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Food and Drug Administration
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee
February 20, 2003
Issue Summary for Topic #1, "Consideration of Labeling Claims for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) Agent Clearance in Plasma Derivatives"
Issue: Do scientific data support labeling claims for TSE clearance in plasma derivatives?
FDA's Approach to Ensuring TSE Safety of Plasma Derivatives
FDA is responsible for regulating the safety of plasma derivatives (e.g. FVIII, FIX, IGIV, albumin, alpha-1 PI). Several measures can prevent or markedly reduce the risk of contaminating plasma derivatives with infectious agents:
o Deferral of donors most likely to be infected
o Laboratory testing of donor blood to identify and eliminate potentially infectious units
o Use of manufacturing processes that inactivate or remove infectious agents
The combination of blood donor deferral, testing of donations, and use of manufacturing processes that clear pathogens has virtually eliminated the risk of transmitting hepatitis, AIDS, and bacterial infections including syphilis by plasma derivatives. Responding to the tragic experience with AIDS, FDA has taken a very conservative approach to ensuring blood product safety in the face of the theoretical risk from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). As such, efforts to develop suitable screening, testing and pathogen clearance strategies for TSE agents have been ongoing.
Transmission by human blood of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), e.g. CJD and vCJD, has never been reported. Epidemiological studies have not established any relationship between CJD and blood transfusion, nor have any frequent recipients of blood products been diagnosed with CJD or vCJD. However, the power of epidemiological studies to detect low-frequency events is limited, since relatively small numbers of subjects are involved, and the asymptomatic incubation periods of TSEs in humans may last for decades (documented range < 2 yr to almost 40 yr).
Blood and plasma of animals experimentally infected with TSE agents (mice, hamsters, sheep, primates) sometimes contain small amounts of TSE infectivity (Hemophilia 8:63-75, 2002; Transfusion 42(5): 509-12, 2002). Recently, blood from sheep naturally infected with scrapie was also shown to transmit scrapie to naïve sheep by transfusion (J. Gen. Virol. 83(11): 2897-905, 2002). Blood of asymptomatic animals as well as sick animals with TSE may contain infectivity. It seems unlikely that blood-borne TSE infectivity, which occurs regularly in experimental animals, is never present in humans and more likely that blood of persons incubating TSE agents may sometimes contain infectivity.
No blood test currently available can identify healthy individuals who may have been infected with a TSE agent. Since 1987, FDA has recommended precautionary deferral of blood and plasma donors who may be at increased risk of CJD. In 1999, FDA recommended additional deferral of some donors who may be at increased risk of vCJD, due to possible exposure to the agent bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Europe—so-called "geographic" vCJD deferrals. The most recent revised FDA guidance recommending such donor deferrals was published on January 9, 2002 (http://www.fda.gov/cber/guidelines.htm).
Accumulating laboratory evidence and reassuring clinical experience suggest that methods used to prepare plasma derivatives have the ability to remove substantial amounts of TSE agents. However, the components of Whole Blood (packed red blood cells, platelets, and fresh frozen plasma) are only minimally processed, by methods that do not remove TSE agents. Based upon these observations, FDA recommended geographic deferrals for donors of Source Plasma that differ from those for donors of Whole Blood.
FDA recommends that candidate donors of both Whole Blood and Source Plasma be deferred if they:
o Lived or traveled in the U.K. for any total period of 3 months or more from 1980 through the end of 1996.
o Lived or worked on or traveled to U.S. military bases in Europe for any period of 6 months or more, from 1980 through 1990 (if north of the Alps) or 1980 through 1996 (if elsewhere in Europe). (Different bases had stopped procuring beef products from the U.K. by those dates.)
o Lived or traveled in France five years or more from 1980 to the present time.
o Received a transfusion in the U.K. from 1980 to the present time.
o Were treated with bovine insulin manufactured from U.K. cattle from 1980 to the present time.
However, FDA recommended that donors of Whole Blood, but not Source Plasma donors, also be deferred if they spent 5 years or more in any countries of Europe. The less stringent recommendation for donors of Source Plasma was based on the following information:
o Experimental validation studies demonstrated that several processes used to manufacture plasma derivatives removed substantial amounts of TSE agent spiked into process intermediates.
o Cattle in European countries other than the U.K and France had much lower rates of BSE compared to the U.K. (BSE rates are estimated to be at least 100-fold less than those in the U.K.)
o Very small numbers of vCJD cases have been recognized outside the U.K. and France, and most of those were in former U.K. residents.
Consideration also was given to the possibility that a policy to preclude donation of Source Plasma based on exposure in any part of Europe could precipitate a severe shortage of plasma derivatives in the U.S.
Clearance of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Agents from Plasma Derivatives During Manufacturing
Paradigm of validation studies showing clearance of viruses during manufacture of plasma derivatives
FDA has previously relied on experimental studies to provide evidence in support of claims that a manufacturing process removes viruses from plasma derivatives. Manufacturers submitted detailed data from the studies to FDA, to demonstrate that a specific process inactivated or removed pathogenic viruses from a raw material or intermediates used to manufacture the product. These validation studies are performed in the laboratory using a scaled-down model of the actual manufacturing process steps, and test materials from manufacturing intermediates. The scaled-down model is intended to mimic the actual production steps as accurately as possible. The validation data must establish the relevance of the scaled-down model to the actual manufacturing process by comparing critical process and operation parameters of the two processes. Viruses used in these validation studies are a selection of enveloped and non-enveloped DNA and RNA viruses, which are relevant viruses or specific models for such viruses. Whenever possible they have used the actual pathogen of concern, such as HIV. If a virus of concern, such as HCV, cannot be cultured, then surrogate viruses are used, although additional data sometimes can be obtained by observing removal/non-detectability of viral gene sequences. Surrogate viruses are selected based on taxonomical, and physical similarity to the virus of concern. Acceptable studies of virus removal consist of the following elements:
o Detailed description and validation of scaled-down procedure (which must generate the actual product, or the next intermediate)
o Description of virus and viral spike
o Demonstration of robustness of inactivation/clearance steps with controlled variation in process parameters (temperature, pH, ionic strength, etc.)
o Demonstrated reproducibility of clearance steps
o Demonstration of "mass balance" with regard to viral removal steps
o Validated infectivity assays to measure viral titers present in the starting material and remaining after the process step
Specificity of manufacturing methods that clear TSE agents
Plasma derivatives are manufactured using a variety of methods. No two manufacturers use precisely the same conditions to produce a product. Differences may be in overall method, such as use of column chromatography, rather than cold-ethanol fractionation. However, for a single "method," such as cold-ethanol precipitation, process variations in pH, ionic strength, alcohol concentration, and protein concentration during each step can substantially influence the removal of proteins and other molecules and of viruses. Further variations are introduced by adding different viral clearance procedures or other steps to increase product purity and/or stability. Claims for removal or inactivation of pathogens from plasma derivatives have been based upon convincing viral validation data that are product and process-specific. Published evidence suggests that, as for viruses, removal of TSE agents during manufacturing of plasma derivatives depends upon specific process parameters. Many studies have used measurement of the abnormal prion protein that is associated with TSE infectivity (PrpSc)[1]. In vitro methods to measure PrpSc are typically faster and less expensive than animal assays of infectivity. Reductions in amounts of PrPSc have correlated well with reductions in infectivity measured by bioassays in animals. Variations in ethanol concentration, ionic strength, and pH have all affected the removal of the TSE agent (Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1597: 28-35, 2002). Other production steps have also varied in their effectiveness of TSE removal in a context-dependent fashion. For example, only higher concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) effectively precipitated TSE infectivity (Transfusion 42(11): 1497-500, 2002). Other steps, such as depth filtration, in various experiments removed between one and 5 logs of PrPSc, depending on the filter type employed and solution being filtered (Vox Sang. 78:86-95, 2000; Vox Sang 83:137-45, 2002). Overall, both unpublished and published information suggests that no single manufacturing step can be considered "generically" effective in removing for TSE agents.
Additional considerations for clearance of TSE agents
Removal of TSE agents during manufacturing of plasma derivatives is complicated by uncertainties regarding the nature of this pathogen. The physico-chemical characteristics of TSE agents in human blood, if present there, remain unknown. Thus the appropriate form of TSE agent that best represents theoretical blood infectivity for spiking test materials is disputed. Samples of human TSE agent preparations are limited, and infectivity is hard to assay; consequently, most TSE clearance studies have been performed using animal-adapted TSE agents. Since titers of TSE infectivity are low in other tissues, brain-derived preparations have generally been used to spike sufficient infectivity to demonstrate robust clearance, and PrPres assayed rather than infectivity. In vitro detection of PrPres , if properly validated against infectivity assays, could be used as a surrogate test to reduce complete reliance on animal infectivity assays, particularly to establish the reproducibility of a clearance step. In addition, the use of several different animal models, and spiking with more than one form of infectivity (e.g., crude tissue homogenate, partially purified membrane-bound infectivity and membrane-free infectivity), may partially overcome the limitations of animal infectivity assays.
The theoretical risk of transmitting infection by plasma derivatives and the amount of agent removal sufficient to assure safety may differ between viruses and TSE agents. With regard to viruses, the overall reduction should be greater than the maximum possible virus titer that could potentially occur in the source material. This has been interpreted as having at least two major clearance steps in a manufacturing process, each step clearing more than 4 logs of enveloped viruses, with total log reduction of > 10 logs for viruses such as HIV, HCV, and HBV. Clearance of several logs in excess of maximum viral titers is built into these requirements. In contrast to viruses, the estimated titers of TSE infectivity in blood of animals is low - approximately 10 to 100 LD50 (fifty-percent intracerebral lethal doses of TSE agent per ml of blood). A few blood samples from vCJD patients have been assayed for infectivity in mice and for PrPSc; none was positive, although neither assay was sensitive enough to detect small amounts of infectivity (Lancet 358:208-9, 2001; Lancet 358: 171-80, 2001). However, in evaluating TSE removal, the limitations of animal models, and whether or not all potential vCJD infectivity would be removed by the same mechanisms, need to be considered.
Labeling Claims for TSE removal in Plasma Derivatives
Among other purposes, product labeling communicates risk to the public. Risk has two dimensions, first, what is the likelihood of any risk, and second, what is the potential amount of risk. In 1999, FDA recommended labeling for possible risk of transmitting TSE by plasma derivatives. The following recommended statement is contained in the Warnings section of package inserts for plasma derivatives:
"Because [this product] is made from human blood, it carries a risk of transmitting infectious agents, e.g. viruses, and, theoretically, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) agent."
Labeling may also communicate details concerning risk reduction that occurs during manufacturing. For example, many package inserts describe the amount of virus that has been removed from a product during experimental studies of its manufacture. A science-based labeling claim of specific TSE agent clearance might serve to inform the public and provide an incentive for industry to study and to pursue reduction of TSE risk via manufacturing processes. This incentive is particularly important because validated and licensed blood screening tests for detecting donors incubating TSEs seem unlikely to be available in the near future. Furthermore, blood and plasma supplies would almost certainly be strained if programs attempted to impose additional geographic vCJD deferrals of donors, which have been projected to contribute little additional risk reduction to that already achieved. The current donor deferrals are estimated to have already reduced the theoretical vCJD exposure risk (taken as person-days of exposure adjusted for the risk of BSE agent in meat products of various countries) by about 90%. A robust single manufacturing step may remove over 4 logs of TSE agent infectivity. Deferring all travelers to BSE countries would severely diminish the blood supply. The most feasible strategy for significantly reducing risk at this time, is removal of potential TSE infectivity by manufacturing procedures. Once made, labeling claims may be modified later as science advances and additional information is submitted to FDA. For example, new labeling was adopted to describe the reduced risk of transmitting HIV and HCV after universal screening of blood components by ELISA was implemented and labeling may eventually reflect the additional improvement in safety afforded by viral nucleic acid testing (NAT).
It is important to assure that if a TSE agent enters plasma pools, that infectivity does not remain or accumulate on processing equipment. This issue was addressed by the TSEAC in June, 2001, where it was determined that more research was needed on methods of cleaning validation for TSE's. FDA plans to present this issue in the near future, for further consideration.
The TSEAC is asked to consider the following questions:
o Assuming adequacy of decontamination procedures in product manufacturing, should FDA consider labeling claims for TSE clearance in plasma derivatives, based upon specific demonstration of TSE removal during manufacturing?
o If so, please comment on whether such data would support the following draft wording for labeling:
"Because this product is made from human plasma, it carries the risk of transmitting infectious agents, e.g. viruses, and, theoretically, the CJD agent. It has been demonstrated that [the manufacturer]'s manufacturing process provides substantial clearance of agents similar to those causing CJD and vCJD. Thus the theoretical risk of transmission of CJD or vCJD is considered extremely remote."
[1] PrpSc denotes the abnormal prion protein that is associated with TSE infectivity. The more specific term, Prpres, denotes abnormal prion protein identified by its resistance to protease digestion, rather than by other techniques that do not use protease digestion.


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Pottery Barn Faux Fur Throw
I can never have enough faux fur thrown around my apartment. On my couch, on my bed, on the floor, at my desk....
Great simple product that actually makes the baby happy & is washable.Added 6 Years Ago from Gift-ideaz
I love all monsters by Cottonmoster on Etsy. It's not only the funny looks and the pretty cool colours but they are also well made.
This teddy bear looks so soft and cuddly I can't help but imagine it as the perfect bear to stick in a moses basket for my next baby shower gift. Plus, cable knit? That little bit of texture makes me so happy.
Super soft blankets to snuggle under help ease any discomfort you might be feeling.....this one is very soft indeed. $14.99

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to E-Books Directory
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Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
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Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
by Cory Doctorow
Publisher: Tor Books 2003
Number of pages: 71
Jules is a young man barely a century old. He's lived long enough to see the cure for death and the end of scarcity, to learn ten languages and compose three symphonies...and to realize his boyhood dream of taking up residence in Disney World.Disney World!
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ComicsAlliance Recaps 'Smallville' Episode 5×09: Lexmas
Love it or hate it, the "Smallville" TV show has been one of the most popular mass media adaptations of a comic, reaching millions of viewers each week with stories of what Clark Kent's life was like before he became Superman. Now, we're marking its passing by having ComicsAlliance's Chris Sims and David Uzumeri, two guys who have never actually watched the show, watch and review every single episode of the tenth and final season.
Chris: Last week, we said we were going to do the pilot episode for our next installment of Smallvillains, but this, my friends, is a magic time of year. So just imagine how excited we were when we found out there was a Smallville Christmas episode… called "Lexmas."
David: It was the first recommended episode in the comments, and while the name enraptured us, I don't think either of us quite expected the absolute whirlwind of crazy that was headed in our direction.
Chris: So if you've ever wondered what happens when you throw Superman, network drama and It's a Wonderful Life into a blender, well, you're about to find out.
David: Please: Let's not forget Miracle on 34th Street.
David: We kick off with Lex Luthor, enmeshed in what's apparently the most interesting state senate race of all time, commiserating with some dude he's hired on how to screw over Pa Kent when some random lady comes up and mugs and shoots him in the chest in the middle of a back alley, forcing him to spend the majority of the episode in a maybe-self-induced dream state where he's imagining his future with Lana and children and being best buds with the Kents while being guided by the spirit of his mother, apparently.
Chris: I just want to say that while neither of us have watched a single episode of this season, this one seems to indicate that the state senate race was an overarching plot of at least a few episodes. And that is hilarious.
David: I honestly figured at first it was Mr. Kent Goes to Washington, but apparently it's just Mr. Kent Goes to Topeka while Lionel is grooming his son for the same position.
Chris: It just cracks me up that Lex Luthor's path to sinister corporate super-villain world domination begins with deciding how much money to allocate for traffic lights in Granville.
David: I forget — is it established in the Smallvilleverse that Metropolis is in Kansas as well? I mean, Clark has to reasonably commute to work from that farm, even as a regular dude.
Chris: I'm pretty sure that in Season 10, Lois and Clark actually live in Smallville and work in Metropolis, and I remember hearing something when it first came out about Clark being able to see the lights of the city from the farm. Which seems completely insane for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that it means the TVDCU's equivalent of the New York Times is in the dead center of Kansas.
David: I bet we won't even see Superman fly or wear a costume when this is over; the dramatic final shot will be Lois and Clark closing on a mortgage. In any case, in the Real World, it's Khristmas with the Kents. Clark's dating Lana at this point, and Chloe needs to deliver a ton of donated presents, which she basically makes Clark do.
Chris: And in a stirring example of just why I don't think this show is a great version of Superman, Clark's immediate response is "Use my powers to deliver toys to needy children? But I've got stuff to do!"
David: Even though this could take, at most, ten minutes for him. AT MOST. And he doesn't even finish, since he gets too involved trying to talk a drunk Santa Claus off of a ledge. And when I say Santa Claus, I mean that this guy is actually Santa Claus.
David: Now, where did this scene rate for you on the Morrison-Straczynski Superman Suicide Jumper Comforting Spectrum?
Chris: I'd say it was a solid Paul Chadwick, as in the story where Superman talks a guy out of offing himself on Christmas Eve in Christmas With the Super-Heroes #2. I actually really, really like the idea of Santa Claus getting bummed out by commercialism and Superman showing up to bring him good cheer, but the execution… Well, it left something to be desired.
David: Yeah — it wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, but it was certainly the point I realized that this episode was going to be as insane as the current stuff we're watching, just in a totally different way. The over-the-topness is still here, but it's all on a soap opera level rather than a ridiculous DCU level. Honestly, I think it's worth pointing out that this episode really could change around a few names and you'd have no idea it was based on Superman.
Chris: Before we know it's the real Santa, however, Superman convinces him that Christmas is real after all. Unfortunately, St. Nick is so drunk that he falls off the roof anyway, and while that actually would've been hilarious had Smallville been a dark comedy rather than… whatever it actually is, Clark ends up saving him. And then, weirdly enough, Santa flips out and runs away (with the almost mandatory "Ho ho ho-ly crap!"), and out of all the things that happen in this episode, that's the one thing I don't really buy.
David: My favorite detail here is that Clark made sure to catch his drink too and give it back to him so Santa can keep getting absolutely wasted.
David: I figured Santa ran away to bail out Clark so Clark could spend the night with his girlfriend, was the thing.
Chris: Yeah, but it's the surprise that gets me. I mean, he sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're spying on the neighbor girl with a telescope from your Barn of Solitude. It's just — and I can't believe I'm saying this — way out of character if he's the actual Santa Claus, and an obvious way to set up the twist at the end.
David: He's also completely sh–faced.
Chris: True. But I think 1600 years of child-related omniscience beats a fifth of Jack. Of course, arguing about Santa Claus is keeping us from getting back to the actual Lexmas of the title.
David: Back in his dream, Lex has the life he always really wanted — being with Lana and having kids — but basically, the deal is that to get it, he had to give up his inheritance and tell his dad to go screw himself. When complications arrive during the birth of Lex's second kid and Lana's going to kick the bucket, Lex goes to Lionel and his amazing hair to ask for help, and Lionel's lustrous mane tells Lex to go screw himself.
David: In other words, this entire dream sequence ended up in Lex just deciding he has to prevent this future from happening by staying with his dad and continuing on the Path of Dickery. So it's It's a Wonderful Life, but all he learns at the end is to keep bein' Lex Luthor. This is the first time we've actually seen Lex, and I'm gonna be honest with you, he doesn't seem a lot like Lex Luthor to me at all. About as much as Clark is like Superman, really.
Chris: No kidding. They really go out of their way to make him an extremely sympathetic character. All of his evil from this point forward is predicated on the fact that if he DOESN'T do it, Lana has a miserable death on Christmas Day.
David: Really, the entire show seems like Clark's failure — if he'd just brought Lex into the loop about what he could do, they could work together to screw over Lex's creepy dad. It's like his original sin. I mean, it seems obvious that what Lex really wants is to totally not be a Luthor. Becoming Lex Luthor out of love is just … what? At the same time, you can't have a totally unsympathetic dick as a lead in a teen drama. But this doesn't feel like Lex's slow, tragic fall into greed and power-hunger.
Chris: It's a weird mish-mash of how we know Lex has to be a villain but they still want him to be likeable, but they also want him to have a tragic fall, but his tragic fall has a heart of gold, and… why? The one thing we can really say about Smallville is that we know how it ends (well, sort of), and in the Superman story, Lex is the Capital-B Bad Guy.
David: In any case, around the time that Lex realizes that all that matters to him is money and power and his mom cries in the reflection, Santa shows up at Chloe's to help deliver the rest of the presents, and, complete with nod-and-wink-with-nose-touch, disappears like Batman when Chloe is looking the other way with all the presents, showing that he is, indeed, straight up Santa Claus. But let's keep going with Lex. It's difficult, but possible, to do a sympathetic supervillain Lex – look at what Brian Azzarello did, or what Paul Cornell's doing now.
Chris: The whole deal with Lex as I understand him — and he's one of my favorite villains in comics — is that he's the guy who COULD cure cancer if he wanted to, but the only thing he cares about is killing Superman out of petty revenge.
David: It's all denial, you know — he keeps telling himself Superman's in the way of all his brilliant achievements, but he could do them whenever he wants. It's just, I think, it's just honestly way more fun for Lex to keep screwing with Superman. Lex was MISERABLE the year he was gone, looking for him almost everywhere.
Chris: Exactly. That hate is at the core of his motivation. But here, everything gets all muddled. He seems genuinely happy in the dreamworld where he's friends with Clark and getting the approval of Pa Kent, who calls him "the finest man I know." Because apparently "the richest man in Smallville" would've been too much of a tip-off. I think what they're getting at is that Lex learns that the only way he can save what he cares about is through the unrelenting pursuit of power, but I think throwing his love for Lana in there is just crazy complicating things.
David: I agree completely, since "what he cares about" is so relatively altruistic. I think he ends up marrying Lana in the real world anyway, too.
Chris: Seriously?
David: Yeah, but she does it just to betray his trust and destroy him or something. It's all pretty ridiculous, from what I can recall of the one episode I caught a few years ago.
Chris: Wow. Either way, instead of Lex, the guy who actually acts like Lex Luthor as we know him is, of course, Lionel. He's the one who could save Lana easily (he "saves" Lex in the real world using the same technique, though he does it for his own ends), but doesn't do it out of pure spite. So once again, this is a show where Lionel is Lex, Green Arrow is Batman, Lois is Jimmy Olsen, Clark is "The Blur," and the guy who flies around and saves Lois from falling out of buildings is Hawkman.
David: I think if I had to compare Smallville Clark to any actual DCU character, it'd probably be Conner Kent.
Chris: Because they both have stupid costumes involving jeans and t-shirts? And they've both been doing the same boring stuff for the past ten years? And they both have inexplicable fan followings?
David: And they both constantly whine about nonsensical stuff that's out of their control and have a My Two Dads complex.
Chris: You know, that explains a lot about what they've done with Conner over the years. Up to and including moving him back to Smallville where his best friend can be Lex Luthor's niece, who is to Lex what Smallville Lex is to Lionel.
David: And his other best friend is a young supergenius who may or may not turn evil in the future for unspecified reasons. And his niece was was the one with the debilitating disease that, in the absolute most epic dick move Lex Luthor has ever pulled, Lex cured and then REINFECTED HER WITH, just to prove he could do it.
Chris: Which is pretty close to what Lionel does here. That's the core of this show's insanity, I think: They have a Lex and a Clark, but the way the show's set up, neither one can do the stuff Lex Luthor and Clark Kent do. So they have to invent other characters like Lionel to fill those roles.
David: That's pretty much exactly right – although by season ten, Lex seems like he's definitely inherited the completely evil role, especially judging by the still absolutely hilarious scene where he obsessively drew S-symbols all over the wall.
Chris: I'd say that they should've just cast John Glover as Lex since he's so good at being an absolutely evil bastard, but that would require them to cut that magnificent head of hair, and that's a step I'm not willing to take.
David: I agree completely. Oh God, I love John Glover's hair. It's as captivating as Erica Durance. I want to swim in its waves.
Chris: I want to make a nest in it and feel safe and warm, like a baby bird.
David: I'm so glad that hair is coming back for the end of the show.
Chris: Me too, Uzi. Me too. Anyway, back in the episode, Lex ends up waking up from being shot and the risky operation that Lionel had performed on him so that he wouldn't be paralyzed, and despite the fact that he realizes that he hates his father and wants to reject everything he stands for, he just decides to go ahead and be evil anyway. Merry Christmas, Everybody!
David: It's a Wonderful Life, completely inverted, mashed up with Miracle on 34th Street. I take back my statement that season 10 had a stretch of just movie ripoffs; obviously that's a thing the show's been doing for a long time.
David: Man, I dunno. I thought this episode was entertainingly ridiculous, but I can't think of a single thing I actually liked about it. To be totally honest, it felt like a completely different show, and frankly it probably was.
Chris: This is the first one we've seen with Michael Rosenbaum, and despite the fact that he's in a lousy story, I think he did a great job of pulling it off. His bewilderment at the dream-world and his friendship with Clark, his anger when Lana dies, his cold resolve at the end. He's probably the best actor we've seen in the show, though I'll admit Ollie's grown on me over the weeks.
David: Rosenbaum is unquestionably a really good actor, yeah. I'll totally give you that. I guess I really enjoyed the moment where Clark got Santa his fifth back; that was pretty amusing. But overall, no discrete moments really popped out at me as high points.
Chris: You're missing something that's truly great about this episode.
David: Hit me.
Chris: Since it's from an earlier episode, the opening sequence has, in addition to the truly embarrassing theme song we're already familiar with, shots of cast members that were no longer on the show by the time we started watching it. Including a slow motion shot of John Glover turning towards the camera as a fan blows his magnificent hair.
Chris: It's a Christmas Miracle!
David: Oh, well, Lionel's hair is always a high point, but it's totally unquestionable that that GIF is absolutely amazing. I wonder how many times we'll get to see that shot as we watch previous episodes.
David: A lot of Lex's dream sequence felt really pointless, like many possible future stories like that do, but I guess if we'd been watching the show forever, the differences in the relationships between the characters would have been more interesting. I mean, I barely know how Clark and Chloe and Lana and Lex relate in the actual show, never mind a dream sequence.
Chris: The whole attempt to give Lex some kind of altruistic motivation for his actions felt completely off for me, not just beacuse of the comics, but because of what we've seen in the last season of the show. Not to mention the fact that if he's doing it so Lana won't die, he's still completely hellbent on ruining Pa Kent.
David: Yeah, he's not even attempting to win the race fairly.
Chris: You mentioned the Paul Cornell story that we've got going on in Action Comics right now, which just recently had a story where Lex had a near-death experience and talked to Death Herself. And there, he completely tries to con her, he's totally Lex in every situation. But here, Smallville Lex's near-death experience simultaneously seems to affect him and not affect him at all. He just does the same thing he was going to do anyway.
David: Yeah, like what was his mom trying to instill in him? Like, why show him THAT to make him want to reject Pa Kent? The entire mechanism is bizarre, since you can either accept that it's some actual magical visitation, or it's all just in Lex's head.
Chris: Oh man, I'm going to nerd out on your hard for a second: It has to be a hallucination, because we know that in the future, Clark ends up with Lois, not Chloe.
David: Yeah, but maybe Clark would have ended up with Chloe IF Lex had made that decision!
Chris: Wow. Nerd-blocked. Well-played, Uzumeri.
David: It's way more… bland than the recent stuff. The quality of writing is arguably better, but as a result it loses a lot of its ridiculous charm.
Chris: I've gotta say, as much as I didn't care for the episode as a whole, I really did kinda like the Santa stuff. I wish they would've taken an episode to just straight up have Clark team up with Santa Claus, rather than half-assing it and drenching it in melodrama. Which is kind of Smallville's deal.
David: Hahahaha, exactly. I thought the Santa stuff was totally played-out spirit-of-Christmas crap at first, but when it turned out to be actually Santa, I really appreciated the ridiculousness of it more than anything else. I guess that's the closest to a high point for this, other than John Glover's mane. If you teamed up that hair and Santa's beard, he'd be unstoppable.
Chris: Oh man, I want this show to go on for another season just so we can see THAT.
Next Time: The Pilot!
Previous Episodes:
Past Seasons


text:
NEW HAVEN -- Matt Brown, who co-founded the anti-nuclear weapons group Global Zero, told students at the Global Zero Summit Saturday they need to remember the story of the emperor who had no clothes as they spread their message.
"When he's marching down the street, buck naked, you need to be the kid in the crowd shouting, 'This guy is naked! What's happening here? Why?'" Brown said.
"Then you'll get other people pointing and saying, 'It doesn't make sense,'" Brown added, "It'll be hard and frustrating. But you can change the world."
Speaking at the Yale Art Gallery auditorium, Brown said the worldwide stockpile of nuclear weapons is as senseless as that naked emperor.
But Shyam Saran, former foreign secretary of India, noted, "The unfortunate reality is that everybody is racing to be naked. ... Those outside of the club always want to get in."
The "club" is composed of those seven to nine nations believed to have nuclear weapons.
Addressing about 350 students from as far away as Turkey and Pakistan, Richard Burt, who was the U.S. chief START negotiator, warned the club could swell to 20 or 25 within the next 20 years.
He said it's not just recognized nations, but more unstable "sub states" who might acquire that lethal capability.
If that occurs, Burt added, "The likelihood of the use of nuclear weapons will grow dramatically. We can't rely on the good luck we had in the Cold War."
Burt noted unpredictable nations such as North Korea, Pakistan and Iran are now part of the worrisome picture. "If Iran acquires nuclear weapons capability, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and perhaps others will follow. The world's most volatile region will be full of nuclear weapons."
Yale University President Richard C. Levin, who proudly noted that Brown and Global Zero's other co-founder, Bruce Blair, are Yale alumni, said today's escalating risks make the disarmament cause "worth worrying about and fighting for."
Levin reminded the students that 67 years ago atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "The world saw the terror and the horror of nuclear weapons. Those days should never be repeated."
Brown said the world's economic woes might help fuel the anti-nuclear movement. "The new reality of budget cuts has forced governments to take a new and hard look at nuclear weapons, whether they're worth paying for."
Brown added, "This is the best opportunity since the end of the Cold War to get people and their leaders together" on nuclear disarmament. "But we won't get them without you."
Brown said the goal is figuring out "how to build a global political movement powerful enough to get world leaders moving. The challenge is how to get citizens and the media and political leaders to understand the urgency of the problem and act on it."
He urged the students to use facts to make their argument. For example, they should point out that the U.S. and Russia still have more than 5,000 nuclear weapons pointed at each others' cities, many years after the Cold War ended.
"Why are they still there?" Brown asked.
Another panelist, who traveled to New Haven from Sweden, was former international weapons inspector Hans Blix. He said the fact there are 20,000 nuclear warheads worldwide is "a sign of collective incompetence."
The summit will continue today, including a speech at 9 a.m. by Valerie Plame Wilson, the ex-CIA operative.
Call Randall Beach at 203-789-5766. To receive breaking news first, text the word NHNEWS to 22700. *Msg + data rates may apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.


text: mouse.png April 15, 2015 mouse.png mouse.png Posted by Marie-Claire Ross on April 15, 2015 in Share this article: 0 About Marie-Claire Ross Marie-Claire Ross is the Founder and Chief Corporate Catalyst at Trustologie. She is a workplace sociologist, author, speaker and consultant focused on helping leaders create high trust organisations, in order to get everyone the same page and easily navigate during times of change. She does this through strategic diagnostics, roundtables, workshops, coaching and consulting. Marie-Claire is also the author of the number three ranked book on Amazon, Transform your Safety Communication. She has been interviewed on "Technology Behind Business" for Sky Business News and regularly contributes articles to FM Magazine on company culture. She is also a Graduate of the Company Director's Course and is on the SME Committee for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.


text:
Bentley is set to kill off its iconic 6.75L turbocharged V8 – and this time it's for good.
Tag: bentley arnage
A significant detour on the way to work had me spotting this – a modestly priced house on a busy arterial road in a working-class area nestled between two notorious neighborhoods in Toronto. Jane-Finch and Black Creek.


text:
5 totalEndorse this lawyer
Stephen Markman, Litigation Attorney
Relationship: Worked together on matter
The greatest endorsement I can give for Vic Fusco is that I have entrusted my own clients to him on numerous occasions. I have had the good fortune to know and work with Mr. Fusco for over a decade and have always been extremely satisfied with the work performed by him and his office on my clients' behalf. I strongly recommend Mr. Fusco for Workers Compensation and Social Security/Disability cases.
Andrew Muirhead, Social security Attorney
Relationship: Worked for lawyer
I met Mr. Fusco in 1992 and worked for him for over 7 years. He is one of the most respected attorneys and influential attorneys in the area of Social Security Disability law and workers' compensation law in New York. He is tireless advocate with an unwavering compassion for his clients. Over the years, I have continued to have occasion to work and my respect for Mr. Fusco has only grown. I would strongly endorse Mr. Fusco and his firm.
Jeffrey Freedman, Social security Attorney
Relationship: Friend
I endorse this lawyer. I have known Vic for 25 years. He is a terrific lawyer. Not only does he do a fantastic job for his clients, but he also teaches the fine points of ssd law to other attorneys. He has also played an important role at NOSSCR, the premier organization for SSD attorneys. When I need a SSD attorney in NYC or Long Island I use Vic Fusco. He is the best.
Craig Robins, Chapter 7 bankruptcy Attorney
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
I have known Victor for over 15 years. Victor is tireless in his pursuit of excellence as a Workers Compensation / Social Security Disability lawyer. He is an expert among experts in his field. He will stop at nothing to find a way to advance his client's case within the bounds of the law. Victor combines this skill and knowledge of the law with an equally zealous commitment to service, making client satisfaction at all levels a top priority of his firm. There is no question that Victor is a true professional in everything he does. I endorse him wholeheartedly.
Anthony Colleluori, Federal crime Attorney
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
Victor is a prince of a lawyer and a great teacher. He has handled many of my clients and made their lives easier and better. He has a true love not only for the law but for people in the trades. I have referred not only my clients to Victor but my family as well. Besides his having tremendous skills as an advocate and counselor, his staff is excellent. They are up on the cases and they are very supportive of people who are trying to recover from injury. Victor fights hard so that every client gets his fair share (or better) from the Worker's Compensation Board. I highly recommend Victor, his firm and his work.
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text:
Expanded 9/11 Victims' Fund Opens to Applicants
The Department of Justice is expected to re-open the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund starting Monday — allowing people whose illness didn't manifest until the months and years after the attacks to be covered for the first time.
The fund was reactivated as part of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act passed last December by Congress, which appropriated $2.7 billion to the program. The boundaries of Lower Manhattan residents eligible for the funds have also been expanded.
How much each claimant will get won't be known until the number of those seeking funds is decided. Cancer and mental or psychological conditions are not covered under the Zadroga Act.
Sheila Birnbaum, the special master administering the fund, is expected to release the first of a three-part application online on Monday.
The Application
The Department of Justice did not confirm the details of the application.
But attorney Michael Barasch, whose firm is poised to represent claimants and says he helped craft the application, said part one will cover biographical information.
"Were you a tenant, a rescue worker? Were you a firefighter, a cop, a sanitation worker, a construction worker? Who did you work for? How many days were you down there? That kind of stuff," Barasch said.
Part two, he said, will cover the illnesses suffered by the claimant. Part three will be about any loss income experienced because of the illness.
Those covered under the fund include individuals injured in the immediate aftermath of the attacks or those who were sickened while working or living at or near the World Trade Center site in the months following the incident.
While many claimants have hired lawyers to help them through the claims process, the application is designed for individuals to fill it out themselves.
The fund is intended to bring relief to the possibly thousands of first responders, volunteers and others living and working in the area at the time of the attacks who say their illnesses didn't manifest until the months or years after the incident.
Family members of those who died can also apply.
Dogged by long-term medical problems
Philip Kirschner, who lives in Brooklyn, said he was a volunteer EMT for the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps on September 11.
Since that day, he said he's been suffering from asthma, PTSD, renal cancer and other health issues. He also said his income isn't enough to cover his medical bills.
"My volunteering, I didn't get paid for," Kirschner said. "I wasn't covered by workers comp really. And my long term job outlook is basically I'm disabled to the point I can't work and social security only goes so far."
Attorney Michael Barasch said he's trying to manage his clients' expectations.
"What I've been telling my clients … is that there aren't going to be any rewards given out to the early part of the 2012 at the earliest," Barasch said.
Claimants have until October 3, 2013 to file their applications.


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text:
The follow are a few take aways from a lengthy article written about Ron -- please take the time to read the entire article as it does a tremendous job of portraying the type of coach Ron is and the impact he has had at every one of his coaching stops.
"You have to like people," Adams said. "I think that's at the forefront. And it's more than like—you have to really enjoy diversity, enjoy the relationships that you have to have to be successful at this level."
"Coaching is, at the core, teaching," Adams said. "Then when you're discussing, when you're looking at this whole aspect of teaching with younger peo– people younger than you, then the whole relational aspect comes into play. I still have a lot of college, or college coaching in me, or college mentality in me simply because at the core, the guys know no matter how great they are, or what they do at this level, they're people. They're just like you and me. And they're fun and they have their idiosyncrasies and they have their various paranoia, paranoias about different things and so on. I'm just kind of like now an old uncle trying to, to direct people and teach them and help them. I really love that. I think that's a very enjoyable part of what I do."
"I think a lot of people don't really have a philosophy of play," Adams said. "I think they copy people and so on and then you have other people who are, perhaps, more nuanced in that way, who have real philosophies of play that they have thought through. We all borrow from everyone. It's not like anyone comes up with some original plan on how to play or whatever but I think you have to be really open-minded but have a real philosophy of operation, which any successful person in any area has to have."
"Well, if you're a teacher like I have been, a teacher of movement—you know, you teach movement, you teach balance, you teach rhythm, it's the really small things that contribute to success," Adams said. "Everyone does not look at it that way anymore. It's kinda more of a general, general way of looking at movement. And then others are still quite precise in terms of the small things. It's just this building block. I could watch the game film last, with you, last night, and I would say every critical juncture in that game in which we kind of frittered away a lead, let's say, and when we built leads, were all fundamental more than schematically based."
"Defensively, obviously we're all connected," Adams said. "What one person does, everyone else has to adjust to. When one person moves, in the best of worlds everyone moves. It doesn't always happen. It's what we strive for. I think defensively, through this, this aspect of connectedness, this concept of connectedness, it's very altruistic. We do something for someone else that's not glamorous. Offense is glamorous. Offense is—except to the purists—offense is notable, to the public. Defense is kind of what all of us have to do in life to not only live good lives, but to make other people's lives better. I think it's a giving thing. Coach Grant—it came back to Coach Grant at Fresno State use to have a saying that he'd tell the guys that there are two kinds of people in the world. There are givers and there are takers. So we had a really strong defensive program then. And defense is giving. So, like, if you want to take it to the next step, it's kind of how we have to live, you know? The thing that I've always liked about basketball, and this whole aspect of connectedness is—I've loved coaching the international athletes. And I've loved my international experiences and I've had quite a few. I think I love it because of the freshness of the people. Their mindset. It's different from mine. I learn from them. Their healthy, I think in many ways, their healthy naiveté of how they look at life from a different culture – and I've lived internationally for a bit, not for very long but I sensed that there and it was a great—I learned a lot from it, I'll say it that way. But I loved the connectedness on these teams. Not talking defense now, just these strange, these different people who come together. Yes, basketball is the thread that runs through everyone. The reason they're there, obviously. But it's more than that. It's the, it's the rubbing shoulders with people who are different from you. And many times, for the international athlete it's rubbing shoulders with someone who is very different from them, and it's a two-way street. It's just adjustment. That, to me, has been really gratifying to see and to be a part of. Which, again, transcends sport and is a lesson for all of us in terms of how I think we're gonna have to live. We're going through a bit of a tough time in that regard in our country but we're – that's how we're gonna have to live. We're all the same. Might look a little different. Might be a different color. Might have a different accent. Might be different socio-economically. But it doesn't make us better than anyone else and I think that's, you know, we have this commonality that we have to develop. I think sport is so great for that."
"The goal I set for myself at this age is to not, as I age, to not become a negative, bitter old man," Adams said. "And to have joy in my heart. I made a—especially this year, I made a vow to myself that every day I wanted to go to work with joy in my heart."


text:
We're keen to stay connected with our alumni and would love to hear from you. This is an exciting time for UNSW Canberra and we look forward to you being a part of it.
Stay connected
There are more than 260,000 UNSW graduates located in over 140 countries around the world, reflecting the progressive spirit and diversity that our University is known for.


text:
Reclaiming Feminist Futures: Co-opted and Progressive Politics in a Neo-liberal Age
Version of Record online: 7 JUN 2013
© 2013 The Authors. Political Studies © 2013 Political Studies Association
Political Studies
Volume 62, Issue 3, pages 634–651, October 2014
Additional Information
How to Cite
Eschle, C. and Maiguashca, B. (2014), Reclaiming Feminist Futures: Co-opted and Progressive Politics in a Neo-liberal Age. Political Studies, 62: 634–651. doi: 10.1111/1467-9248.12046
Publication History
- Issue online: 3 SEP 2014
- Version of Record online: 7 JUN 2013
- Manuscript Accepted: 20 OCT 2012
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text:
Kenneth Slessor
The Nabob - Poem by Kenneth Slessor
(To the memory of William Hickey, Esq.)
COMING out of India with ten thousand a year
Exchanged for flesh and temper, a dry Faust
Whose devil barters with digestion, has he paid dear
For dipping his fingers in the Roc's valley?
Who knows? It's certain that he owns a rage,
A face like shark-skin, full of Yellow Jack,
And that unreckoning tyranny of age
That calls for turtles' eggs in Twickenham.
Sometimes, by moonlight, in a barge he'll float
Whilst hirelings blow their skulking flageolets,
Served by a Rajah in a golden coat
With pigeon-pie . . . Madeira . . . and Madeira . . .
Or in his Bon de Paris with silver frogs
He rolls puff-bellied in an equipage,
Elegant chariot, through a gulf of fogs
To dine on dolphin-steak with Post-Captains.
Who knows? There are worse things than steak, perhaps,
Worse things than oyster-sauces and tureens
And worlds of provender like painted maps
Pricked out with ports of claret and pitchcocked eels,
And hubbubs of billiard-matches, burnt champagne,
Beautiful ladies 'of the establishment'
Always in tempers, or melting out again,
Bailiffs and Burgundy and writs of judgment—
Thus to inhabit huge, lugubrious halls
Damp with the steam of entrees, glazed with smoke,
Raw drinking, greasy eating, bussing and brawls,
Drinking and eating and bursting into bed-chambers.
But, in the end, one says farewell to them;
And if he'd curse to-day—God damn your blood!—
Even his curses I'd not altogether condemn,
Not altogether scorn; and if phantoms ate—
Hickey, I'd say, sit down, pull up, set to:
Here's knife and fork, there's wine, and there's a barmaid.
Let us submerge ourselves in onion-soup,
Anything but this 'damned profession of writing'.
Comments about The Nabob by Kenneth Slessor
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text:
Culver City, CA (April 17, 2012) – Strand Releasing has acquired select US rights to baseball documentary BALLPLAYER: PELOTERO that is directed by Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jon Paley. The documentary focuses on two young baseball players, or peloteros as they are called in the Dominican Republic, as they strive to get signed by a professional club on their 16th birthday – the age they become eligible. The film, which is narrated by actor John Leguizamo and executive produced by Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, is set for a July 13th release in theaters and video-on-demand.
BALLPLAYER: PELOTERO is set to screen at a number of film festivals this summer, including the upcoming Sarasota Film Festival, Independent Film Festival Boston and the Aruba International Film Festival.
The deal was done between Strand Releasing's Jon Gerrans and The Films Sales Company's Andrew Herwitz it was announced today.
"We're thrilled to be releasing this informative and revealing documentary, which will not only appeal to baseball fans everywhere, but also anyone who appreciates quality filmmaking. The simultaneous VOD release will be an excellent way to bring this film to the largest possible audience and the timing with the MLB All-Star Game will be a great tie-in for maximum exposure," said Gerrans.
BALLPLAYER: PELOTERO is Finkel, Martin, and Paley's first feature length film. They spent nine months living in the Dominican Republic during production.
"We are so thrilled to be working with Strand Releasing to bring this story to baseball fans around the country," said Paley. "Every summer we tune in to see teams stocked with Dominican players, but no one has ever told the story of how they made it there, or their compatriots who didn't."
The filmmakers are currently working on a follow-up project that will continue to track the two ballplayers featured in PELOTERO – Miguel Angel Sano and Jean Carlos Batista – as they rise through the minor leagues.
Select past documentaries that Strand Releasing has handled include AYN RAND: A SENSE OF LIFE, PICTURE ME, CAMERAMAN: THE LIFE AND WORK OF JACK CARDIFF, and OF TIME AND THE CITY. Strand Releasing is based in Culver City and is currently has Cristian Jimenez' BONSAI, Andre Techine's UNFORGIVABLE, Joachim Trier's OSLO AUGUST 31st in release.
Strand Nabs Baseball Doc 'Ballplayer: Pelotero'
1 Comment
I think I liked this Dominican baseball story when it was a fictional film called "Sugar". I mean, really, do we need a documentary on THIS, given that ESPN's OTL and other sports outlets have beaten the topic of aspiring Dominican ball players to the ground. This is like someone saying they have a documentary they would like to do on the first pro black golfer to win multiple Masters tournaments. I mean we all appreciate Tiger's prowess but we don't need a documentary on him.


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wear something your boyfriend can't.
53 comments
LOVE LOVE LOVE all your options! I saw that tagline the other day and REALLY liked it! :)ReplyDelete
Lauren @ tickled.
I just love wedges, they are my favorite and these are all gorgeous!ReplyDelete
i LOVE the chloe heels! of course, i pick the most expensive pair...ReplyDelete
Such a great quote!ReplyDelete
Must get #2 and #4 shoes asap!!!! :)ReplyDelete
a. i need a pair of flaired jeans fastReplyDelete
b. flaired jeans have not hit the UK yet. so i would get a.lot. of stares.
c. for some reason that i cannot understand, it is harder for me to walk in wedges then in stilettos. i constantly roll my ankle in wedges..WTheck?! i'm really upset about it.
ok. let me retract b. they have hit the uk...the cool parts..like central London..but not places like Nottingham..the country parts.ReplyDelete
Wedges are awesome and are far easier to walk in! However I only wear heels if I'm out for a special event, like a party or a dinner, or when I'm not out with my boyfriend. He is about 1cm taller that me when we are in bare feet so I like to be the same height when I go out with him. Does anyone else have this problem?ReplyDelete
Thankfully I have some little kitten heels which don't make me any taller :)
n. 3 are really nice!!!! :)ReplyDelete
love this post! x hivennnReplyDelete
OH - WOooooooooow! I LOVE them all!!!ReplyDelete
I would never wear them becuase I'm too tall but I LOVE those blowfish shoes :DReplyDelete
Love option two! I had some similar Burberry wedges that I have somehow misplaced..ReplyDelete
Come by and enter my giveaway for a gorgeous Jacquie Aiche ring if you like:
just click here
wedgdes are the perfect compromise! they make you feel a little more dressed up and feminine, but there is still an ease to them. love the styling pics you put with them too!ReplyDelete
Love all of these wedges!!! I recently saw that campaign tag-line too, and I love it! :) So perfect for spring and summer!ReplyDelete
I would love to be able to just snap my fingers and have all of those in my closet!!! Ahh.ReplyDelete
So glad I came across your blog, you have amazing taste.ReplyDelete
You have a new follower.
I try to stay away from heels as much as possible! lol but I do love those wedges!and the outfits!ReplyDelete
#3 is going on my must have list!ReplyDelete
As much as I love flats, heels and wedges are my best friend. I probably wear them four out of the five days of the work week...and I love what you've chosen. If only I could shop...{sorry, I know I say that every time you post something I like...}.ReplyDelete
I love wedges and heels but I am such a goon, if I am walking more than a couple blocks I have to have flats either on my feet or in my purse as a back up!ReplyDelete
i love number 3! i would wear them every day over the summer! i am a heel convert. since i am approaching the scary event that is my 25th birthday i feel like i need more grown up shoes and my feet have been getting used to heels of all kinds now.ReplyDelete
what a hilarious tagline...so funny! i wear flats all the time but have started getting back into my heels again...ReplyDelete
I have a few pairs of wedges and I LOVE them! I wear heels a lot for work & I find that wedges are more comfortable at the end of the day. And they make me so much taller! ;)ReplyDelete
love the quote! Wedges & a great pair of wideleg jeans are definitley on my spring shopping list!ReplyDelete
Can I please have the second pair? Its so beautiful and outfits rock!!! Perfect for spring..Yay! Happy Thursday, my dearReplyDelete
How is your day so far?
wedges are my favorite alternative to heels! i am on the hunt for the perfect black pair (and am kinda lusting over Jeffrey Campbell's Mariel wedge)ReplyDelete
YaY! I have all these things in my closet!!!! I bought some cork wedges last summer to wear to my rehearsal dinner and I love them. They're from Ruche and they were affordable but look like Michael Kors wedges! And I have pants like that to pair them with - come on spring!ReplyDelete
love this! I've had those See by Chloe sandals on my list for weeks now. I just can't get them out of my mind... great post!ReplyDelete
I totally agree! Wedges are just so cute and much more casual (in a good way) than stilettos!ReplyDelete
haha what a cute idea! wedges are the best!! i cant wait until it is warm enough to weat them! xx KatieReplyDelete
Amazing blog!!;) what about following each other?:D kisses from Poland <3ReplyDelete
Love wedges. That is all. :)ReplyDelete
I am ridiculously obsessed with wedges!ReplyDelete
OMG the chloe sandals.... holy wow! I didn't know I needed those until now ;) Thanks a lot Jill! haha! <3 yaReplyDelete
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
love them! i love the grey ones especially!ReplyDelete
i like me some wedgie action too! killer stomps, love them all. ♥ReplyDelete
pea ess: thanks for your comments, so neat you two met the same way as us...yah! xo
Loving wedges! And they are MUCH easier to walk in than stilettos! :)ReplyDelete
loveee wedges! as long as you get ones with a big wide heel they are wayy easier to walk in! love all of the ones you have posted:) xReplyDelete
I'm with ya, I loooove my ballet flats. But I'm not opposed to heals... I should look into getting a comfy and cute wedge shoe (:ReplyDelete
Thanks for the idea, Jillian (:
When you pair them with such perfectly styled looks, how can you resist? I realized the other day that I have an equal number of flats as I do boots and heels combined (and trust me, there are a lot of shoes stashed under our bed), so last night I bought a sweet pair of blush patent pumps-can't wait to wear them!ReplyDelete
love two and three! i wear wedges as often as i can because they really are much easier than stilettos and i always feel too short in flats : (ReplyDelete
Love them all. So...we're both in Chicago. When are we going to meet up? I think we should plan a blogger meet up. What do you think?ReplyDelete
I love wedges!! So comfortable, great height and can be casual or dressy!ReplyDelete
I think this is going to be my uniform come spring - wedges and wide leg denim trousers. And I am so happy I already have both.ReplyDelete
I love #1 and #4! Great picks!ReplyDelete
Haley @ Cardigan Junkie
i'm totally doing this one month! one of my resolutionsReplyDelete
ah, #2. amaaazing. love the grommets on the wedgeReplyDelete
love love that was my college going Style..lol. Awesome post!ReplyDelete
Wonderful blog!ReplyDelete
I love it! Cute posT!
Follow me? I'll be very happy if you do it!
Thank you so much!
So great! I love a chic wedge, my go to shoe when I want some chic height! Love this.ReplyDelete
Soo awesome!ReplyDelete
First time i'm here on your blog. It's really cool.
Check mine out:
- Kisses.
oooh i love the photos on the left and right! i am totally stealing that look!ReplyDelete


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Item: 2013469
| Model: 55-023-013801
(1 reviews)
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* We do our best to update club pricing and inventory amounts as they change. However, there may be slight differences in actual club pricing and inventory levels. Therefore, the price reflected and the inventory is estimated as of {{currentDate}} and does not include taxes or application of in-Club coupons. In-Club coupons must be printed and presented at checkout and are subject to valid dates and the terms of the coupon offer.In-Club Coupons, In-Club Clipless Coupons and Online Instant Savings are supported by manufacturer funding. State and local laws may require sales tax to be charged on BJ's pre-discounted price if the product is subject to sales tax. Orders placed within 2 hours of closing will be ready tomorrow at opening.
This umbrella cover fits most patio and market umbrellas up to 10' in diameter. The cover features 3-ply polypropylene WeatherPro nonwoven fabric that is PVC-free and solution-dyed to be water- and fade-resistant. An elastic hem holds the cover on securely while air vents reduce inside condensation and wind lofting.Product Features:
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dO NOT BUY UNLESS YOU'RE OVER 6'6"!
By Disappointed.
from Tonawanda, NY
Best Uses
Our umbrella is about 8' tall. Although I was able to raise the cover to get it started over, I could not reach it to pull it down! I am 5'9". There was no way to guide it down the umbrealla to within reach. Because of the cost of return, we will be donating this to the Salvation Army.
Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend
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Item: 95257705 |
Model: 55-023-013801


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By BGEA Staff • June 1, 2004 • Topics: Fasting
Fasting can be a wonderful spiritual experience. Believers who never practice fasting and prayer are missing a spiritual discipline that has blessed many throughout the ages.
A person in good health may choose not to eat occasional meals in order to focus on devotion to God. Not only are there spiritual benefits, but some doctors believe that there are also health benefits. The early church found prayer and fasting valuable when seeking the guidance of God for making important decisions such as choosing spiritual leaders; see Acts 13:2-3 and 14:23. God will honor and bless anyone who fasts and prays in the right spirit.
When Jesus fasted (Luke 4:2), we are told He ate nothing. It meant in all probability that He abstained from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water. This type of fast may be called the "normal fast." There are also a few examples in the Bible of the "absolute fast" which means abstaining from drinking water as well as from eating, as in Ezra 10:6. In Esther 4:16, Queen Esther instructs Mordecai, "Fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do."
See also Paul's fast in Acts 9:9. Other examples are in Deuteronomy 9:9, Exodus 34:28 and 1 Kings 19:8. This method of fasting is an exceptional measure for an extremely unusual situation. One would need to be very sure of the leading of the Lord to undertake any fast for longer than three days or one which excludes liquid. A doctor's advice would be very important as well.
There is also the "partial fast" which is a restriction on certain foods or certain meals, as in Daniel 10:3 and 1 Kings, chapter 17. This method is used today by some who omit one meal a day and spend that time in prayer. Biblical fasting can be public as well as private, regular as well as occasional, involuntary as well as voluntary. For a detailed discussion on fasting, we suggest the books God's Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis and Hunger for God by John Piper.
praise the Lord Jesus for your service to Him.
I abstained for 12 hrs fasting and praying for my son underwent surgical operation. on that particular day I just felt inner peace with confidence that it's going to be fine and it happened. Praise be to God for He's wonderful.
Is there any other ways to fast?
Fasting to receive a spiritual release from God.
The fasting answer is very instructive.
Very nice and useful information on the topic fasting. Praise God.
I would like to fast every friday is that suited to please God ?
Thanks for the encouraging words. I'm still hanging in here trying hard but it seems like I can't grasp. I have attended church service since I subscribed. I just want to live according to the word. I have so many hurts, habits and hang ups that I need to deal with but I know it comes with time thanks for your help
It Is well Karen! You will surely get there. A step at a time & I pray you never ever give up. God will surely not your efforts and devotion be in vain. He rewards in due season. Keep on
I've been struggling in my prayer time, my mind goes blank n seems I repeat same word, I go to our church prayer time every morning n nearly in tears been going for 10 yes n I struggle to pray out loud or private, but I don't let that stop me from going, please pray I can overcome this, I desire to be a prayer warrior, ty n God bless BGEA
The post has been of help. God bless you.


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Did you ever wish you had a rich uncle? Well, I once did. Unfortunately, because he was straight, he married a woman, and they had two children. So, even when I was just a lad, some sixty years ago, I knew I would never see a cent of that money: when he died, it would go to his wife; and should she predecease him, his children would naturally get it all.
As a result, when I received a call from a genealogist about ten years ago, saying that a mysterious relative of mine had died, and that I might be entitled to a part of the estate, the thought of my uncle and his millions never crossed my mind. Instead, I was waiting for the man on the other end of the line to get to the part where this mysterious relative had been a Nigerian prince, and that for a few thousand dollars, I could clear away one or two legal obstacles standing between me and a large fortune. Much to my surprise, he asked for no upfront money. Instead, he was willing to disclose the name this relative, and pursue the inheritance for me, for one third of whatever I got.
My girlfriend thought that I should find out who this relative was on my own, and cut this interloper out completely. But that would have required effort on my part. Besides, by letting him have a third, I knew he would be motivated to get as much for me as he could. I believe it pays to be generous with one's associates. So I signed the contract, and sat back and waited for results.
How Same-Sex Marriage Would Have Resolved a $22,222.22 Moral Dilemma
Current Status: Blessed (1)
Seeded on Wed Jan 23, 2013 3:37 AM
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Cut up the plywood
I used "BC" sanded pine plywood for this project. The holes and blemishes on the "B" side are filled and make for a good painting surface. It's not furniture grade, but it's priced right and works well for garage projects like this one. Rip all the sheets down to 23-3/4 in. If you don't own a table saw, use a straightedge and make your cuts with a circular saw.
Once all the sheets have been ripped down, cut the tops, bottoms and shelves to 18-in. lengths. If you're using a circular saw, save time by clamping two 8-ft. strips together, and cut two at a time. Some home centers will make your cuts for you, so if you don't have a ton of confidence in your cutting skills, ask the staff if they can help.
Cutting diagrams for 3/4" plywood
Use these diagrams to lay out your 3/4" plywood cuts for one bin tower's top, bottom, shelves and sides. The 1/4" plywood back is not shown here.
Mark's bin tower
I keep a lot of stuff in plastic storage bins. I had several stacks of them throughout my garage, and it seemed that every time I needed something, it was always in the bin at the bottom. So I decided to build myself a bin storage system to give me easy access to all my bins.
These bin towers are simple to build, don't require expensive tools, and actually add wall space without losing a lot of floor space. I designed the towers to fit 16- to 18-gallon bins with a lid size of about 18 x 24 in. I had so much extra space when I was done that I had to go buy a few more tools!
Mark Petersen, Family Handyman Editor
Paint the parts before assembly
Finishing the cut components before you assemble them will save you a bunch of time, but before you start slathering on the paint, figure out which edges need to be painted—the back edges of the sides don't, and only the front edges of the shelves do. Configure all the parts so the best edge faces out. I marked an "X" with a pencil on all the edges that needed paint. Some of the edges will have voids in the wood that will need to be filled (Photo 1).
I applied a product called MH Ready patch (available at home centers). It's easy to work with and dries fast, but it's not stainable, so you may want to find a more traditional wood filler if you plan to stain your project. Make a couple of passes with 100-grit sandpaper before you paint. I covered the wood with a paint/primer in one (Photo 2). If you choose a traditional wood primer, have the store tint it close to the final color.
Assemble the towers
I used an 18-gauge brad nailer with 1-1/2-in. brads to quickly attach the shelves to the sides, three brads on each side. If you don't have a brad nailer, that's OK; you can assemble everything with screws only. I cut a piece of plywood 18-5/16 in. wide to align the shelves (Photo 3). The spacer board may scuff up the paint a little bit, but you can touch it up when you paint over your fastener holes after everything is all put together. Arrange the sides so the good surface faces out. The good surface on the bottom four shelves should face up, and the top two should face down. That way, you'll see the nicer finish from almost any angle.
After everything is nailed together, come back and install two 2-in. trim head screws into each shelf (use three if you're not using brads). Wood glue won't hold well because of the painted sides, so I was a bit concerned about the strength of the tower. To ease my mind, I built a small mock-up of one shelf using the same fastening pattern. I was able to jump up and down on it with no failure—and I'm not a little guy.
Install the bottom strips
Plywood will eventually rot if it's sitting directly on a concrete floor. To avoid this, I ripped 5/8-in. strips from a 1x2 pressure-treated board and installed them on the bottom (Photo 4). Four square blocks would also keep the plywood off the floor, but I wanted to avoid any space where screws, washers or any other little objects could get lost. I inset the strips about 3/8 in. and nailed them on with 1-1/2-in. brads.
Fasten the back
Use the 1/4-in. plywood to square up the unit (Photo 4). Fasten the two factory-cut edges of the plywood to the back first using 1-in. brads. Nail the short side, and then the long side, aligning the edges as you go. Don't install a whole bunch of brads until you know everything is square. Flip the piece over and check for square using a framing square or by measuring from inside corner to inside corner on a couple of different openings—if the measurements are the same, you should be good to go. Finish fastening the back with brads spaced every 8 in. or so, then reinforce it with one 2-in. trim head screw in the center of each shelf and five screws on each side.
Screw it to the wall
In many garages, the concrete floor slopes toward the overhead door. That means you'll probably have to shim the bottom to get the bin tower to sit straight and tight up against the wall. I'm a big fan of composite shims: they don't compress as much as wood, they break off cleanly, and they won't ever rot. Set the first tower against the wall and shim the front until it sits tight against the wall. Use a level to check for plumb while you shim the low side. Insert at least four shims on the side and three on the front. Go back and snug up the front shims.
Once the tower is plumb, screw it to the wall studs with 2-in. screws. Make sure each tower is fastened to at least one stud. Since tipping is a concern, install a few screws near the top; you'll only need screws down low if you need to draw the tower tight to the wall.
Mark all the shims, and pull them out one at a time. Cut them down to size and replace them. I ran a small bead of clear silicone around the bottom of mine to hold the shims in place. If the towers ever get moved, the silicone will be easy to scrape off the floor. Finally, go get all sorts of caddies, hooks and hangers, and start organizing.


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Crave: Fur-trimmed Parka
We've finally had to admit that it's cold outside and our sweater coat will no longer keep us warm. We spent this weekend looking for the perfect coat. You know, a coat that is stylish and substantial enough to keep us toasty on blustery days, but not so thick that we'll look like Frosty the Snowman. This parka from The Gap fits the bill. The design of this parka makes it perfect for dressing down or up. We love the idea of pairing it with an LBD, tights and ankle boots. The faux fur trim makes it perfect for any animal activist. Plus, it's on sale now, so it won't break the bank. [$103.50, The Gap]


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February 12, 2013 at 06:43:51 Feb 12, 2013 @ 06:43
no homo, but this shit hurt. my ex bitch was texting and sending some "not so fully clothed" pics my brother-in-law and he about to get married. Like that shit is bogus to me and my family. Can't go. But should I expose my brother-in-law?


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ALBANY PARK — An Albany Park man was ordered held in lieu of $75,000 bail Saturday after police searching for two missing boys found about 100 images of child pornography on his computer, authorities said.
Rafael Pena, 51, of the 4500 block of North Christiana Avenue was charged with possession of child pornography and theft. Police are continuing their investigation, said Albany Park District Cmdr. Samuel Christian.


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As part of the Recovery Act, President Obama announced that the DOE is loaning out $2 billion to build solar energy plants. Abengoa Solar will be building one that, when completed in 2013, will power up 70,000 homes. The Concentrated Solar Plant (CSP) will also store part of the energy, a first for the US.
Abound Solar Manufacturing will get $400 million to build plants in Colorado and Indiana. Aside from the obvious clean energy benefit, the plants will create about 1,500 permanent jobs and 2,000 for construction.
Via White House
Read More in: Solar News | Solar Power System
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Came straight to this page? Visit Solar Snob for all the latest news.


text: Hey you guys, I just had a thought for a while although I don't know if this is has been done or not. I was thinking that since we have commission reviews for costumes, why not have a photographer review that is based on experience, the photos itself, conduction, and communications? And then you could suggest on how the photographer can make it better next time. If I have enough support then maybe I can edit this page with the review guidelines and grade guideline as well. Good idea?


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AustralianSuper, the nation's largest industry super fund with about $39 billion under management, has promoted Tim Poole to the fund's board and named him chairman of its investment committee.
Mr Poole, who has been a member of the fund's investment committee for four years, has also had experience as a director of the Victoria Racing Club and chairman of infrastructure company Asciano Group and the unlisted Westbourne Capital.
He will replace
AustralianSuper, which has 1.5 million members, has a board consisting of six directors appointed by the Australian Industry Group (AIG) and six members appointed by the ACTU.
Mr Poole was appointed by the AIG.
The 13th, and independent member, is
Mr Poole will be taking over from Mr Fraser as chairman of the investment committee, which monitors markets, investment strategies, the economy, appointment of investment managers and development of in-house investment capacity.
Chief executive
"We are not expecting major changes," he said.
The not-for-profit fund recently announced its merger with Westscheme, which has $3.3 billion under management, to take total membership to about 1.75 million.
The Australian Financial Review


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Airport takes Brisbane to new heights
Page Tools
A record-breaking 350,300 passengers passed through Brisbane's international terminal last month.
The Brisbane Airport Corporation said the result blitzed the previous top total of 332,400, set in December last year.
Of the 350,300 international passengers last month, 194,800 were arriving and 155,500 were departing. The figures represent 12 per cent growth in passenger numbers on the same month last year.
BAC spokesman Jim Carden said the milestone reflected the growing importance of Brisbane Airport to regional prosperity and economic growth.
"The July 2005 milestone comes on the back of 24 straight consecutive months of international passenger growth," he said.
The best-performing travel markets were Korea, which grew by 27 per cent, and the US, which increased by 18 per cent.
The Australian international travel market was up by 14 per cent and New Zealand travellers increased by 12 per cent.
In the 2004-05 financial year, more than 3.6 million travellers passed through the international terminal, boosting numbers by 19 per cent on 2003-04.
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Auggies encouraged to be mindful of their health during flu season
A national rise in flu cases has garnered recent media attention and while the current strain of the flu virus is less virulent than the H1N1 virus of several years ago, it's important to remember that any flu can easily spread from person to person. The College has posted an article to Inside Augsburg with recommendations for staying healthy and preventing the spread of flu.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation is January 21
Augsburg College will continue its tradition of honoring the calling of one of the United States' visionary civil rights leaders on Monday, January 21, by hosting the 25th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation. The presentation "Searching for MLK: A provocative exploration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," will take place at 1 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel and will include thought-provoking archival images, song, movement, and written excerpts.
Individuals who opt to follow the event on Twitter can do so by using the hashtag #MLKConvocation and can participate in a real-time discussion with others who may be tweeting during the event.
Augsburg hosts second Native Youth Visit Day
Augsburg hosted Native Visit Day last week. It was the second campus visit event this year to welcome Native American students in grades 6-12 to tour the College, to hear how post secondary education can impact their futures, and to learn about financial aid. Last year, Olympian Billy Mills–a member of the Oglala Lakota nation–visited Augsburg for the event, and he spoke to 250 students.
Register for Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Students, staff, and faculty members have the opportunity to hear from international, national, and state leaders on topics related to peace and peacemaking March 8-10, 2013 at the 25th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg and the University of Minnesota.
The program offers tracks related to business, arts and music, science and health, education, and global studies. Key speakers include:
- 2011 Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni journalist and the first Arab woman to win the prize.
- Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Peace Laureate, an economist and a leading proponent of the microcredit movement.
- Dr. Paul Farmer, cofounder of Partners in Health, and a leading thinker on health and human rights. He also serves as chair of Harvard Medical School's Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.
- Robin Wright, journalist, author and foreign policy analyst.
To register, visit the Nobel Peace Prize Forum website. The Augsburg community–students, faculty, and staff–can attend for a discounted price. Student tickets are $10. Augsburg faculty and staff tickets are half price when purchased using the promo code listed in the January 15 edition of the Daily A-mail.
January 14 — ACTC bus service resumes for Spring 2013 semester. Service will run through May 24, 2013.
January 15 — Legacy Student Reception for families with multiple Auggies, hosted by Alumni and Constituent Relations, 5:30-7 p.m., Augsburg House
January 21 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation
January 31 — Book reading by Jack El-Hai, MFA Creative Writing mentor, 6:30 p.m., Admissions Lounge, Christensen Center
Concerts and recitals: Student concerts and recitals occur throughout the year. See the full listing of dates, times, locations.
Augsburg athletic events are listed on the Athletic Department calendar.
The community gathers from 10:20 to 10:40 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Chapel is from 11:20 to 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.
On Saturdays of Augsburg for Adults classes, Chapel is from 7:30 to 7:50 a.m.
The schedule for Chapel is:
- Tuesday, January 15: Celebration Tanzania — Music and reflection from Noel Petit who spent Fall term in Tanzania
- Wednesday, January 16
- 10:20 a.m. – Pastor Sonja Hagander
- 9:09 p.m. – Songs and Communion
- Thursday, January 17: Mark Tranvik
- Friday, January 18: Pastor Dave Wold
Auggies telling our story – Members of the Augsburg community can help tell the story of the College in many ways, every day. Be sure to submit your events, news, and kudos to A-mail and consider sharing the Augsburg story by posting to your personal Facebook page some of the news from our community. Take a moment to check out some of these neat Auggie stories:
Augsburg partnership with Travelers EDGE hailed as 'a model on the cutting edge'
Fourth-year Augsburg College student Mai Yang Vue '13 and Augsburg's Travelers EDGE Program were featured in the recent Star Tribune article, "Travelers Companies tries to close gap to college." Augsburg has been a Travelers EDGE partner institution since 2010. The program seeks to increase the number of underrepresented students attending college, to help students to graduate from college, and to build awareness of careers in the insurance and financial services industries.
Chris Stedman '08 interviewed on MPR
On January 7, Augsburg alumnus Chris Stedman '08 discussed his new book, Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious, on MPR's The Daily Circuit radio program. The interview with Stedman–who is the assistant humanist chaplain at Harvard–was one of MPR's most emailed stories later in the day, and a review of Faitheist was also published by the Huffington Post. Stedman previously was featured in the Spring 2011 Augsburg Now article "Talking about faith and values."
Nancy Fischer presents on The Social Life of Secondhand Clothes
Augsburg College Sociology Associate Professor Nancy Fischer last week presented on The Social Life of Secondhand Clothes to a sold-out crowd at the Turf Club. Fischer was joined by copresenter Hayley Bush, owner of Lula Vintage Wear, in exploring the definition and history of vintage clothing through the centuries. The event was hosted as part of the Minnesota History Center's History of Hip series.
Jeni Falkman Grangaard examines the role higher education plays in faith formation
Jeni Falkman Grangaard '02 views faith formation as a slow-moving process. In a recent blog post, the Auggie pastor described the ways in which Augsburg College's faculty members, pastors, and study abroad opportunities helped her discover a new way of faith that led her to appreciate her neighbors. Falkman Grangaard said she began to see the "beauty in the faith of another, and relished in the grace of God that goes beyond culture and creed," while enrolled at the College. Falkman Grangaard was featured in the Spring 2012 Augsburg Now feature article "We Are Called. Auggie Pastors."
Matthew Beckman discusses research at Carleton College
Augsburg College Biology Assistant Professor Matthew Beckman explained the lab research he and his Augsburg College students are conducting on water fleas during a Carleton College biology event on January 7. Beckman's lab studies the neural mechanism of movement in Daphnia magna.
Health Commons at Dar Ul-Quba featured in Mogadishu Times
A Mogadishu Times article from December described how the Health Commons at Dar Ul-Quba promotes health and wellness in the Cedar-Riverside community. Learn about Augsburg's involvement at the Health Commons on the College's Master of Arts in Nursing website.
Augsburg College Week in Review: January 7-14
Check out comments and posts to social media about the College on Storify.


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Rev. Paul Gibson begins as Executive Minister January 1, 2016
Rev. Dr. J. Dwight Stinnett,
Retired 6/30/2015
Former Executive Minister, ABC/GRR
Contact him c/o:
3940 Pintail Drive
Springfield IL 62711
As a second-career seminarian, I claimed this passage, "God was in Christ reconciling the cosmos to God's Self" as a satisfying (at least to me) confession of the Incarnation. Later, I saw a description of reality that begins and ends with God. God's "interest" in the cosmos is reconciliation, effected through Christ. The need for reconciliation implies a state of alienation, separation, inconsistency that is rooted in the stories from Eden. The Gospel, in a nutshell.
While inconsistencies abound (as does grace!), one which most compels me was also addressed by Paul: In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. I have found the reconciling work of God, with respect to this inconsistency, alive and well among American Baptists.
See Ministerial Staff: Larry Mason (Interim Executive Minister) | Muriel Johnson | Rachel Cocar| John Grisham | Adrian Lamkin