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PJM Lifestyle
Does American Jewish Survival Rely on the Holocaust?
Woman gets Holocaust remembrance tattoo. @LaurenHillsTV reports: http://t.co/UkzfA8LpsU pic.twitter.com/iCSOJNspkh
— WPEC CBS 12 News (@CBS12) December 4, 2014
For a while now, my editor David Swindle has been plaguing me to start a series on Jewish identity. Like any good family we disagree with each other about practically everything, cultural and religious identification included. I can't think of one Jewish setting in which I wasn't directly or indirectly accused by fellow Jews of being a "bad Jew" for some mundane reason or another. One incident involved the infamous "pepperoni pizza at a Hillel event, for or against" argument. (Truly the greatest Jewish American struggle of our time.) Joseph's brothers beat him up, threw him in a ditch, and not much has changed since, attitude-wise. Need further proof? Check out the latest argument over how Jewish Americans relate to the Holocaust.
Apparently 73% of us rank the Holocaust as our top-rated "essential" to being Jewish. This disturbs renowned academic Jacob Neusner who's made a career out of entwining himself into the vines of the Ivy League. Neusner's argument boils down to the concept that American Jews have no real sense of or connection to their own identity. Therefore, they need to go outside the geographical box to find themselves, either through the Holocaust or Zionism.
5 'Creative' Tricks To Raise A Bratty Kid
First there was the father that called the police to supervise as he spanked his 12 year-old daughter, then Megan Fox revealed how many parents are being arrested for allowing their children a bit of independence. A sobering thought emerged: parental authority is no longer trusted or honored.
Today's parents feel the cultural sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.
What we are seeing is a form of progressive parenting. The social current sweeping parents off their feet treats children like a class of oppressed people dominated by adults, then makes sure they are coddled and protected by the state from any would-be offense or danger.
Take spanking for example. It is legal. However, it's now considered a moral crime. Letting a child play outside without the watchful eye of an adult is considered neglect and endangerment. While allowing children to become obnoxious brats without the ability interact with adults is now an acceptable norm.
Over at Parenting.com, the current wisdom is on display as "Creative" discipline. Tricks, apparently have replaced parental authority.
I call it ineffective manipulation.
President Me: Adam Carolla Vs. the Scourge of Narcissism
In President Me, Adam Carolla takes the pulse of the social contract, a pulse that is slackening. Narcissism is the sapping beast.
Carolla sees an insidious minority that has turned out to be "assholes." Predictably, the trait has infiltrated what is now known anachronistically as "the fabric of society."
The death of God, absent fathers, subversive pop culture, unassimilated immigration, and infantilizing, cradle/grave government all factor as threats to destroy from within America's exceptionalist sovereignty.
Carolla's admonition is about a stratum of quasi-pathological narcissism breeding within our culture.
The following formulization often comes up in discussions about Islamic extremism: even if only one percent of Muslims are radicalized, that means 16 million people are in solidarity on some level with jihad.
In Carolla's equation, even if only one per cent of our nation's population is at least borderline pathologically narcissistic, that's approximately three million, one hundred and sixty thousand assholes.
Unfortunately, these figures are probably low.
PJ Lifestyle's Kathy Shaidle previously laid out Carolla's organizational outline for the book, a collection of indictments handed down for each department of the federal government, plus random, related take-downs of entities like the United Nations. Shaidle's mention of the explicit language that peppers the narrative will serve here as well.
President Me serves as both grand thesis and field guide. The comedian and author, who started funny and grows ever more trenchant in his observations, brings to the phenomenon of narcissism on the march a noteworthy specificity; readers will find themselves adding personal worsts to his gallery of self-centered rogues and counterintuitively manifested government entities.
Narcissism is not the only target of Carolla's brawling cultural assessment, but it's the metastasizing thread that holds the book together. Often laugh out loud, the larger context of the work has humorless implications for Western societies under threat from virulent ideologies and belief systems, and the madness inherent in a refracted society disassociated from rigorous self-appraisal.
In his third book, Carolla—though scarcely the first to call out cultural narcissism—makes narcissism his bitch, pardon the vernacular, roughing-up by decree everything from big-boxes to the airline industry, bumper stickers to the Department of Homeland Security.
The question becomes, how best can conservative counterculture counter the galloping solipsism of our times?
One answer may be to join the rugged individualism of American conservatism with conservative valuation of the social contract. These components of an individual and/or group ethos must oppose on all fronts an electronics-generated, nanny-statist, broken home-enabled reanimation of the "Me Decade."
Reading Carolla suggests that contemporary narcissism's sweep makes the '70s Me Decade look like the "Mother Teresa Decade."
A culture beset by multitudes afflicted with narcissistic personality disorders is weakened by over-association with the "me" orientation, and a disassociation from the "we." Such a flaccid culture is threatened by cultures in which the "we" construct is established, and the guiding motivation is negative.
In Islamic extremism and its terror component, ideas of self esteem and individual rights are violently abrogated.
In the United States, untrammeled immigration breeds narcissism both from the standpoint of the trespassers who think the laws don't apply to them and come expecting to share the benefits of a nation for which they hold no modern claim, and from the standpoint of progressive segments of we the people, who are so narcissistic as to think that we can absorb the globe's unwashed masses, that we've got it under control enough to pick up a gigantic tab in perpetuity. We can't.
Country clubbers and chambers of commerce who want to open the floodgates to cheap labor out of greed are among the most virulent progenitors of the narcissism plague.
It is a counterculture's job to be vigilant.
Narcissism reflected reveals the triumph of equalitarianism over merit, entitlement over responsibility, immigration (both cultural and quantitative) over sovereignty, and raises the chillingly retrograde specter of globally administered social justice.
Our current administration propagates the idea that America is no better or worse than any other country, a position that would seem to be the opposite of nationalized narcissism. Dig deeper and the truth is that for those who loathe our capitalist republic and everything it stands for, dismantlement becomes the ultimate objective. For any person, administration, or movement to think they have the right to transform the country by any other means than the consensus of the governed represents narcissism gone over the edge.
If traditionalists and conservatives don't adamantly conceptualize and defend who we are as a culture, our children and grandchildren will absorb the message that narcissistic obsession, and a corollary disregard for the principle of societal cohesion—a disregard clothed in shallow adherence to political correctness and empty homilies about inclusiveness and diversity—is the stuff of post-millennial life.
However micro his targets, or amusing his characterizations, Carolla's prognosis might best be distilled by appropriating an infamous lyric which surfaced in 1999's debut by the heavy rock band Disturbed.
Our culture may be "Down with the Sickness," but conservatives must not be.
It is the job of the conservative counterculture's rugged individualists to indentify rends in a social contract that upholds freedom, independence, and personal responsibility, and ride into the breach wherever and however they appear.
To join societal critics like Carolla in calling out the corrosive influence of individuals and entities which threaten our way of life with the whirlwind of self, and the vortex of decadence.
This essay is part of an ongoing dialogue between the writers of PJ Lifestyle and Liberty Island regarding the future of conservatism and the role of emerging counter-cultures in restoring American exceptionalism. See the previous installments in the series and join the discussion (email DaveSwindlePJM AT Gmail.com if you would like to respond):
- Sarah Hoyt, March 22 2014: Interview: Adam Bellow Unveils New Media Publishing Platform Liberty Island
- David S. Bernstein, June 20 2014: What Is Liberty Island?
- Adam Bellow at National Review, June 30 2014 kicking off the discussion: Let Your Right Brain Run Free
- Dave Swindle on September 7, 2014: Why Culture Warriors Should Understand the 10 Astounding Eras of Disney Animation's Evolution
- Dave Swindle on September 9, 2014: The 50 Greatest Counter-Culture Films of All Time, Part I
- Dave Swindle on September 19, 2014: The 50 Greatest Counter-Culture Films of All Time, Part II
- David S. Bernstein on November 19, 2014: 5 Leaders of the New Conservative Counter-Culture
- Dave Swindle on November 25, 2014: 7 Reasons Why Thanksgiving Will Be My Last Day on Facebook
- Dave Swindle on December 2, 2014: My Growing List of 65 Read-ALL-Their-Books Authors
- Mark Elllis on December 9, 2014: Ozzy Osbourne and the Conservative Tent: Is He In?
- Aaron C. Smith on December 22, 2014: The Villains You Choose
- Paula Bolyard on January 1, 2015: 7 New Year's Resolutions for Conservatives
- Susan L.M. Goldberg on January 1, 2015: The Plan to Take Back Feminism in 2015
- Kathy Shaidle on January 4, 2015: Did the 1960s Really Happen? (Part One)
- Andrew Klavan on January 5, 2015: In 2015 The New Counter-Culture Needs to Be Offensive!
- Clay Waters on January 5, 2015: The Decline and Fall of Russell Brand
- Mark Ellis on January 5, 2015: How Conservatives Can Counter the Likable Liberal
- Audie Cockings on January 5, 2015: Entertainers Have Shorter Lifespans
- Aaron C. Smith on January 6, 2015: How Mario Cuomo Honestly Defined Zero-Sum Liberalism
- Stephen McDonald on January 10, 2015: Why the New Counter-Culture Should Make Strength Central to Its Identity
- Stephen McDonald on January 16, 2015: The Metaphorical War
- Kathy Shaidle on January 19, 2015: Did the 1960s Really Happen? (Part Two)
- Frank J. Fleming on January 20, 2015: What if Red Dawn Happened, But It Was Islamic Terrorists Instead of Communists?
- Mark Ellis on January 21, 2015: Adam Carolla: The Quintessential Counterculture Conservative?
- Aaron C. Smith on January 29, 2015: Objection! Why TV's The Good Wife Isn't Good Law
- David Solway on February 2, 2015: For a Song To Be Good, Must It Tell The Truth?
Did the 1960s Really Happen? (Part Two)
As last week's epically embarrassing "James Taylor" fiasco demonstrated, the Western establishment acts like the Sixties never ended.
But as I've been insisting for some time, in many respects, that "Sixties" never really happened.
All that "peace and love," "soixant-huitard" stuff comprised but a slender slice of the 1960s, and much of that was bogus, a cynical scam that ruined millions of lives.
"OK," some of you have said in the comments, "but at least that decade had a hell of a soundtrack!"
Yeah, about that…
Not All Religions Are Peaceful: Charlie Hebdo and Cultural Relativism
See Chapter 1 in this new series here: How to Outwit a Radical Feminist
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, let's talk about cultural relativism. Can we do that, for a second? Because it seems relevant.
If you're new to the tortured logic of modern progressivism, you might be surprised to see college campuses and media outlets across America trembling with doe-eyed concern for the safety of Muslims in Paris. After yet more innocent civilians were gunned down in cold blood by Islamist extremists, it might seem more natural to you to worry about, oh, I don't know, the safety of innocent civilians being gunned down in cold blood by Islamist extremists. Perhaps, in your naïve opinion, it seemed odd to watch well-coiffed intellectuals wringing their manicured hands over the West's virulent islamophobia.These things might appear strange to you. Well then, my tender little sugar muffin, it's time to talk about cultural relativism.
And how to destroy it.
Why the New Counter-Culture Should Make Strength Central to Its Identity
If Rippetoe is right, then a good way to push back is by making more big, strong men. Let's talk about what we could achieve by making physical strength part of the counterculture's core identity.
Strong Body, Dangerous Mind
To a certain extent, what I'm suggesting is a natural fit—men's upper body strength even correlates with more conservative views against government-enforced redistribution. Evolutionary psychology aside, lifting changes one's mindset because it demonstrates that, with persistent effort, greater things are possible:
If I can control and affect something as gradual as my body, I can exert more influence over every aspect of my life. I've never really identified as a victim of anything, but my patience for those who do has decreased drastically as I've learned more and more how to developed a central locus of control.
The blogger being quoted above did not mean to be political, yet his statement has political implications. Having less patience for excuses contrasts starkly to a prevailing culture in which almost any degeneracy will be celebrated, or at least excused. If you are able to transform yourself (borrowing from Chuck Palahniuk) from cookie dough into something more like carved wood, why should the inane fat-acceptance movement get any respect from you? For that matter, why should other self-pitying grievance identities?
Christian Parents Blamed for Joshua (Leelah) Alcorn's Suicide
Another tragic death of a teenager has ignited a cultural firestorm. Once again, angry voices drape their political agenda over a coffin. Although this time it's different. The deceased's mother is not getting the empathy and support of the mainstream media.
A confused and depressed 17-year-old young man walked four miles from his home in Ohio to a highway, where he stepped in front of an oncoming tractor-trailer. Joshua Alcorn died at the scene. When he didn't show up to delete a scheduled post on Tumblr, it surfaced as a public suicide note.
He wrote that his life was not worth living as transgender. He also wrote of his loneliness and his parents' refusal to get him gender-reassignment surgery. Instead, he lamented, they would only take him to "biased" Christian therapists.
As you might expect, the "proud" and "tolerant" community are rubbing a grieving mother's face in her dead son's troubled life. Without a second thought, their bony fingers of blame point to the parents for the child's suicide and they scream murder. The purveyors of progressive ideology are doing their best to smear the blood of this precious child on the face and hands of his family and their Christian religion.
How Conservatives Can Counter the Likable Liberal
It's understandable when conservatives go on offense against leftist celebrities who get nasty with blanket disparagement of conservatism. Names like Rosie O'Donnell, Janeane Garofalo, and David Letterman at his most pointed come to mind, but there are ubiquitous instances and individuals.
When the attacks are mean-spirited, it's easy to respond in kind. But what about the likable liberal? The entertainment icon we know is a committed progressive Democrat, but whose contribution to the arts objectively transcends the unceasing wrangle of a divided country?
In the comedy of Martin Short, an occasionally outspoken Hollywood-by-way-of-Canada liberal, we experience an evocation of the heartbreak and joyfulness of show business. Though an obvious prodigy talent, the comedian has always walked between the dichotomous pillars of persevering success and flop-sweat failure. It's part of what makes him so hysterically funny.
He steers clear of overt political ideology in I Must Say, but in the past has made known his affiliations, which raises the question: Should there always be a socio-political angle when conservative cultural arbiters review or analyze a mainstream culture permeated with progressive ideology?
The Decline and Fall of Russell Brand
"Russell Brand, what a c*nt." Those immortal words were issued by Boomtown Rats singer and savior of starving Africans Bob Geldof at a UK 2006 music awards ceremony, after the British comedian Brand had made cutting cracks at the stars in attendance. (Geldof's four-letter insult is much less offensive in Britain than America, and used mostly as an insult among men.)
Many conservatives – at least those who have heard of comedian Brand – would agree. Brand, who starred in the hit Get Him to the Greek and the flop remake of Arthur, has been popping up on right-wing radar of late for his upstart elevation into the political realm, thanks to a few tangy tussles with the British media and his politically tinged semi-autobiography (his third at the ripe old age of 39) Revolution.
Did the 1960s Really Happen? (Part One)
Last year I read three books that challenged the mainstream view of the 1960s.
(Herewith I'm employing the folk definition of "The Sixties" as that stretch between the Kennedy assassination in November 1963 and the May 1975 fall of Saigon.)
I say "mainstream" because I haven't entertained many illusions about what really happened during that overlong Baby Boomer idyl since I was a kid.
In the first place, I grew up "soaking in it," in the dishwashing liquid commercial catchphrase of the era, and I hated almost every minute.
In the second, as an adult, I discerned certain disruptions in the official "peace and love" narrative.
Being a bratty pest by temperament, I've made a minor career out of helping debunking the myth of the selfless hippie, the noble white liberal, the enlightened radical, the powerless housewife and the era's other stock characters.
(I'm also rather fond of rehabilitating the laughingstocks of the age.)
This year, I read three books that, to various degrees, reinforced my view that what we call The Sixties — an allegedly Edenic era that canny progressives continue to evoke when crafting 21st century policy — was a Potemkin village of the imagination, or, in the words of the narrator below, "a mass hallucination":
10 Classic Rock Tracks From the End of the '60s
A friend of mine was recently lamenting the demise of good "classic" rock across the airwaves. He said that Clear Channel et al. have ruined this for him. I agree: whatever is "classic" on the air has been largely devolved down to a few repetitious playlists of tripe, supposedly indicative of the "best" of the sound.
Yeah, well, not at PJM and not on my watch. So here's a mix you might've heard on the radio in 1967-1969.
During their heyday, The Association had five songs that achieved top-ten status on the US charts.
1. The Association – "And Then Along Came Mary"
5 Ways to Avoid Christma-fying Your Hanukkah
It's fairly obvious that we Jews just don't get Christmas. Don't believe me? Check out BuzzFeed's attempt to get Jews to decorate Christmas trees. ("Who's Noel?" "Is that like, 'grassy knoll'?") Yet, every year we Jewish Americans wrestle as a people over whether or not to incorporate Christmas traditions into our own Hanukkah celebrations. It's tacky. It's trite. And it's really, really lame. Here are five Hanukkah/Christmas hybrids that all Jews need to avoid this holiday season.
Is America Overdue for a Satanic Revival? (Part Two)
The "Christmas single" phenomenon is unknown in the U.S., unless you've ever watched Love, Actually.
It's sort of the "Black Friday" of the British music industry. Since so much music is sold (or, at least, used to be) during the holiday season, having the #1 song on the charts during that time gives one lucky record company a financial boost.
After Slade took the top spot in 1973 with their "Merry Xmas Everybody" — beating out "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard — "an emotional attachment to the Christmas countdown has developed, and for many [in the United Kingdom], it is part of the fabric of their childhood."
So I doubt many American readers care that there's a campaign to get Iron Maiden's old chestnut "The Number of the Beast" to the top of the charts in time for Christmas, "for a laugh."
What's really funny (sort of) is that, during the early 1970s, such a campaign would have been denounced on the front page of every British tabloid, and remarked upon within American newspapers' "entertainment" sections, at the very least.
Because culture-watchers would see it as yet another sign of the satanic takeover of the culture, and the world — the one I wrote about last week.
7 Reasons Why Thanksgiving Will Be My Last Day on Facebook
1. My New Year's Resolution Fulfilled!
Dear Liberty Island Leaders Adam Bellow and David S. Bernstein,
Above you'll see the concluding image from my list of resolutions. I've planned this all year — to make my 10th anniversary of joining Facebook also my last day using the service. I began weaning myself from Facebook then, removing the app from my phone and iPad and only using it when on my computer, justifying it as a tool for work.
Turns out that November 27, 2004, was when the addiction began — I was a junior in college at the time. One of the many counterculture thinkers I discovered would influence my understanding of culture, technology, corporations, the Bible, media, my own career direction, and now this decision to abandon the internet's Coca Cola. (On my counterculture books list from 2012 I included several of his titles; more will appear in the expanded, giant-size counterculture conservative canon of books that have shaped and influenced me.) The primary, strongest arguments for why everyone should leave Facebook come from media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, who bailed in 2013. He identifies the prime problems; my case is an expansion of his.
2. The Douglas Rushkoff Reason: The Newsfeed Cannot Be Trusted.
I read this article on CNN from Rushkoff back in February of 2013 when it came out and couldn't really argue with his reasons for quitting. I tried to in an email to Doug to justify my continued Facebook usage but all I could say was that it was convenient for my work as an editor. Here are two problems with what Facebook does with your data without your knowledge or permission. First, the reality is that now when you send something out to all your "friends" on Facebook, chances are only a tiny portion of them are likely to see it:
More recently, users — particularly those with larger sets of friends, followers and likes — learned that their updates were no longer reaching all of the people who had signed up to get them. Now, we are supposed to pay to "promote" our posts to our friends and, if we pay even more, to their friends.
Yes, Facebook is entitled to be paid for promoting us and our interests — but this wasn't the deal going in, particularly not for companies who paid Facebook for extra followers in the first place. Neither should users who "friend" my page automatically become the passive conduits for any of my messages to all their friends just because I paid for it.
And second, the new advertising strategy of using your image and your likes to market to your friends:
That brings me to Facebook's most recent shift, and the one that pushed me over the edge.
Through a new variation of the Sponsored Stories feature called Related Posts, users who "like" something can be unwittingly associated with pretty much anything an advertiser pays for. Like e-mail spam with a spoofed identity, the Related Post shows up in a newsfeed right under the user's name and picture. If you like me, you can be shown implicitly recommending me or something I like — something you've never heard of — to others without your consent.
The essence of the Facebook experience is pulling up one's newsfeed and scrolling through it to find something that interests us. Since Rushkoff laid out his case, we now know even more: that Facebook has in the past intentionally manipulated users' emotions as part of an experiment.
Is America Overdue for a Satanic Revival? (Part One)
The Drudge Report remains one of the most accurate barometers of what's happening right now.
But can we augur near-future trends by sifting through that site's headlines?
Lately, Drudge has posted lots of news stories about "the devil" and "exorcism":
Camera captures exorcism performed on shrieking woman "possessed by devil:
Church Turns to Exorcism to Combat Suicide Increase… Archbishop: "Satanism has spread among young people"
BILLY GRAHAM: In Our "Lawless and Wicked Age We've Taught Philosophy of Devil"
Aside from the uptick in stories like these, I'm not sensing a resurgence in interest in all things diabolical, a new version of the "occult" fad that helped make the 1970s so miserable, and led to the "satanic panic" of the 1980s that was almost as bad.
Peter Bebergal doesn't agree.
According to him, "we're currently experiencing 'an Occult Revival in rock music and popular culture.'"
He's penned one of the year's most talked-about books, Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll.
The author outlined his book's thesis to NPR:
"My argument is that the spirit of rock and roll — the essential rebellious instinct of rock and roll — is certainly social and sexual and political, but it's also a spiritual rebellion," Bebergal explained. "And the way in which it expressed that spiritual rebellion was through the occult imagination."
That "occult imagination" conjures everything from Ouiji boards to Christian and Jewish symbolism to LSD trips to "alternative spiritual practices." Bebergal says it ultimately helped rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath save rock from sounding too poppy, sappy and mainstream.
Please Stop Worshiping 'Bad Boys'
In one of his most memorable roles, as the eponymous character of Tim Burton's 1990 film Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp plays a semi-human manboy with shears for fingers, stuck in eternal youth as those around him wither. I thought of this film last week, as I watched a fifty-something Depp, drunk and clad in his usual get-up of randomly placed crosses and scarves, stumble to the microphone at a televised awards show and deliver a slurred "speech" in which he giggled, cursed, rocked, and swayed his way through a painful two minutes. Here was another manboy on display, albeit one lacking the charm and innocence of Burton's creation.
It was a shame to see Depp, a genuinely talented and by most accounts kind and gentle man, reduce himself to this display. He is well into middle age—not that any age is an appropriate time for public drunkenness. I suspect his career won't be dented much, if at all, by the episode. This is not just because he is a celebrity. One can't imagine, say, Morgan Freeman stumbling onto the stage, delivering a gin-soaked introduction, and walking away with his career totally intact. No, it is Depp's enduring "bad boy" image that affords him the extra latitude. Those crosses and scarves go a long way. If you can set yourself up as some kind of outsider, those on the inside will start to think they're caged animals and become desperate for your kind of freedom. The bad boy's appeal comes from nonchalantly scuffing the social rulebook with his cowboy boots and daring us not to like him because of it.
Time to Re-Define the F-Word
This past week a group of scientists from the European Space Agency landed a spaceship on a comet. Contemporary feminists commented on the happening, but not for the reason you'd think. Screw science. One of the guys on the team talked about the major breakthrough in an on-the-spot interview while wearing a shirt with barely-clad, busty women brandishing guns. Social media chaos ensued. The scientist cried out an apology over the Internet. Apparently the rather clever hashtag #shirtstorm is the real reason why Obama cancelled the space program.
And you wonder why Lana Del Rey would rather spend her time talking about Space-X and Tesla instead of associating herself with the pioneering movement for women that has turned into a forum for Dunham-loving yuppie nags. Celebrities are distancing themselves from the f-word because so-called feminists think the greatest thing they can do for womankind is to complain about a scientist's tacky shirt. I'm sure that really inspired a teenage girl out there to forego joining ISIS and join in the fight against… dudes bearing busty broads?
Punching Your Inner Hippie
So I was working with someone who was really trying to tap his full potential, but his inner hippie kept pulling him down any time he tried to succeed. I think he was an accountant or something—all these people complaining about their problems just blend together. Anyway, let's call this man "Bob," as that's what I called him. I told him, "Bob, if you want to get anywhere in life, you first need to defeat your inner hippie."
"But I don't know how," he said. "It's not like I can just punch myself."
"Well, I can punch you," I said, "and I will, because I like to help. But I won't always be there. Instead, we need to find a way for you to really lay the smackdown on your inner hippie to silence its call to failure, and doing that will take some extreme measures. Come with me, Bob."
"My name's not Bob, by the way."
"I don't care. Come along."
I took Bob to the zoo after hours and headed toward the gorilla pit. "See that gorilla, Bob?"
"Wow," Bob said, "he's massive."
"Pretty intimidating, huh?"
"Is that gorilla anything like a hippie?"
Bob thought for a moment. "Not really . . . except he probably doesn't bathe regularly."
"Correct. A gorilla is nothing like a hippie," I said, "and yet here is the thing: I want you to go punch him."
What 2 Retired Whores Can Teach Slut-Walk Feminists
A story about two old Jewish ladies is making the rounds in the Jewish press, but not for the reasons you may think. Sure, they're bubbes. They're children of a Holocaust survivor to boot. But the real reason they're attracting so much attention is that they happen to be retired professional whores.
Dutch twins Louise and Martine Fokkens (probably not their real last name, since "Fokken" is a Dutch term for "old whore") have become international celebrities since the 2011 release of their biographical documentary Meet the Fokkens. Women's magazines like Cosmo picked up on their story shortly after the film's release, publishing quick little details like:
Louise and Martine (mothers of four and three respectively) became prostitutes before the age of 20 in order to escape violent relationships.
It's an interpretation that, at best, qualifies as a half-truth. Louise was forced into the sex trade by an abusive husband. Martine, however, became a prostitute out of spite:
Martine followed her sister into the trade, working first as a cleaning lady at brothels before she began turning tricks herself. "I was angry at how everybody around us shunned Louise," Martine said. "I did it out of spite, really."
Both women eventually divorced their husbands, whom they now describe as "a couple of pimps." But they continued working in the district "because that had become our lives," Louise said.
"Our life in the business became a source of pride, a sport of sorts," Louise added.
In retrospect, both women say they regret becoming prostitutes.
Reading their story, one can't help but wonder if mainstream feminist advocates for slut walks and "Yes Means Yes" legislation would condemn the pair for regretting the life they chose. After all, their body, their choice, right? They took control of their bad marriages, divorced the husbands they referred to as "pimps" and chose, fully of their own volition, to remain in the sex trade after their exes were fully out of the picture. Martine and Louise, it would seem, are the originators of the Slut Walk.
6 Reasons Why People Avoid Anime
Anime is a very divisive medium, to say the least. It elicits rabid joy in some, but can bring out ire and revulsion in equal measure. Why is this? What is it about anime that drives people away? Is it a cultural xenophobia from the West, or is there something deeper? While it may be easier to attribute this reluctance to ignorance and a skewed view of cartoons, it is not the correct answer. There are a few constant trends in anime that have become the face to the general public. In this article, I will highlight and explore them. What do they offer, and why are people repelled by them?
6. Filler
Dragonball Z, Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach. These series are by far some of the most well-known in the west, reaching into even non-anime viewer bases. However, while these shows attract new viewers (especially children and adolescents), there's a problem. The shiny gloss of action and goofiness wears off, and the viewer is left with nothing but dull filler.
"Filler" refers to episodes of anime that have nothing to do with the main plot. The shows mentioned above are infamous for meandering through filler episodes at a snail's pace, taking time to sniff the roses, while everyone is waiting to move on with the ride. After a while, people get tired of wasting time on a show that stagnates, and abandon it. These people are left with a sour taste in their mouths, and you can't blame them — once bitten, twice shy.
Filler comes with a series that runs too long. As time progresses, the characters get old, and don't change in any way. However, in order to pad out episode numbers, the producers do whatever they can for as cheaply as possible. Whatever keeps the golden goose laying eggs.
15 Early Punk And New Wave Songs Bridging the 1970s to 1980s
Editor's Note: PJ Lifestyle's Commenter-In-Chief and classic rock guru Allston has been developing an extraordinary series chronicling the best songs by era. Get caught up on his previous installments: "Alternative 1980s: 15 More Songs Millennials Must Hear," "15 Classic 1970s Songs Millennials Should Know," "15 More Classic 1970s Songs for the Millennials," "15 More 1970s Songs Showcasing the Decade's Wide Range," and "Your 15 Song Introduction to The New Wave Punk Sound That Ended the 1970s"
I have great memories of this period in time. It seemed you just could not turn on the radio without hearing yet another incredible song. "New Wave" was now mainstreamed, increasingly accepted as a valid "sound." Yes, a lot of it was a bit cheesy, but some great tunes came out of this brief period of time.
I threw in this 1976 proto-Punk gem because, well, Joan Jett and Lita Ford. Do I require a better reason, I ask you?!
1. The Runaways – "Cherry Bomb" (1976)
Concert Review: Kate Bush Live in London
LONDON – Thirty-five years after her last concert appearance, Kate Bush is back live, and it's like she never left the stage.
Bush rocketed to the top of the charts in 1978 with "Wuthering Heights," a lush, love-it-or-hate-it, penned at the tender age of 18, based on Bush's loose interpretation of the Emily Bronte novel — naive, heady romanticism in distilled form that only a teenage girl blessed with genius was capable of summoning.
The out-of-nowhere smash launched an eccentric, much-lauded career spanning 10 studio albums and inspiring unusual devotion among a fan base that treats her like a white witch. As the records stopped coming she came to be unfairly tabbed a recluse, which explains the shock and joy that accompanied her announcement of her current London shows.
The 50 Greatest Counter-Culture Films of All Time, Part II
Dear Adam Bellow,
As this series of films continues I'll expand the opening index to include links to each of the films that have come before it. Here are links to the first titles I discussed, establishing the paradigm of celebrating both mainstream, big budget films and also more obscure titles that more traditionally conjure up the idea of counter-culture:
50. Disinformation: The Complete Series
49. Maybe Logic: The Lives and Ideas of Robert Anton Wilson
48. Yellow Submarine
47. Dark City
46. By Brakhage, An Anthology: Window Water Baby Moving
45. Dog Star Man
44. Mothlight
43. The Dante Quartet
42. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
41. The Two Towers
40. Return of the King
39. Dick
38. The Avengers
37. Watchmen
I was nervous when publishing the first installment of this series, knowing that I was leaping off into the unknown again and certainly not going as detailed as I'll need to when explaining these ideas in my book someday. A few commenters pushed back, with criticisms I anticipated — too long, all over the place, titles insufficiently "counter-culture" — and that are partially justified:
How do I defend such a broad understanding of "counter-culture" that the term can include both experimental shorts with moth wings taped to the film and hundred-million-dollar blockbusters? The fourth title from my list of "23 Books for Counter-Culture Conservatives, Tea Party Occultists, and Capitalist Wizards" remains my favorite definition and general history:
4. Counterculture Through the Ages: From Abraham to Acid House by Ken Goffman and Dan Joy
Publication Date: September 13, 2005
Official Description:
As long as there has been culture, there has been counterculture. At times it moves deep below the surface of things, a stealth mode of being all but invisible to the dominant paradigm; at other times it's in plain sight, challenging the status quo; and at still other times it erupts in a fiery burst of creative–or destructive–energy to change the world forever.
But until now the countercultural phenomenon has been one of history's great blind spots. Individual countercultures have been explored, but never before has a book set out to demonstrate the recurring nature of counterculturalism across all times and societies, and to illustrate its dynamic role in the continuous evolution of human values and cultures.
Countercultural pundit and cyberguru R. U. Sirius brilliantly sets the record straight in this colorful, anecdotal, and wide-ranging study based on ideas developed by the late Timothy Leary with Dan Joy. With a distinctive mix of scholarly erudition and gonzo passion, Sirius and Joy identify the distinguishing characteristics of countercultures, delving into history and myth to establish beyond doubt that, for all their surface differences, countercultures share important underlying principles: individualism, anti-authoritarianism, and a belief in the possibility of personal and social transformation.
Ranging from the Socratic counterculture of ancient Athens and the outsider movements of Judaism, which left indelible marks on Western culture, to the Taoist, Sufi, and Zen Buddhist countercultures, which were equally influential in the East, to the famous countercultural moments of the last century–Paris in the twenties, Haight-Ashbury in the sixties, Tropicalismo, women's liberation, punk rock–to the cutting-edge countercultures of the twenty-first century, which combine science, art, music, technology, politics, and religion in astonishing (and sometimes disturbing) new ways, Counterculture Through the Ages is an indispensable guidebook to where we've been . . . and where we're going.
Why Counterculture Conservatives Should Read It:
The key insight in reconciling counterculture and conservatism comes when we define the term historically, beyond just the caricature of the 60s hippie counterculture.
A counterculture is just any group of people who choose to reject some aspect of a dominant culture and then live peacefully in opposition to it. The Jews were a counterculture. So were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. So were the Christians in ancient Rome. So were the Pilgrims. And the Transcendentalists. And the Mormons.
Counterculture Through the Ages presents an alternative way of understanding the West: what if "Western Civilization" was actually just the compilation of all the best countercultural ideas that worked? What if Western Civilization wasn't really about places or people or things but about a process to understand ourselves, one another, and our purpose in the world? And how do we figure out what that purpose is?
So yes, I admit it — my list was a mess, and so it shall be going forward. (I can only un-messify Aleister Crowley and Robert Anton Wilson and their basis in Kabbalah and Tarot so much! Learning how to jump from mess to mess is kind of the point. God hides in the spaces between the letters and in the connections between the cards, in the invisible gap between my mind and yours.) Counter-culture is messy — it's a big muck mixing and gurgling together. But that's no excuse. I'll employ the new media tool highlighted in the last segment in an effort to cut down on the word count in this and future installments. Here's a basic start, as I've progressed through writing the list I've begun exploring new ways to utilize Instagram, Hyperlapse and other tools:
(I will try to improve the handwriting in future hyperlapses. Over the course of this list I experiment with a number of different configurations improving on that early one. I think for the next round I'll pick up a white board and dry erase markers…)
In trying to define Western Civilization in broad we have to confront that WE are a mess. Americanism, the idea of the West — we are a mess of conflicting ethnic, religious, and philosophical traditions all crammed together.
But we must overcome our primitive tribal nature. Unfortunately some of film's most glorified filmmakers rose to prominence through glamorizing and glorifying their tribal identity, building whole careers on mythologizing their tribe, obscuring the ugly truth of their primitive ideologies. The next three titles on the list are by filmmakers I once idolized, though now look at with skepticism. However, each still has a film in their canon that runs counter to their usual output and offer useful lessons for counter-culture crusaders.
Rihanna Beaten Up Again (by NFL and… Debbie Harry?)
"Singer" Rihanna is having a crap week:
There's more fallout from the Ray Rice domestic violence incident and the turmoil it has caused for the NFL – CBS and Rihanna are splitting up.
The network said Tuesday it was permanently editing a song featuring Rihanna's voice out of its Thursday night NFL telecasts – after the singer issued a profane Tweet about it.
CBS issued a statement saying that it was "moving in a different direction" with different theme music.
The song was one of a handful of elements CBS cut out of its inaugural Thursday night football telecast. At the time, CBS Sports president Sean McManus said Rihanna's own history as a victim of domestic violence was one part of the decision but not the overriding one.
Had the NFL kept the song in rotation, they'd have been torn apart on Twitter and elsewhere for "bad optics."
(There's a "broken occipital bone" joke in there somewhere…)
The league is currently in full hair-shirting mode, pantomiming "outrage" and "concern."
It doesn't need another black eye these days.
But of course, some will now scream that the NFL is "punishing the victim" by "silencing a battered woman's voice" or something. (See below.)


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Slide Photo of Taylor Lautner at LAX
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Taylor Lautner made his way into LAX on Thursday.
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- Amber Rose could be replacing Kelly Osbourne on the E! show — Us Weekly
- These new celebrity friends may surprise you — HuffPost Celebrity
- John Mayer says he's a "recovering ego addict" — ET
- Taylor Swift posts a makeup-free selfie — Lainey Gossip
- Bobbi Kristina Brown's husband has checked into rehab — Dlisted
- See Idris Elba on the set of Luther — JustJared
- Conan O'Brien learns to rumba in Cuba — Hollywood Tuna
- Will you be seeing this superstar on tour? — Pink Is the New Blog
- Kim Kardashian is having sex "500 times a day" — The Superficial
- Let's revisit this supersexy video from FKA Twigs — PopBytes


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We found 2 apartments for rent in the Elmira, New York area. Use our customizable guide to narrow down options for apartments in Elmira, NY and find exactly what you want during your Elmira apartment search.
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Childhood Ependymoma Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Health Professional Information [NCI] - Treatment Option Overview
- General Information
- Histopathologic Classification of Childhood Ependymal Tumors
- Stage Information
- Treatment Option Overview
- Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Childhood Ependymoma
- Treatment of Recurrent Childhood Ependymoma
- Changes to This Summary (01 / 30 / 2013)
- About This PDQ Summary
- Get More Information From NCI
Many of the improvements in survival in childhood cancer have been made as a result of clinical trials that have attempted to improve on the best available, accepted therapy. Clinical trials in pediatrics are designed to compare new therapy with therapy that is currently accepted as standard. This comparison may be done in a randomized study of two treatment arms or by evaluating a single new treatment and comparing the results with those previously obtained with existing therapy.
Because of the relative rarity of cancer in children, all patients with aggressive brain tumors should be considered for entry into a clinical trial. To determine and implement optimum treatment, treatment planning by a multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists who have experience treating childhood brain tumors is required. Radiation therapy of pediatric brain tumors is technically very demanding and should be carried out in centers that have experience in that area in order to ensure optimal results.
Glioma is a broad category of brain and spinal cord tumors that come from glial cells, brain cells that can develop into tumors. The symptoms, prognosis, and treatment of a malignant glioma depend on the person's age, the exact type of tumor, and the location of the tumor within the brain. These tumors tend to grow and infiltrate into the normal brain tissue, which makes surgical removal very difficult -- or sometimes impossible -- and complicates treatment. These brain tumors are often diagnosed...
Read the Brain Cancer and Gliomas article > >
Treatment for childhood ependymoma has included surgery followed by standard fractionated radiation therapy. There is evidence to suggest that more extensive surgical resections are related to an improved rate of survival.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7] In addition, in a small series of children with localized ependymoma, adjuvant radiation therapy appeared to improve progression-free survival (PFS), even after adjusting for the extent of resection. In fact, a benefit in PFS was observed for patients who received adjuvant radiation therapy after gross total resection compared with those who did not receive radiation therapy. Additional research will be necessary to confirm these findings.[8] Chemotherapy has been shown to be active in patients with recurrent ependymoma.[9] One relatively small, prospective, randomized trial suggests that chemotherapy activity in newly diagnosed cases is limited,[10] and current treatment approaches do not include chemotherapy as a component of primary therapy for most children with newly diagnosed ependymomas that are completely resected. Children younger than 3 years are particularly susceptible to the adverse effect of radiation on brain development.[11][Level of evidence: 3iiiC] Debilitating effects on growth and neurologic development have frequently been observed, especially in younger children.[12,13,14] For this reason, conformal radiation approaches, such as 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, that minimize damage to normal brain tissue and charged-particle radiation therapy, such as proton beam therapy, are under evaluation for infants and children with ependymoma.[15,16] Long-term management of these patients is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach.


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ArchiveAn Arab American director's legacy Moustapha Akkad, ebullient director of the epic film about the rise of Islam, The Message, died in a Jordanian hospital due to injuries from a bomb blast at the Grand Hyatt hotel in <?xml:namespace prefix = "st1" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st 14 Nov 2005 23:00 GMT Akkad was buried in his home town of Aleppo Akkad had been in Jordan to attend a wedding in the port city of Aqaba and his daughter had arrived from Beirut to meet him. She also perished in the blast. It was only two years ago that I sat across from him and his son, Malek, as he discussed the challenges he was facing in arranging financing for his new epic project - Salahuddin. Sitting comfortably in a leather chair in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt in Cairo, Egypt, with a pipe in his hand, Akkad described his Salahuddin troubles as nearly synonymous to the challenges he faced when trying to put together a script for The Message - a film about the rise of Islam and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. It was 1976 and Akkad had been shuttling back and forth between Beirut, Cairo and Riyadh to get various Islamic schools of jurisprudence to sign on to the project. In Beirut, Shia scholars agreed to the script, which was written by writer Hal Craig; in Cairo, the revered Al Azhar Mosque clerical establishment also gave the project a green light. But it was in Saudi Arabia that Akkad met the most difficulty. Some Saudi scholars he met thought the idea of a film was diabolical. He engaged in many philosophical discussions with the clerical order in the kingdom but they would not budge. Blasts hit three luxury hotels in Amman on Wednesday night It was only with the influence of some in the Saudi court that Akkad finally got approval to start filming. "I told them that with their way of thinking, they would have to change," Akkad told me in Cairo in November 2003. "Or they will be changed." Salahuddin - Muslim hero Akkad faced similar obstacles in getting Arab financial backing for his Salahuddin project. He had already got the iconic Sean Connery on board to star as the legendary Kurdish hero born in Iraq who would reclaim Jerusalem from the Crusaders in the 12th century. Akkad thought the invasion of Iraq was analogous to the political climate in the 11th century before Jerusalem was sacked. He said the current geopolitical chessboard reminded him of all the Muslim city-states which colluded with the Crusaders and allowed not only the fall of Jerusalem, but also led to Muslim infighting. He believed he was unable to gain Arab financial backing because the period leading up to the rise of Salahuddin too closely mirrored current events in the Arab world. The last I had heard was that Akkad had found some financial backing and Connery was still interested in the project. Desert beauty Connery was an ideal choice for the part, Akkad had said. That started a discussion into the true stars of Hollywood: Gregory Peck, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn,who starred in two of Akkad's films. We went through a host of acclaimed Hollywood glitterati until Akkad ended up talking about his favourite director, David Lean. Lean, the genius behind The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), would be one of Akkad's muses, his inspiration to take up filmmaking as a craft. In 1976's The Message, the viewer is witness to long, contemplative shots of the desert and its enchanting, often beguiling beauty. The cinematography is a tip of the hat to Lean who in Lawrence of Arabia used wide desert shots to pull the viewer into the sands of Arabia and the heart of the Arab rebellion. Akkad was best known for his 1976 epic The Message Interestingly, Quinn, who starred alongside Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in Lawrence, was the star of both The Message and 1979's Lion of the Desert, or as it is popularly known in the Arab world, Omar Mukhtar. A story of the legendary Libyan teacher who took up arms against the Italian invaders in the 1920s, Lion of the Desert was in Akkad's words, his finest achievement as a filmmaker. With a star-studded cast including Oliver Reed as Italian General Graziani, Rod Steiger as Mussolini and Irene Papas (also a star of The Message) as Mabrouka, the film won rave reviews in the Arab world but received little attention in Hollywood. Akkad told me the film fell prey to the popular politics of the times; Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi had provided some financial backing to the film and allowed it to be filmed in Libya, which was considered an enemy of the US in the late 1970s. The animosity between US president Ronald Reagan's administration and Libya in the 1980s meant the film got very little play in American theatres or on television networks. Horror meister But Akkad remained popular among American critics and moviegoers partly because of his chance, and little-known, decision to executive produce a horror story about a deranged slasher called Michael Myers. Myers, the antithesis of all superheroes, the bogeyman personified, was the main character in John Carpenter's twisted play on the spook theme associated with Halloween. Carpenter had been shopping this tale of the masked menace when Akkad happened upon it and decided to executive produce. It was the autumn of 1978 and America had no idea the horror that was coming its way. Twenty-seven years and some seven sequels later, Akkad and Carpenter had together created the single most commercially successful horror franchise in movie history. Halloween (and the story of Michael Myers) was to the horror film genre what Star Wars was to science fiction in the 1970s. Both sparked copycat films and influences and both sparked comedic spoofs. Akkad had told me how moviegoers flock to horror films partly because scared girls would grab on to their boyfriends. We both laughed about that one. There were plans to have Myers return in Halloween 9, but one can only speculate as to the future of the franchise now. Aleppo, ah Aleppo Although a naturalised American citizen, Akkad always kept Syria, and specifically his birth town of Aleppo, sacrosanct. I had asked him what it meant to be so far away and he had replied: "Aleppo is never far away, it is always in the heart". He shared fond memories of Syria, its people, the way he was brought up as a Muslim and as an Arab, the parables told to him by his father. He was very passionate in describing his love for his religion and Arab causes and his disdain for terrorism. Ironically, it would be terrorism that would end his life. "Nothing, no one can kill Michael Myers," Akkad told me once. "There will always be Michael Myers." To the millions of his film fans there will always be Moustapha Akkad. Source: Aljazeera
Soft approach to revolution in North Korea Defectors have turned to floating soap operas - even Hollywood movies - into the North to stir up 'regime change'. Human Rights, Asia, North Korea
Ebola and Africa's medicine men With modern communication technology failing to halt the disease's spread, traditional healers have stepped in to help. Health, Africa, Guinea
Israel targets rising critical opinion in Germany As celebrations kick off marking 50 years of diplomacy, an increasing number of Germans are expressing negative views. War & Conflict, Human Rights, Politics
Greece: Climbing out of debilitating private debt Individuals and the state are brainstorming different debt strategies, but almost all are out of line with EU lenders. Business & Economy, Politics, Poverty & Development
The SystemProsecutorial MisconductThe System examines two cases where prosecutorial misconduct may have led to wrongful imprisonment. Crime, Law, United States
Talk to Al JazeeraPrince Ali of Jordan: 'Bring back FIFA's reputation'The FIFA presidential candidate explains why he is challenging Sepp Blatter and how he plans to reform the organisation.Sport, Middle East, FIFA
Al Jazeera WorldAhalil: Music of the Red OasisThe music of the Algerian Sahara, known as Ahalil, is a key part of a way of life that has survived for centuries.Arts & Culture, Algeria, Music
People & PowerKilling the BallPeople & Power investigates how a match-fixer and his syndicate corrupted global football.Sport, Football, Corruption


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Winter Dog Care
Get tips on caring for your dog in the winter from our friend and neighbor, Dr. Karen Rooney.
Read MoreBrittany Diedrich
Meet Brittany Diedrich, from our Hanley location. She loves it here, and the dogs love having her. Just ask the poodle whose life she saved.
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Average Flavorist Salaries
The average salary for flavorist jobs in Beloit, WI is $60,000. Average flavorist salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits.
This salary was calculated using the average salary for all jobs with the term "flavorist" anywhere in the job listing.
Average Salary of Jobs with Related Titles
In USD as of Mar 2, 2015 |
business development manager- alcoholic beverage |
$85,000 | |||||||
flavor/flavor chemist |
$58,000 | |||||||
r&d technician |
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London and Woodstock areas swap!!!
Justine_London(5b-6a On.,Can.)May 2, 2005
I just thought I might catch some Canadians over here for a plant and seed swap we're planning in London for the "webbers". Please go to Canadian Garden Exchange for further info.
Great gardening to all, Justine
Here is a link that might be useful: Canadian Garden Exchange


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Flats to rent in Adlington, Lancashire
£325 pcm (£75 pw)
1 bed flat to rent
Carrington Road, Adlington, Chorley PR7***available mid March*** Concept are pleased to offer for let this ground floor studio flat in a much sought after location in Adlington. The property briefly comprises the following:- Entrance, Lounge/Bedroom, small dressing room area, 3 Piece ... More details
- Adlington (Lancs) (0.3 miles)
- Blackrod (2.2 miles)
Note: Distances are straight line measurementsMarketed by Concept, BL6. Call 01204 317017
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Vietnamese Sour Soup (Canh Chua). Instead of putting fish, substitute it with shrimps. Another favorite soup of mine!


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Philadelphia Auditions
Find:Backstage's auditions in Philadelphia include theater, film, television, commercials, and voiceover roles.
New auditions are posted to Backstage.com daily.
The following listings display productions and casting notices for Philadelphia. You can further refine your search by using the filters on the right side of the page, and save your search to have new casting notices sent directly to your inbox.
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- Shoots end of Feb. in downtown L.A.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Seeking talented boys and girls 18 and under who dream of being fashion designers for "Couture Charité," a new social campaign. Coordinator states: "As one of our first steps we plan to shoot a social video that will also be used as a pilot for a TV show. Whether you ...
Feb 20 -
Project Vocal Pro: A New Band by Naturally 7
- Rehearsals will take place beginning late April or early May 2015 in or around Provo, UT.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Seeking singers for a new group being formed by international touring vocal group Naturally 7, who are looking to build a vocal band of six-seven young men who will also use "VocalPlay" as a staple of their entertainment package.
Feb 19 -
- Rehearsals TBD in Jackson and Toms River, NJ; runs July 17-18 in Ocean County, NJ.
- Auditions: Mar 8, 14, in Jackson, NJ
Casting "Tarzan the Musical" in Ocean County, NJ. Seeking youth ages 10-19. All roles open.
Feb 19 -
- Rehearsals are TBD in East Hanover NJ; shoots this spring at TBA location.
- Seeking submissions from: New York, NY; NJ; PA
Casting a web series "420 Series," which revolves ing around two friends and the everyday struggle of life. These two friends happen to have an obsession with pot and function high through everyday life. With four main cast, this series will touch on, life, love, work, & friendship through many ...
Feb 19 -
- Shoots dates & locations are TBD.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Casting MTV's "Are You the One?" Casting Director states: "In the most ambitious dating experiment ever attempted, 10 single women were selected and put through an extensive matchmaking process to find 10 single guys who are their perfect match. Now all 20 are living together in an exotic location trying ...
Feb 19 -
Tyler Perry's "Madea, On the Run"
- Rehearsals begin March 9, in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Casting a new touring play entitled, "Madea, On the Run." Project description: "Madea is in trouble with local authorities and is now on the run from the law. With no place to turn, she volunteers to move in with in with her friend Bam, who is recovering from hip replacement ...
Feb 18 -
- "The Heiress" rehearsals begin Jun. 1; "Oliver!" rehearsals begin Jun. 19; shows run in rep through Aug. 1 (up to six performances/wk.) in Hannibal, MO, a historic and picturesque city on the banks of the Mississippi River.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Casting "Oliver!" and "The Heiress" for Bluff City Theater.
Feb 19 -
'Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival'
- Tour starts May 1, 2015 (10 months).
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Casting VEE Corporation's family-friendly stage production "Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival." Seeking pop singers, pop singer-dancers and hip hop dancers. If you have already sent material from another posting, submit again under this heading.
Feb 19 -
'Find Your Honesty: Acting Through Song' Coaching
- Ongoing sessions are held at Ripley-Grier Studios in NYC. If not local, sessions are held via FaceTime or Skype online.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Seeking participants for "Acting Through Song" classes. Owner states: "Are you tired to going to auditions and feeling like you don't know what you're doing? Do nerves get the better of you? Are you uncertain of how to present yourself and maintain your sense of self in audition situations? Do ...
Feb 19 -
- Shooting March or April 2015 in Rockaway, NJ.
- Seeking submissions from: NJ; NY; PA
Casting "The Love," a short film. Synopsis: Two lovers are stranded after their flight is delayed due to bad weather. They have time to talk about some things they've been avoiding while stuck at the hotel waiting. Madeline eventually wears Henriette down to admitting she isn't really a lesbian. Finally, ...
Feb 19 -
- Readings & rehearsals take place in May; shoots this June in NYC.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Casting for a new feature "Residue," about two estranged parents, Cheta and Nsikak who must come together to care for their dying son. The story is told both in real time and in flash-backs as we journey back and forth with the current situation and when cupid first struck, peeling ...
Feb 18 -
Greater Philadelphia Annual Auditions, Walnut Street Theatre
- Season rehearses and runs in Philadelphia, PA.
- Auditions: Mar 23 in Philadelphia, PA
Seeking Equity actors and actor/singers for various principal roles in Walnut Street Theatre's upcoming season shows. This is part of the Greater Philadelphia Annual Auditions (GPAA). 2015-16 mainstage season includes: "High Society" (rehearsals begin Aug. 18, 2015; runs Sept. 8-Oct. 25); "A Christmas Story" (rehearsals begin Oct. 20; runs Nov. ...
Feb 18 -
Greater Philadelphia Annual Auditions
- Dates vary according to theater.
- Auditions: Mar 23 in Philadelphia, PA
Seeking Equity actors and actor/singers for various roles within various Philadelphia-area theaters' seasons. Note: For any Equity theater using this EPA to fulfill any portion of its Equity audition requirements, a separate notice will be posted with that theater's season. Organizers state: "The Walnut Street Theatre is excited to host ...
Feb 18 -
Curriculum Developer for Talent Agent Training Program
- Dates TBD; seeking submissions nationwide.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Seeking a curriculum developer for a talent agent training program with the NYU School of Professional Studies. Coordinator states: "NYU School of Professional Studies, a leader in helping build professionals who make a difference in the world, is seeking an industry expert to develop a new curriculum for a professional ...
Feb 18 -
- Shoots Spring 2015 in Philadelphia, PA.
- Seeking submissions from: King of Prussia, PA
Casting "Followed," an independent film for film festival submission and release in 2016.
Feb 18 -
- Shoots Apr.-Sept. 2015 (exact dates TBD) in NYC/NJ.
- Seeking submissions from: Ewing, NJ; New York, NY
Casting supporting roles for "Three Days of Glory," a web series about cosplayers in NYC and NJ.
Feb 17 -
CollegeBargain.com On Campus Performer
- Runs nationwide.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Seeking university students of four year colleges to promote student website www.collegebargain.com on campuses; ideally with music.
Feb 17 -
'How to Get an Agent and More,' Marketing for Actors Workshop
- Workshop takes place March 14 (10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) in NYC. Location will be given once registration is complete.
- Seeking submissions from: New York, NY; NJ; CT; PA
Seeking participants for a workshop on marketing for actors and how to get an agent. Teacher states: "This is the last time this workshop will be held in NYC. This workshop is moving to Atlanta in April, so this is your last chance to take it in NY. In this ...
Feb 16 -
- Shows run in Inwood Hill Park, Peninsula in Northern NYC.
- Seeking submissions nationwide/worldwide
Casting Inwood Shakespeare Festival's 16th annual summer season of acclaimed free outdoor theatre in Inwood Hill Park. Season includes "Hamlet" (Rehearsals begin May 4 in Midtown Manhattan and Inwood; runs June 3-20) and "Henry IV," (Rehearsals begin June 8 in Midtown Manhattan and Inwood; runs July 15-Aug. 1).
Feb 17


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VIDEO: 2012 Warrior Games for Injured Service Members and Veterans
Posted by mleyba on 2012-05-02 18:12:22 tags: Video
The 2012 Warrior Games have returned to Colorado Springs for the third year. The sporting competition is for injured service members and veterans.
More than 200 servicemen and women are competing this year in seven sports. Participants do everything from archery to sitting volleyball. The athletes are the best of the best from the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Special Operations.
The 2012 Warrior Games started on April 30 and will continue until May 5. Look at the schedule of events and competition results for the 2012 Warrior Games here.
Video by Anne Herbst
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