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No rain… Again!
Matthew 8:26 (NIV)
"He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?'
Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."
Mark 4:39 (NIV)
"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm."
So often I've read this passage and pictured that night out on the water. I used to arrogantly and piously scoff at the disciples. "Look how dumb they were." "How could they still not get it?!" "How could they not understand that they were safe with him?!"
I've grown since then though… a little. The verses just before this are Jesus teaching them how much it will cost them to follow him. He tells them they will be homeless. He tells them they will have to miss important, meaningful family moments. He's teaching them it will cost them their livelihoods, possibly their families and surely their plans.
He hasn't given them any comfort. And shortly thereafter, here they are… on a lake in a furious storm in a boat that's about to be swamped. They'll drown. Danger is all around. And they run to him. They wake him. They beg him.
They don't doubt his ability to save them like I used to think. What they doubt his awareness of the situation. And they seem to have an idea of how he will save them when they ask. I'm curious to know what they were expecting. Maybe they were expecting him to raise the boat out of the water. Maybe they expected the water to suddenly be held back from over the rails of the boat, similar to Moses crossing the Red Sea and God holding the water back. Or maybe… they were expecting him to calm the storm.
Whatever their expectations of his actions, they were afraid. Stressed. Terrified. And they were begging him for help.
In five years of CommuniD BBQs, I have no idea how many times God has calmed the storms for us. I have seen clouds part, literally. I have seen rain inexplicably surround a park without falling on it. Twice. Countless times we have seen and reaped the benefits of those words, "Quiet! Be still!"
Last Saturday. It was raining. The forecast called for heavier rain as the day went on. No relief. No hope of a break in the storm. Just cold, miserable rain. We had three CommuniD BBQs scheduled for the day; Detroit, Hazel Park and Southfield. I got phone calls from all three leaders asking what to do, when to call it off, etc. Three leaders who've watched these storms calm in the past with me all concerned, maybe even afraid that we'll get rained out. I talked them through it, encouraged them, reminded them of miracles of the past and God's faithfulness in the present. At the end of the day, all three events happened. Not a drop of rain fell where it wasn't supposed to. Not an once of falling water was left to disrupt God's plan for the day. A miracle. Again. Amazing.
This Saturday. It's raining again. It's grey. It's cold. It's miserable weather. The rain wasn't supposed to let up until at least 4pm. It looked like it would linger on long past then. We had two CommuniD BBQs scheduled for the day; Detroit and Pontiac. I looked outside and thought, we might get rained out today. Again, I got calls from leaders. Again, anxious, nervous, expecting the rain to continue. Again, I reassured them reminding them of God's faithfulness in the past. What they didn't know was that this time, I was feeling the same way as they were. I was nervous. I was afraid. I was grasping onto those memories with them. I was needing the reminders every bit as much as they did.
With the shakiness in my soul of a one year old walking, in faith I continued to encourage them (and me). I set out from living in Pontiac to drive to Detroit. Wipers on. Heat on. Cold rain. Answering calls, replying to texts and when no one else was asking me, I was still praying, hoping… no rain. "Lord, I'm trusting you against my gut instinct of fear. I will speak in confidence that you will again calm the storms; hoping you do."
We are such forgetful people. We are so quick to lose our faith. We are so quick to be afraid. And we run to him saying, "Lord, our event will drown! Don't you care? Won't you help us? Aren't you paying attention?" I don't think he was bothered that the disciples asked him for help. They needed help. What he rebukes them for is their fear and lack of faith.
I can scoff at their lack of faith all I want. I mean, they could see Jesus right in front of them after all. But I am every bit as deserving of that scoffing myself. I may not yet have seen Jesus physically in front of me. But I have seen the fruit of his words, "Quiet! Be still!" countless times.
So today… AND last week… God held back the clouds!! In these last 2 Saturdays we've seen over 500 people share a meal together. There have been 5 CommuniD BBQs in 4 locations with 14 partnering groups. It's been an incredible couple weeks!
I can't tell you how many times I've seen God work miracles with the weather on Saturday afternoons. Five years and we've cancelled only 4. That's quite a track record of good weather! And yet every time I can hardly believe it! Our God still calls the storms! And He creates space for His Body to form and love at a common table.
My God… YOU ARE AMAZING!!
Shared by Mike Schmitt.
No Rain in HP
The day dawned gray, the forecast was bad…rain, followed by some more rain, then some rain.
We prayed. We went up to Kensington to meet up with Heather and hook up the trailer to her Suburban…still raining.
Heading south on John R, we looked ahead and saw brighter skies. We arrived at Green Acres Park… NO RAIN!!
It didn't rain a drop. Not one, until we were packing up to head home!
Great day! Awesome God. Thanks to ALL, new faces and old, who braved a miserable forecast and came to be a part of the Hazel Park CommuniD BBQ!! YOU ALL ROCK!!
Shared by Jim Sterner.
Hazel Park and a beer tent
We'd been blessed weather-wise for every BBQ so far…no rain in spite of bad forecasts, warmer than expected temps, very blessed. This Saturday wasn't looking good though. No problem, God's taken care of the weather every time. We went ahead and fired up the grill and the skies opened. Harder and harder it came down. All the pavilions were being used so we were looking hard for a plan B. One of our HP BBQ family came running up and said she'd talked with the people using one of the pavilions and we were welcome to use the end of their pavilion. Plan B had arrived and we took off, lit grill, tables and people scrambling across the park. All eyes were on us as we set up at the end of the music pavilion of the Madison Hts. F.O.E. picnic. God is good…but who is this big dude with the seriously unhappy face coming our way? As we talked (talked=did our best to be able to stay where we were) we found out that the invite didn't come from anyone in charge of this rather BIG (all three pavilions, beer tent, 200+ people) picnic, but rather from the DJ. After a short conversation, one that went from terse to pleasant, we were given the official OK. God is good!
We talked, mingled, bought raffle tickets, watched horseshoes, got a shout out over the PA from the Madison Hts. F.O.E. president Brian, and had a chance to meet and connect with a group of people we'd have never met without the "unwanted" rain. By the way, the rain stopped as soon as we'd gotten under cover and the sun came out shortly after. Yes, God is good. His plans, not our plans!
Written by: Jim Sterner
Jim & Donna Sterner are the point leaders for the Hazel Park CommuniD BBQs
5 Year Anniversary Luau & Pig Roast Press Release
5 Year Anniversary Luau & Pig Roast Press Release
Elevate Detroit, a nonprofit organization that specializes in creating community-building events across southeast Michigan is celebrating their fifth birthday on June 16, 2012.
The organization, launched in 2007, began when a few friends wondered what it would look like to haul a grill into Cass Corridor, Detroit and share a meal with the homeless people they found there. Since then, they have added four more locations (Pontiac, Flint, Mount Clemens and Hazel Park) and provide approximately 1,200 meals/month across southeast Michigan. All of the meals and supplies are provided completely by people who attend the events.
The celebration will be at their Detroit CommuniD BBQ location: Robert Redmond Plaza at the Corner of Second Ave. and Selden St. The event will be luau themed with a pig roast from Coal's BBQ. The festivities begin at 1:00 p.m. and will go continue late into the afternoon.
What did Pilate do that was so wrong?
I've been wrestling with this question a lot this Lenten/Easter season. I am spending this year reading through the gospels. I use YouVersion and often listen to the passages aloud. In January I read through all four gospels. I spent February focusing on Matthew, reading it over and over. March was similarly spent reading Mark. Now April will be spent reading Luke. And May will be spent with John.
At the beginning of Lent I also started reading YouVersion's "40 Days of Lent" reading plan. It's been interesting. As I've read through the plans side by side I sometimes end up reading the same chapter a second time in a day. Other times I may read the same passage in parallel gospels in the same day or days apart.
Beginning today I'm also going through "The Story of Easter" reading plan. So now during Holy Week I'm reading three different reading plans all involving the life of Jesus. Two of them focus on Easter and the events leading up to it. And this week I'll be reading the full gospel of Luke. It's overlapping reading plans. You get the idea.
You may think (Or I would've thought) that the repetition or overlapping nature gets boring. But it has been quite the opposite. Reading like this has been like hearing the same story over and over again from different perspectives and in different orders. I feel like I'm getting a bigger and deeper picture of the characters in the story. Not really repetition at all.
However, I have digressed. Back to my question: What did Pilate do that was so wrong?
Having grown up in the church, I remember hearing the Easter story as a kid. I remember thinking the Jews, Pilate and everyone there was so evil except for Jesus and maybe that guy that carried his cross for him because he was forced to do it.
Over time I've learned to place myself amidst the crowd. I've pictured myself or understood myself as one of the many voices in the jeering crowd. I've spent hours meditating on the thought that it was my sin that nailed him to that cross. And after nailing him there with my sin, it was His love that held him there.
But what about Pilate?
Pilate was still my scapegoat. I was ok with placing myself in the massive crowd; even if it was out of sin. At least I wasn't the only one chanting for Jesus's execution, right? As long as it's not only my voice shouting for his death, that seemed bad, but tolerable. I can handle that.
Pilate's the one that could've really done something though. Pilate didn't have to listen to us in the crowd. Pilate had the power to set Jesus free and silence the crowd. Pilate could've done something, but didn't. And for that… I've always thought of Pilate as the worst one there. It's one thing to be an ignorant peasant and demand an innocent man's execution. It's another thing to be an educated citizen of the most powerful empire in the world and condone the death of the innocent by a lack of action. "Yes," I thought, "Pilate is the worst one there."
So what did Pilate do?
Pilate questioned Jesus. (Matthew 27:11, Mark 15:2-4, Luke 23:3, John 18:33-38)
Pilate was amazed at Jesus. (Matthew 27:14, Mark 15:5)
Pilate found Jesus innocent. (Luke 23:4, 23:13-15, John 18:38)
Pilate questioned the Jews and gave them a chance to request Jesus be released. (Matthew 27:17-24, Mark 15:9-14, Luke 23:22, John 18:39)
Pilate had Jesus flogged in an apparent attempt to pacify the Jews. (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:16, 23:22, John 19:1)
Pilate declared Jesus innocent again. (Luke 23:22, John 19:4, 19:6)
Pilate was afraid and questioned Jesus again. (John 19:8-10)
Pilate declares that he has the power to crucify Jesus or to free him. (John 19:10)
Pilate tried to set Jesus free. (Luke 23:20, John 19:12)
Pilate gave in to the crowd and handed him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27:24-26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24-25, John 19:16)
Pilate had a sign made declaring Jesus was "The King of the Jews" and had it posted in all three common languages of the time. (John 19:19-20)
Pilate stands firm to his declaration of who Jesus is. (John 19:22)
Here's what Pilate did: Pilate took the time to learn who Jesus was. Pilate believed and declared Jesus to be innocent and the King of the Jews. In other words, Pilate believed Jesus. Yes. I think we'll see Pilate in Heaven. But Pilate gave in to the pressuring demands of a sinful society. Pilate did not stand up for the innocent like he could have. But instead, Pilate stood by and allowed the innocent to die.
Now… Who is the worst in this story? Pilate? Or the Jews in the crowd? I still think Pilate.
But I can no longer place myself in the crowd. I am not an ignorant uneducated peasant. I am an educated citizen of the most powerful empire in the world. I am no longer a Jew in this story… I am Pilate. I am Pilate because every day I sit and do nothing. And through my passivity, the innocent are allowed to die. I am Pilate every time I do not do all that I can.
Let's, as the body of Jesus, stop being Pilate. Let's stop letting our passivity, apathy and complacency condemn the lives of the innocent. Let us stop killing God's children with inaction! Do something. Bring your friends along. Do something together. And keep doing it.
This list could go on and on and on. Don't start tomorrow. Do something now.
Fire, Faith & Loss
This past Saturday I walked down to Robert Redmond Park at 2nd & Selden in Detroit's Cass Corridor.
I started talking to a man named Ken in front of the park. Ken was walking down Selden with a back pack and a tired expression on his face. I asked how he was doing, and he simply said "I've had better days." I understood that saying well, not knowing the reason behind his response. I inquired in the most sincere way I could convey. Ken went on to share a story I wasn't expecting. Ken's apartment and everything he owns in it was lost in a fire just a week ago Friday. He explained that his drunk neighbor had accidentally started a fire in the apartment above him. The ceiling then fell in and set fire to his apartment. Ken said, "I was just concerned about getting outta there." He grabbed what clothes he could find, a bag and his dog came with him. At this point, I could only nod and apologize for his recent tragedy. I asked where his dog is now. Ken said, "He's at my friends house, ran away twice now because he's scared of that place, but he's ok now." Ken shared how thankful he was, that his girlfriend wasn't with him that night, and that he's safe, that his dog's safe.
He went on to explain the hassle of contacting shelters and help agency's around the city looking for help. His frustration in a system that expects him to have his I.D birth certificate or social security card before they will help. This man lost all his material possessions a week ago and needs a roof over his head.
The sympathy in my heart, I could only attempt to convey with body language. I asked him, "Do you see God in any of this, and if so…how?" He paused and replied, "Man faith is all I do have now, literally…I have nothing else but these clothes on my back." I said "And your dog." We both laughed. For a man that just lost everything he owns, he sounded…thankful for what little he does have.
I asked if he was hanging around the park for awhile to get something to eat. He said, "Yeah, yeah I plan on it." Before I left the park I waved and smiled at Ken, and he did the same.
If I were that man, would I say the same? Would I remind myself of the faith I have, or focus on what I lost?
– Alexander Tourtillott
Mack and Outreach Love
I spent this afternoon at the CommuniD BBQ in Detroit. It's August 13th, 2011. Today's high is 80°F. Mostly sunny. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Today I met a man named Mack. Scratch that… today I met a friend named Mack. I've actually met him many times before, but never remembered his name. After today, I will never forget his name.
Mack is 26 years old. He will turn 27 on October 1st. Mack is African-American. He is probably 5′ 10″ tall; a little heavier than average build. He's a good size to hug. Mack has a sweetness about him. It's a childlike innocence. To meet Mack is to like him. To talk with him is to love him. I cannot help, but see Christ in his smile. It's beautiful. He is beautiful.
Mack is currently homeless. Mack stays in a shelter in Cass Corridor. Mack comes to the CommuniD BBQs just about every week. He has for some time.
Today Mack read me a song he wrote. He has chords written out and everything. The song is called Outreach Love. Mack wrote Outreach Love to describe his experiences at CommuniD BBQs at 2nd & Selden.
I hope to be able to post the lyrics to his song soon. For now, I'll say two things about it:
1. I was in tears after hearing it.
2. The only line I remember goes something like, "No one looks at me like I'm broken."
To anyone who may read this… success. If the last four plus years of BBQs through winter and summer alike had no other benefit whatsoever, but to give Mack the experience of being seen by God as not being broken… success. Because in Christ, Mack is made whole. In Christ, I am made whole. In Christ, Mack is not broken. In Christ, I am not broken. In Christ, Mack is healed of his brokenness. In Christ, we are all healed of our brokenness.
Thank you for Christ. Thank you for Mack. Thank you for Christ in Mack. And thank you for Christ in me. Thank you for healing our brokenness through Christ and His body… us.
I hope to post full lyrics to Outreach Love soon.
P.S. Get ready for one SERIOUS birthday party on October 1st.
Written by Mike Schmitt
Twitter: @mikeschmitt


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It was borne out of the millions of tweets, Facebook posts, Karla's blog posts. It had to be done.
Paul (@Daddybird) and Karla (@kangayayaroo) Castle have a unique knack of finding eateries that are obscure, affordable (read cheap) and offer divine repasts. We asked, they offered to host us. And gracious hosts they were too.
It started on a Thursday with Nepalese food at the Nepal Kitchen House that served up some authentic Nepali food. My highlights (everything was delicious) would be the daal (I could have had a lot more than the bowl they served up), the steamed momos, and the chicken with puffed rice. Still trying to fathom what spices they used - but it was delicious. Its on Bank Street (every Emirate has one) and the entrance (next to King Sweets) to a now almost abandoned "shopping centre" can almost be missed. Persevere. Its worth it.
We (Shelina and I shared a room) were booked into the Fortune Royal hotel in Fujairah. It was a special offer on Dealgobbler. Was it worth the money? Nope. Its central - has around 9 nightclubs, a dodgy massage parlour. Not going back there but its clean and not bad. Ladies - don't check in alone. It was a bed for the night. My son, daughter-in-law and grandson were next door and (for the most part) kept up with the pace the next day.
Friday was a marathon food fest. 2 breakfasts (one was more a brunch), late lunch (more like early dinner), copious cups of karak chai (of course) and a bit of sightseeing.
We started with Parathas and chana in Al Khan restaurant (near the perfume roundabout). Don't know what it is about parathas freshly made and hot - they were light, with crispy bits and delicious. We took a small break at the corniche before heading off on the hunt for Tapsilog. Sizzling Restaurant was our first choice (closed). Went to another just the next block over - closed too. Went to Salo Salo - supposedly the first Filipino restaurant in Fujairah, closed. We were beginning to think that we were fated NOT to have any filipino food. Even tried Golden Fork. No luck.
Decided we'd try a couple of discount stores instead. There's a whole street full of stores selling kitsch stuff between 1-10Dhs. I love these stores. They're great places for entertainment. We found one open in the morning. Shelina and Karla have photographs.
Post 11am, we followed Paul back to Sizzling Restaurant - and woo hoo - it was open. Paul was our official 'orderer' - so we had various types of breakfast - I had the Tapsilog, Paul had something else similar with chicken and Shelina had the one with chicken adobo. Copious glasses of home-made lemon ice tea. Delicious. We started with lumpia - which was delicious. Had a quick game of stacking chairs. Went back to hunting discount stores.
We all wanted to go and see the turtles in Kalba creek. Sadly its closed for 'development'. They would not even let us walk on the bridge. So we stood on the sidelines and watched a few turtles bob up and down as they headed out to sea. Drove back to see if the bull butting had begun (it was just setting up) so we decided to have a food break (surprise, surprise). We headed to Afghan House Restaurant for Steam Rice. They were napping. So we went to the Oriental House instead. Good decision.
Oriental House was tucked away in an alley but we had Paul and Karla to show us the way. The restaurant was empty and we had an amazing chinese meal washed down with more home-made lemon iced tea. We had Hainanese chicken rice, chicken with secret sauce (yummy and my favourite), seafood noodle soup, chicken with salted egg, beef with a veggie (can't remember the name but it was delicious). there was a lot of food but most of it got eaten.
Went back to the bull butting - caught the last fight just in time. And rounded the evening off with a visit to Daiso.
For round two - we have to go to Afghan House, try the kare kare and check out Paul's favourite vada place. And it has to be a Saturday when they're open.

subset: commoncrawl


text: On Wed, 2008-11-26 at 04:55 +0800, mcclnx mcc wrote: > ORACLE unbreak Linux and CENTOS both source code come from Redhat > LINUX. Does there have other difference between CENTOS and ORACLE > Linux? There's one *very* big difference, which should be kept in mind: CentOS doesn't spit on Red Hat. -- Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams <ivazqueznet at gmail.com> PLEASE don't CC me; I'm already subscribed -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: signature.asc Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 197 bytes Desc: This is a digitally signed message part URL: <http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos/attachments/20081125/8e48f7db/attachment.sig>


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So I was hoping to find a "before" picture of my first male, personal shopping/styling client, but I had no such luck. I decided that I shouldn't punish you dear reader, and not at least show you the after…..I proudly present the new and improved Milan!
Milan is wearing a beautiful Banana Republic chino 2 button suit. Milan and I worked together after picking the suit, to come up with a color combo that he would be comfortable with for his shirt/tie combo. I was pushing a colored shirt, but in the end we went with a classic white button down and a bright colored tie. Easily paired with a brown belt and shoes, this suit can be worn together or as separates. Its classic yet modern at the same time! I'm so happy with the outcome!
If you're interested in having me tag along while you shop, e-mail me.
Coming soon…the pictures from the closet styling/consultation I did last night with my friend LB!


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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The reality of it all....
There are these Diamonds in the dust as I call them. These babies, these children and these teens that come from the most desperate situations in one of the most difficult places in the world. God has allowed us to be here with, and for them. That's why it is difficult for us to watch when the small unseen enemies of many of the people of Africa strikes. A flu like sickness has swept through the orphanage. We have 2 babies that had to be brought to a hospital in the larger town of Ouahigouya (pronounced: why-yo-gwee-ah), and have three babies here that are being treated with I.V.'s by our staff in our medical clinic. Some of these babies come in poor health to begin with, so a sickness of this magnitude is a very scary thing. Prayer is needed!
As Amy and Delaney continued to care for these sick children, they both felt the affects of the illness. Amy fought it off fairly well, but Delaney has been running a fever for 2 days and hasn't been able to eat much. Through this her spirits are still good! She is an amazing young lady.
It is a battle, but that's why we are here. The reality that so many people try to ignore is the reality that we have embraced. The one that God has called us to attend to. To feed his sheep, and to care for the widows and orphans. To deny this call would be to deny what God had designed our family for.
This is truly a nation of kind, gentle, loving people with so many "diamonds in the dust" that simply do not have the means to help themselves. Your prayers, your encouragement, your financial support and your concern are needed. These children, these widows, these people are God's children. Help us help them.
Posted by Amy Riddering at 6:07 PM
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A translation that is notarized is a translated document carrying the authenticated signature(s) of the translator(s) authorized or required to sign it, and the signature of a notary public witnessing the signature(s), accompanied by an impression of his or her official notary seal. A notarized translation is not necessarily a certified translation.
NOTE: A Notary Public makes no representation as to the accuracy of the content of the translated document. It is the translator's role to vouch for the accuracy of a translation, usually by way of certifying a target language translation as a true and correct translation of the source-text.
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Notaries Public -- What They Do:
A notary is a lawyer or person with legal training who is licensed by the state to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
Most common law systems have what is called in the United States a notary public, a public official who notarizes legal documents and who can also administer and take oaths and affirmations, among other tasks. In the United States, a Signing agent, also known as a Loan Signing Agent, is a Notary Public who specializes in notarizing mortgage/real estate documents. Although notaries public are public officials, they are not paid by the government; they may obtain income by charging fees, provide free services in connection with other employment (for example, bank employees), or may provide free services for the public good.
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WW2 Home Workshop Pool: 1942
Submitted by Jiggsy on Mon, 2010-09-20 11:00
Tags: Jiggsy Gallery | World War II | Cute Kids | Guys
World War 2 allied war effort photo. From the photograph: "Subcontracting. Passaic home workshop pool. George Carell's seven-year-old son likes to watch his father produce essential war equipment in his Passaic, New Jersey home workshop. Mr. Carell belongs to a subcontract pool organized by the Howe Machinery Company of his city." Photo taken in 1942 by photographer Howard Liberman for the Office of War Information. Old photographs provided by LOC. Original Medium: glass negative.
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WASHINGTON, DC — With the housing bust's epicenter as his backdrop, President Barack Obama called Tuesday for a full revamp of the government's involvement in home mortgages, including endorsing a full wind-down of loan giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The 2008 government bailout of Fannie and Freddie amounted to one of the most expensive government rescues of the financial crisis, costing billions – a tab the president argued Tuesday should never again be left to taxpayers.
"For too long, these companies were allowed to make huge profits buying mortgages, knowing that if their bets went bad, taxpayers would be left holding the bag. It was 'heads we win, tails you lose.' And it was wrong," Obama said.
Fannie and Freddie — known together as the GSE's, or Government Sponsored Enterprises — sustained massive losses as the housing market went bust, requiring taxpayer bailouts that swelled to more than $187 billion. The companies have since paid the Treasury Department nearly $60 billion in dividends as they've returned to profitability, but it's unclear when they'll be completely free of their obligations and how they'll be managed in the future.
The two firms — which don't directly issue mortgages, but rather buy loans from other lenders and repackage them for investors – have a hand in more than half of current U.S. mortgages.
Back in 2006, just 30% of new mortgages were backed by the government, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. But as the housing sector cratered, private capital fled the market and the government's role expanded. In 2012, more than 86% of new mortgages had government backing.
On Tuesday, Obama called for more private backing of mortgages – a notion the president joked "sounds confusing to the folks who call me a socialist." He argued the government should only assume responsibility for mortgages as a last resort, and that bailouts for firms who were overly risky in their lending practices were a thing of the past.
"We can't leave taxpayers on the hook for irresponsibility or bad decisions by these lenders or Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," he said. "We've got to encourage the pursuit of profit – but the era of expecting a bailout after you pursue your profit and you don't manage your risk well — it puts the whole country at risk. We're ending those days. We're not going to do that anymore."
A Senate plan, introduced in June by Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Mark Warner, would eliminate Fannie and Freddie and replace them with a new agency insuring mortgage-backed securities. Obama said Tuesday he supported those efforts.
He also called for a return to the 30-year fixed rate mortgage, considered a safe bet for homeowners compared to more exotic loans employed before the housing crisis.
His remarks in Phoenix marked a return to the city for Obama, who trekked there in 2009 to offer up a housing plan amid a nationwide plummet in home prices. Phoenix was one of the country's hardest-hit municipalities — residents saw the price of homes slashed by more than half and the foreclosure rate skyrocketed.
The past several years have seen an increase in home prices in Phoenix, though they still are well below their 2006 pre-crash high.
Obama's administration has tried to help underwater borrowers – those who owe more than their homes are worth – through the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP.
But that initiative has been limited in its effectiveness over the past few years, securing principal reductions for less than 120,000 borrowers as of the end of 2012, and it limits such reductions to mortgages that aren't controlled by mortgage financing giants Fannie and Freddie. Obama Tuesday called on Congress to allow all homeowners the opportunity to refinance at current rates.
The stop in Phoenix Tuesday is the latest in a series of trips the president has made over the last two weeks to advance his economic agenda. At an event in Tennessee last week, Obama called for a new "grand bargain" that would revamp the corporate tax code while investing in job creation initiatives.
He was greeted at the airport by Arizona's Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, who angrily shook her finger at Obama at the start of a 2012 presidential stop in her state.
Her greeting this time around was more cordial, and the governor's office said Brewer planned to ask the president to allocate federal disaster funds to the area affected by the Yarnell Hill fire, where 19 firefighters perished on a single day in June.
By Kevin Liptak
CNNMoney's James O'Toole contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2013 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.


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Fief found guilty of 2nd-degree murder, menacing with a deadly weapon
Lesser charge given in murder verdict
Craig — Craig resident Leroy Fief, 49, was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder and menacing with a deadly weapon in the stabbing death of Shane Arredondo in December 2012.
Fief originally was charged with first-degree murder, but the jury convicted him of the lesser charge. He will face sentencing on Dec. 10 and could get 16 to 48 years in prison for the murder charge and one to three years for the menacing charge.
Fief's attorney, Jeremy Snow, said he was disappointed with the jury's verdict.
"While disappointed in the outcome for obvious reasons, we've known this was a distinct possibility since we began," he said.
But Snow said he couldn't comment further about the case.
"Mr. Fief will be considering whether or not to exercise his rights to appeal. For that reason, we're not commenting on this case or its outcome," Snow said.
The jury began deliberating Thursday afternoon and announced its verdict at about 2 p.m. Friday.
Fief was on trial for the stabbing death of Arredondo, who Fief suspected was having an affair with his wife, Mary Rose Fief.
The Moffat County trial lasted one and a half weeks with numerous witnesses being called to the stand to testify for the prosecution and defense.
Court testimony and evidence painted a picture of what happened the night that Arredondo died.
Fief, who had long suspected his wife was having an affair, sought her out when she didn't return his calls the night of Dec. 8, 2012.
He lied to get out of work, went home, grabbed a 7-inch butcher knife and looked for her at Mathers' Bar. When he didn't find her there, he waited in the parking lot until he saw his wife exit the Elk Head Apartments with Arredondo.
It was then that he crossed the parking lot and began stabbing Arredondo. Forensic testimony suggested that the first wound proved to be fatal with the blade of the knife driven upward through the ribcage into the heart and lungs.
The prosecution argued that Fief's actions demonstrated deliberation and intent — that his choice to leave work, the previous threats he had directed toward Arredondo via Facebook and the intensity of the wounds showed that Fief had planned to kill Arredondo and that he did it with intent.
The Moffat County District Attorney's Office released a statement following the trial. District Attorney Brett Barkey said he thought justice was carried out with the jury's decision.
"We greatly appreciate the service of the jurors and respect their decision in the case. Justice was done for Mr. Arredondo and his family," he said.
Fief had a few moments to say goodbye to his family before he was escorted out of the courthouse. From across the court barrier, he hugged his son in a full embrace, and they both cried. He told his teenaged son to "be strong." Then he hugged his mother and told her "thank you for everything."
A pre-sentencing investigation will be conducted prior to Fief's sentencing on Dec. 10, after which Fief will have a chance to file an appeal.
Fief will be held in Moffat County Jail until his sentencing.
Erin Fenner can be reached at 970-875-1794 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Over a Cup of Coffee: A baking mishap
I spent this past Saturday morning preparing for Sunday's lunch branding — at least what I could get done early. I cooked pasta and boiled eggs. I made a gelatin salad. I decided to bake a banana cake, a family favorite, for dessert.


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The air max is a shoe that will always be around and this new release is just exactly why this continues to be one of the top everyday sneakers. The new low top maxes feature white uppers and black accents for a real simple yet solid shoe that can be paired with just about everything for your day to day wear. The only beef here is they are white, and keeping maxes clean is always a chore. Visit nike.com and cop yours.
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Everyone knows which State they were born at and which State they live in but ask people which community they belong to and most people will have a hard time coming up with an answer. They might say that a school or a job they go to is a community. But that's not the kind of community I'm talking about. I'm talking about a physical community of let's say one square block in a mid-size town, or two or three apartment buildings/work space in a larger town. Small communities where its members educate their young as well as take care of the elder and the disabled within that physical space.
But even if you don't like my interpretation of community and have your own definition, consider for a moment a new name for the United States of America. If we change the name of the country to United Communities of America people will keep hearing the word community over and over and they'll start thinking about which community they belong to. If they don't belong to a community then they might start looking to find or form a community that feels right for them.
Not only in America but in most places around the world the sense of belonging to a well knit community has been lost. In order to solve our social, economic, and environmental problems we need to do what we can to bring a 21st century community building spirit into our lives. This name change may not completely solve our social problems but it's a step in the right direction.
Leave all the state names as they are. Keep all the laws as they are. Keep the three branches of government, all the Senators, Governors, etc. Only change one name, one word. This new name for the country will have a very positive effect for the world as well. It'll cost a few million dollars to change the name in all the government buildings, documents, and a whole lot of other places but at the end it'll be well worth the effort.
This name change will begin the process of taking our power back from the few powerful in Washington D.C., Wall Street, State Capitals, and powerful CEOs. People want to take that power back but if we don't have a well structured and organized community then where would we plug in that power?


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Starring Euan Cuthbertson (One Thinks Of It All As A Dream), Stephanie Falls (The Real Glesga Dance Mums) & Kirsty Strain (Burnistoun)
After God appears to one of them in a vision, complete with Kelburn disco lighting, two Christians take it upon themselves to start spreading the word of God again and put the world to rights the only way they know how – a good old fashioned crucifixion. A quick trip to IKEA later, and they're ready to go. But will they go ahead with it? And if so, will they be rewarded?
Hammer. Nails. Flatpack Cross. Kelburn Discos & Co-Codamol. This is bound to end well.
Audience Praise For Fools On A Hill
"A dark comedy that is quick witted & full of warmth"
"scratches that slightly shameful itch when it comes to laughing at creed, faith and friendships"
""Very punchy, conscise and funny with well realised characters"


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What's the symbolism of our logo?
First, the circular shape: Two almost-semicircles that flow toward each other, celebrating the wholeness and cyclical nature of God's creation.
"As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease."
(Gen 8:22)
Part of the wonder of exploring and studying God's creation is in learning about – and experiencing – the cycles ("circles") which are found in every aspect of his world. Summer flows into winter and back again. Plants sprout from apparently dead ground, grow up, produce flowers and seeds, and die back into the same soil, only to start over again the next year. Even we humans are born, grow up, live, grow old, and die – to be followed by our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.
But notice that we don't have a closed circle. The two shapes don't quite meet. Instead, one points upward, the other downward. Here we have a symbol of creation reaching "up" in praise to God…
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and women,
old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
Ps. 148:7-13
and God, through the Holy Spirit, reaching "down" as he watches over and cares for his creation, including, of course, us:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care.
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Mt. 10:29-31
Keep in mind, of course, that direction here ("up" and "down") is also symbolic – God isn't really up and we're not down, even though this is how we often think of things.
The colors we have chosen have an obvious symbolism in the world of creation: While green is the go-to color for anything environmental, and clearly represents the world of plants which surrounds us on land, the prevailing color in the world is actually blue. Blue skies, blue seas – one of the reasons those who have had the opportunity to look at earth from the outside see earth as a beautiful blue ball.
And, finally, it doesn't hurt that the our two circular graphic elements reflect the initials in our name: Care of Creation. There you have it. A new logo, a new look, reflecting an ancient and yet timely mission as we call the community of God's people to care for his creation. Let us know what you think, and come on over to our newly redesigned website to see what we've done there as well.


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Huntsville Alabama Chicken Ordinance
Are Chickens Allowed in this location Yes Max Chickens Allowed Number based on square footage of room per animal. Roosters Allowed Yes Permit Required No Coop Restrictions All fowl \"fences\" must not be closer than 150 feet from any other dwelling (except for owner\'s house). There must be a minum of ground space of 15 square feet per fowl. City/Organization Contact name http://www.hsvcity.com/animal/index.html Huntsville Animal Services 4950 Triana Blvd Huntsville, AL 35805 256 883-3782 Additional Information See http://library7.municode.com/default-test/home.htm?infobase=12962&doc_action=whatsnew Alternative website: http://www.hsvcity.com/animal/ORD99-1036.doc Unless specified, these notes are from From Chapter 5, article 3 of the Huntsville Code of Ordinances (clarified by Shirley at Animal Services). These items apply to all fowl. Fowl, as defined by the city ordinance (Article 1, Section 5-1), means a domestic bird used in the market or household for food consumption, such as a chicken, duck, goose, guinea, peafowl, turkey, pheasant, pigeon or other avian species. 1. All fowl \"fences\"/pens must not be closer than 150 feet from any other dwelling (except for owner\'s house). There must be a minimum of ground space of 15 square feet per fowl. (Sec. 5-105) 2. All fowl must adhere to nuisance noise and odor/sanitation requirements specified in the ordinance for all animals. (Sec. 5-9 and 5-10 of Chapter 5, article 1) 3. Fowl are not allowed to run at large. (Sec. 5-110) 4. It is unlawful for any person to give away rabbits, chicks, reptiles, or wild or exotic animals as prizes. (Sec. 5-113) (Ord. No. 95-693, § 5-56(b), 10-12-1995; Ord. No. 99-1036, § 9, 12-9-1999) State law references: Sales of rabbits, chicks, ducklings or other fowl, Code of Ala. 1975, § 3-1-15. 5. The animal control officer added that there is no discrimination against roosters, but that most of the noise complaints in town come from owners of roosters. See website and other ordinances for lost animal fees and general ordinances about keeping animals in the City of Huntsville. Link for more Information http://library7.municode.com/default-test/home.htm?infobase=12962&doc_action=whatsnew Information Last Updated 2010-03-30 15:25:51
NOTE: This information was submitted by a member of our chicken forum. Please make sure to double check that this information is accurate before you proceed with raising chickens. You can read more info about checking local laws here..
Huntsville Alabama Chicken Ordinance
By Cerelia · Jan 11, 2012 ·
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Learning and development is an important part of the support we give to foster carers. We provide in-house training, on-line training and events outside of the agency that may be of interest to you with other organisations such as Local Safeguarding Children Boards. Please click on the links below for further information.
For our latest learning and development programme, click here.
Kate Cairns on-line training click here
Local Safeguarding Children Boards training plans 2016 – 2017. Please click on the links below:
All training reflects vocational competences and both foster carers and staff can gain underpinning knowledge from most courses. The training schedule at Chrysalis Care conforms to the National Minimum Standards and the UK National Standards related to foster care. In addition to social workers, training is facilitated by foster carers and service users, as well as sub-contracted trainers.
Training is divided up into the following broad subsections:
- Skills to Foster pre-approval initial preparation training and assessment (cross referenced to DFE/TSD standards)
- Basic Post-Approval Training Mandatory Courses, (such as Behaviour Management, Attachment Training, etc)
- Special Courses and Continuing Professional Development for Foster Carers and Staff
- Vocational Underpinning Knowledge (acknowledging TSD standards)
The training programme is devised in consultation with foster carers and staff members, to be as inclusive and person-centered as possible. We are committed to providing our Foster Carers with all their training requirements, offering on-line training (Kate Cairns Associates) and Local Authority (Safeguarding Children's Board) training.
Please also see our Internet Search Policy and Ex-Offenders Recruitment Procedure when completing your Application Form.
Apply now: You can either post your application form, or email it to: email@example.com
Open Days
Visit Chrysalis Care on one of our open days to find out more about fostering and how you can transform children and young peoples' lives as well as your own!


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A dynamic and contemporary shoe, practical and sporty at the same time as the Moncler tradition. The Giroflee is the winning accessory to complete a sporty or urban outfit without ever shying away from style.
- Product details
Product details
- Sock-like fit stretch jersey and calfskin sneaker on a Strobel construction for flexibility and comfort
- Ultra lightweight rubber outsole
- Calfskin patch at back of outsole
- Jersey upper
- Composition & Care
Item Composition & Care
CompositionSOLE: 100% Elastodiene; UPPER: 100% Polyamide / Nylon
Do not wash; Do not bleach; Do not tumble dry; Do not iron; Do not dry clean
- Product Advice
Product AdviceOur style advisors are available for tips and information about this item from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 7pm CET
- Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
We offer a speedy Express shipping service. We also provide free pick up for your returns: you have 15 days from delivery to follow our quick and easy return procedure. For further information visit the Returns and Refunds section.
Thanks to the "Pick up in Boutique" option you can choose to pick up your order in one of the Moncler boutiques. This service is complimentary.


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By The Time Millennials Afford Cars, It Might Be Too Late
A recent study has determined that Generation Y, i.e. Millennials, are just as interested in buying new cars as prior generations. The problem is that most 20-somethings can't even afford to move out of their parents' house, nevermind take on a new car payment. While this plays against that narrative of a disinterested generation of car buyers, it presents perhaps an even bigger problem; my generation is learning to get along without cars.
Deloitte LLP released a study on my nearly-80-million-strong generation stating that us Millennials have a very specific idea of what we want in a car. Automakers are doing a good job of delivering those products. Bluetooth connectivity, integrated touchscreens and voice commands, and the ability to stay connected with our peers have been built into nearly every vehicle in every major car lineup in the U.S. We love the cars automakers are building, but old people are the ones buying them.
The problem is that most of us simply can't afford these cars, not that we're disinterested in them. We're being paid stagnant wages, most of which go towards paying off high levels of college debt. I have both college debt and a new car, and my monthly school payments are $100 more than my car payments, at almost twice the interest rate. The only way I can afford this is that my fiance and I share this singular car, a 2012 Chevy Sonic, something many other families are also doing. I am among the many Millennials learning to live with limited or no access to automobiles.
The reason I'm able to do this is that I'm part of a generation moving back to major urban areas en masse, with high rents and even higher car ownership costs. In a city like New York, where the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is more than $3,000, car ownership is an unnecessary luxury in a place where public transit options or your feet can get you nearly anyplace you need to go. Even smaller cities offer a larger range of job opportunities that don't require car ownership, and for those rare times you do need a car, driving services like Uber and vehicle-sharing services like ZipCar put a fully-registered and insured car at your beck-and-call. High gas prices may have driven commuters to public transit, but other factors are keeping them there.
Don't take my word for it though; check out this Polk graph comparing the average age of new car buyers in 2011 with the age of buyers in 2007.
That data too old for you? Well the University of Michigan released a new study this summer saying the same thing; older buyers are replacing the young ones at the new car dealership.
In short, my generation is learning to live either with older vehicles, or no cars at all, and the number of car ownership alternatives are greater than ever. The problem only gets worse from here.
Eventually, my generation will have to take on the jobs vacated by either retiring or dying Baby Boomers, though this is no promise of improved wages. But even if better pay does come with better jobs, automakers are currently producing what are arguably the best cars ever produced, which will in a few years time make their way onto the used car market. So then an entire generation that grew up buying old beaters will have an abundance of newer, better used cars to buy. So why take on a new car payment when you can get just as much car for less than half the price? This is a problem that won't manifest itself until Baby Boomers stop buying cars intended for Millennials.
That doesn't mean the new car market is going to shrivel up and die, but I think it's going to downshift in a big way. 15 million vehicles a year in a country where most new jobs are barely paying minimum wage is unsustainable, and has been lead largely by subprime loans, high lease rates, and increased spending by Baby Boomers. My massive generation is barely a blip on the new car buying radar, and even people aged 75 years and older are buying cars are a higher rate than Gen Y. The share new car buyers under 34 has dropped off 30% in just five years.
It's not just new car buying that's declining either; since 2009 the number of miles driven by those ages 16 to 34 has dropped some 23%. We're talking about tens of millions of people who no longer make up a part of the new car buying public, some of whom are bound to decide life without a car is infinitely simpler. With the chorus of public transit advocates only growing louder, this decade could very well be the last big hurrah for American auto sales.
After all, it's crazy-expensive to own a car, not just buy one. Taxes, insurance, maintenance, parking, and of course gasoline are all up to thousands of dollars of recurring costs every year. By some estimations, it costs over $9,000 per year to own a car for the first five years, and even an economy car like the Honda Fit will take, on average, $5,800 a year out of your paycheck. I could go on one hell of a vacation for that kind of money, or buy a bitchin' electric bike, which might cost me $200 or so a year in upkeep costs.
Sure, we all want what is shiny and new, but Millennials are being forced to pick what is really important in ourlives, and more often than not cars are at the bottom of that list. While I hate to bring up the specter of smartphones again, it's become a necessity in the lives of most 20-somethings, this diligent young writer included. While I have made my distaste for GPS devices loudly known for all who'll listen, Google Maps on my smartphone has saved me from an embarrassing admission or phone call more than once. In a few years, the used car market will be full of cars that can do all of that; just how much more connected can cars get? How much more connectivity do we need?
I don't think the car culture is dying, because there are still millions of affordable used cars out there, and people still get excited by things with four wheels. I'm a certifiable car nut with a 1969 Mercury Cougar in a barn, slowly but surely being restored. But I do think America's auto-centric culture is due for some major downsizing on a European scale, with more people going carless as more options become available. Eventually, car ownership could become the exception, rather than the rule in many areas, and as a car enthusiast, I see this as both a good and bad thing…but that's for another article.
I'll tell you right now, if suddenly found myself unable to make either car payments or smartphone payments, I'd give up the car without a second thought. Impulsively buying a $300 tablet is a lot more palatable to my budget than a $20,000 sedan, and these days the cost of owning a smartphone is right up there with car payments.
I can't imagine life without my smartphone, but I can imagine life without a car…and it isn't all that bad.
Top Image: Chris JL


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Thursday, July 10, 2014
Lost iPod
My daughter, Lucy Mainwaring, lost her iPod on the GO Train in Union Station on Saturday July 5 2014. Her name, Lucy Mainwaring, is on the back of the iPod (which is in a case). I've Googled her name to see what comes up if someone finds it and Googles her name. Not much comes up, but she is on Facebook. I'm hoping posting her name, Lucy Mainwaring, here, will help her appear on Google. LOL. Don't know if it will work, but Lucy Mainwaring really wants her iPod back. I'd like it back too cause it's how I text her when I'm out, and how she keeps in touch with her friends. Now she's back to using my phone and my iPad. Lucy Mainwaring is sad! Help Lucy Mainwaring get her iPod back! :)
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I appreciate all of you who took time to visit Eye For Design this year. You helped me reach a milestone by putting the blog over the million mark in page views. THANK YOU!!! I wish I could invite you to a real Christmas Open House with lots of good food, music, and conversation but since that is not possible I will open my home up to you in pictures and only wish you were here.
I pray each of you will have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.
via R3 Music Box - English
Click here to see the previous post
This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer


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For ladies: new set of pictures with Matthew Born
By glamilicious on 10:52 am
Filed Under: fitness, matthew born, model, workout
He was on the cover Exercice for Men only. Don't you remember ? A quick reminder:
Thanks Melanie for sharing with us this new incredible set of pictures. We love it. Well done Empyrean Photography !
1 commentaires for this post
I am so happy that you enjoyed my photographs of Matthew! He is an excellent model. And I must my friend, Manny Paez, who was the stylist for the shoot!!
Keep an eye on Matt! He is going places!!
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This post contains affiliated links.
I was inspired to make these at home after noshing on a few like them at Whole Foods while grocery shopping with my son. What could be easier than layering your favorite deli meats on squares of puff pastry? Literally nothing could be easier. As with anything cooked with puff pastry, the end result is always deceptively elegant and delicious. I love deceptively elegant things. I want people to think I slaved away on something when really it took five minutes of prep work and a mere 20 minutes in the oven.
What I love about them even more than the lack of skill required is the ability to make these your own. The ones I ate at Whole Foods had turkey and bacon with provolone. I decided to make these with ham and cheddar and another version with prosciutto and Parmesan. You can make them vegetarian with sun dried tomatoes and spinach, or do ones with bacon and caramelized onions. The options are endless and this is something so easy to personalize, which is why I love it SO much.
One sheet of puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm since it's readily available everywhere) will yield 6 of these parcels. In each box of puff pastry you get two sheets so you can make a whole bunch of these pretty easily. And if you've never bought puff pastry before don't be scared! It's super easy to deal with. It can be found in the freezer section by pie crusts and frozen fruits. You just pull out how ever many sheets you want to deal with and let them thaw on the counter. Mine took 20 minutes, it can take up to 40 depending on the temperature in your house.
Roll the dough out to a 9″ x 12″ long rectangle (use your eyes as a guide no need to measure, just make it slightly larger than a sheet of computer paper).
Then use the lines where the sheets were folded as a cutting guide. Cut three long strips.
Cut the strips in half to equal 6 pieces.
I take each piece and roll it slightly into a square shape. Each square is about 6″ x6″.
Turn the dough so it is a diamond, then put your meat and cheese in the center.
Fold one corner over the middle and then the next corner over the middle as well. It will look like it's hugging itself. Then brush the underside of the top fold with egg wash to make sure it stays in place during baking and brush the entire outside of the puff pastry with egg wash as well to help it to brown nicely.
If you are using bacon then I suggest cooking it in the microwave slightly. Just put the bacon in between sheets of paper towel on a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. This will get some of the fat out of the bacon and allow it to brown up nicely in the puff pastry. You can certainly put the raw bacon in the parcel, but if you do it will require about ten minutes more cooking time.
I cook mine on a piece of parchment paper. I have recently discovered these pre cut sheets perfect for a baking sheet, and they are unbleached. http://amzn.to/2B2VAUn I can't even tell you how many times I have over estimated what I needed from the roll and wasted parchment. These pre cut sheets are an answer to my problems!
- 1 Sheet of Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
- 1 egg yolk
- 6 slices bacon (see my note above about precooking the bacon slightly in the microwave)
- 6 ultra thin slices honey ham
- 6 slices thin sharp cheddar cheese
- 12 slices prosciutto
- 6 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan
- See the photographs above for reference.
- Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Roll the puff pastry sheet into a 9"x12" rectangle.
- Using the lines in the puff pastry from where it was folded, cut three long strips.
- Then cut each strip in half, so you should now have 6 small rectangles.
- Roll each rectangle into a square. The squares should be about 6"x6"
- Turn the square so that it is a diamond shape, then put a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, and slice of bacon broken in half. If doing the Prosciutto and Parmesan Parcel then put two slices of Prosciutto and 1 tbsp of Parmesan in the middle.
- Fold one corner of the dough into the center. Then fold the other corner of dough to the center. It will look like it's hugging itself.
- Mix the egg yolk with 1 tsp water. Brush the egg wash onto the bottom of the two corners and press the top corner into it. This way it will stay wrapped up while it's cooking.
- Then brush the entire parcel with egg wash.
- Bake the parcels for 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven. If you did not precook your bacon slightly it will take longer, about 10 additional minutes.
Need inspiration for other breakfast options for guests? Check out one of my previous recipes!


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When breastfeeding is difficult, or when it goes terribly wrong, it can be absolutely devastating for mother and baby. Mothers who have done their research and made the choice to exclusively breastfeed their babies already know that "breast is best", they know that breastfeeding is NORMAL. More importantly they know about the risks associated with feeding your baby infant formulas. So when nature throws moms a curve and forces them to have to rely on something other than their own breasts to nourish their child, it can be completely overwhelming.
The first thing moms need to do is to get professional help. See a certified Lactation Consultant/IBCLC to try to work through the problem: Is it a poor latch? Why is baby's latch not good enough? Is baby tongue tied? Does mother simply need help with positioning? For most situations if you fix the latch you fix the supply problems.
But what if the problem isn't so easily fixed? What if the problem is one that is unfixable? What then? Babies need to be fed and when the mother is not able to produce enough milk to exclusively breastfeed, then they have to turn to another source of nutrition. Up until the last 60 or 70 years, the natural thing to do would be to use donor milk or a wet nurse- whether it was your sister, cousin, aunt, mother, friend or another local mother who was already breastfeeding her own baby. Mother to Mother milk sharing and tribal nursing was so common that is was the accepted method of feeding babies who needed milk.
Now of course we are living in the era of commercially prepared infant formulas. "Wet nursing" is a word that's fallen out of fashion and tribal nursing, if done at all, is done behind closed doors. Now if a mother is unable to produce enough breastmilk the medical machine automatically hands her a can of formula and sends her on her way. WHY? Why formula instead of donated breastmilk? Because infant formula is a huge industry and pays out millions of dollars in advertising and promotions, sponsors medical associations and medical schools, buys doctors fancy briefcases and sports cars, sends hospital executives on Caribbean cruises and gives maternity wards thousands of cans of their product to use and give away. Money talks, and "Breastmilk" doesn't have any executives to pay off government officials to use their products.
Up until the 1980's there were breastmilk banks scattered all over North America to facilitate the feeding of preterm and fragile infants in hospital NICUs. Then came the AIDs scare and the vast majority of milk banks closed their doors- leaving just 10 banks in the US and one lonely milk bank in Canada. I plan on doing some investigating into the closure of these milk banks because I'm a firm believer that money talks and if doors were closed, then someone somewhere told them to close and paid for them to stay that way. There is only one industry that stood to gain anything from the closure of breastmilk banks. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I'm going to call it a duck.
Recently the Canadian (and US) governments have been talking about the need for Breastmilk Banks, about how vitally necessary breastmilk is to our most fragile citizens. Dr. Sharon Unger was quoted in The Toronto Star in November as saying:
"We've long, long, long wanted a milk bank in Ontario," says Dr. Sharon Unger, a Mount Sinai neonatologist....and as I said at the time:
"Our hope is that we would supply milk to all of Ontario, so we'd have depot sites or collection sites throughout the province and we'd be a central processing plant," says Unger, who is medical director of Toronto's Milk Bank Initiative.
The group is currently in negotiations with the provincial health ministry to fund the project. Unger says a final price tag has not been determined, but that it would be a multi-million-dollar venture.
"It does of course cost more to process human milk than cow's milk," she says.
Applause, yes applause. It's a wonderful thing that the media has jumped on the band wagon and is making public announcements like this, I mean, any publicity is good publicity KWIM? Horray for Breastmilk!And I still agree, We NEED milk banks!!! But you know what? If we wait around for the government to get off their bureaucratic asses to build even ONE milk bank.... I'll probably already be a grandmother!!! And when we get milk banks, will they help the babies that are healthy but need milk? Will they give milk to mothers with low supply? Adoptive mothers? Mothers with babies that have special needs like Anaya? NO, they won't.
But I have to admit that it irks me. Mothers and Doctors, like Dr. Jack Newman, have been crying out for Milk Banks for Years- YEARS!!!! Not only that, but Canada does have a Milk Bank in Vancouver BC... a milk bank that they have been trying to close down for years!! I wrote an article on the topic just a couple of months ago: Canada Needs Milk Banks!!!
So we return to the original topic: What if the mother isn't able to exclusively breastfeed? What if she has low supply? What if the problem isn't so easily fixed? What if the problem is one that is unfixable? What then? Up until recently your only choice would of been feeding your baby infant formula. Not much of a choice is it?
Now you can choose to feed your baby donated human milk. Mothers have had enough of waiting for the bureaucrats and money grubbers to build milk banks. Now mothers have taken back their autonomy and are supporting other women and families. Milk Sharing is the wave of the future. Milk sharing is making a difference and helping families and babies. And Human Milk 4 Human Babies is leading the way!!!
Here is another amazing story of one mothers struggle to breastfeed her baby and how milk sharing made a huge difference in her life!!!
Ruby's Story
By Kim Parent
"I can't remember when I made the decision to breastfeed my daughter – I just know that not breastfeeding never occurred to me. There were many compelling reasons to nurse, including cost, health benefits, and convenience. My partner and I collected books about breastfeeding during pregnancy and we educated ourselves about the subject. I learned what myths and traps to look out for, and prepared myself to stand up against the well-meaning medical staff who might want to supplement my baby with formula. Fortunately I had a trouble-free birthing experience.
However, within the first week it became obvious that something wasn't right. Ruby would not keep her latch for more than a minute or two. She would unlatch, crying and screaming, over and over again. After several tearful days, we called an IBCLC. She was finally able to tell me why my daughter was so upset: I have breast hypoplasia, also known as IGT (insufficient glandular tissue). Hypoplastic breasts never fully develop, and they lack an adequate amount of milk-producing mammary glands. I was heartbroken.
My lactation consultant wrote a plan of action that would hopefully allow me to increase my supply while supplementing my daughter. With great effort, I was able to approximately double my milk production, to a maximum of a few ounces per day - not nearly enough to meet Ruby's needs. We were supplementing with approximately 20 ounces of formula per day. We were not prepared to accept that formula was "good enough", being fully aware of the risks associated with artificial feeding. We could see that her little body was having trouble digesting the formula. She was very constipated, and she would scream and cry for hours. We tried many different brands, but her symptoms were always the same. I turned to my lactation consultant for advice on donated breast milk.
In all of Canada, there is only one milk bank, located in Vancouver, BC. Currently they cannot keep up with the demands of their own NICU. Even if there was enough milk available, the cost can easily be prohibitive. At $1.25 per ounce (which is much less than the cost of banked milk in the U.S.), it would cost us at least $750 per month to feed Ruby exclusively breast milk.
For our family, the answer was informed, mother-to-mother milk donation, not unlike wet nursing. We found several online resources to facilitate this, including the Human Milk 4 Human Babies Global Network on Facebook. Thanks to fifteen generous women, my daughter has received thousands of ounces of breast milk. She has not had a drop of formula in over three months! She is a different baby now – no more colic, spitting up, or constipation. She is hitting all of her developmental milestones and is just a radiantly beautiful and happy little girl. I still grieve the exclusive breastfeeding relationship that I had planned to have with her. However, I finally feel confident that she is receiving the best nutrition that I can possibly provide for her. I am eternally grateful to the amazing families who have helped us and for the support I have received from those around me.
|Ruby at 3 weeks old
Ruby at 3 weeks old - at this point she had been supplemented with formula for over 2 weeks
|Ruby at 3 months
|At 6 months old- exclusively breastfed!
A beautiful healthy Ruby at 6 months old!!


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User Summary
Corporate Lockdown is the 1st add-on for the game Alien: Isolation, expanding the Sevastopol's story, taking place some days before Amanda Ripley arrives, making it a prequel.
The story is about Seegson Executive Ransome that is trying to escape the ship, taking decoded Nostromo data with him. The aim is to stop him. The game adds three new challenge levels: Severance, Scorched Earth and Loose Ends.
The add-on also introduce Gauntlet mode, there the player can try to complete all three survivor challenges in a row without dying.


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SIPA via AP Images
Monday, April 5, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.
Up to now, I had never asked. Sure, I'm as curious as anyone, but there are so many more important topics to discuss with both Steve and Elaine Wynn that, in my past interviews with them, it seemed ridiculous to waste precious time. But last week, for some reason, Steve was in a very giving mood. Early in our interview, he'd said two very kind things about the woman he officially divorced late last year, so I couldn't help it.
"I have to ask, and if you don't want to answer, I understand, but you clearly still have a very good relationship with Mrs. Wynn," I said.
"She's my buddy, she's my best friend," he intoned. "I love her."
For many people — especially those of us who have endured ugly breakups that did not involve billions of dollars — this may seem baffling. Steve Wynn became involved with British divorcee Andrea Hissom while he was still wed to his wife of 46 years. He hardly even kept the relationship a secret, and within a year he and Elaine were divorced. Yet she remained on the board of Wynn Resorts, she took up residence in a different villa at their Wynn-Encore property — both paying rent to the publicly traded company, in fact — and life seemed to carry on.
In fact, a few months ago I found them eating together at the Sinatra restaurant at Encore during the week their divorce would be finalized. They seemed to be in intense conversation, so I didn't say hello until I thought Elaine had departed. But then she returned, and I found they had precisely the same comfortable chemistry I'd observed in the past. When they left Sinatra, the visionary with the degenerative eye disease gripped her elbow for guidance as I'm sure he's done thousands of times before.
In the intervening months, America baffled over the affectionate relationship of another prominent ex-couple, James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. As desperately as Us Weekly and that ilk wanted to gin up a feud between the Oscar-nominated directors, it fell flat, because they just kept being so darned caring toward one another in the press.
Yet Cameron and Bigelow have been divorced for many more years than they'd been married. And while they explained that they had just realized they weren't suited for one another, Elaine and Steve Wynn were, in fact, perfectly suited for one another for nearly a half-century. They met as teens, built a family and more than one empire together. They'd even divorced once before, in 1986, only to remarry in 1991. At their second reception, Mr. Wynn quipped, "We regret to inform you, the divorce did not work out."
So far this time, it did work out, and the Wynn dissolution offered up all the ingredients for a really dishy drama. And, had that happened, it would have been significant news, not only because of the prurient interest we all have in the tawdry affairs of the wealthy and famous, but because deteriorated relations could have had a real impact on the operations of the company. That, in turn, meant a bitter divorce could've harmed stockholders, tourists and Vegas itself.
Whether it went that way, then, depended on Elaine Wynn. Had she expressed anger or pain to the media or jabber-jawed to friends, it could've blown into a tabloid sensation. Instead, when I asked her during a February 2009 interview, offhandedly and essentially in code, whether she was "doing all right," she knew precisely what I meant and replied: "Yeah, I'm doing great, I'm doing just great." She went on to discuss her charity work — she's the national chairwoman of the dropout-prevention nonprofit Communities in Schools — and concluded, just in case there was any confusion, that she was answering the unspecified divorce matter: "I intend to remain active in the company, and that won't change."
There's a reason why you'll have a tough time ever finding anyone who's written a negative word about Elaine Wynn, and that's because she's all elegance and class. Steve Wynn wades jauntily into controversy and enjoys a good fight; his ex always prefers to do her work and be part of the team. The most controversial thing she's ever done was to be a very early supporter of Barack Obama, and, even then, I don't recall any right-wingers picking on her.
"How could you be with someone for 49 years of your life and not be deeply connected?" said Wynn, continuing his thought. "We have seven grandchildren. Elaine and I have shared everything from the time we were 18 to the time we were 67 years old. We're still partners in the business, I respect and value and really covet her opinion on issues. She has a real feel for the business that's terrific."
Of course, in my head I'm saying, "Then what gives, sir?" But I didn't have the guts to ask that. It's not as though he dumped her for some Anna Nicole; Hissom is in her 40s and, so far as I understand, is far from the gold-digger type. These things happen. (I did ask if the Wynns' notoriously bitter disagreements over Obama were related. He said no.)
"You know, Elaine Wynn is an item," he said. "The last thing in the world I would want to do is lose, totally, that connection. So I'm doing whatever I can to keep us related in some fashion or another, and I'm enjoying the time I'm spending with her immensely."
A few other things I learned: Elaine has never met Andrea. Andrea's teenage sons socialize with Wynn's grandchildren. Elaine got first pick of the couple's considerable art collection, choosing a Manet and a few others from the Vegas holdings, as well as all the pieces in their Sun Valley home and Manhattan apartment. He kept Le Rêve, the 1932 Picasso that he put a hole in by accident in 2006, days before he was turning it over to a buyer. Steve Wynn has now bought another Sun Valley residence for himself and has bought some art for it as well.
I did try to get more about the settlement out of him, but there's a confidentiality agreement in place, at Mrs. Wynn's insistence, and they took advantage of the Nevada law that allows them to keep it private. All that has been said is that the two, together, remain in control of the resort company.
Still, it had been reported that the Wynn divorce could be the most expensive of all time. I asked if that were true.
"I would say so," Wynn replied. "Rupert Murdoch and Jack Welch were two of the big ones."
Had he discussed it with Murdoch or Welch?
A rueful laugh.
"It's absolutely the Esquire magazine Dubious Distinction Award to ... whoever it is who has the largest divorce settlement," he said. "It's not exactly one of the great achievements of life."
Pause for effect.
"Let's put it this way. Elaine is a very wealthy woman. And no one deserves it more, and no one will use the wealth more intelligently, more compassionately than she will. She has a very definite attitude toward money that it should go to charity and to her grandchildren."
With that, the subject was closed. I probably could've cajoled a little more out of him, but time with Steve Wynn is always finite and there were so many other topics — politics, art, casino development and more — to address.
I don't plan to ask him about it again. And ask her? I'm a cad, but I'm not that much of a cad.
— Originally published in Las Vegas Weekly


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Split Elevations. Another type of side elevation is the split elevation. This is a view of the homes interior, drawn as if the house had been split in half down the middle or other indicated line. A layman might think of it as a "cutaway" view. Split elevations show details for interior height, floor thickness, wall thickness and stair rise. This is also where youll find interior door openings, fireplaces, kitchen cabinet placement, and the like.
Rear Elevations and Notes. Rear elevations present the back side of the house, with yet another straight-on view. As with the other drawings, notes regarding features that cant be seen from straight-on views may be included on this drawing. Other notes included on elevations may indicate the materials contractors should use for certain areas, such as window or door type, siding materials and exterior insulation.
Front Elevation. The front elevation is a straight-on view of the house as if you were looking at it from a spot on the front yard. Also called an "entry elevation," the front elevation shows home features such as entry doors, windows, the front porch and any items that protrude from the home, such as side porches or chimneys. However, side walls are not visible at all unless they will be built at an angle that is visible from the front view.
Home design ideas on this you can see the quality of work front elevation project is providing. you can choose front elevation pattern and style here for your elevation design and customize your elevation design as per your choice get best Indian house front elevation designs simple, modern and easy to executable house front elevation design.


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Field Report: Engineers Without Borders Team Inspects ClearWater Systems In Ecuador, Day 2
posted by
This is part two of a series. Read part one
Cofan Dureno
Before heading to the Cofan community of Dureno, Donald Moncayo took us to Auguarico 4. This was a well site that was built by Texaco and operated solely by Texaco for about 8 years. PetroEcuador never pulled even one single gallon of oil out of this well site. This is the proverbial smoking gun, the key evidence that deflates every defense
, which bought Texaco in 2001, has ever tried to make to avoid paying for
its toxic mess in Ecuador
. PetroEcuador has begun to use this well as a re-injection site, shooting its toxic drilling waste back into the Earth rather than dumping it in open, unlined pits like Texaco did. Donald opened the spigot at the wellhead and poured out some formation water so that we could see what it looked like—in this case, it was oily black and reeking of petroleum, though he said it's not always so dark in color. [caption id="attachment_19576" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Donald Moncayo and ClearWater's Mitch Anderson at the Aguarico 4 well site."]
[/caption] Next, Donald took us to the pit that Texaco was dumping this formation water into while the company was operating the well. Though the rainforest has grown over it, there are spots where crude-black oil waste is still perfectly visible, staining the vegetation and seeping to this day into the forest floor. [caption id="attachment_19580" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Donald stands in the open, unlined pit where Texaco dumped its toxic formation waters while operating the Aguarico 4 well."]
[/caption] The "goose-neck" pipe is still there, too, and still draining excess water off of the open storage pond. [caption id="attachment_19579" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Donald's foot rests on the gooseneck pipe that drains the overflow from the waste pit into the nearby rainforest."]
[/caption] Walk down the hillside and you can see where the pipe discharges the toxin-laced runoff down into a wetland area. [caption id="attachment_19584" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="The barrel of the "smoking gun"--this pipe was deliberately designed by Texaco to drain toxic oil waste into the Amazon rainforest."]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_19582" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="A view of the rainforest the pipe was designed by Texaco to empty into."]
[/caption] In the documentary
, Chevron's lawyers can be seen claiming that this water is safe to drink. Donald jumped in with his rubber boots on and used a stick to stir up the bottom, much like the workers at Guillermo Grefa's house did with their hoses. Then Donald swiped his rubber-gloved hand across the top of the water, and sure enough: it was completely black when he held it up to show us. [caption id="attachment_19578" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Donald agitates the mud at the bottom of the swampy wetlands. You can see the oily sheen already forming on the surface of the water."]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_19585" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Donald shows us his blackened hand after skimming it across the surface of the water."]
[/caption] After the Ecuadoreans living with this pollution and their lawyers started challenging Chevron's lawyers to take a sip of this water they claimed was perfectly safe, the lawyers wised up and started bringing bottles of water so that when challenged to drink it, they could say, "Oh, no thanks, we brought our own." Later that day, we arrived at Cofan Dureno after a 3-hour canoe ride. We dropped our bags in the
—a giant concrete slab with soccer goals at either end and a roof covering it. There were kids playing soccer—young kids, none older than 8 probably—and many of us immediately jumped in and played an impromptu game of soccer with them. It was the first of many games we would play with these kids. They were incredibly fun to be around. (And amazingly cute and shy.) [caption id="attachment_19583" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="View of the river from the canoe."]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_19581" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Cofan leader Emergildo Criollo (middle) and Mitch Anderson (right) with one of the community's tecnicos--the technicians who work on the ClearWater systems--named Gonzalo. We sat with them in the coliseo and learned the history of the Cofan people prior to touring their village."]
[/caption] That afternoon and evening we walked around to a few of the
systems that have been installed in the community. One woman, Lucia, told us that before her system went in, she had stomach problems and diarrhea all the time. Now, those problems have mostly gone away. She's still not 100% healthy, but doing much better thanks to this source of clean water readily available outside her house. [caption id="attachment_19586" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Lucia (left) outside her house, while Emergildo and Gonzalo show us her ClearWater unit. The tank on the left is the filtration system, the tank on the right is the holding tank."]
[/caption] One of our guides, Mitch Anderson (who spearheaded the ClearWater project after leaving Amazon Watch), took us by the house of a woman named Florienda, who wasn't home at the time. Florienda told Mitch that her ClearWater system has made her feel like she had some kind of security in the world for the first time since her husband died. We slept that night in another open-aired, covered concrete slab that was the community's meeting spot before the
got built. Now it appears to be used as a school, as there were Cofan-to-Spanish translation posters hanging around the sides. All I can say about that night is: Everyone should spend a night in a hammock out in the open in the rainforest at some point in their life. The sounds of the rainforest wildlife, the cool rainforest air, the rain gently falling on the corrugated roof over our heads, and gently swaying all night long led to the best night of sleep I got the whole trip.
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text:
The Costa Concordia ship tragedy earlier this year caused "a pause" in UK cruise holiday bookings, the boss of Southampton-based Carnival UK revealed.
Chief executive David Dingle said numbers have since picked up and latest figures showed the city was receiving a £2.5m boost to the economy for each cruise visit.
A total of 32 lives were lost when the Costa Concordia struck rocks and turned on its side off the coast of Italy in January. The Costa Cruises ship is part of the Miami-based Carnival Corporation.
Mr Dingle, a member of the European Cruise Council (ECC) executive, said: "After the tragic Costa Concordia incident the world's cruise industry moved swiftly to review and improve operational safety measures, and to reassure customers that cruising is a safe and enjoyable holiday.
"Booking volumes in the UK understandably paused after the tragedy while people sought assurance but the British market has seen numbers pick up, despite economic concerns which are influencing consumer spending."
His comments came as the ECC announced that the cruise industry generated direct expenditure of £2.28 billion last year in the UK – up 10.2 per cent on 2010.
The number of UK passengers who took a cruise in 2011 increased by 10.9 per cent to 1.7 million – 28 per cent of the continent's cruise market.
The cruise industry last year provided employment in the UK for 63,834 people, of whom 14,486 worked directly for cruise lines. Southampton was the second busiest European port behind Venice in 2011, used by 1.5 million cruise passengers.
The ECC said the economic benefits gained in Southampton amount to £2.5m every time a cruise ship arrives in port or departs, with the city and region receiving an annual boost of more than £300m from the cruise industry.
Mr Dingle said: "Despite these challenging times the cruise industry is making an increasingly significant contribution to the British economy and that of mainland Europe by creating jobs and acting as a catalyst for tourism.
"Next year we will see more ships deployed in UK ports which we believe is testimony to the continued confidence in the UK as the world's second largest source market for the cruise industry."


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[Bernie Sanders and Allen Ginsberg, Burlington Vermont, 1983 - Photograph ©Phyllis Segura.1983]
Allan M Jalon discusses the meeting of their two minds (and interviews Eliot Katz and Bill Morgan) today in the Jewish Daily Forward
Here's an earlier (vintage) picture of Allen (from the remarkable SUNY Buffalo University Archives)
[Allen Ginsberg at the State University of New York at Buffalo, 1966 - Photograph © University of Buffalo Archives]
And here (for no particular reason) another Allen snap
[Allen Ginsberg at Gemini G.E.L artists studio, Los Angeles, 1996]
Le Tympan Marteau, formed by actor and performer Franck Andrieux, is an organization based in Lille (France).
Last year, he combined with Benjamin Duboc on double bass and Christian Pruvost on trumpet to produce "Allen Ginsberg's Dances". The digital album is available here. Video-clips of the work in performance just this week appeared on You Tube and are available here, here, here and here.
Simon Warner, author of the essential compilation Text and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll - The Beats and Rock Culture, and one of the organizers of the upcoming European Beat Studies Conference in Manchester, England, this summer, is profiled on Michalis Limnios' continuingly exhaustive Blues@Greece space, we're happy to report - see here
Allen Ginsberg Visiting Fellow at the Jack Kerouac School at Naropa this year is Hoa Nguyen. She read and spoke this past Monday at the Performance Art Center on the Arapahoe Campus. More on that occasion here
[Hoa Nguyen]
No major reviews yet of the new Ginsberg book, Wait Till I'm Dead but check out this early word from Forever Lost in Literature - here
Marcia Resnick's show, Poets, Punks and Provacateurs continues at the Howl Happening space in New York. We featured Allen last week. Here's Gregory Corso
& here's another image from that collection:
[Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, Gregory Corso and William Burroughs - Photograph by Marcia Resnick - from Poets, Punks and Provacateurs]