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The Governance of Metropolitan Transport Systems
Decision-makers and academics from different parts of the world gathered in Lund to discuss how political agency and systems governing public transport interact and vary between countries. The conference was a joint initiative by the VREF and K2.
The meeting was attended by more than 70 international decision-makers and academics
The attendees were given the opportunity to discuss and comment governing examples from different parts of the world, in order to overcome the distance between practice and academic research on public transport.
Presentations given at the conference can be found here.
K2 is Sweden's national centre for research and education on public transport.
This is where academia, the public sector and industry meet to discuss and develop the role of public transport in Sweden.
K2 investigates how public transport can contribute to attractive and sustainable metropolitan areas of the future, educates members of the public transport sector and informs decision-makers to facilitate an educated debate on public transport.
K2 is operated and funded by Lund University, Malmö University and VTI in cooperation with Region Stockholm, Region Västra Götaland and Region Skåne. K2 is supported by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Transport Administration.
2nd CALL FOR PROJECTS WITHIN THE MAC-PROGRAM
The VREF invites Sub-Saharan based researchers with expertise on sustainable and equitable
mobility and access or related areas, and strong interest in carrying out interdisciplinary research. Open for application until 2020-09-29
The VREF invites PhD students and advanced master students from Sub-Saharan African (SSA) universities to apply for a Mobility Grant (MG) to support a visit to another SSA university with up to SEK 25 000.
The VREF invites PhD students and researchers in early stages of their career to apply for a Study Visit Grant to be supported with up to SEK 30 000.
Each year the Håkan Frisinger Foundation for Transportation Research awards a scholarship to a prominent researcher.
Lee Schipper Memorial Scholarships for Sustainable Transport and Energy Efficiency targets supporting the momentum of Lee Schipper's contribution to the international policy dialogue in these fields.
This yearly award is aimed at supporting young individual researchers and students in is pursuance.
Call extended to April 30, 2020 due to COVID19.
Blog! Blog! Blog!
This Meeting of the Minds' blog monthly releases interviews of global transportation researchers from the VREF's Future Urban Transport Program Network.
This CityFix series, produced by the WRI (World Ressources Institute) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and supported by the VREF, discusses walking and cycling in cities with a special focus on low- and middle-income countries.
About VREF
The Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) inspires, initiates and supports research and educational activities through the Future Urban Transport Programme - How to deal with the complexity of urban transport (FUT).
Our Vision: Sustainable transport for equitable access in urban areas


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Pop-Up at Ormand Hall
2 April 2013
Berlin gallerist Matthias Arndt has turned his back on white-cube commercial gallery spaces and has popped up in an unexpected place - above the Belgian Beer Cafe.
Migration is the first exhibition to take up the temporary space in Ormond Hall, one of the Royal Institute of the Blind Buildings. Arndt says that Ormond Hall reminds him of his own gallery's origins in Berlin 20 years ago when artists, curators and galleries did shows and events in abandoned or temporary spaces.
The owners of this temporary space plan to create an Urban Village that showcases the best of Melbourne's food, entertainment and cultural scene.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Some time ago contemporary chieff of equaliteq netlabel took the decision to pass leadership of netlabel on to other hands. Therefore, I would like to put few lines of information about the future equaliteq direction in which we will to go, and what's new within incoming days.
As you probably noticed the first change is the new domain that refers to our presence on the internet (.net) and put's us more global. With new domain we took idea to implement a new portal that will allows us to make faster and better communication with you. We get new logo, which I hope captures the connection with our name and strongly refers to the our main music genre.
Places that fans may find us:
Moreover we start internet radio which transmit 24/7 your favourite music.
(If you want to make your own slot don't hesitate do contact with us!)
OK. Our policy of releases don't get change, we will still continue our modus operandi within frames of creative commons licence, still we are open for new demos and also we don't limit only for music. We will be more than happy to get your multimedia content. If you would like to release your productions and don't find favourite ecosystem for that, maybe equaliteq will be your netlabel of choice? Promotion, fame & girls/boys guaranteed :))
In the october the http://mostunwanted.net/ group will release podcast with equaliteq music mix. They focusing on to promotion of netlabel idea and I think it will be good for us to participate in such great idea.
Maybe within incoming months will be organize real party in Warsaw, we don't want only operate in the virtual reality. If you want to help with this gig, drop me a line.
In my last words I want to encourage you to send us your music demo. Maybe you will be release on to new EQQ issue? :-)


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Today is the last day to vote on the Nebula ballot, and by extension, the Andre Norton award. Voting closes at midnight. Fairyland is eligible for the Norton and making a strong showing for the ballot. It might actually happen, but it's a close thing right now. It will not be eligible for anything the year it comes out in print. (The sequel will, but this year is the first appearance in print and that's how eligibility rolls.)
It's hard to get an ebook read on the same level as a NYT bestseller, or even a solid midlist YA book. It just is. Fairyland has a lot going against it. But I hope that if you are a SFWA member and eligible for voting, you'll consider giving Fairyland a nod--obviously I'm biased and it would mean a lot for me, but it would also be a huge deal for crowdfunded art and indie artists, to have an unconventionally published work nominated for a major award. That hybrid world I keep talking about.
It's doing well in the Norton category, so I'd ask that if you do want to support it with a vote, nominate it there rather than the regular novel category, where it has no chance at all.
There are a lot of other awesome works up for awards, and I've voted, for the first time--because they've made it easy and because I loved a lot of things last year. This is a great time to be a writer, believe it or not.
If you haven't read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, it is available here in its entirety.
And now, for reading through all of this even though 90% of you aren't SFWA members, I give you October--who is dubbed EditorCat:


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Family Planning in the 1960s
Family Planning in the '60s
A half-sibling for Sally Draper? Not quite yet. In episode three of Mad Men season six, we find out that Megan Draper had a miscarriage after accidentally becoming pregnant. Megan explains she was careless with taking her pill while on vacation in Hawaii, in part due to the time change. Once she confesses the unintended pregnancy to Don, they have a family-planning conversation that would not seem out of place today. Thanks to the pill, which came out in 1960, married couples could time their families like never before, and women like Megan could continue to pursue a career after walking down the aisle — so long as they remembered to take it.
"Everyone knows what the pill is. It is a small object — yet its potential effect upon our society may be even more devastating than the nuclear bomb." So read "The Pill and the Teen-Age Girl," a Reader's Digest article by author Pearl S. Buck from 1968, the same year the current season of Mad Men is set. While many social conservatives blamed the pill for the promiscuity of young unmarried women, 10 years before the pill was approved, half of unmarried women were sexually active anyway. Elaine Tyler May, author of 2010's America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation, argues that it's not clear how the pill impacted the sexual revolution, but it is certain it led to a revolution in marriage. In the '60s, it was extremely difficult to get a prescription for the pill if you were not married. Yes, some women worked around this by wearing fake engagement rings to the doctor's office, but in many states it was illegal to give the pill to unmarried women. By allowing married women — the vast majority of women who had access to the pill — to plan families around desired career or educational goals, May says, the true legacy of the pill was more equality in marriage.
As for abortion, it was illegal in New York and much of the country for the entire '60s. (New York state passed a law legalizing abortion in 1970, three years before Roe v. Wade.) A pregnant woman could find a doctor to perform an abortion illegally, but that often came with dangerous risks. Thus, in the 1960s the pill was the safest and most effective way to plan families after marriage.


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Jan 14, 2018. Contract producers are companies which are hired to complete manufacturing for an OEM. That is how Dell and Gateway have been in a position to enterprise beyond their LAPTOP roots and enter the home electronics markets for plasma and LCD televisions, DVD players, and greater than 50 other new merchandise.
OEMs might want to exploit this surplus or incidental knowledge by coming into new product markets. Medical system contract manufacturing is the method by means of which one firm manufactures medical units for an additional firm. EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc is a producer and distrbutor of IVD merchandise.
For an OEM that makes its residing selling a physical product, the choice of a contract manufacturer to construct that product is a weighty choice. Potential clients use the page to determine contract producers for ethical prescription drugs, OTC products, meals dietary supplements in addition to for numerous varieties of packaging.
Chemical Universe supplies contract manufacturing for your chemical products. If a product's novelty and complexity require a CM to dedicate time and other sources to mastering its manufacture, the CM will need the inducement of a protracted-time period contract to make these investments.
As we speak, most PCs are generic merchandise composed of motherboards, fans, and laborious drives acquired by a neighborhood assembler based on an OEM's specifications. This kind of contract sets out the necessities, which the producer should meet concerning the quality of the products, certification, quantities, conditions and dates of delivery , and so forth.


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Recent Articles
« Older: CMCSS School Board study session for tonight rescheduled Newer: Austin Peay State University to be closed on Wednesday March 5th »
Austin Peay's Tearra Banks named to Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team
APSU Sports Information
Brentwood, TN – Austin Peay State University freshman Tearra Banks, of the women's basketball team, has been named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer team for the 2013-14 season, the conference office announced Tuesday.Banks appeared in all 29 games for Austin Peay, averaging 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, both marks ranking third among Lady Govs. She shot 52.7 percent (116-for-220) from the floor and pulled down a team-best 63 offensive rebounds (2.2/game).
"Tearra made big strides for us from the time she got here through the entire season," said Austin Peay head coach Carrie Daniels. "She gave us a presence inside and gave us a dominant player to go to. Opponents had to make a decision on how to guard her and a lot of the time that opened things up for our perimeter players. She has a bright future in our program."
The 6-3 center from Louisville averaged 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds during OVC play in her role as the Lady Govs sixth man. She also upped her shooting percentage against OVC opponents, knocking down 55.1 percent (65-for-118) of her shots.
Banks posted four double-doubles in her first season at Austin Peay. Two came during non-conference action, the first against Arkansas State, Nov. 15th (14 points, 11 rebounds) and the other at Wichita State, Dec. 21st (17 points, 12 rebounds); the former earned the first of three OVC Freshman of the Week honors for Banks, while the latter netted her both Freshman of the Week and All-Tournament honors at the Wichita State Winter Classic.
Her two double-doubles in conference play came in back-to-back contests against Tennessee Tech, Jan. 25th (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Jacksonville State, Jan. 27 (11 points, 13 rebounds), earning her final Freshman of the Week honor from the OVC.
Banks' honor makes it back-to-back years the Lady Govs have had an All-Newcomer recipient, joining teammate Tiasha Gray, and Austin Peay's fifth All-Newcomer honoree overall. Joining Banks on this year's squad were Belmont's Taylor Mills, Murray State's Taylor Porter, SIU Edwardsville's Micah Jones and UT Martin's Ashia Jones, who took home OVC Freshman of the Year honors.
TopicsAPSU, APSU Basketball, APSU Womens's Basketball, Arkansas State, Ashia Jones, Austin Peay, Austin Peay State University, basketball, Brentwood, Brentwood Tennessee, Carrie Daniels, Lady Govs, Louisville, Micah Jones, Murray State, Ohio Valley Conference, Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team, OVC, OVC All-Tournament, OVC Freshman of the Week, SIUE, Taylor Mills, Taylor Porter, Tearra Banks, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, Tiasha Gray, UT-Martin, Wichita State, Wichita State Winter Classic
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Homemade Cucumber Face Mask: Best Moisturizing Means
- Homemade Cucumber Face Mask: Secret of Magical Transformation of Skin
- Cucumber Face Mask: Indications and Contraindications
- Best Recipes of Homemade Cucumber Face Masks
Each woman once made herself a cucumber face mask, which is incredibly refreshing and tones the skin within minutes.
Homemade cucumber face mask is easy to prepare, it provides immediate effect, relieves stress, and is simply irreplaceable in stressful conditions of modern life. Why is such a simple cucumber face mask so effective cosmetic means for our skin?
Homemade Cucumber Face Mask: Secret of Magical Transformation of Skin
Its miraculous properties are due to the chemical composition of the cucumber, in which there are a lot of useful vitamins and nutrients for skin. Normal cucumber face mask contains a whole treasury of elements, transforming the skin:
- retinol (A) rescues the skin from dryness and flaking;
- thiamine (B1) has a protective function, and even anti-aging effect;
- riboflavin (B2) gives the skin a chance to correct breathing;
- pantothenic acid (B5) smoothes wrinkles;
- pyridoxine (B6) stimulates the metabolic processes in cells;
- folic acid (B9) saves from acne;
- ascorbic acid (C) retains skin elasticity;
- tocopherol (E) updates the cell;
- biotin (H) regenerates the damaged tissue;
- phylloquinone (K) removes swelling and redness: due to this vitamin, homemade cucumber face mask has bleaching properties;
- niacin (PP) refreshes the complexion.
And these are only the most essential vitamins that contribute to the magical influence of the cucumber face mask on the skin. Besides these, in the homemade cucumber face mask has organic acids that are actively using modern cosmetology as an anti-aging substances. Cucumbers do not contain in its composition any irritating substances and can even be used to care for sensitive and delicate skin around the eyes. So facial mask of cucumber with regular use will make you not only beautiful, but also much younger.
Cucumber Face Mask: Indications and Contraindications
As with any cosmetic product, the cucumber face mask will have the indications and contraindications for use, to be aware of in advance. For some skin types, this mask will have the solution to many problems:
- for dry skin – cucumber face mask will become a universal humidifier, and remove the peeling;
- for pigmentation – cucumber face mask whitens perfectly the skin, gets rid of bad pigmentation;
- for problem skin – cucumber face mask is used for acne of various origins;
- for aging skin – cucumber face mask will influence for anti-aging processes.
Before you read the list of best recipes of homemade cucumber face mask, you will be aware of the contraindications to the use this natural cosmetic products. Do not use it with open skin wounds or serious skin diseases on the face. There are no other contraindications. Now you are ready to choose the recipe of miraculous mask.
Best Recipes of Homemade Cucumber Face Masks
Any homemade cucumber face mask has to be made only with fresh vegetables. Cucumber has to be washed and grated on a grater, although you can use the individual slices in some cases. You should not apply the mask on the face more then 20 minutes. Rinse with warm filtered water, without drying.
For Eye Contour
- 1. Parsley
Grated cucumber (2 tablespoons) mixed with chopped parsley (1 teaspoon).
For Bleaching
- 2. Honey
Grated cucumber (1 tablespoon) mixed with liquid honey (1 teaspoon). This cucumber face mask perfectly copes with redness and pigment spots on the skin.
- 3. Lemon
Grated cucumber (2 tablespoons) mixed with lemon juice, freshly squeezed (1 teaspoon).
To Rejuvenize
- 4. Milk
Grated cucumber (2 tablespoons) mixed with milk house (1 tablespoon), low-fat cottage cheese (1 tablespoon), chopped parsley (1 tablespoon) and olive oil (1 teaspoon).
- 5. Potato
Grated cucumber (2 tablespoons) mixed with fresh grated potatoes (2 tablespoons).
- 6. Cosmetic Clay
Grated cucumber (1 tablespoon) mixed with white clay (1 teaspoon).
For Moisturing
- 7. Sour Cream
Grated cucumber (2 tablespoons) mixed with sour cream (2 tablespoons). This homemade cucumber face mask is perfect for all skin-types: for dry skin – it moisturizes with maximum, and for oily skin – it eliminates unhealthy shine.
- 8. Herbal
Grated cucumber (1 tablespoon) mixed with chopped leaves of mint and basil (1 teaspoon).
- 9. Universal
The simplest cucumber face mask: grate the cucumber and without any impurities apply on your face.
- 10. Cheese
Grated cucumber (1 tablespoon) mixed with low-fat cottage cheese (1 tablespoon).
Cucumber face mask is incredibly efficient and effective with addition of a variety of natural ingredients. It is worth to try this wonderful cosmetology means, a real gift of nature, and enjoy an excellent result.


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ADAM (Apparatus Deployment Analysis Module) is a "What if?" predictive modeling tool that uses historical CAD data, GIS map data and a rigorous projection algorithm to project the impact of deployment changes on response times and availability.
The right information at the right time is critical to effective decision making. ADAM's powerful deployment analysis capabilities deliver the predictive modeling that departments need for all decision-making, reporting and planning activities.
Understanding the impact that changes to deployment, call volume, road network and hospitals will have on response performance provides lasting benefits to departments and their communities. ADAM provides advanced planning and decision-support capabilities for achieving unparalleled operational efficiency.
• Analyzes the effect of deployment changes
• Projects the impact on response times due to:
– Adding peak-time units or station
– Station closures
– Staffing reductions
– Apparatus relocation
– Annexation
– Call volume increase
– Road closures
– Hospital closures
• Visualizes deployment plans with color-coded maps
• Compares alternate deployment scenarios
• Includes department policies for actionable, realistic planning
• Calculates effects on unit availability when adding or removing units from deployment
• Uses dispatch assignment schemes on different call types to determine unit availability
• Runs within ArcMap using Esri add-ins
• Layers stored in geodatabase and shapefile formats
• Utilizes Esri's Network Analyst extension for faster analysis and improved accuracy
• The CAD Analyst functionality in ADAM evaluates response performance based on:
– Incident type
– Station first-due areas
– Shift, time of day, day of the month, or month of the year
– Risk level
• Reviews current workloads against historical CAD data
• Reports findings with intuitive graphics, reports and dashboards
Extending the capabilities of ADAM, Optimizer allows the user to prescriptively generate optimal solutions to a wide range of deployment questions. Valuable for both long-term planning as well as addressing day-to-day operational challenges, the iterative process of Optimizer saves the user time by evaluating countless alternative scenarios, providing the most effective deployment plan in minutes.
Scenario Comparison
Scenario Comparison allows the user to clearly visualize the positive and negative impacts of proposed deployment changes. Scenario Comparison calculates both local and global changes in performance and geographically displays those areas where a change in performance is projected.
"Most recently, ADAM served our department very well in identifying a location for the placement of our new fire station. We plan to utilize it in the near future with defining and building response standards and also understanding where we should deploy our next ambulance that we put in service."
"I use ADAM to measure our performance against all of our benchmarks to see how we're really performing – to identify where we're strong and we may be falling short – and to model deployment changes and strategic changes in the way we do business."
Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal
What happened to CAD Analyst?
Originally, CAD Analyst and ADAM ran as independent applications, though they were always offered together. In the current Esri-based version, the two are combined into one application: ADAM. CAD Analyst still exists as the historical "What is?" side of ADAM and includes all of the previous functionality. It remains key to our process in calibrating ADAM to provide real-world accurate projections of response times.
How can ADAM help our department save money?
The cost of maintaining an apparatus in a station, twenty-four hours, seven days a week can cost upwards of one and a half million dollars a year. Placing that station or apparatus at an inefficient location involves needless money being spent. ADAM can help your department evaluate the most optimal location for your new station and enable you to get the maximum benefit on maintaining that station. In contrast to hiring expensive consultants, ADAM can also help you save money by tapping into the extensive years of experience and knowledge that already exists in your department, helping you identify the most effective course of action.
We have been told that our fire departments' budget has been reduced and that we may have to explore the closing of stations. How can ADAM help us address this issue?
ADAM can help identify the areas of strength and weakness in your area of coverage. By utilizing ADAM, department leaders can perform "What if?" analysis and determine the impact of station closures. In many cases, ADAM has shown clients exact areas of vulnerability due to these station closures and provided a compelling argument to keep a department's budget intact.
Have your applications made a significant impact in areas which are experiencing high growth?
Absolutely. Some of our current clients experiencing rapid growth are Clark County, City of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, Orange County, FL (including Orlando), as well as Sacramento, Denver, Howard County, and a few others. In these fast growing areas, Deccan applications help identify the best timing and location of new stations, as well as the need for special types of apparatus, such as advanced life support units and paramedic engines. In addition, it takes into account the additional work load that is derived with high growth as well as growth projections of how the city is expected to expand prior new stations being added.
Will ADAM work with my CAD system?
ADAM does not require a live connection to a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The application is built using historical data extracted from these systems, but a live interface is not required. Deccan has experience working with data in the structures used by all major CAD vendors and, in fact, can work with any tabular data, provided the necessary items are present (including, but not limited to timestamps, location data, unit details).
How many years' worth of CAD data is needed to build ADAM?
Any number of years of historical data can be included for analysis in ADAM. However, when calibrating the predictive model, we typically only look at the most recent data to ensure that current incident trends are portrayed accurately in the application. In larger agencies, one year of data is usually sufficient, though in a smaller local agency, as many as two years might be used to ensure an acceptable level of reference points.
Can we give you data from an RMS instead of CAD?
Deccan's applications can be built using historical data from multiple sources. Though the use of CAD data is most common, we can also utilize data from RMS (records management systems). In some cases, we have utilized both in order to include all necessary data points. It is worth noting that the application focuses on response performance to incidents as dispatched, rather than what they ended up being. For example, a unit might respond without lights and siren to a low priority call, but it may end up being classified as a high priority incident in the end. The opposite could also be true. Both would not be accurate reflections of the agency's ability to respond to various call types. As such, the applications generally do not rely on "incident found" data classifications.


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text: The following reply was made to PR pkg/42247; it has been noted by GNATS. From: Joerg Sonnenberger <joerg%netbsd.org@localhost> To: gnats-bugs%gnats.NetBSD.org@localhost Cc: Subject: PR/42247 CVS commit: pkgsrc/mk/pkginstall Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:19:28 +0000 Module Name: pkgsrc Committed By: joerg Date: Thu Oct 29 20:19:28 UTC 2009 Modified Files: pkgsrc/mk/pkginstall: usergroup Log Message: Make sure that MV is properly defined. From PR 42247. To generate a diff of this commit: cvs rdiff -u -r1.2 -r1.3 pkgsrc/mk/pkginstall/usergroup Please note that diffs are not public domain; they are subject to the copyright notices on the relevant files.


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If Julian Assange were alive in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, he would have been on the wrong side of history. That's what the new CIA Director, Mike Pompeo, would have you believe, at least. In an address Thursday afternoon, Pompeo blasted Wikileaks for its supposed ties to foreign governments, and the fact that Wikileaks targets American secrets more than other nations. Much of what he accused Wikileaks, Julian Assange, and Edward Snowden of were flat out falsehoods. Let's break it down.
"Let me assure you. When it comes to covert action, there is oversight and accountability every step of the way."
That's the case if you believe Congress actually does a good job of holding the CIA accountable. Recently Wikileaks released the largest dump of CIA files – known as Vault 7 – showing how the CIA was creating tools to hack virtually any devise that has internet capabilities and make it look like someone else did the hacking. The reactions by those in Congress of shock and horror would have us believe that either a) they knew about it and are faking surprise, or b) Congress has no clue what the CIA is up to. Take your pick – liars or idiots. Neither should be trusted to hold the CIA accountable.
"The times in which we have failed to live up to high standards of our fellow citizens have been cataloged well."
Wait a minute. I thought the CIA was held accountable. What are these times you have failed to live up to Americans' high standards? Was it when former CIA Director James Clapper was caught lying to Congress regarding the bulk collection of data of millions of Americans? Must be. Was he held accountable for perjury before Congress and tried? No. Last month he was trotted out before the House Intelligence Committee to testify about Russia.
"While we do our best to quietly collect information on those who pose very real threats to our country, individuals such as Julian Assange and Edward Snowden seek to use that information to make a name for themselves."
Ah yes. Everyone knows of the immense popularity of Mr Assange. You know, hanging out on Sunset Blvd, throwing wild Hollywood parties, getting to attend the Golden Globes with his new girlfriend Pamela Anderson. Oh wait, he's been stuck in the Ecuadorean embassy for nearly 5 years, afraid to leave the building or even stand near a window for too long. As for Edward Snowden – he isn't exactly living the dream either. Stuck in Moscow of all places, because he fears the Russian government less than his own.
"[Wikileaks] directed Chelsea Manning in her theft of specific secret information."
This one just isn't true. Sure, Wikileaks published the documents Manning obtained, but Pompeo has his timeline mixed up. It was only after Manning saw the targeting of innocent civilians in Iraq and the numerous examples of war crimes that she came forward to Assange.
"[Wikileaks] overwhelmingly focuses on the United States."
While American news coverage of Wikileaks obviously focuses on American leaks, Wikileaks has a history of releasing documents from governments and organizations around the world. For instance, the Trade-in-Service Agreement which involved the US, EU, and 22 other countries, emails from the ruling party of Turkey, countries gobbling up Africa's uranium, and IMF documents with relation to Greece's debt problem. Wikileaks isn't centered on the U.S. If it seems that way, perhaps we should question the U.S. more than we do.
"In January of this year, our intelligence community determined that Russian military intelligence, the GRU, had used Wikileaks to release data… against the Democratic National Committee."
We're still on the Russian collusion thing, ey? Since the big hub-bub started, various accusations have been made, but the CIA, FBI, and NSA have never provided proof to the American people. We are simply to take the CIA at its word, which, unlike Wikileaks – which has a near 100% perfect record for publishing only authentic documents – has a long history of lying to the public, going back all the way to its inception following WWII.
"Assange compares himself to Thomas Jefferson, Dwight Eisenhower, and the Pulitzer Prize winning work of legitimate news organizations such as the New York Times and the Washington Post."
And we'll just wrap it up there. Yes, he actually called the New York Times and the Washington Post "legitimate". He has officially lost all credibility.


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To mark the centenary celebrations of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company has been delving into its photo archives and publishing a treasure trove of rarely seen images. This one caught our eye (for obvious reasons) but we thought it would be a good time to summarise some of our favourites revealed during the past few months.
Jodie Kidd meets the Ford Focus Coupe Cabriolet
As the mixed summer weather continues, this week's images remind us of warmer times. In 2006 temperatures in excess of 30C/86F were common as a heatwave engulfed Europe. In the UK, manufacturers were preparing for the British International Motor Show in London's ExCeL Exhibition Centre.
Although several new models were on display it was this Ford exhibit that proved particularly popular. Carved from ice, this life-size Ford Focus Coupe Cabriolet provided a welcome distraction as UK temperatures reached a record 36.5C/97.7F. Chilled air kept the model from melting and provided a refreshing breeze for visitors. Even supermodel and TV presenter, Jodie Kidd, stopped by to chill out.
Some of our other favourites…
A quick thanks to John Nevill and the rest of the Ford PR team for digging out these historical treasures, you can't fail to be transported back in time, especially if like me you remember some of the black and white scenes. Enjoy..


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How To Destroy Writers Block…
Mustard Seeds…
As they approached the town they couldn't help but be puzzled by the sign that read:
Welcome To Odd Sockville
Population: 4 (we R many)
So I was listening to my usual healthy dose of the Tim Ferris Podcast today on my way home from a modelling shoot. Oh, did I tell you I was a model? No? That's because I'm not. I look remotely human some of the time and barely human most of the time. I'm certainly not one of the chiselled, Colgate Smile wearing Superhumans you see in magazines. I'm more like the product of a one night stand between a Neanderthal and a war ravaged Viking. An offspring who evolved enough and cleaned himself up enough to pass as an acceptable member of society. I'm not offensive to look at and I'm sharp enough looking in a suit. When you need a guy who has a not-too-frightening mowhawk, plenty of interesting, non-offensive tattoos, and who isn't completely deformed I'm the guy you call. *get in there you little red faced smiley emoji*
Hold on, something interesting has just happened and this is the interesting part of writing for me. This is the part where I'm standing at a crossroads… with no demons in sight. This is way past that crossroads. Hell, that Crossroads is way in the rearview mirror and the demons are already having the time of their lives in the playground of my head, after chasing all the good boys and girls away. The Crossroads has just appeared as if by black magic.
Oh, wait a minute… now we've just added a freeway above the crossroads.
What? But you haven't explained the crossroads thing yet.
Ok, we'll get to that but I have to explain the freeway first while we're sitting right above it. The freeway is the part the readers have built. They've actually hacked into the Odd Sock Matrix and added a glitch.
Does that even make sense?
Don't worry, it will. Anyway, it's not my fault. I can't control what my readers think… or can I? *we'll have a scary ghosty emoji please, Bob*
So lets go back to 'The Crossroads'. Oh look there's a Monorail sign… it couldn't be… wait… no surely not… yep, it's happened. A Monorail has just been built that takes you all around and through the Crossroad's and Freeways of Odd Sockville.
What? Now we've got a monorail to interpret? We still haven't got an explanation of the Crossroads thing yet! Or a decent explanation of the Freeway!
Oh shit, yeah, the Crossroads… and the Freeway.
Dammit, dude get your shit together and finish this Blog before you lose any readers that are miraculously still reading at this point and who haven't sold their eyes on the black market to avoid ever reading your nonsense again."
Ahhh… would this be a bad time to point out the Tram that's just appeared? The Tram that takes you in and out of all the streets of Odd Sockville? While we're at it, I should mention the fact that some streets have appeared.
Dude, the big vein in my head's starting to go here. I think it's gonna blow if you don't clean this mess of hyperbole up in the next paragraph.
Ah… howsabout we make it four paragraphs?
Two – take it or leave it before Odd Sockville finds an exploded head on the Tramline.
Ok, ok, chill. We have a deal.
Right lets get through this without any further distraction. Ladies and gentlemen, the cast of tonight's Blog in order of appearance are:
Number 1) The Crossroads! This popped up when I mentioned '…not too frightening mohawk…' and '…non offensive tattoos…' What happens at this point of writing for me is that a Crossroads pops up. I'm presented with a choice of roads that I can take the Blog, or Book (or whatever it is I'm writing at that time) down for a little cruise, or maybe a voyage of exploration, or maybe even a spot of pillaging. In my head, the 'tattoos and mohawks' line instantly sparked off a few streetlights that lit up the Crossroads. I can start talking about how crazy it is for a human being to take offence at anything. That's one of the roads I could choose for the next part of this adventure. Or what about road number two? It looks like it would maybe lead me to start riffing on how preposterous a notion it is that a mohawk haircut should cause anyone to feel frightened. Hold on, let's see road number three. It looks windy and it isn't too well lit. Hmmm… that's the road where I could start elaborating on how fear is the cause of every negative outcome, emotion, action, or thought on the planet. That's an ambitious road. I might not wanna be out this late at night on such a dimly lit, twisty road. Wait a minute! There's my old friend, road number four! That's the road that just keeps on going. It's the road that lets you drive as recklessly and as fast as you like. No Traffic Cops, no speed limits, no rules. I like that road. Fyi: we're about to hit road number four. You might wanna put on your seatbelt.
Right, that's that done. Freeway next! We agreed three paragraphs didn't we?
Two. Don't push it.
Ok, but this one doesn't count.
So, the freeway! The Freeway is formed when I write about demons, playgrounds, and other such metaphorical meanderings. I basically start going all Dante, and maybe get a tad illustrious. It's the part where the reader has the choice to buy into what I'm saying and really connect with the words on a deeper level… or it's the time for them to check out with the "Is this guy for real?" thought bouncing around their heads… or it's the time for a genuine "Is this guy for real?" musing. The Freeway, ladies and gentlemen. Head North for "Connect"; South for "Eject"; and East or West for "Hmmm Is This For Me?" Now, I can't be held responsible for the Freeway. It is the sole property of my readers and they are fully responsible for it's erection and maintenance.
Uh oh.
Jeez what is it now?
A Drive Thru just popped up in Odd Sockville.
A Drive Thru?!
Yeah, you know, a place where you can get fast and convenient food with instant gratification and zero substance whatsoever.
It was the erection comment wasn't it? You instantly laughed like an adolescent schoolboy at the very mention of the word erection and you felt the even greater need to tell everyone in the room. Didn't you? Will you ever grow up?
No. I will never grow up.
Good. I laughed my ass off when you typed erection too.
I knew it!! Imagine I had typed 'penis'. It would have been game over. I'd have never managed any serious work after that. I'd be all like "Oh no! A Circus has just popped up in Odd Sockville!" and you'd be like "Oh no! My big veins popping and it's about to blow!", and then I'd be like "Dude, you can't mention your big vein and penis in the same sentence, that's too much!", and then that boring old fart Common Sense would waken from his slumber to find chaos reigning supreme and he'd do his best to calm things down.
Yeah, that'd be about right. God I love funny words and adolescent humour. Let's keep it between the hedges here though. We don't want Mr Spoil The Party to wake up. We've had to be sensible all day working with that smokin hot model. Jeez the things I would…
Ah.. bro, remember we've got company.
Oh right, yeah, good thinking, man. Inside head voice, inside head voice.
What? Good thinking? I never spoke.
What do you mean you never… Uh oh, Captain Sensible's just woke up. Craparoo. I don't know what his problem is. I mean it's not like anybody reads this shit anyway. Let's go crazy wild and tie Captain Sensible up!
Wtf?! Dude! You're supposed to be my Higher Self! You can't say those things about my Blog!
Shit, sorry bro. I'm all goofed out on that erection banter.
It's ok, we're all cool, just chill out. Hey, imagine you had mistyped the word banter and wrote 'batt…
Don't finish that sentence, I'm begging you, I'm on the verge of sharing the same fate as the Toon Patrol Weasels from 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' here!
Hahaha I know! That'd be a riot though wouldn't it? Imagine the headlines: "Higher Conscious Laughs Himself To Death At Erection Joke"
Code Red! Code Red! Higher Self has gone rogue! I repeat Higher Self has gone rogue! He has taken over the cockpit of the Monorail and is hurtling towards the Circus with a full tank of fuel and no brakes!
Uh oh, here's old Captain Sensible in full swing now. Wait, do Monorail trains have cockpits?
How would I know!? I'm not the one usually doing the writing. Does it matter if what you write isn't strictly true?
You're asking me? How the f**k should I know!? I just kinda fell into this as a way to amuse myself, spend less time smoking weed, and keep the demons at bay.
There you go again with the demons. Always with the demons.
Ok there you cheap-ass Ernest Hemingway wannabe, I think you've had quite enough Monorail fumes for one evening. Let me take the wheel back.
I'm sorry, man, I thought I was ready.
That's ok, just step away from the gearstick and back out of the cockpit…
Do Monorail trains have gearsticks?
If you're still reading then I must say a huge congratulations – to you for hanging in there and making your way this far; and to me for managing to keep your attention with a front row seat to the crazy prison riot that is my writing process. It's not just the writing process – it's pretty much what any given day looks like inside my head.
I think I have the crazies all put to bed now and I can maybe explain how this all started and where I wanted to go with it. But you'll have to wait till tomorrow to find out because I have an early start in the morning and I am pooped after a long day of trying to be handsome and an even longer day of trying my best not to creep out my very lovely co-worker and professional model.
I will say this though – the term writer's block came up on the Tim Ferriss Podcast this afternoon and I agreed wholeheartedly with Evan Goldberg when he said (I'm paraphrasing here) "I don't believe in writer's block – it's bullshit! Sometimes you have a bad week – that's not writer's block that's just a bad week." I fist pumped the cockpit of my car (not a monorail train) and shouted "Hell Yeah! Preach it!" Am I qualified to talk about writer's block? Am I a seasoned enough writer to even bring the subject up? Who knows. What I do know is that I sat down to write a simple Blog and it turned into a runaway train very quickly. What I do know is that I think the phrase 'writer's block' has been used as a tool for people to validate themselves as a writer. I've never been fortunate to suffer from the loveliness that would be days or weeks of sheer nothingness in my head. Seriously, there was actually a point in my life where I had to drink a few large rums and smoke a few large joints every night to quiet my head down just enough to beat the insomnia and get to sleep before 4am. A writer's head is a mass of information, ideas, and reasonings. There is always something a writer is wrestling with. What some people might call writer's block I would call 'reflection time'. You gotta reflect sometimes, for your own sanity, and then you can let the writing flow. Everything in this Blog just happened – none of it was planned. I had definite things I wanted to say, and riff on but I didn't get a chance because I've learned to listen to and peer into the spaces between. Sometimes you gotta let the writing take you where it wants to go. Sometimes the things you want to say are not ready to be articulated onto paper or screen. Sometimes you just gotta freestyle the shit out of it and see what comes out.
I genuinely do hope that someone resonates with this craziness. I genuinely, more than anything hope that someone gets a laugh and some sort of inspiration from this whackiness. More than anything tonight I hope some writer, who thinks he has writer's block, reads this blog, jumps up in the air shouting "writers block is bullshit", sits down at his desk and writes something truly awesome and truly amazing.
Thank You for taking the time to have a spin around Odd Sockville. Did you catch all the hidden nods and references? Tune in tomorrow when I will try my very best to explain how a few thoughts that I wanted to fit into a Blog ended up turning into a crazy runaway train…
PS: Glenn, I told you I would find a way to work the word 'penis' into a blog. I bet you laughed like a schoolgirl. *insert sunglasses 'I just nailed it' emoji*


text:
27 January 2010
Limited hand-numbered publication, printed offset in 1000 copies.
35 x 25cm (13.8 x 9.8 in), 48-page, full-color, 100% recycled newsprint paper, stapled.
Price: £6.00
Short erotic stories of sexual encounters recounted from one girl's point of view in reverse chronological order, from her latest to her first partner. The stories punctuate pages of portrait photography, of men and women alike: no girl in particular is the author, and any of the men photographed could be one of the men of the encounters... Sex becomes just another portrait, anyone's encounter, and is brought down into the fabric of everyday life.
webpage, order here.
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text:
Potentiated Vaccine
for Global Immunization
Company motto
- Potentiates
vaccine for global immunization
- No child left alone without vaccine
Vision statement
- Innovative
technology for novel vaccine
- Cold
chain free nasal vaccine
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vaccine without pathogen
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What NA Vaccine Institute has
- An adjuvant for potentiated vaccine
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- An adjuvant with a potent cell mediated immunity for cancer vaccines
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- Produces 100K dose of the adjuvant in less than a month
What NA Vaccine Institute does
Adjuvant related business;
Licensing out of the vaccine adjuvant and/or contract research for the adjuvant development
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Own internal programs and collaboration with others
- Nasal flu vaccine with a broad spectrum protection
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Where NA Vaccine Institute is heading to
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efficacy without cold chain
- Peptide vaccines without pathogen
- Setting up the industrial standard for the production of the novel adjuvant molecule,
the industrial scale production, and QC guide line for each production steps.


text:
Experienced Excavators
When you need water line and sewer repair, maintenance, installation or replacement the excavation professionals at Mike the Plumber are here to help. We offer modern equipment, a certified plumber and quality workmanship to ensure that your excavation is completed effectively and efficiently, without any delays or unnecessary hassles.
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text:
Consultant Histopathologist
- Location
- Kettering, Northamptonshire
- Salary
- £79,860 - £107,668 per annum
- Posted
- 11 Sep 2019
- Closes
- 29 Sep 2019
- Sector
- Hospital, Histopathology
- Career Level
- Consultant
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
An opportunity has arisen to appoint a Consultant Histopathologist within the department of Cellular Pathology at Kettering General Hospital. We would welcome applicants interested in either a substantive or NHS locum post.
The appointee will join an existing team of 7 Histopathologists. Each of the current consultants has a special area of interest and if the new appointee has a specialist area arrangements will be made to accommodate this.
Any candidate who is unable for personal reasons to work full-time will be eligible to be considered for the post. If such a person is appointed, modification of the job content will be discussed on a personal basis with the Trust in consultation with consultant colleagues.
The department is proactive in working with network partners in Leicester and Northampton in providing a high quality and efficient service.
Kettering has close links with University Hospitals Leicester with junior pathologists rotating through the department. The post-holder would be required to participate in training and education plus audit activities and also participate in relevant quality assurance schemes. Kettering is an old market town situated in the centre of England. It is set in attractive countryside and there is easy access to other major medical centres such as Oxford, Cambridge, Leicester, Birmingham, Nottingham and London.
The locality includes a mixture of rural and urban population centred in Kettering and serving the towns of Corby, Wellingborough and Rushden. There are a number of other smaller towns. The area offers a variety of housing types from village to town and has a good choice of schools. There is easy access to Leicester and other larger towns for theatre and a wide range of shopping. The surrounding countryside is unspoiled with easy access to amenities such as Rutland water. Kettering is well served by road and rail links with the A14 and the Midland Mainline (London St. Pancras 50 minutes), Eurostar direct trains to Paris and Brussels from St Pancras.
For further details / informal visits contact:
Dr Laura Aitken via email at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
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text:
AT&T's DirecTV Acquisition Places Major Bet on Proposed FCC Net Neutrality Rules says Strategy Analytics
19 May, 2014, 21:54 BST
-- Strategy Analytics Predicts "Stars are Aligning for Seamless Broadband Services"
BOSTON, May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T's planned acquisition of DirecTV offers benefits in the form of a nationwide footprint for AT&T as a Video Over the Top (OTT) and pay TV operator and ties in with the company's already strong IPTV, broadband and wireless businesses, according to new research from Strategy Analytics' Service Provider Strategies and Wireless Networks & Platforms services.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130207/NE56457LOGO-b
Combined with the FCC's new proposed rules for Net Neutrality/Open Internet Broadband and the Comcast / Time Warner merger, the stars are all aligning for different reasons to create Seamless Broadband services across wired – cable and telco - and wireless – satellite and mobile – networks.
In two new reports Strategy Analytics covers these hot topics:
- ServiceProvider Strategies analyzes the business impact of AT&T's acquisition in 'Is AT&T Showing Interest in DirecTV?'
- Wireless Networks and Platforms looks at how AT&T's actions appear to align with the new moves by the FCC in 'Stars Align for Seamless Broadband Access as AT&T buys DirecTV and FCC Revisits Net Neutrality Rules.'
Jason Blackwell, Director, Service Provider Strategies noted, "AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV is the continuation of the trend of consolidation among service providers that will continue throughout 2014 and possibly beyond. The industry is at a turning point where fixed operators are under tremendous pressure from increasing costs but DirecTV is known for having a higher-end customer base, and the ARPU for the company reflects the premium service. Multiplay bundling is an important strategy for AT&T, indicated by the high number of its customers who subscribe to three and four services. Targeting high ARPU, premium customers with DirecTV plays well into AT&T's strategy." He added, "Through this deal, AT&T is buying scale in Pay TV, premium customers for greater multi-play service adoption, and a nationwide footprint for quad-play services."
Sue Rudd, Director, Service Provider Analysis for Wireless Networks and Platforms commented that: "AT&T will probably be able to integrate DirecTV spectrum and delivery mechanisms as well as OTT Video services even more rapidly if the new FCC Net Neutrality rules are adopted. It looks as if AT&T has placed a major bet on this happening. These new FCC rules could dramatically simplify the delivery of multi-device multi-service 'multiplay' bundles across fixed and wireless; and even stimulate innovation in fixed telco services based on mobile features."
Mobile Broadband is beginning to be viewed by the FCC as 'just another access technology'. If the eventual FCC ruling eliminates differences between fixed and mobile broadband access regulations, it could accelerate Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and make it much easier organizationally for ILECs to deliver next generation services seamlessly across both fixed and mobile or satellite access. This could in turn lead to significant telecomms cost reductions as processes merge across fixed and mobile operations."
About Strategy Analytics
Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com
Sue Rudd, +1 617 614 0709, firstname.lastname@example.com
Jason Blackwell, +1 (617) 614-0747, email@example.com
SOURCE Strategy Analytics, Inc.


text:
James Husband in pole position but Harry Toffolo knew he was facing battle for his Norwich City chance
©Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222
The left-back position had been one of strength for a long while for Norwich City but a battle for the vacant berth is set to heat up in the coming weeks.
Academy product Harry Toffolo had been the only recognised senior left-back on the books until the Canaries signed James Husband from Middlesbrough for around £1million yesterday.
The 23-year-old former Fulham and Huddersfield loanee has been left in the shadow of George Friend at Boro but will be looking to establish himself as a Championship regular.
More: Norwich City confirm signing of Middlesbrough defender James Husband
City have handed Husband a three-year deal and sporting director Stuart Webber already knows of the former Doncaster Rovers trainee's potential having signed him for Huddersfield.
It means Toffolo faces stiff competition to finally establish himself as a Norwich regular, although he will have expected no less when the one-year option in his contract was triggered at the end of last season. The 21-year-old was part of City's FA Youth Cup winning team of 2013 and has since spent time on loan in League One with Swindon, Peterborough and Scunthorpe, as well as a seven-game Championship stint at Rotherham in 2015-16.
In the meantime the left-back shirt was worn by Robbie Brady and Martin Olsson at Norwich until they were sold for big money in January, forcing Russell Martin and Steven Whittaker to cover.
Olsson had previously vied with Javier Garrido in the top flight, as they inherited the position from Marc Tierney, who had finally edged out club legend Adam Drury after 10 years, who was only really disrupted by Ryan Bertrand – now an England international and Champions League winner.
More: What can Norwich City fans expect from new signing James Husband?
Mitchell Dijks was eventually signed on loan from Ajax and proved largely popular for his buccaneering performances but the fee of around £3m and wages of £30,000 a week made put a permanent deal out of reach.
That left Toffolo and 19-year-old Jamal Lewis, a Northern Ireland U21 international who has often featured as a winger for City's youth teams, to contest left-back in the early games of pre-season.
Both had looked bright in comfortable wins at Cobh and Lowestoft but neither were really tested defensively, so Husband looks likely to move straight into pole position.
• Follow David Freezer on Facebook @DavidFreezer1 or on Twitter @davefreezer


text:
Once again months have gone by, seasons have passed, and I haven't updated this blog at all - but since it's a slow day at work, it's a good enough time to post some random thoughts on the spring anime season that ended a few weeks back, and the nascent summer season.
I'll start by saying I really liked the spring season - and I'll admit, I didn't watch what was probably the most popular anime of the season, Attack on Titan, simply because blood and gore isn't really my cup of tea. I watch anime for entertainment, and people getting eaten by odd-looking giants just isn't entertaining for me - but despite that, I didn't have a problem finding plenty to watch.
Hataraku Maou
Hataraku Maou was the series I probably looked forward to the most each week, just because of the cast alone - the banter between Maou and Emi, Ashiya's sense of duty and concern over their finances, Maou's plans for dominating Ente Isla morphing into plans to sell more fries than any other McDonald's - it's just a great cast of characters to watch, and they consistently made me laugh week in and week out. Comedy's subjective so your mileage may vary, but when the series did shift from comedy to more serious mode, the fact I was attached to the characters made the drama that much more compelling. And the plot is nothing if not original - the Dark Lord of another world getting stuck in Tokyo and working part-time at McDonald's. I give the author a lot of credit for originality.
The character development I thought was well-done too, how at the beginning Maou goes from ordering his armies to conquer Ente Isla, without regard for human life, to later on choosing to save people's lives over returning to Ente Isla to conquer it. Emi's a fascinating character too - having lost her family and everything important to her because of the war Maou started, she has every reason to hate him, but it's hard to reconcile her image of Maou as a monster to the man who works diligently at McDonald's and saves people instead of harming them. It raises some interesting ethical questions later on, too - Maou started a war that killed thousands, but should he be absolved from all that now that he's seen the value of human life and is by any account a good citizen and a good person now?
It's not perfect - the comedy is good, but there were some fight scenes that were more dramatic that they tried to shoehorn comedy into to lighten the mood, and that seemed a little out of place. And the "girl with small breasts is jealous of girl with big ones" has been done in anime a million times and I've got to think women watching this just roll their eyes at it. But it's been a lot of fun to watch regardless - I'd be thrilled if we get a second season.
Gargantia had me seriously hooked from the first episode - I'm kind of a sucker for scifi, the action sequences were a little CG-heavy but still good, and the whole soldier trying to adapt to a peaceful society thing reminded me of Sagara Sousuke in Full Metal Panic. Ledo and Amy were good lead characters, with Ledo's adjustment to Gargantia handled amazingly well - no instant fluency in the local language, he has to rely on incomplete translations at first, then full translations, then he's slowly able to learn the language and goes from halting, broken Japanese to fluent. A scene later on where he's emotional and lapses into his native language I thought was well done too - that's exactly the kind of thing that would happen in real life (my wife worked for a manager who was originally from Russia, and she'd occasionally lapse into Russian even with people who didn't speak it).
When things switched from slice of life to serious it was a little less fun to watch - some developments were a little too convenient (the infodump episode about the Hideauze's true nature) but the plot twists were interesting, and the ending was pretty epic, Chamber goes down as one of the greatest anime bros of all time. If I have a complaint, it'd be Ledo x Amy didn't get enough screen time together after he left Gargantia, but then again, the way the plot developed kind of warranted that. I'm looking forward to the OVAs that will be coming out with the BD releases though, and I'm glad the Urobutcher didn't slaughter everyone this time.
I loved Aiura - but the greatest crime of the anime world in 2013 so far is it was only three freaking minutes long! Great character designs, a funny cast, good animation - and it's only three minutes a week. It's like winning the lottery, but then you find out you get paid out over 3,000 years...in pennies. Still, this was a lot of fun to watch, I've re-watched the whole thing once already, not that this takes very long. Wishing for a second season, in particular at least a 12-minute episode one.
The Rest of Spring
Oreimo's second season was honestly a bit of a let-down for me - I liked the first season, but this season it seemed like they reset Kirino's personality once again to the way it was season one, episode one, and that got on my nerves a little. Lovely Angle Ayase-tan was fun to watch though, but I think the rewatch value's pretty low.
Railgun S I should have loved, but after a couple episodes I have to admit I lost interest, mainly since I knew how the Sisters Arc would turn out already since I'd seen it before in Index.
Date a Live I lost interest halfway through the first episode, likewise with Hyakka Ryouran's new season, and Photo Kano.
Muromi-san was pretty funny, and I looked forward to my insane mermaid fix every week - compared to the Gold Standard of mermaid-oriented comedy, Seto no Hanayome, no Muromi-san couldn't compete, but it was still a lot of fun to watch.
The summer season's just started, but sadly, I can't say I'm as excited about it as I was about the spring season. There are lots of series that are good, and enjoyable, but none that I'm counting the days to the next episode like I was in the spring. Maybe that'll change as the season runs on though, who knows.
Blood Lad so far has been maybe the funniest for me - it has that "someone on crack thought this up" insanity to it that makes it more entertaining, also the cutest skeleton ever to appear in anime, I think. But how it holds up over a full season I don't know - the manga's ongoing so I doubt poor Fuyumi will get any resolution either.
Kitakubu / The Going Home Club is funny, but the lazy animation and the whole thing being set in one room reminds me in a bad way of Seitokai Ichizon. It seems like a long string of tsukkomis put together, which is funny, but I guess let's say also kind of a one-trick pony.
Love Lab I'm not sure I'll keep watching - it's OK, but it's not making me laugh out loud either, the second episode, for me anyway, fell kind of flat after the first.
Tamayura I loved the first season of, despite the fact the pacing can only be described as glacial, and I like what I've seen so far this season too - in two episodes, Fuu decides to form a photography club and it gets approved by the school and...that's it. If nothing else, it's really easy to write an episode summary for this one. But I still like the cast and even if nothing in particular happens, it's a good "healing" anime to relax with at the end of a long day. This might be what I look forward to the most each week this season.
C3-bu has an insanely long real name, but it's been fun to watch so far - girls playing airsoft might not sound like much of a plot, but I can relate to Yura and there's potential for some good character development here too as she comes out of her shell a little. I think the military theme gives this a Girls und Panzer vibe, although I don't know if C3-bu's cast can be as fun to watch as Panzer's was.
Silver Spoon I have high hopes for - the first episode was interesting, I'd always wondered what an ag school would be like and this gives what seems like a pretty realistic depiction. I can't say I'm totally hooked, but I'm hoping it'll get more interesting as I get to know the cast better.
Kiniro Mosaic is...cute. But I don't think that's quite going to be enough to keep me watching it, so far at least I don't think I like the characters as much as Tamayura's.
Watamote I probably should watch, but from what I've read it just sounds painful, like watching a car wreck - I might pick this up later on though.
That brings me to the end of a long-overdue post - although summer seems overall not quite as good as spring was to me, I'm still impressed as always by the variety of stories anime puts out there, and it makes me glad to be an anime fan. Real life (my daughter's a big sister now since my son joined us in April) makes it unlikely I'll update this blog regularly, but to anyone reading this hope you're having a great summer!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Spring and Summer
Posted by suguru at 10:26 AM 3 comments:
Labels: aiura, blood lad, gargantia, hataraku maou, tamayura
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
Sakurasou and When Dreams Don't Come True
Watching Sakurasou's finale caused a few thoughts to go in and out of the transom of my mind (Do people even know what transoms are anymore? Not that it matters, Google knows all anyway):
- Is Mashiro somewhere on the autism spectrum? Or are all artists a little crazy and not completely well-rounded because if they were normal, well, they wouldn't be artists?
- Is it better to keep plugging away at a dream, or to realize the odds are so against you that you should quit?
On the first question, I think you can look at it either way, really - Mashiro not being able to dress herself would certainly be seen as a cause for alarm from a pediatrician even at ten years younger, but at the same time it's not like she's physically incapable of doing it, it's just not in her top thousand priorities. I still think she's an interesting character, although the whole "pet" metaphor you could argue says a lot about what's wrong with Japan's treatment of women in general.
The second question's more interesting, and I think the anime's ending seems to be sending the message that you should keep trying - Nanami worked her butt off for two years and failed to become a voice actress, but she's going to try again. Sorata's game idea may have crashed and burned, but going the indie game route, which gives him a better chance of success, and the message there is also he's going to keep chasing his dream.
That's fine, but it'd be a different story if they were out of high school, out of college, and still trying - what if at 35 Nanami is still desperately applying to voice acting schools, no boyfriend, no family, just a single-minded obsession with following a dream that may never happen? At the end of her life, would a Nanami who spent it all pursuing a career she never got to do look back and regret not throwing in the towel earlier?
It's OK for young people to have dreams, because they have the time to pursue them - we tell our children "you can be whatever you want when you grow up" and "if you work hard, anything is possible" but as adults, we know this is not really true. If your child wants to be an astronaut, say, that's nice, but the odds are one-in-a-million against them - all the hard work in the world won't guarantee success. Anime often has a "you can do anything if you try" message, but Sakurasou explores the other side of that a little, that not everyone can realize all their dreams. Making a hit computer game and being a voice actor are just not the kind of thing anyone can do if they just work hard, since you have hundreds of thousands of people trying to do something only a fraction of those people will be successful at.
The anime's message of not giving up on dreams is still a good one, since you don't want to give up too early, or not even try to follow your dream, and then regret it later. And if a 15 year old, say, wants to be a manga-ka, despite the huge odds against them, it's not going to ruin their life to work hard at drawing and send manuscripts off to publishers - even in failure, chasing your dream can still be a lot of fun, when you look back on it later. The trick is just chasing a dream long enough, but not too long - if that aspiring manga-ka skips college to draw and draw but never makes it, finds themselves 30 and living off the Bank of Mommy and Daddy while his or her friends have jobs, families, etc., there's going to be regret on that side of things too.
In some ways, Sakurasou took the easy way out - it doesn't show us that "know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em" decision point that many of us face in young adulthood, where we have to choose between chasing a dream and moving on to reality. And I think as we get older, we realize more and more that "what do you want to be when you grow up?" isn't as important as who you are when you grow up, your family, your friends, how good a parent you are, what your hobbies and interests are - all those things make up who you are more than what you do from 8 to 5 for a paycheck twice a month.
It'd be interesting to see the cast of Sakurasou make that transition - maybe Sorata makes a few indie games but doesn't become a star of the gaming world and goes on to find a job teaching programming and game design, which is fun enough and he gets to go home to Mashiro and their kids every night so he's satisfied. Maybe Nanami doesn't get into voice acting even after a third year of effort, but she meets a nice guy who isn't as emo as Sorata and they start an okonomiyaki restaurant in Osaka. Life takes us places we'd never have thought it would when we're teenagers, after all.
Which brings me to the point of this post, which...well, there really isn't one. I guess you could say I'm a little disappointed Sakurasou didn't take the dreams vs reality theme a little further, and maybe in a future season it will. But honestly, I think it should have ended with episode 23, tack on a better Mashiro x Sorata epilogue, and call it done - anything from here, especially if they keep up the love triangle even longer, it's just going to feel like the story's drawn out for too long.
Posted by suguru at 11:24 AM 4 comments:
Labels: sakurasou
Monday, April 01, 2013
Little Witch Academia
Enjoy it while you can, Disney is already calling their lawyers...
I don't normally watch short one-shot movies, but I did watch Little Witch Academia today, and although you might have low expectations like I did because it's a training project for young animators (sponsored by the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency), it was actually amazingly good. The animation quality was pretty impressive, better than a lot of anime series - the style is probably easiest to describe as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (character designs and action scenes) meets Negima (world setting).
Can things get even worse when you're falling at terminal velocity from a high tower? Yes, they can.
Although they only had 24 minutes to work with, this tells a solid story, with a small, but entertaining cast of characters. The basic premise is a girl studying at a magic academy, who was inspired to study magic by a show her idol put on when she was little. It turns out her idol's not held in the highest regard by other wizards, seen as more an entertainer or fraud than a real magician, but our heroine is still her biggest fan, and when she ends up on a dungeon crawl of sorts with her friends and her rival, she finds something that used to belong to her childhood idol, that gives her a shot at proving herself.
I suck at plot summaries so I'll stop there, but I'd highly recommend checking it out - there's nothing new to watch until the spring season starts anyway, so there's really nothing to lose but 24 minutes of your time. You won't regret it.
Burning up - Akko's an RPG fan, apparently...
The action scenes in particular seemed really well animated to me - of course, I draw at about a four-year old level, but still...
Best Side Character. Seriously, do not f**k with her and her potions.
Posted by suguru at 10:06 PM 1 comment:
Labels: little witch academia
Love Live Ends
Love Live is over - and I'm left with the thought Kotori's the one who really should have gotten smacked upside the head instead of Honoka. The evidence against her? Kotori dragged her feet telling Honoka she was studying abroad. When Umi called her on it (and God knows how much longer it would have taken her to tell Honoka if Umi hadn't forced the issue), Kotori then tried to blame not telling her on Honoka - got to like the "blame the victim" strategy. Then it turns out that all along Kotori didn't really want to go at all, but didn't have the balls to say no herself until Honoka asked her to at the 11th hour and 59th minute. Umi and Honoka should have ganged up to slap her maido ass silly.
I realized I left out Love Live in my last post, but it wasn't a bad series to watch - I can't believe any poll would rank it best anime of the season, but I have to admit it was fun to watch. Umi was entertaining getting dragged into things at the beginning, Maki is so tsundere she's hilarious, Nico's split personality was always entertaining, and Honoka herself reminded me a lot of Haruka from Idolmaster (generally positive and the glue for the group, but not immune to getting depressed when things go south).
It figures I'd like this since generally I'm a sucker for idol series, partly for the music - although honestly I liked the J-pop in AKB0048 far more than Love Live (which figures, I guess, when you consider AKB0048's music came from the real AKB48 which breaks sales records on a regular basis). Love Live was incredibly predictable, the drama was a little forced (see Kotori - and why did Eri take so long to join them again?), but in the end it was entertaining enough. It wouldn't surprise me to see a second season, which would be cool - this was definitely watchable, and maybe even re-watchable (but probably not for a while).
Posted by suguru at 9:36 PM No comments:
Labels: love live
Looking Back at Winter
I swear every time I blink, an entire season of anime passes - between work, building Lego towers and coloring with crayons (having a four-year old is an awesome way to get to play like a little kid again), and then the fact watching anime takes priority over writing about it, this blog is once again turning into a desert. Was that a run-on sentence? You'd think after almost 40 years I'd be a master at the English language, but having a four-year old correct your pronunciation (granted, for dinosaur names, but still) makes one lose one's confidence a little...
Anyway, without further ado, a few random thoughts on this past season:
Tamako Market
This was my favorite of the season - I know, I know, this says a lot about my taste in anime, since I didn't say Shin Sekai Yori or anything else from the list of more serious anime. But to be honest, as I've said before, I don't watch anime to reflect on the darkness inherent in humanity, I watch it for entertainment, and Tamako Market delivered there in spades (whatever that means). It had the kind of ending I normally hate - no resolution on Tamako x Mochizo specifically - but somehow it seemed to fit the series well and didn't bug me. I wish they'd done more with the cast - Shiori had a whole episode to get introduced and then it felt like they didn't do much with her, and I could have lived without either Anko episode. The whole talking chicken thing made me very wary going into this, but Dera was hysterical, and enough reason by himself to make me look forward to it each week. I was half-expecting a Wal-Mart to open two blocks away and kill the Bunny Mountain Shopping Arcade completely, but in the end, it didn't go anywhere very serious, and that's fine.
Mondaiji-sama ga Etc. Etc.
This was the dark horse for me this season, that came out of nowhere and got me completely hooked - the animation quality was average, but the cast was a lot of fun to watch, and the setting was really cool too. Between Kuro Usagi's tsukkomi, Izayoi's attitude, Shiroyasha's logic for Kuro Usagi's wardrobe choices, the ED credits where Yo and Asuka blow Kuro Usagi off and her reaction - I pretty much loved this series from start to finish. It's just a shame it was only ten episodes - I'm not sure it's likely, but I'd love to see a second season.
Da Capo III
I really wanted to love this, but honestly it's probably my biggest disappointment of the season. It's insanely servicey, which isn't a terrible thing, but is a little jarring given previous Da Capo anime wasn't nearly as in your face with the service. I thought Junichi's harem was huge, but Kiyotaka's ability to get every girl in school to fall for him without doing anything in particular to make him a teen heartthrob just makes my eyes roll a little too. The plot also seemed to go nowhere - but given it supposedly just follows the demo and not the "real" gameplay, we'll probably have a second season that actually moves the plot along.
AKB0048 Next Stage
I still hate CG. But this was a fun ride, with lots of great J-pop, and while the plot got a little out there with AKB0048 being like The Force or something, it was still a worthy successor to the first season. Nagisa is MUCH better than Acchan though - Acchan still just looks creepy to me.
Robotics Notes
The plot didn't exactly launch like a rocket - it felt like this was planned for four cours and then about 4-5 episodes from the end got shortened to two, so they suddenly shifted from neutral to high gear. I understand that's the way the visual novel it's based on went too, though, and in some ways it works since you get a leisurely introduction to the cast before the shit hits the fan. In the end, though, it seemed like a lot of the cast really didn't have much to do - but I can forgive it for that easily, since episode 21 and the whole Kai-Akiho scene there was one of the best confession scenes I've seen in a while. I'm a sucker for endings where the main couple actually does get together, which segues into...
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
Twenty-four episodes, a full year, and all we get is Mashiro kissing Sorata on the cheek? I also can't stand Nanami - just confess already and lay off the Kansai-ben, for the love of God. Sorata whines way too much too. In real life, if you pick your dream to be something only one in a million people get to do, how naive are you to be shocked when things don't turn out exactly like you planned - but maybe this is age and cynicism talking. Overall, I did like the series - I just felt a little let down since the first couple episodes gave me a Toradora-like vibe, and it just couldn't live up to that.
Senran Kagura
I liked Asuka's character, but honestly aside from that this didn't have a lot going for it. The plot was...well, the less said the better. I guess in hindsight, this is probably a series where if I could send text messages backwards in time I'd send one to myself saying to save the 24 minutes a week for something else.
Vividred Operation
Good character designs, interesting enough story, decent combat scenes - but with the camera zoomed in on their asses a hundred times every episode...it's a little embarrassing to watch. Let's just say this isn't on my "introduce my daughter to anime" list for the future. The "punch from low Earth orbit" at the end was cool, I guess, but seemed a little too easy too given a few minutes before that everyone was doomed.
Girls und Panzer
Girls and tanks? It may sound stupid, but they played it straight and it really worked - the long wait for episodes 11 and 12 was worth it, and this goes down for me as nothing spectacular but still a fun series to watch.
Yama no Susume
I normally avoid three-minute long anime, and this would have been better as just a normal-length OVA, but it was a cute series about two girls climbing mountains and one of them maybe coming out of her shell a little, which I can relate to. It's a good series to just relax too - like Tamako, don't expect anything deep, but you could argue Yama no Susume has more character development.
Little Busters
I dropped this because of Komari - her character honestly made me want to throw my laptop out the window instead of keeping watching. But after skipping her arc and picking it back up, Little Busters grew on me, although the writing makes me think Kyoani probably made the right call passing on this. Haruka's family belongs in jail, Kudo's whole arc just had me scratching my head, but it is a likable cast, and now we seem to be getting into Rin's arc and the main part of the story, so I'm looking forward to more. Does it look as gorgeous as Kyoani's Kannon or Clannad? No, but I'm not sure that would make a difference in terms of whether I enjoy it or not anyway.
Overall, it's been another great season for anime - I've been watching anime since '98 (not counting Voltron and Star Blazers as a kid back in the Cretaceous) and it amazes me that each season I can't imagine turning away from it. Here's hoping the spring season will be good too - there's a lot of potential among the new entrants out there (as usual, Random Curiosity has a complete preview), and getting to see Oreimo's finale and more Railgun alone has me excited for the next couple weeks.
Posted by suguru at 2:02 PM 2 comments:
Labels: akb0048, da capo III, girls und panzer, little busters, mondaiji-sama, robotics notes, sakurasou, senran kagura, tamako, yama no susume
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Pic by Magicpiano / GFDL
Your guide to Temple, New Hampshire assisted living facilities. With so many senior housing options available, how do you know which one is right for your family?
Our Senior Living Advisors live in the Temple area and can provide you with an insider's view of local communities including pricing information and distinctive features.
Request information online by filling out the form to the right or call us at 855-363-2002 for a no-cost, in-depth assessment of your senior care needs. Our compassionate advisors can help you find the best Temple assisted living facilities for your unique needs and budget.
The official website for the city of Temple is http://www.templenh.org.
Cities near Temple offering memory care optionsNew Ipswich | Wilton | Greenville | Lyndeborough | Peterborough | West Peterborough | Milford | Greenfield | Jaffrey | Ashby | Brookline
Assisted Living Costs in Nearby Cities* The costs above represent the AVERAGE monthly cost of assisted living for a one person bedroom in that city.
Facts about Temple
Temple is also known as: Temple.
And some of the notable people born here have been: (daniel pratt (industrialist)), and (henry ames blood).
Temple is represented by Board of Selectmen Gail Cromwell.
Temple is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,366 at the 2010 census. It is home to Temple Mountain State Reservation, and formerly home to Temple Mountain Ski Area.
Population shifts in Temple
Average temperatures in TempleLine in orange is average highs...line in blue is average lows.
Average rainfall in Temple


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Great. So tonight the government sprays us with piperonyl butoxide. To reassure us, the TV news last night shows us a guy from the company doing the spraying who tells us just not to worry.
I say worry.
The airplanes tonight will be spraying us with a compound called "Duet" You have heard already that it contains synthetic pyrethroids believed to be harmless to humans. But no one has talked to you about the sleeper agent in Duet, a chemical called piperonyl butoxide which acts as an endocrine disruptor designed to knock down the immune systems of living organisms.
Why worry about that? First off, instead of listening to a guy with his first name on his shirt pocket, we need to hear something from more authoritative sources, lots of whom are out there, virtually none of whom has been consulted by government officials or media concerning the risks of aerial pesticide spraying.
One I have mentioned before is Dr. Andrea Gore at UT Austin, who recently received a two-year, $841,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effect of chemicals on human genetic inheritance. Gore has been quoted saying that endocrine disrupting chemicals are a significant health risk to humans: "Any level of exposure -- even infinitesimally small -- poses a risk."
Risk of what? The issues Gore and a colleague, David Crews, are examining have been described as slow poisoning that may be making us fatter, sicker and dumber with increased risk of genetic damage to future generations.
Gore and Crews are not outliers. They are at the center of mainstream research. Gore is senior author of the Endocrine Society's scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
In fact there is an entire body of research local health officials could have consulted. The July edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed open access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, reports that, "mounting evidence suggests gestational pesticides exposures are strong candidates" as causes of some forms of autism.
The article says, "On the basis of experimental and observational research, certain pesticides may be capable of inducing core features of autism ..." The authors single out piperonyl butoxide as worthy of study.
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Instead of taking any kind of measured responsible approach, this entire spraying exercise in Dallas reeks of public panic and political exploitation. After all, we are right at the beginning of the natural decline in the disease. That fact has a necessary effect on the risk/benefit ratio here.
If West Nile is about to decline rapidly on its own, and if we haven't had time to consider the real risks of spraying, why would we take the chance of bad long-term effects right now? This whole thing is an exercise in weak leadership caving in to a media-induced panic and a lot of political pressure from affluent neighborhoods where people water their lawns too much.
When have you ever seen the mayors of the two Park Cities on television before? Those guys are practically incognito most of the time. This is all about pouring oil on a few squeaky wheels at significant risk to true public health.
The risks have been subtly pooh-poohed as having to do only with a possible threat to honey bees and lady bugs. Well, guess again. Think of Honey Bee and Lady Bug as pet names for your grandchildren.


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"Flashbacks, Memories, and Dreams" is the first track from The Virgins' forthcoming sophomore album, Strike Gently, out on Cult Records on March 12th. As a special preview to fans, the single is now available as a free download. Click here for your freebie! Pre-orders of the album are available now for the US, UK/EU, and Japan ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!


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8 Limbs of Yoga: Pratyahara
At 8 Limbs we are examining each of the 8 Limbs, one month at a time, through this Blog, in classes, and in the Many Paths Teacher Panels, 1st Sunday of each month at 6:30pm. This month our schedule is a bit disrupted due to the Superbowl (not something we usually schedule around at our yoga studio!) so our panel has been moved to Monday, February 3rd at 7:15pm at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill (replacing the 7:15pm Level II class with Anne Phyfe). Our subject this month is Pratyahara, the 5th limbs of yoga, which can be translated as sense withdrawal, or control. Join us to hear from the following teachers how they would answer the questions below, plus any questions you participants bring in. Free, bring a friend, and count it towards your 28-Day Commitment!
7:15-7:20pm Welcome & Introductions
7:20-7:50pm Moderated Questions
7:50-8:15pm Questions from Students
8:15-8:20pm Closing Comments
8:20-8:45pm Tea, Snacks & Socializing
8 Limbs Teacher Panelists
Amy Reed
Amy Reed is one part scientist, one part storyteller, one part mystic and one part athlete. A devoted student of Yoga since 1999 and a teacher since 2004, her classes are steeped in authenticity and enthusiasm. She's known for her clear alignment instruction, humor and accessibility. When she's not teaching or practicing yoga she loves to cook, hike with her dogs, read & travel.
Douglas Ridings
Yoga, dance, music and performance have always been integrated for Douglas Ridings as arts of the body and ways of profoundly influencing one's Rasa or internal chemistry. Douglas has a background theater, butoh, classical voice and, and, since 2005, Odissi dance. His primary teachers in Yoga have been Anne Phyfe Palmer, Melina Meza, and Kathleen Hunt. Other teachers who he have had a lasting impact on his teaching include Aadil Pakhilwala, Robert Svoboda and A.G. and Indra Mohan. His primary butoh Senseis were Joan Laage and Katsura Kan and his Odissi Guru is Dr. Ratna Roy. Douglas is an avid reader, who also plays a little bit of piano. He has been dusting off his Opera Arias with an eye toward a possible audition with The Seattle Opera chorus. Douglas also performs with experimental theater/performance art group St. Genet and with Burlesque Mavens Waxie Moon, Paula the Sweedeish Housewife and Indigo Blue. He approaches all of this varied performance work as a form of Yoga, with the ideal being a kind of Mokshya (spiriitual freedom) for both performers and audience.
Lance Westendarp
Lance's practice and teaching focuses deeply on exploring the subtler aspects of yoga practice, and how we can use it to release holding patterns to create greater ease and flow in our lives. In his own yoga practice, he is interested in exploring classical practices and the texts with the goal of making them accessible and applicable in our modern world. Lance is currently studying to become a naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, and Chinese herbalist. He is also a classical pianist, and it's one of his biggest passions/hobbies along with cooking! When he's not in the studio, on his mat, or studying, he loves to be outdoors. He loves to rock climb and hike, and has a pretty strong travel addiction. He wants to hear about your travels as well!
Moderated Questions
1. With the increase in technology (and technology compulsiveness), many people find it difficult to simply pause for a moment with nothing in particular to do, let alone go for total sensory withdrawal. What are some simple things from a yogic perspective people can do, or consider, to tame intense cravings for stimulus?
2. Judith Lasater said "I like to think that for Pantajali pratyahara meant something different than a simple withdrawal from life. To me pratayara means that even as I participate in the task at hand, I have space between the world around me and my responses to that world." Can you give a specific example of a "task at hand" in which your pratyahara practice comes to life?
3. Yoga writer Fergus Higgens wrote, "After we have withdrawn our senses, what is left? The sum total of everything you have experienced in your life…hello there, self!" How do you personally prepare to meet your "Self"?
4. It feels a bit ironic that we needed to reschedule this discussion on Pratyahara because of Superbowl Sunday, a day when most of Seattle was fully embracing the fever of "the 12th man." It wasn't a big day for pratyahara! However getting caught up in the spirit, and the stimulus, of the 12th man can clearly be a meaningful, community building experience. How do you think a pratyahara practice can serve opportunities for a sensory onslaught such as the Superbowl in a city with millions of "12th men?"
Come hear how these amazing yogis answer these questions and yours tonight at 7:15pm.
Posted by: 8 Limbs


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About Coastal
Coastal has been serving the farm and ranch community since 1963. Farmers, ranchers, do-it-yourselfers, and outdoor enthusiasts trust Coastal to supply everything from boots and outdoor wear to livestock, pet, and lawn and garden supplies, to sporting goods. Led by CEO Buzz Wheeler, the company employs more than 750 people in 16 stores located in Oregon and Washington, and they're growing faster than ever.
Wheeler was concerned that the company's big changes would impact its unique culture. Additionally, he noticed silos were forming: employees, clear on their own objectives, didn't always see how their work impacted the organization and other divisions.
To maintain the company's unique culture as it continued to grow, Coastal would have to improve its approach. The leadership team wasn't dysfunctional. Rather, things were getting done and profits were up, but many wondered if alignment around their core purpose would move them further faster. In Wheeler's words, "We were rowing the boat, but weren't always rowing together."
Bringing on Building Champions
With aspirational goals and growth momentum, the company wanted to strategize a better way forward. Fearing a simple off-site meeting wouldn't change anything, Wheeler reached out to Building Champions, an executive coaching firm with a track record of helping business leaders reach new levels of success and profitability. Building Champions worked closely with Wheeler to provide one-on-one coaching for key members of his leadership team to address the challenges each person faced, as well as to facilitate two executive retreats.
Everyone on the Coastal leadership team agreed to participate, but some were hesitant. Byron Baule, VP Operations, questioned whether the effort would be worth it. "I was thinking, what's this going to do for me? It's just going to take up my time," said Baule. Coastal's Controller, Lori McKinnon, also wondered if anything useful would come out of the experience.


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The clean-up efforts at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant could bring about 100 million cubic meters of soil which may need to be removed for radioactive materials, said Yuichi Moriguchi, a professor from University of Tokyo and who sits at the Environmental Ministry panel.
The government said the amount may be lessened should the area for decontamination be limited only to residential districts and farmland. Another option is to come up with technologies which could remove radioactive elements from the soil.
The university professor has estimated that one-seventh of the land in the entire Fukushima Prefecture or an equivalent of 2,000-square-kilometer area may need to be removed with radioactive materials.
The calculation is based on the assumption that the soil should have radiation levels of 1 microsievert or more per hour. Stripping off 5 centimeters of top soil, scientists claimed, will get rid of the cesium contents in the soil.
While Moriguchi believed that it may not necessarily require that the entire 2,000-square-kilometer area be decontaminated, the estimates, he said, would help people understand how huge the removal work can be. The storage facility for the radioactive soil and waste which may need to be built within the Fukushima Prefecture in line with this clean-up effort is estimated to cost around 80 trillion yen.
Moriguchi presented his calculations to the Environment Ministry panel during its very first meeting on September 14. The panel will have to formulate standards for removing radioactive materials by end of November and begin the removal of soil by January next year.