text:
April 25, 2014
JINDO (South Korea): Divers grope their way slowly through the dark corridors and cabins of the sunken Sewol ferry. Bodies appear suddenly, floating by in the murky water, buoyed by life-jackets or the bloat of decomposition, their faces etched with fear or shock.
April 25, 2014
JINDO (South Korea): Divers grope their way slowly through the dark corridors and cabins of the sunken Sewol ferry. Bodies appear suddenly, floating by in the murky water, buoyed by life-jackets or the bloat of decomposition, their faces etched with fear or shock.
A diver jumps into the sea to look for people believed to have been trapped in the sunken Sewol ferry.
Some are still locked together in embraces, a freeze-frame of panic as the water rushed in and the ship sank. The hair of female corpses ripples in the current, framing pale faces.
At times, heavy sediment in the water can make flashlights useless and it is almost total darkness inside the South Korean ferry, which has flipped upside down on the seafloor. Divers must stretch their hands into the void to search for bodies. There's constant worry their lifeline to the surface, a 100-meter oxygen hose, will get snagged or cut as they swim deeper through the wreck's maze-like hallways.
For nearly a week now, dozens of divers have battled fast currents and cold waters — as well as exhaustion and fear — to pull out a steady stream of corpses. As they go deeper into what's become a huge underwater tomb, they're getting a glimpse of the ship's final moments April 16 before it capsized. More than 300, most of them high school students are feared dead.
"They can see the people's expressions at the instant" the ship sank, Hwang Dae-sik said of the team of 30 divers he supervises for the Marine Rescue and Salvage Association, a private group of professional divers who've joined Korean navy and coast guard divers in the search and rescue effort. "From the bodies' expressions, you can see they were facing danger and death."
Divers descend about 30 meters (100 feet) down and enter the ship through windows they've broken with hammers.
Han Yong Duk, a 33-year-old diver, said that visibility was often so poor that divers had to feel their way along the outside of the ship to find windows they could smash. One diver tried to hit the ferry with a hammer but only connected with steel, not glass.
Another civilian diver said that sometimes it was pitch black; other times there was less than 20 centimeters (a foot) of visibility.
"I got around by fumbling in the darkness to try to find things with my hands," said Cha Soon-cheol, who spent five days helping with searches. Swimming against the strong currents exhausted him.
Once inside the ship, divers have to dodge floating debris — passengers' belongings, cargo, ropes, chairs — but also bodies.
The ship turned upside down as it sank, so "just imagine a room that is flipped," said Hwang, who doesn't participate in dives himself but is closely involved in every other part of the operation. "Everything is floating around, and it's hard to know exactly where they are."
It is a delicate operation. Divers must move quickly to find decomposing corpses, but they must also be cautious to protect themselves from injury and keep their air supply hoses from getting cut off. The divers can often work for about an hour when they're hooked up to the hoses, Hwang said.
Some divers use oxygen tanks, but that typically allows for only about 20 minutes under water.
As they explore the hallways of the ship, bodies in lifejackets often float above them, near what used to be the floor, and divers must reach up to grab the bodies and pull them close so they can hold them while notifying colleagues above. They then carefully push the body through an open window cleared of broken glass and debris and let it float up to the boats.
Hwang says divers take special care with decaying bodies to make sure they don't damage them further. When a body without a life jacket is found one diver wraps his arms around the body and another diver pulls his colleague and the body to the surface with a rope.
The work is dangerous.
Air supply problems recently forced two members of Hwang's team to make risky, rapid ascents from about 30 meters (120 meters) underwater to the surface. Rising too quickly puts divers at risk of decompression sickness, also known as the bends, which in severe cases can be fatal. The two divers, he said, were treated in decompression chambers. They're now resting, with one suffering from back pain.
It's also emotionally exhausting, and divers often find themselves thinking of the lives lost.
Hwang said his divers try to avoid looking at the eyes of the bodies they retrieve to minimize the shock. It's not always possible. "Even though they have a lot of diving experience, they get really frightened when they first face the bodies," he said.
Many of the students are found hugging each other.
"How hard it must have been for the kids, with the cold water rushing in and darkness coming over them," Hwang said. "Yesterday, I had a lump in my throat talking about this. I thought to myself: Why did I tell them that I can help with rescues and have a lot of experience when I can't even save one life here?"
Courtesy: AP


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Libreria Acqua Alta is a Unique Second-hand Bookshop with an Eccentric Owner:
Wandering around Castello, we came across the Libreria Acqua Alta, a bookshop whose welcome sign says that it is "the most beautiful Bookshop in the World". To me, that was like waving a red flag to a bull as I thought that I had already recently seen the most beautiful bookshop in the world, the Lello Bookshop in Porto, Portugal. So, we had to go into the Libreria Acqua Alta to check it out.
Quirky and Bursting with Books
The table at the entrance, with a somewhat untidy pile of old prints and postcards looks pretty ordinary. However, once you enter the Libreria Acqua Alta, the uniqueness of the shop unfolds before you. The bookshop bulges at the seams with books stacked from floor to ceiling. The fascinating shop comprises a few small rooms whose walls are covered with books. There is also a bathtub, a boat and a gondola filled with books – the high tides of Venice do flood the shop and storing the books in vessels that will keep them dry is a great idea.
The Libreria Acqua Alta is unlike any other bookshop that we've come across. On the surface, the organization of the books seems a little chaotic but there appears to be some method to the madness
of the place. If you're after crime or thrillers, look at the stack of novels in the boat – books by Frederick Forsyth, John Le Carre, Wilbur Smith and Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park are all stacked here. In addition to the novels, biographies and reference books, you'll also find plenty of maps and travel guides and some quirky souvenirs like "old Casanova condoms". This is a kind of bookshop that's nice to lose yourself in and you'll never know what you'll find in the organized chaos.
Acqua Alta's Eccentric Owner
As we were browsing the shop, Luigi Frizzo, the owner of the bookshop came up to us and invited us to take a look at the book steps at the back room. It felt sacrilegious to walk on the books but Luigi insisted that we climb to the top to have a 'wonderful view' of the canal. He also urged us to take a look at the Fire Exit – which takes you right into the canal. Apart from being eccentric and affable, the man's got a great sense of humour.
If you're in the Castello area, Libreria Acqua Alta is worth a visit as Luigi loves people going into his shop. Even cats are welcomed and he seems to have adopted a few strays in his shop.
Libreria Acqua Alta is open from 9:00 to 19:30 during the week.
See more photos of Libreria Acqua Alta at Travelsignposts Castello album Here.
Libreria Acqua Alta
Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa (Corte Senza Nome), Sestiere Castello 5176B
30122 Venezia
Phone: +39 041 296 08 41
Map of Castello:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
WWE Monday Night RAW
Location: Nashville, TN
Date: November 18, 2013
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL
Tonight's WWE RAW Country opens up with a look back at last week's show where The Authority was on vacation. Michael Cole welcomes us to RAW as "Round Here" from Florida Georgia Line plays. They will play live later tonight. Also tonight, Big E Langston vs. Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Title. Tonight's main event will be The Shield and The Wyatt Family vs. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Usos, Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a big match.
– We go to the ring and out comes Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Triple H says it's good to be back. Triple H says last week was a prime example of just how vital he and Stephanie are to the show. Triple H says without true authority, chaos rules, and that's what happened. They are well rested and back. Stephanie brings up Survivor Series but is interrupted by WWE Champion Randy Orton, who marches to the ring in a hurry.
Orton blames them for everything, including Big Show putting him through the table last week. Orton says he is the face of WWE, their most valuable asset, and they should be protecting him better than they are. Orton and Triple H have words, coming face to face. Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox come out. Vickie is more soft-spoken than usual. Maddox takes responsibility for his actions and says last week was all Vickie's fault. Stephanie announces Vickie vs. AJ Lee for tonight plus Maddox vs. Orton, which is right now. Triple H adds a No DQ stipulation to the match. Maddox goes to walk backstage but Kane appears and turns him around. Triple H and Stephanie confront everyone on the stage as we go to commercial.
No DQ Match: Brad Maddox vs. WWE champion Randy Orton (non-title)
Back from the break and Maddox is wrestling in his suit. He stalls as Orton waits. Orton charges and Maddox goes to the floor, grabbing a microphone. Orton chases Maddox towards the crowd and pulls him back to the ring. Maddox drops Orton with a mic shot to the head. Maddox sends Orton face first into the ring post and hits a DDT for a close 2 count.
Orton gets up and he's pissed. Orton sends Maddox to the floor and over the announce table. Orton sends Maddox into the steel steps and rips his shirt off. Orton with shots to the chest. Orton sends Maddox into the ring post and hits a draping DDT from the fan barrier. Orton brings it back in the ring and beats Maddox repeatedly with the microphone. The referee stops the match.
Winner: Randy Orton
– After the match, Orton grabs his WWE Title as we go to replays. The referee checks on Maddox, who is knocked out.
– Still to come tonight, Ryback vs. Big Show. We see Curtis Axel and Big E Langston heading to the ring as we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see Brad Maddox being stretchered out of the arena.
WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Big E Langston vs. WWE Intercontinental champion Curtis Axel
We go to the ring and out first comes Big E Langston followed by WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. Justin Roberts does formal introductions and Langston gets a pop.
Big E strikes first and takes Axel to the corner. Axel fights back with right hands and chops. Big E runs over Axel with a big shoulder tackle for 2. Big E keeps control and slams Axel back for another 2 count. Axel retreats to the floor but Big E follows and chases him back in the ring. Axel tries to come back but Big E nails a big clothesline. Big E with more power moves and a pin attempt. Axel turns it around and drops Big E on the ropes. Axel with a 2 count and more right hands. We go to commercial with Axel in control.
Back from the break and Big E stands up with Axel on his back. Big E sends him to the corner and hits a big shoulder. Axel comes right back with a big dropkick for 2. Axel continues and covers for another 2 count. Big E powers up off the mat and tosses Axel. Big E with clotheslines and a belly-to-belly suplex. The crowd pops for Big E as he runs the ropes and nails a big splash for a close 2 count. Axel counters The Big Ending and goes for his neckbreaker. Big E counters and hits a big clothesline. Big E wins the title with The Big End.
Winner and New WWE Intercontinental Champion: Big E Langston
– After the win, Big E celebrates to a big pop.
– Randy Orton and The shield are backstage. Orton says The Shield are to have his back and they are on the same page now. Roman Reigns says if that's what The Authority wants but Orton has to have their back also.
– Back from the break and Jerry Lawler is in the ring with AJ Lee, The Bella Twins, Cameron, Naomi, Natalya, Eva Marie, Jo Jo, Alicia Fox, Aksana, Kaitlyn, Layla, Summer Rae and Rosa Mendes. This is going to be Divas Musical Chairs. A Florida Georgia Line song plays and they get ready to sit. The music stops and Natalya doesn't get a seat so she leaves the ring. Summer taunts her. The music starts and here we go again.
Of course they all start fighting. JBL calls this the dumbest thing he's ever seen. The whole thing breaks out into a big brawl. Fans chant for Lawler as referees try to calm things. It ends with the Total Divas in the ring and the others on the outside.
– Still to come, a huge twelve-man tag team main event. Up next, Ryback vs. Big Show. We go to commercial.
Ryback vs. Big Show
Back from the break and out comes Big Show to a big pop. Out next comes Ryback. They lock up and break. They lock up again and Show shoves Ryback and unloads in the corner with lefts and rights. Show with a huge chop to the chest. And another. Show drops Ryback with a shoulder and he retreats to the floor. Ryback comes in and goes at it, beating Show into the ropes. Show comes right back with a big shoulder, sending Ryback to the mat again. Show with another huge chop to the chest. Ryback comes off the ropes and takes out Show's knee. Ryback unloads now.
Ryback keeps Show grounded and nails a splash for 2. Ryback with a headlock now. Show finally fights up but Ryback kicks his knee out and nails a DDT for another pin attempt. Show fights out of another headlock and backdrops Ryback. They both get up. Show nails a pair of big clotheslines and a back splash in the corner. Ryback catches Show with a spinebuster out of nowhere for 2. Show blocks a Meathook clothesline by grabbing Ryback for a chokeslam. Ryback counters and drops Show again. Ryback goes for Shellshocked and gets Show up. Ryback nails it but Show still kicks out at 2. Ryback calls Show a stupid giant and tries to lift him to his feet again. Show pushes Ryback off and nails a knockout punch for the win.
Winner: Big Show
– After the match, Randy Orton runs into the ring but Show turns right around and spears him out of the ring. Orton and Show stare at each other as we go to replays.
– Zack Ryder is backstage talking with Florida Georgia Line when 3MB walks up in cowboy hats and western shirts. They are now the Rhinestone Cowboys. They sing a little before walking off.
– Still to come tonight, John Cena's status for Survivor Series after the attack on SmackDown. We go to commercial.
– Randy Orton is backstage in the trainer's room getting ice. He's yelling about The Shield and The Authority not being there for him. Orton starts throwing the ice bags and tells the trainer to get out.
Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston and The Miz
We go to the ring where The Real Americans are with Zeb Colter. Out next comes Kofi Kingston followed by his partner The Miz. Cesaro and Miz start things out.
Typical back and forth tag match to start it. The Real Americans begin to take control of The Miz and double team him. Kofi finally tags in and hits Swagger off the ropes. Kofi unloads and nails a big dropkick. Kofi with the Boom Drop on Swagger. Kofi calls for Trouble in Paradise but knocks Cesaro off the apron. Swagger catches Kofi and slams him for a 2 count.
Kofi goes to tag in The Miz but Miz drops off the apron and the crowd boos. Swagger pulls Kofi back and gets the win with The Patriot Lock.
Winners: Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro
– Still to come, AJ Lee vs. Vickie Guerrero. We see Vickie walking backstage looking scared. She acts like she passes out outside of the trainer's room as we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see the stunt Vickie just pulled. She's being taken away on a stretcher when Stephanie walks up. Stephanie says she looks dehydrated or tired but must be wheeled to the ring. Vickie screams for Stephanie as she's taken to the ring.
Vickie Guerrero vs. WWE Divas champion AJ Lee (non-title)
We go to the ring and the EMT's and the WWE trainer is wheeling Vickie to the ring on a stretcher. AJ Lee's music hits and out comes the Divas Champion with Tamina Snuka.
Vickie is freed from the stretcher and rolled into the ring but she is barely moving. Vickie asks the referee for some water. Vickie pats the water on her face as AJ looks on. The bell finally rings and here we go. Vickie leaves the ring and runs to the back but Tamina is right there. Vickie drops to the mat and begs Tamina. Vickie uses Tamina's hand to fan herself. Vickie walks up the ramp but AJ skips and brings her back by her hair.
Vickie stalls some more until AJ locks her in the Black Widow for the quick win.
Winner: AJ Lee
– AJ and Tamina make their exit as Vickie still acts like she is fainting. She drops at ringside and the referee tries to get her to wake up.
– Triple H is backstage with Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler. He's going to let them settle their differences in a Broadway Brawl later tonight. He tells them to make the best of it. They walk off and we go to commercial.
Broadway Brawl: Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow
We come back and the ring is filled with musical instruments. Out first comes Dolph Ziggler to a pop. Out next comes Damien Sandow. The bell rings and Sandow beats Ziggler down. Sandow with knees to the head before throwing Ziggler out to the floor. Sandow grabs an electric guitar and tosses it out to the floor. He sends Ziggler into the steps and grabs the guitar. Sandow throws it but misses. Ziggler leaps off the steps and takes Sandow down.
They come back in and Sandow keeps control of Ziggler. Ziggler finally turns it around with a dropkick and Sandow goes to the floor. Sandow comes back in for a 2 count after more stomps and offense on Ziggler. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Sandow continues to control Ziggler. Sandow uses some of the instruments and a chair but only gets a 2 count. Ziggler fights back and unloads on Sandow. Sandow nails Ziggler with a fiddle for a 2 count. Ziggler finally counters with a big DDT. More back and forth. Sandow blocks Zig Zag and drops Ziggler. Sandow rams Ziggler head first into a chair wedged into the corner. Sandow with a 2 count. Sandow sends Ziggler head first into a big cello. Sandow with another big shot and a 2 count. Sandow charges with a guitar but Ziggler moves and Sandow hits the ring post. Ziggler with a roll up for 2. Ziggler smashes a snare drum over Sandow's head. Then a bass drum. Ziggler grabs a guitar, struts like Jeff Jarrett and smashes it over Sandow's head for the win.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
– After the bell, Ziggler tosses the cymbals at Sandow as we go to replays. Ziggler does some air guitar to end it.
– We get a look back at Orton and The Authority's segment from earlier tonight.
– Orton is backstage with Triple H and Stephanie now, wondering where everyone was earlier. Orton wants respect. Orton demands to know if he has their confidence as the face of WWE. Stephanie says they were just talking about that and need to think about it.
– John Cena is backstage with his arm in a sling. Cena is talking to Florida Georgia Line before heading to the ring. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and out comes World Heavyweight Champion John Cena with his arm in a sling to sell the attack from Alberto Del Rio on last Friday's SmackDown.
Cena thanks the fans for the boos. He says he has a sling because of bad luck recently. We see footage from what happened on RAW and SmackDown last week. Cena says he thinks he may have come back too soon but maybe that's not the case. Cena talks about how he will perform in front of his whole family on Sunday and defeat Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Title. Cena says he is a little banged up but pain is temporary. He will say "the champ is here" on Sunday. Alberto Del Rio's music hits and out he comes.
Del Rio calls that an amazing speech and says Cena almost made him cry. Cena say she's going to make him tap on Sunday. Del Rio pokes fun at Cena's injured arm. Del Rio brings up Cena's family as he enters the ring. Del Rio says he sees a great opportunity in front of him. Cena agrees and takes off the sling to start unloading on Del Rio. Del Rio slides out of an Attitude Adjustment and flees the ring. We go to commercial.
3MB vs. R-Truth and Xavier Woods
We come back from the break and out comes 3MB as The Rhinestone Cowboys. R-Truth is out next with his partner, NXT star Xavier Woods. Truth and Woods get the win after Xavier comes in and hits his finishers – the Honor Roll and Lost in the Woods.
Winners: Xavier Woods and R-Truth
– After the match, Truth and Xavier dance around the ring as we go to replays.
– Orton is backstage with Triple H and Stephanie. He says there will be no Shield or help for him on Sunday. They want Orton to beat Big Show on his own. Then, everyone will know without a shadow of a doubt that Orton deserves to be the face of WWE. Orton says he will show Triple H confidence and walks off.
– Still to come, Florida Georgia Line will perform. Back to commercial.
– We see footage from last Friday's WrestleMania XXX on-sale party in New Orleans.
– We go to the stage where Florida Georgia Line performs.
CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Goldust and The Usos vs. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper
We go to the ring for tonight's main event and out first comes Daniel Bryan followed by CM Punk. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and The Usos are already out with WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust. Out next comes Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose through the crowd. Out next comes Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper with the lights out. It's going to be Ambrose starting out with Jimmy Uso.
Uso takes control of Ambrose and tags in his brother for some double teaming. Ambrose counters and tags in Reigns. Reigns and Uso go at it. Reigns knocks him back and takes it to the corner. Uso fights out with a big right hand and backs Reigns into their corner, tagging in Cody. Cody works Reigns over before tagging in Goldust for some double teaming and a 2 count. Reigns backs Goldust into their corner and tags in Rollins. Fans chant for Goldust as he turns it around on Rollins with a right hand and a big back drop. Goldust with an inverted atomic drop and a kick to the face for a 2 count. Jey Uso tags back in and superkicks Rollins. Rollins drops Uso with a big elbow and sends him to the floor. Harper tags himself in and goes to Uso on the floor. Rollins and Harper have words on the floor. Now The Wyatts and The Shield argue as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Goldust is in control of Rollins with a pin attempt after some offense. Cody comes in and works Rollins over in the corner. Cody rolls Rollins up for 2. Rollins counters and sends Cody face first into the turnbuckle. Reigns ends up coming in and working over Cody. Rollins comes back in and keeps up the attack on Cody. Ambrose comes back in as The Shield keeps Cody grounded. Ambrose with a suplex and a 2 count on Cody. Harper seems upset that he can't get tagged in as Rollins comes back in. Cody fights back at Rollins. Cody blocks a suplex and drops Rollins on his face. Harper tags himself in and has words with Rollins again. Harper knocks Goldust off the apron. Cody takes Harper out. Bryan comes in to a huge pop and nails a missile dropkick on Harper and knocks Rowan off the apron. Bryan with kicks to Harper. Harper ducks one kick but Bryan sends him face first into the turnbuckles. Bryan with a dropkick to the back of the neck. Rollins comes in and Bryan suplexes him. Bryan sends Reigns to the floor. Harper catches Bryan in a huge sit-down powerbomb for 2.
Wyatt tags in and cuts Bryan off, beating him down and keeping him grounded as the fans chant for Punk. Wyatt tags in Rollins to take over. They all take turns on Bryan in the corner now. Rowan comes in for the first time and takes control of Bryan. Bryan fights out but Rowan nails a big clothesline and tags in Ambrose. Bryan finally takes Ambrose down with a knee to the gut. Bryan goes for a tag but The Shield and The Wyatts knock everyone off the apron. It's chaos as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Bryan is still getting beat down. Rowan tags in Reigns and he keeps the attack going on Bryan. During the break, we see Bryan got whipped hard into the barrier as did Rollins into the steps. Back in the ring, Bryan counters Reigns and nails a big DDT. Punk finally comes in and unloads on everyone. Punk drops Ambrose and Rollins with a DDT neckbreaker combo. Punk nails high knees in the corner on Ambrose and Rollins. A clothesline for each man also. Punk goes to the top and nails the big elbow drop on Ambrose. Punk calls for GTS but Bray comes in the ring. Punk lets Ambrose down. Bray charges but misses. Punk ends up with the Anaconda Vice on Ambrose. Everyone else gets involved. The Usos leap out onto Rowan and Harper. Ambrose slides out of GTS and drops Punk on his face but Goldust breaks the pin. Reigns nails a spear on Goldust. Cody hits Cross Rhodes on Reigns. Rollins blocks a Disaster Kick and powerbombs Cody into the corner. Bryan and Punk double team Rollins. Bryan leaps out onto Bray on the floor. Rollins goes out also. Punk nails GTS on Ambrose for the win.
Winners: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Usos, Cody Rhodes and Goldust
– After the match, The Real Americans rush the ring and all the heels beat down Punk and Bryan. Rey Mysterio runs out and makes the save. Bryan, Punk and Rey hit their finishers and clear the ring. RAW goes off the air with Mysterio, The Usos, Punk, Bryan, Goldust and Cody chanting "yes!" with the crowd.
Source: www.ringsidenews.com


text:
A careful driver is one who honks his horn when he goes through a red light.
Henry Morgan
Love all the Red here!
Happy Ruby Tuesday everyone,
Nora & Lola:)
btw Here's mine!
thanks for hosting and nice red photo;)
Hope everyone has a great Ruby Tuesday!
now, this is some serious reading.:p
have a great week, Mary.
so true! not a tailgater....:)
Very Ruby, Mary... Very ruby...
Very nice red
Some heavy reading Mary for summertime. :)
Nice shot!
Love the picture and the quote! :)
Love the specs!
I am back participating in RT :) I love your shot - great composition.
Happy reading!
Fun RT shot.
My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!
That's why I got a ticket,lol !
That certainly is full of red! I like your quote, too :)
Have a great week!
Love all the red tones on this edition of Macbeth! A fav Shakespeare play for me!
Haven't read Macbeth since high school, and then didn't need glasses. Sure like your red ones, Mary.
Summer reading? Nice ruby!
What a cool photo! I want red glasses!!!
my first time in here. nice photo!
great photo Mary
the quote made me laugh since it's kinda true around here
aw, classic literature.nice choice:)
Ai, Macbeth. We read,analyzed and discussed the play for a year in the gymnasium.
Red indeed.
"Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?"
LOL == there are more than a few of those careful drivers in SW Florida Mary '>_
Honks his horn when he goes thru a red light! Oh I do not want to be on the street with Mr. Careful.
Nice shot! Just a little trivia: I played Lady Macbeth back in college! hehehe
Happy RT! Here's mine.
Lady in red, reading red!
Nice shot! I used to have reading glasses just like those!
Hsppy Red Reading...nice shot.:-)
happy ruby tuesday dear teach..these glasses look like they belong to a real school marm!!
ha!..i guess when you are not on facebook, you have your gace INTO a book!
where do you ever find the time is beyond me!
god bless you mary t and take care of yourself...love terry
Nice photo, Mary. And love the funny quote!
What an intellectual red. :) HRT LG Tina
ROFLMAO....love the quote!!!
WINGS!! [a short, slideshow video of hummingbirds feeding and playing]
Have a great Tuesday. Hope you can find time to stop by and shout out a 'howdy do'.
Nice photo and quote for the day .. I LOVE RED!
Great idea and quote. My first time participating here.
I love shade gardens and yours are beautiful!!!!
'Love the picture; thanks for sharing the quote. Happy RT to all! cheers! ^_^
My Entry
'Love the picture; thanks for sharing the quote. Happy RT to all! cheers! ^_^
My Entry
Great choice for RT! And great shot too!
Thanks for sharing;o)
Have a nice and happy day****
If you say MACBETH in some theaters, they might do something to you...:)
reading is fun :) thanks for hosting this meme
Red glasses... trying to remember... I think I had some red rims, once upon a time. I wonder what happened to them.
Oh, Mary. I just love this picture in all ways. It really WORKS!!!
Happy RT!
Mine's here.
my last pair of spec is pink.
It's been ages since I posted a Ruby Tuesday .. thanks for the inspiration!


text:
Today's Collect in the Ordinary Form was not in the 1962 or previous editions of the Missale Romanum. However, the Gelasianum Vetus provides a predecessor of this prayer.
Clementiam tuam, Domine, supplici voto deposcimus,
ut nos famulos tuos, paenitentia emendatos
et bonis operibus eruditos,
in mandatis tuis facias perseverare sinceros,
et ad paschalia festa pervenire illaesos.
How about that chain of accusatives? "emendatos… eruditos… sinceros… illaesos." The whole thing is a little gem of tropes and sounds and parallels.
Let's move along to what the prayer really says.
O Lord we are beseeching Your mercy with this humble prayer,
that you cause us, Your servants,
corrected by means of penance
and polished by means of good works,
to persevere genuine in Your commands,
and to attain unscathed to the paschal celebrations.
We should remind ourselves of certain recurring questions when reviewing these ancient prayers. Again we have the possibility that clementia tua would have rung in the ears of our ancient forebears as a title, "Your Clemency". This title points also to a divine characteristic, at least from our miserable point of view. God is merciful and kind. The words supplex, votum, deposco suggest a very lowly attitude on our part.
The overarching image is that of God as Teacher, I think. The prayer is addressed to God the Father, through Christ (Per Dominum…etc.). Yet Christ as Teacher is a common image in early Christian art. Our vocabulary also suggests this; we are corrected (emendati) and polished/instructed (eruditi).
This is a finely crafted prayer, beautifully balanced and intricate. Look at that chain of accusatives stretching through the prayer: (nos & tuos) famulos … emendatos… eruditos… sinceros… illaesos. These are all descriptions of what God has made us and will continue to make us through His mercy. Another series threads through the prayer in the ablative: paenitentia… bonis operibus… mandatis. These are the means by which God made us into the accusatives. Note also the chiastic parallel in the structure. Correction and penance connect best with perseverance and commands, which polishing and good works connect best with being attainment and soundness. A logical sequence is found as well. First, we see what we are by means of something (corrected/instructed) and then what we are for something (genuine/unscathed).
Christ is the perfect model of all that is mentioned in the prayer. He is the perfect exemplar.
St. Augustine, in his monumental City of God is a little cautious about presenting the Lord as being our model and exemplar. He knows that Christ, the perfect model, presents for us an unattainable challenge. For Augustine, the lives of the martyrs and other holy men and women are more helpful and realistic models. In their fully be merely human lives they show us that we fully human but merely human people can live the life to which Christ's commands and perfect model calls us.
In looking at this prayer, I got the fleeting impression of the figure of David. David is the focus of much attention on the part St. Ambrose. Perhaps digging into Ambrose on David and some of the vocabulary might produce interesting results.
Also, there comes to mind the ancient way of producing written texts.
In rhetorical training orators were taught to approach topics in stages.
They would find the questions and points of interest (inventio) and then arrange things properly (dispositio) and come to a proper way to deliver the concepts (elocutio). There is a whole raft other terms applicable to this process.
In our prayer today we see something of the same process in penance, requiring introspection and examination, the proper application of things especially though the guidance of divine commands and teaching, and finally the outward expression of the proper content through fulfillment of God's commands and the festive joy that we attain.
Also, in writing out texts, there would be a process of drafting and correction (emendatio or castigatio, words we have seen in the prayers for Lent) and also the polishing of the text, sometimes even literally.
To prepare a sheet of vellum or a scroll, it needed to be polished, mistakes were scraped off and the site repolished.
We are works in progress. God's works. God writes his law into our being as His images. The Father through the Holy Spirit writes His Word upon our hearts.
In this last phase of Lent let us ask Mary, the great Mother of God who is Mother of the Church and Queen of Martyrs, to accompany us in a special way by her intercession, that we may persevere in our resolve to be conformed to all that Christ and Holy Church enjoins on us.


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As a Asterisk Engineer, one of the first things I wanted to tackle was to install the latest Asterisk and FreePBX on it. I build Asterisk based PBX systems for a living, so this shouldn't be that difficult. I responded on http://www.raspberry-asterisk.org/ to say I was going to attempt this and report back but so far the Admin has not got back to me on how I can add there so I have written this up here.
This guide is for complete newbies in getting the Raspberry PI to get set-up and run as a IP PBX using Asterisk and FreePBX
I intended to install Asterisk and FreePBX 2.9 (this is a matter of choice as I am accustomed to the layout before 2.10). I purchased a 8GB SD card instead of 2GB, which is sufficient for just Asterisk 1.8 but not enough for FreePBX. Here's the install process....
Install Squeeze - Get The PI Ready
Anyone with a Raspberry PI in their hands should first go though the following process and set up Debian Squeeze. For my setup, I had an 8GB SD Card. I downloaded Debian Squeeze for the PI from here and the Win32DiskImager from here, Stuck my SD card in to my windows laptop and fired up Win32 Disk Imager. Next, Unzipped the debian file and browsed to it in Win32 Disk Imager, select the correct drive letter in the drop down and let the imaging start. This is by far the quickest and dirtiest way to get Squeeze on to the SD.
After completion, I launched a Live CD of GParted, which is an amazing tool to partition disks. I increased the swap partition to 300Mb and moved it to the end of the drive. I then rezised the rootfs partition to used all the unallocated space on the drive.
Alternatively, you can follow the information on this great guide to go through and set up the drive properly and learn how to do the GParted stuff I mentioned above.
Internet Access on the Raspberry PI
If you connect the PI to your local network which has a ADSL/CABLE router or mode, then it should have DHCP on. DHCP will provide it an IP address and this will be displayed on-screen when the PI boots up before the log in screen. If it doesnt, you need to get an IP and add this in manually. To do this, log in to the PI using the default username: pi and password: Raspberry and type the following command:
Using VI : Edit the file using by pressing 'a' to insert text. Once editied, press escape to come out of editing mode.
The IP parameters should be as follows with your specific IP address information:
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.100
gateway 192.168.1.1
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.1.0
broadcast 192.168.1.255
NOTE: Dont forget to comment/remove line stating:
Additionally you will need to set up DNS in order to get out on the internet. This setting should be done in the resolve.conf file as follows:
This should say something like:
to test network connectivity, at the command line, type in
Press CTRL+C to stop pinging.
Update Asterisk Install Pre-requisites
To start with, update the system and install the required componants by copying the command below:
sudo apt-get -y install make gcc g++ libxml2 libxml2-dev ssh libncurses5 libncursesw5 libncurses5-dev libncursesw5-dev linux-libc-dev sqlite libnewt-dev libusb-dev zlib1g-dev libmysqlclient15-dev libsqlite0 libsqlite0-dev bison openssl libssl-dev libeditline0 libeditline-dev libedit-dev mc sox libedit2 libedit-dev curl libcurl4-gnutls-dev apache2 libapache2-mod-php5 php-pear openssh-server build-essential openssh-client zlib1g zlib1g-dev libtiff4 libtiff4-dev libnet-telnet-perl mime-construct libipc-signal-perl libmime-types-perl libproc-waitstat-perl mpg123 libiksemel-dev php5 php5-cli mysql-server php5-mysql php-db libapache2-mod-php5 php5-gd php5-curl mysql-client vim
Dowload and Extract Asterisk
To Download and Extract asterisk, enter the commands as below:
Set Up Correct Compilation For ARM Platform
Using your favorite editor, make the change below. I prefer VIM, an enhanced version of the popular VI command line editor:
Search for the word "proc=" in the file and change this to read "proc=arm". For those new to VIM, move to the end of this line using the arrow keys and press 'a', then remove all the chractors before the = sign using back space and type in 'arm'. Finally press escape to come out of editing mode. Then press SHIFT+Z+Z to save and exit the file.
Compile and Install Asterisk
Using the following commands:
sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install
sudo make samples
sudo make config
Finally, restart the PI by typing the fillowing command:
sudo init 6
To test the install, log in to the PI and type the following command:
If this all works, great...lets move on to installing FreePBX.
Create And Setup Asterisk Users And Groups Permissions
sudo useradd -c "Asterisk PBX" -d /var/lib/asterisk asterisksudo chown -R asterisk:asterisk /var/run/asterisksudo chown -R asterisk:asterisk /var/log/asterisksudo chown -R asterisk:asterisk /var/lib/php/session/
Install Pear and DB
FreePBX uses the php pear repository and specifically requires the database repositor. Enter the commands below to install them:
Download And Extract FreePBX
To Download and Extract FreePBX, enter the commands as below:
cd /usr/src/
sudo wget http://mirror.freepbx.org/freepbx-2.9.0.tar.gz
tar zxvf freepbx*
Start The MySQL Server And Import In The FreePBX Data
Lets start the database server and import in the tables FreePBX will require using th following commands:
cd /usr/src/freepbx*
sudo mysqladmin create asterisk
sudo mysqladmin create asteriskcdrdb
sudo mysql asterisk < SQL/newinstall.sql
sudo mysql asteriskcdrdb < SQL/cdr_mysql_table.sql
Lets add the mysql user and give it the correct permissions under the MySQL prompt:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON asteriskcdrdb.* TO asteriskuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY '******';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON asterisk.* TO asteriskuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY '******';
flush privileges;
NOTE where I have put '******', replace with your own password. Please keep a log of this as it will be required later. The password should secure (aplhanumeric with symbols) and in single speech marks as seen above
Now lets secure MySQL with a root password of your choice (See note above).
sudo mysqladmin -u root password '******'
Restart Asterisk With Correct Permissions
cd /use/src/freepbx*
sudo service asterisk stop
sudo ./start_asterisk start
Set The Correct Timezone for PHP
Open the PHP Configuration file:
sudo vim /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini
Under Module Settings, change the timezone accordingly:
; Module Settings ;
; Defines the default timezone used by the date functions
; http://www.php.net/manual/en/datetime.configuration.php#ini.date.timezone
Uncomment date.timezone and set to the correct setting according to the link above. In my case, this was as follows:
date.timezone = Europe/London
To do this, move over the first charactor in the line, press 'a' the backspace to uncomment the line. Then move to the end of the line and type in your timezone after the '='. Press escape to come out of editing mode and save the file using the SHIFT+Z+Z combination.
Setup Apache For FreePBX and Asterisk
Apache user and group will need to be set to asterisk. To do this, run the following command to open the Apache configuration file:
sudo vim /etc/apache2/apache.conf
Find the line that states:
User www-data
Group www-data
Change these to read:
For those new to VIM, move to the end of this line using the arrow keys and press 'a', then remove all the charactors before the user or group using back space and type in 'asterisk'. Finally press escape to come out of editing mode. Then press SHIFT+Z+Z to save and exit the file.
Additionally, change the default sites settings by:
Under tags "<Directory />" and "<Directory /var/www/>" change the following settings:
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
For those new to VIM, follow the origional instuction on editing above using the 'a' to go in to editing mode and escape key to come out of editing mode. Remember to save the file using SHIF+Z+Z.
Finally restart apache using the following command:
Install FreePBX
To install FreePBX, you will need to specify the username and password to the database we setup earlier, start by typing in the following command:
For each of the prompts, just hit enter except when prompted for
Enter the path to use for your AMP web root:
in this case type the following:
Then hit enter. You should see something like this :
Checking for PEAR DB..OK
Checking for PEAR Console::Getopt..OK
Checking user..OK
Checking if Asterisk is running..running with PID: 2591..OK
Checking for /etc/amportal.conf../etc/amportal.conf does not exist, copying default
Creating new /etc/amportal.conf
Enter the hostname of the 'asterisk' database:
Enter a USERNAME to connect to the Asterisk Manager interface:
Enter a PASSWORD to connect to the Asterisk Manager interface:
Enter the path to use for your AMP web root:
[/var/www/html] /var/www
Enter the IP ADDRESS or hostname used to access the AMP web-admin:
Enter a PASSWORD to perform call transfers with the Flash Operator Panel:
Use simple Extensions [extensions] admin or separate Devices and Users [deviceanduser]?
Enter directory in which to store AMP executable scripts:
Created /var/lib/asterisk/bin
Enter directory in which to store super-user scripts:
One this is complete, lets set the file permissions for FreePBX to be accessable to apache users:
sudo chmod 777 /var/www/* -R
Finally Restart all services
Although in a lot of the cases, service restart is not required, I have had issues in previous versions of FreePBX, therefore as a final step, restart all the service to ensure they start with the correct permissions:
sudo amportal stop
sudo service apache2 stop
sudo service mysql stop
sudo service apache2 start
sudo service mysql start
sudo amportal start


text:
Hot Summer Singles 2014
Every summer demands a perfect playlist, full of sizzling hot singles for the beach, roadtripping across the country or even just a warm summer night on the front porch. Press play on any of these five songs and get ready to feel everything good about summer wash over you.
Whether your hankering for a summer roadtrip like Danielle Bradbery, looking for some summer lovin' like Dan + Shay, ready to party at the beach like Jake Owen or Chase Rice or even just looking for some downtime like Brothers Osborne, these songs are a great way to get into the summer mood.
- 5
'Young in America'
Danielle BradberyDanielle Bradbery is a 17-year-old sensation and now she's capturing the summer vacation of every teen's dream with her new single, 'Young in America.' Bradbery's sweet voice and vocal range are on great display here, showcasing a talent that can only get better. This 'Heart of Dixie' singer may be young, but she's asserting her independence and gearing up for a long (successful) ride. So "Crank up the truck, kick up some dust, leave it all behind" and set off on your summer road trip with Bradbery's sweet summer anthem blaring from your speakers.
- 4
'Show You Off'
Dan and ShayWith their new hit 'Show You Off,' Dan + Shay have crafted the perfect catchy tune for the summer. Easy going and free-spirited, this is the song that you listen to while grilling in the backyard, playing frisbee and flirting with that special someone. "Anywhere we go / gotta let em all know / and I'mma tattoo your name on my arm / Baby, I just wanna show you off" sing Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney while all the girls swoon. These boys are ready for summer and they're taking us with them.
- 3
Brothers OsborneWith 'Rum,' Brothers Osborne have crafted a laid-back summer track the evokes some of our favorite bluesy country rockers like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. This is not the song for raging summer parties that you may or may not remember the next morning. This is the soundtrack for a summer "to do a whole lotta nothin'" - fishing off the dock by day and listening to the crickets chirp away by night.
- 2
Jake OwenIf there's only one song you take to the beach with you this summer, Jake Owen's 'Beachin'' is the obvious, perfect choice. This song encompasses everything we love about days spent chilling at the beach, with the chorus listing the ingredients for a perfect summer spent in the sun. "And it's sunshine, blue eyes, tan lines, slow tide rollin' / White sand, cold can, koozie in my hand, just a summertime strolling / Chillin', breezing, sippin', singin' whoa / Beachin.'" All you need now is your swimsuit and a cold margarita.
- 1
'Ready Set Roll'
Chase RiceChase Rice is set and ready to bring the party. 'Ready Set Roll' is a rowdy summer song that packs a punch and follows in the footsteps of Luke Bryan and so many others like him who love those country-girls and how they "shake" (according to Bryan) or "shimmy" (according to Rice). Feisty lyrics like "Ready set let's roll / ready set let's ride / get your little fine a-- on the step / shimmy up inside" may not be for everyone, but one thing's for sure - Chase Rice is ready for a sizzling summer!


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Commemorated Fifty Days after Pascha
Troparion, Tone 8
Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast revealed the fishermen as most wise, having sent upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them Thou hast fished the universe, O Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.
Kontakion, Tone 8
When the High One descended, confusing tongues, He divided the nations. And when He distributed the fiery tongues He called all to one unity. Wherefore, in unison we glorify the most Holy Spirit.


text:
Read Lorraine Pullen's post about her first year of blogging.
I became a blogger just over 12 months ago when I started my own blog entitled
The Good Life – Well Maybe!
The "Well Maybe" was added as I was a recently retired public servant, with little experience of growing vegetables, but lots of enthusiasm and plenty of time to learn. I decided that I wanted to keep a record of my experiences, the good and the bad, and share them with anyone else who was prepared to read them . It has worked out rather well, both the garden and the blog. What follows is a brief précis of my first year as the grower of tasty but often mis-shaped veg!
My Dad grew vegetables, in fact so many vegetables especially runner beans that I hated them, we ate them every day for weeks on end because if we didn't they got thrown away. So who would have thought that as the years passed by I would develop a love of all veggies and started to want to grow them myself.
We lived in the overcrowded South East of England and although I did have a garden, it was very small and I was only able to grow a few things each year in tubs and flower beds. But those few successes gave me the taste for bigger things. Enquiries with the local council came to nothing. All the local allotment sites had waiting lists which were years long.
Impending retirement gave me the opportunity to finally get my veg patch. We decided to move house and I was determined that this time I would get the garden of my dreams.
After a long search we found the idea home on the South Coast of England in a perfect spot between the sea and the New Forest. And finally I was able to start my new garden.
The plot was barren, having been cleared of trees several years before and then left unused. It was though, the perfect canvas on which to draw my plans. The list of things I wanted to do was pretty long, but with the help of my long suffering, but very able husband we set about doing the groundwork.
This is the space we started with
The correct greenhouse was imperative, so after much thought I ordered a nice large 10ft by 8ft space.
Early on I also knew I would have to help the soil as much as possible. It had no life in it. Luckily living near the New Forest, the ideal source of nutrients was readily available . Horses roam everywhere here and leave behind their rich deposits! it wasn't long before a huge pile was steaming nicely at the end of the garden .
December 2011 was a month we thought would never end. We spent day after day puzzling over the instruction booklet, trying to put the greenhouse together. A bit of advice to anyone getting there first greenhouse. Pay the company to put it up for you. It took us a very long time, but the sense of achievement when it was done cannot be beaten.
So 2012 arrived and so did the chickens. I wanted some company when I was outside so thought it would be nice to get eggs and compost from some birds. Another building was constructed on the patch, a rather spiffy house for the ladies to reside in.
Now it was time to plan my raised beds. After reading lots of advice, we decided on 10ft by 5ft beds. in hindsight, I would have made them narrower, 4ft would have been perfect. As it is at the moment, I struggle to reach the middle of each bed without standing in them. This is not a good idea as it compacts the soil.
Scaffold boards made good beds and then all of the paths were graveled. One quickly typed sentence, but two long hard weeks of work, with literally hundreds of trips up and down the garden with tons of gravel and topsoil. But finally by the end of February, the groundwork was done.
And then the fun could begin. March meant all sorts of things were planted in the greenhouse. I was like a kid in a sweetshop. I had no idea what I was doing, or if any of it would work but I spent many happy hours in my little glass palace.
Outside, in the beds, the first plants went in, strawberries and potato's were amongst the first. Each planting left me wanting to do more. March also heralded the arrival of our very first home laid egg. That was a very special moment.
April and everything was growing like mad. The greenhouse was bursting with plants. tomato's, broccoli, peas, beans, cabbage, peppers, squash, lettuce and many more. Outside carrots, and parsnips were in. If I knew then what I do now, I would never have planted them. Carrot fly became one of my summer long obsessions, alongside blight!
May, was more of the same, happy hours planting out And then early in the Month, that magical day when finally I was able to pick the most delicious strawberry. It was wonderful and even more so because I grew it. Finally after months of hard work, I was seeing the fruits of my labour.
Other successes followed on over the summer months. tomato's, potato's lettuce and many other. There were failures as well. The broccoli was infested with caterpillars. That was another lesson learned, butterflies may be very pretty, but they are after your vegetables as well.
Then of course it began to rain. On a biblical scale, and with the damp condition came the blight. First the tops of the potato's went. Then closely followed by all 12 outdoor tomato plants. My first major disappointment. Luckily I had 4 tomato plants in the greenhouse and they have been prolific. I will be growing the Alicante variety again. I only cleared them 2 weeks ago.
Other disappointments were the spinach, which was pitiful, the carrots, fly ridden and the strangest shapes you have ever seen and my peas, which struggled to reach about 3 feet high and then produced a mere 12 pods.
The plot is still producing. I have about a dozen kos lettuce which are still growing outside in November! The sprouts are looking amazing, as are the savoy cabbage and my leeks are standing to attention in two lovely straight rows, waiting to grace the dinner table .
My first year is drawing to a close. I can safely say, despite the weathers best efforts, I have had a pretty successful season. The ground had never been cultivated and I think it held up well. I have lots of plans for making it more productive. Two beds are currently sown with green manure. I have been composting all the chicken house straw and droppings since march, and I know that will help immensely.
I would encourage anyone who has ever thought about growing vegetable to give it a go. I am healthier than I have ever been, I spend hours outdoors in all weather and I love it.
So what have I learned, well lots and lots and lots but here are my top five
- The online gardening community is the nicest group of people I have ever encountered. Happy to share tips and seeds!
- Never trust a pretty butterfly, it's just looking for something to lay eggs on
- Slugs eat absolutely everything
- Carrot fly can get through the smallest hole
- Don't bend over to look at a seedling with two freshly laid eggs in your pocket
and finally
I still don't like Runner Beans
Please come over for a visit sometime and find out what else I get up to.
I am a 51 year old retired public servant and living by the sea in Hampshire with my husband of 22 years, a 10 month old chocolate labrador named Gibson and three hens, Margot, Babs and Geri. My hobbies are gardening which I hope I will eventually become more accomplished at, walking and reading and I volunteer at a local Hospice which gives me an enormous amount of pleasure.


text:
NYU Bluestone Investigator, Anthony P. Bossis, Contributes Chapter to Psychological Aspects of Cancer
Improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers in recent years have led to a marked increase in patients' physical survival rates. While doctors can treat the physical disease, what is not well understood is how best to address the psychological needs of patients with cancer.
In addition to the physical pain associated with cancer, many patients also experience psychologically harmful symptoms of anxiety, depression, anger, and denial. Social isolation, in addition to hopelessness, helplessness and loss of independence, has also been associated with significant psychological suffering in patients coping with advanced-stage cancer.
A recently published book chapter "Use of the Classic Hallucinogen Psilocybin for Treatment of Existential Distress Associated with Cancer," reviews the potential of a novel psychoactive drug, psilocybin, in alleviating the psychological and spiritual distress that often accompanies a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.
The chapter, published in Psychological Aspects of Cancer: A Guide to Emotional and Psychological Consequences of Cancer, Their Causes, and Their Management, was co-written by Anthony P. Bossis, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine at the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) and Langone Medical Center.
The hallucinogen treatment model with psilocybin has been shown to induce a mystical or spiritual experience and is a unique therapeutic approach to reduce the anxiety of terminal cancer patients.
"Mystical or peak consciousness states in cancer patients have been associated with a number of benefits including improved psychological, spiritual, and existential well-being," said Dr. Bossis.
Psilocybin (a serotonergic psychoactive agent) is a naturally occurring active component of many species of mushrooms, and is rapidly metabolized to psilocin, a highly potent activator of serotonin receptors. In addition to receiving the psilocybin compound, patients enrolled in the study also receive psychological preparation prior to the psilocybin dosing followed by a brief series of integrative psychotherapeutic sessions.
The chapter includes a clinical case vignette of a patient in the ongoing Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Study at the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research. Participants undergo two drug administration sessions in which psilocybin is administered on one occasion and a placebo on the other.
"The primary objective of this phase I, double-blind, controlled pilot study is to assess the efficacy of psilocybin administration on psychosocial distress, with the specific primary outcome variable being anxiety associated with advanced and/or recurrent cancer," said Bossis. "Secondary outcome measures will look at the effect of psilocybin on symptoms of pain perception, depression, existential/psychospiritual distress, attitudes toward illness, quality of life, and spiritual/mystical states of consciousness," said Bossis.
The clinical vignette describes a patient who, over the course of three years, experienced extreme fatigue, pain, overall body aches, discomfort and psychological distress due to cancer and intensive biweekly chemotherapy. The patient became increasingly anxious and depressed and was enrolled in two study sessions; in one he received psilocybin and the other placebo. Despite continuing the arduous chemotherapy schedule, suffering from illness, and undergoing additional surgical procedures, the patient continued to report a marked improvement in attitude, coping, and mood 18 weeks after his session and stated, "my quality of life is dramatically improved," the patient said.
Stephen Ross, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine at the NYUCD is the principal investigator for the study; Dr. Bossis and Jeffrey Guss, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry are co-principal investigators.
The co-authors of the chapter were: Charles S. Grob, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Roland R. Griffiths, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University.
The Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Study was also recently highlighted in a News article, "Opening Doors of Perception: Psychedelic Drugs and End-of-Life Care" in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
"The emotional, spiritual and existential distress that can often accompany a diagnosis of cancer often goes unidentified and untreated in cancer patients. Patients who have benefited from psilocybin clinical research have reported less anxiety, improved quality of life, enhanced psychological and spiritual well-being, and a greater acceptance of the life-changes brought on by cancer. It is a welcome development that this promising and novel clinical research model utilizing psilocybin has begun to gain clinical and academic attention," Bossis notes.
The Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Study is currently recruiting additional subjects. To enroll or learn more, please visit BluestoneCenter.org or www.nyucanceranxiety.org
About the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research--The Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, in conjunction with the NYU Oral Cancer Center, is an academic research organization located at the NYU College of Dentistry. Bluestone's mission is to take a creative scientific approach to transform world health. Bluestone is dedicated to conducting research in oral cancer, cancer symptomology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, emerging biotechnology, periodontics, implants, and oral health products.
About New York University College of Dentistry--New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating more than 8 percent of all dentists. NYUCD has a significant global reach and provides a level of national and international diversity among its students that is unmatched by any other dental school.


text:
With movie-like drama and clarity, Donna Ulisse re-tells the story of Christ's conception and birth in her powerful new album, All The Way To Bethlehem. But this is not a conventional Christmas CD. Rather, it occupies the same artistic territory as such Bible-based narratives as Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
All The Way To Bethlehem will be released October 23.
Inspired by a myth about the origin of the inn near which Christ was born, Ulisse put herself in the place of the harried innkeeper who had to turn Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary away, even as he sympathized with their plight. This yielded the album's keystone song "You Cannot Stay Here." From there, Ulisse and a corps of gifted co-writers, conjured up the words and feelings of the other figures in this timeless saga—the angel that delivers the unsettling news to Mary; the puzzled but compliant Joseph; Mary's much older cousin, Elisabeth, who also conceives miraculously; even the Star of Bethlehem, beaming with pride and self-importance as it heralds this earth-changing event. But above all, there is Mary, the radiant new mother, who whispers to her baby before surrendering him to his divine destiny, "Let the world wait for a little while."
Produced by Keith Sewell, the much-praised sideman for the Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett and Ricky Skaggs, the 11 songs on the album are performed principally to acoustic instruments. In addition to Sewell, the musicians include Andy Leftwich, of Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder band; Viktor Krauss, who, like Sewell, has long been a mainstay in Lovett's band; Rob Ickes, the multiple award-winning dobroist and member of the Grammy-nominated bluegrass group, Blue Highway; Byron House, whose many musical achievements include membership in Robert Plant's Band Of Joy; John Mock, who counts James Taylor, Kathy Mattea and the National Orchestra of Ireland among his array of live and recorded credits; and vocalists Wendy Buckner Sewell, Ana Sewell and Rick Stanley.
All The Way To Bethlehem has a companion songbook. It will also be available in choral arrangements next year. Ulisse, a recent nominee for the IBMA's Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year award, will perform the full album at upcoming Christmas shows with her band, the Poor Mountain Boys.
All The Way To Bethlehem can be sampled and purchased at Amazon, CDBaby, iTunes, numerous other online digital stores and at www.DonnaUlisse.com.


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Spire's Health Tags, the dark and tiny devices you stick on your clothes to gather all sorts of health data from your steps, heartbeat and stress levels is now available at your local Apple Store.
The company started out with a breath tracking device to detect when you are feeling tense and help calm you down. But four years in and its now all about the wearable "tags" you stick on items of clothing like your pants or sports bra.
Yes, yes, there are lots of gadgets out there to gather similar information — the Apple Watch will now even detect if you have a fall or if something is wrong with your heart — but the Spire health tag is nothing like a Fitbit or Apple Watch, according to the company. For one, there's zero need to charge the device. One tag's battery will last a year and a half before dying out. They're also machine washable. You just pick a few outfits and stick a tag on each of them.
Of course a few other startups out there are working on making smart, washable, data-gathering clothes. Enflux makes the clothing and then sews in the motion sensor to tell you if you are lifting correctly. Vitali is a "smart" bra with a built-in sensor to detect stress. Then there's OmSignal, which makes body-hugging workout clothes that gather "medical-grade biometric data to achieve optimal health." But these tiny health tags are different in that they allow you to choose the clothes you want to adhere the monitor to.
Like Spire's first product, the Stone, which earned more than $8 million in sales, according to the company, the tags will also pick up on times of stress and help calm you down through a series of breaths and focus on the app.
"Continuous health data will revolutionize health and wellness globally, but early incarnations have been hampered by poor user experiences and a focus on the hardware over the outcomes that the hardware can create," Spire's founder Jonathan Palley said. "By making the device 'disappear', we believe Health Tag is the first product to unlock the potential."
Spire's Health Tags will be sold in Apple Stores as a three-pack for $130, six-pack for $230 and an eight-pack for $300, with additional pack sizes available on the company's website.


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Chuck Smith's Memorial 'Paddle Out,' John MacArthur's Strange Fire Conf: Weekend of Deep Spiritual Contrasts
Light and Darkness in California
Editor's Note: Beginning last Wednesday during the Strange Fire Conference at his church in Sun Valley, Pastor John MacArthur continued his case against the Charismatic movement. A backlash of criticism from many in the Christian community resulted in the conference name and subject matter trending online over the last several days.
On Saturday morning, the surfing community tradition of a paddle out as a way of paying tribute to someone who has died was done in memorial for Chuck Smith in the waters north of the Huntington Beach Pier. David Housholder was touched by both events in different ways and posted this piece (below) on Saturday.
"I hang out with Pentecostals; they are my tribe. Yes, we speak in tongues and believe in healing. Most colorful people on earth. I wrote a book on Pentecostalism (Zero to One Billion adherents 1906 to present) for you cautious types," Housholder writes in his bio on his website.
This weekend was a weekend of deep spiritual contrasts in Southern California.
Two hours ago, I was out at the end of the Huntington Beach Pier on my surfboard. We were participating in a "paddle out" in memory of Chuck Smith, one of the main leaders of the Jesus movement.
Just take some time and let the slideshow [in orginal post] run…. It will give you the vibe of the event.
It is traditional to do paddle outs in memory of surfers who have died, this may have been one of the biggest paddle outs….ever.
Have a look at the video put together by Calvary Chapel North Long Beach (see top of the page).
This is the size (sample pic below) more typical of the handful of memorial paddle-outs I've attended. Compare to the pictures above!
The mood was euphoric. Grateful. Warm. Inclusive. You didn't have to be a Christian to take part fully today. People in the massive circle of surfers spontaneously shouted out encouraging Bible passages, phrase by phrase, with the hundreds of voices responding in unison….
I can do.
All things.
Through Christ
Who strengthens me.
AMEN! (Followed by massive splashing of each other in a collective fountain of water)
This went on for quite some time, pretty much until we ran out of memorized Bible verses; punctuated by spontaneous group singing of the tunes of the movement:
Contrast this with what was going on up on the other side of Los Angeles, at Grace Community in the San Fernando Valley.
A big crowd of serious theologians, overwhelmingly men, met at John MacArthur's church for the "Strange Fire" Conference.
Whereas the Jesus movement looked for ways to include people whom the church was not including (hippies, '68 flower child counter-culture, etc), MacArthur's movement seems bent on figuring out how to exclude a large majority of us Christians from the movement we are already in.
MacArthur is using this gathering to promote his book which more or less condemns all of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity (about a billion people) to the realm of false teaching. He calls us misguided at best and perhaps even likely in league with evil forces.
The contrast could not have been greater. One city. One weekend. Two polar opposites. Light and darkness. Inclusion and exclusion. Euphoria and Judgementalism. Scruffy "Jesus freak" enthusiasts. Groomed theologians.
I'll leave you with a song from the Jesus movement. Look at the pics from the early 70′s. A movement that shaped and re-mapped Christianity in North America:
Listen for Papa Chuck's unique voice in the middle of the song….
A generation after the Jesus Movement, the light is still shining brightly. Free food on the beach afterwards. "Love ya, Brother" from strangers as the most common greeting. Grateful people waiting in line to sign his massive "thank you Chuck" card.
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it…
-The Gospel of John
And rainbows appeared between the pier and the congregation in the water…


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How To Make Classic Sour Cream Pound Cake from Scratch
Having a good recipe for pound cake in your repertoire is a wonderful thing. It's most famous topped with whipped cream and fresh berries as a variation of strawberry shortcake, but it can also hold center stage served plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar. Toast a slice for breakfast, offer it with tea to unexpected guests, or scoop a ball of ice cream on top and a drizzle it with chocolate sauce. Pound cake will always be there for you.
The pound cake is an old recipe that really did originally call for one pound of all its ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, milk. These old-timey pound cakes were quite dense, as I'm sure you can imagine. Today the concept remains, but the recipes have been modified to produce a more balanced cake — still substantial and tightly crumbed, but with more lightness and flavor from additions like baking soda, vanilla and salt.
Pound cake has many virtues. It's fairly straightforward to make, and if stored in an air-tight container, it keeps very well for several days. In fact, some say it is even better after the second day. It also freezes beautifully: wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap or wax paper followed by tin foil.
Do I have to use cake flour?
The beauty of pound cake is that it can be assembled with things most of us have in our refrigerators and pantries: eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, even sour cream. The exception is cake flour, a slightly specialized item that may not be in a basic kitchen pantry.
Cake flour is called for in most pound cake recipes. This is a bleached, low-protein flour that is specially milled to produce the fine, tender crumb you want in a cake. I'm not a fan of bleached flours, however, and have found that pastry flour works just as well. Pastry flour has a slightly higher protein content than cake flour (more information here), and it can be more easily found in unbleached form. Bob's Red Mill makes an unbleached pastry flour which I picked up at my corner grocery store for $2.50 for a 1 1/2 pound bag.
I have not had much luck using straight all-purpose flour, although there are recipes that call for it. This said, you can make a passable version of cake flour by substituting 2 tablespoons of corn starch for 2 tablespoons of flour per cup of flour.
Do I have to use a bundt pan?
A bundt pan is simply a round, high-sided cake pan with a central tube or chimney in the middle. A cousin to the plain tube pan (which can also be used for pound cake), the bundt pan has fluted or grooved sides and bottom, some of which can be quite elaborate. The bundt pan is not a unitasker, however, as weIt is also perfectly acceptable to make a pound cake in a loaf pan. The recipe below can be divided between two 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pans. This handy chart from The Joy of Baking will help you figure out the sizing.
Do I have to sift the flour?
Modern flour usually does not have to be sifted before measuring, but it does make a difference to sift the flour with the baking soda and salt. This ensures that the soda and salt are well-distributed in the flour and adds some lightness to the flour. Just place a sieve or small strainer over a mixing bowl and measure the flour into a sieve. Add the salt and baking soda on top of the flour, lift up the sieve, and tap the side of the sieve to sift directly into the bowl. When it comes time to add the flour to the batter, sifting it in again as you add it to the bowl gives the batter additional lightness.
What other kinds of pound cake can I make?
Pound cakes come in endless variations: lemon or lime, chocolate, with a glaze, with nuts, or spices, or dried fruit. The pound cake offered here is a basic recipe. It does contain sour cream, which is there more for to add moistness than for flavor. You can add a tablespoon of finely grated lemon or lime, or a little nutmeg or mace, or sub out the vanilla for 1 teaspoon almond extract. Be careful of adding a lot of additional liquids, though — these can influence the chemistry of the cake and may not produce optimal results.How To Make Classic Sour Cream Pound Cake
Makes 1 (10-inch) bundt cake
Nutritional Info
- 3 cups
unbleached pastry flour, plus extra for flouring the pan
- 1/4 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 cup
(2 sticks) butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups
- 6
large eggs (or 5 extra-large eggs)
- 2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
- 1 cup
(8 ounces) sour cream
Confectioner's sugar, for garnish
10" bundt or tube pan
Pastry brush for buttering pan
Measuring cups and spoons
2 small and 1 large mixing bowl
Sieve (or small strainer)
Beaters or stand mixer (or wooden spoon)
Cooling rack
Prepare the pan and preheat the oven to 325°. Butter the bundt pan, being sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Sprinkle in a few spoonfuls of flour and tap the pan to distribute. Tap out excess flour.
Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the 3 cups of flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs and vanilla. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and add the vanilla. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Fold in the flour and sour cream. Sift half of the flour over the butter and egg mixture, and stir gently with spatula. Add the sour cream and continue to stir gently. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and stir until all the flour has been incorporated.
Pour the batter into prepared pan. Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan softly against the counter to remove air bubbles.
Bake the pound cake. Bake for 60 minutes and check the cake. The cake is done with the top is deep golden-brown and a skewer or paring knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If batter or wet crumbs cling to the blade, continue baking. Check every 5 minutes until the cake is done.
Remove from oven and cool. When the tester comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and wiggle the pan gently until it lifts off of the cake. Allow the cake to cool for another hour.
Dust with powdered sugar. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and serve.
Recipe Notes
A stand mixer is the easiest way to mix this cake. I used a hand mixer with excellent results. You could also beat it by hand with a wooden spoon as our ancestors probably did, but be prepared for a lot of work!
The batter may break and look curdled after you've added all of the eggs, but don't worry. Once all the flour is incorporated, it should smooth out.
Be sure to beat well after each addition of egg.
Further reading on bundt pans and flours:
- How to Clean a Bundt Pan
- What's Your Favorite Bundt Cake Recipe?
- 5 Fall Bundt Cake Recipes
- 6 Things You Can Do With Your Bundt Pan
- Look! A Colorful Bundt Pan Collection
- Good Question: Pastry Flour v. Cake Flour
- What's the Difference? Cake Flour, Pastry Flour, All-Purpose Flour, and Bread Flour
- How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute
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(Images: Dana Velden)


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I just bought myself 2 x 3tb wd red drives and a startech 4 port raid card . Unfortunately, I have a very, very strong suspicion that this is a 'fake-raid' card as it is not from any of the main manufacturers like LSI or 3ware. Transferring files from a WD black 2TB to the raid 1 array is going at an appallingly slow rate of around 60MB/s. Would it not be faster to remove the card, and set up software raid with mdadm?
I just unplugged/unset the hardware raid 1 array, and re-plugged in the drives directly to the motherboard. Transfers direct from drive to drive appear to go at 120MB/s (exactly double). I realise that raid1 has to duplicate the data, but surely It reads at 120mb/s from one drive and each raid drive should write at nearly 120mb/s on each of the reds?


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Many HVACR contractors have purchased software solutions in an ad hoc way. That is, if they needed a payroll system, that was one investment; then, if they chose to implement automated estimating, that was a separate investment; and so on, across the business.
Although these investments probably improved efficiency, they did not accomplish the ultimate goal of any business investment: optimal productivity and profitability. That's because separate programs can't seamlessly share data, provide real-time project information, or improve workflow and communication. In fact, they create obstacles by causing duplicate work, creating delays and mistakes, clouding true job costs, and failing to provide timely insight into how a job or the overall business is performing.
There is a solution: complete construction/contracting management software that can be used by the whole team to efficiently manage entire projects.
How do you know your company needs such a solution?
When processes are duplicated, and software applications can't share information, business tend to see three major problems:
• Redundant data entry.
• An increase in mistakes.
• An inability to manage with or analyze real-time data.
Growth Brings Out Shortcomings
These problems become bigger and more costly as companies grow. Leaders might not realize that the underlying cause is that operations have outgrown the collection of disconnected software solutions. Instead, they might make the mistake of spending money on skills training, application upgrades, or even — new employees.
But these won't solve the problems. Outgrowing piecemeal solutions is common as the overall velocity of work increases and the need for quick access to accurate and up-to-date critical information grows. Connecting and streamlining processes with a unified solution can reduce waste, uncover lost opportunity, expose shortcomings, and maximize resources — all which impact profit and the bottom line.
Such as system enables contractors to quickly determine costs for materials, labor, and equipment; prepare detailed estimates and proposals; negotiate bids; keep projects on schedule and on budget and easily compare budget against pending and posted costs; identify and issue change orders to capture additional profit; manage equipment utilization and maintenance; efficiently manage employees in office and field; have insight into financial data and work-in-progress reports; and simplify billing, payroll, procurement, reporting, and more.
What a Complete Solution Can Do
A complete solution allows one-time data entry, so that the information captured during estimating flows through to accounting, project management, and beyond. Team members, working in or out of the office, are able to eliminate redundant data entry, which can be extremely time consuming and prone to error. Errors, or worse — omissions — can negatively impact job profitability and cause costly mistakes.
Of special interest to HVACR contractors, a complete solution helps manage all critical aspects of the business, including:
Estimating accurately and negotiating effectively, which is especially critical when competing on fixed-price contracts.
Effectively assigning crews and equipment to ensure that a contract is fulfilled according to schedule.
Properly managing the buying process by finding the lowest-cost materials that meet contract specifications, and monitoring fluctuating prices for commodity products to stay on budget.
Easily processing and reporting payrolls, as well as recording work and calculating earnings, benefits, fringes, insurance liabilities, and taxes.
Handling complex human resources issues, including Workers' Compensation, Union, Merit Shop, Certified Payroll, EEOC, etc.
Working efficiently with accounts receivable and payable.
Using mobile technology to access up-to-date project information, whether in the office or in the field, and eliminate job folders filled with papers.
Controlling job costs and proper recognition of revenue, whether from a project or service agreement, and ease of tracking to-date job costs against budgeted costs, including committed costs for material purchases.
End-to-End Control
A complete solution also provides contractors with a wide and deep visibility into every aspect of jobs and operations from beginning to end. So throughout projects' lifecycles, managers can identify and prevent potential financial losses, spot discrepancies and errors, and manage projects with accurate information in real-time.
For accounting processes in particular, a seamless system ensures that commitments and payments are processed efficiently and accurately because all data is in a central location and applications for accounts payable, general ledger, project costing, billing, payroll, and purchase orders are integrated. This not only improves accuracy and saves time, but also allows owners to gain strict control of costs and financial obligations, and manage with strategic information readily available for timely decision-making and forecasting.
Furthermore, contractors have true job costing and can track jobs, identify variance items that affect budget and/or schedule, and anticipate problems in time to resolve them, and so stay on top of performance and profitability.
Maximize Profitability
Providing end-to-end control and streamlined processes, a bid-to-cash solution can be the single most valuable software investment an HVACR contractor of any size can make. Contractors can have all the applications they'll ever need, as well as a unique weapon that allows them to control costs and gain or maintain an increasingly important competitive edge.
Karl Rajotte is Director of Product Management – MEP at Maxwell Systems, Inc.. You can contact Karl at 1-800-688-8226 or email@example.com. Please visit www.maxwellsystems.com for additional information.
Providing end-to-end control and streamlined processes, a bid-to-cash solution can be the single most valuable software investment an HVACR contractor of any size can make.


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It's official, Louie and I are ENGAGED! 🙂 We are extremely joyful and ready for this next adventure in our relationship. We appreciate all the nice greetings, comments and support from our friends and families. Many people have asked me how he proposed. After repeating it about ten times now, I got pretty good at telling it:
How He Asked
We usually see each other every Sunday afternoon. Last Sunday was no different, except that it was Valentine's Day, and so I expected our dinner date to be extra special.
At 3:00PM, he fetched me from Mandarin Sky in Banawe, where my cousin celebrated his birthday. Then, we drove to his house where he said we would stay while waiting for his reservation at the restaurant at 8:00PM.
Since I had a bad cough the previous week and preferred to rest at home, topics and stories to share have piled up. We talked for two hours but it felt like 20 minutes.
Video (Part 1)
Suddenly, he had me watch a video he made. It was a short video showing a day in his life—what he does from the time he wakes up in the morning, yada yada yada. Before it played, he excused himself out of the room because "he had to get something from their main house."
I watched the video alone and thought it clearly showed his personality and his sense of humor. It was enjoyable and worth critiquing. Knowing him, I was positive he would ask me for a technical review since he had been spending some time learning how to create video content that will engage viewers in various subjects. 😛
The storyline was well established early on. The tone of narration, music and sounds, ambient transition effects, and acting of the characters (Louie as himself and the animated Dodsy, my doll) were great. I was completely unaware that it was a video cuing for something else.
The video ended with a black screen and "EATING TIME" as the only caption. I guessed it was time for us to head out to the restaurant for dinner. From behind the door, Louie emerged, covered my eyes, and walked me to their living room that was transformed from simple to va-va-voom romantic!
Dinner Date: Not an Average Valentine's Day Celebration
The adornments looked visually impressive. With candle lights and rose petals scattered around, the room conjured a feeling of romance. The table setting and comfortable seating were ideal as well for a quiet tête-à-tête. If I were to rate the ambiance like I normally do for my restaurant reviews, it would be 5/5 stars. 😀
Louie served us food from Ombu Modern Filipino Restaurant in Tomas Morato. Ombu is a specialist for awesome Filipino food with twist. Tastes were not revolutionary but rich and excellent nonetheless. We had Tinapa Croquettes (creamed smoked fish coated in breadcrumbs), All Meat Pizza (Hungarian sausage, longganisa hamonado, bacon, salted egg whites, mozzarella, kesong puti), and Smoked Bangus Spaghettini (olive oil-based pasta flavored with garlic and smoked milkfish).
For our drink, Novellino Strawberry Passion was a pleasant surprise. It's a casual 4.5%-alcohol wine blended with natural strawberry extract that enhances the wine's fruity character and gives it a refreshing finish. Since the dishes went a little too heavy on the salt for our taste, the sweet wine turned out as a good complement. 😉
I was delighted to see the effort he exerted for all these, but it was just the icing on the cake…
Video (Part 2)
After dinner, I gave him his gift. It was a long sleeve polo and a pack of coffee (he recently discovered his love for coffee). To my surprise, he said he has something for me, too. I thought the whole dinner experience was the gift, but that wasn't all.
Another video began to play.
The Sweetest Marriage Proposal on Valentine's Day
The video's concept followed "Maalaala Mo Kaya" (MMK) with Louie as both the letter-sender and Ms. Charo Santos. 😉 It was an episode centered on his views and feelings towards me, our relationship, and basically all the amazing highlights from the years we spent together. His kind words sounded genuine. I felt in awe of the thoughtfulness he put to making the video so unique and special.
This time, the video ended with an instruction, and it was for me to go through the door to the kitchen and follow the lead. I got lost at first but found the right way eventually. Apparently, the rose petals sprinkled on the floor were the lead to the room on the upper floor.
And there he was—in the middle of the room, with one hand holding a bouquet of roses and another, in his pocket. I thanked him for the flowers and told him how I tried to open so many doors to find him. For a moment, it was quite comical—until with a smile, he pulled out the ring, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him! (Christina Perri's A Thousand Years was playing as background music.)
My heart dropped and my face lit up with pure happiness. I did not even look at the beautiful diamond ring. I immediately said yes, certain as the sun rising in the east. ♫ Oh yes. I jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. He hugged me back. 🙂
Louie is extremely romantic, and our engagement story shows that perfectly. It was one of the most precious nights of my life. 🙂 For starters, I had absolutely NO IDEA that engagement was anywhere close to happening for us that night.
Thanks to his brothers for helping with the setup and taking our pictures. 🙂
How We Met
Louie and I met in 2007 in our first year, third term in DLSU. We were taking up BS-ICTM (Information and Communication Technology Management) and were classmates in some of our classes. I thought he was cute but that's all it ever was, nothing I imagined the man I would fall in love would be like. It wasn't a year later when we started to talk.
Mostly we discussed about academics, homework, and only a little about personal life through online chat. In person, we exchanged two-second glances and quick hello's.
Fate gave us a little push. Sparks flew when we realized how much our lives aligned. We knew it was something we could not ignore and so we explored further. We were friends for two years before we became a couple.
We're now at our seventh year, and I feel so grateful to have him. He's just the kindest and most loving person. He inspires me to take chances and be adventurous. He's always right there and does everything he can to make sure I feel safe. With him, I feel right at home. ♥
Now I have a wonderful fiancé and one big wedding to plan! I can't wait to marry the man of my dreams and create more meaningful scenes in our "MMK episode" to share with you guys. 😛 So exciting!