text:
Outside, sleet hammered the giant front store windows plastered with sale ads, drowning out her thoughts as Aurora walked past the single open check-out lane toward the entrance. Main Street was a slick ice rink, dark and foreboding. The ancient Ponderosa Pine — the one the founding fathers of Secret had planted and the one the town had grown up around—swayed precariously on the corner where Miles Market sat. The beefy four-wheel drive truck she'd borrowed from the ranch sat alone, a white blanket of snow and ice covering it even though she'd only been inside the store five minutes.
Option One: Grab a couple cans of cranberry jelly and kiss her job as Kate's assistant goodbye, or, Option Two: drive the twenty-seven-point-two miles to Bozeman in a raging blizzard and die. For cranberries. "Option one sounds good."
Becky Burkhart emerged from behind a magazine display, her red Miles Market work shirt a bit faded. She carried her coat, gloves and a hat and chewed a fingernail to the quick between smacks of her gum. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. I heard you done run off to California, brainiac."
And good riddance. Aurora could almost hear Becky's unspoken words. Becky sighed as her gaze shot to the automatic doors and the storm raging outside. "Bet you wish you'd stayed there, huh?"
You have no idea. Becky and Aurora had attended Secret High together where Becky, aka, Big Boobs Burkhart, had run the school. Aurora had been from the wrong side of the tracks and lived with her Nez Perce grandfather, whom Becky and her friends considered weird because he preferred horses over people.
In Aurora's opinion, horses were the new black. "We don't get storms like this in Burbank, that's for sure."
Becky gave her an irritated look. "Old man Miles said I could go home as soon as the last customer left. You buyin' something or not?"
Aurora started to say, excuse me for keeping you. I'll get out of your hair, but that was the old Aurora. The one who hid in the barn with her grandfather and the horses and tried her best to make everyone else in the world happy. The one who had never rocked the boat until she'd left Secret for a career in Hollywood, shocking everyone including herself.
Aurora Stillwater wasn't that gal anymore. She didn't have to make nice to BB Burkhart or care what the town gossips said about her. By four o'clock tomorrow, she'd be on a plane back to Burbank and her future job as co-producer of The Secret Ingredient. "Are the canned goods still in aisle six?"
Leaving Becky to smack her gum, Aurora hustled to the other end of the store, her Stuart Weitzman heels clicking on the old hardwood floors. If only she hadn't traded in her cowboy boots for the four-inch platforms, she wouldn't have skated across the parking lot on the way in. But cowboy boots were the old Aurora. Platform boots by fancy designers were the new one.
A trail of melted snow led right to aisle six. Aurora picked her way between the icy puddles made by deep treads of a pair of large feet. The only other customer in the store had to be in aisle six, probably buying the last cans of sauce like Mr. Miles had suggested. Whoever he was, he wore at least a size twelve. Regardless of the fact she was barely five-foot-six in her heels, if the other guy even looked at the canned cranberries, she was going to plant her platforms in his backside.
As she rounded the end of the aisle with a display of horse brushes, dog beds and Katelyn Karr's Home For the Holidays cookbooks, all decked with red and green bows, Aurora stopped mid-step.
No. Way.
It couldn't be. Anybody but…
Joel Campbell looked up, a can in each of his hands. His forehead furrowed under a wet lock of hair that made him look daring and adventurous. His dark eyes scanned her from head to toe and Aurora instinctively sucked in her stomach. Not that he could possibly see she'd gained a few pounds since heading to Hollywood. Her Rag and Bone car coat covered her from neck to thighs.
She started to smile and wave at him, but just as she lifted her hand, he glanced away. Seriously? He was going to pretend he didn't recognize her? Or was he giving her the brush- off like he'd already forgotten her?
In the past twenty-four hours since she'd been back in Secret with the show's cast and crew, most people in her hometown were eager to wave her down, say hi and ask how the big city was treating her. Not because they'd missed her, but because she was a borderline celebrity thanks to Kate and because nothing remotely interesting ever happened in Secret.
Several like Becky looked down their noses at Aurora just like in high school or acted like she'd moved to Mars instead of California. But that was to be expected. No one in Secret ever left, and in their eyes, California, specifically Hollywood, was Mars.
A couple of Aurora's former friends had been jealous of her good fortune. Now they acted like they didn't even know her.
Maybe they didn't. At least not the new her.
So when they'd averted their eyes and crossed the street to the other side, she'd shrugged it off. When they stuck their noses in the air and pretended they'd forgotten who she was, she'd gotten a little pissed. She'd become invisible. Even more than when she'd been the shy, smart girl in high school ten years ago.
But Joel couldn't pretend she was invisible. Not after all the times he'd given her a ride in his FedEx truck. Not after all the times they'd sang along together to the radio and the talks they'd shared on the back roads of Secret. She knew the truth about his football career. The truth about his mother and his father.
Granted, she'd left without saying goodbye, which was really stupid, but she'd planned to explain everything on this trip home. Was he really going to stand there and act like he didn't know her?
His large hands hid the labels of whatever he was buying. He frowned and seemed to weigh his options before he glanced up at her again. "Cranberry sauce with whole berries or cranberry jelly?" He held up the two cans for her to see. "Which one should I buy?"
No, hello, Aurora, how've you been? No, how could you leave without saying goodbye? Wow. Okay. Aurora glanced past his wide, running back shoulders to the shelf behind him. Two could play that game. She was sophisticated, and well, Hollywood-ish, and she knew how to act like she didn't remember him, either…even though during the past six months he'd been all she thought about when she wasn't working.
Even when she was working. During the Breakfast Bonanza show, the maple syrup Kate poured over her Gingerbread Men pancakes reminded Aurora of the color of Joel's eyes. During football week, the jerseys they'd used as a backdrop to Kate's tailgating cook-off shows had made Aurora nostalgic for Joel's wide shoulders. Those shoulders had seemed like they could hold the weight of the world for her.
But the new Aurora wasn't about to moon over a man like she had Joel in high school. Okay, so she'd still been mooning over him when she'd left Secret, but again, that was then. This was now. No, siree. No way would she convey with her eyes or any other body part that she'd dialed his number every day since leaving Secret, only to hang up before he had time to answer. Sure enough, the spot on the shelf behind him was empty. Not another can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in sight. Damn.
"Neither," she answered his question, a mix of desperation and irritation making her voice raise a notch. She marched forward, doing her best to keep the hurt out of her eyes, and snatched the cans from his hands. "But I'll take them both. Thank you."
She didn't bother avoiding the icy puddles as she made a dash for BB Burkhart's checkout lane. Behind her, Joel's voice echoed between the rows of canned goods and instant potato boxes. "Hey, where are you going with my cranberries?"
His cranberries? Well, that's what he got for pretending he didn't know her. She almost chuckled at her cleverness as she rounded the end of the aisle again, her boot heels squeaking in the water he'd left behind.
But then one of her platforms slipped. Her ankle twisted. Her upper body went one way, her lower body the other, and the next thing she knew she was looking up at the brightly lit Miles Market ceiling, her head hitting the floor with a loud whack.
Her ears rang. The cans went flying, along with the breath knocked out of her chest. Black dots danced on the edge of her vision and she blinked hard to clear them away.
A face appeared above her, a crooked grin plastered on Joel's face. The grin Aurora used to find irresistible and now found a tad obnoxious. The overhead lights created a halo around his dark hair. "Is that how they do it in Hollywood, Aurelia?"
An embarrassed flush warmed her cheeks. Her voice shook. "Did you just call me Aurelia?"
He held out a hand to help her up and gave her a chastised puppy look. "My bad. I meant Ariella. Or is it Arissa?" Slapping his head with his palm, he rolled his eyes. "Wait. It's Arianna, right? I'm so bad with names."
Liar. He knew everyone in the three-county area, thanks to his job with FedEx. The job he'd taken instead of the football scholarship in order to keep an eye on his father after his mother died.
The luscious maple syrup eyes that had always been kind to her stared down into her plain old brown ones and the cranberries and Hollywood and her new life away from this small town hell faded into the background as she realized the awful truth.
Joel Campbell truly had forgotten her.


text:
Online Spring-Summer 2016 CatalogRequest your copy today!
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Collected fingerprints on labels, nails on board
THE OBSERVATORY, LOOK IN LOOK OUT artist residency - Duration two months 2015
In November and December 2015 I was artist in residence in the Observatory, located on the Lymington Salt Marshes in the New Forest National Park. The actual Observatory itself was a beacon of engagement from all walks of life, whilst visitors walked the stunning nature reserve. It was important for me to respond to place. Living on a salt marsh, provided crucial context for research into salt and its production. Interaction with the community also played a vital role. During my residency I exchanged gifts of salt for fingerprints from passers-by and created 'Salty Shuls' by collecting 728 fingerprints.
I used elements from the environment to produce artworks that enabled a direct link to the landscape: I collected a 'black treasure' of ancient wood, and made my own study of water ripples and a 'dipped landscape' using 'Lymington ink'. I made the ink from a medieval recipe and used oak galls collected locally around the sea wall. I also colour-matched the sky and water everyday with a 27 year old Dulux colour chart. Each artist had a small film produced of their experience.
I produced a blog to record my residency see: https://jillymorrissaltydays.wordpress.com/


text:
Office Bearers Elected
The 66th Annual General Meeting of the RSSL was held on the 4th of June 2017 in the air conditioned balcony hall of the Otter Aquatic Club, Baudhaloka Mawatha Colombo 7, and the following were elected as Office Bearers.
President :Mr. Bharath Aponso 4S6ABC
1st Vice President :Mr. Nihal De Abrew 4S5NDA
2nd Vice President :Mr. Kamal Edirisinghe 4S7AB
Hony. Secretary :Mr. Cristy Perera 4S6CPT
Hony. Treasurer : Mr. J.T.Wijeratne 4S7VJ
Council Members elected at the 66th AGM
- Mr. N.C.Hapuarachi 4S6NCH
- Mr. A.S.M.Riyad 4S6RYD
- Mr. Mahesh Sudharshan 4S6MPM
- Mr. Uthpala Withana 4S7UV
- Mr. Chaminda Dissanayake 4S6CBD
- Associate Member to be appointed
- Associate Member to be appointed
Ex Officio
Mr. Jaliya Lokeshwara 4S7JL (Immediate past President)
Mr. Mahinda Abeyawardhane 4S7PA (Immediate past Secretary)
Mr. D.S.B.Sirimanne 4S7DSB (Immediate past Treasurer)
Auditors : Ratnayake.T.A. & Company
Company Secretaries : CIB Secretarial Services (Pvt) Ltd


text:
Christmas by George at ASDA
Ok, so I think I can write a piece with a Christmas theme now! Let's finally talk about the George at ASDA Christmas Press Day! I've been dying to post this, I've been looking over the pictures for weeks, but I just didn't think it was appropriate to post Christmas related posts prior to Fashion Weeks! A few weeks ago, I was invited down to Somerset House for the George at ASDA Christmas Press Day. I absolutely love Somerset House. It's one of those places which make all bloggers stomachs do back flips! I've loved fashion and followed fashion week all my life - Somerset House hold a place in my heart!
At the press day, we were able to preview George at ASDA's A/W and Christmas collection, and some of their home pieces! I loved how band on trend the collections was. Suede, nude tones, dark purples, sequins and and underlying influence from the 70's!
I loved going through the pieces George at ASDA has created this season. I could see myself at the Christmas Party, at the Christmas Day dinner table and lounging around the house post dinner-food coma in their collection!
A highlight for me, was the fact the collection catered for all shapes and sizes. Personally, I'm top heavy; therefore, I don't want tops with plunging necklines down to my stomach. Which seems to be a trend for going out dresses. But, George at ASDA had a few dresses with varying necklines! I loved their heavy embellished dress; it reminded me of something which I'd normally love and realise was far to expensive. George at ASDA has successfully created a gorgeous dress, with the same quality of embellishment, at a price we can all celebrate (and then some!)
Lingerie. Who knew how beautiful George at ASDA's lingerie was, and did not tell me? I was literally blown away by their collection of lingerie at the Christmas Press day. Of course, bang on trend - silk, lace and tons of delicacy. It was just stunning. And affordable - which often lingerie of this quality is not!
As you may already know, interior furnishing and decor is my thing. I spend hours scribbling and pinning interiors! So, I was delighted to see George at ASDA showcasing their homewear for the season. I love Christmas, and traditional looking decorations - it's the best way to avoid looking tacky! George at ASDA has a range of traditional looking Christmas decorations for your home, from marching nutcracker soldiers to "Noel" signs! My wishlist was rapidly expanding!
I picked out a few of my favourite pieces for George at ASDA, and had a little natter about them! You can see which pieces I picked in the video below.
#FBF to our #GeorgeChristmas press event. Check out the top picks from the day. What's yours? http://t.co/4pMQhBXZVzhttps://t.co/ugHCDlf50I
— George at Asda (@Georgeatasda) September 11, 2015
Thanks again to George at ASDA for having me - and making me excited for Christmas!


text: I'd tried making flatbread several times before but for some reason I never felt satisfied with the outcome. The crust would either be too doughy or too dry, and the toppings I chose were always underwhelming. My recent visit to Otto Enoteca Pizzeria a few weeks ago gave me the thought that there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to make something almost as good as what I had there, at my own apartment. Borrowing from the pizza I had at Otto, I went out over the weekend and bought the ingredients: fresh whole wheat dough, grape tomatoes, red onions, arugula, and prosciutto. In place of parmesan, I used La Tur cheese from Murray's, which is a combination of goat, sheep, and cow cheese (and extremely amazing). I felt that something was lacking so I made a balsamic reduction using the pomegranate vinegar I got from The Filling Station and leftover pomegranate seeds. I baked the dough first with olive oil, onions, and tomatoes, and then added the arugula, cheese, prosciutto, and reduction at the end. I was surprisingly impressed with the results! The pomegranate balsamic enhanced the sweetness of the dough and tomatoes, yet balanced the bitterness of the arugula and the saltiness of the cheese and meat.


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Release Date: September 13, 2005 (HBO Home Video)
Number of Discs: 5
Number of Episodes: 24
Running Time: 720 minutes
Total Run Time of Special Features: 118 Minutes
Audio: English, French, Spanish
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Special Features:
*Four audio commentaries with series creator Phil
Rosental, Ray Romano, Brad Garrett, Patricia Heaton,
and writers Lew Schneider and Aaron Shure
*Deleted Scenes
Everybody Loves Raymond is about a rather crazy
extended family in Long Island. Starring Ray, a
successful sportswriter, and husband of Debra (played
by Patricia Heaton). The couple consistently deals
with their young kids - a 6 year-old daughter and twin
sons, as well as Ray's brother, Robert (Brad Garrett),
and parents Frank (Peter Boyle) and Marie (Doris
Roberts), who are always coming over at unexpected
times or otherwise meddling in their business.
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
At this point in the series' run, the show is quite
good – and on a consistent basis. A few
recommendations as far as episodes go include #10
(Left Back), #15 (Robert's Rodeo), Episode #20 (Alone
Time), and essentially anything on disc five.
Following this mini-paragraph is a list of guest stars
for Everybody Loves Raymond's 4th season, and what
episode to find them in.
Guest Stars for Season 4:
Robert Culp ("The Greatest American Hero") – Episode
11 – "The Christmas Picture" - Episode 16 – "The Tenth
Lew Schneider, a writer for the show – Episode 11 –
"The Christmas Picture"
Katherine Helmond ("Who's the Boss," "Soap") – Episode
11 – "The Christmas Picture" - Episode 16 – "The Tenth
Ja'Net DuBois ("Good Times," [singer of "The
Jeffersons" theme]) – Episode 13 – "Bully on the Bus"
Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) – Episode 17 – "Hackidu"
Packaging for Raymond 4 is identical to the previous
seasons' packaging in every way except the photos used
and the dominant color used for the box/disc/menu art
– this time orange. As always, there's a cast picture
on top of the front cover, with a larger shot of Ray
smiling in the bottom corner. Reverse cover has
another cast picture, and another – different – shot
of Ray in the bottom right. Inside, the five ORANGE
DVDs are arranged with discs one and two seen when
opening the set. Unfolding the set further reveals a
disc index, and the other three discs. Disc one has
episodes 1-5, disc two has episodes 6-10, disc three
has episodes 11-15, disc four has episodes 16-20 and
disc five has episodes 21-24. As with last time, a
word of warning…the extended pieces of plastic on the
disc holders that help seal the case are fragile – if
you drop the case with any degree of force, the
plastic connectors WILL break – be careful. Did I
mention that the packaging was orange?
Menu Design and Navigation:
Just like every past Raymond set before, the main menu
– definitely going with the orange color scheme -
features a series of scrolling video clips playing
(with audio), over the main theme. The first thing
you might notice that's different (wow, a difference
in something in an ELR DVD set....) is that the menu
is now in 16:9! This becomes an important
consistency later on. Option selection in the menus
is still just a simple text menu below the playing
clips. The Special Features, Episode Selection, and
Language menus each feature a row of cast pictures
with one particular picture in the foreground. With
there being several menu pages per disc, and a total
of 'five' discs, it's just an impossibility to list
ALL the pictures and clips used in the set. They did
change a couple of tiny things, graphically. As said
before, Menus are orange this time, to match the
overall release art for the season – also orange, and
the pictures were again swapped out for pictures from
this season. Proving that last season's release was
no fluke…there IS a Play All option! For those of
you unfamiliar with the previous ELR sets, seasons one
and two didn't feature the button, while season three
did. The absence of a Play All feature is viewed by
many as a hindrance which can get in the way of
playback at times – particularly if you happen to
misplace your remote. Also, Play All allows a user
to click a button, and then they can just lounge in
front of the TV watching episode after episode with no
more work involved for hours. Many thanks to HBO for
again including this bit of requested menu
Video and Audio Quality:
Episodes are presented in 4:3 Aspect Ratio, wait…hold
the phone: EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND SEASON 4 IS IN
WIDESCREEN! Actually, the few fans of the show that
had HDTV's and a HD-capable signal in 1999 already
knew the show was shown in 16:9 starting in season 4,
but for most of us, this is the first chance we get to
see the earlier seasons of the show with the extra
room. Video looks exceptionally nice. HBO did a
nice job with the video transfer and cleanup, the
episodes look great, more or less…there's a minor flaw
here and there, but overall the video looks pretty
good – no noticeable artifacting on any of the
episodes. Audio's the same ole Dolby 2.0 Stereo,
available in English, Spanish, and French, and sounds
good enough – it's not the awe-inspiring 5.1 used in
other arenas, and on newer shows, but it's decent
enough. Audio's a bit soft – I did have to turn my
speakers up to hear it. The chapter setup is the same
as the third season's release--Opening Teaser +
Opening Credits / Each Scene / Closing Credits. I
complained about the lack of a split between the
Teaser and Credits last season, but, honestly, it's no
big deal.
Due to the recent practice by some outfits of
releasing syndicated episodes of a series onto DVD as
opposed to the much-preferred master copies, from here
onward in all my reviews I will be listing the
runtimes of every episode in the DVD set next to the
episode title. As I don't always have the resources
to judge every show versus the original or syndicated
copies, I may be unable to state with certainty
whether a set is original broadcast-length or if it's
syndication-edited in some cases, therefore I'm
including runtimes, and you can make up your own mind.
1) Boob Job: 22:31
2) The Can Opener: 22:17
3) You Bet 22:31
4) Sex Talk: 22:28
5) The Will: 22:28
6) The Sister: 22:22
7) Cousin Gerard: 22:35
8) Debra's Workouts: 22:33
9) No Thanks: 22:33
10)Left Back: 22:31
11)The Christmas Picture: 22:28
12)What's with Robert?: 22:33
13)Bully on the Bus: 22:15
14)Prodigal Son: 22:17
15)Robert's Rodeo: 22:33
16)The Tenth Anniversary: 22:30
17)Hackidu: 22:33
18)Debra Makes Something Good: 22:21
19)Marie & Frank's New Friends: 22:32
20)Alone Time: 22:32
21)Someone's Cranky: 22:08
22)Bad Moon Rising: 22:25
23)Confronting the Attacker: 22:14
24)Robert's Divorce 22:28
Special Features:
Boob Job: Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal, and Lew
Schneider. This is an interesting track - the story
behind this episode is *quite* interesting; I won't
spoil anything interesting. Warning to anyone
expecting to gather research material for a Masters'
Thesis on Writing for Television, this isn't the most
intelligent commentary in the world. After all, you've
got three guys doing commentary on an episode about
boobs. Actually, scratch that, this is a great
episode to learn to write sitcoms from :) (22:31)
Robert's Rodeo: Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal, and guest
commentator Brad Garrett comment. Considering this is
a Robert episode - not to mention an episode where
something comedically bad happens to Robert, Brad's a
great guest commentator to have. (22:33)
The Tenth Anniversary: Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal, and
writer Aaron Shure. Continuing the trend in The
Orange Season of Phil and Ray + Guest Commentator,
this episode has commentary by Aaron Shure. This is
just your average Raymond commentary track, even with
the addition of a third person. (22:30)
Bad Moon Rising: Ray Romano, Phil Rosental...and
Patricia Heaton, who finally joins in on the
commentary fun as well. It's mentioned Doris actually
felt uncomfortable smacking Raymond in this episode.
Patricia submitted this episode for her for her
eventual Emmy win...Ray submitted this episode as
well, and lost. (22:25)
Total Runtime of Commentary: 90 Minutes.
Deleted Scenes – now split by episode! (You can find
each episode's deleted scenes on the disc
corresponding to that episode, including as an option
from that episode's menu)
Boob Job: 1:50
You Bet: 1:28
Sex Talk: 2 Scenes: Total 2:10
The Sister: 0:31
Cousin Gerard: 1:44
No Thanks: 1:42
Left Back: 2 Scenes: Total 2:44
The Tenth Anniversary: 0:47
Alone Time: 0:51
Bad Moon Rising: 1:52
Confronting the Attacker: 0:34
Total Deleted Scenes runtime: 15 minutes, 14 seconds (approximately)
Bloopers: 12 minutes, 34 seconds. Just various
screw-ups and flubs from the show. Found on disc
Total runtime of Special Features: 117:48
Final Comments:
I'm going to say this again, as it's something that I,
and others, would REALLY like to see. For future
releases, perhaps include appearances by Ray and/or
other cast members on Letterman for the next set (both
shows ARE Worldwide Pants productions, so licensing
can't be THAT hard.). Heck, even other shows where
the licensing fees would be minimal-at-best. Nice to
see that my suggestion about commentary on more than
two episodes, and with people other than Ray/Phil were
taken – there were FOUR commentary tracks this time,
and in addition to Phil and Ray, there was always a
third guest commentator relevant to the episode.
Nice. Great set overall – this is definitely a set
I'd want to pick up….well, if I weren't already
reviewing it at least.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars - How our point system works)
Video Quality: 5/5
Audio Quality: 4.5/5
Special Features: 3/5
Menu Design/Navigation: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher on 08/27/05
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Please e-mail me with your sitcom related questions, sitcoms to add, and suggestions for additional links.


text:
(photo credit: Roscoe Considers Recording a Podcast by zoomar on flickr.com. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode.)
I just came across the coolest thing. It's called earbud.fm (link here).
There are a few podcasts that I love, and listen to regularly: On Being, The Moth, Books and Authors, Fresh Air, and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. But sometimes, I'm looking for something new. I haven't (until now) been able to find a way to narrow down the choices enough to know which new podcast to choose.
Earbud.fm is divided into categories of podcasts and when you choose a category, it not only directs you to different podcasts but it recommends a single show that is representative of the whole series. And the categories span the obvious: food, pop culture, movies and theatre, audience favorites but also offer up some more directed categories such as Brighten my Day and Let's Talk About Sex and Tell Me A Story.
Why didn't somebody come up with this sooner? I am in podcast heaven, having already discovered a couple of shows I want to continue watching.
Because I need another distraction. At least it's an informative/educational distraction.
For all you podcast junkies or wanna-be podcast junkies, check out earbud.fm (link here).
I'd love to hear what you think. Share in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Please share my posts with your friends by clicking on the FB, Twitter, or email share buttons found below. And if you like what you've read, click on the Facebook like button.
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Latest posts by Sara (see all)
- Let The Roadies Take The Stage (Day 365) - February 22, 2016
- Trumbo and The HUAC (Day 364) - February 21, 2016
- Is It Time To Boycott Huff Po? (Day 363) - February 20, 2016


text:
- changed status to open
Thank you for taking the time to submit this suggestion. I agree that the naming conventions for downloaded files could be better. I've created a ticket in our internal tracker and will update this issue if and when we decide to make these changes. I'll also be leaving this issue open for additional feedback from the community.


text:
WAG is an autonomous, non–profit, non-governmental organization established under Society Registration Act of Nepal in 2001. It is also affiliated with Social Welfare Council. WAG is a group of experts specialized in biodiversity conservation, laws and scientists. The main objective is to support for wildlife protection.
Why WAG?
The illegal trade in wildlife and its products continues to flourish despite several laws in the world. Laws only do not bring down the incidence of such crime in society, the poaching of wildlife, uprooting of plants and their subsequent trade has to be dealt with in the field. more...


text:
On Monday I promised to show and tell you about something really special I got this last Friday. If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I was fortunate to spend the day with my girls, Denniele Bohannon (Louanna Mary Quilt Design) and Kelly Cline (Kelly Cline Quilting). I first met these two at a MOKA (Missouri-Oklahoma-Kansas-Arkansas) quilt study group weekend a couple of summers ago and we've been fast friends ever since.
We met in Greenwood, Missouri, Friday which, although I grew up around Kansas City, I had never been to. What a great choice that was! There are several antique stores on either side of the road, and one of them even has a tea room. We met for lunch in the tea room and all three settled on the same salad. Funny, huh?
Since Denniele just returned from a trip to New Zealand (yes, I am jealous, if you must know), she had presents for us. She brought me a kete, which is the coolest little basket! Kete are traditionally woven by the Maori of New Zealand flax, and are squishy and flexible, yet tightly woven. I can think of a lot of places to use it, but I want to keep it where I'll see it often as a reminder of a wonderful friendship.
Inside the basket was a piece of linen folded up very tightly. I couldn't wait to see what it was!
It's a lovely hand-appliquéd and hand-embroidered linen butterfly tea cozy. Denniele knows well my affinity for old linens, as well as my tendency to cut them up to use in quilts. She was quick to tell me that it's okay if I want to cut this one up! I don't know, though, it's awfully pretty.
Denniele also brought Kelly a kete and a cool piece of needlework. Kelly talks about it here. Denniele tells a bit here too. I think you'll see that all three of us had a grand time!
Wasn't that sweet of her to think of us while she was on the other side of the world enjoying the wonders of New Zealand? I was so incredibly touched by her thoughtfulness.
There was one other special little treat inside our ketes:
This wonderful little gem is a Whittaker's milk chocolate coconut slab. Ohhhh, yes. Can you say uh.may.zing? Yum.
I feel so very blessed to have such wonderful friends. We love quilts, we do quilts, but there is so much more there. While each of us loves this quilt world, we recognize and celebrate our different skills and talents, and just have loads of fun together. And…if you want to know a secret, these ladies are doing some terrific things. Keep your eyes on them!
Has the quilt world brought you some special friends? Count yourself blessed!


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Why Do We Get Grades in School?
Season 1 Episode 9 | 7m 45s
Will you get a B+, C, an A-, a D+ or the dreaded F? We've all had that moment of sheer panic while waiting for your report card. But when you step back, it's worth asking why do we get letter grades at all? And whatever happened to E? Find out in this week's episode!
Aired: 12/05/17Video has closed captioning.


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Who am I? I am DragonAtma, your friendly dragon (no, not The Dragon). After making the occasional TVTropes update, the Google Incident occurred. As a result, I know have the account you are currently viewing.
Why yes, I'm the founder, owner, and sole employee of DragonSoft, and it's been that way as far back as late 1997. Life, work, and my substandard programming skills interfered with releasing worthy projects, but things seem to be picking up lately.
As of April 2014, not only the first english Game Mod for Romance Of The Three Kingdoms II has been created by yours truly, but the second one as well.


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Question: I was wondering if what I'm feeling is what I'm supposed to be feeling in terms of soreness/tiredness. When I was talking with a couple of the other bootcampers they mentioned that when they started they were so sore they couldn't move the next day. I haven't felt anything that extreme. I feel like all the muscles are pretty exhausted and, for the muscles we've worked, they feel extra tender/sore enough that I know they worked. Should I be trying to push myself to feeling the "so sore can't move" feeling vs my "so tired don't want to move" feeling I have right now? (And if so, how would I do that?)
My response:
Your level of soreness depends on various things. The other boot campers may be sore because they aren't used to our style of training, and more than likely they haven't exercised that hard in a while. You may be in better shape than you think :)
The way that you described "all the muscles are pretty exhausted and, for the muscles we've worked, they feel extra tender/sore enough that I know they worked" is actually the way I'd prefer that you feel. you want to know that you were challenged, but not destroyed. I want your body to change, but I still want you to be able to work and enjoy your other activities.
It sounds to me that you are right on track.


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|Dear Tipperary Supporter
All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Quarter – Final
Tipperary continued their excellent record again Dublin in the championship with their win in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Quarter – Final last Sunday at Semple Stadium. Dublin's only championship win over Tipperary came in the 1917 All-Ireland final. In front of an attendance of 43,088 Tipperary came out on top by 2-23 to Dublin's 0-16. Backed by wind advantage, all six Tipperary forwards got on the scoresheet in the opening 35 minutes and they went in at the break with a 0-15 to 0-8 advantage. Dublin only led once in the game and that was when Danny Sutcliffe hit the opening score in the first minute. Dublin's best spell was between the 46th and 52nd minutes when, backed by the wind, they shot three unanswered points, cutting the deficit to six, however two goals by John O'Dwyer who won the Sunday Game Man of the Match Award paved the way for Tipperary to advance to the All Ireland hurling semi-final when history will be made when Tipperary will face Munster champions Cork for the first time ever in a championship game at Croke Park. This was a very good performance by Tipperary and again they clocked up a very impressive score of 2-23 with Seamus Callanan again top scorer with 0-11. In all 9 players scored in the game for Tipperary. Michael Cahill was a late withdrawal with a knee injury and was replaced by Shane McGrath who went to mid-field and produced a very impressive display. Congratulations to the players and management team on another successful day's outing and the county can now look forward to the clash with Cork on August 17th.
Tickets for the All-Ireland Semi-Final are now available on www.tickets.ie and demand is expected to be strong. There is still time to be in the draw for five pairs of stand tickets for the match, just renew your Tipperary Supporters Club membership on www.tippsupportersclub.com . Members will also be texted with the team announcement.
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Round 4A
Tipperary senior footballers great run in the All Ireland Senior Football Championship qualifiers came to an end when they lost to beaten Connacht finalists Galway last Saturday evening in O'Connor Park Tullamore. The winners will travel to Croke Park on Sunday to take on Munster champions Kerry at the quarter-final stage of the 2014 All-Ireland SFC. This game was decided inside a four-minute spell either side of the interval. Late first-half goals from Fiontan O Currain and Thomas Flynn in the 33rd minute and the third minute of stoppage time had propelled the winners into a commanding 2-7 to 0-7 half-time lead. Danny Cummins and Michael Lundy hit the net in the 36th and 37th minutes to put the beaten Connacht finalists into an unassailable twelve-point lead with the score 4-7 to 0-7. But great credit to Tipperary who never gave up and went on to score 4 second half goals to bring only 5 points between the sides at the end of the game with the final score Galway 4-17 Tipperary 4-12.
It has been a great year for our senior footballers who won the Allianz Football League Division 4 Final by defeating Clare by one point back in April at Croke Park. This was followed on by our win over Limerick and our first Munster championship victory in eleven years and then our footballers went so close to causing the shock of the football championship when they were very unlucky to lose to Cork in the Munster Senior Football Championship semi-final. In the qualifiers we had a huge win over Longford in Rd 2, this was followed by a memorable win over Laois in Rd 3A. Football is getting stronger and stronger in the county and our county footballers are competing very strongly in all grades and the future of football in the county never looked as bright. We congratulate the players and management team of Manager:Peter Creedon, Coach: Michel McGeehin, Trainer/Selector Michael O'Loughlin, Selectors: Eoghan Cooney & Tommy Toomey for giving us such great performances during the year and for all the effort, commitment and hard work they have put in over the year.
Kilkenny remain Favourites
Kilkenny remain firm favourites with the bookies to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Boylesports' revised odds have Brian Cody's men as 5/4 favourites with Cork and Tipperary both 11/4 and Limerick the outsiders at 13/2.
GAA.ie Hurler & Footballer of the week
Congratulations to John O'Dwyer (Killenaule) on being nominated for the GAA.ie Hurler of the week award and to Colin O'Riordan (JK Brackens) on being awarded the GAA.ie Footballer of the week award.
Team Tipperary GAA Galway Races – July 28th 2014
The Tipperary County Board wishes to extend sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who supported Team Tipperary GAA Galway Races fundraiser which was a great success. We hope all the people who supported the fundraiser and attended the event enjoyed themselves and had a great day's entertainment and hopefully backed a few winners as well.
Tipperary County Board meeting for July 2014
The July 2014 meeting of the Tipperary County Committee will take place on Thursday July 31st at 8:00pm in the Thurles Sarsfields Social Centre.
Tipperary GAA Members Weekly Draw 2014 / 2015 – Week 5 results
The results of the Tipperary GAA Members DRAW 2014/2015 Week 5 held in the Tipp FM Studios, Nenagh were :
The next weekly draw will take place next Friday, 1st August on Tipp FM at 10.30am.
Glamour Senior Club Football and Hurling Double-Header to mark 90th Anniversary of Kilsheelan/Kilcash GAA Club
South Tipperary GAA club Kilsheelan/Kilcash will celebrate 90 years in existence on Sunday, August 3, by hosting a hugely attractive senior club football and hurling double-header at the club's grounds. Stradbally, Waterford champions on 17 occasions, will play Kilsheelan/Kilcash at 5.45pm in a senior football challenge before Tipperary and Kilkenny's standard bearers lock horns in the hurling match at 7.30pm. Tipperary kingpins Loughmore-Castleiney, who won an historic senior hurling and football double last year, take on Clara, who won just their second Kilkenny senior hurling crown in 2013. The entry fee for both games is just €5, with all contributions going towards the Kilsheelan/Kilcash senior and juvenile clubs. A souvenir programme to commemorate the occasion will be available, priced at €2. The evening will also feature mini-matches showcasing the very best of talent from the juvenile section.
Congratulations to the Tipperary U16A camogie team who defeated Limerick recently to qualify for the All Ireland A semi-final which will be held on the 3rd August 2014. Tipperary's opponents and venue T.B.C
Ladies Gaelic Football
Congratulations to Tipperary minor footballers who following a victory over Waterford in the Munster B Minor Final earned themselves a place in the All Ireland Minor B Final after defeating the Ulster Champions Armagh in the All Ireland semi- final recently. Tipperary will now take on Offaly in the the All Final Minor B Final which will be held on Saturday August 2nd at 2:00pm in Crettyard, County Laois.
We extend our sympathy to the Hogan family, Coolderry on the death of Dermot who died following an accident while working at his home. Dermot was manager of the Offaly U21 hurling team. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis.
Tipperary Excel Arts Centre
Log on to www.tippsupportersclub.com, www.tipperary.gaa.ie and www.munster.gaa.ie for all the latest news.
Please pass on this email to your friends.
Ar aghaidh le Tiobraid Árann.
John Coman


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Yachts today often have luxurious designs and amenities. Aside from state of the art exteriors and equipment, yachts are often fitted with plenty of other features that will help ensure maximum comfort for the passengers. The most exceptional models have spacious interiors bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and a dining area. Essentially, today's fishing boat models allow people to enjoy the comfort of their homes as they embark on an adventure in the sea.
Prior to these advancements, yachts were simply characterized as a light and fast sailing vessel. In fact, before they were used for fishing, these lightweight vessels were used by navy men to following pirates and other known transgressors to more shallow waters. In fact, the term "yacht" is derived from the Dutch term meaning "hunt". Around the 17th century, yachts were also used to transport royalty and other important personage. This all started when Charles II chose to ride in a yacht-like vessel as he travelled between the Netherlands and England in 1660. As its use spread throughout Europe, yachts also played an instrumental role during the Age of Exploration, allowing explorers to discover new terrains.
Because of its size, yachts were eventually employed by recreational fishers and sailing enthusiasts. The yacht was perfect for these activities because it can sail fast and was easy to maneuver. Through the years, advancements in sea vessel technology allowed yachts to become even more sturdy and streamlined. Customized yachts are also made for sportfishing and cruising.
Today, yachts play an important role in America's cultural consciousness and have become a symbol for both luxury and adventure. A state of the art yacht has become a requirement for anyone who enjoys the wide-range of activities to be enjoyed in the open sea.


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Join us at Jubilee Christian Center on Thursday, February 2 at 6:30pm and hear Nick Runyon of CV Global.
Topic: How to connect digital engagements in a modern era into real, tangible physical relationships
Nick is the Executive director of CV North America where he provides directional leadership and strategic management of Touch a Billion and Impact a Nation strategies. After spending over a year traveling North America and listening to the needs of churches, Nick launched "searchable.church" as a turn-key digital gateway for evangelism and discipleship that allows churches to take advantage of the FREE Google for Nonprofits program where $10,000/month in Adwords advertising is provided.
Since its founding in the U.K. 26 years ago, CV has grown to include teams in 22 countries. CV's media strategies are part of its "Touch-a-Billion" emphasis, which uses the most effective media platforms to introduce individuals to Jesus in the world's major languages. The goal is to reach 1 billion people around the world with a clear presentation of the Gospel message and an opportunity to make a decision for Christ.
Another component of CV's ministry is its "Impact-a-Nation" projects, which operate 'on the ground' on a national scale in areas and times of particular opportunity. CV equips indigenous national church leaders with strategies and tools for evangelism and discipleship. Their goal is to build sustainable models in church leadership programs and planting projects such that local Christians are empowered to build Christian faith from the ground up.
- Cost: Free
- When: February, 2nd 2017
- Networking starts at 6:30 PM
- Introduction and Product Demos start at 7:00 PM
- Guest Speaker will speak at 7:30 PM
- Where: Jubilee Christian Center (MAP)
Hors d'oeuvres will be served, so come for networking, product demos and learn what your colleagues are doing in the bay area.


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If you're looking for high-quality eye care in the Birmingham area, you won't do better than Schaeffer Eye Center. Dr. Jack L. Schaeffer has been in the eye care business for more than 30 years, and has acquired some of the most sophisticated ophthalmic equipment in the industry.
This video offers a comprehensive view of the new Schaeffer Eye Center, which provides extraordinary eye care. In addition to comprehensive testing, the professionals at Schaeffer Eye Center have 3300 frames to choose from—many of which are from some of the most stylish designers in the industry. Dr. Schaeffer and the Schaeffer Eye Center team also offer eye exams for children as young as six months old.
To experience the level of care provided by Schaeffer Eye Center, feel free to contact us at our Hoover office, or request an appointment online for any of our locations in Birmingham, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery.


text: BGCO Women's Retreat Staff Registration Name* First Last What is your birthday?* Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY Address* Street Address City AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces Pacific State ZIP Code Pre-order your shirt for $15! You will receive your Retreat Shirt at check-in on Friday. You can turn in your check to finance to be added to the Mobilization scan or bring to Mobilization to Alexandra and we will have Andrea receipt it. You can view the shirt here! https://www.bgcowomen.org/t-shirt/*No ShirtSmallMediumLargeXLXXLXXXLEmail* Phone*Church you will be attending with (City, Name):*Group Leader Name* First Last


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Staying connected to a topic whether it is a sport, hobby, or an industry, can be a challenging thing. As we know, today's world is filled with myriad distractions, both personal and professional, that compete with our time—distancing us from the threads that keep us connected and informed. To complicate matters more, solutions like Autodesk® BIM 360 are so progressive in nature—changing and adding features so rapidly—that even the well-intentioned among us struggle to keep up. And up until now, the methods and mediums for keeping pace with the BIM 360 business have been vast and decentralized. As a customer or casual observer within the industry, you may have experienced this dynamic—grabbing information in this blog, across our social media channels, or even Autodesk internal websites whenever and wherever you could.
The BIM 360 team acknowledged this fact after our interaction with customers and construction industry attendees at this past Autodesk University. We emerged from the event knowing what we had to do and promptly set a plan in motion to provide a cleaner experience for our customers and the broad BIM 360 audience.
While many definitions of "community" exist, we felt that most fell a bit short in terms of what we wanted to provide. Some define community as assisting customers with answers to their questions (Forum). Other definitions center only on the collaborative or social elements. We decided that the best way to truly connect with customers and a broad construction audience was to bring both (Forum and Social) aspects to light.
Launched this week, the BIM 360 Portal combines a centralized reference to the following BIM 360 content and social channels: tweets, facebook posts, Beyond-Design blog posts, and YouTube playlists. No more searching for the latest post or tweet, the Autodesk BIM 360 Portal fuses all relevant social channels and content into a singular website—updated automatically as new content is curated. Viewing on a mobile device? No problem. The portal is fully responsive, adapting to any viewport on the go!
Visit BIM 360 Community Portal
For current customers of the BIM 360 Solution and individuals looking to find out more about the products, the BIM 360 Community Forum provides the ultimate venue for interacting with thought leaders and Autodesk Support personnel. Also launched this week, the Forum allows existing BIM 360 Field or BIM 360 Glue customers to log in via their account credentials and ask questions about specific issues or provide new feature enhancement ideas to our product teams. For those looking to browse the questions and answers posted, no Autodesk account is needed.
Autodesk and the Autodesk logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.


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When you are terminating SSL at the Balancer you often need your webservers to know if it was an HTTPS request or not. This is done by using the Request Add field in Header Modification on your SSL group. You can add a line like this:
X-Forwarded-Proto:\ SSL
This would then insert that header into requests on the SSL group, letting you know they came in via HTTPS.


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Duke Nukem Eternity is a complete story driven 7 level episode for EDUKE32
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
The new badass alien in town


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Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Who is missing? Top 32 celebrities of 2013 on the cover of Redsheet Magazine December issue
The Red Sheet, an entertainment magazine has released their top 32 celebrities for the year 2013 on the December issue.
The list includes Flavour, Davido, Omawumi, Lynxxx, AY Makun, Kcee, Sean Tizzle, Anna Banner, Uche Jumbo, Uti Nwachukwu, Helen Paul, Chika Ike, Patience Ozorkwo, Denrele and Karen Igho, Jim Iyke, Wizkid, Ini Edo, Iyanya, Yvonne Nelson, Oge Okoye, Dakore, Susan Peters, Yeni Kuti, 2face Idibia, Annie Idibia, Rukky Sanda, Majid Michel, Dr Sid, Chioma Akpotha , Nse Ikpe, Tiwa Savage Balogun.
The cover spread has the faces of the listed celebrities, but looking at the cover can you guess which celebrities are missing?
Shhh…Don't say it out loud.
D'banj makes HOT music video for Hennessy Artistry official theme song (PHOTOS)
Hit maker and award-winning musician, D'banj, is the headliner for the Hennessy Artistry, 2013. In August, he released the official theme song for the event titled 'Raise Your Glasses'.
Now D'banj has shot a banging music video for the hit track.
Here are some behind-the-scene photos from the video shoot.
Police uncover 'baby factory' with pregnant teenagers in Imo (See Photos)
An illegal orphanage popularly known as 'baby factory' was uncovered by the police yesterday, December 3, in Imo State.
The operator of the 'baby factory', James Ezuma, was apprehended and arrested by the police.
Ezuma whose illegal orphanage known as Ezuma Women and Children's Rights Protection Initiative, was paraded in front of newsmen yesterday.
According to reports:
Paraded alongside Ezuma were 15 pregnant teenagers and several vehicles including Jaguar and Honda jeeps. Addressing newsmen, the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Katsina expressed concern over a missing baby who was sold to unknown persons.
He said the child was delivered on November 24 by one Chinaza Nnachi, a native of Ebonyi State who came to the home when she was pregnant. The commissioner said all efforts to locate the child have proved abortive as the suspect has refused to lead the police to where the baby is.
"He took us to Abia State where he said the baby was kept, but we were unable to recover him," he said. Katsina said though investigation is still on, the assumption at the moment is that the baby may have been used for rituals.
"When we conducted a search on this home, 16 pregnant girls between the ages of 14 and 19 were found. We also recovered an automatic eight loader pump action gun which is a prohibited firearm," he said.
In an interview with journalists, Chinaza Nnachi, the 19-year-old mother of the missing child, said she was directed to the home by a lady who assured her that she would be taken care of. She added that her baby was taken away two hours after he was delivered without her consent.
Nnachi said she was given N100,000 by the doctor when she asked about the whereabouts of her child.


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Outlines how to create a cluster with Qumulo Core 2.7.10 and above
- 4 or more nodes running the same version of Qumulo Core 2.7.10 and above
For earlier versions of Qumulo Core, reference Create a Cluster with Qumulo.
- Power on the node(s) that will be used to form the cluster
- Review the End User License Agreement, check the box to agree and click Submit
1. Setup Cluster
- Name the cluster
- Select the nodes for the cluster
- If any nodes are missing, verify that the node is currently running and on the same network
NOTE: The total capacity for the cluster is dynamically updated at the bottom of the page when selecting nodes.
2. Confirm cluster protection level
The recommended 2 or 3 drive protection level will be selected by default based on the cluster size and node type.
If Customize Protection Level is displayed, the option is available to increase the resilience of the system by selecting 3 drive protection. Keep in mind that selecting 3 drive protection will result in less capacity for the cluster.
NOTE: The option for selecting the drive protection level is only available at cluster creation and cannot be changed after the fact.
3. Create a password for your admin account
- Type in the password for your admin account
- Retype the password to confirm
- Click Create Cluster
- Complete cluster configuration by confirming the settings for monitoring, networking, and time zone preferences in the right-hand panel of the dashboard
To access the dashboard in the Qumulo Core UI remotely, use any node's IP address to connect via web browser.
You should now be able to successfully create a Qumulo cluster running Qumulo Core version 2.7.10 and above
Qumulo Drive Failure Protection
Qumulo Care Proactive Monitoring
QQ CLI: Comprehensive List of Commands
Like what you see? Share this article with your network!


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Lupine Fields, Tahoe City | Tahoe Area Lifestyle Family + Senior Photographer
Just like fall foliage, the Lupine Fields in the Tahoe area are beautiful and only around for a short period of time. I was lucky to have a fellow-friend photographer, Melissa, find this awesome location right on Lake Tahoe in Tahoe City. I thought for sure there would be tons of gawkers, but it was just us, our model, Tailor, and one other photographer!
I came back a second day with my brother and little niece, who according to my brother was being "a little terrorist." But it was worth it.....one of my favorite shots all year is Amelia with her lollipop! I also met the lovely Stoner family who is expecting their 2nd kiddo. Another favorite family shot!
Looking forward to more sessions at the Lupine Fields next year, so add it to your calendar! In meantime, here is another session with beautiful wildflowers!


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International news
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
The 4th edition of Youth at the Top is coming soon and bringing some novelties
The educational international project Youth at the Top is in its 4th edition. The project has evolved and is introducing some novelties for this year of 2018, with a new use for the postcards, now also in a new version, and the introduction of a common topic to be explored…
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
"Living and Working beyond Tourism" YOUrALPS Workshop at the CIPRA annual conference
On May 25th ALPARC had the opportunity to jointly hold a workshop in the context of the CIPRA Annual conference in Bled. "Living and Working above Tourism" was a workshop seeking to identify the challenges young people encounter with the booming tourism sector. Together with Barbara Wülser, CIPRA International and…
Wednesday, 07 February 2018
Danilo Re 2018 ranger exchange: saving the planet, daily, on-site
In his welcoming speech to the rangers and protected area technical staff during this year's Danilo Re ranger seminar, the new ALPARC president Peter Oggier put it frankly and philosophically: "You matter. You actually save a little bit of our planet, every day." Indeed, the Danilo Re event places the…
Tuesday, 06 February 2018
The YOUrALPS infodays: call to action for political stakeholders
The YOUrALPS challenge continues. After the start of the pilot activities in September 2017 and further scientific investigation on framework conditions for the development of the Alpine School model, the next step implies the involvement of political stakeholders in the context of the so-called infodays. With the start of the…
Tuesday, 06 February 2018
The 23rd Danilo Re Memorial: an unforgettable event
The 23rd Memorial Danilo Re event took place at the Berchtesgaden National park from 25th to 28th January 2018, in the frame of the celebration of the park's 40th anniversary. A combination of excellent weather conditions and outstanding involvement by the Berchtesgaden national park staff made this event unforgettable! Alpine…
Tuesday, 06 February 2018
ALPARC 2018 General Assembly
The ALPARC General Assembly was held in the Haus der Berge at the Berchtesgaden National Park in Bavaria on 26th January 2018 in the presence of the Ambassador and General Secretary of the Alpine Convention, Markus Reiterer, the German Focal Point Person of the Alpine Convention, Silvia Reppe and the…
Wednesday, 20 December 2017
Considering ecological connectivity in spatial planning documents
A challenging mission for the Ecological Network Platform of the Alpine Convention Members of the Ecological Network Platform of the Alpine Convention met in Valdieri in the Alpi Marittime Nature Park (I) at the beginning of November 2017. At the centre of the discussion was the work on the report…
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Wednesday, 20 December 2017
A 5% increase in the surface of protected areas could triple biodiversity protection
A study from the laboratory of Alpine Ecology in Grenoble (CNRS) and University of Yale shows that an increase of only 5% in the surface of protected areas would strongly increase the preservation of mammals and bird species.Since biodiversity is generally evaluated by the number of present species in a…
Tagged under
Monday, 18 December 2017
Youth participation in politics in the Alps: GaYA action goes from local to transnational level
In the frame of the EU Interreg Alpine Space project GaYA (Governance and Youth in the Alps), 15 pilot sites engage in experimental approaches to involve young people in local politics. Four ALPARC members are participating in the project. Besides, the project already boasts some successful actions: an award-winning project…
Tagged under
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Korean National Park Service visits ALPARC office
On November 22, the ALPARC operational unit had the pleasure of welcoming a group of researchers and park managers from the Republic of Korea. The group, led by Mr Kim Won Kyung, Senior Researcher at the Korea National Park Service, (KNPS) who also provided translation from English, came to Europe…


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Old New World: Mayan ts'anchak bi k'um and pim/
Squash and their seeds were incredibly important to the Maya. Ground or crushed pumpkin seeds show up in drinks, soups, sauces and the rare treat. When my sweetheart surprised me with a pretty Delicata squash, I knew I wanted to make a typical Mayan dish with it. K'um is the basic word for "pumpkin" in Maya and ts'anchak means "boiled;" this is a very simple preparation that uses garnishes to build flavor and it is one that is still made today. Pim is still the word for "tortillas" in Yucatec Maya today, sometimes doubled as pimpim.
ts'anchak bi k'um
makes about 8 cups
- 4 pounds pumpkin or other winter squash
- 10 cups water
- salt to taste
- 2 dried chili peppers
- 1/4 cup pumpkin or squash seeds
- 2 limes
Seed and cut the squash, peeling if necessary, into 2 inch pieces and place in a large pot with the water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until squash is tender, about an hour. Stir in salt.
While the squash is simmering, toast your pumpkin or squash seeds until golden brown, then destem and toast your chili peppers, separately, in a heavy skillet (I use a small cast iron pan). Let cool, then chop the pumpkin seeds finely and set aside in a small bowl. Grind the chile peppers with a mortar and pestle or a molcajete and set aside in separate small bowl. Quarter the limes when serving. Garnish the squash with the pumpkin seeds, chile peppers and lime or set out the small bowls of the garnishes along with the squash and pim.
makes 6
- 1 cup masa harina
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water plus more if necessary
Place the masa harina in a large bowl and stir in the salt. Add water and knead until the dough is firm but pliable. Form 6 balls of dough and cover them in the bowl with a damp towel for 1 hour.
Heat a flat pan over medium heat until drops of water dance and evaporate when flicked. Press between wax paper on a tortilla press or roll out into circles, then cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Fold stack of pim in a clean towel to steam for about 10 minutes.
If you have a spice grinder, feel free to use it to grind the pumpkin seeds and the chile peppers.
You can substitute 1 TBSP crushed chile pepper if you don't have access to whole dried chile peppers.
If you also use a Delicata, you don't have to peel it - you can eat the skin!
You can save the squash seeds to plant or to use in other recipes.
Recipe from Mayan Cooking: Recipes from the Sun Kingdoms of Mexico by Cherry Hamman.


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Odaiba! The man made island full of shops for women. Wait a minute...Make sure when you are visiting Odaiba, you make sure that you plan for a full day of walking, shopping, eating and more shopping. This place is huge! Luckily you can pick up a handy guide of Odaiba when you arrive at the monorail station. Speaking of monorails, in order to get here by public transport you have to catch a SELF DRIVING monorail over the famous rainbow bridge and onto the island.
Odaiba is renown for the giant Gundam statue that stands at a whopping 18 metres tall! This is a 1:1 scale of what a real life sized Gundam would look like. It also lights up at night which is a show of its own to see. This statue is located outside of Diver city which is a mall packed with many outlets to buy clothing, as well as the odd maid cafe and of course you have......
If you are visiting japan for experiences, make this the top of your list because not only does this place make some of the most delicious sushi dishes we have tasted, but it is also home to a shinkansen (BULLET TRAIN!!!!).
Just we weary of the line. It took us roughly 20 minutes to get a table, people with more than 2 guests had to wait longer. Fortunately you get a view of the chef doing his thing while you wait!
At each table they have a tap for hot water and a little container of green tea. It costs no additional, so its nice to have a warm cuppa on a cold autumn day.
So how this works:
Each table is located to the traditional sushi train conveyor belt.
Avoid the sushi on this belt as we kept seeing the same plates passing by
(not too sure how long they are cycled).
Instead, use the neat little iPad provided to you which holds a menu of all the different type of dishes they serve. Each order can take up to 4 plates at a time. What is really cool about this app is that it keeps a log of stock levels and the order list. So it might advise you if a particular dish is "back ordered" meaning you will have to wait longer. It also gives you an option of choosing to add wasabi to each individual sushi!!
Avoid the sushi on this belt as we kept seeing the same plates passing by
(not too sure how long they are cycled).
Instead, use the neat little iPad provided to you which holds a menu of all the different type of dishes they serve. Each order can take up to 4 plates at a time. What is really cool about this app is that it keeps a log of stock levels and the order list. So it might advise you if a particular dish is "back ordered" meaning you will have to wait longer. It also gives you an option of choosing to add wasabi to each individual sushi!!
Once your order is complete, hit the button and wait roughly 5 minutes and Voila!
Before you know it, a bullet train flies past and arrives at your table!
It's entertaining to watch it zoom past to other tables and you just sit there thinking... doesn't the mini train driver get tired?!
It's entertaining to watch it zoom past to other tables and you just sit there thinking... doesn't the mini train driver get tired?!
After you clear your plates, make sure to send the train back home by pressing the red button. Yes, this is probably the only time in your life where you are allowed to press the red button.
We ordered a number of "repeat orders" because there was some particular favourites we couldn't get enough of! The garlic grilled salmon was one of them. Even Matt (who disregards all existence of any type of seafood) could not get enough of this. The salmon was so fresh!
The steaming hot udon with vegetable tempura was a great choice. Not only does it warm up your belly on a cold day, but in terms of value it is almost a steal for the portion!
Just your typical prawn fry sushi... or is it?
Deep fried chicken pieces were amazing. It probably stems down to our passion for anything deep fried, but they were great! We had to resist the urge to order a second serving of these little angels.
Takoyaki balls. What more do I need to say?
Deep fried cheese?! We just had to order these and Christine loved them. They were almost like eating cheese crackers. Matt wasn't too impressed with them, but we both did fight over the last one.
The grilled scallop was sooooo fresh! I normally preferred mine grilled more but WHO CARES!
The next lot of photos would just be Christine going crazy at all the cute japanese styled bento lunches. So I will just leave it at that then.
Takoyaki Museum is below so don't go away.
Takoyaki Museum is below so don't go away.
You would think that after all that we would be full and wanting to avoid food at any costs. WRONG! We are foodies at heart so our next destination was the Takoyaki Museum! This place is located at the Odaiba Decks which is next to Aqua City. It has several smaller souvenier shops where we did a little souvenier hunting. But the real gem is the museum itself.
Here we are! Everything inside is Takoyaki related and unless you hate babies, you will not be disappointed. There are a couple of novelty takoyaki shops inside as well as cute animated statues which they encourage you to take pictures with. Christine didn't need any encouragement.
The cost of this is FREE!
The cost of this is FREE!
The museum is not very big nor informational. What it is, is a selection of stores that sell Takoyaki, and each one of them smells amazing. We spent 15 minutes deciding hat to eat, when the only option is takoyaki. There are that many options!
We ordered at this machine and was served almost instantly. The result, not your traditional takoyaki but it was close enough. We kind of regretted not choosing the places that gave you sauce as they were a bit dry. Nothing still compares to the takoyaki balls we tried in Akihabara though...
Next on our list is the Toyota Showroom. Both guys and women will enjoy this interactive showroom which features some of the upcoming technology as well as their current prestegious inventiones (the 86 of course). There are games you can play, side shows where you can participate in Segway races, it was mental! (ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN SPEAK FLUENT JAPANESE) So we sadly missed out :(
Did we also mention that they have historical cars on show as well as favourite classics like the DeLorean DMC 12 from back to the future!
It has a great olden style theme to the factory. Really sets you back a couple of years, and the detail is inspiring! All this effort to showcase a couple of cars. Wow!
We had to spend some time with this beauty. What more could you want from a car with a 2.0L Subaru boxter engine, wide body kit and a sun roof? Oh that's right, how about the fact that it is a beautiful orange and black colour? You have yourself a deal!
Linked up to the show room is the "Venus Fort" which is a selection of shops encased in a Medieval European styled centre. What makes this place a tourist's dream is not the shops, but instead the glorious lighting on the roof that changes colours depending on the time of day! You can see sunrise to sunset if you spend enough time in this mall!
Or it could also be the fact that it is so beautiful. I mean just look at this fountain!
The last destination on our trip to Odaiba was Palette town.
Unlike what you might think, it has nothing to do with Pokemon (*cries) but instead it is another outlet village which is very colourful and affordable.
Make sure to check out the games arcade located under the ferris wheel also. Not only is it a great view but you can literally spend hours inside playing all the games they have to offer. It basically sh#ts on our very own Galaxy world. They have batting cages, soccer shoot out games and even tennis games? Crazy!
We then decided to backtrack a bit and head back towards the Odaiba Decks which gives you a great view of the stunning lights that turn on at night. You can see the pretty colours of the ferris wheel gloriously spinning as well as the Japanese statue of liberty!
How could I also forget the Rainbow bridge of course! Unfortunately it wasn't as colourful as we had hoped it would be, but nonetheless it was still a breathtaking view.
Very romantic for all those couples out there!
Very romantic for all those couples out there!
See? What did I say... Romantic! This feature actually has a BIG RED BUTTON that causes the inner globes to light up and dance along with music. Very nice spot to share a kiss =]
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I Failed as a Professor, And It Was Powerful
If you're like me — a recovering perfectionist — you might be able to relate to this story.
Sustainability for Business Students
When I moved to Des Moines in 2007, I taught leadership courses for William Penn's College for Working Adults – AA, BA and MBL students. And, as manager of sustainability at Kum & Go, I spoke at conferences and universities for 3 and a half years.
I'm an advocate for every business student graduating with a practical understanding of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The difference that would make in the world is huge! Many business students still don't take a single class on ecology or environmental science — and if so, only in specialty "Green MBA" programs like Presidio and Bainbridge do they see how principles of sustainability completely integrate with and/or drive good business management.
In my experience, even when higher education programs says, "We're integrating it into the existing curriculum," the students I talk to struggle to give concrete examples of where they see that to be the case. With groups like AASHE (The Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) focused on providing tools and resources, I think this will be changing, even for business colleges.
In the fall of 2013, I was invited to teach my first collegiate sustainability course for the University of Iowa's Evening MBA Program.
My Ideal
What I had envisioned for any conventional business college looking to integrate vs. become a "Green MBA" was adding one introduction class for undergraduates, and one practicum for graduates.
The business community could provide case studies, local tours, and professional guest speakers for the prerequisite undergraduate course. Familiar with the concepts, students could then theme class projects, reports, and assignments in all of their other courses (marketing, operations, finance, etc.) around CSR and sustainability topics.
MBA students could then focus on team projects in partnership with local businesses interested in sustainability. Those who don't know where to start, but willing to open their doors to some free consulting. Final reports are then given directly to company leadership, who participate in the evaluation and grading process.
Simple, right?
The Reality
Having spoken earlier in 2013 at the University of Iowa's Net Impact Summit, I had already met with the Tippie College of Business and shared that vision for how they could continue to integrate their curriculum.
And I should have been excited to receive an email from them, requesting I teach a sustainability elective at their satellite office in Des Moines in the fall of 2013.
There was one problem for me: it was already fall of 2013.
- The class would start in 3 weeks
- There was no syllabus
- No lesson plans
- No marketing done to students
My internal dialogue sounded something like, "Are you **** kidding me? That's not enough time!" Luckily, my actual response came out much more professionally as, "Give me a day to think about it."
My tenure as president of Urban Ambassadors, the non-profit I founded, had just come to a close. I was excited about having more time for myself, my friends, and my family.
I was also scared of teaching what I assumed would be a "less-than-perfect version" of my ideal course.
- Would that reflect poorly on me?
- Would the students leave believing sustainability didn't work in business?
- Would the University of Iowa (and other colleges) quit if the first one flopped?
It was easy to turn down. Except that it wasn't.
In my book club, I was reading The Pursuit of Perfect, and really saw how thinking everything had to be perfect had held me back in the past — opportunities missed from fear.
So, I discussed it with my friends, my girlfriend, and the Tippie College of Business.
And accepted.
The Failure
Boy, did my pride take a lashing.
It took a week to actually approve the elective for the fall semester. 2 weeks left.
I wrote the syllabus. It took another week to approve that with the dean of the college. 1 week left.
The, we could finally promote the course to students.
- Only 11 MBA students registered. None had taken an undergraduate sustainability course.
- I didn't know how to use the online site for sharing slides and grades.
- I was completing the lesson plans the week prior to each class. Every fiber of my being hated doing this.
- 2 of the planned businesses were not available for evening tours.
- 2 of the professional speakers were not available to attend class.
- The students chose local companies to assess with available information. There was no time to line up consulting client partnerships.
My perfect vision of a course was shattered!
In my mind, it was an utter failure.
My Response
After I licked my wounds — and read the student evaluations — I went looking to find the silver lining.
I didn't curl into the fetal position and pretend the course had never happened.
I took notes, and set up meetings to discuss future offerings.
Tippie College of Business did continue to offer the course on campus in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. In the fall of 2015, I was asked to teach again in the Des Moines satellite classroom downtown. This time — with a few months notice — 24 students registered, we had 5 excellent professional speakers, and students assessed companies at least one of their team already worked for (to provide access).
Again, not perfect.
But I was able to let go of attaining perfection on the first (or even second try), instead moving towards our ideal over time. And that takes building healthy partnerships.
- Most of the feedback was very positive. The MBA students learned a lot and enjoyed the majority.
- The business speakers that attended (Hy-Vee, Casey's General Stores, Vermeer, ) are both excited to return and willing to give testimonials to other companies to participate.
- The Greater Des Moines Partnership is helping us create a waiting list of business members as future clients for classroom project teams.
- I am connecting with experienced professors to develop the consulting style of course I envision.
- And, I am meeting with Drake University, Grandview University, and Iowa State University to bring similar courses to their business students in Des Moines.
The Powerful
If I had been too scared to take on teaching the course with only 3 weeks notice, knowing that it would test my comfort zone in EVERY way, I never would have allowed myself to fail.
And I never would have learned how powerful a little failure can be. Because it can lead to an opportunity to improve over time — and start making a difference today.
The alternative would have been to avoid failure, and not simply not try.
Tippie College of Business might not be offering sustainability courses had I done that. I might have contributed zero value to share with those students, who in turn will be helping their future businesses change the world someday.
I see this in the environmental community — often as a reflection of my own struggles.
Environmental issues I care about can often start to feel seem like life or death. Literally, decisions can carry the weight of world with them.
"We have to get this right!" Which is, ironically, sometimes paralyzing.
Some people thrive in those situations. They become more decisive and take action. But a majority avoid decisions, and wait for more information or better timing, from fear of doing it wrong.
The "better-safe-than-sorry" philosophy permeates the environmental movement in the form of "first, do no harm." When it comes to things you can't take back — persistent toxic chemicals, for instance — it's a great philosophy.
But when it comes to everyday decisions, perfectionism that says "If I can't get this right, I'm not going to do it" can rob the world of something really special — your gifts and the difference they were meant for.
Just go for it!


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A lifetime ago, in a state far far away, I was a Democratic Party committeeperson, and as a member of DeSoc (the Democratic Socialist committee – remember the rose in the black fist?) and the Young Democrats, I was privileged to attend a number of campaign management and speech writing workshops.
The themes of those lessons all bore a positive message: Don't mention your opponent, as every time you do, you give him or her greater name recognition and thus boost their election potential. Don't dwell on what your opponent or the opposition party is doing wrong; always be positive, provide a message of hope and your vision for the better future. Present plans for resolution of conflicts, answers to problems, and options for emerging issues. This was how we were told to win: By persuading the other side to believe in you and the infallible logic of your ability to successfully lead or, at least, to make them feel good about themselves and the direction of their community or nation.
This is about 180 degrees from the current state of political communication theory today.
Polar Opposites
I've spent the last two decades trying to figure out why political candidate campaigns did an about face to become almost exclusively an exercise in opponent-bashing. Why would you say your opponent's name once or twice per sentence in a very expensive television ad, in your website materials, in your press releases, in community or televised debates? Why would you waste every opportunity to talk about an issue by doing nothing but slamming your opponent candidate or party's approach, without offering any hope or vision for the future? Obviously the dominant logic had changed dramatically, but I could not figure out why.
Over time, the opponent-bashing approach flooded into broader fields. With the advent of social media, the public jumped on the band wagon and whole-heartedly embraced the tactic of lobbing highly divisive negative memes and quotes into the blogosphere.
Liberals particularly have adopted this theory. In addition to candidate election campaigns, they have applied it to such wide-ranging subject matter as immunizations, firearms), and evolution. They place the blame for everything from traffic snarls to global warming squarely on the Republicans.
Republicans are, of course, not averse to using similar tactics, though in past years they've combined this with sophisticated media techniques designed to maximize mass social persuasion, particularly in the use of theme language running through all campaigns from the local to the national level. Their ability to tightly control these language themes has loosened somewhat with the advent of the Tea Party structure, as the national Republican Party hierarchy is not the well-oiled, close-tolerance machine it used to be. In my Democratic Party days, the problem with the left is that it was always fighting amongst itself while the right presented a single Borg-like structure. Today those positions have probably inverted.
Why Don't You Get It, You Idiot?
Like Winnie the Pooh with hand on chin, I pondered and pondered the prevalence of these increasingly negative messages bombarding us daily with directives to get angry at the Other. I spent long hours wondering whether they are contributing to the epidemic of depression, anxiety and suicide that surrounds us. I wondered whether they contributed to Congressional stalemates and the inability to move our country forward in many different realms. All we hear, even from our most liberal, progressive Vermont Congressional delegates, is how it (whatever the topic of the day may be – global warming, health care costs, international violence) is the Republican's fault and how they are a bunch of obstructionist uneducated embodiments of evil. We do not hear the plan, the solution, the way forward, the message of hope.
When I spout my own message in that vein – which is, "Fund NASA" – I am greeted with jeers: Yeah, right, like that will happen and who needs it anyway. I'd say the biggest economic mistake our country has made in recent decades is pulling out of the Supercollider project in Texas. The point of these things is not necessarily that the Higgs Bosun could have been found in America instead of Switzerland, or that we need better freeze-dried ice cream. The point is that projects like landing a man on the moon pull the nation together with a unified positive goal, give us hope and a sense of excitement for the future, and bring that empowering sense that American ingenuity can accomplish anything. Funding pothole repair or yet another war may create a couple jobs, but nothing would shape the next generation of Americans like being woken up at 2 a.m. by their parents to watch a moon—or a Mars –shot launch.
It irked me that I couldn't parse out the logic.
Then, I got it.
No wonder I had missed it – it's a math thing.
Circle the Subarus
Here in Vermont, when faced with an assault on our local independent culture, my friends and I jestingly exhort, 'Circle the Subarus!'. The reference is to circling the Conestoga wagons when a wagon train westward was under attack by – well, anything. (I'm old enough to remember when we used to say Circle the Volvos, but the Volvos have pretty well disappeared from around these parts.)
The rationale behind the old-school method of Positive Politickin' that I was taught years ago was that you could already count on your Own Team to vote for you; that if you presented a compelling positive image, you could likely induce a good portion of the Uncommitted Middle to voting for you; and if you were really, really compelling, you might just convert a few members of the Other Team to vote for you. Thus, if there were 1000 registered voters in your district – 250 Republicans, 250 Democrats, and 500 Independents – as a Democratic candidate the logic would be that you already had 250 Democratic votes, and you needed to get 251 Independents to be your new best friends in order to win the election. You won them by being nice. (Decades ago my mother voted for, and has voted in every election since for, a Congressman who, in his first campaign, helped her move her loaded grocery cart over a curb and load the groceries into the trunk while he urged her to vote for him. She votes for him Because He Was Nice. That's old-school Positive Politickin'.)
The polarizing, enemy-bashing approach to political campaigns and public issues is not remotely intended to make a single convert from the other side – or even to convert much of the uncommitted middle. The New Negative campaign theory is intended solely to solidify your Own Team, and to get it so riled up that every single member of it comes out to vote.
This New Negative logic arises out of a fatal mathematical flaw in the old Positive Politickin' model: Most people don't come out to vote. The old-school assumption that if you have 250 registered Democrats out of 1000 registered voters, you don't have to worry about getting 250 votes, is a false one.
In mid-term Congressional election years, about 40% of eligible voters vote in the federal elections. In Presidential election years, about 60% of eligible voters vote for the President. In either of those types of elections, far fewer people vote in the state elections, even though they took the trouble to go stand in line and walk into a voting booth. In off-year and primary elections, and in many state elections, voter turnout is often more like 25% of eligible voters.
That means out of those 1000 registered voters, you might only get 250 to show up to the polls at a state or local election, and only 400 to show up to the polls in a mid-term Congressional race. In the first instance, if you get your 250 Democrats to show up – you've won by a landslide. In the second, if you get your 250 Democrats to show up – you've won by a very comfortable margin.
In other words, the heart of politicking today is not to charm the middle and persuade a few swaying souls on the other side – it's to light a compelling fire under your Own Team, getting them into such a cohesive, angry, roiling mass that they can't help but show up at the polls, early and often, possibly dragging along some friends, family or co-workers in the process.
Preaching to the Converted
No one was every persuaded of the wisdom of a different position by being called an evil, uneducated idiot. But the goal of these vitriolic, polarizing, hyperbolic approaches is not to persuade the opposition – it's to crystallize the proponents. It's preaching to the converted. It's about making sure that the committed Democrat or Republican never even considers voting for an independent or progressive or other candidate because it would obviously be an act of treason; it's about sulfur and brimstone and God being on the side of the winner.
Eristic argument is argument designed to win at all costs—argument that flays and eviscerates the opposition and leaves them a disemboweled smoldering mass on the sidewalk. Every now and then, in extreme circumstances involving justice or putting a stop to a horrific loss of life, that technique to conflict resolution may be warranted. In most situations – deciding where to go to dinner with your spouse, or trying to encourage a neighbor or patient to immunize their child – eristic effectiveness brings pyrrhic victory.
Whipping your own team into a frenzy is a post-eristic communication strategy—and ultimately, in the long run, as fruitless and self-destructive as beating up your spouse in public. It might get your vote out in the short run, but it also adds to the Other Team's sense of cohesion by showing how nasty and horrible you and your team are. It reduces issue and candidate campaigns from meaningful dialogue and sharing of positions, to a mere war of numbers. It removes authority and control from the voters, who no longer are presented with two different visions of the future from which to choose between.
In this case, not only do you beat the other side to a pulp, but you polarize the sides of any political issue so extremely that any ability to work together, find common solutions, or build a better future is erased, because no one side can afford to loosen their grip on their core hyperbole-based voting block. It is, as William Ury calls it in the Harvard Negotiation Project's 'bible' of conflict resolution, position-based bargaining – and no one can ever back down from a publicly stated position without losing significant face, and when you are preaching to the converted, face (and faith) is your stock in trade.
A Way Out
The general public, including those affiliated with any of these political teams, holds the keys to the way out of this spiral-into-ineffectiveness which blackens our political landscape. It involves two simple steps that are entirely within your power.
First, you can stop participating in it. Stop posting, reposting and repeating stories, social media memes, and slogans that are not aimed at promoting genuine understanding, betterment, and resolution to political issues. Is it phrased in such a way that you'd say it to try to convince your grandmother or best friend to agree with you on the subject? If not, don't repeat it. Are the facts true? Don't pass along inflammatory statements without vetting them, and knowing exactly what your purpose is in doing so. The dialogue will become meaningful and civil if you insist on engaging in civil, meaningful dialogue. Don't buy into tactics of fear, anger, and accusation—especially accusation. Does what you are about to post encourage a solution to a problem – or just generically condemn people you don't agree with, and who you probably haven't even met?
Second, you can vote. When substantially greater than 50% of the eligible voters show up for elections, the preaching-to-the-converted method is no longer certain to win the day. You'll notice that Presidential candidates rely on their parties, Congressional and state candidates to engage in the bulk of this post-eristic communication, thus cementing and motivating the party faithful, while they themselves engage in enough baby-kissing, grandma-hugging and flowerly feel-good language to entice just enough previously uncommitted voters to win the day.
Barack Obama was highly effective at this kind of old-fashioned political persuasion in his campaign appearances – a persuasive edge which, as Dan Rather recently pointed out in an interview on CNN, he lost once he was in office, as he's been highly ineffective at persuading Congress to do most things. This is a good example of the backlash of post-eristic argumentation strategies. Obama won the people's confidence through his heuristic, hope-based campaigning, but the polarizing approaches of his party and Congressional candidates made coalition building all but impossible.
If sizeably more than 50% of us also showed up at Congressional and local elections, the mass-media strategies of parties and candidates would change significantly. The math would no longer favor the post-eristic approach. Candidates could go back to saying, Vote for me because I have a better plan.
And some of the just might. Then we'd all win.
Oh – and fund NASA.


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Here is our first Bride of the Week, Larissa Bates.
Our wedding was on June 17, 2011. We had to choose a Friday because we wanted the reception to be at Saratoga National Golf Club and they had no Saturdays available in June of 2011. Even though I originally wanted our wedding to be on a Saturday, a Friday wedding was a wonderful way to start a weekend!
Our ceremony was at St. Mary's in Ballston Spa. The church is big and beautiful. Father Kelly was wonderful and very flexible regarding our ceremony. For our ceremony music we used All Seasons Ensemble, which was a string trio consisting of a violin, cello, and flute. I cannot say it enough… they were simply amazing. What a difference it makes, adding a touch of elegance to the ceremony. The accoustics in the church were great too.
Our reception was at Saratoga National Golf Club. I could not have asked for any more during our reception, and throughout the planning process. Our guests still tell us that it was the best food they ever had at a wedding. The cocktail hour was fabulous and the staff treated us like royalty from the second we stepped out of the limo and were greeted by them with champagne in hand. One demand I had was that I did not want any beer bottles given to guests because I feel like they look tacky all over the tables. This was not a problem and the bartenders poured all beer into glasses. I did not see a single beer bottle all night.
My invitations were done by Cora from Paper Dolls in Saratoga. Within a day after mailing them I had guests calling me to tell me they were the most unique and beautiful invitations that they had ever seen. They were designed to be similar to boxes from Tiffany's, and Cora nailed the design. A woman, named Linda Trela, who is also from Saratoga, was recommended by Cora to do the calligraphy. She did a great job as well.
My hair and make-up were done by Alayne from Make Me Fabulous. Alayne does awesome work. Not only is she just an all around great person, but she is a total perfectionist. My hair and make-up were flawless and lasted all day and night. At the end of the night people were telling me that my hair and make-up still looked perfect, even after dancing the night away.
My dress, my bridesmaids' dresses, and my mother's dress were all purchased from Ferri Formals. I really liked Ferri Formals and thought the prices for the dresses was reasonable. However, the prices for alterations was a bit high. I had to have my dress taken in twice and they charged me twice for it. I thought that should have been only one charge, especially considerings that all of the dress and accessories were purchased there.
Our flowers were done by Felthousen's. The flowers were fresh and gorgeous, and their prices were very reasonable. When we first met with the owner we were able to see two groups of flowers ready to be delivered to weddings that day. This really showed us what their work was like. The lilies in my bouquet smelled amazing.
We used Jeffrey Scott as our DJ. He was wonderful before and during the wedding reception. What really drew me to him was our similar taste in non-cheesy DJ services. I did not want any group dances or props, and he does not offer either. he also helped answer questions we had prior to our wedding day.
Our photographers were Tim and Dana Shaffer from The Classic Image. We really liked working with them. Aside from being really nice people, their work is beautiful. We loved our engagement photos and our wedding photos are gorgeous. They were not intrusive at all during our wedding day, but they still managed to take so many great photos. Their prices are very reasonable, especially compared to a lot of photographers in the area.
We elected to not have a videographer. My feeling is that videographers are too intrusive, especially during a wedding ceremony. I have been to so many weddings where during the ceremony I became distracted by the videographer and his/her equipment. And no, these were not all "Uncle Bucks" who used equipment from the 80's.
If I had to make a change I would have saved myself time and money and not have sent out Save the Dates. So many people either threw them out right after receiving them or lost them. I thought they would be useful with the hotel room block information. Yet a few months before the wedding guests called asking what hotel had the block. When I told them the information was on the Save the Dates, they would say they lost them. Very frustrating!
To all brides-to-be out there, remember that this is your day! This is your time to shine and do not let anyone take that away from you!


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Colorado Review
Colorado Prize for Poetry
January 14, 2016
Entry Fee:
E-mail address:
A prize of $2,000 and publication by the Center for Literary Publishing is given annually for a poetry collection. Tyrone Williams will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $25 entry fee ($28 for online submissions), which includes a subscription to Colorado Review, by January 14, 2016. Send an SASE, e-mail, or visit the website for complete guidelines.
Colorado Review, Colorado Prize for Poetry, Colorado State University, Center for Literary Publishing, 9105 Campus Delivery, Ft. Collins, CO 80523. (970) 491-5449. Stephanie G'Schwind, Editor.