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Brent Batten: Pam Bondi tackles O.J.'s play for Florida, but it appears there's no blocking it
In his football prime, O.J. Simpson was unstoppable.
Those days are long gone, but as far as his move to Florida goes, it appears he still is.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday sent a letter to Julie Jones, secretary of the Department of Corrections, asking Jones to object to Simpson's planned move to Florida.
Simpson was released from prison in Nevada on Sunday, and a friend has indicated the former Buffalo Bills star and "Trial of the Century" defendant intends to move to Naples.
"There's no justification under these circumstances for asking the taxpayers of Florida to foot the bill for hosting Mr. Simpson's parole," Bondi wrote.
More:EXCLUSIVE: O.J. Simpson's friend says 'The Juice' headed to Naples
More:Attorney General Pam Bondi doesn't want O.J. Simpson to return to Florida
More:O.J. Simpson caught on camera for first time since prison release
More:What's in store for O.J. Simpson upon release from prison
But Florida is party to the Interstate Compact for Adult Supervision, a nationwide agreement governing the movement among states of released prisoners.
Its provisions allow states little latitude in deciding which parolees to accept, provided the parolees meet a few basic requirements.
Among them, that the parolee has a valid plan of supervision, has a job or means of support, and has family in the state willing to help assist with the plan of supervision.
Simpson, who has pensions from the NFL and Screen Actors Guild that aren't subject to the civil liability judgments against him in the 1994 deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, lived in Florida with his two youngest children before his arrest in Las Vegas on armed robbery charges.
In her letter Bondi cites a Florida statute that reads, "Offenders have no right to live in another state."
But a 2004 advisory opinion pertaining to the interstate compact suggests otherwise. "While a sending state controls the decision of whether or not to transfer an offender under the Compact, the receiving state has no discretion as to whether or not to accept the case as long as the offender satisfies the criteria provided in this rule," the opinion reads.
Ashley Lippert, executive director of the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision, which administers the compact, agrees with the advisory opinion.
"The rules are clear that if a probationer/parolee that meets the mandatory requirements, a receiving state would need to accept the transfer," she wrote in an email.
In her letter to Jones, Bondi seems to concede the possibility that Simpson will come to Florida.
"If the Florida Department of Corrections determines … that denial is not an option, our state is entitled to take all deliberate steps to ensure that Mr. Simpson is subjected to the most stringent and secure conditions of supervision," she wrote.
Bondi asks that Simpson be required to check in with his probation officer in person, wear an electronic monitor on his ankle, and be banned from using drugs or alcohol. Nevada's probation would allow the use of alcohol, though not to excess.
The Department of Corrections is under Florida Gov. Rick Scott, not Bondi. As of Monday, the DOC had not received an application from Nevada indicating Simpson intends to move to Florida.
Such transfers are routine.
In the past year, 7,500 people on parole or probation from another state came into Florida under the provisions of the compact, the most of any state, according to the compact administrator's annual report.
Another 5,900 moved out of the state to another jurisdiction.
In all, more than 113,000 parolees and probationers moved from one state to another under the compact in the most recent fiscal year.
Local defense attorney Jerry Berry is not involved in the Simpson case. But he has worked on cases involving a probationer's move under the compact. His understanding is in line with Lippert's and the advisory opinion.
"I get a feeling just because it's O.J. Simpson you can't say, 'No,' " Berry said. "People are coming and going all the time. If his name wasn't O.J. Simpson, nobody would care,"
Connect with Brent Batten at email@example.com, on Twitter @NDN_BrentBatten and at facebook.com/ndnbrentbatten.


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Please join your neighbors on Nextdoor:
Nextdoor is a hyper local social networking service for neighborhoods. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in San Francisco, California. Nextdoor launched in the United States in October 2011, and is currently available in 11 countries. Users of Nextdoor are required to submit their real names and addresses (or street without the exact number) to the website; posts made to the website are available only to other Nextdoor members living in the same neighborhood.

subset: commoncrawl


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One of many questions that I get requested most routinely is which sports activities I consider supply the perfect improvement capability to younger athletes. The distinction between a prime athlete and a 'mere' athlete is the willpower, ambition, and the spirit they put into the game on competition day preparation. A great athlete might simply fail and blow the sport if he or she fails to take into account one of many mechanisms that retains her or him in the 'zone' and playing within the zone. His head is filled with many other ideas. Essentially the most telling growth is that individuals near him reached out to the Cowboys, the club at which the best Indigenous player of his technology, Johnathan Thurston, found lifelong sanctuary.
Eric Kendricks had spent Sunday night time sifting by means of blockers and making use of shoulders to one in every of football's finest running backs. Now the Cowboys have been isolating him on the largest play of the game. Wally Mason has been a journalist for over 35 years. He grew up playing cricket and rugby league, however as of late his sporting interests are a lot wider – reflecting the broad spectrum of sports lined by The Australian. Fascinating perception into the information used to evaluate gamers and why Mohamed Salah could be price over €a hundred and fifty million (£129m) if he have been bought.
Kayo is the proudly Australian recreation-changing sports activities streaming service created to give you the ultimate technique to get closer to the sports activities you like. It also demands lot of onerous work and onus. However, rewards are lucrative, a journalist gets field seats on the video games, meets internationals sports activities star, gets lot of exposure while touring from one nation to another, getting to know the individuals who train Olympics athletes and fame appreciations from the readers and fans. In 1998 Under Armour grew to become the official provider of performance attire to the Nationwide Soccer League Europe and in 1999 Warner Bros. signed on as a consumer as well. Beneath Armour apparel supplied clothes for the movie "Any Given Sunday" and "The Replacements". It was changing into obvious that Below Armour was not simply related to sports but all forms of activity.
Selecting the best sports activities tools for the sporting exercise will aid you keep away from harm in the enjoying area. After taking up youth soccer training at her school's soccer team when she was only 12 years previous, she discovered the basics of soccer and began enjoying the sport an increasing number of. Little did she know that three years later, when she was just 15, she could be referred to as up for the United States national women's soccer staff, turning into the youngest participant ever to play for her nation at that level (considered one of her first damaged information).
Maintain knowledgeable with all it is advisable to know in the world of sport along with the easiest in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers. In the past few years the commissioner's workplace has begun to return down arduous on NBA gamers with a new gown code that has restricted what a player could put on before and after a game. This is extended to the courtroom the place NBA players aren't allowed to wear any kind of bijou. This means earrings; bracelets, rings and necklaces are all no-no's. The only equipment allowed on the courtroom are knee and elbow braces, headbands and, in fact, tattoos.


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Tag: reading
Travel Memoirs to Keep You Cozy This Winter
If you're like me, you tend to hibernate in the wintertime and become more of an "armchair traveler". And with COVID-19 and its variants still a prominent issue, it may be more of a challenge to getaway this winter. If you're looking for a fun, travel-themed book to keep you cozy this winter, check out…
Travel Memoirs to Read This Summer (That's not Eat Pray Love)
I don't know about you, but the travel bug has been very fierce for me lately. The phrase "you only want what you cannot have" is more true than I'm happy to admit. I'll be spending most of my summer at home, with the occasional adventure up north to the neighboring state of Maine. One…


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Everybody wants to have smoother and tighter skin and for that, they are ready to opt for various self-care and in-office treatments. But since self-care delivers temporary and slow results so mostly, people go for medical treatments to get the type of skin they want. Laser skin treatment is one of the most popular treatments for tightening skin, as its results are spectacular and long-lasting. When the device is aimed at the problem site, a laser beam triggers collagen and elastin growth in the skin to result in tighter, smoother, and firmer skin. An interesting fact about this option is that the loose skin is tightened without utilizing knives or blades. Well, this blog is specially written to throw light on how much does the cost of Laser Skin Tightening in Dubai so, if you want to know about the benefits, risks, and recovery of this treatment option, you should visit our Laser skin tightening page.
How does it Work?
At Dynamic clinic, laser treatments are being offered at very low prices. But before moving towards the cost of this treatment, let's discuss how it works. In this treatment, we utilize a special laser device to deliver desired outcomes to the patients. It is a safe and most effective way of improving skin appearance because a patient's safety is its top priority. A laser device is brought near the affected area to produce a lifting and tightening effect. The laser does this by stimulating collagen growth under the superficial layers of the skin and by removing the top damaged layers. But you must know that the procedure has to be repeated several times in different settings to provide a long-lasting outcome. The number of sessions you will need will be based on your expectations and physical health.
Laser Skin Tightening Cost in Dubai:
Now after knowing how Laser skin tightening works, you might be wondering how much does it cost. So, as compared to skin tightening surgery, Laser skin tightening is less expensive because it is simpler and easier.
The cost of Laser skin tightening in Dubai & Sharjah is different for every patient. It varies depending upon a large number of factors but we have compiled a list of some very important ones:
Expertise of the Practitioner:
Expert dermatologists are more expensive than novice ones so we can say that the expertise of the practitioner plays a main role in determining the total cost of the treatment.
Patient Expectations:
The kind of results that patients need is a very important price-defining mechanism. Share your goals with the doctor to let him evaluate the final cost of Laser Skin tightening in your case.
Treatment Area:
The changes you want to obtain and the area that needs treatment, both affect the final cost. You can get this treatment on your face, arms, chin, neck, and many other areas of the body but you must know that the cost of treatment for larger body parts is higher than for smaller ones.
Location of Health Center:
The location of the clinic also affects the cost of Laser Skin Tightening. The prices are higher in England than that in Dubai & Sharjah.
Number of Sessions:
The results of laser skin tightening appear gradually, they continue to improve with every passing session. The doctor will review your medical history to decide the exact number of sessions.
Cost of Skin Tightening Dubai:
While Laser Skin Tightening ranges anywhere from AED 1800 to AED 11000 but as mentioned above it is not fixed, it changes based on different factors.
Why Choose us?
Dynamic Aesthetic Clinic provides incredible solutions to people who want to enhance their appearance. Our surgeons have been performing various cosmetic procedures for over more than 10 years so the risk of botched treatment is very low. If you are planning to get Laser Skin Tightening, there is no better place than Dynamic Clinic.
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Reunited in Rico
Puerto Rico, known for its gorgeous beaches and undeniable contributions to Latin American music and cinema, is also home to a group of four men who had a vision of fusing salsa and other Latin rhythms with hard rock, punk and elements of metal.
After a six-year hiatus, the kings of Puerto Rican metal, better known as Puya, are back with a brand new EP and DVD, but is the world ready for this band's second coming?
Ramón Ortíz (guitar), Sergio Curbelo (vocals), Eduardo Paniagua (drums) and Harold Hopkins (bass) formed the current lineup of Puya in 1994.
In the late 90's, they released their major label debut, Fundamental, and stunned the world with their hit "Oasis." They cemented their popularity by appearing on Ozzfest's second stage in 1999, touring as direct support to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in South America and touring with the likes of Kiss, Pantera and Sepultura.
By 2001, their follow-up, Union, hadn't quite sold as well as their now-defunct label, MCA, would have preferred. They decided to split from the label and embarked on a six-year hiatus that many fans interpreted as a break-up.
"The thing about getting back together was never something that anybody pushed for or us calling each other going, 'Come on! Get off your ass! Let's do this!'" recalls drummer Paniagua. "It was nothing like that. We sort of let it happen naturally; we never officially broke up. It was never said by anybody. We lost touch for a little while, but I guess [we] needed that. "We were never on bad terms or anything like that. It was going to be the original line-up or nothing."
Paniagua admits that there were moments during the hiatus when it seemed like the band would never reunite. Ortíz launched another band similar to Puya (Ankla – "anchor" in Spanish) shortly after the hiatus. Hopkins was involved in his solo project, Yeva, back in Puerto Rico while Curbello pursued graphic arts and Paniagua did session drum work.
Seeds of a reunion were planted in 2007, but talks didn't amount to much. Two years later, the band was offered a headlining spot on Puerto Rico's "Stereo Music Festival" with co-headliners Prodigy on May 15, 2009.
"With the help of our hardcore fans in Puerto Rico, they wanted Puya so bad that they were heard. We didn't know what to expect," Paniagua recalls. "12,000 kids showed up and we were like 'Oh my god.' It kind of struck a vein that we were missing for so many years."
What started as a one-off reunion became a real comeback when all members agreed unanimously that it was all or nothing from that point. Armed with a new EP, "Areyto" and live DVD "Pa' Ti" ("For You"), Puya is ready to reclaim its glory.
"We are doing this completely by ourselves," Paniagua points out. "However long it takes us to get a record done and put it out independently then that's what it will be."
The new EP Areyto continues with the band's spiritual and environmentally conscious imagery.
Areyto is a majestic ceremonial dance that is performed by various indigenous people of Puerto Rico. The cover art designed by renowned tattoo artist, Juan Selgado reflects this theme with a Cemi, a sculpture used by Caribbean and South American tribes that is believed to house the spirit of a deity, human or animal.
Lyrically, fans can expect the new direction of the band to be similar to Fundamental's approach with very little use of English. Paniagua, as well as the rest of the band felt the songs were better suited with Spanish lyrics.
"Sergio sounds better than ever, especially these new songs we're writing," explains Paniagua. "There's a lot more singing in them as opposed to rap or hardcore. There's some of that cause it's part of the band, but we can really feature his voice this time. The Latin is mixed in with the metal, but more defined."
Of the seven tracks the band is considering for the new EP, four will be original and three will be live tracks from their first reunion show in May 2009.
Ortíz wrote two tracks, one being "Ni Antes, Ni Después" ("Not Before, Not After"), which relates to much of what the band experienced during the hiatus and the uncertainty of their future together.
"It really relates to what the band is going through," says Paniagua. "This is what we're doing right now and it's not about the past or the future. It's about this moment right here."
Ortíz also wrote "No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga," a Spanish adage that advocates the silver lining in the worst of times.
Paniague explains, "[Ortíz] wrote ["No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga"] a few months back and he was just keeping it in the vault, but he always thought from the day he wrote it that he had written that song for Puya and that's why he never used it in anything else. The song is perfect. It's like no matter if something bad happens, there's always something good that results. It also relates to the band because we're back and everybody feels great about it."
Hopkins wrote the title track, "Areyto" which is also the album's heaviest song.
"It's about war, it's about history when the Spaniards came 500 years ago and they took over the island and took over the tribes and implemented their way," says Paniagua. "[We are] a result of generations of Spaniards and Indians mixing up and it talks a little bit about the story behind it."
The new EP will also feature "La Muralla" ("The Wall"), a cover of a popular Latin American folk song that was based on a poem by Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén. It will include guest vocals from Puerto Rican artists Tego Calderón, Tito Auger from Fiel A La Vega and Mimi Maura.
"It was [Hopkins] idea to bring it in do a Puya version of it and make it heavier. We saw the possibilities of making a cool cover. We wanted a song where we could invite some friends from other bands to participate on the record and make it a cool collaboration."
Puya hopes to release their first live DVD, Pa'Ti to coincide with the EP. Filmed in 2002 at Puerto Rico's famed Tito Puente Amphitheater, it was one of Puya's final shows before the hiatus. Although it was initially intended for immediate release, the project got shelved. Hopkins edited the footage on his own during the hiatus and presented it to the rest of the band during the reunion.
"It hasn't been easy. We're making a lot of sacrifices, especially coming out as an indie band," Paniagua admits. "We're counting on our fans, our name already exists, people know it. So as soon as we get out there and start playing people will respond and that's what we're hoping for.
"We're just taking it one step at a time. We don't want to commit to anything. We want to look at everything real close before we jump into anything. We've learned from the past. After all the sacrifices and all the years put into Puya, it's just the most sensible thing we can do."


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Colorado Basketball Club Alumni - Class of 2014
At CBC, we are incredibly proud of everyone that has ever doned a uniform. The commitment, dedication and passion that it takes to compete at a competitive level deserves and demands our respect and admiration. Many CBC Alumni have gone above and beyond, continuing their basketball careers at the collegiate level. Congratulations to the young women who have gone on to represent Colorado Basketball Club at the next level!
Name: Emily Childress
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, CO
Highschool: Highlands Ranch
Graduated: 2014
College: Fort Lewis
Division: II
Graduated from Highlands Ranch in 2014 ... Played guard, forward and center for the girls basketball team ... One-year starter for the Falcons ... Named Most Improved Player her sophomore year ... Team Captain .... Named Most Dedicated Player her senior year.
Name: Katie Cunningham
Hometown: Aurora, CO
Highschool: Grandview
Graduated: 2014
College: Western Iowa CC & CSU-Pueblo
Division: NJCAA & DII
Cunningham, a 5-11 guard/forward, played for Coach Josh Ulitzky at Grand View High School; leading the team to four Centennial League Championships, one Great 8 appearance, and back to back Final Four appearances. Overall, Katie has 86 career wins which is the most in school history and is the career leader in steals and assists. As a senior, Cunningham averaged 8.4 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. She was selected to play in "The Show" which is an all-star game for the top 20 players in the state and she was selected to play in the Colorado Coaches of Girl Sport's All-State Game.
Name: Cassie Currie
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, CO
Highschool: Highlands Ranch
Graduated: 2014
College: Missouri Valley Baptist
Division: NAIA
Name: Erin Kemp
Hometown: Aurora, CO
Highschool: Grandview
Graduated: 2014
College: Black Hills State
Division: II
Erin was a four-year varsity letterman at Grandview HS and was selected as a Centennial All-League Honorable Mention for the 2011-12 season helping lead Grandview to its first-ever Elite Eight appearance in the same season. Kemp also led her team to two Centennial League Championships and was a three-time Student Athlete Academic Achievement Award winner. Kemp averaged eight points and four rebounds as a senior.
Name: Shelby Patterson
Hometown: Peyton, CO
Highschool: Peyton
Graduated: 2014
College: Otero Junior College
Division: NJCAA
Name: Tatum Neubert
Hometown: Elizabeth, CO
Highschool: Elizabeth
Graduated: 2014
College: Oregon / LSU
Division: I
Neubert, a native of Elizabeth, Colorado, was a McDonalds High School All-America nominee and a Colorado Class 4A All-State First-Team pick after she posted 22.7 points per game during her senior season at Elizabeth High School. She was a three-time conference Player of the Year recipient and three-time all-conference first-team selection.


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We created this blog explaining how to sew zippers because they are so widely used but can also seem complex and intimidating to beginners. While there are a variety of methods out there today, we're going to show you a version called the "zipper plaque" method. Essentially, this method involves folding your fabric and placing a tack stitch right next to where you want your zipper tape to be. Once that's done, you can take scissors and cut on the folded portion. Then you can splay your fabric open, and if it's done correctly, this portion should be the same size as your zipper. Then you'll need to sew your zipper on top of this designated area, centered over your stitch. A seam ripper will help you release your tack stitches for a great-looking zipper!
This is just one method for installing zippers and, as mentioned in the video, there are other methods that you can use for different types of projects. If you'd like to learn more about zippers, check out our "Sewing Zippers Video Series," which starts with Sewing Zippers 101 (#200512XHT). And, remember, Sailrite has hundreds of free resources to help you conquer any sewing project or sewing technique. We're also your one-stop shop for the highest quality sewing products, fabric, tools, notions and sewing machines.
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text: Dolby Bluetooth Adapter for TV is a small device designed to send audio from a TV set to two wireless headphones, such as the Dolby Dimension headphones. The product has a 50.3 mm diameter and a 33.8 mm in height. Power is supplied via a micro USB port. The adapter connects to the TV via optical digital input and is …Read More »


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Arshan designations for ships, vessels, stations, etc follow a 3 character abbreviation. The first character is always 'A', for 'Arshan'. This is followed by 'C' (Central/Command) for the leading or central facility/vessel or 'S' for supporting/non-leading vessels that make up the fleet. The final character designates the physical type of vessel - 'V' for mobile vessels such as ships, or 'F' for stationary facilities and stations.
General Quarters
The arming of all available personnel, making them combat-ready and foregoing any other duties these personnel may have had under standard operation.
A common Sionian slang term that has found its way into Arshan and Latus Common. 'Internals' generally refers to oxygen tanks and masks, normally used for atmospheric decompression or space walks.
Non-Tangible Biological Threat
Life which is harmful to humans, but small enough to be an internal bodily threat. Includes parasites and non-viral organisms.
An acronym commonly used in the United Arshan Federation, standing for 'Ranking Officer In Charge'. The ROIC is the highest ranking personnel currently present and the de-facto command in the absence of a commander and sub-commander, or as defined during an alert under RACS.
Single Transferable Vote
The below excerpt is from the Wikipedia article on Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote (STV) is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting in multi-seat organizations or constituencies (voting districts). Under STV, an elector (voter) has a single vote that is initially allocated to their most preferred candidate. Votes are totalled and a quota (the number of votes required to win a seat) derived. If their candidate achieves quota, he/she is elected and in some STV systems any surplus vote is transferred to other candidates in proportion to the voters' stated preferences. If more candidates than seats remain, the bottom candidate is eliminated with his/her votes being transferred to other candidates as determined by the voters' stated preferences. These elections and eliminations, and vote transfers if applicable, continue until there are only as many candidates as there are unfilled seats.
Sionian Conscripts
Sionian citizens that serve in the Arshan military. Generally, only citizens of the Sion and Katar tribes can become 'conscripts', and must undergo a thorough evaluation and background check before being approved.
In Arshan terminology, a Sub-Commander is the second in command after the Commander, filling in the role of what modern day militaries call an Executive Officer of First Officer aboard ships, or Second-In-Command in other fields.
The below excerpt is from the Wikipedia article on Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism (Latin uni, one + camera, chamber) is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house.


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Baby On Board: Hiking with Infants
Simple solutions for backpacking with new babies
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
A new baby may deprive you of some serious sleep, but shouldn't rob you of your hiking time–it just changes it a bit. With a little planning, you can continue to enjoy the outdoors and introduce your child to the wilderness. Below, we address new parents' concerns.
How soon can we start? Short hikes can done be within weeks of birth, thanks to chest slings that provide head support. When your baby can sit, switch to a kid-carrier backpack. Make overnight trips as soon as you feel ready.
What's the best way to carry formula? Use a bottle with a disposable liner. Fill the number of liners you need with dry formula at home, and add purified water on the trail. Avoid iodine-treated water.
Where should we go? Hike familiar routes–this is no time to get lost. Skip places with biting bugs and temperature extremes. If it's your first time out, keep your destination less than 5 miles from the car.
What should we add to our first-aid kit? Baby Benadryl, liquid pain reliever, and antibiotic 1% hydrocortisone ointment, plus any medications your child is taking or that your pediatrician recommends.
What should Junior wear? A floppy hat, long sleeves, and pants to protect him from the sun. Use sunscreen and insect repellent on infants 6 months or older; keep younger ones in a front sling and use a light blanket or umbrella as a sun cover. In cooler weather, a fleece jumper with foldover hand and foot covers prevents lost mittens and booties.
Where should baby sleep? Small bodies lose heat rapidly, so zip your bags together and put your baby between you. Or consider the Sweetie Pie Bag Expander (best for a baby and one parent) or Bag Doubler (Editors' Choice Award, April 2002). www.functionaldesign.net


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ProfesSOROR LaTanya White
Economic Development Advocate
I am the 71st initiate of Tallahassee Alumnae Chapter's (TAC) Spring 2005 73 Elements of a New DeSTiny and a passionate advocate for our Beloved's Economic Development Thrust. I teach entrepreneurship at FAMU in Tallahassee, Florida and I am conducting my doctoral research on Black women entrepreneurs.
Sorors, this is what I do…and I want to do more of it for Delta.
I previously served as the May Week Chair (2012) for TAC as well as the Economic Development Subcommittee Chair (2018) for the chapter but I know there is still work to be done. And we all know that when you want to get a job done, you get a Delta to do it!
So here I stand- to serve you, your family, and your community in the pursuit of generational wealth. Please include your contact information and business question below to allow me to be of service. I will be the first to admit that I don't have all the answers but you have my word that I will do my best to get you in touch with the people who do!
To learn more about me outside of Delta, visit www.meetprofwhite.com/about.
#71 TAC Spring 05
Code Blue


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'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Cast Reunites Without Sarah Michelle Gellar
Nostalgia alert: Buffy The Vampire Slayer castmates reunited recently… but one vital member is missing.
Alyson Hannigan, Nicolas Brendon and Charisma Carpenter were amongst those part of the reunion, but Sarah Michelle Galler is nowhere to be seen.
The Buffy cast got together on Sunday for the Wizard World Comic Con in Portland and fans went insane. It really isn't often that you get to say you have met the majority of the Vampie cast — but for that vital individual being absent from the reunion, it left fans saying, "A reunion without the two main characters… That's cool everyone else showed but the main characters not being there kind of puts a hole in the cake…"
We reached out to our sources connected to Michelle and we're told it simply boils down to scheduling. This gig was a last minute spot for most of them and Michelle wasn't in a position to cancel prearranged commitments.
Rumours circulated saying there was beef with cast members, but our sources say that is "absurd and untrue".


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Across America, there is a heated debate among policymakers, elected officials, parents and local school board leaders over critical race theory as many people have attempted to tie the theory to ethnic studies.
Some are worried the theory will cause divisiveness and what some call "reverse racism."
Others say it's an attack on white people.
But academics who are familiar with and teach the theory, say the heated debate has been driven by confusion and misinformation about what critical race theory actually is.
Last week, Cal State Fullerton's politics, administration & justice division hosted a panel discussion on critical race theory featuring people who teach it in an effort to clear up confusion on the topic.
"It's a methodology — an evolving methodology, it's no one thing. But it asks — specifically — how racism shapes our social structures, our institutions, our culture, including law. So it assumes that law is part and parcel of culture," said UC Davis professor Lisa Ikemoto during last Thursday's panel.
Ikemoto also said the theory looks at how race intersects with other aspects of identity like gender.
CSUF professor Pamela Fiber-Ostrow, one of the moderators for the panel, said while she has taught the theory for 15 years, most people never really mentioned it before.
"Everybody's an expert on it now but the reality is, nobody knows what they're talking about," she said.
According to the California School Boards Association, the concept of critical race theory was developed by a Harvard Law professor Derrick Bell in the mid-70s as critical legal studies.
The association also found that although ethnic studies may have elements of critical race theory, the two courses are different and the theory isn't widely taught in school districts.
"Although certain approaches to ethnic studies may incorporate elements of CRT — as these concepts are both concerned with how race is constructed and the political, historical, social and cultural effects of race and ethnicity — they are not synonymous or interchangeable," reads an overview. "There is no evidence that CRT is widespread in K-12 education."
Ikemoto said the theory's opponents are trying to stifle discussions about racism.
"I think it's a straw figure in the public debate, it's an effort to take control of the public discourse about racism and in a sense silence that discourse," she said.
Ikemoto added the pandemic has clearly revealed that structural racism caused more COVID deaths and higher illness rates in communities of color, which has sparked a more robust discussion on the role of race in society.
"Because it's playing out in the schools, it's a campaign to build a constituency based on claims of parental rights so we've seen that happen a couple of times and it's just sort of adding fuel to the fire," she said.
Locally, OC's Latino community has been hit the hardest by the virus.
The disproportionate impact has forced Santa Ana City Council members to ask themselves if it's time to create a city public health department.
[Read: Santa Ana May Create Its Own Health Department Given COVID Coverage Gaps from County]
Ana Contreras — a UCLA law student whose studies emphasize critical race theory — said the theory is important because it contextualizes the law.
"If you don't contextualize it and attach it to people, I find it really difficult to apply it to my real life experiences," she said. "We're taught that critical race theory should be embraced because it's a framework that's used to develop laws and policies that can dismantle structural inequalities and systemic racism."
Contreras said building a more equitable future requires an examination of how the history of slavery and systemic racism were foundational to laws and institutions present today.
Meanwhile, parents are showing up to school district school board meetings throughout the county and the nation to stop what they call critical race theory from being taught in the classroom, despite district officials saying they don't teach the theory.
Across Orange County's school districts this year, there's been heated debates on implementing either elective or mandatory ethnic studies courses into the curriculum, creating social justice standards and renewing contracts for anti-bullying training.
Despite district officials, parents, students and academics, arguing that college-level critical race theory and high school ethnic studies classes are separate courses, critics are convinced the courses are a guise for what they're calling critical race theory.
They say the theory teaches kids that all white people are racist, while victimizing people of color. Critics also argue that the theory is anti-American, divisive and will subject students to political indoctrination and marxist ideology.
Earlier this year, the Orange County Board of Education held a forum on ethnic studies and critical race theory where a group of panelists shared concerns about critical race theory and the state's ethnic studies curriculum.
[Read: OC Board of Education Hosts Forum as Heated Debate Over Ethnic Studies Continues]
The OC Department of Education countered and held its own forum.
[Read: OC Board of Education, County Education Department Host Dueling Ethnic Studies Forums]
The national debate over critical race theory has led to some states banning it.
"We are living through a moment in which this kind of socially and politically constructed hysteria has been used to produce some of the most restrictive laws around what you or I could teach regarding the history of a country," said Saul Sarabia, a speaker at CSUF's panel last Thursday.
Sarabia was the first administrative director for UCLA School of law's critical race studies and is a community organizer focused on racial justice.
"If there is a reason somebody doesn't want you to know about or understand something, they will go out of their way to write a law about it. Probably it's something you should think about understanding better and walking towards that fear will dismantle that," he said.
Fiber-Ostrow also said the dangers of such bans could affect her own children
"It frightens me as a parent, as an educator, that we wouldn't encourage a dialogue and a conversation about the lives of the children that they're sitting next to," she said.
The debate on Critical Race Theory has also ensnared the Tustin Unified School District, where efforts to recall three trustees over concerns that the theory is being taught in the district's recently implemented elective ethnic studies course.
The recall effort has gained support from the Orange County Republican Party.
Meanwhile in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, some trustees are contemplating a ban of their own on teaching critical race theory, despite other officials saying the district doesn't currently teach the theory.
[Read: Placentia-Yorba Linda School Board May Ban Critical Race Theory After State Mandates Ethnic Studies]
At a meeting on Oct. 12, Placentia-Yorba Linda trustees directed staff to draft a resolution banning the teaching of the theory and defining what the district considers critical race theory, which is expected to be publicly brought before the board in November.
Ikemoto questioned how effective such bans would be.
"The ideas aren't new. If you've read Sojourner Truth, the work of Frederick Douglass, you come to see that other people have asked the same kinds of questions and raised the same kind of critiques of society and certainly those works are taught in some schools and should be," she said.
"You could ban critical race theory, but it won't erase our history or literature."
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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How to Use Pinterest to Augment Your Genealogy Research
April 30, 2018
As of 1 January 2018, Pinterest has over 175 million users. Are you of them? Maybe you use Pinterest to save new recipes or to try DIY projects you want to tackle.
Do you use Pinterest to augment your genealogy research? To collaborate with other researchers? If not, you may be missing out on a valuable asset in your research.
Pinterest users go to Pinterest to:
- Be inspired.
- Solve a problem (and genealogists have lots of "problems" to solve!).
What is Pinterest?
Initially, Pinterest started out as more of a visual bookmarking site. It still is, but Pinterest now functions very much like a search engine.
Used creatively Pinterest can be one of the best tools in a genealogist's toolbox. Virtual bulletin boards can be created on whatever subject the pinner chooses. Genealogy researchers can create themed boards based on their research interests.
Examples include:
- Location based research boards. Example: North Carolina Genealogy or Irish Genealogy
- Genealogy topic boards. Example: DNA & Genealogy or Tracing Female Ancestors
- Surname Boards. Example: Talbott Genealogy
Pins can then be pinned to the relevant board on the user's page.
Think about Pinterest in an old school way. Remember the corkboard bulletin board you had in your bedroom as a teenager? You used thumbtacks to put up pictures, programs, corsages from a dance.
You pinned things on your bulletin board you wanted to remember for nostalgic reasons or for things you needed to remember coming up.
Pinterest can do the same thing. Only in Pinterest you can have as many bulletin boards as you like organized to fit your needs! Even better, you can share your bulletin boards and pins with others.
Pinterest as a Search Engine
Pinterest can be used as a search engine and this is where its power as a genealogy researcher's tool really is. Just as you perform a search on Google, you can perform a search on Pinterest.
Type your search term(s) in the search box. Pins related to your search term or keywords are displayed. For example, if you are currently researching Irish ancestors, type "Irish genealogy" into the search bar at the top of the page.
Results for the Irish genealogy are displayed. Click on the pin to get more details.
At this point you want to do one of two things (or both):
- Click on the image (again) to go to be taken to the webpage for that information
- Save the pin to your board (ie.to a virtual bulletin board you have created) to review later.
Pinterest users can also search using hashtags such as #genealogy or #familyhistory.
Other Great Ways To Use Pinterest in Your Genealogy Research
As mentioned above, Pinterest can function as a visual bookmarking platform and a search engine. There are other ways Pinterest can benefit you as a genealogy researcher.
- Collaboration – Group boards can be created allowing you to collaborate with other genealogy researchers and pinners on a topic of mutual interest.
- Follow Your Favorite genealogy bloggers and genealogy industry leaders – In Pinterest you have the ability to "Follow" other pinners including your favorite bloggers and industry leaders.
- Wish Lists – Are you saving up for more genealogy reference books? Create a board centered around your wish list.
- Research travel plans – Pin links to lodging, research repositories and local historical sites to reference as you plan your genealogy research trip.
Now It's Your Turn!
- Create your own Pinterest account. (It's Free!)
- Use the search bar at the top and start exploring genealogy related pins.
Lisa Lisson is a genealogist, blogger and Etsy-prenuer who writes about her never-ending pursuit of ancestors, the "how" of genealogy research and the importance of sharing genealogy research with our families. Specializing in North Carolina and southern Virginia research, she also provides genealogical research services to clients. In researching her own family history, Lisa discovered a passion for oral history and its role in genealogy research. You can find Lisa online at Lisa Lisson.com.


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Beginning next week, our district will hold virtual Town Halls to hear feedback from students, staff, families and the community on initial committee recommendations for how learning might look this fall.
The ideas that will be presented are the result of extensive work by two planning teams — one focused on academics, and another on operations. Collectively, the two planning committees were made up of nearly 170 staff, family, student and community members.
As always, our priority in reopening our schools is the health and safety of our students, staff and families. Schools that meet in person will be required to follow the Department of Health's health and safety guidelines, including requirements around physical distancing (6 feet), face coverings and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Given that we do not have space in our classrooms to accommodate all students in our schools while adhering to the state's health and safety physical distancing guidelines, the following are committee recommendations for reopening schools that will be discussed at the Town Halls listed at the end of this news article:
- Implement a hybrid learning model. In this model, students would:
- Attend school in person two days a week on alternating days (e.g. Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday). Students districtwide would be divided into two groups, with half attending school in person on any one day. The hybrid schedule will allow for fewer students in the building at a time, making it possible to maintain 6-foot physical distancing and meet other state health and safety requirements.
- Learn remotely on the three days of the week they are not in school. With half of the students attending in person two days and the other half attending in person two other days, that leaves one day where all students would do remote learning. The committee was split on whether that day should be on Wednesday or on Friday. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
- Offer families the option to enroll their students in a full-time OSD online distance learning model (not attending school in person).
- Have all schools districtwide use one learning platform — "Schoology." The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) recommends that school districts have one learning platform, and we also heard this request from many parents who filled out our recent district surveys. Schoology is a Learning Management System (LMS) currently used extensively in our middle and high schools. This is how teachers communicate assignments and other work with students.
- Professional Development for staff. Using a Racial Equity/Culturally responsiveness lens, staff will be trained on 1) Best Practices for online learning and hybrid models, 2) In-person video conferencing, 3) Front-loading activities/resources/projects, 4) Social-Emotional Supports/Trauma-Informed Practices, and 5) Balancing Social-Emotional Learning and Academics to better ensure uniform expectations for students and families across classrooms and schools.
- Offer training and supports for families. Families would receive help, for example, with understanding the Schoology learning platform used by their children's teachers; in-person safe return to school protocols; at-home learning supports such as time management, organization and motivation; and social-emotional support.
There are still many details to be worked out for each of the ideas listed above, including reviewing all of the options with our bargaining partners. We also have small workgroups delving more deeply into the fall reopening plan, including examining how we might meet OSPI's request to prioritize services for "students furthest from educational justice and those who require (more) in-person services to fulfill their basic education needs…including students with disabilities, English learners, students experiencing homelessness, students experiencing poverty, students of color and other student groups." This could include an extended schedule for some of our youngest learners. Once the plan is developed, it requires school board approval before it is sent to OSPI.
Your input is crucial to this planning process. There are two town halls that will focus on the elementary level, one during the day and one at night; two town halls that will focus on the middle and high school levels, one during the day and one at night; and one town hall for any students interested in providing feedback. It is not necessary to attend more than one Town Hall per level, as the same information will be repeated. Some Olympia School Board members will be joining the Superintendent at these Town Halls, and there will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions.
For those unable to attend the virtual meetings, we welcome you to email your questions or comments about the committee recommendations to: firstname.lastname@example.com
You are also welcome to learn more about the planning work to date on the Fall 2020 School Reopening Plans webpage on the district website. There are agendas and meeting summaries from the academic and operational fall contingency planning committees, as well as links to OSD survey results, OSPI school reopening guidance and research articles.
Town Halls: Reopening OSD Schools Fall 2020
Wednesday, July 15; 6 p.m.
Elementary Focus
Zoom link to join the webinar
Thursday, July 16; 6 p.m.
Middle and High Focus
Zoom link to join the webinar
Tuesday, July 21; 1 p.m.
Elementary Focus
Zoom link to join the webinar
Wednesday, July 22; 1 p.m.
Student Feedback Session
Zoom link to join the webinar
Thursday, July 23; 1 p.m.
Middle and High Focus
Zoom link to join the webinar


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Please allow me a small personal aside: When you cover the NBA for a living and attend a lot of games in person, you become desensitized to height in that context. A 6'8″ guy, a full eight inches taller than me, doesn't phase me. I don't look twice at a 6'10" player, you just become numb to the height. But every once in a while a guy comes through the locker rooms and gyms where you double take and think "they make human's that big?" Shaq is that way. Yao Ming had that effect.
Boban Marjanovic is one of those guys.
The Clippers 7'3″ Serbian center is not just tall but thick and with a long wingspan. How big is he? Watch him treat Anthony Davis like I treat my 9-year-old daughter when I don't want her to get a piece of candy.
You have just watched the latest NBA meme be born.
The best part is the way Davis laughs at it, as do Rajon Rondo and the rest of the Pelican team.


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On this day each year, we reflect on things to be grateful for. Today, as tempting as it may be to talk about coffee, I am mindful of how important birds have been in our family. In 2014 I was on the terrace at Xandari with Seth. He was recently graduated from college, where he had worked on an outreach program for school children to get them interested in birds, and birdwatching. Now he was training to manage the type of lodge where birdwatching is an activity, and one of his sidelines at Xandari was guiding birdwatching tours in the forest reserve that was part of the property.
As we sat on the terrace discussing the day's plan, a young couple and their son sat down for breakfast. I said hello to them, and I asked the boy if he was enjoying Costa Rica. He lit up, and said it was his first morning here, but so far it was great. I asked what was great, and without missing a beat he said, with cheer: the birds woke me up! The conversation that followed was a once in a lifetime pleasure. I asked why he was so happy about that, and he and his parents explained that during the school year that had just ended, his class had been "celebrating urban birds" in Brooklyn, NY. It turned out his class was one of the many that Seth had been doing outreach with during the previous year. I told the young fellow that if he wanted to take a birdwatching tour, I had a recommendation of who could guide him.
I am mindful about birds today thanks to Dan Sinker's op-ed essay:
The Birds Are Outside
One bird feeder became two, then three. Months passed.
Me, my wife, our teenager and our 5-year old, we knew nothing about birds before the lockdown sent us inside in March. Our cramped home was suburban-convenient before the pandemic hit, nestled a few blocks from a school we don't go in and a train downtown we won't ride, and now it is just small.
It was a bedroom short and had nothing a person could call work space beyond the dining room table even before it became our entire lives. But it did have windows, sunny and bright in the morning, that looked out on the worn patch of yard just outside so I bought a bird feeder and some cheap seed and mounted it just outside our dining room window. We needed a distraction.
The birds came in swarms, tiny brown ones at first that constantly pecked at each other over the absolute trash seed we'd put out. It was like we'd opened an avian fight club. Then came the cardinals, regal and red, and the goldfinches, a hallucinatory yellow. They all fought, too, but they were beautiful.
The 5-year-old kept telling us he'd seen a blue jay, but it would always fly off, he'd claim, when we turned around. We thought it was a way of getting attention after losing his preschool, his swim lessons, his friends — everything his tiny world encompassed — to the pandemic. A phantom bird for attention, a way of controlling the tiny slice of world that existed outside our window. When I saw it for the first time, its iridescent blue tail catching the late spring sunlight, I screamed. He was right…
Read the whole essay here.


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Childlike Faith
As I watched my grandson and his high school football team, rise up from being 1-4 to being in the final 4 I was reminded of something. I was reminded of how God wants us (adults) to have childlike faith, how He wants us to depend on him like our children depend on us. I watched as the team started out their season 1-4, embarrassment and self-doubt seemed to loom over the team and the school. After that fourth loss something miraculous transpired among the team a change occurred in the mist of what looked like the start of a gloomy season.
As the team continued to show up for practice, they developed a mindset of champions, proclaimed themselves as winners and built a dedicated organization toward a common goal. They became dependent on their coaches, trusted in their leadership to guide and correct their skills. Through great coaching the team began to operate in a childlike manner full of faith & trust in God, knowing they possessed the athletic skills and abilities to change the trajectory of their season. The chemistry, between the players, began to sync like a science project, the temperature on the field went from being mediocre to Turned-Up, they set a winning atmosphere during every game creating an explosive energy that became a domino effect that ran through the cheerleaders, fans and bystanders. Those young men created an environment on and off the field of love, and brotherhood, playing full throttle until the play clock struck zero something that was absolutely amazing to witness.
As (adults) & children of God, He wants us to come to him in a childlike fashion asking, seeking and knocking with our desires and request. We often allow life's hurdles, doubts and concerns to distract us of thinking we have a chance of completing what appears to be a Mountain in front of us. These hurdles slow us down, knock us off stride, or make us give up completely, for some never seeing the manifestation of what God has in store for us. Jesus is continually telling us that we should have "childlike" trust and faith in the Father after all we are his children. Matthew 7:11 says"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! We should be able to come to him fully trusting, without a doubt, that He loves and cares for us.
Just like the football team, we must first decide what it is that we want, be willing to work toward that goal, fight through some pain endure the process & trust God will supply all of our needs. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance, get a coach for guidance and leadership. Coaches can see from the sidelines what mistakes are being made, coaches can call for timeout and help you readjust your game plan. Collaboration is always great, different individuals bring a different set of skills and talents to the table, I believe you can get to your destination in half the time with great partnerships.
By the way, the football team won 10 consecutive games winning the NCHSAA 3-AA Piedmont title, ending up being one of the final four teams to play for the State Championship. Pain and change is part of the process to reach the promise. How much more can we do when we become "childlike" putting all of our trust and faith into our Heavenly Father. I challenge you to decide, seek, and have faith that whatever you ask for you will receive if you are willing to Grow through the process.
LaTonya Renee is the founder of TransformU Coaching and Development, an Life Coaching and Training Development Company. She motivates and inspires people to believe if the way they think about themselves and their circumstances they can change their lives.
#goals #LifeCoach #inspiration #motivation #dreams #spiritual


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It's not a secret that ELTABB, despite being based in Berlin, is an international organization. So it's only natural to ask, "How are teachers dealing with the online classroom as our new normal in other parts of the world?" Let's find out – with a little help from Slobodan, one of our members from Bosnia.
It's the end of June and teachers, students, schools and semesters are all slowly winding down. In the next school year, new adventures and challenges await them all.
Now, it goes without saying that the school year 2020/2021 is probably the strangest one in modern history. What will happen in the sphere of education starting September and the new school year, is anybody's guess. A few days ago, a friend asked me about the conditions in schools and the mood in staff rooms in my region. I told her I'd look into it – here is what I found out:
Most teachers really want to be back behind the desk.
It wouldn't make for very good reading if I stopped there; that's why I'll give you the whole story…
The Online Survey
So, to find out what teachers really think and how they feel about the situation, I decided to take advantage of online networking. I made a Google forms survey with some questions about experiences of:
- shifting to online lessons
- doing short(ened) lessons
- returning to the classroom and so on.
It didn't seem enough to research only how people in my country felt.
That's why I asked for help from my online connections – teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia.
The Numbers Paint A Picture
After all being said and all questions being answered, this is what they think and how they feel:
- A decent 42% of the respondents is around the golden middle concerning the need to shift to online lessons during the previous schoolyear, with roughly 25% saying their students managed it well and they tried to make the online lessons a memorable experience;
- When it comes to the overall experience of teaching online, 10% said it was great and would do it again which is countered by 10% of respondents who said it was horrible and they wouldn't repeat it; the rest is nested in the middle with a mild inclination toward the positive end of the scale – all in all, a positive response;
- During the (now previous) school year, all of the respondents did shorter lessons; the great majority doing 30-minute lessons instead of 45-minute lessons;
- Directly tied to the previous question, the majority (roughly 80%) would rather do short lessons in the future than go back to teaching their students online.
The Overall Result
The questionnaire finished with a strong 50% of respondents wanting 100% classroom work – nothing done online in the future at all; doing an occasional lesson online and having a hybrid approach with online collaboration activities got around 20% each, and 10% would like to keep on teaching fully or mostly online.
What Teachers Say About Teaching Online
Despite the number of online-enthusiasts being rather low, let's not forget the comments given by the teachers as responses to the question of whether doing lessons online has brought any benefits to the teaching/learning process.
The most memorable ones include:
Happily Ever After?
What to say about all this? The overall impression is that most teachers went through a tough time and they weathered the storm but are not buying an umbrella for the future.
A few, however, are ready and willing to embrace this new medium through which so much already operates on a daily basis – as for which group will have the last laugh, only time will tell!
In the meantime, I am continuing to collect links and bookmarks for some useful online sites and/or services. How about you? What do you think? How much of "online" should be kept in education?
Give us your thoughts and ideas in the comments!


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I thoroughly enjoyed my first Art Outside (their 10th). Here are few of my favorite pics. See the whole Flickr set for more.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first Art Outside (their 10th). Here are few of my favorite pics. See the whole Flickr set for more.
A friend from high-school posted a poem by her 9-yr-old daughter Vivian on Facebook last week. I printed it and brought it home to read to the family and nearly teared-up each time I read it, I thought it was so beautifully done. What a wonderful portrait of childhood. Very Whitmanian, if you ask me.
I Am From
By Vivian Stang
I am from the dog that barks at night
and the cats that roam around my street.
I am from Cape Cod and the warm blue sea.
I am from hamburgers and their wonderful, juicy taste.
I am from the Sarabinh and
Charlie branch and their love for me.
I am from my grandma's brownies and sponge cake.
I am from my sister's tight hug
and warm happy smile.
I am from my cat meowing when she wants food.
I am from soccer, kicking the ball through the field
and passing it to my teammates.
I am from running with my friends in the park
and sitting while our ice cream
drips onto the ground.
I am from my cozy bed
and playing with my sister on Saturday mornings.
I am from my mom reading stories to me in bed.
I am from sitting on the couch and quietly reading.
I am from chatting at the dinner table with
my family.
I am from joking around with my with my friends
and getting out of bed to give my parents
hugs every morning.
I am from gulping down my mom's chocolate cake
and cleaning my room, while listening to music.
I am from riding on the back of a horse,
feeling the wind brush against my face.
I am from making sandcastles at the beach.
I am from laughing with my friends
and reading to my little sister.
I am from playing UNO with my grandparents and
listening to my grandma play piano.
I am from biking with my mom,
while watching the endless bike trail.
I am from the things that make me, me.
Here's my first attempt at my I Am From poem:
I Am From
by Jason Molin
I am from my first little record player, singing along, "We sail the ocean blue and our saucy ship's a beauty!"
I am from the alley behind the house, kickball, or a soccer ball against the wall, or setting up ramps and riding off them over and over again, jumping trashcans with Matt.
I am from walking to school, skateboarding, bussing or riding my bike back and forth along Connecticut Ave. or Reno Rd. I am from forgetting my books and having to go back to school. I am from getting a ride home with Mark or Saul or Mrs. Brady.
I am from crazy beautiful flawed teachers, Mr. Emerson, Stick Sturtevant, Mr. King, my ceramics teacher, what was his name? What would I be without their passion and patience? I am from Manfred and Gurland, my philosophical fathers.
I am from my mother's beautiful house, the oriental rugs, the walls full of art and shelves full of books. I am from Al's meals, dinners in the kitchen, with guests in the dining room around a turkey, well-spiced sautéed vegetables, an interesting soup, pecan pies, occasionally meringues. I am from long conversations afterward, talking around the fire until we're tired.
I am from singing at church, from the trumpet what was my father's, from high-school musicals, from the acoustic guitar I used to sing my soul over and over and never stopped. I am from jamming and singing whenever and wherever and those who join in.
I am from The Song of Myself and The War of Art, I am from If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out and Love Rescue Me. I am from Across the Universe and One Love.
I am from Maile's animals, her loving name for everything. I am from Anais's art, each dance, song, drawing, story, and scene.
I am from walking or biking the streets of DC, NY, Dublin, and Austin, lost in thought, noticing reflections, singing to myself, snapping pics or jotting down ideas, rethinking the strategy, making resolutions, noticing signs and designs, catching people's eyes.
I am from the rhythm of words, birdsong, dancing and hugging and kissing in the sun. I am from staying up late, disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind. I am Sylvester as the stone, waking early and meditating on a world with and beyond me.
Gray and Lauren got married a few weeks ago, so I worked up this old favorite to perform at the wedding. How much more simple, beautiful and true can a song get?!
Love is real, real is love
Love is feeling, feeling love
Love is wanting to be loved
Love is touch, touch is love
Love is reaching, reaching love
Love is asking to be loved
Love is you, you and me
Love is knowing we can be
Love is free, free is love
Love is living, living love
Love is needing to be loved
I'm a bicycle nut. So when I picked up a sweet old vintage bike at a yard sale this weekend for $40 I had the double-delight of finding a precious ol' pedal for a pittance. I love classic old 3-speeds like this. And it didn't take much to get it going. Pumped up the tires and made a few adjustments, added a bell and a front basket for my commute.
Today I found a site that dates it at 1953! This thing is in great shape for 60 years old, hardly any rust, the parts in good working order. I rode it home from work today feeling smooth and stylish.
Cool touches: The fenders are like pinstriped fins on a 50's car with a silver hood-ornament at front. Arrows down the forks. The white on black motif with solid black chainring and guard with white stars punctuating the italicized bike name.
So I've got another great commuter… and I am supposed to be getting rid of bikes!
I have become a compulsive WTF listener. WTF is Marc Maron's podcast. He started it in his late forties, does it primarily from his L.A. garage twice a week, and just passed his 500th episode a few weeks ago at 50. The format is a 10-15 min intro of his obsessive schtick (with commercials that he does for his shows, partners and sponsors woven in), a 60-90 min interview, usually with a comedian, musician, or actor, and a few final closing minutes of wrap-up and plugs.
I talk about WTF with most of my close friends now – Doug, Maile, Earl, Sam, Gray – because we're all big fans inspired by its insight. And I've started recommending it to people regularly now, so I thought I should document its influence with an explanation. Here are things I love about it:
I did not like Marc Maron the first time I listened to WTF, and skipped over the intro segment several times till I grew to know him from the interviews. But I soon came to appreciate the seamlessness of his evolving personal stories and even how he weaves in into his plugs and ads.
After discovering recently that there are a bunch of pirated episodes on YouTube, I've been putting them on while I work. Here's a perfect example of a great WTF interview, with his old friend Louie CK. (For access to his archive pay $9yr for premium access via his site or app.)
This interview has a lot of the stuff that you will not find anywhere else.
Ultimately WTF is a success story about how to make it as an artist, how Marc is making it, and how each of his guests made it. Instead of the usual emphasis on the breaks and the milestones, Marc maps out all the stuff artists like me need to hang in there, get out of our own way, and do our own thing.
No other interviewer brings or brings out so much of the mess that everyone else is trying to hide. And it's exactly what we need to hear. Bless this what-the-fucker for hanging in there, getting clean, doing his own thing, putting it out there and connecting with so many other artists and fuck-ups, from his guests to fans like me. Boomer lives!
7/1/14: I'd like to add this incredible interview with Todd Hanson (Onion writer) as an example of the type of raw reality that Marc illicits and facilitates. This is therapy.
Thanks to Ron (of The Ron Museum) I've had an art-collector eye out for cheap art that makes me happy. Last night I found this on eBay and got it for $30, shipped from CA for $36.
After a little sleuthing this morning, Ron helped me figure out that it is probably a souvenir painting from the House of the Vettii in Pompeii, which explains the brown, yellow and red borders and the floating platform cupid is on. It doesn't explain why he's blowing a kiss to these three fading trees, and I like that mystery.
The back of the painting says:
Brooks, my beloved
husband, bought this
in Pompeii on 7 June 1956.
Here are some similar images from the inside the Vettii.
Our good friend Carlos "Los Monster" Lopez passed away recently, suddenly, unexpectedly at 43. Too soon, too young. Los backed me up many times over the last 15 years on kit and conga not to mention made me laugh hundreds of times hanging after the gig. And I'm just one of many musicians in our circle who Los backed up and entertained.
We gathered at my place recently for a memorial Ugi Breakfast and Los Monster Jam. Thomas brought over a great old interview with Los and we all sat around and listened. Los was with us.
UPDATE: After reading a bit more about the science behind what Pono proposes – see Why Neil Young's New Pono Music Player Doesn't Make Any Sense – I've cancelled my pledge to the Kickstarter project. This raises lots of questions about what all those stars in the video were hearing, why they testified, and their motivations for doing so. I'll be eager to follow the Pono player reviews when it comes out, but I'm backing away from being a first-gen guinea pig.
Neil Young's mission may still very well be a good one, even if it simply returns us to listening to CD quality songs on our digital devices instead of MP3s. We'll see.
Neil Young is on a mission to save us from the mp3 and I'm betting he'll get us kickstarted. His Kickstarter video for Pono (Hawaiian for righteous) Music is the most persuasive I've ever seen. Artist after legendary artist gets out of his boat of a car and testifies to their conversion on one listening. It's like he got them all high on music! They're all searching for the words to describe the vividness with which they experienced songs they knew but never really heard like this before.
I watched the video and had to hear what they were hearing. I pledged $300 for one of the 1st Pono players and can't wait to get it in October (projected). I'm investing in this reversal of the lofi trade for convenience, back to hifi richness and sound quality. Like every one of the artists who hears the difference in the video, this makes me hopeful.
This whole project stuck me as a profound idea in many ways:
This a great idea. Like a strong wind behind great a new wave of connections to music and musicians. This leap in sound quality, combined with the great leap in artist autonomy that this crowd-funded model represents is… righteous.
When I pledge this afternoon at 6 PM, there were 5K+ backers for $1.2 million (the goal was $800K). It's now 6 hours later and it's up to 7K backers and $2.2 million. This is going to be big.
A friend from DDCE got married recently and I was honored that she asked me to play at the wedding, especially because there were only 5 other people at the wedding, including the bride and groom! Jamie and Glenn got married atop the hill beside the Long Center, overlooking Auditorium Shores and downtown Austin shortly after sunrise. It was gorgeous, intimate and Austin. Here are the wedding pics that included me, shot by Kelley Denby.
Earl made a cool experimental video from footage of my last concert in the creek, over an old unreleased instrumental version of I Can See You. (that features the keys). Love the colors, heart!


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April 3, 2019 Posted in:
They were excellent. The worker had a lot of knowledge, and the service was quick. We actually had a misunderstanding on the date they were supposed to come. They were suppose to come and install my garage doors on a Tuesday, but when my wife called they stated it was Wednesday. They The immediatley sent someone out on Tuesday to install the doors. I thought that was awesome.


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It is time for the annual decorating of the interior of the home. That includes the clearing of the mantle to hold the manger and figures coming to the Creche scene. The wall above the tableau is festooned with rice lights and hanging angels. My job is to place all items relying on my memoryContinue reading "Blind Decorating November 30, 2021"
Monthly Archives: November 2021
Thanksgiving Day November 25, 2021
Carol is busy celebrating with her family in her hometown of Northville, Michigan. Here is an Acrostic poem for you all. Have pleasant time visiting with family and friends, even if it's only a phone call. Carol Farnsworth Thanksgiving Time to come together and remember, Hearts filled with love and hands touching with love, AllContinue reading "Thanksgiving Day November 25, 2021"
Stuffin Muffins , November 23, 2021
When it comes to the Thanksgiving meal each family has it's favorite sides. When my Mother hosted the gathering, she made rainbow jello. It had thin layers of different jellos with layers of white made from sour cream, milk, sugar and un-flavored gelatin. It took over a day to assenble and cool the salad. IContinue reading "Stuffin Muffins , November 23, 2021"
Why Men are Happier, November 18, 2021
Ocassionally, one of my family members sents me an article that they think I may enjoy. I suspect that one of my sister in laws sent me the following article. I laughted and I hope that it will lighten your day. The poem was written by myself in a light tone about my husband's sneezing.Continue reading "Why Men are Happier, November 18, 2021"
Hunting Season, November 16, 2021
Yesterday was opening day for deer hunting season here in Michigan. As a child, I have few memories about hunting except this was a time when my Mother and I caught the bus at 5 Points and rode to downtown Detroit,to spend the day shopping at Hudsons. We would eat lunch in the Hudson's cafeteria.Continue reading "Hunting Season, November 16, 2021"
Marguerite Heatley Turnbull November 11, 2021
My Mother, nicknamed Rita, was born on the original Armistice day in 1918 in The Detroit metro area. She was the second oldest of four siblings. Unlike her older sister Dorothy, Rita loved to help care for her little brother and sister. When she was around age eight, Her Mother was sent to to aContinue reading "Marguerite Heatley Turnbull November 11, 2021"
International Freedom Day, November 9, 2021
When I was a child, I recall commercials about "Radio Free Europe. The terms Iron Curtain, Eastern Block and The Berlin Wall were heard but not understood. The Berlin Wall was completed in 1961 when I was 7. All through my childhood and adolescence, I was surrounded with these terms but I was unaware whatContinue reading "International Freedom Day, November 9, 2021"
Easy Bake Oven Day, November 4, 2021
On November 4th, 1963, the First Easy Bake Oven was introduced before Christmas. I was eight years old and I had this toy on the top of my Christmas list. I didn't receive one from Santa. But my best friend, Laurel, did get the special toy. The original oven was pink and used two 100Continue reading "Easy Bake Oven Day, November 4, 2021"
Natures Music, Waterfalls November 2, 2021
As we continued our tour of the eastern Upper Peninsula, we found waterfalls in abundance. Water trickles from the western porcupine Mountains to the cliffs of sandstone to the overlooks and sand dunes of the lakeshore. Our first visit was to the Lower Tahquamenon Falls. The bubbling brook was beside the boardwalk. As we approachedContinue reading "Natures Music, Waterfalls November 2, 2021"


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Tagged: How to Blog
How to Stop Blog Comments Spam. Another chapter in my How To Blog Adventure
I was surprised with the amount of Comments Spam. They were posted daily. Some Comments Spam would fill the screen with links. Others would compliment my writing skills. Funny how such a complimentary comment, could be made on a post which featured a Silvio Santos Prank Video. BTW, I Love those Brazilian TV Prank Videos. Continue reading
The reason for being online is to help others. My How to Blog Adventure epiphany.
I found it hard to see the trees, while wandering through the forest. Last night I had my eyes opened, maybe just a bit. The whole point of having an online presence is to be of help to others. For some that would be common sense. For me, that was an epiphany.
Setting up my photo site on Zenfolio was my alternative to grief counseling. Last year Zenfolio added Blogging capabilities. So I started a blog. It has had days when a thousand people per day would visit and other days when no one would visit. Continue reading
Proofreading and Blogging, the bane of My How To Blog Adventure. Taylor Mali video about Proofreading.
I check every post before hitting the Publish button. I will again check the post later the same day and to my surprise I will find more typos and errors. I could swear that the word was there before and that other one was spelled correctly earlier. Continue reading
My How to Blog adventure. Created a different look and feel to this Blog…
Thanks to the comments and suggestion from Grace, I made some changes. It is a good idea for other Blog owners to consider. Ask someone who you trust to visit your blog. Then honestly discuss what "they" saw and felt while using it.
Have an open mind and make sure that you listen.
My How to Blog adventure. Not so fast…On 2nd thought this WordPress Blog will remain active..,
Earlier today, I had posted about focusing on my other test blog and not posting any more updates here. Not so fast. I may have been mistaken.</span?
I asked someone whom I trust and who has a knowing eye to visit the two blogs. Had a great discussion with her. Thanks again Grace. Got many useful insights.
From my discussion it became clear that my decision was too hasty. The 3 column vs 2 column layout may not be as important as I had first thought. The WordPress 2 column I was told tends to draw a reader to the Post itself. On the 3 column Blog the eye moves around looking at the assortment of info in the column.
The WordPress Blog works on mobile systems. The Blogger Blog does not.
One interesting suggestion was to keep both blogs. Cross posting does not take that much more time. The worry is fragmenting the audience between them. Not an issue at this time, since there is no audience – yet.
So to make a long story short, I was too hasty. I will continue to try to improve both sites. I may actually try some 3 column WordPress themes, although I really like the present theme here. Maybe I'll learn some Html and CSS and try to add a left column myself. Looks like this Blog is here to stay….
My How to Blog adventure. Testing out my Blogs. Decisions decisions.
I started out creating one Blog. Then the idea formed to clone that Blog into another. Why? To see how different hosting companies will work.
Along the way I learned about different Blogging platforms. Lets not forget about all that new jargon. Made my head spin.
I have run a photo site for a few years. Blogging capability was added by the hosting company last year. I found it to be a great addition to the photo site. So much so that I wanted to expand and enhance the Blog. Unfortunately that was not possible. Hence my search for the perfect blogging platform and hosting company.


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Ecuadorian cacao plantations stand out in Spanish chef Jordi Roca's book
The creative work of the Spanish chef Jordi Roca, one of the best pastry chefs in the world, is not the same after his journey through Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. His time in these countries, accompanied by the gastronomic journalist Ignacio Medina, impelled a turn in the elaboration of his gastronomic proposals from the new cocoas that he collected during his trip.
Jordi Roca Fontané is the youngest of the Roca brothers, creators of one of the best restaurants in the world, El Celler de Can Roca. This chef, one of the most successful in the world and to whom Netflix's foodie series, Chef's Table:Pastry, dedicated a chapter, has just published the book Casa cocoa next to Medina. The trip back to the origin of chocolate (Planeta Gastro). A meeting between the chocolatier who had never stepped on a cacao plantation and the real life of cacao.
The text delves into the history of this product that, according to several vestiges, dates back more than 5,000 years. In its references it is fixed in astrange temple in Palanda (Zamora Chinchipe), excavated by the archaeologist Francisco Valdez, who left in the open a structure that ends in a tomb where they conserve, among other objects, a ceremonial vessel with waste of a drink that contained cocoa.
In the book there is also some criticism of a sector that affects the lives of 3million Latin Americans. Its pages talk about how big companies decide about their lives, set prices and establish conditions; and, denounces the abuses on a small scale, which starts with the most isolated cocoa farmers, who are always the most vulnerable.
Of Ecuador, Roca and Medina highlight the national cocoa, known as the gold seed,who they met personally in the plantation of Bitricio Salazar, in the canton Baba, and that well treated and processed provides chocolates"distinguished and with much packaging." His cacao farm produces between two or three quintals per week of harvest.
The truth is that the way of understanding chocolate has been changing over time due to new formulations. The publication refers to the ideas outlined by Santiago Peralta, by Pacari, a forerunner in some areas, such as raw chocolate,literally 'raw', 'unroasted'.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Seguimos aprendiendo sobre el mundo del cacao, esta vez en @hacienda_victoria_ecu hemos tenido la suerte de conocer el impecable trabajo de @andresguzmanb y su equipo en la búsqueda de la excelencia del cacao fino de aroma de #ecuador🇪🇨 . Un ejemplo de buen trabajo y para mi y @damianallsop ha sido como estar en el Disneyland del cacao🤗🎉👌. Volveremos a por más. @casacacaogirona @cellercanroca @hotelcasacacaogirona @rocambolesc #rocabros #cellercanroca #casacacao #rocambolesc
"Ecuador breathes cocoa and chocolate on all four sides. Its chocolate industry is, by far, the most advanced and developed in the region." . (I)Jordi Roca, says in his book
Source: https://www.eluniverso.com/entretenimiento/2018/12/18/nota/7103466/cacaotales-ecuatorianos-destacan-libro


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The War of Kinds had brought destruction upon the human race and prosperity to the Automa. Because of this war, resentment spread across the races, both knowing their loathing for each other but never explicitly stating it to one another. But their beliefs and actions have proved they consider each other enemies.
The Automa sovereign's daughter, Lady Crier, had no idea of this destruction. And she never really had no clear idea until she met Kinok and Ayla. Kinok is her soon-to-be husband who she is forced to marry for the betterment of her kingdom. Her father felt that the only way to subdue Kinok's influences was to extinguish the threat of power he felt from recent times. But would this action create a difference?
Ayla is a human servant girl who wishes for nothing more than Crier's immediate death. She believes wholeheartedly in the saying "An eye for an eye" and after the death of her family order by the sovereign himself, she thought to act upon this ideology. But as the book continues, Ayla begins to realize the true nature of Lady Crier and separate some Automa from others. And Lady Crier also begins to realize the true connection between the Automa and humans and how her father isn't exactly who she thought he was.
From the way this book was written to the path of the plot, I couldn't stop thinking about the book even when I wasn't reading it. So many little things in the plot occur in the story that seem to have no meaning until it creates meaning into the story altogether. When reading, one wouldn't see major plot twists coming until they approach it and read back on all of the clues Nina Varela left for them in obscured areas. The imagery was beautiful, unfolding the story in my eyes with vivid scenes and intense dialogues. And the symbolism wrapped the entire story together and the fates of the characters in the book. The story is also an enemies-to-lovers book so if you like that, you should definitely check it out!
-Saanvi V.
Crier's War by Nina Varela is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.


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Milwaukee Mourns
George Floyd
October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020
In their own words: Milwaukee reacts to death of George Floyd and protests
The death of George Floyd and the protests that have followed have forced yet another national conversation on race in America. We've reached out to community members to hear their thoughts.
by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service