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In May, Niagara-on-the-Lake's Peller Estates hosted Food Truck Eats, an entire weekend devoted to the latest to-go culinary trend. Visitors to the quaint area might also find Gastronomo Vagabondo, one of Ontario's first food trucks, or the Canuck Pizza Truck, a 1946 Chevy retrofit with a food-fired pizza oven, roaming the region. The farm-to-table charcuterie trend hasn't skipped the Shaw Festival-centric area, either: at the bio-dynamic Ravine Vineyard in nearby St. Davids, chef Paul Harber whips up rabbit roulade with a side of candied beet salad and house-made double-cured bacon from pigs the winery raises off-site. On Thursdays, Ravine also plays host to the Tide & Vine food truck's oyster shuckers while a DJ spins.
But there's another chef in Niagara-on-the-Lake's historic Old Town who also prides herself on locally sourced fare made in-house, and while she doesn't have a DJ booth or a trendy food truck, she does have the words "May the Road Rise Up to Meet You" writ large over her courtyard window. Add lineups out the door.
Tucked in the back of the Irish Design Store, behind the sloping stacks of chunky Aran knits and hearty Donegal tweeds, is a second storefront: The Irish Tea Room. It's here that Pat Henry presides, her Irish lilt from Derry still melodically intact. Those who skip the traditional cuppa Barry's Gold Blend to order from the barista might notice that the latte foam forms the shape of a shamrock. At lunchtime — and the witching hour of afternoon tea, after the matinée at the Royal George theatre down the street gets out — queues are three and four abreast for slices of gingerbread and barm brack, a traditional Irish tea cake.
"My mummy and I were always going to open a wee tea room," Henry recalls of growing up baking with her mother Mona before attending Portrush catering college back home. Henry's sister and brother-in-law own the building and the Irish store up front. Cue the tea room. "If you go back to Ireland and go into a store, what's in the back? There's always a tea room or a restaurant," Henry says. "Even Dunn's and all those big stores."
In Henry's tiny kitchen, fresh salmon patties await the midday rush and every item — from the hearty soup to the Bushmill's Irish whiskey cake — is made from scratch on the premises, using traditional Irish recipes that Henry herself adapted to modern dietary realities. Everything is just right, and gluten-free.
"It took me years, and a few failures," says Henry, who's borderline celiac. She only had two or three gluten-free recipes when she first opened seven years ago.
"First I had one shelf, then two shelves, then two years ago I moved everything to gluten-free because you had the problem where people wouldn't take anything from the case in case a crumb fell on it," she says. "Some people are very, very sensitive."
Henry doesn't advertise the fact her menu is gluten-free, either. "A lot of people still don't know what celiac is and think there's something wrong with it and they turn their nose up," she says with a laugh. "Back when we had a shelf that said 'gluten-free,' it never moved.
"I wouldn't say better it's just that I was delighted that I tweaked them and got them where they all should be. The crumb is the same, the way they fall apart. In some you might feel that grainy thing that rice flour has, but you know generally, I'm quick tickled with myself. Today they don't taste the difference and that's the way it should be."
More and more of Niagara-on-the-Lake's traditional bed and breakfasts, such as Cooper Lane and Merlot House, offer full vegan or gluten-free breakfasts on request; some even shop here for traditional fare. The most popular items are the gingerbread and barm brack, all from recipes tweaked with tapioca, corn or rice flour.
"A lot of businesses I know would bring in a mix and add water to it," Henry scoffs. "I make my own from scratch."
Even the cheese in the soup is grated in-house because early on, Henry thought it might save time to bring in packaged, pre-grated cheese, but was dismayed to discover that "they dust it with flour to separate it!"
Henry is still aiming for her pot of gold, though: good gluten-free scones."I still feel I haven't mastered it yet … and even if I do, they'll never be as good as these," she says of the scones and shortbread that sit off to one side on the counter, still made the traditional way with wheat flour.
For the Irish Tea Room's cranberry chocolate treat recipe, visit nationalpost.com/theappetizer.


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Open Forum: Candidates for Associate Dean for International Students and Scholars, December 9, 10, 11, 4:15 p.m.
Three candidates for the Associate Dean for International Students and Scholars will be on campus this week. The search committee has scheduled an open forum for the candidateseach beginning at 4:15 p.m., on Monday, Dec. 9, in Campus Center 103; Tuesday, Dec. 10, in Campus Center 205; and Wednesday, Dec. 11, also in Campus Center 205at which they will speak about their work and ideas for Smith, and answer questions. All are welcome.

subset: commoncrawl


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H.G. Walls is the manufacturer for a line of both custom scenics and new kit scenics. Made of sturdy wood, cut to exacting detail, they add dimension and color to tabletops and dioramas. The first series is aimed at American buildings for the Western and ACW periods. Since they can be decorated to form many different buildings, an entire town can be easily collected. Kits require painting and assembly. They also produced several lines of rules.


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Editor's note: As part of NFL's Greatest Quarterback, fans will decide the best quarterback in team, division, conference and league history.
Other than the 49ers, the NFC West teams haven't had a long history of legendary quarterbacks. They've piled up plenty of Pro Bowls, and the Rams even have two Hall of Famers, but names like Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin aren't quite as well known as Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Montana beat out Young, John Brodie and Jeff Garcia for San Francisco in our polls. Montana finished with 71.38 percent of the vote to Young's 22.12.
For the Cardinals, Paul Christman won with 78.85 percent. The quarterback who last competed in the 1940s was the only one among Jim Hart, Neil Lomax and Jake Plummer to lead the Cardinals to a championship.
Despite the fact that Waterfield and Van Brocklin are Pro Football Hall of Famers, Kurt Warner won for the Rams with 66 percent of the vote. Shockingly, Roman Gabriel finished second with 14 percent.
In Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck took the crown with 60.13 percent. Russell Wilson finished second, Dave Krieg third and Jim Zorn fourth. If Wilson can improve upon his impressive 2012 season, he could be topping this list the next time around.
Now's the time to vote for the greatest quarterback in NFC West history. Will it be Montana, Christman, Warner or Hasselbeck. Check out their credentials and vote below.
Joe Montana: Montana is widely regarded as the best quarterback in NFL history. He led the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories in 1981, 1984, 1988 and 1989. The 49ers were 100-39 under Montana, as he led them to the playoffs nine times.
"Joe Cool" threw for 35,124 yards, 244 touchdowns and 123 interceptions with the 49ers. He's an eight-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro and two-time MVP. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Paul Christman: Christman played for the Cardinals from 1945 to 1949. He led the team to an NFL Championship in 1947. The team won the NFL West in 1948 under Christman as well.
Christman was a two-time All-Pro with the Cardinals in 1946 and 1947. He threw for 7,294 career passing yards with 58 touchdowns and 76 interceptions. He ran for eight touchdowns as well.
Kurt Warner: The Rams had won NFL Championships in 1945 and 1950, but Warner led the team to their first Super Bowl victory. Warner came out of obscurity in 1999 to lead the Rams to a 13-3 record while throwing for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Warner led St. Louis to another Super Bowl in 2001, but they lost to the New England Patriots. Warner was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Rams before getting released after the 2003 season. In 13 career playoff games, Warner ranks first all-time in completion percentage and yards per attempt.
Matt Hasselbeck: Hasselbeck is the Seahawks' career leader in passing yards. He's also the first Seattle quarterback to lead the team to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks lost to the Steelers in 2005.
Hasselbeck led the Seahawks for 10 years from 2001 to 2010. He threw for 174 touchdowns and 29,434 yards during that time and had a quarterback rating of 82.2. Hasselbeck was a three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2005. He led Seattle to the playoffs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010.
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PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Chesterfield, MO, United States, 2011/03/24 - St. John's Mercy Eye Care to provide prescription safety frames and safety eyewear fittings for local IVC customers - IndustrialVisionCorp.com.
Industrial Vision Corporation announces they have secured an agreement with St. John's Mercy Eye Care in Washington, MO to serve as a local service center for the prescription safety eyewear needs of area businesses.
The center is located at 851 East Fifth Street, Suite 112, in the ground floor of the Doctors Building.
St. Johns Mercy Eye Care will be the exclusive provider of Industrial Vision products in the Washington area. The center will carry a full selection of IVC eyewear and will help with fitting and frame selection.
Industrial Vision will utilize St. Johns Mercy to service its two new Washington area clients, Canam Steel Corporation and CG Power Systems. IVC customers can call for an appointment at 636-239-8345.
St. Johns Mercy Eye Care has an excellent professional staff and has always offered competitive pricing and services for eye exams and personal eyewear, said John Stewart, President of Industrial Vision.
Now they will carry a full line of prescription safety eyewear to include everything from high-fashion titanium and stainless steel frames to designer plastic styles. The center will be a real added value for our industrial and occupational customers.
About INDUSTRIAL VISION CORPORATION
Industrial Vision is the only certified industrial and occupational lens manufacturer in the Midwest. Located in St. Louis, MO, the company offers the largest selection of designer Safety Rx Eyewear including work glasses for electricians with their non-conductive line; safety eyewear specifically designed for forklift and mobile equipment operators; and the only prescription eyewear for use for light welding and brazing. Additionally, IVC manufactures specialized prescription eyewear that attaches inside full-face respirator masks used by fireman, law enforcement, and chemical workers, and Rx medical eyewear for operating room nurses, technicians and surgeons.
No other company offers the full range of occupational Rx eyewear and services than Industrial Vision Corporation. For additional information visit industrialvisioncorp.com or call 800-264-1941.
Agency / Source: Solomon/Turner
Availability: All Regions (Including Int'l)
Traffic Booster: [/] Quick PRZOOM - Press & Newswire Visibility Checker
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Download PicsArt Photo Studio iPhone iPad iOS
PicsArt , the publisher behind many iOS app (PicsArt Meme Studio ,PicsArt Photo Studio ,PicsArt for Kids), brings PicsArt Photo Studio with a number of new features along with the usual bug fixes. PicsArt Photo Studio app has been update to version 1.0 with several major changes and improvements. App release that improves performance, provides several new options.
Overall Satisfaction88
This is one of the best photo editing apps I have ever used.
What happened to editing and effects.
This is probably the best photo editor app there is.
One of the best pic editors used till now.
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves Photography and editing.
The app is greatu2026however it could use more effects and masks.
This app is very useful and will make your pics look amazing.
This app is the best picture app and drawing app ever.
Plz add more features like more frames.
Fun & Engaging76
This app is great when it comes to editing photos.
What happened to editing and effects.
The app is greatu2026however it could use more effects and masks.
Best picture editing tool I ever had on iOS.
Plz add more features like more frames.
I'm obsessed with this app.
It does everything I want it to and it's FUN to use.
It's very useful and fun to mess around with.
It has almost anything and everything you could need to edit anything.
It's very useful and everything I need to edit Is in this app.
Literally has everything you could pretty much want in a photoshop app.
It literally has everything you could want.
It's so helpful to me.
It's very useful and fun to mess around with.
This app is extremely useful and fun.
Social Aspects42
A must have for anyone creating content for social media.
Social media famous.
Production Values77
Blur: Smart Blur Effect.
Whenever I would go to the Blur effects it always crashes.
cool effects that can be created with a simple picture.
Absolutely stunning and amazing.
Ease of Use100
It's super easy to use & has everything I want & need.
cool effects that can be created with a simple picture.
I love how simple and user friendly this app is.
Simple and user friendly.
Updates & Support16
Liked the Old Version.
Endless possibilities with this app. found in 13 reviews
Oh my gosh this app is so cool. found in 3 reviews
I have been through dozens of photo editors from App Store. found in 35 reviews
one of the best picture editor that is for free. found in 50 reviews
It's definitely the best and follow me on Insta kebu__. found in 4 reviews
It has everything packed into one app. found in 4 reviews
One of the best photo apps on the market. found in 2 reviews
I really like this app and use it almost daily. found in 3 reviews
this is one of my faves. found in 3 reviews
actually make me feel like a pro. found in 3 reviews
Best photoshop app I've found and will probably ever use. found in 17 reviews
They have great filters and just overall great editing options. found in 15 reviews
From editing professional photos to photo quotes to simple cropping. found in 23 reviews
It's Google+ meets DeviantArt rolled into one. found in 4 reviews
thanks for making a decent free photo editor. found in 32 reviews
This is the best app I've ever used for pic editing. found in 53 reviews
PicsArt photo studio is awsome app. found in 3 reviews
This is probably the best picture editing app I've ever downloaded. found in 135 reviews
My top editing app for Instagram and other social networks. found in 30 reviews
This app is the BEST app for editing pics and its easy. found in 63 reviews
Please fix the latest update. found in 2 reviews
But I've come to a problem please fix it. found in 3 reviews
whenever I layer photos the top photo becomes blurry. found in 3 reviews
Please bring back the color select tool. found in 6 reviews
every time i go to the blur effect it just exits. found in 21 reviews
For me when I try to add a picture from my photos it crashes. found in 9 reviews
I constantly use the draw feature to fix lighting. found in 10 reviews
Great app but recently removed my most used too. found in 4 reviews
since they removed the eyedropper tool from the Draw section. found in 59 reviews
Ugh it's getting my really annoying please fix. found in 4 reviews
I cannot choose a color it's only white text. found in 8 reviews
I can't upload photos to an existing picture. found in 7 reviews
but it keeps crashing every time I try to open it. found in 3 reviews
I'm very upset you guys took away the color select tool. found in 10 reviews
What happened to the color matching eye dropper tool. found in 10 reviews
it comes out blurry &' I can't do anything about it. found in 10 reviews
but after the update it's been crashing just after I open it. found in 11 reviews
Please bring back the eye dropper/ color matching tool :. found in 21 reviews
Except the whole situation with the color wheel bothers me. found in 33 reviews
Theres no check mark to apply it. found in 15 reviews
but now any time I choose to make a collage -. found in 21 reviews
I REALLY HATE THE NEW COLOR CHOOSER. found in 13 reviews
but now that the color matching tool is gone. found in 21 reviews
It blacks out then force closes to my home screen. found in 31 reviews
But Yall too the eye dropper feature in this new update. found in 70 reviews
It's been crashing before I even click on anything. found in 11 reviews
Every time I try to add pictures it crashes. found in 14 reviews
it dosent even change to another colour besides black. found in 14 reviews
It is very confusing and difficult to use the color wheel. found in 33 reviews
Please please please bring back the eyedropper tool. found in 59 reviews
I can't post to social media. found in 13 reviews
What happened to the color picker. found in 33 reviews
It's impossible to change the color for the borders. found in 36 reviews
iPhone 320x480 1
iPhone 320x480 2
iPhone 320x480 3
iPhone 320x480 4
iPad 360x480 1
iPad iphone 360x480 2
iPad 360x480 3
iPad 360x480 4
Icon 175x175 1
iOS PicsArt Photo Studio 1.0 Mobile
NC Travel Album - Marked on the map the way you travel photos
Private Video Hidden Vault - Hide Your Personal Videos
Feliz Cinco De Mayo
PicsArt Meme Studio
PicsArt Photo Studio
PicsArt for Kids
R:4.5 - 213 Ratings
Analysis of ratings from user comments
App Popularity (trend)
App Average Rating (trend)
17,319 total


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Urban omnibus of three stories about problems of youth. Story I - Three young men from New Belgrade block spend their time together. After finishing their secondary school, they wait for a draft call, trying to get some money in an easier way. Story II - Three friends work in a book storehouse. Mother of one of them works in a bar and tries to employ his son there. Meanwhile, he meets a girl from the neighborhood. On the night before his first day at a new job, he and his friends have been not allowed to attend the house party they've been invited to. Without drink and fun, they decide to steal the key of the bar from his mother. Story III - Everything goes fine in the couple's relationship, until she gets job in a countryside thus separating them... but the guy thinks there's more about it.Overview from themoviedb.org
Watch online
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|Sta radis veceras.1988.EN.srt


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Orange County Infrared Home Saunas | Buy An Infrared Sauna | Store
Yes! You Can Now Have An Infrared Sauna In Your Orange County, California Home For Much Less Than You Think!
America's Leading Healthy Living Expert, Dr. John Spencer Ellis, gives his full endorsement of Sunlighten Saunas.
"When you get your own Sunlighten Infrared Sauna for your Orange County, California County home, you will experience many health benefits including weight loss, detoxification, mood elevation and stress management. Your Orange County, California home will become your own personal spa."
- Dr. John Spencer Ellis
Click here for details on your Orange County, California Home Infrared Sauna
Finally, A sauna for everyone in Orange County, California!
As far as heart health goes, all saunas work on the same principle: They induce a deep sweat to make the heart pump faster, which in turn increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and helps circulation. Unfortunately, traditional steam saunas can have big drawbacks for the elderly or ill. These saunas heat the air to around 180 degrees and can make breathing difficult. If used incorrectly, they can even cause heat stroke.
Your Sunlighten infrared sauna for your Orange County, California home, however, emits only a dry, radiant heat that warms from within, keeping temperatures between 100 and 120 degrees.
Go now, and get the details on your own Orange County, California home sauna >>> (use promotional code "JSE")
Improve your circulation and improve blood pressure.
In Japan, where infrared saunas have been main-stream for decades, a 2001 Kagoshima University study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (38;4:1083-8) followed at-risk men undergoing daily sauna sessions for two weeks. Doctors observed a 68 percent increase in the blood flow of the men's brachial arteries, as well as "significant" drops in their blood pressures. The doctors concluded that "repeated sauna treatment improves impaired vascular endothelial function... suggesting a therapeutic role for sauna treatment in patients with risk factors for atherosclerosis."
In North America, a 2005 University of Missouri trial further explored the connection between infrared saunas and lower blood pressure. Here, test subjects sat in Sunlighten-brand saunas thrice weekly for six weeks and experienced an average drop of systolic blood pressure from 130.5 to 124. Almost identical blood pressure improvements appear in a 2010 paper written by Canadian doctor Richard Beever, MD. In his study of type 2 diabetes sufferers, Dr. Beever found an average decrease in patients' systolic blood pressure of 124 to 118.
Get the details on your own infrared home sauna for your Orange County, California home >>> (use promotional code "JSE")
The future looks bright for infrared saunas, but why grab those rays from a Sunlighten? For starters, the technology. Sunlighten's Solocarbon® wall heaters put out evenly distributed, cool-to-the-touch heating in contrast to the ceramic rods used in other infrared saunas. Sunlighten's also developed the "mPulse" line of saunas that track calories burned, heart rate, and body mass index changes, as well as let users select the exact type of infrared rays—near, mid, or far—they wish to receive.
Order your Orange County, California infrared home sauna >>> (use promotional code "JSE")
Finally, there's Sunlighten's partnership with the American Heart Association, which named Sunlighten one of its "Fit Friendly Companies." For their part, Sunlighten's co-owners serve on the board of their local AHA chapter and donate a portion of sales every February during American Heart Month.
Whether you're older and unable to exercise regularly in Orange County, California, or you simply want to supplement an existing workout, Sunlighten infrared saunas have emerged as a powerful and popular option for maintaining cardiovascular health. When it comes to getting a handle on heart disease, we see a light at the end of the tunnel—and it's infrared.
Get the details on your own Orange County, California infrared home sauna >>>
(use promotional code "JSE")
Home Sauna Kits, Heaters and Systems for Your Orange County, California Home
"Having your very own Sunlighten Sauna is the fastest and easiest way to improve your health, and enjoy the end of each day!"
- Dr. John Spencer Ellis
Aliso Viejo Anaheim Atwood Brea Buena Park Capistrano Beach Corona Del Mar Costa Mesa Cypress Dana Point East Irvine El Toro Foothill Ranch Fountain Valley Fullerton Garden Grove Huntington Beach Irvine La Habra La Palma Ladera Ranch Laguna Beach Laguna Hills Laguna Niguel Laguna Woods Lake Forest Los Alamitos Midway City Mission Viejo Newport Beach Newport Coast Orange Placentia Rancho Santa Margarita San Clemente San Juan Capistrano Santa Ana Seal Beach Silverado Stanton Sunset Beach Surfside Trabuco Canyon Tustin Villa Park Westminster Yorba Linda


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Member since 1/31/2014
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Questions from Jane120
Can an umbilicoplasty fix the unwanted hole left by a belly ring?
I can no longer stand the sight of the hole left by a belly ring which I removed about a year ago after having the piercing for about a year. I haven't come across any... READ MORE


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The Developer Division at Microsoft consists some of the smartest people I have known. It has been about 10 months since I joined this division and I am having a blast so far. A lot of the leaders in this division have decades of experience building development tools and development platform technologies.
This week, we launched a page that will give you quick access to some of the thoughts that our senior leaders in Developer Division are sharing with you all through their blogs. For example, we have blogs from Eric Rudder – Senior Vice President of Server and Tools, Sara Williams, the fearless leader of the MSDN team, Jason Zander who runs the CLR team, Rick Laplante who heads our enterprise tools team, Lori Pearce who runs the platform SDK team and several others.
We are all very committed to engaging with you – our customers, because this connection is critical in helping us build a better product. Your feedback via these blogs is extremely useful. It helps us get valuable feedback during our design process, get your comments on the early builds and get your involvement in every step of the product development process.
Take a look at these blogs written by our leaders and let me know what you would like to hear from us in our blogs.


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Honeywell Aerospace's business and regional aircraft authorized service centers are to be graded under a new Service Target Authorization Approval Rating (STAAR) program. This will set performance standards for service center authorization and the quarterly performance metrics required to achieve a STAAR designation.
"The STAAR program is based on feedback from our operators and service centers and on benchmarking studies of the automotive and aviation service industries," said Jeffrey Johnston, Honeywell's director of propulsion systems customer and product support. "The program establishes 13 key performance standards that service centers must meet to become part of the Honeywell authorized network and introduces a higher set of expectations that must be met to achieve a STAAR designation."
Operators of Honeywell's engines will be responsible for 50 percent of the overall rating for a service center. Facilities will be able to score additional points toward their rating by providing special maintenance options, such as acoustic survey capability and electronic logbooks.
Most performance items are to be tracked each month and there will be a quarterly review of each of Honeywell's 130 authorized service centers. The first ratings will be published in January.
Separately, the group also announced on Sunday that its Honeywell Aerospace Trading aircraft components unit has extended its service to cover business and regional aircraft. The operation buys and sells pre-owned and excess equipment of all major brands, including avionics, auxiliary power units, engines and environmental control systems. One-year warranties are provided on most purchases.


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COLLEGE STATION – After the failure of many of their summer crops due to drought, now producers have good reason to worry that they won't make a winter wheat crop either, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
"There are some real concerns right now, not only about potentially getting the crop up in the future, but about what kind of yield potential we are going to have with the crop if we do," said Dr. Todd Baughman, AgriLife Extension agronomist for the Rolling Plains region.
The concern focuses on soil-moisture reserves, as the bulk of winter wheat is planted during September and October, Baughman said. Without better soil moisture, the crop will not even emerge.
The concern is felt not just for grain production, but for livestock forage production too, as winter wheat is also commonly relied upon for fall grazing, he said. And wheat producers have reason to be concerned throughout most the state, not just in the Rolling Plains region.
"If you don't get it up and growing, that's going to limit your fall grazing, which is really going to hurt you from a cattle-performance standpoint," Baughman said. "That's probably the No. 1 fear that we've got right now."
But for those who need grain production, the lack of soil moisture is causing a lot of anxiety as well, he said.
"If we don't build up some soil moisture to grow this crop, there's concern that it's going to run out of water just like the cotton crop has done this year because it won't have any real deep moisture to help with the yield potential."
Many farmers plant wheat for both grazing and grain production, pulling cattle off fields in time for the crop to make grain. But wheat for grazing is an even higher priority this year because the drought has caused summer grazing to become non-existent and continued feeding has exhausted hay supplies, Baughman said.
"Typically, what you'll see is that somewhere between mid-September to the middle of October is the prime planting time for grazing," he said. "Of course, we would really like to be planting right around the first of October. For our grain guys, most planting will start somewhere in the middle of October to Thanksgiving. That would be the prime time that we would like to plant the crop as a grain-only crop. "
But even for those planning wheat as a grain-only crop could run into trouble this year, he said. This is because November typically signals the start of a drier time of year for most of the state's wheat-growing regions. If moisture reserves aren't already built up before winter, the chances to make a good grain crop will be greatly diminished.
"The driest months – if you look at historical weather records — will be December, January and February," Baughman said. "November will be slightly behind those, so … if we don't get any rainfall from now through the first of November, then the chance of actually building that deep moisture up is limited even in a normal year."
And obviously, this has been far from a normal year, he said.
More information on the current Texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at http://agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/.
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:
The 12 Texas AgriLife Extension Service Districts
Central: Temperatures remained high. Where there was rain, forages greened up but were not growing as well as hoped. Water for livestock was becoming a major issue. Hay prices continued to rise. Most corn and milo were baled for hay. Trees were going dormant; some are dying.
Coastal Bend: Extremely high temperatures and severe drought conditions continued. The cotton harvest was ongoing. Many trees showed signs of drought stress, and some were dying. Ponds were dry or extremely low. Herd liquidation became a reality for beef cattle producers. What cattle remained were being supplemented with hay and feed. Most livestock water had to be hauled or pumped from wells. Hay was being hauled in from other states.
East: Some areas had scattered showers, but they did not bring enough moisture to alleviate drought conditions. Pastures remained dry and short. Trees were dying. Ponds and creek levels continued to drop; some were already completely dried up. Producers were buying hay from out of state. Some also brought in water for livestock, while others continued culling of herds and some sold off entire herds.
Far West: In Glasscock County, rains caused quite a bit of cotton boll-drop, but the rest of the region suffered from extreme drought conditions. High temperatures were in the lower 90s in the mountains, but still in the triple digits along the Rio Grande. Nighttime temperatures dropped into the low to mid 70s in some areas. Cotton near El Paso was in full bloom and setting bolls, with very low pest pressure. Some pecan trees were winding up a light August nut drop. Other trees were entering the gel stage and continued to grow. Alfalfa producers were taking their fifth cutting.
North: With no rain and 100-plus degree daytime highs, soil-moisture levels were short throughout the district. The drought continued to take its toll on pastures. Nearly all livestock producers were feeding hay and supplements. Feed dealers were enlisting AgriLife Extension offices to help them find hay. Some dealers had to go as far as Alabama to find hay. With the drought and extreme shortage of hay, most producers were reducing or liquidating their herds. Stock tanks were very low and ponds were drying up across the area. Most corn and grain was harvested, with yields for both crops reported as average or slightly above. Grain sorghum that was planted on time did well, but late-planted sorghum was struggling. A few soybean fields were harvested over the past couple of days, but most was being cut for hay. Cotton looked terrible, and peanuts were in very poor condition. Skunks and armadillos were reportedly digging under houses to escape the heat and find moisture. Feral hogs were searching for ponds and mud holes. Rangeland and pastures were in very poor condition.
Panhandle: The region continued to be hot and dry. Soil-moisture levels were very short. Irrigators were still very active. More cornfields were abandoned because of lack of irrigation. Where possible, producers were salvaging what they could from corn failures by chopping it for silage. Pastures were in very poor condition. Livestock producers further reduced herds and were weaning calves early.
Rolling Plains: The record-breaking heat and dry weather that was the norm for the past several months continued. Scattered, light showers had little effect under 100-plus temperatures and wind. As mid-August came to a close, it was nearly a year since most counties had any measurable moisture. The region has had more than 80 days of highs above 100 degrees. Most of the cotton crop was disastered-out for insurance. Only irrigated cotton was left, and that was beginning to bloom out the top of plants and show signs of giving up. Hay was in short supply, and what was being harvested was sold before it is baled. Some producers stopped watering hay fields and were only irrigating cotton to conserve water. Most pastures were grazed off, and producers were forced to sell more cattle. Ranchers who still had cattle were worried about winter feed. Conservation Reserve Program acres were being grazed and bailed for hay, but approaching deadlines will force producers off these acres. By law, haying must cease Aug. 31and grazing by Oct. 31. Many stock-water tanks were being built, cleaned and given more depth. Low water levels resulted in fish kills, especially at Lake Kemp.
South: Scorching temperatures well above 100 degrees continued, keeping soil-moisture levels very short. Zapata County reported highs of 110 degrees. Rangeland and pastures were in poor to very poor condition, adding hardship for ranchers, livestock and wildlife throughout the entire region. High evaporation rates and the water needs of livestock and wildlife added to the difficulty for producers trying to hold onto their herds going into the fall. Livestock market prices weakened as a result of herd liquidations. Cattle body condition scores declined, but livestock mostly remained in fair condition thanks to supplemental feeding. Atascosa County livestock producers shipped in alfalfa from Nebraska. In Atascosa and Frio counties, peanuts were progressing well with constant irrigation, the sorghum harvest was completed and irrigated Bermuda grass fields were being cut for hay. In Zavala County, the cotton harvest began and preparations for fall plantings were in progress. In Cameron and Hidalgo counties, the cotton harvest was ongoing, producers were actively irrigating sugarcane and citrus, and some fall vegetables were being planted. In Starr County, the soybean harvest was under way and the sorghum harvest was finished.
South Plains: The region was still hot and dry, though temperatures became more moderate, with highs mostly in the mid-to-upper 90s. Producers wound down irrigating cotton as about 90 percent of the crop approached cutout, maturing about 30 days early. Some cotton fields will be sprayed with harvest aids within the next week. Fall small-grain crops will likely not be planted unless there is rain, as there was no moisture in the soil profile. Pastures and rangeland remained dry. Herds were being culled or moved to feeding facilities. A few counties had scattered showers, but not enough was received to make any difference at this point.
Southeast: Light showers did little to alleviate drought conditions. Cattle producers continued culling older cattle and weaning calves early. Groundwater levels further dropped, creating issues for watering cattle. Grain sorghum and rice were being harvested for hay at unprecedented levels. Hay movement was very active. There were concerns of nutritional quality of secondary forages and requests for suggestions on feeding strategies and supplementing programs. Trees were dying in pastures. Soybeans were at best in fair condition. Feeding livestock this winter program was expected to be a huge challenge for producers.
Southwest: The drought continued with no rain forecast. High afternoon winds created dust storms. While high temperatures dropped to the upper 90s, the heat continued to aggravate the dry conditions. Wildfire alerts remained in place. Many stock tanks completely dried up. Forage availability remained well below average for this time of the year. The cotton harvest was ongoing, with excellent yields from fully irrigated fields, but most dryland and partially irrigated cotton failed. Sweet corn, recently planted for an early fall harvest, made good progress under heavy irrigation. Peanuts, pecans and landscape nursery crops continued to make good progress wherever irrigation water was still available. Ranchers were providing supplemental feed to remaining livestock.
West Central: Hot, dry conditions continued. Most areas reported some rain, but not enough to break long-term drought conditions. Normally producers would be preparing fields for fall planting at this time, but no work was being done because of the extremely dry soils. Rangeland and pastures continue to deteriorate. Wildlife was suffering from drought and moving into towns looking for food and water. Producers continued to sell off livestock due to lack of forage and water. Some producers were in 'survival mode,' trying to hold onto a small number of cattle with which they can rebuild herds when conditions improve.


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Alice Walker
Alice Walker (9 February 1944 - / Eatonton Georgia)
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Members of the Irvine Pony Padres and the Pony Angels took part in the second annual Irvine Pony night hosted by Woodbridge April 12 at Ryan Lemmon Stadium.
Players lined up with the Northwood and Woodbridge players and took the field with them during the first inning of the Pacific Coast League game.
The Padres included: Owen Kelso, Dean Knezevich, Brady Knezevich, Kellen Larson, Ryan Okajima, Evan Sundaram, Luke Edwards, Zach Dupont. Caelan Lamure. Elliot Kim, Calum Dwyer and Coach Marc Kelso
The Angels included: Nick Sanchez, Dean Berger, Warren Calderon, Darren Shen, Arata Takahara, Jameson Hall, Jayden MacIntyre,
Daniel Lo, Derek Higareda, Jeremy Oh, Christopher Rue, Jun Okamoto and Coach Dave MacIntyre


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Wixon: Southlake Carroll turns tables, drops 50 on Flower Mound
JUSTIN - Like most of Flower Mound's games this season, Friday night featured a long string of touchdowns. But as most of those touchdowns were scored, the area's most prolific offense was standing on the sideline watching its season get away.
There was no stopping Southlake Carroll, at least not by the Flower Mound defense. The Dragons rushed, passed and demolished Flower Mound, 50-27, in a Class 5A Division II bi-district game at Northwest ISD Stadium.
"We want to establish a strong passing game and running game," said senior running back Paul Stevenson, who rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns. "Sometimes it ends up like that."
Carroll (8-3) can only hope things go as smoothly when it faces Colleyville Heritage (9-2) at 2 p.m. next Saturday at Cowboys Stadium. Carroll piled up 591 yards of offense and scored on its first eight possessions.
Six of those scores came in the first half, when Carroll scored five straight touchdowns and was marching toward a sixth when time ran out in the first half. A 39-yard field goal put the finishing touches on a 37-point half for the Dragons.
Stevenson and Zach Thomason each rushed for more than 100 yards in the first half. On top of that, Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill didn't throw his first incompletion until less than a minute remained in the half. He completed 15 of 17 passes for 151 yards and rushed for 129 yards before his night was finished.
And by halftime, Flower Mound was pretty much finished. That's pretty remarkable considering Flower Mound averages 50 points and nearly 600 yards per game, but the 37-6 halftime deficit was huge.
Flower Mound made mistakes when it had the ball, such as losing a fumble on a kickoff and having a 62-yard run on a fake punt wiped out by holding, but the deep hole at halftime came down to one thing:
Flower Mound just couldn't stop Carroll. Whether it was swing passes, curls or runs by Stevenson and Thomason, the Dragons got big chunks of yardage. Hill also picked up most of his rushing yards on a quarterback draw that Flower Mound could not solve.
Carroll finally punted for the first time with seven minutes remaining. But what little hope remained for Flower Mound was dashed when it turned the ball over on downs a minute later. That was a rarity this season for Flower Mound, which finished with 380 yards and its least points of the season.
Quarterback Paul Millard, who threw for more than 4,000 yards this season, completed 24 of 40 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns.
The scoring drives in the first half built a cushion for Carroll and also kept Flower Mound's offense off the field, which was the hope of Carroll coach Hal Wasson. Carroll's defense also did the job by forcing two punts in the first half and getting a turnover on downs.
"We wanted to keep them in front of us and not give up big plays," Wasson said, "and that's what we did."


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San Diego County Clerk Ernest Dronenburg filed a petition Friday asking the California Supreme Court to ban county clerks statewide from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples until it has clarified the legal standing of Proposition 8.
That ballot measure, passed by voters in 2008, defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. It was ruled unconstitutional by a U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco and then eventually appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court by supporters of the law.
The high court ruled 5-4 in June that those appellants lacked legal standing, but it did not address the constitutionality of Proposition 8.
Gov. Jerry Brown, state Attorney General Kamala Harris and the heads of the state's health agencies pushed for same-sex marriages to resume in California, which did happen after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a stay on such unions last month.
About a week ago, a group opposing same-sex marriage asked the state Supreme Court to declare that Proposition 8 is still valid. Among other things, the group said the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling affected only Alameda and Los Angeles counties -- the two regions where plaintiffs who originally challenged the law live.
On Friday afternoon, Dronenburg said he is one of 20 county clerks -- out of 58 in California -- expected to file petitions with the California Supreme Court seeking clarity on the controversy. He filed his petition Friday and said the others are scheduled to submit their filings by the end of Monday.
Dronenburg said he wants clear answers on three key points:
•How the U.S. Supreme Court ruling impacts Proposition 8, and why
•Whether counties other than Alameda and Los Angeles need to allow same-sex marriages
•Whether county clerks, who are elected by voters, have independent authority or are governed by state officials. If the county clerks are autonomous, they presumably would be able to decide on their own whether to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Dronenburg said he filed the petition after receiving countless letters from constituents asking why San Diego County was issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples when the state Supreme Court had not ruled definitively on the issue.
"All I'm really searching for is clarity and finality," he said. "If they answer, it will be over and we'll have a final decision. And if they don't, those issues can be brought up in the future."
Dronenburg declined to discuss his personal views on same-sex marriage. He also said his office continues to serve same-sex couples pending further action from the courts.
After Dronenburg made his filing, Harris issued a statement saying Dronenburg's request won't change anything.
"The filing offers no new arguments that could deny same-sex couples their constitutionally protected civil rights. The federal injunction is still in effect, and it requires all 58 counties to perform same-sex marriages. No exceptions," she said.
Dronenburg worked on his filing with attorney Charles LiMandri, president and chief counsel for the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund in Rancho Santa Fe.
"Mr. Dronenburg is showing real courage by stepping forward and following his conscience and doing the right thing," said LiMandri, who opposes same-sex marriage. "A lot of elected officials are putting their own viewpoints before the 7 million Californians who voted for Prop. 8."
Aaron Caplan, a constitutional law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said he doesn't think Dronenburg's request will go far.
"He's asking for clarity, but it's already clear: There's an injunction against the state of California that says it's unconstitutional to discriminate against same-sex couples," Caplan said.
In addition, Caplan said, past court rulings have shown that when county clerks issue marriage licenses, they're performing a state function controlled by the state registrar of vital statistics. As such, he said, the clerks aren't autonomous.
At the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, professor Kaimipono Wenger said the Friday filing is reasonable.
"This petition does make sense because there's somewhat of an unanswered area of the law," Wenger said, adding that the U.S. Supreme Court left "just enough uncertainty" by not ruling on the constitutionality of Proposition 8.
In a statement, San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox said Dronenburg made the filing decision without notifying other county officials.
"The county clerk has acted independently on this matter. No one else from the county was consulted or had any part of this court action, including the Board of Supervisors. The county's position is and always has been that we, the county, will follow applicable law with regards to same-sex marriage."
Dronenburg, 69, was elected as the county's assessor-recorder-clerk in November 2010. He oversees nearly 500 employees who keep track of births, deaths, marriages and deeds.
Among his duties is to appraise nearly 980,000 parcels of land in San Diego County so property taxes can be levied annually.
On Friday evening, reaction to Dronenburg's filing was strong and divided.
"We applaud San Diego's county clerk for courageously standing up against the attorney general's attempt to bully local officials into ignoring our state constitution," said Andrew Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, the official backers of Proposition 8. "The attorney general's obsession with redefining marriage has put the integrity of the people's power of initiative, and the rule of law itself, in great jeopardy. We hope other county clerks will bravely step forward as well."
In San Diego, Chris Clark, pastor of the East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church, said Dronenburg is correct in highlighting that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling did not change the state constitution's ban on same-sex marriages.
"What Ernie Dronenburg did was very courageous because the blowback that will come his way is going to be visceral," Clark said. "He stood and held to his convictions that he is to uphold the law, and so he wants to be a law-abiding and law-following elected official. He swore an oath to that, and I believe he needs to get clarity from the state Supreme Court."
Advocates for same-sex marriage who responded publicly included Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego.
"Mr. Dronenburg should reconsider this hurtful (petition) and walk away from it," she said. "We appreciate the clarification from county officials that this is not the official position of the County of San Diego or the Board of Supervisors but rather the action of one rogue official whose duty is to administer the law of the land, not turn back the clock on our residents' civil rights."
In Oceanside, Max Disposti, executive director of the North County LBGTQ Resource Center, said he's confident the state will allow same-sex marriages to continue.
What critics of same-sex marriage "are trying to do is create a sense of instability," Disposti said. "Even though we are not worried about the legal argument, it continues to show how our citizens are being seen as second class and how anyone can come forward and try to take our rights away."
Who is Ernest Dronenburg?
U-T San Diego profiled Dronenburg in January, 2011.
Here's a quick look at Dronenburg, based on details from the accompanying profile:
•Born: Aug. 9, 1943, Washington, D.C. (moved two years later to San Diego)
•Personal: Wife, Marilyn, and four children
•Residence: Fallbrook
•Education: B.A. in business administration, finance and accounting from San Diego State University, 1966
•Career: industrial engineer for Solar and NCR, tax auditor for State Board of Equalization, tax partner with Deloitte Tax, founder of Trenway Products (manufacturer of racquetball products)
•Public office: Board of Equalization, 1978-1998; county assessor-recorder-clerk, current
•Hobbies: sailing 34-foot Catalina from Harbor Island
•Favorite music group: Pink Martini


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Recent comments from cancan
I wish I knew what I know now about the thread lift. It is not worth the money. The pain is unbearable. The lift only last for 4 to 6 months, the threads come out of your skin causing bleeding and pain. I look worse now than I did when... READ COMMENT
I had the procedure done 2005 and it was a nightmare. I had two threads removed and still having pain from the others. READ COMMENT
Don't waste your time and money...get a abdominalplasty. I had the abdominalplasty(tummy tuck) done in 2003 and never looked back. My stomach is flat as ever and eat what I want, fit into clothes without a problem,do not have rolls... READ COMMENT
I, too dated white men...but fell in, love and have been married for 21 years. I never thought about color...but you are right it seem that white men don't think much about the color of you skin whether it is too dark or light. READ COMMENT
In America dark skin is the demise of a black woman. I don't think black women hate their color it's just used as a separator. READ COMMENT


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Mazda Repair Questions? Ask Mechanics for Answers ASAP
be sure you have the spark plug wire connected to the right cylinders
check to see if you have injector pulse to the injectors with a test light or noid light
yes i do. I tried turning the distributor 1/4" and it ran for about 5 seconds and then died.
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January 21, 2011 BY John Kim
When one ponders 'Snoop Dogg' and 'Fashion Style', images of slightly oversized adidas Tracksuits come to mind. Snoop's been rocking polyester three-stripes threads for as long as we can remember, and we don't see his sense of style changing anytime soon (you can't teach an old Dogg new tricks). Here's another look at the Snoop Dogg x adidas Originals Freemont Mid, featuring classic Los Angeles Lakers colorways and a familiar logo on the tongue – you might remember it from his Doggystyle LP from '93. Take another look below and watch for these on Snoop's feet this upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend. via FRESHNESS.
Filed under: Adidas Collaboration


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Last night, I came across Jaideep Singh's article, "The Death of Islamophobia: The Rise of Islamo-Racism," featured on Altmuslimah and RaceFiles. Singh argues that the term "Islamophobia" has become obsolescent and proposes that we use "Islamo-racism" instead. The latter, as Singh contends, helps us see anti-Muslim/anti-Islam hostility and discrimination as more than a phobia and linked to "our nation's lengthy history of white and Christian supremacy."
I do not disagree at all with Singh's assertion that vilification of Islam and racism against Muslims and those who are perceived to be Muslim must be understood within the broader context of white supremacy. As my regular readers know, I have argued this same point throughout my blog. That is, Islamophobia (as I still choose to call it) goes beyond ignorance or individual racist acts. It is not an "isolated" phenomenon, but rather deeply embedded in the larger structures of violence and oppression that have long existed before 9/11.
Singh describes bigotry against Muslims as being a "continuation of a centuries-old American tradition of demonizing people of color," and while he is not incorrect, I would just add that demonization of Islam and Muslims goes back even further than the violent "founding" of the U.S. Recently, I gave a guest lecture where I mentioned other Muslim writers, activists, and scholars who insist that Islamophobia pre-dates 9/11. In fact, one could argue that Islamophobia began during the very advent of Islam. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) started to preach Islam, the dominant ruling tribe, the Quraish, perceived it as a threat to social order and subsequently persecuted and oppressed the early Muslims. Islamophobia can be traced back to the Crusades, to the Spanish Inquisition in 1492, and to Western colonialism and wars in Muslim-majority regions. As detailed in Sophia Arjana Rose's book, Muslims in the Western Imagination, medieval Christian literature, paintings, travel diaries, and other historical documents are filled with racialized demonizations of Islam and Muslims.
Throughout this history, we also see the intersection between anti-Blackness and Islamophobia. As pointed out in an article on Chapati Mystery, the first English translation of the Qur'an in 1649 compares Prophet Muhammad to an "African monster" for "people to gaze at, not to dote upon." This likening of the Prophet to an "African monster" is significant as it reflected medieval Europe's view of black skin symbolizing the devil, demons, and monsters. Arjana elaborates:
"Dark skin was understood as a theological consequence of sin… Muslims were often depicted with black, blue, or purple skin. Muslims reportedly worshipped Venus, a black goddess 'dressed in a gold robe with a striking red blob for its hellish tongue.' Islam has, from the beginning, been an identity situated in racial, ethnic, and cultural difference."
The brutal European conquest of Indigenous peoples and lands in the Americas and the Caribbean islands led to colonizers demanding the labor of enslaved Africans. According to Muna Mire's important article, "Towards a Black Muslim Ontology of Resistance," about ten to fifteen percent of enslaved Africans "brought to America as chattel practiced Islam as their faith." Mire also emphasizes, "Black Muslim existence as Black resistance is as old as America itself."
I do not doubt Singh would agree that these intersections are critical in understanding the ways in which anti-Muslim/anti-Islamic ideologies are systemic and interconnected with institutionalized racism or white supremacy. In fact, Singh's article acknowledges and mentions the long history of violence against Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, and other people of color in the United States. Singh also notes that demonization of Muslims constitutes racism because Islam has become racialized. His points on the racialization of Islam and Muslims are reminiscent to the ones I raised in my 2011 blog post, "Debunking the 'Islam is Not a Race' argument." Singh believes these points about racialization and connections to white supremacy are more accurate and effective when one adopts use of the term "Islamo-racism" in place of "Islamophobia."
Respectfully, I disagree. Every once in a while, I have heard people (both Muslim and non-Muslim) voice their criticism about the term "Islamophobia." During a campus event about Islamophobia at my undergrad university, the non-Muslim white man who co-presented with me told the audience that he did not "like" the word "Islamophobia," and instead insisted that we use "anti-Muslim racism." What this did, no matter how unintentional, was discredit my use of "Islamophobia" during my portion of the presentation. Furthermore, the emphasis he placed on the semantics of the term reduced my use of it to "fear of Islam" or "fear of Muslims." The dynamics of a white non-Muslim man explaining why he did not like a term that many Muslims use frequently to describe their own experiences was also a little troubling.
Indeed, when one examines the term "Islamophobia," it sounds like it would refer to just that, "a phobia of Islam." However, during a conversation about Singh's article, a friend articulated to me that language is a social contract. That is, words are not inherit; we are taught and learn them from our environment. We, as societies and communities, agree on the use and meaning of words, no matter how limited the semantics are. For instance, when we look at the term "anti-Semitism," we agree and understand it as referring to hostility and prejudice against Jews. If we were to examine the literal definition, we could make the argument that this term is used inaccurately since there are many non-Jews, including non-Jewish Arabs, who are also Semitic peoples. Another example is the term "homophobia." As many activists would explain, we know this word is not limited to a group of heterosexual individuals who are fearful of gay and lesbian-identified people, but rather extends beyond phobia and is maintained by the structure of heteropatriarchy.
Despite the manner in which we can critique the semantics of "anti-Semitism" and "homophobia," we do not see similar proposals to change or shift the use of these terms as we do with "Islamophobia." Another point my friend raised was that focus on semantics often leads to derailment and division. I am not accusing Singh of derailing from the serious realities of bigotry and violence against Muslims, but I worry that such proposals have the potential to distract us from these realities. Even if a significant group of people adopt "Islamo-racism," it runs the risk of isolating one's self away from those who continue to use "Islamophobia." Additionally, the call to change the terminology can work to delegitimize or discredit the work that many Muslims and allies are already doing. This is especially important because not everyone who uses the term "Islamophobia" sees it as merely being a sentiment or "fear of Islam."
Islamophobia is not acknowledged as a real social problem by the U.S. or the West in general. However, "Islamophobia" as a word has stuck with the Muslim community. More than that, the term is widely used to organize, protest, and name personal experiences with anti-Muslim hate crimes, bigotry, discrimination, and microaggressions. For those of us in academic settings, "Islamophobia" is the word many Muslims and allies use to advocate curriculum, workshops, and programs that address anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic demonization. Calling for a shift in language, while seemingly harmless, does not only face the challenge of replacing a word that is so widely used, but also causes an unnecessary disruption to the efforts being made to fight Islamophobia.
I also do not see any advantages of using "Islamo-racism." Like many Muslims, I have lost count of the times non-Muslims (mostly white, but not always) have told me, "Islamophobia is not racism! Islam is not a race, idiot!" Saying "Islamo-racism" is not going to change these responses. People will still cry, "Islam is not a race, it cannot be racism to hate Muslims/Islam!"
Just to be clear, I do not think there is anything wrong if someone chooses to use "Islamo-racism" instead of "Islamophobia." The problem arises when one asserts and implies that "Islamo-racism" is the "correct" and "accurate" way of naming Islamophobia. Arguing that "Islamophobia" is a term of "obsolescence" is one thing, but framing it in the article title as "The Death of Islamophobia" comes off as a bit polemical. In any case, the main reason Singh calls for a shift in language is because he does not believe "Islamphobia" captures the way vilification of Muslims is entrenched and connected to white supremacy. However, this problem is not due to semantics, but rather with the way society is conditioned to treat racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and other forms of oppression as being limited to "isolated cases" or interpersonal forms bigotry. For example, when the media reports cases of racism, it is not discussed as being systemic. Elizabeth Martinez draws another example:
"[People] will reduce racist police behavior to "a few bad apples" who need to be removed, rather than seeing it exists in police departments all over the country and is basic to the society. This mistake has real consequences: refusing to see police brutality as part of a system, and that the system needs to be changed, means that the brutality will continue."
Martinez does not propose abolishing the word "racism," but instead argues that we frame racism as being part of a system, "a web of interlocking, reinforcing institutions: economic, military, legal, educational, religious, and cultural." Furthermore, she states, "We will achieve a clearer understanding of racism if we analyze how a certain action relates to the system of White Supremacy." In cases of Islamophobia, we often see media and society treat perpetrators of anti-Muslim hate crimes as "lone wolves" rather than being products of a violent, white supremacist society. As S. Sayyid writes, "Islamophobia has been presented as nothing as sordid as racism, but rather a rational response to real threats to western, nay universal, values."
I agree with Singh that vilification of Muslims and Islam needs to be understood within this systemic context, but I do not believe the solution is re-naming or changing the terminology. What needs to change is how we frame Islamophobia, which many Muslims and allies are already doing. I have cited Houria Boutelja numerous times before, but here is her quote again: "To speak of Islamophobia as sentiment is a euphemism. Islamophobia is first and foremost state racism." S. Sayyid has also expressed similar arguments for understanding Islamophobia in his piece, "Racism and Islamophobia."
Rather than focusing on semantics, we need to work towards shifting people's understanding of Islamophobia and other forms of oppression from "isolated incidents" to being rooted in systems. Racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, Islamophobia, ableism, and other oppressive forces are products of interlocking systems, namely white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, capitalism, imperialism, settler colonialism, and so on. The more we focus on deconstructing the semantics of "Islamophobia," the more it will lead us into cyclical debates about whether or not we are describing something "accurately."
By using the term that Muslim communities have largely agreed upon does not mean we cannot recognize the limitation of the literal definition. However, wide usage of the term demonstrates an example of how language is a social contract and how we come to agreement on what words like "Islamophobia," "anti-Semitism," and "homophobia" mean and refer to. I believe the choice to continue using these terms – rather than creating new ones and shifting the focus to semantics – is not about being "inaccurate," but about showing solidarity.


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|Trad, 2 pitches, 200'
|YDS: 5.10a French: 6a Ewbanks: 18 UIAA: VI+ ZA: 18 British: E1 5a [details]
|Marshall's Madness: Marshall, Christian, & Kauffman - 1955
Crack of Dawn: McLaughlin & Janoscrat - 1980
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|Submitted By:
|Josh Janes on Jan 19, 2007
|Comments on Marshall's Madness - Crack of Dawn
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Comments displayed oldest to newest — Skip Ahead to the Most Recent Dated Jul 8, 2016
By Tony B
From: Around Boulder, CO
Jan 19, 2007
rating: 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
|One of my favorite routes at Seneca. Take a few 3" cams for the superb jamming section.
By Jeff Mekolites
From: ATL GA
Apr 4, 2007
|Doing this in one long pitch is the way to go. Great climbing. Pumpy.
By Kris Gorny
Oct 15, 2007
rating: 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
|The FFA of Marshalls Madness was done in 1955!? Wow! Hemp ropes around the chest, hiking boots, and iron pitons. Hats off!
By Jesse Morehouse
From: CO
May 27, 2008
rating: 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
|While these two climbs share the same start, Marshalls is a fun climb in its own right straight up from the belay. Both are classics!
By Matt Desenberg
From: North Berwick, ME
May 21, 2009
|Good amount of exposure up high on this one. Definately a Seneca classic, terrific line.
By BrianWS
Sep 9, 2013
rating: 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
|Wow. GREAT climb, especially as a linkup. One of the best cracks in WV for sure.
By K Baumgartner
Sep 30, 2013
A phenomenal, classic hand crack. While the slope is less vertical above the roof, it's nonetheless sustained.
A 60m rope gets you back to the belay ledge at P1.
By Kirby
From: DC
Apr 8, 2014
Really fun. If someone is climbing Triple S, ask them to take a photo of you from the top of that route. It would be magazine worthy.
I mostly just came here to say that a 70 meter barely gets you the the shelf about 5 feet up Triple S. Tie knots in your rope, but it will save the hassle of two rappels from the top of CoD.
By Andy Weinmann
From: Silver Spring, MD
May 5, 2014
rating: 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
Awesome route that I finally got around to doing on a beautiful quiet Friday. It's a long route and drag will be noticeable towards the top. I used a DMM revolver biner on a draw below the roof which really helped. Also, a #4 C4 is very handy towards the top.
If you're toping out on this route from the anchors, be extremely careful of a couple large loose blocks right as you step up to the summit ledge.
By kck
Jul 4, 2016
Is the link up 10a or is the second pitch (Crack of Dawn) 10a by itself? MM is 5.9 and from the description it isn't clear if the second pitch is more difficult than 1st pitch of MM or just the overall length adds to the difficulty.
Also, what's the name of the finger crack to the left of MM at the very edge of the wall, but do not go around the arete? It shares the same anchors as MM. It is a 10d in the book but I don't remember the name.
By BrianWS
Jul 8, 2016
rating: 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
|The second pitch by itself is 10a, just a bit harder and more sustained than the 1st pitch.


text:
:: Treasure ::
Gensomaden Saiyuki
Disclaimer: I don't own Gensomaden Saiyuki, which rightfully belongs to Minekura Kazuya.
Rating: PG
Pairings: Goku/Sanzo
Warnings: language, shounen ai, fairly fluffy (!!)
Notes: I couldn't resist. I had to name a 39 fic after their loverly song eventually. ^0^ *huggles her mp3*
Seriously, though, this is a bit... odd. I'm not used to writing a mature Goku. Someone that reviewed The Becoming told me I made Goku seem too immature, considering the character development that goes on in Reload... and I'd like to apologize profusely for that. I half would like to blame it on only seeing half the anime series (if even that) bit I'll also admit I'd completely overlooked some important bits. Damn. So I tried my hand at making him more mature-- this is how I see him after the series, after the final battle with Gyokumen and all them.
It was still a bit awkward to write. I had to keep reminding myself I was writing a mature Goku and not Majic from Majutsushi Orphen. ^^; Thus cutting out so many embarrassed/blushing scenes that I could have done if this was an Orphen fic.
And now I'm rambling. I blame that on it being so late/early.
You could see this as a sequel to The Becoming, but some things will be inaccurate if you do. So this is supposed to be a stand-alone piece, but again: you could see it as a sequel to TB if you wanted to.
Phew. Constructive criticism and feedback appreciated, as per usual. Sankyuu. ^^
It would have been safer to approach the man during the night. Not too far into it, when he would just start to relax or fall asleep, but about late evening after the sun had set completely; preferably when it wasn't raining. Sanzo didn't always fall into a foul mood when it rained, but he had more frequently ever since their journey started.
Goku smirked to himself. How long ago had that been? It seemed like ages, but it couldn't have been. Perhaps it was simply because he had grown up so much in such a short time; mentally, if not physically. (Definitely not physically.) Perhaps only two years, maybe three. Time hadn't seemed to matter much; no matter how many times Sanzo had told them every moment counted.
There would be no more of that-- no more of it being necessary, anyway. There was nothing left to do. They remained at Gyuumaoh's castle, mainly because Sanzo seemed so intent on finding something -- only Hakkai really knew what, but the other two could make a pretty well educated guess -- and partially because it was a battlefield that couldn't be left so easily.
Well, that was how it felt to him, anyway. Despite the quiet calm, Goku would have felt uneasy leaving so soon. Here they had fought the final battle, and now most of their adversaries lay dead, discarded in various places inside the castle. No need to move the bodies; Sanzo obviously didn't plan to stay too long, and no one would miss them anyway.
Inside the ruined fortress, however, Goku felt trapped, as though he were slowly suffocating. He had to escape that, and once he slipped out he realized that he wasn't the only one that felt this way. It had taken nearly a full minute of staring at the back of a certain irate monk's head before he strode over to where he sat.
Sanzo's shoulders stiffened visibly, but he otherwise gave no indication that he heard the boy -- was he still a boy, even now? -- behind him. Tendrils of smoke curled in the dusky air, dissipating as smoky fingers tried in vain to reach the softening colours of the sky. Goku tilted his head back, watching in something akin to mute awe as the bright blue of day melted, bleeding into gentle reds and oranges of evening. The various transformations of the skies always fascinated him, especially at the beginning or end of the day. That was when the sun rose or set, and the sudden change it made the sky take on was breathtaking.
Of course, if he tried saying any of this to Sanzo he would only be called annoying and probably be whacked one or two times. Before the battle it seemed as though the fan had been used more often than usual, but lately the irritated thwaps grew fewer and further between, though they had by no means disappeared completely. Goku had the feeling it would take a lot more than just one journey west to kick Sanzo of that habit.
Besides, even if Sanzo didn't brush off what he said, it wouldn't matter because for some reason Goku always found it hard to express these thoughts. There were moments his deeper thoughts shone through his exterior, moments he knew the others saw even if they pretended not to. Sometimes he suspected a part of them didn't want to see it, because then that would mean letting go of the child that had been in their care and watching him grow into something more. While wonderful, it would still feel like losing something important. Really, the others were no more than paranoid parents sometimes. That still didn't change the fact that Goku still had difficulty expressing some of his more intimate thoughts.
"You know," he said, so suddenly that it surprised himself. "I don't know how you expect us to find whatever we're looking for without us knowing what we're supposed to find."
Sanzo's first response was to flick the ashes from the end of a burning cigarette. "I don't have any hopes you morons will find it," he responded, voice dark and smooth, betraying none of his inner thoughts. It was the same as always.
"Why make us look, then?" Goku inquired, frowning. Really, what was the point? When Sanzo didn't answer, a wide grin spread across his face. "It's because you might be proven wrong, huh? Admit it!"
"Ch'," was the priest's only response.
The following silence wasn't uncomfortable, thought Goku as he stretched his arms behind his head lazily, enjoying the tight sensation in his muscles. He'd been stuck in enough disquieting silences with Sanzo before, and this was anything but. More clearly, Goku could remember the tense moments during the aftermath of being Seiten Taisei. So many times he had been afraid of Sanzo, afraid of his reaction no matter what his gut told him: that Sanzo would never betray him or turn him away. Fear always seized his heart, overriding common sense during times like those. He would be on the razor's edge, always tense and nervous until Sanzo released his anger and stress through the paper fan. Somehow, a simple beating over his skull always made things right between them after situations like that. It was somewhat amusing.
Goku let his arms fall back to his side, smiling against the gentle breeze. It was too warm out here, especially for a place that had been shrouded in dark clouds and cold for so long. A bit of wind was good, felt nice against his skin. Goku wet his chapped lips, briefly glancing down to where his keeper sat. Sanzo hadn't moved at all, save to bring the cigarette to his lips. Goku watched.
"Glad it's over?"
Sanzo closed his eyes. "I'll feel better once we get out of here."
Nodding in agreement, Goku allowed his legs to fold beneath him so he could sit down, one knee drawn toward his chest. The cliff's drop-off was barely yards away from where the two sat. Goku kicked at a rock near his feet, watching it skitter across the ground. It didn't make it to the edge.
"So we're gonna go back to Chang'an now?" Goku asked, allowing his head to fall forward and rest on his knee. With his other foot, he idly kicked at another rock. It didn't even get as far as the first one had.
Sanzo glanced sideways at him. A while ago Goku would have described his expression as unreadable, but traveling with the man had done something to make him realize that if he looked hard enough, he could see flickers of emotion in the supposedly blank eyes. Where he had mentally described this look as cold, Goku could now safely call it hidden curiosity. This change didn't just affect his and Sanzo's relationship, but his and Hakkai's, even his and Gojyo's. So much had changed. Even colour seemed to have changed. Everything held some sort of meaning now, and realizing that was both amazing and frightening.
Goku watched the blonde blow smoke out between his lips before dropping the cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with his boots. "Who knows?" Sanzo said airily. "The minus wave effects may be over, but the trip back isn't going to be safe. We'll have pissed demons on our heels."
"That's pretty unfair, considering they attacked us," Goku muttered.
"Doesn't matter. Just because we got here and won the battle doesn't mean we'll make it back alive."
"Optimistic, as always."
"A smart-ass, as always."
Goku grinned, rolling his head to the side to work the stiffness from his neck. The motion made him wince; he'd forgotten about the large bruise at the base of his neck. Being thrown and slamming directly into a crowd of machines was no joke; he'd hit his back hard and had been tangled in the wires. That had also been his first (and hopefully last) encounter with electric shocks, and Goku couldn't honestly say it had been a fun experience. He'd had to discard his singed clothes after the fight.
The massive bruise on his back hadn't been the worst of his injuries, but it had been the one with the most long-lasting effects. The others had been hurt worse, especially Sanzo. At the time it wasn't amusing at all, but afterwards Goku could think it was actually very ironic that Sanzo tended to have his gut torn open more than anyone else in the group.
Must be because he insists on pissing off the gods or something, thought Goku. He's pretty much broken all the rules of Buddhism by now.
Struck by a sudden thought, Goku leaned back on his hands. "Hey, Sanzo?"
He nudged at a rock with the toe of his boot, kicking it. More dirt was stirred than anything else; the stone bounced precariously close to the cliff, but didn't fall over. Goku frowned, but hastened to finish his question before Sanzo got irritated. "D'you remember what you told me a few months back?"
From the corner of his eye, he saw Sanzo shooting him a look of disdain. "Anything in particular?"
"Mm..." Tilting his head, Goku kicked at the ground. This time the rock went clear over the cliff, sailing down without a sound. "You said if I lived, I could ask you something." If he hadn't spoken, he might have heard the sound of it connecting with something.
"Don't remember," the priest answered shortly.
Goku's head snapped up; he got to his feet almost as quickly. "Yes, you do," he insisted, narrowing golden eyes at his keeper. "I know you do. You don't forget things easily."
Sanzo wasn't surprised, nor did he continue playing ignorant. "If you know, why do you ask?"
"What's wrong with wanting assurance?" When Sanzo didn't answer, Goku took a deep breath and asked a different question. "Why are you talking to me like this?"
There was a rustle of cloth as Sanzo folded his arms over his chest. "Like what?"
"Like... like how you talk to Hakkai. Like..." Berating himself for not being able to express his thoughts clearly, Goku closed his eyes and struggled to find the right words. "Like... I'm something more than a child."
He must have been either really moody or really thoughtful, because Sanzo didn't answer. His lips pressed together as though he were determined to keep his inner monologue inside. Sighing, Goku glanced at the castle, back at Sanzo, over the cliff, and back at Sanzo again. The reddish hues of the sky had temporarily transformed his hair into a dusty orange, as though the sun were demanding that he match the surroundings. Like a chameleon.
It was pretty.
What he did was impulsive, but not something he hadn't thought about doing before: Goku sidled behind the monk, slipping his arms over the man's shoulders and letting his chin come to rest on the top of blonde hair.
Sanzo stiffened beneath him. "Get off."
"Mmph," was Goku's muffled response as he turned his face into the man's hair. His next intelligible response was a childish, "Make me. You usually never do," he added hastily, fearing Sanzo would actually rise to the challenge. He had to explain himself to better his chances. It was true enough anyway; often he would grab onto Sanzo for one reason or another, but he was the only person Sanzo didn't physically force off. With anyone else he would slap their arm away, tug his sleeve out of their grasp, or shrug off, but Goku was allowed to maintain contact.
It was said actions spoke louder than words. If that was the case, Sanzo's actions weren't spoken, but screamed. There were few things he acted subtly upon; all one had to do was watch him, really watch, and one would be able to grasp his meanings quickly.
Sanzo's body shifted beneath him. "You're hurting my neck," he said flatly.
"Brat." Despite his words, Sanzo still didn't move to force the boy off. As thought not wanting Goku to realize this, he started searching for his cigarettes.
Goku grinned. He hadn't often dared to touch Sanzo like this; normally when his arms were wrapped around the man, he was unconscious for one reason or another. It was almost odd to feel Sanzo's chest rise and fall with normal, steady breaths; definitely odd for him to be fully aware of what was going on, and fully capable of doing what he wanted about the situation.
"We're both alive," Goku finally said.
"Here's to stating the obvious," Sanzo muttered.
Ignoring that, Goku went on. "Mind if I ask... what we'll do when we get back to Chang'an?"
He heard the metallic click of Sanzo's lighter, and a moment later the air was polluted with cigarette smoke. Goku wrinkled his nose, but stubbornly refused to move. If that had been Sanzo's intention, it wasn't about to happen.
Sanzo didn't even seem to notice. "Who knows?"
"It'll be weird to go back," Goku admitted.
"It'll be just as weird not to."
"... Sanzo."
"What now? Why are you bothering me with your inane questions?" the irate monk asked.
Goku frowned; that was unfair. "You're the one answering them." He traced his fingers over the front of the man's robes, over the white cloth, the tips of his fingers raking over the flimsy wood, ghosting over the sacred scriptures that seemed to be forever draped over Sanzo's shoulders. "This," he said, his tones softer. "You're looking for the seiten kyomon, right?"
"... Yeah."
At last, an admittance. "What're you gonna do once you have it?"
Eerily quiet, Sanzo shrugged. Goku felt the slight tremor of muscle rippling beneath him; he shivered, unconsciously tightening his embrace. There was darkness, and he realized he had closed his eyes, curling around the man as though seeking some form of comfort. It was silly, thinking that Sanzo of all people would provide it... but then, knowing Sanzo now, perhaps it wasn't as silly as it once would have seemed.
As though to confirm that thought, Goku felt a larger hand cover his. Calloused fingers tightened briefly around his hand, sliding up to grip his arm. Goku sighed, unable to fight a smile.
Sanzo may not have been able to see it, but he likely sensed it. Sometimes Goku felt he knew the boy too well. "Stupid monkey."
"You always say that," Goku mumbled into his shoulder.
"I only say what's true," Sanzo replied, his voice giving away much less than his actions. Truly, Sanzo was the type to show more through actions than words. That was troublesome, as Goku had difficulty understanding things that weren't outright obvious, but he was slowly getting better; he was improving. Someday it may not even prove to be a problem.
"But I'm getting better, aren't I?" Goku nagged, tugging on the priest's robes. "It's been a while since you called me that, you know. So I'm getting better, right?"
"You're no less annoying." And that was all Sanzo would say about that, which was as good as a yes to Goku's ears.
Lifting his head, Goku saw that the sun was almost finished setting. There was a bare sliver of gold left in the sky, and it made him start to see a brief green flash before the light disappeared completely. The crimson seeped from the heavens, draining into a bluish hue. All the while their surroundings were perfectly silent. Being so far away from any real civilization, Gyokumen's fortress didn't even have crickets. It had been that way the entire two days the four hellions had spent there, and it still disconcerted Goku.
He was only partially concerned about that, though. Right now, standing there with his savior, absorbing the moment with him was most important. Every brief touch was soothing, comforting. He had to memorize their wordless conversations so that he'd never forget the feel of Sanzo's hand on his arm, or forget the softness of thick blonde hair beneath his nose, or forget every slight movement that brought them that fraction closer together. It was precious; comfort in the aftermath of a horrible battle.
"Since we're alive," Goku murmured, "are things going to be different?"
"Since you insisted on living, yes," Sanzo replied calmly. "I did say you could ask again if you lived."
"Bastard. You did remember."
Goku had to straighten up; his back was beginning to ache both from wounds that hadn't completely healed and from being in an awkward position for so long. "Will you let them be different?"
For the first time, Sanzo tilted his head back so that he could directly meet his charge's eyes. Something akin to amusement flickered in violet irises, but it was hard to determine if that was what it really was. Despite Goku's enhanced vision, nighttime was still nighttime, and it was still harder to discern emotions in the dark.
"Once we reach Chang'an," Sanzo was saying, "they'll be as different as they can get."
"Because things change-- like that goddess woman said."
Sanzo visibly flinched; for some reason unknown to Goku -- likely unknown even to Sanzo -- the mere mention of Kanzeon Bosatsu had started to make him uneasy. "Yeah."
Goku's hands slid up to rest on Sanzo's shoulders. "Traveling east is gonna feel weird, you know."
"Being alive feels weird."
A knowing smile touched the brunette's lips. "After that, yeah, I guess it does."
Something changed Sanzo's expression drastically, though to anyone else it would have looked slight. But Goku knew Sanzo, and he realized that the sudden open display of solemnity was a surprising change of expression.
"I won't ever say this again," Sanzo said quietly, "but I'll admit that you've changed a lot-- and I'll even admit that it's a bit frightening."
Taken aback by the words, Goku tightened his grip on the man's shoulders. After a tense moment, he managed to say, "Why?"
The grim expression closed off. "No reason."
Great. He was back at square one. Goku tried to advance. "Is that why you're talking to me like this... because I've changed?"
"You've grown up." After a brief pause, Sanzo added shortly, "Minimally."
Increasingly, the evening was falling into night. They would have to turn back to the fortress soon if they wanted to be able to make it back alive. Despite knowing this, neither moved to do what common sense told them.
Goku wasn't sure exactly how it had happened; it sort of felt like gravity had suddenly pressed down, or maybe even a ghostly hand. All he knew was the first try had ended up with noses bumping painfully and a soft curse, but the second somehow managed to work despite the awkward positions. Sanzo's fingers tightened around his arm, drawing him down. It didn't matter if he kept his eyes open or not anymore-- it was too dark to see much now, and Goku was positive he'd once heard that keeping your eyes open was rude. Then there was just a pleasant feeling of fluidity that only ended when the bruise on his neck began to cry out on protest.
Something tugged at the back of his mind as the kiss ended, something that told him it had been brief in comparison to what could be. He wasn't sure how he knew this, being as inexperienced as he was, but he felt no need to prolong it though, no desire to try to draw more from Sanzo. It was enough; it was a direct answer that someone like Sanzo certainly couldn't put into words, not the way he was now.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
The mildly amused voice made the two start; Sanzo's hand immediately dropped from Goku's, even though the intruder wasn't in a position to see it. Goku stepped back, amazed that he could say, "No, not really," so calmly, without stammering. He really had changed so much...
Hakkai was barely more than a silhouette, but the few steps be took to lessen the distance between himself and the other two was enough to make Goku see the smile that never left the man's face. This was a more tired smile than usual; tired but calm, like someone who had just had a good long cry over a beloved's grave.
"Gojyo found this," he was saying, holding something out to Sanzo. "I thought you'd like to have it as soon as possible."
Sanzo accepted the gift, though he didn't look twice to see if it really was what he was looking for. "I'll take a good look tomorrow," he said, getting to his feet. "While you're driving us back."
"Understood," Hakkai replied. Goku thought he was looking his way, but it was hard to be sure. "We should get some rest, then." Without waiting for an answer, he added a bit of a forced, "Good night," before taking his leave.
Goku watched him, waiting until the man was out of earshot before murmuring, "Hakkai's really tired."
"You and Gojyo wear him out," Sanzo said, starting after the healer. "I can't say I blame him."
Goku bristled. "That's not fair! You were the most injured out of all of us; Hakkai was tending to you the most!"
"Quiet, monkey," Sanzo snapped. As an afterthought, he added, "And if you ever do something like that again without warning, I really will kill you."
"You always say that, always, but you haven't done it yet," Goku argued, trying to meet the man's strides. While he had matured, he hadn't grown much physically. It was such a pain being the smallest of the group; he still had to scramble at times to make sure he could walk alongside them. "Geez, slow down," he complained, grasping a hold of the monk's long sleeve.
I'm always doing that-- reaching for him. Holding something. Anything. Just to make sure he's really there, he thought, fingers curling to grip the fabric. It was vaguely familiar; he always got a prickling sense of déjà vu, as though there had been someone else very much like Sanzo he had always reached for...
But of course, that was impossible. Sanzo was Sanzo; no one else could be like him. Whoever this other entity was that kept trying to confuse him, Goku would have to put it out of his mind if he wanted to keep on living in the present. And, really, the present was all that mattered. No worrying about the past or future would get anything accomplished. That was how all four of them -- him, Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo -- tried to live.
Living for someone else, dying for someone else-- how could anyone live like that? All that would result would be pain and guilt when one couldn't follow through to the end. It was very different from living for oneself and taking advantage of the most important thing in one's life.
The one that saved me from the darkness...
Sanzo glanced back briefly, and Goku smiled. Somehow, despite the annoyingly long sleeves of the man's robes, fingers managed to touch, to intertwine loosely.
"What's wrong with wanting assurance?"
The answer came belated, but Goku didn't miss it, nor was he confused by the seemingly random statement.
"Nothing whatsoever."


text:
Vienna (Jul. 20)
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
A call to the radical Zionists to help in an active campaign to overthrow the present form of extension of the Jewish Agency, is made in a communication from Mr. Vladimir Jabotinsky, the leader of the Zionists Revisionists, appearing in Mr. Robert Stricker's radical Zionist organ "Neue Welt" here.
Mr. Jabotinsky urges that all who are in opposition to the report of the Joint Palestine Survey Commission should unite and issue a joint ultimatum before it becomes too late. The ultimatum should threaten a break-away from the Zionist Organization, and if necessary even the proclamation of a new Zionist organization, since there will be no room for Zionists in a mixed Jewish Agency in which the Zionist Organization will lose its political independence, its sovereignty and its power to make decisions, and will be only an advisory body dependent on the non-Zionists.
Four charitable bequests of $2,000 each and nine of $1,000 each were made by former Supreme Court Justice David Leventritt. who died Jun. 9, 1926. He left an estate appraised yesterday at $1,380,983 gross and $1,253,546 net.
The first audience ever to assemble at the Menorah Institute, a new Jewish community center connected with the Baron Hirsch Synagogue, Memphis, Tenn., was addressed last night by Mayor Watkins Overton and prominent members of the Jewish community. The Institute building, representing an outlay of more than $100,000, is now nearing completion. Funds have been exhausted and the members of the Jews of Memphis are asked to help in the campaign for the Institute.
Because of Tisha B'Ab, the price of red meat fell in New York City.
William Edlin, former editor of "The Day" and for the past three years connected with the national office of the Zionist movement as Executive Secretary of the Palestine Foundation Fund (Keren Hayesod), has resigned his position as a paid worker, but will continue in the office as a volunteer.
"I find myself so completely out of harmony with the forces that shape the administrative direction of the exective work in the United Palestine Appeal that I deem my usefulness as a paid worker at an end. Therefore, beginning with today, I choose to withdraw as a paid worker, but shall fulfill in a voluntary capacity, without any remuneration, whatever duties may be connected with my office as National Secretary of the Palestine Foundation Fund to which office I had been elected at the last Annual Meeting held in February 1926."


text:
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford is astonished that Borderlands has yet to be copied by other developers.
"We're in an industry where people do nothing but steal from each other," said Pitchford, speaking to Gamasutra.
"I'm actually astonished that we're about to launch a sequel and no one's stole it from us," he continued. "The formula's right there. No one's stolen it yet. That's weird."
"Not that I want anyone to steal it, or I'm challenging people to steal it."
Pitchford later added that he felt conflicted during the promotion of the original game - wanting to attract attention to the project, while simultaneously protecting the underlying formula.
"When talking about Borderlands 1, it was really confusing, because on one hand we gotta scream from the highest mountain to get attention because it's a new IP. On the other hand, it's like, 'Shit, we don't want to tell people our secret because then they're all gonna copy it because it's so good.'"
Borderlands 2 will be out on September 21 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.