text:
Smokeless tobacco — dip, snuff, chew, that little pinch between your cheek and gum — is as American in many ways as hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. But another American institution is making it clear that the dip-and-spit crowd is no longer welcome, thanks to help from some unlikely sources.
Major League Baseball, hoping to rid itself of its image as a game with chipmunk-cheeked, constantly expectorating ballplayers, is turning to big-city government to do what it can't.
New York City is the latest to come to the rescue. The city council there recently banned all tobacco products at every ticketed sporting event in the city, including baseball games at the Mets' Citi Field and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The Big Apple joins Boston (home of the Red Sox), San Francisco (the Giants), Los Angeles (the Dodgers) and Chicago (the Cubs and White Sox) in tossing tobacco products from their stadiums. California will enact a statewide law before the 2017 season, which will cover additional ballparks in San Diego (the Padres), Anaheim (the Angels) and Oakland (the A's).
The actions delight Major League Baseball's front office, which has been trying to ban smokeless tobacco for years. An all-out cleansing of the game has proven tricky, though. Any ban would have to be OK'd first by the Major League Baseball Players Association, through collective bargaining. And the last time Baseball tried to get players to give up smokeless tobacco, in 2011, the union balked (though the MLBPA did agree to some measures to make its use less visible).
This year, at least in the cities with new laws, the players will have to stop. But MLBPA head Tony Clark continues to point out that tobacco is a legal product. Per the Chicago Sun Times:
"The union's stance is that the legislators have the ability, obviously, to legislate as they see fit," Clark said. "We have always taken the position — and will continue to take the position — that the most important part of these conversations has more to do with education, support and cessation than it does banning and eliminating, particularly something that has been, and continues to be, legal and over the counter."
The league contends — and many players agree — that tobacco use sets a bad example for impressionable youth. Groups like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, through its Tobacco-Free Baseball initiative, estimate that every year, some 535,000 kids between the ages of 12-17 take a dip for the first time. Much of that, the group says, is because of the example big-league ballplayers set. The group's president, Matthew Myers, estimates that between 25-30 percent of Major League players use smokeless tobacco.
The group, citing statistics from the National Cancer Institute and the Surgeon General's office, says that smokeless tobacco contains 28 known carcinogens and can cause oral, pancreatic and esophageal cancer.
"Our national pastime should be about promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, not a deadly and addictive product," Myers said in a statement after the New York ordinance passed.
Beloved Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn died in 2015 of salivary gland cancer that he says came from a lifelong habit of dipping tobacco. He was 54. Curt Schilling, one of the best postseason pitchers in history and a current analyst for ESPN, has attributed his bout with throat cancer to 30 years of dipping.
Major League Baseball, trying to keep the peace with its players union — after all, they have a new agreement to hammer out — insists that the game is moving forward in its fight against smokeless tobacco. The union is busy educating its players about the harms of tobacco use and has informed them that it's a no-go in some cities.
Still, MLB is continuing to push. The commissioner's office this week said players who are found to be in violation of local laws are subject to punishment from the league, too. And Commissioner Rob Manfred already said he expects smokeless tobacco to be an issue at the bargaining table when the current agreement expires on Dec. 1. Players in the minor leagues, who are not covered by the MLBPA, have been prohibited from using tobacco products in ballparks since 1993.
All of it points to a day, maybe soon, when kids can watch their favorite ballplayers hit and not have to endure the spit.


text:
Winter is here, and it's time to start looking at winter vacation options. Whether you're heading to the country's busiest ski slope or looking to get away from the hustle and bustle for a little while, there are plenty of options for everyone. How can you have a warm and cozy winter vacation when the weather outside is downright frightful? Just let it snow, and read on — we've got plenty of tips and tricks for you to make your winter vacation as cozy as possible.
- Plan a Spa Day
We know, the cold winter weather can be horrible for your skin. Instead of heading out in it, why not plan your vacation around a local resort that offers an all season spa? This can be the perfect time to pamper yourself while you're revitalizing your winter dried skin and hair. Look for spa resorts — many have outdoor activities as well — and plan your vacation accordingly. The Ranch at Rock Creek, Montana for example has a ton of snow-friendly activities like horseback riding and ice fishing, but their primary focus is relaxation and spa care.
- Avoid the Tourists with Off-Season Vacations
The winter season is often one of the busiest, especially if you're planning to visit a location that has good ski slopes or other outdoor activities. Instead of trying to shoehorn yourself in to a hotel room when they're packed with tourists from around the world, wait a few weeks to start your vacation. You'll still get the same experiences as long as you're not planning your trip too close to the spring thaw, without all the hustle and bustle of being surrounded by tourists and other vacationers.
You can even pick areas that might normally be busy during the summer months and use them as your winter destination — Las Vegas is considered 'off season' between Mid December and February. You might not get the snow, but you'll definitely have an awesome experience.
- Rent a Warm and Cozy Log Cabin
Nothing screams 'winter vacation' quite like setting up to enjoy the cold weather in a rented log cabin. It's a great way to get the experience of camping during the winter months without risking freezing your behind off like you would if you were camping in a tent.
There are cabins available from coast to coast — quite literally — and everywhere in between. Make sure you book your stay early though. Most of these cabins are quite popular and fill up fast during the busy season. If you have the option to plan your vacation during the off season, as we mentioned above, you will find that your choices are much more varied.
- Fireplaces Are A Must
You can't have a warm and cozy vacation without a fireplace! Find a place that has a good fireplace, and if it's not propane or gas powered fireplace, practice your fire building techniques. A well stoked fireplace can easily keep an entire room or cabin warm and cozy through the cold winter months. Just make sure that you've got enough fuel to last you're entire stay and you're good to go.
Fireplaces can even be fun for the kids — stock up on marshmallows and hot dogs that they can cook right there in the living room or den, wherever the fireplace happens to be. Just make sure that any young kids are constantly supervised around the fire.
- Layer Up and Enjoy The Snow
Sometimes, you just need to get out there and enjoy the cold. Don't let us discourage you from layering up and enjoying the snow! Whether you like to ski, snowboard, sled, ice skate, or ice fish, there are plenty of outdoor activities that you can only do during the winter months.
Just make sure that you've got somewhere warm and cozy to go to shake off that winter chill once you're done enjoying yourself outside.
- Find a Secluded Bed and Breakfast
Eating out is expensive, even more so when you're on vacation because you don't often have the option to cook your own meals. That is why staying at a bed and breakfast can be so awesome, especially during the winter months. Not only do you get a warm and cozy place to sleep, but the cost of your stay usually includes breakfast. Some places even do dinner for their guests as well, making it an ideal option if you don't want to eat at restaurants for your entire vacation.
Check with bed and breakfasts around where you're looking to spend your vacation. You may be surprised at what you find. The winter months don't have to be cold — there are plenty of ways to enjoy a warm and cozy vacation while it's cold outside.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The offices of regionalentwicklung.at are located in Austria, Graz, at the corner Gartengasse to Rechbauerstraße, opposite the Graz University of Technology.
We recommend to arrive by public transport (routing application of Verkehrsverbund Steiermark). The nearest stations are
- Rechbauerstraße (tram line 3) and
- Maiffredygasse (tram lines 1 + 7, bus lines 31 + 39).


text:
Maison Vivienne
Bitter Sweet Romper
$79 $39.50
$250 retail
or 4 payments of $19.75 $9.88 with Info
All dresses listed are in Australian sizes. Model is wearing size 8. Model is 178cm / 82cm-Bust / 64cm-Waist / 90cm-Hips.
Please note that this playsuit runs small to size. We recommend going a size up if you are between sizes.
BUST: Fitted. Refer to the size guide for specific measurements.
WAIST: Fitted.
HIPS: Relaxed fit.
LENGTH: This playsuit is mini length.
UNDERGARMENTS: Consider silicone cups or going without a bra to minimise lines.
FABRIC: Fabric does not stretch.
GREAT FOR: Hourglass, Pear, Straight, Narrow body types.
Since sizing and cut varies between dresses and brands, please use this chart as a general guide. The sizing in this chart applies to this dress ONLY. If you need assistance selecting the proper size, please contact our friendly customer service team.
This little romper is a must-have in our autumn wardrobe. Crafted from detailed floral lace, it features a V neckline and long blouson sleeves. Partially lined with a plunging back, it reveals just the right amount of skin for a flirtatious look. Scalloped edges and eyelash trim are a romantic finishing touch, making it perfect to rent for a date night or cocktail party.
Dress up this playsuit with a pair of slender black heels and rose gold hoop earrings. Sweep your hair behind the shoulders in a pin straight style and hire a box clutch to carry your evening essentials. Read our blog post for more tips on how to wear playsuits.
The fastest shipping method is automatically applied at checkout to ensure your order is with you by 8pm on your requested date. Our shipping fee ranges between $10.95 - $15. This fee includes the delivery to you, and the return back to us (in a pre-paid satchel). The delivery fee only applies to full bookings. Standard Try On orders are free of shipping costs, however there is an additional fee of $15 if you wish to receive your Try On order on the same day.
Returning your rental item is very simple and free. Simply place your item in the pre-paid return bag provided by GC, and drop it at your nearest Post Office or the yellow Express Postal Box.If your rental period ends on a Sunday or a public holiday, just drop your item in the nearest yellow Express Postal Box on the return date. It will be shipped back to us in the next business day.We take care of dry-cleaning too so you don't have to worry about it.
Late returns
In the unlikely event that you returned your rental item back late, you will incur late fees.Please see FAQs for more details.
You can book up to two dresses to try on within the convenience of your home for $30. For more information on our Try On service, please visit this link.
Try On service is only available for dresses. Please note that we are unable to hold dresses for your actual event date until a booking order is placed.


text:
Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Baltimore Regional Trail
A House Divided
— War on the Chesapeake Bay —
Please drive carefully as you enjoy the Baltimore Regional Civil War Trail and other Civil War Trail sites throughout Maryland.
Marker series. This marker is included in the Maryland Civil War Trails marker series.
Location. 39° 17.094′ N, 76° 37.182′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. Marker can be reached from West Camden Street near South Howard Street. Marker is on the grounds of the Camden Street Station, now a museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Baltimore MD 21201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Baltimore Riot Trail (here, next to this marker); Great Railroad Strike of 1877 (a few steps from this marker); On to Yorktown (within shouting distance of this marker); Babe's Dream (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wrestling in Maryland (about 300 feet away); Richard H. Trainor (about 500 feet away); Wilkens Building (about 600 feet away); Old Otterbein Church (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
Topics. This marker is included in this topic list: War, US Civil
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on November 24, 2006, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,287 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on November 4, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 24, 2006, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.


text: This northeaster pummeled numerous states including Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York in early January 1996. Measurements taken in Central Park found that more than 20 in. (50 cm) of snow had fallen there during the two-day storm. The largest amount of snow accumulation 4 ft. (1 m) occurred in the not-so-northeast state of West Virginia. The storm, with winds of 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h) in some places, caused roughly $3 billion in damage, extensive power outages and headaches for those still traveling back from holiday vacations.


text:
Frenzy Kitchen
Game Info: Frenzy Kitchen
Help Goofy prepare the meal for some Disney Character.
How to Play:
Use mouse to interact.
Tags: baking and pastry schools, chef colleges, chef education, chef schools, chefs catalog, cooking light, cooking magazine subscriptions, cooking schools, culinary arts school, culinary schools in california, culinary schools in ct, culinary schools in sacramento, culinary trade schools, ice culinary school, online cooking school, pastry chef classes, pastry chef colleges, pastry chef schools, top pastry schools


text:
Virtual Tour
Our Louisville Office
The moment you walk into our Louisville office, you can expect to be greeted by one of our friendly front desk receptionists and welcomed to find a seat in our comfortable reception area. Our spacious lobby features a large flat-screen TV, the latest magazines, and a private bathroom for your convenience. Within our reception area, parents will be pleased to discover a separate, but open play area for their children's entertainment with books, toys, seating, and video games. When choosing a location for our Louisville office, we kept our patients' comfort in mind, which is why we selected a facility that was large enough to house our state-of-the art equipment and technology. We invite you to take a virtual tour of our Louisville office to see all we have to offer!


text:
MSN and DNP Students
Clinical Placements
Transportation to Clinical Sites
Transportation to and from the clinical sites as well as the cost of the transportation is the responsibility of the student. Clinical sites are located throughout San Diego County and the southern regions of Orange and Riverside Counties. Access to the clinical site from your local address or other needs cannot be taken into consideration when assignments are made.


text:
I've been looking for a while now for a web-based CRUD tool that is simple and works "out of the box" and allows me a simpler way to access data than use phpMyAdmin.
I thought CakePHP was the answer, but – as powerful as it is – it is hard to set up, especially on the restricted 1and1 accounts that I have on which .htaccess files tend to require some work.
I found this beautiful tool called Ajax CRUD – its simple, but enables an easy, AJAX based interface to CRUD functions for your database tables. In fact, it can even do more complicated stuff such as filtering the columns, and some other things.
Sidenote: Among other things, I was looking at the Bazaar source control system for some software that apparently can be checked out only using Bazaar. I'm trying to set it up in Eclipse as well, but not too successfully…


text:
I had the pleasure of marching by Plymouth Rock today during the annual Thanksgiving Parade. It is a tremendous event and one of those occasions that makes you proud to live in a place with such a remarkable history.
It is something of a miracle that Plymouth Colony succeeded. There were more than a few ways that the entire endeavor might have resulted in catastrophe. The key to their survival, I think, was good leadership. The venture was fortunate enough to have several intelligent and stalwart men in charge making careful decisions. The diplomatic and exceedingly clever Edward Winslow, for instance, who became, in essence, the colony's ambassador to the Native Americans. William Bradford, who seemed to have a natural talent for politics despite his bucolic upbringing. Even the hot-headed and sometimes brutal Standish…as Bradford said of his tactics, "we leave him to answer for himselfe,"…but without Standish's military experience, the Pilgrims never would have been able to defend themselves.
How strange to think that a near tragedy almost decapitated the leadership of Plymouth Colony just as the settlers reached the shores of New England.
The Mayflower made land at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts on November 11, 1620. The settlers spent nearly a month exploring Cape Cod, searching for a place suitable for settlement. These expeditions were made using the shallop, a singled-masted boat of fairly substantial size that had been brought in pieces on board the Mayflower.
On December 6, the shallop set out from the Mayflower with 16 men aboard. These included six mariners from the Mayflower's crew, men whose job it was to transport the Pilgrims to New England and who looked forward to getting back to old England as soon as possible. Some of these mariners, like Robert Coppin, had been to the coast of New England before on fishing expeditions. Also in the shallop were ten of the settlers including Governor John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Myles Standish.
After exploring what is now Wellfleet Bay and Barnstable Harbor and engaging in a skirmish with a group of Nausets, the party began to fear that they would not find a decent harbor in which to plant their colony. Robert Coppin, however, remembered these waters and informed them that there was a good, large harbor not far away. And so they sailed in the direction he instructed.
Not long after they got underway, it began to snow and the wind picked up. Soon, the sea grew so rough that their rudder broke and two of the sailors struggled to steer using oars. As the men began to despair, Coppin suddenly called out that he saw the harbor and urged them to keep their courage up.
But the sun was setting and as they neared what is now Manomet, the storm increased. Barely able to maneuver, they could not react to changing gusts of wind and their mast shattered into three pieces. Now the party rowed, tossed by a violent sea. It was almost dark.
And matters grew still worse. As they approached the shore, Coppin, somewhat panicked, suddenly realized that this was not the harbor he had in mind. As Bradford later put it, Coppin cried out, "Lord be merciful unto them for his eyes never saw that place before."
Now they were caught in a storm in the dark, rudder and mast broken, utterly lost, without even the vaguest knowledge of a safe place to land. The man in charge of this disaster was John Clark, first mate of the Mayflower. And at this point he ordered them to do what he deemed the most sensible thing: he let the shallop run before the wind and hoped to quickly make land wherever they might be cast.
Through the dim light, they saw a "cove full of breakers" ahead which some have suggested was Warren Cove, just south of Plymouth Bay. The breakers indicated rocks. In that moment, the key leaders of Plymouth Colony were just moments away from being hurled against a rocky shoal and drowned. Clark must have been confused and paralyzed not to recognize this danger.
Just then, according to Bradford, one of the mariners manning a steering oar suddenly barked out his own commands, completely insubordinate though they may have been. Realizing the danger, the mariner took charge and told them all to row, "if they were men" and bring the shallop about "or else they were all cast away."
Now here was a man who, in the midst of chaos, had his wits about him and saved them all. It must have been a mighty hard pull, rowing against the wind, but they turned the shallop around, made it into Plymouth Bay and washed up on the sandy shore of Clark's Island (ironically named for John Clark who nearly got them all killed).
Navy captain and historian Gershom Bradford (a descendant of William Bradford who almost drowned that night) made the claim that this anonymous man saved Plymouth Colony. As Gershom Bradford wrote of the mariner, "It is a reproach to the recorders of [Plymouth's] history that his name is unknown. There should be a conspicuous plaque on the Plymouth waterfront, "To the Unknown Sailor" whose skill and courage contributed so much to the safe arrival of the Pilgrims in Plymouth Harbor."
I don't think there will ever be such a memorial. But I do tend to agree with Gershom Bradford and think it is not too much of an exaggeration to say that the unknown mariner saved the colony from disaster and possible failure.
So, when you're enjoying your turkey on Thanksgiving, remember that unknown mariner. Without his quick thinking, there likely would not have been a Thanksgiving at all.
Sources: Gershom Bradford, In With the Sea Wind (1962); Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower (2006); William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation (Random House, 1981 edition).


text:
"Thank you for making us so welcome at Bendysh Hall. We had a delightful time with you and your family."
Date of Posting: 02 October 2012
Posted By: David and Irene - Shrewsbury
"Absolutely wonderful- wish we were staying longer!"
Date of Posting: 15 January 2012
Posted By: Roger & Alison
"Your home is the perfect, classic B&B. The decor, the location and accommodation are perfect, exactly what we had hoped for to find in a B&B. Wonderful hosts and cooks. Thanks for a lovely stay."
Date of Posting: 25 March 2011
Posted By: Linda and Clive
NOTE! This site uses cookies and similar technologies.
Please accept cookies and get the best experience on this website.
We use cookies for this website to work properly. Due to EU legislation we have to ask for your consent.
Please accept cookies and let this site load just like any other site on the Internet.


text:
I got this little gem from a store called cotton on (here) It's real comfy and basically everything good about a tee. I decided that SONH= summer of no heat! So that is that. And if you're out of the loop, summer of using no heat on my hair, or very little heat because let's face it, going cold turkey just ain't happnin'. Anyways, a tutorial on this super easy no heat bun is at the end bottom of this post!
shirt: cotton on. necklace: china(here) jeans: f21 gray tank: target
hahah ^^ this one I just look like a punk.
punk take 2 ^^
anddd here is the tutorial! I posted this last fall but I think it'd be silly to make a brand new video! This was when my bangs were shorter so I just had em pinned back, now that my bangs are long, I like to pull them out for a more loose and carefree look.


text:
William "Billy" Baldwin has been working in film and television since his 20s, thanks, he says, to a burning desire to follow in brother Alec Baldwin's footsteps.
He has played the intrepid, the mean, the sweetheart, the well-behaved, and the helpless romantic. In his latest project, the Hallmark movie Be My Valentine, Billy gives life to a young, widowed father—and dating advisor—of his teenage son. In this story about self-discovery and ageless love, they are both searching for that special someone. Billy recently sat down with us for this exclusive interview to talk about the movie, his dream career path, and the importance of being close to his family.
Don't miss the premiere of Be My Valentine on February 9 at 9 p.m. on the Hallmark Channel (Ch. 312).
We're very excited about your new Hallmark film Be My Valentine. Tell us, what drew you to this role?
WB: Work! Well, that's part of it. No, I read the script and I was very moved by it. Definitely touched by it. It's a very sweet piece, right up Hallmark's alley. They are doing great stuff and I had never done one with them before. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Had a great time with my crew up in Canada. And Graham, my director, we had a very nice time. Recently I've done a lot of comedy. The Squid and the Whale years ago and I did Dirty Sexy Money and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 30 Rock, and I've done very muscular, action-oriented stuff like Hawaii Five-0. I just thought it was nice to go back to what got me started in this in the first place, which is human emotion, the words. Working with my fellow actors and our director to try to breathe life into it. I was drawn to it. It didn't have all the bells and whistles. This was just about the actors and the words. That's nice.
This is not your typical Valentine's Day movie. It's very down to earth, which audiences will find very refreshing.
WB: Yes, I think Bill Abbott over at Hallmark has a team of people who are really diversifying more. They have talk shows and a different variety of content, which they didn't have before. They're making a lot of movies—they made forty movies last year, they're making another forty this year. I think it feels like they're more cutting edge. I'm not saying they are controversial movies, like Oliver Stone, but they are offering more dynamic content.
Be My Valentine follows two parallel love stories and I find that anyone can identify with this movie, regardless of age. It is interesting to see this man—who doesn't view love as a priority—finding love again. Do you think love changes as we grow older?
WB: I think it's the trap people fall into. They want love at 15 or 20 years to feel the way it felt at 18 months. And it doesn't. And they want to feel like they felt in junior high school and it doesn't. When you're with somebody for 11, 17, 25 years, it involves that you are in a very different place. Just because you feel different doesn't mean the relationship is over, that there is a problem, or that you're not in love anymore. It takes on a different feeling, a different direction. A lot of people just flush the relationship down the toilet. That's a horrible thing to do, especially when you have kids involved. Why is that necessary? I think finding love the second time around is hard, especially for anyone who has lost a spouse or people who have been divorced. My mother-in-law lost her husband when she was in her late 40s—she was my age—and she never met anybody else. Never had companionship. Never had a relationship. It's sad. I think it's great to be able to have a relationship as part of your life. We all yearn for that.
Another thing I noticed is the role technology plays in romance. Your idea of a nice gesture is making a mix tape. I mean, who even makes mix tapes these days? Do you think technology is killing romance? Or is it just transforming it?
WB: Oh please, yeah! It's exciting and dangerous. I mean dangerous—exhilarating and dangerous—the great unknown. When I was a kid growing up, when you created a personal page seeking romance and companionship there was something wrong with you. But today, if you don't do that there is something wrong. More and more people are meeting each other through Match.com and ChristianMingle.com and all that junk. Technology has revolutionized how we go about pursuing relationships. I think it's cool. Of course, it can be dangerous too. There's cyber-bullying and a lot of perverts out there. You have to be careful.
You work closely with Christian Martyn [he plays Tyler on Be My Valentine], who is amazing and natural on film. What is it like working with such young talents? Do they ever ask for advice?
WB: Yeah, though I don't really sit there, direct him and coach him. I do try to lead by example. Communicating with him and the rest of the cast and the crew. Kids have a tendency to rehearse a lot with their teachers, with their mother, and they come to the set with their performance locked in. Their acting is reacting. A lot of times you have kids making sure they're saying the lines the cool way. Sometimes it doesn't always match with what I'm saying or how I'm saying it. You've got to make sure they're listening and reacting to what I'm saying and how that moves them. If they're listening, then you can get a really beautiful and organic performance.
We know that your weren't always an actor. What moved you to make the switch?
WB: My brother [Alec Baldwin] was doing it. He was very successful and I thought that was cool. I went to college and studied Political Science. After college, I worked briefly and was involved in politics—I interned in Capitol Hill. I still continue to do some philanthropy and charity work, not as much political work as I did 10 years ago, but I really should get back into that business. Get into more political activism as well. But basically we all saw what my brother was doing and I thought it was really cool. I thought, why not give it a try?
You were on 30 Rock, working with Alec. Have you ever thought about doing something with all the Baldwin brothers? Do you ever talk about it?
WB: No, we don't. I'd like to do it but it would have to be the right project and nothing has come along, unfortunately. We'll see. We talked about doing a Western movie about 15 years ago. That never happened. The money never came together.
Is there a role that you fantasize about?
WB: No. There is a dream situation that I'd love to be in. I would love to be in a situation like what I had with Dirty Sexy Money, where I was in a great part on a great show where everyone was positive about it. It was an ensemble cast, so I didn't have to work every day. I had really fun, challenging stuff to do in my performance. I worked with incredible actors. I shot in L.A., so I was going back and forth from Santa Barbara three days a week. I'd like to be on a show that would allow me to make money and still be with my family. That's the ideal scenario. I mean I'd love to be nominated and win an award—that would be so cool to be recognized in that way—but I wouldn't want to sacrifice what I have with my kids and not be with them for a long stretch of time. That wouldn't work. My dream situation is that in which I'm on this cool, fun, hit show and I can still tuck my kids in at night.
You've just wrapped up Gossip Girl. What was it like playing the role of Dr. William Van Der Woodsen?
WB: It was fun, it was cool. You know, I moved to New York while shooting the part for Gossip Girl. That brought me back to New York. I was in a recurring role as Serena's father, Dr. Van Der Woodsen, and it's funny because I wasn't in New York for two or three months at a time. I would fly and be there for 10 days, come back and so on. They gave me naughty, dysfunctional, perverted stuff to work on. It's good when they give you something juicy to do. And I was born and raised in New York so every time I go back there I see all my friends from my hometown— college buddies, family. It was great being back in the old neighborhood.
You've been married for more than 20 years, which is amazing. Do you continue to celebrate Valentine's Day?
WB: I've been married for 17 years but I've been with my wife for 22 years. We do celebrate. It's not like it once was. We have three kids now. But you still have to set aside the time and the effort to make sure you're taking care of each other.
Now we're going to do a little game. I'm going to give you two options, related to our conversation, and you have to pick one. TV or Film?
WB: Am I choosing between Matt Damon's film career and Alec Baldwin's TV career? Obviously, at 50-years old, with kids and a wife, I want a steady gig. TV is the one that makes more sense. When you finish a film you're back on the unemployment line and you don't know if you're working again for a month or three or a year. In TV, when you're in Season 2 and you know you're doing two or more seasons, that's a dream scenario. If I had a movie career and could just hit cruise control, know that I could be making one or two movies a year for the next 10 years, that's a lot of fun. TV is a lot of work and a lot of hours. My dream would be to be in a great cable TV show and you're on HBO, USA, FX, or Showtime, do one of those 12-episode seasons. You know? Something cool, cutting-edge. Like Mad Men, working with great actors. To work five or six months and then do a movie or a play the rest of the time.
Romance or Suspense?
WB: Romance. I like thrillers and action. I would choose drama over romance. But romance over suspense, for sure.
To play the bad guy or the good guy?
WB: Usually to play the bad guy, but I've been the bad guy on Gossip Girl, on Hawaii Five-0, I've been the bad guy for so long. I'm glad to be playing the good guy on the Hallmark Channel. But the bad guy is more fun!
Flowers or Candy?
WB: Neither! Sex.
Sunny California or Sunny New York?
WB: That's a hard one to answer. I've lived my whole life in New York and we came over here [to California] five years ago. We love it here so much. I don't see us going back right now. I don't miss it enough to go back. With kids it would be hard to go back, they have their social scene… I would say sunny California. If you said sunny Los Angeles vs. Sunny New York City? I'd say New York City.


text:
Guy's this is the part of the year that makes or breaks sports bettors. For example if you made money betting MLB the first half of the season – most bettors end up pushing just a little too much after the All-Star break in anticipation for the upcoming NFL season in an attempt to have a bigger bankroll. The idea is great and kudos to you if that works for you. However here are a few things that I have seen over and over again that may want you to set back on the profit you have already made.
First off the cream will rise to the top. In other words the better teams will stand out usually pretty quick after the break. You will see leads increase in some divisions and in other divisions you will see a tight race between 2-3 teams all fighting for a playoff birth. With the better teams rising to the top – that means the pretenders will fall further behind. This happens each year – so what's the big deal?
The oddsmakers will adjust quicker than the average player and you will see match ups come with a higher price that will cost the bettors more in Vig/Juice.
For example a Yankees – Bluejays game played in May at -130 odds will more than likely be at -150 soon, meaning more money for either the bookies – bookmakers or the underdog bettors. The increase in price will only hurt the players who tend to bet the favorites and also the price adjustments will decrease parlay winnings, something to think about.
Who are the contenders and who are the pretenders? How can you decide ASAP to give you an edge as Vegas starts to adjust. A few things to look for is who's making the short-term trades vs. teams that are building for the future. Also injuries can kill a teams chance to make a serious run at any time especially to team leaders and Pitchers (starting or relief). I have seen some contenders give up after a key injury and a mini losing streak going into late August/September that will give another team another chance.. So many different angles and possibilities to factor in – but remember the oddsmakers will adjust first and if you do not have a feel for the game or the ability to for see who is for real and who is not … Well you may want to take those early profits straight into the football season – because MLB betting only gets harder from this point forward.
I will discuss more on what to look for in future post such as the added wildcard factor this year, how September call ups will affect teams differently, what teams will play their best baseball as spoilers such as Baltimore did late last season, also my thoughts on what managers have it and those who I feel do not have what it takes to go deep in the playoffs no matter the talent they may or may not have.
If that seems to be a little too much to consider for your hectic schedule, work, and family time (believe me – I did not cover a third of the differences between the last 81 games compared to the first 81 games) you may want to leave the handicapping up to the professionals like ReeceRoberts and myself as we will do whatever it takes to make you the most money possible heading into the NFL and NCAA football season. We will work just as hard for the ones reading this as we would work for ourselves and that's a fact – because we play all the games personally that our clients receive and that's a fact!
For a small investment of just $2.70 a day you will get my (UGSportsconn) plays and the personal selections of ReeceRoberts daily with nothing extra to buy ever (our parlays are included also) GUARANTEED to profit or we give you 31 days of service FREE no questions asked.
Start today (Saturday) 7-14-12 and get a HUGE card as I have 3 solid winners that I advise to also use in a Round Robin parlay & ReeceRoberts has a very nice totals only parlay and several solid straight best bets!!!!
Get started now:
Talk to you soon!
Tim Hood
Free Picks posted daily at Twitter follow me @ugsportsconn


text:
The dynamics in our target markets in relation to ongoing globalization mean that customer requirements are constantly increasing together with our efforts to fulfill these demands.
As early as the 90s CiS electronic started establishing and ultimately certifying their extensive experience in the area of quality in a quality management system (QMS) in accordance with the ISO 9002 standard in force at the time. In 2001, the company was certified in accordance with ISO 9001.
Our goal is to establish an integrated management system (IMS). The next step is the certification of the environmental management system at the production site in accordance with ISO 14001 and the integration of the occupational safety management system. The occupational safety services are reviewed as part of audits pursuant to standardised Work Conditions Assessments (WCA).
The focus of the integrated management system with the underlying "0 error strategy" is not just intended to impress regular external auditors, rather to ensure that errors and the additional expense, especially for our customers, do not occur in the first place.


text:
Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva has just found his pot of gold. Silva this week signed a contract with General Mills, makers of Lucky Charms, one of the most popular cereals on the market today. At a press conference today at General Mills' corporate headquarters, Silva wowed the crowd of reporters with his leprechaun costume and authentic Irish brogue.
"Where did you pick up that accent?" one reporter asked.
"In the Michael Bisping fight," the Brazilian fighting legend quipped. "He was after me Lucky Charms!"
Silva went on to say that he'd signed a five year dealer with cereal company and that he could very well be hanging up his MMA gloves.
"For 15 years I've been an axe murderer," he explained. "Now I'm a cereal killer."
We tried to contact Dana White for his reaction, but he was still trying to locate Nick Diaz so he could fire him for missing the press conference yesterday and was unavailable for a comment.


text:
Periodontal disease is a progressive condition which leads to severe inflammation and tooth loss if left untreated. Antibiotic treatments can be used in combination with scaling and root planning, curettage, surgery or as a stand-alone treatment to help reduce bacteria before and/or after many common periodontal procedures.
Antibiotic treatments come in several different types, including oral forms and topical gels which are applied directly into the gum pockets. Research has shown that in the case of acute periodontal infection, refractory periodontal disease, prepubertal periodontal disease and juvenile periodontal disease, antibiotic treatments have been incredibly effective.
Antibiotics can be prescribed at a low dose for longer term use, or as a short term medication to deter bacteria from re-colonizing.
Oral Antibiotics
Oral antibiotics tend to affect the whole body and are less commonly prescribed than topical gel. Here are some specific details about several different types of oral antibiotics:
Topical Gels and Strips
The biggest advantage of the direct delivery of antibiotics to the surfaces of the gums is that the whole body is not affected. Topical gels and direct delivery methods tend to be preferred over their oral counterparts and are extremely effective when used after scaling and root planing procedures. Here are some of the most commonly used direct delivery antibiotics:
Noticeable periodontal improvements are usually seen after systemic or oral antibiotic treatment. Your Periodontist or dentist will incorporate and recommend the necessary antibiotic treatments as necessary for the healing of your periodontal condition.
If you have any questions about periodontal disease or antibiotic treatments, please ask your dentist.
I just wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to you for vastly improving the quality of Leo's life. He seems to be all smiles lately. He is enjoying pain free eating for the first time in over 20 years and his "makeover" has given him new confidence. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the great work you have done for my entire family.
Thank you Sukut Dental! You two are such terrific dentists! I am always bragging about both of you and I don't even get anxiety attacks during the drive to your office.
Site Developed by ProSites.com


text:
SalesOptimize is your go-to-guide for the best on-line buying web sites for laptops, fashion, books, and so on. Delivery: Free shipping on all U.S. orders over $50 and for worldwide orders they cost a flat rate of $21.95. Quick style label Minkpink is gaining a good status for their cute 'n' cheap garments, however make sure you additionally checkout their sunglasses assortment earlier than leaving the web site.
Transport is free for orders over $40, and the app can even sync as much as your Apple watch for sale alerts. See the Low cost Journey Money information on the best cards to get close to-perfect exchange rates each time you use an abroad website.
Another tip is to make use of the Super Saver Delivery software to search out gadgets to hit the £20 free supply mark. Delivery: Free standard delivery on all orders to the U.S. and Canada. The lads's part has a wide variety of hip clothes to select from! Their swimwear comes in a wide variety of patterns, colors and sizes, so you're sure to find a suit that works for you.
Surfstitch provides free categorical supply on orders over $25. When you're after low cost vogue on-line, Starting Boutique, Boohoo, Showpo and Missguided are all great sites to seek out on-pattern pieces at inexpensive costs. It has a wide selection of tremendous cute dresses, nice bathing fits, and depraved shoes.
Shipping: Free shipping for all U.S. orders over $50 (for details about their worldwide delivery insurance policies, click on right here ). It is with dresses that this retailer really comes into its own with tons of of kinds in rainbow-worthy colors and prints. Click on over to Stylenanda for assertion equipment underneath $40, crop tops, breezy attire, and cheap gadgets that will add personality to your look subsequent Spring.


text:
Our History
Founded in 1999, Zhejiang lida rubber & plastic machinery co.,ltd is a technological private company of machinery and equipment manufacture integrating research, production, sales and service. for decades, it has become a medium-sized private enterprise of both machinery manufacturing and technology developing and transferring in rubber and plastic field.
Our Factory
With the principle of being technological,professional and innovative, as well as dedicated members, we have explored a broad road for the company to develop smoothly.
Our... [Details]


text:
"There aren't many I call "teacher." Like me, Lāhela doesn't label herself a teacher and yet, she taught me something immeasurable. Or perhaps I should say she invited me into something immeasurable, something my soul has been waiting for. As Lāhela led one of my soul communities into the sacred prayer of Hoʻoponopono, my heart opened and opened, and I found myself dropping into a whole new way of being in The Mystic."
~ Janet Conner, author of Writing Down Your Soul, Soul Vows, and many more. Co-teacher of The Goddess Forgives.
"I experienced the power of the Ho'oponopono prayer practice when Kahu Lāhela taught it to us in a group. My entire body tingled with the release of unwanted toxins, purifying me with the sweetness of divine love. Lāhela is a masterful storyteller, gentle healer, and guide whose loving presence reminds us of our divinity."
~ Uma Girish, Grief Guide & Award-Winning Author
"Before working with Kahu Lahela, I was stuck in generational patterns of victimhood and deep resentment. I thought life just happened to me and I was one of the unlucky ones.
I knew in my core that my soul was clamoring for deep healing. However, I didn't know how to free myself from the pain I was holding in my mind, body and soul.
Kahu Lahela taught me how to cut the generational cords of resentment and victimization. The cords were deeply rooted, and yet with her love and guidance, I began the process of releasing and healing.
Since doing this powerful work, even my physical appearance has changed. My soul feels light and at peace, my body feels free of resentment, and my mind now looks for love and compassion as the answer to everything.
Every now and then, the Universe conspires to connect us with beautiful souls that show up at the perfect time and help us heal and become more of who are meant to be in this lifetime. Kahu Lahela, is one of those people in my life.
~ Brenda Rivas
Miami, Florida


text:
Indian Miniature Painting Of A Loving Couple On A Terrace, Hyderabad, Deccan, India. Late 18th Century. Provenance: Doris Weiner, New York
Folio from a Nayaka Nayika bheda. Against a bolster and scattered cushions a loving couple, partially undressed, entwine as they drink wine on a palace terrace. Hyderabad, circa late 18th century.
Opaque watercolor with gold on wasli. 17.9 x 11.9cm.
Provenance: Doris Weinger NY.
Price US$ 3,600. Includes Free Shipping.
You are responsible for customs clearance or import duties if applicable.
For further information email us at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Lois mémorielles anti-démocratiques, dirigé par Deplhine Bechtel, Henry Rousso
Politiques illibérales du passé
Le 24 février 2005, le parlement français adoptait une loi d'inspiration droitière exprimant la « reconnaissance de la Nation » envers les rapatriés d'Afrique du Nord, qui préconisait entre autres que l'on enseigne le « rôle positif » de la colonisation, disposition par la suite retirée. Le tollé soulevé déboucha par ricochet sur une critique de différentes lois promulguées avant 2005 touchant à l'interprétation de l'histoire : la loi Gayssot (1990) réprimant la contestation ou la banalisation des crimes contre l'humanité (le négationnisme), celle établissant qu'une guerre a bien eu lieu en Algérie (1999), celle reconnaissant comme tel le génocide arménien (2001), enfin la loi Taubira (2001) qualifiant l'esclavage mis en place depuis l'Europe des temps modernes de crime contre l'humanité. Qualifiées rétrospectivement de « lois mémorielles », terme à connotation au départ péjorative, ces textes avaient pour point commun d'induire un discours normé sur le passé. Ils étaient toutefois tous nourris d'une inspiration plus ou moins progressiste, que résume la formule apparue quelques années auparavant de « devoir de mémoire », à savoir une injonction morale contemporaine visant à une plus grande transparence des épisodes tragiques de l'histoire nationale. Ces lois entendaient accorder aux victimes directes survivantes ou à leurs descendants une forme de reconnaissance et de réparation par la Nation. La controverse née en 2005 mettait aussi en lumière à quel point, depuis les années 1990, la France comme d'autres pays européens s'était engagée dans des « politiques mémorielles » dont les lois du même nom n'étaient qu'un aspect parmi d'autres et posaient quantité de problèmes juridiques, éthiques, historiographiques.
Si les États ont toujours agi sur les représentations du passé pour tenter d'en donner une version officielle, la tendance apparue dans les années 1990-2000, à la suite de l'anamnèse de la Shoah en Europe, des grandes transitions démocratiques consécutives à la chute du Mur de Berlin ou à la fin des dictatures militaires en Amérique latine, relevait d'un registre différent. L'obligation du souvenir, la stigmatisation de l'oubli, l'effort de transparence exigé de l'État et des pouvoirs en général, l'intérêt marqué au sort des victimes ou encore la fin relative de l'impunité des crimes politiques ou commis durant des conflits, constituaient autant d'éléments d'une nouvelle configuration politique et morale. La « mémoire », terme générique englobant l'ensemble de ces demandes venues de la société civile et dispositifs publics qui tentaient d'y apporter une réponse, est peu à peu devenue un marqueur démocratique, un nouveau droit humain, une exigence transcendant les frontières et même portant atteinte aux sacro-saints principes de la souveraineté nationale, ne serait-ce que par la possibilité de juger de crimes hors de leur cadre territorial.
Cette évolution a toutefois rencontré d'évidentes limites et de fortes résistances. D'une part, de nombreux pays ne se sont pas inscrits dans ce mouvement et ont continué à défendre une forme d'histoire officielle « héroïsante », lénifiante, souvent mensongère au regard des faits, et excluant par définition toute forme de reconnaissance des crimes ou des fautes commis par l'État ou la Nation. C'est le cas dans des régimes autoritaires, comme en Russie avec la très faible mémorialisation du Goulag, ou encore en Turquie avec la négation persistante du génocide des Arméniens. C'est le cas aussi dans des régimes démocratiques, comme au Japon où persiste un fort courant révisionniste, ou encore dans les Pays baltes où est apparue après 1989-1991 la théorie de la « double occupation » voire du « double génocide » tendant à assimiler purement et simplement nazisme et communisme de telle sorte à minimiser la collaboration avec les nazis durant la Seconde guerre mondiale.
D'autre part, il y a eu ces dernières années une forme de réaction au « devoir de mémoire », lequel a imprégné nombre de politiques mémorielles de l'Union européenne ou des Nations unies. Des partis nationalistes et/ou populistes qui avaient critiqué, parfois avec une grande virulence, les lois ou les politiques de mémoire d'inspiration progressiste, les accusant de porter atteinte à la fierté nationale ou de s'adonner à une forme de masochisme de la « repentance », une fois parvenus au pouvoir, ont à leur tour utilisé des dispositifs juridiques ou mémoriels (comme les musées) pour imposer leur propre vision du passé national. Le cas le plus spectaculaire a été celui de la Pologne avec la promulgation, en février 2018, d'une loi pénale visant à réprimer « l'attribution à la nation ou à l'État polonais » de crimes commis durant la Shoah, texte amendé depuis, mais qui continue de laisser planer une menace sur le travail des historiens, des journalistes, des enseignants. C'est d'ailleurs le vote de ce texte, par un pays membre de l'Union européenne ne respectant plus ses valeurs fondamentales, qui a donné l'idée du dossier que Mémoires en jeu consacre aux politiques de mémoire « illibérales », révisionnistes ou anti-progressistes, qu'elles soient anciennes comme en Russie, en Turquie ou au Japon, qu'elles soient récentes comme en Hongrie, en Ukraine, dans les Pays baltes ou encore en Espagne, en Israël ou en Colombie, où ces politiques participent d'une forme de régression au regard des acquis récents en termes de lucidité face au passé.
Ukraine's Nationalist "Decommunization" Laws of Spring 2015: Shielding Perpetrators and Excluding Victims
Tarik Cyril Amar – Université de Columbia – Département d'histoire
L'objectif principal des lois mémorielles du printemps 2015 en Ukraine n'est pas vraiment la décommunisation, mais plutôt la nationalisation visant à encenser les nationalistes de l'époque de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Ces lois discriminent leurs victimes, reproduisant les pratiques d'exclusion. Elles sont cohérentes avec une longue tradition de dénégation et d'auto glorification des nationalistes qui remonte à la guerre froide, lorsqu'une partie de la diaspora ukrainienne, surtout en Amérique du nord, réécrivit l'histoire de son courant nationaliste pro fasciste en le transformant en mouvement anti totalitaire et anti communiste. Ces lois incitent à penser que la décommunisation doit nécessairement aller de pair avec le déni des crimes des nationalistes, opérant une synthèse juridique, politique et morale qui est présentée comme la seule alternative à l'héritage communiste.
The main purpose of Ukraine's "decommunization" laws of spring 2015 is not "decommunization" but "nationalization" shaped by a memory-political project to venerate World War Two ethno-nationalists of the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) and UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army), notwithstanding their record of right-wing authoritarianism, pronounced fascist tendencies, antisemitism, Holocaust participation, mass murder and ethnic cleansing (Rudling 2016: 31ff). Hence, the 2015 Laws also discriminate, whether deliberately or in a stunning bias, against the victims of these nationalists: the Laws in effect reproduce the exclusion from the Universe of Obligation that was part of their initial victimization.[1]
The 2015 Laws comprise the Legal Status Law on the "legal status and honoring of the memory of the fighters for independence of Ukraine in the twentieth century"; the Immortalization Law, dedicated to the "immortalization" of the victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War of 1939-1945"; the Access Law regulating "access to the archives of the repressive organs of the communist totalitarian regime, 1917-1991"; the Condemnation Law on the "condemnation of the communist and national-socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes and the prohibition of propagating their symbols."
These laws form a whole and cannot be reasonably read as mere decommunization or an "infantile disease" of necessary nation-consolidation. Instead, they belong to a broader "turn to the right in politics and culture in post-Communist Eastern Europe," marked by "the rise of militaristic, glorifying versions of the ethno-national histories of the Second World War" (Michlic 2017).
In the making of the Laws, Ukraine's dramatic recent situation – revolution, geopolitical re-orientation, regional internal unrest, and Russian aggression – has been deftly exploited to advance a nationalist agenda long preceding it. While referring to circumstances of "open [Russian] military and information aggression" (Explanatory Note), the Laws, moreover, claim to align Ukraine with international, i.e. mostly Western values. Yet, in reality, the Laws are a classic case of memory legislation in the service of nationalism, which clashes with European Union aims, as described by Nikolay Koposov (Koposov 2017, p. 10).
Even critics have usually accepted the claim that an overdue "decommunization" is the purpose of the Laws. Yet in this case the question if state-led "decommunization" is good or bad in principle is a distraction. Instead, we need a longer perspective extending through the Cold War to World War Two, an international context beyond Russia, and an ideological context with room for nationalism no less than for Communist legacies.
While mostly misleading, the term "decommunization" does reflect that the Laws are not, as claimed, targeting Nazism and Communism equally, in a spirit of "anti-totalitarian" and "double-genocide" symmetry, problematic in itself. Rather, Communism is the main target (Himka 2015). The purpose of condemning Nazism is largely rhetorical – to reinforce the attack on Communism: if it were not, the simultaneous idolization of nationalist Nazi sympathizers and collaborators would be impossible.
Some pragmatic concerns over the Laws have focused on feasibility, with one observer arguing that short-term success means that the Laws have turned out less problematic than critics feared. Yet the fact that they are a low priority for many Ukrainians does not mean that they are not detrimental or that they even "strengthen civil society" (Shevel 2015). Rather, as elsewhere, bad laws provoking little criticism indicate a failure of civil society.
This article, however, focuses on the political choices that the laws represent and promote: the use of state power to impose a denialist narrative about the history of Ukrainian nationalism, especially during World War Two, and the implicit but severe discrimination against its victims.
The Legal Status Law: Protecting Perpetrators
The Legal Status Law is the core of the 2015 Laws. Among other beneficiaries, some also very questionable, the law insulates from criticism Ukrainian World War Two nationalists of the OUN and UPA, recognizing them as fighters for Ukrainian independence and prohibiting "publicly showing a disrespectful attitude" to or "insulting" their image. The Law sanitizes their record (Himka 2015), thus continuing policies started by former president Viktor Yushchenko (2005 and 2010) who posthumously awarded highest public honors to Second World War nationalist leaders Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych, stressing that he was honoring their organizations too (Rudling 2016, p. 27f). Under President Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine has seen street re-naming and the making of monuments with the same purpose. The Legal Status Law breaks new ground, however, not only by glorifying these World War Two nationalists, but by suppressing open criticism, too.
In reality, Ukrainian wartime nationalists and their forces conducted, in Jared McBride's terms, "a highly coordinated ethnic cleansing campaign, planned by a political organization against a civilian population," murdering between 70,000 and 100,000 Polish civilians (McBride 2016a, p. 633, 639). Yet nationalist apologetics thrive, with a recent key work in this vein (of very low quality) produced by Volodymyr Viatrovych, head of Ukraine's Institute of National Memory and a main shaper of the 2015 Laws (McBride 2016b, p. 657-661).
Regarding the Holocaust, generally, murdering Jews may not have been the priority of Ukrainian nationalists, but their participation in the Holocaust is also "not as extensively documented as the role of Romanian, Croatian, and Slovak governments" (Himka 2008, p. 364) – certainly due to long-standing research neglect among Ukrainian historians. At any rate, it is clear that they "in various ways participated in the murder of the Jews" (Himka 2008, p. 364f). In sum, depriving Jews of their place, their possessions, their dignity, and their lives characterized Ukrainian World War Two nationalism in practice.
It is crucial to note that by protecting ethnic cleansers and Holocaust co-perpetrators from criticism in the name of respect for the nation's independence, the Law implies that an honest account of nationalism's full history threatens Ukraine as a whole. Here it is not, as sometimes charged, outsiders from abroad but Ukrainian political elites who insist on signaling a (false) incompatibility between Ukrainian independence and acknowledging all of its history. The Legal Status Law uses the state to take the nation hostage to protect the illusions and manipulations of nationalists.
Another implication of this law, reminiscent of the ideology of Ukrainian World War Two nationalism, is that national independence trumps all moral concerns: it justifies criminal violence in the past and its denial in the present. Moreover, lumping together murderous nationalists with other activists, the Law effaces crucial differences: non-violent late-Soviet dissident should not have any complaints, it implies, in the commemorative company of far-right authoritarian antisemites and ethnic cleansers.
Discrimination by Biased Condemnation
The relationship between the Legal Status Law and the Condemnation Law illustrates their interaction: ostentatiously, the Condemnation Law targets both Nazism and Communism as totalitarian, prohibiting the propagandizing of their symbols. While the Legal Status Law explicitly protects perpetrators, the Condemnation Law makes state policy a factually absurd equation of all of Soviet rule between 1917 and 1991 with Nazism.
Yet the Condemnation Law is also a powerful statement by omission, citing Nazi and Soviet crimes while remaining silent about crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists. Two points bear emphasis: the Law claims in its Preamble to speak in the name of "the Ukrainian people – the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities", thus adopting a supra-national or civic tone. This claim remains hollow, however, as shown below.
The Condemnation Law goes beyond generalities by detailing types of Nazi and Soviet crimes. Yet some of them were committed by Ukrainian nationalists, too, such as "the infringement of human rights in the form of individual and mass murder," "mass physical terror, persecution on ethnic, national, religious, [and] political … grounds," "infringement of freedom of conscience, thought, [and] expression of views," "absence of political pluralism." In addition, while nationalist apologists claim that Ukrainian nationalists protected Jews, the overwhelming reality was persecution and, for those who nationalists did keep alive, temporarily only, forced labor[2], another category of crime listed by the Condemnation Law – but again only with reference to the Nazi and Soviet regimes.
In sum: here is a Ukrainian law, made by an independent Ukrainian state, claiming to speak for all Ukrainian citizens, independent of national or ethnic background and to promote the truth about Ukrainian history – yet it fails to even consider any Ukrainian nationalist perpetrators of crimes it explicitly lists and thus it also fails to consider their victims.
The Condemnation Law claims to serve the renewal of "justice and the removal of the consequences of arbitrary rule and the infringement of civil rights." But it signals clearly that it will not concede the same need for justice to the victims of Ukrainian nationalists. The law also states that propagandizing the Nazi or Soviet regimes constitutes "derision" of their victims. The inescapable message, then, is that a policy of propagandizing World War Two Ukrainian nationalists somehow, in the eye of the Ukrainian state, does not entail derision of their victims or that such derision does not matter. In sum, restricting the Law's scope to Nazi and Soviet crimes constitutes discrimination – embedded in a package that also shields Ukrainian nationalists from criticism.
This situation can be explained in only two ways: either the nationalists committed no crimes and therefore made no victims or the rights and needs of their victims count less than something else, namely, the sacrosanct (ethno-)nationalist cause, here identified with the nation as such. This means that the law is anything but an expression of civic nationalism, but follows the logic of exclusion from the Universe of Obligation already applied by the perpetrators which belongs, of course, to the realm of ethnic nationalism at its most violent. Just as the nationalists had no compunctions taking their victims' life because they did not accord them a place in the ethno-national community, the Condemnation Law has none about withholding the justice offered to other victims.
The Condemnation Law, which aims to prevent the "repetition of the crimes" of Nazism and Communism and "any discrimination on national, social, class, ethnic, race," also lists specific obligations for the Ukrainian state: to investigate "genocide crimes, crimes against humanity , [and] war crimes" and to reestablish historical justice. Yet, again, these obligations apply only to crimes committed by the Nazi or Soviet regimes: the current Ukrainian state accepts no such obligations regarding the victims of precisely the nationalists it claims for its heritage. Unsurprisingly, the severe sanctions this law introduces into the criminal code for propagating Soviet or Nazi symbols do not apply to the (often close to national-socialist) Ukrainian nationalist propaganda or symbols.
Maintaining Discrimination: The Immortalization Law and the Access Law
At the core of the Immortalization Law is the commemoration of the victory over Nazism, purged of the Soviet "Great Fatherland War" narrative, while offering some compromise to Ukrainians, especially veterans, attached to parts of this Soviet tradition. This law legislates honor and respect for war veterans (former Soviet soldiers), members of the "Ukrainian liberation movement" (Ukrainian nationalist fighters), and "all victims of Nazism" (Immortalization Law: St. 1: 1 and 2). The law also contains a call for the "prevention of the falsification of the history" of the war (St. 2: 1(3)), a vague regulation strikingly reminiscent of the recent Russian legislation that has been widely criticized, especially in the West.
What has been largely overlooked is that this law states a fundamental sameness not only between veterans of opposing armed forces (Soviet and nationalists, including those of the SS-Galizien), but also between all veterans taken together and victims. The Immortalization Law thus abuses the memory of victims by treating it in the same manner as that of groups that included perpetrators.
The Access Law, regulating access to the archival legacy of institutions of Soviet repression may appear to be the most technical of the 2015 Laws. Yet even this law has nationalist implications. It is true that it gestures toward European Council standards and employs a rhetoric of transparency and participation, invoking "public dialogue," a right to receive "objective information" about history as one of the foundations of democracy, and asserting that understanding recent history "can support the prevention of conflicts and hostility in society." It also establishes a crucial link between, on one side, the prevention of "a repetition of the crimes of the totalitarian regimes [and] discrimination of any kind by national, social, class, ethnic, race or other criteria," and, on the other, open access to the documents of the "repressive organs of the Communist totalitarian regime of the years 1917 to 1991" (Access Law, Preamble). Once again: while discrimination was a massive and deliberate part of Ukrainian nationalist theory and practice, the Access Law, too, simply ignores this fact.
It describes the activity of the Soviet repressive organs as applying "state coercion and terror regarding specific persons or groups … for political, social, class, national, religious or other motives" (St. 2: 1(6)) and as "irreconcilable with the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual and the citizen" ( St. 3: 1(4)). Even the notion of specialized "repressive organs" would apply directly to Ukrainian World War Two nationalism – a movement striving for a state: while its victims suffered and died at the hands of various formations of perpetrators, some of the latter were organized in special Sluzhba Bezpeky (SB) security service units which practiced coercion and terror, targeting their victims by several of the criteria explicitly listed in the Access Law. Their activities contradicted fundamental rights no less than those of their Soviet counterparts. Yet, this law, too, excludes nationalist perpetrators and their victims: thus, even the seemingly most technical of the nationalist Decommunization Laws is embedded in denialism and discrimination.
Where did these laws come from? This short article can only point out some key factors. Some critics have faulted them for replicating Soviet mistakes, i.e. overbearing regulation from above (Shevel 2015). In general, scholars of post-Communism have observed that Communism did long-term damage to political culture (Fish 2005: 86). Indeed, it is a sad irony that nationalist "decommunizers" share illiberal dispositions with their Communist target and it would be ahistorical to overlook the Soviet-legacy factor: not only Soviet mass violence, such as the famine of 1932-33, but also the Holocaust entailed Soviet policies of memory suppression and manipulation (Amar 2014). The Ukrainian-nationalist mass murder and ethnic cleansing of Polish civilians was marginalized, too: while hating Ukrainian nationalism, the Soviets foregrounded its fight against their rule, not its massacres of Poles (Himka 2008, p. 360).
However, overemphasizing Soviet legacies is misleading, for three reasons: First, doing so to explain escalating nationalist distortions, a quarter-century after the Soviet collapse, leaves nationalists with unrealistically little responsibility. Past and present connect here, Jared McBride has cautioned us not to overburden the popular double or triple occupation explanation of political mass violence in Eastern Europe: while Nazi German and Soviet Stalinist contributions were important, local actors also had agendas and agency. OUN and UPA leaders in particular had "embraced the idea of violence against ethnic enemies in both ideology and practice long before" the Soviet and German occupations (McBride 2016a, p. 651). It would be ironic if an over-emphasis on what is left from the Soviet past made us underestimate nationalism in the present.
Secondly, the Soviet legacy is only one among three that are relevant here: also important are those of Ukrainian nationalism, including its denialism, and the Cold War. Thus, with their anti-nationalist propaganda, the Soviets inadvertently helped make nationalist leader Stepan Bandera into one of the most significant symbols of Ukrainian nationalism (Rossoliński-Liebe 2014, p. 405).
Moreover, some of the Soviet allegations against Ukrainian nationalism were known to be false. During the Lviv pogrom of July 1941, for instance, Ukrainian nationalists and local Ukrainians took part, but Soviet claims that the Ukrainian nationalist auxiliary "Nachtigall" battalion marching into the city with the Nazis participated as a unit were wrong. Nevertheless, nationalists were heavily involved, probably including individual "Nachtigall" soldiers; moreover, "Nachtigall" committed massacres of Jews elsewhere (Rudling 2016, p. 36). Many also joined the battalion's successor unit, Schutzmannschaft 201, heavily engaged in "anti-partisan" warfare in Belarus that is likely to have had criminal and genocidal aspects. "Nachtigall" veterans also ended up in nationalist security service units, the Waffen-SS Division Galizien, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), and yet another "anti-partisan" unit in German service – all offering more opportunities to kill civilians (Rudling 2016, p. 42f).
Yet the fact that Soviet claims were wrong on the particular point of how exactly "Nachtigall" legionnaires killed Jews is used to deny all Ukrainian responsibility for the pogroms. This debilitating effect of a known Soviet falsehood deployed by nationalists to distract from a silenced nationalist one is still with us, reinforced by the fact that Putin's Russia still continues to produce similar propaganda.
Finally, in Ukraine, blaming the Soviets also converges with discriminating against citizens who do not share nationalist views, echoing a tradition of mutual accusations of showing an inadequate sense of national identity (Amar 2015, Marples 2015). This is an important reality of Ukrainian discourse, also among the makers of the 2015 laws: The director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UINP) Volodymyr Viatrovych has claimed that Ukrainian MPs not supporting the Laws were pro-Russian (Viatrovych 2015), thus designating those who disagree with his idea of state-imposed nationalism as disloyal.
His dismissal reaches beyond politicians. Holding a Soviet legacy in general responsible is one thing; blaming specific parts of the population designated regionally is another one. For Viatrovych there is an "island of Sovietness," most pronounced in Crimea and eastern Donbas, which are the focus of Putin's aggression against Ukraine. There, he maintains, it is the "bearers of Soviet values … that are today the main source of manpower of the terrorist bands" (Viatrovych 2015).
There is yet another consequence of exaggerating Soviet legacies and underestimating nationalism: while Soviet legacies may make a convenient scapegoat, they are also assumed not to last. The rosy expectations of post-Soviet transition have been battered by reality. Yet identifying a problem as a Soviet hold-over still implies that time will take care of it eventually. Missing the role of nationalist strategies, such hopes amount to cultivating a blind spot for their future potential.
Instead of facing the complexity of a nationalist movement that claimed to embody and monopolize the nation's striving for independence while its members made real sacrifices and committed terrible crimes, Ukraine's 2015 "Decommunization" Laws follow long-standing patterns of nationalist denial and self-glorification. These patterns date back to World War Two and the Cold War, when parts of the Ukrainian diaspora, especially in North America exploited the West-East antagonism to reinvent their (pro- fascist) nationalism as "anti-totalitarianism," with emphasis on anti-Communism.
The 2015 Laws also discriminate against the victims of Ukrainian nationalists and these victims' memory by projecting a Universe of Obligation that excludes whoever was victimized not by Soviets or Nazis, but by the Ukrainian nationalists that the same laws elevate to the level of fiercely protected national symbols. Is there a clearer way to reproduce the moral and social exclusion that the same nationalists practiced toward their victims? Is there a clearer way to signal that national identity should be founded on selective denial instead of recognition and reflection?
Finally, perhaps the most manipulative message of the 2015 Laws is almost hidden in plain sight: that decommunization ipso facto entails nationalist denialism. Indeed, the latter is naturalized as the seemingly only alternative to a helpless acceptance of Communist legacies: decommunization and nationalist denialism are collapsed into a legal, political, and moral synthesis. In the spirit of the 2015 Laws, decommunization is necessarily nationalist and discriminatory. They leave no room for either nationalism's victims in the past or alternatives to nationalism in the present and future.
The "Decommunization" Laws:
The Legal Status Law http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/314-viii
The Immortalization Law http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/315-viii .
The Access Law http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/316-viii
The Condemnation Law http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/317-viii
Explanatory Note http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/zweb2/webproc4_1?pf3511=54649.
(all accessed 01/04/2019)
Secondary Sources
Amar, Tarik Cyril, 2014, "A Disturbed Silence: Discourse on the Holocaust in the Soviet West as an Anti-Site of Memory," in Michael David-Fox et al. (ed.), The Holocaust in the East: Local Perpetrators and Soviet Responses, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh University Press (UP), p. 158-183.
Amar, Tarik Cyril, 2015, The Paradox of Ukrainian Lviv. A Borderland City between Stalinists, Nazis, and Nationalists, Ithaca, Cornell UP.
Fish, M. Steven, 2005, Democracy Derailed in Russia. The Failure of Open Politics, Cambridge, Cambridge UP.
Himka, John-Paul, 2008, "Obstacles to the Integration of the Holocaust into Post-Communist East European Historical Narratives," Canadian Slavonic Papers 50, p. 359-372.
Himka, John-Paul, 2015, "Legislating Historical Truth: Ukraine's Laws of 9 April 2015," ab imperio (21 April).
David R. Marples, 2015, "Volodymyr Viatrovych and Ukraine's « Decommunization » Laws," Krytyka, May 2015.
McBride, Jared, 2016a, "Peasants into Perpetrators: The OUN-UPA and the Ethnic Cleansing of Volhynia, 1943–1944," Slavic Review, vol. 75, p. 630-654.
McBride, Jared, 2016b, "Who's Afraid of Ukrainian Nationalism?," Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History, vol. 17, p.647-663.
Michlic, Joanna Beata, "Eastern Europe's Difficulty with Holocaust History," https://blogs.brandeis.edu/freshideasfromhbi/eastern-europes-difficulty-with-holocaust-history/ (accessed on 01/04/2018).
Koposov, Nikolay, 2017, Memory Laws, Memory Wars: The Politics of the Past in Europe and Russia, Cambridge, Cambridge UP.
Rossoliński-Liebe, Grzegorz, 2014, Stepan Bandera. The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist. Fascism, Genocide, and Cult, Stuttgart, ibidem.
Rudling, Per Anders, Gilley, Christopher, 2015, "Laws 2558 and 2538-1: On Critical Inquiry, the Holocaust, and Academic Freedom in Ukraine," Політична Критика (29 April).
Rudling, Per Anders, 2016, "The Cult of Roman Shukhevych in Ukraine: Myth Making with Complications," Fascism, vol. 5, p. 26-65.
Shevel, Oksana, 2015, "'De-Communization Laws' Need to Be Amended to Conform to European Standards," Voxukraine (7 May).
Shevel, Oksana, 2016, "Decommunization in Post-Euromaidan Ukraine: Law and Practice," PONARS Eurasia, Policy Memo No. 411 (January).
Volodymyr Viatrovych, 2015, "'Decommunization' and Academic Discussion," Krytyka (May).
[1] For the notion of the Universe of Obligation and its relevance to the Holocaust, see Helen Fein, Accounting for Genocide: National Responses and Jewish Victimization during the Holocaust, New York, Free Press, 1979.
[2] This refers to the well-documented fact that those Jews who did receive temporary protection by nationalist units (often to be killed later) did so under the condition of working for them. This is why Jews with specific skills had better chances. In the apologetic literature this practice is, of course, never categorized as forced labor.
Pas encore de notice pour ce dossier


text:
Rose and Gordon are a couple who lives in Kansas and has traveled the world yet chose to come back to Portland for their nautical themed wedding aboard the Willamette Star, one of the many river cruise ships that sail through the downtown river. Before their voyage to marriage, Rose and Gordon did their pre-boarding preparations at the Benson Hotel, which if you haven't been there, is a great place to stay in the heart of the city, just about walkable to anywhere. The hotel also boasts a huge lobby with a beautiful fireplace and a great bar too (perfect for those wedding after-parties)!
The couple got ready in separate rooms, but wanted that "first look" moment to see each other for the first time on their wedding day! The grand staircase in the lobby made that perfect location for their first look at each other but also for their family photos, since most of the family was staying their too!
While we didn't embark on a three hour tour from a tropic port, we did however sail from the Southeast riverfront area which faces beautiful downtown Portland, making it a great backdrop as guests boarded the ship.
What a perfect sunset wedding ceremony! I just loved the moment Rose and Gordon had their first kiss – classic and timeless!
Did I mention this was a nautical themed wedding on the Willamette Star? Yep, Rose had her bridesmaids wear their anchor scarves on the aft deck! While the reactions and moment is great, the remaining sunset light piercing the trees as we sailed down to Lake Oswego was just remarkable (and the weather was mighty fine too).
The Ross Island Bridge was dead ahead
This had to be one of my favorite images from the evening. When Rose and Gordon left their guests at the end of the reception, they were great by all the guests lined up along the dock. The image here is the quiet moment as they left. Perfect twilight sky with the city lights in the background made a fitting final image of the entire day.


text:
Adam Hathaway, rugby correspondent of The People, wants officials to get on with the game and stop taking extended screen breaks and records a first win for Stuart Lancaster who is back in the game…finally.
There was plenty to like at Allianz Park on Saturday when Saracens beat Northampton 27-12 – apart from the fact the match went on too long – it proved you really can have too much of a good thing. And this was a good thing.
It was a proper game and the physical commitment was off the scale – personified by Luther Burrell who ended up being carted off in an ambulance with an oxygen mask draped over his face after a sickening collision with Brad Barritt's thigh.
Northampton gave it a right old rattle for the first 50 minutes – the first team to get under the champions' skin this season – with Louis Picamoles, Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes all in full war paint.
Last week we asked if anyone was going to give Saracens a game, but they got one here alright, but if the officials had had their way they would still be playing now, and most of the crowd would be in their pyjamas and worrying about how they are going to get work any time before November or in time for the office Christmas party.
Saracens got home by scoring 12 points when Saints had prop Alex Waller sinbinned and were hoodwinked by a cute line-out move when they were down to 14 men. A man light, and worried about defending a driving maul, Northampton were outwitted when Saracens played a short line-out that ended up with Jamie George running over for the score that cracked open the match.
Shortly afterwards Northampton were done when they could not defend a driving maul and conceded a penalty try – and that was pretty much that in terms of the match.
But by the time the game finished it was just after 5.06pm, from a 3pm kick-off, thanks to the endless viewing of clips by officials which had some supporters jeering or pressing the snooze button.
Waller's tackle on George, that earned him 10 minutes in the cooler, was viewed by the referee Greg Garner – who was otherwise on pretty decent form – about 10 times before he brandished the card. There are also various people in the box to watch the clips so it should be a quick glance, make a decision and then get on with your life.
Do you have to look at something 10 times in your day job to make sure a decision is right or if there has been skulduggery committed? If your average worker did they would be getting your cards from the boss pretty sharpish.
Haven't these people got homes to go to?
There were 9,455 fans in the ground who could see the tackle was dangerous and deserved a quick yellow, once Garner had seen that Waller had not head-butted his opposite number which would have been a straight red. But no, we got endless replays which ate up the minutes and probably had the broadcasters worrying about what time the game was meant to finish.
You want to get the correct decisions but it doesn't take nearly a dozen looks at a clip to see if an offence has been committed. If it does then the blokes who are doing it are in the wrong job.
According to the Guinness Book of Records the longest rugby match, staged in South Africa, lasted a shade over 27 hours. Much more of this in the Premiership though and you will be booking Monday off work after going to a Saturday match.
Rugby is an 80-minute game, with a bit of injury time added on and a break for a quick fag and a pint at half-time for the fans, so to have it stretching into more than two hours is bonkers. Just like slow over rates are the bane of cricket and slow play the bane of golf, these endless interruptions are a curse on rugby and need to be given the red card.
It has not always been like this. Video referees have only been used to finger foul-play perpetrators since 2003, although the old players glory in what they used to get away with back in the day. That is probably not a good thing but the current situation is a bad thing.
Now you get the interminable spectacle of the referee on the pitch watching the big screen about a zillion times, with the TMO in his box, whilst the pair of them try to work out what has happened.
This does not make good viewing for the crowd. They have made their mind up, one way or another, within seconds of seeing the first bit of footage and it usually leads to the officials copping dogs' abuse.
The ref could at least run to the side of the pitch and have a gander at the incident on an I-Pad, other tablets are available, and then make up their minds. With the crowds on their back they would get it done quickly and the rest of us would be spared the current farce.
A couple of years' ago the press were given a briefing by Wayne Barnes, one of the top whistlers around, who told us this sort of delay would be stamped out.
Sure enough Barnes refereed the first game of the season, a 7.45pm Friday night kick-off, and it was done and dusted by 9.30pm. That makes it easier for punters to get home and, as an aside, helps sports editors get the papers off stone with most having a 9.45pm edition deadline on weekend nights.
One favourite conspiracy theory of mine is that late kick-offs, especially for European games, very rarely finish late if the host TV company has to get off and switch to the Spanish football or some other nonsense.
But all of that went by the by at the weekend.
Just get on with it – if an incident needs more than two looks then there is probably not much in it and isn't that what citing officers are for?
Most of the really serious offences are only picked up after the match anyway. Just ask Chris Ashton.
Last weekend marked the first anniversary of the start of the biggest catastrophe, in playing terms, in English rugby history.
Hosting the World Cup, England beat Fiji but we all know what happened next as the campaign went from bad to excruciating and finally out the exit door after the defeat to Australia.
Twelve months on it is almost like it never happened. England are 10 from 10, if you count the last pool match against Uruguay, have nailed a Grand Slam for the first time since 2003 and beaten Australia 3-0 down under.
Eddie Jones is the flavour of the month but this time a year ago so was Stuart Lancaster – England were going to bring the bacon home in a home tournament and it would be knighthoods, MBEs and open-top bus rides all round.
It didn't quite work out like that, but it looks like Lancaster has finally got a break. After being linked with jobs like Toulon and Queensland Reds he has got a gig where he can sail under the radar a bit and get back to what he enjoys most – coaching.
All his England coaching staff have got new jobs – Andy Farrell with Ireland, Mike Catt with Italy and Graham Rowntree with Harlequins – but the head honcho was tainted by the World Cup and looked as if he was damaged goods.
But a couple of weeks' ago Lancaster slipped, reasonably quietly, into a post at Leinster. His remit is defence but with his experience of coaching an international team the Leinster head coach Leo Cullen would be nuts not to draw on his know-how.
Lancaster has gone from one sleeping giant to another – Leinster have sunk since the glory days of Brian O'Driscoll and three European Cups – and you would have to have a heart of stone not to wish him all the best.
His first match on the firm was a 33-25 defeat to Glasgow but this weekend Leinster beat Edinburgh 33-10 in the third round of the Pro12, at Murrayfield, and they are currently fifth in the table behind the high-flying Ospreys.
It is probably not how Lancaster, and his former bosses at Twickenham, hoped it would turn out but after what has been the longest year of his life he is back – and good luck to him.


text:
'This Means War' Review: Could Be Your Perfect Date Night Movie…
…if you don't take it seriously! If you don't take the film's message to heart and if single women everywhere realize that this is NOT how you find Mr. Right, This Means War is quite an enjoyable film for both men and women.
Before I get hate on how I am giving this film a positive review, I'd just like everyone to imagine how this film would be perceived if McG's name was taken off the credits. McG, who directed the Charlie's Angels films and Terminator Salvation isn't the world's greatest director, but he sure can make an upbeat, corny and fun action flick, which is just fine!
I'm a fan of action films and I love romantic comedies, so I had high hopes walking into this movie. It wasn't the best mash-up of action and rom-com of all-time, but the three gorgeous stars have perfect on screen chemistry and the action scenes have the right mixture of entertainment and hilarity.
This Means War tells the story of two CIA agents who are also best friends, FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy). Ladies man FDR has no interest in a serious relationship, while his buddy Tuck is looking for long-time love. Tuck enrolls in an online dating site, where he reaches out to Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) and she is immediately drawn to him.
On the flip side, Lauren meets FDR rather quickly after date one with Tuck and when FDR sees that she is too good to be true he immediately begins to pursue her. When the two studs realize they've both met the same girl, that's when the complications arise. FDR and Tuck agree to stay out of each other's way and have Lauren make the final decision, which of course, doesn't happen.
Pine practically mirrors the arrogance and cockiness of Star Trek's James Kirk and it suits him well, while Hardy couldn't be more different from Tommy, the mixed martial arts fighter he played in Warrior. With both men pulling out all their fancy spy moves trying to win Lauren's heart, its hard not to giggle as their plans unfold.
While the guys are trying to figure out Lauren, her married BFF Trish (scene stealer Chelsea Handler) persuades her to continue to date both men and enjoy it while it lasts, saying she's "got to be flexible."
Oh, there's also some sort of spy/espionage subplot that comes and goes that was put in the film to characterize the two leading men. However it gets lost with all the dates, kisses and spying FDR and Tuck do on Lauren. Yes, these men are just hard at work!
Where War looses steam is what happens immediately after the climax, the decision the scriptwriters made just doesn't flow with the overall picture and frankly, it makes the female protagonist look like an idiot. If War decided to take a more realistic approach on the complications of online dating and dating two people at once, it would've gained at least another half star from me.
Despite its corny dialogue, War doesn't have the most predictable rom-com plot you would think. It's definitely worth a matinee in the theatres or would make the perfect date movie on a Friday night. 3/5 Stars.


text: Forget Paris and Rome, London is the capital of love. Debra has spent her whole life in the United States. On her first trip to Europe she is visiting London and she met Adam, a local artist, the epitome of a charming Englishman, and was immediately drawn to him. He asked to paint a portrait of her and she is ecstatic. She adores his country almost as much as she likes Adam. The East End opened up, with Whitechapel, Hoxton and Old Street. Lets go explore! // published 10/08/2015


text:
This section has been designed to support any learner who has concerns about their own, or someone else's, well-being, health or safety.
Safeguarding means ensuring that we protect ourselves and others from harm or damage using the appropriate measures.
The Skills Network is committed to ensuring that we take appropriate action to ensure that young people and vulnerable adults are kept safe.
See below for further information on safeguarding at The Skills Network.
The Skills Network is also committed to mitigating, and supporting others to mitigate, the threat of terrorism to the UK.
TSN recognises that all staff and learners have a role to play in preventing radicalisation.
All complaints, allegations or suspicions relating to radicalisation are taken extremely seriously by The Skills Network.
For TSN's policy on Prevent, please access our Safeguarding and Prevent policy by clicking here.


text: We caught this off of the NYT YouTube feed this morning. We're betting they're totally glad they invested in all that video equipment. We wonder if anyone thought to run downstairs and actually get close to the taxi cab caught on fire — or was everyone worried it was a terrorist attack? Maybe this means there's going to be one more medallion up for auction — woo-hoo! A new top price story! Yay!


text: Who Turned Down the Volume? posted 4/5/2011 in General Market Commentary Highlights... March saw the lightest month for trading since December 1999 as the trend of declining trading volume that began at the start of 2010 has continued. Those wishing for more volume should be careful what they wish for since a rebound in trading volume may come with the return of volatility, rather than the steady gains we have seen since last summer. Read the entire Market Commentary. (pdf format) Lincoln Savings Bank and LSB Financial are pleased to provide the above Market Commentary for the week of April 4, 2011. The commentary is prepared by LPL FINANCIAL RESEARCH, the broker-dealer partner for Lincoln Savings Bank and LSB Financial. This commentary and others like it can be found at www.mylsb.com/investments/commentary.aspx### This information is being provided by Lincoln Savings Bank (LSB) / LSB Financial, an Iowa-based institution devoted to providing complete financial services since 1902. www.mylsb.com Want the latest and greatest from our blog straight to your inbox? Follow Subscribe to our blog Categories Banking Business CEO Messages Community Cybersecurity General Homeowners Insurance Investments Lincoln Love Mortgage Personal Finance Press Releases Seasonal Trust Wealth Management Recent Articles Resources for Iowa Businesses How Quickly Can Stocks Recover From COVID-19? Managing Your Money During COVID-19 Archive 2020 2019 2018


text:
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1927. Daglish, Erci Fitch. Limited Edition 500 Copies. Hardcover. Printed by The Curwen Press for distribution in the US of 500 copies for sale. 8vo, quarter cloth, marblized boards, darkened spine, internals fine in publishers worn paper-backed cardboard slipcase, missing a piece of the top side, with paper label same as on spine of book. 16 wood engravings. A solid copy. Very Good. Item #010669
Price: $250.00
See all items in GIFT IDEAS, Literature
See all items by Henry David Thoreau


text:
sister, sister
My sister and I haven't lived together since she was 6 and I was 15. I went away early to school, and I never really returned home. We had a different relationship than sisters who are close in age – I'm guessing our relationship was typical for the age difference. I babysat for her a lot – and I'm probably a pretty typical older sibling.
I would say she is the pretty typical youngest sibling – the "baby" of the family. She had four older people looking out for her, my parents were better off financially through most of her life, and she has a vastly different relationship with my mother. They actually *talk* – multiple times per week. My mother and I talk – about superficial stuff – maybe once per month.
Anyway, my sister is living with J and I this summer. She attends school at the giant university here, and during the school year she has always stayed in the dorms. This summer, she opted to stay with us until her apartment is available in mid-August.
It's amazing to me how she is both dependent and independent. She keeps hours that are odd to me – staying awake until 3 AM and sleeping until 10 or 11AM. She buys much of her own food – I don't think she likes what I cook – she hasn't shown any interest (when she is here) in eating what I've made for dinner. At the same time – it's almost like she needs help doing little stuff, too. I know some of it will come when she truly lives alone – like getting her cereal bowl into the dishwasher.
She wants to go to medical school. Specifically, she wants to become a psychiatrist. I've set her up with my ob/gyn friend (I know, not the right body parts – but that's the dr friend I have) who has subsequently set her up with a job at her clinic. Hopefully she will be able to "shadow" my friend some over the next year or so.
She knows all about the IVF cycle – I'm not completely clear how much she really understands. She may come to one of the wand-monkey appointments – it would be interesting for her to see the doctor count and measure the follicles. And I'm sure he'd do a thorough job explaining for her benefit.
I like having her here (when she's here).
For those keeping track, I've been on Lupron for a bit, stopped the birth control pills a few days ago. Baseling u/s tomorrow, stims should begin Saturday night.
8 Responses to "sister, sister"
Good luck with the u/s. Hoping you can start shootin' up right on schedule!
Ah, the joys of being a university student.
Good luck with the baseline scan.
Hope the u/s shows all is in order. And I hope your sister will prove to be someone you can rely on for support during the IVF cycle if need be. I know she may be younger, but that she should be able to do.
I'm crossing everything that this is it for you.
much luck and love to my dear friend…
I'm very excited for this cycle.
I hope the baseline scan goes well. Wishing you the best for this cycle…
I hope the baseline goes well. I am also starting stims for IVF #2 on Saturday, so I will check back on your progress. Good luck!!!
What an exciting and scary time! I'll keep you in my heart and thoughts.
My mom went to my appts. with me last summer. It was enormously interesting for her to see the follicles and progress. We are close anyway, but having her with me for part of my IF treatment made us closer. I hope it does the same for you and your sister.
Good luck.
I am glad that you are enjoying your sister's visit.
I hope your appt. went well and that you started stimming right on schedule. I started on Friday, so we are cycling at the same time. Keep us posted of your progress.