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Titles and Templates of Conformity
Dear Humans,
Today I wish to return to your awareness an aspect of the Human condition that readily conforms to labels and titles. Titles come in all flavors, shapes and sizes, so everybody gets to have one. Some seem rather impressive, whereas others are a bit more diminutive indeed. But in most every case, we assume our respective roles and seek to further refine our character. Like an actor on stage, we wear our persona as if it were a type of costume, then parade about as if the show must go on.
So the question becomes just how intrusive are these titles and labels? Do they adequately define who we are or do they merely press into shape what others expect of us? Do we create our label or does it create us? One would hardly expect the pastor of a local church to get tanked-up at the corner watering hole. His label does not permit it— although he may desire it. So there would certainly appear to be a thin line between title and self-image. One must wonder just how deeply rooted these labels really are? If suddenly stripped free of our title and role, would we cease to be who we thought we were?
Essentially every day I see people working their jobs, trying to earn their pay. They all have titles. Society loves to add varying degrees of authority to the seemingly infinite array of titles. You may, for instance, converse with a cashier at a grocery store. You might notice that she's a "lead" cashier. She's not as jovial or forthcoming as the cashier from the other day, but she's admirably efficient and dutiful. You remember the other cashier was not near as proficient, but considerably more effervescent. She was designated as a "trainee." It said so right on her badge. They both seemed to have adopted their roles accordingly, and maybe in some ways, their roles adopted them.
In the following paragraphs I invite you to explore whether a title makes the person or the person makes the title. I strongly suspect both elements are tightly woven together. Some people can slip into their respective role as comfortably as a favorite pair of jeans. Others must stretch and pull and begrudgingly admit how they never found comfort with the fit. Still others are simply unaware that there's a big, shiny label stamped across their forehead. Should you ask them who they are— they will predictively respond by stating name and title. This is a vestige of societal de-education. Should they find the clarity to ask themselves the question— one might wonder if the answer would be the same.
Titles and Templates
Throughout our lives we choose various labels and titles and play the roles accordingly. Sometimes others are more than happy to choose a label for us. It may start as something as simple and seemingly innocuous as a nickname. You may hate the nickname but it sticks anyway. Soon you begin to associate and be associated with something you dislike. So either one finds an acceptable place to break the link, or they become ultimately chained to an external label that never represented how they felt in the first place. This can be especially difficult for a child when others latch onto a certain birth anomaly, weight or stature issue, speech impediment or something to this effect.
Some seek higher education and desire a title that will bring them distinction and influence. That's an honest pursuit. There's often a connection to a particular field of study that's a natural fit for the student. The title is an added perk that comes with the package. But then there are those who are title seekers. It's about the power and prestige that accompanies a certain position. They may wield authority like a butcher waves a knife. For them, a title is a tool for leverage. –Exit stage left.
But one thing all titles have in common is their respective templates of conformity. You'll notice when speaking with most any professional, they assume a professional persona. This is an energy that is fairly easy to detect. As the conversation continues, there's a tendency to conform to their template of expression. Usually we do so subconsciously. It's a form of energetic modeling that comes very naturally to Humans. When the exchange of energy is fairly coherent and the templates are meshing, the conversation proceeds with little to no stress. We all know that feeling.
These templates are everywhere. Whether it's a medical doctor, grocery clerk, bank teller, policeman, soldier, school teacher or an owner of a flower shop, the templates are in place and are clear as day for those who can see them. But it's an artificial extension of who we really are. Society mandates that we build a synthetic construct around us. We pin a label on it, then surrender to it. So we look to our title and assume the role— and the next thing you know we're calling ourselves something that we're not.
Is this truly our Human nature— or is it yet another example of how our race has been cultivated for the kill? I wonder. I make this point because we are always a little on guard when assuming a persona that may not be the person we truly are. So we go through life pretending to be something we're not, with the hope of someday breaking away from this nightmarish construct we've found ourselves trapped in. But that's only true for the ones who are conscious of the templates. Most are not. Most are so steeped in the illusion of the matrix they wouldn't know a template if it smacked them dead on the head. They don't realize they are assuming roles of compliancy and have been pressed into service with templates of conformity.
Who Are We Really?
I sense a good number of people would wrestle with this question. I know I do. Some claim to know, but seem unable to elaborate. Others have tried very sincerely to get to the bottom of it all and make it clearer for the rest of us. I can tell you this much. We likely had a sense of who we were from the day we were born. Thinking back to when I was about four years old, I can remember feeling a certain exuberance that I would later lose as an adult. I had a sense of being the center of my world, and I was happy with that. Sometime later I would discover that this state of mind was labeled "egocentrism." Well I sure didn't want any part of that. In hindsight, I now realize that being at the center of your world is a very good thing and not at all associated with being egotistical. But the inference was there none-the-less.
No way can you be thinking you're "the center of your world" in a mind-controlled society. Society is the center of your world, so get that straight right now young man! I remember feeling what could only be described as an Eternal love in those very early years. It gave me considerable comfort. Yes— I can remember bits and pieces of this state of mind. It was from this point, several years ago, where I made the conscious choice to rebuild my life one stone at a time. I set out to retrace the steps of my life so that I could reexamine at what point I was pulled away from my true self, then asked to assume a new role.
And so along my journey I began to see the world from a different perspective. The matrix became obvious. So did the templates. So did a good many other things. The world was looking more and more like a silly game to me. But some of the "players" were clearly not so nice— downright creepy at times. I began to feel like an alien in my own world. In a sense, I still do. Now I walk around with curious fascination. I think to myself, "do people not see the roles they are playing?" Perhaps it's all here merely for my entertainment, I muse. But I don't much care for this play. -Too violent for my liking. As many of you know, walking through this world with an ability to "see" is perhaps the strangest show of all— bizarre and intricate with an ever-changing plot. Bravo! Actors— please take a bow! Now will someone lower the damn curtain? I have to pee and the meter is about to run out on my parking spot.
So who are we and where did we come from? The best time to approach people with this novel question is when they are very young. The plasticity of a developing mind is such where wonderful ideas come about easily. They have not been strained through the rigid channels of conformity or templates of normalcy. But instead of asking children to express themselves so that we might learn from them, we proceed by funneling all kinds of nonsense into their fertile imaginations. Soon they are bombarded with religious dogma and assorted twisted tales that cloud their inner awareness. Such information is often presented as the "gospel truth" and so you better believe it—or else! The child begins to separate from "their" truth and conform to the societal templates that dictate truth, authority and normalcy. —Sort of makes me want to cry.
Final Thought
I understand the need for certain labels and titles. They give us some inkling on who we're speaking with in terms of their knowledge and assumed expertise. I'm not out to change this bit of reality. But a word to the wise, we are all expert at something whether the "label" shows it or not. This hierarchical society does not see us as all as equal. It has instilled upon us rank and file and arrogant, ego-bloated titles to help make this distinction and separation ever so clear. My intent today was to simply remind people that this is all a stage and we're the actors in the play. This way we can at least be somewhat cognizant of it all. In my opinion, few things are worse than having an "unconscious" involvement with that dreadful stage. Somebody keeps feeding us our lines and they're not saying what's going to happen in the final act.
I know my role is not to wear the suit with the hangman tie and assume a silly title. It's not that I've never been there— it's just that I no longer find comfort in that world. Finding "me" was my ambition and adventure—and it's ongoing. But now I've come to a place where I can disengage a bit with my own concerns. I like making small ripples in the collective pond just in case someone else is listening. I do it because I love Humanity. I see how infinitely powerful the Human expression is. I also see how our race has been divided, cultivated, hypnotized and essentially conquered as we were lured away from our higher consciousness. It is not my nature to idly stand by when I recognize such unconscionable assaults—and so I make tiny ripples.
There are some in society who try to counter-balance the skewed scale of the matrix. Among them are songwriters and comedians. John Lennon helped pull the skirt down on the NWO and the matrix with poignant messages in songs such as "Working Class Hero" and the profoundly beautiful, "Imagine." Bill Hicks and George Carlin were absolute shining examples of people who saw the inner-workings of the machine and devised an ingenious method of bringing their message to the masses. They used humor. Of course society did not label them as philosophers or enlightened thinkers, but rather entertainers and comics. Yep- they were just there for a good laugh or two. Funny when you really stop to think about it.
-Until next time
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August 2020
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A cop, a Brit, a deb, a B-school grad, a guy with good hair, and a wisecracking lawyer wrestle with the naked truth about literature and life.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The Future of Writing
They worked together to produce a book of short stories and poetry, which was produced by Oce for sale. The launch was at the Barnes & Nobles in Boca Raton and attended by a great crowd and several media outlets.
This was one of the most enjoyable events I have ever attended. Not only was there a group of kids who are smart and enthusiastic about the art of writing, a huge support system was there as well. One of the Palm Beach County School Board members, Mark Hansen, was present throughout the entire event. Teachers, administrators and Oce representatives turned out to show these young people that writing is still relevant and important no matter what the surveys show about readers and book sales.
I like to teach classes on writing, talk about writing, read about writing and write. It may have taken me much of my adult life to identify what was important to me but now that I've settled on writing, I deeply enjoy pursuing it. You can imagine how gratifying it is to see young people so interested in the same thing.
The title of the book met with my approval. No Such Thing as Writer's Block. This a recurring theme among many of the authors in the area and Jon King and I mentioned it in the class. King hit the subject hard and it looks like it made an impact. I've heard everyone from Carl Hiaasen to Stuart Kaminsky scoff at the idea of writer's block. Hiaasen told a crowd at the Miami Book Fair a few years ago that no professional writer suffers from the alleged ailment because writer's block equals paycheck block. That comment has stuck with me.
During the class the young writers showed interest in understanding the underpinnings of fiction. We talked about conflict and character development using not only novels but popular TV shows as examples of good characters and elements of suspense. One thing I noticed that was very different form the weekend workshops I've taught is that the focus was on writing and not on finding an agent or which publisher is taking on new writers. I know how vital those things are but too often authors try to "put the cart before the horse" and lose sight of why they started writing in the first place.
As I settle in for another round of editing on a novel I thought I finished eight months ago I have to give a nod of thanks to these kids who have given me so much hope for the future of writing.
10 comments:
- Anonymous10/25/2007 8:08 AM
Terrific, Jim.ReplyDelete
School and library events are the best. The future of writing...and reading are dependent on our young people.
- Anonymous10/25/2007 8:37 AM
Great work, Jim. And I totally agree. Writer's block doesn't exist, at least for me. I can always think of stuff to say. Is is always good stuff? Nope but the words are on the page. I can fix them later.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous10/25/2007 9:45 AM
That's exactly right. Editing is so vital.
- Anonymous10/25/2007 10:46 AM
I MUST agree with both Paul and Patty [aka Go-Lo].ReplyDelete
I think it's like the Field of Dreams adage,"if you build it they will come." Perhaps it is naive of me, but I believe the key to being a writer of real quality is about honing your skills/craft. I could not agree more with your philosophy:"the focus was on writing and not on finding an agent or which publisher is taking on new writers. I know how vital those things are but too often authors try to "put the cart before the horse" and lose sight of why they started writing in the first place."
I guess too, that Carl Hiaasen's scoffing admonition regarding writer's block essential equates to "necessity being the mother of invention." But you have to be a genuine writer in earnest to begin with.......not a hack.
My hat's off to you, Jim. Thanks for having an impact on the youth in your community--- whether or not any of them become acclaimed novelist, the project impacted their lives....... got them to really THINK.
- Anonymous10/25/2007 11:49 AM
whether or not any of them become acclaimed novelist, the project impacted their lives....... got them to really THINK.ReplyDelete
Good call - even if all these kids ever do is 'write for themselves', it's having positive experiences like this that can make a huge difference in a young person's life. I've seen many kids fall through the cracks, so kudos to you all for not only giving a shit, but actually doing something.
- Anonymous10/25/2007 2:27 PM
Very nice comments and I appreciate them.ReplyDelete
Perhaps this will counter the interview I gave over at http://www.good-girls-kill.com/ that will post tomorrow.
Tasha Alexander asked if I'd answer a few questions and I may have said a little too much.
Jim, this is so great! What a wonderful thing to get involved with.ReplyDelete
And I'd have to say I had writer's block for about twenty years, so it does exist. I just hope it never comes back again now that there's a paycheck involved.
I wish you could do that event in every major metropolitan city, How fantastic!!! And so cool that you took so much time to nurture our future. Bravo, Jim!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous10/26/2007 5:56 AM
Great post, Jim. Inspiring.ReplyDelete
Amen, Jim!!ReplyDelete
You did a wonderful thing for those kids. I hungered for mentor input when I was in my teens - anything to fuel my creative urges - but there was so little around. These kids will appreciate the creative boost in years to come. How wonderful. :-D
Yep. Writers block. If I need to clear it, I just open a blank page on the computer or my notebook and write the first thing that comes into my head. Lately, it's dreams about scenes for characters of my own, and 'finding homes for dinosaurs' that have kept me awake at night. Sigh. And the re-editing.
You guys always seem to write about the right thing when I need it. Ta.


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Thu 30 Jun 2011
Pete Rock's Lawyer Issues Statement on Police Brutality Incident; Smif-N-Wessun Speaks OutPosted by Mikey Fresh under Quotes
[2] Comments
The Urban Daily posted a statement from Pete Rock's family lawyer, regarding the police brutality incident that took place at Pete and Smif-N-Wessun's album release party for their first collaborative album, Monumental. Pete's wife gathered this morning with supporters outside of the courthouse in Downtown Manhattan to rally against the NYPD.
Smif-N-Wessun also were asked about the incident on Shade45, but couldn't really give up any details because of legal matters.
Smif-N-Wessun Address the Tammany Hall incident on The All Out Show (via RR)
Statement from lawyer Kenneth Montgomery:
On Tuesday, June 28th, Pete Rock, Tek & Steele (of Smif N Wessun) were celebrating the release of their collaborative album, 'Monumental.' It was a peaceful gathering inside of a sold-out Tammany Hall (lower-east side Manhattan, NY) to see the group perform new music from the project. Earlier in the evening some guest wanted to enter the event but were turned away by the management and bouncers employed by the club. A minor argument ensued but eventually was diffused by the bouncers. Thirty minutes after that minor skirmish (no 61 or incident was ever filed by the club or bouncers) some 15-20 uniformed Police Officers from the 7th precinct arrived at the venue. When the officers arrived some of them entered the venue where they witnessed a peaceful environment, they quickly exited the venue and joined their fellow officers in the exit area of the venue.
continued after the jump…
Upon joining their fellow Officer's they all began to put on black leather gloves. At that time more uniformed officers arrived in marked rmp's and exited their vehicles. The officers then hurried into the club and began macing and assaulting individuals inside the club, dragging one of them out and pummeling him directly in front of the club. Present at the event were artist, industry tastemakers, fans, photographers, and cameramen. Several people began filming and recording the unprovoked brutality much to the dismay of the police. The officers then began to mace and assault anyone within arms length, including several women. Their behavior was unjustified, unprovoked, and simply barbaric considering there was no provocation. Pete Rock, Tek and Steele fortunately were not harmed, however some of their friends & family were assaulted by the Police. The group's attorney, Kenneth Montgomery, is addressing the situation now with local community leaders & is available for comment with more detailed information.
Kenneth Montgomery
2 Responses to "Pete Rock's Lawyer Issues Statement on Police Brutality Incident; Smif-N-Wessun Speaks Out"
stakzup Says:
June 30th, 2011 at 11:30 am
the dude who couldn't get in probably made up a lie and called the cops to the venue. low life to the fullest if he did that.
Suzanne Parker Says:
January 1st, 2014 at 2:47 pm
Nothing is how it seems or how is being told!


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So, here's the big thing added to Selene.
I've never been a big fan of windshields and the day I took the H-D Road King for a test ride cemented that. I found the wall windshield to be big, cumbersome and only served to make the ride oddly uncomfortable. The batwing on the Street Glide though? Superb. It had looks and the ability to take the wind away from my chest and hands.
I knew that Memphis Shades made a universal batwing, but finding the mounting hardware in grand old New Brunswick last year proved to be difficult. This season, Memphis Shades has everything readily available and a few calls produced the entire kit for me in about a week. Keep in mind that there are three things you need to order for a complete install. The fairing, the mounting hardware (or plates if you already have a mount) and the windshield.
So, as usual, here is my little write up of the install and my thoughts on the addition to my ride.
The batwing came nicely secured in a full size box wrapped in foam. Memphis took a good amount of measures to make sure it was delivered scratch free and in one piece. I would suggest handling the fairing with some kind of cloth gloves on to prevent scratching. Keep in mind that the fairing is molded Lucite® acrylic and easily scratched. They supply every tool you'll need to mount it except for the 8mm socket wrench to remove your signal lights. The biggest problem you'll have is trying to get the mounting equipment off the vacuum wrapped cardboard.
With everything out of the boxes and plastic it was time to remove the signal lights.
With this done slip the lower fairing mounting bracket in behind the signal light bar and reinsert the bolts.
I wasn't big fan of how close the upper section of the bracket comes to the fork covers. In all likelihood it will come in contact with them if the bike gets jarred a lot. The only bonus is that this mounting system will likely never come off the bike.
Next up, removing the upper triple tree pinch bolt with the supplied 6mm Allen wrench. When these are out, you can place them off to the side as they won't be used again. The kit comes with new long bolts for the installation.
Now take the L-shaped upper brackets and remove the lower Allen bolt (opposite the L section). Pop the L-shaped upper bracket in place and re-insert the Allen bolt, but don't tighten it all the way. These L brackets must be tab up and facing the forks as per figure 2, below. Put in the new longer Allen bolt with the spacer in the triple tree pinch bolt hole.
With the brackets in place we can move on to the fairing itself.
Please, keep in mind that the brackets get mounted facing inward. I got a little ahead of myself and put them on completely wrong. You find out rather quickly once you try to mount the fairing to the bike. Please note the picture below illustrates the WRONG way to put it on.
If you put the bolts at the bottom of the holes in the bracket you will end up with the fairing as close to the headlight as it will go. It looks the best this way and will help block more wind.
Now that you've mounted the brackets the right way, go ahead and slip it onto the lower and upper bushing assemblies. I found this best with help…which I thankfully had around for the whole install. The fairing will go on, but it will give you a bit of a fight. If I was by myself, I could very well have scratched the fairing trying to get it onto the mounts.
You have limited adjusting room with the upper bushings and can move the fairing forward and back with them left loose. Find the best spot for the fairing and tighten them up.
In fact, now is the time to tighten up all the bolts. The last thing you need is this beautiful piece of plastic taking your head off on the highway.
Now the windshield itself…which has to be ordered separately. Yes…separately. Anyway, I ordered the smoke black windshield and it looks fantastic on the black fairing. It's simple enough to install, but again it's easier with help. One person holds the windshield in place, the other installs the hardware. Again, use cloth gloves if you have them, the windshield is easy to scratch.
You get three nylon nuts, washers and Allen bolts. I've got them mounted ass backward on my windshield, still wondering if I like it that way or not.
Tighten it all up and…that's it, you're done!
Make a final check on all the bolts and pat yourself on the back. Or get your buddy to point at the fairing saying, "Now that looks cool!"
My thoughts? I love it and Selene loves the attention. It's made a huge difference in the amount of wind that hits my chest, has made my April rides that much warmer and makes the highway a lot more comfortable to ride. There is a small amount of buffeting, but compared to the amount of wind I'm used to it's nothing to complain about. I bought the fairing so I could take it off when I didn't need it, but now I think it looks so good that I'll never take it off. Oh Gods…I'm a convert! *hangs head in shame*
I do intend to get the lower deflectors and the chrome windshield trim later on. The chrome will just accent all that black and I've read that the defectors make quite a bit of difference.
I will not be getting the fork lowers as the only ones I can get attach to my fork covers and I'm not willing to do that.
That's it. Hope you enjoyed the write up.


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The Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary Alberta commissioned Carole to make a presentation plaque to be used as as a recognition gift to those who have served the hospital in some way. To be cast in "cold cast bronze", they are mounted on a walnut plaque which will hold an engraved tag with recipient's contribution thereon. The image contains, in low-relief, a teddy bear wearing a cowboy hat and holding a stethescope. The largest element, the bear , represents the children, the hat represents the support and shelter of the City and University of Calgary and the stethoscope represents the staff. The bolo tie which bears the logo of the hospital echos the families and the "ties that bind". The image is framed with a "hand-tooled" rope border. Having been involved with the hospital from the blue print stage, Carole and Rick have contributed many artworks to the Alberta Children's Hospital and to the Flames House Hospice with the hope that they make the environments a nicer place to be. For a custom recognition program for your hospital contact the artist.
This sculpture is Rick's personal tribute to Dr. Jerry Waite (past president of FNAWS) and a fund-raiser for a club that Rick has been a member of for 30 years. This club is the Wild Sheep Foundation and the wild sheep of North American are Rick's favorite cause. This bronze depicts Dr. Jerry Waite as he handles a lamb destined to repopulate old sheep habitat, only one of many "on-the-ground" projects that FNAWS, and now WSF, initiate and fund. This project is c0-sponsored by Ted Shutte (past president of FNAWS) and the Iowa Chapter of FNAWS. This piece will be auctioned at the Convention this year and each year henceforth. The winning bidder will have their name inscribed on the base of the bronze (entitled "Putting Sheep on the Mountain" which will be on display at the WSF Headquarters in Cody, Wyming, and at the club's annual conventions. The winning bidder will receive a smaller bronze sculpture by Rick Taylor entitled "Free at Last" which depicts an ear-tagged lamb as he flees for freedom. The proceeds raised are one hundred percent donated to the WSF with a portion earmarked for the "Biologist of the Year" and his or her research in the field.


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Fort Hood Pagans Complain about Christian Privilege
One of the oldest and most well-known non-traditional religious groups in the US military is the pagan group on the US Army post at Fort Hood, Texas. In 1999, George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and soon to be US President, famously criticized the US military's openness toward wiccan practices at Fort Hood.
The "Fort Hood Open Circle" entered the news again recently when Michele Morris, the group's self-described clergy and Designated Faith Group Leader (DFGL), posted an "open letter" on Facebook decrying their mistreatment in the face of "privilege" (which she clarified as "Christian privilege" in another interview) [emphasis added]:
My congregation was locked out of their church last night. It wasn't the first time, or the second, in fact – I've lost count of how many times this has happened over the last six years…Last night was three hours outside, an entire congregation milling around, angry, scared, frustrated, defeated, and discouraged…
The last six years…have been a dizzying roller coaster of harassment and neglect relieved by brief moments of support and underpinned by the soul killer that we proudly call "tolerance".
Morris went on to list a veritable bevy of grievances. It was unclear at some points who specifically deserved the "blame" for the grievances she aired, though those with "Christian privilege" seemed the target. For example, she complained about "grass fires and snake bites," though how that translates into "harassment" from Fort Hood is unclear. She never really explains how she has been routinely locked out of her "chapel" while still saying in other places that she did, in fact, unlock it.
She also took issue with the Fort Hood chaplains themselves:
I can count on one hand the number [of chaplains] that have talked to our congregation and only one has ever visited a service, once.
Apparently, Morris believes Fort Hood is "harassing" her religious practice because the chaplains aren't attending her services. It's unclear why she feels entitled to demand — or would even want to have — chaplains who don't share her faith attend her services.
She further complained:
When [a] chaplain assigned to support our congregation…prefaces every single conversation we have with, "I don't agree with what you do…but I'll do my job", for two years – that is not in fact support.
On the contrary, as a "clergy" representing a military congregation, she should realize that's exactly what military chaplains do — they "perform or provide." Note she doesn't complain that the chaplain didn't do his job. She just complained that he said he didn't agree with her.
Morris is apparently so entitled that she thinks chaplains have to not only provide, but also agree with her.
Morris also used careful language that either ignored important details or seemed to amplify the angst this "harassment" has produced:
Last night a soldier about to deploy did not get to have one last service before he leaves this coming week.
That sounds tragic, until Morris clarified in other reports this Soldier was going to Korea, which for most troops is a regular duty assignment. It would have been nice for anyone to get a farewell service in their faith home before they moved on — but this wasn't a Soldier off-to-war denied his final blessing as she implied.
Morris also referred repeatedly to her "chapel" and her "congregation," which are fine, even if it is a borrowed lexicon from faith systems she seems to disdain. What she failed to mention, however, is that her "chapel" is actually part of Fort Hood's campground, Camp Finlayson. Being "locked out" has apparently been a function of the local MWR, which controls access to the campground, not the chaplaincy. She complained more than once about others using their facilities — as if they had no right — and leaving a mess — as if it was an intentional degradation — without acknowledging those facilities are shared.
Should the campers have cleaned up after themselves? Absolutely. But their conduct was unrelated to either their faith or hers. "Christian privilege" was not to blame, despite Morris' claims.
It is also worth noting that the Fort Hood pagans apparently use their "chapel" irregularly and fairly infrequently, at least by traditional standards. The fact their use varies with the moon, for example, increases the likelihood someone unfamiliar with their practices would fail to unlock their facility — and makes it an unfair comparison to reliably having the post chapel unlocked every Sunday at 0700.
Further, despite her denigration of the chaplains in public, Morris separately told her Facebook group that
the chaplains in charge right now are amazing and committed to ensuring that our needs are met to the best of their ability.
It would seem Morris is a little guilty of intentionally sensationalizing her "harassment" — which she essentially admitted when she said she couldn't "make change without making noise."
All that said, just because Michele Morris comes across as an entitled pagan owed more than every other faith on the post doesn't mean she might not have a legitimate grievance buried in her privileged complaining. If Fort Hood has given her a campsite to call her church and she keeps getting locked out of it, then that should be rectified.
And it looks like it has been: Morris now says the chaplains purchased locks that will apparently replace those installed by MWR, meaning they'll be able to improve the pagans' access. If you read her diatribe again, you'll note she never says she brought the issue of the locks to the chaplains before this date.
Pagans, wiccans, etc., on Fort Hood should be given the access they need to have their religious liberty. That doesn't appear to be the root of the issue, though.
As noted above and in other interviews, Michele Morris took serious issue with the concept of "tolerance," saying
Tolerance is a terrible word. We tolerate things that we don't like.
The root issue seems to be Morris' beliefs that she is deserving not just of religious liberty, but that she is also entitled to have others affirm and "like" her beliefs. This is not far from the current social expectation of homosexuality, in which it is not acceptable just to "tolerate" it — because, as Morris said, you "tolerate" something you don't like. Rather, homosexuality needs to be affirmed, according to some social norms.
Thus, some would say it is insufficient for the military to allow homosexuals to serve or pagans to worship. Rather, they would say the military must celebrate "gay pride" and promote pagan worship. Only then will some claim they are able to win against the white male heterosexual Christian privilege by which they are apparently so oppressed.
In the end, Morris wasn't locked out of her Open Circle because of Christian privilege, and military harassment of non-Christians wasn't responsible for grass fires at the campground. Her claim to victimhood is a little too strident, to paraphrase Shakespeare.
The Fort Hood Open Circle has obviously had intermittent access issues over the past few years, and they apparently did not receive the level of attention Michele Morris believed they deserved. If the religious liberty of military pagans is restricted, it should certainly be addressed — and, given the chance to do so, it appears that's precisely what Fort Hood is doing.
Still, that is a far cry from Morris' claim that military pagans are suffering under the oppression of Christians — a common and socially acceptable, if rarely accurate, refrain.


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Three armies fought at Waterloo in 1815 under three very different commanders. Rarely has the style of leadership played such a key role in battle.
British Broadcasting CorporationHome
By Peter Hofschröer
Last updated 2011-02-17
Three armies fought at Waterloo in 1815 under three very different commanders. Rarely has the style of leadership played such a key role in battle.
At the battle of Waterloo, on 18th June 1815, the army of Napoleon Bonaparte contained a fair number of veterans, good cavalry and a large contingent of artillery. It was homogenous and enjoyed the command of a single man with one objective.
The Duke of Wellington's army was a mixture of Germans (the largest contingent), Netherlanders (often referred to as 'Dutch-Belgians') and British (many of whom hailed from Ireland). The sprinkling of veterans, particularly the British and King's German Legion units, were the corset-stays holding together this volatile mixture of men, some of whom had fought for Napoleon only the previous year.
Field Marshal Blücher's Prussians came largely from German provinces, although there were some ethnic Poles in certain units. A substantial number of his men came from newly acquired German provinces on the Rhine, which had been under French control for most of the previous 20 years. Many of his men were untried militia.
The allied forces therefore had to be spread across the entire length of the southern frontier ...
In terms of fighting power, Napoleon's army was the strongest, but it was not strong enough to defeat the two allied armies together. To win, he had to separate them and defeat them individually. Conversely, to defeat Napoleon, Wellington and Blücher had to unite their forces. That was easier said than done, because it was far from certain at which point Napoleon's attack would come. The allied forces therefore had to be spread across the entire length of the southern frontier of the kingdom of the Netherlands, to cover every possible line of approach, whereas Napoleon could concentrate his forces at the point of the attack and gain local superiority in numbers.
Napoleon had every chance of doing this. A master of deception, he used Wellington's own network of spies in Paris to send false information to Brussels, and he teased the allies along the entire length of the frontier, keeping them guessing about his intentions. Marches and counter-marches, particularly in the area of Lille, kept Wellington's attention fixed on his right flank and his line of communication via the Channel ports.
Napoleon was ever a gambler. On paper, he had no chance. The forces of the Fifth Coalition drawn up against him included armies not only from Britain, Germany and the Netherlands: the Austrian army was also assembling on the Upper Rhine and in Italy, while thousands of Russians were moving westwards. Once all these forces were concentrated, they need only march into France to overwhelm Napoleon easily, with their vastly superior numbers. Napoleon had to strike first and strike hard, expecting that a defeat would cause this cumbersome alliance to stumble.
Those allied forces best prepared were the two armies in the Low Countries. The southern Netherlands was French-speaking and had been part of the French Empire until 1814. The capture of Brussels would destabilise the newly founded Kingdom of the Netherlands (consisting of modern Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), cause a revolt in its army and be welcome news in Paris. Maybe then the allies would sue for peace. Napoleon's immediate aims were clear.
The allies could then bring their superior numbers into play, and defeat Napoleon.
Wellington and Blücher were very much aware of the danger they faced. So critical was the defence of Brussels that they themselves adopted a highly risky strategy - the defence of Brussels to the fore.
The best reaction to the kind of attack that Napoleon seemed intent upon, was to concentrate to the rear. Rather than do that, however, the allied strategy was to advance to meet the threat. Against a commander as skilled as Napoleon, the risk was that the part of the allied forces meeting the initial threat would be defeated before the allies could bring their superior numbers into play.
Once the point of Napoleon's attack became clear, the allied forces would have to move rapidly on this point, linking their armies within 24 hours and uniting all their forces within 48 hours. The allies could then bring their superior numbers into play, and defeat Napoleon. Wellington and Blücher had given each other firm assurances of mutual support in such circumstances.
Napoleon was well aware that any confusion in the respective allied headquarters as to his intentions, and any consequent delays in their movements, would have potentially catastrophic results for his adversaries. Naturally, he fully exploited the situation.
The campaign opened well for Napoleon. Although the allies knew of his concentration in the Maubeuge area and had much information regarding his plans, he was nevertheless able to dupe Wellington into delaying his movements for 24 hours.
Attacking the hinge between the two allied armies on 15th June, Napoleon was able to force back the Prussian vanguard, the I Army Corps under Lt-General von Zieten, and begin to drive home a wedge between Wellington and Blücher. By that evening, his scouts advanced as far as the vital crossroads at Quatre Bras, endangering the line of communication between Wellington's headquarters in Brussels and Blücher's in Namur. There had been some confusion in Napoleon's opening moves, but this had done little to delay his advance.
Of the three commanders, Wellington had made by far the gravest errors that day.
By the end of day one, Napoleon's plans were running well, Blücher's Prussians had fought a determined rearguard action, while the rest of the army had been ordered to move on the Sombreffe position to fight a major battle the next day.
Wellington had done nothing that day save issue two sets of orders that evening, the first for his men to assemble the next morning, the second to march to various points the next day, pending a decision on where to concentrate his army. Blücher, although he did not know it, was out on a limb. Also, there had been a foul-up in the issuing of orders to General von Bülow's IV Army Corps, which was not going to arrive the next day. This would exacerbate the position.
Of the three commanders, Wellington had made by far the gravest errors that day. His inaction meant that none of his troops would be able to link up with Blücher. By contrast, and despite his faulty staff work, the Prussian commander would have 75 percent of his men in position on time the next day.
Two major battles were fought the next day, 16th June. At Ligny, Blücher's Prussians took on Napoleon in person, while Wellington's forces clashed with the commander of the French left wing, Marshal Ney, at Quatre Bras. The Prussians had a strong position at Ligny, using the cover of hills to hide their reserves, and the villages along their front as strong defensive points, hoping to buy enough time for Wellington to arrive.
The French attack that afternoon at Quatre Bras took Wellington by surprise and it was fortunate indeed that the Prince of Orange, who was in command while Wellington was at Blücher's headquarters, had sufficient presence of mind to ensure reinforcements were rapidly marching to Quatre Bras; otherwise Wellington would have paid the price for his errors.
Blücher held on for most of the day until the final French assault that evening punctured his centre. His army fell back that night, order only being restored by the next morning.Wellington's muddled concentration was by now beginning to sort itself out. He held his positions as Quatre Bras and was able to offer battle there the next day, if required.
The night of 16th-17th June was to be the turning point in the campaign.
Napoleon had been victorious that day, but had lost his one real chance in that campaign of inflicting a crushing defeat on the allied forces. A muddle in orders resulted in d'Erlon's Corps (19,000 men) marching and counter-marching between the two battlefields without becoming involved in either combat. The presence of these men at either Quatre Bras or Ligny would have proved decisive.
Despite this failure, the odds were still very much in Napoleon's favour. The Prussian army was in full flight, having lost over 20,000 men that day, including 8,000 deserters, although Wellington had lost less than 5,000 men. Napoleon's total losses were around 11,000 men. The French leader appeared to be in a position where he could move the bulk of his forces against Wellington and defeat him, before entering Brussels in triumph.
The night of 16th-17th June was to be the turning point in the campaign. As Blücher was missing, his chief-of-staff Gneisenau assumed command and set about restoring order to the defeated Prussians. He first attempted to rally the army at Tilly, a short march from Wellington, and when that did not work, he selected Wavre as the point for the army to concentrate. Bûlow's Corps was force-marched there. The Prussians spent the next 24 hours turning a tactical defeat into a strategic victory.
Once it became clear that Blücher had suffered a check, Wellington staged a slow withdrawal on the Mont St Jean position, where he would offer battle the next day. Napoleon appeared to be in no rush on the morning of 17th June. He sent off Grouchy with a third of his men to pursue the Prussians, but by the time he had done this, contact had been lost. He followed up Wellington's withdrawal. Napoleon was letting his gains slip away.
Despite his errors, Napoleon started the day of 18th June with the odds very much in his favour. Wellington did not concentrate his entire army at Waterloo for the battle. Furthermore, at least half of his army consisted of troops of much lower quality than Napoleon's. The Prussians were miles away, and thanks to the muddy country lanes they would have to use, would be much delayed.
The Prussian intervention determined the result of the battle.
Teasing Wellington's sensitive right with what was supposed to be a feint against the farm of Hougoumont, Napoleon then drew up his substantial artillery in a grand battery and pounded away at Wellington's centre, expecting it to be sufficiently weakened for d'Erlon's attack to pass like a hot knife through butter.
Wellington's tactical handling of his troops, however, was superb. He used the cover offered by the ridge of Mont St Jean to protect his men from the worst of the bombardment, then halted d'Erlon with his infantry before chasing him off with his cavalry. Hougoumont held out all day. The farm of La Haye Sainte, the key to Wellington's centre, held out until the evening, and the farm of Papelotte on his left changed hands several times without having any significant effect on the battle.
Wellington was always present at the crucial point, steadying his men, and he personally handled the tactical situation that led to the defeat of the final French assault on his centre, made by the Imperial Guard at 7:00pm. It was this tactical ability that played the major part in the eventual allied victory.
Napoleon left much of the tactical handling of the battle to Ney, but kept hold of his reserves, and deprived Ney of the infantry he needed to smash through Wellington's centre. In addition, the Prussian advance on his right forced Napoleon to commit vital parts of his reserve to prevent a breakthrough. First was Lobau's Corps (10,000 men), then the Young Guard (4,000 men) and finally elements of the Old Guard (1,000 men). None of these troops could attack Wellington. This, and the commitment of a large number of men to futile attacks on Hougoumont, deprived Napoleon of victory.
It was Blücher's personal charisma and Gneisenau's organisational ability that had rejuvenated the previously defeated Prussian army. Their unexpectedly determined advance from Wavre to Plancenoit had attracted Napoleon's attention from early in the day, and deprived him of much of his vital infantry reserves, and it was the capture of the strongpoint at Plancenoit in the right rear of the French position that was the decisive final blow on Napoleon's wavering army. The Prussian intervention determined the result of the battle.
Napoleon's gamble had had good prospects, but was thrown into jeopardy because of his mishandling of d'Erlon's Corps on 16th June, and his commitment of large numbers of troops to the assault on Hougoumont on 18th June. The Prussian intervention, meanwhile, had sealed his fate.
Wellington made serious errors of judgement on 15th June, and almost lost the campaign for the allies. However, he kept his cool, muddled his way through on 16th June and was from then onwards in a position to play a vital role in the campaign. His tactical handling of the Battle of Waterloo contributed significantly to the allied success.
Blücher's poor staff work on 15th-16th June almost caused disaster ...
Blücher's poor staff work on 15th-16th June almost caused disaster, particularly when compounded with Wellington's errors of judgement. His tactical handling of the Battle of Ligny, however, did much to rectify that, and by turning the retreat from Ligny into a strategic advantage, he ensured that the Prussians were in a strong enough position to determine the outcome of the campaign.
The Waterloo Companion by Mark Adkins (London, 2001)
1815 - The Waterloo Campaign by Peter Hofschröer (2 vols, London, 1998/99)
History of the Waterloo Campaign by Capt William Siborne (reprinted London, 1995)
Waterloo Letters by Herbert T Siborne (reprinted London, 1993)
National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT (tel: 020 7730 0717), has a Waterloo exhibition and the Large Waterloo Model made by Capt Siborne.
The Royal Armouries, Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LT (tel: 0113 220 1999), has Siborne's Lesser Waterloo Model on display.
Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner, London W1J 7NT (tel: 020 7499 5676), contains the Duke of Wellington's collection of Waterloo memorabilia.
Peter Hofschröer is a specialist in Napoleonic history and has written on the Prussian and Hanoverian armies in the Osprey Men-at-Arms series as well as on Leipzig and Lützen in 1813 in the Campaign series. He has contributed numerous articles to magazines and journals such as War in History, the Journal of the Society of Army Historical Research and the Age of Napoleon. He was also involved in the production of the computer game based on the Waterloo campaign Fields of Glory, published by MicroProse. His two-volume study of Waterloo 1815 - The Waterloo Campaign was published in 1998 (Greenhill Books) and was awarded the 1999 Literary Award of the Napoleonic Society of America.
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This jigsaw like puzzle game helps your kids develop matching, tactile and fine motor skills while playing puzzle with different animals like – crocodile, lion, tiger, giraffe, hippo, elephant, dog, cat frog & more... It is a fun and educational learning game for preschool children and toddlers including those with autism. Watch them learn all the names of numerous pet, farm, jungle, zoo and water animals through fun and play.
With its bright illustrations, bold outlines and good quality finish, this puzzle game is sure to attract the attention of your kids as it also features a blackboard so your child can write & learn the namesof animals. Get this fabulous educational toy for kids to ensure that your child has an enjoyable time...!
Package Contents:


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The nominees for the highly prestigious and revered annual award gala, BET Awards, for the year 2018 has been announced by the organizers.
The list which was revealed yesterday being May 15th by BET find DJ Khaled atop with six nods after a successful year 2017 with the arrival of his gold certified tenth studio album "Grateful" which was nominated for the "Album of the year".
Kendrick Lamar was up there with five nominations – which could be six if his work with Black Panther is to be recognized as a nod on him.
Following closely are the hip hop music trio, Migos and talented songstress, SZA who earned four nominations each. The likes of Drake and Jay-Z got nominated in three categories.
Our very own Tiwa Savage and OBO Davido was nominated for the "Best International Act" alongside Cassper Nyovest, Stefflon Don, Booba, Dadju, Distruction Boyz, Fally Ipupa, J Hus, Niska and Stormzy.
Just as usual, the BET Awards Weekend will begin on Friday, June 22nd and the main event on June 25th, 2018 at the Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California, United States. Ticket will be available at the usual ticket site: eventbrite.com.
Check out the full nomination list below:
The Best International Act Award
- Booba (France)
- Cassper Nyovest (SA)
- Dadju (France)
- Davido (Nigeria)
- Distruction Boyz (SA)
- Fally Ipupa (Dr. Congo)
- J Hus (UK)
- Niska (France)
- Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
- Stefflon Don (UK)
- Stormzy (UK)
Best Female R&B / Pop Artist Award
- Beyonce
- Rihanna
- Kehlani
Best Male R&B / Pop Artist Award
- Bruno Mars
- Chris Brown
- The Weeknd
- Khalid
- Daniel Caesar
Best Group Award
- Migos
- A Tribe Called Quest
- Rae Sremmurd
- Chloe X Halle
Best Collaboration Award
- Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B – Finesse (Remix)
- DJ Khaled feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
- DJ Khaled feat. Jay-Z, Future & Beyonce – Top Off
- Cardi B feat. 21 Savage – Bartier Cardi
- French Montana feat. Swae Lee – Unforgettable
- Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna – LOYALTY
Best Male Hip Hop Artist Award
- Drake
- Kendrick Lamar
- DJ Khaled
- Jay-Z
- J. Cole
Best Female Hip Hop Artist Award
- Cardi B
- Nicki Minaj
- Remy Ma
- DeJ Loaf
- Rapsody
Video of the Year Award
- Drake – God's Plan
- Cardi B – Bodak Yellow
- Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B – Finesse (Remix)
- DJ Khaled feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
- Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE.
- Migos feat. Drake – Walk It Talk It
Video Director of the Year Award
- Benny Boom
- Director X
- Ava Duvernay
- Chris Brown
- Dave Meyers
Best New Artist Award
- Daniel Caesar
- A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
- Lecrae feat. Tori Kelly – I'll Find You
- Snoop Dogg feat. B. Slade – Words Are Few
- Ledisi & Kirk Franklin – If You Don't Mind
- Marvin Sapp – Close
- Tasha Cobbs Leonard feat. Nicki Minaj – I'm Getting Ready
Best Actress Award
- Tiffany Haddish
- Lupita Nyong'o
- Issa Rae
- Angela Bassett
- Letitia Wright
- Taraji P. Henson
Best Actor Award
- Chadwick Boseman
- Michael B. Jordan
- Donald Glover
- Sterling K. Brown
- Denzel Washington
- Daniel Kaluuya
Young Stars Award
- Yara Shahidi
- Ashton Tyler
- Caleb McLaughlin
- Lonnie Chavis
- Marsai Martin
- Miles Brown
Best Movie Award
- Black Panther
- Girls Trip
- A Wrinkle in Time
- Detroit
- Mudboung
Sportswoman of the Year Award
- Serena Williams
- Venus Williams
- Skylar Diggins-Smith
- Candace Parker
- Elana Meyers Taylor
Sportsman of the Year Award
- Stephen Curry
- LeBron James
- Kevin Durant
- Dwayne Wade
- Odell Beckham Jr.
Album of the Year Award
- DAMN. – Kendrick Lamar
- 4:44 – Jay-Z
- Culture II – Migos
- Black Panther: The Album – Kendrick Lamar & Various Artists
- Grateful – DJ Khaled
BET Her Award
- Janelle Monae – Django Jane
- Lizzo – Water Me
- Mary J. Blige – Strength of a Woman
- Remy Ma feat. Chris Brown – Melanin Magic (Pretty Brown)
- Chloe X Halle – The Kids Are Alright
- Leikeli47 – 2nd Fiddle
Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award
- SZA feat. Travis Scott – Love Galore
- Cardi B – Bodak Yellow
- Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE.
- Drake – God's Plan
- Migos feat. Cardi B & Nicki Minaj – Motor Sport
- DJ Khaled feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
Click HERE to vote for your favorite act for the Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award


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My parents have always been stuck on cherry wood and the general color scheme in their home is pretty neutral. I've been trying to convince them for years to update their furniture to give their home more personality. I believe most of the furniture they do have is over 13 years old and doesn't provide them with adequate storage. However, a few years ago we added some Trofast storage pieces to hold my children's toys at their house. But then the toys (my children) started to take over their living room so they have finally given into an IKEA makeover.
Now we all know my favorite IKEA line is the Besta Storage Series, so I started by designing my parents a custom piece using IKEA's FREE online Besta design program. My parents were in desperate need of storage for their ever growing movie and music collection, as well as a strategic way to hide their grandchildren's toys. This is something I was able to achieve with the Besta line.
Here is the final product, my parents selected white Besta frames with the Selsviken High Gloss Light Gray Green finish with Glass Doors. The color is sophisticated yet welcoming and compliments the other decor in their home.
My mother expressed the importance of having a place to display her Precious Moments Collection, so I included a wall shelf unit with glass doors and shelves. Prior to the instillation of their Besta piece my Mother didn't have a place to display these prized trinkets.
We designed the Besta unit with several drawers to accommodate their extensive movie and music collection. We were also able to create a space to store all their electronics, these pieces are still usable but are kept neatly behind a glass door.
One of my father's favorite features is the glass top panel, it's so easy to clean and protects the finish. He also appreciates the extra hidden storage space for all of his grandchildren's toys and other miscellaneous items that my mother is unwilling to part with. Overall a project we are all proud of.
I hope that you enjoyed this IKEA makeover!! If you need help with putting pieces together for your home please contact us to setup a 30 minute FREE Design Appointment. I've tried to source all the IKEA products below:


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Jenna's Massage Therapy
About Me
I graduated from Massage School in 2012 and started my practice in 2014. At first I worked for a chiropractic office and the Spa at Midtown, then transitioned into the start of something new on my own.
During my teenage years I had some temporary paralysis, possibly due to an injury in sports. but still unknown to this day. Throughout my long hospital stay, one of my sisters came to visit me everyday and would massage my legs and feet. Eventually after 3 weeks of leg massages, several tests, exams, rest, and re-learning how to use my legs again...slowly the feeling in my legs returned.
I chose Massage Therapy as a career because I knew that I could help people with their pain by use of human touch and manipulation of the muscle bellies and tendons, without the use of pharmaceutical drugs or surgeries. I believe that being consistent with self care is important in sustaining a healthy more balanced life with less pain.
Continuing Education:
Other areas of interest in continuing education include:
Physical Therapy
Lomi Lomi
and Myofacial Release.


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Few would expect to see intense English actor Ralph Fiennes in a typical Hollywood romantic comedy.
So his depiction of a jaunty charmer who sweeps Jennifer Lopez off her feet in Maid in Manhattan was quite a departure for the edgy 40-year-old.
"I had to find a whole other tone which I haven't had in any other film I've done," admits Fiennes, who plays a carefree candidate for the Senate named Christopher Marshall.
Lopez plays working class Marisa, a maid in a swanky hotel who deceives Marshall into thinking she's an eligible guest.
"I actually found doing a romantic comedy challenging. I'd think, 'Is this it? Do I smile and look like I love her?' I got into the groove once I accepted that every scene is what it is. You can't dig deep, there's no great underlying substance about this."
He went straight into shooting Maid In Manhattan after playing a psychotic serial killer in Red Dragon – and afterwards returned to familiar dark territory by playing a schizophrenic in David Cronenberg's chilling Spider.
Fiennes found Latino singer-actress a good foil in this tale of opposites attracting. Her character is from the Bronx, where Lopez grew up.
"We are from different backgrounds but I found her funny and relaxed."
Rumours that sparks flew between them while filming are dismissed by Fiennes. She is engaged to Ben Affleck and Fiennes has been with British actress Francesca Annis since 1995.
"I was the decoy. J-Lo has a whirlwind lifestyle and I just hung out with Stanley Tucci," he laughs.
He insists that, despite her reputation as being something of a diva, he enjoyed working with her.
"She's got all kinds of appealing attributes," he says laughing. "She's a very attractive woman, and she's a great screen actress.
"I don't want to tell you too much about the kissing, because Ben Affleck's a big and strong man," adds Fiennes. "But I would kiss her again for nothing. She's quiet, unassuming, gentle and very generous.
"There was no diva-ish behaviour at all, none."


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Hey guys, just wanted to share this run that I think is worth the attention. Initially, I had decided that my triathlon and another two races coming up would be enough for the year but then I decided to add this one to my running schedule as it is something that strikes close to my heart and for a worthy cause.
Every year, more than 10,000 people are diagnosed with some form of cancer and accounts for 1 in 4 deaths in Singapore. I have personally witnessed this in loved ones and family and understand the heartbreak, trauma and hardship that the patient and family goes through. We need to lend our support unconditionally whether you have or have not been affected by it.
So I hope you guys take a minute to sign up for the event here and make a positive impact for everyone (especially if you love to run)
What is Run for Hope?
Run for Hope (RFH) is an annual run organised by Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, Regent Hotel and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) to raise much needed awareness and support for cancer research. Read more here
Why Run
I can think of so many reasons but these are what came to my mind
1. If you always wanted to do some good, now is the time.
2. You get to exercise and do your body good while running for a good cause
3. Show your support for cancer patients and their family
4. Take it as a day of bonding with family, friends, colleagues and loved ones
5. You get to run along one of Singapore's nicest scenic route
6. You burn approximately 500+ calories or more for the 10km run
7. You stand a chance to win luxury prizes sponsored by Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
8. It is non competitive 🙂 awesome for those who just want to sweat it out and enjoy the run
Convinced much? There are two categories to choose from , a 3.5km fun run (suitable for families) and the 10km run.
Here are the race details
For more information, visit the official website at :http://www.runforhope.sg/ today. They need 15,000 runners. Will you be one of them?


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We have over 27 years of experience in creating professional cosmetics. We are constantly improving our qualifications, we are striving for innovation and full flexibility at the same time. All this to be able to best adapt to the needs of our customers. We know the importance of an individual approach to each project. We translate all our knowledge, experience, commitment and creativity into a final product that we create for you.
Thanks to our database of trusted suppliers, which was developed over the years, we guarantee the highest quality of packaging and mixtures. Served as you like it. Meeting your needs in 100%. We test our products in proven independent laboratories to ensure their safety and quality. We have created private-label products for clients from Russia, Great Britain or Spain.
Would you like to have a private label? A product tailored to meet your needs? We provide help, support, skills and a wide range of competences.
Together we will create a product and take full responsibility for the successful completion of all stages of its implementation: from product concept, through visual design, selection of raw materials, to the delivery of the finished product.
If you wish, our experienced team will prepare the necessary marketing materials for you. You can look forward to well-designed displays, flyers, stands or posters. You will receive not only a product, but also a full set of materials, thanks to which you will be able to achieve success in your market more easily.


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LWP-REQUEST(1p) User Contributed Perl Documentation LWP-REQUEST(1p)
lwp-request, GET, POST, HEAD – Simple command line user agent
lwp-request [-afPuUsSedvhx] [-m method] [-b base URL] [-t timeout] [-i if-modified-since] [-c content-type] [-C credentials] [-p proxy-url] [-o format] url…
This program can be used to send requests to WWW servers and your local
file system. The request content for POST and PUT methods is read from
stdin. The content of the response is printed on stdout. Error
messages are printed on stderr. The program returns a status value
indicating the number of URLs that failed.
The options are:
Set which method to use for the request. If this option is not
used, then the method is derived from the name of the program.
-f Force request through, even if the program believes that the method
is illegal. The server might reject the request eventually.
This URI will be used as the base URI for resolving all relative
URIs given as argument.
Set the timeout value for the requests. The timeout is the amount
of time that the program will wait for a response from the remote
server before it fails. The default unit for the timeout value is
seconds. You might append "m" or "h" to the timeout value to make
it minutes or hours, respectively. The default timeout is '3m',
i.e. 3 minutes.
Set the Content-Type for the request. This option is only allowed
for requests that take a content, i.e. POST and PUT. You can force
methods to take content by using the "-f" option together with
"-c". The default Content-Type for POST is
"application/x-www-form-urlencoded". The default Content-type for
the others is "text/plain".
proxy settings from the environment. You can disable this with the
"-P" option.
-P Don't load proxy settings from environment.
lwp-request \
-H 'Referer: http://other.url/' \
-H 'Host: somehost' \
Authentication. If the document is protected and you did not
specify the username and password with this option, then you will
be prompted to provide these values.
The following options controls what is displayed by the program:
-u Print request method and absolute URL as requests are made.
-U Print request headers in addition to request method and absolute
-s Print response status code. This option is always on for HEAD
-S Print response status chain. This shows redirect and authorization
requests that are handled by the library.
-e Print response headers. This option is always on for HEAD
-E Print response status chain with full response headers.
-d Do not print the content of the response.
content type of the response is not HTML, then this option has no
effect. The legal format values are; text, ps, links, html and
If you specify the text format then the HTML will be formatted as
plain latin1 text. If you specify the ps format then it will be
formatted as Postscript.
The links format will output all links found in the HTML document.
Relative links will be expanded to absolute ones.
The html format will reformat the HTML code and the dump format
will just dump the HTML syntax tree.
Note that the "HTML-Tree" distribution needs to be installed for
this option to work. In addition the "HTML-Format" distribution
needs to be installed for -o text or -o ps to work.
-v Print the version number of the program and quit.
-h Print usage message and quit.
-a Set text(ascii) mode for content input and output. If this option
is not used, content input and output is done in binary mode.
Because this program is implemented using the LWP library, it will only
support the protocols that LWP supports.
lwp-mirror, LWP
Copyright 1995-1999 Gisle Aas.
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the same terms as Perl itself.
Gisle Aas
perl v5.20.2 2015-12-05 LWP-REQUEST(1p)


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Baltimore County will build a $5 million animal shelter to replace its aging facility in Baldwin as part of a plan to improve services for pets, officials announced Monday.
The county also will begin offering spay and neuter services at the current shelter within the next week, they said.
"This will address a lot of complaints," said Dr. Gregory William Branch, the county's director of health and human services. "We've outgrown that antiquated facility. It's definitely too small, and it's not configured for all the things that we need now."
Features of the new shelter will include more kennel space, a meet-and-greet room for adoptions, a surgical suite for spaying and neutering, an outdoor exercise area for dogs, and a cat socialization room. It also will include a dog park that is open to the public, as well as additional parking and office space for employees and volunteers.
Branch said the county does not know when construction will begin. The new facility will be built near the existing one, which is located on 14 acres. Animals will stay in the current shelter during construction, he said.
The county has not been able to offer spaying and neutering because the shelter — which Branch said is more than 30 years old — has no space for it, he said. But the county recently provided a temporary trailer that includes an operating room.
The spaying and neutering service will be available "within the next week," Branch said. It will be covered by the current $65 adoption fee, which also includes vaccinations, a license and an identification microchip.
For now, only people who have adopted through the shelter can have their pets spayed or neutered there, though the county plans to eventually expand the service to all county residents, said health department spokeswoman Monique Lyle.
Earlier this year, county leaders announced plans to partner with a nonprofit organization to manage some shelter services but did not receive any responses to its request for proposals. At the time, county officials said they would rather focus on enforcement issues — such as dealing with dangerous dogs — than adoptions.
That proposal followed complaints from animal advocates about the shelter, including concerns about its euthanasia rate, which was 63 percent last year.
County resident Donna Bernstein, who had pushed for a public-private partnership at the shelter, said she was not satisfied with the county's announcement Monday, saying there are management issues that a new building won't fix. For example, the shelter hours are inconvenient for many residents, she said.
"In a normal situation where there was a well-run shelter in the first place and this was just enhancing it, that would be fantastic," Bernstein said. "Until the protocol and procedures are changed from within, it doesn't matter how pretty the place is, it's just going be business as usual."
But County Councilman Todd Huff, who represents the district where the shelter is located, said he hopes the new building provides a more welcoming atmosphere for volunteers and people who want to adopt.
"With a new, bigger facility, we'll be able to invite more volunteers in here to help," said Huff, a Lutherville Republican. "It's going be more adoption-friendly and more inviting to people who want to come out and adopt."
Funds in the capital budget will cover engineering costs for the new shelter, county spokeswoman Ellen Kobler said. When it's time for construction, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz's administration will have to ask the County Council to approve the expenditure.
The county also is changing the name of the Baltimore County Animal Control Division to the Animal Services Division.
The new name represents a change in the county's mind-set, Branch said. As opposed to only focusing on controlling stray animals, "we're trying to provide services to the animals and their owners."
"We want people to be able to feel very comfortable with the animals that they're adopting," he said.


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Lesson Planning Made Easy!
Teacher plan is a brand new take on lesson planning for the iPhone, iTouch (and iPad coming in early June). One of the problems of smartphones and tablets is that they can be awkward for typing in large amounts of information (like lesson plans often require). TeacherPlan solves this problem by having a database of hundreds of ready made lesson ideas, all you need to do is choose what you want. Because TeacherPlan uses the teaching topic to generate customized lesson ideas it's easy to see lots of new and interesting ways to teach your lessons. Teachers are busy people and so being able to use every moment of free time is important; when you're waiting for the class to arrive (having been let out late) or you find a meeting has finished early, you want to use those precious moments wisely. Being able to get out your phone and look through ideas of how to teach tomorrow's lessons (that you've just been told you're going to be covering) is a real life saver. Lesson ideas are separated into Objectives, Starters, Activities, Plenaries and Homework. Once you have chosen the teaching ideas you'll use, they are saved into your calendar so you can find them with ease. Having your lessons saved to your calendar also means that you can access them from your computer and your iPad (which is a lot easier to type on than an iPhone), so when you think of an extra teaching idea it's easy to add it, wherever you are.
One of the difficulties of planning lessons is the "***!, I can't think of how I'm going to teach this" (aka writers block / teacher's nightmare). TeacherPlan is just the tool to have for those situations when you want to come up with creative ways to teach a topic. There are hundreds of ideas from 'carry out a (silent) debate' to 'describe the picture', and while some won't work for your lesson, many will. The beauty of TeacherPlan is that you get a very wide selection of teaching ideas and even then you can edit or rewrite ideas at the final edit stage of putting them into your calendar. TeacherPlan is available for iPhone and iTouch right now and is coming to the iPad soon. Find out more about TeacherPlan on greenbambooshoots.com/apps/


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Here are the userpics for nickolaus. Get notified when they upload a new one.
Keywords: HorrorMasters.com
Stephen Hallin uses this photo on HorrorMasters.com -- taken in summer of 2003. When I got my blazer for the first time
|Keywords: Dali Tie photo
using this with the back cover of my book.
|Keywords: PSA hooded
Taken during Convergence 10.
|Keywords: Going out for the night
Celebrating Scary Lady Sarah's wedding at Nocturna Winter Ball 2003.
|Keywords: ICED EARTH
taken from my webcam when I got it going.
|Keywords: Radio Appearence
If anyone from Joliet remembers the Almighty 96.7 WILL ROCK, this was made me part of their history.
|Keywords: stocking up magazine
This is a rather current picture showing some of my backstock that I have for an event.
|Keywords: recent picture
|Keywords: old me
yes this was me playing pool when I had shorter hair.
|Keywords: current ish
promotional photo I use for books now along with a cropped up picture from the winter ball 2006.
|Keywords: promotional photos, Scott Davidson's Birthday, taken by the author, The Caberet Metro
This was taken on January 21, 2011. I am just going through my photos on the camera and making copies of them.
|Keywords: Nickolaus A. Pacione Current, not dressed up, profile photo, writer at home
I took this one from home, but I kept the neighbor's place secret with the way I edited the photo.
|Keywords: hanging at the hostel on my birthday wee
I was going out for the weekend to celebrate my birthday -- I always went out on my birthday. Tradition started at 20.
|Keywords: Metro 2011, scott's birthday
Taken with Scott Davison on his birthday -- the full picture will have me and Scott in the venue.
|Keywords: at computer in 2011
taken at home -- the Nick Rants Channel photo
|Keywords: Scary by Nature article, The Morris Herald
This was from the Morris newspaper -- the article is called Scary By Nature. Stolen back from a troll on twitter.
|Keywords: stinky eye photo
You want to call me a fucking plagiarst -- say it to my face you loser.


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Umbilical Cord Care
January 08, 2019. By: Overlake OBGYN
Throughout your pregnancy, you were intimately connected to your baby via the umbilical cord. This amazing combination of two arteries, a vein, gelatinous material called Wharton's jelly and a very tough outer membrane, delivered the nutrient-rich, oxygenated blood your baby […]
What We're Doing to Address Your Feedback
February 16, 2016. By: Overlake OBGYN
We love to receive glowing reviews but – believe it or not – the team at Overlake OB/GYN also loves reading constructive feedback from our patients and clients who feel we could have done better. Getting personal and detailed reviews […]
What to Avoid When You're Expecting
March 24, 2015. By: Overlake OBGYN
When you're trying to conceive and then expecting your baby, you'll be showered with advice about how to have a healthy pregnancy. What to eat, what not to eat, what to do, what not to do, etc. Some of these […]
Dr. Lawler & Dr. Paley named Top Docs in Puget Sound region!
June 23, 2014. By: Overlake OBGYN
Dr. Lawler & Dr. Paley were both named Top Docs in the Obstetrics category for the July 2014 issue of Seattle Magazine! Congrats to both! You can pick up this issue on stands now or check out the article online […]
The Breast Milk Debate: What's safe and what's not?
June 17, 2014. By: Overlake OBGYN
The best food for a newborn baby is its mother's breast milk. Loaded with probiotics, antibodies, and the perfect blend of hydration, fat, protein, and nutrients, a mother's breast milk provides everything a baby needs to thrive for the first […]
5 Ways to Ease Menopause Symptoms Naturally
June 17, 2014. By: Overlake OBGYN
Hot flashes, rapid mood swings, insomnia – there is a veritable laundry list of menopause symptoms, none of which would be categorized as desirable. Recent studies have shown there are a wide range of natural solutions to ease menopause symptoms […]
Breastfeeding problems common for first-time moms
June 17, 2014. By: Overlake OBGYN
It is common for moms to have trouble breastfeeding, but a new study suggests it may be much more common than initially thought. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends "exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months of a baby's […]
How to understand an abnormal pap test
June 17, 2014. By: Overlake OBGYN
Pap tests, or pap smears, are a routine method used to screen women for cervical cancer. For most women, it is a mildly uncomfortable test, performed quickly by an OBGYN, and then not thought about again until the next time […]
Prenatal Bonding: 5 Ways to Bond With Your Baby Bump
June 17, 2014. By: Overlake OBGYN
Some women bond with their baby before it is even an official fetus (about the 11th week of pregnancy), others require a little more time, abdominal growth, or tangible fetal movement before pregnancy seems real. Either way, it is never […]
4 Common Misconceptions about Midwives
June 17, 2014. By: Overlake OBGYN
The word Midwife means "with woman" and midwives have been "with women" from the beginning of time. It is only in the very recent past (say, about 200 years or so) that men were even allowed to be in the presence of […]


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Our Creative Team at Destinations Travel & Lifestyles is now also designing Custom Publications on topics such as: Vacation Rentals, Private Villas, Private Yachts, Private Charters, Glamping, Excursions, Tours, Wine Travel, Culinary Travel, Health & Wellness Travel, Family Travel, Group Travel, Corporate Travel, Medical Travel, Beaches, Private Islands, Weddings, AND … Destination Weddings!
They are also designing Specialty Catalogues on ALL the current trends like: Travel Gear, Travel Apparel, Specialty Gourmet Foods from Around the World, Wines from Around the World, Chef-Quality Cooking Essentials, Outdoor Recreation Gear…and more.
AND, it does not end there!
They can also do the design and layout for books. That's right… BOOKS – some being made available by our clients for sale on Amazon.com and Google Books!
And these custom publications will not only be available on client's sites, but we will also be adding them into our high-traffic Media Library as well!
AND…will be available on mobile devices!
And, of course, as new Magazines become available, we will be announcing them, and sharing them with our readers.
For anyone in Travel, Tourism or who has some great specialty products like travel apparel, gourmet food or wine items, great gourmet cooking products, etc. it is a great way to showcase your products and services.
Contact our Creative Team for Details!


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When I first met Felix Baumgartner two years ago during Zenith's launch of the extraordinary Christophe Colomb timepiece in London, he was introduced as the newest member of the Swiss brand's cache of ambassadors called "Legends." At the time, I understood he was a daredevil of sorts, even if I didn't fully understand the ramifications of the
Today, of course, I feel much differently about the charming Austrian athlete who counts stunt coordination, freefall camera, skydiving, and BASE jumping among his professions. Just under four weeks ago, I had the pleasure of again shaking his hand at an event I had been invited to by Zenith, the watch brand who sponsors him. It was a "pilot's party" to celebrate this year's collection, which is historically themed around pilot's watches. Just scant weeks ahead of the planned jump, Baumgartner was naturally the guest of honor and intensely feted by the other guests in attendance at the party thrown at Paris' chic Arts and Crafts Museum, which included several French celebrities.
Kind of curiously regarding him from afar during the evening and even the next morning at breakfast in the hotel, I considered the absolute torture he is going to put himself through on Sunday should the jump take place. It has already been postponed several times, just recently this past Tuesday, due to high winds. Conditions, naturally, must be perfect.
People will do crazy things for attention in this media-driven world, but Baumgartner did not strike me as that sort of person. I genuinely feel that there is something rational inside of him that drives him to the astounding feats he has shown himself capable of—which make him a perfect ambassador for watch brand Zenith, whose El Primero Stratos he will be wearing during the jump from 36,500 meters (120,000 feet or 23 miles). This height is remarkable; he seems to have actually tailored it to give the number symbolic meaning as Zenith CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour explained on the evening of the Paris party. The El Primero's movement beats at the unusual frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour, one of the elements for which it is so famous in the watchmaking world.
The two are a natural fit, as Zenith's Dufour explains, "The expression 'pioneering spirit' best defines what Zenith is all about. We have often been forerunners in unexplored domains. It is this ability to come up with new ideas, then push through with new technical developments before anyone else that is most fascinating at Zenith. Our watches have participated in some of the grandest human adventures: explorer Roald Amundsen's discovery of the North and South Poles, Mahatma Gandhi's peaceful fight for India's independence, the foundations of ecology by Prince Albert I of Monaco, Louis Blériot's Channel crossing, John F. Kennedy's political action, the soccer exploits of Michel Platini (one of the greatest players in the history of the game), and French explorer Jean-Louis Étienne's solo balloon flight over the North Pole. The brand's new ambassador, Felix Baumgartner, is made of the same stuff as these pioneers. He has a project: to be the first human to expose his body to a speed of Mach 1. We were attracted to the idea: in assisting him in his dream, we would become the first supersonic watch [under human power --ed]. In Le Locle, our watchmakers have developed a model specially adapted to this mission: the Zenith El Primero Stratos."
The chronograph Baumgartner is wearing is actually available for anyone to buy. Christened the El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner, it is housed in a 45.5 mm stainless steel case outfitted with a commemorative case back displaying Baumgartner's motto, "Learn to love what you have been taught to fear." The dial, whose markers and hands are inlaid with plenty of Super-LumiNova to ensure legibility even under the harshest of conditions, is protected by a nostalgically domed version of the second-hardest substance known to man: sapphire crystal. The automatic movement powers a flyback chronograph, which means that timing intervals can be reset without having to first start and stop—a necessary function when the short amount of time at one's disposal under duress can mean the difference between life and death.
Despite the strong watch on his wrist, there is a large chance things can go horribly wrong for the 43-year-old holder of two world records: a skydive from space is no mean feat. Luckily he'll have that fairly indestructible Stratos beating away like a 5-Hertz heart with him—probably beating much like Baumgartner's own heart these days. I'm sure the world wishes him the best of luck for the jump, which will hopefully go forward this Sunday, the current jump date. What a way to test a watch! Just imagine: the watch that jumped from space and lived. Just like this incredible athlete.
Elizabeth Doerr is the editor-in-chief of Quill & Pad, an online magazine that keeps a watch on time.
More on Felix Baumgartner here:
I am the editor-in-chief and co-founder of QuillandPad.com. Beyond that, I contribute my horological expertise to a variety of magazines, websites and publications all…
I am the editor-in-chief and co-founder of QuillandPad.com. Beyond that, I contribute my horological expertise to a variety of magazines, websites and publications all over the world. With more than two decades' experience covering the watch industry, my stories focus on the unusual, ultra-luxurious, sometimes limited and always artistic products, events, and figures that make horology so colorful. Check out my Facebook pages for interesting tidbits and current published work, follow me on Twitter @doerrelizabeth and @quillandpad, watch my videos on thewatches.tv or read my unique book on 12 independent horological artists entitled '12 Faces of Time.'


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Mr Woods was the father of Courtney Woods and husband of Mrs Woods.
Apparently, headmaster Frank Armitage had had a number of "discussions" with Courtney and her parents over the last couple of terms before Clara Oswald taught her. (PROSE: Normality)
He and his wife talked to Danny Pink at Coal Hill School's parents' evening about their daughter's behaviour. When Danny described Courtney as a "disruptive influence", Mr Woods pointed out that the previous year, the previous teacher had described her as a "very disruptive influence". Mrs Woods thought that that counted as an "improvement" over the previous year. (TV: The Caretaker)


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Chinese Commercial Vehicle Market Reviewed In Comprehensive ResearchInChina Study Available at MarketPublishers.com
04 Feb 2016 • by Natalie Aster
LONDON – During 2010-2014, the commercial vehicle sales in China dropped to 4.055 million units, witnessing a share in total auto sales down from 23.8% to 19.7%. In January-September 2015, the commercial vehicles sales reached 2.5087 million units, capturing 14.7% of overall automotive sales.
With respect to models, the sales of trucks grabbed the lion's share of around 65%; despite a low percentage of around 10%, the bus sales embraced a growing proportion. In the first 9 months of 2015, the sales of trucks and buses, in volume terms, in China accounted for 65.8% and 14.7%, respectively.
During January-September 2015, China exported 257,100 commercial vehicles, making up just over 43% of overall auto exports. Amid them, the exports of buses and trucks reached respectively 195,300 units and 45,800 units. The commercial vehicles are primarily sold to Vietnam, Myanmar and Algeria.
Currently, there are 74 auto manufacturers engaged in selling commercial vehicles, which created a highly competitive marketplace. The most prominent of them are Beiqi Foton, Jinbei Automotive, Dongfeng Motor, Yutong Bus, JMC, JAC and King Long Motor, among others.
As the National IV Motor Vehicle Emission Standards are being phased in nationwide, China's commercial vehicle market is undergoing restructuring. With the release of the Made in China 2025 plan signifies, country is set to further the support for intelligent vehicles and energy-efficient and new energy vehicles (NEVs), which would provide a good development opportunity to traditional commercial vehicle enterprises. To date, Beiqi Foton, JAC, King Long Motor, Dongfeng Motor, Yutong Bus and other commercial vehicle manufacturers are devoted to developing and upgrading novel energy car technologies and launching the products, basically occupying China's new energy commercial vehicle market.
Comprehensive market research study "China Commercial Vehicle Industry Report, 2015-2018" drawn up by ResearchInChina offers an aggregate analysis of the Chinese commercial vehicle market. It gives a detailed overview of the industry; tracks the development of the sector, including the current state of the automotive industry, output of commercial vehicles and their sales volume, and projections; provides data on exports and imports of commercial vehicles across the country; sheds light on the competitive scenario and market concentration of commercial vehicles. The report further discusses China's 10 commercial vehicle-related companies, covering their operations, revenues, capacity, production and sales, investment, etc.
Report Details:
China Commercial Vehicle Industry Report, 2015-2018
Published: December, 2015
Pages: 106
Price: US$ 2,200.00
More studies by the publisher are available at ResearchInChina page.
The Market Publishers, Ltd.
Natalie Aster
Tel: +44 208 144 6009
Fax: +44 207 900 3970
[email protected]


text:
|About this Recording
8.223297 - MYASKOVSKY, N.Y.: Symphony No. 8 (Slovak Radio Symphony, Stankovsky)
Nikolai Yakovlevlch Miaskovsky (1881–1950)
Nikolai Yakovlevich Miaskovsky has long enjoyed an ambiguous reputation, much honoured at home in the Soviet Union, and respected abroad, if relatively little known, except for the fact that he wrote 27 symphonies. Born in 1881, he belonged to the generation that had its musical training at the turn of the century, under the successors of Rubinstein and of the Five, and its active career under the new regime established in Russia after 1917.
Miaskovsky was born in 1881 in Novogeorgiyevsk, near Warsaw, the son of an engineer officer. His early education followed family tradition at military schools at Nizhny-Novgorod and in St. Petersburg, and finally at the Academy of Military Engineering, where he completed his studies in 1902. From childhood he had shown an interest in music, fostered at first by his mother and after her death in 1890 by his aunt, his father's sister, who had been a singer at the opera in St. Petersburg. He played the violin in the military cadets' orchestra and was decisively influenced by a concert conducted by Nikisch in 1896, after which he determined that his career should be in music. In 1902, as a young officer in Moscow, he took private lessons, not from Taneyev, as Rimsky-Korsakov had recommended, but from Glière and later with Krizhanovsky in St. Petersburg as a preparation for entry in 1906 to the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where his teachers included Lyadov and Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1908 he wrote his First Symphony, which won him a share in the Glazunov scholarship. Miaskovsky's fellow-students at the Conservatory included the young Prokofiev, ten years his junior, with whom he established a lasting friendship, united at first in their critical attitude to Lyadov and his teaching and in their playing of four-hand piano arrangements of a varied repertoire of music. The composers maintained their relationship until Miaskovsky's death in 1950, with the older man an indulgent mentor, offering advice tempered with admiration, both acceptable in equal measure to Prokofiev.
After graduation in 1911 Miaskovsky supported himself by teaching music in one of the less important music schools in St. Petersburg and during the war he served on the Austrian front as an officer in the Pioneers and was wounded while employed on the naval fortifications at Reval (Talinn), after which he held a staff appointment in Moscow. In 1917 he joined the Red Army and after demobilisation in 1921 joined the teaching staff of the Moscow Conservatory, remaining a professor of composition there until his death. In this capacity he exercised an important influence over a younger generation of composers, including Khachaturian and Kabalevsky. In character he remained retiring and diffident, perhaps affected by the shell-shock he had suffered in the war, and rejected attempts by Prokofiev to induce him to travel to Western Europe. As his career progressed he increasingly attempted to fulfil what he saw as the requirements of the Soviet establishment, abandoning in the 1930s the Association for Contemporary Music, of which he had been a founder-member, to adopt a style that was often of more immediate appeal to the people and certainly more congenial to political theorists of the time. Nevertheless in 1948 his name was linked with those of Shostakovich, Prokofiev and his own former pupils Kabalevsky and Shebalin, in Zhdanov's condemnation of formalistic distortions and anti-democratic tendencies. Ten years later he was posthumously rehabilitated.
In his autobiography Miaskovsky declared that his first symphonies, written between 1908 and 1918, were pessimistic in tendency. The Fifth Symphony, written in 1918, marked a more positive attitude and was followed by the Sixth Symphony, Opus 23, written between 1921 and 1923, a work for which he later offered some apology. The Eighth Symphony was written in 1924 and 1925 and seeks to capture a more objective mood, as he himself claimed. It takes as its initial inspiration the 17th century Cossack leader Stenka Razin, who led a peasant revolt in the years 1670 and 1671, to meet final defeat and execution.
The symphony is scored for a large orchestra and opens with a slow introduction, a theme of clear Russian provenance, played by the woodwind, with sinister additions from the strings, moving forward to an agitated Allegro, with further Russian thematic material. This is followed by a second subject of tragic intensity, material that is worked out symphonically. The movement ends with the return of the poignant opening of the work, its optimistic F-sharp major subtly shading into a final minor mode. The second movement opens with some stridency and a lopsided folk-dance melody in 7/4 time. Some of the more immediate contrapuntal possibilities of the theme are explored before the introduction of a gentler mood. The first thematic material re-appears to bring the movement to a forceful D major conclusion. The cor anglais announces the Bashkir folk-theme of the B minor slow movement, accompanied by the harp and divided lower strings, suggesting, as the music moves on, the musical world of some melancholy Russian Delius of the steppes. The mood is shattered by the decisive opening of the Finale, an initial motive offered by the six French horns of the orchestra in unison. In the mood of some Russian festival the orchestra announces a melody that at once declares its provenance, given a chromatic treatment typical of the composer. A second theme, again with a characteristic minor twist in the tail, introduces a more lyrical episode, a reminiscence of the first and third movements. The first theme returns, to usher in a theme of solemn peasant devotion, material that is colourfully developed. The second melody returns and the opening theme provides the substance of a forceful conclusion of ambiguous tonality.
Keith Anderson
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T-Mobile made some big Un-carrier announcements last month, introducing its iPhone 5s Test Drive program as well as its Music Freedom effort. Apparently T-Mo had even more plans that it didn't include in that event, though, as another noteworthy change is now rolling out.
Our amigos at TmoNews have learned that T-Mobile is now rolling out a new, simplified bill. As you can see in the image above, T-Mobile now breaks its bill out into different sections that include Balance, Current charges and a list of things that've changed recently.
With things like device payment plans, data add-ons and other things on an account, a wireless bill can be pretty confusing to look at. T-Mobile's new bill aims to fix that by breaking out different sections of the bill and plainly explaining what's changed since the previous bill. This change may not be quite as huge as some of T-Mo's other Un-carrier moves, but it's still one worth taking note of.
Have any of you T-Mobile customers received this simplified bill yet?
Via TmoNews