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Submitted by Bruce A. Dixon on
Black-led and proudly black ruled for a generation, and home to more black millionaires than anyplace else besides the nation's capital, Atlanta also leads the nation in the percentage of its children in poverty. What does this say about the status of "Black Mecca"?
Black Mecca, the Death of an Illusion
By BAR Managing Editor Bruce Dixon
Originally published in Black Commentator on October 13, 2005
"The 'Black Mecca' was always intended to be where the black business class's dreams came true, not the rest of us."
It was the place to be, we were told throughout the Eighties and Nineties. The housing was cheap, the weather benign, the social and business networks poppin', the elected officials black and enlightened, and the opportunities limitless. Twenty years before it had been "the city too busy to hate." Now it was the "Black Mecca," and pilgrims streamed in by the tens of thousands each year.
Maynard Jackson was elected Atlanta's first black mayor in 1973, only 5 years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. According to a June 29, 2003 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article by Ernie Suggs:
"In 1973, fewer than 1 percent of the city's contracts went to minorities. Five years later, it was 38.6 percent. At one point, more than 80 percent of all minority contracts at U.S. airports were in Atlanta, prompting Jackson once to boast that he had helped create 25 new black millionaires...."
Those first 25 millionaires, with the assistance of the next three black Atlanta mayors, have helped to create scores of additional black millionaires along with the thriving, empowered, well-connected and ambitious business and professional class which identifies with the people who run Atlanta to this day.
"For almost half of black Atlanta's children, 'Black Mecca' never happened at all."
"Metro Atlanta is emerging as the new heart of the nation's black middle class," proclaimed the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on September 25, 2002. "'Atlanta has become... a modern-day Harlem, a place of opportunity where educated blacks can enjoy the fruits of the post civil rights era economy,' said Roderick Harrison, a demographer with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, an African-American think tank in Washington."
But despite Atlanta being home to more local black-owned companies per-capita than anywhere except the nation's capital, for almost half of black Atlanta's children "Black Mecca" never happened at all. As far back as 1998, two years after the Olympics when the hype was at its heaviest, the Associated Press reported that 35% of black Atlanta was below the poverty level. By the year 2000, child poverty in Atlanta was 5th in the nation, ranking only 6 points behind Brownsville TX, a single percentage point behind New Orleans, and one ahead of Gary and Cleveland.
And now, census data show the city of Atlanta leads the nation in child poverty by a narrow margin.
The contradiction between more than 20 years of Atlanta's leading the nation in the creation of black millionaires while the majority black and proudly black-ruled city also leads the nation in the percentage of its children in poverty starkly exposes the moral and civic bankruptcy of black leadership not just in Atlanta, but throughout black America.
Prophetic Leadership, Or Profitable Leadership?
In 1968, when black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee went on strike for safer working conditions, decent wages and the right to have their union recognized, black ministers urged their congregations to march at the side of strikers. The NAACP followed suit. After Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to town, even the high schools were emptied to join some of the mass marches. The National Guard was mobilized, many arrests were made and Dr. King was murdered. The Memphis sanitation workers ultimately won their union contract, and thousands of ordinary working families in that city got living wages that allowed them to educate their children, buy houses, live decent and dignified lives, and even retire.
Eight years later in Maynard Jackson's Atlanta, where nurturing of millionaires and the business class took precedence over uplifting the fortunes of ordinary working people, the city's black mayor rallied white business leaders and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and fired more than a thousand city employees to crush a strike that resulted when the mayor refused to honor prior promised pay raises for the black men who picked up the city's garbage.
"The black business class and their representatives in power don't know how to liberate anybody --- they just know how to get paid."
The contrast between the prophetic leadership of the civil rights movement era and the profit-oriented leadership of the black business class that came in its wake could not be clearer. Old Testament prophets, like civil and human rights advocates, were not millionaires or kings. They were not in government, nor were they entrepreneurs. They were ordinary people, often reviled and persecuted for daring to speak impolite and unpleasant truths to the powerful and the well connected. Black business people of the old school, the generation of A. G. Gaston and John H. Johnson who heeded the call of the movement's prophetic leaders rather than trying to pretend that they were leaders themselves, did more to help the movement and advance the fortunes of ordinary African Americans on a bad day than most of the Maynard Jackson millionaires do in their entire careers.
Today's elite black leadership does not measure cities by their incarceration rates, nor do they measure their own performance by the prevalence or absence of child poverty, affordable health care, equality of access to good education or any of the things that matter to ordinary black families. What matters to these "black leaders" are big-ticket projects, bragging rights, relentless self-promotion, and the accumulation of contacts, contracts and personal wealth. "Black Mecca" was always intended to be where their dreams came true, not ours.
The guiding principles of America's black business-class leadership are the enrichment of its individual members, and its own self-promotion as folks with the legitimate claim to leadership of African Americans. The "Black Mecca" hype was the product of this relentless business-class self-promotion. For the small subset of African American business and professional people possessing the requisite skills, contacts and access to capital, Atlanta did offer unparalleled opportunities. These have been replicated on a smaller scale in other cities where the previous generation's movement for human and civil rights forced open some of the doors to governance and contracting.
"Disparities between numbers of educated and professional black men and women may actually be greater in business-class led black Atlanta than in the rest of black America."
The black business and political class does what it does well enough. But unlike the black business people of previous generations, it stubbornly refuses to help open up the doors of prosperity to other segments of the black community. The Black business class and their representatives in power don't know how to liberate anybody - they know how to get paid.
"Black Mecca" No Promised Land for Single Black Female Professionals
For many educated black professionals who migrated to Atlanta, looking for a piece of "black Mecca", especially women, the results have been decidedly mixed. There is disturbing evidence that nationwide structural imbalances between the numbers and availability of employed black men vs. employed black women, and disparities between numbers of educated and professional black men and women may actually be greater in business-class led black Atlanta than in the rest of black America.
The gender mismatch among the Black professional classes was detailed in a study by Professor J. Vincent Egan, published by Clark Atlanta University's Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy. In the center's 2004 "Status of Black Atlanta" report, Egan compared relevant data on marriage, cohabitation, the relative availability, employment and educational status of men and women between African Americans in Atlanta's city and suburbs, between the metro area and the rest of Georgia and the nation, and concluded that "marriage among blacks is much worse in the city of Atlanta than in the Atlanta metro area and the nation."
"There has been a large rise in the incidence of never married men and women...a large component of the decline in the marriage rate - especially for African Americans since 1970. Nationally 41.6% of black men and 39.7% of black women...have never been married. In 2002 over 84.5% of black women ages 25-29have never been married, and 50.2% of black women ages 40-44 have never been married. In the city of Atlanta, 46.7% of black males and 48.1% of black females have never been married."
Egan goes on to examine the impact of the decline in marriage to the lives and fates of men and of children. The latter are at greater risk for contact with the prison industry, and for men, "The most recent study of twins found a marriage premium of 19% that is attributable to marriage itself... For black men however, the marriage premium is the highest of all ethnic groups and was 38% in 1979."
"On the negative side the decline of marriage has been correlated with labor market performance by black men. Particularly striking has been the growth of idleness (defined as an individual not working all year long) among black men. Based on Current Population Survey data in 2002, 25% of black men in the US were idle, double the rates for white and Hispanic men. Because of the growth in idleness, many economists now prefer to report the employment to population ratio to examine employment issues facing black men (and not simply the unemployment rate or labor force participation). Also the unemployment rate for less educated black females rose significantly in the 1990s while the employment rate for less educated black males continued to decline...in the city of Atlanta, only about half the black men were employed in 2000. The employment/population ratio was higher for black women than black men. This was not true for blacks either in the Atlanta MSA outside the city or nationally.
Egan details the ratios of available men to women in black Atlanta.
For the professional Black woman, finding a man of similar background is especially difficult in Atlanta, says Egan:
"There is also a gap for graduate and professional women. Nationally there are 690 black men with graduate and professional degrees for every 1,000 black women, 663 in the Atlanta MSA, and 710 in the city of Atlanta. The opposite situation exists for whites in the Atlanta MSA. There are 1,019 white men with some college for every 1,000 white women, 1,147 white men with college or better for every 1,000 white women, and 1,252 white men with graduate degrees for every 1,000 white women. In fact, the surplus more than compensates for the black female deficit. There are 8,984 more black women than black men with graduate and professional degrees, but 22,778 more white men than white females. There are 42,589 more white men with college degrees than white females, but 25,443 more black women than black men with college degrees.
"Similar results hold for individuals with managerial and professional jobs. There re 610 black males with managerial and professional jobs for every 1,000 black women in the Atlanta MSA, and 464 in the city of Atlanta."
Black female professionals want careers, but they deserve the possibility of solid and stable families and communities too. Just as poor and working class African Americans are ill served by our business class black leadership, they are too.
Time for a New Leadership Model
The time is ripe for a new kind of black leadership, and for us to develop new models of urban empowerment and economic development. The black business class has proven itself adept at profiting from the privatization of public services and resources, thus lowering the quality of life in larger African American communities. They have often reaped, and enabled others to reap windfall profits when neighborhoods of poorer, blacker residents were displaced by richer and whiter ones. This kind of leadership costs more than it is worth.
"The next Black Meccas must be built in the many cities where we already stand."
It is time to develop new models of leadership, and new engines of economic development for our black communities, the goals of which must be to develop the human and material resources of the cities for the people who live in them now, not for outsiders they hope to attract, or for the narrow class of "Maynard Jackson millionaires" and their wannabes. Public pension funds and union funds are a good start, and could be used to build some of that housing.
Over the past two years, BC has run a continuing series of articles exploring some aspects of what a plan for urban centers to save themselves might look like. (See BC "Wanted: A Plan for the Cities to Save Themselves," Parts One, Two, Three, Four and Five.)
The time for pilgrimage is over. The next black Meccas must be built in the many cities where we already stand, and for the people who already live there. This is the unfinished business of black America and its leaders, if we still have any.


text: E! has decided to combine an extreme plastic surgery show with a bridal show. Apparently they are going to have potential brides compete against each other and if they win they get to pick some plastic surgery they want and get it done immediately. Apparently these are going to be women who want multiple plastic surgeries. I don't really like these kind of shows. I don't mind the idea of brides competing, that sounds like fun. I just don't like how it seems the producers are encouraging that in order to look good enough to get married you need tons of plastic surgery. Now some people who watch the show will also think they need plastic surgery before they get married. I also think it is interesting that one of the producers is Giuliana Rancic who is always getting asked about her body.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dentist Hourly Wages
Alternate Job Titles: Dentist
How much does a Dentist make an hour? The median hourly wage for a Dentist is $70, as of May 30, 2017, with a range usually between $63-$82, however this can vary widely depending on a variety of factors. Our team of Certified Compensation Professionals has analyzed survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at companies of all sizes and industries to present this range of hourly wages for people with the job title Dentist in the United States.
This chart describes the expected percentage of people who perform the job of Dentist in the United States that make less than that hourly rate. For example the median expected hourly pay for a typical Dentist in the United States is $70 an hour, so 50% of the people who perform the job of Dentist in the United States are expected to make less than $70.
Source: HR Reported data as of May 30, 2017
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This chart describes the expected percentage of people who perform the job of Dentist that make less than that hourly rate. For example 50% of the people who perform the job of Dentist are expected to make less than the median.
Source: HR Reported data as of June 2017
Examines and treats diseases and injuries of teeth and gums. Performs preventative and maintenance dentistry and educates the patient in proper tooth and gum care. Recommends braces or surgery to correct any malformations. Requires a degree in dentistry from an accredited school and is licensed to practice. May require 2-4 years of experience. Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Works under general supervision. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is required. View full job description
View Healthcare -- Practitioners Jobs by Salary Range: <$30K, $30K–$50K, $50K–$80K, $80K–$100K, >$100K
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Please Note: In an effort to keep spam down, the email addresses on our website are NOT live links. You need to cut and paste the email addresses into your address line, or manually type them in.
Mailing Address: Moss Street Market, 1330 Fairfield Rd, Victoria BC, V8S 5J1
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When 32-year-old divorcee Samar Al Badawi went to Jeddah court to challenge a "filial ingratitude" complaint filed by her father, the judge rejected her claims and ruled in favor of her father. And despite documented physical abuse, previous court rulings to lift her father's guardianship, and even a royal order to send her to an abused women's shelter from governor of Mecca Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the judge sent her to prison. This was a year ago, and Al Bawadi has not been released or seen her … [Read more...]
Free Samar: Saudi Bloggers Rally for Samar Al Badawi
October 19, 2010 by


text: Dell Inspiron 15 Intel Pentium 2.4GHz 15.6" LED Laptop $379.99 $518.99 + Free Shipping Dell Coupons See Deal Flag this deal Edit deal What's the matter? Choose a reason Dead deal Duplicate Bad link Spam Inaccurate No value Alive again Comments (1) Janniesue51 Jan 14, 2013 I also purchased the 65Watt 3 Prong AC adapter with 6ft power cord. My total with NYS tax = $457.34 Nice! Reply Cancel Load More Comments


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Results 1 to 3 of 3
24th December 2014 09:35 PM #1
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massage therapy for pregnant woman
Good day! I am very curios if I am allowed to have a massage therapy session even with my sensitive pregnancy. I tried to watch some videos on proper massage techniques for pregnant women but I need to lie down side ways which is going to make my rib side ache as Ive experienced when I try to go to sleep. Im afraid to try it as well as Im not sure if it would be alright for a pregnant woman like me who always have spotting to have a massage therapy. I would greatly appreciate your suggestions/clarifications on this matter. Thank you.
27th December 2014 06:30 AM #2
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A prenatal massage is wonderful during pregnancy.
A certified prenatal massage therapist is one to seek out in this case.
Someone who is certified in doing massage while a mum is pregnant is very important.
I would not have a massage by someone who is not certified.
Most prenatal massage therapists will advertise that they do indeed offer prenatal massage therapy. Seek this out in your search for massage while pregnant.
27th December 2014 07:54 AM #3
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Hi. That's nice to know. Thank you for the information. I'll definitely look for a certified prenatal massage therapist next week. I'm excited! Have a good one.


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Separately, it is thought that Mr Hodgson harbours aspirations to buy some parts of the lighter to leather goods group. Directors at the company, which has served up two profits warnings in the past four months, want to slim down operations to focus on its core branded lighters and watches.
Ronson also sells sunglasses, pens, leather luggage and jewellery as well as operating home shopping, duty-free and packaging businesses.
While the group said no decisions had been made on the future shape of the company, Alan Kilkenny, a non-executive director, said the company had "tried to get into too many markets".
Commenting on the suggestion that there might be fat to trim in the company, Mr Kilkenny said: "You can be assured that there will not be profligacy from now on."
He was speaking as the company reported pre-tax losses of pounds 2.2m for the year to December compared to pounds 4m of profits made in 1995.
The losses, pounds 200,000 higher than the group predicted when it posted a financial warning in June, were attributed to relocation and reorganisation expenses, costs from shipping products which were not in stock to meet orders, reduced margins and a pounds 900,000 bad debt provision. Sales, which fell 7 per cent, had been hit by a factory fire.
Laurie Todd, finance director, said he did not expect further provisions, but warned that first-half losses would be "significant" in order to invest in reviving the Ronson brand. A new information technology system was likely to cost around pounds 1m.
Shaun Dowling, executive chairman, said there was "solid demand" for the group's products.
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Recipes : Sandwiches
New Hampshire Maple Monte Cristo Sandwich
We paired smoky-sweet griddled country ham, gooey melted Fontina and creamy maple Dijon sauce together for our Monte Cristo sandwich and then drenched it in real maple syrup for the perfect brunch or late-night sandwich recipe. Because, after all, everyone needs a little bit of over-the-top indulgence once in a while!
Turkey Sliders with Mac & Cheese
Wow the "kids table" with these roast turkey and cheese sliders with-a-twist! We added the craveable flavor of gooey-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside mac & cheese bites to our mini sliders for added fun. These bite-size morsels of deliciousness are made ahead with our simple mac & cheese recipe and can even be breaded and refrigerated the day before for easy prep.
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Sliders
Everyone needs a chance to relax during the holidays. That is why we crafted the perfect recipe that uses Thanksgiving leftovers in a brand new way! These sliders save you time and money when feeding the out of towners visiting for the holidays.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Banh Mi
This spicy-fresh Vietnamese sandwich layers thin slices of tender marinated grilled pork tenderloin with crunchy pickled veggies, fresh-cut jalapeno, thin ribbons of cucumber and spicy chile mayo on a French baguette. Banh Mi perfection!
Lobster Rolls
What's better than sweet succulent lobster meat lightly tossed with mayo and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, all piled in buttery split-top toasted buns? You just have to indulge in this over-the-top sandwich one last time before summer gives way to autumn. We customized our lobster rolls with crunchy celery and scallions, then finished with a drizzle of warm drawn butter- what could be better!
Cubano Sandwich
Our classic Cubano sandwich recipe, made famous in the Tampa Florida neighborhood of Ybor City, features mojo-marinated roast pork tenderloin with deli-sliced ham, Genoa salami and Swiss cheese, thin-sliced pickles and mustard- all layered on soft buttery Cuban rolls grill pressed flat and crispy. We griddled our sandwiches topped with a heavy grill press for the perfect balance of golden crispy crust and rich juicy filling. Any heavy weight such as a cast iron skillet or even a heavy brick wrapped in foil works just as well.
White Cheddar and Roasted Pepper Grilled Cheese
It's National Grilled Cheese Day! Not your mama's grilled cheese sandwich! This comfort food classic redo features the contemporary flavor appeal of white Cheddar cheese and rich roasted red peppers in a simple quick-to-fix grilled cheese sandwich recipe loaded with flavor.
Easter Egg Salad Sandwich
The perfect recipe for all those leftover hard-boiled Easter eggs! For a delicious twist on a classic egg salad sandwich we grilled our egg salad sandwiches buttery-crisp and golden on hearty oatmeal bread and then topped with fresh alfalfa sprouts and a sprinkle of roasted sunflower seeds for added flavor and a delicate crunch.


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Last month I introduced you to my 8 to 5 working space aka "my cube" and today, I'm happy to share my home office. My place of all things crafty and Hello Cupcake!
My home office is pretty small. I have a small desk that has a few jars to store my things and my sewing machine. The shoes were potential bridesmaid shoes that I decided against.On top of my sewing machine, I have a screen printed pillow of Ginger that I made and a pencil holder that I got when I was in elementary school. It has stood the test of time and I still love it. I have a chalkboard that I sometimes use to write out my blog posting order. I'll admit, I'm not the best at keeping this up to date. I have a word document on my desktop that I update more frequently with posting plans. I keep most of my craft supplies in glass jars: Thread, ribbon, paper cutters, glue, scissors etc. Keeping it in a container I can see through has been really helpful. My desk is a little cluttered with things I like. I have a mirror which is great for opening the space and keeping me from going cross eyed when I sew. I can also watch Ginger playing on the bed while I work. I have an old picture of my parents when they were in a friends wedding in the 70's and a tiny little plaque that says "Love Make's Your Tummy Tickle". I've had this in my room from the time I was a little baby. I have a dress form….well, a mannequin actually. I bought it for $20 at a store that was going out of business. It's actually incredibly close to my actual measurements which is awesome. My best buy of 2009. Hands down. There is a small closet that I use to hold fabric and other supplies. I put the final touches on my orders together at the desk. All stationery sets are boxed and affixed with a Hello Cupcake sticker before they are sent out. This is what the room looks like standing from the doorway. As you can see, it's pretty small. It barely fits a full size bed and my tiny desk but it's just perfect. It's my office!
All pictures were taken by the uber talented Christine Chang!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
My Office
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The mob of media surrounded the usual veteran suspects in the locker room after the New England Patriots' 42-14 victory against the Houston Texans on Monday night.
First, Pro Bowl receiver Wes Welker held court in front of the cameras and tape recorders. Then, the large group went over to Vince Wilfork's locker, as well as outside to the media room for quarterback Tom Brady's postgame news conference.
But I went a slightly different route after New England's biggest win of the season. I was particularly intrigued by the number of young players making huge contributions for the Patriots.
I stopped to chat with rookie cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who was alone at his locker. The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick who nearly became "Mr. Irrelevant" in the April draft. Several months later, Dennard is a starting cornerback for a Super Bowl contender.
"I'm really blessed to be here," said a wide-eyed Dennard, who seemed a little surprised someone from the national media wanted to talk to him.
I also heard from third-year player Devin McCourty, 25, who selflessly changed from a Pro Bowl cornerback his rookie year to a starting safety for the betterment of the team. McCourty had an interception against Houston quarterback Matt Schaub in the end zone that set the tone for the eventual blowout.
"If we do what Coach [Bill] Belichick tells us during the week, we have a chance to play any team tough and to really take advantage of what he says," McCourty said.
Stories from young players such as Dennard and McCourty are just two of many that have defined the 2012 Patriots. New England has long been known as a veteran team. But outside of stars like Brady, Welker and Wilfork, these are not your usual Patriots.
New England (10-3), contrary to popular belief, is winning mostly with youth.
The Patriots are getting better during the course of the season because their young players are improving rapidly. The Patriots have 16 starters or significant contributors who are 26 or younger. Fourteen of those have four or fewer years of experience.
In fact, Brady and Wilfork are the only remaining players from New England's previous Super Bowl-winning team, in 2004. Wilfork was a rookie that season, and caught the end of New England's dynasty.
After losing in the Super Bowl last season, the Patriots had big decisions to make. They wisely let go of veterans such as running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis and defensive ends Andre Carter and Mark Anderson. Two starting offensive linemen -- left tackle Matt Light and Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters -- retired. The Patriots replaced veteran free agents with much younger players like tailback Stevan Ridley (23), left tackle Nate Solder (23) and first-round picks Chandler Jones (22) and Dont'a Hightower (22).
Thanks to that infusion, New England is playing faster and is more dynamic on both sides of the ball. The Patriots lead the NFL in total offense and scoring. Rookies like Jones (six sacks), Hightower (43 tackles) and Dennard (three interceptions) helped the defense improved in several areas.
Will their youth catch up to them? So far, it doesn't appear that way.
New England's young players are getting better with experience, and the Patriots still have the necessary veteran leadership from players like Brady, Wilfork, Welker and Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins. That combination led to a convincing win against Houston. The Patriots also have another tough test Sunday night against the rugged San Francisco 49ers.
But anything can happen in a one-game scenario in January. You never quite know how young players will react in the playoffs on the NFL's biggest stage.
For example, Ridley had fumble issues late last season and in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Patriots didn't trust Ridley enough and benched him for the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl. That luxury no longer exists without Green-Ellis. The Patriots need Ridley to produce. Ridley, by the way, fumbled against Houston, but it was recovered by teammate Aaron Hernandez.
Rookies like Jones, Hightower and Dennard have never played this many games in one season. Including exhibitions and a deep postseason run, the Patriots could end up playing 23 or 24 games. They are counting on their rookie contributors to stay sharp.
Many of these young Patriots are learning on the job -- but it's been a job well done thus far.


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Hi! My name is Jan Jundt. I've been asked to be the 2014 Lupus Ambassador. I was very honored and surprised that our three daughters nominated me. Thanks, girls!
I look forward to sharing "our" journey with you. From the beginning, we have always referred to my having lupus as we (our family) having lupus. As you can well imagine, how mom is feeling makes a difference in how and what we do. At first, I worried about spoiling family outings and plans, but with the help of my husband and girls we learned if plan A, B or C didn't work, we'd go to Z if we had to.
I was diagnosed in December 1989, almost 25 years ago. I was 35 years old and suffered from pain I thought was caused from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We were only too familiar with this disease on both sides of the family, so when I was having more and more trouble with my joints, red swollen knuckles, and hard-to-climb stairs, I was sure it was RA. I remember stirring tomato soup for my five-year-old daughter and crying because it hurt so much.
I had an appointment early in December 1989 with my allergist, and while waiting to be called in the office, I read an article about allergies and arthritis being cousins. I asked my allergist about this and showed him my hands. He advised me to see a rheumatologist right away. The Lord was watching over me that day and I got an appointment for the following week.
After lots of tests and exams, my RA doctor called a couple days later to tell me I was suffering from lupus, an autoimmune disease. He asked to see me and my husband to discuss my diagnosis. I was so relieved it was not RA, after seeing how much my grandfather and aunt suffered from it, that I didn't hear the implied RED FLAG of "bring your husband with you."
We made an appointment for the end of the next week. Unfortunately, I did not make it to that appointment as I had a major flare the night before. The doctors could not figure out what was causing my organs to shut down until Dave remembered my appointment to discuss lupus. I spent a month in ICU with complete renal failure. The only two organs working somewhat were my heart and brain. I don't remember a total of 10 days of that month, but by the grace of God I started coming around on Christmas Eve, "a true Christmas miracle."


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|The most visible part of the fire department is the Emergency Response Division. This division is directed toward fire Suppression and Emergency Services, which include all of the personnel that respond to fire, medical emergency and other emergency calls throughout the city. Crews working 24-hour shifts are ready day and night to respond at a moment's notice. Five stations throughout the city ensure a quick response to any call for help.
In addition to emergency response, Burlington fire personnel can be seen any hour of the day:


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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
When I realized something was very wrong before the housing bubble burst, I started looking into the causes of what went wrong which led to this site being created. Since then, I have evolved my thinking on the subject and this site will no longer be updated, merely serving as an archive for others seeking the truth. I have reached the end of the road, so to speak, as I believe the following is the reality of how our economy works so there's not much point in continuing updating this site when there are others who do a better job.
After I read The Lost Science of Money and Web of Debt, it infuriated me that banks were creating money out of thin air and charging interest on it. This is the majority of our money supply. What the banks actually create is credit through double entry bookkeeping, creating both an asset and a liability at the same time. As the loan is paid off, the "money" they created is destroyed. This is called horizontal money in Modern Monetary Theory circles. I still think state and community banks are a great idea and I am still against the monopolization of the banking industry. Bill Black of the neweconomicperspectives.com site and Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC) wrote a classic book on control fraud, which to this day, is still a huge problem within the banking industry. We will will never fully recover from this balance sheet recession until that fraud is addressed.
Over the last 30 years, both Democrats and Republicans have deregulated and distorted markets, creating a massive shadow banking industry that threatens to destroy us. On August 1, 2011 Congress passed the antithesis to FDR's New Deal, which some have described as the new Raw Deal. Lawmakers have a fundamental misunderstanding of the national debt and are seeking to cut back spending at a time when it is most needed and begin cutting the social safety nets our country has enjoyed for many decades.
Government (Congress specifically) creates money out of thin air too however, unlike a household or state or Greece, it can never go bankrupt. Inflation is the only issue we need be concerned with as we can can never run out of money we create by clicking keys on a computer. We do not "borrow" money to fund government nor do we need taxes to pay for the things government buys. If the government sells you a $1000 Treasury bond and you pay for it with 10 $100 dollar bills, what have you done? You have traded 10 pieces of paper printed by the government for another piece of paper printed by the government. Does the government really need the tax money you send it, the money they printed in the first place? Of course not. Taxes serve to regulate the economy to keep inflation in check. Government spending goes directly into private (and foreign) savings. When the government pays a soldier...or keeps grandma from starving with Social Security checks...or buys a car, that money increases the amount of money in circulation in the economy. Money which you and I receive in our private sector paychecks. If we didn't have a national debt and had a balanced budget like some propose, we wouldn't be able to grow. Population is still growing at an exponential rate and we will need the economy to grow along with it.
It is true that the FED is privately owned but the big catch that I somehow missed is that the FED returns 97% of the interest it makes by the government supposedly "borrowing" from the FED. I do have big problems with the FED but the interest on the national "debt" is not one of them. One huge problem I have with them is how they are able to loan trillions to their banking buddies at near zero percent interest rates.
The problem we have today is that taxes are imbalanced and spending goes to too many of the wrong people, resulting in the worst income inequality since the Great Depression. Anyone who has played the board game Monopoly knows that someone will always end up winning due to the roll of the dice. Life is not that much different. The simple truth is: Concentrated Wealth Destroys Democracy. By following the links below and learning Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), you will know that the government can either reduce taxes or spend more in a balance sheet recession. Republicans and the Tea Party crowd are all for reducing taxes but the problem is the reductions are for the wrong people! They have skewed the laws in such a way that only the very wealthy are seeing any increase in income. At one time, the marginal tax rate on the richest Americans was over 90% and yet the country did extremely well and the rich, while not getting as rich as fast as they are today, also did quite well. It's the middle class that needs the tax reduction and ending the tax on labor, the payroll tax, would be a good start. The other problem with both the Republicans and the Democrats is that they are reducing government spending at a time when that is the worst thing to do. What government should be spending money on is the same thing that got us out of the last Depression, a WPA-style jobs program to fix our infrastructure. We have the money for it. We will always have the money....we create it out of thin air. Again, the only worry we have is whether it will cause inflation and at a time when our biggest risk is deflation due to everyone trying to cut back their spending at the same time, the answer to whether it would cause inflation is NO!
I won't even get into the standard criticism about how printing money to close the production gap will cause hyperinflation as that is thoroughly discredited in the links below. Deficits do matter and inflation and price stability are exactly where we should focus our attention but solvency is not a problem we will ever face.
The following provide everything you need to know about how our economy actually works and how to fix our economic crisis:
New Economic Perspectives
The Pragmatic Capitalist
The Center of the Universe
The evolution of my economic thinking:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead


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Millions of British Gas customers were today warned that energy bills could rise by as much as £100 next winter.
The country's biggest gas and electricity supplier said it was being squeezed by 15 per cent higher wholesale gas prices and other costs that meant the trend for household bills "remains upwards".
The warning came on the day that the boss of the company's owner, Centrica, came under fire from shareholders for his £4 million pay package, which includes a £684 discount on his energy bills.
Experts said there was little prospect of an immediate rise in tariffs but said British Gas was clearly preparing the ground for increases in the autumn.
In its statement today Centrica said "non-commodity costs", which includes transporting gas around the country as well as meeting "green" obligations imposed by the Government, would add around £50 to the average cost of supplying a household.
On top of that, 15 per cent higher wholesale prices for next winter compared with last winter could mean a further £50 cost burden, say experts. It will be up to British Gas to decide how much it passes on to households.
Mark Todd, director at Energyhelpline.com, said: "This is the starkest warning yet that consumers will be faced with some hefty bill increases later this year. British Gas is the biggest energy supplier in the UK, supplying gas to almost 10 million households, so this should be taken very seriously. From what we are hearing, other suppliers are feeling similar pressures."
Consumer groups urged the company to shoulder as much of the costs itself as it can afford. Jo Ganly, energy expert at comparison website u.Switch, said: "Clearly it's worrying against a backdrop that consumers are still struggling with the £224, or 21 per cent, increase in bills from the end of 2010.
Since then they have only enjoyed a £41 or 3.2 per cent reduction at the beginning of this year. Any more increases will see people seriously struggling to afford their bills." Average dual fuel household energy bills currently stand at about the £1,250 mark.
All the major suppliers, including British Gas, implemented small cuts in tariffs this year following unprecedented public and political pressure over "rip-off" prices.
A British Gas spokesman said: "We are setting out some of the major factors influencing the ongoing costs we have experienced. We do not forecast changes in our retail prices."
Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, faces a revolt from shareholders at the company's annual meeting in central London today over the size of his remuneration.
- More about:
- British Gas Plc
- Centrica Plc
- Consumer Prices
- Energy
- Households


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text:
RBL, History, Historical Criticism, Postmodernism, and Why We All Agree on Certain Things: A Special Heartwarming Big Blog for the Season of Good Will
I'm going try and enter this ongoing debate over 'postmodernism' versus 'historical criticism' by way of first defending myself (it's not the only reason I blog but...) and then moving on to points involving various misunderstandings by suggesting there is, underneath the rhetoric, little difference in a certain kind of method involving history...if we worked assuming some points from the first half.
Leif Vaage recently made some comments on the book I did with Mike Bird, particularly about issues of history and how – hell fire! –the opponents in the book might actually, more or less, agree with one another, despite the rhetoric. I am not going to defend the book as such but instead I am going to critique Leif's criticisms on history because I think almost everyone in the discipline, and arguably the humanities, is very similar in assessing historical (and perhaps most other) claims even if they think otherwise and so, as we will see, I think Leif's comments need much more substance (and indeed clarification) to be useful.
Leif suggested that 'it seemed to me that both Bird and Crossley equally are true believers when it comes to history as the arbiter of what is really real or truly true'. This seems to me to be a subtle rhetorical move (intentional or not). The book we wrote was assessing certain claims about the history of Christian origins. Leif has shifted this much more generally to 'history as the arbiter of what is really real or truly true'. I don't think that is fair, at least on the basis of what was written in the book. Speaking for myself, and I hope this doesn't sound too obvious or stupid, but history was and is the arbiter of, well, history (you know what I mean). Let me spell this out a little more clearly (though still an obvious point). If we make arguments about the past (or present) we do so with reference to whatever supportive evidence we can amass or assume, or at least in theory. We will all go and disagree on many things but this is the principle. It applies to an introductory book such as the one under review, it applies to those using gender analysis, postcolonial critique, literary criticism, cultural studies, ideological analysis of scholarship or whatever. Using history is what people do when assessing claims that presidents, prime ministers and media tell us that our governments do not support 'rogue states' etc. We can go and check to see which illustrious figure supported which notorious dictator and when. More on this soon...
This approach to history, evidence, or whatever also applies Leif. In addition to applying to his published work, Leif recently gave a defence of the possibility of the Cynic-like Jesus thesis at a small and very interesting Oslo seminar where we were both present and he did so with reference to the possibility of cultural interactions in the Decapolis. He tried to persuade the audience with historical reconstruction and data. In other words, the same sort of thing I attempted and Mike attempted. Leif spoke about 'this eminently modern form of knowledge' but it is one most of us actually share in practice.
But it was Leif's comment that the 'arbiter of what is really real or truly true' which really confused me, not least because the book was on the history of Christian origins not something more general (and vague?) and not on (say) the ethical teaching of the NT (actually the editor removed some such stuff because it was not deemed relevant). Is Leif suggesting something beyond history? Is it faith? Is he suggesting allegory? Is it mysticism or some equivalent? The poetic or aesthetics? If it is something like this, then I have some vague views on such things and wouldn't particularly want to deprive people of their views of the world etc (as I said in the book and as I argued with reference to the resurrection) but that's a different issue.
Leif concluded: 'What would happen to their conversation, I finally wondered, if it were to include a more unbelieving practitioner of this eminently modern form of knowledge?' Well, who might this be? Someone like Hayden White? Well, ok, but that would be a different book with different goals (a bit like many of those debates played out in history journals of the 80s and 90s). But even Hayden White had to assume the 'eminently modern form of knowledge': White was clear enough on this when it came to the Holocaust but also how else did White (successfully in many ways) document patterns in historical writing...? That seems a historical move to me (and that's not a criticism). If it were a Keith Jenkins type Leif was alluding to then his would be too general to be focused on Christian origins as it would be at the heart of philosophy of history.
Ultimately, I have to say that I get a little suspicious when people critique others and give only the vaguest of reasons. It may or may not be modern and obvious to say this, but absence of a clear counter argument cannot really function as a useful counter or qualification. For reasons which might become clear below, I wonder if we are dealing with an ideological move in such labelling (a kind of rhetorical distancing without substance), the same way we find paralleled, as we will see, in the debates over 'historical criticism' and 'postmodernism', a suspicion heightened, it has to be said, by the lack of clarification of an alternative.
In case anyone doesn't like the approach of 'historicism' which underlies what I do (and I do not have anyone particularly in mind now) I will give the following aside. During the massive anti-Iraq war protest in London, I remember being almightily pissed off when Jesse Jackson got up and gave a sort of epic prayer type thing and banged on (and on and on) about John Lennon and giving peace a chance or something which was as spectacularly high on rhetoric as it was low on useful detail to counter the pro-war arguments. I wanted the speakers to highlight continually things like Blair supporting the Saddam-like Islam Karimov, that he had never cared less about Iraqis until he was told to, the previous support for Saddam by US and UK govts etc. This was a change to get such views on TV and the media, especially important as this sort of stuff was not being thrown at Blair enough or even in seriously discussed in the media (at least not in any significant way) in the build up to the war. And as this was happening, Blair talked about morality etc and various 'liberal-left' journalists (notably in the Observer) supplied the propaganda to back Blair up. History (or: 'historicism') has shown, and did show, Blair to be a thoroughly deceitful man by measuring his arguments with what detail we know. Meanwhile, as Naomi Klein pointed out at the time, Levi's Europe started cashing in by selling teddy bears with a peace symbol.
It is for reasons such as these that I (militantly) prefer 'historicism' to over reliance on rhetoric. It is reasons such as these that telling the truth about the past and establishing historical data are so important, to me at least. I do not think going down the Paul de Man route is very helpful. The combination of continually establishing and verifying 'facts' and data, and placing them in a broader economic and cultural context is one of the key reasons I like the approach of Noam Chomsky who is, rightly, relentless when it comes to such things and happily a child of (more enlightened side of) the Enlightenment.
Anyway, let's get back on track. Leif adds, 'I found them strikingly alike in their historicism and for this reason most of the time not that far apart or all that different from one another in their practice of interpretation.' I'm again not entirely sure what Leif means here but if we are as similar as he thinks then it can only be in the sense described above. Actually, there is one major difference of interpretation between Mike and myself (supernatural aside). Now this point is important: *Mike tends to focus on ideas whereas socio-historical change guides my interpretative interest.* There are other approaches from social history I use, implicitly or explicitly. Issues concerning socio-economic change underpinned what I did and do. This is a significant difference and I keep pointing out how socio-economic causal issues and historical change are repeatedly ignored in NT studies and it might be that we have yet another example of such an approach being ignored...unless, of course, Leif means similarities in the sense I described above (I was explicit in my emphasis on socio-economic change and I think it would have been difficult to miss so we should probably assume Leif means similarities lie elsewhere).
If similarities lie elsewhere, such as in the kinds of ways described above (*and this issue is going to guide the rest of this blog entry*), I think Leif's point is too banal to be useful in this context because it applies, perhaps, to most of us. And here I would include literary critics with no interest in 'history' and no interest in author because they are still trying to make a case based on evidence to show the plausibility of a given reading and even in some cases implicitly showing a text in history. Same difference, is it not? All a part of the same tapestry, is it not? So, again, are we seeing an ideological move in shunting us both together...? The two authors are both similar and different but where we are similar, it is in line with most others I imagine.
And this brings me on to the entertaining debate over postmodernism and historical criticism sparked off by George Aichele, Peter Miscall, and Richard Walsh's JBL article (as someone pointed out, it may be a significant moment that this was published in JBL). Actually, I'm not going to comment on that debate directly, interesting though it clearly is, but rather develop the above in light of some blogger comments. The reason I make the connection with the present debate is because I think the dichotomy, at least as presented in some of the discussion following the JBL article, is both right and wrong. Let's start with wrong. My colleague Hugh Pyper wrote in the latest SBL Forum on the NASCAR Bible, not the stuff of traditional historical critics. Hugh is a big Derrida fan and would be most at home, I suppose, in the world of which might be labelled, and I mean this very generally, 'deconstructionist', 'poststructuralist' or whatever. Yet while he emphasises things differently to historical critics, I still think this isn't dramatically different from the ways in which historical critics might try to support a case, look for evidence, see things embedded in history, look for broader cultural themes and so on. Besides, Hugh has also worked on areas which might be deemed more traditional historical criticism and he would never be contradictory, would he...?
Not dissimilarly, Deane Galbraith wrote on 'Cyborg, Hauntology, Spectrality and the Bible' where he looked at cultural issues involving things from NASA naming the first chimp sent into space to the film Chimps in Space, with issues biblical reference and ideology thrown in. Again, not the sort of thing found among traditional historical critics yet...I don't know if Deane agrees or not, but I don't see any significant difference from the kind of standard enough approach in the sense that the argument was bolstered by historical and 'textual' evidence, along with cultural traits and allusions, albeit with a creative slant (an interesting parallel might be made with some trends in the study of the OT in the NT). And let's not forget that Deane has been one of the defenders (with qualification) of historical criticism and has blogged on more traditional historical critical issues (e.g. date of the Pentateuch).
And where would we fit a Marxist like Badiou into all this (or plenty of other Marxists)? Badiou is most associated with those interested in theory but as people point out, he is very much another child of the Enlightenment. Or Eagleton? He's obviously interested in 'theory' but used some classic historical criticism in his intro to Jesus (actually a very NT Wrightian approach to Jesus in certain instances). Someone somewhere (this was a massive blog debate, so forgive me) also mentioned (fairly, I think) that Foucault's work on the history of sexuality (or was it punishment? Nevermind, the point stands) was effectively 'historicist' (or something like that).
This blending of approaches should suggest, at the very least, that the seemingly radically different approaches are not necessarily so radically different after all. Other examples could be given. John Barclay, who has worked with traditional readings of texts, has also worked with postcolonial theory and Badiou's ideas, and presumably he sees no contradiction in what he is doing. I personally see no problem using whatever I think works and if this means using something like postcolonial criticism and more traditional historical criticism, with x, y or z thrown in, then so be it. What's the problem? Or have I missed the point? Aren't, obviously, all the humanities trying to provide some insight into human beings and society...?
Roland Boer cites a dispute between certain people we call 'minimalists' and 'maximalists' (I really can't be bothered checking the precise links and details, ok?) and each side throwing the label 'postmodernist' at one another. I don't know anything about that particular dispute but I have read similar polemic levelled at the 'minimalists'. Again, in addition to Roland's points, I'd refer to my above points in the sense that both sides are actually very similar. So, both sides would use archaeology, biblical texts and so on but the major difference is that they interpret the evidence and issues, such as those concerning 'state' and dating, differently. The weird thing about this debate is that effectively if someone dates a text one scholar doesn't like or interprets it differently then they are 'postmodernists'. This sort of reasoning would, erm, make some famous nineteenth century scholarship 'postmodernist'!
Another aside, this time on the terms being used... For 'historical criticism', simply read traditional critical approaches to the text etc. We all know what we mean, even if we don't like the term, ok? For postmodernism, I am with Roland in following Jameson on the cultural logic of late capitalism. As it happens, I came across one strange use of 'postmodern' in a musical review of the year by a journalist I actually like but who claimed certain pop songs of the past decade were 'postmodern'. I *think* I know what he meant, even if the word isn't all that helpful, and even in the different world of musical culture (and isn't the whole pop music phenomenon an excellent example of one manifestation of the cultural logic of late capitalism?). Anyway, my point...the labelling comes across as quite misplaced and so does not this specific placement of the label, rather than accepting the blanket idea of cultural logic, suggest some ideological move? In biblical studies (and the humanities) there is, after all, a lot of polemic on both 'sides'...
And of course the issue of 'objectivity' has been running throughout the whole debate. My guess (as Deane Galbraith suggests via Barr) is that if most biblical scholars were asked about objectivity they would admit they were not claiming to be objective in the sense that they have no presuppositions (I prefer the objectivity debates to be framed in terms of neutrality and limited objectivity but that's for another day). Indeed, plenty of those who might identify as historical critics just can't wait to tell us that no one can do exegesis without presupposition, as if this is something new. That said, I wonder if the rhetoric might imply otherwise. The classic 'review of scholarship' sections of books can often, rightly or wrongly, and certainly if people aren't careful, come across as the past was pretty wrong but, heroically, here's what really happened... Indeed, from conferences etc and some of the scholarly rhetoric about 'postmodernism', it is clear that there is the perception that 'postmodernist' approaches are believed to be way too subjective and effectively involve making things up. But this must therefore imply something about the interpreter, must it not...? See also some of the discussion on Roland's blog and the Dunedin School blog for claims made by scholars concerning 'objectivity'.
But I said 'right and wrong' somewhere way, way above...From the Dunedin School, Deane combines the ideas of construction and fantastical othering and he is, I think, right to do so. If it is right that there is a lot in common across different approaches when do we get to the point where the difference is simply content and theme or that someone is more convinced by one method over another? Well maybe we are already there. I mean, not everyone is into trying to get behind the text to find out the life and teaching of Jesus, not everyone is interested in the ways gender is constructed in the NT, not everyone wants to analyse literary techniques without reference to historical events and overt historical influence, not everyone is into social history, and not everyone is interested in uncovering ideology and power, and so people may see themselves as doing very different things. Ok, fair enough. But how do people try to persuade their audience...? Is it really dramatically different in the ways in which many people believe...? Perhaps this partly a debate about *taste*...? And so this is where the debate sparked off by George Aichele, Peter Miscall, and Richard Walsh could be very useful: what are the ideological issues and moves in constructing a position (or, perhaps better, someone else's position) as 'historical critic' or 'postmodernist'? These issues, for me anyway, are what are at the heart of this debate.
In all the debates over 'postmodernism' etc it is still clear that certain people do have entrenched positions and construct the Other as something they are not (there may be seeds of this in Leif's critique). Deane points to the hostile use of historical criticism in certain academic discourses. We can of course reverse this and we all know it isn't too difficult to find examples where 'postmodernist' (or the like) is equated with anti-history or pure subjectivity and so on. I am still yet to be convinced that there are substantial differences in approaching history and texts in terms of providing evidence for an argument and historical reconstruction. All I can see is different scholarly emphases on what is *worthy* of reconstruction.
A final aside...Chris Weimer's strong criticism that some or much scholarship labelled by some (or perhaps many) as postmodernist, poststructuralist or '(critical) theory' is pure nonsense (such scholarship, not Chris) is something with which I have some sympathy. The world of 'theory' (or something like – again I think we all roughly know what is meant) can include incomprehensible or nonsensical ideas and Chris is dead right to point to Sokal. As is now well known, Sokal deliberately invented things in a hoax article and, amazingly, the article got published. That alone says something. Chomsky said he knew Lacan and said Lacan told him that we would invent nonsensical ideas just to see if Parisian intellectuals would believe them. Is it being too harsh to suggest that both cases imply that some people think some profound truth beyond most and is available to the critically trained few. I do not believe that certain people in the humanities have reached a more profound level of truth many of us are not clever enough to understand. Like too much academic language, I strongly suspect that we have a classic case of academic power play, a vanguard of the elect academics who are privileged enough to *know*... That too is for another time but I would just add that exotic use of language is also used outside the world of what some might call 'theory' (or whatever we want to call it) and can be found in works of a more historical critical bent... Now, I don't know how wide ranging some of the incomprehensible language or absurd statements cited by Sokal, Chomsky and others is but it is obviously present in the intellectual world, and in the work of some high profile academics, and so it will be interesting to see what Chris uncovers (it seems he intends to write more on this).


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Doctor insights on:
Swollen Eyes Every Morning
How can I get rid of swollen eyes every morning?
Challenging problem: Puffy eyelids upon awakening are a challenging problem. Common causes include underlying sinus congestion, sinusitis and allergies. You can experiment with over the counter antihistamines and head elevation. You might want to consider undergoing allergy testing. Often times no underlying cause is found, and an oculoplastic evaluation is needed. ...Read more
Eye Swelling (Definition)
Eye swelling is a clinical finding in which the skin or muscles around the eye retains ...Read more
Symptoms: swollen eyes every morning, sore throat with white spots, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue...No fever ?
Many possibilities..: These symptoms are non-specific. They can be due to many causes. Examples of these causes is infectious mononucleosis, post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (kidney disease that occur after strept infection), blood cancer, etc. I think mono is the most likely in your case but you should get evaluated soon.. ...Read more
Wat could be the reason why i wake up every morning with severely swollen eyes?
Allergies or: Some families have a syndrome called blepharochalsis that involves episodes of swelling. Some patients sleep with a sleep mask to compress during the night. ...Read more
I woke up with swollen eyes this morning. This has happened before. What could it be?
Allergy: The most common is allergy could also be hypothyroid the amount and persistance of the swelling would indicate the need for medical evaluation. ...Read more
Cluster of small red bumps and really dry skin on my face and swollen eyes in the morning. What could be wrong?
See a doctor: Any number of issues come to mind and an accurate diagnosis is important prior to treatment. This way you will know if all three problems are related and what can be done for each. ...Read more
Is their any way to reduce swollen eyes in the morning dt allergies, in the mornings I can't breathe, I sneeze, and eyes are very swollen ?
Medicine: Are you already using an oral antihistamine? If so, an additional topical antihistamine may help. Cold compresses in the morning and sleeping with your head slightly elevated may also be of some benefit. See your doctor for recommendations of allergy medication is you are not using any. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
I was feeling itchy yesterday and i woke up in the morning with itchy bumps all over my body and swollen eyes and lips and now my fingers are swelling?
Best to see doctor: This is a reaction or allergy to something. It seems severe that even your lips are swollen. Allergy can happen in most parts of your body including your airways and even intestine so it is best to be evaluated and treated as soon as possible to avoid complications or to take away offending factors if known. ...Read more
I wake up with swollen eyes or face a handful of times every month. I have been tested and do not have any remarkable allergies. What could this be?
Something: Allergies to various objects or substances could still be possible. Dust mites? Sheets? Detergents? Soaps? Make up? I would see your doctor for a second consultation since this is persisting. Good luck ...Read more
Every day i wake up with swollen eyes and red patches on my skin, my eczema flares up and i get water weeping from my skin any ideas?
Get tested: You need to determine your eczema triggers, see an allergist and get tested. ...Read more
My eye doctor told me to use zylet 4 times a day every hours . But the eye drops caused me to have a allergic reaction and blurry swollen eyes ?
Stop and see eye MD: Zylet is a steroid and antibiotic drop. Side effects include burning, stinging, hypersensitivity or allergy. Blurry vision a rare side effect, this could be due to allergy or corneal changes but could also be due to an increase in eye pressure (from the steroid). You should inform your doctor, stop the drop ; have an eye exam to check your eye pressure. Try using artificial tears in the meantime. ...Read more
Swollen Eyes (Definition)
Swollen eyes are a common symptom of allergies, infections, inflammation, or irritation ...Read more
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Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo's Yamaha was second fastest, while Pedrosa's team-mate Casey Stoner crashed heavily during a rain shower, but escaped serious injury and was able to rejoin later.
Riders had only got a handful of laps in before the shower, which was brief but intense. Stoner came upon the suddenly wet track at the fast left-hander leading into the final chicane and had a violent high-side, from which he was able to walk away in some discomfort.
Going into the final quarter of an hour, Valentino Rossi (Ducati) was first to prove that slicks were viable, and soon the entire field was out on dry-weather rubber.
Pedrosa was able to beat Lorenzo's early 1m35.5s benchmark with a 1m34.587s, and then improved to a 1m34.522s, 0.161 seconds better than the best his Yamaha rival could manage in the late flurry of quick times.
Alvaro Bautista put his Gresini Honda third, ahead of the Tech 3 Yamahas of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso.
Stoner got back out for a handful of laps at the end of the session and managed to get up to sixth place.


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Barcelona 0-3 Bayern Munich (Agg: 0-7)
- From the section Football
Bayern Munich pulled off a stunning 3-0 victory over Barcelona at the Nou Camp to complete a record Champions League semi-final aggregate win.
Arjen Robben opened the scoring shortly after half-time when he cut in from the right and found the top corner.
Gerard Pique turned Franck Ribery's cross into his own net before Thomas Mueller headed in at the far post to complete the 7-0 aggregate rout.
Bayern now meet fellow German side Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on 25 May.
Jupp Heynckes' side were beaten by Chelsea in last season's Champions League final but, on the evidence of their two performances against the Catalan giants, it will take an almighty effort from Dortmund to prevent them winning their fifth European Cup.
Barcelona, who left injured talismanic playmaker Lionel Messi on the bench, were once again outplayed by the brilliant Bavarians.
And if Bayern's first-leg demolition shook Europe, their second-leg dominance should ensure even bigger reverberations - such was the magnitude of their dominance in the Nou Camp.
From Mario Mandzukic's selfless work as the lone striker, to the slick pass-and-move skills of those behind him, the visitors outplayed Tito Vilanova's side.
Their ruthlessly efficient counter-attacks always carried a goal threat, to the extent that Barcelona were reluctant to commit enough men forward to seriously test the stout Bayern defence.
Perhaps lifted by the absence of Messi, who is still struggling with a hamstring injury, Bayern started brightly and Pique had to be alert to deny both Robben and Philipp Lahm.
Despite the onus being on them to score, Barca were not able to test Manuel Neuer until the 23rd minute, the Germany goalkeeper tipping Pedro's 25-yard shot over the bar.
Content to let the Spanish side pass the ball in their own half, Munich sat back and pounced on loose passes to mount dangerous counter-attacks on the beleaguered Barca backline.
Xavi fired over for the hosts while, at the other end, Robben had a shot charged down.
Something had to give, and it was Barcelona's slim chances when, three minutes into the second half, David Alaba switched play to Robben, who expertly cut inside and curled a left-footed shot into the top corner.
Not content with their commanding advantage, Bayern continued to counter and Pique summed up Barcelona's evening when he failed to deal with Ribery's cross from the left and shinned the ball past his own keeper Victor Valdes.
The record aggregate victory was completed when Mueller rose highest at the far post to head home another super Ribery cross.
Bayern's victory eclipses Manchester United's 6-1 aggregate rout of Schalke in 2011, and, while Sir Alex Ferguson's side lost to Barcelona in the final that year, it is difficult to see a similar fate befalling this mighty Munich side.
Lineup, Bookings (3) & Substitutions (6)
- 01 Valdes
- 02 Alves Booked
- 03 Pique Booked
- 15 Bartra (Montoya - 87' )
- 21 Adriano Correia
- 04 Fabregas
- 06 Xavi (Sanchez - 55' )
- 08 Iniesta (Thiago - 64' )
- 25 Song
- 07 Villa
- 17 Pedro
- 13 Pinto
- 19 Montoya
- 10 Messi
- 11 Thiago
- 12 Jonathan
- 09 Sanchez
- 37 Cristian Tello
Bayern Munich
- 01 Neuer
- 05 Van Buyten
- 17 Boateng
- 21 Lahm (Rafinha - 77' )
- 07 Ribery
- 08 Martinez (Tymoschuk - 74' )
- 25 Mueller
- 27 Alaba
- 31 Schweinsteiger (Dias - 66' )
- 09 Mandzukic
- 10 Robben Booked
- 22 Tom Starke
- 04 Dante
- 13 Rafinha
- 11 Shaqiri
- 30 Dias
- 44 Tymoschuk
- 33 Gomez
Match Stats
On target
Live Text Commentary
Full Time The final whistle goes and the game is over.90:00 +0:17
Thomas Muller challenges Claro Adriano unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Gerard Pique.89:35
Arjen Robben concedes a free kick for a foul on Martin Montoya. Martin Montoya takes the free kick.87:20
Marcio Rafinha produces a right-footed shot from deep inside the six-yard box which goes wide of the right-hand post.86:35 Substitution
Substitution Martin Montoya joins the action as a substitute, replacing Marc Bartra.85:21
Shot by David Villa. Manuel Neuer makes a comfortable save.85:00
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Alcantara Thiago by Franck Ribery. Alcantara Thiago restarts play with the free kick.80:26
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on David Villa by Luiz Gustavo. Free kick taken by David Villa. The ball is delivered by David Villa, Anatoliy Tymoschuk gets a block in. Corner taken by Francesc Fabregas from the left by-line, Marc Bartra has a headed effort at goal from close range which goes wide left of the target.79:48
Foul by Claro Adriano on Mario Mandzukic, free kick awarded. Arjen Robben takes the free kick.79:11
Free kick awarded for a foul by Franck Ribery on Gerard Pique. Free kick taken by Gerard Pique. Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Claro Adriano by Mario Mandzukic. Direct free kick taken by Claro Adriano.77:57
Free kick crossed left-footed by Arjen Robben, Alex Song makes a clearance.77:57 Booking
Booking Gerard Pique is cautioned by the ref for unsporting behaviour.77:52
Free kick awarded for a foul by Gerard Pique on Thomas Muller.77:13
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on David Villa by Daniel Van Buyten. Alcantara Thiago restarts play with the free kick.76:59 Substitution
Substitution Marcio Rafinha comes on in place of Philip Lahm.75:36
Franck Ribery provided the assist for the goal.75:36 Goal scored
Goal! - Thomas Muller - Barcelona 0 - 3 Bay Munich Thomas Muller finds the net with a headed goal from close range. Barcelona 0 (0)-(7) 3 Bayern Munich.75:34
Franck Ribery delivers the ball,75:15
Mario Mandzukic is caught offside. Direct free kick taken by Gerard Pique.73:32 Substitution
Substitution Aguinaga Javi Martinez goes off and Anatoliy Tymoschuk comes on.
Headed effort on goal by David Villa from inside the penalty box misses to the right of the target.71:52
Franck Ribery provided the assist for the goal.71:52 Goal scored
Goal! - Gerard Pique - Barcelona 0 - 2 Bay Munich Gerard Pique puts the ball into his own net. Barcelona 0 (0)-(6) 2 Bayern Munich.71:51
The ball is crossed by Franck Ribery.70:56
Rodriguez Pedro takes a shot. Save made by Manuel Neuer.69:18
Da Silva Dani Alves sends in a cross, clearance made by Daniel Van Buyten.66:47
Alexis Sanchez produces a cross, Philip Lahm gets a block in.65:45 Substitution
Substitution Luiz Gustavo is brought on as a substitute for Bastian Schweinsteiger.64:00
Corner taken by Francesc Fabregas from the right by-line to the near post, Mario Mandzukic manages to make a clearance. Arjen Robben fouled by Claro Adriano, the ref awards a free kick. Manuel Neuer takes the free kick.64:00 Substitution
Substitution (Barcelona) makes a substitution, with Alcantara Thiago coming on for Andres Iniesta.63:39
Alexis Sanchez sends in a cross, David Alaba gets a block in.62:55
Andres Iniesta takes a shot. Blocked by Daniel Van Buyten.62:44
A cross is delivered by Rodriguez Pedro.60:44
David Alaba has shot on goal from just outside the penalty box which goes wide of the right-hand upright.60:21
Thomas Muller has a drilled shot. Marc Bartra gets a block in.56:24
Andres Iniesta concedes a free kick for a foul on Aguinaga Javi Martinez. Philip Lahm takes the direct free kick.54:22 Substitution
Substitution Alexis Sanchez replaces Hernandez Xavi.54:22
Franck Ribery crosses the ball, Effort on goal by Arjen Robben from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the target.53:22
Free kick awarded for a foul by Andres Iniesta on Thomas Muller. Arjen Robben takes the direct free kick.52:04
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Mario Mandzukic by Gerard Pique. Arjen Robben takes the free kick.51:27
David Villa has an effort at goal from outside the area which goes wide left of the target.50:46
David Villa takes a shot. Blocked by Aguinaga Javi Martinez.47:58
Assist on the goal came from David Alaba.47:58 Goal scored
Goal! - Arjen Robben - Barcelona 0 - 1 Bay Munich Arjen Robben fires in a goal from inside the area to the top left corner of the goal. Barcelona 0 (0)-(5) 1 Bayern Munich.47:13
Unfair challenge on Bastian Schweinsteiger by Alex Song results in a free kick. Arjen Robben delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from right wing, save made by Victor Valdes.45:01
The game restarts for the second half.45:00 +0:46 Half time
Half Time The half-time whistle blows.45:00 Booking
Booking Da Silva Dani Alves receives a caution for unsporting behaviour.44:49
Foul by da Silva Dani Alves on Bastian Schweinsteiger, free kick awarded.44:29
Claro Adriano produces a cross.43:29
Rodriguez Pedro gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Bastian Schweinsteiger. Bastian Schweinsteiger restarts play with the free kick.41:49
Da Silva Dani Alves sends in a cross, clearance by Aguinaga Javi Martinez.40:43
Mario Mandzukic gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Marc Bartra. Marc Bartra takes the direct free kick.40:28
Francesc Fabregas produces a cross, blocked by Daniel Van Buyten.39:44
Claro Adriano takes a shot. Save made by Manuel Neuer.36:49
Free kick awarded for a foul by Alex Song on Mario Mandzukic. Bastian Schweinsteiger takes the direct free kick.35:24
Foul by Thomas Muller on Rodriguez Pedro, free kick awarded. Hernandez Xavi restarts play with the free kick.34:46
Arjen Robben takes a shot. Blocked by Alex Song.34:04
The ball is swung over by Rodriguez Pedro, Daniel Van Buyten manages to make a clearance.33:20
Andres Iniesta takes a shot. Daniel Van Buyten gets a block in.31:44
Victor Valdes takes the free kick.31:44 Booking
Booking Arjen Robben goes into the book for unsporting behaviour.31:19
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Alex Song by Arjen Robben.30:25
Hernandez Xavi delivers the ball, Francesc Fabregas takes a shot. Manuel Neuer makes a comfortable save.29:15
The ball is swung over by Claro Adriano, comfortable save by Manuel Neuer.28:17
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Francesc Fabregas by Mario Mandzukic. Hernandez Xavi takes the free kick.28:01
The ball is swung over by Arjen Robben, Gerard Pique gets a block in.26:20
The ball is crossed by da Silva Dani Alves. Shot from close range by Hernandez Xavi clears the bar.23:37
Rodriguez Pedro takes a shot. Save by Manuel Neuer. Corner taken right-footed by Hernandez Xavi, Daniel Van Buyten manages to make a clearance. Rodriguez Pedro takes a shot. Blocked by Daniel Van Buyten.21:27
A cross is delivered by da Silva Dani Alves.15:58
The official flags Mario Mandzukic offside. Direct free kick taken by Victor Valdes.15:23
Unfair challenge on Franck Ribery by Marc Bartra results in a free kick. Bastian Schweinsteiger takes the free kick.14:21
The ball is sent over by da Silva Dani Alves, blocked by David Alaba.13:11
The ball is delivered by Thomas Muller, Alex Song manages to make a clearance.13:02
Arjen Robben delivers the ball.12:34
Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Hernandez Xavi from the right by-line to the near post, Claro Adriano takes a shot. Blocked by Daniel Van Buyten.9:04
The referee penalises Arjen Robben for handball. The ball is swung over by Hernandez Xavi, Header from deep inside the area by Marc Bartra goes over the bar.7:52
Foul by da Silva Dani Alves on Franck Ribery, free kick awarded. Free kick crossed right-footed by Bastian Schweinsteiger from left wing.7:22
Philip Lahm takes a shot. Alex Song gets a block in.6:19
Unfair challenge on Rodriguez Pedro by Philip Lahm results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Gerard Pique.4:42
Da Silva Dani Alves delivers the ball, comfortable save by Manuel Neuer.2:50
Franck Ribery challenges da Silva Dani Alves unfairly and gives away a free kick. Hernandez Xavi restarts play with the free kick.2:27
Foul by Claro Adriano on Arjen Robben, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Philip Lahm.0:21
The offside flag is raised against Thomas Muller. Victor Valdes takes the direct free kick.0:00
The ref blows the whistle to start the match.
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Experienced writer of business and academic communication. Tested in top 5% for academic writing and top 20% for business writing. I can write direct mail, web content, education curriculum, brochures, and just about anything. I've worked in agribusiness, academic, personal finance, real estate, and outdoor recreation industries.


text: Posted March 15, 2012 mother f**kaaaaaa Mock Draft: Trade down to the teens, get an extra second rounder (1) Fletcher Cox (DT Miss St.) An absolute motor for a defensive line. He helps our line and ST-DFG unit in a big way. Two areas we for sure need help at. (2-1)*edit Vinny Curry (4-3 DE Marshall) After some consideration and more searching, I realized Curry actually played 4-3 DE for a good part of his playing career so far. He thinks semi-linebacker after college which is good because I think he'd be fantastic against the run at DE which is exactly the type I'd like to see with Hardy. A playmaker. Yup (2-2) Jayron Hosley (CB/PR Virginia Tech) If there is a CB who's been overlooked its Jayron. He's made to play this position in the NFL and the kid's straight got it. Hokie homerism aside, I've watched this kid play his entire career and want him on the Panthers. Last year he battled a some minor injuries well and pulled off a stellar season at CB. And he's not too shabby at PRs. He would be great back there with Gamble imo. Then we have Hogan, a FA & Butler at Nickle/Dime/Backup (4) Keenan Robinson (OLB Texas) I've always been a bit of a Texas fan and I think Keenan would be a great fit for this team. He's a very underrated prospect who plays consistently and would be a very solid backup, potential starter, and ST contributer. (5-1) Brian Quick (WR App St.) Here you go App State fans haha. Basically, I don't like the safeties or o-lineman here for us in the draft. I think we go with those positions in the FA. Then, we can focus on adding an additional weapon to Cam's arsenal. The TEs however remind me of Jon Fox types so we're looking at WR and RB-scat back. I see more in the WRs and think we need an additional red zone threat for Cam. Even though our offense drastically improved and we have Gettis returning, I think we have room to utilize one more guy beyond Smitty to compliment the likes of LaFell, Gettis, and whoever still is here. (5-2/comp) Jerry Franklin, ILB, Arkansas Inside Linebacker backup boooom! He has been very consistent and solid for a few seasons now. He's just not super explosive top of the draft-like. Sleeper potential (Rest of draft) insert random ST help/sleepers/Russell Wilson here 1 person likes this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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July 28, 2011
LARC is currently involving in revising and developing a package of local and federal laws and regulations that have strategic importance for Dubai and UAE economy. Those include, among others, Company Law, projects of preparing a number of Federal Laws, such as organizing the profession of Accounting Auditors, the profession of the Experts, the profession of Translation, amendment of some articles on the Federal Procedural Law, Notary Public, Practicing the Economical Activities in the Emirate of Dubai, in addition to the policy recommendation on Will and Inheritance matters for Non Muslims.
This activity stems in terms of LARC seek to enhance the legal and regulatory framework of the economic development process.


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Tip: Put a + in front of words that must be included. To search for Monster Hunter and only receive results with both words, use +Monster +Hunter
Thank you! Your Eric Draven costume is so scary and well done! I'm still trying to figure out what to be for halloween
Still look good though Great hair
United Kingdom


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Million Muslim March on D.C. – 9/11/2013
I am at a complete loss of word about this. This is sick.
This is a direct "%!#! you America!" from the Muslim community.
On September 11th, 2013 there is a "Million Muslim March" planned in D.C planned by the American Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC).
They refer to America as their country. America is NOT a Muslim country. This is OUR COUNTRY, not theirs. When are we going to stand up and say enough is enough. These people are slowly taking us over!
The following is from http://ampacus.webs.com/
Assalam Alaikum Brothers and Sisters,
We at AMPAC (American Political Action Committee) are planning an historic event for 9.11.13 where one million Muslims will march to Washington D.C. and demand that our civil rights be protected by our government.
We are demanding that laws be enacted protecting our 1st amendment . We are asking President Obama to fulfill his promise from his first campaign for Presidency of a transparent government. Lastly we are asking for the release of the 9/11 commission report to the American people.
On 9.11.01 our country was forever changed by the horrific events in New York. The entire country was victimized by the acts done on that day. Muslim and Non Muslim alike were traumatized but we as Muslims continue 12 years later to be victimized by being made the villains. To this day every media outlet and anti Islamic organization has committed slanderous and libel statements against us as Muslims and our religion of Islam.
Yet our Government either sits idly by and does nothing to protect our freedoms or it exacerbates the problem with its constant war on terrorism in Islamic countries, congressional hearings on Islam in America, and its changes to the NDAA law.
These lies told to the American population has made it impossible for us to do true Dawa. Why do we have to defend our religion while doing Dawa? Why can't we just share the perfection of the Quran and the beauty of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SWS)?
It is time for us as Muslims in America to stop being defensive and start being proactive by using our right to vote and our freedom of assemble and let our voices be heard by our country and the world. Stand with us help us fight the injustices being committed against us.
Help us to wake the American citizen up to the truth and together Muslim and Non Muslim can take our country back to its true Democracy which is "For the people by the people". Our Prophet in his final message told us: "Whoever sees an injustice should set it right by means of his hand; if not, by his tongue; if not, then by his heart and that is considered to be the weakest of faith." And more to the point "If my nation are afraid to say to the oppressor, 'O oppressor!', then there is no hope in them."
Sincerely your Brothers and Sisters in Islam
On behalf of AMPAC
Isa Hodge
Chief of Operations "Million Muslim March"


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Here are some screen grabs of Mini Anden as Carina in Chuck. She is wearing a red bra and panties as she tries to seduce Chuck Bartowski (played by Zachary Levi).
Chuck season 1, episode 4 - "Chuck Versus the Wookiee"
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Mini Anden in a red bra and panties on Chuck
Posted by Kevin at 11:53 PM
Labels: carina, chuck, mini anden, photos
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Naomi Parker
Research Assistant
Naomi qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist from Newcastle University in July 2010. She has a particular interest in paediatric speech and language disorders. Her dissertation involved comparing interventions for reception age children with consistent phonological disorder. Naomi works part time at the Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit and part time as a Speech and Language Therapist for North Bristol NHS Trust which involves working with mainstream preschool and primary school aged children with a range of speech, language and communication needs.


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Just in case you want to know why the second amendment is important; consider what happened in Georgia. An intruder came in the house and a woman with her two children hid in a crawl space before the perpetrator opened the door. The woman unloaded her gun and nailed her potential assailant with five shots to the chest. When she realized she was out of bullets, she fled with her children to a neighbor's house while the assailant tried to drive away before crashing his care and being apprehended.
There are several lessons for the gun debate. First, all of those assault weapons may have benefits for self-protection. The woman nailed the robber with five bullets but he survived. Instapundit Glen Reynolds quipped that in this case, bigger guns and more bullets was called for. Pundit Bill Quick noted, "I'm re-thinking my notions about "adequate" self-defense rounds. . .357 and .45 are looking like the most viable options now. Preferably in something that shoots at least ten of them."
As Quick and others observed, the police were minutes away but if she didn't have a gun, she may not have survived until the police arrived for every second counts. This is not to say that every story like this will end in a similar style but it points out that there are two sides to the debate. First being that we need to regulate and control gun ownership and the second is to respect the Constitution in allowing the individual's right to own a gun. As I have mentioned so far, no critics have been able to challenge the fact that there is no evidence that "carry and conceal" laws will increase gun violence because the facts are on my side. Violent crime has been reduced over the past decade and this in a time when many states have passed carry and conceal weapons. The second aspect is that not one law being proposed would have prevented the Newtown massacre! So we are looking at passing laws to reduce our liberties to deal with a crisis that no laws will prevent in the future. Finally, many communities like Chicago have strict gun laws and crime is up. Gun control is not a solution if increased safety is the goal.
The real goal for the left is to eviscerate the Second Amendment and beyond that, the Constitution. Georgetown Professor Louis Seidman wrote, "As the nation teeters at the edge of fiscal chaos, observers are reaching the conclusion that the American system of government is broken. But almost no one blames the culprit: our insistence on obedience to the Constitution, with all its archaic, idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions." For the left, the real target is the Constitution itself. The attack on the second amendment is just one aspect of the assault on it. For the past year, I have made the point that our founding fathers believed our rights were derived from God and not gifts bestowed by the government. The left believes that rights are mere gifts provided by the State. Rights provided by the State can be reversed by the State if they are no longer required by the State. We're having a debate on the nature of our Republic. Are we a Constitutional government in which government is limited or a government in which government becomes all persuasive.
The debate over the second amendment is a debate over the extent that liberty will be preserved. We are one Supreme Court vote away from and individual's right to own a gun being taken away. We are one vote away from seeing our political free speech from being diminished. (Citizen's United was a case where the government through the FEC tried to prevent a non-profit from showing a movie on why Hillary Clinton shouldn't be President). The gun debate is a debate about the Constitution.
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The Syracuse Orange have worked to improve the environment around the football program recently. In two of the past three seasons, the Orange have advanced to the postseason. For each of those instances, Syracuse raised the trophy, winning in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in 2010 and 2012.
But the success has not stopped on the field. Off the field, Ryan Nassib, James Jarrett, Carl Cutler, and Dan Vaughan became members of the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.
All four student-athletes achieved at least a 3.2 grade point average.
Along with the recent honorees, 12 other football alum were given the academic nod. Get more on the honorees HERE
Syracuse University Athletics contributed to this report.


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Meet Stephen Dorff's Shirtless Ripped Abs
Actor Stephen Dorff is making a comeback. Dorff, the 37-year-old rebel actor and star of the forthcoming, much-hyped movie directed by Sofia Coppola called Somewhere (watch the trailer after the jump), shows off his amazing abs on the cover of VMAN which hits newsstands today.
Dorff says he owes Coppola for the opportunity to renew his interest in the (acting) craft and continue to discover his art. His mother died of brain cancer one year and one day before Sofia offered him the coveted role. Reflecting on the experiences Dorff said, "I learned how to grow up."
Coppola says "This isn't Stephen's comeback. It's his rediscovery." I don't know about you, but I'm definitely on board. Check out the amazing photo spread shot by Mario Testino and styled by Andre Richardson.


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If you have been living under the rock and don't know who Gimboss is, well today is your lucky day. The homey is a former member of the Soweto crew '985'. Gimboss is closing in on a new chapter of his music career as a solo artist, and his entrance
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Making process improvement your new business norm–How much planning is enough?6/12/2014 at 8:47 am by Judi Magnuson
Have you noticed that project people tend to fall into one of two camps – planning vs. doing?
Planners conscientiously put together the perfect plan while the doers roll their eyes and point out that if the project had started with a little less planning, the project would be finished by now.
In contrast, Doers start projects with little or no planning. The Planners watch in horror as the Doers waste time on rework that could have been avoided if they had taken time to create a plan.
As with most things in life, the answer is balance–specifically, finding the right balance between enough planning and efficient doing. Fortunately, back in the 1950s, a guy named W. Edwards Deming defined a model that helps with this challenge and is still used in process improvement frameworks today.
PDCA – PLAN, DO, CHECK, ADJUST and repeat!
There are some variations in complexity and approach (some refer to the A as Act) but after using this model myself for the last 10 years, I break it down into a very practical, doable application like this:
1) Create enough of a plan to provide some structure to your project (but probably not enough to fully satisfy the uber-planners).
2) As you start executing on your plan (doing), also schedule a checking step with criteria to gauge progress and success.
3) When the scheduled date arrives, have the team meet to check progress to plan.
4) Adjust or refine your plan based on what you discover.
The planners will be more likely to get on board because they view the scheduled checking step as a safety net to avoid going too far down the road without making sure you're on track. It's a built into the project opportunity to evaluate, "Is it working?"
The doers get on board because they aren't forced to spend (they'll say "waste") a lot of time planning.
Profoundly simple
You'll discover that PDCA is an easy and effective way to structure proof of concept or pilot tests when starting something new. By scheduling the check, you inherently limit the scope of the initial project or phase and also limit your risk. You'll find your team is more comfortable getting started on a project (even without a perfect plan) because they understand that there will be ample opportunity to course correct along the way.
Tip: Be sure to actually schedule the checking step–don't just "plan" to schedule it in the future. Projects have a way of picking up momentum and you could easily fly by the checking step and miss something important that needs to be adjusted.
Next article: We'll wrap up this seven-part series by looking at some practical tips and tools you can use during your process improvement initiatives.
If you've missed previous articles in the series, check out how to take the first steps towards process improvement, build a process improvement team, take a process walk, search for waste, and focus on a phased approach.
About the Author
Judi Magnuson is the senior director of Learning Services for Sage Construction and Real Estate with 32 years' experience in customer support, training, and professional services. Judi is passionate about helping customers achieve process improvements through realistic and manageable plans, employee engagement, and the ongoing pursuit of incremental results