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[Game] War of Crown
free apps android
War of Crown : Your Turn, Your Move, Your Destiny
The last Great War was a terrible struggle that reshaped the world.
The God of Destruction unleashed powerful Dark forces bent on plunging the world into chaos. All hope seemed lost.
In the end, it was through the strength of Men and the sacrifice of Arwyn the Hero-King that the Allied Races were able to drive out the Darkness.
Alas, the peace was short-lived as fighting broke out once more over the crown of the fallen Hero-King.
But little do they know that a Dark threat moves closer in the shadows…
The epic adventure of Eshirite, the Child of Destiny begins now!
Lose yourself in the immersive storyline
Play unique heroes with stunning skills
Explore the different PvE and PvP modes (Story, Adventure, Arena, and more)
Construct your ultimate Battle Party based on your heroes' strengths, elements, and equipment
Hone your skills and try out different battle tactics as you progress through the game
Experience the thrill of a true strategy RPG at the touch of your fingertips
War of Crown Facebook Page
GAMEVIL Facebook Page
War of Crown Official Forum
GAMEVIL Official Forum
Google pre-registration rewards will be sent to users who log in by 5/31/2017
This game requires the following permissions for optimal gameplay.
Permission to sync your Address Book and access device status for Friend Invites
Permission to sync your Google account
Permission to save necessary game data externally
This game is available in English.
There may be additional costs when trying to obtain certain items.
GAMEVIL Official Website : https://www.withhive.com
GAMEVIL Customer Support : https://global.gamevil.com/support/
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War of Crown user reviews :
It's a wonderful game. Reminds me a little of tactics. The only thing that kind of got me off guard was the captions were off sentences were not complete so you have to guess what they are saying. Other than that graphics and gameplay are really great definitely going to keep playing. And the energy is not that bad still at the beginning will update my ratings once I get further in the game. So far 4 and a half stars!
Just as good as the CBT promised. The servers have been an issue, making the launch a bit rocky, but the game is way more polished and has a great look and feel to it. I like that the summon rates remained competitive for f2p. I don't quite agree with the paid garnets only bundle packages though, it feels like a slight disadvantage for f2p. Only slight, however, nothing game breaking, but I hope that trend does not continue. Can't wait to see how the game progresses. 5* when server stability is more of a thing, for sure!
One of the Best rpg strategy game! This game is very similar to final fantasy tactics, the basic gameplay, field terrain, & the strategies are so awesome! Graphics is good, you can communicate with your own hero, click them & they'll talk at inn, that's good, so communicative! Story is great so far, have adventure & Bard's story make the gameplay more fun, & full of 3D action! I waiting for this kind of game & here it is! But there's plenty of bad things like you need to grind everything like hero equipment accessories etc, & it's consume money money & money. Please gamevil read the comments & listen to your players
Last Update May 3, 2017 :
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text: Beautiful sunshine, beautiful smiles...what more you could ask for? Whilst charming the staff in the hotel with their 'back to front' stylish costumes, eleven Alderley ladies + one former AEGC member (Sue Watson kindly filling in for Sandra Smith) also graced the fairways and greens at Hollins Hall for an overnight golf break. Much laughter, many hills, plenty of golf and prizes galore, Elsie's Tour 2016 was deemed a great success and enjoyed by us all. PS (has anyone found my prize socks????)

subset: commoncrawl


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Fifth Avenue Moves To A Salsa Beat On Puerto Rican Day: Parade Honors Heritage, Victims Of Sept. 11
By ROBERT F. WORTH
June 10, 2002
The 45th National Puerto Rican Day Parade claimed Midtown Manhattan for its own on Sunday, an annual ritual of ethnic pride and raucous celebration.
They thronged both sides of Fifth Avenue, waving Puerto Rican flags and swaying to a booming Latin pulse. Along the avenue itself, azure, white and crimson floats bobbed under the weight of whirling dancers, while uniformed marching bands strutted and politicians grinned and waved under a baking sun.
The 45th National Puerto Rican Day Parade claimed Midtown Manhattan for its own yesterday, an annual ritual of ethnic pride and raucous celebration attended by thousands of spectators.
But while the parade was as joyous as ever, the crowds were smaller than they have been in recent years, a change many paradegoers attributed to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. The parade was also shadowed by the violence that marred it two years ago, when 50 women were groped and many of them had articles of clothing torn off by a throng of young men in Central Park. This year as last, a large police contingent kept close watch over the festivities and barred people from large parts of the park during the march, which began at 11 a.m. and continued until early evening.
Yesterday, the police said, 3 people were arrested for groping, a misdemeanor sexual offense. Fourteen people were arrested for disorderly conduct and assault, and 38 were issued summonses for public urination and other minor offenses.
"Some people are avoiding crowds because of 9/11," said Ruben Hernandez, a parole officer who said he had attended the parade every year since he moved to New York from Puerto Rico 20 years ago. "Usually I can't even get to where I'm standing now," he added, gesturing out at the relatively thin crowd surrounding him at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.
If the September attack and recent warnings of possible new ones kept some people home yesterday, they also provided a renewed reason for celebrating life and remembering those who were lost. As groups of Puerto Rican police officers and firefighters marched past, some with pictures of colleagues who died on Sept. 11 tucked in the front of their caps, the crowds seemed to redouble their cheers. One fire truck tooted its horn to a salsa beat, and spectators picked up the rhythm with their claps and whistles.
Parade organizers dedicated the day's march to all of New York's Puerto Rican police officers and firefighters. Nicholas Estavillo, the New York Police Department's chief of patrol, and Representative José E. Serrano of the Bronx were the grand marshals. The crowd burst into wild applause when former mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani appeared, marching alongside Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and ducking into the crowd now and then to shake hands.
Johnny Mercado, 33, a cook who said he had once applied for a job at Windows on the World, said: "I think the attacks make this year's parade special. I think we're all so happy and thankful to be here."
Some said the smaller crowds made for a better parade.
"You can breathe a lot easier this year," said Adrian Hernandez, 28, who was wearing a Puerto Rican flag as a cape. He said he had attended the parade nearly ever year since he was 9. "Usually it's so crowded you can't even get through to see things."
And several women said they were happy to have so many police officers watching over the proceedings. After the 2000 parade, 18 men were convicted or pleaded guilty in the attacks on women. The men were given sentences ranging from probation to five years in prison.
"You could sense that security wasn't so strong that year," said Priscilla Chen, 18, who was at the 2000 parade. "Since then, there's cops everywhere and it feels a lot safer."
Along Fifth Avenue, the odors of cooking meat and marijuana drifted from the crowd as Latin pop stars belted songs from their floats, and young men and women danced in the street.
Politics is always part of a New York parade, but in this election year it was particularly apparent. Gov. George E. Pataki, who last year announced his opposition to the United States Navy's use of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques for bombing exercises, marched with politicians from Vieques. Crowds waving the Vieques flag whooped their approval as he passed.
Close behind the governor were members of 1199 S.E.I.U., the health and human services union, which has a large percentage of Hispanic members and has endorsed Mr. Pataki's re-election bid.
H. Carl McCall and Andrew M. Cuomo, who are vying for the Democratic nomination to run against Mr. Pataki, also marched.
To some New Yorkers, the parade which ran from 44th Street to 86th Street, was little more than an obstacle. "It is traffic mayhem," said Paul Felix, a 25 year-old consultant who was returning from a bike ride in the park and found himself unable to pass through the marchers to his home on the Upper East Side.
Still, the overwhelming emotion was one of pride and celebration.
"We're here to get our priorities straight to celebrate people," Mr. Mercado said from the sidelines. "That's what really matters."


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The proposed rules could be implemented as early as next year.
If a majority of a bank's shareholders vote in favour then bonus ceiling can be raised to double their annual salary.
"For the first time in the history of EU financial market regulation, we will cap bankers' bonuses," said Othmar Karas, the Austrian lawmaker who helped negotiate the deal.
Britain was a lone voice in the negotiations and battled hard against most other members of the 27-nation bloc. But other nations with smaller financial services sectors refused to back down.
Ireland, which holds the rotating EU presidency and negotiated the policy, will now present the agreement to EU countries. The backing of a majority of member states is needed for the deal to be finalised.
Major British banks and industry bodies stayed quiet during the negotiations, fearing a public backlash if they spoke up in favour of large pay packets. Privately many expressed concern that London would lose out to other global financial centres such as New York and Singapore if they could not pay what they wanted to attract the best workers.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson was the only major politician to make a public stand for Britain's financial services industry. Last week he told City A.M. that the EU "should stop butting in" on bankers' pay and said the reforms could "undermine London's international competitiveness".


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News > Press > Partnership redeveloping NO office building
Partnership redeveloping NO office building
28 Dec 2013
An environmentally centered development company and a nonprofit real estate investment group are moving forward to bring more commercial space and multifamily housing to the Central Business District.
New Orleans-based Green Coast Enterprises and Crescent City Community Land Trust have begun work to redevelop the former Industries Building at 234 Loyola Ave., across from City Hall, into a mixed-use, mixed-income complex.
New Orleans CityBusiness reported (http://bit.ly/1efOx4V) the development will include about 80 one- and two-bedroom market rate and low-income apartments on the upper floors and roughly 22,000 square feet of commercial space across the two bottom floors.
Van Temple, the trust's executive director, said his company and Green Coast Enterprises acquired the 10-story office tower from developer Lou Talebloo about a year ago for an undisclosed amount.
City records show that Talebloo bought the building in 2004 for $875,000. He planned a similar development but the project never materialized. The building has been vacant and gutted since 2010.
Temple said the building dates back to 1909 and was once the home of the Knights of Pythias, an African-American fraternal order that spawned from a Civil War-era organization.
The building also housed a jazz hall, a community theater and offices for companies that Pythian knights operated.
After serving the knights into the late 1930s, the building became the hiring office for boat builder Andrew Higgins, whose landing craft helped shuttle Allied troops to the beaches of Normandy and other World War II battlefields. Higgins maintained the 10th-floor dance hall as a place for soldiers and sailors to gather before being sent off to war.
In the 1950s, building owners covered the original stone façade with a steel and glass wall cladding.
Temple said the trust and Green Coast Enterprises are working with Landis Construction on restoration and interior construction. He said contractors recently started the first phase of construction, which includes removal of the modern cladding and stabilization of exterior bricks.
Wayne Troyer Architects designed the project.
Lex Kelso, a principal partner with Green Coast Enterprises, said a financing package for the interior construction work is still being developed and would not disclose the project's budget.
The developers expect to close on all financing, including federal and state historic tax credits, by late spring, with construction starting soon after that.


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"Success comes as you have confidence in yourself," he said. "Self-confidence is built by succeeding, even if the success is small. It is the believing that makes it possible. No man succeeds without faith."
With that faith came boysenberries, roller coasters and a cowboy theme park called Knott's Berry Farm.
The amusement spot in Buena Park, Calif., just north of Disneyland, boasts 5 million visitors a year, ranking among the top funfair draws in America.
The 160-acre plot — from which its Orange County city thrives with motels and restaurants — originated with a 1920 germination from Walter Knott (1889-1981).
"Walter Knott possessed the persistence that very few people have ever had," said Jay Jennings, author of "Knott's Berry Farm: The Early Years," "He believed that anything was possible if you tried hard enough. That's why he stayed in the fields and kept farming despite his many early failures in growing vegetables and fruit.
"Knott loved agriculture, turning weed patches into crop-yielding gardens. He learned at an early age (9) how to contribute to the family's income by selling produce from his crops to railroaders who lived near the Southern Pacific track. Knott's grandmother Rosamond Dougherty was another big influence. She moved in with his brother, mother and himself and shared exciting stories about her adventures in the Old West, which later motivated Knott to build his Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm."
The man simply had a "unique combination of having clear goals in mind along with an almost obsessive work ethic," said Christopher Merritt, co-author of "Knott's Preserved." "Even in the face of adversity (i.e., attempting to grow grapes in the Mojave Desert prior to cultivating his farm in Buena Park), he stuck to his overall plan and simply did not give up, when others would have more quickly come to their senses and moved on to other, less daunting prospects."
Star PowerJohn Wayne, who had a Knott's Berry Farm theater named for him, called Knott "a true image of American capitalism. He takes pride in the efforts of his organization and the quality of his product. … I delight in calling him a friend."
Another actor, Ronald Reagan, took time out from his California governor duties in 1968 to laud Knott as "one of America's great patriots, one who has successfully climbed to the very top rung of the ladder of success … yet one who has always been careful to see that he left each rung of that ladder in good repair so those who followed would have less trouble in climbing life's ladder than he had."
Walter started his rise not far from Buena Park — in San Bernardino, born to Elgin and Virginia Knott.
"Walter Knott overcame many hurdles and hardships," said Jennings. "First was the death of his father at age 6, which meant that he and his mother couldn't keep their family farm due to financial hardships. When Knott was a sophomore in high school, the small bit of farmland he and his cousin owned in Coachella Valley was destroyed by a November freeze. Knott moved back to Pomona and worked in the fields all week, then jumped on a train to drop produce off and take orders at various cities on the line. It was grueling but profitable."
Walter was 21 when he married Cordelia, his bride of six decades and the mother of their four children.
With their Pomona house, life looked nice and easy. Only, Knott wanted a farm, even in the rough California desert. "Think of it: 160 acres of land to call our own if we live on it for three years!"
Cordelia reacted with tears, foreseeing "coyotes, rattlesnakes, no inside plumbing, no running water, not even a house but a humble adobe dwelling," wrote the biographer Helen Kooiman. "Sand. Hardship. 'Walter, you can't mean it!' "
He did. "Those desert years were some of the best years of our life. … The hardships we endured made us tough," said Walter. "After what we went through there, nothing could faze us."
Finding TractionBy 1920, Walter was moving back to the Los Angeles area — and found his gold mine: Buena Park. He took up his cousin Jim Preston's offer to join a farming partnership.
"His farming dream was still alive, and Knott leased 20 acres of land along Grand Avenue from William Coughran, which Knott later bought outright," said Jennings. "This was the land that Knott's Berry Farm would later be built on."
Knott made money selling berries at a roadside stand that grew into a building called Knott's Berry Place in 1928.
Depression? What Depression? Knott suddenly had a hot seller in boysenberry pie and jam. With Cordelia weighing in with her chicken specialty, their restaurant boomed.
"Few people who went down the road from Buena Park to the sea could resist the temptation to stop at the Berry Farm, either for a chicken dinner or for the berries," wrote Norman Nygaard in "Walter Knott: 20th Century Pioneer."
By 1937, wrote Kooiman, "waiting lines were so long, he couldn't see the end."
This was after a banker turned him down for a loan with a dismissive "highway restaurants fail when they try to expand," noted Jennings.
Knott found the means, and payroll was about to rocket — from 25 in 1936 to 350 in 1947 to 2,000 in 1972 to 10,000 now.
"My greatest satisfaction in life," said Knott, "is knowing that some widow, some young person or other human being can come here and find an honest job and win the biggest prize life has to offer — self-respect."
Those early employees felt Walter's tenet of goodwill toward customers: "This is more valuable than what we actually sell here on the farm. Goodwill doesn't develop simply. It develops only through years of integrity, fair dealing and honest toil. We've worked hard to develop this, and we want you to help us maintain it."
Riding HighWith the food good, Knott wanted the farm's entertainment to be even better. So he added amusement to the mix in 1940, sparking Knott's Berry Place & Ghost Town with a Western theme. In the coming years he littered it with Calico Square, Calico Saloon, Calico Mine Ride and the bandit-thrilling Calico Train, taking the name from a town he had turned into a tourist attraction in San Bernardino County between Buena Park and Las Vegas.
"Walter Knott is credited with many crucial innovations that paved the way for his many successes," said Jennings. "The first was cutting out the middleman so he could keep more profits from his farming and selling directly to grocers.
Then came the boysenberry, incorporated into punch, jams, jellies and pies at Knott's Berry Farm for over 80 years.
Yet another successful business venture came from the Chicken Dinner Restaurant that has been serving their world famous chicken for 80 years as well. To accommodate the long lines, Knott built Ghost Town in 1940.
Word of mouth traveled across the country, and within a few years, Knott's Berry Place (which became Farm in 1947) was one of the most successful amusement parks in the United States and still is to this day."
Also in the complex is a rendition of Independence Hall, replete with a 2,000-pound bell, dedicated on July 4, 1966.
Cheers rang in the coming years, especially from Reagan: "He's been a participant in every worthwhile cause that you can imagine. He has never said no to anything charitable or to anything in the community. We need a couple hundred million more citizens like Walter Knott."
Reagan became president in 1981, the year Knott died at age 91. His descendants sold Knott's Berry Farm to Cedar Fair Entertainment for about $250 million in 1997. The parent company, based in Ohio, has seen its stock rocket 900% since 2009, with record net revenue of $1.24 billion in 2015, although it doesn't publicly break out individual park sales among its 11 amusement sites.
"Walter Knott is indeed an inspirational figure," said Jennings, "in the sense that he started with very little and through sheer will power and positive thinking (failure was not in his vocabulary) found the farmlands that he needed to grow his fruits and vegetables and then expanded and bought more land as the years progressed and then capitalized on what customers wanted: good food, good preserves and good old fashioned Old West entertainment, which really couldn't be found anywhere else, at least until Disneyland opened in 1955.
"Walter Knott started as a simple farmer and eventually became the owner of one of the world's most popular and successful amusement parks. Talk about inspirational."
Photos Courtesy Jay Jennings
Bucky Fox is an editor and author in Southern California.


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Mark and Scott Kelly are the only twins that have ever traveled to space — and their experience will be invaluable if we want to get to Mars one day.
The brothers are taking part in what NASA calls the Twins Study — a genetic experiment to see how our bodies change in zero gravity in the long term. That's important to understand before we put humans on a spaceship and send them on a round trip to the Red Planet.
Read the article at The Verge


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Struggling supermarket Morrisons is still crumbling in on itself.
The retailer put out its half-year report on Thursday and pretty much every key number is down. Here's the damage:
- Sales at stores open for a year or more down 2.7%;
- Total turnover down 5.1% to £8.1 billion ($12.4 billion);
- Pre-tax profit down 47% to £126 million ($193.4 million).
The numbers follow the worst full-year figures for 8 years from Morrisons in March, when profits tanked 52%. Today's figures show sales are falling at a slower rate, but that's about the only positive you can pick out.
Shares are down 4.6% after an hour of trade on the London Stock Exchange: Britain's fourth largest supermarket is in the midst of a £1 billion ($1.5 billion) cost saving programme as it battles to reverse its decline and Morrisons announced today that it is closing 11 supermarkets across the country.
CEO David Potts told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that as a result 900 jobs are at risk.
He said: "It is with regret today that in the context of rebuilding Morrisons we've taken the decision to enter consultation to close 11 supermarkets. There are up to 900 staff involved in that decision. We will hope to reemploy them in either nearby stores or manufacturing."
Morrisons has already taken the decision to axe 700 staff at its headquarters, a figure that was revised up to 720 in today's resport.
Morrisons focuses on fresh produce, with half of its goods freshly sourced. But the supermarket has been struggling to adapt to changing trends in the market for years.
The retailer came late to both online grocery shopping and convenience stores. The supermarket announced yesterday that it was exiting its loss-making "M Local" convenience store business after 4 years at a loss of £30 million ($46 million).
Morrisons' woes have been compounded in the last year or so by the rise of aggressive discounters like Aldi and Lidl in Britain, which have driven a supermarket price war in which Morrisons has struggled to compete.
Potts also warned that there were more troubles ahead for the retailer, telling BBC Radio 4 that the new National Living Wage being introduced by the government would increase staffing costs by "tens of millions, not single millions."
Independent retail analyst Nick Bubb says in an emailed statement this morning:
The interims today Morrison's are overshadowed by the rather bland strategy review from the new CEO, Dave Potts, about "Making the core supermarkets strong again" and investors may be taken aback by the rather bland Outlook statement "Customers and colleagues are beginning to notice improvements, but the turnaround will take time and require sustained investment in the proposition. As previously guided, we expect underlying profit before tax will be higher in the second half of 2015/16 than the first".
Bruno Monteyne, a former Tesco executive turned retail analyst at Bernstein, says: "It is still unclear how they will compete on price against Aldi, Lidl and Asda and on service against Sainsbury's or Tesco."


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Ten policies for renewing family life
The state of the family in many advanced societies is unsustainable. Which public policies could reverse this decline?
In the central part of the Sustained Demographic Development report, The Empty Cradle, Phillip Longman and others track in detail the patterns of demographic decline globally and their causes. At the end, the authors propose 10 key policies for reversing this decline and reinvigorating the economy. MercatorNet reproduces those policies here, in the second of three excerpts from the report.
What then are the appropriate policy responses to the unsustainable state of family life in many advanced societies? Here are ten proposals that might be helpful:
There is no single policy lever to pull that will put the family back into a healthy and sustainable balance with global market forces. We must grapple with issues like foreign trade, offshore employment, and downsizing. Yet it is essential that measures of efficiency not be so narrowly defined that they discount the vital role that secure, functioning families play in sustaining economic progress. To soften the blows young adults face from income and employment instability associated with globalization, countries should ensure access to affordable health care and lifetime learning to keep job skills from becoming obsolete.
To some extent, these disparities simply reflect differing individual priorities and preferences. They also reflect, however, the severe obstacles placed in the way of couples who want to start families while they are still biologically capable of doing so and at the same time want to pursue higher education. Under our current system of higher education, a woman who wants to, say, interrupt her education at age 20 to start a family and then return to school at age 30 will face steep handicaps in gaining admission. Institutions of higher learning, as well as employers, should include parents in their attempts to build diversity and overcome historical patterns of discrimination.49
The policy responses needed to address these threats to the family are much easier to state than to achieve. Yet such vital reforms as improving public education, reducing automobile dependency, and fostering walkable communities will perhaps be easier if these goals are tied to the needs of the family. Salt Lake City, which has the highest birth rate of any American metropolitan area, has since the late 1990s made a huge and successful commitment to containing sprawl and building light-rail under the influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.52
Unfortunately, government family policy often ignores this diversity among women. Instead, there is often bias toward the needs of working mothers and neglect of those of home-centered mothers. Pronatalist policies are not likely to be effective if they primarily target career-oriented women; such women are not only a minority in any national population but are generally the most resistant to increased childbearing. As sociologist Catherine Hakim points out, family policy that is aimed only at the particular problems of two-paycheck families fails "to recognize and accept the heterogeneity of women's (and men's) lifestyle preferences."55
Policy makers should embrace programs such as the highly successful Finnish homecare allowance, which provides parents who do not use public childcare with a stipend that they can use for their own family budget—or to pay a grandparent, neighbor, friend, or nanny to care for their children. In Finland, the allowance is less expensive than the cost of public childcare and is linked to increases in fertility.56 Most importantly, it has allowed women to choose the best caregiving option for themselves and their families.
First, many public policies unintentionally penalize marriage by reducing or eliminating public benefits to parents who marry and thereby have access to two incomes rather than one.57 Public policies aimed at families should either be offered on a universal basis or should allow the two parents to split their income when it comes to determining the family's eligibility for public support.
Second, governments should test the effectiveness of social-marketing campaigns on behalf of marriage— especially those connecting marriage and parenthood. Experience has shown that well-designed social- marketing campaigns aimed at changing sexual behavior, drug use, and smoking habits can have a positive impact.58 In some cases, the impact of these campaigns has proved to be modest. Yet the extraordinary cost, both to individuals and society, of contending with, for example, out-of-wedlock births, makes social marketing aimed at changing such behaviors likely to be cost effective. These campaigns can also generate a larger, salutary conversation in the society at large about the importance of marriage for raising children.
Better consumer-finance-protection laws and enforcement are part of the solution, from putting caps on usurious lending to enforcing standardized, easy-to-understand contracts for credit cards and mortgages. So is restoring the ethos of thrift that historically was a pillar of the thriving working- class and middle-class family. Until it petered out in the 1960s, Americans celebrated "Thrift Week" pegged to Benjamin Franklin's birthday on January 17. Until the 1960s, public schools ran their own small banks for students, allowing millions of American children to better learn financial literacy and the habits of thrift. Savings and loans encouraged thrift through Christmas savings plans. And so on. We need to renew this ethos for our day. Restoring thrift is a generational project but also a prerequisite to restoring the health and fertility of the modern family.60
Here is a suggestive policy idea for allowing the nurturing sector to keep a greater share of the value it creates for society: Say to the next generation of young adults, have one child, and your payroll taxes, which support the elderly, will drop by one-third. A second child would be worth a two-thirds reduction in payroll taxes. Have three or more children, and pay no payroll taxes until your youngest child turns 18. When it comes time to retire, your benefits (and your spouse's) will be calculated just as if you had both been contributing the maximum tax during the period in which you were raising children, provided that all your children have graduated from high school.
To some extent, these cultural excesses and distortion can be expected to correct themselves. Just as during the Victorian age, when fear of underpopulation, particularly among elites, led to a reformation in manners and morals, there will be less and less tolerance for those who do not contribute children to society or whose activities contribute to children's moral corruption. But Hollywood film makers, advertisers, and other cultural merchants need to catch up with the new demographic reality and become aware that we now live in a world in which strong families can no longer be taken for granted—much less endlessly mocked and trivialized.
In recognition of the contribution that religion makes to family life and fertility, governments should not persecute people of faith for holding or expressing views that are informed by religious tradition, including ones that buck progressive or nationalist sensibilities. Alas, such persecution is now common in some countries around the world, from Canada to China to France.61 Faith brings hope, and ultimately it is hope that replenishes the human race.
None of these ten proposals is anywhere near adequate to solve the challenges created by the new demographics of the twenty-first century. Yet they are suggestive of the philosophical approach that is needed—one that emphasizes the critical role of the intact, nurturing, and financially secure family in sustaining and renewing the human, social, and financial capital of aging societies around the globe.
Phillip Longman is a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C.; Paul Corcuera is a professor and investigator at Instituto de Ciencias para la Familia at Universidad de Piura (Peru); Laurie DeRose, Ph.D., is a research assistant professor in the Maryland Population Research Center at the University of Maryland, College Park; Marga Gonzalvo Cirac, Ph.D., is a professor and researcher at the Institut d'Estudis Superiors de la Familia (IESF) at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (Spain); Andres Salazar is a professor and investigator at Instituto de La Familia at Universidad de La Sabana (Colombia); Claudia Tarud Aravena is the director of the Family Science Institute at the University of the Andes (Chile); and Antonio Torralba is an associate professor, a university fellow, and trustee of the University of Asia and the Pacific (Philippines).
Reproduced with permission. Read the orginal version for footnotes.
Next: The report finds that, throughout the world, support for the institution of the family is strong.
MORE ON THESE TOPICS | demographic dividend, economics, family
Copyright © Phillip Longman . Published by MercatorNet.com. You may download and print extracts from this article for your own personal and non-commercial use only. Contact us if you wish to discuss republication.


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Black Friday Shoplifting: Post-Arrest Tips from Attorney Mark Stevens Salem, NH DWI & Criminal Defense Lawyer 603.893.0261 (24/7)
November 28, 2014 Leave a comment
Black Friday Shoplifting: Post-Arrest Tips:
When Loss Prevention or The Police Want to Hassle You
Black Friday. Some stores are open earlier and close later. It is the biggest shopping day of the year here in New Hampshire. And with power shopping comes some shoplifting, "willful concealment" and other theft charges. Some of these are misunderstandings, some are caused by the stress of the holidays and some of course are actual thefts. This weekend usually results in a lot of arrests for shoplifting, "willful concealment" and other theft charges all across New Hampshire, but the number of shoplifting arrests in Rockingham County, Hillsborough County and Strafford County are particularly high on Black Friday due to some major shopping areas in those counties.
So what happens in that "worst-case" scenario, when a loss prevention person taps you on the shoulder and asks you to come to their back room gulag for questioning? Be careful what you do next. Here are some ideas:
1. Don't volunteer any statements, especially if they would admit guilt. Ask to speak with your lawyer immediately. You do not have to answer these peoples' questions. They will threaten to call the cops. The cops are coming no matter what you say, so just be quiet and wait for them.
2. Don't sign any confessions. The loss prevention people are not there to help you. They will sometimes hand you a confession to sign. Don't let them bully you into signing anything. Signing a confession is bad.
3. Don't agree to have your picture taken by the loss prevention people. They can't make you have your picture taken; they are store employees not cops. They will try to get you to make all sorts of admissions. You do not even need to give loss prevention, store security or mall security your identification.
4. Don't answer the loss prevention questions about other thefts they may try to implicate you in, such as "we know you stole x, y and z…". If they could prove this they wouldnt need to ask you about it. 5. The cops are coming. Just wait for then to arrive, and peacefully accompany them to booking. Note that the real cops CAN take your pictures, but you still dont have to answer their questions.
1. Peacefully go along with the arresting cop.
2. Ask to speak to you lawyer immediately.
3. Remain silent about the alleged offense.
4. Do not sign any confessions.
5. Do not agree to "interviews" with the police about theft charges.
1. Program my cell phone number 1-603-785-6458 into your phone right now!
2. If there is any possibility of a weekend arrest have cash for bail on hand.
3. Think about who you would call for a ride if needed from the police station.
Have a safe and happy holiday and Happy Black Friday!
Remember, call me right away after you get released: 1-603-785-6458.


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Program Name: Alpha Clock
License Type: Freeware
Date Released: October 23, 2002
Alpha Clock Desciption:
Tiny digital clock utility with LCD-style display and customizable colors
AlphaClock is an tiny clock utility with miniature, but very nice and sharp LCD-style digital watch display. It allow choose any colors for display background and digits, or use any predefined color sheme.
AlphaClock can display local system time or UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). Written completely on pure WinAPI, AlphaClock occupy very small amount of system resources.
License: Freeware | Price: $0.00 | Size: 65 KB | Downloads (2035)
Platform: Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Term: Digital - Clock - Desktop - Utc - Clock Desktop Linux
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Pirated Software Hurts Software Developers. Using Alpha Clock Free Download crack, warez, password, serial numbers, torrent, keygen, registration codes, key generators is illegal. We do not host any torrent files or links of Alpha Clock from depositfiles.com, rapidshare.com, any file sharing sites.
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This is an amazing house, that will exceed your expectations. It is enormous and perfect for a family and friends getaway or executive retreat with plenty of room for all, sleeping 18 in luxurious comfort.
White Sands is a brand new 5 bedroom beach house, a short walk to the beautiful back beaches of Rye and St Andrews beach on the Mornington Peninsula.
The property is equipped with everything you could possibly need for a fabulous getaway.
Upstairs there are 2 huge living areas, all open plan. The kitchen is a gourmets delight, top of the range applicances, multiple ovens, including a steam oven and coffee machine plus a seperate walk in butlers pantry.
There is a kids play area close by and comfy sofas in front of the fire and giant wall mounted plasma TV (one of 5 in the house!) with Foxtel.
The kitchen overlooks a huge dining area with table seating for 12 and plenty of room for guests or kids to sit at the oversize kitchen bench for casual meals.
The second entertaining area upstairs can be closed off by curtains for those wanting to watch the 2 large side by side TV screens (no squabbling over the remote!) This leads onto the outdoor living and entertaining deck which overlooks the garden. There is a heater and also an outdoor TV.
The upstairs living at White Sands is bathed in light with floor to ceiling windows and gorgeous furnishings.
For additional entertainment there is an 80's style Donkey Kong video table, a table tennis table and Foxtel throughout.
The fully fenced back garden has a kids play area and a cubby house and for little ones there are baby gates on the stairs.
Downstairs there are 5 bedrooms which allow the utmost privacy for guests.
Bedroom 1, the master king bedroom is vast. It has walk in robes and a gorgeous en-suite with spa bath.
Bedroom 2, has a queen size bed plus a single and en suite bathroom.
Bedroom 3 has a queen size bed and an en-suite bathroom. .
Bedrooms 4 has two tri-bunks (a double bunk on the bottom and single on top) and sleeps 7.
There is a further living room downstairs with a wall mounted TV and 2 sofa beds, sleeping an additional 4.
The seperate laundry and off street parking to complete this top of the range property in a fabulous location walking distance to the beach – make this the best beach house in town!


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Rona Building Centre is located within the old Pinecrest Lumber in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. We offer exquisite products all at affordable prices! Our helpful and knowledgeable employees are able to assist you in finding the perfect lumber. Rona Building Centre also offers windows, doors, roofing, decks, sheds, garages and much more, no matter what we are here to help you.
For all of your lumber and building needs come in to Rona Building Centre today!
Please login to add a recommendation.


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Hand crafted by local Arizona teens 50% of funds help earn money for college scholarships throughThe Shine Project. Each bracelet also offers limitless power as 50% of the proceeds help impoverished communities in Haiti and Saharan Africa achieve a healthier life through International Lifeline Fund, a program dedicated to bringing clean water and fuel-efficient stoves to displaced residents.
Only $25!


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The United States Senate met today to vote on a repeal-only proposal that would have completely repealed the Affordable Care Act. Better known as Obamacare, the proposal was built to destroy the law that would have hurt millions healthcare wise.
The Senate voted on Tuesday to open discussion on a new plan to replace Obamacare, with many feeling this would actually be good. The Senate was still split on the decision, which led to Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding vote. That is what brought us to today.
The voting today needed to be good for Republicans who wanted a full repeal. The idea from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but not replace it with a new healthcare bill for two years. Many hated this move, including many Republicans. So what would happen today?
The Senate Votes No To Repeal-Only
Going into the vote, it was obvious all Democrats would vote against the repeal-only decision. This would have made no sense in the first place. The question was, since Republicans did have majority control…would they force it to happen? Many Republicans were not into the idea of repeal-only to begin with. The bill was expected to fail, and did so.
Senators would vote 55-45 against an amendment that was originally brought in by Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. His plan was of course repeal-only. It was the idea McConnell seemed to be favoring.
The Republican Senators who voted no to the bill include Tenn. Senator Lamar Alexander, W.V. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Maine Senator Susan Collins, Nev. Senator Dead Heller, AZ Senator John McCain, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Ohio Senator Rob Portman. They of course joined all Independents and Democrats in the vote.
Before today, only three Republicans had confirmed they would vote against this plan. Lamar Alexander claimed before this that he didn't "think there are 40 votes to repeal" without a replacement in place.
The bill was delayed from this morning, mostly due to an abortion amendment. It would end up being done this afternoon due to that. This is now the second healthcare vote that the Senate has done where nothing has changed.
The Impact Of The Senate Saying No Today
Before the Senate said no today, there were a lot of questions that were left unanswered. The repeal would have affected 18 million people currently using some form of the Affordable Care Act would be without healthcare next year. This does leave people a few months to figure things out on how to get care. However, it would massively affect them regardless.
According to The Hill, the repeal-only plan would have massively affected medicaid expansion too. That would bring the total people uninsured to 27 million. This could even get to 32 million by 2026. This means that there is an issue in losing it unless there is a replacement.
Another vote is set to go down, this time regarding "skinny-repeal." Many have no idea what that means, but it's actually pretty easy to understand at the end of the day.
Skinny-Repeal is really just like a normal repeal, but it would not totally remove the ACA from existence for the time being. Some part of it will be active, but don't try to make this point to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, who said ahead of the vote:
"Make no mistake about it, skinny repeal is equal to full repeal. It's a Trojan horse designed to get the House and Senate into conference where the hard-right flank of the Republican caucus, the Freedom Caucus, will demand full repeal or something very close to it."
It does make sense to do this and disguise it. Obviously, it would sound better to people and thus get the votes needed to pass. It seems like the best of both worlds in theory. However, if Schumer is right then it would be wrong to get it going. A full repeal clearly was not liked by people today, so some sort of promise would need to be written in to avoid problems from the skinny-repeal side of things.


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Steals & Deals: Kate Quinn Organics, Clek, Portolano For Kids & More!
Kate Quin Organics is 50% off through Haute Look! They also have sales from Joe's Jeans, Kit & Lili, Rockabye, Gypsy 05 Little, Educational Insights and Wee Squeaks.
Es + Es Holiday Dressing event is offering gorgeous clothes for girls and boys up to 50% off through Gilt. Other sales this week include: Portolano for Kids, ME TOO Outerwear, Rowdy Sprouts, Fancy Nancy, Melissa & Doug and more!
Save up to 33% off Clek Booster seats on giggleDEALS. Strollers & play yards from Combi as well as Keepsakes and Organizers from Perseus are also on sale this week.
Dr. Seuss PJs are up to 55% off on Zulily this week (perfect holiday gift!). Other sales include: UPPAbaby, Shanil ,Tiny Prints, trafalgar's square, Preschool Prep, Mud Pie, Penelope Mack and many more!
Ideeli has some beautiful Laura Ashley boots on sale this week (up to 50% off) . There are quite a few other sales for kids clothing and footwear going on this week which is quite unusual for Ideeli!


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Developing video games can be a costly venture and 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling can attest to that after investing a good portion of his own funds into his game development studio. But last month Schilling found a new way to bring in some additional funds by moving 38 Studios to Rhode Island and taking advantage of relief provisions provided to High Tech companies. Schilling accepted the offer and could gain up to $75 million in loans for 38 Studios provided the developer meets certain benchmarks.
However, not everyone is happy about the fact 38 Studios could get such a large chunk (60%) of the state's $125 million budget set aside for these loans. According to a recent article at Gamasutra, the offer is drawing fire from key Rhode Island political figures like senator Lincoln Chafee and state Treasurer Frank T. Caprio. The Providence Business Journal even reports that Chafee made a request to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to reconsider and suspend their commitment to Schilling's company. Chaffe cites concerns that Schilling's venture is "High Risk" and claims the EDC did not evaluate "serious proposals" that could benefit Rhode Island.
Independent gubernatorial candidate and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee is asking the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to reconvene and suspend its commitment to Schillings company, 38 Studios LLC, until the board goes through a public process soliciting proposals from other companies that might flourish in Rhode Island.
Chaffe brings up a good point; game development can be high risk as we have more than a few failed games and developers to show for it. But if he doesn't consider it a "serious proposal" maybe he should take a look at the gaming industry and see just how big and successful it's become.
State Treasurer and Democratic candidate for governor Frank T. Caprio also voiced his concerns and sent a letter to the EDC outlining modifications that he felt needed to be made to the arrangement with 38 Studios, calling for the state to have equity in the company and the right to attend board meetings.
The political flack could simply be posturing but it could also provide another hurdle for Schilling to overcome.
Thanks to Annatar for the tip.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Copernicus Game Page.


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"God has no body now on earth but yours.
No hands but yours. No feet but yours." – St. Teresa de Avila
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Father Tim's Homily: Jesus has given us this mission
Father Tim Sherwood's homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord at St. Raphael Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, delivered on May 8, 2016. Video by T. Allan Smith. Audio by Jeff Keller. Theme music: Deliberate Thoughts by Kevin MacLeod.
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Light it up Blue
In honor of Autism Awareness Day, I invite you to join me in "lighting it up blue" by highlighting the ways autism has touched your life.
Today's poem is (fittingly) a letter to a fellow "Aut and Proud*" parent we saw at the playground today**:
Dear Father of the Other (Presumably) Spectrum Boy at the Playground this Morning:
You most likely didn't notice us.
Remy was tricycling around and around
but that's not so far from typical.
You left (so early, your boy afraid of the dogs)
before our boy stopped circling and excitedly
flapped his way over to the slides
and began shouting his gleeful, meaningless gibberish.
You'd have noticed the flaps, I assume. And known that gibberish well,
tho your boy did have some sentences.
Maybe you noticed how, right before your son
almost melted down (good save, dad) how I joined
you in assuring him "no dogs." The lady outside
with the (oh so sweet) yorkshires must have heard,
too, for they went on an extended walk.
And I was (so selfishly) glad that my boy
is not afraid of dogs. His quirks are there, obvious,
and noticeable to those who can see, but
he was raised with a dog (and a cat, both of blessed memory) so he does not share that fear.
I was grateful because I petted those dogs after,
hoping, against hope, that one day we'd love another dog.
That one day my boy would know that joy again.
That one day we'd be able to really say goodbye
to our bright white fluffy dog
and allow another dog his place.
And I hope, maybe against reason, that one day
your boy, similarly quirky, similarly loved,
will find a way to swallow his Fear of Dogs.
Because we are all just looking for unconditional
love, neurotypical or not. And dogs are the best
source I know of unconditional love. For us all.
I know cat people might disagree
and on some days I'd disagree too,
but today was a day I saw three cute,
fluffy, friendly yorkies, and loved them.
So I'm a little heartbroken my own dog is gone.
Forgive me. Your boy does not need
a dog (or a cat, or anyone) in his life
but you. And his (presumable) mom.
We can give that unconditional love,
no need for canine intermediaries.
You left before I could introduce myself, or presume to say "I know."
you left before your boy melted down completely
(good save again, dad) but we were there, together,
doing our part for our boys.
"Aut and proud." Loved.
And that is, in the end, all any child can ask for.
* "Aut and proud is a phrase that I know via Kristina Chew, who writes the lovely blog, We Go With Him.
** I wrote this poem on my iPod Touch and am hoping the line breaks/ formatting work. If they do not, I shall edit later. In any case, there will undoubtably be editing later, if this poem is to go on. Critique welcomed and appreciated.


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Now there is a light grey Christmas sweater that is cute and perfect for women that like cute penguins.
On the front, this sweater is covered in little penguins and they are wearing their usual black and white outfit but this time they decided to wear a red hat to and the pompom on top of the head actually sticks out of the sweater so that you can feel the fluffy hat topper.
Made from 100% acrylic the women's sweater is soft and perfect and it comes in sizes Small – 2XL for the perfect fit you like for you Christmas sweater.Get your Women's Penguins With Hats Christmas Sweater for $14.99
Other Christmas things you may like:


text: Movies MacGruber - Red Band Trailer By amawaster at : May 11, 2010 0 Comments Print This Post Share on Facebook Share on Twitter I know most people don't get excited about SNL movies, but I think we could be onto a winner with this MacGyver spoof, please enjoy the not suitable for all audiences trailer. Tags : Coming Soon... Movies Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Subscribe via Email to our Newsletter! Get email notifications! Don't worry, we don't spam In Case You Missed It (or ICYMI as the cool kids say...) 6/related/Movies 4/recommended/discussed


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Makes 4 Cocktails
8 ounces Cutty Sark scotch
6 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon simple syrup
Fill 4 rocks glasses with ice.
Fill a large cocktail shaker with ice. Add the scotch, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake hard and pour into rocks glasses.
Finish with a bit of club soda and garnish with an orange slice.


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This star rating is the opinion of the property owner only. A Self-Rated hotel has not been assessed by the AA or Visit Britain, whose official star ratings we use across LateRooms.com.
Trehellas House4 Self rated
Washaway, Bodmin, PL30 3AD
Price FromView Rooms
- Very Good
- 286 guest reviews
"Good for overnight stop, slightly noisy on main road though...."
"A great find. Nice staff Room was great...."
"Room was very average-musty smelling and very tired looking. Bathroom needed a complete overhaul..."
"We booked very late and were delighted with the hotel. Typical Cornish building and décor - excellent staff and the dinner was fantastic. Th..."
"Staff very friendly. Room was lovely and fresh. Agood nights sleep and breakfast was wonderful, choose was varied and plenty of tea and coff..."
About the hotel
Surrounded amid the beautiful Cornish countryside, bordering the Pencarrow estate, between Bodmin,, and Padstow & Wadebridge, and slightly further Fowey, Charlstown & Mevigissy, this charming country House hotel is beautifully set within 3 acres of gardens overlooking the Pencarrow estate & woodland we are a Grade II listed building, dating back to the early 18th century. With an AA rosette for food excellence & Taste of the West Gold award our restaurant, with its Delabole slate flagstone floor, offers the very best of locally sourced meats, fish, fruit, vegetables and delicious Cornish cheeses. For business or leisure this is the ideal choice of hotel.
Situated in the village of Washaway, Trehellas is a family-owned country house with real warmth and character, close to all that the county has to offer. A former Courthouse, today, the building still retains many of its beautiful original features, . Locally we have the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Lanhydrock, Padstow, Rock, Wadebridge and numerous other beautiful towns and sites in Cornwall, Trehellas is perfectly situated for walking, cycling the famous Camel Trail, and exploring all that Cornwall has to offer.
Read MoreLess
Facilities Show/hide
- Main
- Hotel Non-Smoking Throughout, Tea/Coffee making facilities in each room, Hairdryer in each room, Telephone In Each Room, Laundry/Valet Service, Wake Up Call Available, Ground floor bedrooms
- Parking
- Car parking available onsite
- Business
- Wi-Fi Available, Meeting Facilities, In-room Broadband, Wi-Fi Available In Public Areas, Wi-Fi Available In Rooms, Private dining services
- Dining
- Restaurant, Breakfast to go
- Leisure
- Outdoor Pool, Fishing, [Channels] News
- In Room Entertainment
- TV, Radio
Useful Info Show/hide
- Between 14:00 and 22:00
- By 10:30 hours
- Up to 1 years old
- The price shown is based on the occupancy and dates you have searched for. Prices and availability are subject to change based on the arrival date, number of nights and occupancy searched for. All prices are inclusive of all local taxes.
- Pets are not allowed
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
Very Good
95% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Good location
Good for overnight stop, slightly noisy on main road though....
Trehellas House
A great find.
Nice staff Room was great....
Read More Less


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A Hemel author has taken great delight in recounting his wartime memories to a new generation of children across the Decorum area.
But John Phipps has one day that stands out from all his wartime memories, when he looks back at May 8, 1945.
He told the Gazette: "VE Day was a joyous occasion. The big event was a street party with a concert pianist playing our family piano - he worked for the BBC and he played all night, all the wartime standards and boogie-woogie.
"People were dancing in the street and kissing each other, and some people let off some fireworks - I don't know where they had got them from. There were even some thunder flashes, which were dummy grenades that people let off during the party."
John, who is now 82, was only six years old and living in South Harrow when the Second World War broke out, and 12 when the war in Europe finally ended.
His book Living Through a War is being re-released to coincide with VE Day, and looks back at the highs and lows of those six years.
He has also visited schools across the local area talking to students about his memories, and several schools have also bought copies of his book as a teaching aide.
But John, who lives in of Allandale, admits there was a darker side to his memories too.
His father fought at Dunkirk, and when he returned to the UK he hitched a lift home rather than wait for the official trains.
And John's uncle's plane was shot down at the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy in 1944.
He said: "He was shot down and believed to be dead, but after a few weeks he turned up when he crossed American lines.
"He was the only one in his aircraft who survived. Apparently he was blown out of the Perspex in the plane, and has he fell to the ground he couldn't open his parachute because the zip was stuck.
"He managed to get it open a few hundred feet above the ground, but then he was chased by the Germans and had to hide while getting home.
"Things like that, and having friends whose family had died, affected us all. At the first the war was an adventure for a six-year-old, but it got much more serious. But VE Day was just a very happy celebration."
Living Through A War is available now in all good bookshops and retailers and costs £6.99 as well as being available online.
> Look forward to more VE Day features in this week's Gazette and Express newspapers


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If your summer travel plans include a long-distance visit with aging parents, why not use the opportunity to do some "just in case" planning?
The relaxed pace of summer may offer a friendly environment in which to reflect and plan ahead. Also, being face-to-face may allow you to accomplish more than planning from a distance.
Here are five tips for getting started, whether you are travelling across town or across the country!
1. Take note of warning signs that your parents may not be coping as well as before. Check for changes in these 4H's: health, hygiene, housekeeping, and hazards around the house, as well as other areas where they are getting or needing more help.
Share your observations about changes, but resist the immediate impulse to offer your solutions. Listen and reflect before responding.
2. Start or continue conversations about sensitive subjects: framing these discussions as being of help to you may make them seem less intrusive to your parents. Also, give advance notice that you wish to talk about these topics. Allow everyone some opportunity to reflect and prepare when discussing important matters.
What are the "must-discuss" topics? Top of the list is whether your parents' powers of attorney for finances and health careare in place or have been updated. Where are the other important documents that might be needed "if something happens"?
Finances may also be on your radar – a gentle conversation-opener can be asking whether there is anything you need to know about your parents' finances as you do your own financial retirement planning.
Your parents' living arrangements may be fine for now – but what happens if their health takes a sudden turn for the worse? A "health emergency plan"is a good tool for all families to have, but especially where families live hours apart.
Next, find out if your parents are familiar with seniors' services in their community. Larger centres have dedicated seniors' resource offices; in smaller communities, you may have to start with the local public health unit.
3. As a family, research and visit some nearby assisted living and long-term care homes. Everyone's health may be good now, but things can change quickly. If a health crisis happens, and your parent cannot safely return to live at home, knowing which care homes they prefer can be a boon at times of illness and stress. Remember, these properties are for those who need medical oversight and personal care. You can explore other "downsizing" options, such as condos and retirement residences, too.
4. Get acquainted with your parents' neighbors and the group of close friends who looks out for each other. Having a local contact can help ease your worries or check on parents' well-being if you cannot contact them.
5. During this time, keep things in perspective. Manage your emotions and expectations. This type of forward planning is not an "all-business" project; rather, it's a process that involves reflection, patience and building trust.
You can expect resistance to change, even denial, along the way. Emotions may consume more energy than performing the tasks at hand. You may have to deal with old relationship dynamics and alter some established behaviour patterns before you can move forward.
Taken all together, this tip list may seem daunting. But it's still best to get started now, before a crisis happens. Take one step at a time, commit to the next step, and steadily build towards a solid plan for that "just in case" someday.
Get started or re-started this summer!
© ElderWise Inc., 2012


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InBusiness, Inc
- View website
- Shopify Expert since 10/2012
- Projects starting at $5,000
About InBusiness, Inc
Let's Keep This Simple, Our firm focuses on offering two services to clients.
1) Paid advertising management for Ecommerce
2) Dead simple, high converting shopify stores that drive revenue. We put them up fast, and get them generating revenue even faster.
We charge $5,000 for a Shopify store implementation. We don't charge it because we are going to spend 50 hours on developing your store. We charge it because when we develop your store you save time, aggravation, and money doing things that work for Ecommerce.
We know this because we run our own stores, so we build our customers stores the way we would want them to work. Don't over think it. Work with us, and focus on growing your business instead of the technical BS.


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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
shopping for inspiration?
I haven't been drawing this week. Actually, let me rephrase that, I haven't been drawing 'well' this week. Perhaps I have entered another creative slump, I don't know, but I feel rotten. I apologize to those of you who check in with me everyday for something new. 99% of the time I am up to the challenge, but this week I just haven't been my usual self.
I find some comfort in knowing that this is something everyone goes through and think, in some ways, it helps me to empathize with students who feel they can't draw. The experience of drawing is definitely different depending on how the final product turns out.
I know a lot of people find comfort in shopping. I, for one, am not a shopper....but, I said "what the hell" and tried it today to see if it would work. I bought two new shirts...and I think it helped a little. By the time I got out of the store, I was inspired enough to draw the mannequins in the window. Definitely not my best work...but hey, tomorrow is a new day and a new page in the sketchbook.
2 comments:
- Lynne said...
You sell yourself too short. I love the languid lines of these manequin drawings -- lately I have been so uptight that everything I draw ends up looking like the knot in my stomach feels...
Hope you're feeling better -- but just wanted you to know that I am continually awed and amazed by the amount of talent that resides in your hands/head... and am truly inspired by you!
- paula said...
Well, at least you'll be stylin' in your slump. : ) I know the feeling and I empathize.
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Louis Armstrong and The Commanders
Recorded October 22, 1953
Track Time 3:17
Written by Billy Reid
Recorded in New York City
Louis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Billy Butterfield, Andy Ferretti, Carl Poole, trumpets; Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall, Phil Giardina, Jack Satterfield, trombone; Hymie Schertzer, alto and baritone saxophones; Al Klink, tenor saxophone; Bernie Leighton, piano; Carmen Mastren, guitar; Sandy Block, bass; Ed Grady, drums; Toots Camarata, arranger, conductor
Originally released on Decca
Currently available on CD: Moments to Remember in the Ambassador series has it, as well as a few older Armstrong Decca compilations: Highlights From His Decca Years and Sings Back Through The Years. (Live versions will be discussed below)
Available on Itunes? Yes (studio and multiple live version)
Today's entry will focus on a pop song that Louis Armstrong clearly loved. He recorded it in 1953 and played it almost every night for the next two years but eventually it disappeared, never to return again. But for the period it was in the band's repertoire, it was a highlight of every live show that featured it. The song was Billy Reid's "The Gypsy," a sizeable hit in 1946 that Armstrong didn't get around to recording until seven years later.
Originally, "The Gypsy" was introduced by its composer, Billy Reid, who led an orchestra in the United Kingdom. Reid's version was sung by Dorothy Squires in 1945, but the song didn't become a big hit in the United States until another female singer, Dinah Shore, recorded it in 1946. Amazingly, the same day Shore's record hit number one in Billboard, another version by the Ink Spots did the same exact thing. The Ink Spots became synonymous with the song, though other popular versions were recorded that year by the likes of Sammy Kaye, Hal McIntyre and Hildegarde with Guy Lombardo (now there's a pairing!). In the jazz world, the legendary alto saxophonist Charlie Parker recorded a version of "The Gypsy" on July 29, 1946, while the Ink Spots version was still hot on the charts. Unfortunately, Bird's recording came during the infamous "breakdown" session on Dial, where Parker's drug-fused lifestyle finally caught up with him, resulting in sometimes incoherent playing that's difficult to listen to. However, though he sounds like he's dying, Bird's version of "The Gypsy" is very emotional and if you can get past a few stutter steps, there's an awful lot of soul in that recording.
Now, Louis Armstrong had a very sizeable record collection so it's not certain which version he liked best, but he was definitely aware of "The Gypsy." How do we know? Because at the famous Town Hall concert of May 17, 1947, Armstrong quotes "The Gypsy" during his solo on "Save It Pretty Mama" at the 3:30 mark (this version was issued by Victor and is on numerous RCA compilations). So Armstrong was aware of it but didn't have a chance to record it until an October 22, 1953 session. When he did get around to recording it, it was his pick, according to Milt Gabler. "Louis loved the song," Gabler said. "He loved the lyric content, and he loved the tune of it, and he just loved to play it. And he came in; he said he wanted to record it. So we recorded it. That's all." This might sound a little odd as jazz critics at the time blasted Decca for "forcing" Armstrong to record pop tunes but Armstrong definitely had a say in what was recorded that October day in 1953. Besides two Christmas songs, Armstrong also rerecorded his own composition "Someday You'll Be Sorry" as well as "I Can't Afford To Miss This Dream," a song written by Armstrong's friend Gloria Friedlander. On New Year's Eve 1952, the Armstrongs had a party at the house where Pops, as usual, had his tape recorder rolling. On the tape, which can be heard at the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College, Armstrong asks Friedlander numerous times to sing the song so he could memorize it. He even promises her to record it for Decca, which causes her to exclaim, "You really like it that much? I love you!" Thus, Armstrong obviously had enough clout to take this song (never recorded by anyone else to my knowledge) and have Toots Camarata make a fine arrangement of it for Decca. It should be no surprise, then, that he would also want to record a seven-year-old pop song in "The Gypsy."
I've already discussed this session a bit in my entry on "Someday You'll Be Sorry" but it bears repeating: this is one of the great sessions of Armstrong's later years. Camarata's arrangements swing like mad and the studio band is positively explosive (and vice versa). "The Gypsy" begins with the wonderful trombone section, including two of Eddie Condon's favorites, Lou McGarity and Cutty Cutshall. Armstrong sings it like he had been singing it for a decade, throwing in "yeahs" wherever he pleases. Armstrong clearly had a thing for gypsys; a few months later, on "St. Louis Blues" from the W.C. Handy session, Armstrong sang the following blues lyrics:
I went to the gypsy, to get my fortune told
Yes, been to the gypsy, to get my fortune told
Because the gypsy knows, crazy about my jelly roll!
And when I went to the gypsy, she had fortunes all over the place
Yes, the gypsy had, fortunes all over the place
But when she looked in my hand, she slapped me right in the face!
Now what those lyrics had to do with St. Louis is anyone's guess but Armstrong also had fun on "The Gypsy." After singing the lyric, "But I'll go there again cause I want to believe The Gypsy," Armstrong adds as an aside, "Although I know she's lying," and giggles a bit. But the highlight of "The Gypsy" is undoubtedly one minute and 45 seconds of gorgeous Armstrong trumpet. It's one of my favorite Armstrong solos because it might contain the most relaxed playing he ever did. For those who just think of Armstrong as a high note player, he doesn't get way into his upper register until the end of the bridge. Until then, it's a textbook example of how to improvise around a melody while still keeping the melody somewhat in the forefront. There's a pattern to this solo: Armstrong plays a snatch of melody, improvises for a few bars, rests, then begins the next eight-bar section with the written melody, improvises for a few bars, rests, and so on. His playing is also remarkably slippery on "The Gypsy." There are few better places to study Armstrong's unique concept of rhythm. His phrases come in quick bursts and slower, legato segments. He plays obbligatos to his own lines, infuses it with the blues and comes up with a masterpiece. And transcribing this thing would be a bitch!
Triumphantly, Armstrong builds to a climax at the end of the bridge when he plays the melody in his upper register. But he still follows that with some incredibly nimble phrases before a beautiful, typical ending where Armstrong slows it down and plays the last four bars dramatically, his tone never sounding bigger. I love, love, love, love this record. It's not one of his best known records but even Armstrong himself later said of "The Gypsy," "Well, you know, that record I think is one of my finest."
Though the song wasn't a hit by any means, that didn't stop Armstrong from performing it with the All Stars, which he began doing late in 1954. The earliest live version in the Armstrong discography is from an August 13, 1954 radio broadcast from the Basin Street nightclub in New York City. This must have not been the first time they played it, though, as everything sounds firmly in place, beginning with Billy Kyle's piano introduction, which never changed. Pops plays a chorus of trumpet in the front, with sensitive support from Barney Bigard and Trummy Young. Though he sticks to the melody pretty closely, Armstrong takes some nice chances in the second eight bars. While improvising in the last A section, he quotes "I Cover the Waterfront," one of his favorite quotes. Armstrong sings it much as he did on the record, with the same placement of "yeahs" and the same "Although I know she's lying" line. The song also gave Armstrong some easy applause. He would usually end his vocal with a big emphasis on the final word "day" while Trummy Young would play a little phrase that made it sound like the song was ending. Armstrong would then usually mumble or shout with amusement while Billy Kyle would play a transitional piano solo to let Pops have time to get his horn up to his lips. Armstrong always got applause during the transition because most in the audience probably thought the song was going to end, but he would then play another half chorus of trumpet to take the song out. At Basin Street, the closing solo was very much in the spirit of the Decca record, with quick, short phrases peppered throughout, displaying that same wonderful sense of rhythm. The solo also has two more quotes that stand out: another placement of "I Cover the Waterfront" and the "Johnny Get Your Gun" line from the verse to "Over There." Barrett Deems gives Pops a nice backbeat and he rides it right on through to the final cadenza.
I could probably go on for pages about the different versions of "The Gypsy" that followed but honestly, not much changed in the ensuing performances except for Armstrong's trumpet playing. An especially great version was captured at the Crescendo Club for another Decca record, recorded live on January 21, 1955 (and available on Itunes and on C.D. on The California Concerts). By this point, Armstrong's opening trumpet stuck to the melody a little closer and the "I Cover the Waterfront" quote was gone from the opening, saved for the concluding solo (he was obviously trying it out to see where it fit better at Basin Street). However, except for the two aforementioned quotes, Armstrong always managed a fresh approach to his final trumpet solo on "The Gypsy." One of my favorite examples of this comes from a version from Stockholm in October 1955 (heard on volume 2 of Storyville's Scandinavia series). Armstrong had a little descending phrase he liked to play in the beginning of the final chorus, but this night, he just works the motif over and over until it reaches its logical conclusion, ending it with a perfectly placed Armstrong lick. The phrase unfurls in slow motion and never ceases to catch me by surprise.
At a Gene Norman "Just Jazz" concert in Pasadena in January 1956, Armstrong is a little friskier in his opening chorus and works over the same descending phrase in the final solo, albeit in a different manner. By the time of a March 1956 one-nighter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, most of Armstrong's playing on "The Gypsy" was settling into a "set" nature, though that final chorus always came out slightly different. At the famous "Chicago Concert" of June 1 of that year, "The Gypsy" is slower than ever, almost back at the original Decca tempo and Armstrong again throws some rhythmic curveballs in the last chorus. "The Gypsy" always drew big applause upon its conclusion but that evening, another song got a bigger hand at the mere mention of its name: "Mack the Knife." Originally recorded in September 1955, "Mack" was a hit by the beginning of 1956 and Armstrong began featuring it around March of that year. With another popular number that now had to be performed at every show, something had to be cut out and that something turned out to be "The Gypsy." Usually, Armstrong took "The Gypsy" at a slightly faster clip live than in the studio but with a generous chorus-and-a-half of trumpet, the performance usually ate up over four minutes of concert time (almost five minutes in Chicago). It makes its final appearance in Jos Willems's definitive Armstrong discography, All of Me, at Norman Granz's "Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl" concert in August of 1956 and that was it.
But though it only lasted for a few years, 1954 through 1956 is arguable the peak of the All Stars and it's a welcome listen on the numerous live recordings of the band from this period. As Milt Gabler said, "It…was good for him wherever he worked, but it wasn't a hit single record for him. And Louis liked to make hits because it makes anybody feel good when you get on stage and people yell for a song, you know. You know…you've done something. But he knew—he loved to sing and he loved to do ballads, and the sadder the song the better." I already quoted what Armstrong had to say of "The Gypsy" and it should be mentioned that during a July 1968 trip to England, Armstrong appeared on the BBC-TV show "Be My Guest," where he was allowed to bring some of his favorite records. He reached back to the King Oliver days for "Dippermouth Blues" and brought two of his more recent hits, "What a Wonderful World" and "Hello, Dolly," as well as another song from the What a Wonderful World album, "The Sunshine Of Love." But he also brought two pop songs he recorded for Decca in the early 50s and though the jazz historians don't talk much about them, Armstrong clearly loved them: "That's For Me" and "The Gypsy." I love them, too. Have a great weekend and I'll be back real soon with another YouTube video discussion.
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Gypsy
Posted by Ricky Riccardi at 9/14/2007 07:02:00 PM
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The THINKER TO THINKER ™ blogger who is to be interrogated by Finland's Thought Police is:
Mikko Ellila of Finland who's blog is at:
The following is my un-edited reply to Mikko's note which I received at Wednesday 11.07 PM, Melbourne time and replied at 11.39 PM …
From: Prodos
To: Mikko Ellila
Dear Mikko,
Good evening.
> I am writing to you because I received a letter from the municipal
> police department saying they want to interrogate me because of the
> anti-Muslim, pro-Israeli, pro-European, pro-American posts in my
> blog.
Bloody hell!!!
> According to the letter, I am suspected of "hate speech" merely
> because I have pointed out that Islam is a fascist ideology that
> advocates killing Jews, atheists, homosexuals etc.
I applaud and support your views!
> I hope you will not submit under the yoke of censorship that the
> Muslims want to impose on us.
Certainly not!!
Here's a new T-shirt and website I'm about to launch:
> Do not delete any of my blog posts
> without an explicit order from an Australian court of law. I am
> assuming your server is based in Australia and is therefore under
> Australian jurisdiction.
My server is in the USA, even though I'm in Australia.
> I live in Espoo, a suburban municipality in the Helsinki metropolitan
> area in Finland, and I am certain that the municipal police will
> never take tis case to court in Australia. But they might send you
> some e-mail "politely" asking you to delete my blog. Don't do this if
> you value freedom.
I will tell them to FUCK OFF.
> This is a very important symbolic case, the first of its kind in
> Finland. Noone has ever been interrogated before in this country for
> blog posts criticising Islam. Probably thousands of people will be
> following this case already before I will visit the police station
> for the interrogation next Monday, because I have told about the
> ongoing police investigation to several other bloggers whose pages
> get thousands of visitors per day.
When are you able to discuss this matter on my radio show?
I have done a number of interviews on this issue, including
one with Pastor Daniel Nalliah who was charged with
hate speech here in my state.
Let's talk about it before Monday.
Do I have permission to inform THINKER TO THINKER bloggers about this?
Do I have permission to post this information on my blog @
http://prodos.thinkerothinker.com ?
> This is an extremely important case, a litmus test for the freedom of
> speech, a landmark case, a historical milestone.
You have my total support.
> The Finnish government is apparently trying to impose Chinese-style
> totalitarian censorship on the internet. Since the parliament would
> not approve of any new censorship laws, the government is trying to
> impose censorship ILLEGALLY by abusing existing laws against hate
> speech. Such laws were originally obviously meant to be used against
> Nazi-style "kill all Jews" rhetoric, but since the Muslims use that
> kind of rhetoric all the time, and THEY are not being interrogated by
> the police, whereas people who say things like "Islam is a
> totalitarian ideology" ARE interrogated, the hate speech laws are
> obviously being used AGAINST their original purpose.
> Again, this is an extremely important issue. Do not give in.
Allow me to help.
What's your phone number please?
My number is: +613 9428 1234 (Melbourne, Australia) but I'm about to go to bed.
I look forward to your reply.
Best Wishes,
Read more about this issue at Gates of Vienna


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At the airport now and we've been hit with excess baggage! I tried explaining the value of Ken Done, but it seems airlines can't compute this equation. Purchase price for 1 x KD curtains, 1 x queen bed doona cover, 2 x bandanas, 6 x coasters = total $ to op shops = $22. Excess baggage = getting slammed $80. Suddenly real cost of project is raising exponentially... Thankfully I have a colourful KD scarf to wrap a good mood around me.
About Social Studio
Monday, July 12, 2010
Day 14/365
Labels: Fluevog, Ken Done, sarong, travelling
3 comments:
Nice shorts Jackie. The tropics suit you
- July 13, 2010 at 9:02 AM
urgh hate the extra costage! x Meggan
- July 14, 2010 at 11:52 AM
- What Ken Be Done? said...
I know Meggan, you think the silly airline could see the *bigger picture* of this project, and not some measly extra luggage! :-)
- July 15, 2010 at 10:50 AM
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Windows 7 Games | Time Management Games | Incredible Dracula III: Family Secret Collector's Edition
Incredible Dracula III: Family Secret Collector's Edition Game
One hour or 60 minutes free trial demo version of the game is provided above. There are some games with more than 1 hour (80 minutes) time limit. Windows7Games.com provides virus free games setup files which are placed on secure server. Downloading time of game setup files varies depending up on size and your internet connection speed. Before buy your full version legal copy with various available payment methods you can play free demo of downloadable casual game. You have to purchase activation code or serial key for full version of the game by credit card, Visa Card, Master Card, American Express Card, Discover Card or Via PayPal.
Read Incredible Dracula III: Family Secret Collector's Edition Game Features
- Thrilling main quest and bonus chapter
- Colorful graphics and animation
- Timed or relaxed gameplay
- Simple point-and-click controls
- Comprehensive tutorial and walkthrough
- Buy full version of this game for PC!
Minimum System Requirements for Playing Game
- Operating System: Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windo
- Processor: 1.4 GHz
- RAM (Memory): 1536
- DirectX Version: 9
- Free Space on Hard Disk: 644 MB
More Information About This PC Game
- Game Size: 568.08 MB
- Date of Release:
- Game Category: Time Management Games


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The Margaret River Wine Region is a vibrant and popular wine destination for visitors from around the world.
The wine industry in Margaret River is the most significant attraction to visitors to this popular region of Western Australia. As a result of the achievements and promotion of the wines both nationally and internationally, wine tourism continues to grow, as do the communities it supports.
The Margaret River Wine Region is also a gourmet food lover's delight with locally grown olives, venison, award-winning cheeses, chocolate, organic fruit and vegetables plus an abundance of fish and seafood caught just offshore. With numerous celebrated restaurants and chefs there is something to tempt every palate over a leisurely lunch or cosy dinner, perfectly matched to the local wines.
"Margaret River is the closest thing to paradise of any wine region I have visited in my extensive search for knowledge."
– Jancis Robinson, MW
Planning a trip to the Margaret River Wine Region?
For details of places to stay and things to see and do whilst here visit
Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association – www.margaretriver.com
Australia's South West – www.australiassouthwest.com


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By Francesca Trianni
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner confirmed on Tuesday that some newly revealed sexually explicit online chats and photos, published this week by a gossip website, were sent by him.
Weiner, 48, resigned from the Congress in June 2011 after admitting he used Twitter and other social media to send pictures of himself in his underwear to a woman. Tuesday's admission concerned his having sent at least some of the suggestive chats and photos published by TheDirty.com on Monday. The timing of those communications could not immediately be confirmed.
"I said that other texts and photos were likely to come out, and today they have," Weiner said in a statement emailed by his mayoral campaign office.
"As I have said in the past, these things that I did were wrong and hurtful to my wife and caused us to go through challenges in our marriage that extended past my resignation from Congress," he added.
Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, a close aide for former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has joined him on the campaign trail in his effort to win the Democratic primary in the 2013 New York City mayor's race.
(Reporting by Francesca Trianni; Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Ellen Wulfhorst and Prudence Crowther)
[Former U.S. Congressman and New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner arrives at a campaign event in New York]
UPDATE: Watch live as Weiner discusses the most recent allegations at a press conference in New York City.


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Middletown Voters Keep Council Members, Save One
On a rain-swept Election Day that determined the Middletown town councilors who will climb the Town Hall dais to represent 16,000-plus residents, voters chose to keep six of the seven current members, according to unofficial results.
Of the nine candidates running, seven incumbents were up for reelection. In a surprising upset, newcomer Terri Flynn, the second highest vote-getter, pushed out Antone Viveiros who was ousted after serving four terms on the council. Also reelected were current Vice President Paul Rodrigues, Theresa Santos, current President Robert Sylvia, Barbara VonVillas, Henry Lombardi Jr, and Dennis Turano.
Flynn and first-time candidate Lawrence Frank entered the contest in an attempt to unseat one of incumbents.
Frank, whose platform included affordable housing and a more equal distribution of the property tax burden via a homestead exemption, as well as an expansion of public education to include prekindergarten, was unsuccessful in his bid. Frank received 8.7 percent of the votes cast.
Flynn, a member of the Middletown Planning Board who ran on prioritizing education and tax reform, received 3,842 votes, second only to Rodrigues's 3,923.
Celebrating her victory Tuesday evening with a group of supporters at Portofino Bar and Grille on East Main Road, Flynn was quick to credit her campaign team for getting the word out about her candidacy. "Like any effort," she said, "there are a lot of elements to reaching the endgame."
One of the catalysts for Flynn deciding to run was the failure of the town council to put the question of term limits for incumbents, a recommendation by the Charter Review Committee, to voters directly. Flynn said she thought the measure should have been given to Middletown residents to decide.
"They made that executive decision for the people," Flynn said. "I found that wrong."
Among the issues Flynn will be focusing her attention on in the upcoming session will be tax reform specifically geared toward helping residents whose tax burdens are onerous due to market fluctuations. One suggestion was a formula that would cap an annual increase at 2 percent.
"That way you as a homeowner could actually predict your taxes," she said.
Rodrigues said he looked forward to working with the newly constituted council. "I'm sorry to see Antone [Viveiros] go, but everyone brings something to the table," he said. "The people spoke."
Although he was grateful, Rodrigues didn't put too much stock in receiving the most votes.
"I appreciate the people's support, but at the same time you're one vote [on the council] ... it's all about a team and if you're going to work together," he said.
Currently serving as council president, Sylvia credited the work of the previous council to his reelection.
"We have been able to maintain a high quality of life in Middletown and keep it affordable at the same time, Sylvia said. "How many cities and towns can go around saying that their retirements to their employees are fully funded ... Middletown can."
Among the recent accomplishments Sylvia pointed to was the creation of a tax increment financing (TIF) district around lower Aquidneck Avenue that he says will jumpstart development projects in the Atlantic Beach District and the town's purchase of the Navy land on the corner of Coddington Highway and West Main Road.
"These will generate revenue that will be consistent [and] take some tax burden off of our residents for years and years to come," he said.
Sylvia said the new council will most likely be sworn in on Nov. 19. At that time the council will vote to select the president and vice president for the two-year term.
Middletown has 11,776 registered voters, according to the Rhode Island Secretary of State website. The outcome reflects a significant number of so-called "under-voting," whereby voters decide to cast ballots for less than seven candidates.
According to Middletown Canvassing Clerk Wendy Marshall, 835 absentee ballots were cast. She expects the Rhode Island Board of Elections to have tallied them by Friday Nov. 9, she said, and that 53 provisional ballots should be counted by Thursday Nov. 8.


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It's Been a Long Time Billy
The 20th July 2011 is 90 years since Bill's birth in 1921. Here is a few minutes to show just some of the things that Bill has been up to in that time, in his own words.
Then there was the luncheon at the Biloela RSL
On 24 July we all got together to wish Bill the best for his 90th birthday. A few images will follow


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Various Artists
The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams (Sony Music)
(out of 4)
Potentially lost treasure since his death on New Year's Day in 1953, the four notebooks of unfinished songs — some mere sketches, others whole verses and choruses yet to be introduced to melodies — that were found in a briefcase alongside Hank Williams' body in the back of his limo have been preserved by various publishers' and record companies all these years.
Recently, under the auspices of Canadian-born, Nashville-based music industry icon Mary Martin, the material was offered up to a handful of worthy American roots music artists to complete and record, presumably to honour Hank's musical spirit and legacy.
There's not a bad effort in the bunch, save for the pain induced by listening to Bob Dylan's shredded vocal cords on the rather folksy country waltz, "The Love That Faded." But the approaches taken by Alan Jackson, Levon Helm, Lucinda Williams, Jack White, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, Norah Jones, Jakob Dylan, Patty Loveless, Rodney Crowell, Holly Williams and Sheryl Crow are surprisingly varied, and the results perhaps over-reverential, with most of the songs limited to three-chord structures, and simple, melancholy melodies that befit Williams' standard bass-guitar-pedal steel-and-fiddle style.
On the conservative end, Jackson channels the master quite slavishly on "You've Been Lonesome, Too," and while Haggard, Gill and Crowell defer to Williams' delivery and phrasing, they give as much of themselves as they dare in "The Sermon on the Mount" and the duet "I Hope You Shed a Million Tears," respectively.
On the other end of the spectrum, White's high, shaky tremolo on "You Know That I Know" makes us wonder if he's genuinely moved or taking the mickey, and Lucinda Williams' "I'm So Happy I Found You" has a bitter, maudlin edge, conveying the kind of dry, un-Hank-like irony for which her own songs are best known.
Best cuts, because the performers sound unfazed by the spectral weight of their collaborator and the need to please him, are Levon Helms' "You'll Never Again Be Mine" — for its southern breeziness and a lovely mandolin solo — and Jones's light and soulful "How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart?"