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Mar 10, 2011 - 3:25 pm
Which do you use, which do you like better and why?
Since I've gotten good results with my FlexiTouch as my hand gets back to close to 'normal' my gloves are cutting in (causing pain) between the 2 middle fingers - I'm weird and there is webbing there (if that doesn't make sense I'll try to explain better). After looking at the pictures, I'm thinking that a guantlet might be better as it doesn't go between fingers. Talked to my Lymphedemologist (certified) a little while ago. He's a bit unsure about rather or not a guantlet is going to be a better idea as he's concerned that I won't have compression in fingers but then swelling in fingers, while there has been minor, has never been bad.
Anyway I'll see him a week from Monday and it kind of sounds like he's going to order me a gauntlet but also a new glove if they can make it to accomadate my webbing. All my gloves are custom so good chance they might be able to do it. Personally I'm thinking I'll like the gauntlet better but if he wants me to have a glove too then that's fine - it's up to him to order what I get.
So experiences/thoughts please!
Mar 10, 2011 - 3:30 pm
The good news in all of this is that your FlexiTouch is working! Yay you! I don't have any advice, I just liked the excuse do a little jig on your behalf.
Mar 10, 2011 - 6:23 pm
which I wear when I fly. I'm thinking because of your "webbing" situation, perhaps you should have both. That way, you can try the gauntlet and if it works and is more comfortable, great. If not, you can always go back to the glove.
BTW--I have the FlexiTouch too. I use it on the bad days--but I honestly don't feel much of a difference. Right now, my swelling is in the breast and trunk (from the armpit to about half way down my rib cage). I have the arm/hand attachment but haven't had to use it. I'm thinking maybe the areas of my problem are harder for the machine to tackle. Thoughts?
Hugs, Renee
Mar 10, 2011 - 6:52 pm
I have 3 'day' gloves and sleeves (and 1 night sleeve with over sleeves - reminder to self - take it when I see K. - might need a new one, it's a year old). I am basically never without some garments on. When I talked to him, it seemed like he is going to go with getting me at last one gauntlet but he wants me to have a glove in case I get finger issues, especially if they can make it to compensate (is that the right word) for my webbing.
I love my FlexiTouch - so far is it perfect NO but doing so much better than before is! I use the 3 part of the garments. All areas are much better than before it - I can actually see veins (I'm old and have big veins) in my hand - I can reach around my wrist with other hand and thumb and finger touch. Is everything perfect - NO - but then compared to before i got it - so much better!
Added - I forgot to say that the swelling under arm/shoulder and back is also better but the swelling across chest isn't.
Mar 11, 2011 - 1:27 am
I am also in any type of garments all the time, except shower or business lunch or dinner. Have had 6 gauntlets over 2,5 years.
Mar 14, 2011 - 2:20 pm
My night sleeve does not have fingers in it - basically the 'hand' is a gauntlet - it's a bit over a yr old and is a Tribute by Solaris. I have 2 isotoner gloves (1 wrist length, 1 shoulder length) that are made for very mild edema that I used under it til I got my FlexiTouch - haven't since. Also have 2 over-sleeves for it - 1 does about as much as using 2.
Mar 10, 2011 - 6:58 pm
Hi Susan, I have used both however I have found that the gauntlet with the fingers (glove type) works best for me. I have nerve damage and swelling in my hand and have found the complete glove offers more support and comfort as well as protection from nicks, scratches and bites all of which are bad for someone with lymphedema. That's my two cents, hope I have helped.
Mar 10, 2011 - 7:36 pm
I have both custom gloves and gauntlets. When I go out to dinner, I usually use the Kinesio Tape on my fingers/hand, then put on a gauntlet. It give me more flexibility and freedom in use of fingers....and works great...keeps swelling down. As you know, I also have a pump and use it at least 2x a day. Ask your guy if he is trained in use of the Kinesio tape for lymphedema. I use it on the arm as well when I have a flairup. I should state, I cannot wear just the gauntlet (w/o tape) because my finger would then swell.
Mar 10, 2011 - 8:53 pm
My guy is a certified Lymphedemologist and I do have quite a few Kinesio tapes - from when we were doing wraps. With me - a learning exprience to some degree - he usually deaqls with men with issues as is through VA. I am the second or third woman he's dealt with as a mast. perosn - so some takes a bit to get worked out - but h is fantastic and we are working through 'stuff' - that's why I need info/thoughts/experinces.
None of my gloves restrict movement enough to worry about when on (I even tat with it on) - only go the the first finger joint. So far finger swelling has not been an issue - minor swelling but definatly not anywhere near hand/arm. Major swelling has only gone to knuckles and had a line of 'demarkation' there.
I do an hour daily with my FlexiTouch (per my 'Guy ' and the manufacturer) which includes the 3 part of the garments.
Mar 10, 2011 - 9:03 pm
My therapist had my husband come in and learn to tape my breast, trunk, etc. They took pictures while doing it. I was quite familiar with Kinesio tape--I was an event coordinator for a company teaching Kinesio Taping to therapists and one of my best friends is an OT and Kinesio Tape practitioner.
Hugs, Renee
Mar 10, 2011 - 9:19 pm
My 'Guy' has his Masters as an OT. He got his Lymphedemolgy certification a few years ago. Because of where he is - just usually sees men.
Mar 11, 2011 - 7:26 am
Renee, so glad to hear of someone else familiar with Kinesio tape. I think some are mistakenly thinking of it as the low stretch bandages used in wrapping. The Kinesio tape is amazing to me...how it works!!! In the hot weather (like when I am in Mexico)....wow, what a relief to use it instead of the sleeve and glove....great for swimming too. The only thing is....I have a zebra look on my hand from being on the beach/water with it on in the criss/cross :-)
Mar 11, 2011 - 10:08 am
I really think it's amazing too. The concept of the tape is that it gently lifts the skin off the muscle so that the lymph fluid that is in the space in between can flow easily and does not collect. It's comfortable, flexible and really works. The only trick is to find someone who can tape you--which requires a tiny bit of instruction from a practitioner. Also, one time I removed it a little too agressively and really irritated my skin. I've found that when I need to remove it now--I use a little bit of bio-oil (or you could probably use any type of baby oil). It just comes right off.
Mar 14, 2011 - 12:43 pm
my fitter said the gauntlet might cause too much swelling in the fingers. Once I started using my Flexi-Touch, I rarly have to wear the glove. I also have had some itching/blisters with the gloved hand, so altering my dependence on the glove helped that.
The gauntlet does allow more finger/hand movement. My glove is so tight that I can not use my hand. When I return to my therapist, I'll advocate for a gauntlet.


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8:55–9:25 a.m.
Model-Based Design and automatic code generation are considered to be the standard for embedded software across many industries. Much focus is given to the control system design and simulation tools, but these are only part of the software development process. To be successful in Model-Based Design, the whole toolset and development process must work together to facilitate success for every engineer. Developments over the last 10 years have transformed the ability of Model-Based Design to support production applications with an efficient implementation and predictable process. In this keynote presentation, Craig explores progress made and areas for continued development.
9:45–10:10 a.m.
The international standard ISO 26262 was created as the core of functional safety guidance in the automotive industry. Since its publication in November 2011, many OEMs and suppliers around the world have adopted it and accumulated many important experiences. This presentation shares our observations on the obstacles and challenges companies typically struggle with as they consider functional safety and adopt ISO 26262. We also share our view on the technical and organizational competencies companies should have in place in order to develop products and systems successfully under the standard, particularly in light of their roles in the supply chain (OEM, tier I, tier II, component and/or tool supplier, etc.). Lastly and most importantly, we look at the impact that development tools have on the successful design and release of automotive systems under the standard.
10:40–11:05 a.m.
Incorporating rigorous analytics, such as machine learning, operations research, data mining, and big data, throughout the business has played a key role in the resurgence of Ford Motor Company in recent years. Analytics are used widely in diverse applications at Ford, including research, product development, manufacturing, supply chain, marketing and sales, finance, purchasing, information technology, and human resources. Ford received the 2013 INFORMS Prize in recognition of its long-running company-wide effort to use data science and predictive analytics to improve overall operations and performance. In this presentation, Yu-Ning introduces current analytics activities at Ford featuring examples of successful analytics applications.
11:25–11:50 a.m.
Engine aftertreatment temperature is critical for proper operation to meet increasingly stringent emission regulations. Acceptable aftertreatment temperatures and regeneration operation need to be verified for the numerous applications seen in heavy-duty construction, industrial, and mining applications. The development of models using MATLAB® and Simulink® has allowed significant cost reductions by eliminating cycle tests in test cell and replacing them with simulation. The robustness of the system was evaluated using validated models to assure proper system performance with expected component variability.
1:00–1:25 p.m.
Radar sensors can detect a target's range, range rate, and azimuth in the vehicle coordinate system (VCS) to enable adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and other features. To obtain accurate target properties, a radar's boresight should match the designed pointing angle in the VCS; misalignment of the boresight can become result in errors on azimuth that must be compensated to achieve accurate target lateral offset in the VCS. Delphi designed a least-squares solver in MATLAB to compute misalignment angles and analyze vehicle testing logs, and generated production code with MATLAB Coder™.
2:35–3:00 p.m.
Model-Based Design and automatic code generation have enabled a dramatic reduction in the defects, effort, and cost of software development for embedded systems. This is especially true for individual control functions, which by nature have a limited scope. However, the robust collaborative development of embedded control systems continues to present serious challenges to the realization of truly ubiquitous Model-Based Design. This talk provides use case scenarios to illustrate how these challenges can be overcome through process discipline; centralized version-controlled data and architecture management; automated integration and consistency checking; and object dependency visualization.
9:25–9:45 a.m.
Model-Based Design is widely adopted for complex system and embedded software development. However, there is a wide range of Model-Based Design maturity levels among engineering organizations. As a result, some organizations achieve greater development efficiency and product quality gains than their peers. Drawing on data from Model-Based Design Process Assessments™ and survey results, this presentation describes methodologies; outlines characteristics of leaders, average adopters, and laggards; and closes with a look at trends. The presentation also reviews:
11:05–11:25 a.m.
MATLAB provides a strong platform for the analysis of complex engineering data. This presentation describes how to use MATLAB analytics to enable deeper insight into the logged data for vehicle design optimization, prognostics, diagnostics, and other applications. These analytics often need to operate on big data sets from different sources, vendor technologies, and file formats. A few typical use cases are discussed along with reference architectures that enable scalability of analysis with big engineering datasets.
1:25–1:45 p.m.
Many engineers test their algorithm models in simulation. Through simulation they identify design and requirement errors in their model before generating production code. However, eliminating design errors remains a challenge and extensive testing with 100 percent coverage may still result in a design that contains robustness errors such as overflows and divide-by-zero. Some of these errors may reveal themselves under rare conditions and could be time consuming to debug. They may be induced by certain calibration values and only be found on the HIL bench or in a test vehicle. This presentation illustrates a method for detecting and eliminating such design errors using Simulink Design Verifier™.
1:45–2:05 p.m.
FPGA is an emerging technology for automotive control applications to implement peripheral and algorithmic components requiring fast turn-around time. In this session, learn techniques to model HDL components that can be implemented on an FPGA. A motor control example is used to demonstrate common tasks such as:
The components used in this example were modeled in Simulink, tested with simulation, and verified on real-time hardware.
3:00–3:20 p.m.
Development of system and controls involves extensive use of simulation for design exploration, optimization, and verification. Increasing design complexity has led to challenging computational demands. In many cases, engineering tasks can be automated, parallelized, and distributed to take advantage of latest computer hardware and reduce execution time. This session introduces Parallel Computing Toolbox™ and MATLAB Distributed Computing Server™, including exemplary workflows that illustrate how to accelerate code generation, design optimization, and test automation with Simulink.
3:20–3:40 p.m.
This presentation focuses on a technique to scale battery models from cell-level to pack-level and the subsequent preparation of the battery pack model for real-time simulation. A MATLAB function creates a battery pack model of arbitrary size and connectivity. The function partitions the model for concurrent execution on multicore real-time computers. The flexibility of scripting the creation of pack models allows the user to efficiently test multiple configurations for optimal utilization of multicore targets, including load balance, data transfer latencies, and scheduler overhead.
2:35–3:40 p.m.
This master class provides an introduction to AUTOSAR compliant embedded software development. After a short overview of the AUTOSAR standard and its implications for development tools and processes, the workshop focuses on mapping Simulink constructs to AUTOSAR definitions, performing model verification, and configuration of Embedded Coder® with a goal of interfacing with AUTOSAR authoring and RTE generation tools.
3:50–4:55 p.m.
This master class shows you techniques for using MATLAB to analyze and visualize data, as well as share results. You will see how to:
3:50–4:55 p.m.
This master class uses a field-oriented control algorithm for a permanent magnet synchronous motor to illustrate how to generate efficient fixed-point C code from the controller model, integrate it with handwritten code for the embedded device drivers, and use the fully integrated software to spin the motor hardware. Topics include model architecture, algorithm export, scheduling techniques, code profiling, and code verification using processor-in-the-loop (PIL) testing. The data dictionary capability in R2014a is also covered.

subset: commoncrawl


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Stephen Hendry gets another shot at Crucible
STEPHEN HENDRY is targeting a sensational Crucible comeback next year.
The seven-time world champion was yesterday handed a two-year tour invitation spot by supremo Barry Hearn to tempt him out of retirement.
Steve Davis, who fell off tour this season, was also rewarded for his six past triumphs at the Dafabet World Championship and career contribution.
And the move from Hearn, who will also allow any former world champions into Crucible qualifying, represents a complete U-turn over wild-cards.
Hendry, 45, packed in playing two years ago and now works in China and for the BBC - but the carrot of making it to the Crucible one more time has proved irresistible.
He said: "When Barry first contacted me about a wildcard I said it would be nice to play in a few tournaments. I still have a competitive side of me.
"I'd need to sort my game out. But I'd be surprised if I never played in a World Championship in Sheffield again. You'd have to think I'd give that a go.
"Fortunately, because of the standard of snooker out there, I'd fancy myself and it would be amazing to play at the Crucible again, a massive buzz for me."
Hendry and Davis can join in any event where the entries are not full - which is most of them.
Former winners such as John Parrott, Joe Johnson, Dennis Taylor and Cliff Thorburn could also now enter the World Championship next year.
And with the Crucible's deal up next summer Hearn also vowed to keep the blue-riband event at the iconic venue.
Jimmy White could yet fall off the tour this year, depending on results this week - and would be another candidate.
Hearn said: "It is a 180-degreee about-turn and goes a lot against what I have always thought, but I do think the game owes them."
Judd Trump snapped out of being "bored" just in time to scrape past Tom Ford 10-8 yesterday. The former world No1 and UK Championship winner, who now plays Ryan Day, said: "I just got bored. Tom was playing slowly and taking a lot of time to look at his shots.
"So I started taking everything on and just got through, at 8-8 he had chances."


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Legal Question in Family Law in Mississippi
Child Support (Multi-State Issue)
A couple got divorced in State1 (CO) - custodial parent moves to State2 (MS) and non-custodial parent moves to State3 (IL).
1- Which state does Child Support Laws apply?
2- Can custodial parent 'choose' which state to file 'modification' orders?
3- If modification required, which states can custodial parent file modification requests?
4- Divorce Decree did not have any provisions for Child Support increases? Can custodial parent still seek modification?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Child Support (Multi-State Issue)
Miss. Code 93-25-9 states the basis for jurisdiction in Mississippi over a nonresident in a child support matter under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. RICHARDSON v. STOGNER 958 So.2d 235 (MS CoA 2007)was a case in which the divorce occurred in La. and the custodial parent then moved to Mississippi and filed for child support and custody. The Court held that the noncustodial parent did not submit to the jurisdiction of the Mississippi Court and that the Court did not otherwise have personal jurisdiction over him.
Without more information, it appears that child support modifications are within the jurisdiction of the Colorado court unless the Colorado court and another court agree the latter court is a more convenient forum and the later court has jurisdiction over the parties because they either voluntarily submit to the jurisdiction or otherwise have sufficient connection with the latter court's jurisdiction.


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The Feast of St Theodosius
The Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Theodosius in Al-Obediyeh or Deir Ibn Obeid is situated 10 kilometers to the east of Bethlehem. The people celebrate his feast every year on January 11th. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch comes from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and a special mass is held. After the mass several entertainment activities take place in the monastery.


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Artist description:
Boy, it's been a good while since my last drawing. And man, it took a lot of work. So anyway, i hope you like it!
Flash Draw Created Jan 28, 2012 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2012 El Nacho.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
amazing ! So beautiful ! i love it :)
SO cool,,, great flash work,,,, you haven't lost your touch,,, coll4me
what a awesome skelet!
This looks kind of like Minecraft. Very cool. 5/5
haha this really looks like some sort of games xD !
something to battle... looking at it.. i feel like i'm holding the sword ready for fight!
Woah! So cool. I never see a fake-gamescreenshot and thought they weren't there, but here is one! Really awesome! So cool. These games freak me out and give me a claustrophobic feeling but his is really cool!!
Turned out awesome.
Kill It!!! lol. Awesome draw!!! 5/5 Gotta love the ole dungeon crawls!
This is the type of thing I drew around your age(illustrations for stories I wrote). This screams for game illustration.


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Whenever Joe Biden opens his mouth - to steal a line from Forrest Gump - it's like eating a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get next.
But one thing we realize is that Forrest always stood by his principles and told the truth. Biden has miles to go in that area. In the gaffe department, Biden had an all-star first year as vice president and this year is proving to be more of the same.
Here are some memorable gaffes that come to mind:
• During the height of last year's Swine Flu scare, he said in an NBC Today Show interview that he wouldn't recommend taking any flights or riding in a subway car because the swine flu virus can spread "in confined places." The White House tried to cover his tracks by releasing a statement saying that Biden was only talking about planes going to and from Mexico.
• Commenting to a group of reporters on a new Hudson River rail tunnel, Biden said the new tunnel "is designed to provide for automobile traffic." But in truth, the tunnel would handle commuter trains that shuttle passengers between New Jersey and Manhattan.
• Playing to a state audience in one small North Carolina town of Pikeville, Biden announced that the government's recovery (stimulus) money wasn't just for the big banks and auto companies, but that "we're investing in places like this all across the country to demonstrate the vital role towns like this play in the recovery." However, Biden failed to mention that the program to stimulate the town came under the Bush administration, thanks to a state senator from the town who worked in the Agriculture Department under Bush.
Biden appears just as inept on foreign policy. While speaking about Afghanistan to Diane Sawyer of CBS last December, the vice president said the top concerns in that nation are al Qaeda and "the stability of a nuclear state called Afghanistan." Also in the same short interview, he told Sawyer about gradually handing off authority in the country to the Afghans, "beginning in 2003."
On Larry King Live last week, Biden stated that the Iraq war may turn out to be one of President Barrack Obama's greatest achievements. He failed to mention the fact that his own strategy once called for having the country divided into thirds and split among Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis, and that then-Sen. Obama had been an opponent of the George Bush troop surge in Iraq, which many feel helped stabilize the country.
In January 2007 then-Sen. Obama said that he was "not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence. In fact, he said, "I think it will do the reverse."
For Biden to call Iraq one of the "greatest achievements of this administration" is disgusting in that he is cherry-picking for the administration and his political party while ignoring those who really are responsible for getting the job done - our military leaders and soldiers in the field.
The vice president is a boastful, loose-with-the-facts, walking gaffe machine - just the kind of professional politician grass roots Americans are sick of hearing from in Washington and should have their sights set on removing in upcoming elections.
By Jim Zbick


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Let me clear here – I have never, not for a minute, in my life, planned any aspect of my future wedding, should I find that perfect guy and tie the knot. I know there are women who've been planning that day from the time when they were five and I think that's lovely and wonderful. It's just that I never did that. What I did do, as a child, was draw elaborate and to-scale plans of my dream kitchen. But then again, I was always hanging around kitchens, watching my mother and my grandmother cook – trying to get some small job, however, minuscule it was. There was this one time, my mother gave me scraps of dough and I tried to mold a little person out of it with raisins for eyes and a cinnamon mouth. I was doing well, until I decided to put a peppercorn for the nose, and was so insistent upon it that nothing my mother said made a difference. Eating it, of course, was a different matter altogether – and while certainly a curious flavor combination, six year olds rarely appreciate peppercorns in their baked goods.
In any case, I was never the girl who thought of the dress I'd wear to the wedding, and what the first dance song would be, or whom I'd have in my bridal party. As a child, I simply didn't care. As an adult, I figured I'll get to it when I really had to. But what I did think about (ok, so I guess I did think about it, I lied) was what I was going to feed people. And whenI did think about feeding my guests, I thought the most about cake. What kind of cake, what flavor and look. For awhile I wanted a pyramid of Krispy Kreme doughnuts – an idea my mother showed little enthusiasm for. Then there was the obsession with wedding cupcakes. Which I still think is cute. But ultimately, I wanted to feed people cake. Good cake at that.
People, I must say that I love cake. Cake is one of those things I just don't turn down. Ever. I don't care that refined sugar is bad for me, I'm going to eat cake if it's put in front of me. And if you give me a cold glass of milk to chase it down, I'm your friend forever. But despite my deep cake love, I sure am picky – I eat most cake and I'm left, well, not totally fulfilled. Either I find there is too much frosting (yes, there is such a thing), or it's overly sweet, or the cake feels too dense, or that pesky baking soda taste dominates (by far my biggest gripe!). But sometimes, you find a cake that is just right, perfect in fact, and you wind up making it not once but twice in one week.
It's the kind of cake you make to take with you as a hostess gift for your hosts in the North Fork, or the kind of cake you make for a friend who comes over to dinner. The kind of cake, that after you send said friend home to bring a piece to her sister, makes her sister proclaim each time friend returns from my place back, "Well, do you have some cake for me?" The kind of cake that wins, hearts, minds and stomachs.
And the kind of cake that makes you decide upon tasting it, that this is the cake you want to serve your guests at your future wedding, the way the original cake creator, Molly, did. All you've got to do now, is find the lucky guy – but clearly your biggest dilemmas are already solved. This guy part is just a technicality.
Winning Hearts & Minds Cake
Adapted from Orangette
Serves 8 (ideally!)
7 ounces (200 grams) best-quality dark chocolate – I used Scharfenberger
7 ounces (200 grams) unsalted European-style butter (the high-butterfat kind, such as Lurpak or Beurre d'Isigny), cut into ½-inch cubes – higher butterfat = tastier cake!
1 1/3 cup (250 grams) granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment, and butter the parchment too.
Finely chop the chocolate (a serrated bread knife does an outstanding job of this) and melt it gently with the butter in a double boiler (or in the microwave, but the double boiler is substantially better for this), stirring regularly to combine. Add the sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture, stirring well until dissolved, and set aside to cool for a few moments. Then add the eggs one by one, stirring well after each addition before adding another. Lastly, add the flour. The batter should look silky and luxurious.
Pour batter into the buttered cake pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center of the cake looks set and the top is shiny and a bit crackly-looking. (I usually set the timer for 20 minutes initially, and then I check the cake every two minutes thereafter until it's done. At 20 minutes, it's usually quite jiggly in the center. You'll know it's done when it jiggles only slightly, if at all.) In my oven, it took the cake to bake in 35 minutes, but some people's ovens run hotter, and others' cooler. Basically, when you cut into the cake (and I suppose you have to make it once to get the gist right) you should have a slightly gooey, fudgy center, not fully cake-like. That is how you know it's perfect.
Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes; then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and revert it, so that the crackly side is facing upward. Allow to cool completely. The cake will deflate slightly as it cools. Mine even sinks a wee bit, but that's okay – it'll taste so amazing you'll hardly remember its slightly droopy center.
Serve in wedges at room temperature with a loose dollop of unsweetened whipped cream (I find it more refreshing than sweetened) and some fresh cut berries. And since berries are getting to be so good right about now, be sure to have the berries with the cake. Trust me on this. And in case you're thinking picnics (remember what I said about them recently?) – yes, this is a perfect picnic contribution. In fact, you will be the star of the show. No doubt.
Note: this cake tastes even better served the following day, but truth of the matter is, you will need exercise all self control not to eat it all at once. Consider yourself warned.


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EDMONTON - Theres a good reason Blink-182 comes off like a trio of snickering 12-year-old boys.
If they didnt make so many penis jokes, if they didnt put up such a blustery front, if they didnt crack the crudest jokes at every possible opportunity, they would simply melt into a puddle of pure mush. They would turn into a band of Bruno Marses.
Good Lord, theres a frightening thought. But there it is. Never have such sweet and blitheringly romantic songs been wrapped in such an aggressive punk rock enigma that in turn is wrapped in a cocoon of delightful juvenile humour - such a bracing dichotomy of rock n roll music witnessed by 9,000 fans at Rexall Place on Saturday night. Oh, they may call this sort of thing emo, as in emotional, as in punk rock for girls, which also may explain why this band is so popular. Rock bands through history have known this fact: Where the girls go is where the money is.
Consider the abundant evidence. The band opened with Feel This, which is about, well, feelings. Shortly thereafter, Tom DeLonge sang a passionate version of the touching romantic ballad Miss You after which his partner in crudity Mark Hoppus made a joke about how turned on he got from it. Sorry we cant print exactly what he said. New songs from the forthcoming album Neighborhood showed the same sort of attitude: After Midnight and Ghosts on the Dancefloor. Both deal with deep feelings. Slow these tunes down a fair bit, remove the overdriven guitars, add some sweet background vocals and wed have the Backstreet Boys at their most sappy. But no this is PUNK ROCK! Right? While a breakneck recitation of the Seven Words You Cant Say On Television in the encore was much appreciated as was Travis Barkers flying drum solo - the psychic damage had already been done. The ripping fast song First Date had an especially tender core: When you smile, I melt inside. Likewise with All the Small Things and the line She left me roses by the stairs, surprises let me know she cares.
Good grief! Have the Masculine Repressed Emotion Police been informed of this? Punk rockers are supposed to get mad, theyre supposed to incite violent mosh pits, theyre supposed to encourage political revolution. Theyre not supposed to express such feelings, are they? Of course no one complained. A rather rowdy crowd ate it up proving that Blink-182 is going to be continuing in this strange direction for quite some time.
Getting to the openers: Against Me! thanked the crowd for coming early before knocking off what sounded like one continuous song that seemed too happy, too peppy and too poppy for the subject matter therein. They protested against protest songs, expressed the discontent of a teenage anarchist who couldnt find anything to rebel against and took out their frustrations over being discriminated against on white crosses on a church lawn, adding, I want to smash them all! Hard to believe amongst chugging major chords at 240 beats per minute.
Rancid likewise blasted through a more or less continuous riptide of speedy rockers, some clocking in at one minute, tops, filled with shout-along choruses and positive messages (stand tall, speak your mind, stick with your friends, etc.) Sadly, like Against Me!, the bulk of Rancids songs were memorable only for the fact that they rocked pretty hard and hey, thats cool, but it just isnt enough to get you into the big leagues of pop-punkery like Blink-182. The one exception was Rancids biggest hit, for a reason, coming late in the set: Time Bomb. This is one of those songs that may actually be more well-known than the band that created it.


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Whether developing skills and encouraging volunteerism through youth programming, welcoming and connecting diverse demographic populations through membership and services, or preventing chronic disease and building healthier communities through collaboration, the Y empowers people in our communities to be healthy.
YMCA of Wooster
Event Workshops & Activities
11/23/2017 - 8:00am
12/16/2017 - 9:00am
Visit Us
Woodland Program Center
The Ellen Shapiro Natatorium
515 Oldman road
Wooster, Oh 44691
The Program/Gymnastics Center
1578 Mechanicsburg Road
Wooster, Oh 44691
The Spot!
680 Woodland Ave.
Wooster, Oh 44691
YMCA/LuK Learning Academy
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SHEFFIELD poet Sally Goldsmith has earned a commendation in the prestigious National Poetry Competition. The Poetry Society announced Patricia McCarthy's Clothes that Escaped the Great War as the overall winner out of a record 13,041 poems entered for this year's award.
Goldsmith's poem, Thaw, was among 10 shortlisted for the competition for previously unpublished works which has been an important milestone in the careers of many of today's leading poets, with previous winners including Helen Dunmore, Ruth Padel, Philip Gross, Carol Ann Duffy, Jo Shapcott and Tony Harrison.
Economy in spotlight
BBC Business Editor Robert Peston will discuss the British economy at the second lecture of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI)
His talk at the University of Sheffield's Octagon Centre on April 25 is entitled Have We Fixed The Mess We're In Yet? after his popular book How Do We Fix This Mess? The Economic Price Of Having It All. It will offer an update on how the world "got itself into the current economic mess and how we might get out of it" – questions SPERI are also trying to answer. He follows last year's inaugural SPERI lecturer, Labour leader Ed Miliband.
Artist's commission
SHEFFIELD-based artist and designer David Appleyard is working with Milton Keynes Council to develop designs for a new artwork for West Bletchley that captures the spirit of the district in Buckinghamshire.
He is developing ideas for a structure that would represent the area's expansion and exploring themes connected to secrecy and messaging as acknowledgement of the-Second World War codebreakers at Bletchley Park. The artist, whose studio is at Persistence Works, has been working with local people whose ideas have so far included swapping postcodes for spring flowering bulbs and a series of mapping activities.
Robinson on stage
HEADLINING Funhouse Comedy at the New Barrack Tavern on Sunday is the funny and relaxed Andy Robinson.
Starting out as a musician he then moved into comedy where he worked as a warm up artist for TV shows such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Shooting Stars, Later with Jools Holland and Jonathan Ross. He also toured as Jo Brand's regular support act. He draws his audience into his world and then surprises them with his amusing tales.
Supporting will be Peter McCole with his personal and truthful tales and the quirky Graham Milton.
Compere for the night is the warm and friendly Steve Haze.
Night of cricket talk
TWO stalwarts of Test Match Special will be spinning cricketing tales at the Memorial Hall on Thursday, June 20, just before the start of the Ashes series between England and Australia.
The redoubtable Henry 'My Dear Old Thing' Blofeld will be joined by Peter Baxter, TMS producer and commentator from 1973 to 2007. Tickets are £18.50.


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(Archived document, may contain errors) Are We Conservatives? The Paradox of American Conservatism By David Horowitz have been asked to address the question, "Are we conservatives?" to an institution that is a symbol of contemporary conservatism. This fact already tells us something about the subject. I could no more pose the question, "Are we prbgressives?" to a compar a ble gathering of the left, for example, than !-could ask a crow'd of citfie fis, "Are we Ahlerici6i?" T6-raise such an issue in these contexts would be to question an identity and the foundations of a faith. The ability to ask the question, "Are we conser v atives?" tells us first of all that conserva,'tism is not an ideology in the sense that liberalism or the various forms of radicalism are. Conservatism is not an "identity politics," that is, a politics addressed before all else to the issue of what kind o f people embrace it. It is not a politics whose primary concern is to place its adherents in the camp of moral humanity, and thus to confer on them the stamp of History's approval. Because conservatism is not a philosophy that seeks to enlist its adherent s in a historical van- guard, it does not have a party line. It is possible for conservatives to question virtually any position held by other conservatives, including, evidently, the notion that they are conservatives at all, without risking excommunicati o n, expulsion, or even a raised eyebrow. Of course, this latitude has limits. No one would regard as conservative, for example, someone who embraced the levelling aspirations of contemporary liberalism or the utopian agendas of the socialist left. Within s u ch limits, however, the liberality of conservatism (or at least American conservatism) is a generally under-ap@reciiie:d fact. For an ex-radical like myself to have be- come part of the conservative community has been an extraordinary privilege, like brea t hing a free air. In conservatism I have encountered a community where I can engage the issues of the day without anxiously looking over my shoulder to assess the reaction of the politically correct. This, I can tell you, is very different from the intelle c tual atmosphere that prevailed on the left. Beginning as an Attitude. Although it is not an ideological faith, American conservatism is grounded in philosophical convictions (and among conservatives is unique in this respect). It begins, however, the way o ther conservatisms begin-as an attitude-and only afterward does it become a stance. And when American conservatism solidifies into a philosophical position, it does so from considerations that are ultimately pragmatic (and in this is consonant with what i s traditionally understood to be the conservative temper). This is not to deny that conservatives themselves often claim religious principles as the ultimate basis for their convictions. But it is not any religious commitment that makes them conservatives. There are radicals and liberals who have similar commitments and make similar claims. To say that conservative attitudes derive from pragmatic considerations is to state an obvious but important fact: What makes conservative -principles "conservative" is that they are rooted in. an attitude about the past, rather than in expectations of the future.
David Horowitz is President of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, Studio City, California. He spoke at The Heritage Foundation on December 15, 1992, as part of the W.H. Brady Lecture Series on Defining Conservatism. ISSN 0272-1155. 01993 by The Heritage Foundation.It is this pragmatic foundation of American conservatism that explains why it can be the com- mon ground of such diverse viewpoints. Conse rvatives today operate from what are often profoundly different philosophical assumptions and entertain quite divergent expectations of the future. It is, in fact, this indeterminacy about the future that, in my view, is the crucial element that distingui s hes conservatism from its ideological opponents. Indeterminacy about the future does not mean that conservatives are indifferent to possible so- cial outcomes. They would, of course, like to see a future- that is relatively more benevolent and measurably m ore humane than present circumstances. But they can only claim to appreciate those principles and to favor those traditions and institutions that may serve as reasonable and prudential guides-through passages that are-uncertain,-and despite consequences t hat are unin- tended. Conservatives do not pretend to be able to shape the social future, and particularly do not offer plans designed to induce human beings to act in ways that are dramatically different from how human beings have acted in the past. Betwe en Past and Future The first principles of conservatism, then, are propositions about the existing social contract: about human nature in a social context. The itions about limits, and the imposition of y are proposi limits, and what they both make possib l e. It is this practicality, this attention to experience and to workable arrangements, that explains why conservatism can be liberal and tolerant toward its ex- ponents in ways that the progressive left cannot'. In contrast to the conservative outlook, li b eral and radical ideologies are about desired-and therefore determinate-futures. The first principles of the left are the principles of politically con- structing a "better world." Such a future must be consciously designed by enlightened intelligence. It is thus an essential characteristic of progressivism that it proposes a sharp break with the experience of the past, that its visions entail a rejection of existing social contracts. "Socially Just." Throughout the modem era, progressives have proposed a c ontract which guarantees that all of society's members will be made equal in their economic and social condi- tions-or at the very least, in their starting points. Futures based on this contract are designated 46 socially just." Liberals and radicals diff e r among themselves about the degree of equality that might be achieved in the name of social justice, or of the means acceptable for arriving at such a state. (The concession involved when liberals refer to "levelling the playing field," as opposed to lev e lling the players, results from their attention to previous progressive failures, for example.) But the differences between liberals'and raidic"als are confined first to differences of degree in the results desired, and then to the means by which these re s ults may be obtained. The agenda of "so- cial justice," and of using the state to enforce desired outcomes, remains the same. It is this shared, utopian agenda that makes it appropriate to refer to both liberalism and radicalism, generically, as ideology o f the left. Since the ideologies of the left derive from commitments to an imagined future, to question them is to provoke a moral, rather than an empirical, response: "Are you for or against the future equality of human beings?" To demur from a commitmen t to the progressive viewpoint is thus not a failure to assess relevant facts, but an unwillingness to embrace a liberated future. It is to will the imperfections of the present order. In the current political cant of the left, it is to be 64 racist, sexis t , classist," a defender of the status quo. That is why not only radicals, but even those who call themselves liberals are instinctively in- tolerant toward the conservative position. For progressives, the future is not a maze of human uncertainties and un intended consequences. It is a moral choice. To achieve the socially just fu- ture requires only that enough people decide to will it. Consequently, it is perfectly consistent for
2progressives to consider themselves morally and intellectually enlight ened, while dismissing their opponents as immoral, ignorant, or (not infi-equently) insane. While the politics of the left is derived from assumptions about the future, its partisans are also careful to construct a history that validates their claims. At t he outset of the Cold War, the sociologist T. H. Marshall delivered a famous lecture on the "development of citizenship" in the West. In it he distinguished between the civil, political, and social dimensions of citizenship, identifying each of the last t h ree centuries as a stage in their progress. The revolutions of the 18th century institutionalized civil rights of free speech and religion, and a government of laws. The 19th century extended the rights of suffrage and the political base of freedom, estab l ishing the equality of individuals as participants-in the political- process that guaranteed-their civil rights. The 20th century-then at its mid-point-was witnessing a revolution that would extend citizen- ship rights to the social and economic realms, b y recognizing entitlements to education, health care, material well-being and security as basic human rights. Ideological Umbrella. It should be obvious that this third sphere of citizenship rights embraces the prescriptions of socialism, and that Marshall ' s paradigm is merely a liberal formula- tion of the agenda of the modem left. For two centuries the left has attempted to "complete" the French Revolution by extending political and civil freedom into the social realm in the form of redistributionist clai m s to economic wealth. Until now, "socialism"' has been the ideological umbrella for this project. Modem-or should I say post-modem, or better still, post-Communist-conservatism begins with the recognition that this agenda and the progressive paradigm that underpins it are bankrupt. They have been definitively refuted by the catastrophes of socialism in the 20th century. The utopian quest for social justice and its redistributionist agenda are implicated in those catastrophes as root causes of the totalitar i an nightmare. To propose a "solution" that is utopian, in other words impossible, is to propose a solution that requires absolute coercion in order to suc- ceed. Who wills the end, wills the means. Post-Communist conservatism, then, begins with the princi p le that is written in the blood of the social experiment. It was summed up by Hayek in The Constitution ofUberty more than thir- ty years ago: "It is just not true," he wrote, "that human beings are bom equal;... if we treat them equally, the result must b e inequality in their actual position;... [thus] the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently. Equality before the law and material equality are, therefore, not only different, but in conflict with each other." Crushi n g Individual Freedom. In other words, the rights historically claimed in the paradigm of the left are self-contradicting and self-defeating. The history of the social experi- ment of the last 200 years describes the stark implications of that contradictio n and the terrible price of those defeats. The regime of social justice, of which the left dreams, is a regime that by its very nature must crush individual freedom. It is not a question of choosing the right (or avoid- ing the wrong) political means in or d er to achieve the desired ends. The means are contained in the ends. The leftist revolution must crush freedom in order to achieve the social justice that it seeks. It is unable, therefore, to achieve even diat justice. This is the totalitarian circle tha t cannot be squared. Socialism is not bread without freedom, it is neither freedom nor bread. The shades of the victims in the endless cemetery of 20th century revolutions cry out from their still fresh graves: The liberated future is a destructive illusio n. To heed this cry is the beginning of the con- servative point of view.
3While opposing the destructive chimera of socialist justice, however, conservatives should not indulge a utopianism of their own. The conservative vision does not exclude comprom ise; nor should it condemn every attempt, however moderate, to square the circle of political liberty and social welfare. Conservatism does not require that all aspects of the Welfare State be rejected in favor of free market principles. After all, conser v atives are (or should be) the first to recognize the intractable nature of the human condition. The perfectly free society is as untenable as the per- fectly just society, and for the same reason. We would have to rip out our all-too-human hearts in order to achieve it. Some economic redistribution may be compassionate and necessary, even though (as Hayek has shown) it can never be just. In short, within congervatism-there is room for, a "'liberal" argument as to how far we need to go in following the logi c of liberty and how widely we can extend the social safety net, or best shape the contours of a welfare intending state. But for conservatives, it is the limits of such en- deavors that must be recognized at the outset; the bankruptcy and menace of the so cialist paradigm that must be accepted and understood. The American Founding The Hayekian paradox-the point from which contemporary conservatism begins-is, of course, only a reformulation of an understanding shared by the architects of the American found- ing. Thus the incompatibility of libert@ with any plan to eliminate inequality and difference is the essential argument that Publius makes in Federalist #10. Nor is it an accident, as Marxists like to say, that Federalist #10 describes the constitutional a rrangement as a design to thwart the projects of the left-"a rage for paper money, for an abolition of debts, for an equal division of property, or for any other improper or wicked project." It is thus in the constitutional founding that American conserva t ism finds its philosophical ground. American conservatives define themselves first of all as conservers of the constitutional framework; the philosophy of that framework informs their outlook. On examination, the constitutional philosophy can be seen to o r iginate in a conservative ap- preciation of limits as the foundation of rights, of a system of ordered constraints as the basis of agreement. (That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men.) In the constitu- tional philosophy, the poss i bilities of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are attainable only through a framework of neutral restraints: in economics, the discipline of the market; in politics, popular consent and the rule of law. This is the formula of liberal conservatis m : the individual constrained by a government of the laws; government limited by negative liberties and the con- sent of the governed. It is the formula of the constitutional founding. It is the wisdom reaffirmed by the catastrophes of the left-of those wh o rejected this framework as a bourgeois concept and a mass for privilege-from the Jacobin Terror to the 20di century gulags that Marxists built. The post-Communist left also understands the significance of the Constitution as a bulwark of conservative pri n ciples and freedoms. In his book, Constitutional Faith, law professor Sanford Levinson poses the question of whether progressives can even participate in the social contract, whether they could "sign" the Constitution today in good faith. In order to just i fy a half-hearted "Yes" for himself, Levinson first depreciates the Constitution as a crystallization of durable truths. The "anti-foundationalisf'philosophy of Richard Rorty provides an epistomological vantage. In Levinson's view, the constitutional fram e work is merely a "discourse," a "linguistic system" in which virtually any social agenda can be expressed. It is, in his words, "less a series of propositional utterances than a commitment to taking political conversation seriously," a con- versation, alb eit, in which anything can be said.
4Far from exhibiting an attitude that is eccentric or extreme, Levinson is here merely expressing the nihilistic temper of the contemporary left. Thus, in The Future ofLiberal Revolution, just published, Yale law professor Bruce Ackerman proposes a way of r eading the Constitution so that a redistributionist agenda (one of Publius's "wicked projects") can be incorporated into its text. Extending this logic, law professor Mark Tushnet of Georgetown argues that one can employ what he calls "constitution-talk" t o implement a program of affirmative rights, and in- deed, the entire socialist agenda. Finding a radical flexibility in the constitutional text is the precondition for securing the left's endorsement of the Constitution, because the Constitution was clea r ly written as a conservative foundation-property as the basis of liberty; the autonomy of 'the- individual and private enterprise as against the tyranny of the state. "Those who are well off...," argues Levinson, "might well be... appreciative of the Cons t itution's protection of so-called 'negative' liberties, that is rights against oppressive state interference in one's everyday life .... But what reason do persons mired in poverty have to be wildly appreciative of negative rights when what they seek are a ffirmative protections such as food, shelter, and clothing?... Might he or she... declare that a Constitution lacking a strongly affirmative Bill of Rights is not worth signing, whatever its other strengths may be?" Thus, the outlook of post-Communist pro g ressives establishes itself in the denial of precisely the lesson that 20th century revolutions teach-that the principles of economic redistribution and affirmative rights, which form the basis of the socialist project, lead to the destruction of prosperi t y and justice and liberty. For the conservative, the Constitution is not a convenient discourse.- but a repository of prag- matic and durable truths about the conditions of liberty and prosperity in a social order. No one reading the argument of the Feder a list Papers, which is an argument about the meaning of his- tory, can fail to understand it. The truths embodied in the principles of the Constitution were validated for the Founders by the history of previously existing societies. They have been con- fir m ed in our lifetime by the end results of the 200-year war of the left against the philosophical and political framework of "bourgeois" freedoms-against the idea of negative liberties and the practice of limited government; and by the left's establishment of societies based on its own-radi- cal principles of positive freedoms, meaning affminative rights to food, shelter, clothing, employment, and equality; and the catastrophes they created. But, are we conservatives? Well, yes and no. In a famous afterword. to The Constitution ofUberty, Hayek explained why he was not a conservative in the European sense. "Conservatism, proper," he wrote, "is a legitimate, probably necessary, but certainly widespread attitude of opposition to drastic change." It therefore ca n not "offer an alternative to the direction in which we are moving." And that is a problem, given the dynamism of capitalist society, the openness of the.American polity, and the ascendance of modem liberal ideology over the last half century. I use the te r m "modem liberal" to reflect that fact that through its cultural dominance, the left has been able to hijack the term "liberal" for its own anti-liberal agendas. The principles and values of the American founding, which form the. philosop4ic basis of cont e mporary conservatism, are, of course, those of Classical Liberalism. The fiihers of modem conservatism-Locke, Burke, Madison-are Classical Liberals. Far from being conservatives, they were anti-Tory exponents of liberal principle, self-conscious defenders and architects of the great liberal revolutions of their time.
5While modem radicals have failed in their efforts to expropriate the means of material produc- tion, they have succeeded in appropriating enough of the means of cultural production to proc laim themselves liberals and make the label stick. These radical wolves in sheep's clothing fall into two categories. The first and smaller group is made up of the unreconstructed left. Whether calling itself radical feminist, or sddbturalist, or merely p r ogressive, its agenda remains totalitarian. The second, larger category acknowledges the bankruptcy of the socialist left, and makes a begrudging commitment to free markets, but still does not want to give up the. agenda of a, social justice"-the idea tha t government can arrive at a standard of what is just, and that the state can implement such a standard without destroying economic and political freedom. The liberal ascendance@'that dominates and clouds the current horizon-is .- in fact, a popular front o f these two groups. Their victories are visible all around us. Under the bannerof the Great Society and welfare rights, they have transformed the Idea of America from being a covenant to secure liberties to being a claim to entitlement; and therefore vast l y expanded the powers of the state and dramatically constricted the realm of Individual freedom; eroded the private economy and stifled Individual Initiative, so that today government accounts for more then 40 percent of the domestic product and the produ c tive citizen pays more than 50 percent of his or her inbbme in taxes; subverted neutrality of the law and the very Idea of a national Identity by race-based legislation and the concept of group rights. Nothing, in fact, so dramatically indicates the trans f ormation of the constitutional framework in our time than the fact that anti-white, anti-Asian, anti-Jewish, and anti-European discrimina- tion on behalf of blacks, Hispanics, "native Americans," and Aleutian Islanders(!) is now a sign of liberal enlightm e nt, while defense of the universalist covenant of the founding is now regarded as reactionary and racist. So ingrained have the premises of the old left become, in new liberal clothing in post-Cold War America, that conservatives are now the counter-cultu r e. And this is why we must not think only in conservative terms in confronting the challenges ahead. We must think of ourselves as heirs to Locke and Burke and Madison, who faced a similar challenge Erom the lefts of their time, and we must proclaim with t hem: We are the "revolutionaries" demanding a universal standard of one right, one law, one nation for all. We are the champions of tolerance, the op- ponents of group privilege and of communal division. We are the proponents of a common ground that is co l or-blind, gender-equitable"(16 both directions), and ethnically inclusive-a government of laws that is neutral between its citizens and limited in scope. We are the advo- cates of society as against the state, the seekers of dramatic reduction in the burd e ns of taxation and redress from the injustices of government intervention. We are the defenders of the fire market against the destructive claims of the socialist agenda. And we are conservers of the con- stitutional covenant against the forces of modem t yranny and the totalitarian state.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Goathouse Refuge Inc, Pittsboro, NC, USA
When my partner and I arrived in Chapel Hill for a two-year stay, our cat of 16 years had just died. We heard about the Goathouse Refuge from numerous people; in fact, anytime cats were mentioned, so was the Goathouse. We visited the GR on a Friday, went back on Saturday, and left on Sunday with two little fellows, both of them last-minute rescues from a nearby kill shelter. Every aspect of the GR is impressive, from the environment and volunteers to the adoption process and sense of community.
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Dear Intergalactic Friends,
Let me preface this by saying I've had A LOT of coffee.
Oh right. What is coffee? You know those energy tablets you guys insert into your systems nine times a day? Coffee is sort of like that except it's served as a beverage and can be consumed either hot or cold. I'm drinking mine over ice, through a straw, because it makes me feel like Nancy Botwin on Weeds, which is a character that a wonderful actress named Mary Louise Parker played before she returned to her home planet (this hasn't happened as of this writing but I'm sure by the time you guys read this it will have).
Lately, I've been doing two things I haven't done in a while. Getting into new music and dating. Both are a lot of fun and both are also super weird. Music of our modern world and the music of your fellow extra terrestrials isn't all that different actually. In fact, your leader, Cher, just released her latest album. I've been extremely obsessed with two new albums, Lorde's Pure Heroine and Haim's Days Are Gone. Both of these albums feature fierce new lady singers that our world is falling in love with. Lorde is a 15-year-old from New Zealand who sings about her off-color teeth and being poor. Haim is a rock trio of sisters from Los Angeles who sing about broken hearts and lost love. Both these albums are incredible.
Dating is so strange. Oh right, do guys date? Or do you have chips inside of you that detect compatible beings to mate with? Dating is basically the active process of that. When earthlings date, we go out to drinks or dinner or a movie with somebody we think we might enjoy being around, and then if we do enjoy ourselves we attempt to hang out again and repeat this process, while hopefully getting to know one another better. It's been three years since I've been on a first or second or third date and to be honest, I didn't really date much before that either. I'm pretty terrible at dating because if I'm enjoying myself then I tend to reveal my cards too soon. And by cards I mean, my true colors. And by true colors I mean my insanity.
By the way, speaking of True Colors, thanks for sending Cyndi Lauper, space people, we've really enjoyed having her on our planet.
Dating is even weirder after you've been in a three-year relationship because you're so used to showing yourself flaws and all 24-7. On a date you have to play a bit more of a game, reveal yourself slowly, little bits and flaws at a time. Same with the good parts of you too. On the flip side, you learn the good and bad sides of the person you're dating just as slowly. Which is really exciting.
There's nothing like getting into a new album. Slowly the album sinks into your mind and heart and you begin to look forward to revisiting parts of a song as you drive to work in the morning, and when that part comes on you get excited. Not to be too Carrie Bradshaw (TV alien, origin unknown) but I think there's a very similar thing to dating here. Listening to new music and getting to know somebody. You constantly discover new things that excite you, that is, if you like the album or person. By the same token, I guess, you eventually wear a lot of albums out. Just as relationships hit a wall and can go no further. But this isn't about that, this is about the "new" part.
There's nothing quite like those first few weeks with an album you're just discovering or a person you're just beginning to date. Life, like great music, takes time to sink in. Discoveries happen but it isn't until you've sat with them a bit that you realize how catchy and beautiful they are. And if you're lucky, the right song or the right person comes into your life at just the right moment and you get a little sense of clarity, of being in the right place at the right time, for at least a moment or two.
I know that in your alien world you guys have advanced far from actual music or dating but do yourselves a favor, revisit both, even just for irony's sake. If you listen to the right songs and you meet the right people, there's simply nothing else like it.
Jeffery Self is performing a live comedy show, "The Jeffery Self Show" on Wednesday, October 23 at 8 pm at the Neon Venus Art Theater in Hollywood. Tickets are $10 at the door. You can view his blog at JefferySelf.tumblr.com and follow him on Twitter at @Jefferyself.


text:
- Format
- Häftad (Paperback)
- Språk
- Engelska
- Antal sidor
- 160
- Utgivningsdatum
- 2006-03-01
- Upplaga
- New ed
- Förlag
- Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Översättare
- Anthea Bell
- Dimensioner
- 129 x 200 x 18 mm
- Vikt
- 9780747579755
- 100 g
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'There is something of a nightmarish quality in Timm's powerful memoir of the elder brother he lost in the war ... The tone throughout is tender but unsentimental. And in the hands of Timm, now a distinguished writer, this domestic drama serves as a microcosm of the German catastrophe' Sunday Telegraph 'This remarkable short book combines a poignant memoir of Timm's upstanding, resourceful father and his loyal, peaceable mother with a perceptive analysis of the traditional values that helped to lead a nation to obey inhuman orders' Sunday Times 'This book is informed by a deep understanding of its horrors, anxieties and legacies' Publishers Weekly 'Uwe Timm, a well-known novelist in Germany, is determined "not to smooth it all out in the telling", not to make it easy for us to understand and thereby to excuse' Daily Telegraph
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Övrig information
Uwe Timm was born in Hamburg in 1940. He trained to be a furrier and went to college in Braunschweig. He graduated from high school in 1963, and went on to study Philosophy and German Literature in Munich and Paris. He was awarded his doctorate in philosophy in 1971. One of Germany's greatest contemporary writers and novelists, he now works in Munich and Berlin.


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It has become a modern cliche to say professional sports leagues don't have much of an off-season anymore.
But if there is such a thing as a summer break in the basketball world, we're smack-dab in the middle of it right now.
Relatively speaking, the final two weeks of August represent the only dead time there is in the NBA. Most general managers are taking something close to a vacation.
Raptors GM Rob Babcock, for example, is in Minnesota, and he does not plan to be back in his Toronto office till after Labour Day. Hopefully all those rival teams frantically calling about the availability of Eric Williams will leave messages.
Of course, now that we've said all this, there's nothing stopping the Raptors from pulling off the biggest trade in league history today. If past behaviour can be used as a gauge of future behaviour, we won't hold our breaths. But technically and formally, there is no moratorium on transactions.
Be that as it may, possibilities tend to emerge with the changing of the leaves, as some GMs take a cold, hard look at their rosters and fight the urge to throw up.
The remaining free agents will get increasingly desperate next month. And when those free agents start settling in surprising places through necessity and the pressures of Hummer payments, sparks can appear on the trade frontier.
Raptors fans who have been frustrated by the club's lack of activity should keep that in mind before making a final judgment. While the percentages always are against trades occurring -- just because, at their base level, they're hard to pull off -- there still is plenty of time to make alterations, even if they're small ones, to this Raptors roster, through buyouts or whatever.
Now, whether the Raptors have much to offer anyone else with regard to a more dramatic facelift is doubtful.
Shockingly, other teams around the NBA have shown only limited interest in picking away at a Raptors roster that has produced fewer than 100 victories -- 91, to be exact -- over the past three seasons.
If you're a Raptor and you don't answer to the name of Chris Bosh, you just aren't that hot a commodity.
Another hurdle: The Raptors have the maximum 15 players under contract, and Babcock has indicated he wants to add a third point guard, even if it merely is a minimum-salary guy, to back up Rafer Alston and Jose Calderon.
For those of you who have e-mailed to ask about how the development league might alleviate the Raptors' roster woes, well, we have some bad news.
One of the most interesting aspects of the new collective-bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players is the ability of teams to send a maximum of two players (with two years or less of experience) to the development league. Players can be sent down a maximum of three times per season.
That won't sound like a big deal to anyone who follows the NHL and Major League Baseball, but really, it's a paradigm shift for the NBA. Previously, all players in the development league had to be free agents.
Here's the restriction, though: When an NBA club assigns a player to the development league, that player will continue to take up a roster spot with the big club.
It was hoped by some that if the Raptors could assign, say, Rafael Araujo and Pape Sow to the development league (start packing, fellas), that would open up two roster spots with which to play around. Sadly, that is not the case.
Considering all these factors, it isn't going to be easy for Babcock to change much. He isn't exactly dealing from a position of strength.
But just because nothing has happened yet doesn't necessarily mean nothing will.
On the NBA weather map, things heat up in September. Raptors fans only can hope for some unseasonably high temperatures.


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Making Canada look sexy!
Celebrate National Bikini Day with an awesome gallery.
They're real, and they're spectacular
Every 13 year old male in the world loves huge boobs.
Tall, brunette, big boobs, and skinny.
One of the most important inventions man has ever known.
What a porn star looks like when she is actually wearing some clothing.
One of a kind, from a small town in Texas.
Talented and Beautiful. What more do you need?
The pride of Newport Beach, California.
Damn, Georgina may have a weird name but she is fine.
By far the sexiest list of the top 25 actresses under 25.
Every man wants to be with her.
Funny Name, Sexy Lady
Is she the perfect woman?
Brains + Sexy = Deadly Combination.
Would you take her home to meet your mom?
Meet Mrs. Mike Fisher. Okay, maybe he is Mr. Carrie Underwood.
Who are the hottest ladies competing in Australia?
Which O.C. Chick is Hotter?
One of those Buxom Babes from Britain.
"The Chameleon" recently turned 40!
Giving you a reason to take a second look at "The Fast and the Furious"
I hear there were robots in the movie too.
"My, what big beautiful… eyes you have"
You decide which one is hotter.
The ultimate housewife.
Do you agree with our list or do you have a different order?
Just an excuse to share a gallery of Thong pics.
It's difficult to find a photo of her where she isn't naked.
Pretty damn close to perfection.
She's come a long way.


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$176 Makeover, Cloud Gazing & Magnetic Ceiling Maps
My how time flies! Here's what we were talking about last year at this time:
• We filed away the clever idea of turning a slanted ceiling into a magnetic world map for kids.
• We encouraged you to do some sky gazing...at home by making some clouds to hang.
• We brought you a second edition of big art in kids' rooms because we couldn't get enough the first time.
• We oohed and aahed over Zoey's chic grey Austin nursery.
• We helped you bring a piece of the woods inside with a tutorial for a faux birch log side table.
• We marveled at what a difference $176 made in Gina's daughter's colorful room - wow!


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Reuters - "Gynecologists Are Urged To Screen For Heart Disease"
Screening women for heart disease at obstetrics and gynecology clinics may detect cardiovascular risk and head off heart problems for women who do not see a primary care physician, according to new research. Many women do not have a primary care physician but seek out basic OB/GYN services. The rate of heart-related death in women between the ages of 35 and 44 continues to increase one percent per year. "Women take care of their breasts and get mammograms and take care of their bones by getting bone density tests, but often neglect their hearts," said Dr. Roxana Mehran, director of interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials at The Mount Sinai Medical Center and the lead researcher in a two-year pilot program that studied the issue. Learn more


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Every game here is show-n-go . . . meaning, no batting practice, no infield, not anything other than stretch and the starting pitchers getting warm in the bullpens.
"There isn't anywhere to take it," a member of one club's coaching staff said. "It's almost like this is just for fun–show up and play. There's not that intense demeanor of preparation like there is in the States, at least for this.
"This is more about who has that ability to turn it on and off, because that's literally what you're doing: You show up, get dressed and it's game-on. But so many of these guys are veterans–they know what they need to do to prepare anyway. And the best thing about that is how that rubs off on some of the younger players–especially the mental side of preparation."


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I'm a wedding and portrait photographer living in Vancouver, BC with my husband Randy. I photographed my first wedding when I was only 17 years old - and I've photographed over 200 weddings since! I am an avid bookworm, lover of green tea, pretty nail polish & my Labradoodle Harley. Thanks for visiting!
Wedding Days
learn more about jamie
Our Love Story
Despite a week of feeling sick and icky, nothing could damper my excitement for Laura & Darren's day on Friday, September 4th. I had been looking forward to being a part of this day since I first met Laura & Darren in early January at their apartment. I loved their style, I loved their energy, I loved their Goldendoodle, I loved their love. I celebrated alongside Laura and her fiance, with thirty of their closest friends for her thirtieth birthday party. A few weeks later, Laura and I met for Americanos, and we laughed as we chatted about more of the fabulous details she was planning for their September wedding.
Then came their engagement session, which turned out to be one of my favourites of the season. As Laura and Darren and I exchanged more emails throughout the months leading up to this day, I truly felt like a friend who could not wait to see these two united as man and wife. When I walked into the penthouse suite at the Granville Island Hotel, I found Laura calmly having her makeup done in the bathroom. A few moments into our conversation, Laura looked up at me with her incredible big green eyes and said softly, "Jamie. This week… It's just… It's just been magic. Magical. Every moment. From my bachelorette party last Saturday, to… just every day. Magic. This morning. Last night. Today… Magic." I smiled and thanked Jesus for these two beautiful people He had brought together in His timing.
Laura and Darren, your day was a joy. An absolute joy. Laura, your green eyes that I am oh-so-jealous of, SHONE all day long. I loved your giddy little laugh during the vows. I loved how you practically shook with excitement before Pastor Dave pronounced you husband and wife. Darren, I have to say it again, I loved your gray converse. Pretty much made my day. I loved your smile that never left your face: all. day. long. From the morning to the final goodbyes, you were one happy man: and rightly so. I'm so excited to see you both continue to walk with your Lord in the coming years. Love, ME!
P.S. A big thanks to my beautiful friend Melissa Jill who second-shot this with me! Some of the photos in the slideshow are from her.
Some of Laura's accessories. [Update] Laura sent along the name of the fabulous Etsy store who designed her feather hairpiece, A Farmer's Daughter.
What a cute little getting-ready outfit Laura had on. SO cute. Her beautiful makeup was thanks to Denise Elliot. (firstname.lastname@example.com)
This was right after they said, "HI!" excitedly once they got close to each other.
The ceremony took place in a park, right near the Vancouver harbour. After they had their first kiss, a few of the boats honked their horns and this was Laura and Darren's reactions. Priceless.
Loved the gray bridesmaids dresses: I had never seen that before.
When the guys went and got their matching gray converse shoes, I was loving it. I have a thing for converse. And fun bridal parties. Both met at this wedding.
Couldn't resist another shoe shot.
I rarely do guy's shoe shots, but these were callin' for one.
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Mmm, love it.
Can they BE more adorable? Seriously. Folks.
Some great details inside Performance Works. Laura and her bridesmaids individually strung over 1000 butterflies from the ceilling. That's dedication.
To see more of Laura & Darren's Performance Works Wedding CLICK HERE for a slideshow!
Get in touch with Jamie or view more of her online portfolio.


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Bournemouth-airport taxi Online booking
Need a taxi to or from Bournemouth-airport? Enter your journey details here and get instant quotes. We work together with many minicab operators in the Bournemouth-airport area to guarantee you the best taxi price.
Quickly compare airport taxi prices. It's free, dependable and with no obligation.
Low taxi price for Bournemouth-airport
Taxis from or to the Bournemouth-airport? Flying into Bournemouth-airport? Want to make sure you get the best price? Let the drivers bid for your business!
How to get the best price for Bournemouth-airport taxi?
Enter your Bournemouth-airport ride details and your request will be sent instantly to all the relevant taxi drivers. They bid your ride - they recieve your request and bid the lowest price possible for them to take the ride. This way you are sure to get the best possible fare. You can then choose from a multitude of options and decide which taxi can offer you the best fare and best suits you. As a customer you have absolutely no obligation and no booking fee. You pay the driver and the most we will ask is for you to rate the driver so we can keep the marketplace always with the best taxi driver and taxi companies being rewarded for excellent service and dependability.
About taxi in Bournemouth-airport
Bournemouth Airport began commercial services just 15 years ago but now sees a million passengers a year use its facilities. Situated just four miles north of the town of Bournemouth itself, it provides a wide ranging service to the inhabitants of this thriving region of the UK. Flights are operated by a number of carriers including Ryanair and Thomson, both of which use the airport as a regional hub, and the number of international and domestic destinations available grows with each year. The airport is highly regarded for its top class facilities and customer service and is often the recipient of travel industry awards. Travelling to the airport from Bournemouth itself should take no more than fifteen minutes, traffic depending, and the best way to get there is to use a taxi service. There are many private hire operators in the region offering the convenience and excellent value of online booking services, too.
UK's international airports
We cover the following major UK international airports:
London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Stansted Airport, Manchester Airport, London Luton Airport, Birmingham Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow International Airport, Bristol International Airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, East Midlands Airport,Newcastle Airport, Belfast International Airport, Aberdeen Airport, London City Airport, George Best Belfast City Airport, Leeds Bradford International Airport, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Southampton Airport, Cardiff Airport, Jersey Airport, Guernsey Airport, Bournemouth Airport, Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Exeter International Airport, Isle of Man Airport, Inverness Airport, Norwich International Airport, Newquay Airport, City of Derry Airport, Humberside Airport, Durham Tees Valley Airport, Blackpool Airport, Scatsta Airport, Plymouth City Airport, Kirkwall Airport, Sumburgh Airport, Stornoway Airport & St. Mary's Airport.


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Here at Review Centre we work hard to make sure we are the best place on the internet for honest, unbiased consumer reviews - we are grateful for your help in keeping us that way!
Written on: 08/08/2011
annclarekelly (1 review written)
I am very happy with my experience. Good fashion advice, good customer service including for an exchange. Great selection of Chloe. Can't beat free shipping and no sales tax!


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Elomi Izzy Thong EL8797
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This product was discontinued May, 2014 and is no longer available. Please consider one of the Customer-Recommended Replacements above, or try a new search.
Look sweet and sassy in this beautiful mesh thong. Features a polka dot front lace panel with contrast color cotton lining. Made of cotton/polyester/nylon/elastane.
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Secret garda unit posing as addicts helps put 3,000 dealers behind bars
A SMALL group of specialist undercover gardai posing as drug addicts have been responsible for the arrest of thousands of drug dealers operating on the streets of cities and towns around the country.
Since being set up, the secret squad of eight young officers, nicknamed the Mockies - street slang for mock junkies - have broken up localised street-dealing gangs and put 3,000 dealers behind bars in over 20 provincial towns.
The undercover unit has also carried out several successful operations in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway specifically targeting dealers.
Det Garda Kieran O'Reilly, who plays the part of a drug squad officer in the hit show Love/Hate, was a key member of the successful unit for six years. O'Reilly got his first taste of acting while posing as a drug addict buying heroin from pushers.
Despite its small size, the Mockie squad, which is part of the Garda National Drug Unit (GNDU), has notched up the impressive arrest rate since the beginning of the noughties. However because Garda management has refused to increase the size of the unit sources say that it can only target one area at a time.
The work of the Mockie squad - officially called the 'Test Purchase Unit' (TPU) - has been highlighted after the people of Roscrea, County Tipperary demanded action against local drug dealers.
Last month, over 1,000 people attended a rally in the town to express their anger over the "drug scourge" which had resulted in the deaths of a number of local youths and the attempted suicide by others.
A week earlier a crowd of over 500 people staged an impromptu demonstration outside the local garda station.
Senior gardai say that the Mockie unit has succeeded in disrupting drug gangs in several rural towns but because of its size it is limited in the number of operations it undertakes.
"The unit is snowed under with requests from Garda Divisions around the country to mount operations but there just isn't the capacity to carry out more than one investigation at a time," a source told the Irish Independent.
"There is a realisation that it is only through the use of such undercover investigations that localised drug operations can be infiltrated and broken up."
In the past four years alone the Mockie squad has been responsible for the arrest of almost 700 individuals, all of whom were described as being lower to mid-level drug dealers.
In May, 20 people were arrested and charged with drug offences following an operation in Galway city.
A number of other operations are continuing and sources say that at least another 100 drug dealers in a number of towns are due to be arrested in the coming months. In each case the suspect sold drugs to undercover gardai.
"The people being targeted are responsible for the problems being experienced in Roscrea and very many other towns.," a senior source revealed.
A typical operation involves up to six gardai moving into a town at the request of their local colleagues.
Posing as addicts they infiltrate the local drug scene over a period of months and purchase heroin, cocaine, and other class A drugs. Evidence is gathered and files then forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The first time that a drug dealer knows he has walked into a trap is when he is arrested.
Individual operations have led to arrests ranging from between ten 10 over 100 suspected drug dealers at a time.
The work of the 'Test Purchase Unit' is described by gardai as among the "most dangerous" type of work undertaken in the force.
"Potential candidates must be highly motivated and pass a rigorous selection process before they are accepted.
One of the requirements is that they don't look like a typical guard," according to gardai.
There have been cases where members of the unit were so convincing that they were arrested by their colleagues who didn't believe that they were actually gardai.
The unit was the brainchild of former Commissioner Pat Byrne in the late 1990's.
Two young garda officers were sent to the UK where they were trained in undercover techniques supervised by Scotland Yard and MI5.
When they returned they were tasked with recruiting and then training a small team. The undercover squad normally includes a team of six officers.
Most personnel are changed after a year to ensure "fresh faces" for the streets.
n Dublin
n Limerick
n Cork
n Waterford
n Galway
n N'castle W.
n Kilkenny
n Portlaoise
n Tullamore
n Edenderry
n Clonmel
n Athlone
n Naas
n Carlow
n Longford
n Sligo
n Letterkenny
n Buncrana
n Monaghan
n Dundalk
n Cavan
n Bailieboro
n Bray
n Tralee
n Killarney
n Kilrush
Irish Independent
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Related Content
- 'Mockie' mavericks helped break up notorious crime family
- Calls for task force to tackle city drugs scourge


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Sometimes saying "yes" to a co-worker's request for help is unavoidable. But don't let such requests spin your schedule out of control. Here's how to help a co-worker without making your own productivity suffer:
Tell the person "yes," but remind him that he'll owe you one. Next time you're in a bind, he can take on something for you.
Inform the co-worker you'll help this time, but ask how the two of you can better plan for the next time.
Take control of the timetable. Example: "I could do that for you, but not until the end of next week."
Put a tough condition on your agreement. Example: "If it would take only an hour, I'd be able to help, but I can't give you more time than that."
Related Articles...
- 14 Tips on Business Etiquette No matches


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In 1997 the Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince and Currently Known as a Pretentious Hieroglyph was lying low. It's all relative, sure, but last year was the first since 1983 that hadn't seen a single record released by the Funky Pop Polymath. There were reasons, of course. There always are. The Artist was creatively exhausted: The late-1996 triple album Emancipation tapped his reserves. The Artist was out and about: His Jam of the Year tour was his first major U.S. roadwork in years. The Artist was preoccupied: His first child with his wife Mayte Garcia supposedly was born with cloverleaf skull syndrome and died shortly afterward. (To date neither parent has commented.)
Now, though, it's a new year, and Prince is back. Sort of. Though there won't be a new studio album until 1999 -- wonder what song he'll remix for that? -- Prince has plugged the gap. And when he plugs a gap, he really plugs it. His new release, Crystal Ball, is a four-CD set that includes 30 songs of vault material and an entirely new acoustic album, The Truth (see sidebar). In copping to his own apocrypha, Prince proves once again that he's pop music's most prolific composer. Crystal Ball is a cloudy sprawl, a massive musical mess that oscillates between outstanding songs and songs that should have been left out standing in the cold. How versatile. How frustrating.
The frustration began before the set ever hit stores, in behind-the-scenes machinations. Crystal Ball was supposed to mark the debut of Prince's long-awaited direct-marketing plans, which he hatched after severing ties with major record labels. All last year Prince took preorders for Crystal Ball through his toll-free number (800-NEW-FUNK) and Website, charging $50 for product, shipping, and handling. Up until the first of this year, most sources were still reporting that this would be the only way to purchase the album. At the last minute, though, Prince struck a deal with the Blockbuster and Musicland chains. On February 20 the album appeared on shelves across the nation, priced at an alarmingly affordable $29.95. Fans who had preordered the set at $50 weren't so pleased, and the hasty announcement that they would receive a free additional CD of the Prinstrumental score for the Kamasutra ballet struck many as weak consolation. Rival record chains, locked out of the deal, weren't too thrilled either. As usual, the market found a way; Tower Records and HMV stores began retailing Crystal Ball in the $50 range, prompting speculation that they were simply buying the set at Blockbuster or Musicland and then marking it up for resale. Muddled as it is, this new approach to hawking his wares seems to be working in Prince's favor. By eliminating most of the middlemen, he's guaranteeing himself another big payday. Emancipation, distributed in similar fashion in 1996, put more money in his pocket than any record since 1984's Purple Rain.
This would be no more than a moderately entertaining tale of a fledgling entrepreneur -- the kind of Widgets R Us illustration your business school professor tells you on the first day of class -- if it weren't for the fact that Crystal Ball is full of music. Almost four hours of music, in fact. Prince's past ten years have been fraught with aesthetic dead ends, sour and didactic songs that raged against publishers, record labels, retail chains, and even his fans. Now he is rolling out what he was holding back during those ranting years, and much of it is worth raving about.
The record kicks off with "Crystal Ball," which was to be the title song of a triple album rejected by Warner Bros. in 1987. (The album was retooled and released that same year as the double LP Sign 'O' the Times.) Over a sparse, slow groove adorned with whistles, canned drums, and on-again/off-again full instrumental backing, Prince stretches out, delivering a hypnotic vocal about love, lust, and loss. "Crystal Ball," which has circulated for years among bootleggers under its alternate title "Xpert Lover," is Prince at his most hermetic and difficult -- and also at his most rewarding. The other songs from 1986-87 are equally strong. There's "Good Love," a sunny piece of popcraft that was unjustly buried on the Bright Lights, Big City soundtrack; the delightful "Movie Star," which proves incontrovertibly that Prince was always the model for Morris Day's addled ladies' man; and "CloreenBaconSkin," a lengthy, live-in-the-studio bass workout with improvised lyrics. The only chunks of pyrite from this golden period are "Crucial," a swollen attempt at a swelling ballad, and "Dream Factory," an anti-drug lyric sabotaged by its cluttered arrangement.
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A full third of Crystal Ball is composed of outtakes from 1993-94, when Prince was recording a musical called Glam Slam Ulysses. (A funk opera based on Homer's Odyssey makes more sense than one based on Tolstoy's Hadzhi Murad, but less sense than almost anything else.) He performed the show in Los Angeles and Minneapolis and placed some of its songs on 1994's underrated Come and 1995's overproduced and overrated The Gold Experience. The rest of it is collected here for the first time. There's the gutbucket funk of "Interactive" (previously available only on CD-ROM), the kinky reggae of "Ripopgodazippa" (heard for a moment in the 1995 film Showgirls), and the nasty, hooky R&B of "Acknowledge Me." Of course there are also throwaways such as "Calhoun Square" and "Love Sign," the latter featuring vocals by Marvin Gaye's daughter Nona. But the strongest compositions from this period, particularly "What's My Name?" (a profoundly menacing song about celebrity and identity) and "Da Bang" (a profoundly superficial song about boot-knocking), are complex and satisfying, the equal of anything Prince has ever recorded. All in all the songs from 1993-94 are what outtakes should be -- interesting glimpses of a prolific artist's creative process.
The more recent material also does the Artist proud. There's "Hide the Bone," a single-entendre rocker recorded with the NPG; "She Gave Her Angels," a lovely ballad that the Artist performed on the Disney Channel's new Muppet Show; and "2morrow," an Emancipation outtake that rolls gently over the bass line from Parliament's "Turn That Mutha Out!"
Those are the highlights. The lowlights? Well, a few songs simply don't warrant inclusion. Given that Crystal Ball will end up mostly in the hands of hard-core fans, it doesn't make sense for Prince to pawn off "Tell Me How U Want to Be Done" as a new song, when anyone with any Artist cred knows that it's merely the second half of 1992's "The Continental." The dragging blues-rock composition "The Ride" and the bombastic "Strays of the World" have been bootlegged for years, and they're not improving with age. And there is a quartet of previously released Glam Slam Ulysses songs ("P Control," "Days of Wild," "So Dark," and "Get Loose") represented here either by superfluous live versions or anemic dance-club remixes.
Crystal Ball is clearly a major statement of sorts, Prince's attempt to prove that Warner Bros. screwed him out of better promotion, or that he's too much for any label to handle. But it's also his second disorganized, leviathanic release in a row, and these displays of virtuosity are beginning to have a faint tinge of desperation about them. It's reminiscent of the mid-Seventies fate of Stevie Wonder, who threw out his ability to edit himself on the double album Songs in the Key of Life and then sent much of his talent after it on the double LP Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. To date, Stevie has not been able to recapture the driving power of early-Seventies albums like Talking Book and Innervisions. No matter how interested he is in giving free rein to his creativity, Prince should take this example as a cautionary tale, and he should also look back to the concision and unity of albums such as Purple Rain and 1988's LoveSexy. In pop music, finally, genius is juggernaut.


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Dude is selling a steampunk Darth Vader mask and chest plate on eBay. He modified a normal Darth Vader mask bought in Disney World by carving out details to make it look brass-like and adding several tacks to simulate rivets. He then added a WWI style helmet spike which is actually a ceiling fan pull chain. The chest plate was made from a shadow box frame and a bunch of cannibalized clock, and other device parts.
(Thanks GeekGod)