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Last-minute negotiations between BART management and union leaders over the weekend paid off. A planned strike has been averted -- again.
BART management officials and members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 met behind closed doors all day Sunday. Starting at 6:30 p.m., just about six ahead of the deadline, word began to spread that a deal had been reached and the strike had been called off.
Terms of the deal are still secret but the bottom line still achieves the major goal of cutting $100 million from the agancy's budget, BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger says.
U.S. & World
Local 1555 had threatened to strike at midnight after BART's board of directors imposed work rules that the union says amounted to a 7% pay cut.
BART board vice president James Fang of San Francisco told reporters Sunday evening a tentative agreement was reached.
Fang said he thinks averting the strike is "the greatest thing for the Bay Area."
Arriving at the negotiation site immediately after Fang, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said, "I couldn't be more proud" that there is a tentative agreement and thanked both the BART board and labor.
"The big winners here are the people who live around the Bay Area," Newsom said. "Tomorrow will be like any other day for commuters."
"We've worked to an agreement that we believe is equitable," ATU President Jesse Hunt said. "We're pleased to announce with this tentative agreement, our members will be working tomorrow. Trains will run."
Hunt said he was confident his members would ratify the deal in a vote next week. If they turn it down, however, the threat of a strike could return. The traffic disaster caused by a BART strike would be complicated by a closure of the Bay Bridge, slated to start September 3 and continue through Labor Day Weekend.
BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger gave some details of the contract. She said it eliminates work rules that management believes are inefficient and costly and achieves $100 million in labor costs savings to help the transit agency cope with its large budget deficit, which it estimates to be $310 million over the next four years.
Hunt, who had hoped that the new contract would only be for two years, said the agreement calls for a four-year contract, which has been the standard length of BART union contracts for many years.
BART labor contracts expire on June 30 every four years but there wasn't an agreement by that date this year, which also has been the case in most other labor negotiations over the years.
Dugger said, "I'm not satisfied" that an agreement came late again this year and admitted "we still have some improvements to make" in reaching agreements in a more timely fashion.
She said, "We regret the inconvenience and the uncertainty we created for the public but at least there will be uninterrupted service."
Hunt said, "We regret it (an agreement) had to come about this way but said he's also happy that service won't be disrupted."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement, "I applaud both Amalgamated Transit Union and BART for working through their differences and reaching an agreement before immensely impacting Bay Area commuters with a strike."
"With this agreement," Schwarzenegger said, "the hundreds of thousands of Californians that rely on the services BART provides will be able to continue to conduct their everyday business without interruption. I commend both sides for coming to a resolution."
Waiting in the balance of the negotiation process were 340,000 daily BART riders. A strike could have put another 60,000 vehicles on the road and created hours-long delays on roadways, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission said.
All day long there was a sense of optimism. "We think that there is a reasonably good chance that we will settle. We are cautiously optimistic," BART board of directors President Thomas Blalock said during a news conference Sunday morning.
BART had scheduled 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news conferences to update the public and the media on the negotiations. The 6 p.m. press conference was canceled with five minutes' notice. A representative came out to tell reporters that it was not going to happen. He also said at that time "they were making good progress."
The two sides also met on Saturday.
Many riders said they thought the unions should be happy with the contract, which pays an average $64,428 a year. That does not include the employee benefits package, which is another $29,750. The union said all along that salary was not the sticking point. They said a four-year contract, which the other unions approved, is too long to wait for any possible salary increase. They said that if the economy turns around, they wanted the option to get a raise sooner than four years.
Two other BART unions voted earlier in the week to approve management's contract offer but their leaders had said they would have respected picket lines if ATU Local 1555 had gone on strike.
Transportation agencies in the region were preparing to increase service in the event a BART strike would overwhelm the area's freeways and public transit services.
"I'm happy it's resolved, but we had a contingency plans in place, just in case," said Randell Iwasaki, director of the California Department of Transportation.
As concerns of a strike mounted, area and state transportation officials encouraged commuters to leave an hour or two early and to use possible alternatives such as car pools, arriving and leaving work later and working from home.
Had there been a strike, BART said it had been prepared to provide limited bus service between stations in the East Bay and downtown San Francisco. Ferry service from Oakland and Alameda County to San Francisco would have been expanded and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said it would have add more buses and streetcars to accommodate passengers.
Bay City News contributed to this report.


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Young Maestro (Feat. Ty Dollasign) - See Me Girl [Unsigned Hype]
"This is the official music video to Westcoast Knockin artist Young Maestro called "See Me Girl" featuring Pusha Ink$ TY Dolla$ign (producer of Toot It & Boot It). The video gves ou a vivid picture of sexy women, a fun atmosphere, and a record thats right for any star studded occassion. This video was directed by Glen Pettway and Poly Rob. Executive Producer: Ron Z. Make sure you Follow Young Maestro on twitter @youngmaestro and log on to youngmaestro.com"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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subset: commoncrawl


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A couple of excellent posts out there in the EM blogosphere today.
Ten out of Ten writes about the factors that make a good shift, and I couldn't agree more. The right pen is essential to me -- I do so much writing that I am obsessive about having my special gel-ink pen which makes charting a pleasure. And having the "A" team of nurses will make or break your shifts as well. Go read it.
Over at Backstage Pass you can read about things that cause inefficiency in the ED. Since we are in the middle of building a new ED and trying to optimize the workflows of all the staff, this post really resonates with me.
15 November 2007
I wish I'd said that
A couple of excellent posts out there in the EM blogosphere today.
Posted by shadowfax at 9:49 AM
1 comment:
- Anonymous1/07/2008 9:30 AM
For things you wish you had said try - www.iwishidsaid.com - the place to say everything you ever wish you had saidReplyDelete


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Haematology is the branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to the blood. It involves diagnosing and further management of diseases that affect the production of blood and its components, such as blood cells, hemoglobin, blood proteins, bone marrow, platelets, blood vessels, spleen, and the mechanism of coagulation.
A few of these different types of blood conditions that are looked at include anaemia, thalassemia, haemophilia, general blood clots, bleeding disorders, blood cancers etc.
At Wockhardt Hospitals, we have essentially a team of highly trained specialists, nurse clinicians, physical and occupational therapists who are all equipped to provide patients with care in the field of Haematology. We use the latest in pharmaceuticals and leading-edge technologies to help you win over diseases and live a normal life.
Wockhardt Hospitals specializes in treatments for all Haematological disorders such as:
Haematology is a branch in medicine that is concerned in analysing various blood components and blood forming organs (bone marrow, spleen and lymphoid tissues). The speciality is a tool used in treating blood diseases from anaemia to the blood (leukaemia), lymphoid glands (lymphoma and myeloma) and abnormalities of blood coagulation.
Blood is a connective tissue vital to our body's survival .Blood made up of red blood corpuscles and white blood corpuscles, platelets and plasma
Blood helps to supply oxygen and nutrients to tissues, removing waste, act as a defence mechanism, transporting hormones and other signals throughout the body, and regulating body pH and core body temperature
The Full Blood Count blood test, also known as a Complete Blood Count (CBC) or Haematology Profile, examines the components of blood, including red and white blood cells and platelets.
The Haematology Profile blood test provides important information about the type, number and appearance of cells in the blood, especially red blood cells (vital for carrying oxygen around the body), white blood cells (key to the body's immune system), and clotting cells (important for controlling and stopping bleeding).
The signs that you may have a low red blood cell count (known as anaemia) can include fatigue, weight loss, loss of sex drive, lack of appetite, moodiness, constipation, irregular heart rate and a sensation of being cold. Symptoms of a low white blood cell count can include fatigue, shortness of breath and weakness.
Each blood component indicates certain diseases depending upon its variation from the normal values, here are some broad indicators:
Anaemia is a condition that develop when a human don't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen in their tissues. In anaemia one may experience fatigue and weakness. There are many forms of anaemia, each with its own cause. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia but it accounts for only 50% of the burden of anemia....
Bleeding disorders are conditions that affect the way the human's blood normally clots. The clotting process, also known as coagulation, changes blood from liquid to solid. When one is injured, their blood normally begins to clot to prevent a massive loss of blood. Sometimes, certain conditions prevent blood from clotting properly, which can result in heavy or...
Blood clots are healthy and lifesaving when they stop bleeding. But they can also form when they aren't needed and cause a heart attack, stroke, or other serious medical problems like deep venous thrombosis.Some patients also have inherited disorders that can predispose to abnormal clot formation in the body....
Blood cancers are broadly speaking of three types -leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.In most blood cancers, normal blood cell development process is interrupted by uncontrolled growth of an abnormal type of blood cell and bone marrow is affected.These abnormal blood cells, or cancerous cells, prevent the blood from performing many of its functions, like fighting...
|Bed Category
|Multi bed
|Bed Category
|Multi bed


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Elm Lake Deer Hunting
Now Available! 12 hunts to sell on the 3000 acre Elm Lake Ranch in Texas. Hunting packages will be 3 hunts with 4 people each hunt only. This is a hunt for a corporate group or group of friends! Hunt is for 3 management bucks up to 150 B&C for $3500 each. One trophy buck hunt for trophy over 150 B&C, $5000. Hunt includes 4 full hunting days, lodging, food, drinks (BYOB), guide, deer quartering and caping. Does not include hunting license or guide tip. This ranch has been rested from trophy hunting for last two seasons!
Contact Rob Hall to book now! email or phone: 830-255-6863 before we sell them out.


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Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance in Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00368446
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : August 24, 2006
Last Update Posted : May 20, 2020
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Healthy volunteers and patients with diseases that involve problems clearing mucus from the lungs will be examined and tested to better understand the reasons for recurring lung infections in these patients and to try to develop better ways to diagnose and treat them. The study will also try to identify the genes responsible for these diseases.
Healthy volunteers 18 years of age and older and patients 2 years of age or older with suspected primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), variant cystic fibrosis (CF) or pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA) may be eligible for this study. Patients enrolled in the Natural History Study of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria at NIH or other NIH natural history protocols may also be enrolled. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures during a 1-day visit at the NIH Clinical Center, as follows:
All patients and normal volunteers have the following procedures:
- Physical examination and review of medical and genetic history and family genetic history.
- Lung function test and measurement of oxygen saturation level.
- Nitric oxide measurement to measure the amount of nitric oxide production in the nose: A small tube is placed in the nose while the subject breathes through the mouth into a cardboard tube.
All patients have the following additional procedures:
- Blood tests for liver and kidney function, blood count, immunoglobulins and pregnancy test (where appropriate).
- Blood test or buccal scrape (brushing the inside of the cheek) to obtain DNA to look for gene mutations that cause PCD, CF or PHA.
- Scrape biopsy of cell lining the inside of the nose: A small toothpick-sized plastic stick with a tiny cup on the end is used to get nasal lining cells to look at the cilia (hair-like structures that move mucus).
- Semen analysis (in some men) to test sperm tail function or structure.
Patients suspected of having a variant of CF or PHA, including nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, have the following additional procedures:
- Sweat chloride test: A medicine is placed on the arm to produce sweat; then, a very low level of electric current is applied for 5 to 12 minutes. Sweat is collected in a plastic tube and tested for salt content.
- Blood draw for CF genetic testing, if necessary, and to measure levels of the enzyme trypsin.
- Saliva collection to measure sodium and chloride content.
- Nasal potential difference to measure the electrical activity of the cells lining the inside of the nose: A soft plastic tube filled with a salt solution is passed into the nasal passage and a sterile needle is placed under the skin of the arm. This test provides information about how the lining of the nose is able to get used to changes in temperature and humidity. (Normal volunteers also have this test.)
|Condition or disease
|Cystic Fibrosis Pseudohypoaldosteronism Nontuberculosis Mycobacterial Infection Chronic Granulomatous Disease Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous environmental organisms that have been increasingly associated with human disease, commonly involving the lung. Post menopausal Caucasian women seem particularly predisposed to the development of peripheral nodules and dilated airways (bronchiectasis) associated with these organisms. These women have distinguishing body characteristics of being taller and thinner than age and gender matched controls yet have no identifiable systemic immune defects. There is, however, considerable overlap with genetic disorders of mucociliary clearance such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). The Genetic Diseases of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium (GDMCC) is one of 10 consortia in the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network formed under the Office of Rare Diseases in collaboration with NCRR, NICHD, NINDS, NIAMS, NIDDK, NHLBI in response to the Rare Diseases Act of 2002. The GDMCC is comprised of 5 geographically-dispersed clinical research sites that are designed to study rare diseases which involve defects in clearance of mucus secretions from the airways (defective "mucociliary clearance"). These sites will collaborate in diagnostic, genetic, and other studies in patients with impairments of mucociliary clearance, including primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), variant cystic fibrosis (CF), and pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA). These studies are also applicable to diseases where altered airways clearance may play a primary or contributory role such as nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, chronic granulomatous disease, and the hyper-IgE syndromes. Disorders such as PCD, CF, and PHA reflect genetic defects in airway host-defense, and typically result in chronic infection of the airways. Patients with these disorders of the conducting airways and sinuses have delayed (or incorrect) diagnoses, because diagnostic tests are not readily available. These patients may also have sub-optimal management of their clinical disease, because the cause of these disorders is not well-defined, and treatment regimens are usually not driven by evidence-based medicine.
Aims: The major aim of this study is to employ a systematic approach to the diagnostic and functional evaluation of these patients with chronic airways disease in individual patients, better define host susceptibility to infections from environmental organisms such as the nontuberculous mycobacteria, and potentially lead to the development of better diagnostic techniques, including genetic testing. In addition, we will compare/contrast clinical features (phenotype) across these disorders. A rigorous cross-sectional comparison of the clinical features will provide better understanding of the clinical disease of these disorders; in turn this will lead not only to a better standard of clinical care, but will also assist in the identification of novel therapeutic approaches.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional diagnostic / mechanistic protocol to investigate airway host-defenses. The patient populations for these studies include individuals with recurring airway infections such as those with nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease who may have defective airway host defenses as a predisposing factor, individuals carrying a tentative diagnosis of the three known genetic disorders of mucociliary clearance (PCD, variant CF, or PHA), and individuals suspected to have one of these disorders but with inadequate or inconclusive diagnostic tests. Individuals in this latter category must have a preliminary clinical evaluation to evaluate for other more common disorders that may have similar manifestations including classical CF, immunodeficiency, asthma, and severe gastroesophageal reflux. The evaluation will include a detailed assessment of clinical features; specialized laboratory measurements such as nasal potential difference to evaluate the function of chloride and sodium channels associated with CF and PHA, nasal biopsy specimens and nasal nitric oxide measurements to assess cilia structure and function which are abnormal in PCD; and genetic studies to identify disease - causing mutations in genes associated with CF, PCD, and PHA.
|Study Type :
|Actual Enrollment :
|87 participants
|Observational Model:
|Time Perspective:
|Official Title:
|Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance
|Actual Study Start Date :
|October 17, 2006
Patients with Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance
- PCD compatible clinical phenotype or sibling with PCD,plus defect in ciliary ultrastructure [ Time Frame: 6 years ]compatible clinical phenotype (sinopulmonary disease and/orneonatal respiratory disorder plus or minus situs inversus) or siblingwith PCD, plus defect in ciliary ultrastructure (inner or outer dynein arm; radial spoke; central complex)
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|2 Years to 99 Years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Overview: Inclusion criteria reflect the two-fold purpose of this protocol. It is primarily intended to evaluate the cohort of patients followed at the NIH Clinical Center under Protocol 01-I-0202, Natural History, Genetics, Phenotype, and Treatment of Mycobacterial Infections, and in this regard, the inclusion criteria mirror those of that protocol. Secondly it is part of the multicenter collaborative protocol as a participating site in the Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium, one of the Rare Disease Clinical Consortia sponsored by the Office of Rare Diseases. There is a clear-cut need for geographically dispersed centers to have expertise in the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of patients with rare diseases of the airways, including patients with suspected PCD, non-classical or variant CF, and PHA. The 5 sites will perform rigorous diagnostic evaluations utilizing innovative, but standardized methods (SOPs contained in Manual of Operations). As a participating site in the Consortium, we will cast a broad net to include as many participants as feasible. This will include a multi-center standardized diagnostic evaluation and clinical evaluation, giving us a better chance to define the clinical spectrum of disease.
The criteria for participants to enter this study mandates that each patient either be enrolled in the 01-I-0202, Natural History, Genetics, Phenotype, and Treatment of Mycobacterial Infections or related NIH Natural History Protocol, or if referred as part of the Consortium, have received a standard (current clinical practice) diagnostic evaluation that includes testing for asthma, severe gastroesophageal reflux and/or classic CF, prior to enrolling in the Consortium study. Healthy adult control participants will be enrolled for comparison assessment of noninvasive nasal nitric oxide and nasal potential difference measurements only. The health status of these control participants will be assessed with the standardized clinical history, family history, physical exam including height and weight, vital signs, oximetry, and spirometry measurements.
To enter the study, individuals with a suspected mucociliary clearance defect (n=100) must be age 2 years or older and meet one of the 4 following profiles:
- Have known or suspected nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease and enrolled in Protocol 01-I-0202, Natural History, Genetics, Phenotype, and Treatment of Mycobacterial Infections.
- Have high suspicion for the diagnosis of PCD, based on ciliary ultrastructural changes on EM (if performed elsewhere prior to referral) or clinical features (chronic sinopulmonary disease, chronic otitis media, history of neonatal respiratory distress or situs inversus), or PCD in a sibling and one of the clinical features of PCD.
- Have chronic sino-pulmonary disease with clinical features that overlap with variant CF and PCD, but with diagnostic tests to rule out classical CF (sweat Cl- testing and CF gene mutation screening). This may include patients with other known immune deficiencies such as chronic granulomatous disease followed on NIH natural history protocols.
- Known or suspected PHA (or variant PHA), which might include elevated (or borderline) sweat Cl- values.
To enter the study as a healthy control (n=25), individuals must be age 18 or older and free of any known disease, chronic medical conditions, family history of cystic fibrosis or primary ciliary dyskinesia, or any cognitive impairment or significant disability that might preclude voluntary consent or the ability to safely comply with the instructions or sit through the testing.
Persons who cannot be evaluated at the Clinical Center or who have severe cognitive impairment or other severe disability that precludes the ability to understand instructions or sit/lie still for the evaluation will be excluded. Certain conditions may preclude specific procedures included in the protocol, but may still allow pertinent parts of this diagnostic evaluation. These conditions/procedures may include: pregnancy/Chest PA/Lat x-ray; allergy to pilocarpine /sweat testing. For reversible conditions such as acute upper airway infection, significant epistaxis within the prior week (not related to #2 below), or lower airway infection with uncontrollable coughing, the participant may need to be rescheduled upon resolution.
For nasal nitric oxide and nasal potential difference measurements or nasal mucosal scrape biopsies:
- Anatomic abnormality of the nose or sinuses (e.g. complete sinus blockage or turbinatectomy) that precludes either the measurement of nasal nitric oxide or nasal potential difference.
- A severe bleeding diathesis or condition such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia syndrome that may predispose to significant nasal bleeding or result in severely excoriated nasal mucosa.
- Inability to sit still for up to 15 minutes while the nasal catheters are held on the mucosal surface for transepithelial potential difference measurements. This would include the presence of acute or chronic lower respiratory tract infection that results in uncontrollable coughing.
- Diffuse skin condition that would preclude placement of the subcutaneous reference electrode (butterfly needle) for nasal PD measurement.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00368446
|United States, Maryland
|National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
|Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
|Principal Investigator:
|Kenneth N Olivier, M.D.
|National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Additional Information:
|Responsible Party:
|National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|August 24, 2006 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|May 20, 2020
|Last Verified:
|March 17, 2020
Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection
Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Cystic Fibrosis
Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Mycobacterial Infection
Healthy Volunteer
Mycobacterium Infections
Cystic Fibrosis
Ciliary Motility Disorders
Kartagener Syndrome
Granulomatous Disease, Chronic
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
Pathologic Processes
Pancreatic Diseases
Digestive System Diseases
Lung Diseases
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Infant, Newborn, Diseases
Movement Disorders
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Neurologic Manifestations
Signs and Symptoms
Phagocyte Bactericidal Dysfunction
Leukocyte Disorders
Hematologic Diseases
Genetic Diseases, X-Linked
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases
Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases
Abnormalities, Multiple


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Before the first bucket of mud is removed and the first limestone cropping is blasted away, many questions remain about plans to deepen the St. Johns River so the port can handle bigger cargo ships.
Do the economic benefits outweigh the environmental damage? Are the robust economic projections accurate or the wishful thinking of business and political leaders? Will Jacksonville become the port of choice of Panama Canal shippers, or will they choose from competing East Coast ports?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers draft report, which outlines plans to deepen the shipping channel to 47 feet, has left some city and port leaders with sticker shock. It estimates the project will cost about $732.8 million, with a local cost of $383.5 million.
"We are going to bear a huge, huge cost," said Lisa Rinaman, the St. Johns Riverkeeper, of the cost and environmental impacts of a 13-mile project from the mouth of the St. Johns to the port facilities near Downtown Jacksonville.
Rinaman's organization is keeping a close eye on the potential environmental costs and possible ways to mitigate the damage caused by the removal of tons and tons of material to make the river channel seven feet deeper.
"My job is to protect the St. Johns River," said Rinaman, who is awaiting the results of dozens of reports, including one which will examine the dredging impacts on hundreds of St. Johns tributaries, including 79 in Duval County alone.
She and others face a July 31 deadline for commenting on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers draft report. The Corps' final report is due next spring.
Port officials, city leaders and chamber leaders claim the primary reason for the work is economic development and jobs. The port now claims it is currently responsible for 65,000 jobs and $19 billion annually in economic impact, but some say those figures are inflated.
A consultant for the port, Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pa., issued a report in April which said the dredging would have an economic impact of 14,000 additional jobs by 2035, $1 billion per year in new wages, and $900 million a year in direct business revenue. It would also increase tax revenue by $786.9 million over 35 years.
Jacksonville Maritime lawyer George Gabel, founder of the North Florida Logistics Advisory Group and JAX Chamber Business Leader of the Decade, used those figures in a June speech to the Jacksonville Rotary Club.
Gabel believes the city should issue bonds to pay for the dredging, which would be completed by 2021 at the earliest.
City Councilman John Crescimbeni, in an email, questioned use of bond money to pay for what he called staggering costs.
"The proceeds from bonds are not 'magic money.' Those bonds have to be repaid with interest," he said.
University of North Florida Professor David Jaffee of the Northeast Florida Center for Community Initiatives questioned the wisdom of investing hundreds of millions of dollars on the project. He believes before the project is finished, it could cost taxpayers $1 billion.
"Given the estimated dollar cost of the St. Johns River deepening/dredging, along with the anticipated environmental impact on a watershed that is already struggling to regain its health, there should be a clear and unambiguous net gain to not just the ships, carriers and logistic firms to the larger community," Jaffee wrote in a September report, "JaxPort As an Urban Growth Strategy: Community Implications and Prospects."
JaxPort will be in competition with ports in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland, which already have harbors that handle larger ships. Miami and Savannah also have projects in the works to deepen their harbors, part of $15 billion in infrastructure upgrades over the next 10 years, Jaffee said his report.
"There is nothing sacred about Jacksonville as a destination," Jaffee said, adding that shippers want the cheapest and fastest way from the ships to their customers.
Jaffee also questioned the effect dredging will have on job creation and the current rosy picture touted by JaxPort, which says, "65,000 jobs in Northeast Florida are related to port activity." Of the jobs currently listed by JaxPort, fewer than than 9,000 jobs, or 13.8 percent, are "direct jobs" that deal with cargo handling and vessel services.
Another issue that isn't being discussed is the depth of the dredging. If the Jacksonville channel is dredged to 47 feet, it still won't be able to handle ships that need 50 feet of depth, Jaffee said in a telephone interview. That is the size of the proposed ships being designed to transit the renovated Panama Canal.
"There is no guarantee that if we dredge it, they will come," Rinaman said.
Mayor Alvin Brown, while praising the port as the city's economic engine, said he wasn't inclined to spend additional tax dollars on the project.
"We support continuing the improvement and expansion of JaxPort and the channel to keep building momentum on the economic growth and recovery occurring in Jacksonville," the mayor said in a statement to Folio Weekly.
"With the cost estimate just recently announced, we would discuss any private partnership opportunities with JaxPort, the independent authority that will oversee any of the dredging project."
Brown is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Metro Exports and Ports. He has pressed federal officials to act on funding available to improve ports.
Right now, the mayor said, he is focused on improving Mile Point, a dangerous area where the St. Johns River and Intracoastal Waterway meet. Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature committed $35 million to fix Mile Point.
Another important factor of the dredging is the environmental impact and the mitigation proposed for the project.
Among the concerns raised by environmentalists and the public are an increase in salinity within the St. Johns, shoreline erosion, confined underwater blasting, and increased impacts to the endangered northern right whale and other endangered species, including the manatee, wood stork, several turtle species, the short-nosed sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon and smalltooth sawfish.
The salinity issue is a huge one. A small increase in salt levels can have a detrimental affect on vegetation and on fish, shrimp and crab nurseries.
"We are already seeing signs of stress on cypress trees," Rinaman. said
A large part of her focus is the mitigation plan, which is designed to review things that can be done to make up for the damage from the dredging.
"Our preliminary review shows it does not provide a net benefit to the river," Rinaman said.
In some discussions with the Corps of Engineers, Rinaman suggested removing the Rodman Reservoir near Palatka would be good mitigation for the dredging. After considering the idea, the Corps rejected it. She believes the proposal still has merit.
"Although there would likely be environmental benefits from the restoration of the Ocklawaha River and associated wetlands in this area, there is considerable controversy regarding the dam that is unresolved and could substantially delay implementation of the feature in any mitigation plan," the Corps wrote.
Ed Taylor, president of Save Rodman Reservoir Inc., has been fighting to retain the dam on Lake Ocklawaha, one of the state's best bass fishing lakes. Taylor said he also had enlisted the support of state Sen. John Thrasher, who pledged his support of the lake, which covers parts of Putnam and Marion counties.
"The Army Corps of Engineers has already backed off because they know the controversy would surface again," Taylor wrote in an email. "So they have removed the word Rodman from their study and said they have no plans of entertaining the idea of taking the dam down."
The Rodman was built as part of the ill-fated Cross Florida Barge Canal, which was designed to use the St. Johns River to connect to other rivers to move barge traffic across the state. Construction began in 1964, but was halted in 1971 after environmental concerns stopped it.
Rinaman does not favor mitigations such as buying conservation land or bank credits.
"We want to see the kind of mitigation that improves the St. Johns and its tributaries," Rinaman said.
Whoa! Stop!
First it was 40 foot deepening; then someone suggested 47 feet is better. I suppose 40 feet just requires sand and debris removal; this is not so bad. Sands and debris come and go with the tide and many storms. BUT, blasting away at the limestone base is absurd. Dead marine life will then float up and down the river with the silt. We don't want this. And, $738 million for all that absurdity? Then someone else says that 50 feet will be the new standard. How much will that cost?
How about a survey of other eastern ports that included their depths, and their plans to deepen, and what those cost estimates are. Here's a radical idea: Don't like TV, -then just unplug it and take a walk or bike ride. Don't want anymore foreign products or monster ships, -close the canal and sink an obsolete aircraft carrier in the mouth of the St. Johns River.
Alright, my idea is absurd and stupid. But, how about that survey of other ports?
Thursday, June 27, 2013|Report this
I totally agree with "dalong1940". I've lived on the river now since 1992, and have been horrified at the washing away of properties,failing bulkheads,and damage to river flora and fauna. Dredging is the equivalent to hydrolic fracturing(fracking) our river. I've seen little differences between high and low tides that used to be dramatic before we began giving our water away to other cities and states. Many docks are literally falling apart because they are completely out of the water now at low tide.At low tide boats, unless in dry dock, flop on their sides.The hurricanes of several years ago left a mess of properties along the river. Thursday, June 27, 2013|Report this


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GIFTS OF FORTUNE The World is Yours Trucker Hat
- Trucker mesh hat with front G.O.F Globe embroidery. Hand crafted in New York, USA.
- One size fits all.
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Every book has a mystery in it.
Don't believe me? Pick up the nearest title. I grabbed a fantasy: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It may be about a boy going to a school for wizards, but Harry and his friends spend a good deal of the book figuring out the mystery of what is on the third floor of Hogwarts.
"Hey, that's not fair," you say. "That book really is mainly about the mystery of the Sorcerer's Stone." Fair enough. Let's try a classic instead: Charlotte's Web. It's a book about friendship, right? But—aha!—that friendship starts with a little mystery. Wilbur hears a tiny voice promising to be his friend, but because it's dark he can't see who's talking. Though he searches for clues the next morning, he can't solve the mystery until Charlotte introduces herself.
Some books, like Charlotte's Web, have only a small mysterious element to them, but there are plenty that are mainly about the whodunit. These books are clumped together into what we call the mystery genre.
But what books fall under this genre? Actually, that's a hard question to answer. Every person has a different definition of what books are considered part of the mystery genre. This is probably because, as I mentioned before, every book has a mystery hiding in its pages. Under the mystery umbrella you can find puzzlers, crime and detective fiction, suspense and thrillers, even humor or horror. Most have contemporary settings, but there are historical mysteries, too. There are also fantasy mysteries, sci-fi mysteries and paranormal mysteries. There is just about any type of mystery you can think of because—say it with me—every book has a mystery somewhere in it.
I've done my own sleuthing and compiled a list of ten must-read middle-grade mysteries. They are:
by Blue Balliett
Calder and Petra become friends and then set off to solve the mystery of a stolen piece of Vermeer's artwork. Calder's fascination with pentominoes (math puzzle pieces) is one of the most interesting and clever things about this mystery. Other books in this series…
by Pseudonymous Bosch
I wish I could tell you about Cass and Max-Earnest, who find the journal of a missing magician, or about how they learn what the mysterious Symphony of Smells is. I really wish I could. But I can't. It's a secret. Other books in this series…
by Patricia Finney writing as Grace Cavendish
Grace Cavendish is a lady-in-waiting at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, but she solves mysteries while no one is looking. In this book, one of Grace's suitors is killed, and she must find a way to prove that the man she gives her hand to is not the killer. Other books in this series…
by E.L. Konigsburg
Claudia decides to run away from home, but she needs somewhere to run away to. So she and her brother, Jamie, decide to hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While living there, they come across a mystery surrounding an angel statue purchased by the museum.
by R.L. LeFevers
Theodosia spends most of her time at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities where her parents work. And it's a good thing, too, because only she can see the ancient curses still attached to the Egyptian artifacts. When her mom brings home a cursed amulet, Theodosia is thrust in the middle of a battle between secret societies. Other books in this series…
by Ellen Raskin
Sam Westing has sixteen heirs, and after his death all of them are summoned for the reading of his will. There they are divided into eight pairs, each pair is given a different clue, and all are challenged to solve the mystery of who killed Sam Westing. Whomever solves the mystery inherits his millions.
by Rick Riordan
At their grandmother's funeral, Amy and Dan Cahill learn they are members of the most powerful family in the world. Their grandmother's will offers a challenge to all family members: find the 39 Clues to secure the family's power. But only one team can win the challenge (and the power), so Amy and Dan find themselves in an international race against the rest of the family. Other books in this series…
by Donald Sobol
Each mystery is short but contains all the clues needed to solve the puzzle. Can you figure it out without checking the solution in the back? This book is a great way for budding detectives to stretch their minds and see if they have what it takes to be great sleuths. See more and still more…
by Rebecca Stead
Miranda's life revolves around Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. But when she discovers mysterious notes from someone who seems to know the future and claims to want to save her life, she spends large amounts of time watching the homeless lunatic her mom calls the laughing man as she tries to find the connection between her life and the notes.
by Trenton Lee Stewart
Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance are the four clever children who make up the Mysterious Benedict Society. Their first mission: infiltrate the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and find out what the evil Mr. Curtain is up to. And once they do, they must use their special skills together to stop him. Other books in this series…
Search out your own favorite middle-grade mysteries and share with me what you find. And make sure you investigate our Fifth Summer Giveaway, where three awesome MG books are up for grabs.
But while you're sleuthing, do me a favor. If you happen to come across a book with no mystery anywhere in it, don't tell me. I don't want to know.
Elissa Cruz's life is full of toys and papers and books and kids, and because of it she solves mysteries on a daily basis. Important ones, too, like where the missing car keys are, or who ate the last piece of cake. Her first book, a light and fun middle-grade mystery, is currently on submission.


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Product Description
2020 ECPA Christian Book Award Nominee: Young People's Literature
From popular author Chrystal Evans Hurst comes Show Up for Your Life, a topical teen book that empowers readers and reminds individuals who they are in God's eyes. Crystal keeps it real, exploring the daily ups and downs of life as a teen today. Readers will discover how to shift their focus from everyday moments gone wrong to a mindset that celebrates the simple yet beautiful things in life. Crystal's conversational tone, honesty, and humble wisdom make this book perfect for teen readers who seek to be all God intended them to be while living a positive, impactful life.
Show Up for Your Life: What the Girl You'll Be Tomorrow Wants You to Know Today includes stories from Chrystal's adventure-some life geared specifically for readers 13 and up, and touches on content related to the #1 adult nonfiction bestseller She's Still There.
More Product Information
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Release Date: February 5, 2019
- Pages: 304
- Language: English
- Binding: Hardcover
- Height: 1.00 inches
- Width: 5.70 inches
- Length: 8.80 inches
- Weight: 1.00 pounds
About the Author
Chrystal Evans HurstThe first thing you should know is that writing specifically to tell you about myself is hugely unnerving for me. So here's what I'd tell you if I had a minute-to-spin-it.
I'm a… Jesus girl. Wife. Mom. Writer. Speaker. Singer. Homeschooler. Bibliovore. Techie. Hopeless Romantic. Starbucks Junkie. Foodie. Fashion Newbie. Runner Wannabe. Sweet Tea Connoisseur. …and a lover of all things that refresh.


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"So you really wish me to ask
them both to come, Richard?"
Lady Calmady stood on the tiger-skin
before the Gun-Room hearth. Upon the said hearth
a merry, little fire of pine logs clicked and chattered.
Even here, on the dry upland, the night air had an
edge to it; while in the valleys there would be frost
before morning, ripening that same splendour of autumn
foliage alike to greater glory and swifter fall.
And the snap in the air, working along with other
unwonted influences, made Katherine somewhat restless
this evening. Her eyes were dark with unspoken
thought. Her voice had a ring in it. The
shimmering, black, satin dress and fine lace she wore
gave a certain magnificence to her appearance.
Her whole being was vibrant. She was rather dangerously
alive. Her elder brother's unlooked-for
advent had awakened her strangely from the reserve
and stately monotony of her daily existence, had shaken
even, for the moment, the completeness of the dominion
of her fixed idea. She ceased, for the moment,
to sink the whole of her personality in the maternal
relationship. Memories of her youth, passed amid
the varied interests of society and of the literary
and political world of Paris and London, assailed her.
All those other Katherines, in short, whom she might
have been, and who had seemed to drop away from her,
vanishing phantom-like before the uncompromising realities
of her husband's death and her child's
birth, crowded about her, importuning her with vague
desires, vague regrets. The confines of Brockhurst
grew narrow, while all that which lay beyond them called
to her. She craved, almost unconsciously, a wider
sphere of action. She longed to obtain, and to
lend a hand in the shaping of events and making of
history. Even the purest and most devoted among
women possessing the doubtful blessing of
a measure of intellect are subject to such
vagrant heats, such uprisings of personal ambition,
specially during the dangerous decade when the nine-and-thirtieth
year is past.
Meanwhile Richard's answer to
her question was unfortunately somewhat over-long
in coming, for the young man was sunk in meditation
and apparently oblivious of her presence. He
leaned back in the long, low armchair, his hands clasped
behind his head, the embroidered rug drawn about his
waist, a venerable, yellow-edged, calf-bound volume
lying face downwards on his lap. While young
Camp young no longer, full of years indeed
beyond the allotted portion of his kind reposed,
outstretched and snoring, on the all-too-wide space
of rug and chair-seat at his feet. And this indifference,
both of man and dog, grew irksome to Lady Calmady.
She moved across the shining yellow and black surface
of the tiger-skin and straightened the bronzes of
Vinedresser and Lazy Lad standing on the high chimneypiece.
"My dear, it grows late,"
she said. "Let us settle this matter.
If your uncle and cousin are to come, I must send
a note over to Newlands to-morrow before breakfast.
Remember I have no choice in the matter. I leave
it entirely to you. Tell me seriously what you
Richard stretched himself, turning
his head in the hollow of his hands, and shrugged
his shoulders slightly.
"That is exactly what I would
thank you so heartily to tell me," he answered.
"Do I, or don't I seriously wish it?
I give you my word, mother, I don't know."
"Oh; but, my dearest, that is
folly! You must have inclination enough, one
way or the other, to come to a decision. I was
careful not to commit myself. It is still easy
not to ask them without being guilty of any discourtesy."
"It isn't that,"
Richard said. "It is simply that being anything
but heroic I am trying of two evils to choose the
least. I should like to have my uncle and
Helen here immensely. But if the visit wasn't
a success I should be proportionately disappointed
and vexed. So is it worth the risk? Disappointments
are sufficiently abundant anyhow. Isn't
it slightly imbecile to run a wholly gratuitous risk
of adding to their number?"
Then the fixed idea began stealthily,
yet surely, to reassert its dominion; for there was
a perceptible flavour of discouragement in the young
man's speech.
"Dickie, there is nothing wrong,
is there, nothing the matter, to-night?"
"Oh, dear no, of course not!"
he answered, half closing his eyes. "Nothing
in the world's the matter."
He unclasped his hands, leaned forward
and patted the bulldog lying across the rug at his
feet. "At least nothing more than usual,
nothing more than the abiding something which always
has been and always will be the matter."
"Ah, my dear!" Katherine cried softly.
"I've just been reading
Burton's Anatomy here," he went on bending
down, so that his face was hidden, while he pulled
the dog's soft ears. "He assures
all whom it may concern that
'bodily imperfections do not a whit blemish
the soul or hinder the operations of it, but rather
help and much increase it.' There, Camp,
poor old man, don't start it's
nothing worse than me. I wonder if the elaborate
pains which have been taken through generations of
your ancestors to breed you into your existing and
very royal hideousness your flattened nose
and perpetual grin, for instance do help
and much increase the operations of your soul!"
He looked up suddenly.
"What do you think, mother?"
"I think think, my
darling," she said, "that perhaps neither
you nor I are quite ourselves to-night."
"Oh, well I've had rather
a beastly day!" Richard dropped back against
the chair cushions again, clasping his hands behind
his head. "Or I've seemed to have
it, which comes practically to much the same thing.
I confess I have been rather hipped lately. I
suppose it's the weather. You're
not really in a hurry, mother, are you? Come and
sit down."
And obediently Katherine drew forward
a chair and sat beside him. Those uprisings of
vagrant desire still struggled, combating the dominion
of the fixed idea. But the struggle grew faint
and fainter. And then, for a measurable time,
Richard fell silent again while she waited. Verily
there is no sharper discipline for a woman's
proud spirit, than that administered, often quite
unconsciously, by the man whom she loves.
"We gave a wretched girl six
weeks to-day for robbing her mistress," he remarked
at last. "It was a flagrant case, so I suppose
we were justified. In fact I don't see
how we could have done otherwise. But it went
against me awfully, all the same. She has a child
to support. Jim Gould got her into trouble and
deserted her, like a cowardly, young blackguard.
However, it's easy to be righteous at another
person's expense. Perhaps I should have
done the same in his place. I wonder if I should?"
"My dear, we need hardly discuss
that point, I think," Lady Calmady said.
Richard turned his head and smiled at her.
"Poor dear mother, do I bore
you? But it is so comfortable to grumble.
I know it's selfish. It's a horrid
bad habit, and you ought to blow me up for it.
But then, mother, take it all round, really I don't
grumble much, do I?"
"No, no!" Katherine said
quickly. "Indeed, Dickie, you don't."
"I have been awfully afraid
though, lately, that I do grumble more than I imagine,"
he went on, straightening his head, while his handsome
profile showed clear cut against the dancing brightness
of the firelight. "But it's almost
impossible always to carry something about with you
which which you hate, and not let it infect
your attitude of mind and, in a degree, your speech.
Twenty or thirty years hence it may prove altogether
sufficient and satisfactory to know" his
lips worked, obliging him to enunciate his words carefully "that
bodily imperfections do not a whit blemish the soul
or hinder its operations are, in short,
an added means of grace. Think of it! Isn't
it a nice, neat, little arrangement, sort of spiritual
consolation stakes! Only I'm afraid I'm
some two or three decades on the near side of that
comfortable conclusion yet, and I find "
Richard shifted his position, letting
his arms drop along the chair arms with a little thud.
He smiled again, or at all events essayed to do so.
"In fact, I find it's
beastly difficult to care a hang about your soul,
one way or another, when you clearly perceive your
body's making you the laughing-stock of half
the people why, mother, sweet dear mother, what
is it?"
For Lady Calmady's two hands
had closed down on his hand, and she bowed herself
above them as though smitten with sharp pain.
"Pray don't be distressed,"
he went on. "I beg your pardon. I wasn't
thinking what I was saying, I'm an ass.
It's nothing I tell you but the weather.
You're all a lot too good to me and indulge me
too much, and I grow soft, and then every trifle rubs
me the wrong way. I'm a regular spoilt
child I know it and a jolly good spanking
is what I deserve. Burton, here, declares that
the autumnal, like the vernal, equinox breeds hot
humours and distempers in the blood. I believe
we ought to be bled, spring and fall, like our forefathers.
Look here, mother, don't take my grumbling to
heart. I tell you I'm just a little hipped
from the weather. Let's send for dear old
Knott and get him to drive out the devil with his
lancet? No, no, seriously, I tell you what we
will do. It'll be good for us both.
I have arrived at a decision. We'll have
Uncle William and Helen "
Richard had spoken very rapidly, half
ashamed, trying to soothe her. He paused on the
last word. He was conscious of a singular pleasure
in pronouncing it. The perfectly finished figure
of his cousin, outstanding against the wide, misty
brightness of the sunset, the scent of the wood and
moorland, the haunting suggestion of glad secrets,
even that upcurling of blue cigarette smoke, rising
as the smoke of incense with a difference upon
the clear evening air, above all that silent flattery
of intimate and fearless glances, those gay welcoming
gestures, that merry calling, as of birds in the tree-tops,
from the spirit of youth within him to the spirit
of youth so visibly and radiantly resident in her all
this rose up before Richard. He grew reckless,
though reckless of precisely what, innocent as he was,
in fact although mature in learning, he knew not as
yet. Only he turned on his mother a face at once
eager and shy, coaxing her as when in his long-ago
baby-days he had implored some petty indulgence or
the gift of some coveted toy on which his little heart
was set.
"Yes, let us have them,"
he said. "You know Helen is very charming.
You will admire her, mother. She is as clever
as she can stick, one sees that at a glance.
And she is very much grande dame too and,
oh, well, she is a whole lot of charming things!
And her coming would be a wholesome breaking up of
our ordinary ways of going on. We are usually
very contented at least, I think so you,
and dear Julius, and I, but perhaps we are getting
into a bit of a rut. Helen's society might
prove an even more efficacious method of driving out
my blue-devils than Knott's lancet or a jolly
good spanking."
He laughed quietly, patting Katherine's
hand, but looking away.
"And there is no denying it
would be a vastly more graceful one don't
you think so?"
Thus were smouldering fires of personal
ambition quenched in Lady Calmady, as so often before.
Richard's tenderness brought her to her knees.
She hugged, with an almost voluptuous movement of passion,
that half-rejected burden of maternity, gathering
it close against her heart once more. But, along
with the rapture of self-surrender, came a thousand
familiar fears and anxieties. For she had looked
into Dickie's mind, as he spoke out his grumble,
and had there perceived the existence of much which
she had dreaded and to the existence of which she
had striven to blind herself.
"My darling," she said,
with a certain hesitation, "I will gladly have
them if you wish it only you remember what
happened long ago when Helen was here last?"
"Yes, I know, I was afraid you
would think of that. But you can put that aside.
Helen's not the smallest recollection of it.
She told me so this afternoon."
"Told you so?" Katherine repeated.
"Yes," he said. "It
was awfully sweet of her. Evidently she'd
been bullied about her unseemly behaviour when she
was small, till you, and I, and Brockhurst, had been
made into a perfect bugbear. She's quite
amusingly afraid of you still. But she's
no notion what really happened. Of course she
can't have, or she could not have mentioned the
subject to me." Richard shrugged his shoulders.
"Obviously it would have been impossible."
There was a pause. Lady Calmady
rose. The young man spoke with conviction, yet
her anxiety was not altogether allayed.
"Impossible," he repeated.
"Pretty mother don't disquiet yourself.
Trust me. To tell you the truth I have felt to-day is
it very foolish? that I should like some
one of my own age for a little while, as don't
you know a playfellow."
Katherine bent down and kissed him.
But mother-love is not, even in its most self-sacrificing
expression, without torments of jealousy.
"My dear, you shall have your
playfellow," she said, though conscious of a
tightening of the muscles of her beautiful throat.
"Good-night. Sleep well."
She went out, closing the door behind
her. The perspective of the dimly-lighted corridor,
and the great hall beyond, struck her as rather sadly
lifeless and silent. What wonder, indeed, that
Richard should ask for a companion, for something
young! Love made her selfish and cowardly she
feared. She should have thought of this before.
She turned back, again opening the Gun-Room door.
Richard had raised himself. He
stood on the seat of the chair, steadying himself
by one hand on the chair-back, while with the other
he pulled the rug from beneath the sleepy bull-dog.
"Wake up, you lazy old beggar,"
he was saying. "Get down, can't you.
I want to go to bed, and you block the way, lying
there in gross comfort, snoring. Make yourself
scarce, old man. If I'd your natural advantages
in the way of locomotion, I wouldn't be so slow
of using them "
He looked up, and slipped back into
a sitting position hastily.
"Oh, mother, I thought you had
gone!" he exclaimed, almost sharply.
And to Katherine, overstrung as she
was, the words came as a rebuke.
"My dearest, I won't keep
you," she said. "I only came back
to ask you about Honoria St. Quentin."
"What about her?"
"She is staying at Newlands the
two girls are friends, I believe. She seemed
to me a fine creature when last I saw her. She
knows the world, yet struck me curiously untouched
by it. She is well read, she has ideas some
of them a little extravagant, but time will modify
that. Only her head is awake as yet, not her
heart, I think. Shall I ask her to come too?"
"So that we may wake up her
heart?" Richard inquired coldly. "No
thanks, dear mother, that's, too serious an undertaking.
Have her another time, please. I saw her to-day,
and, no doubt my taste is bad, but I must confess
she did not please me very much. Nor which
is more to the point in this connection perhaps did
I please her. Would you ring the bell, please,
as you're there? I want Powell. Thanks
so much. Good-night."
Some ten minutes later Julius March,
after kneeling in prayer, as his custom was, before
the divinely sorrowful and compassionate image of
the Virgin Mother and the Dead Christ, looked forth
through the many-paned study window into the clair-obscure
of the windless autumn night. He had been sensible
of an unusual element in the domestic atmosphere this
evening, and had been vaguely disquieted concerning
both Katherine and Richard. It was impossible
but that, as time went on, life should become more
complicated at Brockhurst, and Julius feared his own
inability to cope helpfully with such complication.
He entertained a mean opinion of himself. It
appeared to him he was but an unprofitable servant,
unready, tongue-tied, lacking in resource. A
depression possessed him which he could not shake off.
What had he to show, after all, for these fifty-odd
years of life granted to him? He feared his religion
had walked in silver slippers, and would so walk to
the end. Could it then, in any true and vital
sense, be reckoned religion at all? Gross sins
had never exercised any attraction over him.
What virtue was there, then, in being innocent of gross
sin? But to those other sins sins
of defective moral courage in speech and action, sins
arising from over-fastidiousness had he
not yielded freely? Was he not a spiritual valetudinarian?
He feared so. Offered, in the Eternal Mercy,
endless precious opportunities of service, he had
been too weak, too timorous, too slothful, to lay hold
on them. And so, as it seemed to him very justly,
to-night confession, prayer, adoration, left him unconsoled.
Then, looking out of the many-paned
window, while the shame of his barrenness clothed
him even as a garment, he beheld Lady Calmady pacing
slowly over the gray quarries of the terrace pavement.
A dark, fur-bordered mantle shrouded her tall figure
from head to foot. Only her face showed, and
her hands folded stiffly high upon her bosom, strangely
pale against the blackness of her cloak. Ordinarily
Julius would have scrupled to intrude upon her lonely
walk. But just now the cry within him for human
sympathy was urgent. Her near neighbourhood in
itself was very dear to him, and she might let fall
some gracious word testifying that, in her opinion
at least, his life had not been wholly vain.
For very surely that which survives when all other
passions are uprooted and cast forth survives
even in the case of the true ascetic and saint is
the unquenchable yearning for the spoken approval of
those whom we love and have loved.
And so, pushed by his poverty of self-esteem,
Julius March, throwing a plaid on over his cassock,
went out and paced the gray quarries beside Katherine
On one hand rose the dark, rectangular
masses of the house, crowned by its stacks of slender,
twisted chimneys. On the other lay the indefinite
and dusky expanse of the park and forest. The
night was very clear. The stars were innumerable fierce,
cold points of pulsing light. Orion's
jeweled belt and sword flung wide against the blue-black
vault. Cassiopeia seated majestic in her golden
chair. Northward, above the walled gardens, the
Bear pointing to the diamond flashing of the Pole
star. While across all high heaven, dusty with
incalculable myriads of worlds, stretched the awful
and mysterious highroad of the Milky-Way. The
air was keen and tonic though so still. An immense
and fearless quiet seemed to hold all things a
quiet not of sleep, but of conscious and perfect equilibrium,
a harmony so sustained and complete that to human
ears it issued, of necessity, in silence.
And that silence Lady Calmady was
in no haste to break. Twice she and her companion
walked the length of the terrace, and back, before
she spoke. She paused, at length, just short
of the arcade of the further garden-hall.
"This great peace of the night
puts all violence of feeling to the blush,"
she said. "One perceives that a thousand
years are very really as one day. That calms
one with a vengeance."
Katherine waited, looking out over
the vague landscape, clasping the fur-bordered edges
of her cloak with either hand. It appeared to
Julius that both her voice and the expression of her
face were touched with irony.
"There is nothing new under
the sun," she went on, "nor under the
'visiting moon,' nor under those somewhat
heartless stars. Does it occur to you, Julius,
how hopelessly unoriginal we are, how we all follow
in the same beaten track? What thousands of men
and women have stood, as you and I stand now, at once
calmed as I admit that I am and
rendered not a little homeless by the realisation of
their own insignificance in face of the sleeping earth
and this brooding immensity of space! A quoi bon,
a quoi bon? Why can't one learn to harden
one's poor silly heart, and just move round,
stone-like, with the great movement of things accepting
fate and ceasing to struggle or to care?"
"Just because, I think,"
he answered, "the converse of that same saying
is equally true. If, in material things, a thousand
years are as one day, in the things of the spirit
one day is as a thousand years. Remember the
Christ crying upon the cross 'My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?' and suffering
during that brief utterance the sum of all the agony
of sensible insignificance and sensible homelessness
human nature ever has borne or will bear."
"Ah, the Christ! the Christ!"
Lady Calmady exclaimed, half wistfully as it seemed
to Julius March, and half impatiently. She turned
and paced the pale pavement again.
"You are too courteous, my dear
friend, and cite an example august out of all proportion
to my little lament." She looked round at
him as she spoke, smiling; and in the uncertain light
her smile showed tremulous, suggestive of a nearness
to tears. "Instinctively you scale Olympus, Calvary? yes,
but I am afraid both those heights take on an equally
and tragically mythological character to me and
would bring me consolation from the dwelling-places
of the gods. And my feet, all the while, are
very much upon the floor, alas! That is happening
to me which never yet happened to the gods, according
to the orthodox authorities. Just this a
commonplace dear Julius, I am growing old."
Katherine drew her cloak more severely
about her and moved on hastily, her head a little
"No, no, don't protest,"
she added, as he attempted to speak. "We
can be honest and dispense with conventional phrases,
here, alone, under the stars. I am growing old,
Julius and being, I suppose, but a vain,
doting woman, I have only discovered what that really
means to-day! But there is this excuse for me.
My youth was so blessed, so so glorious,
that it was natural I should strive to delude myself
regarding its passing away. I perceive that for
years I have continued to call that a bride-bed which
was, in truth, a bier. I have struggled to keep
my youth in fancy, as I have kept the red drawing-room
in fact, unaltered. Is not all this pitifully
vain and self-indulgent? I have solaced myself
with the phantom of youth. And I am old old."
"But you are yourself, Katherine,
yourself. Nothing that has been, has ceased to
be," Julius broke in, unable in the fulness of
his reverent honour of his dear lady to comprehend
the meaning of her present bitterness. "Surely
the mere adding of year to year can make no so vital
"Ah! you dear stupid creature,"
she cried, "stupid, because, manlike,
you are so hopelessly sensible it makes
just all the difference in the world. I shall
grow less alert, less pliable of mind, less quick of
sympathy, less capable of adjusting myself to altered
conditions, and to entertaining new views. And,
all the while, the demand upon me will not lessen."
Katherine stopped suddenly in her
swift walk. The two stood facing one another.
"The demand will increase,"
she declared. "Richard is not happy."
And thereupon since, even
in the most devout and holy, the old Adam dies extremely
hard Julius March fell a prey to very lively
irritation. While she talked of herself, bestowing
unreserved confidence upon him, he could listen gladly,
forever. But if that most welcome subject of
conversation should be dropped, let her give him that
which he craved to-night, so specially a
word for himself. Let her deal, for a little
space, with his own private needs, his own private
joys and sorrows.
"Ah! Richard is not happy!"
he exclaimed, his irritation finding voice. "We
reach the root of the matter. Richard is not happy.
Alas, then, for Richard's mother!"
"Are you so much surprised?"
Katherine asked hotly. "Do you venture to
blame him? If so, I am afraid religion has made
you rather cruel, Julius. But that is not a new
thing under the sun either. Those who possess
high spiritual consolations unknown to the
rank and file of us have generally displayed
an inclination to take the misfortunes of others with
admirable resignation. Dearest Marie de Mirancourt
was an exception to that rule. You might do worse
perhaps than learn to follow her example."
As she finished speaking Lady Calmady
turned from him rather loftily, and prepared to move
away. But even in so doing she received an impression
which tended to modify her resentful humour.
For an instant Julius March stood,
a tall, thin, black figure, rigid and shadowless upon
the pallor of the gray pavement, his arms extended
wide, as once crucified, while he looked, not at her,
not out into the repose of the night-swathed landscape,
but up at the silent dance of the eternal stars in
the limitless fields of space. As Katherine,
earlier in the evening, had taken up the momentarily
rejected burden of her motherhood, so Julius now,
with a movement of supreme self-surrender, took up
the momentarily rejected burden of the isolation of
the religious life. Self-wounded by self-love,
he had sought comfort in the creature rather than
the creator. And the creature turned and rebuked
him. It was just. Now Julius gave himself
back, bowed himself again under the dominion of his
fixed idea; and, so doing, gained, unconsciously,
precisely that which he had gone forth to seek.
For Katherine, struck alike by the strange vigour,
and strange resignation, of his attitude, suffered
quick fear, not only for, but of him. His aloofness
alarmed her.
"Julius! dear Julius!"
she cried. "Come, let us walk. It grows
cold. I enjoy that, but it is not very safe for
you. And, pardon me, dear friend, I spoke harshly
just now. I told you I was getting old. Put
my words down to the peevishness of old age then."
Katherine smiled at him with a sweet,
half-playful humility. Her face was very wan.
And speech not coming immediately to him, she spoke
"You have always been very patient
with me. You must go on being so."
"I ask nothing better," Julius said.
Lady Calmady stopped, drew herself up, shook back
her head.
"Ah! what sorry creatures we
all are," she cried, rather bitterly. "Discontented,
unstable, forever kicking against the pricks, and
fighting against the inevitable. Always crying
to one another, 'See how hard this is, know
how it hurts, feel the weight!' My poor darling
cries to me that is natural enough" Katherine
paused "and as it should be.
But I must needs run out and cry to you. In this
we are like links of an endless chain. What is
the next link, Julius? To whom will you cry in
your turn?"
"The chain is not endless"
he replied. "The last link of it is riveted
to the steps of the throne of God. I will make
my cry there my threefold cry for
you, for Richard, and for myself, Katherine."
Lady Calmady had reached the arched
side-door leading from the terrace into the house.
She paused, with her hand on the latch.
"Your God and I quarreled nearly
four-and-twenty years ago not when Richard,
my joy, died, but when Richard, my sorrow, was born,"
she said. "I own I see no way, short of
miracle, of that quarrel being made up."
"Then a miracle will be worked," he answered.
"Ah! You forget I grow
old," Katherine retorted, smiling; "so
that for miracles the time is at once too long and
too short."


text:
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The Mouse House Cats - Free Download here!
Footnote by John Maslen now available as a free download only on Yetiboyrecords. Get your copy here.
Battle of a Simple Man, released by The Last Pedestrians late 2016. We still have a few copies left so get yours here!
Since the release of Gaffa's new EP XI XII XII and their remastered1978 album Neither Use Nor Ornament they have been writing and recording with two new albums in the pipeline for release in 2018. The first will be 'A Frost Precaution' on April 17th 2018.
Trampoline Talkdowns by Wayne Evans is available to download on iTunes
Yeti Boy Records are pleased to announce the release of 'Beginner's Luck' by Rich & Famous
Rich & Famous filmed the video for 'Land of Plenty' in Nottingham the land of plenty just recently... you can watch it here
Yeti Boy Records are sad to announce the death of Richard Ronson. Guitarist, singer and song writer, Richard was part of the original Gaffa line-up.


text:
The Hope College Chapel Choir, under the direction of Dr. Brad Richmond, has announced its 2013 spring tour with concerts planned between March 10-20 in Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey and New York before concluding with the traditional home concert in Holland on Monday, March 25.
Sunday, March 10, 3 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
321 West South St.
Kalamazoo MI 49007
Friday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.
Trinity Cathedral
2230 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland OH 44115
Saturday, March 16, 7 p.m.
Grace Church Haddonfield
19 Kings Highway East
Haddonfield NJ 08033
Sunday, March 17, 3:30 p.m.
Reformed Church of Pughkeepsie
70 Hooker Ave.
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Monday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.
First Reformed Church of Scotia
224 North Ballston Ave.
Scotia NY 12302
Tuesday, March 19, 1 p.m.
St. Paul's Chapel, 1 p.m.
209 Broadway
New York NY 10007
Wednesday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.
Trinity Reformed Church
909 Landing Road
Rochester NY 14625
Monday, March 25, 7:30 p.m.
St. Francia de Sales Catholic Church
171 West 13th St.
Holland MI 49423
The Hope Chapel Choir, founded in 1938, is Hope College 's premier choral ensemble. Made up of forty auditioned singers, Chapel Choir has toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada, and has traveled abroad on eight occasions. The choir is featured along with other music ensembles in Christmas Vespers, a tradition that stretches back to 1941. Award winning broadcasts of Christmas Vespers by WGVU, Grand Rapids, MI, are shown on PBS stations around the country at Christmastime.
In May of 2009, the choir toured South Africa, singing in a variety of contexts including large urban churches, universities, small parishes in black townships, inner city missions, and AIDS clinics. The students who participated in this trip were moved deeply by their experiences and voted overwhelmingly in favor of making central to the choir's mission an ongoing relationship with South Africa.
The members of this year's choir come from a cross-section of academic disciplines.
While many are music majors, others specialize in biology, business administration,
computer science, religion, theatre, chemistry, English literature, and mathematics.
Regardless of discipline, each member is highly dedicated to carrying on the fine
tradition of choral artistry that has been the Chapel Choir's for many years.
Brad Richmond has been Director of Choral Activities at Hope College since 1998. He teaches conducting and voice, and also directs the Chapel Choir and College Chorus.
Prior to this, he served as Director of Choirs at Southeastern Louisiana University. His presentation of Bach's B Minor Mass won the Gambit Classical Arts award for the best choral performance of 1998 in New Orleans and the surrounding region. During summers from 1995 to 2000 he served as a high school choral director at Interlochen Center for the Arts.
A Canada Council for the Arts Conducting Award winner, Dr. Richmond has toured with
choirs throughout the United States, Canada, England, Austria, France, Italy, Hungry,
Czech Republic and South Africa. His choral compositions are published by MorningStar
Music Publishers and Mark Foster Music Company.
The Chapel Choir robes were designed fifty years ago by Charles and Ray Eames, a husband-and-wife team among the most influential designers of the twentieth century. Filmmakers, poets, painters and furniture designers, the couple was hired in the 1940s as consultants by the Herman Miller Company, which had been impressed by a widely acclaimed furniture-design exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art featuring the work of Charles Eames. In 1952, when the Herman Miller Company started a mixed chorus, Ray Eames offered to design robes for the choir. It is not known whether the robes were produced in California, where Charles and Ray kept an office, or in Holland, where some believe they were sewn by local seamstresses. In 1960, the Herman Miller Mixed Chorus disbanded and the robes were given to Hope College, where they became the performing apparel of the Chapel Choir.
The robe colors are intended to symbolize the four primary voice parts, from highest and brightest (yellow) to lowest and darkest (purple). The black horizontal lines represent an extended grand staff, and the other black swatches stand for random notes in the universe. Purity of tone and faith are represented by the prevailing white that appears on every surplice. No one would ever describe these robes as subtle; they are very much in line with the bold and quirky designs of mid-century modernism. But, as the work of Charles and Ray Eames, they hold a special place in twentieth century art and design, and would be at home in art galleries everywhere.
Angelo Alago, Lansing, MI
Katrina Baker, Hudsonville, MI
Matthew Barbour, Columbus, OH
Kristin Baron, Holland, MI
Ashley Blauwkamp, Zeeland, MI
Laura Clement, Traverse City
Jared Duimstra, Appleton, WI
Zachary Evans, Muscatine, IA
Elizabeth Fitz-Gerald, Lake Orion, MI
Rebecca Flinker, Leeds, MA
Erin Gilbert, Marshall, MI
Aaron Goodyke, Zeeland, MI
Kelsey Gustafson, Grand Rapids, MI
Aaron Haecker, Winchester, VA
Bradley Hamilton, Southfield, MI
Sara Hondorp, Grand Rapids, MI
Sam Horsch, Gibson City, IL
Abigail Johnson, Sammamish, WA
Nicholas Johnson, New Era, MI
Carter Jones, Traverse City, MI
Michelle Koster, Hudsonville, MI
Taylor Krahn, Mishawaka, IN
Sarah Kuhn, Portage, MI
Nicholas Kwilinski, Naperville, IL
Alexandra Leppek, Bay City, MI
Mallory Lectka, Livonia, MI
Thomas Marine, Spring Lake, MI
Joshua McCammon, Ypsilanti, MI
Danielle Meyer, Dearborn, MI
Andrew Neevel, Ann Arbor, MI
Amanda Palomino, Hudsonville, MI
Rachel Rebhan, Holland, MI
Austin Roblyer, Plainwell, MI
Evan Rugen, Flossmoor, IL
Kayleigh Schneider, Lake Leelanau, MI
Alicia Schubert, Enon, OH
Erica Simpson, Traverse City, MI
Caroline Sterr, Downers Grove, IL
Steven Stinson, Stilwell, KS
Elly Vander Zouwen, Midland, MI
Laura Van Oss, Wheaton, IL
Meredith Whitehead, Buffalo Grove, IL
Sara Wielenga, Lansing, MI
Marshall Willey, Holland, MI
Emily Young, Clinton Township, MI


text:
Bar none: "The Cookie Lady" delivers
The summer of 1976 ushered in a new era in cross-county bicycling with the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, aka "Bikecentennial Route 76." Thanks to one Afton woman, that summer also saw a new era in cookies.
Since 1976, June Curry, known to her fans as the Cookie Lady, has been providing sweet sustenance to bicyclists who pause in the quaint village of Afton.
Curry realized the need when droves of struggling bicyclists began stopping near her house on the steep slope up Route 6 near its connection to Route 250. The once-thriving town's only grocery store had closed months earlier.
At first, Curry just left cups of water on an old plank, but her ministrations soon escalated. Before long, she had opened an old family house from April to October so bikers and hikers could spend the night. A cookie jar accepts donations.
"This has been a good year," says Curry, smiling.
Born and raised in Afton, Curry, now 81, would like nothing more than to see bikers cross the mountain more easily through the Blue Ridge Tunnel. "This," she says, "will put Afton back on the map."


text:
Outputfilter allows to filter the output and rewrite some part of it (for example headers) before sending it to the client. It is in beta version. Submit your bugs, feature wishes (or any enhancement/mistake in the documentation) here.
For now it only allows to change or add headers, or to change the HTTP code.
To use this extension, first load it from the configuration file:
<extension findlib-package="ocsigenserver.ext.outputfilter"/>
Rewrite headers
When you want to rewrite one header (after having generated a page), do something like:
<outputfilter header="location" regexp="http://my.newaddress.org/(.*)" dest="http://my.publicaddress.org/\1"/>
Here we rewrite the content of the header location (this line is useful when you are using the reverse proxy).
Add headers
When you want to add a header (after having generated a page), do something like:
<outputfilter header="X-Frame-Options" dest="SAMEORIGIN" replace="true"/>
This will add the header "X-Frame-Options" with content "SAMEORIGIN" to the generated page. The replace attribute is optionnal.
- If replace is "true", the previous headers are replaced.
- If replace is "false", it will be added even if there was a header with the same name.
- If not set, it will be added only if there was no header with the same name. (This line is usefull when you want to avoid clickjacking)
Change HTTP code
The syntax to change the HTTP code is:
<sethttpcode code=... />
where the value of the code attribute is a valid HTTP code (404 or 200 for example).


text:
Location: Pretoria, South Africa
Member Since: January 2012
Open for read requests: Yes
Profile Information
I'm a drunkard. I'm a writer. I'm sarcastic. I'm a masochist. I'm me. ...unfortunately.
"You held my hand, but you were too afraid to speak and I could never understand. I remember when you leaned in quick to kiss me, and I swear, that not a single force on earth could stop the trembling of my hand,." – Jordan Dreyer. "Tonight I'm coming home in a coma if it fucking kills me." - Keith Buckley. "The alcoholic is the last true hopeless romantic." - Keith Buckley. "It's my purgatory, really, inner drinks, whatever. I'm never really all that interested, but I find myself telling her how beautiful she is anyway. 'Cause it's true, all women are, in one way or another. You know, there's always something about every damn one of you, it's a smile, a curve, a secret. You ladies really are the most amazing creatures, my life's work. But then there's the morning after, a hangover, and the realization that I'm not quite as available as I thought I was the night before. And then she's gone, and I'm haunted by yet another road not taken."- Hank Moody. "We both want the same thing. Bad poetry and assaults at the bar." - Keith Buckley. "Don't call this an art project. this is science, this is progress. and don't pretend these are heartfelt words, we are children dressed as surgeons but disturbed by the sight of our scars. and now we carry scalpels to trace the scarring resting somewhere on the line between my house, your heart and into your home. where you lay sleeping like a ceiling fan in winter, gently turning as the wind reaches its fingers through the window just to hold you, like i held you. pressed like a rose between my fingers or like stones i keep in pockets meant to weigh me underwater." – Jordan Dreyer "I know I never used to feel like this. I used to never think of death or hear voices. I used to feel Like everything was perfectly in order, a normal life, but I guess then came a departure." - Jordan Dreyer "I used to pray like God was listening. I used to make my parents proud. I was the glue that kept my friends together. Now they don't talk and we don't go out. I used to know the name of every person I kissed. But now I've made this bed and I can't fall asleep in it." - Jesse Lacey. "Small, simple, safe price. Rise the wake and carry me with all of my regrets. This is not a small cut that scabs, and dries, and flakes, and heals. And I am not afraid to die; I'm not afraid to bleed and fuck and fight, I want the pain of payment. What's left, but a section of pygmy sized cuts. Much like a slew of a thousand unwanted fucks. Would you be my little cut? Would you be my thousand fucks? And make mark leaving space for the guilt to be liquid. To fill and spill over and under my thoughts. My sad, sorry, selfish cry out to the cutter. I'm cutting trying to picture your black, broken heart. Love is not like anything, Especially a fucking knife!" - Bert McCracken. "I see all this potential, and I see squandering. Goddamn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off." - Fight Club. "I'm caught up in the heartless disorder of a Friday night." - Keith Buckley. "I will cherish this love for the rest of my night." - Keith Buckley. "People seem to be getting dumber and dumber. You know, I mean we have all this amazing technology and yet computers have turned into basically four figure wank machines. The internet was supposed to set us free, democratize us, but all it's really given us is Howard Dean's aborted candidacy and 24 hour a day access to kiddie porn. People... they don't write anymore, they blog. Instead of talking, they text, no punctuation, no grammar: LOL this and LMFAO that. You know, it just seems to me it's just a bunch of stupid people pseudo-communicating with a bunch of other stupid people at a proto-language that resembles more what cavemen used to speak than the King's English." - Hank Moody. "We all carry these things inside that no one else can see. They hold us down like anchors. They drown us out at sea. I look up to the sky, there may be nothing there to see. But if I don't believe in him, why would he believe in me?" - Bring Me The Horizon. "The sun goes down and so does she." - Bring Me The Horizon. "This is a rock and roll take over, living each day one night at a time" - Keith Buckley. "Now men with purple hearts carry silver guns. And they'll kill a man for what his fathers done. But what my father did. You know it don't mean shit. I'm not him." - Conor Oberst. "I sit home and drink alone. And hope that bottle speaks Like you, like us, like me." - Andy Hull. "whoever called night a blanket, had never the felt the cold." – Jordan Dreyer. "We are the death of the party. We are the life of the funeral." - Keith Buckley. "Dear everyone I ever really knew, I acted like an asshole so I could keep my edge on you. Ended up abusing even those I thought immune. I killed the kingdom with one move, And now it's time to move." - Andy Hull. "Home Is Where You Hang Yourself." - Keith Buckley. "You said my heart sounded like a payphone in the rain. Distorted, distant, scrambled and desperate. Baby, I swear to god tonight I am sober. It's the reception between us that's failing." - Keith Buckley. "I'll weave your names into my ribcage; lock your hearts inside my chest. Regain the passion I once carried; do away with all the rest. I tore the sickness from your bodies; smashed its head against the bricks. I made a castle from its bones that you may always dwell in it. So sing for every buried moment that you'd thought would never end. And sing your fears about the future; and a dirge for faded friends. For all the love that you had held to, why it somehow failed to keep. And sing each minute you've been frightened; every hour that you've lost sleep And sing for all your friends and family; sing for those who didn't survive. But sing not for their final outcome; sing a song of how they tried. We live amidst a violent storm; leaves us unsatisfied at best, So fill your heart with what's important, and be done with all the rest. We are what's left of what we once were We are falling far behind." – Jordan Dreyer. "My tongue is the only muscle in my body that works harder than my heart." - Jesse Lacey. "Give me the strength to be widowed now that the honeymoon's over" - Keith Buckley. "The greatest lovers were murderers first"- Keith Buckley. "The end of paralysis, I was a statuette. Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench. And when I press the keys, it all gets reversed. The sound of loneliness makes me happier." - Conor Oberst. "We might die from medication, but we sure killed all the pain." - Conor Oberst. "You say this is suicide? I say this is a war. And I'm losing the battle." - Bring Me The Horizon. "Ain't this the bloodiest mess in the world? Said the virgin, a torn little girl. Boy, you went and made a sweet wreck of my soul, and I've already forgiven you– Jordan Dreyer. "'Cause if I cant make myself feel better how am I supposed to expect anyone else to give a shit." - Conor Oberst. "Theres no difference between being holy and alone. That's why I'm eagerly fleeing the scene." - Keith Buckley. "Hey there girls, I'm a cunt." - Keith Buckley. "Trust me, I'm still with you somewhere. I just wish it was here." - Keith Buckley. "I have my drugs, I have my woman. They keep away my loneliness. My parents they have their religion but sleep in seperate houses." - Conor Oberst. "Hearts aren't beating they're counting down." - Keith Buckley. "I'll be spinning in my grave for the rest of my life." -Keith Buckley. "Oh, how selfish of myself to always say that it was more than I could take, like it was pain I could not shake, like it could break me with its fingers, throw my body in the lake, and I would slowly sink away but the Truth is it was sorrow that I made and would not face. See, I keep falling for the future after tripping on the past. And I am always tearing sutures out to make the anguish last like it defines me. Or reminds me I've found comfort in my suffering and uncertainty in happiness and death, because what's next is such a mystery to me. I am terrified of all the things I feel but cannot see. Friends and family, put your hand into my hand and lay your head into my chest. You are all that I have left here We are all that we have left. We are the lovers, We are the last of our kind. Link your arms and keep your chin up and I swear that we'll be fine. We are the lovers, We are the last of our kind." – Jordan Dreyer. "I've got desperate desires and unadmirable plans. My tongue will taste of gin and malicious intent." - Jesse Lacey. "We'll sing the glory of the gospel for some whiskey and a skin flick. Hallelujah." - Keith Buckley. "Now and again it seems worse than it is. But mostly the view is accurate." - Conor Oberst. "I am the greatest man that never lived and now I never sleep I never lost a fight but never knew I started one." - Andy Hull. "It's better to burn out than to fade away." - Kurt Cobain. "When in Rome we shall do as the Romans, when in Hell we do shots at the bar." - Keith Buckley.
This is where you can leave a short message for the writer. All Quickees are public. To leave a private message, use the private.
If you want to write a quickee (a remark or a hint for example) on this writer's profile, please sign in.


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GeoCWeyer wrote:One thing about my chicken stock is that I never make a stock/broth with raw meat/bones unless it is for an Asian soup stock. It is always richer in flavor. In my cream soups I always use evaporated milk instead of milk/cream. It is something we did in my restaurants and something I think most also do. It reduces the cooking time, reduces the danger of scorching, and gives an intensity in the flavor.
I know that most people do use chicken stock in their cream soups but my palate seems to fix on the flavor rather than the richness. Also when eating out the problem with the addition of chicken stock/broth is that too many restaurants, even the better ones, take the short cut and use a base in making that stock figuring that the customer can't tell the difference because of the blend of other flavors. Unfortunately, I can
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text:
It'll be Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh when Big Bro John's Baltimore Ravens (13-6) play Little Bro Jim's San Francisco 49ers (13-4-1) in the Super Bowl at New Orleans in two weeks.
As much chatter as there will be about the players involved — from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and his impending retirement to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's sudden emergence — the sibling angle will make this coaching matchup the most scrutinized in the nearly half-century of Super Sundays.
On Thanksgiving Day, 2011, the Harbaughs became the first brothers to coach against each other in any NFL game. Now they'll be squaring off in the biggest one of all.
U.S. & World
The 49ers open as 5-point favorites.
Copyright AP - Associated Press


text:
How do the ratings work?
Or in other words, how do I win an award?
The aim of all DRIVENxDESIGN award programs is to engender an appreciation for the value of design in more than just designers. Everyone consumes design whether it be a Faberge egg or a roll of toilet paper.
Those who commission and consume design are the lifeblood of those who create design. This is a marketplace where both have to co-exist. The quality of design choices we make every day should be a mix of sound, commercial understanding and courageous, relevant design.
One cannot live without the other.
This is why our rating process collects ratings from both the Panel comprised of industry experts who have an understanding of design from both an aesthetic and marketplace perspective and the marketplace who commission and consume those designs.
Rating process
Many awards programs employ knock-out process where work if viewed and either included or excluded through a series of rounds until the final few are debated buy a jury.
DRIVENxDESIGN award programs use a rating model this removes any inherent biases among judges and means that projects are awarded according to collective ratings rather than one strong opinion in the room.
Community ratings provides additional insight from the design community without the pitfalls of a popularity contest. With likes or up votes the quantity of votes will change the outcome with ratings the quality of the review shines through.
Panel ratings: Every Panel member is given a number of nominations to rate. Every nomination is viewed by at least two panel members. The nomination is rated across the criteria including:
- The project brief
- The response to the brief
- Overall quality of the project
Each Criteria is rated out of 5 and the score is averaged. Panel members can only rate a project once and if they or their organisation was involved with the project, then they abstain from rating.
DRIVENxDESIGN Community ratings: Members of the community include design peers, commissioners and those that consumer design. They also provide a rating out of five. However, their rating is only placed against one criteria:
Overall quality of the project
All ratings for each project are aggregated and averaged. Awards are provided to the leading nomination with the highest average. Any projects that share the same rating will be referred back to the Panel for final consideration with the Awards Chairman having the final say if there is still a deadlock.
Best of the Best Awards?
The Best Studio & Design Champion Awards recognise the courage, diversity & excellence of work from design creators and commissioners.
The Best of the Best Awards are determined by their aggregate rating score across all nominations. Providing the opportunity to recognise consistent performance across a range of nominations.
Best Studio Awards are awarded to teams of less than 5 (small), 5-20 (medium) and 20+ (large) providing recognition for both major and boutique studios.
The Design Champion Award is awarded to the commissioning organisation that has demonstrated the most courage through commissioning projects that expand the use of design and show industry leadership.
You can't directly nominate into the Best of best categories - nominate first into the relevant category and then your project will be automatically considered.
Best Of Categories
Who will win the Best of Categories?
Here are a few tips on how to improve your running. more