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As home to the nation's largest Critical Mass turnout (and given recent police attention to the monthly two-wheeled trek), it seems pretty clear that Miami's cycling culture is headed toward a tipping point. Bike advocates are working for widespread awareness and major changes citywide -- and people in other places are paying attention.
One of those people is Joe Biel, a cycling filmmaker out of Portland who created the documentary Aftermass: Bicycling in a Post-Critical Mass Portland. Biel and team rolled into Wynwood's Gramps last night for Dinner & Bikes, an evening of activism and eating. They talked to Cultist about the major changes happening nationwide -- and how Miami has its own unique niche in cycling culture.
See also: Miami's Critical Mass Runs Smoothly, Looks Here to Stay After a Week on the Brink (Video)
Joe Biel, Elly Blue, and Joshua Ploeg are the trio behind Dinner & Bikes, an annual tour that hops from city to city serving up film screenings and vegan meals. This year they did a five week tour of the Northeast before heading to Miami; next, they'll host a finale in Tampa.
"The bicycle movement is huge. I would have said that last year people were really interested in bicycles, but this year we're finding that people are really informed and really educated in bicycle issues," says Blue of her experience on the road. "Our work in past years has been more like, 'Hey, here's why and how to build this kind of movement.' This year it's like, 'We're here to inspire you to take it to the next level because you're already doing amazing work."
From what they're seeing around the country, a lot of cities are really starting to build a bike infrastructure, she adds.
When asked about Critical Mass and concern about potentially unruly bikers, Blue points the question back to the bigger picture -- unruly drivers. The issues with cyclists causing problems during Critical Mass are generally far fewer, she says.
"It's democracy, it's messy. You're going to have that one drunk person and all the news cameras are going to go to that one drunk person," she says of Critical Mass. "I feel like part of it is PR, part of it is just learning how to manage the story. But another part of it is really to have the confidence that this kind of action and civic participation is productive."
"It's the rule of the 1%. If you have a state fair, like 1% of attendees will act inappropriately. It applies to anything," adds Biel on the issue.
Biel has been following Miami's bike scene story for years, particularly the estimated participation numbers for Critical Mass. "It's unbelievable. It's the biggest monthly ride in the world," he says.
Miami's ride garners as many as 4,000 riders. In contrast, Chicago is proud to say they have 600 to 800, Biel says.
The fact that Miami's bike advocacy organizations work in cooperation with Critical Mass is also an anomaly, he adds. These concepts often clash in other cities.
"All those in tandem I think will really propel you," he adds. When he started making his film, he was surprised by what was happening in South Florida. "I would have never thought Miami would be the epicenter of all this stuff, but it really was happening here on every level."
Eric Madrid, champion of Miami's cycling scene via Magic City Bicycle Collective and Miami Bike Polo, was the one who urged Dinner & Bikes to come the 305.
"We need a lot of outside perspectives in our baby bike scene," he laughs.
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"I guess the biggest thing is for the city to realize that biking isn't just something people do for fun or to be annoying to car drivers," explains Madrid. "That it actually helps the entire city overall. [In] a city that has so many traffic problems, you'd think they understand that more cyclists and having friendlier roads for cyclists would help with these problems. Twenty people on their bikes doesn't take up a lot of space, but 20 cars is traffic."
Miami has a long way to go, but it's clear that cycling proponents have their wheels down on the right road.
"One of the films in this screening talks about how Portland, being one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the U.S, took about 30 years to get to where they are now," Madrid adds. "And we're just in our infancy, really, as far as pushing the city to be bicycle friendly. I think it just takes a lot of patience and a lot of education."
Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.


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Here are a few copied and pasted annotated references, from a file of references on the computer I currently use, that may help show the validity of my 6th post – Science Screw-up No. 1 – posted May 31, 2013. I shudder when I think how many others were lost in various ways from the overwhelming amount of literature on the topics that interested me enough to make index cards, entries on earlier computers, and stacks of journals and clippings still unpacked from moves. Some were cited in the post noted above, but lacked the annotations and/or quotes from the articles.
Because structure and functions of organisms are the direct targets of natural selection they can be a better clue to branching pattern of the tree of life until the generation time of organisms is properly incorporated in the process of tree construction. Many of my posts rely on this concept for interpreting relationships as well as the views of natural history oriented biologists.
Ayala, Francisco J. 1997. Vagaries of the molecular clock. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 94:7776-7783. Found as much as a ten-fold difference between divergence times estimated by two different Drosophila genes (GPDH and SOD, or, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and super oxide dismutase). Generation times were identical in this study so did not affect the rate variation determined.
Bleiweiss, Robert. 1998. Slow rate of molecular evolution in high-elevation hummingbirds. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95:612-616. "A slower rate of single-copy DNA change at higher elevations suggests that the dynamics of molecular evolution cannot be separated from the environmental context." The effect remained "significant even after taking into account a significant negative association between body mass and molecular rate."
Britten, Roy J. 1986. Rates of DNA sequence evolution differ between taxonomic groups. Science, 231:1393-1398. "Examination of available measurements shows that rates of DNA change of different phylogenetic groups differ by a factor of 5. The slowest rates are observed for some higher primates and.."
Buckley, Thomas R., Chris Simon, and Geoffrey K. Chambers. 2001. Exploring among-site rate variation models in a maximum likelihood framework using empirical data: effects of model assumptions on estimates of topology, branch lengths, and bootstrap support. Syst. Biol., 50(1):67-86. variation in variability across data sets changes estimates, under different model assumptions, of nodal support and branch length
Campbell, J. H. 1987. The New Gene and Its Evolution. Pp. 283-309 in Campbell, K. S. W., and M. F. Day (Eds.). Rates of Evolution. Allen and Unwin,
London. 314 pp.
Rates of evolution pp 303- "To the extent that biological mechanisms
participate in evolutionary change they allow its rate to be programmed
internally as an attribute of the species."
Clegg, Michael T., Michael P. Cummings, and Mary L. Durbin. 1997. The evolution of plant nuclear genes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 94:7791-7798. "Analyses of synonymous nucleotide substitution rates for Adh genes in monocots reject a linear relationship with clock time." New genes that encode the enzymes ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenases occurred at ten times the rate of new genes for alcohol dehydrogenases.
Field, Katharine G., Gary J. Olsen,
J. Lane, Stephen J. Giovannoni, Michael T.
Ghiselin, Elizabeth C. Raff, Norman R. Pace, and Rudolf A. Raff. 1988.
Molecular phylogeny of the animal kingdom. Science,
239:748-753. "Coelomates are thus
monophyletic, and they radiated rapidly into four groups: chordates,
echinoderms, arthropods, and eucoelomate protostomes." "The use of cellular RNA for these studies
guarantees that sequences will represent commonly transcribed RNA genes, not
minor or inactive genes. The method
provides sequences in the most conservative portions of the 18S rRNA molecule, which are the most
useful for broad phylogenetic comparisons." see following sentence page 748
also ["For distantly related organisms, it is not possible to establish
homology between nucleotides in the rapidly evolving portions of the molecule;
thus, even if the entire 18s rRNA sequence is known, only some parts of it can
be used for phylogenetic inference."].
Study was based on 18S
ribosomal RNA sequences. Pogonophoran used was a thermal-vent species, annelids
were a polychaete and an earthworm, chordates were a tunicate, amphioxus, a
frog, and a human.
Fitch, Walter M., Robin M. Bush, Catherine A. Bender, and Nancy J. Cox. 1997. Long term trends in the evolution of H(3) HA1 human influenza type A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 94:7712-7718. Variation of replacement substitution rate of codons as much 7.2 times greater in a hypervariable one. Rate lowest in trunk codons, intermediate in twigs, and greatest in tip branches. [thought added
2/6/03 – might be an
expression of selection against deleterious substitutions eliminated more
effectively due to time as one goes to older twigs and trunk. (jge) I had just
been thinking of that while trying to improve on method of calibrating
molecular clocks with generation time corrections for both calibration species
(if not from lines studied) and generation time difference of branch species (A
correction of up to 199.999% of uncorrected bifurcation value is needed if
generation time of shortest lived species was used; whereas estimate could need
reduction of up to 99.999% if based on longest lived species); therefore two
separate generations time corrections must be considered if calibration species
is a third species; no correction for generation time is needed if all three
have same generation time.]
Gillooly, James F., Andrew P. Allen, Geoffrey B. West, and James H. Brown. 2005. The rate of DNA evolution: effects of body size and temperature on the molecular clock. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102:140-145. support a single molecular clock, "but that it "ticks" at a constant substitution rate per unit of mass-specific metabolic energy rather than per unit of time."
Keightley, Peter D., and Adam Eyre-Walker. 2000. Deleterious mutations and the evolution of sex. Science, 290:331-333. [
13 Oct 2000]
Deleterious mutations were eliminated more rapidly in short generation
time species. The study did not support
(MD) "mutational deterministic" hypothesis for obligate sexuality.
Kimura, Motoo, and Tomoko Ohta. 1971. On the rate of molecular evolution. J. Molec. Evolution, 1:1-17. citing various sources for a rate of about one centipauling for histones to four paulings for Fibrinopeptide A. (1 pauling = "rate of substitution of 10 [to minus 9] per amino acid site per year.)
Kuman, Sudhir, and S. Blair Hedges. 1998. A molecular timescale for vertebrate evolution. Nature, 392:917-920. [
30 Apr 1998] In estimates of divergence times using
different genes, a standard error of about 10% was found using ten genes, but
the standard error was only 5% if 50 genes were used and 3% with use of 100
genes. Their study used 658 genes
distributed among 207 species of vertebrates (mostly mammals). [note added 11/25, 2014 - this shows the ability of statistical
analysis to give a more precise wrong answer, if a uniform rate premise is
wrong – a point of my May 31, 2013 post; see Maley and Marshall, 1998 below
Laird, Charles D., Betty L. McConaughy, and Brian J. McCarthy. 1969. Rate of fixation of nucleotide substitutions in evolution. Nature, 224:149-154. a ten-fold higher rate of nucleotide sequence variation for rodents compared to artiodactyls is found when time estimates are in years "This difference diminishes if generations, rather than years, represent the appropriate interval of evolutionary divergence."
Maley, Laura E., and Charles R. Marshall. 1998. The coming of age of molecular systematics. Science, 279:505-506. "Growing evidence suggests that phylogenies of animal phyla constructed by the analysis of 18S rRNA sequences may not be as accurate as originally thought." . . . "In extreme cases the inferred relationships between groups may change when different representative species are used." . . "as the amount of data analyzed increases, so does the apparent statistical support for an incorrect phylogenetic tree."
Mishmar, Dan, Eduardo Ruiz-Pesini, Pawel Golik, Vincent Macaulay, Andrew G. Clark, Seyed Hosseini, Martin Brandon, Kirk Easley, Estella Chen, Michael D. Brown, Rem I. Sukernik, Antonel Olckers, and Douglas C. Wallace. 2003. Natural selection shaped regional mtDNA variation in humans. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 100(1):171-176. p. 171-"multiple amino acid changes found in ATP6, cytochrome b, and cytochrome oxidase I appeared to be functionally significant. From these analyses we conclude that selection may have played a role in shaping human regional mtDNA variation and that one of the selective influences was climate." P. 176 –"If selection has played an important role in the human mtDNA lineages, then the rate of mtDNA molecular clock may not have been constant throughout human history. If this is the case, then conjectures about the timing of human migrations may need to be reassessed."
Miyamoto, Michael M., Jerry L. Slightom, and Morris Goodman. 1987. Phylogenetic relations of humans and African apes from DNA sequences in the ψη-globin region. Science, 238:369-373. ". . the slowdown in the rate of sequence evolution evident in higher primates is especially pronounced in humans."
Mooers, Arne Ø., and Edward C. Holmes. 2000. The evolution of base composition and phylogenetic inference. Trends in Ecology and Evolution (TREE), 15(9):365-369. ". . , in the early 1990s, phylogeneticists discovered that the variation in GC content among organisms could wreak havoc on attempts to reconstruct evolutionary history. This was because the tree-building techniques then in use often grouped together unrelated species with similar GC content."
Nichols, Richard. 2001. Gene trees and species trees are not the same. Trends in Ecology and Evolution (TREE), 16(7):358-364. different genes may evolve at different points in time in the same lineage giving different times of separation if only one is considered to calculate divergence time
Shaw, Kerry L. 2002. Conflict between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA phylogenies of a recent species radiation: What mtDNA reveals and conceals about modes of speciation in Hawaiian crickets. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 99:16122-16127. "The discrepancy between mtDNA and nDNA phylogenies reveals that speciation histories based on mtDNA alone can be extensively misleading."
Simmonds, P., and D. B. Smith. 1999. Structural constraints on RNA virus evolution. Journal of Virology, 73(7):5787-5794. Evidence of rate of mutations variation with nucleotide location in relation to secondary structure of GB virus C. In this case, molecular clock assumptions are incorrect.
Joseph Engemann Kalamazoo, Michigan November 25, 2014

subset: commoncrawl


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Great Hair Highlight Ideas for 2013
It seems that they have gotten it just right with trending hair highlights for 2013. More focus is being placed on the natural look and this is making popular stars like Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez enjoy being the shining examples for hair highlights in 2013 for those who care their hair color. In fact, there are some excellent hair highlight ideas this year for people of every hair color type. So, not matter what hair color you have claimed as your own in 2013, there is a hot new trend to discover. Read on to find out about the trending hair highlights.
Staying Within the Same Color
In times past, hair highlights were most popularly colors that contrasted the hair color. Those with brown hair would wear bright blonde streaks and blondes would go for brown or black, but this is not the style in 2013. Sticking to lighter shades of the original hair color make the look a more natural one. Those with a hair color that is light, like blondes, can opt to go a few shades darker, doing lowlights. The only exception is for those with black hair, who can use dark brown for a highlight, and those with dark blonde hair, who can use auburn.
The Location of Hair Highlights
Many are placing highlights only through the hair at the lower half of the head. Before, highlights were placed all throughout the hair, but focusing only on this area helps show off the facial features a bit more. This is a trend that Jennifer Lopez can be seen following. Her lovely brown hair has beautiful streaks of highlights in caramel.
Using a Different Color
While most 2013 highlight trends dictate staying within the range of lighter and darker shades of the hair color, there are some exceptions. It is very stylish now for those with red hair to use orange highlights, which serves to enhance their hair color efficiently. Many with deep blonde are using auburn, while those who have black hair are heading for the brown.
The best hair highlights are the ones done by a professional. Do-it-yourself highlight kits simply do not bring the same results. To get expert highlights and flaunt the latest trends, contact Total Image Hair Designs in Dunedin, Florida.


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Rep. Polis: Help Share Boulder's Happiness
Democratic Congressman Jared Polis sent out an interesting comment via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. His Tweet simply said "Boulder residents r happiest ppl in the country :-)". And Boulder residents should be happy. While the U.S. population has increased at a rate close to 10% over the past 10 years, Boulder's population has grown by only 4.6% over the same period of time thanks to its strict population control policies.
Over the last 50 years, Boulder has become a key city for the environmental movement. Situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the city enjoys clean air, clean water, and little congestion.
In 1959, the city's residents voted to restrict water service to certain areas to prevent the mountain landscape from being developed. And in 1967, the city approved an open-space sales tax to prevent urban sprawl.
But the city's most aggressive approach to controlling its population and protecting its open spaces has been through its managed growth policies. In 1971, voters approved an ordinance to keep growth below 1960's levels, and in 1976, Boulder residents approved an ordinance to limit annual growth to 1.5-2% per year, and in 1995, they lowered it to 1% where it remains today.
Boulder's growth restrictions haven't just protected the environment; they've also created a more favorable job market for its residents.
According to a case study conducted by an organization in Oregon, the population of Boulder grew by 18,980 between 1980 and 1995, but its economy created 27,000 jobs. Today, the city has a 6.5% unemployment rate - almost a full 2 points lower than Colorado's unemployment rate and nearly 3 points below the national rate.
While Boulder and Rep. Polis have tried to shield the citizens of Boulder from massive population growth, his positions on immigration are doing the opposite for the rest of the country.
Rep. Polis = Pro-Open Borders
The way Boulder has actively managed its population over the last 40 years supports Rep. Polis' Tweet.
But his actions in Congress have been quite different.
Rep. Polis has been a vocal pro-amnesty advocate who has also pushed for more legal immigration. Earlier this year, he introduced an amendment to the Homeland Security spending bill that would have put an end to the 287(g) program that allows local police to assist federal agents in enforcing immigration laws. The amendment was easily defeated with half the Democratic caucus opposing Polis.
Also this Congress, Rep. Polis has cosponsored the DREAM Act, which would give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. He's also cosponsored another 2 dozen bills that would increase immigration levels, including the STAPLE Act that would allow foreign students who earn a Ph.D. at a U.S. institution to stay and work in the United States. Of course, if they earn their degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, they'll probably have to find somewhere else to live.
Since 2000, the foreign born population in the United States has grown by 8.8 million for an increase of 28.4%. But due to Boulder's strict population ordinances, the foreign born population has grown by only 391 people for an increase of only 3.6%.
Apparently, Rep. Jared Polis doesn't oppose massive population growth driven by high levels of immigration … as long as the new immigrants don't make their way to his district.
CHRIS CHMIELENSKI is the Director of Content & Activism for NumbersUSA
Updated: Wed, Oct 26th 2011 @ 6:41pm EDT


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Alright, so we are just over half way through the year and I thought I would take this time to reevaluate my goals, and to share my "refreshed" goals for the remainder of the year.
1. I have decided not to do my half marathon this year, given my knee injury. Instead I will run two – 1o km races and two – 5km races.
2. Maintain my modified Paleo lifestyle.
3. Complete my group fitness instructor certification (I am on track to be finished by August).
4. Read three books not related to parenting and not related to my job (doesn't seem like a lot but boy it is hard to focus on reading in the evening after a busy day at the office and home). Will share titles soon.
5. Integrate yoga practice, even not weekly — biweekly into my work out routine to open up my hip flexors and to help become a bit more grounded. Sometimes, I find the stress of balancing it all to be a challenge.


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Spousal Support
Columbia, Missouri Spousal Support/Alimony Lawyers
Spousal support or maintenance, previously known as alimony, is usually ordered when one spouse is unable to provide for his or her reasonable needs, while the other spouse has the ability to not only care for himself or herself, but for his or her spouse as well. Missouri law leaves it at the court's discretion to determine if spousal support is appropriate, and if so, to what extent.
The lawyers of Harper, Evans, Wade & Netemeyer, located in Columbia, Missouri, are experienced with the issue of spousal support within a divorce. Contact us today to talk to one of our attorneys about this your concerns by calling 573-442-1660.
How Alimony Is Determined In Missouri
Judges look at several factors in order to determine the duration and amount of spousal support. Among these factors are:
- The ability of a spouse to pay support while also meeting his or her own needs
- The length of the marriage, with more deference given to marriages of greater length
- The financial resources of the recipient and that person's reasonable needs
- The standard of living established during the marriage
- The conduct of each party during the marriage
- The age of the person seeking support
- The earning capacity of each spouse
Each factual situation is unique, and the court will make a determination based on the specifics of your given facts. Our attorneys are skilled advocates of our clients' right to spousal support.
Types Of Spousal Support
In Missouri, there are three types of spousal support:
- Limited duration where the spousal support to be paid is limited to a specific future date. This type of spousal support is usually chosen when there is a foreseeable future event that will eliminate the need for maintenance.
- Open-ended where the maintenance continues until the recipient remarries or either party dies
- Contractual where the maintenance and period of time that the payments will be made is established through an agreement between the parties
While open-ended and limited duration agreements are subject to modification in certain instances, contractual agreements are not subject to modification unless the parties themselves agree to modify. Additionally, judges can only order limited duration and open-ended agreements, and not contractual ones.
Understanding The Process Of Enforcing Spousal Support Orders
There are several options for collecting or enforcing an existing spousal support order. If you are not receiving the spousal maintenance that you deserve, our experienced attorneys have a number of tactics that will ensure you receive these payments:
- Garnish wages, bank accounts, retirement funds and other sources of income and assets
- Hold the payer in contempt of court
- Refer the issue to the prosecutor
More Information
For more information on spousal support statutes of the state of Missouri: http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C400-499/4520000335.HTM.
Get Your Questions Answered By An Experienced Family Law Attorney
At Harper, Evans, Wade & Netemeyer, your rights will be protected. You can count on our 100 years of combined experience to help you get the results you need. Contact our Columbia spousal support (alimony) attorneys at 573-442-1660 to schedule a consultation.


text: Saturday Night – On the Pull Girls out on a Saturday night! Everyone else is actually wearing coats and scarves – these girls didn't even have coats. Related PostsBoxpark Shoreditch Today I went to visit several markets as I was looking for some sports socks for a shoot that I'm styling, so I went to Cheshire Street just off Brick Lane but the sock vendor was all […]Love your (my) Hair! I have very straight hair and I like that it's straight. I recently forgot to take a hair brush on a trip with me and it didn't actually matter - my hair is that straight. I admire all […]Behind the Scenes of 3AM Video by Kate Nash 3am was such a fun video to style. Most of the video was shot at The Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall, it was the perfect location for a 70's roller disco! All the […]What's Wrong With This Cover? So what's wrong with this cover? Well, we can see the safety pin at the base of the strap. This isn't a styling error even though it might look like one. Stylists use pins, safety pins, […] Brick LanestylingShare 0


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Taking Care of a Dancing Body: An investigation of how anatomical knowledge effects a dancer's risk of injury and performance quality
Creators:Lehman, Sarah
Advisor:Bruce, Michael Kelly
Issue Date:2008-06
MetadataShow full item record
Publisher:The Ohio State University
Series/Report no.:The Ohio State University. Department of Dance Honors Theses; 2008
My Senior Distinction project, Taking Care of a Dancing Body, investigates how the body can be trained to extend the career of a contemporary dancer. This study's goal is to develop a movement series that prepares a dancer's body for athletic movement encountered in choreography. The purpose of the research deals with injury prevention, as well as investigating the possible secondary benefit of improved performance quality. My research method involves comparing the theories and findings of related topics from various fields such as Pilates, Yoga, strength training, and contemporary dance techniques. I am also working with a group of five dancers from the Department of Dance to help me construct the series and observe their progress as these ideas are discussed and applied. So far, I have been exploring the importance of anatomical symmetry of musculature versus meticulous stretching. Strength and flexibility are essential to dancers but unfortunately, stretching before exercise is not always sufficient in injury prevention. The human body tends to compensate for unevenness in the body by increasing tension in muscles and joints. This can eventually lead to injury. My research has been concentrated on the complex anatomy of the spinal joints and surrounding muscles. I hypothesize that lower back pain and injury can be prevented through the awareness and correction of asymmetry in the surrounding anatomy, the strengthening of the agonistic and antagonistic muscle groups, as well as maintaining and improving joints' range of motion. In addition, I believe the mere knowledge and awareness of the bodily structures and how they all systematically coordinate to allow integrated movement can increase physicality in a dancer. As experience is beginning to outweigh youth in the modern dance field, it is of the utmost importance that dancers take care of their bodies. Maintaining a healthy spine is essential to the success of a dancer's ability to keep dancing through years of stress on the body. With the information gathered through my study, I hope to bring awareness to dancers about the possible steps that can be taken in order to ensure a lifelong career in this unique performing art-form.
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The ouster of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi by the country's powerful military releases the United States from the delicate spot it found itself in before Wednesday's events: caught between a democratically elected leader and the democratic forces seeking his removal.
But the relief is minimal.
The US will still face hard questions over how to respond to a military coup in a country that is a key Middle East partner and a major recipient of US military aid.
The days ahead are likely to remain agitated and tense in Egypt, and the US will almost certainly face criticism from Mr. Morsi's supporters, who will say the US acquiesced to the illegal removal of an elected leader who had just marked the first year of a four-year term.
The Egyptian military acted to deflect accusations that the manner in which it removed Morsi amounted to a coup. While the military suspended the Morsi-era constitution, the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian armed forces, Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, told Egyptians in a televised address Wednesday night that the chief justice of Egypt's constitutional court – and not a military leader – would fill the presidency until new presidential elections can be held.
The new interim president is to be sworn in Thursday.
The military said it acted in the "public service" not just to end the country's chaotic political crisis but to implement a "roadmap to democracy" that would have the support of Egypt's political factions and foster the "reconciliation" that Morsi failed to promote, General Sissi said. Although he did not mention Morsi by name, Sissi said the president had "responded with negativity" up to the last minute to the military's demands for a resolution of the political crisis.
The Egyptian military also sought to assure the United States, in a phone call to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, that it has no interest in holding onto power.
As Egypt's turmoil reached a crescendo in recent days, the US attempted to appear neutral among the dueling parties, with both the White House and the State Department emphasizing that "we don't take sides" and calling on all factions to "engage with each other" and find a nonviolent political solution to their differences.
But by Wednesday afternoon, with events in Cairo moving fast and Morsi's ouster looking likely, US officials began shifting their stance. At the State Department, spokeswoman Jen Psaki reminded reports that democracy is about more than elections. And she spoke critically of Morsi over what she said was his failure to "take steps" to address Egyptians' concerns – even as she held her fire toward the military.
Morsi's televised speech Tuesday, in which he defiantly refused to meet protesters' demands and vowed never to step down, was a particular disappointment to the US, Ms. Psaki said. "He had the opportunity [in the speech] to lay out certain steps" to address the crisis, she said, "and he didn't take the opportunity to do that."
Thousands of Egyptians celebrated publicly Wednesday night, but it was unclear what path Morsi's many supporters planned to take.
Meanwhile, the US military was preparing for the worst in Egypt, dispatching part of a Marine crisis response team stationed in Spain to Sigonella, Italy, to shorten the team's distance from Egypt in case its intervention was needed. The United States also ordered the evacuation of its embassy in Cairo, news reports said.
In May, the US quietly approved the annual $1.3 billion in US military aid to Egypt, despite qualms over progress in the country's democratization process, and it seems unlikely to suspend that aid even after a coup. The Egyptian military has close ties to the Pentagon, and the emphasis Wednesday on civilian leaders and a "roadmap" to democracy appears likely to blunt any criticism in Washington.
Now that Morsi is out the US is likely to insist that it continues to take no sides and only supports "the Egyptian people," some regional analysts say.
"They'll continue trying to maintain this idea of a neutral position because they want to avoid looking like they are intervening in Egypt's politics," say James Phillips, a Middle East expert at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.
But the US was already suffering from a perception among Egyptians opposed to Morsi and the increasingly repressive actions of his Muslim Brotherhood party that it had "tilted" in Morsi's favor, Mr. Phillips says. And he says it will take more forceful pronouncements from Washington in favor of a democratic transition – at least – to sway a public dubious of US support.
"After having given the impression that we were shoring up the Muslim Brotherhood," Phillips says, "I would welcome even an even-handed statement that indicates we are distancing ourselves from the political forces that aren't really interested in building a democracy in Egypt."


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Bill Weaver
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Biographical Information
"Bill Weaver is a filmmaker, producer, cinematographer, photographer, Peabody Award-winning television journalist, and a former news anchor /reporter. Since moving to Canada in 1990, he has produced and directed ten award-winning documentaries and numerous interstitials for Canadian television. Using his years of journalism experience, he's developed an eye for authenticity and a nose for a good story — traits he infuses not only into his documentaries, but also into the film shorts he creates to promote the missions of a wide variety of organizations and initiatives...Bill is founder and co-facilitator of Media that Matters, a yearly conference and initiative dedicated to sparking new ideas, broadening collective wisdom, and building a stronger, smarter community among media professionals from all disciplines of conventional and unconventional media. In addition, he is an advisory board member for the Reel Youth Film Festival, and is a trustee of the Power of Hope, an organization that encourages teens to become creators — rather than consumers — of culture."[1]
He was the coproducer with Nora Arajs of From New Age to New Edge (2003) which was made with the support of the Canadian Television Fund. [1] Features leading members of the New Age including Hollyhock president Joel Solomon, program director Oriane Lee Johnston, visitors like Ralph White of the New York Open Center and authors like James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy), Jean Houston (The Possible Human), and Andrew Harvey (The Direct Path); other people featured include Karen Mahon and Tzeporah Berman.
- Founder, Across Borders Media (clients)
Resources and articles
Related Sourcewatch
- ↑ Across Borders Media Bill Weaver, organizational web page, accessed December 17, 2013.


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The Old North Church officially known as Christ Church in the City of Boston was built in 1723 when the colonies were still very young. It is located at 193 Salem Street in the north end of Boston. When it was built, the architecture was inspired by the works of Christopher Wren the same man who was responsible for the rebuilding of London after the "Great Fire."
History surrounds this church and seems to flow out from within, touching all who wish to let it. The true history of this historic landmark started on April 18, 1775. It is said this is where the famous lanterns were lit, in the historic "One if by land and two if by sea" signal. This phrase is directly related to the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere on April 18, 1775.
The Old North Church is the oldest standing church building in the city of Boston and is a National Historic Landmark. This wonderful church is filled with character and the American spirit, a real testament to the courage and determination of a nation that was struggling to be born.
Just step into the church and one will feel the significance of this spiritual landmark. Also, inside the church is a bust of George Washington, it was said by the Marquis de Lafayette, this bust was the best resemblance to Washington that he had ever seen.
The bells in this church are remarkable they are what are called Change Ringing Bells. What are Change Ringing Bells? This is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of Mathematical patterns called "changes." The bells in the North Church were cast in Gloucester, England in 1744, then brought to Boston and hung in 1745. These exceptional bells are maintained and rung on a regular basis.
Over the years the church has sustained some damage from storms. In the Storm of October 1804 the original steeple was damaged, it was replaced by a steeple designed by Charles Bulfinch. This steeple was then destroyed by Hurricane Carol in August of 1954. The latest steeple was created by using designs based on the elements from the original and the Bulfinch version.
The Old North Church has bodies buried in the basement. Archeologist have been examining the remains, they estimate that 1,100 bodies are buried here in 37 tombs. If one were to book a behind the scenes tour, run by the church, they would have the privilege of touring the crypt as well as the steeple.
This is a must see on any tour of Boston. Step into this historic landmark, close your eyes, take a deep breath and just imagine…
|Historic Site Hours:
Jan-Feb: 10am - 4pm; March-May: 9am - 5pm
June-Oct: 9am - 6pm; Nov-Dec: 9am - 5pm
|193 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
|(617) 523-6676
|Plan your visit to Old North Church


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Sandra's "Journeys" began in the late 1990's when she started a City and Guilds course at Windsor. Originally she trained as an artist but then textiles took over but now she combines painting, textiles, collage, photos, heat transfer paper and stitching to create her fabric pictures.
Sandra finds her inspiration in icebergs, ice lakes and lagoons, glaciers and water in places as far apart as the Arctic, Antarctic, Iceland and the Inuit lands of northern Canada and having studied these landscapes over several years she is seeing the effects of global warming which she also brings into her work.
Nearer home Sandra and her husband moved to Somerset five years ago and experienced the severe flooding there which she has used for inspiration along with views seen from the A303 which she travels frequently. Sandra builds up her some of her pieces by transferring the image onto heat transfer paper which she then irons onto thin cotton. She then layers her work with the cotton image, wire form, vilene and backing which she stitches through to give the piece depth. The colours used to create the icy watery landscapes are mostly greys, blues and blacks but sometimes Sandra includes some copper shim and copper paint to suggest a global warming meltdown. "Reality and Rhetoric" consists of six panels and is based on the flooding in the Somerset Levels. The panels are stitched in lines to suggest layers of water but within the lines there is a stitched narrative detailing the history, agriculture and government drainage plans for the area.
Sandra gave a fascinating, lively and informative talk about her work. It will be possible to see some of Sandra's work and appreciate the range of it as she exhibits with several groups including Artists 303 which have an exhibition coming up in Somerton Town Hall and Studio 21 who will be exhibiting at the Knitting and Stitch Show later this year.
My grateful thanks to Christine H for this report and to Vernice C for the photos.
Information in this blog is provided by branch members who have attended the meeting, workshop or event.
August 2020
Marlborough & District Branch is a member of the Embroiderers' Guild, the UK's leading crafts association
* The Embroiderers' Guild website -https://embroiderersguild.com/
* The Guild Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/embroiderersguild/
* The Guild Pinterest pages - https://uk.pinterest.com/theembroiderers/


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LAST WEEK, among other things, I went to the cinema. Yes, I went to see W, Oliver Stone's rather entertaining film about the breathtaking stupidity of President George W Bush in Shepherd's Bush.
Hang on, I mean I saw the film there, not that that's where the stupidity took place, although there is a fair bit of it in the Bush. But more on that later.
Anyway, the most revealing and damning thing about the film was not the manner in which an imbecile like Dubya could ever end up in the White House and casually embroil us all in a totally unnecessary and disastrous war, but the fact that he was such a messy eater.
I mean, come on Dubya, you're the president - smarten up! No chance of that. Throughout the film, Dubya, brilliantly portrayed by Josh Brolin, can be seen shoveling sandwiches down his gullet like they were going out of fashion.
I found it quite disconcerting, and when the couple sitting next to us started crunching away on the biggest, loudest box of popcorn you've ever seen, it was time to reach for the earplugs.
If you haven't sent the film yet I' not going to spoil it for you. I'll just say that an initially unrecognizable Richard Dreyfuss is wonderful as the evil Dick Cheney, glaring malevolently as yet another sandwich disappears down the W and clearly thinking: "That could've been me."
In what I felt was one of the film's most poignant moments, the president boldly declares, with half a slice of ham hanging off his face: "That was a shit sandwich!"
And while we're on the subject of complaint, can I ask a big question - Why is it that as soon as a film finishes, there is always a mass, sheep-like, headlong plunge for the exits? Why this anxiety to get back to the crushing boredom of reality? What's the hurry? Sit and watch the credits, listen to the outro music, ponder on the deeper meaning behind all those close-ups of Bush chewing.
And then there'll be no one else left in the cinema and you can chase your girlfriend up and down the aisles while pulling silly faces to the music.
But no, we must get back on to the beautiful streets of Shepherd's Bush must we not? On Friday night it was like a war zone out there. Police sirens wailed, spattered pavements were littered with the debris of a thousand abandoned fried chicken meals, the pigeons had a field day, and the dodgy characters staggering around made it seem like you had just strayed on to the movie set of the latest Sean of the Dead film.
Then it was time for something to eat. Now don't get me started on that one. I'll tell you all about our trip to the Not Quite With It Café next time...
**Phil Zimmerman is resident comic Downstairs at the Drayton. Next shows: tonight (Friday) Simon Munnery and Nick Wilty; November 28: Reginald D Hunter & Rufus Hound. See www.wegottickets.com.


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In her latest role, she's one half of a female duo on the run in Season 3 of Wanted, available on 7plus.
"They're not waiting for men to save them or looking for a man to complete them," Gibney, 53, says.
"That's sexy."
What does sexy mean to you?
Sexy is someone who is really comfortable in their own skin. It's someone that recognises their own authenticity and is happy to rest in that, in a way. And big, wide, open smiles and kind eyes are sexy to me.
Starting out in the industry, did you think you were sexy?
Oh, gosh no. Never. Still don't at all. I was always terribly insecure with my physicality and I think it's only since coming into my
40s and 50s that I've started to feel more comfortable with who I am. Does it make me sexy? I don't know about that. But it certainly makes me feel at ease with everything. I know what I want and I'm not afraid to reach out for it – in every aspect of my life.
What do you find sexy about your husband, Richard Bell?
We've been together 18 years and we're coming up to 17 years of marriage. He's everything. He has a wacky sense of humour, and I find that incredibly sexy. Apart from being my best friend, he's creative and passionate. We're a partnership in every sense of the word. That's what a marriage is. It's compromise and understanding and allowing people to be who they're born to be and encouraging that. And that's what he does for me.
When do you feel most confident?
Probably when I'm at home in my comfort zone. Because I have such a contented, happy home life, when I'm sitting with a cup of tea in my pyjamas I feel at my best. But I also love being in a collaborative environment with writers and other creative people tossing around ideas. That's not really sexy, that's just being confident, because I believe what I have to contribute is worth it.


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Rep. Polis on debt: tax pot, gambling
The federal government should legalize and tax marijuana and Internet gambling to help get the country out of the current debt crisis, writes Rep. Jared Polis, a second-term Colorado Democrat, on Wednesday's Wall Street Journal op-ed page.
Changes to immigration laws and one year of amnesty for delinquent taxpayers could also raise revenues, he said.
Though many Republicans have signed the anti-tax pledge put forward by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, that promise "does not preclude provisions that will increase revenue without actually increasing taxes on Americans," Polis argues.
So, he says, Congress should look for ways to do just that. His ideas, and others like them, "are fully consistent with the Norquist pledge and produce substantial new revenue streams for the federal government. They should all be on the table, along with spending cuts, if we are to break free of the rhetorical shackles that prevent cutting the deficit."
Where medical marijuana is legal — in 16 states and the District of Columbia — governments bring in millions of dollars annually in tax revenues and, based on a 2005 study by a Harvard University professor, the federal government could take in $2.4 billion a year if it legalized and taxed pot nationally.
Changing federal laws on Internet gambling could bring in a bit more money, Polis says, with one estimate suggesting that $42 billion in new revenues could be generated by legalizing and regulating Internet gambling — a measure that has some support from members of both parties.
Even more revenue could be generated if the federal government were to require more than 10 million illegal immigrants living in the United States to obtain legal status and to pay back taxes and fees. In all, such a measure could raise as much as $5.4 billion in new revenue, Polis says, though it would come only with the kind of immigration law that Congress has been unable to pass for years and is still stalled on.
Immigration reform also would bring in big annual revenues, Polis contends. A bipartisan bill considered by the Senate in 2007 would have brought in $12 billion annually by 2012 and $48 billion by 2017, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
And there are more ways to raise new revenues without increasing taxes in the strictest sense, Polis says, suggesting a one-year tax amnesty program for tax evaders to get right without facing penalties. One study by Arthur Laffer, an economic adviser to President Ronald Reagan, found that one year of amnesty could bring in $800 billion to $1 trillion in revenues over the course of a decade, the congressman says.


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Stinking gladwyn
Iris foetidissima
Common Name: Stinking gladwyn
Genus: Iris
Species: foetidissima
Category: Bulbs, Corms, Tubers & Rhizomatous Plants
Growth Rate: Fast growing
Features: Has interesting/colourful ornamental fruit
|Hardiness: Hardy
|Height: 0.90 m (90 cm)
|Sun/Shade: Full sun or Partial shade
|Spread: 0.60 m (60 cm)
|Foliage Type: Semi Evergreen
|Flower Colour: Purple, Yellow
|Foliage Colour: Green
|Flowering Period: June
Soil Type: Normal/Loam or Sandy/Light or Clay/Heavy or Chalky/Alkaline
Soil Moisture: Will tolerant a wide range of soil moisture levels
A useful iris as it tolerates both shade and dry soil. Nicknamed the stinking iris it has bright green strappy leaves that smell a little when crushed and rather shy pale lemon and purple flowers in late spring. In autumn the seed pods burst open to reveal beads of bright orange berries. Plant it in bold swathes in difficult areas of the garden where little else will grow. It self seeds freely.
- Garden care: Plant shallowly with the upper part of the rhizome sitting on the surface of the soil incorporating plenty of well-rotted manure or compost into the planting hole.
Similar Plants:
Bearded iris
Iris 'Mer du Sud'
Iris orientalis Shelford Giant
Iris orientalis 'Shelford Giant'
Iris pallida
Iris pallida
Related Articles:


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Taiwan and China have reached an initial agreement to let Taiwan banks use their Hong Kong subsidiaries to invest in mainland lenders, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing unidentified sources.
The report comes after Hu Sheng-cheng, chairman of Taiwan's financial regulator, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), said recently that the changes were in the final stage of confirmation and could be announced "very soon".
A senior official in Taipei said Beijing had agreed informally to the model, and that Taipei had sent a formal letter to Beijing to confirm it accepts the deal, the newspaper said.
FSC officials could not be reached immediately for comment.
Fubon Financial is widely expected to be the first Taiwan bank to be allowed to buy a stake of a Chinese bank, which local media have widely reported as Xiamen City Commercial Bank, via its Hong Kong subsidiary Fubon Bank (Hong Kong.
The HKMA, Hong Kong's central bank, will act as an intermediary for supervisory information, according to the FT report.
Taiwan banks have struggled with a saturated home market and are slowly recovering from a consumer credit crisis that sent many of them into the red in 2007.
Taiwan and Beijing, which sees the island as part of its territory and has threatened to attack by force if necessary, do not allow their banks to invest in each other.
Up until now Taiwan banks have been able to get limited access to China via Hong Kong. Mega Financial, SinoPac Financial and many other financial companies have branches in Hong Kong.


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Visit Bob and Coleen's Workers On Wheels Website for Working RVers
The right tools and equipment can make your RV life and travels a lot easier, safer, and more fun. The following articles are about the gear and general supplies we carry in our RV -- and why.
Solar Panels: What Do I Really Need in a Photovoltaic System for RV Electricity? Solar panels and a photovoltaic system are amazing. Use them to maintain your batteries in the off-season, to supplement while occasionally boondocking, or for a full time stand-alone electric system.
My Sea Eagle Boat Is a Lot of Fun, It's Safe, and It Fits In My RV My Sea Eagle boat saved me from being boatless. It's an inflatable, so it packs up to fit in our RV. It's safe and stable. I have a lot of fun with it, fishing, or just being out on the water.
A Little Giant Ladder -- Something That's Really Handy When RVing My Little Giant Ladder is a tool I bought about 15 years ago at the Florida RV Super Show. I came across a dealer in the commercial area selling folding ladder systems. I had looked at other brands before, but these were different.
Tools for the Road -- Bob's List of Tools and Related Supplies for the RV There are two things that I've never had too much of … fishing equipment and tools. When it comes to fixing, building, or remodeling something in the RV, I have what I need to get the project done.
Bob's Tools, Tips, and Thoughts on Needed RV Repair Supplies Tools and repair supplies are usually the first things we put into our RVs. You never know when you are going to have a mechanical breakdown or have something go wrong in the RV that needs fixing.
Leveling Our RV: We Opt for No Cost, Low Tech, Easy, and
Efficient Leveling our RV, whether we are in our travel trailer or
motorhome, is a simple procedure. It's quick, easy, and I didn't spend any
money to buy leveling blocks. You may want a more high-tech way to level your
rig, but this basic method works efficiently for us.
My Personal Planner is an Indispensable Tool for Organizing our RVing Lives My personal planner is my portable filing cabinet. I use it for keeping track of basic vehicle, medical, banking, and other important information. It's my journal to track our RV life and travels.
Prepare Your RV for Emergencies: A Ready To Go Shelter in the Storm Prepare your RV for emergencies. You've heard the saying, "your shelter in a storm." With a little planning, your recreational vehicle can be that shelter. Not only in a storm, but also for whenever you need emergency shelter.
Stock Your RV for Emergencies: Have It Stocked and Ready to Go Stock Your RV for Emergencies is part two of the article Prepare Your RV for Emergencies on the previous page. Make sure your recreational vehicle is well stocked so it is ready to use in an emergency. Keep these things in the RV, ready to go:
The Magic of Solar Panels: Bob's True Fairytale RVing and Photovoltaics Story Solar panels play a big part in our full-time RVing independence. Here's Bob's story -- written as a fairytale, but very true -- of how we became full-timers and how we started with a solar system.
Go to the RV Life and Travel home page to find more articles about RVs, RV camping, and full-time RVing.
Disclosure: We receive compensation from advertisers, affiliate relationships, and site sponsors


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6 Mental Study Traps that Cause Poor Results
Psychologists have identified "invisible scripts" in our mindset, which we use to inhibit ourselves. These mental traps cause a range of problems, from poor career advancement to bad school grades. Here are the most dangerous ones to get rid of:
1. I need to know what's in the exam to start studying
No you don't – top students are studying from the first day of class. The reason you think this way is because you rely on rote learning; you want the easier option of finding out which pages to memorise.
A better way is to immerse yourself in the topic from day one. Read texts from outside the school list, practice applying what you learned (e.g. if it's percentages, practice converting everything to a percentage of your allowance on the way home), and even watch educational videos on the general topic.
You don't need to wait for specifics before you start putting in effort. The sooner you develop a general learning of a subject, the faster you will pick up on specific areas later.
2. X is my strongest subject, so I can ignore it and pay more attention to others
This is overconfidence. Bear in mind that the difficulty of subjects can change quite dramatically between grade levels – it is possible to perform well in Biology in Secondary 2, but find yourself struggling in Secondary 4. Don't assume that you won't have to maintain your efforts, or that you won't have difficult new things to learn.
So by all means, pay more attention to your weaker subjects – but never ignore the strong ones altogether.
First, this is because your stronger subjects are the ones you're probably more passionate about; they can keep you motivated in tough times. Second, paying less attention doesn't mean ignoring the subject altogether. Never get so overconfident that you completely skip studying a strong subject to do something else.
3. If I complete X assessments or exam papers, I have studied for the subject
Never set a quantity goal when doing revision work. You haven't finished studying when you've completed 5 or 7 or 10 mock papers – you've finished studying when you understand a concept and can articulate it.
Your goals should read like the following:
- Be able to explain the process of photosynthesis
- Be able to label the parts of a plant
- Be able to describe the three ways in which plants reproduce
The goals should never be "complete assessment books X, Y, and Z". Note that this is also a time saving method – if you grasp the essential concepts, then don't waste too much time mindlessly repeating it. Move on to the next topic.
4. My next goal is to get an A (or other unrealistic goal) for a subject I'm failing
This sort of goal setting is negative, because it makes you less driven. Your brain will never buy it (inherently, you're not silly enough to believe a fantasy) – the consequence is a lot of daydreaming and another eventual failure.
When you set a goal, establish a base and a time frame. For example, you could say you want to raise your score by 20%, and that you want to do it within three months.
By using small, measurable goals, your progress will feel more tangible. Small, repeated successes also build up your confidence, which keeps you motivated. So always think of progress as a railway track: no one rips up the whole track and replaces it at once, they replace it one segment at a time. And over the course of a year, you'll look up and suddenly realise a whole shiny new track is in place!
For more on effective goal setting, like us on Facebook and we'll give you some tips.
5. This tutor worked great for my friend, so there's something wrong with me if I don't get him
Different people have different learning methods. It is the tutor's responsibility to find the best way to teach a student (and the student's responsibility to co-operate as much as possible).
Sometimes, a tutor's methods may work for your friends or acquaintances, but not for you. You may have problems with tutors who are too academic, because you like tangible examples. Or you may take issue with tutors who micromanage, because you are a big picture person.
Don't trap yourself in a sour, grade-destroying relationship. Change your tutor, and find one who caters to you specifically. You can use our database to find one in minutes.
6. XYZ gets good grades and studies in a particular way. If I follow, I will get good grades too.
As we mentioned in point 5, people learn in different ways. Some people learn better by skimming chapters and getting the big picture. Others learn better by poring over specifics. Even factors such as time of day, ambient noise, and your experiences over the past week can dramatically alter your learning style.
Never assume that, because you imitate the study methods of a successful student, you will become successful too. You should try to pick up some tips from such students, but do not stubbornly imitate them if it does you no good.
Which study traps do you most often fall for? Let us know so we can help!
Image Credits:


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Using Toys in Public: All Good Fun or Kind of Gross?
There is an interesting discussion going on in the Orgasm Army forums on the acceptability of wearing sex toys while out in public. With the coming (heh) of toys like the VibraExciter and the VibraExciter for Men, getting off or at least getting phenomenally aroused while you're out in town has never been so easy. But while people tend to give a blush and a twitter when considering a couple using such toys to spice up their sex life, people can feel a little ooky when considering a man using these toys on his own - especially when the toys are less vibrating and more insertable.
So what difference? It is still someone getting aroused in public… why does it seem seedier if it is a man alone, without a woman attached to the other end of his toy?
Captain Jezzer tries to tease out the differences:
Now there seems to be some people in the outside world who think wearing toys is only a good thing if its women doing it,it seems a lot of people say if a man is wearing one and he cums using one, it's a bit on the sick side etc.
It seems more acceptable for women to wear Toys and orgasm and get wet, but if it's a bloke doing it well it's a No-No.
What are your views??
There is some discussion on whether or not it turns 'pervy' if you're fantasizing about someone you can see while you're out, and whether or not it is rude to be interacting with other people while getting your rocks off. It's an interesting subject, when you start to peel back why some things are hot and some things unsettle you. The discussion continues, so head on over to the Army and join in.


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Recently one of the NY Times blog carried this news about Vanderbilt University Medical Center going in for the Ilog business rules management system The Doctor Will B.R.M.S. You Now – Bits Blog – NYTimes.com. Other health IT sites and the blogosphere picked up this news and were abuzz for a while with the potential of such systems.
From this:
To This:
One has to stop and ask what is so complex about rules for healthcare that expensive systems are needed to support them. Do we really need them?
Surely we need the capability to manage rules; the more familiar the users become with the system you the more rules seem to be spawned. Such BRM capabilities include preventing redundant rules to be created, to semantically identify rules with similar intents, to use similar semantic mechanisms to locate a rule which is most suitable for reuse in a situation etc.
Clinical decision making is based on results of clinical trials. The clinical trials almost never consider more than a few parameters at a time to reach a conclusion. Furthermore, rare are the clinical contexts where more than a few data items are evaluated to decided between several possible conclusions. Therefore the major need is not for the systems which can handle complexity but for the systems which allow exploiting the capability of the rules engines and repositories.
The most critical advantage a business rules system offers is to externalize the rules so that they can be changed even after the system has been developed and deployed. Preferably the logic and flow of the applications can be changed by subject matter experts possessing no programming skills. In contrast, in the traditional systems the logic is buried inside hardened compiled code and is out of bounds for the ordinary users. It can only be changed by hugely expensive programming efforts. Not just the programming resources, the development effort requires the business experts to educate the programmers about the new logic they would like in their applications. In the interface between the clinicians and the programmers, either the former will need to learn about software technologies or the latter will have to be taught enough of medicine. The solution adopted in most situations is that clinicians end up spending significant amount of time teaching piecemeal clinical logic to the programmers. The BRM approach obviates the need to do so. However, if the users are to be the primary custodians of the logic of the applications we also need user-friendly tools. Most systems (commercial or open source) have done a poor job in providing such interfaces. The user interfaces have been step children of the BRMs. They have provided the lakes and ponds teeming with bounteous fish but have paid little attention to fishing nets and rods. Little wonder the users go hungry.
The GreEd (pronounced as greed) system was created with a different thinking. It started with thinking about how the users (clinicians) will find it intuitive to work with clinical logic. For GreEd, which stands for Graphical rule elements Editor, it does not even matter which underlying rule system is used since its internal syntax is mappable to the most commonly used logic elements of other rule representation approaches. GreEd boasts of an approach in which logic, even complex clinical logic, may be specified by simple drag and drop operations. Although GreEd started as a rule authoring tool (hence the name), it is more than a rules editor. It is a full rules management system. It is extensible to allow new logic elements (as operators) to be included to become one of draggable items available to create executable logic. The rules themselves use standards based data elements (ISO/IEC 11179), which allows semantic searching and navigating of the rules repository, besides some very interesting uses. Currently, its internal syntax has one mapping, to Java programming language but we plan to create mappings for other production rules syntaxes too.
A good user accessible authoring environment saves organizations time and money. We expect to exploit GreEd to get these benefits. Stay tuned for a more detailed post about GreEd sometime in not so distant a future.


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On Thursday, November 17, James Resource Network will be hosting its 4th annual silent auction of designer handbags, scarves and hats to benefit of the James Resource Network and its attainable housing for single parent families projects. The $50.00 ticket price includes heavy appetizers and drinks plus a lucky draw ticket.
The event will be held at:
The Falls Event Center
8199 Southpark CT
Littleton, CO 80120


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Following on from the Gazelli Wellness Tips I shared earlier in the week, part 2's focus is Mind and Body.
Gazelli Skincare offer through their advice for improving the overall wellbeing of mind and body, including posture exercises to encourage positive energy…
- Thinking positively lessens worrying and therefore reduces stress, thereby lessening your chances of getting a physical and emotional illness. When stressed, the fight or flight hormone is released. This is called adrenaline and it's produced by the adrenal glands after receiving a message from the brain in a stressful situation. All hormones travel in the blood so they reach every part of the body, including the skin, which is why stress can affect the complexion.
- Positive thinking on the other hand, can help stimulate the production of serotonin, known as the main happiness hormone because of its responsibility for regulating our mood and preventing depression, making you feel happy. Serotonin can be released by being exposed to sunlight, by eating foods rich in carbohydrates, and especially by exercising. A combination of these can help to boost blood flow by more than 20% to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, to fight infections, relieve hay fever, ease pain and control diabetes.
- Keep mentally challenged. The brain produces many neurotransmitters that help the brain communicate with itself and the rest of the nervous system, telling the body to do certain things. Stimulating activities such as puzzles are known to help the brain produce the hormone Dopamine, which can help trigger a positive mood, better concentration levels, improved memory and good motor skills. Dopamine can also be released by eating foods that are rich in proteins.
- Good posture is thought to help the flow of energy in the body. Here are some simple exercises you can do at your desk to help improve your posture and increase your energy levels:
Neck rolls and shoulder rotations
Sit up straight and lean your head forward. Rotate it around clockwise for 10 – 15 seconds, and then switch to rotating counterclockwise. You can also slightly lean your head to the left, place your right hand against the right side of your head, and press against your hand with your head to work the muscles in your neck. Repeat to the other side.Rotate your shoulders back and forth 10 times. You can also lift them up to your ears, hold, squeeze and release for extra relaxation.
Leg extensions
Stretch your leg out and point your toes. Lift your leg and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds to stretch the lower leg and hamstrings. Switch legs and repeat.
Lower back stretch
You can relieve much of this tension by standing up and touching your toes for a count of 20 seconds.
Spinal twist
Sit in your chair sideways, by gripping the top of the chair with both hands and pulling your body towards the back of the chair. Do this 2 to 3 times and hold for a count of 10 seconds, then switch to the other side.
Side stretch
Raise your arm into the air and lean in the opposite direction as if you were reaching for something on a high shelf. Hold for a count of 10 seconds and then switch arms. Repeat 3 to 4 times.
For more tips and advice on achieving optimum wellbeing, Gazelli recommend booking in to see one of our Facial Experts. They are available for a Skin Diagnostic Consultation before each treatment. Email email@example.com or call 0207 581 4355 for more information.


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Want to guarantee yourself a Windows Phone 7 handset from AT&T on the November 8th launch day, but don't want to wake up at the crack of dawn or fight any lines that may or may not (but probably won't) exist? No such luck, Chuck.
For reasons known only to the Gods of Crazyville, AT&T says they won't be offering up pre-orders for the Windows Phone 7 launch.
The initial word came from AT&TJulie, one of AT&T's social media folks. In response to a tweet about how the Windows Phone 7 launch would go down:
It'll be available in AT&T Corp stores and online @att.com/wirelss, sold on a first come first serve basis on 11/8.
"First come first serve"? Surely they don't mean there won't be any pre-orders, right? Wrong. AT&T has since confirmed that pre-ordering is a no go.
An odd decision, especially considering that they've done pre-orders for considerably "smaller" (from a marketing-money-spent standpoint) launches. Does AT&T not expect enough of a turnout to warrant taking pre-orders, or are they just trying to increase the odds that they'll have some photo-friendly lines?
[Shout out to Windows Phone Secrets for spotting the tweet]


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|Project by Barry Crowe
|posted 04-24-2014 07:28 PM
|1891 views
|6 times favorited
|3 comments
These are a few pictures of a completely wood shelving system that I am developing and will be a standard production item. These shelf components are made from primarily Manitoba Burr Oak and Manitoba Green Ash with some walnut for design accents. The ash is indeed dry, the "Green" is nomenclature of the species. These items are a strategic and marketing effort to add value to the native hard wood that grow in abundance in the Winnipeg area.
I am still in the development stage of the shelving system. The production product will be slightly less chunky, meaning the uprights (standards) will be thinner, 1 ¼", as opposed to 1 5/8" in the photos. The shelving material will be either Manitoba Ash or Oak and will feature enclosed shelving boxes and enclosed shelving boxes with a flip up door. Look to more developments and finished product in the future.
-- Supercrowe
3 comments so far
#1 posted 04-24-2014 09:38 PM
Very ingenious – nicely done.
-- Ron, "Curiosity is a terrible thing to waste."
#2 posted 04-25-2014 07:23 PM
Great concept. Looking forward to see the final design!
-- "Do or Do not. There is no try." - Yoda
#3 posted 04-25-2014 07:29 PM
simple and strong
Have your say...
You must be signed in to post the comments.


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$ 13.99 $ 14.99
Finally… You Can Enjoy Big, Fluffy Pancakes and Waffles Again With No Guilt
Everyone loves pancakes but most pancakes will spike blood sugar and don't always have the healthiest of ingredients.
Well heat the griddle up because these pancakes and waffles (when eaten in moderation) won't affect your health... or your waistline... or your blood sugar! (But do test your sugar as everyone's body reacts differently)
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Normally, you might feel guilty about indulging in such a delicious treat. But not anymore, because this is one scrumptious indulgence you can feel GREAT about! And you can enjoy it every day!
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These homestyle pancakes don't just taste good, they're good for you.
Two pancakes or waffles packs as much fiber as two bran muffins (about 40% of your daily fiber requirement) without the sugar and gluten.
On top of that, they're brimming with healthy fats, which experts now say are critical for brain and heart health.
Try a can today. You'll love 'em!


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Burkina Faso
Political relations
The Federal Republic of Germany and Burkina Faso have maintained diplomatic relations since 1960. Numerous town twinning arrangements and association partnerships as well as the activities of non-governmental organisations have helped to consolidate these relations, resulting in a tight-knit web of personal and institutional contacts.
After a hiatus of four and half years, diplomatic visits were resumed in January 2017 with the visit by President of the National Assembly Salifou Diallo and his delegation to German Bundestag President Norbert Lammert in Berlin. That same year, a delegation of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the States of West and Central Africa visited Ouagadougou. Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller visited Burkina Faso at the same time. At the end of March, President Kaboré paid an official visit to Berlin and met Federal Chancellor Merkel and others. During his visit, he gave the opening speech for the Germany Africa Business Forum. Most recently, Dr Ralf Brauksiepe, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defence, visited Ouagadougou in August 2017.
Development cooperation and economic relations
Bilateral relations focus on development cooperation in the following areas: agriculture and food security, water supply and sanitation, and decentralisation. Other areas of cooperation include human rights and health care, in particular for women and children. Burkina Faso is a beneficiary of the special initiative One World – No Hunger (SEWOH). From the beginning of cooperation in 1961 up to the end of 2015, German development cooperation commitments totalled nearly one billion euros. Intergovernmental consultations between Burkina Faso and Germany took place in summer 2017 in order to determine the programme for the coming years. Germany pledged the sum of 102 million euros for Burkina Faso over the ensuing three years.
Implementing organisations of German cooperation – Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – have offices in the country. Numerous German non-governmental organisations as well as the Hanns Seidel Foundation are working together with partners from Burkina Faso to support the country's development, in many cases with Federal Government funding.
Bilateral trade is very modest, with Germany recording large trade surpluses. A bilateral investment protection agreement has been in place since October 2009. Burkina Faso benefits from preferential import tariffs under the Cotonou Agreement with the European Union.
Cultural relations
Bilateral cultural relations focus on promoting the German language. There are just under 78,000 students learning German at 531 secondary schools who are taught by local teachers. A German Department was opened at Ouagadougou University in 1982. In the 2016/2017 academic year, approximately 1500 students signed up for the Bachelor's in German Studies and 31 for the newly introduced Master's in German Studies.
The Abidjan branch of the Goethe-Institut has run a liaison office in Ouagadougou since September 2008. Two grammar schools in Burkina Faso participate in the Federal Foreign Office's Schools: Partners for the Future initiative (PASCH). Since 2011, students from schools in Burkina Faso have regularly participated in the International Award Winners Programme of the Educational Exchange Service (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst – PAD).
There are also numerous cooperation projects in higher education. The lector post funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) at the University of Ouagadougou has been filled again since 2007.
In addition, coaches from Burkina Faso regularly participate in further-training measures conducted by the University of Leipzig. A German cycling team participated in the Tour de Faso again in 2017.
In early 2010, the now deceased German artist Christoph Schlingensief launched an African Opera Village project near Ouagadougou. Schlingensief's widow is carrying on the project with the help of private donations. A school that is affiliated to the Opera Village was officially opened in October 2011 and an infirmary in June 2014.
A European Film Week took place in Ouagadougou in May 2017, during which the film "Hannah Arendt" was screened as a German contribution. In addition, the German-supported Ciné Bus project is providing access to high-quality regional film productions, even in remote areas of the country. Launched in 2016 and still ongoing, it has met with a very positive response from the rural population and sparked off socio-political debates.
Additional content
Burkina Faso is a partner country of German development cooperation. For more information please visit the website of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development


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The country town of Bathurst, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) west of Sydney is best known for its annual car racing, yet tucked away on the outskirts of town visitors can discover a little piece of history.
William Stewart arrived in Australia in 1825 and became Lieutenant Governor General of New South Wales. He was granted land in Bathurst in order to help colonise the region; his land extended as far as where the town is currently located, including Mount Panorama itself, about 6 kilometres (3 miles) away. Abercrombie House was built in the 1870s by his eldest son, yet after World War I it fell into decline. It became the home of the current owners during the late 1960s and since then they have spent many years restoring the house, grounds and outbuildings, and is now heritage listed.
Today the house would be best described as a mansion, containing at least a dozen bedrooms, a turret and a ballroom. For some months now I have had an idea for a new novel and I think I may well have found the perfect setting with Abercrombie House.
Here is a glimpse of the photos I took inside the house and around the grounds of Abercrombie House.
I have something special coming up, so I'll be taking a break from blogging for a couple of weeks and will return on the first week in April. Consider yourselves warned! 😉
Do you visit historic houses? Are you one to enjoy undertaking a big project – like house renovation? Have you made a lucky discovery recently?
Images by Debbie Johansson.


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Posted by Hillsdale Dental Care on Apr 20 2017, 08:43 PM
I want a celebrity smile but I don't want to wear Invisalign to get it. There are multiple things wrong with my teeth and I am feeling pressure to do something about it. I'm at dance clubs every weekend. Most of the people at the clubs I frequent have straight white teeth. It's almost ridiculous that the conversation on the dance floor is how different celebrities' teeth look. I'm not really that basic but I do feel a little pressure because of the crowd I hang out with. There is also the real issue that my teeth do look quite bad. I can't imagine having to go a year or more trying to straighten my teeth out with Invisalign. I think I'm really looking for a faster way to get my smile looking just the way I want it. I also need 2 dental implants on the top right, almost near the back of my mouth. It's on the right hand side. The shape of my teeth is funny too, so that needs to be taken care of and the color is uneven. It's a lot I know but something has to be done. If I bring in a picture of a celebrity smile I like, would a dentist there be able to do it? Thanks. Lahn
Lahn – Most celebrities have received cosmetic dentistry to achieve their smile. If you look at their photos over the span of ten or fifteen years, you can see how their smiles have changed for the better. Thanks to cosmetic dentistry, your smile can improve, too.
In order to tell you what treatment, or combination of treatments, is needed for you to have a celebrity smile, an examination and x-rays are needed.
Do You Need Invisalign to Get a Celebrity Smile?
A Celebrity Smile with Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are bonded to the front of your teeth after a small amount of your tooth structure is removed. They will also change the shape and color of your teeth. Invisalign will certainly align your teeth, but if they are misshaped, additional treatment will be needed. A cosmetic dentist might use tooth contouring or dental bonding to shape and even your teeth.
Schedule Consultations for a Smile Makeover
We suggest that you schedule consultations with at least two cosmetic dentists. A photo of your favorite celebrity smile can give a cosmetic dentist an idea of how you want your smile to look, but we don't recommend trying to duplicate it. Someone else's smile might not match your personality, facial structure, gumline, or lips. It's best to pick out features of smiles that you like and trust a skilled cosmetic dentist to enhance your smile in a way that looks best on you.
Be prepared with questions. Also be prepared for a brief examination of the condition of your teeth. A thorough examination and x-rays can be scheduled later to get definite information on getting a celebrity smile, the dental treatment needed, and how to coordinate cosmetic dentistry with dental implants.
This post is sponsored by San Jose dentists Dr. Ralph Stanley, Dr. Magdalena Azzarelli, and Dr. Rogé Jacob.
Related Posts
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Hillsdale Dental Care
1660 Hillsdale Ave, Suite 130
San Jose, CA 95124
Phone : (408) 267-2550
Fax :
Email: [email protected]
MONDAY: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
TUESDAY: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
WEDNESDAY: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
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Email: [email protected]
Call: (408) 267-2550


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Anatomy and punk collide in this collection, titled ANATOPUNK, by Paris-based apparel designer, Diana Jap. I enjoy the way Diana incorporated the anatomy, especially in the patchwork leg muscles on top of the plaid pants in the last photo. I also love the bleached technique used to define the pectoral and arm muscles in the second model from the top. But where are the huge mohawks?!
View more of Diana Jap's work at behance.net/DianaJap.


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- Features & News
- History
|>> HOME > REVIEWS > Peterson's Farm
Peterson's Farm
636 Gossage Ave., Petaluma
Reviewed 10/09/10 by Hauntmistress
Looking for a sincere pumpkin patch to roam around, some friendly animals to feed, and more information about bees than you can buzz at? Then Peterson's Farm is perfect for you.
Peterson's Farm is nestled in a residential neighborhood, and when we arrived we first thought it was a private residence. But once you turn in you can see the barn decorated for Halloween and the friendly and personable family ready to help you and answer questions.
Parking is behind the barn by a good-sized field of homegrown pumpkins. Families were pulling wagons and kids were running around the beautiful field choosing pumpkins to take home. The pumpkins, like everything grown at Peterson's farm, are pesticide and herbicide free.
As we made our way around to the front of the barn to pay for our pumpkins, we were greeted by friendly animals and were able to feed them from the buckets of food next to each animal's house. The Scottish Highland cow was especially soft and furry and fun to feed. We also stopped to visit with some bunnies, free-range chickens, roosters, a turkey, and two horses before making our way into the barn.
Inside the barn we got to see bees at work in the observation hive. We even spotted the queen! Then the real Queen Bee, Ettamarie Peterson, came in and we spent some time talking to her and learning all about bees and hearing her wonderful stories of beekeeping. Take home some honey that has been extracted on the farm (not from the observation hive) and strained through a double-layered sieve before bottling.
Before we left, we treated ourselves to some homemade zucchini bread, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies to go.
We had a very pleasant time at Peterson's Farm and can't wait to visit next year.
Be sure to take a look at our Events Calendar or our map of pumpkin patches and haunted houses to find all the other great events going on in the Bay Area.
Do you think we got this review totally wrong? Agree with us? Or just want everyone to know your thoughts? Then start a discussion in our forums!
|>> HOME > REVIEWS > Peterson's Farm
Copyright © 1997-2020 Haunted Bay


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« Which School Districts Struggle Most With Chronically Absent Students? | Main | Feds to Schools: Protect Students' Civil Rights by Limiting Role of School Police »
Why Do Some Schools Still Use Corporal Punishment?
If you haven't already, be sure to read Education Week's package of stories and original research on corporal punishment in public schools. Using the most recent federal data, Assistant Editor Sarah D. Sparks worked with our research center to explore trends in the use of discipline methods like paddling. While use of corporal punishment has declined nationwide, schools in 21 states still practiced it in 2013-14, the data show.
"Corporal punishment is an immediate consequence to an action, and there's no down time. ... It's really pretty effective," Camille Wright, a superintendent in Enterprise, Ala., told Sparks.
Others disagree with the practice, saying it is harmful to children and not appropriate in an educational environment.
Check out Sparks' appearance on C-SPAN along with Christopher B. Swanson, our vice president for research and development (top) and a piece Education Week that produced for PBS Newshour below.
Related reading on corporal punishment and school discipline:
- Corporal Punishment Use Found in Schools in 21 States
- School Paddling Has Deep Roots
- A Persistent Practice: Corporal Punishment in US Schools
- In some US schools, resistance to ending corporal punishment
Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox.


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My Rogue New Years Eve
January 13th 2014
Story originally written and experienced:December 31st 2013
His pants were completely broken.
And we were running out of time.
It was happening.
All of it.
Ever since I moved to this concrete madhouse labeled as New York City
My batshit friends from my classy ass college decided to thrive off of our separation anxiety issues and make an annual tradition to visit the Big Apple
As a group.
To be together.
Every year.
And after the grand success of year 1:
The pressure was sky scraper for a 3rd successful reunion in this sleepless city I called home.
Fast forward
Play >
It had been 3 days into their annual arrival and the gang and I had successfully crushed delectable pizza at 5am wiping our faces with Halloween napkins we suspiciously acquired along the way
Invaded an empty bar in the deep depths of Brooklyn and convinced the owner to let us dine in with 3 full pizzas we bought if we promised to purchase 3 of their most expensive cocktails….each.
They said yes.
Did some light street reading compliments of my neighborhood anti evangelist:
Completely redefined ecstasy once the chicken and rice halal cart was eaten at 5am after making the taxi driver do donuts in time square so we could get the "full experience" of NYC.
And checking into our fancy pants hotel where we most definitely turned a 2 man suite into one that would fit 6 for the sake of financial bliss.
And after 3 days of galavanting in the city.
Passing out cold at the bars:
And dropping some serious beats on the subway:
Every member was both run down and well-fed. But tonight?
Was the damn night.
The night to rule them all. The night to prove that we really could pull off this tradition 3 years in a goddamn row.
And we did.
And the story goes like this:
The party started at approximately 10 pm but we really wanted a snack.
"What should we have as our last meal in 2013?" I asked the crew with minimal enthusiasm and a 3 day hangover on the mind
We brainstormed.
And we brainstormed a lot.
And no reservation and one decision later.
We invested in copious amounts of Pad Thai and Jungle Curry that were delivered straight to our damn door
And post our Pad Thai blackout we inevitably glanced at the clock and realized that we were running out of time, and naturally made a game place that went like this:
8:30 pm
8:45 pm
9:15 pm
9:30 pm
9:50 pm
I finally rallied the troops with a mild success rate
To get them ready to head out the damn door.
We were attemptive in trying to look as put together as possible. And with mediocre faith I'd like to update you in saying that doing such a task has never quite been our forte.
And probably never will
But only because
– Snap –
"Oh fuck no." I heard Al murmur from the neighboring room.
"What? What's wrong?"
"My pants. They're…broken."
"…Do you have any other pants?"
"So you can't do this tonight?"
"…Probably not…"
"Do you have a safety pin?"
"I don't…But I feel like that might be a dangerous gamble. Because of like the dance floor. And the sharpness…and the alcohol. That could turn into like a fish hook situation if you get particularly spicy with someone later in the evening…Idk."
"…Okay forget the safety pin."
"Oh no."
"Now what?"
"I only have one pair of socks left in my suitcase."
"I feel like that's fine since this is your last night here."
"Yeah but…they're polka dot socks…"
"…Why would you even purchase polka dot socks?"
"They go great with my broken pants."
"Feel good to be a grown up?"
"Never better."
My group was shaping up to be quite the hott mess. Emma dressed in a sling from tripping over a pile of trash a few days before, Cameron bringing his favorite tie and realizing 10 minutes after we walked out the door that he had forgotten the damn thing elsewhere, Brandon packing the wrong pair of slacks and Al wearing his broken pants that perfectly paired with his polka dot socks.
As we picked up my batshit friend Nicole Detamble and her European boyfriend along the way.
Alas, we headed downtown to party our broken pants off. But the directions there were proving to be quite the bitch. We consulted Siri for optimal support. Her response was as follows:
And about 4 panic attacks, a mild case of hypothermia and one falafel cart stop later, we eventually reached our final destination where we were directed towards a small elevator in the back and instructed to press for Floor 6.
We had arrived.
The doors opened
Inviting in a wave of heat that traveled from the dance floor, loud volume bOoMing from packed conversation, and bLiNkInG lights ricocheting from
room to room.
My friends who had invited us immediately greeted us at the door.
"Heyyy!! Guysss!! Welcomeeee! We've got an open bar in the front and in the back. Dance floor is to your right. And the entrance to the rooftop is around the corner. We've got champagne ready for midnight and snacks stationed around the loft. Help yourself and have a good time!"
To which we were like:
We began heading towards the open bar in the back when I heard Brandon realy a "Jesus fucking Christ." over the pOuNdInG Ke$ha tracks
"This place man. Every damn girl looks like a Victoria Secret model and all the dudes look like members of One Direction. No normal guy can pull of the hair styles these guys got. No fuckin way. I'm just gonna make myself a damn gin and tonic so I can look cool as sh-
Something exploded.
Amidst Brandon's attempt to booze into the new year, his hand selected bottle of tonic water went completely awry. Spraying all over by standers and his less than quick dry pants:
Leaving one member of my crew with broken pants, polka dot socks and no belt, whilst the other one appeared as if he had wet himself 4 seconds into the party.
– Crunch –
The fuck is going on.
Moments after I returned from my bathroom break (limiting myself to just one selfie)
I was on a desperate vendetta to find my friends before the grand stroke of midnight.
But I couldn't find my damn friends anywhere.
– Crunch-
Alas I spotted one.
It was Cameron.
…swing dancing with a box of stolen club crackers.
I then followed the crumb trails of this snack to find a stack of crackers glowing in the blacklight in the mouths of a few other my alcohol induced friends.
Desperate to find the rest of the group. I flashed my camera for a better visual capturing this attractive candid for the archives.
And eventually at 11:59 pm we all huddled together around the big screen. Champagne flutes in hand.
(And the club crackers too)
Where we gave a toast. And we gave a kiss.
And we cheersed to another successful year of rogue shenanigans and damn good friends.
The rest of the night was chock-full of two stepping on the dance floor
And after shutting down the damn party and destroying another box of club crackers like true ladies and gentlemen, I ventured over to the open bar and dropped really charming and adult like lines such as:
"Hey. If I say the word boobs. Can I have the leftover beer?"
To which they were like
And we rolled the fuck out with 24 beers in hand
Only to witness Cameron and Penny drop….22 of them on our way out.
But no matter.
We were gone.
En route to the local Belgian Fry establishment
A place where 32 sauces adorn hot and fresh fries at the end of each night, purely deep fried and seasoned by Jesus Christ himself
Vision was lost:
And dreams came true:
And with each passing bite at 5 a.m. I knew that just 5 hours into the New Year I had once again started and ended it with the very best people. Broken pants, wet pants, stolen club crackers and all.
And also realizing that, in 3 damn years a lot of shit had changed. But our unwavering agreement to do the damn thing all over again. With the same people. In the same place.
Never had.
So cheers. To my old friends:
And the new. To all of my friends who have stuck by my damn side year after year, and to all of you I've collected along the way.
I hope we all make some new friends this year. Without ever forgetting the old. They've known you at your very best and your very worst and they apparently like you both damn ways. So cheers to your best friendships and the new ones too. And may you all get weird together for years and years to come. I know we will.
Like this post and want to be a part of my rogue shenanigans? For it. E-mail me here at firstname.lastname@example.com