish by:
- Providing opportunities for students to become engaged in activities outside of the classroom;
- Creating a campus environment in which students feel empowered to impact their educational experience;
- Initiating partnerships within the university community that will provide for experiential learning opportunities for students; and
- Providing training that will help students find their strengths as leaders and providing
opportunities for them to use those strengths within the university community.
In accomplishing these objectives, we will adhere to the following Core Values:
- Inclusive Community - create an environment that allows the diverse members of the University community to live openly with civility and mutual respect, and where diverse opinions are fostered and cultivated.
- Empowerment - provide experiences that equip students with the necessary tools, information, confidence, and motivation to succeed, and provide opportunities to use those skills to experience success through meaningful change.
- Discovery/Learning - create opportunities and experiences for learning beyond the classroom that encourages growth, exploration, development, and lifelong learning.
- Service - create opportunities and experiences that foster a lifelong commitment to service as a catalyst for change.
- Challenge - create opportunities and experiences that engage the University community to consider what could be, by encouraging them to think outside the box.
- Balance - create an environment to encourage healthy lifestyle choices in response to daily challenges and competing priorities.
Center for Student Involvement & Leadership
Student Union 330


text:
Pickle Nose Joe has stopped by this morning to wish all of us a happy "Friendly Freaky Thingy Friday" my friends! Joe and I hope everyone has a FREAKISHLY GOOD day and a VERY HAPPY WEEKEND!!
Shirby Yurg has landed here just in time for lunch on this "Trippy Extraterrestrial Tuesday" my friends! Shirby and I hope everyone is having a TERRIFICALLY TRIPPY day!!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Morning Mist on Lake Mapourika, New Zealand by Richard Palmer (2008)
"Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live . . . the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and Hope." ~ Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
Well, we made it through the November nor'easter all right: no tree damage, no water damage, no loss of power. We were luckier than many people, for a change, and for that, I am truly thankful. I am also truly thankful that I no longer feel as if I am existing in a wind tunnel. One day is intriguing. Two days is numbing. Three days is irritating. Moving into the fourth day is like the waking dead: I can no longer tell if I am hearing the wind or if it is a constant buzzing in my ears. Oh well.
Many, many strange dreams in the past few nights: my father appeared in at least two, and that is always disconcerting. I don't know that I'll ever feel that I did not disappoint my father terribly before he died, but that is not the subject for tonight. Much too hard of a subject, and always leaves me depleted for a long time, and since I am beginning the post in an already depleted state, I will not even attempt to tackle something as weighty as that.
The other night I had this dream about being on a sinking boat. The dream was a complete metaphor for my life: the boat was cluttered and dirty and badly in need of a complete cleaning. And there was one other problem: there was no bottom in the boat. At some point, the boat fell (?) off the support beams on which it had been resting and flew through the air, landing atop the bottom of an old military vessel. The top of the boat and the bottom of the military vessel came together, and both pieces rushed forward into the ocean.
I thought to myself that some remedy had to be found other than the makeshift coupling of the two halves, otherwise, the ocean would be able to dislodge the two pieces, and we would surely sink. In the meantime, someone was complaining about washing the windows of the boat, which were not portholes, but panes of glass like a house, and no one could clean because there was too much clutter—boxes and storage bins and whatever else. I awoke from the dream crying because it was a fast-sinking ship, and I knew that, and just as certainly I knew that the boat in my dream was my life.
Last night I dreamed that I worked at Dillard's again, and asked to have the home store back because that was always my favorite department. But instead of a home store, there were lawn mowers. Very strange. The weirdest part was that I had all of these great marketing ideas for different departments, and I decided that I should be the store's roving marketing manager, going from department to department coming up with selling ideas. Also very strange as my marketing background is my least favorite part of my skill set.
So I'm still not sleeping well, even more so since the drop-off for trees and limbs that were felled by the storm is right behind the house in the parking lot of the community park that our house abuts. After Hurricane Isabel in 2003, the City set up a similar drop-off in the parking lot, but is was on the other side of the park, so the sound of the wood chipper and large trucks backing up with their beeping alarms was more removed; now, it is jarringly loud, and it seems to be right outside the bedroom window. It's not, but that's how it seems to my head. Lovely.
"The weight of the world is love, under the burden of solitude, under the burden of dissatisfaction." ~ Allen Ginsburg
Anyway . . . I have had the following quote on my mind for days, but for the life of me, I cannot find out who said it originally (if anyone knows, please pass along the information): Do what you love, and the rest will follow.
Now, I know that there is a book entitled Do what you love and the money will follow, but that is not the sentiment that I am pondering.
Do what you love . . .
What do I love, exactly? I thought that I loved to write, more than anything else in the world. But lately, I have come to question that belief, especially since I am having such a hard time piecing together a coherent blog post. What kind of writer is that? I sit down at these keys everyday, but I do not write everyday. More often than not, I open a computer game and play mindlessly for hours, attempting to lull myself into fatigue. I feel more often than not that I am existing in an endless fog.
Let me pause here. I know that I am depressed, considerably so. That I am not taking my usual dose of antidepressant is not helping matters. Granted. However, I am depending upon samples from my doctor, and I am trying to stretch those as far as they go. No one needs to tell me that this is not how you take a medication that needs to be maintained at a constant level in order to fight the chemical imbalances that lead to clinical depression. I know all of this.
I also know that my particular antidepressant costs over $200 without prescription coverage, which I still don't have because of the ongoing battle with my health insurance. Not even worth going into that old scenario.
And even though I know that not having my medication is affecting me, and November is affecting me, and being just above poverty level is affecting me, and the upcoming anniversary of my dad's death is affecting me, and the upcoming holidays are affecting me . . . wait, I lost the subject of that sentence. In other words—everything in the world is affecting me.
"A fierce unrest seethes at the core, of all existing things: it was the eager wish to soar, that gave the gods their wings." ~ Don Marquis
Last night I was standing at the sink doing dishes (because the dishwasher no longer works because this is the best possible time for yet another appliance to break), anyway, I was doing dishes and crying. Weeping, actually, and no, it wasn't because I was washing dishes. Why so sad, joker asks?
Let's see, other than the litany mentioned above, Corey burned his arm two nights ago, bad burn with scalding water, but he has no health insurance. As I applied antibiotic ointment and dressing, all I could think of was that burns get infected so easily. Corey shrugged it off, but I've been watching it carefully. It seems to be healing well, but still . . .
And then, the dryer isn't working right. The dishwasher is now broken. The house as a whole is in horrible shape, cluttered, dirty, depressingly in disrepair. I used to be so anal about cleaning, every weekend, top to bottom. Now, I cannot run the vacuum for the clutter. Did I mention that I cannot write? My phone has been turned off, and basically, I hate life. To be more specific, my life. I hate my life.
Don't misunderstand. I do not hate the people in my life. I love the people in my life. They are probably the one thing that sustains me at the moment. But my life, per se? The circumstances of my life? I hate, h-a-t-e it. I want to go back to work. I want to have a career again. I don't want to feel like a burden for which Corey must bear the full weight. I don't want my spouse to feel that he is a caretaker. That gets old, fast.
I want to sleep through the night, wake up in the morning, get dressed, and go to work.
That I should be happy that I awaken each morning with a roof over my head and some food in my fridge . . . yes, I know that. We're talking emotions here. Logically, I know that I have so much for which to be grateful. Logically, I know that millions upon millions of people have it so much worse. Logically, I know that in the big scheme of things, my problems are a tiny little puddle in comparison to the monsoons that invade so may people's lives.
Yes, I know that. Does it makes me seem ungrateful to say that knowing that, I still feel as if I am slowly losing my mind? Losing patience with everything? Losing the ability to cope? Probably, yes, I probably seem ungrateful.
But damn, it just feels as if I am existing, counting days, not living. That's it. It took me all of these words to get to the heart of it: existing, not living. I want to enjoy life again. I want to be the woman I used to be, the woman who took pleasure in small things, who thrived on stress and pressure, who laughed more, bantered frequently, and bemoaned fate less.
"I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited." ~ Sylvia Plath
Do what I love and the rest will follow . . . such a seemingly innocuous platitude. Perhaps even good advice. But how do I do what I love when I can no longer identify what I love? And what is it that will follow? What is the rest?
How did I get to this place in my life, this place at which life is a calendar filled with numbers but not with days? How does anyone get here? What scares me the most is the fear that perhaps I have lost hope.
Lost my way? Is my path occluded? Have I forgotten to pay attention to the journey in my single-minded pursuit to survive? Yes, maybe that's it. Maybe I have allowed myself to get so caught up in counting the days until our situation changes that I have completely forgotten that life is to be lived, not endured.
What do I love? I love to write, to read, to engage my mind, to watch the sun set, to walk along the shore, to find a shell, to smell the rain, to discourse, to converse, to contemplate, to cherish, to embrace. I love the smell of a baby's skin and the scent on the air after I have a bath. I love a cup of tea and a good movie. I love freshly cut herbs and spring blossoms. I love the sound of water and the blue of the deep ocean. I love the wind in my face and the touch of the first snow on my lashes. I love the company of good friends and the peace of the mountains in the fall. I love to listen to good music on a Sunday afternoon, and I love the freedom to sing at the top of my lungs in the shower.
I love to be loved, to feel love, to exude love, to share love.
"Life is too short, or too long, for me to allow myself the luxury of living it so badly." ~ Paul Coehlo
Do what I love? That is so much harder than it seems. Life is so much harder than it should be. Please don't think me small-minded, and yet, why do I take the time in my stream-of-consciousness to apologize, to care what other people think? Isn't that always the way?
I have some pondering to do, some searching. Perhaps, though, my search has already brought me to this place of realization: I must get back to myself somehow, before the bottom of the boat falls out and I find myself at sea, a castaway along with the scattered debris that is my life.
I am reminded of a poem by Raymond Carver, one of my favorites:
Late Fragment
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth
Yes. To feel beloved and to love. Perhaps that is truly all that is necessary.
More later. Peace.
Damien Rice's "Delicate"


text:
There's been much talk about the dangers of Aspartame for quite some time now. It is a dangerous artificial sweetener found in many of the foods we consume every day, including soft drinks, chewing gum, breakfast cereals, and jams. Now, it's important to know that aspartame may be disguised as a new name in your favorite foods –….Read more
via Aspartame Being Re-Branded As AminoSweet: The Next Chapter In Aspartame's Dangerous History — Era of Light


text:
Sundown in K-Town Teaser from BetterBoys Foundation on Vimeo.
Better Boys Foundation (BBF) and Facets Multi-Media announce a film festival comprised of a series of social documentaries screened outside in the inner courtyard of the BBF Center at 1512 S. Pulaski Road . These groundbreaking documentaries such as The Murder of Fred Hampton (pictured at left), And This is Free, American Revolution 2, and others exemplify the role of independent, particularly documentary, filmmaking in reporting about and shaping Chicago. Discussion panels of film professionals, journalists and individuals relevant to the films will follow the screenings. Two of the films will be accompanied by shorts produced in house at BBF by FilmLAB@1512, BBF's youth filmmaking apprenticeship. A local production company, Kartemquin Films, has generously donated two of the screenings.
I caught the first installment of this Film Festival, which is going on until July 27th. I really enjoyed the experience and the setup (a large projector screen and speakers set up outdoors inside the Better Boys Foundation's Courtyard). Great for the community (the neighborhood that Martin Luther King, Jr. came to in 1966 to fight for open housing). Also notable is the Better Boys Foundation itself, which has been around for some 50 years and collaborated with the Black Panthers for Chicago's edition of the Free Breakfast Program. The idea of the Program was later appropriated by the US Government for the Head Start program. Jive on.
More Info: facets.org/sundown


text:
Set of Swedish alphas with the Swedish glyphs Å, Ä and Ö.
Set of 3 sheets:
Bokstäver 08 – Set of 3 • Swedish Alphas 🇸🇪
Regular price $9.89
Unit price
Tax included. Read about Shipping here.
Set of Swedish alphas with the Swedish glyphs Å, Ä and Ö.
Svenska alfabetet med Å, Ä och Ö.
Set of 3 sheets:
• Bokstäver 08 – Alphabet stickers with capital letters A-Ö
• Bokstäver små 08 – Alphabet stickers with lowercase letters a-ö
• Numbers & Symbols 08
The size of each sheet is 117x171 mm or 4.6 x 6.7 inches.
These stickers are handmade on thin matte sticker paper. Though not water proof, they can take a light layer of watercolour or similar. You can write on and stamp the stickers. Please allow for tiny imperfections and note that colours may vary from each screen.


text:
Yesterday I went over to Meebo's headquarters in Mountain View, CA, to see their latest: the Meebo bar.
What is cool about this? It makes it super easy to share things on my blog with other people. How do you do it? Just drag and drop this video of the Meebo team showing me the Meebo bar, for instance, and you'll be able to share it to a variety of social networks like Twitter or Facebook.
Plus it does a few other things, but watch the video to learn more about Meebo and how it works.
I thought it was so cool that both I and Rob La Gesse (who does stuff on my blog too) added it to our sites and we'll add it to building43 too.
Anyway, try it out. Drag one of my videos around!


text:
Christian Carnival #186 is up… here! Chasing the Wind is humbled to host the Carnival this week. Without further ado, here are this week's best Christian blogging.
Oh wait, here's a little more ado. I've divided this week's post in sections with a brief description about how this relates to Christian living. Ok, *now* we're out of ado…
CHRIST. No Christian blogging would be complete without pondering our Lord and Savior and what He means to us. Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Doug presents Christ at Creation posted at Bounded Irrationality. Doug examines how Jesus could be present as man and God before creation.
This week at Light Along the Journey John considers what is exactly The Right Thing to Say.
JR Madill presents The Public Spectacle posted at Theology for the Masses.
CHRISTIAN LIFE. It's one thing to study and pray (well, ok, that was two things), but it's another thing entirely to live the Christian life. How do you apply and think and live as a Christian?
Patricia presents 30 Ways to Instantly be a Better Parent posted at A Better You Blog.
Stretch Mark Mama presents Passing on Perspective posted at Stretch Mark Mama.
Chad Dalton at The Minor Prophet considers Abraham's Tradition. Thoughts on Abraham's burial of his wife Sarah.
Jody Neufeld presents The John Webb Winter Golf Tournament posted at Jody Along the Path. Reflecting on the experience of coordinating this event that raises money for children hospitalized with serious illnesses.
blue skelton presents Simpsons Porn, Funny or Immoral? posted at Production Blog. An article that asks, Is it still a sin to watch pornography if it is a cartoon. We are looking for a other Christian's Viewpoint on this issue.
BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER. While the glory of the cosmos practically scream out the power and majesty of a creator, to truly know *the* Creator requires study so that God's Word can speak to you, and it requires prayer so that you can speak to God.
William Meisheid presents Wholistic Salvation posted at Beyond The Rim…. An attempt to look at salvation in a more wholistic [sic] manner.
Ian Spencer presents Dispensationalism and the Interpretation of Scripture Part 2: Prophetic Literature posted at Philosophical Orthodoxy. The second part of a continuing series critiquing dispensationalist methods of interpreting Scripture.
Richard H. Anderson presents Assembly of Yahweh posted at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos.
Tom presents The Remarkable 19th Psalm posted at Thinking Christian. With our modern Christian and scientific viewpoints, we might easily fail to notice what this psalm does not say. It's an appreciation of the sun, a joyful one at that. And yet–there is not a hint of sun-worship in it. Remarkable.
Ann Shorb presents GOD HAS ME posted at Christian Counseling & Educational Services.
Henry Neufeld presents St. John Chrysostom on Hebrews 6 posted at Participatory Bible Study Blog. St. John Chrysostom gives a comprehensive and interesting view of Hebrews 6:4-6 and the impossibility of restoration for the apostate.
Lingamish: The Lord of
Rage Somebody's knocking at the door. But it's not who you think.
Lingamish looks at Nahum's vision of an angry God and finds a hidden place of
CHURCH. When two or more are gathered in His name, He is there. As a group of Christians, we are the bride of Christ, His church. What do we believe and how to we implement it?
FMF presents How'd You Like to Be Taxed for Going to Church? posted at Free Money Finance. How would you like to pay a tax to go to church?
Steven Krager presents Have you lost faith? | faithdoubt posted at faithdoubt. This is a posting in response to an article about an LA Times writer and his Christian faith journey. It is about problems in the Church and losing faith.
Diane R presents Deacons posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet. What are deacons exactly? And why don't most churches have them? What are they supposed to do? In my church we have one of the best deacon structures I've ever seen so our church members won't fall through the cracks when in need.
Brian Russell of the Real Meal blog
wrote Thinking about
Natural Disasters. In the middle of another hurricane season, it is critical for clear theological reflection on natural disasters and the preparation for a missional response to those who suffer.
RELIGION. Sometimes we study what a Christian is. How does it differ from other religions? How do we see it in public, in politics, in others?
Sammy Benoit presents Islamic Hatred of anything Christian posted at YID With LID.
thomas robey presents "Christian Faith and Reason" posted at Hope for Pandora. "Christian Faith and Reason" is a new magazine that seeks to engage Christians and skeptics on topics of science, politics and faith. The Christian blogging community should check it out and consider contributing a piece for publication.
Ali presents An alternate solution to the American Civil War? posted at Kiwi and an Emu.. Considering, many years too late, how Christians in Northern and Southern parts of the United States could have agreed on the subject of slavery.
Weekend Fisher at Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength discusses Security, Apostasy, and Knowing Christ. A Lutheran's-eye view of the debates over eternal security and whether apostasy is real, and how Christ is often left out of the debate.
John presents Richard Land and Moral Agency posted at Brain Cramps for God. There's a new meme in the abortion argument.
Jeremy Pierce presents Barack Obama on faith and politics posted at Parableman. A look at Barack Obama's thoughts on faith and politics, Part III of a three-part series (the first two looked at John Edwards and Joe Biden).
Mark Olson presents Western Eyes posted at Pseudo-Polymath. Religious toleration, a artifact of the Enlightenment, or might it not be from much earlier.


text:
Model M - Until stocks last!
Recommended for women with normal or heavy menstrual flow. It is made of soft, very flexible medical grade silicone.
Capacity: 36.5 ml
Diameter: 44.2 mm
Length: 51 mm
Stem: 22 mm
The product comes with a high quality zip-lock bag and a pamphlet.
LaliCup menstrual cup is manufactured in a factory maintaining high quality standards, with constant striving for process optimization. Production process complies with the requirements of ISO standards 9001 and 14001.
The Lalicup company aims to minimize environmental pollution; heat exchange system is used for heating the inside of production facilities, and the amount of consumed energy is minimized by using energy-saving machines and closed recirculating cooling water system.
Medical-grade silicones are tested for biocompatibility according to FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) standards and are therefore suitable for healthcare application. There are three types of medical silicones according to the potential use: not suitable for implantation, only for short-term implantation and for permanent implantation. Materials approved regarding the USP Class V and VI standards may be considered for medical use. Typical characteristics of silicones used for LaliCup menstrual cup production are purity, clarity, strength and excellent stability.
Customer account
Emilla Kereskedelmi Betéti társaság


text:
From now through April, the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival will present "Film Studies in Motion", a Web Series curated by Volker Pantenburg and Kevin B. Lee. This series, available on the festival's website and Facebook page, presents weekly selections of analytical video essays on the web, in preparation for Pantenberg and Lee's presentation "Whatever happened to Bildungsauftrag? – Teaching cinema on TV and the Web", scheduled for April 28 at the festival.
Week Three: Remixes: Parody, Supercut and Mashup
Appropriating and recombining existing footage has been a prime strategy of art and analysis for a long time. With the immense circulation of movies on the web and the accessibility of editing software, this method is no longer restricted to experimental cinema or contemporary art, but has become part of a wider remix culture. This episode gathers recent examples from a wide range of practices. Some of them are driven by critical intentions, some by sheer enthusiasm for iconography and rhythm.
Today's selection:
Everything is a Remix. Part 2: Remix Inc.
Kirby Ferguson (2011)
An exploration of the remix techniques involved in producing films.
View all Motion Studies video selections.
Volker Pantenburg is assistant professor for moving images at the media faculty of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
Kevin B. Lee is Editor in Chief of IndieWire's PressPlay Video Blog and contributor to Roger Ebert.com. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
I'm so tired.
Wanna know how tired I am?
10 minutes ago an Xfinity sales person came a knockin' on our door.
Before I even had the thing opened all the way he started talking.
Did I know my neighbor just saved thousands of dollars – no millions of dollars. Don't I like to save money? What's my package like? Doesn't my family deserve more? Aren't I a good person? What's my favorite thing to do – watch TV right? (that freaked me out. how did he know?)
We had Wizard of Oz type of wind last night and most of today, and now the temperatures have dropped. It's like 4 degrees out there. Or less. It's frigid.
And I'm barefoot. I've opened the door to this fast talking man who is completely dressed for the weather. Xfinity must treat him right. Parka. Scarf. Gloves. The whole deal.
So I try to be polite and say,"oh…no thank you. We're good." And he keeps talking. "We aren't going to switch", I say. He's talking even faster now. "You must be freezing, you should go back to your car", I say. No dice.
I had no choice. I had to just start shutting the door. As I was closing it in his face, I warmly said,"I'm so sorry, thanks so much, have a good night, love you".
"love you".
It's time for bed.


text:
2-out hits, Greene complete game lift Shelby past Cherryville
CHERRYVILLE — Shelby Post 82 made a living on two-out hits to take control late in a 6-1 victory against rival Cherryville Post 100 at Fraley Field on Wednesday night.
Shelby capitalized on four consecutive two-out singles in the top of the sixth inning, then did it again with three straight two-out hits in the seventh. That came after Cherryville had tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
Post 82 (14-3, 2-1 Area IV Western Division) scored two runs in each of those innings and netted all six of its runs with two outs. It added another run on a two-out single in the ninth.
"The past 10 days, we've been pretty tough outs in key situations," Shelby coach Mike Grayson said.
Post 82 extended its winning streak to seven games. A team that prides itself on pitching and defense, its 15 hits Wednesday gave it 33 over the past two games.
Brock Melton began the sixth-inning surge with an infield single, with Chandler Young then connecting for a single to right field. Dustin Jones and Jackson Mims each followed with RBI singles to make it 3-1 in Shelby's favor.
An inning later, it was Jay Seagle, Dustin Greene and Melton connecting for the two-out hits to make it 5-1. An errant pickoff attempt moved Seagle to second before he scored. Melton's two-out single in the top of the ninth scored the final run.
"They got a bunch of two-out knocks," Cherryville coach Bobby Reynolds said.
Greene (4-0) earned the complete-game pitching win for Shelby. An error-free defense, led by strong fielding and nine assists from second baseman Cody Fitch, played a major role.
"It just makes you feel like you don't have to strike everybody out," Greene said. "You can let them hit it."
Greene allowed five hits and one walk with four strikeouts on just 91 pitches.
"Dustin did a tremendous job," Grayson said.
Brandon Alexander took the loss for Cherryville. Alexander went the first eight innings, allowing 13 hits and no walks while striking out six.
Cherryville (4-6, 3-2) got on the board in the fifth when Brett Huff doubled to right-center field and scored on a Mack George two-out single to erase Post 82's 1-0 edge.
Shelby built that early lead when Fitch singled in the top of the first, advanced when Phillip Black reached on an error and came around on a Seagle single.
Melton and Jones each provided three hits for the Shelby offense, with Greene, Seagle and Fitch supplying two each.
Post 82 will host Rutherford County on Thursday night at Keeter Stadium/Veterans Field. Cherryville will be back at home Thursday versus Burke County.


text:
Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum has rebranded itself Rail Forum East Midlands. The 'new' organisation held a very successful Parliamentary reception in the House of Commons yesterday which was hosted by Pauline Latham MP and attended by numerous companies from across the East Midlands. These included representatives of major employers like Alstom, Bombardier & Hs2 Ltd as well as SMEs like RVEL, Delta Rail and Icomera.
Guests heard some very positive speeches from politicians too. First up was the Under Secretary of State for Transport Claire Perry. She was upbeat about future investment & expansion in the UK rail industry, leaving the feeling the Chancellor's forthcoming spending review holds no concerns for rail.
Nottingham MP and Shadow Transport Secretary Lilian Greenwood spoke afterwards, praising the value of rail to the East Midlands economy. She gave no comfort to the anti Hs2 campaign when she mentioned Labour's (and her) continuing support for building the line.
The final speech was delivered by Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin. He mentioned how once a Transport Minister mostly spoke about roads but now talks mostly about rail. But it wasn't just talk. He also confirmed that Porterbrook leasing were to invest in another 20 four-car Class 387 trains from Bombardier in Derby. You can find Porterbrook's press release on the deal here.
You can find a larger selection of pictures from the event by following this link.


text:
- New
- MicrofiberMICROFIBER BY USEHave confidence in your purchase. All Norwex Microfiber products carry a two-year warranty. Learn more
- Laundry
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Face & Body
- Kids & More
- Specials
- Our Story
- Host
- Join
You are shopping with Monica Lynch
Talk to your Consultant
Monica Lynch
Freeland, MI
Senior Executive Sales Leader
Now in a chic leaves pattern!
Need an effective, chemical-free, window cleaning solution? Our safe and sustainable microfiber Window Cleaning Cloth gets glass, like windows, mirrors, and more, sparkling clean with only water. The soft, tightly woven microfiber cleaning cloth removes up to 99% of bacteria* and leaves shiny surfaces spotless with no unsightly streaks or residues. It also works great with our EnviroCloth® and Dusting Mitt, eliminating the need for harmful chemical cleaners!
BacLock® **—our micro silver antibacterial agent—goes to work to self-purify and inhibit bacterial odors, offering continuous protection against mold and mildew growth within the cloth.
This product was independently tested for harmful substances according to the strict global criteria of STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®.
All Norwex Microfiber products carry a two-year warranty. Please visit www.norwex.com for complete details.
*When following proper care and use instructions.
**Contains BacLock®, an antibacterial agent for self-cleansing purposes only. The agent is solely designed to inhibit odor from bacteria, mold and/or mildew growth within the product.
Getting windows clean quickly isn't easy. In addition, many of today's popular glass and window cleaners contain harmful chemicals, like butyl cellosolve and ammonia. And using paper towels to clean just adds to the problem of overloaded landfills and deforestation.
The Window Cloth gets windows and other glass and shiny surfaces clean and streak-free with just water. No harmful chemicals are left behind to smear or distort light, and no paper towels are needed, which means less landfill waste and less paper dust in your home.


text:
The new Nintendo Switch is an exciting combination of home and handheld consoles. That's right, it's the first truly hybrid console that you can play anywhere. Play at home, play on the go, play with friends or play alone with the all-in-one Nintendo Switch console.
Hook the Nintendo Switch up to your TV and play from the comfort of your couch, or you can take the Switch with you to make the most of mobile gaming. You can even connect multiple Switch systems together for some fun, multiplayer face-to-face action.
New and upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Lugi's Mansion 3, and more.
The unit will also feature a number of handy, interchangeable Nintendo Switch accessories including the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charging Power Grip, Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Charging Dock, Nintendo Switch Game Traveler Deluxe System Travel Case and more.
Experience a new era of gaming greatness with the new Nintendo console.


text:
The Grid
Taken at Cape Henlopen Herring Point
Blog Post: http://www.adamchoke.com/life/beach-trip-2013-cape-henlopen/
For Sale: http://adamchoke.smugmug.com/Images/Waterscapes/i-V3gVRWk/A
Monotone Morning
Taken at Rehoboth Beach, DE
Blog Post: http://www.adamchoke.com/beaches/beach-trip-2013-rehoboth-beach/
For Sale: http://adamchoke.smugmug.com/Images/Waterscapes/i-z7pH3bT/A
Sun Covered Jetty
Taken at Rehoboth Beach, DE
Blog Post: http://www.adamchoke.com/beaches/beach-trip-2013-rehoboth-beach/
For Sale: http://adamchoke.smugmug.com/Images/Waterscapes/i-NkNLRKq/A
The Cape
An amazing sunrise at Cape Henlopen State Park.
Sands of Time
Cape Henlopen State Park
Rushing By
Indian River Inlet
Looking to the West from the Delaware Seashore State Park
Super Star
After the sunset last night I met someone who was using a hula hoop that you could program what it displays.
Lightship Overfalls
The last lightvessel used by the United States Lighthouse Service until the Coast Guard took over the duties. The boat is part of a museum in Lewes, DE.
Lewes Last Light
Lewes, DE Harbor
Seismic Waves
Cape Henlopen - Lewes Delaware
Live Bait
Indian River Inlet - Rehoboth Beach, DE
The Only One
Cape Henlopen (Gordon Pond Wildlife Area) - Lewes Delaware
Gordons Pond
Cape Henlopen - Lewes, DE
Lemon Lime
Lewey Lewey
Lewes, Delaware
Coming In Hot
Horshoe Fishergirl
Wisked Away
Surfs Up


text:
Wall Tie Material in Owasso?
Wall tie Installation in Owasso?
The Heli-Tie™ is a stainless-steel helical tie used to anchor building facades across Owasso to structural members or to stabilize multiple-wythe brick walls.
The helical design allows the tie to be implemented quickly and easily into a predrilled pilot hole (or embedded into mortar joints in new construction). This provides a mechanical connection between a masonry facade and its backup material. It can also provide a connection between multiple wythes of brick. As it's driven, the fins of the tie undercut the masonry to provide an expansion-free anchor that will withstand tension and compression loads.
The Heli-Tie™ wall tie is installed using a proprietary setting tool that is used with an SDS-PLUS shank rotohammer to drive and countersink the tie. Heli-Tie™ wall ties perform in concrete and masonry as well as wood and steel studs.
Wall Tie Key Features
- Installs quickly and easily — with the rotohammer in hammer mode, the tie installs faster than competitors' products.
- Provides an inconspicuous repair that preserves the appearance of the building. After installation, the tie is countersunk up to 1/2″ below the surface, allowing the tie location to be patched.
- Larger core diameter provides higher torsional capacity, resulting in less deflection due to "uncoiling" under load.
- Fractionally sized anchor — no metric drill bits required.
- Patented manufacturing process provides a more uniform helix along the entire tie, allowing easier driving and better interlock with the substrate.
Wall Tie Material
- Type-304 stainless steel (Type 316 available by special order—contact Simpson Strong-Tie for details)
Wall tie Installation
- Drill pilot hole into the facade material and into the backup material to the specified embedment depth + 1″ using appropriate drill bit(s). The drill should be in rotation-only mode when drilling into soft masonry or into hollow backing material.
- Position blue end of the Heli-Tie™ fastener in the installation tool and insert the tie into the pilot hole.
- With the SDS-PLUS rotohammer in hammer mode, drive the tie until the tip of the installation tool enters the exterior surface of the masonry and countersinks the tie below the surface. Patch the hole in the facade.
Contact us today to schedule your FREE estimate.
Level Up Foundation Repair
Wall Ties Foundation Repair Owasso
Level Up Foundation Repair in Owasso. Wall Ties Foundation Repair Contractor in Owasso, Oklahoma.
Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00
Level Up Foundation Repair Logo


text:
A little over a year and a half ago, I wrote about something that had my imagination all abuzz with the number of possibilities it presented. I compared maps, I crafted theories – Heck, I was a regular Pseudo-Rades.
And since even before I wrote that post, I was trying to figure out what the story behind the Giant Snake Tail of Gundrak was. Because you know, stuff like that is what I write about. Actually now that I think about it, there are a lot of giant animals with no explanation. The snake tail in Gundrak, the giant dragon skeleton south of the Dragonblight, and the giant bunny skeleton in Tirisfal Glades (I'm getting to that one, don't worry).
Every Blizzard Q&A I would ask – regardless if the Q&A was about lore or why we shouldn't buff paladins – and every Blizzcon I would plead with people to try and ask to get an answer about that damn tail. It has driven me mad with curiosity. If I were a cat I would be dead from it by now.
Well, this year I got my wish. This year, Jesse Cox (Jessecox.com Twitter: @JesseCox, thanks to the always lovely Robin Torres for the tip) went before the might and fury of Chris Metzen to ask the question about what that giant tail was, not only that but he also brought a screen shot. Now my friends, thanks to this courageous soul, we shall have our answer to the question that has bothered me so:
"That is not the thing that is driving the trolls. Its a super secret WoW storyline. Thrall is going to leave Aggra and start dating Jaina.. in all seriousness I have no idea what it is but its really awesome! Sometimes really awesome stuff shows up ingame and we scramble to explain what it is. Welcome to developing video games. We put the WHAT in WHAT."
[Sorry, folks! We're having some technical difficulties. Apparently Vrykerion tried to drive a butter knife through his monitor. He's currently being rushed to the hospital for 3rd degree burns and a mild case of utter insanity. We should be back to our normal posting schedule soon, but while you wait try some Johnny Awesome's Apple Sauce, official sponsor of the Land of Odd! You can't wait to get some of Johnny's sauce in you.]


text:
This recipe for Curried Leg of Lamb Potpie gets five stars in my book. It's full of flavor and a very tender cut of lamb.
I went the non-traditional route and served this as my Thanksgiving meal this year instead of turkey. Give it a try this holiday season. I promise you won't be disappointed.
For the Pastry Dough:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup ice-cold water
For the Potpie Filling:
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 2 lbs. leg of lamb roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 white onion, diced
- 5 small turnips, diced
- 2 cups peeled butternut squash, cubed
- 2 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 tsps curry powder
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 1/2 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 large egg (beaten with 1 tsp of water)
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Pastry Dough:
- In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt.
- Add the butter and pulse to the size of peas.
- Sprinkle in the ice water and pulse until a dough starts to come together.
- On a work surface, knead the dough a few times then shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for at least 90 minutes.
For the Potpie:
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add half to the Dutch oven. Cook over high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a bowl; repeat with 1 more tablespoon of oil and the remaining lamb.
- Add the first half of the lamb (in the bowl) back to the Dutch oven.
- Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the wine until smooth. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender, about 1 hour.
- Add the squash, kale, carrot, turnips, mushrooms and coconut milk to the casserole and simmer over moderately low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the curry into a buttered 8-by-11-inch casserole or baking dish. Brush the dish rim with beaten egg.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle or oval large enough to cover your dish. Fold the pastry in half, unfold it over the curry, and gently press onto the edge of the dish.
- Brush with beaten egg then cut 4 small steam vents in the top.
- Bake the potpie for 30 minutes. Raise the heat to 450°; bake for 20 minutes longer, until the pastry is browned and cooked through. Let rest for 20 minutes, then serve.
The lamb in this Curried Leg of Lamb Potpie cooks to a nice tenderness and goes well with the curry and root vegetables. It's a perfect filling for potpie.
So, this holiday season, forget about chicken, beef and even turkey pot pie and do yourself a favor by trying lamb in your pot pie. It may be the best gift you give yourself this year.


text:
BPSDB Some odd goings on in the climate change Denialosphere …
Curiouser and Curiouser
New Crock
A few smiles
Recent absence
Curiouser and Curiouser
On Jan 20th the Canada Free Press published an apology to Dr Andrew Weaver (text below & google cache) as was reported by various sites (eg here and here).
That apology has now disappeared. (see also updates below text of apology).
So what has happened? CFP changed their minds? Tim Ball filed a counter-suit? CFP lawyers found that the text of the apology left them open to even more serious action? Other?
If any one has heard anything I would be curious to know.


text:
As the rustic shades of Autumn invade the last green remnants of summer, it's time for a hearty and warming soup. Butternut squash, sweet potato and roasted red pepper make for a wonderful creamy soup. Served with a chilli- garlic oil and accompanied with savoury croissants flavoured with anchovies and sun dried tomato.
1 butternut squash – peeled, halved, seeds removed and chopped into large chunks.
Note: Use other varieties of squash if you so wish – equivalent to one butternut variety.
1 sweet potato – peeled and cut into wedges.
1 large red onion – peeled, halved and cut into wedges.
2 roasted red peppers – skins removed.
2 sticks of celery.
1 dessert spoon of dried marjoram.
3 cloves of garlic
1 tabls red wine vinegar.
40g butter.
1.2 litres chicken stock or veg stock if you prefer.
10 sprigs or 3g of fresh parsley.
Drizzle of olive oil.
Seasoning – salt and pepper.
100ml chilli oil infused with 1 crushed clove of garlic.
5g chopped fresh basil.
Optional: 50g of grated Parmesan cheese.
Savoury Croissants:
227g strong bread flour.
23g unsalted butter.
1/4 tsp of salt.
10g or 3 tsps of easy bake yeast.
125ml warm milk.
1/2 a beaten egg – approx' 27g
20g chopped anchovies.
30g sun dried tomatoes – chopped.
90g chilled butter – cut into small dice.
Set oven to gas 6 or 200°C / 400°F
Place your chopped squash in a roasting tray – drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and marjoram. (see image)
Now place your sweet potato wedges and onion wedges into a roasting tray – drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and marjoram.
Roast your squash, sweet potato and onion for 45 mins' until lightly charred and soft.
In a large pan melt the butter. Add the chopped celery, roasted pepper and garlic – sweat until celery is softened. (see image)
When celery is soft add the vinegar and reduce. Set aside.
Once the roasted veg' are cooked add them to the softened celery and pepper. With the pan on a medium heat, further brown the veg' by cooking for 10 mins'. (see image)
Add the stock and parsley to the veg' and simmer for 20 mins.
Once simmered, blend all the veg' to a creamy soup. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Savoury Croissants:
Rub the 23g of butter into the flour. Mix in the easy bake yeast and salt.
Add the warm milk and form into a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for ten minutes.
Once kneaded, place in a floured bowl and cover with cling film or a damp cloth. Leave to proof until doubled in size.
Note: The dough can be chilled in the refrigerator after first proof then rolled and formed the next day.
Once proofed, knock back the dough and knead for 10 mins'.
Combine the chopped anchovies with the chopped sun dried tomato – set aside.
Now for the rolling and layering of the dough.
Roll the dough into a 36cm x 21cm oblong. (see image)
Place half the 90g of butter and half of the anchovy and tomato onto the middle third of the pastry. (see image)
Fold the top third of pastry over the butter. (see image)
Place rest of butter and the rest of the anchovy and tomato mix onto the top third of the pastry. (see image)
Fold up the bottom third of the pastry. (see image)
Turn the pastry clockwise one turn. (see image)
Roll out the pastry to a 46cm x 14cm oblong. (see image)
Fold the top third of pastry over the middle third. (see image)
Fold the bottom third up over the top third. (see image)
Chill the pastry for 30 mins' to firm up the butter.
Once chilled, turn the pastry clockwise one turn. (see image)
Roll out the pastry again to a 46cm x 14cm oblong. (see image)
Fold as previously explained and chill again for 30 mins'
For the final roll, turn the pastry one turn clockwise.
Roll out to a 56cm x 17cm oblong. (see image)
Once rolled, cut 8 – 10 triangles with a sharp knife. (see image)
Roll each triangle up from the widest end. (see image)
Place the rolled dough triangles on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Egg wash and leave to proof until doubled in size. (see image)
Note: Make sure the points of the dough triangles are tucked underneath so that the croissants don't unravel.
Set oven to gas 5 or 190°C / 375°F
Once proofed bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Cool on baking racks once baked.
Serve your hot soup topped with chopped basil and a drizzle of chilli and garlic oil.
Optional: Grate over the soup with Parmesan cheese.
Accompany the soup with warm savoury croissants.


text:
All three of these questions have to do with unusual units, and they all show just how interesting measurement systems can be!
Bullets come in variety of different calibers. The caliber indicates the diameter of the bullet. Some common calibers include:
- .22
- .25
- .357
- .38
- .44
- .45
For example, you have probably heard of a ".22 caliber rifle." In all of these cases, the caliber number indicates the diameter of the bullet in inches. So a .25 caliber bullet is a quarter of an inch in diameter. Words like "Magnum" and "Special" imply that a higher-energy powder is used with the bullet. This page has a lot of information on bullet calibers. It also talks about the gauge of shotgun shells and says that the gauge numbers for a shotgun (12 gauge, 14 gauge, etc.) are "the numbers of lead balls -- of diameters equal to the inside diameter of the gun -- that are required to total up to a pound of lead." That's about as weird as units get!
The measurement system for wire is also interesting. AWG stands for "American Wire Gauge" and is a standard in the United States for wire diameters. In a house, you typically find 10, 12 and 14 gauge wire, and electronics projects typically use 20 gauge wire. Wire gauges run from 000000 gauge, which is about half an inch in diameter, down to 40 gauge, which is 0.001 inches (this page has a complete chart). The higher the AWG number, the thinner the wire.
Where did this odd system come from? According to this page, "The modern method of drawing wire is believed to have originated in Europe late in the 13th cent. In this process the metal is pulled, or drawn, through a number of holes, each smaller than the one preceding, until finally it is passed through the hole having the desired diameter." The gauge number stems from how many holes the wire is drawn through, and the more holes it's drawn through the smaller the diameter.
This page has some good information on wire resistance.
Then there is the common penny designation used with nails. You can buy nails ranging from twopenny to fiftypenny in the United States (represented as 2d or 50d, respectively).
Why is "d" used instead of "p"? According to this article, "This stems from Roman times. The "d" stood for "denarius," a small coin common throughout the Roman empire." The penny designation can be translated into length, as shown on this page. It's not clear that anyone knows where the penny designation comes from -- it might have indicated the cost of 100 nails in the 1400s.


text:
Steve Mann, the "father of wearable computing," has been physically assaulted while visiting a McDonalds in Paris, France.
The Canadian university professor was at the restaurant with his family when three different McDonalds employees took exception to his "Digital Eye Glass" device and attempted to forcibly remove it from his head. Mann was then physically removed from the store by the employees, along with having his support documentation destroyed.
This may be the first ever recorded assault of a person instigated by the prominent display of a Google Glass-like wearable computer.
The incident is particularly troubling, not only because Mann's device is very similar to Google Glass, but because the assault could be a harbinger of things to come as the technology becomes increasingly prominent. Assaults such as this one may become more frequent should people (and corporations) respond poorly to the use of such devices. Details of the assault were made available by Mann on his blog.
He, along with his wife and children, were touring the Champs Elysees area when the incident took place. After sitting down to grab a bite to eat, Mann was questioned by a McDonalds employee about the Eye Glass. Since Mann had spent the day going to museums and landmarks, he had brought a letter from his doctor along with other support documentation explaining the device.
He has worn computer vision of some kind for the past 34 years as part of his research in the field of wearable computing. Mann then describes what happened next:
After reviewing the documentation, the purported McDonalds employee accepted me (and my family) as a customer, and left us to place our order. In what follows, I will refer to this person as "Possible Witness 1".
We ordered two Ranch Wraps, one burger, and one mango McFlurry, from a cashier who I will refer to as "Possible Witness 2". My daughter handled the cash to pay Possible Witness 2, as my daughter wanted to practice her French. Possible Witness 2 complimented my daughter on her fluency in French.
Next my family and I seated ourselves in the restaurant right by the entrance, so we could watch people walking along Avenue Champs Elysees while we ate our meal.
Subsequently another person within McDonalds physically assaulted me, while I was in McDonand's, eating my McDonald's Ranch Wrap that I had just purchased at this McDonald's. He angrily grabbed my eyeglass, and tried to pull it off my head. The eyeglass is permanently attached and does not come off my skull without special tools.
I tried to calm him down and I showed him the letter from my doctor and the documentation I had brought with me. He (who I will refer to as Perpetrator 1) then brought me to two other persons. He was standing in the middle, right in front of me, and there was another person to my left seated at a table (who I will refer to as Perpetrator 2), and a third person to my right. The third person (who I will refer to as Perpetrator 3) was holding a broom and dustpan, and wearing a shirt with a McDonald's logo on it. The person in the center (Perpetrator 1) handed the materials I had given him to the person to my left (Perpetrator 2), while the three of them reviewed my doctor's letter and the documentation.
After all three of them reviewed this material, and deliberated on it for some time, Perpetrator 2 angrily crumpled and ripped up the letter from my doctor. My other documentation was also destroyed by Perpetrator 1.
I noticed that Perpetrator 1 was wearing a name tag clipped to his belt. When I looked down at it, he quickly covered it up with his hand, and pulled it off and turned it around so that it was facing inwards, so that only the blank white backside of it was then facing outwards.
Perpetrator 1 pushed me out the door, onto the street.
Ironically, it was because of the assault that Mann was able to capture images of the McDonalds employees. The Eye Glass utilizes a system called "Augmediated Reality" which helps the wearer see better. When the computer is damaged, buffered pictures for processing remain in its memory and are not overwritten. Subsequently, Mann was able to capture images of the assault.
Mann contacted police after the incident, but "did not receive much help from them." He is hoping that the fast-food chain will repair his broken Glass, and that "McDonalds would see fit to support vision research."
The assault has already enraged a number of people who are calling for an immediate apology. Users on Reddit have been quick to act, going so far as to publish the address and phone number of the McDonalds in question, while Techcruch has called for a McDonald's boycott.
According to Andy Greenberg of Forbes, McDonalds has assured him that, "that the company "[takes] the claims and feedback of our customers very seriously. We are in the process of gathering information about this situation and we ask for patience until all of the facts are known."
Mann is no stranger to controversy — nor to discrimination. He was once thrown out of a Wal-mart, and has had run-ins with the New York City Police department and U.S. Secret Service.
Images via Steve Mann and CBC.


text:
When German Chancellor Angela Merkel celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Berlin in 2008, she could not have imagined that she was blessing the workplace for the largest and most effective gaggle of American spies anywhere outside of the United States.
It seems straight out of a grade-B movie, but it has been happening for the past 11 years: The National Security Agency (NSA) has been using Mrs. Merkel as an instrument to spy on the president of the United States. We now know that the NSA has been listening to and recording her cellphone calls since 2002.
In 2008, when the new embassy opened, the NSA began using more sophisticated techniques that included not only listening, but also following her. Mrs. Merkel uses her cellphone more frequently than her landline, and she uses it to communicate with her husband and family members, the leadership of her political party, and her colleagues and officials in the German government.
She also uses her cellphone to speak with foreign leaders, among whom have been President George W. Bush and President Obama. Thus, the NSA — which Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama have unlawfully and unconstitutionally authorized to obtain and retain digital copies of all telephone conversations, texts and emails of everyone in the United States, as well as those of hundreds of millions of persons in Europe and Latin America — has been listening to the telephone calls of both American presidents whenever they have spoken with the chancellor.
One could understand the NSA's propensity to listen to the conversations of those foreign leaders who wish us ill. One would expect that the agency would do so. However, the urge to listen to the leadership of our allies serves no discernible intelligence-gathering purpose.
Rather, it fuels distrust between our nations, and in the case of Mrs. Merkel, exacerbates memories of the all-seeing and all-hearing Stasi, which was the East German version of the KGB that ruled that police state from the end of World War II until it collapsed in 1989. Mrs. Merkel was raised in East Germany, and she has a personal revulsion at the concept of omnipresent state surveillance.
Mr. Obama apparently has no such revulsion. One would think he's not happy that his own spies have been listening to him. One would expect that he would have known of this.
Not from me, says Gen. Keith Alexander, the director of the NSA, who disputed claims in the media that he told Mr. Obama of the NSA spying network in Germany last summer. Either the president knew of this and has denied it, or he is invincibly ignorant of the forces he has unleashed on us and on himself.
When Susan E. Rice, Mr. Obama's national security adviser, was confronted with all of this by her German counterpart, she first told him the White House would deny it. Then she called him to say that the White House could not deny it, but the president would deny that he personally knew of it.
How did we get here? What are the consequences of a president spying on himself? What does this mean for the rest of us?
Neither Mr. Bush nor Mr. Obama has had a strong fidelity to the Constitution. They share the views of another odd couple of presidents from opposing political parties, Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, in that the Constitution is not the supreme law of the land as it proclaims to be, but rather a guideline that unleashes the president to do all that it does not expressly forbid him to do
In the progressive era 100 years ago, that presidential attitude brought us the Federal Reserve, the federal income tax, Prohibition, World War I, prosecutions for speech critical of the government and the beginnings of official modern government racial segregation.
That same attitude in our era has brought us the Patriot Act, which allows federal agents to write their own search warrants, government borrowing that knows no end — including the $2 trillion Mr. Bush borrowed for the war in Iraq, a country that is now less stable than before Mr. Bush invaded, and the $7 trillion Mr. Obama borrowed to redistribute — and an NSA that monitors all Americans all the time.
In the case of the NSA spying, this came about by the secret orders of Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama, animated by that perverse Roosevelt-Wilsonian view of the Constitution and not by a congressional vote after a great national debate.
Just as people change when they know they are being watched, the government changes when it knows no one can watch it. Just as we can never be ourselves when we fear that we may need to justify our most intimate thoughts to an all-knowing government, so, too, the government knows that when we cannot see what it is doing, it can do whatever it wants. It is in the nature of government to expand, not shrink. Thomas Jefferson correctly predicted that 175 years ago.
Spying on yourself, though, is truly asinine and perhaps criminal. You see, the president can officially declassify any secrets he wants, but he cannot — without official declassification — simply reveal them to NSA agents.
One can only imagine what NSA agents learned from listening to Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama as they spoke to Mrs. Merkel and 34 other friendly foreign leaders, as yet unidentified publicly.
Now we know how pervasive this NSA spying is: It not only reaches the Supreme Court, the Pentagon, the CIA, the local police and the cellphones and homes of all Americans, it reaches the Oval Office itself. Yet when the president denies that he knows of this, that denial leads to more questions.
The president claims he can start secret foreign wars using the CIA, secretly kill Americans using drones, and now secretly spy on anyone anywhere using the NSA.
Is the president an unwitting dupe to a secret rats' nest of uncontrolled government spies and killers? Or is he a megalomaniacal, totalitarian secret micromanager who lies regularly, consistently and systematically about the role of government in our lives?
Which is worse? What do we do about it?
Andrew P. Napolitano, a former judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, is the author of seven books on the U.S. Constitution, including his most recent, "Theodore and Woodrow: How Two American Presidents Destroyed Constitutional Freedom" (Thomas Nelson, 2012).
Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.
Click to Read More and View Comments
Click to Hide


text:
After two sunny days of temps in the upper 60s so many things are growing! Time for yard work!
The cast iron plants were in need of a good trim. Usually I only remove damaged or dead leaves but this year they are receiving a crew cut!
In a week or two they will be sending up dozens of new leaves. I also took this opportunity to trim back the clumps of roots and move plants away from the paths.
Gus supervised!
The old fashioned hydrangeas received a good trim, too. They were taking over the parking area and had some snow damage. They are large and beautiful in the summer as the pictures I posted last Summer demonstrate!
I simply followed the limbs back to the strongest bud and cut. Many cuttings will be made for rooting pots!
After about three hours of work Gus says it's time for a nap!
I agree! Or at least a grilled cheese sandwich!


text:
My interest in Virtual Worlds was recently sparked by Caja Thimm's fascinating research on Second Life (SL) and Larry Pixa's intriguing work on simulation platforms for disaster training. I was therefore eager to read David Wyld's new report on "Government in 3D" which explains the in's and out's of virtual worlds.
What follows is a series of short excerpts that I found particularly interesting. These range from terrorism and money laundering to game-wide epidemics and the role of the media in virtual worlds.
The Past and Future of Virtual Worlds
- The US military originally developed the term "serious games" as a more acceptable way to talk about war games with Congress and the public.
- Simulations for military training can be traced as far back as the Roman Empire, with Roman commanders' "sand tables" which were a small copy of the physical battlefield used by commanders to test their battle strategies.
- Just as the radio gave way to the more immersive experience of television, today's flat, single-user websites will morph into more interactive, immersive multiple-user experiences.
- There is a growing belief that virtual worlds may well replace the web browser as the way we interface with the Internet. The web allows you to call up information but the virtual environment allows you to experience and visualize data.
- The word avatar has a specific historic and religious significance, taken to mean in the Hindu tradition the physical embodiment of a divine being.
- There will be a market need for helping people manage their digital identities.
- One of the distinct challenges for organizations operating in virtual-world environments will be to make their interface and content available on mobile devices.
- There will be a need for verifiable data on virtual worlds and activity within them. This will present a collosal market opportunity for firms seeking to become the "Nielsen Ratings" equivalent for virtual worlds and for companies that make it easier to capture quantifiable metrics from these sites.
- Research will in time become one of the primary products of virtual worlds as we're building petri dishes for social science with environments such as Second Life.
- If in five years, Second Life experience is as good as watching the movie Shrek, there will be uses for it that we don't understand yet.
Intelligence and Terrorism in Virtual Worlds
- The new Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) office is setting up a virtual world code-named "Babel Bridge" in which members of the intelligence community could securely meet, interact, and exchange information such as audio files and images from spy satellites. This "digital war room" is expected to facilitate collaboration and decision-making.
- Second Life has drawn attention from the FBI and other agencies on matters such as gambling and money laundering.
- Terrorism in one form or another has been a part of Second Life for some time. Among the terrorist incidents in-world have been bombings at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's headquarters and the Reebok store, a shooting at an American Apparel store, and a helicopter being flown into the Nissan building.
- Real-world terrorists' use of virtual worlds is a growing concern. Intelligence experts have speculated that virtual worlds will be conducive for real-world terrorist groups to recruit, organize, and even simulate possible attacks.
- The "Reynard Project", a proposal by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, (ODNI) would seek to identify the emerging social, behavioral and cultural norms in virtual worlds and gaming environments. The project would then apply lessons learned to determine the feasibility of automatically detecting suspicious behavior and actions in the virtual world.
- Some are concerned that virtual worlds provide terrorists with an anonymous arena in which to swap information—and even funds, as virtual-world currencies can be potentially used to move money around the globe in a relatively hard-to-detect manner.
- The Maldives, Sweden, Estonia, Kazakhstan and Serbia each have embassies in Second Life.
Training and Simulations in Virtual Worlds
- Crisis response training in virtual environments can provide unique learning strategies. For example, if first responders in a simulated environment fail to put on their reflective jacket when approaching the scene of an accident, their avatar may be hit by a car—a negative reinforcement that could not occur in a real-life training.
- A disease called "Corrupted Blood" was unleashed into World of Warcraft in 2005 to be a hindrance to act as a hindrance to high-level players as they battled a powerful creature named Hakkar. However, the infection quickly spread by characters moving throughout the game (as in a real-life epidemic), causing an uncontrolled, game-wide pandemic. This episode was addressed as a case study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, showing lessons that could be learned by real-world epidemiologists and health professionals.
- In-world activities can pay positive health dividends for the real person behind the avatar. Indeed studies have shown that individuals having their avatars excercise in virtual worlds are more likely to engage in excercise in real life.
Finance and Economy in Virtual Worlds
- Visitors in Second Life (SL) can exchange their real dollars for Linden Dollars and vice versa. The size of the SL economy has been estimated at $300 million or more, meaning its virtual economy is larger than the gross domestic product of some real nations.
- There is more trade in Linden Dollars and exchanges between Linden and other currencies than many real-world currencies.
- There have been well-publicized success stories of Second Life entrepreneurs, including most notably Anshe Chung, a German citizen, who is the first real-life millionaire based on being one of the largest owners of virtual real estate in Second Life.
- An analysis published in the Harvard Business Review estimates that in-world sales of virtual goods dwarf the external trade of such items−by 20 times more.
- Second Life had difficulty with "banks" operating in the virtual world, unfettered by real-world banking regulations, reserve requirements, and interest rates in the low single digits. In fact, it had been labeled a "Wild West" financial atmosphere, replete with banks appearing and disappearing, and with virtual bank runs.
- One of the biggest parts of the Second Life economy in its formative stage was gambling.
Media and Film in Virtual Worlds
- The news media today are not just reporting on Second Life; they are reporting directly from Second Life. The Reuters news agency has embedded a reporter in-world for over three years. CNN launched a bureau in Second Life, a virtual version of it's I-Report, whereby Second Life residents routinely submit their news stories and photos of in-world news and events.
- Machinima is a new type of computer animation (or videos) created entirely within the confines of a virtual world. The term is based on the phrase "machine cinema" and machinima videos can either capture unscripted, live action or can follow scripts and actual plots as determined by the machinima filmaker.


text:
Hertz 369. Rent for 3, 6 or 9 hours
Hertz 369 offers you the chance to rent it your way. We know that sometimes you need to rent a car to run a few errands, drive to a meeting or get to the airport.
Need to rent for longer? Get a quote.
Terms and conditions:
UK: B or C.
Belgium & Luxembourg: B, C & Q
. Offer includes CDW, TP, LSC, VLF, Tax, RIH-LIT and the following limited mileage; 100mls for 3hrs, 200mls for 6hrs and 300mls for 9hrs.
Hertz 369 is a non-discountable product and is therefore exempt from any discount programme
UK: £0.14 for group B; £0.23 for group C.
Belgium & Luxembourg: 0.17 for group B and €0.23 for groups C & Q


text:
(CNN) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter has apologized for his remarks about gay fans attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Blatter was heavily criticized for saying they should "refrain from sexual activity" if they go to Qatar because homosexuality is illegal in the emirate.
"It was not my intention and never will be my intention to go into any discrimination," he told a press conference in Abu Dhabi Friday.
"If somebody feels hurt, then I regret and present apologies," added Blatter.
The original remarks were made Monday in Johannesburg and the 74-year-old was quick to add that "in football we have no boundaries.
Blatter went on: "We open everything to everybody and I think there shall not be any discrimination to any human beings."
But despite the qualification, his comments provoked fury among gay rights groups.
Former NBA basketball star John Amaechi -- himself gay -- told APF that the FIFA president was quilty of "epic, archaic, neanderthal, ignorance."
Blatter, in Abu Dhabi for FIFA's Club World Cup, also gave his support to the notion of the 2022 World Cup being played in January rather than the traditional mid-summer slot.
The move, to avoid the blistering 50 degrees centigrade heat in Qatar in June and July, was first suggested by Germany's FIFA executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer and is gathering momentum.
"I definitely support (the idea) to play in winter here," Blatter said.
"It is important to play when the climate is appropriate and I'm thinking about the footballers, not only the fans but the actors."
Organizers in Qatar have said they will provide air-conditioned stadiums and training grounds to combat the stifling heat.
They have not made an official request to switch dates which would bring clashes with major club leagues in Europe such as the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga and Serie A in Italy.


text:
Ok, so I know it's been a while, but I never could resist a Q&A with one of my fave authors, the lovely Mr Croxall. His new book, Anchor Leg, is brilliant and has all the makings of a classic sci-fi novel. Naturally, I wanted to know more about what had inspired him to write it and where he thinks the story might go next.
Where did the character of Seren come from? Is she based on anyone you know?
Oh, good question! I wonder if you agree that every character we write has a little bit of ourselves in them? However, beyond that tiny bit of me, I think Seren is very much her own beast. I had a few scenes in mind when I started writing the book and Seren just sort of grew from what I pictured her doing. My thought process was something like: if she acts like this she must have this kind of personality. Does that make sense?!
Why did you decide to make Seren a trainee?
As an apprentice I thought Seren could learn about the Relay (the fictional succession of habitable space stations that make up the book's setting) as the reader did. I also started the book off with the idea that it might end up as a young-adult title, but eventually I realised I was writing something that was really pure sci-fi. By then Seren's character was fully formed and I didn't want to change/age her. Despite being seventeen (maybe that was always more new-adult than young-adult anyway) I think she works as she is. I just hope readers agree!
What is your favourite sci-fi film/book franchise? Did it have an influence on Anchor Leg?
Star Trek. Specifically, Star Trek: The Next Generation. I absolutely loved that show when I was growing up and, during my time at university, I re-watched every episode from all seven series in order – that was my proper education! I love the idea of space exploration and all the moral dilemmas it seems to throw up. In terms of influence, I definitely placed Seren into some morally dubious situations and had her (and other characters) question her actions. On top of that, there are endless little references and winks to all of my favourite sci-fi shows and films buried within the book. I hope readers have fun spotting them!
The prose of Anchor Leg feels so cinematic that I can imagine it easily as a movie. I know you sometimes write screenplays – would you perhaps adapt this one day as a screenplay?
I take that as a huge compliment, thank you! I also agree that Anchor Leg would make a decent screenplay; a lot of cutting/streamlining as a given of course. Alas, the zero-G stuff and special effects would cost a lot of money to film and, as an unknown writer, I would be very unlikely to get it made. You never know though, maybe one day!
How much did your degree studies/ interest in science influence this book?
I studied environmental science at university and some of that came into play in surprising ways towards the end of the book. My knowledge of space was actually not that strong (although the solar system obviously fascinates me) but I was lucky in that Steve Caddy – sci-fi author of the fabby In Exchange – was on hand to help me with all the technical detail. He set me straight where I got things horrifically wrong in early drafts.
If Anchor Leg was made into a film, who would you love to see in the main roles? Perhaps you'd even like to see it drawn as an anime!
Definitely unknowns for Seren and Abril, maybe established actors for some of the more senior crew. As for your anime idea, perfect! You've singlehandedly solved my budgetary constraint problems! If any animators are reading this, drop me a line!
Originally trained as an environmental scientist, Jack Croxall soon realised a life in the lab wasn't for him. After discovering a passion for writing he's now an award-winning author, scriptwriter and blogger. He tweets via @JackCroxall and blogs at http://www.jackcroxall.co.uk
Anchor Leg is available from Amazon now!


text:
Shastri, Shri Lal Bahadur
Shastri, Shri Lal Bahadur shrē läl bähä´do͝or shäs´trē [key], 1904–66, Indian political leader. He joined Mohandas Gandhi's noncooperation movement in 1921 and studied at the nationalist Kashi Vidyapeth school, where he was given the title Shastri [learned in the scriptures]. Elected to the central legislature in 1952, he served as minister for railways (1952–56), minister of commerce and industry (1957–61), and minister of home affairs (1961–63) before succeeding Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister in 1964. Following the India-Pakistan War of 1965, Shastri met in Tashkent with President Ayub Khan of Pakistan and signed a
no-wardeclaration. He died the next day (Jan. 11, 1966).
See biography by J. N. Yadav (1971); study by R. C. Gupta (1966).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: South Asian History: Biographies


text:
Light Green Pure Kanjeevaram SareeRegular price Rs. 17,838.00 Sale price Rs. 8,919.00 Save 50%
Kanjeevaram silk-
The name Kanjeevaram comes from a small town or village named Kanchipuram in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where the saree is believed to have originated. The saree or any outfit made in this woven fabric is considered a perfect ensemble for all kinds of important events, festivities and occasions. The classic weave provides a thick, strong material that is tinted with gold or silver and is employed in borders and motifs on the palav or throughout the saree body.
Kanjeevaram saree is also a popular bridal ensemble in most parts of Southern India. kalaashree's Kanjeevaram sarees are made of pure silk, with motifs having zari of silk threads dipped in liquid gold and silver.
Our fine count weaves with suitable enhancement, suitable linings and smooth texture, with the special shimmer quality have kept its reputation as a valuable product to be carefully stored and displayed on those special occasions like weddings, grand parties, big festivals, and social functions.
Buy this beautiful and georgeous Kanjeevaram Silk Sarees from our exquisite collection of Kanjeevaram Sarees only at kalaashree.
size and fit
Saree Length- 5.5 meters plus 0.8 meter blouse piece
Saree Width- 1.06 meter (approx.)
Material and Product Care
Saree Fabric-Kanjeevaram silk
Blouse Fabric-Kanjeevaram silk
Dry clean
Delivery Options
Shipping Time-5 to 7 working days
Easy Return in 2 days &
Exchange in 4 days
24 Hours dispatch


text:
Hi everyone!! I hope you're having a great July!! I wanted to update you because I haven't been able to post in the last couple of weeks. I'm putting my blog on "vacation" mode LOL, until next week. I have family visiting & I really did not expect to be this busy. Also this week is vacation Bible school at my church, I am so happy to be helping out there. I haven't had the time like I usually do to sit & write my longer posts, I am working on a couple posts which will be up next week. For now, I apologize that I haven't posted anything. 😢😢😢😭😭😭 If you are on Instagram, please follow me there! ❤ I post short reflections on there & daily inspirational messages. 💖🙂 I've still made time to listen to Tony Evans & its so funny, I decided to fast once a week, it's something I try but then I forget & neglect but I shouldn't. So I'm recommitting. & he has a sermon this week on the importance of fasting!!! Coincidence? I think not! Lol. 😀
The Importance of Fasting http://subspla.sh/mn3bz5m
Fasting for Deliverance http://subspla.sh/4x66n2p
What are you guys doing this summer? Any plans with family, church, God? I hope you guys are having a wonderful & blessed summer! Xoxo ❤🌞


text:
Mashpee tribe releases environmental impact report for Taunton casino
The draft environmental impact report on the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's proposed $550 million casino project has been submitted to state officials and is now subject to a public comment period.
Although the tribe announced the publication of the report Tuesday, the 1,000-plus-page document is dated May 15. It details the tribe's plan to build a 400,000-square-foot resort casino featuring a 15-story structure, 900 hotel rooms, a 132,000-square-foot gambling floor, multiple restaurants and a 25,000-square-foot water park.
"We are pleased to provide this comprehensive analysis of our proposed destination resort casino in Taunton," Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said in a statement. "The publication of this report is a critical step forward and helps us keep this project on track to bring thousands of jobs to southeastern Massachusetts."
The document, produced by Maynard-based Epsilon Associates describes the current conditions in and around the 151-acre site in East Taunton, projects the impact a casino would have on the area and details planned mitigation steps. It also describes scaled-down alternative plans in addition to the tribe's preferred plan.
The Mashpee, backed by Malaysian casino conglomerate Genting, have a purchase option on the land, which sits within Liberty and Union Industrial Park. Some of the parcels are adjacent to Routes 24 and 140.
The tribe's preferred plan would result in a number of effects on existing infrastructure, including a peak of 20,900 new vehicle trips on Fridays, an increase of 309,000 gallons per day drawn from Taunton's water system and 225,000 additional gallons of wastewater each day.
Planned mitigation measures include dozens of offsite road improvements including new ramps on Route 24 and Route 140, widening a section of route 140 and redesigning the Hart's Four Corner's intersection. Plans also call for a new entrance ramp connecting the casino site directly to Route 140.
Proposed water infrastructure mitigation includes installing larger water mains in the area and rehabilitating an existing pumping station.
In a May 15 letter to the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Epsilon states that the tribe has refined the casino design to minimize its environmental effects.
"For example, on-site impacts to wetlands and other water resources have been minimized by constructing the large majority of the development on areas that have already been disturbed and by making adaptive reuse of two existing buildings on site," the letter states.
Under U.S. law, any federally recognized tribe that has sovereign land in a state that allows expanded gambling may open a tribal casino under certain conditions. The Mashpee, who got official recognition in 2007, are currently without any reservation land.
The tribe has an application pending with the federal government to have the Taunton land, as well as 170 acres in Mashpee taken in trust to establish an initial reservation. Opinions differ sharply, however, on when, or if, that approval will come.
The Mashpee say they are on track for an expedited land approval and will be ready to begin construction early next year, but some have said such a decision could take years. The 2009 Carcieri v. Salazar Supreme Court decision clouds the issue further, suggesting that tribes are only eligible to have land taken in trust if they were under federal jurisdiction before 1934.
The 2011 state law that legalized casino gambling froze commercial projects out of the southeastern region to give the Mashpee a chance to resolve their land issues.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, recently ended the tribe's exclusivity and allowed commercial developers to bid on a casino license in the region. Such a move does not, however, end the Mashpee's pursuit of a casino through the federal process.
The draft environmental impact report is available online at http://mwtribe.exstream.tv/firstlightresort. The state is receiving written public comments on the project until July 12. Comments may be mailed to: Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr., Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Attn: MEPA Office, Ms. Holly Johnson, EEA #14924, Cambridge St., Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114. Comments may also be emailed to email@example.com, or faxed to 617-626-1181.


text:
27 Great Midwest Pizzerias
- Classic pepperoni pizza at Venturi.
Goshen, Indiana: Venturi
Just 72 pizzerias in the country are certified as serving authentic Neapolitan pizza, and only one in Indiana: the stylish, three-year-old restaurant of pizzaiolo Justin Venturi. Justin and his crew use imported flour and their own fior di latte (cow's milk mozzarella, made daily) and bake the pizzas in an 800-degree brick oven for less than two minutes. The quick scorch yields a pliable crust with crisp, blistered freckles known as leopard spotting. Top-quality ingredients mean even simple pizzas like a Margherita or pepperoni taste like a slice of old Napoli. See Midwest Living's review. (574) 485-2985; eatventuri.com
- Manager Alec Henrickson stretches mozzarella at Pompeii Pizzeria.
Elk River, Minnesota: Pompeii Pizzeria
Frank Galli has just hand-stretched 40 pounds of fresh mozzarella in anticipation of the dinner rush at his small-town pizza parlor. Frank's path to get to this moment is paved with good ingredients. He founded both a bread bakery and a mushroom supplier before attending the Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese in 2009. A year later, he opened Pompeii, where pizzas come dressed in Sicilian olive oil, delicate tomato sauce and unique toppings. (Spring brings a creamy white pizza with asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach.) But the star is the crust, baked to chewy perfection in a 750-degree stone oven. See Midwest Living's review. (763) 633-1222; pompeiipizzeria.net
- It's hip to be square at Buddy's Pizzeria.
Detroit: Buddy's Pizzeria
When you pass through the well-kept rear door of the original Buddy's Pizzeria, you leave the surrounding neighborhood blight behind and enter a maze of award-covered hallways and dining rooms with checkered tablecloths. Buddy's began serving deep-dish in the 1940s as a novelty to increase business. It worked. Fans still pile in for hefty square pizzas blanketed with tangy sauce and gooey mozzarella. No doubt, Buddy's is a throwback, but they've also moved with the times. Chicken fajita pizza, featuring moist chicken, sweet onions and roasted peppers, is irresistible. See Midwest Living's review. (313) 892-9001; buddyspizza.com
- Flippin' Sweet's top-seller is the all-American (and oh-so-yummy) chicken bacon ranch pizza.
Kearney, Nebraska: Trattoria Flippin' Sweet
To anyone who has taken a road trip fueled by chips and gas-station coffee, Flippin' Sweet should come as good news. In 2012, this spunky pizzeria brought its pillowy pies from nearby Holdrege to fancier digs in downtown Kearney. Located right off Interstate-80 two hours west of Lincoln, Flippin' Sweet trips all the trendy triggers: chalkboard decor, drinks in Mason jars, payments on an iPhone—and humorously named pizzas, like the Fig Leaf, with arugula, bacon, pistachios, garlic and fig butter. (308) 991-2316; theflippinsweet.com
- Great Plains Sauce and Dough Company.
Ames, Iowa: Great Plains Sauce and Dough Company
A longtime favorite of the Iowa State University community, Great Plains is the breadbasket of the pizza world, a homey, unpretentious place where Parmesan comes powdered in shakers and getting your weekly carb dosage in an evening is just good manners. The whole wheat Denver-style crust most people order has a hearty, yeasty flavor and provides a solid (naysayers might say bricklike) base for zesty red sauce, traditional toppings and a flood of cheese. This is the stuff Freshman Fifteens are made of. See Midwest Living's review. (515) 232-4263; greatplainspizza.com
Grand Forks, North Dakota: Rhombus Guys
Here's a tale. A coupla 18-year-olds wanted to build a smoothie stand on a snowmobile trailer. Halfway through, one said, "This thing isn't square at all. It's more like a rhombus." And thus they christened their first business Smoothie Rhombus. They later ventured into pizza, and that's how the best 'za in North Dakota was born. Really. Clearly these guys have a sense of humor, but even better, they make fantastic pizza. The menu lists 33 pies, including the meaty local-favorite T-Rex and the creamy wild mushroom with Alfredo sauce and caramelized onions. The beer list is outstanding to boot. See Midwest Living's review. (701) 787-7317; rhombuspizza.com
- Photo by Kendra L. Williams.
St. Louis: Cicero's
Ask a local where to find the best pizza in St. Louis, and you'll get 10 answers. That happens in a city proud of its immigrant roots and vibrant Italian neighborhood. But inevitably, Cicero's pops up on those lists. It's been a staple in The Loop since 1977 and, yes, it serves true St. Louis-style pizza (as well as fantastic hand-tossed pies). Try the shrimp scampi, with a rich garlic butter white wine sauce, shrimp, fresh parsley, Provel and mozzarella on a waferlike crust. See Midwest Living's review. (314) 862-0009; ciceros-stl.com
- Photo of Gino's by Kate Silver.
Chicago: Gino's East and Pat's Pizzeria
Gino's East (pictured) Started by three guys (two of whom were cab drivers) in 1966, Gino's has 11 locations in two states, plus a mail-order business, all built on the reputation of its Chicago-style pizza. The atmosphere isn't special (aside from being allowed to write on the walls at the E. Superior Street flagship), but the pizza delivers: crispy-chewy, copious amounts of stretchy mozzarella, spicy pepperoni and bright red sauce. If you aren't a deep-dish lover, Gino's East's just might be the pie that converts you. See Midwest Living's review. ginoseast.com
Pat's Pizzeria Tourists and locals alike devour the city's iconic deep-dish pizza, but thin-crust havens dot Chicago like perfectly spaced pepperoni. The best is Pat's, a 63-year-old Lincoln Park hole-in-the-wall lined with Italian art posters, deep booths and year-round Christmas lights. Topping choices include scallops, giardiniera (pickled veggies), zucchini and legendary house-made Italian sausage. Surrounded by crisp edges and underlined with a barely there crust, each square will leave you craving another piece—which is more than can be said for its hefty cousin. See Midwest Living's review. (773) 248-0168; patspizza.info
- Palermo's.
Milwaukee: Palermo's villa-style factory
For a glimpse into your favorite frozen food, head just east of the Milwaukee Brewers ballpark. "First villa on the left," says Palermo's Pizza marketing director Chris Dresselhuys by way of directions.
Italian runs deep at Palermo's, owned by a family that immigrated in the 1950s and later modeled their factory after a 16th-century Tuscan villa, complete with fountain.
"The Midwest is the epicenter of frozen pizza," Chris says, looking at a production line that uses 1.63 million pounds of mozzarella a month and a conveyor-belt oven outfitted with slabs of Italian marble. On the tour, visitors watch towers of pepperoni fall in slices and smell the yeasty aroma of crusts rising on spiraling conveyors where they cool as they travel.
By the time guests reach the cafe at the end of the tour, they're hungry for, of course, a free slice of hot Palermo's pizza topped with flash-frozen veggies that pop on the palate like the pizza was, well, made right in front of you. Tour info: palermospizza.com
Fish Creek, Wisconsin: Wild Tomato Wood-Fired Pizza and Grille
We love that proceeds from limited-edition Donation Creation pizzas go to local nonprofits. When we visited, it was a Middle Eastern pie with sweet-tart pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. See Midwest Living's review. (920) 868-3095; wildtomatopizza.com
- Ian's mac and cheese pizza. Photo by Maggie Ginsberg-Schutz.
Madison, Wisconsin: Ian's Pizza
Best known for a ridiculously decadent mac and cheese pizza, this local chain with strong community spirit serves reasonably priced New York-style pies. You know the kind: Huge, thin, foldable triangles weepy with cheesy toppings that slide right down your chin upon first bite. Though there are plenty of "regular" toppings like pepperoni and sausage, adventurous 'za fans will never grow bored with Ian's legendarily wacky monthly and weekly specials. Fish Fry pizza for carry-out, anyone? See Midwest Living's review. (608) 257-9248; ianspizza.com
- Photo by Damaine Vonada.
Fairborn, Ohio: Giovanni's Pizzeria e Ristorante Italiano
A fixture in downtown since 1953, Giovanni's is a mom-and-pop restaurant that feels like a midcentury relic—in a good way. Though the Dayton-area restaurant has been under new ownership since the 1990s, the owners come from a long line of New York-Italian bakers. Strangers sit side by side at tables strung together in the middle of the dining room. The vaguely dated decor and unpretentious atmosphere perfectly complement the pizza, which is uncomplicated and utterly delicious: cornmeal-dusted crusts, plain red sauce and fadproof toppings like pepperoni, onions and, yes, canned mushrooms. If you venture off the pizza menu, try the sausage-stuffed banana peppers called Half/Hots. See Midwest Living's review. (937) 878-1611; giovannisfairborn.com
- Photo by Tricia Cornell.
7 more pizzerias: Pizza toppings to try
The Mimi (pictured) Hot, garlicky crust topped with a Caprese salad of grape tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and basil. Try it at Punch Pizza's seven Twin Cities locations. See Midwest Living's review. punchpizza.com
No. 24 Jalapeño creamed corn, mozzarella, blue cheese, smoked beef brisket, sweet corn and red onion. Try it at Gusto Pizza Co. in Des Moines. See Midwest Living's review. (515) 244-8786; gustopizzaco.com
Pizza alla Quattro Formaggio Romano, cheddar, ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, bacon and mushroom. Try it at Bazbeaux's three metro Indianapolis locations. See Midwest Living's review. bazbeaux.com
Bacon and Potato White sauce, potatoes, bacon, spinach and Gorgonzola. Try it at New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan. See Midwest Living's review. (616) 355-6422; newhollandbrew.com
Spinoccoli Broccoli, spinach, mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan-garlic white sauce. Try it at Mother Bear's Pizza in Bloomington, Indiana. See Midwest Living's review. (812) 332-4495; motherbearspizza.com
Six Ways from Sunday Chicken, garlic, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, mozzarella and feta. Try it at Six Hundred Downtown in Bellefontaine, Ohio. See Midwest Living's review. (937) 599-6600; 600downtown.com
Scarborough Fair Pepperoni, sausage, veggies—and parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Try it at Dough Trader Pizza Co. in Spearfish, South Dakota. (605) 642-2175; doughtrader.com
- Photo by Ashley Petry.
Our final 7: The rest of the menu
Split the pizza to save room for these extras.
Breadsticks (pictured) Garlic-and-Parm flavored and delivered with savory dipping sauces. Try them at Pizzology in Carmel, Indiana. See reviews and ratings. (317) 844-2550; pizzologyindy.comButterscotch Budino A caramel-topped dessert that falls somewhere between crème brûlée and pudding. Try it at Harvest in Columbus, Ohio. See reviews and ratings. (614) 824-1769; harvestpizzeria.comArancini Balls of risotto stuffed with mozzarella and coated in tomato-basil sauce. Try them at Luigi's "The Original" in Harrison Township, Michigan. See reviews and ratings. (586) 468-7711; luigisoriginal.comFarmers Market Salad Whatever is in season, whether it be shaved fennel, watermelon or beets. Try it at Black Sheep in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. See reviews and ratings. blacksheeppizza.comIce Cream Classic frozen novelties are free to dine-in customers. How cute is that? Try them at Pizza Corner in Valley City, North Dakota. (701) 845-0104; pizzacorner.netGooey Butter Cake The indulgent St. Louis classic is moist as ever and made on-site. Try it at Waldo Pizza's two locations in metro Kansas City, Missouri. See reviews and ratings. waldopizza.netChinese Cheesesticks Crispy egg-roll wrappers stuffed with melted mozzarella and served with marinara for dipping. Try them at Fong's Pizza in Des Moines. See reviews and ratings. (515) 323-3333; fongspizza.com
Make your own pizza
In the mood to make your own pizza? Click in the Related Links box for some of our best pizza recipes, including Pizza Margherita, BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza, Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza and Fresh Veggie Pizza.
Reheating 101: Whether you bought or made your pizza, say good-bye to soggy microwaved leftovers. For a crispy crust, let pizza come to room temperature. Warm slices in a covered, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. (Lower the temperature if the crust crisps before toppings are hot.) To reheat more than a couple of slices, use the oven.Related Links