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The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi men's basketball team enters its final stretch of two home games with a contest against Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, Feb. 28, on Stripes Court at the American Bank Center. Tickets to the game are buy one, get one free for the doubleheader, which starts with the women's game at 5 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30.
• The Islanders have one of the youngest teams in Division I, with an average age of 20 years, five months, 27 days heading into today's matchup. There are no seniors on the team.
• Johnathan Jordan is the only player in the Southland – and one of just five nationally – to average 10-plus points, 5-plus rebounds, and 5-plus assists on the year. He is six assists from matching his own school record.
• Freshman Jelani Currie had a breakthrough game last time out, going 6-for-8 from the field for a career-high 13 points off the bench. His previous career high was two points.
• The Islanders' bench has averaged 30.8 points over its last five games. The bench has shot 70-for-160 (.438) over the five-game span.
• Hameed Ali is averaging 12.6 points over the last five games and is 23-for-44 from the field (.523) and 9-for-17 from downtown (.529).
• Texas A&M - Corpus Christi is ineligible for the postseason because of poor results in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate. No Islander who has played under Wilson had anything to do with the subpar score.
The Islanders and Southeastern Louisiana will lock horns for the ninth time in the Islanders era on Thursday. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series against the Lions, including a 3-0 record against Southeastern in Corpus Christi. The Islanders are 1-3 in Hammond, and added a win over the Lions in the 2007 Southland Tournament.
The Islanders have lost their last two matchups with Southeastern, including a 67-53 defeat in Hammond earlier this season. Johnathan Jordan had 24 points and 10 rebounds in that affair, his first career double-digit rebound effort, but the Lions' second-half charge sent them past the visiting Islanders. For more details and a box score of that game, please turn to page 2.
Southeastern Louisiana is currently in line for a first-round bye in the Southland Conference Tournament, as it sits in fourth place with a conference mark of 8-6 on the year. The Lions are 10-15 overall, but have heated up in conference play, delivering one of Stephen F. Austin's two conference losses on the season. Southeastern has lost three of its last four, though, including a 66-52 defeat at the hands of Winthrop in its Ramada Worldwide Bracketbusters matchup.
The Lions are led by Brandon Fortenberry, who is averaging 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds just a year removed from a season-ending injury suffered last year. Roosevelt Johnson is one of the top true big men in the league with his 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds. The Lions average 62.0 points per game, with no other player averaging in double digits. Southeastern shoots 40.1 percent overall and 32.9 from long range.
He's only a sophomore, but Houston native Johnathan Jordan has been thrust into the role of leader on the young Islanders squad. Jordan led the Southland in assists per game in 2011-12, and was also among the leaders in minutes per game.
Jordan was outstanding as a distributor a season ago, but his growth as a scorer is notable. After averaging 6.5 points last year, the point guard has contributed 12.6 points per game, largely on his ability to get to the rim and the free-throw line. Despite his 5-foot-10 frame, he leads the team with 156 points in the paint and has hit a team-best 110 free throws, including a 12-for-13 performance at the line against McNeese. He has entered the Islanders' single-season top 10 in minutes and free throws this year.
Perhaps more impressive is Jordan's all-around game. His distribution is what he is most known for, and with 5.3 assists per game this year, he sits second in the Southland. He is just six assists away from matching his own school record of 138, set last season. In league play, he has 82 assists to 39 turnovers. He is already fourth on the Islanders' career assist list, and is more than halfway to breaking Brian Evans' career record of 493.
Jordan is also strong on the glass, having topped double-digit rebounds twice this season. He snared 11 caroms against SHSU for his third double-double of the year. He is one of just five players nationally averaging at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. He shows high on the stamina scale as well, where he leads the Southland at 36.4 minutes per game.
The diminutive guard is one of the most athletic Islanders, as evidenced by his two slam-dunk contest championships, thanks to his 48-inch running vertical leap.
One of the primary reasons for the Islanders' improvement in offensive efficiency has been the youngest member of last year's freshman class. Hameed Ali showed flashes of being a strong player for the Islanders in 2011-12, delivering game-winning shots against Sam Houston State and Utah State.
But Ali, who turned 19 in August, has shown significant growth in his maturity, particularly as a vocal leader for the Islanders. Formerly one of the most shy members of the team, Ali has become a constant voice in practice – whether he is on the court or on the sidelines.
Ali has really heated up on the offensive end, where he has averaged 12.6 points in the last five games, best on the team. He netted 15 points against McNeese State and followed that up with a career-high 18 at UCA. Against the Bears, he went 7-for-10 from the field and added six assists and three steals. He added 11 points at Oral Roberts, the second-best mark on the team, and posted 11 vs. Cal State Fullerton.
The sophomore started the season among the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, and now has 52 assists to 31 turnovers. He leads the team and is sixth in the league with his 1.6 steal average.
The Islanders have recently had strong performances off their bench. They had 32 points against Lamar, 26 against McNeese and then 34 in the UCA contest. Then it erupted for 43 against Northwestern State, a season high. With 33 against Fullerton, the Islanders have averaged 30.8 points over its last five games. The bench has shot 70-for-160 (.438) over the five-game span.
Among the Islanders, there is no personality quite like that of the appropriately-named Joy Williamson. The junior transfer's ebullient and energetic personality is matched only by his intensity and pace on the basketball court.
After missing three games due to injury, Williamson has been solid in his last three weeks. He led the team in scoring in both contests two weeks ago, netting 12 against Lamar and matching his career high with 15 in the win over McNeese State. He was tremendously efficient as well, going 7-for-13 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. He had 12 points vs. Northwestern State, and has pushed his average near double digits at 9.5 per game.
His career high in points against MSU would have been even higher had it not been for an uncharacteristic 5-for-10 performance at the free-throw line. Still, he is having a strong year in free-throw shooting (.682).
His other 15-point performance came in the first game against UCA, where he went 5-for-9 from the field, knocking down a pair of threes in a losing effort. That snapped a string where he failed to reach double figures in four straight contests.
His finest game came against Houston, as the guard's offensive ability shined brightly. He went 6-for-9 from the field for 13 points, filling the stat sheet in all other aspects of his game as well. Williamson snared seven rebounds, dished out four assists to no turnovers and registered three steals.
Williamson played two seasons at Redlands Community College, where he was coached by current Islanders assistant Yaphett King. The Oklahoma City native scored 18.7 points and grabbed 8.2 rebounds at Redlands.
Since beginning conference play, the Islanders have seen their best offense when they are getting contributions from several players. The trend started at Sam Houston State, when, due to foul trouble, Johnathan Jordan and Will Nelson – the top two scorers on the team – were limited to 14 minutes in the first half.
The Islanders had six different players score at least six points – Jordan, Nelson, Joy Williamson, Brandon Pye, Hameed Ali and Cole Martinez. The Islanders have had at least five different players with six points in nine of their last 13 games, including seven in the UCA contest.
Against the Bears, the Islanders placed four players in double figures for the first time in conference play, as Hameed Ali (18), Will Nelson (14), Johnathan Jordan (11) and Dale Francis (10) finished with 10 points or more. For Francis, it was a career high, and he became the eighth different player with a game in double figures this year.


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Deep tones resonate, growing in intensity as the volume builds, like a thunderstorm on the horizon. Synthesizer and guitar step in, and a ghostly voice weaves a melody over the ripple of sound.
This is Tatanka, a genre-blending Front Range band that mixes chunky reggae beats with ethereal keyboard strokes to get crowds alternately swaying like wind-blown trees and bouncing to a jungle-inspired, thump-and-pulse rhythm.
"It's a really unique blend of a bunch of different backgrounds and styles coming together," said Nate Adams, lead guitarist. "(It's) definitely reggae-based; some people call it dubtronic - a bit of an electronic touch to the reggae, with dancehall and funk."
Tatanka grew out of the Denver music scene, with Ian Gastl on vocals and rhythm guitar, Mike Caine on drums and Andrew Maloney on bass, keys and synthesizer. Dillon local Adams joined up last summer after the band returned from a national tour, completing the quartet.
"I'd been playing in some side projects with some of the members before I joined, mostly with (Maloney)," Adams said. "I got introduced to the rest of the band, and it went really well from there."
Named after the Sioux word for bison, Tatanka transforms that earthy image into a sort of organic warmth, softening the edges of electronica and even throwing in the occasional sample from nature.
"We just released a brand new EP at the end of January called 'Cloudless Thunder,'" Adams said. "It's a Native American term. ... 'Cloudless thunder' was a buffalo stampede in the distance. We like to say that you'll definitely hear us before you see us - a loud, thunderous noise, like a bison stampede."
Tatanka is in the middle of a four-show tour, playing with the Expendables in Boulder on Sunday and Aspen on Monday and then traveling to Breckenridge for a solo show at three20south Tuesday. The tour will close in Denver on Thursday with a double bill featuring Stick Figure, another nationally touring reggae band.
"We like to play mountain shows a lot; it's a really good crowd every time, a really receptive audience," Adams said. "Always a lot of energy and excitement."
Take Tatanka for a test drive on the band's MySpace page before Tuesday's free show in Breck.
"It's a fresh take on the classic reggae rhythms, something that no one else is playing right now in the music scene," Adams said. "Our goal is to have everyone in the room moving and dancing and having a good time."

subset: commoncrawl


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Changes related to "Law:Title 5. Sanitation And Environmental Quality. Subtitle B. Solid Waste, Toxic Chemicals, Sewage, Litter, And Water (Texas)"
From Law Delta
This is a list of changes made recently to pages linked from a specified page (or to members of a specified category).Pages on your watchlist are bold.
No changes on linked pages during the given period.


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Google launches Chromium project, Terracotta acquires Quartz. And more.
Follow 451 CAOS Links live @caostheory on Twitter and
"Tracking the open source news wires, so you don't have to."
For the latest on Oracle's acquisition of MySQL via Sun, see Everything you always wanted to know about MySQL but were afraid to ask
# Google …[Read more...]


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Looking for some DIY inspiration? Look no further than all the details tucked into this Cape Cod celebration. It's DIY done oh-so-right, all in the prettiest of Cape Cod settings, surrounding the most adorable of duos. Katie Gardner Photography captured all the crafty goodness, so be sure to soak up every last inspirational image right here.
All posts with Vendor


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- Help
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- 7-Button placket with contrast-colored metal snaps
- Body: 100% double-knit polyester
- Elbow patches and front and back body decorated with satin striping
- Embroidered NBA team logo and moniker on the left chest
- Lining: 100% Polyester satin
- Made in China
- Mitchell & Ness® wordmark embroidered on the right cuff
- Officially licensed
- Ribbed collar, cuff and waistband: 100% Polyester
- Team logo featured across the back
- Traditionally cut for roomier fit in the body and sleeve
- Imported
- Brand: Mitchell & Ness
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Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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Key Documents
- LymanFest schedule of events (DOCX - 17kb)
Saturday's LymanFest will feature music, arts, food and rides
Published: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 4:01 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 4:01 p.m.
LymanFest will be held Saturday and will include a singing competition, a performance by Mill Billy Blues and an opening ceremony to honor military, firefighters, police officers and public service workers.
Want to go?
What: 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Old Springs Mill parking lot, intersection of Pacific and Community streets in Lyman
Info: http://www.lymanfest.com/ or 864-439-3453
Free: Kids Zone, Community Education Zone, carnival rides and concerts
Besides arts and crafts vendors and a Kids Zone, food vendors will sell everything from pizza to Italian ices and kettle corn.
Other highlights:
-Musical performances include Tom Crabtree and Rock-N-Roll Reunion at 10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.; Dave Effler and Southern Country at 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Mill Billy Blues at 12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.; Shag Doctorz at 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. and Insta Jam at 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
-Lyman Idol contest at 7 p.m.
-The Community Education Zone will include a drunk driving simulator and a live burn demonstration.
-The Kids Zone will feature rides, inflatables and children will be able to visit with their favorite Disney characters.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Laws talk:Title 2. Code Of Criminal Procedure from Chapter 104. Certain Expenses Paid By State Or County (Texas)
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Welcome to OSC! This document includes some useful information to help your classroom use of our resources be effective.
Access: We suggest that students consider connecting to https://ondemand.osc.edu/ to access the HPC resources. All production supercomputing resources can be accessed via that website, without having to worry about client configuration.
Resources: We currently have two production clusters, Oakley and Glenn, with Nvidia GPUs available on both (but in larger quantities on Oakley). Recent usage patterns have shown that jobs on Glenn typically execute faster. However, both systems have "debug" queues during typical business hours that allow small jobs of less than 1 hour to start much quicker than they might otherwise.
If you need to reserve access to particular resources, please contact OSC Help (preferably with at least two weeks lead time) so that we can put in the required reservations to ensure resources are available during lab or class times.
Software: We have a list of supported software, including sample batch scripts, in our documentation. If you have specific needs that we can help with, let OSC Help know.
Students: We have a single-page guide for new students to help them figure out the basics of using OSC at http://www.osc.edu/new_user. Included are basics on getting connected, HPC system structure, file transfers, and batch systems.
Support: You can find events at the center (including training) by visiting osc.edu/e , system notices are at osc.edu/n , we provide important information in the "message of the day" (visible when you log in), and you can get notices by following @HPCNotices on Twitter. Help can be found by contacting OSC Help weekdays, 9AM to 5PM.
OSC Help: 1-800-686-6472, 614-292-1800 (local), firstname.lastname@example.com
Useful Links:
FAQ: http://www.osc.edu/supercomputing/faq
Main Supercomputing page: http://www.osc.edu/supercomputing/
ARMSTRONG Client Portal: https://armstrong.osc.edu/


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Party Pics: Rocking out for a good cause at the Granada Theater
Photo: Jerry McClure/Special Contributor
Allen Schaar, Mary Schaar, Julie Smith and Bryan Sansone at Dallas's Rhett Miller's performance benefiting Cystic Fibrosis at Granada Theater on November 17, 2012 in Dallas Texas.
To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.


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rogerfederer.com - Roger stronger than Stan
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Roger stronger than Stan
Roger has made it through to the semis in Wimbledon thanks to a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 win over fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka. It is Roger's ninth Wimbledon semi-final - he hasn't lost a single one of them in his career.
"I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but I'm back strong this year," said Federer. "Last year was such a disappointment. I always try to win it and last year I didn't even come close. I was very deflated leaving on that note. It's good to be back in the semis, the prospect of going a step or two further is very exciting," Roger said.
Today, Stan Wawrinka started very strong and Roger fell back an early break which he could not recover from. In the second set, the players both held serve and Roger edged a win in the tie-break. In the third set, Roger finally converted the first of six break points to take a 4-3 lead and then the set. Another early break in the fourth put Roger on course for the semis, before he converted his fifth match point after 2:32 hours.
Roger will meet either Canada's Milos Raonic (ATP 9) or Australia's Nick Kyrgios (ATP 144).
Hopefully he will be just as prepared tomorrow for the trophy. I am feeling very confident.
Congratulations Roger and thank you that was wonderful!


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I've lived in Summit County for over 22 years and have never found a need to have a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a bazooka or a machine gun. The streets of our county and state are relatively safe. Yes, some terrible things have happened across our nation, but if everyone had a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and other automatic weapons then I feel that no one would be safe. We don't need to arm ourselves as if we lived in Afghanistan.
Sharon Anderson, Breckenridge


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August 31, 2016
Rose Hill Water Association issued a boil water notice Wednesday.
Officials say the system lost pressure.
Customers affected are on County Road 1842 and County Road 313.
The advisory is in effect until further notice.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Thirty-five colleges, technical schools, and branches of the armed forces will be at Chillicothe High School from 6:30 until 8 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) in the commons.
All interested students and parents in the area are encouraged to attend. Reservations are not needed, but students are encouraged to sign up ahead of time at www.gotocollegefairs. com and print a bar-coded pass. Instead of time spent filling out contact cards, college representatives will be able to scan the bar code, leaving students more time to ask questions.
AIB College of Business, Avila University, Baker University, Central Methodist University, Chillicothe Beauty Academy, Columbia College, Cottey College, The Creative Center, Culver-Stockton College, Grand River Technical School, Hannibal-La Grange University, Indian Hills Community College, Lindenwood University, Midland University, Missouri Department of Higher Education, Missouri MOST 529 Plan – Upromise, Missouri National Guard, Missouri Southern State University, Missouri State University, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Missouri Valley College, Missouri Western State University, North Central Missouri College, Northwest Missouri State University, Park University, Paul Mitchell, Ranken Technical College, Southwest Baptist University, Truman State University, University of Central Missouri, University of Missouri – Columbia, William Jewell College, William Woods University, U.S. Air Force, US Army, U.S. Marines
Location, ST | website.com


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- Tea Pouches
- Loose Tea
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- Sale
- Why Mighty Leaf?
With our Chamomile herbal tea from the Nile River Valley in Egypt find your inner calm with a sweet and fragrant infusion of the finest golden Chamomile blossoms. An ancient herbal tea drink that relaxes and revives. Calming to the spirit and digestion, Chamomile herbal tea also strengthens the immune system.
Loose tea in 2 oz. bag
Chamomile flowers
Herbs and Fruit
Dried yellow flowers
Pale yellow liquor
Soft and apple-like flavor
Preparing the perfect cup of tea is a process to be savored. Watch how the traditional elements harmoniously come together to make the perfect cup and enjoy the liberation of pure tea goodness.
This is what we call the Mighty Leaf signature multi-sensory ("sensory melange") tea experience. Come share with us and learn how to get infused.
The quality of tea is affected by the quality of water used to prepare it. Using filtered or bottled water is best. If possible, avoid brewing tea with tap, distilled or mineral water. Never over-boil water, as it results in flat-tasting tea.
1) Heat filtered or bottled water to a rolling boil or to 205 F. 2) While the water is heating pour hot water into your teapot and cups, let sit and then drain completely. A warm teapot will maintain the requisite temperature for superior tasting tea.
Whole Leaf Tea
Prepare Mighty Leaf teas using a teapot, paper tea sachet, infuser or traditional brewing methods. Use one rounded tablespoon of loose herbs and fruit per 12 ounces or cup of water.
Infusion Time
Pour boiling water over tea leaves. Keep teapot covered to retain heat. Time steeping carefully and infuse for 5 - 7 minutes.
Savor the Leaf
Sip your cup and rediscover the pleasure of the way tea was naturally meant to be. This is the magic of Mighty Leaf.
Health Benefits
A popular medicinal herb, Chamomile use as a calming and anti-inflammatory remedy dates back to ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. With its soothing qualities, Chamomile can help calm the nerves and ease stomach pains.
Chamomile is traditionally drunk by many to soothe the body and mind before bed time. In the alternative, try it on ice during the summer to refresh and revive. Pair the infusion with light foods and complementary flavors like cookies or fruit flavored items.
Subscribe and save 5% with Regular Tea Rituals, our Auto-Delivery Program. Details
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Any roadway worker with half a brain knows to don high-visibility safety clothing before setting foot onto the jobsite. Now, with a new federal rule in place, use of neon-bright vests and the like will increase.
The federal rule's text states that "All workers within the right of way of a federal-aid highway who are exposed to traffic...or to construction equipment within the work area shall wear high-visibility safety apparel." It defines workers as "people on foot whose duties place them within the right of way of a federal-aid highway, such as highway construction and maintenance forces, survey crews, utility crews, responders to incidents within the highway right of way, and law enforcement personnel when directing traffic, investigating crashes, and handling lane closures, obstructed roadways, and disasters within the right of way of a federal-aid highway." In other words, just about any employee walking around a highway jobsite.
No matter what your staffers are doing on the road, safety gear is a must. In addition to the usual suspects (road construction crews, law enforcement personnel, utility workers, and the like), the rule also applies to volunteers in roadside trash pickup events like those in Adopt-A-Highway programs.
The bottom line: consider investing in more high-visibility vests, so that whoever's working on your federally funded roads, you're covered.
Safety vests
Keeta Class 2 safety vests, designed for temporary workers and high-dirt environments, are made of polyester, non-woven fabric. Each comes with large armholes and adjustable sides to accommodate the wearer's size and allow for outerwear, and each can be washed up to five times. Choose from lime and orange colors. Lakeland Industries Inc. www.lakeland.com..
High-visibility rain suit
This polyurethane rain suit—compliant with Class III and ANSI 1007-2004 standards—consists of a jacket and pants in high-visibility yellow, with navy and 3M silver reflective tape trim. The waterproof, windproof outfit is thermally insulated, lightweight, and has a removable hood. OccuNomix International. www.occunomix.com..
High-comfort hardhat
The company has enhanced its Classic line of hardhats with greater weather protection and user comfort. The new suspension with easy-lock snaps makes it easy to wear, and the improved ratchet design provides easy grip and access for adjusting height without needing to remove the suspension. Also, the replaceable brow pad is wider and longer for added wearer comfort. E.D. Bullard Co. www.bullard.com..
Hydration backpack
Drink hydration packs can hold enough water for three hours of work, enabling onsite laborers to avoid heat stress. Plus, the Guardian pack comes in high-visibility colors, including 3M Scotchlite reflective stripes for night work. The heavy-duty reservoir is constructed of anti-microbial material to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and fungus. Other features include a bite valve cover that protects the contents from contamination and breakaway shoulder straps. When filled, each pack weighs 7 lbs. True North LLC. www.drinkhydration.com..
Puncture-resistant gloves
X-Factor 734WP work gloves are made of abrasion- and puncture-resistant Keprotec and Kevlar materials. The gloves have synthetic leather on the fingers, thumb, and palm. Other features include a breathable, waterproof liner; padded knuckles; PVC fingertip grips; and palm padding. Sizes range from small to 2XL. Ergodyne. www.ergodyne.com..
NFL eyewear
The company offers a line of safety glasses that feature logos of National Football League teams on the earpiece. The glasses are made with anti-fog, scratch-resistant lenses (either clear or gray), and they meet or exceed ANSI Z87.1 requirements. MSA–Mine Safety Appliances. www.msanet.com..


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Miami Flight Deals
We fly to Miami daily. Book your flight and hotel together and enjoy savings.
Find a British Airways flight for less, we'll refund the difference.
Low price finder and low initial deposits.
Fly with British Airways and enjoy award-winning service, excellent value for money and no hidden charges:
Experience it all in Miami, a city with a well earned reputation for fine weather, amazing beaches and a lively nightlife. It is also a great jumping off spot to explore the Everglades and the Keys, or for a sailing or fishing holiday.
British Airways offers twice daily direct flights from London to Miami. As well as being our cheapest flights, World Traveller fares also prepare you for your stay with quality in-flight dining and a wide selection of entertainment. When you arrive, the airport is a mere five miles north of Downtown, so you'll be in the heart of the action in no time.
Flights to Miami from London Heathrow take roughly nine hours, and travellers can choose between a number of flight times and a variety of different cabins. What's more, when you fly with BA, our experienced team of flight experts will help ensure your comfort and safety from take-off to landing.
British Airways operates flights from London to Miami twice daily, making it easy to choose flights that suit your schedule and get you to your destination right on time. What's more, daily return flights from Miami to London can help you make the most of your holiday.
Enjoy non-stop services from London Heathrow to Miami International Airport with British Airways. Each of our flights offer in-flight dining and entertainment options, and you can pick up any last-minute items at one of the many shops inside London Heathrow.
Flights to Miami land at Miami International Airport, conveniently located just seven miles from downtown. After landing, you can hail a taxi outside the terminal or arrange for car rental to explore the area hassle-free.
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Find out useful information about the airports we fly from and check which terminal your flight departs from.Airport Information
View our flight schedule to check the flight frequency and journey time. Find the departure time that suits you.When we fly
Find out everything you need to know about taking baggage with you on flights with British Airways and our partners.Baggage Essentials
When travelling on this route from London Heathrow in our World Traveller cabin (economy), you can now choose to pay for a wider choice of indulgent meals as an alternative to the complimentary in-flight meal. Take your pick from the online menu between 30 days and 24 hours before your flight.Find out more
High Life climbs aboard the Holy Ship luxury liner to find out why festivals at sea are making waves.


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The winner of the $250 Monthly Textbook Scholarship for October is Lance Day of University of Missouri! Congrats to Lance!
You like extra rental credit? Then enter to win this month's scholarship where you could win $250 in textbook rentals just like that!
The promotion ends November 30th! Every friend you invite gets you another entry.


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'Gossip Girl,' Season 6, Episode 5, 'Monstrous Ball': TV Recap
We're heading toward the beginning of the end of "Gossip Girl."
Dan is hiding out in Blair's apartment. She's in a flurry because she has a new muse, uggh, this whole fashion thing is such a random thread.
Steven and Serena are schmooching and Sage is not happy. Everyone is getting ready for the Cotillion and Serena is forcing her way onto Sage's stage.
Georgina wants the Blair chapter from Dan, but Dan doesn't want to give it up because he loves him some Blair. Then Dorota comes in with Blair's secret engagement ring from Chuck and Dan isn't happy about that. So he sends Vanity Fair a chapter about Chuck Bass and his daddy.
Ivy is still with Rufus and it's still gross. Chuck is still researching his dad. Serena is searching for advice on how to deal with Steven.
Ivy is somehow spying on Lily and Chuck. She offers to help Chuck. mmm. While snooping, Serena comes upon a very big diamond ring. Sage immediately pounces, finds the ring and is not amused.
It's all coming down at Cotillion. Steven tells Sage he's going to ask Lily for her permission and ask Serena that night at the dance. So Sage stomps on over to Blair's and asks for help in delaying the proposal. Blair calls Lily and says she's worried about Serena not being ready. Suddenly, Steven tells Serena not to come to the dance. Allegedly.
Ivy is in Bart and Lily's apartment, trying to set it up as if Chuck was there, but Bart walks in as she's drinking his Scotch. She plays it off and he seems to fall for it.
Dan offers to escort Blair to the dance. Georgina tells Dan to get over Blair already. Georgina tells Dan that if he doesn't shake it, she'll share the sex video he made with Serena. Then Sage steals Georgina's phone and sees the sex tape. Turns out that Sage sent the note from Steven.
Lily tells Serena that she had misgivings about Steven, and that Serena has liferafts, not boyfriends. Bart accuses Lily of having Chuck in her apartment. Chuck tries to explain to Lily that Bart is a bad man, but Lily takes Bart's side.
Blair tells Serena that she just wants Serena's happiness and warns her about Sage going rogue. Blair says she wants to a bridesmaid. As Sage walks down the aisle in Blair's dress, the sex tape with Dan and Serena shows up behind her.
Steven is not amused. Blair is mad at Dan for sleeping with Serena. She says she thought Dan was better than that. Blair said she'd rather be with no one than Dan.
Nate is now mad at Sage for releasing the sex tape. He leaves Sage on the dance floor as her daddy takes her away. Serena tries to apologize to Blair and it's not going over. Blair says Serena was right, that they haven't been friends for a long time.
Rufus finds out Ivy has been bankrolling his gallery with funds from CeCe's estate. Steven breaks up with Serena because she's got too much goofy going on in her past. As she sits all alone and sad, Dan asks her out for a burger. They end up all happy and stress eating at a diner.
Blair and Chuck end up in his apartment. He asks her to wait a little longer. Blair says she'll wait as long as it takes. For real, come on already.
Next week: There are only five episodes left. Next Monday, do Serena and Dan get back together, for the third (or is it fourth?) time? And check out Kristen Bell's sweet Buh-bye Tweet to being the voice of GG!


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SEBRING — The Sertoma Junior Golf Tour continued this week at the Spring Lake Golf Resort, as a solid field of 56 players overcame wet conditions at Panther Run course.
"Conditions were a little wet because of the storms this week," said Sertoma Junior Golf Tour Director Andy Kesling. "But that's what makes golf such a challenging game, every time you go out it's a little different. And we want to give a big thank you to the McFarling Foundation. Not only do they sponsor a big tournament in March, but they really care about the tour and help out with feeding the kids and their families. We appreciate their support."
Tight play dominated most of the boys divisions. In the boys 11-13 age group, which played nine holes, Billy Carol carded a 47 to edge Beckham Donovan and Will Redding, who tied for second with a 48. Zackary Deuberry finished fourth with a 51.
"This is really the cream of the crop of the tour," Kesling said. "Billy has been tearing it up all summer, but Will and Beckham are right behind him. All the kids are working hard and they want to get better."
Jaxon Davis and Jack DuPriest tied for first in the 9-10 division, shooting a 48. Parker Griffin placed third with a 50 and Ethan Armentrout, Nolan Rasnake, and Ian Frasier finished tied for fourth with a 51.
"Jaxon and Jack are tough to beat," Kesling said. "But that's another deep, tough division with a lot of kids playing well."
Jay Allen Mack captured his first win of the season in the 14-15 division, which plays 18 holes. Mack carded an 81 to edge Coleman Nelson, who shot an 84, to secure the victory. Jhett See placed third at 102.
"Jay Allen is one of the kids from out of town, he's from Frostproof," Kesling said. "And he's in a division with a lot of kids who can win each week."
In the boys 16-18 division, Jett Dexter shot a 76 to edge Easton Davis and Kade Damboise for first. Davis and Damboise tied for second with a 77, while Charlie Gist tied for fourth with an 86.
"Jett is another kid from out of town who also scored his first win this year," Kesling said. "He comes in from Zolfo Springs, and he's played well in a very competitive division."
In the only co-ed division, which includes boys and girls aged 6-8 who play only six holes from 150 yeards out, Brody Hall shot a 33 to cruise into first place. Devin Wortinger was second with a 42, Colton Cord shot a 43 for third, and Parker Rapp placed fourth with a 48.
"Brody is a natural athlete," Kesling said. "He's been playing for a while now and he's got a very good golf swing. He's going to be tough to beat as the summer rolls on."
In the girls 11-13 division, Sertoma staple Ashley Engle carded a 44 to capture first place. Alyssa Jordan was second with a 51, Lily Daum was third at 67, and Samantha Payne finished fourth at 75.
"Ashley has been around a few years," Kesling said. "She can hit the ball real far and she's always improving. But all the girls in that group are playing well and getting better."
Naples native Chloe Nelson tied Sebring's Megan Crews for first in the 14-18 division. Both shot an 87, while Blue Streaks Meghan Griffin and Avie Clark finished in third and fourth, respectively, with scores of 105 and 108.
"Chloe has really shown improvement," Kesling said. "And the girls from Sebring are really dedicated. This is a division with a lot of high school players, and they'll be walking into the season with a lot of experience."
The next event on the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour is set for Thursday at Sebring Golf Club.
For more information on the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour, contact Kesling at the Sun 'n Lake Golf Club pro shop at 863-385-4830, ext. 1.


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The Expense that Goes into Technology for Secure Communications
When working as a doctor and owning your own business servicing patients in the community you may be wondering what the start up costs are going to be with regard to installing various software in order to protect the secure communications that are sent with regard to patients and their private and confidential information protected by what is known as the HIPAA compliant texting law. You are nervous that the expenses are going to be astronomical and you wonder what steps you can take in order to ensure that the information is protected but you are not left bankrupt in the end due to the costs of protecting this facet of your business.
Consider going online and beginning to research all of the options that are available to you with regard to protecting patient confidential information. You should be able to find various articles detailing the average cost that other doctors and business offices spend on various technology in order to be sure that they are not found in violation of such a pertinent law in the medical field.
You can then begin to get a rough idea of how much you are going to end up paying in order to be sure that your office and staff are protected accordingly. You may want to then consider looking into various businesses who solely focus on providing businesses such as yours with the technology needed to combat various intruders from accessing information that they are not entitled to view. You should ask about any discounts that are offered if you choose to purchase a package deal as well as how much maintenance costs may be also necessary in order to continually ensure that your business is receiving the latest technology updates that will keep the business safe for years to come.
The first step in the journey of trying to figure out how much this is going to cost is to get a few resources in order to call and get more information. From there, you should keep a detailed list of the prices that were offered to you as well as who you spoke to in order to help you keep track of all of the progress you have made with regard to securing the best deal for the technology that you will installing in your business office in the near future.


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S. Selby, professor of communication at Pepperdine University, will deliver the
lecture series October 29 and 30—
NJ, October 8, 2012–Gary S. Selby, the Blanche E. Seaver
Professor of Communication, and chair of the Graduate Program in Communication
at Pepperdine University, will give three lectures on preaching October 29 and 30
at Princeton Theological Seminary. The lectureship, the Donald Macleod/Short
Hills Community Congregational Church Preaching Lectures, was established by
The Community Congregational Church of Short Hills, New Jersey, in honor of Dr.
Donald Macleod, Princeton Seminary's Francis Landey Patton Professor of
Preaching and Worship from 1947 to 1988. Inaugurated in October 1992, the
series features, on a biennial basis, two or three lectures by an outstanding
preacher or teacher of preachers.
All lectures will be held in the Main
Lounge of the Mackay Campus Center on the Seminary's main campus. The schedule and topics for the lectures
is as follows: Monday,
October 29 at 7:00 p.m.—"Performing Theology: Mimesis as Persuasion in Early
Christian Discourse"
October 30 at 3:00 p.m.—"Remapping Worldviews: Contemporary Perspectives on
Attitude Change"
Tuesday, October 30
at 7:00 p.m.—"Capturing Souls: Preaching from a Poetic Consciousness"Selby's academic interests include • the history of U.S.
public address
• rhetoric and racial conflicts
in U.S. history
• rhetoric and religion
• rhetoric of protest,
social movements
• rhetoric of the Civil
Rights Movement
• and rhetoric theory and
criticism He is the author of Martin
Luther King and the Rhetoric of Freedom: The Exodus in America's Struggle with
Civil Rights, and has written numerous reviews and articles.
Selby received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Harding
University, a Th.M. from Harding University's Graduate School of Religion, and
a Ph.D. in public communications from the University of Maryland.
He is a member of the National Communication
Association, the Western States Communication Association, the Southern States
Communication Association, and the International Society for the History of
The lectures are open to the public and
free of charge. For more information, call 609.497.7760 or visit
Princeton Seminary was established in 1812
by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church as a post-graduate
professional school of theology. Currently celebrating its Bicentennial,
Princeton is the largest Presbyterian seminary in the country, with 500
students in six graduate degree programs.
© Princeton Theological Seminary P.O. Box 821, 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08542-0803, 609.921.8300 An Institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA)PTS Calendars | A to Z Index | Information Technology | Trustees Website
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Anne Tyson is a versatile collaborative pianist, performing a broad repertoire with both instrumentalists and singers. She is also a dedicated teacher, and joined the NEC Prep faculty in 1989. She taught at Music on the Hill in 2002 and 2003, and from 2008-2012 was music director at Point CounterPoint chamber music camp in Vermont. In addition to maintaining a private piano studio, she coaches singers in French, Italian, German and Czech repertoire, and has also taught at Boston Conservatory, Boston University, the South Shore Conservatory, the Community Music Center of Boston, the Watford School of Music and the City of London School. She has served as coach and rehearsal pianist with opera companies, including the D'Oyly Carte Company and Kent Opera in Great Britain and Boston Lyric Opera and Connecticut Opera in the U.S., and worked as an accompanist at the Académie de Musique Européenne and the Abbaye de Royaumont.
A.R.C.M., B.M. (Royal College of Music, London), M.A. (Cambridge University); studies with Christopher Elton and Bernard Roberts; M.A., Collaborative Piano (New England Conservatory); faculty, studies with Margo Garrett, Martin Katz, and Sheila Kibbe; The Boston Conservatory; coach and accompanist, New England Conservatory, Longwood Opera, Boston Lyric Opera.


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The Moundridge FFA chapter celebrated its achievements during the last year, recognized 2012-2013 officers, and installed 2013-2014 officers Thursday at the chapter's Annual Banquet at Moundridge High School. State FFA Vice President Glendolyn Neely was the guest speaker.
Officers for the upcoming year are Elizabeth Schrag, president; Desmond Finley, vice president; Taylor Goering, secretary; Juston Wheatley, treasurer; Jairus Scott, reporter; and Kaden Diederich, sentinel. Serving the chapter this past year were Allison Siemens, president; Elizabeth Schrag, vice-president; Rachel Knight, secretary; Desmond Finley, treasurer; Wyatt Tibbitts, reporter; and Juston Wheatley, sentinel.
Location, ST | website.com


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TAHOE CITY, Calif. - Team Blair Tahoe is taking over the real estate world on the North Shore, making a name for themselves all over the board.
"I grew up with real estate in my blood," Jamie Blair said.
Combined, Team Blair Tahoe has several decades of experience selling and buying real estate in the basin. The team consists of Gayle Blair, Jamie Blair and his wife, Nicole, as well as three assistants.
Mr. Blair's mother, Gayle Blair, with more than 30 years of experience with real estate in the Tahoe area, is an owner-broker for Team Blair Tahoe's parent company, Tahoe Real Estate Group (founded in 1982). Team Blair Tahoe formed out of this group as its own company, with separate brokers and procedures, just four years ago.
Blair explained he and his wife began working together within Tahoe Real Estate Group, which eventually led them to form their own group. Gayle oversees everything, as the luxury home expert, while Jamie handles the marketing and sales for the group, as well as showing properties. Lastly, Nicole Blair, an attorney, works with contracts and negotiations.
Jamie, a Tahoe local, met Nicole while attending college and living in Utah. After practicing law for a few months, Mrs. Blair decided to pursue real estate and join the family business.
"We're separate parts working together," Mr. Blair said of the six-person group that makes up Team Blair Tahoe. "(We're) the strongest group of people around."
The team prides itself on its customer service, delivering assistance from the very beginning stages of buying or selling a home, to keeping in touch and throwing client parties every year.
"Often times, it's years of working with someone," Mrs. Blair said.
"It takes anywhere from three months to three years to find a spot," Mr. Blair added.
Team Blair Tahoe works as the eyes and ears of clients who are looking to buy. They keep their eyes peeled for new listings in the area, as well as checking out listings for clients who are not from the area. The group also takes care to pay attention to the small details buyers may miss, as well as educating them on living in a snowy climate.
"(Clients) rely on us heavily to scout places out for them," Mr. Blair explained.
For sellers, the company works on several different platforms to get the word out on new listings, including using social media.
"We try to present the property in the best light," Mr. Blair said.
The group uses professional photographers, as well as videographers in some cases, to showcase the home. They also list properties on several different mediums, using the Multiple Listing Service and other online venues, as well as providing property tours.
The group also creates custom color photo brochures for homes, as well as listing them in the Tahoe Real Estate Group's Homes Guide. In short, the group does whatever it can to get the property on the market and standing out.
The group makes a point of staying current with the latest technologies and marketing strategies, and takes at least four classes a year to stay up to date.
"We're always trying to be on the cutting edge of technology, and to be up to date on what's effective," Mrs. Blair added. "It allows us to reach a much wider audience."
Recently, the team has enjoyed tremendous success, registered a record sale in Squaw Valley with the sale of a penthouse condo at $3.8 million. Last year, the team represented a buyer in the highest price sale of a home on the West Shore, with a listing price of $13.5 million, and a sale price of $11 million.
Team Blair Tahoe stresses that the clients are the center of their operation. Mr. Blair noted that agents they are still in contact with 99 percent of their clients after the sale.
"We become friends," Mrs. Blair added.
Mr. Blair added that if clients need anything post-sale, they are available to help, even if it's just to check in on a second home while the owners are away.
The group has three offices over the North Shore, in Incline Village, Tahoe City and Homewood. With three full time brokers, one of whom is a real estate attorney, as well as three assistants, the group offers expertise in every area of Tahoe real estate.


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17 May 2007
Details of Representation
Today, my thoughts returned again and again to Will Ludwigsen's story "Faraji" in the April/May Weird Tales. I read the story mostly because Paolo Bacigalupi had some good things to say about it, and I like Paolo and respect his intelligence. Also, I like the efforts of various people at Weird Tales to bring the magazine into the 21st century. So I was all primed to enjoy the story.
But I couldn't. There are good things about it, certainly, and I could see why it had been bought and published -- the pacing is deft, there's a very clear narrative voice, and the setting is exotic.
The setting is a prison in an unspecified African country, where an American journalist has been held for nearly a year after being captured by a group of rebels who killed his two companions. In prison, he meets a boy (Faraji) who experiences time as a complete entity, and is thus able to know his own future as well as the narrator's. Eventually, the U.S. gains a gung-ho president who decides to send the military into various Third World spots to "remind the Third World of America's superior will" and our narrator is rescued along with Faraji so that the two of them can, presumably, go off to live out their predicted (predestined?) lives and learn that deaths can lead to meaningful events for the living. Or something like that.
There is an attempt at moral complexity in this story that I respect. I wish more stories aimed as high. I really wish I felt this one succeeded in its ambitions.
The central failure of the story is in its representation of Africa. The story is set in the future, it seems, or at least an alternate present, because there is a "President Russell" in the U.S. By not naming the African country where the narrator is imprisoned, the story unfortunately plays off of "Dark Continent" stereotypes that set all of Africa up as a mysterious, primitive, and brutal Other. It could be argued that the narrator is someone for whom the continent is, indeed, that, but I think such an argument utterly misses the point. The point is: Why tell this particular story in this particular way at this particular time?
A better argument against my position is that of the realist. Are you saying (the realist might ask me) that we shouldn't write negatively about Africa? There are places in Africa that have experienced almost unfathomable brutality. There are places in Africa where journalists are imprisoned, tortured, killed. Why shouldn't a writer portray such things?
Of course writers should portray life as it is lived. Of course they should not shy away from the horrors -- the human capacity for brutality is infinite. It is not that a writer should not portray such things, but that such things should be portrayed with care.
To claim that a story in which a naive white journalist from the U.S. goes to an unspecified African country, stumbles into an area where he shouldn't go, watches two of his friends get murdered, and then is kidnapped and imprisoned in a horrible jail from which he escapes only via a deus ex America -- to claim that such a story is either just being realistic or, on the other hand, shouldn't be taken very seriously because it's just entertainment, is to ignore an awful lot of things. It is to ignore that the idea of a place called Africa is an idea fraught with stereotypes for many First World readers, readers for whom "Africa" is a place they see on the TV news whenever there is a particularly bad catastrophe. An idea that holds fascination for us because it posits a place full of horrors, a place that it isn't "civilized", a place that lets us feel particularly good about our own lives, our privileges and luxuries.
Africa in such a story is not a place at all, but an idea, and that idea is the same damn one that Conrad and so many lesser writers used. There is a difference between setting a story in "Africa" and setting it in a particular place at a particular time. There is a difference between using the idea of "Africa" as a prop for your plot and actually writing about Africa. I think those differences are vital, particularly when writing about places that have suffered so much stereotyping in First World readers' minds.
Obviously, Will Ludwigsen didn't want to write about a real place in Africa. (He wrote about real places in the U.S. -- here's just one sentence: "In May 1994, I graduated from the University of Florida College of Journalism with a head full of ideas about the role of the journalist in society.") If he didn't want to write about a real place in Africa, why use the continent at all, then? To show that liberal-minded middle-class white Americans need a dose of "reality"? That seems to be the general thrust of the plot. But this isn't a story about reality at all. It's a trite fantasy based on colonialist cliches that, for First World readers, lend an air of exoticism to the setting. Playing off of those cliches and indulging First World readers' conceptions of the exotic is something I think writers should be careful to avoid.
Why do I think this story's primary effects come from its setting, a setting built from unfortunately exoticizing ideas? First, because the story doesn't need to be set in "Africa" -- there is nothing inherently African (or "African") in the story. Second, because the plot device of a character who can see the future and uses this knowledge to help another character reach some sort of enlightenment is hardly original, so if the story possesses interest that interest must lie elsewhere. Third, because "Africa" is always a convenient setting for a tale of naive white people gaining knowledge, perspective, and new philosophies through difficult experiences, with their new knowledge, perspective, and philosophies often given by wondrous natives. Blecch. (Personally, I prefer Paul Bowles's tales of whites in Third World countries -- his white characters suffer and often die and don't really learn anything except how ignorant and misguided they are.)
I'm reluctant in my criticism, and trying to be as fair in my expression here as I can be, because I do want writers to reach beyond their own realms of experience, to stretch and strive and imagine. But doing so requires a lot of skill and a lot of empathy. And for all I know, maybe Will Ludwigsen -- about whom I know nothing -- is from somewhere in Africa or has lots of experience with certain places on the continent. It doesn't matter to me. What matters is the story itself, and what that story conveys. (It's perfectly possible for any one of us to write badly -- utilizing cliches and stereotypes -- about our own experiences and societies.) What matters is that this story should have been written with more care and thought, with more consideration for the details of representation.
Details are what doom "Faraji". The vagueness of the setting allows cliches and stereotypes to blossom. Bad writing is imprecise writing, and for all the skill Ludwigsen demonstrates with pacing, with voice, with narrative, he fails to demonstrate the most important skill that his story needs: precision. Specificity. Detail. The kind of specificity we get in so many good and great books about Africa written by people who know something about the place, especially African writers themselves, people for whom Africa is not an idea, but (now) a continent of nearly a billion people and more than 50 countries, a continent with diverse and rich histories, a continent with, yes, plenty of misery, but also plenty of beauty and wonder.
We First World readers need fiction about the relationship between the First World and the Third World. We need to read stories about First Worlders in the Third World and Third Worlders in the First. We need to write openly and honestly about histories of oppression, misunderstanding, misconception, suffering. We need to acknowledge the limits of good will, the deficiencies of naive liberalism, the failures of grand plans. We need to imagine and to empathize. But we need to do so with an acknowledgement that what we write is not written from or on a blank slate, and so we must write with tremendous care. We should remember the satirical warnings offered by Binyavanga Wainaina in "How to Write About Africa". We should consider carefully the ideas of Achebe and Ngugi and so many other Africans who have written and thought about what it means to write and think about Africa. We should aim for complexity, because a complex perspective is the only one that gives us any hope of getting away from the "Darkest Africa" cliches and toward more nuanced and supple perspectives -- representations that don't neglect the more powerful details, the details that most deeply affect how we construct the worlds of our imaginations and most powerfully influence the worlds of our everyday lives.
*Yes, I know the terms "Third World" and "First World" are relics with lots of baggage. Every other term I've encountered for these concepts seems problematic as well, for various reasons, and so for now I'm using the most familiar terms, but also calling attention to their inadequacy, or at least my lack-of-total-comfort with them.
11 comments:
Now if it was about a Nigerian journalist in, say, Florida, it'd be awesome.ReplyDelete
Bravo! SF does this kind of lazy writing and lazier thinking far too often, and thinks itself great for doing so even more.ReplyDelete
Yeah. Africa is a continent. Not a country. I never realized how much the West does that until I lived in South Africa for awhile. Once I got back, I found the total lack of even an attempt at understanding the differences among African countries - even African *regions* - astounding.ReplyDelete
I'll need to read the story, but honestly, just reading a couple of good memoirs or some secondary stuff would help avert a lot of this lazy stuff. I can think of several really great memoirs involving stories of a similiar bent - white journalist gets himself (usually always *him*self) f*cked in Africa - that are full of real people and set in actual countries with actual politics.
Hello, Matt! Thanks for the insightful analysis.ReplyDelete
Interestingly, the original submitted draft of "Faraji" had more details about a specific country and cultural situation, but I was asked by the editors to remove that specificity. I'm not entirely sure why; perhaps there was a fear of controversy or politics.
Still, I could have either stuck to my guns or been sneakier about inserting more detail, so the criticism certainly still applies.
Well, being that I know Will and how he writes, I honestly doubt lazy writing was involved. It seems choices were made by editorial staff and by writer. But laziness? I don't think so.ReplyDelete
I regret any implication of laziness on Will's part -- really, I shouldn't have made the mistake of pretending to know anything about his motivations or intentions. From our recent brief correspondence, I have nothing but respect for him, and I very much look forward to reading more of his work in the future.ReplyDelete
They asked you to *take out* the specificity?ReplyDelete
Holy crap.
I find this.. bizarre. I sold a South African ghost story to Talebones that... couldn't have worked as an "African" ghost story.
That's a weird editorial choice.
(Matt - I'm the one who made the outright "lazy" comment; I don't think that was you)
I'm a white South African living in the US, and an improving writer ;). It's hard selling Africa to Americans. It's a fine line between what is interesting and what is patronizing. I think respect for the setting and the people is key, and more an appreciation for what makes Africa special.ReplyDelete
Africa is many things. There is no, "United states of Africa" -- rather it's a continent with over 50 independent nations that are all autonomous and most often non-aligned. The African Union is as different to the EU as hotdogs are to Thai food. Not all of Africa is populated by black people, with the entire north being heavily populated by Arabs, and Bushmen are another kind of people too. Some countries are predominantly Islamic and others are predominantly Christian, some are a fairly even split (as a loose rule, with plenty of exceptions, the North is mostly Muslim and the South is mostly Christian. Having said that ancient African cultures and religions pervade the practice of these two religions most places you go. Some countries have dictators, others have democracies. A few have wars, the majority have peace. Some are technologically advanced, others are more primitive, but they always have cities of various sizes and you can almost always find technology in these cities. Cell phone technology is pervasive. And always the complexity on the ground is greater than you might expect.
I can also say that as an African living in the US I have lived though the uninformed ignorance of Africa that is plentiful here. I cannot joke about dancing with hippos, or swim races with crocodiles, or dodging lions on my way to my car, or about computers made of mud and bark, etc, because I get believed all too often. I have been asked if we have roads, or if I know what an ATM is (our ATMs were more advanced in South Africa 12 years ago when I left than most ATMs in the USA are today), do we live in huts, do we have electricity, how do I avoid being eaten, and worse. On my first day in the US I was asked if we had computers in South Africa... by a fellow computer programmer... on a project where I had been brought in directly from South Africa to be the expert on site. I had to enquire of him just how he thought I might have become a software expert without hardware.
There are several SF&F writers out there who have written a of stories set in Africa --some of them having written many of them -- and most of them are overwhelmingly pessimistic in their views on Africa and its future, and I have been on Worldcon panels with many of them and very few have the appreciation that, firstly they barely scratched the surface of the culture/s they visited, and secondly, the cultures they visited could be substantially different from some or all of the other African cultures just in that one country, let alone in the rest of the continent. They were guilty of the equivalent of me coming to the US and judging all of the US by say, Jackson Mississippi, or some rural community in Montana, or for that matter judging the US by a visit to LA or New York, or worse yet by Hollywood or Disneyworld. Nevertheless, in the end it is the story that counts, not the setting, and many of their stories were still excellent. Still, I often feel that writers setting their stories in more popular or more respected settings, like Japan or Europe, take considerably more care on their research.
Thanks for the article.
Thanks for the thoughtful critique.
Will, above, is correct -- our previous editorial leadership, under which his story was purchased, did indeed shy away from connecting fantasy stories too closely to real-world political circumstances. (Not just overseas -- I'm aware of at least a couple good stories last year that were turned down because they involved the current U.S. political landscape, and our editors were always concerned that some real-life occurrence could take place between buying such a story and printing it that would render it outdated in advance.)
I suspect our new editorial team has a somewhat more 21st-century attitude toward such things. I would guess that in the future, our real-world geographies will be rather more realistic, while those geographies that do need to be vague will tend more toward the fantastical.
I think the (popular) idea that stereotype has no place in fiction is absurdly misguided, often a well-meaning but naive attempt to excise much that is human. ALL fiction, indeed all thought, plays on stereotype, assumptions, misapprehension and generalization. It's not that stereotypes offer nothing to fiction or are so outmoded and offensive that they should be verboten, but that one should not treat with them simplemindedly or unconsciously. But then, one should do very little simplemindedly, in writing or in life.ReplyDelete


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BonWorth officials looking to sell, not close, company
Published: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 5:23 p.m.
Locally owned BonWorth Inc. is making an effort to keep its doors open, with officials looking to sell instead of close the 40-year-old company.
Rumors began circulating in January that the Hendersonville-based women's fashion retailer would be closing, potentially affecting customers and employees of its 200 retail locations throughout 36 states.
Bill Hale, BonWorth's chief financial officer, said the headquarters and first store location in Hendersonville employ about 25 people, and nationwide the company has about 700 employees.
Loyal BonWorth customers across the country responded to the closing rumors by signing an online petition at Change.org, asking N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory to help keep the Hendersonville legacy's headquarters, at 40 Francis Road, open and maintain local jobs.
Hale said he's aware of the online petition, and he's also received several signature petitions requesting to keep BonWorth open.
"We've got customers all over the country that are pushing in that direction, so it looks like we're going to make everybody happy," he said. "We're working to make everybody happy."
On Tuesday, Hale said, "It doesn't look like we're going to close the company," but rather sell it, and that there are interested potential buyers.
"We're working with some people to sell the company right now," he said. "We're tentatively trying to sell by July."
There is currently no date to close the BonWorth store in Hendersonville, Hale added.
Selling would certainly be better than closing the business, said Henderson County Chamber of Commerce President Bob Williford.
"They have been a significant force in Hendersonville (and) Henderson County for a long, long time," he said. "The biggest impact (would be) on the back office operations. That is, the support people here who are supporting their regional presence," such as those employees handling BonWorth's financial operations and marketing.
"Those are critical jobs," said Williford.
Reach McGowan at 828-694-7871 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Gunshots pierced the fog of marijuana smoke hanging in Denver's Civic Center on Saturday afternoon, sending attendees at the largest pot smokeout in the country scrambling for their lives.
Denver police said two people who were shot in their legs were rushed to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A juvenile grazed by a bullet walked to a nearby hospital.
Officers were on the hunt for two suspects, although Sonny Jackson, a police spokesman, said investigators don't yet know what led to the shooting.
"It was peaceful; everybody was having fun," witness Laura Forduno said. "And then you heard the shots. Pow, pow, pow, pow."
Saturday's rally - an annual event called 4/20 that celebrates a holiday for marijuana enthusiasts - was the first since Colorado voters legalized use of marijuana for people over 21. Organizers expected record crowds. And the tens of thousands of people who packed into the downtown park did not disappoint.
Read the rest of the story at:


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DANVILLE -- Nine years after he walked away from the tech world following abject tragedy, Bob Pack has returned.
His startup company has developed a mobile phone app, called Shop O'Lot, that he hopes will improve the way people shop.
Pack hasn't worked in technology since 2003, when his two young children were killed by a driver under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. Since then, he and his wife Carmen have focused their attention on their organization, The Troy and Alana Pack Foundation.
Troy, 10, and Alana, 7, were killed on Camino Tassajara when a car jumped the curb and struck them and Carmen. Former nanny Jimena Barreto was convicted of second-degree murder in the children's deaths.
Since the tragedy, the Packs have been advocates for education, legislation and enforcement regarding driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The years passed, and they had another child. Then, Pack started getting the itch to get back into business.
"The idea came to me about two years ago," he said. "Developing an app is not complicated. The front end is pretty simple to do -- the visual and pages. The back-end software -- to figure all that out is fairly complicated."
He assembled a team of six software developers and has been working on the app for the past year.
"It's nice to have my mind focused on something fun," Pack said. "It can be stressful, but I like technology and what it can do."
His free app gives real-time coupons and discounts over your phone based on your profile and shopping history while you shop at major retailers.
Say, you like a certain style of casual sportswear. As you walk through Macy's, the Shop O'Lot app will suggest a 20 percent coupon on a Tommy Bahama shirt. You can also share shopping profiles that will allow you to find deals on products your spouse, kids or friends might like as gifts.
The app works at more than 6,000 stores belonging to Macy's, Sears, Kmart, Best Buy, Land's End and UK-based Tesco. Pack said more retailers are in the works. The app makes money through advertising that is embedded in product recommendations and through commissions when coupons are redeemed in stores.
In the late '90s, Pack was the vice president of sales at NetZero at the height of the tech boom. When his stock vested, he cashed out and left the company. He is using his savings and earnings in the stock market to finance Shop O'Lot.
"It's a big risk," he said. "It's full-time work. I'm so excited and anxious to get it out and have it do something."
The app was officially released Nov. 28 and is available on Google (GOOG) Play and iTunes. It was downloaded 3,000 times in the first three days, Pack said.
He is now planning a nationwide publicity push and will seek venture capital.
"I like having something to do all the time," Pack said. "I'm working with some really great engineers. I feel like I'm a part of something, so it's really fulfilling."
For more information or to download Shop O'Lot, visit www.shopolot.com.
Contact Jason Sweeney at 925-847-2123. Follow him at Twitter.com- /Jason_Sweeney.
Bob Pack's mobile phone app, Shop O'Lot, gives you real-time shopping recommendations and discounts while you walk through major retailers. It is available for free on iPhones and Android phones. To download Shop O'Lot, visit: www.shopolot.com.


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Man accused of trying to run charter bus off road
Published: Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 11:00 p.m.
TUSCALOOSA | A Georgia man faces a felony charge after he was accused of trying to run off the interstate a bus transporting the Stillman College women's basketball team.
Nathan Aaron Williams, 21, was charged with making terrorist threats, domestic violence and reckless driving on Wednesday. His girlfriend was a passenger on a charter bus traveling on Interstate 20/59 near the 97-mile marker on Wednesday afternoon, said Capt. Loyd Baker, Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit commander.
"He drove in front of the bus, slammed on the brakes and was trying to run them off the road," Baker said.
State law defines a terrorist threat as an act that "terrorizes" another person, causes the disruption of school activities or causes the evacuation of a building or other serious public inconvenience.
Williams, of Hinesville, Ga., was released from the Tuscaloosa County Jail on Wednesday on $19,000 bond.
The Lady Tigers defeated Claflin University 68-62 and 58-54 in a double-header in Orangeburg, S.C., on Thursday.
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—Dr. M. Craig Barnes will be
inaugurated and installed at a service at the Princeton University Chapel on
October 23 at 2:00 p.m. The event will be live streamed.—
NJ, October 18, 2013–Dr. M. Craig Barnes will be inaugurated and installed as
Princeton Theological Seminary's seventh president, and as professor of
pastoral ministry, on Wednesday, October 23 at 2:00 p.m. in a service in the
Princeton University Chapel. The inauguration will be live streamed (link
available on the home page). A reception
will immediately follow the service in a tent on the Seminary's quad.
Delegates from thirty-seven academic
institutions, including the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, founded in
1582, will process in the inaugural procession. In addition, eighteen delegates
from churches and denominations will participate, including from the Church of
Central Africa, the Mar Thoma Church of India, the Presbyterian Church of East
Africa, the Diocese of Trenton of the Roman Catholic Church, the United
Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the United Church of
Christ, and the Presbyterian Church (USA), the founding denomination of
Princeton Seminary. The Reverend Dr. Neal D. Presa, moderator of that
denomination's 220th General Assembly, will participate in the
Dr. William P. Robinson, chair of the
Seminary's Board of Trustees and president emeritus of Whitworth University,
will preside at the inauguration and give the charge to the new president.
President of Princeton University Christopher L. Eisgruber will bring greetings
to President Barnes.
Dr. Barnes will give an inaugural address
titled "Beauty and Truth."
Dr. Barnes began his presidency in
January 2013. Prior to that he was pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Robert Meneilly Professor of Leadership and
Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He previously served pastorates in
Colorado Springs, Colorado, Madison, Wisconsin, and at National Presbyterian
Church in Washington, D.C.
Theological Seminary, founded in 1812, is the first seminary established by the
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Its mission is to educate leaders
for the church of Jesus Christ worldwide, and its more than 500 students and
11,000 graduates from all fifty states and many nations around the world serve
Christ in churches, schools and universities, healthcare institutions,
nonprofit agencies, initiatives for social justice, mission agencies, and the
emerging ministries of the church in the twenty-first century.
© Princeton Theological Seminary P.O. Box 821, 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08542-0803, 609.921.8300 An Institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA)PTS Calendars | A to Z Index | Information Technology | Trustees Website
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Pa. sheriff nicknamed 'Duke' to stay on ballot
Published: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 7:23 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 7:23 a.m.
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A judge says the Republican incumbent can remain on the May 21 primary ballot for sheriff of an eastern Pennsylvania county along with his nickname, Duke.
Tom Lingenfelter, a political activist and Republican challenger in the May 21 primary in Bucks County, wanted incumbent Sheriff Edward "Duke" Donnelly kicked off the ballot for using his nickname.
The Bucks County Courier Times (http://bit.ly/16ugBye ) reports Wednesday that Bucks County Judge Gary Gilman found that the nickname isn't confusing to voters, nor does it suggest Donnelly is claiming some "hereditary distinction or nobility title" as Lingenfelter alleged.
Simply put, the judge says, "If strikes me that if George Herman Ruth was running for office, then there would be no objection to him appearing on the ballot as Babe Ruth."
Lingenfelter says he'll appeal.
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I feel as though I am not getting the snap down properly. I never hear a snap as well. A couple of questions:
1. If you are getting good snap, would you certainly hear it?
2. How tight should your thumb/fingers be throughout the process of the pull?
3. EDIT- explanation of finger release?


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My office runs on a hodgepodge of Visual Basic, Python, C, and FoxPro. Since we're a small company with few programmers, this hasn't been a problem. Each of us simply chose the language that best met our needs for a given project. However, the seemingly exponential growth in the size of those projects, plus the addition of a few new programmers, means that our idyllic little world is coming to an end. We need to standardize on a common development platform before the proliferation of languages and framework libraries makes progress impossible.
So, the obvious next step is to pick a system that we can all live with, even if it's not our favorite. I've been advocating Python, but my coworkers don't seem entirely sold on the idea. We've summarily rejected FoxPro for reasons too numerous to list. We tossed Java around, but its old reputation of slowness still carries a stigma among the powers that be.
Our final remaining option was .NET. Although it first appeared like an ideal solution—cross platform, free of charge, and the heir apparent for Microsoft-based development—we decided against it for reasons I don't mind listing.
First, despite the content-free hype of a few years ago, .NET is basically a Java clone. That is, it includes a virtual machine, some languages that compile into bytecode that runs on that virtual machine, and an extensive library of classes to accomplish various tasks. The biggest single difference between Java and .NET is that Sun wrote the former and Microsoft wrote the latter.
The second biggest difference is that while Java is truly cross-platform, .NET tries to be but falls short in important areas. The most glaring example is that the
Windows.Forms class (which is used for almost all .NET GUI development) is only available on Windows itself. In other words, forget writing graphical programs that run on Linux, FreeBSD, or Mac OS X. Although a replacement of that class is being developed for Mono, the free software implementation of .NET, such code treads upon a software patent minefield. You see, although Microsoft explicitly granted permission to the Mono team to their patented methods to write the core language itself, all the nice extras you'd actually want to use are still firmly locked in Microsoft's patent portfolio.
Next is the fact that .NET brings little new to the table. It's certainly no more cross platform than other popular languages like Java or Python. It's class library doesn't compare in extent with Java's enormous depth and breadth. It doesn't cost less, it's not more popular, and it doesn't work any better than its competition. Unless you want to develop Windows-only projects, it offers few or no clear advantages over other languages.
Despite all that, .NET and its associated languages, like Visual Basic .NET and C#, aren't inherently bad. They're pleasant to use by all accounts, and generally well regarded. The danger behind adopting them, though, is that .NET is inherently single-vendor and its continued existence and development is solely at Microsoft's whim. Should they decide that its return on investment is too low, that's effectively the end of it. Think that will never happen? Ask the legions of Visual Basic 6 and FoxPro developers how unlikely that is.
My boss trusts me to make decisions in his company's best interest. Despite the advertising and breathless endorsements from IT management magazine, there are just not enough compelling reasons for me to recommend .NET technology over the other established alternatives. The approach we'll probably take instead is to build a core library in a common language, then use connector technologies like SOAP and COM (on Windows) to access it from projects written in other languages.
And if that fails, there's always Lisp.
.Net - Author Does Not Understand .Net's Purpose!
It appears Kirk does not understand that Java and .Net have two opposite/unrelated goals.
.Net is a framework designed for one purpose: allowing programmers to code the same Windows project using any popular language of their choosing. For example, it does not matter that Kirk prefers using Python and his coworker prefers C++ for working on the same Windows project. They each can use what they want and .Net will assemble the variety of code into working code. .Net's goals do not involve generating cross-platform code - it is solely focused on allowing a wide variety of languages to compile together to generate Windows code. Does .Net accomplish this goal? Absolutely.
Java, on the other hand, has a completely different goal. Java's main goal is to code cross-platform. Does Java accomplish this goal? Absolutely.
How is it that so many smart and experienced programmers just don't understand or know the purpose of .Net? Maybe its just anti-Microsoft bias.
In sum, comparing .Net to Java is analogous to comparing apples to oranges. A more valid/interesting comparison is to examine the pros and cons of Java vs. C#, or Java vs. C++. But of course, the results of such comparrisons depend on the project.
Author understands it quite well
I'm sure they have many orthogonal goals, but that doesn't address the ends they do share. kfrench does not understand that goals and other irrelevant issues aside, .NET and Java are nearly identical animals. Both are intended to be cross-platform - unless you thought Microsoft submitted all those documents to ECMA just for giggles. Both VMs support multiple non-"native" languages - compare Jython for Java and IronPython for .NET.
Sure, there are minor differences here and there, but it's misleading to claim that they're inherently divergent.
Python is more cross-platform than either
In my experience, if you can rely on pure-python packages to do most of your work , and make reasonable choices for GUI toolkits, etc, Python is a better bet for cross-platform ability.
I develop exclusively on Linux, but my Python code seems to run without effort on FreeBSD, Windows, Mac, and I've even heard a report from a user using an embedded system. I never gave any serious consideration to the cross-platform issue. I just write stuff, and it seems to be portable merely by virtue of being in Python. Admittedly, I'm not seriously pushing the envelope -- I've mostly written Zope product code and some less demanding non-GUI stuff.
There are obvious limits of course -- some GUI toolkits aren't cross platform, and all are written in a lower-level language.
That's true of Java too, though. You have to stick to pure-Java stuff if you want the cross-platform advantages, and that often means slow, rather unresponsive GUIs, and so on.
The real problem with Java, of course, is that the end-user must install the JRE. Usually, they have to do this themselves because Sun's peculiar licensing has made it awkward for free software OSs to bundle it (they've recently made improvements, but from what I've heard, it's still an issue and Java is just about 50/50 on being kicked right back out of Debian 'non-free'. Nevermind about its chances of getting into 'main').
Of course, Sun may finally come clean and release all of Java under a free license, but after all this time, do you really want to go with Sun? What about all that effort on Kaffe and the other free Java/JRE clones? And even if Sun does become the standard, there's still all those others out there.
Sun's "write once, run anywhere" marketing promise is badly implemented, simply because of the decision to keep the source proprietary. If they'd just gone the ISO route instead, they'd be ahead of the game, and Java probably would've swept the field. Instead, it's limped along as a "language only pointed-haired-bosses like", failing to take the lead away from C++ (which really deserves to be toppled). Community-derived languages like Perl, Python, and Ruby are filling the niche instead.
So at this point, Java's looking pretty limited. Sure there are lots of libraries, but most are proprietary and there is lots of duplication of function. There's more scope to the libraries available for Perl or Python, and the bulk of them are free software, so they become the standards. Sure Java is still the suit-programmer favorite, because the PHBs like it, as mentioned above. But that's measuring the marketing, not the product.
The biggest problem with Java is that its ideas are outmoded. The Java language is too heavily rooted in the classical object-oriented paradigm and the so-called "bondage and discipline" approach to programming. The result is bloated, oversized and under-flexible code, resulting in less code reuse and more re-writing of the same old ideas (of course, that's a plus if you're paid by the hour). This means that Java is both too low-level (like C++) and too highly-interpreted (means "slow"), so that it's really a "worst of both worlds" language).
Python has the "slow" problem, but it makes up for it by being a "very high level language" and therefore really, really rapid to develop in. Like Java, it has a strong OOP focus, but without all the baggage.
ISTM that Java's opportunity came and went: Sun missed it because they didn't open the code and set the standard.
If I were you, I'd stick to my guns and advocate Python -- or at least a free software platform. Single vendor is bad, bad, bad.
Your analysis echoes the rest of your opinons: pretty short sighted.
Not sure how a free software zealot like yourself wouldn't include ruby on your short list. Duh. Mention a functional language though, get some of your street cred back.
In the end, it's all the same crap. Execution is everything and you can build perfectly useful, maintainable applications in very nearly any technology.
Most folks would actually get more done if they had less technology religion in their lives, *either* direction, mind you.
Python's a great choice for certain types of application needs. A nice ws tier written in ruby or python seems like a good choice, WinForms would make wiring up to this tier easier than pie for GUIs, you can use rails or django for web presentation tiers.
The weakness I see imposed by your blinders is that building a disconected smart client to consume ws is orders of magnitude easier using WinForms. Go do it in python + widgets, but you owe it to your boss to quantify how much more he's paying for that specific choice. Unless you're just paying lipservice to his trust.
Additionally, your characterization of the CLR == JVM is a fairly large oversimplification. Likewise, you've glossed over the entire IL->JIT/NGen->native compilation cycle when saying both "compile into bytecode". It gets worse when you go on to refer to IronPython as non-"native" (it's not, the CLR is language agnostic, maybe read some of the ECMA docs?). Frankly, I read this and I see "small-time developer/zealot has an opinion" but I can't put much weight on it because you don't even go into a cogent analysis of the oss options, let along the fact that you don't seem informed enough about the non-oss to make decisions I would view as informed.
I'd rather see your team use shell scripts, it would give me something to laugh about regularly.
Purely pragmatic
I haven't used Ruby. Nothing personal against it; I just haven't had the time.
We use Zope extensively already, so we'd probably take advantage of that codebase rather than starting over with RoR (especially since no one here already knows Ruby).
We've actually considered using XUL, either via XULRunner or inside Firefox/Mozilla for frontend client development, or possibly even good ol' HTML. I'd have to say the latter looks far more interesting for its maintenance benefits - clients are only a page reload away from seeing a new interface at any given time - but it's still an open issue. We could even use VB.NET or similar, as long as it were constrained to the interface and our core infrastructure didn't depend on it.
IronPython is non-"native" in the sense that it doesn't ship with Visual Studio. No more, no less.
We're simply not very interested in the non-OSS options. We have too much at stake to risk our business logic on someone else's convenience. We know they exist, and we have plenty of people in-house who are familiar with a variety of them (VB.NET, C#, etc. included). It's just that we've made the conscious decision to retain control over our own codebase, and OSS lets us do that. I'm not sure why you paint that as a "religious" decision when it was based solely on practical issues.